Can someone recommend a custom regimen?

NewVegMan · Jun 22, 2006

Briefly here's my story... 
I'm 6'4" and 225 pounds. I don't think that's overweight and generally I think people consider me tall and thin(ish). But I have two fitness goals in life that I want to accomplish: 
- get down to 200 - 210 (sound good?) 
- get a flatter stomach 
My diet is in my opinion very healthy. Cook all my own meals. It's mostly mediterranean diet. No deep fried anything. Not much meat. Lots of grains/vegetables. Granted, I probably do put a little too much butter on my bread and drink too much beer from time to time. 
Two years ago I moved to the town I work in. I started walking everywhere every day - to work, to the store, etc. - and this included some steep hills. 
Then About a year or so ago I started running. When i started I could barely run for 3 or 4 minutes without running out of breath. Now I can run for 25 minutes and I want to keep going. The trouble is my legs - I get shin splints, even on a soft trail - so unfortunately I don't think I'm cut out to be a runner. 
Yet even with all this additional exercise I didn't notice any weight loss. 
So for the first time I'm considering joining a gym. My question is this: 
- If I want to lose weight and get a flatter stomach, what exercises should I do or what equipment should I learn to use? 
Thanks!

Fyvel · Jun 26, 2006

If you just want to lose fat, it's simple. Burn off more calories than you eat. Fat burning really starts after about 20 minutes of moderate intensity activity (you can still talk, but in short sentences). 
As for your diet, just watch for "extras", (that you're already aware of) like butter and beer. 
You need to burn off 3500kcal to lose a pound of fat. That's 500kcal a day to lose 1 pound a week. You can either eat less, or burn more, or a combination of both. 
I'm betting the beer, if it's a regular thing, is what is keeping you from losing weight. It's like people who drink pop on a regular basis: if they give it up (and do nothing else), they lose weight. You could try cutting the beer for a month and see what happens <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

"> 
Also keep in mind that the number on the scale might be deceiving: muscle weighs more than fat, so if you're building muscle and burning fat, you might actually gain weight. 
Good luck!

Yell · Jun 27, 2006

I highly recommend sparkpeople.com! 
It's an incredible web-site that helped me break my plateau! (I got down from 185 to 145 lbs and then got stuck...my goal is 135)

Fyvel · Jun 27, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by Yell <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
I highly recommend sparkpeople.com! 
It's an incredible web-site that helped me break my plateau! (I got down from 185 to 145 lbs and then got stuck...my goal is 135)</div>
</div>
 
It's an excellent website! My only gripe is they don't give an option for vegan meal plans. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/toilet.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":flush:"> (I think they're working on it though - which is a HUGE bonus!)

toadstool · Jun 28, 2006

Just some general thoughts, based on what you posted: 
- Watch the diet. Beer, butter... all those extra calories add up. It's ok to indulge every once in a while, but just keep it in moderation. 
- Add weights to your routine. Muscles will boost your resting metabolism, which means you'll burn more calories overall. 
- You can't spot reduce. Forget about just targeting your abs when it comes to losing flab. (Although some people say certain foods--beer and trans fat, for example--are more likely to be stored as belly fat. See this article about it: <a href="http://www.refrigeratorraid.com/2006/06/trim_your_tummy.html)" target="_blank">http://www.refrigeratorraid.com/2006...ur_tummy.html)</a>. To lose your gut, you need to lower your bodyfat overall. 
- With regards to your shin splints... do you have the proper running shoes? If you bought them at Foot Locker, get yourself to a decent running store that will analyze your gait and get you shoes that fit. 
- Add intervals to your runs. It burns more calories. Basically intervals are short bursts of high intensity, followed by short sessions of low/moderate intensity for recovery. You follow this pattern over and over again for your workout. 
- Eat 5-6 mini-meals instead of 3 big ones. This is a golden rule of fitness athletes and bodybuilders. The theory is that it keeps you from getting too hungry, plus it's like constantly adding fuel to your metabolism fire. It works for me. 
- As for equipment, like I said: Add strength training to your routine. Sign up for a session with a PT (or do a lot of serious research yourself) to make sure you are using proper form. Rather than focusing on specific machines, just make sure you hit your entire body. Don't make the typical man mistake of focusing just on your upper body because you want nice biceps. 
- You can do ab exercises to build up your ab muscles, and once you drop enough fat those muscles will show through in a nice 6-pack. But until you lose the fat, you won't see 'em. 
- Finally, don't forget to accept your body the way it is, too. Doesn't sound like you're overweight, and you're obviously in decent shape (better than most, probably). We aren't all gonna look like Wolverine, so be proud of everything you've already accomplished.

GhostUser · Jul 7, 2006

<div class="quote-container">Quote:
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by NewVegMan <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a> 
My diet is in my opinion very healthy. Cook all my own meals. It's mostly mediterranean diet. No deep fried anything. Not much meat. Lots of grains/vegetables. Granted, I probably do put a little too much butter on my bread and drink too much beer from time to time. </div>
</div>
 
Not much meat? Are you trying to make the transition to vegetarianism?

Can someone recommend a custom regimen?

NewVegMan

Registered

Fyvel

Registered

Yell

Registered

Fyvel

Registered

toadstool

Registered

GhostUser

Registered