Where to start????

C

cleveland

0
Hi all, I found this site doing a google search and it seemed to be the largest of it's kind. I hope to get some good insight and an education. :)

I am a 27 year old newly divorced man. Since the divorce (2 months ago) I have gone from 225-230 lbs to 185-190 lbs. This is due to cutting out soda, and replacing it with water or iced tea (no sugar). As well I cut out the fast food and sugar/salt snacks I used to eat before bed. Also stress has played a part, as anyone that has gone through a divorce can tell you.

So some questions I have are:

#1 Is it normal to change weight in a day? My weight fluctuates 5 lbs through out the day.

#2 I lost 40 lbs and it does not seem to show in the mirror. Anyone know why? My belt had to be adjusted, but I just don't see it.

#3 I want to loose the "love handles" and the belly. Where do I start? Walking? Lifting? And how much? I don't want to do so much that I loose motivation, but I don't want to do so little that I am wasting my time.

I look forward to your input and feed back.

Thanks, cleveland
 
1. Yes. Weight can fluctuate because of water or just your meals. (Surprise - you weigh more after eating than before!)

2. That's probably just a "self image" issue. Another reason why measurements and objective "judges" are usually more useful.

3. As probably everyone on this forum will tell you, you cannot spot reduce. Losing love handles requires loss of overall body fat. How do you lose body fat? A combination of a clean diet, cardio, and some weight training. Walking is a great place to start. How much you do depends on where you are now. How is your fitness as of now?

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the feed back.

You know I was thinking about starting walks. I remember I looked my best before I got a car because I walked everywhere.

My overall health is fair to poor. I smoke, but I am smoking less and on my way to quitting. My ex wife was a stay at home mom that cooked everything out of a box. I don't know what was in that crap, but I am sure it was not good for me. I am back to my diet of salads, turkey sandwiches and anything that seems to not have fat or salt in it. Any foods I should avoid?

I guess I posted this because I hit the weights yesterday and I got my butt kick. I lifted very little and felt like I put in a 10 hour shift at a coal mine. So I am just trying to get back into the healthy me with out killing myself or worse.

Thanks again for the feedback.
 
With lifting, don't worry so much about exactly how much you're doing, as long as you're doing it consistantly and getting better. Honestly, I'm no expert in weight training, but there's a lot of information here on the forums about weight lifting and plans and such that you can experiment with.

As for foods to avoid... you've gotten a bunch of them already - sodas, fast food, anything fried, snacks like chips, etc. Avoid highly processed stuff, like white bread. At the very least, look for whole grain or whole wheat bread and cereal. Darker is better! Cooking "everthing out of a box" is not a good idea. Also, try to cut out desserts, unless it's a "cheat meal," and even then, limit it. Cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, ice cream, chocolate, candy, other sweets, and pies are all bad news, but it's okay to indulge once in a while.

Go for natural - generally, if you eat a food the same way it is found in nature, it's good for you, or at least better than the processed version. For example, an apple (which is found that way in nature) is generally getter than apple juice (which is processed, often with sugar added, and drinking your calories is not a good idea).
 
White bread is highly processed, which means that nutrients are basically sucked out of it and it goes through your system more quickly (which results in peaks and valleys of your energy level). A cheat meal is a meal you might have once a week that deviates from your "diet."
 
Yes. The same goes for anything processed - pasta, for example, or sugar. The healthier option would be 100% whole grain bread, brown rice, or 100% whole grain pasta.
 
I am glad I asked, because I always thought pasta and rice was good for you. I will have to check out some of the "brown" alternatives. Thanks
 
as was pointed out above dont worry if you're not lifting exactly what you'd like to be, just keep your goals in sight and stay positive. you've already come a long way according to your post so just keep moving ahead at a steady pace. you may not notice the weight you've lost already but it's gone nevertheless. and i bet you'll see other people notice the difference as you progress.
 
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