I started excercising a couple weeks ago because I wanted to make getting in good shape my new hobby. It seemed like the lazier I got, the worse shape I got in and the worse shape I got in the less I wanted to get back in shape because it was too hard. I realized I hit a new low when I hit the 200 lb mark and I don't want to end up permanantly fat like the rest of my family and get diabetes, etc. What's the best way to get back in shape? I got an excercise bike, some free weights, and one of those ab lounge things. Right now I'm doing 30-40 mins every day on the bike at a moderate pace, and doing the free weights 3 days a week. I know that it takes time but it has been 2 weeks and I havn't lost 1 lb yet, even though I have been keeping track. So any advice out there on how to get back in shape?

my only advice is to eat more protein, it helps the muscle fiber repair itself faster and more efficient that you build while working out.

chicken breasts and turkey is what i love to eat and its very good when you work out.  tuna is also really good.

im starting to get back in shape, being out of the military for 6 months has taken its toll.

good luck to you friend.

I love my treadmill. Here's a recent thread.
Treadmill thread

Quit your job and go become a logger.  You'll get in shape real fast by carrying 2-3 sections of haywire (250ft length of 3/8in cable, around 75lbs each) up and down a ravine.  

diet diet diet ... you can work out all you want and still not lose weight ... you may also be burning fat and gaining muscle  ... this would offset any dramatic weight loss ...

my best advice would be to take up something like boxing ... its an amazing workout, and to me more interesting than riding a bike ...

Cut out all soda.
Walk...walk...walk
Dont eat late at night.
Watch sugars and fats.

Working for me.

Round is a shape.....eat a lot of fatty foods and don't excercise. You'll be in that shape in no time flat.

Quoted: Cut out all soda. Walk...walk...walk Dont eat late at night. Watch sugars and fats. Working for me.

That is huge

EAT LESS
EXERCISE MORE

Quoted: Round is a shape.....eat a lot of fatty foods and don't excercise. You'll be in that shape in no time flat.

I'm already in that shape.

Get off of the internet you post whore!  

Just kidding.

If your like me the only thing that changed is my activity level not my eating habits.  If I was you I'd get busy doing something.  If its something you enjoy your more likely to stick with it.

Shok

Martial arts. Especially grappling or kickboxing.

Well my job has me sitting at a desk for 10 hrs a day and in the afternoon I'm too tired to do much else. I've been excercising in the morning before going to work because I heard that raises your metabolism for the rest of the day. It seems to be working, I have more energy during the day, but then I am dead at night.

Quoted: Quoted: Cut out all soda. Walk...walk...walk Dont eat late at night. Watch sugars and fats. Working for me. That is huge

Two words:


I like the iced tea, lemonade and fruit punch. No aftertaste. Try it!  
Keep this in mind: 1 can of Coke is 140 calories. It takes me like 8 minutes to burn that on a treadmill. You can potentially eliminate hundreds of calories a day be removing soda from your intake.

Eat less, exercise more, and work out til muscle failure 3-4 times a week.  Let yourself build up some stamina first before doing so, otherwise you'll injure yourself.

congratulations on getting in shape now!

>your eating habits and portion size is important, stay away from fast foods /  junk food, sodas, etc

no late night snacking, eating a pizza & drinking beers at 10 pm to midnight is bad for your body, thats when your metabolism slows down and you will gain weight faster, try to eat light meals.  if you must snack late in the evening, like have some cereal, fruit, water, something light.

>walking  / jogging is one of the best ways to burn calories also bicycling, always do some type of cardio workout, even a brisk walk in the evening for 30 minutes or more will help.

>if you work out with weights, do high reps and low weight

alternate your workouts to avoid boredom , if you dont feel like runing / jogging, then just go for a walk at a fast pace, it's less stressfull on the joints too.

also dont go for long periods without excersize or you will get out of shape , always keep it up, even if it's just a few sit ups, push ups and walking and also remember to watch your eating, no stuffing yourself at buffets, no late night eating, try to eat your main meal before 6pm, I eat my main meal at midday and my smallest meal at 5 - 6 pm

First off: 1 lb of Fat = 3500 Calories

If you were to use to most effective aerobic exercise (ie. Running) and you ran 100 Mile you
would burn off approximately 100 calories.

On the other hand your body (on the average if your male) will need approximately 3500 calories per day.

So..I recommend the following
(1.) A diet (weight watchers, atkins, or whatever works for you) - Personally I like eating Tuna, Chicken, Albacore, or Salmon with no bread.

(2.) moderate exercise. If you exercise you will need to up your carbohydrate intake

(3.) drink plenty of water and take vitamins daily.

