Wanting any advice people can offer.

Hi there my name is Greg. Over the lase 6 years since i stopped smoking i have piled on weight i used to weigh about 15-16 stone i now weigh in excess of 24 stone. To make things worse i am a manager for McDonalds so there is always fatty food around me. I really want to loose weight as my 5 year old son is starting to pick up me being large also i want to losose it for my Fiancee so when we get married i will look respectable for the photos etc. Please any tips would be greatly appreciated i have tried to diet befor but failed now i have to do it, Befor my health starts to get bad.

Please Help.

Hi Greg,

Glad to see that you have decided to make a change.  Good for you to have the courage to make a change. 

As for tips here are some that come to mind.  Be diligent about counting your calories.  Start with some exercising but don't over do it in the beginning if you haven't exercised in a while.  Add you your exercising over time.  Involve your son in your exercising (ie go to the park kick around a soccer/football)  Write down the reasons why you want to make a change and review them.  Remember that looking after your health and spending some time on it is not being selfish as in the long run it will mean that the quality of you life with your family will be better.  Look into information about goal setting.  Set some goals and celebrate your success when you reach them.  Don't blow off a whole day if you made a mistake at one meal.

Good luck and keep at it.

....Stan

Hey Greg,

first of all, try not to eat fatty foods. hehe. there are lots of supplements now for your diet, but rare are effective. if you want a proven and effective supplements you may email me on kingjhim90650 at yah00, I bet I can help you

Thank

Greg,

I would look at what you love to eat and figgure what their calorie count is. Then take a look at Dr. Shapiro's picture perfect weigght loss book. I don't mean go buy it. Hit up your local library or bookstore. You'll be suprised at the alternatives. I wrote this earlier today in another forum but one of my favorue "healthy" snacks are cashews. 1 cup of my favorite nutty snack is equal to 8 baked potatoes with salsa in calories. That blew my mind! So I got the book from ebay for 7 bucks. I Am gonna ask for the cookbook for our anniversary.

The thing I like about it is it realy isn't a diet perse but a food version of mathimatical equations. This equals this. Feel free to have this but you could have so much more of this. There are even sweets that are recommended or should I say less cals than stuff you wouldn't think they would be.  like 1 cup of sugar free jelly beans is less than 1 cup of granola!

It's not a complete bible but It did open my eyes to do differnt choices.

Since McDonalds is an obvious temptation for you, here's one way you can work with what you have been given.  First of all, a majority of food at McDonald's is really fattening, but not all are bad.  A plain, grilled chicken sandwich (the one that is not deep fried and covered in breading) has decent calories.  It probably has around 300 calories compared to a Big Mac.  I'm not sure if the McDonalds in England sells salad, but if they do, you can have the salad but DO NOT USE the dressing.  You can make your own dressing by mixing olive oil and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.  I used to be your weight, but what worked for me was portion control.  I still enjoyed my burgers and pizzas, but I did not eat them everyday; it was a weekly, sometimes, bi-weekly treat. I just cooked most of my food and used fresh ingredients.  You may even have to think about packing your own lunch so at least you'll have an idea what sort of ingredients are in it.

You also have to take into account your activity levels.  You don't necessarily have to join the gym.  You have to find out what activities you like to do.  What does your 5 year old like to do?  What sort of activities can you do with your fiancee or mates?