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Gasitman
02-23-10, 18:41
I started working out after about a 10 year lapse. I started at 255, and lost about 20 pounds. I have hit a wall that has lasted over 2 months. I am getting quite frustrated.

I have cut out all fast food with the exception of subway, eating high protein, low carbs, veggies and some fruit. I try to stay under 2000 calories a day, but dam, I am getting pissed off that I am not losing anymore. I only have about an hour each day to work out, 30 minutes of cardio, like a treadmill or skiing type machine (cant remember what they are called) and 30 minutes of light weights.

Any suggestions?

BushmasterFanBoy
02-23-10, 21:12
I started working out after about a 10 year lapse. I started at 255, and lost about 20 pounds. I have hit a wall that has lasted over 2 months. I am getting quite frustrated.

I have cut out all fast food with the exception of subway, eating high protein, low carbs, veggies and some fruit. I try to stay under 2000 calories a day, but dam, I am getting pissed off that I am not losing anymore. I only have about an hour each day to work out, 30 minutes of cardio, like a treadmill or skiing type machine (cant remember what they are called) and 30 minutes of light weights.

Any suggestions?

If you're purely after weight/fat loss, and not general fitness, stay away from working out. IMHO, it doesn't burn enough calories to matter, but it creates a heck of an appetite.

I'd suggest cutting calories a lot more than under 2000, but keep working out to a minimum and get lots of sleep.

The wall you're describing is perfectly normal, just cut your calories and stick to it to jolt your body back into steady weight loss. It's all about mental commitment and perseverance to stick through it, visible results or not.

Bulldog1967
02-23-10, 22:29
If you're purely after weight/fat loss, and not general fitness, stay away from working out. IMHO, it doesn't burn enough calories to matter, but it creates a heck of an appetite.

I'd suggest cutting calories a lot more than under 2000, but keep working out to a minimum and get lots of sleep.

The wall you're describing is perfectly normal, just cut your calories and stick to it to jolt your body back into steady weight loss. It's all about mental commitment and perseverance to stick through it, visible results or not.

That's ridiculous.

As a former fitness trainer hearing "stay away from working out" and "keep working out to a minimum" is going to get you anywhere.


He needs to do some serious cross training like crossfit or something similar including weights. The combination of weight training and cardio is the best way to get both a healthy heart and lose fat. Period.

SkiDevil
02-24-10, 06:00
I started working out after about a 10 year lapse. I started at 255, and lost about 20 pounds. I have hit a wall that has lasted over 2 months. I am getting quite frustrated.

I have cut out all fast food with the exception of subway, eating high protein, low carbs, veggies and some fruit. I try to stay under 2000 calories a day, but dam, I am getting pissed off that I am not losing anymore. I only have about an hour each day to work out, 30 minutes of cardio, like a treadmill or skiing type machine (cant remember what they are called/ NORDIC TRACK) and 30 minutes of light weights.

Any suggestions?

Although I do not have a background professionally as a fitness trainer or in medicine, I have worked-out and trained as both an athlete of several sports in my youth and have been an avid weight-lifter most of my life.

I am of the firm belief that 'Dieting' and/ or 'Diets' are a complete waste of time.

If you want to loose weight, exercise and eat right.

If you are unsure what a proper diet is consider a consultation or two with a registered dietitian. They can educate you as to what is good for your body and particular health condition/ needs.

As for the exercise plan, that can vary greatly from one individual to another dependent upon a variety of circumstances: age, health, physical limitations, medical history, and general overall health.

As to what you are describing now, I would say that you appear to have a pretty good plan in motion. What changes would I consider?

If you have ONLY 1 hour per day for exercise, I would focus the maximum amount of time to cardiovascular training; specifically running/jogging OR swimming.

The time when I was in the best physical condition of my life is when I performed three exclusive forms of exercise: running, push-ups, and sit-ups. I lost weight and got into top form very quickly. -

Changes I would consider to your current plan:

My suggestion would be to weight-train 2-3 times per week and the other 4-5 days work at something such as running or swimming.

