PDA

View Full Version : overweight and need all the help possible



rafa84
06-20-10, 9:05 pm
im a 25 years old 6'2 250 lbs and i am new to the gym.....i recentlly got a reality check when they found cancer on my lil brother who is only 15....this made me want to change my life around. ive heard nothing but great things from animalpak. so i was hoping you guys can guide me with the work outs and diets i would need to change my body around...i would love to trim down and build muscle if that possible of doing. my goal is to be around 200-210 lbs..... thank you guys in advance

moreofme2kill
06-21-10, 1:43 am
pick which one you want more, building muscle or trimming down. cant have them both at the same time. Unfortunately in this day and age being thin and lean gets misconstrued with being strong and muscular, which its hardly ever the case. best bet is to eat to train and train to eat, get lots of sleep, and worry about the cutesy stuff later once you get bigger. my opinion.

rafa84
06-21-10, 1:11 pm
pick which one you want more, building muscle or trimming down. cant have them both at the same time. Unfortunately in this day and age being thin and lean gets misconstrued with being strong and muscular, which its hardly ever the case. best bet is to eat to train and train to eat, get lots of sleep, and worry about the cutesy stuff later once you get bigger. my opinion.

for now i would like to trim down and once i reach my weight goal i would like to start building muscle

suicidegripme
06-21-10, 2:14 pm
The problem with most overweight individuals is "the big change." This is basically changing thier whole way of life. A lof of overweight people relapse very quickly because they lack will or they take thier diet/training to such an extreme that the average joe cant keep up with it.

What you need to do is write down all your meals, caloric estimates, when you eat, why you eat, what you eat, whatever physical activity, etc.

Its way too simple to say oh eat grilled veggies and chicken. Not many people just staring out can do that. You need to work out a high protein diet (while still maintaining healthy levels of fat and carbs) and that also suits you.

Some diet keys to remember...
1. High Protein! Making your meals protein rich will make you snack less on carbs/fats you dont need. Just think, is this meal all about protein, carbs, fats, veggies, or what? Make good decisions.
2. Carbs and Fats are still neccessary. Make them count! Peanut butter, milk, oats, whole wheat, etc. Be smart...
3. Eat small frequent meals (every 2-3 hours). Aim for 6 meals a day.
4. A ton of wasted calories come from drinks. Ditch the soda, carbonated teas, etc.
5. Eating out is tough. Grilled chicken salad might sound healthy but if its covered in ranch dressing, this will set you back.


As for training goes, beginners can handle and do better with higher frequency training. Id suggest a good fullbody routine like this... 3 days a week, a day off in between

Squats or Leg Press
Bench Press or Flat DB Press
Row Variation
Overhead Press Variation
Curls
*all done for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. FORM being key*
**Finish with crunches, hypers, core work. Do NOT neglect your lower back.**

As far as cardio goes, you sound like youre out of shape *no offense intended*, so doing 10 minutes of cardio to warm up on your workout days as well as 30-40 minutes of cardio on random off days should be suffiecient.

Thats my 2 cents. Best of luck. Check out the articles here and at Bodybuilding.com.

PIJW
06-21-10, 2:46 pm
Great post grip.

Like he said get your diet in check and get the cardio going. I would suggest dropping some weight 1st before trying to bulk up. Grip also mentioned the key lifts for beginners to start with.

Squat, Bench, Curl, Over Head press, Row or pullups(if possible), Deads are a great one too, and some core exersises.

Machine
06-21-10, 9:20 pm
I really admire your honesty here...I pray your brother is 100%.

If you are ready...this is the place to be...many fantastic minds on here and great athletes abound.

You are so much closer than you realize...you've already identified what you do not want to become. Now you must have the insight to choose the best philosophy with regard to training and nutrition.

My advice...simpler is usually better, especially in phase 1.

Good Luck Brother.

MACHINE

braves561
06-21-10, 10:02 pm
I hope your brother is ok. Will be in my prayers.

