Step 1: Stop drinking. Step 2: Get some real exercise. I'd suggest doing at least 30-45 minutes of cardio 4 times a week. Step 3: On days you don't do cardio, hit the weights hard, doing extra work on your core (lunges and squats are best for the core.) Step 4: Watch what you eat. If you're consuming a lot of shitty carbs, you're going to pack on weight. Alcohol, bread, pasta. These are your enemies. Step 5: No fast food. There are no "healthy" choices on the menu. Step 6: Increase your fruits and vegetables to 6 servings per day. Yeah, it is a lot. But it works. Fibrous veggies are great for stemming hunger (broccoli, cauliflower.) Yeah, I know, isn't there an easier way? Not really. Either put the effort in, or keep the belly fat. Sorry. The best way to get rid of belly fat is to build muscle on the rest of your body and burn your calorie intake. It's actually pretty hard to do, since to grow muscle you need to consume more calories than you burn. The trick is finding that "middle ground." I actually lost an additional 10 pounds over the past month and a half. I started eating a large salad with numerous different veggies for both lunch and dinner (throwing a chopped grilled chicken breast in for the protein) and eating a small yogurt with a chopped fresh banana and a handful of blueberries thrown in. (ETA: I also add a scoop of protein powder to the mix. It helps me get my protein for the day, and helps keep me feeling full until I get closer to lunchtime.) I now weigh what I did when I was graduating high school in '93 (185.) I haven't looked this good almost my entire adult life. I've actually gone down two pants sizes in the course of 2 months. You can do it. It's not a lot of fun at first, but once you get used to it, it's second nature. And when you look in the mirror in the morning, you'll be glad you did. BTW: I barely drink at all. Only at parties, really. Maybe 3 or 4 beers, though I still have a glass of wine with dinner once or twice a week. Gotta sacrifice.
Thanks Alio. I actually plan on giving up drinking for a week, and eating nothing but fruits, vegatables, and protein. I plan on laying off carbs, fatty foods, and snacks. I go for a 25 minute run every morning, im pretty out of shape, so this does it for now. Baby steps. Im not going to starve myself, but I am seriously going to cut back on the food for a week while I kick my ass physically. Only water is in my fridge for drinking. No booze, no juice. Just water. I lift 5 days a week, but I just recently started doing cardio since im disgusted with the midsection. I also have an ab lounge that seems to work since my stomach is sore as shit. I try to do about 200 a day, but I think im just building my abs up underneath my flab. I think I might throw in some pool workouts too. lets hope this next week of hell works. I hope to lose 5 lbs (from the midsection) and be back down to 190.
You're definitely on your way! I don't advocate starvation. I'll detail my salad meals below. Also, every week you should have a cheat day where you actually consume carbs like pasta and bread. It helps to suppress your starvation reflex (I think the hormone is called leptin, but I can't recall for certain.) I'm not a big fan of ab machines because they isolate your exercise to just the specific muscles you're looking to build, and it's always better to do the complete exercises to build the strength in the supporting muscles and tendons. And yes, you are building the muscles underneath while the flab sits on top. Most experts will tell you it's not worth the time, but I don't see why. If you're working on losing the fat and building the muscle underneath at the same time, you're eventually going to have those muscles show, no? 5 pounds in a week is tough, even with a good program. Even if you lose it, it's probably mostly water anyway. Anyway, I'm not a big fan of "how much" weight is lost. While I'm happy to be at the weight I am right now, if I gained 10lbs of muscle I wouldn't complain for a second. My point is, be happy with how you look. That should always be your goal. If you're 210 but you look like like you're going to compete in an MMA championship, is that a bad thing? Anyway, here is my typical salad that I eat every day for lunch and most weeknight dinners: 3 sliced Campari tomatoes. (Golf ball sized.) 1/2 Avocado 1/2 medium Cucumber 1 chopped grilled chicken cutlet 2 or 3 heads of broccoli 2 or 3 heads of cauliflower a quarter inch slice of mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes a quarter inch slice of feta cheese, cut into cubes 8-10 fresh snap peas 8-10 fresh green beans 1-2 hot peppers (jalapeno or cherry peppers) I also add some mix of the following for variety: 2-3 spears fresh or steamed asparagus 3-4 slices steamed zucchini 3-4 slices steamed yellow squash couple slices of sundried tomatoes 2-3 large mushrooms sliced handful green olives 2-3 artichoke chunks (the ones in a jar in vinegar) Rarely, for a nice treat, I've started grilling eggplant. Here's how I do it: peel skin on eggplant into stripes slice eggplant lightly brush some olive oil on both sides on a Foreman grill, cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping half-way through (careful, they burn easily.) remove and sprinkle some sea salt (lower sodium) on the slices. They taste like French Fries. Not the greatest "snack" in the world, but definitely better than deep-fried French Fries. They taste better hot than cold, but they aren't bad cold either, unlike fries. I've also done this once with zucchini, squash and asparagus, but the results weren't as good. Not terrible, just not as good. Hopefully that helps a bit!
