Trying to reclaim my life
nhardee89
Posts: 14 Member
Hi guys, my name is Nick, 28, I work in a cell phone store and I currently weigh 353. I've struggled with my weight the majority of my life and it is a daily struggle. I'm trying to get my diet under control and avoid fast food completely since I work next to it daily. I'm currently engaged and getting married next year and I want to be able to dance with my wife. I want to be able to play outside with her kids before I'm too far gone. I'm here seeking motivation and support as I go through this transformation.
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If you focus on getting your overeating under control, you will lose weight. It's not that hard. You just have to eat less, and you can eat what you want, but in order to eat less for any weightloss to happen, you have to get in good nutrition, so you don't starve. You either control your eating or don't control your eating, so eating less/better is something you do, not "try".4
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I typically work 10 hour shifts and I've let myself become lazy with my food choices, always opting for the quick fast food meals. I'm changing that starting today. I've got an apple, a peach, some dried apricots, cashews, and water to keep me going throughout the day as well as lean protein shakes for mornings. I feel confident about the change and I know I can do it.4
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But you need to feed yourself properly, and it's not supposed to be that hard. Have you eaten breakfast? Eat a good meal for lunch. Fruit and nuts can be a part of your meal, not supposed to be your whole meal. Don't bother with "diet foods" (what's lean protein shakes?). Excitement over an extreme plan is not confidence. I am not trying to rain on your parade, but to make sure you make it to the finish line.3
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No I like it, I need any advice I can get. I did not eat breakfast, other than a protein shake from GNC. I suppose I'm not sure what should constitute as a meal, since I've eaten fast food for so long now.0
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Okay, great, you've got this. Eating habits are easy to fix, attitudes are harder, lol
Look at this:
It's just one of many suggestions/setups, so don't be confused when you see different variations, and don't take the suggestions as hard and fast rules - the goal is to eat varied and balanced, and keep doing it. Disclaimer: I do not support this "healthy plate" more than probably 80% - it's oversimplified and overcomplicated at the same time. But it will be an improvement of your current diet. Over time, you will start to question advice - for instance, am I not supposed to eat potatoes, or bacon? We didn't have fruit for dinner as I grew up! Isn't butter healthy, it's way less "processed" than granola oil? Avoid sugary drinks - but juice is practically sugar water?? Do you mean I can eat nuts instead of meat? And so on. Nutrition for healthy adults isn't very complicated, but it's complex.3 -
you sound like you've made a lot of good changes already to be honest! i have a friend who's been going through ketosis stuff and he's lost so much weight even though he used to struggle with it all the time like you do!
my main advice would be to not let a slip up moment become a slip up day. like if you have a 'cheat meal' or whatever you have to leave it as just the meal and not get into the mindset of 'i messed up today so it doesnt matter if i keep messing up today'. let yourself have some times when you can eat the things you like but control when it happens and you can do it.1 -
All great advice. Part of my problem is my job, because I dont get a lunch break within a 10 hour period and I'm surrounded by fast food and nothing else so everything I eat I need to prepare at home beforehand. I can eat lunch when it's slow but it's usually a stop-and-go routine. Last night for dinner I had a 3oz filet mignon with sweet potatoes and rice, and usually it's Chick Fil A or some crap like that, and I felt much better about my choice of food. Now I need to get my eating routine right at work and I believe once I can do that, there will be no stopping me.2
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All great advice. Part of my problem is my job, because I dont get a lunch break within a 10 hour period and I'm surrounded by fast food and nothing else so everything I eat I need to prepare at home beforehand. I can eat lunch when it's slow but it's usually a stop-and-go routine. Last night for dinner I had a 3oz filet mignon with sweet potatoes and rice, and usually it's Chick Fil A or some crap like that, and I felt much better about my choice of food. Now I need to get my eating routine right at work and I believe once I can do that, there will be no stopping me.
Aren't you entitled to a proper lunch break? Anyway, if you can eat fast food, you can bring food. It doesn't have to be elaborate. A couple of sandwiches and a piece of fruit, for instance. And your dinner sounds delicious.1 -
THAT HEALTHY EATING PLATE IS GREAT ADVICE!! IM TRYING TO EAT FOR VEGGIES...I CAN EAT FRUIT ALL DAY BUT THE SUGAR IN IT I HEARD ISNT THE BEST...AND I SWITCHED TO LOW FAT OR FAT FREE EVERYTHING....COMPLEX CARBS ARE MY NEW BEST FRIEND, I GAVE UP SIMPLE CARBS... 1 DAY AT A TIME!
