I need advice on the best ways to start losing weight

I am 34 y/o male...I weigh 240 pounds/17 stone....I am 5' 10" tall...my blood pressure ahs been up lately ..I suspect it's not just because of stress..but more because of lack of exercise.
I have a mountain bike....and I love the water....Kayaking is a perfect sport.
Does anyone have any dieting/changing eating habit advice...and how should I initially begin to lose weight so I don't over do it? I lost a bunch of weight years ago...and gained it all back in the past 2-3 years...HELP!

Really, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to consistently consume fewer calories than it takes to maintain your weight, each day.  Whether this is by cutting out fizzy drinks and sugary, fatty foods or by exercising daily, you need to eliminate 3000 calories to lose one pound of fat.  You can calculate how many calories it takes to maintain your weight by multiplying your weight in pounds by 12 (for a sedentary lifestyle), 13.5 (for a light activity lifestyle), 15.5 (for moderate activity) and so on - there are loads of websites that will tell you how to do this or do the calculations for you.

I recommend keeping track of what you eat - if you write it all down, you're less likely to "forget" those half a dozen biscuits you scarfed down mid-morning.   myfooddiary.com is especially good for this, though there are a ton of other sites that help you keep track.

Thats a really good link! thanx Meg 

Keeping a log really works for me, but I've been having a hard time making it a habit lately.... Anyone have a MFD type site that has Brit foods?

Keeping a log really works for me, but I've been having a hard time making it a habit lately.... Anyone have a MFD type site that has Brit foods?

http://www.foodfocus.co.uk/

I'm pretty sure it's free. There's no shortage of online UK food diaries out there, but they all seem to charge a membership fee.

Agree with the others.  Log your foods in a diary, and cut down on calories.  It can be pretty horrifying when you realize what you've been putting in your mouth. 

I'm pretty sure it's free. There's no shortage of online UK food diaries out there, but they all seem to charge a membership fee.

Should have added that caveat - I'd rather just keep a paper diary than pay!

Fitday.com is free.  Most foods (except processed ones) are already in, but you can add any custom foods in. 

Fitday.com is free.  Most foods (except processed ones) are already in, but you can add any custom foods in. 

I think Anne is looking for a UK-based site, though. FoodFocus, as I mentioned above, is free and UK-based.

I think Anne is looking for a UK-based site, though. FoodFocus, as I mentioned above, is free and UK-based.

Gotcha.  Cool beans.  

Thanks Chary. Just registered!   

I've lost 2 stones in the last year, it has slowed somewhat over the last couple of months, but that's probably down to other events as well.

A few years ago I got down from almost 18 stone to 15 purely by diet, just eat healthy, if you do snack on anything then try fruit and nuts.
Last year I started going to the gym after my weight had crept back up to 16 stone, regular (4 or 5 times a week) sessions in the gym, and a low fat diet eating lots of fresh fruit, veg, fish and lean meat has got me down to 14 stone now.

The key for me is when I go to the supermarket, avoid buying the things in the first place goes a long way....I avoid crisps, chocolate, biscuits etc completely.....I know I could have a little but the problem is if it's in the kitchen cupboard it starts "praying on my mind", I'm thinking....oooh there's some biccies.....and I end up having a few, I don't buy them and I find I don't crave them!

I'm a low-carber. It's the only thing that has ever worked for me! I'm down about 2st in just over four months.

I'm a low-carber. It's the only thing that has ever worked for me! I'm down about 2st in just over four months.

Good for you!

The key for me is when I go to the supermarket, avoid buying the things in the first place goes a long way....I avoid crisps, chocolate, biscuits etc completely.....I know I could have a little but the problem is if it's in the kitchen cupboard it starts "praying on my mind", I'm thinking....oooh there's some biccies.....and I end up having a few, I don't buy them and I find I don't crave them!

Me too...if its not in the house...It won't get eaten