Trying to lose some weight :D

S

shanson1106

New member
Hi... I'm new to this forum, minutes new in fact, and I just wanted to share my story and maybe get some feedback. I am male, 21 years old, 6'4", and POOR. I am at college this year without much money (I depend on loans for tuition and I don't have any family to help me afford food and stuff). I have roughly $400 to use for food over a period of around 5 months. Needless to say I don't eat much. My concern is that I am somehow still gaining weight.

The last time I weighed in I was at around 260lbs. I want to weigh 190-200. Up until a few weeks ago my lifestyle was nearly 100% sedentary, but for a while now I have been getting a decent amount of exercise daily. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays I participate in marching band. This involves walking in step at tempos ranging from quarter note=112mm to quarter note=160mm for hours at a time. Also every day I have added about 20 minutes of walking at a reasonable pace and around an hour of playing the video game Dance Dance Revolution.

I want to lose weight and get fit and nothing I have ever done has worked. I have never kept a diary before so I thought I'd try it and on such a supportive site as this, I am more than willing to share my diary with you all. So here's the deal:

Current weight: 260lbs.
Goal Weight: 195lbs.
Timeframe: I would like to reach my target weight by March 2010.
Plan:
(1) Exercise- It seems as though I have a pretty good exercise routine at the moment but I will take any more suggestions. I have access to a full Wellness and Fitness center but I don't really know much about it.
(2) Diet- I think my diet might be a big part of the problem. I eat a package of Ramen noodles and a package of cheese crackers with cheese for lunch. When I have some extra change I usually get 3-4 20oz diet cokes a week, but mostly I drink water (6x20oz bottles/day). I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful girlfriend who feeds me dinner nearly every night. Meals include veggie soup, spaghetti with sauce, and tuna fish sandwiches.


I'll weigh myself again tomorrow and post it on here. I may have lost weight already lol. Any tips or advice welcome and thanks for reading this :D
 
Hi and welcome. :)

I can tell you that ramen noodles and cheese crackers are not going to help with your weight loss efforts. OTOH, I do remember being a starving college student when ramen was 5 for $1 and it filled me up. :)

There are options for eating cheap, though. I would recommend learning to love beans, lentils, peas, and rice. ;) Also look into stocking up on frozen veg when they go on sale (store brand is fine). Oats are good as well and very healthy. Eggs are good, and you can buy them on sale - they'll keep a long time.

Learning to cook basic things will help a lot.

As far as exercise, there are a series of threads that are sticky posted in the exercise forum that are excellent and I think they should be required reading. :) Especially pay attention to anything by Steve - he knows what he's talking about. Following his suggestions on weight lifting will help get you started at your school's fitness center.

Good luck!
 
Hey Kara and thanks for your response.

Those are all really good suggestions and things I will certainly look into. Thanks for replying so fast and I am greatly looking forward to this journey I am undertaking. With all the support I have seen on this website, I am glad to know that I'm not alone.
 
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