trying to lose weight
 

Hey, this is my first post, ive been reading for a while now. Im about 240 lbs. Not sure my body fat %, but i know im pretty overweight. I do have a decent amount of muscle on my though. I go to a gym and lift weights about 3 times a week, just started last month. I still havent got a set program down, not sure where to go to find one. I think I'll start running soon, because its getting nicer out. I'm in 11th grade, and theres not the greatest selection of food at lunch. Recently I've been having a turkey wrap w/ tomatoes pickles cheese and lettuce. Any tips on what to do to lose some weight? I'd like to get down to 200, but i know thats gonna take a while. Thanks for any help:)

Edit: Forgot to mention, I'm 6'0" tall

You can do it in 2-3 months if you're dedicated.

Check out:

http://johnstonefitness.com/html/training.html

And get your nutrition right. If you're lifting you want 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat. That depends though, play with the ratios to see what works. Here's how I eat:

Breakfast:
Optimum nutrition chocolate protein drink. 43g with skim milk.
1 cup of crispix cereal

snack 1:
3/4 cup cottage cheese
2 pieces of turkey

Lunch:
Turkey breast on wheat bread. Tomato's, lettuce, mustard.
Piece of fruit.

Snack 2:
ON chocolate shake. 21g w/ skim milk.
Natural (yes, natural. avoid sugary fake peanut butter) peanut butter on a piece of celery.

Post workout snack:
ON shake. 21g skim milk.
Bannana or cup of oatmeal.

Dinner:
Boneless chicken breast.
Sweet potato/Baked Potato/Potato Salad/Potato Soup (carbs. good ones).
Vegetable (I like sweet peas).

It's all calories. Burn more than you eat. If you eat 10 times your body weight in calories then you'll be eating just enough to lose 1-2 lbs a week.

thanks a lot for the info, that sites great, its really inspiring

Bounty: Everything phaenx said is true, and will certainly help you lose weight the quickest way possible. However..changing your diet that radically and that quickly will be a huge shock to you both mentally and physically..you need to work yourself into the habit of eating healthier and just generally living a healthier lifestyle.

My advice, is to start off with 3 simple things:

A) Come up with a good program, get some help from people at the gym, or online, or come up with one your own! Only you know what you like best. Basically, break down your body parts into 3-4 different days.

B) Cut out chips/pop/candy/chocolate/cookies. This is neccesary, it needs to be done right away. Eating a bag of chips a day, or a glass of pop every day, will fuck you up. It needs to stop right away.

C) Do more cardio.


I think you should start off doing these things, and then once you've lost a few more pounds and have proven to YOURSELF that you are dedicated, move onto a diet like phaenx showed you which will further help you to shed off the pounds. The trick is to take small steps, if you try to do everything at once, you'll likely become discouraged and give it up...

Depends on your personality I guess. When I decided that it was time to stop being a fatty I hit the ground running full steam and reached my goal 2 months later.

It was all just a matter of 1) doing the homework, 2) executing 3) having sex with chicks.

There is only one way to lose weight: Eat less and excercise more. Doesn't matter so mcuh what diet you use, so long as you stick to it. OTOH, I took off 25 lbs last month (290 to 270) just trying to eat a bit less and excercising a bit more. I know some folks who have made Weight Watchers work really well, but that's basically a life without cheese, which is barely worth living in my book.

Luck to you. It only gets harder later.

Oh, the cocaine and poverty diet works really well - I was down to 185 on that one - but it won't keep the weight off when you get a job or a wife, and, of course, it's illegal, so I can't recommend it.

cocaine's a helluva drug. :)

sorry, couldn't resist.

anyways, you can also try out something like atkins or south beach if you want to take the weight of quick, but it'll take will power. and exercise is essential if you choose one of those. with atkins you will be sacrificing a little muscle to lose the fat (even with weight lifting, it'll still probably happen).

lol

lots of good advice here, esp. (3) - not sure if it's a motivitating factor or a suggested exercise...

motivation is very important. For example, if you can find someone else to go to the gym/run/swim with, it makes it a lot easier. I made a lot of half assed attempts to be fit before I managed to stick to any kind of programme. So it's better to start gradually and stick to it than really go for it and get tired and disillusioned. It does indeed depend on your personality

whats the south beach diet? ive seen it mentioned a few times in these forums. and thanks everyone for the replies!

here's an article written by the man himself : south beach diet

sounds fairly reasonable to me on a quick reading

Hey Phaenx, how do you know how many calories are in something like that Turkey sandwhich. Obviously you can look at the nlea box on the bread bag, but what about the tomato slices, turkey, lettuce....?
That's always my problem with trying to count calories.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html

The most comprehensive nutritional information site I've found to date. Enjoy~

240 calories.

www.fitday.com is what I use.

That said, mustard, lettuce and tomato have 0 calories. They're packed full of vitamins though.

substitution, and exercise

let's say you have 3 glasses of coca cola a day. substitute one or two of those with juice or water


eating a double cheeseburger? get a single instead.

large pop? go for a regular size.


cut down here and there, and eventually cut out things altogether. saves you from the shock of piggy to diet, and weightloss simply picks up momentum, not crashes at you.


also, if you can bike or walk it, do it. Cut down on car and bus use. Maybe get a weightset or a stationary bike, ride it /use it while you watch your favorite T.V. program


you won't lose a ton of pounds, but you'll start to trim slowly, and you'll have a starting point to get into a diet routine

(this has always helped me stabilize or lose a few pounds during hockey off season, which is amazing considering I have no free time to do any actual workout, or funds to go on a strict diet)