There’s a lot of good advice here, and I’ll throw mine in. I’m not a nutritionist, or a trainer, or an expert in any field whatsoever, but I am a logical, analyzin’ fool and I love to break things down and try to understand them - plus I have lots of experience with getting into shape, and I’m in a writing mood. So:
I did the whole rapid-weight-loss thing - I went from an all-time high of 266 pounds one November (I’m 6’2" and a big guy, so I wasn’t so much round as beefy) to 195 (my target) the next February. No reason, I just looked at the scale, saw the 266, and decided some changes had to be made. This was years ago, and looking back on it, frankly, I was insane. Not my goals, but the way I went about it… I limited myself to 1200 calories a day, and watched my fat intake closely - but still, as I said, I’m a big guy, and 1200 was probably way too little. I’ve kept most of the weight off for years now, but for a while I was lifeguarding in the summers, and I would swing about 30 pounds between summer and winter, and let me tell you, there is no motivator like knowing you’ll be half-naked in public all summer long. Anyway, some things I learned about getting into shape, presented in a highly orchestrated rambling manner:
First, it’s not changing your diet, it’s changing your lifestyle. I know, this gets said a lot, but it can’t be stressed enough. Many people have the mindset of, “I can’t wait until I get down to my target weight so I can eat all those wicked things again!” Well, guess what? Then you’ll end up right back where you started, like most dieters. Fats are addictive - the more you eat, the more you like the texture and flavour. This is Accepted Science Fact[sup]tm[/sup]. If you cut your fat intake for a month or three, you’ll start to find that many of the foods you used to eat are too rich and greasy to be appealing, and you’ll actually prefer lighter foods. So, don’t eat less of foods you really like, eat healthier foods. You can still throw in an Oreo here and there, because if you keep yourself from something, you’ll just want it more - you don’t want to feel imprisoned by your new habits. (But don’t be throwin’ Oreos anywhere for the first month or so, you want to stabilize yourself before you try the Rest-of-the-Package Test.)
And on the lifestyle note: Exercise, exercise, exercise. Aerobic exercise if you want to lose weight, of course, but also strength and flexibility exercises if you want to be in good shape. (Actually, everybody should do flexibility exercises, if nothing else - it’s not much of an effort, and it makes you feel better all damn day.) A good aerobic exercise is swimming - it encompasses any level of fitness, there’s virtually no chance of serious injury, it works out all major muscle groups (depending on stroke), and you completely control the intensity. If you need a break, well, coast or float for while. There are all kinds of people in the pool (standers, floaters, walkers, slow lap, fast lap, recreational, etcetera) so you won’t feel out of place. It may be embarassing being in a swimming suit at your heaviest, and the first time you’re in the locker room you’ll want to turn around and head home, but hey, guess what - we’re all human. It’s not like you become someone else when you’re in a swim suit - this is just you, sans disguises, and that’s okay. Just do it, and if you stick to a workout schedule, you’ll make some great friends at the pool. Access to a swimming pool may not be the cheapest thing in the world, but if you have a local Y, check out the rates - they might surprise you. Plus, they’ll have treadmills and weight machines. And if you still don’t think you can afford it, volunteer for something and they’ll let you work out for free. They need all kinds of volunteers for all kinds of things. And it’s always better to work out with other people - if you work out alone, especially at first, you’ll be far too tempted to blow workouts off.
As for strength and flexibility, the best advice I can give is: Take it easy. Actually, this applies to all exercising: Don’t make it into something you dread. If you’re grunting and in pain and walk away saying, “Thank God that’s over with!” then you’re pushing too hard, and you’re probably eventually gonna slide out of the exercising habit. Stay with what you can easily handle, and after a while you’ll know when you’re ready to move up to the next level. You’ll actually want to.
The most important thing is sticking to it. It will be hard for the first few weeks - stick to it. Once you get past those first few weeks, a funny thing will happen: You’ll start to get into it. You’ll see some results, and be absolutely thrilled. You’ll look forward to your next workout, and you’ll learn to embrace the burn that comes with intense exercise. You’ll start to feel great for hours after exercising, and it’ll only get better. If you’re astonishingly lucky you’ll encounter your first runner’s high (yes, you can reach it while swimming, or any other aerobic workout), and, well, once you get that, you’ll be exercising for good. Plus, you’ll be able to relate much better to morphine addicts, and that’s a plus on any resume. Stick to it. Make up a schedule, and keep it - but don’t be rigid and all perfectionisty. If you have to push a workout back a day or two, do it. If you’re feeling lazy, or tired, have a light workout, or just go for a walk. It’s okay! Just do something as scheduled, because the longer you keep up a routine, the easier it is to stick to.
I’ve gone a bit too far into the exercise thing, so let me alter my stick-to-it advice for the dieting: Pick a night, have a decent meal, sit down afterwords with a pencil and paper, and ask yourself, “Do I really want to lose weight?” I’m totally serious, really think about it. Write down pros and cons, write goals, write mission statement-type phrases, but only if they’re absolutely true. Don’t go overboard - this isn’t for inspiration, this is how you really feel. Keep the paper with you if you’d like, because sooner or later you’ll be staring down some ice cream or chocolate cake, and that is most definitely not the time to try to rethink your position. If you have your desires set, and well thought-out, you’ll feel much more comfortable when you lean over the chocolate cake and whisper, “I’m sorry, I would love to eat you, but I’ve already made my decision and I know what I really want.” And then walk away.
(Same deal with the few-weeks thing, too. Your stomach expands and contracts based on the bulk of food you tend eat at one time, so at first you may be hungry a lot. This is the worst it will get. After a week or two, your stomach will have contracted, and it will take less to fill you up, and after a few weeks, you’ll return to (or be introduced to) a hungry-only-at-mealtimes mentality. See how important the sticking-to-it stuff is?)
If all of this is too much at once, stagger it. Try to eat sensibly for two weeks, then add flexibility exercises for two weeks, then add the weight lifting and then the aerobic exercise. Whatever you’re comfortable with - the more radically you change your lifestyle, the more the possibility that you’ll be exhausted and sick of the whole thing after a week, so keep it realistic.
Oh, and one last thing: Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the advice coming at you. It’s not as complicated as it can seem sometimes - when to work out, how to work out, what to eat, the best time to do this, the best way to do that - they’re all just details. Also, try not to get too technical and count every calorie or carbohydrate or pound. Don’t track your progress daily. Remember one thing: If you eat sensibly and exercise, you will lose weight. Also an Accepted Science Fact[sup]tm[/sup].
Good luck, and remember, you can lean on us if you need any support.
