Overweight, Out of Shape, & want to be a Paramedic

[Zalan]

There are few things that I need to get taken care of before becoming a Paramedic. Physically, I`m at 340 lbs at 6' tall. This is a major hurdle to overcome for me. I also have high bloodpressure. I`m in my 30`s & was a professional coach potatoe. What should I do start loosing weight, & get in shape?

I know the first thing I have to do is quit drinking 2 liter of soda day. A year ago it was 4 liters of soda day.

 

[john76]

start out slowly. walk a little each day try to increase the distance each time.and watch your diet lower your calorie intake.try to make healthier food and drink choices.for snacks i like the little 100 calorie packs.

 

[Aidey]

Talk to a dietitian, they offer a wealth of information and you probably would only need to meet once or twice. Make changes you can stick with for the long term. If you have a family or live with someone make changes that everyone can follow so you aren't making 2 different meals every time. Start off slow with the exercise, even walking at a slow pace is better than sitting on the couch.

I personally keep track of everything I eat. The calorie content of what I was eating was pretty darn shocking in the beginning, but now that I'm more aware of what I'm eating (and how much) it's become much easier to eat healthy. I use fitday.com which is an awesome website, and the online version is free.

 

[AJ Hidell]

Talk to a dietitian..

And a doctor too. He should be the first step, and will refer you to a dietician with the information she needs to best assess your needs. With the health problems you already have, you do not want to just go off half-cocked with some amateur, home-baked plan and risk exacerbating the problems, as well as creating new ones.

 

[DV_EMT]

Atkins diet... just watch out for Ketoacidosis. you can get the ketone urinalysis strips at CVS i think

 

[Aidey]

No no no no. You will never be able to sustain a diet like the Atkins diet for the long term, and the long term is what you should be thinking about. Study after study has shown that the balance of carbs to protein to fat doesn't matter nearly as much as your overall calorie intake. Obviously diets high in fat aren't healthy because of the problems it poses for your cardiovascular system, but high protein diets are no more effective than high carb diets.

If you deprive yourself of whole food groups it is very hard to be successful on a diet. If you feel like you are missing out you're going to resent what you are doing and be tempted to cheat. I really think that to make changes that are going to be permanent you need to find healthy alternatives or substitutes for the foods you already love.

 

[Sasha]

No diets or you will become a yoyo and go up and down up and down and up and down and it's bad for your body.

I'll echo the doctor and dietitian, as well as work on life long lifestyle changes and not something you abandon once you lose the weight you were looking to lose. Aim for health, not skinnyness.

 

[fortsmithman]

Here in Canada our federal Health Dept came u wit the Canada food guide and it can be found at
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_fo...ide-aliment/view_eatwell_vue_bienmang-eng.pdf

Just follow it and do a reasonable amount of exercise you will lose weight. My exercise routine when I go to the gym when ever I get the chance is half an hour on the exercise bike. This is followed by weight training. At home I do sit us and pushups.

 

[EMTCop86]

I've heard a lot of good things about the couch to 5k program http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=27

This particular one is designed for people who need to lose weight. A lot of it has to do with your diet. Try going to diet soda, stop eating fast food. Start out slow though. If you go head first and try to give up everything at once you are more likely to fail. Remember this is going to be a whole life style change. It took a while for you to gain all that weight and it will take a while for you to lose it.

 

[exodus]

Big big big big thing. STOP DRINKING SODA!!!!! Even diet sodas. Sure diet sodas aren't BAD for you, but they contain sugars, and what does sugar turn into?! And why would you put any type of liquid into your body other than what it needs the most?! WATER!

Trust me, I used to drink 2+ liters of soda a day, it was horrible, and I had a hard time keeping meals down because of how thin the acids from the soda wore down my stomache lining... I went cold turkey to water. And it was a little hard at first because I liked the taste of soda. But now all I drink is water, I occaisionly get soda when we go out to dinner, but for the most part, i ONLY drink water... I started on water only after my kidney stone... It was killer.

 

[Sasha]

Big big big big thing. STOP DRINKING SODA!!!!! Even diet sodas. Sure diet sodas aren't BAD for you, but they contain sugars, and what does sugar turn into?! And why would you put any type of liquid into your body other than what it needs the most?! WATER!

Trust me, I used to drink 2+ liters of soda a day, it was horrible, and I had a hard time keeping meals down because of how thin the acids from the soda wore down my stomache lining... I went cold turkey to water. And it was a little hard at first because I liked the taste of soda. But now all I drink is water, I occaisionly get soda when we go out to dinner, but for the most part, i ONLY drink water... I started on water only after my kidney stone... It was killer.

You need a certain amount of sugar during the day so don't cut out sugar entirely. This is why you need to consult a Dr and a registered dietitan to help you lose weight appropriately and not take advice from people with no educational background over the internet. They will design meals to made your daily nutritional needs while assisting you with weight loss.

 

[EMTCop86]

This is why you need to consult a Dr and a registered dietitan to help you lose weight appropriately and not take advice from people with no educational background over the internet.

Yes the OP does need to go see his doctor before starting any exercise or diet but there is nothing wrong with getting advice (whether they take it or not) from people over the internet especially when some of these people may have been in the same position and lost weight. Just because someone doesn't have an official "educational background" in something doesn't mean they don't have good advice.

 

[AJ Hidell]

Just because someone doesn't have an official "educational background" in something doesn't mean they don't have good advice.

But it significantly decreases the probability.

