Struggling to lose weight. Requesting Help!

[czglory]

So, I am 22 and have always been heavy, but never as bad as I was 2 months ago. I weighed in at 234, and joined my local gym soon after.
. I am currently 6'2 232 pounds, and am trying to lose weight, and trying to do what I can.

I am really in need of some help.. I can't seem to lose weight, but I really am trying. This might be long, but im trying to be detailed. If there is anything I need to clarify, please ask. I am almost desperate at this point.




So, I have joined my local gym, and I have been going there 2/3 days of the week, going for about a month now. It typically goes like this:

--Exercise--
Day 1: Run the Circuit course(name?) in weight room, ~12 reps near max weight. I was told this is great to start, and have been doing this a couple weeks. Bike 30 mins, either "random" setting or cardio. Cardio is insanely hard at first, but then gets easy. I can do "random" just fine. Chill in sauna for about 20 minutes (recap-- circuit, bike 30 mins, circuit, sauna). I take a "protein shake" (whey protein + small glass of milk) before and after these workouts., plan on substiuting this for something else.

(p.s., I never sweat, bad? I bike on cardio for 45 minutes and feel very exhausted, and my head is dry as a bone, but my lower back sweats)

Day 2: don't really go to the gym, or do much physical activity at all.

Day 3: Bike 45 minutes, Sauna 30 mins.

Thats basically all im doing right now. I am trying to cut back on junk foods, etc., but I have a very hard time avoiding things like chips. I never really ate much candy or soda, so those are no problem, but I just can't help but grab handful of chips every once in a while.

---Diet----
Typical days food is something like this (usually eating around every 3-4 hours or so):

Bowl of cereal (Fiberone, Cheerios, Wheaties, not sugary stuff)
or Oatmeal
or three eggs and a piece of toast (scrambled, small amt of butter)
---
Subway 6'' sandwhich (on the honey oat bread with 4g fiber) with the works (lots of veggies) and usually honey mustard
or Balance bar, with snack later
or three eggs and piece of toast (if not for breakfast)
---
Pasta, tuna casserole, home made hamburgers, Brats, Soup + salad, chicken/rice dishes, various stuff like this for dinner. Almost always with two veggies, mostly potatoes, corn, peas, asparagus, and broccoli, in that order.
---
If I get hungry, usually go for a snack like a balance bar, a handful of almonds or cashews or something, some sunflower seeds, or similar things. I try to drink as much water as I can, which usually comes out to about 4-8 glasses a day.

I am usually totally fine throughout the day, but end up getting pretty hungry at night, which is when I sometimes snack on some things I shouldn't , like a couple handfuls of chips or something.

I have been going to the gym 2/3 days for a month now, working pretty hard, and I am seeing a small increase in my muscles and abilities. My resting heart rate is 10 BPM lower than it was when I started. I have lost only 1 pound since I started, which fluctuated this much when I was not exercising, and I am not noticeably more fit in the slightest.

I know my diet is not ideal, I know a bit about foods, but I honestly don't know what to substitute for what, and I am very limited on cooking abilities. If there are any workouts, diet substitutions, or anything else that I could try.. I will! I am honestly trying my best here to lose weight, its just not happening. Thanks for any response


p.s. as a side note, I also have trouble falling asleep, have a very hard time waking up, and am tired throughout the whole day, often having trouble concentrating. I avoid any caffeines within like seven hours of sleeping. I don't know if this has anything to do with it.

 

[TecHNooB]

First of all, you should never go hungry on a diet. 1 piece of chicken breast is about 120-160 calories. You're 232 lbs so you could probably have 2300-2400 calories per day and still lose weight (as long as you stay active). So you can have 8 chicken breast a day and not really gain weight. That and a few carbs in between should keep your mind off food and focused on excercise. Once your mind is off food, the process is really simple but you have to be patient because good results take time.

 

[zebano]

Start using a calorie counter. I like fitday.com. Figure out how much you can eat in a day and still have a caloric deficit and stick to it. When you start entering 200+ calories just for a couple of chips, you'll reconsider your addictions real quickly. Remember to count your protein shake against your daily allowance (I don't think they're even needed if you just trying to lose weight).

 

[StageLeft]

First of all, you should never go hungry on a diet.

Easier said than done. I have never not gone hungry on a diet. Some people's appetites are simply out of whack, which is part of the reason some appear to gain weight so much quicker than others. Even when I weigh 170 lbs I feel continually hungry on a quality 3000 calories/day. Living with that hunger is simply the only way to stay lean and I've been into this stuff for over a decade now. The only way I feel content and satiated is on 4000 calories/day--even if not doing much exercise--and weigh piles on. It's just a psyiological thing and only drugs or an operation would change it. I don't make any excuses for this, I just live with it, but it is what it is.

IMO, czglory needs to workout more but most importantly get his eatingin order. There is a thread today about what people are eating--follow what people like Koing are eating.

Losing weight is intellectually VERY EASY. It just takes consistency, motivation, will power. I'd recommend working out 5-6 days/week including cardio on all of those days and weights several times/week. Count calories religiously. Maybe stop after a while, but at first if you go simply on when you feel hungry or not it may be impossible to hit the correct level of food.

