Originally posted by: Phoenix15
I need to lose weight. Right now I'm about 280, I need to get down to about 200. I am planning on starting immediately. I have already cut out all soda's, and I am about to start a 3 day a week exercise routine. I need to know what exercises would help me the most. I have access to a stationary bike, free weights and running. I seem to carry most of my weight in my stomach, so I need to concentrate on that a lot. Are there any supplements that I should look into? I dont mind exercises, I am just usually so run down and have zero energy. If anyone knows of anything that will help me in any way, I would really appreciate it.
The key here is that spot reduction is a myth. Just concentrate on fat loss, and the stomach will disappear. There is nothing you can do to make the fat around your waist disappear faster than the fat on other parts of your body.
Wanna do this right? How are your organizational skills?
For one week, continue your current diet, only write down everything you eat when you eat it. Figure out the calories, carbs, protein and fat (bad and good) of each of the foods and then figure out what your daily average is. (Add in how many sodas you used to have as well.)
Now when you create your new, cleaner and healthier diet, you can adjust it so you get an average of 20% fewer calories a day spread out over five roughly equal meals a day.
But your main focus should be on exercise. Three days is a good start, but plan to make it four days minimum if you want to meet your goal. You'll need a bare minimum of 30 minutes of cardio, four times a week at the high end of your target heart rate. You should also add in three to four days of high intensity weight training. You need to build and maintain muscle mass when losing so much weight. Also, muscle burns calories, even when you're not exercising.
How are your knees? If your knees are in good shape, try
this running program for new runners. Adjust it to 4 days, and 40 minutes per session instead of three days and 20 minutes per session. A lot of that weight will melt off in the two months it takes to complete.
If the knees bother you, an eliptical trainer is a great way to go. But monitor your heart rate and keep it at or above the high end of your target... or it wont do anything for you as quickly as you want it to.
The only suppliment you really need is a good multivitamin. Also some L-glutamine (an amino acid) would help with muscle recovery. Once you get your diet figured out, a whey protein suppliment might be good too. I suggest Designer Whey products.
Stay away from any stuff with ephedrine in it. It's just speed, and it's hard on the heart.
Finally, forget any and all fad diets. Do NOT starve yourself. This can be done without ever feeling hungry. In fact, if you do it right and split your meals into four or five meals a day as you should, you'll actually feel like you're eating too much, and you'll have to force feed yourself at times just to maintain your diet.