I've been working out for a solid 3 weeks now, when will I start noticing a difference. I do a minimum of 30 mins of cardio everyday and lift weights about 2-3 times a week. I slightly changed my diet by cutting down drastically on sugar (no soda) and red meat (1-2 meals a week). Working out is suppose to make me more energetic too, that's what I thought. Any advice would be appreciated.
Getting in shape
- Thread starter thefish8
- Start date
3 weeks isnt nearly enough time if you were never "in shape" before. I'd wait about 8 weeks. Also, what differences are you looking for? What kind of cardio do you do?
http://www.geekfitness.com is your friend
http://www.geekfitness.com is your friend
I'm looking to get lean, I don't care about bulking up. I'm young but I've been overweight most of my life.
John Stone is insane too, I've seen that before. That's a life changing style.
John Stone is insane too, I've seen that before. That's a life changing style.
Schadenfreude
Lifer
- Dec 28, 2001
- 11,391
- 3
- 0
Could be iron deficieny since you've cut out red meat. Are you taking vitamin supplements in place of lacking dietary needs?
I've been a lazy fvck for about 5-6 years. I started going to the gym 3x a week and changing my diet about 8 months ago. I've lost 27 pounds (my goal is 50 in a year) and my fitness level is a huge improvement over what it was. However, I'm still fat and not in great shape. Approach getting in shape as a lifestyle change and a commitment to better health, not a quick fix. The results will come with hard work and patience.
Abe Froman
Golden Member
- Dec 14, 2004
- 1,057
- 4
- 81
If you are working out as hard as you say you are, then you should definitely have seen and felt results within 3 weeks. May I suggest using a stairmaster for your cardio, even if you are a man, its one of the best cardio machines, it will strengthen your legs and gluts, as well as increase your stamina and endurance. I guarantee your pants will be too big for you in a couple weeks.
Start eating chicken, good source of protein, Tuna, and shrimp. They are all very filling. Stay away from snacking on unhealthy items. Try eating celery, carrots, or rice cakes. Use these as a substitute for between meals. I would also suggest not eating after 6-6:30, and making it a low carb dinner. But keep your dinners small, as you are dormant at night, the energy is not utilized the same.
I personally used protein shakes by EAS...MyoPlex..they are the best tasting shakes you will find. The vanilla cream is good if you add some frozen fruit (mixed berries) to it and some ice. The frozen fruit is actuallybetter for you than the fresh when it comes to berries, while frozen, the berries retian their anti-oxidants.
PM me if I can be of any more help.
Start eating chicken, good source of protein, Tuna, and shrimp. They are all very filling. Stay away from snacking on unhealthy items. Try eating celery, carrots, or rice cakes. Use these as a substitute for between meals. I would also suggest not eating after 6-6:30, and making it a low carb dinner. But keep your dinners small, as you are dormant at night, the energy is not utilized the same.
I personally used protein shakes by EAS...MyoPlex..they are the best tasting shakes you will find. The vanilla cream is good if you add some frozen fruit (mixed berries) to it and some ice. The frozen fruit is actuallybetter for you than the fresh when it comes to berries, while frozen, the berries retian their anti-oxidants.
PM me if I can be of any more help.
Depends exactly what you mean by getting in shape. Do you want to lose just 10-15 pounds? Or are we talking more drastic changes?
Afrotech
Senior member
- Aug 3, 2004
- 368
- 0
- 76
Yup, this is great advise!
It could take years to get "in shape" I am in "good" shape... it took me one year to go from 10% BF to 6%.... and i don't eat ANY white sugar... It's a hard road... just stick to it. You can do it, and will feel great once you see the results in the mirror.
also, make sure you are eating 5 or 6 times during the day... keep the metabolism up! and keep to around 1600 calories... all will be well.
the forums are full of all kinds of people with different goals. You can really learn a lot about what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. The link I gave is to the forums. check it out.
BlueWeasel
Lifer
- Jun 2, 2000
- 15,944
- 475
- 126
It's hard to say where you're going wrong exactly without knowing what you do for cardio, what you do daily for lifting weights, and what you're eating on a daily basis. (Number of meals a day, what for every meal, etc)
Different people respond differently to working out - give it a little time. There's no magic pill.
Different people respond differently to working out - give it a little time. There's no magic pill.
Normally it takes a couple months to notice any difference. Unless you are doing massive amounts of cardio. Give it another month and maintain proper diet and you should start noticing results. You're actually going through a phase that a lot of people who start working out go through. You dont see any results and end up losing motivation and quiting. Keep making the effort to go and I guarantee you once you start noticing results you will start getting addicitng to working out.
Starting height and weight?
When I started working out (6ft, 270lbs) I dropped 5 or 10 lbs in 3 weeks, but I really dove into working out and ramped up my cardio quickly to where I was swimming a mile 3 times a week within two weeks of getting started.
