Where to start? How to begin?

DublinGuy11

Hi all,

Looking for advice on where to start or what exactly I should do.

As way of a background, basically I am in my mid 30's and getting married next year. As a result of a few things including the approaching wedding, for the first time in my life I have decided I really need to try get somewhat fit and also more importantly try lose some weight. Throughout my life I have never really put on much weight so (wrongly) it is something I have never really worried about too much. While not in any way being a slob, I could have pints at the weekend and have takeaways once or twice a week without really ever worrying about putting on weight or the effects on my health. In terms of exercise, I would have played football with mates occasionally, walked a bit, an occasional cycle but definitely never had regular exercise in anyway. While not by any means hugely overweight or anything like that, I now for the first time in my life am beginning to feel properly unfit and I am probably close to 2 stone over the weight I had been for practically 10-12 years. I am conscious of how my clothes look on me now and hate the bigger belly I can now see in pictures I am in. While recognising I only have myself to blame for now being unfit, it is something which I am now want to address.

So my question is, where do I start or what do I do? From a guy who has never been to a gym, I would be embarrassed to walk in and begin using the machines when I have no idea on what I should be focussing on doing or for how long. I recently tried to do a jog and was embarrassed how little distance I could even go. I couldn’t even contemplate playing football regularly with my friends as I would be struggling after 10 minutes with my current level of fitness. My diet I wouldn’t imagine is the worst but certainly by no means the best. I am hungrier a lot more in the last few years so probably snack too much between meals. I would also consider myself slightly lazy at times so struggle to get myself motivated to exercise 4 or 5 nights a week.

I think I have painted a picture of where I am coming from and the starting point from which I am going to be working from. So basically, I am looking to hear from anyone who can help in terms of offering me advice on where to begin? Has anyone been in a similar situation and what did they do to start? Is the gym the way to go? Is something like couch to 5k the best starting point? In terms of diet, have people any suggestions etc? Really looking for any advice on what people would suggest for someone in my situation?

Dermo73

I've been there too regarding the fitness. Couch to 5K is a good place to start. You'll struggle initially but so does everyone who hasn't trained in ages. If you stick with it you will be amazed what you can achieve in a few weeks. Once you see what can be done you can consider running further/faster, joining a gym, getting a bike, joining a sports club or taking up some new activity.

As for diet, moderation in all things is a good start. Avoid snacks between meals, processed food, fizzy drinks - basically the stuff you already know is bad for you!!!

The key to achieving your stated goal is to actually do it, start today. You can adapt and develop as you go depending on what you enjoy, what works for you and what you want to achieve. You can adjust your goals as you go.

Measure your progress in terms of appearance and how you feel as well as weight & activity. I started slowly and I'm still not very fit or strong after years of going to the gym but I could run a 10K tomorrow without fear of collapsing and I don't have a belly. That's enough for me.

ShadowHearth

There will be a lot better advice from other people on this forum, but I can give it a shot too, as I did went for healthier life style and had some nice results.

First off all, if you looking to lose weight, then you should sort out your diet first. There is a very simple rule to lose weight, which I used and it works like a charm. Consume less calories, then you actually spend. If you spent 2200 calories and ate 1800 calories that will already push towards weight loss. There is a sticky in this forum where you can count the amount of calories you need per day. Then aim to lower that calorie intake.
Try to eat more veg/salad and meat combo. Try to cut down on white bread and potato. By just cutting those 2 down, you will see a massive improvement. Cut down on sugar with your coffee or tea. You said that you snack a lot, if you really want to take this seriously and by the balls, then try to cut out all snacks. It's hard, but sometimes tough loving gives the best results.
Gym is all good and well, but why not to try walking and running first. It won't cost you a fortune as all you will need is a pair of runners and good water profe jacket. You said that you can't run much, then start with walking. Try doing longer distances. When you comfortable enough. Then add running sections. It's better to walk a long distance, then just give up, because you can't run. Trust me on this one, I could not run at all. I started with 3mile walk 3 months ago and now I am doing 5.2 miles with running sections almost daily and after work.
You should not be embarrassed about it. Just pop some nice music and off you go. People who just sit on their arse and do nothing about it, should be the ones embarrassed, not you!

