Lost 20 kg in 3 months! Advice for newbies.

DavidDash

Alright guys, I'm 20 years old, 6'0, and currently weight 176 pounds. I started working out 3 months ago, being 220 lb at the time. My goal was fat and weight loss.
I don't claim to be an expert on this, just trying to help others who might be starting off, or are in the initial process. This is what I followed, and how I managed to achieve results.

First things first -
Starving yourself is the worst thing you can do. Your body's instincts will kick in and it will start storing excessive fats from any food it consumes thinking there is a shortage of food. It's about eating the right things, not eating nothing.

Second -
Motivation is key! It will get you through the tough times and push you onwards. To each his own - yours might be attracting the opposite sex, or the same-sex. Look in the mirror and be disgusted by what you see, then picture what you might look like in a few months. Use inspirational music, inspirational phrases like 'pain is weakness leaving the body' (I know it sounds cheesy but it really helps), etc.

DIET -
Cut out ALL sweets, fried foods, sodas, white bread and white rice, junk foods, full fat dairy products, and store bought juices.
Replace them with grilled or boiled meats, brown bread and bran flakes, low fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables and for drinks - water and freshly squeezed juice.
Have a high fibre breakfast (whole grains), a light lunch(fruits etc.) and a proper dinner (5 hours before bed).
Foods that aid weight loss are - Lean meats, low-fat dairy, Spices, Green Tea, Whole grains and fresh Grape Fruit juice. Try to make those your entire diet.
A very important note - DO NOT CHEAT ON YOUR DIET NO MATTER WHAT. Think of it in this way, you are trying to change your way of life for the better. Any cheat meal or reward meal is a hinderance to that;, once you have achieved your goals then you can reward yourself.
If you can afford it try a switch to organic food.

EXERCISE -
6 days a weeks, strength training and cardio. 50 minutes of cardio a day, 20 pre strength training and 30 post.
My strength training plan was monday to saturday: Chest-Back-Shoulders-Arms-Legs-Stomach. Sunday for recovery
Stomach exercises can be done on more than one day, I just wanted to avoid over working the body hence I kept a lighter schedule on saturdays.
Cardio should be varied between cycling, elliptical cycling, jogging, and a stepper.

One more thing, avoid weighing your self over and over again. Try once every two weeks, the significant decrease will motivate you, rather than witnessing the day by day slow progress.

Thats about all I can think of for now. Hope this helps and good luck. Hopefully you will gain muscle along with your weight loss and get a head start on whatever your next goal may be. Feel free to ask questions or correct me if I am wrong. Good Luck!

jaqsz21

GREAT ADVICE :-D

georgina1970

Nothing I would correct you on. Great work, well done on your loss.

To the newby's - I exercising 6days/wk is daunting, then start with 3/4days/wk :-)

paulperryman

Sound Advice and congratulations on your loss,

you don't want to overdo cardio, 50mins is really the maximum per day unless you are eating to repair those muscle loss during the exercise. and take into account your daily activities that counts as exercise, you don't "have" to do a gym session or weights specificaly, they just aid the growth. Sometimes the best exercise is just using your own body as resistance while doing everyday activities you'll still burn calories either way as your body does whether you get out of bed or not.

Personally I took a slightly different approach i doing 60mins a day 6 days a week, rest day on Wednesdays sometimes i've done 2 rest days if my joints needed it. and 2 days a week i can train in the mornings (saturday and sundays) every other day i have to train after work around 4pm

I do about 30-40mins of cardio (cross trainer, bike, rower and treadmill) and 20-30mins of Core/Strength training

Doing that and cutting out soda, junk food and added sugar and most of my caffeine intake and upping water intake without added cordial (i'd already cut out added salt years ago) i've still lost 11Kg's in just over 9 weeks. starting at 244lbs/111Kg's down to 100Kgs as of today and rapidly approaching my first goal of 90Kg's which is just within healthy limits, also reduced body fat from 40% to 31.5% roughly

Blood Pressure medicine has kept my burns lower then they could be and weak wrists and knees naturally limit the amount of weight training i can do but i do still do it and i adapt to the BP medicine recuding my heart rate by pushing harder during cardio and core work..

And ultimately you don't want to lose to fast or you'll end up flab skinny unless you weren't flabby to start with. .3Kg's a day is the limit to losing weight and still allowing the skin to bounce back into a smaller shape without becoming to elastic and thus you'll reduce stretch marks, overhanging skin etc. Better to take a long approach then burn it off as fast as possible, you'll still get there in the end and will be better off overall.

amandaanderson2786

thanks that is great advice

shaxmath

thanks for the great advice I'm just starting out and 20 kgs is my ultimate goal

RamanJohal

bump

lornaf68

Just wondering, how many calories were you taking in on average everyday?

manoo223

thank you so much
you motivate me pretty much!
have a great life with your new weight

manoo223

lornaf68 wrote: »

Just wondering, how many calories were you taking in on average everyday?

the same question that i wanna to ask you about it

lishie_rebooted

No. There is absolutely nothing wrong with full fat diary products. The fat in them actually helps keeps you fuller longer than their low- or no-fat counterparts. And most companies, add sugar in to replace the fat they took out to keep the taste the same, yet you cut out sugar. Cutting things out is also a great way to fail and create an unsustainable eating plan.

