Need help losing 25-30 lbs

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callmened

callmened

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Hello everyone,

I'm new to this website and my goal is to lose 25-30lbs as the title says. I think i have a good regimen, i just wanted to double check and see if anyone else has some advice.

Background: 37 Male 6-3 247 (goal 215) former athlete that loves to exercise. Last summer while playing basketball, I tore my right calf muscle (20% mild lateral tear) and due to the pain I had to endure physical therapy and learn other sports. I briefly got into running and even joined a runners group. My goal was to finish a HALF marathon. I was running 3x a week (4 miles, 4 miles then 10 on weekends). But then I started feeling pain on my posterior tib (medial calf). I visited PT again and they basically said, I have bad form and I would have to retrain my body to run correctly. Running isn't THAT interesting to me so long story short, I run 4 miles once a week (on Mondays).

I've started this new journey on May 1st. So far so good...

DIET - i know that 80% of weight loss - especially in the abs = DIET. I'm determined on keeping my calories under 2000. and i eat something every 3hrs
1. Breakfast = I pretty much eat apples, oatmeal or a power bar for breakfast.
2. AM Snacks = fruits, buts, power bar, cereal
3. Lunch = salad if i have the time
4. PM Snacks = same as before
5. Dinner = fish, chicken, veges

EXERCISES -
1. due to my job, i take the subway in NYC and i walk ALOT. at least 60 mins daily/8000-10000 steps)
2. run 4 miles once a week (1x/wk)
3. just joined a spin class - (2x/week)
4. ab exercises (2x/week) - i try to do 500 reps (i.e 5 different exercises x 3 sets of 33 different reps)
5. Bikram yoga (1x/week) or whenver i can
- a friend of mine suggested walking on an inclined (4) treadmill but walking speed (3) for 30 mins

GOALS
- 6-3 215 (college days)
- learn how to swim
- gain flexibility
- live a healthy life
- play basketball again

just wanted to know
- HOW LONG this will take? (lol)
- support groups?
- are spin classes for men?
- how often should i rest?
- diet or exercise advice? (i want to learn how to swim)
- good habits? bad habits to avoid?

THANKS!!
 
Hello callmened and welcome to the forum.

Overall, you have a well-constructed plan that should provide success, not least through your intention to incorporate spinning into your weekly exercise schedule (yes, they’re for men as much as they are for women).

However, I’d have to disagree with the advice offered by a friend (walking on the treadmill), as it’ll do very little in terms of encouraging weight loss. Granted, it may slightly improve the efficiency of your body’s various systems to process oxygen, but it simply isn’t strenuous enough to encourage weight loss.

Instead, replace it with a 20-25 minute HIIT cardio work out. If the gym that you frequent benefits from the presence of StairMasters, use them to perform 40/40 splits (40s hard, followed by 40s recovery).

By performing HIIT, you’ll be utilising the body’s anaerobic energy system during hard intervals, meaning that it relies upon energy stored in glycogen and fat to fuel your endeavour, since it’s unable to deliver oxygen to working muscles as quickly as they require it (if you wondered why hard intervals can only be maintained for short periods, that’s the reason why).

Moreover, due to the huge energy deficit and the massive increase in sensitivity to insulin that HIIT creates, the carbohydrate consumed in the hours afterwards, is used by the body to replenish severely depleted glycogen reserves, rather than allowing it to circulate in the bloodstream (as glucose), simply to be stored as fat.

Since you’re recovering from a running injury, I’d replace your intended run with a rest day, which I’m sure your body will welcome, especially if you’re spinning twice a week and incorporating a HIIT workout into your schedule.

Stick with the yoga, as it’ll help to increase flexibility, in addition to stretching the muscles in your legs, helping to develop strong, elongated fibres as opposed to short, tight and stocky muscles. It’ll no doubt assist in your recovery from the respective injuries, too.

As for your intention to perform 500 reps for the stomach, whilst they’ll undoubtedly strengthen your core, repetitions of such a high amount is most likely to lead to further injury (a strained stomach muscle is incredibly painful), in addition to making the stomach protrude further, since layers of fat will still cover them.

