Ok guys, I am looking for serious help here. I went to my annual weight in for the ANG and am WAY TOO big. Need to lose 20-30 lbs of mid-section and ass fat so I can attend jump school. I am ashamed I let myself get this big. Any one know a good, solid diet and exercise program I can use to lose the weight in 1-2 months. BTW, I am 6'4 and currently 280. Any info would help. Thanks

Start running...

I lost 60 pounds in 6 months (from 210 to 150) by eating a salad for dinner (yeah, that was all for the day) and getting off my sedentary dead-arse and starting a running program.  I went from couch to 30 miles per week in 6 months.

That was 5 years ago, I am still 150 lbs.  I started running to lose weight, but continue to run because I developed a love for it.  

Start slow, turn off the TV, and take back your physique.

I just read somewhere that a good 10-15 minute session of uhh, erkin yer gerkin can burn upwards of 50 calories, so 3 times a day and your close to a mile of running, couple that with a good diet of high protien, low carbs and weight lifting and you'll be good to go!LOL!  Seriously, I read it.

Hello!

I must ask.  If you are this much overweight, can you pass all of the other criteria for Airborne like pushups, situps, runnning?  Should those criteria (or whatever criteria Airborne has) be included in your 2 month plan?

Other than that, you need to change your diet.  It takes 30 to 40 minutes of walking on a health club treadmill to eliminate the calories from a candy bar.

You need to create a calorie deficit.  That means you expend more calories than you take in.  You can lose roughly 2 lbs per week before you are doing damage to your body (by having your body consume muscles to feed itself.  Your heart is a muscle).

Bring a bottle of water whereever you go.  Drink water instead of snacking.  Most people confuse the sensation of thirst with the sensation of hunger and eat when they are thirsty.

Reduce the portions you eat.  Look on the back of whatever food you (or whomever) prepare to eat.  There is a measurement of what a portion is.  Don't go over it.  Prepare to eat smaller meals more ofter (4-6 per day) to avoid going over 1 portion.

Learn to stop eating when your body sends that faint signal "I am okay for now" rather than gorging until your body says "I cannot eat anymore."

Drink light beer, wine/spririts, or not at all instead of regular beer while you watch the games on Saturday and Sunday.  Cut down on those chips and dip as well (or not at all).

Eat a bowl of Total Raisin Bran with milk in the morning as you wake up.  Not only does this increase your metabolism and ward-off your body from entering "starvation mode," it also makes you...umm, regular.

Consumer Reports did a brief study of the Atkins diet and reported that the group on the Atkins diet lost an average of 17 lbs (I think in 1-2 months) versus 7 lbs for a regular diet.  While CR didn't recommend the diet because there are no studies that exonerate a high-protein diet  for the short term (there have since been studies), it seems that the diet works.  Just compound that diet with the above *and* with counting calories (i.e., causing a calorie deficit...expending more calories per day than you take in...by about 200 calories or so).

It is unhealthy and you may faint at your next workout, but you may want to find someone who wrestled in college or high school and has tips on how to make weight with some screwy 48hr crash program.  Save that program until the end.  Don't expect more than a few pounds, however.

As for exercise...do it.  But you need to tell us the test you must pass at the end.

James

dont you guys (and gals) have a regular exercise program?   if you dont, this cant be for lack of funding, as the program only takes a motivated CO and (i think) wouldnt dent your OPTAR (or whatever you call your budget).

buy that motivational exercise tape by our Navy's "underwater soldiers".[;)]   follow the program as close as you can without dying. then try harder. you got your goal. [b]how bad do you really want it?[/b]

Thanks for the info. I have also been contacting though my COC to see what ideas I could get from them. See, the problem is, I AM physically fit, just much bigger than Army regs. Here is what I am getting from my 1SG as to the regs for entrance to jump school and what I can do:

40 Push ups in 2 min (can do)
60 Sit ups in 2 mins (can do)
3 mile run in 20:20 (barely can do)
5 Pull-Ups
250 lbs weight limit

My problem is that I lifted weights heavily for quite a while, and now all that muscle mass combined with too much fat has put me over the weight limit. As to a regular exercise program, we are expected to keep in shape on our own because it is a NG unit and just work as a unit on drill weekend. Thanks for all the help and keep it coming.  

