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Burning fat, weight loss, help appreciated.

7K views 26 replies 16 participants last post by  Coq de Combat 
#1 ·
Hey there

This is my problem: I'm fat. Simple as that.

  • height 5 feet, 7 inches
  • weight 220-230 lbs
  • ideal weight about 170-180 lbs (in the army, about 10 years ago)

So I need to lose about 50 lbs. The exact amount of lbs is not really important, I just want to have a healthier body.

Normally I eat toasted white bread for breakfast, something small for lunch, normal food for dinner and lately I've began to eat shit (candy, crisps, etc.) before bedtime.

The obvious things are: better breakfast and lunch. No more candy, soda or crisps. As for dinner, I have a family and we have a limited amount of money to put on food, so I'm planning to eat whatever my family eats, for example beef with potatoes, fish with mashed potatoes, pasta salad, etc.

I figure I should start working out too, and this is where you guys come in.

I simply don't know where to begin.

We have a crosstrainer in our living room (which I've just started using), so my plan is to do a good 15 mins of crosstraining every day. But maybe I should do something else too? I've heard about this "insanity" (Shawn T) - is it good for me?

I guess I should say that my back is pretty messed up from working with sheet metal for years, so obviously I want to avoid hurting it - I mean, maybe I shouldn't do exercises that are intensive on my back? It's an injury on a couple of discs. I can live without main killers for it, but lifting too much weight can make it ache quite a bit. Again, this is from a work related injury and the doctors can't do anything but put me on pain killers, which I don't want to mess with.

Should I do crosstraining alone?
Should I do this "insanity" or some other form of aerobics?
Should I do something more "weight lifting" wise?
Should I consider fat burning products?

My main goal is to lose weight, not to build muscles. Muscle wise I'm okay where I am right now. I can't really go out on long jogging tours or walks either, due to family situation being what it is (I need to be where my kids are atm - long story).

Otherwise: I extremely rarely drink alcohol, I don't smoke or use any other tobacco, I occasionally drink a cop of coffee - otherwise I'm pretty clean. I sit a lot because of being into computer science.

I know I can't ask anything specific for me from you guys, but perhaps a few pointers as to where to start and what kind of training I should do...

In short, help? :confused02:
 
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#2 ·
Okay first thing **** the white bread. That shit is the enemy. Try and replace that with oats. Oats are the shit and they make you and keep you full like a boss.

After reading you don't want to build muscles I have some good news for you :D its going to be a lot easier. Truth be told as long as you eat less calories than your body uses you will lose weight. I'd say try and aim for 1800-2200calories a day. Doesn't matter to a great degree what you eat if you just want to lose weight, all that matters is the number of calories you take in. You will lose weight a bit faster with exercise but exercise makes things tricky because you have to eat more. Don't starve yourself but limit your intake, I'd advise oats, green veggies and plenty of water. :)
 
#4 ·
Thanks mate. I'll give it a try! :)

Truth be told tho, I think I'd be cheating myself if I didn't do any kind of exercising, because my cardio is pretty awful. I don't know if it's the over weight, or if it's the cardio being real bad but I can't walk up the stairs like I used to without breathing heavy. So, I'll definitely do some exercising, but maybe not going overboard with it. Just so my cardio gets better, and I keep my calories intake lower than my body uses.

what xeb said.

especially about white bread and
the real bottom line is calories in< calories burned.

one thing I've seen people have success with that fits in with the things you said is ; use your cross trainer or some kind of cardio in the morning before breakfast and after a cup of coffee. It's supposed to burn more fat.
Interesting. I think I might just try to do that. If anything, I always feel a bit fresher after using it and taking a shower, so I'd start off the day in better manner. And oats afterwards. ;)

Thank you guys, I feel a bit more sure about it now. Oats, veggies, cardio exercising in the morning and plenty of water!
 
#3 ·
what xeb said.

especially about white bread and
the real bottom line is calories in< calories burned.

one thing I've seen people have success with that fits in with the things you said is ; use your cross trainer or some kind of cardio in the morning before breakfast and after a cup of coffee. It's supposed to burn more fat.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, but as said, it's hard to find the time for outside training. I will hit the crosstrainer every day (at least I've planned on doing it) - right now is a bit hard because of not being at home (we've just moved out to the country side for the summer).

