But you aren't at your ideal weight yet so cut back on the calories.
Check with your Doctor first.
Try a stationary bike for cardio if walking is a problem.
Grazing (lots of small meals) can help but you really need to watch the amount you eat.
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well, the short walks aren't something i would really recommend, you really only get the benefit of aerobic exercise after your heartrate is elevated to a certain point, and raising and lowering it in short spurts would be more likely to cause damage than help. have you tried using a exercise bike, since it would lack the impacts of walking that may work better on your back. also, have you tried weight lifting? as odd as it seems to do an activity that is used to add mass to people, it is a reliable burner of 475-250 calories per hour depending on intensity. not as good as jogging, but if your back limits that, you can work with what you have. particularly since a lot of weight exercises can be done while prone or sitting,and i'd argue its significantly more fun and thus easier to motivate yourself to do.
i remember from last time you mentioned your doctor was not much help, is there any chance of you seeing another one? not sure what he particulars of your health care plan is but a useless doctor who is just fixated on gastric bypass surgery(i seem to remember you mentioning that eh was hung up on this) is not much help. have you checked any local gyms that have both accredited personal trainers and dietitians ? some do include these services, an they can do a heck of a lot more for you than we realistically can. I think i asked you to do this last time and we never really had a follow up.
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Your chances of losing weight are slim to none....if you need to lose weight then you MUST change your eating habits or increase your exercise. | Also I've pretty much decided at the moment my eating habits probably aren't going to change. I eat one big meal a day...roughly 1700-3000 calories depending on what I'm eating that day. Which is more or less around the calorie count i need to be at my ideal weight. |
If this isn't an option...then I would recommend the first thing you do is buy an electronic food scale, a set of measuring cups, and a set of measuring spoons. When you eat...measure/weigh your food. Most people don't realize how much they really eat in a day, include all of your meals and all of your snacks. You can find sites on line that will help you total up your calorie content (indeed many restaurants make it easier than ever) DRINK WATER. Take vitamins. Losing weight isn't about dieting, its about changing your outlook on food so that you can sustain your weight loss.
Losing weight is hard 1) To start and then 2) stay at your 'goal' weight. WHen you're losing weight and looking/feeling better its incredibly easy to keep the momentum going.
I really recommend the weight watcher's system (they do everything I recommended). I lost 75 lbs on that plan (I went from 245 to 170). Now, in the interest of full disclosure I've put about 40 lbs of it back on since I stopped following the plan...and its like pulling teeth to getting started again.
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Try hunger suppressants, my sister recommended some for me, it's been working rather decently. I don't find myself snacking no where near as often as I used to. Though weight loss is a slow process, the pay off is always good.
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yeah really watch yourself around this, its cool that it worked for you, but there are several on the market that range from placebos to actively dangerous, id use these as a very last resort and only under the strict supervision of a competent doctor.
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Originally Posted by Mr. DJ
Try hunger suppressants, my sister recommended some for me, it's been working rather decently. I don't find myself snacking no where near as often as I used to. Though weight loss is a slow process, the pay off is always good.
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The ones my sis recommended for me are called Fruita Plata, she's been taking them as well for about 3 months. Got them off Amazon.com, 30 day supply for $10. but yeah, I agree about the whole placebo thing, I usually don't mess with this stuff, but these were rather cost efficient with no tag line attached to it.
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First on the walking. They are telling you to walk to get up and get active and get your heart rate going. There are other ways to do this. First off, i highly suggest joining a gym for 2 reasons. First if your paying a membership fee your more likely to make sure your taking advantage of it, and second many memberships come atleast with an initial consultation with a personal trainer. It doesnt mean you have to continue with him, but he can get you going in the right direction.|
Originally Posted by Durakken
So I need help with losing weight, still... and people keep telling me to walk. Well the problem with walking for me is that after a very short time period when I walk my vertebra start grinding my spinal cord which after a while I literally lose control of my legs the more I walk.
