After 2 years of being lazy and gaining weight, Ive come to the point that getting back into a workout routine is a must. The problem is that Im horrible with creating a good workout plan. Ive also taken the DVD route by buying insanity and lost a lot but just sitting in front of a tv is not what I want to do. As of right now I am 5'8" and 190 pounds. So you can say Im average or chunky. I have a olympic set, dumbbells, stationary bike, and treadmill. My goal is to lose weight, get a little bigger and define. If I can get some suggestions or workout plans, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks guys.
I could care less about getting big or ripped. I only want to become more physically strong in practical ways for now. I walk the dog a few miles every morning at 6 in the surrounding hills of Birmingham with a 60 lb backpack full of concrete on my back. Jog a stretch, walk a stretch. I'm trying to build my legs up for an upcoming backcountry hunt. That said, as others have eluded to its all about eating. Switch to veggies and fish on meals when you are starving and will eat a lot. Snack on fruits and raw veggies during the day. Greek Yogurt is good protein and filling in my opinion. I eat either a turkey sandwich and cup of soup or fish and 2 veggies for nearly every single meal. I gained 25 lbs over this summer being lazy and drinking and have already lost 10 of it back in 1 month by only eating better. I am currently 6'2"-6'3" ish and right at 200. I want to be back down around 180-185 with the leg strength of a mountain goat. Good thread idea.
My normal day of eating is.. Breakfast-- Bowl of oatmeal Lunch-- Try to go with grilled chicken most of the time and if not that, just a peanut butter sandwich with pretzels. Dinner-- I work second shift so Im pretty limited to choices. Most of the time I will take a peanut butter sandwich on wheat, small bag of pretzels and a fruit. Fruit is usually an apple or banana. I drink a water regularly. Ive also thought about adding grilled salmon to my diet. Reading some things, it seems that they only recommend eating fish two times a week?
Cutting peanut butter will help you a lot likely. As for fish, besides mercury concerns I've never seen any health concerns w daily consumption. Great source of omega 3s and protein.
Ok. First off let me say that I am not a dietician. I have lost 47 lbs since February through a combination of diet and exercise, but I am NOT AN EXPERT. If this is a typical daily meal plan for you, it does not seem like you are eating enough calories. Drastically undercutting the amount of calories you need will send your body into "starvation mode" where it will store fat to be used as energy. You need to get your body to burn the fat You are also getting more carbohydrates than I like to see in a meal plan. If you are looking to lose weight, you need to either eat (less) or burn a total of 3500 calories per lb. of fat. There are alot of websites where you can estimate how many calories you need for basic metabolism, and they take into account your activity level, age, etc. Find one and use it. It is also beneficial to track everything that you eat. A tool for this can often be found on those same web sites. For starters, if you are looking to gain muscle mass, you need to consume 1-2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. The higher your activity level, the higher your protein should be. If you weigh about 220 lbs (keeping my math easy), that is exactly 100 kilos. In order to gain muscle mass you need at a minimum 100-150 grams of protein. If you have an active job, you better get that to 150-200. That is a lot of protein, and looking at your diet, I doubt you get 1/3 of that. Of course higher quality protein is better, but I'm not usually picky. With carbs, I am picky, however. You are basically eating carb heavy for every meal (grains, bread, pretzels). I used to eat oatmeal a lot. I have since gone off of it (mostly because it got real hot here this summer) and eat 2-3 eggs with some sausage or bacon for breakfast. Not saying you need to do that, but you want to get some additional protein with your breakfast. Protein powders, some type of meat, stuff like that. For lunch I would stick with the chicken or some other protein and pair it with a salad, or even get some lunch meat (not ideal) with a salad. There is nothing wrong with carbs - that is where Atkins goes wrong - they just need to be high quality carbs, NOT processed, refined sugars, like most carbs in breads and pretzels. Carbs from veggies and most fruits are fine. Eat as much of them as you want, keeping in mind that fruits do tend to have more natural sugars, and so more calories. For dinner I would eat some type of protein (venison or other wild game is ideal) along with some veggies and high quality carbs (sweet potatoes, squash, etc.). Keep in mind that if you eat a lot of wild game (very lean) you need to eat some fat with your veggies (make them with olive oil - easiest) in order to get the fat-soluble vitamins and minerals in the veggies. Do not be afraid of fat, in moderation. Not sure, with your schedule, when it is easier to eat your "larger" meal, so feel free to assign new names/times to the lunch and dinner recommendations here. As far as the exercise goes, I mostly do cardio and high-rep lifting, but I am not trying to gain size - just definition, which will come with getting the fat off the outside of your muscles. Diet is 80% of this battle though. I will let others who may have done more weight lifting research, comment on the exercise.
