Alright guys and gals, the name says it all....

[285lookinfor210]

Easy on the newbie PLEASE, but after yrs of slowly watching myself go from just a little belly fat to a lot, 3 kids, 2 marriages and a few job changes, Im tired of this crap hanging off me......not a stranger to the gym, although tomorrow will be the first time back in for a few yrs.....my big dilemma right now is diet.......which way to go is the best for me, Ive asked myself this a million times......tried the NO CARB approach, that sux (for me), but what Ive seen that works (and it should as its common sense) is clean food and limited portion control...which seems to be the route I want to take for a life change, not a fly by night diet...anyway, Im rambling....I plan on doing 30-45 mins of cardio 1st thing in the morning on a empty gut, but need a little help on snacks, meals, etc.....not looking to eat rice patties for dinner as this will only discourge me, but more looking for advice of foods to stay away from that is not so obvious such as sweets, cokes, chips, dips, fried crap, etc...more like is the following a diet killer or not....DAIRY?.....PASTA(limited suace of course)?.....STEAK?.....Thanks in advance for all the useful input, would post a pic of my big 280# butt, but really?...who wants to see that..

[TADOLFI]

Sounds like you're heading in the right direction - my experience has been to also stay clear of juices (cranberry is okay), a lot of fruit like grapes and melons (watermelon is okay). Blueberries are good, apples don't hurt.
I would also try to cut out almost all bread - no bagels.
Everyone varies on the dairy. If you drink a lot of milk (20 oz. or more a day)
I would cut it down and stay with the fat-free.
That's just my 2 cents.

Good Luck Brother!

[285lookinfor210]

.....just a few grapes and thats it?......And Im talking about a couple of hand fulls for a snack, not a whole bag full..and thanks for the reply BROTHER !!!

[TADOLFI]

Well my problem is with those damn seedless ones, me and the kids get in to them and start popping 'em like little peanuts and before you know it - half the bag is gone.

I think anything in moderation is cool.
I have to say that my best method for just plain old weight loss was to use
the Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator and try to track my calories until I get a feel for how much I eat for the day and then keep on the cardio.
And I strongly recommend a cheat day at a minimum of once every two weeks...some guys I know do a cheat day once a week.

here is a link to that calculator if you want to take a look.

Best of Luck,
Troy

[285lookinfor210]

....I wont let me wife see it....(we have a bet going to see who can lose the highest % of body weight over the next 3 mnths.....Id tell you guys what the payoff is, but really? no one wants to have the picture floating in their mind)



Thanks again Troy for the input

[brutesinme]

good on you for involving the lady in your goal, the support you'll recieve working with a partner in this is worth 10 times any advice that we can give here. That being said, you mentioned cardio, what about weights. Resistance training increases your metabolism to a greater degree than cardio does. Having more muscle also means more calories burnt, meaning you can eat more, and i love the sound of that! You should never elliminate all carbs totally, this will slow down your metabolism. What i would do is eat a low GI carb breakfast with a protein, for me this is steel cut oats and egg whites. Save the rest of your carbs for after resistance training. Eat meals consisting of protein and fats in the afternoon/evening. If this is too difficult, make sure you have no carbs after 6. Find foods low on the GI. google "glycemic index" and that should give you lots of hits. This index is very helpful, find a food on the low scale that you can eat every morning and not get tired of it, for me, this is oats. Try to eat 6 smaller meals a day, protein and carbs in the morning, protein and fats at night. sorry if i'm all over the place here, but i'm tired and i'm at work, hope i haven't bored you with stuff you already know. There's more to it, but i'll leave it at that for now

[taiboxa]

actually i would avoid grapes since they are extremely sugary, stick w/ sour fruits for best results in controlling blood sugar.

steak/lean ground beef are GREAT

eat as many veggies as u can since most utilize more energy for disestion than they give off, in short they burn more cals then they contain.

almonds and sunflower seeds (unsalted, raw) are PERFECT snacks

increasing LeanBodyMass = higher metab as stated above (1lb of muscle = 50 extra cals burned a day doing nothing)
do resistance training 3x a week if possible

stay away from sat fats and starches/sugars

increase water for sure

[MarkyMark]

My suggestion pal is a proven one in your situation...

75 lbs is quite a bit to do.. The ups and downs you will go through needs the support of a qualified personal trainer... This forum is GREAT when it comes to tips and proven techniques and diets, however a trainer will keep you motivated when your starting to feel like not training... and the days that you say the " Hell with my diet today " Diet starts monday !!! " ..

Really take a look at the trainers in your area.. Talk to some of their clients.. Find one that really cares about your personal progress and not their wallet..

The money you spend on this will pay you back ten fold... in life, love, family and yourself...good luck ..

[bcap]

Hey dude - just thought that i could give you a hand with my 2 cents.

