I guess I get to join the club - workout journal

[DrPizza]

Started biggest loser today; 238.5 pounds. Contest runs 13 weeks.
Started working out last night; I'm going to concentrate primarily on cardiovascular fitness. Any reason until I really start getting into better shape why I might want to do much strength training? My strength isn't too shabby - I heat with coal (50 pound bags) and routinely grab 2 bags, toss it on my left shoulder, then with my right arm, grab a 3rd bag & curl it up onto the other shoulder; I'm pretty sure I can do 4 bags if it weren't for occasionally smacking my glasses with the 4th bag, which got me to stop. And, during hay season, there's a lot of repetitive lifting of bales of hay while I toss it into the loft and stack it.


So, started on the cardio last night (1/10) and about killed myself. Rode 4 miles on an exercise bike, keeping up with an 18mph pace, then decided to sprint (23mph+) the next mile before slowing down to a more relaxing pace. Well, at least I finished the sprint.

Goals: avg 30 miles per day within 2 weeks, 30 miles per day at a 20mph+ pace within 4 weeks. Weight loss within 13 weeks: 40+ pounds.


Any other cardio stuff I *should* do? Will the specific types of exercise equipment (good treadmill vs. good bike vs. good elliptical (it's a nice gym)) matter?

 

[Pantlegz]

Diet>Exercise when it comes to losing weight. Not to discourage you from doing some cardio it can help but getting your diet in line will help more. And 40lbs over 13 weeks is about 3lbs a week lost which is about 2x the high end of the healthy/safe/lasting weight loss suggested for most people. Good Luck!

 

[Syborg1211]

Pantlegz has a good point. Diet is really like 75% of losing weight. I've seen people just change their diet to lower calories and carbs and increase protein, and they have lost tons. I actually just started working out 4 months ago and in the first 3 months I worked out almost daily while also dieting. In those 3 months I went from 22% to 13% body fat.

I really feel like the diet was the key part though because I've worked out almost daily for 3 months before and saw nowhere near these results. And when we say diet, we don't mean eating less. We mean eating healthier.

In fact, my trainer was actually telling me from the beginning that I needed to eat MORE everyday because my caloric intake was low even though I felt like I was consuming a lot of food.

However, going back to your original question, strength training is good to do in addition to cardio for a few reasons. First off, if you do the strength training right, you're also getting some cardio work in there by keeping your heart rate up. More notably though, the argument for strength training while trying to lose weight is that muscles burn calories while fat does not. Thus the more muscles you have the more calories you'll burn!

 

[repoman0]

However, going back to your original question, strength training is good to do in addition to cardio for a few reasons. First off, if you do the strength training right, you're also getting some cardio work in there by keeping your heart rate up. More notably though, the argument for strength training while trying to lose weight is that muscles burn calories while fat does not. Thus the more muscles you have the more calories you'll burn!

Additionally, when you lose weight, I believe you end up losing both fat and muscle; strength training helps keep muscle losses to a minimum.

 

[DrPizza]

Good point. And, of course I've changed to a healthier (*sigh*) diet. Okay, maybe I won't give up pizza, but snack foods are greatly limited. Did 15 miles on the bike tonight at the gym; 59:22 (a little faster than 15mph.) A little sweaty, but felt great afterwards. But as far as losing weight simply by cutting calories - I'm 45. My entire life, I've watched people go on a diet, then gain it back. People eat when they're hungry - that's as natural as the sun rising every morning. The only way to sustain weight loss is a lifestyle change - and that means that I head back toward the activity level that I used to have. I'm cutting calories, but not by a whole lot, except for those calories gained from eating chips or drinking soda - those calories are going, going, gone. Meals will continue to be meals, albeit healthier. I'll make some other "minor" changes, such as switching from mostly white bread to whole wheat.

