Weight Loss

[XiKeiyaZI]

Stick to a lower weight, high rep routine.

But in all honestly i would not worry one bit about too much mass. Unless your really loading up on protein, 1.5-2 grams per lbs of body weight, you will gain very very slowly.

Even loading up a gain of 1 lb of lean muscle gain per month is hard to do naturally.

Fat people that say they cant lift weights because they gain too muscle are full of shit.

We got my wife back down to <120 lbs after her second kid by lifting free weights and a healthy diet. No calorie cutting, no "no carb" bs.

Well it's certainly not something that I'd expect to get done in a month, even 2-3 months. during that time-frame I felt that I'd gain a bit more muscle than I wanted. I really don't want to be a big muscular frame - just really lean. I just need to get the pattern down of the fastest and most effective way to do it. I'm impatient. As soon as I see results, though, my mindset changes and I start kicking into it harder. I just haven't seen any results yet.

The only place I'd like to get toned up is my chest and abs. I have to get back down to my abs first, however, and setups don't seem too effective so far.

I'll need to go shopping tonight and try to pick and choose items a little bit better based on what would go together. Peanut butter with Breakfast. Lean meats with Dinner. Juices with minimal sugars. Things like that. Also have to make sure I buy crap that others will eat when they open the fridge.

 

[Flash]

I think there is some good advice in this thread. It took me a while to refine my diet. I can't stress how important diet is, the tweaks I've made to my diet have had a direct impact on the sports I do.
Check out this blog for info on exercises and nutrition.
STACK Blog

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

I think there is some good advice in this thread. It took me a while to refine my diet. I can't stress how important diet is, the tweaks I've made to my diet have had a direct impact on the sports I do.
Check out this blog for info on exercises and nutrition.
STACK Blog

Found what I'm reading for the next hour or so.

 

[Flash]

One thing I can say that really helps is avoiding fat and sugars. It takes a while before you get the hang of what to eat and not eat and really tailor the diet to fit yourself. I ate plain steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast for about 1.5 years and that leaned me out and I recently switched to egg whites for breakfast which has helped lean me out further. A guy I follow that is training for the Kona Ironman said he changed his diet to virtually zero carbs- egg whites and steak in morning, chicken and brown rice for lunch, fish or chicken with veggies or beans for dinner and he dropped 4% body fat in 3 weeks, and he was lean to start with so 4% is huge (bikes 50miles/day or swims 1.8 miles/day).
Once you master the diet and what to eat, everything will fall into place.

Also, soda is the devil! A sugar-free Red Bull is a treat I have every week, I won't give that up! FRS makes some good drinks too!

 

[GrattinoDSM]

Just curious as to how much you want to lose? I went on the HCG diet and lost 40lbs, that was before the holidays, I slammed on some turkey, potatoes, etc. For thanksgiving and christmas and still kept it off, and I lost that weight in 40 days

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Huh. That's crazy. Could you go into detail on that one? I've heard of the whole HCG thing but never looked into it. Losing about 40+ would be ideal.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

Yeah I while on that diet I cheated a couple times (shame on me ) if I wouldn't have I. Would have lost 50lbs. Basically would get hcg shots and do them daily, its a strict 500 calorie a day diet. You can lose 1 to 3 pounds a day while on it. Meals consist of 3.5ounces of chicken breast, lean red meat, or some fish, and 3.5 ounces of a fruit and veggie, like a celery stick and a handful of strawberries, etc. When I get my taxes I'm going on round two of it to lose the rest of the weight I've lost. and like I've mentioned, I've kept the weight off as well

Oops sorry and the shots cost 400 but to feed you its less than 20dollars a week(while on the diet)

 

[Maverick4g63]

I thought you said lean out bro. Fourty pounds is more than a five gallon bucket of body fat. I think that falls into more of a complete transformation category. You will definately want to lift and use the additional muscle mass to fill out that extra skin your likely to have. Just be careful when attempting to achieve such a drastic change in overall body mass.

Huh. That's crazy. Could you go into detail on that one? I've heard of the whole HCG thing but never looked into it. Losing about 40+ would be ideal.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Jeeze. I guess the cost is detrimental to the function.

