U swim? Great! I used to be a swimmer, now when I get back when I have the chance, it kicks my freakin ass, didn't realise how good an exercise it was until I dropped it. Ellipticals are so freakin popular in general, what sucks is for the most part ppl don't go hard on it, so for "serious" people like me I'm like "get out of there man/woman"

I love to swim. Since I moved from west an I haven't keept it up tho. Sold the place with the pool :(
It sure is a work out to swim that for sure. I managed 20 min in the pool tonight and I'm tired as all hell. I will have to keep that up for sure.

I think my biggest issue with going to work out is it useto be a social thing fo me. It was always a group of frien who would work out together as we were all on the same team. It always pushes you that extra bit when workin out in a group.
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Avoid eating tofu and soy in general, the estrogen gives you man boobs
When you work out it may seem like a good idea as it's low fat and good energy but yeah... coming from ilvtofu lol!

That sucks! I love tofu too :D but I don't eat much of it unfortunately. Just in some soup but I have that maybe ever 6 months :P

I will keep that in mind tho.
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At your weight, I suggest that you take a look at a diet called Ketogenic Diet, more specifically Standard Ketogenic Diet. This diet will basically defy everything you've learned in nutrition's class and everything you've heard about the "food pyramid".

The motto of this diet is "eat fat, to lose fat".

Intro
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian6.htm

CKD vs. TKD vs. SKD
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark91.htm

More in-depth
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cycl...genic_diet.htm

Ketogenic diet related articles
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Keto

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me as I am currently on this diet as well.

You don't need to run on the treadmill to burn calories. Set the incline up and go for a walk. It can be just as effective.

If you find that your knees are really bad, however, the elliptical is the best source of cardio. There is minimal compressive forces acting upon your bones and joints when using it. That said, do not make it your only source for cardio as it can have negative long term effects on your bone mass and strength. If you are using an elliptical machine that has handles, you should set the resistance setting high so that you are using both your legs and your arms.

Lastly, but most importantly, no machine is any better than another machine for burning fat. It all depends on the intensity of your workout. That said, the stepmill and versa climber are 2 of the most challenging machines to excercise on, and thus you will be forced to have a more intense workout on these machines if you use them properly.

lots of opinions here, so i'll throw mine into the mix...

diet, cardio, weights - by order of importance.

diet - smaller, more frequent portions. read nutrional info labels. you said you like salad and chicken which is good. go easy on the dressings though and avoid fried chicken. a&w chubby chicken has 20% of the average person's recommended fat intake in ONE HALF of a single piece. i'm sure the other fast food chicken is right around the same as well.

cardio - the most effective way to burn calories. if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight, it's that simple. consider buying a heart rate monitor ($50 and up) to keep track of your beats per minute, bring a towel and prepare to sweat. hi intensity interval training (HIIT) is great for boosting your metabolism, but can be too much for some people with low cardiac abilities. if you subtract your age from 220 and then multiply by 60%-80% you will get your approximate target heart rate zone. keep your heart between these two numbers for 30+ minutes each workout and you will be on your way to a smaller pair of pants.

weights - lifting weights does not transform fat into muscle. that being said though, weights definitely help build/tone muscle and boost metabolism. i wouldn't overly concentrate on chest exercises. just try to get an balance for all major muscle groups. i think in your case that the 10-12 repetition range would be better than shooting for low reps/high weight.

add a bit more fat and u will be shredded in no time

Training Day
Meal 1: Eggs, spinach, cheddar-cheese scramble

Meal 2: Metabolic Drive Low-Carb, walnuts, 1 serving blueberries, Superfood

Meal 3: Salad (romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers) with chicken and extra virgin olive oil

Meal 4: Flank steak with asparagus and butter

Workout: Surge Recovery

Meal 5: Chicken breast with broccoli and extra virgin olive oil

Non-Training Day
Meal 1: 4-egg omelet with salsa and cheese, 1/2 a grapefruit (sprinkled with Splenda) on the side

Meal 2: Metabolic Drive Low-Carb, flaxseed oil, 2 serving strawberries, Superfood

Meal 3: Roasted chicken breast with spinach (wilt in a pan with minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil) and a small apple

Meal 4: Extra-lean ground beef sautŽed with peppers and onions

Meal 5: Roasted salmon (spread Dijon mustard on top before roasting) with asparagus and 1 serving great northern beans

WOW. You guys are awsome.

Thanks so much for all the info. Feel free to keep it coming I will try this out and see how it goes.
Right now my main focus is on weight lose and then to build up once I'm at a more suitable weight.

Diet ideas are great.
Thanks halo, those suggestions sound great (and taste good too :D ).

Is fish a good thing to eat. I enjoy salmon and tuna quite a bit. They go great in salads as a topping.
Its hard to figure out what works best as there are so many trains of thought on the subject and so many options to go with.

