I have tried and miserably failed many times to stick to a diet and workout plan. Usually starts off just fine and then after a week or two, something happens that completely derails me and then a cycle starts where I don’t eat well, then don’t feel like working out since I didn’t eat well and it snowballs from there. For the last year or so, I haven’t done a whole lot diet/exercise wise. I don’t eat in excess on a day to day basis but do have binges for a day or two where I can’t stop eating pizza, cinnamon rolls, ice cream, Oreos. My day to day eating hasn’t been good either, some days, I’ll have 3 bowls of cereal and a few cookies and live on that. Other days, its fast food 3x. Other days, its relatively healthy. Even though I am not that big, its to the point now where clothes don’t fit right no matter what size they are.

I am currently 44 years old, 5’8, 204.8 lbs of which approximately 195 of it feels like blubbery fat. I have been living a very sedentary (fancy word for lazy) lifestyle and at that this point I am completely out of shape and feel generally “weak”.

My plan to eat reasonably well and log all of my food for a month straight in MFP and on here in order to get my diet under control and have a discipline and willpower to stick on a plan and log for a month straight (something I never been able to accomplish). Logging will occur regardless of if there are any setbacks or binges. I have purchased a food scale. I’m not that concerned with calorie counts and weight initially, want to focus on getting into good habits and hopefully the rest will come as I log, learn and evolve.

Long term I want to change my lifestyle where eating healthy is part of my routine and my overall energy increases and binges are a thing of the past. If I can do this I figure the exercise part will come along naturally.

I am going to try to focus on eating more fresh foods and less frozen foods. Basic foods I will eat will be meat, vegetables, yogurt, fruit, nuts, eggs, protein shakes.

Do not eat to avoid binges
Pizza
Pastries
Ice Cream
Cookies
Cereal
Soda

Eat in moderation
Fast Food – Infrequent and only one item instead of 2 sandwiches and Fries
Breads – This is my crack, I can eat any and all forms of bread and grains and practically live on it.
Beer – I’m not a big drinker but even a couple drinks leads to a drive through and carries forward into more crap food the next day

Restaurants – Avoid appetizers and desserts and avoid ordering extra sides

Exercise – I do not want to do too much exercise right away to avoid getting too hungry and falling off the wagon. I will start by walking a few times a week and working with resistance bands to get my muscles used to doing something again.

Sounds like a great plan. You don't really have too much to lose to feel fit at your height. I would say that getting to 180 would be fine if you're lifting weights and doing cardio.

Exercise actually makes you feel LESS hungry if you do it right. I would recommend tracking your calories with something like MyFitnessPal and doing an hour of cardio (e.g. cycling each day). You lose weight faster, and you get to eat more. By cycling for 60 minutes, you get to eat ~600 more calories. You will enjoy having that extra food. You will have tons more energy as well within a few weeks.

GL, dude. I wish you the best.

You seem to have the right ideas, but I'd caution against considering foods to be bad or good per se. Certainly, it's hard to find many redeeming health qualities to things like pizza, pastries, ice cream, etc, but you obviously have a sweet tooth and it wouldn't hurt to give into it from time to time, with moderation. Having a couple of scoops of ice cream every few days is very healthy if it allows you to adhere to a calorie deficit and prevents you from binging hardcore on cookies.

Bread is completely fine in moderation. If it's a staple of your diet then you should continue to eat it, but make smart compromises. Having a scrambled egg sandwich is okay, but avoid having a 12" baguette sub. Cereal is okay too as long as you limit the portion size and don't have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

As for sodas, just switch to diet. Easiest thing in the world and you'll prefer the taste over regular after about two weeks of drinking them. They're excellent for diet adherence because they blunt your appetite (having more caffeine than regular) and fulfill the need for something sweet.

I've been dieting for 20 weeks and intend to diet for 12 weeks more so I'll be here in the trenches with you. Good luck!

Thanks for the input, I have tried and failed to have an occasional ice cream, it ends up going right back into that habit.

First day went well, I didn't have any cravings and probably ate more than I "had" to. I didn't find myself wandering toward the pantry for snacks even though I wasn't hungry. Just habitual I guess.

I walked for 20 minutes, feet got sore near the end, I assume from the lack of use.

One question I have is how to log cooking oil and spray. The spray bottle states a portion is a 1/4 spray with 0 calories. How does that translate to a 2 second spray? With cooking oil, how much evaporates vs. getting consumed?



Sunday 7/17 - Day 1

Breakfast
4 slices bacon, 3 eggs, hashbrowns

Snack
Protein Shake

Lunch
Grilled Chicken (8 oz), cauliflower, cantaloupe, avocado

Dinner
Ribeye Steak (8 oz), Sweet Potato, Asparagus, Apple

Calories: 2063
Protein: 163
Carbs: 126
Fat: 99

Agree with Renton. There are no "bad" and "good" foods, you can have everything in moderation and be completely fine. If having an icecream once in a while makes you go on a binging bender though perhaps it's not the best idea. You've got to find what works for you.

