Need some dietary/exercise help

Aerozord · 11-10-2012, 11:31 AM

For awhile my weight had been a minor concern. I wasn't at an unhealthy weight, only about 20lbs over and it was stable. But since I got a job I have gained 10lbs in the last two months. I suspect its because, thanks to my job, I am forced to eat out alot more. I try to make "healthy" choices when I do but even the healthiest fast food is still a few hundred calories more than you need.

In addition my irregular schedule has kept me from exercising like I used to. While I still technically have the time it makes it hard to get into a habit. I cant for example always do it before work because I sometimes need to get up at 6am, other times I work till midnight, and on bad days I can work till midnight AND have to get back up at 6am.

So looking for any advice on how to eat healthier when unable to cook (at a reasonable cost I get just abit over minimum wage) or some psychological tricks to make it easier to work out at variable times. I kind of want to get back to a good weight before this spirals out of control.

phil_ · 11-10-2012, 12:39 PM

Peanut butter sandwiches are cheaper than fast food, inoffensive, and relatively stable in a sandwich bag environment. However, nut allergies everywhere, so might not be suitable, depending on how micromanaging your bosses are.

Mickey D's sells one dollar salads, so that's cheap and leaves and not meat.

See if you can avoid sitting or standing still at your job to squeeze a little exercise into life, but, again, micromanaging bosses and your position as a replaceable cog might prevent this.

Have you considered a life in the jungle, living off plantains and manioc and wild game? You'll probably die before you're sixty, but that could happen anyway, and you won't be fat.

rpgdemon · 11-10-2012, 01:06 PM

Subway has their $5 footlongs, and you could probably get one that's pretty healthy. Or, half a footlong, which is less food.

Bells · 11-10-2012, 01:27 PM

Subway is actually a pretty decent option if you have it around... if the menu there is the same here, they have that Grilled Chicked sub which is just fine and cheap. Just go with a full salad, take it easy on pickles and olives (salt) and go with the low fat or no sauce at all, you can mix it up with a BLT or a full vegetarian option from time to time so you won't get sick of the thing.

Aldurin · 11-10-2012, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bells

Subway is actually a pretty decent option if you have it around... if the menu there is the same here, they have that Grilled Chicked sub which is just fine and cheap. Just go with a full salad, take it easy on pickles and olives (salt) and go with the low fat or no sauce at all, you can mix it up with a BLT or a full vegetarian option from time to time so you won't get sick of the thing.

Yeah, vary up what you order from time to time or you might find Subway's food a bit overwhelming. Still a great option to lose weight, especially since a 6-inch is a good diet amount. And if you can try to find a drink option along the line of juice, since Subway primarily serves soda that's too expensive. Sobe is a great option to take since their different flavors come with different herbs and extracts that provide multiple side benefits to your health.

Grandmaster_Skweeb · 11-10-2012, 03:44 PM

Dont underestimate how useful almonds are. They're natural appetite suppressants! And healthy too. A small handful between meals does the trick for me since they're very filling for their size and keeps metabolism a chuggin along. That's the key there.

Keep that metabolism at a steady burn!

pochercoaster · 11-10-2012, 05:20 PM

Do you have to eat out, or are there some days where you can bag your own lunch? If you can make your own lunches, tuna or egg salad wraps are quick to make, and you can make a couple at a time and wrap them in plastic wrap. They'll keep for a couple days, but don't make the salad excessively soggy.

Not sure about tricking yourself into working out- it mostly comes down to willpower at that point. I'm not saying it's easy though; I used to work an extremely random schedule and fitting in time to go to the gym when I was exhausted was pretty much impossible sometimes. No way was I gonna bus myself to the gym after working a ten hour shift with a ten hour shift the following day. Take advantage of your days off to work out, at least. If you have 2 days off, work out on those days, and then pick 2 more days during the week to work out- preferably ones with shorter shifts, or shifts that don't interefere with your schedule as much. Even if you only work out a couple days a week it'll help, though.

Also, can you run to work? I found that was an easy way to get my exercise in- turn it into a mode of transportation, instead of another chore. It's effective because you don't want to stop for too long lest you be late for work. If you do this make sure to get there a little early so you can change, reapply deodorant and/or clean up if you have to- you don't want to be all sweaty when you start work. Also you might need a comfortable backpack.

