Maximizing Weight Loss

[Slash McCoy]

Great information from Slash in this thread! I want to emphasize the importance of rest. Especially for somebody who is working out 4-7 times a week, pushing the limits of their physical capabilities, and incorporating lifts like squats and deadlifts. I mean - I'm usually wiped out after 2-3 sets of deadlifts. You may need more rest during the day, or some extra sleep at night - whatever works for you. Point is - not getting adequate rest will soon bring that workout regimen down to a crashing halt.

Indeed. I should have stressed rest more than I did. And I barely touched on overtraining. I'll let someone else pick up on that, except to say that LESS is MORE, to a degree. Most beginners do about 3 times the number of total sets they need for a particular session, which is enough to possibly retard progress.

Two kinds of rest: SLEEP and RECOVERY TIME. You should ideally get a minimum of 7 hours of actual sleep a night. This will help to reduce stress (and cortisol and therefore catabolysis and fat retention) and give your body a chance to rebuild. Sleep time is growth time! Yes, it is hard to find time to sleep that much, in the high paced lifestyle that so many of us live, but it really and truly will make a difference.

Recovery means not training the same bodypart again for several days. A three part split works beautifully for almost anyone at almost any level of physical development. A popular split is push/pull/legs. One day is "push" day, where you are hitting pecs, delts, triceps, etc. with pushing movements like dumbbell bench press, military press or arnold presses, dips, stuff like that. "Pull" day is all about traps, lats, rhomboids, teres, biceps, brachialis, etc and as the name implies, it involves pulling movements like dumbbell rows, chinups, etc. Legs day actually is lower body day and that is when you would do deadlifts, squats, hyperextensions, maybe some ham curls, good mornings, crunches, etc. If you train every other day this works pretty good. I simply can't think of a split that would work better for the beginner or intermediate lifter. If you really wanted to, you could maybe crowd the three training sessions into 5 days or even 4 but 6 or 7 will probably work better. On days in between, you can do some cardio or take a long walk or bike ride or swim or do some sport type activities like maybe a little basketball or something fun and challenging.

Anybody want to weigh in on the importance of a "cheat day"? I'm gonna chicken out and duck that controversy.

 

[DemonGeminiX]

You know, jumping rope is a great way to burn calories.

 

[DemonGeminiX]

Thats great. You know there's so much product at the local GNC that I wouldn't know where to start, and the sales reps always seem to be pushing certain products, not necessarily what would best fit my needs...

but just to be clear....I'm not looking for "steroids"....
I was thinking of product from a place like GNC, I heard whey protein powder could help me out...

Caffeine? that might mess with my sleep time...since I workout in the evening...but I'll try it on the weekends.

Ok, I'm going to say this: Stay away from all that crap. If you want a good supplement, talk to your doctor about Vitamin C and Fish Oil. I take a single 500 mg Vitamin C tablet post workout to help my muscles recuperate faster and I take 2 1200 mg gel caps of Fish oil (one at breakfast and one at dinner) because it supposedly tells your body to stop storing fat, allowing you to burn what you already have. Everybody already knows about the health benefits of Omega 3s. Use them. Get your proteins for muscle building from lean meats and beans and make sure to eat well and balanced overall. Eat your veggies. Stay away from empty calories (junk food and soft drinks). If you want to be serious and not give it up entirely, allow yourself to cheat once a month. You can restrict your caloric intake by about 500 calories, but don't go beyond that until you know how it's going to effect you. Again, consult your doctor and be honest about everything you're doing.

As for what you've already done, building muscle is great, but it's only half the battle. You have to use that muscle in cardiovascular exercise to maximize your body's ability to burn calories. The best way to do that? Incorporate exercises that use your legs. The muscles in your legs are the largest in your body and are naturally the best at burning calories the most efficiently. So do cardio, run, bike, or whatever leg-centric exercises that raises your heart rate (safely) and makes you sweat. 3 - 5 days a week and be patient. You're not gonna lose everything overnight. It takes time.

 

[klassic1]

thanks all for your advice...we all have customized routines and beliefs...and for the most part they all seem to work when taylored to the individual...some general guidelines that I picked up are:
1. don't over excercise
2. get enough sleep time to recoop
3. recoop also by allowing a day off and/or workout different muscle groups on different days
4. eat healthy....stay away from processed foods, sodas, junk...
5. Incorporate strength and conditioning and cardio
6. if I'm going to use suppliments then utilize multi-vitamins, b-complex, vitamin-c, fish oil for the omega fatty acids
7...we can't seem to agree on protein powder, though I'm leaning on giving it a go.
8. And stay away from suppliments like thermogenic pills and the such...

