The best advice I ever got about weight loss/muscle gain was from trainer/professor who I took a strength and fitness course with in unviserty.
"whether you want to loss or gain weight, 85% of the work is diet, and 15% is exercise."
So while your 15% looks good, what about the other 85%?
I am not really sure if I can get a full on diet going being a student and on a budget (The ones that are on the internet etc).
I think for now I am starting with no pop, candy, fast-food (force me to eat healthy at home). As for protein intake, I think I might just take the route of protein shakes as they also full you up for quite a while.
I can only speak on personal experience and what works for me. I am constantly reading health articles and with so many new studies and changing trend in diet and fitness, it makes my head spin. What's great today, seems not to be tomorrow.
I think if you have an endomorphic build and tend to carry the extra bodyfat, you have to do cardio every day, for at least 30 minutes. Don't do more than 30 minutes if you're doing high intensity intervals, and don't do intervals every day. Switch it up with some steady state. Otherwise, you will burn yourself out.
For resistance training, rest is equally important as the work. If you are training every body part with one exercise each in one day, take a day off before you do it again. As you advance, you will change this routine and maybe move up to 2-3 exercises per body part.
I prefer a 45/35/20 (carbs, protein,fat) diet for best results. Everyone will have a different strategy on this. I think you know what kinds of food you should be eating but if you have trouble tracking the macros, I recommend fitday.com It's a free site that tracks your diet and activity, and allows you to add custom food and exercises. Counting calories isn't for everybody, but I don't think you have to do it forever. Try tracking for the first month or so. You may be surprised the caloric content of some foods.
As for shakes, they are the easiest way to get protein. If you're trying to build some muscle (which is great for losing fat as well), you'll probably be shooting for about 1 gram of protein per pound of mass. That's a whole lot of chicken breasts to eat in one day so supplements are convenient.
You're clearly on the right track but you have to keep the dedication up. Listen to your body. If you're too tired all the time, you could be overdoing it, or not eating properly/enough. All you have to do is get to the gym. That's the hardest part. Once you're in, your body will take over and do all the work.
Don't undervalue water intake, sleep, and stretching. They seem insignificant but they make a massive difference in your performance and mental strength. I knew about water benefits for a long time, but only recently have tried to get more sleep and I've added yoga. Wish I would have done that years ago.
As for discouragement, don't look at the scale every day. Check it weekly or less because it can be deceiving. Even better, take body measurements instead. A smaller waistline is much more telling than what you see on the scale.
Now, go watch Pumping Iron and work on those poses!
Thanks so much for the post as that is very helpful. As for yoga, I think after I get a good routine going, I will definitely be looking at that.
keenan87- Why do you wanna shed so many pounds? I'm 5'8" and I weigh 170lbs right now. What kind of build are you looking at? Did you want to become super lean with a bit of muscle or did you want the sport/fitness look?
Definitely try cutting sugars, fats, and carbs out of your diet as much as you can. Try to have a gram of protein for every lb of body weight as well. Take a look at eating a ton of fish (tilapia, salmon, canned tuna) and salads with extra virgin olive oil and lemon.
keenan87- Why do you wanna shed so many pounds? I'm 5'8" and I weigh 170lbs right now. What kind of build are you looking at? Did you want to become super lean with a bit of muscle or did you want the sport/fitness look?
Definitely try cutting sugars, fats, and carbs out of your diet as much as you can. Try to have a gram of protein for every lb of body weight as well. Take a look at eating a ton of fish (tilapia, salmon, canned tuna) and salads with extra virgin olive oil and lemon.
I am not sure to be honest, I was looking at the BMI calculator and it was telling me that I need to get to 145-150 to be classified as "fit". I am not sure how accurate that is but if I can somehow tone up and get a sport/fitness look, I would much rather have that than trying to become super lean.
Thanks for the tip on protein, definitely something to look at.
Thanks again to everyone as I really appreciate the advice.
I was looking for some advice and after reading through this thread, I came up with questions for myself and what might be beneficial for me.
Currently, I am 5'7 and weigh about 170 pounds and a lot of it is fat. I have a relatively active lifestyle as I try to play squash 3-4 times a week but the factor for me is the proper diet. My ideal weight is 145 pounds as I want to get rid of a lot of excess fat and build muscle as well.
