Losing Weight And Exercise

I am really out of shape and am trying to lose weight. So far I have stopped drinking diet soda and went to drinking tea, I have stopped eating greasy fast food and only eat subs that are of the cold variety, shoot as many jump shots as I can during an hour of Basketball practice as well as laps around the court and do a mile and a half walk after the practice. I have only been doing this for a few days and I have already noticed results. I am not bloated from the soda and have steadily been able to increase the number of laps I can do.


That is good and everything, but I really want to lose a hundred pounds in around six months and I really doubt that will do it. I was wondering if anybody knew of dvds or workouts that really kicks your ass? I hope for it to be a simple 30 minute workout that I can add on to basketball and the walk. Also, anybody have nutrition tips and advice on how to keep myself from eating unhealthy foods and whatnot? I can't afford to go to the gym so I hope you guys can help me out, and possibly anybody who also needs this advice. Thanks.

 

The couch to 5k thing looks like an amazing resource. I have a difficult time following directions because I tend to just try running a decent distance or whatever and fail and give up, so I am gonna try to follow the directions on the website and incorporate it into my daily exercise.

Whole Grains are good right? I normally eat whole grains rather than white grains and I hope I am not just substituting bad for not that good. I love wheat and such so I would hate to have to limit that.


Thanks for the advice!

 

The best way I've found to loose weight is breast feeding. .

Just trying to make you laugh since I finding laughing helpful with most things.

I have found weight training causes me to loose weight. I was doing weights for strengthening certain muscles because I was having so many injury issues that were stopping me from running. I wasnt trying to loose weight but found that I definitely got slimmer. I know weight training might be difficult if you dont want to join a health club, but if you have access to weights it might help.

My brother does a lot of exercises for core strengthening which I plan to start doing as a way to address my injury issues. He says they burn a lot of calories, and he does them at home. He is 51 and very fit. I've emailed him to ask which books he uses for this. There are videos on youtube with exercises so you could start there. Core strengthening becomes more important the older you get, especially after 40, but if you're out of shape I would think it would be very helpful too in terms of avoiding injury from over doing it.

My only advice with nutrition is to cut back on as much sugar as possible. People think sugar is preferable to fat but I dont agree. Fat is more calorie-rich than sugar but it satiates hunger which is important if your trying to diet. Low fat is better than no fat in my opinion. Gummy Bears are advertised as "no fat" but that doesnt make them good for you. That fact that well-meaning mom's gave their children gummies as a "healthy snack" was a result of the low fat, high carb diet recommended by the experts during the 80' and 90's. I have to think there is some relationship between that and the obesity epidemic we are seeing now. Also, my sister in law is a nutritionist and whole grain carbs are fine in a diet with plenty of veggies and fruit. You need carbs just like any other food group; they should just be whole grain or less processed than many people typically eat. Also, if you are exercising and gaining muscle you will need protein. Obviously meat is a good source of protein, but combinations of whole grain, high-carb food like beans and rice, or beans and corn tortillas provide a complete protein.

Best of luck Justin! I certainly hope you succeed with your goals and I'll post anything else I find out.

 

Congrats Justin on making this decision. It's never too early to look after your long term health. My 2 cents:

1. I agree w/Heather and Mo on refined sugar. Also a smart choice on your part to get rid of carbonated drinks and fried fast food items. Drink the tea, but mix in plenty of water. Don't be afraid to get rid of the bread on those cold subs on occasion and just eat a salad w/a lean protein (non or low fat dressing of course).

2. Think of your metabolism like an old school train engine that ran on coal. You have to keep feeding the fire to keep the engine working at it's most efficient. That means smart snacks throughout the day. This could be fruit, yogurt, low-fat string cheese, unsalted almonds/peanuts, etc. If you just skip meals altogether your body will adjust and actually slow down your metabolism. Think breakfast, snack of some sort, lunch, snack, and early dinner (if possible).

3. Throw in weight training 2 or 3 times a week. This doesn't mean having to buy a bunch of weights, just go to Target/Walmart and purchase 2 ten pound dumbbells initially (get heavier ones when those don't provide enough resistance). Weights along w/running and cardio will increase your body's calorie burning capabilities.

