Need to lose weight...

General General Discussion
1

Not sure if this is the right forum for this, but it seemed to fit best in here. Possible TL;DR, so sorry if thats the case.

First off, I wanted to start off by telling a little bit about myself. Im 23 years old (24 in November). I am around 6’3", maybe a little taller, and weigh around 270 lbs. I don’t have any muscle, as I never work out, or run. In school, I was never into sports, and I wasnt very active, even in gym (which was my least favorite class). Im paying for this now, as it’s really starting to bother me.

I really want more than anything to work for my local PD or SO, but the way i stand right now, I couldnt pass the PFT without getting myself in shape for a good 2 months. I dont feel that I have much work to do, but want to be in the best shape possible before I even apply again, because Id like for the academy to be a breeze, and I dont really want to just barely squeak by on the initial physical fitness test during the hiring process.

All these problems, my being overweight (I’m about a 32 on the BMI scale, and I should weigh about 200 according to said scale for my height) my not having the career I want, etc are all due to my bad eating habits, my lack of motivation, and my general overall laziness. I don’t expect anyone to be able to help me with any of those, because those are all things that I need to change for myself. I do however want any tips, advise, or basic help that you can shoot in my direction. Give me pointers on a basic exercise routine I can start on, what I should focus on eating (I know pretty much what NOT to eat, but not so much what is good for you, quick, easy to make and cheap to buy)

About 2 weeks ago, I got pretty sick and tired of being so out of shape, and I saw no future in law enforcement for me if I keep it up. That being said, I cut off all soda and fast food (I used to eat a lot of fast food and drink tons of soda before then). For about a week I didnt have any fast food or drink any sodas, and tried to eat a little more healthy (fruit, granola bars, etc), and I ate A LOT less, and I mean A LOT less than I was used to. I drank plenty of water while at work, and tried to eat a bunch of small meals a day, instead of a couple huge (unhealthy) meals. I was always hungry, but I also tried to do 30 situps a day before work, and I went to work out for maybe 5-10 minutes a day while at work to try and build up my arms a little. Im not sure if it was a fluke or what, but within 3 days I had dropped 4-5 lbs. Needless to say, Im not 100% back into my old routine, but after a week straight of doing that, I had fast food twice I believe since then, and have had a couple sodas as well, though I dont eat nearly as bad as I was before I started all this.

Basically, right now Im just trying to get myself into a routine and get myself used to compromising my life style and getting into the habit of exercising and watching what I eat. Im trying to take it slowly, and not kill myself right away, because I know that wont last long, and ill get tired of it pretty quick, just like me cheating and having a couple sodas and eating fast food a couple times after only a week of trying to get into shape. Sorry for the long drawn out post, but id really like to hear anything you guys have to say. What can you give me for advice? Should I keep up the routine I have been going with, or should I do things a little different?

2

First, good for you for wanting to do something about your weight. It appears you have ID’d some of the big problem children (soda and fast food).

One of the very best things you can do is drink a ton of water. Also, rethink how you eat (bigger meals in the morning and smaller in the evening). Exercise before you eat (not after).

Walking and swimming are both good low impact and can be done without much money. If you have the money, going to a gym and hitting the weights will really help you burn fat. If you cannot afford a gym membership, then push-ups and sit-ups are are free. :smiley:

Good luck and stay with it!

C4

3

good for you for wanting to change…

here is my basis for experience, then my advice:

I am a former college football player, and was in the Army. I was medically discharged after the Army crushed my left leg. I am athletic, I don’t think thats bragging, and have always enjoyed working out, but…

for the decade of my twenties I let my body go to shit…no easy way to say that…i have some reasons…a little bit of depression, and just not really giving a damn…but whatever the reason, it was what it was…

last Nov. 29th i had surgery to reconstruct my left shoulder (an injury I’ve been dealing with for well over a decade and a half)…at the pre surgery anesthesia weigh in, I weight over 410 pounds…whats sad is that its not the heaviest I’ve been…

