Help getting in shape(ish)

Zulu

I'm hoping you guys can help with some advice. I'm looking to loose some weight after some steroid treatment for an illness*.

Firstly, I'm male, 6ft 1, & 31 years old. I'm currently 15st 5lb (97.5kg). I've no idea what my BMI, but I've lost most (of what I've had) muscle mass after an illness last year which had me pretty much bed bound for a few months.

I don't really exercise. I take a 30min brisk walk every lunch mon-friday, but I don't break a sweat on this. (I was to a speed that has me just about out of breath (but not out of breath if you know what I mean)

Now I've read the sticky - thanks folks, and the following is what I got out of it.

I think my diet is ok (not the worst), but I could use your advice correcting it:

7am tea (milk no sugar), orange & apple.
9am coffee (milk & 2 brown sugar), 2 wheatabix (milk)
1pm soup (sometimes salted popcorn also)
5pm dinner (last night was mackerel, home made wedges (no oil), & salad. tonight is lasagna. typically home made pizza/stake, baked potato, broccoli/roast chicken, veg, potato/fish & salad) I try to keep potato serving to min.
7pm tea (milk no sugar) [occasionally (say twice/three times a week) snack toasted soda brown bread with cheese & onion or bowl of cereal (wheatbix))

Secondly, I intend to up my exercise. My plan is to exercise 4 days a week. By exercise I'm thinking:
20 mins (medium going - not killing myself, but out of breath & sweating heavily) on the cross trainer in the morning before breakfast &
60mins walk in the evening (walking at a very fast pace and working up a sweat) and (I'll replace the evening walk with 40mins heavy going on the trainer in the evening when it's raining).
I've managed this exercise yesterday & today.

So, I reckon I need your help to iron this out. Advice please?


* I understand this isn't a medical forum & I'm not seeking medical advice & I've a full bill of health from my doctor to go ahead with normal life activities.


[edit] sorry I meant to add, according to g'ems sticky I require 2900kcals per day, ((((97.5kg*11.6+879)*1.4)-100)=2814)*0.85=2465) so to loose weight I should be aiming for 2450kcals.
And according to the link for "body type" 'm coming up with "mesomorph" - but I don't look like a mesomorph so I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

Also, the cross trainer told me that I used 423kcals after my 20mins this morning. Again though, I don't believe that as it doesn't know my weight/height/sex etc. but it might give you guys a better understanding(?).[/edit]

Colm_OReilly

The walking is a good start but I'd say you'll get used to that very quickly. A weights program coupled with relatively high intensity, short duration bouts of cardio would give you bigger bang for your buck. The difference being after high intensity stuff your body continues to work to 'catch up'.

Diet wise, look to reduce/eliminate starchy carbs as much as possible, get protein in at every meal, and couple this with veg/fruit and you're onto a winner.

Zulu

Thanks a million Colm! Can I ask you one or two things though:

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

The walking is a good start but I'd say you'll get used to that very quickly. A weights program coupled with relatively high intensity, short duration bouts of cardio would give you bigger bang for your buck.

For the walking, I intend to keep it to an hour. I imagine that as I get used to it, my distance will increase - as long as I'm honest and keep pushing myself.
By way of weights, I was't going to join a gym, but I have dumbbells - are these enough to create a weights program?
In relation to the high intensity/short bouts of cardio - what would you recommend? Set the cross trainer to a high level and belt it out for 10 mins?? (remember I only have a cross trainer)

Thanks again.

Colm_OReilly

Even with pushing yourself on the walking, your body will get used to this type of activity very quickly. But yes, it's a good start, and I don't want to knock it.

As for high intensity, on the cross trainer, warm up (always warm up)

Go for 1 min as fast as you can - I'm not sure how cross trainers measure work but we'll say metres. Go easy for a minute, not counting metres, and repeat 5 times. Done right, you probably won't want to do the last minute or two.

Next week, aim to beat the distance you've travelled in your tough workouts.

Another method would be a tabata protocol, 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times. In about 4 minutes, you'll feel like you've been working out forever.

www.simplefit.org has bodyweight only resistance workouts. If you email me (colm at crossfit dot ie) I can send you on a whole bunch of equipment free workouts. Offers out to everyone btw.

