T Nation

Help with Weight Loss, Please?

Beginners
#1

C’mon guys, Can I even get a “you’re on the right track” or something? Anything?

Age: 20
Height: 6’2 “large frame”
Weight 320lbs.
I’ve fluctuated between 280lbs and 320lbs in the last year and a half or so.
I was sitting around 300lbs but during the last year I’ve had some bad foot problems due to working on my feet. I was reduced to sitting in bed for days at a time. It has finally gotten better (I started working feb 18th of 2010). The last bit of pain was subsided by exercising =). I feel so much better after getting over this.

I’ve been around a while but still feel like I could use a lot of help.
I have my college gym available to me. Not the greatest but there are free weights and I they do allow you to move benches etc around to make room for Dead lifting. There is no squat rack.
They have all the universal equipment, pull down, row etc. Plenty of Cardio equipment.

I’ve been considering doing the http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/10_x_3_for_fat_loss
though I’m concerned that I don’t have access to a squat rack. opinions? advice? My other issue is since I was little I’ve always had under developed core muscles. I had physical therapy for this when I was little. So I think I should add core exercises into any workout regime.

As far as Diet, im not going to worry about it for now. Just kidding! I’ve only been drinking water and as much as I can. I try to focus on eating large amounts of protein and veggies. I think I need to work out a plan to keep this in check though. I find myself eating only two times a day when I should be eating much more. I believe my Bmr is around 3,600 calories.
So what should my diet breakdown be like? Should I bother with post workout shakes etc? I’m also wondering about muscle soreness. My first couple of days working out have left me extremely sore. My arms/back hurt 3 days later.

Any advice is really appreciated.

My main Goals are to Lose weight, retain muscle. I know

#2

The soreness should go away as your body gets used to training.
While a squat rack is preferred, you can still get a great workout without doing squats.

Take a look at the 2 articles I’ve linked below.

#3

Pic?

I have experience with lots of weight loss, but not on this level. You might want to go to a doctor and get a checkup to establish a baseline.

First, I would suggest low-impact cardio every day–30 minutes of walking or so starting out. Do that for a few months while also lifting–get your bones and joints used to moving. Also, your bones will begin to remodel gradually, which will eventually allow you to jog a bit and such.

It’s going to be a long road if done correctly. Someone in your position is one of the few times that I don’t think hiring a personal trainer is the equivalent of ritualistically setting money on fire.

#4

The biggest thing, though, is know that it’s a long road but that it’s worth it in the end. Six years ago, I couldn’t run a mile. Two years ago, I ran a pretty decent time for a marathon. Things can be achieved if the person sets his or her mind to it and really commits. The reason folks like Prof X and such are so cynical on these boards is that most people get frustrated and quit. Don’t be that person. It takes perseverance and dedication, but it’s worth it in the end.

Good luck.

PS: WTF with no squat rack?

#5

[quote]Archeryguy wrote:

though I’m concerned that I don’t have access to a squat rack. opinions? advice? My other issue is since I was little I’ve always had under developed core muscles. I had physical therapy for this when I was little. So I think I should add core exercises into any workout regime.
I find myself eating only two times a day when I should be eating much more. I believe my Bmr is around 3,600 calories.
So what should my diet breakdown be like? Should I bother with post workout shakes etc? I’m also wondering about muscle soreness. My first couple of days working out have left me extremely sore. My arms/back hurt 3 days later.

Any advice is really appreciated.

My main Goals are to Lose weight, retain muscle. I know [/quote]

No squat rack? Leg press then or something. It’s not the same obviously, but still.

Underdeveloped core? Deadlifts, planks(alignments), and wheel rollouts will help.

Diet breakdown? I’d prolly start at ~2800. Keep up with the fruits and veggies and water. Use a site like fitday.com. Make yourself eat even if your body is saying eat two times a day. Get in ALL of those macros and Calories.

Soreness? Of course you’ll have crazy DOMS the first few times you lift as you haven’t lifted in forever. I promise you’ll be less sore if you continue.

