First off, I want to say hello to the ShapeFit community.
Well, let's see. Where to start? name is Drew. I'm about 5'6" 240 lbs. Scary, I know. is goal 180lbs for now. I'll re- after I've reached that. I'm aware this will not come quick, nor easy. I guess I'm just looking for some advice for someone just starting out. I'm willing to put in the work. But, I have a few issues. First, I currently have a desk job that requires me to work 40-55 hours. I'm also a student. I'd prefer to be able to work out at home, or outside around the neighborhood. Second, I'm currently not on a diet, or in the habit of calorie counting. I have no idea where to start. I get intimidated every time I start to read up on it.
I guess right now I'm looking for:
-Where to start in terms of exercise. I don't have a gym membership, and honestly, I don't really have the time to go to the gym. It's not that I'm lazy. I work 40-55 Hours a week, and go to school full time. It's a time issue. I have a set of dumbells (15lbs & 20lbs). I also have a stationary bike to utilize. I would like to be able to do most of exercise at home or around the neighborhood.
-Where to start in terms of a healthy diet. Right now, I don't calorie count. I'm willing to start though of course. I eat a lot of meat & rice/potatoes. Not really big on the junk food.
Thanks for suffering through incredibly long post.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
I would use the Bike, and go for 30 minutes 3x a week, on an interval setting. You might find you need some time to get used to it, so I'd go light on it, perhaps at a level 1 for the first week, then step up to level 2 next week, until you're about level 5 or 6.
You wouldn't need to go too fast, just at a pace that suits you, as you'd need time to allow your body to get used to it.
Calorie monitors, are notoriously impossible as a guide to actual caloric burn, but in your case, I'd at least use the figure as a target to aim for, to make sure you're working as hard as the previous time. I'd estimate, when you increase the intensity each week, you could over 30 minutes, achieve possibly another 15-20 calories on that total, though as I say, it would be a guide only, not something you could quote as a calories burned total.
I wouldn't normally advocate people take much notice of such monitoring devices, but in your case, being new, it might be useful.
As for the Diet, what meals do you eat, and when, as what you posted, is a little vague.
Thank you so much for replying to me. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. diet is really erratic. Most days I don't even get a good breakfast in. So, I wind up making up for it with a larger lunch and dinner. I know, this is terrible. In terms of what I eat, also really erratic. Some days I'll have a garden salad for lunch, and a grilled salmon with veggies for dinner. Other days I'll have like pizza for lunch and potroast for dinner. There really is no balance what so ever. So, I basically need just a whole new diet plan from scratch to start with.
Also, after this summer I will be done with school. So by then I will be able to get a gym membership. But that isn't until the end of June.
I really would like to loose as much weight as possible before then. (In a healthy manner of coarse).
You need Carbs for energy and to fuel the Brain. You need Protein to spare muscle, and provide things like neurological assistance, bloodflow enhancement, boosting of certain Micronutrients etc etc, and if you don't get it, you will just cause your body to burn Fat and muscle, weaking your Metabolism, and potentially causing Fat increases, and producing unwanted Ketone toxins.
You could have a small bowl of Cereal and some Eggs, or perhaps some Chicken, Turkey, half a Scoop of Protein powder.
If you have Carbs, could go with Cereal as suggested, Whole-grain Bread also. Could go for Fruit, but give it 10-15 minutes to digest so it isn't trapped in the stomach with other food, blocking Fruit digestion, then perhaps add some more Carbs in if needed.
Could include Powdered Flax in the mix.
Make sure you don't whack Carbs up massively. You only in mind need to eat Carbs, whereby you don't get a bloodsugar spike anything above 30-40%. Just because Bloodsugar does go down in the night, but in mind, that doesn't mean you can go Carbo nuts, and have massive
spikes in the morning, as that's not beneficial.
You need snacks in the morning. Things like Peanuts and Low Fat Cheese are good options, as they provide Fats, Protein and Carbs. low Fat Cheese isn't very Fat rich, but you could add some Nuts into the mix with that if you wanted.
If you're concerned about Aflatoxins in Peanuts, choose western grown, as Aflatoxins to knowledge, are more prevalent in Peanuts grown in the Far east, due to lower standards of processing, health regulations, and hygenic storage facilities.
