Suggestions change based on who you are, what makes you happy, what you may be allergic to, etc. But here are some general things. I subscribe to eating small snacks through the day, but there are always proponents of various ways to eat on all sides...
Food:
- drop soda. drink water, tea, juices, smoothies, instead.
- for snacks, drop packaged, salty foods. Replace with fruits, unsalted nuts, veggies.
- get a blender and add in smoothies to your snack/eating rotation
- eat less processed food. eat more fresh food
- cook more (as needed or as you feel comfortable doing)
- when you go out, get the salad or chicken or fish and not the burger/pasta/wings...
- generally speaking, the more greens and fruits, the better. Few people get fat (in a bad way) off good foods.
- eat less salt or salty foods
- eat less calories overall
- don't watch television or listen to high beat music while eating meals; slow down, chew, take your time, and you'll end up eating a bit less as your body can signal you're no longer hungry before you've eaten too much.
- simply start eating smaller meals; if you're still hungry, add in a few more small snacks during the day.
- if you do beer regularly, start to cut down. look into wine as an alternative, or even hard alcohol. if you can go without beer entirely, just cut it out unless out with the boys.
- if you do takeout or eat out or even do fast food and just want the bad stuff, get a medium instead of a large. but if you have a fast food habit, you could also just try getting their salad, iced tea, and baked chicken/turkey options.
On the other side is you generally just need to get your heart rate up, i.e. exercise.
- figure out what you can do for exercise, and do it. walk, jog, jump rope, exercise bike, actual bike, gym equipment...just aim to get your heart rate up (and usually sweat a bit), aka cardio.
- don't be scared of some weight training or free weights. even going with low weight and high reps can increase your metabolism, heart rate, and energy levels.
- get a subscription to men's health or men's fitness for a while. These mags tend to repeat themselves year over year, but they are packed with ideas and information if you stick with them for a year or two.
Some people are goal-oriented, and need to set goals. Some aren't. I would just suggest making lifestyle changes like the above, as a foundational start to getting fitter. You can always go much more hardcore if you want, both with diet and exercise, but that's usually pretty personal and specific.
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