# Fast Weaght loss



## phlaw (Oct 6, 2006)

I would like some recommendations to speed up my weight loss process.  I was in great shape 10 years ago.  I use to spend about 4 hours a day at the DoJang, and then I got married and we now have 3 kids.

I am older now (almost 33) and started working out again back in April.  I goto the gym every morning at 4:30am, I do elyptical maching for 25-30 minutes and situps everyday (150/day now).  I also am back in TKD 3 nights a week.  

When I started working out I was a little over 250, as of yesterday I am down do 220.  When I tested for by Black Belt 10 years ago I was at 175lbs.  I realize I will probably never see 175 again, but I would like to get down around 200.  The first 25-30 lbs dropped fairly quick, then I kind of plateaued.

I have given up soda and pretty much only drink water.

Any tips for dropping about 20 pounds in the next 6-8 or faster would be great.

Thanks!


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## exile (Oct 6, 2006)

phlaw said:


> I would like some recommendations to speed up my weight loss process.  I was in great shape 10 years ago.  I use to spend about 4 hours a day at the DoJang, and then I got married and we now have 3 kids.
> 
> I am older now (almost 33) and started working out again back in April.  I goto the gym every morning at 4:30am, I do elyptical maching for 25-30 minutes and situps everyday (150/day now).  I also am back in TKD 3 nights a week.
> 
> ...



Hi Phlaw---I have two words for you that will never fail in the weight loss department: _interval training_. Instead of jogging steadily for twenty minutes or half an hour, the interval trainer jogs for fifty seconds of every one of those minutes but sprints all out the remaining ten seconds. This is what happens, according to exercise physiologists who study such things: the body quickly gets to its optimal fat-burning range _and stays there_, even when you drop down to a steady jog. And the effect is particularly noticeable the less trained you are (= the worse shape you're in), because at that point, your heart recovery rate is much slower than it is when you're really conditioned, so you stay `in the zone' for longer---that ten seconds of sprinting lasts, as far as your heart rate goes, well into the remaining fifty seconds of steady jogging. But your legs get to recover from the sprint during the jog, so you kind of get the best of both worlds. 
The same idea applies regardless of what form your aerobic exercise takes. 

One caution though: it's not much fun. There are studies that suggest that the revved-up state of your metabolism that comes from aerobic exercise lasts far longer when you do intervals than just normal aerobic exercise, even if you do the latter for a longer period of time, but the price you pay is that interval training can be kind of unpleasant---it really takes it out of you. When I first started doing them, many years back, I would do half an hour of running and do five seconds of sprints every other minute; eventually I worked my way to twenty minutes of these intervals---some writers call them `wind sprints'---with ten seconds of all out sprinting per minute. And that was _plenty_. If you build intervals into your program twice a week, I think you'll see pretty dramatic results over the next six-to-eight week period.

You have to get yourself checked out by your MD if you want to do this (or any serious exercise program really), and you also should do weight training to ensure that your body does start digging away at your protein reserves (aka muscle tissue) to fuel your workout. This is less a danger with intervals than with steady jogging (sprinting is actually anaerobic exercise, like lifting weights; aerobic exercise is what can plunder your muscle protein), but because the body hates to give up fat, it's a danger with any aerobic exercise program. If you do about fifteen minutes of big compound exercises a week, you'll keep your body from going into catabolic mode---resistance training is really necessary to complement aerobic training.

I'd give this program a try---just make up your mind in advance that it's not going to be very much fun. But it feels so good when you finally get to stop for the day...:wink1: 

Best of luck!


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## phlaw (Oct 8, 2006)

Thanks for the tip, I might give this a try.


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## zDom (Oct 8, 2006)

Be careful about that goal -- fast weight loss not always the best idea.

Steady, healthy weight loss is generally much better.

In addition to the exercise side of things, look at small changes you can make in your daily diet -- for example, cutting back on fast food, sodas -- that sort of thing.


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## exile (Oct 8, 2006)

zDom said:


> Be careful about that goal -- fast weight loss not always the best idea.
> 
> Steady, healthy weight loss is generally much better.
> 
> In addition to the exercise side of things, look at small changes you can make in your daily diet -- for example, cutting back on fast food, sodas -- that sort of thing.



I gotta reinforce what zDom is saying here. I find interval training very effective, and over a two-month period you will definitely notice some good effects---significant fat loss, in particular, and much improved cardiovascular performance. But you probably won't notice exaggerated weight loss on a weekly basis. 

