I need help from anyone, Marines, Poolees

[ArielsWARRIOR]

Hello all,
I have been here once before, but that was back before I started college, now I am finally out for the summer and I want to get back on track! I am extremely over-weight! about 340lbs over-weight and I am only 6'3"! I need help with a diet and work-out plan! See my recruiter, SSG Accord, well Gunny by now, left when I was just graduating High School, he was motivated, strong, and just what I needed to help keep me on the right track, see when I met him it was about 3 months before he was to ship out to his next assignment and the new recruiter came in! Well.... the new recruiter turned out to be a A**Hole! The second I walked in the office, he booted me out with the famous saying the Army and Navy gave me saying when you lose it come talk to me, til then your only taking up room! With SSG Accord I had lost about 42lbs in 3 months and I was still going, then when he left, I tried on my own and failed! I kept gaining more weight, because SSG would help me with my diet and etc. I am sorry but I am just plain stupid when it comes to dieting or exercising! That was back in 2007, I was actually down to about 250lbs when I gave up! Now its 2009, I am engaged and never thought I would think of being a Marine again! But the other night I woke up from a dream, that I had grown old and died, and when I got to heaven God told me he had meant for me to be a Marine, because that is what I have wanted to be since I was born! I mean seriously, throughout Kindergarten to High School, I wore camies and EGA shirts and attended every parade just so I could see the Marines in the Dress Blues! This is my dream guys, and I desperately need your help! I was wondering if you fine Marines and poolees would mind helping me by giving me a decent diet and work out plan, I mean like from Breakfast to even the snack after dinner if you have to, and then a work out plan and what days I need to go on Mon-Sun! I am motivated and willing to do anything, but I just need the help! So if you would please help me with this, I promise that it will not be for nothing! Because the second my butt hits 220lbs, and I can do atleast 10 pullups, I am off to Parris Island, SC to become one of the greatest the world has ever known! So please help me!

Thanks,
Jordan Moore
Fat-Body Wannabe!

[BGW]

For every meal eat about a fistful amount of meat, any kind of meat. Along side with vegetables and maybe fruit as well, but try eating more vegetables than fruit. And try a handful of nuts along with every mean, they are a good source of fat.

And you know of course, stay away from all sugar, because sugar is bad. And drink a lot of water every day, the amount of water? That is a bit tricky, I try to drink about two liters of water a day. Maybe more

This is just a general guide you should keep in mind. I do not have a master plan that involves the amount of calories and all that stuff you should be eating. But then again its not like I am a expert when it comes to doing diets.

[chadhertz]

Well first here's some moto. It's definately possible.
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44273

Second, I don't know of any weight loss plans but I'm sure you could google some. Good luck to you in your quest sir.:thumbup:

[Capital M]

lay off the soda!

[Barr]

lay off the soda!

Here's a big one. I used to be fat*** as well. I quit cigarettes, soda, started exercising, but here's a big one not many people know about. Don't eat any carbs or sugar after 5 or 6 pm. I lost a LOT of weight just by doing this. It will all go to waste (or your waist) if you do. Eat grilled chicken, and a LOT of green veggies. And this doesn't mean iceberg lettuce. Spinach, green peas, etc.

Another massive key to my weight loss was simply keeping my metabolism going. Have a decent breakfast, lunch and dinner, but every few hours have a bit of a snack. Like, a granola bar is always good. Just enough to keep you not hungry. And dont eat until you're full... eat until your are no longer hungry. And eat slower as well so you notice you're getting full.

[JWDevilDog]

Well first off, I applaud your motivation and desire. If you are truly willing to do what it takes to become among the Few, the Proud, then good on you. Now, down to business.


SSG Accord

What is a SSG? We are not the Army, where Staff Sergeant is "SSG." We are Marines, and a Staff Sergeant is abbreviated to "SSgt."



...and the new recruiter came in! Well.... the new recruiter turned out to be a A**Hole! The second I walked in the office, he booted me out with the famous saying the Army and Navy gave me saying when you lose it come talk to me, til then your only taking up room!


Obviously, I understand the sentiment, because it is not right of a Marine recruiter to not try to work with a person who truly wants to better himself. Clearly, this recruiter was in the wrong.

