Need advice on how to lose 130 pounds.

[Kurse]

I'm sure many of you reading this now either have had successful weight-loss stories or for those who are on the same boat as me. I want to take the honor to making this thread both a weight-loss resource guide as well as a place to put some helpful, constructive advice on how to lose weight. I'll take a moment to tell you about myself. I am a 19 year old asian male that weighs 310 pounds. I am about 5'10. I've been overweight most of my life except for a short period of time when I was actually fit around my 6th grade year. I gained 100 pounds from 6th grade to 8th grade. My goal is to get down to 180 pounds. I recently starting going to the gym aroud 4 days ago and I'm not sure if I'm making progress. I weighed myself on day one after getting my gym membership. My little brother started his weight-loss and has made significant progress already. He was 205 and went down to 187 in about a month and a half. My workout plan consists of isolating certain muscle groups each day while doing cardio every single day except on "rest days" I plan on having 3 rest days per week and 5 work out days. Well that's my plan at least. I've off to a rough start. I did chests on day one and legs on day two and took a rest on day three. I'm still feeling soreness from then today on day 5. I don't know why but I've come to believe that my system isn't used to working out and my muscles are just sore from it. I haven't really come up with a diet plan but I'm going to try to eat at most 1800 calories a day. As for any supplements or anything.. I won't be using protein shakes or anything yet except for my vitamins and fish oil. Keep in mind i'm only trying to lose weight at the moment. If you have any advice, stories, or anything please post.

I'd like to request a mod to make a mod note. I only want constructive, helpful, feedback. ~~Done - Fuzzzie Approved!

[Fuzzzie]

My first advice to you would be to consult with a physician first and then work with both a dietitian and personal trainer. At least for the first few months.

[Integrablk94]

I would suggest the diet I am on, and my girlfriends family has done and had great success. I am on a low carb diet. I would definitely find a doctor who offers this diet plan because it is amazing. For 3-4 days you decarb. Which means no carbs unless it comes from meat. So in turn you really only eat steak, chicken , burgers (without bun or cheese of any kind). I lost 10lbs in my first 4 days. After the decarb process, you got o a calorie and carb restricted diet. You will eat under 20 carbs a day, and have a calorie count of somewhere between 900-1200 calories a day. The doctor will often give you Vitamin B-12 shots and a appetite suppressant. This diet did miracles because in 8months my girlfriends sister lost 90 lbs. My girlfriends dad lost 80 lbs in a bout 90. I am current 270, I have lost 30lbs since starting about a month ago, and I can see the difference. The diet is hard because of temptations, and you CANNOT cheat on it. If you do you ruin the decarb process and have to re-decarb for 4 more days. I would definitely recommend looking into this diet! Good luck and if you need any moral support I'll be here on these forums. I know how hard losing weight can be, and how much it means to yourself to do this! Good luck!

[Rosh]

First thing you should do is talk to a trainer at your gym, tell him your goals and he'll help you out with a plan to get there. NEVER go to the gym without knowledge on what you should be doing, that only makes you lose so much quality training.
Your body will hurt in the beginning, simply due to you not being used to working out, dont think this is a bad thing. keep working out. and remember to stretch BEFORE and after working out so you dont end up pulling muscles

On your rest days you should be out walking, alot. i mean a rest day if you want progress aint about sitting down and watching tv while you reflect on the other 5 days. get out and do stuff, keep yourself occupied, avoid sitting down playing video games in the beginning, it only makes it easier to fall back to old habbits. commit to your health.

Another thing is, get rid of the weight, it will give you false information. sure it gives you numbers, but weightloss isnt just about the numbers, Muscles weigh more than fat. So keep it away from you till its gone a month, then see what you've accomplished. but dont weigh yourself more than once a month.

1800 calories is very low. especially if your working out and plan to work out 5 times a week.
This is where you should talk to someone with real knowledge(which we cant since we cant see your physical form and some other info)
Talking to someone that works out in the gym or that works there is a good idea, but make sure they really know what would be the best option for you. You could also sign up for a fitness forum where they could help you out.

What you should avoid eating while trying to lose weight are the usual stuff.
Avoid fizzy drinks, even diet sodas. Bread, Pasta etc..

But most importantly of all, Never skip meals! even though you are losing weight, its still important that you eat. but eat healthy!

[Kiigorag]

Check out the documentary Fat, Sick and nearly dead. I watched it the other day on Netflix and thought it was pretty cool and interesting.

Many people who are first starting out at the gym tend to overwork themselves in the fist month or two and as a result they end up quitting after this period. Not as a proffesional or anything, but as a gym member for over 7 years, my suggestion would be to start of going to the gym 3-4 days a week. Monday, Wednesday, Friday could be devoted to weight lifting with light cardio before and after your lift and Saturday could be devoted solely to cardio, using different machines. By using different cardio machines (Eliptical, Treadmill, Stair climber and the bicycle) you are keeping both your mind and body stimulated. Make sure to stay hydrated as well or else you may get dizzy and light headed.

