Please, need assistance for diet/exercise

[Tek9Designs]

Hey guys,
New member to the forum, just started reading the other day. I know everyone's body and metabolism is different, but I wanted to get as many opinions as possible, and I see that there are quite a few intelligent people on here that could help me. I plan on talking to a trainer and a dietician soon, but decided to start here first. So here's my deal:

Ever since I was 5 years old, I've been a little overweight (oddly enough, its when my parents got divorced.) I would describe my body similar to Drew Carey's, skinnier arms and legs, then with the big stomach, lack of muscle. I'm 5'10'' and 185, not a whole lot of muscle. At my worst I was somewhere around 205-210, then dropped to 175-180 on a low carb diet, but fell off and since gained some weight back. I'm 19 years old now, and serious about doing all the right things to get in shape. As stated, I've had fairly good success with the low carb diet, and I wasn't really exercising with much regularity during it.

I want to trim down, maybe get to 155-165, and then start gaining muscle. I read that its better to put on the muscle first, but I'm just so sick of being fat I'm willing to concentrate on just the weight loss before concentrating on the muscle building. I figure I can put on a little bit of muscle anyways just by exercising (would be better than what I'm doing now).


So here's my question:

If I were to go with the low carb diet, what is a good way to start off? I have the Atkins book, so I can use that as guidelines as far as dieting, but what are good exercises and supplements to use? I'm thinking 45 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week, alternating between 15 minutes or so each of cycling to running then back to cycling.

I've never done weight training, so suggestions for a beginner would be lots of help. And also, what supplements to use? I read whey protein is a good one, alongside creatine, but I believe thats more for muscle building. I want to concentrate just on weight loss right now. Do any of those fat loss pills, (TrimSpa, Stacker, etc.) work to the point where they're worth the $$? I know its all about hard work in dieting/exercise, but I figure a little help can't hurt. I have Centrum multivitamins to take as well. Keep in mind I'm trying to circle everything around a low carb diet.

Any other dieting suggestions are also warmly welcomed, so please a little help to a beginner on where to start off at. Thanks guys, and hopefully this will go well where I can return in a few months for some pointers for gaining muscle!

[darkrelevance]

first of all, i dont think there is such a thing as a perfect diet. But there are some tips that i think would be useful.
if caloric intake is less than caloric usage, than you should be fine. if you generally use more energy than you consume, you're going to lose weight.

eat mostly fruits and vegetables, and stay away from foods high in fat.
things like atkins are a bad idea, because they include foods high in fat and cholestrol, that end up being worse for your health in the long run.
Keep in mind carbohydrates provide the body with energy, in the form of sugars. And if you ask me, a peice of whole grained bread is way better for you than a steak.

i think poultry/seafood + vegetable/fruits + a reasonable amount of carbohydrates is the best way to go.
and yea if you want to lose weight excercise lots. cardiovascular activity is the best way to go for you goals currently, which means running, biking, swimming etc...
oh yea, drink lots of water, dont forget the water.

and just as a side note, im pretty sure creatine just makes your muscles retain more water. i'm not 100% sure about this, but it seems to me that is pretty much pointless. it's just giving you the illusion you're gaining more muscle mass, when instead most of the mass you're gaining is all water weight? i dont know, if you ask me, as a rule of thumb, if you're not 100% sure about a supplement, you're better off just doing it the low tech way (lifting weights, excercising more.. etc)

[Tek9Designs]

Thanks for the advice.

I don't plan to go on Atkins as a long term option, just to knock the weight off. I mean, I understand how it works, by removing the carbohydrates your body's metabolism is increased and burns fat instead of the carbs. I think I'll try the Atkins for 2 months, combined with serious exercise, and if the results are good, maybe continue for a month or two more. Then, as my metabolism starts to slow back to normal, I'll switch my diet up to less calories through what you suggested.

As for the supplements, does anyone know much about supplements to give me advice?

Once again, I don't absolutely have my heart set on any methods yet, but I'm hearing all comments and will consider each option.

Thanks again

[Hardball]

try www.calorieking.com