However, that being said, you might want to watch how you disrespect a Marine, as you have not yet earned the Title. It is fine to tell the story about the new recruiter, and you can give your opinion of the man. You're entitled to that right. However, I am talking about the manner in which you do so. You must be tactful, especially when it comes to Marines. That man earned his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, and then earned his stripes. Him being a Marine entitles him to a measure of respect from poolees and wannabees. His rank (no matter what that rank may be) entitles him to hold a certain amount of respect from all those below him, including poolees and wannabees. We say this a lot in the Marine Corps: "You don't have to respect the man, but at least have some respect for his rank." You should respect the fact that he is a Marine, and that he earned his stripes.

That's all I'm saying about that.

Now, in terms of a diet, I'm sorry to say I can't help you. The poolees have posted some good general advice, and I wouldn't change anything about what they said. I would add that if you slack once, then you might find it easier to justify slacking more. The more you slack, the farther you are from your goal.

In terms of exercise, I recommend doing a lot of cardio (running, but that's hard on the knees. The best exercies you can do are biking and swimming), and some weight training. I don't mean go to the gym and be a meathead, where you do a large amount of weight. Don't do that, as it will actually put on weight (muscle weighs more than fat, after all). Yes, you want muscle and you want to be strong, but that's why you do less weight, with more repitions. That will build leaner muscles, which are also strong. Anyway, your first goal is weightloss, not strength building.

So, in short, running, biking, and swimming are your best options here. Don't kill yourself, especially when running. I say you should swim everyday if you can, as it is low impact. Run 3-4 times a week. Don't kill yourself by going up hills and whatnot at first. With the amount of weight you are carrying around, that will absolutely destroy your knees, and that isn't what you need. I say run moderate distances (for me moderate distances might be 4 or so miles, but I'm not telling you to run that far. Every individual is different). Learn what you can handle, and what you can't.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor. Oh, and you also might want to find a different recruiter. Another county, maybe? Or just another Marine at the office? If you tactfully explain yourself, that you are willing and motivated to better yourself and that you need the help, then I'm sure you will find it.

[Wes40138]

Jordan ,
I am in the same boat as you 6'2 ,but I started out @ nearly 400lbs(12/24/08) and I am now @ 314(yesterday@ the gym) . I know what its like to almost be there and then quit . We both know its time to "Sh!t or get off the pot " .
I know for me what really helps is "accountability " now this word might be foreign to some but to me its a HUGE motivator . Stay active on this site , there will be Marines and Poolees/ Wannabes that will help you , you owe it to them to see your goal THROUGH. You're also engaged I see , you owe it to your soon to be wife to complete your goal .
We both know that you have the tools to succeed , you just got to use them . No one can "hold your hand " and do it for you , its a trial and error process .
But I would suggest that you think back to when you made it down to 250 and try and reharness some of that energy that you possesed back then ( you might think that its gone , but in reality its still there ,you just gotta turn over the right stone to find it .)

And when you cheat , you cheat yourself and everyone that has spent time trying to help you ,dont cheat yourself .

[alicia1984]

Are you saying you're 340 pounds or 340 pounds heavier than you should be? Cause that's a big difference.lol

My advice to you is google BMR and TDEE. Your BMR is the amount of calories you burn justing existing. If you did nothing all day you'd burn this many. It's not an exact science but it's within about 50-100 calories of what you're probably burning. TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. It's a number given that correlates with the amount of activity you get a day. You take that number and multiply it by your BMR and it'll give you your maintenance weight. How many calories you'd need to stay where you're at. Lower that number by 500-1000 and that's how much you should be eating. You need to count calories. Everything. People don't realize how much they over eat because they don't pay attention to serving sizes or calories. That's how food companies trick people into thinking foods are okay. Like this pizza is only 240 calories a serving but the serving if you look is one slice. Things like that. And it's super easy to google the calorie value of foods and in no time you'll just know what things are if you eat them often enough.

Food wise don't eat fast food and crap of course. Don't eat processed foods if you can help it. No more white breads, white pasta, white rice. Every carb you eat should be whole grain. Fruits and vegetables are a given. Green vegetables are great because you can eat a ton and they're so low in calories. Lean proteins like chicken, fish, turkey. Healthy fats like almonds are great. And JIF now makes an all natural peanut butter without all the added crap in it. I actually find it's sometimes hard to get in a lot of calories when you're eating healthy foods so you shouldn't ever really go hungry if you're doing it right.

Exercise is most important. Exercise is the number one metabolism booster. You need to lift weights. The more muscle you have the more fat you're going to burn even when you're not working out. I do weights 3 times a week. I do back and biceps, chest and triceps, and legs and shoulders. On the in between days I do so form of cardio. Usually interval training on the treadmill. HIIT training is supposed to be the best way to burn fat because it makes you burn more calories post work out because of something called afterburn.

