Question
I really need to lose weight, I am 5' 7" Male, 250 pounds. I have a large frame though. My shoulder span is 22". I hate myself so much. Every time I look in a mirror I almost cry, just because I hate the person that I am so much. So, I have decided to give the one thing that keeps me happy, my guitar, to my parents and tell them to only let me have it for one day for every 10 pounds I lose. This is a form of self punishment. I think it will really work, cause I really don't do anything except for stay home and play guitar, so if I take that away from myself, all I can do is exercise. So, I found a diet that tells me to only eat about 30 carbs a day for the first 14 days, and about 55 carbs for the rest of the time, until you lose the desired amount of weight. Is this a good idea?

Answer
Don't be down on yourself. The one thing that you really love is your guitar...don't let your parents keep it. You need that for the evenings after you have worked out and you just want to relax and play your guitar. Try using it as a reward for exercise instead of weight loss. The weight loss will come, your moods will improve and you will lose weight. My husband is a large man. He followed the Atkin's diet for years, the thing about it is that you must not cheat. If you cheat on Atkin's diet you will gain from all the excess fat you are allowed to consume. So holidays are not good for Atkin's diet!

Keep your head up and get out and WALK.

: ) The more you are indoors the more able you are to sit around and eat.

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Answer
gibson,

A couple years ago, I, too, was at 250 lbs. 253 lbs to be exact. I am also a male and 5'6 tall. I ended up losing 80 lbs in a little over a year. Here's what I did to lose the weight. First, I deleted all of the WHITE stuff from my diet. This includes sugar, flour, white bread, pasta and rice. I replaced some of these items with their whole wheat counter parts. But, I still limited my portions of these foods. I always ate a larger portion of protein with my meals. Also, you must eat your fruits and veggies. This, along with 1 hour cardio at least 5 days a week and strengh training for 30 minutes, twice a week, helped me to drop 80 lbs in 13 months. I have to admit, I cheated a little every weekend so that's why it took a little longer for me to reach goal.

Friend, let me tell you, if I can do it, anyone can. I don't think anyone hates excercising and eating healthy more than I. But, you just have to hang in there. If you slip, just start over again. Important thing is that you don't give up, no matter how hard it gets. You're going to look fantastic and feel so much better when you do succeed. But, I warn you, the self-esteem issues will probably still exist. People with self esteem issues who are overweight tend to think their feelings willl dramatically change once the weight comes off. Many times, this is not the case. Unless you deal with whatever issues are plaguing you, the weight will creep back on. I'm speaking from experience. I am once again on this weight loss journey because, originally, I was overly concerned about my physical appearance, I wasn't dealing with the reason why I was overweight in the first place. In order to maintain, you have to face yourself.

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*gasp you gave them your guitar! ahhhhhhh!! i agree with brandnewmom, instead of your parents letting you you have it after every 10 pounds you loose, how bout you have them hold it and every day after you exercise or you get to play your guitar as a "treat." so you still get to play your guitar!
rock on!!