Just starting out

[mel198921]

My name is Melissa. Im 21 and around 300lbs. Im going into the medical field and will graduate in January, so I want to take that time to work on getting in shape. My goal is to get down to 150lbs, but Id be happy with under 200lbs! I would appreciate any tips on getting started and how to beat those junk food cravings. My biggest weakness is soda. Any advice would be great

[Boss Man]

What do you eat and what times do you at?

[mel198921]

Nothing good. Today I had home made tacos and for dinner it was banquet chicken and mac n cheese. I dont usually eat chips and stuff like that most days. My biggest weakness is definitely soda. I can go a day or so without it by then the cravings suck. On a uneventful day I would say eating times are about 9am, noonish, and then about 5.

[lapoema]

You will lose a ton if you cut out soda, I promise!! Get into coffee!! I am addicted to coffee- it gives you the caffeine jolt and it's calorie free. (Just drink it black or add Splenda packets.) My advice is replace soda with coffee and just walk for 20 minutes every day. That will make a big difference!! Good luck!!

[mel198921]

I know soda is a big thing and it just sucks! Lol. I really appreciate your advice, I will try the coffee thing with splenda. I read somewhere if you make yourself take a drink of water at least ever thirty minutes youll get in the habit of wanting it. Thank you.

[mel198921]

Oh wow! I did not know that! This dieting and watching what goes in your body is difficult. I know once I start seeing the results, Ill be more into following it all. Just need that little push I guess. Thank you for the information. Im not sure if Ive had green tea, but Im interested in trying it.

[Boss Man]

Caffieine can cause Stomach Ulcers and Heartburn.

Caffeien cna also be converted to Uric Acid and contribute to Gout.

Caffeine blocks Iron absorption. Because Iron is the main compnent in Erythrocytes, (Red Blood Cells), this could increase risk of Anemia. It also constrictss bloodvessels for a time potentially reducing blodflow to living tissues supplied by the circulatoty system and Caffeine may increase heart attack risk as it's a Heart stimulent.

Frankly the Coffee idea would be a bit of a no-go to some extent. If you have it in America, you could try something like Tetley Redbush which is a tea drink I believe that is Caffeine free, because of the type of plant matter used.

Antioxidents are prevalent in things like Fruits, Whole-grains, Legumes and Vegetables and sources of good Fat, like Omega fat based Oils, Nuts, Peanuts, Avocado, Flax etc etc, owing to the fat soluable Vitamin A content, (Retinol-A), so you wouldn't need Caffeine anyway, as antioxifents are in abundence in foods and some drinks.

[mel198921]

Way to scare me out of drinking soda. What about juices? Are there any ones that taste good and good for ya?

[mel198921]

Well that sucks then. I do like water tho. What about vitamins or anything else in that nature that could help?

[Boss Man]

Juices are however good for antioxidents, so I believe they are okay, but due to the Fruit Sugars perhaps drank sparingly. 1 glass a day or two watered down ones should be fine, interspersed with other types of fluid choices.

[mel198921]

To lose weight or help with the process I guess is what I meant. Like some vitamins are good for the immune system and what not. I need to get my metabolism back on track I do believe. I do like some of the vitamin water. Did you guys lose a lot of weight?

[Nokie173]

Main thing is your diet (The things you eat) Try to educate yourself with food. You can by posting up questions or doing some reading on it.
Just diet alone will help you lose a ton. Of course excerise is always a good thing to add with it.
Start out with a walk/jog/swim or any cardio/body movements.
Then work your way on to weights and different types of workouts.

Diet... some stuff you should consider. There are lots more but i'm just giving you some examples.

