NEED TO LOSE 120LB NEED HELP!

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HELLO I AM 28YRS OLD 300LB AND I AM 5'6 I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT I NEED ADVICE / HELP...
I DONT KNOW HOW TO MANAGE MY WORK SCHEDULE SO THAT I CAN DIET AND WORKOUT.

I HAVE A DESK JOB AND AM SITTING MOST OF THE TIME

SUN- 6PM-6AM
MON- 6PM-6AM
TUE- 10PM-6AM
WED- 2PM-10PM
THU- OFF
FRI- OFF
SAT- OFF

IM NOT SURE HOW TO WORK OUT A DIET ON MY WORK SCHEDUEL IF ANY ONE CAN HELP ME COME UP WITH A ROUTINE I WOULD BE SO THANKFUL. WHEN SHOULD I SLEEP WHEN SHOULD I EAT AND WHEN SHOULD I WORK OUT?

I WILL CONSUME ANYTHING YOU TELL ME TO AND I WILL MAKE SURE TO KEEP TRACK OF CALORIES!
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Replies

  • meeners17
    meeners17 Posts: 4
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    Well, the good news is even if you have a weird schedule, that shouldn't really get in the way of healthier eating since you have to make time to eat no matter what. Also, it looks like you should definitely be able to workout on thursday, friday and saturday. Since you're working a night shift, maybe going to the gym before work would be a good way to keep you energy and endorphins up for your long shift?

    How about a work out schedule something like this:

    Sun- workout 4-5pm
    Mon- rest day
    Tues- 8-9pm
    wed- rest day
    Thurs: 4-5
    Fri- 4-5
    Sat: rest day

    For your workout you could start by trying to get in 40 minutes of cardio (even walking is good!) and then 20 minutes of weights
  • brilliantcoe
    brilliantcoe Posts: 35 Member
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    I started off at 294 in September. I am now at 214. I record my food here on MFP and I go to Overeater's Anonymous. I have lost weight before but I know that cannot keep it off without a 12 step program. My doctor gave me a plan of eating and I work out every day. I am sure that many folks here will give you advice. Since you are male, I will not share the specifics of what I am doing as I think that men's and women have different nutritional needs.
  • tehjuggernaut
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    Thank you for your response.. I will definitely add that to my diet / workout sechedule.
  • tehjuggernaut
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    WOW that is AWSOME keep up the great work. I hope i can say the same about my progress in the near future! :)
  • meeners17
    meeners17 Posts: 4
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    awesome. i added you as a friend in case you want more advice/support
  • squeepig
    squeepig Posts: 89 Member
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    Even when you're sitting at your desk, you can move your legs under the desk. Actually, to prevent blood clots, you should be getting up every so often to move around and get the circulation going. Most jobs give you a 15 minute break every 4 hours, so you can use that time to take a short walk, stretch, and get your body used to motion.
  • joycelyn35
    joycelyn35 Posts: 20
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    I'm not an expert, however, eating big leafy salads such as the Organic Spring Mix from your local grocer is phenomenal. All of your vitamins and nutrients are there. Eat it without dressing or squeeze a lemon or lime over it. Quick and simple. The citrus helps boost metabolism and aides in digestion...the salad will also help you feel full.

    Drink lots of water. Before any meal, drink an entire glass of water.

    Do not eat after 7 pm. Fill your plate half full of veggies (cooked at home either without butter or eat simply raw) and fist sized portion of fish or chicken.

    Cut out dairy, white junk (white rice, white bread, pasta, sugary cereals, muffins, etc.), soda, alcohol, fast food and all sweets.

    My aunt lost 70 pounds rather quickly by simply eating lean cuisine and drinking only water. She is your size and has the same lifestyle. Walk. Wherever you go, park far and walk. Take the stairs. Stand at your desk when you can - it burns more calories.

    Do not eat at your desk!

    Look for and make the opportunity for movement each day, throughout the day!
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    HELLO I AM 28YRS OLD 300LB AND I AM 5'6 I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT I NEED ADVICE / HELP...
    I DONT KNOW HOW TO MANAGE MY WORK SCHEDULE SO THAT I CAN DIET AND WORKOUT.

    I HAVE A DESK JOB AND AM SITTING MOST OF THE TIME

    SUN- 6PM-6AM
    MON- 6PM-6AM
    TUE- 10PM-6AM
    WED- 2PM-10PM
    THU- OFF
    FRI- OFF
    SAT- OFF

    IM NOT SURE HOW TO WORK OUT A DIET ON MY WORK SCHEDUEL IF ANY ONE CAN HELP ME COME UP WITH A ROUTINE I WOULD BE SO THANKFUL. WHEN SHOULD I SLEEP WHEN SHOULD I EAT AND WHEN SHOULD I WORK OUT?

