Weight loss support thread

[FraudFrog]

Been a long time lurker around here, joined to get some support in the losses to trans thread and found alot of support that really helped me turn my sons around on a dark path, and decided today to check to see if there was a weight loss support thread.

After reading for some time I feel like perhaps even posting this is a mistake as alot of the struggles here are for weight loss goals I can acheive in a single BM. I dont even speak to my friends and family about my weight until only this last year, and even then, all i see is the quiet acceptance in their eyes that i am going to die young from my weight until I tell them about my journey. Fuck it, here goes.

The past is imma fat kid, and i mean... my doctors were convinced i had a hormone problem, By ten years old i was five six, over 100lbs and wearing 26 inch pants, by eleven i was 6 foot, over 150 and wearing 32 inch. When i turned 15 i was 6ft4, 475lbs and 50in waist.

just for record my waist includes my Gunt, i cannot wear pants with my gunt hanging over it as it is not only uncomfortable, but i already look like two boogies and dont want to go to 3

I tried diets, atkins, all the horseshit but only activity showed any stopping of the weight gain and gave me some loss. at 15 i started football and had the only few moments of pride at my physical performance, our hell week was 3 a days and watching all the assholes who snickered at me struggling to get into my pads not show up the next practice was the sweetest memories of my youth. I managed to get down to 375 and maintained after HS with a contracting job where I loved working with skinny poles my own age but due to learning from my general contractor father and working with him underage i knew how to keep up with these kids a third my weight and in several tasks i could outperform them.

It all ended when i fell from a ladder and destroyed my knees in the injury, for 15 years i bloviated, was on 80mg of percs for the pain just to work a shitty mcjob, but the activity kept my from blimping much above 500, then I decided to get away from my DR. and quite the opiods and get a desk job... all great success except my weight, it began to slowly rise.

when the pandemic hit and i was stuck at home, i ballooned, after a few months i told my wife my pants were getting tight and i needed new ones, a regular request once or twice a year.... and she told me.. the fat clothes shops didnt have any bigger ones.... i went to the dr to check my weight, and they sent me to a farm scale to discover i was less than a hundred lbs from winning records for fattest fat ass who can still hobble his fat around without motorized assistance. My weight was so high i never told anyone who wasnt the dr who found out, but here no one knows me, i was over 1000

I moved home not long after to care for elderly parents and began my work.... i have lost around 500lbs and am still a fat fuck.... i made so much ground but this last 6-9 months ive hit a plateu i cannot shake at all.
This is the first ive ever reached out for help, my families all fatties and they have always acted like this way we are is okay... but i have sons who are growing up and they are already starting to make the same mistakes, and it makes me hurt when i do it, but when they binge or make bad choices i pull off my shirt, tuck my pants to my ACTUAL waistline and i show them that making these descisions young leads to looking like me.
I guess i just hope that one day i can use my body to inspire them to make good changes and not terrify/gross them out to do so.


TLDR: stuck at 500lbs, the only thing thats effective is a sub 3k cal diet and constant excercise but its stopped working, any suggestions?

Dude holy crap, all the best to you. You dropped 500lbs. Like holy shit, that’s a horse.

Good for you. The thing that helped kickstart my weight loss was 3 things.

1. Fasting (2 non consecutive days a week drinking only bone broth, 6 cups)
2. Cardio (30 minutes in the treadmill walking everyday, yes you can walk outside, but a treadmill keeps you on pace)
3. The cute office lady who would cheer me on.

As silly as number 3 is, my wife cheering me on was nice, but hearing it from someone else made me want to push harder. You definitely need a cheerleader, someone you are not family to, like a friend, or the cute gal at the donut shop.

Also, if your thyroid is busted, take thyroid meds. Your mood, energy, and metabolism will improve. And remember this is a marathon, not a race. Your body will get there.

 

[Patrick Bait-man]

To all of you in this thread: You got this.