There are many websites that can provide a well balanced workout plan with many options suited to your life style. Working out is all about pushing yourself, but don't over due it. At 310 pounds be careful with your leg exercises as too much weight on the machines can cause your knees to crack and make crazy noises when you bend them and stand up. Don't stop doing leg exercises all together, but you might want to cut the weight back.

Even if you miss a day at the gym, stick with it. Picture yourself after a year of continuos gym usage and use it as motivation. Good luck!

[Deleted]

As others have said, go ask a professional.

Only thing I can say right off the bat is that your goal of eating 1800 calories a day might actually not be a good one. Too quick a change, and it will put your body in starving mode. It will be very rough to work out, and once you start eating a bit more again, your body will do anything to put those lost pounds back on your body.

I can't tell you what would be reasonable however, as I said, ask a professional. If you don't, it's very likely that you just waste your time and money.

[Badpaladin]

Although it may suck, do it at a somewhat slow and steady pace. You don't want to be losing tons of weight really fast or you'll end up with tons of loose skin, not to mention that it's fairly unhealthy.

[gaymer77]

Quite honestly with that much weight to lose your best bet is seeing if you qualify for the gastric bypass or lapband surgery. It can be done "the old fashioned way" but the time its going to take to lose it is years. I did it and it was a lot more successful than I had hoped for. I went from 6'0" 295 lbs size 46 pants down to 180 size 33 pants. I made sure to work out at the gym every other day and followed the gastric bypass diet plan after surgery.

[Carlucill]

I don't want to sound rude, but i am going to give it to you without trying to spare your feelings. I am 16, and last year i weighed 180 pounds. I am down to 140 pounds this year. It is really easy to loose weight if you actually stick with it. You need to do 2 very simple things, exercise more, and eat less.
1. Do cardiovascular exercise like running, biking, and rowing. Muscular work outs are great to build muscles but are not that great at getting you to loose weight because they honestly don't burn as many calories. During an hour of vigorous workout at a gym you burn about 400 calories, during an hour of running you burn more than 800, or double the calories.
2. You need to make a calorie journal, it doesn't matter how you do it, it can be an excel spread sheet, it can be it a little book, BUT IT CAN NOT BE IN YOUR HEAD. If you try to keep track of calories in your head you will lie to yourself, that's just the way it is, its human nature. You need to decide how many calories you want to eat a day, there are numerous websites to help with this, and then record the calories of everything you eat. You can look on the back of packaging or on websites for calories information.
If you stick with it and don't give in or try any magical weight loss bull shit, you will loose plenty of weight.
-Carlucill

[Kurse]

Yeah I'm getting some training from some friends who are veteran forum users on bodybuildingforums though I do get mixed advice from them. I'll see what I can do about going to a physician. Most of my life I've been eating carbs ever meal. Whether it be rice or bread there was always some form of carb in every meal. I don't know if it was a habbit I picked up when I was younger or something. But I'll review all the information given to me so far, You guys have been helpful.

[Amarohk]

I've been doing a combination of p90x and insanity. Insanity for the cardio workouts and p90x for the muscle building. Thus far, I have lost 65 lbs since June. As for a diet, eat 5-6 times a day (Breakfast, snack, Lunch, snack, Dinner, snack); spread the meals out by 2 hours. Keep the meals smaller too. Also make sure to cut yourself off from fast food and soda, if you still eat/drink them; having them once in a long while won't kill you though. And the rest is basically common knowledge, change snacks from potato chips or what ever to veggies and fruits, use whole wheat bread with sammiches, nuts are good too, and so on. Most of the info you can easily find online for free. You'll also want an after workout meal, something with protein, so you could make a tuna sammich/omelet with some vegetables and fruits, and for a drink you could have a whey protein shake or even chocolate milk. If you're doing cardio you'll want to eat carbohydrates an hour or two before the workout, and if you're weight lifting you want to eat carbohydrates and protein previous to workout. Minimize fatty food all day errday. That's pretty much everything I have done to lose my weight and build muscles. Make sure to drink a lot of water and it really helps to find an inspiration to lose weight. My family is eating healthier because of me, my dad has stopped smoking, and my mom has started walking around the block during her breaks at work. You can affect others just through what you do. Keep up the workouts and you'll be dropping weight in no time.

Edit: All of this cost no more money than I spent previously. Just change what you're buying. I'm sure, you being an internet user, you can find a way to get p90x and insanity online. Use all of your resources . You can do it, bro.

[Tsuna]

Don't focus too much on weight training. You need to get a proper healthy eating plan going (that is realistic, not anything too impossible that you'll stop after 2 weeks or 2 months) Basically...if you're having 6 slices of bread per day atm, go down to 3. If your drinking full-sugar soft drinks...replace them with diet drinks with 0 sugar and try to have more water. Things like that are realistic changes. You can't realistically go from eating all the bad foods to eating every good and sticking to it. You're better off slowly cutting back over time, you'll get long-lasting results if you take that path. Trying to do an unrealistic eating plan will just make you angry/annoyed and feel like giving up.

