new and need advice

[lovetoskate]

Hey everyone. Im glad I came across this site.. lots of good info. but im in need of some help...

Im 24 years old, 220 pounds, and 6'3. I went on some website to measure my butt,wrist, stomach, and forearm... to see how much body fat i had and it said 22%. [ said that was teh average for people in the usa]

I know im out of shape.. I used to skateboard daily for 3-4 hours and did this for about 5 years. I quit skateboarding about 4ish years ago.. and need to find a workout program.

Ive switched from drinking soda [coke and mountain dew] and am now drinking bottled water.

I guess the main things I need help with is... what kinda things should I eat, can I just take my skateboard on a bike path and skate a certain amount of miles per day and lose weight like that?

I was thinking about skateboarding like 3 miles on a bike path every other day.. then the days I dont skate do like sit ups, and do some curls or something.

Im finally motivated to get this plan in action, and ill also be posting progress pictures. I feel doing this will not only get me healthier, but give me alot more self confidence. So any help would much be appreciated.

edit: I also dont get the whole breakdown on foods. like carbs, total fat, potassium...etc. im going to keep a log of the things i eat.... so i can report how much my intake is

and the workout tools i have at my disposal are... 40 pound hand weights, 20 pound hand weights, skateboard, bike, rollerblades, and the bar with weights up to 150lbs

MY GOAL : to lose weight and get a flatter stomach and maybe a lil bigger biceps

 

[KaraCooks]

Hi and welcome.

First of all, I'm going to encourage you to read the sticky posts, especially the ones in the nutrition and exercise areas of the board. There's a lot of information there that will help you.

As for your specific points:

I went on some website to measure my butt,wrist, stomach, and forearm... to see how much body fat i had and it said 22%. [ said that was teh average for people in the usa]

There is no way that a website can measure your body fat. It simply isn't possible. It can give you a guideline as to your BMI, but the only way to measure your body fat percentage is in person using calipers, a bio-impedance device, or hydrostatic weighing. So if I were you, I'd throw that number right out the window.

I guess the main things I need help with is... what kinda things should I eat, can I just take my skateboard on a bike path and skate a certain amount of miles per day and lose weight like that?

edit: I also dont get the whole breakdown on foods. like carbs, total fat, potassium...etc. im going to keep a log of the things i eat.... so i can report how much my intake is

Here's what I just posted in another thread and I think it's probably good to repeat here:

The most effective way to lose weight is to combine these factors in this order:

- reduce the amount of calories you take in by 20% - 30%
- make sure that you're getting a healthy balance of protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats
- lift weights (properly, not girly weights or "toning" weights or low weight/high rep combinations) to help maintain lean muscle mass
- add in cardio/aerobic exercise as you feel necessary to increase your calorie burn

That's pretty much the whole thing in a nutshell.

Again, read the stickies, especially the ones on exercise, and I'd also suggest that you register with one of the free sites like fitday.com or thedailyplate.com and use that to track your foods. The sites will help you keep track of calories as well as your macro nutrients - protein, carbs, and fat.