I am in good shape and each summer when training for triathlon I am in exceptional shape and it's always involved a great deal of effort. I have met a lot of people in phenomenal shape and believe me it's a struggle for all of them. They are constantly putting in effort and very frequently denying themselves food luxuries. The most successful make this a hobby and a significant priority in their life. That's just the sad and unfortunate reality of it. The rewards are worth it in many cases, but it is never going to be easy or come without a lot of dedication.

There are varying levels of what a person wants to become, but for the typical person who is used to eating badly and not exercising, there has to be a major shift in how they view food and exercise and those who are most successful can border on obsessive at times (although it's a better addiction than booze!).

 

[czglory]

-regarding the lifting weights a cople times a week, I was eventually going to move to doing leg workouts one day, arms/chest next, etc. so that I went 5-6/7 days a week, probably two goes at each machine, but more weight. Would this be more ideal? And cardio daily, I could do it, its just kind of hard to go to the gym for just cardio for me. I guess if I mixed up the lifts by day it would be easier to go.

Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate it. I will try doing the fitday.com thing for a few days and see if i find anything surprising. Counting calories might let me know just how bad some things are (like if you say a couple handful of chips is 200+ calories). I might have to just deal with a non-reasonably satiated appetite like skoorb.

(p.s.) wow.. had half an odwalla, three scrambled eggs and a whole wheat english muffin up to a whopping 517 calories 21 g fat 58 carbs 22g protein by breakfast!

 

[spamsk8r]

When I first started I was a similar weight (231 lbs. @ 5' 10") and for the first month I too did not lose any weight. I was lifting and running and whatnot, but I just couldn't drop any pounds. Then I cleaned up my diet, and like magic, weight started coming off. Based on the info you gave, I would recommend removing the cereals, potatoes, and corn (or limiting them severely) as they are all relatively high GI carbs, and will spike your insulin and help keep you fat. Depending on how carb sensitive you are (and you can only find out by experimenting) you might need to drop bread as well (or, again, restrict it quite a bit). No chips, ever. If you have them in the house throw them away. Don't keep junk food around at all. If you need to snack, eat a small amount of nuts (small meaning 1 oz. or less). They won't cause an insulin spike and the fats will satiate you. Don't fear fat. I eat more fat now than I ever did before, but I eat healthy fats, and I use them to provide more satiety in my meals. Diet really is 80% of weight loss, so focus hard on this.

As far as lifting goes, I would completely avoid machines. They don't provide the metabolic or neurological adaptations that heavy compound movements do. Back squats, dead lifts, barbell rows, pullups, dips, situps, military press, and bench press are really all the exercise you will need to lose weight and get strong and fit. Running, biking, swimming, etc. are all good as well, but do both lifting and cardio (or do a freeweight circuit for time, which will provide both cardio and weight training, reducing your time in the gym. Check out crossfit.com for some awesome workouts).

I've been following these steps for a few months and I am down to 209 pounds with huge strength and muscle gains. Once you get into a groove it gets way easier.

 

[brikis98]

Assuming your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight (ie, muscle + fat), I would do something like the following:

* Rippetoe Starting Strength Routine: developed by respected strength trainers, this is the best way to get into weight lifting. This will really whip your body into shape, helping you build lots of muscle with several simple and very effective exercises. Note that you might gain some weight from this program, but the vast majority will be lean muscle which, among it's many benefits, will help control your body weight. In reality, weight lifting beginners who were overweight/inactive to begin with will actually manage to lose lots of fat and gain lots of muscle from the first several months of this program.
* On off days from lifting, do 30-60 minutes of "regular" cardio, such as biking, running, elliptical, boxing, sports, etc. This will improve you heart, circulatory system, lungs and burn off lots of fat.
* Once your cardio has improved, replace some of the "regular" cardio with some high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will boost your metabolism, burn off more fat and is a great change from normal cardio.

Typical routine:

Monday: "regular" cardio (e.g. running)
Tuesday: day 1 of rippetoe
Wednesday: HIIT (sprints)
Thursday: day 2 of rippetoe
Friday: "regular" cardio (e.g. biking)
Saturday: day 3 of rippetoe
Sunday: rest


edit ---> forgot to mention that you probably want to get into the above routine slowly, or you'll burn yourself out and quit. start the rippetoe program with really light weight, do cardio only 2 times a week and not for very long each time... gradually work your way up and you should see great results.

 

[BarneyFife]

People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

Wrong in so many ways. Yes, you can definitely starve yourself and lose weight, but you would lose a *ton* of muscle in the process, which is not good, ever. I eat every 3-4 hours, and consume 2200 calories a day, and I've lost 18 pounds so far. Frozen dinners are not terrible, but not optimal either, and it won't get you in the habit of eating good, nutritious, natural food. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (fresh) you won't have hunger issues, since they take up *far* more volume than breads and cereals. Please, don't post if you don't know what you're talking about. This is the Health and Fitness forum, not the I'm an anorexic idiot forum.

Keep it civil or don't post in this forum. Calling people names here is verbotten.

Anandtech Senior Moderator
Red Dawn

 

[BarneyFife]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

Wrong in so many ways. Yes, you can definitely starve yourself and lose weight, but you would lose a *ton* of muscle in the process, which is not good, ever. I eat every 3-4 hours, and consume 2200 calories a day, and I've lost 18 pounds so far. Frozen dinners are not terrible, but not optimal either, and it won't get you in the habit of eating good, nutritious, natural food. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (fresh) you won't have hunger issues, since they take up *far* more volume than breads and cereals. Please, don't post if you don't know what you're talking about. This is the Health and Fitness forum, not the I'm an anorexic idiot forum.

