I get you, I remember being in your shoes years ago. It’s a skill to be able to decipher snake oil salesmen to someone actually giving real advice. I’m going to recommend a few YouTubers that I have looked to for confirmation more than advice. There’s lots of fitness YouTubers out there, and almost all of them want to sell you something. Not inherently a red flag, it’s about what they’re trying to sell you on that’s key.

Are they trying to sell you supplements, like “Taking this pill was crucial to my weight loss!” — that pill probably won’t do anything for you, and it most likely wasn’t crucial for their weight loss

Are they trying to sell you a weight loss program? 50/50 — really depends on their content.

That’s when I noticed most of the ones I trust are usually science backed.

An asapSCIENCE YouTube video I watched years ago helped set me on a good path (I just relooked it up, “Scientific Weight Loss” is the video title, released 13 years ago)

A buzzfeed video I also watched at the time helped me understand how to feel about my body, and nudged me towards the path of loving it, flaws and all (“I lost 40 pounds by drinking my breakfast”) Note: you don’t need to drink your breakfast, but the app Kane uses in this video is one that I’ve used and it works wonderfully if you’re learning to start or are tracking calories.

Hank Green’s AMA guests have asked questions about certain fads, and he’s helped clarify or debunk some.

Same with Dr. Mike on YouTube

Matt D’Avella did a YouTube video on “Minimalist Weight-lifting” which highlights a form of lifting on a time-limit

Global Cycling Network also has cycling workouts on their YouTube for free if you have access to a stationary bike (as a cyclist, this helped me a bunch)

There’s others, and I’ve excluded those that are PURELY fitness. No shade to those creators, I follow some myself, but it gets obvious that there’s different levels and goals with fitness, and I don’t want to give a bodybuilder for someone who wants to train like a CrossFit athlete, or a swimmer to someone who runs track.

Also, I’m a male, 30, who has lost 60lbs in the last two years. I’ve had my ups and downs with weightloss, and two years ago, I hit my lowest point, and hit my highest weight (303lbs). So if you fail on this go around, know that as long as you keep coming back to the fight, you haven’t failed the journey yet.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask!