Weight loss tips needed

[jai6638]

Hello there!

I am currently 17 years old. In the past 4-5 months, my weight has increased from 140 to 180 pounds. I'm 5'7. In order to reduce, I started going to the gym everyday last week. I now do only the elliptical machine for 45 min ( and lose 400 calories according to the machine ) since I dont like the treadmill too much. Is this enough if I continue this regimen for a few months?

Thanks

 

[waggy]

finger down the throat seems to help some people.


thats a joke..so dont do it. its hard on the toilet.

 

[HN]

lose more calories than you gain

 

[jai6638]

thats a joke..so dont do it.

rest assured!

 

[TheoPetro]

run. I dont feel like doing a lengthy post so run or walk around a track. Dont do that half ass jog stuff either. You know the stuff thats as slow as a walk but youre bouncing. Either walk fast, do a real jog, or run. And make sure its on a track or outside. Treadmills dont count and ellipticals sure as sh!t dont count.

 

[KoolDrew]

First of all, your diet is everything. That is the most important factor when it comes to weight loss. Second of all, don't concentrate so much on cardio. Cardio and a good diet plan will make you loose WEIGHT, but a great deal of it will be muscle. It'll leave you a skinny-fat person with a lower metabolism who cannot keep the weight off. So, I definitely suggest starting to lift weights.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: jai6638
Hello there!

I am currently 17 years old. In the past 4-5 months, my weight has increased from 140 to 180 pounds. I'm 5'7. In order to reduce, I started going to the gym everyday last week. I now do only the elliptical machine for 45 min ( and lose 400 calories according to the machine ) since I dont like the treadmill too much. Is this enough if I continue this regimen for a few months?

Thanks

In addition to the great start you've taken with the elliptical, take a look at your caloric intake. You may need to cut back on the fatty foods in addition to exercise. But hey you're making a great start already!! :thumbsup:

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
First of all, your diet is everything. That is the most important factor when it comes to weight loss. Second of all, don't concentrate so much on cardio. Cardio and a good diet plan will make you loose WEIGHT, but a great deal of it will be muscle. It'll leave you a skinny-fat person with a lower metabolism who cannot keep the weight off. So, I definitely suggest starting to lift weights.

listen to him. Work your diet out first so youre eating "clean" foods. Then add in anarobic and arobic workouts.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

20-30 minutes of cardio (Intense) then 45 minutes of weights. High reps moderate weight. Eat six small meals a day. One portion of protein to one portion of carbs (Approximately the size of the palm of your hand). If you can't find the time to eat six times a day, have three protein shakes as your meals. Remember not to use protein shakes as your main source of food though. You need to eat whole foods as well.

 

[KoolDrew]

Don't get me wrong, it is still great to incorporate cardio into your weight loss plan, but the more muscle you have the more calories you burn everyday just by being alive. So lifting weights is a must and should definitely take a higher priority over cardiovascular exercise. I prefer to do HIIT sprints, but when it comes to cardio do whatever you enjoy doing.

 

[TheoPetro]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
20-30 minutes of cardio (Intense) then 45 minutes of weights. High reps moderate weight. Eat six small meals a day. One portion of protein to one portion of carbs (Approximately the size of the palm of your hand). If you can't find the time to eat six times a day, have three protein shakes as your meals. Remember not to use protein shakes as your main source of food though. You need to eat whole foods as well.

some more very good advice. hell you guys are doin the work for me

 

[KoolDrew]

If you need help with a weight lifting routine the WBB Routine should get you started.

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
20-30 minutes of cardio (Intense) then 45 minutes of weights. High reps moderate weight. Eat six small meals a day. One portion of protein to one portion of carbs (Approximately the size of the palm of your hand). If you can't find the time to eat six times a day, have three protein shakes as your meals. Remember not to use protein shakes as your main source of food though. You need to eat whole foods as well.

This is pretty good advice. Don't take in too many carbs, it's just not needed. Whatever carbs you DO take in, eat whole wheats and whole grains. Weightlifting is important, as muscle mass burns calories, and cardio is VERY important for losing weight, do 30 mins a day for at least 4 times a week. The most important thing... STAY CONSISTENT! Good luck!

 

[jai6638]

Thanks a lot for your posts guys. Appreciate it!

