I obviously know nothing.

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teclyn
teclyn Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read countless articles, books, and blogs for years and I'm still struggling with weight loss. I'm a 19 year old guy and I've been overweight for a majority of my life. Every year I attempt to lose weight and I do for a bit but end up gaining it back and more, it's scary. I just really need advice from people who know what they're talking about, who've been through the same thing or know of someone else who has. I have love handles, moobs, thick thighs, round belly, big cheeks.... I don't like working out in public or around others because I feel like my body is bouncing and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Being overweight has made me a bit socially awkward too.


Here's the equipment I have: I have a basketball hoop in my backyard, total gym XL, Powerful blender (for smoothies or soup), and a yoga mat. I can do home workouts.

I've been eating pretty unhealthy. Last weekend I was home alone and there was no food except for 2 slices of cake and I devoured it... then on sunday I ordered boneless chicken (oriental bbq) with fries. Today I ate a mushroom pizza... #carbs
What is a good food to eat daily? If someone could help me pick out a base meal that I can revolve all my meals around it would really help me enormously as well.

Before I've been in a rush and would do an hour of cardio everyday and would get poor results and tired of it. What I really want is guidance, I'm feeling really hopeless and enormous. I'm not looking for fast results I just want a lifestyle change that I can stick to and that will get me to where I dream of being to have the confidence to live freely.


Of course, thank you, for being helpful. Sorry if I rambled or if I don't make sense, it's 1am and I'm exhausted. I can rephrase or whatever.

:flowerforyou:


stats: 5'5'', 159 lbs, 19yo, male

Replies

  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    maybe you lost weight and regained it because you're being too restrictive in your foods?

    stick with the MFP calorie goals and fit what you want to eat within those goals. if you have space in your calories for 2 pieces of cake, then eat 2 pieces of cake
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    What is a good food to eat daily? If someone could help me pick out a base meal that I can revolve all my meals around it would really help me enormously as well.

    Rice & lentils.
  • teclyn
    teclyn Posts: 3
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    What is a good food to eat daily? If someone could help me pick out a base meal that I can revolve all my meals around it would really help me enormously as well.

    Rice & lentils.

    Which type of rice? and how often should I eat rice and lentils? Once a day, Every two days?
  • poetgirl115
    poetgirl115 Posts: 45 Member
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    I tend to eat a smaller lunch and larger dinner. I don't eat breakfast, as it tends to make me sick to my stomach (just as an FYI). I generally cycle between three different proteins, and focus my meals around those: tilapia filets (one filet is about 100 calories) with some lemon and garlic, tuna salad with olive oil mayo and kosher dill pickles (roughly 89 calories a serving, minus bread or crackers), and lean cuisine fajita style spring rolls (200 calories for a pack of 3). I may occasionally scramble a couple of eggs if I can afford the sodium. I don't cut out food. Everything in moderation. I just had McDonalds for dinner yesterday (640 calories). I eat baked chips, a few salads, lots of veggies. I drink smoothies and sneak greens into it. There are a lot of ways to make it work, just be vigilant! Don't give up, and find some friends who understand. I've been there, and I'm slowly getting out of it. 30 pounds down, 56 to go!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    you are actually at a healthy weigh. If anything that is low IMO.

    If you want to base your meals off some sort of food, I would say:
    at least palm sized piece of lean meat
    some fibrous veggies
    some starch (rice, pasta, potato etc)
    and some fat (typically the flavouring for the above e.g. satay sauce)

    Track cals, lift some heavy stuff, do the cardio that you enjoy. Bball!
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    I think you really need support and see either a nutritionist weekly or join a group like weight watchers or slimming world. Dont try to do it alone.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    What is a good food to eat daily? If someone could help me pick out a base meal that I can revolve all my meals around it would really help me enormously as well.

    Rice & lentils.

    whenever you want.

    For weight loss, the type of rice is going to make SFA difference compared to the amount of rice you are consuming.