On the other hand, being on the country side gives me a lot of other training/exercises opportunities, such as cutting up wood, cutting grass, and the likes.
I would also give serious consideration to the frequency you eat. I had a great deal of success eating 6 or 7 smaller meals per day rather than one or two small ones and then one large dinner. Portion control will truly help loose weight rapidly.

I agree with the other responses in so far as white bread. If you need bread, go with 12 Grain or even whole wheat (read the surgar/carb content on the label).

Even though you say you dont want muscle - A little lean muscle will go a long way. The more lean body mass you have, the more calories your body burns just sitting there! You have probably heard the saying "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer"... Think if that in association to fitness. The more lean you are, the leaner you will get. the more body fat you have, the more fat you will easily collect.

You dont have to hit the gym with super high intensity training - Just simple plyometrics at home 3 times a week can help with that.

Good luck - And remember, a fit life starts at day one. Somtimes the results take a while to show. But you will certainly feel healthier sooner than you think.
Wow, great post. Thanks. Yeah, it's not that I'm allergic to lifting weight or anything, just that I'm pretty content with my body when it comes to pure strength/muscles. But I'm not going to say "no thanks" to building up my body a bit more.

Are push ups and sit ups good training for me, considering my "problems"?

I'm still a bit unsure whether I should do the insanity work out, or not. I guess it wouldn't harm me if I tried. :confused02:
 
#6 ·
I would also give serious consideration to the frequency you eat. I had a great deal of success eating 6 or 7 smaller meals per day rather than one or two small ones and then one large dinner. Portion control will truly help loose weight rapidly.

I agree with the other responses in so far as white bread. If you need bread, go with 12 Grain or even whole wheat (read the surgar/carb content on the label).

Even though you say you dont want muscle - A little lean muscle will go a long way. The more lean body mass you have, the more calories your body burns just sitting there! You have probably heard the saying "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer"... Think if that in association to fitness. The more lean you are, the leaner you will get. the more body fat you have, the more fat you will easily collect.

You dont have to hit the gym with super high intensity training - Just simple plyometrics at home 3 times a week can help with that.

Good luck - And remember, a fit life starts at day one. Somtimes the results take a while to show. But you will certainly feel healthier sooner than you think.
 
#8 ·
Push Ups and Sit Ups are just fine. You can try pushups with your knees on the floor at first and once you build up strength you can go to the traditional form. When your strength build up even more, move to elevating your feet on a bench (or chair) in order to increase both intensity and mimic the form of an incline bench press.

Sit ups should be in the form of crunches - You can also add knee raises by sitting on a bench and bending your knees up to your chest. This will work your lower abs.

All of this can easily be done from the comfort of your living room - Or in your case, your computer room! (lol).

Rememeber though - Nutrition plays an even larger role in weight loss. All the excercise in the world wont burn off the crap and junk we sometimes eat!
 
#11 ·
Help

As a concept losing weight is easy, burn more calories than you take in and you will accomplish your goal. The challenge comes in when you make things more complicated that they need to be.
Lets start with some points that have helped me and some of my students at the gym.
1) Have a purpose. Losing weight is not enough. this is your life the only one you get. there are people that count on you and need you healthy. consider those points.
2) Start - don't worry about the best way or the fastest way. If you are going to be healthy or learn mma you need a long term focus. People who train to lose a quick five pounds or to compete in one fight rarely succeed. those with long term focus do better.
3) Designate a time to workout and/or train. Its better to start with 6 days a week. You might do 3 longer workouts and 3 shorter workouts. Just have a plan to do something each day even if its only taking the dog for a 30 min walk. This makes it easier to start and form a habit.

I write a daily blog for my students and i think it could help you if you want to receive it go to mma13.com. Each day you will get a new short training tip that can help you stay motivated. Good luck with your goal my friend.
 
