Note: If you wouldn't say it to someone's face, don't say it here. Comments deleted on a whim.
Aaron --
I think breakfast is supposed to be important because it gets your metabolism going early in the day. Maybe eating breakfast is key to helping yourself out. Good luck by the way.
Aaron...
I used to be a 300+ pounder. Then, I got the Wilford Brimley disease. The Dia-B-tes.
Anywho, I dropped about a hundred pounds in about a year, and other then hitting an eliptical machine (those suckers do work), I counted calories, big time. Knowing the caloric intake and setting those limits was key.
One thing that was a diet staple of mine was soup. Check out the amount of calories in any can of soup. Usually its in the range of 100-150 per serving, 2 servings per can.
And just like that, you have a lunch or dinner that tastes good, and only goes about 300 calories or so. It's a quick, easy, and low cal meal.
Also, pickles. Big f'n pickles that go 0 calories as well as snacks.
Just some advice.
Maybe eating breakfast is key to helping yourself out. Good luck by the way.
Yeah, I'm going to plan for a bowl or two of Cheerios every morning for a while. We'll see if that cuts down on my dinner-time hunger.
I counted calories, big time. Knowing the caloric intake and setting those limits was key.
I ate 1,330 calories today. What's a good number for a typical day?
One thing that was a diet staple of mine was soup. Check out the amount of calories in any can of soup. Usually its in the range of 100-150 per serving, 2 servings per can.
This is a good idea. I used to eat tons of chicken noodle soup a few years back. I'll stick that on my list of decent stuff to eat.
Also, pickles. Big f'n pickles that go 0 calories as well as snacks.
You'd have to pay me to eat a pickle.
As I mentioned in a previous post a chocolate whey protein shake can be quite tasty and is also very good for you. It's got some good amino acids in it and it will fill you up between meals.
I'm sure you know the difference between low-GI foods and high-GI foods, basically you want to go with whole-grains and flaxes rather than the simple carbs found in white bread.
I know you probably don't want to go all low-carb but there is a low carb pasta out there from DreamField's which is just like regular pasta they just have some sort of process to protect the carbs.
Some other good stuff:
Turkey Bacon (bonus it's kosher)
Break free eggs w/Omega 3
Whole chicken/turkey breasts
Angus beef
Yogurt
Aaron,
I wish you the best of luck. I lost close to 20 pounds when I was in my late twenties about ten years ago. I definitely did it the right way because other than trying to avoid too many pizzas and french fries my eating habits didn't change very much. The key to my weight loss was going to the local gym five days a week for 60-90 minute workouts consisting of cardiovascular work and extensive weight training. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the biggest key to being healthy is your lifestyle.
On another note, here is something which tastes great and is good for you: frozen fruit. I don't mean the fruit you buy frozen; I mean buying fresh fruit and freezing it yourself. Grapes and bananas are both delicious frozen. I'm sure you could think of other favorite fruits and try them frozen. Trust me, they will taste good.
I don't count calories as much as I monitor my protein to carbohydrate ratio and try to eat more good fats than bad.
There's a good book out there called "The insulin resistance diet" if you want to check it out.
Aaron,
Congrats on making the decision to get healthy.
I've lost 100 pounds over the course of the past year, so maybe some of the tips I can give you will be helpful.
Being diagnosed with diabetes put a scare into me, and I followed the nutrition advice religiously.
Now that I have lost all this weight, my blood sugars are back to normal, and I no longer have to take the medication, so I guess I did something right.
Basically what they told me were these things:
1. Low fat, high fiber. Avoid fatty meats, high fat cheeses and other high fat dairy products.
Drink skim milk. If you can't stand that, go for 1%.
If you want bread, eat whole grain instead of white bread.
Try the whole grain rice & pastas too.
2. Portion control
You don't have to measure your food (although it really does help), but do pay attention to serving sizes. If you start reading labels a little, you'll see that a typical serving size for something like potatoes or pasta is 1/2 cup.
Most people eat 3 times that amount.
3. Eat breakfast. Every day. Preferably within 1 hour after you get up.
Make sure you eat protein first, then go ahead and have carbs if you want, but try to keep them to 2 or 3 servings at each meal, and make them items that are 15 carbs per serving or less.
Since I work in an office & don't have time to cook in the morning, I usually take my breakfast to work.
A small container of non-fat yogurt, sweetened with Splenda, and maybe an occasional cereal bar and/or a piece of fruit. Blue Bunny yogurt is good, they have a decent selection at Cub, but Rainbow is usually better.
I also buy the South Beach diet cereal bars because they have 10 grams of protein. Sure, you can find better tasting ones, (the chocolate ones are horrible, but I do like the cranberry almond, maple nut & peanut butter flavors) but the protein is what helps to keep me satisfied so I don't want anything else before lunch.
4. WATER!!!!
Drink tons of water...at least two liters a day. 8 cups. More if you can. This is probably the biggest key.
5. Fruits & vegetables. Eat them. That was always a struggle for me, but it really does make a huge difference if you like them.
Beware of salad dressing.
I found a trick years ago that works really well for me.
Order your dressing on the side, and rather than pouring it all over your salad, dip your fork in it, then put your salad greens on the fork.
You get dressing with every bite, but your salad isn't swimming in it.
6. Take a good multivitamin every day.
7. I don't know if you like to cook, but if you don't, take some time to learn. It makes life on a diet a lot more interesting if you can find things you like that you can make yourself, and it keeps you from going out and spending money on fast food and restaurants.
8. Speaking of restaurants, be sensible. Portions are huge.
Eat less than half of what you order.
Order seafood, fish or chicken, preferably broiled.
If you really want a steak, have a sirloin, rather than a rib eye or strip steak.
Then take it home & have the leftovers for another meal.
Have soup (not cream soups though), or a salad instead of fries.
Even a baked potato is a better choice, but keep the toppings to an absolute minimum.
Someone mentioned Weight Watchers. If you want to, you can do their program online. You never have to even go to a meeting.
You will be surprised at how much you can eat, (I was always amazed at how much more men could have to eat) and their points program is very easy to follow.
Best of luck to you. We'll be here for you.
Daily calorie intake: the "percent of daily values" you see on nutrition information labels are based on a 2000 calorie per day diet. 2000 is about average.
What to eat: A bowl of unfrosted cereal like bran or something -- like frosted mini wheats without the frosting. Add liberal helping of bananas, strawberries, blue berries whatever. Tasty, filling and not bad for you. Use only enough milk to moisten the cereal, even if you have to swish the cereal around the bottom of the bowl to get it moist.
As for drinks, a lot of iced tea makers will have "Green Tea," which is drastically lower in calories than other iced teas. If you can find diet green tea, you'll basically have iced tea without the calories.
