a newbie looking for help

[mch441]

hi just found this forum while looking for some help on the internet . a little about myself and after that what im hoping to accomplish.i just recently joined a gym and im trying to figure out how to get to where i want to be .im 37 years old and just this past year found my self at 300 lbs. ive never been a skinny person but never been this heavy either but 7 years at my desk job have just about killed me.before i started this job i was down to 217 lbs and in pretty good shape after spending a year at the gym going 3 to 4 days a week mostly lifting weights and cardio maybe a 60/ 40 split leaning more towards the weights ,that had knocked of over 50 lbs pretty quickly for me had actually gotten to the point where i wasnt worrried about loseing weight but actually just getting stronger.
anyway 3 years ago my wife talked me into buying an eliptical machine for the house spent 3500.00 on a nice life fitness x3 machine used it for about a month got bored as hell with it and made no progress at all cant stand the thing absolutely hate it ,not so much the machine but the staring at a wall while using it and being by myself and just doing the same thing over and over ,couldnt seem to get my wife to understand that i needed more than that if i wanted to get in any kind of shape.so fo 3 years off and on the 2 of us would commit to using it and then after a week or so it would be collecting dust again.big waste of 3500.00
this past year my wife and i both cracked the 300 mark both pretty well disgusted by it my wife has actually opted for the stomach surgery she has never been able to drop weight has always been a problem for her i am not willing to go that route i enjoy eating and drinking to much to give it up completely cut back i can do stop completely and forever thats not for me.
so that brings me to where im at right now i just last month joined the planet fitness near me 1.00 to join and 10.00 a month ive over the past 3 weeks cut out all regular soda only diet pepsi and coke try to limit that to 1 or 2 a day and water the rest of it,no beer during the week i still have a few friday and saturday nights like i said im not willing to let that go .salads only for lunch during the week and cut back on the portions for dinner.i dont seem to be having a problem with the diet my problem seems to be with the work out at the gym ,i need to be able to put together a program that will work for me .they offer free classes with a trainer but the times dont fit my work schedule and they dont offer anything on the weekends ,i vaguely remember somethings but not many and im looking for a program to get me started no specific goals but to lose weight as much as i can with out killing myself for it and to put on enough muscle to fill my frame .im a pretty big guy 6.2 pretty broad in the chest and shoulders just feel like im carrying a beer keg in the front any more and it just keeps getting bigger
anyway thanks for letting me go on like that and im looking for suggestions and help .ill be around mike

 

[Harold14370]

Welcome to the forum. I think you may be putting too much importance on the exercise. It helps, and is needed for fitness, but is actually a small part of the weight loss equation for most people. If you are not losing weight, chances are your diet isn't as good as you think.

Whenever you are really committed, you will find a way around whatever scheduling or other problems you have with the gym. Most of the weight I lost was before ever setting foot in a gym, doing no other exercise than walking the dog and working in the garden.

 

[KaraCooks]

I agree with Harold. I have a few thoughts for you.

The first thing I'd suggest is registering for a free account on FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal or Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate and starting to log your food. This will let you see how many calories you're eating and how your nutrition levels are breaking down. Once you know that, you'll be able to see more clearly where you can make adjustments, cut back, change your nutrition, etc.

The next thing I'd suggest is checking out the various sticky posts in the exercise area of the forum (Weight Loss Through Exercise - Weight Loss Forum). There are some very good posts on exercise, both cardio/aerobic and on incorporating weight lifting into your exercise plans. I'd especially suggest the one titled "The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting" to get a look at some excellent information on how to structure a program for yourself.

I'd also suggest starting a diary in the weight loss diary area (Weight Loss Diary - Weight Loss Forum) as well as reading and participating in other diaries. This is a good way to make updates to your progress and to get support from others. It helps to find the diaries of people who have successfully lost weight (or are losing weight) and reading through them as well. Following the diaries of those who have been successful is both inspiring and informative.

Finally, I'd say you should read as much as you can of the posts on the board, especially anything that's marked "sticky". There is a ton of good information around here and a lot of times questions that new folks have has already been answered very thoroughly - so do take the time to look around and read.