Hello Everyone

[tracycoder]

I would first like to say hello to everyone and congradulations to everyone who has taken the step toward losing weight. I am 22 years old ( almost 23 ) and weigh right around 300 pound my biggest problem when trying to loose weight is i have spina bifida i can walk and do everything a normal person can except my legs moves slower so playing ddr is pretty hard on me. I really want to lose weight and i dont eat alot of junk food except i do drink mountain dew all day long...lol. I have ddr ultramix and play it usually 2-3 times a week for about 40 mins at a time i can usually handle that without my legs trying to give out. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried the PS2 game for the eyetoy called groove since my upper body is much stronger than my lower body i was hoping maybe this game could be a replacement for the days i cant play DDR and still get the same affects as i would with ddr. I am a big gamer and very much a geek at heart i am a computer science major in school and want to develop games of my own so exercising with a game is just the coolest thing i have ever came across. Im hoping to lose at least 20-30 pounds if possible by my bday which is may 13 . Can anyone please tell me if they have ever played groove and if it would be a good choice to use on the days i cant play DDR.. Since i am a vegetarian already i dont need reallly any food advice i know to watch my calories and all of that my biggest problem is exercising. I can also post a pic later if it would help describe my situtation more. Thanks for the input!

[abrannan]

Drop the Mt. Dew. Seriously, you'll probably take care of half your weight loss goal right there. I don't know how much you're drinking, but let's assume two 20oz bottles every day. That's 500 calories/day, which is a pound per week. Just being a vegetarian doesn't mean you don't need food advice, BTW. There's plenty of bad stuff you can eat as a vegetarian.

I have Eyetoy:Groove, and if you've got the setup right, it's not a half bad workout. DDR is better, mostly because you're working a larger muscle group (The Quads) which triggers a larger response from your body, but Groove is a good off-day activity. I particularly like the adaptive difficulty setting, and I wish they'd put something similar into DDR.

[Laura Moncur]

I've found that Diet Mountain Dew tastes almost like the original. To wean yourself off regular Dew, mix it half and half with Diet for a week or two. You can alter the mixture until you are able to drink Diet all by itself.

Eventually, you will be healthier if you can eliminate soda from your life altogether, but for now, Diet Mtn Dew is healthier than regular, so slowly switch to that over the next few weeks.

[tracycoder]

Thanks for the advice i do drink alot of pop and have been trying to cut down and drink water more i drink on average 3-4 cans of mountian dew a day. As for food mostly what i eat is pasta which most of it is high in calories but i try to watch the amount i eat so i dont over do it. With drinking the pop i take in about 1800 calories a day when i can play ddr i burn off according to the calorie counter on average of about 300 calories since i have to play on light and even that is a little bit rough on me. I am not a candy or sweet eater every now and then if im out somewhere where i cant get to my veggie type of foods ill grab a bag of chips and maybe a cake. My usual food that i eat is a bowl of cerel for breakfast, usually a bean burito at lunch and for supper potatoes and so form of pasta I also love fruit i eat a ton of oranges fruit is usually what i eat when i want a snack. If anyone has any suggestions on what else i should or shouldn't be eating i would appreaciate it.

[abrannan]

You're taking in quite a bit of sugar and simple starches. The pasta, potatoes, chips, cereal, cake, soda, and even the oranges are all going to make your blood sugar do loop-de-loops. Which in turn messes with your insulin levels. Get some more fiber in your diet, salads, etc. Pick some fruits that are a little better in the sugar/glycemic index dept. (Berries, cantaloupe, apples, etc). Pick up the amount of protein you take in as well. Nuts, though a bit fatty, can make a good snack replacement. They'll satisfy for longer than chips, and are more nutritionally valid.

If you have access to one, talk to a nutritionist sometime. They can give you food advice far beyond what I can do here.


3-4 cans of Mt. Dew at 170 calories each = 510-680 calories per day. That's 1lb-1.5lb/week right there, no exercise included.

[tracycoder]

Thanks for all the replies i honestly didnt realize how bad i really was eating i am very motovated to lose this weight even that means giving up my beloved mountian dew.. you mentioned adding more protien any food sugguestions that would be good for this... i will eat fish that is the only meat i will eat although i dont eat much of it, but i like tuna pretty good would tuna be a good choice to add in my daily eating routine.

[abrannan]

Tunaa would be fine, but you don't have to eat meat to get protein. Peanut butter, nuts, some beans, can all give you protein.

[Laura Moncur]

Just remember to look at the serving sizes. A serving of nuts is really small and it's really easy to overdo it. Make sure you measure your portions. Same goes for peanut butter. These foods are packed with calories, so you need to be really careful. On the plus side, a tablespoon of peanut butter can make you feel really full.

Eggs are a really good source of protein. Some people are worried about cholesterol, so the egg white products are a good substitute (Egg Beaters, etc.). I've used several brands of the egg whites and I can't tell them apart from a scrambled egg. The only problem I have is when I'm in the mood for Sunny Side Up. Then, I go for the real thing.