The hardest part is going to be restraining from snacks and candies. You might not think much of eating a candy bar, but that will blow away nearly a quarter of your recommended daily calorie intake.
I think you basically want to get as much fullness per calorie as possible and try to make it tasty too.
1300 is probably pretty good for a guy your size and age. Considering it's probably at least half of what you were eating before, that would be a pretty good number to stick to.
You might want to go for one of the Healthy Choice chicken soups. Even Progresso is better than good old Campbells.
The Cheerios are fine in the morning, but maybe stick to one bowl. Eat more protein though. You don't have to go all Atkins on us, but remember, protein will fill you up and keep you feeling full longer than carbs.
One other thing...
Only weigh yourself once a week.
If you do it daily, you will only frustrate yourself. Always do it on the same day each week, and try to be sure you're wearing the same, or at least similar, clothing, so you can get an accurate figure.
I usually weigh myself on Monday mornings. It tends to keep me on track a little better over the weekends, when my schedule is less structured.
Grapes and bananas are both delicious frozen. I'm sure you could think of other favorite fruits and try them frozen. Trust me, they will taste good.
The frozen bananas are a good idea. My mom has actually been eating those for years.
Drink skim milk. If you can't stand that, go for 1%.
I drink a ridiculous amount of milk. In fact, without being hyperbolic at all I would say that it's unlikely there are 1,000 people in the country who drink more. So the decision whether to stick with 1% or switch to skim (which to me tastes like water) is a big one.
Beware of salad dressing.
This will sound odd and probably explains a lot of why I need to lose weight in the first place, but in 23 years I have yet to eat a salad. Seriously. The good news is that I don't have to worry about bad salad dressings!
The hardest part is going to be restraining from snacks and candies. You might not think much of eating a candy bar, but that will blow away nearly a quarter of your recommended daily calorie intake.
See, I actually think this will be one of the easier aspects of the diet for me. I simply will not buy candy bars (or cookies, donuts, etc.). You can't eat what you don't buy. This way of thinking is a big part of why I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for people who can't quit smoking. (And I say that as someone who LOVES candy bars, cookies, donuts, and chips.)
1300 is probably pretty good for a guy your size and age. Considering it's probably at least half of what you were eating before, that would be a pretty good number to stick to.
After looking over some calorie totals today (and being surprised by how many calories are in fairly unassuming stuff) I would almost guarantee that I've been averaging at least 4,000 per day. I mean, I had to be.
BTW, I just want to say again how much I appreciate the words of encouragement and advice. It really means a lot to me. Also, thanks for the suggestions (many of which sound good). If you want a feel for what sort of stuff appeals to my taste buds, here's the list of acceptable foods I've come up with so far:
Banana
Pasta With Tomato Sauce
Bagel
Toast
Cereal
Chicken
Chicken Noodle Soup
Hot Dog
Turkey
Waffles With Syrup
Scrambled Eggs
White Rice
Lots of carbs on there, I know, but that's my weakness obviously.
AG,
If you want stuff that tastes good you gotta go euro. A lot of the stuff like not drinking dew or coke is just training your tastes. In europe they'll seriously eat meals that are like meat cheese fruit wine and coffee. It's all so rich that they hardly eat any and then they're done. Thing is there's no way you can eat as much salami and provolone as you eat hot dogs and be healthy, but if you can stand to eat less it'll taste better. buy yourself some good stuff, cut up and apple and savor the flavor.
Find your own Caloric intake. Don't let random people on the Internet take guesses for you - depending on your family history, weight, and height, it can range from about 1,500 to 3,000. Subtract 500 for a safe diet. That's intake. Subtract a couple hundred from physical activity. You should be losing 1 1/2 pounds per week if you're "fairly heavy", more if you're into that "seriously obese" category.
I lost 135 pounds in 18 months a few years back - I'm currently the same age as you. Here's what I found worked that I haven't seen in at least three comments already:
(1) Water. Already eaten enough today? Still hungry? Drink 12+ ounces of water and wait half an hour before giving in. You'll usually find you aren't hungry anymore, are less hungry, or forgot about it. Just distracting yourself works, too (sometimes).
(2) Walk when you can. From a mental standpoint, it's the easiest physical activity program to stay with, because you aren't doing something "new", just doing an errand in a different way. It does take more time than other programs, which might make it less-than-ideal for someone on a busy schedule, especially in the dead of winter.
(3) Flavor comes from either fat, sugar, or spices. One doesn't have calories. Make it your best friend.
(4) After about 5 months, I didn't have to actually count anything anymore. I could do it by "feel". The feeling of hunger changed the most - it's hard to explain, really, but it's a sense of "I need food" instead of "It's time to eat".
dude where di you buy an elliptical? they're like 1200 bucks
dude where di you buy an elliptical? they're like 1200 bucks
I bought it here:
http://penncycle.com/site/intro.cfm
$1,200 is actually pretty cheap. The good ones go for like $2,500 and up. Top-line models are $4,000+. I got $400 off mine through various discounts, so it wasn't too bad.
Buy strong minty sugarless gum and eat it when you're hungry. It ruins the taste of food and keeps you busy chewing something. I'm a wrestler so I have to maintain weight all the time. When I have already eaten but am still hungry, I drink a huge glass of water and attack a pack of mint gum.
One thing regarding soups -- almost anything in a can is going to be absolutely loaded with sodium. That's probably the lesser of two evils, but it still would not be a good idea to down more than one a day (if even that).
Also, I think the biggest key to eating healthy is knowing what you want when you go into the supermarket, getting it, and then bailing out. I don't think I've bought junk food in several years. Bread, fruit, meat, milk, and BAIL!
Also, speaking of milk, I used to go through a gallon every two or three days. Later on I read that high consumption of milk can cause acne, lead to weight issues, etc. So I decreased that. You might want to look into that as well.
But mostly just keep the bad crap out of your house to begin with. It is much more easy not to buy cookies than not to eat them once they're in your fridge.
The frozen bananas are a good idea. My mom has actually been eating those for years.
You could open your own frozen banana stand!
Seriously, good luck Aaron! If you're successful, you can taunt some people in Seattle next summer.
So, about them Twins...
I kid, I kid, I feel your fat pains...
A.*
Try staying away from processed foods like hot dogs, even though they are low in calories. Many people have metabolisms that don't burn up the additives quickly. Also, many people have metabolisms that don't burn red meat quickly. Chicken, turkey, pork, and fish are good alternatives -- if prepared propery.
Salads do wonders also; just go easy on the dressing. Put your meat on the salads, and they will be filling. Berries make good snacks, although where you are at this time of year, they are probably expensive at the grocery store.
