Intimidated by exercise and diet fads
 

I want to start exercising to increase my fitness and drop a few pounds but I feel a bit lost for where to start! All of these things like nutrition, muscle gain using protein stuff, super foods and fancy cleanses have really put a downer on what I'm trying to do - move more and weigh less! I feel like I need to be a expert before I get anywhere. Anyone else felt like this?

Avoid the diet fads and cleanses. They tend to do more harm than good. Cleanses are especially bad, in my experience.

To start off, weight loss comes down to calories in vs. calories burnt. If you are eating less calories than you're burning in a day, you'll lose weight. Your first step should be to figure out your caloric needs. You can use this tool for help. I generally set my activity level one level below what I actually think it is.

Caloric Needs Calculator

Once you figure that out, keep track of the calories you consume for a few days. This will help you to see where you can cut back or choose healthier alternatives.

.: Remember, veggies and protein are filling. Try to incorporate more veggies and lean meats (chicken, turkey, venison and fish) into your diet.

.: Complex carbs (sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grains, etc.) are healthier and more filling that regular carbs (white bread, white rice, regular pasta, etc.).

.: Cut back on sugary drinks. Replace them with unsweetened/lightly sweetened teas, flavored waters, or coffee.

.: Cut back on junk snacks. If you're craving sweets, try some fruit or a small piece of dark chocolate. If you're craving salty, try some Fat Free Popcorn, Baked Kale Chips or Pistachios.

.: Make healthy swaps. Instead of mayo on your sandwich, try some avocado or yellow mustard. Instead of white toast, try wheat. Get "no sugar added" 100% juice instead of regular. Don't deprive yourself, just make better choices.


As far as exercise goes, it really depends on how willing you are to work hard. Walking and jogging will do wonders when you're first starting out. If you're feeling more energetic, you can watch some beginner fitness videos on Youtube or fitnessblender. Take it slow at first and ease into it. It doesn't matter what you do, just get yourself moving.

Remember: Slow and steady wins the race. It may take a while to see improvements, but your body is getting better with every good choice you make.

as above but simplified. cut out s**t food replace with healthy food preferably home made. start working out and listen to your body your diet will start to change naturally. be aware the marathon paradox. this is a situation where people training for marathons put on weight. It does also spread to other forms of exercise essentially people assume exercise burns more calories than it does so they think Ive done this so there fore I can eat that. Doesn't work that way.

Veg, pulses, unprocessed meat. There used to be a show around called x weighted and the guy had one thing he did that was pretty awesome. take food from your cupboard read the ingredients if you can't pronounce it or have no idea what it is then you probably don't want to eat it.

You're right to be scared of fad diets. You don't need protein powder dear, you just need to eat protein - eggs, lean meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, yogurt, peanut butter. These are all real foods, eat them!

Cleanses are completely unecessary. Don't bother.

Exercise - gyms can be intimidating at first but after you go a few times you'll feel right at home. Or you can avoid it altogether and just go outside and walk walk walk. Imo there is no better way to move more than just by walking. And I don't mean just walking for exercise, try to add more walking in your day to day activities. Park further away, take a walk during your lunch break. Instead of calling your colleague just walk over to her desk, walk to the market instead of driving there. Ride your bike to the pharmacy instead of driving. If you use public transport get out one stop early from the metro and walk the rest of the way.

Nutrition - just eat real food. It's a no brainer, we all know what food is nutritious and what is junk.

It's been really hard for me to get fully educated, but for me what's worked best is to just go with the foods pretty much everyone knows are healthy (fruits, veggies, white meat, etc) and avoid the foods everyone knows aren't (junk food and soda, too much pasta, white bread, etc). I know a nutritionist who had a client lose over 200lbs, and he was flocked with people wanting his secret, but his program had been the same as everybody else's. He didn't follow it for a year, but when he discovered his wife was having a child, he decided to change his life and just followed it - so there was no secret, it was just the decision. This nutritionist always tells me that people know what they're supposed to do, they just need to do it.

I really didn't have to educate myself too much, I collected more recipes than reading material and, since the exercise bit is always overwhelmed with "this doesn't work" and "that doesn't work", I asked one of the teachers at my local gym to create a workout for me.

Basically, what I have discovered is that anything along the lines of "lose __ in __ days" (anything ridiculously more than the recommended 1-2lbs a week in an incredibly short amount of time) is a shortcut that doesn't work. It takes time, and there's no specific diet you would really need if you're not so responsible like me.

Good luck! (:

I agree with most of the posts above. The best place to start is eating clean and making sure that you are getting enough protein. Then just start with whatever level of physical activity you are comfortable with. Being consistent is super important, especially in the beginning, so that you can form good habits and start to see results and progress.