I am going to turn 30 this year and have really enjoyed eating food the past few years. Lets just say things got a little carried away however I have always loved cycling. I have multiple bikes and plan to take things a lot more seriously this year. Went out and purchased a fitbit charge hr last month to monitor food, steps and water intake and am down 12 pounds 
Locally we have a triathlon in August that I want to start training for. The only thing I don’t enjoy at the moment is running. But my question at the moment is since it is not wetsuit mandated what do guys wear for shorts that you can swim in and then hop on a bike with and then run? I don’t assume you wear cycling shorts just simply cause I wouldn’t think you would want that pad soaked. Sorry if this is a stupid question for you more advanced guys and girls out there but I’m a newbie Thanks.
Look up triathlon shorts
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You can just wear jammers if you want. But there is a ton of triathlon specific shorts, tops, suits, bibs etc. I like De Soto stuff - tribibs and a top worked well for me to start. Tribibs are great because you can also use them when you’re just out training on your bike. Also, if you’re carrying a few extra pounds, the bibs sort of act like a girdle - and that’s nice.
I’ve worn bike shorts in both wetsuit legal and non-legal races dozens of times. I’ve only worn trishorts the last couple of years.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/px-triathlon-elite-race-shorts-for-men
If you sign up for the Sierra Trading Post deal flyer on your email you will get an additional 30-40% off coupon in the very near future and you can buy yourself a pair of tri shorts and a jersey for pretty darn cheap. A good way to get started without dropping a lot of money.
Tri shorts are like bike short with a very minimal pad. You can wear them for all three parts of the race. Most people who are serious about this stuff will also wear a tight top in the swim. It’s hard to get these tops on when you are wet so they put it on before the start. Don’t worry about that yet, just put on a reasonably fitting top in T1
Good luck with your race, if you get hooked on triathlon, its a great way to stay fit, challenge yourself and have a great time.
As a fellow clydesdale (barely) myself, I’d recommend you look at a one piece tri suit if you’re really serious about tri. Tri shorts tend to be low cut and have a tendency to give you a case of “plumber’s crack” when hunched over in aero on the bike. With the one piece suit, that’s not an issue, and you have the thin chamois that won’t get water logged.
Thanks for all the input guys. My only concern with a one piece is that I will look like the Michelin man. 
tight spandex is tight spandex. That said desto’s 2xl tri top is pretty long and doesn’t ride up on me. For shorts there are a few options out there as well. PI, 2xu (these chaffed the head of my dork raw).
As a fellow clydesdale (barely) myself, I’d recommend you look at a one piece tri suit if you’re really serious about tri. Tri shorts tend to be low cut and have a tendency to give you a case of “plumber’s crack” when hunched over in aero on the bike. With the one piece suit, that’s not an issue, and you have the thin chamois that won’t get water logged.
I haven’t had any problems with tri shorts and a bike jersey-it’s cut pretty low. Is it that much different with tori tops?
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/px-triathlon-elite-race-shorts-for-men
If you sign up for the Sierra Trading Post deal flyer on your email you will get an additional 30-40% off coupon in the very near future and you can buy yourself a pair of tri shorts and a jersey for pretty darn cheap. A good way to get started without dropping a lot of money.
Thanks for the tip!
I wish you luck. I went from over 260 pounds before my first triathlon in 2010 (240 by the time I raced) to 195 pounds today. It is a very good question. I had no idea before my first race and tried to put on a running shirt after my swim which was tricky while wet and not great for the bike. After that race I went with Pearl Izumi tri shorts and a Zoot tri top both of which I could either wear under my wet suit or without a wet suit. Once my body size stabilized a bit I bought a one piece tri suit which I use today.
You can run & swim in cycling shorts, I did my first few tri’s in cycling shorts and an Under Armor compression top. I very recently got my first pair of dedicated tri shorts, and now actually prefer them for the bike too. The smaller pad doesn’t seem to affect ride comfort and they’re much more comfortable to wear to/from rides (i.e. walking & driving). Honestly I don’t quite get why the insert on cycling shorts is as big as it is, given that the “contact patch” is so very small.
Also - don’t worry too much about wet. As a cyclist, I’m sure you’ve both ridden in the rain and have sweated a bit: the result on the chamois is pretty much the same in my experience.