I need some help...

[squish]

Well hello everyone.

I come to you all looking for some help and advice! I hope this is the right place.

I will start off with telling you that I have been trying... and I'm not kidding you here... for at least the last THREE years to really make an impact on my health, body image and general fitness level. In my eyes, up to this point, I have been pretty unsuccessful. I have been too stubborn to try and get help from others and have always tried to do things my way and figure out what changes I need to make on my own. As an act of desperation... I have stumbled across this forum here in hope of some help. It is definitely needed!

Some brief history... I have always been chubby. That slightly overweight kid. From elementary school to adulthood. I am not obese; but admittedly have quite a few extra pounds on me. I have always been athletic and good at/interested in sports. I currently play hockey and tennis regularly (both of those at least once a week). I have no problems committing to hour long workouts at least 3 times a week at my local gym on top of that.

My workout routine has changed many, many times over the years, based on certain things I read or random bits of advice or things I see other people doing. At the moment, here is my usual weekly routine:

1. At least three days a week I do the following:
- 10 minutes of intervals on a stairmaster machine (from normal to intense, 1 minute each).
- 10 minutes of intervals on an exercise bike (from normal to intense, 1 minute each).
- A hand-crafted "core" workout, as I call it, which includes 5 different exercises on a mat, doing each exercise 2-3 times (takes approx 15 minutes). Leg raises, leg raises with a medicine ball, medicine ball side to side while balancing mid-section, plank, and push-ups.
- Moderate weight lifting with free weights, working chest, biceps, triceps, and shoulders (laterals) at 3 sets each (12-14 reps). Takes about 20 min.

2. Some days during the week i'll go for a jog after work on the track, about 15-20 minutes worth and I try to incorporate some varied intervals into it, with sprints and then walks. Mostly random.

3. Whatever Tennis or Hockey I play also adding to my weekly 'fitness' routine.

4. Sometimes I vary my workouts, sacrificing lifting for a run instead, or skipping the bike and doing more lifting instead, just depending on how I feel that day.

Like I said earlier I have been pretty unsuccessful. I am still chubby, still have the gut. At this point I am in the mindset where I want to give up weight lifting altogether and simply concentrate on cardio so I can get rid of all this extra fat that I've had on my for my entire life. I'm so sick of it!

Now with all that being said.. here are a few questions I have:

1. Would it be advisable to give up on the weight lifting and spend more time on cardio? My current schedule, motivation level, and work hours do not really let me spend more than 1 hour 4-5 times a week on workouts.

2. What weaknesses are in my current workout? There MUST be something I have seriously been overlooking.

3. I have heard from various sources saying fat that has been with you for longer is harder to work off. In my case, since I've been chubby my entire life, would it be right to assume that trying to get that "life-fat" off of me would be substantially harder to work off? Like am I looking at some SERIOUSLY extreme dieting/exercising routines in order to get rid of my "life-fat"? Or does it not even matter?

Sorry for the really long post... but helping you understand my situation will help you help me!

Thanks in advance for any advice...

 

[Judyb]

I'm not one to advise you on your workout, perhaps someone else can help you there. I don't believe the fat that has been on you the longest is the hardest to lose though...at least not for that reason. You will simply lose the weight from your trouble spots last. For me it's abdominal fat...for others it's their booty or their thighs.

Welcome to the forum though..

 

[maleficent]

what does your eating look like?

3. I have heard from various sources saying fat that has been with you for longer is harder to work off. In my case, since I've been chubby my entire life, would it be right to assume that trying to get that "life-fat" off of me would be substantially harder to work off? Like am I looking at some SERIOUSLY extreme dieting/exercising routines in order to get rid of my "life-fat"? Or does it not even matter?

Life fat is rubbish... I was over weight for 25 years -and have managed to lose almost 200lbs - so that's just a lame excuse someones been feeding you...

What you're feeding yourselfr though might have a lot to do with it..

 

[squish]

what does your eating look like?


Life fat is rubbish... I was over weight for 25 years -and have managed to lose almost 200lbs - so that's just a lame excuse someones been feeding you...

What you're feeding yourselfr though might have a lot to do with it..

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't convinced it was the truth but since I've had such a hard time reaching my goals I figured it may be worth asking.

In any case, you're right, I forgot to include any information about my diet/nutrition.

