i need something simple.

[Trent]

alright guys, i need a little advice. I don't get much time to get out and exercise, at least for the past 2 years, and despite my ridiculously high metabolism, i'm starting to put on a little weight. I basically eat fast food 7 out of 8 meals, and i never do anything athletic anymore. I am willing to run, but understand that I am really busy with med school and all, and i have to take my boards this coming summer so i'll be super busy. All i really want is to just lose around 10 pounds, do you think this would do it for me?

run 1.7 miles (its how long the trail is in the park nearby) 3X a week.
eat fast food 1 out of every 2 meals instead of every meal.
do situps everyother night, around 300 or until this gets too easy.

what do you think? any suggestions? thanks guys.

 

[DarklyCharming]

Hey Trent.

Fitness is tricky and changing habits, especially for a student is hard. I'm ending a masters program and starting a doctorate program and I know fast food is essential to actually eating rather than skipping a meal.

Honestly, just try to get in exercise whenever you can. Commit to a casual jog every night before a shower and bed. People can tell you exactly how to lose ten pounds fast but that never works when you're already busy with school and work.

Just try the casual jog. If your calories stay the same and you are burning 300-400 calories a night, your weight will start to drop.

Good luck man.

 

[The Gardener]

My suggestions:

1) Get rid of the fast food. If you have to eat on the run, can't you pack a sandwich instead? It's much healthier and probably a lot cheaper too. OR, make better fast food choices. Instead of burgers, get Subway or a Jamba Juice for lunch instead.

2) Now, I don't eat fast food often, but when I do I ONLY buy a burger. I stopped eating fried carbs and soda. That's right, no french fries.. the only exception I make to this rule being the fries that come with the room service in Vegas between the hours of 3am and 7am, which everybody knows MUST be eaten with a mixture of ketchup and ranch dressing to be fully enjoyed, and washed down with that last Heineken you got at the blackjack table and carried back up to your room lest you be left un-alcoholed for those five otherwise terrifying minutes between table and hotel room. But, besides this lone exception, no french fries, no chips, no coke. I get a burger, and drink water with it. Quitting soda alone will remove hundreds of calories from your daily intake, that sh*t has like a third cup of sugar in it! So, enjoy your burger but nix the sugar. It's easy.

3) As for exercise, cardio would be good. Don't spend a lot of time each day doing it or it will become tedious and too time consuming to become permanent. Instead, just do it for a half hour each day. IF you have time for some weights, I have noticed that when my larger muscles are toned (back, legs, etc) they tend to burn a lot of energy through the day. I have always worked out throughout my life, but used to only exercise my upper body and skipped the legs. During that 'chunky' period above I started exercising my legs as well. Let me tell you, those leg muscles burn a LOT of fat to maintain their tone.

 

[hairschmair]

There's really simple stuff you can add to your routine as well. Try doing 70 push-ups and 70 squats right before each time you jump into a shower.

To make it slightly more of a cardio work-out, do them as fast as possible. If you only manage 30 push-ups the first set, wait ONLY 10 seconds and do another 15, wait ONLY another 10 seconds and do another 10, until you hit 70.

Then start doing the squats, in the same way. The whole thing should only takr 3 minutes but can make a big difference to your overall fitness level.

 

[Vampa]

I fully agree that you need to cut down on fast food- preferbly eliminate it all together except for here or there (maybe a grand total of 3-4 times a week).

And there's nothing wrong with cardio, but I think a much better plan would be to get some weight training in. For each pound of muscle you put on, you'll burn about half a pound of fat a month (assuming your eating was previously at break even levels- you were neither gaining or losing weight). It doesn't take as long sa you'd think; my workouts are once a week and last about 10 min in total. If you're interested, I'd say buy Pete Sisco and John Little's book "Static Contraction Training." Or there's an online version for sale at precisiontraining.com.

Good luck.

 

[Trent]

alright.. here's what i started today, tell me what you think:

100 crunches, then rest. then do 50 crunches on each side, then do regular crunches till it hurts too much to do.

eat fast food 5 times a week. (guys this is my only joy in life right now, i never get laid and I'm studying ALL the time for med school boards).

run 3 times a week, 1.7 miles.

I'm looking to get a six pack and lose about 10 pounds. what do you think on a time limit? is 2 months at all reasonable? i've never really worked out before, always relied on sports to keep me fit, and now that I'm studying a lot, can't do that :-(

 

[The Gardener]

OK, Trent. Here is the deal. I'll give you your fast food, but only if you cut out the soda.

Have your f*****g burger, you stubborn a**h**, but wash it down with water, or iced tea.

:lol:

Do we have a deal?

Dropping those sodas will cut thousands of calories out of your weekly intake. Not only that, but ridding yourself of the ultra-high sugar content will eliminate daily insulin spikes and help moderate your blood sugar levels, resulting in more even levels of energy throughout the day.

It's either the sodas, or the fries. Take your pick, but you gotta give up something for karma's sake.

 

[DarklyCharming]

Anyone know why there are a ton of us 20 something guys posting about weight gain on here? I've read quite a few and posted some myself. Does metabolism shift in the 20s?

 

[hairschmair]

if I were you I would do some push-ups instead of crunches. Crunches really just work a fairly small muscle while push-ups work out your entire upper body.

good luck!

 

[not me!]