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Yes, but don't overthink and scare yourself. Sugar is sugar - you don't have to give up anything - too much is what's not good for you. Low fat means you need to get your calories elsewhere, and you need fat to absorb the nutrients in the vegetables you eat, or make the vegetables you're trying to eat, palatable, so... it's complex, but not complicated. You can use your appetite to guide you, but use common sense to decide.skrispin0205 wrote: »THAT HEALTHY EATING PLATE IS GREAT ADVICE!! IM TRYING TO EAT FOR VEGGIES...I CAN EAT FRUIT ALL DAY BUT THE SUGAR IN IT I HEARD ISNT THE BEST...AND I SWITCHED TO LOW FAT OR FAT FREE EVERYTHING....COMPLEX CARBS ARE MY NEW BEST FRIEND, I GAVE UP SIMPLE CARBS... 1 DAY AT A TIME!0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »All great advice. Part of my problem is my job, because I dont get a lunch break within a 10 hour period and I'm surrounded by fast food and nothing else so everything I eat I need to prepare at home beforehand. I can eat lunch when it's slow but it's usually a stop-and-go routine. Last night for dinner I had a 3oz filet mignon with sweet potatoes and rice, and usually it's Chick Fil A or some crap like that, and I felt much better about my choice of food. Now I need to get my eating routine right at work and I believe once I can do that, there will be no stopping me.
Aren't you entitled to a proper lunch break? Anyway, if you can eat fast food, you can bring food. It doesn't have to be elaborate. A couple of sandwiches and a piece of fruit, for instance. And your dinner sounds delicious.
Yeah our lunch break situation is lousy. I suppose I have always taken the easy way out and chose fast food instead of preparing my own. A little preparation will go a long way.3 -
All great advice. Part of my problem is my job, because I dont get a lunch break within a 10 hour period and I'm surrounded by fast food and nothing else so everything I eat I need to prepare at home beforehand. I can eat lunch when it's slow but it's usually a stop-and-go routine. Last night for dinner I had a 3oz filet mignon with sweet potatoes and rice, and usually it's Chick Fil A or some crap like that, and I felt much better about my choice of food. Now I need to get my eating routine right at work and I believe once I can do that, there will be no stopping me.
Is that legal? I'm from Ontario Canada and by law you get a 30 minute break if you work 5 hours.3 -
All great advice. Part of my problem is my job, because I dont get a lunch break within a 10 hour period and I'm surrounded by fast food and nothing else so everything I eat I need to prepare at home beforehand. I can eat lunch when it's slow but it's usually a stop-and-go routine. Last night for dinner I had a 3oz filet mignon with sweet potatoes and rice, and usually it's Chick Fil A or some crap like that, and I felt much better about my choice of food. Now I need to get my eating routine right at work and I believe once I can do that, there will be no stopping me.
Is that legal? I'm from Ontario Canada and by law you get a 30 minute break if you work 5 hours.
To be honest I'm pretty sure it isn't legal. I suppose I've done it so long I've grown used to it.0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »But you need to feed yourself properly, and it's not supposed to be that hard.
So since you were right and now I feel like I'm starving from not eating enough, I got a small chicken and broccoli from a Chinese place a few stores over. I know it isnt a great way to start and I feel like I screwed up already, but it feels like I'm making the best of a bad situation.
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This will be even better if you stop thinking you screwed up (not just because it's counterproductive to think that you screwed up, but also because you actually didn't). Your diet is what you eat over time, and that is hopefully going to be a lot of different and delicious things. And your goal is not perfection - when it comes to diet, perfection means nothing, see previous sentence - but improvement and enjoyment.kommodevaran wrote: »But you need to feed yourself properly, and it's not supposed to be that hard.
So since you were right and now I feel like I'm starving from not eating enough, I got a small chicken and broccoli from a Chinese place a few stores over. I know it isnt a great way to start and I feel like I screwed up already, but it feels like I'm making the best of a bad situation.1 -
Chicken & broccoli is not that bad calorie wise, but can be a lot of sodium. If we have Chinese, I usually get chicken & broccoli.1
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kommodevaran wrote: »But you need to feed yourself properly, and it's not supposed to be that hard.
So since you were right and now I feel like I'm starving from not eating enough, I got a small chicken and broccoli from a Chinese place a few stores over. I know it isnt a great way to start and I feel like I screwed up already, but it feels like I'm making the best of a bad situation.
As you start logging over time you will start finding which foods are satisfying for the amount of calories that they have. For instance, for lunch stacking a sandwich with ham is pretty low calories and will be very satisfying. Mustard is very low calories. But you get this experience with logging.
Also, I saw you mentioned a smoothie. You can make your own that will fill you up. Stuff alot of Greens (romaine, spinach, etc). 1-2 cups of liquid (milk or water), 1-2 cups of frozen berries, and protein powder. You get tons of nutrition and its very satisfying. This is a good way to start your day, bring yourself a sandwich and then cook yourself some meat for dinner.
