So I've lost 25 pound in 40 days, what do I do next? (1 Viewer)

[Darren Haycock]

Yeah, weight training is great. I've been going to the gym 6 days a week, cardio and weights, limiting calorie intake, low amount of carbs, lots of water, no sweets, and I've lost about 27 lbs so far since mid January. I plataued for a little while, so I decided to challenge my body more and that got it going again. If you do the same old exercise, your body adapts and gets used to it, so you don't burn as much. So, try running harder, faster, add more resistance, whatever. Just keep challenging your body. I don't know how scientific any of the stuff I've said is, just speaking from personal experience. If you're looking for professional advice, there's always John Stone to ask...great site you have by the way John.

 

[nolesrule]

Vince, you really should divide it up into 5-6 small meals a day. You need to have an even intake throughout the day.

Breakfast is a must, beause it will jumpstart your metabolism, causing you to burn calories faster earlier in the day.

If you eat 2 large meals, what will happen is your body will convert the extra unused carbohydrates to fat, which is then harder to burn. If you eat the same amount, but across more meals throughout the day, the carbohydrates will burn as carbohydrates, which is what you want.

My docotr suggests that 1-2 lbs a week of weight loss is a healthy rate once you get past the initial rapid loss. I went from 185 to 160 in about 3.5 months, but now it's slowing down. I may have only lost 1-2 lbs in the last month...but at the same time, my muscle has increased. The important measurement is definitely body fat %. I went from 25% to 17% during that 3+ months, plus gained a few lbs of muscle mass.

 

[Erik.Ha]

I'd do the chicken dance all around the house naked...

But... Maybe that's just me....

 

[Dalton]

Congrats on the weight loss Vince. I am pretty much in the same boat. I went from 262 to 237 since February 9. Cut down on the carbs and calories and have started walking. I have noticed a pretty big loss in the waist(42 to 38). It's starting to come off slower even though i haven't changed my eating habits since i started. I eat 6 times a day in small amounts of course. I am taking in about 1200-1300 calories a day. I want to go back to the gym but it's pretty tough with a newborn at home. The funny thing is i have lost 100 lbs twice before and can't remember how i did it so easily back then. I am 34 now so i am sure my metabolism has slowed down a bit from my younger days. I'm mostly following the South Beach diet this time and i think it is pretty good. My target weight is 190(havent been there for about 8yrs!) which is what the Dr. says i should be at for my height/build. Just stick with eating right and adding more strenuos exercise and you'll get there. Good luck (to all of us!)

Dalton

 

[Greg_R]

Exactly. Don't worry about body weight... just measure your body fat percentage every few weeks to see how you are progressing. I found that circuit training was the best way for me to burn fat. Do exercises that use large muscle groups (squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc.) instead of targeting individual muscles.

A set of dumbbells is cheaper than the various home gyms out there. They maintain their value and can be used for a large number of exercises. Get an adjustable bench (vertical to flat) and you are set. Additional equipment can be added later (power rack, barbells, etc.) if you really get into it...

 

[Diallo B]

if i were in your boat, and i was last year, i would use break that time up into two sections. the first section would be weight training and the second section would be some form of cardiovascular training.

1. weight training is VERY important and many folks overlook the benefit of weight training as they lose fat. given what you stated your immediate goals are weight training will benefit you by helping you to burn calories throughout the day when you are not even working out. to explain this further, once you add more lean muscle mass your body has to compensate by providing more energy to fuel this increased muscle mass. therefore as you add more muscle to your body you also burn more calories throughout the day helping in developing the calorie deficit that you need to lose fat.

2. as the very inspirational john stone has mentioned, High Intensity Interval Training is the way to go for cardiovascular training. period. this form of training forces your body to have to work. your body can become used to long periods of mild to moderate cardio. (i.e. the overweight postman) with HIIT your body must act because you are forcing it to go faster instead of falling into a pace or a rhythm.

with your time constraints here is the program i would do (keep in mind this is if you have access to a gym and a track / if not you can do this with a dumb bell set and a sturdy treadmill):

workout day one:
weight training
-3 sets of squats *
-3 sets of leg presses *
-3 sets of legs extensions *
-3 sets of leg curls *
-3 sets of lunges each leg *
cardio
-30-45 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical machine
(go 30-40 seconds all out and then do a slower pace to rest for about 60 seconds.)

