exercise/weight loss/diet questions

[treestump]

Im sure I'm not the only overweight person who reads in this forum so i figured i would take the plunge and ask some questions

Right now i have the will and drive to start getting into shape, but it seems i just dont where to start considering i need to change my whole lifestyle. The main points i want to addresed are:

I. weight loss
II. exersise plan
III. diet


ok Im about 60 pounds overwieght right now, the fat is evenly spread over my body with no particular area of concentration, im 6'3 and im about 240 pounds, i figured due to my frame size about 180-185 would be my optimal weight/heigth index

I have running shoes and like to jog, i have a bike and like to ride but dont feel that i get a good work out on it, i have a wall bag and use it now and then, i would be willing to buy roller blades and a door way pull up bar and maybe a punching bag if i can fit it into my budget.

my diet is horrible and is my main problem with being overweight

as far as exercises go I have not develpoed my softness enough where i can weight train and i really dont want to bulk up anyways. So i would need some other suggestions

the type of replys im looking for are ones that give me a example workout/exersise plan, some tips on eating better and just any other advice that you might have. I would also like to here any success stories others of you might have had as far as getting into shape.

One other note about the diet stuff is im not living at home any more and have to cook for myself, my wife would probbally end up killing us with her cooking and she doesnt really know how to buy/cook healthy food eitehr so any types of tips here would be wonderfull


thx,
stump

[SevenStar]

What do you normally eat in a day? diet will play a HUGE role in losing weight.

[treestump]

well if we are low on money(1 week out of 12)
i will have a bowl of cereal in the morning and ham and cheese for lunch and dinner

otherwise jimmy dean or other brand sandwhich in the morning
ham/cheese or a hot pocket or fast food for lunch
hamburger helper/tacos/fastfood type meals for dinner
oh yeah i also drink a lot of sodas (4-5 a day)

i eat remarkably few fruits and veggies but im willing to start
though i do put lettuce on my hamburgers

Im open to about any type of food except sea food i cant stand the smell of fish, and who eats giant roaches?(lobster, craw fish)

I know on exercises i just need to do it, i use to run everynight and i need to get back in the habbit. But as far as my diet is concerned i dont even know where to start

right now my goals are to fit into all my clothes and to be able to fast jog/run at least 3 miles without breaks again.. right now i can do about 1

[inic]

wow....
no offense but you need a lot of work with eating.
i'm gonna throw you a lot of info and i'll try to develop a step type program for you to start
wow, i dont even know where to start...
ok, lets start with drinks:
the ONLY things you should be drinking are:
water, tea, alcohol, and unpasterized milk, or soymilk/ricemilk.
YOU DO NOT ANY OTHER FORM OF LIQUID
no juice either, it just has sugar and crap. and why would you drink oj when you can just eat an orange?
makes sense doesnt it.
people dont realize the damage all the things they drink do.
so this is Step 1 that I give people: Limit what you drink to the things I mentioned above.
Next, things not to eat.
i'll give you my sources if you want later, just try to bare with me for now
no ham/pork, shellfish (lobster, shrimp), no peanuts (eat other nuts), no potatos (there are much better veggies out there), no hamburger (just eat steak, at least you can see the bone and what part of the animal it is, you have no clue whats really in hamburg), lay off the bread (stick with noodles or rice).

and realistically, at 6'3", 200lbs is fine and optimal. below that may be considered a little too skinny.

I think i'll end here, because i dont want to overload you.i'll just type whatever comes to mind.

-pass the cold cuts, they are all crap, don't eat anything with preservatives.
-dont buy any flavored stuff, why buy strawberry yogurt when you can buy plain organic yogurt and just add strawberries yourself?
- try to get things in their most natural state. i.e. dont buy canned or frozen fruits/veggies, buy them raw.

one big key to being healthy is it takes DISCIPLINE AND SOME EFFORT!
and you cant do things half way!! go all the way or dont go at all!
this is the biggest problem when i write diets for people. they do it for 2 weeks then just give up. Dont be lazy!

the main thing with eating healthy is this: Your body doesnt know what to do with man-made products. read the ingredients on what you eat. If the ingredient doesnt come from an animal or isnt grow naturally, then its useless.

some ingredients to watch out for:
enriched (bleached)
frutose corn syrup
xathan gum
monoglusoride glucomate something (i forget the exact words)
anything with a "shelf" life.


