5'6" over 300#

[exboyfil]

I am committed to losing weight. In the past I had a cheap knock off rower and got into pretty good shape with it until I broke it. I just purchased a Concept 2 Model D rower to go along with my 1 1/2 hours a day walking. Once I get some more weight off I hope to get back to slow jogging/speed walking.

I have to work full time, spend about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day with the kids on their studies, and cook my own meals. I am still committed though. Lots of stir fries using loads and loads of veges with a little meat and currently no grain (plan to add whole grain back in once I lose more weight). No sauces and just a little oil used in cooking. Lots of spices.

My biggest problem is ability to concentrate at work as I try to lose weight.

[dusty trails]

1. Low carb

"My biggest problem is ability to concentrate at work as I try to lose weight."

If you keep thinking about food, low carb foods tend to keep you feeling full longer.
After Drew Carey, host of the Price Is Right TV show lost a ton of weight via a low carb diet, I went on one myself. Of course he can afford exercise gurus, etc and I can't.

I've lost 100 pounds by eating low carb and walking a mile or so daily.
By the way, I'm a diabetic and the weight loss has helped me cut from four injections a day of insulin to usually just my night time shot.
Plus my B/P has gone from a usual 220/90 to a pretty consistent 117/72.

I looked up low carb or no carb foods on the internet, made a list of suggested food items, and then did my own planning for meals.

[exboyfil]

2. Thanks for the suggestion

I have come to the same conclusion. I am using squash/zucchini base for my stir fries (my primary method of fixing food). I used to use brown rice. I actually prefer the zucchini but of course the $s are a consideration. I don't agree with the Atkins high fats, but I do agree with him on eggs (1/day). I love peppers (just not the very hot kind), mushrooms, and onions. My problem has been time to prepare this food, and I had a kitchen accident with a produce slicer and a rutabaga earlier this year which has put me back (scared to slice vegetables). I am looking at getting a salad shooter or something similar.

[dusty trails]

3. roasting

Have you tried roasting veggies in your oven ?
It's something my diabetic nutritionist turned me on to.

I'm not aware of Atkins' high fat stuff.
You mean like bacon?
I stay away from that, and stay with unprocessed pork, chicken, beef, fish -
with low or no carb side dishes.

However I did go to CA for a 10 day vacation and ate out a lot breakfast and dinners,
while maintaining my low Glucose readings.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. The updated Atkins isn't high fat

They recommend lean cuts of meat and fish. Unlike Paleo, Atkins does allow most cheese since aged cheeses and cream cheese have little or no carbs.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. You can make cauliflower "rice" and "mashed potatoes"

Much lower carb, but have a similar mouth feel. Plenty of different recipes on the web.

[JennyD]

9. new studies agree with you that low-carb diets lead to more weight loss and better health

I know there are always studies being done, but the latest one shows that that low-fat trend is actually not that effective and not really great for us. Sure you don't want to go stuffing yourself with only fatty foods, but in moderation, it's fine. Low-carb diets however seem to make people lose more weight and it makes our cardiovascular system healthier. This is one of the articles I read about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/health/low-carb-vs-low-fat-diet.html?_r=0

But I suppose like everything else, too much of one thing is not good. In the last few months I have really been putting in an effort to just eat and feel better and it's working. I shop for fruit and vegetables more frequently so that I'm constantly eating fresh things and I make sure not to overload on any one thing so that I get a range of vitamins as well as flavors. It seems to be working. I do feel better and I've shaved off a few pounds without really trying.

[Mr.Environmental]

4. If the time commitment for cooking..

Seems to be a problem, cooking larger quantities on the weekends and freezing individual meals is a very time effective way to address your problem. I have been doing this for years, and it works very well. The majority of time invested in cooking is always getting organized, so cutting up an extra few vegetables or seasoning a few extra pieces of chicken leads to a relatively small increased time commitment. The bonus to doing this is you can weigh out your portions or ensure that if you are supposed to get five meals from a dish that you evenly split it into five meals.

If you want to maximize your energy throughout the day, adding Vitamin B is a healthy way to do so with the added benefit of boosting your metabolism. Additionally, eating every two to three hours will keep your energy levels up but you have to be careful to reduce the amount of food you consume at these intervals appropriately.

[wryter2000]

5. Welcome to DU

[wryter2000]

6. That's a lot of exercise

You should be very successful. Go for it!

[jambo101]

8. Its mostly the diet

While exercise is very beneficial to good health its only a part of the equation,diet is the main source of losing weight.
Lots of veggie+legume based meals sound like the right way to go.
Out of curiosity what do you think was the main downfall in your diet that left you at 5'6" and 300lbs?