Need A Lifestyle Change!

C

ceejay644

New member
Hello everyone, my name is CJ and I am 29 years old. I am 5'10" and currently weigh 270 pounds. I have been overweight for most of my entire adult life, but it's never made me feel depressed or stressed out. I've always been surrounded by great family and friends, but I am definitely the heaviest person which isn't so great. I used to enjoy activities like going to the beach and water parks, but have found myself growing more and more uncomfortable with my self image. My ideal weight is 175 pounds as I have reached that point before in my adulthood and was very happy with how I looked. Unfortunately I reached that weight using trimspa when it had ephedra in it! All I was doing was drinking a lot of water and not eating for 3-4 days at a time. It was extremely unhealthy, but I ended up going from 235 pounds to 175 in a 3 month period. Obviously in the long run I was doomed to fail and ended up gaining all the weight back plus an additional 40 pounds. I am currently at the heaviest I have ever been, and need a lifestyle change before I start to develop serious health problems.


The turning point for me to change my lifestyle has occurred in the past few months. I have developed sleep apnea and wake up at least 2-3 times a night. I can only imagine how many times my heart stops every night, and it scares me that I could go to sleep one night and possibly not wake up the next morning. I've never attempted anything like this before, but thought maybe someone on these forums has some kind of experience with losing over 50 pounds and being able to maintain. I have already started a diet plan, and was hoping someone could critique it and/or give me some pointers...


Here is my typical diet Monday-Saturday (Sunday is my cheat day)


Wake Up Time (7:30AM)

Breakfast (8AM) - 1 scoop - Optimum Nutrition 100% Egg Protein

Snack (11AM) - Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bar

Lunch (2PM) - This varies, but I usually alternate between the following...

A) 2 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (4 slices american cheese) (4 slices white bread)

B) 1 can Tunafish on spinach wrap

C) 3 hard boiled egg salad on spinach wrap

Dinner (6PM) - Varies, but I try to keep the carbs low, usually something BBQ like chicken breast, steak, hamburger, hot dogs

After Dinner (8PM) - Fruit (Grapes, Watermelon, Peaches, Nectarines)


I make sure that I eat no carbs after 7PM, and try to eat less and less of them as the day goes on. My heaviest meal is usually lunch, however dinner can sometimes surpass it depending on what I have.


As for exercise, I haven't started an exercise plan yet, but I have access to a stationary bike. I was wondering how often I should do cardio every week, and for how long. I also wanted to know if I should bother with strength training at my weight.


I look forward to hearing any comments/suggestions that you all may have. Thank you very much for your time and consideration, and I hope to be another success story amongst the many that I'm sure have come through these forums!
 
I forgot to add that my water intake is between 80-100 ounces per day not counting anything from food. I also don't drink anything else, especially soda/juice regardless if it's diet or not. I'm not a huge fan of artificial sweeteners.
 
*Cracks fingers* It is my time to chip in....


1. To have a WHOLE day dedicated to a cheat is wrong. A whole day and you can be looking at 2-3 days worth of calories in a single day. 1 meal is fine but make sure it is somewhat not too unhealthy. Don't go having like 3 big macs and 2 large fries and saying 'but it is my cheat meal!!!'


2. Kellogg's nutri-grain bar. I am pretty sure they would have lots of carbs. Look at the food label and I can almost see your jaw drop. If you don't know how to read food labels, look it up on the internet and learn. It is the only way to be successful.


3. To have 2 grilled cheese sandwiches... hmmm... with american cheese, 4 to be exact. Is it low fat? Or are you putting regular cheese slices on? You need more protein in a sitting. Also, try mixing your vegetable intake so as to not get bored of eating the same thing over and over again.


4. BBQ. It is good, but depends on how it is done. Do you leave the skin on? Fat will run into the meat. Do you add sauces or olive oil when you BBQ? Are you choosing leaner cuts? Are you cutting excess fat off? Are you having anything else with your BBQ? How much BBQ meat are you eating? Drinks? I mean BBQs can get quite oily, which may tempt people to grab a soda.


5. Fruits are great for a snack. But remember, fruits also have carbs in them. Grapes being one of the higher carb fruits.


6. Your whole no eating carbs after 7pm is wrong. Because you are eating carbs after 7pm and also because eating carbs at night makes no difference compared to when you eat them during the day time.


