Hello, I've been losing weight recently and wanted to share the strategies I've developed that seem to be aiding with that. Couple things to get out of the way:

• Calculate your BMI. Yes, it's flawed. Who cares?
  • Ex. I am 6'4" and weigh (as of this morning) 298lbs.
  • BMI is calculated using this formula:
    • m(kg)/h(m)²
  • Or in yankee units:
    • (m(lb)/h(in)²) * 703
  • So, my BMI is 36.3
• Be honest. You aren't gonna get anywhere if you lie. We're all fat here.
• This article is not for anorexia sufferers. Go eat a taco.

If you're a fat guy (BMI 30+) you know as well as I that you overeat. There simply isn't a way around it. All ya gotta do is not overeat. Often, anyway.

I'm a huge fan of pasta dishes. I could eat them all day and not complain. Problem is, when I eat them I can really pack in the calories compared to more filling dishes. Because of this, I've had to avoid having pasta every night. Try to apply this logic to your habit foods. If you have trouble with snacking, either get some discipline or get those snacks out of the house.

I've been a notorious do-nothing my entire life. While I'm damn good at computing, I've neglected my body for far too long. Lemme give ya a story.

The year was 2015. Freshman year of high school. I had moved previously to this so was quite new to this whole thing. I hastily joined the marching band, and signed up for a couple of other classes. Most odd of those classes I joined was Weight Training. Puberty had not hit me yet, so you can imagine how odd it was for me to be there. I could not (and I remember this quite clearly) bench just the bar. I swear they packed some extra sand in that thing or something because it was not (to my young brain) 45lbs. It was.

Since that odd class experience I've not been super into weight training. Until this year. Now I've gotten after it and can confidently say that I should have done this sooner. My advice for people new to it: start with the Stronglifts 5x5. It's a pretty decent full-body workout routine that's low-maintenance (you only need to work out 3 times a week) and can give you some nice beginner gains. Personally I used it for about a month and then got really tired by the end of the week, so I've switched to a PPL routine (Push, Pull, Legs) that's been pretty good so far. Currently my workout plan looks like this:

• Day 1: Push
  • 3x13 Bench (85lbs)
  • 3x13 Overhead Press (60lbs)
• Day 2: Pull
  • 3x13 Rows (60lbs)
  • 3x13 Curls (60lbs)
• Day 3: Legs
  • 3x13 Squats (no extra weight)
  • 10x1 Deadlifts (130lbs)
• Day 4: Break

And then repeat. If this looks like greek to you, go read about these workouts on Stronglifts. Their website is a damn good resource for learning about form.

If you complete a set with good form all the way through, add on 5lbs for next time. So far I've enjoyed it a lot more but getting used to working the same muscle groups twice for one workout has been a little odd. I feel much better though. Sometimes on that break day I do 10-12 minutes of cardio on my elliptical.

Go buy some creatine. Seriously, this shit is something else. I feel not only stronger, but am mentally more acute. I'm awake for longer parts of the day (even without caffeine), I do better with tests, I'm more active during work. Currently I take 1.25g of Creatine HCl (hydro-chloride) in the morning with breakfast. This might have something to do with my ADHD meds as well, but I found myself quite a bit less mentally acute before taking creatine.

Try it out, to my knowledge there's not well-known devastating side-effects other than having to drink more water and maybe having some gastro-intestinal issues.

Lose weight, loser. Get after it, no one else will for you.

Email me if you know about any other supplements that help with brain health. I am quite interested in this field of medical research.