To all the generously proportioned's that are now smaller generously proportioned's

[OhioFisherman]

Steve you don`t have to go to the gym to lose weight, staying off your butt helps. Get a set of dumbbells, loaded movement will burn more calories than unloaded movement. A question of motivation and spare time, back when I was single I used to carry the dumbbells around the house after work, lifting them a break and lift again.

 

Back then though the living room furniture was a weight bench, off 7 months in 94 with a back injury, lost 30 pounds, same program but the dumbbells were used while lying down. Walked from my house to the traffic circle a couple times a day ( 1 mile each way ) did laps around it at night when the traffic died down on the bike.

 

A lot harder to do with the family around but it can be done, I used to drink back then too, just burnt more calories than I took in, actually had trouble keeping weight on. At one point I was down to like 173 pounds, at 6'2' that wasn`t enough, more comfortable between 190-200.

 

LOL my butt is my home now.

[Dnthmn]

True, intensity will play a factor. So will body type, resting heart rate, age, diet, hydration level, muscle mass, caloric intake and so on. The common misconception is that 20 minutes is all anyone needs to begin to burn body fat. In truth for the average person it takes about 15 - 18 minutes or so for the body to get through its available energy from recently ingested food and then draw on fat stores for fuel. A trainer at a gym will be able to asses ones current condition and create an exercise plan that will help them get the most out of their workout.

 

You will absoutely burn more calories and lose more weight with a higher intensity workout but it is proven that the body burns more fat at lower intensity levels. High intensity workouts can also be dangerous for someone who is just starting out. It is farly easy for someone who has been mostly sedentary to reach or exceed their maximum heart rate and cause damage. The links below explain a little about MHR and target heart rates for excercise. The one is a heart rate calculator that takes fitness level into account. Try it out with the selection at each fitness levels and see how much the target range changes. Mine nearly doubled!!

 

http://exercise.about.com/cs/fitnesstools/l/bl_THR.htm

 

http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/aa022601a.htm

 

Which ever way you choose to do it, consulting a Doctor and a trainer is good advice.

[misfish]

High intensity workouts can also be dangerous for someone who is just starting out

 

That is very true.

I was nowhere in shape to do what I am able to do now when I started(the first thing I said was HOLLY CRAP im way out of shape). It,s took me the three months to really feal comfortable about the way I workout now.

I do like to push myself sometimes.Burnouts,but it does take a bit of a toll on the body,but the end result feals so good.

[Greencoachdog]

Raf... I agree, cardio sucks..... but sadly, it's so necessary. You'd have to be a hizell of a circuit trainer with weights to get the same heart pump.

 

I've enjoyed lifting weights since college... (more then, not really as much now) but twice a week or so I'll go the hospital gym and use the row machine... This thing is great, been using it a couple months now... dropped a quick 6 (probably water) but, IPOD on and the TV set to sports or Poker, 45 minutes and the trip flies by.

 

Agreed on the breads and spuds too. Cut'em out IF you can, along with the cheesecake and jelly bellies.

 

Cardio aint that bad!

 

I've found I can smoke 5 cigarettes while doin my 30 min. cardio burn @ 1.1 mph on a -4% incline (downhill)

[Greencoachdog]

The bad word filter does it automatically, Steve.

 

I'm very generously proportioned but I should gain a little weight also.

 

 

Well stuff more food into that generously proportioned mouth of yours and you'll gain the weight Bubba!!!

[aniceguy]

great thread but Im fat and darn proud of it for all my belt expaning buddies lol

 

here you go my portly brothers a great Sunday meal

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/bacon-explosion.html

[Dutch]

I am a generously proportioned fella as well and I am also venturing out to drap a few lbs.

 

I research everything, almost to a fault. Here's what I've found out so far:

 

3500 calories is equal to 1 pound, so in order to lose 1 pound a week you have to take in 3500 calories less than you expend. In order to find out what you need to maintain daily life, you need to determine what your BMR is:

 

http://www.healthyde.org/tools/bmr.php

 

That is the number of calories needed to sustain, you need to cut about 500 calories a day from that to lose a pound a week.

 

You need to tracks everything you are eating and the number of calories they are - you honestly can't lose weight without counting calories. Eating 6 meals small meals a day is the trick, also drink only non-calorie beverages, water and green tea are considered the "best" types of drinks. A lot of beverages out there are just empty calories.

 

A safe rate to lose is 0.5-2 pounds a week, if you are very-big 3 isn't out of the ordinary for the first little while, but more realistically a pound a week is what to aim for. You can lose by diet alone, but adding exercise is considered the best routine.

