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Johnny_Vegas
New Member
| Joined: | 10 August 2008 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 10 August 2008 08:39 pm |
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Hi everybody, I'm new here...First off, this forum looks like exactly what I've been searching for, and I've been doing a lot of reading. It looks like there are a lot of wise people here, and I was hoping you could help me out with some weight loss/exercise questions of my own!
Let me give you some backstory so you know a little about me and my goals. First off, I'm a 26-year-old male, and I'm 6'1" tall. When I first decided I needed to lose weight, I was 290 pounds. That was a little over four months ago. Now, I weigh about 253. My target, which I'm hoping to reach by (or before) New Year's Day 2009, is 220. I started going to the gym on April 1. Since then, I've typically gone 5-6 days a week, for at least an hour a day, usually a little more. I usually do about 50 minutes of cardio, then do 3 sets of 15 reps at a challenging weight on four different weight machines--of course, varying the body part(s) I target each day. I also try to stay well-hydrated, especially when I work out.
When I started going to the gym, I also started watching my diet. I've been keeping a diet journal and counting calories, aiming to limit myself to 2,000 calories per day. I do admit I'm not taking in as many vegetables as I should, but generally, my diet is pretty balanced, includes a lot of whole grains, fish, poultry, fruit, low-fat dairy, a decent dose of healthy fats, and very few of the high-fat and high-sugar foods I used to eat regularly.
Though the weight loss was going well for about four months, I've suddenly found myself stuck at 253 pounds for almost two weeks. I know that's not a terribly long time, but I'm a little concerned. So, I started looking around online to see what I could do to sort of shock myself back into losing weight. So far, it seems like most people are saying to focus more on weight training than cardio. Do you agree with this?
Also, I've read some things on here about the "zig-zag" method; eating a lot of calories every fourth day while keeping them low the rest of the time. I'm intrigued by this, and wondering if this is something someone in my situation should be incorporating. Also, is 2,000 calories per day a good amount for me? It's been working so far, but...I want to be sure it continues to work!
Thanks!!
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CrimsonAnimus
Moderator
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Posted: 11 August 2008 02:30 am |
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Welcome to the site, Johnny!
Based on your stats, your RMR is 2181. This is how many calories your body burns daily just for basic needs. It is generally recommended that you not eat under this amount. However, since you still have a decent bit to lose, you might be able to eat 75% of this number, which is 1635.
However, it appears that your diet is pretty healthy, and what you eat is just as important as how much of it you eat. 2000 calories worth of mostly healthy food sounds good to me.
I personally do eat close to 75% of my RMR most days (which for me is about 1700-1800) but I do try to take at least one day a week and spike up my calories between 2000-3000. One or two days a week I'll eat less than 75%. This helps to prevent the body from getting adjusted. Make sure you pay attention to your body's signals, though. I really don't get hungry anymore, probably because of all the fiber I eat, so I try to make sure not to go too long without eating.
I understand about the veggies. I've had to force myself to eat my salads. Do you like V8? It's a pretty good way to get 1-2 servings of veggies a day. Also, if you like to eat sandwiches, you can load those up with veggies as well.
Weight training and cardio are both important for different reasons. Cardio burns more calories during a workout as well as assist with flushing fat from your body. Weight training burns some calories as well as changes your body composition. Both of them have metabolism-boosting properties depending on intensity.
Because muscle takes up more room than fat, gaining muscle has the benefit of making fat less noticeable. However, weight training does not target fat. An attempt to remove fat from specific areas of the body is called "spot reduction", and unfortunately, it does not work. You could weigh 500 pounds and have perfectly developed abs, but you would not be able to see them under all the fat.
Weight training has a great deal of advantages, but as far as fat loss goes, cardio has the upper hand here. As your body accumulates fat, it creates muscle to manage it, and subsequently lets that muscle go as you lose the fat. You can minimize this loss with strength training. You can also minimize it with vigorous cardio. Cardio exercises such as the rowing machine work every muscle group in your body.
Some of your plateau could also be related to muscle gain, which is good. Have you taken measurements? They are a better indication of progress than what the scale has to say. You could also buy a body fat scale, so that you could see it decrease over time.
