Your Workout Today

[Slice of Life]

You did mention fat loss.

Which was why I said: " Diet is 90% of it anyway, so any exercise is just icing on the cake"

My opinion on the workout schedule not being ideal wasn't based on fat loss. Any caloric deficit will result in fat loss. He can stick with that routine for 6 months and lose all the fat he needs if he eats right...it's the other aspects that will lag behind. Which was why I also said "I'm not even talking about it from a weight loss perspective" when referring to the exercise plan.

Back to the topic at hand...

Still taking a couple days off. Think it's my trap that I pulled. Not a comfortable situation, but it could be worse. My snowboarding is coming back to bite me...as the neck/shoulder nerve and upper back/trap are recurring injuries from a February tumble.

[TallyWhacker]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

Diet is 90% of it anyway, so any exercise is just icing on the cake (bad metaphor?).

Originally Posted by saevel25

I agree that a very good chunk of it is what people eat.

I have thought that portion control is key.

I understand there is a huge difference between body building or power lifting and what I am doing, which is trying to overcome the last 20 years of self-abuse and cut about 100lbs of fat and replace it with some toned muscle.  I have gone on to a couple of lifting/exercise blogs and gotten comments ranging in scope from "don't eat pie" to the physiological breakdown of fat atoms during the thermo-biotic morphis phase of the turboencabulator.  Neither of which are of any help.  One fine young chap was even so adroit as to provide the invaluable advice of "quit being a fat ass!" So, I avoid those forums, now - not that I am oversensitive, I just don't like wasting my time.

There are bazillions of diets out there, and I don't want something that I can't do the rest of my life.  I'm targeting 1500 calories a day right now, and doing okay with that, but I need to know what those calories should consist of, in what measure, to take the most advantage of my workouts.  I don't expect that I will be on 1500 calories forever, I anticipate that will go up, but I'm trying to do a "purge" thing right off.

Nutritional proportions I have seen say 60% Carbs, 20% Protein, 20% Fat.  Okay - I can do that, I'm just not sure how to tell what percentage of two Big Macs is Carbs, and what percentage is Protein.

(jk, no Big Macs!)

I guess my question here is "How do I know what I am putting into my body, and whether I am getting the right balance of carbs, fats, and proteins to take advantage of my workout?"

[Slice of Life]

I have thought that portion control is key.

I understand there is a huge difference between body building or power lifting and what I am doing, which is trying to overcome the last 20 years of self-abuse and cut about 100lbs of fat and replace it with some toned muscle.  I have gone on to a couple of lifting/exercise blogs and gotten comments ranging in scope from "don't eat pie" to the physiological breakdown of fat atoms during the thermo-biotic morphis phase of the turboencabulator.  Neither of which are of any help.  One fine young chap was even so adroit as to provide the invaluable advice of "quit being a fat ass!" So, I avoid those forums, now - not that I am oversensitive, I just don't like wasting my time.

There are bazillions of diets out there, and I don't want something that I can't do the rest of my life.  I'm targeting 1500 calories a day right now, and doing okay with that, but I need to know what those calories should consist of, in what measure, to take the most advantage of my workouts.  I don't expect that I will be on 1500 calories forever, I anticipate that will go up, but I'm trying to do a "purge" thing right off.

Nutritional proportions I have seen say 60% Carbs, 20% Protein, 20% Fat.  Okay - I can do that, I'm just not sure how to tell what percentage of two Big Macs is Carbs, and what percentage is Protein.

(jk, no Big Macs!)

I guess my question here is "How do I know what I am putting into my body, and whether I am getting the right balance of carbs, fats, and proteins to take advantage of my workout?"

lol @ the Big Macs c omment.

Thing is, you can eat whatever you want as long as you hit your target macros (carbs, fat, protein). I ate Wendy's the other day and still met my goals.

1,500 for someone over 200 lbs is probably extreme. At 165 I'm cutting weight at 1,800 calories...so I wouldn't keep it that extreme for a long period of time at least.

As far as what percentage it should be, it depends on your goals. While you're trying to become more athletic and minimize muscle loss while losing fat, I'd aim for about a gram of protein per lb of lean muscle. So let's say you're 30% body fat at 275 lbs (Just guessing here, I have no clue)...

