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I have a confession (long post)

6K views 52 replies 41 participants last post by  sduffaz1 
#1 ·
I'm fat. I know I'm fat. I'm not just fat, I'm huge. I stand 6'1" and weigh in at just shy of 400 lbs. Now, this didn't used to bother me very much, because, honestly I never really had much use for impressing people with my studly good looks. But since I've opened my eyes (with the help of this forum) to the realities of personal protection, got my CCW, and taken upon myself the responsiblity for my loved ones' well being, I find that my weight is more of an issue than I really thought. Now for some background before I get into why I'm posting my freaking diary on CC:

I'm 24 years old and was diagnosed 2 years ago with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, a type of non-hodgkins lymphoma, or cancer of the white blood cells. My doctors have got me on some medicines that are doing a pretty dang good job of keeping me alive, but the side effects are constant fatigue, low grade fever, and muscle aches (the medicine is actually the same stuff your body produces when you have the flu to up your immune system, so I feel as if I have the flu constantly). This is partially to blame for my physique (or lack of one). Also, I am a paramedic in Little Rock, Arkansas, and work some crazy hours (168 hours every two weeks) and the crew quarters doesn't have any weights or bowflex or anything like that to work out on.

My question is whether anyone here can give me any advice for a workout regimen that I can follow with minimal downtime at work, and no equipment to do it on. Also, can anyone give me any advice for eating a little healthier when we don't have much of a kitchen to cook in and are forced to eat out most of the time. Any help would really be appreciated. I'm going to try really hard to turn my life around, I just need some help/support.
 
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#30 ·
Yup, just keep moving. Walk everywhere I think it will make a difference. Eventually you may decide to start running. Buy some good shoes, expect to pay $80-$90 for shoes you can put a lot of miles on without hurting yourself, you may want a "stability" shoe (running store employee will hook you up)

You can microwave broccoli, which is one of the most nutritious veggies, I feel much better when I eat a lot of greens. Spinach is also good for you. Stay away from processed foods (white flour, refined sugar etc) no microwave dinners etc. Eat 100% whole wheat bread (this is different than plain old whole wheat) or better yet sprouted grain bread (I hate the stuff, 100% ww is much better tasting)
Good luck!
 
#31 ·
Following the other's advise regarding seeing your physician regarding any exercise program, I would recommend you stop by a couple of forums specific to weight loss and personal health (as opposed to bodybuilding).

One such forum I have had a privilege to visit is Home Fitness 101 Forum homefitness101.com. Most of the beginning folks there struggle with a variety of personal issues regarding health and weight. The discussions are mature, informative and supportive.

A weight based exercise program using increasing weight levels of dumbells, specific nutrition and cardio will go a long way toward meeting your goals. Good luck.
 
#32 ·
May I suggest on your non-work days you do aqua aerobics or swim, as those activities are much easier on your joints, and you can find them at almost all Y's and most health clubs.

Also, decaf ice tea is a favorite of mine when I want something other than water.
 
#34 ·
Hello! I was the original poster of the thread that P95Carry referenced. (http://www.combatcarry.com/vbulletin...ad.php?t=12500) I started at 265 pounds and am now at 209 after a rather long plateau at 215 or so. But it is now coming off again.

I started eating better, and much less and I bought a Nordictrack and I use it every night. I do about 2 miles a night or around 1300 calories every night. I also started lifting weights, nothing big, just 10 pound dumbells, and I do 100 leg lifts and 300 crunches.

I drink a lot more water and I eat several "snacks" a day. My daily diet is thins: An egg and a piece of toast with 2 strips of turkey bacon for breakfast, then about 2 hours after breakfast I have a banana, then lunch about 2 hours after that, then 2 hours later I have a low carb power bar, then 2 hours later I have another banana, then dinner 2 hours after that.
I am never hungry. Believe it or not, eating this way all through the day jacks your metabolisim up. It works. And the weight lifting has helped a lot. Muscles burn calories all the time, even when you are sleeping. So, the more muscle mass you build the more calories you burn all the time.

It has worked for me. Please feel free to PM me and we can talk some more about this if you like. I would be happy to talk to you about this anytime.
 