I know this is a lot. start with just the drinks, and make sure you drink a lot of water. no more than 1 glass of the rest (tea, soymilk, wine)


as for exercise, thats not my expertise, but i would suggest no weights just yet... first get flexible: stretch A LOT. and start doing some aerobic type exercises. try jump rope. I would suggest running, but honestly the majority of people simply dont know how to run properly and end up doing more damage. So research proper running befor eyou start.
I would just suggest getting flexible first and start on some body weight exercises. swimming is a great thing too.
ok, thats it for now, i'll give you some links to food sites if you want...
happy eating!

p.s. its ok to treat yourself, but dont do it often. I know people who treat themselves once a week and thats just stupid. dont treat yourself more than once a month.

I would try fasting once or twice to rid the garbage out of your system. eat TONS of fiber the day befor eyou fast.

[treestump]

So if i dont like tea, and i dont drink alcohol im down to just water?

im guessing the milk that comes in the gallon jugs is not good either? i normally get the 2% kinds


do you know of a website or a book that gives good recipes? one thing i have going for me is i can cook anything and it even tastes good too.

another thing is what exactley can i eat for lunch when im at school if i cant keep it nice and safe between 2 slices of bread?

and as far as my body condition goes, i train in MA class(WT) three times a week and that keeps me pretty limber and gives some sort of arobics too.

[Lisa]

inic,

A few questions...

Are unsweetened juices ok?

Why should you stay away from bread? I read somewhere that you should stay away from grains completely. Any thoughts on this?

How much difference is there in the nutritional value of steamed vegetables and fresh vegetables?


Lisa

[Qi dup]

Inic and ght are right. Lose the soda!!!!!

I also agree with inic in that 200 would probably be a decent weight for someone as tall as you.

To lose weight you will probably need to cut calories. A lot of people on here can give you better advice on this than I can.

I would also suggest lifting weights. Lifting heavy not only burns a lot of calories but also ups your matabolism. I suggest a powerlifting type routine, but there are a lot of different ways you can go with lifting.

You said you can run a mile which is good. Sounds like your endurance isn't all bad.

Start cooking. It's realy not to hard. Chicken, beef and pork are all really quite easy to cook from scratch. you can cook all kinds of great stuff with ease. this will be much better than fast food.

[Radhnoti]

I have a quick question about tea. Were you just referring to "herbal" types or would a plastic bottle of Nestea (sweetened) be alright? I've kicked soda for about 2 years now...but when I eat out (a few times a week) I typically order sweetened tea. Please tell me that water isn't my ONLY option.... :eek:

[Shadow Dragon]

Guys.

What would you reckon is a good weight for someone as follows:
mid-30's
5'10(178cm)
male.

I developed a bit of a waist belt and would like to trim down.

Cheers.

[treestump]

Qi dup

im not really at a point in my training that i can start lifting heavy weights, as I am still trying to develop softness.
-----

and as soon as i get off my addiction to caffine I will drop the sodas, I get withdrawal headaches if i dont drink a pepsi in the morning

[TkdWarrior]

there r some terrible indian ways to do it...but they helps...
1. eating water will help u but now i ask u to drink at least one cup of little warm(it should felt like warm, not hot) every hour or so till u dont' sleep
2. in morning when u wake up drink warm water, one lemon + two spoon of pure honey(if u can get one otherwise don't use honey) before freshing up n after that do ur excercise...
3. when every u do excercise do it (basically cardiac ones) for 20 minutes at least n don't skip any day.
4. running will give u good results as against to jogging...n brisk walking will give good results too(close to jogging) i think jogging should be avoided..
there r some good tips for running in runnersworld.co.uk

shadowdragon i m 5,10 n around 80 kgs(around 4 kg overwiehgt)
for average 5,10 male the weight can go around 72-76,77 kgs..
1 kg = 2.5 pounds
trimming waist belt(luv packs) is not easy...it's contious excercise(at least 20 min) daily will help u