Eat little portions throughout the day rather than three big meals. This stimulates your metabolism. In the early part of your diet, this fools the body. Eventually your body will catch on, which is why exercise is important. Plus, the exercise keeps you busy. Idle hands put on the pounds.
I read a comment about not weighing yourself every day. That makes sense, but I don't have the discipline for that. If you can't restrain from weighing yourself, don't be depressed when you hit a lull.
Good luck.
Once in my life I've lost a decent amount of weight (enough so that people commented to me that I was looking thinner) without working out at all or consciously making a decision to eat healthier. The secret? At that time I was on a big kick of eating Mrs. Grass's Noodle Soup.
My dad had a major heartattack a couple years ago. Started eating yogurt after that. Don't know what the calories are on that stuff, but it's probably a step up.
How fast do you eat? If you're a fast eater some times you'll keep eating for a little bit after you've filled up because (in my experience at least) there can be a lag time between swallowing enough to make you full and feeling full.
Good luck at staying on the plan.
Hi Aaron;
I’m a regular reader and long-time Twins fan (I grew up in northern Iowa). Love the blog, and thanks much for all the hard work on it. I really appreciate the way a personal take like yours can help someone like me (I live in Hong Kong now) keep up with a team.
Anyway, enough pleasantries. I really wanted to write to encourage you in your weight-loss plan. It can be done – I’ve done it. I was always a bit pear-shaped, but then really ballooned up in my early 30s. I came to a point very much like the one it sounds like you’re at right now, and I had similarly modest goals. Once I got going (also by simply combining exercise and not eating quite so much) I dropped from about 240 to 185 in nine months. I’m 6’5”, so I actually got quite skinny. I’ve been stable at around 190-195 for the past seven years. I’m almost 40 now, and would actually like to drop back to 185 or so to make my running a bit more efficient and improve my times, but my wife says I look too old and strung out when I’m that thin. Point is, I know I really can maintain my weight where I am by keeping up the exercise.
It definitely takes a dogged dedication that’s not much fun at times, but you’re certainly young enough to make it happen, and to keep it going.
Food tips: a couple of commenters above have noted that whole-grainy stuff is good for making you feel full, and that's certainly worked for me, too. I found that after eating more of cereals, really heavy multi-grain breads, and such like, I actually developed a taste for this kind of stuff. Also, the milk! I took a deep breath and switched to -- still hard to believe I managed this -- unsweetened soy milk on my muesli in the mornings. This makes a *huge* difference in calories, and again I developed a taste for it -- regular milk tastes sweet and sticky to me know.
Anyway, I'm rambling, so allow me to wish you all the very best, and thanks again for your excellent commentary.
Aaron -
Wish I had the motivation you do. As someone who needs to get back into shape and has serious self-motivation issues, I don't find it very likely on my front. But a couple of tips from a friend of mine who, while pretty husky, was told by his doctor that he had dangerously high cholesterol. He didn't, in his words, go on a diet. He just watched what he ate. Mostly what he did is he stopped drinking soda, instead focusing on water (a good move for anyone, really), and cut condimentation. He started using mustard instead of mayo on his sandwiches, and within about a month he'd lost close to 20 pounds without excercising. If you're using the eliptical, not only will you likely out pace him you'll probably end up healthier in general.
The key just seems to be to limit "additionals." I read somewhere about something called the cookie diet once. The idea was simple - eliminate just a bit, the equvilent of the caloric intake of a cookie, at every meal. When you reach for that extra slice, stop. When you go to put three slices of cheese on a sandwich, stop. Use one. Use two, even. Just cut back a little bit, constantly, and in time you'll see huge gains. Obviously the healthy way to do this is slowly.
Good luck. Glad you're getting something that bothers you under control.
As mentioned by a poster above, you have to figure out your own caloric intake. Everybody has different metabolisms and different daily activities.
That being said, roughly 500 calories per day (3500 per week) equals a pound per week. If you cut your caloric intake each day by 500 calories, you should lose about a pound each week. If you eat 500 more than your equilibrium level, you would add a pound. I've actually been trying to actively add weight (though sensibly with a workout plan), and the formula does work.
Based on that (and you should definitely keep a chart of your daily eating), you can figure out what works best for you and your goals.
Cheers!
Aaron--I can't say enough good things about the Body for Life program. It's built around convenience (pick meals based on size rather than calories--counting calories gets burdensome after a couple of weeks). There's also a workout program that takes less than 45 minutes a day, but is uber-intensive.
Check out their website for more information.
Joe
Aaron, good for you.
Easiest thing in the world to help: if you must drink soda (and I do b/c I don't like hot drinks like coffee), change from regular to diet soda. Regular soda has an absolutely INSANE amount of sugar in it, and the containers keep getting bigger and bigger. A few years ago, everything was 12 ounces. Then they went to the 16-oz bottles. Now it's hard to find anything less than 20-oz bottles. I lost 20 pounds in less than a year without increasing my exercise. All I did was switch soda (and I wasn't drinking a ton, probably 1.5 per day) and reduce the number of sandwiches I pack for lunch from 2 to 1.
Good luck!
Granted, the sodium probably shakes out the same, but if your a big nacho or potato chip eater--you know how you can just plant yourself in front of the tube and go wild, switch to pretzels. Same crunch, same salt, but a lot less calories. And if you like the big, hard sourdough pretzels, all the better, because they take a long time to eat.
Another good one is those baby carrots. Get yourself a bag and eat at will.
One thing no one's mentioned, not that it's a food thing, more of an eating fact is that it takes about 20 minutes after your stomach is full before the "I'm full" signal hits your brain. Think about that. If you sit and eat until the "wow, I'm stuffed" point, that last 20 minutes of eating was actually above and beyond "full". That can be a lot of chow.
Stupid thing ate my comment but the gist was: if you like milk but hate skim, try the organic stuff. I was raised on 2% and the organic skim is a reasonable approximation... maybe more like regular 1%.
Also, my fiancee's a vegetarian (which more or less makes me a vegetarian, but I sure love the taste of a good burger) but I do all the cooking and Quorn fake-chicken patties are actually better than those frozen Banquet ones (and a good source of protein to boot).
Stupid thing ate my comment but the gist was: if you like milk but hate skim, try the organic stuff. I was raised on 2% and the organic skim is a reasonable approximation... maybe more like regular 1%.
Also, my fiancee's a vegetarian (which more or less makes me a vegetarian, but I sure love the taste of a good burger) but I do all the cooking and Quorn fake-chicken patties are actually better than those frozen Banquet ones (and a good source of protein to boot).
And then posts it twice. It's going to a red letter day.
Why don't you go to subway every day like that Jarrod guy?
