Please help me make a workout plan

dustycaravan

Hello,
I have been actively trying to lose weight since november. I eat according to the roadmap..and I have insulin issues, hypoglycemia etc.. I can't eat any for of processed foods or sugars.. I have dropped 11 pounds in the last two months, but now I am at a stand still.
I work out 3-6 times/week and I usually spend 20 minutes going all out on the elliptical (rough knees). then I spend 20 minutes doing strength training.

In your opinion how much time should I be spending on cardio per week in order to lose a lot of weight...
I started at 197 and I currently weigh 185.5

I am willing to put the work in so please be honest. I appreciate anything you have to offer.

Thanks!

ednurse18

Hi, I came to MFP after losing 32 lbs and having to log everything I eat in a spread sheet. Try "afitnessroutine.com" and do his beginners workout for the time he suggests. You will not be disappointed.
I do the beginners workout for 4 months now and its awesome. I lift 3 days a week and add 5 lbs a workout so far. I had back surgery on my lower back so I started with a lower weight then followed his advice. I do 30 minutes of cardio on the 2 off days and take 2 full rest days. This morning my teenaged son said to me "hey your back is weird its not all round and stuff." And yesterday my wife pinched my *kitten* because she said that it wasnt spreading out past my chair.
I dont know weather to laugh or cry. Either way good luck
PS his site send me here in his section on eating right, I am I glad it did !
PPS you dont have to buy anything there just follow his beginners workouts!

dustycaravan

that website isn't working for me when i type it in, or when I search for it in google thanks for the suggestion anyways!
Congrats on your progress

dustycaravan

bumpity bump please help!

dotknott

What are your overall goals? I can tell you what I do, but that might not be incredibly useful for you.

I will say based on your dietary constraints, you might be able to leap over the biggest hurdle for most of us which is trying to out run a bad diet.

dustycaravan

My overall goal is to lose 40- 50lbs (it is really keeping me from doing a lot) and to feel really vital.. My biggest goal right now is absolute fat loss.

dotknott

My overall goal is to lose 40- 50lbs (it is really keeping me from doing a lot) and to feel really vital.. My biggest goal right now is absolute fat loss.

And our 20 minutes of strength training? What does that actually consist of?

dustycaravan

I usually do chin-ups, dips, and weighted squats, and some chest presses until i can't do anymore. (I have always had weak arms so I am trying to become stronger in my arms especially)

Also my belly is so big it gets in the way of everything, every other part of me is managable, I just actually always look pregnant.

dotknott

I usually do chin-ups, dips, and weighted squats, and some chest presses until i can't do anymore. (I have always had weak arms so I am trying to become stronger in my arms especially)

Also my belly is so big it gets in the way of everything, every other part of me is managable, I just actually always look pregnant.

Okay. Do you have time to add another 20 minutes to that workout? I'd say something like a 20/40 cardio/weight split. Then I'd consider splitting the weight workouts into 2-4 different workouts. Something like a Arms/Legs, Arms/Legs/Back, or Shoulders&Tris/Back/Legs/Chest&Biceps.. There are a lot of options out there for something along these lines.. I find that with a 3 or 4 day split routine I'm less likely to get bored as I'm repeating groups less frequently.

Adding the extra 20 minutes means you could do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps on 5-6 different exercises.

As far as the cardio goes, how do you spend your 20 minutes? Are you doing intervals? How out of breath are you getting in that 20 minutes? You mentioned knee problems, and depending on those problems, you could mix up your cardio with the rowing machine every once in a while. Again, this depends on the nature of your knee problems. You could try it, and see how you do at a low intensity and then work your way to a more vigorous work out if your knees don't protest.

The rower is a pretty good all over cardio workout, and one of my favorites. I use it almost exclusively now, but I change up what I do every fee days, switching between intervals and an all out push to beat my personal best time on 2km every few days.

My thought on this kind of plan is that you would be able to maintain the muscle you've got while losing weigh via body fat loss. When I started I was 178 and did lots of cardio (I watched all of Downton Abby Season 1&2 on the treadmill!) Sure, I lost 20 lbs, but looking back at the numbers on my scale (which reads bf in % or lbs) 6 pounds of that was lean muscle. I switched up my routine to include more weights and I'm seeing the weight drop off a little more slowly, but my lean body mass isn't dropping any more.

dotknott

Also my belly is so big it gets in the way of everything, every other part of me is managable, I just actually always look pregnant.

Boy.. do I know this feeling. I was asked when I was due at my grandfathers wake back in November.. Talk about making a horrible day worse. That's what stared it for me, I kicked my *kitten* into high gear after that.

dustycaravan

Thanks this is great.
when I do cardio I make sure my heart rate is at least at 155 which is "hi zone" for me, and then i sprint so to speak for a minute as hard as i can for a minute every 5 minutes.

The rowing machine is great..
I saw a woman with an ipad on her elliptical today, so I am thinking of figuring out a way to get some t.v. on my ipod to do that.

I bumped my cardio up to 40 minutes today, I just have to stay with it.
Thank you for all of your suggestions!!!!! TRULY!!!

dotknott

My idea was 20 min cardio and 40 weights, but if the reverse will work for you that's okay. Just be aware that with without strength training, you'll likely lose lean body mass, so you might lose weight, but you'll be losing fat and muscle at the same time.