Help and advice on weight-loss and building stamina

Question

I'm a 19 yr old male that is roughly 1.7m tall and 98.5kg heavy.

I've wanted to start losing weight in the past but because of extraneous factors, have only recently been able to have the time. Now that I have a bit more time on my hands, I want to star losing some of the fat on me, as well as build stamina for sports (mainly soccer).

I've been eating less than before to try and decrease the calorie intake, and have decreased the amount of soft drinks and fast food I've had in the past.

Exercise wise, I've started out with trying to lose weight with running, but I can barely last 800m before stopping and having pain on the sole of my feet. I also have weights (that I haven't used much yet, mainly due to fear of poor form that lead to injury) and access to a boxing bag (use it about 3 times a week).

I was wondering if anybody had tips on how I can improve on any of things I've already done to help with the weight loss.

Thanks.

Answer 1

A few high-impact tips that have worked well for me over the years:

• Track what you eat religiously with an app. I’m currently using Chronometer. MyFitnessPal is another popular choice; there are many. It’s not so important that you stick to any arbitrary set of goals or adhere every day. Just track it.
• Lose fat (not necessarily weight) slowly. Think in terms of months and years and sustainable changes, which means changes that you’re happy adopting permanently. “Diets” don’t work, full stop.
• Lift weights. I like barbells, but train your strength however you can even if being “strong” isn’t a primary goal for you. Many resources on this site.
• Get enough protein. After that, the balance is more about what you can enjoy (see point above about sustainability). And don’t neglect the veggies.
• For me, skipping breakfast is highly correlated to losing fat - I don’t eat so much more at lunchtime as to undo the net deficit. I find that black coffee is excellent at keeping me satisfied enough through the morning. Doesn’t have to be every day - just often.
• Prioritize sleep.

As for the running: attack it progressively. Run short distances, slowly at first. Gradually push yourself.

Answer 2

First of all, good on you for starting with eating as that's the biggest thing when wanting to lose weight/fat. However, be careful to not decrease your calorie intake too much. Be more concerned with the kinds of calories you are eating. As far as macros go for weight loss, you'll want to have lots of protein, about the same amount of carbs, and about a quarter the number of fats. Lots of clean protein like chicken, beef, spinach, nuts, etc.

Once you got your diet nailed down (which truly is the hardest part), you can be concerned with how you exercise. My advice to you is to keep working on running or some other form of cardio as your main stamina builder. Your body will become more accustomed to it the more you do it. But, there are other ways you can incorporate fat-burning exercises without weights. Number one for me would easily be calisthenics, using your body as the weight for your exercises.

Unfortunately, I can't just provide you with every calisthenics exercise that you would enjoy or that would benefit you, that'll take some research on your own part. But, things like burpees, mountain climbers, planks, lunges, press-ups, sit-ups, etc. In your case, you might want to include more Plyometrics (jump-based exercises) in your routine, as this will help build intensity and strengthen your lower body, which will be good for running/playing soccer.

Hope it goes well!

Answer 3

Diet is definitely a huge factor in this, tons of vegetables, and as little processed foods and soft drinks as you can (preferably none). In terms of exercise regiment, lifting weights is perfectly okay. You can do low weights and more reps and if something starts to feel not right, look up a video on how to do it with good form.

Also you're going to want to mix up the kind of cardio you do. it could be running, swimming, boxing (a personal favorite), running up and down steps etc. and even if you have to stop early, just continue on but slower, like walking the rest of the way.

Lastly and possibly most important, is to not have a sedentary lifestyle. Throughout the day, just stand up and walk around as much as possible. You don't have to go crazy with it, relax and sit down too, but even if its as simple as walking around while on the phone, or just going up and down a flight of stairs now and again. it really makes a HUGE difference.

Answer 4

I'm 21M, 170cm, current weight=70Kg. I started when I was 89Kg

Here are some tips:

1. Count your calories.
2. Remain in a 1000 caloric deficit till you reach 90 Kg. (1000 is the max deficit you should ever be in). When you reach below 90, reduce the deficit to 700. And when you reach 80, reduce it to 500. And keep it there.
3. Don't do a lot of cardio right now. You are extremely heavy for your height. That cardio would affect your joints. Just walk briskly. ~45 mins of brisk walking would help you brun approx 350 calories.
4. Start hitting the gym when you reach 85 Kgs.