[NoRemorse]

Here's a big one. I used to be fat*** as well. I quit cigarettes, soda, started exercising, but here's a big one not many people know about. Don't eat any carbs or sugar after 5 or 6 pm. I lost a LOT of weight just by doing this. It will all go to waste (or your waist) if you do. Eat grilled chicken, and a LOT of green veggies. And this doesn't mean iceberg lettuce. Spinach, green peas, etc.

Another massive key to my weight loss was simply keeping my metabolism going. Have a decent breakfast, lunch and dinner, but every few hours have a bit of a snack. Like, a granola bar is always good. Just enough to keep you not hungry. And dont eat until you're full... eat until your are no longer hungry. And eat slower as well so you notice you're getting full.

Calories can't tell time so your point is moot. You benefited from a better diet with more balanced foods and multiple meals throughout the day as well as PT.

Eating slower, drinking more water, and not eating until you're full are crackerjack suggestions so you get a pass this time. Only 20 Marine Corps pushups for you!

To the OP, JWDevildog already corrected you, go from there.

Walk... a lot! Swim... a bit less. Run... not yet! You want to walk and swim and eat better.

Portion control; another poolee said eat meat that's about the size of your fist... it should be about the size of a deck of cards. Two of those. Protein in the morning, eggs will do. More fruits and veggies. About half an orange or a whole apple or half a banana count as one serving off fruit.

A fistful of grapes is one serving. Think of it like that and you can get more in. You should eat more vegetables than fruits. Find some you like and eat the hell out of them.

Drink a lot more water. Less soda, a bit of juice, no smoking; hop on it now. You don't have to go all organic or whatever. Just cook what you eat instead of buying fast food or having an entire meal pre-made for you in the microwave.

[Rocky C]

After reading this entire thread I feel so guilty that I don't know how I'm going to eat my Super Deluxe 16" Pizza while watching Scarface Tonight :(

Rocky

[Phantom Blooper]

Quit Dreaming!

Wake up....

Smell the coffee....fresh air....or smog!

Then do something!

Like pushback...run....PT.

Shiat or get off the pot!

Dragging azz is more than likely got you where your at today!

The key words are MOTIVATION and PRIDE!:evilgrin:

[alicia1984]

You should invest in a food scale. You'd be amazed at how much meat 3 ounces is. I had always heard the deck of cards thing for meat and then I got a food scale and 3oz looked much bigger than that. Perhaps it depends on the type of meat. You really should have things like a scale and measuring cups so you can portion things out properly. You can get a scale on amazon for like 15 bucks or something. And I no longer spread on my condiments with a knife. I use teaspoons or tablespoons and I use the edge of the jar to level it off. No more indiscriminate eating for you!

If you have any questions on food and such feel free to ask. I can give you all the things I've been eating even. And don't force yourself to eat things that taste like crap because they're good for you or low in calories. That's a sure fire way to fail. There are always alternatives out there. Losing weight really is just calories in calories out. You could eat crap and keep it under a certain amount of calories and you'd lose weight. You wouldn't be healthy and you wouldn't feel good but it would work at least for a while. I of course don't suggest you do that.

[ArielsWARRIOR]

Well first off, I applaud your motivation and desire. If you are truly willing to do what it takes to become among the Few, the Proud, then good on you. Now, down to business.



What is a SSG? We are not the Army, where Staff Sergeant is "SSG." We are Marines, and a Staff Sergeant is abbreviated to "SSgt."



Obviously, I understand the sentiment, because it is not right of a Marine recruiter to not try to work with a person who truly wants to better himself. Clearly, this recruiter was in the wrong.

However, that being said, you might want to watch how you disrespect a Marine, as you have not yet earned the Title. It is fine to tell the story about the new recruiter, and you can give your opinion of the man. You're entitled to that right. However, I am talking about the manner in which you do so. You must be tactful, especially when it comes to Marines. That man earned his Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, and then earned his stripes. Him being a Marine entitles him to a measure of respect from poolees and wannabees. His rank (no matter what that rank may be) entitles him to hold a certain amount of respect from all those below him, including poolees and wannabees. We say this a lot in the Marine Corps: "You don't have to respect the man, but at least have some respect for his rank." You should respect the fact that he is a Marine, and that he earned his stripes.