 

[NosLaser]

Some decent info in this thread, and some pretty bad info as well.

Here is the first issue; losing weight "fast." Just to share an anecdotal story, when I did some personal training in the past, I would get a lot of overweight women, typically women in their mid 40's for example, that would weight 185-220ish. Every single one of them would say "I want to lose the weight fast, like in 2-3 months." And I would ask them, "When was the last time you were at an ideal bodyweight?" And they would almost always answer with something like "When I was 21."

So the point is, it took them 20+ years to create the monster they have created, but they want it gone in 2 months. It's just not realistic, nor is it healthy. Weight loss that fast is a surefire way to regress back to something even worse than when you started because you haven't done anything to address a lifestyle change - you have simply thrown a tarp over a problem.

Diet is the NUMBER one variable in weight loss. You can go to the gym 7 days a week, and work your ass off, and literally not lose a pound if your diet is shit. The other variable is resistance training with weights. Show me a slim person that doesn't lift weights, and I'll show you someone who is just skinny-fat.

Muscle development greatly speeds up your basal metabolic rate, which causes your body to work for you 24 hours a day, and not just the hour you are in the gym. The people who get results you'd actually be proud of lift weights, and eat right. Period, end of story. That is what separates the people you'd want to look like from the people you don't want to look like.

So the point of that is resistance training. Do weights, and follow it with your cardio. You'll get results much, much quicker.

As far as diet, it is very simple, and if you can stand to eat pretty much the same thing every day in order to get results, then you obviously want to look good more than you want McDonald's.

Lean protein, good quality carbs, good quality fats, limit sugar and sodium, lots of water, a good multi-vitamin, and that is the bare bones idea.

I eat the same exact thing every day. It makes me feel good every day (I don't get the ups and downs that most people get every day) I perform the same in the gym every day, etc. What's funny is the diet for weight loss is the same as for lean weight gain, you would just consume less than I do. I typically take in about 4500 calories a day.

Here is an idea of what I eat:

Breakfast: Cup of oatmeal (pre-cooked) with cinnamon and stevia, 4 eggs (sometimes in an omelete with tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken, spinach, broccoli, whatever else I may throw in there) and a protein shake with about 34g of protein, and 50g of carbs

Snack: (Yes, I know, not really a 'snack' ) Typically a chicken breast and a sweet potato (plain) or maybe some Jasmine rice, and some greens. Some days I'll do fish or something instead of chicken.

Lunch: Again, typically a couple chicken breasts and sweet potatoes, sometimes a banana, some greek yogurt, almonds, something like that

Snack: Maybe some steak, or just a repeat of the chicken and sweet potato meal

Shake

Gym

Shake

Dinner: 2-3 large chicken breasts, more sweet potatoes, some red potatoes, and a bunch of green veggies

And literally, that is what I do every single day. It is the same for weight loss, you just obviously wouldn't be eating as much as I do.

Using this routine, being strict on my diet and my workouts, and I went from being a depressed 145 to a very happy and healthy 185+ (up to 190 depending on the time of day)

Strength went through the roof as well. I couldn't even think about 225 in bench when I started, now I can do 225 for 18 reps, 275 for 10, en route to a 365 max.

And for the photographic evidence of my transformation so you know I get my information from empirical evidence and not a YouTube video:

Before:

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After: (And I'd look better if I actually put a tan on )

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[XiKeiyaZI]

Holy. Shit. That is a major change if I've ever seen one.

I never expected it to drop off " Fast" , say within a month or two. What I expect it sometime this year. It's not like I spent 20 years packing on weight and want it gone. I've been out of shape for about 2 years now - certainly not something I don't think I can quickly jump back into and get back into shape.

I've dropped Sodas, fast food, and started rationing myself. It takes a lot less to fill me up, I have a constant very mild hungry feeling (Which I'm told is good), and I have quite a bit more energy in the morning. The only thing I haven't been doing is hitting the gym as often as I feel I need to - Mostly due to me waiting to go pick up my new Talon this week -Excited-.

