41 need to get back into shape....please help

5'11....234...... i drink coke way too much.... i know i need to funnel out the sodas...but it is very hard....headaches...... any ideas would be great.... i need to learn to eat and drink better...and exercise...but with anxiety...im scared to exercise....worry of having a heart attack.. whats said is...i used to play softball 6 days a week...and was always active.... doc recently said i have low testosterone too..and low vitamin d.....

A) Knowing you have a problem and want to do something is great. Even small steps will improve your health and well being.

B) Regarding soda´s. You need to stop drinking regular soda asap. The light soda´s are okay since there are no calories. They do have artificial sweeteners that can be problematic.. but in your situation where you find it hard to let go of soda´s by all means drink the the light ones like Coke Zero and other with no calories, but in excess.. just enough to keep you happy. Not several liters per day.

The reason why you get headaches when you limit your intake is most likely because your body have gotten used to sugar. When it does not get it, you get headaches. These will go away after a few weeks when the body are off the sugar addiction.

Also you might consider drinking mineral water with added strawberry or citrus flavor with bubbles (carbonated).. i mean it has the same feel like soda´s but its water with added flavor. I drink these often.

C) Regular water is great. It flush your system, especially drinking 2 glasses of water 30 minutes before dinner will take the top of your appetite so you eat less for dinner because your stomach is full.

D) I know this is painful and scary, but go see your local family doctor before you start out on this journey. You might have some conditions, blood pressure, cholesterol or other issues that can impact what sort of exercise you should do, or what sort of food you should eat.  The doctor/nurse will also be able to give you good advice towards nutrition, and guide you with a plan to get on the right track.

Also as part of the doctor check up get blood work done if you haven't already. He can guide you to how much D3 Vitamin you need. Normally they say for people who do not get a lot of sun or live in cold climates it is 2000 units per day. But if you have a severe deficiency it can be up to 5000 units.

I had chest pains and it was caused by vitamin d deficiency.. after 2 weeks of taking them my chest pains were gone and have been for a few years now.

Even if you might get bad news regarding some health issues, remember that you are so young that you can virtually change all sorts of lifestyle illnesses you might be headed towards. Thinking, heart, diabetes, obesity and the like.

E) Supplements ... Vitamin D3 for sure. You can not get enough through fortified foods, all doctors say that. You get it through sun exposure and tablets. Omega 3 fish oil... very good for your heart, especially long term and it gives you a little bit of piece of mind.
Personally i also eat garlic tablets and a multivitamin each day. But again talk with your doctor because garlic will thin your blood and that is not always great if you have other "conditions".

F) Smoking.. if you smoke you need to stop immediately. Everybody talk about lung cancer and smoking.. but nobody talks about heart disease and smoking.  When you smoke there is components in the cigarettes that makes the fat that runs through your veins harden and turn into plague. This builds up on your arterie walls and in the end lead to heart attacks. So people who overweight and eat a fat diet (western world) and smoke at the same time get a deadly combo for their heart.

G) Eat as many spices/herbs as you can in your food. Turmeric (the spice that is used to turn curry yellow) is one of the most potent spices in the world. It helps protect you against a whole line of illnesses. Cancer, heart, Alzheimer and many more. That because it fights chronic inflammation.  Chronic inflammation means that the body's immune system is working 24/7 to repair damages to a persons DNA and cell structure. That is not a good thing as a high level of chronic inflammation is the pre curser to cancer and other serious illnesses. Its like saying your body is under constant stress.

Other good spices to combat inflammation is ginger and cinnamon.

Hot spices are generally thought to be very good for your heart health. Chili, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika are all good. Get as much of that into your diet as possible. Some even drink Cayenne mixed with water or milk. It also have the added benefit of making your body burn more calories through out the day.

H) Diet ... man this is tough because i love to eat myself and there is also such a thing as life quality. All those though diets where you can not eat anything they never work.  In my opinion it is better to eat a normal solid diet and then up your exercise. In reality you can eat as much potatoes, veggies, fruit and some meats as you wish if you just burn more calories than you consume.

In general a good idea is to start with a solid breakfast meal. Something with fiber in that will start you off well. I like oatmeal with some sugar on it.. maybe a piece of fruit and that last me until lunch.
But i will say it is better to eat a big breakfast and less during the day than the other way around.  That is because our metabolism slows down as we reach dinner time and evening. At best you should try to limit eating food after dinner.  Of course some nuts or a piece of fruit might be a good treat in the evening... but evening meals or warming up something is a big no no. That will make you gain weight immediately. (trust me i speak of experience).

