My Recovery from Obesity

You in the 360s!! That's awesome!! You go Don the man!

I love your meal plan too. I also prefer to have a big breakie and then end up with a smaller dinner. It just feels so much better that you don't have this full tummy at night when energy levels are low and you go to bed soon.
 
Great job on reaching the 260s. When you reach the 100 pound mark, I'll sing you a verse of 'Donny Boy.'
 
MandyH said:
Don I love your meal plan! I wish my schedule would allow for me to do the same, but I work from 7:30am (out of the house at 7:15am) to 5pm (home between 5:30-6pm). I don't have the time in the morning to cook a big breakfast and I don't want to start cooking as soon as I walk in either. I usually eat dinner by about 7pm and go to bed around 10-11pm. You've got me thinking though. Maybe I can get up earlier (which makes me cringe) for a few days to see if I can get in an omelet or something like that for breakfast. I love your way of doing this. :)

Congrats on getting to a new low weight! Cant say it enough... you're doing amazing! :)
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Thanks, Mandy! Yeah, i think I have a bit of an edge because I have more freedom in my schedule. That said, I have created a list of meals that I can take from the frig to my plate in 10 minutes to 15 minutes... tops. Since I eat omelets 5 days a week for breakfast (I've found them to be a GREAT calorie-dense first meal o' the day) AND I eat several stir fried meals per week, I keep pre-chopped onions, scallions, peppers (hot & mild), mushrooms, carrots and zucchini in the refrigerator. I also keep a large container of young spinach. I can start the heat on a skillet, toss in my fillings, and have either an omelet or a stir fry in 10 minutes. I do all the prep on one day and those ingredients are good for a week.

The other thing I keep around is a bag of whole romaine lettuce hearts (pre-chopped lettuce goes bad faster, I've found), small tomatoes, avocado,
craisins or dried fruit, nuts (like sunflower kernels), and other goodies like watercress or cilantro, so I can throw together a killer salad in 5-10 minutes.

Lastly, I cook a pack of skinless boneless chicken thighs or breast tenders once per week and they are available as ad-ins for any of the above meals. I've also pre-cooked bacon, turkey breast, fish, etc.

One day of pre-cooking and prepping can solve 90% of the coming week's meal planning woes. Good luck!

Sunflower said:
Will try having my dinners earlier and see if it makes a difference to my losses! Thanks, Don :)
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I hope it helps you, too, Hana. For me, it may be mental, but I think there's more to it. Yes, Calories-in must be less than Calories-out (creating a caloric deficit leading to lost weight) BUT I think the source of calories (fat cals vs. lean protein cals, for example) and the timing of those calories (all at once, or evenly distributed throughout the day AND when you eat them relative to when you will be most active) play just as big a role. Like I said, it may just be a mental game for me, but I believe in it.

Mands said:
You in the 360s!! That's awesome!! You go Don the man!

I love your meal plan too. I also prefer to have a big breakie and then end up with a smaller dinner. It just feels so much better that you don't have this full tummy at night when energy levels are low and you go to bed soon.
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Thanks, Mands! What you said precisely sums up the way i feel when I eat "right" on any given day. I just feel better sleeping on an emptier tummy.

MrVee said:
Great job on reaching the 260s. When you reach the 100 pound mark, I'll sing you a verse of 'Donny Boy.'
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In person?? Or quietly to yourself? I'm gonna hold you to that one, MrVee. God, I hope you're a decent tenor.

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Good day yesterday, but busy. Weighed in at 367.8, down 1.0 pounds. Holy crap, that amounts to 19.5% of my starting weight I've lost! :D I'm a lucky, lucky man to get this chance. Many others my age and starting condition do not.

2 more pounds and I'll have lost 20% of my starting weight.

10.8 more pounds and I'll be down 100 lbs.

Yeah, baby!
 
First of all, your spirit is amazing. 360s....I cannot believe it!!!

Also, thanks for sharing your pre-prep secrets...I definitely need to do more of that. One of my biggest downfalls is complaining that I'm too tired to throw my meals together...but I've realized now that a little prep work beforehand can make all of the difference.

And I wanted to just drop in and say thank you for your amazing words of encouragement over in my diary. Everything you said is immensely helpful. And the proof is in the pudding...since you are kicking serious ass.
 
Wow Don! At this rate you'll be down 100lb in no time! I'm so happy for you and that you're here as part of this community to motivate the rest of us. ;)
 
wow Don! Mr Awesomeness!! Nearly 20%!! You deserve it!! Milestones alert!!! 20% & 100 lbs!
Fantastic! You are an inspiration to many!!
 
