DIETING !!!! Man that sucks !!!!!

Ok . Time for the life changing post .
As many of you know ,I am a small petite man of 350 pounds . I am also about 6-4 . A true magnificent creature of Greek Snow Cat Lore ,if there ever was one .....
I am now 54 and getting testy in my old age and Idaho winters became too cold for me to stay any longer . Also Dad had a medical setback so I needed to return to Calif for awhile .

I always been big for the most part and extremely active . I played some pretty serious football in my younger years and through my 30's and have carried the weight well ,until now . Hunting season this year was not the same ..........
A virus attacked my heart a few years ago and I lost 1/2 of the use . Lately I have these panic attacks that I am sufficating and cannot breath .They are the worst !!!

Sooooooooo , I decided its time to quit horsing around and just thin up a bit . I am thinking of 200-225 or so .
I did drop to 260 a few years ago ,but felt awful for the most part . I carried a 36-38 waist then . Now I am back to 50 waist . I carry a pretty big chest (60" Plus) from years of working out when I was younger .

So I am leaving for my Panama Home on Bastimentos Island in about 1 1/2 months and want to have the major part done by then . I am good for a solid pound a day loss or more a day . I feel I can eliminate 60 plus pounds by then .
I'll be good for 20 pounds the first week and then a slow down after that . It will be done by double 2 hour work outs daily ,followed up with 5 to 10 mile walks and a supervise diet . I have a full gym and sauna downstairs to work out in .I love my sauna !

I do love good food but the really good stuff will have to wait to I get to Panama . That's where I get the freshest seafood !

So what is all this for then and why am I posting it here on FF ??? As a crutch to lean on as I get tired over the next 1 1/2 months . I figure I can post progress here to keep me motivated .

I am also giving myself a prize when I get to my desired wieght . My FIL is flying down and we are all going to a remote Indian village on the mainland by dug out canoe that is only reachable by boat or 7 hours of hiking through the jungle . I don't do Snakes in Jungles !!! I'll go by boat ! It's where my Panama Indian Caretaker is from and it sounds incredible .My caretaker is like family too me . The village is so remote that the locals hide until they are comfortable with vistors . They are extremely shy . They, (the local tribe) already know I am coming and a hut is being built for us .They are an incredible loving people ,which I highly admire . They don't care for lobster much !!!!!I like diving for my own dinner . All the fresh seafood and lobster you can eat .yummmm
So if anyone wants to jump on board and lose a few pounds with me , jump in .
Who knows ... maybe you can even come down to Panama and hang out a few days on the Island .

Good Luck Al! It's a battle. I hate dieting too. It makes me even meaner and more ornery than usual.

Good luck with the weight loss. It's one of the best things I've ever done... I feel so much better now.

Last March, I was 290 pounds and now I'm at 213. I hit a plateau during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I seem to be back up and running again. My wife also lost 45 pounds during the same time, but has gained a few back with the baby in there and all!

We still eat mostly the same food as before, but my wife measures out the portions and I can't go back for seconds. We planned our meals ahead of time and bought what we needed at the store for those meals. We also do less eating out and no buffets (ok, a few during the past year). Planning the meals ahead of time reduced the spontaneous pizza ordering or eating out when we were too tired to cook.

We also walked every evening until fall came and it was too dark, but I plan on walking again in the spring. We pushed ourselves to go a little farther each night.

The worst part was being too cheap to buy new clothes. I found myself wearing my larger clothes until they looked ridiculous, but I just finally broke down and bought new pants and shirts... I also bought a new belt finally after punching several holes in the old one!

I still have about 25 pounds to be where I would like to be, but let me tell you, it feels better and you have so much more energy... even if you just drop 25 pounds!

Thanks Guys ,
And congradulations on that wieght loss !!! That is fantastic !
I plan on losing the last part of weight down in Panama as it is always hot and the wieght just falls off down there .
The Panama girls are pretty down there too and the wife always beats a few pounds off my ass for looking to long ......

