Tips on losing weight

[riomaru]

Ok to start off I am about to go on a long ass journey to lose weight and I prepared to do anything. But I need a plan to go buy and right now I don't know where to start. I am a male 5'11 230 pounds... And its not muscle. I am about to join a gym in a week or so. but I want to get my diet down packed first. I checked my BMR which is 2285 and I signed up at myfitnesspals. And it said for me to consume about 1600 calories. And i started today doing all this.. And this is quite intimidating. but i dont care how long it takes.. But I do have a few questions... Is it true if you eat below your BMR you will lose weight? Someone on here told me to eat about 200-300 below it and I checked around the internet and they said if I do my body will go into "starvation mode" and then I wont lose any weight... Which is the complete opposite from my goal... I plan to lose 20 pounds within the next few months to see how it goes(or a pound or two a week).. But i need help on the foods to eat in the morning, afternoon, and dinner... I am watching what I eat.. and I plan to buy fruits,salads, and etc... But I need a good solid plan... Any suggestions you want to give a teen?

My main goal is to look good for next year before I graduate :-) all help is greatly appreciated!

[imrimr]

Ok to start off I am about to go on a long ass journey to lose weight and I prepared to do anything. But I need a plan to go buy and right now I don't know where to start. I am a male 5'11 230 pounds... And its not muscle. I am about to join a gym in a week or so. but I want to get my diet down packed first. I checked my BMR which is 2285 and I signed up at myfitnesspals. And it said for me to consume about 1600 calories. And i started today doing all this.. And this is quite intimidating. but i dont care how long it takes.. But I do have a few questions... Is it true if you eat below your BMR you will lose weight? Someone on here told me to eat about 200-300 below it and I checked around the internet and they said if I do my body will go into "starvation mode" and then I wont lose any weight... Which is the complete opposite from my goal... I plan to lose 20 pounds within the next few months to see how it goes(or a pound or two a week).. But i need help on the foods to eat in the morning, afternoon, and dinner... I am watching what I eat.. and I plan to buy fruits,salads, and etc... But I need a good solid plan... Any suggestions you want to give a teen?

My main goal is to look good for next year before I graduate :-) all help is greatly appreciated!

read stickies plox /endthread

[sharpieblet]

OP clearly has not read stickies and wants some special custom eating plan for him. . .

Read stickies. It's very simple. You eat at a deficit with high protein, however many/few meals you want a day as long as you're consistently eating at a deficit it doesn't matter. lift weights at least a few times a week. profit.

woo hoo for all the new resolutions but DAMN people should do a little reseearch

[riomaru]

I don't want a special plan for me. I just want to know what are people eating. And the stickies still doesn't answer my question about the BMR... Sorry If I upset you ya, just wanted to get my facts straight before I do this.

[rvshdw]

calories in vs calories out/lift heavy seems to be the general consensus around here. You might want to look into (IIFYM , KETO, IF )just to get some ideas....good luck brah.

[imrimr]

nutrition stickies. go there.

[riomaru]

Is it that recipe sticky? So pretty much eat right and do about 60 mins of cardio at they gym will go right... I swear this is so confusing and so much math involved. My main goal is to cut my fat.. if I cut my fat then I am go to go

So if i go to the gym what machines or activities do ya'll recommend? To cut my fat mainly or lose weight which ever one comes first..... And as for my diet i will eat lots of fruit and veggies.

[sharpieblet]

Is it that recipe sticky? So pretty much eat right and do about 60 mins of cardio at they gym will go right... I swear this is so confusing and so much math involved. My main goal is to cut my fat.. if I cut my fat then I am go to go

So if i go to the gym what machines or activities do ya'll recommend? To cut my fat mainly or lose weight which ever one comes first..... And as for my diet i will eat lots of fruit and veggies.

read all the stickies you can in nutrition forum and workout programs and exercise sections, that will help alot. you need to make weights your priority and cardio will help but you shouldn't be making cardio priority over weights/resistance training.

starting strength is what i'd recommend right now.

[BBqChicken1]

Losing weight= consuming less energy than you need



Simple.

[riomaru]

read all the stickies you can in nutrition forum and workout programs and exercise sections, that will help alot. you need to make weights your priority and cardio will help but you shouldn't be making cardio priority over weights/resistance training.

starting strength is what i'd recommend right now.

So starting strength will help cut fat?

[sharpieblet]

yes. you need to realize that exercise's primary focus is to preserve/build muscle, diet is what takes care of the majority of fat loss. it's a combination of things. no one thing is going to get you great results. combination of diet+consistent activity in the gym.

[riomaru]

I wanna say thank you for your help.....

So while i am at the gym focus on starting strength machines and add a little bit of cardio in there... I plan on going about 3-4 times a week for an hour...Is that good enough or slow down as I am new?

