Hey everyone new to this

Hey guys and gals im new to this site and well getting fit in general. Im just looking for some tips and tricks that everyone has so i can get this into gear i started going to the gym friday June19, 2009 and have been going since everyday for an hour or sometimes and hour and a half i get on the treadmill first then the weights i just recently started going into the sauna room after my work out. my stats as of today are

Age: 23

Height: 5'6

CW:410lbs or more not sure because i havent weighed myself or it could be less.

GW: 280

GD: Mar 01 2012. thats what the site said.

Hey there Vince,

Good for you! I am new to this site also.  You deserve a pat on the back.  Wishing you all the best.

Aub

thanks Aub and welcome to the site as well i hope you get to your goals as well.

Congrats on your decision to get fit!

Sounds like you are getting off on the right foot by using the gym, just don't forget to give yourself a "rest day"and get into a routine you can keep for a long time. Going to the gym everyday this week won't help you in a year from now if you burn yourself out!

The only other tip I have to offer is use the food log, and make sure you log EVERY little thing at first. I never even gave a thought to how many daily calories I was consuming in things like katsup and jelly until I joined this site!

It works if you work it!

Good Luck!

Hi rvince, my name is Rhonda and I am new to this site but not the fitness world.  I have gained 20 lbs. over the last couple years and I want to get it back off.. Alot of people will tell you to just have patience and be persistent and consistent and it will happen.  You didn't pack on the extra weight in 2 weeks or 4 weeks and you won't be able to get it off that fast. 

MY downfall was eating out too much and pretty much stopped exercising.  If I didn't watch what I ate and never exercised I would be 1000 lbs...  

Don't get discouraged and give up if you have a bad week and don't loose and/or gain weight.. most people have weeks like that.. you can't let it get to you and quit.  It is not an easy thing to do for some people and having a weight loss buddy to help you stay focused and motivated helps too!

Good luck!!

Welcome to CC Vince.  I must congratulate you on your decision to get into shape.  For me that was the hardest step, admitting that I had a problem and needed to do something about it.

My best advice would be to take little steps towards your goal instead of one giant leap.  Little steps are easier to incorporate into a routine.  The first few weeks were the hardest for me but I have listed some of the things that were helpful:

• Don't think of this as a diet.  If you restrict certain foods, you won't be able to maintain it forever and then will go off the deep end.  Instead, make better choices.  Like having a fudgcycle (100 calories) versus a big bowl of ice cream.
• Get rid of the excess calories where ever you can.  This means soda.  Sometimes I splurge and have a hamburger from McDonald's.  I order a small hamburger and skip the fries.  This satisfies my craving for junk food without too serious of repercussions.
• No need to go to the gym for an hour and a half everyday.  You will burn yourself out in no time.  Instead, try and stay active everyday.  Park in a spot further away and walk to the entrance.  Walk to the store if you need to buy a few small things.  Take the long cut whenever you can.

I have added you as a friend if you would like to chat more.  I wish you the best of luck on this journey.  Just remember, you can do it!

Good for you for joining this site! I have learned so much in the past few months ever since joining and learning new things all the time.

Just remember not to worry too much about your goal date and usually CC figures your date and cals to eat w/o figuring your exercise (if you added that to your stats, forget I said that).

Working out everyday could be hard, so remember that if you want to take a day off or 2 that's okay. Here are some tips I've learned:

• Keep a deficit (cals burned vs cals eaten) to 500-800 so you don't feel like you're starving
• measure/weigh your food. You'll be surprised how much all of us have underestimated we eat in a given day
• buy a 32oz water jug and carry it around with you. You may think that's silly, but if I have water I don't drink the soda as much and sometimes when I'm "hungry" I'm really just thirsty an the craving goes away
• stay active even on days you don't workout: go for a walk, do some house cleaning, join a sport...
• keep your fridge stocked with fruits, veggies, eggs, milk, whole grain breads....the less processed the better
• These are the 3 main things I look at when reading a nutrition label: Calories, Fiber and Protein
• Give yourself a break and realize this will take time, but one day it'll all pay off and you'll be SO happy and never feel angry with yourself bc of weight issues. It's in your control. You're on the right path

CONGRATS on changing your life!

thanks you guys you are all awsome i really am serious about this and i am looking for some support buddies honestly i need to meet people i just met because all of my friends are either skinny already or drink liqour, beer, and dont care what they eat but its so hard to meet new peoples especialy people who want to workout and are in houston.

You should join a class at the gym. I don't know if you are straight or not, but if you are, there are always lots of women there too that you can meet!