Aaron,
I've been a long time reader (and I'm first-time commenter). There's lots of good advice above, but I'd suggest a couple additional items.
I'd echo everything said above and emphasize: don't eat junk food, and eat lots of fruits and vegetables (descending order of preference:
fresh, frozen, canned).
Cook for yourself, and buy as little prepared food as possible.
Don't eat after 8pm, or as little as possible.
Don't think of this as a diet. Think of this as a "lifestyle change", and therefore think long-term. You should be aiming for changes that you can live with for the rest of your life.
Cut down on alcohol, which is loaded with calories. (and don't drink light beer, because life's too short for bad beer).
When you select fruits/vegetables, look for those high in dietary fiber, like peas, beans, apples, raisins, bananas, oranges, etc. Also, bitter leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc) can be very tasty and healthy (just wash them, and saute with a small amount of olive oil, just to wilt, and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt + pepper + vinegar (if you like vinegar)).
For salads, a good dressing that I used to improvise at work was "2 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, a packet of dijon mustard" (I'm talking about putting this in one of those little dressing containers they have at salad bars, with a top). Shake it up, and you have roughly 2-3 tbsp of dressing.
If your lifestyle is predominantly sedentary, look for opportunities to be more active (such as biking/walking to places instead of hopping in the car).
Be patient, and don't expect instant results, and don't be extreme in your lifestyle changes, since the more extreme the change, the less chance of it persisting.
Anyway, didn't mean to do a brain dump, but good luck, and I'm looking forward to enjoying your accounts of weightloss as much as I enjoy the baseball stuff.
I didn't see any vegetables on your list. Gotta have some vegetables.
One snack to eat between meals is salsa on celery sticks. Extremely low on calories.
Be careful with yogurts. Some have as much sugar as soda.
Have you had a blood profile run lately? When I gained weight quickly, it turned out that there was a medical reason for the gain. After they fixed that problem, it made it easier to lose the weight.
Watch the movie Super Size Me. Twice. Tootsie rolls have no fat and may kill a chocolate urge. Vegetables are delicious. When hungry with a craving, make yourself have a hot cup of tea with honey. It should kill the need for a burger and fries. Good luck!!!
Aaron,
Be careful of dropping from 4000 to 1500 calories a day.
Seriously, you should gradually work down to a smaller number or your metabolism will slow way down due to the shock of "not eating enough".
You can easily drop to about 2500-2800 right away, but don't put your body through the shock of that big of a drop in one shot.
There's lots of free info available on the internet to help you with this.
Good luck!
Aaron, I've been a lurker for quite a while and enjoy your blog. Though I have managed to keep my weight within reasonable bounds for 47+ years, I would second the comments on Body for Life. There's a website and a book. I don't know about all the "pseudo-scientific" diet and physiology in it, but it seems to work. One good thing they suggest is to exercise based on what you feel, not what someone else says. The book and website describe the method, so I won't try to go into it in detail. But it says to vary your workout between levels of 3 to 10 for different stages. For one person, a 10 might be doing one leg raise. For a marathoner a 10 might be running uphill for 5 miles against the wind in 6 inches of snow. So, anyone can do the program based on where they are. I have a friend who started at somewhere around 350 pounds on about a 5'8" frame. For him, doing 8 leg lifts almost killed him when he started. A year later, he had dropped 100 pounds and his 10 effort was now 500 lb+ squats. Oh, and he is about 47 years old. So, it is not just for young guys. It is intense, though, no matter your fitness level, so it will push you. Your local library almost surely has a copy of the book. It has some recipes and stuff, too. So does the web site. It was also simple. One of the things that has always bugged me about exercise has been trying to figure out what to do. BFL made it pretty easy without having to get into all the technobabble of the gym.
Aaron,
There's lots of good info from your readers here. A couple things I want to add:
1) Patience. It will take time for your body to learn and adapt to your new lifestyle. Which leads to...
2) Track your progress. I suggest using a spreadsheet - think of it as your own personal "sabrmetrics". Treat it like a daily log. If you exercise that day then record what you did: duration, intensity, etc. If you weighed yourself that morning, include that, too. I'd also recommend tracking your resting heart rate. Another idea is to occasionally count your calorie intake for a day. What's nice about logging your stats in a spreadsheet is that over time you can see the trends. If you love to analyze stats, you might find this to be a fun and insightful addition to your program.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
On caloric intake, the "daily recommended allowance" notes rely on a 2000-2500 calorie per day diet. If you are exercising, you probably need to take in more than 1500 daily. Of course, it's relative to the types of calories you're taking in, and just how much you plan to exercise.
I put on about 50 pounds between my first marriage and grad school. I was at around 225. Thing is, I wasn't all that healthy at 175, either. I got more active, ate less junk food and fast food, and more veggies and fiber, and I think at this point, I'm a relatively healthy 195. I'm not interested in losing anymore, even though I probably could get down another 20 if I really wanted to. The idea is to be healthy, not necessarily to be thin.
One fabulous way to eat more veggies - bake them. Lay out a cookie sheet or pizza tin, covered with tin foil. Slice a full zucchini, (or yellow squash, or both), one small red onion, and some mushrooms (even if you don't think you like these, just try it) and arrange them on the foil. Sprinkle lightly with some garlic powder (not salt) and/or parsley. Spray lightly with non-fat olive oil spray. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Don't turn them over or anything. While they're in there, grill yourself a chicken breast on a George Foreman grill, and that's one hell of a healthy and delicious meal.
Hey Aaron,
I've found that protein shakes are quite beneficial, and really taste quite good. My kids always want to share with me because they like the taste.
I use a chocolate-flavored whey protein that I get at Sam's Club. It's about $17 for 5 lbs. I put about 12 ice cubes in the blender, cover with milk, blend. Add a banana, 2 scoops of the protein powder, and blend again.
It will satisfy your hunger and also tastes sweet and choclatey.
I also feel better when I start the day with protein rather than carbs. (In fact, I'd caution against starting your day with Cheerios. Try eggs or a protein shake.)
Another thing -- weight training will make a big impact in how many calories you burn, and will make your body feel better overall. I'd recommend even a modest weight training component.
Hi, Aaron, just a quick pointer -- subscribe to "Men's Health" magazine. They have a BUNCH of info about meal plans, healthy but good food in general, exercise plans and how to stick with them, and a bunch of other stuff. Especially for someone just starting on a program like you are, it'll be very good info. (No, I have no connection with the magazine!) Good luck with your weight loss!
Aaron,
A site that I used to check out is johnstonefitness.com. You don't need to take it to the extremes that he did, but if you go back and look at his archives, you can see a lot of what he did, his food logs, his exercise logs, and much more. Plus, from his correspondence with me, he seems like an all around nice guy.