LegendKillerJosh
06-21-10, 10:21 pm
pick which one you want more, building muscle or trimming down. cant have them both at the same time. Unfortunately in this day and age being thin and lean gets misconstrued with being strong and muscular, which its hardly ever the case. best bet is to eat to train and train to eat, get lots of sleep, and worry about the cutesy stuff later once you get bigger. my opinion.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that for a new comer. In my opinion, people new to weightlifting usually respond by building muscle a lot easier than a veteran, and if the diet is clean he should be able to shed fat. What you have to be sure to do since you are overweight right now is eat very frequently so you are never hungry. Just make your meals smaller. 7 meals a day should be optimal in my opinion, you should try to eat lean protein sources and fibrous carbs at each meal. This will keep your muscles fueled, your stomach full, and your fat burning furnace stoked. Like others said you will want to focus on compound exercises like squats for legs, deadlifts for back and bench and military press for the upper body. Do plenty of cardio if you are trying to burn fat.

But I think the best tip I can give to someone who is cutting is always be prepared. Do a lot of planning. Don't get stuck at work or school or on the road with no food, or you will eat something bad like fast food. Even "healthy" foods like subway aren't good when cutting. Always cook plenty of chicken breast and rice and pack it in tupperware ahead of time. And also try to eat every 2-3 hours, because if you go too long without eating something you will be more likely to binge on bad foods to kill the hunger.

A last piece of advice - humans are born not wanting to like new tastes. I even learned of a study in a class of mine that people are more likely to change marriage partners than their eating habits. But eating healthy doesn't have to be bland and repetitive. Look up healthy recipes online if you aren't a good cook or are sick of your usual meals.

msktyshha
06-21-10, 11:55 pm
I wouldn't be so quick to say that for a new comer. In my opinion, people new to weightlifting usually respond by building muscle a lot easier than a veteran, and if the diet is clean he should be able to shed fat. What you have to be sure to do since you are overweight right now is eat very frequently so you are never hungry. Just make your meals smaller. 7 meals a day should be optimal in my opinion, you should try to eat lean protein sources and fibrous carbs at each meal. This will keep your muscles fueled, your stomach full, and your fat burning furnace stoked. Like others said you will want to focus on compound exercises like squats for legs, deadlifts for back and bench and military press for the upper body. Do plenty of cardio if you are trying to burn fat.

But I think the best tip I can give to someone who is cutting is always be prepared. Do a lot of planning. Don't get stuck at work or school or on the road with no food, or you will eat something bad like fast food. Even "healthy" foods like subway aren't good when cutting. Always cook plenty of chicken breast and rice and pack it in tupperware ahead of time. And also try to eat every 2-3 hours, because if you go too long without eating something you will be more likely to binge on bad foods to kill the hunger.

A last piece of advice - humans are born not wanting to like new tastes. I even learned of a study in a class of mine that people are more likely to change marriage partners than their eating habits. But eating healthy doesn't have to be bland and repetitive. Look up healthy recipes online if you aren't a good cook or are sick of your usual meals.

true.... you are lucky to be a beginner cause you will have enough of both either way if you are trying to shed fat or build muscle. A clean diet with enough protein at maintenance calories or below maintenance will have you shed fat and build muscle. and like machine said simpler is better. Just go to gym, workout and throughout the day eat clean and be consistent with it.

moreofme2kill
06-22-10, 2:50 am
I wouldn't be so quick to say that for a new comer. In my opinion, people new to weightlifting usually respond by building muscle a lot easier than a veteran, and if the diet is clean he should be able to shed fat. What you have to be sure to do since you are overweight right now is eat very frequently so you are never hungry. Just make your meals smaller. 7 meals a day should be optimal in my opinion, you should try to eat lean protein sources and fibrous carbs at each meal. This will keep your muscles fueled, your stomach full, and your fat burning furnace stoked. Like others said you will want to focus on compound exercises like squats for legs, deadlifts for back and bench and military press for the upper body. Do plenty of cardio if you are trying to burn fat.