#15 · (Edited)
As a concept losing weight is easy, burn more calories than you take in and you will accomplish your goal. The challenge comes in when you make things more complicated that they need to be.
Lets start
As a matter of fact, you are never going to loose the weight or say burn fat by following strict diet health chart. Between January 10, 2008 and April 15, 2008 I lost about fifty pounds. There are few tips which I worked on. And those tips really worked for me. Basically, these tips work well because almost every tip is focused around completing a small goal. In my opinion, to stay motivated and lose a significant amount of weight, you should complete many goals in a short period of time. The reason I call these tips unconventional is that I had not seen a majority of them before starting my diet. This seems easy enough. I recommend that before starting a diet, buy a scale that is accurate to .2 (two-hundredths of a pound). I will explain why below. I also recommend either buying a scale that can record your daily weight, or manually logging your weight everyday. I bought a scale that was accurate to .2 and logged my weight at Sam’s Club for $22. It has been a great investment.

Another step you can try out to burn fat, which is obvious and broadly recommended, however, the reason I recommend it is slightly different. Drinking eight glasses of water per day helps you “feel less hungry.” I can’t prove this scientifically; however, when I am at work, I drink 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups in the evening. On the days that I don’t drink the water, I feel hungrier, earlier. Also, on the days I don’t drink water I feel sleepier, sooner. Don’t feel intimidated by trying to drink 8 glasses of water. Try doing what I do: I have a pint glass I keep at work, it holds sixteen ounces (as all pint glasses do). All I do is drink two pints of water in the morning and two in the afternoon.

Try them out, might be helpful for you as well. :)

Men always look for weight loss, so that they may look fit and with this might increase their fertility as well. Well, the first thing to do is to stop any habits that can cause the problems of infertility. Smoking, consuming alcohol, and caffeine are the three worst offenders. Both nicotine and alcohol have a negative influence on fertility levels by reducing the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients such as zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.

Caffeine is equally as damaging to chances of a natural conception. Zita West, in her book Fertility and Conception: The Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant,argues that caffeine can potentially delay chances of conceiving by up to 50%, and can also increase the chances of premature birth. Caffeine is not just found in coffee and tea (although tea contains less than coffee), but also in many soft drinks such as Coke.
 
#12 ·
I am sorry I haven't been able to respond to this thread in a long time. I am not at home, and internet here is very icky. It works, then it can lay off for an hour, then work.. and so on.

I have tried responding to other people, and it simply hasn't worked well at all.

Anyway, I have begun moving around a lot more, physically I mean. I haven't had the chance to change my diet though, because we're now at least 8 people eating the same food every day. Although I'm eating a lot more green and healthy now.

I will do a better update later when I get home. In two three weeks that is.

Thanks for all the advice. It's worth a lot for me guys..!

Thank you.
 
#13 ·
Recently starting taking these pills called 'Cut and Burn' by nutrisport. Basically it is a thermogenic formula meaning you naturally are burning away fat even while not doing excercise. I do warn you they contain quite a bit of caffiene so if your not used to it that could be a problem, but it has worked wonders for me. Second to that by some trainers and go out for a run, book a place in a half marathon or something and have that as your goal and go for it!
 
#17 · (Edited)
Wow, been a while since I visited this thread. I will make an update right now - but first I will answer these quotes I haven't been able to answer during the summer:



These sound interesting. Will have to check them out.

I am actually quite used to coffee. I used to drink a *lot* of it before. At one time I went straight to bed after 8 cups (perhaps 4 tea-mugs) and fell asleep right after, so a little coffeine won't kill me.

Thanks a lot my friend.

I will suggest that nothing will happen if the exercise and food slection goes in the right direction in fat loss.
Deny energy drink and carbohydrates,rich protein food content,fried and oily,restaurant meal.
Try to eat fruits and veggies as well as green tea.

chicago gym
Yeah, I have completely switched my daily intake from eating junk food to eating salads every day. It has helped me, not only in the weight loss, but also in making me feel a lot better about myself. There is a certain mental feel-good aspect to it.