Weight-lifting three times a week for 1 hour per session would be optimal in my opinion. If you want to go for a lighter-build, then definitely focus on HIGHER repetitions with lighter weights for toning-up and slimming down. -A lower number of repetitions with HEAVIER weights will bulk you-up.

Also, STAY AWAY from fast food PERIOD. IT is ALL the same SHIT.:mad: I don't care what Gerad or whatever his name is says (supposedly he is fat again which is why he isn't doing their commercials anymore:eek:). SUBWAY or any of those other places put processed crap in your food because it is cheaper to buy that way and the food lasts longer with all of the sodium (salt) which makes them more money.

Personally, As time passes I find myself eating-out less and less.

Pack a lunch and eat at home. You will eat healthier and save money at the same time.

It sounds like you are already watching your diet, but you may want to consider taking a close look at how much sodium (salt) and sugar you are consuming on a daily basis. These two items in excess are the reason why so many Americans are obese and result in a myriad of health problems.

In addition, if you are not incorporating fish into your diet that is something to strongly consider. The Omega-3 fat in Salmon, Herring, and similar fish is very beneficial to your heart [From Wild fish, NOT FARM raised fish].

Lastly, Keep up the good work. And as was already said, stick-it out. You WILL break past your plateau it if you can stay with your plan.

And most importantly, be positive and try to break-up the monotony of your routine by alternating between different forms of exercises. Also, consider working-out with a friend, co-worker, spouse, etc. Having another person to help motivate you and spot you on the weights is never a bad thing. A little competition can be just the ticket to push you harder as well.

Finally, just remember that when it comes to benefiting from regular exercise, THE most important KEY is CONSISTENCY. ;)

Good Luck and keep with it.:D
SkiDevil

P.S. I forgot to mention that you should definitely get enough sleep. For the average adult 7 hours per night should be the minimum. If you are already sleeping at least 7 hours per night then that is good. If not, try to start getting at least that many hours or as close as you can get to it.

montanadave
02-24-10, 09:38
I've let my weight fluctuate up and down by as much as 75 pounds several times in my life (I'm currently in my early fifties). After tagging the 250 mark last fall I made a commitment to shed some pounds. Since mid-October, I've managed to lose over fifty pounds (I was at 196 this AM).

No specified diet plan, no calorie counting, no trainer, just trying to eat sensibly and exercise regularly. I even have a Subway tuna sandwich once in a while. But I primarily stick to lean meats, fruits and vegetables. And I cut WAY back on bread. The one carb I eat regularly is brown rice for breakfast (I know, sounds gross, but with a few toasted pecans and a little cottage cheese it's pretty good).

As for exercise, I do a minimum of one hour of cardio five times a week. I also strength train with a Bowflex every other day. And I took a yoga class and try to work in a 20-30 minute session for stretching and flexibility every day. It's a significant time commitment but I made the decision to approach getting back in shape and restoring my health as a major life goal, a job--perhaps the most important one I have.

If you've flat-lined for two months, that's a sure sign that what you're doing isn't working and it's time to shake things up. As the saying goes: "If nothing changes, than nothing changes." It may seem kind of hokey, but I found the book "You on a Diet" by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz (yeah, THAT Dr. Oz) to be helpful in acquiring a better understanding of the physiology of weight management, fat metabolism, and the role of nutrition and exercise in achieving health goals. Good information in an accessible style with some excellent suggestions for achieving successful results.

The comments by SkiDevil seem right on the mark. Stay after it, mix up your routine a little, and, if all else fails, talk to your doctor and make sure there isn't something else going on that can be gumming up the works. You didn't mention your age, but I can assure you taking off the excess weight gets a little tougher with each passing year so don't get discouraged and don't back off from your weight loss goals. Good luck!

seebee
02-24-10, 11:11
Cut out the bread.
I recommend...
every 3rd morning cereal fiber one mixed with go kashi.
also in cereal GNC mega men daily vitamin chocolate powder.
every other morning 3 eggwhites and 1 yolk. skrambled or omlette.
snacks include apples, carrots and fat free cottage cheese from walmart.
dinner, lentils, beans tomato zuccini or 15 bean soup from walmart aswell.
or salads, or qeenwa pasta or plain. no rice.. no chineese food. no fast food.
no bread, not too much pasta, lots of hot sause, NO SODA, no beer, 1-3 a week max
lots of whiskey, keep up exersize, do more precore. walk on the beach. ride a bike.
lots of continious sex. get viagra drop 2 in whiskey and shlep some poundage.
wifey will love it..
eat more slowely.. one bite every minute and don't use a shovel.. more vegetables.
push ups and sit ups in morning and before bed. that's what I do... went from 165 3 years ago to 185... and oh yeah... tons of water!!! I pee at least 20 times a day if not more... at the gym they call me water hose... really.

