I'm finally going to do something about my weight!

TheCanadianGuy

TheCanadianGuy

New member
Hi, everyone. I'm new to this site and I'm kind of afraid to put a picture up of myself, partly because I don't want anyone I know to seeit and partly because i'm ashamed of my weight.

I've felt disgusted by my weight since I can remember. I've just started a diet and I need some reassurance that I'm doing it the right way. I want to know if i'm eating too much or too little.

I have decided to lose the weight mostly because of problems with confidence and dating. I've been too afraid to date anyone for about 4 years because I feel like I will instantly be rejected because of my size.

I'm almost 6'4 and I weight 259lbs right now. I am going to put up pictures as I progress so others can see whats happening with my diet. I can only hope I will continue on with my diet and not break. The problem with me is that I really love food, I love the taste of all kinds of food and I never feel full. I always have room for more. I've started to ask myself if I have some sort of medical condition that causes me to not feel full EVER.

Despite my voracious appetite I am going to tough it out and resist cravings. Food really is addictive, far more addictive than anything else in my opinion. I want to be able to date with confidence and meet new people without feeling like they will reject me because of my weight/looks. I can't change my looks but I can change my weight and thats what i'm going to do. I mostly like how I look, and I wouldnt change it even if i could, the weight is the major problem.

I am just sick of dealing with rejection and holding back and not going after what I want because I'm afraid people will turn me down or hate me because of my size.

I'm sure many of you know the feeling and know how it is to feel horrible about your weight. I feel great about myself other than that, I have a good personality, and can be pretty funny sometimes, and girls love the way I act and the way I talk. The only thing holding me back is my weight.

I want you to tell me if i'm eating okay for my size and weight. Here is a sample day of what I ate.

Breakfast: 3/4 a can of vegetable soup, 1 yogurt,

Lunch: 2 pieces of 100% natural whole grain rye with 1 egg on it and 1tbps of Cheese whiz on the bread also. Apple for desert

Dinner: 1 cup of carrots with low fat vinagrette as a dip, ham sandwhich on rye, orange for desert

Snack before bed: Orange/Apple or other piece of fruit.

I also consume 2 glass of milk a day but drink no juice because of sugar content.


Am I being an idiot or starving myself? I can't tell. I feel fine and not hungry most of the time. I only get hungry maybe 3 hours after i eat and then it's usually soon that i will be eating so it's ok.

If you have any suggestions please add don't be shy.

I walk for 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace on my treadmill on an incline of 3 out of 15

Thanks so much for reading all of this I truly appreciate it. Sorry about the fat in my picture!
 
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(I'll write this out while I fiddle with my futurepop music albums...)

I live in Canada too. I'm going to give you the straight goods here because you put some time into writing out your introduction. I used to be a personal trainer.

Okay, from seeing your pictures, you are not that overweight. You don't have that far to go. I'm going to give this advice on the assumption that you want to do this right.

#1: You're a guy who wants girls. Girls aren't interested in tall skinny guys either. You need to bulk up and lose (let's say for starters) 30 lbs of fat and gain 10-15 lbs of muscle.

#2: Eating is a vicious cycle. I know that when I eat lots, it rarely curbs my appetite. It almost makes me want to move on to the next taste...as in if I have hot wings ill want fries, if I have spaghetti ill crave dry ribs...etc.. Once you start eating right and eat the proper foods you're hunger pains will go away. Physiologically you need to know this fact: almost every time you think you're hungry, it is out of habit/boredom and not because your body needs energy. Trust me, with a little extra weight, you have plenty of energy stores.

#3: Your diet, sorry man, it kinda sucks. You need a protein source every meal combined with your other food. Your diet is way too carb intensive. Veggie soup? yogurt? whole grain bread? apples? carrots? oranges? more fruit before bed?

The only protein i see there is ham, im not going to count the cheese whiz (advice...stop eating that processed crap asap). When you lose your weight at this rate, you're going to lose just as much muscle as fat. That isn't exactly attractive.

#4: Cardio is secondary to weights. You need to protect your muscle while you restrict your calories. Resistance exercise that is increasingly challenging is the way to do it. The amount of cardio you are doing is honestly close to trivial in terms of shedding fat.

So two ways to go about the exercise:

a) Join a gym and start hitting the weights 3-6 times a week. If you need help designing a program ask me or Steve on here.
b) Buy dumbbells for your house.

As for the diet:

a) Increase your protein intake by about 100 grams a day. I dont care where the protein come from: chicken, beans, turkey, seafood, ground beef, milk, eggs...etc. But you need more.
b) Cut out the fruit as much as you can and replace it with vegetables and protein (the protein listed above).

Michael
 
TheCanadianGuy said:
Thanks so much for reading all of this I truly appreciate it. Sorry about the fat in my picture! [/B][/SIZE]
Click to expand...