 

Good luck with it - there's a lot of info out there, just do a search.

 

BTW - it doesn't really matte what type of calories you are eating, carbs, protein, fat as long as you try to keep fat to 30-35% of your daily intake. There's no magic in the Atkins or south beach diet.

 

Good luck with it.

[craigdritchie]

I dropped over 30 pounds by taking up running. To be honest, at first I hated it, and only did it because my girlfriend embarrassed me into it. Now, a couple of years and several marathons later, I can't imagine not running. It just makes everything else so much easier.

 

Start slowly, by alternately walking for one minute then running for one minute. Go out three times a week, for maybe 20 minutes at the most. After two weeks of this, try running for two minutes, and walking for one. When that becomes fairly easy, stretch it out to three minutes of running, one minute of walking. Then four minutes of running, then five ... you get the idea. Take it slow and easy, but before you know it you'll be running for kilometres, not minutes.

 

You will NOT trash your knees or ankles by running, provided you have proper shoes. That's the only real investment you will need to make, but it's essential. Go to a proper running store, like Running Room, and they will check out your biomechanics by having you walk and run barefoot in the store while they observe your feet. They can then sell you shoes that will work properly with your particular gait. Good running shoes will cost $100 - $140, and will last about six months. After that, they're still fine for wearing to the mall (or fishing), but you'll be best to replace them for running.

 

Running on a treadmill is good, but running outside is MUCH better. The momentum of the belt makes it far easier to run on a treadmill than to run on the street. For best results, run outside.

 

Stores like Running Room have clinics you can join, which provide instruction, coaching tips, and company - it's hard to blow off a run if you have people expecting to see you. The clinics work, and you'll have more success by joining one than you will have on your own. Trust me on this.

 

Finally, before you start any exercise program, talk to the doctor and make sure you have the green light to proceed. And remember, the trick is to take it slow and gentle, especially if you've been sedentary for a while. Your muscles will adapt to the new routine really quickly, and you'll feel like you want to go farther or faster. But it takes a lot longer for soft tissues like tendons and ligaments to adapt, so you have to give them time to catch up.

 

Good luck!

[BillM]

Clenbuteral

 

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I took this stuff in my stupider and younger years.. Nasty stuff..

 

Biggest thing about losing weight is the diet. No amount of exercise can replace a crappy diet. You need to increase your metabolism, so this means smaller meals but more frequent... You also don't have to get into it hardcore right away, most people who do this fail.. Take one bad thing out of your diet, pop for example is a killer. Instead of sitting down in front of the TV for 30 mins, take your kids for a walk or go by yourself. Hitting the gym 5 days a week from the start will kill you.. You'll hate it, and won't want to continue.

 

Men's Health has some really great routines that you can do at home. Interval training work wonders.. The consistent heart rate of cardio, with the muscle building technique of weight lifting.. Running is good, but after a while it's nothing more then a heart conditioning exercise. Gaining 1lb of muscle requires the body to burn an extra 75 calories, while at rest!!!!

 

Don't cut carbs out of your diet entirely.. Your body will go into survival mode and 30% of your weight loss will be muscle and water.. Not want you want.

 

Just remember, baby steps!!!

[BUSTER]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I took this stuff in my stupider and younger years.. Nasty stuff..

 

 

 

lol...... so we have something in common........best weight loss i ever had, now some guys in the gym have it in pill form not as nasty as the liquid from the vet! but they still take it all the time ., i find the guys going into competition mostly use it for the last couple weeks to get super ripped and lose the last couple pounds before a show....still very common

[BillM]

Clen is the only way to get shredded

[holdfast]

As a matter of fact as part of my New Years Resolution was to lose weight. My Problem isn't lack of exercise, its Diet. Someone told me about the Sacred Heart Diet using Cabbage Soup. Instead I am using Vegetable soup.

http://www.idiet4u.com/diets/sacredheart.html

 

So far Ive gone from 232 to about 210 in four weeks. So its working for me. You'll notice that on the weekends Ive decided to add snow shoeing to my exercising. Everyday at lunch I will workout during the week. Mondays, Weds, Fridays will be high intense running with weights doing circuit training. Tues, Thurs, Ill slow it down with walking or slow jog circuit concentrating on slower Reps with weights. I believe I may be getting close to plateauing before my weight goal of 195. If any body has any Ideas plse PM me. All I got is a gym floor, Barbells, and a floor mat. Ive excercised just about everyday of my life so I would ask for an intense workout, no fooling around.