I am first of all going to agree with MarkyMark - look into getting a trainer for a couple hours the first week, just so you can discuss with them your goals and they can make a goal-specific workout plan for you.

I do like your ambition and think it's great that you are involving your wife - the diets in which you are challeneged against someone always turn out the best. Looks like you are definetly on the right track.

First of all, I strongly suggest you look at the cutting sticky at the top of the diet forum, and base that around your lifestyle. You shoudl be drinking lots of flax oil (use BMR calculations to find out exactly how much), shoudl be taking a multivitamin, and if you already don't have protein, i suggest getting some for post workout. Cardio in the morning on an empty stomach = cutters bible. Definetly a good idea and good to see that you have already suggested that.

Anyway, if you have any more questions, ask away, that is what we're here for. I am also in th emiddle of a life-changing diet - the 12 week transformation. If you want any hints or tips, take a look @ my thread.

Good luck dude and we all look forward to hearing about your progress

bryan

[285lookinfor210]

Been very diligent about watching what I eat and the amount as well as doing some cardio (not all that I had hoped to be able to do) but did manage to drop 8lbs......which I realize wont be an every week occurance but its nice to see and most importantly FEEL that difference....just was curious about anything I need to be taken to "help" such as flax or whatever, any suggestions....I am lifting again and with the limited calories Im trying to consume, I want to lose as little muscle as possible

[dr_skier]

at 285 and just starting to lift again, dont worry about 'loosing as little muscle as possible' per say. At your current point a mix of lifting and heavy cardio will probably add muscle mass to you (and help you burn more fat). Just make sure u get that protein shake pwo. pwo=post work out

[bcap]

as for supplements, flax and whey are a must - glutamine is contraversal, but imho, use it.

you need to get 35% of your daily caloric intakes from fats - mostly efas (this is where flax comes in handy). you will want whey and some kind of quick absorbing carb for pwo (i.e. dextrose)

good luck

[285lookinfor210]

Thanks guys, learning sumpin everytime I get on here and do a little research

[285lookinfor210]

OH one thing, what is the best bang for the buck protein shake manu out there??...

[GQ-Bouncer]

stop eating grapes, its WAY WAY to much sugar (carbs)

i used to routinely have grapes/watermelons, but have since stopped while dieting

Start making steady changes not a HUGE diet change. Buy skim milk, have oatmeal for breakfest, stick to chicken/steak based dinners etc.

[thegeneral]

Optimum Nutrition 100% Why Protein seems to be the general consensus by a lot of people on protein choice. Buying in bulk (a 10lb bag) will give you the best bag for your buck. Definitely go with chocolate though, strawberry is gross. The bag should last you between 1 and 2 months depending on how consistent you are with it. I'd recommend www.dpsnutrition.com.

[285lookinfor210]

Wow, its amazing how much fat can be dropped by cutting outs crap like cokes, bread and other processed food WITH a lot of "watching what you eat" and a moderate amount of activity, which is up from no activity at all. Heres the progress so far:

I actually weighed in on 03-10 @ 284.8
03-17 @ 277
03-24 @ 272
03-31 @ 266
04-06 @ 261

Sure wish I could look forward to dropping 20+ lbs every month, but I assume that most of this is water, but hell, 20 lbs is 20 lbs......wife has dropped a solid 8 lbs so theres good progress

[brutesinme]

good job! keep it up! a lot of it is water, and it will slow down, but at least you are on the right track. ACtually, if it kept up at this pace you could be pretty sure you were losing muscle too, so hope it slows down.

[285lookinfor210]

Hey Guys, just curious, is the following meal killing my efforts or does it look to be an "ok" choice........not sure how much the veggies count toward the total picture and would like to know since I have them leave it out just cause I cant stand them. Anyway, I know its not the best choise, but on a scale of one to 10 with ten being a "perfect" meal and a 1 being Krispy Kreme Donut meal, what does it rate:

* 1 Chicken Burrito
Breakfast Burrito (chicken)
Heres the content value I have for it
Serving Size - oz 6.7
Calories 410
Calories from fat 150
Total Fat 16g 25%
Saturated fat 7g 35%
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 210mg 70%
Sodium 940mg 39%
Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 4g
Protein 22g
Vitamin A 10%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 30%
Iron 20%

* Apple

[285lookinfor210]

04/13, weighing in at 258#'s
04/13, "-----------" 255#'s

But the fast weight loss has come with a price, STRENGTH, at 285, I could throw up 290 on the bench, last night I struggled with 260.......So plan is to start eating a little more, although it tempting to press forward with the current plan since approx 30#'s lost, 44'' waist down to wearing 38'' and finally starting to see a little definition in the arms...but Id rather be a "strong 230" than a "weak 210".......whats killing me is trying to get the mid morning and mid day meal in.....but thanks for all the help...still havent decided on a protein powder, supplements or anything else, just been eating small and clean