 

[QueBert]

you don't have to eat super healthy to lose weight, I lost 50 lbs in about 8 months and my diet was pretty abysmal, yeah I know eating healthy's just a better idea. But unhealthy foods with portion control can still work wonders. Hell, my best 2 weeks of weight loss in 2010 consisted of me eating Patti Labelle's Over The Rainbow Mac & Cheese every day 😀

I cut out non diet sodas completely and got into oatmeal & better cereals for breakfast, and as long as I stayed in my calories for the day I ate whatever. I was dropping just about 2lb a week. Was at 240'ish in May, by December I was 190.

 

[Wyndru]

except for those calories gained from eating chips or drinking soda - those calories are going, going, gone.

Yeah, you will see some weight loss on this alone. Even when I just switched from regular to diet soda I lost 10lbs over a few months, without any other changes to diet or exercise. I've since dropped the diet soda as well, and rarely ever drink anything other than water now.

 

[blackdogdeek]

fat loss sticky has all the info you need.

 

[DrPizza]

Got done tutoring a student at 4:05 after school, had a swim meet to run at 5:00, so did 15 miles in a hair under 45 minutes. Kept my heart rate at 80% max for a 35 year old (according to the chart) - I'm 45.
300 Calorie weight watchers lunch (honey glazed chicken or something like that, actually, quite delicious.) + apple + orange during the afternoon & swim meet. Salmon for dinner (soon) with some vegetable or another. Coffee & water. Not feeling tired at all, though I slept like a rock last night. Actually, I feel pretty good already.

 

[darkxshade]

Why would you waste your time tutoring if you can run 15 miles in under 45 mins... I'd be signing up for every marathon. 😉

 

[DrPizza]

Why would you waste your time tutoring if you can run 15 miles in under 45 mins... I'd be signing up for every marathon. 😉

See OP: I ride a bike.
When I was in college, I used to bike home Wed nights (50+ miles) to see my gf, and bike back Th morning and be on time for my 11am class. Did many century rides. But, I screwed up my knee running around my senior year in high school. I have a lot of trouble with longer distances, so primarily avoid the impacts of running. Looks like elliptical, biking, and eventually I switch over to the pool a couple nights a week and swim a couple thousand yards. (Pace of 500 yards per 8 minutes... I hope.)

 

[DrPizza]

Diet>Exercise when it comes to losing weight. Not to discourage you from doing some cardio it can help but getting your diet in line will help more. And 40lbs over 13 weeks is about 3lbs a week lost which is about 2x the high end of the healthy/safe/lasting weight loss suggested for most people. Good Luck!

Gee, oddly your advice seems contrary to the stickied post at the top of the forum for weight loss. (Just sayin'. If you cut your calories too low, your body metabolism compensates, which defeats the purpose.


Anyway, finished week one; checked out the diet stuff in the stickied thread. (Ouch - I ate a half a bag of pretzels over the course of the week; I see that they're a high glycemic index food. I pondered buying more yesterday, and passed because the carbs were too high anyway.) Took Saturday night off; did 25 miles at a brisk pace on the exercise bike tonight. Excellent meals (other than the pretzels, oops) throughout the week. Weight tonight right before I rode the bike: 226. That's 12.5 pounds in the first week (I'm sure some of that is just water.)

edit: it's probably worth pointing out before I'm bashed that I don't expect to lose 12+ pounds a week. Given as much as I needed to lose, it's typically easy to lose quite a bit the first week; especially since I was probably consuming too much sodium in the past & had a bit of retained water. I'll continue to workout 7 days a week - one hour cardio, and 30 minutes on weights. I'm fortunate that as out of shape as I was, it was primarily the geometric aspect of "out of shape" - I'm usually pretty active, especially since I have to do farm chores every day (which my doctor said doesn't count as exercise - I think she's clueless about what I do on some days.) I'll continue to eat healthy, and consume at least 1500 calories a day. Nonetheless, now I have to lose 28 pounds in 12 weeks; that's just a little over 2 pounds per week & should be a piece of cake.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Gee, oddly your advice seems contrary to the stickied post at the top of the forum for weight loss. (Just sayin'. If you cut your calories too low, your body metabolism compensates, which defeats the purpose.