    I WILL CONSUME ANYTHING YOU TELL ME TO AND I WILL MAKE SURE TO KEEP TRACK OF CALORIES!

    This is not a bad schedule really. Night workers do sometimes have issues to deal with eating at night and such.

    Exercise routine could be something like:

    Monday - REst
    Tuesday - try to get in some exercise before you go to work. Nothing long or heavy
    Wednesday- REst
    Thursday, Friday and Saturday are wide open.

    Excercise at first does not have to be strenuous. Try to find something you enjoy doing. Just move.

    Weight loss does NOT require exercise, but it does help... Just lower your intake. Eliminate empty calories and eat things that are nutritious. Most obese people (I started out at 344 and 6'3" - morbidly obese)... are also malnourished.. This is because they are missing elements of wholesome food. They eat snack cakes, chips and ice cream in lieu of real foods... Therefore, the body is HUNGRY because it still lacks the protein and vitamins it needs to thrive. Eat smart and move when you can. Best wishes on your every success.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Don't confuse 2 things.

    Diet is for weight loss - done right just fat loss, done wrong includes muscle mass (bad idea).
    Exercise is for heart health and body improvements - done right can assist fat loss, done wrong can help muscle mass loss.

    You can lose weight not exercising at all. But you will lose muscle mass, unless you eat enough protein and take a very small deficit, 1 lb weekly for where you are at with only 20 lbs to lose.

    But to reach that 2 lbs weekly that could be reasonable and have it be just fat loss - you need full body resistance training, something, bands, weights, bodyweight, ect.

    And in fact MFP is built exactly that way. Your daily eating goal is for NON-exercise days. Called NET eating goal.
    It's a goal that has you eating less than you are estimated to burn when not exercising.

    But on exercise days you do burn more, but the exact same deficit is taken off that bigger number. The number is bigger because you log your exercise and estimate how much it burns.
    So you eat more. Which can be a great reward for doing more.

    If walking is realistic right now, then that estimate in the MFP database is right on, as long as you match the speed indicated. If you walk 3.2 mph, log it as 3 mph. More accurate than HRM if you match the speed exactly.

    Now, you don't get credit for a tad more movement frequently during the day, but that is helpful anyway. As is parking the farthest away from anything and taking stairs.

    So follow the MFP method and plan and be reasonable.
    Activity level outside of exercise sounds like sedentary.

    Then 2 lb weekly loss goal is reasonable and may help retain muscle mass. You really don't want to lose that.

    Then after saving out, go to MFP Home - Goals - Customize.
    Note the protein grams shown.
    Lower the % of carbs until those protein grams is doubled. That's a better start.

    Then log your true exercise, and meet your daily goal that is given. Meaning if it goes up because you burned more, keep your 1000 cal deficit by eating more as it's shown.
  • JennyHollyHansen
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    Congratulations on starting your journey! As so many people have talked about exercise, I thought I would talk more about diet.
    It is my experience that I only lose weight by diet. Exercise is good for toning but does nothing for my weight if I don't eat well.

    My diet is simple to do but restrictive. I read both the labels and the nutritional chart on all food. I do not eat anything with added suger in the ingredients. I am losing anywhere from 4 to 6 pounds per week for the last 3 weeks and my body is not slowing down. My health is improving, my moods are calmer, and my skin is clearer.

    I also do not take any sweetner. No honey, no agave syrup, no splenda or steveia! The idea is that trying to keep your food sweet will make you crave sweets and sugar. So I have removed all products with added sugar. Now that being said I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, nut, and meat. However, a lot of processed meat like smokies, sausages, and bacon have added sugar. All sauces have added sugar.

    I find myself making my own food from scratch to avoid sugar but it is paying off big time for me. I think it will for you too. I look forward to hearing more about your progress!
  • tehjuggernaut
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    thank you for that information I will put it to use a.s.a.p.
  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
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    Here's my suggestion for how you can get started: Make a list of changes, and tackle them one at a time.

    I suggest your first change be to build a habit of weighing, measuring and logging everything you eat. If you've never done it before, this can seem very burdensome, so give yourself a chance to get used to it. This will also require that you prepare all your own food until you get good at estimating (that could take months). Do this for 2-4 weeks - or until it feels like it's just part of your routine - before adding another change.

    Your next change should be to tackle your bad eating habits. I suggest you break this into pieces too. Do you have a soda, candy, fast-food, or other high-calorie habits? Break these habits, one at a time, by not doing them for 2-4 weeks each (in addition to weighing, measuring and logging your food while you go).

