Weight loss plan and goal

RICH17

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So I’m looking at getting into better shape. Right now I’m 5’7” and I weigh in at 250 pounds. I hate the way I look and feel and need to get into better shape. My question for you guys is I need a schedule. Food schedule, workout schedule, something to stick to. I find many online and I think they’re all bullshit. I know a lot of you guys work out and am in better shape and I’m looking for you opinions.

I want to get into jogging/running and more cardio as my workout. I’m not really interested in heavy weight lifting. My diet consists of a lot of crap and I know I need to change it. What do you guys do for you daily food intake? Like what do you guys eat and how much? How long should I be working out for you think daily?

My goal is to be as close to or under 200 pounds by my 30th birthday which is November of 2015.
 

10sec

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You should focus on looking better vs the weight goal. Everyone has a weight goal, but that doesn't mean shit. You can be 200lbs but with no muscle mass you'll look the same. You'll have to workout with weights, just running isn't enough. 20min of weights 4-5 days a week with 3 days of cardio. I would suggest brisk walking vs running. They burn the same calories, and at 250, running will fatigue you so quickly you won't get a decent workout.

Get a fuel band or something like it. I have a Nike Fuel band and I set my daily goal at one of the highest points. It will help motivate you to get off your ass and go for a walk or play a sport. Eventually working out will get boring. Join a softball team, shoot some hoops at the park, etc. Do stuff that will help you get in shape, but you can enjoy it at the same time.

You could take your dogs for long walks on the beach.
 

Gav'sPurpleZ

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i've been scolded before when suggesting a low carb diet to people who have never done it.
well, guess what.... everyone has never done it at some point.

if you want to drop fat, then low carb is where it is at. the basic concept is to fuel your body with Fat in order to use Fat as it's fuel.
Your body will use carbs, then fat then protein for fuel.

Is it easy ? nope. Does it work ? yes, if done properly.

you don't need to lift "heavy" weights... but weight training is important.

think of a pear.... remove "mass" from the pear, it is still pear shaped.
as a dude, you want to widen your shoulders and back and narrow your waist.

i lost 20lbs just by cleaning up my diet. a friend who competed in amateur competitions put me on a "clean" eating plan.

no dairy, lots of "healthy" carbs, i.e. brown rice, sweet potatoes etc.
lots of meat and veggies. a protein powder wouldnt be a bad idea just to have during the day. it can be a "meal" when your goal should be 5-6 meals per day.

2 separate ideas here.

low carb is pretty much meat, cheese and eggs for 6 weeks.
skip the 1st carb weekend. for weeks 2-6, you would "carb up" 24-36 hours starting saturday afternoon.

bulletproof coffee can be a helpful addition to a low carb diet since your first 500 calories for the day is from healthy fats
 

Jean Ralphio

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First, good for you on putting your foot down to improve yourself. I can guarantee that if you stick with it, it will be one of the best decisions you've made. Your goal is definitely attainable. I found myself in a similar position awhile back and dropped 75-80lbs in a little more than a year. I was so completely clueless about diet and nutrition...but the good news is that there is TONS of good information out on the internet to help you. Meal plans, recipes, workout plans, etc.
One thing I'd recommend would be to track your daily food intake using something like FitDay. It helps quantify your eating habits and it will show you what percentage of your diet is protein/fats/carbs etc. It can be a little tedious manually logging everything, but I'd recommend trying it at least once or twice so you can see roughly what your daily caloric intake is looking like. The truth is, there is no set number of calories you should be eating as things like metabolism, daily activity, etc. can vary greatly.
Do you have access to a gym or any kind of workout equipment? I'd second 10sec's opinion on sticking to something like fast-walking or elliptical work and eventually progress into some running or jogging.

I'll send you some good nutrition and exercise info a little later on.
 

