fadingaway22
Well-known member
Hello, Josh. I understand your concerns about dieting and exercise. I have struggled with my weight throughout my life, and have finally maintained a state of consistency. As an introduction, I used to weigh 220 lbs. This was my weight around 2 years ago. I am not tall ( I'm 5 feet 8 inches), and the college life put weight upon me. This worried me because my mother died of heart disease. I knew I had to do something. I worked hard for a year, and I am now at my goal weight of 144 lbs. Weight loss is something of an experimental art. What may work for me, may not work for you. Finding a balance is key. Regardless, here is my general advice to you. I am not a trainer nor a dietician, but a healthy conscientious individual. If you ever have any questions, it is best to consult a doctor or a trainer. Anyways, here it goes.
1. Start off small. Exercise approximately 3 times a week. Your exercise should consist of at least 30 minutes at your elevated target heart rate level. Most trainers will calculate this for you due to many variables. For example, my heart rate at rest is around 60 heart beats a minute. My target elevated heart rate is between 140 to 160 beats a minute. Thus, cardio equals an exercise of 30 minutes + getting your heart rate in your target range. Cardio includes running, swimming, biking, etc. The stairmaster is a wonderous machine for this. If this is too hard to do at first, start off by walking and then increase it. Once you become more conditioned, increase it to 40 minutes per exercise 4 -5 times a week. Make sure you mix up your workout. Your body will become used to a certain routine and you will hit a " plateau". Try running one week, the bike machine another, swimming another, etc. Or run one day, bike the next, etc.
2. Weight train ! Weight training is imperative. Lifting weights burn calories and creates lean muscle. When you lose weight, you don't want to be all flab. Weight training also creates good metabolism burning capabilities. Lean muscle will help you burn more calories when at rest. According to the American Health Institute, the average male should lift at least twice a week. This is good as a beginner. Start off slow. Work out each muscle during three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions at a comfortable weight. Learn from your trainer the proper lifting techniques in order to avoid injury. Give yourself between 30 to 90 seconds of rest time in between sets. Generally, don't lift everyday, unless you lift upper body one day, lower body the next. I lift every other day. Use the weight machines AND free weights for best results. After your strength increases, then add more weight accordingly.
3. The diet is the hardest part, at least it was for me ! I love food, but I had to make sacrifices. The average diet for males is around 2,000 calories a day, but this varies according to the person. For starters, try to cut your diet per day back by about 300-400 calories- to a daily total of 1600-1700 calories. Then, exercise to burn around 300 calories. You must diet AND exercise to see results. This combination creates a calorie deficit, thus burning body fat. Eat breakfast. This will decrease your appetite during the day. Try to also eat 6 smaller meals a day instead of 3 big ones if at all possible. Keep a log of your caloric intake and exercises. Eat foods that are low in fat and high in vitamins and fiber. Fiber keeps you full. Studies also show benefits of drinking green tea in order to jumpstart the metabolism. Protein should be consumed for muscle repairment. Try to cut back on fast foods and dinning out. America's restaurant industry caters to large portions of fried fatty foods. Research the internet for food stats on various establishments if you need help. In the end, it all comes down to calories. If you want to burn fat, CONSUME FEWER CALORIES AND BURN MORE THROUGH EXERCISE. If you are looking for a quick hunger fix, eat a bowl of soup. According to Penn State, eating a bowl of soup will help you consume 20% less calories in the day. If you like salads, don't kill them with dressing. Dressing is high in calories and fats. Instead, add natural spices and salsa to give them that extra flavor.
