Help! I need your tried and true weightloss solutions

[taylo234]

Reading this really reminded me how easily I got off track of my diet. I always had a lot of trouble losing weight but the first 2 weeks of dieting (and not too much cardio) I lost like 4-5 lbs. It felt awesome at first, but over time I got unmotivated because it was only 5 lbs. If I would've kept with it, by now I'd probably have shed off 30-40 lbs. Dieting is one of the hardest things for me to do because of my current finacial/family situation. I live at home and my dad has Neurapothy so he's always on painkillers, most of which make him addicted to random things. Lately it's been Taco Bell. My mom is always taking care of him so she's always stressed out physically and finacially. No joke, we eat fast food 95% of the time. It's horrible, there's hardly anything ever at home besides junk/snack food. I can't put all the blame on everyone else, and I've tried multiple times to get us to eat at home. But lately, (due to my dad's mindset on the painkillers) it's either I eat with them, or go buy my own food. I'm about to start college with no job/income, so this isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Does anyone have advice for how to cope with this? There's nights I refuse to go with them because I'd rather drink water to fill me up then eat fast food. Again, I can't only blame them, but it definitely makes it harder.

TL;DR: Stuck in a situation where fast food is practically my only option, how do I cope with it?

[thebiglebowski]

I love my dad as much as anyone loves their dad but if he was going to eat fast food all the time because of an illness I would just attribute that as part of the illness and do my own thing, not feel morally obligated to eat what he wants to show love.

 

You control what you put in your body. If you have to walk to the grocery store and come home with a bag of apples and some lettuce for a salad while the rest of your family eats fast food, that is what you have to do. But you are in control.

[Guest]

I love Planet Fitness, it's not great for serious body builder types looking to get all magilla gorilla like, but for basic workouts you can't really beat it.  

 

 

Also, look into eating a lot more small meals throughout the day, that will allow your metabolism to speed up, thus dropping off more unwated poundage.  Also, I said poundage, awesome. 

 

whats the deal with this small meals/speed up metabolism thing. I've read so many conflicting articles about it. can someone go into more detail on this?

[Guest]

Reading this really reminded me how easily I got off track of my diet. I always had a lot of trouble losing weight but the first 2 weeks of dieting (and not too much cardio) I lost like 4-5 lbs. It felt awesome at first, but over time I got unmotivated because it was only 5 lbs. If I would've kept with it, by now I'd probably have shed off 30-40 lbs. Dieting is one of the hardest things for me to do because of my current finacial/family situation. I live at home and my dad has Neurapothy so he's always on painkillers, most of which make him addicted to random things. Lately it's been Taco Bell. My mom is always taking care of him so she's always stressed out physically and finacially. No joke, we eat fast food 95% of the time. It's horrible, there's hardly anything ever at home besides junk/snack food. I can't put all the blame on everyone else, and I've tried multiple times to get us to eat at home. But lately, (due to my dad's mindset on the painkillers) it's either I eat with them, or go buy my own food. I'm about to start college with no job/income, so this isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Does anyone have advice for how to cope with this? There's nights I refuse to go with them because I'd rather drink water to fill me up then eat fast food. Again, I can't only blame them, but it definitely makes it harder. TL;DR: Stuck in a situation where fast food is practically my only option, how do I cope with it?

 

ask your parents to set aside the money they would've spent on fast food for you. buy groceries once a week. Sometimes I spend as little 30-40 dollars a week on groceries (for one). plus if they see you making the extra effort to eat healthier, maybe they'll join in.

[lonesomexloveus]

Reading this really reminded me how easily I got off track of my diet. I always had a lot of trouble losing weight but the first 2 weeks of dieting (and not too much cardio) I lost like 4-5 lbs. It felt awesome at first, but over time I got unmotivated because it was only 5 lbs. If I would've kept with it, by now I'd probably have shed off 30-40 lbs. Dieting is one of the hardest things for me to do because of my current finacial/family situation. I live at home and my dad has Neurapothy so he's always on painkillers, most of which make him addicted to random things. Lately it's been Taco Bell. My mom is always taking care of him so she's always stressed out physically and finacially. No joke, we eat fast food 95% of the time. It's horrible, there's hardly anything ever at home besides junk/snack food. I can't put all the blame on everyone else, and I've tried multiple times to get us to eat at home. But lately, (due to my dad's mindset on the painkillers) it's either I eat with them, or go buy my own food. I'm about to start college with no job/income, so this isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Does anyone have advice for how to cope with this? There's nights I refuse to go with them because I'd rather drink water to fill me up then eat fast food. Again, I can't only blame them, but it definitely makes it harder.TL;DR: Stuck in a situation where fast food is practically my only option, how do I cope with it?

if you're just going to start college, are you living at home, or on campus? if youre living on campus and will have a meal plan (probably 99% of people do), then your food problems are solved if you choose the correct foods while at school! There are so many healthy options in college cafeterias. sadly most people go crazy with the freedom adn make the wrong ones at first, myself included, haha.

if you're going to be living at home, get a part time job! then you'd have money to buy yourself groceries and prepare your own food.