But I think the best tip I can give to someone who is cutting is always be prepared. Do a lot of planning. Don't get stuck at work or school or on the road with no food, or you will eat something bad like fast food. Even "healthy" foods like subway aren't good when cutting. Always cook plenty of chicken breast and rice and pack it in tupperware ahead of time. And also try to eat every 2-3 hours, because if you go too long without eating something you will be more likely to binge on bad foods to kill the hunger.

A last piece of advice - humans are born not wanting to like new tastes. I even learned of a study in a class of mine that people are more likely to change marriage partners than their eating habits. But eating healthy doesn't have to be bland and repetitive. Look up healthy recipes online if you aren't a good cook or are sick of your usual meals.


are you a newcomer? no. i am. are you over weight? no. i am. im speaking from my first hand experience that i have been going through for the past 6 months. granted, i have barely been doing this half a year, but have being a big guy my whole life i can tell you straight away that slimming down and adding muscle at the same time is nowhere near as easy as most "hard gainers" tend to make it seem. trust me, i tried it with very minimal results. finally i came here, read some articles on how eating big builds muscle and how eating fat is necessary for building muscle, and i have exploded. i have put on no more fat than i previously had, but my muscle size, strength and power has gone through the roof. as machine said, you gotta build the foundation before you put on the roof. now just losing weight is a completely different story, anyone can diet and run, but that doesnt add muscle. all this carb and calorie counting mumbo jumbo is not necessary, in my opinion, for someone who is new to the gym and just starting to go through phase 1. all that it does to endomorphs such as myself is create stress and a sense of self conciousness around naturally fit and more defined individuals. eat, lift, sleep and stick to the basics, the rest will come in time.

MELTDOWN
06-22-10, 10:59 pm
My nephew went from 265 down to 205. alot of pain and suffering due to confusion. we broke it down like this.......

The basics still work regardless of what buyoursuperfastweightlossinapillandlooklikeamodeli n30days.com says
Work out consistantly with weights and plan to be sore.
Cardio when you can, as you, but ease into it.
Eat more meals per day with smaller portions each and add a protein shake or 2. keep the fire in the engine and use the bear / horse thought process. Horses graze all day and have thick lean muscles while bears gorge themselves with a big meal or two and are big and fat.
Look in the mirror and throw out the scales as scales will mind funk you...muscle weighs more that fat and there will be a transition point that it will fry your brain if you study the scales daily. "I'm busting my azz but gaining weight....wtf ??"
Up the water intake to keep the fat flushing away.
Sort all this out and you can deal with specialized supplements later.

rafa84
06-23-10, 1:32 am
I hope your brother is ok. Will be in my prayers.


first i want to say thanks for everybody who took the time to help me out and wish my brother well with out knowing him. it really means alot...

so far ive been going to the gym 4-5 days a week for the past 2 weeks ...im doing slipt work out with 30min of cardio at the end....im super sore the following day but thats what happen when i havent been inside a gym since my high school days...my eating habits did change but im not getting in 5-6 meals a day......should i take anything else other then protein?

moreofme2kill
06-23-10, 1:50 am
first i want to say thanks for everybody who took the time to help me out and wish my brother well with out knowing him. it really means alot...

so far ive been going to the gym 4-5 days a week for the past 2 weeks ...im doing slipt work out with 30min of cardio at the end....im super sore the following day but thats what happen when i havent been inside a gym since my high school days...my eating habits did change but im not getting in 5-6 meals a day......should i take anything else other then protein?

cant go wrong with the basic animalpak

LegendKillerJosh
06-23-10, 3:45 pm
are you a newcomer? no. i am. are you over weight? no. i am. im speaking from my first hand experience that i have been going through for the past 6 months. granted, i have barely been doing this half a year, but have being a big guy my whole life i can tell you straight away that slimming down and adding muscle at the same time is nowhere near as easy as most "hard gainers" tend to make it seem. trust me, i tried it with very minimal results. finally i came here, read some articles on how eating big builds muscle and how eating fat is necessary for building muscle, and i have exploded. i have put on no more fat than i previously had, but my muscle size, strength and power has gone through the roof. as machine said, you gotta build the foundation before you put on the roof. now just losing weight is a completely different story, anyone can diet and run, but that doesnt add muscle. all this carb and calorie counting mumbo jumbo is not necessary, in my opinion, for someone who is new to the gym and just starting to go through phase 1. all that it does to endomorphs such as myself is create stress and a sense of self conciousness around naturally fit and more defined individuals. eat, lift, sleep and stick to the basics, the rest will come in time.

