Posted: 1/1/2007 7:44:58 PM EDT
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To make along story short, I've become a tad chunky in the course of a couple of years. Coming out of high school and into my first year of college I was around 215lbs. I could do a 7 minute mile out of the blue with no practice or extra running (I'd simply bust one out every now and then for the hell of it). Fast forward to early 2006. I started making crappy lifestyle choices and basically ate fast food way too much. I ballooned to 267lbs. Over the summer of 2006 I cut all my fast food out and with no additional exercise and dropped to 247lbs. The last quarter of 2006 I slacked off a bit and went back to 255lbs. However, in the last few weeks I've kicked myself in the ass a bit and now stand on 251lbs. Currently, I don't have much of an exercise regimen, but here is what I do: For the last 2 months, I've been doing sets of push-ups every other night. I've gone from only being able to do 11 to now being able to do 26. In the last week I've begun running once again. Knowing I can't jump right back into things I began running .8miles every other day. My times hover in the high 7-minute mark (which I believe equates to roughly a 9-minute mile  ).Tomorrow I plan to do a full mile (and will post the time here). Right now I want to shed significant pounds before I work on building muscle and mass. I'd rather slim right down and rebuild from there. What do y'all recommend. I honestly absolutely despise running (it's been a battle to get my running done in the last week). I recently acquired an MP3 player which I use to play some good tunes and that seems to make the run go faster. What should my exercise plan of action be? Can I expect to lose any real decent amount of weight by running a mile every other day and watching what I eat? I would like to be down to the low 230lbs by May of 2007 and by this time next year I would like to be around 220lbs. Is it going to take an act of God to slim down this much by then? I'm happy to be down 16lbs from 8 months ago but I still have a loooong way to go. |
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Alrighty I just finished my mile today and the final time was 8:40. Not very good at all, but not as bad as I was expecting. I put a bit too much effort in on the first half of the mile (I was on pace to run a ~6-minute mile  ) and was hurting toward the end. With .2mi left and 7-minutes gone by I hit a big hill that kicked my ass and I ended up walking a little. Finished strong though.
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Find a good gym with a lot of treadmills. Select a treadmill directly behind another treadmill which is currently occupied by a smoking hot babe with an ass to die for. Start chasing her on your treadmill. You'll run as long as she does. The view is just SO nice.  Cut out sugary sodas if they're in your life. They're the worst. You'd almost be better off to drink egg nog than sodas. Live and die by your scale. Weigh yourself every morning right after your shower. Keep notes and maybe even a graph. Whether or not you've lost any weight over the last few days determines your eating habits for today. But don't go from one day to the very next one to make that decision as there are variables that can cause you to be losing fat and still weigh a little more the next day. (Digestive tract needs emptying soon, etc.) Be reasonable and controlled in your eating habits. It's really not so bad to ditch the junk foods. Your body will thank you for it. And just try eating a little bit less. CJ |
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1. Cut out sodas, fast food, and "snack foods" (chips, cookies, etc.). Limit alcohol. 2. Quit smoking if you do. 3. Limit calorie intake from real foods 4. If you can run one 8-minute mile, run two 10-minute miles instead, then 3, then 4. Do this 3 times per week (get good running shoes for this... talk to a salesperson at a good running store who can look at your feet, stride, et cetera. Make sure you tell them your goals). Try and keep your heart rate as low as possible at your desired pace. 5. Keep doing your push ups. Increase your reps/sets whenever you're able. If you can, do some weight training as well (I recommend high reps with lower weight). 6. Watch your scale. If you start gaining, cut your calories some, then check again a few days later. 7. Eat less, but more often. Do not, under any circumstances, binge eat (i.e. stuff yourself silly). 9. Drink lots and lots of water. 10. Once you get started, don't quit, even after you've met your goal (go on a "maintenance program" instead). 11. Realize that you're going to have good weeks and bad weeks. Don't let a bad week discourage you enough to quit. Sometimes the workout that was easy last week will really suck this week for some reason... don't sweat it. Your goal is achievable, but there is no magic wand. Getting the weight off and keeping it off will only happen if you do the work. Good luck, and stick with it. |