[thebiglebowski]

whats the deal with this small meals/speed up metabolism thing. I've read so many conflicting articles about it. can someone go into more detail on this?

 

 

 

Everything comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Small meals is a way to help build a calorie imbalance. You know that foggy-headed feeling you get when you don't eat for a while? That is a sign that your body feels like it is in a situation where there isn't food around and it goes into calorie preservation mode (you feel sluggish). 

 

Also if you ate one big meal, your body would turn some of it to fat. Just what it does with what it doesn't need at the moment. So if you ate one big meal 2000 calorie meal and your body converted 1500 to fat, then you proceeded to burn 1500 calories, it would be no different than taking in 200 calories 10 times a day and burning it as you take it in. The latter is a lot easier to do than the former, however, because our body isn't conditioned to think that food is coming soon (ie, you get hungry in a couple hours no matter how much food you eat at once).

 

5 meals a day should be plenty I think. 3 works too with will power. It's a "whatever works for you" situation.

[thebiglebowski]

if you're just going to start college, are you living at home, or on campus? if youre living on campus and will have a meal plan (probably 99% of people do), then your food problems are solved if you choose the correct foods while at school! There are so many healthy options in college cafeterias. sadly most people go crazy with the freedom adn make the wrong ones at first, myself included, haha.

if you're going to be living at home, get a part time job! then you'd have money to buy yourself groceries and prepare your own food.

 

For sure. "The Freshman 15". Don't think it gets easier to eat healthy at college. It get's harder (at least for 99% of people. Your situation might be the unique 1%).

And by "your" I mean the other poster, not A-Money.

[ronniegwilliams]

Also, with the smaller meals throughout the day, you are consistently allowing yourself to stay away from being hungry.  For instance, if I were to just eat one big meal at lunch, I'm going to be hungry again a few hours later and I've already taken in my caloric intake for the day; whereas, if I eat something protein rich containing less calories at lunch, I'll still get hungry later, but I've taken in far fewer calories. 

[thebiglebowski]

I'm going to write a book and invent a new fad diet. 5 peanuts every 10 minutes. I'll sell a timer to go off every 10 to signal that it's time to eat. $50 for the package? Bling Bling.

[ronniegwilliams]

I just bought $300 worth of peanuts, this shit better work

[lonesomexloveus]

For sure. "The Freshman 15". Don't think it gets easier to eat healthy at college. It get's harder (at least for 99% of people. Your situation might be the unique 1%).

And by "your" I mean the other poster, not A-Money.

ALL THE BELGIAN WAFFLES, PIZZA, MADE TO ORDER PASTA, AND ICE CREAM. GIVES THEM TO MEEEEEEE.

that was a fairly accurate depiction of my first semester of college until i realized the error of my ways.

[IanRees]

another thing i forgot to mention and havnt seen yet is if you dont have one, get a little food scale (they are like $15 at bed bath and beyond) and weigh out your portions. youll be surprised how often your eyes are wrong, at least i was.

 

and measure out your portions by cup size also for things that arnt by weight for serving size.

[AdventureIsOutThere]

Everything comes down to calories in vs. calories out. 

 

Couldn't have said it better. Use myfitnesspal, seriously, it will help you out so much. If you don't have a smart phone, you can just use it on the computer as well. 

 

 

 

another thing i forgot to mention and havnt seen yet is if you dont have one, get a little food scale (they are like $15 at bed bath and beyond) and weigh out your portions. youll be surprised how often your eyes are wrong, at least i was.

 

and measure out your portions by cup size also for things that arnt by weight for serving size.

 

THIS.

 

PLUSSSS Mo fuckas on the steak-potato package said, "5 POTATOES (146g) FOR 110 calories", I had 3 potatoes today, WHICH WAS 170 GRAMS.......           

[thebiglebowski]

Full potatoes? The internet is telling me that an average small potato is 185 grams, and a large one is over 500 grams. Something not adding up.

[thebiglebowski]

Nevermind. I guess if you are weighing them than who gives a shit what the internet says.

[adamlikesmusic]

Your priority shouldn't be quick results, it should be lasting results. Any changes you make should be simple enough that you can keep them up indefinitely. I lost ~80lbs (250->165) a few years ago, and have kept it off with very little "effort", I've just changed the way that I approach different situations and activities in life. Eating healthy may suck at first, especially when you've got other options out at a restaurant, but it beats the shit out of being fat.

 

Things that worked for me:

• Cardio - tons of it. Started almost exclusively with cardio, then began more weight training once I was comfortable with where I stood as far as weight loss went.
• Eating healthier - so much easier than I ever would've expected. I grew up as picky as could be, and would eat a cheeseburger for any meal, no matter where I was. Nowadays, I won't even eat beef! I tried to substitute as many foods as I could, rather than just eliminating them altogether. Baked over fried, light meat over dark meat, whole grains over white starches, etc. A bunch of small changes add up rather quickly.
• Portion control - one of the easiest and most effective changes I made was portioning out my meals and snacks in particular. A few years ago, I could've easily killed an entire box of Wheat Thins in a sitting, and still manage to eat dinner just fine. Now, I read labels religiously, and have really strived to keep an eye on not only what I'm putting into my body, but also how much of it. People tend to overestimate portion size, and underestimate their calorie intake, so I went out of my way to make sure I wasn't.