So I tested myself as to how long i could walk before start to feel back pain that leads to the thing I mentioned above. Well turns out... it's only 8-9 minutes. Every work out program I see says 10 minutes is pretty much the minimum to get yourself to a point where it'll make a difference. From this test i can say that there is a tremendous amount of pain I feel, but I am in no way even remotely tired, worn out, or even beginning to raise my heart rate. So Obviously I don't want to hurt myself or risk furthering my back problems but I need to lose weight...so the thing I've thought about doing is walking x minutes, till the pain goes away, and then going again. The problem this is i don't know how much good it would do, obviously anything is better than nothing but during the 10 minutes it takes to recover to go out again I can't do anything and it seems like a waste of time to spend something like 2-3 hours a day to get to a distance that I would apparently start seeing some weight lose if I wouldn't see that weight lose and I would just be in pain for half the day and or wasting time i could be doing something else... I could just walk a mile straight and deal with the pain (i can do that), but I have no clue how much damage that would do to my spine and I have no way of finding out at the moment and i really don't want to risk being paralyzed from the waste down. so...any recommendations? Also I've pretty much decided at the moment my eating habits probably aren't going to change. I eat one big meal a day...roughly 1700-3000 calories depending on what I'm eating that day. Which is more or less around the calorie count i need to be at my ideal weight. So I'm wondering what are your opinions on the single meal with intermittent fasts thing that I've heard about (make sense considering how we evolved) vs eating 3-6 meals a day, because for me fasting and such is a lot easier than eating 3 meals a day. |
Also i would suggest joining a gym with an indoor heated pool. Based on your saying the problems with you back, it sounds to me like your having issues with even the impact from normal walking. Swimming, either outrightly swimming for real, or even walking laps in the pool allow for much less strain to be put on your joints and back by way of offseting the weight of your body. The main thing on walking or swimming is not really working out muscles, but getting a cardio workout in.
Also others might dispute this, but something i found was that in terms of cardio, and workout i say work what you can. If its the impact a gym also will have eliptical trainers and bikes that wont put the impact on your legs and back as badly.
For your eating habits, you might be in the normal caloric range of your prime weight but as was mentioned, your trying to lose weight, so if you cant get to be more active that coloric intake needs to come down to your level of activity.
The way your eating IMO is a mistake. Again i am not a proffesional and have my own weight issues, but its always been my understanding that its actually better to eat smaller portions throughout the day then one large portion. I know my sisters trainer told her to eat like 6-7 times a day but to have them be snack sized portions of food rather then a meal. The rational being that even if you dont feel hungry, by not eating, that evolutionary instinct you mentioned, tells your body "hey we just ate but dont know where the next meal is coming from" as such your body stays in kinda a starvation mode, where it holds on to more calories and fats for the possibility that you wont be able to eat when your hungry and it might need the stored up weight at that time.
By eating smaller portions more often your body is accustom to eating and getting nurishment and is more willing to part with the calories you intake you might not need right there.
Another trick i have a friend that swears by is he tries to find stuff with empty calories to eat. Things like plain fiber bars, plain lettuce and stuff. he swears that by eating something that has little to no calories but has bulk, that he loses weight because he doesnt eat the stuff in as big of quanities that is bad for him before he gets full. The only thing i have heard that kinda supported this was back a few years ago, i heard a report about chinese food in america. Where people were exploring how bad it was for you. With the argument "well why doesnt china have these weight issues" it was theorized in the report it was because in america the portion of the main course was way larger then it was in china. Where in china the supplimented a smaller main course with things like large portions of rice or noodles.
rian,
As far as doctors go... I'm screwed. I have no health insurance right now. So >.>
Part of the problem with the gym idea is transportation and to discuss that I pretty much would have divulge info that I'd rather not so >.>
Larcen3 and Mr. DJ,
My eating habits stem from a few things...
#1 I hate leaving left overs that likely will never get eaten.
#2 I hate cooking... it's boring to me.
#3 I am not a food minded person. I don't quite know how to communicate what i mean by that... I know how much food i should be eating by the numbers, but just basing what i eat on numbers is not really a good idea. I like good food, but creating, preparing, and even figuring out what is the good food just doesn't really cross my mind and if it does it either at the wrong time or too late or i can't do anything about it.
#4 I eat really really really fast. I've tried slowing down but it's still really fast, even compared to fast eaters. It's not like i'm eating like a pig either. I just chew and such fast so when there is food i like i want more and because i'm not "full" i just keep eating.
As far as weights and such...i do have a some weight lifting stuff around but i don't know how to use it within the confines of where i'm at and limits of the equipment i have. If i remember right i have a barbell and 2 dumbells... and i think up to 20lbs weights, but i have no weight lifting gloves (i need those the rubber on the *bells messes with my skin), not much room to work with, and no lifting bench, or spotter so the only thing i can think to do with them is only use the dumbells to lift >.>
1) Learn to leave leftovers. Put them in the fridge for the next meal. The problem with cleaning your plate anymore is that the portion sizes are too stupidly big.
2) Learn to like cooking. Make a game out of it. Watch Good Eats on Food Network. That show turns the act of cooking into science. If you learn more about WHY something does what it does, you may be more apt to learn more.
3) That's one of your biggest problems. You need to take time and think about what you are eating. If you have the choice between an apple (provided you aren't allegeric) and a serving of cookies, which do you think is the better option?
4) Slow down. Like A LOT. No one is going to come up and take your food. And unless you are in the military, no one is going to make you go out on patrol or PT. The reason competitive eaters can eat so much is that they do it quick. It takes about 20 minutes or so, iirc, for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full and should quit eating. If you are eating quick, you aren't really tasting the food.