275 - (.3)(275) = 192.5 g of protein a day. Which is 770 calories on its own. With that, I would aim for around 1900-2000 calories a day.

Broken down: 192.5 g protein (770 calories), 75 g fat (675 calories), 120 g carbs (480 calories).

As far as what is going into your body, the best way is to use a tracker, like MyFitnessPal, where you can log everything you eat.

[mvmac]

There are bazillions of diets out there, and I don't want something that I can't do the rest of my life.  I'm targeting 1500 calories a day right now, and doing okay with that, but I need to know what those calories should consist of, in what measure, to take the most advantage of my workouts.  I don't expect that I will be on 1500 calories forever, I anticipate that will go up, but I'm trying to do a "purge" thing right off.

Nutritional proportions I have seen say 60% Carbs, 20% Protein, 20% Fat.  Okay - I can do that, I'm just not sure how to tell what percentage of two Big Macs is Carbs, and what percentage is Protein.

(jk, no Big Macs!)

I guess my question here is "How do I know what I am putting into my body, and whether I am getting the right balance of carbs, fats, and proteins to take advantage of my workout?"

I do what's called Flexible dieting. I get in about a gram of protein per pound of body weight and use the rest for carbs and fat. As @Slice of Life pointed out, for you it would be best to get a gram of protein be pound of lean mass. I lost 50lbs without restricting any foods. It's very sustainable.

http://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting

I track what I eat using My Fitness Pal. You can add or search for foods on there and it'll include the macronutrients.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

EDIT: @Slice of Life beat me to it

[Slice of Life]

I do what's called Flexible dieting. I get in about a gram of protein per pound of body weight and use the rest for carbs and fat. I lost 50lbs without restricting any foods. It's very sustainable.

http://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting

I track what I eat using My Fitness Pal. You can add or search for foods on there and it'll include the macronutrients.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

EDIT: @Slice of Life beat me to it

At 275 lbs, I'd limit it to a gram of protein per LBM (Lean Body Mass). 275 g of protein is difficult and expensive to hit every day. And there wouldn't really be a benefit to it.

Everything else I agree with. IIFYM is the way to go.

[mvmac]

At 275 lbs, I'd limit it to a gram of protein per LBM (Lean Body Mass). 275 g of protein is difficult and expensive to hit every day. And there wouldn't really be a benefit to it.

Yep, thanks for pointing that out.

[Valleygolfer]

I do an intermittent fasting diet. Best diet I have ever used. Easy to lose weight and manage food. No strength losses in the gym. Works awesome with HIIT workouts in increasing GH release.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/01/18/intermittent-fasting-approach.aspx?e_cid=20130118_DNL_art_1&utm;_source=dnl&utm;_medium=email&utm;_campaign=20130118

I have used this for 2 years now. I lost 20 pounds in 2 months when I first started it and it is easy to maintain the loss. Takes a little fine tuning with your body but don't buy into the many small meals schtick. This diet has a lot of scientific research for it and proof against the 6 meal a day diets.

[Slice of Life]

I do an intermittent fasting diet. Best diet I have ever used. Easy to lose weight and manage food. No strength losses in the gym. Works awesome with HIIT workouts in increasing GH release.

I have used this for 2 years now. I lost 20 pounds in 2 months when I first started it and it is easy to maintain the loss. Takes a little fine tuning with your body but don't buy into the many small meals schtick. This diet has a lot of scientific for it and proof against the 6 meal a day diets.

IF is great for appetite suppression. I also agree about the many small meals crap. Food is food.

I'm not necessarily a fan of it for myself, but know people who are and have achieved great results.

[TallyWhacker]

Awesome.  Lots of info - and some things contrary to what I have seen in other places.

I am at 325 right now (6'4"), trying to get down to 225.  I know I didn't swell up overnight, and won't shrink that quickly either, but I am encouraged by small gains  (5lbs last week, 2 so far this week) and am not as interested in my weight as I am in my fitness level and personal appearance.  (oh, and lifespan)

Some great info - still wish there were more icing on the cake, though, Slice of Life (mmmm... caaake!)

