"I want to lose weight!"

[Deadset]

Originally Posted by Zvi

I suggest you try Kettlebells.

I've been working out last 8 years 5 days a week, ~1.5 hours a day and I've tried lots of stuff during those years. LAST YEAR IT"S pretty much 100% with kettlebells.

So far I haven't seen anything as brutal and effective. Pretty hard in the beginning but the results are spectacular too, be it a weight loss, endurance or strength.

I myself still try to gain muscle mass, never had to loose weight, but considering that even 20 minutes of simple swings will do to you, no way you can keep any extra fat on you with those.

BTW, Lance Armstrong was using kettlebells for his Cardio when he was preparing for his comeback. That is, lots of folks see kettlebells as just strength training, but in fact it is very serious cardio too.

If you are short on time, 20 mins of swings(if you can do it) followed by 2-3 sets of Turkish Getups will work out your entire body.

hum... sounds interesting...it'd solve my space problem as well, I don't want to take up loads of space with a weight machine.

[Zvi]

Yeah. pair of those will do Storage space is minimal, but to workout you do need some space for all the swings/snatches and getups. But it's not that much compared to machines and other things.

[MyBlu-rayBrotherEd]

Tme for some Kenpo X. I'm almost done with the 90 days, only it took me 6 months to do it cuz of work. Still got results, just not like I would have liked.

[Steelmaker]

I'm 6'2" and at one time I weighed 275 lbs. I was having health issues like heart palpitations, high blood pressure, bad headaches, etc.

I managed to lose 85 pounds in 6 months by by doing cardio every day. I started small, like walking 15 minutes a day but I slowly added more to it and eventually I was jogging 6 miles a day. Later I added light weight, high rep strength training to my routine.

I also stuck to a pretty strict diet through the week and allowed myself one cheat day. I think the biggest reason I was successful was that I did not focus on weight loss. Instead I just focused on getting healthy. Infact, for the first month I never weighed myself! I went into it with the mindset that I could not control the weight loss. Instead I would concentrate on the things I could control. I could control what I put in my body. I could control my exercise. I could control my sleep habits. I figured if I focused on these things, the weight loss would come.

Here are a few things I did to change my lifestyle...

1.) I cut out fast food completely except for Subway (turkey on wheat baby)

2.) Minimized my red meat intake except for lean ground beef (96/4)

3.) Cut out mayonnaise. I either substituted mustard or a small amount of light mayonnaise.

4.) I Switched to whole wheat or whole grain breads.

5.) Minimized the consumption of cheese. I ate it once in a while on cheat day but not every day.

6.) I drink water!!! Water helps keep your system flushed out and yes, it even flushes fat out. Everyone is different but I try to drink 2.2 liters a day.

7.) No sodas!!! They are full of sugar! Diet soda's are ok but don't substitute them for water! Myself, I drink a diet soda or unsweetened tea with my meals and guzzle water throughout the day.

8.) I take a good vitamin supplement. I would suggest GNC's "Mega Men Sport."

9.) Get plenty of sleep! People who are sleep deprived have a slower metabolism and tend to gain weight faster. Try to get 7-8 hours a night.

10.) Try to get as many green vegetables in your diet as possible! Broccoli, spinach, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, romaine lettuce, etc.

[mikejet]

Doing good at sticking to my 2 mile jog so far. It was like 90 degrees yesterday when I went jogging but made it nonstop.

Doing Plyometrics and Arms/Shoulders today after work.

I need to buy a ton more vegetables. I want to start eating salads for dinner with chicken breast.

[Steelmaker]

Oh, one other thing I've discovered since I've been running is treadmills suck! I have found that running on a track or trail is much more effective, not to mention more enjoyable. To me, being on a treadmill is like being a hamster in a wheel and actually putting foot to ground seems to work my legs out better.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Oh, one other thing I've discovered since I've been running is treadmills suck! I have found that running on a track or trail is much more effective, not to mention more enjoyable. To me, being on a treadmill is like being a hamster in a wheel and actually putting foot to ground seems to work my legs out better.

I actually enjoy running on my treadmill more than outside. I'm able to watch a movie and be more entertained which is likely to keep me going longer. I have been kind of bad the last week though. I haven't run since last Tuesday. I have golfed every day so I haven't been lazy but golfing doesn't give me the workout a hard run does. I will get back on the treadmill tonight though.

[OtisBDriftwood]

Daily Burn is a great website to manage your diet and track workouts. It has a huge database with all kinds of brand name foods (you can add your own too) and will track how many calories, carbs, and fat you eat a day (and compare it to how much you should be eating to maintain or lose weight depending on your preference). You can also track workouts performed and progress made. There are a bunch of workout programs to check out too.

[Deadset]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I'm 6'2" and at one time I weighed 275 lbs. I was having health issues like heart palpitations, high blood pressure, bad headaches, etc.

I managed to lose 85 pounds in 6 months by by doing cardio every day. I started small, like walking 15 minutes a day but I slowly added more to it and eventually I was jogging 6 miles a day. Later I added light weight, high rep strength training to my routine.

I also stuck to a pretty strict diet through the week and allowed myself one cheat day. I think the biggest reason I was successful was that I did not focus on weight loss. Instead I just focused on getting healthy. Infact, for the first month I never weighed myself! I went into it with the mindset that I could not control the weight loss. Instead I would concentrate on the things I could control. I could control what I put in my body. I could control my exercise. I could control my sleep habits. I figured if I focused on these things, the weight loss would come.

congrats steelmaker! I know it was a tough thing to do, keep with it.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Unfortunately alcohol affects your body's ability to metabolize sugars..... so hard liquor is likely to cause you to put on weight even faster.