NWPilgrim
02-24-10, 11:40
Hitting a plateau is normal in losing weight. However, I think you need aerobic exercise to get the metabolism cranked up to burn more. The same thing happened to me years ago. I was cleaning up my nutrition and riding my bike vigorously for 1-2 hours four times a week. I went from 235 lbs to 218 and just couldn't get below that.

Then I started running. understand that bicycling is the most efficient means of moving and running is one of the least efficient. There is nothing like running on the road or trail, moving your entire body weight up and forward to burn calories and build hard endurance.

If you are pressed for time, nothing will burn calories as fast as running and allow you to keep it up. You need to work up to it, but your goal should be 45 minutes 4 times per week. It takes 20 minutes just for the body to realize you are serious and it needs to respond with fat burning. Less than 20 minutes and you are just burning glucose. After 20 minutes you start burning fat. Do that for another 20 minutes or so and you will seriously cut off the fat.

You can mix in other forms of exercise, but running one a track, road, trail should be a part of weight loss regimen. Machines don't work you as well.

DBautista
02-24-10, 20:17
If you're purely after weight/fat loss, and not general fitness, stay away from working out. IMHO, it doesn't burn enough calories to matter, but it creates a heck of an appetite.

I'd suggest cutting calories a lot more than under 2000, but keep working out to a minimum and get lots of sleep.

The wall you're describing is perfectly normal, just cut your calories and stick to it to jolt your body back into steady weight loss. It's all about mental commitment and perseverance to stick through it, visible results or not.

Capital B.S.

Eat sensibly and exercise.

PitbullTactical
02-24-10, 20:28
I just started the "Insanity" workout and I gotta say it totally kicks your a$$. Well worth the $$.
you burn about 700-1000 cals per workout. that combined with a healthy "clean" diet should do the trick.

let me know if you want more details

madisonsfinest
02-24-10, 20:38
Wouldn't increasing muscle mass speed up the metabolism? You must do a combination of weights and cardio

Bulldog1967
02-24-10, 20:45
Wouldn't increasing muscle mass speed up the metabolism? You must do a combination of weights and cardio

Yes it does, which is why you will get better results by adding weight training to a cardio program.

BushmasterFanBoy
02-24-10, 20:54
Capital B.S.

Eat sensibly and exercise.

I'm only speaking from my experience. Everyone is different, but the vast majority of my weight loss occurred during periods with very little exercise and much more focus on a healthy, low calorie diet. The OP didn't ask about fitness, he asked about how to lose weight. If long term fitness is the goal, then obviously exercise is going to play a much bigger role (arguably even more than diet when you talk about lifestyle changes) but AFAIK, he just wants to drop the pounds ASAP.

OP, if you're after a true lifestyle change (and if you want to keep the weight off permanently, you are) then yes, exercise is key. It won't help dramatically with losing weight but it does build the mental commitment to change your habits as a whole. Once you meet weight loss milestones, it improves your ability to do the work, and pretty soon it turns into a cycle where you push yourself to get a new performance goal. This is part of the overall change in your attitude, and it goes beyond shedding pounds.

bundoc
02-24-10, 23:52
I have trained both personally and athletically as far as I can remember. I am lucky to have a mesomorphic body type which is a lot easier to manage. Great job on wanting to better yourself, I wish I could get my parents to do the same. From experience, I have learned that diet is probably more important than exercise alone.

The equation to loose weight is really simple if you break it down. If calorie-intake exceeds calorie-expenditure, we gain weight. If calorie-intake is less than calorie-expenditure we lose weight. If calorie-intake equals calorie-expenditure, our weight remains static. Google Search (http://www.calorie-counter.net/calorie-intake-and-expenditure.htm) This is the same equation I have learned throughout my life which has not changed.