I stand corrected and I appologize for my disrespect, just got a little heated! With that aside, I would like to thank you all for your support and motivation, I am planning on using all that I have learned here to help me to achieve my dream!
Now here is another question for you, but not on weight loss! My fiancee, Ariel from ArielsWARRIOR of course, is being sort of confusing! One minute she cant wait for me to join the Marines, and accomplish my life long dream, then next she is crying and begging me to stay home and continue to hold her and comfort her! I do not know what to do! All of my life I have loved the Marine Corps, wanted to be in the Marine Corps and couldnt wait! But then again, I love her! She has been through practically hell with me "between cops and her parents, dont know which is worse" and she has loved me the same throughout our almost 4 years of being together! So I do not know what to do?? Do any of you know of anything I could say, or try and do to help her cope with this? I mean I try and tell her that I am going for Data MOS and would not be exposed to nearly as much combat if any as an 0311!! Are there any words of encouragement, without being rude or anything that I could say to her to help her understand?? Please help, and I will begin to keep yall posted on my success/ or God help me failure as I persue this weight-loss!

Thanks to you all!
Jordan

[Barr]

Calories can't tell time so your point is moot. You benefited from a better diet with more balanced foods and multiple meals throughout the day as well as PT.

Eating slower, drinking more water, and not eating until you're full are crackerjack suggestions so you get a pass this time. Only 20 Marine Corps pushups for you!


Calories cant tell time, correct. They reason I said around 5 or 6 is because I assume most people go to bed around 11 or 12. If you eat carbs after this, they're going to go to waste because of this. It takes a lot more energy to burn a carb than say, protein. You arent using that energy for anything else than sleeping, so your body puts it in "storage" (fat). I can testify to this because like I said, I used to be pudgy as hell and this made a massive change in the way I felt and it further accelerated my weight loss.

Main thing I'm trying to say, no carbs in the evening unless you're going for a late night run or something.

[JWDevilDog]

I stand corrected and I appologize for my disrespect, just got a little heated!

Apology accepted. But it was unnecessary. Just make sure you are mindful of how you talk, especially about Marines. Now, moving on.



One minute she cant wait for me to join the Marines, and accomplish my life long dream, then next she is crying and begging me to stay home and continue to hold her and comfort her! I do not know what to do! All of my life I have loved the Marine Corps, wanted to be in the Marine Corps and couldnt wait! But then again, I love her! She has been through practically hell with me "between cops and her parents, dont know which is worse" and she has loved me the same throughout our almost 4 years of being together! So I do not know what to do?? Do any of you know of anything I could say, or try and do to help her cope with this? I mean I try and tell her that I am going for Data MOS and would not be exposed to nearly as much combat if any as an 0311!! Are there any words of encouragement, without being rude or anything that I could say to her to help her understand?? Please help, and I will begin to keep yall posted on my success/ or God help me failure as I persue this weight-loss!


My ex-girlfriend drove down to Parris Island to be with my for Family Day and Graduation day. She then broke up with me on Grad day. We were entirely in love, and had been together for over a year (not near as long as four years, of course). She just couldn't handle me not being around, when she needed someone most at that point in her life. She couldn't handle the possibility of me going overseas, and not possibly not even being able to call her. This includes warzones, of course, but also getting stationed overseas, such as in Okinawa.

The only reason I bring this up is because there isn't really anything you can do or say to make her feel 100% about it. There are some things that will at least help, of course, and I'm going to get into that. Let me just say that if she doesn't want to change, then you can't do anything about that. And on that note, if she needs to change something about her so that you two work out better if you do become a Marine, then you probably shouldn't be together anyway. I know you didn't say a thing about her changing, but it is my understanding that if she really does feel that strongly about it that she would cry and beg, then there is something deepseated within her that would, in my opinion, have to change before you being a Marine could work out with her. Does that make sense. Don't take this the wrong way, but it is her selfish side coming out. She wants you to be there with her, when you are going to be doing better things, like helping people, saving lives, or defending your country. If she wants you there with her, as you said, then it is her selfish side coming out.

Now, some things that you can say to her that might help. Just sit down and talk to her and explain exactly why you want to be a Marine. Explain that you want to do it to protect the people you love, including and especially her. If you are civil and tactful about it, you can even bring in the selfish card, but I might not recommend that (meaning you could say what I just told you about her being selfish). Explain that being a Marine will make you into a better man, and a better person. It will allow you to personally help those who cannot help themselves, defend the weak, etc.

Just some thoughts.

