Starting: 212lb | Goal: 170lb

frobie

frobie

New member
Hello :waving:

Starting: 212lb :banghead:

Current: 188lb :toetap05:

Goal: 170lb :drool5:

Concern:No concerns with current progress. :)

July24th, 2010
I seem to not be losing anything in the chest (titty) area. Should I give it some time or do some workouts involving the chest? I currently spend 1 hour on the elliptical trainer and 30 minutes cycling, each day. I am only doing cardio and I am currently staying away from doing any weights as to not cause any anomalies when checking progress on my weight.

Picture:

There is only a few subtle changes but I feel very energetic and my clothes are getting loose.



UPDATE: THURSDAY 16TH JUNE 2011

Last summer I did not reach my goal of 170lb but I did reach 175lb. I was not happy with the results, I was expecting to look lean but still had a lot of tummy and ass. There was not much difference to that last pic above. Perhaps I lost a lot of muscle?

I stopped dieting and exercising after the summer was over because of stress at uni, I tried my best to maintain but I've gone to 195lb. I'm not sure if the weight gained is muscle or fat. How much more should I be looking to shred to get a lean body shape?

Here is my current pic:
 
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Good job so far. There is a big difference in your pics. I would recommend adding some weight training.
If you want to build muscle in your chest here are some good exercises:
1. Dumbell Bench Press
2. Barbell Bench Press
3. Push Ups
4. Dips
5. Dumbell Flys
All of these exercises have variations as well, for example the incline and decline positions. You can pick up a used weight set with a bench for pretty cheap somewhere like craigslist or a yard sale. I don't think there is any reason to put off weight training, as it will only help speed up your metabolism and weight loss.
I was a similar starting weight (216) and am currently at 191. My goal is 165.
You're off to a great start. Good work.
 
Subtle? I can see a pretty big difference, thats seriously alot less belly, besides the fact your whole body looks slightly leaner. Way to go, keep up the good work :)
 
Congrats on your progress - really good job! I was in a kinda similar boat in that I also found myself getting stressed about any scale movement that's not downwards - however weight loss isn't linear and if you're doing 1.5 hours exercise a day then I think you should try to content yourself that this is enough and not worry about the inevitable fluctuations so much.

As leaner says I would add some weight training, just 2 sessions a week, to your routine. You've lost over 2lbs a week so far which is brilliant - now you know you're making progress I think add some weights in and any fluctuations on the scales will be more than compensated by the benefits you see in the mirror, which is ultimately much more rewarding than a number on a screen!
 
In my opinion, your previous weight loss process was not balanced. You did entirely too much cardio and trashed your muscles in order to see the scale go down. When you reached your goal, you were left looking 'skinny fat' (no muscle tone, just a thin layer of fat over everything).

This time around, if you want to succeed and you want to achieve your physical goals (ie, how you look in the mirror) get rid of the scale. Stop all of that crazy cardio non-sense and hit the weights. Focus 80% of your exercise on weight training (lift heavy and fast) and the other 20% on cardio / HIIT workouts.

While you are in a caloric deficit, you cannot gain new muscle, but your primary goal should be to retain the muscle you already have and lose the fat.

Note - the scale will go down a lot slower. Why? because your not losing muscle. Stick with it and keep going. Your body will thank you!
 
dwwise83 said:
In my opinion, your previous weight loss process was not balanced. You did entirely too much cardio and trashed your muscles in order to see the scale go down. When you reached your goal, you were left looking 'skinny fat' (no muscle tone, just a thin layer of fat over everything).

This time around, if you want to succeed and you want to achieve your physical goals (ie, how you look in the mirror) get rid of the scale. Stop all of that crazy cardio non-sense and hit the weights. Focus 80% of your exercise on weight training (lift heavy and fast) and the other 20% on cardio / HIIT workouts.

While you are in a caloric deficit, you cannot gain new muscle, but your primary goal should be to retain the muscle you already have and lose the fat.

Note - the scale will go down a lot slower. Why? because your not losing muscle. Stick with it and keep going. Your body will thank you!
Click to expand...

Hi, thank you for the advice :)

Did you lose 37 pounds in 3 months on 80% weight training and 20% cardio?

Also, what kind of weight training did you do?
I don't have gym membership, I work-out at home so the only weights I have access to are dumbbells.
 
Also,

If I added higher resistance to my cardio wouldn't that build muscle?
Does push-ups and sit-ups count as weight training? as technically you are lifting yourself.
 
I've been on my program since March 1, 2011 and have lost nearly 40 pounds. Granted, I had a lot more fat to lose than you do. In the beginning, I used the treadmill 2x per week for 20 minutes each time (HIIT workout) and the rest of my workouts were weight training.

I've altered my exercise recently because I really enjoy group fitness classes at the gym and usually stick to those. I do BodyPump and BodyCombat. Both of these classes work your muscles (Pump uses weights while combat only uses body weight) and also bring your heartrate up (cardio).

For you, I would suggest a workout plan similar to this.

Mon - Shoulders
Tue - Back / HIIT (<30 minutes)
Wed - OFF
Thu - Legs
Fri - OFF
Sat - Chest/Arms / HIIT (<30 minutes)
Sun - 1 hour of moderate cardio

You should structure your lifting workouts to be pretty intense. Don't take long breaks and lift heavy. Make quick transitions from one set of weights to the next. This will keep your heartrate up and double as a cardio workout.

Since you've focused on cardio so much in the past, these workout will feel very strange at first. You may not feel like your 'working out' since you usually equate that with cardio. You may not even get sweaty... but by focusing on HIIT and lifting you will really increase your metabolism and burn calories around the clock. By tearing the fibers of your muscles, your body will cont. burn calories to repair them.

Good luck!
 
dwwise83 said:
I've been on my program since March 1, 2011 and have lost nearly 40 pounds. Granted, I had a lot more fat to lose than you do. In the beginning, I used the treadmill 2x per week for 20 minutes each time (HIIT workout) and the rest of my workouts were weight training.

I've altered my exercise recently because I really enjoy group fitness classes at the gym and usually stick to those. I do BodyPump and BodyCombat. Both of these classes work your muscles (Pump uses weights while combat only uses body weight) and also bring your heartrate up (cardio).

For you, I would suggest a workout plan similar to this.

Mon - Shoulders
Tue - Back / HIIT (<30 minutes)
Wed - OFF
Thu - Legs
Fri - OFF
Sat - Chest/Arms / HIIT (<30 minutes)
Sun - 1 hour of moderate cardio

You should structure your lifting workouts to be pretty intense. Don't take long breaks and lift heavy. Make quick transitions from one set of weights to the next. This will keep your heartrate up and double as a cardio workout.

Since you've focused on cardio so much in the past, these workout will feel very strange at first. You may not feel like your 'working out' since you usually equate that with cardio. You may not even get sweaty... but by focusing on HIIT and lifting you will really increase your metabolism and burn calories around the clock. By tearing the fibers of your muscles, your body will cont. burn calories to repair them.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your response. As I mentioned earlier, I only have access to dumbbells (15kg) and 1 barbel (25kg).

I don't go to the gym, I workout at home. Is it possible to do my weight training with just those pieces of equipment?
 
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