I agree with Ski, if you can afford a certified dietician I suggest that you hire one. On that same note, there are tons of information on the web. I try to stick to a low-glycemic diet throughout the day except for breakfast and post workout. My best gains have come from this diet.

I also believe that your goal should not necessarily be to loose weight, but to loose over all body fat. Weight fluctuates easily especially when you considered how much water you should drink a day. You should drink at least a gallon of water a day; however, this does not necessarily mean strictly water. Remember that soda and other sweet drinks count towards your daily caloric intake. Just cutting unnecessary drinks can help you obtain your goals.

Once again Ski has a great point. You should do both cardio and weight training. The more muscle you have the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. Combined with cardio, your metabolism with increase dramatically. I definitely recommend that you lift to build muscle, not necessarily to be a bodybuilder. Build the muscle and let your diet do the shredding. The key to bodybuilding and cardio will be intensity; fortunately, you do not need to spend hours in the gym. I believe 30-45 minutes of either cardio or weight lifting will do wonders, once again the key here will be intensity. If you train with intensity you don't need to spend hours in the gym which is usually just chit-chatting. Get in and get out.

There is just so much information for me to explain at the moment; unfortunately, I have a lot of work to finish before midterms. You are free to email or PM me with questions. I do not consider myself a certified expert by any means. Just going off experience of what has worked for me. I consider good nutrition and exercise as a hobby so make sure you are enjoying it. If you can get a workout partner that would be even better. Keep up the great work and break that plateau!

Mr. W
02-25-10, 15:36
My experience with weight loss actually coincides with what was said by Fanboy. I agree exercise is the key to changing your life, but weight loss for me was a calorie issue.

Boothj
03-04-10, 17:12
Paleo diet. Trust me it works.

sparrow
03-04-10, 22:47
I went from 230 back in 2005 and prior to 170 now, I have kept it off for years now ... eat clean and work out HARD! I mean biggest loser/300 style hard, not go to the gym to check out girls and stare at the hockey game on tv hard ... it will come.

MikeCLeonard
03-05-10, 02:19
Weight training, cardio training, and diet = Most important things.

It sounds like you have a fairly good handle on these factors but even so, hitting a wall is common. The reason is that our bodies adapt constantly to anything we do with regularity. The body learns how to do these motions more efficiently, and can therefor use less energy (calories/fat) to do them. To get past this plateau, you need to change things up constantly.

My Tips are as follows:

1) Alternate the number of sets x reps you do while lifitng. (4x5, 3x8, 3x10, 3x12) - I do a different mix every day I lift (3-days a week)

2) Add variety to your cardio. Treadmill, Jump-Rope, Stairs, Elliptical, Bike, Interval Sprints etc. By the way, interval training is FANTASTIC! Doing cardio at a set pace for 30 minutes is good...but intervals of low to high pace are much better for burning calories/fat because it keeps your body guessing...The whole theme here.

3) Make sure to incorporate heavy weight and low reps. Just doing low weight and high reps won't help as much or get you as toned as heavy weight and low reps...Heres why: Heavier weight lifted = more muscle growth. The more muscle you have = the more calories/fat you will burn doing anything. More calories you burn = more fat loss. More fat loss = YOU CAN SEE YOUR MUSCLES...which equals muscle tone!

4) Eat good & Eat often! Doing all this exercise will make you more hungry...this is GOOD because it means your metabolism is running fast. If you eat 5-6 moderate sized meals a day (not crap food), then you will keep your metabolism elevated while it breaks down the fuel you need to work out...which is key. DO NOT starve yourself! If you do, you'll tank your metabolism and won't have energy to work out. Then when you do eat junk food, or pound down too much beer, your bottomed out metabolism won't be running fast enough to burn up that crap and it will turn straight to fat. Unless you are a small dude, you should likely be eating more than 2,000 calories a day over several meals. If you build enough lean muscle mass, you can eat 3,000 + calories a day and still lose weight.

