Newbie here 23/m

[cndboi83]

Hello everyone,

Glad to find an encouraging forum on the net, I've read some posts and seems to be some very nice pple on here. I am a 23 y/o male and currently weigh 175 lbs (79 Kg) and stand at 5'6" (167 cm). My goal is to be at 145 lbs (65 Kg). I have been overweight since I was a child, so I don't remember a time where I DIDN'T feeling self-conscious about my body. I peaked at highschool to about 190 lbs (86 Kg) and only 5'4". It wasn't until my senior year that I SOMEhow found both focus and motivation, and was able to drop down to 155 lbs. I was really proud of myself, although I still felt "fat". Right after that I went to Univerisity and with less time to be active and increased stress (I eat/snake when I'm stressed or bored or hungry or... yeah) I gained a lot of it back... now at my present state. However, through those years I seemed to have lost control and whenever I tried to get back in shape, I quickly fell back into bad habits. I got into some extreme foolish habits that put my body in danger in the past year and a half or so.. but I'm fed up with that as well. I feel as though I have lost all self control when it comes to losing weight... and when I exercise all I think about is the negative, which shortens the time I work out and then quickly grab a bite to eat.

So, enough rambling. That said, I really really want to get back on track and get into the shape I want. I don't want huge muscles or 6 pack abs, I just want a comfortable body that makes me feel good and is good for me. But I seem to have forgot how to lose weight as I did back in high school. I have so many negative thoughts in my head surrounding this issue that I feel blocked. I really don't know what to do anymore. I tried going to the gym with a friend of mine in the past couple years, but with school it is hard to stay on track so we sort of do it spontaneously.

Anyways, that is my speil. I hope it wasn't too depressing.

 

[marie78]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I too was fat as a child and then lost the weight as a teenager only to gain it back after marriage and two wonderful children. Here you will not be alone in your journey...you'll find lots of support and advice. Try fitday.com or sparkpeople.com...either one of these might help you form a plan of attack. Also, try a starting a diary...it helps to write your thoughts down. Good luck to you.

 

[KissMyHuman]

Well I'm with you, I was always a little chubby in school, I dropped out of college to work at a videogame company and 12 hour days took it's toll. Restaurant food and energy drinks were my day and I ended up at a weight of 218lbs. I started dieting in December, a few months after I started another desk job, and being determined not to get lazy again, I've lost 30lbs since then and and well on my way to losing the next 20.

As far as diet and exercise, there are many different ways to go about things, more resources and tips than I could ever type out. My personal take on things is a healthy diet with sensible portions, like a lot of others will say "Don't eat anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." Fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats are the way to go. Also understanding that dietary fat isn't an evil thing and the body needs a balance of omega-3's, unsaturated, and saturated fats to function optimally. The only evil fat is trans fats and they should be avoided if at all possible. My exercise routine is a structured mix if steady, interval, and HIIT cardio training along with weight training for the goal of conserving muscle mass and increasing muscle endurance, although I recommend researching and finding a routine that you think will work for you.

Stress is a contributing factor to weight gain, not only because you admitted you're a stress eater, but the hormones associated with stress also affect your metabolism. You'll see Sirant and I both mention green tea on this board, not because it's a magic bullet to boost metabolism, but because of its psychological effects. Drinking tea will allow you to slow down for a while and reduce stress. Since it's something you're putting in your mouth and it takes a while to consume, it'll help reduce the cravings to munch when you're bored or stressed. Green tea is also meant to be drunken without milk or sweeteners, which can be tempting if you drink black tea, which keeps it a calorie free beverage. It is also lower in caffeine than black tea.

Good luck, all questions are welcome on this board.

 

[cndboi83]

Thanks kiss & maria. I think keeping a journal is a good idea... I think I need to keep myself more accountable of my actions. It's too easy for me to cheat into over eating or not exercising like I should. And I have been drinking more tea lately, but herbal tea instead. would u say that has the same effect? I add some artifical sweetner to it to cope with my sweet tooth. But honestly, sometimes I just want something to chew/eat! I like your idea of eating less processed foods, but that will be a tough one. I'm still living at home and my parents/brothers don't really try to eat proper meals... most of it consist of meats and pasta/bread/potatoes... so I need to start preparing my own meals more often. It's just so easy to give in when I come home after a long day and the high fat/calorie food is there ready for me!

