New to dieting and weight loss

kennyrgreen

Hello,

I am 22years old, a 6' 2" male that currently weighs 288lbs. My ideal weight loss goal would be to get down to 220 as soon as possible. I plan on moving out to LA in January and wanna feel more comfortable with my body and weight.

I have started a diet (eating 4 small meals a day, about 1200 calories total). I'm staying away from Trans fats and eating past 8pm. And I only drink water - no juices, sodas, flavored water, etc

I don't have very much free time, and don't have the money for a gym membership. My schedule goes like this:

M-F
Wake up at 6am (Leave house by 630)
Lunch break from 11:30am to 12:30pm
Off work at 3pm
School from 6pm to 9pm
sleep around 10:30/11:00

Saturday
Wake up at 8am
work 2pm-10pm
Sleep at 10:30

Sunday
Wake up at 5:15am (leave the hosue by 5:40)
Work 6am to 2pm

So as you can see, i have a pretty busy schedule, working 7 days a week. One of my jobs requires standing for 8 hours a day, and the other is a security job, where i sit for 8 hours a day on the weekends.

What would be a good dietary plan/work out plan for me?

Thanks!

AllTehBeers

Wow, for such a big man, that is a very low number of calories. I know you want to lose weight quick but you are going to feel drained and crabby very soon. That may be the difference between success and failure.

Start here to figure out what you should be eating. You'll feel 100 times better and fuel your busy life.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

You can also go here for some awesome info about meal frequency.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency?hl=compliation+meal+frequency

Graelwyn75

Wow, for such a big man, that is a very low number of calories. I know you want to lose weight quick but you are going to feel drained and crabby very soon. That may be the difference between success and failure.

Start here to figure out what you should be eating. You'll feel 100 times better and fuel your busy life.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

You can also go here for some awesome info about meal frequency.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency?hl=compliation+meal+frequency

I agree with the above.
You do want to lose and keep the weight off for good right?
Best way to do that, is in a steady way, rather than aiming to lose really quick with a large chance of regaining it all back again.
Focus on a healthy lifestyle change(fit in some weight training/exercise, you do have time. Eat 80% healthy, 20% not so healthy, such as special occasions, christmas, meals out, occasional treat etc), and doing things that you can maintain for the long haul, and the weight loss will happen naturally.

kennyrgreen

Thanks for the replies!

That's exactly what I was looking for. My problem, is not really understanding my body. I see all these different acronyms thrown around for different things, and i just don't understand what it is you really need. I'll be sure to read that article later on today at work.

When i signed up for this website, they suggested 2,000 calories for my daily intake in order for me to loose 2 pounds a week. So would i be better off shooting for 2,000 as opposed to 1,200? I always figured eat less = loosing weight (i guess it is true, but there is much more to it than that). What about if i start working out? If i eat 2,000 and loose about 300, is that better than say eating 1,700 calories?

Thanks!

sarahg148

I would say eat the 2000 calories/day. It's your choice to eat back any exericse calories you earn. You are a guy and will probably lose like 30 lbs the first month at 2000cal/day, lol. I'm joking. But you could lose more than 2 lbs/wk for the first few weeks...depending upon what you USED to eat. Try the 2000/day for a few weeks and see what happens. Good luck!

AllTehBeers

I would say eat the 2000 calories/day. It's your choice to eat back any exericse calories you earn. You are a guy and will probably lose like 30 lbs the first month at 2000cal/day, lol. I'm joking. But you could lose more than 2 lbs/wk for the first few weeks...depending upon what you USED to eat. Try the 2000/day for a few weeks and see what happens. Good luck!

This absolutely. Finding out what your body responds to best takes time and tweaking. Yes, eating less equals weight loss but eating too little leaves your body wanting for fuel. Its always a learning experience and finding the right people to friend with solid information will help you along the way.

kennyrgreen

Alrighty, ill try 2000 for the day. What should i be looking for in terms of meals? Obviously i should be eating at McDonalds. Just cause i reach 2000 for the day, doesn't mean its healthy!

AllTehBeers

I'm not a macro expert by any means. Again, this is something you tweak as you go.
Proteins are generally 1g per lean body mass.
Eat: chicken, fish, beef, shrimp or a descent protein powder.
Healthy fats will help you hit your calories if you're having trouble hitting your calories.
Eat: nuts, avocados, peanut butter, olive oil, olives. A handful on top your salad does the trick
Carbs are not the devil. They are great to fuel workouts. They are also calorie heavy so keep your carb macro % in mind when choosing to eat them.
Eat: bread, pasta

A bit of the "if it fits in your macros" talk (I would highly recommend friending or following Sidesteel's posts)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/741010-another-iifym-post?hl=another+macro+post

ETA: Read this guy's work, its a lot of awesome information
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles

kennyrgreen

Would this diet plan be good? I found it online and its looks pretty delicious! Plus, its 2,000 calories

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/CCC_2000_Calories_7_Day_Plan.pdf

AllTehBeers

Would this diet plan be good? I found it online and its looks pretty delicious! Plus, its 2,000 calories

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/CCC_2000_Calories_7_Day_Plan.pdf

The general outline looks good. The only problem I'm seeing here is some of the days the protein looks pretty low. I would try for about one gram of protein for each pound of lean mass you have. So maybe swich out one of the higher carb meals for a higher protein meal or a good protein powder. If having a structured menu for each day keeps you in your goals, then that would be the way to go. I like a bit of flexability with my meals, but its about what works for you personally.

kennyrgreen

Yea. It's much easier for me to follow a plan than to just come up with something on my own. I'll give this a shot with your suggestion of cutting some carbs and adding in protein. Thanks!