This is a myth. If you didn't eat for days it would take place, and there'd be very noticable side effects of it happening (severe fatigue/etc). Your body doesn't just magically decide to stop burning calories on a day to day whim.

 

[Pantlegz]

Gee, oddly your advice seems contrary to the stickied post at the top of the forum for weight loss. (Just sayin'. If you cut your calories too low, your body metabolism compensates, which defeats the purpose.

It really depends on how many calories you're cutting. You're correct that cutting too many calories may hinder weight loss but not stop it all together. Also macro-nutrient proportions change a lot of how your burns fat rather than storing it(keto type diets). There are also studies that show that intermittent fasting is a good way to lose weight basically consume all your calories for the day in a small-ish window- if you're interested check out lean gains.

But honestly if you're just trying to lose a few pounds and be in generally better shape I'm sure what you're doing is good enough but if you run into issues or plateau at some point more small changes to your diet will help more than adding more exercise.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Gee, oddly your advice seems contrary to the stickied post at the top of the forum for weight loss. (Just sayin'. If you cut your calories too low, your body metabolism compensates, which defeats the purpose.


Anyway, finished week one; checked out the diet stuff in the stickied thread. (Ouch - I ate a half a bag of pretzels over the course of the week; I see that they're a high glycemic index food. I pondered buying more yesterday, and passed because the carbs were too high anyway.) Took Saturday night off; did 25 miles at a brisk pace on the exercise bike tonight. Excellent meals (other than the pretzels, oops) throughout the week. Weight tonight right before I rode the bike: 226. That's 12.5 pounds in the first week (I'm sure some of that is just water.)

edit: it's probably worth pointing out before I'm bashed that I don't expect to lose 12+ pounds a week. Given as much as I needed to lose, it's typically easy to lose quite a bit the first week; especially since I was probably consuming too much sodium in the past & had a bit of retained water. I'll continue to workout 7 days a week - one hour cardio, and 30 minutes on weights. I'm fortunate that as out of shape as I was, it was primarily the geometric aspect of "out of shape" - I'm usually pretty active, especially since I have to do farm chores every day (which my doctor said doesn't count as exercise - I think she's clueless about what I do on some days.) I'll continue to eat healthy, and consume at least 1500 calories a day. Nonetheless, now I have to lose 28 pounds in 12 weeks; that's just a little over 2 pounds per week & should be a piece of cake.

That's not contrary to the fat loss sticky whatsoever. I mention a strength training program only. When you do cardio, it regulates your hunger very very closely to how many calories you're burning each day. If you are trying to lose weight by being in a caloric deficit, that hunger can be the most frustrating and negative thing about dieting (since you aren't taking in enough calories to satiate that hunger). Diet is much, much greater than exercise when it comes to losing weight. The only reason I mention a resistance training program is because it emphasizes that FAT is the main component lost, not fat and muscle. With cardio, you metabolize both fat and muscle. You're not going to lose the weight how you want to if you burn both fat and muscle.

 

[DrPizza]

Thanks!
Finished 20 miles of cardio; sprinted part of the last mile on the bike; roughly 30mph in the sprint. It felt great when I was finished, sweat dripping off me onto the floor. I noticed something: my sweat (the drop or two that rolled down my upper lip into my mouth) didn't taste as salty. I'm assuming the better diet is far far lower in sodium. In fact, other than what's in those lean cuisine types of meals that I have for lunch (plus a salad), none of my other food has added sodium; just what comes naturally in pork loin chops, boneless skinless chicken breast, unseasoned veggies (steamed and raw), and fresh fruit.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Thanks!
Finished 20 miles of cardio; sprinted part of the last mile on the bike; roughly 30mph in the sprint. It felt great when I was finished, sweat dripping off me onto the floor. I noticed something: my sweat (the drop or two that rolled down my upper lip into my mouth) didn't taste as salty. I'm assuming the better diet is far far lower in sodium. In fact, other than what's in those lean cuisine types of meals that I have for lunch (plus a salad), none of my other food has added sodium; just what comes naturally in pork loin chops, boneless skinless chicken breast, unseasoned veggies (steamed and raw), and fresh fruit.