Eating only one meal a day will slow your metabolism to a crawl. Might as well have popsicles before bed.
Smaller meals at regular intervals is a better, IMO, way to go.
No offense, but honestly, your biggest problem is seemingly you. Saying you want to lose weight, an admirable goal, but not doing the things that you need to be doing isn't going to help you. No one starts off being able to run or walk 10 miles at a sitting. Start small and work your way up. This isn't going to be something that'll be done in a month. This will most likely take you years to accomplish.
Also, one of the biggest things you can do to start is to cut out any and all regular soda. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Empty sugar calories with no redeeming nutrients. This also includes "energy drinks". I lost a pretty quick 20lbs just from switching from regular Mt. Dew to diet (and don't give me that "metabolic syndrome" nonsense about the diet stuff). If the caffeine is what you need, switch to tea. I have about 15 more lbs to go (to get to about 165) before I'll finally feel comfortable with myself. I did manage to finally be able to wear L-size shirts as opposed to XL (just a couple weeks ago), and that was one of the best feelings I've had in a long time.
As far as my back problem goes, if it were just pain, I'd just push through, but it's not. As I mentioned it's because in 2003 I landed hard on my right knee and that shifted my pelvis so that it's on a slight diagonal now and that in turn pushed a vertebra in or out of alignment.
So what's happening is I'm off balance for one from the now slightly different lengths of my legs and when i walk it continuously moves that vertebra so that it grinds on the spinal cord. The further i walk the more i notice that i start to lose control of my placing and such of my legs as well as the ability to even lift them. It feels like there is some sort of lag, in game terms, that is happening and that is quite a trip when it's your own body doing it.
Depending on the length of time I walk determines the amount of time to recovery and after walking only a mile I am probably more winded and just plane drained than a 5 mile run. For that mile it takes well over an hour for my heart rate and breathing to return to normal even with any method of controlling such things... Also from what I can tell from less severe lengths of time it is accumulative, If i walk say a mile... if i go again after i return to base level no pain, heart and breathing is normal...I would probably be at that same level within 1/2 a mile and if i tried a third time after recovering it would only be a 1/4 mile.... at least that is what it is for less lengths of time things.
This really sucks because I have all the energy to do all that stuff (I would still be able to easily walk 4-5 miles a day as i did before this back injury), but because of this singular back problem i am limited to 10 mins at most with just about any sitting/standing that causes that vertebra to grind.
Try an exercise bike or an elliptical walking/running machine. You might also consider seeing a chiropractor if your back is too out of whack. And yes, it will take a while for breathing/heartbeat to return to normal. Your body is not used to the exercise.
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Any advice I've ever read as far as a healthy diet goes tends to recommend spreading calories throughout the day. Some dietitians even say it's healthier to do 4-6 smaller meals over the course of the day rather than 3 big ones like most people do.|
Also I've pretty much decided at the moment my eating habits probably aren't going to change. I eat one big meal a day...roughly 1700-3000 calories depending on what I'm eating that day. Which is more or less around the calorie count i need to be at my ideal weight. So I'm wondering what are your opinions on the single meal with intermittent fasts thing that I've heard about (make sense considering how we evolved) vs eating 3-6 meals a day, because for me fasting and such is a lot easier than eating 3 meals a day. |
The thing is, your body doesn't just digest food on an as-needed basis. If you eat, the food gets digested. Any of the calories that aren't used for energy when the food is digested get stored as fat. Think of it like building a fire in the stove. You wouldn't just throw all the wood in at once and expect the fire to last all night.
Also, not sure where you're getting your numbers, but 1700-3000 calories is a huge range. For someone my height (5' 10"), that'd be the difference between me wanting to maintain a weight of 100lbs versus maintaining a weight of 300lbs.
Basically, if you want to lose weight, you need to change your eating habits. It's the mistake people make over and over again. Diet is arguably even more important than exercise when it comes to losing weight.
My suggestion would be to get in the habit of eating more meals throughout the day. I'd even suggest not being as concerned about counting calories until you do that if you could take what you're eating now and evenly divide it up over a few meals.
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I wouldn't have mentioned those 4 things if I didn't think they were a problem. |
Originally Posted by Dark One
1) Learn to leave leftovers. Put them in the fridge for the next meal. The problem with cleaning your plate anymore is that the portion sizes are too stupidly big.
