SirLose-A-lot
New member
Greetings,
I joined the weightloss forums about 6 months ago and unfortunately haven't been very active. I am a full-time employee, student, husband, and father (to my cat), so life can be a little busy. Nonetheless, I feel that the interexchange of support and encouragement is very importaint so I made it a point to return.
I started my weight loss journey in June of 2010. As the journey has progressed it has transformed as I have. I have been overweight as far as I can remember. Actually, even beyond what I can remember. I was a 12 lb. baby. Not a great start. All of my life I have actually been very active. I participated in sports and was very physical. The problem was my eating habits. I could easily pack away 2 Big Macs as an 11 year old. Needless to say, there was no level of activity that could combat those eating habits.
When starting my journey, I felt that working out several times a day would be the key to getting the results I desired. I started to use the p90X program but used my own modified eating plan due to the costs involved in maintaining their food schedule. I also resolved to decrease my calorie count. Another key thing I did was start to read nutrition labels. Some of this stuff is just plain frightening. I had no idea that when I was having a pack of Ramen Noodles that I was eating 3 servings of Nearly 200 calories a piece. That's right folks! 1 pack of noodles is 500 to 600 calories depending on the brand you go with. I had a huge problem getting rid of my vices.
Vice Number 1:
Fast food. Burgers are top 3 of my favorite foods. I loved the whole combination. Burgers and fries. I could have a double cheeseburger and two fries or 2 double cheeseburgers and 1 order of fries for $3.21 and be pleasantly full. Each burger without adding any mayo, was 440 calories. The fries are 350 to 400 calories. In one meal (not even including the drink) I would basically eat my daily allocation of calories. Pizza, fried chicken, etc. All of these things have have caloric counts that don't snowball. They avalanche!
Vice Number 2:
Sauces/Condiments: Any sauce that was white was my favorite. Ranch, Bleu Cheese, Alfredo Sauce, Mayo, etc. If it was creamy, I liked it. Well, of course when starting my weightloss journey, investigation of healthier ways to eat all stated that I had to learn to let them go. It was extremely hard at first, but after a while I realized that I tasted the actual meal less because it lettuce or wings were drowning in a pool of ranch or bleu cheese. I, thanks to my wife, started to experience lovely alternatives that were much more flavorful and would not have to get that horrible feeling of regret afterwards because I knew it was good for me. Lemon juice, red wine vinegar (not vinegarette), Fat free italian dressing: are just some of the tasty alternatives that you can use on salads, sandwiches, etc. Fat free or light substitutes also help. Now, I have to admit, there was a lot of trial and error in this.
I tried fat free mayo and it didn't work for me. I tried a ceratin light mayo and loved it. Those cheese wedges that come in the round containers are awesome! Already portioned for you and only 35 calories a serving. They melt great and one can spread on several items. Light sour cream....amazing. Great for adding thickness to sauces, great as a base for a sauce itself...simply amazing. 40 calories for 2 tablespoons. Now even though we found these alternatives, we don't eat that much of them. We do not go overboard and we eat them in moderation. These are things that my wife and I learned together.
Vice Number 3:
Eating 2 times a day and having them be huge meals. I would only eat 2 times a day in my less healthy days. They would be two substantially sized meals that would have me feeling sleepy afterwards. So not only did I eat too many calories, I ate them and then went to sleep. Now I eat more than ever. On the days where I don't have my night class, I eat 5 times. Always at the same time. I pack my lunch(thanks to my wife) every day and snacks as well. The days where I do have a night class I eat 6 times because I get home later so I need one more snack to get me through the day. Eating that many times a day, you are less likely to eat big, out of control meals because you are pretty much satisfied all day. When I am starving is normally when a bad food choice was made.
My wife and I have come to realize that the most important factor to weightloss is not how much you work out. The foundation is your diet. If you work out like a mad person but eat crap, you can and most likely will, still gain weight. On the other hand, if you eat healthy and never life a pound, you most likely will still lose weight. Due to my hectic schedule, I haven't been as active as usual but I lost 7 lbs last month. It's literally calories in vs. calories out. I anticipate being at my goal by June...Then I will fit into my suit of armor. Most likely, I will upload some pictures soon. I really look forward to encourage you and to being encouraged by all of you. Let's get there together. WE CAN DO IT!!!