I haven't looked at the IF video yet, Anthony, but I will.

If there was protein in bourbon and/or cigars, I'd be set!  Looks like I'll be putting my butcher's kids through school!

Thanks, guys.  good help here.

[mvmac]

IF is great for appetite suppression. I also agree about the many small meals crap. Food is food.

I'm not necessarily a fan of it for myself, but know people who are and have achieved great results.

Yeah I do IF as well, haven't eaten breakfast in over a year. I like eating big meals and was never that hungry in the mornings, so it was relatively easy for me to implement.

[saevel25]

Yeah I do IF as well, haven't eaten breakfast in over a year. I like eating big meals and was never that hungry in the mornings, so it was relatively easy for me to implement.

I am the same. I like two bigger meals.

In the end, find what works for you. Mostly it is a structure thing.

[Valleygolfer]

Yeah I do IF as well, haven't eaten breakfast in over a year. I like eating big meals and was never that hungry in the mornings, so it was relatively easy for me to implement.

I love training on fasting days and once you get control of how your mind feels about hunger it is almost euphoric on fasting days. I really enjoy it.

[drifterdon]

My Fitness Pal is a great app because it also helps you know what you are burning as well as what you are consuming.

I need structure so I joined Weight Watchers in the beginning of October and so far m down 25#, eating healthier than ever and learning new skills for a lifetime.

Best of luck to all trying to improve themselves.

[AbsoluteTruths]

Started back with the Wendler 531 program today after a year and a half break. I had been doing the program for two and a half years.

During my break I dabbled with a few different programs but could not stay with any of them. I need something with a definite plan like 531.

Today was deadlift day.

DL

75x5x1

95x5x1

115x3x1

125x5x1

145x5x1

165x6x1

Close grip lat pulldown

50x15x5

[drifterdon]

Here is what my workout consisted of today.

30 minutes Elliptical

30 minutes stationary cycle

Weight workout on gym Precor machines

Leg extension 3x20 55#

Seated leg curl 3x20 55

Lat pulldown 3x20 60#

Fly 3x20 70#

Abdominal 3x20 55#

Leg press 3x20 85#

Back extension 3x20 70#

Rotary torso 3x20 70#

Calf extension 3x20 55# l

Tricep extension 3x20  40#

Bicep Curl 3x15 25#

Shoulder press 3x15 40#

Seated rowing 3x15 40#

Chest Press 3x20 30#

Will try to insert some golf specific items as I can.

[RFKFREAK]

First off, good luck!

Some diet tips from my experience:

- Don't eat back workout calories.

- Eat a good amount of protein. Helps preserve lean muscle and fills you up.

- You'll probably lose a lot of weight fast and then plateau, that's normal. Like you said, you need to create a deficit of 3500 calories but early on you tend to lose a good amount of water weight.

- Don't get deterred if you see some fluctuation with the scale, there are a lot of things that determine weight. I can easily gain a couple pounds if I have a slightly higher carb day. It's not fat, it's just water. Try to weigh yourself at the same time everyday.

- Drink a lot of water.

Starting with 5lb dumbbells might be fine for the first week or so but you'll need to increase the weight and the incline of the treadmill. When the weight lose stalls you need to keep "pushing" yourself because your metabolism will adjust, especially if you're doing steady state cardio.

To keep it simple and stick to exercising at home, I would highly recommend adding a kettlebell to your workouts and getting this book. The kettlebell swing is great for what you're looking for, burning calories while getting stronger. You can do some research on kettlebells, I think you'll find some positive stuff.

http://www.strongfirst.com/kettlebell-simple-and-sinister/

Thanks!

Yeah, I'm also cutting out most of the junkfood I eat.  I'll probably end up doing a cheat day as a reward for good eating.  I see a lot of grilled chicken salads in my future for protein.

About four years ago I was going to a trainer 3x a week and following a strict diet and in the first month I think I lost like 30 or 40 pounds (don't remember the exact number) from around 280 pounds.