Personally speaking, I don't find you to be "disgusting" whatsoever. You hold your weight well. Then again at 6'4"... that's pretty damn tall. haha (I'm an Asian Amazon of 5'0", so I know how intimidating our height can be to other people. ;))

All kidding aside, try reading the stickied threads along the forum, peek in other member diaries, read the nutrition, exercise, weight loss links, etc. Don't be so hard on yourself. If anything, you should be happy you're taking control of your life while you're still young. Wishing you all the best and I do hope to see you active around the forum.

-Sheryl aka MGB

PS You're a handsome one also.
;)
 
I've read both your responses and i'm going to take all of your advice because you sound like you know what you are talking about.

The reason I don't exercise as much as a normal person is because I have serious health problems and am literally bed ridden most of the time.

I took your advice and bought some filet minion and more ham and some tuna and other sources of protein. My diet is too carb intensive, you are totally right.

I have some dumb bells and will do some light lifting to keep my muscle mass from shrinking away. And I will continue cardio and slowly move up as I gain strength. I've been sedentary for 4+ years and barely have enough energy to hold my own body up but the more I walk the easier it gets.

Yes my diet sucks. Thank you for pointing that out, because I wouldnt have known by myself.

Thanks MsGhettoBooty!!!! You make me feel less crappy about myself. You may be short but guys love that so don't you worry! lol

I will do as you suggested and read some stickies and some other threads to become more educated about dieting and nutrition.

THANKS SO MUCH TO BOTH OF YOU! You really uplifted my spirit.
 
More pictures for anyone who wants to see my starting weight!

Here are some more pictures for anyone who wants to see my starting weight and how I look before my future weight loss!

No making fun okay! haha

Thanks for reading my posts and for all your helpful info!

The ones where i'm standing are not high quality it's all messed up because of a bad camera!
 
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Sorry to hear about the health problems.

Like I said, you aren't that overweight, so once you get up to speed you'll be seeing some great results.

Question: are your health issues related to your weight and lack of exercise or is it something else external to your weight?

Dumbbells are a good start. So are modified pushups and regular pushups. Lunges with the dumbbells are great for the legs, as are squats.

Keep up the hard work.

Michael
 
Hi thanks for posting again!

My health problems have nothing to do with my weight at all. It's more of an immune system thing. Blood problems, fevers, headaches, fatigue, pain. I'm anemic and have low platelets and high white cells. I have also been told I have chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia by a few doctors but I don't understand it totally. I have extremely tense muscles, they are overly tight, so is my skin. You couldnt even pinch my skin if you tried, it's too tense.

It's very painful for me to do anything actually. When the doctor touches my back and body in certain areas my muscles spaz and I get extreme pain and if it's a spot on my back for example, my back will actually arch to get away from the person putting their finger on the spots.

I don't totally understand it, my mother has it.

All together the various health issues cause problems and make it hard for me to do much.

Thanks for saying I don't have long to go, that is really encouraging.

I would message you but it wont let me for 5 days unfortunately.

So what else do you suggest I do. I can do the exercises with dumb bells and lift them in various ways and do what you said. I can do a few push ups but I'm pretty weak. I need to build my strength slowly. I've lost alot of my strength since I got sick 4+ years ago. I've been basically wasting away. I need to build up some strength and muscle

How many calories do you think I should eat every day, and how many grams of protein should I aim for?

I have trouble knowing what I should be eating and just tend to eat as little as i possibly can without feeling hungry. but I have a much better idea now that you told me I was consuming a carb heavy diet. I never even knew, I just thought it was balanced but you are right it's all staches and carbs. I need protein.

What type of protein powder or supplements do you suggest. I will buy whatever you say.

How can i stop my muscle from deteriorating? By eating much more protein and exercising/lifting weights etc?

Thanks so much

I have to go to sleep now, but i'll read whatever you say tommorow! Thanks for all your help. You are a life saver!
 
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You don't need protein powder, although if you find a brand you like and you like shakes and the like go hard.

Aim for 150 grams of protein a day, divided between 4-5 meals. Turkey, chicken, seafood, ham, and eggs are the best. Ground beef, roast beef and other porks are good but remember they are also fatty, try and balance it more with the turkey/chicken/seafood more than the pork if you can.

Muscle deterioration is a product of resistance exercise and adequate protein. 150 grams a day is a nice middle amount...if you go 25 grams above/below it in a day don't sweat it.

There are many variations of push-ups you can do. Keep your knees on the ground until you can do 5 or 6 regularly. As soon as you can do 6 normally, continue to practice this.

Here is a list of a whole bunch of exercises you can do:



(pushups exclusively)

Find time to do this 3-5 times a week, and youll be golden.

Michael
 
TheCanadianGuy said:
Thanks MsGhettoBooty!!!! You make me feel less crappy about myself. You may be short but guys love that so don't you worry! lol
[/B]
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First off, there's no need to feel "crappy" at all. We need to work on that negativity, homeboy. ;) haha And yah, I was just being sarcastic about being short. Personally, I dig it and so do the menz. haha

TheCanadianGuy said:
Here are some more pictures for anyone who wants to see my starting weight and how I look before my future weight loss!
Click to expand...

