I am starting a new category dedicated to fitness. I’ve been sitting behind a desk for 6 years, and it has taken it’s toll on my energy, mind, and body. Three months ago I was at my worst,310 pounds. I would lose breath going up stairs, moving furniture, or even trying to take a brisk walk. I felt like the poeple from the movie “Walle”.

Since then I’ve decided to make changes in my lifestyle and stop letting the fact that I’m chained to an office chair 8 hours a day keep me weak. I’m now down to 287 and dropping. Here is what I have been doing to make a difference.

1. Calorie Control.  The math is very simple. You can eat your weight in pounds multiplied 100 to maintain your weight. Eat less then that number and you lose, eat more and you gain. So I was 310 pounds, which meant I could eat 3,100 calories a day. In order to lose, I starting eating a 2,000 calorie diet.  This worked for me, but everyone is different.

2. Don’t Sleep with a full Stomach. In the USA most of us eat our biggest meal last. We load up on a big meal then crash for the night, or even worse, stay up and eat more later on. In order to maintain this lifestyle I started to work out after dinner. 30 minutes on free weights every other day, and 30 minutes of cardio everyday.

Here are some good examples of free weight exercises with video demonstrations:
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/strengthening/free_weights.php

With cardio the trick is to keep your heart rate up, but not too high as to strain yourself. Don’t stop moving when resting, make sure to keep walking even when your out of breath. If you are breathing very heavy try putting your hands behind your head for a few breaths to give your lungs the most room possible.

My cardio routine:
a. Jogging
b. Short distance sprints
c. Jumping jacks
d. cross over steps

Be sure to switch it up as much as possible and don’t stop moving.

Use this online caculator to find out how many calories you could burn with a 30 minute workout:
http://www.internetfitness.com/calculators/calburncalc.htm

3. Google Food! Are you about to eat something new or something that doesn’t have nutritional facts. Search the food on google. You can easily figure out exactly what you are about to eat.

4. Little Things add up. Take every opportunity you can to walk a little farther or make extra effort. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park in the farthest parking spot, get off the bus a stop early, or anything that may add more steps.

5. Motivate Yourself. The hardest part for most people is to get motivated. Some things that I do to keep myself in check are:

a. Weigh your self every day.
b. Get competitive with others trying to get in shape.
c. Visualize what you want to achieve.
d. Plan activities for when your in shape (going to the beach, playing a sport, fitting into old clothes)
e. Whenever you pass up an opportunity to eat an unhealthy food, count it as a victory.

6. Work out in the office. If you can do this without getting your self in trouble, it is really great. Set challenges for your self to do X amount of push ups every hour, or go for a light jog during your lunch hour.

7. Don’t drink corn syrup. No soda’s, energy drinks, or fake sugar based drinks. Stick to real fruit juice and water. I’ve been drinking crystal light when I want a little flavor. By cutting those types of drinks you basically cut 200-500 calories out of your day right off the bat.

8. Don’t rationalize “It’s okay to eat this piece of pie because I’m going to eat celery for the next few days.” No it’s not. It’s fine to snack once in a while, however, don’t get into the habit of rationalizing away your diet and work out routine.

9. Conclusion I haven’t even scratched the surface on this topic but I hope that I was able to give some information to anyone chained to a desk like I am. Remember if you really want to change, It’s not by dieting, but actually changing the way you live your life.