Lisa, when it comes to juices(sweetned or none) i prefer fresh fruit juices to it rather than canned ones... u can stay away from grains completely but u hav to compensate ur diet, in this part of world(asia) grains n cereals n milk products r necessary...better use brown bread than using white bread(brown bread hav lesser calories)
about vegetables, steamed vegetables doesn't loose much nutritional value as compared to fresh ones, if u wanna prefer Veg Diet then u should look for more sea food in ur diet or follow the oriental way :)

Radnhoti as i said if u can't drink water make it lemon juice just add some salt with it(no sugar plz, can add honey) it's different than the above i described(no luke warm water here)i hav heard that Lemon acts as a catalyst...n hav first hand expereince too

about fasting the one thing u should remember when u r fasting u can hav at least fruit juices n after fasting start with mild food(don't go n eat up meat, option would be sea food)
-TkdWarrior-

[Serpent]

treestump, dude, lay OFF the sodas! The headaches will go away. Just stop the sodas and you'll see a great improvement. Also, lots of water, lots of fresh fruit and veg, cut back big time on the red meat, lay off the burgers and other fast foods and keep your exercise routine up to at least 20 mins of cardio a day.

But you really have to stop with the sodas, man!

[treestump]

well ive just taken my last wonderfull sip of soda, oh well i guess i will live.

thanks for the link to runnersworld.co.uk it has a lot of useful info in it, here is a quote that gives a running training program for begginers.

"
Week 1 Run one min, walk 90 seconds. Repeat eight times. Do three times a week.
Week 2 Run two mins, walk one min. Repeat seven times. Do three times a week.
Week 3 Run three mins walk one mins. Repeat six times. Do three times a week.
Week 4 Run five mins, walk two mins. Repeat four times. Do times a week.
Week 5 Run eight mins, walk two mins. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
Week 6 Run 12 mins, walk one min. Repeat three times. Do three times a week.
Week 7 Run 15 mins, walk one min, Run fifteen mins. Do three times a week
Week 8 Run 30 mins continuously.
"(runnersworld.co.uk)

I like to eat something hot in the morning is oatmeal ok? if not what are some other choices? I was thinking of just eating 1-2 fruits for breakfast but once again i like somthing hot

[ewallace]

treestump, you have been given some very good info so far. The only problem I see with it, and this comes from experince...I am by no stretch a dietician, is that usually when you make a drastic change in your diet, it's hard to stick to it for an extended period of time. The best way that I found, is to gradually modify your diet, so it just becomes normal. Of course start with the soda. If you must have a soda drink a Pepsi One, it doesn't taste too bad (for a "diet" drink) and it can get you over that soda urge. When I quit drinking beer, I dropped about 15-20 pounds even without exercise.

Eat chicken. Alot of chicken. Get some boneless breasts from the store. Go over to the baking goods isle and grab some "shake-n-bake" (I like barbeque glaze and honey mustard for chicken, and Italian for pork). It is great when you don't have much time or are too tired to cook. It's easy and tastes pretty darn good. I'd also have to disagree with the staying away from canned veggies...for now. They are better than french fries and once you get more used to eating right you can move onto the raw veggies.

You said you eat hot-pockets for lunch. Switch to lean-pockets. There is a pepperoni that is pretty good, and just one is around 6 grams of fat. Much less than the #2 combo meal you might normally eat.

Also try and buy 12-24 packs of Ozarka (or similair) bottled water. Take one on the drive (or commute) to work, and keep it filled and on your desk (or person) all day long. That's a great way to get used to drinking water all the time. Then you can move away from the bottled stuff and just drink tap water.

For breakfast have a banana. Or chop up a banana with some ice cubes and a cup of SKIM (fat free) milk in the blender and drink up. I personally like to eat frosted mini-wheats. Sure they may not be the BEST thing, but in your case it sure beats a jimmy dean sausage biscuit.

Definitely get yourself a good multi-vitamin. I like Centrum-performance. You can get all the vitamins you need from eating right but in your case (and mine) it just isn't going to happen overnight.

