Jared

Well, I'm not concerned about *really* boxing so much, as just hitting a punching-bag to get a good workout. I'll definitely invest in a jump-rope, though; wouldn't have even occurred to me that it would probably work up a good sweat. I'm really clueless on a diet, though; as heavy as I am, it seems bizarre that I would have such a difficult time losing weight. Cutting calories alone isn't doing it, so obviously I need to actually be eating *better* foods, I just don't really know what that really includes.

Well, I've decided that starting this coming Monday, I want to be "on the right track". I've decided that, as far as exercise goes, Boxing is going to be the way to go; I've always liked hitting things, and I already have a bag. Thing is, I've never really boxed before, so I could use some pointers to get started, to try and get the best workout possible. The bigger question I have, though, is a Diet; frankly, counting calories has been ***ZERO*** help for me. I tried staying at 1000 or less with no success, and I tried 1500 and that didn't help either. The problem, I assume, is simply that I eat garbage, since a frozen burrito is only 310 calories but probably has no nutritional value. I'm literally starting at square-one here, so I'm going to try and keep an open mind. I would, however, like some in-depth explanations behind some of the diets, so I can get a good picture. I'll be buying in a whole new stock of groceries this weekend, so it's really important I pick one and stick with it. I was also going to get a feel for the Paleo Diet, if any of you guys do it? I tried it before, and didn't see a *huge* amount of success, but then again, I also wasn't exercising much, which I intend to do. I'm horribly overweight, but I'm also extremely muscular, so "building muscle" isn't so much a priority for me. I know I need to be eating a lot more greens, but I'm pretty unfamiliar with Paleo; the closest I've ever done is a simple "No Carbs" diet, which left me feeling really... "nasty" all of the time, although I don't know how similar it is?

Honestly, I just really like pizza. Although, I have noticed I tend to want to eat anytime I'm in a bad mood -- part of what's spurred me to try and lose this weight, I think. Trying to stay more upbeat in general, and being overweight was the single biggest thing I would get down about. Anyways, I'm gonna take you guys' advice and pick up some simple meats and try my hand at cooking tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Well, I've been looking at some stuff with the Paleo diet (lifestyle?), thinking that might be something more my speed. I'm moving down to Pensacola this year, so I'm using that as motivation. Until I go grocery shopping again, though, I figure I'll just try to incorporate for veggies in my diet -- today, for example, I put a bunch of spinache leaves on my turkey sandwish. That's healthy, right? Probably the biggest problem I'm having is overcoming my pizza cravings. Pizza has probably made up like 75% of my diet since I was like 17, so I'm trying to regulate it to having it once like every two weeks. Although, like I said, I found myself getting addicted to other microwavable stuff, namely the frozen burritos, which has done me zero good I went and got a small convection-oven today (plus got my grill cleaned up), so hopefully I can experiment with some more recipes. I've never been a *huge* fan of grilled meats, but I'm dedicated to losing weight, so... any suggestions for seasonings, and how to serve it?

Hmm, well really appreciate the advice. It sounds like learning to cook some meat is gonna be one of the better ways to get kick-started. Also, when it comes to Green Tea and Nuts, are those things just recommended as replacements? Or should I actually *try* to drink/eat them regularly? I've been drinking the green tea enough that it doesn't bother me, but if water is actually *better* for me, I'm happy going with that. I've never really eaten nuts before, but I'd definitely eat them if they'll *help* lose weight. I can get by without any sort of snack, but if it's the kind of thing that would be better to eat than not to eat, I'll pick some up right away -- although what kind would I get? Last thing, I'm planning on eating a basic turkey sandwich for lunch, probably most days of the week, no condiments or anything. Does that sound "healthy", or should I try to ditch the bread entirely and just go for salads? I've been eating wheat bread, but haven't made the jump to whole-grain. Which would you say is gonna lead to the best weight-loss? I'll try to start reading over the articles in this site and getting a better idea. My family has always has weight issues, though, and since I didn't actually attend school growing up (loooong story), this is basically like trying to learn to play the piano for the first time; I just feel a little lost, lol.

I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I know that *something" here isn't working. I was 298 lbs. I had cut my calories back a few weeks ago to under 1300 a day, and last week, went to the gym every night for a solid hour, mostly alternating between jogging and walking. I did absolutely no weight-lifting, since A) I'm actually pretty muscular anyways (just, ya know, fat), and my shoulder hurts. I have absolutely no idea what happened, but I weighed a was at 309.8 lbs. I'm no scientist, but if I'm not putting on muscle, how am I still gaining weight?! This weekend, I bought a bunch of Green Tea, and yesterday I fasted. Yet I know, without a shadow of a doubt, I'm not gonna lose any weight doing what I've been doing, so I really need some help! Obviously, the foods I'm eating aren't healthy. I've been eating microwavable burritos and ramen noodles, and I can definitely see that the *kind* of calories you eat are more important than the *number* of them. Thing is, I have absolutely no idea where to start. I'm broke and I don't have a working oven, but I'll be damned if that's gonna stop me anymore. If any of you guys can help me with some really, REALLY simple ideas for meals throughout the day, I would *REALLY* appreciate it! Also, Green Tea is supposed to be good for you, right? It tastes awful (especially since I refuse to add sweetener, since that would kind of defeat the purpose I would think), but I can certainly tolerate it. How much should I strive to drink? Or should I be drinking *just* water? As I said before, I'm totally clueless!

