New to fitness. Need to lose some weight..where to start?

[lewis]

ok so across the board for the last few years Ive slacked off majorly and I want to put that right now I have a daughter.

I have a quite inactive lifestyle atm and most of my day is spent sitting. I also barely eat healthy. Mostly quick oven meals with the odd made from scratch meal (like Spaghetti Bolognaise) and the other odd takeaway.

Ive gained a solid 3 stone in this time I would be keen to remove but here is where it gets tough.

The last few years has shunted my willpower. I struggle to "make the effort". Im also not wanting to do gym either.
I want to try and lose the weight by mostly healthy eating and just doing more activities than I do now. More walking and using a Bicycle for example.

Im not against doing like 3/4 of each week as a vegetarian with maybe 1 meat day or something. I love fish, chicken, pork and red meat so all types basically.

could anyone offer any kind of experiences on things like this?. It sounds like just buying healthy food and eating it, should be simple, but is it?.

I have 0 diet or healthy eating experience and portion control is probably my biggest issue.

Cheers

 

[lemeker]

The simplest way I find to shed pounds without serious exercise is to eat alot of veggies, drink a butt load of water and walk about a mile a day. It worked like a charm for my dad, and still generally ate what he wanted to.

I worked for me too, but my job(s) were in retail at the time so I was constantly moving anyway.

 

[mongey]

I have just started getting back on the healthier train as well . My daughter is about to turn 2 and since she was born I have def let it slide.now she is running aorund like a manic and I feel i need to get on top of it now to keep up with her .

I hate the gym generally . I was 93kg pre xmas . I consider 85 to 88 to be my perfect weight for my height .

I have started with 2 simple rules just to get started

1 - no booze during the week . Fri and Saturday evenings only .this is a big one for me as I make home brew and love good craft beer. but all those iPA's add up

2- I do 100 push ups a day. I don't think the 100 push ups is going to make me super fit but I find the discipline of doing it makes it easier to be in the frame of mind to eat healthier and be more active generally .it's more for training my mind and good habits then body .I started by doing 5 sets of 20 now a month later I do 2 x 30s and a 40 .

now its easier I am also adding sit ups to the daily routine and have ordered a weight set off ebay to get back into some dumbell work

eating wise my wife and I both enjoy cooking so other than some takeaway on the weekend when be cant be bothered we do eat pretty well . Cooking is like any hobby . you start with no idea then over time you learn things ,and start to try new things and then try to improve what you've done . the key to doing it more is to try and find the joy in it .

even with xmas ,and extra booze ove rthat period I have dropped 2kg in 3 weeks. so have made a start

 

[Fiction]

Eating healthy is definitely the key here, just watch out on snacking and times you're eating.

Try and have your carbs in the morning, and cut back on carbs at dinner, as in stick with meat & veggies, avoid pastas and huge dollops of mashed potato. Get a bit more protein, don't try and fry things in fat, as fat surprisingly adds up ....ing quick for calories, you'd be surprised but 2 pieces of peanut butter toast, the peanut butter itself is like 15% of your daily intake, due to the fats in peanuts and the oil made to emulsify.

Also motivation for exercise may be hard, but it doesn't have to be such a chore, exercise doesn't have to be a run or going to the gym. Any of your colleagues play basketball or sports? Martial arts, or if you're going somewhere a few kms away, don't drive, put your headphones in and walk.

 

[ThomasUV777]

I can highly recommend the ketosis diet. Helped me lose 14kg, never felt hungry, and after some time you lose the cravings. Have a cheat day every 2 weeks to keep you from going insane.

For me, this diet was the best protocol to follow. If you don't feel like totally skipping out on carbs, I recommend leangains. Basic premise is: 16 hours of non-eating, 8 hour window of eating. Both have given me great results.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

1. lift weights (major exercises like deadlift, squats, power clean, snatch are best for building overall strength) AND do cardio. If you can't get to a gym or don't want to go to a gym and lift then at least go run/walk around outside for 30-60 min a day. Working out AND eating decently is the best way to lose weight. Dieting alone takes far longer unless you're starving yourself.
2. eat mostly fruits/veggies/protein (beans,chicken, turkey) and a little bit of carbs (sweet potatos or squash since they're complex carbs)
3. try to limit overall fat consumption (fat is the most calorie dense per gram at 9 kcal per gram while protein and carbs are 4-5 kcal per gram).
4. Stay away from pre-prepared meals since they generally have a ton of calories, ton of sodium and aren't really the healthiest option. Meal prepping will make your life easier. Make a pile of chicken breasts or turkey (or beans) and then you have them on hand to make stuff like tacos/sandwiches/wraps.