4. REWARD YOURSELF ! You deserve it for your valiant efforts. We are human beings. By eating healthy six days a week, one splerge day acts as positive reinforcement. Some will argue with me that this is bad, but I find it easy for me to keep my diet. By eating healthy during the week, it gives me something to look forward to on the weekend. I can have that slice of pizza with my friends, or have a few beers when playing my SNES. This is not an excuse to binge eat to the point of being sick. This serves as a reward. On your splerge day, rest as well. Your body needs to restore itself. The following day, then it's back to work. For example, I eat healthy and exercise 6 days a week. My splerge night is either a Friday or Saturday night. I pick one of those days and then miss the gym. I eat what I want that day. I will have that slice of pizza for lunch or that steak for dinner. Hell, I might drink a six pack of beer. But on Sunday, it's back to my routine. I will actually double up on cardio to compensate for the night before.
5. Weigh yourself weekly, before exercise- and preferably around the same time. Try to pay less attention to the weight you drop and more to your percentage of bodyfat. The body mass index charts only measure a calculation of your weight to height ratio. Your percent of body fat actually measures the amount of fat and muscle. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. Combine your percent of body fat to a continual observation of your clothes becoming bigger for best results. When you lose weight, you want to lose body fat, not muscle. Your percent of body fat measurement will tell you this. There are many ways to get this measured. I get mine done by a machine at my gym that sends an electrical impulse through my feet and upwards throughout my body, detecting total muscle and fat. So, what is a healthy percent for men? The levels go as follows :
lean/ underfat ( not good !)- below 6 %
athletic - 6 % to 13 %
fitness/ better than average- 14%- 17%
Acceptable/ Average/ Adequately healthy- 18%- 24 %
Overweight- 25% - 29%
Obese/ Serious health risks - 30% or more
Remember, a really low percent is just as bad as a really high percent. Place emphasis on your body fat measurement in conjunction with general weigh -ins. I started off at weighing 220 lbs at a 36 % body fat- atrocious for a 5 foot 8, medium build male. After my extreme weightloss, I'm at a weight of 144 lbs at an 8 % body fat. My dear friend, you can do it !
6. Most importantly, have fun. View this as a rediscovery of yourself. Do this for you, and not because someone told you to. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and experiment. Have fun and try your best. No one is perfect. If you miss a day or screw up your diet, DON'T be too hard on yourself. Just try your best to stay motivated. Remember the factors that motivated you in the first place to want to lose weight.
In conclusion, try different things to find out your starting level. Try to combine all these methods listed above. Remember, diet AND exercise. Calories COUNT ! Weight training is a MUST ! And HAVE FUN ! Again, I am NOT an expert. But, I hope my advice can act as a guideline for you so you can reach your desired results. Best of luck to you !
1. Start off small. Exercise approximately 3 times a week. Your exercise should consist of at least 30 minutes at your elevated target heart rate level. Most trainers will calculate this for you due to many variables. For example, my heart rate at rest is around 60 heart beats a minute. My target elevated heart rate is between 140 to 160 beats a minute. Thus, cardio equals an exercise of 30 minutes + getting your heart rate in your target range. Cardio includes running, swimming, biking, etc. The stairmaster is a wonderous machine for this. If this is too hard to do at first, start off by walking and then increase it. Once you become more conditioned, increase it to 40 minutes per exercise 4 -5 times a week. Make sure you mix up your workout. Your body will become used to a certain routine and you will hit a " plateau". Try running one week, the bike machine another, swimming another, etc. Or run one day, bike the next, etc.
2. Weight train ! Weight training is imperative. Lifting weights burn calories and creates lean muscle. When you lose weight, you don't want to be all flab. Weight training also creates good metabolism burning capabilities. Lean muscle will help you burn more calories when at rest. According to the American Health Institute, the average male should lift at least twice a week. This is good as a beginner. Start off slow. Work out each muscle during three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions at a comfortable weight. Learn from your trainer the proper lifting techniques in order to avoid injury. Give yourself between 30 to 90 seconds of rest time in between sets. Generally, don't lift everyday, unless you lift upper body one day, lower body the next. I lift every other day. Use the weight machines AND free weights for best results. After your strength increases, then add more weight accordingly.