2) Learn to like cooking. Make a game out of it. Watch Good Eats on Food Network. That show turns the act of cooking into science. If you learn more about WHY something does what it does, you may be more apt to learn more. 3) That's one of your biggest problems. You need to take time and think about what you are eating. If you have the choice between an apple (provided you aren't allegeric) and a serving of cookies, which do you think is the better option? 4) Slow down. Like A LOT. No one is going to come up and take your food. And unless you are in the military, no one is going to make you go out on patrol or PT. The reason competitive eaters can eat so much is that they do it quick. It takes about 20 minutes or so, iirc, for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full and should quit eating. If you are eating quick, you aren't really tasting the food. Eating only one meal a day will slow your metabolism to a crawl. Might as well have popsicles before bed. Smaller meals at regular intervals is a better, IMO, way to go. No offense, but honestly, your biggest problem is seemingly you. Saying you want to lose weight, an admirable goal, but not doing the things that you need to be doing isn't going to help you. No one starts off being able to run or walk 10 miles at a sitting. Start small and work your way up. This isn't going to be something that'll be done in a month. This will most likely take you years to accomplish. Also, one of the biggest things you can do to start is to cut out any and all regular soda. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Empty sugar calories with no redeeming nutrients. This also includes "energy drinks". I lost a pretty quick 20lbs just from switching from regular Mt. Dew to diet (and don't give me that "metabolic syndrome" nonsense about the diet stuff). If the caffeine is what you need, switch to tea. I have about 15 more lbs to go (to get to about 165) before I'll finally feel comfortable with myself. I did manage to finally be able to wear L-size shirts as opposed to XL (just a couple weeks ago), and that was one of the best feelings I've had in a long time. |
the problem with what you suggested is not that i don't know it's a problem but rather the problem loops in on itself.
I don't like cooking and i really don't have anything that is 1 meal only in my list of things my brain gets... So I'll make up a meal that could have left overs...but i don't want to cook again and left overs generally aren't as good as freshly cooked, so i eat it then. Makes sense to me. Reheating something 3 times in a day is an awful waste of energy (save energy for the environment trying to lose it for myself lol) So I just eat it all then. So those 3 problems are just tied together and it has to do with selection and my thinking and addressing them one at a time is not going to help.
As far as the fast eating is concerned. It's not a psychological thing. I talk while I eat and such and I'm not gobbling my food down or anything like that. I just eat amazingly fast and as of current I've yet to figure out how or why. All explanations and all methods of trying to eat slowly have thus far failed for me.
I eat sweats only when I have a craving for them and that is not very often so that's not a problem for me...nor is drinking pop or coffee or tea. Again I only drink pop when I want a taste of something different which is not very often either. I drink water and milk mainly... like 2-4 liters of water a day mostly and when i get a gallon of milk it lasts maybe a day or two so.
And yes, my biggest problem is likely me and or my environment... it's not conducive to good health or living for that matter, but to get out of it it requires me to achieve a few things that ends up looping in on each other.
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ok, yeah that is a number of issues, that really makes it very difficult to go anywhere with this, at elast not with me being relatively unfamiliar with your local situation, which i'd be unlikely to be helpfully aware of in this set-up. but yeah, you really are in a situation that i cant be of much help with. |
Originally Posted by Durakken
rian,
As far as doctors go... I'm screwed. I have no health insurance right now. So >.> Part of the problem with the gym idea is transportation and to discuss that I pretty much would have divulge info that I'd rather not so >.> Larcen3 and Mr. DJ, My eating habits stem from a few things... #1 I hate leaving left overs that likely will never get eaten. #2 I hate cooking... it's boring to me. #3 I am not a food minded person. I don't quite know how to communicate what i mean by that... I know how much food i should be eating by the numbers, but just basing what i eat on numbers is not really a good idea. I like good food, but creating, preparing, and even figuring out what is the good food just doesn't really cross my mind and if it does it either at the wrong time or too late or i can't do anything about it. #4 I eat really really really fast. I've tried slowing down but it's still really fast, even compared to fast eaters. It's not like i'm eating like a pig either. I just chew and such fast so when there is food i like i want more and because i'm not "full" i just keep eating. As far as weights and such...i do have a some weight lifting stuff around but i don't know how to use it within the confines of where i'm at and limits of the equipment i have. If i remember right i have a barbell and 2 dumbells... and i think up to 20lbs weights, but i have no weight lifting gloves (i need those the rubber on the *bells messes with my skin), not much room to work with, and no lifting bench, or spotter so the only thing i can think to do with them is only use the dumbells to lift >.> |
Are there any local charities you can turn to for help? if you are around the same size you were last time, things are going to be difficult, and given the limitations you have mentioned, im really drawing a blank for options. at the very least have you seen wether a exercise bike is in your budget? look in the local paper, people often get them with the best intentions, but then sell them after giving up, might be able to get a deal there. garage sales also might work. given your description of your issue, im a little worried about your pelvis having an issue with the seat, as well as the leg length issue . best i can say is if you can secure transport and payment for one of them, try it first, to see if your issues translate to the bike as well.
