Where is the realistic advice?

S

SwampDog

New member
Background: I'm in my early 50s, and I am about 70 pounds overweight. I exercise very little, and I don't eat very healthily.

I want to do better, but when I read advice it always seems unrealistic or idealistic, and therefore useless to me. I've visited dozens of sites and the advice I read runs from "maybe" to "are you out of your mind?"

So, an honest question: can I lose weight within the confines of the conditions below?

Exercise:
I can't run much more quickly than a modest jog, and perhaps 30 seconds at most. This is partly due to being out of shape, but also partly due to arthritis in my ankles. It simply hurts to walk or stand for more than about 10 minutes straight.

Due to high blood pressure (controlled with medicine), I get quite dizzy if I'm bent over (head below chest) for more than about 5 seconds.

I see advice like "30 minutes a day of exercise". That sounds fine, but I would likely have a heart attack if I did a straight 30 minute stretch of heavy sweating. No joke.

Eating:
I simply cannot eat food that I don't like the taste of; I have tried and it literally makes me vomit after a few minutes of eating it. I would, honestly, probably starve to death next to a sack full of fresh rice.

My diet tends to be mostly meat and potatoes. I truly love both of those, and would have a very difficult time surrendering them. Except for potatoes and corn, I don't like any cooked vegetables. I'll eat raw carrots or celery happily, but once cooked, I find them unpalatable.

Bread: I see 'don't eat bread' as frequent advice. Are you kidding? There's no chance of bread not being part of my diet. I don't feel I eat a TON of it, unless you consider two sandwiches worth (4 slices) a ton.

I enjoy some fruits (bananas, most berries, and to a lesser extent tangerines and apples). However, these can be quite expensive and difficult to keep from spoiling.

Please don't advise me to eat broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas, or the like because I'd honestly rather eat nothing. I'm not exaggerating when I say I could have a stomach rumbling with the pain of not eating and if the contents of my fridge were only those items, they'd rot before I ate them.

"Never eat past 8 p.m." This is more crazy advice. I'm a night owl, I get up around 10 am most days, and go to bed around 2 pm. My eating times tend to be 1, 5 and 9 pm. If I'm still awake 5 hours past that, I'm gonna get hungry and will have to eat something.

On the plus side, I rarely drink soda (perhaps two servings per week), and I drink a LOT of water. I'll also usually have, within the course of a day, 2 coffees, 1 glass of 1% milk (never skim), and 1 glass of fruit juice. Sweets are not a weakness for me, but I am strongly drawn to salty snacks.

- - - - - - -

I expect I'll get some ridicule from my post, but I'm trying to be as honest and realistic as I can be. I genuinely want to know if it's possible for me to turn my weight around in a way that I can actually follow. One bit of advice I read was to immediately throw all any and all processed food in my house, and to make a large pot of vegan black bean soup. This might work for some, but for me it is moronic advice. I'm not made of money, nor would I eat anything in that pot.

I'm looking for advice that I can genuinely stick to and live with. If that's not possible with the conditions I listed above, please tell me so as well.
 
The thing is, people tend to over-complicate their advice for different reasons. A lot has to do with viability and health, but a lot also has to do with just plain ignorance as well.

To lose weight, the ONLY thing you need to do is to stay at a caloric deficit. That's it. As long as you're at a deficit you will lose weight.

Now, weight not necessarily means all you will lose is fat. At a deficit, you probably will lose some muscle mass along with the fat. An adecuate protein intake and also resistance training can help you preserve the muscle, making a larger percentage of the weight loss fat, but both of those are not essential for weight loss.

So, following from the reasons above, the simplest realistic advice I would give is the following;

To lose weight, just make sure you stay at a caloric deficit, get an adequate protein intake, make sure you get a reasonable amount of nutrients on your diet, and watch your sodium intake.

As long as you are eating meat or at least getting a modest amount of protein, and a modest amount of real food (I.e so you're not getting 75 % of your calories out of processed sugar-laden crap) , number 2 and 3 should take care of themselves. Number 4 is only added so water retention doesn't mask fat loss.

