Where to start

[lots789]

Hello everyone,

I don't know where to start. I keep getting bigger and bigger and am starting to get depressed. Right now I weigh close to 280 at 5 foot 7 and don't know how fast to lose the weight and how to workout. I want to look better but don't have to look like a Greek god or anything.

[Abaddon]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

What have you tried so far?

[Off Road]

If your goal is to lose weight/fat, then your diet will be most important. Exercise is important too, but not nearly as important as the food you eat. I'm not a diet expert, so I'll leave that to the others, but you should lose weight pretty rapidly at first and then it will slow down. You didn't gain it overnight, don't expect to lose it overnight.

[J_Byrd]

I wish I could give you some solid advice on diet, but their are much more qualified people on this board. I feel that the diet is key. Low impact exercise, and diet are the only ways to go. Stay away from all the snake oil sales people who will tell you that you can lose 30lbs in a month and stuff like that.

[lots789]

Originally Posted by Abaddon

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

What have you tried so far?

Eat less and that's about it. I reduced my portion sizes but I had several bad days. My job is stressful and physical and all I want to do when I get home is eat.

[Soldier]

Welcome!

Good news; we have people here who can help you with everything your trying to do. Not only are the people here very knowledgable, we're also pretty good at applying what we know to the real world. Personally, I have lost tons of weight and also developed some pretty solid muscle and strength during my time on the planet so far.

First off, you need to know that you CAN change your body. Millions of people want to lose weight, and it's true that most fail, but there are also thousands and thousands of people who have succesfully lost fat and become healthier. You can be one of them. I know how it feels to be depressed. I have a family history of clinical depression and have struggled with it some myself. Just remember, it's EASY to give up, but what will make you happiest is hardly ever going to be the easiest route.

We need to know a little more about you. How old are you? Do you have any medical issues that will affect your weight loss plans? What are your goals (Be very specific here, wether that be exactly how much you want to weigh, to be an exact bodyfat %, or to squat an exact amount of weight.)? What is your living situation?

Living situation is important because some people have far more control over what they eat and what food is around them than others, and that will affect how you need to go about cutting fat.

Once we get some more info about you we can help you make a plan to get you wherever you want to be. Don't be afraid to make extreme long-term goals! Short term, easier goals will help you stay on track, but don't be afraid to dream about what you could some day be!

[Abaddon]

Originally Posted by lots789

Eat less and that's about it. I reduced my portion sizes but I had several bad days. My job is stressful and physical and all I want to do when I get home is eat.

I would like to know what your diet is - it's a good idea to constrain portion sizes, but if you're eating crap then that isn't going to make much difference overall.

What do you eat on a normal day? And how physical is your work?

[Shadowschmadow]

Originally Posted by lots789

Eat less and that's about it. I reduced my portion sizes but I had several bad days. My job is stressful and physical and all I want to do when I get home is eat.

Its not necessarily about portion sizes, nor is it about eating less. There's a great misconception that dieting = eating less and being hungry. My most successful diets have me slamming down food. The difference is the nutritional content of the food, and understanding the importance of calorie control. A cone of ice cream can contain over 300 calories. It takes about 6-8 ounces of chicken breast to equal the 300 calories. Which do you think is going to keep you full through your next meal? A bowl of cereal can be 300 calories, or you can eat 4-5 eggs. Which one will keep you more full?

Little things like this make a huge difference. Instead of pounding down a soda, have a diet soda. Instead of drinking milk with your meals, have water or another zero calorie drink. Cut back on liquid calories, substitute unhealthy snacks with healthy foods (fruit, carrots, whatever) and give yourself some lenience. Allow yourself to have ice cream daily, or whatever, but make smarter decisions. Instead of having regular ice cream, have a skinny cow ice cream; 120 calories, which is far less from the average ice cream.

Whatever it is, keep your quantities consumed in check.

Another thing that's important for you to understand is that you can't do everything at once. Whether or not your goal is to be healthy or a wickedly large/ripped bodybuilder; you're gonna have to take it one step at a time, and it starts with fat-loss. Trying to put on significant muscle and losing significant weight will interfere with one another, and you'll begin spinning your wheels really fast. So, choose one goal and start with that.

You don't need to be joining some crazy routine like boot camp or whatever just to lose weight. Changing around some of your eating habits and just going for walks every night can go a long way.

I can sit here and type out everything you need to know, and it will take me all day because I have a lot of information stored in this tiny brain of mine. But let's start simple and take things one step at a time. Simplicity is the key to success, and losing weight doesn't have to feel like you're being dragged through a pile of broken glass.

[Abaddon]

^This is all good information, EXCEPT the recommendation to swap soda for diet soda. Soda is bad, diet soda is worse. The sugar replacements in diet and low-calorie drinks make you thirstier and crave sweetness more. Plus several of them have adverse effects on people in a variety of other ways.

Beverages are some of the worst offenders when it comes to high-calorie foods. The best thing to do is remove sodas entirely - swap them for 2 litres (half a gallon) of water per day (lightly flavoured if necessary), along with plenty of milk. A litre/ 1 quart of milk has 30 grams of protein, good fat and natural sugar. It is a complete meal in itself.

Even fruit juice you should keep to a minimum. Have actual fruit instead.

[Soldier]

I have to disagree with you abs. Back when I had my biggest weight loss I drank 2 liters of diet soda like they were going out of style. My friends actually called me 2 liter because I didn't even bother with cups.

Now a days when I want something in my mouth but can't fit any more food into my intake I get a glass of diet soda. I believe it's helped me stay on track quite a few times. It also really helps on a low-carb diet, because I start to crave sweet things and diet soda takes care of it no problem.