Brent
Hey Aaron,
I haven't had time to read all the comments so I don't know what others have suggested, but I just wanted to say good luck! I lost about 25 pounds a couple years ago and have kept it off (and I'm 27, only a few years older than you) and I did it by doing the 2 things you're doing -- I ate less, and I exercised more! Forget all the fad diets. You're on the right track.
If you're exercising, 1300 calories per day might actually be a bit low for you. You want to eat less, but not so much less that you don't have the energy to get a good workout!
Though I disagree with the "weigh yourself only once per week" theory. I weigh myself every 2-3 days because I find that I need more frequent feedback. The key is just to not freak out if you have a bad day or bad week (eating too much or not exercising enough). Accept it and get back on track. :)
yoplait light is among my favorite things ever.
figure out, probably by seeing a doctor, what your deal with salt should be. if you have a family history with cholesterol or high blood pressure, you might want to go ahead and try to start changing how much salt you eat too. if you are a person who can eat a relatively large amount of salt, canned soups can become a staple.
if you drink alcohol to excess often, just try to stop. I'm still in college, and as a senior I've seen tons of my friends tone down their drinking and it makes a huge difference in their weight and their overall energy levels.
Aaron-
My wife and I have been doing Weight Watchers for about a year now. I'm down about 30 pounds and hope to lose another 20.
Anyway, I just bought a new cookbook from Amazon that is awesome. It's the Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! (http://tinyurl.com/ahfqf)
It has a lot of good recipes that are all low point (therefore low cal and fat and probably high fiber).
Oh, it's not that expensive either.
Johnny
Hi Aaron,
I didn't have time to go through all the posts above, so forgive me if I'm being redundant.
I was a bit alarmed when I saw you ate 1300 calories, and one reader commented that that was an appropriate level to maintain on a daily basis. Perhaps for a 145-pound woman, yes, but likely not for you!
If you're really in this for the long term, and plan to shed weight slowly, then think of your diet not as a "diet" in the commonly-thought of sense, but rather as a shift in an overall eating strategy for the rest of your life. You are not going to be able to maintain a 1300-calorie-a-day diet forever, nor should you want to.
If you are in the 300-pound neighborhood, 1300 calories is not enough to get you through the day, especially if you're increasing your activity level through exercise.
About 2000 calories a day would be a reasonable amount to start with, enabling you to both have enough energy each day and to not develop too many cravings. Adjust that based on whether you develop cravings or feel weak. Add an extra small meal somewhere during the day if necessary. Choice of what you put into you is of course key in ensuring you get the necessary nutrients from the 2000 calories. If you're eating the "right" foods and maintaining a decent level of activity, you can have a lot of fun eating and getting healthy, rather than depriving yourself.
OK, sorry to ramble, but watch the calories! Don't go too low or you'll eventually slow your metabolism down to a grinding halt, and cause a bunch of other undesirable problems. :)
James
hey aaron,
My big advice is learn how to cook (if you haven't) and just substitute things like vegetables in stir fry for more pasta or a ton of meat.
Thing is, easting out is deadly, they serve like 2000 cal+ meals wihtout blinking.
You have a good plan though man, keep it up.
This is going off on a tangent, but is anyone else disturbed by the fact that one of the biggest baseball fans around.....
puts ketchup on his hot dog??
We still have hot dog vendors at Comerica Park that laugh at you if your over 18 and ask for ketchup.
Mustard goes on hot dogs.
Regardless, getting more fit is a great goal. Good luck Aaron.
Aaron,
You know I'm not slim, but the best thing my wife and I have found for keeping from balooning too much is Weight Watchers. It's basically counting calories the way you are, but it boils it down to a point system that is a little easier to keep track of. Basically, 50 calories is a point, and you would probably get around 28-33 points per day.
It becomes kind of a game, and it worked very well for TVOR, who lost something like 40 pounds and has kept it off. And when I stick with it for any period of time, I invariably lose pounds (and at the very least I haven't gained any in years). It only costs like $15 per week to join, and you can join for 10 weeks to see if you like it. and once you reach your "goal weight", it's basically free.
Good luch sir. If you ever want to compare notes, you know how to reach me.
Aaron,
Not sure if you're reading everything because you're getting a ton of great advice.
I just want to second, or third, a few things mentioned above:
1. Watching Super Size Me convinced me to hardly ever eat fast food again.
2. Find at least one veggie and one fruit and eat them a lot. You'll be amazed how good you feel.
3. Switching from regular cola to diet by itself will drop your elbees in a hurry.
4. Eight 16 oz glasses of water a day will help you flush any bad stuff out and help you fill up.
5. Smoothies, protein shakes, yogurt, etc. Once a day...it's a must.
6. Those Subway sandwiches really do help.
7. Track what you do but don't pay as much attention to your weight. You'll know when you're losing it.
8. If you do check your weight, don't be surprised if it goes up before it goes down. Muscle weighs more but it will burn fat faster, hence the protein advice.
Good Luck!
Just to add on to the Geeks post (nice to see that you're still alive).
Points are calculated as such.
P = (Cal/50 + Fat/12) - (min{fiber,4})/5
What does this mean?
Calories divided by 50 plus Fat divided by 12. Subtract Fiber divided by 5 or 4/5ths, whichever is less.
I know some peole cringe at things like this, but I'm a mechanical engineer so the math makes me feel better. :D
Anyway, a quick approx for when you're looking at things in the store is cal/50 + fat/12. That should be a pretty easy thing for most to do in their heads.
If you have a palm pilot or something similar, it would be really easy to come up with an Excel sheet that allows you to plug the values in and come up with the points. The key is in knowing how many points you are allowed per day. I'm 6'2" and now weigh about 210. I'm allowed 28 points per day.
Hopefully this helps. If you want more info, feel free to email me.
Not sure if you're reading everything because you're getting a ton of great advice.
I'm definitely reading everything. Keep it coming!
Watching Super Size Me convinced me to hardly ever eat fast food again.
I enjoyed the movie, but that whole concept and "experiment" was so flawed that it didn't convince me to do anything.
Without reading through the other comments, the Southbeach Cookbook has some good stuff in there that is relatively low-calorie and also good tasting. My girl is on it and she cooks dinner, so I'm half on the diet too, but the food is good. Also, oatmeal is pretty decent for breakfast. 200-300 calories, and with water, will do a decent job of filling you up to lunch. And try not to eat 1 or 2 meals a day, you should eat 4-5 meals a day, just smaller size. And eat salad. Salad has hardly any calories, except for the dressing. I apologize if any of this was already said, but that's what I know. The only thing you really need to know is if you burn more than you take in, you'll lose weight. I know that sounds simple, but it's better than trying to figure out what are good carbs and bad carbs and all that mess.