I know this is probably going to sound retarded, but there's just something I don't like about polyester. The feel, the sound, I just don't like it. I DON'T LIKE IT, I TELLS YA!!! Which basically has left me wearing basic sweat when I jog. Thing is, it's not super-cold out (I live in south GA), but too cold to be wearing gym-sports, especially as I prefer to jog at night, when there aren't other people out. Basically, a thinner or lighter fabric, without going polyester. I've seen guys (and women, for that matter) with what look to be cotton-spandex that fit slim around the thighs, but are a little longer and loose around the ankles, but try as I might, I've never found anything like that myself. Any suggestions are welcome!

Well, I think 1,500 calories seems as good a goal as any. Honestly, though, the only exercise I don't absolutely hate is lifting a pair of 20-lb dumbbells when I'm watching TV. I like walking, but tend to get sidetracked listening to music and go at a pretty slow pace, lol. It sounds like eating right is gonna be a lot of the battle, though, and even though I'm keeping my calories down, I know that I'm not really eating *right*. I guess part of the problem I've always had, though, is I'm a pretty picky eater, coupled with being a complete klutz in the kitchen, plus trying to maintain as low a budget as I can. What kinds of things would you recommend trying? I just got a bunch of Green Tea packets this week and have been drinking that exclusively, which I don't know if that's good or too much. It's "Lavender Green Tea" and tastes horrible, so I figure it must be good for you, right? I really appreciate you guys/gals taking the time to reply so quickly, too!

Well, After trying (and failing) to keep my calories under 1,000 a day (which somehow my older cousin was able to do, in addition to jogging every day), I've decided 1,500 is a lot more feasible. Now granted, most of what I eat isn't exactly "healthy", as a lot of it is microwavable stuff, but given that I'm currently looking for work, it seems about the only thing I'm able to afford, outside of lettuce for a salad every day. The biggest problem I have, I think, is a complete lack of exercise. When I was a kid, I stayed in great shape simply because I played outside a lot, but I never grew up realizing you're *supposed* to exercise, and now I find myself completely clueless at the gym. I've never had any success at a gym, but given that I live in town now (a small town, at that), about the only option I'm comfortable with is visiting the gym late at night. I'm really heavy, almost 280 lbs, and I'm just way too self-conscious to work-out in front of other people. Luckily, there's also a track outside the gym, which I've been using on-again-off-again. I've always been terrible at jogging, even as a kid, and I find I get really easily discouraged when I can only jog like a quarter-mile before either running out of breath, or just feeling sore in my legs. That, in turn, causes me to just lose faith in the dieting too, which means quite a lot of yo-yo dieting. I really want to beat this weight issue, and I've even started writing down everything I eat. Plus, I've cut sodas out of my diet almost completely (usually let myself have one soda, usually diet, a week), and I've been drinking a ton of water. But I know that, to really lose weight (I'd really like to drop like 20 lbs before I turn 24 at the end of February), I'm going to need to incorporate exercise. That thought kind of scares me, as I'm worried I'm just going to get discouraged again, and everything will fall apart, just like it has in the past. Do any of you have any advice for losing weight, or more importantly, staying motivated even when that voice in your head is telling you it's all pointless?

From Tifton, which is about 45 minutes from both Albany and Valdosta. I don't think Vidalia was far... but it's been a long time since I was there, so I could be wrong. Anyways, thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep track of my calories the next few days. I'm tempted to follow my cousin's example, as he's a little older and used to be quite a lot bigger than me (I think he said 320 lbs), and has now slimmed-down to about 230-ish. He jogs about a mile a day, and said he started by cutting his calories to about 1,000 a day until he felt comfortable enough to jog in public. Then again, I also read about the Paleo diet. It doesn't sound like it would be pleasant to do forever, but I wonder if it would be worth doing for like two or three months, just to kind of "kick-start" the weight-loss?

Well, I'm new here, and to be perfectly honest, new to the whole "fitness" thing. I'm 23, and from South GA, but have kinda lived all over the place. Thing is, I was home-schooled, and since nobody in my family ever worked out, as well as a lot of yo-yo dieting, I feel kinda clueless about all things Health-related. So, I'm hoping to really get started on the right track now. I've always wanted to pursue a career in the military (preferably the Navy), and having seen a childhood friend who is now in the Air Force, it's just kind of inspired me to try and finally overcome my weight problems. Really, I'm more here for support and motivation than anything, I guess. It seems like "eating healthy and exercise" is pretty simple instructions, but in the past I've always found excuses to quitting, whether it's getting depressed from lack of progress, or seeing progress and saying "Well I can take a day off now". Like I said, a lot of this is really new to me, so any comments or advice would be VERY much appreciated!