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I need help coming up with a weight loss plan. I hit my highest weight at 290lbs! I got back down to 280 by watching what I eat but I started gaining it back again. I need help! What foods should I eat and what kind of exercises are good for weight loss, weight lifting or cardio? Could somebody help me make a weekly plan?

Keep in mind, I have high blood pressure and I am hypoglycemic.

Thanks!

Dave Cribbs
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    Given your conditions probably the best and most effective plan is to sit down with a registered dietician and learn what the best diet is for you. Re: exercise, several questions address getting back in shape. This one has links for strength training and cardio progressions. – BackInShapeBuddy Nov 16 '14 at 22:58

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When it comes to weight loss the main thing is to be in a slight caloric deficit. Generally speaking: Sugar is empty calories and should be avoided. Fat contains a lot of calories (9 kcal/gram) so should be kept fairly low.

Carbs and protein contains the same amount of calories (4 kcal/gram). However protein increase feelings of fullness. Therefore increasing the amount of protein (fish or meat or certain vegetables) and decreasing the amount of carbs may help. However you should consult your doctor to make sure this diet is safe for you.

Walking and or swimming are low impact but can burn a lot of calories.

Weigthlifting is also very good for weight loss but may be dangerous for you. Better consult your doctor.

HIT is also good for weight loss but may be heavy on the heart and the joints if you are seriously out of shape.

These are some general starting point advice. However procede with caution. Given your conditions maybe you should read up on nutrition. I notice there are some nutrition courses available freely on www.coursera.org.

Andy
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First off, because you have High Blood Pressure, you already know you have to stay away from high amounts of sodium because of the caused water retention. If you keep your water and fluid intake high and your sodium low, your high blood pressure may even decrease. Because of hypoglycemia, obviously this makes things a little bit more complicated. Since I am not an expert on diabetic and blood sugar related specialized diets, I do not want to tell you the wrong things. But what I can tell you is cardiovascular activity for a longer time with medium intensity will surely get you the best results. Once you begin to sweat, that is the optimal effort that you want to put out at time. Over time, you will begin to sweat later and further into your workout because of progression into weight loss and cardio-vascularity. So for instance, if you were to workout today and begin to sweat at 50% effort at 10 minutes in, step it up a small bit and continue to work out consistently. If you feel light headed, take a break and eat a snack.

So if you consume more water, less sodium, and concentrate on more endurance focused activities, you will definitely experience weight loss.

PS, be patient, these things take time.

Casey LeClair
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    There is a lot of evidence that shows resistance training has a bigger caloric impact that aerobic exercise for most people. – Eric Nov 16 '14 at 00:22
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    Resistance training is a hell of a lot less useful if your endurance is low and you can only do a set or two. It's better to start out with some cardio training to help your heart, then you can focus on the calorie burning. But your heart will burn more calories the healthier it is. So regardless, you are getting the same result. – Casey LeClair Nov 16 '14 at 02:19
  • Your heart has nothing to do with burning calories except that it is another muscle (Aside from the delivery of O2 to working muscles, which is where it all happens). High HR != high calorie burn. And in this case, @EricKaufman is correct. Resistance training and high intensity exercise often produces higher calorie burning effects. – JohnP Nov 17 '14 at 20:08
  • Do you realize what you just said? High HEART rate is high calorie burn. If your heart can't handle being pushed to a certain extent, then there won't be as much of a calorie burn. And that's based on heart health and strength. – Casey LeClair Nov 17 '14 at 20:11
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    No. High heart rate does not necessarily = high calorie burn. You also need to stay away from bro-science and superficial causality associations. – JohnP Nov 17 '14 at 20:12
  • So you take back your last statement? – Casey LeClair Nov 17 '14 at 20:13
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    Nothing to take back. High intensity activity promotes high calorie burn. A high heart rate from HIIT is an effect, not a cause. Put it this way: When you first start intensity training, your HR is 200 and you are burning 800 calories an hour. As you get more fit, now at the same activity level, your HR is 160, so 20% lower. Are you also now only burning 640 calories an hour? – JohnP Nov 17 '14 at 22:23
  • No because you have to account for the excess muscle that you have acquired by being more fit, which costs more energy to work. But just like those muscles, your heart is also more fit. You are assuming that I was speaking in leaps and bounds higher with a healthier heart. I was directly stating that a healthier heart will burn more calories as a result of being a more toned and strengthened muscle. We are both correct, but are saying different things. – Casey LeClair Nov 17 '14 at 22:27