My food intake consists of homemade Indian vegetarian food: Bread ( made from wheat flour ), Vegetables ( Okra, different kinds of beans, cauliflowers,etc ), Buttermilk and Milk & Cereal. Thats probably all I have during the day.

Breakfast: Vegies i( wierd I know but I realized that it keeps me full)
Lunch: Indian Bread made out of a mix of whole wheat and soy flour ( hard to describe ),
Afternoon snack: grapes/bananas after my cardio workout
Dinner: veggies and indian bread ( roti ) again in the evening
Before going to sleep: A bowl of milk and cereal at night ( 20 min before going to sleep )

I have a medical condition called Erbs palsy which limits range of motion in my right arm ( and renders it weak ). Hence, I cant and told not to benchpress and some other stuff so as to prvent the "wrong muscles" from getting strong. Hence, is there any limited 5 lb weight stuff I could do which would develop muscle but not be too intense on my weak right hand muscles.

Thanks

P.S: I apologize for the gramatical errors.

 

[Special K]

Figure out your BMR here:

BMR Calculator

Take the number of calories given by the calcuator, and eat that number each day. Track everything you eat here:

fitday

Make sure to weigh yourself first thing in the morning every day. If after eating that amount of calories every day you have not lost a pound after a week, subtract 200 from your daily total and eat that much for the next week. If you still haven't lost weight after that week, subtract another 200 from your total, and eat that much for the next week. Repeat this process until you are losing about a lb. per week on average.

Your diet is key. I think the reason a lot of people fail is that they have no clue what they are eating on a day to day basis. Take the guesswork out of it and actually track what you eat everyday. It's not hard with the link I provided.

A weightlifting program would benefit you as well, but that is a topic for a completely different thread.

 

[Legend]

Vegetarian? That's a handicap for body composition, but you can use whey and casein. Your diet seems to be lacking enough complete proteins. And I would start lifting weights too.

 

[WiseOldDude]

It's is really simple, don't eat too much. If you are fat, you know how much is too much so take responsibility and don't stick it in your pie hole.

 

[RapidSnail]

Reduce Calorie intake to 1500-1800 Calories per day, eat a diet high in carboyhydrates and low in fats, and exercise regularly and vigorously.

 

[jai6638]

Since I am a vegetarian ( by religion ), how could I supplement complete proteins?

Whats the worst case scenario if I dont lift weights after my cardio?

From the calculator that Special K posted, it seems like I get 1200-1600 cals / day ( I had to do some estimation here since the Indian dishes werent listed...)

exercise regularly and vigorously.

By exercise, you mean only cardio or both cardio and weights?

 

[Crono]

I've been slowly losing weight over the past 10 months or so by doing about 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours at 21 mph on normal resistance. At first I wasn't sticking to my plan, which is to exercise every day for at least 40 minutes (at times I was skipping for weeks), but the past couple of months I committed myself to doing it for 5 days week minimum. I've had a couple lapses to my old laziness, but I've been fairly consistent.

That, combined with a healthier diet that I've been following (on and off like my exercise, but steady for past month) of whole grains, more fruits/veggies, no trans fats, low saturated fat, 1800 calories a day max, and green tea; stretching for about 20 minutes a day (my own combination of tai chi, yoga, and pilates); and light weight training and the occasioal sword/staff/punching bag training has allowed me to lose about 20 lbs (started at 195lbs, went down to 175). I've started to gain weight again, but it's almost all purely muscle since I actually look thinner, more muscular, and can do more strenous physical activities than I could before.

It's a lot better to make subtle changes in lifestyle that you can stick too rather than drastically changing everything. Just try and eat healthier, make a comprehensive exercise plan that fits your schedule. and you should be able to meet your goal. Looking at my fat ass body in the mirror was good motivation, along with reading health magazines (like Nutrition Action), which turned me off to unhealthy foods.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm 20, by the way. Here's another tip: make your own food when possible. Not knowing what's in your food can easily lead you to overeat. Planning meals is a great way to stay under budget. Knowing how many calories you burn is another.

 

[RapidSnail]

Originally posted by: jai6638
Since I am a vegetarian ( by religion ), how could I supplement complete proteins?

Whats the worst case scenario if I dont lift weights after my cardio?