What it comes down to, though, is I have NO idea what is good to eat. Chicken? I know. Fruits and Veggies? Yes. Beyond that? Not sure. I have no idea how to moderate the good with the bad, to stock up on knowledge pertaining to 'Good' Calories and 'Bad' ones. It's all Greek to me. I suppose what I need to do at this point is take the information given here, perhaps go see a personal trainer or someone who is familiar with dieting and physical fitness, and see if they can guide me through say... a week. From there I can take the rest. That or I could just eat less and run more.

 

[Maverick4g63]

Nice job man. Thats a lot of hard work and determination there. Maybe we should get a routine thread started to help everyone along. Im just getting back started after a 4 year hiatus. It feels so lame having to struggle to get back to 1.5x BW bench and 2x BW squat. My squat is coming back fairly quick (only 325 at the moment ), but that bench went to hell in a hand basket.

 

[NosLaser]

Holy. Shit. That is a major change if I've ever seen one.

Thanks man.

I never expected it to drop off " Fast" , say within a month or two. What I expect it sometime this year. It's not like I spent 20 years packing on weight and want it gone. I've been out of shape for about 2 years now - certainly not something I don't think I can quickly jump back into and get back into shape.

That wasn't completely directed just at you, I just wanted to drive home a bit of a point. The best way to go about weight loss, or weight gain, or whatever your goals are, is to assimilate a new lifestyle as part of your routine. Humans are creatures of habit, and the more natural the change, the more likely you are to stick to it.

I've dropped Sodas, fast food, and started rationing myself. It takes a lot less to fill me up, I have a constant very mild hungry feeling (Which I'm told is good), and I have quite a bit more energy in the morning. The only thing I haven't been doing is hitting the gym as often as I feel I need to - Mostly due to me waiting to go pick up my new Talon this week -Excited-.

Yeah, one good quick rule of thumb is "don't drink any calories." That is an easy way to cut your caloric intake down in a day. Even with all the food I eat, I still feel hungry all day . There's like no getting away from it unfortunately.

What it comes down to, though, is I have NO idea what is good to eat. Chicken? I know. Fruits and Veggies? Yes. Beyond that? Not sure. I have no idea how to moderate the good with the bad, to stock up on knowledge pertaining to 'Good' Calories and 'Bad' ones. It's all Greek to me. I suppose what I need to do at this point is take the information given here, perhaps go see a personal trainer or someone who is familiar with dieting and physical fitness, and see if they can guide me through say... a week. From there I can take the rest. That or I could just eat less and run more.

Basically, the old adage of "stick to the perimeter" in the grocery store is somewhat good advice. Stay away from any pre-packaged crap. If I can stick "food" in my pantry in 2012, and still be able to eat it in 2015, then it ain't going in my body.

You can't go wrong with most natural foods, however some fruits are high in sugar, which will slow down your weight loss. Dairy products are actually healthy for you, but dairy helps solidify the fat already existing on your body, and is therefore not ideal for weight loss.

Here are some examples of good stuff:

Proteins

Chicken
Lean Beef
Fish
Eggs

Carbs

Oatmeal
Sweet Potatoes
Red Potatoes
Brown Rice
Jasmine Rice
Green veggies, Tomatoes, Grapefruit, Some other fruits (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas)
(Your body NEEEEEEEDS carbs. Do not cut them out, just minimize them, and try to eat your carbs earlier in the day.)

Fats

Olive oil
Natural Peanut Butter
Almonds
Avocado
(Plus the obvious natural fats you'll obtain through your lean proteins)

Avoid

Sugar
Starchy veggies (corn, peas, carrots, etc.)
Dairy (a little whole milk earlier in the day isn't so bad, but limit it)
Sodium (Want to drop 10 pounds in a week? Completely eliminate sodium, and your body will shed excess water weight)
Hydrogenated oils (Google it. One of the worst things you can put in your body)
Shitty carbs (A lot of carbs, and fast foods for example, are very calorie dense, but carry the nutritional value of a rock. Basically, you are eating a ton of calories for nothing.)

Weights, then cardio, drink a lot of water, get plenty of sleep. Diet fads come and go, but this will work EVERY time.

 

[snowborder714]

Aslan, what's the time difference between your first and second picture? Just so we have an idea as to how long it took you to achieve those results (if the first one was taken very shortly before starting).