Gav'sPurpleZ

If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail
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Your goal is definitely attainable. I found myself in a similar position awhile back and dropped 75-80lbs in a little more than a year. I was so completely clueless about diet and nutrition...but the good news is that there is TONS of good information out on the internet to help you. Meal plans, recipes, workout plans, etc.
One thing I'd recommend would be to track your daily food intake using something like FitDay. It helps quantify your eating habits and it will show you what percentage of your diet is protein/fats/carbs etc. It can be a little tedious manually logging everything, but I'd recommend trying it at least once or twice so you can see roughly what your daily caloric intake is looking like. The truth is, there is no set number of calories you should be eating as things like metabolism, daily activity, etc. can vary greatly.
Do you have access to a gym or any kind of workout equipment? I'd second 10sec's opinion on sticking to something like fast-walking or elliptical work and eventually progress into some running or jogging.

I'll send you some good nutrition and exercise info a little later on.

80lbs ?
fuck
 

Lead Pipe

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i've been scolded before when suggesting a low carb diet to people who have never done it.
well, guess what.... everyone has never done it at some point.

if you want to drop fat, then low carb is where it is at. the basic concept is to fuel your body with Fat in order to use Fat as it's fuel.
Your body will use carbs, then fat then protein for fuel.

Is it easy ? nope. Does it work ? yes, if done properly.

you don't need to lift "heavy" weights... but weight training is important.

think of a pear.... remove "mass" from the pear, it is still pear shaped.
as a dude, you want to widen your shoulders and back and narrow your waist.

i lost 20lbs just by cleaning up my diet. a friend who competed in amateur competitions put me on a "clean" eating plan.

no dairy, lots of "healthy" carbs, i.e. brown rice, sweet potatoes etc.
lots of meat and veggies. a protein powder wouldnt be a bad idea just to have during the day. it can be a "meal" when your goal should be 5-6 meals per day.

2 separate ideas here.

low carb is pretty much meat, cheese and eggs for 6 weeks.
skip the 1st carb weekend. for weeks 2-6, you would "carb up" 24-36 hours starting saturday afternoon.

bulletproof coffee can be a helpful addition to a low carb diet since your first 500 calories for the day is from healthy fats

More info on this clean eating? Meal plans, etc.
 

Mike K

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I've done it all sorts of ways. In 2005 I went from 280ish to 210ish in a matter of months and I did it largely by working out 5 days a week and eating less. Note I don't say eating well. :)

I lost all that weight and I was eating a Wendy's Spicy chicken sandwich and a large chili for dinner. That was an adjustment from a probably a large fry, 2 JR bacon cheeseburgers, a large drink and a large chili at one sitting. I had a sensible lunch as well, usually just a sandwich from Boston Market.

So you can just eat less and work out more. That does work.

My weight crept back up to 245 for the last few years and I attempted to calorie count to get it back down. I maintained but really didn't lose anything despite working out.

A few months ago I changed it up and tried the low carb diet which if you're a fatty with an "eat until you can't eat any more" mentality like me, is perfect because you're not worried about how much you can eat, just what you can eat. Plus a low carb diet is filling. You eat less and feel more full. I always thought that was just bullshit people said but it was true.

Where the low carb bit came undone for me was the weekends where I like to pig out. I can't be without sugar. I can do it for a few days but I can't stay on a diet that says no sugar for months or weeks at a time. So for me it wasn't the best fit simply because I wouldn't stay in ketosis with the way I was eating on the weekends. I'd start Monday, by Thursday I'd notice the signs of Ketosis and then by Saturday my first donut would ruin it all.

What's worked

K, so now I've covered all the stuff that hasn't worked for me. Here's what has: calorie counting on a larger scale. First lets understand where the calorie counting diets break down.

Jimmy has a 2000 calorie a day allotment to lose 1.5 lbs a week. Since Jimmy (Mike) is a fatty at heart he's bumping up against that 2000 calories every day. Tuesday comes and Jimmy finds his car turning itself into Taco Bell. At the end of the day he's eaten 4000 calories. Shit. No big deal Jimmy says. Back on the diet tomorrow! The problem is it is a big deal and if you string together a couple of bad days they can wipe out a couple weeks of steady dieting. So here's the solution I came up with.

