Hi,
I'm new here and hoping that someone knows of a good cardio regimen for losing weight. A little background on myself, I'm 26, 6 foot and 320lbs. Stress from college and work got the best of me. From 2000-2003 I maintained weight between 230-240 and goal is 240. Actually over the past few months I've put on about 35-40 simply because I stopped working out and have maintained a poor diet.
As of last week I started getting back to the gym. I'm looking at cardio for weight loss. For example, yesterday I ran on the treadmill at 6mph/10min mile (I was doing 7.5 a few months ago). After that I did the eliptical for 30 min and then went to the exercise bike for 30 min. Although the bike didn't seem to do much in terms of sweating.
If anyone knows of any cardio programs for fast weight loss that would be great. By this time next month I'd like to reach 260 if possible. I know part of it is mental so if anyone has any tips to cut cravings it would be highly appreciated.
Looking for serious weight loss
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
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Nat Turner
- STARTING OUT
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 12:42 pm
- Location: Michigan
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cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Suggestions...
Hi.
First of all congrats on getting back to the gym and taking control of your health. As for your goal to reach 260 pounds by this time next month... I think you need to reconsider this goal. That would mean you would have to lose 60 pounds over the course of a month. This is 2 lbs a day and would be the equivalent of cutting an extra 7000 calories more per day than you are consuming. I don't mean to be rude but I really think this is an unrealistic goal. A more attainable goal for you would be to lose 1-2 lbs a week until you reach your goal weight. This ensures that you'll take the weight off in a healthy manner and by losing it slower you'll be more likely to keep it off.
As for your weight loss... Instead of attempting to lose it through cardio alone a combination of weights, cardio, and healthy diet would be more realistic. For you, long bouts of cardio will help burn extra calories but after a while your body will become very efficient making it harder to lose weight and you will soon hit a plateau and stop losing. Also, cardio alone will only help you to lose calories while you are actually working out. By adding weights to your routine you will start building muscle which will help your body to burn extra calories throughout the day instead of only while you're on the treadmill (your body should burn an extra 35-50 per lb of muscle per day).
Also, try adding some kind of intense cardio to your workout instead of relying simply on long slow workouts. You could run stairs, do intervals, jump rope, and plyometrics. This will also help with fat loss.
What does your diet look like? Diet is just as important (if not more) than exercise when trying to lose weight. It must be coupled with an exercise routine if youre seriously looking to lose weight.
I hope this helps...
Take care. :)
First of all congrats on getting back to the gym and taking control of your health. As for your goal to reach 260 pounds by this time next month... I think you need to reconsider this goal. That would mean you would have to lose 60 pounds over the course of a month. This is 2 lbs a day and would be the equivalent of cutting an extra 7000 calories more per day than you are consuming. I don't mean to be rude but I really think this is an unrealistic goal. A more attainable goal for you would be to lose 1-2 lbs a week until you reach your goal weight. This ensures that you'll take the weight off in a healthy manner and by losing it slower you'll be more likely to keep it off.
As for your weight loss... Instead of attempting to lose it through cardio alone a combination of weights, cardio, and healthy diet would be more realistic. For you, long bouts of cardio will help burn extra calories but after a while your body will become very efficient making it harder to lose weight and you will soon hit a plateau and stop losing. Also, cardio alone will only help you to lose calories while you are actually working out. By adding weights to your routine you will start building muscle which will help your body to burn extra calories throughout the day instead of only while you're on the treadmill (your body should burn an extra 35-50 per lb of muscle per day).
Also, try adding some kind of intense cardio to your workout instead of relying simply on long slow workouts. You could run stairs, do intervals, jump rope, and plyometrics. This will also help with fat loss.
What does your diet look like? Diet is just as important (if not more) than exercise when trying to lose weight. It must be coupled with an exercise routine if youre seriously looking to lose weight.
I hope this helps...
Take care. :)
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Nat Turner
- STARTING OUT
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 12:42 pm
- Location: Michigan
Thanks for the feedback. As far as the fast weight loss, I guess I still have the wrestler's mentality since I used to wrestle in high school. I've definitely found that as I get older metabolism has greatly decreased. Back in 2000, right after I graduated high school, I went from 265lbs to 225lbs in about a month. I was on Xenadrine when it had ephedra and I kept the weight off until about 2004 at which time I got up to 270. Another aspect with difficulty losing the weight now is that job is comletely sedintary. I sit at a computer for about 8 hours a day.
As far as diet I would have to say that it's pretty inconsistent. I'll try eating healthy for a few days and then I'll go back to bad foods and back to good. Another problem I have is that healthy foods are expensive and I work 2 jobs so I have very little time to prepare anything. Diet feedback would be awesome. I think the hardest part is trying to overcome the cravings which sometimes seems impossible. For example, I'll have lean meat and salad M-W and by Thursday I'll have cravings for something bad.