It is better to eat a very small meal frequently than a single large meal.
The trick is to fool your body into "thinking" that your haven't cut back on your carbohydrates.
If you feel a little cold (low blood sugar) eat a piece of fruit.

Occasionally during a diet: your body will plataeu, and it won't lose any weight. I found that what works for me, is to shock my body. Change what or how much I am eating. For example, I will fast for a day, then go back to my diet, and the weight will start to drop again.

The easiest way to burn fat is to make all your major muscle groups work back chest and legs. if your worried more about weight loss than trying to get buff than do lots of  circuit training going from station to station to station doing from 1 to 10 min of each exercise you have set up for yourself and drink huge amounts of water 1/2 to 1 1/2 gallons per day  and to really lose weight no matter how hard you work you do have to decrease your calories in take and don't eat after 7pm if you go tobed at 10pm ajust times accordingly.

This is what I did to lose 25 lbs. Jog 1 mile and 3 3 min rounds on a punching bag every morning before breakfast, drink smoothie for breakfast, eat half a sandwhich for lunch. Other half of the sandwich later that day. And a dinner that isnt too over board. Weight lifting in the evening. No eating after 7pm, No soda or flavored drinks. With this routine its still cool to eat fatty foods once in a while.

The most aerobic form of exercise is swimming, not running

Some claim the best way to do weights is lift hard upper body one day a week, and lift hard lower body one day a week, then heal the rest of the week.  Aerobic exercise is good every day (1 hour).

GunLvr

Put the twinkie down and back away slowly.  No, fuck that, RUN mother effer, RUN!  

Smaller portions during meal time and eat 5-6 times a day.  Putting fruit and veggies in between meals is the easiest.  This will help raise your metabolism along with exercise.  

I'm suprrised nobody has mentioned the hookers and blow method of weight loss.

CW

I was thinking about getting a punching bag because it looks like fun and good excercise but they are a little expensive. Would it be worth the price to get one?

Quoted: EAT LESS EXERCISE MORE

+1

This is the bottom line.   Intake fewer calories than your body currently burns or burn more calories than you currently intake.....either way will work  100% of the time.  

Quoted: First off: 1 lb of Fat = 3500 Calories If you were to use to most effective aerobic exercise (ie. Running) and you ran 100 Mile you would burn off approximately 100 calories.

Running 100 miles burns 100 calories?  Running 100 miles = dead for me

I do have one question.  Several have said no sodas.  What about diet sodas with 0 cal and 0 carbs?  Besides the crappy taste, what is bad in them?

I tried many workout routines over the years, and was always trying to start off with something well rounded, complicated, that took a good solid hour.

Never worked.  There were always days I couldn't dedicate an hour, and couldn't decide exactly what portion of the workout I wanted to do.  I'd end up slacking off, then drop it.

What has finally worked is to do something obnoxiously simple, and do it a minimum of three times a week.  I chose the treadmill, and I picked one of the standard "patterns" (Cross Country #2) to use every time.  I keep track of my average heart rate daily, and my weight and body fat percentage weekly.

I haven't made major diet changes, other than "in general" trying to eat healthier.  Instead of an extr-value meal at McD's, I get an "All American Meal" (cheeseburger, small fries, small drink) and an order of apple dippers (apple slices and caramel sauce).  It is filling, adds some fruit, and is a lot less calories than the big mac meal.  Over time, my appetite has shifted--I want less food, and what I crave isn't always the worst stuff.  

My exercise goal is 25 minutes per day.  If I'm short on time, I just pull back to 15 minutes or 10 minutes doing the same route and speed.

Between that and before/after stretches plus cool-down, I only have about 40 minutes invested per session.  Over the course of a couple of months,

So in summary, I suggest starting off with something insanely simple, repeatable, and aerobic--treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical trainer, or similar.  Make your minimum goal three times per week for a reasonable length of time, and keep track of a few stats so you can watch yorur progress.  I've dropped over twenty pounds since February, my body fat percentage has dropped significantly, my average heart rate has dropped even as I've gradually increased my treadmill speed, and I have noticed a significant increase in my daily stamina.

Good luck!

Jim

P.S.--a major beneift of aerobic exercise, aside from the direct physical improvements in your heart, lungs, and circulatory system, is that the healthier your CV system is, the /easier/ it will be to do other significant exercise, including strength training.

another tip is to always be a little hungry, that means your body will burn off more calories, dont stuff yourself at each meal

Remember to exercise in the zone meaning exercise to the point that it would take effort to carry on a simple conversation with out stopping.  If you're biking for 30 - 40 minutes each morning then you are doing plenty of cardiovascular exercise - just make sure you're doing it in the zone.  You should also be drinking 10 - 12 oz glasses of water a day and eating at least 3 balanced meals.  Do not eat anything with in 2 hours of bed time.  Your weight loss will not be consistent so do not get discouraged when you experience plataus.  Just keep working.

