Slinks

here's the thing... i'm fat. i want to be skinny. 2 1/2 years ago i weighed 185. then i got very sick. fatty/sugary/acidic food brought the pain. 14 months ago i weighed under 140. then i got healthier. 8 months ago i got more healthier i weighed 160. Today i weigh 185. i loved being skinny. i wanna be skinny again.

I'm using this thread kindof as a journal (hopefully posting makes me accountable).

Here's my weight loss goals:
week starting plan actual
7/31/2005 --- 185
8/07/2005 180
8/14/2005 177
8/21/2005 174
8/28/2005 173
9/04/2005 171
9/11/2005 169
9/18/2005 167
9/25/2005 165

i figure first week is the most productive since the more you weight u have the more caloric intake is needed to sustain it. right now i'm at an equilibruim pt essentially.

I'm thinking if i cut out my almost daily soda, late night snack, and start bringing turkey/chicken sandwiches instead of buying lunch that should give me a good boost right off the bat. As of last week i also started running on tread mil for 20 - 40 minutes in the morning (although not running for full 20-40. i've been sprinting, then walking, then sprinting, then walking). i'm gonna try to double this up and do it twice a day.

any suggestions would be appreciated.

edit: i haven't read any other thread on the forum yet but will soon start perusing so hopefully that'll give me tips too.

wstevens

Count your calories everyday and compare them to an estimate of how much you burn per day (do a Google search to find a website that will tell you such things).

A couple books I've read suggest you take in between 500-1000 calories less than your body requires pre day to lose weight. You will need to lose about 3500 calories total to lose 1 lb. of weight.

Slinks

i read the same 3500 calorie estimate. which seems really daunting (if true). i have no idea how many calories i was eating as of last week, but lunch was probably killing me (burgers/fries/pizza/fried chicken,chinese food/etc). so eating a sensible lunch will probably drop 500-1000 calories/day right off the bat (assuming i can indeed eat lunch sensibly) and save a pound or two. hopefully exercise brings in another pound or two.

...just got done running/walking the treadmill for about 50 minutes. also ate a bowl of whole grain cherios with ff milk (as opposed to my usual fruit loops with ff milk).

i've been thinking it would be really cool if i could do something while sitting in my cube at work. any suggestions? like are there any cheap under the desk pedals or something like that that i could use to exercise while working?

also joined a roller hockey league. i'm probably the worst person in the league, a large part due to i have no stamina. so besides the weight loss, the daily treadmill routine is motivated by trying not to be the worst in the hockey league. btw, i was originally going to put off joining the league until i was physically fit (ie so i'm not an embarassment), but a friend said that i should just jump right in, cuz otherwise i might never do it, and i think he was right...

Whiskers

Keep calories under 1500 a day and do at least 30 minutes a day of cardio.

SDCGTSX

To expect your body go lose weight that regularly is a little unreasonable. Also, 20 lbs in 2 months for 185 is too high an expectation too. 20 lbs for a 300 lbs fatty is nothing since it's a small part of their weight but for you, it's going to be much slower. Don't expect that kind of weight loss and be disappointed when it doesn't happen that fast. I'd set the schedule to 4 months.

anothercls

It is doable, but you're going to lose muscle and fat, and possibly look fatter. I lost 15lbs in a month because I stopped eating and never exercised, worst mistake ever.

mc_yanzo

What league did you join? I play in the EMRHL.

Doc.Booty

At your current weight, 1 pound per week is what you should aim for. Any more and you're gonna be saccrificing muscle mass and that'll just make you look worse.

Do this if you want to lose any significant muscle mass you have. You'll likely feel like shit through the whole process.

Read the stickies

Whiskers

I feel pretty good

Slinks

same one, saturday mornings

youngTL

The stickies are the new AZ health bible! ABreece for moderator!

Slinks

thanks for the tips all. the 20lbs in 2 months is just an arbitrary number i made up this morning. i'd like to get into the 155-160lb range eventually (plus that way those new clothes i bought during my unhealthy period won't all go to waste). faster is better but in no real rush. that would also put my bmi into the 'normal' range

red the stickies (good job on them btw), abreece, you'd suggest weight lifting over the treadmill? how about both? i'm a complete noob when it comes to weights so i'll probably have to ask the ppl who work at the gym for instructions (they have free personal training).

Doc.Booty

You can do both, but cardio isn't really necessary. The goal is to be 500-1000 calories below maintenance while keeping as much muscle mass as possible. Calories are all about diet. Retaining muscle is 1) eat enough protein, and 2) lifting weights. Hit the treadmill if you want, but you don't have to if you're controlling your diet properly. It would be good if, say, you screwed up and had a few candy bars. Do some cardio a few days that week in order to bring your average calories for the day back down (2 candy bars in a week won't wreck your diet, but if you don't feel like taking the minor setback to your diet goals you can work them out).