 

[Tren Shapiro]

You definitely need a cheerleader, someone you are not family to, like a friend, or the cute gal at the donut shop.

If you are going to a donut shop, you are fucking up. If you are going to a donut shop so often that the employees recognize you, you are fucking up hard.

 

[Ted's of Beverly Hills]

Currently just working out with handweights 2-3 times a week, cardio every other day, 40-hour complete fast twice a week (working up to three times a week) and intermittent fasting the rest of the time. Before my gym got shut down I was exercising every day for at least an hour. Built up some decent muscle but wasn't really losing weight. I gained 40 pounds in that first year of lockdowns, and then caught the coof and damn near lost all my strength and stamina. It's been slow-going to get back to where I was three years ago. The fasting seems to be doing more to help with that than anything else I've ever done. I've been on my twice a week schedule since just before the new year and I've lost enough weight (about ten pounds) that I need to buy a smaller belt and could probably start to fit into some of my older pants.

In terms of diet, I don't really do anything special - I figure the fasting does enough to reduce my caloric intake per week that I probably don't need to micromanage it. More eggs, more bone broth, more coffee and tea, no sugary drinks, and a protein shake every time I lift weights. That's all I'm doing right now. Seems easy enough so far, and about as much as I can manage with my work schedule.

 

[CowPox]

Whenever i listen to someone who is overweight talk about the numerous times they tried to diet or exercise and failed for one reason or another i always can't help but wonder if they're taking the wrong approach entirely, maybe instead of some drastic shift in calories and the amount of cardio exercise they keep the caloric intake the same and concentrate on powerlifting and pure strength building lifts? Perhaps not lose the weight but change some of it to muscle and capitalize on the fact that they are able to put on such size to begin with, something not everyone can do by the way, just a thought, as for health benefits, who cares we're freaks etc.

 

[Heinous McAnus]

Dude holy crap, all the best to you. You dropped 500lbs. Like holy shit, that’s a horse.

Good for you. The thing that helped kickstart my weight loss was 3 things.

1. Fasting (2 non consecutive days a week drinking only bone broth, 6 cups)
2. Cardio (30 minutes in the treadmill walking everyday, yes you can walk outside, but a treadmill keeps you on pace)
3. The cute office lady who would cheer me on.

As silly as number 3 is, my wife cheering me on was nice, but hearing it from someone else made me want to push harder. You definitely need a cheerleader, someone you are not family to, like a friend, or the cute gal at the donut shop.

Also, if your thyroid is busted, take thyroid meds. Your mood, energy, and metabolism will improve. And remember this is a marathon, not a race. Your body will get there.

Thank you for the advice, yea its been a crazy three years, and like others have said, the issue isnt just lowering caloric intake. I dont have a set diet or even caloric goal, i sit at around 2.5k to 3k a day for my 5 active days a week, and on rest days i only need about 1.3k-1.8k. I used to 16/8 intermittently fast with two days a week of sub 250 cal fasting but it fucked up my blood sugars (not surprised, bet if i hadnt made these changes at all i would probably be full diabetic) Honestly counting did nothing for decades until I started working with only fresh ingredients and only eating my own cooking.

My plan is simple, for 9 months a year i stick to my calorie goals and exercise 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. When november hits all the bdays and holidays do too, as well as horrible weather until feb so i take these 3 months "off" (i stop workout and counting calories but most of my success is through portion and quality control so i normally dont exceed what i would normally eat except big celebration days, but i do stop working out and always gain back 20-30lbs) The first year was wonderful, over 300 lost, second year almost 200 lost, this last year started great, lost the extra i gained from downtime and like 20 more to hit my first major goal of 500. Then the loss stopped, I'm still shedding inches, but no weight....

I want to lower my caloric goal on active days, but the last few years i found when i do it becomes nearly impossible to work out, I get so waisted and drained and my intensity of my workout suffers.