First of all, I am not sure if I am over-doing the amount of exercise that I should be doing as my daily routine for the past week has been:
8:00 AM GYM - Before my classes
30 minutes on the bike, Hill+ (kind of like HIIT, with 1:1 minute ratio)
Weights for about another 20 minutes
Then, before bed I do 75 sit-ups and 3 sets of bicep curls (light 25 pound ones)
I have done this routine for 6 out of the past 7 days (Mon-Sat) and feel a little tired but something that I can handle. Is this too much, too little or am I doing it right? I also play soccer on my rest day for about 1 hour, but that is mostly because I love playing the game.
Secondly, I love fruits (something I will eat a lot) and know if I really focus I can take care of my diet but for building muscle, how important are protein shakes etc? I see a lot of people with shakes in their hands after a work-out and I am not really sure if it is necessary. I have decided on No fast food, pop or candy/chips, even though candy is going to be the toughest one for me.
Thirdly, I have always gotten mixed answers for this but is it necessary to pick different muscle groups everyday or can you just work them all everyday. Obviously, one muscle group won't be getting more attention than any others and I have been told that it is okay to just do everything when starting up.
I plan on losing 25 pounds in the next 3 months and I hope i can pull it off. Also, is there stuff that that has motivated other people as I know that results do not come in a day and that I need to keep working at it (I also heard that many people get discouraged for this reason and give up).
Just some overall tips and advice I would have for you:
Don't work out every muscle group every day, your body gains muscle through proper rest. Over training is just as bad as under training. Try this routine:
Mix in core when ever you see fit. Also, make sure you can do the exercise properly before trying to up your weight. Proper form is really crucial and you'll thank yourself later. You see the guys at the gym throw on 3 plates on their squat but they go down about 3 inches - that literally does nothing. Once you master the form, then put on the weight.
If you're trying to just tone your muscles, keep the weight light and reps high (11-15 reps) if you're trying to put on some muscle keep the weight high and reps lower (6-8 reps - I'd recommend 8)
If you're going to hit the weights and cardio in the same day, do the cardio after the weights.
The three main workouts you'll need to incorporate if you can are your squats, dead lifts and bench press and do these to start your workouts. Keep your rest times as short as possible. There's no point in doing a set of curls and waiting 3 minutes in between each set, you'll see slim results that way.
If you're looking to put on some muscle you don't want to avoid eating carbs, mainly in the morning. For your protein, your body can't break down more than ~26 grams a serving. If you weight 170 lbs don't take in more than 170 grams of protein a day. It's nice to have post workout cause it helps your body repair the tears in your muscles and it helps you recover faster. If you're just doing cardio, it's not really needed post workout.
Look in to some BCAA's it's an amino acid that prevents your muscles from going into a catabolic state, which means your muscles wont fatigue early meaning you can work out a little longer, and you'll be able to get that last rep in when other wise you wouldn't be able to (more or less)
If you keep up the hard work, keep yourself motivated and follow your diet plan you'll see the results. Once you slim down and are trying to put on some size, you'll have to up your calorie in take but that would be for down the road once you're trying to gain weight and not lose it. You'll have to slim down before you gain it back in muscle.
Don't avoid all your fats, because you need them in your diet - like your nuts, good oils and even in steak. Avoid salt and sugar and don't eat before you go to bed. Make sure you eat breakfast every morning because as soon as you eat in the morning, that's when your metabolism starts working and try to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.
Even when you're working out and lifting weights you're burning calories, so you'll still be losing weight even if you think you aren't.
For motivation, it's always dependant on the person. Find something that works for you. I recommend thinking about how you'll thank yourself in 6 months. Bring your mind to August - you could start having the body you want or you could look like how you do now. The last thing you want is to be on your way to the beach and thinking "if only I stuck with it, I'd be 150 pounds but I look exactly how I did in February" Because down the road, you wont be thinking about how difficult that one leg day was in the middle of February - It'll be worth it.
Or this:
Hope some of that helps you out
Good luck
Oh, and don't put ANY stock in your BMI. It claims I'm overweight (6'0 190) and I can run a 5 minute mile, I've got a 2.5 plate squat, 4 plate dead and a 2 plate bench.
