Hello. New to the forum. Fat kid. Needs help. Maybe a hug and a snickers?

[DroppingTheLBs]

Hello friends. My name is Chris, and my name implies what I'm here to do. Off the bat, my biggest struggle is staying motivated AND focused. My friends are all fat bastards (not obese, but overweight none the less) that want to party every night and I'm sick of the lifestyle (not really, I'm sick of being fat and my lifestyle is the exact opposite of helpful). Over the last four years I've been a gluttonous sloth...and basically my diet consists of fast food takeout at 4am and beer. I stopped drinking and smoking and I am really serious about getting fit. I look like a fucking slob and need to get myself looking good. My goal is too look good naked, simply put. I am new to this whole lifestyle so I can't really tell you what it is I'm looking for other than a body that won't say fat kid at the beach. Right now, I'm at 225, 6'1...doesn't sound fat right? I have no muscle mass. I bench close to 75 pounds, its pathetic. Most of my fat is below the border though...I got genetically big legs and ass so I don't know how well I'll be able to sculpt these bad boys (my legs and ass). If I had to guess, my body fat % is around 20-30%...maybe higher...I'm basically bones covered in marshmallow. I got on a little health kick last year, but my motivation was my girlfriend at the time and I lost 20 LBs in a month of running everyday and eating alright. I got sick, and never rebounded...so theres my experience with exercising. Most importantly, I'd like some definition in my arms and legs...which I've never had. People say I have a good body for strong features...I don't even know what that is supposed to imply so I'm gonna take it as disrespect until I figure it out... Anyways, I'm just a fat kid with a dream, and I'd like to be able to feel good about myself now that I'm miserably single and tired of my lifestyle. I have personality, but I think a healthy looking body might set me over the edge as a fucking handsome devil with boyish charm and rugged good looks. I want to be vain? I say it that way because I'm not sure what that feels like, but if I can stair in the mirror and say to myself "Self, you're a handsome asshole, sir. Enjoy your day." then I think I'll tally my efforts under "success". Okay so, if you read most of this poor excuse for an introductory monologue, then we can cut to the chase here...my goals and overall purpose for joining the forums are:

1. Weight Loss. Reap the benefits of eating right and exercising.
2. Definition. However long it takes. Which brings me to this:
2b. Is there anybody out there that can help me set up a reasonable exercise routine?

...and finally.

3. Can anybody here confirm a noticeable change in physical dexterity after losing a lot of weight? Or did anybody go from being a fat bastard like me into a nimble mongoose of a human being after their transformation? I'd like to be able to play basketball again, but, I'm a lumbering fatty and embarrass myself when I run with the ball these days.

 

[wishes]

i can attest that there is massive change in physical dexterity! i can do shit i couldnt before - and i totally know where you're comming from

Read some of the Sticky threads around, they contain the best of the best of the forum.

 

[pidge21]

hey hey fellow young fat bastard. You've already replied to my thread, so you already know the basics, but I gotta say.... I was 198 pounds when I was.... 15. yup. not too pretty cause i was a short-arse (actually, still am a short arse now for future reference) fatty. However, when I was my fittest in my first years of uni and I was 127 pounds, I could run for 2 hours without puffing, the aches in my joints from carrying around so much weight subsided, I could sleep better but when i did go to bed I only needed 7 hours absolute maximum to feel completely rested (I'm only just starting to come out of my fatty badoona-doonk coma of 11 hours for a decent sleep), you have HEAPS more energy, you can eat a lot more, and after a few months of your routine (whatever that might be), you feel pushed to do exercise after you eat, whenever you eat, even just a brisk walk, and soon you start to find the balance between treating yourself occasionally, eating well most of the time, and exercising consistently.

I'm the same kinda build as you - I'm Greek heritage so I've got an hourglass figure (not like you, I'm guessing), but I've always had solid arms and legs (damn spartan blood). Best thing I've found, although it takes a lot of discipline, every hour of study, pick yourself up and do some push ups. do 5-10. then 10-15 in yoru second break and so-on. add in some crunches, squats, even if it's just 10. at the end of the week you'll realise you've done over 100 of each, and notice yourself getting a bit smaller and a bit less wobbly.

Also, if you absolutely want to THROTTLE your body fat, don't eat ANYTHING after 7pm. Nothing. Not even a splash of milk in your tea (well I guess that's okay as long as it's lite, but no sugar or snacky food). I generally don't eat after 5:30pm but that's just cause i have an uber-early start each morning. Your stomach will ache for food and the first few days you'll get a bit restless, but this is the time your body is reacting to exercise during the day, building muscle and burning fat, so don't fuel it!

And most importantly.... may the force be strong with you! *Starwars music* good luck!

 

[uyis11]

Chris-
It's great you are taking these first steps. I'm brand new to the forum as well. I probably started out in a similar situation as you did (6'0, 210lbs, heavy smoker & drinker) and have since quit smoking and dropped down to 175 pounds in 14 weeks. I limit my drinking to one night a week now and allow myself to drink as much as I want on that night.

Funny you ask if its easy to tell an actual difference when you lose weight. I didn't notice anything from 210 to 190 and thought it was odd. From 190 to 175 however I can tell an enormous difference. My clothes fit great and my fat pants are falling off my ass! I can now see scary veins in my arms and muscle definition.

As for an exercise routine: Cardio + Weight training
Cardio every day. Try not to make exceptions. Starting out of shape, all you need to worry about is heart rate and duration. Hit your target rate (probably about 140-150) for at least 30 minutes daily (or try to work up to that- when I started out, I could only stay on an exercise bike for 12 minutes- thanks, cigarettes). I like to use an exercise bike b/c it's easy on the joints, but if you like walking or jogging, make sure you monitor your heart rate. Get some headphones and some fast techno music- it will help.

I do weight training solely with dumbbells because I don't have access to a gym. Here is a perfect weight training routine to start with. Check out the link to the HST program at the bottom that describes the approach/details. It's free info- no products. Bodybuilding.com - HST Routine

As for diet: you sound like you might have some similar tendencies that I did. Now, I eat lean cuisine frozen meals every single day for dinner. Gets old? Get used to it, or learn to cook. I eat when I'm hungry but make sure to monitor my portions and never eat gross fried fast foods. Start eating fruit, lean turkey, wheat bread, high fiber cereals, 1% or skim milk. Don't starve yourself either. If you are hungry, eat a small snack. And I mean small, like one slice of wheat bread or a 100 calorie bag of popcorn.

The key is consistency and patience. What keeps me going is looking at the scale each week and checking out the mirror, realizing I'm getting closer to that "looking good naked" stage. Force yourself to keep up.