Went to a Dr who tested my shit and he says im only 37% body fat RN meaning i already had to burn my dream of being sub 250 at a stake as even if i lose every oz ill still be 300. I know im still seeing gains and shit but i would really like to find a way past this plateau. I am open to suggestions that are actually helpful, ie, "Just quit eating bad hurr durr" is several miles behind where im at in my weight loss journey.

 

[Moon Cricket]

Lost 6lbs in December before Christmas but put 5lbs back during the Christmas period and re-started diet on New Years Day.

Currently down 11lbs since then…. Just 24 more to go until my target (Sigh)… what a slog.

Well done guys on your losses!

 

[Ted's of Beverly Hills]

Whenever i listen to someone who is overweight talk about the numerous times they tried to diet or exercise and failed for one reason or another i always can't help but wonder if they're taking the wrong approach entirely, maybe instead of some drastic shift in calories and the amount of cardio exercise they keep the caloric intake the same and concentrate on powerlifting and pure strength building lifts? Perhaps not lose the weight but change some of it to muscle and capitalize on the fact that they are able to put on such size to begin with, something not everyone can do by the way, just a thought, as for health benefits, who cares we're freaks etc.

Speaking for myself, that strategy was a total failure. I did build up muscle but never really lost the weight. Of course I lost some weight, and I’m aware muscle mass is heavier than fat so it’s no surprise it seemed to yo-yo a bit. But for a decade of work I had very little to show for it. I think caloric restriction has to be a crucial part of the process, at least for me.

 

[FraudFrog]

Thank you for the advice, yea its been a crazy three years, and like others have said, the issue isnt just lowering caloric intake. I dont have a set diet or even caloric goal, i sit at around 2.5k to 3k a day for my 5 active days a week, and on rest days i only need about 1.3k-1.8k. I used to 16/8 intermittently fast with two days a week of sub 250 cal fasting but it fucked up my blood sugars (not surprised, bet if i hadnt made these changes at all i would probably be full diabetic) Honestly counting did nothing for decades until I started working with only fresh ingredients and only eating my own cooking.

My plan is simple, for 9 months a year i stick to my calorie goals and exercise 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. When november hits all the bdays and holidays do too, as well as horrible weather until feb so i take these 3 months "off" (i stop workout and counting calories but most of my success is through portion and quality control so i normally dont exceed what i would normally eat except big celebration days, but i do stop working out and always gain back 20-30lbs) The first year was wonderful, over 300 lost, second year almost 200 lost, this last year started great, lost the extra i gained from downtime and like 20 more to hit my first major goal of 500. Then the loss stopped, I'm still shedding inches, but no weight....

I want to lower my caloric goal on active days, but the last few years i found when i do it becomes nearly impossible to work out, I get so waisted and drained and my intensity of my workout suffers.

Went to a Dr who tested my shit and he says im only 37% body fat RN meaning i already had to burn my dream of being sub 250 at a stake as even if i lose every oz ill still be 300. I know im still seeing gains and shit but i would really like to find a way past this plateau. I am open to suggestions that are actually helpful, ie, "Just quit eating bad hurr durr" is several miles behind where im at in my weight loss journey.

Ok reading what you wrote, it seems like your in top of this.

Your weight loss is gonna slow down. You lost 500 lbs, you’re maintaining now. The healthiest option here is to cut 200-300 Cals a day during your work week, in conjunction with cardio burning an additional 100 Cals, you should lose a lb a week. 2700 Cals is a lb.

The unhealthy options, and you will lose weight, is vaping, nicotine irritates the thyroid and you can shed some weight with it, not much, and you’ll gain an unhealthy habit. I do vape, mainly so I don’t murder my family lol. It’s a terrible way to manage stress and I plan on quitting. This will be my 10th time.

Another is making your own stacker 3, you will probably fuck up your heart. I have not done this, but there is a thread here with the instructions on how.