I eat lots of oatmel but I like mine dry with peanut butter (protein) blended in and then I add my favorite jelly. Sometimes I pour in a cup of plain applesauce and add a little cinnamon. It's been a great breakfast for me right after my morning workout. I have reduced my weight from the mid 220s to the upper 170s.(I am 6'2") Now I am trying to stop losing and am working on toning core and shoulder muscles at the gym. I run and bike for legs and swim for total fitness. I try to do something different each day because I get bored quickly with the same routine.
CIL hunter pretty much hit it. Your problem is you're not eating enough. Your body's metabolism (and any mammal's for that matter) is controlled by your brain, and your brain is controlled by a simple process: "Will I get fed enough today?" About the fish, the reason it's recommended to not eat it more than twice a week is the mercury content. With insanity (which, if you're looking to trim down, there's no better program imo), you're going to need to eat about 3000 calories. I say about because I didn't use a calculator, but I'd be willing to bet it's within 4-500 calories of what you should be eating. Peanut butter... sheesh... holy fat calories batman. Here's my suggestion to you: Stop eating peanut butter twice a day.. or even daily for that matter (unless you really can't live without it, limit yourself to a couple tablespoons a day) Don't eat anything processed (IE, shop the perimeter of the store). Fresh foods = weight loss. Increase your fiber intake, eat lots of vegetables (don't cook them to death), and try to limit sodium intake (peanut butter, pretzels, oh my) because it causes water retention. Eat 5 or more times a day, not 3. If you're trying to put on weight (IE, training for something) eat more carbs in the evening, if you're trying to lose weight (IE, you) eat most of your carbs in the morning. This has to do with insulin response (and how it is a non-selective anabolic substance) , if you want more information let me know. Subway is a great option for fast food. Get it without cheese, get turkey or ham (turkey has a lot less sodium), pile on the veggies, and use mustard. Skip the chips, soda, and cookies. Get the foot long, eat half then, half in a couple hours. Personally I can't live without a "crunch", and I've found that Quakes rock (seriously, one of 3 processed foods I eat). The sweet chili flavor is the best. It's like a not-terrible-for-you chip. Don't eat the whole bag in a sitting. Like Shawn T says, muscle mass burns more calories. Biggest muscle in your body, your butt. Shawn T's program, focus on the butt... Power jumps FML. Anyway, you get my point. Also, back to the brain/metabolism thing... it's important to have a cheat day, where you eat a few more calories (say 1000). The reason this is, is because it will actually trick your mind into thinking you're feeding the hell out of it, and this programming lasts a couple days, and your metabolism get a small kick and won't go back to baseline right away, thus increasing your weight loss. Just make sure you don't eat less than 3000 (or whatever your required calories are) calories a day, because it works the same way in reverse. We always have cheat day on our off day with insanity. If you're unhappy with the insanity program r/t bulking up, use a P90x/Insanity hybrid program. As far as watching TV goes, you're not watching your TV. You're busting your *** for an hour at the gym of "Jake". There is another option, it's called Cross Fit (you pay to go to a cross fit gym for this), but I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it when you already have one of the best programs in your DVD player. My knowledge comes from a first hand battle. I've lost 44 lbs so far, 1.5 rounds of insanity, and now a 20 minute video a day (it's a Shawn T product, like a really short insanity day). I feel I'm the healthiest I've ever been. I'm 5'10", 156lbs, and I look pretty good with my shirt off (at least my wife thinks so). Best of luck to you. Also, quick addition: Get a quality multi-vitamin. Take it daily. It will help.
I just need to find a replacement for the peanut butter. Its just simple to make and cheap. What is easy to make that could be packed in a lunch? I would go the subway route but eating that Monday through Friday would be costly. So Im not eating enough. Could this work. Breakfast-- Oatmeal and Banana? Snack-- Vegetable Lunch-- Grilled Chicken or Grilled fish with a vegetable. Snack-- Vegetable or Fruit Dinner-- Fruit, Sandwich (Yet to be determined) and would plain sun chips be okay? or more vegetables?