Also <3 diet soda's, best thing ever imo. Love me some aspartame

For cooking oils I just assume nothing evaporates and just log 100% of it in my calories. I've never used cooking spray so wouldn't know about that.

Good luck. First day log looks fine

The challenge I currently have is that I have failed in the past and don’t trust myself to eat foods like ice cream and cookies in moderation, not sure if it’s a physical addiction, lack of mental willpower or both but from past history, once I fall off the wagon and start having it once, it becomes twice and then all the time and any semblance of a diet is over.

I bought a digital tape measure and here are my starting measurements and will update in 4 weeks
Chest: 39.8
Waist: 40.3
Hips: 42.3
Left Thigh: 24.8
Left Calf: 16.4
Left Bicep: 14.5

Walk: 20 min. The feet felt better today but my calves were burning near the end. Going up a couple small low incline hills got me a bit out of breath. Wow am I out of shape. Feels good to get out and walk though. I am going to increase the distance a little each time I go.

Log – Monday 7/18 Day 2

Breakfast
Protein Shake
*
Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado
*
Lunch
Grilled Chicken Breast
Cauliflower
Pear
*
Dinner
Grilled Pork Loin (8 oz)
Asparagus
Sweet Potato
Dark Chocolate
*
Snacks
Celery
Yogurt w/blueberries

Calories: 1728
Protein: 173
Carbs: 118
Fat: 65

I wish you luck, I've been pretty much where you are. I'm no Jack Lalanne now, but I am in much better shape then I was 6 years ago.

Forget about this as a diet, embrace a lifestyle change. Otherwise once the diet ends, you end up going back to where you were before the diet.

Yeah bravo on the first day as far as meal plans are concerned, but it seems to me that you went a little HAM on eating clean. By all means, if you enjoy eating all this "healthy" stuff, or if you just don't believe in half-measures, knock yourself out. I just don't think it would hurt your long-term chances to be a bit more flexible. For example, it's perfectly okay to saute your meat in some olive oil, or to scramble your eggs with a little cheddar, or to have a roll with dinner. Like unfrgvn alluded, it's really about eating foods that you could plausibly eat for the rest of your life and not be in abject misery. That's how weight is lost and kept off.

Thanks for the advice, I'm trying to make sure I'm not starving as I agree that isn't sustainable. For the weekdays, I precooked a bunch of hard-boiled eggs and grilled meat on the George Foreman for quick and convenient lunches and I made sure I am well stocked on snacks that I like but won't go overboard on like beef jerky, fruit and nuts. So far, so good, I have remained "full" and am eating when I am hungry but at the same time not snacking just to snack which I have guilty of in the past.

I don't mind at all eating these foods, I think some of my downfall in the past is pure laziness as grabbing an ice cream bar out of the freezer, ordering a pizza or hitting a drive thru is easier than cooking. The planning my meals is part of the habits that I want to change.

I think logging my food and receiving the feedback here will help educate myself on long term of what and how much to eat.

Tuesday 7/19 - Day 3

Breakfast
Protein Shake
*
Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado
*
Lunch
Grilled Pork Loin (8 oz)
Asparagus
Potato
Apple

Dinner
Steak (8 oz)
Mashed potatoes
Corn
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Premade salad
Beef Jerky
Calories: 2366
Protein: 191
Carbs: 129
Fat: 123

Walk: 20 min

Wednesday 7/20 - Day 4

Breakfast
Protein Shake
*
Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado
*
Lunch
Steak (8 oz)
Cauliflower
Grapes

Dinner
Chicken Thighs
Broccoli
Peach

Snacks
Tuna
Celery

Calories: 1917
Protein: 184
Carbs: 82
Fat: 102

Thursday 7/21 - Day 5

Breakfast
Protein Shake
Pineapple

Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado

Lunch
Chicken Thighs
Corn
Apple

Dinner
Chicken Breast
Sweet Potato
Mixed Vegetables
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Ham
Carrots

Calories: 1986
Protein: 200
Carbs: 109
Fat: 84

Walk: 25 min, 1.28 mi

Friday 7/22 - Day 6

Breakfast
Protein Shake

*
Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado
*
Lunch
Chicken Breast with prepackaged salad
Pear
Yogurt w/blueberries

Dinner
Pork
Mixed Vegetables
Potatoes
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Ham
Pickle
Calories: 1832
Protein: 175
Carbs: 140
Fat: 63

Week one is in the books. Overall a very good week. I was never starving and didn't have urge to binge and outside of the first day, wasn't tempted to "nibble" just to eat out of habit. Planning my meals (the next 1-2 meals) really helped. It felt good to get out and walk and I did some resistance band work and planks to work on getting my muscles used to being active. My energy level seems higher.

Weight
7/17 - 204.8
7/24 - 201.2 (-3.6 lbs)

I realize this is water weight but good to see the weight go down.

