Anyone else was or is in the same boat?

[Sean96]

I'm 16, 6ft 2 and I weigh 9 and a half stone, (less than my Gran I might add). I don't want much, just a body I can be happy with when I look in the mirror. To be able to fill a shirt, to stand up for myself and others. I've been on countless websites (no giggling now..) and talked to all sorts of people (firefighters, gym goers and friends to name a few ) and I've seen and been told information about anything and everything. I've tried putting countless plans and diets and routines together, worked out for a while, went for runs, gone in with a plan, gone in without a clue, and I just cant seem to stick to it, it goes wrong, or gets put down for one reason or another. I just can't seem to stick to anything, and I just end up losing motivation, track, or it goes wrong, or all of them. I do my best not to make petty excuses like "its raining, I'm tired, I'm busy, I haven't got time" etc etc, but I just cannot seem to put something solid together, that's not ridiculous like eating 5000 calories a day and climbing Everest for fun, and stick to it, bearing in mind, I've been looking and trying for about 2-3 years now. Am I just not cut out for it, and should just give up? If not, then what should I do?

[andygates]

Sounds like a serial restarter. I was one of those forever (though from the fat end of the spectrum).

Commit to one of the newbie barbell programs (Starting Strength or Stronglifts) for its 3-month duration, lurk around here, and see if you don't get over that restarting hump.

[gMoney]

Sounds like a case of TMI. Listen, the plan you pick is not nearly as important as sticking to your plan. There are a hundred different schools of thought when it comes to fitness, and in reality, one isn't really more correct than the other. If you get to the gym, clean up your diet, and establish some good habits, you will see results. You don't need to kill yourself, and you don't need to log 20 hours of research into proper nutrient timing. Just start doing it and you'll probably discover for yourself what works best.

What works for me? Mornings. Make the gym the absolute FIRST thing you do every day. If you don't give yourself time to get distracted, then you'll probably find yourself strapping on your running shoes before you're even awake enough to talk yourself out of it. Far easier than waging a massive internal battle each godforsaken evening.

[Sean96]

Yeahhh, I think I'm gonna try and go for a weight free workout however, as I've had some bad experiences (dropping dumbbells on my foot, barbell slipped when doing a squat) so I've pretty much got a fear of them! And yeah, I've been browsing through the posts, having a look at things, thanks!

[Sean96]

hmm, so try not to worry about plans and diets and just make general changes? And sounds like a good idea! I'll give it a go! Thanks! All opinions and answers are welcome, and I will try as many as possible to see which one is best for me

[dajve]

Have you taken a read through Steve's post on this? A lot of sound advice in there.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/08/03/13-tips-for-guaranteed-weight-gain-the-skinny-nerd-manifesto/

[Sean96]

No, but I'll have a look now! Thanks buddy!

[Sean96]

Yeah a few good pieces of info there! I'll copy and keep it for later viewings Thanks!

[gMoney]

I will try as many as possible to see which one is best for me

This is kind of what I'm saying you shouldn't do. I don't mean you should work out like an idiot, but it's REALLY easy to get caught up in different plans and routines and waste lots of time jumping between them. Pick something simple, and stick with it. I don't care if you're rock climbing, power lifting, or training to be an astronaut. You just need to commit in full, and the rest is history.

[Sean96]

Sorry, I meant that as in applying your way of thinking as well as considering others