Total noob seeking advice

bangbangitsjosh

New member
wellllll
I'm 18, (roughly)5'11 and 285 ibs.
though I've always had immense amounts of energy (and stern will power), I've been slipping up over the past year.

Prior to last year, i'd stay around 215-220 ibs. but ever since i met my now close friend/music assisant, lets call him "jeff", i've gained a substantial amount of weight. I believe "Jeff's" own weight problem (he's around 400 ibs. and eats like a bear nearing winter hibernation) might be partial to blame, but honestly thats no excuse lol.

I'm currently in the early stages of an elliptical fitness routine and I really need help with the following:
1.)How should I build my fitness routine?
2.)I really want to motivate "Jeff" as well. Honestly, I care about his well-being a lot, but I don't know how to help him find the strength within himself to take that first step....I've tried to kickstart him into some motion before and it seriously backfired (but I accept that i'm to blame for that also *sigh)

I promise to respect any responses/opinions you decide to post. Please enlighten me :)

thanks,
Josh (noob)
 
while i'm at it, here's a survey i found on a thread. I'm gonna do it just to give a bit of a better idea of where i'm coming from:

How much weight do you want to lose? about 105

What is the timeframe for reaching your target weight? Idk. I'm hesitant on making one without knowing what should be expected, I guess...

How do you want to accomplish your goal (what methods do you want to use)? Watching (being logical with) what i eat and a solid challenging fitness regimen.

Who or what can support you in reaching your goal? This forum, friends/family, myself.

How realistic is your goal? lols.

When will you start? I started today, but I've meditated with doing so for a while.

1. What is your current height and weight? 5'11. 285 ibs.

2. If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be? about 180, or whatever i feel comfortable with when I start seeing a difference.

3. At what weight would you like to be at four months from now? 250, if thats even reasonable. I fully understand that things like this take time. I'm quite eager, yet patient.

4. Why do you want to lose weight? I have big plans for my life, and I need to be healthy to complete them.

5. Do you want to lose weight for a specific life event such as wedding or reunion? Nope...is that a bad thing? lol

6. What obstacles could get between you and your weight loss goals? I just gotta break a few bad habits and imbed plenty of good ones, pretty much. the only other thing would be monitoring myself around some of my more weighty friends lol.

7. Why do you think that you now have a weight problem? I refuse to blame my genes, I believe that i'm the one in control of how i look/feel. As far as weight goes, I've slipped up. my bad lol.

8. What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight? keeping somewhat of a solid daily schedule, watching what I eat and sticking to a workout plan.

9. Have you lost weight in the past? If so, what has worked in the past to help you lose weight? I was morbidly obese as a child. I weighed around 250 with a size 46' waist at the age of 13. I also used to live on the Gulf Coast back then which was vital to my sudden weight loss, because me and my family were delocated due to hurricane Katrina. After Katrina, I realized that life's too short to live with such an encumberance of weight which I had possesed, so I started watching my food intake and cycling usually around 2-3 hours a day off-road in the desert which surrounded my new home in Las Vegas.

10. Why do you believe that you did not lose weight or you gained the weight back? Complacency, I stayed roughly the same weight for about 3 years & I let my guard down to fast food and physical inactivity lol.

11. What, if anything, has not worked for you in the past in helping you to lose weight? Why do you think it did not work? Dieting has never worked for me. I'm personally a bit on the spiteful side, so when i was told not to eat something as a kid I'd do so as a form of passive agression lol.

12. Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time? If I really have to, but I need to be informed of why i should lol.

13. Do you cook at home often? Not as much as i used to lol.

14. How often do you go out to eat? Where do you go? Too often. Usually fast food

15. What are your three favorite foods?I'm not really sure lol.

16. What are your three favorite restaurants? Idk, good fast food and steakhouses are favored

17. What are three things you can do differently when it comes to food? eat slower, be a bit more aware of what i eat, less processed foods (those are bad right? lol)

18. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different? less of a stomach, leaner thighs/butt, no more manboobs lol.

19. Do you eat when you are not hungry? yeah

20. Do you binge eat (large amounts at a time)? not frequently

21. Do you hide your food or eat in secret? Nope

22. Do you eat when you are sad, nervous, or depressed? usually, no. but it depends on the situation i guess.

23. Do you eat as a reward? nah

24. Do you eat while watching TV or using the computer? all the time

25. What do you normally eat for a meal? nuked frozen food lol

26. What type of snacks do you eat? nutri-grain bars or yogurt w/granola

27. In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing? I'm in the early stages of an elliptical routine, I've found it to be wayyyyy different from jogging lol

28. Where do you go for exercise? Home, but i'm going to start exploring my city at night again soon

29. What, if anything, are your three favorite types of exercise? cycling, swimming, jogging

30. What is your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly motivation to move towards your goals? I bought some new clothes a size smaller than what I am now. I remember back when i was 13, the feeling I had once i put on something that I knew never would've fit me if i didn't challenge myself was so rewarding and motivated me even more

31. Do you have rewards for certain goals? refer to last question lol
 
You can't force Jeff into losing weight. BUT if you get in shape and start looking good, that might well motivate him.

People think losing weight is hard work and lots of effort with little reward. But if you show him that you can do it, he'll believe that he can.
 
12. Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time? If I really have to, but I need to be informed of why i should lol.

I actually think this is one of the most important things you can do. The reason is that you are probably eating food without even paying attention to it or realizing what you are doing. You have to be aware of the problem before you can solve it.

I have found that I MUST record everything I eat every day, and I have been doing that for almost two years. If I slack off and quit writing it down for a while, the weight starts coming back on.

I use an Excel spreadsheet for this, but you could also use an online diet journal, or calorie counting software.
 
I should hardly be one to dole out advice on work-out routines, because my own needs help, and I've only been doing it for a few months. I know the elliptical is great because it's a zero-impact exercise machine, and thus is easier on your joints. I'm also hearing that doing weights, even in small doses, makes EVERYTHING cardio easier, though I haven't started yet myself.

In regards to your friend, it's great that you're so concerned about his well-being, but as much advice as you dole out, nobody can start a diet that they're not ready for.
Who knows, maybe he is, but if your advice falls through, it may simply be because he's not at the point in his life where he's ready to make that change.
 
Back
Top