Kevdogg's inspirational Weight Loss thread

kevdogg329 · Feb 25, 2014

I have always been overweight and its literally talk Ng my life away from me. I currently am 500 lbs and can hardly walk up the flight of stairs to go to bed. I want to lose weight but I struggle with sticking to a routine and cannot afford to join a gym. I wish I could he lower than 300, whenever I start any type of weight loss I go good for about a week, then it all falls apart. I am not going to be around too much longer if I do not do something dramatic soon.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

August West · Feb 25, 2014

Sir,
Considering your weight, if you have access to a physician, I would inquire with him/her regarding a safe and effective weight loss program. Best Wishes.

dushea · Feb 25, 2014

Hey Kev,

This is is at least a good first step. Start small and set goals - whether it be walking in place for 5 minutes every day, then 10, then 15. Whatever it is, work up a sweat and push yourself to do a little more each day.

If I can be frank, I'm guessing you know what you need to do and you have ideas of how to get exercise, but dude, you gotta want it. You need to find a why. Without the motivation, it's going to be damn near impossible - so find that reason to get up and do whatever it is you can do. The mere fact that you're here soliciting advice makes me believe that there's a 'why' in you somewhere. Dig deep, figure out what it is and either write it down or print out a picture of what it is and make yourself look at it. Every. Single. Day.

It's not going to be easy, but I can speak from experience (250 lbs lost here) - I promise that if you do it, your life will be better than you can ever imagine.

KodiakAttack · Feb 25, 2014

I can't imagine how difficult it would be to struggle with weight problems, but hopefully my little bit of information here can help you- even if it's in the tiniest way.
I know you are familiar with the many weight loss options out there, but none of them work if there is no self control.
The best advice I can give is a simple one and one that I have started to implement into my daily life, and one that I only hope I can use for the rest of my life.

Eat whatever you want, as long as you make it yourself.

Think about that for a minute. This will give you a first hand picture of what exactly you are consuming, and in what quantities.
Obviously, most weight problems stem from eating a poor diet. We as a society have become used to eating "special treats" as regular meals.

For example: French fries. Damn.. they're delicious and incredibly convenient in the drive-thru.
Now, try making them yourself. You'll now know why I call them a special treat. They're too time consuming to make and in order to make them taste right, you see just how much oil and salt is involved.
Part of the problem with pre-made food is you really don't see what all goes into making it before it hits your plate.
Best of luck Kev.

Mr_Fuggles · Feb 25, 2014

Stop eating grains. Bread, pasta, cereal, rice....cookies, pizza, donuts.....if it's got grain/flour in it....get rid of it. All of it.
Ditto that for potatoes....they are pointless. NO wonder the Incas disappeared and the Irish almost starved to death, lol.
They (grains) are such a HUGE source of calories with very little nutritive return on the deal. It's hard at first, but once you go a week without it, you're set.
Concentrate on proteins and produce. Lean meats and vegetables. Eat lots of protein and you'll feel fuller for longer with far less calories than you did when eating breads/cereals.

I am by no means an expert on nutrition, but this is what I did and it worked for me. I was 240lbs when I started and dropped 25 pounds in 3 months with no exercise.

KodiakAttack's advice on eating nothing that you don't make yourself is also really good. Just make sure when you do your grocery shopping that you limit yourself to the perimeter aisles and STAY AWAY from the middle aisles. The middle aisles are where you normally find your heavily processed/boxed/packaged foods that are loaded with carbs and sugars, while the perimeter aisles usually have foods that are much closer to their source, such as meats, fruits and veggies. Imagine yourself at a farmer's market rather than a grocery store and buy only what you would find there.

Good luck!

zygalski · Feb 25, 2014

I agree at your current weight you need to diet first, before gradually introducing exercise as well.
The great thing is, being so overweight even a modest sustained reduction in calorie intake will produce dramatic weight loss, especially in the first few weeks.
You need to start to calorie count. Yes it's dull, but find out how many calories you currently consume and then start by making a modest (say 10-15%) reduction.
You will be amazed how much you can lose if you stick to this for the first month.
Good luck!

dklaiman · Feb 26, 2014

Kevdogg,

I can't give you any better advice than you've already received. I just want to wish you well and to remind you not to be discouraged if the weight loss isn't as fast as you want, if you hit a plateau, or if, for whatever reason, you backtrack a little.

My guess is that when your plan falls apart after a week, you give up. Don't. Determine why the plan failed and then resolve not to let it fail again in the same way. The issue isn't that the plan failed, it's that you may have given up on the goal after it failed.

