Fitness/Exercise/Diet/Health

[southpaw121505]

I haven't seen the pull up thread in a while and was going to bump it but let's use this thread to talk anything exercise related. Any questions, throw them my way. Have any goals, let's hear them. What gyms are good to join, ask, I've been to most of them. Want to vent about the weird guy at the gym, please do.


I'll start. My current goal is to add 20 lbs without adding too much fat. Gym goals are squatting 315 and deadlifting 405.

[rwa12]

I'll jump on this. Can't really ask about gyms as i live outside STL. I have a YMCA membership, and the facilities are nice. I'm 33, 6'8" and about 275. I've got some weight to lose. My lower plateau is around 225, and I've only seen this twice in my adult life. Once playing semi-pro v-ball at 19, and once after a deployment to the middle east (130 degree temps shed the pounds). I would like to be around 235-240. I played college basketball a few years ago (and a few years past my prime), and sat around 240. Pretty much my legs were huge, and my upper body was fairly soft.

Here is my situation. I have a special needs 4 year old who requires a ton of attention, I have him every other night. I don't have a ton of time to get to the gym, sometimes none. What would be good "bang for the buck" exercises both at the gym and at home?

Factors being:

1. Workout time of 30-45 minutes would be ideal

2. Being gigantic, my knees and ankles are not the strongest.

3. Years of Volleyball led to an urepaired torn labrum, that I can live with, I just have limitations.

What would be a good way to start shedding the pounds?

-Rob

[southpaw121505]

First of all with the injury I'd talk with a doc before doing anything if you haven't already. I assume it is something that is more of a lingering pain at this point and not an injury?

 

For wanting to drop that much weight and wanting to keep those joints safe I'd say do some low intensity cardio, even walking on a treadmil or outside. Ellipitcal is perfect for being easy on the joints but since you are at home that might be practical. Do you have any equipment? Dumbbells? If not you could look into a cheap adjustable set at walmart or target. You can do some circuits that would burn some calories.

 

In general to lose weight the most important things are, in order of importance:

 

-Decrease calories (technically to lose weight this is all that matters, exercise just adds to the caloric deficit)

-Drink a lot of water...a lot

-Move more -- can be anything, walking around the block, jumping jacks, burpees. If you have 5 minutes here and there those count towards your 30. Six 5 minutes sessions will produce the same exact results for weight loss as one longer session. It wont help performance as much, ie endurance, but for weight loss cals burned are cals burned.

 

-Some resistance training, semi optional. I strongly recommend but in your situation you could lose weight without it.

[GAME05]

if you're already at a YMCA, swimming is one of the best cardio exercises you can do, and about as low-impact as you can get.

 

this thread will be fun. i used to bug the personal trainers at my gym all the time for free advice. unfortunately i don't exercise regularly anymore. pretty good diet (low carbs, no trans oils, lean meats, vitamin E supplement), but i've found that diet or exercise alone does nothing unless i do both.

[JumpinMacFlash]

When my wife was pregnant with our son, I didn't exercise as much because I didn't want to make her feel bad. By the time he was born, I was at 198 (up 25 pounds). Afterward, I went back to my normal exercise level, but I couldn't get below 185.

 

I did a bit of reading, trying to find something that worked for me. I changed my diet quite a bit. Now I rarely eat grains, cut a lot of the excess sugars out of my diet, decreased my dairy intake a bit (not too much, I like cheese too much). I eat a lot of veggies, lean meat, healthy fats, and fruit when I feel like it. I still eat carbs, but I get most of it from the fruits and veggies, more than enough fiber too. My energy level is up. I feel great; the best that I have since high school. I lift weights 3-4 times a week, do some light running, high-intensity stuff once or twice a week, including one day of sprint workouts. My body fat has dropped quite a bit, and I'm down to 167 lbs with more muscle mass.

 

I'm not sure of any personal goals. I'd still like to run a marathon, but the only real goal I have right now is to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can.

[southpaw121505]

Good call on swimming game, great all around workout.

 

 

Awesome stuff MacFlash, your training gameplan sounds excellent. Are you on a set lifting routine? As far as diet goes, the key thing I see there is "my energy level is up." That is a perfect example of how no two human bodies function exactly the same and finding what works for you is what's important. I'd have no energy if I ate that low of carbs.

