Workout routine for weight loss?

Forget the wanting to lose the weight relatively quickly out of your head is my advice.

Aim for 1 -2lbs loss per week and be as active as you can. Walking is a great form of exercise for starters, also weight bearing exercise is great too - either bodyweight workouts or free weights.

Make small sustainable changes, you'll lose the weight slower, but you'll have a greater chance of maintaining the weight loss. Would you rather lose 90 lbs quickly and regain in 1-2 years later, or lose it slowly over a year or more and maintain that loss. I know what I'd choose.

Learn the love the process, change your lifestyle, lose weight while maintaining a balanced life.

jamesrsg15 wrote: »

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

Forget the wanting to lose the weight relatively quickly out of your head is my advice.

Aim for 1 -2lbs loss per week and be as active as you can. Walking is a great form of exercise for starters, also weight bearing exercise is great too - either bodyweight workouts or free weights.

Is it possible to push 3 lbs a week though? I think I could do that

Do not rush this. If you truly want to succeed, make this a life change. Dedicate yourself to it and get in it for the long haul.

Why do you want to lose it so quickly? It's better, both mentally and physically, to lose it steadily. Not as fast as possible.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Ever wonder why the New Year gym crowd quits the gym in 3 weeks? They push themselves too hard, and then get disappointed with lack of early results.

Remember, the longer it takes to achieve something, the more permanent that change becomes. Just focus on losing 1-2lbs a week, one day you will look at yourself in the mirror and realize you reached your goal a while ago!

Basically, just focus on eating well and hitting up the gym 3x a week, then look at yourself in a year. You can realistically expect to be down 50lbs or more. Imagine the REST OF YOUR LIFE with that weight down? You are only 19, take your time, do it right, and make it permanent.

Hello James,

Firstly, congrats on your quest to live longer and be healthy! As you've already heard, it can be a tough road to hoe but wow, so much negativo-ism. I know everyone means well but I believe these absolute answers are assuming too much and not being realistic.

We don't know anything about your health, medical status, level of fitness, or how you acquired 250 pounds, so you must consider the well-intended but uninformed responses you're getting. I will presume you've been cleared by your doctor to a) perform such physical activities as reasonable and necessary and b) to pursue a 90-lb weight loss.

Let's understand that despite what you've heard here, your first few months of activity + managing your calorie intake will see weight virtually dripping off you, if said activity and diet is that different from how you achieved 250. You'll see the more prudently advised 2-lb/week loss as you get closer to your goal but for now, enjoy the large fruits of your labor. But please don't engage in fasting. It's counterproductive and actually destructive to your body. You need to eat "well"!

There's only one way to lose weight and don't let anyone tell you any different: caloric deficit. Do that through a decrease to calorie intake alone or combine with the marvelous effects of physical activity. Related to that fact is another: by definition, a 'diet' will doom you to certain failure in the long run. It's been proven millions of times that a grand total of zero diets really work. What you need for permanent weight loss and to maintain a healthy BMI is a lifestyle change. That just means eat well and get physical activity on a recurring basis; emphasis on whole foods.

The myth that a pound equals 3,500 calories has been dispelled some time ago. Ignore it because it's horsehockey; not even important.

You want a truly authoritative answer to your original question? Get an appointment with a registered dietician.

Otherwise, read further. Determine the # of calories you would need to 'maintain' your weight and deduct 20% to create a deficit. Search for the Harris-Benedict Method for a formula-based calculator, which has many factors built-in. Then reserve 1g of protein for each pound of your bodyweight. Another 20% of your calorie intake is for fat. Finally, the remainder of your calorie allowance goes to carbos.

It'll be tough consuming that much protein in a day but try. It's very important so that you lose fat and not muscle. Of course, everything you're eating is the healthy type, including fats and complex carbos. Reduce/skip the simple sugars, salt and chemicals (e.g., diet soda) as much as possible. Also, reassess and adjust your caloric needs as time passes and you lose weight. Eat three squares a day with healthy snacks in between comprised of no more than 250 calories (presuming you're male) each. Whole foods can't be beat.

The calories you burn for physical activity gets added to your allowance. Do what you can handle or you may quit when you're injured from overdoing it. Ideally, engage in steady-state aerobic exercise for 20-30 min/day if you can, 5 days/week, eventually working up to 40-60 min/day. No gym required. Walking is great if that's all you can do for now. Break up the routine so your body doesn't get used to the same thing and adjusts. When you can handle it, work in interval training 2 or 3x/week. The goal there is to get your heart rate up to 80%-85% for short periods, which'll put you into fat furnace burning mode well after your workout is complete, increase your stamina and speed. For example, sprint (whatever speed is 85%'ish for you) for one minute, reduce to 50%-70% pace for two minutes. Rinse. Repeat. 20-min a day. Always warm-up, do your workout, cool down and stretch. You can also work in resistance training on your steady-state days without a gym, using body weight exercises, like lunges, planks, and squats.

Once you get close to your target weight, perhaps you'll want to consider a weight lifting program to gain more muscle mass. More muscle burns more calories even at rest. That approach requires a caloric surplus in that case, so more on that later.

Don't take the word of any one person here as gospel. Do your research. If it passes the sniff test, go for it. Good luck!