workout day two:
weight training
-3 sets of flat bench press *
-3 sets of incline bench press *
-3 sets of decline bench press *
-3 sets of pec dec machine *
-3 sets of tricep pushdowns *
cardio
-30-45 minutes of HIIT on the track.
(sprint all out for 60-100 meters and walk the same distance for rest. then sprint and walk again)

workout day three
weight training
-3 sets of deadlifts *
-3 sets of lat pulldowns to the front *
-3 sets of lat pulldowns to the back *
-3 sets of bent over rows *
-3 sets of shoulder presses *
-3 sets of bicep curls *
cardio
-30-45 minutes of HIIT on the track.
(sprint all out for 60-100 meters and walk the same distance for rest. then sprint and walk again) **

*you must find out what your max is for each of these excercises and then workout with 75-85 percent of your max.

**if you don't want to run this day you can do the same thing on a stationary bike alternating 60 second sprints with 90 seconds of rest. however, i recommend running as you will get better results from it.

this is simply what i would do if i had your time constraints and your goals. i actually work out 6 days a week and train a few folks that liked my results so far. i have dropped over 70lbs and I am currently about a solid 225-230. i want to drop another 10-15 maybe. but i really like my size and muscle.

also, 40 minutes roundtrip is a small sacrifice to get the benefits that training at a gym can provide. if you visit john stone's site you can see that he has literally built a home gym that can rival a traditional gym. i can't wait to build my own.

 

[Gary Seven]

Disney World?

 

[Joe Wilmore]

Hey Diallo, I had a question for you regarding HIIT. I have recently gained a little bit of weight, even though I go to the gym everyday. My eating habits are horrible, but I don't really want to change those right now. I usually do weights 2-3 times a week, and on the other days, I am doing pullups and bar dips. I also do at least 75 minutes a day of cardio, usually eliptical. I keep my heart rate right around 130. I am 6' 1" and 185, but I feel like in the last 2 months I have gained a little fat. This is after maintaining the same program for 3 years. Do you think the HIIT would jump start a fat loss? Also, when you say go all out, do you mean going faster, or raising the level of resistance? Can you give me an example of what levels and rpm's you use on the eliptical for HIIT. Thanks alot.

 

[ChadM]

Vince,

Congrats to you and to all other who have lost weight. I have gone from 255 to 233 since Jan. 1.

I agree with Joe K - 5-6 small meals would be better than two big meals per day.

Look at how John Stone eats - basically all day.

Keep up the good work and drink lots of water.

Chad

 

[Diallo B]

hey joe,

you stated what your problem is already.



first, in order to get the fitness goals that you desire you must eat right. if not, you are negatively impacting your workout efforts. it is kind of like you are disrespecting yourself by wasting your own time. on top of that if you are doing 75 min of cardio a day and still gaining weight you are really eating terribly. c'mon joe this is a lifestyle change!!! pony up!!!

second, it is essential that you must change up your program every 6-8 weeks or your body will adapt to your current program and you will cease to progress.

as far as HIIT goes, it will definitely help you with your fat loss. and when i say go all out i mean GO ALL OUT!!! that is the HIGH INTENSITY part of High Intensity Interval Training. it could include both raising the resistance and increasing the speed of your effort. but i would lean more toward increasing your speed.

when i use the elliptical i go all out at around 220-230 rpms with peaks of 240 and sometimes higher. i rest at between 140-160 rpms. if i am inspired that day i might rest between 160-180 rpms.

good luck in your fat loss and fitness goals!

 

[Mark Murphy]

25 lbs in 40 days? Thats pretty damn impressive to me. If I can do half that, I will be overjoyed. Congratulations! I was doing a great job last year at the gym and w/my diet until I had to have a nasty little surgical procedure called Ulnar Transposition. In regular words, I had to have my "funny bone" nerve moved. I weighed myself the other day and I'm a not so solid 220 (6' tall) although most of the "not so solidness" seems to be in my belly. I've already started eating better again and I will begin my workouts next week. Reading this thread has definitely inspired me to get my rear end in gear.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Well, down to 225 as of this morning March 12th. So, it's now 30lbs in 50 days.



Good luck Mark! For me, it really was just a bunch of changes in my life, and not feeling good about my situation. And by charting and keeping track of stuff- it really gives me a visual product I can monitor and see the changes. So far i've been really happy with all the results and the way i feel... so hopefully as I move into the next phase my success will continue.