Anyone know why there are a ton of us 20 something guys posting about weight gain on here? I've read quite a few and posted some myself. Does metabolism shift in the 20s?

Damn straight it does. I cant remember where I have read it, but I have read it a good bit. A google search should be able to bring you some conclusive evidence.

I used to have a metabolism like a jack rabbit on crystal meth. While its still faster than 90% of the population I can feel that it has slowed. I can no longer eat anything I want at any time of day and have no consequences. While I used to have a 6-pack no matter what, I now have to continuously work to keep what I have.

I agree whole-heartedly with the above poster regarding the soda. Drink water. Bland? Yeah, it is. But once you get in the habit of drinking water and cutting out all that refined sugar you won't miss it - I promise.

I also dont need to tell you that skipping the fries will spare you oodles of saturated fat. There are sensible options at fast food restuarants if you look. Try the chicken sandwhiches. Anything that says "grilled chicken" is best. Skip the mayo. Eat two of those and a bottled water (instead of having one + fries + soda). You will double the protein and cut the carbs and fat in half. I do this all the time since I, too, am a student AND work full-time.

 

[Trent]

alright, here's what a i'll do, i'll take bits and pieces from each of the advice things on here.

sit ups + pushups. is 200 and 40 a good number (respectively)? a night. i did 250 last night and it HURT! its been a while i guess.

fast food, i'll eat it whenever i want, but i will get no fries, and just double the sandwich up (like 2 chicken sandwiches w/o mayo) and get water instead, or maybe a diet drink if i really just can't stand water.

how long do you think i can expect noticeable results? remember, i have a really high metabolism, and i used to eat around 5000 calories a day, almost exclusively fast food, so this is a big change.

 

[not me!]

well, here's what to do about that paltry 40 pushups (not trying to be offensive - just saying):

While youre sitting or whatever, time yourself out. For example, if youre studying at home for 3 hours, every 1/2 hour drop and do 20 pushups and 25 situps. At the end of 3 hours you will have done 120 pushups and 150 situps. Every few days add 10 or 15 to each. This is how to make pushups and situps work for you. You can also change up your form from time-to-time.

For instance, elevate your feet on your bed. This will change which part of your muscles are working. Change the stance of your hands from wide (shoulder width) to narrow (a "diamond shape" between your fingers)

Keep that up 5 days a week and in 2 months you will definitely notice a difference in your chest, tris, abs, and maybe even a little in the bi's dept.

 

[Trent]

okay, so forty pushups is just a waste huh? I didn't know, honestly! i've never really "worked out" in my life.

i'll try that, especially when i'm studying for my boards this summer. 100 pushups, man that seems like a lot! guess i'll try and work up to it.

 

[not me!]

okay, so forty pushups is just a waste huh? I didn't know, honestly! i've never really "worked out" in my life.

i'll try that, especially when i'm studying for my boards this summer. 100 pushups, man that seems like a lot! guess i'll try and work up to it.

It sounds like a lot, but (and I PROMISE I am not bragging here) after bootcamp I could do 150 pushups in 2 minutes without ever touching my chest to the floor. Now, granted, that was two months of getting dropped seemingly every minute, but it goes to show that it is possible.

Take your time and be consistent. Upper-body strength and endurance is something that I see is seriously lacking in today's "metrosexual-minded" males.

 

[The Gardener]

Trent, the occasional exercise between study periods might also help your alertness while studying. When you exercise, it releases beneficial chemicals into the bloodstream that increase physical endurance. It may also help you sleep better.

Definitely skip the fries. Yes, double up on the sandwich if you have to, but at least the sandwich has a better carb/protein ratio than the fries, which won't cause as much of an insulin spike.

Now, I am NOT an Adkins person in terms of eliminating carbs, but I do believe in a zone diet philosophy. Eating rich carbs without protein causes insulin spikes, giving you short term energy but then tapering into an insulin hangover in which metabolism slows and you feel tired. Fast food sandwiches might not be high quality protein, and they are high in fat, but at least you are getting in the protein to support metabolism.

 

[hairschmair]

Also, don't forget Nizoral 3X a week...

 

[Trent]

alright, some additional advice. I once heard that doing sit ups everyday is counterproductive (aka working the same muscles everyday), is this true? i've been doing around 300 sit ups and 50 pushups a day, and was wondering if that was perhaps the wrong approach. is pushups one day, sit ups the next a better method? thanks for all your help.

 

[DarklyCharming]

Trent, you are supposed to let muscles rest so they can grow. Hence, arms, chest, and shoulders need rest. However, situps are for tone and to drop stomach fat. From my knowledge, hit them up everyday if you want.

 

[not me!]

Sorry, Darkly, but I have to disagree. The abdominal muscles have the same characteristics as any other muscle. If you overtrain them it can be counterproductive. The same is true with the pushups. Try alterating days if your workout regimen is going to consist of mostly these excercises. You can even alternate those days with running days if you really feel the need to do something each day.

For example, run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Do your situp/pushup workouts on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

 

[Trent]

okay, it hard for me to get out there and run, but i'll try it. My schedule is always pack full of 15 hour study days. and i appreciate you not making fun of me for only doing fifty pushups. seriously though, i have to start small my muscles have been on vacation for about four years, even since i stopped playing soccer.

any other good ideas for just at home, study break exercises? i'd like to do something everyday to get the blood flowing while i'm studying. all i can come up with are different ways of doing situps/crunches.