Week one averages:

Calories: 1985
Protein: 181
Carbs: 116
Fat: 81

The goal for next week is to continue to plan my meals and log and don't let a setback, if one occurs, to knock me off the rails. In that event, I just need to log the food, put it out of mind and move forward and not give up. This has been my biggest weakness in the past when attempting to eat well.

Saturday 7/23 - Day 7

Breakfast
Protein Shake

Morning
Bacon
Eggs
Hashbrowns
Olive Oil

Lunch
Salmon
Asparagus
Blackberries

Dinner
Pork
Cauliflower
Sweet Potato

Snacks
Avocado
Celery

Walk: 1.69 mi 31:03

Calories: 2007
Protein: 168
Carbs: 100
Fat: 98

Sunday 7/24 - Day 8

Breakfast
Protein Shake

Morning
Bacon
Eggs
Hashbrowns
Olive Oil
Pineapple

Lunch
Salmon
Cauliflower
Blackberries

Dinner
Sirloin Steak
Asparagus
Sweet Potato

Snacks
Ham
Carrots

Walk: 1.78 mi 32:31
Calories: 2043
Protein: 195
Carbs: 109
Fat: 97

FYI, if you blend up a frozen banana, a scoop of protein powder and a cup of milk, it's virtually indistinguishable from a legitimate milkshake. Pretty good for satisfying a sweet-tooth without losing too much ground. I really like using vanilla protein and peanut butter, but adding the PB has it clocking in at around 450 calories.

First day where I had some evening snacks. No sweat, today is a new day

Monday 7/25 - Day 9

Breakfast
Protein Shake
*
Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado

Lunch
Pork
Cauliflower
Apple

Dinner
Cheeseburger w/ Lettuce bun (no bread)
Peach
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Roast Beef
Celery
Pistachios
Yogurt
Protein bar

Calories: 2387
Protein: 226
Carbs: 144
Fat: 109

Tuesday 7/26 - Day 10

Breakfast
Protein Shake

Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado
*
Lunch
Steak
Asparagus
Pear

Dinner
Chicken
Mixed Vegetables
Sweet Potato
Grapes
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Ham
Carrots

Calories: 1663
Protein: 183
Carbs: 126
Fat: 59

Walk: 2.01 mi 35:14

Wednesday 7/27 - Day 11

Breakfast
Protein Shake
Pineapple

Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado

Lunch
Chicken Breast
Sweet Potato
Asparagus
Apple

Dinner (estimated since wasn't home to weigh) I did show some control and brought half home.
Beef Brisket
Roasted Potatoes
Corn
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Roast Beef
Celery

Calories: 2211
Protein: 168
Carbs: 130
Fat: 119

Thursday 7/28 - Day 12

Breakfast
Protein Shake
*
Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado
*
Lunch
Salmon
Mixed vegetables
Apple

Dinner
Chicken
Cauliflower
Blueberries
Dark Chocolate

Calories: 1728
Protein: 163
Carbs: 91
Fat: 74
Walk: 2.2 mi, 38:53

Looks like you have it all under control

So far, so good. Been going better than I thought it would. I am just trying to make sure I have at least two meals mentally planned ahead of time so I know what I will be eating and avoid nibbling or fast food. Logging has really helped for accountability. I am not worried about calorie counts and meeting a number at this time and just eating what I need to eat whatever the count ends up to be. I am also slowly ramping up my workouts as to not over exert myself and get to the point where I am starving and binge.

I am already "feeling" better and am more alert when I wake up.

Friday 7/29 - Day 13

Breakfast
Protein Shake
Pineapple

Morning
Hard boiled eggs (3) and Avocado

Lunch
Chicken Breast
Sweet Potato
Cauliflower
Apple

Dinner
Pork
Asparagus
Peach
Dark Chocolate

Snacks
Ham
Celery

Calories: 1737
Protein: 188
Carbs: 96
Fat: 69

Saturday 7/30 - Day 14

Breakfast
Protein Shake
Pineapple

Morning
Bacon
Eggs
Hashbrowns

Lunch
Salmon
Asparagus
Pear

Dinner
Pork
Sweet Potato
Cauliflower

Snacks
Ham
Carrots

Calories: 2128
Protein: 198
Carbs: 129
Fat: 85

Elliptical Machine: 15 min

Week 2 Summary

Another good week, outside of Monday night, I didn't eat more than planned and that wasn't too bad, just was having a hungry night. Next week will be more challenging as I will be going out to eat a few times. I just need to continue with my plan and avoid fast food or the like after drinking.

I've been working some with resistance bands and light dumbbells. I need to build up my endurance overall and get my muscles used to doing something.

Weight
7/17 - 204.8
7/24 - 201.2
7/31- 199.6 (-1.6 last week, -5.2 overall)

Week 2 Averages

Calories: 1969
Protein: 186
Carbs: 118
Fat: 86