I joined the weightloss forums about 6 months ago and unfortunately haven't been very active. I am a full-time employee, student, husband, and father (to my cat), so life can be a little busy. Nonetheless, I feel that the interexchange of support and encouragement is very importaint so I made it a point to return.
I started my weight loss journey in June of 2010. As the journey has progressed it has transformed as I have. I have been overweight as far as I can remember. Actually, even beyond what I can remember. I was a 12 lb. baby. Not a great start. All of my life I have actually been very active. I participated in sports and was very physical. The problem was my eating habits. I could easily pack away 2 Big Macs as an 11 year old. Needless to say, there was no level of activity that could combat those eating habits.
When starting my journey, I felt that working out several times a day would be the key to getting the results I desired. I started to use the p90X program but used my own modified eating plan due to the costs involved in maintaining their food schedule. I also resolved to decrease my calorie count. Another key thing I did was start to read nutrition labels. Some of this stuff is just plain frightening. I had no idea that when I was having a pack of Ramen Noodles that I was eating 3 servings of Nearly 200 calories a piece. That's right folks! 1 pack of noodles is 500 to 600 calories depending on the brand you go with. I had a huge problem getting rid of my vices.
Vice Number 1:
Fast food. Burgers are top 3 of my favorite foods. I loved the whole combination. Burgers and fries. I could have a double cheeseburger and two fries or 2 double cheeseburgers and 1 order of fries for $3.21 and be pleasantly full. Each burger without adding any mayo, was 440 calories. The fries are 350 to 400 calories. In one meal (not even including the drink) I would basically eat my daily allocation of calories. Pizza, fried chicken, etc. All of these things have have caloric counts that don't snowball. They avalanche!
Vice Number 2:
Sauces/Condiments: Any sauce that was white was my favorite. Ranch, Bleu Cheese, Alfredo Sauce, Mayo, etc. If it was creamy, I liked it. Well, of course when starting my weightloss journey, investigation of healthier ways to eat all stated that I had to learn to let them go. It was extremely hard at first, but after a while I realized that I tasted the actual meal less because it lettuce or wings were drowning in a pool of ranch or bleu cheese. I, thanks to my wife, started to experience lovely alternatives that were much more flavorful and would not have to get that horrible feeling of regret afterwards because I knew it was good for me. Lemon juice, red wine vinegar (not vinegarette), Fat free italian dressing: are just some of the tasty alternatives that you can use on salads, sandwiches, etc. Fat free or light substitutes also help. Now, I have to admit, there was a lot of trial and error in this.
I tried fat free mayo and it didn't work for me. I tried a ceratin light mayo and loved it. Those cheese wedges that come in the round containers are awesome! Already portioned for you and only 35 calories a serving. They melt great and one can spread on several items. Light sour cream....amazing. Great for adding thickness to sauces, great as a base for a sauce itself...simply amazing. 40 calories for 2 tablespoons. Now even though we found these alternatives, we don't eat that much of them. We do not go overboard and we eat them in moderation. These are things that my wife and I learned together.
Vice Number 3:
Eating 2 times a day and having them be huge meals. I would only eat 2 times a day in my less healthy days. They would be two substantially sized meals that would have me feeling sleepy afterwards. So not only did I eat too many calories, I ate them and then went to sleep. Now I eat more than ever. On the days where I don't have my night class, I eat 5 times. Always at the same time. I pack my lunch(thanks to my wife) every day and snacks as well. The days where I do have a night class I eat 6 times because I get home later so I need one more snack to get me through the day. Eating that many times a day, you are less likely to eat big, out of control meals because you are pretty much satisfied all day. When I am starving is normally when a bad food choice was made.
My wife and I have come to realize that the most important factor to weightloss is not how much you work out. The foundation is your diet. If you work out like a mad person but eat crap, you can and most likely will, still gain weight. On the other hand, if you eat healthy and never life a pound, you most likely will still lose weight. Due to my hectic schedule, I haven't been as active as usual but I lost 7 lbs last month. It's literally calories in vs. calories out. I anticipate being at my goal by June...Then I will fit into my suit of armor. Most likely, I will upload some pictures soon. I really look forward to encourage you and to being encouraged by all of you. Let's get there together. WE CAN DO IT!!!
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