"I want to lose weight!"

[ShockWave]

Best advice I can give you is buy the book. Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. This is not a sell you this and that book. It's not a book that is going to tickle your ears. It will however cut away all the myths you read about losing weight. It's all about hard work and he shows you how to do it. This book is exactly what it takes to lose weight and maintain your muscle mass.

It changed my life. Research it for yourself. Hope it helps you as much as it has me.

[ShockWave]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

but I'm not very trusting of the scale. I need fat calipers or something.

This is exactly what you need it's fundamental really. This is the only way that you can seperate your fat to your LBM. Once a week you should weigh yourself and pinch yourself. There will be weeks where the scale might say you didn't loose a pound. But with the pincher you will see what is in the number. You may have really lost two pounds of fat and gained two pounds of muscle. The scale can't tell you that.

Also with the calipers. Your calorie intake changes every week. It will never be the same if you are losing or gaining. If you are losing fat your calorie intake will lower so you are in a deficit compared to calorie maintenance.

I have a file I made and I load my info in each week and it tells me exactly what it takes to maintain and have a deficit in calories. It also tells me my grams of protein, carbs and fat I need for the day/each meal.

The percent for protein, carbs and fat vary depending on each person and how their body responds to percents. I am doing 55% carb 35% protein and 10% fat. Each meal you should be eating carbs, protein and fat. A man should be eating 6 times a day. Try only to eat A to B quality foods. I have a list of them from that book I bought.

You also said you were 240+, from that I would guess you should be drinking 2.5 to 3 gallons a water a day.

[quexos]

I have an interesting metabolism, if I eat too much I don't really get fat, barely get a few extra kilos, but if I go on a diet I hardly lose weight barely a few kilos.
In other words I'm stuck in the middle.

[JamesKurtovich]

This week is good so far. Paying extra close to my nutrition now... getting 1500 to 2000 a day with protein in every meal. My lifts are increasing too.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

This week is good so far. Paying extra close to my nutrition now... getting 1500 to 2000 a day with protein in every meal. My lifts are increasing too.

Nice! That's a low caloric intake if I remember your body size/type correctly, so you'll probably drop lbs. pretty quickly if you stick to that level of calories and exercise like you have been. I couldn't see your lifts staying the same strength or increasing for a continued period on that calorie schedule (especially for your size), but I could see you going up for a while until you plateau. I suppose if you're being good about getting your protein in, you'll be OK. In order to get significant strength gains, though, you really need to eat a lot...as well as rest a lot between your low-rep/high-weight sets. That, however, is not exactly the recipe for losing weight and I don't think you're really doing that anyway...just an FYI I guess.

Keep up the good work!

I'm actually slowly getting back into lifting right now from my biceps tendon injury I mentioned back in the first page of this thread. I haven't lifted in about eight weeks or so, which is the longest stretch I've ever been through in my life since I started lifting back in 1996. I do cardio every day, though, so it's not like I went from shredded to flabulous or anything in that time, but I can definitely tell that I'm not as firm as I normally am.

[ShockWave]

Originally Posted by brettallica

Nice! That's a low caloric intake if I remember your body size/type correctly, so you'll probably drop lbs. pretty quickly if you stick to that level of calories and exercise like you have been. I couldn't see your lifts staying the same strength or increasing for a continued period on that calorie schedule (especially for your size), but I could see you going up for a while until you plateau. I suppose if you're being good about getting your protein in, you'll be OK. In order to get significant strength gains, though, you really need to eat a lot...as well as rest a lot between your low-rep/high-weight sets. That, however, is not exactly the recipe for losing weight and I don't think you're really doing that anyway...just an FYI I guess.

Keep up the good work!

+1 Exactly. You either have to have a goal to lose fat and maintain muscle. Or Gain muscle while you maintain fat. It's hard to do both.

Also how do you know exactly how many calories you are suppose to eat? 1500 to 2000 is pretty low for a guy your size. 15% to 20% deficit is a safe place to work at. If you are doing cardio 5 times a week and only eating that many calories for your size. You take the risk of not only loosing fat but starving your muscles and losing that to. You could end up being a skinny fat person. Remember the more cardio you do the more calories you will have to eat.