BigAl said:

Who knows ... maybe you can even come down to Panama and hang out a few days on the Island .

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If my spring and summer weren't shaping up to be very very busy, I'd be down there in a heartbeat!

You got a long road ahead of you, good luck with your quest!

Congratulations!
Making up your mind to commit to a diet and plan to exercise is half the battle!

DaveNay said:

If my spring and summer weren't shaping up to be very very busy, I'd be down there in a heartbeat!

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Well.... I am thinking of staying maybe 2 months . The air fare is about 500- 600 round trip and another 115 for the island flight to Bocas .
If you want to come down I can set you up with some great places to visit and stay in Panama City and then you can spend a few days over here at the house laying in a hammock and practicing drinking ,swimming or surfing . I never forgot what you did to help the local Indian children with school cost . But there will be lots of other trips so sooner or later you can fit it in .
If anyone else has a desire to head to Panama , email me and I'll help set up the local travel/sightseeing arrangments so it can be an incredible experience .I have a very good driver/tour agent .But thats only part of it . The Panama Canal is a great sight , but its even better eating dinner on the 4th floor of Panama Canal museum as the big ships go transiting by only a few feet away . Few outsiders even know of this great 5 star restauant . It is catered by the old Panama Hotel . Truely incredible .

Well this is turning out to be much tougher than I thought . I just got home . I was arrested in a Burger King because they thought I was casing the joint to rob it . I just drove around the parking lot about 10 times smelling the smoke from the Grill !
I was charged with loiterring ,photographed , weighed and released on my own recognisance . I have to be 20 pounds lighter in a week or my bond is revoked and I go to jail ! Also I am not allowed to be within 150 feet of any fast food place .
Does a Pizza joint classify as fast food ???

Al, I noticed you said you are on a "supervised" diet. Do you have a personal trainer? Tell us some more about that.

Cityboy said:

Al, I noticed you said you are on a "supervised" diet. Do you have a personal trainer? Tell us some more about that.

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My wife is my trainer . Every morning she becomes the drill sargent from hell . We both went to a Licensed "Nutrionist" and the lady mapped out a plan for us . I highly reconmend doing this . They can get more directly dialed in to your personal needs ,than following a standard diet .It was sponsored through our local hospital and I think it cost like $20 per person for our part. cheap cheap
Karen is really good at cooking creative in the kitchen . I am fortunate to have her help . She is a lovable mean old bat .
My Butt now has a permament imprint from the stupid exercise bicycle seat . How in the hell do people sit on those 10 speed bike seats ?? I wonder how many seats are lost up there .I found I like the tread mill much better ...
Strength training is ok ,but watching pretty Bikini girls do exercise on TV is much easier .

Good luck Big Al. After my Heart Attack I lost 30Lbs. Cut salt right out of my diet. Now I feel 20 years younger. And Im going for it. I will not fall back into the old routine.
Because when you are lying on the table looking at your maker you soon will know that life is to short. So good luck Big Al and injoy your trip.
Im 56 years and getting younger

I just found this post. Good luck my friend! You can do it!

A virus attacked my heart a few years ago and I lost 1/2 of the use . Lately I have these panic attacks that I am sufficating and cannot breath .They are the worst !!!

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And Im very sorry to hear about your heart. I also get panic attacks. Bad ones. Ive been to the hospital a few times because of them so I can relate. Thank GOD for Xanex!

BigAl said:

Ok . Time for the life changing post .
As many of you know ,I am a small petite man of 350 pounds . I am also about 6-4 . Sooooooooo , I decided its time to quit horsing around and just thin up a bit . I am thinking of 200-225 or so .

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Good for you BigAl, good luck.

Thanks Pigtails ,
Today I had 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast and about 5 minutes later I threw it all up . I have not had eggs in quite a while and I guess they were too rich . Weight is coming off pretty easy so far . Trying to introduce a little Yoga into my workout now . I need to have my bones removed ,to do half those positions .It ain't as easy as it looks !