Edit: Or, you could bike to work!

Aerozord · 11-10-2012, 06:31 PM

Well biggest issue with sandwiches is, well I am not a huge fan of them. Kind of the problem with subway, that and 5 dollars a day is abit more than I'd like to spend. Maybe if they have like some toasted version I dont know about.

I was thinking of more fruits and veggies but someone keeps throwing peoples food so I want to minimize how much I store in the fridge. So technically there is a fridge just, I want to avoid it.

We do also have a microwave but I cant think of anything health I could nuke. I think there is a toaster

Oh and why is salt a problem? My body handles it just fine, unless there is some connection to weight retention I dont know of

pochercoaster · 11-10-2012, 07:02 PM

How about a thermos with thick soups or stew? And you can bring along some dipping bread in a sandwich bag. No need to refrigerate. Also some fruits keep fine without refrigeration. Bananas, apples, oranges...

I think there's some connection to excessive salt and weight retention (bloating/water retention, actually), but unless you're consuming a lot of it, there's no reason to worry about how much salt is in your diet if it doesn't cause you any problems. </unprofessional opinion> You know your body better than anyone else does (except for a doctor sometimes).

So long as we're talking about salt, though, it's worth noting that most cold cuts have a lot of salt in them. Subway sandwiches can easily be excessively salty. And if you subscribe to the excess calories = excess weight method of weight loss you'd probably want to stay away from foot longs.

Edit: Also I used to snack on almonds a lot at work and found them surprisingly filling.

rpgdemon · 11-10-2012, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerozord

Well biggest issue with sandwiches is, well I am not a huge fan of them. Kind of the problem with subway, that and 5 dollars a day is abit more than I'd like to spend. Maybe if they have like some toasted version I dont know about.

I was thinking of more fruits and veggies but someone keeps throwing peoples food so I want to minimize how much I store in the fridge. So technically there is a fridge just, I want to avoid it.

We do also have a microwave but I cant think of anything health I could nuke. I think there is a toaster

Oh and why is salt a problem? My body handles it just fine, unless there is some connection to weight retention I dont know of

There -are- healthy things you can nuke. Trader Joe's has a lot of frozen meals for like $3ish, which are healthy, and nukeable.

11-10-2012, 11:31 AM	#1
Aerozord So we are clear Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Former murder capital of the world Posts: 13,824	Need some dietary/exercise help For awhile my weight had been a minor concern. I wasn't at an unhealthy weight, only about 20lbs over and it was stable. But since I got a job I have gained 10lbs in the last two months. I suspect its because, thanks to my job, I am forced to eat out alot more. I try to make "healthy" choices when I do but even the healthiest fast food is still a few hundred calories more than you need. In addition my irregular schedule has kept me from exercising like I used to. While I still technically have the time it makes it hard to get into a habit. I cant for example always do it before work because I sometimes need to get up at 6am, other times I work till midnight, and on bad days I can work till midnight AND have to get back up at 6am. So looking for any advice on how to eat healthier when unable to cook (at a reasonable cost I get just abit over minimum wage) or some psychological tricks to make it easier to work out at variable times. I kind of want to get back to a good weight before this spirals out of control. __________________ "don't hate me for being a heterosexual white guy disparaging slacktivism, hate me for all those murders I've done."

11-10-2012, 12:39 PM	#2
phil_ Just sleeping Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: At home, probably in bed. Posts: 6,482	Peanut butter sandwiches are cheaper than fast food, inoffensive, and relatively stable in a sandwich bag environment. However, nut allergies everywhere, so might not be suitable, depending on how micromanaging your bosses are. Mickey D's sells one dollar salads, so that's cheap and leaves and not meat. See if you can avoid sitting or standing still at your job to squeeze a little exercise into life, but, again, micromanaging bosses and your position as a replaceable cog might prevent this. Have you considered a life in the jungle, living off plantains and manioc and wild game? You'll probably die before you're sixty, but that could happen anyway, and you won't be fat. __________________ Be T-Rexcellent to each other, tako.

