Hi everyone, I am new here and would like a bit of advice.

I have read about atkins, read body for life, things of that nature.

What do you think the best start would be?

I am 24 (here in a few days) and weigh 210 at 5'6".

I have been 155 before when I was about 20 and felt amazing, but can't seem to capture the motivation to get back down there!

I really need something to jumpstart me! I usually lose 5-10 pounds of weight my first week of dieting (water weight mostly) but then it trails off and I lose motivation.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but would you recommend a Keto jumpstart to lose the first 20-30 pounds quickly, then go to a balanced diet, or how would you get started?

Thanks for the help, you are all very inspirational with the results I've read on here. :nod:

First of all, you need to have the motivation and conviction to see this through to the end. The first 5-10 lbs are cake, the next 25 or whatever are tougher, and that last 5-10 are going to require incredible discipline and dedication.
As far as diet, I would recommend something you can stick with for a long time. For me, there is no sence going on some special diet only to go off it later on. Pick a sensible well-balanced diet with plenty of clean foods, fruits, and veggies and go with that.

I agree with Two Step. To get started you need

1) To want change, and be willing to make the neccesary prioritizations in your life.

2) Realize that you need to change your eating and exercise habits forever to stay at your desired level of fitness.

After that, it is time to start talking about specifics.

:gl: & hope you find the motivation!

The ONE thing I believe that you have to do while trying to lose weight is not being obsessed about weightloss. It may sound strange, but no matter where you are in your life, or whatever your goals may be, the weight CAN'T be your main focus while trying to lose it.

Since I changed my ways of eating two months ago, I've lost somewhere around 25 lbs, and more than 9 inches of my waist. The last week I gained half a pound, while losing 1 inch of my waist. Should I cry over the gained weight, or be happy about my smaller waist? Well, for me, the choice is easy.

If you wanna keep yourself motivated, you have to look at ALL your improvements, not just the weight. For most people, it's not the weight that bothers you, but your SIZE. Trim your waistline without losing a pound, and I bet you'd be happy, right? Taking weekly pictures is a major booster, as you'll se how you shrink, even the weeks when you don't lose that much weight.

The next time you're sad about only losing a pound or so, take one pound of butter and try imagining it on your body. Even as little as one pound is quite a bit of fat actually...

Take a look at the South Beach Diet. I lost 18 lbs in the first two weeks. Although it was water weight, it got me really motivated!

SBD's phase-in program is far better than Atkins.

I agree with previous speakers. I was very fit for a couple of years ago. But lately i have been gaining some weight, and tried to loose it, like once a year.

The error i made every time was that i started hard as hell! I trained 7-9 times a week. The problem was: I got bored of it after a few months(weeks).

This time i started out at a very slow pace, like 2-3 trainings per week. Next step after 2 months was to change the food, and finally after 4 months i increased the amount of training til 6 times a week. And i feel great. :eek:

So i think you are trying to start in the wrong end. Dont begin with some strange diet. It is probably more painful than benificial.

My suggestion to you, would be to try to increase the calories you are burning, instead of tring to decrease the calories you are eating.

Even though a "jump-start" would feel good in the begin. But just as you say, you plateu after a while and then it gets boring. Try to change your fundamental way of living on a long-time basis instead of chasing those pounds like a bulldozer for just a couple of weeks. Perhaps your body will get used to training and eating right if you take it step by step, and then you wont give up just because its to hard or to slow or to boring. :gl: :gl: :gl:

Just thought I'd give a :nod: to what everyone else has said. The single most important thing you have to do is set the idea in your head. You don't necessarily need to set yourself a weight goal (I haven't, as I've no idea at what weight I'll be thin... I never have been!), but I think it's usefull to have something like that to hang on to.

The second thing is, don't change your mind. I've been dieting for about seven weeks now (and it's not my first diet by a long way), and in that time I've eaten stuff that couldn't be called even vaguely healthy. But the next meal or the next day (worst case scenario.. hehe) I've just carried on dieting. No worries. It's the big picture, not the little details.

What has caught me out a few times is the desire to stop dieting. This isn't the same as eating a MaccyD 'cos you're one miserable sod sat watching everyone else have one, this is the little voice in your head saying... "I'm not meant to be thin," or even worse, "I'm thin enough now... I look okay" or whatever. That's the killer, giving up. Don't.

I always have before now, and even this time round it's been hard. But I've nicely side stepped the problem by emulating The Man Himself :bow: and posting pictures up on my site everyday. You're accountable. How could I post one morning... "hey, guys.. you know that whole diet thing? Well, I think I'm thin enough now, so, y'know, go away and don't talk to me about it again..........." :o

So that's all good. I'd also add a more personal view, which is don't get caught up and jump in the deep end just like that. Spend a week eating up the junk in your house. After that, cut out some of the rubbish, join a gym. Start weight lifting (I know that cardio is the king for many)... if you're lifting weights, even if you're only managing to maintain your weight you will be slowly lowering your bf%. Work your way up to healthy foods, and then start getting your nutritional ratios right.

's forever, man. And one day you'll wake up, and think... "I can control my diet". The feeling of being able to say to yourself, "I will be X weight" and knowing you will get there or maintain it is awesome. :claphigh:

Geez. John has changed my life more than any politician or religion has ever done. That's scary..

Thanks everyone for the posts!

I definitely want the "thinner" part, but honestly, the weight number of being 2xx does bother me.

At 5'6" I should never see the 180's, let alone anything in the 2's, so I think my biggest boost of motivation (continued motivation) will be getting down to 199 for the first time in almost a year.

I was 155 a year ago as well for my wedding, and for the life of me I can't see how I ever dieted/exercised enough to go from 200 to 155 for my wedding, but then I immediately put it back on in 3 months time, and have been steady at 210-215.

That's the other problem, my wife is not disgusted with me! She doesn't mind the extra weight, and that isn't very motivational. Even her friends still say I look great (hah, they don't see me in my boxers!) Heck, she only weighs 120, so you think she'd be freaked out, but isn't. It seems to only affect how I feel, nothing else. EVERYTHING else in my life is perfect, so it makes it hard to worry about this one thing, but it is the most important thing!

Anyone guessing my weight says 175-180, noone ever belives 210, so maybe I carry weight well, not that there really is such a thing.

Lastly, my biggest problem is a manage a stock fund from my home office. I do this every day, and just sit sit sit. It requires no movement, no exercise, nothing.

Well, thanks again for the posts, and it's nice to find somewhere to come and read about everyone else's success when you are feeling like giving up. :)