My daily calorie allotment is something like 2000 calories to lose 1 lb a week. Instead of looking at my calorie intake on a day by day basis I look at it on a week by week. So each week I have 14,000 calories I can eat. If I eat 4000 calories today fine but then I'm down for the rest of the week. If I eat 1000 calories a day I can gorge this weekend. This accomplishes a few things:

1. Accountability - With the day by day calorie counting if you fuck up one day it seems insurmountable to get that day back. If you have a 2000 calorie overage and your daily allotment is 2000 calories what are you going to do? Not eat the next day to even things out? No, so since it seems insurmountable most people just completely ignore it and start the next day new. My way takes those calories from the weekly pool though so it's being spread out over several days.

2. You don't find yourself rushing to eat at the end of the day - For you skinny people this likely isn't a problem but when you're on a calorie counting diet and you have 2000 calories for your day if you're at 1700 at 7:00 you're looking in the fridge wondering what you can spend that other 300 on. In some ways you end up eating more than you would otherwise because if you don't use those calories today they're gone. When you're looking at the calories on a weekly basis though you get to the end of the day and you say "I don't want to eat those 300 calories". You want to save them for another day.

3. Flexibility - You want to go out with friends tonight and get drunk? Have some nachos? Do it without the guilt that comes with blowing your diet for a day.

4. It encourages exercise - I hike for 3 - 4 miles every day pretty much. That gets put into my calorie bucket for the week. Suddenly instead of doing the 2 mile route and getting 500 calories I find myself going for the 4 mile route to get the 1000 calories.

So far with this different approach at calorie counting I've lost an additional 10lbs and I'm down to 228 again. Since it's a sustainable diet I never really feel like I'm suffering or that I can't eat anything. If I want to go out and have something terrible right now I can without the feeling that I'm blowing my day and the accountability will come, just later in the week in the form of having a smaller pool of calories to have for the remainder of the week or the need to exercise more to get it back.

The obvious things to add to this are exercise and picking better food. I still eat out about 50% of the time but I'm eating better when I do. Salads, burrito bowls with just meat, onions/ peppers, cheese and brown rice, etc. We don't have snacks around our house really either, just fruit.
 

wombat

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You can lose 5-10 pounds in a matter of 3ish weeks by doing nothing other than drinking water EXCLUSIVELY.

I fucking LOVE coffee, but gave it up. I was 5'7 220 and I dropped to 210 ONLY drinking water (and it fucking sucked), didn't change anything else (eating, exercise etc.). This includes beer/hard liquor...gave it all up for 30 days.

I'm down to 190 now, the 210-200 was eating habits, the 200-190 was combining water only, eating habits, and working out. I try to run (by run, I'm talking anywhere from a 9:30 to a 11 min mile) at least a mile a day in the morning, and then I lift. Supplements (I use a vitapack from GNC every morning (multivitamins, CLAs, water pill) and protein after lifting, even if I don't lift a lot, you're still tearing your muscles and need recovery) will help you get the nutrients you may be missing by changing your eating habits.

IIFYM is some good info and you can plan meals using that website easily.

Sorry, I'm kind of all over the place. If you want more info feel free to PM me and I can be more structured and detailed. I'm no poster child for losing weight, but as others may have said things work different for other people.
 

FESTER665

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I'm down 24 pounds since last November simply by cutting soda/pop/whatever out of my diet completely. I know 24 pounds doesn't sound like much in 10 months, but considering it was the only change I've made it's pretty noticeable.

Just waiting for the puppy to get a little older so I can start going on much longer walks each day... Right now we get on average 2 15-20 minute walks per day...

I still have quite a ways to go, but the water thing was huge. The first two weeks SUCKED. Every afternoon I would get horrible headaches and want to just sleep... If you're drinking pop/soda/sugary drinks I would suggest starting with cutting those out.
 

OffshoreDrilling

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more than 1-1.5lbs lost per week maybe result in muscle loss.


he's not cutting for a competition. He has enough weight where 2-3 is perfectly normal in that case, especially when he's not

The internet has a ton of information Rich. Everyone has their own opinion on what method to choose. I'd suggest joining bodybuilding.com forums. Tons of laughs there and people in all sorts of situations with their health. Anything you would need to ask has been answered 100 times over on that forum.

Weight loss is very simple on paper. You need to burn more calories than you consume, consistently.

My best suggestions would be to start tracking what you eat on one of the many apps available. I prefer myfitnesspal, which is 100% free. Get a food scale, they are inexpensive. Knowing what is going in calorie wise will really wake you up.