For workout plan I was thinking of doing something like this:
Yesterday I warmed up with a mile jog (6mph), chest, triceps, ended with 5 1-minute sprints (9mph) on treadmill
Today - 15 min on treadmill (6mph), Elliptical 28 min (it said I burned 450 doing 28 min on the weight loss interval), and the stair climber for 10 min and finish with abs.
Friday off
Saturday - 1 mile warm up run, shoulders, biceps, back, end with 5 1-minute sprints
Sunday - run 2 miles outside
Monday - off b/c of holiday
Tuesday - Cardio day, same as list under Today
and keep rotating days like this. Any suggestions or improvement ideas would be highly appreciated.
Lastly, are there any good supplements out there to help with the weight loss process? I recently read an article about someone taking a combination of Xenadrine and CLA.
Thanks
As far as diet I would have to say that it's pretty inconsistent. I'll try eating healthy for a few days and then I'll go back to bad foods and back to good. Another problem I have is that healthy foods are expensive and I work 2 jobs so I have very little time to prepare anything. Diet feedback would be awesome. I think the hardest part is trying to overcome the cravings which sometimes seems impossible. For example, I'll have lean meat and salad M-W and by Thursday I'll have cravings for something bad.
For workout plan I was thinking of doing something like this:
Yesterday I warmed up with a mile jog (6mph), chest, triceps, ended with 5 1-minute sprints (9mph) on treadmill
Today - 15 min on treadmill (6mph), Elliptical 28 min (it said I burned 450 doing 28 min on the weight loss interval), and the stair climber for 10 min and finish with abs.
Friday off
Saturday - 1 mile warm up run, shoulders, biceps, back, end with 5 1-minute sprints
Sunday - run 2 miles outside
Monday - off b/c of holiday
Tuesday - Cardio day, same as list under Today
and keep rotating days like this. Any suggestions or improvement ideas would be highly appreciated.
Lastly, are there any good supplements out there to help with the weight loss process? I recently read an article about someone taking a combination of Xenadrine and CLA.
Thanks
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cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Hmmm... Ok... I really don't mean to sound like a hard here but if you want to lose weight I think the first thing you need to do is set some serious realistic goals and stick to them. You are the only person who is going to be able to make these changes. As for your work schedule... I'm a full time college student in addition to working two jobs. One job requires that I sit in an office for 8 hours a day. In order to get exercise in I have to wake up at 4:15 in the morning. I'm not bragging here... I'm just saying that if you're honestly serious you're going to have to make some sacrifices. I realize that you obviously have some barriers, you'll just have to figure out how to overcome them. :) Moving on...
As for your cravings... Once you change your diet and get all the crap and sugar out of your system you won't crave the bad food as much. The longer you maintain a healthy diet of lean protiens, fruit, veggies and whole grains the less you will crave the bad foods.
Healthy protien options: chicken breast, tofu, fish, lean meats, and egg whites
Healthy carbs: Oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole wheat bread, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, and fruits and veggies
Health fats: avacados, nuts, peanut butter, olive oil
Your BMR is about 3361 (if you're moderately active). If I were you I would consume between 3300 and 3600 calories a day. Do this by eating 6-8 HEALTHY meals a day. Probably one of the reasons why you tend to do well for a couple of days then fall off the wagon is because may not be eating enough food. If you don't consume enough calories your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose fat. If you eat every 2-3 hours your metabolism will be more effeciant and you'll be less likely to binge. Also drink LOTS of water and avoid all soda and other sugary drinks.
Youre workout doesn't look too bad. Do you not have a leg day? Remember your legs muscles and glutes are the biggest muscles on your body. Working and developing them will naturally help you burn more calories throughout the day.
As for the supplements... I've spent A LOT of money on supplements over the years. conclusion: They don't work. suggestion: Don't waste money on fat burners. Instead invest that money on healthy foods. You mentioned that it costs more to eat healthy.... instead of blowing your money crap like xenadrine, save it for healthy foods. Thats just opinion though. I could be wrong. :)
Sorry for the super long post. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions!
Take care!
As for your cravings... Once you change your diet and get all the crap and sugar out of your system you won't crave the bad food as much. The longer you maintain a healthy diet of lean protiens, fruit, veggies and whole grains the less you will crave the bad foods.
Healthy protien options: chicken breast, tofu, fish, lean meats, and egg whites
Healthy carbs: Oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole wheat bread, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, and fruits and veggies
Health fats: avacados, nuts, peanut butter, olive oil
Your BMR is about 3361 (if you're moderately active). If I were you I would consume between 3300 and 3600 calories a day. Do this by eating 6-8 HEALTHY meals a day. Probably one of the reasons why you tend to do well for a couple of days then fall off the wagon is because may not be eating enough food. If you don't consume enough calories your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose fat. If you eat every 2-3 hours your metabolism will be more effeciant and you'll be less likely to binge. Also drink LOTS of water and avoid all soda and other sugary drinks.