#35 ·
I would reccomend against runing until you reach a lower weight because of the damage it may do to your joints. Start small by decreasing the portions you allready enjoy and working towards a healthier diet. Have you ever seen the movie "super size me"? I still love McDonald's, But I get a small fry instead, only two double cheese burgers, etc.
once you get used to doing some basic exersises, push a car. Start with a compact or midsize. Seriously, it uses almost all your muscles. A friend could help with the brakes. I reccomend a flat parking lot. Plus it will come in handy if gas hits $5.00 a gal.
 
#41 ·
I still love McDonald's, But I get a small fry instead, only two double cheese burgers, etc.
:haha: :haha: :haha: I hope you were kidding, because that is funny to me (only two double cheese burgers).

I mean no offense. It just seems to me that the words "double cheeseburger" should be removed from one's vocabulary entirely if one seriously intends to lose weight or just maintain a healthy state.:bier:
 
#36 ·
As someone who works in the medical field, I strongly echo the previous posts regarding talking to your doctor. In addition to maintaining an adequate calorie intake for your medications, a complete check of your heart may be in order, especially depending on your personal and family medical history, BEFORE starting any exercise regimen. Your family doc or oncologist can help you decide if a visit to a cardiologist is in order. It is important to remember that docs usually don't answer questions if you don't ask them. Most of all, stay motivated and find someone who will lovingly keep you on track (ie. no nagging). Congratulations for starting, now succeed!!!
 
#39 ·
Lots of good advice here.

Here's my $0.02:

Drink lots of water.
Eat lots of fruit veggies: make little snack packs of sliced carrots, peppers, celery and slice apples in advance for when you are out and get hungry. Its a lot better than going into burger king or McD.
If you go to a restaurant eat a (healthy) sub or salad (with low fat dressing or a little dressing on the side).
With your weight and fatigue I guess pushups/situps/jogging will be difficult at first so focus on fast walking, and little pushups leaning up against a wall.
 
#40 ·
Pm me with your email and I'll be happy to provide recipes for fast, easy, low fat and nutricious meals you can make and heat up in a nukerowave.
Here's a sample meal:

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups baby spinach leaves, washed, dried
1-1/2 cups MINUTE White Rice, uncooked
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1 can (10-1/2 oz.) condensed chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese



HEAT oil in large deep nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently.
ADD spinach, rice, tomatoes, broth and water; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.
STIR in the Parmesan cheese.
 
#43 ·
General point to be aware of, if you are heavy, as you say you are, running/jogging is going to be murder on your joints.

Best general aerobic exercise and low impact on the joints is swimming. If you have access to a proper indoor pool or some such, say at your local Y start off there.

Most of these have early/late sessions specifically for adults with some of the lanes roped off. This means a lot less hassle when your plowing up and down and it also helps with accurate measurement of what you've done.

This will help you to set targets and guess what, if you get too tired, you stop and float for a while.....:cool:

On an aside, swimming helps not only with general muscular exercise it is excellent to build up endurance, a lot of the time the second part is forgotten about by gym rats.

I can't remember the number of times I heard the "I can press xxxx pounds...I am a God...." Usually that means they can do 1 biggie maybe 2 or 3 times then spend the rest of the time preening in front of the mirror. Endurance and stamina mean that you can sustain the work you will put into your exercise and diet regime and lets be honest it's damn hard work.

We'll see you doing the Nijmegen run yet....
 
#44 ·
I emailed you 4 lowfat, low cal recipes that are fast, easy, low fat and low cal and they taste good too, dieting doesn't need to mean starving and boring.
With the last email I sent a plan for a day where even with double servings at each meal you would still be consuming less than 1600 calories per day.
I eat these myself and they are tasty and can be made in advance and frozen so that you can nuke them if you're in a rush.
I hope this helps. Let me know what you think, I'm interested in how you like them, how filling and the results.