I still drink a can of soda a day or so....... which is TERRIBLE... I use to never touch the stuff, and it was strictly iced tea (non-sweetened) but simply cutting back on the beer and liquor has caused me to drop some weight.... Keep in mind that I'm a little guy anyways.... so I'm actually 5'9 130lbs or so...... I know you're thinking "That's nothing" but imagine a guy with little stick-arms, and stick-legs with a beer belly..... I couldn't risk it!!!!

I go for lots of walks with the wife/kid but I don't do any formal exercise ...... golf isn't exercise, it's a preview of purgatory.....

5' 9'' is not little! 5' 8" is the average height for American adult males. Don't be so hard on yourself!

[MCT]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Here are a few things I did to change my lifestyle...

1.) I cut out fast food completely except for Subway (turkey on wheat baby)

2.) Minimized my red meat intake except for lean ground beef (96/4)

3.) Cut out mayonnaise. I either substituted mustard or a small amount of light mayonnaise.

4.) I Switched to whole wheat or whole grain breads.

5.) Minimized the consumption of cheese. I ate it once in a while on cheat day but not every day.

6.) I drink water!!! Water helps keep your system flushed out and yes, it even flushes fat out. Everyone is different but I try to drink 2.2 liters a day.

7.) No sodas!!! They are full of sugar! Diet soda's are ok but don't substitute them for water! Myself, I drink a diet soda or unsweetened tea with my meals and guzzle water throughout the day.

8.) I take a good vitamin supplement. I would suggest GNC's "Mega Men Sport."

9.) Get plenty of sleep! People who are sleep deprived have a slower metabolism and tend to gain weight faster. Try to get 7-8 hours a night.

10.) Try to get as many green vegetables in your diet as possible! Broccoli, spinach, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, romaine lettuce, etc.

this is EXACTLY what I'm doing right now. Wow! The only thing is I dont take vitamin supplements and I dont eat veggies. Sorry. Greens just dont agree with my tastebuds. I also still eat cheese, but there's this brand called Cabot that offers 75% fat free sharp cheese and it is delicious. I also throw low fat provolone and 97% fat free turkey on my whole grain sandwiches....those are great for sating hunger.

quick question. Does it matter if you eat whole grain white bread over whole grain wheat bread?

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by MCT

quick question. Does it matter if you eat whole grain white bread over whole grain wheat bread?

I can't say for 100% , but 100% whole wheat is always better than white bread made with whole wheat. If that's what your question is. In the ingredients it has to say whole wheat. I just eat 100% whole wheat, I find it actually tastes better than white.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by MCT

this is EXACTLY what I'm doing right now. Wow! The only thing is I dont take vitamin supplements and I dont eat veggies. Sorry. Greens just dont agree with my tastebuds. I also still eat cheese, but there's this brand called Cabot that offers 75% fat free sharp cheese and it is delicious. I also throw low fat provolone and 97% fat free turkey on my whole grain sandwiches....those are great for sating hunger.

quick question. Does it matter if you eat whole grain white bread over whole grain wheat bread?

Just read the nutritional info on both and compare. I do buy the "white wheat" brand sometimes just for variety but mainly I stick with whole wheat. Nature's Own Honey Wheat is my favorite.

[MCT]

thanks for the responses. I'll go check out some of that Nature's Own brand after work.

[Meeklo]

I'm 6ft and I was at 225 last March, I'm now down to 197. Change in diet, quit smoking, exercise...all helped.

[MCT]

Congrats dude, keep at it

[ShockWave]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Yeah, I enjoy running on the treadmill so I'm just wondering from a health standpoint. If I get sore I will take a day off. I like to have a theme of movies when I run on the treadmill. I just finished all 6 Batman movies on Blu-ray and now I'm watching the American Pie movies, although unfortunately they are only available on DVD .

Some people need to do cardio seven days a week to lose weight. That is cardio of any form. From all the things I have learned running more then five times a week could increase the cause of injuries. Trying doing a different form of cardio for anything after five days. You may be able to do six days of running listen to your body for sure.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by ShockWave

Some people need to do cardio seven days a week to lose weight. That is cardio of any form. From all the things I have learned running more then five times a week could increase the cause of injuries. Trying doing a different form of cardio for anything after five days. You may be able to do six days of running listen to your body for sure.

Yeah, I've pretty much decided that I'll run 5 days a week. Probably take Sunday and Friday off because I golf those days. Last time I did 10 days straight my legs started to get sore after about a mile and a half so when that happens I'll take a day off as well.

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

Yeah, I've pretty much decided that I'll run 5 days a week. Probably take Sunday and Friday off because I golf those days. Last time I did 10 days straight my legs started to get sore after about a mile and a half so when that happens I'll take a day off as well.

I'm running 3 times a week and mixing in cardio at home with Cardio X and Plyometrics at home. I also do Arm/Shoulders and Ab routines into the mix. I've been slacking on the Perfect Pushup but found that since I started mixing up my routines I can do more pushups now so I do can do sets of 30 now.

What I hate about running though is hitting that wall where you want to stop and walk but it's good to to push through because it's all mental at that point.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by mikejet

I've been slacking on the Perfect Pushup but found that since I started mixing up my routines I can do more pushups now so I do can do sets of 30 now.

I'm doing the Perfect Pushup as well. I've had them for about a year but only use them about twice a week, I try to do it every other day but a lot of time I forget plus I don't do it on days I golf, which can be 4 straight days. Still I've noticed a huge difference. When I got them I couldn't even do the easiest set but now I'm doing the 14-10-6 set and can get through it without too much struggle. Probably look into going into the next hardest sets within the next couple weeks.