Edited February 8, 2009 by holdfast

[scugpg]

Try signing up for EATracker - http://www.dietitians.ca/public/content/ea...lish/eatracker/

 

You enter what food you eat, and what exercise you've done for the day and it'll tell you both your nutrients you've eaten and if you're on the right track calorie wise to loose weight.

Edited February 8, 2009 by scugog

[singingdog]

20 minutes won't do it for weight loss. As several folks have mentioned, long, slow exercise is more effective for actually buring fat than short, intense exercise. You have to be exercising aerobically to burn fat. As soon as you go anaerobic, you are just using the glycogen stored in your muscles. Aerobic exercise is way slower/easier than even experienced athletes think. If you can't carry on a normal conversation, you are probably going too hard for an aerobic workout.

 

If you are after weight loss, an hours walk will do more for you than 20 minutes of heart-pounding intensity. The other upside is that long, slow workouts build endurance better than short, high-intensity workouts.

Edited February 9, 2009 by singingdog

[JohnF]

20 minutes won't do it for weight loss. As several folks have mentioned, long, slow exercise is more effective for actually buring fat than short, intense exercise. You have to be exercising aerobically to burn fat. As soon as you go anaerobic, you are just using the glycogen stored in your muscles. Aerobic exercise is way slower/easier than even experienced athletes think. If you can't carry on a normal conversation, you are probably going too hard for an aerobic workout.

 

If you are after weight loss, an hours walk will do more for you than 20 minutes of heart-pounding intensity. The other upside is that long, slow workouts build endurance better than short, high-intensity workouts.

 

When I was playing golf regularly I'd walk and carry my clubs. Whenever possible we walked fast. I also take a lot of shots but that's not deliberate. I found that without changing anything else I was dropping 10 - 15 pounds through each summer even though my beer intake always increased in the summer and we used to eat too much greasy BBQ meat.

 

JF

[BillM]

20 minutes won't do it for weight loss. As several folks have mentioned, long, slow exercise is more effective for actually buring fat than short, intense exercise. You have to be exercising aerobically to burn fat. As soon as you go anaerobic, you are just using the glycogen stored in your muscles. Aerobic exercise is way slower/easier than even experienced athletes think. If you can't carry on a normal conversation, you are probably going too hard for an aerobic workout.

 

If you are after weight loss, an hours walk will do more for you than 20 minutes of heart-pounding intensity. The other upside is that long, slow workouts build endurance better than short, high-intensity workouts.

 

 

20 mins of interval training using weights will do more for you then walking for an hour. Your endurance never gets better if you aren't increasing the intensity of your workout. Look at the guys that walk 45mins a day, they plateau extremely fast, like I said before up until a certain point massive amounts of cardio does more for your heart then it does for weightloss. The key is to get your body to burn calories when you are at rest, cardio won't do this.

 

A good diet, along with 3-4 days a week of interval training will do wonders. You shouldn't need more then 20 mins a day..

[pigeonfisher]

Try signing up for EATracker - http://www.dietitians.ca/public/content/ea...lish/eatracker/

 

You enter what food you eat, and what exercise you've done for the day and it'll tell you both your nutrients you've eaten and if you're on the right track calorie wise to loose weight.

 

That thing is GREAT. People pay a lot of money to have weight watchers track for them

[jdmls]

I get asked this question atleast once a day at the gym...I keep it simple so you can remember the rules every time you get hungry ....

 

No Carbs (1 exception...pure raw cooked oatmeal in the morning.. This means it does not come in a pretty little pouch with a flavour on the front of it !!)

 

No Sugar(minimal fruit)

 

No Oil ( this means you no longer cook anything in a pan !!! Learn to use the BBQ )

 

Once you plateau after about 6 months and you really want to lean further....Cut out the fruit, as its the only form of sugar left in your diet

 

no cardio needed...period

 

5 meals a day

[solopaddler]

I get asked this question atleast once a day at the gym...I keep it simple so you can remember the rules every time you get hungry ....

 

No Carbs (1 exception...pure raw cooked oatmeal in the morning.. This means it does not come in a pretty little pouch with a flavour on the front of it !!)

 

No Sugar(minimal fruit)

 

No Oil ( this means you no longer cook anything in a pan !!! Learn to use the BBQ )

 

Once you plateau after about 6 months and you really want to lean further....Cut out the fruit, as its the only form of sugar left in your diet

 

no cardio needed...period

 

5 meals a day

 

Then after being in a constant state of ketosis for 6 months you die LOL!

[jdmls]

Then after being in a constant state of ketosis for 6 months you die LOL!