7. Bike is a great way to get in some cardio. Start with 10-15 minutes and keep increasing. Once you get your stamina up and find it boring, look up HIIT training.


8. Resistance training is a must. Build leaner muscle mass = increase in metabolism and being able to eat more carbs without the fear of it turning into body fat. If you are finding it hard to do body weight exercises, lose some body fat through eating and cardio then slowly introduce it in.
 
Thank you very much for the long reply, I will do my best to comment on your suggestions...


1) A cheat day for me would consist of either chinese food or pizza for one of my meals. The rest of the meals wouldn't be considered cheating. It would just be my dinner that would be heavier than usual as a way to reward myself for being consistent throughout the week. By chinese food I'm referring to a combination plate of either general tso's chicken or chicken w/ broccoli, as well as some pork fried rice and an egg roll. For the pizza it would be 2-3 slices of regular size pizza with extra cheese. Is it really that bad to even do that for one meal a week?


2) I switched to Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey whole grain granola bars instead for now until I can get some actual protein bars. These are 80 calories and 14g of carbs per bar. It comes in a pack of two, so I could have one for my morning snack and the other for my afternoon snack. Eventually I will have the protein bars, unless you have another suggestion.


3) Now that I think about it, the grilled cheese probably isn't the best idea for lunch. Especially when you throw in the butter that I used on the pan that eventually gets absorbed into the bread. I will stick with the tunafish and egg salad wraps, and mix in some lean turkey with lettuce/tomato as well.


4) The BBQ is without skin, and I put BBQ sauce on the chicken breast otherwise it is too dry and has zero taste. The chicken breasts I get are lean and have little to no fat. I would usually eat one of them with corn or macaroni salad. If you have any suggestions on alternatives I am all ears. For example, last night I had a breaded pork chop with some corn.


5) I can stick with peaches/watermelons if they are less carbs, but I was always told they are the "good" kind of carbs and not to worry about them.


6) I mispoke when I said the no carbs after 7PM. What I meant to say is I try not to eat anything heavy after 7PM. Reason being I was always told if you eat too late your body isn't going to burn it as efficiently since you're just sleeping.


7) I looked up the HIIT training and printed out an 8 week regimen I'm going to try with the stationary bike. I am very excited to try it out since doing 30-45 minutes gets really boring when on a treadmill or stationary bike.


8) What kind of resistance training would you recommend? I was thinking some core exercises like push ups, sit ups, and some squats. I plan on doing the HIIT training 3x a week, should I do the resistance training on alternate days leaving 1 day of rest?


I really appreciate all of the suggestions you gave me, and will start making the proper adjustments. I guess I was just worried if I made my diet too strict too early, I would be more prone to failing. Now that I think about it though, this is a lifestyle change so there should be no thought of failure.
 
Welcome CeeJay and best wishes as you start your journey to a healthier life, I'm right behind you :cheers2:


Edited to add: I'm no expert so don't take this as gospel, but your lunch and dinner menus' do sound maybe a bit excessive. Perhaps leaner meat at dinner and at lunch I would go down to one egg but the tuna sounds healthy (as long as it's not in oil) and maybe one grilled cheese instead of two. And breakfast is perhaps too lite actually. I would suggest a bit heartier breakfast.
 
Originally Posted by ceejay644


Thank you very much for the long reply, I will do my best to comment on your suggestions...



1) A cheat day for me would consist of either chinese food or pizza for one of my meals. The rest of the meals wouldn't be considered cheating. It would just be my dinner that would be heavier than usual as a way to reward myself for being consistent throughout the week. By chinese food I'm referring to a combination plate of either general tso's chicken or chicken w/ broccoli, as well as some pork fried rice and an egg roll. For the pizza it would be 2-3 slices of regular size pizza with extra cheese. Is it really that bad to even do that for one meal a week?



2) I switched to Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey whole grain granola bars instead for now until I can get some actual protein bars. These are 80 calories and 14g of carbs per bar. It comes in a pack of two, so I could have one for my morning snack and the other for my afternoon snack. Eventually I will have the protein bars, unless you have another suggestion.



