Fitness and weight loss.

Who doesn't want to be fit? Have a boost of self confidence, and that feeling of doing whatever you want whenever you want. I want that, do you?

If you are trying to lose weight, or have done it in the past tell us what you are doing, or did to get in shape. Share your experience.

I've been on my own diet/workout plan for about 9 days. I've lost 5 pounds! I don't expect to keep losing weight at that rate, but I will surely keep trying.

I've saved money just by buying less food, and more healthy food.

My diet plan:
1 Boiled egg for breakfast, wait 30min, take diet pill, wait 30 min, work out for 30min. Protein shake for lunch, wait 30min, take diet pill, wait 30min, work out for 30min. 1peice of fish and small salad(no dressing) for dinner, wait 30min, take diet pill, wait 30min, workout for 30min. Water only all day.

Workout plan:
Running in place, started at less than 1min now I can do 3min before I can't run any longer.
Push ups, started out barely able to do 10. Now I do at least 30 before I get shaky.
Sit ups, Started out doing less than 10, now I can get to 40 before I can't sit up anymore.
Shadow boxing, Started out doing less than 1 min now I can go 3-4 before tiring.
Various stretches.

I use a few different dumbbell exercises to work my arms and chest. I can already tell a difference in how much tighter my chest and arms are. I do a few of these techniques:
Only a few of them are with a dumbbell those are the ones I do.
http://www.shapefit.com/training-chest.html

That is what I do. Tell us what you are doing to get in shape, or what you did to get in shape.

This method isn't the healthiest way to lose weight, and may not be for everyone. It's up to you to decide which way, if any, you want to try to get in shape. Any way you choose is the right way!

Your diet doesn't sound too good to me, not enough calories.

If it is working for you, have at it, but it doesn't sound sustainable.

I'd recommend you read "body for life", following the feeding plan in there you will never be hungry, no pills.


Glad your making the effort, you sound dedicated.


edit; you need more carbs, complex carbs; sweet potatoes, brown rice, black beans, 100% whole wheat bread. don't be scared of them, just make sure they are complex

I've actually been trying to put on weight for many years I was nauseated and had little appetite.I'm 5'8'' and was 102 lbs at my very lowest point.Then my doctor prescribed something to me which literally changed my daily life.Its an antidepressent called nortryptaline and its a frickin miracle.I never felt depressed really,just very nauseous just about all of the time.I was used to getting out of bed and have my stomach immediately start burning and making me feel sick.I know this doesnt help you much bro,and I wish that I could.Its just that people forget a persons weight cuts both ways

Thanks for your concern sam. I've never felt better. I don't recommend what I'm doing to everyone, or to anyone, but I recommend that everyone find something that they like and do that.

I'm looking for results. I'm willing to make sacrifices to get those. Even if that means being unhealthy to get healthy.

I know for sure the way I lived before I decided to start is a lot more unhealthy that what I'm doing now.

I know there's a right way, and wrong way, but past experiences tell me that lack of food and increased energy will burn pounds. Once I'm healthier I'll worry about how healthy I am.. If that makes any sense.

I'm going to add to the original post now to warn that this isn't the healthiest way, and may not be for everyone.

Yeah dude that doesnt sound good at all. 1 egg for breakfast and a diet pill?(i eat 6 egg whites and 2 slices of bacon!) What are these "diet pills"? You wont stick to that plan I guarantee it. It's starvation. You need to eat healthy foods with the proper protein/carb/veg/dairy/etc ratios and make sure your total daily intake is balanced properly. Those types of diets/workouts just DO NOT WORK, plain and simple. You are starving your body of fuel it needs by doing this.

You sound like you're just going to end up starving yourself and you will get frustrated and give up. Look into P90X or beach body fitness programs, I been doing it for 8 months now and im in the best shape of my life and eat 5 times a day.