[Raw Biz]

I was 5'7, 175 in high school. Almost ten years later, I started the year close to 290. I'm now down to 230. I "played" football all 4 years in high school and baseball for 2 years but after starting college, I hardly ever worked out and was drinking like a typical college student. I started this year just riding the exercise bike a few days a week and lifting. I also substituted some things in my diet and cut my drinking down to about one night a week. I haven't really done anything high intensity, I've just watched my caloric intake and rode the bike or did the treadmill.

As for food, I found that little things like switching out normal bread for 100 calorie thins or Sara Lee 45 calorie slices and replacing normal cheese with reduced fat really help. I've also gone to 70 calorie low-carb tortillas instead of the usual almost 200 calorie ones and use egg beaters instead of normal eggs. Little substitutions like this really help. I also almost never eat out anymore (maybe twice a month) so I can control everything that I eat.

I actually haven't had much of a problem losing weight and wish I would've attempted to a lot earlier (although it probably helps that I'm both out of school and unemployed so I have the time to work out and make all my meals at home). My ultimate goal is lose at least another 50 pounds, if not 60 but that might take another year. By the end of this year, I hope to lose another 20 to make it an even 80 lost on the year.

[southpaw121505]

That's incredible progress raw, and the good thing is you just made moderate changes to your diet and exercised some. That leaves you some room to change some variables when fat loss stalls. You can up the intensity or frequency of workouts and/or cut a few more calories here and there.

[homer]

In order to save some money, I'm attempting a non gym, non weight lifting exercise routine. Lots of running, lots of core (i.e. exercise ball, active stretching, etc), lots of those stretch band thingys, and lots of body weight resistance exercises (pushups, jump squats, etc.). Just started a few weeks ago but I like how I feel especially the flexibility part of it.

[craigharmann]

6'0 275 here. Down from probably near 330 or so about 6 years ago. I haven't hit the exercise like I should, but eating less and more whole grains, fruits and veggies have made the difference. I've seemed to have leveled off at 275, but want to get another 50 off. That's the toughest part of living in South Texas, when the summer morning starts at about 80, it's really tough to walk. But, now that it has cooled down, I am trying to get back into it. Another thing that has helped me is an active 2 and a half year old daughter. She runs everywhere, so I want to be encouraging her to be active and I know that what I model, she will pick up. My 2nd daughter, due in November seems to be as active in the womb as the 2 and a half year old, so I will definitely be moving!

[DuWayne Steurer]

I need help.

 

I spent 14 years in the trades, 10 years as a concrete wall man. I went a very comfortable 250 (at 6'0 even), and yeah, I'll say it, built like a brick craphouse. I probably ate 3,000 calories a day, but my workload and activity level (I played softball and volleyball, rode bike occasionally), so I could get away with eating, yeah, pretty much whatever I wanted.

Then I wrecked my elbow, had TJ surgery, and was out 18 months. Because I didn't change my eating habits, I went up to about 315. I finally got back with rehab to where I could work, but my old company wouldn't take me back, so I got on as a mason tender, and I spent 4 years doing that, and that got me right back into shape. I was back down to 250, felt like I more or less had the stamina of a bull, and could once again, eat without worry. Then when I was 33, we ran out of work, I went to school, became a network/IT guy, and now I sit at a desk all day.

 

I have tried, SAVAGELY hard to change my eating habits. I eat a lot of veggies. I eat less red meat. I have almost eliminated soda. I don't eat a lot of candy/sweets. But I just love to EAT. I enjoy cooking, creating dishes, and experimenting in the kitchen. If I'm full, I find myself wishing I weren't. I am seeing a dietician. She keeps trying to ask me WHY I eat, like, I'm sure she thinks I'm depressed, or sad, or bored. I am not depressed. I think any of my friends and family would tell you depressed is not one thing that I am. I'm not sad, and I'm surely not bored. I always have things to do. Very active with my time. that doesn't always mean PHYSICALLY active, but my time is always accounted for. I'm not eating to fill some void in my life, I just wish I could explain to her, and make her understand, cooking, making food, I really enjoy it, it's like a passion/hobby, and I mean, I'll sit at work for my last few hours of the day sometimes when I know I'll have the kitchen to myself for a few hours, thinking about something new I might like to try for a meal or dinner. And yes, I know that I make portions too big sometimes, and I eat more than I should, but if I LIKE something I'm eating, I won't stop eating after a small portion. Call it lack of self control, whatever.....it is what it is. Maybe I'm mentally ill. Is there anyone perusing this thread that understands where I'm coming from?

