About six weeks before Fall Colors 03, a few of us were participating in a "Weight Loss" thread started by OhioRacer. I vowed to lose 10 pounds by Fall Colors. I began using my treadmill and exercise bicycle every night, urged on by my weight loss guru OhioRacer. I met my goal a week before Fall Colors, and even though I needed to lose more weight I felt pretty good about the 10 pounds.

After Fall Colors, for some unexplainable reason, I stopped exercising, started noshing and put back all of the weight that I had lost and than some. I am now the heaviest I've ever been. I feel sluggish.

Tonight I decided to turn this around so I gave up the sweets and started exercising again. Thirty five minutes on the treadmill and ten minutes on the bike. I hope to work my way up to 45 minutes at 3.5 mph on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike within 3 weeks. My goal is twenty five to thirty pounds by Fall Colors 04. I'm determined to make it.

Anyone care to join me?

 

I currently weigh 220lbs, and have for the past couple of years. My calorie and fat intake are where they should be for my age (52) and height (6ft), and I don't over-eat or snack. Everything I eat and drink is in moderation, but I don't "calorie count". All I need to do now is get more exercise to burn calories.

I have a hard time using a treadmill, my legs and ankles give out from the pounding. We recently bought one of those gazelle thingies, and it seems to give me a pretty good aerobic workout while not causing any impact problems.

I'd like to eventually be down to 180-190lbs, so that means a 30-40lb loss.

Rob, how do we track progress here? Do we do periodic weigh-ins?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tomcatt

 

So is this the New and Improved Vintage Weight Loss Thread?

 

Yup. Are you joining us?

 

Tomcatt, to burn fat and lose weight you don't really want to go aerobic. I've got a treadmill that works in conjuction with a heart monitor. We're the same age and weight and the "burn fat" range for me is about a 110-115 heart rate. At that pace it is just a fast walk and a slight incline and I could easily carry on a conversation. So maybe you don't need to pound the treadmill since a brisk walking pace will suffice.

Lifting weights also will help burn the fat.

All great advice that worked for me once like magic. Now I'm back up there again.

 

I been at this in half hearted attempt for a year now and it's time to step up to the plate and take Ralper's challenge.

210 By September.....that's 30lbs away

 

Alright you bastards. From the 1st week of August 2003 to Thanksgiving week 2003 I lost 33 lbs. When I learned I was going to be single again, I put 17 back on . So, I'm not sure I'm the "guru". Anyway, I can tell you this. I've been working out 6 days per week for years and the best I could do was "maintain". Until I finally got it last fall. The magic recipe is a combination of fitness AND nutrition. When I did that I was losing weight faster than I could keep track. So, out went the beer, wings, Krispy Kreme donuts and pizza. In came the Lean Cuisine and protein bars. And I drink LOTS of water. There's no secret. No reason to buy books. It's common sense really. Less calories in than expended = weight loss.

Your fitness program should include 3 components. 1) resistance (weights), 2) aerobic (treadmill, bike, stepper, tennis, etc.) 3) stretching. Always put a day between your resistance workouts to give your muscles time to heal. In fact, when you lift weights you are actually tearing muscle fibers. You need that day off for the body to heal that muscle. Interestingly, the body says, " holy crap! what is this moron doing? So it then takes a defensive posture and when it rebuilds the muscle fibers it builds some extra in case the person does something silly like lift weights again. Of course, then the process repeats itself. This is how muscles get bigger and bigger. One note: What is your goal? If it is toning, then do 3 sets of 15 reps with lower weights. You should be able to complete or nearly complete all three sets. When that becomes easy, add weights otherwise your body will adapt and will no longer build the additional muscle and you'll be wasting your time. If your goal is more bulk, then do perhaps 3 sets of 6-8 reps with heavier weights. You should not be able to finish. You want to take it to what's called muscle failure...ie. can't finish the set. Also, vary your lifting. The body learns quickly how to adapt to this "attack" on its muscles so you always want to keep it guessing. Also remember that resistance exercises also provide some aerobic benefit. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn because muscle requires more energy than fat. Be advised that muscle weighs more than fat. So if you start lifting, don't get discouraged if you don't lose right away. But take comfort in that fact that you are transforming your body composition.

