Seriously Confused

[MikeH27]

Recently I have been trying really hard to lose weight, and I think I may be going a little overboard. I also know very little about the topic, but have been doing research. The only problem with researching is that so many people have varying opinions, and very little seems to be true across the board. There is simply way too much theory out there, and not a lot of ways they can show me how to practically adapt it to personal taste without feeling like I need a degree in nutrition science, lol.

First off, I don't even know what body type is to figure out what practical goals should be. Someone once said that they think I may be endomorphic, but then I looked that up and I am not so sure it applies to me. Please allow me to give a little background so that you can help me identify body type without me having to upload an embarrassing photo of myself, lol.

Growing up I was always in amazing physical condition. I was a bit under weight as a kid, but as I grew up I started to have great definition and muscle mass without ever putting any effort into it. I was very active (basketball, kickball, walked almost every place I went due to not having a car, etc.) but I never lifted weights and did crunches. I even managed to somehow get a visible 6-pack when I was around 17 or 18 without really knowing how I got it; I wasn't even as active then other then just walking every place I needed to go (A TON of if was uphill since I lived in a town called Eureka, and it is just one giant mountain after another to get anywhere). I got older, got a car, and became less active. Though, weight was never an issue. When I was about 21 or so, I was still holding strong at 175 - 185lbs.

Well, at the age of late 21 to early 22 (Back in 2006) I stopped doing anything - completely. I mean I literally sat in the house 27/7 all year round playing video games and drinking 2-liters of soda per day and eating the worst possible food you could imagine. Granted, I had those eating habits before, but I was also more active. Fast forward to 2011 and I have been doing the same bad behavior since 2006. I was then 5'8'' and 224lbs. Well, after being called fat a lot and deciding that I want to get back in the shape I was in, I started trying to lose weight. For about 2 weeks-ish now I have been really watching calorie intake and what I eat, but I still have not been very active at all. In those two weeks (about that, not sure how long exactly) I managed to get myself down to 210lbs.

So, in all honestly, I had about 5 years of that horrible habit and went from 180-ish to 224. That is only about 44lbs gained in 5 years of the worst possible eating habit and lack of physical activity possible. That is why I don't think I am endomorphic. It said people with that body type are usually overweight (which I wasn't until the last few years) and that they gain weight very easily (5 years and 44lbs gained eating probably 4,000+ calories a day with 0 activity) which I didn't seem to do, and that they have a real hard time losing weight (14lbs-ish lost in 2 weeks). I just don't think I fit this type.

What body type do you guys think I may fit? I have broad shoulders and an athletic frame if that helps at all. I could show someone a private picture if needed, but do not want to make it public.

I am also kind of stuck, because I know nothing about dieting or working out and I want to continue down the right path. So, I am looking for someone to guide me. I will start off by telling you all what I have done so far, and people can make good suggestions to help me. However, please keep it simple, as I am a TOTAL beginner.

I am eating about 600 to 1,400 calories per day. Some days I eat 600 - 800 and others I go up to 1,400 eaten. I cap myself at 1,500 and I watch calorie intake like a hawk. I seem very comfortable hunger-wise capping at 1500, so that is overall goal per day. I am also picky about what I eat. Sometimes I partake in a guilty pleasure of a whole wheat sandwich with lean turkey and no dressing. I heard I am not suppose to eat bread, but I do still eat whole wheat bread every now and then when I want a quick sandwich. I also eat diced carrots, canned fruits (I always make sure they are packed in water and not saturated with sugar. I only buy ones with 30 calories per serving and eat the whole 3.5 servings for a lunch or something. I am willing to live with the 105 calorie gain there for a meal).

I have also completely cut coke out of diet. No sodas at all. I drink water and tea I make at home and only use 0 calorie Splenda to sweeten it. I am going to even start not allowing myself as much 0 calorie tea, and sticking with pure water. I am going to make it a goal to drink 2 liters of water per day. I have a 1 liter water bottle, so I can measure it that way.