I do have a question about exercising. I enjoy doing cardio, but how important is it to be at ur "target heart rate" that I read about. I mean... any exercise is burning calories right? or is the target heart rate just supposed to Maximize the fat u burn?

Also, with my crazy schedule I dont always have to time to go to the gym at school, and the time I have to exercise is usually at home. So how can I make my exercise more effective?? do push ups and sit ups do much if I don't get a chance to do any resistance at the school gym for a week?? I mean, I tried doing those, but I just figure, what is the point... they don't help nearly enough as actual weights or machines... or am I wrong?

Oh and one last thing... what is better.. 25 min. of intense running or 50 min. of less intense running/jogging? I always hear different things. I've read that short intense is fine b/c u burn more calories in shorter time. but I've also read that u don't burn any fat until 20 min. into an exercise. So then what happens during those first 20 min? I mean, if u are moving your body u have to be using up energy, so what is being used up if its not fat? Is it the food I have eaten? So if that is the case, would it make sense to exercise on an empty stomach?

I read so much that seems to be contradicting....

And sorry for the long reply, I'll try and keep my thoughts more condensed

 

[KissMyHuman]

And I have been drinking more tea lately, but herbal tea instead. would u say that has the same effect?

Well you don't get some of the antioxidant properties of tea, but herbal tea is calorie and caffeine free, so it's just as good as water and much better than a coke.

I'm still living at home and my parents/brothers don't really try to eat proper meals... most of it consist of meats and pasta/bread/potatoes...

I'm with you on that (damn rental rates in CA...) and I try to load my plate with green veggies, skip the side bread or go for a slice of whole wheat instead, and eat smaller portions but slowly. If you do end up eating alot of simple carbs during dinner, a leisurely walk after dinner can help ease the blood sugar spike.

I do have a question about exercising. I enjoy doing cardio, but how important is it to be at ur "target heart rate" that I read about. I mean... any exercise is burning calories right? or is the target heart rate just supposed to Maximize the fat u burn?

Maximum heart rate is for cardiovascular health, any moving around will burn more calories than being a couch potato.

Also, with my crazy schedule I dont always have to time to go to the gym at school, and the time I have to exercise is usually at home. So how can I make my exercise more effective?? do push ups and sit ups do much if I don't get a chance to do any resistance at the school gym for a week?? I mean, I tried doing those, but I just figure, what is the point... they don't help nearly enough as actual weights or machines... or am I wrong?

Body weight exercises like situps and pushups are fine when you have an extra 15 mins before class. There will be a point where body weight won't be enough but I wouldn't worry if you're just beginning to exercise. Also watch out about overtraining on these exercises, some people like to get carried away and pump out 200 pushups and situps every day.

Oh and one last thing... what is better.. 25 min. of intense running or 50 min. of less intense running/jogging? I always hear different things. I've read that short intense is fine b/c u burn more calories in shorter time. but I've also read that u don't burn any fat until 20 min. into an exercise. So then what happens during those first 20 min? I mean, if u are moving your body u have to be using up energy, so what is being used up if its not fat? Is it the food I have eaten? So if that is the case, would it make sense to exercise on an empty stomach?

Well the "best" way to burn fat is interval training or the advanced variation called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It incorporates bursts of high effort cardio with periods of lower intensity for recovery. While the time spent doing this exercise is shorter, around 30 mins with warm up and cool down, it increases your body's oxygen demand for the next 24 to 48 hours which in turn raises your metabolism. You burn more calories after the exercise than actually doing the exercise.

The "20 minute" thing has to do with your muscle's store of glycogen being depleted before lipid mobilization (fat buring) begins. Some people suggest resistance before cardio to achieve this. To be honest at this point the main thing to remember is that to lose weight total calories in < total calories out. http://weight-loss.fitness.com/harsh-truth/10649-not-eating-b4-workout.html is a previous thread covering working out right after you wake up or on an empty stomach.

 

[cndboi83]

Thanks a lot KMH, that was really helpful! As for exercising I think I'll just keep it simple for now... as long as I'm doing something active