Hi, I've been overweight since sophomore year of high school (now a rising sophomore in college) and I haven't really been motivated to lose weight until now. I have an extremely important interview coming up in ~7 months and I really want to make a good impression. I have tried losing weight before, but I either lose motivation or feel frustrated due to the lack of information I have. I don't think motivation will be a problem this time since the interview is a make it or break it sort of deal but I am still missing information. So, I have some questions that were never answered from before. cHeight: 5'10''cWeight: 196 lbs Goals: Lose 40 lbs (it's a dream, but before I became depressed and gained 60 pounds in a few months I was 155). But really, I don't care about the pounds- I just want to lose my belly fat, lose the fat on my face, and get toned. Maybe even have some muscle in the end, but my goal isn't to look jacked, just normal. Questions: 1 (Calories): I know that a lot of programs and people suggest counting calories and creating a calorie deficit. The problem is that I'm back home for the summer and I don't know what I'm actually eating since my mom is cooking. She typically cooks pretty healthily (I am Asian-American) without any deep-fried stuff or sugar and good amounts of vegetables. However, she doesn't really understand portions and basically lets me eat until I feel full or bloated and also cooks a number of pastry-like thingies (no sugar). What should I do? 2 (Programs): I've actually tried Insanity several times before and I think it worked all right, although I never could make it past the first 30 days and I couldn't stick to the diet (not because I felt cravings but because my mom was getting annoyed at grocery shopping all the time). Still, I don't think I was ever able to complete an entire workout start to finish without skipping some part of it (too insane), so I'm trying to go it without programs this time. However, would there be any that you guys would recommend? As a side note, is it worth signing up for NerdFitness?3. (Cardio): I've never really ran or trained my legs for anything all my life. I used to be able to do 50 push ups but be unable to run a mile. I actually kinda cheated during middle and high school when I swam competitively- I didn't really kick at all and mainly used arm strength. So basically I'm starting from straight dough for cardio. I'm thinking about picking up swimming again and doing some running. Do you guys have any advice or workout plans to share? 4. (Weight Training): Before I left for college, I actually went to the local rec center to learn how to weight train, but I didn't really get a good explanation and I left for college soon after. For my goals, is it really necessary? If so, where should I start? 5. (Motivation): I know I said that motivation shouldn't be a problem, but I don't want to be motivated by a death hammer. I want to find some positive ways to stay on top of myself, but it's hard. To expand a little on where I'm coming from, I fell into a lot of depression during my sophomore year and starting playing a ton of videogames and dealing with an unknown illness (found out last year I have chronic tension headache- basically like permanent migraines). Before then I was pretty good looking and participated in everything, almost had a pretty girlfriend, etc. The past few years I've kinda been watching life pass me by without any sort of self-esteem or confidence and I want to change that not only for the interview, but for myself. Thanks for reading this long post and I'm looking forward to becoming a better nerd!