I hope that didn't come off too sore.. But it is true, do not starve your body of the fuel you need to burn more fat and build muscle. What you are doing is considered a starvation diet, and it's not healthy.

ive lost 1 stone in the past 6 weeks. all ive done is stopped eating stuff with high satutated fat in it

I chose to just put diet pill so I would not sound like I was encouraging the use of or advertising any type of pills. Your right, just as sam was, not the healthiest way to lose weight.

There are healthy ways and unhealthy ways. I appreciate your concern, just as much as his, but it's something I gotta do for me.

I thought about getting that P90x. So it works?

The protein shake I eat for lunch has vegetables/fruit/as well as a powdered protein mix that has carbs and a few other things in it.

I'm not completely starving my body. You're right I won't stick with this diet, but I will use it until I get to where I want to be or until my body tells me in a way that hurts.

Yes P90x is a superior program to alot of them on the market right now, mainly because of the information and documentation provided with the program. Not only is it a solid workout program, but they provide handy eating schedules and a huge list of foods that are healthy, and teaches you how to piece them together into meals in your day to make sure you're taking in the proper balance and types of foods. When you have a good nutrition program AND a good workout program, your results will be turbocharged and you wont have to suffer or starve yourself ever.

I lost like 50 pounds following a basic raw diet a year ago, now that I've lost pretty much all my excess weight I've been toning up with a high carb low fat mcdougall style diet. Food for a typical day is usually 20-30 small-med oranges, 1500-2000 calories of starch(sourdough bread, rice, potatoes etc.), maybe some beans and a couple walnuts. My workouts are fun stuff, skateboarding, surfing etc. and I lift weights every other day atm.

I lost 100lbs in the past over the course of about a year by working out regularly (5-7) times per week, weightlifting or cardio, sometimes both, and eating small, regular meals that had a complete protein and complex carbs. Sometimes I was counting calories and sometimes I was not but my food choices were always healthy.

I agree with the others who say you're not eating enough. I know you weren't asking for criticism but I think it will be very difficult for you to maintain what you're doing over the long term. What is your plan for your diet when you hit your goal weight?

Hopefully it's to eat a sensible diet that has a good amount of calories from a variety of sources; fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates and to limit the amounts of sugar, salts, and saturated fats. Sound like your plan? Or at least a good one?

So what's wrong with doing that now? Eating the way your supposed to now will allow your body to more slowly and naturally lose the weight and when you reach your goal weight nothing will have to change. You'll just maintain the healthy eating that you've already been doing. It will also allow you some greater opportunities to continue to work on building your muscle as your cutting your fat. Your headed towards not just fat loss but a good amount of muscle loss as well.

By my rough count you could be eating as little as 600-800 calories a day. I'm willing to wager if you've got some significant weight to lose you could maintain similar weight loss numbers while eating triple what you're eating now. You'll recover from your workouts faster, maintain more of your existing muscle, and be less likely to get sick.

Either way I wish you success in your efforts!

I will probably end up repeating what a few others have said but I will give some input.

I got into good shape after using a bodybuilding programme. I did a mixture of compound (many muscles involved) and isolation (specific muscles targeted) exercises. I made sure every muscle was exercised. In all I did about 10 different exercises. I did this every other day. Similarly to what GrassRoots mentioned, I ate many small meals each day, aiming to consume large amounts of protein and drank a lot of water.

Today, although I know more about exercise, I am not as active in pursuing it because I have the results I desired originally. I do enough to maintain fitness.

In terms of fitness and strength, one of the things I sometimes forgot which appears quite simple and obvious is that you should always be striving to do more. In lifting weights you should be trying to add more weight each week. In doing calisthenics such as pushups you should either be doing more reps or adding small amounts of weight to yourself to increase difficulty. In doing cardiovascular exercise such as running you should be increasing speed or distance depending on your goals. I realise this might be obvious but it is also important and worth remembering.

When you exercise make sure you exercise every muscle in your body. Get to know the best exercises and know which muscles are involved in each exercise.
As an example, you said you are doing pushups, this exercise involves:
-triceps (back of upper arms)
-the chest
-the front of the shoulders
-abdominal muscles
This is a good exercise, however it only really exercises half (roughly) the upper body, this means you should do other additional exercises to target the unworked muscles. The back (many muscles, very important) and biceps are not exercised in your current workout plan. You should try and exercise every muscle because most movements require a synergy of muscles. An imbalance of strength can also lead to injury. Also, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be.