it took me some more time and self loathing and pity to finally get off my ass, but in April i decided I was going to finally lose weight…

sometime in the next 2 weeks I will drop below the 300 pound mark for the first time in probably 15 years…I have lost 100+ pounds since April…

the secret? move more, eat less…but EAT LESS is really the key…

I used Medifast (you can look it up) to help me, but the key is 1000 calories a day, or thereabouts…your basal metabolic rate probably puts your body at somewhere near 3000 calories a day…cut it by 2/3 and you WILL lose weight…and i know people will talk about “starvation mode”…if you eat the appropriate amounts of nutrients and protein you can 1000 calories a day, still feel energized, and not lose muscle mass…i’ve gained muscle mass since i started my diet just from the amount i work out

i’d still like to lose another 40-50 pounds or so…my frame is such that i can easily and healthily weight 250 pounds…

i do some form of cardio activity 5-6 days a week (i had knee surgery last Wednesday, prior to that I was running on an elliptical…on Thursday I rode the bike for 30 minutes, less than 24 hours after my surgery)

but really, thats it in a nutshell…you have to commit to the idea that for a significant amount of time food is just fuel, not enjoyment…

good luck…

4

My advice to you is to find a competent trainer and do his or her program. Keep the trainer informed of any pain you feel; the program will get modified if needed.

This will not be inexpensive. However, going it alone means you can easily hurt yourself. I almost destroyed one of my shoulders on a bench press machine…I still regret it today.

5

www.bodyforlife.com

Get the book, read the book, understand the book. If you understand the WHY, you’ll do much better at the HOW.

BFL is the no shit, best thing going. You should never be hungry (you know the difference between hungry and bored, right?).

Most people need a plan. It doesn’t have to be a great plan, it just needs to be a plan. You need a routine you can stick to, and a plan that you feel like you’re cheating on if you screw up.

BFL also tailors the workouts around you and around what you can physically handle with the way it deals with intensity. Intensity 1 for Micheal Phelps might be the same as intensity 10 for you. And that’s ok and BFL allows you to work around that.

6

As someone who recently dropped 45#, and counting, I can’t stress enough, proper portion control, as well as quality of the food you are eating. Exercise is fantastic, but it’s pointless without a quality diet.

7

Thanks for all the advice guys. If anyone can go over what foods I could buy that are healthy, that wont break my bank, then that would be great. I know its kind of day one stuff, but just to get a straight forward answer, if you can also go over foods that I should definately stay away from, then I think if I do that, try and eat 1000 calories a day, and exercise a little, I can start to lose weight. My goal is to get down to 250 in the next 3 months. Sounds doable I think.

Any other advice or input is greatly appreciated, and all comments will be read.

8

I am no expert but look at foods with a low glycemic index (google that). Stay away from simple carbs (white flour, sugar, etc). Complex carbs (whole grains) are OK.

Don’t instant oatmeal – highly glycemic. Whole oats (old fashioned oats) are much lower and are good for you.

Protein in the morning (egg, small piece of ham) makes you feel full longer.

Small portions. Eat your big meal of the day in the morning. (I read about a study some doctors did where the people ate the same amount of calories per day but one group at their large meal in the morning, medium meal at lunch, and small snack meal in the evening and one group did it the traditional American way of large meal in the evening – the group who ate their large meal in the morning lost much more weight).

Don’t stick “stuff” on your food. Ie, stop the butter, sugar, honey, jelly/jam, etc that you poor all over food. A very small amount is ok but most people put too much sugar on their cereal, butter on their toast, etc. Lots of calories in these extras.

9

This is another one of those topics where there are a million different opinons on “what works.”

I can just give my own experience and opinions. I think that excercise is much more important than diet in controlling weight. Not just physically but in the mental battleground as well.

“Dieting” can amount to absolute torture and cause you to obsess over food and eating. It has been my experience that someone who regularly exercises can pretty much eat whatever they want, within reason. The human body has an amazing ability to process whatever goes into it.

