I'm a 37 year old EMT/dispatcher looking to gain muscle while losing some fat. I never really had a problem with my being overweight, even as a kid. It actually seemed to be in my favor as I played football. The first time I realized what I was doing to myself was the day my doctor placed the word 'morbidly' in front of obese in my chart. I was so devastated, I think that I ate 3 whole bag of chips to cheer me up. The next time was when I was flying to a family reunion and the had to get an extension so the seatbelt would fit. So as soon as I got back I got my 352 lb. self up and started pounding on a heavy bag. That was 1 1/2 years ago and I was able to lose 82 pounds.

I came across this website in January, but I got discouraged around that time because I stopped losing weight. But now I'm hitting the gym and started a free weight lifting program for about a month now. My biggest battle is just trying to make better choices with my eating. And to make sure that I eat enough to gain muscle but less enough to lose weight still. It's a war but one I hopefully will get to win, if I don't run out of patience first.

Any advice would be welcomed and appreciated.

Hey Wil! You've come to the right place for advice and support.

Good for you for trying again...and don't get discouraged. Plateaus happen, usually because your body has become more efficient and is ready for a change--whether it's starting a lifting program, or adding HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), or changing your diet around.

Oh, and regardless of how much you still have to go, losing 82 pounds simply rocks! Good luck!

First, let me say: "Thundercats, HO!" Okay, now that I got that out of my system...

Welcome! This is one of the best places on the 'net for support and advice, like Kristen said. I'm glad to hear you're trying again! That's terrific. Whatever your needs, you'll find people here who can help you. Get yourself some good motivators, and perhaps you will also motivate someone to commit and reach their goals. I wish you all the success you can handle, and then some.

Losing 82 pounds is amazing. Use that as motivation.

As to the making better choices about eating, there are some great threads on here about food choices. I encourage you to check them out.

LOL @ Dave. I'm a big kid at heart.

Thanks you all for the support. Just one thing, what exactly is HIIT?

Thanks, I'm gonna check that out

Hey there! It's good to see you're back!
It's awesome to see people take charge and start getting in shape! Here's an easy Nutritional Program to follow that still allows you to eat good food at a resturant etc. Nutritional Progam for Rapid Weight Loss

Here's a couple of things in the program:
For men use an 8" dinner plate, & for women only use a 6" or smaller plate. Divide the plate with imaginary lines into thirds. (like cutting a pie into 3 slices).

-Fill up one section of the plate with a high quality lean source of protein such as egg whites, chicken, of fish.

-Fill the next third with (green) steamed vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, green beans etc.

-Fill the last third with an unprocessed healthy complex carbohydrate such as brown rice, whole grain pasta, sweet potato, yam, corn, etc.

You can do a variation of this for each meal, but keep the plate size the same, and try not to heap the plate up like it's your last meal!

Don't keep junk food in your house! You can say, "Oh, it's for my kids / spouse & I won't eat it." But do they need it either? NO!
Try to get rid of anything in your life that will distract you from your final goal. You want to make this as easy as possible for yourself, right?v

Make the goal worth reaching!
I heard one suggestion that if you need to lose 10 pounds, you should give a friend $500.- with the instructions that every pound you lose, they will refund you $50.- You can then take this reward you earned and spend it on something that you really want! (Make sure they are a good enough friend and that you are able to trust them with that kind of money. Don't you think you'll be a little more devoted if you're going to lose $500.- if you don't succeed? Surround yourself with uplifting people who truly care about your results!

High Intensity Interval Training HIIT is pretty intense and possibly dangerous to start with. If you don't feel light headed etc. it's probably okay though... Just be safe.

Loosing 82 pounds already really is impressive Wil! Remember to keep enjoying having made that much progress already. Just think of how many people out there never find the discipline to loose any weight and keep it off, let alone 82 pounds. That's quite an accomplishment!

Reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass is a great goal, but damn if it isn't hard. Don't get frustrated with yourself if you don't progress as quickly as you would like. The more I read about it, the more it seems that the majority of people will have to work on one or the other to actually make progress, not both at once. But hell, all cardio and no heavy lifting make us rather dull, I think. Good luck! Make sure to keep updating us on your progress, and what works/what doesn't.