I) If you have the energy for it, going to a gym might be a good idea. Sure some may give you the look but what do you care. The thing is when you work in some of the machines and work your muscles, they will get stronger. From what i read every pound of muscle will make you burn an additional 30 calories per day + it will help you trim away some fat, especially the fat that is around your organs  (belly fat).

Anyway normal excersise is also great. Walking.. maybe going to special fitness classes in swimming pools.. Basicly just do as much as you feel you can.

Possibly you can bicycle to work if you live close enough by. That is an easy way to get some exercise built into your daily life. Also if you take public transportation or even your car, you can make it a purpose to get off one station before you really need to, or park further away than you need to and then get that extra 10 minutes of walk back and forth each day.

J) Look at what you eat. I would not eat a diet without any pleasure. Everything will turn into crap pretty soon if you do. What is important here is that you eat healthy.

Look for healthier choices of the food you like. Some examples...

okay if you like fast good or take out... maybe you need to look at doing some oven baked potatoes, carrots, beads, parnips ect that you can spice up with everything. Maybe you can buy some real chicken and cook it in the oven too.

You can make your own healthy burger with a bun made of bread full of fiber... with salads, tomatoes, maybe a slice of turkey bacon.. add some parsley, tomato ketchup... its not something you eat everyday but its not particular bad for you either.

The thing is every food you eat that are processed in some form or shape are filled with stuff that is bad for you and it is filled with SALT... you dont want that since it will make any possible health conditions you have worse. 

Also if you feel like you need some some sweets, or some candy, then do it but chose the right items.  Eat some unsalted peanuts that you can crack open. Eat some pistachios.. or walnuts. They are high in calories but contain a lot of good fats that actually help your heart and body regulate itself, brings down your bad cholesterol and so on.  Same with candy.. eat some rich dark chocolate.. another good idea when you crave something is to drink likarice tea... really good.

Just keep in your mind that when you eat those sweets, you need to do a little extra. Walk around for 5-10 minutes or up and down the stairs a few times.

It is WAY better for you to lose weight at a constant rate and feel good about yourself.. than to torment yourself.. lose a lot and then after a while binge at unhealthy foods and go nuts.  I would say that it is even allowed to eat unhealthy at times.. just don´t make it a habit and if you do know that you need to do a little extra exercise the day after to make up for it.

K)  Alcohol... has plenty of calories, especially beer. If you can cut down it will help your efforts.. especially in the beginning when you want to get your weight down to something in the normal range.

L)

Portions... i found this to be an effective tool. A problem for many of us are that we over eat even if we do not need to. We all know the feeling.. one portion, you feel pretty good, but there is room for another and after that portion you feel absolutely stuffed. 

Personally i feel like if i make too large a portion of any food i will eat it until there is nothing left.  Big mistake. Now i started making food by portions. For dinner (the most important) i  usually go with a routine like this... one piece of meat (steak, chicken, turkey, pork) 100 grams usually.  100 grams of potato/rice/bulgur/pasta..i weigh it to make sure. Veggies pretty much how much i feel like..

That usually makes me very full.. and i think i could go as low as to 50-75 grams on the potato/rice/bulgur thing....these are all high in carbs... and if you eat a lot of that and do not exercise it will transform itself into fat... lovely ... not.

Other than that.. make sure you get some snacks during the day when you feel hungry... an apple, carrots.. kiwi, melon, clementines whatever suits your mood.

I hope you got a little inspiration from my post.. but really talk to your doctor. Tell him you want to change your lifestyle and that you need some advice... i am sure he/she can give you advice and also direct you to people who want to help with nutrition and how to train.

The fact that you really want to do something is great.. good for you. You are already on a good path i think, it is going to be hard, difficult, but you can do it..

Mikael ... you gotta have carpal tunnel by now ... holy shit 

well just trying to help with my 5 cents.

thank u very much for the input....greatly appreciated...... ive only had one soda today...along with 4 bottles of water....its a start....i have a long way to go to get back to my atheletic self.