Now that's what I'm talking about... gotta be positive, doll. Once again... you're a handsome "little" bugger. Everyone reading this is going to think I'm such a cougar... HA! Oh well...

Okay now on a serious note, I'm really sorry to hear about your battle with Fibromyalgia. Maybe this will be a little ray of light for you on the subject. I had no idea males could get it until one of my friend's told me that his dad had it for years. His dad got tired of being bed-ridden due to his illness, so he started doing research on how to "beat it." His dad started off really easy... I'm talking a 5 minute walk. As time went on he slowly added a bit more time/ distance. He then went and started looking into other forms of exercise: water aerobics, swimming laps, etc. (He also seeked more info from a dietician/ nutritionist geared towards patients with Fibros) It took him about 2 years to get where he is today, because he didn't want to overdo it. This man is amazing. He lost ~50lbs and is so much happier/ active with my friend and his daughters.

Speak to your physician and see if they can help you find a nutritionist or even give you advice on where/how to start an exercise/ resistance training program. As always, best of luck... :D

-Sheryl
 
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Thanks for the advice you two!

I' m going to try some of the exercises from the link you sent. Thanks!

I'll aim for the amount of protein you said. I lifted some weights today and I will go "girl pushups" until I can support my own weight better.

Thanks so much! I hope I can finally get rid of this extra weight. It's dragging me down!
 
Watch the starvation mode

If you cut too many calories out of your diet, your body will go into "Starvation mode" and try to hold on to your fat. So instead of starving yourself, replace the bad foods with healthier choices.

I forget who mentioned that cardio is secondary. Thats true. Muscles burn fat. (1 lb of fat burns 1 to 3 calories a day, 1 lb of muscles burns 40+).

Watch out cause muscle weighs more than fat. So you may actually GAIN weight when you first start out. The good news is as you build muscle you will go from a match to a blow torch for burning fat.

Cardio is a great way to burn calories using the muscles you have been building.
 
logicalloss said:
If you cut too many calories out of your diet, your body will go into "Starvation mode" and try to hold on to your fat. So instead of starving yourself, replace the bad foods with healthier choices.

I forget who mentioned that cardio is secondary. Thats true. Muscles burn fat. (1 lb of fat burns 1 to 3 calories a day, 1 lb of muscles burns 40+).

Watch out cause muscle weighs more than fat. So you may actually GAIN weight when you first start out. The good news is as you build muscle you will go from a match to a blow torch for burning fat.

Cardio is a great way to burn calories using the muscles you have been building.
Click to expand...

Congratulations. Each line of your post has either an error or what is likely an error! Namely, starvation mode for most people is an unrealistic metabolic event, muscle doesn't burn nearly that many calories a day, and weight gain from initial exercise is not from new muscle...there are far more significant factors. I guess cardio is a good way to burn muscle off.

Michael
 
Hiya

Welcome to the forums.

I just wanted to say...

Damn! You're quite the good looking guy. No seriously....you're hot.

As to what's written above about cardio vs. weight training. I believe both are good. Yes, the same mass of muscle burns more calories than the same mass of fat. (MGB is right, they weigh the same in pounds, mass considers the density). Cardio is good for your heart though and if you're considering overall health, a work out schedule with weight training and some cardio mixed in helps you do more than just lose weight but strengthens your heart as well.

Good luck on your weight loss journey!
 
Hey CanadianGuy,

I am not bs'ing here, but u r nuts!!! Sorry, but u look damn fine to me.

The way you were describing yourself, thought I was going to see a person about 100lbs or more overweight.

You need to also work on your self image, because u r definitely a cutiie.

Anyway, sounds like Michael knows what he's talkiing about, so good luck w/ your workout and health.
 
Confidence is the cud that cows chew on. Being a guy, I get annoyed when I'm at a bar and there are tall good looking guys like yourself getting most of the looks from the ladies. As you go out and about more and feel better health-wise, your confidence should grow.

I agree about the protein. I eat mainly chicken. I have fish too. Tilapea doesn't smell too strong when you cook it. I don't think its a disaster or anything if you have snacks that aren't high in protein, but it should be a goal.

I have yogurt with each of my snacks. A healthy digestive tract can help with the immune system, if you can find Stony Field Low-Fat Yogurt in your area, it is one of the better yogurts as far as taste, amount of food, and gut bacteria. Many yogurt companies "burn" the yogurt when they pasteurize it and kill the helpful bacteria, Stony Field does not.

As far as working out. Don't get too rabid and injure yourself. Do make sure to improve each week and graduate to either heavier weights or tougher exercises. If you're easily doing 25 reps with dumbbells you may want to get a heavier weight or join a gym.

Where you are now is simply where you're at. Where you go from here, onward and upward, is the most important.

You don't drink lots of diet soda do you?
 
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