Or another, get on TRT, there’s tons of male clinics who will prescribe it to you. This is still done on a doctor’s supervision and you will be tested regularly. You will probably lose your hair and will need to take finistred to keep what you got. Then you may need to take something else to keep your estrogen levels low. Regardless of all that, TRT has helped a lot of men and changed thier lives. It’s worth looking into.

Lastly, the human body responds to change and stress. That’s how we build muscle. If nothing is changing in your diet and exercise, you gotta try something else. Cut out those 200 Cals for 2 weeks and see if it worked. At worst you lost 2 weeks and a an extra side of salad dressing.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Thank you for the advice, yea its been a crazy three years, and like others have said, the issue isnt just lowering caloric intake. I dont have a set diet or even caloric goal, i sit at around 2.5k to 3k a day for my 5 active days a week, and on rest days i only need about 1.3k-1.8k. I used to 16/8 intermittently fast with two days a week of sub 250 cal fasting but it fucked up my blood sugars (not surprised, bet if i hadnt made these changes at all i would probably be full diabetic) Honestly counting did nothing for decades until I started working with only fresh ingredients and only eating my own cooking.

My plan is simple, for 9 months a year i stick to my calorie goals and exercise 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. When november hits all the bdays and holidays do too, as well as horrible weather until feb so i take these 3 months "off" (i stop workout and counting calories but most of my success is through portion and quality control so i normally dont exceed what i would normally eat except big celebration days, but i do stop working out and always gain back 20-30lbs) The first year was wonderful, over 300 lost, second year almost 200 lost, this last year started great, lost the extra i gained from downtime and like 20 more to hit my first major goal of 500. Then the loss stopped, I'm still shedding inches, but no weight....

I want to lower my caloric goal on active days, but the last few years i found when i do it becomes nearly impossible to work out, I get so waisted and drained and my intensity of my workout suffers.

Went to a Dr who tested my shit and he says im only 37% body fat RN meaning i already had to burn my dream of being sub 250 at a stake as even if i lose every oz ill still be 300. I know im still seeing gains and shit but i would really like to find a way past this plateau. I am open to suggestions that are actually helpful, ie, "Just quit eating bad hurr durr" is several miles behind where im at in my weight loss journey.

If you're not losing weight you are eating too much. Period. Full stop. End of story. It doesn't matter if you're eating Oreos or home cooking. If you're not losing you're eating too much.

Get Myfitnesspal and a food scale. Weigh all solids. Measure all liquids. Log every.fucking.thing. Look at what you're drinking too. Switch to sugar-free sweeteners, coffee creamer, and drinks. I buy concentrated liquid Splenda on Amazon - no fillers that have carbs and calories. Use a dropper to measure if you go that route, a little goes a long, long way. I make kool-aid with Splenda so I can have something other than just water - I love water but it's nice to have a small bit of something different in the morning along with my coffee.

Your stomach is stretched out. You'll need to shrink it by eating smaller sizes. Right now I'd up the vegetables in your diet. A 16 ounce bag of cauliflower is roughly 100 calories and very versatile. There's a reason keto uses it so much. I make pizza crust out of it, mashed "potatoes", "rice" - which I also use in place of noodles.

Once you start measuring and logging everything you will begin to see patterns, but only if you are honest with the app. If you see that on taco Tuesday you always go over your calories, try making tacos with lettuce leafs, for example. Spend the first few weeks eating like normal, but do weigh and measure everything before you eat it.

At 500 pounds the weight should be falling off you. I ate 2,500 calories a day when I started at 300 pounds and lost easily 5 pounds a week.

If you have an iPhone I like using Happy Scale to track my weight daily. It averages out the daily fluctuations to give you an idea if you're gaining or losing. At your weight a five to six pound difference can happen every day and it's hard to see if you're making progress. I don't like weighing once a week because you might hit a high weight day and think you haven't lost when you really have.

