*Not an expert* But from what I've read/heard/etc zone 2 tends to use up fat stores for energy whereas higher zones (higher heart rate) turn more towards carbs for energy. Check out Peter Attia's videos on the subject.
@honeysuckledreams Start tracking what you eat, cut out the worst things (caloried drinks including soda with sugar and beer, any junk food), ensure you get enough protein.
Pick some lifting program and start getting into the habit of doing that. Can be strength focused, or hypertrophy focused, whatever. Don't worry about having the absolute best optimized program and path, just lay the groundwork, and refine later on as you go.
You can use creatine and protein powder if you need to.
Lift 1-3 days a week. Stronglifts is idiot proof, but not the only thing that will work. Eat 2500-3000 calories per day(I dropped from 230 to 210 at 6'2 on 3k).
Get somewhere in the 170g protein range (target is 200, ~15% bf, you can bulk from there later).
Try to keep fat under 100g, but the deficit and protein are really more important.
10k steps and/or cardio twice a week to burn some extra calories.
Most importantly, be realistic about your pace. 750 calorie deficit / 1.5lb per week was the sweet spot for me.
@honeysuckledreams It's 80% in the kitchen and 20% in the gym. IF worked wonders for me, because you dont have to put much thought into it. In the gym, focus on cardio for the first few months with a quick lift after just to tone, and I guarantee you will see results.
You shouldn't need to. At your height and weight, you realistically only need around 180g of protein a day. That should be easily achievable with a diet rich in protein.
You should be doing a combination of resistance training and cardio. Resistance training for the muscles, cardio for your overall health.
Also, you may want to be realistic about your expectations. You may not be as lean as you like when you hit 200, and that's okay. People often have to go through mutliple bulk-cut cycles before they're at a physique they're happy with.
@honeysuckledreams Yeah to get your weight down the best ways to decrease how much you eat and exercising with weights is well, icing on the cake on top of that to make you look better
@honeysuckledreams Dude two years ago I was 6’5” and 245. I did carnivore/keto cycles 45 days on 14 break then back on. I now walk around at about 205 but have been as low as 192. Lift diet and repeat. I’m not as disciplined as I was when I started but it’s much easier to maintain my weight at this level. I typically IF workout when I can, run sometimes, and cycle keto/carnivore. Worked great.
I used Jim Stoppani workouts his stuff is great for looking good too.
@honeysuckledreams Not trying to be a jerk but you started your journey at birth and it may end at death. You just recently became more enlightened. I only mention this to try to be helpful. We tend to think of “working out” as separate from life. It’s not. That’s just marketing. Understanding this is critical. You’re trying to return to a more natural state is all. So you’re trying to eat more real food and move more. You’d be surprised how much better you look when you get closer to natural human stuff like eating real food getting sleep and moving.
@honeysuckledreams In addition to all the other great advice: If you haven't already established a fairly regular/reliable sleep schedule, go for minimum 6 hours, preferably 7.5 or 9 hours. You're gonna need it.
@honeysuckledreams I would remain at the same weight for your height. Start lifting heavy weight, 3 sets of 5 on compound exercises. And you should see some great muscle gains