Plus the classes are fun and energetic too!

lol yeah im straight. thats a great idea  but honestly im very shy about going to the gym and having people look at me thats why i go at night.

Honestly Vince, I don't think anyone at the gym is looking at you.  They are all self-centered and thinking about their own workout.  If anyone was looking at you, I'm sure they would be thinking "way to go"!  Remember, anything is possible when you set your mind to it.  You CAN do it!

I used to be terrified of people looking at me the gym, but feel a lot better about it now. I got over it by first joining a spin class where the room is always dark and taking a bike in the back. After that, as I got in the habit of going to the gym, it gradually got much easier for me, and I bet it will get much easier for you too.

I've been on the site for almost two months now and there is one thing that I've learned for those of us who start at larger weights (I started at over 300 lbs):  Don't cut your calories too much too soon.

As other's have mentioned go for a calorie deficit between 500 and 800 calories a day.  I lose close to 3lbs a week doing this, ~ 1% of my body weight.  (I know that math doesn't work out right, but that's what's happened.)  When you start out at a heavier weight, your calorie needs are much higher than those who start out only wanting to lose 20 pounds or so.  My stats put me at eating alomost 2,000 calories a day to lose weight when I first started.  Every few weeks or months (depending on how fast the weight comes off), put your new stats into the Calories Needed for Weight-loss or Burn Meter tools and refigure your daily calories to update on your profile.  That way, you make sure that your calorie needs are being met while still maintaining a good deficit.

I think that it's great that you joined cc, and we look forward to hearing from you on your journey.  I know that this site has helped me stay on track longer than ever before.  Goodluck!

What do you guys think about diet supplements and vitamine pills? is it bad to take them like for example lipozine they say that you dont need to exercise but it is recommended if you want to get the max potential of the pills or the beachbody vitamines.

Simply said: It's all crap. Don't waste your money.

Stick to your plan of  exercising and watching what you eat. It'll come off.

Edit: Vitamins are fine, but stay away from weight-loss pills/gimmicks.

Original Post by rvince:

What do you guys think about diet supplements and vitamine pills? is it bad to take them like for example lipozine they say that you dont need to exercise but it is recommended if you want to get the max potential of the pills or the beachbody vitamines.

Well, it's not ALL crap.  A regular multivitamin can be good, and I also take a fish oil supplement to get omega 3s since I don't eat fish at all.  But as far as weight loss supplements - agreed, don't waste your money.

Hi Rvince, I agree a regular multi-vitamin can be very helpful. I have been at this for over a year now and have lost 30lbs..........actually I had lost 40 but gained 10 back grrr, It is a setback, but here I am again...

as far as advice I would say to find something active you love to do. For me it is swimming, but it can be anything. If you love to do it, it stops being excercise and becomes recreation. So join some of the classes at your gym, you may be suprised what you find fun!

setbacks can be overcome, if you are bad for a day or a week (or 6 months in my case ), that doesnt mean you have failed, just pick it up where you left off and keep going.

I also was (and still am a bit) self concious in the gym, and in the pool there is no hiding anything, but it is getting easier and I can say that the others are right, if anyone does "notice" you, it would probably be complimentary on your efforts.

Also, I agree with the others on 2 other points, make sure you eat enough and go down gradually, and dont burn yourself out by making too many lifestyle changes at once. One thing that helped me is to choose certain items to take out of my diet, and I would make better choices. You can also compromise for things you just dont feel you can give up. I will not give up my real butter, however, I have switched to "whipped butter" which goes further for fewer calories. It is always better to choose moderation over absolute denial. (at least where food is concerned)  Ask people what sort of substitutes they use in place of high fat or high sugar foods and everyone will be more than happy to share their substitutes.

Hi!
  Welcome, I too am a newcomer.  I have gained so much weight since I developed tendinitis in my ankle from over working out, so be cautious that you don't do that.  Don't do too much all at once.  I for one am very guilty of this.  I have the mind set of its all or nothing. Trying to change this.   Just slowly bring in new diet tricks each week like instead of juice or soda just put some propel to go in your water bottle or crystal light, instead of butter get a butter spray like Olivio or a spread like Brummel and Brown.  I eat Lean Cuisine for lunch but find I'm still hungry afterwards so I pack some fruit and light snacks (eg. yougurt).  I haven't done this yet, but I've heard that drinking metamucil or Fiber One 15-20 minutes before each meal will help you feel fuller longer because fiber is harder to break down for your body.  That way you will eat less.  I hope I helped you out a little bit.  Good luck!

Laura