You could have something like a small Sandwhich here as well, or again maybe some Fruit, with a bit of Chicken or Turkey perhaps. Same deal with the Fruit though. Give it time.
Lunch, you've got many options, which could include Fish as well as things like Legumes, Grains, Soy, Fruits like Tomatos, Peppers and Cucumber, Flax Powder, Mushrooms etc etc.
Regards Fish and Shellfish, you need to be aware of Mercury content. The body can Chelate heavy metals, but it needs time.
If you're eating stuff like Tuna, I'd give yourself 2-3 Cans a week, to allow a better Chelation chance.
For low Mercury Fish like Salmon, could go for a daily portion, of say 100g, (3.5OZ), or 2 x 50g.
With a 2x 50g option, you could always with each 50g portion, add things like Peas, Beans, Lentils, Rice or Mushooms in, to boost the Protein content and get some Carbs, than add more Carbs from things like Veggies for example.
You don't necessarily need the Omegas from Fish, as the main difference between Omega Fish Fat and the stuff in things like Flax, Omega Eggs, Avocados, Soy and Nuts, is the Alpha Linoleic Acid needs converting to EPA and DHA, as opposed to Fish, where the Fats are already like that, but they are sources of those Fats too, so Fish isn't vital for such Fats to be had.
You should be also able get such Fats, from Oil sources like Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Canola Oil etc etc.
Avoid Palm though, it's not got a great rep, plus it's supposedly damaging the habitat of the wildlife where it's created, and Flaxseed Oil is heat sensitive, so it can go bad during cooking, and has the propensity to go a bit rancid, hence why I've mentined powdered instead, although most Fats can go rancid.
Coconut Oil is a good choice, not necessarily for Omegas, but for the Medium chain Fatty acids that convert to energy, as Lauric Acid is healthy, and Coconut Oil is the most Heat stable Fat around that I've heard of.
Afternoon, snacks again. Avoid Sugary and Acid Fruit, as some Fruit sugar could convert to Fat, when not being used for energy, and you still have options like Whole-grain, Legumes, Mushrooms, Rice, Low Fat Cheese and Dairy, Veggies, Tomatos, Soy, Peppers and Cucmber as Carb options instead with your Protein
Dinner, again, most of the options I mentioned will work for you. Can also include things like Red Meat, as a good option here.
Evening snacks same as afternoon.
With certain things like Rice, could also include Pasta and Soy, limiting could be key.
If you have a dislike of eating Soy, then don't bother, also with Rice, Pasta, and indeed Whole-grain Bread and Parsnips, they can be high Carb and high Bloodsugar impacting, so limit to maybe a small portion a day, or every other day, or mix in a goodly amount of low GI Carbs, as a significant proportion of total Carbs, I.E. 50-75%+ of total from low GI, like Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cashews, most Veggies, etc etc, to reduce bloodsugar impact.
Food Diary - I like caloriecount.about.com. It's a nuisance inputting your fave foods at first but gets quicker.
some quick start ideas - try a month or so of those food programs that deliver your diet food. I'm not a big advocate of them, don't use them myself but if you can afford it, it'd help get you started in the right direction. Else stock on on some Lean Cuisines when they're on sale. Replacing one meal a day with those will help portion control. You might need to add a bit to them though.
Breakfast - mix a protein shake up at least. Banana or frozen berries, fat free yogurt & milk & protein powder is better than nothing. Make it the night before and freeze it - drink on way to work.
Switch out some meat for fish. Buy frozen white fish fillets - microwave it with some veges for a super fast meal.
I love jogging for being cheap, fast and effective. It's hard jogging at a high weight though, maybe after you lose some weight with the bike/diet? Or fast walk, jog, walk, etc just enough to keep your heart rate up.
Given your limited time, start with a few changes and as you progress add more.
I want to thank everyone for their replies and support. It is greatly appreciated. I've already started implementing some of the changes you all have suggested. So far, I've lost 4 pounds.
Quick question: In the morning, do I do cardio before or after I eat breakfast? The reason I ask is a friend told me it's better to do a morning cardio routine before eating. I'm not sure if that information is accurate.