When doing exercises such as pushups, situps as well as weight lifting - lift in sets of reps. What I mean by this is that instead of doing 30 straight pushups, do 15 then take a minute (approx) rest and then do 15 more. This is actually more effective for building muscle. This is because building muscle is actually about destroying muscle so that it can rebuild itself stronger, it is adapting to the increased workload you are giving it. When you take a small break the muscle tries to rebuild and then is put under greater stress through the unexpected additional exercise.

In terms of diet, I would say to try and balance carbohydrates, protein and fat at about 50/30/20 percent. All are required to be healthy (balanced diet etc.). From your diet it appears you need a lot more calories. Being healthy isn't about starving yourself, it is about eating things that are good (functional) for your body. Try and replace diet pills with guilt free food such as fruit, vegetables or lean sources of protein. Find healthy foods that you enjoy a lot and try and learn to love the healthy foods you like. Every once in a while it is fine to have unhealthy food, but make it the exception rather than the rule. I think a lot of people fail at dieting because they see their diet as polar, either one extreme or the other. Many see only two options - eat super healthy but be plagued by cravings or give in to all cravings but be unhealthy.

The plan I'm using now isn't going to be forever, as you probably know. It would be silly to live like this forever, but It seems to be working for me.

I do eat an apple or piece of watermelon in between those 'meals', but straight to working out afterwords. I might add up how many calories I'm eating daily.

I was thinking if I take in a very small amount of calories, and burn a lot of calories every day would be the fastest way to lose weight.

When I started I was aiming to lose about 45lbs. plus toning up. If I keep losing weight I'll keep doing what I'm doing. When it stops working then I'll figure out a new diet/workout.

Once I reach my target weight. I'll start eating a healthier diet, and continue working out daily.

I hear you StoneByName. I strive to do more everyday. I was just thinking that I need to start doing different types of exercises. Right now it's just cardio, and strength training(push ups and dumbbells).

Time to workout!

So basically, it seems to be working for him. As long as he's not feeling weak or exhausted during workouts or daily activities, whats the harm? Im sure he'll eventually go to a high protein - low carb diet to take it to the next level.

I am in the fifth month of a six month diet, and have dieted every decade sinse I was a teen. I lost 40 lbs in the first 130 days this time, and have 7 weeks to go. This diet is 1200 calories per day plus one hour of movement, mostly walking the dog, mowing the yard, or carrying a half a ton of water for my gals in buckets each week.

I did an assessment of my eating habits, and calorie counts before starting this one, and decided how to balance my food to stay healthy throughout, because it is harder on your body to diet when you are old, and I wanted to avoid bone loss. I get about 25% grains, 25% dairy and protein, 25% fruits and veggies and the rest varies depending on how I feel.

Dog and I did a K this morning and I did my chores and mowed, I feel a lot better than if I had not gotten up and had all the activity, now I just have to get stoned [in progress] and cleaned up to watch the soccer match this afternoon.

Reccomendations - V8 fusion light fruit/veggie juice, 50 calories, this stuff is a lifesaver in the heat.
Self skim - Buy 1% milk and dilute it by half with spring water, tastes better than skim and has less calories.

Also, try to not grow weed that kills ya with munchies.
H

Thanks for the recommendation Haps, and I'm glad you found something that works for ya.

As for now. Diet is still the same. I found some baked potato crisps while shopping yesterday. Taste kind of bland, but great nutrition facts.

Not feeling tired or weak during exercise or regular activities so I continue.

I can notice differences already. My pants already fit looser and my arms/chest are tighter. Monday is coming up and that is my weigh day. I'll update with current weight. Hopefully it is worth all this effort.

Increased my reps for everything that I'm doing. 35 push ups is now easier than 20 used to be, stuff like that. I can run longer without getting winded, and I think that alone, for me, is a big plus. Down side is I'm still sore as shit, but I guess that lets me know I'm still doing something right.

