Getting Back into Shape : Diet and Exercise

I haven't done anykind of regular exercise for 10 years.

On May 1 I started again.

Exercise: Just push-ups, sit-ups, squats, hand weights, and walks.

Diet: Cut out Bread, Sweets, Fruit Juice, mostly vegitarian but a bit of chicken & fish

Started flabby and out of shape.

Still flabby and out of shape but less so.

Start: 202 lbs
Now: 192 lbs

Goal: 155 and tone

Congratulations on the progress and I hope you keep it up. Little by little, bit by bit, just keep it slow and steady. Within two weeks your dieting and exercise will be a HABIT and you'll keep it up. FWIW, I strongly encourage you to add plenty of water to your daily routine. Keep this up - you're getting a big ole pat on the back from ATL for your efforts!!

I lost 40 pounds, after I turned 50.

I made my initial goal of getting uner 230. Around 222 now and still on the path. I'd like to be under 200 by the time I turn 65, if I live that long. ;)

You're off to a great start. Just remember to take your time, and don't lose too much weight at once. Ultimately, you'll get to a point where you lose 1 or 2 pounds per week. The last 10 pounds will be the hardest.

I would have to starve myself to even get down to 202 lbs. I weigh in at 270 at 6 feet tall. I'm a little pudgy, but could only lose about 20-30 lbs without having to starve to do it. I've weighed over 200 since my freshman year in HS.

I went on a low carb crash diet and only lost about 3lbs a week max.

I will give you a tip ...

try to avoid veggies with "simple sugars" ... Root vegetables and peas come to mind.

Veggies I ate: cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, asparagus.

10 lbs in 12 days 1.2 lbs per day. Depending on the amount of calories reduced, and the calories expended from exercise (the OP did mention a 10 year layoff from exercise), that kind of a drop would be fairly normal. Over time, that weight loss will taper off.

I've given up every other destructive habit, but sitting around and eating too many cheeseburgers is one I can't beat yet. Mind over matter, right?

As someone who has battled a weight problem my whole life, I know you want to meet your goal asap. However, after the first three weeks, you shouldn't be losing more than two pounds a week. Even one pound a week is just fine. Two main reasons for this. One, weight that comes off slowly stays off. Second, many of the toxic chemicals we come in contact with are fat soluble, meaning they're stored in the fat in your body. As you lose weight, they are dumped into your system and cleared out. However, if you lose too fast, your body can't handle it. Many people who lose a lot of weight quickly end up with some serious medical issues.

You might want to check out "Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution." It sounds like you're pretty much on track with his program already. I started on it seven months ago and have lost 50 pounds. More importantly, my cholesterol levels are now perfect, which is what the diet is designed to do. Last year, they wanted to put me on cholesterol drugs, but I couldn't tolerate them (5% of people can't). So, I decided to do it with diet instead. At my last checkup, the doctor couldn't believe the change in my numbers.

http://www.drgundry.com/

Keep up the good work.

I will look into the info you cite.

Way to go on you weight loss! Congrats.

Last physical I had was bad cholesterol & triglycerides so this is a move in the right direction.

Best to you.

Good cholesterol went from 30 to 68 and triglycerides went from 141 to 48.

How tall are you? And are you M or F? I don't like to make an assumption.

seems appropriate for your height. What kind of time frame were you looking at to reach goal?

at the moment. Although,it hasn't been that long for me I would say about 2 amd a half years.

I just laid on the floor with my mat,and new exercise ball,trying to stretch and moaning with every move. I started back last week but can't seem to get up to speed or can't motivate myself like I use to but I will...

Keep at it.

and trying not to use pain medications..

and it's easier on your joints than running.

But, if you do it, get good poles -- not the collapsible ones.

http://skiwalking.com/funfacts.asp

Cooking simpler foods, etc. I'm trying to get prepared on the front end,ie changing eating habits. Found a lot of useful info at www.sparkpeople.com

Did you know there's a forum for us here? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=337

:hi:

Instead I went out and jogged/walked a mile, and NOW I'm fixing to eat my lunch.

Thanks and good luck.

Start: 230 lbs
Now: 224 lbs
Goal: 190 lbs

Diet's about the same as you. Cut out simple carbs - bread, sugar, etc. - but still doing complex carbs. Lots of beans. Mostly vegetarian. Had some tuna this weekend.

I read an article about how we've been doing our workouts backwards. Mostly we do cardio first as a kind of warmup then weights but it should be the opposite. So I started doing some weights at our schools gym first this week. Only about 10 minutes, didn't want to overdo to, then hit the stairmaster. Went from 229 to 224 this week. Probably just water though. The theory is when we do cardio we burn both fat and some muscle, but by doing weights first we prevent burning muscle during the cardio and so only burn fat. Who knows, it sounds good.