Like I said I am not a nutrition expert. These things have worked well for me. I will still eat Chick-Fil-A once a week. But even then I will do little things like not "supersize" it. And I will drink water instead of Dr. Pepper. Let's be honest here. Going from eating burgers and bacon to eating green beans and brocoli is not exciting. When you try and do this overnight it can easily lead to failure. Just continue to make changes over the next few weeks and months and LISTEN TO THE FOLKS ON THIS BOARD. They know of what they speak.

[treestump]

ewallace

I know i dont have the iron will to be able to resist all those temptations just yet, but i did get my wife on board and she agreed not to ask for fast food when i was around. (shes a freak by the way and can eat whatever she wants without and visable harm), BTW i think fast food companies put some speacial "additives" in their food, kinda like cigaretes to make you crave more and more.

And as far as food at home, I go shopping in 2 days and im gonna try to buy more healthy stuff.
things on my list:

lots of fruits(apples,grapes,oranges,pears,bananas)
veggies(lettuce,peppers,cucumber,...whatever looks decent)
stuff for homemade soup(veggie,chicken,tomato)
stuff for stir fry(noodles,rice,peppers,steak,chicken)
salad stuff, i dont like dressing so not a prob.

so far thats all i have but these are things i can eat and dont sound too unhealthy

Question: what is so bad about ham?
question2: can i still eat cheese?

[Lisa]

"I like to eat something hot in the morning is oatmeal ok? if not what are some other choices?"

If you can find something called "Red River Cereal" it's pretty good. Or Sunny Boy... it's the same thing. It's a hot cereal and contains only three ingredients- cracked wheat, cracked rye, and flax (cracked and whole).

[TkdWarrior]

good post ewallace i second on that thru my experience too :)
one more thing to point out treestump... about eating habbits in cultures...we hav totally different eating habbits...so from my point of view i give u any idea it won't be that good...u can try with "Hit trial n error" formula or anyone from ur area who was in ur situation(but still u r totally different individual)
sometimes don't stop those temptations but make sure u work hard for that(add more excercise :D :p)
for some energy needs eat lots of sprouts too...
try looking for Neuoro Linguistic Programming techniques to change some of ur bad habbits(like soda in morning)
-TkdWarrior-

[rubthebuddha]

good advice to be read all over the place.

now the only thing left? GOOD LUCK, and if you need any encouragement, bug us some more, because many of us, myself included, have gone or are going through the same thing. i've lost 10 pounds or so in the past two months, with the double goal of increasing the size/strength in my legs. so i've probably lost 12-15 pounds of fat and man, is it much nicer. :)

but, i still have another 10-15 to get to where i wanna be. halfway there, maybe?

[ewallace]

Not sure about Questions 1 & 2.

I think the convience about fast food is what gets most people. The additive thing is probably not far off.

One thing you will notice when you cut out the FF is how much more energy you will have. Seriously try the chicken with shake n bake. Right now I'm pulling the single dad thing and after I get home from work the last thing you will see is an "Emeril" style meal coming from my kitchen. It's easy, tastes great and is pretty good for you. I usually make that with some uncle ben's garlic and something wild grain rice. Again, not the leanest things but they are quick, easy, and much better than a pizza or burger.

For an idea, here's what my shopping list pretty much consists of:

Boneless chicken breasts with rib meat
Medium to Thin-cut boneless pork loins
Shake n Bake (Barbeque Glaze and Italian)
Italian Salad dressing (lite kind) for chicken marinade

1 lb ground meat for Spaghetti (make sure to brown meat then strain)

Rice...either Uncle Ben's wild rice or Far East (something with almonds)

Bananas
Carrots (whole)
Canned cut green beans
Canned corn
Mesquite smoked Turkey (from the deli) for lunch meat
Pep. Farm Wheat bread (or some variation)
Note: I put on a few slices of turkey, lettuce and some sliced pickles for a sandwich, and I put very, very light miracle whip on ONE slice only.

Seedless Green Grapes (great for snacking)
Cereal - Honey Nut Cherios (because my daughter likes them too. Yeah, that's it...my daughter likes them:)) or Frosted mini-wheats (bite size).

