I have a confession (long post)

[Dano50]

Following the other's advise regarding seeing your physician regarding any exercise program, I would recommend you stop by a couple of forums specific to weight loss and personal health (as opposed to bodybuilding).

One such forum I have had a privilege to visit is Home Fitness 101 Forum homefitness101.com. Most of the beginning folks there struggle with a variety of personal issues regarding health and weight. The discussions are mature, informative and supportive.

A weight based exercise program using increasing weight levels of dumbells, specific nutrition and cardio will go a long way toward meeting your goals. Good luck.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[AutoFan]

May I suggest on your non-work days you do aqua aerobics or swim, as those activities are much easier on your joints, and you can find them at almost all Y's and most health clubs.

Also, decaf ice tea is a favorite of mine when I want something other than water.

[Doc Holliday]

Walk, walk, walk and then walk some more. Keep walking till you can't walk anymore then walk somemore. Don't stop, just keep walking.

I agree. With your weight around 400, I would start off with a light walking regime. Increase the distance as you get more and more in shape. Stay away from sugar ladden drinks. You might as well be drinking a liquid candy bar.

[TN_Mike]

Hello! I was the original poster of the thread that P95Carry referenced. (http://www.combatcarry.com/vbulletin...ad.php?t=12500) I started at 265 pounds and am now at 209 after a rather long plateau at 215 or so. But it is now coming off again.

I started eating better, and much less and I bought a Nordictrack and I use it every night. I do about 2 miles a night or around 1300 calories every night. I also started lifting weights, nothing big, just 10 pound dumbells, and I do 100 leg lifts and 300 crunches.

I drink a lot more water and I eat several "snacks" a day. My daily diet is thins: An egg and a piece of toast with 2 strips of turkey bacon for breakfast, then about 2 hours after breakfast I have a banana, then lunch about 2 hours after that, then 2 hours later I have a low carb power bar, then 2 hours later I have another banana, then dinner 2 hours after that.
I am never hungry. Believe it or not, eating this way all through the day jacks your metabolisim up. It works. And the weight lifting has helped a lot. Muscles burn calories all the time, even when you are sleeping. So, the more muscle mass you build the more calories you burn all the time.

It has worked for me. Please feel free to PM me and we can talk some more about this if you like. I would be happy to talk to you about this anytime.

[homersimpson]

I would reccomend against runing until you reach a lower weight because of the damage it may do to your joints. Start small by decreasing the portions you allready enjoy and working towards a healthier diet. Have you ever seen the movie "super size me"? I still love McDonald's, But I get a small fry instead, only two double cheese burgers, etc.
once you get used to doing some basic exersises, push a car. Start with a compact or midsize. Seriously, it uses almost all your muscles. A friend could help with the brakes. I reccomend a flat parking lot. Plus it will come in handy if gas hits $5.00 a gal.

[davyray]

As someone who works in the medical field, I strongly echo the previous posts regarding talking to your doctor. In addition to maintaining an adequate calorie intake for your medications, a complete check of your heart may be in order, especially depending on your personal and family medical history, BEFORE starting any exercise regimen. Your family doc or oncologist can help you decide if a visit to a cardiologist is in order. It is important to remember that docs usually don't answer questions if you don't ask them. Most of all, stay motivated and find someone who will lovingly keep you on track (ie. no nagging). Congratulations for starting, now succeed!!!

[BlueLion]

Walk, walk, walk and then walk some more. Keep walking till you can't walk anymore then walk somemore. Don't stop, just keep walking.

Best, advice yet, I would also add drink your water. Buy you a jug of that spring water and when that is gone fill it with tap or buy you another jug. There is no real use in you lifting weights yet. Walk and get your body in shape then as you walk ease into sit ups and push ups this will really work, but the above quote is where you need to start. Good Luck.

[Marbleshade]

Man, if you can even think about exercising while you feel like you have the flu, you're a better man than me.

[MarkM]

Lots of good advice here.

Here's my $0.02:

Drink lots of water.
Eat lots of fruit veggies: make little snack packs of sliced carrots, peppers, celery and slice apples in advance for when you are out and get hungry. Its a lot better than going into burger king or McD.
If you go to a restaurant eat a (healthy) sub or salad (with low fat dressing or a little dressing on the side).
With your weight and fatigue I guess pushups/situps/jogging will be difficult at first so focus on fast walking, and little pushups leaning up against a wall.

[.45acp]

Pm me with your email and I'll be happy to provide recipes for fast, easy, low fat and nutricious meals you can make and heat up in a nukerowave.
Here's a sample meal:

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups baby spinach leaves, washed, dried
1-1/2 cups MINUTE White Rice, uncooked
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1 can (10-1/2 oz.) condensed chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese



HEAT oil in large deep nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently.
ADD spinach, rice, tomatoes, broth and water; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally.
STIR in the Parmesan cheese.

[lowflyer]

I still love McDonald's, But I get a small fry instead, only two double cheese burgers, etc.

I hope you were kidding, because that is funny to me (only two double cheese burgers).

I mean no offense. It just seems to me that the words "double cheeseburger" should be removed from one's vocabulary entirely if one seriously intends to lose weight or just maintain a healthy state.

[rstickle]

If you want to start walking on a regular basis check this site:

http://www.ava.org

This site has listings of about 1400 10K (6.2 mile) walks, some of them pretty nice and also interesting. It also tells you how to keep track.

[everalm]

General point to be aware of, if you are heavy, as you say you are, running/jogging is going to be murder on your joints.

Best general aerobic exercise and low impact on the joints is swimming. If you have access to a proper indoor pool or some such, say at your local Y start off there.

Most of these have early/late sessions specifically for adults with some of the lanes roped off. This means a lot less hassle when your plowing up and down and it also helps with accurate measurement of what you've done.

This will help you to set targets and guess what, if you get too tired, you stop and float for a while.....8-)

On an aside, swimming helps not only with general muscular exercise it is excellent to build up endurance, a lot of the time the second part is forgotten about by gym rats.

I can't remember the number of times I heard the "I can press xxxx pounds...I am a God...." Usually that means they can do 1 biggie maybe 2 or 3 times then spend the rest of the time preening in front of the mirror. Endurance and stamina mean that you can sustain the work you will put into your exercise and diet regime and lets be honest it's damn hard work.

We'll see you doing the Nijmegen run yet....

[.45acp]

I emailed you 4 lowfat, low cal recipes that are fast, easy, low fat and low cal and they taste good too, dieting doesn't need to mean starving and boring.
With the last email I sent a plan for a day where even with double servings at each meal you would still be consuming less than 1600 calories per day.
I eat these myself and they are tasty and can be made in advance and frozen so that you can nuke them if you're in a rush.
I hope this helps. Let me know what you think, I'm interested in how you like them, how filling and the results.

Best of luck,
George

[.45acp]

Oh, and all these recipes are reasonably priced to make also