Currently I am keeping my calorie count low by watching what I am eating and focusing a lot of time on full body cardio work outs. Swimming, elliptical, stationary bike, long walks.

fish is money

WILD salmon qualifies as incredible across virtually every health standard and is clearly one of the healthiest foods that one can eat. Period. Not only that, it is THE BEST food for brain health.

just keep doing the routine you do everyday, eventually it will help cut down the fat, keep up the good work :thumbsup:

everything is useless, all u need to know and do is pushups, if u check out ``hannibal for king`` on youtube, all he does is calisthenics, which is body weight workouts and u get the hardest pecs ever... work out as hard as u can on pushups, i recommend sets of 25... and drink milk... it will help build the pecs up after the pushups, just keep doing the pushups at home on the floor any time u are free... dont have a scheduled time for working out, just keep on doing the pushups and u will have the pecs in no time man.. guarantee

Well so far so good.
Gone from 254.8 to 244.4 as of yesterday.
Been going 5-6 days a week. Usually warm up with 30min cardio then hit the weights for an hour or so, or until i cant do anymore and then finish with another 30min cardio.
Christmas dinner never looked so good haha.

great job man.. keep up the good work.. take before and after pics!

Haha, before and after pics may be scary!
I will sell those to one of the weight loss companies haha.

Going to try and do some more push ups at home. To be honest I hate them but you have to do what you have to do.

^Listen to this guy. He knows his sh1t. Remember insulin control is your friend when dieting.

O/T ~ Good luck with your girl friend and if things don't work out at least you're more healthy and ready to move on. :D

Ya I have to make more time to make meals. With life the way it is right now I find I'm very short on time to get things done in the kitchen.

Been trying to eat healthy and better food than what I use to eat. Dropped all the pop/chips/candy out of the diet all together. Lots of water.

Thanks for the kind words about the girl. I hope it all pans out like I hope it will. If not then I guess I will see where I am and go from there.

Swim. And lots of it. 30-45 mins of lengths 3 times a week will work your cardio and your entire body and you will lose the weight and tone up FAST. I've been swimming my whole life.

As for eating, cut out simple carbs (breads, cereals, pasta, potatoes, rice, and any and all baked goods), sugar, fats, and stick to ONE ingredient foods (do NOT eat anything with more than one ingredient, no packaged foods, nothing with preservatives in it), and think about what people ate 100 years ago and go back to that.
You will feel healthier, less weighed down- as carbs slow your metabolism down and sit in your stomach all day- and you will not hold extra weight on. Once you get through your carb and sugar withdrawl, which usually takes up to 2 weeks, this new eating plan will be easy to stick to.
You also have a great amount of energy throughout the day.

My meals generally look like this :

I have half a container of source yogurt and one apple or orange for breakfast, with a glass of water and vitamins. Usually lots of water during the day and another piece of fruit in the afternoon, maybe some veggies too, I keep fruit and veggies in my car and snack on them if I'm out. Then for dinner, sometimes I'll make a fish fillet, or shrimp, or a large salad (no croutons), or I make this recipe which is 1 pound of spinach in a garlic sauce.
The key, is to only eat ONE ingredient foods. You can combine them and make other dishes, but don't use or eat anything with any more than one ingredient. (yogurt excluded, but the source yogurt has the best label on it, and eating yogurt daily prevents yeast build up in your body)

Oh, and don't have anything after 8pm except water.

The first 2 weeks I go on the new diet, I don't eat much between 11am and 7pm, so my body gets used to smaller portions. The first few days are tough...you go through carb withdrawl, and you feel like you starve all the time. But once your body gets used to it, is when you have so much more energy and feel so much healthier. and your stomach is the size it should be so youre not overstuffing yourself. I've had cheat days every once in awhile, and I always regret it because I feel so gross after

There are simple carbs and complex carbs. You want to stay away from the simple carbs, which are the ones I listed. All fruits, vegetables, and nuts have carbs, are the complex, healthy carbs to have. Be careful on how much nuts you eat, because although they are very healthy and good for you, they are also extremely fatty.

"Complex carbohydrates are high-fiber foods, which improve your digestion. They help stabilize the blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level, and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal. In contrast, sugar and other simple carbohydrates can alter your mood, lead to cravings and compulsive eating, cause wide swings in your blood-sugar levels, and cause weight gain in most people. In addition, a high consumption of sugar can lead to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when you finally decide to improve your diet and forgo the sweets. The closer you get to nature, the closer you get to health"

We need to switch our brains off the "north american diet" and eat what people did 100 years ago. Small portions (remember your stomach is the size of your fist) and only eat what comes from nature. If everyone started doing that again, I guarantee people would have longer life expectancies.

I forgot to mention protein. While it's important to eat protein, it's NOT good to eat meat that's injected with a ton of growth hormones. It's just not natural!! Look how every generation gets taller and taller......if we don't stop eating growth hormone injected food, our grandchildren will be 8 feet tall!!!

way to bump an old thread :speechless:

Sorry, was looking through my friend's old posts :P

Trying to help HIM, more than anything else

Good info....not sure why you would get failed for bumping any post with great information like that....

wow just read through this thread and it looks really good for someone like me who's just getting into workin out! btw are you still workin out? hows your weight now?

I have gone from 258.4lbs down to 198.2 as of today.
Feeling a whole lot better but still lots of work ahea of me. The difference for me this time around is that I am doing this for myself.

Lots of great info here.
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