Question:
I don’t know how to control my hunger pangs though. i would rather be dead than live miserable, feeling hungry all the time. i don’t know how anybody does it.
Response:
choked out these words: I can’t eat in moderation. I tried. I can’t go on Atkins because it has bad effects with my medication (doctor said it would. he might be wrong but i’ll take his opinion over my own) I tried Dean Ornish but it’s way too restrictive for me. I tried the GI diet but I don’t understand some of their instructions ("The diet’s not about portion sizes" that’s bs. it is!) any advice? little information on me: i’m 332 pounds at 5′6. i’m male.
eat less, exercise more. portion size is not BS. if you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. try taking a walk around your neighbourhood for half an hour after you eat. eat one healthy snack per day (like maybe an apple). stay away from excess carbs and starches. if you *can’t* do anything to help yourself, then you may just die being as big as you are. now think of those people who will have to carry you. do you really want them to have to lift 100 lbs each? (i have no idea how much a casket weighs, so obviously i’m estimating.) david
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I can’t eat in moderation. I tried. I can’t go on Atkins because it has bad effects with my medication (doctor said it would. he might be wrong but i’ll take his opinion over my own) I tried Dean Ornish but it’s way too restrictive for me. I tried the GI diet but I don’t understand some of their instructions ("The diet’s not about portion sizes" that’s bs. it is!) any advice? little information on me: i’m 332 pounds at 5′6. i’m male.
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I don’t know how to control my hunger pangs though. i would rather be dead than live miserable, feeling hungry all the time. i don’t know how anybody does it.
You should definitely try something like Weight Watcher’s Core. You said Dean Ornish was too restrictive. WW Core has a much larger food list you can eat from. And you can eat until you are satisfied. You just should not eat things that are obviously bad for you – like cakes and fried stuff, etc. I’ve been on a low-calorie diet now for 120 days and have dropped from 275 to 239 lb. If I’m hungry you know what I do? I eat! I just make sure to eat things that are not bad for me. I have snacks here like fat-free microwave popcorn and fruits and other little snacks that are healthy, filling and low-calorie. For dinner I make a huge bowl of chicken and vegies in a spicy sauce that anybody would say is filling. So there is no reason to feel hungry all the time. There is no reason to feel hungry *any* time. Just eat if you are hungry. But eat things that will help you lose weight instead of hurting you! doug
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I can’t eat in moderation. I tried. I can’t go on Atkins because it has bad effects with my medication (doctor said it would. he might be wrong but i’ll take his opinion over my own) I tried Dean Ornish but it’s way too restrictive for me. I tried the GI diet but I don’t understand some of their instructions ("The diet’s not about portion sizes" that’s bs. it is!) any advice? little information on me: i’m 332 pounds at 5′6. i’m male.
You might try the Weight Watchers Core Diet. It has quite a large list to choose from and there is no specific journaling of calories. Of course you are going to have to come to grips with the basic fact that you are going to need to eat in some sort of moderation to turn around the weight problem. doug
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Medication is seroquel. I take it to help my sleeping. He did explain why my medication would be effected but I don’t remember his explanation. I will look into the new weight watchers diet. Is there a book that explains this new WW plan? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I can’t eat in moderation. I tried. I couldn’t eat in moderation either until I found the specific foods that give me addictive reactions. It took an elimination system to discover what they were. But once I knew, avoiding those foods has allowed me to eat in moderation since then. Sure, it is not moderation to completely avoid one specific food, but doing so allows me to be moderate in the rest. I can’t go on Atkins Since what-Atkins-actually-is is extremely healthy, is there any chance you’re thinking of some magazine view as opposed to what it really is? That is to say, have you read Doctor Atkins New Diet Revolution and are you thinking of a 4-phase system with 14 days of restrictive foods then a progressively less restrictive system? because it has bad effects with my medication (doctor said it would. he might be wrong but i’ll take his opinion over my own) What medications? Doctors are often uneducated about nutrition so he may be missing something.
Response:
I can’t eat in moderation. I tried.
I couldn’t eat in moderation either until I found the specific foods that give me addictive reactions. It took an elimination system to discover what they were. But once I knew, avoiding those foods has allowed me to eat in moderation since then. Sure, it is not moderation to completely avoid one specific food, but doing so allows me to be moderate in the rest. I can’t go on Atkins
Since what-Atkins-actually-is is extremely healthy, is there any chance you’re thinking of some magazine view as opposed to what it really is? That is to say, have you read Doctor Atkins New Diet Revolution and are you thinking of a 4-phase system with 14 days of restrictive foods then a progressively less restrictive system? because it has bad effects with my medication (doctor said it would. he might be wrong but i’ll take his opinion over my own)
What medications? Doctors are often uneducated about nutrition so he may be missing something.
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I started a couple weeks back and have lost 6 pounds so far
Congrats on the loss. Breakfast: Cereal or Beans on toast or egg on toast, etc – approx 500 cals
What kind of beans do you eat? I’m just curious. Ive switched from coke to pepsi max (almost calorie free)
Doesn’t pepsi max have sugar in it? I’m unfamiliar with it because we do not get it up here in Canada. and have now just got me a bike to get back into cycling – im not doing any major workouts, just leisurely ones for now until I feel I can do more.
