Weight Problem plus some.. (vegetables, Weight Watchers, overweight, patient)
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Depressed, Anxiety, Aches and Pains, and insomnia (which also means that 6 hours after dinner i am hungry and ready to eat again....)
I am currently a full time student, and Mr Daddy Daycare for my two boys.
Think that about covers the basics. I believe the stem of most of my problems is being overweight. The not being attractive for my wife anymore, not having the energy to do anything..
Most of my "Extra Baggage" is in my stomach area and upper legs. Often I feel like the muscles in my chest are sore or easily pulled. My guess is that this is from all the weight in my stomach area..
We are not well off but manage with school money and the income from my wife. They do make it tough to buy food that is healthy for a price that will not break the bank.
*To make things even worse the help i was starting to get for depression/anxiety ceased about 2 weeks ago when my insurance ended..
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I haven't had a full heart checkup but had all the wires and stuff hooked up and the doc said that my heart sounded good and all that jazz. (This because every time my chest hurt i was freaking out and thought i was having heart problems. Asked him if i should have a heart checkup just to make sure and he said he did not see any need. anxiety..anxiety..anxiety.. anything that makes me think chest pain..lol)
Was wondering if i started doing exercises that would strengthen my chest muscles if that might alleviate some of the discomfort until i can drop some weight?
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Now that you have deciphered my crazy first post.. Any suggestions? Besides get off your gloomy but and exercise..lol i feel no motivation, and being at home all day tens to make it easy to step past the pantry grabbing food..
Depressed, Anxiety, Aches and Pains, and insomnia (which also means that 6 hours after dinner i am hungry and ready to eat again....)
I am currently a full time student, and Mr Daddy Daycare for my two boys.
Think that about covers the basics. I believe the stem of most of my problems is being overweight. The not being attractive for my wife anymore, not having the energy to do anything..
Most of my "Extra Baggage" is in my stomach area and upper legs. Often I feel like the muscles in my chest are sore or easily pulled. My guess is that this is from all the weight in my stomach area..
We are not well off but manage with school money and the income from my wife. They do make it tough to buy food that is healthy for a price that will not break the bank.
*To make things even worse the help i was starting to get for depression/anxiety ceased about 2 weeks ago when my insurance ended..
----
I haven't had a full heart checkup but had all the wires and stuff hooked up and the doc said that my heart sounded good and all that jazz. (This because every time my chest hurt i was freaking out and thought i was having heart problems. Asked him if i should have a heart checkup just to make sure and he said he did not see any need. anxiety..anxiety..anxiety.. anything that makes me think chest pain..lol)
Was wondering if i started doing exercises that would strengthen my chest muscles if that might alleviate some of the discomfort until i can drop some weight?
----
Now that you have deciphered my crazy first post.. Any suggestions? Besides get off your gloomy but and exercise..lol i feel no motivation, and being at home all day tens to make it easy to step past the pantry grabbing food..
Don't feel bad, this is my first ever post too. I usually lurk, but you sound like me about 10 years ago minus the kids.
Seriously, it sounds like you need to take care of what is going on in your head before you can take care of what is going on in your body. I know that is probably something that you don't want to hear, but I did that and ended up losing over 150 lbs over a 2 year period. Otherwise, why don't you start off doing what I did, and take a half hour walk about 3-4 days a week, if your area is too cold, then I would suggest trying out a gym or a YMCA in your area. Who cares what you look like, you are doing this for you!
You CAN afford healthy meals, you just need to be more informed on what to purchase and will get you the best bang for your buck. There are plenty of sites out there to help you put together healthy meals on a budget. To me that is just an excuse to not eat healthy. You need to also have some patience, the weight will NOT come off over night. It takes time, patience, and planning, but if you are willing to put your mind to it then it will happen. I would highly suggest doing some research, and keeping a food journal, they are awesome, and there are plenty on the web that are free. Also, find something to do when you "think" you feel hungry, or drink a huge glass of water.
Also, are you getting plenty of support at home to try to do this? My husband is my #1 fan, and without him I doubt I could have done what I did.
Nothing I am suggesting is new, it is just something I think you need to hear from someone else who is more objective.
Good job for seeking solutions and not remaining complacent to your situation. That's the first step.
I don't know all aspects of your health, but without knowing the details, I would recommend that you drastically alter your diet. You may not wanna hear that, but you are gonna need to make some big changes to get down to the weight you wanna be at. I, too, am 5'8", and I have a history of diabetes on both sides of my family. But I am 155lbs, and maintain that weight quite easily.