By all means incorporate stomach exercises (such as the plank, lower reverse crunch and oblique twist), into your schedule, but execute them after you’ve performed an all over body resistance workout, using compound movements (such the chest press, squat, shoulder press and lat-pulldown) to ensure that your upper-torso isn’t neglected. Don’t forget, your stomach will also receive a workout during Bikram, too.

As such, a weekly schedule could possibly look like this.

Monday: Spin Class

Tuesday: Resistance Training & Stomach Exercises

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: HIIT workout

Friday: Rest (Always ensure a day’s rest after performing HIIT).

Saturday: Spin Class

Sunday: Yoga.

Concerning diet and calorific intake, although you intend to consume fewer than 2000Kcal each day, whilst such a restriction will work for a period, your suggested intake falls short of satisfying BMR (2143Kcal). Taking into consideration your intended level of activity, you should be aiming to satisfy BMR at the very least, thus providing the body with sufficient nourishment, whilst creating a daily deficit from TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), which amounts to 2946Kcal.

Due to your stature (age/weight/height), you benefit from being able to introduce a daily deficit of around 800Kcal, which should allow you to record a sizeable weekly loss, even when consuming 2150Kcal each day, as your body utilises energy (stored in existing body fat) to meet daily demand.

As for diet, to ensure that weight loss comes from existing levels of body fat (and not muscle mass), you should ensure that lean protein and complex carbohydrate each account for around 40% of calorific intake and that the remaining 20% is obtained from healthy fat.

Don’t worry about carbohydrate intake equalling that of protein; you’re performing HIIT, alongside bi-weekly spinning classes, so the body needs to replace depleted glycogen reserves.

Although your sample diet appears largely sound, it’d benefit from the inclusion of whey protein powder (twice daily), and more complex carbs at lunchtime (such quinoa/bean based salads) to keep energy levels stable throughout the afternoon.

If you happen to exercise later in the day, the inclusion of complex carbohydrate, alongside fish/chicken in the evening, would also be recommended.

My reply may be extensive, callmened, but please don’t consider it as criticism, since I’ve simply provided a few suggestions upon how your largely sound exercise/diet plan could be improved upon.
 
Hey man... welcome to the community. See some thoughts below...

callmened said:
Hello everyone,

I'm new to this website and my goal is to lose 25-30lbs as the title says. I think i have a good regimen, i just wanted to double check and see if anyone else has some advice.

Background: 37 Male 6-3 247 (goal 215) former athlete that loves to exercise. Last summer while playing basketball, I tore my right calf muscle (20% mild lateral tear) and due to the pain I had to endure physical therapy and learn other sports. I briefly got into running and even joined a runners group. My goal was to finish a HALF marathon. I was running 3x a week (4 miles, 4 miles then 10 on weekends). But then I started feeling pain on my posterior tib (medial calf). I visited PT again and they basically said, I have bad form and I would have to retrain my body to run correctly. Running isn't THAT interesting to me so long story short, I run 4 miles once a week (on Mondays).
Click to expand...

It's no see someone with a flexible mindset about this stuff. Tried something... didn't work out the way you had hoped... changed accordingly.

I've started this new journey on May 1st. So far so good...

DIET - i know that 80% of weight loss - especially in the abs = DIET. I'm determined on keeping my calories under 2000. and i eat something every 3hrs
Click to expand...

1. Why did you decide upon 2000 calories when you're an active 247 lb man?

2. Why do you think it's important to eat every 3 hours?

EXERCISES -
1. due to my job, i take the subway in NYC and i walk ALOT. at least 60 mins daily/8000-10000 steps)
2. run 4 miles once a week (1x/wk)
3. just joined a spin class - (2x/week)
4. ab exercises (2x/week) - i try to do 500 reps (i.e 5 different exercises x 3 sets of 33 different reps)
5. Bikram yoga (1x/week) or whenver i can
- a friend of mine suggested walking on an inclined (4) treadmill but walking speed (3) for 30 mins
Click to expand...

