Thread: Newbie ish

Hey all, i've been overweight for about 15 years..... last June I was 276!! At 5-10 I was dumpy, lethargic, just sloppy. a year later, eating lower calorie stuff, lots of fruit, veggies, turkey, no boxed or processed foods... i'm down to... 237. I was weak, and feeling tired all the time. Booooo! I tell folks what I weigh and they think I'm lying. I've been told I "carry" my weight well. A buddy at work who knows my struggle suggested body building as a way to be healthier even if I didn't end up at the 176 that BMI charts say I should weigh. So, after two months of doing random body weight exercises, push ups, situps, very few bodyweight squats.... (I'm lazy about lower body for some reason), along with some work on my old bowflex, I've decided to take the plunge.
2 months into this "workout" thing I 've gained 15 pounds of weight, but am certainly losing fat around the middle.... as well as other places. I've lost about 3-4 inches on my belt and my chest sticks out almost as far as my gut now. I still have lots of flab to get rid of though.....

Is there a good, beginner routine that utilizes mostly bodyweight compound exercises? I'm not thinking that I want to be huge...., but 225 at 5-10 with around 15%Body fat sounds really nice to me. I'm thinking I need more cardio... my job has me walking about 3-7 miles per day 4days a week but I'm going to add in some HIIT 2 times a week and some other random, hiking? biking? on other days so that I only have 1 true "off" day.
I need something basic, easy to follow. I can commit about 30 minutes per day easy, 60 or more minutes a few days per week.

Anyway, thats my story so far.... any hints, helpful advice would be nice.

Welcome to IM!!