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Hi!! Ive been following NF for a while but i finally got off my lazy ass and started doing something to lose weight. I'm getting married in July, and while my gf loves me no matter what, my being overweight really bothers her and i can perfectly understand that, i started putting on over last 6 years because of how lazy I'd become since i stopped playing basketball. Firstly i want to lose weight so i can actually feel better about myself and more confident when i go out and just my general bearing. Secondly i want to be able to play again. Properly. Lastly i want her to think i look good, like i think of her. I hate that its a one way street now even though she'll never admit it. I'm 25 and I live in India so more often than not reliable help is often expensive. So i'm here looking for some guidance. I started hitting the gym and have been doing only cardio for now. I feel like im dying halfway through, mostly because my legs HURT so MUCH. Especially my left thigh and both my feet in general. This is my biggest foe right now, even when im out of breath im okay with pushing and i really do try but the pain REALLY catches up. The trainer at the gym says thats normal for someone unused to any activity for so long and it will fade. Is this normal? I read that sometimes its better to take rest for a day before continuing but my trainer says come everyday and work it off, while i prefer doing the latter because i feel like im pushing forward i dont want to hurt myself which will slow down the overall process anyway. I currently weigh about 130 kgs (280 lbs) and am looking to do whatever is needed to the best of my ability to lose it. Now one important question i have is, how important and helpful is strength training for me? I read a couple of articles on NF that talk about how strength training is actually really good for weight loss. So following this im thinking of hitting the gym twice a day, once in the morning for cardio and once in the night for weights. Is this okay? If yes, could someone with experience give me a rough guideline on what to do and not do. Diet is another issue. I'm unsure what to cut down on and what not to. I had so many questions i wanted to post about when i finally got to it here I realized i kind of just babbled. I'll repost as soon as i think of more. I would really appreciate the help, i've been slacking around for so long when i'm finally getting into it i feel like there are so many question marks and this frightens me since i think it might be too late to see proper progress. Thank you.

Hello.. um.. All? My very first post. Big Step for me. So.. First out the gate, I have lurked and received all the new emails etc from NF, attempted some of the beginner workouts and then I found my dragons. Coming in a stride behind, rounding the turn, and... smack right into the dragon, not even half way down the backstretch. In case you can't guess, yep I love horses, of which I have two (one being the rideable full sized version, the other the mini party fun sized). Now to describe my dragons.. they are the big intelligent fiery reds, or the more seductive and elusive blacks. I recently (and FINALLY!) was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. This process start to diagnosis took YEARS because I don't present typically for either condition and throw in some hypermobility of the joints, yep just a bundle of contradictions. Throw in a divorce in the middle, and fast foward to now (age 29). At first I thought I could just workout and maintain fitness or more precisely get back to a good level of fitness, now that is MUCH harder than I believed it would be (slaying the dragon?). All that being said, now for the wisdom requirement.. Does anyone have suggestions on workouts? I can't do high impact anymore, I do like yoga, but not into the whole technical side of it in other words, I understand child's pose not vinyasa something or other, and I did try the beginner's workouts/hotel workouts, but squats/lunges seem to put fire into my knees. I am limited on the arm/wrist/hand movements as my joints bending too far will not let the muscle take the brunt like it is supposed too. I am limited time wise to my lunch hour or whatever time I squeeze from not working with my horses (one I ride the other I taught to pull a cart) in the evening. Thanks all, and Happy Trails.