4. Dvd/TV workouts; My wife bought an excellent one called TurboJam (find it on beachbody.com). It has a good beginning 20 min. workout. A longer cardio workout, and a good weight training workout (perfect for the dumbbells). Also look at your own TV. We have cable and there are tons of FREE workouts available (I'm guessing DirectTV will have them also). We go to the 'On Demand' section of our cable and under sports/fitness there are cardio/weight-based/pilate workouts for an entire range of fitness levels. One dvd will get boring, but use all the resources available to you and keep it fresh.

5. Look at the Big Picture. You have an incredibly lofty long-term goal, but stay in the moment, enjoy and take pride in the daily process of feeling better. Don't get down for example if you lose 'only' ten pounds in Jan. and think of it as 'behind' your six month goal. Instead, know you taken HUGE strides at lowering your blood pressure, feeling more energized, and taking control of your health. You can't lose 100 w/out losing the initial pound first, Do that and move on to the next one. Slow and steady w/an eye on changing your health will realize your overall goal.

Good luck, you can do it, and keep us informed.

 

Justin, I'm with you 100%. My goal this year is to lose at least 50 pounds, with the outside shot at 75. I plan to get back to running ( ran two half marathons and several shorter races and then quit in 2011). Additionally, I'm thinking about trying to find a nutrionist or someone local that can help me with healthier eating choices. I realize google can tell me everything i need, but I'm hoping that forcing myself to talk to someone weekly about it might increase my accountability. Good Luck to you, and if you ever want to vent or discuss on weight loss, hit me up. I'll be there with you!

 

Yeah, I am doing the accountability thing by using Endomondo on my phone and posting the workout to Facebook. I am sure people are getting tired of reading "Justin did weight training for 45 minutes", but it helps me to continue doing this as I know if I stop doing it then people will ask why I haven't worked out or did a walk or whatever. I appreciate the offer of talking about it if I hit roadblocks or whatever and feel free to hit me up as well dude.

Thanks Mo and Joe for the advice. I appreciate the feedback from everybody and I plan on updating the thread with results and such. Thanks again guys!

 

Great Justin, keep it up. Put me to shame because I keep saying I'm going to do these core exercises and I make excuses most days. I've been able to run a bit, but it's not going anywhere unless I get rid of the pain.

Tomorrow, I will do core exercises and row (since snow is predicted). If I dont report then well :romance-ballandchain:

 

Good on ya for your resolution!

Here's my take:

- Never take advice from someone with a gnome as an avatar.
- Even if you don't reach your goal, keep it up; any weight loss is a good thing. For instance: the pessimist in me says that I gained about 10 pounds from August until now; the optimist realizes that I have lost 10 pounds in the past year.
- If you can, check in with your doctor. I was going to say "GP", but that's dating myself. I guess "Internist" (no, not "intern") is the term used these days.
- Make lifestyle choices rather than dieting. One is for the long term and the other is only until a goal is met.
- Realize that fads do not work. A friend who works for one of those Sunday newspaper insert magazines has gone on a low-carb lifestyle. Although there are plenty of low-carb diets practically weekly in that type of magazine, he's doing it with the help of a doctor and LOADS of blood testing. First off, that means that the average person does not have the health insurance to do such a thing, and secondly, it goes totally against the nature of those diets.
- Always remember that there are those of us who are in the same boat. My resolution was to get to the gym 3 times a week, rather than 2. It means that if I have to skip a session, then I have at least two more to do that week.

Good luck with it!

 

I have lost nearly twenty pounds already since the first. This isn't really surprising given the fact that fat people burn more calories and I added in exercise and cut my calories to 2,000 a day. The great part is that I have noticed that I don't breathe as heavily anymore which I didn't think was possible in such a short period of time. Like I can do sprints on a pitch with the ball* and not have to sit down.

I have had cheat days, but I think I am gonna follow RDG's advice and cut those out as this shouldn't be a diet, but a lifestyle change. I know I shouldn't take everything good away, but I am not good at only eating one hamburger or a small fries.


*Speaking of which, how do footballers miss the goal so often? When I am doing that 50 yard sprint it is so easy to get a ton of power on the ball and hit the target. If my fat ass can do it, surely a professional can?