Ask someone in the gym for some advice. Personal trainers are hit and miss - some are complete morons, some really know their stuff - so feel free to post their suggestions here to make sure what they told you is good for you.

Whiskers

Just for me - I didn't care if I lost muscle, hell I didn't care if my dick fell off....I was 250 lbs and I knew I had to do something. But in no way am I endorcing the way I lost my weight.....

Doc.Booty

When you're that heavy (assuming you aren't 6'8" or something) your body will definitely pull its energy from fat more than muscle. The leaner you get the more you have to worry about losing muscle, and the opposite is true.

Whiskers

Ok, cool..... 5'8"

Doc.Booty

Yeah, 250 at 5'8", you're gonna be burning pretty much all fat for a LONG time on that.

What are you at now? Before/after pics?

Whiskers

Was 250 - Now 167.....Pics here....

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=313561&page=2

Doc.Booty

mc_yanzo

Same here, who are you?

Slinks

so far been doing pretty good with the diet. healthier cereal, healther lunch, healthier dinner, healthier snacks...although today i fell off the wagon when i had two cheeseburgers/coke at company barbeque (couldn't resist free food).

So far been doing the treadmill in the mornings and push-ups/sit-ups when I can.
Just got home from an hour of swimming (i'm gonna swim for an hour on mondays/wednesdays).
Meet with the gym's personal trainer on friday, hopefully that'll get me going on the weight training. Once the weight training starts, it'll cut into the treadmill time (if not cut out).

Can't wait till i look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club!!!

(the above line was a joke)

Whiskers

Sounds good. Don't get discouraged if you don't loose what you want when you want. Just keep at it.

Doc.Booty

Slinks

Ok, I think I lost 2lbs last week (last sunday my weight was between 185 - 187 depending on when I weighed). Yesterday it was 183-185.


(I adjusted the starting from 185 to 187 and all others in the plan column up 2lbs to reflect my prior mistake)
week starting...plan.actual
7/31/2005.........---- ....187
8/07/2005.........182....185
8/14/2005.........179
8/21/2005.........176
8/28/2005.........175
9/04/2005.........173
9/11/2005.........171
9/18/2005.........169
9/25/2005.........167
10/2/2005.........165

Slinks

So I met with the Gym's trainer and he suggested the following weight training routine --

2 Super-sets of --
--
Chest Press, 8-12 reps
Seated Row 12-15 reps
--
Dips 8-12 reps
Chin-ups 8-12 reps (alternate between hands on inner & outer bars each day)
--
Shoulder Press 8-12 reps
Bi-Curl 8-12 reps
--
Crunches (until fatigued)
Plank (80% fatigued first rep, until fatigued second rep)
--
He suggested I do this routine 2/3 times a week and do treadmill jogging (steady pace until 20 min) on other days (I also told him about the pool). Also he said increase weights once I get to the upper end of the rep number.

Anyways, so here's what I'm thinking as a schedule --
Monday 6am - 20 min treadmill (walk/jog)
Monday 5pm - Weight Training
Monday 7pm - 1 hour swim

Tuesday 6am - 20 min treadmill (walk/jog)

Wednesday 6am - 20 min treadmill (walk/jog)
Wednesday 5pm - Weight Training
Wednesday 7pm - 1 hour swim

Thursday 6am - 20 min treadmill (walk/jog)

Friday 5pm - Weight Training (no cardio to rest up for hockey game on sat)

Saturday morning - roller hockey game/1hour
Sunday morning - 30 min treadmill (walk/jog)




A few questions --
Is the weight training routine okay? any suggestions swapping some of these weight excercises with other ones? Or adding exercises to the training?
Is there any kind of weight training I could do on Tuesdays/Thursdays that won't use the same muscles?

Is this overkill (specifically mondays/wednesdays)? Would I be better to switch to 2 days of weight training (tue/thu) so that it doesn't interfere with the pool days?

More questions as I think of them...
Thanks,
Slink

Slinks

update:

I modified the workout sequence such that I go thru it, then I do whatever other random shit until exhaustion.

Mondays & Wednesdays are really a good workout. And the swimming an hour or two after the weights doesn't seem to impact each other, and I think they may even compliment each other (not sore right away after lifting, swimming uses whole body, and doesn't need much strength to break thru the water -- although getting out of the water is a whole different issue -- i walk across the pool to the shallow end and use the stairs cuz its impossible for my arms to pull me out). The only thing I've got to be careful on is ab work (like situps) cuz too much strains my digestive organs.

You know, I think I feel much much better about my body since I started doing this...

Awesome day of caloric deficiency today. Hopefully burned a pound or two. Got all 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out this morning, so my mouth has been numb (from the novacaine) for the entire day (including right now). I've restricted my intake to lots of medication, 2 glasses of mango shakes (mango, milk, and some ice cream -- awesome taste), tomato soup, and lots of water. I'm guessing caloric intake can't be more than 500 for the day (and possibly around 300). Then I just got off jogging/walking on the treadmill for an hour (it said i burned 720 calories alhtough its definitely not accurate since it doesnt take into account weight, heart rate, or incline into its calculation).