I don't know if it's really possible to have it become an issue, but might be wise to make sure you're getting enough iodine if you're completely cutting salt out of your diet.

 

[DrPizza]

Long ago, my doctor told me "no more processed food! It's too high in added sodium. Ditto 90% of chain restaurants." I can't remember the last time I picked up a salt shaker, except to season a nice steak before cooking. And, for the last couple of years, I've only used a pinch from the box. Nonetheless, a lot of my foods were processed and contained a ton of salt.

Heck, I just looked at a lean cuisine meal - 29% of my sodium, in only 300 calories. People think those meals are healthy; all that's really good about them is that they're low in calories - a result of such small portions.

 

[mechBgon]

On the topic of sodium, one of my favorite all-around things to add to my food is barbeque sauce. On some stuff, I now go with sweet-&-sour sauce, it's not nearly as heavy on the sodium.

 

[DrPizza]

That's what was for dinner last night. Steamed broccoli (added a little cheddar cheese), and boneless skinless chicken breast, slice in half thickness wise, and baked with about a tbsp of bbq sauce on each. 20 miles every night now, but taking tonight off. I need a bit of a rest - just got done with barn chores a few minutes ago (and it's been bitter cold here for 2 days; an hour outside in that gets old fast), dinner is still in the oven cooking (sirloin tip roast, steamed baby carrots, and a handful of those little b-size potatoes.

 

[DrPizza]

My wife and I decided over a week ago that we'd go out for dinner together 1 night a week & skip the diet for just one meal. After the appetizer, I was full. First time I can recall not eating all my food (went out for a fish fry). I'm rather amazed that in such a short time, eating the type of food that I used to eat, now made me feel like crap. Next week, dinner will be a bit healthier.

Spent 1 1/2 hours lifting with my son this morning. The kid is trying to kill me. Shoulders, chest, and triceps worked out, plus did a few dozen incline sit-ups (which I was amazed I could do.) Back to the gym for 90 minutes of cardio tonight. Weight: now 225.

 

[Turin39789]

Great job!

 

[DrPizza]

Thanks. Decided to add in the elliptical to my workout (it's closer to the television, to take my mind off the monotonousness that is riding a bike & not having any change in scenery. 300 calories on the exercise bike, 400 calories on the elliptical. Shoulders, triceps are sore today. Also worked out the quads today.

 

[DrPizza]

Another 18 miles tonight, some weight lifting for the legs, and actually managed to get in 1/2 mile running without the knee threatening (I've had a lot of injury related problems with my right knee; hoping to be able to run a 10k this spring)

My triceps - what the heck did my son do to me?! My triceps are in soooo much pain. Make it go away (it wakes me up at night if I move in my sleep.)

 

[spamsk8r]

Definitely going to step up and say that having a weightlifting program which uses full-body, multi-joint movements is going to be key if you want to lose fat and not just end up skinny fat and weak from burning up all your muscle. Strong people are statistically harder to kill. That study adjusted for death from all causes. That's a pretty good reason to incorporate a strength program, I would say.

Like I mentioned before I recommend full-body barbell movements (back squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, power clean/snatch) as well as strength-oriented bodyweight movements (pull-up/chin-up, push-ups, dips). If you're significantly deconditioned (i.e. you get crazy sore after a weights workout) I would suggest just starting out with bodyweight movements (jump-rope, assisted pull-ups, bodyweight squats, push-ups, assisted dips) and as you get stronger graduate up to dumbbell or barbell movements. Throw in some kettlebell or dumbbell swings, maybe some barbell complexes, or just bodyweight complexes, and you get your conditioning in for free. It's been shown that shorter, higher intensity bouts of exercise induce a much better adaptation (even for endurance activities) than long sustained output (Tabata, et al).