11-10-2012, 01:06 PM	#3
rpgdemon Not a Taco Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3,313	Subway has their $5 footlongs, and you could probably get one that's pretty healthy. Or, half a footlong, which is less food. __________________ I did a lot of posting on here as a teenager, and I was pretty awful. Even after I learned, grew up, and came to be on the right side of a lot of important issues, I was still angry, abrasive, and generally increased the amount of hate in the world, in pretty unacceptable ways. On the off chance that someone is taking a trip down memory lane looking through those old threads, I wanted to devote my signature to say directly to you, I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me be better, NPF.

11-10-2012, 01:27 PM	#4
Bells That's so PC of you Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a Server-sided Dimension where time is meaningless Posts: 10,490	Subway is actually a pretty decent option if you have it around... if the menu there is the same here, they have that Grilled Chicked sub which is just fine and cheap. Just go with a full salad, take it easy on pickles and olives (salt) and go with the low fat or no sauce at all, you can mix it up with a BLT or a full vegetarian option from time to time so you won't get sick of the thing. __________________ *BELLS STORE : Clothes! You wear* them! Free US Shipping Subscription System? WTF?! Zazzle Black!**

11-10-2012, 05:20 PM	#7
pochercoaster rollerpocher tycoon Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,808	Do you have to eat out, or are there some days where you can bag your own lunch? If you can make your own lunches, tuna or egg salad wraps are quick to make, and you can make a couple at a time and wrap them in plastic wrap. They'll keep for a couple days, but don't make the salad excessively soggy. Not sure about tricking yourself into working out- it mostly comes down to willpower at that point. I'm not saying it's easy though; I used to work an extremely random schedule and fitting in time to go to the gym when I was exhausted was pretty much impossible sometimes. No way was I gonna bus myself to the gym after working a ten hour shift with a ten hour shift the following day. Take advantage of your days off to work out, at least. If you have 2 days off, work out on those days, and then pick 2 more days during the week to work out- preferably ones with shorter shifts, or shifts that don't interefere with your schedule as much. Even if you only work out a couple days a week it'll help, though. Also, can you run to work? I found that was an easy way to get my exercise in- turn it into a mode of transportation, instead of another chore. It's effective because you don't want to stop for too long lest you be late for work. If you do this make sure to get there a little early so you can change, reapply deodorant and/or clean up if you have to- you don't want to be all sweaty when you start work. Also you might need a comfortable backpack. Edit: Or, you could bike to work! Last edited by pochercoaster; 11-10-2012 at 05:31 PM.

11-10-2012, 03:44 PM	#6
Grandmaster_Skweeb Doesn't care anymore Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 2,429	Dont underestimate how useful almonds are. They're natural appetite suppressants! And healthy too. A small handful between meals does the trick for me since they're very filling for their size and keeps metabolism a chuggin along. That's the key there. Keep that metabolism at a steady burn!

11-10-2012, 06:31 PM	#8
Aerozord So we are clear Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Former murder capital of the world Posts: 13,824	Well biggest issue with sandwiches is, well I am not a huge fan of them. Kind of the problem with subway, that and 5 dollars a day is abit more than I'd like to spend. Maybe if they have like some toasted version I dont know about. I was thinking of more fruits and veggies but someone keeps throwing peoples food so I want to minimize how much I store in the fridge. So technically there is a fridge just, I want to avoid it. We do also have a microwave but I cant think of anything health I could nuke. I think there is a toaster Oh and why is salt a problem? My body handles it just fine, unless there is some connection to weight retention I dont know of __________________ "don't hate me for being a heterosexual white guy disparaging slacktivism, hate me for all those murders I've done."

11-10-2012, 07:02 PM	#9
pochercoaster rollerpocher tycoon Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 1,808	How about a thermos with thick soups or stew? And you can bring along some dipping bread in a sandwich bag. No need to refrigerate. Also some fruits keep fine without refrigeration. Bananas, apples, oranges... I think there's some connection to excessive salt and weight retention (bloating/water retention, actually), but unless you're consuming a lot of it, there's no reason to worry about how much salt is in your diet if it doesn't cause you any problems. </unprofessional opinion> You know your body better than anyone else does (except for a doctor sometimes). So long as we're talking about salt, though, it's worth noting that most cold cuts have a lot of salt in them. Subway sandwiches can easily be excessively salty. And if you subscribe to the excess calories = excess weight method of weight loss you'd probably want to stay away from foot longs. Edit: Also I used to snack on almonds a lot at work and found them surprisingly filling. Last edited by pochercoaster; 11-10-2012 at 07:08 PM.