Need some tips getting started

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stephenp1983

New member
This will be my first time ever dieting and I have a couple of questions. My goal is to loose around 20 pounds and to start exercising more. In the past I've eaten alot of fast food and looking back I could have easily consumed 3000 or more calories a day. I am setting a goal for under 2000 around 1500 if I can. Right now I am 6'3 230 lbs, and would like to get to around 200. Now for my questions.

Is all I have to worry about calories? For the past week I've keep my calories around 1500, but I've still being eating stuff like hotpockets etc, just in moderate portions. So does it really matter what you eat to lose weight as long as you stay below a certain calorie level. Just asking on a weight loss level not health etc.

I have also started with the thread meal. Should I focus on walking or running, and how long should I be going for?

Anyone have any suggestions for breakfast foods this is where I struggle, I've been eating poptarts which are 400 calories for 2 for the past week. I thinkt his relates to my first question, as long as I stay below a certain calorie range does it matter what I eat?

Thanks guys.
 
It does matter what you eat. The good old food pyramid isnt set up for nothing. I suggest you take a look at the links in my signature. Also check out my log for some great training articles.

1500 calories per day~too low for your size. You cant lose weight by not eating (well you can, but not healthy). If you eat better foods, and more of them, then weight will come off and you'll feel much better than by just not eating.
 
Thanks for the information, the second link in your sig wasn't working, but I'll look around and see exactly how many calories I should be getting and all. I don't want to mess up my metabolism as its pretty fast.
 
stephenp1983 said:
This will be my first time ever dieting and I have a couple of questions. My goal is to loose around 20 pounds and to start exercising more. In the past I've eaten alot of fast food and looking back I could have easily consumed 3000 or more calories a day. I am setting a goal for under 2000 around 1500 if I can. Right now I am 6'3 230 lbs, and would like to get to around 200. Now for my questions.

Is all I have to worry about calories? For the past week I've keep my calories around 1500, but I've still being eating stuff like hotpockets etc, just in moderate portions. So does it really matter what you eat to lose weight as long as you stay below a certain calorie level. Just asking on a weight loss level not health etc.

I have also started with the thread meal. Should I focus on walking or running, and how long should I be going for?

Anyone have any suggestions for breakfast foods this is where I struggle, I've been eating poptarts which are 400 calories for 2 for the past week. I thinkt his relates to my first question, as long as I stay below a certain calorie range does it matter what I eat?

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Is calories all that matter for weight loss? Yup. Insufficient energy in equals tissue breakdown to meet your energy demands. Simple thermodynamics.

However, for optimal physique and permanent, consistent FAT loss, I recommend monitoring not only calories, but macronutrients as well.
 
alright I think I understand the calorie/diet thing, what about exercise. For someone like me that is only trying to lose a modest amount of weight is walking on the tread mill daily enough?
 
stephen

It sounds like you just need to let some time go by on your new path.

I am telling myself that if I just eat good food in moderation the weight will come off.

A good amount of walking for you is what you can do today. You will build up quickly and want to do more. This forum is making me walk further faster already.

Are you happy with your food choices?
 
stephenp1983 said:
alright I think I understand the calorie/diet thing, what about exercise. For someone like me that is only trying to lose a modest amount of weight is walking on the tread mill daily enough?
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Walking is a way to start. The body adapts to the stresses placed upon it, so you will need to continually challenge yourself. Look into High Intensity Interval Training after you've built up good stamina.
 
I'd also suggest, with your body type, more intense exercise than walking. If you're even mildly prone to athleticism, walking will have less benefit for you than for, say, a 5'4" 35 year old woman.

I'd suggest something that at least gets your heart rate up -- running is a good option. Though, as the others have suggested, if you can't handle it at first, building up your stanima is fine.

Also, if you truly want to lose weight, I'd suggest vegetarianism. I never eat meat, and even though I'm a binge eater and consume much more than 3000 calories a day on a regular basis, I'm far from being considered overweight by the BMI scale.
 
korikun said:
I'd also suggest, with your body type, more intense exercise than walking. If you're even mildly prone to athleticism, walking will have less benefit for you than for, say, a 5'4" 35 year old woman.

I'd suggest something that at least gets your heart rate up -- running is a good option. Though, as the others have suggested, if you can't handle it at first, building up your stamina is fine.

Also, if you truly want to lose weight, I'd suggest vegetarianism. I never eat meat, and even though I'm a binge eater and consume much more than 3000 calories a day on a regular basis, I'm far from being considered overweight by the BMI scale.
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After all someone 35 years old, is really old I don't know how we can even get out of bed. They may bury me tomorrow I'm 48.

