Losing Weight - What To Do Next/Where To Go From Here?

[turpin.josh]

I started out two weeks ago at 262. The highest I have ever been. I am now 30 and want to get back into tennis. I probably haven't hit a tennis ball in 5 years at least and am probably no where near where I would like to be in that area. I am now 245. Used to have I am doing a low-carb type diet - no potatoes, fast food, fried food, white bread/grains. I still haven't put exercise in my routine yet - probably just walked a mile a couple times a week so far. They say the farther along in my diet I will get to a point where I will only lose a couple pounds a week. When do I need to start exercising more and is cardio only fine? Probably will join Planet Fitness - how much cardio do I need to do and how many times a week? Should I stay off the tennis court until I lose more and how much more should I lose before playing again and tournaments? I was thinking just focusing this year on the weight loss and start playing next but I really want to get back out there but don't want to overdo it. I used to play 3.5. Thanks everyone.

 

[Nacho]

if losing weight is your goal, food is 75% of it. Its a big commitment and hard to get into, but once you do it gets easy. I played college tennis, D-1 level, in the early 90's. I stopped playing right after college, and didn't pick up a racket again till I was 30. In the process I went from about 170 lbs to 210 lbs. I did a whole bunch of stuff in my 30's to try and lose it, but the thing that worked the best was getting with a nutritionist a few years ago and on an eating plan I liked. I am now a big proponent of the Paleo diet. Not saying its for you, but I think it has helped me have energy for tennis.

However, here are my basics:
Count calories, stay under at least 2500. Get yourself down to 2000. Have a lot of little snacks and lean meals at lunch and dinner.
Some habits to get into
No Booze, No sodas. Water only, maybe coffee, but no sugar in the coffee
Drink at minimum a gallon of water each day. 128oz's. Get 24 oz water bottle, keep it at your desk and drink it all day, you'll get there. When you feel hungry, drink more water
Lots of Greens, vegetables, Kale, Collards. Lean chicken or meat for lunch/dinner. No Corn, and I prefer to stay away from pastas
No Chips, or fatty snacks; Candy, dessert, etc. Stay away from sugars.
Eat something with protein right after you workout
And yes, give yourself one day to cheat, gotta keep yourself sane. After awhile you won't need to do this
Get 7-8 hours sleep, skip out on going out unless you absolutely need too

For exercise,
There are a ton of boutique fitness places out there. Some of them are really good and not as expensive as a mainstream gym, who will want to get you on some sort of contract. Not sure where you live or how available they are, but I would recommend getting into some sort of class you can take. For tennis you want to concentrate on Power work with legs, core and shoulders, and then plyo work. Get on a two day a week lifting regime, and then 2 days of cardio, or some variation of that. If planet fitness is your only option, check with one of the trainers to see what sort of classes they run. The classes will at least keep you honest, and having a trainer nearby will help you with technique and form. If not, you'll end up with all sorts of injuries and other problems.

Its truly a life commitment, and a 180 probably from what you have been doing, but you'll feel so much better and I bet within a month you'll feel it on the tennis court.

 

[turpin.josh]

Thanks so much for the reply. I forgot to mention above that I have cut out pop, which honestly is all I used to drink and am now water only. I also give myself one cheat meal a week. I feel a lot better but I am still tired by like 8:30 PM but I do wake up daily at 6 am for work. For breakfast, I snack on granola or bananas and for snack at work I eat a small handful of peanuts maybe twice a day at work. Usually for lunch I will eat salad with Boar's Head chicken/turkey with veggies in it or whole wheat pasta and dinner is usually protein (chicken/turkey usually) and veggies. I definitely feel a different in my exercise because my ankles used to hurt just walking a couple blocks and now I can walk a mile without pain. I just don't want to force myself into tennis at my current weight (245) as I don't know if it will cause any issues. Would you recommend going to the gym now or wait until I lose more first? How long should I stay at the gym? When you say two days a week cardio, two days a week lifting, are the other 3 days off days? I am clueless to working out and this diet thing but so far atleast the dieting is working - definitely never thought I could do it!

if losing weight is your goal, food is 75% of it. Its a big commitment and hard to get into, but once you do it gets easy. I played college tennis, D-1 level, in the early 90's. I stopped playing right after college, and didn't pick up a racket again till I was 30. In the process I went from about 170 lbs to 210 lbs. I did a whole bunch of stuff in my 30's to try and lose it, but the thing that worked the best was getting with a nutritionist a few years ago and on an eating plan I liked. I am now a big proponent of the Paleo diet. Not saying its for you, but I think it has helped me have energy for tennis.