    You should NEVER eat lentils...










































    because they taste like *kitten* :tongue:
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    Lentils are delicious.

    Seriously, the only thing you need to do to lose weight is to eat less than you burn. That means you could sit in front of the TV all day and still lose weight as long as you eat less than you burn. That does mean making some tough or wise decisions regarding what you eat..you can eat anything...absolutely anything....but you have to be able to eat it in quantities that are within your calorie budget. So you either have to be tough on yourself and stick with that while eating pizza and cake...and making sure you eat only enough pizza and cake that you don't go over your calorie limit...or else you can make some choices to eat lower calorie foods in larger amounts so that you feel full. Or...better yet...a combination of these two things.

    If you want something super simple to get you started:

    Pick a lean meat that you like and find easy to prepare in a number of different ways. For example, chicken breast or fish. Buy it in bulk, look up recipes to keep yourself from getting bored.

    Pick a few veggies that you like and that can be prepared in a few different ways and keep them on hand.

    Fill half your plate with veggies, one quarter with lean meat, and one quarter with a starch, like potatoes or rice (if you want...I often skip the starch). Or, if you're a dinner bread eater, put a roll on that quarter.

    Get a food scale, learn to weigh and properly portion your food, and then add other stuff that you love to your plate. Add in desserts, pizza, burgers, whatever you want...but make sure that you eat actual, real portions, not super-sized American Honey-Boo-Boo portions. If you want something that you're afraid you'll overeat, then share it with someone.

    Make peace with your food and pay attention to how you feel. Don't be afraid to leave food on your plate when you're satisfied. You can always eat it later. Don't be afraid to have a single bite of cake. You can always have more later if you still want it. Don't be afraid to order a pizza and immediately put half of it in the freezer for the next time you have a pizza craving.
  • scb515
    scb515 Posts: 133 Member
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    maybe you lost weight and regained it because you're being too restrictive in your foods?

    stick with the MFP calorie goals and fit what you want to eat within those goals. if you have space in your calories for 2 pieces of cake, then eat 2 pieces of cake

    This. I've lost a lot of weight by eating the foods I love, just less of them. You have to actually enjoy what you're eating or it's a "diet", i.e. something temporary. You need a solution for life.

    My advice is to work out the nutritional content of things you enjoy and constructing a menu around that. For example, if you like pizza, halve the portion and bulk out with salad.

    Calories in < calories out. And if you are quite overweight, your calorie restriction is probably quite generous. (Sadly, but logically, it drops the lighter you get.) There is no need to "eat clean" unless you want to, just log all your food and stay within your limit.

    It sounds overly simple, but it works. Good luck!
  • teclyn
    teclyn Posts: 3
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    Thank you everyone for all the information on portions, foods, calorie intake, etc.

    Any advice on exercises? What areas should I focus on?
    I know there's not spot reduction but the total gym has a lot of workouts I can do on it and it overwhelms me.

    Here are my options: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Legs, Arms, Abs, and Compound. I've been thinking about alternating everyday with each category. Is that a good idea? How long should I workout everyday? I never know how long I should go.

    Thank you again, I didn't expect so many helpful comments (:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    What is a good food to eat daily? If someone could help me pick out a base meal that I can revolve all my meals around it would really help me enormously as well.

    Rice & lentils.

    Which type of rice?

    Cooked rice.
    and how often should I eat rice and lentils?

    Every day. Lots of it.

    Throw in some veggies (any veggies, any amount) for some variety.
  • oxers
    oxers Posts: 259 Member
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    I'm the only one with the overwhelming urge to make a Jon Snow joke? Really?
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    Thank you everyone for all the information on portions, foods, calorie intake, etc.

    Any advice on exercises? What areas should I focus on?
    I know there's not spot reduction but the total gym has a lot of workouts I can do on it and it overwhelms me.

    Here are my options: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Legs, Arms, Abs, and Compound. I've been thinking about alternating everyday with each category. Is that a good idea? How long should I workout everyday? I never know how long I should go.