My guess is that your cardio sessions aren't long enough or intense enough. I recommend swimming. It worked for me, it can work for you, too. You won't know where it all went.
I'm down to 215 to 220. I've been lifting weights through all of this to maintain muscle mass, and it has really helped give me definition. I still have a belly, but not like before. Plus, I'm in the best shape of my life. I can swim 2K in 45 to 50 minutes, and I've started up running.
Make it a lifestyle change. Incorporate working out into your every day life from now until you die. You will get fit and be in great shape before you know it. Just bring up the intensity and give it some time.
Ryan
When I started working out (6ft, 270lbs) I dropped 5 or 10 lbs in 3 weeks, but I really dove into working out and ramped up my cardio quickly to where I was swimming a mile 3 times a week within two weeks of getting started.
My guess is that your cardio sessions aren't long enough or intense enough. I recommend swimming. It worked for me, it can work for you, too. You won't know where it all went.
I'm down to 215 to 220. I've been lifting weights through all of this to maintain muscle mass, and it has really helped give me definition. I still have a belly, but not like before. Plus, I'm in the best shape of my life. I can swim 2K in 45 to 50 minutes, and I've started up running.
Make it a lifestyle change. Incorporate working out into your every day life from now until you die. You will get fit and be in great shape before you know it. Just bring up the intensity and give it some time.
Ryan
Thanks everyone. Seems like I need to increase time I spend doing cardio and and then just wait it out. Thanks again.
alkemyst
No Lifer
- Feb 13, 2001
- 83,769
- 19
- 81
I have found heavy workouts, esp with a lot of leg work burned more fat than anything. I am sure if I wanted to dedicate more than an hour or so to training cardio may surpass that in the long run....but I don't have time like I did to spend 4 hours+ a day training.
Nowadays when I want to get back in shape I stick to a 3-5 day a week plan (right now I am doing 45min workouts, total body 3x a week...5x a week 1 hour workouts on a split I find more gains)
I do pushups, bent rows, good mornings, curls, tri exts, military presses, upright rows, squats, side bends, crunches and leg raises. Quick home workout.
I also supplement currently with ephedra (now with guifaisen), caffeine, a little aspirin, magnesium, potassium, a good multi-vitamin and lechitin. I eat two pretty well balanced meals (pita with tuna or chicken and vegetables for lunch, 4-6oz of a meat and more vegetables for dinner...during the weekend anything goes).
For the last 20 days I have lost 1lb per day. I want to lose another 10lbs (get to 175lbs at 5'10.5").
Nowadays when I want to get back in shape I stick to a 3-5 day a week plan (right now I am doing 45min workouts, total body 3x a week...5x a week 1 hour workouts on a split I find more gains)
I do pushups, bent rows, good mornings, curls, tri exts, military presses, upright rows, squats, side bends, crunches and leg raises. Quick home workout.
I also supplement currently with ephedra (now with guifaisen
), caffeine, a little aspirin, magnesium, potassium, a good multi-vitamin and lechitin. I eat two pretty well balanced meals (pita with tuna or chicken and vegetables for lunch, 4-6oz of a meat and more vegetables for dinner...during the weekend anything goes).For the last 20 days I have lost 1lb per day. I want to lose another 10lbs (get to 175lbs at 5'10.5").
3 weeks isn't nearly long enough.
Don't forget that fitness is not a one size fits all kind of thing. Some people have it easier than others, some people have it harder. Did you ever get your testosterone level checked? Someone who is naturally gifted at 1000 ng/dl will have a very easy time cutting up and adding lean muscle to their body, while someone who is unlucky and only has 250 ng/dl will have a tough time getting in good athletic shape. T level is the single most important factor when it comes to building muscle or losing fat. Since you can't change that (legally), the best you can do is follow a strict diet and work out a lot.
PS- Talking about testosterone levels is often considered taboo when talking about exercize or sports, since you can't legally change it and it has such a drastic effect on your body. It often leads to 2 things- people giving up because they realize they have no chance to become what they want, or they end up (illegally) raising their T levels to become what they want.
Don't forget that fitness is not a one size fits all kind of thing. Some people have it easier than others, some people have it harder. Did you ever get your testosterone level checked? Someone who is naturally gifted at 1000 ng/dl will have a very easy time cutting up and adding lean muscle to their body, while someone who is unlucky and only has 250 ng/dl will have a tough time getting in good athletic shape. T level is the single most important factor when it comes to building muscle or losing fat. Since you can't change that (legally), the best you can do is follow a strict diet and work out a lot.
PS- Talking about testosterone levels is often considered taboo when talking about exercize or sports, since you can't legally change it and it has such a drastic effect on your body. It often leads to 2 things- people giving up because they realize they have no chance to become what they want, or they end up (illegally) raising their T levels to become what they want.
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