Beginner help

BL89 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-11-2007, 10:15 PM

Hey, my friends call me BL. I'm a very large guy, about 310 pounds. I'm about 6'2 and i'm 17. I eat very healthy I rarely eat junk food, I drink about 3-4 liters of water everyday, I don't drink soda and if I do its Diet anything, but I don't exercise as I feel embarrassed. I'm joining the gym less than a week too. What I'm asking is... would cardio exercises benefit me the most? and what kind of diet should I do? If you need anymore information ill be glad to give.

Cheryl · #2 (**permalink**) 07-16-2007, 03:55 PM

Congratulations on getting started !!! Okay now, you are 17 and 310lbs....Now, you are going to continue to grow for another 2 years....so you may be about 6'4" in a couple of years....According to the BMI chart you should be around 180 or so..but factoring in your age....I would be REALLY happy if you were about 203lbs...If you change your lifestyle and you're consistent.....you could lose the majority of your weight...about 80 lbs in 12-15 months....and about 18 months you would reach your goal weight....keep in mind this is a baseline...but most people lose on the average 1-2 lbs a week....some weeks you'll lose more....some less....

Now, I hope you are planning to have a trainer at the gym....It's important that someone take a complete health history and teach you proper form.

I would start you out on a treadmill for only 10 minutes....so I could get a baseline of where you're at cardiovascularly.....and slowly increase it to 20 minutes over a course of 4 weeks or so....Make sure you get a well supported sneaker, a cross trainer is best...I like Nike, new balance, and aasics.

Cardio is best for calorie burning..but you need to incorporate muscle training as well.
If you don't eat a lot of junk...you are simply eating too much....If you eat too many calories....and they are not burned off..they will be stored...and that's just a fact !
At your current weight you are most likely taking in about 4000 calories a day....if you took in about 3700 a day...you would maintain your weight and not gain or lose 1lb....but I'm thinking that you're taking in a little more and gaining very very slowly.....like 1/2 lb every week or so....and most people dont' notice weight gain until it's 10-15lbs...when in actuality they've slowly been gaining for years and years....

So, I would start you out at taking in 2900 a day....and have you workout about 20 minutes a day.....Very conservatively....slow and steady....after a couple of weeks...I would have you increase it to 30 minutes a day.....after about 3 months....I would have you working out 45 minutes 3 days a week and one hour for 3 days a week, and 30 minutes on a separate day....very slow process....

Please do not just show up at a gym and go completely nuts and jump on a treadmill for an hour.....Not only is it dangerous....but mentally you will be so discouraged after the first week, you'll get overwhelmed....and quit...so please take it slow and get a trainer....also see your family physician too so you are cleared for exercise....

Start parking your car farther away from the entrance...of wherever you're going....Take the stairs instead of elevator, Walk whenever you can! Start counting calories! Americans eat so much it drives me Insane....seriously.....most people eat enough for 3 people!!! Instead of eating find something to do that will occupy your mind....like clean out a junk drawer, or get rid of old clothes, organize a photo album...garden..........rearrange a room...seriously...do something else!

Please keep in touch on how you're doing!
Congratulations again !
CheryL : )

BL89 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-16-2007, 07:36 PM

Thank you. I'm heading to the gym in the next couple days, and today and tomorrow i'm just walking outside for 20 minutes just to give my body a small kick.

Also, I downloaded a program called "Diet and Exercise Assistant Desktop" as it can help me see how many Carbs, Protein, Fibers, Fats, and Calories I have taken. I don't exactly use it to control what I eat, I use it to see what I have eaten so I know that i'm realizing that, this day I ate to many of this and that.

How many Carbs is to much?

Cheryl · #4 (**permalink**) 07-17-2007, 12:33 PM

Okay that sounds really good!!! You need to have a balance ...and it sounds like you know that and you're holding yourself accountable ! I am SO PROUD!!

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how many times I hear....Oh no I'm different...I this , I that..I heard this ,,I heard that, I'll try this, I'll try that.......I can not help people who simply think they know more than me.....I have to release them and simply say.....great...good luck! LOL !

Now, the amount of carbs you need changes from day to day depending on your workout schedule....I dont' eat hardly any carbs (energy food) when I'm on vacation..simply because I'm not working as hard.....I'm simply burning calories walking....and staying active...but that's not enough.

A baseline is as follows ! the USDA recommends 18% protein, 29% fat, 53% carbohydrates.......okay but that is really difficult to remember....so a baseline is about 20% protein, 30% fat, and 50% carbohydrates ...and you can vary the protein and fat.....to 30 % protein...20% fat....

So , too many carbs would be anything over 55% on your daily caloric intake...

I take in about 280 grams a day of carbs
60 grams of fat
90 grams of protein
30 grams of fiber
1200 mg of calcium
give or take 5-10 grams here and there.....you have to give yourself some leeway
These figures are based on a 2200 calorie / day diet...some days I take in 2400...because my body needs it due to my high training that day. I also am not trying to gain or lose weight...I am maintaining what I have while increasing my lean body mass.

so I hope this helps you out!
CheryL : )