STM317 said:
Ignore weight. It's only good for tracking trends in your health. The actual number doesn't really matter. What does matter is body composition and the amount of lean muscle vs fat. The heaviest I've ever been was also the healthiest I've ever been (6'1" 207 @ 11% body fat). I weigh less now, but I'm definitely not as healthy. So don't obsess over a number on a scale because it really only shows a small part of the big picture.
The absolute best way to lose fat and reshape your body is by speeding up your metabolism. That way, you burn more calories all the time, even when you're sitting/sleeping/etc. We speed up our metabolism through 2 primary methods: what we consume, and level of activity. In other words, diet and exercise.
I always use the example of your metabolism being like a campfire, and it's your job to keep it burning. Nutritious, protein filled foods would be like firewood, while carb filled foods are more like newspaper. However, If you add all of your firewood at once (like a big meal) then you'll smother the fire. If you only eat carb filled empty calories, it will burn out quickly. So the idea is to eat just enough nutritious, protein heavy foods to keep the fire going for a few hours, and then repeat. You'll ultimately find that switching from eating 3 traditional meals per day, to eating 5 or more healthy snacks per day can help you lose weight without any other changes.
Drinking water helps to increase your metabolism too. It helps your organs function properly, it flushes bad stuff out of your body more efficiently, and it keeps you from drinking tons of calories. Drink a decent sized glass of water every morning when you wake up. Your body needs it after sleeping for several hours. Trips to the bathroom burn calories too.
And that's the final piece of the puzzle. Activity. Burning calories is much easier when you're active. The best activity you can do for improving metabolism is weight training. You don't have to be a body builder, but resistance training 3 times a week for an hour or so each time will help you gain functional strength, it will burn tons of calories while you do it, and (here's the best part) it will burn calories while you're not doing it too. Cardio doesn't work like that. So, running, swimming, etc are great, but they're not going to help you change your body as quickly as weight training will. Focus on your core to start, and from there work on large muscles like your legs since they require more calories to rebuild themselves. If you can't stand the gym, then find something else that works for you and do it frequently. Just don't expect instant results.
So I guess it all boils down to this: Drink lots of water. Eat a protein filled breakfast to start your metabolism and continue to stoke the flames of your metabolism throughout the day with a few small, healthy snacks. Stay active.
Yes, this. All of this. I'm pretty into weightlifting and nutrition, and everything stated above is spot on. This is a lifestyle change, not something you do and then stop once you recompose your body. Eat properly (not less, but properly). Exercise...as stated above, cardio is NOT the way to really do it. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do any cardio, but don't make it the core of what you do. Weight training is key. You won't become a meat-head bodybuilder unless you lift and eat that way, so don't worry about it.
I will add in that I don't necessarily subscribe to the thought of no processed foods, no junk food, no beer, etc... Unless your goal is to get on stage in a bodybuilding competition, there's nothing wrong with the occasional indulgence. The key piece is control and moderation, that's where people fall off the wagon. Have the self discipline to only eat "bad" stuff once a week, or once every other week and stick to it. I have one cheat meal a week and don't feel the least bit bad about doing it, I really look forward to it. It's sort of motivation for all the work during the week. I have to have blood drawn every few months, and even with my weekly cheat meal, my labs still remain spot on...cholesterol, sodium, blood sugar, etc...and my blood pressure is 120/80 reliably. If you can build a very solid nutrition base and stick to it, nothing wrong with eating something good once in a while. In fact, people who try to completely try to purge all "junk" food all the time can wind up falling off the wagon really hard and making things worse than when they started.
As for dealing with body pain, yeah, that'll happen as you age. I'm in my mid-40s, and as I mentioned, I work very hard to take care of myself. But I could give you a laundry list of aches and pains I deal with daily.