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Water. Start drinking lots of it. One gallon a day. You can lose ten pounds just doing that alone. You'll have lots of energy too. Cardio, cardio, cardio. 30 minutes of running three times a week. 30 minutes of biking or swimming the alternate days. And don't forget to stretch. |
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One problem with running is the damage to your knees. It will take years but in the end you will damage them. A treadmill is not nearly as bad. But they sure are boring. I recently dug out my wife's old treadmill and set a TV with a DVD player in front of it. 5 mornings a week I watch Battlestar Galactica while I jog. Next comes season one of 24. About a dozen years ago I lost about 30 pounds. My GF had just left me so I was single with no social life. That made it easier to watch what I ate. I made it a point to only eat enough to keep from being hungry until the next meal. I ate no junk what so ever during the week. Then I'd go to Wendy's for a double cheeseburger on the weekend. I was usually nauseous for a hour after than. It certainly took away my desire to have another one for a week. Then I met the woman I married and after over 10 years together I've regained the lost 30 pounds and added another 30. So the key here is that you are not on a journey to lose 40 pounds. You're on a journey to remain 40 lighter for the rest of your life. Once you lose the weight you need to keep working out or those pounds will come back and they will bring friends. |
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Lift as heavy as you can, as often as you can, while staying as fresh as you can. Something like 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 75-90 percent of your one rep max. Contrary to popular belief this will not add a significant amount of muscle mass. It stimulates Myofibrillar Hypertrophy or it increased the density of the muscle as apposed to its size. Not only will it build lean muscles it makes for extremely strong and efficient muscle tissue Lifting heavy weight is also a great fat burner as you continue metabolize for a significant period after the lifting is finished. Never train to failure. You should always finish a set with 2-3 good reps left in reserve. Stay fresh. Keep weight training to approximatley 45 min. This will make you focus on the important exercises; Large compound full body movement such as deadlifts, clean and press, turkish get ups, etc... When doing these kind of lifts keep ab specific training and running at the end of the traiing session so you core remains fresh for the lifts. If you have a Kettlebell club or a Crossfit gym where you live check those out. Both are awsome programs. |
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I get the feeling I am on the right track. I've started a basic routine of sorts which seems helpful. I'll wake up, use the bathroom, and come back and weigh myself. It serves as a nice benchmark for how I am doing. I don't drink soda or smoke so I don't have to worry about knocking those off. I will start drinking a ton of water though, seems like an easy way to feel better and even knock off some pounds. Thanks! |
Speeling edit. |
If the goal is to increase strength without increasing muscle size, I agree with all the above. One thing to add: Long slow distance aerobics isn't the best way to lose fat. Yes, it does burn fat, but it also burns muscle (you want to keep your muscle!) and it encourages transition of fast-twitch muscle to slow-twitch (important if you care about athletic performance beyond long slow running). The extreme endpoint of slow long distance running is a marathon runner's body -- low fat but low muscle. Most guys would rather build towards looking like a power athlete such as a sprinter or gymnast, who also have very low fat but strong muscular development. You need to de-emphasize aerobics if you want to burn fat but keep muscle, just like a power athlete such as a sprinter de-emphasizes long slow aerobics. Ya, I realize none of us are going to look like advanced athletes, but you want to build in the right direction. Once you're happy with your basic base of fitness and cleared by a doctor, you should start replacing aerobic runs with high intensity interval training (HIIT). Your goal should be to do this as soon as possible ... again, check with the doc, HIIT is hard, wouldn't want to do it with a bum ticker. HIIT burns fat much faster than long slow aerobics, and instead of burning off muscle like aerobics, it preserves muscle and can even be anabolic. Best advice I can give you is to pick up Ross Enamait's Infinite Intensity, which lays out the various types of strength and fitness, how to build it, and includes sample programs. |
