Hello fello clydes,
I just wanted to throw in what I've been doing lately, and why I think I had so many problems losing weight in the past. I was around 250, and I've lost 15lbs in the last month and a half.
I think the biggest thing is the mental stuff, at some point something just clicks. Once it does, I think you are halfway there, the rest is just maintaining a good outlook, do what makes you happy, and continue to enjoy good food.
My biggest eating disability was that I would usually only eat once a day, at the end of the day, but I'd eat enough for three people. It would be my form of a night cap and instead of falling asleep, I'd put myself into a semi-comatosed state and pass out. I think we all know what is healthy living, and what is not, but I wouldn't listen then (we all have other things on our minds). Now I'm trying to listen.
After the click happened, I went online (to mens health), and printed out some exercise plans (the abs diet). I also went to the local health food store and got some fat-burning, increase metabolism type stuff, I won't mention brands because I think many of the healthy ones work the same way. One of the things I bought is a meal-replacement shake thing (not slim-fast, but the same principle I think). This is my breakfast. It takes less than 30seconds to make, and it really does taste good (I get chocolate). Eating breakfast (or drinking it I guess) has made a big difference in my activity for the rest of the day. Again, I think we all know this, but it takes something to make us start doing this. In the past, when I would think "Ok, today you're going to have a good breakfast and do stuff." I'd make myself a couple eggs, potatoes, maybe a fried tomato and some toast. After eating, what was supposed to energize me, paralyzed me. The shake is just the right amount, I don't feel full, but I feel content and my brain starts to buzz a minute after drinking it. With this stuff I also take a pill thats supposed to metabolize fat, and then I take some omega3 tablets for the old noggin. For me, feeling good is the most important. If I'm happy, I can stick to it, and I don't feel like I'm working, or sacrficing anything.
So I have the shake at around 9am (this is usually, sometimes on the weekend, I do feel like a traditional breakfast, and I'll eat it - the shake just becomes my dinner - and remember, this is a guy who used to eat enough for three, three guys that is, not girls). At around 11am I'll eat a snack. There are tonnes of healthy snacks, I'll mention one that I love right now....apples and almond butter (this is so yummy). Usually, I dont need a snack by this time, but I eat it anyways, from what I've read the whole trick is to increase your metabolism, you need to eat (in small, but consistent quantities) to improve this. After about an 1hr I take another pill (also intented to increase metabolism). 1/2 hr after this, I eat lunch.
I love carbs (I might be able to say loved now). Good bread, pasta, rice. All the stuff I know people say is bad, I loved. But they were the first to go. They had to be. I just replaced it with protein. Lunch will be my biggest meal of the day usually, but its mostly protein. I like things like spaghetti and meatballs (can make enough meatballs to last for a month and freeze it, or whatever). I make big meatballs. Ummmm, meatballs. Then, instead of them sitting on a king-sized bed of pasta, I'll eat two of the meatballs, and then about 1/5 of the amount of pasta I used to eat. Just a small portion. After eating this, if I'm still hungry (which happened less and less as my stomach began to shrink), I'd eat maybe 10 almonds, some grapes, or other fruit (I've read that you can eat as much fruit as you like, so I do).
At 4pm its snack time again (for someone who only ate once a day, this is a lot of eating in one day). I like Ryvita and some nice old chedder/colby, yogurt, whatever. (I just think about the healthy food that I actually like). At around 7pm I take another metabolism pill, and an hr later, dinner. Dinner is again mostly protein, fruit and veggies, or the shake if I feel I ate a bit too much during the day.
For my late night snack, I'll eat almonds, or my favorite, some shake-and-bake style chicken. I guess eating protein instead of carbs before bed is good because protein increases insulin levels and makes you have a nice sleep. When I'd eat a carb-rich late night dinner, sure I'd go into a comatosed state, but I'd have horrible sleeps. I'm sleeping better now.
And then I wake up, the day begins again. I still get to think about food I like, and get to enjoy eating it. Its only the carbs that I have to watch, but the less I eat carb rich foods, the less I like them. Bread doesn't compare to meatballs!
This is all done at the same time as the exercise routine that I mentioned. Sure, sometimes I only have time to do it for 20-30mins. But I try to do it. there have been days when I said, nope, not today. But I don't beat myself up about it. I'm going for a lifestyle change, not a stint where I'm briefly pumped/pissed. I want to be happy. But even if I'm just sitting in front of the TV, I'll have some free weights sitting there and maybe do some curls, military press or something else (my "weight room" consits of two barbells and an EZ curl bar - since I weigh so much, my body is my primary weight). Instead of sitting on the sofa/chair, I'll lie down on the floor. I can relax when I need to, and if I feel like doing a few situps/pushups, I'm right there.
I couldn't do a sit-up for the life of me two months ago. My shoulders would get less than four inches off the ground I think (thats what it felt like at least). But I did them (the four inch situp), and over time it did work. I can do proper situps now, and more than I thought I'd be able to do. Pushups were the same. When I started, I couldn't do one. So I put down the blinds, and did women's pushups (I dont' know what they are called, and I don't want to offend any women here)...the ones where your knees are touching the floor. I did them for a while, and kept trying to do at least one real pushup before doing the womens pushups. One day I was able to do one. I did that one, and finished with more womens pushups, until I was too tired to do anymore. I can do 12 normal pushups now, and I still do womens pushups after finishing them to make sure I've completely exhausted myself. For me, seeing the development in my upper body (which is initially hard to see under the fat, but it is happening!) has been a source of happiness.
I'm also playing the sports I stopped playing since I was a kid, and I do feel like a kid again. Games are fun. And everyone here knows how fun biking is. As I start to tour (just getting into it), I'll probably start to increase my carb intake a bit to compensate, I'll let my body do the talking.
Anyways, I just wanted to say, be happy. I think its a good thing to find a way to enjoy the things that made you overweight, but in a healthy way. It becomes easier to control your appetite. I don't feel like I'm on a diet, I feel like I'm just eating differently.
Im not where I want to be, but I feel like I can do this, it hasn't been so hard (after the click).
Good luck to all of you.
PS: I know that wasn't WW related, but if it works, why not?!
