Gained weight from a busy program. help

[rudamentary]

I've never been one to work out or eat healthy, luckily my metabolism carried me up to this point. I don't get out and play like i used to. I guess my terrible habits are biting me in the ass. I'm 6'2-3" and i weight like 217 and startin to develop a gut.

I definately see that I need to change how i eat. But I would like to get rid of as much of this as I can before the semester ends and I start goin out again for the summer. I'll try to post some pictures if need be. I could really use the help. I've read some stuff about nuitrition but I don't think I could live my life measuring how many calories I'm taking in daily and what kind of fats I'm eating.

So some "common sense" advice or "just do a bunch of this" type suggestions would be awesome. Body fat is my concern right now. I'd really appreciate it.

[rudamentary]

Did I post the information wrong or something?

[Swartz]

Your post is a pain in the ass to read. I know that much. I think you need to specify though. Is it simply just to lower your body fat?

[rudamentary]

tried to edit it down.

Ya, for now simply body fat anything else is just a side product

[Confucius]

Very basically weight change = calories in - calories out

Calories in higher than calories out, you gain weight
Calories in lower than calories out, you lose weight

Lower calories in by replacing breads, candies, snacks (high calorie, less of a filling sensation) with more veggies, fruit, whole grains (lower calorie dense, more filling, healthier). Eat protein rich foods.

Increase calories out by doing cardio or HIIT everyday or every 2 days. Preferably something that is not boring (I like swimming like a madman for short bursts) Get your ass off of the chair/couch and keep more active throughout the day. Weight training is a great option if you are concerned about appearance.

Really though, I'd encourage you to read about fats and calculate the meals you eat when you're not doing anything, it helps a lot having a general sense of what you're eating.

[rudamentary]

HIIT = high intensity interval training?
What I found on it through searches seems to be elaborate excersizes, are there some simple ones I can do?

Thanks, that was a good basis of information and I think I know where to start now, I appreciate it.

[Confucius]

Yes that is what HIIT is.

No need to overcomplicate it you can pick any cardio. Do it furiously for 15-45 seconds. Do it slowly between 1 and 2 minutes to recuperate. Repeat 5-10 times.

Apparently you're unfit, you'll probably just do it 2 or 3 times then be unable to do it intensely, it's cool, just try to start sessions lasting 30 minutes and gradually push yourself to an hour. Don't be lazy when you do it, you'll be satisfied. It worked well for me a long time ago. Losing fat is easy if you have a minimum of dedication : P

[BigBadDave]

Go on teh main site, in the nutrition section. That has plenty of info about cleaning up your diet and keeping activo.

[mathew]

i can understand excess body fat or weight is an imp aspect with cannot be neglected.. food habits , thta the cause for everythin.. i think u might hv to change tht to get in shape.. do somethin before it gets too late
i came across this article n i think if you follw the steps thy hv mentioned it would be better for u.. Good Luck...:smile:

http://in.88db.com/bangalore/Knowledge/Knowledge_Detail.page?kid=901

[rudamentary]

Its been about a month, I stopped drinking soda and eating candy. I don't eat fastfood(as much) twice so far in the last 4-5 weeks. My normal meals are usually chicken, rice and some steamed or boiled vegatables.

But in 5 weeks I've only lost 4 lbs.

I despise cardio I can't bring myself to walk/run for more than 10-15mins, I just get so bored. I got a bike, I make a strong effort to do at least 1-2 sessions a week of 7-10 miles, I ride it when I run errands around the neighborhood also.

I know I should be happy im losing any, but man..its de-motivating.

[Caveman]

If you've only lost 4lbs in 5 weeks you're missing something from your nutrition or training plan, try keeping logs for a week and find out exactly what your intake is.

Cardio doesn't matter so much in fat loss as much as diet, if you have a solid diet and weight training you can lose fat on this alone mostly until you get further into fat loss.

[Shaedar]

Long runs can be boring, I hate to do it if my mp3 battery is out. I need music it's so much better with it. I also ponder about random stuff a lot, it keeps my mind occupied and I resolve quite a few problems and dilemas while running.

When I get back from a run I'm a wiser and a happier man :wise:

[Dimitri-]

Try fasted cardio, juji has a small part on it on the main site. I started doing that a few days a week and I feel like its working. (AlthoughI am not trying to lose weight, but trying to lose body fat) Its pretty simple.