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Last edited by NomNomNom; 02-24-2013 at 07:11 PM.
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I am not sure to be honest, I was looking at the BMI calculator and it was telling me that I need to get to 145-150 to be classified as "fit". I am not sure how accurate that is but if I can somehow tone up and get a sport/fitness look, I would much rather have that than trying to become super lean.
Thanks for the tip on protein, definitely something to look at.
Thanks again to everyone as I really appreciate the advice.
Lol the BMI is dumb...I'm overweight too. I started a program in the last year and have seen really good gains as far as getting more fit and increasing in size. Take a look at those beginner programs out there if you want a good size and not look too scrawny. Since you are 170lb I think you have a good base for becoming real fit through lots of weight exercises and cardio.
The Following User Says Thank You to Rapidfire999 For This Useful Post:
Just some overall tips and advice I would have for you:
Don't work out every muscle group every day, your body gains muscle through proper rest. Over training is just as bad as under training. Try this routine:
Mix in core when ever you see fit. Also, make sure you can do the exercise properly before trying to up your weight. Proper form is really crucial and you'll thank yourself later. You see the guys at the gym throw on 3 plates on their squat but they go down about 3 inches - that literally does nothing. Once you master the form, then put on the weight.
If you're trying to just tone your muscles, keep the weight light and reps high (11-15 reps) if you're trying to put on some muscle keep the weight high and reps lower (6-8 reps - I'd recommend 8)
If you're going to hit the weights and cardio in the same day, do the cardio after the weights.
The three main workouts you'll need to incorporate if you can are your squats, dead lifts and bench press and do these to start your workouts. Keep your rest times as short as possible. There's no point in doing a set of curls and waiting 3 minutes in between each set, you'll see slim results that way.
If you're looking to put on some muscle you don't want to avoid eating carbs, mainly in the morning. For your protein, your body can't break down more than ~26 grams a serving. If you weight 170 lbs don't take in more than 170 grams of protein a day. It's nice to have post workout cause it helps your body repair the tears in your muscles and it helps you recover faster. If you're just doing cardio, it's not really needed post workout.
Look in to some BCAA's it's an amino acid that prevents your muscles from going into a catabolic state, which means your muscles wont fatigue early meaning you can work out a little longer, and you'll be able to get that last rep in when other wise you wouldn't be able to (more or less)
If you keep up the hard work, keep yourself motivated and follow your diet plan you'll see the results. Once you slim down and are trying to put on some size, you'll have to up your calorie in take but that would be for down the road once you're trying to gain weight and not lose it. You'll have to slim down before you gain it back in muscle.
Don't avoid all your fats, because you need them in your diet - like your nuts, good oils and even in steak. Avoid salt and sugar and don't eat before you go to bed. Make sure you eat breakfast every morning because as soon as you eat in the morning, that's when your metabolism starts working and try to eat every 2.5 - 3 hours.
Even when you're working out and lifting weights you're burning calories, so you'll still be losing weight even if you think you aren't.
For motivation, it's always dependant on the person. Find something that works for you. I recommend thinking about how you'll thank yourself in 6 months. Bring your mind to August - you could start having the body you want or you could look like how you do now. The last thing you want is to be on your way to the beach and thinking "if only I stuck with it, I'd be 150 pounds but I look exactly how I did in February" Because down the road, you wont be thinking about how difficult that one leg day was in the middle of February - It'll be worth it.
Or this:
Hope some of that helps you out
Good luck
Oh, and don't put ANY stock in your BMI. It claims I'm overweight (6'0 190) and I can run a 5 minute mile, I've got a 2.5 plate squat, 4 plate dead and a 2 plate bench.
Lots of good stuff in this post. Similar to what I would tell you (I just didn't want to type that much lol). Take a look at 5x5 workouts (Stronglifts is the one I'm on). It focuses on lifts such as squats, deadlifts, benchpress, overhead press, and barbell rows.