Good luck, and keep us posted. You will have a lot of support here.

hesstimation · Feb 26, 2014

I went from about 268lbs to 212 lbs in the last year. At first I cut out sugars completely and I watched my carb intake. And I lost weight... My weight loss did stall last summer though... Now. I have been doing the Medifast Plan for about 5 months and that has been extremely effective. But it is a difficult plan to stick with...

Have you considered something like a lap-band device? I have a buddy who was about 500lbs and he is down to about 300lbs.

kevdogg329 · Feb 26, 2014

hesstimation said:
I have considered the lap band procedure, however my wife is not a fan of it. I have a friend that had it done, and has hanging skin due to the quick weight loss....would prefer to lose weight on my own.

August West said:

Sir,
Considering your weight, if you have access to a physician, I would inquire with him/her regarding a safe and effective weight loss program. Best Wishes.

Click to expand...

Obamacare caused my insurance to have a very high deductible, which keeps the doc visits to a minimum of when I am sick and need meds for healing.

dushea said:

Hey Kev,

This is is at least a good first step. Start small and set goals - whether it be walking in place for 5 minutes every day, then 10, then 15. Whatever it is, work up a sweat and push yourself to do a little more each day.

If I can be frank, I'm guessing you know what you need to do and you have ideas of how to get exercise, but dude, you gotta want it. You need to find a why. Without the motivation, it's going to be damn near impossible - so find that reason to get up and do whatever it is you can do. The mere fact that you're here soliciting advice makes me believe that there's a 'why' in you somewhere. Dig deep, figure out what it is and either write it down or print out a picture of what it is and make yourself look at it. Every. Single. Day.

It's not going to be easy, but I can speak from experience (250 lbs lost here) - I promise that if you do it, your life will be better than you can ever imagine.

Click to expand...

I would love to hear more about your journey. You are completely right about wanting it, but I don't know if I have the 'why' yet. I can say it's for my wife, family, future children, but don't know if that is the real reason. Still searching on this one.

KodiakAttack said:

I can't imagine how difficult it would be to struggle with weight problems, but hopefully my little bit of information here can help you- even if it's in the tiniest way.
I know you are familiar with the many weight loss options out there, but none of them work if there is no self control.
The best advice I can give is a simple one and one that I have started to implement into my daily life, and one that I only hope I can use for the rest of my life.

Eat whatever you want, as long as you make it yourself.

Think about that for a minute. This will give you a first hand picture of what exactly you are consuming, and in what quantities.
Obviously, most weight problems stem from eating a poor diet. We as a society have become used to eating "special treats" as regular meals.

For example: French fries. Damn.. they're delicious and incredibly convenient in the drive-thru.
Now, try making them yourself. You'll now know why I call them a special treat. They're too time consuming to make and in order to make them taste right, you see just how much oil and salt is involved.
Part of the problem with pre-made food is you really don't see what all goes into making it before it hits your plate.
Best of luck Kev.

Click to expand...

I have tried that approach, however I know how to make a mean french fry in the oven from real potatoes. We do eat a lot of prepared (fast food) meals, and it's frustrating because I do not know how to cook many items, and those things I know how to cook are bad for me (pizza, fries, cookies, mac and cheese). Also my wife likes to have dinner waiting on me, however I never was taught to eat healthy, so I struggle with liking healthy food.

Mr_Fuggles said:

Stop eating grains. Bread, pasta, cereal, rice....cookies, pizza, donuts.....if it's got grain/flour in it....get rid of it. All of it.
Ditto that for potatoes....they are pointless. NO wonder the Incas disappeared and the Irish almost starved to death, lol.
They (grains) are such a HUGE source of calories with very little nutritive return on the deal. It's hard at first, but once you go a week without it, you're set.
Concentrate on proteins and produce. Lean meats and vegetables. Eat lots of protein and you'll feel fuller for longer with far less calories than you did when eating breads/cereals.

I am by no means an expert on nutrition, but this is what I did and it worked for me. I was 240lbs when I started and dropped 25 pounds in 3 months with no exercise.