Good luck!

The more muscle you can put on your frame, the more calories you burn by any activity, including just being alive.

The pounds just dropped off when I started with weights many years ago. But the info about doing weights first and then the cardio was news to me. Who knows if this stuff is ever true but they make it sound good so I'm giving it a go. (After bathing in chicken blood and making a full moon sacrifice to Cellulesta, the goddess of fitness of course!)

Tried to find the original article but no luck. Found this though:

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201104/warm-cardio-then-go-weights-right-wrong

I've spent years studying the topic of your post. Even as someone who rides a bike thousands of miles per year, I have finally discovered what I consider the answers.

I injured my back 21 years ago. And also just riding a bike wasn't fixing what was wrong with me. My back was aching, my stomach was beginning to flab, my cholesterol was sky high. And lots of other things that shouldn't have been happening at age 55.

I went to the pro cyclists for help. After trying different diets I discovered the truth. My diets weren't for losing weight but for being healthy. Although the diet I found does both. The pro cyclists have had a thread running for quite some time now on this diet. Skeptics and all are now totally in agreement that it's the only way to go. It's called the Paleo Diet. I strongly suggest everyone buy this book. It is the diet we ate before we became modern humans. In other words, before we became sick.

It's difficult to follow because all processed foods are out. Lowering salt is probably the hardest part. No dairy (which I just can't break, since I love cheese). The only carbohydrates we eat should be to replenish used carbs after heavy workouts, otherwise no carbs. High fats. But good fats. Lots of lean meats. Lots of meat.

It goes against what everyone knows. But everyone is wrong. The book is a scientific study that leads directly to this diet. And it works.

As for exercise, it's composed of two things. Stretching and isometrics. No squats, pushups, situps. But planks.

I've tried everything. And everything but this has failed.

The key to what started me on this path was this- I drank a little beer every day. A little every day added up to a lot. So I thought that if I began doing just a little every day that was good, it would also add up to a lot. I've never been able to get rid of my back problem. I've never been able to improve my body. It took at least 6 months of a series of plank isometrics and stretches before I could even do them without a serious degree of suffering. I am now one year into it, and I'm almost where my body was when I was 30. I'm absolutely thrilled.

I really hope this post has some value, because I see so many people spending time, going through motions, and going nowhere. Losing weight is not a very good indicator of health. I can post a link to the bike thread if you're interested.

Congratulations on even trying.

I am just at the beginning of this quest. Hopefully, I'm mostly on the right path but I am completely open to altering my approach.

To let you know how out of my element regular exercise is I have no idea what a 'plank' is (i'll google it after this post)

As for food, processed is out. But for non-health reasons I'm weeing from animal as well. Hopefully, the benifits you have had with your meat intake can be achieved in an alternate way. Also a cheese lover here...now just as a tiny reward on the weekend. Still eating eggs and occasional yogurt.

Carbs are beans and veggies in chilli.
Fats, a bit of peanut butter on apples and EV Olive oil for cooking. Occasional Chicken/fish but I want to fade that out.

But if this doesn't do the job I will take a closer look at your suggestions. You are right...little by little.

Please do post the bike link

Thanks for taking the time and for the advice. You seem to have done quite well.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=556437

The alternative to lean meats (which are quite expensive, as I'm finding out) is Whey protein. And that stuff is horrible to work with. I tried it in bulk powder, and it's nasty. I'm eating fish for breakfast these days.

And I feel REAL yohgurt (which is kind of hard to find amongst the garbage yogurts) is pretty important. Just my opinion.

Planks are isometrics. I just discovered that it's what the whole Charles Atlas program was based on. I found a half dozen or so of them that have almost totally cured my back injury. No weights. Pushups are sort of an isometric. I do a station ary pushup. But there's a thing called pelvic tilt that is something to look at. Doing the planks with the correct form is important.

I thought this diet would be hell. No bread, no cereal. But to be honest I love what I'm eating. Melons, raisins, walnuts, spinach and fish. It's costly. I could do better, and I'm still spending about $500 per month on just one person.

The book is great because it gives a starting point. A foundation. I can't help but eat tons of cheddar cheese. And salt is just too hard to drop. At least I have a foundation from which to base my decisions.

Higher in protein, not all that sugar and flavoring. A little honey (just a teaspoon per cup) changes the taste from sour cream into a nice (un-sweet) yogurt.

For many years I made my own yogurt. I don't know what Greek yogurt is. I'm guessing they'd be close.

Nancy's yoghurt out of Oregon is so good that my parents finally stopped making their own.