 

[DemonGeminiX]

See, I used to use those protein powders back in the early 90s when I was a football player/wrestler/body builder in high school and I never noticed any difference between using it and not using it. To me, all they did was give me extra calories I needed to burn off. I would say don't bother because your body will take what it needs from the protein sources in your meals.

Anyway, put this down in your list of tips: Don't eat right before you go to bed. It'll be harder for you to go to sleep and your body will store those calories as fat. Give yourself a good several hours after eating and before bedtime.

 

[Aku Aku]

A lot of good info posted. A cup of black coffee before your workout will go far. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. H2O is your best friend. Whatever you do, don't drink your calories.

 

[Doc4]

The best advice I picked up for revving up the metabolism and burnign fat was connected to diet, but it's not as simple as "don't eat so much".

First, you change *what* you eat (mainly by kicking carbs to the curb, and avoiding overly-processed foods.) You move to more fresh fruits & vegetables, and lean meats. Don't forget the dairy!

Then, you change *how* you eat. Start each day with a good breakfast which includes protein. Eat about every three hours, either a small meal or light snack. This "keeps the fires burning" and the metabolism going.

 

[commanderkeen]

If you start thinking about what our nomad ancestors ate, it's pretty spot on. Meat/fish, could be a pretty high percentage of the diet. That combined with picked berries, fruit, vegetables, even some cereals (stick with some of the older varieties that haven't been 'engineered' such as spelt, millet and quinoa). Don't have to be region specific on this one, just think about what was available and in what proportions. I think someone has come up with a diet called the 'Paleo Diet' that goes along these lines. The bottom line is to stay away from processed foods, the nearer it is to it's picked condition the better.

http://paleodiet.com/definition.htm

 

[Aku Aku]

The best advice I picked up for revving up the metabolism and burnign fat was connected to diet, but it's not as simple as "don't eat so much".

First, you change *what* you eat (mainly by kicking carbs to the curb, and avoiding overly-processed foods.) You move to more fresh fruits & vegetables, and lean meats. Don't forget the dairy!

Then, you change *how* you eat. Start each day with a good breakfast which includes protein. Eat about every three hours, either a small meal or light snack. This "keeps the fires burning" and the metabolism going.

No doubt that processed foods are the worst for you and offer the least nutrition. I often read that you should shop the outside aisles of the supermarket and avoid the interior where the processed items abound.

As for breakfast, it really is the most important meal of the day. For those early morning work-out people. If you really want to burn fat in the am try some black coffee in the morning and work out before eating breakfast. It is my understanding that you will dip into the fatty acid reserves and really burn the fat off. Don't forget breakfast after that.

 

[mkornecki]

There is no evidence to suggest that caloric intake before "bedtime" results in more fat accumulation than caloric intake at any other time.

 

[mkornecki]

...
7...we can't seem to agree on protein powder, though I'm leaning on giving it a go.
...

Replace one of your 5-6 daily meals with a protein shake. It'll be ~ 100 calories, plus whatever is in liquid you mix it in (non-fat milk is a good suggestion)

Throw it in after your workout.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Replace one of your 5-6 daily meals with a protein shake. It'll be ~ 100 calories, plus whatever is in liquid you mix it in (non-fat milk is a good suggestion)

Throw it in after your workout.

Indeed. This is one time where whey protein truly shines. Even a little sugar is possibly a good thing, immediately post-workout. The insulin spike will speed nutrient uptake just when freshly trashed muscle is crying out to be fed so it can begin to recover. Look at it this way... a two-scoop shake with milk (skim is best post-workout... any fat will tend to slow digestion) has about 50 grams of protein. For a lean body mass of 200lb that is about 1/4 of your 1gm/lb protein recommendation for muscle growth. A steak might have less than 20 grams of protein. Shakes can be a valuable tool for increasing protein intake. They should NOT replace whole foods, though. Substituting a shake for breakfast is pretty common and it is tempting to just reach for the shaker instead of cooking a proper breakfast, but don't do it. A shake's place is BETWEEN meals, to improve protein uptake and level out those insulin levels.

On the subject of breakfast, most Americans eat pretty crappy breakfasts. Now, there is nothing wrong with eggs. They are NOT just little white pellets of death, unless they drive up your cholesterol levels. That is an individual thing... most of your serum cholesterol comes from your own liver... dietary cholesterol is digested and broken down into it's component fatty acid parts. but all the fried, salty, greasy pork bits and parts and scraps is really overdone. There is no reason not to have chicken or fish or shrimp or leftover meatloaf or whatever for breakfast. Get out of the "but this is breakfast food so I got to eat that for breakfast" thing. Ditto all the cereals. Sure, oatmeal has been shown to lower cholesterol. But we are talking about a fist-sized serving, not a one gallon bowl, glopped down with sugar and stuff. The starches, sugars, fat and salt in the typical American breakfast verges on toxic levels. Even a nice chef salad with plenty of diced turkey breast or chicken would not be out of place. Think about it. Breakfast doesn't have to "look like" breakfast. It's just another meal, albeit an important one since it is the first one of the day after not eating for 8-10 hours.