So then what is your advice to him? You really don't think that someone who is fat and not muscular and starts lifting weight can't build muscle while shedding fat? I think it can be done.

whysosrs
06-23-10, 5:05 pm
time to get srs. ask yourself what is most important in life, dont ask others, find it from within. get srs and go out and prosper young man

Howitzer
06-23-10, 5:59 pm
In my very limited experience (comparably) you can put on muscle while cutting fat. Think of your body as your enemy. Your body has been designed to store fat and build muscle in the most limited manner possible. Why do you think these enormous bodybuilders have to work so fucking hard for a single ounce of lean muscle gains? Why does fat cling to our bodies the way it does? Answer: It was designed to. But you have an opportunity here. You're shocking your system with new exercises, and like the lazy thing it is, it's trying to build muscle to just keep up with your workouts. The fat is being burned as fuel to do it (and being turned into the beautiful and coveted testosterone). So with the amount of stress your body is enduring, coupled with a lean diet, I bet your muscles are getting bigger to keep up with your workouts. And of course the fat will come off if you're truly eating clean and exercising. So you can cut and gain at the same time. That's my opinion.

Your brother in iron.

Joe J
06-23-10, 7:21 pm
When I first started training I shed 20% body fat, and I will give you this simple advice.
1. keep it simple, it is far too easy to get too involved in supplements and other confusing and contradictory info you will find all over the internet. So follow this: 6 meals a day, gallon of water a day, EAT CLEAN.
2. train consistently and as hard as you can
3. do cardio
4. stay motivated.

Easy as that my friend, go get it.

moreofme2kill
06-23-10, 10:16 pm
So then what is your advice to him? You really don't think that someone who is fat and not muscular and starts lifting weight can't build muscle while shedding fat? I think it can be done.

i think both of my responses pretty much convey all i really care to say. its up to him now to do what he feels is best for himself, which he has been and i congratulate and support him, and just move on from there. my point i was trying to convey is that simplicity is king when first starting out. no reason to attempt building an autobahn if your car can only do 30mph.

Fearless Rabbit
06-24-10, 6:17 pm
I would recommend focusing on diet and cardio first, for at least 5-6 months. You would not believe what proper diet can do, without even you start thinking about specific training routines etc.. The thing is to let your whole body adapt to cardio-vascular work, without endangering your health. If you didn`t do any sports in your younger age, or didn`t do it in a long time, do not shock your heart by immediately going to heavy weight trainings. Be smart and do everything slowly; listen to your body and plan your road.

What would I suggest is:

- Start removing junk food
- Start removing simple carbs, sugars especially, than bread, pasta etc
- Eat more green veggies, more meat, more eggs, more fish
- Reorganize your diet - eat more smaller meals, let your stomach process food all day without stopping
- Focus on cardio for first couple of months (on empty stomach), for your heart sakes

When you start seeing results in fat loss, implement some basic exercises like push ups, pull ups, abs, squats with your own weight, and maybe go with some lights weight and high reps in the gym. Stick with the basic movements, exercises that work more muscle groups at once. Avoid fancy machines, and keep it simple.

You see, the thing is to slowly increase the pace of your workouts, after you lose some weight. Slowly because your body does not consist only from muscles and fat: there is your heart, digestion system, immune system, joints, bones.. Everything has to adapt.

Start here: http://www.animalpak.com/html/articles.cfm?type=diet
Read as much as you can, and implement as you as you learned.

Once you bring your diet and basic training in place (cardio and basic exercises), than start worrying about routines and supplementation.

Get ready to eat with your brain, and not your appetite. And let me tell you, brain wants some tasteless shit! It all has to start in your head bro. Muscles are just result of proper thinking and planning. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Good luck my friend. Consider starting your journey here on forvm. Many of bros here can contribute with constructive advices along your way.