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Yes, I'm 6'4or5" I weigh around the 400lbs range. Calorie intake for a sedentary life style for someone of my height to weigh 200lbs it's 2300 calories. Apparently it's quite bad to cut out more than a thousand calories below your need for maintaining your current weight and to maintain my current weight I should be eating around 4000 calories. So I'm actually under eating by a lot by some accounts especially if you factor in that some charts and such say i should weigh around 240/260... |
Originally Posted by Cantatus
Any advice I've ever read as far as a healthy diet goes tends to recommend spreading calories throughout the day. Some dietitians even say it's healthier to do 4-6 smaller meals over the course of the day rather than 3 big ones like most people do.
The thing is, your body doesn't just digest food on an as-needed basis. If you eat, the food gets digested. Any of the calories that aren't used for energy when the food is digested get stored as fat. Think of it like building a fire in the stove. You wouldn't just throw all the wood in at once and expect the fire to last all night. Also, not sure where you're getting your numbers, but 1700-3000 calories is a huge range. For someone my height (5' 10"), that'd be the difference between me wanting to maintain a weight of 100lbs versus maintaining a weight of 300lbs. |
Also my weight is a guess as i haven't come across a scale that can measure up to where i am as most stop at 300lbs.
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You need to make the conscious decision to override your prelearned notions about food. If you have leftovers and you start to eat them then and there, you need to make the conscious recognization of what you are doing and stop.|
Originally Posted by Durakken
I wouldn't have mentioned those 4 things if I didn't think they were a problem.
the problem with what you suggested is not that i don't know it's a problem but rather the problem loops in on itself. I don't like cooking and i really don't have anything that is 1 meal only in my list of things my brain gets... So I'll make up a meal that could have left overs...but i don't want to cook again and left overs generally aren't as good as freshly cooked, so i eat it then. Makes sense to me. Reheating something 3 times in a day is an awful waste of energy (save energy for the environment trying to lose it for myself lol) So I just eat it all then. So those 3 problems are just tied together and it has to do with selection and my thinking and addressing them one at a time is not going to help. |
An awful waste of energy? Two minutes in a microwave is more than sufficient to reheat pre-cooked leftovers. You probably use more energy having your computer on than you'll spend reheating stuff.
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| As far as the fast eating is concerned. It's not a psychological thing. I talk while I eat and such and I'm not gobbling my food down or anything like that. I just eat amazingly fast and as of current I've yet to figure out how or why. All explanations and all methods of trying to eat slowly have thus far failed for me. |
Look at those societies that take the time to enjoy the meal with the company around them. Taking more time to eat the meal means that overall you'll eat less since there's more time for your brain to recognize you are full.
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|
Yes, I'm 6'4or5" I weigh around the 400lbs range. Calorie intake for a sedentary life style for someone of my height to weigh 200lbs it's 2300 calories. Apparently it's quite bad to cut out more than a thousand calories below your need for maintaining your current weight and to maintain my current weight I should be eating around 4000 calories. So I'm actually under eating by a lot by some accounts especially if you factor in that some charts and such say i should weigh around 240/260... Also my weight is a guess as i haven't come across a scale that can measure up to where i am as most stop at 300lbs. |
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I went to a rehab place a while ago for my knee, but I stopped going largely because of the people weren't listening tho what i was saying. They were having me do weight lifting a bit, a balance thing, and the bike thing, the lifting did no good because they made me put it at such a low weight/rep that it had no impact what so ever. The balance issues i had was more to do with not knowing that my pelvis was messing with my weight distribution and the bike if i remember right was not as big a problem as walking, but not enough to really do me any good exercise wise before i couldn't do it... since then the back issue has grown so i'm not sure whether it'd be worth it.|
Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
ok, yeah that is a number of issues, that really makes it very difficult to go anywhere with this, at elast not with me being relatively unfamiliar with your local situation, which i'd be unlikely to be helpfully aware of in this set-up. but yeah, you really are in a situation that i cant be of much help with.
Are there any local charities you can turn to for help? if you are around the same size you were last time, things are going to be difficult, and given the limitations you have mentioned, im really drawing a blank for options. at the very least have you seen wether a exercise bike is in your budget? look in the local paper, people often get them with the best intentions, but then sell them after giving up, might be able to get a deal there. garage sales also might work. given your description of your issue, im a little worried about your pelvis having an issue with the seat, as well as the leg length issue . best i can say is if you can secure transport and payment for one of them, try it first, to see if your issues translate to the bike as well. |
The best i can think of is there is a pool somewhere around here that has a year long membership for $100... and I could bike over there if i could find one that i can ride... which height wise is always a problem. The world doesn't like tall or short people ^.^
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This absolutely has to change. If it doesn't change, you will not see any significant results. |
Originally Posted by Durakken
Also I've pretty much decided at the moment my eating habits probably aren't going to change. I eat one big meal a day...roughly 1700-3000 calories depending on what I'm eating that day. Which is more or less around the calorie count i need to be at my ideal weight.