From the calculator that Special K posted, it seems like I get 1200-1600 cals / day ( I had to do some estimation here since the Indian dishes werent listed...)

exercise regularly and vigorously.

By exercise, you mean only cardio or both cardio and weights?

Cardio is for weight loss. Weights are for strength and bulk. Exercise in this case would mean cardio, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding anaerobics to your routine. In fact, adding muscle will help your body consume fat, as muscle take about ten times more fuel than fat does to maintain (I think).

Cardio and diet is the ultimate combination for weight loss. Don't jump on one of those "fad" diets proposing weight loss with very little to know exercise. These diets are usually low in carbohydrates and can cause one to lose weight from muscle and lean tissue rather than fat. In fact, "fad" diets can actually increase body fat even though the weight may drop. Also, "starving" yourself would not be a good option, as it may result in malnutrion and a deficiency in nutrients and minerals.

 

[Crono]

Can you eat eggs or drink milk? Eggs have a lot of "good quality" protein (so I've heard). I'm Indian too I'm not a vegeterian, however, but I do know that Indian food isn't exactly the healthiest; just too many refined carbohydrates and not enough protein. Soy is also very good if you can't eat eggs, but I have heard soy protein isn't the best.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: RapidSnail

Originally posted by: jai6638
Since I am a vegetarian ( by religion ), how could I supplement complete proteins?

Whats the worst case scenario if I dont lift weights after my cardio?

From the calculator that Special K posted, it seems like I get 1200-1600 cals / day ( I had to do some estimation here since the Indian dishes werent listed...)

exercise regularly and vigorously.

By exercise, you mean only cardio or both cardio and weights?

Cardio is for weight loss. Weights are for strength and bulk. Exercise in this case would mean cardio, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding anaerobics to your routine. In fact, adding muscle will help your body consume fat, as muscle take about ten times more fuel than fat does to maintain (I think).

Cardio and diet is the ultimate combination for weight loss. Don't jump on one of those "fad" diets proposing weight loss with very little to know exercise. These diets are usually low in carbohydrates and can cause one to lose weight from muscle and lean tissue rather than fat. In fact, "fad" diets can actually increase body fat even though the weight may drop. Also, "starving" yourself would not be a good option, as it may result in malnutrion and a deficiency in nutrients and minerals.

^ Some good advice. But not all fad diets are bad- the Zone and South Beach diet (South Beach in particular) are actually very good. Still, it's best to customize your diet for your needs, and if you can, getting the help of a nutritionist can help you do that. It is possible to create a healthy, balanced diet yourself, especially if you do a little research.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: jai6638
Thanks a lot for your posts guys. Appreciate it!

My food intake consists of homemade Indian vegetarian food: Bread ( made from wheat flour ), Vegetables ( Okra, different kinds of beans, cauliflowers,etc ), Buttermilk and Milk & Cereal. Thats probably all I have during the day.

Breakfast: Vegies i( wierd I know but I realized that it keeps me full)
Lunch: Indian Bread made out of a mix of whole wheat and soy flour ( hard to describe ),
Afternoon snack: grapes/bananas after my cardio workout
Dinner: veggies and indian bread ( roti ) again in the evening
Before going to sleep: A bowl of milk and cereal at night ( 20 min before going to sleep )

I have a medical condition called Erbs palsy which limits range of motion in my right arm ( and renders it weak ). Hence, I cant and told not to benchpress and some other stuff so as to prvent the "wrong muscles" from getting strong. Hence, is there any limited 5 lb weight stuff I could do which would develop muscle but not be too intense on my weak right hand muscles.

Thanks

P.S: I apologize for the gramatical errors.

I should seriously read all posts before posting Anyways, you probably can't build too much bulk, unfortunately, but doing high repitition weight lifting with light weights (start with 1lb'ers and work your way up to 5lbs over a couple of weeks), but I think maybe you should consult a doctor to see if it's ok to do so first. Developing tone, which low weight/high reps/sets should do, should be ok for your purposes. But don't rely on my advice too much

 

[KoolDrew]

Cardio and diet is the ultimate combination for weight loss.

Maybe for WEIGHT loss, but a great deal of it is muscle. You don't want to be a skinny-fat person with a slower metabolism that can't keep the weight off, do you? Then weight lifting is a MUST and MUCH more important than cardio.