I plan on weighting myself every other day or so in the mornings when I first wake up.  It's my understanding that's usually when we weight the least in a day.

The last time I dropped weight I ended up drinking a lot of iced coffee.  I can't strictly drink just water so I'll probably have lots of Diet Coke's and iced coffees along with the water.

I did 5 pounds b/c I didn't know how to measure myself.  After yesterday, I have a better sense of where I can handle more weight.  The treadmill workout is for beginners and today was the second day I did it and it wasn't too taxing so I think it's time to find something else.  I'm thinking maybe something like this: http://military-fitness.military.com/2011/04/how-to-lose-weight-on-the-treadmill.html

Yeah, my gf has a small kettleball.  I'll ask her what she does with it.

Honest thoughts...

Ditch both programs.

If your goal is to lose fat and get in better shape, those programs will work...but aren't ideal, or even good IMO.

Working full-body twice a week with 10 exercises will not be successful in much. You'll get in better shape, because you're doing "something" that you aren't doing now, but it'll move much much slower than it needs to.

I would switch your schedule. Mon/Wed/Fri lifting on a 3 day split (Maybe a Push day, Pull day, and Leg day), and Tues/Thurs cardio.

I also don't know how I feel about the treadmill plan. It looks like some sort of modified HIIT plan, but without the high intensity. You would be better off just jogging at 4.5-5 mph for 20-30 mins. Or even riding the stationary bike.

Again, feel free to do whatever you like, as anything is better than nothing, and you'll get results. I just fear that this won't give you the results you're expecting, as quickly as you expect...and that tends to cause a lot of beginners to give up.

I'm not going to be going to a gym and the only workout tools I have at home are dumbbells and the treadmill.  What do you think of this treadmill plan: http://military-fitness.military.com/2011/04/how-to-lose-weight-on-the-treadmill.html

Are there any programs on the internet that you'd suggest?  I have no problem doing weights 3x a week; I just didn't want to overdue it.

I'm committed to reaching my goal and usually when I commit to something, I stick to it but I think in this instance, what might hinder me is ignorance in what a good program for me would be.

I'm not even talking about it from a weight loss perspective. He wants to get in better athletic shape...two full body lifting days is not the way to do it IMO. You can't efficiently and effectively work your legs, back, arms, shoulders, chest, and core hard enough to make substantial progress that way. It'll be good for a couple weeks, since he isn't used to working out...but from that point on, it won't be very beneficial. If you can hit back and legs in the same day, you're not hitting either of them hard enough for real progress.

Diet is 90% of it anyway, so any exercise is just icing on the cake (bad metaphor?).

Also, if 4.5 mph is sprinting, you need to start running more.

Yeah, as I mentioned above, I'm also changing my diet.

It's my understanding that a person who weighs what I do burns roughly 2,500 calories on a day where they don't do much.  To lose 50 pounds in 4 months, I'd have to average about 1,500 calorie difference between intake and burn per day.  I figure I'll eat roughly 1,400-2,000 calories a day so I'd have to have a workout regimen which burns between 400-1,000 unless I do more activity like shovel snow which I had the pleasure of doing today, haha.

I do what's called Flexible dieting. I get in about a gram of protein per pound of body weight and use the rest for carbs and fat. As @Slice of Life pointed out, for you it would be best to get a gram of protein be pound of lean mass. I lost 50lbs without restricting any foods. It's very sustainable.

http://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting

I track what I eat using My Fitness Pal. You can add or search for foods on there and it'll include the macronutrients.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

EDIT: @Slice of Life beat me to it

I've started using livestrong.com

You can input your workout, search and input what you've eaten, and it also breaks what percentage of your calorie intake is carbs, protein, and fat.  Not too bad thus far.   It looks like myfitnesspal can be put on a phone.  Not sure if the livestrong one has one or not.

[mvmac]

Yeah, my gf has a small kettleball.  I'll ask her what she does with it.

For swings I would recommend starting with a 20 or 24 kg kettlebell, 52 pounds.

[RFKFREAK]

For swings I would recommend starting with a 20 or 24 kg kettlebell, 52 pounds.

You mean this?

How many reps/sets do you suggest?