[sharpieblet]

no you're thinking of 'hammerstrength' machines, i'm saying do the starting strength PROGRAM (use search function, there's a sticky with it). the majority of your weight lifting should be done with a barbell, NOT machines...machines aren't bad but if you're new to lifting the BEST route is to just hit the barbells and focus on:

bench press, deadlifts, squats, barbell curls, pull ups, chin ups, dips

just read through the workout program section stickies, you'll get the idea.

3-4 times a week for an hour will do just fine, make sure you're busting ass for that one hour though, as intense/heavy as you can go. you will grow. since you're new, your recovery time is optimal, this means you should be hitting each major muscle group 3x a week. after some months you can lower to 2x a week, but 3x a week should last a while. squats/deads/bench press every time you lift. try to lift for 30 min to an hour, throw in a little cardio after that if you wish. good things will happen.

[riomaru]

no you're thinking of 'hammerstrength' machines, i'm saying do the starting strength PROGRAM (use search function, there's a sticky with it). the majority of your weight lifting should be done with a barbell, NOT machines...machines aren't bad but if you're new to lifting the BEST route is to just hit the barbells and focus on:

bench press, deadlifts, squats, barbell curls, pull ups, chin ups, dips

just read through the workout program section stickies, you'll get the idea.

3-4 times a week for an hour will do just fine, make sure you're busting ass for that one hour though, as intense/heavy as you can go. you will grow. since you're new, your recovery time is optimal, this means you should be hitting each major muscle group 3x a week. after some months you can lower to 2x a week, but 3x a week should last a while. squats/deads/bench press every time you lift. try to lift for 30 min to an hour, throw in a little cardio after that if you wish. good things will happen.

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
5x3 Power cleans

Is this the plan you are talking about? If so are you saying combined with a good diet and doing this about 3 times a week for about an hour + cardio. i would cut fat and see weight loss.. That being said is because I have big friends who say they "work out" And well they are still big :P And its kinda of intimidating..

As for the weight how much weight should I benchpress,squat, etc.... Its been a looooong time... should I experiment and see what is my limit?

[sharpieblet]

there's a difference btw casual 'working out' and being on a dedicated path towards either gaining mass or cutting fat (much easier to just do one or the other and not spin wheels trying to do both at one time)

experiment and see what your limits are. for now, you'll go far staying in the 8-12 rep range, that means on each set (except maybe one or two warm up sets to gauge what weight you should use) you should struggle to get the last one or two reps. don't try to train to failure intentionally...this is something a lot of novice people do intentionally b/c pro bodybuilders use the method alot, but it's common misconception that you need to train to failure. just hit the 8-12 rep range and lift as heavy as you can that will have you struggling on the last couple reps.

and lastly, don't let your friends who workout be the ones who you take advice from...usually the worst advice you can get is from people in the gym b/c everyone thinks they know the best way. you will get where you wanna be with time under iron and dedication to a consistent diet.

edit: yes that's the plan i was talking about. use that as a basis for your workout and when your body gets used to it (maybe 1-2 weeks to adjust?) feel free to add in a couple other compound movements to target other areas (dips/pull ups/etc).

[riomaru]

Well I am on a dedicated path to cut fat, so do you still suggest that plan to cut fat? Mass will come in later on. Right now my current goal is to cut fat.

[sharpieblet]

yes i still recommend that path. the only thing that should really change when you decide to bulk as opposed to cutting, is how many cals you eat. volume of workout may increase some since you'll have more overall energy, but really it's all about the diet.

[riomaru]

So when cutting don't eat as much and stay on my diet and when bulking eat enough so I have energy? Right now I am trying to stay under my BMR but eat alot of fruits and veggies to have energy but still stay under it.

[t0minit]

Ok to start off I am about to go on a long ass journey to lose weight and I prepared to do anything. But I need a plan to go buy and right now I don't know where to start. I am a male 5'11 230 pounds... And its not muscle. I am about to join a gym in a week or so. but I want to get my diet down packed first. I checked my BMR which is 2285 and I signed up at myfitnesspals. And it said for me to consume about 1600 calories. And i started today doing all this.. And this is quite intimidating. but i dont care how long it takes.. But I do have a few questions... Is it true if you eat below your BMR you will lose weight? Someone on here told me to eat about 200-300 below it and I checked around the internet and they said if I do my body will go into "starvation mode" and then I wont lose any weight... Which is the complete opposite from my goal... I plan to lose 20 pounds within the next few months to see how it goes(or a pound or two a week).. But i need help on the foods to eat in the morning, afternoon, and dinner... I am watching what I eat.. and I plan to buy fruits,salads, and etc... But I need a good solid plan... Any suggestions you want to give a teen?

My main goal is to look good for next year before I graduate :-) all help is greatly appreciated!

