Start by doing your research, there is a wealth of knowledge on the internet, books, and fitness magazines.
When hitting the gym for the first couple of workouts use low weight high rep workouts to get yourself comfortable with the form and to get your muscles and joints familiar with strength training.
Once you are comfortable start going for higher intensity workouts, and do not fall into a routine of doing the same workouts every week. Keep your body guessing, keep switching things up.
Most importantly is nutrition. You can workout till your blue in the face, but if the nutrition isnt there your fighting a losing battle. Seeing as you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, achieving either goal will be extremely difficult, though it can be done.
I am not a big fan of the Atkins diet, however you can borrow some of these principles to lose weight and gain muscle. Instead of stopping all carb intake, stop eating sugars and simple carbs. (Absolutely NO: soda, candy, desserts, white breads, white flours, potatoes). But make sure to intake slow burning carbs (Whole grains, oatmeal, granola, vegetables, fruits). And make sure you get PLENTY of PROTEIN!!!!! (at least 1g per pound of body weight daily) Do not concern yourself too much with the fat content of food, but try to limit saturated fats. Ultimately losing weight comes down to one thing and one thing only: COUNTING CALORIES! You must burn more than you take in to lose weight, PERIOD! To figure out your resting metabolic rate search the web for a calorie counter, itll give you a generic idea of how many calories a day you should limit yourself too.
I started out around this time last year at 300 lbs, hardly any muscle, and in the worst shape of my life. Armed with only the information I researched myself, I am down to 215, and the strongest, and best built I have ever been.
Persistence, and believing in yourself are the 2 most vital components for success. It sounds cliche, but if I can do it any one can!!
Good Luck!