Yes, make sure you stay hydrated. I drink 8 fluid ounces of water every 15 minutes, which is the general recommendation.
So, in closing...I recommend you continue to do both. I've lost 113 pounds without strength training, and while I have gained some muscle, I do have a good bit of flab. Some of that will go away as I lose more weight, some will go away once I start strength training, and some of it will never go away without surgery. This is one of the most important journeys you make in your life - take it slow, and make sure you do it right! Best of luck.
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Johnny_Vegas
New Member
| Joined: | 10 August 2008 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 12 August 2008 02:17 am |
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Thanks, Crimson! I have not taken measurements, so that's something I'll put on my priorities list. I'm going to try to shake up my routine by increasing the intensity of my cardio workout, but perhaps shortening the duration some, and adding a little extra weight training on top of it. Today I tried doing just that, and I certainly feel like I got a better workout than I have in weeks. I'll continue watching my diet, doing both cardio and strength training, and get some measurements taken to gauge my progress. Thanks for your help!
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Forehunnerd
New Member
| Joined: | 26 June 2008 |
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| Posts: | 100 |
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Posted: 12 August 2008 04:06 am |
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I'd like to add something about the V-8 Crimson mentioned. I dunno if how closely you'll be paying attention to your sodium intake, which I imagine is pretty low anyway considering your diet. I would like to say though, if you do decide to throw down on that tomato-y beverage, I'd recommend you find the low-sodium version if you can. It comes through in the taste and isn't as overwhelmingly salty as the original stuff. It has 140mg as opposed to 620mg, and believe me, you wouldn't miss any of it. Hope that helps and good luck to you!
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CrimsonAnimus
Moderator
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Posted: 12 August 2008 07:44 am |
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Yes, I second that! Keeping my sodium intake under 2400 daily is hard enough - low sodium V-8 makes it that much easier.
Just don't try to drink too much of it in an attempt not to have to eat other veggies! I'm very tolerant of eating the same foods, but after a little while of drinking 24 fluid ounces of V-8 every day...well, I'll spare you the "juicy" details, but let's just say it got old, like the joke I just tried to make.  
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Forehunnerd
New Member
| Joined: | 26 June 2008 |
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| Posts: | 100 |
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Posted: 12 August 2008 07:48 am |
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hahahaha, gross!
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Johnny_walts
New Member
| Joined: | 15 September 2008 |
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| Posts: | 23 |
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Posted: 18 September 2008 11:38 am |
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A big HELLO to Johnny from another Johnny, Yes we are sharing the same name. Hope to share pur views also regarding health and fitness topics.
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ChrisG16
New Member
| Joined: | 20 November 2008 |
| Location: | Barbados |
| Posts: | 4 |
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Posted: 20 November 2008 04:04 pm |
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Hey congrats on the progress so far!!! You are on the right foot I promise!
A plateau sucks, and your body will adapt to your workouts, so you must always change it up. Here is what I have most of my clients do so they don't get bored or ever go into a plateau phase.
Monday: row for 10 minutes, then do 3 ab movements (crunches, reverse crunches, plank) Then row for another 10 minutes, do ab routine again, row for another 10 minutes, then ab's... thats 30 minutes of cardio, 3 sets of abs, so you just knocked out some major things there...
Tuesday: Incline treadmill - put on an incline of about 10-12 and walk without holding on at a pace of 2.5 for 30-45 minutes.
wednesday: Fun cardio day - get out side and do something - or - pick your favorite 3 machines, do 10 minutes each with your ab routine in between.
Thursday: off
Friday: Stair Climber - try and do 10 minutes forwards, 10 on each sied, and 10 backwards. This will blast your legs and burn some serious calories.
Don't get frustrated!!!! Remember you always have to keep your body guessing, this will allow you to burn fat consistantly. You might also think about changing up your diet as well from time to time.
If you need any help please let me know!