3) Now that I think about it, the grilled cheese probably isn't the best idea for lunch. Especially when you throw in the butter that I used on the pan that eventually gets absorbed into the bread. I will stick with the tunafish and egg salad wraps, and mix in some lean turkey with lettuce/tomato as well.



4) The BBQ is without skin, and I put BBQ sauce on the chicken breast otherwise it is too dry and has zero taste. The chicken breasts I get are lean and have little to no fat. I would usually eat one of them with corn or macaroni salad. If you have any suggestions on alternatives I am all ears. For example, last night I had a breaded pork chop with some corn.



5) I can stick with peaches/watermelons if they are less carbs, but I was always told they are the "good" kind of carbs and not to worry about them.



6) I mispoke when I said the no carbs after 7PM. What I meant to say is I try not to eat anything heavy after 7PM. Reason being I was always told if you eat too late your body isn't going to burn it as efficiently since you're just sleeping.



7) I looked up the HIIT training and printed out an 8 week regimen I'm going to try with the stationary bike. I am very excited to try it out since doing 30-45 minutes gets really boring when on a treadmill or stationary bike.



8) What kind of resistance training would you recommend? I was thinking some core exercises like push ups, sit ups, and some squats. I plan on doing the HIIT training 3x a week, should I do the resistance training on alternate days leaving 1 day of rest?



I really appreciate all of the suggestions you gave me, and will start making the proper adjustments. I guess I was just worried if I made my diet too strict too early, I would be more prone to failing. Now that I think about it though, this is a lifestyle change so there should be no thought of failure.
Click to expand...


1. A better cheat day would be a sandwich from a cafe with the sauce on the side or something more 'clean'. Pizza or chinese foods aren't the healthiest in the world.

2. Just becareful of the so-called 'low-carb' protein bars. They usually try to hide the actual carb content somehow so always read the labels.

3. Yeah, grilled cheese sandwiches wouldn't have been a good choice, especially if you are using butter. A salad sounds much better. Try adding lemon juice and balsamic vinegar to make a dressing and season with salt.

4. You have to realise BBQ sauce has carbs(sugars), depending on brand and type. Just becareful of that. Macaroni salad. Does it have cheese? Oil? You have to break EVERYTHING down. Again, with the breaded pork chop, did you fry it in oil? Meats on the bone are generally fattier than other meats. Just remember 100g corn = 12.5g carbs. Why not have a small baked potato, seasoned with a little herb and spices (no butter), GRILL your meat with the lightest of olive oil spray and have that with a salad? You can always substitute the potato with basmati rice or other carbs.

5. You have gotten crap advice there about not worrying about carb content in fruits. Carbs is carbs at the end of the day. The only difference is the micronutrient content. The lower carb fruits generally tend to be your stone fruits, navel oranges, berries, melons (water, honey etc). The higher carb fruits tend to be the apples, bananas and grapes. You MUSTTTTTT take into consideration the carb content if you want to lose weight and tell the person you got the advice off to do a little research.

6. That is wrong. You can eat at 11pm, 10 mins after you eat and you will be fine. Again, meet your body's limits and don't go over and you will be fine. My clients all eat at night because it is their preference. I tell them I don't care as long as you stick to the limits. They are all still losing body fat.

8. Exercise wise, compound exercises. Push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, planks/prone holds etc. If you are new to exercise, then have a break in between days of exercise. Only you will be able to tell if your body has recovered enough to do back to back days. And it does not matter if you exercise 2x per day, later in the days as opposed to the morning, doing cardio before weights or vice versa etc etc. Just do it.


Yes, you are more prone to failing if you make drastic changes all of a sudden. Make small changes every day and you will have a higher chance of succeeding. If you have cravings, satisfy those cravings (don't binge) then get back on track. We are all human and we all get tempted and get cravings. It is what you do AFTER that matters.
 
Thank you very much for all of the information you've given me. It's definitely opened my eyes to what I "thought" I knew about dieting and the reality of it. I will definitely get more in the habit of watching what I eat in regards to looking at the parts rather than just the whole thing. As for the strength training, I'll definitely start off with core exercises to start building my body up for advanced stuff later on. My problem has always been carbs as I am a huge sandwich lover, so if I can fix that problem I'll be well on my way. And thanks for the clarification regarding fruit carbs/sugars, that is very good to know.
 
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