Hi Aaron,
Another first-time contributor, here. I’m from SE Iowa and really enjoy reading your comments about the Twins…
Regarding your weight-loss and exercise program, I want to reinforce some of what’s already been said, and add a few things. First, water is a really important part of your lifestyle change. It helps to flush bad stuff out of your system and I believe helps with metabolism. As another person said, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, it's important you consider this a lifestyle change.
My wife lost over 60 pounds about eight years ago, over a period of one and a half years, and her loss came through a sensible diet and exercise—she counts fat and calories. Here are our suggestions: Weigh yourself first thing in the day. Your body weight is lowest at that time of day. Weighing once a week is probably often enough. For the purpose of establishing a baseline, and because it worked for her, she recommended that you count calories and fat for a few weeks. When determining your fat/calorie intake, don’t go too low. Starvation diets from the past didn’t work because they were impossible to maintain. Get used to looking at nutrition labels at the grocery store. Cook healthy meals at home as much as possible. You know what you’re putting in your body that way. We have discovered tons of healthy, yet good tasting food at Hy-Vee, where we normally shop.
When you do eat out, be aware of the nutrition info of the food you’re eating. Trust me: most fast food places have pamphlets containing nutrition info, anymore; try to find things from their menu that are healthy. Be prepared to modify your tastes. Baked Lays potato chips are an example of a good chip choice over many of the higher fat and sodium chips. The one exception to monitoring what you eat is this: We have one “fun meal” per week where we allow ourselves to eat pretty much whatever we want. My wife counts that meal as 1/3 of her daily intake, and helps her to avoid feelings of guilt, which may otherwise undermine confidence and commitment. Except for her fun meal, she won’t eat anything for which she doesn’t have “numbers.” We also walk/jog three hours a week. Healthy food snacking tips: baby carrots, salsa, celery, etc. If you know of/find fruits and vegetables that you like, and can use them as snacks, eat them in their natural state, without adding sugar, sauce, etc.
If you decide you want/need a structured system, we know some people who are having good success with Weight Watchers.
I hope these thoughts help you in some way, and we wish you the best.
One string of comments I personally can attest to is retraining your taste buds. I used to eat fast food about three times per week in high school. Now I have it about twice per year, and when I do, I don't particularly enjoy it.
My eating habits aren't great. I don't count calories, or carbs, or fats. But I stopped buying chips, and cookies, and other unhealthy snacks that require no preparation. I don't crave any of those things, except in rare circumstances, and generally only eat them if they are offered to me free at other people's places. When I'm at home, about the only way I'm going to eat something is if I cook it or it's a fruit.
Aaron -
If you're looking for a waffle, I like Go Lean's frozen waffles. They're usually in the frozen section with the other breakfast stuff. I'm sure it's not the best thing in the world for you, but it's better than an Eggo and faster than making it yourself. The Go Lean waffles are pretty high in protein (at least for a waffle).
I lost about 30 pounds last year and have kept it off so far (not very long, I know). The best advice I received was: exercise is the BB gun, diet is the shotgun.
You're getting a lot of advice. Figure out what works for you and stick with it. There's as much info on how to eat and exercise right on the Internet as there are baseball stats, so I'm sure you'll find plenty of info to absorb.
I'm not sure what everyone else has written, but I lost 50 pounds my sophomore year of college, and despite a bit of seesawing (10 pounds up here and there) I've generally been able to keep it off.
I think starting with 1300 calories might be too low. When I started, I did not adjust my eating habits at all, and started running just a mile a day. Then I cut out sweets and soda and starting running a mile plus biking for 30 minutes. Then I tried to reduce my high fat foods intake and stepped it up to two miles a day plus the biking. Eventually I started running 5Ks, probably 3 or 4 months later.
I think if you phase yourself in you are less likely to quit. Just working out if you are usually sedentary is enough to get encouraging weight loss at first. Then start altering your diet/adding more exercise once you are encouraged. At that point, when you make small changes it doesn't seem like much but it adds up!
Also, I think posting on this blog is good for you. When I tried to "secretly" work out it never worked, but once I made a big deal of it to all my friends, it was motivation for me to stick with it so I wouldn't look like an idiot.
Good luck!
damn Koop you just made me hungry :)
Aaron, you may want to take a look at the Hacker's Diet pages, by John Walker (the guy who founded Autodesk, and co-authored AutoCAD). It's amusingly written, and talks about a very basic type of diet like what you're looking at (calorie cutting, starting to exercise). I've never gotten the Excel spreadsheets he links to working, but the Palm program worked really well for me for keeping track of weight trends.
Well I tried reading through these comments but they were rather tedious after the first dozen, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself, Aaron, but here's some foods that worked for me when I lost 50 pounds (and have kept it off for 10 years)...
Cereal every morning with 1% milk (I eat frosted mini-wheats, raisin nut brain, and cheerios). 1% milk is fine - don't bother with skim if you don't like the taste (I don't).
Lunch - turkey sandwich with cheese and mustard (or low-fat mayo) on either whole wheat bread or in a low-fat tortilla wrap (preferably whole wheat, but those are hard to find). Try to throw some lettuce, tomatoes or other veggies on the sandwich.
Yogurt - No-fat Dannon Light & Fit (or Columbo Light); They don't taste great but they don't taste bad either, and it's only 100 calories and fills you up, which is a key. Add a hand fruit for another good way to fill the hours between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner.
Pretzels - A couple of the large sourdough pretzels are only 100 calories with no fat. But don't eat too many (carbs). Snackwell's cookies are also a snack with no fat and low calories, but you can't eat too many. They will satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.
Dinner foods - Chicken, chicken, chicken! That's what I eat the most of, usually baked/broiled, maybe sauteed with onions (never fried of course). Use BBQ sauces, honey mustard, salsas, Tabasco, etc. for a low-cal/no fat way to spice up the plain taste. Actually Shake and Bake is a great tasting way to easily make delicious chicken.
Lean beef or turkey are other good choices, and of course, everyone says fish, but I don't like fish so I can't help you there.
Vegetables (I only like broccoli and corn but it's served me well) and rice (I prefer the yellow or Zatarain's flavors) round out a good, very filling meal. I eat baked potatoes and salads very frequently as well.
Another recommendation - replace butter with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light - which is in my opinion tastier than butter with like half the calories.
Of course, drink tons of water. I drink about 12 glasses a day, but I also drink several glasses of soda/juice/milk and again, it hasn't hurt me.
And you can still go out to eat a few times a week, just watch your portion control. Even Taco Bell (my old favorite) once every week or couple weeks won't kill you. You'll eventually find you won't miss it at all.