id suggest Atkins plan. ive just lost 25 lbs in 5 weeks on a low carb high protein diet. i walk every other night 2-3 miles. and hike in the AZ mountains on the weekend. it was easy...dont knock it untill youve read the book, or did some research on low carb foods. ive been eating allot of eggs, lean beef, chicken, cheese, olives, celery, lettuce, cucumbers, and specialty low carb foods. the first 2 weeks your allowed 20 carbs a day. and all the meat, and cheese ya want. i eat veggies with every meal. 1 stalk of celery with cream cheese is about 3.5 carbs. a lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing is about 4 carbs. try it, just may ne what your looking for.

Two month ago I found out I had high blood pressure.  I lost 25lbs. in six weeks.  The first thing I did was read the label on everything I put in my mouth(with the exception of Sunday.  God rested and so does my diet).I replaced my Code Red Mountain Dew with water and cut down on the red meat.  I limited myself to 2000 calories a day.  Ideally, I eat between 1000 and 1500.  I ride a exercise bike or walk fast because I love my knees and want them to keep working.  I do this for 30-60 minutes three to six times a week.  My blood pressure is now normal and I love to go to the community center and release the days tension.  Oh by the way, I work 70-80 hours a week at two jobs.  So if I can make time so can everyone else.

Hello!

Sorry for the delay in replying.

The above posts give some pretty good advice on what to do for diet.

Here are my exercise recommendations.  These are modular so you should arrange them in a way that best suits you.

First, divide the time until you ship out as follows.  Subtract a week for a recovery period at the end and then divide the remainder into 3 even periods.  Keep any remaining weeks as reserve for when you hit a sticking point during the periods.  For example...

9 weeks - 1 week = 8 weeks.
8 weeks / 3 = 2 weeks per period (with 2 left over)

Phase 1 = Week 1 & 2
Phase 2 = Week 3 & 4
Phase 3 = Week 5 & 6
Rest wk = Week 9

If you start to struggle during, say, week 4, repeat that week (using one of your reserve weeks).

There are 2 running modules and 2 callisthenic modules.

Running...

Running Workout 1 (3 days per week)

Steady run for time.  Run for 22 minutes non-stop.  Get used to running for this amount of time and the distance will slowly increase (as your pace quickens).  Concentrate on running with good form...

Some points on running form...

1) Use all "north/south" movement.  That means all body motion should be directly in front of you moving to directly behind you.  Do not swing any body parts out to the side like you legs or arms.  It is common for women, for example, to let their right leg swing out to the right (away from the body) when running.  Similar for the left side (swinging out to the left).  This is wasted and injury-provoking motion.

2) Minimize up and down movement.  "Pop" forward instead of up.  Many runners expend a lot of energy jumping up with each step instead of moving forward.  A good runner's head and torso will not move up and down with each step because they direct all of their energy forward.

3) Run as if you are riding a bicycle.  The correct leg swing is similar to riding a bicycle.  Thigh moves up (tucking ankle and lower leg below it), then out/forward, then down...the same way if the foot was attached to a pedal.  Do not try to goose step, skip, use up-and-down or "east & west" movement to compensate for not getting your thigh up.

4) The correct foot strike is a soft heal to toe.  You should not hear your foot slap against the ground.  

5) The pace of your arm swing dictates the pace of your leg swing.  The faster you swing your arms, the faster you swing your legs (and the faster you will go).  A faster leg pace will reduce your time provided you do not shorten your stride length and do not cross from the aerobic "long-distance" threshold into the anaerobic "sprint" threshold (which expends too much energy to maintain for 3 miles).

6) The length of arc in your arm swing dictates the length of your stride.  The more you swing one arm up and the other arm back, the longer your stride length will be.  A longer stride will complete a distance in fewer paces (less exertion) if you do not reduce your leg pace and do not cross from aerobic into anaerobic.

7) The correct distance form is eyes on the horizon and elbows at greater than 90 degrees.  Do no look down at your feet...it decreases your lung capacity.  Also, do not bend your elbows greater than 90 degrees, which is sprinting form and will cause cramps and stitches in your abdomen area.  Also, do not clench your fists, which impede blood flow from your shoulders down to your fingertips (causing pain).  Loosely cup them.