What do you hope to accomplish with the crazy volume dedicated to your abs?

Also, on the exercise front, have you ever considered strength training... why or why not?

GOALS
- 6-3 215 (college days)
- learn how to swim
- gain flexibility
- live a healthy life
- play basketball again
Click to expand...

Good goals.

just wanted to know
- HOW LONG this will take? (lol)
Click to expand...

As long as it takes.

- support groups?
Click to expand...

I'll privately message you as I don't want to post external links.

- are spin classes for men?
Click to expand...

They're not sex-dependent. Definitely more women gravitate toward them in my experience... but I've seen plenty of men do them.

- how often should i rest?
Click to expand...

As often as you need.

Sorry to be vague, but it's a vague question. I do some form of exercise every single day. But some of those days are low intensity and others are high. If someone were doing high intensity every single day, I'd say at least a single day of rest is called for. But so many factors influence the necessity of rest - training volume/intensity, age, calorie status, sleep quality, nutrition quality, genetics, etc.
 
good news = ive already lost 5lbs
bad news = im SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired. for no reason. i get enough sleep but i just feel weak. its 6:48pm and i feel blah. too tired to go and eat. i think i need more calories. lol

i've designated my Mondays and Thursdays for "HIIT and RUN". 20 mins of (FAST 60s then SLOW 60s) HIIT followed by a 2mile 10min pace jog. yesterday after the run i felt grade. today im dead tired
 
If you're attempting to run after performing a HIIT session, it's little wonder that you feel absolutely knackered the following day.

When performing HIIT, upon the assumption that you're hitting level 9/10 on the RPE scale during hard intervals, after 20-25 minutes of 60/60 splits, you should feel completely fatigued (even nauseous), without any inclination to run afterwards. If you feel neither, you're not performing HIIT at a high enough level.

As for feeling tired, it may purely be a state of transition, as the body adapts to utilising calories stored in fat, but it may also be a sign that the body isn't being provided with sufficient calories to support levels of endeavour in the hours afterwards.

If you're still consuming fewer than 2000Kcal, increase consumption to around 2300Kcal, while aiming to ensure that lean protein accounts for 40% of daily intake.
 
THANKS! yeah after HIIT on the treadmill, i felt tired - i was dripping with sweat. but i was still able to run another 2 miles outside (albeit at a slower pace - 10:30)
 
I would increase the cardio exercises such as running 3 times a week instead of one. At least a mile and you will see a difference. Your eating habits seem to be pretty good.
 
cwalker3200 said:
I would increase the cardio exercises such as running 3 times a week instead of one. At least a mile and you will see a difference. Your eating habits seem to be pretty good.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

I have to be careful though. I tore my calf muscle and it still bothers me from last yr. Right now I hv a black patch in my calf area. I'm assuming it's dried up blood on the inside. At least the pain is gone so I'll do spin tomorrow
 
You do have to be careful. Just remember that the workouts must change and go to the next level to break a plateau.
 
I'm happy to announce that I've lost 7lbs since May 1st. My goal is to lose 20-25lbs and i'm a third of the way there! so far i haven't done much but figure out which regimen i'm supposed to use. I've cut my calories, walk at least 80 mins daily (for work) and do some sort of workout 2-3 times a week. Now i just need to continue with the consistency - love the advice and support thanks!
 
If you're determined to try to reach your 25-pound loss in eight weeks, you'll likely be restricted to consuming between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day. These calories must come from nutrient-rich sources such as vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy products and unsaturated fats. You have little room for the empty calories found in sugar, or in saturated or trans fats, and in refined grains. Your day's worth of calories come from approximately 3 to 5 ounces of grains -- an ounce equals 1 slice of whole-wheat bread or 1/2 cup of whole-grain pasta; 2 cups of green, watery vegetables; 1 1/2 cups fresh fruit; 5 ounces of lean protein -- such as skinless chicken or flank steak; 3 cups of low-fat, unsweetened dairy; and 5 teaspoons of oil, which is found in nuts, seeds, avocados and fatty fish.