When did I say to eat frozen foods every day? Are you that fucking dense that you can't see where I said to eat 2000 calories and stick to turkey/chicken breast/water/whole wheat bread? I'm getting lectured by a fat ass LOL


Keep it civil or don't post in this forum. Calling people names here is verbotten.

Anandtech Senior Moderator
Red Dawn

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

Wrong in so many ways. Yes, you can definitely starve yourself and lose weight, but you would lose a *ton* of muscle in the process, which is not good, ever. I eat every 3-4 hours, and consume 2200 calories a day, and I've lost 18 pounds so far. Frozen dinners are not terrible, but not optimal either, and it won't get you in the habit of eating good, nutritious, natural food. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (fresh) you won't have hunger issues, since they take up *far* more volume than breads and cereals. Please, don't post if you don't know what you're talking about. This is the Health and Fitness forum, not the I'm an anorexic idiot forum.

When did I say to eat frozen foods every day? Are you that fucking dense that you can't see where I said to eat 2000 calories and stick to turkey/chicken breast/water/whole wheat bread? I'm getting lectured by a fat ass LOL

Yeah, alright, let's freaking go there. You say to eat two meals a day. Wow, that's a great idea to push a person to binge eating. The best way to avoid being hungry like that AND STILL TAKE IN 2K CALORIES is to eat many, small, fibrous foods. You say to starve yourself. In no way are you SUPPOSED TO or do you HAVE TO starve yourself. Your ignorance when it comes to health and the human body is extremely poor. You remember in 10th grade... Right. So let's talk about that. Did you talk to anybody about it? No. Did you enjoy it? No. Did you have an eating disorder at some point? Yes. You are talking about doing EVERYTHING wrong in a health and fitness forum. Seriously, get the hell out of here, troll. Don't talk about health or fitness, because you know nothing of either.

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

Wrong in so many ways. Yes, you can definitely starve yourself and lose weight, but you would lose a *ton* of muscle in the process, which is not good, ever. I eat every 3-4 hours, and consume 2200 calories a day, and I've lost 18 pounds so far. Frozen dinners are not terrible, but not optimal either, and it won't get you in the habit of eating good, nutritious, natural food. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (fresh) you won't have hunger issues, since they take up *far* more volume than breads and cereals. Please, don't post if you don't know what you're talking about. This is the Health and Fitness forum, not the I'm an anorexic idiot forum.

When did I say to eat frozen foods every day? Are you that fucking dense that you can't see where I said to eat 2000 calories and stick to turkey/chicken breast/water/whole wheat bread? I'm getting lectured by a fat ass LOL

I was mainly taking issue with the fact that you said "People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too... You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day." Ignoring the spelling error, this is completely false. You can eat (using your example) 4 pounds of food a day if you stick with natural foods such as leafy green vegetables, fruits, etc. You also recommended a bunch of crap food (oatmeal cookies for breakfast? Are you serious?) Also, without lifting weights you will lose muscle mass. Believe me, I've done it too, and it was crap. I was still fat at 190 pounds because I burned up so much muscle. This time around I'll be around 12% body fat at 190 pounds (instead of 20%) because I lifted weights and ate the right way. I'm pretty sure you're not a very muscular 135 lbs. (hell, my skeleton probably weighs more than you) if that's how you lost your weight, so don't go around shooting your mouth off.

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

You're missing the 'staying active' part of the equation.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

You're missing the 'staying active' part of the equation.

That's not all he's missing apparently.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

this is called an eating disorder, not a diet. horrible horrible advice.

 

[xionm]

Originally posted by: brikis98
Assuming your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight (ie, muscle + fat), I would do something like the following:

* Rippetoe Starting Strength Routine: developed by respected strength trainers, this is the best way to get into weight lifting. This will really whip your body into shape, helping you build lots of muscle with several simple and very effective exercises. Note that you might gain some weight from this program, but the vast majority will be lean muscle which, among it's many benefits, will help control your body weight. In reality, weight lifting beginners who were overweight/inactive to begin with will actually manage to lose lots of fat and gain lots of muscle from the first several months of this program.
* On off days from lifting, do 30-60 minutes of "regular" cardio, such as biking, running, elliptical, boxing, sports, etc. This will improve you heart, circulatory system, lungs and burn off lots of fat.
* Once your cardio has improved, replace some of the "regular" cardio with some high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will boost your metabolism, burn off more fat and is a great change from normal cardio.

Typical routine:

Monday: "regular" cardio (e.g. running)
Tuesday: day 1 of rippetoe
Wednesday: HIIT (sprints)
Thursday: day 2 of rippetoe
Friday: "regular" cardio (e.g. biking)
Saturday: day 3 of rippetoe
Sunday: rest


edit ---> forgot to mention that you probably want to get into the above routine slowly, or you'll burn yourself out and quit. start the rippetoe program with really light weight, do cardio only 2 times a week and not for very long each time... gradually work your way up and you should see great results.

How do you make sure you don't overtrain with this? would the cardio days provide enough "rest" for the muscle buildup?