Hey Alio I've decided to try out your workout program since I like the idea of being able to work out at home in the morning without making the trek to the gym. I also just made a promise myself today to cut out all the garbage I put into my body, so I'm going to be religious on the No soda/HFCS/Processed food and try and eat more nuts/fruits/veggies/and white meats. This is going to involve more cooking time, which is fine. I'm mainly trying to lose weight since I've ballooned up to 240 the last few years. I'm turning 28 and feel that this is my last chance to get back into shape before I enter my 30s, when it will undoubtedly become even tougher to get into shape. For the last few months I've been keeping active during the weekends (basketball, soccer, softball), but haven't done much during the week. I'm going to try to program myself to do your routine every morning, and get those weight workouts in after work. I have a good feeling about this, and I'll keep you updated.
I'm impressed by how many people here claim to lift 5 days a week. Impressed, but I'm not sure it's necessary. When I was younger, I used to try to lift 4-5 times a week... but i've started to doubt the utility of doing so.. Granted, I have much more shit to fill up my day then I did when I was say, in college, (then again, I'm not a body builder either), but I believe if you concentrate maxing of your workouts (i.e. if your not sore the next day, you didn't have a good lift) you can see some great results. Me, latley I've just been focusing on strength building exercises: squats, lunges flat bench/incline press, shoulder press, military press, dead lifts, weighted pulls ups/dips and skull crushers. I mix that in with 1-2 middle distance runs a week (about 5-7K). It works out to about 4 days a week of exercise, but with a decent diet (I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I'm not like Alio who eats like a body builder) and it works pretty well for me.
Get Busy livin.OR Get Busy Dyin. Necessary????...Is it Necessary that I drink my own urine????... No...But It's sterile and I enjoy the taste.... You've obviously got the right Idea about lifting. I only lift for stregnth. And I only do Cardio for Breathing and Endurance. One speed...Balls out. Simple is better, and lasts longer, especially if you're over 25. Watch Worlds strongest man... I deadlift, bench press, curl, military press(front only) pushups, dips, pullups, situps and so on.... the only non traditional exercise I permit myself (because no one else does it) is the one handed barbell press with the olympic bar. (only 10's (65lbs both hands)... I can one hand 25's overhead, but cannot press it)...
Dude...I didnt start till 35. By 40 I ran the mile in 7 minutes(consistent over 5....) and could bench 275 for reps after 45 minutes of cardio and my deadlift was over 375......That's not as good as some of the guys on this thread, but it's pretty good for 40... You've got an ENORMOUS horizon. Just Start...
Yeah, I almost didn't start this morning, but dragged myself out of bed. I feel great already. At work I'm filling myself up with fruits and nuts. I could get used to this. I'm trying to lose body fat, and while I understand that I should develop my muscles to help burn off the fat, I'm wondering if I should add more cardio or just stick to the 20 minutes outlined by Alio in this program?
