Weight Loss Forum - Advanced Weight Loss

Need help with exercise plan.

Nadia — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:17:45 GMT

Hello : )
I've been on a diet for a while now and have managed to lost about 74lbs, however this has been without the aid of exercise. I've still got another 74+lbs to go and want to make sure its lost the healthy way to ensure that it will STAY off.

That being said, my past exercise routines have never been so successful and i find it difficult to know when to do cardio and then when to do weights etc. Since i have lots of fat to burn, i need help with a weekly exercise routine to help effectively burn the fat off, incorporating cardio, strength, reps etc.

The only equipment i have access to is a treadmill, rowing machine, exercise stretch cord (thing) and some dumbbells.

If anyone can give me advise, would be very grateful!

I want to lose weight and TONE at the same time. Gotta burn that fat away....: )

x

2000 calories/day seems like a lot

alsace — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:36:03 GMT

First, a little background:

I'm a 6'0 male with an average build in my late 20s. Two years ago I started a diet and went from 290 pounds down to 180 in about 8 months. Having a science-oriented mind, the "burn more calories than you eat" mantra struck a chord, so I worked my way down to <1000 calories per day, plus 5+ days per week of vigorous cardio and 2 days per week lifting weights. I was eating healthy foods, not empty calories. Once every 2-3 weeks I'd go off the diet for a day (not sure how many calories, maybe 2500) to keep my metabolism from going into starvation mode and grinding to a halt.

In the 1.5 years since then, I've largely maintained my weight, as well as my healthy food and exercise habits. A combination of holidays and vacation did see me slip 15 pounds up the scale recently, but my old diet got me back down to 180 as I would expect. (The point here is that my diet still seems to work, it wasn't a one-time thing.)

And now my question:

Through experience I've found that if I eat more than 1500-1600 calories/day, I'll gain weight. This flies in the face of both the "2,000 calories/day" rule of thumb and my calculated needs (~2200 I think). It also does not align with the standard recommendation of consuming ~1800 calories a day to lose weight.

I know "everyone's body is different", but this is quite a disparity -- I feel that I must be missing something. I don't want to maintain a 1500 calorie diet only to find out later that I've caused long-term damage.

1. If I do switch to a 2000-2200 calorie diet (of healthy foods, with my exercise regimen intact, of course), will I gain weight for a short while, only to eventually plateau and find equilibrium? If so, how long will that take?

2. What are the bad effects of eating so few calories over a long period (years)?

Someone suggested this.

Abraxas25 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:13:51 GMT

Hi, first thread and post here.

I've heard about some sort of diet (which wasn't suggested to me, personally) that involves drinking only distilled water for one day without pretty much eating anything because it will 'help the body get rid of toxins'. Of course, this sounds like a very silly and unreliable method with no long-term or short-term benefits. Yes, I've heard about the implications of water into some diets and read about its potential benefits, I've known it gets rid of bodily toxins, but this does seem rather pointless.

I still want to know what people more knowledgeable than me think about this, of course. So that's why I signed up to ask. Thanks!