Help me be not fat

[groph]

Here's the scoop:

- 6 feet tall, 20 years old, about 240 pounds
- Large frame, broad shouldered. Don't look like a total fatass but that changes when I take my shirt off..
- I don't have confidence issues, but being self conscious is really getting old (I've been overweight since I was 12 and I guarantee I have the worst sex life on ss.org. I don't remember what it's like to be thin)
- Don't exercise at all, period. Never worked out a day in my life, but I have a fair amount of muscle mass. I'm just naturally big, that's fine. Fat isn't. I'm sick of the way I look.

Recently my dad went to the doctor and discovered he was at risk for developing diabetes. He is now on a strictly carb-reduced diet and has lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks. He's 54. If a 54 year old can lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks just by eating less carbs and less in general, I can only imagine what my possibilities could be.

I know I overeat pretty much every time I eat. I blame this on my parents' grocery shopping habits. If there was fruit kicking around the house, I'd be eating that by the ....ing truckload rather than enormous amounts of pasta/ramen noodles/white bread/other carb loaded awesome tasting shit. When I'm left to my own devices and there is healthy food around, I'll eat that. I need to learn to cook for myself and I REALLY need a dose of discipline as far as portion control is concerned. As a family our portion control is nonexistent. Supper is always huge.

Stuff like salad, cooked vegetables (I can handle most raw vegetables too), most fruit (lost my taste for bananas) and lean meat like chicken I could eat all the goddamn time. I also don't eat enough fast food for it to really be an issue (maybe 3 times a month and I could easily do less). I also don't eat THAT MUCH red meat but it's not especially uncommon. I wouldn't miss pork so long as I get my occasional bacon fix. I also bloody love eggs. My falling point is stuff like pasta. I've also been drinking a fair bit this summer so that's probably responsible for me gaining 5 or 10 pounds over the summer. I've also vowed to be more social at school and I've yet to be at a dorm party or any party at school (I'm in my 3rd year) so if the opportunity arises, I'm not passing it up, I can't afford to keep wasting my time and not developing a strong social life in my early 20's. I already wasted my teenage years.

So basically, I'd like to get rid of my upper body fat (I know fat loss is whole-body, not local), probably go down a couple of pants sizes (currently a 38, sometimes 40..) and not lose my existing muscle mass. I would DESPISE being skinny. I'm already pretty broad shouldered and reasonably tall, so I figure if my waist was slimmed and my upper body trimmed down I'd be sexy enough to pass . In no way do I want to be one of those super toned guys, though. I like how bulk looks more. I just don't want the fat. I'd like to lose as much fat as possible.

tl;dr 6 feet, 240 pounds, big build. Want to lose fat, stay big, possibly gain some bulk (don't give too much of a .... about tone) without murdering myself at the gym/taking supplements.

[Customisbetter]

Good luck mate!

I really should start getting in shape too.

[rvoteary]

do some cardio, and by some I mean run your balls off...and eat a little less

[Origin]

Originally Posted by rvoteary

do some cardio, and by some I mean run your balls off...and eat a little less

+1, I was never huge but I've dropped about 15-20 lbs of fat and shit, starting to firm and all my clothes are getting too big; need a belt on every goddamn pair of pants I own. And running's been a BIIIIIG part of it. That and a shitload of green tea and almost no junk food, and absolutely no pop or straight-up chocolate bars and all that crap. Eventually you naturally hate food that doesn't contribute to your body in some way, it's a good feeling

[Antimatter]

Cardio, ............

and carbs are only bad when you aren't active, try to not eat a lot of them if you're just going to sit around. only consume them if you're going to exercise later.

[Krankguitarist]

Originally Posted by groph

I know I overeat pretty much every time I eat. I blame this on my parents' grocery shopping habits.

Here's my thoughts:

In order to take charge and make a change, a person MUST take responsibility. What you put in your mouth is your decision. It's easier to eat crap when it's what is available...but it's still ultimately your choice to chow down.

If your parent's pay the grocery bill, here's a thought: do some research on nutritious foods. Offer to go grocery shopping for them. Don't buy crap. Buy stuff that's good for you you. If they buy crap, keep it separate from your (good) food. Keep the temptation to a minimum.

Exercise is a great addition, but diet must be handled first. You can't out-exercise a shitty diet. I personally shoot for a ratio of 40 percent protein/40 percent carbs/20 percent fat in my daily intake. I don't necessarily measure stuff out, but it's a ratio that I have in mind as I make a plate.