Check out vegan diet for weight training .... no pills just the food poor people eat (or want to) in 80% of the world

What is your daily caloric intake with this ... 'diet' using the term loosely.

Yes, p90x does work...,but it IS a workout. I mean sweat pouring workout.

I sent you a p.m. of a workout I used to do...back in my military days.

Keep in mind this is a prep program for aspiring military go-getters.

Here is an excerpt about nutrition:

NUTRITION
Proper nutrition is extremely important now and especially when you arrive at XXXXXXXX. You must make sure you receive the necessary nutrients to obtain maximum performance output during exercise as well as to promote muscle/tissue growth and recovery. The proper diet provides all the nutrients for the body's needs and supplies energy for exercise. As well, it promotes growth and repair of tissue and regulates the body processes.

The fastest, most readily used source of energy is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are divided into two categories: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are quickly broken down into fuel, although they provide a fast source of energy to the body they are used very rapidly.

For longdistance endurance activities simple carbohydrates alone cannot adequately supply the body with the fuel it requires. In comparison, complex carbohydrates require a slightly longer period of time to break down to fuel. However, that fuel will be utilized over a much longer period of time.

A combination of simple and complex carbohydrates is optimal for proper energy and recovery. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates would include potatoes, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables.

Simple carbohydrates are found abundantly in processed foods: Fig Newton cookies and dried fruit would be healthy sources. Readily available performance nutrition bars generally provide a good ratio of complex to simple carbohydrates, their drawback would be the high cost per bar.

Carbohydrates alone will not provide the body all that it requires. Your diet requires, in addition, a combination of protein and fat. Protein is essential in the diet, especially for active individuals.
It contains amino acids, which are the building blocks of all muscle within the body. High quality protein will help aid in muscle growth, repair and recovery.

Fat, on the other hand, provides the muscles with a long-term source of energy. Even in the leanest athletes, the body’s
fat storage can potentially provide more then twice the amount of energy as carbohydrates. The trick in utilizing this gold mine of energy is to provide the body with a regular supply. Contrary to popular thought, diets void of fat will not unable you to lose weight and maintain energy.

The amount of food consumed each day should coincide with the level of exercise you are doing.

As a general rule, the average adult male requires approximately 2000 calories per day. As you increase your energy usage you need to increase the amount of fuel you consume. A good practice is to regularly refuel following each substantial workout. This means getting in a balanced amount of nutrients within fifteen to thirty minutes following a workout. This is a good time to utilize those nutrition bars, energy drinks or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Your basic diet should consist of a proper percentage of each of these nutrients:
Carbohydrates 40 - 60 %
Protein 30 - 20 %
Fat 30 - 20 %
Of all the things you put into your body, water is by far the most important. Depending on your level of exercise, you should be consuming as much as four quarts of water daily. It is very easy to become dehydrated while exercising, this is especially true while in xxxxxxx. The single most important rule to remember is to DRINK BEFORE YOU GET THIRSTY!

Substances such as alcohol, caffeine and tobacco increase your body's need for water. So, if you are going to utilize these, do so in moderation! Too much of these substances will definitely harm your body and hinder your performance. Supplemental intake of vitamins, as well, has not been proven to be beneficial.

If you are eating a well balanced diet, you will be getting all the vitamins, minerals and trace elements your body requires to get you through the training.

Bush Dr said:

Check out vegan diet for weight training .... no pills just the food poor people eat (or want to) in 80% of the world

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As much as I hate to admit it, because I love red meat and fish, a Vegan or Raw Vegan diet WILL improve your life, and you would be doing your part in helping the Earth. The only problem with it is ignorance. If you do not know what you are doing while eating vegan/raw you WILL notice bad side effects...lethargy, sleeplessness, irritability.

StoneByName said:

In terms of diet, I would say to try and balance carbohydrates, protein and fat at about 50/30/20 percent.

