PLEASE HELP.!!!

[knuckleboy21]

I have been to the doctor & told I have high blood pressure, & if I dont do something about it borderline diabetic,
I need help! Not ridicule please.
I am 34 5'6" 240 lbs. & I have no Idea how to really lose weight I cant really use fat loss supplements due to sensitivity. I have a treadmill now. I have no idea how to diet or what type and when to do excercises.
Thanks,
Knuckleboy21

[SpeedyReedy5]

first off bro you should start off by setting goals on how much you are trying to lose per week.... working out on the treadmill is perfect for you right now..once you start to burn the calories and fat off your body for the first couple of weeks you then can move on to weights...but right now all cardio bro.... good luck

[SonofBone]

Like Speedy said, concentrate on cardio for at least the first month or so as far as exercise goes. You'll want to start kind of slowly, but don't be afraid to push the limits as time goes on.

The first week try to be on it one time a day for 30 minutes probably just walking. The 2nd week go to jogging until you're exhausted and walk the remainder of the time. Don't be discouraged if you can only jog for a minute or so. At the end of two weeks, you should start adding in an additional session of cardio per day to bring you to two times/day for 30 minutes.

As you're jogging keep track of how long it takes you each time before you get exhausted and then the next time try to push just a little bit further until you're able to make it the entire time w/out slowing down. When you're able to do this, you can look to increase your time and/or intensity.

As far as a diet goes, I'd recommend reading something like "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips. It'll give you enough knowledge to know how to make good food choices. I'm betting that your diabetes is a condition of your weight and diet, and by making a few more sound choices and exercising, you'll see your diabetes go away when you drop about 30-40 lbs.

You can do this if you really determined. It can't be "oh, I'd like to lose some weight". It has to be more of a "I'm going to lose this damn weight if it is the last thing I do" mentality.

A couple other things to keep in mind. Your weight will come off more quickly in the beginning and then start to plateau. This occurs because your metabolism slows by 15% for every 10% of body weight that you lose, but just be persistent.

If you're serious and you plateau, come back to the board when you've lost 20 - 25 lbs. and seek advice on how to make the next steps. This way people will see that you're determined and serious, and they'll be happy to help you if they see that you want to help yourself.

This isn't rocket science and you can do it if you really want to do it. The problem is many people don't make it past what you've just done or they do 1 or 2 workouts and just quit. If you really choose to do it, you can. I know I dropped 30+ lbs in roughly 5 months doing the same thing...running 2x/day, lifting at lunch, and making decent food choices. Anyway...good luck and hope to see you back in a few months with some good results.

[bad14u]

Did the doc prescribe anything for the high blood pressure? You definitely need to be on something for that...Avalide or Avapro. Stay away from the supplements! That will just increase your heart rate and not do any good right now.

Follow what SOBone said before. Be persistent and never lose hope.

How many meals do you eat a day? You should be eating at least six small healthy meals a day. This will increase your metabolism naturally and help keep your blood sugar where it needs to be.

[knuckleboy21]

Thanks Guys

I am Serious about this I dont care what it takes being healthy so I can see my kids grow up is VERY important I just cant believe it was so easy to let myself go. And I know I will have to work 3x as hard to get back. I am on 5/20mg. Lotrel and Omega fatty acids and multi vitamins.and yes my Diabetes and sleep apnea are related to being overweight. I will fix this I just need guidence,
Thanks guys,

[ROCKILLER]

you have kids, are you married, does you wife cook? Youre going to need to get her on board with this to help you out. Just starting you dont need to be super strict as far as times and whatnot but you need to change over to clean healthy foods and eat smaller meals more often. stick to what SOBone said too.

[knuckleboy21]

Your right

dinner is no problem during the day is whats going to be tough. there is only fast food by my work No Joke! it sucks. I will just have to figure out what to bring to eat & when. I got the workout part down now its just reasearch on meals and dieting tips. foods to eat & not eat.

[FitnessBrat]

dinner is no problem during the day is whats going to be tough. there is only fast food by my work No Joke! it sucks. I will just have to figure out what to bring to eat & when. I got the workout part down now its just reasearch on meals and dieting tips. foods to eat & not eat.

Do you have a place to store meals throughout the day? If not, you can always bring a cooler. You're probably going to find that preparing a few days worth of meals at a time is what's most convenient. Divide them up in individual containers, and it makes it very convenient in the mornings when you leave. You'll need to be eating lean meats for protein (chicken, turkey, tuna, etc) and good carbs (brown rice, sweet potatoes, veggies, etc). There is tons of information on this board about what to eat, different food sources, etc. There are also some great recipes in the recipe section to mix things up a bit -- eating clean can get boring sometimes, but it's a lifestyle that's worth the sacrifice. There are many people here willing and able to help you with any questions or concerns you may/will have. Good luck to you. :)

[Kiev]

There is probly a carb that you eat alot. For me it was potatoes and white breads. They were the enemy for me. I stopped eating them and started loosing wieght with moderate cadio exercise. Find your problem food and stop eating it!

[knuckleboy21]

What about MR's

is there any meal replacement shakes or bars i can incorporate during the day to help that would fit in to what I'm trying to do.?
If so which ones?
Muscle milk, Syntrax ecstacy drinks,?

[FitnessBrat]

Its always better to eat real foods, but you could always add a shake in as one of your meals. I wouldn't get in to bars - most of them are full of sugar and fat. Isopure is a real good protein, mixes well, tastes good, etc. All The Whey makes some good protein as well - check out their site through the board link.

[NYCmitch25]

*remove as much sodium as possible from your diet (canned food, soups, deli meats)
*cardio 3-4 times a week
*obviously lose w8t
*right carbs / low carb (breads in particular) - remove all white / refined flour.
*bp medication

you will see a significant diff. if you make the diet changes and at cardio. long term lose w8t remove junk food. smaller meals 3 -5 a day. eat more fruits veggies. @ 34 if you do what i said you may be able to drop some of the bp perscriptions over time. get some books one in particular is "dont eat your heart out" - cook book, others like South Beach.

[Control]

Didn't your Dr. put you on a diet???

[knuckleboy21]

No she didn't put me on a diet. she just said I needed to lose weight. I have been getting up and hitting the treadmill first thing in the a.m. 3x a week and will increase. As for the food Im reading all over the board picking up new things to try. IS IT BEST TO DO CARDIO FIRST THING ON A EMPTY STOMACH? thats what I have been doing.

[SonofBone]

No she didn't put me on a diet. she just said I needed to lose weight. I have been getting up and hitting the treadmill first thing in the a.m. 3x a week and will increase. As for the food Im reading all over the board picking up new things to try. IS IT BEST TO DO CARDIO FIRST THING ON A EMPTY STOMACH? thats what I have been doing.

That is a good question. I don't know the exact answer, but I've always found two views on this. One viewpoint says that cardio first thing in the morning is great because you've not eaten in 8 hours and carbohydrates aren't readily available as a fuel source which will cause your body to tap into your fat reserves for the energy.

The other stance is that doing cardio on an empty stomach could be catabolic meaning that you'll risk breaking down muscle to fuel your needs. You definitely don't want to that.

I have a feeling that it could be a combination of both of those views depending on how hard you do cardio on an empty stomach. I believe if you stay with 50 - 70% of your max heart rate you'll be ok. In this range, supposedly what you'll burn will be 85% fats. However, if you go above 70% of your max HR, then you could risk breaking down muscle.

Personally, I always enjoyed downing 4 - 6 cups of coffee in the morning on an empty stomach and then hitting the road or treadmill.

Keep up the good work!