 

OH.......and working out. SUCKS. I can't do it. I'm trying, but I can not. Up until I was kinda squeezed out of the mason tender job, I never had to work out to have a big build. My jobs did that for me. This is something I'm trying to force myself to do, and I've bought a bike, and am utilizing once or twice a week, but even that I find boring, becauuse nobody my age wants to just ride 10 - 15 miles even, just for the sake of riding.

 

EDIT: Suppose I should bite the bullet.......right now I'm at 6' and 280. I had a stress test done, my heart is in supposedly fine shape, to my surprise. My ultimate goal is to be 245, and that's something my dietician agrees with. We both agree that to be 245 and not 'fat' though that I'll have to get faithful to working out and maintaining my muscle mass.

[southpaw121505]

Roco, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but you just don't want it bad enough.. If you wanted to lose weight more than you wanted to eat freely, you'd accept that you can't just eat freely. Same with the working out, you can lose weight without much exercise but to keep you healthy in general you have to find a way to get at least some weekly cardio in, boring or not.

 

If you decide to get serious about it I'd recommend tracking every single calorie that you eat for an entire week. That includes anything you drink, condiments, butter, etc. Just based on the numbers you threw around I'd guess you're off on what you were actually consuming. I weigh a lot less than you and can almost lose fat at 3,000 calories..

[dadofandrew]

I'm taller than Roco, but I'd love to get down to his weight. I begin anew tomorrow. Hoping to begin the new year a lot lighter.

[JumpinMacFlash]

Awesome stuff MacFlash, your training gameplan sounds excellent. Are you on a set lifting routine?

I'm not really set on my lifting routine. I have some general guidelines (I don't do isolation exercises anymore, only do compound lifts, I do one bodyweight workout a week. Instead of concentrating on certain muscle groups, I may concentrate on upper body or lower body on a certain day, or I may do all pushing exercises or all pulling. I like to keep things fresh and I like to vary what I do. For example, today I went to the gym, did some kettlebell exercises, did a couple of different presses, but I was bored of it today. So after 25 minutes, I left, walked to the park, and did a routine there that included sprints, crawls, pull-ups (climbed a tree), dips, push-ups, and then ran home. Oh, I also am a minimalist/barefoot runner.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Roco, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but you just don't want it bad enough.. If you wanted to lose weight more than you wanted to eat freely, you'd accept that you can't just eat freely. Same with the working out, you can lose weight without much exercise but to keep you healthy in general you have to find a way to get at least some weekly cardio in, boring or not.

 

If you decide to get serious about it I'd recommend tracking every single calorie that you eat for an entire week. That includes anything you drink, condiments, butter, etc. Just based on the numbers you threw around I'd guess you're off on what you were actually consuming. I weigh a lot less than you and can almost lose fat at 3,000 calories..

I do count calories pretty religiously, in all honesty. I do count condiments (butter, mayo, ketchup). We have made a lot of changes in how we grocery shop, especially in the last year or so. I stay away from, for the most part, caloric drinks, sodas, juices, coffee, alcohols, etc. I'm not 'lying to myself' when I say I'm usually (but not always) coming in under 2,500 calories.

[craigharmann]

If you decide to get serious about it I'd recommend tracking every single calorie that you eat for an entire week.

This right here. One of the biggest helps since getting my IPhone at the beginning of the year was an app called "Lose It". I put everything I eat in, it calculates the calories. You can even set up a plan to lose up to 2 pounds per week, just by how many calories you intake. Exercise gets added in. For exercise, you can even put in housecleaning, mowing, or other yard work. As a church musician, I put in about an hour and a half to 2 hours of organ practice each day. It tracks that!

[rwa12]

Southpaw, thanks for your advice. The shoulder is more of a lingering deal now than acute, I just deal with it. I will keep you up to date on my progress!

