Help me get in better shape

[skunkworks]

AZK, I don't have a problem with potatoes, whole grain pasta, lesser-processed rice, or whole/sprouted wheat bread eaten in moderation. Nothing wrong with wholesome grains and starches -- it's the other [censored] that kinda sucks. Make sure to balance this with other carb sources such as legumes (BEANS) and vegetables (dark leafy ones are spectacular, iceberg lettuce doesn't count).

[nation]

you have to count calories. don't eat more than 2k cals/day, and follow azk's advice. don't kid yourself into thinking this is easy. you're going to have to find foods that fit your calorie requirements.

my biggest recommendation is extra lean ground beef. you can make a pound worth of burgers and its only 560 cals total. dont use buns of course. cut out all liquid calories. drink water and diet sodas if you have to have soda.

regular cheerios in the morning is good. chicken breasts are a staple. if you have to eat out, don't eat anything other than a grilled chicken salad. absolutely no type of dressing. it's a grind, but you have to do extreme things to see results and dressing is not good for you.

losing weight is a simple formula; calories in vs calories out. i feel like im a parrot repeating myself but it really is simple if you have discipline.

[Thremp]

Nation,

You have bad advice with good. Cals in is not cals out. And some of your advice just sucks.

AZK,

Some I agree with, some I don't. Whole wheat breads, pasta, etc I think have a good bit of value even in azone diet.

Skunk,

Spot on. Like always.

[bowens]

All,

The eating advice is very helpful. It's something I've known, but it's good to hear it from others. I did the South Beach Diet for several months, and did lose 25 pounds. And then I started having a few fries, and poof, weightloss gone. I am trying to change those habits again. I remember about the processed carbs. What I'm gathering from most here is that it's ok to have the occasional baked potato? For instance, if I had an evening concert at school and had to get supper afterward, If I went to Wendys and got a grilled chicken sandwich with a baked potato, it wouldn't be AWFUL for me? Stuff like that I'm curious about.

Also, about the gym thing. How does a total weight noob get started in the weight room? I'm pretty weak, I think. I can use the weight room at my school, but I don't know where to start. I did walk last night. A little over a mile. Going to try to do that most every day.

Thanks for all the responses! It is very appreciated. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[theblackkeys]

How's your flexibility and coordination?

Try walking places instead of driving, if at all possible. Do you have access to a pool? Don't start out running, because you'll just end up hurting your knees/feet, etc. It's something that needs to be worked up to for out of shape and overweight people. It really sucks having to stay away from exercise because you went too hard, too soon. Steady state cardio is probably best for you at this point, given the injury risks from overexerting yourself. Get your heartrate up as high as comfortably possible on bike or elliptical. If there's an aerobic rowing machine, try one of those, it gets your whole body moving.

If you do go the weightlifting route, you should do bodyweight squats and lunges, and upper body exercises (pushups, bench press, overhead press, and rows) with very light weights for at least a couple of weeks so that your tendons and ligaments can adjust.

Stretch your muscles as well. Stretch to a comfortable (not very painful) distance, and hold it for at least 30 seconds. About 10 seconds in, your muscles will relax a bit and you can increase the depth of your stretch a little.

Also, having fun is important, so switch it around if you need to, and perhaps pick up a sport somewhere along the way. Even shooting a basketball can get you sweating.

[AZK]

[ QUOTE ]
Nation,

You have bad advice with good. Cals in is not cals out. And some of your advice just sucks.

AZK,

Some I agree with, some I don't. Whole wheat breads, pasta, etc I think have a good bit of value even in azone diet.

Skunk,

Spot on. Like always.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know, when I was overweight, I was eating brown rice and whole wheat bread/pasta, etc... the problem with these foods is not only their high gi , but also just that it's way too easy to eat more in a given sitting then you should. Whereas after eating 6 cups of spinach or a bag of frozen vegetables, I have eaten the right amount of carbs in a given sitting and it is physically impossible for me to eat more because the amount of veggies you have to eat to get the same amount of carbs is huge (size wise)... How many people do you know just put 1 cup of rice on their plate? I think that's the bigger problem with these foods.

[AZK]

[ QUOTE ]
All,

The eating advice is very helpful. It's something I've known, but it's good to hear it from others. I did the South Beach Diet for several months, and did lose 25 pounds. And then I started having a few fries, and poof, weightloss gone. I am trying to change those habits again. I remember about the processed carbs. What I'm gathering from most here is that it's ok to have the occasional baked potato? For instance, if I had an evening concert at school and had to get supper afterward, If I went to Wendys and got a grilled chicken sandwich with a baked potato, it wouldn't be AWFUL for me? Stuff like that I'm curious about.


[/ QUOTE ]

No. Just stop the fast food. Even the healthy menu is not "healthy". It takes a lot of work in the beginning to kick these habits but if you are serious about change then you need to. I'm sure you have a locker, or desk at school, fill it with jerky, larabars, and nuts. If you are in a bind and can't make dinner you could make a makeshift meal out of this that is a hell of a lot healthier than anything on any fast food menu. Get in the habit of cooking a lot in one sitting and partitioning it so you can take it as you go. Boil 2 dozen eggs on sunday, you have eggs for the week, cook chicken breasts 5 lbs. at a time, etc...

[skunkworks]

AZK, you bring up a good point about how easy it is to overeat rice and bread (much tougher with veggies). Really, the first thing that needs to happen for overweight folks' diets is learning portion control and how to stop eating before you feel full. IMO this is more important than eating clean since it's so directly related to controlling caloric intake for the day.

Eating clean (and cutting out certain "gorgeable" carbs like bread and rice) is one of the better ways to learn not to overdose on calories since you will feel fuller faster, with less calories eaten.

[nation]

thremp,

can you tell me what parts of my advice were wrong? i'm here to learn also.

[anklebreaker]

nation,

Variables like hormone and endocrine dynamics (insulin response, testosterone, GH, thyroid, cortisol), calorie partioning ratios, leptin levels, glycogen levels, and many other phsyiological and neurochemical responses make the "calories in/calories out" paradigm less relevant when body composition (or recomposition) goals are considered.

Quick, extreme, (perhaps stupid) example:
Case 1: Diet is 60% carbs (sugar rich), 35% fat, 5% protein.
Total calories: 2500. Training regimine: 'x' amt.

Case 2: Diet is 40% protein, 20% fat, 20% carbs.
Total calories: 2500. Training regimine: 'x' amt.

There's gonna be a big difference in body composition a few weeks after these diets.

Another way of looking at it: Weight loss is different from fat loss. Weight gain is different from lean muscle gain.