Aswell as improving you eating habits...you need to do cardio - 7 days a week. Even just taking 30min-60 minutes per day to walk or ride a bike will GREATLY improve your fat-burning. You need to be doing this 7 days a week though. To maintain a constant state of fat burning you need to be do cardio every day.

Once you start to get healthier (from your diet) and fit (from your cardio) then you can start getting into weight-training.

Basically this. Eat just a bit healthier than you used to, eat just a little bit less at a time, and keep working on improving your diet until it becomes natural. As far as going to the gym, I don't think it's necessary. In college I spend around 45 minutes to an hour of my day just walking around campus to classes or to bus stops, as other people have stated, walking is very good for you in general. Good luck on your goal!

[Amarohk]

Quite honestly with that much weight to lose your best bet is seeing if you qualify for the gastric bypass or lapband surgery. It can be done "the old fashioned way" but the time its going to take to lose it is years. I did it and it was a lot more successful than I had hoped for. I went from 6'0" 295 lbs size 46 pants down to 180 size 33 pants. I made sure to work out at the gym every other day and followed the gastric bypass diet plan after surgery.

Not necessarily years. I've lost 65 lbs in 5 months, went from a 44 waist to a 38, along with a the muscle gain it's most likely more than 65 lbs of fat loss. Seems gastric can costs thousands of dollars, but that's awesome that you continued with workouts and a diet unlike some other people. Personally, I would choose doing what I wrote about previously. Has no cost other than your determination to want to be fit and healthy. Cheers!

[-Zait-]

A lot has already been said, but I'd suggest working out at that gym every other day for an hour at the very least.

[Deleted]

If you're unsure about what to do with your eating, join Weight Watchers. Good, filling and healthy recipes and an easy way to track what you eat during the day. You can just do it all online nowadays if you'd prefer to skip the weekly meetings.

[Deleted]

I lost 33 pounds in 3 or 4 months. Not a great loss but i didn't go on a diet or do anything special.
What did i do:

- I stopped eating cookies/crisps and stuff like that. So breakfast, Lunch, dinner thats all, no cookies, no in betweens.
- If you want to snack take an apple.
- Stopped drinking high sugar drinks like coke and energy drinks (stopped putting sugar in my tea)
- I started running. i started arround with 3 km.. 3 times a week.
- One important thing i kept in: Friday is munchies day = 1 bag of crisps.

I ended up with a running injury so i could have lost more weight by now. The running injury isn't really related with the amount of running i did, i just had bad foot placement. And my fysiotherapist is really hot, so i don't mind going

What i liked about this is:
- I started eating more healthy because i stopped eating all the bad stuff.
- Running actually can be fun
- No diet so no stress or pressure
- I kept eating normal dinners with my parents, no scaling the amount of food.

One advice i can give you, don't expect to lose your 130 pounds fast. Make nice S.M.A.R.T. target for yourself.. Example, 20 pounds in 2 months. And when you start losing weight you just want to lose even more. You should expect it to take about a year to lose your 130 pounds.

[Clevername]

Eat Paleo, Mix Cardio with Circuit Weight Training for at least 1 hour per day 4 - 5 days a week... Profit... no really it's that easy.
You will see the pounds literally fly off if you stick to that diet and that workout routine. Definitions for everything I have said above can be found online.

Staying strictly paleo is hard as shit and sucks but it works. Everytime I go on leave (a month vacation filled with lots of booze and shitty food) I put on 10-20lbs, yes in a months time. I then come back and drop that weight in 4-6 weeks by sticking to that routine / diet.

Want a good example of nice workout routine? One of my favs is sealfit.com, it's a small little online fee but has a log book where you can keep tabs on your workout and progress and it starts slow with the pretraining workouts for 8 weeks and gradually progresses. Lots of good stuff out there just giving you stuff I like as one of the guys above posted that P90X and Insanity are both very legit as well, I've heard nothing but good things and have done a couple of the workouts with friends.

[Given]

this is not advertisement!!!

But what helped for me was weightwatchers.. lost 45 pounds in 5 months, and you don't have to look at all the points the food has.
Jut prepare the weightwatchers food and your good, just lay of all the sweets and soda.

[Deatheryn]

Although it may suck, do it at a somewhat slow and steady pace. You don't want to be losing tons of weight really fast or you'll end up with tons of loose skin, not to mention that it's fairly unhealthy.

This^ 100%, If you start dropping weight too fast you will end up w/extra skin that will still make you appear overweight! Start out slow and steady and give your system a chance to adjust to the new routine! See a Dr. regularly throughout this process for any help and to monitor your health. Drink lots of water as cold as you can stand it before and after workouts because your body has to warm it to digest it, therefore burning calories!
Not all diets/weight loss plans work for all people, stay strong and vigilant until you find just the right one for you!, and remember everyone makes mistakes and has bad days but do not let those set the tone for your life! Pick yourself up and continue marching to the place where you want to be! I wish you much luck and great success!

[Valthios]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo

"23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?"