KodiakAttack's advice on eating nothing that you don't make yourself is also really good. Just make sure when you do your grocery shopping that you limit yourself to the perimeter aisles and STAY AWAY from the middle aisles. The middle aisles are where you normally find your heavily processed/boxed/packaged foods that are loaded with carbs and sugars, while the perimeter aisles usually have foods that are much closer to their source, such as meats, fruits and veggies. Imagine yourself at a farmer's market rather than a grocery store and buy only what you would find there.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

I do not do a lot of the grocery shopping, so I have access to what my wife gets at the store. It does not help when the bad food is cheap and the good food is expensive.

zygalski said:

I agree at your current weight you need to diet first, before gradually introducing exercise as well.
The great thing is, being so overweight even a modest sustained reduction in calorie intake will produce dramatic weight loss, especially in the first few weeks.
You need to start to calorie count. Yes it's dull, but find out how many calories you currently consume and then start by making a modest (say 10-15%) reduction.
You will be amazed how much you can lose if you stick to this for the first month.
Good luck!

Click to expand...

I did a few weeks on MyFitnessPal when i had an iPhone last summer, and i regularly ate 4000+calories a day. The sad thing is that I did not feel that I was eating a lot. I stopped tracking as I was getting disappointed at how much of a pig I really was, and always gave in to my food desires. I need to look for an app for Windows Phone and start to track again, and this time cut back. The app said that 3500 calories a day would cause me to lose 1-2 lbs a week, which might sound crazy to those that say 2000 calories a day only crowd.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have a lot of info to digest and need to come up with a plan of attack as to how to start this journey.

global_dev · Feb 26, 2014

Kev,

Of course consult a physician.

Have you watched the movie 'Fat, sick, and nearly dead' with joe cross? Watch it! Then watch it again! Its free to watch on hulu, on netflix, and elsewhere .

Get a juicer from bed bath and beyond! Use the coupon, then get the produce!!

Then get online at the website rebootwithjoe.com.. there and join a group reboot, download the 15 and 5 day plans. Do the 15 day transition into the 5 day and the do the 5 day over and over..

Its drastic, but imho its a healthy option..

jrp316 · Feb 26, 2014

Good advice in this thread so far. At your present weight, I would definitely recommend consulting with a physician and a nutrition specialist/dietician to get their recommendations before proceeding. I'm not a big fan of surgical intervention for weight loss (such as gastric bypass or lap bands), but it may be indicated in your case.

I will say this for a beginning exercise: walking does wonders. Start out with a 10 minute walk every day, then step up the time to where you're walking continuously an hour a day. Keep a brisk but comfortable pace. You'd be surprised what that alone can do for you in terms of not only weight loss, but well being in general.

Now, on the subject of weight loss. For most people, it takes a long, long time to lose significant body mass. Progress at times will move like the tortoise rather than the hare. You have to be patient. You didn't put on the weight overnight, so you can't reasonably expect to drop it overnight either. A part of what makes weight loss so difficult is that your body doesn't want to lose weight. The human body is an engine of conservation, it wants to maintain the status quo.

Let's say you lose 2 lbs a week steady (which is considered a 'healthy' level). In a year (52 weeks), you've lost 104 lbs. That's not an insignificant number by any means; in your case, it puts you halfway to your goal.

musicman1951 · Feb 26, 2014

I would suggest two things:

You need a partner for the journey. Your wife would be ideal, but I think some support is vital to the process. Walking is great exercise and doesn't require a gym. Start small. Even 10 minutes a day - it's not threatening and doesn't take much of your time. Increase slowly.

There are lots of diets and I can't imagine being on any of them for as long as you would want to do the job. The good news for you is that very small changes will produce good results. You might try eating slower as it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it's full. I suspect you could eat whatever you want if you stopped when you satisfied your hunger, rather than when you were full (big difference).

I don't think you want to go on a diet - you want to permanently change your diet enough to give you a healthy life. Baby steps. I don't see many people having the willpower to radically change their diet for months. I don't think you want to depend on willpower. Make some very small sacrifices that don't require much willpower.

There are tons of online sites for healthy meals with a huge variety of foods. Some healthy food is more expensive, but not all. You want to be honest with yourself: there is more available that would please you than pizza and fast food. A little experimenting with some meals that turn out to be more humorous than satisfying won't kill you. I tell people I taught my wife to cook. When we were first married I use to say, "this is good, don't make it again."

global_dev · Feb 26, 2014

While i typically agree with these guys, sometimes drastic willpower changes dont let you fall/cheat yourself easily..

Someone with you is great! And increasing your activity through walking is a no brainer. Get a fitbit or something like that to remind you of your goals.

kevdogg329 · Feb 26, 2014

global_dev said:
While i typically agree with these guys, sometimes drastic willpower changes dont let you fall/cheat yourself easily..

Someone with you is great! And increasing your activity through walking is a no brainer. Get a fitbit or something like that to remind you of your goals.

