Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Exercise and Fitness
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-23-2009, 11:24 PM
 
Location: PITTSBURGH
70 posts, read 172,273 times
Reputation: 29

Advertisements

as i mentioned 15 pounds started march 2nd
today 15 pounds less
the plan
tooooo simple
1- cardio 40 mins high intensity everyday a total of 18 days in the 23
2- weights not that much 4 sets for various muscle groups (4 sets a day - the groups change from day to day)
3- supplement vitamins
4- 3 meals with less portions but basically regular food with fruits and vegetables more and bread macaroni and cheese less
5- i started to count calories and now watching everything that goes in, how many calories in it


now i need your advice on how to continue my goal is further 45 pounds
as i get more greedy to lose more i know its going to get tougher
so any advice on
1- workout ?? ( i go to the gym but seriously the personal trainer thing is beyond my current budget)
should i do more cardio ??? or more weights ?? and by more cardio how much more ( should i just keep going on the elliptical till i drop dead or what ? LOL

the good thing is my MVO2 is much better now (46) used to be 30

one other problem is i have to go on a course for 14 days in April where i wont have access to a gym in those days (any special tips for this period ?)
thanks
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-23-2009, 11:41 PM
 
5,816 posts, read 15,842,871 times
Reputation: 4734
My first thought is that maybe you want to avoid getting "greedy," as you put it. Trying to do too much too soon will put you at risk of injury, which will slow down your progress in the long run. Apparently, what you are doing now is effective, so stick with that for a while.

At some point, you may want to add a little variety to keep things interesting. Do various kinds of cardio exercises. Vary the weight exercises some, such as mixing in the occasional set of chest or shoulder flies with the standard bench and military presses, or back flies or rowing as a change of pace from lat pulls.

One question would be how heavy the weights are that you're lifting. Not as in how many pounds, because what is heavy varies from person to person, but more like how many reps you are able to do with the weight you're lifting for each exercise. On any given exercise, once you get so you can routinely lift the weight you are using for twelve reps or so, it's time to add some weight until you find the amount you can lift for only six to eight reps. Heavier weight builds more muscle mass, which revs up the metabolism and contributes to weight loss. You didn't say how many reps you can do with the weight you're lifting, and maybe you are already lifting fairly heavy. Go for somewhat heavy lifting if you are not already doing so. This combined with cardio is pretty much an unbeatable weight loss combination.

You might also consider distributing your meals so that you consume the same calories, but spread out over five or six small meals and snacks, rather than three meals. It usually seems to be true that the more you consume at one meal the more likely you are to either gain weight, or to lose weight slowly. Also, even though cutting down on calories to some extent may aid weight loss, don't starve yourself. This is counter-productive, since it pushes the body into overcompensating by conserving the calories you do consume.

Other than that, once you have stayed with what you're doing for several months, you should have a decent conditioning base. Then, if you wish to aim for really superior fitness, you can gradually increase the length or intensity of your workouts, to progress steadily toward your goal. For now, though, other than maybe keeping things interesting with some variety in the exercises you do, and distributing the right amount of food--not too much OR too little--over two or three more meals each day, as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

As for your time away from the gym, you might want to take brisk walks, maybe do some lap swimming if you happen to be going to a hotel that has a pool. Try to maintain the strength training to some degree as well, with pushups, incline pushups, sit-ups/crunches (both straight forward and alternating), knee bends, and pullups. It might take some creativity to find a place to do pullups, but you can probably find some place where you can grap hold of something overhead and pull yourself up. Be creative, and look around to see what you might use. Even a tree limb the right height will do. If you are not yet able to do pullups, then try negative-resistance pullups, where you start in the up position, then resist lowering yourself, so you go down to the down position as slowly as possible. Another possibility is to buy a set of elastic exercise bands. I'm not a big fan of elastic resistance devices, but this could supplement the other exercises I've suggested to help maintain your conditioning while you are away from the gym. This will likely be a period when you maintain conditioning rather than advancing much. That's okay, because it's important to think long term if you're going to have the best fitness results. In the long run, a little period of maintenance followed by a return to workouts in the gym will be fine.