Eat lots of small meals, drink lots of water, avoid processed foods, eat fruits and vegetables, and indulge your favorites only in moderation and you'll be fine. Congratulations on your first day. And you better stick with this diet after I just wrote a book for you.
Bill
Aaron,
Not sure what size you are, but if you are truly obese, three 35 minute sessions on the elliptical right off may not be a good idea either. Just like the correct info a previous poster mentioned regarding calorie intake(don't cut too much out too quickly), don't overdo it exercising either. Maybe only one session now, or three short ones, but 1.5+ hours starting off could stress you into some acute health problems and immediately disrupt your progress. Do as they say and see your doctor, maybe get a stress test(the old treadmill standby) as that can help establish your baseline health and they can advise what would be safe to start with.
Oh, and as much as I hate reality TV, I watch The Biggest Loser fairly regularly and find it motivating. I don't even need to lose weight(mainly b/c I'm blessed with a turbo metabolism - certainly not b/c I eat right), but it makes me want to, and therefore I do, eat better and exercise. If you can tune out the cooked up drama in it, the show's pretty good because it truly is real. People come in at 300, leave at 180; there's no faking that.
Good Luck.
Not sure what size you are, but if you are truly obese, three 35 minute sessions on the elliptical right off may not be a good idea either.
I did a total of 35 minutes, over three sessions. I've basically been doing a mile at a time. If I could do three 35-minute sessions per day, I probqably wouldn't be fat.
Aaron--
Enjoy the blog and I wish you luck with the weight loss.
I wanted to reiterate an earlier suggestion--the "Dreamfields" pasta tastes exactly like regular pasta but has something like 5 carbs/serving. My whole family eats it and loves it. Get yourself some!
Good luck.
damn Koop you just made me hungry
Yep, baked vegetables and grilled chiken is one of my favorite home-cooked meals.
Another thing I have tried to do is substitute sushi for fast food as much as possible. You obviously have to be a fan of sushi, though I know very few people who have actually tried it and don't love it. At most places, you can get two rolls for $10 or so, and that ends up being plenty, so long as you don't eat it too fast. It's low-calorie, high-protein, and delicious.
Wow! You have quite the following. I started reading the long list of suggestions and encouragements, but then started getting a little crossed-eyed. :) One thing I don't know if anyone has mentioned yet is to be aware of sodium, too. Canned soup can make a great meal, but it has a alarming amount of sodium which can lead to water retention.
Also, being your vegetarian cousin, I have to point out that "our" food isn't always so bad. Ex. veggie/chick burgers don't taste all that different once you get the bun ketchup and fixings on. They're very nummy! :)
Good Luck!
I think starting with 1300 calories might be too low. When I started, I did not adjust my eating habits at all, and started running just a mile a day. Then I cut out sweets and soda and starting running a mile plus biking for 30 minutes. Then I tried to reduce my high fat foods intake and stepped it up to two miles a day plus the biking. Eventually I started running 5Ks, probably 3 or 4 months later.
This reminds me of something. I had a conversation once with a friend of mine who works out every day, eats great and does all that stuff right. He said the problem with most people when they start dieting is they try to do too much at once -- cutting out everything they shouldn't have, and going cold turkey just doesn't work too often. He said (based on his own experience & what he knew from a decade-plus of healthy living) was that it's more likely to be successful if they go in stages, just cutting out a bit at a time and work their way up to it.
Starting to work out everyday, and avoiding all bad food, and reducing daily caloric intake from 4000+ to 1300 all sounds great, but the danger is that February might become The Month of Ring Dings.
I dunno. You've seen what I look like - I'm the last person who should be giving anyone dieting advice. But rather than cut out all bad habits, pick one or two that you're the worst at and give them up.
Another random thought. I heard an interview once with some celebrity (David Lee Roth of all people, IIRC) and he mentioned that his sister was a dietian and wrote him up a personal diet. He told her it have to have booze in it, otherwise there's no way I'll ever follow it. Now that's not part of the ideal diet plan, but she adjusted it, and he was able to stick with it. Is there any particular guilty eating/drinking pleasure you think you'll need? Well, rather than having a diet plan based on avoiding it, try to incorporate it if possible.
Mind you, this is all coming from someone who's best physical fitness claim is that he's thinner than Szymborski, so feel free to ignore.
Aaron:
I know you're behind on your book reading (A great selection I just finished is "The book on The Book : a landmark inquiry into which strategies in the modern game actually work" by Bill Felber) but since "Supersize Me" didn't seem to impress you, try reading "Fast Food Nation". It's not about a guy getting fat, it's a history of fast food, and I can almost guarantee you, you won't see a Whopper/Big Mac/Burrito Supreme in the same light again.
I'm going to skip some things other people have proboblr addressed, but...
Stay the hell away from Mayonaise. Seriously, no mayo ever. A Whopper (not that you should ever eat on of thsoe either) has 58 grams of fat, but without the mayo and cheese (which is more negligable), it has about 18. Yeah... Instead, have mustard, katsup, or anything else appropriate that isn't basically solid fat. It amzes me when people have a nice, healthy sandwich from subway or anywhere, but then load it up with mayo, defeating the whole purpose.
Speaking of Whoppers, stay away from fast food, obviously. If you must eat fast food, go to subway and get a nice turkey sub piled with lots of veggies and some nice honey mustard or something (as long as it isn't mayo). That is a pretty darn tasty meal and it won't kill you.
Do a few pushups and sit ups now and then. Even if you aren't really trying to gain muscle, working out muscles boosts your metabolism a ton for almost 24 hours. Push ups, sit ups, star jumps, are simple, and there is a ton mor you can do if you buy a pair of semi light, even about 20 lbs dumbells. If you really want to gain muscle, obviously somehting more intensive is nessesary, but just some muscular will burn those calories off very nicely.
Drink mostly water. Skim milk is okay too, but really try to stay away from those sodas, as they pile on the simple carbs quickly.
Don't get oo into the low carb stuff. Just dont eat too many calories, and try to keep the fat amounts as low as possible. Also, watch out for those nasty trans-fats.
I had gotten pretty fat around 6th and seventh grade, but a combination of the things above (esp abandoning fast food burger joints, where I only eat a handful of times every year now), puberty, and playing football 2 months a year slimmed me down immensly. I now have a nice, slim body, i think. Although, I would like to have A LOT more muscle, I'm not really skinny.
Anyways, those things are pretty easy and can make a HUGe difference (especially the mayo, did I mention that was REALLY bad for you?)
Oh, somebody mentioned whole grain pasta. I agree. Not only is it healthier, but I actually like the taste better. I sort of has a thicker, almost nuttier way about it.
Allowing myself to play playstation ONLY while on my treadmill worked for me. A new PS2 game is a kickstart to my exercise routine.
