Renegade

I know the formula...go to the gym and do aerobic exercise for an hour and then do weights 3-4 a week and have a great diet.

Realistically speaking this is not an option for me. #1 I don't have time. #2 I hate lifting weights and the elliptical. #3 I can't eat a healthy diet because I like food too much and am not motivated enough. #4 I love to exercise via sports, but don't have friends down here with any time to play. And I don't play basketball so cant go to the pickup games.

Here's the deal. I'm 5 8 180 right now. I naturally have very thick legs and a big ass so I would say ideally I'd be pretty skinny/almost flat stomach at 160. Now, its not like I'm huge or anything, but definitely put on some weight.

My question is this...I usually eat shitload of chocolate, huge entrees, and pick up everything from a restaurant every day.

I have started doing this and I know its not ideal but will this help me lose some weight?

In the morning I have whole wheat toast, banana, and then on some days a very healthy oat cereal.

For lunch I am still eating out from a restaurant but not eating an appetizer like I used to and am cutting out the daily ice tea. I am also not adding as much sauce etc for some dishes.

For dinner I come home and eat a lean cuisine with some fruit or vegetables and a 100 calorie pack for desert.

I do the elliptical 3 days a week for 30 min. I do sprints twice a week for 20 min.

Will this game plan over time allow me to lose 20lbs? Or do I need to take it to the next level?

Pug

Losing weight is actually pretty simple (not easy, just simple):

Calories you burn > calorie you take in

You can accomplish this by:
a) exercise - increase those you burn,
b) diet - decrease those you take in,
c) some combination of both

You're probably taking in fewer calories if you've cleaned up your diet. That's good, but if you don't notice the weight coming off, you haven't cut enough. It's very easy to underestimate the calories you're taking in. A good way to get a handle on this would be to write down everything you eat & drink for a couple of days and calculate how many calories you're taking in. There are a lot of web sites that can give you this info, calorieking.com for example. An approximation would be fine.

Based on your age/height/weight, your basal met rate (BMR) is around 1900 calories. That's how much you burn just staying alive. So if you laid in bed all day and and just breathed, you're burning 1900 right there. Throw on top of that your exercise and regular walking around and you're probably burning off something like 2500-2800 a day in total. That may seem like a lot, but it's really easy to eat that much - and more. In fact, if you're eating at a restaurant each day and getting dishes that have sauce, you're probably downing at 1,000 calories just at lunch. If you have 2 pieces of whole wheat toast and a banana for breakfast, that's about 300 calories (and that doesn't include butter, jelly, orange juice, cream & sugar in your coffe . . . you get the idea)

You can lose the weight - but you're probably going to have to push it to the next level. Good luck.

GIBSON6594

Are you serious? That was the lamest line of BS i've ever seen. You've successfully managed to convince yourself out of every conceivably healthy lifestyle. I guarantee you all of that is not as steadfast as you make it seem to be. If you want to improve you have to sacrifice. No Pain, no gain.

Renegade

No, I'm athletic and love sports, but HATE elliptical...law school takes up a lot of my time..so I cant be cooking meals etc..look all I'm asking is take what I said as fact and let me know if you think I can still drop some weight using this method. Thats all. Thanks!

SG81

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like you're off to a good start w/ the breakfast but how bad exactly is your lunch?

I'm 5'10" and 165 lbs but i don't lift weight a lot anymore. I use to but now I just play hockey weekly and recently bought a bmx bike. Do more cardio and you should be fine as long as you keep eating better.

if you want to loose some pounds and get into better shape, you will have to MAKE the time to exercise. eating healthy is only half of it

zguy95135

Stop eating like shit and you'll lose weight. Throw in some exercise and you'll be golden, there's no easy way.

incredulous1

fuck the eliptical. run 3 miles a day and do some pushups/crunches/pullups/tricep dips after.

barebones workouts that will help you cut weight and keep it off.

although the other half of losing weight is your diet. go to your supermarket... you see all the shit in the boxes? dont buy them. go for fresh and natural stuff. ingest less soda, sugar and fats and you will be saving your health AND your money. its a fact.

ive gone six months without drinking soda and ive been able to keep my weight the same the whole time. i eat like a pig, but that is well balanced with my excercising habits (cross country running, weight lifting).

FiftyFive

Stop eating at a restaurant everyday

BackinBlackTL

im sorry but the opening post makes me believe that the OP really doesnt have a desire to lose weight and become more healthy...for real, you cant eat out every day, have chocolates every day etc...that's just begging for back fat and flab hanging over your elbows...instead of these HUGE entrees, get one and turn it into 2 dinners...btw, more cardio never hurt anybody

Renegade

I was stating what I'm used to doing, not what I plan on doing. Like I said, I wont ever have a perfect diet, I like food too much...but if I'm eating huge meals and stuff for years and about only 20 lbs over weight my thinking was that with a little help with my diet and some exercise I shoiuld have no problem dropping lbs.

To the other poster, I can't run miles every day because I have knee problems.