Last edited by ogre; 03-24-2009 at 12:02 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-24-2009, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Kensington NH
758 posts, read 2,879,994 times
Reputation: 657
I can't add much more than was posted above, but here is a way to look at it.

Burn more calories than you take in= you lose weight.

You've already lost 15 pounds, so you are burning more calories than you're taking in. If keep this up, you will continue to lose weight.

Weight loss, at least long term weight loss, is done in a linear fashion. If you're doing correctly you'll lose a little weight each week over a longer period of time. Don't "get greedy" and try to lose a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. This is not healthy or sustainable. Find a routine that you can keep up over the long term. Look at it as a lifestyle.

I will agree with above though...weight training will help a great deal. Make it difficult and get someone at the gym to spot you. You should require some assistance on your last reps.

For your course thing....I travel a lot and lose access to my weights. I will try to get a run in most days, do pushups, ab excercises, and even modify my hotel room to at least get something in.

I move my desk/chairs so I can do tricep dips, I'll take the coffee table and military press it. If it's too light I'll pile my clothes, luggage, etc. and make it heavy. It sounds and looks stupid but it's better than nothing. I'll also find a tree or park with and do pullups on a branch or monkey bar.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-24-2009, 08:17 AM
 
Location: Texas
44,257 posts, read 64,046,055 times
Reputation: 73913
I say keep doing what you're doing. You'll eventually plateau. And there's nothing wrong with your exercise plan - it's healthy and active! Not to mention there is no reason on the planet to eat mac and cheese - totally devoid of nutritional value. Veggies, proper portions, and maintain that activity level. Maybe play some sports and stuff to keep it from being boring.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-24-2009, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Indiana
540 posts, read 1,902,900 times
Reputation: 343
Do P90X. You will get your variety in and you sound as if you are already eating healthy, and with P90X you could tweak it some. The DVD's are portable and you can take them anywhere if you have a portable DVD player. Check into it if you are interested. It's not for everyone though.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-24-2009, 10:32 AM
 
Location: SE Michigan
968 posts, read 2,579,834 times
Reputation: 504
Congrats on your results.

Thats pretty good considering you didn't go into ketosis or anything crazy like that.
Keep it up. Once you hit your plateau you'll need to make some diet changes again. Perhaps more protein, less carbs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-24-2009, 04:08 PM
 
Location: PITTSBURGH
70 posts, read 172,273 times
Reputation: 29
Thank you allllll for the quick replies and the invaluable tips, i read each reply carefully and i wrote down the the points i got from you.

exercise
4 muscles a day, each muscle 4 sets, each set is 15 count, for example today :
- abd crunches 80 pounds 4 sets each 15 repetitions
- shoulders 95 pounds
- bi 80 pounds
- tri 125 (usually the extension muscles are much stronger i dont know why LOL )
this is an increment of 100 % than it was 2 weeks ago, the last 2 rep are really difficult

each day i target 4 different muscles.

now should i increase the weights every 2 weeks or the number of sets or the repetitions or a combination ?

the cardio = elliptical , exactly 42 mins = 700 calories - level 13 average speed 5.5 mph total of 3.5 miles

should i increase the level or the duration or just add 15 mins of bicycle ?? which is more fruitful in terms of weight loss ??



as for diet plan
here is what i will be doing based on ur advice , please correct me if i am wrong

1- breakfast - 1 slice of low fat turkey (60 calories) + a toast
2- snack- a low fat yogurt (80 calories)
3- main meal ( microwave vegetables - 100 calories + either 8 meatballs or 5 wings with a dip -600 calories)
4- 3-4 coffee cups (120 calories)
5- 1 venti cappuccino (300 calories) not every day
6- apple slices (60 calories)
7 - 1 yogurt or jello 80 calories
8- 1 single fruit 80 calories
9- 1 Pepsi can 0 calories

so is this a good plan ?? i am not a great cook neither i have the time, so thats why u'll find me sticking to 1-2 food stuffs

thanks for the away from gym tips. because 2 weeks of no gym can wreck all this effort easily