It's incredible how many calories people take in in small `careless' snacking---in the course of a week, probably as much as a half-lb to a lb. If you cut that stuff out, you can make your program twice as effective almost painlessly.

Bear in mind too that the body responds much better to a slow and steady change in its `default' weight, what some fitness people call the set point. The idea is that the body tends to maintain a certain weight that it's used to being at, against either pressure to gain weight or pressure to lose it. Over time, if you take on enough extra calories, you'll gain weight and keep it on and  your set point will rise. Once that happens, your metabolism will tend to fight you on reducing it. A big, steep drop in weight won't change the body's set point, and your metabolism will fight you to get back to `normal'. If on the other hand you work steadily to cut back to where you were before, and then keep going very gradually and steadily, over the course of all that time your metabolism will reset itself for a lower weight, and that will become your stable state. I've seen arguments pro and con on this theory and like all plausible-sounding views about metabolism, exercise and diet it should probably be approached with a certain skepticism. But there does seem to be a lot of anecdotal evidence that gradual weight loss tends to be easier to protect than very rapid weight loss. 

My point about interval training is that you actually can get better results than conventional aerobic training over a given time period. The tradeoff is, it's quite demanding (though not nearly as demanding as an all-out sprint would be for a full minute, as vs. only ten seconds or so, but you get close to the same benefit in terms of time in the fat-burning zone). But all the stuff zDom was talking about---diet monitoring and so on---is important too. The nice thing about interval training is that you're likely to see noticeable progress soon enough, and steadily enough, to keep you really encouraged and committed to the usefulness of your exercise program. That seems to be the sticking point for a lot of people.


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## searcher (Oct 9, 2006)

You need to make sure that you are getting enough protien in your dietary along with slow burning carbs and low fat.   You should also set up a strength training routine.   The more muscle that you add the faster you will burn body fat and this should be your true goal.   I am in agreement with the idea of interval training, but only 2-3 times per week.   Make sure you are taking enough time off to let your body recover.


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## exile (Oct 9, 2006)

searcher said:


> I am in agreement with the idea of interval training, but only 2-3 times per week.   Make sure you are taking enough time off to let your body recover.



Absolutely. Twice a week is plenty---you won't be able to do more than that and also do the resistance training you need to keep your body from catobolizing muscle tissue.  But doing it twice a week for a six-to-eight weeks will yield some definite (good) results.


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## phlaw (Oct 10, 2006)

Thanks for all the great info.  I currently do weights 3 days a week.  Usually 3 sets of 10 reps.  I also do TKD 3 nights a week, depending on the class we can focus on legs, arms or cardio.

I usually have a proteing shake about 20-30 min after I workout also.  And I have tried replacing daily snacks with stuff like grapes & apples.  I also pretty much only drink water, and absolutely no caffeine.


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## searcher (Oct 10, 2006)

From the sound sof things you are doing what is needed to reach your goals.   Just wait and in a few weeks/months you will be there.


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## exile (Oct 10, 2006)

searcher said:


> From the sound sof things you are doing what is needed to reach your goals.   Just wait and in a few weeks/months you will be there.



Yup---once you're on track, the most important thing is to be _patient_. At one point in the not too distant future you will suddenly realize that your clothes are way looser and that you feel a lot better. It happens just like that. Good luck on your program!


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## King (Oct 10, 2006)

If it's weight loss you are talking about then you are on the right track. Just keep doing what you are doing and don't get impatient by rushing it. I'm trying to say that adding straineous excersises to your menu does not help - it puts you in greater risk of injury. To burn fat you need low to medium intensity work out over a longer period of time. You had the right idea when it came to getting rid of soft drinks and just drinking water. The next step is to reduce your food portion and *increase* the number of meals. In other words eat more frequently but smaller portions. The reason for this is to maintain your blood sugar level so that you regulate your metabolism. By regulating your blood sugar level your metabolism can tap into the more abundant fuel source in your body aka fat instead of stealing nutrients from your muscles. (Well that's the short story of it.)

When it comes to losing weight think months down the road, not weeks. Even if you do succeed getting rid of weight fast there is a big chance it'll go back just as fast. The trick is developing/learning good habits to keep the weight off. But great job so far losing the first 30lbs. I was 210lbs at one point and got down to 155lbs in 9 months. I'm 5'9" but I felt too skinny (as people in my gym can pick me up and hurl me) so I'm back up to 170-5ish. My advice is not to torture yourself, do it in the way that will make you happy. Goodluck and good health


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