well i'm not an expert but fitness was mandatory for each of my 4 semesters of college so i'll through in my two cents of advice,

Now most of my knowledge is more about building and mainting lean muscle, and i'm a skinny guy, current weight 166 lbs, 6 feet tall, at my best I was around 175 lbs give or take, depending on the day (sept last year before I got sick with a nasty flu that made me drop 15 lbs in 5 days - which i'm still trying to put back on)

however, it does share some of the requirments as someone trying to lose weight, in my opinion, your order of importance should be - nutrition, cardio, weights

#1 nutrition, this is the hardest, as guys we tend to like food, alot - and in vast quantitys - however the bonus is that we do require a higher caloric intake than woman do - try to stay away from sugars - pop, juices (yes fruit punch has almost as much sugar as a can of pop in some cases) - sugary drinks like wine, rum and coke

alcohol is full of calories, so best to avoid it - if must, switch to single malt whisky

however make sure you drink lots of water! (even without the alcohol)

the easiest thing to do is plan your meals, that way you wont be caught by impulse snacking or eating an entire pack of bacon because thats all thats in your fridge

#2 cardio - routine and consistency are going to be at the top, this is wear i have a problem, but try to go for a jog - or walk everyday - walk at first if you have sore knees and or haven't run in a long time - you don't want to get your heart rating spiking in the hot shade and still have a mile to run before you get home or to your car!

#3 - weights - pick up a dumbbell set (10-20lbs each is decent) or join a gym that is close to you (walking distance would be optimal) and when doing weights try not join in with the guys who have all decided they want to get in shape and get rid of their beer guts, but all they do is lift weights, so what happens is muscle builds under the fat - yes you will see more toning, but you may actually go up in weight due to increase muscle mass

this part is more for your health, lower weights and higher reps will yeild more toned muscle - plus at the begining starting with a lower weight will help you understand what your body can handle


This is just personal opinion - and yes the disclaimer - always check with your health care professional to be safe and if you can afford it, a personal trainer/nutrition coach is great - i can't afford it, but alot of gyms offer a consultation for free that will get you started

The hardest part will be motivation - if you have a poor diet, you will most likely see good results in the first two months, then it will level out a bit - and then it might drop again - this changes from person to person and during the periods which you see no weight loss will be the hardest to keep your motivation high - keep consistency in your routines - if you get in the habit of going no matter what - this will help you get through those rough spots


your going to have to push yourself, and it sucks at times, especially when you don't get any sleep- but if you stick with it, you will notice you will be happier, more energetic and yes, your clothes will fit better!

Sorry for the rant, I tend to get carried away



Iain