sr4dt

Background :
- I am 5'8" and currently weigh in @ about 245lb.
- I have 2 kids and the wife works 12PM - 9PM shifts, so that limits available time for exercise.
- Never followed an exercise schedule, so do not have a clue how a particular exercise targets a particular part of the body.

Goal :
- I would like to get back to 180 - 190lb range in 8 - 12 months. 8 years back I was 165lb and I feel I can never get back that down. hence I am aiming for the 180 - 190lb range.
- Get down from a 42" waist to 34"
- Not looking to get crazy cut or lean, just need to get healthy.

The plan :
- Intake - Make some dietary changes to reduce the fat & carb intake.
- Expense - I have no clue on how to plan this thing, but since I got to start somewhere, I have decided that I will start with walking and some ab crunches.
- Catalysts - I am not planning on any supplements or medication as of now.
- Schedule - Since time is a constraint, I need to figure out a schedule which is condusive to marital harmony and parental responsibility.



Ok I admit I have been a lazy ass for a long long time but I am interested in changing it. Need some pointers from you guys & gals to chalk out a plan. All comments, constructive as well as flaming are welcome. I will admit going into this today I am not sure how successfull I will be but just wanted to document my progress. Hopefully this attemp will be a success like a lot of you here. I will post my progress (or lack of it) every month, but I am sure the questions will come more frequently.

GIBSON6594

While your plans on diet improvement and walking/crunches are a good start, be ready to be dissappointed if you plan on losing 60+ pounds in less than a year and keeping it off. Look into a good gym and talk to people there. Maybe even get a trainer to get you started.

subinf

You will need to devote more time to cardio. If a gym isn't an option and finances let you, get an elliptical or other low impact trainer to begin with. That way you can do it at home

zguy95135

Diet and exercise. Actually I wouldn't say "diet" per se, if you want to lose the weight then it should be a lifestyle change. No more unhealthy food, definitely no more junk food. You would be surprised at how fast that can add up, and could make a week of exercising a total waste in just a couple meals. It might seem hard to stop eating junkfood, but all you have to do is just not buy it. Plus the few moments of it tasting really good isn't worth all the calories and fat. If you can go to a place like Trader Joes then buy healthy snacks (and they taste good) if you really must munch on something. Remember to serve small serving sized portions and eat slower, so you don't end up wolfing down 2-3 times the amount of food that you really want to eat, drink a lot of water too. A lot of the time when you're hungry you're just dehydrated, and it'll keep you feeling fuller between meals.

When I graduated highschool I was 245lbs and 5'6, and now I'm low 170's (5'8/ athletic build) and I lost 95% of it in one year. To be honest I never even exercised all that much except lifting weights at home, which helped tremendously. I just cut out junk food and made a switch to eating healthy and lowfat, if it's high in fat or too many carbs I won't buy it and absolutely no sodas. I still have another 15lbs to go so I can be really lean and if you can, lose it over a longer period of time then I did to have less of a chance of having loose skin. I have some and it makes me look (and feel) bigger then I actually am. Good luck

Whiskers

You were the old me...Look for my sticky. Good luck.

Whiskers

https://acurazine.com/forums/health-fitness-34/whiskers-weight-loss-advice-thread-319921/

TS_eXpeed

Sorry in advance to my small contribution to this thread, but I can't stress how much water is key.

Exercise and lifestyle change is a must, but drink that water like it's going out of style. It really is key and important IMO.

coconut

If you can, try to go to sleep a little bit earlier than you are now. That way, you can wake up a couple hours earlier the next day, and that's your time for exercise. Maybe start off with a light morning jog, 2 miles will be sufficient, for beginngers.

sr4dt

I will step up the game once I flex my joints a little and start moving around. I am not expecting to walk off all the weight. But thanks for asserting the need for additional reinforcements.

I am planning to look into the equipment or membership around the Thanksgiving. If nothing else work, I think there is a community gym about a mile from my place so atleast I can use that for a low membership. Plus it would be perfect warmup jog to the place.

I must mention when I looked through your thread and saw the picture with you holding the baby, I said it out loud "He looks just like me".

I have skimmed your and other threads. Will read them through in detail later on.

The usuall bedtime is 10 - 6, but I guess I will have to give up an hour of sleeptime to get an hour of exercise time.

