New To MFP, looking for any tps and tricks

BigNick6055

Well, I guess I'm here to stay as serious and as on point with weight loss (and getting healthier really) as I can. 6'3" 310lbs currently. I've done all the terrible weight loss strategies in the past, with relapse and even more weight gain following. I'm doing it the right way this time around, but I've been away from exercise for quite some time. (26 yrs old, was a collegiate football player 6-7 years ago)

Any tips and tricks that have worked for people in the past would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to lose 70 lbs, by next year in decent time. Right now, diet wise, staying at a deficit. I lift 5 days a week, not crazy hard right now to avoid soreness, but for an hour each morning before work. When I get home from work, I jump on the elliptical for two miles, usually takes 15-17 minutes. At work, I make it a point to be walking as much as possible, it is a desk job in a diesel shop, and we have been slow enough to allow me to be up and moving while still performing my duties at the highest level possible.

I suppose this is mostly a greetings to all from me as a new member. As a former athlete who has been chubby at the very least my whole life (played guard/tackle/defensive tackle) I've grown tired of it. Genetics are on my side as far as muscle growth, but I played high school ball at 285, college at 295. Athletic the whole time, but I've always been curious as to what I would look like and feel like closer to 240ish. Good luck to all, its a tough road I know. Stay tough, and thanks for any tips and tricks along the way.

4legsRbetterthan2

Read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

If you don't fully understand what he says the fist time then read it again, and again, and again. Thats all you really need to do, make a good plan and stick to it. There are lots and lots af awesome and intelligent people on this site, make a few friends with similar goals as you or who have REACHED your goals. They will be the most valuable asset you can have along the way.

~Best wishes

jillyrose0711

Stay hydrated, try to eat a lot of healthy whole foods as opposed to processed products, and keep your positive attitude because stress hinders weight loss

accelerashawn

cheat meals (high calorie) every 7-14 days for sanity
stay consistent
account for everything honestly
be patient
Lift heavy
Push a sled or drag a weight for cardio (I only say this cuz its fun...and hard as hell...)
Don't call it a diet.

BaconMD

1) Don't beat yourself up if you "fail" (eg: overeat or miss a workout). Just get back on the wagon.

2) Use a food scale to weigh everything you eat.

3) Forget about the body scale as much as you can. Use a tape measure and how your clothes feel and how you feel overall - they're better markers of success than a mere number that fluctuates from day to day, hour to hour, based on many factors.

4) Don't under-eat.

MKEgal

Welcome aboard. You have a long project (months, at least, probably over a year) ahead, but other people have lost as much as you need to, so you can do it too.
Go read the sexypants post, several times if that's what it takes for the info to soak in.

6'3" 310lbs currently... My goal is to lose 70 lbs, by next year in decent time.

Here's a blog post I did about goal-setting: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/setting-goals-667045
Looking at a BMI chart http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
at your height 310 lb is in the obese category, which you probably already know.
240 would put you at the very bottom end of the obese category.
195 is the top end of the healthy weight range. If you're very muscular, that's probably as low as you want to go, but see how you feel when you get close.

A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 lb per week.
For your initial goal of 70 lb, that's at least 35 weeks or 9 months. So by next spring you could be looking & feeling a whole lot better.
If you want to get into the healthy BMI range, that's 115 lb = at least 58 weeks, or 1 year and 2 months, or next fall.

"evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1-2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off ...
To lose weight, you must use up more calories than you take in. Since one pound equals 3,500 calories, you need to reduce your caloric intake by 500-1000 calories per day to lose about 1-2 pounds per week."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html

So you're currently using 3100 cal to maintain your weight.
To lose 2 lb per week, drop 1000 cal = 2100 cal.
As you lose weight & hit plateaus, tweak that downward by 50 cal until you're at 1950, which will take you to your goal weight.

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

I lift 5 days a week for an hour each morning before work. When I get home from work, I jump on the elliptical for two miles, usually takes 15-17 minutes. At work, I make it a point to be walking as much as possible

Sounds like you're doing a decent amount of exercise. Slowly increase as you feel it's getting easy.
Here's a blog post I did about exercise: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/exercise-667080

One other somewhat unusual tip:
Eat a large breakfast (about half your calories) and small dinner, the reverse of what most Americans do.

This study compared eating a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner, [200, 500, 700 cal]
with eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner [700, 500, 200 cal].
"The [large breakfast] group showed greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction ... fasting glucose, insulin [&] triglycerides ... decreased significantly to a greater extent in the [large breakfast] group."
In addition, hunger was less and satiety was greater.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957
Full text: http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

"subjects assigned to high caloric intake during breakfast lost significantly more weight than those assigned to high caloric intake during the dinner"
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467926
Full text: http://www.tradewindsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nutrient-Timing-and-Obesity-2014.pdf

"data suggest that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day could establish a greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24809437

BigNick6055

I appreciate it everyone. Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post, and again, good luck to everyone on their fitness goals!!