[LouisEly]

Some words of advice - maybe this will be of help to RoCo and Al.

 

For those who like to eat, myself included, something I haven't seen mentioned much is eating 5-6 small meals a day versus the traditional 3 meals. One of the problems with reduced calorie dieting is trying to do that while eating three meals a day. The body is genetically programmed after thousands of years of a hunter-gatherer diet to store calories in time of need. Too much time in between meals causes the body to get overly hungry and eat too much. I have a moderate breakfast (low sugar protein shake w/fruit, and oatmeal if I have time), then a snack around 10am (usually a protein bar), then lunch. Having the protein bar really helps keep me from overeating at lunch. It can take 20-40 minutes for your brain to register that you are "full", which if you are overly hungry from too much time between meals causes 20-40 minutes of unnecessary eating. Then I have another snack around 3PM, a snack after work before I hit the gym (protein and fruit), and a low-carb dinner after the gym (often chicken breasts + veggies). I've found a new favorite afternoon snack - Blue Diamond Salt & Vinegar flavored smoked almonds. I eclipse the "can a week" that they ask for.

 

Something else I'll recommend is a book called "Live Right 4 Your Type". It is the first book I ever read that suggested different diets and lifestyles for different people. I strongly believe that no one thing works for everyone. I'm really sold on the book because when I read the section on type O blood it was describing me to a tee. The foods it tells me to avoid are foods that don't make me feel good/give me gas/cause me to get stuffed up from an allergic reaction. The foods it says are beneficial are foods that make me feel good. It says lean beef is beneficial for type O's, and when I have a steak for dinner I am hungry the next morning and can feel my metabolism increase. It says that "Atkins" type protien/low carb diets are good for type O's and vegetarian diets are not because type O's tend to have highly acidic stomachs (and thus like to eat because they get hungrier easier). Other blood types that tend to have low acidity levels in their stomachs tend to do better on vegetarian diets because they don't have the acids to easily digest proteins.

 

RoCo and Al, I'd highly recommend reading that book and finding out your blood type. It may help you find the diet & lifestyle changes you need to hit your goals.

[And That]

I started the year at 247 (I'm 6'6) and felt sluggish and bloated. I was somewhere around 20% body fat. I've always had a pretty thin build, so all the extra weight sucked to carry around. I had persistent back and knee pain and my energy level was sapped.

 

My goal at the beginning of the year was to get down to 185, which is about middle BMI for my height.

 

I'm now down to 193 and my body fat is down to 11%. I had never run so much as a 5K before this year, and now I run 10Ks pretty easily at a decent pace.

 

I was keeping track of what I was eating pretty religiously at the beginning of the year, but as time has gone on, my mental calorie calculator has become pretty good and all the exercise has boosted my metabolism back to where it was 5 years ago. I'm really not on any sort of diet... I just eat smart, I guess.

 

So I have 3 months to lose 8 pounds and I'm pretty amped about reaching that goal and moving on to bigger and better goals next year.

[southpaw121505]

RoCoBrewfan wrote:

I do count calories pretty religiously, in all honesty. I do count condiments (butter, mayo, ketchup). We have made a lot of changes in how we grocery shop, especially in the last year or so. I stay away from, for the most part, caloric drinks, sodas, juices, coffee, alcohols, etc. I'm not 'lying to myself' when I say I'm usually (but not always) coming in under 2,500 calories.

For two weeks eat no more than 2.500 calories. Shoot for 200 grams of protein, 250 of carbs, and 70 of fat. The calorie number is more important but having some balance of where those calories come from(macronutrient ratios) is next important. One way to help keep in those limits is to eat meals that are primarily protein + carb or protein + fat. Calories get out of hand quickly when you have fat and carbs in the same meal. Now that doesn't mean a carb meal can't have any fat, but keep it around 10-15 grams tops, same for carbs with a fat meal. Try and limit the amount of sources your fats come from. Ideally they'd come from olive oil, almonds, eggs, a little peanut butter. On top of that do 90 minutes of exercise a week. I don't care what it is. A 15 minute walk can count towards your total, bike ride, walking stairs. Every morning you can do 5 minutes of simple bodyweight exercises to wake you up and get your metabolism going. If you do that everyday you'd have a third of your weeks exercise in right there. Pushups, jumping jacks, burpees, crunches, jog in place, ice skaters. Do 10-20 of each of those as a circuit(non stop) for 2 or 3 circuits and you should have 5 minutes in right there. Besides that, drink A LOT of water. It keeps your body effecient at burning fat, helps your metabolism, and helps you feel full when dieting.

