Are my goals realistic?

[bigjumper21]

I'm 17, 6'4", 210lbs. I want to lose about 20-30lbs, specifically around my waist and upper body, if that makes a difference. I tried to start eating healthly about a week ago, completely cut out butter, sugar, bagels, cookies, anything that i felt was bad for me and tried to replace it with something more nutricious (sp) or with nothing at all. Like for breakfast, instead of a bagel with butter, i eat oatmeal or cheerios. I don't have snacks anymore, sometimes i skip lunch, and dinner is usually whatever mom cooks. I work out about 3-5 times a week, sometimes consecutively, sometimes not. Tho my work consists of mainly upperbody work (bench press, barbells, flyes). I dont' do much legwork because i bike a LOT, however due to the cold weather i haven't been riding as much as i'd like to. I also do a shoulder work out, do a ton of pushups, and do some situps before bed. I have been trying to be more routine in my running schedule, trying to go everyday, if possible. I think i get out about 3-6 times a week, going anywhere from 2-5 miles, depending on weather/time. I'm not looking for washboard abs, but I don't want that spare tire. 6 months ago, i could wear size 34 pants easily, now they are a bit tight and i hate it. my goal is to lose my flabby stomach by mid-march (about 6 weeks). is this realistic or should i change anything? any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ColdCut]

Well you gotta actually create a program for yourself. Cutting the junk food is Definitely gonna help as it does for all, but you actully gotta pick up a regular cardio program 3-4x a week and keep at it at least 45 minutes at a easy pace with a heart rate at about 65% of max. I lost 30 lbs, but not anywhere close to 6 weeks tho.

 

[bigjumper21]

what kind of results should i expect in what kind of time? if i run for 45 minutes 3x a week, for example. i just want to know when to expect results.

 

[guldukat]

what kind of results should i expect in what kind of time? if i run for 45 minutes 3x a week, for example.

Impossible to say 'til you're very specific.

Delineate exactly what you do with the weights, give a pretty detailed description of your diet (total kcal, approximate pro/fat/carb breakdown), and be a bit more specific in what those 45 min. runs look like.

I can tell you right now, though, skipping meals and such is counterproductive. Eat, bro, just keep it clean, and keep your portions somewhat smaller. I won't necessarily tell you to start with 7 meals a day, but 4 small ones are always better than 1-2 big ones.

Doing push-ups and sit-ups before bed is also unnecessary. Use weight training to build more muscle; then, let the new muscle help you burn more energy--don't try to use resistance training itself to carve away at your fat stores. That's not what it's for.

We'll need to talk this through a bit before touching on what's a realistic goal. I think you might rethink some things and be even more satisified with your results should you hear things out.

-Sean

 

[bigjumper21]

i measure my runs by distance because i like to compete, so a 45 minute run is about 5 miles, or about 9 minutes a mile. my runs are typically hilly because i like hills or maybe i just think running hills will make me a better runner. i've never measured my heartrate, i just run.
as for eating, 4 meals a day is not entirely possible for me. i'm at school till about 4 with not a whole lot of time to eat. also, i don't count my carbs or calories or anything like that so i can't really give a detailed description of what i eat unless you want me to list the foods.
as for weights, i usually do bench presses (decline, incline and flat), flyes (not dumbell, on the bench), and arm stuff which i don't know what they are called. i know, im new at this. at first, i started weight training purely to improvement my performance on teh bike. then i broke my wrist, so i couldn't ride my bike, but i could still lift.
i do pushups and situps before bed for 2 reasons. first, its the only time i can remember to do them (i know i should just do them during my work out but i just forget). second, i hate my chest and my stomach, and to me after doing at least pushups, my chest looks somewhat more toned than it was before i did the pushups (same thing witht he shoulder workout). the situps.. i just do them just to do them. doing situps is better than not doing situps in my book. what is resistance training? also, what 4 meals should i eat? what are examples? what foods do i avoid???? thanks in advance again.

don't yell at me for not doing a lot of research. i've tried and there is just so much stuff everywhere, not to mention the wealth of info on this site, i just don't know what i should do or who i should listen to. yeh, thats not relaly an excuse, but at least im aware of it.

 

[chewyxrage]

resistance training = weight lifting

You need to add leg workouts into your weight training. Your legs are your biggest muscle, and muscle burns more calories. So, doesn't it make sense to work your biggest muscle group?

Also, do you do anything for your back?

If you are do the same workout every time you goto the gym you may be overtraining (the pushups and situps could cause this too)

Eating only 4 meals a day is easy. Breakfast when you wake up, LUNCH at school(don't skip this), then eat right when you get out of school, and then dinner.

alot of people eat 6-8 meals a day, so you can get in at least 4.

As for foods to eat, have you looked at the diet forum at all? You should check it out, there is all kinds of good stuff in there......plus this is the training board.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Take a look on the diet discussion board. Read the article Mr. X has posted up about his All Natural Peanut Butter Diet. If you're hardcore about losing this weight, that or a CKD is the way to go. CKD is probably healtier, just not as simple.

If you have a lot to lose, however, you can still manage to shed a good amount by doing cardio 4-5 times a week. Anything over half-an-hour, but under an hour should be good. At a heart-rate of 65% of your max. Your max is 203 (220 - 17(your age)), like mine. 65% of this is 132 or so, I believe. So, while exercising, take your pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply by 6. If you have 20-22 you're doing fine. That's how I gauge mine.

Anyway, goodluck with that my friend. Just drink a gallon of water a day (keep yourself hydrated, always important when you're active), eat healthy and small meal portions (4-6, rather than 2-3), and target every muscle group with weights. A pound of fat burns a couple calories a day. Every pound of muscle burns 52 or something like that. Legs are the biggest muscle group. Don't neglect them.

They also give a lot of power, if you're into fighting at all.

 

[d3track]

honestly

you might want to make your first goal to eat and exercise consistantly, then build from that

you are gonna have a lot of info thrown at you, from people who are very knowlegable, but who have been doing this for years

set multiple short term goals, building on each other

just my opinion

 

[Lee]

so uneducated. you need to make a good diet for yourself, not eating cheerios, which are horrible for losing weight.

you gotta cut out all bad, processed carbs, and eat stuff like vegetables, meat, fruit, and drink tons of water. then you need to run 4 times a week and keep a steady full body workout routine. you need to target each muscle group once a week, including legs. it doesnt mean you have to use high weight since you dont want your legs to grow, just do some mediochre weight on squats, lunges, and leg press to stiffen up the muscles and stimulate them so you burn more fat.

 

[bigjumper21]

should i focus on changing one thing at a time (cardio, weight training, diet) or change everything at once?