I hate my body.

Eat healthily and frequently with smaller meals throughout the day. Exercise at least 2x a week strenuously. Walk or bike instead of driving to places.

Cardio workouts could help you a lot, too. Maybe try to run every other morning?

Changing how your body looks through fitness and diet is a somewhat big lifestyle shift. Try to stick to your routines as much as possible, but don't push yourself until you pass out or throw up — that's important to keep in mind.

It will take time, and it is best if it takes time, too. If you lose too much weight too fast, you can develop skin folds because your skin hasn't had time to adjust.

 

6'6", 240 doesn't sound all that bad. I'm just a few inches shorter than you, and while I'm in the 160-range, I'm fairly skinny. A little bit of muscle would see me around the 200s, so I can't imagine you're the hulking behemoth you feel like.

As Luthan said, a little cardio goes a long way.

 

I should add that, to lose weight, you need a deficit in calories. By simply existing, powering the brain and having minimal movement, powering the stomach and heart and lungs... you need about 1500 calories, or more. Working out makes your body use up calories. If you ate 2250 calories a day, but used up more than that, you'd slowly but steadily start to lose weight in a healthy way.

There is much more I could say on this topic, but perhaps I'll ask my friend to give you some advice either today or tomorrow.

 

I agree with previous posters. Cardio and eat healthier with fewer calories.

If you can't seem to find the motivation to take walks or something, take up a class. Any class that will get your heart pumping and your muscles burning. For example, I am taking up kickboxing and dance classes to help lose weight. I also would go every class because I don't want to lose any of my money. That is one suggestion to help lose weight.

With the eating healthier and smaller meals, try Weight Watchers. My mom does it and she is losing weight, plus she is learning to eat smaller portions. It tracks your foods and you only have to count points. No calories or anything. It helps. She loses about 3-4 pounds a week. Sometimes less, sometimes more. It depends on the exercise she did that week or how her body is.

I'm sure future posters will have better advice for you than I have. Good luck!

 

While I'm all for getting in shape and looking and feeling good when you can; don't feel like you are imminently unattractive just because you are bigger.

Even us smaller guys aren't always judgmental about size, you don't have to look one way to be attracted to other kind of guys. I'll tell you myself that personality goes more over looks for myself; I'd much rather meet up with a guy who is nice and confident than one who is just doubting themselves all the time.

You'll get there if you work at it but please don't do any drastic things to cut your weight like starving yourself or taking dietary pills and such, they just aren't safe.

Far as actual weight loss advice, plan out your meals; eat better (Not just in quantity but in quality, diary need and such) and exercise. You could try biking/swimming as a good cardio outtake as well as running and other forms. I'd advise going to a gym and getting some sort of routine set and juggling between activities every week or two; you don't want to over do one thing.

 

bodyrock.tv

 

It's easier said than done, but it does take discipline. I gained 25 lbs in 6 months after binging on homemade egg rolls. Oh, gosh! They were so delicious, but now, I'm paying for it

I started walking 5 miles 3-4 times a week. I also started riding a stationary bike for 90 mins a day; 45 mins in the morning and at night. Also, I do 5x5, which is a strength training workout (5 reps/5 sets.) Every week I add 5 lbs to what I'm lifting. I've been targeting my shoulders, chest, abdomen, and legs. I've been switching off each day depending on what part of my body I'm targeting that day. It's a lot, I know, but my brother is my personal trainer and I dislike him a lot for the time being

However, he's in great shape and the motivation is just what I need. I've also been eating extremely healthy; I watch Dr. Oz a lot, so you should check him out. I eat fish, chicken and ground turkey; tons of fruit, veggies, spinach and tons of guac!!! You wanna consume healthy fats and drink tons of water. If anything, take your time because you surely didn't gain weight overnight. Good luck and keep me updated on your progress

 

I'm 6'3'' and 200 lbs and I'm trying to gain a few more pounds. I think 240 is perfect for 6'6''.

 

Depending on if that weight is muscle or actually fat.