@ stan 4 , thats what i am afraid of to plateau, i dont want to plateau thats why i want to ask about fine tunes to avoid this plateau

@ Wyattee - P90 X is great , but i am not into that, these doesnt work for me, i am a gym person
@ crustedfilth yeah thats my fear, thats why i want to be ahead of it and make the changes before i hit the plateau , so please people i'll appreciate every single input , i am so motivated and my plan is not a short term though i love to be shed another 30 pounds by June but the plan is extended till i am 60 at least which gives us another 28 years ,

so the short term goal = another 20-30 pounds by June 1st
the mid term goal to increase my mvo2 to 56
the long term goal to be fit enough to share in the next year half marathon very easily
the ultra long term goal to live healthy as i can


so please walk me till june 1st
Thanks
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-25-2009, 02:59 PM
 
Location: SE Michigan
968 posts, read 2,579,834 times
Reputation: 504
looks like all isolation exercises. Compound moves are more beneficial for all muscle groups.

Bench press, deadlifts, rows, squats (front squats hit your core harder), military presses etc.

Isolate as the last exercise in your routine. If at all.

I typically pick 2 push, 2 pulls, 1 lower body and 1 iso per weight routine
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-25-2009, 11:24 PM
 
5,816 posts, read 15,842,871 times
Reputation: 4734
As Crusted points out, it's best to focus on compound lifts. It appears that those exercises you listed were just that day's exercises, provided as an example. If you told us your entire routine at present, it would be easier to tell whether you've got a good workout.

In general, I would not stick to a rigid schedule of adding weight every two weeks, or any other specific period. It's tricky, because it helps with motivation if you set step-by-step goals in your workouts. However, if you follow these too rigidly, you may overdo it, and either get discouraged or get injured and fall behind during the layoff while you heal. Rather than add weight on a specific schedule, try setting a goal to reach a certain number of reps, and then adding enough weight so you get back to your starting point on number of reps, working up to your maximum reps goal for that weight, and adding more weight, and so forth. Your progress might vary for different exercises, so adjust your goals for individual lifts accordingly.

Making progress on cardio works the same way. Set short term goals, but be flexible. If you really feel spent after the workout you're doing, you might want to wait until that workout begins to feel just a little too easy, and then add to your workout. It will probably be fine for now to progress either by increasing your time and/or level on the elliptical or by mixing in some cycling. It sounds as if you are very motivated right now. Even someone dedicated to pursuing fitness gets a little mentally stale at times, from doing the same exercises. If you hit a plateau you just can't seem to get out of, that's a good clue that you're in one of those stale periods. Mixing things up, such as mixing in some cycling, rowing, treadmill, whatever else interests you, with the elliptical is a good way of adding some variety and regaining motivation. With the level of motivation you seem to have now, however, it's optional whether you want to do a little mixing and matching.

As for diet, it looks as if you're eating good foods. Try to make sure you get a good variety of fruits and vegetables, and whole-grain products. Other than suggesting you make sure to go heavy on these kinds of foods, it's a little difficult to tell whether you are consuming the right total of calories. That varies depending on a number of factors for the individual. It sounds as if you might be a little low on calories, but I wouldn't say that for sure, since there's no way I can know about your individual needs. The best way to approach things is to avoid overeating, but also make sure not to starve yourself. Eating too little shocks the body into conserving calories, so it tends to be counterporductive. If you feel really stuffed after a meal, then you want to cut back, but if you still feel kind of hungry right after eating, you should probably take in just a little more.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-26-2009, 07:11 AM
 
Location: SE Michigan
968 posts, read 2,579,834 times
Reputation: 504
Stan makes a great point. I don't add weights until I can do 3 or 4 sets of 12 reps. It may take a week, it may take 3 weeks to progress that far but it is what it is.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Exercise and Fitness
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top