On losing 40 lbs in 12 weeks

Thank you so much for all the great comments, I had not noticed the comments until today, you guys are great. A few pointers of how I managed to lose the pounds:

1) Slow cardio, my heart rate monitor became my best friend, I learned that I did not hate slow cardio 120 to 130 bpm as much as fast cardio, with slow cardio you read a book, magazine or listen to a book on tape on your mp3 player while you exercise, with time, you will get used to it. I do cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning for 20-40 min every single day of the week (7 days a week). In top of that I hit the weights for 30-45 min, four times per week. On the cardio, mix it up, I do the elliptical, the treadmil running or walking with an incline, the bike, if you are getting bored after 15-20 min in one machine jump to another one and finish up the last 15 min.

2) my food brakedown, 20% fat, 40% carbs and 40% protein, I always eat 6-7 small meals per day plus one protein shake or bar right after I finish working out with weights. Sample day: 1)instant oatmeal with skimmed milk and banana (after my cardio); 2) low fat yogurt and one table spoon of extra crunchy peanut butter; 3) protein shake or protein bar (Supreme Protein is my favorite, it tastes just like a candy bar) this is right after my lunch workout and while I walk to get my lunch; 4) Chicken stir fry (150g) with onions and peppers, a hamburguer patty, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with italian dressing and a fist or rice or baked potatoes, also, a handful of peanuts or walnuts ; 5) Protein bar or yogurt with 10 grapes; 6) chicken breast with brocoli or sweet potatoes; 7) bowl of special k cereal with skim milk and pieces of peach.

3) I found a lot of inspiration on a video series called "the 12 week transformation" you can download those at www.bodybuilding.com go to search and write "12 week transformation", these videos are free and they were a tremendous inspiration for me, it will also give you a good weight work out for you to do, specially if you are just starting out.

4) I am in Iraq, our dinning facility is pretty amazing, you can eat as much as you want, they have all you can eat baskin robbins ice cream (can you believe that) I am telling you this because temptations will always be there, I know that I cannot fight my baskin robbins temptations so I only go to the eating facility for lunch, I take two plates to go (one for lunch and one for dinner) and leave. You need to identify you weakenesses and do your best to not put yourself in a dangerous situation, ja,ja remember, you must PLAN all your meals in advance if you want to be succesful, you are going to get hungry, the question is whether you will have access to the right food or the snickers bars at the vending machine when hunger comes, I cannot say this enough, plan ahead
Once a week I go to the dinning facility and eat a nice bowl of pralines and cream with cherry pie filling, that means that for lunch that day, I will have a salad with turkey ham, but at least I get to eat my ice cream, a few week ago I ate terribly for a couple of days, things like this will happen, it will not matter as long as you stop beating yourself about it and move on, you start the next day eating well again and don't look back.

3.5 mph on bike riding is probably "very" slow cardio, but it depends on your age and current cardiovascular conditioning, if you are 30-39 years old, slow cardio is probably in the range of 118-130 beats per minute, I don't use the bike because I find it very difficult to raise my heart rate above 110, optimum slow cardio for me is 123 bpm. A heart rate monitor is very affordable (around $40) I think it is a very good investment.

Buckeyebabe, did you go to Ohio State? I am also a buckeye (OSU Moritz Law 04') absolutely love my buckeyes!!! Thank you americanwolfdreamer!!! Keep it up joydex, remember, cook your meal ahead of time, plan ahead and you will be okay, do not give up, get yourself a subscription to a health and fitness magazine, read a couple of articles per week, it is all part of staying motivated, don't worry so much about the scale, if you have a bad meal, do not make the mistake of assuming that you may as well continue to eat badly on that day, leave that bad meal behind and start the clock again, as many times as you have to, the key is not giving up.

On the slow cardio issue: If you are motivated enough to run 5-6 times per week (4-5 miles per session) and have a resting rate of 57 bpm my guess is that you will continue to lose weight and you may not even need to worry about the slow cardio vs. fast cardio issue, unless, you body is taking a toll and you are starting to feel it. Obviously, everyone's body is different, if I tried to run 5-6 times per week (4-5 miles) my knees and ankles would not be able to take it (I am 214 lbs and that is probably too heavy to run 5-6 times per week) a weekly training plan that includes 4 (30-40 min) sessions of slow cardio and 2 Hiit (Hight Intensity Interval Training) training sessions is easier on my body and consistent with my long term goals. If you are training to be a marathon runner then you are probably doing the right type of training. Check out the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Method
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw40.htm

I understand what you are saying about getting bored with slow cardio, I must admit that with me, I look forward to slow cardio session (I can listen to some music or even an audio book). Fast cardio sessions are a bit (or a lot) more painful and I find it difficult to focus on anything else (I am unable to multi-task) as a result it is hard for me to "look forward one of these." In your case, you seem to enjoy it so you wont have the same ploblem. In the long run, we will only stick with something if we manage to find some pleasure in it.

still down