 

[NosLaser]

Aslan, what's the time difference between your first and second picture? Just so we have an idea as to how long it took you to achieve those results (if the first one was taken very shortly before starting).

A little over a year. The second pic I was 179, now I'm right at 185. The second pic was from I think August of 2011, so I'm slightly bigger now (by about 6 pounds-ish.)

 

[Flash]

Good advice Nos. After eating healthy for a while you start to hate the crap food like the microwave stuff college kids typically live off of.
Oh and I love water!

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Man, that's so dramatic. I keep cycling back and forth and just.. jeeze. It's very inspiring and I have to say - Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought I enjoyed you before, but now I'm damn near ecstatic to see what you post next.

This is great advice, needless to say. When I shop this weekend I'll be focusing on said foods. my biggest issue isn't going to be switching over or cutting back - I'm very good at radical changes. The challenge is going to be making sure I can free the time to hit the Gym and shop properly. So much of my time is tied up with Work and the DSM ( Work ) that I rarely have the time to leave the house at all - thus is a major part of my problem. I just quit being active.

What are some of the best exercises that can be practiced in order to obtain optimal results? Especially for the abdominal and chest area? My weight came on quickly and it didn't like.. spread, I suppose. It's all packed in that area.

 

[Flash]

Some advice, I grill up a ton of chicken breasts for the week on a Sunday so I can just grab some and go to work during the week.
Best exercises depend on what results you want. I have included plenty of compound exercises that include balance and a lot of core to improve my performance in the pool and they have worked great. But the pool has also helped my lifting considerably also.

Here's some great compounds that I do-
The Athletic Benefits of Compound Exercises | STACK Blog

Articles on core muscles and what exercises to do-
The Complete Core Workout | STACK Blog

Top 10 Exercises for 2011-
STACK Top 10 for 2011: Exercise of the Week | STACK Blog

Just take it easy to begin with, always focus on form, and muscle takes time to build- trying to lift more than you can won't get you there any faster.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Just for the folks who like numbers, you ideally want to lose around 1-2lbs a week with your weight loss routine. This is considered a healthy rate of change that will maximize muscle preservation on a caloric deficit.

 

[rcarbajal4]

I'm a track runner at my college studying kinesiology (sports meds)

Don't try to lose it all In one hit. Not realistic, not healthy, won't happen. Best way I've found is running daily. Running uses energy in your blood, then liver, then fat. Your body will try to replenish these after your workouts, so if u don't take those 2 days off, you'll be targeting the fat more effectively. you dont need to be going all out. In running, consistency is key.
Some ab workouts are good too. Only one session per week is enough. Just make sure you workout to exhaustion when you do(ab workouts more effective this way).
Make sure to drink PLENTY of water. Avoid sodas and sugary drinks. Try to steer away from dairy, not necessary but helps. all dark green vegetables, grilled chicken, tuna, and salmon are great meal options that fill you up with plenty of nutrients and low calories.

Hope this helps and good luck :thumbup:

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Man, that's so dramatic. I keep cycling back and forth and just.. jeeze. It's very inspiring and I have to say - Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought I enjoyed you before, but now I'm damn near ecstatic to see what you post next.

This is great advice, needless to say. When I shop this weekend I'll be focusing on said foods. my biggest issue isn't going to be switching over or cutting back - I'm very good at radical changes. The challenge is going to be making sure I can free the time to hit the Gym and shop properly. So much of my time is tied up with Work and the DSM ( Work ) that I rarely have the time to leave the house at all - thus is a major part of my problem. I just quit being active.

What are some of the best exercises that can be practiced in order to obtain optimal results? Especially for the abdominal and chest area? My weight came on quickly and it didn't like.. spread, I suppose. It's all packed in that area.

That's going to be a combination of genetics and activity level. One of the biggest myths to dispel out there is that you can target fat loss. You can't.

Ok, you can.. But don't even think about it. It's complicated.

So, back to you can't. For instance, visible abdominal muscles is a function of body fat. If you train that muscle group you will increase it's size/work capacity. It may actually make your tum tum larger than it was previously. Losing weight is a function of calories in vs. calories out. Nothing more, so unfortunately we cannot effectively target fat loss in a specific area.

