Weight Problem

[TheShadowPrince]

Hey everyone,

Right off the bat you all can consider me a n00b, but I am trying to learn. I have quite a few questions, but I will first state personal info, I am 17 (turning 18 in June), 6'3" at 245LBS (used to be alot less...). I started to weight-lift in a personal fitness class (I took 2 semester's in a row).. So far I have put about 7 months into it but didnt really notice anything too much, except for my gut getting bigger and me not being able to fit in to my clothes. I am also kind of shy/uncomfortable with my body cuz obviously, I am over-weight to obese. My goal is to lose most of that, I know that'll take a while, but thats why I am trying to get the proper guidelines to achieve that goal, right from the beginning..

Upfront I thank any of you for reading this post and/or even considering to reply to it. My personal fitness class is basically Mon-Fri (Mon,Wed,Fri = Weight-lifting) (Tues/Thurs = Cardio). I cant do Cardio though, I seem to get all weezy not that long into the run, I get cramps, headaches, the works. Im guessing the 1st step to this is to start calculating my calories, however I do not know how much I need to intake. And on that note, I dont know how much anything really has, or what its used for.

What I am asking is even for a little bit of help, or even a daily guideline to what I should eat every day? It seems like since I started to weight-lift, I need to eat more for I get hungry alot quicker than I used to. Can anyone spare the time and help me with this? It would be greatly appreciated. The reason why I leave this post as general as it is, is cuz I would accept advice from all fields; I do not know much of anything related to fitness even though I am trying to learn. As of right now, due to my personal image, I have grown slightly depressed and I am on medication for that aswell.

I guess what I am looking for is some kind of weight-loss schedule, vague to detailed, guidelines/advice of any kind would be greatly appreciated. What works out certain body parts the best would be amazing. (weights or no weights). Thank you all for your time and consideration in helping me..

[Jasonl]

It happens, don't let it get you down. Try the wannabebig routine #1, and BE CONSISTANT with both diet and training!!! Well, first off i would recommend getting that diet in check, use www.fitday.com to count your cals, fats, carbs and protien. At 245lbs i would suggest eating about 3000 cals per day, with 25% of that as good fats(fish oils, olive oil, flax seeds, natural pb, etc..), try to get at least 1gram of protien per/lb of bodyweight, and manage your cals to where you are losing 1-1.5lbs per week, as this will help curb muscle loss. Now, about that weezy feeling during cardio, do you have athsma(sp?)? If not i would just start on a stationary bike or something that is somewhat easy and work my way up to straigh out running. I'm sure others will have more to contribute, good luck, and look on the bright side, you're not THAT overweight, all you have to do is some "fine-tuning" to get that physique you want.

[TheShadowPrince]

Thx for the site,
About the running though, no I dont have athsma.. which is what has been bothering me I guess. If I run I often have major troubles breathing, get cramps, blurred vision, and headaches on the temples; I do not smoke or even drink that often or anything really. I figured it was like that cuz of my weight. o_O

[entrrt]

how soon do you get short of breath while exercising? into the 1st 5 minutes? 10 minutes? do you get regular physicals? it could just be that you're "out of shape"(cardiovascular wise) and just need to take it slow at 1st.

btw...welcome to WBB! you'll learn a lot here!

[Max-Mex]

I would agree with starting slow on carido. Running is very intense and it's something that should be left out until your body is more accustomed to that kind of intensity. I generally don't do any cardio for about 8-9 months out of the year then go back to it. Running is part of my cardio routine but I don't even bother with it until about a month. I would try low impact stuff like bikes for eliptical trainers to work up to running.

[TheShadowPrince]

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice :).

- Only problem with the 'taking it slow' for running is that I am part of a fitness course, which requires me to run my heart out every tuesday and thursday.. usually I get tired after 4-5 minutes. (Or for some who do the beep test, around lvl 4 1/2).....

[JeffWillConquer]

Start with walking. Get some nice walking shoes and walk around your block. Walk the dogs. If you don't have a dog, walk your goldfish. Take your water bottle for a walk. Walk a half hour every day. Your body will start to get accustomed to the movement. Gradually increase pace and duration. It could take a couple weeks. It could take a couple months. You could also try jogging for thirty seconds, walking for a minute, and repeating that. Any movement is good movement. In your fitness course you will eventually get better and better at what you are doing. DRINK LOTS OF WATER! It's good for you. No one will ever tell you not to drink water (unless you're in Mexico). Remember not to get discouraged. Everyone has high and low points. Remember not to EVER give up. Set small, achievable goals for yourself.

Lastly, you seem to have a lot of questions. I prefer talking to you over AIM than spending an hour on a post here, and I can help you more efficiently. My SN is HailKingJ3FF. Get in contact whenever you want (if you have AIM). If you don't, oh well. We're all supporting you. Good luck!

[Jasonl]

DRINK LOTS OF WATER!
I neglected to mention that, drink at least 1 gallon per day, it could help with some of those cramps, also, potassium may be lacking in your diet.