Fitbit? what does that do?

Mr_Fuggles · Feb 26, 2014

kevdogg329 said:
I do not do a lot of the grocery shopping, so I have access to what my wife gets at the store. It does not help when the bad food is cheap and the good food is expensive.

That's one of the problems with the general failing health of people today; we don't want to spend lots of money on our food.
When you get right down to the nitty-gritty, our food is our most important purchase. People like to spend big bucks on their cars and TVs but they resent having to spend money on food. I'm not saying you fit into this category, but it's just a general observation of mine that people would rather pay less money for **** food than more money for food that's actually good for them.
Good food, though, doesn't have to be expensive.

Veggies don't cost much money at all, and you don't have to buy filet mignon for your meats. Buy chicken on the bone with the skin as opposed to boneless/skinless and you'll save money right there. Remove the skin and bones yourself when you prepare your meals.
Just some ideas.
Also, go on a shopping trip with your wife sometime and try not to get anything at all from the interior aisles. Do it together. Stick to the perimeter aisles as an experiment. Plan out your meals beforehand and stick to it. You will both eat healthier as a result.

Just remember: Food is your most important purchase. Nothing else matters.

global_dev · Feb 26, 2014

kevdogg329 said:
Fitbit? what does that do?

Activity tracker

www.fitbit.com/one

There are many competitors in this marketplace so fitbit isnt the only one, but its easily available at b&m stores

JaggerDragger · Feb 26, 2014

global_dev said:
Kev,

Of course consult a physician.

Have you watched the movie 'Fat, sick, and nearly dead' with joe cross? Watch it! Then watch it again! Its free to watch on hulu, on netflix, and elsewhere .

Get a juicer from bed bath and beyond! Use the coupon, then get the produce!!

Then get online at the website rebootwithjoe.com.. there and join a group reboot, download the 15 and 5 day plans. Do the 15 day transition into the 5 day and the do the 5 day over and over..

Its drastic, but imho its a healthy option..

I was going to recommend this movie just for the inspiration factor alone! It inspired me; watch it!

Commander Quan · Feb 26, 2014

I wish you all the luck in the world. As you can see there are many methods and tools to help you along with way, but the single factor that will make any difference is that you have to want it. Just like anything else that is hard; quitting cigarettes, getting out of dept etc, there needs to be a tipping point where you are so p!ssed off with the current situation that it lights a fire inside you that only you can find.

It is possible to loose weight with junk food in the house. Treat that crap like arsenic, and it becomes a non issue. If your wife is a willing participant than you have an ally, if she's resistant to change than there may be some other issues you need to work out first. Discount grocery stores like Aldi are a great place to stock up on produce, for very little money. Start there and then hit some of the other grocery stores for supplemental items. I may be wrong but it sounds like there isn't a lot of fresh cooking going on in the house. Take 1 day a week and cook some meals in bulk for the week. That way there is always food available so you don't have to run out and pick something up, because there is nothing ready to eat.

At this point I wouldn't even worry about counting calories. If you are preparing the food yourself it will absolutely have less calories than eating out, or something that comes from a bag or box.

Good luck to you.

Parjay · Feb 26, 2014

Start small. Cut one soda a day, or have one less slice of bread. Like you said, pounds are just calories, cutting a few will really add up over time. Also try to sneak in calorie burning opportunities. Walk to the far end of your house/apt during tv commercials.

Without really getting into your diet our advice can really only be generic. Do you eat a few monster meals or do you snack all day long? One thing that has helped me is supplementing meals with fruits and veggies. I can eat 2000 calories of pizza in a sitting...or I can eat a big salad and only need a portion of that pizza to feel satisfied. If you do eat salads be careful with dressings and cheese which can turn that healthy salad into a caloric nightmare.

Post your progress (good and bad) in this thread and you will have more support than you know what to do with! I'm looking forward to following your journey, just deciding it is time for a change is the most important and brave decision you can make.

bcw83 · Feb 26, 2014

What you need to do is figure out why you fail after a week. What is it that changes? A lot of times losing weight is as much psychological as it is eating right. You have to decide what is more important, living a life of excess and potentially dying or taking control now. You have to find your trigger on what you want to live for and every day you wake up and picture that thing, be it your wife, kids wherever. Post a picture next to your bed for when you wake up every morning make it your mantra. I don't know who you are but you can do this, believe in yourself and don't diet make a lifetime lifestyle change.

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Kevdogg's inspirational Weight Loss thread

kevdogg329

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zygalski

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global_dev

jrp316

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