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Eating 1 big meal a day is the absolute WORST thing you can do for your body. It puts your body into starvation mode, and that 1 meal a day is often converted straight into fat. Furthermore, your metabolism drops like a rock after you eat that meal and your body attempts to digest it. You MUST change your diet habits.
Start eating small snack sized meals 3-5 times a day. Rather then eating 1 large meal when you get home, bring a granola bar, a light sandwich, an apple, stuff like that to work. Pack your own meals in the morning. The small meals keep your metabolism up, and keep your body from dropping into hunger/starvation mode.
Drop Sugars/Carbs from your diet. I'm not saying don't eat bread, but try to avoid it, and ALWAYS get the highest fiber type of bread you can find. 9 grain bread, stuff like that. Never, ever buy white/potato bread. Avoid potato products, and pastas. The less fiber in a carb, the faster it converts into sugar, and the faster it digests, leaving you hungrier faster. Eating high fiber foods, like vegetables, and you will feel less hungry. Lean meats, like Poultry and fish(NOT DEEP FRIED!) are also excellent for dieters, as your body processes proteins much slower, leaving you feeling full for longer. Nuts, preferably ones that are unsalted, are also great, high in protein. I live in Oregon, so I often snack on unsalted Hazelnuts.
Avoid unnecessary salt, since if you are overweight, chances are that means your blood pressure is also much higher then normal, and salt makes this worse. Processed foods are notorious for being *massive* in salt, so cut those out.
As for exercise, focus on stuff that doesn't hurt your back until you start loosing enough weight for your back to start working right.
Stationary Bikes would be my #1 choice for you, as well as any weight lifting/muscle training that you can do without hurting yourself. Aerobic activity, like stationary bike riding, is very important for your heart, and burning calories, but it should be noted that muscle training can burn a good deal for you as well, since muscle tissue increases your metabolism.
And the number one thing to remember. This is not a diet. This is a lifestyle change. If you think of it as a diet, you will fail.
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ok, pool is good, hadnt thought of that, its an indoor setup right? because you need a all year situation to deal with your issues. as for bikes, have you tried a recumbent bike? they are in a nearly prone position, so that might work better with your back. i say this both in the transport and exercise situation. i'm 6'2 so i'm close to your height, and the one at the gym i go to fits ok(though i find cardio too boring to maintain a serious regimen in, its weights or bust for me.), maybe thats an option.
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Originally Posted by Durakken
I went to a rehab place a while ago for my knee, but I stopped going largely because of the people weren't listening tho what i was saying. They were having me do weight lifting a bit, a balance thing, and the bike thing, the lifting did no good because they made me put it at such a low weight/rep that it had no impact what so ever. The balance issues i had was more to do with not knowing that my pelvis was messing with my weight distribution and the bike if i remember right was not as big a problem as walking, but not enough to really do me any good exercise wise before i couldn't do it... since then the back issue has grown so i'm not sure whether it'd be worth it.
The best i can think of is there is a pool somewhere around here that has a year long membership for $100... and I could bike over there if i could find one that i can ride... which height wise is always a problem. The world doesn't like tall or short people ^.^ |
Add my voice to the chorus of "spread your meals throughout the day." It keeps your metabolism higher-revved than one big meal all at once (believe me, I'm the same way). And look at the 4000 calories you're eating - are they mostly carbs? Proteins? Fats?
I also agree on the walking laps in the pool, or even if you do the hang-on-the-edge-and-kick-your-legs thing for a while (or else drape your arms on the edge of the pool like the back of a couch and bicycle-pedal). The buoyancy of the water takes some of the strain off your joints and muscles.
I'd also recommend isometrics to try and help build up some muscle tone - doesn't have to be a complicated regime, just focus on the large groups and go from there.
That you drink milk and water is a help - however, if you drink whole milk, I'd recommend dropping to 1-2%.
Start taking a good multi-vitamin. Cannot stress that one enough. Your doctor or pharmacist can make a recommendation for you.
Barring medical supervision, at MOST you want to lose 1-2 lbs a week (AT MOST). At first you may lose more, mostly because it's water weight or detox. Do not try and do more than that - it can be a horrible shock to your body.
One thing I'd like to suggest from when I was on my doctor-monitored diet - if I was absolutely craving food between meals, she had me drink a cup of chicken bouillion. A little salt and flavor to feel like I'd gotten something into my system. I kept a jar of bouillion cubes in my cubby at work, and would go nuke water in the microwave, toss one in, let it dissolve, and slowly sip it for a few minutes. Food cravings were usually lessened and I could make it until lunch. I'd usually also have a glass of ice water right afterward.