Again, all the other reasons were added for viability. But #1 is still the only one that really matters.

No specific food-advice or restriction, eating at certain hours or exercise required.
 
heres the deal, calories in and out lose weight. Eating what you like will work, Im a meat and potatoes kinda guy, but you gotta just understand portions. If you can't run.. Walk. its still exercise. portion out your food to 5-6 ounce meat portions and less then a cup of veggies... I tend to stick to 1500 calories a day.. some say its too low.. blah blah.. its worked for me and you will find what works for you. use my fitness pal APP on your phone and track your calories.. you'd be surprised at what you actually eat and how many calories are involved.

stay positive, stay strong, grill your food, dont fry it.. bake it dont saute it. lower your carbs and increase your protein and vegetables. no soda... stick to water.. coffee will help and just drink it at the appropriate times to increase your metabolism. (i drink one at 9am and one at 3pm) it helps boost your energy and move your metabolism.

as for bread: go with the 100 calorie pack bread and you will still get the bread kick your looking for but just at a manageable caloric intake.

eating late: make sure you dont go straight to bed or just actually eat a smaller dinner.. i eat at 8pm when my wife gets off work and since we have a 4 month old we both pass out aroudn 930.. dinner shouldnt be the big meal we all make it out to be.. breakfast and lunch should be your big boys as they will power you through the day.

sooo all in all you can do it with your terms, which is all that matters.. just watch your calories and move the feet man! take it from a guy whos gone from 400lbs down to 260 back to 300 down to 230 back to 290 and now down to 225. its a battle man, but as long as you realize your actions and what they can do or how they will hurt you and own them, you will always move forward!
 
Learn about portion size and how much you are actually eating. There are websites with apps (look up MyFitnessPal) where you can put in your details and how much you want to lose per week and it will tell you approximately how many calories to eat. Then use measuring tools like a kitchen scale to accurately record your intake. You put the data into the app and it will help you keep track of how much you are eating. Eating an adequate amount of protein is essential for muscle maintenance whilst you're dropping weight but it depends on what your goals are - weight loss or fat loss.

AthalaRanger's advice is very sound. With exercise, do things that you CAN do. If you can only walk for 10mins then do that. If hopping on a bike or cross trainer is easier, do that. Start slowly and build it up. Anything is better than nothing and you'll find that you WILL get better.
 
Walking is a brilliant form of exercise... Frankly - a lot of the heavier folk start out there... I did when I lost the 168 pounds that took me to goal...
Slow walking is fine too - it all counts and all burns calories - just obviously the more you move - the more calories you burn... The worst thing that anyone can do is say that their weight or their health stops them from doing any exercise and basically sit and have a zero step count for the day...
When I started out - my walking was really slow and I had lots of rests - but I walked every day just the same... Get a pedometer and see if you can let it challenge you to do more steps...

Maybe swimming would be a good form of exercise for you...

By the way - I am in my 50s too. I didnt address my serious weight problem until I was in my late 40s... You can do this...
 
Here is my simple advise. Don't eat processed foods. That is it. You want to stay away from Fructose, and it is in everything processed. It is also in fruit, but fruit comes packed with fiber. Soda and Fruit Juices are the biggest killers, stay away from them and stick with water and milk to drink.

For further details watch:

I live this, and have lost 60 lbs so far.
 
I like your post because it brings up the idea of being realistic. I am doing a program developed by weight loss specialists that isn;t above and beyond reasonable. They recommend walking or lifting weight on the side, but they also tell you what to eat and when to eat it. The food isn't gross but it is not junk food. In the morning, I drink a protein shake that tastes like a milkshake, then they give you options for later on. I usually stick with ham and cheese melts, celery with peanut butter, ham and swiss wraps, porkchops, salad, skinless chicken ect. You can set up your own menu and they tell you how to cook the meals and what you need to buy at the store. I found it helpful being a college student. In 3 weeks, I lost 24 pounds. If interested, let me know!
 
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