Fast food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ekalf33]

So I work at an Arby's as a manager, so I get free meals there, and working in fast food requires that I work during lunch time and I DO NOT have the time to eat between the hours of 11 and 1:30, and 5 through 8. Do you guys have any ideas on what I could eat and when so that it would help me lose weight? When I first started here I lost 13 lbs but have gained it all back and then some since. (Any tricks to keep yourself motivated would be nice)I have heard here that shakes are no good, so what are some more options? I hate sounding like I'm desprete, and a noobie but I figured it couldn't hurt.!
thanks

[cassiegose]

Hmmm what if you did something like this for meal timing:
(Not sure what time you get up so we might need to play with this)
Meal 1 (7:45): complex carb, lean protein
Meal 2: (10:45): lean protein, fruit, healthy fat
Meal 3: (1:45): lean protein, starchy complex carb, veggies
Meal 4: (4:45): lean protein, veggies, healthy fat
Meal 5: (8): lean protein, veggies, healthy fat
Meal 6: (10-11 if you stay up that late and are still hungry): lean protien, veggies

The shifts when you can't eat are 3 hours long so if you ate right before the shift and right after then you should be ok as you'd be going around 3 hours between meals. If that meal timing doesn't work you could always snack on things like jerky, low fat cheese sticks, nuts, lean meat (i'd be taking advantage of any grilled chicken or lunch meat that Arbys has to offer!). If nothing else works then go for the protein shake. I hate to see people rely on these too much, however if its a matter of choosing between a protein shake or going 4, 5,6 hours without eating definitely just grab the protein shake so you can get some nutrients in your system.

Hope this helps.

Cassie

[cassiegose]

Ran out of time yesterday so didnt answer the motivation part.

A few questions for you...

What are you goals? What do you want to change about your body and/or lifestyle? Why do you want to change these things? How would changing these things improve your life?

I can tell you from experience that if you are overweight and are currently eating unheathily and not working then changing out diet and beginning an exercise program will change ALL aspects of your life. If you are overweight, you will begin to lose the weight and your body will change in appearance. You will have a better self esteem and more confidence. People around you will pick up on that newfound confidence and most likely change the way they see you (personally I would MUCH rather spend time with a confident person as opposed to somebody with low self esteem). A healthy diet will give you more energy and that energy will be reflected in your work and home life. You'll feel great both mentally and physically... which is great becuase you can take that newfound energy into the gym to further improve your physique, attitude, and mental well being (exercise helps with things like anxiety, stress, depression, and a wide variety of other issues). Lastly, your healthy diet and exercise program will help to prevent things like diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and will most likely prolong your life.

If these reasons aren't enough to keep you motivated then strip down to your undies and take a few pictures of yourself. Hang these pictures around your house and put them in places where you will be forced to look at them on a daily basis. This should keep you reminded of your goals.

Ulimately the motivation things starts and ends with you. If you want to meet your goals bad enough then you will find a way to do so. End of story. Nobody can do this for you, we can help you along the way but it really is up to you to meet your goals.

Good luck!

Cassie

[ekalf33]

Thank you Cassie for the wonderfull advise, after taking a little time to think about why I want to do this I came to the conclusion that I need to do this for me, future kids, wife and to bring some change into life. I spent two years in new york on a mission for church and I got to 190 lbs down from 230 so I have done it before and I need to do it again and stay that way. How long do you think that it should take for me to healthly drop 30Lbs? I have read some of the success stories and some seemed really long and others really short, I have also read a couple of threads about not deiting too much cause of starvation mode. kind of a personal question, but why did you make the change in your life or have you always had a healthy lifestye?

[cassiegose]

Thank you Cassie for the wonderfull advise, after taking a little time to think about why I want to do this I came to the conclusion that I need to do this for me, future kids, wife and to bring some change into life. I spent two years in new york on a mission for church and I got to 190 lbs down from 230 so I have done it before and I need to do it again and stay that way. How long do you think that it should take for me to healthly drop 30Lbs? I have read some of the success stories and some seemed really long and others really short, I have also read a couple of threads about not deiting too much cause of starvation mode. kind of a personal question, but why did you make the change in your life or have you always had a healthy lifestye?

You're very welcome. I'm happy to help in any way I can!

