Need help!

riverq1

So, I'm starting a new journey, lose the weight! I weigh 365 pounds as of today and I know that numbers aren't everything. but I am very big as in tall and wide. I'm 6'2 and male, I'm young, so that's me not telling my age. anyways, It's hard for me to walk around and get to the car and fit In the back of a car as well. I'm tired of being the misfit in life and I am determined to become the person who I have always wanted to be. When I was 15 years old, I was an athlete believe it or not, considering now that I weigh 365 pounds from 185 to 190. My doctor says I might get a form of disease if I don't do anything about this, which by the way scares me. I need someone to point me in the right direction to begin with, because any exercise just tires me to the point where after only 5 minutes of exercise I go back inside and just eat what I have burned off, because I have so much of an appetite no matter what. I need some ways to cope with the hunger. I don't want to die early and be known as the fat kid. I want to be someone. What can I do? Thank you for any support.

astrose00

I think it's great that you want to make a change in your life. I think you can learn a lot on this website and also from all over the web. There are tons of transformation videos on YT where people go from being very overweight to quite lean. They seem to agree you have to take it slow. If 5 mins is all you can do then that's fine. Keep doing it until it's 6 mins. Then 7 mins. You will realize quickly that your stamina will improve and it will become easier. The other thing is to look at your diet (what you are eating). Make small changes. Drink water instead of soda. Stop eating fried foods and eat more grilled foods. Don't eat too many carbs at night. Losing weight doesn't mean being hungry. It's the opposite, actually. Based on your weight, you probably can eat a lot of food and still lose weight. But that food has to be healthy good like whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats, vegetables, fiber, fruits. I lost a lot of weight before and then gained it back after breaking my leg and not being disciplined in what I was putting in my mouth.

It will be hard to lose weight because it requires changes in your life but it's doable. Watch some videos and read some stories on the web to get yourself psyched up. But most of all be honest with yourself. You have to want to do this and be willing to do what it takes to achieve your goal. Hopefully, you are ready to do that now because it will improve your health. Be honest and realize that you are stronger than you think. Good luck.

JenMc14

Start small. Diet is key. Make swaps where you can. Do you drink soda? Switch to diet. Then swap one diet a day for water. Then make more swaps. Eat a candy bar? Have an apple and some peanut butter instead. It's hard, but starting small really helps. Figure out your calories needed for a day and cut by 20%. If you are too hungry, switch to a15% cut. Or, use MFP's program and set it at sedentary for a 1 pound a week loss. Measure and weight everything you eats carefully read labels for portion sizes. Start by weighing, measuring and logging what you eat now. See how far you're going over. If cutting by a lot is daunting, but by 100 calories the first week, the. 100 the next until you're in a reasonable deficit.

As for exercise, walk to the end of the driveway and back. Every day. When that feels easy, go part way down the block, then keep adding. When you feel you can, start a basic bodyweight program like the one at nerdfitness.com. Start slow. One rep is ok. Then do two. Start a base, then build.

Take progress pictures and measurements, don't go by the scale alone. You can do this!

riverq1

Thank you! I will give progress reports every 10 pounds I lose, to tell How I am feeling.

Lizzy622

I agree with others start small. JUST START NOW!

Memorableheart

Like others said, "Start small." Take baby steps. It is a lifestyle change not a diet. Jog in place to start with. jog in place for 15 seconds and add on as you get more energy. Take a 10 to 15 minute walk. Or just start off saying, "I will drink more water today." Good Luck and you can add me add a friend if you like. smiley:

parkscs

Get your diet in check first, then you can work on getting more active. I'd pay attention to how you feel when eating certain foods and use that information to create a diet that works for you. If you're constantly going hungry or feeling miserable while trying to lose weight, odds are you're going to give up or "cheat" at some point in the future, so find a way to lose weight without feeling hungry/being miserable. You've got over a year of work ahead of you in terms of weight loss, so your plan has to be something you are happy sticking with for a long time and it can't just be something you suffer through for a while.

That, and lift weights whenever you feel up to it. Big guys, particularly ones that have been athletic in the past, are in a great position for making some gains even while losing weight, and any muscle that you can add/retain while losing fat is going to be tremendously helpful when it comes to body composition.

MinnieInMaine

If you can only do 5 minutes, that's fine, it's a start. The important thing is to slowly push yourself to progress to longer and longer workouts, then you can start increasing the intensity. When I started out nearly 5 years ago, I couldn't walk much more than 20 minutes at a fairly slow pace. With some practice, by the end of the year, I was up to walking six miles at a decent pace (around 3.5,mph). The next year I started running and it was basically the same - started out very slow and only being able to go a minute at most, then I slowly built up my endurance over time. Ran my first 5k the next spring.

We all start somewhere!

As far as diet, try thinking quality over quantity. While technically you can eat whatever you like as long as it fits your daily calorie goal, you'll likely be less hungry within that calorie goal if you eat more fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins. Again though, no need to revamp your whole diet in a day, just start small by trying to eat more whole foods every day. Good luck!

kendalslimmer

Losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. So if you find you eat more, because you're exercising, let me very politically incorrect: STOP EXERCISING. Concentrate on your diet instead. Besides, after you've lost the first 80lb or so, exercising will become easier - e.g. walking - and you can incorporate it into your day then.

Now there are a lot of interesting 'diets' out there that will tell you to cut certain foods. I haven't bothered with any of them. This is what I do...

1) Only drink water. Try to drink at least 2 litres a day!!
2) Cut my calories to around 1,200 calories a day. I do this by drinking a Slimfast shake for breakfast, having a small lunch (e.g. plain yoghurt + fruit), an afternoon snack, followed by a large dinner. If you have problems estimating the calories in a meal, then cheat: stick to ready prepared meals with the calories written on the box! I always try to save 50-100 calories for bedtime, so I can have a snack before bed. I sleep better that way!

As you're a guy and guys are expected to eat more than women, maybe try between 1,400-1,500 calories a day instead of my 1,200 goal.

Your progress will be slow but sure, I promise. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint, but know that if you commit to this you will reach your goal!

enterdanger

Everything everyone said is great. Another good thing is to have a support network in place. If you live with others ask them to help you be accountable. That might mean locking up high calorie foods or eating healthy with you. No one is an island. The times I struggle most are social occasions when everyone else is eating a lot and drinking like fish.

Pick up some friends on here that aren't afraid to ask you when you've had a bad day. If you can bear it, make your diary public. I don't binge in front of people and just thinking that my "friends" are checking out what I ate helps me think twice on some of the super bad stuff.

FeelinTheLove

Well, from someone else near your weight who has a long way to go... Welcome! As for me, I'm making healthy food choices and keeping under my calorie goals and it's working. I'm not even worrying about exercising yet, and just getting the calories under control is having a really great effect! Start small with exercising. Seriously. A five minute walk once a day is great. Then, when you see a few pounds come off, you're feeling lighter, and stronger, do a 10 minute walk a day. Then a 15 minute walk. And so on. Walking is really good! And come to the message boards OFTEN. We need this support!!! Consistency is the hardest, but most important part. Together, we can totally do this - just one day at at time! Welcome to the first step of getting to be the YOU, you want to be.

Sherilose

@ Kendalslimmer: I love your post. So inspiring to a newbie like me!