FiftyFive

Eat clean, by this i dont mean eat everything you hate. Just cut out most of the fat, etc in your diet. I always allowed myself one day to let loose a little otherwise i wouldn't stick with any diet for too long and would just end up cheating a lot more. Get in the gym 3-4 times a week and break a nice sweat. You should see the lbs drop off. Eating right is the most important. Good luck!

RMATIC09

so you wanna lose weight, but not conventionally because your fat and lazy? Awesome.

BackinBlackTL

Renegade

I wouldn't say I'm fat..no one would even think im a pound overweight just looking at me, its more that I dont have the desire to go to the extreme to get in perfect shape. Not necessarily lazy, not all of us love the gym and eating very healthy just to stay in tip top shape. I see what you are getting at here, but its simply not what you think

GIBSON6594

it's also easy when you are 16

moeronn

I'm about the same size as you (but 15 years older) and have similar issues. I've started eating both healthier and smaller portions, but haven't been doing enough exercise. Doing this I have been able to maintain my weight, but not really drop any. I need to add more activity, but it's not always easy. Yes, it is something that I really should make time for, but that is not always practical.

But really the only way for you to find out if this will work for you is to try it for 3-4 weeks and see what happens. You won't be shedding the pounds instantly, but it make a difference.

subinf

I eat out all the time because I like food. Just order well from the menu.

I cooked a lot my first year in law school - it was nice to take a break from reading.

Now I do the elliptical for about an hour then run 3 miles then bike - it is easy to read while on the elliptical and bike so you can get some of your more trivial assignments done.

incredulous1

whats easy? resisting the urge to drink soda and eat unhealthy foods? running wont kill you either. most of you guys work 9-5's right? thats perfect. wake up at 6 and go jogging or biking or even swim. i know plenty of people that can take weight off and keep it off. quit being lazy. if you want something, you have to commit to it. otherwise you're just another failed boat that sank.

JBlueCLS6

iTrader: (2)

Stop being a lazy POS and put some work into it.

subinf

When I was 16 I could eat whatever I wanted and run half as much as I do now and still stay really fit. Age is a bitch to deal with. You won't know for another 10 years though.

incredulous1

exactly. put some effort into it. dont just eat whatever. fast food is shit. restaurant food really is not much better unless you're paying for natural shit.

all it takes is some dedication. like anything else, if you actually set forth to do it, you will accomplish it.

but if you actually require more help, then just go seek out a personal trainer who will give you motivation and help.

Doom878

I feel what Renegade is saying, especially that since he just moved he's a little overwhelmed by all the international cuisine just a few miles from him. It's hard to resist temptation of really good food, after all we only live once.

I think crossfit would work for you. Most of the workout you really only need some weights and a makeshift pullup bar. The workouts are usually less than a half hour (only doing the workout and warmup). I see myself burning more calories than what I'm eating. I just started working out from home and will cancel my gym next month (save $ and time). I only have a bar bell with some weights, swing set (pullups), and jump rope. Yet I can do most of the workouts they do without a hitch.

I'm like you in the sense that I eat a lot of junk. Sometimes it's because the wife is just too tired to cook (we both work/2 kids) and junk food is cheaper than healthy stuff. Last week I ate nothing but donuts everyday because my job kept hooking it up and I fit into my pants easier than the week before. Obviously, had I dieted properly would I see better gains. Let me know if you want more info. I live in Kendall so if you want to try a workout throw me a PM.

cM3go

If you want quick and easy, liposuction.

GIBSON6594

I love how easy you make it all sound. Talk to me in 10 years. At 16, life is still a joke. You think working is easy? Most people are exhausted after work.


And for the record, my usual work hours are 9 am-8 pm and I still go to the gym for close to two hours every night when i get home.

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

^ ya for some people it isn't easy. luckily i work 8-5 so when I get home i go for a run most days after work but its hard with it getting darker outside at earlier times now and especially with DST coming. Running in a park full of trees at night = can't see shit.

Doom878

Throw kids and a wife into the mix. Goodbye gym!

1st timer

Things to cut out:
Dairy,sugar,salt,red meat,bread(except 2 slices of kamut),pasta fried food.Eat alot of fruits,(this should be your breakfast).By frozen fruits throw some in a blender and voila,you got yourself a smoothie.With every meal after that have lots of salad.Apple cider vinegar is best with some olive oil ,remember no salt!!!! You can eat fish or chicken breast,no red meat.
Drink 3-4L of water per day.No beer,booze of any kind or soft drinks.
If you want coffee,drink 1-2 coffees a day,remember,no sugar(you can use stevia instead,it's a natural sweetener with 0 cals)
Once a week you can have 2-3 slices of pizza or something you love as a reward!

Street Spirit

Do something like Weight Watchers, where you don't necessarily have to cut out every food you enjoy, but you'd need to monitor how much of everything you eat throughout the day to stay somewhat on track with a reasonable intake.

stogie1020

Beat me to it.