To NeverMeetAgain the best way to loose weight is cardio workouts, such as running, hiking, walking, swimming laps (which is the best), and riding bikes. Just get out there an work out at least 30 minutes a day everyday! Exercise is really important, but diet is more important then exercise. Eat healthy, I know that's easier said then done! If I was you I would find a gym that has a person there that can teach you the best workout and the best nutritional plan for you to loose weight! I know its not going to come off in a week, and trust me you don't want that. Weight loss is a delicate process that takes weeks if not months to achieve! If you take it 1 step at a time you will get to the size you want! If a lot of your weight is muscle though you are really close to the average weight of a 6' 6" person and you wouldn't be considered obese, maybe slightly overweight. Ideal weight for a male person that's 6' 6" is: 193 - 235 lbs. Good luck, and I hope you figure everything out and get to where you want to be!!

~Zack~

 

I was once 200 pounds and I am 5 feet tall... YEAH.
It toke me 2 years to lose 75 pounds. What did I do?
I exercised, I suggest Billy Blanks Tae bo work outs. Eat better! Go swimming, etc.
You don't want to go from one extreme to another. Don't go from eating 5 huge meals a day to 2 small ones! Not only is that bad for you but it will just make you hate it all!
Start small, eat more veg and fruit, than get rid of cookies and chips in your house, lower your sugar intake, etc.
It's hard to change, god I know that! And the first couple months will be hell, but you start to feel better about yourself and your body will feel better too. And you can't expect this to happen over night! Even if it did that would do so much damage to your body, me losing 75 pounds in 2 years is considered fast!
It's a lifestyle change you need to do, not a diet, cause once your off that diet you will fall right back into your bad old habits.
I have been thin now for a year and it's so hard, cause sometimes I wish I was still fat so I didn't have to work out and I could eat whatever I want, but in the end I am so much happier with my body.
But also, you aren't in bad shape ! You have a good weight / height ratio.
Good luck :3

 

It really comes down to self discipline. You have to physically force yourself to exercise and work out every day (or at least 3 times a week) no matter how hard it is mentally. You can't even think about it, just make it a habit every day and you'll get used to the routine. I would highly recommend getting a gym membership. It doesn't have to be a fancy gym, but just a basic one. Some gyms have RPM classes (Otherwise known as Cycling or "Spinning"), it's basically an indoor cycling class. That's really good for losing weight.

You also have to completely cut out all unhealthy foods. By that I mean soda, unhealthy drinks, junk food (fast food is a huge NO), deserts, etc. Also low portion sizes. Diet is really important but it'll take a LONG time to drop a significant amount of weight if all you do is diet. You need regular exercise as bad as it sounds.

 

You may wish to opt for something more filling. Brown rice is good, for instance. On that note, brown or whole wheat bread is much, much better than white bread, and brown rice is better than white rice, in terms of health.

Don't be so extreme, as that is harsh on both you and your body. Make sure you're getting enough calories to properly function, too. You also need good levels of other things, like salt and sugar and fats.

 

I would recommend that you read Gary Taubes' book "Why we get fat", I lost 20 lbs. just cutting out carbs and not combining eating sugars around the same time as fats.

I also cut out eating fruit after 2 PM, and I often eat brown rice (whole grains only) and proteins in the evening with veggies such as broccoli (no carbs at all, for the first little while until goal weight achieved).

A note about broccoli, you lose the colon cancer-fighting properties of broccoli when you steam or boil them, it kills an essential enzyme, so I add Dijon mustard to the broccoli which contains horseradish which has the missing enzyme!

As for fats, the nutrition science is terrible, eating fats actually kills your appetite, you simply can't eat too much fat, you reach satiety (satisfaction) very quickly.

Bananas, on the other hand make you much hungrier a few hours later (the insulin rise from bananas and similar high glycemic-index carbs and the subsequent insulin crash is responsible for making you hungry).

In other words, it's not focusing on specific foods, but timing and context which is important. The book explains this in very convincing detail.

 

If you are going to loose weight you can either;

Cut back on Food

or

Exercise.

