[Tyeraxus]

Howdy all. I'm looking for a decent fitness and weight loss routine and figured that this would be a good place to get some ideas.

My basic info: I'm almost 28, 5'9", 230ish, with about 26% body fat and a BMI of 34. Yeah, if the numbers seem a bit strange, I was an athlete until college, when I stopped due to focusing on studies (and my college not having a men's field team). Interesting quirk: apparently I could lose every bit of body fat and still be considered overweight via the BMI method.

My goal: Lose back down to at least 200, which is where I was when I went to college.

Anyway, I have a sedentary desk job, and ride public transit for 90 mins each way on my commute. I'm out of the house approx 13 hours each day, and would like to still spend time with my wife, so any advise that's just "go running/workout for a couple of hours when you get home" isn't going to work. I also live in a tiny apartment with said wife, so I don't have any room for equipment. My apartment complex has a "gym" with one treadmill and two elliptical machines. When I get a chance I'll go use the machines for about 45 mins, but truthfully it's only on weekends normally because by the time I get home during the week and we cook and eat dinner, it's time to go to bed.

I've tried counting calories and the dieting thing (aiming for 1900-2000 kcal per day for weight loss), and it works for about two weeks, which is when I'm absolutely starving, so I eat until I'm not hungry for a few days and then the scale reads 225-230 again.

My exercise currently consists of about a 30 minute walk during my lunch break at work plus my wife recently picked a 5lb medicine ball that I've been doing various light arm and shoulders work with while I'm watching football.

So, anything that might be helpful? It's killing me to be this out of shape, but moving closer to work to have more time is out of the question, and spending another hour and a half a day plus gym membership dues isn't a viable option either. So I guess I'm really looking for something mid- to high-intensity for calorie burning and fitness improvement that I can do without any equipment or space in a 1 bedroom apartment. Any ideas?

 

[jsouthern]

Hey Tyeraxus,
Great to hear that you are trying to really get into shape. I think I can give you a couple of pointers that will help you on your journey for the lifestyle change you are looking for.

Alright, first I'll discuss your nutrition and intakes. So I found your BMR and activity level and with 1-3 days a week of light to moderate exercise you should be eating roughly 2250 cal a day for a weight loss of 1.5lb a week. This is a healthy weight drop for someone of your size. Now with that Tyeraxus, well look into your Carbs, Proteins, and Fats intake. For you I thought that 50% of your diet should be carbs, 30% proteins, and 20% fats.

Alright, with that info you need:
Carbs: 281g a day
Protein: 168g a day
Fat: 50g a day

Remember to log your food that you eat during the day. This is not a diet and you can eat whatever you like, as long as you stay very close to those guidelines.

For your physical activity, does your wife enjoy walks with you? If not, you may be able to do a quick routine before work of push ups, squats, lunges, planks, and other bodyweight exercises. Also I recommend that you really try to get on those cardio machines that you have in your building. It is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine that you want roughly 150 min a week of cardio, with about 2-3 days a week of weight training (30-45min, this include body weight exercise).

Also look into snack foods that are low in calories that you can quickly get a handful of to curb that hunger. I like using pretzels myself, they are low in calories and you get I think about 50 pretzel sticks for 100 cal.

Sites that you can use to monitor your intakes are:
Fatsecret.com
Myplate.gov
myfitnesspal (an app on your phone).

I really hope this helps. Start slow (rome wasn't built in a day) and progress as you go. Every 3-4 weeks, switch up the exercises so you don't plateau. If you need any other advice I'll check in every once in awhile on this thread.

Best of luck!!!

 

[sheepdog01]

I've been in Weight Watchers for the last five weeks. You lose the weight slow and steady and I am never starving. It's working for me.

 

[dontbuypotteryfromme]

Here is my method.
Plus 1
minus 1

Add one piece of exersize to your daily routine.
take away one piece of crap from your diet.


rinse and repeat.

Pesonally for exersise I like things like plate and kettlebell routines.

 

[dontbuypotteryfromme]

this one is tabata. I wouldnt bother. I just do a minute set per exersize. Five on one off.

 

[9111315]

Eat less, run more.

 

[Mojave]

I just started using Tony horton's 10-minute Trainer that I bought about 5 years ago. He's the guy who does P-90. I am completely out of shape and 25 pounds too much. but I'm able to stick with the 10 minute thing so far and feel better already.

with warm-up, cool down, resting before shower, it's more like 20-25 minutes. But once i get going i plan on 'stacking' them and doing two of the 10 minutes a day. That would only take about 30-35 minutes total.

Also, just try and be smart. Don't eat 12 cookies, eat 2. Don't eat the whole pizza. Don't watch football and eat three bags of chips, or a monstrous tub of Orville Redenbacher popcorn. Don't drink alcohol during the week. (these are what I'm trying to do!)

 

[budog]

eat your breakfast everyday, then only eat when your stomach growls.
google p.a.c.e. training!

 

[The Truth]

Move more, eat less.



^ The simplest of all fitness/weight loss routines.

 

[matty86suk]

Cardio and eat healthy, there is no magic pill or special exercise. You will get hungry, taking the weight off will not be pleasant, think how good it felt to gain the weight, now you have to reverse it. If your legs are not sore,(the good sore) you are doing it wrong...good luck

 

[nolahiman]

continuing is first factor

First, you have to stop smoking if you're a heavy smoker.
Second, run everyday, and eat less, sleep regularly.
How Long Does it Take for Nicotine to Leave Your System

 

[Camel]

You need to change your diet. The amount of exercise you need to burn fat is staggering and out of reach for you unless you are training at a high level today.