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what's your diet like right now? having lost over 100 pounds so far, i can say that diet is the most important part of the equation. the second is cardio. here's what i do in terms of diet: breakfast: a large meal. rich in fruits, bread, lean meat, veggies; and if i'm going to eat something bad, i eat it in the morning. breakfast is usually 800-1,000 calories. i usually have some fruit in between breakfast and lunch. lunch is usually a couple sandwiches or wraps and lots of fruit. my sandwiches are mostly veggies and very little meat. lots of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. lunch is usually 600-700 calories. dinner is never anything more than a cup of yogurt or a piece of fruit followed by a stalk of celery. i usually run a few miles after dinner. skim milk and water! if i drink fruit juice, it's got to be real juice... none of that corn syrup shit. milk is fairly high in calories, but it's rich in vitamins, nutrients, and protien. i always go to bed hungry, but it's worth it. i'll also add that my job is hard physical labor. i burn a lot of calories at work, and when i go back to school, this diet plan is going to have to change to adjust to my lifestyle. it's taken me almost two years to get on this plan. when i was almost 300 pounds, my diet almost entirely consisted of soda, fast food, chocolate and chips(hence my username. and no, i'm not kidding). kicking myself of that habit was probably the hardest thing i've ever done. and on to cardio... you say that you're trying to run a fast mile? how about running at a slow, steady pace and increasing the time you run? i usually lay down 9-10 minute miles. it's not very fast, but i honestly feel like i get a better workout doing 2-4 miles at that pace than i do running at full speed for a single mile. i usually workout after i run to keep my heart rate up longer. low impact and light weights, mostly. i'm currently 6'1" weighing in at 185, so i'm really making some progress. i'm doing a lot more than what i posted above, but those are a couple things that have really helped me. my current goal is to have my abs fully visible... something i plan to accomplish within the next few short months. it's something i never thought i could do, but it's well within my reach now. just set goals for yourself and push as hard as you can until you get there. the more goals you meet, the easier it is to stay motivated. |
My diet is probably what needs the most work. I've never eaten very well to be honest. In high school I used to eat cake for breakfast plus junk food around 10AM. However, I was continually playing sports and working out all the time so my weight was not high. In the last year my activity dropped off so the diet caught up to me. I'm working hard to try and rectify it. My biggest hurdle is just not eating so often. I usually get bored and feel like grabbing a snack, not because I'm really hungry. My first goal is to only eat when my body is truly hungry in addition to eating a bit less and eating better food. |
| There's absolutely nothing wrong with eating more meals but with smaller portions. If you try to keep to 3 meals per day but you are famished by the time each meal rolls around, it will be exceedingly difficult to eat healthy and ensure proper portion control. Many people get around this by eating more meals (4-6 meals per day), but because they're much less hungry the meals are smaller and healthier, and as a result total calorie intake is lower. There's evidence that evolution-wise this is the way we were meant to eat. I find that being starving at mealtime is my worst enemy. A healthy snack between meals ensures I don't binge at mealtime. |
+1 ! 
Huge +1! 1 soda = 100+ calories per can. At ONE per day that's 700 cal per week...2800 per month. That's a SINGLE can per day.
Here I differ. Weight ypurself the morningyou're starting the program. If you eat right and exercise, the rest will follow. I prefer the tight jacket method. I found a jacket that was tight and I'd go back to it every week to see it it was any looser. Worked for me.
Figure out how man CAL you need to SUSTAIN your current weight, with no activity. Use that as your base line. If you cut that total by 500 cal per day you'll lose one poumd a week. If you exercise, you'll just lose weight faster.
