425 and need some help.

Brother I had my wake up moment at 305 on Boxing day a couple years ago. I was lucky enough to get accepted to a gov sponsored weight wise program that involves classes, doctors, nutritionists etc etc. Here is what I have learned in the program and through my own experience.

Avoid drinks with calories

Do not really shoot for more than 2 lbs per week or it will be unsustainable. Modest lifestyle changes. This week try to walk a bit more. Next week eat more veggies.

When you get down a few more lbs get a step counter and shoot for 10000 steps per day. This will suck at first. Get some compression shorts for walking and wear them to avoid rubbing and heat rash. Also get some stuff called Anti Monkey Butt Powder. Their is also anti friction stuff they sell at running stores that looks like deoderant. Buying some of this stuff might be embarrassing. Big guys looking for compression shorts, proper running shoes etc can kick you hard in the ego. People think cause your a big guy you don't have feelings while the opposite of that is true. You are big because you medicate feelings with food and give up your time and health to help others. Go to a store on the other side of town. Order off the web. Things like compression shorts, shoes that work right with your stride, step counters etc are all tools for this job. Read articles on how to read the wear in your shoe soles and order proper ones online if you do not feel comfortable going to a running room store. Most staff at the better stores are great but if you do encounter a jerk talk to his manager. Get him fired. You have more of a need for their services than a super fit person and you deserve it. PS Don't let anyone call you big guy;)

Find an activity you enjoy and do it. Walking sucks. Walking the dog is fun. Sprinting sucks. Playing hoops is fun.

Join a Mason Lodge, or church, or scouting or something to feed your mind and soul as well.

Join a gym. Go to like a YMCA or Lifetime or one of those type not a muscle head or crossfit gym. You may feel uncomfortable or self consoious but remember for every a@#hole thinking negative *kitten* 5 people are thinking how awesome you are for taking control. If you force yourself to go 4 times a week for a month you will start to look forward to it. It will suck at first.

If you really really do not feel like exercising go to the gym and get changed. If you still don't feel like it then go home. This is after the first four weeks. No excuses in the first month.

Eating helthy costs more. That is reality.

Get a trainer to set up a routoine and review it every so often.

Get a workout buddy who will go with you to the gym but remember you are there to sweat not visit.

***Log every calorie*** even the bad ones that make you feel *kitten*. Especially the bad ones that make you feel *kitten*.

Get a kitchen scale.

Cut down on the amount of times you eat in restaurants. Limit ot 0-2 times per week. I found sharing a meal with my 8 year old son works great. Restaurant portions are huge. Also if you go half as often you can go someplace twice as good fo r the same money per week.

See a doctor. Many overweight people have underlying issues such as ADHD. Addressing these is a good step. If you have access to counseling jump on it. It does not make you weak. You need to figure out what you are medicating with food. You need to get your head around the fact that you can take an hour a day for you and it is not selfish. You need to understand that you deserve to be healthy and happy. And you may need help with this.

Read books. Read books on emotional health and on fitness. Get a magazine subscription or 2 to things like Mens Health etc. If you eventually want to be a runner get Runners World. If you want to paddle whitewater get a kayaking mag subscription. This will be a friendly reminder of the importance of your journey showing up at your home every couple weeks. Dream it then do it.

Cut the chord. Get rid of timethiefs like Facebook, Tumbler etc etc. Limit all screen time. Phone, TV, Computer, Gaming etc. Their are certain apps that can help with this if its a real problem as it is with so many people today. Google digital addiction.

If your a social person go to fitness classes like water jogging or whatever. Im not a social person so this does not work for me.

Close the kitchen after supper. You will feel hungry going to bed. You are not hungry. You are empty and this is normal. We are so used to being stuffed that normal feels hungry. Embrace this feeling. When you feel empty you are losing weight.

Remember it is a marathon not a sprint. You didn't get fat in a week, or even a year. You wont get skinny in a week, or even a year. That's OK.

Be happy on the good weeks. Don't beat yourself up to much on the bad weeks.

The food is far more important than the exercise. Especially at the start. You can starve fat but you cant run away from it. You gotta work out pretty hard to burn 800 calories. You can destroy that in less than 6 minutes at Mc Donalds. Get a hold of the food. Then introduce the exercise.

We can all make lots of small changes over time. Its pretty hard to sustain giant changes. As in this week I will drink water before every meal and continue until its a habit. Next week I will start logging everything I put in my mouth, even if its bad. The next week I will give up drinking non diet pop. The next week I will walk 20 minutes after supper. The next I will not eat before bed. Vrs Tomorrow I will get up, only eat 1500 calories per day. log everything, go to the gym, walk 10000 steps and never drink pop or eat sugar or high fat foods again. Small changes are doable, life overhauls are not.

Im not gonna lie to you, its gonna suck. At first. Then it gets fun. The more you lose the better you feel. the better you feel the more you do. The more you do the more you lose. I rode a 35 km leg in the HainesChilkat cycle relay (google it) in the mountains and am running a 10k in 3 hours from now. Next summer Im running a 1/2 marathon in Kelowna wine country that ends in a drunken revelry at a wine tasting. 18 months ago I got winded going upstairs to bed.

Most importantly learn to take pride and enjoyment from the journey. This will be the biggest, most important thing you will ever do for yourself and for your family. You are a good person and you deserve to feel good and enjoy a long active fulfilled life. Im proud of you. Not sure how the friend *kitten* works on this app but if you figure it out friend me.