 

The hand full of almonds keep you alive .....

[dp3200]

People tend to think that exercise is to burn calories. Really, exercise doesn't burn up many calories, the real benefit is that it increases your metabolism. Rather than trying to burn calories, don't eat them to begin with.

 

People try to diet by counting calories, but it's most important to eat good calories. "Good" calories tend to be whole foods - Don't eat refined food. When you eat refined foods, they are broken down quickly by your body, which causes your blood sugar to spike. This in turn causes your insulin levels to spike and store this sugar energy in your cells. Insulin also encourages fat storage in the body. Things made from white flour, or things containing refined sugar are the obvious examples of these types of foods.

 

When you eat close to the grain, your body burns the energy more slowly and you don't get these spike in your blood sugar levels. Whole grain foods, veggies, fish, chicken, eggs, etc are the types of simple foods that are good for you. JDMLS mentions eating oatmeal, which also falls into the "close to the grain" category. These whole foods do have fat and carbs in them, but fat and carbs are good for you if they are the right kind.

 

Having a good understanding of what is bad for you and why will make your diet easier to follow and probably more successful. Over-complicate it and it will probably be short-lived.

Edited February 10, 2009 by DP3200

[pikehunter]

OK, I know I'm huge, but I have lost and gained more weight than the mass of a blue whale. I know what works for me and how to do it, or at least what has worked.

 

First off your own personal state of mind, determination really helps. Not some outsider telling you to slim down.

 

Several years ago I dropped over 60 lbs. in less then 3 months. It was not the result of exercise I'll tell you that. It was diet, I would have 3 to 5 bread type products (whole wheat, flax seed multigrain whatever) a big glass of fresh made vegetable juice in the morning containing carrot, celery, ginger and an apple, if I had fresh parsley it went in sometimes too. Lunch would be usually a multigrain wrap with lean ham, lettuce, onion, peppers, lettuce and either mustard or ranch salad dressing, it was usually stuffed and bursting! Supper was 3 or 4 vegetable servings and meat was eaten with supper about 3 times a week, the other days was either cheese, beans or tofu for protein substitution. For evening or lunch I would make a smoothie from fresh fruit, juice, yogurt, ice and a teaspoon of regular white sugar (I hate sugar substitutes! Yech! and they are not good for you.)

 

I was did loose the pounds, this choice of diet was not really intended to just loose weight, I wanted to eat this way. I continued to eat like this for about a year and slimmed down quite a bit. That was one way I did it, like I said I didn't go to the gym I was off work on compensation for an awfully long time during all of this.

 

The other method that worked was to just follow the Canada food guide and record your daily food intake on a chart. It's amazing when you do that, there were so many times that I would go to grab a snack, stop and look at the day's intake and then put it back and grab something else that I could have. It is very easy to forget what you have eaten in the morning when it's 8 PM in the evening. The Canada food guide does work!

 

Good luck on your quest. Now my own problem is to get my mind in the right psychological frame of mind to do it all again and to stay with it! That is truly the hardest part of it all!

Edited February 10, 2009 by pikehunter

[Greencoachdog]

no cardio needed...period

 

 

It's amazing! The plans and excuses people make up to get out of the cardio workout!

 

Cardio exercise strengthens your heart and lungs, while increasing your stamina and metabolism!!!

 

You'll lose weight, burn fat and feel so good!!!

 

C'mon give it a try... you'll like it, I promise!!!

[BillM]

Then after being in a constant state of ketosis for 6 months you die LOL!

 

 

But Mike, you'll look good in the coffin!!!!!!!!!!!

[pigeonfisher]

I get asked this question atleast once a day at the gym...I keep it simple so you can remember the rules every time you get hungry ....

 

No Carbs (1 exception...pure raw cooked oatmeal in the morning.. This means it does not come in a pretty little pouch with a flavour on the front of it !!)

 

No Sugar(minimal fruit)

 

No Oil ( this means you no longer cook anything in a pan !!! Learn to use the BBQ )

 

Once you plateau after about 6 months and you really want to lean further....Cut out the fruit, as its the only form of sugar left in your diet

 

no cardio needed...period

 

5 meals a day

 

 

The problem with this is that it would not be sustainable for me. I have been working towards the Canada Food Guide as the right diet. Small changes in my diet are more likely to be sustained, I can and will continue to tweak it as I move along.

 

I have so far enjoyed both the cardio and the weights. Being back into the weights after 10 years away I have decided to take it very easy. I like this thread and find it to be helpful.

 

Thanks everyone.