 

[Smar Mijou]

Thank you for the advice, yea its been a crazy three years, and like others have said, the issue isnt just lowering caloric intake. I dont have a set diet or even caloric goal, i sit at around 2.5k to 3k a day for my 5 active days a week, and on rest days i only need about 1.3k-1.8k. I used to 16/8 intermittently fast with two days a week of sub 250 cal fasting but it fucked up my blood sugars (not surprised, bet if i hadnt made these changes at all i would probably be full diabetic) Honestly counting did nothing for decades until I started working with only fresh ingredients and only eating my own cooking.

My plan is simple, for 9 months a year i stick to my calorie goals and exercise 1 hour a day for 5 days a week. When november hits all the bdays and holidays do too, as well as horrible weather until feb so i take these 3 months "off" (i stop workout and counting calories but most of my success is through portion and quality control so i normally dont exceed what i would normally eat except big celebration days, but i do stop working out and always gain back 20-30lbs) The first year was wonderful, over 300 lost, second year almost 200 lost, this last year started great, lost the extra i gained from downtime and like 20 more to hit my first major goal of 500. Then the loss stopped, I'm still shedding inches, but no weight....

I want to lower my caloric goal on active days, but the last few years i found when i do it becomes nearly impossible to work out, I get so waisted and drained and my intensity of my workout suffers.

Went to a Dr who tested my shit and he says im only 37% body fat RN meaning i already had to burn my dream of being sub 250 at a stake as even if i lose every oz ill still be 300. I know im still seeing gains and shit but i would really like to find a way past this plateau. I am open to suggestions that are actually helpful, ie, "Just quit eating bad hurr durr" is several miles behind where im at in my weight loss journey.

First off, congrats on the huge weight loss! Thats a big accomplishment and something to be proud of! And you can take pride in knowing that it's something that you can only ever achieve by yourself.

Secondly, by the way you describe yourself, you're naturally a larger framed person. So if you are indeed losing inches but not weight, there's a decent chance that you are building muscle. I would suggest that you not focus on the scale, especially right now, until you get more on track, and instead of thinking about a "goal weight" look more towards achieving a "goal size". And be  REALISTIC and HONEST with yourself about it! If you're as big as you say you are, you're not gonna fit into 34 slim-fit hipster jeans without contracting a severe eating disorder.

And if you haven't yet already, make sure that you are getting regular physical checkups from a qualified dietitian or a doctor, with proper bloodwork and all that if possible. Your stall is probably muscle gain due to more strenuous exercise, but it could be fluid retention from hormonal issues or other problems and if so, the sooner you get that taken care of, the better. Playing the guessing game with your health almost never works out in your favor.

And lastly, why "take time off" from your diet and exercise commitments? As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. If you're actively stopping the exercise and dieting for 1/4 of the year, your body will get used to your lower metabolic rate, and thats when the pounds pile back on. Some experts disagree over the metabolic rate reset theory, but personally I'm a believer. In the few short months that I've been on my own weight loss journey and started going to the gym, if I skip a few days I definitely feel like shit the first day back after the time off. And keep up with the healthy food and lifestyle changes year round! 75% effort is a failing grade in school, and it is a failing grade in most other achievements. Just imagine how much better you will feel if you fully commit non-stop to your goals.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

I weighed in this morning at 207! I've officially lost 100 pounds!

All thanks to the Ebil Nazi Kiwi Farms. I started reading the Slaton's thread and realized Tammy was my future if I didn’t do something. So I did something.

I've lost ten pants sizes and too many inches to count. Still have a long way to go, but I'm on the right track.

My next goal is 190 because that's when I'll no longer be obese. Soon!

 

[Harambe]

Hit 96.75kg today! Started at 99.1 on the first. Halfway into the month, on track to meet my weight loss goal of 5kg this month. Valentine's Day was a calorie nightmare, but not the worst setback. I'd probably be only 100-200g lighter otherwise. At this weight and with my height I am at exactly 30.0 BMI. Just a little more. Shrink, shrink, shrink

 

[Tren Shapiro]

Honestly counting did nothing for decades until I started working with only fresh ingredients and only eating my own cooking.

