pucho812 said:
like others have said, reduce, start off slow and work your way up.
Start to reduce intake of calories. Diet changes, and so forth.k Rome wasn't built in a day and neither should a complete overhaul of what you ingest eat or drink. That is the easiest way to ensure you do not stick too it. Ween off things if you will.
From them start with low impact exercise, walking if possible is a great way to do that as is time in a swimming pool. Then can work you way up to other things. But yeah again starting cold turkey at full speed is not a healthy way to do this and often leads to quitting quickly.
+1 DO NOT DIET, this implies some short term effort that allows you to return to previous behavior after.
Extreme energy deficit (dieting) can cause you to lose weight but you will often lose (good) lean body mass, like muscles, along with fat and water weight. After a period of extreme energy deficit, your resting metabolism will consume less energy due to lost muscle mass. Meaning you will gain weight even more easily than before the diet. DO NOT DIET.
living sounds said:
Yes, cook for yourself, use herbs and spices and buy quality unprocessed food (if you can afford it). Lot's of alcohol intake may be one reason for weight gain, but eating energy intense industrial food that only mimics quality nutrients it doesn't actually contain may be another reason.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dorito_Effect
Eat lot's of plant protein (or at least dairy) first. Once protein is taken care of, hunger generally subsides. A bag of chips contains flavor enhancers that suggests protein that isn't there. Eat food that contains a lot of micronutrients and dietary fiber (salad, vegetables legumes), slowing down carbohydrate intake as well as the subsequent blood sugar rise.
There is a lot of magical thinking surrounding weight loss plans, this is a mega-million dollar industry that profits from selling easy answers to desperate people for difficult problems. Like fashion, macro nutrients (protein, fats, carbohydrates) rotate in and out of favor. Rather than favoring or avoiding single macro-nutrients eat all in balance and moderation. If you eat only healthy foods in moderation, your weight will take care of itself. You have the rest of your life to scrub off any excess weight, just stop consuming excess energy.
+1 the processed food industry is all about food engineered to make you eat too much (or more than you need). Read the labels, you might be surprised by contents. We evolved to be always hungry, and to eat whatever was in front of us when it was available, because we didn't know when the next meal would come. We now live in a golden age where we can buy fresh vegetables all year long, and have way more food available than we need. Even the formerly poverty stricken nations now suffer from obesity and metabolic syndrome.
I can't remember the last time I ate fast food, or even processed food (again read the labels), I was a fat kid and have paid attention to my typical overweight condition for pretty much my entire adult life. In hind sight it is easy to understand (taking in more energy than I expend, results in excess energy stored as fat.)
Cooking for yourself is not rocket science, but it is an acquired skill. I have been cooking since I was a kid, when my father died (too soon). My mother took a full time job. Me and my siblings were tasking with taking turns cooking our family evening meal. Some rough early meals, but not rocket science, and this makes me respect my mother even more (RIP).
We have technology now that makes cooking even easier. I am a big fan of slow cookers (like Cuisinart, crock pot, whatever). I cook my dinner meal once a week and freeze single serving portions in my freezer (using 2 cup pyrex containers) for daily consumption later. This has the added benefit of portion control, so you are less likely to over eat. I do a similar trick with lunch but use smaller 1 cup servings and typically freeze 3 weeks worth of lunches at a time. You can use a microwave to easily reheat frozen portions. Since I'm a nerd I move my frozen portions from the freezer down into the main section of the refrigerator to defrost a day before serving.
I do my grocery shopping once a week so buy meat and fresh vegetables for use in that week's meal. I probably spend less time cooking than most who eat only home cooked food. I won't bore you with recipes (yet) but these are pretty widely available. I am now getting fresh vegetables from my own raised bed garden but I still depend on a well supplied market to fill gaps in my weekly recipe needs.
Sorry if this is TMI but thats how I roll...
JR
PS: I do not advocate zeroing out beer (or any food) unless you identify a specific issue (like your uric acid clearance issue). A healthier diet may tolerate moderate beer drinking but a pause until then probably makes sense. You can gauge your status from your legs.
