Diet Advocate

Here's a quote from another thread: I came here looking for a thread just like this.

I'm 16 turning 17 in less than a month. My entire life I've been on and off obese. I stopped growing since I was 13 (seriously, 5'10 and BAM not an inch taller) which I assume is probably due to the fact that my weight went out of control. I was 210-220 at 5'10 (13 y/o) and since then my weight has been fluctuating like a roller coasting.

Twice I've lost weight (upwards of 40 pounds) via unorthodox methods (forcing my body into ketosis via borderline starvation and lack of nutrition) but I don't want to do that again. I was at a healthy 180 both times before I stopped the diet and went back to my old ways. It was effective and quick to lose weight the way I did but I know that it's not healthy for my body, especially the 3rd time around.

This time I want to do things the right way. I have a treadmill in my room but right now I'm a little over 220 pounds and I feel pain in my tibia, the bone under the thigh/femur, when I put pressure on it. I've asked my friends whether that's the case with them and the answer was a no. I assume that the gravity is a little to great on that particular part of the bone because that's the lowest vertical bone in the body before the foot, thus it's supporting all the weight from my thighs and upper body. Because of this, doing intense cardio exercise would pose a slight issue, my legs give out before my lungs due.

Even at my worst in November of '08 (weighing 237) I didn't look more than 180. I'm not the type that looks soft/jiggly/bubble, I'm actually quite "hard" for my height/weight ratio.

So, now that you guys know a more humiliating part of my life story, would you be so kind as to give me some input or even devise a weight loss plan for me? I'd love to drop a healthy 3 pounds a week from now until September so I can go back to school (after summer vacation) looking nice and fit. My goal is to drop about 60 pounds from my current weight of 220, of course I know that I'll gain some muscle along the way so I'll be content at around 170-180 so long as I have a healthy BMI.

^Turns out it's not my tibia hurting, Ozzman told me it was a shint splint and I have no reason to doubt him. Google agrees!

Today was the day of the year where the entire extended family goes to visit my grandpa (my aunt's/uncle's father) grave. We usually pig out with a whole roasted pig, a couple chickens, barbecued pork, and a lot of other crap and eat till we drop. I had a blast today and I filled up my stomach with a little too much heavy food. I think it's about time I started making a change.

Tomorrow I'm going to Costco and picking up some raw spinach, romaine, chicken breast, and oatmeal. My daily meals will more or less consist of:

Breakfast: Oatmeal + skim milk, maybe a banana chopped up and dumped into the oatmeal... raw oatmeal tastes really bad, I just tried it.

In-school snack: No idea really... another banana? I don't want to go 7 hours without eating, I could (I usually do) but I want to keep my metabolism running high. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, I'd much rather skip the meal (and the hassle). Would a protein bar work?

Lunch (after school, at home): A huge salad, maybe some cottage cheese?

Dinner: A whole chicken breast, or half, I don't really know.. and more salad.

For the salad dressing I'm going to make a leaner version of the traditional caesar and substitute egg yolks with silken tofu.

I feel like I'm missing carbs big-time and my diet isn't exactly well balanced. Anybody have any suggestions/recommendations?

Also, I'll be looking for a gym near home or school so I can go in a few times a week to lift some weights but I'll start out with my dumbbell kit for now. I need some form of cardio so I'll eventually start doing the treadmill again. When I feel comfortable I'm going to start doing more exercises at the gym.