A sample meal plan might include one egg, a cup of skim milk and a slice of whole grain toast with an apple for breakfast; a salad made with 1 1/2 cups of vegetables with 2 ounces of chicken breast, a teaspoon of olive oil and a cup of plain yogurt, with 1/2 cup of berries at lunch; and for dinner, 2 ounces of baked white fish with, 1/2 cup cooked spinach, 1 cup of wild rice and 1/2 cup of broccoli. For snacks, have a cup of skim milk and a scant handful of nuts or cut-up vegetables.
 
no no...im not trying to lose 25lbs in eight weeks. a calorie count that low would leave me 2 weak. im already struggling with 2000 cals

but thanks!
 
just an update...

i think i've plateaued in terms of weight loss (after losing 7 lbs in the 1st month) however i look better, feel great and i fit into clothes that used to be tight on me

i'm starting to find a "groove" so i have a great feeling i can keep consistent

= Diet: low carb (semi-ketogenic diet) = keep it under 25g if i can. so that when i do exercise, it burns fat not carbs
= Intermittent Fasting: i dont even notice it anymore but twice a week i simply skip breakfast and lunch and just drink water all day. when its time for dinner i eat a normal meal s if it never happened. some days i dont even notice that i haven't eaten
= Exercise routine (walk 10k steps for work daily)
- Monday=resistance training circuit
- Tuesday=Spin class followed by 2 mile jog (fast day)
- Wed= chill
- Thursday= resistance training circuit
- Friday =Spin class followed by 2 mile jog (fast day)
- Weekend = relax ("netflix and chill" - burns calories. lol)

a couple of observations
- when i fasted on weightlifting days, i had terrible headaches (never again!)
- the ONLY time i feel pain is when i RUN. most likely because my body is misaligned from my calf tear. i try to listen to my body. instead of running, id play basketball instead
- i used to weigh myself each sunday but when i dont see progress it would piss me off! so i just stopped and focused on being consistent
 
Last edited:
just a few updates...

- i have no idea how much i weigh. ironically through out this journey i'm HAPPIER when im not so focused on my weight. I've simply worked on being consistent (with diet, fasting 2x/week, working out 4x/week) and as a result i LOOK better (according to my wife). More definition and i can fit into my clothes. so for now, i'm happy. maybe one day i'll check out my weight - hopefully its lower, i think its lower. but i dont care as much anymore
 
Hello Callmened. So I started losing weight 11months ago.And I can tell you most of the weight I lost(12kg) I lost in last few months. Because I was kinda changing my habbits. At first I was eating what I wanted and I was training a lot. It was working but so so slowly you could barely notice. After that I started eating only healthy meals and train. Than I was losing weight on good rate. But I wasn't really happy. its not easy to stay focused and eat foods you don't want. So than I came to this forum and I got some suggestions from people on this forum
I came to conclusion that you should eat healthy, but take cheat meal atleast once a week just to make you feel good and satisfied.I would suggest similar to training. Which means do exercises you like. For example I like to train on bars and do push ups. And I can not get bored. I play football too so it helps a lot. I cycle in free time and sometimes run. I hope this helped you and you understood what is important when you try to lose weight. You must be happy :D and mentally stable. Because losing weight is not simple as others say
 
just checking in. I joined this group on May 13th at 247lbs. now on Oct 3rd, i weigh 225lbs...that was my goal but now i want under 220

what did i do?
- low carb diet (especially in the last 4 weeks)
- intermittent fasting (simply skipping breakfast and lunch) 2x/week
- i tend skip breakfast with water. i actually "break my fast" around 1pm
- cardio = spin class (2x/week). i do that when when im fasting actually so that my body has nothing to burn but fat
- bikram yoga - for flexibility but also keeping the heart rate/metabolism going
- very important was WEIGHTLIFTING (as i was losing weight i became flabby, so i had to tighten it up)

MOST IMPORTANT - staying consistent and loving what you do for working out
 
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