Youre workout doesn't look too bad. Do you not have a leg day? Remember your legs muscles and glutes are the biggest muscles on your body. Working and developing them will naturally help you burn more calories throughout the day.
As for the supplements... I've spent A LOT of money on supplements over the years. conclusion: They don't work. suggestion: Don't waste money on fat burners. Instead invest that money on healthy foods. You mentioned that it costs more to eat healthy.... instead of blowing your money crap like xenadrine, save it for healthy foods. Thats just opinion though. I could be wrong. :)
Sorry for the super long post. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions!
Take care!
- metabolism decreases because of either decrease activity levels, decrease in muscle mass, decrease in calories or a combination of the above, not age
- supp's are rubbish...as what happened to you as soon as you stop using them you simply go back to where you started and then some so they are no replacement for proper eating and exercise
- get up out of your chair every hr and walk around for 5mins...this will also help with posture which is probably odianary at best by the sounds of things
- find time to prepare...do it on the weekends so you only need to pack it before bed for the next day
- cravings come from not feeding yourself adequately during the day
- for training you need plenty more wts...also use the hiearachy of fat loss below:
if you have 1 - 3hrs a week to exercise than do 3 x 1hr full body wt workouts
4 - 6hrs do 3 x 1hr wts and 1 sprint session
7 - 8 do 3 x 1hr wts, 1 x sprint and 1 x interval training session
8 - 9hrs do 3 x 1hr wts, 1 x sprint and 2 x interval training sessions
don't waste time on crappy cardio when it won;t do anything for you...also following this will give you more time to prepare food so there's no excuses now
- calroes counters are never correct, how could it know?
- xendarin is one of the shittest things on this earth as are most supp's and they won't work if training and eating aren't perfect anyway
- supp's are rubbish...as what happened to you as soon as you stop using them you simply go back to where you started and then some so they are no replacement for proper eating and exercise
- get up out of your chair every hr and walk around for 5mins...this will also help with posture which is probably odianary at best by the sounds of things
- find time to prepare...do it on the weekends so you only need to pack it before bed for the next day
- cravings come from not feeding yourself adequately during the day
- for training you need plenty more wts...also use the hiearachy of fat loss below:
if you have 1 - 3hrs a week to exercise than do 3 x 1hr full body wt workouts
4 - 6hrs do 3 x 1hr wts and 1 sprint session
7 - 8 do 3 x 1hr wts, 1 x sprint and 1 x interval training session
8 - 9hrs do 3 x 1hr wts, 1 x sprint and 2 x interval training sessions
don't waste time on crappy cardio when it won;t do anything for you...also following this will give you more time to prepare food so there's no excuses now
- calroes counters are never correct, how could it know?
- xendarin is one of the shittest things on this earth as are most supp's and they won't work if training and eating aren't perfect anyway
People go back to living the way they were before losing the weight. And finally, they regain all the weight. People can’t keep the pounds off because they expect permanent results from temporary changes. Here’re the tips to lose weight and keep it permanently off-
1. Have patience
2. Aim to lose ½ or 1 pound a week
3. Don’t try to cheat yourself
4. Don’t let the failure come in your way
5. Try to accept the fact that it’s a life long battle
6. It’s tough to go back to the way you used to live
7. Get help from your family and friends
8. Only adopt the life-style changes which you can keep for ever.
And finally choose one of the two options-
Big temporarily life style changes - fast temporary weight loss
Small permanent life style changes - slow permanent weight loss
Choice is yours!
__________________
Fat Loss for idiots
Fat loss programmes
1. Have patience
2. Aim to lose ½ or 1 pound a week
3. Don’t try to cheat yourself
4. Don’t let the failure come in your way
5. Try to accept the fact that it’s a life long battle
6. It’s tough to go back to the way you used to live
7. Get help from your family and friends
8. Only adopt the life-style changes which you can keep for ever.
And finally choose one of the two options-
Big temporarily life style changes - fast temporary weight loss
Small permanent life style changes - slow permanent weight loss
Choice is yours!
__________________
Fat Loss for idiots
Fat loss programmes
Last edited by Pumma on Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I like option 2, but option 1 blows big time
Good advice in opinion Pumma.
Weight loss can happen at a slightly higher rate than 1lb a week though, usually about 2lbs a week. Fat can be lost at around 4lbs a week max, before losses become muscle or other things, but for losses of 3 or 4lbs a week, you have to be pretty heavy for the body to let you do that.
Good advice in opinion Pumma.
Weight loss can happen at a slightly higher rate than 1lb a week though, usually about 2lbs a week. Fat can be lost at around 4lbs a week max, before losses become muscle or other things, but for losses of 3 or 4lbs a week, you have to be pretty heavy for the body to let you do that.