As for asking me personal questions... ask away friend! I'm an open book! However, I must admit that story is kind of a long one so i'll try to sum it up. I would brought up in a household where we ate healthy but quite a bit of attention was paid to weight and appearance. I was always athletic (dad was a track and cross country coach so didn't really have a choice) but was also blessed with a rounder figure. By 16 there was a lot going on in life (parents moved me to a new school) and without knowing how to deal i turned to food... although instead of eating more I decided to lose some weight hoping that that would help me "fit in". From the age of 16 to 17 I went from a healthy 140lbs to 98. At 98lbs dad told me that i needed to get better or he was going to send me away. Sooo get better I did. While I still battled with , over the next few years I gained some weight and learned how to manage body in a healthier way. I did an immense amount of studying and learned how to eat healthy and use exercise to control weight. Not saying that there weren't struggles along the way... there definitely were... however I eventually did (for the most part) put those issues behind me. I guess I could say that i have been exercising and eating well now for about the past 6 years or so... although in that time there have definitely been highs and lows. Regarding recent transformation... last winter I was finishing up bachelors degree while working a full time and part time job. Even though i was still eating healthy foods and exercising, looking back I realize that i was also not watching calories as closely as i could have (I REALLY have to watch diet because I gain weight very easily) and I wasn't putting 100% into workouts. As a result, weight crept up over the months and before I knew it i had gained a good 10-15 lbs. After graduating college in March (when i actually had more time and energy) I decided to get myself back on track and get myself in the very best shape possible. I set a goal of competiting in a figure competition to help me focus and keep me on track. I guess there are really many reasons why I decided to get myself back on track... first of all I have always preached healthy eating and exercise and I kind of felt like a hypocrite preaching these things when i wasn't following them 100%. Also, self esteem was pretty much in the dumps and after finishing degree I knew i needed to take control. Lastly, I was hoping that by me taking the steps to transform body I would be able to inspire and help those around me to also change their bodies and their health.
I hope that answers your question. Sorry for the long answer.

Back to you... you're right, if you are overweight you do need to take control of your healthy... for you and for your family. If i were you I would give myself a good 30 weeks to lose the weight. For last competition i ended up losing 30 pounds and did so in 7 months. This is about 1 lb week which is a healthy rate to lose the weight. The longer you allow yourself to take the weight off the more likely you will be to keep it off as you can lose it in a more healthy manner.

Cassie

[ekalf33]

Dang! that's quite the story, thank you, so i'm looking at 9-10 months than. good to know thanks! I guess there's no better time than now to start!

[active_boy]

I've stopped at Arby's three times this year. I had to have the roast beef! Even so, the trips were hardly a diet-breaker. I ate the Regular Roast Beef (350 calories), and asked them to add lettuce and tomato to it. I also see but have not tried their roast chicken, market fresh and toasted sandwiches (skip the mayo, dressings, bacon... and cheese if the meat is high-fat), salads (skip the dressings), and applesauce.

For a bit of variety, you could bring in your favorite low-calorie sauces or dressings to spice up your at-work lunches. Maybe out-of-sight of the customers so they don't ask for some, too!

Avoid adding a "side" to "complete" your meal. After all, a sandwich already contains protein (meat), carbohydrates (bread), and vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onions). Adding a 400 calorie "side" of fries throws the meal majorly out-of-whack! If you get the occasional craving for curly fries take advantage of the "Kid's size". Fast food "Kids" sizes are usually just about right for adults.

[cassiegose]

I've stopped at Arby's three times this year. I had to have the roast beef! Even so, the trips were hardly a diet-breaker. I ate the Regular Roast Beef (350 calories), and asked them to add lettuce and tomato to it. I also see but have not tried their roast chicken, market fresh and toasted sandwiches (skip the mayo, dressings, bacon... and cheese if the meat is high-fat), salads (skip the dressings), and applesauce.

For a bit of variety, you could bring in your favorite low-calorie sauces or dressings to spice up your at-work lunches. Maybe out-of-sight of the customers so they don't ask for some, too!

Avoid adding a "side" to "complete" your meal. After all, a sandwich already contains protein (meat), carbohydrates (bread), and vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onions). Adding a 400 calorie "side" of fries throws the meal majorly out-of-whack! If you get the occasional craving for curly fries take advantage of the "Kid's size". Fast food "Kids" sizes are usually just about right for adults.

True, its not necessarily a "diet breaker" however I believe the sandwiches are made with white bread (please correct me if i'm wrong) which isn't the best. He works there and gets free food so he could easily have a coupld of meals there each time he works. Having white bread on a regular basis is, in opinion, a diet breaker (unless hes having RIGHT after workout) so he would be best to have other options available to he doesnt have to rely on white bread for his meals every day.