[NoRemorse]

After reading this entire thread I feel so guilty that I don't know how I'm going to eat my Super Deluxe 16" Pizza while watching Scarface Tonight :(

Rocky

So Rocky... how was that pizza? :D

Semper Fi:flag:

[FutureRecon101]

well, to make it simple and not get into details, your going to want to not worry about cal. in your diet. Worry more about Carbs and sugars, if you can limit those then the foods you eat wont have a lot of cal. anyway. only drink water and milk no matter what meal your on. Try to eat six small meals a day, and for breakfast have alot of protein, i suggest 3 eggs, bacon, and a big glass of milk, with all of that protein it will start your body off in a kind of fat-burning mood. Exercise every other day, mainly doing circiut training, like sprint for 15 sec. stright, rest for ten. run, and bike a lot. always try to sweat alot everytime you workout. and push yourself everytime. Keep that goal in mind and remind yourself how bad you want it. good luck with everything and i hope this can help!!

[ArielsWARRIOR]

JWDevilDog, Thanks for the advice, I will certainly use that when I am trying to talk to her about the Marine Corps! The problem with her is, see in the first 2 years of our relationship, I got in trouble with the law, because of her parents (not going into details.) But I she had to be away from me for about 5 to 6 months! That just about killed the two of us, but her more, because I just tried to do things to keep me occupied until I could see her again! So when I told her that Boot and School would take me between 6 to 8 months all together, she got a little depressed, but she still enforced on me going! Then when I told her that the average deployment for a Marine is between 8 months to a year! She really got depressed and since then she has been sort of contradicting herself, one minute she is all like go to the Marines and that way you can be "My Marine" and then after about a month of that, her time of the month hits and she gets moody and then the whole "I cant stand for you to be away, I want you to go, but I want you to stay" deal begins to come out! So that is what I am working with! But I will try what you said and see what results I get!

Thanks,
Jordan

[alicia1984]

It's such a myth that carbs are bad or that carbs make you fat or slow down weight loss. It's just not true. Weight loss is calories and and calories out. If you eat too much of anything you get fat. You can't eat all the protein you want and expect not to get fat. Carbs are fuel. It's your body's first source of energy. Your body metabolizes carbs into glucose which we are sent to our cells for energy. If you're working out with low glycogen stores you're going to feel more tired. Simply put you need carbs. Just make sure they're healthy carbs. You should eat a mix of healthy protein, carbs and fat at every meal. More carbs and protein than fat though.

And when working out try to eat something with carbs and protein about an hour before. Nothing huge. And make sure you eat after you work out within an hour of finishing so you can replace the glycogen you burned.

[JWDevilDog]

I forget if you already posted this, and I don't feel like going back through and finding the answer. Are you going reserves? If not, does she realize how very not frequently you will get to see her? Some MOS's give you a choice as to where you get stationed, and they take your choice into consideration. That doesn't mean you will get it, though. Even that is rare. Most MOS's will just assign you to a first duty station, based on the needs of the Marine Corps. It is entirely possible that you will get stationed overseas, or some place Stateside very far from her. That is if you are going active duty, of course.

[ArielsWARRIOR]

I was wanting to go Active Duty! I have talked to about 5 of my best friends, and they all went into Logistics and IT/Data Communications and Networking, they said they got the duty station they wanted and they said they barely get deployed! All 5 of them have been deployed atleast once and only one of them served over 8 months! The rest were around 4 to 5 month deployments, and they said they never saw combat the whole time over there! So thats the reason I was wondering if I would, because I was going into data communications! Plus 4 of the 5 are married now and live with their wives, the 5th one hasnt found the right one I guess! So I am confused, I have some Marines say you'll barely be at home if at all for long periods of time, then I have some that say they look at it sort of like a regular job, just with extra long trips to go on every once in a while!

[Gunner 0313]

:flag:This thread is making me hungry ! Hey Rocky pass the Za !

[NoRemorse]

:flag:This thread is making me hungry ! Hey Rocky pass the Za !

Sorry; my wife ate it. She's pregnant and dangerous and married to a Marine.

And yes, I'm scared of her :p

[JWDevilDog]

Deployments are based on your unit and where you are stationed. If you are stationed in Okinawa, you will probably get deployed to a lot of Asian and Pacific countries. These deployments are shorter, usually about two months.

If you are Stateside, you will probbaly end up in Afghanistan for 7+ months.

If you are a reservist, expect to get deployed to a warzone often. You may not go with your unit, but the unit usually goes frequently.