quote:

Originally posted by Orbax seated rows 1x10 90 1x10 105 1x10 120 1x8 135

i do wonder how your workouts are intense enough if your getting increasing weight and maintaining reps at the same time. mine goes 220lbsx5reps
190x6
150x8
140x8

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diego, the white edition page

ok... i havent posted in this thread in ages but i need help. i want to lose weight. i am 5'6" and i weigh like 142 lbs and i want to lose about 20 lbs.

so far i have beeen walking mostly and doing the elliptical machine when i can't get a treadmill (about 1 hr, 3-4 times a week). I've also been mixing it up with some hiking and snowboarding. yesterday i started doing yoga as well to try and work on strength and flexibility.

i am trying to cut back on how many calories i intake but i have a lot of trouble controlling what i eat. i am trying to cut back on sugar (there always seem to be cookies and candy nearby when i am at work) and cheese. and i am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables.

i really dont want to gain muscle, and i dont want to be strong. i just want to look good and fit in my skinny clothes again. am i taking a good approach to achieve this or should i do more? is cardio the best way to burn fat and lose weight?

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly ok... i havent posted in this thread in ages but i need help. i want to lose weight. i am 5'6" and i weigh like 142 lbs and i want to lose about 20 lbs. so far i have beeen walking mostly and doing the elliptical machine when i can't get a treadmill (about 1 hr, 3-4 times a week). I've also been mixing it up with some hiking and snowboarding. yesterday i started doing yoga as well to try and work on strength and flexibility. i am trying to cut back on how many calories i intake but i have a lot of trouble controlling what i eat. i am trying to cut back on sugar (there always seem to be cookies and candy nearby when i am at work) and cheese. and i am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. i really dont want to gain muscle, and i dont want to be strong. i just want to look good and fit in my skinny clothes again. am i taking a good approach to achieve this or should i do more? is cardio the best way to burn fat and lose weight?

ok couple of things...

you don't need to worry about getting big by working out with weights...think how hard all of us guys are working and we still look like shit hahaha ...and men are naturally going to put on more muscle because of our testosterone levels...so really...you don't have to really worry about look un feminine from lifting light weights...

you're right cardio and diet are gonna really big for losing the weight. if you really wanna trim that fat off i can tell you how, but it won't be easy hehehe. seriously, you could lose that 20 pounds in a 4-5 weeks if you really worked hard at it, but you would have to be strict with diet and increase cardio...really that's all it takes.

and really...you should add some kind of light weight training. although you won't get real bulky having a little more lean muscle will speed up you metabolism and make it easier for you to loose weight and keep it off..

quote:

Originally posted by Floorfiller ok couple of things... you don't need to worry about getting big by working out with weights...think how hard all of us guys are working and we still look like shit hahaha ...and men are naturally going to put on more muscle because of our testosterone levels...so really...you don't have to really worry about look un feminine from lifting light weights... you're right cardio and diet are gonna really big for losing the weight. if you really wanna trim that fat off i can tell you how, but it won't be easy hehehe. seriously, you could lose that 20 pounds in a 4-5 weeks if you really worked hard at it, but you would have to be strict with diet and increase cardio...really that's all it takes. and really...you should add some kind of light weight training. although you won't get real bulky having a little more lean muscle will speed up you metabolism and make it easier for you to loose weight and keep it off..

well, do you think the yoga will help in place of weights? i have done weights in the past (i used to be an athlete) and even with low weights and high reps i was very unhappy with how muscular i looked. i guess i gain muscle easy.

i am willing to go on a strict diet and exercise program. i have a lot of determination to do this right now. plese share your advice! i am going home in about 4 weeks and it would be awesome if i could look a bit better by then. (i have a feeling i might run into the ex)

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly well, do you think the yoga will help in place of weights? i have done weights in the past (i used to be an athlete) and even with low weights and high reps i was very unhappy with how muscular i looked. i guess i gain muscle easy. i am willing to go on a strict diet and exercise program. i have a lot of determination to do this right now. plese share your advice! i am going home in about 4 weeks and it would be awesome if i could look a bit better by then. (i have a feeling i might run into the ex)

yoga will mainly help you increase the legnth of your muscle fibres.. loosen them up and increase your flexibility.. but i guess it dependes on the type of yoga you do.. some of that stuff can be intense.. just like pliates, and that would probably help in toning up.

Cardio is definatley your # 1 priority.. try to slowly work up to running about 30 minutes a day.. until you break out a good sweat. (start off with 10 minutes.. then the next time 15.. then the next 20 .. etc)

if you decide to do weight training.. just do very light weights.. maybe 8 - 12 lbs max.. depending on the excercise.. this will help you get your muscles working again. and will aid you, like Jason said, in hte trimming process.

As for diet.. try to cut out alot of carbs and sugars... and replace them with hi protein foods.


good luck

quote:

Originally posted by Nrg2Nfinit yoga will mainly help you increase the legnth of your muscle fibres.. loosen them up and increase your flexibility.. but i guess it dependes on the type of yoga you do.. some of that stuff can be intense.. just like pliates, and that would probably help in toning up. Cardio is definatley your # 1 priority.. try to slowly work up to running about 30 minutes a day.. until you break out a good sweat. (start off with 10 minutes.. then the next time 15.. then the next 20 .. etc) if you decide to do weight training.. just do very light weights.. maybe 8 - 12 lbs max.. depending on the excercise.. this will help you get your muscles working again. and will aid you, like Jason said, in hte trimming process. As for diet.. try to cut out alot of carbs and sugars... and replace them with hi protein foods. good luck

i can't run, but i will try to walk fast enough to sweat. when i run, all sorts of things hurt and my heart rate goes over 200. i heard that if you work out too much in the cardio zone, you wont burn as much fat. is this right?