To lose weight in a specific area you will have to lose weight all over.

We should make a FAQ or something, were we can all debate and discuss it's contents.

i.e.
Water
Q. How much water should I consume?
A. 1-2 gallons/day is optimal for a cut or a bulk.

Q. If I don't like drinking water, can I drink something else?
A. No. You can, however, use products such as crystal light to help.

Q. Does coffee or soda count as water?
A. It's complicated..

I know this information is already available all over the place but I was just thinking that this thread will go all over the place with no real organizational method for all the information that we can agree to be true.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Well that settles it for me. Less/better intake, lots of water, and sweating my ass off.

 

[Flash]

You're very knowledgeable PieEyed. Can you give some insight on red meat like beef or bison? I barely eat red meat, but from my understanding it contains more fat. What are your thoughts with red meat in regards to staying lean, but also building muscle.

 

[NosLaser]

Man, that's so dramatic. I keep cycling back and forth and just.. jeeze. It's very inspiring and I have to say - Thank you for taking the time to reply. I thought I enjoyed you before, but now I'm damn near ecstatic to see what you post next.

Thanks man. I'm learning as I go, and I only like sharing things I have some personal experience with that I know work. I know they work because that is exactly what I did.

This is great advice, needless to say. When I shop this weekend I'll be focusing on said foods. my biggest issue isn't going to be switching over or cutting back - I'm very good at radical changes. The challenge is going to be making sure I can free the time to hit the Gym and shop properly. So much of my time is tied up with Work and the DSM ( Work ) that I rarely have the time to leave the house at all - thus is a major part of my problem. I just quit being active.

You should see results pretty quickly, but the more convenient you can make hitting the gym, the more likely you are to establish a routine and stick to it.

What are some of the best exercises that can be practiced in order to obtain optimal results? Especially for the abdominal and chest area? My weight came on quickly and it didn't like.. spread, I suppose. It's all packed in that area.

Like PieEyed said, you can't really target fat areas specifically. While working certain muscle groups will build up heat in that area (and heat does in fact contribute to fat burning) it will be nowhere near like what you'd expect in terms of overall losses. Unfortunately for men, the midsection is usually the first place fat gets put on, and the last place it leaves.

The best thing you can do for your midsection is cardio, and proper diet. Every single person on the planet HAS abs, it's just a matter of burning the fat around them so you can see them. (Genetics plays a large role here as well.)

For you, I would focus first on making sure your form is good on different exercises. Ask questions of the guys that actually look good in the gym. Surprisngly enough, ask some body builders to show you the proper form on particular exercises. Body builders usually have super strict form because they train to get on stage. An injury means they cannot compete. Don't get advice as a beginner from a power lifter, as those guys are hurt all the damn time.

I would focus on the big 3; your bench, dead lift, and squat. They are all compound exercises that utilize large muscle groups which will have the benefit of making you stronger as well as elevating your heart rate.

I try to go heavy on bench, deads, and squats, and work with a moderate weight on all the other 'sculpting' type exercises. For example, I could sit there and jerk 200 pounds on lat pulldown, or I can work with 120, and get a nice tight squeeze on my lats, and really focus on the mind muscle connection. I get MUCH better results that way. I can usually get more results from a 30 pound weight than most people can get from a 60 pound weight, and that comes from learning the proper form, establishing a mind muscle connection, and actually working the muscle I intend to work. Case in point, if you are curling, your legs and back shouldn't be sore the next day

I personally like to split my workouts up by body part. A lot of people do upper body one day, lower the next, or they'll do chest, shoulders, and triceps all on the same day, legs, back, and biceps another day, etc. I like to target a muscle group, and kill it, let it have several days to rest and recover, and then hit it again next week. For example, for most of your pushing exercises, you are going to recruit your shoulders and your triceps. So on bench day, I'll kill chest, and the next day I might do back, and the next day legs, and finally after 2-3 days, I'll do shoulders, or triceps. I want to give the muscles being worked on day 1 a chance to rest, because you grow when you sleep, not when you are in the gym.

Anyway, since I'm rambling I'll wrap this up. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Oh you're not rambling at all - You're helping me get things turned around.