 

[Aku Aku]

Not sure about meatloaf for breakfast. Steak and eggs perhaps?

If you eat a bowl of plain oat bran or steel cut oatmeal for breakfast you are doing good. Also, you could add a banana, raisins or natural honey for flavor and still be doing fine.

 

[jones2289]

I've been trying to lose weight and just eat healthier overall. A typical breakfast for me is a couple of egg whites fried with the nonstick cooking spray, not oil, and a whole wheat english muffin. If I want a little extra I'll heat up a few thin slices of deli ham and throw that on top. I also recommend adding hot sauce, as plain egg whites are pretty bland. Between the muffin and the extra ham, there is a fair amount of sodium, so just make sure to be aware of that when planning the rest of your meals.

Also, you may want to look into circuit training. Essentially, it's high reps, low weight, one exercise after another. I'm not in good enough shape to start doing this yet, so I've been throwing in a set of crunches or other ab exercises between sets. It keeps your heart rate up, but doesn't add additional fatigue to whatever muscle group you're working.

I've also had pretty good success with riding the recumbent bike. It's much more comfortable to me, and if I keep up a good pace I burn about 800 calories in 40 minutes. This will vary based on your heart rate and weight, but that's what mine has been at a pretty rigorous pace with decent resistance.

 

[igloo]

Only buy food from the outside aisles in the super market . When you order fast food , dump out the food and eat the bag it is better for you .

 

[Aku Aku]

I've been trying to lose weight and just eat healthier overall. A typical breakfast for me is a couple of egg whites fried with the nonstick cooking spray, not oil, and a whole wheat english muffin. If I want a little extra I'll heat up a few thin slices of deli ham and throw that on top. I also recommend adding hot sauce, as plain egg whites are pretty bland. Between the muffin and the extra ham, there is a fair amount of sodium, so just make sure to be aware of that when planning the rest of your meals.

Also, you may want to look into circuit training. Essentially, it's high reps, low weight, one exercise after another. I'm not in good enough shape to start doing this yet, so I've been throwing in a set of crunches or other ab exercises between sets. It keeps your heart rate up, but doesn't add additional fatigue to whatever muscle group you're working.

I've also had pretty good success with riding the recumbent bike. It's much more comfortable to me, and if I keep up a good pace I burn about 800 calories in 40 minutes. This will vary based on your heart rate and weight, but that's what mine has been at a pretty rigorous pace with decent resistance.

Love the hot sauce myself. Frank's Redhot is my personal favorite. On another note, you will get far greater protein assimilation with a 3 egg-whites to 1 yolk ratio than egg-whites alone. As for the sodium uptake, H2O is your friend. Drink as much water as possible and sodium will not be a problem. 64 ounces of water every day is a nice target.

 

[Pebcak]

On another note, you will get far greater protein assimilation with a 3 egg-whites to 1 yoke ratio than egg-whites alone.

Why are they throwing the best part of the egg out and only eating the whites? ewww

 

[Go West Young Man]

Why are they throwing the best part of the egg out and only eating the whites? ewww

The fat and cholesterol is all in the yolk, while the protein is all in the white.

 

[Pebcak]

The fat and cholesterol is all in the yolk, while the protein is all in the white.

Fat=good.

Eating fat does not increase your body's fat and eating cholesterol doesn't increase your body's cholesterol. I wonder if I can remember these numbers correctly.

The yolk has:
43% of the protein
99% of the fat is in the yolk (yes, you need to eat fat)
90% of the calcium!
94% of the iron
95% of the folate
70% of manganese
100% of the zinc
90%+ of the B5, B6, B12
100% of Vitamins A, D, E, and K
100% of DHA and AA

 

[rvmx]

Not sure about meatloaf for breakfast. Steak and eggs perhaps?

If you eat a bowl of plain oat bran or steel cut oatmeal for breakfast you are doing good. Also, you could add a banana, raisins or natural honey for flavor and still be doing fine.

With all due respect but, What is the problem with meatloaf for breakfast?

I mean, it has 80% protein, 15% carbs, and 5% fat...basically lots of lean beef, a handful of diced potato and veggies, and a spoon of oil.