I'm Getting my Groove Back

[jdrgator]

It's been over a decade since I worked in the health industry (as a trainer and health club manager in the NY/NJ area). Since then, I've basically stopped working out (consistently, at least) and have gained over 100 lbs. In 1997, I was at a stable 185; in 2001, about 210 (all of it muscle weight gained) but by last week, I was 307, but none of it was muscle weight!!!! Anyway, I wanted to share with you all since many of you have inspired me (whether you realize it or not).

I've now joined a new gym and signed up for a 10-week intensive weight loss program. The gym bills itself as a "health institute," run by an actual medical doctor. The program is pretty comprehensive, and quite expensive (800 quid for 10 weeks), but helps people focus on exercise AND diet. The program utilizes group-based lifting & cardio classes (six classes to choose from on Tu,Tr, Sa) and two hours a week of educational classes every Wednesday evening (tonight it's about protein), plus weekly one-on-one nutritional counseling and some personal training consultation. Though people are also encouraged to train on their own at least once or twice more a week. I am doing three more days a week (i.e. I just jumped back to what I know). It's also nice because the gym is right in my neighborhood.

I don't mean to sound arrogant (b/c I am not), but in many ways, the program is not for me given my fifteen years in the field. However, it has nonetheless been great motivation. I've consulted with the nutritionist and trainer, and taking the mixed lifting/cardio classes actually inspires and focuses me on my goals, even if they are slowly walking people through the weightlifting portion (I hang in the back by myself in order to sneak in more sets).

I think the organization (i.e. classes) and having multiple trainers and staff for each class pushing people to lift hard, and having them actually run the cardio classes (I alternate b/t the elliptical and stair master) has been terrific, at least from a psychological perspective.

They also did some initial blood tests on me. My sugar and blood pressure were both great, as was my LDL cholestorol. However, my HDL was low, which isn't good. This is the second time in 4 years they've found this. So while I am definitely overweight and need to get down, my vitals are pretty good (plus, I'll be going to the doctor in a few weeks for a full examination).

I've already lost a few lbs over the past 10 days, although I won't weigh myself until the end. My diet is back to "normal," i.e. I upped my protein, infused it with good/better carbs, watching the cal input closely (anywhere from 2k-2.4k cals a day). Like Dreamliner, I am no sugar-phobe, so I don't cut it out, but I did cut it down quite a bit.

The goal is to lose 100 lbs by next May (or sooner) and about 40-50 by the end of the year (or better yet, get to about 10-12% body fat). It's been a while, way too long in fact, and I really had let myself go (obviously!!!). But I am quickly getting my groove back, one that is pleasantly very, very familiar. I've lost 50 lbs before so i know I can do it, but it's a matter of sticking with it.

[BossaGator]

Congrats & good luck! I look forward to hearing about your progress.

[gatorman_07732]

Great news jdr, remember consistency consistency consistency. I recently starting riding my bike to work to get in my daily exercise. I am determined to get south of 200lbs. I was as high as 235 and my wife started getting on my chit. Those old bodybuilding days have come back to haunt me.

[jdrgator]

Thanks bossa!

Gman, yes. It was the consistency that left me after I started grad school, and proceeded to get worse once I took my first position.

But like you, my wife has been getting on me for five years. She bought me PX90 (which I like) but I failed to keep at it. Tried a personal trainer at Golds (a place I used to manage!!!) as well. Nothing was working.I was just too out of it. But this sparked something, which is that deep seeded determination to get back down. Indeed, I am embarrassed by my obesity, especially in that I have to stand in front of people a few times a week....

[Dreamliner]

jdr, you can do it! And I look forward to reporting to my trainees that I have a friend who lost 100 pounds on a sugar diet. :wink:

[LeafUF]

Good luck

[Dreamliner]

Thanks bossa!

Gman, yes. It was the consistency that left me after I started grad school, and proceeded to get worse once I took my first position.

But like you, my wife has been getting on me for five years. She bought me PX90 (which I like) but I failed to keep at it. Tried a personal trainer at Golds (a place I used to manage!!!) as well. Nothing was working.I was just too out of it. But this sparked something, which is that deep seeded determination to get back down. Indeed, I am embarrassed by my obesity, especially in that I have to stand in front of people a few times a week....

Please take a 'before pic' and measurements. You may be embarrassed now. But you'll be proud to show off the striking contrast months from now. You'll make a mark on your community too.

Also, to widen the impact you could have, I'll be happy to feature the 'new jdr' on my blog when you reach your goals.

[your_perfect_enemy]

Good luck jdr.

This board really is a good source of inspiration/information. Even if you don't follow or agree with all of the advice, just bouncing ideas around and hearing how other people (even ones you've never met in person) are doing really is motivating.

[gatorman_07732]

Thanks bossa!

Gman, yes. It was the consistency that left me after I started grad school, and proceeded to get worse once I took my first position.

But like you, my wife has been getting on me for five years. She bought me PX90 (which I like) but I failed to keep at it. Tried a personal trainer at Golds (a place I used to manage!!!) as well. Nothing was working.I was just too out of it. But this sparked something, which is that deep seeded determination to get back down. Indeed, I am embarrassed by my obesity, especially in that I have to stand in front of people a few times a week....

Go with it brother, this stuff is 100% mental. I wish you much success.
If we get on that golf course we'll walk the 18 holes

[jdrgator]

Please take a 'before pic' and measurements. You may be embarrassed now. But you'll be proud to show off the striking contrast months from now. You'll make a mark on your community too.

Also, to widen the impact you could have, I'll be happy to feature the 'new jdr' on my blog when you reach your goals.