Sandwich Thins Multi grain.. To the OP, I just finished my first month of insanity. If you doing this workout to the fullest of your ability the weight should be melting off. Plus strength gains are amazing but you got to get the right calories. You got the meal plan with it right? I feel like I could tear Sampson a new ***.
Yeh I dropped almost 20 pounds last time but I also had a active job. Now I am usually sitting. Im just going to have to start back up with Insanity and work on my diet. I have the meal plan somewhere, just have to find it.
There's nothing wrong with peanut butter. In fact, many clean eating plans include it. There is extra sugar in the mass produced stuff. But, if you go with all natural, it'll cut the sugar down quite a bit. Also, what kind of bread are you eating? If it's white, split top wheat, etc you're not going to benefit from it much. Multi-grain or whole grain is best. Sometimes going gluten-free is a big benefit too. Also, while complex carbs are good, I would recommend bumping your protein intake up a little as well. If you're not lactose intolerant, look to adding some block cheese such as a couple of slices of cheddar and some cottage cheese.
I'm glad I read this thread... I just set the bread machine to cook a large loaf of white bread and have it piping hot at 7:30 tomorrow morning. LOL Oh it makes such great toast. First slice is fresh and hot. The next day it's toast. Won't lose and ounce.
Steroids works best for me, I'm in the best shape ever! Haha all kidding aside, cardio and good nutrition is the ticket. You can never do enough running, push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups.
Here are a few of my staples: Turkey breast, sliced, sandwich style. They make healthier versions, you can get them at the deli counter, pay attention to salt content. Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, strawberries (strawberries are exceptionally low in sugar), and melon (different types) Broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, peas, green beans, corn, carrots (stay away from canned, get flash frozen or fresh) Fresh lean meat. We use turkey, chicken, pork, ground turkey/chicken. The only red meat I eat anymore is steak. Carrots and apples make great snacks. Apples have a lot of fiber, and carrots give your jaw a workout. You should try to eat about 500 calories for each meal, give or take a little. Here are some sample meals: 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg -scrambled (150 calories) 2 strips of turkey bacon (50 calories) half whole wheat bagel (125 calories) Greek Yogurt (140 calories) ____________________ half whole wheat bagel with some neufchatel (cream cheese substitute) (200 calories) protein bar (200-300 calories depending on the brand I eat) __________________________________ Turkey sandwich on whole wheat (300 calories) 1-2 serving of "quakes" (100-150 calories) Banana (100 calories) ____________________ 2 Broiled chicken breast (300 calories) Steamed Asparagus/vegetable medley (100 calories) Baked potato (150 calories) ___________________ I sub in protein shakes regularly. Usually using them as a meal in and of themselves. I add strawberries, blueberries, etc to make them palatable. As you can clearly see, I'm far from starving. Eating good food allows you to eat more of it. I'm not saying peanut butter is absolutely terrible. But at 100 calories (mostly fat) a tablespoon, I'd rather have an apple. We eat a lot of the same stuff, but rarely have the same meal twice in a two week period. In a month we might repeat 3-4. We do eat a lot of the same stuff for snacks, breakfast, etc. We rotate them though. So this week might be apples and bananas, next might be cantaloupe and pears. Fage yogurt, carrots, and celery (a good time for that peanut butter) are plentiful in our house. I've always been notorious for eating really fast, and overeating because of it. I still eat fast, but I stop before I feel full. I don't drink much water with my meals either (helps to stretch the stomach, making it take more to achieve satiety over time). It really boils down to one factor: Fresh food. It doesn't matter what you eat, as long as it's not processed food it'll fit in your diet. The one negative to all this healthy eating is that it's expensive! You'll feel better doing it though. That processed stuff makes me tired. FYI.. we didn't follow the nutrition guide, we just ate healthy.
Get ready, month two is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done! Going from month one to month two was way harder than going from sedentary to month one. I think a lot of people don't push themselves. If you don't push, and push hard (DIG DEEPER!), the program won't help you much. You can't stop, don't push pause, take a break/drink when you need it, and get right back in. If you're not sweating from the warm-up you're doing it wrong.
Couldn't agree more. I laugh at the guys who say P90 and Insanity don't work them out enough. If you push through these DVDs (whether you are capable of 1 push up or 1000) you WILL work your *** off and see benefits. The problem is some guys try these DVDs as ways to bulk up. IMO they are meant to slim down and become a healthier you, which lifting weights doesn't necessarily accomplish.