You really should get a pincher and search the net for a the formula that shows you how many calories it takes to maintain. Then you add your cardio which will increase your calorie intake depending on how much you are doing. Then take off 15% to 20% of calories.

My coach always says "Train hard and expect success." There is no short cuts.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by ShockWave

My coach always says "Train hard and expect success." There is no short cuts.

That about sums it up. You can formulize all you want, but the only real formula is this:

hard work
+
diet control
+
consistency
-------------
results

The third one might be the most important.

[ShockWave]

Originally Posted by brettallica

That about sums it up. You can formulize all you want, but the only real formula is this:

hard work
+
diet control
+
consistency
-------------
results

The third one might be the most important.

For all purposes I would have to agree!

[Shroomhead]

I seriously want to lose weight but no matter how hard i try i can't shed those pounds.

I used to be a member at a gym and had a personal trainer and was put on a diet by the personal trainer and i still didn't lose any weight.

I try to eat healthy as much as possible as i can. I have cut out fast food alot. I still eat fast food once in a while but not as much as before. At home i have a George Foreman grill that i mostly cook on.

My only problem i have is that i can't stop drinking soda. It's like i'm addicted to soda. Doctors tell me i should cut back on drinking sodas but it seriously is hard to stop drinking soda.

I have seriously even considered getting some kind of surgery to shed off some weight since it's mostly impossible for me to do by being a member at a gym.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by Shroomhead

I seriously want to lose weight but no matter how hard i try i can't shed those pounds.

I used to be a member at a gym and had a personal trainer and was put on a diet by the personal trainer and i still didn't lose any weight.

I try to eat healthy as much as possible as i can. I have cut out fast food alot. I still eat fast food once in a while but not as much as before. At home i have a George Foreman grill that i mostly cook on.

My only problem i have is that i can't stop drinking soda. It's like i'm addicted to soda. Doctors tell me i should cut back on drinking sodas but it seriously is hard to stop drinking soda.

I have seriously even considered getting some kind of surgery to shed off some weight since it's mostly impossible for me to do by being a member at a gym.

Anyone can do it, man. It just takes a lot of focus and dedication, especially in the beginning when you're not acclimated to the healthy (or at least relatively healthy) lifestyle. If you're very overweight, but then start dieting and work out consistently, you will drop weight. It's just simple physiology. You just have to stick to it and not be bummed out if you lose three pounds one week and then none the next. There will be ups and downs, and your willpower will be challenged.

I generally try to steer people away from invasive surgeries of any kind, but I'm also not a doctor so maybe gastric bypass -- I'm assuming that's what you're talking about -- is the answer for you.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Shroomhead

I seriously want to lose weight but no matter how hard i try i can't shed those pounds.

I used to be a member at a gym and had a personal trainer and was put on a diet by the personal trainer and i still didn't lose any weight.

I try to eat healthy as much as possible as i can. I have cut out fast food alot. I still eat fast food once in a while but not as much as before. At home i have a George Foreman grill that i mostly cook on.

My only problem i have is that i can't stop drinking soda. It's like i'm addicted to soda. Doctors tell me i should cut back on drinking sodas but it seriously is hard to stop drinking soda.

I have seriously even considered getting some kind of surgery to shed off some weight since it's mostly impossible for me to do by being a member at a gym.

If you keep drinking regular soda you will never lose the weight. It is loaded with empty calories and sugar. Switch to diet soda at the very least.

[JamesKurtovich]

Originally Posted by Shroomhead

I seriously want to lose weight but no matter how hard i try i can't shed those pounds.

I used to be a member at a gym and had a personal trainer and was put on a diet by the personal trainer and i still didn't lose any weight.

I try to eat healthy as much as possible as i can. I have cut out fast food alot. I still eat fast food once in a while but not as much as before. At home i have a George Foreman grill that i mostly cook on.