I suggest you learn to eat less first because exercise only works if you are consistent and proper with it. You can exercise all you want, but if you still are eating more than you are burning you aren't going to lose weight.

At least with learning to count calories and eat proper you can see how much you are eating daily, and then adjust that as you go a long the day.

I am pretty tiny and eat a decent amount, but it is more spread out through the day. I don't normally sit and stuff my face with a lot of food at once, but I am constantly snacking so I don't feel hungry, and I still feel filled by doing that. People tend to eat three huge meals a day, and get into the habit of over stuffing themselves by doing this.

When you go a long time between meals you are going to stuff your face at every meal because you will be hungry. Chances are you are going to eat more than you need by doing this because you are so hungry at dinner.

If you are just snacking all day you will never eat more than you need because you are eating based on your hunger and aren't waiting for that massive supper where you will eat a days worth of food in one go.

 

NeverMeetAgain, As far as strength training goes, there are a lot of great exercises you can do that use your own body as resistance instead of fancy machines. They work just as well if not better because they usually incorporate balance and increase coordination and body awareness. Also, i totally get not being able to afford some of the healthier foods. Im living in the south on a tight budget, rural west virginia right now. The way i think of it is to buy quality over quanitity. Think of purchasing nutrients instead of calories. By buying more expensive but healthier foods you wont end up needing to eat as much because you get all you need from less food. You can end up spending only a slight amout more money and eat a lot healthier. Also, though i totally understand if its too extreme for you, but we dumpster almost all of our food. In fact we just got back from a trip with a trunk load of fresh lettuce, cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, zuchini, salad dressing, even meat, and much more. I even scored some sundried tomatoes and an avacado They throw out tons of perfectly good food and if you know where to look you can get huge amounts of amazing fresh food for free. Ive saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars and gotten some fantastic food by doing this. If your super leary about it theres an awesome documentary called DIVE that does a great job explaining the ins and outs. Just a suggestion

 

Apply for a membership to your local gym, I used to do that when I was superficial about myself and it actually worked really well considering I was about 226lbs at a height of 5"7. I am now 165lbs at a height of 5"10 and I'm quite comfortable with myself.

 

First of all, congratulations on the decision to better yourself! You'll love how you start to look and feel soon!

My two cents on exercise: while weightlifting is AWESOME for both men and women, you don't have to have a bunch of equipment to get in shape. I don't know what level of fitness you're starting at, but you can take the summer as a sort of slim-down and conditioning period where you get plenty of intense cardio and do body-weight exercises to get used to putting stress on your muscles. Push ups, core exercises, squats, lunges, etc. can be done with or without weights, and are effective either way. Exercising without a machine to guide you also improves balance and works stabilizing muscles.

When an exercise becomes fairly easy for you to do, add some weight or resistance. Hand weights are usually pretty cheap, or you can improvise with stuff you have around the house. (fill a 2-liter bottle with sand or gravel for a weight, bench press a niece or nephew, etc) Just make sure it's easy to hold on to.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/15/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/

Intelligent Workout Construction | Workout Generator

That first link is to a great site that has A TON of info on fitness and diet. It also focuses on getting fit without a gym and without feeling deprived and miserable. The second one is a cool little tool that creates workouts for you. It's pretty helpful if you want to change things up and try new exercises, and it won't generate exercises that require weights or props if you tell it not to.

As far as the diet goes, I feel your pain because I was raised in the south, too. Fried everything- ugh! I'm not sure about your financial situation, but it's not impossible to eat healthy on a shoestring budget. It does help if you know your way around the kitchen, though. Just about anything that can be fried can also be baked or steamed. Get some staples like brown rice, beans, fresh or frozen veggies (whatever is cheaper in your area), and fresh or frozen chicken breast or ground turkey. Throw in a few spices or sauces that I'm sure your folks have already, and you've got a lot of healthy, simple meals.

Also, if you fish or hunt (or your folks do), you can bake some lemon-pepper fillets. Put venison or wild boar in an oven bag with carrots and potatoes for an hour or so and be prepared to fight off everyone else in your house.

Best of luck! Keep us posted!