Lifestyle change

I was in the same boat. Loved me some ranch dressing. Then I decided to try to make my own Balsamic vinaigrette and haven't looked back. It is a dramatically different taste, but I totally dig the tartness and bite of the balsamic that I make. Plus it has a nuanced flavor from the garlic being in it.

In terms of stuff you can buy, most balsamic vinaigrettes you can buy are ****. Make your own with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grey poupon coarse ground mustard, powdered garlic, and some honey to taste.

The Annie's Naturals you can buy aren't horrible for you. The Goddess one has an interesting and complex tahini taste and has about half the calories of full-on ranch dressing.

But I wouldn't sweat the dressing too much anyhow. If your diet is so perfect and immaculate that you are worrying about the 2 tbsp of ranch dressing that you are putting on your salad every day, then you are doing pretty good.

I'm the same age and the same weight right now after losing 48 lbs over the past year. I have faith in you bro. I made the same decision to live a healthier life last March and I have worked my ass off to get where I am today. My weight loss goal is similar to your's as well. I was 317 when I started and I want to lose 100 lbs all together.

The best thing I've done for my diet is packing my lunch and cutting out all fried food, all candy, and all soda. I used to go to restaurants every day too and I sit in an office all day so I don't get exercise during the day. I make up for it by packing healthy lunches and eating oatmeal or grainy (like Kashi) cereal for breakfast. My dinners are usually some form of chicken, soup, salad, or pasta. Planning a decent diet is fairly easy once you figure out what you like.

You can do it!!!

I have lead a dormant lifestyle for the past 15 years. This Christmas, after weighing in over 300lbs, I finally decided to do something about it. Started January 3rd. Diet: consume less than 2000 calories/day. Exercise: burn at least 3000 calories a day. Method: I do 40 minutes of hard cardio (treadmill/recumbent bike) 4-5 days a week, then lift with a trainer 2 days a week. I usually burn 3500 calories a day, so in 59 days, I've lost 31 lbs. Now 271 and getting ready to buy my first mtn bike. Hopefully the extra cardio will melt the pounds even more.

The best thing for me was buying an armband that tracks steps/exercise time/calories burned. I enter my weight each morning online and also enter my meals and track calories to keep it in check. My trainer tells me that a 1000 calorie deficit per day should result in a 1-2# a week weight loss. Some days I burn more than 4500 if I am on my feet most of the day. Costco sells the armband if anyone's interested. I got mine from my gym, but the costco one looks the same.

Good luck, I'm heading toward 210-215 (hopefully by Thanksgiving).

I actually quit drinking soda quite a few years ago and only drink water and beer. After this weekend I think I'm going to try to not get drunk every weekend. I know that really kills me on the hangover day. I'll have to give vinaigrette a try. I usually have a glass of orange juice in the morning and for lunch I've been sticking to salads. At supper I eat "bad" food, but try to limit my portion. If I get hungry later at night I'll start having a piece of fruit and less sweets.

I went to the gym last night and went on the elliptical for about a half hour or so. Can definitely tell I hadn't been on there in a while. I felt really good afterwards though. I'm going to start lifting weights as soon as my shoulder starts feeling better. Slipped on a roof the other day and landed on my bad shoulder so it's a tad tender.

I'll be updating this thread at least once a week with what I'm doing, and what my weight is. I appreciate all of the feedback and encouragement. It definitely helps me stay motivated.

In the same boat.

Toxicity,

I too recently decided to make some changes. I got on the scale after avoiding it for almost 2 years and topped out at 260.0 which is the heaviest I have been in my entire 42 year life. I spent almost 20 years pretty active and camped around 230lbs eating anything and everything I wanted. Obviously those days are over. I decided right there on the scale that I was making some changes. I rode my old mountain bike (Wally World Cheapo Murray) a couple of times and the thing sounded like the rims were going to come apart and the brakes were horrible (i.e. barely stopped my butt!). After scouring this site to get educated, I went to my local bike store last Friday and selected a 2011 Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29er after riding several models (Giant, Cannondale, etc). I upgraded the pedals to clipless, bought some shoes, gloves, chamois boxer briefs and helmet. The thing that sold me was the price point and full hydraulic discs w/ awesome braking. I've been road riding about 5 miles every other day on very hilly courses until my butt and legs come back and watching what I eat. Portion control, NO junk food, NO chocolate, NO Soda, One-A-Day vitamins, and lots of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. I've eaten more grapes and apples in the last week then I did in the last 2 years. After a week I've dropped 3.6 lbs but feel a whole lot better. My goal weight is 200 even. If I can get there it will be the lightest I've been since 11th grade. We'll see!

Keep up the good work and I'll drop in from time to time, see how your doing, and give you an update.