just starting

Don't buy it! Power rod resistance doesn't do much good. If your going to get a machine, look into Nautilus products. Machine's aren't the only way to go either. All I have are a few dumb bells, a pull up bar, and a floor mat. You can do it!

The diet aspect is very easy.

Eat good food
No white breads
Not too much red meat.
Plenty of greens... broccoli, carrots, bananas, etc.
Plenty of whole grains
Plenty of protien (mix it up through the day. Yogurt, nuts, meat, whey)
Your body will thank you

I'd recommend starting the diet hard-core, but ease off a little because @ 290, you have to be in it for the long haul. I was about there 10 months ago. You don't want to scare yourself off of eating right, or find it too hard.

 

I think the first thing is to start "moving". Not knowing your specific case and only going by your height and weight, I'd suggest getting a tread mill and to first start walking. Then walking at an incline........then so on and so forth. Come to think of it, you don't need any equipment. Just start moving.

Isaacs' diet list is spot on.

Post up a pic and let us do this with you!

 

For people in your situation, I highly recommend CrossFit since it is quick, fun, and highly scalable to whatever ability you are at. Here's your local affiliate.... http://crossfitqueensny.com/get-started/

So go check that out instead of buying a BowFlex. Chances are that within 2 months you'll shove the BowFlex to the side and then next year post it for sale on CraigsList. CrossFit is a friendly community that will motivate you to always try harder and push yourself. They will also help you design a nutritional plan as well.

What I found worked for me was to start off by changing my diet slowly so that it wasn't a diet but more of a permanent lifestyle change. I found it easier to deal with a slow change over 4-6 months rather than jumping in head first. But I suppose everyone is different. If you're really committed to change, you find any way to succeed.

 

Different things work, Chris... not to say one thing works better than another. It's just as much a mental game as it is physical. And different people have different psyche's

My opinion is that people (IE, me) losing weight want to see real results quick to keep motivated. Once you are set, than you can make occasional cheats.. aka, not live and die by the new diet for life, but not stray off it too often.