 

[Sasha]

Yes the OP does need to go see his doctor before starting any exercise or diet but there is nothing wrong with getting advice (whether they take it or not) from people over the internet especially when some of these people may have been in the same position and lost weight. Just because someone doesn't have an official "educational background" in something doesn't mean they don't have good advice.

People should not accept medical advice over the internet unless from a verified doctor. Weight loss qualifies as medical. Losing weight the wrong way can totally screw you up and mess with your overall health, taking it from the "Trust me, I tried this, it worked" average joe poster is just ignorant.

 

[daedalus]

Atkins diet... just watch out for Ketoacidosis. you can get the ketone urinalysis strips at CVS i think

Do I need to pull up the recent studies linking red meat to a serious increase in cancer?

OP, I highly reccomment Dr. Oz's book, You on a Diet. http://www.amazon.com/You-Owners-Manual-Waist-Management/dp/0743292545

Dr. Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon and Oprah's medical advisor. His book is simply amazing, easy and fun to read, and based in sound medicine and science. The book provides amazing insights into he way the body works, and you learn some advanced endocrinology and GI physiology and that is added bonus for you. The plan outlined in the book is again, based in sound medical principles, and works.

 

[Eydawn]

Ah! The age old battle many of us face... try visiting www.livestrong.com which is an excellent resource for different articles, and they have this nifty little feature called "The Daily Plate" that helps you keep track of your calories (and your exercise!)

I would echo what others have said. See a doctor. Make sure there's no special concerns you need to address. Then go see a dietitian (whether your doc recommends seeing one or not. Never hurts to consult.)

Things you can do before seeing the doctor: Increase your intake of fruits and veggies and cut down on the soda... if you like sparkling beverages, do something like sparkling water mixed with fruit juice. Then you're at least getting vitamin intake. Up your water intake. And start walking. Walking can do wonders for you. Doesn't have to be miles, either... a couple laps around the block is good for starters. Up your water intake. For every time you want to drink soda, drink water FIRST instead.

Eat baby carrots and celery sticks and pita crisps with salsa instead of potato chips and cheetos...

As far as starting an exercise regimen, do see the doc first. Just in case. Better to know and do no harm than to leap in ignorance and set yourself even further back!

Wendy
CO EMT-B

 

[Zalan]

Have had the doctors visit

Should have said, before this post I have had doctors visit. He rans all sorts of test. Found nothing wrong with me other than being considered morbidily obese, & high blood pressure. He also noted that I`m also a large frame.

He basically said I`m in no danger now. However, 10 yrs down the road it would be a different story if I continued this way. He recomend switching over to diet soda. Drinlkng alot of water before meals. Overtime lowering my food intake. & loose 2 to 3 lbs a months this way.

Physical activity can be moderate exercise up to what I think I can handle. Just not over do it to much. Whats a good moderate exercise program for a begginer? Is there any Cheap exercise equipment I should invest in? Kind of interested in the Kettle Ball. Considering my weight & Height what should I look for in a Kettle Ball?

 

[Eydawn]

Ah! Good to hear it.

Many doctors recommend diet soda to try to get people to cut that extra caloric intake (up to 1000+ extra a day) but they're also finding that drinking diet soda causes physiological reactions where your body expects to digest sugar (releases insulin, stomach acids, etc) and gets nothing... while better than drinking sugar water all day, it's still not the best option.

Another tip, then, since you've seen the doc already... buy smaller plates. Portion out snacks onto saucers or tiny plates. Smaller plates psychologically make your food portions seem larger, even though they're reduced compared to what you normally eat, and that helps you feel satisfied and not deprived.

Also, allow yourself one "cheat" a day. Whether it's a single can of soda, a cookie, whatever it is... if you allow yourself one, you don't set up the mindset of "can't eat it, can't eat it, I ate it and failed so I might as well eat ALL of it..." which is really easy to fall into and makes trying to lose weight miserable.

Wendy
CO EMT-B

 

[JonTullos]

Big big big big thing. STOP DRINKING SODA!!!!! Even diet sodas. Sure diet sodas aren't BAD for you, but they contain sugars, and what does sugar turn into?! And why would you put any type of liquid into your body other than what it needs the most?! WATER!

Trust me, I used to drink 2+ liters of soda a day, it was horrible, and I had a hard time keeping meals down because of how thin the acids from the soda wore down my stomache lining... I went cold turkey to water. And it was a little hard at first because I liked the taste of soda. But now all I drink is water, I occaisionly get soda when we go out to dinner, but for the most part, i ONLY drink water... I started on water only after my kidney stone... It was killer.

THIS! I drink mostly water and coffee (and that mostly in the morning) and it's made a huge difference. I'm in your boat too... I'm just short of 6' and weigh 280. I'm in better shape than I was but I also know that I have a ways to go. Since you have problems I'm with AJ... talk to the doc first and go from there. The biggest thing does seem to be exercising and watching what and how you eat. You'll be fine... we'll both get there.

Jonathan

 

[gicts]

Its common sense pal. Burn more, consume less. With what intensity and direction you go about it is up to you. The most important thing to understand is losing significant weight are lifestyle changes. Do not expect results quickly. How long did it take for you to put it on? Expect for it to take you that long to loose it all again. Cutting all sugars and religiously exercising are what I have found to be successful. Start off walking 2 miles everyday and work up until you can jog it, then run it and knock it out and get on with your day. Cooking your own, healthy meals of course helps as well. Pack a lunch.
Best of luck to you! The changes you make that you keep are the ones that help the most.