Is it safe to only eat 1400 calories a day? Today I only had 700 calories, but I will try not to go that low again. I still managed to fit 3 meals in. One diet meal I bought at the store (I can't cook and wanted something semi-real) which was 210 calories, a whole wheat sandwich with one serving of lean turkey (100 calories for the bread, 45 calories in the turkey), and when I felt myself dipping in energy I would snack on just the turkey itself. I have really weird sleeping hours, so I have to try and get meals in where I can.

The days I work mornings I will make sure to eat some eggs (2 scrambles eggs. No milk, and 0 calorie cooking spray used instead), and for lunch eat either a diet meal or a couple of apples, and for dinner it will vary, but I will try to eat a decent 500 calorie meal with a good bit of protein to get some energy back and keep body safe.

However, I still want to lose weight. In particular, ! The rest of body actually didn't get any bigger at all. It ALL went right to to give me a huge gut. I think I feel it starting to tighten as I lose weight,but I am still not working out at all. So, I need to start doing that too.

I am very dedicated in diet (losing this weight is a big deal to me) and I also want to gain a lot of muscle. So, I would love to begin working out - I am just not sure where to begin.

To start I have been doing 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups of 2 sets (20 sit-ups) and I run in place for a while. I know this isn't a "workout" but it is just me starting somewhere because i didn't know what else to do.

I have P90X, but when I tried doing it I just wasn't ready. I don't consider it a failure, but it is a set back. I just need to improve myself enough to be able to do that, then I can start that program and not have to worry about doing it on own anymore! I liked how they did it, but Just couldn't even remotely keep up or finish. When they said "do as many push-ups as possible" I did 10 and couldn't do anymore. So, me doing 10 every day is just a way I am using to try and work way up to doing 20. Then 30, etc.

personal goal would be to do 200 push-ups and 200 sit-ups every day. But once I can do 50 of each in a row and not feel like I am going to collapse, I will begin P90X. I also can't use the pull-up bar at home, so I am having a hard time finding a place to do pull-ups.

I think right now best bet is to start walking. I will start by going up and down drive way. It is a steep hill, so going up and down it for an hour per day would be a decent workout! I will do this on top of push-ups and sit-ups when I wake up.

Are there any other things I could do to help myself in this process? Should I change diet ideas? I am just so lost I want someone to point me in the right direction.

I have also been taking a Men's One-A-Day every day to make sure I am not depriving body of vitamins it may need! This also has a ton of health/vanity benefits from what I have read and I always feel really good inside after I take one knowing it is the first step of day to becoming who I want to be.

Also, what is the best and fastest way to lose big ? I want to get rid of it as fast as possible. It really makes me feel bad about myself. Especially since when I was even just 20 I still had 6-pack! I am 26 now, so that wasn't that long ago. Now when people from them see me all they can say it "WOW. YOU HAVE GOTTEN SO FAT.". I know it may not be the best reason, but hearing that enough times sent motivation into overdrive. I mean, limiting myself to 1,500 calories a day and sticking to it for weeks is a lot of dedication to someone like me. So, I am very proud of myself for that for losing the weight I have. But, I am sort of stuck and don't want to continue down an unhealthy way of losing it, because I am afraid I will develop an eating disorder if I do.

All comments/feedback is wanted. Just please don't me mean or make fun of me. I am simply here to learn how to help improve myself. I am very serious about this.

Oh, and I can't join a gym and don't have the money for a trainer before anyone says that. I can barely afford to eat healthy, since it is so expensive. The gym is because I suffer from a social anxiety disorder, and while I can manage it well, that coupled with feeling insecure about body makes going to the gym something I DO NOT want to do. I would rather do this all from home.

Thank you for listening. I really look forward to the feedback!

[MikeH27]

UPDATE:

I was doing research and found http://www.military.com/military-fitnes ... -lean-diet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would this be a good diet to try? It seems like it would be, but since you all know a little more about me and goals, maybe you could let me know?