Lol.. just a little humor to start off the thread..
But on to business.. I am 18 and everyone including myself around me is worried about me and my weight. I am 5' 8" and weight about 307 Lbs. Its disgusting to me. Even though I am 307, I do not look it to anyone, so thats a little bit of a relief lol. Anyways I have dieted before a few times and it worked to lose 20 or so lbs. but I always end up hitting a milestone and just stop the diet and exercise.. My problem is a bit weird considering Im a guy, most people laugh cause only girls say this, but its my buttox and my thighs. I can fit into a 42-44 but have to were 48 because my legs and but area is just to big. "Please do not laugh" lol.. But I guess what Im getting to is I restarted my diet and everything, worked out the last two days, am going to today, and wanted to know if I should strictly stick to cardio now, and or do some cardio with little weight lifting so my body tones up a bit while losing weight.. or lose the weight first and then tone up???

Weight lifting can be as beneficial as cardio for losing weight, so there is no reason to choose one or the other - do both.

I think the most important thing if you want to lose LOTS of weight, is firstly not to set your targets too high. Come up with a training schedule that you will stick to long-term, rather than a really intense program that you give up after a few weeks.

Once you get used to the schedule, work on gradually increasing the difficulty - lifting slightly heavier weights, running (or cycling) harder or longer. Over time you should see the weight come down, though be aware that gaining muscle (which is inevitable when doing weights OR cardio) will limit your weight loss - don't focus on the scales as much as how you look and feel.

You also need to keep your diet in check. I imagine at 307lbs that you eat a fair amount of calories each day. Again the trick is to gradually reduce this, rather than suddenly eating very little (this can cause your body to store more fat as a 'starvation response' to you eating too little). Try and cut down on fast food, and anything with lots of sugar.

If you are dedicated to losing the weight, then have self-belief that it *will* happen, but it does take time and effort. :)

Will Thank you! Already boosting my confidence, as I have been doing exactly what you said Although.. The dieting I must admit I drastically cut down, I do not know exactly how to get enough calories, and when to cut down and everything. I really want to lose weight, as I am going to have a baby in the spring and I want to be around for my child for as long as I can live and be healthy! Plus! I just landed a job at the Marriott cooking in the kitchen, which will be 8 hour shifts, non stop running around, that too would be a good form of cardio and weight loss? AS LONG AS I DON'T EAT THE FOOD!! ;)

The biggest hump of diet is feeling like you are ON a diet. That implies somehting that you will eventually get off of. Changing the way that you eat permanently is what will assure you lasting success. You don't have to deprive yourself of things you love forever, but make the junkier foods an occasional, small treat rather than a dietary staple. If you eat more nutritious foods, your body will be able to USE more of it and will be less likely to store it as fat.
And try not to change everything at once. Start with removing small things, smaller portions, including more lean proteins and vegetables. Eventually you'll have a clean diet that you can live with. Truly, it's just a matter of building healthy habits. If Oprah can do it... ;)

Don't eat between meals. I am in a totally different situtation, or was. I weighed 185lbs at 5'11". I dieted some just because of the way I felt. I felt like I was being dragged down. Don't ask why. So I just started eating about 2 meals a day, sometimes 3.. and stopped eating snacks, etc. I lost some weight doing that. Now I am at a comfortable weight and am starting to work out to get more tone in my body. It is going to take a long time my friend, so don't lose faith! You NEED this diet... Not only will it make you feel better, it also gives you a MUCH better chance at less health problems when you are older.

Don't eat between meals.

I believe it's actually most beneficial to eat more regular, smaller meals, than just 2 or 3 large meals a day. Not snacking is good advice if it means cutting out 'bad' foods that people normally snack on - fast food, crisps, sugary drinks - but better still is to have 6 small meals a day, each of which is quite healthy. Snacking can be ok if it's healthy food like vegetables, providing of course that the total calories don't add up to too much - but the beauty of snacking on vegetables etc is that they make you feel full, whilst actually not providing that many calories, so they can help you eat less!

This turned into another diet thread lol!
But please everyone focus on the main subject here, the exercising aspect of losing weight. Im not sure if I lift while trying to lose I will lose weight but still look big because now Im forming muscle while trying to get rid of fat, and just do cardio, or do cardio and light weight lifting?

You should do both. even though you won't make the scale move much because your building muscle by lifting weights, you will be burning more fat and changing your body comp. weightlifting will add lbs, muscle lbs, because it weights more then fat. The more muscle you have the more fat you'll burn, even after your done working out. I would recomend starting out light, with both cardio and weights, and gradually increase each week. by the end of the month, you'll be amazed at what you can do. You want to start out slow because you don't want to burn out. And by gradually increasing each week you'll begin to be more comfortable with working out that it'll be easier to maintain a routine, and it will become part of your life. If you need ideas on how to workout and what to do, visit your local library, there are books, cd's and vhs's that are full of info, and fun, and free. good luck, and stop by often if ya have questions, or even updates on your progress!

Hi,

It is a good idea to talk to a fitness professional (well reputed in the local club, not the celebrity one). I've got a strong feeling that they will come up some meal plan with a big list of alternatives so that you don't get stuck with limited food choices, similarly they come up with exercise plan for both short term to lose weight rigorously and a long term keep fit plans.

Personally, I've seen 3-4 folks around my home and work who have lost big whopping pounds and turned back to a very average looking fit.
Good luck with you, you will get there....
Jay.