A Never Giver Upper.

Mike334

Mike334

New member
Hello! my names mike!

So let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm 29 years old and 366lbs last i checked which i think was a month ago. so hopefully not gone up :(. I have always been a hefty guy even in highschool i was almost always over 250lbs. I have been active in sports growing up so my weight fluctuated a lot. most recently i was borderline 300lbs with a vegan diet while my wife was pregnant with our twin girls. but after 28 weaks we found out they were conjoined and trying to make there way out. after going to SF California and specialists telling us theres nothing they could do and getting a second opinion just revealed that our twin girls were sharing a 7 chambered heart. It was a horrible time ... and in that time i just ate my emotions away.. gained 60+lbs in months. i couldnt show my emotions because i had to be strong for my wife and my family handling the cremations and everything so i ate my emotions away.
Finally after getting emotionally restabilized months later with my wife and i as well as our living situation. i think its fine time to get my eating habits under control and excersize more. Besides eating i used to game 24/7 of my free time in order to escape reality. i have given up 95% of my gaming. now i just do small games on my cell phone. With this free time i have decided to make a Life change for the better. im hoping my wife will follow along with me after she starts seeing results that i make. I have talked to her about our weight and it being unhealthy for the long run especially trying to chase little toddlers and play with them the way i want to be able to do.
In conclusion i thought to myself i should find some support and knowledge from others i have been watching youtubers like obese to beast and Danny gets fit. for inspiration and information. but i think its high time for me to start my journy! Manly Mike! :p yes? no? any suggestions xD. anyways.. theres a lot more to my story of why i eat when im emotional and out of boredom etc but maybe in due time ill get into detail on that.
For now my current search of knowledge is a good calorie lvl for me to eat at from what ive read 2500 calories a day has been the suggested for my new weight goal. idk about my macros yet either so any suggestions on how i can figure that out would be great! also i dont mind cooking one bit so recipes are great too! and if you have read this far Thank You for your attention and hopefully ill be hearing from you in the comments bellow!
 
Manly Mike:

First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to you and your wife. It's a heart-breaking story and one can only imagine the tremendous stress you and your family have faced.

Waiting until you are "emotionally restabalized" was a course of wisdom on your part. When in crisis or during a life changing event, it is not the time to be trying to change diets or lifestyles. I'm very impressed by the fact that you are in a good place "mentally" and emotionally. Ready to make a "life change for the better".

At 29 years of age, so far you have been "getting by" with a lot of things, that very soon, if nothing changes, (and you know this) will catch up to you. And that's not a good thing. Things like metabolic syndrome, (precursor to diabetes), diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease to name just a few. Aside from very serious health problems, you will continue to have less and less energy and be more and more lethargic.

That said, you CAN turn the ship around! "Life change" is the key. Diets don't work. Fad diets, 30 day diets, cabbage soup diets, low fat, counting calories, low carb diets, Atkins diet, Keto diets, Paleo diets. If you've tried any of the diets and failed, its not you, its the diet!!!

Lifelong weight management is based on a low glycemic index way of eating. When we understand that not all carbs are created equal, that there are good, bad and ugly carbs, then we learn to make better choices that will keep blood sugars stabilized. Its' all about the blood sugar! Once we keep the blood sugar stabilized, we are in a fat burning zone.

One real key to implementing low glycemic index is incorporating , over time, foods that are rich in fiber. Fiber "rules", it makes us feel full longer. It is a "time released" energy that will sustain us. The other key is understanding that we need to eat a lot more that we ever imagined. Every couple hours we need to have a low glycemic snack or meal that keeps our blood sugar from plummeting. Smaller meals with snacks throughout the day will keep you feeling full and satisfied. Shakes that have fiber in them can be a terrific snack to satisfy hunger and cravings. Pea Protein is especially satisfying. High in fiber and rich in amino acids. Just don't load it down with high glycemic fruit and sweeteners. Again sweeteners will mess with blood sugars. So if using sweeteners use a low glycemic sweetener like coconut sugar (just a little). half of a frozen banana (I freeze bananas that are slightly green, lowers glycemic index) and ice will make it creamy and frothy.

But coming out of the gate, before you do make the switch to low glycemic lifestyle, one very good step is a 3 - 7 day cleanse or detox. It gives your body a much needed rest from dairy, sugar, grains, fats, nuts, fruit, processed foods, etc. It resets your body system. The key during the detox, is low to very little, lean protein (baked chicken - no skin, tuna in water, egg whites) for those few days. lots of raw or steamed veggies (no root veggies) or salad with no oil. It's much easier for you and your wife to do it together, as a team. So she's not eating chocolate cake, while you munch on radishes..lol

Starting off the morning with a cup of hot water and juice of half a lemon helps detox the liver. Eating things like egg whites in a.m., have bags of clean fresh veggies ready for each day to munch on throughout the day, sip on low sodium vegetable broth, lots of purified water. You may feel a little icky for a day or two. Then you will notice a surge of energy. This requires some prep work and focus, but the rewards are terrific. So prepare on a Thurs. and Friday for example, to start the detox over the week-end.