As a matter of fact, you are never going to loose the weight or say burn fat by following strict diet health chart. Between January 10, 2008 and April 15, 2008 I lost about fifty pounds. There are few tips which I worked on. And those tips really worked for me. Basically, these tips work well because almost every tip is focused around completing a small goal. In my opinion, to stay motivated and lose a significant amount of weight, you should complete many goals in a short period of time. The reason I call these tips unconventional is that I had not seen a majority of them before starting my diet. This seems easy enough. I recommend that before starting a diet, buy a scale that is accurate to .2 (two-hundredths of a pound). I will explain why below. I also recommend either buying a scale that can record your daily weight, or manually logging your weight everyday. I bought a scale that was accurate to .2 and logged my weight at Sam’s Club for $22. It has been a great investment.

Another step you can try out to burn fat, which is obvious and broadly recommended, however, the reason I recommend it is slightly different. Drinking eight glasses of water per day helps you “feel less hungry.” I can’t prove this scientifically; however, when I am at work, I drink 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups in the evening. On the days that I don’t drink the water, I feel hungrier, earlier. Also, on the days I don’t drink water I feel sleepier, sooner. Don’t feel intimidated by trying to drink 8 glasses of water. Try doing what I do: I have a pint glass I keep at work, it holds sixteen ounces (as all pint glasses do). All I do is drink two pints of water in the morning and two in the afternoon.

Try them out, might be helpful for you as well. :)

Men always look for weight loss, so that they may look fit and with this might increase their fertility as well. Well, the first thing to do is to stop any habits that can cause the problems of infertility. Smoking, consuming alcohol, and caffeine are the three worst offenders. Both nicotine and alcohol have a negative influence on fertility levels by reducing the body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients such as zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.

Caffeine is equally as damaging to chances of a natural conception. Zita West, in her book Fertility and Conception: The Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant,argues that caffeine can potentially delay chances of conceiving by up to 50%, and can also increase the chances of premature birth. Caffeine is not just found in coffee and tea (although tea contains less than coffee), but also in many soft drinks such as Coke.
Wow, thanks for that superbig text.

First I will respond to the scale thing: I know I should invest in a scale, but I haven't done so. I started changing my diet this summer, and also I started doing exercises every day. I have lost some weight actually, but the sad part is that I don't know how much, since I don't have a good scale. Then again, looking in the mirror has been a good measure anyway.

Second: Fertility. I am in the middle of a divorce (so, basically I'm losing a lot of weight at the same time LOL). Anyway, fertility is not my main issue, since I already have two kids as we speak, and I have no plans to start planning any more. I think two will do just fine. As for cigarettes, coffee and alcohol, I guess I have a coffee every once in a while (far from daily, think more like 2 cups a week). I am sober, because of a former drug abuse period in my life. This is a self chosen path also, so it's not a "must" - alcohol just doesn't do it for me anymore. Cigarettes tho - I did quit a couple of years ago, but just recently because of the divorce I guess I have chosen to start smoking again. I am *trying* to keep it under control, but I know just as well as you, that in the end it is probably the cigarettes that will be keeping me in control.

However, this smoking is only temporary. It's just a great catalysator for thinking those deeper thoughts while being in this shitty situation of mine. I know it's bad for my health, but seeing as I'm sober in every other way - I'm thinking "sod it, for now I am allowed to have a bad habit".

Some pretty sound advice given by everyone here.

I'd like to say though, that caffeine is actually a great tool for burning fat, especially if taken directly after a glass of grapefruit juice, as this helps prolong the fat-burning effects of caffeine. Increased water intake is really beneficial, as it allows your liver to stop picking up the slack of the kidneys and perform its own job at 100%. Dont drink calories either. Switch to diet soft drinks, but limit these to around 600ml a day, as the artificial sweeteners are almost as bad as sugar.

Theres a great diet in the book "4 Hour Body" by Tim Ferriss. I followed it and dropped from 175lbs to 140lbs in 3 months, and dropped from 24% body fat to 10% body fat. It really is the sh!t. Your diet should be a lifestyle change more than anything else.

Seriously look at the book i mentioned, its pretty much my diet bible now.

Good luck!
Thanks mate, yeah, I don't even drink soft drinks anymore. Not even once a month. Zilch. Nada.

I will drink more water though. I think I drink a good amount of water now, but it's not an excessive amount by any means. Think maybe 2 litres a day perhaps.

