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Fredd

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Hello everyone. I'm 19 years old, about 280 pounds, and 5 feet 8 inches tall. I plan on eventually being 177 pounds. I don't think the BMI scale actually relates to me all that well as in high school, at the same height, I got down to under 200 and to me I already seemed like I was close to a good weight, though at the time I still wanted to lose more, so I suspect again I'll want to lose more.

For the past few months, aside from a diet coke here once or twice a week, all I have been drinking is tap water. If anyone knows of a food that is like water let me know, I would appreciate it, heh. The gym here at my school is free, though it is daunting to have to go into a gym full of in shape college students and run. When I had my own treadmill and I lost to below 200 I used to run so much that I sounded like a donkey at the end of my run, and I can't very well do that in public so I'll have to spend more time rather than short time in intensive running. Which is annoying I get bored with this kind of nonsense easily.

Anyway, I'm not really looking for inspiration, just information. I find the more people cheer me on with this kind of stuff the worse I do, so take that for what it is worth. If you plan on responding I am more interested in hearing cheap diet foods that are easy to transport as I don't have a car and there aren't any grocery stores near to me. There is a small food store that I think has eggs and raman noodles nearby, but I can't be certain. I would also be interested to know if the mcchickens from mcdonald's is a good food choice if you toss the buns. I think it should be but I have no evidence to support this claim.

Cheers.
 
You shouldn't be after "cheap diet foods". You should be taking on a healthy, mixed, diet, and evolving the way you eat, not crash dieting.

You need to be having over 2000 calories a day. If you exercise, you'll have the correct calorie defficiency in order to lose weight slowly (this is very key) and therefore healthily.

I practice what I preach, honestly.
 
I agree with Cantona. "Cheap diet food" isn't going to get you anywhere, and neither will a McChicken, with or without the bun (the bun is probably the least of your worries with that one, actually. Just because it's chicken doesn't mean it's "healthy"). You'll need to invest some time in finding a place to buy groceries. If it's a little farther away, that's just some extra exercise, eh? Looking for the easy way out is not going to help you in the long run.

And if you're getting bored with the exercise you're doing, try different exercises. Also, don't worry too much about being around the "fit" students when you're working out-- you're there for your health, you have no reason to be ashamed and you shouldn't be comparing yourself to them. Try and have a more positive attitude, too. Focusing on how bored you are won't help anything, focusing on how you're doing this for your health and to feel better overall will.
 
Hi! I hate traditional forms of exercise - so I do loads of dance routines, belly dancing, bangra, irish, salsa... it's all good! I am a vegetarian and there is nothing quicker and cheaper than fresh fruit and veg. Even when you want a quick snack there's tonnes to choose from which are easily portable. Try:
1) crudites (carrot, bell pepper, cucumber and celery sticks)
2)apple, grapes, plums, apricots, nectarines...
3) make your own trail mix - dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, pecans, raisins.

like anything new its a case of settling into routine.
good luck!
 
Thank you for the advice everyone. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding, when I said cheap diet foods I meant cheap healthy foods. The cheap factor is an issue of not having money.
 
Fredd said:
Thank you for the advice everyone. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding, when I said cheap diet foods I meant cheap healthy foods. The cheap factor is an issue of not having money.
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It's really going to depend on what sort of grocery stores you can find in the area as to what the exact prices are, but here are some things that should be cheaper.

-In season, local produce. It costs a lot less than buying out of season fruit that's been shipped across the country/from another country. Just be careful to not over-buy so that you don't end up wasting food.
-Bulk grains/nuts/cereal/pasta/etc.. Buying in bulk is a lot cheaper than buying pre-packaged foods, plus if you buy enough to last a few weeks, that's less trips to the store.
-Store-brand and generic-brands. Be it canned goods, cereals, whatever, name-brand things are always more expensive and you're not exactly paying that extra money because the quality of the food is better most of the time.
-Meat is going to be one of the more expensive things you spend your money on. Try cutting down if it's too expensive, or buy cheaper cuts of meat. Leaner cuts are good when you're trying to lose weight, too.

You can also get extra discounts if you have a member card (stores like Albertsons, Safeway, QFC, etc. give them to you for free) or you sign up to get the coupon books. If there's a place like Grocery Outlet or other discount grocery stores nearby, check that out, because they're supposed to be less expensive.
 
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Fresh fruit and veg is certainly the way to go. Lean meats and pasta/noodles/rice.

These basic things can make a whole variety of delicious, healthy and cheap meals.
 
Thank you Kenzi and Catona. There seem to be two stores that I wouldn't mind walking to to get groceries, one is specialized in "local and organic foods," and the other is a random supermarket that I've never heard of before. Each one taking about 49 minutes by foot to get to, so either I'll need to find a bus route or I'll need to make time for a 2 hour grocery trip. Hopefully the things won't spoil by the time I get back. I'll probably make the trip out to the organic place on Saturday to see if their prices aren't crazy. Should be cheap though they said it is designed to be an "inexpensive health alternative for college students." I have two of those "bring your own bag" things from Sam's so I think I'll be able to carry all the stuff back home without much trouble. I just got back from an early morning work out, 230 Calories worth of...hmm I can't remember the name of the work out machine but the basic idea of it is two platforms for your feet are suspended opposite each other on an inclined area and you revolve them around each other while they are parallel.

How many Calories is a good idea to burn a day if I'm not planning on working out on the weekend? Back in the day I only burned about 250 to 300 in thirty minute work out sessions, that seemed to work out for me. The machine had my heart rate at between 140 and 160 the whole time and I only worked out for about 25 minutes this morning since I have class at 8 and the gym opens at 6:15.

I'll probably make my first journal entry later on tonight. Though until the weekend even though I'll be working out the food part of the entry will still consist of junk food.

Thanks again.
 
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