Hey guys,
  Never really been into the whole fitness thing, so I need some pointers.

I'll start from the begining.

I am about 6'3" or 6'4" I go right about 225lbs. My legs are in decent shape. Not to much fat on them, same as my arms.. My "fat spots" are my chest/stomach/abs area.

Basically I am sick of being a fat ass, and need to get in shape.

Where should I start? I need tips on everything, from diet to exercises. Only problem is. I work Rotating swing shift, so the local gym isn't really a good choice. Can I do anything at home to get me into shape? I'm not looking to get totally ripped, just look decent.

Hope you guys can help me out.

Thanks!

-Jared

Private Joker, you can significantly change your fitness level by changing your diet.  Eat six times per day; breakfast in the morning, a small snack before lunch, lunch, two small snacks between lunch and dinner, and finish with dinner.  Carbs after 6:00PM are bad.  Drink water instead of pop.  Fast food is actually O.K., but avoid this for dinner.  This diet basicly keeps your metabolism up from the time you wake up until you go to sleep.  As far as fitness, get yourself a fitness club membership.  It pays to look good, and looking good takes money.  As far as weight training goes, work one muscle group per day.  For example, monday-chest, tuesday-upper back & neck, wednesday-arms & shoulders, friday-lower back and abs, saturday-chest.  Do about 7-10 different excercises per day, with each excercise at 3 sets of 5-12 reps depending on what your goals are.  You will find that this takes about an hour per day, so your busy/inconsistant schedule won't stop you.  Don't forget to get in a ton of cardio.  I work in the fitness industry and I see a lot of my fellow employees with huge bodies, but not an athletic bone in their powerhouse bodies.  Weightlifting is not a fuccking sport, you freakshow muscleheads.  

I gave up pop a year ago and within a month, I had dropped 10 lbs.  Not to mention pop is horrible for your teeth and gut.

Keving67

Start running today! Find a local high school track...do a mile for a start(if you can only do a quarter mile, that is a start too).
Run 4 days a week and keep it up. It will take two weeks for the running program to become habitualized for you.  You will build up to at least three miles on your runs(your final goal will be 5 miles three days per week).
When you are in reasonable condition(around the two mile run mark), start doing wind sprints on the last run of the week. Do 3x100 yd. sprints for a beginning. Build up to where you can do 8.
You will also do as many push ups, ab crunches, and chin ups as you can, twice a week. Don't be intimidated by a weak beginning. To be a fighting man, you will start from rock bottom, and transform yourself into a steely machine.
Don't bother with martial arts or any of that crap. If you can, buy a heavy bag, and pound the crap out of it for at least 3 rounds of 3 minutes each. Shadow box, practice punching upward while laying on your back. Get a partner and spar with him. (I'm a black belt--since 1984--and martial arts are for dummies---train with what you know to work). Go to a boxing school.
Forget biking and stuff. Run. The military has been doing it for centuries(read ancient Roman history).

Well, I'll tell you what I do....I'm 6'3", and about six weeks ago I was around 320lbs. Generally wore 3x-4x shirts, and 48" relaxed fit or 50" pants.

Monday-Wednesday-Friday is cardio. I only do between 20 and 25 minutes. Trick is I vary my intensity and it is a HARD 25 minutes. Baseline is at 4.0mph, and I range up to 6.0 and beyond (with a 1.5 to 2.0 incline), then back down and back up several times. Not pretty, seeing the fat guy doing 6.5MPH. If you use the calorie counter in the treadmill computer I usually burn about 380 or so calories....which would take me over 45 minutes just doing 4.0.

Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday is weight training. Upper Body (Bi, Tri, Chest, Shoulder, Back) or
Lower Body (Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs). Usually takes an hour, between 7 and 10 exercises....pretty much what's been listed. Most of my fat is in the same area, except a bit more in the legs for me.

I can't tell you what I weight now....I HATE looking at scales, counting pounds, etc. I can say this.......I'm wearing shirts that I have not worn in over 2 years....a 2x is comfortable. My 48" jeans look like the baggy style of the early nineties...a 46" is just a 'tad' tight on me. My goal at 12 weeks was to hit a 44 waist and lose 25 pounds....looks like I'll definitely hit ONE of those goals.

Diet has already been covered. What I'd recommend is get a decent size water bottle, fill it up at home, and bring it to work. I use a 56oz one with a thermal cover to keep the water cold. I usually down two of those each day. When you have it there, and become thirsty, the convenience can help since you don't have to trudge down to the water fountain/machine...in which case it's only a few shorter steps to the soda machine....

Hell, all you really need are a pair of running shoes, maybe a bike, and a set of dumbbells and you're all set. I could do my entire program with nothing more than that.

To me, the most important part of the equation is motivation. Getting motivated is easy...staying motivated is not. That's something you really can't show someone. Find that, and you are set.

Another thing I'd have to say.....push yourself. Learn the limits of your body, and learn to push past them. Learn the difference between your MIND wanting to quit, and your BODY wanting to quit.

Well I am no physical piece of art. My son has joined Uncle Sams Ranger Machine and we are getting himready for it, or so we think. We are at 4 miles @ 8 minute miles daily. We do 20 puch ups(diamonds, normal, wide arms) in 5 sets each, same for sit ups, crunches and slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww supline bicycles. he humps a 40 lb ruck for 2 miles 3 days a week, moving up next weeek. Chin ups , basicly anything he can do woit out going to a gym. he won't have gym in basic or RIP so we are using all the army stuff. he has 8 months to get ready. he is 6' 1" 165 lbs and a solid 165. Body fat measured at 8% last time we checked, he eats 6 times a day. Goal 120 push ups, 100 sit ups in 2 minutes and 2 miles in 1130.

First off, forget about scales. Your weight is just fine for your frame. What you are concearned with is your bodies composition. To change this is really far simpler than you would think. First off, as has been mentioned, EAT. This is absolutely imperative. You have to fuel your body to work and if you are going to demand more of it than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, you have to fuel it more and more efficiently. Eat breakfast, it truely is the most important meal of the day, with your dinner running a close second. You want to start the day with a good source of protein and complex carbohydrates. This fuels your muscles and your body. Try telling yourself that everytime you eat it is a meal, it is very easy to eat 6 meals, when snacks count.

Next to that it is important to balance your cardio sessions(fat burning) and your weight lifting sessions. Yes, cardio is the primary way in which you will actively encourage your body to burn fat, but weight training will passively condition you to burn more fat.

Start out 4-5 times a week jogging for about 20-30 min. a day at a mild pace. As your body adapts to the workouts, increase the intensity or the length of the workouts to suit your new abilities. Continue these gradual increases until you reach a level with which you are satisfied, be it 5 miles or 1 hour.

Find a good weight lifting regimin and stick with it. This will increase your body's lean muscle mass and allow your body to more effectivly burn fat during your cardio sessions as well as while you are not actively exercising.

Shoot me an e-mail if you would like to speak more in depth.