You could go to drastic lengths, and allow yourself to watch baseball only while on your elliptical.
Aaron,
I hear Elisha Cuthbert is willing to date geeky internet bloggers that can successfully lose weight...
That should be the incentive you need.
One food I like, that makes a quick lunch ... burritos
--Fat free refried beans (or black beans, if you can't stand refried beans). Regular refried beans have lard in them, but there's really no difference in taste.
--Chopped tomatoes & onions (or whatever other vegetable)
--Fat free sour cream, really not much difference in taste
--Hot sauce. I love hot sauce. The hotter the better.
Filling, easy to make and relatively fat free (use whole wheat tortilla wraps if you can ... you won't really notice a difference ...). I get about a lunch per can o' beans, usually make two cans at once ...
I have a few beverage suggestions.
Milk-- I recently tried something called "Skim Plus" which I thought was much better than regular skim milk. I don't know how widespread that is, though.
Diet soda-- they've recently improved the diet sodas a lot. They are a lot of new flavors and I find them much more palatable than just generic Diet soda.
An alternative is to mix seltzer with a dash of juice (grape juice, or whatever you prefer) to flavor it. It's light, but satisfies my cravings for carbonated beverages reasonably well.
Aaron, although I have never had much a weight problem, I think I can still give some good advice. First of all, drink absolutely ridiculous amounts of water. Complete hydration is 25% of your stamina (if your piss is clear). If your piss is yellow, you just lost 25% of your stamina. You'll be running to the bathroom alot, but you'll find you get a better workout on the eliptical. Second, good choice on the eliptical. It is probably the most efficient exercise machine for the purpose of weight loss. Third, eat breakfast every day. A big breakfast. It gives you more energy for the rest of the day. Biggest meal should be breakfast, then lunch, then dinner. Fourth, try skim milk. Just keep getting calcium to support your exercise. I hate milk, but I drink skim for the calcium. Obviously no soda, and if any, diet soda. Dont drink it before working out, you'll get a cramp. Fifth, stretch. Quads, hamstrings, calves... The last thing you want now is to get injured. Stretch before and after, and maybe do a 4-5 minute warmup before stretching. Trust me, if you warm up and then stretch, youll be stronger during the 30-minute or so exercise. Good luck.
Very doable, and good luck on the road to health. What you eat (and when you eat it) is 90% of the battle. Some great info...
http://forums.jpfitness.com/nonc...1/t/
000394.html
I've got a friend who, whenever playing video games, flexes his ass. The whole time. It hurts after while, I've tried.
And believe it or not, he's still pretty chubby, but he has a rock hard ass when he flexes.
Just a thought.
It's important, as strange as this sounds, not to consume too few calories. 1300 will probably be too few for you. Here's a link to a page which calculates how many calories you should intake a day. http://nutrition.about.com/
libra...n_guide_men.htm
Other tips...
1)Eat breakfast.
2)Build some muscle (doesn't have to be absurd amount) helps a lot because it speeds up one's metabolism
3) Keep a journal of exactly what you eat and what excercise you do. It helps you avoid slipping.
4) Not all calories are the same. Calories from drinks are the worst because they don't even fill you up and contain virtually no nutrition.
5) Eat balanced. You need carbs, protein, and yes, even fat in your diet.
Here are some healthy foods that taste good.
1)Low fat yogurt, and not the plain stuff. You can find yogurt that has maybe 60 calories per serving or so which means that if you ate the whole tin, you'd still only take in 300 or so. Danone makes good stuff. It also has calcium, protein, and a lot of other good stuff that is hard to get.
2) Get a George Foreman grill or something similar and you can make chicken breast, turkey burgers, or even low-fat beef on there. Tastes great, is easy to cook, and is nutritious.
3) Find a high fiber cereal that tastes good. It may take a while to find one, but they exist (I like golean crunch for example). Fiber is one of the best ways to lose weight.
4)Lean Cuisine makes stuff, some of which tastes good and is all pretty healthy. Other companies make similar products. Look for ones that advertise their healthyness, and look at the nutrition on the back.
There really is no end to healthy good food. The hard part is to resist (for the most part, you have to indulge occasionally) the horrible stuff that you love (french fries, fast food, etc...)
Lots of good advice here. I'm going to drop a website that I believe if you look into it will speak for itself. Seriously. Have a look, best fitness information I've ever encountered:
http://www.johnstonefitness.com
Good Luck!
Papa Gleems,
It's Jeremy, your ol neighborhood buddy....got a deal to make with you man. You should shoot me an e-mail. Hope all is good in your world. Later.
hi aaron,
most of the advice here is pretty good. here are a few of my thoughts: many small meals are better than two or three large ones, if you can work that into your schedule. i have a cup of coffee on the way to work, an orange when i get there, a bowl of oat bran with fruit (i like blueberries and they're full of antioxidants) at break. i try to eat fish four of five times a week. lots of people don't like them, but i have sardines on whole wheat crackers several times a week for lunch. other times i have a small can of tuna over greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. you need to eat salads. sometime mid afternoon i have a piece of fresh fruit. dried apricots are also good and high in potassium. i work out when i get home. whey protein in extra calcium chocolate milk and a generic cereal bar are a treat for my taste buds afterward and reasonably healthy compared to the rest of my diet. very often that is all i eat, but sometimes if i'm still hungry around seven i'll have pasta and broccoli cooked together with olive oil, romano cheese, garlic powder and black pepper. i treat myself to a broccoli and cheese omelet with buttered toast on saturday morning. one weekend lunch is usually fresh fruit salad. don't sweat it if you occasionally have a slice or two of pizza. you need to stay sane. good luck.
Aaron--
Two tips:
1. Planned rest. You can't, and shouldn't, work out every day. If you do, you'll find yourself burnt out and dreading that session on the elliptical or the track all day. Shoot for five exercise days a week. I personally skip Friday and whatever night I want to attend a game.
2. Mix it up. At least once a week, seek out some sort of sport (basketball, tennis, or racquetball are perfect) that gets a good sweat going but doesn't feel like work. I ski, for example. At the end of the day I get that contented feeling of having done something good for myself, but have not been forced onto the treadmill. Feels good.
I wish you the best of luck, man. I have struggled with my weight for ten years with some success. I hope you can do the same.
One simple thing to increase the amount of steps you take each day - park at the back of the parking lot everywhere you go. Don't drive around and around looking for that front row spot - seriously, think about that. Most people are too lazy to park 4 spots further from the store so they can sit in their car and wait for someone to pack their kids and shopping bags into a car and pull out of the spot closer....for a little humor - if you are going to eat fast food, for go*s sake, WALK in and don't do drive thru:) Good luck.
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