However, here are my basics:
Count calories, stay under at least 2500. Get yourself down to 2000. Have a lot of little snacks and lean meals at lunch and dinner.
Some habits to get into
No Booze, No sodas. Water only, maybe coffee, but no sugar in the coffee
Drink at minimum a gallon of water each day. 128oz's. Get 24 oz water bottle, keep it at your desk and drink it all day, you'll get there. When you feel hungry, drink more water
Lots of Greens, vegetables, Kale, Collards. Lean chicken or meat for lunch/dinner. No Corn, and I prefer to stay away from pastas
No Chips, or fatty snacks; Candy, dessert, etc. Stay away from sugars.
Eat something with protein right after you workout
And yes, give yourself one day to cheat, gotta keep yourself sane. After awhile you won't need to do this
Get 7-8 hours sleep, skip out on going out unless you absolutely need too

For exercise,
There are a ton of boutique fitness places out there. Some of them are really good and not as expensive as a mainstream gym, who will want to get you on some sort of contract. Not sure where you live or how available they are, but I would recommend getting into some sort of class you can take. For tennis you want to concentrate on Power work with legs, core and shoulders, and then plyo work. Get on a two day a week lifting regime, and then 2 days of cardio, or some variation of that. If planet fitness is your only option, check with one of the trainers to see what sort of classes they run. The classes will at least keep you honest, and having a trainer nearby will help you with technique and form. If not, you'll end up with all sorts of injuries and other problems.

Its truly a life commitment, and a 180 probably from what you have been doing, but you'll feel so much better and I bet within a month you'll feel it on the tennis court.

 

[turpin.josh]

In addition that I forgot to mention in the previous reply, I take a 24 or so ounce water bottle to work each day and drink it and maybe drink a glass of water at home and that's it. I used to drink 4-5 cans of pop each day instead and no water. Drinking a lot of water is probably going to be my challenge - I just don't drink much of it at all. Does drinking a lot of water help with the weight loss or does it benefit something else? Thanks!

if losing weight is your goal, food is 75% of it. Its a big commitment and hard to get into, but once you do it gets easy. I played college tennis, D-1 level, in the early 90's. I stopped playing right after college, and didn't pick up a racket again till I was 30. In the process I went from about 170 lbs to 210 lbs. I did a whole bunch of stuff in my 30's to try and lose it, but the thing that worked the best was getting with a nutritionist a few years ago and on an eating plan I liked. I am now a big proponent of the Paleo diet. Not saying its for you, but I think it has helped me have energy for tennis.

However, here are my basics:
Count calories, stay under at least 2500. Get yourself down to 2000. Have a lot of little snacks and lean meals at lunch and dinner.
Some habits to get into
No Booze, No sodas. Water only, maybe coffee, but no sugar in the coffee
Drink at minimum a gallon of water each day. 128oz's. Get 24 oz water bottle, keep it at your desk and drink it all day, you'll get there. When you feel hungry, drink more water
Lots of Greens, vegetables, Kale, Collards. Lean chicken or meat for lunch/dinner. No Corn, and I prefer to stay away from pastas
No Chips, or fatty snacks; Candy, dessert, etc. Stay away from sugars.
Eat something with protein right after you workout
And yes, give yourself one day to cheat, gotta keep yourself sane. After awhile you won't need to do this
Get 7-8 hours sleep, skip out on going out unless you absolutely need too

For exercise,
There are a ton of boutique fitness places out there. Some of them are really good and not as expensive as a mainstream gym, who will want to get you on some sort of contract. Not sure where you live or how available they are, but I would recommend getting into some sort of class you can take. For tennis you want to concentrate on Power work with legs, core and shoulders, and then plyo work. Get on a two day a week lifting regime, and then 2 days of cardio, or some variation of that. If planet fitness is your only option, check with one of the trainers to see what sort of classes they run. The classes will at least keep you honest, and having a trainer nearby will help you with technique and form. If not, you'll end up with all sorts of injuries and other problems.

Its truly a life commitment, and a 180 probably from what you have been doing, but you'll feel so much better and I bet within a month you'll feel it on the tennis court.

 

[Nacho]

I feel a lot better but I am still tired by like 8:30 PM

Totally normal, I find myself going to bed sometimes between 7-8. Getting the right amount of sleep is critical and when you are working out and eating on a regime, your body craves it in other areas

For breakfast, I snack on granola or bananas and for snack at work I eat a small handful of peanuts maybe twice a day at work.