Yoga? Big Al - did you lose one bone (or two stones) in particular?

LOL ! FUNNY ! . Here I am starving and your making jokes ...

BigAl said:

LOL ! FUNNY ! . Here I am starving and your making jokes ...

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Isn't that what friends are for.

Your wife should take away the keys to your Yetti and get you some snow shoes!

Hey ,I just realized we have a Fitness/ Health section so i posted this in the wrong area . Mods can move it if they wish to .

Ok . one week is pass ....

The is no comparison to how I feel . I am still waiting for the new wiegh scales to arrive so I can get a accurate wieght loss without stopping at the local feed store to weigh in .
2" is gone from my waist .My shirts are really loose !
I started to jog this morning . I have a fused back and had not been able to do that because the pounding my spine took with each step .
Yoga is much harder than I imagined . You got to be a really twisted person to do some of those moves . I can really feel a difference in the back pain level now . Sleep is getting much better .

Actual food intake is about 1000 calories a day .I really enjoy the food Karen is preparing . Lots of water . The toilet is my friend .

So did I lose that magical 20 Pounds ???? I think so ,but only will know for sure when the new scale arrives . Hopefully today .

I am hoping for a wieght loss of 10 plus pounds this coming week as we increase the workouts ,walking/jogging ,strenght training , and yoga .

I really do not want my chest any bigger than it is (58) ,so I am trying not to work it out too much on my upper body strength . In the old days my chest was 48 and my waist was 36 . That made it a pain to fine shirts that fit . Almost all had to be custom tailored .Hoping I can get it down to a 44 chest or so .
See ya next week !

Keep up the great trend!

Maybe post some of the recipes too?

Congrats Al. Good job. You are off to a good start.
How does yoga fit into the picture? Is it for calming or does it help with weight loss?

Doc said:

Congrats Al. Good job. You are off to a good start.
How does yoga fit into the picture? Is it for calming or does it help with weight loss?

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I think it is a little of both actually . It reallys makes me concentrate on my breathing more. It can be very calming toward the end of the exercise . Most moves I cannot even do correctly because they are so complicated and I am not limber enough at this time . It may take months before I can do some of these moves right and thats if I work everyday at it . I am a "Big Ole Football type of dude " and I gotta tell you ,this is tougher than you think . I can do one move really well . My wife said I have been able to stick my head up my butt for years ! I'm learnin...

This is a GREAT post Al! I only wish the best. I just dropped 30 and have no intentions of going back either. My thing was finding that one thing that I really enjoyed doing, and realizing how much easier it was after losing weight. Yoga is an AWESOME idea. As the pounds drop you will really see the advantages. I'm not very flexible either. I've really been working on it.
With every pound comes a new day of getting back to being the you that you miss. Not to sound sappy, but I honestly believe that. I am so much happier now. I'm only 5'9 and started off at 212. My walk around weight is around 180 now. Got rid of my old clothes so I didn't have a fall back! haha
I do tournaments where I have to weigh in. Being lighter is an advantage for me then, so I really don't want to put anything back on. That is my incentive and it really works. It's not really work anymore.
KEEP IT UP BROTHER!!!! I feel your pain, but even better, I see where you are going!!!!!!!!! It's worth the tough trip.

UPDate:


Hello my name is Allen.
I am fat . I am very fat.
I have a monkey eating food on my back .
It is not because of some eating disorder caused by my parents who might have spanked me when I was little and misbehaving .
I just love good food .
I need help.


OK! I was practicing for my "group therapy meeting" later today !

Well ,The new scales showed up yesterday afternoon and I hopped on them this morning . I was hoping for 20 pounds the first week . Today is the 10th day of my new lifestyle .
I have lost 26 pounds !

I feel better already and after 20 years have started jogging again . As I jog by people come out of their homes thinking a earthquake hit .