I also am a bit suspect of the “drink water constantly all day long” crowd. I think this is a ploy by the companies that sell bottled water. Water is good for you but you don’t need to be constantly drinking it. Black coffee is good for your metabolism and sports drinks are good after intense exercise. Yes, stay away from the sugary sodas. Stay away from fast food, especially french fries. I would try to stay away from fried foods in general.

I do not buy into the low carb or Atkins-type diets at all. I do believe in eating five or six times a day if you can. I am also a believer in morning cardio on an empty stomach after a cup of black coffee. I thought it would make me pass out, but I have energy all day long when I do it.

Sleep! Sleep is crucially important - minimum seven hours/night. Sometimes the real world intrudes but you need to try and sleep properly. You will find that exercise will make you fall into a deeper more restful sleep and you will wake up more refreshed. Don’t drink caffiene after dinnertime, preferably stop at lunchtime.

Walk everywhere, especially up steps. I am not saying to run stairs because that is exceptionally hard on knees. Get a good pair of walking/running shoes.

I would really recommend just cooking/preparing all of your own meals - I recommend lots of grilling. Keep your portions small and eat slowly. At first you will think you could never be satisfied by the small amount of food you are eating but you will be shocked.

Lastly, stick with it. You will not really see any results for about three weeks. Buy an accurate scale but only weigh yourself once/week. Treat yourself on occasion! ONE ice cream sundae is not going to make you fat. Four/week will!

10

I was going to post a similar thread wanting to find some info on military type fitness work outs. I already have the complete guide to Navy Seal fitness and Nutrition as well as a workout used by the Air Force PJs but am always looking for something better or different. At minimum I like to change things up because once you get board with the work outs that you are doing is when you lose interest and stop. Any of the current or ex military guys are welcome to throw out some routines. :smiley:

11

Lots of cardio.

Plenty of veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats.

Cut out the crap: Sodas, beer, candy, fast food.

12

with all due respect to the katar, i’m betting you are skinny…

there is a plethora of research on the internet on this, and as someone who has been both in shape and morbidly obese, i can speak from experience…i am also married to a physician who deals with and dispenses advice to morbidly obese people on a daily basis…

if you have a lot of weight to lose, the only, i repeat ONLY way you are going to lose weight is through calorie control…significant calorie control…

you can exercise all you want, if you don’t control your calories you will NOT lose weight…

in fact, almost all reputable medical sources on the matter now agree that if you control your calories and DON’T exercise, you will be more successful than someone who only exercises moderate calorie control and exercises…

people who are already thin, have a high metabolism, and exercise, are little batteries and can pretty much eat what they want as long as they do rigorous exercise…

but people that are overweight it does not work the same…in fact if you exercise stringently you often increase your appetite and eat MORE because your body was not used to such strenuous activity, and it wants to maintain its stores and meet your energy demands…so you get hungrier

the fact remains, you must create a calorie deficit to lose weight…

you have a basal metabolic rate (the amount you burn in a normal day)…you must reduce this by 3500 calories/pound you want to lose over the long haul…

go spend an hour on the elliptical at hard difficulty and you are still only likely to burn 500 calories, if that…

drop your caloric intake from 3000 to 1000 calories and the deficit you have created is 4x what you would burn in that hour…

i was master fitness trainer certified in the army, so i know some of the science behind this…i wish i had listened to my training so i didn’t get in the hole i was in…

i have also now spoken to numerous nutritionists and MDs on this subject…

i can tell you i exercised like mad (45 minutes on an elliptical 3-4x a week, 3-4x a week of rigourous weight training) and weighed over 400 pounds…

it wasn’t until i severely limited my caloric intake that I lost 100 pounds (and counting)…

13

No, I am not nor have I ever been even slightly obese, much less morbidly so. Some examples may require drastic measures, but at some point the drastic measures have their desired effect and then you need to switch over to something a bit less drastic.