Second thing I suggest is making small changes. Start slow. Crash diet and radical changes will not form lasting habits to keep you in good health.

Educate yourself. Doing x or y because so and so recommended it, isn't doing you any favors. Read, learn, understand what it is your doing and why it's working.
 

Intel

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Also to go along with what offshore just said. I would ease into the exercise if you haven't done that sort of stuff in a long time. Even walking just 30 minutes a day if you haven't done it before will make a nice difference if you do the rest.

I just see too many people start running/jogging from doing nothing and end up hurting themselves.
 

Spivitz

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Lot of great suggestions in here. Congratulations to all whom have achieved their goals.
5”7 250lbs has to be uncomfortable. You should absolutely drop a few digits.

Here is my suggestion on diet:
Set your goal, stay focused & determined. Getting in & staying in shape absolutely takes self-discipline.
Cut out soda, chips, bread ( bread is a big cut the fuck out )  junk food completely.
An example of a Darren diet:
Breakfast
Healthy cereal, regular cheerios, rice krispies ( etc ) NO frosted flakes ( you get the idea )
Lunch
I’d make this the largest meal of the day. Keep it simple like a decent size salmon fillet, or chicken breast, vegetables.
Dinner: Real lean man, this will be hard. One apple & say a can of tuna, another “small” bone less skin less chicken breast ( maybe cut one in half )

In between meals drink lots of water, eat healthy nuts ( No do not suck on anyone’s love sack, I’m typing almonds, cashews, pistachios ( my favorite )
Plus eat as many fruits, banana’s, apples ( etc ) along with celery, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots to keep yourself satisfied.
No carbs during your transition down to 180lbs.
I’d say cut out beer but you have to live, stick to the premium, purest coldest pilsner on the planet aka Miller Lite. Drink responsibly, no more than a 12 pack per day…( OK, maybe 10 is OK )

Now, here is a secret. Google it, read up on it & buy it on amazon. garcinia cambogia -> shit works. It’s a natural supplement that suppresses your diet. Pop a pill, 60-80 min later eat just a can of tuna & you should be satisfied ( I am )

Work out 7 days per week if possible. Always keep moving. My point is if not lifting weights or swimming, ride a bike, walk ( anything ) Just keep moving.
A 45 min walk burns a considerable amount of calories.
Good luck, I hope all the decent suggestions on this thread help!
 

RICH17

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I'm down 24 pounds since last November simply by cutting soda/pop/whatever out of my diet completely. I know 24 pounds doesn't sound like much in 10 months, but considering it was the only change I've made it's pretty noticeable.

Just waiting for the puppy to get a little older so I can start going on much longer walks each day... Right now we get on average 2 15-20 minute walks per day...

I still have quite a ways to go, but the water thing was huge. The first two weeks SUCKED. Every afternoon I would get horrible headaches and want to just sleep... If you're drinking pop/soda/sugary drinks I would suggest starting with cutting those out.

I usually drink 2 regular monsters a day. Cutting that and soda is going to be super hard but I know I have to do it


Any other things I can eat/drink to get a bit of energy?
 

SirMarco

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I usually drink 2 regular monsters a day. Cutting that and soda is going to be super hard but I know I have to do it


Any other things I can eat/drink to get a bit of energy?

This alone and switching to water got me started loosing fast. After that running was what helped me keep going.

Eat the right foods and you will have energy. Don't stay up all night playing video games. Get a full night sleep. That will help with energy.
 

EmersonHart13

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My wife has been dabbling in Paleo (clean eating) and crossfit and it has been working well. She focuses on eating protein and avoiding dairy (cheese) and carbs (bread and pasta). She does eat a lot of eggs though as the protein is good so it outweighs the dairy downfall.

I have obviously been following along with the eating portion. We basically only drink water, helps a lot, and only do like 1 cheat day a week where we can kinda go for broke. We eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. Try to eat more vegetables than fruit as they have less sugar.

I walk a lot, dogs are good for that, and I am always working around the house so that keeps me in shape without being a boring work out.

Neither of us drink coffee, and I rarely drink any pop. We just tough through it, get enough sleep, and eat small snacks and meals often throughout the day.
 
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