At this moment how to earn time for workout is what I am planning on. I will post more on it soon to get feedback from all of you.

deltaboxxx

iTrader: (1)

7-8 hours of sleep,no soda, no cheese, no mayo, no gravy,more complex carbs,less simple carbs,more protein from meat,a good fat loss pill is lipo 6,oatmeal + eggwhites or protein for breakfast is really good to promote fat loss. eat 6 small meals a day not 3 large meals.

these are just some keys to losing weight.

for me,it meant 47 lbs in 3 months. (this wont exactly be common for everyone)

FiftyFive

I think everyone makes these types of thing seem so much harder than they are. Just make sure you eat clean, don't go tooo crazy about calories, fat this and that, etc. The stricter the diet you make for yourself the harder it will be to keep it up. Be reasonable, eat clean but dont kill yourself over every little gram of fat.

Get into the gym at least 3 to 4 times a week for at least 45 minutes. Make sure you break a nice sweat and keep your heart rate up for most of the time.

Its simple, eat clean and sweat. you'll lose the weight, dont make it seem harder than it really is. Good luck

dom

Great advice. My diet never really changed (outside of cutting junk and fast food) but the portions did.

BackinBlackTL

i feel that if a person has a strong will and/or desire to lose weight and become a more healthy individual, that is toughest part of the battle...i just that once you start making decent head-way you dont become satisfied at that first plateau * you hit, keep it moving and let us know how everything is going...good luck bruh

Doom878

Lots of great posts especially from zguy (knows a lot for his age ) and 55. I agree with 55 because it's true. If you don't snack on BS and eat clean. Plus the 3-4 times a week is really all you need. I lost 15 lbs just doing that. If you can go more days than go for it.

I say just buy some cheap used equipment and you'll spend less than an annual membership. I have a 5-month old and a 2-yr old so I rarely get out there more than 2 or 3 times a week. I am working on getting some equipment and I will quit my gym when my contract ends in December. The www.crossfit.com has great videos and tutorials on the lifts if you're not familiar with them. Just getting out to go to the gym is half the battle. I choose not to fight that battle anymore.

I hate cars

So true. You have to pick something you can stick with. When I'm slimming down, I will skip one dessert here and there, eat a half portion here and there. If I have a couple minutes free, do some pushups here and there and it really goes a long way in the end.

I pretty much alienated everyone at work recently in our biggest loser contest. Everyone wanted me disqualified because I knew how to cut already. I promised I wouldn't do anything artificial like suppliments or cutting water. By the second day there were so many rumors going around about me, I got pissed. It went from a fun contest to me losing 31lbs in 30 days and 13% of my total body mass. I started to cut water and do 40+lbs but decided against it.

videojock

Like others stated the best results will come by changing your lifestyle. Some take different approaches such as baby steps while others are more gung ho. Diet is the right place to start followed by dedicating time to be physcially active several times a week. Cardio is key to cutting the weight and building metabolism.

I lost ~80lbs in about 7 months after I made the decision to change my lifestyle and be more active after a couple of years of just constantly working. It all can be accomplished, it's just how bad you want it.

sr4dt

Weight @ 243 lb
Doing 1.5 - 2 miles walk 3/4 time a week.
Planning on taking a gym membership soon.


Getting the lazy bones moving again wasn't easy. But I started with a 1 mile brisk walk and now I can do upto 2 miles which include jog and fast walking. Time is a limitation so I am sticking to the 2 mile for now, however I feel I can do upto 4 - 5 miles if I can jog / run all the way.

Started salads for lunch on 3 days. Also made cuts on the soda/juice intake to limit the sugar intake. Next I am looking to cut the carb intake by reducing rice/bread from the menu.

I am feeling much more active than before. As the winter approaches, hopefully I will be able to keep the rythm going.

Doom878

Glad you're trying. I find it strange that you've only lost 2 pounds though. Usually guys that heavy at your height drop the first 20 pounds like a bad habit. I know it's been 2-3 weeks but 2 pounds is a little low IMO. But again, glad you are doing something!

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

What about water consumption? You'd be amazed how much of that poundage is water weight.

Whiskers

^^And poop...

sr4dt

Looks like I am plateuing from the start The lack of drop is more due to inconsistent measurements. Atleast from now I am going to weigh in first thing in morning to get a more consistent reading.

I am doing about 64 - 96 OZ a day.

Doom878

Yeah that's why I was surprised. A lot of heavy people I know regularly drink soda and are amazed at their loss just switching to h2o.