First steps toward weight loss, Help

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nfarnham2001

New member
Okay, I am trying to lose weight for myself and for the holidays, I guess a goal or a new years resolution you could say.

I am 6'2, and 210 lbs and spent about 2 months doing weight training and taking in a lot of food and calories for protein. I got the muscle mass and build I want, or as close as I will get without a gym or supplements. I don't have or take any supplements, nor have I ever. I am looking to do cardio, whether it be low interval, high interval, etc. Whatever works best, to cut down about 20 pounds, in the next few months. The main area that the weight seems to be is my stomach lol, so not sure if doing ab exercises would help any either.

My goal is to be around 175 180 in about 2 or 3 months, and I just have a home, not a gym, to work out in. I have 25 and 30 pound free weights and a treadmill (not the powered kind that you can turn on and change speed, but the kind you kinda move yourself you know?) The treadmill monitors calories burned and distance walked. Is there a goal calorie loss or distance I should go for?

Please, I am willing to do anything to lose this weight, except for surgery lol. Also I use the treadmill inside and I don't jog or anything because of the neighborhood I live in. I still do some weight training so I don't lose a lot of muscle mass and become catatonic.

Help out any way you can, Thanks.
 
Also, another two things I want to add, I don't have a diet, and I would like to make/build one, but a few things, I don't know a whole lot about dieting or what is "good" for me, I know I need to stay away from a lot of milk as we dont digest it well, egg's, chicken, and beef are good. Too much bread could be bad.

My daily intake isn't always, but it is something along the lines of, two packages of oatmeal for breakfast (quaker oatmeal in the box) I mix in milk, and I am thinking about buying some protein (whey) and mixing it in as well. Then I have a sandwich or two, with turkey, and either another sandwich for dinner, or some form of meat, be it hamburgers, chicken, fish, or what not.

Sorry for the two long posts, just trying to put everything out there I can think of.

If anyone knows of some place on this site or another that is like dieting for dummies or meal plans for dummies, feel free to post the link.
 
Well ... first of all this: taking in a lot of food and calories for protein. will have to end. It is possible to get plenty of protein for muscle growth w/out eating hugely over your calorie limit.

I would suggest that your first step is to register for a free account on either fitday.com or thedailyplate.com and start logging your food. That will let you see how many calories you're getting and where your nutrition is falling.

Next, I'd say drop the preconceived notions about what food is good and what food is bad. I see a lot of people come to the boards with this whole list of foods that they won't eat because they read somewhere that X food is bad. Your comment about milk is one of them. :) If you personally have issues with milk - allergies or lactose intolerance or whatever - then don't drink it. If you don't have issues, lowfat milk and dairy are excellent sources of protein, calcium, and other needed nutrients.

Ideally for you at your weight, you could lose weight on about 2100 calories a day, with 40% of that coming from carbs, 30% from protein (which should get you around 160g of protein per day), and 30% from healthy fats (things like olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados, etc.)
 
Okay thanks, Yeah the big eating has came to an end, as of a month ago.

My MAIN concerns are these, eating right, keeping my muscle mass, give or take a little, and cutting down my weight, inches, fat etc.

I will look into those sites you mentioned, but my main concerns was workouts.

My current setup is, working out when i wake up, warmups, stretches and some base cardio, a small quick snack like 1 package or half package of oatmeal and some water, then more intense cardio, like treadmill work, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, running drills from football, etc.

Also I plan to incorporate weight training and the basic pushups, sit ups, every other day or so. This workout cycle, cardio and weight training, will be done 4 days a week.

Good start?
 
The exercise looks fine. The thing is that eating is the key to losing weight ... you can exercise all you want, but if you're not eating right, you won't lose weight. :)

So getting control of your diet is going to be the primary thing you need to focus on if you want to lose fat.
 
Ok, thanks, according to thedailyplate it said to take in 1706 calories a day. So I will start using the other website to measure my intake and try to keep it around there while staying active.

Any key things I should or shouldn't eat? I am supposing keep high protein foods on my list and stay away from greasy fatty foods, opting grilled over fried if I can.
 
1700 calories is a bit low for you. I'd stick to around 2000.

Honestly I don't buy into the idea of eliminating whole groups of foods. Obviousl if there's something that is a trigger food for you, then by all means avoid it. But a healthy way of eating means learning to eat in moderation.

Bread isn't bad. A whole loaf of bread is bad.
Fat isn't bad. You need a bit of healthy fat in your diet.
etc.

As you log your food, you'll start to see how things break down. You'll see how various foods affect the totals and where you should eat more or less of something.

Like I said, aim for about 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% healthy fats ... and that will be a good balance.
 
Okay, thanks a lot lol.

So burn more calories than I take in, to lose weight?

But one myth, sorry last question I promise lol. Do you burn any fat while doing weight training? Basically while building muscle, are you losing any way? Like resistance sit ups, weighted lunges and weighted squats etc? or does just cardio burn fat?

But thank you again for all your help, 2 months of questions and they are all answered by you in one day lol. Where has this forum been hiding?
 
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Glad I can help.

So burn more calories than I take in, to lose weight?
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Yup. That's exactly what it all comes down to. :)

Do you burn any fat while doing weight training? Basically while building muscle, are you losing any way? Like resistance sit ups, weighted lunges and weighted squats etc? or does just cardio burn fat?
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Exercise does not burn fat. Not weight lifting. Not cardio. :) Exercise burns CALORIES. And yes, weight lifting and resistance exercise burn calories, and so does cardio.

When you burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight - some fat and some muscle. When you work the muscles (as in weight lifting) and eat sufficient amounts of protein, you can minimize muscle loss and maximize fat loss.

But people tend to get hung up on what exercise burns fat or burns fat better or whatever. And really ... nothing in and of itself burns fat. It's not like the gas in the gas tank of your car. :)
 
Mmmk got it lol. I will stick to those percents you gave me, around 2000 calories, and keep it up in hopes for the best.

I will post again if I have any other concerns or questions, thanks.
 
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