Weight Loss Question

Corholio

Just wondering a couple of things

I'm currently starting a routine of diet/exercise that includes eating only one meal a day ( usually consists of a chicken salad, tomato, lettuce etc, or steamed vegatables ) I have completely cut out chocolate, crisps, biscuits etc. The only thing i eat during a day is the meal and 2 or 3 fruit portions.

My exercise routine consists of a reasonably intense cardio session on an exercise bike (20 min a day). I know this is gonna sound weird but i got one of those halogen heaters and i usually put it beside me while im cycling and i tend to sweat a lot more, does this mean im burning more calories than i would be doing without it ?????

I also do a bit of weight work for about 10 min twice a day. I also read somewhere if you do weight work right before cardio it increases the amount of calories you will lose because weight work gets your body ready for the fat-buring process. Is this true ????

Does it sound like i'd be dropping a lot more calories than i would be gaining during a given day ????

Thanks for any (serious) responses

kwalsh000

Hiya,
alot more people will have beter advice for you in this regard but first thing is dont starve yourself, your bodys metabolism wil slow down with only one meal a day and will try to perserve energy in the form of fat. Try eating smaller meals throughout the day maybe instead of just one. Also could try eating more carbs in the morning than you would in the evening. But dont forget doing cardio burns calories for that moment, but with weights, even small ones, you will gain muscle and the more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn even though you are doing nothing. and as usual, drink more water, hope i could be of some help. Im sure others have better advice, good luck with your routine

amazingemmet

Corholio wrote:

I'm currently starting a routine of diet/exercise that includes eating only one meal a day ( usually consists of a chicken salad, tomato, lettuce etc, or steamed vegatables ) I have completely cut out chocolate, crisps, biscuits etc. The only thing i eat during a day is the meal and 2 or 3 fruit portions.

Your joking right? To lose weight you need to eat 4-5 smallish meals during the day and more fruit. Also for your cardio the halogen light ideas is crazy. To burn fat i reccommend doing 3x half hours sessions of cardio a week keeping your heart rate below 70% of maximum, to find your max heart rate subtract your age from 250. Remember starving your self won't lose you weight

TouchingVirus

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=50664052&postcount=10

Corholio

Thanks for the replies guys especially TouchingVirus, incredible post you linked there, thanks again, looks like i was going about it the wrong way.

So basically:

3 or 4 small meals a day with cardio and weight work i'll lose more weight than 1 meal a day with cardio and weight work right ?

Smellyirishman

Corholio wrote:

3 or 4 small meals a day with cardio and weight work i'll lose more weight than 1 meal a day with cardio and weight work right ?

Definitly.

Also, like has been suggested to a lot of people recently, don't try too much at once. Dedicate yourself to a new diet first, then ease in the cardio once your diet is becoming second nature. Trying to pick up everything at once is only going to fold in on itself.

TerrorFirmer

Believe me I know the feeling that every morsel you eat is making you fatter

I usually eat a breakfast, normally cereal, whilst this may not be advised for a serious health enthusiast, for a dieter loosing excess weight its grand. I eat something like fruit for lunch, and then a full dinner. It's actually worse for your to skip breakfast as opposed to actually eating it.

Doing the above, even without exercise, is reducing my weight gradually. Once you've settled into a diet and lost the initial bit you can begin fine tuning your diet (replacing things like cereal with porridge, white bread with brown, etc) and exercise pattern. I'm not hugely fat (14st, 6ft) but I definately need to shed a few pounds

And just by watching what you eat, you can still eat regular meals and both loose weight and be healthy.

rubadub

Staying warm will save you calories rather than making more. You have to keep a normal body temperature which takes calories, the average person sitting in a room gives out 200W of heat, so 10 people in a room is like a oil filled heater on full blast. People used to think the heating was only turned on in the morning in schools but it is the fact you have 30-40 people in a small room that heats it up. If you are cold your teeth start to chatter and you start to shake, this is your body trying to warm itself up. If you work out in a heated room, you may sweat more so it seems you have lost weight, while really it is just water.

g'em

Corholio wrote:

I'm currently starting a routine of diet/exercise that includes eating only one meal a day ( usually consists of a chicken salad, tomato, lettuce etc, or steamed vegatables )

really not a good idea. Your body requires fuel in order to function- providing it with small regular meals will keep your metabolism ticking over and encourage weight loss, providing you're eating the right things.

My exercise routine consists of a reasonably intense cardio session on an exercise bike (20 min a day). I know this is gonna sound weird but i got one of those halogen heaters and i usually put it beside me while im cycling and i tend to sweat a lot more, does this mean im burning more calories than i would be doing without it ?????

you'll replace aany fluids (and weight) you lost as soon as you drink water. Keeping your body adequately hydrated during a workout is vital to maintain performance and to encourage flushing out toxins that get built up as your muscles work.

I also do a bit of weight work for about 10 min twice a day. I also read somewhere if you do weight work right before cardio it increases the amount of calories you will lose because weight work gets your body ready for the fat-buring process. Is this true ????

absolutely true. Muscles are an active tissue i.e. they require energy (and therefore calories) just to exist. Working out your muscles can increase your metabolism for teh rest of the day, and anything up to 48 hours later. So purely by incresing muscle mass, you lose fat which gets burned to supply the muscles with energy. However, I'm not sure how much of a workout you can be getting in 10 minutes...

Does it sound like i'd be dropping a lot more calories than i would be gaining during a given day ????

yes, too many. as already mentioned your body will assume its in starvation mode and will stockpile the little food its getting as fat. Eat small meals often, simple as that.

Eat as little processed food as possible, wherever swap white for brown, keep added salt and sugar to a minimum, plenty of lean meat and vegetables, eat a good breakfast (porridge is always a winner!!). There's billions of diet advice threads here so do a quick search if you need a hand.

Supercell

On the question of optimal excercising and diet, i've heard some people in my local gym claim that the obese (bmi >30) can exercise as hard as they comfortably feel like doing, without burning muscle?

Old wives tale or ?

BossArky

amazingemmet wrote:

to find your max heart rate subtract your age from 250

actually its 220-ish, not 250.

Transform

BS they are the very ones that will have a very elevated HR due to the extra strain of the excess weight

amazingemmet

BossArky wrote:

actually its 220-ish, not 250.

Is it? everywhere i've read it says subtarct from 250 to get a rough estimate and there's some formula that you can use to get an exact one. Any links to the 220 one? As i could be using dated info

Transform

Its 220 certain of it

amazingemmet

m'k
/wanders off to readjust all heart rate mearsurements

Dragan

Your healthier than you think dude if you've been going 30 beats of the norm.