From Fatlete to Athlete?

M

mean_dm

0
I'm an 18 year old guy, I used to be a really athletic kid, but since I started middle school, it just went downhill. Now I'm moderately overweight, and I'm tired of looking like this and feeling like this. I think it's time to get back on track and take care of my body, so how should I go about doing it? I know to cut down on calories and that there are certain foods I should and shouldn't eat, I just don't know WHICH foods I SHOULD eat to help.
What routines should I incorporate into my day? When should I do what? I was thinking I should lift weights in the morning to jump start my metabolism and ride my bike after wards, how long should I wait before I start biking? How long should I bike? Is it better to life light weights more, or heavy weights less? What should my sleep schedule look like? What would be a good recreational sport to get into while I do this? (I play Paintball right now) What should I be drinking? Just water, or water while I am stationary and not excising, and gatorade while I am, or water all the time? Which fruits and vegetables would be more beneficiary to eat?
I know I am asking for a lot of information, I just want to start of right, so I can keep the momentum going to go through with this.
Thanks for the help in advance.
 
This is the first step to a healthier lifestyle - good job.

You're asking a lot of technical, advanced questions - things you probably shouldn't worry too much about right now. What are your stats (age, weight, goals, etc)?

Weight loss occurs by creating a calorie defecit - consuming less calories than your body needs every day. Your body uses its fat stores for the extra energy, and that weight comes off your body. A good daily caloric deficit to aim for is about 500 calories a day, meaning if your body NEEDS 2300 calories a day to maintain your current weight, you would (through exercise and proper eating) consume only 1800 calories. You can use an online calorie counter to figure out your maintenance level of calories - the amount of calories you could consume per day without gaining or losing weight.

As for your diet, you can look around the forum for great advice. Some basic foods that should be a staple in your diet are:

Chicken Breast
Turkey Breast
Fish (Tuna, Cod, Trout, Salmon)
Whole grains (such as whole grain bread or rice)
Eggs
Lots of veggies
A moderate amount of fruit (fruit is loaded with sugar - don't overdo it)

Mind you, these are only a few basic food staples - as long as you're maintaining a calorie defecit and making sure to get all your fats, carbs, and proteins in, you can mix up your diet a lot. Abandon the traditional "3 Meals a Day" axiom. You should be eating roughly 5 smaller meals a day to tell your body there's a constant source of food.

If you're overweight and just looking to shed pounds, any form of exercise is beneficial. You probably don't need to break it down to an exact science. Make sure to get some cardio in every day and work your major muscle groups three times a week.

This only scratches the surface. Look around for diet-specific forums on how to tweak your diet.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for the reply and great answer.

My goal is to get into shape to do some MMA fighting and eventually Muay Thai.

I'll look around the forums and see what I can come up with, thanks again for the help.
 
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