I went from:
Weight: 160lbs
Squats: 75lb
Bench: 75lb
Barbell Rows: 90lb
Deadlifts: 100lb
Overhead Press: 65lb
to
Weight: 169lbs
Squats: 250lb +175lb (ATG)
Bench: 200lb +125lb (Touch chest)
Barbell Rows: 160lb +70lb (Touch chest)
Deadlifts: 355lb +255lb
Overhead Press: 135lb +70lb (got my goal of a plate a side!)
Good luck!
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Have you considered the Insanity workout DVD program? It's perfect for losing weight and building a little muscle, especially if you don't have the time or discipline to get to the gym everyday. I was kind of like you in that I second guess my workout strategy a lot, so having the structure of Insanity was good for me. I knew people who had great results with it, so that was my motivation to keep going even when I wasn't seeing the scale drop.
As for eating, it sounds like you're not looking for a detailed plan, but increasing protein, decreasing sugars, and counting calories is never a bad idea.
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I'm finally back at the gym after taking to much time off. Need to lose 20 to 30 pounds and just get leaner and stronger in general. Currently do the Les Mills pump class three times a week, anyone have experience with this? I did it before and saw results but blew the knee out again and quite going.
Thinking of throwing in a spin class or two but we'll see.
Location: In my office, at the Ministry of Awesome!
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan87
BUMP (sorry for bring up an old thread)
I was looking for some advice and after reading through this thread, I came up with questions for myself and what might be beneficial for me.
Currently, I am 5'7 and weigh about 170 pounds and a lot of it is fat. I have a relatively active lifestyle as I try to play squash 3-4 times a week but the factor for me is the proper diet. My ideal weight is 145 pounds as I want to get rid of a lot of excess fat and build muscle as well.
First of all, I am not sure if I am over-doing the amount of exercise that I should be doing as my daily routine for the past week has been:
8:00 AM GYM - Before my classes
30 minutes on the bike, Hill+ (kind of like HIIT, with 1:1 minute ratio)
Weights for about another 20 minutes
Then, before bed I do 75 sit-ups and 3 sets of bicep curls (light 25 pound ones)
I have done this routine for 6 out of the past 7 days (Mon-Sat) and feel a little tired but something that I can handle. Is this too much, too little or am I doing it right? I also play soccer on my rest day for about 1 hour, but that is mostly because I love playing the game.
Secondly, I love fruits (something I will eat a lot) and know if I really focus I can take care of my diet but for building muscle, how important are protein shakes etc? I see a lot of people with shakes in their hands after a work-out and I am not really sure if it is necessary. I have decided on No fast food, pop or candy/chips, even though candy is going to be the toughest one for me.
Thirdly, I have always gotten mixed answers for this but is it necessary to pick different muscle groups everyday or can you just work them all everyday. Obviously, one muscle group won't be getting more attention than any others and I have been told that it is okay to just do everything when starting up.
I plan on losing 25 pounds in the next 3 months and I hope i can pull it off. Also, is there stuff that that has motivated other people as I know that results do not come in a day and that I need to keep working at it (I also heard that many people get discouraged for this reason and give up).
I'm just gonna comment on the bike portion of your workout.
If you're trying to lose weight/burn fat, doing HIIT may not be the best way to go about doing it, especially if you eat before hand.
If you're doing really high intensity, you'll definitely be in an anaerobic state, and when you're in that state, you're body will burn carbs first becasue it can't use fat fast enough to meet the energy demands.
If you want to try something a little different, you could try not eating until after your workout, and when you're on the bike try to stay in your aerobic zone. Good rule of thumb is that you should still be able to carry on a converstion (make it a good effort though).
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I'm finally back at the gym after taking to much time off. Need to lose 20 to 30 pounds and just get leaner and stronger in general. Currently do the Les Mills pump class three times a week, anyone have experience with this? I did it before and saw results but blew the knee out again and quite going.
Thinking of throwing in a spin class or two but we'll see.
My advice. Find something you can stick with.
Also, like others have mentioned, the bigger part of weight loss centres around diet. Get yourself into a calorie deficit. Add in exercise you can attend regularly and consistently.
If you want to get stronger, I'd suggest learning to use the weight room. Body weight exercises, like chin-ups, push-ups, etc.. can be good for people who are just starting out, but will only take you so far.