 

[Blytheryn]

1. lift weights (major exercises like deadlift, squats, power clean, snatch are best for building overall strength) AND do cardio. If you can't get to a gym or don't want to go to a gym and lift then at least go run/walk around outside for 30-60 min a day. Working out AND eating decently is the best way to lose weight. Dieting alone takes far longer unless you're starving yourself.
2. eat mostly fruits/veggies/protein (beans,chicken, turkey) and a little bit of carbs (sweet potatos or squash since they're complex carbs)
3. try to limit overall fat consumption (fat is the most calorie dense per gram at 9 kcal per gram while protein and carbs are 4-5 kcal per gram).
4. Stay away from pre-prepared meals since they generally have a ton of calories, ton of sodium and aren't really the healthiest option. Meal prepping will make your life easier. Make a pile of chicken breasts or turkey (or beans) and then you have them on hand to make stuff like tacos/sandwiches/wraps.

What KB said... I'll say that it is to a large degree a lifestyle change. You're going to have to step out of the comfort zone in order to get any lasting, meaningful results. My best advice would be to start doing some full body workout stuff perhaps three times a week. Just that with eating better, and some cardio once a day (walking, stationary bicyle, treadmill) will have you on the right track. You'll only stick with it if it's something you like to do, so I encourage you to find some physical activity you enjoy. For instance, I love being in the gym, but dislike running much more, others are different.)

Good luck

 

[ThomasUV777]

3. try to limit overall fat consumption (fat is the most calorie dense per gram at 9 kcal per gram while protein and carbs are 4-5 kcal per gram).

A note on this is that not all fats should be avoided. In fact, on non-workout days, I'd recommend to eat more (healthy) fats than carbs. Bake everything in coconut/olive oil, eat fatty fish (salmon) and avocados. Roasted almonds are a great snack btw!

 

[TedEH]

I'll say that it is to a large degree a lifestyle change.

This. You've already, in your OP, identified the problems, the trick is to make lifestyle changes to address those things.

I dropped a ton of weight in the last year and a half or so, and did it mostly by getting a little bit of exercise during the day (I work sitting at a desk, so an hour of walking or drumming most days), and by changing what I eat (portion control and being a lot more selective). I started at 310lbs and made it back down to 180lbs this way. It sounds ridiculous, and it is a little bit, but a tiny bit of activity and a bunch of salad made that much of a difference.

And that's not doing anything like counting calories, going to the gym, or diving into specific types of fats or any sort of nutritional science - it's just a matter of putting half a thought into it before cramming my face full of garbage food every day, and being less lazy.

 

[P-Ride]

Eating a large amount of vegetables and drinking plenty of water is, of course, a good start. I find paleo-based diets highly effective for losing weight.

In particular, a highly effective and tolerable method I've used is to eliminate almost all carbohydrates for six days each week; no starches, cereals, potatoes, rice etc; eating mainly vegetables and meat, then have one day (or even afternoon) a week, eating whatever I want.

I'm aware ketogenic diets are controversial. Ensuring you maintain a calorific deficit is of course king; but these diets also work, because many carb-heavy foods (pasta, bread, pizza) are so calorie dense - and addictive.

I've lost significant body-fat while doing this; while feeling good (after a few days of adjustment) and performing reasonably in sports (although not my very best). When I was weight-lifting and swimming I'd sometimes flag by Wed/Thursday, so ingest a small amount of carbs in the evening.

Research shows that having a designated 'cheat day' or at least 'cheat window' results in more weight-loss, because it's psychologically far more manageable to think 'I can eat doughnuts on Saturday', than 'I can't eat doughnuts'. In the case study I read, this group lost more weight than the group with a strict diet, because the latter group simply cheated in small ways, more regularly.

Training-wise, anything less than barbell weights is wasting time - in my opinion.

Nothing comes close to the load 1-6 rep squats, dead-lifts and military press place on the central nervous system. This transforms your body's muscular recruiting ability, way ahead of developing noticeable muscle growth.

Weight-lifting is effective at three points.

1.) Weight-lifting itself burns a significant quantity of calories.
2.) Weight-lifting (especially powerlifting) and sprints result in glycogen disruption and can boost your metabolic rate for 1-2 days, while your body is recovering and rebuilding itself.
3.) Adding lean muscle mass results in your body having a higher calorific maintenance level.

That's why the diet enjoyed by a 200-250 lb powerlifter with a single-digit body fat % would result in someone inactive becoming very obese. Powerlifting is a great sport for people - like me - who love eating!

If you're going to spend three to five sessions a week in the gym anyway, why wouldn't you get as much value as possible, by training hard in those sessions? Spending time on machines just isn't maximising the value of the time you have dedicated.

I'd highly recommend the Stronglifts programme, which is simple, effective and three days a week.

I have a blown ACL in my left knee and nothing has improved my stability for sports like deep squats have.

Compound Barbell Lifts / Sprints / A fun sport is king for body transformation.

 

[TedEH]

^ As an alternative view to all the gym/lifting talk, I don't think any of that is necessary if your goal is just to lose a bit of weight.

the diet enjoyed by a 200-250 lb powerlifter with a single-digit body fat % would result in someone inactive becoming very obese

What that amounts to, as far as I see it, is that you need to adjust your diet and level of activity to match/compliment eachother. If that means hitting the gym every day so that you can get away with eating what you want, then that's legit. But recognizing that your activity level is fairly low and adjusting your diet to fit that is just as legit too, IMO.

