Help!?! I need to lose between 50-60 pounds, but I'm ready to work

[Arkitech]

I need advice and lots of it. I'm committed to losing this weight no matter how much work I need to put in.

My background and stats

I'm 6'1 weighing 265 pounds (42 waist) at age 29. (I'll be 30 in 3 weeks)

My goal is to lose about 50-60 pounds but I also want to put on some serious muscle. About 7 or 8 years ago I was in peak physical condition. I was wearing a size 30 in the waist and although I don't recall what my weight was my body fat was below 10%. (even though I ate like a horse) I did quite a bit of weight lifting and I was able to build up a fairly muscular frame. I was also into quite a bit of biking and basketball.

Today however my situation is much different but like I mentioned before I'm willing to work hard and change my diet to get back into shape. Earlier this week on Monday I started working out again probably for the 5th time but this time I'm going to stick with it. My goal is to walk or run everyday of the week, I also plan on doing at least 1-2 sessions of cardio daily in addition to my walking.


I need some advice however on the best way to build up my muscles again as well getting a washboard. (One wierd thing is that even though I need to lose weight from my abodomen I can still see some muscle, I'm thinking if I can just lose the weight and do a little more ab work I should have a fantastic washboard)


Finally I'm hoping to lose the weight in about 3 months. I figure that I push myself and maintain a proper diet I should be able to cut 60 pounds of fat and hopefully add some significant muscle.



Can anyone offer me some advice?

 

[spaceman]

start slowly, and ive always found excercise to be much more fun when its coupled with something u enjoy doing(basketball,baseball,golf,sk8boarding,blades etc.)
I cant stand treadmills and the like...so monotonous.

I was a chub rock until i started skating,i quit eating meat and lost 35lbs in less than a year and added significant muscle.

 

[spankyj]

I'm not much of the muscle builder, so I can't help you there. I'd say make a point of it everyday to go out and run, walk, play bball, just get some sort of workout - even if its 30 minutes. Try and watch what you eat, avoid overdoing it. Doing these things should help you take off at least 20 pounds if not more. Just make sure to do it EVERY day.

 

[Fausto]

Man, I could type a book on this, but I'll try to break down some general pointers for you.

Caloric intake and diet

The main thing to keep in mind here is that in order to lose weight, you must expend more calories than you take in. Pretty simple eh? Expend 3500 extra calories and you've just lost a pound. This article over at LanceArmstrong.com is a really good one to read to get an idea of how this works, what kind of calories are in many foods (see the linked Excel spreadsheed) and what your daily BMR (calories you expend just by "existing" daily). Keep a log of everything that goes in your mouth for a week, go back and look at it, and see where you can make adjustments (this was "quit drinking so much beer, you fat f*ck" in my case). Keep track of your exercise time and the approximate calories burned there and add that to the equation.

Exercise

As far as aerobic exercise, the most important thing is find something you like. If you don't like it, you won't stick with it and you won't lose weight. Simple as that. I personally like cycling and can work this into my daily commute as well (about 8 miles each way). I also play golf and make a point of never getting a cart. This is a 4-5 mile walk carrying a heavy bag on an average course. Aerobic stuff is where you will burn the majority of your calories....I use 700 kcal/hour as a rule of thumb for moderate intensity (slightly too high to comfortably talk is a good rule to remember). You will need to do at least 30 min of aerobic stuff 3-5 times per week to gain fitness...start slowly and add time and intensity each week as you progress. 10% increase in time per week is a good way to go.

Weights: won't really burn a tremendous amount of calories, but even 2-3 sessions weekly of overall body workout will go a long way. Try to do mostly exercises that use more than one joint (ie- bench press, squat, etc) first and then do more specific stuff later in the workout.

Most important thing: be patient. Losing 2 lbs per week is about as much as you can safely lose without either starving yourself or running a marathon daily. Just stick with the program and you will get fitter.

Good luck,
Fausto

 

[GermyBoy]

You can do it in a month if you starve yourself and eat nothing but apples (to keep you regular) and tunafish (the best food to use for the Atkins diet, as it's high in protein, and has no carbs). Eat a can of tunafish per meal, and three apples a day. Be sure to go out every night and walk, and then after you lose some weight, start running.
When you're at home watching the tv, have some dumbells next to your chair/couch. Be sure to lift those as you watch. Don't snack, and do plenty of pushups and situps. You'll be in peak physical condition in no time.

I've seen this work on my buddy. In high school, he was 270 pounds, 5'4". Now he's 140 pounds and a lean, mean fighting machine! AND he now eats like a pig and doesn't gain an ounce, because he's so active. He couldn't be happier.

 

[lawaris]

run !!!!!

























everyday .....for long .......till u sweat it all out ....and



ignore those ugly looks if u get any

 

[kami]

Cut out all sugar and refined carbohydrates (i.e. white bread). Get all your carbs from good sources like whole grains, fruits and vegetables...nothing else. Do this and you're half way there. This is just as important as monitoring caloric intake IMO.

 

[Novgrod]

I think Fausto1 hit the nail on the head.

I would advise you to set aside time every day for some sort of good cardiovascular workout. Keep a log of what you've done. When you think you've lost most of what you want to lose, then come back and ask for advice building muscle

I've always found running to be tedious and annoying, but it's important that you find something a) that's a good workout and b) that's fun. Swimming is particularly good for you. If you have a yard, one of the best--if most annoying--workouts is shovleing sand or something like that, and you accomplish something.

 

[skace]

When choosing an exercise, I would choose something practical over something fun. See, most people give up exercising because it becomes impractical. Like they choose to run down a trail, but its a 30 minute drive away, only works in the summer, and sometimes they just don't want to go out. Thats where the exercise dies. But if you choose something easy for you to do and fit into your schedule, then the likelyhood of you continuing it is much higher.

