Help me win $1000 fat loss contest.

Acemanhattan · #1 11-17-2007, 06:48 PM

My buddies and I are all formerly fit 23-26 year olds, who after a few years playing a bit too much poker, and drinking too much beer have all gotten a little squishy.
The bet: who can lose the higest percentage of body fat between december 1st and march 1st 5 of us putting up $250 each. I am not sure what my body fat% is right now, we are all having it checked monday. I am 5'10 175 and prob the second healthiest in the contest. 3 guys are about 6'0 200-280lbs and the other guy is an ex pro bike racer who currently is like 6'2 180. I basically just dont even know where to start. The biggest problem for me is that I am 3 months out of an ACL replacement surgery, so alot of lifting exercises as well as running are going to be out of the question. I wouldnt know where to start even if i could do those things. I am not incredibly out of shape, just the most out of shape ive ever been. I could still do 30 pushups and a few pullups, but other than that who knows. I thought i could put in alot of time on the stationary bike, and do some swimming at the rec center. What do i need to do gang?! I feel like i could get down to 155/160 but dont know how.

gfire3245 · #2 11-17-2007, 07:02 PM

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running are going to be out of the question.

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Not good.

cbloom · #3 11-17-2007, 07:05 PM

280 lbs guy should win easily.

Just get fit. I'm getting pretty sick of these threads that are all "I want to add this muscle, I want to lose this weight" when you all dang well know the answer. Eat less, exercise, just read the freaking FAQ.

Acemanhattan · #4 11-17-2007, 07:15 PM

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280 lbs guy should win easily.

Just get fit. I'm getting pretty sick of these threads that are all "I want to add this muscle, I want to lose this weight" when you all dang well know the answer. Eat less, exercise, just read the freaking FAQ.

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I think i alluded to the fact that i was aware exercise was goign to be important in this. I was more looking for some specifics based on the fact that my leg is going to stop me from alot of exercises.

JamieO · #5 11-17-2007, 07:19 PM

Well its kinda tough when you rule out running and lifting right away. Those are my two main workouts besides martial arts training, but i think i can give you a few suggestions. For one thing you need to do some sort of cardio EVERY DAY. You are also gonna have to do some type of strength training at least twice a week.

For cardio swimming is a great idea, and the stationary bike is just ok. Personally though i find these things to be a little boring, and if you're doing cardio every day you are gonna want to get some variety. My personal favorite is the heavy bag. Its a great cardio workout and it helps you work on some fighting technique at the same time. It sounds like it would work well for you because it is easy on the knees unless you are kicking as well.

Since your contest is for body fat % loss and not just weight loss strength training is gonna be key. You could easily GAIN weight and lose body fat % if you do enough lifting. For strength training there is not all that much you can do without weights or some sort of resistance training. Just start real light and do sets of 20 or so reps, or do a circuit with real light weights. IMO there is no better lift for overall fitness than the squat, and unfortunately you are gonna have to go real liht on those because of your knee. Bodyweight squats are still good though. Just do sets of 40 or so.

Really you are gonna want to start out concentrating on strength training. This way you can build more muscle at the begining so you will burn more fat througout the process. Just dont make yourself so sore that you cant do your cardio the next day.

Personally i think its easier to get in shape if you set some sort of athletic goal for your self instead of a weight loss/ body fat loss goal. Try to train to make yourself better at a certain sport, get your mile time down, or do a certain length in the pool under a certain time. My goal is to step into the cage in a couple of months, and i dont think there is any better motivation than that.

JamieO · #6 11-17-2007, 07:20 PM

Oh and try to add a pound or two of fat before monday [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

Acemanhattan · #7 11-17-2007, 08:49 PM

I have been doing a bit of reading, and it appears that swimming is one of the LEAST effective cardio exercises in terms of actual weight loss.

Bond18 · #8 11-17-2007, 08:54 PM

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I have been doing a bit of reading, and it appears that swimming is one of the LEAST effective cardio exercises in terms of actual weight loss.

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Find a list somewhere? Got a link?

Acemanhattan · #9 11-17-2007, 08:56 PM

Should I focus on dropping weight and then building muscle when i bottom out? If I hit the cardio really hard for a month first, will i have better results?

AZK · #10 11-17-2007, 09:03 PM

you realize how bad this bet is for you 5'10" 175 vs someone that is 6' 200-280? Right? I mean like really awful. Like even ignoring all other variables which in it of themselves are retarded...you better be getting some great [censored] odds. Do you have any idea how the body works? You going from 15 - 10 is not the same thing as them going from 25 - 20. They will slaughter you if it's highest percentage. Make it who can get down to the lowest %... then it's piece of cake (not one you can eat).