Oh yeah, one other thing - in addition to tracking your weight, measure yourself. You might not see pounds come off, but when your waistline or neck size drops, you will be reassured that the weight is coming off.
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
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THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
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Who has their computer on. I'm a technopath and am accessing the web via a T-1 cable directly without a computer >.>|
Originally Posted by Dark One
You need to make the conscious decision to override your prelearned notions about food. If you have leftovers and you start to eat them then and there, you need to make the conscious recognization of what you are doing and stop.
An awful waste of energy? Two minutes in a microwave is more than sufficient to reheat pre-cooked leftovers. You probably use more energy having your computer on than you'll spend reheating stuff. |
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You went to public school as a child, yes? Well part of the quick eating, IMO, stems from that (I know I do it). You are given an, in some cases extremely, limited amount of time in which to finish eating. That carries over into adulthood as a learned action when confronted with meals. It is also a result of the "lunch hour" (or half-hour in some cases) mentality when working. Look at those societies that take the time to enjoy the meal with the company around them. Taking more time to eat the meal means that overall you'll eat less since there's more time for your brain to recognize you are full. |
I think the only way i can fix this is if I were to eat x amount of portion and then time myself so i don't take another bite for whatever amount of time...which kinda sucks cuz you know i'd rather enjoy my meal than concentrating on a timer ya know?
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| 4000 calories? That's insane. For frame of reference, it is estimated that Michael Phelps ate around 6000 calories a day for training in swimming. |
Swimming is really good exercise, and you won't experience any back pain or other joint or muscle issues. It's good aerobic activity, relatively safe and fun. You don't need a lot of equipment, just a bathing suit and a towel, maybe some goggles if you like. It will help a lot if you can change your diet and eating habits, just don't do any thing dumb or extreme, fad diets don't work. I hope this works, and know your not alone in this, I am a big man and I have some weight issues as well.
Confirmed altaholic with 70+ alts in coh and cov...yes i know thats alot! Playing coh since beta test phase.
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I eat an amazing amount of carbs. If I knew how to cook things other than pasta I would. I know how to cook chicken, but only one type of chicken and that get's boring after a while. And If I could find a place that sells good fruits and veggies within the distance i can get to. I would probably only eat fruits and veggies for the most part, but i don't have the ability to get to the places nor the knowledge of how much of that type of stuff i should be getting. I tried looking for a nutritionist around here but found that none i could locate via the net had credentials i could check out as I don't want to deal with woowoo idiots >.>|
Originally Posted by Candlestick
Drop Sugars/Carbs from your diet. I'm not saying don't eat bread, but try to avoid it, and ALWAYS get the highest fiber type of bread you can find. 9 grain bread, stuff like that. Never, ever buy white/potato bread. Avoid potato products, and pastas. The less fiber in a carb, the faster it converts into sugar, and the faster it digests, leaving you hungrier faster. Eating high fiber foods, like vegetables, and you will feel less hungry. Lean meats, like Poultry and fish(NOT DEEP FRIED!) are also excellent for dieters, as your body processes proteins much slower, leaving you feeling full for longer. Nuts, preferably ones that are unsalted, are also great, high in protein. I live in Oregon, so I often snack on unsalted Hazelnuts.
Avoid unnecessary salt, since if you are overweight, chances are that means your blood pressure is also much higher then normal, and salt makes this worse. Processed foods are notorious for being *massive* in salt, so cut those out. |
Now you mentioned blood pressure so I have to assume that like others you probably think I'm in terrible health. If I were, that would bother me. As of the last time i got full physical and blood work up I'm in perfect health save for triglycerides, one other prob, and the injuries i have. The triglycerides would go down if i could stop eating carbs and the other prob is either genetic and can't be helped or will go away if i lose weight I'd hope it does, but it's not a sure bet and it's not a blood related thing such as cholesterol or something of that nature
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Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
ok, pool is good, hadnt thought of that, its an indoor setup right? because you need a all year situation to deal with your issues. as for bikes, have you tried a recumbent bike? they are in a nearly prone position, so that might work better with your back. i say this both in the transport and exercise situation. i'm 6'2 so i'm close to your height, and the one at the gym i go to fits ok(though i find cardio too boring to maintain a serious regimen in, its weights or bust for me.), maybe thats an option.
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I find exercising boring in general, but if it something i can do while doing something else, like that recumbent bike while watching tv i'd just do it until i get too tired to do it or have to get up. If I could I would stay in a pool pretty much all day every day even without anything else to do. I've always loved the water... it's just so hard for me to get to someplace to swim due to "other" problems.
