Realistic Goals

L

LouisvilleSLUG

0
I'm 27, male, 5-11, 210 lbs, probably around 25% body fat. I don't care about being muscular, but I do want a smaller waist. I'd rather look like an olympic swimmer than an olympic weightlifter.

My diet, up to this point, has sucked. Some of you may have seen the movie "Super-size Me." I did this when I was 21. Except, I didn't do it for 30 days, I did it one meal a day for a year. Obviously, I know that fast food and cokes are out. That isn't a big deal, I don't eat that stuff much anymore anyway.

If I eat 5 meals a day, and do an hour of "slow" cardio 4 times each week, what can I reasonablly expect? I would love to hear that I will lose 30 lbs in 30 days, but unless I go on the crack-smoking diet, I don't think that will happen. I like instant gratification. Is it reasonable to expect 10 lbs (of loss) every 3 weeks?

More specifically, I want to shop at Banana Republic. I used to be able to. It's getting much harder, these days. I am a 36-38 waist, and I'd like to be 32. Is there a rule of thumb about weight/fat loss that will get me there?

I'm really new to trying to be healthy. I know these questions have probably been asked 1000 times, so I appreciate any help you can give again.
 
A reasonable and healthy goal is roughly 2 lbs a week. It's possible to do 3-4 lbs a week, but not without adopting a lifestyle that you won't be able to maintain.
 
I agree with Fil. Stick to 2 lbs/week. This is maximize your fat losses and minimize your water and muscles losses. Good luck. And try to adopt a change in your lifestyle, not just a quick fix diet.
 
'slow cardio' isn't exactly ideal. vary the intensity throughout the workout so it's actually a cardiovascular workout. 3.5mph on the treadmill isn't 'cardio' unless you're an 80 year old man.
 
i definitely agree with fil and waz about your realistic weightloss.

also, the cardio is fine but what will really make the difference if you want a trim waist is cutting the calories, and making sure what you do get is quality food. and actually you'll lose weight all over not just certain areas.
 
I guess my point is a cardio session should feel like you're working out. I see too many people that walk on the treadmill at 2.5 mph for 2 hours and think it's doing them a world of good. Sure its' better than watchign tv on your arse for 2 hours...but it's not exactly 'cardio'.

You should be getting that heart rate up. I like to ramp up the intensity of my cardio, until I just can't continue...then I mellow it down, catch my breath...then start ramping it up again. I also play with the resistance and incline on the cardio machine, depending on what equipment i'm on.

This might be close to HIIT...I don't know...I've never done HIIT and thus know little about it. What I do is similar to how Body for LIFE has it's cardio sessions laid out.
 
i agree with that as well, walking is "better than doing nothing", but it's not much better. nothing like doing cardio until you feel like you're gonna puke to get you into shape. :)
 
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