Wake up bout 8-9 (I only do it if its nice out)
Have small cup of black coffee w/ a 2-3egg white omellete
Chill / Stretch for 30-45 mins
POUND about a liter of water
Take a spirited bike ride for a half hour or so, on a 1-10 scale (starting slow at pace of 1 then going up and up) and make sure you feel a sweat.

I know its a debated method but this is how ive been doing it and I think it works, im waiting another month to weigh myself

[Ashtar]

Fuck this sounds a lot like me except for the whole 'my metabolism carried me' part. Rudamentary, I challenge you to a bodyweight exercise contest! I can do a chinup with 15 extra pounds, or bodyweight for 7 repetitions, can you? Tell me what you achieved, I will soon surpass it, and this will infuriate you to surpass yourself!

[rudamentary]

Can I replace a ton of walking or bike riding with bodyweight excersizes? That would be nice, if I could play music and have a little regiment or something, I think I could pull that off. Its better than walking around...for an extended period of time not particularly heading anywhere.

Edit: Lol...I think I could do 9 chinups in a day total. And I'd need a nap in-between each.

[Lord Nirmal]

Trying to lose weight and get in shape without counting calories and complicated exercises is like trying to win a boxing match drunk and blind.

[Andy Longcat]

Yes, if Ashtar surpassed me in anything I would probably off myself.

Really though, just run! hahaha I know it sucks, but once you get your rhythm going it's nothing. I hate running, but once I start I can do a good couple of miles.

There is no miracle to losing fat other than a good diet and exercise.

[AndyLeTerrible]

there's no point in guessing what kinda calories you're taking in. make sure you count how many calories you are eating for every meal, snack, drink for every day etc. as you said you've noticed a bit of a result. but if you want fast, noticable results you need to do it correctly. work out how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight, subtract 500 calories from that and eat that amount of food, or more preferably eat the amount of calories your body needs to maintain your current weight then burn off those 500 calories via excercise. or both, eat 250 less calories than what your body needs & burn off 250 from excercise. if you stick at it you will be looking at about a 2 pound fat loss per week. Also you'd probably get more benifits in lifting weights for the excercise rather than just doing cardio. or again, do both

[rudamentary]

Here are some terrible pictures I took last wednesday. The second one is a lil blurry I couldnt hold the camera still in that position. But it gets the point/problem across I think.

http://i43.tinypic.com/5ma1e.jpg

So about logging. Do I log everything I eat or just my total calories for the day? I'm also curious about something, my appetite has never been that big. Should I be making myself eat even if I'm not hungry? Like today I haven't been hungry at all. I had to force myself to eat what i did. Its like 10pm I been up since 8am, I've had a boiled egg, a banana, 2 apples , a half a chicken breast from yesterday and corn on the cob.

I really appreciate all the help and advice you guys are giving me. Thanks.

[Ashtar]

Woah are these flirtation pics or something? How come your pants are hanging 3 inches lower than your underwear? I know the tendency to wear underwear high and very snug and pull the shirt over it, but when posing shirtless it is good to spend some moments pulling it down. Also for the future, image can be embedded:
http://i43.tinypic.com/5ma1e.jpg
Man, I was looking at this pic and the mirror and I thought I would look better but I don't! Let's diet!

[rudamentary]

LOL flirtatious picture. my bad, excuse the bad taste, just how i wear my shorts and I wasn't really taking the pictures to post them, I just figured it would be a good idea to show after the fact.

Thanks for the advice for the future posts. I'll try to remember that.

[Caveman]

Log everything you eat for a week, it's much easier to manipulate your diet when you know what your diet is.

[Honken]

My normal meals are usually chicken, rice and some steamed or boiled vegatables.

Where do you get your fat from? Low fat diets always tend to make people skinny-fat.

[rudamentary]

Hoken, that is my normal meals SINCE I've changed what I eat. Prior to that, it was usually some random cheap take-out or something fried. Basically whatever took the least amount of time to get or make and eat.

Alright Caveman thanks. I guess I'll be back in a week to post that list. Should be interesting.

[Honken]

You didn't answer my question.

Only eating lean meat, starch and vegetables would mean that your fat intake is low.

[rudamentary]

Oh I see what youre saying now. I mis-read it.

Hmm good question? I still eat eggs, milk, yogurt, beef, fish, etc.
I don't really know much about nutrition im learning i guess. I just been picking stuff from that whfoods.com list and trying to get a couple things from each section. Chicken is just my staple cuz i dont know many dishes for much else yet.

