Just started workout program, what am I doing right?

[macmovieman]

I just woke up this last week and could not stand how I looked in the mirror so I decided to start a workout program. Knowing little to nothing about how to start I knew I had to eat less and start working out. I joined LA Fitness and spent 10 hours over the last 6 days in the gym. I am using and I am logging all of my hours and trying to keep track of everything from weight to food to my workout.

I spent 64% of my time working out on the elliptical, 8% cycling, 8% walking and 20% weight training. I start on my cardio (elliptical) and move to weights when I am done. I am 6'5" and I started last week weighing 320 pounds and as of today I weight 313.2. I seem to be eating about 2300 calories a day and have increased my meals to 5 times a day but in much smaller portions. I entertain people for a living so I have a customer lunch every day and a customer dinner about once a week.

The guys at LA Fitness have wanted me to join their training program and I will if you think I need to do it but I feel strongly I can do this on my own. I have not been thin in over 15 years and I will be 40 in January so I am not sure why I feel strongly I can do this on my own but I do? I am feeling a little lost and just want to see if you would suggest anything I need to do differently. More hours in the gym, less calories, more weight training with less cardio? I guess I really would like to know if I should just keep doing what I am doing.

One more thing, I almost passed out the first 3 days I started working out. I guess I was eating too little and once I got a little bit of food in me I felt much better. I do not want to over complicate this and really would like to keep it simple for now. Does anything stand out I should be doing or should stop doing? I lied, I thought of something else I should share. I think I am addicted to the gym. I really look forward to going and feel like I want to go more? For the life of me, I do not understand this….. but I am starting to crave it and how I feel when I am there and how I feel the rest of the day.

 

[spicypumpkin]

If your goal is to lose weight, then you're on the right track. You need to continue to count your calories, and make sure you have a deficit by the end of the day. As long as you are burning more calories than you consume, you will continue to lose weight.

One thing, try not to overdo it in the gym. Weight training is not something you should be doing every day. I know, when you're just starting out it feels really good, and you want to do more and more. But think of rest time as part of the workout program itself. If you're doing heavy weight lifting, your body will continue to burn more calories throughout the day. You need a rest period of at least 48 hours for a particular muscle group before you train that muscle group again. So that means, if you did upper body on Monday, wait until Wednesday before you train your upper body again. you can, however continue to do cardio every day.

It looks like you're off to a great start. Just take it nice and slow. Don't try to eat too little or exercise too much.

Keep us posted on your progress!

 

[macmovieman]

If your goal is to lose weight, then you're on the right track. You need to continue to count your calories, and make sure you have a deficit by the end of the day. As long as you are burning more calories than you consume, you will continue to lose weight.

One thing, try not to overdo it in the gym. Weight training is not something you should be doing every day. I know, when you're just starting out it feels really good, and you want to do more and more. But think of rest time as part of the workout program itself. If you're doing heavy weight lifting, your body will continue to burn more calories throughout the day. You need a rest period of at least 48 hours for a particular muscle group before you train that muscle group again. So that means, if you did upper body on Monday, wait until Wednesday before you train your upper body again. you can, however continue to do cardio every day.

It looks like you're off to a great start. Just take it nice and slow. Don't try to eat too little or exercise too much.

Keep us posted on your progress!

I will cut back to 1 hour on the elliptical and 30 mins on weights each day making sure not to work the same muscle group within 48 hours. The elliptical is allowing me to burn about 873 calories in an hour while the weight training is estimated at about 214 calories over 30 mins. Together this is only about 1100 calories a day during my 90 min workout. If I am eating 2300 calories it sounds like I am not going to loose weight?

What am I doing wrong here? Do I need to workout more, eat less or both? I want to understand this.

 

[Chillen]

I just woke up this last week and could not stand how I looked in the mirror so I decided to start a workout program. Knowing little to nothing about how to start I knew I had to eat less and start working out. I joined LA Fitness and spent 10 hours over the last 6 days in the gym. I am using and I am logging all of my hours and trying to keep track of everything from weight to food to my workout.

10 hours in the gym the last 6 days. What variations of training are you doing for that hour? I would be interested in learning this. Why only one rest day?

Good, you have ingnited a spark to set yourself on fire: you dont like how you look so you are doing something about it!`~~~~~~~~~~ROCK ON with this action!

I spent 64% of my time working out on the elliptical, 8% cycling, 8% walking and 20% weight training. I start on my cardio (elliptical) and move to weights when I am done. I am 6'5" and I started last week weighing 320 pounds and as of today I weight 313.2. I seem to be eating about 2300 calories a day and have increased my meals to 5 times a day but in much smaller portions. I entertain people for a living so I have a customer lunch every day and a customer dinner about once a week.

What are your personal goals?

You are doing alot of cardio (elliptical, cycling and walking). In addition from your post, it appears (correct me if I am wrong) that you are doing your cardio before weight training--is this correct MOST of the time?