Well, here's the thing (and this is going out to TommyGreen, boogerstyles, and Hobbes.) Do whatever works for you. If you want to speed walk 5 miles a day, every day but Sunday, do it. If you want to press 300 every third day and just do squats on the days in-between, do it. If you want to take step classes because you want to be a chick, do it. Just make sure of 1 thing. Eat better. If you do nothing else this is the single best thing you can do for your body. Obviously I have my own opinions on exercise, and there will always be conflicting opinions on what workouts "work best" but the truth is, just doing any exercise is good for you, so there is no "right or wrong" answer. My original workouts were designed by me after research and experimentation to do one thing: stop me from having excuses to skip workouts. Now I do my weight lifting every other day, and cardio on the days in-between. At this point, I'm used to it, and I don't feel good when I miss my workouts. Tommy, like Hobbes said, just start. Commit to do something. And do it regularly, and with conviction. You're absolutely correct that it only gets harder to start the older you get. Congratulations on your new life! (I think I'm going to stop wishing people "good luck" since that implies a chance of failure. There is no failure. Like Nike will tell you: Just Do It.)
This is true. Rome wasn't built over night. I remember when I first started lifting my goal was to rep 1 45 plate on each side (135 pounds). Now I rep 225 (two plates) 10x. I'm 5'9'' 175 pounds. That's why weight lifting is so much fun, it's so goal oriented. That's what motivates you to change your routine, eat well and when to wake up at 5:45 to get to the gym before work.
One of the guy's at my gym told me about this supplement called "Black Powder". Apparently it's more effective than NoXplode or Superpump 250...and it doesn't give you the upset stomach or the jitters. Anybody try this stuff? http://www.mri-performance.com/
Holy crap! I just looked at the ingredients in that shit. I wouldn't put that stuff in my body if you paid me to. Look at the sodium alone. 230mg. It's also got 11g of carbs with no dietary fiber. So where are the carbs coming from? Then you start getting into the things you can barely pronounce, which is a clear sign to stay away. I can only assume Potassium Aspartate is something in the same line as aspartame. The rest of the garbage in there I don't even recognize. Why would you want to use any of that crap? As I've said, I only condone whey protein products (EAS being my preferred brand,) Muscle Milk powder, and Creatine powder if you are committed to using it right and understanding that it is only meant to get more water into your muscles for repair after a good workout. Beyond those, eat a good healthy diet, high in protein and fiber, low in fat and simple carbs. Couple that with a good workout regimen, and you have a formula for good muscle gain success. If nothing else, the disclaimer at the bottom of the screen that their statements have not been approved by the FDA would give me pause.
Luckily, I haven't purchased it yet.....but i do have a free sample...I'm going to try it....just to satisfy my curiousity. One sample isn't going to kill me.....i want to see what all the fuss is about. However, based on your last post, Alio....i'm going to refrain from buying a jar of this stuff. I've been working out "naturally" for the last couple of months (i take a whey protein supplement after every workout....because i'm allergic to tuna and eggs...so i need a concentrated source of protein)....i'll continue to do so...and watch my diet as well. thanks for posting.
No problem bro. Here's a tip that can help as well. Take half of your protein supplement before you work out, so your body can digest it while you are working out, thereby getting more into your muscles when they need it. I actually used to drink my protein shake while I was working out. After every set I'd drink some of it. Seemed to work pretty well too.
I am down to 190, but I need way more muscle. Still look fat. Haha. Went from 260 to 200 pretty quick, last 10 pounds have been hard. Down to 185 right now technically, but its because I had my wisdom teeth out and have barely eaten.
So my new house I'm moving into this summer has a pool in the back. I'm definitely going to start swimming laps. I've pretty much hit the wall with my current workout, and I'm stuck at 6' / 200lbs. I think adding swimming is going to really help me turn the corner -- and just being out in the sun more. Not exactly Olympic sized, but it'll get the job done.
Thats impressive. Congrats dude. Everytime this thread is bumped to the top, it makes me feel guilty. I threw out all my food and went healthy tonight. See how long this guilt lasts lol
I didn't think 6' / 200lbs was a bad spot to be in, thats where I am now which is about 5 lbs over my weight from 25 yrs ago. Anyway, after 2-3 years of not doing much at all I have started up again. Finally had my rotator cuff taken care of so I started my rehab 3 weeks ago. I am not big into supplements but looking for suggestions on something I could take just for a while till I build some of the strength back up. Appreciate any suggestions.
