First up get approval from your doctor to give you the “ok” to begin a new exercise and nutrition plan.

Then head here…

Here’s some ideas for your nutrition:
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/healthy-eating/mike-gearys-top-55-lean-body-foods-to-build-muscle-and-lose-body-fat/
and…
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/healthy-eating/use-these-12-fat-blasting-meal-plans-for-free/

Ideas for Workouts (just start off gradually – ease into it – do the best you can – even it only means completing a few reps for each exercise):
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/workouts/2-x-gym-circuit-workouts-for-men-and-women/
and
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/workouts/workout-2-x-summer-ready-workouts/
and
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/fitness-articles/fat-loss-the-truth-on-losing-body-fat-and-how-to-achieve-it/

Kind regards
Mandy

Overeating is a very common issue for people and it can also be complicated to fix, because there are many different things that may contribute to it. There are often basic nutritional issues as well as, mental/emotional issues, family/societal pressures, and more. Since this is such a large issue I cannot adequately deal with it in my response, but I do plan to have a future Q&A all about overeating and portion control.

For now, I will briefly go over some of the most useful steps to prevent overeating and promote fat loss. The first is something I suggest all the time and that is to keep a nutritional journal and write down everything you eat/drink and when you consume them. I can’t think of anyone who did not make some progress when being dedicated to keeping a good nutritional journal.

Another important step is to figure out why you are overeating. Is it due to habit, cravings, emotional triggers, etc.? Once you figure this out you can start to make changes that to prevent overeating. For example, many people overeat when they eat while watching TV (e.g., sitting down with a bag of chips). If you notice this is something you do, then you should avoid having food while watching TV.

You can also work on developing better portion control skills. There are many things you can do, but some of my favorites are not going back for seconds and not having the extra food in front of you during a meal (keep the main dishes in a different are and just take the food you will eat when you sit down for your meal. It can also be very helpful to use smaller plates and bowls. That way, even if you fill up your plate, you will not eat too much, as long as you don’t go back for more.

Finally, another traditional suggestion is to eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of a few larger meals. When you train your body to eat frequently, it naturally makes you eat less at one time, helps shrink your stomach so you get full faster and are not able to eat as much, and helps to increase your metabolism. This is all around one of the best things you can do to promote fat loss.

These are just a few helpful ideas and I will be writing more about many of these topics in the future, but I hope this gives you a good place to start,

Ross

I’m going to pass this onto Ross… so please keep an eye out for our response…

Lay your eyes on these tips!
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/six-pack-abs/

Straight off the bat go here:
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/fat-loss/

then head here:
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/healthy-eating/

then here:
http://virtualfitnesstrainer.com/workouts/

Comment back here, again, Yuva, with your progress.

Thanks for your question and it is great that you are taking steps to make positive changes while you are still young. You are about the same age I was when I really became serious about losing fat and improving my quality of life. I have a number of suggestions on where to start, but since everyone is different, I am not sure what will be best for your specific situation.

One thing that does apply to everyone is you need to figure out why you gained the weight in the first place (if you have not done so already). I know for me it was our family’s horrible eating habits. My mom was one of those people who always kept a new dessert on the kitchen table and I was always told that I did not eat enough, even when I was overweight.

Without changing this dynamic I would have been unable to make any progress and it was not until I took control of what I ate that I started to see positive results. I do not know if family eating habits are a problem for you or not, but there is always something (usually multiple things) that lead to weight gain and those are the most important things to change.

As far as more specific suggestions to improve things, the first step is to keep a nutritional journal. At the minimum, write down what you eat/drink, the amount, and the time. Writing down the calories or your best estimate is helpful as well, but this can be difficult, especially if you normally eat food cooked by other people.

Be as accurate as possible, because this information will serve as the starting point to help you make positive changes to your eating habits. Most people have significant eating flaws and many times they don’t even realize it, so having a food journal will show you where your biggest nutritional issues are and point out where you should start. In most cases, just keeping a journal causes people to start improving their eating and leads to positive results.

I do not recommend a specific diet or way to eat, but I think a great basic approach is to eat numerous small meals (5-6) throughout the day. Try to include protein and healthy carbs in each meal and eat some healthy fat each day. If you eat infrequently, you don’t have to increase to 6 meals overnight and you can add one new meal at a time to let your body get used to the new way of eating.

Another important thing is to have support from friends and family. If the people in your life are discouraging or not helping you lose weight it makes things much tougher. It can still be done, but it will take more effort and motivation on your part. Therefore, it is a good idea to get more support by speaking with the important people in your life and telling them how important this is to you and asking for their help and support.

Exercise is important as well and if you are not currently exercising, now is a great time to start. If you are just starting to exercise, you can do any type you want as the most important thing now is to make it a habit and work it into your normal routine. The only requirement is to make the exercise difficult enough that you feel somewhat challenged, but don’t go overboard to the point where you are consistently hurting or feeling run down.

If you are currently exercising and not seeing results, change up your program. Try different types of exercise, difficulties, routines, etc. For example, if you currently walk, you can dry walking at faster speeds, using intervals, or light weights. There are many other options as well, just don’t do the same thing every day.

Finally, one of the most important things is to be consistent with both your exercise and nutrition. Everyone gets discouraged at times and you may not see progress as fast as you want, but more often you follow healthy eating and exercise habits, the better your results will be. There is always more advice that can be given, but I hope this gives you some ideas and helps you figure out where you should start,

Ross