To be quite honest I am one of those "behave during the week" and "indulge on the weekend" type of people. I have no issues keeping a relatively healthy diet during the week, 3 decent meals a day, lots of water, no eating after dinner or before bed, no fast food or chocolate or any sort of junk food. But on weekends there is always some event or get together with friends where I just can't resist some things... alcohol probably being the worst of them. Yes I usually have a few beers on the weekend. However I compare what I eat with what some of my naturally skinny friends eat, and it frustrates me sometimes how they can eat a bunch of crap, not exercise and still stay skinny/fit. I know that's no excuse, everyone is different etc. but still it has its affect on my motivation factor! I'm certainly no calorie counter and to be honest thats just not for me. Of course I TRY and limit what I consume on the weekends, and it varies depending on what's going on. My current preferred indulgences are 1 footlong subway, 1 tim horton's ice cap and 1 7/11 coke slurpee. Spread over the weekend of course. I mean that isn't THAT bad, is it? I never have more than that. Throw on 1 night of drinking about every other weekend... I suppose it could add up. Are my weekend indulgences what's killing my chances of making any progress?

I just feel like all this exercise I'm doing is just barely keeping me at my current weight level, instead of progressing. And if I stop... well then it all goes to hell! It's like I'm trapped in a hamster wheel, never getting anywhere but if I stop I'll spin out of control.

 

[maleficent]

by "behaving" during the week -do you have a rough idea of how many calories you're taking in?

it's calories that matter whether they come from healthy foods or not...

you might want to consider an account at to see where you're coming in ona weekly basis...

 

[madness1]

I'm certainly no calorie counter and to be honest thats just not for me.

That was me last year. I tried and tried and tried to lose weight. It was my first big "diet" attempt. I thought counting calories was for weird, anal, skinny but weight obsessed girls (like the ones I went to high school with!) so I didn't do it. I did actually lose 20 pounds over the course of the year. I had a rough recovery from surgery that caused me to gain that back in the beginning of this year.

Now, I count calories. It's sooo easy and things make so much sense. Since starting to count calories on May 26th, I have lost 9.1 pounds. Yep, in less than a month. It took me 3 times longer to lose that when I was not counting.

I too thought it wasn't for me. It took me about 3 weeks of gearing up to it before I finally made it a daily thing (starting on May 26th, that was my goal). It's just ridiculously simple now. I seriously suggest trying it for a whole month. It will be like second nature. It takes maybe 10 minutes out of my entire day. And I cook all my own food, so it's not as easy as just writing down the stuff from a package. Yet it still takes mere minutes. Try it!

 

[squish]

That was me last year. I tried and tried and tried to lose weight. It was my first big "diet" attempt. I thought counting calories was for weird, anal, skinny but weight obsessed girls (like the ones I went to high school with!) so I didn't do it. I did actually lose 20 pounds over the course of the year. I had a rough recovery from surgery that caused me to gain that back in the beginning of this year.

Now, I count calories. It's sooo easy and things make so much sense. Since starting to count calories on May 26th, I have lost 9.1 pounds. Yep, in less than a month. It took me 3 times longer to lose that when I was not counting.

I too thought it wasn't for me. It took me about 3 weeks of gearing up to it before I finally made it a daily thing (starting on May 26th, that was my goal). It's just ridiculously simple now. I seriously suggest trying it for a whole month. It will be like second nature. It takes maybe 10 minutes out of my entire day. And I cook all my own food, so it's not as easy as just writing down the stuff from a package. Yet it still takes mere minutes. Try it!

Alright Madness, I am giving it a shot.

I have taken the advice from you guys and other forums/sources I have read and as of today I am starting my latest and greatest attempt at finally shedding some pounds.

I have decided to cut back on weight lifting & strength training for now. I am going to focus solely on cardio and pure fat loss, by going for at least a 30 minute run every day. The run consists of 10 minutes medium paced jogging, 6-7 minutes of high intensity intervals, and then a mix of walking/jogging for the last 12-13 minutes. This is on top of bi-weekly hockey games and the occasional tennis game.

On top of the exercise routine, I am going to sincerely focus on the nutritional factor. I have come to terms that this is probably the main reason I am stuck at this weight level. I have taken Madness's advice and have setup an account at , have gone through the BMR calculation and have already started recording my meals/calorie intake. You are right, it is not as silly or as weird a thing to do as I originally thought. Just takes a little effort. I am also going to eliminate my "cheating" days on weekends.

The one thing I'm worried about though is the weekend binge drinking. More often than not at least one night a week is spent drinking with friends; e.g. 6-7 beers if not more. How detrimental is this to my plan? Is it an absolute must that I cut out that part of my life, if I want to be successful? I suppose I could switch to "light" beer, or other alcohol types, at the expense of a few shots at me by my friends. Or should I not worry about it as much?