 

 

If you weigh 280 lbs and eat 2500 calories for two weeks, drink enough water, and do your 90 minutes of exercise and don't lose weight...well you have no choice other than to add more intense exercise. At your current weight you really can't drop calories more than that without risking slowing your metabolism down further. I'd be shocked if you do all of that and don't start to lose weight.

 

 

 

 

 

Southpaw, thanks for your advice. The shoulder is more of a lingering deal now than acute, I just deal with it. I will keep you up to date on my progress!

You bet. Stick to the plan and be patient. Making any changes to your body can take time. Take some measurements if you can, at least weigh yourself. But if you do, do it at the same time of the day every week, ideally on an empty stomach. It can be hard to notice change by looking in the mirror everyday so having some measurable data to prove it can really help and show you the plan is working.

[dannyjnoonan]

First of all with the injury I'd talk with a doc before doing anything if you haven't already. I assume it is something that is more of a lingering pain at this point and not an injury?

 

For wanting to drop that much weight and wanting to keep those joints safe I'd say do some low intensity cardio, even walking on a treadmil or outside. Ellipitcal is perfect for being easy on the joints but since you are at home that might be practical. Do you have any equipment? Dumbbells? If not you could look into a cheap adjustable set at walmart or target. You can do some circuits that would burn some calories.

 

In general to lose weight the most important things are, in order of importance:

 

-Decrease calories (technically to lose weight this is all that matters, exercise just adds to the caloric deficit)

-Drink a lot of water...a lot

-Move more -- can be anything, walking around the block, jumping jacks, burpees. If you have 5 minutes here and there those count towards your 30. Six 5 minutes sessions will produce the same exact results for weight loss as one longer session. It wont help performance as much, ie endurance, but for weight loss cals burned are cals burned.

 

-Some resistance training, semi optional. I strongly recommend but in your situation you could lose weight without it.

I disagree with almost everything here (except that I agree that drinking water is good). What you eat is just as important as how much. Not all calories are created equal. If you stress just cutting down that calorie number you'll be hungry and misserable. In general, to lose weight (or specifically, to lose fat), the most important things, in order of importance are:

 

-Stop eating sugar. Or at least added sugar. I could get into the science of it if you want, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just say this: it's all about insulin. When you eat sugar, excess is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. When you have too much glucose in your blood stream, your pancrease responds by producing insulin. Insulin's job is to allow glucose

to be stored in muscle and liver cells as glycogen. However, if those cells are already full of glycogen (if you have a "normal" American diet and are not VERY active, they're almost always full) the excess glucose is converted to fat. In other words, fat doesn't make you fat, sugar makes you fat. (This is an incredibly simplified account of what happens, but gimme a break, it's a Brewer message board). Also, after like 2 weeks of being sugar free, you barely miss it.

 

-Drastically cut back on carbohydrates, especially those from grains. All carbohydrates are eventually converted to glucose, and your body isn't really designed to handle more than like 100g of carbs a day, maybe. (The average American eats something like 650g a day. I think the USDA reccommends 350g a day, but (a) they're the department of AGRICULTURE, which seems like a conflict of interest to me, and (b) they do keep reducing that number, so even they're starting to come around on that). Southpaw noted that if he cut down his carbs he wouldn't have energy, but I've never met anyone that tried going sub 100g of carbs a day and had any problems with energy. I work out a lot and have plenty of energy. Also, after like 2 weeks of being low carb, you don't even miss high carb foods.

 

-Lift heavy and/or work out at high intensity. Lots of people reccommend biking or running marathons or hopping on the elyptical or whatever (what I like to call "long slow distance, or LSD), but that's a way less efficient use of your exercise time than a 15 minute, high intensity workout, or a heavy lift. Not only will you burn more calories during the workout, you'll also get a much greater "after burn" effect and a hormonal response that causes you to produce more testosterone, which is great for burning fat too.

