Posts by skycross

Original Post by vicki8seekers:

skycross....how is it going to help you quit smoking? I am a smoker and when I started on it for my panic attacks, I cut way back w/o even realizing it, but then that evened out, too!

 http://www.quitsmoking.com/zyban/index.htm

Wellbutrin is marketed under the name Zyban for quitting smoking. I believe that studies have shown it to reduce the side effects of nicotine withdrawal. I am hoping it helps me with my moodiness as I am not a pleasant person to be around for the first few weeks of quitting. I am actually going to take zyban and chantix at the same time hoping for the best result. I have lost 23 pounds and started exercising.. now its time to drop this nasty habit as well.

My GF and I have hit plateaus and debated about the zig-zag concept. We are giving it a shot. It took a lot of thought as, like you, we felt that "over eating" was not going to be easy or make sense. The way I finally got sold was by doing a little math.

If I over eat by 500-700 calories for a day or two too zig zag, that would be less than a pound of fat. Less by more than half. My scale goes up and down by pounds anyway during this plateau.. so I wont even notice. If on the other hand it shocks the system and I end up losing on the following week its all good.

I guess my point is that doing one or two days of calories over maintenance will not hurt. We aimed for 500 over and when done felt sick from all of the food. Protein is a great choice to take you over the mark. We did a protein shake and a big meal out to bust our intake. Was kinda nice eating without the worry, but it will take me time to get used to the concept. IMO, I would do your cheat day on a day that you don't work out to make sure you actually bust your maintenance level.

Hope this helps. Congrats on your weight loss.

Original Post by hatecalories:

 I am just a single 20s male who sucks at cooking :). Jazz, I would be completely lost on a vegetarian diet and I'd probably eat candy bars all day.

I am a 40s male that does the cooking and although it may seem like a big task there are some things that are easy, healthy (at least compared to fast food) that will also impress a date. It's best to start easy and work your way up. The more you cook, the better it gets. You may find that you like your dishes more than meals cooked by someone else.

Here are some easy meals:

Bird's eye has frozen veggies that you simply toss in the microwave to steam. Those are great to start off with. They even have whole meals that have lots of veggies with a sauce and some meat.

In the produce department grab some pre-cooked italian turkey meatballs.. some Classico Tomato and Basil sauce.. some sliced black olives and mushrooms.. and a wheat pasta and that is a feast.. and yes the sauce is mostly veggie. (I add some diced tomato as well).

Get some skinless chicken breasts and add some pepper and a little salt after brushing with butter or olive oil and bake for 20 mins at 350.. cook Uncle Bens Original wild rice (25 min version) following instructions and add some steamed veggies and you are set.

My favorite.. they sell frozen stir fry veggies.. add in some chicken using above baking instructions.. fry at med high in a non-stick pan with 1 table spoon of olive oil for 8 mins or until veggies are tender.. add a little teriyaki sauce for 2 mins and steam up some brown rice for a great meal.

All of these meals will give you some veggies, some fiber, some protein and will make you feel much better than what the BK lounge will.  [All a little high in sodium but that shouldn't be a problem for a 20s male.. and should be lower that what you get at McDonalds]

Add an apple and/or banana to the mix daily and you are on your way. Congrats on the weight loss and good luck! When you meet that special someone and you offer to cook a meal it will go a long way. Hope this helps. 

I try to plan ahead for sure but I end up with deficits quite frequently. What makes it harder is that my gf and I are doing this together. Her target cal intake is about 1400 and with my cardio, I need 2100+ for a 1000 deficit. At the end of the day she gets angry as I am complaining that I need 500 cals.  I am thinking about adding a protien shake or something to my daily intake to help remove the worry. I am already thinking about food way too much as I typically pick the menus and do the cooking.

My vice has always been Pepsi and I am always tempted to have one in those moments. I understand that that is simply empty cals, but would that negatively effect my progress? We have lots of fruits and veggies and typically grade out at a B+ on the analysis.

(I really would like to add more olive oil to the cooking, esp with the veggies.. but the extra cals would hurt her goals. A couple of days ago I went to bed with a 1600+ deficit. I hate that!)

She is overweight. I am not sure why the dr said 9 lbs.. maybe just a goal? I would say she is 5'7" and about 170. She has a large frame.

Thanks everyone for all of the input. My worry is that this may become too big of a focus for a healthy girl. I guess my biggest concern is her emotional attachment to food. My other daughter told me not to discuss my weight loss with her as she would get upset and binge-eat. I didn't know that was something that was happening until last night. I live in NC and she lives in IL so I can't monitor her eating happens except when we visit.

I want to be an understanding and supportive father. This has probably been my most challenging moment as I fear that how I handle this may affect her eating habits/issues for life. My sister and my father went through a similar issue that was not handled well so I guess I am gun shy.

Again, thanks for all of the responses and information. My weight gain is due to love of soda and sweet tea (which I have stopped).. and a very inactive lifestyle behind a computer 12+ hours a day (I have started exercise).. so it's hard for me to relate to her emotional attachment with food.

Sorry this was so long.

Thanks,
Sky