I recommend a diet rich in pure foods, centered around healthy fats, protein, and *some* choice carbs.
Eating fat will not make you fat. Eating fat will not give you heart disease. Your body converts fat into energy. Your body converts excess carbs into fat, forcing weight gain and raising your triglycerides.
There are 2 rules that you'd be wise to adhere to;
1. Do not overeat (quality fats are the most satiating foods and help curb appetite)
2. Restrict your intake of trashy processed foods that should never have been made available to the consuming public in the first place. Your body will thank you for it and respond by shaping up.
So what do I eat?
Quality meats, including beef, lamb, chicken, wild salmon, wild tuna, and some other seafoods. Bacon with pure ingredients and no nitrates. Lots of organic eggs, yolk and all. Lots of real pasture butter. Grass fed raw milk only, never pasteurized milk. Pure cheeses with no funny ingredients. Heavy cream with no other ingredients. Grass fed raw milk whey protein concentrate powder. Soaked/sprouted nuts and nut butters only. Soaked/fermented legumes only. No white flour products. Avoid whole grains and occasionally eat sprouted grain breads as a vehicle. Only oats that have first been soaked in whey, in moderation. Sprouted corn totillas only. No chips. Salads and plenty of veggies. Lots of avocados and extra virgin olive oil. Choice fruits in moderation, mostly berries. Cook in virgin coconut oil, red palm oil. Take fermented cod liver oil and butter oil. No "vegetable oils", ever, hydrogenated or not. No refined sugars, in food or drink. No fruit juice, ever. Use pure stevia powder and/or raw unprocessed organic honey for sweetening.
The main theme: whole, nutrient dense foods with pure ingredients.
This is basically a 'lower' carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. I have accidentally lost 11 pounds in 3 months (that wasn't my goal at all). And I have added significant muscle mass because I do heavy weight training 3 times/wk.
I would begin by seeking out the right sources. I can't post links here, but just so that you won't think I am a looney for the advice I've posted here, I would look up the following individuals for sound information on proper eating. Stephan Guyenet, Chris Masterjohn, Chris Kresser, Weston A Price.
Since you've identified the root of your problems (physical and emotional) as being overweight and being at home making it all too easy to access food, are you ready to take action and get motivated??
That's the big question.
Without action/motivation, no changes take place.
Buying healthy food can actually be cheaper than unhealthy food--rice, beans, lentils, plus seasonal fruits and vegetables are the way to go.
Try to locate a county extension nutritionist and get some free advice and menu's on cooking this way. It's not hard at all. If you can chop up things and read a recipe, you can make healthy soups, stews and such. Eggs are a big bargain and great for protein, too. No sodas, diet or otherwise.
No money for a gym? Not a problem. Watch for garage sales and look on local Cragislist.org and buy a used piece of equipment. Exercise bikes are very cheap--and easy on your joints. Treadmills cost more but are weight bearing and good.
There you have it.
--eating healthy is cheaper than eating packaged junk food
--no money for gym, buy cheap exercise equipment for home use
--don't know how to cook from scratch? There's free help out there for you
Now it's up to you...got motivation? Get going!! You can do it. Start loving yourself and treating your body as the fine creation it is.
That is true about healthy food being more expensive than unhealthy food...to a point. I eat eggs, tons of them. They are fairly cheap, and a good source of protien. If you throw away the yolks, there is hardly any fat in them. You need to work on eating protein foods at night when you are hungry, not pasta. And drink more water. There are DVD's out, that have exercise for people starting out a program, I would buy a very easy one, or even watch the programs on PBS, they have one that is a chair exercise. Just exercises from your chair. Most people who start an exercise, diet program fail, because they change too many things at once. And just overwhelm themselves with failure. Just change two things a week. For example, park in the furtherest parking space from the store, or at school, to get that extra exercise this week. And try to not eat any pasta this week. Next week, add two more healthy changes...and the next thing you know...
I agree with Dolphin and Jasper. Eating healthy isn't expensive. Salads, smaller portions, fruits, veggies... all can be done cheaply. Further, it doesn't sound like you are physically handicapped. What is stopping you from walking? You will find that when you exercise, your body will release natural endorphins into your brain, alleviating alot of that stress and depression you are feeling.
-Since you have 2 small children, take them to the park, and do some brisk walking 30-45 min each day!