Don't bust my bubble Guys ....... I already know the first week is a lot of water loss too , but it still feels good .

Congratulations.

Someone asked about posting a few recipes for what I am eating to lose wieght . This is what I had for dinner tonight .

Its off the "Real Simple" website .

There's no reason to eat cardboard tasting food to lose weight anymore . With a nice big green salad this is one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time ,Diet or NO DIET!! And the total calorie intake was under 400 to boot . The wife has used many recipes from this site and they have all been GREAT!!
I am still averaging 800 - 1000 calories a day with no hunger at all !








Fiery "Fried" Chicken </IMG>

1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce (found in the international aisle of most supermarkets)
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons canola oil

Heat oven to 450° F.

In a large bowl, combine the chili-garlic sauce and pineapple juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the oil. Working with 1 piece at a time, coat the chicken in the bread crumb mixture and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

writeNutrient();NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 310(38% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 2g); SUGAR 2g; PROTEIN 40g; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; SODIUM 438mg; FIBER 0g; CARBOHYDRATE 7g

Wow, that sure sounds good Al.
800 to 1000 calories a day. Not sure I could do that but I know I need to. I'm working at dropping 30 lbs so thanks for the website and recipes. I was thinking of asking what you were eating for the 1000 calories, but didn't want to pry. I thought it might be 10 bud lights or something like that.

Seriously, good job Al, you are on the way and you are giving me incentive showing that it can be done.
Have you ever watched the biggest loser? I never have but wondered if that helped or inspired you?

Doc said:

. Have you ever watched the biggest loser? I never have but wondered if that helped or inspired you?

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Doc ,
I actually do watch the biggest loser and do enjoy seeing the contestants change shape each week .

My wife /trainer takes great care to make really good meals that keep my total 800 - 1000 calories a day . Combined that with my workouts, walking/jogging and yoga and the weight is quickly disappearing. I am not starving myself , that is for sure . Here is a typical daily diet :

Breakfast:
Cereral hot or cold ,juice,decaf hot tea. I can substitute eggs and turkey bacon if I wish too . I like cereral !

Lunch:
Yesterday was a spicy Turkey Italian sauage sandwich ,salad, water to drink.

Dinner :
Fresh Sea Bass Broiled in a olive /tomato sauce serve with Maple flavored Green Beans topped with sliced almonds, green salad and water to drink .

That day was about a 800 calorie total !

That still leaves room for a personal snack of 100 calorie popcorn if I want .

It's funny how I just came back to my desk and found this after seeing a sign on the front office door about a company wide weight loss contest. I certainly don't need to lose weight, but I would certainly love to change the density back to what it was. I once had 185 lbs on my 5'10" frame, but was lift 4 days a week back then.... I have been tryin to make a better effort to get back into better shape over all. My wife and I were walking 4 miles a day in the sand at home last summer until I had my shoulder surgery.

Good luck and keep up the good work! I will certainly be supporting you!

BigAl said:

Doc ,
I actually do watch the biggest loser and do enjoy seeing the contestants change shape each week .

My wife /trainer takes great care to make really good meals that keep my total 800 - 1000 calories a day . Combined that with my workouts, walking/jogging and yoga and the weight is quickly disappearing. I am not starving myself , that is for sure . Here is a typical daily diet :

Breakfast:
Cereral hot or cold ,juice,decaf hot tea. I can substitute eggs and turkey bacon if I wish too . I like cereral !

Lunch:
Yesterday was a spicy Turkey Italian sauage sandwich ,salad, water to drink.

Dinner :
Fresh Sea Bass Broiled in a olive /tomato sauce serve with Maple flavored Green Beans topped with sliced almonds, green salad and water to drink .

That day was about a 800 calorie total !

That still leaves room for a personal snack of 100 calorie popcorn if I want .

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Good Job.. Keep it up.. Now if I could get Mtn Topper to eat fish and chicken..hmmm.