Cardio 80% v. weight training 20%

Are these percentages of cardio v weight training the same for each workout each day and encompass each of the 6 days out of a 7 day week? Break down each day of the 6 days you train in one week. There are certain things I dont know about your training schedule but with what I do know, I believe (on the surface) there is too much cardio, and I do believe you should weight train before cardio (in most cases, there are exceptions).

6'5" 313lbs (how old are you?). With the 2300c caloric limitation you are providing, what type of deficit does this create? How did you determine this figure? What is your MT line?

The guys at LA Fitness have wanted me to join their training program and I will if you think I need to do it but I feel strongly I can do this on my own. I have not been thin in over 15 years and I will be 40 in January so I am not sure why I feel strongly I can do this on my own but I do? I am feeling a little lost and just want to see if you would suggest anything I need to do differently. More hours in the gym, less calories, more weight training with less cardio? I guess I really would like to know if I should just keep doing what I am doing.

A reputatable structured fitness program can be taylored to an individual and has its benefits; it can also provide guidance and some motivation. There is absolutely nothing wrong with joining a reputatable and well structured program that will suite your goals. This can save important time and you can learn alot along the way, and this too, can lead you to going on your own as you will gain alot of important knowledge in a well developed and structured program.

The decision to go it on your own or with a structured program is a personal choice, but dont be fooled. You CAN do this on your own. You will have to sacrifice the time necessary to learn the "basics" applicable to your goal and of course manage and structure your own diet and training schedule.

If you have the inner desire to learn and structure your own plan based from a sound core of knowledge---by all means take off. I did and have done very well.

One more thing, I almost passed out the first 3 days I started working out. I guess I was eating too little and once I got a little bit of food in me I felt much better. I do not want to over complicate this and really would like to keep it simple for now. Does anything stand out I should be doing or should stop doing? I lied, I thought of something else I should share. I think I am addicted to the gym. I really look forward to going and feel like I want to go more? For the life of me, I do not understand this….. but I am starting to crave it and how I feel when I am there and how I feel the rest of the day.

Again, I am interested in how each day of the 6 day per week training schedule breaks down, and how often you weight train and do cardio during the week


I will wait for your response.

KEEP ON ROCKEN IT!..........(by the way responded to your other thread as well)

ROCK ON!


Best wishes


Chillen

 

[macmovieman]

Workout Actions Date Time Distance Pace Mph Est Calories Steps
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/06/07 1:00:00 0 873 0
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/05/07 0:30:00 0 446 0
Weight Training view | print | edit | delete 10/04/07 0:45:00 0 320 0
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/04/07 1:00:00 0 873 0
Weight Training view | print | edit | delete 10/03/07 0:30:00 0 214 0
Walking view | print | edit | delete 10/03/07 0:30:00 1.8 16:40 3.6 286 0
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/03/07 1:00:00 0 876 0
Cycling - CompuTrainer™ view | print | edit | delete 10/02/07 0:30:00 5000
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/02/07 0:30:00 0 438 0
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/02/07 0:30:00 0 438 0
Elliptical Trainer view | print | edit | delete 10/01/07 0:30:00 0 438 0
Walking view | print | edit | delete 09/30/07 0:30:00 0 290 0
Weight Training view | print | edit | delete 09/30/07 0:30:00 0 211 0
Treadmill view | print | edit | delete 09/30/07 1:00:00 0 494 0
Walking view | print | edit | delete 09/29/07 0:30:00 0 290 0
Weight Training view | print | edit | delete 09/29/07 0:30:00 0 422 0
Treadmill view | print | edit | delete 09/29/07 1:00:00 0 494 0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals: hours: 11.2 7903 0

Above is a list of my workouts and the dates. I cut and pasted them from Fitnessjournal.org and I hope you can read them alright. I have always started with cardio first since I find myself almost too tired when I do it last. When I change the foods I have been eating it has changed my workouts where I now feel stronger through the whole workout with less pits and valleys. My goals are to loose weight and feel better about my body and my health. I am tired of being called fat by my family when I see them for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I used a calulator that was at Free Diet Plans and Weight Loss Programs to help me see where I need to be to loose weight and am also trying to use their workout plan here Sample Workout - Advanced Fat Loss

Here is one of my most recent photos Picasa Web Albums - Trent - R'idyllwild S... and some people say I hide my weight well? Not sure what that means... I have a 34 BMI and I was told this should be much lower and that I am obese. I got to tell you that was not fun to listen too and is most of my modivation. I will still consider using a trainer and money is not the reason for not getting one. I want to make sure I can get this weight loss started on my own and I think I will hire a trainer once I get down to say 280 and I need help getting to 240. My goal is to reach 290 by the end of November and I think I can do it.

Let me know if I left something out but I am pretty sure I answered all of your questions. Thank you Chillen for your knowledge and help. I picked the monkey in my avatar becuase that is how I am feeling right now learning this for the first time. I feel like a monkey.