5) Cardio and Strength training are almost equally important. If I were you, I would strength train 3 days a week, and do cardio 4-5 days a week for at least 20-30 minutes.

6) REMEMBER: Change things up & Eat often. If you don't change your workouts, your body will just figure out how to use less energy to do the same amount of work. If you don't eat enough, your body will say "I'm STARVING! I GOTTA HOLD ONTO EVERY CALORIE I GET".....Both of which will cause your weight loss to STOP.

NinjaTactics
03-05-10, 04:07
I started working out after about a 10 year lapse. I started at 255, and lost about 20 pounds. I have hit a wall that has lasted over 2 months. I am getting quite frustrated.

I have cut out all fast food with the exception of subway, eating high protein, low carbs, veggies and some fruit. I try to stay under 2000 calories a day, but dam, I am getting pissed off that I am not losing anymore. I only have about an hour each day to work out, 30 minutes of cardio, like a treadmill or skiing type machine (cant remember what they are called) and 30 minutes of light weights.

Any suggestions?Hitting a plateau is common for a lot of people, but the key is to not give up.

Other things you can do to potentially advance from the plateau:
1) Cut out refined sugars, and if you can try to have the only sugar you're ingesting be from fresh fruit. This makes a huge difference for a lot people.
2) Cut out soda, energy drinks, coffee, and beer. If you just drink water and non-cafeinated (herbal) tea you'll probably notice a difference.
3) Mix in pushups, situps/crunches, resistance training, and other activities using your own bodyweight. Cardio and weights are a good start, but by mixing in other stuff you'll get a more well rounded workout.

Eddiesketti
03-05-10, 08:18
A lot of good advice on here. I would say low carbs high protein low fat. This will probably eat some of your muscle as well, but you will lose fat too. Try eating 5 times a day. No white bread. I would lift weights only for now using correct form. Use explosive sets (fast reps) and negatives going up in weight each set. Do sets to failure. Do legs (goblet squat, machines...etc) Make yourself sweat, move fast in the gym. Use rest periods to load and unload machines, get a drink of water.

JHC
03-06-10, 21:04
Paleo diet. Trust me it works.

That is one of the best approaches available.

No "white death" at all (refined sugars and starches).

And workout to build as much muscle as you can with moderate cardio.

rdc0000
03-06-10, 21:15
I have been in your same state before. Check out the zigzag diet. There are many calculators on the net. You need to "trick" your body into doing something else as your body has adjusted to what you are doing. This works but, it's a pain in the ass keeping a calorie diary. You will be amazed. Do NOT go under 1500 calories. I went below that, lost weight but, man my attitude was not good.

Some days you think how can I eat all these calories!!

Check it out. This might not be for you but, it worked for me.

One more thing, keep working out. More muscle mass equals higher metabolism or more calories needed for muscle maintenance. Besides you do not want to shed weight from your muscles.

St.Michael
03-11-10, 22:41
Paleo diet. Trust me it works.

you got it right brotha.


And whoever said cut out exercise....well we just wont go there.

YOu need protein and muscle to burn fat. No muscle = more storing of fat. No protein= no muscle. No muscle and no protein = BLOB

LMT42
03-21-10, 21:12
you got it right brotha.


And whoever said cut out exercise....well we just wont go there.

YOu need protein and muscle to burn fat. No muscle = more storing of fat. No protein= no muscle. No muscle and no protein = BLOB

A lot of you guys are being pretty hard on Bushmasterfanboy. More and more studies are showing that he's correct. From a pure standpoint of weight loss, and not worrying about fitness, I think he's correct. All things being equal, then yes, exercise combined with caloric deficits is the best way to lose weight! (No argument there)

However, exercise creates a ravenous appetite. The average person will assume they can eat a little more because they've been exercising. The problem is that most people assume they burned more calories than they actually did during their period of jogging, weight lifting, cardio, etc.. I see people every day that jog for an hour, burn 300 calories and then splurge with some crap that has 500 calories.

So, if you're not too far out of shape and want to lose your gut, you need to exercise and create caloric deficits. However, if you weigh 300 pounds and want to lose 100 pounds, I believe a caloric deficit without exercise will work best because your hunger won't be so ravenous. Thus, the program will be easier to stick with. Once you lose the weight, you can start exercising to tone up what you're left with.