Counting did nothing for decades because you consumed too many calories for decades. Eat less.

When november hits all the bdays and holidays do too, as well as horrible weather until feb so i take these 3 months "off" (i stop workout and counting calories but most of my success is through portion and quality control so i normally dont exceed what i would normally eat except big celebration days, but i do stop working out and always gain back 20-30lbs)

I've heard of cheat days, but cheat seasons? Incredible. Eat less.

I want to lower my caloric goal on active days, but the last few years i found when i do it becomes nearly impossible to work out, I get so waisted and drained and my intensity of my workout suffers.

That's why you can't eat less? Because your workouts suffer? Stop with the bullshit excuses. Eat less.

Went to a Dr who tested my shit and he says im only 37% body fat RN meaning i already had to burn my dream of being sub 250 at a stake as even if i lose every oz ill still be 300.

That's retarded. You're 500lb. You're obviously not 37% body fat. Eat less.

I am open to suggestions that are actually helpful, ie, "Just quit eating bad hurr durr" is several miles behind where im at in my weight loss journey.

Clearly not because you keep posting standard fat people cope. Eat less.

Or another, get on TRT, there’s tons of male clinics who will prescribe it to you. This is still done on a doctor’s supervision and you will be tested regularly. You will probably lose your hair and will need to take finistred to keep what you got. Then you may need to take something else to keep your estrogen levels low. Regardless of all that, TRT has helped a lot of men and changed thier lives. It’s worth looking into.

It's great but it's not going to lose the weight for you. Boogie was on TRT.

 

[BobbyBriggs69420]

Clearly not because you keep posting standard fat people cope. Eat less.

I'm going to quit drinking tomorrow, can't today cuz it was a shitty day, boss yelled at me, dead battery and I had to stand in the cold for 5 mins waving someone down for a jump.

lol I know all the food, alcohol and nicotine cope, been through it all. (surprise: all 3 are the same)

 

[DrearyDoomguy]

When november hits all the bdays and holidays do too, as well as horrible weather until feb so i take these 3 months "off" (i stop workout and counting calories but most of my success is through portion and quality control so i normally dont exceed what i would normally eat except big celebration days, but i do stop working out and always gain back 20-30lbs)

Do not let inclement weather stop you from exercising. You don't have to go outside to lift some dumbells. And if you don't have any at home change that immediately. Get a 10-20-30 (hell, you can make do with just 10 if you practice proper form and do sufficient reps) set and start working core. Bicep curls, lateral raises, woodchoppers, bicycle crunches, leg raises, shoulder presses, there's a wealth of workouts you can do when it's too cold out. Do those until you've lost enough weight to do bodyweight exercises without completely fucking your joints. Speaking of which, running at 500 pounds, let alone relying on it to lose weight, is a terrible idea. Establish a consistent diet that keeps you below maintenance and lose the pounds enough to start dipping your toes into serious cardio. Running gets you out of skinnyfat, not morbid obesity.
Edit: one caveat. If you are still losing physical size but not weight you may be offsetting fat loss with muscle gains, which is in the long run a good thing. Muscle weighs substantially more than fat and depending on whether or not you're already working core that may be a factor. Muscle also increases the number of calories you burn at rest, which accelerates the rate at which you burn fat.

 

[Tren Shapiro]

I'm going to quit drinking tomorrow, can't today cuz it was a shitty day, boss yelled at me, dead battery and I had to stand in the cold for 5 mins waving someone down for a jump.

lol I know all the food, alcohol and nicotine cope, been through it all. (surprise: all 3 are the same)

Same. Allowing someone to cope about their unhealthy lifestyle is just being an enabler.

If you are still losing physical size but not weight you may be offsetting fat loss with muscle gains

When you're that fat if you just eat like a human being you'd be losing like 15lb a month. Nobody is making those kinds of gains.

