I program in, write about, and present on PHP, Python, Django and scaling websites.

So I’ve decided it’s high time I started eating healthy and losing some weight. While many overweight people are inclined to lose weight I feel that I’m a little different and will follow through unlike some. Read on for more…

I used to be skinny … really skinny. I came to college at a strapping 175 (keep in mind I’m 6′5”) – in other words I was a twig. I’m now pushing the scales at 240. Luckily, I’m tall and can hide the weight – usually when a person gains 70lbs you notice.

The Goal
So what am I going to do? Well any leader/manager knows you first have to set a realistic and quantitative goal. “Eating healthier” isn’t a goal, but on the other hand “Not eating red meat” is. “Losing weight” isn’t a goal, but “Losing 30 pounds” is. So for my first two goals I’m doing the above. I’m cutting out red meat and aiming to drop 30 pounds.

The Research
I’ve taken in a ton of information from various sites on the net and from a friend, who recently won his battle to become a healthy fit person (congrats!). Below is a mixture of what I’ve read and what I’ve been told helps people lose weight.

My first step is something that you don’t need to do, but something that was recommended as an “experience” and serves as a way to get you thinking in a healthier sense. You spend 10 days cleansing yourself. What does this mean? A few things …

• No red meat, fish, or pultry.
• No sweets.
• No dairy products.
• No refined grains (no bread).
• Minimal salt.
• No nicotene.
• No caffeine.
• No alcohol.
• No drugs (duh).
• No vinegar.

It seems a little restrictive, but since I like veggies then I’m ok. My friend recommends salads with olive oil some pepper and a little salt. For my first meal I took some romain lettuce, snow peas, a few slices of cucumber, and some of my friend’s olive oil mixture. I also threw in some water and a few grapes. I must say I’m pretty full. After the 10 days is up you just give up red meat mainly and stay away from fast food as much as possible.

Next for exercise you’ll find most sites recommend doing high cardio workouts and limiting your bulk building workouts at first. This makes sense to me – I don’t want to have big muscles hidden under a bunch of fat. Most books recommend you do some warmup, then a sustained workout keeping your heartrate at a certain point based on your weight, age, etc. – then you have a cool down period. Some use treadmills, but since I have a bad lower back I stick to the low impact stationary bikes. Pretty much the same workout only no impact. To begin with I decided to spend a little time in the weight room to get my muscles’ attention and then 20 minutes on the bicycle. When lifting I stick to the “back & bi’s”/”chest and tri’s” ruitine that is familiar to most people. I just do the main exercises and don’t get too crazy – my main goal there is to tone not become the Incredible Hulk.

The results
Well, thus far there aren’t much. I’ve been weighing myself daily, but am going to make that a weekly ritual.

Please note that I am not a fitness expert. I’m merely sharing some life experiences, this is NOT to be used as a guideline for you to lose weight. Consult your doctor before starting any exercise and/or diet.