Fat is not the demon many people believe it is. You must eat fat to lose fat. Unsaturated sources are best: Nuts, olive oil, fish, stuff like that. A good omega 3 supplement is a great addition to a diet. Sugar is a ....ing demon though, try to keep it under 11 grams in each meal. Much more than that and the body goes into storage mode.

A final thought: Be weary of packaged foods that are marketed as "nutritious". Most of the time these "so-called" healthy foods are loaded with simple carbs and sugars. Cereals, meal-replacement bars, stuff like that. The easiest way to make sure that you're not being duped is to simply cut out heavily processed foods from your diet.

Good luck.

[mmr007]

Don't drink soda....at all. Or fruit juices, even gatorade is shit. Drink water religiously. Don't eat within 4 hours of your bedtime. Run at least 4 times a week.

[jymellis]

while running is great exercise, i dont think it is what you should start off doing. only reason is because you are a big guy, you also havent ran or worked out in a long time. that will be bad on your knees,ankles, and shins. i suggest light jogging or better yet an elliptical machine. light weight lifting wouldnt be bad either but we arent looking for a lifestyle change, just something to help you get in a little better shape without taking up alot of time from your normal schedule. try light jogging with good shoes or an elliptical machine if you can use one. the elliptical is preffered

[Uncle Remus]

Originally Posted by mmr007

Don't drink soda....at all. Or fruit juices, even gatorade is shit. Drink water religiously. Don't eat within 4 hours of your bedtime. Run at least 4 times a week.

It doesn't really matter when you eat in the day.. just what and how much. Eating late at night makes you gain weight is an old wives tale.

With that in mind thought there are better things to eat at night. For instance it is better to consume cabohydrates early in the day as they release energy more slowly whilst saving the protiens for later on in the day as they have to be used by the body more quickly

[jymellis]

Originally Posted by Uncle Remus

It doesn't really matter when you eat in the day.. just what and how much. Eating late at night makes you gain weight is an old wives tale.

With that in mind thought there are better things to eat at night. For instance it is better to consume cabohydrates early in the day as they release energy more slowly whilst saving the protiens for later on in the day as they have to be used by the body more quickly

actually it is true. due to the fact you are less active when asleep you will burn off less when asleep compaired to being awake.

[Uncle Remus]

Originally Posted by jymellis

actually it is true. due to the fact you are less active when asleep you will burn off less when asleep compaired to being awake.

Nah, I have an excellent book on this kind of stuff but I lent it out a while ago, will try get it back to refresh my memory. A lot of athletes I know eat protien based meals late at night but stay away from the carbs when on a cut. This helps aid recovery without gains in fat

Basically from what I remember... All food contains kcal (energy). The best food for you is high in nutrition but low in kcals. So the best diets consist of eating small meals throughout the day from first thing in the morning till lst thing at night. By spreading the kcals like this you can eat at like 8pm or whatever and if you go to bed at 11 and wake and 7 you only go for 8 hours without nutrients or energy. However if you have a big meal at 5or6 you go for over 13 hours without nutrients. This also means you're more likely to feel hungry throughout the day and potentially binge.

I try to have 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day roughly 2 to 3 hours apart.

hmm.. also stay away from stuff like white bread.. stuff like that is basically just empty calories

[ralphy1976]

defintively drop the pop, anything like chocolate bars, sweets..etc..

don't forget veggies, fruit and water.

don't be too extreme though, moderation is the key. in order to sustain a weight loss and not feel like crap you need to change gently your diet so that this "new" diet becomes the normal one.

[jymellis]

Originally Posted by Uncle Remus

Nah, I have an excellent book on this kind of stuff but I lent it out a while ago, will try get it back to refresh my memory. A lot of athletes I know eat protien based meals late at night but stay away from the carbs when on a cut. This helps aid recovery without gains in fat

an athlete yes, but not someone that wants to loose weight. im not disagreeing with the principal. its just not effective in this setting

[mmr007]

Originally Posted by Uncle Remus

It doesn't really matter when you eat in the day.. just what and how much. Eating late at night makes you gain weight is an old wives tale.