My only problem i have is that i can't stop drinking soda. It's like i'm addicted to soda. Doctors tell me i should cut back on drinking sodas but it seriously is hard to stop drinking soda.

I have seriously even considered getting some kind of surgery to shed off some weight since it's mostly impossible for me to do by being a member at a gym.

As Brettalica said, anyone can lose weight bro. Most of the fat loss methods used today are backed by simple science and a knowledge of the human body.. with the exception of starvation/fad diets.

How long were you a member at this gym? What did you do there? How often did you go? How much water did you drink to stay hydrated? What kind of food were you taking in and how much? There's a TON of variables involved in losing weight (fat), and I think if you listen to some of the advice in this thread you could definitely do it.

Another piece of advice I have for ANYONE wanting to simply lose fat or build enough muscle to look like a Spartan warrior is BodyBuilding.com's BodySpace and forums. It's like myspace, only it tracks your diet, stats, progress pics.. not to mention, the support from other members is immese. I get 90% of my motivation from there. There's a lot of fatties that now look like they could go into body building competitions because they stuck with it and didn't give up. And it takes patience bro. You're changing your body for life.. so it's going to take a couple years.

[P@t_Mtl]

Have not come back and check this for a while, I've now lose 30 pounds since I've started training and watching what I eat, been slow going but I am happy

[JamesKurtovich]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Have not come back and check this for a while, I've now lose 30 pounds since I've started training and watching what I eat, been slow going but I am happy

Wow, congrats man. Amazing progress. How's your BF? Clothes fit better?

I haven't changed at all actually. Clothes feel just as tight as they did 3 weeks ago, but my belly doesn't protrude as much and I think my chin fat is decreasing. You can see my BodySpace progress pics.. http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/wings_unhinged/

As far as soda and other sweets goes. It's all about how bad you want it. Do you want to live a healthy life with a great body or do you want that instant gratification that only lasts maybe 10 minutes? Your mind will also try to convince you that you NEED this in order to stay sane, or that you need "cheat meals" occasionally to stay on top of your diet. And I understand this well.. I cheat every weekend. But if I want it enough than I don't cheat. If you want your body to be like a muscle car, it only makes sense to give it high-grade fuel.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

Wow, congrats man. Amazing progress. How's your BF? Clothes fit better?

I haven't changed at all actually. Clothes feel just as tight as they did 3 weeks ago, but my belly doesn't protrude as much and I think my chin fat is decreasing. You can see my BodySpace progress pics.. http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/wings_unhinged/

As far as soda and other sweets goes. It's all about how bad you want it. Do you want to live a healthy life with a great body or do you want that instant gratification that only lasts maybe 10 minutes? Your mind will also try to convince you that you NEED this in order to stay sane, or that you need "cheat meals" occasionally to stay on top of your diet. And I understand this well.. I cheat every weekend. But if I want it enough than I don't cheat. If you want your body to be like a muscle car, it only makes sense to give it high-grade fuel.

Clothes are a huge problem so lose on me it's getting weird, I will have to invest on new clothing and that is bad, les money for movies

It took me a while to get off the habit of snacking, once I got pass that I started to see better results. It's only then you see just how much food we take in that we don't truly need, it's sick. Once you get past it and you get your stomach use to the 3 good meal a day, you just don't feel the need to snack, it's getting into the habit.

[JamesKurtovich]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Clothes are a huge problem so lose on me it's getting weird, I will have to invest on new clothing and that is bad, les money for movies

It took me a while to get off the habit of snacking, once I got pass that I started to see better results. It's only then you see just how much food we take in that we don't truly need, it's sick. Once you get past it and you get your stomach use to the 3 good meal a day, you just don't feel the need to snack, it's getting into the habit.

Yeah, I know. When I look back at my soda drinking it was quite sick. It was like I had a can of Mountain Dew as my third hand.. that's a constant intake of calories. Empty calories that do nothing except make you slow and fat. I drink ONLY water now. I go for 1-1.5 a gallon per day. I get protein at every meal, mixing whey in with my oats in the morning, having a shake after my workout and one more shake before bed. Poor you, you gotta be buying new SMALLER clothes.