Also, how effective are machines as compared to free weights? I love the machines and for some reason don't like the idea of doing the free weights (which is what ripptoe is all about)

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: xionm

Originally posted by: brikis98
Assuming your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight (ie, muscle + fat), I would do something like the following:

* Rippetoe Starting Strength Routine: developed by respected strength trainers, this is the best way to get into weight lifting. This will really whip your body into shape, helping you build lots of muscle with several simple and very effective exercises. Note that you might gain some weight from this program, but the vast majority will be lean muscle which, among it's many benefits, will help control your body weight. In reality, weight lifting beginners who were overweight/inactive to begin with will actually manage to lose lots of fat and gain lots of muscle from the first several months of this program.
* On off days from lifting, do 30-60 minutes of "regular" cardio, such as biking, running, elliptical, boxing, sports, etc. This will improve you heart, circulatory system, lungs and burn off lots of fat.
* Once your cardio has improved, replace some of the "regular" cardio with some high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will boost your metabolism, burn off more fat and is a great change from normal cardio.

Typical routine:

Monday: "regular" cardio (e.g. running)
Tuesday: day 1 of rippetoe
Wednesday: HIIT (sprints)
Thursday: day 2 of rippetoe
Friday: "regular" cardio (e.g. biking)
Saturday: day 3 of rippetoe
Sunday: rest


edit ---> forgot to mention that you probably want to get into the above routine slowly, or you'll burn yourself out and quit. start the rippetoe program with really light weight, do cardio only 2 times a week and not for very long each time... gradually work your way up and you should see great results.

How do you make sure you don't overtrain with this? would the cardio days provide enough "rest" for the muscle buildup?

Also, how effective are machines as compared to free weights? I love the machines and for some reason don't like the idea of doing the free weights (which is what ripptoe is all about)

The days where he mentions regular cardio are supposed to be lighter, longer workouts. They're actually more of an active recovery day than anything. Also, I'm not quite sure what you're asking exactly, but you need at least one rest day where you don't exercise at all.

As for the machines question - the answer is that machines are not effective when compared to free weights. Machines isolate muscles and just set you up for injury since they don't build any stabilizing muscles. Free weights allow you to build stabilizers and utilize compound movements. I would say stay away from the machines as much as you can. Find their free weight substitutes and do them instead.

 

[xionm]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: xionm

Originally posted by: brikis98
Assuming your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight (ie, muscle + fat), I would do something like the following:

* Rippetoe Starting Strength Routine: developed by respected strength trainers, this is the best way to get into weight lifting. This will really whip your body into shape, helping you build lots of muscle with several simple and very effective exercises. Note that you might gain some weight from this program, but the vast majority will be lean muscle which, among it's many benefits, will help control your body weight. In reality, weight lifting beginners who were overweight/inactive to begin with will actually manage to lose lots of fat and gain lots of muscle from the first several months of this program.
* On off days from lifting, do 30-60 minutes of "regular" cardio, such as biking, running, elliptical, boxing, sports, etc. This will improve you heart, circulatory system, lungs and burn off lots of fat.
* Once your cardio has improved, replace some of the "regular" cardio with some high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will boost your metabolism, burn off more fat and is a great change from normal cardio.

Typical routine:

Monday: "regular" cardio (e.g. running)
Tuesday: day 1 of rippetoe
Wednesday: HIIT (sprints)
Thursday: day 2 of rippetoe
Friday: "regular" cardio (e.g. biking)
Saturday: day 3 of rippetoe
Sunday: rest


edit ---> forgot to mention that you probably want to get into the above routine slowly, or you'll burn yourself out and quit. start the rippetoe program with really light weight, do cardio only 2 times a week and not for very long each time... gradually work your way up and you should see great results.

How do you make sure you don't overtrain with this? would the cardio days provide enough "rest" for the muscle buildup?

Also, how effective are machines as compared to free weights? I love the machines and for some reason don't like the idea of doing the free weights (which is what ripptoe is all about)

The days where he mentions regular cardio are supposed to be lighter, longer workouts. They're actually more of an active recovery day than anything. Also, I'm not quite sure what you're asking exactly, but you need at least one rest day where you don't exercise at all.

As for the machines question - the answer is that machines are not effective when compared to free weights. Machines isolate muscles and just set you up for injury since they don't build any stabilizing muscles. Free weights allow you to build stabilizers and utilize compound movements. I would say stay away from the machines as much as you can. Find their free weight substitutes and do them instead.

Thanks - thats what I wanted to know. Yeah, you need at least one rest day. I guess i'm going to be changing my workout. I used to do 30 mins weights everyday and about 30 of cardio for 4-5 days straight and take the rest of the week off - i lost about 2 pounds in three weeks, but i realize its hardly the optimal way to go about it. I'm going to change over to the plan you guys mention. What do you think of:

->Weight Training (mostly anaerobic) + 15 mins cardio (elliptical trainer/running) (at about a heart rate of 160, which is my upper cardio threshold for my age)

->45 min low intensity cardio (HR between 140 and 150)

repeat above alternately until rest day.