With that in mind thought there are better things to eat at night. For instance it is better to consume cabohydrates early in the day as they release energy more slowly whilst saving the protiens for later on in the day as they have to be used by the body more quickly

are you kidding me? It doesn't matter what you eat? Yes you should exercise portion control but he is trying to lose weight and sodas are nothing but empty calories...180 per can to be precise.

Every doctor in the world subscribes to that old wives tale about eating late. If you eat and then move around, your body burns calories...if you don't (ie, lay down and go to sleep) your body stores it as fat

Since he feels he's overweight, he obviously doesn't have an ideal metabolism so what he eats and when is critical for his weight loss

[Uncle Remus]

Originally Posted by mmr007

are you kidding me? It doesn't matter what you eat? Yes you should exercise portion control but he is trying to lose weight and sodas are nothing but empty calories...180 per can to be precise.

Every doctor in the world subscribes to that old wives tale about eating late. If you eat and then move around, your body burns calories...if you don't (ie, lay down and go to sleep) your body stores it as fat

Since he feels he's overweight, he obviously doesn't have an ideal metabolism so what he eats and when is critical for his weight loss

Basically, yes you wont burn those calories.. but you shouldn't need do.

It's not really that simple. You only store calories as fat if you eat over your average kcals a day.

So if someone had an allowance of 2000 kcals a days it matters nothing when I have them.

If I have 2200 kcals in the morning I'm gonna store 200 as fat fair enough I can walk them off.

But have 1500 throughout the day, do nothing and then 500 5 minutes before I go to bed at night I won't put anything on cos my metabolism is used to the 2000 kcals and it is all used for body functions and maintaining muscle

Although now we are confusing matters... I doubt it even matters to the OP as he will eat when he can depending on school/work etc.

[kung_fu]

Originally Posted by mmr007

Don't drink soda....at all. Or fruit juices, even gatorade is shit. Drink water religiously.

+1

I cut soda out a few months ago and i really don't miss it. I had some recently at a movie and it really doesn't do it for me any more. Plain ol water can get a little tiresome so i usually add a crystal light flavour pouch (10 calories each). They come in all sorts of awesome flavours too. Plus, no more acid reflux.

Apart from that, i'd recommend exercise (duh). Really try to find something you enjoy. As for diet, try to find healthy alternatives to all of the junk you normally eat.

[kung_fu]

Originally Posted by groph

My falling point is stuff like pasta.

Have you tried whole-wheat pasta?

On a somewhat unrelated note, I've recently discovered that i'm a big raw vegetable fan. I usually only enjoy cooked vegetables if they are part of a stir fry or something. I used to not like broccoli so much, but it was mainly due to how it was prepared (steamed/boiled) and i also hated spinach. Now i'm eating spinach and broccoli all of the time.

[Krankguitarist]

Here's the problem I see with the "don't eat within 4 hours of sleep" argument:

If we extend that into the rest of the time a person will not eating, the 8 or so hours (hopefully) that they're asleep, that's at least a full 12 hours of no new nutrients entering the body. When the body is deprived of nutrients for a period of time, the metabolism slows to a crawl. Your body thinks "oh, ...., I'm not getting any food, I better make what I've got COUNT", and proceeds to burn it's own reserves, pinching every calorie along the way.

Now, here's the problem: fat is not the only source of stored energy that the body can use. It also burns lean tissue at this point. The end result: Yes, you will lose weight. You'll just lose weight slowly, and it might not be the kind of weight you want to lose.

I never endorse fasting as a method of weight loss, and this treads too close to that line. Here's what I believe is a better approach:

Make your last meal of the day something that is small and slow-digesting. Cottage cheese is a great choice, eggs are too, or a small bowl of nuts. Protein is the best choice and a little fat will help curb hunger in those last few hours, but try and stay away from sugars and carbs in your last meal. This way, your body doesn't go into metabolic shutdown BEFORE you go to bed.

I'm no doctor, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but this has worked for me.

[Revan132]

As a guy that was originally 225 lbs about a year ago, I can relate to you. I have a large frame, and am 5'11.
I felt the same about being large, I was very self conscious, and I felt as though I would never get a second look from a girl.
That all changed when I changed my lifestyle, got my shit together, and started dieting and exercising. I know that sounds cliche' but its true. Let me tell you the punchline that I promise will work for you.