Slinks

other random questions (if anyone knows the answer):

Whats better (in terms of calories burned, endurance gained, anything else) : a 30 min of a constantly rigorous exercise (like running at a constant rate) or 3 10 minute sets of the same?

What burns more calories (or are they they same): Running 1.5 miles in 20 minutes or walking 1.5 miles in 40 minutes?

Whats healthier: Egg whites (eggs with yolk removed) or egg beaters? I've only had egg whites once (a long time ago) and from I recall they taste better than egg beaters so I may go back to them once my egg beaters supply runs out (plus its probably cheaper to buy eggs & dispose the yolk then buy bottled egg beaters)

Doc.Booty

I'm pretty tired right now so i might not agree with this in the morning... but..

Routine looks good for starting out - except where's the leg work? Legs are extremely important. What you have there 2-3 times a week will keep you from getting annihilated and being unable to move for a week after your workout. But you'll probably outgrow it pretty quick. You'll eventually want to switch to working only one or two muscle groups at a time once a week.

Slinks

you're right, there's no leg strength exercises. I'll throw some into the mix. I'll keep doin what I'm doing thru august, and then in september, I'll move onto specializing days for one/two muscle groups and cut the cardio (I like the cardio right now as I'm trying to build endurance for the hockey games).

thanks for all the advice...

Slink

Slinks

Couple more things:

I found a weight training buddy for m/w/f so we kinda force each other to keep going until we're dead. He's also been good at showing me how to use the machines since he used to lift in a former life. Also good to have around incase I ever get into the "i'll just skip today" mood i got a backup guy forcing me to go. I also made a "who can lose the most weight in august" bet with said person. Its a non-monetary bet, so i'm not killing myself over it but the extra bragging motivation can't hurt.

Slinks

week starting....plan.actual
7/31/2005..........---- ....187
8/07/2005..........182....185
8/14/2005..........179....181
8/21/2005..........176
8/28/2005..........175
9/04/2005..........173
9/11/2005..........171
9/18/2005..........169
9/25/2005..........167
10/2/2005..........165
10/9/2005..........163
10/16/2005........161
10/23/2005........159
10/30/2005........157

looks like i'm progressing pretty well, i'm going to extend my goal to 30lbs in 3 months.
if i can lose 4lbs this week, then it'll be smooth sailing at 2lbs/wk for the rest of the plan.

once thats done I think I'd like to level out at the 155 - 160 area (although continue to reduce fat levels & gain muscle levels), and the plan is to adjust diet/exercise when I get to low/high end of that region.

Slinks

week starting....plan.actual
7/31/2005..........---- ....187
8/07/2005..........182....185
8/14/2005..........179....181
8/21/2005..........176....???
8/28/2005..........175 ....177
9/04/2005..........173
9/11/2005..........171
9/18/2005..........169
9/25/2005..........167
10/2/2005..........165
10/9/2005..........163
10/16/2005........161
10/23/2005........159
10/30/2005........157


Slightly behind my schedule, but not too bad. After 4 weeks I've lost about 10lbs. Hopefully I can keep this up (I presume it'll get harder as I lose more weight & thus my body needs less calories to maintain)

I took a week off from exercising (not this past week but the prior week due to some circumstances) so considering that I think I made out okay.

Also I haven't been watching my caloric intake & I'm still eating alot of crap (eating out maybe 3 times a week during lunch).

So given the givens, I think this 10lbs of weight loss has been due 80% to exercise, 20% to diet. If I keep gradually improving my diet that should give me further weight loss. Maybe I need to make a rule "only eat out once a week at lunch", but as long as I keep losing ~2lbs a week I'm not going to stress it too much.

Unfortunately the gym at my work is renovating so the weights have been out of commission for a week (plus the prior week I didn't work out) and won't be back up for another 2...hopefully I can pick up where i left off once its renovated.

Monday night swimming is out of the schedule as I've got other things to do, but wednesday night swim will remain.

Also I can definitely feel my endurance building as I'm able to go longer before getting tired on the treadmill (and at hockey games).

Anyways thats my update (if anyone even cares )


sLiNk

jayhawk815

I'm just curious, but how tall are you? 157 lbs is a pretty low weight. Also keep in mind that you will gain muscle weight, skewing your results.

Slinks

5'7". Agreed, muscle weight will skew the results. But you figure there are athletes over 6' who are around 180lb and have much more muscle then I'll have in the next few months (or ever probably), so I don't think 157 is that skinny.

Doc.Booty

For your height 157 isn't super skinny.

jayhawk815

Agreed. Makes more sense now.