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You realize a 30% protien diet is ridiculous?? If I ate 30% of my calories from protien I would get 200-300 grams of protien a day, this puts lots of extra stress on the liver. 1-2 grams per kg of body weight is the standard recommendation, I usually end up getting about 1.5g/kg body weight and I eat like 10-15% protien average.

Bababooey said:

Im sure he'll eventually go to a high protein - low carb diet to take it to the next level.

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Next step of what?? How much punishment he can put his body through?? High protien diets are one of the most dangerous diets out there. High fat low carb is legit but I would avoid high protien diets at all cost. Why deny yourself carbs and make your liver and adrenal glands work double time to convert the protien into glucose??

Haps said:

Self skim - Buy 1% milk and dilute it by half with spring water, tastes better than skim and has less calories.

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Your better off sticking to full fat milk as the fat contains highly valuable nutritive substances, I also hope your purchasing organic milk(if not raw) as conventional milk is one the most unhealthy things around.

Just a tip, your a lot better off eating adequate calories and upping your exercise(as much as is physically possible), at 1200 calories you are not even coming close to meeting rda's unless you eat a couple pounds of greens and even then how much do you absorb from those greens?

SmilinBob said:

I was thinking if I take in a very small amount of calories, and burn a lot of calories every day would be the fastest way to lose weight.

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Its also the fastest way to run into health problems, not to mention the hormonal imbalances its causes in your body. When you take in very little calories your body go's into survival mode and will try to store pretty much anything you eat.

There is no quick fix to losing weight (except for maybe a raw diet which is amazing for shedding pounds), You have to eat proper and exercise proper. This means getting enough sugar, fat, protien, calories and nutrients to fuel your exercise and metabolic functions. You will never have motivation or energy to workout on a carb deficient, energy deficient diet just a fact of life.


Here's a sample menu of what I'm eating lately and what I believe to be pretty much optimal as far as food intake go's,



Don't let anyone ever tell you eating healthy is boring, my food variations and choices are endless.

TexasToker said:

Of all the things you put into your body, water is by far the most important. Depending on your level of exercise, you should be consuming as much as four quarts of water daily. It is very easy
to become dehydrated while exercising, this is especially true while in xxxxxxx. The single most important rule to remember is to DRINK BEFORE YOU GET THIRSTY!

Click to expand...

Most of that article is garbage(endurance athletes need complex carbs?? there is a fruitarian ultra endurance runner who eats nothing but simple sugars and runs 50+ mile races lol) but this is spot on, getting adequate hydration is almost more important then the food you eat.

TexasToker said:

As much as I hate to admit it, because I love red meat and fish, a Vegan or Raw Vegan diet WILL improve your life, and you would be doing your part in helping the Earth. The only problem with it is ignorance. If you do not know what you are doing while eating vegan/raw you WILL notice bad side effects...lethargy, sleeplessness, irritability.

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Long term vegan diets are setup to fail, I've done the vegan thing for a year or so and I always notice health declines till I add back some animal foods. Definitely great for a short term detox/weight loss but long term you need nutrients from animal foods. My favorite animal food atm is free range organic raw egg yolks, super nutrient dense and tasty

Bababooey said:

Im sure he'll eventually go to a high protein - low carb diet to take it to the next level.

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Ahh...from the infamous Dr. Atkins...[FONT=Trebuchet MS,Bookman Old Style,Arial] "the apostle of protein gluttony as a passport to health, wholesomeness and the perfect figure."[/FONT]

B.S. That is the most ridiculous diet ever. I say this from experience. Have you ever had the 'meat sweats'? You will if you follow a diet plan like Dr. Atkins'. That is your body trying to get rid of the extra proteins...

AndreNicky said:

Most of that article is garbage

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Everyone has an opinion...I am sure the military researchers have a bit more knowledge than you though.

AndreNicky said:

My favorite animal food atm is free range organic raw egg yolks, super nutrient dense and tasty

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It is amazing the difference between normal eggs and what most folks buy at the store. Grass fed beef is superior to wagyu at times...IN MY OPINION!