Rest Day

the problem with free weights is that in my gym, that section is always full of those heavy grunting types and its a nightmare getting access to equipment. in retrospect, i should have realized that free weights are more effective because thats where the heavy grunting types always are

Also, can you tell me how you learnt about all this? when I google for cardio tips/weight loss tips, all i get are advertisements or woefully inadequate instructions. Know of any good, thorough resources for this kind of information?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions i'm about 15 pounds away from what my goals are before summer.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: xionm

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: xionm

Originally posted by: brikis98
Assuming your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight (ie, muscle + fat), I would do something like the following:

* Rippetoe Starting Strength Routine: developed by respected strength trainers, this is the best way to get into weight lifting. This will really whip your body into shape, helping you build lots of muscle with several simple and very effective exercises. Note that you might gain some weight from this program, but the vast majority will be lean muscle which, among it's many benefits, will help control your body weight. In reality, weight lifting beginners who were overweight/inactive to begin with will actually manage to lose lots of fat and gain lots of muscle from the first several months of this program.
* On off days from lifting, do 30-60 minutes of "regular" cardio, such as biking, running, elliptical, boxing, sports, etc. This will improve you heart, circulatory system, lungs and burn off lots of fat.
* Once your cardio has improved, replace some of the "regular" cardio with some high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will boost your metabolism, burn off more fat and is a great change from normal cardio.

Typical routine:

Monday: "regular" cardio (e.g. running)
Tuesday: day 1 of rippetoe
Wednesday: HIIT (sprints)
Thursday: day 2 of rippetoe
Friday: "regular" cardio (e.g. biking)
Saturday: day 3 of rippetoe
Sunday: rest


edit ---> forgot to mention that you probably want to get into the above routine slowly, or you'll burn yourself out and quit. start the rippetoe program with really light weight, do cardio only 2 times a week and not for very long each time... gradually work your way up and you should see great results.

How do you make sure you don't overtrain with this? would the cardio days provide enough "rest" for the muscle buildup?

Also, how effective are machines as compared to free weights? I love the machines and for some reason don't like the idea of doing the free weights (which is what ripptoe is all about)

The days where he mentions regular cardio are supposed to be lighter, longer workouts. They're actually more of an active recovery day than anything. Also, I'm not quite sure what you're asking exactly, but you need at least one rest day where you don't exercise at all.

As for the machines question - the answer is that machines are not effective when compared to free weights. Machines isolate muscles and just set you up for injury since they don't build any stabilizing muscles. Free weights allow you to build stabilizers and utilize compound movements. I would say stay away from the machines as much as you can. Find their free weight substitutes and do them instead.

Thanks - thats what I wanted to know. Yeah, you need at least one rest day. I guess i'm going to be changing my workout. I used to do 30 mins weights everyday and about 30 of cardio for 4-5 days straight and take the rest of the week off - i lost about 2 pounds in three weeks, but i realize its hardly the optimal way to go about it. I'm going to change over to the plan you guys mention. What do you think of:

->Weight Training (mostly anaerobic) + 15 mins cardio (elliptical trainer/running) (at about a heart rate of 160, which is my upper cardio threshold for my age)

->45 min low intensity cardio (HR between 140 and 150)

repeat above alternately until rest day.

Rest Day

the problem with free weights is that in my gym, that section is always full of those heavy grunting types and its a nightmare getting access to equipment. in retrospect, i should have realized that free weights are more effective because thats where the heavy grunting types always are

Also, can you tell me how you learnt about all this? when I google for cardio tips/weight loss tips, all i get are advertisements or woefully inadequate instructions. Know of any good, thorough resources for this kind of information?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions i'm about 15 pounds away from what my goals are before summer.

Alternating weight lifting days with cardio days is a good way to go. As you see on the routine I posted above, Sunday is your day off - a nice chance to relax and let your body heal it self up. You avoid overtraining by starting slow. Seriously, do an ego check, and start with very light weights and very light cardio. Give your body 3-4 weeks to adapt and you'll be able to do the more rigorous routine w/o issues.

In general, free weights are far more effective than machines. Both have their place: machines are really easy to use and don't require a spotter. However, they tend to isolate muscles more, which is good for body builders working on that last little inch of bicep, but not useful for beginners. They also don't fit everyone and have a limited and somewhat unadjustable range of motion, which can lead to stress injuries. Free weights are significantly more effective for developing muscle mass and the compound movements used (as in the Rippetoe routine) use all the stabilizer muscles in your body, promoting better coordination and balance. Just about all serious weight lifters use free weights. The down side is that proper form is *essential* for free weight exercises to be effective and safe. There is a decent learning curve and it helps to have a spotter/trainer. However, it is WELL worth it.

I would *strongly* recommend sticking to the Rippetoe Strength Training Rounte exactly as it is written. This was developed by professionals and any tweaking you do is likely to make it less effective. The forum post gives you every detail abou the routine and the exercises you should do, including videos. Take some time and read through that ENTIRE post. Don't skip parts, read the whole thing! This is a routine you'll be doing for several weeks, so saving 10 minutes of reading now and doing everything wrong is a huge waste of your time! The instructions should be enough to get you started, but you can always ask a gym trainer to show you proper technique if necessary.