Yoplait fat-free yogurt (it's got a blue-ish label)
Fat Free (skim) milk - May take a while to get used to if you are a 2% kinda guy.
Orange Juice - Minute Maid Extra Calcium, low pulp
Ozarka bottled water...for now. Actually, I usually just buy it once every few weeks and just refill the bottles with tap water and store them in the fridge.

Pepperoni Lean Pockets (2 boxes) - great for lunch when you don't have time to make one.

Act One Microwave Popcorn (Corn on the cob) - Hey, I gotta have some junk!

That's all I can think of now. I'll post more if I remember or find an old list.

I cannot stress enough that I do not have a perfect diet. I was a fast-food dude (although I can't stand mickey-d's) for a long time after I moved out of my parent's house. I still eat some occassionally but it's almost always something with chicken. The things I eat now still taste good, and I don't have a lot of time to prepare meals. Plus it saves a ton of money when you "brown-bag" it to work, and cut out most of the fast food for dinner. I'm talking at least $600-$1000 a year when you add it all up.

My mindset of "you don't have to like it, just do it" and "don't be a wussy" really help out too. Or stuborness as my wife likes to call it.

[Serpent]

Originally posted by treestump
Question: what is so bad about ham?
question2: can i still eat cheese?

Ham is not so bad, but a lot of ham is mostly water. Plus, it can contain a fair amount of fat. Get thin sliced lean ham and you'll be right. Just in moderation.

As for cheese, it is extremely high in fat. You can get low fat cheese but it tates like crap. If you're a real cheese freak, use it to treat yourself, but don't eat it often. A lot of dairy produce is high in fat, so beware.

All these changes can come slowly, don't try too much at once. The fact that you've dropped the sodas alone is excellent. You'll notice the difference from just that in a few weeks.

[treestump]

inic


i agree with most of the advice you gave, I'm just gonna adjust it to meet my needs and to something i can handle without going crazy

im cutting out fastfood, most anything that comes out of a box, foil bags or that has to be nuked.

I stoped drinking sodas and have a wonderfull headache to prove it.

I havnt started running yet cause im doing intensive yard/house work everyday for a hour or two. and i will try to consult with someone or at the least get a book before i start training hard

I've located a WholeFoods mart(organic foods)close to my house and will try to buy all my veggies/and meats from them when i have the money

But, I must say i found some of the things on those websites sorta crazy. Maybe down the road...

but all and all I feel like I have pulled a lot of good info from your posts and the others

[treestump]

Just wanted to drop a line saying that since i stoped drinking sodas and started drinking LOTS of water have not been suffering from the stiffness in my hands,arms and legs that i had been having trouble with. i guess i was dehydrated

anyways im trucking along as best as i can

[Qi dup]

Are you taking a good multivitamin?

[treestump]

those vitamins hurt my stomach and i cant eat for hours after taking them

i would rather just eat right

[ewallace]

Don't take it personally Inic. No one has said that what you are saying is wrong...yet:)

Anything I have said is from personal experience. Not everyone can eat like it's 200 A.D. Lifestyles are much different nowadays. I'd love to put the absolute best food in my stomach. I also have to be up at 5:45 in the morning, get ready for work, get a 2 year old ready for school, work until 5p.m, go pick up my 2 year old from school, fix a decent meal for us (ever try to cook and watch a 2 year old at the same time?), eat the food, clean up the mess, get her into the bath, get her dressed, read and or play until she is ready for bed, wash/iron or otherwise prepare clothes for her and I for the next day, take out meat or anything that reqires preparation to eat for the next day, go to class or practice (based on the day), get in some weight training, try and get 7-8 hours of sleep for myself. As you might be able to see this doesn't leave that much time for meal preparation/research. Maybe there are some better meals I can eat and prepare quickly. I don't know of too many.

Maybe boneless chicken (or whatever) isn't the absolute best, healthiest food you can put in your mouth. But if a meal consisting of chicken, rice, green beans (even from a can!) and carrots are no better nutrition wise (or fat content-wise) from eating a big mac supersized value meal then something is definitely wrong with my diet. :)

Keep the info coming. I'm sure most folks around here appreciate any information you pass along. I know that I do.