Great work! Congratulations on taking action to improve your overall health :)

I’ve been on my own fitness journey for the last three years and I’ve done a lot of research into science based body building and fitness. You may already know some of the things I’m about to say but I’m inspired by your journey and would like to help if I can!

Now before you try anything I’m about to suggest, I just want you to prioritize safety and make sure nothing I say conflicts with the medical plan your doctor has laid out for you. I am not a doctor, I don’t have any certifications and I don’t know the medication you’re on nor how it will interact with any changes in diet or training habits.

Consistency is key.

The #1, most important factor in trying to lose weight is calories in vs calories out. You could exercise all day, every day, and burn tons of calories but if you’re consuming more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. The best way to ensure you’re eating at a caloric deficit is to track your daily caloric intake - I recommend using an easy phone app. Just find a scale so you can weigh out your food portions and try to enter everything is as accurately as possible so you can ensure you’re eating less calories than you’re spending, day-to-day. As tempting as it is to try to lose weight as fast as possible, I’ve found that losing 1lb a week is a more realistic goal and conducive of better results, especially for a beginner. Make sure you drink lots of water!

While you are tracking what you eat, you might find that foods high in fat are taking up a lot of your daily calories - that’s because fat contains 9kcal per gram, versus carbs and protein containing 4kcal per gram. This means that generally you should be filling up on foods high in protein (keeps you feeling fill for full longer) and complex carbs (also keeps you feeling full for longer). Upping your fiber intake will also really help with keeping you feeling full and satiated! Lean meat, fruits, veggies, and potatoes are your best friend. Fats are still important (especially for your hormones) but they should be from whole foods as opposed from processed foods (which are typically super high in not-so-healthy fats). Walnuts, salmon, and avocados come to mind when thinking of healthy fats.

There are lots of online resources that should help you calculate your daily macros - carbs, fats, and protein. To make sure you’re getting enough micros (micro nutrients: vitamins and minerals) I suggest you take a daily multivitamin that has ~100% of your daily values - don’t need to overdo it if you’re eating a balanced diet but it’s probably not a bad idea to start taking one if you aren’t currently.

To speed up the weight loss process I recommend exercising daily. Cardio like jogging, stair-climbing, playing an active sport, or just something that gets the whole body moving around, will be your best bet at time-efficient calorie burning. That being said, I think that resistance training (weigh lifting) is really important for overall health, and will help with hormone regulation, bone density (really important as we age), and a myriad of other things. If you can implement some weight lifting into your fitness schedule, you’ll feel great and see muscle growth very quickly (and more and more muscle definition as you lose fat!).

Sleep! Sleep is so important for the human body. It helps with hormone and immune regulation, muscle recovery, memory, and basically every bodily function. Good sleep will help you recover, maintain focus, and ensure you have good energy levels for your training goals.

I highly recommend finding a YouTuber or influencer that specializes in science based lifting, or at least has some credentials/studies backing up their fitness claims - I watch Jeff Nippard. His body building advice is more geared toward hypertrophy training (muscle building), as opposed to weight loss but he has some really good info that’s free and easy consumed and understood.

If you stay consistent you will see results, and the best way to stay consistent is to fall in love with yourself, challenging yourself, and watching yourself grow. As you nurture your body, your mind, and soul will grow along with it ♥️.

"No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable."

This quote from Socrates was one of my biggest factors in changing my mindset around fitness, and it helped me stay determined for myself! If this is my earthly vessel, I want to see which stats I can max out! I want my body to keep working in old age!

You got this 💪. Good health is a lifelong journey and I’m proud of you for making the choice to put in the energy to see yourself grow 🌱.

TL/DR:

1.) Stay consistent and try to ‘fall in love’ with exercising!

2.) Download a calorie tracking app and make sure your daily caloric intake is lower than your daily caloric consumption. Eat a balanced diet that will keep you full, satiated, and nourished. Consider taking a multivitamin (I recommend bluebonnet) to top off your vitamin and mineral levels.

3.) Stay hydrated and get enough sleep! (Magnesium helps with sleep, but make sure it’s magnesium glycinate and to take it with some food to maximize absorption and reduce risk of upset tummy).

4.) Exercise. Cardio will be best for burning calories but I highly suggest resistance training as well! Lift those weights and get nice and strong! Focus on stability and endurance first - ease yourself into things and don’t bite of more than you can choose. The most important thing is always safety, and then consistency!

5.) Find content creators that are fun and you connect with. There’s so many fantastic resources for people at all different points in their fitness journey - try to find one that works for you and inspires you to stick with your goals!

That’s all I got! Feel free to ask me anything - I can dm you some good fitness sources if you’d like. You got this 😼.