14

Im not Rocky or any thing but I am in pretty decent shape… I am 5’ 8 (5’9 on a good day…lol), I weigh 193 lbs and have 8.5% body fat. I do watch what I eat…I try to eat simple and complex carbs at the right times…low fat, high protein,. etc. I exercise at least 4 days a week. That includes weights, calisthenics, cardio, and proper stretching. I am really looking for some fine tuning just to push myself the extra mile…so the average diet or workout plan probably wont do all that much for me. That is why I thought that a military style fitness program might help. Oh and at my most intense my workout would last up to 4 hours…now they are down to about 2 just because I vary the intensity and the number of sets/repetitions.

15

Good on you for wanting to get in shape. Losing weight is something most Americans can’t come to grips with and lack courage to do anything about. All of the advise is good, but before you go to the academy, get a full blown physical to make sure you are medically in shape before doing strenuous exercise and the stresses of LEO training. It’s not like Marine boot camp, or Army Airborne or Ranger school, but if you’re not in shape, you will get smoked and may get injured. Working out and eating right has to become religious in order to obtain your goals, so make a daily, weekly and monthly plan (i will do 10 push ups and 10 sit ups and walk 2 miles everyday, then bump it up 2 reps or more every week, then morning and evening workouts once you build muscle strength and endurance, then switch to running & sprints half way through, for the duration of your workout regiment) including meals and stick with it. This is where the discipline comes in, which will also help you not quit on yourself when training gets a little uncomfortable. Good luck.

16

you’re absolutely right…the transition as hard…

as someone who has been both (in my life I’ve weighed 220 pounds and 420 pounds at my current height) i guess I have a little bit of a weird perspective on this…

but, again, you’re right…one of the things I am having to relearn is how to act, eat, and exercise like an “in shape” person again…

without that transition, you end up back in the red…

17

OK, quick disclaimer: I’m a doctor.

Now that that’s out of the way, Body for Life is the healthiest way to lose weight while building lean muscle mass. The two are interlocked. You can lose weight by starvation dieting but you’re going to be losing lean muscle mass at the same time. If you build lean muscle mass while eating healthy it’s a win-win situation. I have been using the BFL outline for four years and you will never regret it. If you eat and exercise this way for a month you will become obsessed with this lifestyle. You won’t even want the free day each week anymore where you can eat anything you want. It’s just that good.

The South Beach Diet actually has a faster weight loss ratio (recent studies have actually proven this) but the BFL lifestyle (not diet) give you healthier and nearly as fast results. If you want to be in law enforcement you want some muscle behind the weight loss.

You will have to invest in some equipment because this lifestyle includes exercise. No way around that in a healthy weight loss program. A bowflex machine and bowflex dumbells is as inexpensive and space saving a way as any.

Try this. Buy the book from the website or Amazon. You will not be disappointed.

18

Amen…and cut the starbucks as well.

19

Been heavy twice (both times above 250lbs) and I’ve been reasonably lean three times (aka really skinny compared to most everybody else walking around). I’m skinny now. When I was a lardass, eating too much was the only culprit. I didn’t respect myself.

You’re the only person that can make and keep genuine change in your lifestyle. I think you’re on the right road. Keep eating less, keep exercising a few days a week.

Cardio is great. So is counting calories. Wonder of wonders if can calculate up what you’d eat at a good body weight, then eat that for a time, your body will adjust to the correct weight. Daily calorie intake is near exact the same thing as RPM’s for automobiles. If the RPM’s aren’t right for the conditions, you’re going to be at the wrong speed. No amount of explaining why you’re at the wrong weight makes you the right weight.

You’re young and you’ve got a bit of time.

20

Don’t starve, just eat cleaner and use moderation.

Avoid foods with excess amounts of:

fat
sodium
sugar

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fat-Burning-Exercises&id=37607

For example, you can go to the park and:

power walk at 70% pace
for 45 minutes
four times a week

Just this + eating cleaner will get you real noticable results in a few months. Additional weight lifting will speed things up.

Don’t expect quick and easy results, this will be a fight! :mad:

We can type up all the advice we want, but it’s all up to you to start. Starting is the hardest part.

Just start!

Good luck.

Damnit, my computer turned off for some reason while typing the original post. :o:D