Hey :) Newbie seeking advice

[Talmir]

Hello guys and girls greetings from iceland.

I am 27 years old and in horrible shape. My weight is 235 pounds (105kg) at 1.7 meters height (not sure how much that is in feet). My body is.. well, its the typical computer users body, almost no muscle, mostly flabby fat. I have been in university for two years now completely slacking. Before that I had a medium-physical job and before that a pretty intense physical job.

A week ago I had the shock of a lifetime where I walked up three flights of stairs and actually felt winded.

Now, I ask you kinda people of AM to help me with some advice on how to get back in shape since I have absolutely no idea what to begin with. Most of the information I see on this website seems geared towards people that have been exercising for years.

What I´ve done so far:
I have cut soda from my diet and most of the unhealthy stuff. I got a membership at the local gym and have started going there (So far, three sessions consisting of 1 hour stints on the treadmill (or however you call those machines that you walk on).

What I dont know:
I am not sure how to approach my diet. I am a poor student so the food supplements are a bit of my reach at the moment. I thought at first I should aim to eat as much vegetables and fruits as possible but I have learned that carbs are very important (why or how, I dont know). What would make up a balanced food plan for a beginner? I am also at a complete loss as to what to do at the gym since I know I need to do more than just walk/run to help get me in shape. What routines do people use on a day to day basis? (aiming to push in six days of gym a week)

If you do take time to help me out I appreciate it very much

 

[HereToStudy]

For you workout, I would continue doing alot of cardio, but transitioning into lifting. Lifting weights burns ALOT of calories. To learn more about training, I suggest you read starting strength by: Mark Rippetoe. If you cant afford the book, there are copies all over the internet (I won't tell you how, but you said yourself your a computer person so I figure you'll find it).

As for the diet, at this point cut out all fast food, and for the remainder of the diet, attempt to avoid eating out period. Carbs are good, but not all carbs are the same. Look for Whole Grains/Whole Wheat products. Make sure you are eating a good portion of protein, (Good Protein sources: Chicken, Fish). And you are right, you want to eat alot of veggies too. I would reccomend you buy a bottle of a men's multivitamin. For now you can go generic, you really don't need any marketed towards lifters because you are not at the point that your body needs an extreme amount of certain vitamins.

Take pictures of yourself, and take pictures of the progress as you go along. This will help keep you motivated. You should also be eating 6 meals a day. 6 smaller meals will keep your metabolism going.

You took the first step of getting into a gym, work on the diet and your on your way to the body transformation you want!

Also:
If you have the chance to try a weight loss product, the current "hot product" is OxyElite Pro. I originally had thought I heard bad things about it, but it turns out I was wrong. Numerous members here use the product and absolutely love the results they are getting. When I go on a cut, I will be considering a cycle of it. It will run you around $40 from nutraplanet.com

 

[Talmir]

Thank you for your reply HereToStudy When you say six meals a day, are there recommendation as to what kinds of meals.. What I guess is

1. Breakfast (Maybe a shake of some sorts)
2. Snack a couple of hours later.
3. Lunch.
4. Pre workout snack.
5. post workout (dinner)
6. Evening snack

That sounds about right?

 

[HereToStudy]

Thank you for your reply HereToStudy When you say six meals a day, are there recommendation as to what kinds of meals.. What I guess is

1. Breakfast (Maybe a shake of some sorts)
2. Snack a couple of hours later.
3. Lunch.
4. Pre workout snack.
5. post workout (dinner)
6. Evening snack

That sounds about right?

Yes this would be the basic layout of it. As to what to eat when, that gets kinda to the individual level. I am on a higher caloric need then you would be (I am constantly in a bulk, Ill worry about cutting later).

I do some variation of this:

1. Oatmeal (Rolled Oats) and Eggs
2. Protein Shake/Bar (Watch out for bars though, they are bulked and have alot of simple carb additives).
3. Protein (Chicken Breast) and Vegetables
4. Protein Shake
5. Dinner - Protein, Carb - Brown Rice, Vegetables
6. I usually have a smaller portion of what I made for Dinner

But keep in mind, this is to MY needs, you should consider creating an account on a site like fitday.com (Good news - it's free!). This will allow you to monitor what you are eating and how it breaks down. I am at the point where I no longer use it because I have aquired a "feel" for what I need when, but it definitly helped me get things going in the begining.

And like I said previously, cardio is your friend, but don't think you shouldn't be lifting. Lifting burns ALOT of calories and the added muscle will work towards increasing your metabolism as well as allow for more calories to be burned in any workout.

 

[pillsRgood]

Just make sure that your not one of those people that go all out on diet and exercise for 7 days a week, for months, without taking a few days off here and there... 4-6 days a week of doing some sort of activity is good. Follow a healthy diet...And play basketball, walk the dog, go on hikes, etc. make fitness a lifestyle or you will never stick with it... My bro in law got up to 250(he was fat) and then cut down to 190, by barely eating and using p90x, which is all good, but he was working out 2 times a day 7 days a week and never ate anything other than chicken and tuna...Well, now he is back to 240's, fat again and gonna try it all over again... His problem, he made fitness an obsession and not a lifestyle... Stay motivated and best of luck man!

 

[HereToStudy]

Just make sure that your not one of those people that go all out on diet and exercise for 7 days a week, for months, without taking a few days off here and there... 4-6 days a week of doing some sort of activity is good. Follow a healthy diet...And play basketball, walk the dog, go on hikes, etc. make fitness a lifestyle or you will never stick with it... My bro in law got up to 250(he was fat) and then cut down to 190, by barely eating and using p90x, which is all good, but he was working out 2 times a day 7 days a week and never ate anything other than chicken and tuna...Well, now he is back to 240's, fat again and gonna try it all over again... His problem, he made fitness an obsession and not a lifestyle... Stay motivated and best of luck man!

As someone who has previously fallen into this trap, and allowed excuses afterwards, I cant agree more with this comment.

 

[saggy321]

Just make sure that your not one of those people that go all out on diet and exercise for 7 days a week, for months, without taking a few days off here and there... 4-6 days a week of doing some sort of activity is good. Follow a healthy diet...And play basketball, walk the dog, go on hikes, etc. make fitness a lifestyle or you will never stick with it... My bro in law got up to 250(he was fat) and then cut down to 190, by barely eating and using p90x, which is all good, but he was working out 2 times a day 7 days a week and never ate anything other than chicken and tuna...Well, now he is back to 240's, fat again and gonna try it all over again... His problem, he made fitness an obsession and not a lifestyle... Stay motivated and best of luck man!

So true...so true!! Possible the best advice for anyone wanting to lose weight!!