Hey all,
I'm new to this site/forums. I have started to change my diet and workout plans as I would really like to loose a bit of weight. This all came about as I got my family a WiiFit and the thing said I was 2pts away from being obese. I am 5'9" - about 200lbs - About 5 years ago I use to be an avid weight lifter and I'm a bit thicker in the upper body - Obese I'm not - a bit of a belly - yes. I'm on the "I need to loose weight" thing and want to drop about 20lbs. - I have never been one to use supplements to assist in gain or loose.
So my question is this: At GNC they have a package that allows you to loose like 15-20lbs in a short period of time (30 days). There are 4 bottles of supplements that you take at different times and stages of food intake and workouts. Is this something that can work or is this another one of those - 80% of the people out these will not work on?
I'm eager to loose the weight but not at the cost of feeling anxious, jittery, scattered, and everything else that some of these supplements can do to one's body.
Thoughts/suggestions?
You will find that most people here prefer a slow and natural approach to weight loss. We have found that the quickie fixes, and we have tried most of them, generally lead to gaining back everything you lost and then some.
Fad diets are temporary things where you eat in a manner you have no intention of continuing to, probably couldn't. So once you are off the diet, you go back to the eating habits that made the diet necessary to begin with. You can lose only about 1% of your weight in fat a week. If you go for an approach that makes you lose more, it will come from muscle. Now muscle burns calories, so if you lose muscle, you will need fewer calories to survive. So, if you use supplements or any approach that makes you lose too quickly and doesn't improve your eating habits long term, you end up with less muscle to burn calories and eating as many or more calories than before. It is a guaranteed long term weight gain strategy.
One other note: If you used to be an avid lifter, you probably still have a lot more muscle than most people. Wii and most other weight/BMI charts assume an "average" person who will have less muscle than you do. Muscle weighs more than fat and so your results will not be correct.
Thank you for your reply. I will take the advice and not use them and do the 5-6 smaller meals a day and try to do at least 5 days at the gym.
I have been getting into a pattern where I start off with 20 minutes brisk walk on the tread mill - 3.5 mph at a 7 incline at the start of each work out - I then go do my upper body work out on Monday's, Tuesday I do lower, Wednesdays I do a 45-60 minute brisk walk (today I did 50 minutes - my new record) and the Thursdays upper and Friday's lower.
I'm not sure I should do anything on the weekends and give my body a rest.
I find weekends are a true test of will power to keep in control or more importantly, not to skip meals.
I mean, I have more of a gut than I should, but I also have a lot more muscle than the average population...
Thank you - I will not regard the BMI as a way to be but more of a simple guide line.
Kind regards,
Weekends are my downfall too. It is always harder to eat right on them. A lot of people have a "cheat" day where they are allowed to eat less healthy or have some beers or dessert. The trick is to keep it from turning into a 3 day "cheat" day.
A day off of exercise is important to prevent overtraining. I am sure you already know that. Your routine looks good. I am sure you will be taking off that extra weight at a rate I can only envy. Good luck.
Definitely don't go by the BMI chart. That's the lazy doctor's tool to nutrition advice. It's no more than a guide for a small population. I'll give you a great example of a bodybuilder friend of mine who weighs 194 and is 5 foot 10 inches tall. He's considered well overweight for his height, but he's got 4.2% bodyfat.
I personally got an Accu-Measure caliper and have started to use that to help determine bodyfat and also kept track of my measurements (waist and neck) to see if I'm losing inches. Way more important than fitting into a BMI chart.
Now, on to your original question. Stay away from those get thing quick schemes. Coming from someone who has been a yo-yo most of their life, it's much better to change your eating habits for the long-term, add in your exercise (do take some time off) and the weight will come off.
I too have been an avid lifter for over 20 years, but always seemed to be overweight at times (up and down). When I make the eating changes as part of my life, not just a 'diet', then I tend to come right down in weight. I've done that this year coming down from 225 in January to 191 right now. All by changing my eating habits, keeping track of what I eat, and adding in exercise a few days a week. My bodyfat has also come down 12.5% and have lost 5 inches from my waist.
So, it's not a 30 day change, but doing it a bit more slowly and with lifestyle changes instead of a 'crash diet', will hopefully keep me on track. Also getting rid of the larger clothes this time to force me to mind what I eat over time and not just yo-yo back on up as I won't have the clothing this time to do it.
Good Luck!
That's awesome - thank you. Like you I tend to be a yo, yo. I do try my hardest to eat right and such but it's tough.
So yesterday I get back from the gym from a really hard cardio and two of my employees are eating burgers and fries right near my desk. I'm hungry, my body is craving meat in a large quantity and I'm starting to drool. So what I did was I grabbed my lunch and went outside and ate in peice. Knowing that I am doing the right thing. It was a tough afternoon smelling all that grease. Now what I should have done, since I am their boss, is sent them home without pay <grins> - I jest - I just find it really hard when I get hit with the smells that I do enjoy.
Another day... :)
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