No to the Granola, too much sugar, and processed. 1 Banana is fine, use it as a mid-day snack. In the morning make two Organic eggs, maybe chop up some green peppers or unions with them. Takes a second...

Peanuts/trail mix is fine except when you are just sitting there. Chop some green peppers up, maybe a cup, with a little hummus. Much better, not as much fat.

Would you recommend going to the gym now or wait until I lose more first?

Never too late to go, go now, or find a boutique gym to go to. Do you live in a major city? I can maybe give you some recommendations, IM me if you would like

How long should I stay at the gym? When you say two days a week cardio, two days a week lifting, are the other 3 days off days? I am clueless to working out and this diet thing but so far atleast the dieting is working - definitely never thought I could do it!

Honestly, don't do anything by yourself. Join, ask to meet with a trainer, or ask to meet a trainer first and tell them what you goals are and what programs they have. Maybe shop a few gyms till you find one you are comfortable with. You want a trainer you click with who is going to push you, and also make sure that you are doing things correctly. After a few months or a year of this, then you will feel comfortable going in by yourself. I can put routines on here, but honestly they will look so foreign to you, you will need a trainer or someone to walk you through anyway

Also, invest in a fitbit watch, or some other watch that checks your heart rate and monitors calories.

In addition that I forgot to mention in the previous reply, I take a 24 or so ounce water bottle to work each day and drink it and maybe drink a glass of water at home and that's it. I used to drink 4-5 cans of pop each day instead and no water. Drinking a lot of water is probably going to be my challenge - I just don't drink much of it at all. Does drinking a lot of water help with the weight loss or does it benefit something else? Thanks!

Yes, helps with weight loss, hydration, mental capacity, really a whole host of things. We were built to drink water, soda is like drinking battery acid. You should immediately lose 10-15 lbs just dropping soda's for water. I haven't had a soda since 2003, never even think about it now. However, the first few months it was a tough craving to get over.

 

[Nacho]

Totally normal, I find myself going to bed sometimes between 7-8. Getting the right amount of sleep is critical and when you are working out and eating on a regime, your body craves it in other areas



No to the Granola, too much sugar, and processed. 1 Banana is fine, use it as a mid-day snack. In the morning make two Organic eggs, maybe chop up some green peppers or unions with them. Takes a second...

Peanuts/trail mix is fine except when you are just sitting there. Chop some green peppers up, maybe a cup, with a little hummus. Much better, not as much fat.



Never too late to go, go now, or find a boutique gym to go to. Do you live in a major city? I can maybe give you some recommendations, IM me if you would like



Honestly, don't do anything by yourself. Join, ask to meet with a trainer, or ask to meet a trainer first and tell them what you goals are and what programs they have. Maybe shop a few gyms till you find one you are comfortable with. You want a trainer you click with who is going to push you, and also make sure that you are doing things correctly. After a few months or a year of this, then you will feel comfortable going in by yourself. I can put routines on here, but honestly they will look so foreign to you, you will need a trainer or someone to walk you through anyway

Also, invest in a fitbit watch, or some other watch that checks your heart rate and monitors calories.



Yes, helps with weight loss, hydration, mental capacity, really a whole host of things. We were built to drink water, soda is like drinking battery acid. You should immediately lose 10-15 lbs just dropping soda's for water. I haven't had a soda since 2003, never even think about it now. However, the first few months it was a tough craving to get over.

One more things, No to processed meat. Cook a grilled chicken the night before, take it to work. Processed meats are the worst

 

[Raul_SJ]

Should I stay off the tennis court until I lose more and how much more should I lose before playing again and tournaments? I was thinking just focusing this year on the weight loss and start playing next but I really want to get back out there but don't want to overdo it. I used to play 3.5.

Absolutely no reason you need to be off the courts. Practice your strokes. Use a ball machine. Play slowly. Play 3.0 pickup doubles. Don't necessarily have to run hard if you feel that you are not yet at a comfortable running weight.

Never too late to go, go now, or find a boutique gym to go to. Do you live in a major city? I can maybe give you some recommendations, IM me if you would like

Interesting. Never heard of "boutique gyms" before.

https://lifefitness.com/blog/posts/boutique-gyms-part-I-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-gaining-steam

 

[Nacho]

Interesting. Never heard of "boutique gyms" before.

They are popping up everywhere....Basically taking the "beach body" and "x fit" working out concepts and putting them into more personal studios. Its interesting, more economical, and gives you an immediate place to go. But there are not all made the same, definitely takes some trying out.