 

Things that didn't work for me:

• "Cheat days" - I think a lot of people abuse such days in their diet, and end up bingeing on junk food, erasing their week's worth of progress.
• Diet programs - I couldn't find a single plan that I could really buy into. I found that making my own small changes was much simpler and more effective, though if you have a hard time with self control and holding yourself accountable, perhaps a simple program or regimen may be beneficial.
• Supplements - I just never saw the need. Nothing ever convinced me of its legitimacy as far as weight loss supplements go, and I managed just fine without any.

In regards to the college talk above, contrary to what some others have said, I personally found it MUCH easier to eat healthy and be active when I moved out of my parent's place and on my own. If I know something is shit for me, and I shouldn't be eating it, I won't buy it. Simple as that. It's much easier to say "no" to a box of Oreos at the grocery store than it is when they're staring you down from the pantry. My school also had a number of healthy options to choose from, so there were salad bars and wrap stands, etc. that helped me get by when I was living on campus and had limited food prep/storage space.

 

Once I got my own place, and had a full fridge, it became a cake walk. Fresh produce can get expensive, but I found a local food club type thing that'll give me 60lbs of assorted vegetables every week for a flat $10 donation. It's not bad or expired or anything, it's just surplus, and it's fucking awesome. There's similar sorts of organizations all over the place, just have to keep your eyes peeled.

 

It's late, so sorry if none of that made sense.

[hipsterasfolk]

Water, lots of water

[thebiglebowski]

There are definitely legitimate weight loss supplements, they just usually aren't the ones sold in the supplements section at your local grocery store. I am taking one right now. I'm past the point of "just eat healthy and work out for a half hour" but I'm not giving up on progression.

[Guest]

There are definitely legitimate weight loss supplements, they just usually aren't the ones sold in the supplements section at your local grocery store. I am taking one right now. I'm past the point of "just eat healthy and work out for a half hour" but I'm not giving up on progression.

I'm curious, what do you take? you can message me if you want.

[thebiglebowski]

I'm curious, what do you take? you can message me if you want.

 

 

It's called the EC stack. Google it and if there are any questions, let me know. I'm not really "recommending" it, just kinda sharing that it is an option out there.

 

It was banned by the FDA. It's also ridiculously easy to get still (you mix an asthma medication with a cup of coffee). The way that I look at it is that I know what it's effects are, I know the risks, and I am smart about taking it to not put my body in danger (for example, I wouldn't take it in the summer, when the risk of heatstroke is highest). Thousands of people still use it. If someone want's something with absolutely no risk attached to it, it's not for them. It definitely works though.

[lonesomexloveus]

i don't trust anything that 'magically' helps you lose weight without the benefit of diet or exercise. every time i see/hear a commercial for that Sensa stuff you just sprinkle on your food to lose weight, i cringe. 1. what the hell does it do to the taste of your food, 2. it's just weird, 3. one day they'll probably find out that it's actually some sort of poison slowly killing you. it irks me when people just want the easy way out without the hard work.

then again, i also feel that way about those energy drinks. especially the ones you just mix with water. IT'S JUST UNNATURAL.

[ronniegwilliams]

I take CLA, it's easy to get ahold of at any supplement store, and even some grocery stores.  It is supposed to help shed fat and increase lean mass.  Everything that I've ever read about it supports this as well. While taking it a couple of years ago, I noticed a great increase in the amount of body fat that I was losing, as well as definition I was beginning to see.  There are a ton of studies all over the googlenetz if anyone is interested in checking it out. 

[AdventureIsOutThere]

Full potatoes? The internet is telling me that an average small potato is 185 grams, and a large one is over 500 grams. Something not adding up.

 

They are small steak potatoes

[thebiglebowski]

I take CLA, it's easy to get ahold of at any supplement store, and even some grocery stores.  It is supposed to help shed fat and increase lean mass.  Everything that I've ever read about it supports this as well. While taking it a couple of years ago, I noticed a great increase in the amount of body fat that I was losing, as well as definition I was beginning to see.  There are a ton of studies all over the googlenetz if anyone is interested in checking it out. 

You can see from the Wikipedia page on CLA that there are about equal number of studies that found no significant effects of CLA on fat loss as those that did.

That is why I use ephedra over the over the counter stuff. It may have its own negatives (like increased risk of heatstroke, requires a reasonably large amount of caffeine) but no one will say it doesn't work.

[youmightbewrong]

My co-worker gave me some lipozene, so I'm trying that in addition to cardio/healthy eating. It's only been a couple days, but I feel better already. I see this going somewhere.