Chris.
thegetfitclub.com/blog
Last edited on 20 November 2008 08:22 pm by trimB
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jacobmd777
New Member
| Joined: | 21 November 2008 |
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| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: 21 November 2008 09:30 pm |
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| One of the things you should be looking at is how foods are processed in the body. A healthy diet is always beneficial, but no matter how good the diet is, if the body is not processing the nutrients properly, you will never receive the full benefit. When you sit down to eat a meal your Parasympathetic Nervous System goes into action. The brain will cause the Guts Parietal Cells to start producing 20% of the Acid needed, to condition the Gut for the incoming nutrients. When the nutrients enter the mouth Amylase causes the Hydrolyzation of Starches. This is why chewing your food is so important. There is very little absorption in the Gut with the exception of certain fluids and alcohol. When the Nutrients enter the Gut, stretch muscles react and cause the Parietal Cells to Start producing more Hydrochloric Acid. The production of Acid is sensed in upper small bowel, causing the Pyloric Sphincter to close. The Pyloric Sphincter does not completely close, it closed to approximately 3 to 5 cm, just enough to allow fluids to pass through. The Closing of the Sphincter keeps the nutrients in the stomach to allow sterilization and conversion to take place. The food in the Gut mixes with Hydrochloric Acid and the Peptic Enzymes. Pepsin I and II, in combination with the Hydrochloric Acid, breaks down the nutrients in to Proteoses, and Peptones, which is the prerequisite for the building blocks of life, amino acids. When the sterilization process is complete, the pH of the Gut will start moving toward the neutral side, causing the Pyloric Sphincter to relax and allow the passage of the nutrients, which are now a thick liguidy mass called chyme. The Chyme is buffered (made alkaline) in the Duodenum, and then sent to the Small Bowel where absorption takes place. The above information is a very basic description of what happens in a normal healthy adult. Here is where the problems occur. When the Stomach is not producing sufficient Hydrochloric acid, which is called Hypochlorhydria, there is substantially reduced sterilization and conversion. The Peptic Enzymes are most active when the Stomach pH is 1.0 to 1.3 pH. When the stomach pH is at 5.0 pH these enzymes are not active in the Conversion process. A majority of people in the 50 and up age groups, but not limited to these groups, do not produce sufficient Hydrochloric Acid, resulting in reduced conversion and absorption, and subsequently reduced support for the Immune System. The lack of proper pH balance in the first stage of digestion will result in raw Protein entering the Small bowel. Virtually all protein contains allergens, which under normal conditions, are eliminated in the Gut. When these allergens enter the Small bowel they will cause Allergies, and many other serious problems. The lack of proper conversion will result in the bodies inability to absorb B 12. People with Hypochlorhydria, or the extreme form Achlorhydria will always be deficient in B 12. The Immune system was designed to attack, germs, Parasites, bacteria, etc. It was not designed to attack the sterilized and converted nutrients we consume, but that is exactly what happens when the Digestive pH is out of balance. If after eating, a person feels like going to sleep, that is an indication of their digestive pH being out of balance. Nutrients that are sterilized and converted properly, cause the bodies energy levels to rise. The opposite holds true when the body is not converting the nutrients properly. One of the major contributors to weight gain and the inability of the body to burn fat is the unbalance pH in the first stage of digestion. Anyone that suspects they are not processing their food properly should have a pH Diagnostic Test. I am not referring to a naso-gastric test, which can be traumatic, and the test results are in many cases are questionable. The test I am referring to is called the Heidelberg pH Diagnostic test. It use a tiny micro-electronic pH Capsule that you swallow with a sip of water. The test will tell you if you are over producing Hydrochloric Acid (hyperchlorhydria), under Producing HCL (hypochlorhydra) or wether you have Achlorhydria, Pyloric Insuffieincy, Heavy Mucus, Acute or Sub-acute Gastritis, and much more. Last edited on 21 November 2008 11:23 pm by trimB
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Weightloser
New Member
| Joined: | 29 April 2008 |
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| Posts: | 56 |
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Posted: 24 November 2008 01:35 am |
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Any update since?
As for veggies, I get all mine from the soup that I make myself. Tomorow I'm starting eating them in their raw state (carotts, celery) or some of them slightly boiled (brocoli). I want to increase my enzyme bank. I wll start slowly, but will eventually make them 80% raw and 20% boiled.Last edited on 24 November 2008 01:37 am by Weightloser
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