In general, good weight lifting sources are tough to find. Most are intertwined with people trying to sell you something, so you have to be careful. Reasonably good resources include the bodybuilding.com forums, the exercise & muscle directory, wannabebigforums.com and, of course, some of the people on this forum... however, take everything (including my post) with a grain of salt. everyone's body is different, so not everything will be as effective for you as for others. moreover, everyone has different goals, so some of their advice might not apply to you.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: xionm

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: xionm

Originally posted by: brikis98
Assuming your goal is to lose fat, and not just weight (ie, muscle + fat), I would do something like the following:

* Rippetoe Starting Strength Routine: developed by respected strength trainers, this is the best way to get into weight lifting. This will really whip your body into shape, helping you build lots of muscle with several simple and very effective exercises. Note that you might gain some weight from this program, but the vast majority will be lean muscle which, among it's many benefits, will help control your body weight. In reality, weight lifting beginners who were overweight/inactive to begin with will actually manage to lose lots of fat and gain lots of muscle from the first several months of this program.
* On off days from lifting, do 30-60 minutes of "regular" cardio, such as biking, running, elliptical, boxing, sports, etc. This will improve you heart, circulatory system, lungs and burn off lots of fat.
* Once your cardio has improved, replace some of the "regular" cardio with some high intensity interval training (HIIT). This will boost your metabolism, burn off more fat and is a great change from normal cardio.

Typical routine:

Monday: "regular" cardio (e.g. running)
Tuesday: day 1 of rippetoe
Wednesday: HIIT (sprints)
Thursday: day 2 of rippetoe
Friday: "regular" cardio (e.g. biking)
Saturday: day 3 of rippetoe
Sunday: rest


edit ---> forgot to mention that you probably want to get into the above routine slowly, or you'll burn yourself out and quit. start the rippetoe program with really light weight, do cardio only 2 times a week and not for very long each time... gradually work your way up and you should see great results.

How do you make sure you don't overtrain with this? would the cardio days provide enough "rest" for the muscle buildup?

Also, how effective are machines as compared to free weights? I love the machines and for some reason don't like the idea of doing the free weights (which is what ripptoe is all about)

The days where he mentions regular cardio are supposed to be lighter, longer workouts. They're actually more of an active recovery day than anything. Also, I'm not quite sure what you're asking exactly, but you need at least one rest day where you don't exercise at all.

As for the machines question - the answer is that machines are not effective when compared to free weights. Machines isolate muscles and just set you up for injury since they don't build any stabilizing muscles. Free weights allow you to build stabilizers and utilize compound movements. I would say stay away from the machines as much as you can. Find their free weight substitutes and do them instead.

Thanks - thats what I wanted to know. Yeah, you need at least one rest day. I guess i'm going to be changing my workout. I used to do 30 mins weights everyday and about 30 of cardio for 4-5 days straight and take the rest of the week off - i lost about 2 pounds in three weeks, but i realize its hardly the optimal way to go about it. I'm going to change over to the plan you guys mention. What do you think of:

->Weight Training (mostly anaerobic) + 15 mins cardio (elliptical trainer/running) (at about a heart rate of 160, which is my upper cardio threshold for my age)

->45 min low intensity cardio (HR between 140 and 150)

repeat above alternately until rest day.

Rest Day

the problem with free weights is that in my gym, that section is always full of those heavy grunting types and its a nightmare getting access to equipment. in retrospect, i should have realized that free weights are more effective because thats where the heavy grunting types always are

Also, can you tell me how you learnt about all this? when I google for cardio tips/weight loss tips, all i get are advertisements or woefully inadequate instructions. Know of any good, thorough resources for this kind of information?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions i'm about 15 pounds away from what my goals are before summer.

Alternating weight lifting days with cardio days is a good way to go. As you see on the routine I posted above, Sunday is your day off - a nice chance to relax and let your body heal it self up. You avoid overtraining by starting slow. Seriously, do an ego check, and start with very light weights and very light cardio. Give your body 3-4 weeks to adapt and you'll be able to do the more rigorous routine w/o issues.

In general, free weights are far more effective than machines. Both have their place: machines are really easy to use and don't require a spotter. However, they tend to isolate muscles more, which is good for body builders working on that last little inch of bicep, but not useful for beginners. They also don't fit everyone and have a limited and somewhat unadjustable range of motion, which can lead to stress injuries. Free weights are significantly more effective for developing muscle mass and the compound movements used (as in the Rippetoe routine) use all the stabilizer muscles in your body, promoting better coordination and balance. Just about all serious weight lifters use free weights. The down side is that proper form is *essential* for free weight exercises to be effective and safe. There is a decent learning curve and it helps to have a spotter/trainer. However, it is WELL worth it.

I would *strongly* recommend sticking to the Rippetoe Strength Training Rounte exactly as it is written. This was developed by professionals and any tweaking you do is likely to make it less effective. The forum post gives you every detail abou the routine and the exercises you should do, including videos. Take some time and read through that ENTIRE post. Don't skip parts, read the whole thing! This is a routine you'll be doing for several weeks, so saving 10 minutes of reading now and doing everything wrong is a huge waste of your time! The instructions should be enough to get you started, but you can always ask a gym trainer to show you proper technique if necessary.

In general, good weight lifting sources are tough to find. Most are intertwined with people trying to sell you something, so you have to be careful. Reasonably good resources include the bodybuilding.com forums, the exercise & muscle directory, wannabebigforums.com and, of course, some of the people on this forum... however, take everything (including my post) with a grain of salt. everyone's body is different, so not everything will be as effective for you as for others. moreover, everyone has different goals, so some of their advice might not apply to you.