 

-Vary your exercises.

 

I'm 32 years old and am in better shape than I've ever been. I swam and ran cross country at the college level, but my body fat % is lower now than it was in my late teens/early twenties. I was a pretty good athlete, but I was always the guy that didn't quite look like he could swim a 55 second 100 butterfly or run a 16:30 for 5k since I bought into the "eat carbs for energy" nonsense. Now I kind of do look like I could post those times. And it's functional too. I can still run under 18 for a 5k (and I only run like 10 miles a week), deadlift 415, do about 30 pull-ups, etc. etc. And that's for a guy that sits at a desk all day. Find your nearest CrossFit gym. You'll be amazed at what happens, and you'll start to enjoy working out.

[dannyjnoonan]

I haven't seen the pull up thread in a while and was going to bump it but let's use this thread to talk anything exercise related. Any questions, throw them my way. Have any goals, let's hear them. What gyms are good to join, ask, I've been to most of them. Want to vent about the weird guy at the gym, please do.

 

 

I'll start. My current goal is to add 20 lbs without adding too much fat. Gym goals are squatting 315 and deadlifting 405.

If you're looking to improve your squat and deadlift, a lot of guys at my gym have found big gains in those lifts with this program: http://www.amazon.com/Simplest-Effective-Training-Increase-Strength/dp/0557248299

 

 

[bando1234]

I have tried everything. I have been up & down my entire life. 180 out of high school, 235 in college, by the end of college 167, got married and had a child(290), started an exercise routine(245), moved and jobless(290), had some chest problems which led me to really exercise(205), job issues(250), other issues(290). Now I am around 235. Everytime I lost the weight I said I will never let my self get out of shape again. I no longer say that. When I exercised and dieted I would push to an extreme and would lose a big amount of weight in a matter of months. I have read and tried many things from Body for Life to the Atkins. My favorite by far would be the 7 pillars of health which includes drinking water,sleep,moderate exercise, & stress reduction.

 

I use to freak out if I missed a workout or ate something that was bad for me. While I am working at being thinner, I am pretty content with the shape I am in. I play basketball once a week with guys 15 years younger than me, I ran 2 5k's and a 10k this year, looking at maybe one more this year. I dont do these things because I am good at them ,most the things I am below average at. I do them because I have the ablity to do them. I would rather fail than always wonder how I would have done.

 

My routine includes a walk in the morning if time allows. Anywhere from 3000 to 4000 steps at my target heartrate. Otherwise I put 20 to 30 minutes in on the exercise bike. I try to do the same thing on my lunch hour. And 5 to 10 minutes of weights in the evening. I will bike to work(only a mile or so) if time allows. My breakfast would be an egg, yogurt, and a banana, an apple for mid morning snack. Lunch would be a spinich salad with chicken, grapes and a fiber bar. Maybe some strawberries for a late afternoon snack. Dinner is what ever my wife makes.It can be something good for me but maybe not. My big downfalls are candy & pizza. I think I will always need to watch my weight but I dont feel obcessed about it.

[LouisEly]

"Lift heavy and/or work out at high intensity. Lots of people reccommend biking or running marathons or hopping on the elyptical or whatever (what I like to call "long slow distance, or LSD), but that's a way less efficient use of your exercise time than a 15 minute, high intensity workout, or a heavy lift. Not only will you burn more calories during the workout, you'll also get a much greater "after burn" effect and a hormonal response that causes you to produce more testosterone, which is great for burning fat too. "

 

I agree with just about everything you say. However, like "not all calories are created equal", not all calories burned during exercise are equal. Some calories burned are fat calories, some are muscle calories. For some the short intense workout is best. I did that for a while (lots of CrossFit), but made minimal gains. Then I started doing long slow eliptical workouts of 45-60 minutes focusing on a heart rate of 120-130 bpm. Then the fat started melting away and I got down below 220 for the first time in at least four years. The short intense workouts for me were burning just as much muscle as fat. It wasn't the most efficient time-wise, but the results are better. I haven't abandoned short intense workouts; I just do them less often and eliptical more often.