Zulu

Thanks a million for all this Colm!

I take it for the high intensity I should whack up the resistance so it's expending a lot of energy? (as opposed to have the resistance low)
Also, this would take 10 mins (+10min warm up) so 20mins, but I take it thats not enough four times a week?

optimistic_

Zulu,

I do an interval programme on cross trainer as described by Colm. I’ve built mine up over time, which for a beginner might be the best idea to do.

Keep your intensity (resistance level) at a manageable level.

Your Cross Trainer should have a setting to display strides per minute, use this setting.

Do your warm up for 5 mins.

Sprint flat out as hard as you can for 1 minute. Go at a steady but not slow pace for 2 minutes. And repeat this for 20 to 25 mins.

As the weeks progress reduce your 2 minutes. You should aim for a 1:1 ratio of sprinting versus steady pace (recovery)

To monitor your sprints you should use the strides per minute display, to ensure you are always hitting the target area during your sprints. Over time your strides per minute should increase during the sprints. At this point you will either up your expected spm level, or you increase resistance and maintain the spm target zone.

This coupled with weights, and your walking should be plenty four times a week. You will feel as though you have done a full hour if not more, and will rarely complete the full time for the first week.

Don't forget to do a 5minute cool down also. Stretch before and after.

Your diet definitely has to change though.

Zulu

optimistic_ wrote: »

Your diet definitely has to change though.

Can you suggest diet changes/point out where it need drastic alteration please? Cheers.

sfag31

The diet is not so bad for losing weight but it will depend on volume and how much you move around.
If you were doing weights it would require more eating not less.

Personally I'd swap the 20 mins exercise before brekie for 40 mins of a fast walk if you can get the time.
If you walk at lunch try and do it before you eat lunch.
There are two trains of thought involved here.
Mild cardio on empty is supposed to be effective in targeting fat over muscle.
And supposedly it is after 20 mins of cardio this that fat begins to get consumed as energy.

The simple rule is eat less and make it good stuff.
Avoid the savory stuff, pizzas, spuds, etc and eat lean meat and fiberous veg only.
With this kind of veg you get the full feeling and the nutritional benefit without the surplus converting to fat - The fiber passes thru you better.
If hungry drink green tea to make you think you are full.
Take fish oils.

optimistic_

I’m only fairly new to changing my own diet, but from stickies here, from information in several books etc.

7am tea (milk no sugar), orange & apple.
9am coffee (milk & 2 brown sugar), 2 wheatabix (milk)
1pm soup (sometimes salted popcorn also)
5pm dinner (last night was mackerel, home made wedges (no oil), & salad. tonight is lasagna. typically home made pizza/stake, baked potato, broccoli/roast chicken, veg, potato/fish & salad) I try to keep potato serving to min.
7pm tea (milk no sugar) [occasionally (say twice/three times a week) snack toasted soda brown bread with cheese & onion or bowl of cereal (wheatbix))

Change your weetabix to porridge in the mornings. Up the fruit intake (some people will disagree, but you need fruit and veg!)
And there’s a lack of protein here. Protein in the mornings might be difficult, but even a hard boiled egg from the deli counter!

Your lunch seems very small, and will lead to you having a larger dinner. I would change that for chicken breast with mixed salad. More filling than soup, and depending on where your getting your soup, there can be a ridiculous amount of calories in soup. Again, replace the popcorn with fruit.

I’d have a snack at 3, fruit…nuts..and watch portion sizes of nuts.

Dinner doesn’t seem too bad, apart from lasagne, pizza…steak… I’d really aim for lean fish or poultry with lots of veg. Season the meat or fish, don’t use sauces.

You shouldn’t be afraid to have a snack in the evenings either. But the bread I would leave out, there’s much better things you could have. I sound like a broken record but fruit can be great, or wholemeal bread. Smoothy even, made with oats to make it more filling… Countless recipes online.

I’d really direct you to the stickies here for information about diet. But find out your best way of measuring your body fat percentage, and work out your caloric needs. From there, there’s countless places to check your calorie intake every day. Eat a defecit, and you will lose fat.