Chip
 
korikun said:
I'd also suggest, with your body type, more intense exercise than walking. If you're even mildly prone to athleticism, walking will have less benefit for you than for, say, a 5'4" 35 year old woman.

I'd suggest something that at least gets your heart rate up -- running is a good option. Though, as the others have suggested, if you can't handle it at first, building up your stanima is fine.

Also, if you truly want to lose weight, I'd suggest vegetarianism. I never eat meat, and even though I'm a binge eater and consume much more than 3000 calories a day on a regular basis, I'm far from being considered overweight by the BMI scale.
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What does vegetarianism have to do with weight loss? Calories are calories, no matter where they come from.... have it be meat or plans. I don't really understand this statement. Remember, calories dictate energy stored.
 
Steve is right. Its very simple calories in vs. calories out. You can eat junk & still lose weight. You just won't be healthy.

Chip
 
The vegetables is one of my big problems. When I was a baby I had stomach problem that the doctors didn't know how to fix. So they put me on this diet with no seasoning which in turned caused me not to like most vegeatables anymore. Over time I've expanded my selection, but the only ones I will eat at all are salad, potato, onions and peppers. Haven't had any others veggies since I was 2.
 
stephenp1983 said:
The vegetables is one of my big problems. When I was a baby I had stomach problem that the doctors didn't know how to fix. So they put me on this diet with no seasoning which in turned caused me not to like most vegeatables anymore. Over time I've expanded my selection, but the only ones I will eat at all are salad, potato, onions and peppers. Haven't had any others veggies since I was 2.
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Sometimes you have to eat things that you don't like. I don't really like my veggies, but I eat them many times per day;)

Maybe you can try something called Greens+, do some googling. Easy way to get your veggies in powder form.
 
lol, Calories.

They're really not all that matter.

If you eat 40 apples a day, you still won't gain weight, I assure you. Even though, apparently, you'd have a surplus of calories. I know that calories in, calories out thing must be pleasing to one's scientific desire for facts, but I wouldn't say that it's the whole truth.

Every vegetarian I know is thinner than people who eat meat. There is, in fact, some truth behind it. In fact, I can assure you that if someone who eats meat on a regular basis stops, they will lose weight. Period.

Also, I wasn't insinuating that 35 is old. It's just that your metabolism slows down around that age, and your body fat percentage goes up.
 
korikun said:
lol, Calories.

They're really not all that matter.

If you eat 40 apples a day, you still won't gain weight, I assure you. Even though, apparently, you'd have a surplus of calories. I know that calories in, calories out thing must be pleasing to one's scientific desire for facts, but I wouldn't say that it's the whole truth.

Every vegetarian I know is thinner than people who eat meat. There is, in fact, some truth behind it. In fact, I can assure you that if someone who eats meat on a regular basis stops, they will lose weight. Period.

Also, I wasn't insinuating that 35 is old. It's just that your metabolism slows down around that age, and your body fat percentage goes up.
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So are you seriously telling me that you couldn't gain weight on eating only apples? Are you honestly this naive? Please tell me the answer is no!

Do you know what thermodynamics is? Actually, let's be a little simpler. Do you know what a calorie is?

What I love about this post is you actually started out with a good ole "LOL." Like you are laughing in the face of not only science, but logic too. I love it!

You say, "I assure you." Please, by all means, enlighten me on how the body works. Or more importantly, how the vegetarian body works differently than the meat eating counterpart when it comes to physiology and thermodynamics.
 
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korikun said:
Every vegetarian I know is thinner than people who eat meat.
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We definitely don't know the same vegetarians.

The ones I know live off of a lot of dorittos, Del Taco, and pasta.
Not necessarily the healthiest life styles.
 
Yes, yes, I've studied thermodynamics in school. I know what a calorie is. Simply, I don't think that the body is quite as clear cut as science would like to make it out, having experienced the fact that some people can eat what they want, when they want, and still not gain weight.

I know of people who can cut many calories from their diets, and still not lose.

I wouldn't say that I posess a great amount of naïveté, but I am one of those people who deign to accrue knowledge from personal experience.

Do you really think that science will be the same, for eternity? That new discoveries on nutrition and the nature of physics itself will never be made, and that, in time, those new theories will be rendered obsolete as well? Even science itself is not a proven thing, in fact, the best that we can come up with are hyptheses -- nothing is, has ever been, or ever will be, a surity.

And yes, perhaps I do laugh at the notion of science and logic, because in actuality, we know nothing :)
 
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