The time has come for me to make drastic lifestyle changes. Over the past several years I have continued to fatten up and smoke despite promises that I would change my unhealthy habits. I am now facing the reality that now is the time to change, I am the only one that can make these changes, and I have the will power to make these changes. I purchased a gym membership today for the year for $99. Today is going to be my final day of smoking and living a glutenous lifestyle. If any other members would like to join me in this conquest for mutual support it would be greatly appreciated.

If there are any members that have substantial fitness and weightlifting experience, I would really appreciate any advice that you have. My main goal is weight loss, but I will be strength training as well to boost mass to raise metabolism. So any work out plans, diet plans, or advice on supplements would be great.  Thanks guys!

Happy New Year!!!

T- 19 hours until Operation Lop-down commences.

GOOD LUCK AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.

Good luck and stick with it! If you stick with it long enough it really can be addiciting...If you have any questions at all feel free to pm me, I'm going to school for a degree in Exercise Science and I'm at the gym at least 5-6 days a week so I'd love to help in anyway I can.

Good luck!  I'll be with you on quitting smoking.  I've tried and failed several times, but this time I've got to do it.  My best advice on working out is to find the technique that works for you and make sure you enjoy it.  If you absolutely hate working out, you will not stay with it.  For me, that is a quick & hard workout like Crossfit or even P90X. 

Well my friend it was fun while it lasted I'm sure! The P90x might be possible, but it is an intense program to follow if your not used to working out. I suggest not doing P90x. I would concentrate on your diet and cardio. The most important aspect of losing weight is your diet. You need to clean that up immediately.

Nothin' to it.

I quit every night around 9:00 or 10:00.

Good luck!

8-)

Let's see a before picture.

Let's see a before picture.

(with clothes on!) ;D

For the record, good luck!!

Good Luck----Happy NEW YOU!

Thank you, guys. Hitting the gym was not as bad as I expected and the eye candy helped make the visit much more tolerable.  Did a couple light sets on each muscle group and walked 15 minutes and rode a bike for 15 minutes. I did not want to jump in full force since I am just getting back into a routine.

baboosicbass08- check your pms.

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/15-minutes-rodney-atkins/A88E2C24D5B669861934A88E2C24D5B669861934

8-)

Thanks for the laugh, Kent!  It sure is tough not to have a delicious smoke with my morning coffee or after a meal, but I am still staying strong.

Seriously, I hope it works out for you.

-Kent

I set up the bicycle on the trainer in my Man Cave.  I have every intention of spending at least 30 minutes per day on it.  Say a little prayer for me.  I hate the fat slob I have become.

I'll be working out more in the new year also.  I've packed on a few extra pounds over the last year or so and need to get rid of them.

The best advice I can give you is to watch your diet (eat more often, but less at each meal).  When I really got serious about getting in shape I started eating like 6 times a day, but I never really had a full meal.  Add cardio to that and you'll start dropping weight fast.  Lifting will help, but not nearly as much as cardio.  One thing to consider on the lifting (I actually didn't do too much of it) is to use lighter weights and add more reps so that you can get your heart rate up for a longer period of time.

Best of luck to you. I have a couple suggestions based on personal experience.

For quitting smoking, the patch helped me immensely. I didn't realize how well it was cutting the cravings until I forgot it one day and almost lost it at work. If you're having a really difficult time, consider the patch. Going through the three steps slowly wanes you off nicotine. I've quit in the past with Nicorette gum, but my nicotine addiction continued, and may have even worsened. I'm now 100% off nicotine, and although it's still tough sometimes, I feel great being free from that addiction. I don't even think about cigarettes half the time when I'm drinking. Also, make sure you realize that you'll probably have cravings the rest of your life. I have friends who quit 7, 8 years ago, and they still get cravings. It really sucks, but it's just a fact of life, unfortunately. You should realize and accept this fact so you're prepared.

If you're serious about losing weight, I HIGHLY recommend counting calories. Buy a book (or use the internet) that has the caloric value of each food you eat (google it - there are many), and literally every time you put something in your body, mark it down. You should have a calorie target for each day, and try to stay close to that target. I'll tell you - counting calories is a HUGE eye opener. You wouldn't believe how "snacking" can have a huge negative effect on your diet, or how many calories some foods have.

Lastly, if you're doing all this and still not losing weight, don't be discouraged. Quitting smoking, especially for long-time smokers, can have a drastic effect on your metabolism, meaning it becomes very difficult to lose weight. Your metabolism should recover within 6 months to a year after quitting, making dropping weight a lot easier, especially because you should be in much better shape by that point. I'm going on 3 months cig-free today (just over a month nicotine free), and my metabolism still hasn't recovered. I'm working my ace off just to maintain my weight :-(

Best of luck to you, and PM me with any questions.

Fishinfiend, congrats on the good lifestyle change and good luck. 

As someone said before, counting calories is huge when it comes to reaching your goals.  A couple years ago, I was the fattest kid at my school, but through exercise and diet, I was able to lose it all.  Now I'm getting pretty big into weigh lifting and counting calories is also real important to making good gains. 

I can't really help on the smoking part, but here is a resource suggested to me by Speedbead on weight lifting that has completely educated me and has led me to gain 11lbs of lean muscle mass since September. 

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

Go make an account, fill out your Body Space stats, and ask away.  YOu get answers instantly and those people don't play around.  It's all business over there when it comes to getting in shape. 

Good luck man!

Thanks again for all the advice guys. I am being a lot more mindful of what I am eating, how much I eat, and when I eat. I think cutting out the late night snacking has been the most difficult. It is gonna take a lot of time to get used to eating smaller meals more frequently as I am almost never hungry at breakfast and most hungry later in the day.

No smoking has been extremly tough, but I have managed to make it  4 days now.

I know this is going to be a continous struggle, but the reward will far outweigh the challenge. Again, thanks again for all the advice and support!