That is *awesome*. I’m going out to look at exercise bikes today to use in the hopes I can get back into cycling within a year to a year and a half from now.
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Oh stop. What’s doing with you is stupid self talk. It isn’t that you can’t. Its that you don’t like it, you don’t want to do it, and you aren’t really determined and committed yet. There isn’t a magic bullet. There isn’t one single diet that is going to be the be all and end all for anyone. Get your rear over to see a nutritionist or sign up with a bariatric clinic. Give a support group a shot. Join a gym. Actively seek out alternatives that fit with your personality and comfort level. I lost 65 lb (went from obese to normal weight, been maintaining since February). After years of flopping around about it, I got serious. I went to a medically supervised clinic because I figured out that for the actual weight loss portion of this whole change, I needed to be on a very short leash, have some strict rules and limited choices. Not for everyone, but it worked for me – and part of it was I paid my money up front, and I was NOT going to throw it away. I started with an 8 week commitment – and once the 8 weeks was over and I’d lost a chunk of weight and could see this was working, I kept going. No matter what you do, first thing you do is empty your house of junk and temptation, and stock up with mountains of low cal alternatives so if you are hungry, you can eat something without sabotaging yourself totally. For me, its a fridge and cupboard full of veggies, diet jello, low fat yoghurt, fruit, pickles. Then if I really have to have something, I can have 200 calories worth of something high flavoured and filling that ISN’T a 1000 calorie bag of chips or cookies. If you find your eating is triggered by sitting around, change that. Get the heck off the couch and out of the house. Go for a walk. Go to the library. Go volunteer at the community center. Anything but sit around and eat. Don’t overwhelm yourself – make a small goal and focus on that (i.e. think about breaking 300 lb). Mary G.
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Medication is seroquel. I take it to help my sleeping. He did explain why my medication would be effected but I don’t remember his explanation. I will look into the new weight watchers diet. Is there a book that explains this new WW plan?
I don’t think so. But I have a list of their core foods posted at http://lerner.net/diet/wwcoreplan.htm doug
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m0rk wrote, in part: I am male and 330 pounds, im 6′2 in height and large build anyway but my ideal weight is approx 200 pounds (ignoring the stupid charts as I once was 190 pounds and was too thin (sigh … the days!!) I started a couple weeks back and have lost 6 pounds so far, I weigh each monday.
I won’t quote everything m0rk wrote, but just add my two cents. I was about his height and weight when I started trying to lose weight, a year and a half ago. I’ve lost over 65 lbs. and I’m still losing, slowly and steadily (for the most part), doing pretty much the same things he is. I suppose I can’t speak for everyone, but I believe that an active man starting from somewhere in the 300 lb. range can lose weight for a long time at 2500 calories a day. I sympathize with yaj’s fear of being miserable and hungry all the time, but the fear is misplaced. I love good food, but I think any fat person’s honest appraisal of what he eats will include vast quantities that are consumed joylessly. It’s like smoking. What once may have seemed pleasurable becomes just a habit. We eat stuff that relieves a craving momentarily, but often we don’t savor it and the effect doesn’t last long. It’s hard to give up overstuffing at meals and frequent snacking between, but they really aren’t that much fun. Much of what I used to eat was just filler, and giving it up didn’t make life a burden. I still get great pleasure from good food. Most of the discomfort, in my opinion, comes from too much availability and too few alternatives. It is miserable to sit around thinking about not eating that bag of taco chips. You have to throw out the junk food and find something to do. People who are bored and sedentary will eat what they can reach. That’s part of the reason sports and activities are so useful. They convey a double benefit. They not only contribute to the energy deficit necessary to take off fat, but they are alternative sources of pleasure and stimulation. I actually watched a guy peel and eat a banana once while riding his bicycle down the street, but generally speaking, if you’re playing basketball or lifting weights you’re not gobbling down another tube of Girl Scout Thin Mints. It is incorrect to say that nothing works. There are lots of people in this group who know otherwise. The approach m0rk is taking will work, applied over time. It can work for yaj. And it doesn’t require commitment to a lifetime of misery. — Paul Turner
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I don’t know how to control my hunger pangs though.
Wouldn’t you rather be hungry than fat? Butch the fuck up.
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The last time I had chips was in 04 actually, and that’s when I weighed less! What I end up doing is buying health food, and after eating it I don’t feel satisfied. So I end up ordering a pizza and wings, and share it with a friend. When I did buy cookies (milanos usually) I would eat the whole bag. If I were to guess I’ve done that about 4 times this year. I take full responsibility for my weight btw. I can sense a little hostility (most people on the Internet are pretentious and I can accept that.) but I expected worse.
It often takes time to find the right combination of food that will satisfy our hunger and keep the calories at a level where we can lose weight. Healthy food can be satisfying if you pick the right ones for you. How about just eating more healthy food when you’re still hungry instead of ordering the pizza and wings? You could also work the pizza and wings into your diet as long as the calories are within your limit.
