Looking for Advice into weight loss.

jafro1990

I'm 24 years old, from Scotland, weighing in at 19 stone 8 or 274lbs and trying to lose weight for health reasons and career choice.

My myfitnesspal plan is to go to the gym 3 times a week for 120 minutes, I can burn off 980-1200 calories a day doing this so far.
My max calories I can have without exercise is 1730.
I use mostly cardio equipment Crosstrainer/Elliptical Trainer, Treadmill, Stationary Bike.
May occasionally break out some kettlebells.

Backround.
Well as a child I had broad shoulders, bit of a belly but nothing much, though at the time I thought i was much larger due to the concerns of my father and also the venemous words of my school class-mates. I have done various exercises such as walking the west highland way a hiking trail in Scotland that goes from Milngavie all the way to Fort William, this made me lose ALOT of weight, though due to my own choices It was steadily regained as I gave no thought whatsoever as to what I was putting into my body leading me to go from a 11-13 stone (154lbs-182lbs) broad shouldered teen into eventually over my own abuse of snack food and energy drinks and other bad dietry decisions lead me to become a 19 stone 8lbs Adult, which leads me to the here and now, were I have realised how bad the situation is, leaving me to not be happy with my body image, even more so than I was as a child. I want to make a change in myself, I want to lose the weight and at the end maintain that healthy weight so I can lead a happier life with a more positive body image and pursue my chosen career hopefully, as well as being able to job or run for a decent amount of time.

So in general I feel like i need help across the board from my exercise routine to my diet, i've previously failed in my efforts to lose weight in the gym, and I do not want to make that mistake again, so this time I am going for re-building my lifestyle from the ground up, focusing on not just how much I exercise but also giving myself a healtheir diet that also tastes good and feels filling.

On the diet side, i'm not a big lover of fruit, vegetables i'm quite fond of broccoli,cauliflower,green beans,carrots,various forms of beans, Red meat intake is not particularly high it's mostly white meats, enjoy porridge and cereals, these however are my good points.

I'm an abuser of habitual eating as well as having a sweet tooth meaning if i'm watching a movie I want something like chocolate, or crisps and many other types of snacks, once I start I don't stop till i've eaten it all, their isn't an off switch to it till it's all gone, which can then give me a taste for more.

Possible things i'd like to know are most likely simple enough.
What are the long term troubles I may come across?
What are the short term troubles I may need to overcome?
Any recommendations of things to try for my diet?
Exercise advice, what would help my metabolism or fat burn?
Should I use weights, do they assist in weight loss?
Is it adviseable to fit in more time in the gym or space it out?
Other weight loss activities good for calorie+fat burn that don't require the gym.
Any less stressful or fun forms of exercises that I can do after/before my gym to enhance my workout?
Was recommended by the gym staff to get a heart rate monitor, is their any cheap/affordable heart rate monitors that do not require a smart phone?

If anyone can help it'd be appreciatted.

markjacobs1987

Long term troubles: motivation is always high at first. That will begin to dip as you continue on your journey. This is where your "why" becomes important and you need to have a strong "why" to keep you going and stop you from quitting.

Short term: You will more than likely be really sore the first few days. This is normal as your body is getting used to something new. As you continue working out the soreness will not be as bad as when you start if you get any soreness at all.

Diet recommendations: For a male I usually recommend to start eating at 2200 calories a day eating at a 50% protein, 30% carb, 20% fat ratio. This is the fat shredder plan and is best for losing weight. As you get closer to your goal weight you up your carbs back up, but I'll help you with that as you get closer to where you want to be.

Fat burn: fat shredder plan as mentioned above

Weights: absolutely use weights. Resistance training helps you build muscle which burns fat.

Gym or no gym: That's really up to you. There's plenty of home options out there if you don't want to go to the gym. Tony Horton's YouTube channel is a great place to start. String 3 of those workouts together (most are around 10 minutes) and you have a good 30 minute routine. If the weather is nice you could go for a walk outside. Just do what you are comfortable with doing and can stay consistent with doing.

Weight loss activities without gym: Tony Horton's workouts on his YouTube channel.

Fun forms/stress free: I would recommend checking out some stretching or yoga. Plenty of resources on the internet for that or you could find a class in your area.

Hope this helps!

cajuntank

Don't let the link name fool you. You need some basic nutrition guidelines that will help and get you started instead of someone giving you an arbitrary caloric and macro intake.

Fat shredder plan? :laugh:

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

shabaity

You could give one change at a time a go. Start small trading say 1 soda a day for water, later adding in portion control and nutrition guide lines (can be separate too,) then adding in your exercise pattern of choice after your used to all of this. Little changes over time equal big changes in the long run, and if the whole will power as a finite resource thing is correct its easier to maintain little changes spread out over longish periods than big sweeping changes made all at once.

Liftng4Lis

Eat the same things you do, only in moderation. By tracking, weighing and measuring, you will see how much you're really eating and what cuts need to be made. Weight training is an excellent idea, as it allows you to maintain lean muscle while losing.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

What are the long term troubles I may come across?

The biggest long term issue is adherence. Find a calorie level and diet plan you can stick with for a year or more. This might be higher than your 1730 limit and should include room for treats and what not.


Exercise advice, what would help my metabolism or fat burn?

Don't worry about this too much. A calorie deficit will take care of fat burn. Staying active outside of exercise will keep you daily burns up.


Should I use weights, do they assist in weight loss?

Yes you should lift weights. When we lose weight we lose a combination of fat and muscle. We want to keep more muscle and lose more fat, right? Lifting and adequate protein intake help with this. I'd advise you to look into something like Starting Strength or Stronglifts.


Other weight loss activities good for calorie+fat burn that don't require the gym.

Walking, bike riding, sports with friends, hiking.


Was recommended by the gym staff to get a heart rate monitor, is their any cheap/affordable heart rate monitors that do not require a smart phone?

The Polar FT4 is a good affordable heart rate monitor.