LockCartWins- Im a 21 yr old 5'7 and i was 199 lbs. Sept 27 I said i needed to start a diet and legit healthy weight lifting. I kicked soda/fast food and transferred to water bottles and milk for liquids. I went to the gym lifted and did cardio intervals for about a month. I lost 5-6 lbs. Then the beginning of Oct, I bought this protein called Isopure and I mixed it with water its delicious and substituted eating lunch with this shake. My eating has taken a tremendous turn every morning I either eat

oatmeal, some liquid egg whites , wheaties fuel. Get GREEK YOGURT.  Any one of those will help only need one for breakfast but eat as much as you want none of it has fat

Lunch is the shake, when i first started it i lost about 1lb a day for a week.

Dinner my father cooks, he buys fish,steak,grilled chicken thats all healthy for you, even rice for dinner is not that bad. I always try to get a green in though, I but the little cans of jolly green giant spinich,green beans,asparagous,peas. You need greens pretty much daily.

And i get frozen yougurt for dessert you can buy it anywhere demoulos, market basket etc

 

Its dec 3rd Im 182-183 and not only do I feel great I have a huge body difference, i see abs coming in muscles are bulging. Everyone I see asks if i lost weight and thats good to hear. It keeps me motivated although I do need 10 lbs more. 

Now im 21 party animal, I gave up Liquor/soda/fast food/bread for 1 month to see what would happen and lost almost 10lbs now I do cheat a little with the lq but it hasnt affeted me.

Now somedays Ill eat a breakfast sandwich, still the shake at lunch and ill overeat chicken breasts or something and i barley do cardio and i continously am losing weight. Also a good lift routine helps A LOT. Go on you tube and type in Scott Herman chest/biceps/tricpets/shoulder/legs/back he was on the real world and one of my close friends I follow his plan and Im down almost 19 lbs in 2.5 months

 

goodluck keep in game thread so we can all follow how you are doing!!!

go get a p90x program and follow it religiously

either that or spend the dough and get a proper trainer to help you. a friend who knows his/her workouts and diet can also help

i went from 180 to 150 in 3 months

Subscribe to Mens Health magazine.

Do NOT do x90. Going from ZERO to 90 is just insane. You should start exercising by easing into it, not trying to become a Navy Seal in three weeks. You should be able to talk while you do this. You must increase your heart rate GRADUALLY. Just the way you are going to lose weight. GRADUALLY.

Your first goal at 234, should be 217. You're halfway to 200.

You do NOT have to restructure your diet at this time. You do, however need smaller portions. Adding mineral water to your cokes should cut down on the cokes. Double cheeseburgers? Now, single cheeseburgers. Large fries with that? Small fries with that. You've heard the phrase "Hey, mix in a salad!"? Try that!

After we get less and less of fast food, we can move on to FACT FOOD. This is food that is in fact, good for you! I know you think this is a death sentance, but it is a life sentance. I know you are young and bulletproof, but eventually your stomach or your eyeballs will make you upset.

Review in a nutshell

1.Magazine

2. Easy does it

3. Smaller portions

4. Walk the walk, while still able to talk the talk.

5. Halfway to 200, more info.

I'll be back, Good Luck

thanks for all your replies....man is it tough...to stop sodas....ive slowly dwindled down....and the weight....ive lost 8 lbs so far....eating better...and walking more and more each day.....its willpower....you gotta have willpower.....if you do...you can do anything!!...thanks again

Lock----

    I used to drink about 10-12 (32oz ) of sodas from the Fountain a day for about 8 years..  I am 5'7 and played baseball in college---i am 33 and went from being 165 and ripped to 203 my heaviest about 3 months ago... 

  I quit COKE(yum-so good) , I drink diet coke now and I lost about 13 lbs by watching my intake of food as well... I weigh 192 right now and I really havent done anything else but cut out the coke(yum-so good) ....so try diet coke it will take some time to enjoy it but I havent had a real coke in 6 weeks....

the new year is coming up so I have 3 goals to accomplish before June 1st

   1) Diet

   2) exercise

   3) quit skoal

 good Luck to you in your "future endeavors"

Start with small steps and don't allow yourself to get discouraged. You are not going to drop the weight immediately, and there will be times when you will get discouraged because you're not dropping the weight like you had hoped but you must stick with it.

Good luck.  There is no doubt you will accomplish your goal.  Hawk has some good advice.  Take things one day at a time.

Eating good gives you more energy.  That becomes it's own addiction.  It just takes some getting used to. 

Low testosterone stop jacking off!

stop feeding the ol pie hole - GL to ya

Mikael....some of the most insight I have ever seen anyone give on here....holy shit