My Weight Loss Journey

[brooksyd2]

Hi All. My name is Damian and I am an average 29 year old living in London. I have a history of sports, mainly Rugby and football, but over the last 4 years these have slowly died out in favour of evenings in the pub and takeaways that would make John Candy cringe. I have always been a fairly large guy, and at 6ft 3" it has always sat well. However the last couple of years have seen me move from a respectable 15 stone (210 lbs) to a frankly lardy 17 stone (238 lbs). So I am on a mission to do something about it, hence this post.

So this is it, I have finally decided to stop the endless promises to both myself and my friends about getting fit. I will no longer stare guiltily each month at my gym membership fee. Things are changing, I will at last shift this weight and forge a body that I can be proud of, and more importantly, get up the stairs with without breaking into a sweat.

So what exactly am I going to do? Well that's a good question, and actually one I don't have an answer for just yet. I have read a lot over the past few months about various diets and training routines and to be honest have baffled myself a little bit. So I'm stripping it too its basics to begin with. I plan to simply eat better and exercise more. Hopefully once things start moving then I can advance both my diet and my training routine.

So where does this thread come in? Well I plan to use this to keep a regular update of my progress and to pass on any tips to you guys. I hope that this thread will provide inspiration and accurate useful information to you all. If there are any seasoned pro's reading this, then your input would be extremely appreciated not just for my own benefit but also for other readers in the same position.

So, without further ado, let the journey begin!

 

[brooksyd2]

So after taking some advice from friends in the know, I have been told to look at my diet before I begin concentrating on my workouts. Personally I have been dreading assessing my diet as I find not being able to eat the foods I like a lot more scary than going to the gym.

My diet at the moment isnt what you call a bad diet, but there is certainly room for improvement. Being a twenty something male living alone, I often indulge in takeaway food and have a few beers at least a couple of times a week. I also have a thing for ice cream, and I mean a real thing. I can get through a tub of delicious creamy Ben & Jerry's within twenty minutes and still have room for another cold slic........ok I need to stop. So should I devote my life to brown rice and vegetables? Well in a word yes.

The best meal combination for burning fat is a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate and a fiber to carbohydrate eaten together at the same meal.

Some good examples:

Example 1
Brown Rice (complex carb)
Mixed green salad (complex fibrous carb)
Salmon (lean protein)

Example 2
Sweet potato (complex carb)
Broccoli (complex fibrous carb)
Chicken breast for (lean protein)

Example 3
Oatmeal (complex carb)
Egg white omelet with one yolk (lean protein)
Grapefruit (natural and simple carb-optional)

So sadly I will need to start taking in more of the above and less of the ice cream. I am going to use the recommendations I have to draw up a simple meal plan to act as a guide to my diet. More to follow....