Best of luck,
George
 
#46 ·
Thanks guy, for all the encouragement. Thanks especially to 45acp for the recipes, they were awesome. Any more that you have laying around would be greatly appreciated. Also, anyone else who happens to have some good (cheap) low cal/low fat recipes that can be cooked ahead of time for me to nuke at work can email them to billy(dot)alexander(dot)day(at)gmail(dot)com. Again, thanks for all the support, you guys are making an unpleasant experience marginally more pleasant :biggrin2:
 
#48 ·
i highly recommend walking not running as noted due to the pain it will cause in the joints. as to the multiple small meals is a big one that you should follow. as for some foods....tuna is great. water.water.water.water. I had a personal trainer that said that you need to take in at least half your body weight in ounces of water before you body will really start to loose weight. you said you were 400lbs so you would need to drink a MINIMUM of 200oz of water. Yes it does sound like a lot but if you are sipping all day it will go by fast. and most definately talk to your doctor before doing anything drastic. good luck and if you need any help i am sure there is a lot of knowledge here =O) ask away!
 
#50 ·
dwpa: As "scary" as it might be, start weighing yourself as many times a day as possible:

It's great reinforcement when you're successfull
It helps you maintain focus on your goals
It helps you realize what you eat and do (walk, swim) is having a positive effect
Heightens your overall awareness of the impact on your life

Good luck! I eat lots of fruit, only whole grains, lots of melba toast, limited protein and cheese, and lots of water

Keep checking with your doctor - and follow up

You'll get there!
 
#51 ·
dwpa...whew, you've got a lot to deal with, that's for sure.

While not your disease, I've got Multiple Myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow; no known cure) and have had tons of treatment, including a stem cell transplant. So, I know some of what you talk about for discomfort.

Now, to the point. I'd talk to a dietician and focus on that end. You may not be up to exercise, so perhaps focus on the intake end of things.

And, there may not be much you can do...when I was on heavy doses of dexamethasone or prednisone, I blimped up and could do nothing about it. Without those meds I lost over 45 lbs. in just over a month, and that's not good either.

My advice--don't listen to us, listen to your Docs. Specifically, get diet advice and be sure to heed any cautions about exercise.

My prayers for comfort as you engage this enemy; medical advances mean that there is a great deal of hope for both of us; we just need to do what we're told.
 
#52 ·
Thanks for the encouragement, Jimmy. On a related note, I've checked with my doctors and they all said that excercise was fine as long as I am careful about exhausting myself, and they encouraged dieting as long as I make sure to take a multivitamin so I don't become deficient. Anyone else who has words of wisdom, recipes, or exercise advice feel free to chime in.
 
#53 ·
Lifestyle Change

Hi everyone! This is my very first post, but I visit this great site daily. I would like to add a few things to this topic. I recently made the healthy choice to get fit. I was never really heavy, but I needed to lose some. I also had high Blood Pressure at age 22. This is what really motivated me to do something. I was 174 lbs at 5'8 on July 15 2006 and on Sept 8, 2006 I weight 161 lbs. In total about 13 1/2 lbs in 1 1/2 months. The very first thing I did was join a gym, went through orientation and was placed on a workout routine. Then I researched nutrition, exercise, supplements, etc to become more knowledgable. The third thing is to eat right (Fruit, Veggies, ALOT OF WATER , Chicken, Turkey, Fish,etc). Don't miss a meal!!!! I will tell you losing weight is hard work and much dedication is needed, but in the long run you will feel and look better. Dwpa, you're already doing the right thing by asking questions and building a support group (Forum members who care by answering your questions). Here is a website that I found to be very helpful, www.bodybuilding.com This isnt just for bodybuilders, its for everyone. In all,,,,, Weight loss is a "lifestyle change" and remember it will take time to lose the weight, but it WILL happen. DWPA, you have all of our support, so if you have ANY questions, please dont hesitate to ask. Good Luck DWPA, I really hope I was able to provide some helpful tips. God Bless

First, Get a daily log. In the log write down what you eat, weight, measurements, and exercise routine. So you can see results, which gives motivation. I agree with a lot of the posters, to start off Walking 30 mins, hold off on jogging or running for awhile.

Sorry for being so long everyone!!!

Scott
Arizona CCW Holder
Nra, GOA lifemember
 
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