I haven't really searched wannabebigforums, but BBing.com has some great stickied threads and articles. I would honestly stay away from the forums though, especially if you're a beginner. There are a lot of idiots acting like they know what they're doing, but who don't know anything but what their misinformed friends have told them. Stick to the official articles and threads at the top of each forum. EXRX is a great resource for form information and the like. Consult it frequently Really, that's pretty much the only way you'll get credible resources. There are a lot of different websites, but let me give SparkPeople.com for beginners and for some random information. Granted, you may feel like the site is geared more toward middle-aged women trying to get in shape, but SOME of the articles are good reads. They, however, encourage a very carb-based diet, which I don't quite agree is right, especially for weight loss. Also, they have a lot of tools you can use (forums, calorie calc, exercise database, etc). I can't really think of any others. If you really get that desperate go read an Exercise Physiology/Biology textbook for info

 

[KoolDrew]

I haven't really searched wannabebigforums, but BBing.com has some great stickied threads and articles. I would honestly stay away from the forums though, especially if you're a beginner. There are a lot of idiots acting like they know what they're doing, but who don't know anything but what their misinformed friends have told them. Stick to the official articles and threads at the top of each forum

I've seen quite a few articles with a lot of false information as well. Generally the stickies have good info though. As for the forums, there are some very knowledgeable members that frequent the forums, but with the massive user base it's hard to pick them out, and if you're a beginner you wouldn't know the difference anyway. So... just stay away.

 

[czglory]

Thanks for all the responses.

So my routine was Day 1-- Circuit machines x2, 30 min cardio. day 2-- 30-60 mins cardio, day 3-- rest. Day 1--2---3 etc. Now Im going sort of sticking to the trainers advice on starting with machines, but I plan on moving off of them starting next week.
I am definitely looking into that Rippetoe program, looks good so far, and I think im going to adopt it.

As far as diet goes, I was using the calorie tracker thing, and Im pretty surprised how the calories rack up. I didn't eat any fast food, drink any soda, or have any junk food, and the calories still got really high.

For example: I was lifting today, so I ate a

Bowl of Cornflakes for breakfast.

small amount of almonds early in the morning. I ate a balance bar (btw, my friend told me these type of bars are really bad.. it doesn't see so? They have vitamins, are loaded with protein and have fiber, thoughts)

and drank half of the Odwalla B-12 drink.
Had a small glass of milk with a scoop of whey protein before and after workout
Had a small plate of Macaroni (yeah, I know not good but all we had).

Ends up at 2122 Calories, 75g fat, 222 carbs, 141 protein. 32% fat, 41% card, 27% prot (btw what are good ratios?)

I was hungry pretty much throughout, and actually plan on staying up another few hours.. damn.

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: czglory
Thanks for all the responses.

So my routine was Day 1-- Circuit machines x2, 30 min cardio. day 2-- 30-60 mins cardio, day 3-- rest. Day 1--2---3 etc. Now Im going sort of sticking to the trainers advice on starting with machines, but I plan on moving off of them starting next week.
I am definitely looking into that Rippetoe program, looks good so far, and I think im going to adopt it.

As far as diet goes, I was using the calorie tracker thing, and Im pretty surprised how the calories rack up. I didn't eat any fast food, drink any soda, or have any junk food, and the calories still got really high.

For example: I was lifting today, so I ate a

Bowl of Cornflakes for breakfast.

small amount of almonds early in the morning. I ate a balance bar (btw, my friend told me these type of bars are really bad.. it doesn't see so? They have vitamins, are loaded with protein and have fiber, thoughts)

and drank half of the Odwalla B-12 drink.
Had a small glass of milk with a scoop of whey protein before and after workout
Had a small plate of Macaroni (yeah, I know not good but all we had).

Ends up at 2122 Calories, 75g fat, 222 carbs, 141 protein. 32% fat, 41% card, 27% prot (btw what are good ratios?)

I was hungry pretty much throughout, and actually plan on staying up another few hours.. damn.

Those ratios are actually very good, and that's a good level of calories as well. If you don't want to be hungry, skip the processed carbs/cereals (no macaroni, no cornflakes, no balance bars that are full of sugar). Instead, replace them with fruits and vegetables, or at the very least with oatmeal or other whole grain foods. Eat more often, and eat smaller meals (300-400 calories each). To be honest, I skip the powdered protein unless I'm low on protein for the day, but you can keep it in if you like. I would just rather eat some solid food than drink it, so I stay full. Just my $.02.

 

[jiggahertz]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: BarneyFife

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

Wrong in so many ways. Yes, you can definitely starve yourself and lose weight, but you would lose a *ton* of muscle in the process, which is not good, ever. I eat every 3-4 hours, and consume 2200 calories a day, and I've lost 18 pounds so far. Frozen dinners are not terrible, but not optimal either, and it won't get you in the habit of eating good, nutritious, natural food. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (fresh) you won't have hunger issues, since they take up *far* more volume than breads and cereals. Please, don't post if you don't know what you're talking about. This is the Health and Fitness forum, not the I'm an anorexic idiot forum.