 

[AGreatDipAtAFairPrice]

I want to get into weight lifting but I have no family members or friends who do it so every time I try to do it I flail around like a noob in a gym and am horrified of a major injury from free weights. I don't think the weigh lifting machines were doing anything for me so I quit that. What is some program that is more than 3 or 4 compound lifts for a beginner that works?

The only thing that works for me is sprinting. I've literally been sprinting my ass off at the gym about 4 times a week for the last year and using the stair climber and incline treadmill for intervals until I feel like I'm going to puke. I'm down about 50 pounds but I'm getting aggravated that I just went from fatso to slightly smaller fatso.

 

[Harambe]

I want to get into weight lifting but I have no family members or friends who do it so every time I try to do it I flail around like a noob in a gym and am horrified of a major injury from free weights. I don't think the weigh lifting machines were doing anything for me so I quit that. What is some program that is more than 3 or 4 compound lifts for a beginner that works?

The only thing that works for me is sprinting. I've literally been sprinting my ass off at the gym about 4 times a week for the last year and using the stair climber and incline treadmill for intervals until I feel like I'm going to puke. I'm down about 50 pounds but I'm getting aggravated that I just went from fatso to slightly smaller fatso.

First step to not lifting like a moron: watch technique videos. Remember the cues. Read descriptions of the exercise. Look at pictures and gifs. Practice the motion a bit without weight.

For programs:
Natural Hypertrophy has some nice simple lifting programs for novices on YouTube. Many fitness youtubers do.
Jeff Nippard has a book on lifting fundamentals that's worth a look, easily found on libgen.
Starting Strength won't fail you either. It's a good book.
Run different programs and learn different lifts. A program will take you 2-3 months typically to run.
Technique and program videos are all over youtube.
Any program you run consistently will get you results for several months at a minimum.

What to expect:
3-4 days a week will be enough to make gains. An hour or so will be about as much as you can and should spend lifting.
You'll have muscle soreness for the first couple weeks. If it's not debilitating, keep going.
You will probably gain a few (not many) pounds of muscle.
You'll be hungrier, control that and don't eat like a moron.
You'll want to eat about .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
You shouldn't need any equipment besides a water bottle and a gym bag.
You can ask someone more experienced to spot you they'll probably help. Squat and Bench are the ones where a spotter is most helpful.
Lifting is very pleasurable if you focus and keep making good effort.

What to avoid:
Don't buy a bunch of supplements or preworkout. You will not need them now, and most are snake oil.
Don't take super long breaks between sets, 2 minutes is fine probably.
Don't make excuses to not go.
Don't worry about fitness influencers too much, just take what info you can get that sounds reasonable.
Don't worry about anything besides lifting with good form and getting to the gym
Don't be self conscious or intimidated in the gym. Ask people questions when they're not actively working if you want. You can make gym buddies easily.
Don't squat or deadlift in running shoes, it can fuck your balance and lead to accidents. They make special shoes for these lifts. You can also go barefoot.

 

[CharcoalChkn]

I want to get into weight lifting but I have no family members or friends who do it so every time I try to do it I flail around like a noob in a gym and am horrified of a major injury from free weights. I don't think the weigh lifting machines were doing anything for me so I quit that. What is some program that is more than 3 or 4 compound lifts for a beginner that works?

The only thing that works for me is sprinting. I've literally been sprinting my ass off at the gym about 4 times a week for the last year and using the stair climber and incline treadmill for intervals until I feel like I'm going to puke. I'm down about 50 pounds but I'm getting aggravated that I just went from fatso to slightly smaller fatso.

Start of with light weights and get used to the movement if you are really afraid of hurting yourself, also, watch the fit people perform exercises at the gym and note their form and movements, if you're feeling brave ask them to show you/forn check you (just not the "influencer girls" recording, you'll get called a rapist).