 

[Sir Fredrick]

<< Cut out all sugar and refined carbohydrates (i.e. white bread). Get all your carbs from good sources like whole grains, fruits and vegetables...nothing else. Do this and you're half way there. This is just as important as monitoring caloric intake IMO. >>



Yup. Lost 15 lbs this way, still losing weight.

You need to change your diet, but change it to something you can live with because otherwise there's no way you'll stick to it. I suggest working on getting rid of some of your fat before you try to start building muscle. Also, if you're going to eventually get tired of trying to stay buff, don't bother building lots of muscle as it will just turn to fat when you stop working out.
If you restrict the amount of carbs that you eat, you'll be well on your way. Increasing your protein intake will help as well, as it speeds up your metabolism.
I used to have a starchy food with every meal - pasta, rice or potatoes. Now I have a salad with every meal instead.
Oh yeah, and drink lots of water.

 

[ScottyB]

I went from 6'1-6'2 273 lbs of fatness to 193 lbs of meat, see pic on website. The best way to lose the weight is swimming and dieting. Don't eat a lot less though it will mess up your metabolism. Just eat lots of no-low fat food like chicken and beans. Once you get close to your goal start weight lifting. Set a schedual for the week and stick to it. Make sure you workd all major muscle groups, the smaller support muscles will be worked along with these. Also be sure to try to increase the weight or reps each time, such as if you get 7 out of 10 at 135lbs try 8 out of 10 the next time or if you get 10 out of 10 @ 135 lbs the next time try like 7 out of 10 @ 140lbs.

 

[StageLeft]

I was going to state the two key ingredients: Calorie intake and excercise, but fausto already did that.

It's no secret. Losing weight is easy as hell and even a mental retard can do it. Most people know how to lose weight, but most lack the willpower. If you truly want to lose it you will; there is nothing special to doing it.

What I will do is recommend fitday.com I've been going here for the last 3-4 weeks. I log in about 3-4 times a day and just record what i've eaten. Once you get some foods in you can select them from the quick drop down. It cna record calorie intake and excercise and you can see a chart of all of this - in fact a bunch of different reports. The site is really really useful.

 

[StageLeft]

Oh also since you have such a huge amount of weight to lose gaining muscle at the same time will be difficult or impossible. However, you should still do weight training. You will be on a calorie deficient diet so weight training will help in keeping your body from cutting into your muscle - then when you're done with the weight loss you'll start to build muscle again.

 

[Tanner]

Skoorb

HEY THANKS! I was lookin' for a site like that! I've just been usin' my Yahoo notepad to record intake and output. Now I've got something to CHART EVERYTRHING FOR ME! w00t w00t!

I'm headin' over there now! THANKS AGAIN!

God Bless

Tanner

 

[Arkitech]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I've had a pretty good week so far with exercising, but starting this evening when I get off work I plan to take it up a notch. I bought the book Body for Life and I've been reading that and it has what seems like a pretty good schedule and diet for losing lots of weight in a 12 week period. One of the things that it stresses is high intensity training and it also suggests that doing cardio the first thing in the morning is the best time to workout and burn off fat.

Fortunately I still have some muscle left so it makes it easier for me to do weight training and pushups. I plan on buying a cheap digi cam this weekend and I'll post up some before and after pics.

Again thanks for all the advice, hopefully I'll be able to strut a brand new body around before the summer is over.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Hmm, I wish you the best of luck for one, and from my point of view, the best thing would be to see a personal trainer at a local gym - if you do it by yourself (at least, for me personally), you'd lose motivation quickly and have a hard time in trying to figure out what you would need to do (what muscles to develop, what programs work best for you, etc . . ..) Well, anyhoo, I hope this helped!

 

[Electric Amish]

I want to do the same thing this summer too.

5'10" 190lbs

I probably only need to lose 20lbs, but time is currently my nemesis!!!

I want to get up in the morning and ride my bike a few miles, but I've been too exhausted lately and the weather isn't cooperating.

amish

 

[Nutdotnet]

My advice? Get your metabolism goin man! Start eating 3-5 meals a day, HEALTHY meals, and smaller meals. To start out you can make it b/l/d with two snacks......for example

Breakfast- DRY toasted bagel
Lunch- Turkey Sandwich, no mayo, on whole-grain bread, w/ tomato, lettuce, etc...
Snack- Some tortilla chips (not the whole bag and not dorritos)
Dinner- Baked skinless chicken, w/salad, and another side dish
Snack- Yogurt

I have been following something similar to this for three months. I am 5'10" and at the time I was 200lbs. I am now 185lbs and can lift more than I have ever been able to do before. For instance in bench press, when I started I could only lift 125lbs 8 times, not I lift 150lbs. 10 times and still on my way up. Yeah, I am still a wus, but progress IS progress.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Zebo]

One of the things that it stresses is high intensity training and it also suggests that doing cardio the first thing in the morning is the best time to workout and burn off fat.

I never quite understood this concept? Seems to me if you do X amount of work (running) one should expend Y amount of energy (calories) without regard to t (time). Someone know why they say this?

Like faust said the quickest way is too do areobic excercise and lower caloric intake. I don't like this method though, becasue sometimes you can deprive you body of needed nutrients if you not very careful. So I like to eat a normal balanced diet of 3500 cal per day then workout a little more 2X a day which makes me eat less naturally without relizing since I'm less hungry after working out. It's a little more pleasant that way IMO and you can still enjoy food without counting every little thing you eat.