 

[MissDFITT]

Hello,

I would suggest you cut the alcohol as much as you can. Its just empty calories that can really add up especially if you are pounding alot in at once. On average 1 12oz beer has about 150 calories you multiply that by 6 or 7 and you have several meals worth of calories. I understand that its hard at first maybe try cutting back slowly... even if its just one night a week.... eventually your body will not be able to metabolize the alcohol as quickly as it does now and it will take less to get that buzz you are looking for.

Keep it up, sounds like you are on a great track!

Cheers,
MissDFITT

 

[douknowjello]

At this point I am in the mindset where I want to give up weight lifting altogether and simply concentrate on cardio so I can get rid of all this extra fat that I've had on my for my entire life. I'm so sick of it!

Now with all that being said.. here are a few questions I have:

1. Would it be advisable to give up on the weight lifting and spend more time on cardio? My current schedule, motivation level, and work hours do not really let me spend more than 1 hour 4-5 times a week on workouts.

I'm glad you posted because you asked alot of good questions. I'm hoping somebody answers the portion above I quoted you on because I'm curious too. I've been researching and I've seen so many places that say calorie restriction, even normal, to lose weight does not mix well with body building/strenght training. I've been wading through so much info and I'm not really sure whats a load of crap and what's not.

I have alot of weight to lose and I'm going to worry about getting a regular exercise routine in place for cardio and an ab work out routine (really need to target that area) but after reading I'm confused at what point I should even add in weight training to get the most benefit. Is there any truth to this counter productive stuff I'm reading?

 

[MissDFITT]

This may be one for Steve to answer. But from my understanding strength training leads to lean muscle and the more muscle you have the more fat you burn.

As for when to add strength training into your regular exercise program maybe try adding one session a week that is a full body workout and see how you feel and if it makes an overall difference.

I personally try to strength train at least 2 times a week and then also do serious cardio with wrist weights. I just started using the wrist weights and wasnt sure if they would make a difference or not. But I died during a typical aerobics class and loved every second of it... and am totally hooked!

But again I think Steve is the guru in this area, but thats my opinion.


Cheers,
MissDFITT

 

[douknowjello]

Yea I've always heard that building muscle helps to burn more fat and I know this is true. And Steve is exactly the person I was hoping would answer, not excluding anyone else with info. Maybe I'm just over complicating things but all the stuff I'm reading seems there's a certain amount of science and balancing act going on to get it right. Hope Steve can point me to some legit reading on this or give a run down cuz I want educate myself and start off right when I add my exercise routine into what I'm already doing.

*looks around for Steve*

 

[squish]

Yea I've always heard that building muscle helps to burn more fat and I know this is true. And Steve is exactly the person I was hoping would answer, not excluding anyone else with info. Maybe I'm just over complicating things but all the stuff I'm reading seems there's a certain amount of science and balancing act going on to get it right. Hope Steve can point me to some legit reading on this or give a run down cuz I want educate myself and start off right when I add my exercise routine into what I'm already doing.

*looks around for Steve*

I am certainly no expert on the matter but I can speak from personal experience. I have been in and out of weight training routines for as long as I can remember. I, like many, have gone off the generally accepted theory that building lean muscle helps burn more fat. However I find that, although I do build muscle and I can see noticeable differences in my strength and muscle tone, I don't seem to lose much of the fat that's surrounding the muscle, if at all. As a result I seem to "bulk" up and appear to be a lot thicker than I want to be, especially at my height (only 5'9). I don't want to be short and stalky! That said, I do admit that my nutritional habits and drinking (mentioned above) contribute to my more bulky than toned situation.

That is why I've decided to tone down my focus on lifting and really UP my cardio to compensate, hoping that I can burn that fat around the muscle instead of just building the muscle underneath the fat.

But I may be on the completely wrong track with that idea.

Here's hoping Steve (or anyone) can throw in a word or two of advice!

 

[douknowjello]

No I think you have the right idea...I'm just wondering if there's some middle ground. You seemed to work out pretty intensely and I just wonder if it's all or nothing on the strength training in order to lose weight too. I'm betting that it's not and there's a solution but I'm not an expert. I've just been trying to find the answers of when to add it in and how much while still losing alot of weight and I'm not having alot of success yet on the research....partly because I'm so skeptical about articles I read online whether the people are talking out their butts, for whatever reason. On this forum it's alot easier to talk to people who are doing it themselves and successfully.