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Originally Posted by Dark_Respite
I also agree on the walking laps in the pool, or even if you do the hang-on-the-edge-and-kick-your-legs thing for a while (or else drape your arms on the edge of the pool like the back of a couch and bicycle-pedal). The buoyancy of the water takes some of the strain off your joints and muscles.
That you drink milk and water is a help - however, if you drink whole milk, I'd recommend dropping to 1-2%. Barring medical supervision, at MOST you want to lose 1-2 lbs a week (AT MOST). At first you may lose more, mostly because it's water weight or detox. Do not try and do more than that - it can be a horrible shock to your body. One thing I'd like to suggest from when I was on my doctor-monitored diet - if I was absolutely craving food between meals, she had me drink a cup of chicken bouillion. A little salt and flavor to feel like I'd gotten something into my system. I kept a jar of bouillion cubes in my cubby at work, and would go nuke water in the microwave, toss one in, let it dissolve, and slowly sip it for a few minutes. Food cravings were usually lessened and I could make it until lunch. I'd usually also have a glass of ice water right afterward. Oh yeah, one other thing - in addition to tracking your weight, measure yourself. You might not see pounds come off, but when your waistline or neck size drops, you will be reassured that the weight is coming off. |
I drink 2% milk, sometime vitD whole milk, but mainly 2%.
I wouldn't want to lose more than 1-2 lbs a week. I'd just like to lose the weight is all and really my goal is before my heart explodes ^.^ so as long as that doesn't happen I still have plenty of time.
Due to the triglycerides I really don't have the option of doing that, because they mess with your hunger... I only feel starved or stuffed and pretty much nothing in between. Plus I tend to just ignore pain, hunger, etc for the most part. It's more of an intellectual exercise for me to say I need to eat now or I'm going to be starving later and go waaaaay overboard.
Never though about doing the tape measure way ^.^
btw another thing that plays into my eating habits is I have a rotating sleep schedule so, like right now, it 4am and I've been up 12 hours roughly I should probably be eating dinner, but I can't really do anything because it's the middle of the night and everyone i live with is asleep right now... we have thin walls and no door between where one person sleep and the kitchen so yeah... that forces me to either eat in the morning or before they sleep...or be rude and wake them up, and they are someone that needs their sleep.
This part of the problem of getting help is that i have all these weird limits and restrictions that if they were removed i would likely not have as big a problem as i do have.
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Honestly, eating fast isn't that big of a deal. Whats a big deal is HOW much you eat. People tell you to eat slow not because it's technically better for you, but because if you eat slow, you will feel full midway through a large meal, and then stop eating the rest. If you eat fast, you don't feel full until after the meal, and then it's to late. |
Originally Posted by Durakken
I think the only way i can fix this is if I were to eat x amount of portion and then time myself so i don't take another bite for whatever amount of time...which kinda sucks cuz you know i'd rather enjoy my meal than concentrating on a timer ya know? . |
If you make your meal portions much much smaller, and just eat them, and then DON'T eat more, you will start feeling full about 10-15 minutes after you eat a small meal. You can eat fast, just as long as your portion size is small.
So I need help with losing weight, still... and people keep telling me to walk. Well the problem with walking for me is that after a very short time period when I walk my vertebra start grinding my spinal cord which after a while I literally lose control of my legs the more I walk.
So I tested myself as to how long i could walk before start to feel back pain that leads to the thing I mentioned above. Well turns out... it's only 8-9 minutes. Every work out program I see says 10 minutes is pretty much the minimum to get yourself to a point where it'll make a difference.
From this test i can say that there is a tremendous amount of pain I feel, but I am in no way even remotely tired, worn out, or even beginning to raise my heart rate. So Obviously I don't want to hurt myself or risk furthering my back problems but I need to lose weight...so the thing I've thought about doing is walking x minutes, till the pain goes away, and then going again. The problem this is i don't know how much good it would do, obviously anything is better than nothing but during the 10 minutes it takes to recover to go out again I can't do anything and it seems like a waste of time to spend something like 2-3 hours a day to get to a distance that I would apparently start seeing some weight lose if I wouldn't see that weight lose and I would just be in pain for half the day and or wasting time i could be doing something else... I could just walk a mile straight and deal with the pain (i can do that), but I have no clue how much damage that would do to my spine and I have no way of finding out at the moment and i really don't want to risk being paralyzed from the waste down. so...any recommendations?
Also I've pretty much decided at the moment my eating habits probably aren't going to change. I eat one big meal a day...roughly 1700-3000 calories depending on what I'm eating that day. Which is more or less around the calorie count i need to be at my ideal weight.
So I'm wondering what are your opinions on the single meal with intermittent fasts thing that I've heard about (make sense considering how we evolved) vs eating 3-6 meals a day, because for me fasting and such is a lot easier than eating 3 meals a day.