Need A Fitness Plan Suggestion

mmteixeira

Five weeks ago I got Autumn Calabrese's "21 Day Fix" - I have been following her Clean Eating Diet food list while sticking to the MyFitnessPal calorie counter (so not using her containers for tracking food but just counting calories sticking to clean ingredients). In five weeks I have dropped 30 pounds so I am going to stick with the "diet plan" I have been using. My exercise has focused mainly on walking the golf course twice a week - fitbit puts that in around 14,000 steps for 18 holes. This has been effective up until now.

I feel it's time to move to the next step - I want to start some form of workout progam but not sure where to go - I have watched the 21 day fix workouts and I am not big on aerobic type workouts (although Autumn if definitely worth watching ). I am definitely a "beginner" with regards to durability for a new exercise plan and expect some ramp up time.

I would prefer to do something weight oriented 3 times a week and then maybe treadmill three days a week. Will weightlifting help weight loss (I still have 75 lbs to go)? Any suggestions for some form of lifting plan/DVD to follow? Body Beast? P90? Something different?

I appreciate any suggestions you may have...

quilt938

walkout outside is my favorite exercise and it's finally cooling off enough here in Houston to hopefully get back to doing it regularly! I also do indoor 'walks' but I also like to add in some weights/toning. I'm not 'big' on this activity and tend to prefer following dvds. so far my favorites are Margaret Richard(I'm 48 and female so big appeal here), Kelley Coffey-Meyer (start here, weights, circuit burn are my faves of hers but circuit burn is probably my favorite and the one I do the most) maybe add in some flexibility. I haven't read your profile but find what appeals to you- a lot of guys like DDP yoga (some wrestler does these - diamond dallas page? something like that) I prefer other yoga and stretching dvds even stuff on youtube) kettlebells are popular b ut again not my thing really. some prefer the gym machines or free weights. I just use dumbbells and body weight and follow the dvds. and some like to follow a set system or rotation I think they call it. I just do what I feel like doing and try to make sure I mix it up a bit but lately I've slacked and know today I need to add in kelly's circuit burn at least the toning part and maybe a walk as well.

quilt938

oops meant to add I think cardio burns my calories but strengthening/building muscle burns calories too even at rest and strength is also important for healthy daily living IMO. I think of cardio for heart and muscle for strength which protects the joints and bones as well...and flexibility too - i neglected that for so long and I've never been naturally flexible and wish I'd been working on it since childhood

King_Darkside

P90-P90X-P90X2-P90X3. You can get a whole year of workouts out of the system. You can also find regimens that combine the various iterations for faster results.

abetterluke

mmteixeira wrote: »

In five weeks I have dropped 30 pounds

Ummm...that's incredibly unhealthy weight loss. You need to be very careful.

mmteixeira

abetterluke wrote: »

mmteixeira wrote: »

In five weeks I have dropped 30 pounds

Ummm...that's incredibly unhealthy weight loss. You need to be very careful.

You made me go back and look at my reports - it's over 8 weeks now - and starting at over 300 lbs the first 10-15 were water weight - definitely not unhealthy weight loss - still eating 1800 calories a day - just of better foods

abetterluke

mmteixeira wrote: »

abetterluke wrote: »

mmteixeira wrote: »

In five weeks I have dropped 30 pounds

Ummm...that's incredibly unhealthy weight loss. You need to be very careful.

You made me go back and look at my reports - it's over 8 weeks now - and starting at over 300 lbs the first 10-15 were water weight - definitely not unhealthy weight loss - still eating 1800 calories a day - just of better foods

That makes more sense. I was going based on your 6 week timeline and assumed you were starting at less than 300 since your page shows you only have 30 lbs left to go.

mmteixeira

abetterluke wrote: »

That makes more sense. I was going based on your 6 week timeline and assumed you were starting at less than 300 since your page shows you only have 30 lbs left to go.

Thanks - I need to update that as well

nordlead2005

Exercise doesn't really help lose weight, it helps get you fit/healthy. You can lose weight just eating less and no exercise if you wish. I strictly attribute every calorie burned via exercise to my weight loss, then exercise accounted for only 20% of my weight loss, diet the other 80%. However, I mostly ate more if I exercised, so it is closer to 0% for weight loss contribution (granted, eating more helps me stick to my plan, so there is that).

Now, you said you want a 3x/week weight lifting program. Many would suggest Strong Lifts 5x5. It is a whole body strength program that only requires a rack, bench, and weights. It starts easy, and progresses very quickly and will give you better strength results than any DVD program. Spend the first few sessions (or even weeks) getting the form down as best you can, as it'll make a huge difference in your strength and reduce chances of injury. You can post form checks here or other websites and there is lots of good information on the SL website or youtube.

As for cardio, do what you enjoy. I personally play Ultimate once per week and that is it for cardio. I also go for walks on occasion. I will do C25K because I want to do a mud run in reasonable time next year. I doubt I'll continue running 3x/week after that and will just continue with the 1x/week 2 hour ultimate session.

pmm3437

mmteixeira wrote: »

...
I would prefer to do something weight oriented 3 times a week and then maybe treadmill three days a week. Will weightlifting help weight loss (I still have 75 lbs to go)? Any suggestions for some form of lifting plan/DVD to follow? Body Beast? P90? Something different?

I appreciate any suggestions you may have...

Stronglifts 5x5 is one of the most highly recommended beginner routines on this site.
http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

The basic is free, its designed to be a 3 day a week program of < 1hr per session, and many ppl have reported success using it to get back into the gym and on track. I have been using it with good results.

A quick google search will come back with a few dozen links for similar beginner programs. Other popular ones I have seen ppl posting about are Starting Strength, StrongCurves, etc.

When you start evaluating options, as a beginner you want complex movements that activate a large number of muscle groups ( as opposed to isolation movements ), and you want progressive resistance.

Strength training combined with adequate protein will help retain muscle while eating at a deficit to lose weight. This in turn helps you to maintain your BMR. The calories expended while lifting can help create/enhance your deficit, depending on how you account for them.