3. The diet is the hardest part, at least it was for me ! I love food, but I had to make sacrifices. The average diet for males is around 2,000 calories a day, but this varies according to the person. For starters, try to cut your diet per day back by about 300-400 calories- to a daily total of 1600-1700 calories. Then, exercise to burn around 300 calories. You must diet AND exercise to see results. This combination creates a calorie deficit, thus burning body fat. Eat breakfast. This will decrease your appetite during the day. Try to also eat 6 smaller meals a day instead of 3 big ones if at all possible. Keep a log of your caloric intake and exercises. Eat foods that are low in fat and high in vitamins and fiber. Fiber keeps you full. Studies also show benefits of drinking green tea in order to jumpstart the metabolism. Protein should be consumed for muscle repairment. Try to cut back on fast foods and dinning out. America's restaurant industry caters to large portions of fried fatty foods. Research the internet for food stats on various establishments if you need help. In the end, it all comes down to calories. If you want to burn fat, CONSUME FEWER CALORIES AND BURN MORE THROUGH EXERCISE. If you are looking for a quick hunger fix, eat a bowl of soup. According to Penn State, eating a bowl of soup will help you consume 20% less calories in the day. If you like salads, don't kill them with dressing. Dressing is high in calories and fats. Instead, add natural spices and salsa to give them that extra flavor.
4. REWARD YOURSELF ! You deserve it for your valiant efforts. We are human beings. By eating healthy six days a week, one splerge day acts as positive reinforcement. Some will argue with me that this is bad, but I find it easy for me to keep my diet. By eating healthy during the week, it gives me something to look forward to on the weekend. I can have that slice of pizza with my friends, or have a few beers when playing my SNES. This is not an excuse to binge eat to the point of being sick. This serves as a reward. On your splerge day, rest as well. Your body needs to restore itself. The following day, then it's back to work. For example, I eat healthy and exercise 6 days a week. My splerge night is either a Friday or Saturday night. I pick one of those days and then miss the gym. I eat what I want that day. I will have that slice of pizza for lunch or that steak for dinner. Hell, I might drink a six pack of beer. But on Sunday, it's back to my routine. I will actually double up on cardio to compensate for the night before.
5. Weigh yourself weekly, before exercise- and preferably around the same time. Try to pay less attention to the weight you drop and more to your percentage of bodyfat. The body mass index charts only measure a calculation of your weight to height ratio. Your percent of body fat actually measures the amount of fat and muscle. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. Combine your percent of body fat to a continual observation of your clothes becoming bigger for best results. When you lose weight, you want to lose body fat, not muscle. Your percent of body fat measurement will tell you this. There are many ways to get this measured. I get mine done by a machine at my gym that sends an electrical impulse through my feet and upwards throughout my body, detecting total muscle and fat. So, what is a healthy percent for men? The levels go as follows :
lean/ underfat ( not good !)- below 6 %
athletic - 6 % to 13 %
fitness/ better than average- 14%- 17%
Acceptable/ Average/ Adequately healthy- 18%- 24 %
Overweight- 25% - 29%
Obese/ Serious health risks - 30% or more
Remember, a really low percent is just as bad as a really high percent. Place emphasis on your body fat measurement in conjunction with general weigh -ins. I started off at weighing 220 lbs at a 36 % body fat- atrocious for a 5 foot 8, medium build male. After my extreme weightloss, I'm at a weight of 144 lbs at an 8 % body fat. My dear friend, you can do it !
6. Most importantly, have fun. View this as a rediscovery of yourself. Do this for you, and not because someone told you to. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and experiment. Have fun and try your best. No one is perfect. If you miss a day or screw up your diet, DON'T be too hard on yourself. Just try your best to stay motivated. Remember the factors that motivated you in the first place to want to lose weight.
In conclusion, try different things to find out your starting level. Try to combine all these methods listed above. Remember, diet AND exercise. Calories COUNT ! Weight training is a MUST ! And HAVE FUN ! Again, I am NOT an expert. But, I hope my advice can act as a guideline for you so you can reach your desired results. Best of luck to you !