Im down almost 35 pounds since November (6'1, 225 to 190), and have really just followed a simple 2000 calorie diet + gym 4x a week plan. Still hoping to drop another 10. I don't have cheat days really, but there is at least one day a week where I get in closer to 3000 calories. One thing I monitor for sure is sodium intake! Try to get in 3-4 liters of water a day.
I was in shape at 180 most of my life until the last few years, so I think I had a lot of muscle memory to work with, plus the "know how" on how to get fit etc. I have never been a huge drinker, so avoiding alcohol has not been hard. I am ok with a couple glasses of wine a week, but stay away from beer, pastas, bread, and simple carbs in general. I am trying to eat 150+ grams of protein a day, but it can be difficult to consume enough protein. I supplement a rinsed out can of tuna or protein shake at least once a day, plus 3 well balanced meals. I enjoy protein bars, but aren't they really just a chocolate bar + 30 grams of protein? I can get a little hungry by 9 or 10 pm, but I am never starving like the deprivation diets.
As far as my workouts, I went right back into my old routine of bodybuilding each muscle group once a week, followed by 45 minutes of cardio. 4 day routine is Chest-Shoulders+legs-Arms-Back. I usually do 3-4 exercises/4 sets per muscle group. Am happy anywhere in the 8-12 rep range. I aim to burn about 750-850 calories in my cardio session after and usually don't get too carried away with keeping my BPM in the "fat burning zone". Usually stays around 130-140 though.
I am holding off on supplements until I get down to my ideal weight before I start focusing exclusively on adding muscle. At that point, I will likely start on glutamine and increase my diet to somewhere between 2500 and 3000 calories. All I am on now is my protein powder and a multi-vitamin.
Last edited by Flabbibulin; 02-25-2013 at 10:52 AM.
I'm down from 269 to 253 lbs. Long way to go but I'm feeling much better. Been working out every 2nd day for almost 3 months now. Plus the big change to the diet. Less calories going in and healthier choices on the ones that do. I have a cheat day now and then just to keep me from getting burned out.
I'm working on getting down somewhere in the 240's.
I started on The 17 day Diet in January and have lost 21 lbs. in 49 days. Contrary to what it sounds like, it's not a crash diet, rather it's a retraining of what types of meals to eat on a regular basis. Essentially cutting out sugars and starches and focussing on vegetables, low sugar fruits and lean proteins. One thing I've learned is that there is a alarming amount of sugar in almost everything, even things I would consider healthy (ie. milk)
The first 17 day cycle cuts out all sugars and starches to kick start your body into fat burning, and the next two 17 day cycles slowly re-introduce carbs (ie. pasta, whole grain breads).
As far as exercising to lose weight, I agree with Shantz, longer lower intensity rides will help more with weight loss than high intensity
As a matter of fact I just finished my first go-round of it yesterday. Went from 192 to 183 (on a 6 foot medium build frame), packed on some muscle, lost a few inches in the midsection, and gained a ton of flexibility and core strength. I'm going to take a few days off, maybe just doing some light jogs around the neighborhood, and then jump right back into a second round of it next week.
Interesting to see my post from almost 2 years ago. I've now stabilized at ~165 lbs. for the past 4 months or so. I've done 3 more full go rounds of Insanity since 2011 but mostly just do a random month 2 workout a couple of times of a week. This is probably the lightest I've been since I was 14 years old, and more muscle and better shape to boot.
Edit: Total weight loss of approx 40 pounds from my heaviest point (205 lbs), which was probably about 3 years ago.
Interesting - I noticed I'd posted in this thread and so I went back to see when and where I was with weight loss - I said that I'd lost 13 lbs and was signed up for a half marathon in the fall. Two weeks after I posted in the thread, I found out I was pregnant. So the half marathon and weight loss got put on hold, but I did okay with my weight gain during pregnancy - just around 20 lbs. All of it was gone a week postpartum. I started seeing a dietitian about four months post partum and had a decent loss over 12 weeks - about 14 pounds. I then went on vacation and lived through kitchen/condo renovations for four months and put most of the weight back on. So in November, I went back to the dietitian and have been seeing her once a week to go over my food diary and talk stuff over. It's been great - I need that kind of accountability to stay on track, otherwise I'll just say "eff it" and stuff my face full. I'm using my fitness pal to track my food consumption and it is quite an eye-opener!