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly i can't run, but i will try to walk fast enough to sweat. when i run, all sorts of things hurt and my heart rate goes over 200. i heard that if you work out too much in the cardio zone, you wont burn as much fat. is this right?

theres these ads at my gym saying something like "keep your heart rate within your target to burn more fat" so im guessing that has something to do with your question. but i dont know how to figure out what your range is.

have you tried a stationary bike?

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly well, do you think the yoga will help in place of weights? i have done weights in the past (i used to be an athlete) and even with low weights and high reps i was very unhappy with how muscular i looked. i guess i gain muscle easy. i am willing to go on a strict diet and exercise program. i have a lot of determination to do this right now. plese share your advice! i am going home in about 4 weeks and it would be awesome if i could look a bit better by then. (i have a feeling i might run into the ex)

here is a little diet and routine i think would help you lose that 20lbs in a month...

1200 total calories
eating 4 small meals a day


1200 x .50 = 600 / 4 = 150g / 4 = 47.5g of Carbs at each meal
1200 x .35 = 420 / 4 = 105g / 4 = 26.25g of Protein at each meal
1200 x .15 = 180 / 4 = 45g / 2 = 22.5g of Fat twice a day

now just from my own experience and going off what my treadmill says hahaha...for every 300 or so calories you burn doing cardio, about 120 of those are from fat. of course that amount will increase if you are doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach because you won't be burning off what you just ate.

so...i would do some cardio every day if you can for like 30 mins

lets say you burn around 300 total calories and 120 fat calories each time...

120 x 7 = 840 cals week one
120 x 7 = 840 cals week two
120 x 7 = 840 cals week three
120 x 7 = 840 cals week four
120 x 7 = 840 cals week five

around 4,200 cals of fat burned from the cardio at a minimum...

which is around 1.2 lbs of fat

now eating that few of calories everyday...you're gonna also be losing weight...lets say right now you are eating a balanced 2000 calories diet, which you probably aren't hehehe . you would be consuming 800 cals less each day...so over the course of a month..that adds up...

800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week one
800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week two
800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week three
800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week four
800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week five

around 28,000 calls you aren't eating, and there for potentially burning...

which is around 8 lbs of fat

ok so hmmm...the numbers seem to be kinda low. i'd say that is the minimum amount of fat you'd burn...really i'm pretty confident you'd lose more then that.


and really...i don't even know if that is rationalized completely hahaha...anyone see any problems with that?

quote:

Originally posted by jonze234 theres these ads at my gym saying something like "keep your heart rate within your target to burn more fat" so im guessing that has something to do with your question. but i dont know how to figure out what your range is. have you tried a stationary bike?

yeah actually i used to do the bike a lot, plus real biking too. maybe i should try to get back into that. thanks!

and yes, that is what i was talking about. for my age and weight, my heart rate should be around 160-170 i think, but i have a lot of trouble keeping it that low. i guess it will get better as i get in shape.

do you guys think an hour a day is too much or not enough?

quote:

Originally posted by Floorfiller here is a little diet and routine i think would help you lose that 20lbs in a month... 1200 total calories eating 4 small meals a day 1200 x .50 = 600 / 4 = 150g / 4 = 47.5g of Carbs at each meal 1200 x .35 = 420 / 4 = 105g / 4 = 26.25g of Protein at each meal 1200 x .15 = 180 / 4 = 45g / 2 = 22.5g of Fat twice a day now just from my own experience and going off what my treadmill says hahaha...for every 300 or so calories you burn doing cardio, about 120 of those are from fat. of course that amount will increase if you are doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach because you won't be burning off what you just ate. so...i would do some cardio every day if you can for like 30 mins lets say you burn around 300 total calories and 120 fat calories each time... 120 x 7 = 840 cals week one 120 x 7 = 840 cals week two 120 x 7 = 840 cals week three 120 x 7 = 840 cals week four 120 x 7 = 840 cals week five around 4,200 cals of fat burned from the cardio at a minimum... which is around 1.2 lbs of fat now eating that few of calories everyday...you're gonna also be losing weight...lets say right now you are eating a balanced 2000 calories diet, which you probably aren't hehehe . you would be consuming 800 cals less each day...so over the course of a month..that adds up... 800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week one 800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week two 800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week three 800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week four 800 x 7 = 5600 cals less week five around 28,000 calls you aren't eating, and there for potentially burning... which is around 8 lbs of fat ok so hmmm...the numbers seem to be kinda low. i'd say that is the minimum amount of fat you'd burn...really i'm pretty confident you'd lose more then that. and really...i don't even know if that is rationalized completely hahaha...anyone see any problems with that?

you dont think a 1200 cal diet is too low? usually they recommend likt 2000 cal. i have only just started counting today, but i remember when i was a swimmer, i ate like 5000 a day...

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly you dont think a 1200 cal diet is too low? usually they recommend likt 2000 cal. i have only just started counting today, but i remember when i was a swimmer, i ate like 5000 a day...

well...you're right it isn't much food hehehe. but if i was going to lose weight...this is what i'd do...the 2000 cal diet is not a diet at all...that'd be around to stay where you're at...