How are my fitness plans?

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Hey, I was hoping that I could get some help with my fitness plans.

I'm 6 feet tall, and weigh about 230 pounds. In good shape I believe that I'd weigh about 185-190. I've been a little over-weight for most of my life. Though as a fairly big guy, I hide it relatively well.

But I figure that it's time for me to get into shape. I want to look and feel better, and improve my health.

I'm interested in buying an elliptical, and a large set of free-weights.

I figured that I could do 30 minutes on the elliptical in the morning (high heart beat), followed by raises, flys, shoulder presses, etc with the dumbbells. Perhaps some pushups,and situps as well. Then I would do an additional 30 minutes on the elliptical at night. As my fitness increases, so will the time that I spend on the elliptical. I figured that I could do this 5 times a week.

I'd like to compliment the exercise with a good diet. More frequent, smaller meals throughout the day. Things like baby carrots, celery, broccoli, salads, fruits, small portions of nuts, and lean protein. Drink lots of water, and a little bit of milk for the calcium.

Does this sound like the kind of diet and exercise that could get me into shape quickly, or will I need to step things up? I was hoping to see a loss of 20-30 pounds in the first 3-4 months (the one and only time I've been on a diet in my life, I lost weight quite quickly - without increasing exercise). Is that wishful thinking, or a realistic goal? I'm still quite young, so I'm sure that my body would respond well.

I should probably mention that my current exercise regime consists of sitting on my ass and doing nothing in the most literal sense. Not too mention eating poorly.

If that's just not enough exercise, I'd like to note that I'll be moving in several months. When I do, I'd like to take up martial arts once more. Of course, it's dependent upon the location that I move to, and what martial arts are available in the area. Muay Thai, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are all martial arts that I'm interested in (not that it matters).

Couple more questions. How many calories should I be feeding my body (with weight loss in mind)? I assume something between 2000 and 2300.

And how much can I find a good elliptical for? I was hoping to spend somewhere in the $700-$1000 range. But I'm not quite sure what the best number would be.

Thanks.
 
calorie counting is the most effective diet to use while exercising, i would reccomend getting a heart rate monitor and some of them (try polars) give you a rough idea of how many calories you've burnt, then jsut look at the label on all the foods you eat and the idea is to eat less than you burn over the day, but remember you're always burning calories, its not jsut when you exercise so take that into account, and good luck :)
 
I am not a big fan of using one type of cardio equipment unless you want to become proficient on that equipment. If you use the same equipment, your body musculature adapts to that equipment and your fitness benefits decline.

My recommendation is to hold off on the elliptical, save your money and join a gym. If you realize that you really enjoy the elliptical, look for one on Craigslist for pennies on the retail dollar. But you can get several months of gym membership for $1000 and be able to use the vast array of equipment.
 
g8r80 said:
I am not a big fan of using one type of cardio equipment unless you want to become proficient on that equipment. If you use the same equipment, your body musculature adapts to that equipment and your fitness benefits decline.

My recommendation is to hold off on the elliptical, save your money and join a gym. If you realize that you really enjoy the elliptical, look for one on Craigslist for pennies on the retail dollar. But you can get several months of gym membership for $1000 and be able to use the vast array of equipment.
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Yep, agreed. In fact, you can get several years at a gym for that. Or you could spend that $1k on an olympic weight set and a bench. Also, yes, I think you'd need to step it up, particularly in weight training. That cardio can only do so much and depends entirely on your diet. But mostly, raises, flys and shoulder presses are the wrong exercises for weight loss. You need to involve the entire body - mostly the legs (no, the elliptical isn't really doing that). My 2 cents.
 
I've always been more comfortable with training myself, and while I'm sure that I'd use the elliptical. I suppose a gym membership is a much better use of my money.

Thanks for all the advice.
 
1) Don't worry about getting in shape quickly, worry about getting in shape. It is not a sprint. The more radical the changes, the less likely they will be permanent. Shoot toward the lower and longer ranges of your stated weight loss goals.

2) I would also suggest trying to mix up the cardio a bit. In addition to being more effective, it will be less boring, and you will be less likely to injure yourself.

3) Your weightlifting program sounds rather vague. I would do some more research in that regard.

Congratulations for committing to the change, and good luck!
 
You could get one for around 1000 bucks online. If you can find one locally, it would be better because you can jsut borrow a friends truck and pick it up, instead of paying for the shipping.
 
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