Weight Loss Thread

Ambiturner

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So we bought our house 14 months ago. In that time I've lost 25-30 pounds (my high was 268 at that point and my lowest right now has been 233 and I was 237 this morning). We were living with family for about a year and a half and it was impossible to eat decent there. It was fucking awful being in a house where hamburger helper was considered a GOOD meal ugh. So that weight loss has mostly been from eating better (plenty of room for improvement still) and playing tennis over the summer and some racquetball in the fall until I had surgery.
Surgery was back in December and gained some weight back from that 1 month recovery time.
Some brief history for comparisons sake. I had a DVT/Pulmonary Embolism back in 2002 so I have some lung scarring and some reduced lung function and I would run out of breath just talking. Fast forward to 3 weeks ago I just started going to the gym. I went from a "deep" breath of a whole 5 seconds now up to 20-25 seconds. I've lost 2 pounds but more importantly I feel monumentally better.
I had a friend from work help me get a baseline bench press so I can see how I progress in the future and I managed to bench 135 pounds which isn't much but it's also more than I was expecting considering how sedentary my life has been the past few years from surgeries and chemo shit. Don't worry I'm no Tidbit I've already got all the beta's I'm interested in. :p
Anyway at the gym after I warm up on the elliptical, treadmill, and/or row machine I hit the weight machines and I go around in the circuit. I go Mon, Wed, and Fri and I have been doing 3 sets of 10 reps with the weight set to where the last couple reps I do for each set are a challenge. Is there a better approach that I can take? I'm not looking to bulk up or anything I just want to get into better shape and increased health quality. Warmer weather is finally coming and I've got a few friends that play tennis so I'll be playing as much of that as I can this summer. Pretty psyched to get playing again.
Bulking is more a matter of diet than anything so wouldn't worry about that, people rarely get bulky on accident. Now your basic 3x10 that you're doing really isn't terrible what you want, but a 5x5 program is definitely more efficient. It's also not too complicated and can usually be done in 30-45 min. It incorporates a lot of compound movements and things like Squads and Deadlifts will help significantly with your tennis game as well as practical applications in every day life.

And Fifey, I'm guessing people like you who are self motivated to do hours of cardio every day pretty much have their thing down and don't need a lot of advice. You're definitely not the norm, though
 

McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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I just ate steak-umms. As a kid they were awesome. As an adult they are vile. This whole week has been a "cheat" week for me thus far. Been eating like 2200 calories a day. I wish my goddamn shoulder would heal so I could get back to the gym. I hate cardio with a passion so I haven't been doing anything except eating right.
What's wrong with steak-ums? I have 56 of them (4 packs of 14) in my freezer right now, actually. I eat them several times a week with onions and melted cheese. Fucking delicious.

*Edit* I should mention that I'm too cheap to buy real steak-ums so I have the generic store brand.
 

Woefully Inept

Karazhan Raider
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Bulking is more a matter of diet than anything so wouldn't worry about that, people rarely get bulky on accident. Now your basic 3x10 that you're doing really isn't terrible what you want, but a 5x5 program is definitely more efficient. It's also not too complicated and can usually be done in 30-45 min. It incorporates a lot of compound movements and things like Squads and Deadlifts will help significantly with your tennis game as well as practical applications in every day life.

And Fifey, I'm guessing people like you who are self motivated to do hours of cardio every day pretty much have their thing down and don't need a lot of advice. You're definitely not the norm, though
So for a 5x5 I'd increase the weight a bit from what I'm doing now or continue with the same amount?
 

Ambiturner

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Use what you use now. The goal is to do more weight every workout so try and do small increments or you obviously couldn't keep that up long. It's called progressive loading and it seems like all programs nowadays have incorporated it in some way
 

Ossoi

Potato del Grande
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It's not just gym cardio though, it's riding a bike which is something I find to not be work.

I just feel like there needs to be an alternative to random people browsing this thread, the general consensus seems to be Paleo/keto -> Myfithnesspal -> SS 5x5. I've been trying to go to the gym to get some strength training in but find myself ditching the gym in exchange for being on the bike. Just trying to throw out some alternatives for people(Like me) who hate the gym.
The reason most people on this thread lift weights is because we don't want to end up looking like marathon runners. If all you want to do is "lose weight" and be fitter then that's fine but I've seen stick insects with more muscle
 

Gravel

Mr. Poopybutthole
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The reason most people on this thread lift weights is because we don't want to end up looking like marathon runners. If all you want to do is "lose weight" and be fitter then that's fine but I've seen stick insects with more muscle
To elaborate on this, it's also the same reason women should lift heavy weights as opposed to just cardio as well. When people say toned, what they really mean is muscle mass. Muscle gives the body a much more pleasant appearance by filling it out. It doesn't necessarily make you bulky (it takesyearsto get big, and it's never an accident). People who just do cardio eventually look anorexic. The cardio wastes away your muscle (and fat) so what you're left with is just sad looking.
 