#6

[quote]Archeryguy wrote:
I’ve been considering doing the http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/10_x_3_for_fat_loss
though I’m concerned that I don’t have access to a squat rack. opinions? advice?[/quote]
10x3 for Fat Loss might be a little intense if you’re not used to consistent training. Plus, you’d want to find an alternative for all that jump rope if you’ve been having foot issues. I’d get with something more basic, along the lines of the “Sample Conditioning Workout” in this article, 3 or 4 days per week.
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_worlds_simplest_training_template
That would be a great intro/reintroduction to hard training while covering all bases with an emphasis on fat burning/“conditioning”.

What exactly does an “underdeveloped core” mean? Do you have chronically weak postural muscles? Are your abs/low back atrophied and smaller than they should be for someone your size? It’s hard to work around or correct an issue if it’s not clear what we’re dealing with.

That said, if you need direct core work, there are plenty of core training plans on the site that can be incorporated into most programs. The most recent was just a week or two ago:

Is that on purpose (as in, you tell yourself not to eat much/often) or just incidental (like you’re just not hungry or used to eating more often)?

Follow this step-by-step outline to get your diet in order, without stressing over too many things right off the bat.

Definitely. It’ll be a key part in helping you to retain/build lean muscle. Something like Surge Recovery is a basic post-workout shake. Don’t freak that it’s relatively-higher in carbs. It’s supposed to be, and it’s been used by tons of people during successful fat loss programs.
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459244

As was said, that’s normal, especially when you begin a new weight training routine. Soon enough your body will adapt, but a post-workout shake will definitely help you start recovering sooner.

#7

Thanks for the replies guys. I’ve been going to the gym nearly everyday. I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve been off and on for the last few years going to the gym but based on my schedule I have no excuse to not go to the gym. 5 days a week I have at least an hour and a half free where im stuck at the college. Unfortunately I have a particularly hard test tomorrow so I didn’t have time. I’ve hit the gym every day this week and last week. I’ve been lifting and then going an hour of cardio. On days I don’t lift I do an hour of cardio before eating. I just put on my ipod and zone out listening to an audio book.

I’ve been fumbling with a diet because of ingrained bad habits. When I go to grab something to eat I’ll think oh ill get this…and then realize its total shit and I shouldn’t eat it. The easiest thing so far has been switching over from almost purely drinking soda to drinking almost purely water. Except for maybe one drink per day I drink nothing other than water. Today for example I drank a large coffee (light on the sugar and cream) and then nothing but water for the rest of the day.

My feet are still a problem but much less than a few months ago which could leave me not standing for days. I worked for 7:30 hours today and didn’t sit down and my feet are fine atm. I know im definitely weaker than I was last year (awesome I know) but ill work hard to get beyond that. My feet don’t cause me problems when I’m using an elliptical or bike but my ankles burn (they don’t actually “hurt”) when im walking on a tread mill. I’ve had this problem since before my foot problems and no one knows what the problem is. They don’t burn walking around even long distances (walked 3.5 miles with no problems).

I don’t understand why my core muscles are weak. When I do push ups, even when I did them regularly and hit 25+ my abdominal muscles would ache.

#8

For fat loss you’re going to need to get your diet in check. START A FOOD LOG!

You said your maintenance kcals were 3,600? start with a moderate caloric deficit like 500-600 kcals. Start out with a diet that is roughly 3,000 kcals.

Next figure out your protein intake. Find out what your BF% is and then get your Lean Body Mass (LBM). Say your LBM is 250 then start with 1 gram of protein per lb of LBM. That would give you 250g of Pro which is 1,000 cals.

Next thing you’ll want to do is divide the rest of your cals into cabs and fat. get online and crunch some numbers. This will give you a starting point. You’ll want to adjust according to how your body is responding to the diet and weight loss.

Take it easy at first when it comes to lifting. Start it out a little light and as your body gets used to lifting you can up the intensity. As for cardio i am a big fan of incline treadmill walking. Crank it up to a 12 incline and walk at a speed of 3.5 or so. Do that for 15 minutes or so and I’ll guarantee that you’re huffing, puffing and sweating your ass off!

Good luck and stick with this. Read a lot on this site cause there is a ton of good info here.

EDIT: Just read through Chris’s post… basically says what I said lol. Those are good links he posted. Coulda saved myself some time by reading those. I wouldnt have had to type this all out. haha