So since November, I'm 21 lbs lighter, 24 lbs lighter than when I got pregnant. I'm hoping for another 15 lbs gone to get me closer to the non-obese side of the spectrum, but ideally, I should lose a good 25-35 lbs. I'm signed up for a 5K in May, so hopefully that'll keep me moving toward my goal.
I've lost 65 lbs in 6.5 years. I did it by becoming more active and watching what I eat (to an extent). I was down to 55 lbs lost and stuck. Then in November I was diagnosed with Diabetes, so I cut out sugary crap, and watched my carbs. I basically follow the Canada Food Guide and have a well balanced meal, three times per day. I immediately started losing weight and dropped below the point where I couldn't get past anymore. Mostly because I now eat properly (or as the Canada Food Guide suggests). It would be more but February is birthday month, between my wife's family and mine we have 8 birthdays to attend, so following a balanced diet is hard during this month. After Thursday I expect to have more time to workout again, and I'll be back to having better meals again. I'm going to lose another 10 lbs, and then I'll be in maintaining mode.
I was looking for some advice and after reading through this thread, I came up with questions for myself and what might be beneficial for me.
Currently, I am 5'7 and weigh about 170 pounds and a lot of it is fat. I have a relatively active lifestyle as I try to play squash 3-4 times a week but the factor for me is the proper diet. My ideal weight is 145 pounds as I want to get rid of a lot of excess fat and build muscle as well.
First of all, I am not sure if I am over-doing the amount of exercise that I should be doing as my daily routine for the past week has been:
8:00 AM GYM - Before my classes
30 minutes on the bike, Hill+ (kind of like HIIT, with 1:1 minute ratio)
Weights for about another 20 minutes
Then, before bed I do 75 sit-ups and 3 sets of bicep curls (light 25 pound ones)
I have done this routine for 6 out of the past 7 days (Mon-Sat) and feel a little tired but something that I can handle. Is this too much, too little or am I doing it right? I also play soccer on my rest day for about 1 hour, but that is mostly because I love playing the game.
Secondly, I love fruits (something I will eat a lot) and know if I really focus I can take care of my diet but for building muscle, how important are protein shakes etc? I see a lot of people with shakes in their hands after a work-out and I am not really sure if it is necessary. I have decided on No fast food, pop or candy/chips, even though candy is going to be the toughest one for me.
Thirdly, I have always gotten mixed answers for this but is it necessary to pick different muscle groups everyday or can you just work them all everyday. Obviously, one muscle group won't be getting more attention than any others and I have been told that it is okay to just do everything when starting up.
I plan on losing 25 pounds in the next 3 months and I hope i can pull it off. Also, is there stuff that that has motivated other people as I know that results do not come in a day and that I need to keep working at it (I also heard that many people get discouraged for this reason and give up).
I dont think there is anyway you are over doing it. It might feel like it at first as your body is not used to it however your schedule is far from over doing it.
Believe it or not, lifting weights is a great way to burn fat as well. If you think the cardio is tiring you then look at lifting more weights.
It is important to cycle through muscles on different days to allow your body to repair itself. If you do Biceps everyday then they are not having time to repair.
Protein shakes are good but not some miracle...a good amount of the people in the gym have no idea why they are even drinking the protein shake.
If I was you I would consider a pre workout supplement. It will give you incredible focus and energy which lasts throughout the day.
It is a battle for me to get fruits and veggies into my system so I drink one of those gross shakes daily. Seeing as you love the fruits and veggies it should help a lot in the weight loss. I would try and get something filling in after the workout in the morning and then have a good lunch and try to eliminate or limit your carbs after 2pm.
Lastly, don't always ride the bike or always run on the treadmill. Mix it up... set up a fun little circuit with a skipping rope, box, etc and create 5 exercises you do one after the other until they are all done. Ex, I have fun doing 100 skips, 10 jump up jump down on a box, 20 sit ups, 10 jump and touch the ceiling, 20 pushups and a 1 minute plank. I am way more fatigued after doing this 2 or 3 times than I am after 30 min on a treadmill.
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