- Eat breakfast! Eat a BIG breakfast with HEALTHY proteins, brown wheat, brown rice... consume up to 1500 calories or so.
- Eat VERY LIGHT the rest of the day.. about 3-4 "snack" meals like a piece of fruit or veggies. No fried stuff. No sodas! Lay off the desserts, and high sugar stuff!
- Supper time should be a light salad, or a piece of fruit or veggies again. No heavy dressing.
- Get plenty of sleep. 7-8 hours is needed so your body can do repairs on itself.
- Do some resistance training! This will help you tone your muscles, and get your metabolism going!
Remember, this is a LIFESTYLE change... not a diet! You will do this for the rest of your life, in other words! Be patient with the weight loss... it will take a few weeks before you start seeing changes. DON'T GIVE UP!!!
A while back a doc said that my cholesterol was not very good, what should i do food wise to not make it worse?
I do walk often, i love to. (Lately way to cold..unusual for Central Florida)
How do i make myself not hungry all the time? I find myself wanting to have something crunchy in my mouth to chew on often, (hate gum so that won't work..)
Motivation is the tough one.
Whey I weigh myself daily that helps. Being accountable for my weight on a forum helps.
I think weight watchers is cheap if that works for you....caloriecount.com has an internet forum there are a lot of other ones.
For being hungry, drink lots of water, allow it to pass when it comes (it will) and reduce the refined carbs and sugars .... all that will help.
Expect it to be slow. Expect weight to bounce around on the trip down.
It is not so cold that you cannot bundle up and walk. I live in a colder area than you and we can still get out and do it. Every time you are hungry go for a walk.
FWIW, I have lost about 60lbs. In the past year and am really getting focused again to loose the final 60.
A while back a doc said that my cholesterol was not very good, what should i do food wise to not make it worse?
I do walk often, i love to. (Lately way to cold..unusual for Central Florida)
How do i make myself not hungry all the time? I find myself wanting to have something crunchy in my mouth to chew on often, (hate gum so that won't work..)
How do i stay motivated to do this?
--Thanks for the replies
You need to educate yourself about nutrition. There is lots of information available online and at the library. Look at Weight Watchers sites, Spark People dot com, and any other science and nutrition-based sources.
I'm guessing you're hungry all the time because you're eating lots of carbohydrates. They cause a spike in blood sugar and when your blood sugar drops again you feel hungry. You need to eat five smaller meals a day and make sure you eat a good protein and plenty of fiber at every meal. Also, try to drink approximately 8 glasses of water a day.
If you drink sodas, regular or diet, you need to stop. Drink only water, milk or tea or coffee with a bit of real sugar and real dairy products (if that's how you like it).
Stop worrying about being motivated. Few people are "motivated" to get up and get some real exercise every day. Instead, they just do it, even when they don't want to. Also, sorry if this sounds harsh, but if you weigh 350 pounds, feel like crap, and your wife isn't attracted to you any more, what additional motivation do you need? No one is going to make things better for you but you.
A while back a doc said that my cholesterol was not very good, what should i do food wise to not make it worse?
I do walk often, i love to. (Lately way to cold..unusual for Central Florida)
How do i make myself not hungry all the time? I find myself wanting to have something crunchy in my mouth to chew on often, (hate gum so that won't work..)
How do i stay motivated to do this?
--Thanks for the replies
If you love to walk - do it! If it's too cold outside, break your walk up into several short walks and go throughout the day. Don't let the cold stop you. If possible, alternate your walking with some some very low impact activity - swimming/water aerobics, exercise bike, elliptical, rowing machine, etc. Start slowly and work your way up. Ask your doctor what your target heart rate should be and mention any discomfort you are having while exercising because work outs should not hurt.
The more weight you gain, the harder it will be for you to enjoy any type of physical activity. Just doing your normal errands can become painful on your joints and feet. So you want to stop the gain now. That means monitoring/adjusting your diet for weight loss.
Keep a food diary, record every piece of food that goes into your mouth and track the number of calories you are consuming every day. Limit the simple carbs in your diet. Check out the South Beach diet for info on avoiding high glycemic foods. When you feel that need to nibble, snack on raw veggies.
Losing weight, exercising and watching your carb and animal fat intake will all help to improve your cholesterol.
You'll be amazed at how soon you'll start to feel better.
Last edited by springfieldva; 12-17-2010 at 03:17 PM..
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