So, A couple weeks ago I had a wisdom tooth removed. As part of the process they did the blood pressure pressure reading. The number weren’t good, I am on the very upper border line before it becomes a real issue. It doesn’t take much of a detective to find the cause, I am really fat.
The solution therefore is equally obvious, lose weight. This thread is not a sob story about how hard it is to lose weight. This thread is about how weird it is for me to lose weight. I have an odd body system. I really am not hungry very often. I usually eat for the pleasure of eating, I love the taste of certain foods, which happen to be unhealthy. I love pizza. I love a bacon cheeseburger. I love Fettuccine Alfredo, Pie and hot wings. I also love beer. You get the picture. Not eating those things sucks. But seemingly unlike every other fat person getting healthy, I am not really hungry. It is fairly common(like once or twice a month) for me under non getting healthy conditions. to get into bed and realize that I never got around to eating that day. Some times two days, and I have ended up camping for 3 or four days without food and didn’t have much of a hunger problem.
Wherein lies the problem. Getting healthy is about something more than simply losing weight. I am sitting here thinking about how much I would love a bacon cheese burger, or pizza but for the taste. But at the moment I have no interest in eating anything healthy, gimme fat or gimme nothing. For the first couple days I did grilled chicken breast, grilled fish and veggies, and it was good. But the taste got old and now I really have no interest in eating if it doesn’t hit the taste I want.
I may be the only person on Earth who can accidentally put themselves on a starvation diet and not notice. I did it in college once. I decided to get in shape and started skipping unhealthy food, and exercising a lot. I did lose an absurd amount of weight in one month. I only really noticed at the end of the month when checking my budget. Money was tight, like all college students, but at the end of the month I had substantially more money than I expected. After frantically checking which bill I had forgotten to pay I found the root of it. I hadn’t spent anything on food all month really. I had accidentally put my self on around a 400 calorie a day diet without intending to or being aware of it. It is amazing to me that something that unhealthy for my body went on and my body never warned me about it.
And the beer thing. I love the taste of beer. And I love the camaraderie of the Bar. I have lots of friends there and really don’t end up buying my own beer that often. And I drink a lot while I’m there. Strangely I have also given up drinking for the sake of drinking without noticing it. I havn’t drunk at home in over 6 months, and I have no desire to. But I do love the bar and go most days. I have tried the going to the bar and drinking iced-tea thing, and it just feels too wierd, I don’t enjoy it. And a lot of needless Calories for me were coming from beer.
I havn’t gone in a week, and it’s not an issue alcoholwise. but I do miss the people. The major factor in my social life is gone suddenly.
So I am sitting here doing the abstract calculations of losing weight health vs. overall health vs mental health vs social health, and what may be replacements for other things and what I am being honest with myself about or not. Hoping that I can figure out a perfect balance as though it is all a simple equation that I can just plug numbers into and go forward in mathematically exact health harmony.
Well losing weight isn’t easy, if it was everyone would be thin.
You’re at the “I just can’t see how it’s possible to lose weight, when I LOVE food so much.”
And food IS good.
But you didn’t get fat overnight (though it seems like it only took one box of Twinkies to do it) so you won’t get thin overnight either.
The trick is learning to substitute better choices of food.
Yes there is nothing like Fettuccine Alfredo it is great. But it is a once or twice a year food. You can find better every day choices. Of course you won’t like them as much but they’ll get the job done.
Once you work out the details you’ll find it easier and find your Fettuccine Alfredo tastes better as a once in awhile thing.
When you first look in the mirror and see yourself fat and think, “How did this happen,” or “I’ll never lose it” it’s a bit undaunting, but just break it down little by little.
Start with improving your food choices and set little goals. Ten pounds in two months for example.
When I was 29 I realized I’d balooned up to 230 lbs (and, same on chloresterol). I chose exercise as my route to losing the 50 lbs, precisely because I knew an all-at-once diet change was a non-starter for me.
