Physical Fitness

[helomech]

Helomech, I use fitness PAL as well... It's not magic, but seeing the numbers puts things into perspective. By using it (and thereby practicing portion control) I have lost 20 healthy lbs in a matter of two months. It seems like a drastic amount but to me it is just reflective of how much extra weight I was carrying that had no reason to be their. This was without exercise. I have plateaued now though, so moderate activity to keep my gains (or more accurately losses) moving in the right direction will begin. Simple hour long treks with my backpack and my dog in tow to begin with, gradually increasing.

Throughout the summer I do a lot of canoeing and demanding yard work so that also helps me until it's time to fatten up for the harsh winters lol. And yes!!!!! Drop that soda from your intake and you notice results immediately

I set it up to loose 1 lb a week, and I ended up loosing 25 lbs in less than 4 months. Last week I changed my goals on My fitness pal to maintain my weight. I want to loose more fat, but since I am building muscle I should be able to maintain my weight while adding muscle. I am having a hard time meeting my calorie goal with my workouts. Today I burned 1600 calories in my workout, so today I have to eat almost 4k calories to break even. Not going to make that goal today.

Cokes have been gone since the superbowl, and I don't plan on ever drinking sodas again, except on very few occasions.

[mitunnelrat]

I just signed up for it since I saw it here again. I can already see where it would be a huge help. Thanks for talking about it guys, or I'd have totally forgotten to check it out.

[helomech]

It is a big help. You don't have to give up anything. Just have to eat things in moderation and this help with that. Also the more you work out the more you can eat. So if you want to pig out, hit it hard.

[ladyhk13]

If some of you aren't having results with the diet you are on try the Atkins Diet. I have known several people who have done it and had great results. Much better than South Beach. Try to remember that if you are 60 lbs overweight you will not have the energy to work out like the ones with less weight to lose. Maybe trying to work on the actual diet first and then the toning/bulking up part would give better results and a mental attitude to succeed. Trying to kick it in high gear physically from the beginning leads to mental drain and failure (quitting) and injuries, as we can see several of you have right now. Light workout and diet in the beginning is key with severe overweight issues. And as others have said..eating 5-6 small meals is better for you, when you eat the conditioned way your body goes into starvation mode and uses muscle for energy and saves the fat for reserves.

[helomech]

If some of you aren't having results with the diet you are on try the Atkins Diet. I have known several people who have done it and had great results. Much better than South Beach. Try to remember that if you are 60 lbs overweight you will not have the energy to work out that one one with les weight to lose. Maybe tying to work on the actual diet first and then the toning/bulking up part would give you better results and a mental attitude to succeed. Trying to kick it in high gear physically from the beginning leads to mental drain and failure (quitting) and injuries, as we can see several of you have right now. Light workout and diet in the beginning is key with severe overweight issues. And as others have said..eating 5-6 small meals is better for you, when you eat the conditioned way your body goes into traction mode and uses muscle for energy and saves the fat for reserves.

My wife has been on atkins diet for a while now, she is down over 40lbs, and loves it. Don't let the people that don't know crap about it tell you it is not safe.

[mitunnelrat]

If some of you aren't having results with the diet you are on try the Atkins Diet. I have known several people who have done it and had great results. Much better than South Beach. Try to remember that if you are 60 lbs overweight you will not have the energy to work out like the ones with less weight to lose. Maybe trying to work on the actual diet first and then the toning/bulking up part would give better results and a mental attitude to succeed. Trying to kick it in high gear physically from the beginning leads to mental drain and failure (quitting) and injuries, as we can see several of you have right now. Light workout and diet in the beginning is key with severe overweight issues. And as others have said..eating 5-6 small meals is better for you, when you eat the conditioned way your body goes into starvation mode and uses muscle for energy and saves the fat for reserves.

This is exactly why I scaled my calisthenics routine back. I got enough negative feedback from various body parts to know I was hitting it too hard to start. I have to remember I'm not 19 anymore. In some ways this is more intensive than a PT test was then. I'm heavier, and more importantly imo, my conditioning is terrible. I can't do what I could, it will take more of a toll, and recovery is going to take longer. Like it or not.

About the only thing you surprised me with in this post was the recommendation to diet before increasing activity levels, but then you expanded and said light exercise and diet as a combo, so I'm pretty sure we're on the same page there. I've read and observed for myself that our bodies will adapt to whatever we do and change to achieve those tasks as effieciently as possible. Hence my ass gets soft and spreads across a seat, and 4such tones, builds muscle, and firms up, as a local so colorfully told her.

Ok, that was half tongue in cheek, but the principle holds. Its why body builders don't run marathons, and runners don't lift heavy. They're conditioning just isn't optimized for it. Anyway, its my understanding dieting alone will work for a bit, but our bodies will adapt to that as well and, while I'd be lighter, I'd still be weak, lacking the conditioning to function like I need to. Since I need both to achieve my goals I feel like it just makes sense to capitalize on the fat burning properties of a revved up metabolism right from the start.

[Kodiak]

Been eating right and working out, lost 14 pounds in two weeks. Went to a trainer and he put me on a meal plan, i eat every 3 hours for a total of 6 meals a day, roughly 2400 calories and 295 grams of protein. With a little structure and discipline im feeling good about reaching my goal to lose 50 pounds this year.

[Stormfeather]

Been working on losing more weight, its slowly shedding off, cant wait til I hit my target weight! Been using the MyFitnessPal app that everyone is talking about, it works great!

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

I'm guessing she would be referencing me?

[ladyhk13]

I'm guessing she would be referencing me?

Actually thinking about our adopted kid here! You know he will eat anything put in front of him