It annoys me when every health conversation turns into a you-must-become-a-powerlifter kind of conversation. Do it if you want, but you don't have to go that route.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

A note on this is that not all fats should be avoided. In fact, on non-workout days, I'd recommend to eat more (healthy) fats than carbs. Bake everything in coconut/olive oil, eat fatty fish (salmon) and avocados. Roasted almonds are a great snack btw!

fats are great, they're just calorie dense and since OP said he's trying to lose weight, cutting some fat out of his diet is one of the easiest places to start.

 

[lewis]

thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. There is some excellent advice in here already. Especially regarding types of diets and general advice (like what to cut right down on etc). I will add, Im 100% not interested in becoming a weight lifter and doing any kind of Hench gym work etc so I agree with the above.

Im just interested in changing to a healthy eating lifestyle and incorporating abit more exercise than I have been doing as of late.

Im currently knee deep in moving house (had a month long slow move) so there has been an increase in Pizza' and take away recently due to the late night decorating etc. Im officially in the new house and settled, from the 4th of Feb so it will be from this date, I will be wanting to change mostly my shopping and food purchases to better reflect a much healthier diet at this time.

Im going to fruit and veg myself into a coma haha. Plus upping my water intake is a huge must for me. I often get headaches that I can tell are to do with being dehydrated so its seriously important I make more an effort in this regard especially.

 

[TedEH]

If it makes a difference, what helped me a lot was to start keeping track. As in, I write down what I weigh every morning. After a few months, when you start seeing data that reflects your choices, you start weighing those choices differently (pun slightly intended).

 

[Rachmaninoff]

I have a quite inactive lifestyle atm and most of my day is spent sitting. I also barely eat healthy. Mostly quick oven meals with the odd made from scratch meal (like Spaghetti Bolognaise) and the other odd takeaway.

As for the diet, you don't really need go full on vegetables (I personally hate vegetables), just try to avoid processed food in general. That helps a lot.

But the most important is to take some exercise. Start walking! To keep yourself motivated, download some tracking app like Endomondo, Runtastic, Strava, etc. Respect the limits of your body when walking, start with short distances. Increase as you feel less tired. Some point in the future you will feel good enough to start running... then the world is yours.

 

[TedEH]

Semi-serious suggestion:
Get into Pokemon go, or Ingress. It'll give you something to do while walking around.

 

[Fiction]

A note on this is that not all fats should be avoided. In fact, on non-workout days, I'd recommend to eat more (healthy) fats than carbs. Bake everything in coconut/olive oil, eat fatty fish (salmon) and avocados. Roasted almonds are a great snack btw!

Yeah i agree with healthy fats, I said be wary of fats in my post, but do not under estimate healthy fats.

 

[MikeH]

Whole foods, gallon of water a day, start walking a couple miles a day, eventually work up to jogging, and do some calisthenic workouts. You don't want to go to the gym, so I have little to offer otherwise.

 

[Blytheryn]

You don't want to go to the gym, so I have little to offer otherwise.

Just out of curiousity, OP... Why are you so opposed to the arguably fastest way to lose some weight, is it a mental thing or is it injury related? Seems odd that you're willing to do everything else except explicitly the gym. You don't need to become a meathead...

Lifting doesn't have to be "hench work" unless you decide you want to start doing all kinds of heavy lifts. It does a lot of good for your body, even in moderation.

Lots of great advice here from the rest of the bros.

 

[TedEH]

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but just for the sake of putting another voice in there, the gym is very unappealing to some people (myself included). For one thing, it's not free. Walking is free. You have to work your schedule around it, as opposed to just fitting some exercise into your day when it works for you. One of the biggest things for me is that I have absolutely zero interest in anyone else being involved in my health or around me when I'm exercising - you don't have the advantage of privacy in a gym. There's always someone there who is going to either silently judge you, or start giving you advice you don't really want, or start suggesting all kinds of things that work for them but that you don't want to get into (I keep getting people offering me things like protein powders, or giving me advice on how to reach THEIR goals not mine). Gyms are set up to be able to market more fitness products and services to you - diets, personal trainers, equipment, etc. They're in the business of fitness, and if that's what you want to center your lifestyle around, then that's fine, but not everyone who wants to lose a bit of weight wants to do that.

But the important bit for me:
We've already established that weight loss means lifestyle change. In other words, if you want your improvements to stick around, then whatever method you picked to stay healthy is permanent.

I'm all for changing my lifestyle in a permanent way that just adds some activity on my own terms so that I can naturally go about my day and be healthy.
I'm really not interested in other people and an establishment taking that permanent place in my life.

Edit:
I'd also argue the "fastest" point. It doesn't matter if you're exercising in a room that you paid to get into - it just matters that you're exercising. I walked past a gym window every day for a year, and basically thought "why are you paying for this, when I'm getting just-as-good or better results for free"?