[Shroomhead]

Originally Posted by brettallica

Anyone can do it, man. It just takes a lot of focus and dedication, especially in the beginning when you're not acclimated to the healthy (or at least relatively healthy) lifestyle. If you're very overweight, but then start dieting and work out consistently, you will drop weight. It's just simple physiology. You just have to stick to it and not be bummed out if you lose three pounds one week and then none the next. There will be ups and downs, and your willpower will be challenged.

I generally try to steer people away from invasive surgeries of any kind, but I'm also not a doctor so maybe gastric bypass -- I'm assuming that's what you're talking about -- is the answer for you.

Some people have suggested i maybe look into getting gastric bypass surgery and i have also thought about it.

But i have also thought about maybe a more bold and strong approach like maybe getting liposuction or some other kind of surgery like that done as a last resort type of thing.

[quexos]

Originally Posted by Shroomhead

Some people have suggested i maybe look into getting gastric bypass surgery and i have also thought about it.

But i have also thought about maybe a more bold and strong approach like maybe getting liposuction or some other kind of surgery like that done as a last resort type of thing.

Gastric bypass seems like not very healthy a solution, kind of traumatic for the body. I wouldn't do it if I was overweight. Well I don't know for sure what I'd do in that case but It just does not seem like healthy to me, what do you people think ?

[Shroomhead]

Originally Posted by JamesKurtovich

As Brettalica said, anyone can lose weight bro. Most of the fat loss methods used today are backed by simple science and a knowledge of the human body.. with the exception of starvation/fad diets.

How long were you a member at this gym? What did you do there? How often did you go? How much water did you drink to stay hydrated? What kind of food were you taking in and how much? There's a TON of variables involved in losing weight (fat), and I think if you listen to some of the advice in this thread you could definitely do it.

Another piece of advice I have for ANYONE wanting to simply lose fat or build enough muscle to look like a Spartan warrior is BodyBuilding.com's BodySpace and forums. It's like myspace, only it tracks your diet, stats, progress pics.. not to mention, the support from other members is immese. I get 90% of my motivation from there. There's a lot of fatties that now look like they could go into body building competitions because they stuck with it and didn't give up. And it takes patience bro. You're changing your body for life.. so it's going to take a couple years.

I was a member at the gym (Bally's) for maybe 6 months. I stopped going and cancelled my membership because i really wasn't seeing any results.

My thing that i used to do at the gym was the following......

15-30 minutes on the treadmill machine

15 minute workout with personal trainer which included stretches , situps and crunches and working out with that big heavy medicine ball thingy.

working out on the machines for maybe 2 hours. (working out on the legs,stomach,arms,chest,back and every body part)

After working out i would hit the steam room or the sauna for 30 minutes.

Then i would go to the hot tub for maybe 30 minutes or longer to relax after all the working out.

BTW,i always had one of those big personal water bottles with me when working out.

As far as foods i would eat 3 times a day. Small breakfast,medium lunch and a big dinner.

For breakfast i was having maybe some eggs and some wheat toast and some orange juice to drink.

For lunch maybe i had like some kind of salad.

For dinner i had some chicken that was done in the oven and maybe a baked potatoe and some vegetables like green beans or peas.


Now whatever i eat i eat small portions and cook it on the George Foreman grill.

[OrlandoEastwood]

Man, I am trying to gain weight. I've been ill on off since May 30th of last year when I graduated high school. I had gotten a very bad sunburn that drove me insane and on top of that, I had gotten kidney stones and it just got worse. Like the week before graduation, they weighed us and I came in at 150. After August 17th before I left for college, I was at 125. I was in horrible pain. It only got worse; I came home at the beginning of October and I weighed in at 130. I went home for Thanksgiving and found myself at 135. Then at the end of the semester, all hell broke loose and I was on death's door and I was at 118 POUNDS!!! I was literally a walking corpse at that point. I've been on heavy meds, about 5 different drugs a day which aren't doing Jack now. But I've managed to go back up to 138 which is good. I am still not near 150 and that's where I am trying to get too.