Aerobic exercises are great for weight loss. Get a heart rate monitor. Follow the instructions to determine your target heart rate and get at least 20-30 minutes in that target. It will take you time to get there so this means your total aerobic workout will likely be 45 minutes long. My weekly routine is:

Monday: Resistance exercises for chest and shoulders. Abs. Treadmill.
Tuesday: Abs and treadmill only.
Wednesday: Legs, abs and treadmill
Thursday: Abs and treadmill only
Friday: Biceps, triceps, and back. Abs and treadmill.
Saturday: Abs and treadmill only
Sunday: NASCAR baby!!!!!!!!

My last piece of advice is this. Make this THE priority in your life. Not A priority but THE priority. I decided that there were NO excuses. Even if I was ill, I was downstairs working out. Otherwise, you create a threshold of when it's "ok" to skip a workout. Next thing you know, you have other excuses...late meeting at the office, etc. In the words of that former NASA chief, "failure is NOT an option".

I'm going to ask my friend Tim if he will comment here. He's a fitness nut and can add value here.

 

Hello everyone, just to add to Carmen's well put reply.....when doing cardio monitor your heart rate..if your goal is to lose weight then maintain your heart rate at 70% of it's max for your age/weight....if your goal is to just increase your cardiovascular health then you may exceed the 70%.....his every other day resistance is a very good reco for you vintage individuals ....your muscles very much indeed require that healing time....IMO every day abs is excessive for they also are a muscle ( I would limit to 4 days/wk..but that is my opinion)......Carmen you do have an excellent work out routine built for yourself....I cannot stress enough though that one's diet plays 60% of the game...EAT BREAKFAST...if you don't it will slow your metobolism apprx 20% for that day.....eat carbs and protien after excersize (for all you atkins fans eat what you can for carbs but do try and eat some within 1hr of end of workout)....eat 5 meals not 2-3....DO NOT EAT TILL YOUR FULL...if you walk away still a little hungry that's ok....you will feel very hungry in a couple of hours and that is telling you that your metobolism is kicking back into gear (that's a good thing).......as Carmen stated, alot is common sense...do not believe everything you read because a month later a different mag will state the opposite and swear by it......a good routine (like Carmen's above) 5 meals a day and proper time off is what it takes.....pay attention to your diet (it's the big role player).

 

I'm not really hungry in the morning but I force myself to eat 2 Egg Beaters and either a slice of 12 grain toast (with Take Control Light spread) or an English Muffin. Another thing that was difficult for me to accept was to EAT MORE. As Tim says, 5 meals/snacks a day. Not 3 nuclear sized meals. It was hard for me to accept that I needed to eat something at say, 3PM. I grab a handful of peanuts or a protein bar. Hopefully most people know that starving yourself is the absolute WORST way to lose weight. You put your body into shock. After that, every crumb you put in your mouth is stored as fat. It's the body's survival instinct that goes back to when man hunted for food and the body adapted to getting food only once or twice a week. So it created this storage mechanism (I call mine my Molson Muscle). . Tim, I have to do abs 6 days a week. I was cursed with my moms body shape (thanks mom) . I did learn one thing that works. If the goal is to have a v-shaped torso, and the lower half just won't freaking go away, then increase the size of the upper half of your torso. Wallah!

Tim, what is the purpose of the carbs and protein within 1 hour? Is it fuel to rebuild the muscles? Why is it necessary within 1 hour?

The only other thing I can add is to view your metabolism as a fire in your fireplace. It needs to remain stoked. Just like when you add a log to a fire. You need that mid day snack of protein or whatever to keep your metabolism stoked. If it slows down (i.e. watching NASCAR races with beer in hand), then...well...this is not so good.