I never appreciated how healthy I was until I was unhealthy. I'm searching for answers.

Someone just posted on that other link I gave you. The guy is a seasoned bike racer. He's been on the Paleo diet for three years, and is so happy about it he started his own Paleo website.

http://www.paleodietandliving.com/paleo-diet/

lots of meat and fat, no carbs. How does Paleo differ?

The nice part of the Paleo diet is the heavy scientific research that went into the discoveries that it's based on.

I'm sort of embarrassed that I don't know more about the Atkins, and felt that the Paleo is so unique. That's because when I saw the testimonials in the cycling training forum, I was convinced right there.

The Paleo excludes legumes, dairy, grains, and some other groups. I doubt the Atkins does. It's interesting to read the justification for the exclusions.

I've lost just about 60 lbs over the last two years or so. Not only was it slow and comfortable, but I've actually felt better than I have in years while losing the weight. More energy, etc. The key, I think, is to not rush it. Change your lifestyle, change habits, so when you achieve better health you'll keep it for the rest of your life. It's working for me: started at 280 lbs, currently 216 lbs, goal 190 lbs.

I lost 10 pounds doing that, plus daily walking on a treadmill. Otherwise I eat pretty much whatever I want, plus wine -- which I can't live without.

Even the occasional McDonald's splurge won't hurt.

Great for the heart, lungs & muscles but easy on the joints.

Avoid ALL corn syrup if you can. Try to kep the fish & chicken down ot twice a week. Try to eat organic and raw where you can (more nutrients)

NEVER go hungry- your body will just store fat- have a healthy snack (like nuts or rasins) as opposed to going hungry...

Instead of sit ups, try forward & side planks- they are easier and you will get quicker results:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1259&bih=847&q=planks+exercise&aq=f&aqi=g7g-v3&aql=&oq=&safe=active

KEEP IT UP!

I basically was in the same position as you about this time last year- since then I've lost 3 pants sizes, and my cholesterol went down so low that the doc took me off Lipitor. ALL my back pains went away, insomnia went away, energy is back etc.

Keep it up- us Liberals need to stay alive and active for as long as we can!

Snacks are walnuts, apples, celrey, V-8, or these patties I make from spinich, brocolli, onions, and garlic.

No HFCS

I will check out the Plank info...Thanks.

Just doin't get discouraged if you "plateau" at some point. Then what you need to do is NOT ramp up the same workout you are doing or cut back more on calorie intake, but change up the workout routine and do different activities.

I lost 25 lbs. last year and I am changed person!

Remember the aerobic exercise is going to help you with that flab.

Hang in there.

Get you heart rate up, AMERICA!

A lot of the weight loss is probably water, as your body does not need to store as much water to digest the carbs (it takes two water molecules to break down one sugar molecule).

Don't be suprised if you gain a bit of weight, as you gain muscle... totally normal. You'll plateau on you weight training pretty quickly without a more intensive weight program. If you can get into a gym.. even better! It does not take much... twice a week for 30-40 minute is plenty for the gym.

On the cardio: Low and slow will burn more fat. Keep the heart-rate in the 130 zone for optimal fat burning. You will not feel like it's very hard to do.

Here is a sample workout routine that would be good for when you plateau:

monday Strength: Bench 5x5, Squat 5x5, dead lift 1x5, lat pulldown: 5x5
tues: walk
wed: rest
thurs: moderate run or bike ride
fri strength: incline bench 5x5, dead lift 5x5, seated row: 5x5
sat: rest
sun: hard bike ride 2hrs

Bike riding is phenomenal for cardio building.

or just until you get to your goal ?

are you going to change your diet again when you reach your goal?

No increase in exercise. Healthier eating and greatly reduced calorie intake.

No sugar.

This is the important part of your physical routine. The aerobic benefit. Make it a daily habit, and you will just do it without thinking. Your diet sounds perfect.

249, about to get back to 220

Great time of the year for this post. Getting warm and time to exercise!

www.sparkpeople.com

That's all I'm sayin'... terrific site, terrific support,
terrific variation in programs specific to your needs and concerns.
And its FREE.

Oh, altho they recommend and offer many exercise programs,
what worked for me is Leslie Sansone's Walk off the Pounds videos,
easy, specially if you've been 'dormant' a while.

Keep up the good work.

If you test drive Sparkpeople, you can use me (noel711) as a referral.

Slow and steady wins the race!

You can have the odd slice of whole wheat bread. You don't need to abandon the odd sweet either - just give up sugar in coffee, tea, etc.

Nothing beats walking/running consistently too.

to your body and make it very difficult to shed extra pounds.