Once you do the cleanse / detox for a minimum of 3 days, it will help reset your system. Sort of like erasing a chalk board. Now you're ready to start incorporating slowly the low glycemic lifestyle. You will lose fat, not muscle, over time. Muscle dictates metabolism, so it's all about maintaining muscle while losing fat.

Gradually you'll want to start to move your mass. (not during detox / cleanse) A little each day, then add a little more. Over time you will see yourself getting slimmer and stronger. You'll take up less space and it will be sustainable!!!

Just remember it's taken you 29 years to get where you are. It will take time to get where you want to be. "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time" Elephants are not low glycemic BTW lol , but you get the picture. Work at it each day, and it WILL happen. Over time the healthy, low glycemic lifestyle will be a way of life and you'll reap the rewards Manly Mike!

This is just a very brief overview of the low glycemic lifestyle. It really is about learning and incorporating a low glycemic lifestyle not a diet. Because diets don't work! You can find low glycemic charts online that can guide you to make the best low glycemic choices. And of course check with your doctor, before starting any new regimen, to be certain there aren't any hidden health issues.

Wishing you and your family health and happiness!

Live Your Day On Purpose,

Sherry Hubbard
Wellness and Nutraceutical Consultant
 
Thank you so much for the time you have taken to read and reply to my post. I was an EMT for a year before I moved on to repairing hospital equipment. So idk why I didn't think of looking into low glycemic lifestyle it definitely makes a lot of sense. Any chance u have a link to a YouTube video or blogs on this?

Again thank you so much for your time I loved reading your reply and kind words!
 
Sherry H said:
one very good step is a 3 - 7 day cleanse or detox.
Click to expand...

Cleanses and detox concoctions have no scientific basis and are not recommended, there are many approaches to healthy weight loss, this is not one of them.
 
Welcome to the forum.

I am sorry that you have been through such a tough time. No wonder you have gained weight. It is great that you feel ready to make healthy changes.

I am a big fan of adopting small healthy habits that build up to make a healthy lifestyle.

One of the best things that we can do is make sure that we are drinking enough water. So many of us do not have enough. There are many reasons why drinking enough water is great for you. Water helps to make you feel fuller and a lot of people experience feelings of thirst and interpret it as hunger. Also our kidneys need a certain amount of water to function properly. If there is not enough water available it can impact the processing of fats by the liver.

A lot of people do not realise that heavier people actually need more water than a light person.

If people are drinking calories - then a switch to water will have an added advantage of reducing calories too.

I aim to drink 2 litres of water a day - although I know that the calculations suggest that I should drink more... There is a lot to be said in trying to be healthier without having some sort of expectation of perfection...

While jargon like glycemic index is all well and good - you basically can scoop a lot of the benefits by simply planning on piling your plate high with vegetables and cooking them in a healthy way. Add in some lean protein.
If you started off shooting for 5-a-day you could hone it from there.

Exercise is great for us. A great way to start exercise is by walking... That was the way I started my big weight loss project... Initially I couldn't walk far at all - but I found by walking every day that I could build it up so that I could walk incredible distances... I didn't care about how slow I went and it really had a big impact on my weight loss. I found that wearing a pedometer for every step of the day really challenged me to walk more steps than the less fit me of the previous week had done.
 
Hi Manly Mike -

I'm responding to your inquiry. I see you're accumulating some great responses! Water is a tremendous component, especially purified water. And of course piling on veggies is terrific. Just keep in mind not all carbs are equal. There are the good, the bad and the ugly - even when it comes to fruits and veggies.- that spike blood sugars. And while there are many "opinions" on cleanse, it really is a common sense approach to give the body a much needed break from all the processed foods. (including caffeine and of course soda / soft drinks, etc)

<removed as it contravened forum rules>

Wishing you the very best of health!

Live Your Life On Purpose,

Sherry Hubbard
Wellness and Nutraceutical Consultant
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi guys.... Since last month I've been taking Apple Cider Vinegar mixed in filtered and mineralized water....seems to help with my sinus allergies. Now I'm taking it Twice a day hoping it will also help to reduce my body fat and cholesterol level which is pretty high.

I'm also taking veggies everyday and cutting down on my carbohydrates. Down 2kgs so far. Hopefully all these changes will help get rid of the belly fats and bring down my weight further.

Any further advice or comments (about the effectiveness of Apple Cider Vinegar) is most welcome.

Oh btw I'm new here too....Thanks,

Dennis
 
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