running outa time...........

frag420

Ok so here goes......................
I will be thirty this coming Oct and I want to be fit and healthy for my birthday. I am 6’4 and weigh just shy of sixteen stone. Most people would call it big boned or something politically correct like that but I call it FAT!! I carry the weight well and is not really an issue for me when i am out on the town but I have decided to address it on a purely health/fitness level.

My diet is brutal if I am honest. I rarely cook for myself. I usually eat a takeaway (always get rice not chips) or a bowl of cereal or cup of tea and some brown bread with jam or sometimes I will eat nothing at all. I would eat peas, carrots and roast parsnip when they are cooked for me but I have no idea where to start with regards cooking them for myself. I will sometimes make a noodle stir-fry (when trying to impress the ladies) and I would have one red, yellow and green pepper and an onion finely cut up into it. When it comes to fruit I would eat a banana or two per day. I like apples but hate the skin. I would eat an orange but will spit out the mush once I have sucked the juice out of it. Don’t mind the odd fruit salad. Would happily sit and eat a punnit of raspberries and strawberries all day if I could but would sooner munch on a Twix or muffin. I am what people would call a salad dodger. I would love to be able to order a salad as a starter or make my own but I don’t care for tomatoes or lettuce etc.

I am not very active either. I have always been big but I used to always walk everywhere. I got a car last year and I use it a lot but this has had no effect on my weight or general fitness (at least it does not feel that way). I like to get out for a surf once a week but more than likely laziness jumps in with an offer of the couch and a few episodes of the wire or law and order and next thing I know three hours have passed and I have done sweet funk all. I am looking at joining a tag team next week so as to have something to do one eve a week. It’s not much but a start.

I am not a big drinker as in I don’t drink during the week and will usually have a feed (6-8) of pints on a sat night. I smoke on my night out or when I am enjoying a drink but never smoke during the week. I enjoy the odd J*int which may have some bearing on my laziness or lack of motivation (usually have one last thing at night when the only motivation is to get some sleep). My main weakness is my sweet tooth. I have two sugars in my tea, on cornflakes/porridge. I don’t drink too much fizzy drinks (the odd lucozade orange barley drink). And I love milk (low fat). I have a min of a pint with my dinner. If I have a roll or sandwich I would have another pint. Prob go through at least a litre per day. I am a very fussy eater and a lot of foods like cheese, mayo, butter I cannot stand (prob all the better really)
So what am I looking for here I hear you ask??

Well I am looking for a starting point. Some suggestions on how I can increase my energy levels so that I will get of my ass and go for a walk or jog in the evenings. How can I improve my diet without it being boring and tasteless. I know I am in for a mountain of abuse and ridicule and believe me I have heard it all before( you twenty nine dude not a kid so eat your veg , grow up etc etc) but I have been as honest as I can be here and I want you guys to be honest too. I really want to make a go of this. Don’t hold back, tell me what I need to do to start off on the path to being healthy and fit. I will add here that I do not want to end up like a pumped up meathead bodybuilder but more along the lines of toned and healthy ( brad pitt, fight club maybe, stop laughing down the back!!).

Hungry after all that typing..........................any suggestions

Also should I go see a doc first with regards to allergies and fitness levels etc??

celestial

Here are some pointers for you off the top of my head:

• Give up smoking joints. Just give em up.
• Cut the sugar in tea. You'll get used to it and wonder why you ever took it.
• Learn to cook a few simple, healthy dishes
• Try taking up weights
• Get out for a walk a few times a week. Not strenuous but great exercise and sounds like it will be great for your situation to start with (upping your motivation, making you forget about smoking)

MagicMarker

Read the stickies.

johnny_knoxvile

Have to agree with the above advice...
The joints sure as hell aint going to inspire you to be more active.

Give the weights a shot you never know you just take to it.

The biggest thing is sorting your mind set out. And deciding you are going to make these changes and sticking with them.

Since you are a Wire look at it in terms like this, do i want a body like Omar or like Bunk??

yop

Right OP, the good news is well you couldnt get any worse
At least you have identified that you need to do something and thats a good starting point.

Your diet is brutal in fairness. Smoking, well you dont need us to tell you the issue there.

Maybe best to start walking, get out every evening if you can and dont do less than 45 minutes walk. See what distance you cover.

First of weigh, measure and note it all down. This in itself is a massive motivator.

On 7th Jan I was 16st 4lbs. I decided to finally stop kidding myself about the big bones and get something done about it.
I 1/2 the amount I ate at each meal time, but instead of having one big lunch I split it in 2 and ate 1 part at 1pm and the other at 4pm.

I ate 1/3 bowl all bran with skimmed milk in morn.
I ate 2 kiwis at 11am
Then lunch, either pitta or wrap with chicken or tuna and salad. Then at 4pm I repeated this.
I then ate a shed load of vegetables for dinner with what ever meat or chicken or tuna steaks.
Cut out beer, maybe have 1 a week as a "reward".

Then the exercise; I really gave it socks with this to be honest. The big thing I took up was circuits. I did then Saturday mornings and Friday nites. I also did my own circuits with a free weights and a bench on a Tuesday nite.
Played astro on Monday and Wednesday and then went for a walk on a Sunday.

Since Jan I have come down to 14st 10lbs, gone from a waist of 1000mm to 930mm and feel absolutely great (except the groin injury I picked up pre-season training! )

But you need to start somewhere, get out and walk. And assess your diet.

Good luck with it.