I used to do all of the diet fads, and exercised my ass off to no avail. It never did anything. However, I had read about something on bodybuilding.com that I had heard tidbits of in the past but always slipped my mind. I decided to give it a shot. That piece of information is eating SIX MEALS A DAY. It is the single most important thing you can do for yourself to stimulate your metabolism. Here's how it works:

If you eat a meal of 300 calories at 8 AM, then your body will slowly burn it off, continuously stimulating your metabolism. If you eat again at 11AM, than your body will CONTINUOUSLY burn off the food. Cycle this about 6 times, making sure to keep your fat/carb intake in check, and making sure to eat a LOT of protein. Protein takes 30% more energy to burn off in the body than does anything else, do you would be doing yourself a favor.

I did this for about 2 months. I ran 3-5 times a week, with a little bit of weightlifting. I have never felt better. I went from 225 lbs to 175 lbs. Yes, I lost 50 lbs in 2 months. I lost 2 inches on my waistline, and I wear skinny jeans everywhere; it rocks, haha. I also went from an XL shirt size to a medium. But seriously dude, if you have any questions do NOT be afraid to ask; you can do it!

[Tones]

Originally Posted by Origin

+1, I was never huge but I've dropped about 15-20 lbs of fat and shit, starting to firm and all my clothes are getting too big; need a belt on every goddamn pair of pants I own. And running's been a BIIIIIG part of it. That and a shitload of green tea and almost no junk food, and absolutely no pop or straight-up chocolate bars and all that crap. Eventually you naturally hate food that doesn't contribute to your body in some way, it's a good feeling

What kind of green tea do you get? because the shit i always get has like 16grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving, and it's not as delicious knowing it has that sugar in it. do you make it yourelf?

[Krankguitarist]

^ the kind you make with teabags works just fine, and doesn't have any sugar.

This is the problem with the majority of pre-packaged foods and drinks. The companies that make them are more concerned with making theirs taste "better" than the other guy's than actual healthfulness.

And yes...green tea is good for you, but keep in mind that it's no weight loss magic bullet.

[Ckackley]

The biggest thing I've noticed is this. Dieting and exercise specifically to lose weight work in the short term only. As soon as you fall of the wagon the weight comes back with a vengence. You need to totally change the way you live. Be active and eat smaller portions. The rest will take care of itself. If you make it a part of your lifestyle, the weight loss will be permanent along with all the other healthy things that come with it. A soda once in a while or even once a day isn't gonna kill you, but drinking a 12 pack will. Eating a candy bar once in a while if you need some extra energy isn't evil, but eating one everyday is.

[Origin]

Originally Posted by Tones

What kind of green tea do you get? because the shit i always get has like 16grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving, and it's not as delicious knowing it has that sugar in it. do you make it yourelf?

Wha? I don't mean green tea beverages, that's not green tea, though I guess it has a bit of polyphenols in it. Only green tea in bags, no sugar or milk/cream, none of that disgusting crap haha. Only the tea in hot water. I have anywhere from 5-12 cups a day (I basically drink it like water ) and have some water on the side by itself. Absolutely no calories, your metabolism is boosted, and if the very small amount of caffeine in green tea is a concern, there's always decaf. But I like the caffeine, tends to let me run my whole route a lot more easily. I like Tetley the best, cheap and none of that bitter shit-taste when you get to the bottom.

Like was said, it's not 'magic' but my GOD does it help me.

[mmr007]

I'm sorry but burning muscle does not occur after only 12 hours of not eating, especially if 8 of that was spent sleeping. That does not count as fasting and well proportioned meals following wake up will prevent your body from slowing down metabolism.

Remember, there is a diff between weight maintainence and weight loss...he is going to have to shock his system and give it less calories, but he has to do exercise...there is no way around that except developing a meth habit

also, OP, realize that exercise burns fat, speeds metabolism and for some (like me) makes you signif less hungry than if you were sedentary

[CYBERSYN]

Originally Posted by Ckackley

The biggest thing I've noticed is this. Dieting and exercise specifically to lose weight work in the short term only. As soon as you fall of the wagon the weight comes back with a vengence. You need to totally change the way you live. Be active and eat smaller portions. The rest will take care of itself. If you make it a part of your lifestyle, the weight loss will be permanent along with all the other healthy things that come with it. A soda once in a while or even once a day isn't gonna kill you, but drinking a 12 pack will. Eating a candy bar once in a while if you need some extra energy isn't evil, but eating one everyday is.

THIS IS VERY TRUE.

Don't do anything that you're not prepared to do FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Good luck dude.