8)  Breathe according to a steady cadence.  When I run, I inhale for 3 steps and exhale for 3 steps.  From your nose or mouth (or both), it does not matter.

Running Workout 2 (3 days per week, opposite days as running workout 1)

This is speed work designed to increase your pace.

Intervals.  Intervals are a series of runs at a quicker, more intense pace than your steady runs.  These runs have periods of low intensity in between to compensate for the higher pace.

Start with 4 x 800m (0.5 miles) with a 400m (0.25mi) rest in between.  Rest should be a walking or a "shuffle" (slowest jog possible).  You may want to start with walking for the rest periods and progress to shuffling.  Work up towards 4 x 800m plus 4 x 400m (again with 400m rest shuffles in between).

Callisthenic Workout 1 (3 days per week)

(The following is modified from [url] http://www.benning.army.mil/usapfs/Training/CD/index.htm[/url].)

1.  Depth Jumps
2.  Bend and Reach
3.  Lunger
4.  High Jumper
5.  Abdominal Crunch
6.  Knee Bender
7.  Side Straddle Hop
8.  Squat Bender
9.  Swimmer
10. Supine Bicycle

Depth jumps are 2-footed jumps off an elevated platform.  Start with 5 inches high and work toward 12 inches high.

These exercises are important to strengthen and toughen your lower body so you can withstand the rigor of landing during parachuting.  I have met people who have broken both ankles during jumps--a likelihood increased by your weight (another reason to get that weight down).

Start with 1 set of 5 reps and work towards 3 sets of 10 reps.

Callisthenic Workout 1 (3 days per week, opposite days as callisthenic workout 1)

Chin-up progression  (see below)
Push-ups (whatever sets & reps work for you)
Sit-ups (whatever sets and reps work for you)

I assume that because of your weight, you cannot do a chin-up or a pull-up.  Chin-ups are the same as pull-ups but with your palms facing you instead of facing away.  If the test allows a choice, choose chin-ups, which are easier for most.

3 types of chin-up exercises...

* Assisted chin-ups.  You need to position a chair or bench below the chin-up bar for this.  Raise and lower yourself in a normal chinning fashion but using assistance from the chair.  You may need to raise/lower much more slowly while minimizing the push off the chair in order to maximize the workout / tension on your lats/arms.

*  Negative chin-ups.  You also need to position a chair or bench below the chin-up bar for this.  Raise yourself completely standing on the chair.  Jump up to reach the top position of the chin-up (chin above bar).  Hold for 1-2 seconds while removing your feet from the chair and then slowly lower yourself (until your arms are straight) over the next 4-6 seconds.  Get back up on the chair and repeat.

*  Full chin-ups.  This is a regular, unassisted chin-up.

Start with 3 sets, 3 reps each and work towards 3 sets 6 reps each according to the below guide...

Phase 1:
Set 1 Negative chin-ups
Set 2 Assisted chin-ups
Set 3 Assisted chin-ups

Phase 2:
Set 1 Negative chin-ups
Set 2 Negative chin-ups
Set 3 Assisted chin-ups

Phase 3:
Set 1 Full chin-ups
Set 2 Negative chin-ups
Set 3 Assisted chin-ups

The rep count for each set can be different from the previous and later sets (example, 3 full chin-ups, 6 negative chin-ups, and 4 assisted chin-ups for phase 3).  Do them according to how exhausted your muscles are (but try to make progress each workout).

Push-ups and sit-ups can be done how you see fit (since you can pass those already).

Assemble these how you see fit.  You can group Running workout 1 with Callisthenic workout 1, or vice versa...according to what works best for you.  Do one pair Mon-Wed-Fri and the other pair Tue-Wed-Sat.  You can even do one workout in the AM and the other in the PM.

If you do both at the same time, I find that running before calisthenics works better but do what is best for you.  If you continue to lift weights, do these workouts in the morning.

If you want to do additional cardio, ride a stationary bike at the gym/health club for 22 minutes maintaining a 90-106 rpm pace and at 75%-80% of your max heart rate.  Any additional cardio I would do a supported (sitting on a bike) and not pushing through space (stationary).

Warm-up, warm-up stretching, cool-down, and cool-down stretching are necessary.

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

James