I think I'll try that coffee on top of grapefruit juice too. Thanks again.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Update 1:

So, yes, I have been actively "dieting" (not really, just a change in the sizes of my portions and eating more salads instead of fatty food). I have stopped eating bread. I don't drink soft drinks. I rarely take a candy or two - and I mean like a small bag candy a month. If I feel the urge to eat candy, I usually take a tomato or a carrot instead. I don't know if it's a lot healthier, but it keeps the candy cravings at bay.

I have also started exercising. I started maybe a month ago by taking small walks. Think 3-4 kms a day. This has been going pretty well, and I'm up at 6-15kms a day at the moment. Power walking that is. I feel cardio wise a LOT better right now, and I feel a lot better about myself too. This has also had a pretty significant change in my mental health - I just feel better in every way.

As said earlier, I don't know how much weight I have lost, but I can now see my dick when taking a leak. My gut fat is also dramatically smaller in size, but also a lot "softer". I don't know why, but I imagine that it could be because of losing weight.

I have unfortunately hurt my back in my job many years ago, which has immobilized me for a week (as well as a flu) now, from exercising. But it's feeling a lot better now already and today I could take a 3 km walk without bigger problems. It's 99% certainty a herniated disc according to my doctor - so I'm kinda taking it easy and trying smaller exercises on my back in wait for it to "pop back in". Hurts like ****, but I'm in good mood.

I have also started taking vitamins and eating fish daily.

So, thank you guys for every tip. I think I have incorporated a lot of your tips, and developed some kind of middle road between everything. I will keep doing my thing, and maybe one day I will look like I did 4-5 years ago - slim and good looking!

:thumb02:
 
#16 ·
Some pretty sound advice given by everyone here.

I'd like to say though, that caffeine is actually a great tool for burning fat, especially if taken directly after a glass of grapefruit juice, as this helps prolong the fat-burning effects of caffeine. Increased water intake is really beneficial, as it allows your liver to stop picking up the slack of the kidneys and perform its own job at 100%. Dont drink calories either. Switch to diet soft drinks, but limit these to around 600ml a day, as the artificial sweeteners are almost as bad as sugar.

Theres a great diet in the book "4 Hour Body" by Tim Ferriss. I followed it and dropped from 175lbs to 140lbs in 3 months, and dropped from 24% body fat to 10% body fat. It really is the sh!t. Your diet should be a lifestyle change more than anything else.

Seriously look at the book i mentioned, its pretty much my diet bible now.

Good luck!
 
#20 ·
Always open for new ideas, my friend. Powerwalking and working on the crosstrainer does it's job good, but it's already feeling a bit "been there done that" - a new challenge would be much appreciated. Walking 15 km is a good challenge, but it can be somewhat boring as well.

:praise01:
 
#26 ·
I don't know if OP still wants help but since this was bumped I guess I will try to give my advice. Working out is useless of you don't lose more calories then your daily caloric limit. Go google a calorie maintenance calculator and put in your age, height, and weight. It will give you a number of how many calories you would need to consume to stay the EXACT same. Now you have that number you need to be under that everyday, I would suggest about 300 from diet and whatever you lose from working out. Eat 5 portioned meals a day rather that 3 large meals, this will keep your metabolism running and essentially make it easier for you to burn fat. Don't ever let yourself go hungry! When you do, your body uses your muscles as fuel rather then the food, so eat when your hungry, even if it's just a handful of almonds.

As for workouts, google "HIIT" it's way too much to explain but basically it's going all out for a short period of time with little rests, it shocks your body and goes into fat burn mode and burns calories and fat for 24 straight hours.
 
#27 ·
Yes, I am still interested in losing weight. I have lost a lot of weight, but there's still more to go. I do however get compliments all the time, that I am looking a lot leaner and thinner. However, this last week I've done some bad choices concerning diet. Too bad, however, I think that I'd done the bad choices all the time instead of just a week if I didn't get on this weight loss freight train. So, considering that I am pretty well off in a way.

This week I'm back on the "good choices" diet. Lots of veggies and so on.

Thanks to all of you, I now have the tools to effectively lose all that overweight. I'll get back with a more detailed update later on.

Feels great to have shirts that fit or are a bit too big, instead of being too small. Sign of weight loss.
 
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