Hey all I'm working on trying to lose about 40lbs give or take and a spare keg. I started lifting again after a long long time, and I play Basketball like two hours a day as well with friends, hell i even have my smoking habbit almost killed. I'm doing this like i said to drop some weight but also to build a bit of mass but nothing big. What would you all recommend doing as far as the lifting, and some good things for getting rid of the spare keg?

Go light & high reps for the lifting.  You ain't gotta prove anything by going heavy, and are much more apt to hurt yourself.  Lighter & more reps will help you burn fat & get lean rather than gain mass.

There are arguments for and against heavy lifting, but for what you're talking about, this is what I would recommend.  For really loosing weight, walk, then jog, then try to run some.  Or go for a good hike in the woods now and again.

For eating, concentrate on how much you eat rather than what you're eating.  It has been said that you shouldn't eat anything bigger than your fist (i.e., if that burger and fries is bigger than your fist, eat half now and half later) at any one time.  Eat more frequently so you're not starving at the end of the day and eat a ton of crap.

Eat breakfast!  Light dinner!  If you ask the fat guys, I guarantee you they eat almost nothing during the day but pack it in at night, right before they sit down in front of the television.

Thanks

I'd second the "go hiking in the woods" option, but don't make it a leisure walk.  Every deer season my dad looses somewhere around 15 lbs from walking around, doing drives for us, and that's after he's rehydrated himself.  We're talking 10-15 miles every day through moderate snow, cedar swamps etc.

Unfortunately, thanksgiving arrives, and then christmas, then New Year's, and then the weight.  He still remains in rather good shape despite being a little husky.  I myself need to start doing that, as I'm more out of shape than I'd like to be.

Hello!

If you are 40lbs overweight, I would not recommend any high-impact weight bearing activity (like jogging) until you lose some of the weight.  

Many people have had success with the Body for Life plan and if you get the training diary along with the book you can pretty much turn your brain off and follow the numbers.

For weight lifting, you may also want to consider lifting medium weight for 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps each set.  But instead of resting for 2-4 minutes between sets, start with a 2 minute rest and shorten the rest break until you get to 45 seconds.  Change every 2-3 weeks.  So...
Rest:
2 min (120 sec), then
1:45 min (105 sec), then
1:30 min (90 sec), then
80 sec, then
70 sec, then
60 sec, then
55 sec, then
50 sec, then
45 sec.

Since you are doing some medium to high intensity stuff already (basketball), just walk for 20-60 minutes on a flat surface other than concrete (roads usually have a crown). Start at 20 minutes 3x per week and work towards 45-60 minutes 5-6x per week.

That is only going to get you halfway there.  The other half needs to be cutting calories.  The #1 way to reduce calories is to eat smaller portions.  Read the back of the foods you prepare (or are prepared for you).  On the nutrition information, they indicate what constitutes 1 portion.  Only eat 1 portion.  I found that I was eating 2-3 portions for dinner instead of 1.  When I reduced portions, the weight went down.

Go to Subway instead of fast food.  Order a 6" sub instead of a foot-long.  Drink light beer instead of regular (Michelob Light and Amstel Light won recent taste tests).  Drink Diet Coke instead of regular Coke.  Drink water instead of sodas all-together.  Drink water instead of snacking.

Hope this gets you started,
James

james- My doc said i could stand to drop 20 than mentioned that 40 would be better, well hell i figure why half ass it go for the 40. But that pust me about 160, thats to small I figure since by working out I'd be bout to gain some muscle weight.

CARIDO, lifting, CARDIO, lifting Every(atfirst4-6weeks) day as much as you can IMO.......go in like gang busters, then pace yourself!

Hey guys thanks for the info, believe me it helps a lot. Part of the reason I'm trying to drop the weight is because a really good friend of mine is thinking of joining the army and brought up the promise i made to him(back in high school!) about joining if he does. But he seems to be serious about this so I figure I better start getting in shape. Thanks again guys.

dnra,s suggestion, while ambitious, is probably a little dangerous.

You need to ease your way into this or risk injuring yourself and not being able to exercise at all.

I'd start with a healthy, low fat, balanced diet.  Stay away from processed carbs, sugars, and high fat.  No soda, candy, cookies, donuts, cake, etc.

Start with bicycling or powerwalking (swallow your pride) for a few weeks and eventually move to slow jogs.  If you have any sharp pains in your lower extremeties, back off.  

Eventually a running routine of 4-5 days a week for 20-30 minutes is the best way to really shed fat.  But you must stay vigilent.  Resist the temptation to lurk on AR15.com all night.  Go run first then reward yourself with some arfcom.

I would stick with high-rep free weights.

Been doing a bit of running the past week I had been hitting a tredmill about 1-2 hours a day at the begining of the year but i killed the tredmill. I don't worry about the cardio to much as I play basketball almost everyday and when i don't play basketball, I'm helping a friends softball team durring practices so that stuff keeps me going. im sure once i get a new tredmill i'll be able to get back to where i was as far as 4-5days of running a week.

I don't know your age, but a physical by the doc is always a recommended thing to do.

Thats what started it.