Only have a moment this morning, so I'll come back and say hello on your threads later on today (hopefully).
Thank you ALL for stopping by and for all the really kind words! It sure made my morning to see so much support when I logged in. You guys rock. :hurray:

Quick update: This morning I weighed 367.0, down 0.8, which is exactly 90 pounds lost. :)

These last couple of weeks have been a bit slower on the weight loss front, but the good news is I'm off prednasone (my oral steroids I got for my poison oak like rash) after today. Yea! I'll make a hard push starting in a few days, to see if I can have a 5-6 lb loss week.

Attached is a chart showing the Percentage of Weight Lost by Week since starting. I've tried to follow the "1% Rule", whether it's a good rule or not I don't know, but I use it as a "safe" loss goal.

View attachment 20734
 
90lbs lost!!! Has it sunk in yet??? That's an incredible accomplishment. I'm sure you're proud of yourself and I don't need to say this, but be VERY proud of what you've done so far. :)

Great news your days of prednisone are over! Hopefully, mine will be too in another week or so. Does this mean that you're arm is 100% again?
 
OK, Don I have another question. You've really peaked my interest in trying to do some stir fry meals. Believe it or not, I've never had a stir fry meal (that I can remember anyway). Do you just make enough to feed yourself for one meal or do you make enough so you'll have enough to last a couple of days or so? In other words, is that something that you can re-heat and still have it taste good?

Also, do you have a favorite recipe? I'm looking at a pineapple chicken recipe right now which sounds pretty darn delicious!
 
MandyH said:
90lbs lost!!! Has it sunk in yet??? That's an incredible accomplishment. I'm sure you're proud of yourself and I don't need to say this, but be VERY proud of what you've done so far. :)
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Thank you Mandy! That means a lot to me, that you are so supportive. :) In answer to your question, NOPE. To me it is still just a number. I feel good. I have energy. I'm stronger and have muscles showing that were absent 5 months ago. I walk with more confidence. I've been caught twice by my wife flirting when talking to other women we both know. Not in a bad way, but according to my wife I have always been a charming guy who can talk his way into or out of anything -- which is how I wooed her -- and lately she says she's been seeing a return of my old charm. That's a confidence thing. I feel really good, but not 90 pounds lighter.

MandyH said:
OK, Don I have another question. You've really peaked my interest in trying to do some stir fry meals. Believe it or not, I've never had a stir fry meal (that I can remember anyway). Do you just make enough to feed yourself for one meal or do you make enough so you'll have enough to last a couple of days or so? In other words, is that something that you can re-heat and still have it taste good?

Also, do you have a favorite recipe? I'm looking at a pineapple chicken recipe right now which sounds pretty darn delicious!
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I will send you a PM in the coming days describing HOW I cook a stirfry.

There's no set recipe in my case, but it is EASY. Basically, though, I keep it simple. I have about a dozen spices on hand that I use for stirfrying: Sea Salt (light use), Black Pepper, White Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Curry Powder, Cumin, Paprika (smoked or sweet Hungarian), chili powder, and Garam Masala. I may also use mirin (Japanese rice wine), soy sauce (Low Sodium), Oyster Sauce (Chinese), or beef/chicken stock).

I add anywhere from 2-3 to 5-6 spices to a single meal (depending on my mood and preferences that day) in quantities that vary according to my tastes. Cook with them a few times if you don't know the flavors, then adjust quantities you use to you tastes. Typically, I use from 1/4 tspn to 1 Tbsn of one seasoning, depending on the spice and my tastes that day.

I usually cook enough for one big meal (maybe 3-4 Cups of cooked food) because someone else will want some. I don't usually save veg stir fry as leftovers, because it's so easy to cook fast, and because the leftovers aren't as tasty to me.

Watch for a PM from me.

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Down 0.6 pounds today to 366.4 pounds. I had CRAVINGS last night. Fat. I wanted Fat. I ate a slice of cheddar. OK. Then I ate half an avocado. Still not there. I ate 3 stalks of celery with peanut butter. Finally! That was weird. Then I woke 4 times during the night with leg cramps. I thought I was hydrated, but still the cramps. Today I'll eat a couple bananas and see if that helps. It's been hot. I've been moving all day. I could have worse problems. :D
 
woooow 90 pounds that is amazing!!! congrats Don, your very inspirational :).
I totally understand what you mean about saying its a confidence thing, i feel the same!! , and having more energy and feeling way better in general. I find my self being a much more positive person too, like things that would really bother me and get me down dont seem to so much any more.
keep up the awesome work !
 
Thanks Don, will be on the lookout for that PM! :)

It's great that you're getting your confidence and swagger back. I'm glad that your wife is noticing these changes in you too. She must be proud of your accomplishments too. :)

Judging by what you post here, I can totally see how you could be a ladies man. You're very kind and supportive which is what most girls (that I know anyway) look for in a man. I'm sure you can be quite the charmer! ;)
 
So you were craving fat...and you have vegetables - kudos to you!!! That's discipline!
I was craving solid food badly today!! Watching food network while in the gym did not help. 5 days down - 3 more days to go.
 
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