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The last time I had chips was in 04 actually, and that’s when I weighed less! What I end up doing is buying health food, and after eating it I don’t feel satisfied. So I end up ordering a pizza and wings, and share it with a friend. When I did buy cookies (milanos usually) I would eat the whole bag. If I were to guess I’ve done that about 4 times this year. I take full responsibility for my weight btw. I can sense a little hostility (most people on the Internet are pretentious and I can accept that.) but I expected worse.
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Yaj, could you list what you usually eat in a day? That would help us to understand why you are overweight. Best advice: Take a walk every day and try to walker longer every day. Eat less but eat more often. It boils down to physical activity and food. In my case I dropped 10 pounds in 8 days since I stopped eating bread and trail mix. In your case, I would not be surprised to learn that you eat a bag of cookies or chips every day. Stick to fruits (apples is a good choice for me), vegetables, chicken, beef and fish for a few weeks. You will see the pounds drop. And buy psyllium in bag to get your fibers.
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My information is from someone who knows more about the subject than myself so this isn’t really my stance. Also I have tried Atkins. You’re making assumptions about me. Oh and you’re right about the link; I misunderstood the question.
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Thank you all for the input. I have decided to go on the Weight Watchers Core program.
I know several people who have had good success on the WW Core program. I originally lost my weight on their regular plan several years ago but do choose to eat many of the foods on the core plan. Another program you might want to do some reading on is "Volumetrics". It’s based on feeling fuller on fewer calories. You might be able to pick up a few ideas from it. http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatcookingtools/fr/volumetrics.htm Beverly
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Doug I’m going by what a qualified doctor has told me. I never claimed to be an expert in the field. I said this so you might actually try reading my message again.
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ordinary heinz beans – i just dont have the whole can and roughly end up with 500 cal breakfast with some wholemeal bread Mmmm. Good old heinz beans. I must stock up on those. They make a quick lunch once in a while but I never considered eating them for breakfast.
236 caloried for one cup and mostly contains carbohydrates. — Diva ****** There is no substitute for the right food
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Thank you all for the input. I have decided to go on the Weight Watchers Core program.
Excellent and good luck to you. :-)
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Remember one thing when getting your bike … the only bike thats perfect for you is one you’ll ride regularly 
That is exactly in the back of my mind as I am looking at bikes. Today, ive taken my mother swimming and just come back from a cycle ride too … definately feeling good today.
Thumbs up. :-)
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http://atkins.com/helpatkins/newfaq/answers/WhatMedicationsInterfereW… that’s better actually.
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http://atkins.com/helpatkins/newfaq/answers/WhatMedicationsInterfereW… that’s better actually.
You do realize that was a completely unresponsive answer, don’t you? The page lists blood pressure pills yet the single most predictable result of following the Atkins per Dr A is reduced blood pressure aka reduced need for the pills in the first place. The page list diabetes pills yet low carbing is the single best treatment for diabetes and is bound to reduce the need for those pills in the first place. In both of these instances doing low carb tends to resolve the problem to the point medication is less needed or sometimes even not needed and viola goodbye any blocoking effect. The page also lists assorted antipsychotic pills, which tend to block *loss*. Hint, that isn’t the same as blocking *low carb loss*. Translation – You are selecting a different plan to experience the blockage on rather than making any attempt whatsoever to resolve the issue. Then there’s the logical falacy of your entire stance. The page discusses medications that *may* block loss, not medications that *will* block loss. It is a logical falacy that may equals will. This addresses your subject line of "Nothing works". You are absolutely correct if you expand it to "I searched for any potential failure mode and every time I found one I wrote off a plan. In the end zero plans remained." But it is a long shot from actually trying one plan for at least 3-4 months, then another plan for 3-4 months until you find one where the blockage didn’t happen. The method is try and see if you fail, not fail and then never try. So you never tried Atkins. Okay, what other systems have you never tried? Care to discuss the logically incorrect reasons you’ve used to never try those plans now? Most plans work for a lot of people. Even the ones you have tried that cause plenty of folks to be hungry all the time like Ornish work.
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ordinary heinz beans – i just dont have the whole can and roughly end up with 500 cal breakfast with some wholemeal bread
Mmmm. Good old heinz beans. I must stock up on those. They make a quick lunch once in a while but I never considered eating them for breakfast. no, no sugar, its 0.3kcal per 100ml so virtually nothing … only trace for sodium too … im probably overdosing on caffeine with it but I dont drink as much as I sed to as im drinking 2L of water a day too.
I like the fact it has a trace of sodium in it. I wish they had it up here. What is it sweetwened with? I went the exercise bike routine before I managed to start properly … its been a nice clothes hanger for a while now ;o)
I saw a perfect bike today but the store was out of stock. 
I’m trying a different store tomorrow.
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Thank you all for the input. I have decided to go on the Weight Watchers Core program. Ignoramus this link might help answer your question: http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/21-259254.html
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