[Honken]

Oh good, I thought you basically didn't eat fat. Just keep logging for a week, it's easier to figure out if anything needs to be changed that way.

Good luck! :smile:

[Ashtar]

Needs flax 'n cod liver!

[rudamentary]

Not sure how else to post the list other than...list form. So I'm goin to do that i guess and see what problems you guys notice.

Previous Week:

+1 multi-vitaman everyday
-Monday-
Boiled Egg
Banana
2 apples
Chicken Breast
Baked Pork Cutlet
Corn on the Cob
16oz Apple Juice
-Tuesday-
16oz Pineapple Orange Juice
10 Cherries
2 Jimmy John subs
- country Club
- Veggie Club
Grapes
Cherries
-Wednesday-
9oz Peach Orchard Juice
1 cup of low fat yogurt
Handfull of assorted Nuts
1 1/2 Chicken Breast
Steamed mixed vegatables
- 2 oat bars
100 calorie chips ahoy bag
-Thursday-
Scrambled eggs, beef patty, grapes
12oz peach orchard juice
lean beef, potatoe,mixed veggie casserole
2 beers
1 pear
1 apple
-Friday-
1 Banana
2 Kiwi
1 Bagle + Cream cheese
Braised Turkey, fingerling potatoes, boiled corn
-Saturday-
Chili's 16oz Ribeye steak with steamed veggies and a potatoe.
Small bag of Baked potatoe chips
32oz orange carrot juice
-Sunday-
Turkey breast sandwich with mayo
Chicken Carbanara with steamed broccoli
3 chocolate truffles
-Monday-
Big glass of orange juice
2 peanut butter granola bars (kashi)
2 boiled eggs
3 homemade tacos with rice veggies and lean beef.
strawberry apricot fruit smoothee

[rudamentary]

Can anyone see why I'm not dropping this weight any quicker?

[Raje]

From my opinion, your diet looks quite messy I mean on some days from the looks of it your having say 1-2 meals and snacking on some fruit

It will be a good idea for you to count your calories for each meal

also, find out your maintenance calories and subtract 500-1000 calories from it, although I'd go with closer to the 500 and keep subtracting each week if you don't see any change in weight

Use weight training as a way to speed up your metabolism too

[Keene]

I used to be 73 kilos... Dropped to 65 kilos in a month, simply by making sure I don't eat anything "Bad", minimizing simple carbs like pasta, breads... noodles blah blah blah, all the empty things that are pretty much just carbs, eat plenty of fruit and vegies, drink water all the time (It fills you up and then goes straight out the other end! YAY!) and try to do at least half an hour of excersize a day.

I used to run about 5 kilometres every day. This was when I wasn't big on tricking, I was training for Judo Nationals. However I did it, without counting calories, logging what I eat.

Just be disciplined, use common sense and EXERCISE!!!

The main thing is the simple rule posted by Confucius:

Eat less calories than you use!

Seriously this weight loss dilemma has been over complicated.

[Madyson]

I'm also curious about something, my appetite has never been that big. Should I be making myself eat even if I'm not hungry? Like today I haven't been hungry at all. I had to force myself to eat what i did. Its like 10pm I been up since 8am, I've had a boiled egg, a banana, 2 apples , a half a chicken breast from yesterday and corn on the cob.

I really appreciate all the help and advice you guys are giving me. Thanks.

Do you eat breakfast? Dude, yes breakfast, you need to. If you don't eat within about an hour of waking up your metabolism sloooooooowwwwws down, and then you're screwed for the rest of the day. Your appetite will go down, you'll be sluggish, and you body will not want to lose any weight. What you have listed up there is way not enough food. It sounds counter intuitive, but sometimes you have to actually eat more to lose weight. If your body isn't taking in enough energy it will slow down your metabolism in an effort to store as much as it can. My best suggestion would be for you to train you body to know when to be hungry. Try your hardest to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time each day for a week or two (also try to do this with a snack between breakfast and lunch, and another between lunch and dinner). Figure out your daily caloric needs and divide them among your meals and snacks and eat at the planned time whether you are hungry or not. This will keep your metabolism going strong all day. And don't worry about gaining weight because you are eating when you are not hungry. If you do your math correctly you will not be taking in any more calories than you are burning off just by being alive. This might take some adjusting time, you might gain a pound or two until your metabolism adjusts but stick with it because it's healthy and WILL get you to lose fat.