Azul
03-28-10, 23:32
Another Vote for Paleo Diet

After my experience(ongoing) the 80/20 rule(80% of your wellness is related to your diet, 20% to exercise) really holds true. Your exercise needs to be tuned to maximizing your BMR(the amount of calories your body must consume to maintain itself) so that you use up fat reserves faster. The best way is HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training: Sprints and Weights)

I specifically stick with the 12 steps outlined by Dr. Harris on his blog here
http://www.paleonu.com/get-started/

What has been working for me(-30lbs in 2 months)

Cut out all grains, minimize legumes, potatoes(i have an occasional baked sweet potato)

Cut out anything cooked with vegetable oils

I have cut dairy to a minimum of heavy cream and high fat cheeses on occasion
A glass of milk has a pretty good amount of sugar in it

Remove sugar, especially corn syrup(sodas)

Get outside and get some sunlight everyday

Compared to other "diets" i have found it ridiculously easy to eat within these restraints.

As far as working out i avoid intense cardio, but do weights 2x a week and some sprinting, along with plenty of walking around campus.

I used fit day(free) to calculate my calories and i actually consume less calories to maintain my 24hr state of fullness than i did in the low fat diets in the past.

crazymoose
04-06-10, 04:56
Interval training is your best bet. You can do it in cardio workouts, and in weight training.

My favorite interval training is a few sets of one particular combination lift I've found to be very effective. Before the combination lifts, I'll do a light cardio warm up, then a normal lifting session (nothing too brutal). After that, I load up a standard barbell with a plate on each side (sometimes less if I'm feeling tired- you have to kiss your ego goodbye for this and use light weights).

Starting with the barbell on the floor, you first deadlift it, normal stance (not sumo). Once you're upright with the weight at your waist, clean the bar so that it's half resting on the front of your shoulders, and half stabilized by your grip on it. From here, do a front squat, and as you come up from the squat, press the bar up overhead (this is more or less a push-press). Lower the bar down to the ground. That's one complete rep. Usually, I'll do 4 sets of 8, or 6 sets of 6, with 60 seconds' rest between sets.

The key here is to maintain your hand position on the bar; the movements need to sort of flow together into one big lift. Also, these sorts of combination lifts are extremely taxing on your body. Once a week, twice if you're in good shape. I made the mistake of doing this routine two days in a row, and I was fatigued and lethargic for a couple of days. I think this sort of lifting is effective because it's a shock and overload to your system, but you can definitely have too much of a good thing. Cardio (interval and/or steady state) and regular lifting should be the bread and butter of your program.

120mm
04-08-10, 07:13
I went from 230 back in 2005 and prior to 170 now, I have kept it off for years now ... eat clean and work out HARD! I mean biggest loser/300 style hard, not go to the gym to check out girls and stare at the hockey game on tv hard ... it will come.

This.

Sounds to me like you need to check your intensity.

Are you telling me you can only workout 1 hour a day? Bullshit. If you're serious, find a way work your day around your workout. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time.

So do your 1 hour a day workout, and find time later in the day or earlier in the day to walk for 30 minutes. Or garden, or whatever.

I'm 46 years old, started almost exactly where sparrow was (I was 240) and am at 170 now as well.

As far as dieting without exercise is concerned; if you can't live with hunger, you're not going to lose weight anyway, so give up now and save yourself the hassle.

WillBrink
04-08-10, 08:18
I started working out after about a 10 year lapse. I started at 255, and lost about 20 pounds. I have hit a wall that has lasted over 2 months. I am getting quite frustrated.

I have cut out all fast food with the exception of subway, eating high protein, low carbs, veggies and some fruit. I try to stay under 2000 calories a day, but dam, I am getting pissed off that I am not losing anymore. I only have about an hour each day to work out, 30 minutes of cardio, like a treadmill or skiing type machine (cant remember what they are called) and 30 minutes of light weights.

Any suggestions?

Change up your workout, add resistance training, 2000 cals may be too low for you, check actual bodyfat vs weight, etc, etc. A good place to start for a workout:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=28226