HI... Weight Loss Question For 400 lbs Male

wpt1982

Hi everyone...

Just to give you guys a brief heads up, I am a 27 year old male who played sports all through school but I've found myself in a rut the past few years. I was always heavy through school. I graduated high school in 2001 at just about 300 lbs but I carried my weight well and it never really hindered me. Once high school ended, I put on weight quickly as I began to driink socially as well as eat at late hours and spend lots of money on fast food and eating out. In 2004 I noticed that my weight was started bothering me and I got on a scale and was shocked to see 389lbs. I made a change and stated dieting (Low carb diet..Gave myself a cheat day..Lots of water) and got down to 310 lbs within 2 1/2 months. I was feeling great and sticking to my regimen until I contracted pneumonia. I was in bed for two weeks and unfortunately this two weeks was enough for me to break my routine. I started to eat unhealthy again and gradually put back on the weight I had lost. I am now at around 425 lbs and have been asked by several friends and family members to lose weight becuase they are concerned about my well being. So last week on Monday I started up my diet plan again and on Day 8 I can say that I am already feeling much better and feeling some changes.

I do have a few questions that I hope some can help me with...

1) What is a safe amount of weight for me to lose every week? I know at my size 2 lbs a week is much easier to lose and I am trying to figure out what is a safe and desirable amount to be losing.

2) Can anybody recommened a good source of fiber that I can get at a local GNC store?

I appreciate any responses and wish you all the best!

HKHOWELL

Not that I can help from the male perspective, but to answer the fiber questions...I eat a oats & chocolate Fiber One Bar everyday for breakfast and they are TASTY!!!!! They are 140 calories and keep you full for awhile.

kellygirl5538

I'm not a doctor or anything but I think I could consult a nutritionist. I am in now way trying to insult your ability to diet, and I understand to a point because I once weighed 210 or higher. I think loosing weight is really scientific but can be dangerous if you don't diet correctly. You don't want to put too much stress on your heart because it might be stressed by the extra weight. I really think you can do this and you came to the right place. Good luck to you.

hansmom

Hi my name is Melinda and Im 19 I currently weigh 280 and have lost 5 pounds just this week on the diet plan my doctor
put me on and if ur like me u gain all ur weight in ur stomach area. So Iam gonna share tips with you. First of all begin each day with 2 tbsp's of white vinegar as nasty as it sounds its helps get ur metabolism kicking. Stop intaking anything white
such as white bread, mashed potatoes they contain tons of carbs! Substitute sugar for brown sugar or honey. Eliminate all
fried foods if you possibly can. DO not drink regular soda its the worst u can possibly drink. Limit yourself to 12-1500 calories per day. And try to exercise starting out 20 mins a day.
1.Drink at least 8 8 oz glasses of water each day or 4 bottled waters.
2.Eat lots of Whole grains such as wheat bread, whole wheat rice or brown rice
3.Black beans
4.Eat Oatmeal with no or little sugar. Or even better use like berries to sweeten it.
5.Peanut butter, not alot but it has good carbohydrates in it the kind ur body thrives
6.Almonds. They make your stomach slimey and trick into thinking you are full.
7.Raspberries. They are low in calories and contain lots of antioxidents that speed up your metabolism
8.Tuna
9.Salmon
10.Lots of green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and romaine etc. They help prevent diabetes and have the
lowest calories of any other food.
11.100% Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, it helps you burn fat throughout the day
And thats about it other than try to eat as organic as u can and try to avoid fast food
I hope this helps you please reply back and let me know.
-Melinda

skyisthelimit25

wow. you are a true inspiration.!! keep at it. i look forward to hearing about your progress!

i was curious about the 2 lb per day thing too.... myfitnesspal doesn't give the option to put anything higher than 2 lbs as your weekly weight loss goal... (which IS highly achievable for someone with more weight to lose, myself included.!)

needamulligan

I've always heard/read that 2 lbs per week is a safe amount. Thank your lucky stars that the weight will come off faster than that.....in the beginning! I think everyone reaches the point where weight loss slows down, eventually. I've become disenchanted with "bottled" fiber. The only fiber supplements that I've found required really large doses to meet the daily requirements. I much prefer eating more fruits, vegies and whole grains. Fiber One cereal is loaded with fiber and tastes pretty good. Beans and hummus are also good choices.

Good luck to you! My story is similar. The stress associated with my own illness, my daughter's cancer and my mother's illness and eventual passing left me at a weight that I never expected to see. But, here we both are and, happily, on the right track! I hope that we both have learned enough to stay with it this time. "Baby steps" is my new mantra. All the best to you!

needamulligan

Per Melinda's advice about limiting yourself to 12-1500 cal/day. I'd advise against such a severe drop initially. MFP will calculate your daily calories. I'd definitely stick with that because a) your a man and automatically get more calories than women and b) you're starting at a higher weight and need more calories to fuel your body. There are endless threads on MFP about plateaus and starvation modes. You, surely, don't want to defeat yourself by eating too little!

SassyMissDasha

Welcome! I started at 399 .. and I have been losing about 5 to 6 lbs per week. I do have it set to lose 2 lbs per week. I think that is the safe recommended amount! Lots of water .. you have to learn to like it!

justdoingit

Congrats on your new journey! Kashi Go Lean has tons of fiber, protein and is tasty. You need both soluble and insoluble fiber, which most supplements don't have. The cereal has it and you should eat plenty of beans, fruits, and veggies to get the rest. I have been on this site for almost two years and have been able to keep most of the weight I lost off. I just put on 5 pounds (moved, tons of stress, off of my routine, you know.) and will hopefully get rid of it in the next two weeks. Good luck to you!!:happy:

wpt1982

Thnaks for all the kind words and thoughts.

This site is helping immensely.

THANK YOU!

LoveMy4Kids

Welcome! I too have a hard time finding ways to get more fiber, but I have tried the fiber 1 bars and they are pretty good! I too have a lot to lose and know that I will lose a lot more than 2lbs a week, but I know that the health professionals don't recommend more than 2lbs a week so I am sure thats why MFP has that as a max! At least this way I can keep track of what I am putting in!! I myself try to stick to 12-1400 calories, but as someone else said you are male which right there allows you more calories! If I was you I'd just see what MFP recommends and then if you want to lose more just slowly reduce the calories and see how your body reacts rather than going into starvation mode! I wish you much luck, your not alone!!!

ccgisme

Congrats on taking these steps now. If you are serious about losing the weight slowly, then enter the information into MFP and set a goal to lose 2 lbs per week. Eat your calories and get exercise that is suitable for your current level of fitness. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. This isn't Biggest Loser and I'm guessing you don't have a physician standing by in the event you over do it. If this works, stick with it. If it doesn't work, or if it eventually stops working, shake things up - eat less, eat more. See what happens. If you are in this for the long haul, then a small "set back" is nothing more than a learning opportunity.

One question: why do you need to get your fiber from GNC? Wouldn't it be cheaper and more pleasurable to get it from oatmeal and other grains, berries, and vegetables? I think you said you're doing low carb. If so, I see why GNC is appealing. Lettuce and other greens are relatively low in net carbs and relatively high in fiber. So a big salad with veggies, protein of your choice and caesar dressing would be a good staple meal. Of course, when I did Atkins, I stood next to the grill and ate meat once it was medium rare... Ah, the good old days :laugh:

Keep up the good work. I'm glad you're here. If you want a male support network on MFP, search for "Man to Man" better yet, follow this link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/97024-man-to-man-a-support-system-for-men-part-2.