Good luck,  Patty

Quoted: First off: 1 lb of Fat = 3500 Calories If you were to use to most effective aerobic exercise (ie. Running) and you ran 100 Mile you would burn off approximately 100 calories.

That must be one slow pace.  I think the machines at my gym say I'm burning around 400 calories for three miles, even at a 10 min/mile pace (2% grade).  

start running, walking is for fat people.

Quoted: Quoted: First off: 1 lb of Fat = 3500 Calories If you were to use to most effective aerobic exercise (ie. Running) and you ran 100 Mile you would burn off approximately 100 calories. That must be one slow pace.  I think the machines at my gym say I'm burning around 400 calories for three miles, even at a 10 min/mile pace (2% grade).

+1 I run 4x per week at 9 min miles 3 miles and I have burned off 500-550 calories (or so says my treadmill) Since I started, I have dropped 17 #s and am feeling much better...more energy and less fatigue. I am eating better, and eating less portions.

I am 5'10" and weighed 203...now I am at 186 and some of my old pants are starting to fit again.

I have a tv and dvd player in front of the treadmill. I can watch a movie in 3-4 sessions. The Wal-Mart $5.50 bin is my friend. Plus it helps to pass the time faster and less boring than just music.

So what would be a good punching bag to get? I want one with it's own stand because I can't attach things to the walls or ceilings at my apartment.

Very basic advice

Diet:

Try to stay away from processed and refined foods.  Eat more vegetables and lean meats and some fruit.  Eat less fatty meat, bread, and sweets.

Spread your meals out.  Eat 4-6 small meals/day.  Don't eat more than 6oz of protein at one sitting.

Exercise:

Find an aerobic activity that you like whether it is running, bicycling, rollerblading, swimming whatever.  Do it at least 30 minutes 3x/week.  If you can find 2 or more activities that you enjoy that is better.  Mix them up.

Strength training.  Keep it simple, basic, and short.  Free weights, machines, or calesthenics all have advantages and are all good for you if you are out of shape.  Again, pick what you enjoy and try to work your whole body 2-3x/week.  

After you acclimatize to this level of activity, you can add intensity or refocus your time on strength or endurance, whichever your prefer, but keep some of both in your program.  Pick a goal (not body fat or weight) to shoot for.  It could be a 5K race, a triathlon, or bench pressing your bodyweight for 6 reps.  Having a goal and telling people about it will motivate you.   Let us know what you pick so that we can hold you to it.  Good luck.

Important to define what shape you want to be in.  I need to work out more, but feel that I am in fairly good shape - almost exclusively with diet and whatever exercise my lifestyle sneeks in.

If I could work out I am sure my shape would become more athletic - but for the most part I am happy right now with being healthy.  I am 5'10 and 155lbs.  When I worked out more I was happy with my weight at 165, but can not carry that without much more exercise than I am currently doing.   At that time I was probably exercising close to 10 hrs a week, but because several friends were olympic caliber athiletes I did not feel that I was athletic(moral, find friends who are fat, they will make you look better).

As my exercise decreased (and my diet remained constent) I went from 165 to 192.  Diet (hard atkins) brought that back under control.  Now I do a maintence atkins and am playing with augmenting it with bits and peices of the wap diet (a very weird diet, but some of it just makes sence to me and it does not confilct with maintence atkins)  

Quoted: First off: 1 lb of Fat = 3500 Calories On the other hand your body (on the average if your male) will need approximately 3500 calories per day.

Adult  males usually burn between 2000 and 2500 calories a day, some less than that if they are really inactive.

I lost 40 lbs. All I did was start walking 4 miles everyday, light weight training a few days a week, and I cut out all bread, rice, pasta, and most sugar (still ate fruits). I ate any vegetables or meats I wanted and a limited amount of fruits. Lost 40 lbs in about 4 months and it was fairly easy, went from 200 to 160. That was 2 years ago and I am around 168 right now, gotta start exercising again and laying off the bread/rice/pasta.

I'm all for dieting but there's really no way in hell I'm giving up bread.

Dont necessarily "eat less".

Once you cut back on food enough, the body goes into starvation mode and uses less energy.


What you want to do, is eat like 5 or 6 little meals aday instead of 3 big ones.  Like, at 6am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm and say 7pm.
Just little things, say a granola bar and a cup of yogurt.  Some fruit and a chicken breast or whatnot.

This way, the body gets used to it and knows it's getting food sometime here shortly and wont go into starvation mode and will use energy reserves.


Walking/running is a great way to get rid of fat also.