    Thank you again, I didn't expect so many helpful comments (:

    As a beginner, I would keep it simple. Heavy compound lifts work your whole body. There's a free app you can download on your phone called Stronglifts which is a great place to start.
  • L0te
    L0te Posts: 14
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    Today I ate a mushroom pizza... #carbs

    As in an -entire- pizza? Unless this is personal size, the problem is probably how much you are eating, rather than what you are eating, carbs or otherwise.

    Great advice from everyone here, but I didn't see this touched on-- definitely know what your calorie goal should be and stay within it! Rice is a great staple food, as mentioned. You can add a lot to it to make it tasty. You'll never stick with your weight loss if you feel like you're eating gross unsatisfying food.
  • shadowlydarkness
    shadowlydarkness Posts: 243 Member
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    Thank you everyone for all the information on portions, foods, calorie intake, etc.

    Any advice on exercises? What areas should I focus on?
    I know there's not spot reduction but the total gym has a lot of workouts I can do on it and it overwhelms me.

    Here are my options: Chest, Back, Shoulders, Legs, Arms, Abs, and Compound. I've been thinking about alternating everyday with each category. Is that a good idea? How long should I workout everyday? I never know how long I should go.

    Thank you again, I didn't expect so many helpful comments (:

    I have recently joined a gym, though I hate working out in public, I found the recptionist/class instructor really motivating so I decided to give it a try. I have figured out when the slow times are and that is when I go in, pop my earbuds in and crank up my own music and do my own thing. Once every couple of weeks I meet with one of the personal trainers to make sure I am on track and doing things right.

    Valuable lesson they told me is to never work out the same muscle group 2 days in a row, they need time to heal. So I tend to do one day with cardio and weights and the next day just cardio, then a day of cardio and weights again. I go into the gym 3 times a week minimum but trying to go more.

    I know the fear of going to work out in public, but hey all they can say is ''look at that guy working out!'' and that is exactly what you are doing, you are doing this for yourself and no one else, if they want to spend their time looking at you then let them, you have better things to do!

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you want or message me if you want to chat :)
  • Falcon
    Falcon Posts: 853 Member
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    Sounds like you're not too bad off weight wise. You're only ten pounds over weight. I would suggest marking your weight loss to half a pound a week.

    Follow the guidlines on your calorie intake and if you go over a little. Nothing to frett about.

    Ordering in fast food, stops if you want to lose the weight. Cut out pop chips, anything high in carbs and just be conscious of what you put in your mouth and try to eat healthy food. If you have room on your calorie intake for something deep fried, once in a while is okay. Keep a journal and mark down everything you consume. Even if it's a small one piece of chocolate, even small tid bits adds up pretty quick.

    Go for twenty minute power walks. It doesn't have to be an hour or boring. Join a sports group.

    You definitely came to the right place

    I wish you luck on your journey
  • Shelalala
    Shelalala Posts: 34
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    One of the most important things I can say to you is, do NOT do a short term diet. Change your LIFESTYLE. I used to be a big carnivore, like red meat 2 or 3 times a day, limited amount of veggies, lots of carbs, and lots of sugar because I have a baddddd sweet tooth (still do). I didn't ever have big problems with my weight, but I couldn't maintain and I would suddenly gain 15 lbs then do a fad diet and go through the cycles over and over again. Recently I decided to do a juice cleanse (for a good reason) for 3 days and my life unexpectedly changed. I don't recommend this cleanse for everyone I'm just simply stating that it is what helped me kick start my lifestyle, i now feel healthier and it's being reflected in my weight. My only problem now is controlling my portions and how fast I eat, but that's a different monster to tackle. I suggest you choose a way of eating that you feel like you could live with for the rest of your life; maybe adding more veggies and cutting out some sugar or simply eating healthy foods you like and pre making portions ahead of time so that cooking is not something to be worried about (with your occasional cheat meal once in a while so you can stay sane). It's really all in your hands, good luck!

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