Create a "what you eat journal" where you write down everything you eat every day for a week or two. This include coffee, small sacks, the beer you have Saturday night with the buddies, etc. Once you have done this identify the meals where you have high fat and carbs and look at reducing these. Then start by changing one meal a day into a healthy meal, I recommend looking at breakfast where you exchange whatever you eat today for oatmeal or another "good meal", just make sure you don't eat 2 portions! Then look at what you have for dinner and make it more healthy. The lunch is usually hard to do something about since you probably will be eating out unless you bring your own food with you.

This will help you loose some of the fat you have over the course of a year or so without any need for extensive exercise. But you should still be exercising since it is good for you.

 

[saicoe]

Mountain climbing

just find a big hill or mountain, walk down it then up it daily, eventually till you can do it twice in a day. Loose over a kilo a day and more over time and practice, ive done this. and stepping on uneven surfaces like over small rocks and sticks actually excercises your internal organs too:thumb:

 

[albut]

Hy Friends,
We must do exercise daily with routine to keep our health good and fit. We should have some time from our daily life work to go out in a park or garden to for walking and exercise. It is said that green color gives coolness to human eyes.....

 

[UnderTheStars]

myfitnesspal.com is good for tracking, and it's free. I used weightwatchers online before that but with their point system I never had a really clear vision of what exactly was going in my body. Now I do, because myfitnesspal gives you totals on protein, carbs, sugars, etc. The phone app is better than the computer input imho, because you can scan bar codes to quickly enter items.

My advice for finding time to workout - either get up a half hour or so early to work out, or do it together with your wife after work, which could be fun. Work out together, take a nice shower together...

Push ups, situps and body work take up no space.. Get a couple of challenging free weights and maybe install a pull-up bar in a doorway.

Lots of good advice here. There's always a way to do it when there's a will.

 

[KittySlayer]

Insane

I'm looking for a decent fitness and weight loss routine...

So I guess I'm really looking for something mid- to high-intensity for calorie burning and fitness improvement that I can do without any equipment or space in a 1 bedroom apartment. Any ideas?

Look into the Insanity DVDs. Short 30-40 minute sessions including warm up and cool down. No equipment to buy. Lots of cardio and pylometrics which might be an issue if you are not on a ground floor. Simply adjust your intensity to your ability and don't expect to be able to keep up with the gym bunnies on the video. It calls for six days a week but even working out side by side with my wife 4-5 days was all we could fit in our schedule and it still kicked both our butts and we are both fairly fit.

Just remember buying something will not make you fit.

Anyway, I have a sedentary desk job, and ride public transit for 90 mins each way on my commute...

My exercise currently consists of about a 30 minute walk during my lunch break...

Get off the transit one stop early and walk a little extra to/from work. Always take the stairs. Watch the snacks at your desk. Can you get into a gym during your lunch (or in the morning) and do something a bit more intense than a walk? Does your work have any sort of fitness program/incentives?

I've tried counting calories and the dieting thing....

Sorry, its all about calories in and calories out. If you are working out you can eat more but only to a point if your goal is to lose. If you drink soda or beer stop! A beer or two on the weekends maybe but cut the rest of those empty calories out of your diet. When food is served always do the portion control before you start eating, at a restaurant ask for the To Go box at the beginning of the meal and put aside what you should not be eating quantity wise. Eat healthy and snack healthy, watch your quantities and avoid the fad diets.

...while I'm watching football.

Don't watch sports, play sports.

 

[Jaqhama]

Upper body...a set of dumbbells with enough weight plates that you can mix and match the weight.
Check out the many bodybuilding websites on the Net for dumbbell exercise routines.

Lower body... you can still use the dumbbells for added weight when performing some of the leg exercises

You can also put some weights into a sturdy backpack and do some leg exercises, like loaded horse stances.

Breathing and suppleness, general well being...Geoff's Pike excellent book:

Amazon.com: Ch'i the Power Within (9780804830997): Geoff Pike, Phyllis Pike: Books

(Possibly cheaper through the Book Depository . com )

Small fold up gym: The Total Gym. (Yeah, the one Chuck Norris advertises. I did a review on it vs suspension trainers vs dumbbells here:

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=253312

I lived in a small one bedroom apartment for many years, so I can tell you that the Total Gym is tailor made for small rooms and storage. Fold it up and stand it behind a door, under the bed, behind the lounge etc.

Let us know what you end up with and what progress you make.

Cheers: Jaq

 

[Ebbertron]

Get off the bus one or two stops early and walk the rest of the way to work.

 

[fido0311]

I know this is a simple answer but it really works...for me...and Im a strange one, but hell take a look anyways. Make an appt with a trainer and state your fitness goals, or even better get a good program book, mens health has many. Then go make an appt with a nutritionist and state your weight loss goals and the fitness program you will be doing. I like simple so I have basically just 2 meals for every meal I eat a day. Its a lot of fiber, fruit, greens, and protein. There are many ways to go, but this is just one idea to think over.

 

[nurtlh]

I read a book called " Volumetrics Weight-Control" by Barbara Rolls Ph.D who is a professor at Penn State. Consumer Reports rated it a top diet plan a couple of years ago. I coupled that with cardiovascular training on a tread mill in my home which has platform that folds up for space savings. I watch action videos on my TV while working out and time goes by faster for me.
I am your height 5'9" and I weighed 232 lbs when I started and now weigh 192. I plan on getting down to 175 to 180.