I'm getting confused, need guidance

[seeking135]

So I've been reading some posts here on this site, then following those up with research on the net. I'm learning all sorts of stuff I never knew. (Can I just say here that Steve is an awesome wealth of knowledge!) However, I'm also finding myself a bit confused on what I should be doing.

All I have at hand for equipment right now is my stepper and some light hand weights. (1-3lbs.) I do a 60 minute workout on the stepper to music. I don't go one steady pace the whole time. 10 minutes is a light effort, 36 minutes is a moderate effort and 14 minutes is me busting my ass pumping those little steps as fast and as hard as I can. My workout kind of goes light, moderate, heavy, back to light, back to heavy, back to moderate etc. For one 6 minute song (about half way through my 60 minutes) that only requires a light effort on the stepper I pull out the 3 lb hand weights and do three different arm exercises (overhead press, bicep curl, and lateral raises). I get two sets of 10of each exercise in during that song. Is that all ok? Will this type of workout do anything for me?

I'm also not sure when I should be working out. Is it best to work out as soon as you wake up, before eating? Or should you have a meal in you before you work out? How long should you wait after working out to eat?

Is it ok that I am doing this everday? I'm honestly afraid that if I take one day off that it may lead to two and that I may never get back on it. I know you are supposed to vary your exercise, but I just don't know what else to do with what I have and with where I am at fitness wise. I have only begun getting active for the past week. Before that I was very inactive. I can't afford anymore equipment or a gym membership at the moment.

Anyone out there who can guide me here?

 

[Steve]

Hi, and thanks for the mention.

Let me first say this. With 100lbs to lose, the name of the game is energy balance. Forget all this other junk for a second and just understand what energy balance really is.

We always talk about finding your maintenance calorie intake and basing what you do off of this number. So what is maintenance? The body is in a constant flux of building up and breaking down. The maintenance level is the amount of energy it takes to fuel the building up so that it balances out the breaking down. Maintenance assumes that you have exactly enough energy to support all the vital functions of the body, including daily activity.

When you're eating under maintenance, you're providing less energy than is required to maintain that balance. The body needs that energy, so it gets it from the only choice it has: the existing tissues. This in essence, is a very simplified version of how we lose weight.

So your main goal is to keep this balance of energy in vs. energy out weighted toward more energy out than in. How do you accomplish this? You either eat less, exercise more, or a combination of the both. Where most people go wrong is, they take this concept to the extreme. They eat very little and exercise until they are blue in the face. In theory, seems good. In real life, not so much. All that exercise requires energy. By not fueling your body to execute all this action, you are priming it for disaster. This can come by way of injury, illness, and most common of all, hormonal disruptions that lead to what we call, the starvation survival response mechanism.

Put simply, your weight loss stalls.

The idea is this: Figure out your maintenance caloric intake and start with a 15% reduction. This is going to lead to weight loss if you do it on a consistent basis. Ride that out as long as it will carry you.

I bet you see a lot of talk about losing muscle mass if you don't do things correctly. With 100 lbs to lose, that is pretty unlikely, at least in the early stages. People who have this much weight to lose need to understand that your body is going to lose fat a lot easier than someone with 20 lbs to lose. Would I like to see you lift weights? Of course. I think everyone should be lifting weights if they are physically able to. Is it going to screw up the weight loss process if you don't at this stage of the game? No.

Later down the road as you get closer to a healthy weight, yes... things will have to be tweaked. Attention to detail is going to become more important.

For now though, figuring out your nutrition is primary. That is going to be the driver for almost all of your success at this stage in the game. Exercise is secondary. You are doing aerobics. Great, I would continue to do so. Get your body used to moving. Those 1-3 lbs weights aren't doing much in terms of muscle maintenance, but again, that is not too large of a concern at the time being.

Never is there a set routine that you should be following. You have to adapt as your needs change. As the weight starts coming off and your fitness improves, we can start adding body weight exercises, different forms of aerobics, and eventually some weight training.

Lot's of jibber jabber, but hopefully you followed me. And thinking back, I am not even sure if I answered all of your questions. Hmmmm. Well, regardless, feel free to ask away.

 

[seeking135]

Lot's of jibber jabber, but hopefully you followed me. And thinking back, I am not even sure if I answered all of your questions. Hmmmm. Well, regardless, feel free to ask away.

You answered just about everything. Only thing missing is, does it matter when you exercise? Like is it better to exercise first thing in the morning before eating? Should you wait a certain time after eating to exercise? Should you wait x amount of time after exercising to eat?

I feel so much better knowing that I don't have to worry too much about losing muscle mass right now.


Now, when I do get around to weights, is something like this system ok:

I thought I saw something in one of your posts about weight machines forcing you into unnatural form (something close to that). Would one be better to go with a weight bench set-up with some free weights instead?

And, I want to thank you for being so helpful (to me, and the others you've been helping). Right now I'm packed to the brim with motivation, but flying blind as to what to do. Your posts are really teaching me a lot here. You should have an "Ask Steve" section, lol.

 

[Steve]

You will get mixed answers when it comes to doing aerobic exercise on an empty stomach. Personally, I am not a fan of doing any form of exercise on an empty stomach. That said, I recommend at least one meals get in ya before starting.

In relation to resistance training, NEVER lift on an empty stomach.

I am not a fan of machines, you are correct. That said, when the time comes, I would concern yourself with getting free weights. Let me know when that happens, I will help you decide what's best out there.

Lastly, I do have an "Ask Steve" section. It is called my journal, haha.

Best to you.

 

[seeking135]

How do I calculate my maintenance caloric intake?

I found some things online that calculate it for you based on height, weight and age. However, the answer I get in ranging anywhere from 1800 cals. - over 3,000.

I'm 5'2", 27 y.o. , 231 lbs. at the moment.

Some of the sites asked for activity level/lifestyle. Besides the stair stepper that I have added in I'd say I'm pretty inactive for this time of year. (I'm quite a bit more active in the summer.) Besides household stuff like laundry and dishes, most of my time is spent at the PC designing.

So how do I figure out the magical maintenance number?