I also realize that I got necro'd but I'm still pointing out all of this for lurkers

Escloflowne

This is terrible advice....

JustFindingMe

That's wonderful..however,

There really is no need to cut out ANY food ( eg sugar, white bread etc ) for weight loss.

The equation is very simple, no need to over-complicate it : Eat less than you burn= fat loss

As for health? Yes, of course you need to choose healthy choices for your meals. It is not necessary for weight loss, however.

Always choose nutrient-rich foods that will fill up and keep you going ( your choices were great ) but don't forget to add a treat to two ( if you can fit it into your calories for the day ) so that you can sustain this lifestyle change and ENJOY it

AND Congratulations !

GiveMeCoffee

DavidDash wrote: »

Alright guys, I'm 20 years old, 6'0, and currently weight 176 pounds. I started working out 3 months ago, being 220 lb at the time. My goal was fat and weight loss.
I don't claim to be an expert on this, just trying to help others who might be starting off, or are in the initial process. This is what I followed, and how I managed to achieve results.

First things first -
Starving yourself is the worst thing you can do. Your body's instincts will kick in and it will start storing excessive fats from any food it consumes thinking there is a shortage of food. It's about eating the right things, not eating nothing.

Second -
Motivation is key! It will get you through the tough times and push you onwards. To each his own - yours might be attracting the opposite sex, or the same-sex. Look in the mirror and be disgusted by what you see, then picture what you might look like in a few months. Use inspirational music, inspirational phrases like 'pain is weakness leaving the body' (I know it sounds cheesy but it really helps), etc.

DIET -
Cut out ALL sweets, fried foods, sodas, white bread and white rice, junk foods, full fat dairy products, and store bought juices.
Replace them with grilled or boiled meats, brown bread and bran flakes, low fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables and for drinks - water and freshly squeezed juice.
Have a high fibre breakfast (whole grains), a light lunch(fruits etc.) and a proper dinner (5 hours before bed).
Foods that aid weight loss are - Lean meats, low-fat dairy, Spices, Green Tea, Whole grains and fresh Grape Fruit juice. Try to make those your entire diet.
A very important note - DO NOT CHEAT ON YOUR DIET NO MATTER WHAT. Think of it in this way, you are trying to change your way of life for the better. Any cheat meal or reward meal is a hinderance to that;, once you have achieved your goals then you can reward yourself.
If you can afford it try a switch to organic food.

EXERCISE -
6 days a weeks, strength training and cardio. 50 minutes of cardio a day, 20 pre strength training and 30 post.
My strength training plan was monday to saturday: Chest-Back-Shoulders-Arms-Legs-Stomach. Sunday for recovery
Stomach exercises can be done on more than one day, I just wanted to avoid over working the body hence I kept a lighter schedule on saturdays.
Cardio should be varied between cycling, elliptical cycling, jogging, and a stepper.

One more thing, avoid weighing your self over and over again. Try once every two weeks, the significant decrease will motivate you, rather than witnessing the day by day slow progress.

Thats about all I can think of for now. Hope this helps and good luck. Hopefully you will gain muscle along with your weight loss and get a head start on whatever your next goal may be. Feel free to ask questions or correct me if I am wrong. Good Luck!

I guess I did it wrong.. I lost 119 lbs without cutting out sweets, soda, fried food, white breads, or any of the other things you listed here.

I also didn't eat breakfast for the majority, 1-2 meals a day just making it fit into my day.

If I made my entire diet just what you put I would have quit long ago. I don't cheat, because I either fit it into my day or I don't. Cheating would mean I did something wrong, accepting that I will have days I go over is just accepting that I'm not here to be perfect just consistent.

No need to switch to organic. Lifting 6 days a week would not be beneficial.

I also weigh every day, I log the number and move on with my day it helps show overall trends. You are also not gaining muscle while in a deficit. Also motivation comes and goes, getting into good routines is what keeps you going for the long haul.

Congrats on your weight loss, but most of what you have posted here is not necessary to lose weight.

lishie_rebooted

I'd also like to point out the the post is about a year and a half old. And the only post the OP has made.

GiveMeCoffee

603reader wrote: »

I'd also like to point out the the post is about a year and a half old. And the only post the OP has made.

Missed that! Damn I hate the new dates on here

JustFindingMe

D'oh!