Fifey

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I look pretty normal to be honest, I'll post a pic once I get home but the reason super heavy cardio people get the way they look is just from being an athlete and specializing in something. for the casual weight loss fan, some good heavy cardio is going to be the best way to lose weight(along with a realdiet/nutrition plan).


I'm just trying to give people (like me) who hate gyms a way to lose weight without some bullshit supplement routine that they are going to fail two weeks in.
 

McQueen

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I got to my lowest weight (185) three summers ago doing nothing but cycling and climbing at the local rock gym. Add some bulking, injuries, and two surgeries to that and I topped out at about 235 since then. I'm down around 220 since Christmas, and should be able to hit 200 by the time I'm recovered enough to start climbing again.
 

Antarius

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I look pretty normal to be honest, I'll post a pic once I get home but the reason super heavy cardio people get the way they look is just from being an athlete and specializing in something. for the casual weight loss fan, some good heavy cardio is going to be the best way to lose weight(along with a realdiet/nutrition plan).


I'm just trying to give people (like me) who hate gyms a way to lose weight without some bullshit supplement routine that they are going to fail two weeks in.
It's also a time constraint thing, I can do 20 minutes of weight lifting and be completely drained, muscle exhaustion. 20 minutes of cardio just doesn't do that unless I want to strap on a 50lb rucksack, and then I'd start worrying about joint problems.

And yes, it's nice having a bigger chest than my waist and arms that bulge out and can lift my girlfriend.
 

McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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I ate 3/4 of a 10x15 inch pan of lasagna last night. I did about 1/2, then took a nap and woke up and did another few pieces. Anyway, the pair of jeans I was comfortably wearing pre-lasagna won't fit this morning.
 

Ossoi

Potato del Grande
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I'm just trying to give people (like me) who hate gyms a way to lose weight without some bullshit supplement routine that they are going to fail two weeks in.
Clearly doing cardio is superior to doing no exercise but weights are clearly superior to doing cardio, and weights + cardio even better. The reason is not just cosmetic, muscle burns more energy than fat so someone who is 80kg and 12% body fat is going to burn more energy than someone who is 80kg and 20% body fat. As for bullshit supplement routines, lol? Hyperbole much
 

McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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If you go the cardio route I'd still recommend working in some sort of short body weight routine. Nothing fancy, but if you do nothing but running, for example, work in a 2 - 3 day a week short body weight routine at home with stuff like planks, pushups, etc. You won't get jacked doing that, but it will allow you to keep a bit of muscle so you'll have something under the fat when you burn it off through cardio.

*Edit* I had good results doing this when I was living overseas in a city. I was walking 10+ miles a day quite often and I noticed myself becoming quite "skinny fat." I started doing a 10 - 15 minute body weight routine 3 nights a week at home and after a few months there was a noticeable difference. At the time I couldn't afford to go to the gym, so it was nice to see results at home doing something so short, simple, and easy.
 

Fifey

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Clearly doing cardio is superior to doing no exercise but weights are clearly superior to doing cardio, and weights + cardio even better. The reason is not just cosmetic, muscle burns more energy than fat so someone who is 80kg and 12% body fat is going to burn more energy than someone who is 80kg and 20% body fat. As for bullshit supplement routines, lol? Hyperbole much
Obviously muscle is better than fat but this is the"weight loss thread" not the " get swoll thread" so I'm just stating what works for me. I'm not saying you need supplements, just that it seems like anytime someone I know tries a diet, they do some silly weight loss program that has all these "meal replacements" that are dumb and just a way to cash in.

Not all cyclists are scrawny, that's mostly just climbers who try to be like 130 lbs so they are faster up hills. Here's Chris hoy who won a lot of medals last Olympics.
rrr_img_63827.jpg
 

McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Jesus he must have an awful time buying comfortable jeans with those massive quads. I actually think he looks kind of ridiculous, though. His legs are huge and his upper body is scrawny as hell. He looks very disproportionate. I understand he most likely doesn't give a shit cause he's an athlete, but I can't imagine any normal person wanting to look like that.
 

McCheese

SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Well, 2nd guy looks a lot better because he clearly works his upper body. He's got decently sized shoulders, arms, and back so his ginormous legs don't look quite so silly.
 

Mageling

Bronze Knight of the Realm
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I got to my lowest weight (185) three summers ago doing nothing but cycling and climbing at the local rock gym. Add some bulking, injuries, and two surgeries to that and I topped out at about 235 since then. I'm down around 220 since Christmas, and should be able to hit 200 by the time I'm recovered enough to start climbing again.
I'm in a similar boat right now. I took a fall and blew up my shoulder, then had surgery last year in July. I managed to put on something stupid like 40lbs and I'm stuck in my mid 180s right now. Hopefully in the next 3-4 weeks I'll finally be back trying to get down to ~150 again.