It’s been 12 years, and I still weigh 175 (chloresterol is lower, too) (and low blodo pressure. and low heart rate). Back then, I used to crave my weekly (or, bi-weekly) McDonald’s binge. It’s been years since I’ve eaten any McD’s. But I didn’t do it all at once. Small changes: I cut way back on sodas, first. Then tapered off the fast food. Started working in healthier foods like fish, more veggies, etc. Found new favorites in the process (roast cauliflower, yum!).
Don’t go cold-turkey on the yummy, fatty foods. But start cutting back on them – maybe, grilled chicken/fish every other day. And maybe alternate with a pizza slice and a salad, or something.
And adding in exercise would only help.
edit: Also, I don’t drink, either. I’m allergic to the beer hops, apparently. When I go to the bars, I order soda, or water. No one knows – or cares – that I’m not drinking beer.
I did get tagged as designated driver a lot, though.
Oh but they have. A dab of butter + Bacon Salt and you’re all set.
At any rate, you can lose weight while eating lots of fat. That’s basically how low-carb dieting plans work, of course you do eat lots of high fiber veggies as well (and, you know, stop eating starches/sugars). So, fettucine Alfredo wouldn’t work out, but only because of the fettucine. You could put the sauce over Spagetti Squash and be all set. You might want to check out Atkins and see if its something you are interested in trying. (READ THE BOOK - don’t rely on the internet , there are many misconceptions.)
Well. not that anybody really was sitting on the edge of the chair waiting for an update but here it is anyway.
so far.
Three months into my new lifestyle plan and I’m fairly pleased. I finshed my calulations once things got nice and rational instead or scary and new. I realized I was thinking way overestimating what was required at first.
At least when you are at the far end of unhealthy, healthier isn’t all that hard. Only drinking once ever 2 weeks and a treat myself meal once a week. Subway is a real savior for me.
But 25 pounds melted off nice and steady over 3 three months, and it really wasn’t nearly as hard as I had feared. Hopefully the next three month stretch goes as smoothly.
Thank you. there were also a couple lucky breaks. I was reading as much health information as possible, and had a couple “well duh” moments. Like some recommendations about whole grains like brown rice. and it occurred to me; I like brown rice. It has more interesting taste and texture, why exactly have I been eating white rice with my stir frys all this time?
I’m not sure why brown rice costs more than white, considering the main difference is they have to do less processing :mad:. But oh well.
I haven’t found any in the local grocery stores. There is a Asian place about 8 miles away that should have it, but seems to be hit by rice hoarding. When I went there the only brown rice was 1 pound bags, and 60 pound bags with a bunch of empty shelves between.
Not sure if you figured out your bar thing. One thing you can do is alternate a beer with a glass of water. Should cut your bar tab and amount of beers in half and you won’t feel odd doing it. I often get both at the same time and then you can drink a few sips of beer, then switch to water, then back to beer…great way to nurse a beer for awhile. Continued good luck on the getting healthier thing!
I’ve actually been told by my doctor that so long as you don’t eat like, half a pizza in a night it actually has a fairly good nutrition (fat/carb/protein) distribution, and with the right toppings you can get a nice compliment of vitamins too. I eat pizza often (not every day, but maybe once every two weeks) and I’m in the 130-140 range (a little below “ideal” but well above underweight). That isn’t to say you should exclusively eat pizza, or that you shouldn’t cut down, but it’s not evil like some people make it out to be. And before you ask, my cholesterol isn’t off the charts or anything either, I’m not perfectly healthy (I’m getting the equipment for my chosen exercises right now), but I’m not unhealthy either.
Either way, remember, if you do want to avoid fat as much as you can, low fat, not no fat. No fat can cause hair loss and other issues, I’ve seen it on people who go on some misguided diets.
Granted this is complimented by the fact that every weekday I walk to school (sometimes multiple times back and forth) and the very edge of campus is about 1.8 miles away, and two of those days I go up and down 8 flights of particularly steep stairs.
so far.