When did I say to eat frozen foods every day? Are you that fucking dense that you can't see where I said to eat 2000 calories and stick to turkey/chicken breast/water/whole wheat bread? I'm getting lectured by a fat ass LOL

Yeah, alright, let's freaking go there. You say to eat two meals a day. Wow, that's a great idea to push a person to binge eating. The best way to avoid being hungry like that AND STILL TAKE IN 2K CALORIES is to eat many, small, fibrous foods. You say to starve yourself. In no way are you SUPPOSED TO or do you HAVE TO starve yourself. Your ignorance when it comes to health and the human body is extremely poor. You remember in 10th grade... Right. So let's talk about that. Did you talk to anybody about it? No. Did you enjoy it? No. Did you have an eating disorder at some point? Yes. You are talking about doing EVERYTHING wrong in a health and fitness forum. Seriously, get the hell out of here, troll. Don't talk about health or fitness, because you know nothing of either.

Wow, you guys are really getting bent out of shape about nothing. BarneyFife uses the word "starve" and everyone flies off the handle. When you are on a cut, you are essentially starving your body -- that is depriving it of the amount of calories you normally intake to maintain your current weight. BarneyFife suggests 2000 cals/day, with 3 meals no greater than 600 cals and snacks to fill out the 2000 cals. Spamsk8r thinks he's an "anorexic idiot" and is on a 2200 calorie diet and posts later that the OPs 2100 calories is a good level. This is like a bad SNL skit, get a clue.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: jiggahertz

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: BarneyFife

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: BarneyFife
People say you don't need to starve yourself but you have too.

I remember I was fat in high school and in the summer of my 10th grade year I had an epiphany. I was about 190 lbs and dropped 55 lbs by starving myself. It was a little excessive and I shouldn't have dropped that much but I did it without going to the gym every day. That meant to stop eating at 7 pm. Just water. It also meant only eating twice a day. Lunch and dinner. It also meant only eating turkey/tuna/granola bars etc.. There were times I would go on binges (Holidays) but I remained true to the diet.

Your problem is simple. You're eating too much. DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS. I know a lot of people that start diets and start eating all fucking day like they are magically going to lose weight by eating 4 lbs of food a day. Eat 2000 calories and if you're hungry just suck it up. You'll get used to it in a week or so. You want to lose weight...

Eat 1-2 granola bars/oatmeal cookies for breakfast in the morning 200 calories
Eat a turkey sandwich/chicken breast, maybe some small snacks, fruit 600 calories
Eat chicken breast with bbq sauce and a couple slices of bread 600 calories

Throw in a few snacks but again stop eating by 7 pm.

If you're too lazy to cook, buy some "smart ones" frozen dinners. Throw them in the oven and they actually taste decent. Add a couple slices of whole wheat bread to fill you.

Important to drink water. Stay away from fruit juices/orange juice/pepsi etc.. Also, its ok to eat out once in a while but get a kids meal. Diet is 99% mental.

Wrong in so many ways. Yes, you can definitely starve yourself and lose weight, but you would lose a *ton* of muscle in the process, which is not good, ever. I eat every 3-4 hours, and consume 2200 calories a day, and I've lost 18 pounds so far. Frozen dinners are not terrible, but not optimal either, and it won't get you in the habit of eating good, nutritious, natural food. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables (fresh) you won't have hunger issues, since they take up *far* more volume than breads and cereals. Please, don't post if you don't know what you're talking about. This is the Health and Fitness forum, not the I'm an anorexic idiot forum.

When did I say to eat frozen foods every day? Are you that fucking dense that you can't see where I said to eat 2000 calories and stick to turkey/chicken breast/water/whole wheat bread? I'm getting lectured by a fat ass LOL

Yeah, alright, let's freaking go there. You say to eat two meals a day. Wow, that's a great idea to push a person to binge eating. The best way to avoid being hungry like that AND STILL TAKE IN 2K CALORIES is to eat many, small, fibrous foods. You say to starve yourself. In no way are you SUPPOSED TO or do you HAVE TO starve yourself. Your ignorance when it comes to health and the human body is extremely poor. You remember in 10th grade... Right. So let's talk about that. Did you talk to anybody about it? No. Did you enjoy it? No. Did you have an eating disorder at some point? Yes. You are talking about doing EVERYTHING wrong in a health and fitness forum. Seriously, get the hell out of here, troll. Don't talk about health or fitness, because you know nothing of either.

Wow, you guys are really getting bent out of shape about nothing. BarneyFife uses the word "starve" and everyone flies off the handle. When you are on a cut, you are essentially starving your body -- that is depriving it of the amount of calories you normally intake to maintain your current weight. BarneyFife suggests 2000 cals/day, with 3 meals no greater than 600 cals and snacks to fill out the 2000 cals. Spamsk8r thinks he's an "anorexic idiot" and is on a 2200 calorie diet and posts later that the OPs 2100 calories is a good level. This is like a bad SNL skit, get a clue.

No, no. That's not why there was confrontation. The confrontation was in the fact that he was telling the OP to do it entirely wrong. If you read BarneyFife's post, you'll see that he took in only 1400 calories, which is BS. Your metabolism will commit suicide and you won't get anything done. He is also telling the OP to eat only 3 meals and doesn't suggest vegetables as a good filler. He specifically says "DON'T EAT EVERY 3-4 HOURS." Wrong. That's how you get hungry, which leads to binging. You need to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your stomach full and to keep your body as satiated as possible. He is telling the OP to do everything incorrectly. Don't come on here defending poor nutrition and dieting. There is an optimal way to do things, minimizing backsliding and anguish. Barney's is not one of them - we are just here to point that out.