+1 ! AND READ EVERY PACKAGE! Look for calories! The rest will figure in since sugar, fat etc is reflected in the calories. |
FYI - ICE WATER is -1 calorie per serving. This is because the body has to heat it up and thus burns some calories. |
Don't eat less, just eat smarter and halthier. A prepacked BAG of SALAD is about 50 calories. That bastard with other veggies, 6 oz of lean protein, Lite dressing (avoid Fat Free! They replace the fat with sugar!) and you've got yourself a friggin' stuffing. I even use salsa, cranberries, raisens, nuts, all sorts of thing, all properly portioned. It's all about portion control! |
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It is so much easier to just eat right than work out. Cut out most of your sugar and fat intake. Then start moving for cardio work like walking. Keep it easy so you can actually do it, like 12 miles a week. 2 miles or just 30 min a day, skipping Sunday. Walk at evning when it's comfortable, even better with a friend. No pain equals no pain. But losing weight (properly) is a commitment that takes time. If you lack that commitment, then pay for liposucktion and spend a month in pain sitting on your ass. |
Good form and the right shoes is the cure for this. Running does not have to be bad for your knees.[/quote] After more than a thousand total knee replacements, I disagree with that statement. Age + extra weight speeds up the damage to your knees caused by running. Lightweight + youth allows you to run more with less damage, but over time, it WILL catch up with you. Blake |
Or get a rowing machine. The owner of the company I work for gave me his Concept 2 last week. It is amazing. You can wear yourself out without straining. I've been running since before Jim Fixx made it a fad in 1977, but I don't think I'm ever going running again. www.concept2.com/z |
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If you are worried about knees and lower back or disc injuries, try an eliptical machine. Also, try doing weights now, the extra muscle will help you burn fat quicker. Be aware fo the Fat Burning zone and the Cardio zone. You want to work the ole ticker, but the Fat Zone pulse rate will shed the body fat quicker. Good luck. |
I've been very interested in a Concept2 rower since I first learned about them! It's good to hear you are happy with yours. I'm getting closer and closer to taking the plunge. Check out this video. If that wouldn't motivate me to work out, nothing will! Row Pro |
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Lift heavy - nuff said Eat less - if that does not work eat even less and so on. Run more - even sprinters run WAY longer than your runs. Try 2 miles to START and work UP from there. Your runs are pure crap and I am being as nice as possible about that. Run for 30 minutes STRAIGHT. Suck it up. You are not doing anything for your body by running less than 10 minutes every other day. Might as well not do anything and focus on harder dieting IMO. Expect a pound a week of fat loss. Anything more is bonus. You lack of dedication will make your goals hard to reach.... under 30 min of cardio a week? Jeez... |
Things have actually improved a bit since I first posted. I'm back at school and intramurals have started up. At this point I'm doing much for than 30 mins of cardio a week. I play a full intramural basketball once a week and floor hockey is starting up. I've been doing what you mentioned and looking more at reducing my food intake and heavier dieting. |
Nice video. That guy is going pretty fast. After a month of using it my 2km time went down from about 5 minutes per 5k to 2:45 per 5k. His 1:45 is pretty fast. Notice how smooth and fluid the movements are on the rowing machine even with an extremely hard work-out. I'm confident anyone can make much more progress with it than you can by running. One feature I've really come to like is that it will record the work-out on a smart card. That means if you slack-off for a work-out the record of it is permanent.z |
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Adding sports is a great way to improve the number of calories burned while not having to resort to just running. It is not as time efficent but easier mentally for sure. Just so you can understand how bad your previous schedule is I wanted to give an example of the calories burned doing a hard mile every other day. Running at 10 MPH burns .10 calories per minute per pound of body weight Say you weigh 250 lbs Say you run 1 mile... it will take 6 minutes. That is seriously pushing it. That will be 25 calories a minute or 150 calories for the 1 mile run. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. Doing the run every other day would take 47 days to lose a pound of fat from running on a maintenance diet. Every pound you lose will decrease the number of calories you are buring per minute. Running at 5 MPH burns .064 calories per minute per pound of body weight Say you run 3 miles... it will take 36 minutes. Nice jogging pace. That will be 16 calories per minute or 576 calories per session. If you do 6 days on then one off you will lose a pound of fat fom cardio every week. 6 lbs of fat in 6 weeks is a huge difference. 1 lb will not even be noticable. You also get the health benfits from the longer sessions that the all out run will not provide. For performance you need to be able to clear lactic acid efficiently. Your slow twitch muscles are what will burn your lactic acid. Training them makes you a more explosive athlete over an extended period of time. |