-V

 

[Sami Kallio]

John, I don't agree with you on potato. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium, and a good source of vitamin B6 and fiber. Just make sure you boil it unpeeled.

I wouldn't avoid potato, just moderate it if you're trying to lose weight. It breaks down to glucose fast so it is more of an energy source for active people (excellent source in that case). Even for people trying to cut weight it is good as majority of your energy still should come from carbs. The newer the potato is, the better.

 

[John Stone]

Exactly, which causes your pancreas to release insulin into your bloodstream in order to deal with the rapid blood sugar increase. When insulin is present in the bloodstream fat loss comes to a grinding halt. That's why high-GI carbs like potatoes, white rice and sugars are not good when you are trying to lose weight.

I agree, carbs are important but one should focus on low-GI carbs such as brown rice and oatmeal.

 

[nolesrule]

Personally, I don't eat within an hour of waking up, but I do make sure I eat early enough in the day to jumpstart the metabolism.

Vince, bring snacks with you and have something every 2-3 hours. You don't have to sit down for a full meal every time. Obviously stuff that won't go bad and is low in fat. Stuff that only takes a few minutes to eat. You don't need 30 minutes for every meal.

No offense intended, but not having time is just an excuse to not get it done. 4 of those meals won't need more than a combined 20 minutes to eat if you prepare and pack them ahead of time. If you care enough about yourself, you'll find a way to get it done.

cheese and crackers, celery and peanut butter, cottage cheese and fruit or pretzels, yogurt with some added protein powder, etc. (low or no fat cheese, peanut butter and cottage cheese, fat free and low sugar yogurt). All of these are fairly well balanced.


As for the body fat measurements, that's included in my physician's program every 3 months (doctor visits are 1 per month). They use a machine that places sensors on your body and measures electrical currents to get the results.

 

[Sami Kallio]

If you're trying to lose weight or are diabetic, yes, potato isn't the best possible source of carbs (not sure if I would avoid it completely though). If you're active and/or trying to build muscle, then it's one of the best. Doesn't deserve the bad rep it is given by many.

 

[nolesrule]

sweet potatoes are better than white potatoes because they have less simple sugars. Unfortunately, I don't like sweet potatoes.

 

[Sami Kallio]

Yes, while potatoes are all complex carbs, sweet potatoes are low in GI chart. Too bad they really live to their name, I mistakenly made mashed potatoes from sweet potatoes. I ate it all but it sure wasn't good, way too sweet.

 

[Bob_Bo]

Hey Vince.

There are many opinions on the ideal workout, but it really boils down to what works for you. That's something that you'll find out as you progress.

A set is usually considered 8-12 reps The goal is to stress the targeted muscle group completely, which is best achieved by completing the exercises for each group before moving on to a different group.

You should try to get in 3 weight training sessions each week. The way that I split up my routine is to categorize each group into: group A; chest, shoulders and triceps, Group B; legs, back and biceps. Then the first week I would train ABA, the following week BAB, abs each workout, etc. This seems to give me enough recovery time for each muscle group.

Body fat analysis and total body composition is usually offered at most better gyms. How accurate they are, I don't know, but the one I had seemed pretty close. They did a bunch of tests that included cardio, flexibility, strength and of course body fat. The most interesting figure from that test was my mean body weight. . . basically the weight of everything but my fat. That kind of put in perspective any expected weight loss goals.

Good luck!

 

[Eric_L]

Just found the thread.

Looking at your picture Vince I have to wonder if you must be 7 ft tall. If that was your old weight you wore it well - not perfect, but well. May be time for a new one...

Weight loss is a difficult voyage. I've watched my mother struggle with it most of her life. In the last few years my center of gravity has started to shift as well. (6' 205 lbs 36" belt)

I think I may start to follow your lead. I once was an outdoors kinda guy, but since moving to FL that has changed. It may be counterintuitive, I know. I was spoiled in CA. Here in FL you can break a sweat just drying off after a shower - not to mention the swarms that attack you when outdoors. The difficulty for me is finding a physical activity I enjoy. Weights bore me, walking/running is like donating blood - to the insect world! I love raquetball. Too bad it is a 90 minute drive... Maybe I will hook my LCD projector to a generator run by an excersize bike...