Introducing Myself

Welcome, this is a great site. I couldn't believe how much I was eating back when I started either. Just keep writing everything down and you will find yourself making better and healthier choices in no time.

Welcome.... you are going to be so happy with MFP. Logging the food really helps. Regarding the gym....just keep going....there really are some great people who will be very impressed that you are there working towards getting healthy...especially when they see you losing the weight. Congrats on taking this big step!!!!

Welcome, this site is great for support, motivation and success. If you have a smart phone, down load the MFP app.

You need to read Covert Bailey's Ultimate Fit or Fat. It is NOT a fad diet or some hopped up masochistic workout routine, it is great advice, common sense and awesome information for changing your life, not for going on a diet.

Next, forget Gold's Gym...cancel your membership (for now) and start out slow. I started by walking every day on my 15 minute break at work. A week or so later, I added 15 minutes after work. I know you said you were an athelete in HS, but Honey, that was a while back. One of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to run a marathon when they haven't even walked around the block in a decade. Pain and discomfort is what makes us quit...trust me, I know. I didn't get to weigh 250 by going to the gym every day...I did it by sitting on my butt watching tv and eating cookies. Get a stationary bike and put it in your workshop, guest bedroom, garage if you want to be away from kids, wife, whatever else. Buy yourself an mp3 player and a good set of earphones. Download some music (about an hour's worth) that really makes you want to move!!! (I love the theme from Footlose, its a great workout song.) But also download some songs to warm up and cool down to. I find that music helps me keep going when I want to quit and helps me concentrate through the aching more than watching tv when I work out.

If you have a community college near you, check out their course offerings and see if they offer a nutrition class...I had to take one this past semester to fulfill a biology requirement and it scared the bejabbers out of me.(so did getting that jacked up bloodwork). But it also helped me to understand what food does in and to the body. If I had had that kind of class in my younger, more formative years, I might not be where I am today.

Also, try to eat within an hour of waking. That is what gets your metabolism moving. Then, eat a HEALTHY snack three hours later, Lunch three hours after that, another snack 3 hours later, and then supper. Don't eat after 7 pm. Set a timer or alarm if you have to until it becomes habit...this constant flow of food balances blood sugar and keeps your metabolism hopping. It really works.

Measure out snacks into ziplock bags and keep them with you. (One of my favorites is 3 oz of baby carrots and 1 oz of almonds. The carrots are SWEET and have lots of fiber and vitamin A, and the almonds have heart healthy fat, the whole snack is 199 calories.) You are male so your calorie alottment is probably higher than mine, so you may be able to snack more or have bigger meals.

DRINK YOUR WATER 8 to 10 glasses per day. It is hard at first, but after the first couple of days, I got used to it. In almost one month, I've only had about 4 diet drinks. (In addition to 8 glasses of water). I keep a Route 44 Sonic cup of water with me all the time. I love their crushed ice, and I add a few slices of lemon. At first I was putting in a packet of sweetnlow, but now I don't even bother.

The thing to rememeber most is THIS TAKES TIME. You didn't gain this weight overnight, you didn't develop bad eating and exercise habits over night, you are not going to correct this overnight. You have to convince yourself that you are NOT on a DIET. You are changing your lifestyle, mentality, and health...there is no end to that. Thinking that you are on a diet implies that once you lose the weight, you can go back to your old habits...NOT!

(Having the iPhone app keeps me on track when I am away from the computer. I keep MFP up on my computer all day at work. My rule is if I bite it, I write (log) it. Don't cheat yourself by not logging your food, water and exercise. )