You will know your nutrition is on track if you are at your calorie target and don't have alot of hunger through out the day. The key is to start logging and start zeroing in on a diet that works for your life.2 -
Awesome, I'm feeling a lot better about this. It's exciting and I feel like I'm moving in the right direction. I had started a workout routine with the treadmill several months back and it helped me feel a lot better as well so I feel that will be nice to incorporate again into my life. However, I know my food choices are going to be the most crucial of changes needed to be made.2
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I would absolutely recommend bringing a sack lunch. If you can financially, treat yourself to some new Tupperware and a good lunch box with an ice pack. Plan lunch ahead by either doing a big prep on your day off, or plan that you can make a little extra food at dinner to then pack that for tomorrow's lunch. Also, I would suggest packing a couple snacks so you don't binge when you get off of the 10 hour shift. Fruit in the morning, veggies or nuts in the afternoon can really curb that sensation of 'I'm hungry right now' when you get off of work.
Don't starve yourself! Find a proper meal that is filling and snacks that keep you focused and satisfied. You can do this!4 -
Hi, @nhardee89
Pre-packing my lunches and snacks on Sundays works really well for me. So well, in fact, that I haven't hit fast food for convenience meals a single time in 2018. (hooray me) Now, I do eat the same lunches and breakfasts for the whole week, then change it for something different the next week. I soon learned that I can't just decide what I'm going to eat on Sunday and have it all ready to go, or operate on what I feel like eating. I have to deliberately plan it out earlier, like on a Thursday. I write out a meal plan, create a shopping list, go food shopping on Saturday, and cook/prep it on Sunday.
I suggest you might try breaking out your bigger goal to eat healthier to specific smaller tasks you can focus on. One thing might be to eat a breakfast that gives you the staying power to hold you through some of those long hours. It can take a bit of trial and effort to figure out what foods work best for you and what size meal (calorie-wise) will satisfy you, or whether you're a breakfast person at all. I've discovered for myself that a higher protein breakfast keeps me fueled all morning, whereas the exact same number of calories in a high-carb breakfast has my stomach growling by mid-morning, and then I'm a pushover for any offered snack. When I'm working 12-hour days, I now like to get in a slightly bigger breakfast and then carry a few prepackaged items that I can eat out of hand for lunch. Sometimes I'll eat my lunch in bits when I can fit it in, an apple here, a hard boiled egg there, a handful of nuts, a cup of yogurt, some raw veggies. Usually, though, I can squeeze out at least 20 minutes for lunch on busy days, and there's a microwave to get things hot.3 -
So far things have been great! I have much more energy and I feel better overall since I stopped eating out.3
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Hi guys, my name is Nick, 28, I work in a cell phone store and I currently weigh 353. I've struggled with my weight the majority of my life and it is a daily struggle. I'm trying to get my diet under control and avoid fast food completely since I work next to it daily. I'm currently engaged and getting married next year and I want to be able to dance with my wife. I want to be able to play outside with her kids before I'm too far gone. I'm here seeking motivation and support as I go through this transformation.
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Hey Nick, you have come to the right place! I have found great motivation and inspiration here. Add me and best of luck my friend...You got this!1
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You are the same age as me! You absolutely got this, just make sure to log your food accurately and focus on keeping to your calorie limits. You will see the weight fall off in NO time! Feel free to add me as a friend as well! I'm on here everyday if you need a good butt-whooping to keep you motivated! 😛1
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You can still make better choices even if you're eating take-out. Most fast food restaurants have at least one or two health(ier) choices like a grilled chicken salad or wraps. Even a small burger with a side salad is better than the huge double pattie with everything. All the bacon, cheese and mayo on burgers add a lot to the calories. Opt for a hamburger with extra pickles, lettuce and tomato - hold the mayo - you have a very filling meal for reasonable calories.
As far as other take-out - consider Thai food with loads of veggies. Even Chinese can be lower calories if you skip all the deep fried stuff and just have a stir-fry with plain rice.
Bottom line - just start paying more attention to total calories consumed and eat less than you burn. You can do it!1 -
RaeBeeBaby wrote: »You can still make better choices even if you're eating take-out. Most fast food restaurants have at least one or two health(ier) choices like a grilled chicken salad or wraps. Even a small burger with a side salad is better than the huge double pattie with everything. All the bacon, cheese and mayo on burgers add a lot to the calories. Opt for a hamburger with extra pickles, lettuce and tomato - hold the mayo - you have a very filling meal for reasonable calories.
As far as other take-out - consider Thai food with loads of veggies. Even Chinese can be lower calories if you skip all the deep fried stuff and just have a stir-fry with plain rice.
Bottom line - just start paying more attention to total calories consumed and eat less than you burn. You can do it!
I love pickles so that wouldn't be a problem. Still trying to avoid eating out but now I know that when I have no choice I can still make appropriate choices!0 -
You are the same age as me! You absolutely got this, just make sure to log your food accurately and focus on keeping to your calorie limits. You will see the weight fall off in NO time! Feel free to add me as a friend as well! I'm on here everyday if you need a good butt-whooping to keep you motivated! 😛
Sounds great and thanks for the advice! I can always use extra motivation!0 -
Hey, good luck with your weight loss endeavours! There's lots of hacks for quick, healthy food. When I don't have time, I just take ready made salad without dressing, put some roasted chicken slices on top (those that come in a package) and microwave two small sweet potatoes. Healthy and filling.
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