* Stay active
* Re asses your diet and calories monthly if your losing a lot of weight.
* Don't walk to the shop closet to home, walk past it to the next.
* Tidy your house for an hour everyday.
* Get an active hobby. (Tennis, squash, golf, ice skating)
* Lift 3-4x per week (heavy) Weights > Cardio
* Count ALL your calories, amazing how much people miss out - milk in coffee is one and i will easily use a pint everyday just for coff.
* If you drink then switching from Beer to Vodka and a mixer can save you the equivalent of 1 hours running in calories per week.
* Anything you have barred yourself from eating but is still in the house, move out of site.
* Track your progress - Personal bests, weight lost and even iphone apps to track your runs are all great for motivation.
* Try to find a gym bud - you will keep each other motivated.
* Be patient and dedicated.

Thats about it, good luck.

[chaz1072]

Ok to start off I am about to go on a long ass journey to lose weight and I prepared to do anything. But I need a plan to go buy and right now I don't know where to start. I am a male 5'11 230 pounds... And its not muscle. I am about to join a gym in a week or so. but I want to get my diet down packed first. I checked my BMR which is 2285 and I signed up at myfitnesspals. And it said for me to consume about 1600 calories. And i started today doing all this.. And this is quite intimidating. but i dont care how long it takes.. But I do have a few questions... Is it true if you eat below your BMR you will lose weight? Someone on here told me to eat about 200-300 below it and I checked around the internet and they said if I do my body will go into "starvation mode" and then I wont lose any weight... Which is the complete opposite from my goal... I plan to lose 20 pounds within the next few months to see how it goes(or a pound or two a week).. But i need help on the foods to eat in the morning, afternoon, and dinner... I am watching what I eat.. and I plan to buy fruits,salads, and etc... But I need a good solid plan... Any suggestions you want to give a teen?

My main goal is to look good for next year before I graduate :-) all help is greatly appreciated!

Hey buddy.. Looks like we are on the same boat here! Im 6'1 @ 225 and started after an year yesterday!
The best way to cut is cardio and more cardio.. If you're spending time at the gym, make sure you spend 2/3rds of it on the cardio machines until you sweat yourself out of it! Doing the weights after it to increase your metabolism post workout and helps a great deal!|
Did the same thing I mentioned above for some time last year.. Got down from 220 to 195 in about 45-50 days and then I quit again until yesterday...
Good luck and hope to see you on the otherside!
PS: If you are looking for a pre post workout drink.. try Scivation Xtend.. tastes good and is very energizing for weight training!

[t0minit]

Hey buddy.. Looks like we are on the same boat here! Im 6'1 @ 225 and started after an year yesterday!
The best way to cut is cardio and more cardio.. If you're spending time at the gym, make sure you spend 2/3rds of it on the cardio machines until you sweat yourself out of it! Doing the weights after it to increase your metabolism post workout and helps a great deal!|
Did the same thing I mentioned above for some time last year.. Got down from 220 to 195 in about 45-50 days and then I quit again until yesterday...
Good luck and hope to see you on the otherside!
PS: If you are looking for a pre post workout drink.. try Scivation Xtend.. tastes good and is very energizing for weight training!

Wrong!

Weights are more important than Cardio when cutting.

If your in a deficit through diet then there is really no need for any cardio.

Calories in Vs Out.

You do Cardio before weights? I would swap that around, your more likely to use your fat stores after weights when glycogen is low, best keeping that energy for lifting too.

[riomaru]

* Stay active
* Re asses your diet and calories monthly if your losing a lot of weight.
* Don't walk to the shop closet to home, walk past it to the next.
* Tidy your house for an hour everyday.
* Get an active hobby. (Tennis, squash, golf, ice skating)
* Lift 3-4x per week (heavy) Weights > Cardio
* Count ALL your calories, amazing how much people miss out - milk in coffee is one and i will easily use a pint everyday just for coff.
* If you drink then switching from Beer to Vodka and a mixer can save you the equivalent of 1 hours running in calories per week.
* Anything you have barred yourself from eating but is still in the house, move out of site.
* Track your progress - Personal bests, weight lost and even iphone apps to track your runs are all great for motivation.
* Try to find a gym bud - you will keep each other motivated.
* Be patient and dedicated.

Thats about it, good luck.

Thanks for the tips I greatly appreciate it... I am already counting my calories so thats a good headstart for me.. As for the tracking I am tracking on a android app... But as for lifting I plan on doing squats,benchpress and idk if my gym alows dead lifts or powercleans I will have to check that out...... If you have anymore activities that has to do with weight lifting please let me know!!!!

[sharpieblet]

most will allow deads as long as you can put some sort of pad under the plates. if not, you'll still be able to develop a great back with pull ups and lat pull downs and BB rows.

[riomaru]

Ok...... ummmmmm..... I am a fluffy guy so I can't do any pull ups... Yet! but for now the lat pull downs and the bb rows are gonna be my best friend.. So I have my back covered

So i think I have my gym work out plan

Squats w/ weights

bench pressing

Someone told me about planks today....

lat pull dows

bb rows

and after all that a little bit of cardio workout and eating my diet.... So what do ya think?

[Da_Jtac_0]

eat less and/or move more

[riomaru]

eat less and/or move more

Plain and simple but right to the point