 

Again, like I said earlier, I strongly believe that no one thing works best for everyone. You have to try different exercise and lifestyle routines and find the ones that work best for you.

[southpaw121505]

First of all with the injury I'd talk with a doc before doing anything if you haven't already. I assume it is something that is more of a lingering pain at this point and not an injury?

 

For wanting to drop that much weight and wanting to keep those joints safe I'd say do some low intensity cardio, even walking on a treadmil or outside. Ellipitcal is perfect for being easy on the joints but since you are at home that might be practical. Do you have any equipment? Dumbbells? If not you could look into a cheap adjustable set at walmart or target. You can do some circuits that would burn some calories.

 

In general to lose weight the most important things are, in order of importance:

 

-Decrease calories (technically to lose weight this is all that matters, exercise just adds to the caloric deficit)

-Drink a lot of water...a lot

-Move more -- can be anything, walking around the block, jumping jacks, burpees. If you have 5 minutes here and there those count towards your 30. Six 5 minutes sessions will produce the same exact results for weight loss as one longer session. It wont help performance as much, ie endurance, but for weight loss cals burned are cals burned.

 

-Some resistance training, semi optional. I strongly recommend but in your situation you could lose weight without it.

I disagree with almost everything here (except that I agree that drinking water is good). What you eat is just as important as how much. Not all calories are created equal. If you stress just cutting down that calorie number you'll be hungry and misserable. In general, to lose weight (or specifically, to lose fat), the most important things, in order of importance are:

 

-Stop eating sugar. Or at least added sugar. I could get into the science of it if you want, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just say this: it's all about insulin. When you eat sugar, excess is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. When you have too much glucose in your blood stream, your pancrease responds by producing insulin. Insulin's job is to allow glucose

to be stored in muscle and liver cells as glycogen. However, if those cells are already full of glycogen (if you have a "normal" American diet and are not VERY active, they're almost always full) the excess glucose is converted to fat. In other words, fat doesn't make you fat, sugar makes you fat. (This is an incredibly simplified account of what happens, but gimme a break, it's a Brewer message board). Also, after like 2 weeks of being sugar free, you barely miss it.

 

-Drastically cut back on carbohydrates, especially those from grains. All carbohydrates are eventually converted to glucose, and your body isn't really designed to handle more than like 100g of carbs a day, maybe. (The average American eats something like 650g a day. I think the USDA reccommends 350g a day, but (a) they're the department of AGRICULTURE, which seems like a conflict of interest to me, and (b) they do keep reducing that number, so even they're starting to come around on that). Southpaw noted that if he cut down his carbs he wouldn't have energy, but I've never met anyone that tried going sub 100g of carbs a day and had any problems with energy. I work out a lot and have plenty of energy. Also, after like 2 weeks of being low carb, you don't even miss high carb foods.

 

-Lift heavy and/or work out at high intensity. Lots of people reccommend biking or running marathons or hopping on the elyptical or whatever (what I like to call "long slow distance, or LSD), but that's a way less efficient use of your exercise time than a 15 minute, high intensity workout, or a heavy lift. Not only will you burn more calories during the workout, you'll also get a much greater "after burn" effect and a hormonal response that causes you to produce more testosterone, which is great for burning fat too.

 

-Vary your exercises.

 

I'm 32 years old and am in better shape than I've ever been. I swam and ran cross country at the college level, but my body fat % is lower now than it was in my late teens/early twenties. I was a pretty good athlete, but I was always the guy that didn't quite look like he could swim a 55 second 100 butterfly or run a 16:30 for 5k since I bought into the "eat carbs for energy" nonsense. Now I kind of do look like I could post those times. And it's functional too. I can still run under 18 for a 5k (and I only run like 10 miles a week), deadlift 415, do about 30 pull-ups, etc. etc. And that's for a guy that sits at a desk all day. Find your nearest CrossFit gym. You'll be amazed at what happens, and you'll start to enjoy working out.

You disagree with the law of thermodynamics? That's amazing. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif It's great that you've found an approach that works for you, but as someone who trains people I can tell you that you are in the minority in both your training and diet approach. Low carb is not necessary to lose weight. Crossfit is absolutely not necessary to see results in training. You'll probably disagree and that won't surprise me at all, crossfit borders on being a cult.