Carb:
Whole grain breads, pasta, pita or wrap
Sweet potato/yam
Brown rice
Cream of wheat
Oatmeal
Cous cous

Proteins:
Fish
chicken breast
turkey
eggs/egg whites
Low fat cottage cheese
Tofu
protein shake

Good Fats:
Olive oil
Natural butter
Cashews
Almonds
Avocado
Flax & Fish oil

Fruits & Veggies (Carbs)

Strawberries:Raspberries: Blackberries: Blueberries: Banana: Apple: Pear: Grapefruit: Peach: Orange.
Peppers: Onion: Tomato: Squash: Peas: Carrots: Green beans: Broccoli/cauliflower: Leafy greens: Asparagus: Lentils: Cucumber: Celery.

If you can replace Soda with Water... DO IT!!!!

Good Luck

[Dewi]

I am in a similar situation, but my current goal is 300 which is your starting point. I have been doing Weight Watchers since 3/9 and have lost 18lbs so far. What I can tell you works is that I eat throughout the day. Starting at 8:30 for a 12hr period. So i eat 3 big meals and in between small sensible snacks. I stick to low fat foods like lean protein and grains. My snack has mostly been fruit. At work I usually have something to munch on whenever I get a hunger pang. (special K chips, edammame, rice cakes). I lose about 1-2lbs a week, it would be more if I was more active. Right now I do short walks, 15-30 min ones. I have just started aqua classes as it is easy on my knees. I havent really felt deprived because I eat what I want when I get the urge for something. to give you an example of this is at Olive Garden I always ordered the "tour of italy", and my tour would have been eaten in one sitting. But now the tour lasts at least 3 days, meaning the meal is divided into 3 meals. I love Subway's tuna footlong, and now that sandwich gets eaten during 3-4 sittings in the day with fruit or salad, vs 1 sitting.

For me my loss has been slow but steady which is fine by me.

Good Luck!

[Dewi]

Beware of that tuna sub. A 6" version of the tuna sub has 30 grams of fat, so that's 60 for the foot long. That's still too much for one day, even if it's spread out over 4 meals.

thanks for the heads up but it still is ok for my points plan. The footlong equates to 28pts and I have 52pts in a day.

[MasterDLyn]

Hi Melissa,
Looks like you already have received a lot of good advice. Hopefully by now you are well on your way to achieving your fitness goals. I work with people all the time just getting started on a fitness routine and have some good opinions as to what seems to work and what does not. I think we all know what it takes to get fit and lose weight. Exercise more, eat less. But the reality is that, that is easier said then done, so let me try to keep it real for you:

You have youth on your side. Hopefully you haven't yet experienced the common health issues that can occur for a woman at your weight, so now is a great time to get started. Also typically the younger you are the better your metabolism, so once you make some changes you should easily see results.

Going from 0 degrees to 360 degrees immediately rarely works. You just can't sustain a healthy lifestyle by making drastic changes that make you miserable. You'll get frustrated, give up and stop progress. Start slow by just getting moving, go for regular long walks, go out dancing with friends, organize a bike ride on a nice even paved trail. If you like sports, join a soft ball team. Think about what type of physical activity you actually enjoy and just get started doing it on a regular basis. Later as you see progress, you can embark on a more regular routine by investing in a treadmill or, perhaps preferably given your age, joining a gym. The key is consistency. Don't let excuses (or facebook or twitter or your favorite tv show or video game) stop you from being active. Set aside time each day to be active and just do it!

Regarding the soda, the other posts are right, water is ALWAYS preferable, but where is the fun in that? If you are drinking 5 sodas each day, start by cutting back to 3, then 2. Ultimately you don't want to be drinking more than one soda per day and then that one preferably is a diet soda (not that diet is good for you, but if you must drink one at least you won't add calories). You don't want to drink a lot of diet sodas either. Today's sugar substitutes are so good at mimicking sugar that you body often treat it that way adding to insulin resistance, which can lead to health problems later. My point is that if you totally eliminate what you love, you will not be as happy as if you reduce it to a manageable level and allow yourself a treat some times -- you are just more prone to stick with the program that way. I look forward to hearing about your progress.

DLyn