    After you've broken all your major bad habits, you need to pick a diet. This is going to take some research. And you should probably ask your doctor for some guidance. The simplest is calorie deficit. MFP has guidance on how to determine how many calories you need and low your deficit should be start losing weight. You should also read up on low-carb diets (this includes anything from 100 g/day to 20 g/day). Carbs have a big impact on appetite and your body's ability to burn fat, so even if you're not going that route, it's a good idea to understand what's going on there.

    Begin your diet and stick with it for several weeks until you're following all your rules (logging your food, avoiding the bad habits, meeting your calorie/protein/fat/carb goals) for about 80%-90% of the time (there's no need to seek perfection on this).

    All those steps above are about building a foundation of good habits. I've gone on many diets in the last 15 years, and every one that failed left me with at least one good habit. Over time, those habits helped me build a foundation that I think is making my current diet effort much easier than any of the others. Plan for the possibility that your diet might fail, that you'll fall off the wagon. If you put in the time to make these good habits, then it will get much easier to start again.

    After you've reached that 80-90% compliance rate, that's the time to add exercise. The best exercise is the kind you can do regularly. I walk to work, because I only live a mile away and it's easy to work that 25-minute walk into my schedule. I also swim, because I love doing it. Find exercises that you love, that you can stick with. This may mean trying a few different routines. You may find that your schedule is wonderful for exercise, because your workout time will likely be during hours that the gyms are not particularly busy.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Do not eat after 7 pm. Fill your plate half full of veggies (cooked at home either without butter or eat simply raw) and fist sized portion of fish or chicken.

    Cut out dairy, white junk (white rice, white bread, pasta, sugary cereals, muffins, etc.), soda, alcohol, fast food and all sweets.

    Did you see her schedule? Don't eat after 7 pm! what does that even mean even outside her schedule.

    Need to research the foolishness of some of those myths and advice you've found.

    Cutting out some of those foods is bad idea too. If you have a personal issue with some of them great, but that doesn't mean the advice is universal, hardly.
  • tehjuggernaut
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    thank you for taking the time to reply to my post.
  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
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    Cutting out some of those foods is bad idea too. If you have a personal issue with some of them great, but that doesn't mean the advice is universal, hardly.

    He does bring up one important point: Are you an abstainer or a moderator? People often get into arguments on these forums about the best diet advice. The one that stands in my mind the most (and happens over and over again), is how any time some body says "don't eat any...", somebody chimes in with the advice that cutting out foods will cause you to fail. This depends on the person.

    Abstainers find it easier to avoid something completely than to have only a small bit, and may have trouble stopping once they get the taste of something (that's why I don't buy chips, or candy, or cookies, or ice cream. If I have any, I have a lot. That's just my personality).

    Moderators find it rewarding or something to allow themselves a small bit, and have little to no trouble stopping after that.

    Decide which of those two personalities you most relate to, and design your diet around it. If you're a moderator, that may mean pre-deciding on a "reasonable amount" for various foods. If you're an abstainer, that may mean systematically removing certain foods from you diet completely.
  • tehjuggernaut
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    I have no problem with either one. I just need some sort of eating guide to strictly follow. I am eating 6oz of chicken with 1 cup of brown rice with 1/2 a cup of kidnney beans and 2 cups of carrots and broccoli for dinner. I need other ideas to add to my diet..
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Congrats on making some healthy changes!!! Can you get a standing desk? I love mine and it lowers for meetings so I'm not towering over people when they're sitting in my office. :) Maybe your doc could write a note to reinforce your need. Mine was part of our standard ergonomic evaluation.

    I buy a lot of frozen veggies. I sautee them with protein and egg whites in the evenings and pack them in pyrex with proteins for my mini-meals during the work day. I do a little fruit, too. Peanut butter, nuts, chocolate with stevia not sugar. Protein powder(s).

    My diary's open, if that helps. Just remember I'm smaller than you and need fewer calories. :)

    Here's a thread with some great setting started tips! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
  • tehjuggernaut
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    thanks for your help
  • tehjuggernaut
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    any suggestions on when to eat and sleep?
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    any suggestions on when to eat and sleepy?
    you need to make some decisions yourself and use some common sense. You've been given some good advice (other than the meal timing and cutting good out) count your calories eat at a reasonable calorie deficit and you'll lose weight. It does not need to be complicated. If you can exercise fine if not as long as your eating at a deficit you'll still lose weight. Be consistent and it'll work you don't have to drastically change your diet to start with though after a while you may wish to as you learn about food