As I said, there will be people with a lot better advice, but that's just my 2 cents. It is working for me great and I have already lost almost 4.5 stone.

MightyMandarin

DublinGuy11 wrote: »

Hi all,

Looking for advice on where to start or what exactly I should do.

As way of a background, basically I am in my mid 30's and getting married next year. As a result of a few things including the approaching wedding, for the first time in my life I have decided I really need to try get somewhat fit and also more importantly try lose some weight. Throughout my life I have never really put on much weight so (wrongly) it is something I have never really worried about too much. While not in any way being a slob, I could have pints at the weekend and have takeaways once or twice a week without really ever worrying about putting on weight or the effects on my health. In terms of exercise, I would have played football with mates occasionally, walked a bit, an occasional cycle but definitely never had regular exercise in anyway. While not by any means hugely overweight or anything like that, I now for the first time in my life am beginning to feel properly unfit and I am probably close to 2 stone over the weight I had been for practically 10-12 years. I am conscious of how my clothes look on me now and hate the bigger belly I can now see in pictures I am in. While recognising I only have myself to blame for now being unfit, it is something which I am now want to address.

So my question is, where do I start or what do I do? From a guy who has never been to a gym, I would be embarrassed to walk in and begin using the machines when I have no idea on what I should be focussing on doing or for how long. I recently tried to do a jog and was embarrassed how little distance I could even go. I couldn’t even contemplate playing football regularly with my friends as I would be struggling after 10 minutes with my current level of fitness. My diet I wouldn’t imagine is the worst but certainly by no means the best. I am hungrier a lot more in the last few years so probably snack too much between meals. I would also consider myself slightly lazy at times so struggle to get myself motivated to exercise 4 or 5 nights a week.

I think I have painted a picture of where I am coming from and the starting point from which I am going to be working from. So basically, I am looking to hear from anyone who can help in terms of offering me advice on where to begin? Has anyone been in a similar situation and what did they do to start? Is the gym the way to go? Is something like couch to 5k the best starting point? In terms of diet, have people any suggestions etc? Really looking for any advice on what people would suggest for someone in my situation?

From what I gather it sounds like you want to improve your fitness and your physique. First off I wouldn't jump into a 5 day week regimine in the beginning as you'll burn out rapidly. Start with 3 days, preferably with rest days in between. To improve your fitness, running is the best exercise you can do imo, but cycling and rowing are also great. I prefer to run on the roads but if you really hate the cold, wet weather then stick to the treadmill if you prefer. As for the plan, you should start off by figuring out where you are fitness-wise eg can I run 1km without stopping, then gradually try to improve your distance each time, avoiding stopping or walking as much as you can; if your really struggling, just slow right down to a jog, get your breath back and go again. Timing isn't essential in the beginning, just focus on upping the distance every week. You will improve drastically in the first few months, but only if you stay disciplined and push yourself hard. Personally, I came from being out of breath after 500m of running to running 10k in 52mins after 4 months of training, and my diet was crap at the time.

Physique-wise, free-weights and body exercises are your friends, machines aren't great. Focus on the big compound movements (bench, squats, deadlifts and overhead press), for weight loss these are ideal and you'll burn loads of calories doing these rather than isolation exercises (bicep curls etc.). As a beginner your strength will also improve drastically, but you must start light, even if it's just the bar, as long as you have good form. It's probably best to get a trainer/instructor to show you the proper form, just for the first few sessions then you should be alright. Focus on progressive overload, ie trying to up the weight each week or so, and you'll make good progress.

A mixture of both weights and cardio is ideal for weight loss, preferrably with the cardio coming after the weights. Your diet is the most important part though, cut out the junk as much as possible, stick to wholegrain foods (brown rice, brown bread etc) as these will fill you up and give you lots of fibre. Stuff that says "low fat" isn't always the best tbh, it could be loaded with sugar and carbs which won't help at all. You can google the rest of this if you want, it's very easy to lose weight if you know what to do, and stay disciplined.