Originally Posted by WarChild

I'm down 51 pounds since January 1. Mind you, that was the worse I've ever been out of shape and I've been in rock solid shape several times in my life.

There's no secret to it, it just takes heart.

1) Cardio exercise. 1 hour a day, 6 days a week. Get a cardio meter so you can see where your heart rate actually is. You want to stay in your ideal range to burn the most fat. Too low and you're not doing enough, too high and you're burning more carbs than fat.

2) Eat properly and sensibly. Cut out as many bad carbs (sugars) and fats as you possibly can. Count calories this will really help you in the begining. With your body type, I'd shoot for around 2000 calories (no more than 2200) and less than 30 grams of fat each day. You can acomplish this and still eat tasty meals. I also suggest taking one day each week to eat whatever you like, but try to keep your portion sizes to a reasonable level. You have to reward yourself or you will burn out. Feel free to hit me up on ICQ for meal ideas and to start here's a calorie chart: http://www.ntwrks.com/~mikev/chart1.html

3) If you still have the time and energy after the first two, the most important two, then life weights. This will inrease your lean muscle mass which will in turn increase your metabolism. The faster your metabolism, the more calories your body will burn naturally each day.