New to the forums!!!!

Hey, names Chad and im 20 years old. My current weight is 468 lbs and im 5'11. I am physical as I work at home depot and have no other choice but to move around all the time.I am am interested in starting a new life style do to my recent and wonderful significant other. She means alot to me and I want to be here for her as long as possible. I have taken the first step and have quit smoking. Not an easy task for a four year smoker. I know I need to exercise and lift slight weights later on but, as for the whole eating part i'm lost. I don't have the money to see a dietician or nutritionalist do to student loans eating my budget. If there is anyone that would like to help you would be thanked and blessed from the bottom of my heart.

Hi Chad, welcome to the board and congratulations on quitting smoking.

I used Atkins to lose my weight and now I'm on Atkins Maintenance.  All of the guys I know lose weight like crazee on Atkins.  Go to their website,

www.atkins.com  and you can read about the whole program and the food lists.  You can also sign up for newsletters and classes, all for free.

Best wishes on your weight loss,

Mary

Hi Chad welcome!

We need more guys in here.  There are a few, but hardly post, so more the merrier!  Good for you on quitting smoking, it's tough but well worth it! 

As for the plan you want to go on, that really depends on your own lifestyle and what you want to do.  There is os much information online that you don't even need to go see a nutritionist if you choose not too.  There is forums for about every diet plan out there.  Mary already mentioend ATkins, but then there is South Beach, and then Weigh****chers, and then plain ol' calorie counting.  I think those are probably the most popular programs out there.  I know of a few websites for the latter few to help you you started , if you decide to follow those ones.  

Let us know what you have decided to do and please don't hesitate to blab away about anything.  There are a few people around your age on here also and have had great success so far.  

I'm excited to hear what you decide to do!  And congratulations on your first step! :)

Thanks for welcoming me! I have kind of been leaning towards atkins but i'm a picky eater and will get into the habit of eating nothing but plain chicken on george forman grill and steamed veg.

Funny you said that because I'm always jealous of the Atkins people on here always eating buffalo wings.  I love the hell out of those things.  But I don't do Atkins, I don't know how they handle it.  I give em' credit that is for sure.  It's just way too much fat for me to intake.  My body can't handle it.  Give me a good ol' piece of bread or rice to soak up the icky feeling it gives me.haha  (just wait and see what Mary has to say to me on this one..hehe...luvs ya Mary)   :)  The results are good though, that is for sure, and a lot of people love it.  And there's nothing wrong with chicken and veggies! :D

Holly...I heard that!!!  Now I'm coming up there gunnin' for ya!  

Geeze girl, what were you eating when you were on Atkins to have all of that fat?  Haven't you ever heard of LEAN cuts of meat?  And what about olive oil...you know, that heart healthy fat?

But I suppose Atkins not done properly would be miserable.  There was a lady on here the other day talking about complications from being on Atkins Induction for a YEAR.  Good Lawd, your body was never meant to be in ketosis for a YEAR!!!  And what really got me was that she had no fruit for a year...not even one stinkin' blueberry.  I love frozen blueberries with whipped cream on top.  That one just blew ma mind!

OK, I've had time to think about it and I'm not going to shoot you...but, only because ya so danged cute!

Mary 

Well now, just how picky are you cuz we have picky eaters on Atkins here, too.    Some of them can't even cook!

Go look on the Induction list of allowable foods and tell us what you will eat, then we'll see if we can come up with some recipes for your specific taste.  Do you like Mexican food?

Mary

Just out of curiosity, how long was it before you started having fruit?  And to your question, I didn't eat fatty foods that much at all.  Not sure why I felt like that?? The cheeses maybe??  Not sure. :)  

On OWL, right after Induction you can start having a serving a day of fruit.  One quarter cup of the following low glycemic fruit is a serving.  Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.  It says fresh, but fresh frozen is the same thing.  Sometimes, I'll cut all of that up and put it in a big bowl of sugar free jello and eat that with Atkins recipe whipped cream on top.  Put it in crystal dishes and your guests think they are special without even knowing you aren't going off of your diet just because they are there!  

Adding carbs can be tricky and slow down your weight loss.  I found that I can't have nuts and fruit on the same day and still lose weight, so I alternate them.  I like roasted almonds cuz you get the most bang for you carb buck, but I also eat fresh pecans and cashews.  I'm not a pistachio kind of girl.

Mary