Looking for advice

Um...

YAY!!! Read your sons post and glad to see you are joining too. I am sure it will help both of you to have additional support.

1. Patience
2. Don't drink your calories.....stick to diet sodas if you have to drink soda.
3. Make small changes...don't do anything drastic just starting out.
4. Watch your sodium..stick to 1800 mg per day.
5. Be consistent.

I went to my son's graduation a couple of weeks ago and the pictures say it all! Not to talk of not being able to find anything pretty to wear! So I thought, that's it, enough. Like Dolly Parton said "just get your head out of the slop bucket". You can do it, it's mind over matter. If your head is ready to it then then the rest of you will follow. Good luck.

I looked at "bigguybigrib" diary again just now, and I'm confused. How would you define "great results"? If his diary is accurate, he is eating tens of thousands calories a day.

Hello, I am glad that you and your son are working to become more healthier! A good start to loosing weight is walking at least 30 minutes a day to start (if possible). Eat 5 small meals throughout the day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner). Make the meals between 300-350 calories each. Eat foods like skinless chicken breast, tuna, salmon, lean meats, egg whites, whole wheat breads and wheat pasta, lots of fresh veggies, drink alot of water and try to stay away from any soda and sweets. Good luck!!

Hi there peeps, I'm new to the lifestyle of healthy living, but am really glad I decided to do it. I'm confused about calorie counting, I am on a 1200 calorie diet, and am exercising 30 minutes a day, burning 250 calories, my calorie counter is showing that I have to eat an extra 250 calories to keep at 1200 calories. How am i loosing weight by doing this? could someone explain please?

The calorie counter allows you to consume the amount of calories you burn and you will still be within your 1200 calorie diet. You don't have to eat the extra amount of calories you burn off, just make sure you are eating enough to fuel your body for your workout!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/bigguybigrib

Is this for real?

GOOD GOD when will this troll give up?!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/bigguybigrib

Is this for real?

There is puppy chow on that list. o_O

Ahh, nevermind I see that is some sort of sweets recipe. Ignore me, lol.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/bigguybigrib

Is this for real?

There is puppy chow on that list. o_O

Ahh, nevermind I see that is some sort of sweets recipe. Ignore me, lol.

Puppy chow is the *kitten*! Please tell me you've had it so I know you weren't denied a childhood. lol.

Hey there! Welcome to the best weight loss pal ever!

It's simple, calories in v. calories out and getting into shape!

I would cut out fast food and soda first and foremost!

Good luck!

Hi there, I have been on MFP for a few years, and also ended up having weight loss surgery (twice in 12 years) so am my own afficianado for both sides of the fence LOL. My highest weight was about 400lbs and i absolutely know that i could easily end up larger than that.

I also know what it was like at 400...how impossible moving was, how hard it was to all of a sudden eat less/differently, how no one really seemed to understand the challenges that are specific to larger folks (like the "WOAH looked at your son's diary" comments" - I truly believe people don't mean to offend, they just can't quite understand) like sitting in chairs, getting up at all, having pains everywhere, etc. I know what it's like to feel that change is impossible. I know what it's like to have to keep on trucking, to constantly fall off the wagon and get back on it. I know what it's like to hate coming into public forums knowing you are the minority and having a hard time finding people that can actually be supportive (i think the folks that "feel" left out tend to not be speaking up), etc.

With that said, yes of course, it's all about calorie deficit. But more than that i think it's about:
* Slowly, slowly changing a thing or two at a time so you don't feel deprived
* Finding things that are suitable replacements for things you love that aren't great for you
* Cutting out the liquid calories and easy to eat a gazillion of snack foods (like chips)
* As possible, slowly try to move
* Logging everything

What that means to me? I can't offer you tons of excellent scientific info, but i'll tell you the few key changes that really put me on the road to success (i'm only halfway there, have lost 120 and still have 100 to go!):

I loved cheese, am made of cheese, continuing to eat cheese the way i always had meant i couldn't realistically reduce calories. I found that laughing cow (while nutritional crap, i know) made it possible for me to feel like i was eating cheese and cut out the majority of cheese...now i rarely eat cheese, and when i do it's laughing cow or a sprinkling of a strong cheese like parmesan or feta or blue....so i can get the "mmm cheese" without the calories/fat, etc...mind you, my overall goal now besides weight loss is to eat as close to the source as possible and not eat chemical junk, but you know what, first things first and getting healthier and able to move is probably more important than being a purist in the beginning (in the end, they often end up hand in hand for folks who truly get healthy, not just thin).

When i needed volume, i found that roasting a pile of veggies and using lots of lettuce/veggies as a base for a yummy topping helped me to get volume with less calories (also, i was a veggie hater, but found that i loved veggies bbqd or roasted, then i became the veggie lover - still hate them steamed and stuff LOL). I think when we are eating a certain volume and try to cut that amount more than like 20% our body notices and fights. Using veggies/lettuce (aka low calorie fillers) along with the yummy stuff helped me to feel satiated but with less calories. This might be an especially useful technique for your son too! Volumetrics was interesting to read in that regard, talks a lot about using the higher volume food, for instance eat grapes instead of raisins, to get volume and feel satiated with less calories. I don't subscribe to a certain diet philosophy really, but you know, some things have impacted me and taught me things along the way.

I had to remove things that are "carriers", meaning the breads/chips etc...that i like to use as utensils for eating yummy stuff....aka i love to dip and spread...and dips and spreads are where the calories are, or at least it was for me. Removing bread from my diet overall made a huge difference for me. Now if i want "fillings" i use low calorie things like lettuce to wrap it in, or corn tortillas, etc.

Simply logging your food is life changing. I don't care if you eat 10,000 calories a day, just writing it down and seeing it helps you to start to understand how to replace and change and work with your food to get it down to less calories and that will start to effect change, no doubt as it might have already with your son.

It took a long time, a few years, of slowly changing habits before i noticed that my preferences had actually changed. I loved deep fried stuff, now when i try it after so long, i'm like "whoah, where's the flavor?", i never order the way i used to, trying to figure out what is the yummiest thing i can have at every meal....now i look for what is the healthiest thing i can order, and if i need it, will add something to it to up the yum factor....what i found out though, is once i order the "healthier" thing, once i had a few bites, well....i wasn't salivating for the "yummiest"...i was satisfied enough to be happy with the healthier thing. So don't give up. It takes a long time to get used to "less yummy" stuff....but eventually it does become your food of choice and you actually prefer it and find it yummier!

I didn't look at your diaries, and now that i've had sleeve surgery, mine is hidden, but i'm happy to be here for you and your son if you'd like to add me. Good for you guys for joining up. Ignore any negatives...this is a public forum where you'll get all opinions, even the crappy ones (you know what they say about opinions, everyone has one!) and just accept that this is your own journey and your biggest key to success is slowly figuring out what makes you healthy AND happy. Once you have a number of friends that can relate or support you in the way that makes you guys feel good, you'll really have a great time here on MFP.

One last thing, don't be afraid of those self help books. I'm not saying read everything out there, but some things can give you little epiphanies that really help. Volumetrics did open my eyes to how to get volume when i needed it without all the calories, and the BECK diet program (it's more behavior modification) workbook really was great in that it slowly ramped you up to creating and using simple tools to remind yourself and keep yourself on track. So much about eating is mental for some of us, and that might stay forever, but finding good ways to distract or remind ourselves can be really valuable in this journey.

And good for you for supporting your son. I wish i still had my kids at home so i could teach them what i've learned. He is lucky to have you. And you are lucky to have him..which led you here, so win win in my book!

Welcome aboard!