I did. But I will only send it when I get down!! Thanks. I currently have it sitting in a draw along with pics when I was about 185/190 and lean (and doing an ab pose).

[jdrgator]

First Month: Lost 10.4 lbs.

Feeling great. Able to do much more even with such a small decrease in fat. Energy is high and my diet is strong.

Only checking my weight once a month. If you know your body, you know if your losing, so to speak.

Anyway, so far so good. One of these days, I'll post my before picture, which my wife took when I started this journey. Only about 90 lbs to go or down to 10% bf, whichever comes first!

[gatorman_07732]

awesome start jdr and sounds like a good healthy pace. I never like the idea of people dropping crazy amounts of weight in a short period of time.

[Dreamliner]

Spectacular, jdr!

[StrangeGator]

First Month: Lost 10.4 lbs.

Feeling great. Able to do much more even with such a small decrease in fat. Energy is high and my diet is strong.

Only checking my weight once a month. If you know your body, you know if your losing, so to speak.

Anyway, so far so good. One of these days, I'll post my before picture, which my wife took when I started this journey. Only about 90 lbs to go or down to 10% bf, whichever comes first!

That's great news. Probably the most weight you'd want to lose in that amount of time. I look forward to hearing more reports.

[deviation]

Congrats and good luck. Keep up with the log and let us know about your progress.

I'm also about to start a log on here. Starting tomorrow. Should be fun.

[jdrgator]

Thanks all for the encouragement and kind words. I am trying to drop my weight in the "right" way that is, just eating well/controlling my cals, and exercising hard 5-6 days a week. I don't starve myself or take any type of unproven weight loss supplements.

Funny thing is, if you watch your cals and eat well every day, you don't have to completely give up everything that tastes great, yet I do severely limit how much fried food I eat in any given week which is very, very little (for instance, two chicken wings yesterday).

I use some supplements (mainly protein) but have stayed away from vitamins since I am really not sure of how effective they really are, which reminds me, I think there needs to be a thread specific to vitamins.

[LeafUF]

Pretty sure we have an old vitamin thread here somewhere.

As for chicken wings I bake mine at home so I can still enjoy one of my favorite foods and cut out some unnecessary calories.

[jdrgator]

Pretty sure we have an old vitamin thread here somewhere.

As for chicken wings I bake mine at home so I can still enjoy one of my favorite foods and cut out some unnecessary calories.

Probably, I just didn't feel like looking. :)

[deviation]

If you do take a vitamin supplement, i strongly suggest Orange Triad. Very good multi with good joint support.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/clabs/orangetriad.html

You can find it at a local vitamin shoppe for like 30 $ or so. Another good one is Anavite from Gaspari.

[LeafUF]

I used to take triad but it is bit over priced. I switched to optimen and jointv which cost less together.

[jdrgator]

So I completed my sixth week back in the gym after what was pretty much a five year hiatus (at least of regular lifting).

Feeling great. Lost about 15 lbs so far (I believe), last time I checked nearly two weeks ago, it was 13 lbs.

The program I am in right now finishes up in three weeks and then there are two "continuation" weeks in which my cohort will work toward more individualized training programs (for both lifting and cardio). So I will begin to expand my routine and go from lifting three days a week to 4 while getting back to doing some of the type of lifting I did back in the early 00s.

But so far so good. I hope to hit my goal of losing 100 lbs or just getting down to a low bf % (around 9-11%) by next May. But really, my goal is to just get in shape, great shape in terms of health. The benefits in terms of energy throughout the day, strength in doing household chores (such as replanting our lawn), and general health have been amazing even though I am still a good 85 lbs over weight!!!!!

I can better appreciate the sound advice about exercise now that I have experienced being obese much better than when I worked in the health industry, where feeling "good" was pretty damn routine.

[jdrgator]

So today I completed my 7th week of training in my pursuit of losing about 100 lbs (or more generally, getting lean regardless of how much I weigh). I've lost a solid 17 lbs thus far; down to 290 from 307. My intention is to reach my goals by May 2012 (10 months).

I am training six days a week for about 1hr each day. In two of the weeks I trained only 5 days (though I spent those two days working outside doing manual labor for the entire day; hurricane clean-up and I replanted my lawn).

The official program ends after 10 weeks (after 9 weeks for me since I started a week late), then I will strike out on my own and will restructure my routine somewhat. I've been progressively upping my weights and I am getting stronger so it's working well so far.

Here's a basic run down of what I have been doing:

Tu,Tr, Sa (Group-based lifting and cardio)
Weights: 30 minutes (using dumbells for all except the quads)
3x12 Sets: Pecs/, Lats, Delts, Bicepts, Tricepts, Quads: using the ball, no weights

Cardio: 30 minutes on the Elliptical
Base Height: 20 (max height)
Base Resistance: 7
Base SPM: 110-120
Sprint intervals: Varies depending on the instructor (SPM 200-220 @ resistance 7)
Hill: Varies: Max at resistance 15 thus far
Cool Down: 5 mins

M,W,F (Individual)
Weights: 20-25 minutes
Hammies: 5x10
Abs: 5x10
Calves 5x10

Cardio: 40 minutes on the Elliptical
Base Height: 20 (max height)
Base Resistance: 7 (Strides Per Min: 110-120)
Sprint Intervals: 10 @ 30 secs ea @ 7 resistance from mins 5-19 (SPM 200-220)
Hill Climb: Resistance 10-15 & back to 10 @ mins 20-35 (SPM 100-110)
Cool Down: 5 mins

Stretching: 10 minutes

[Dreamliner]

I would never recommend training six days a week, but if you enjoy this sort of template, and if it helps you to achieve your weight-loss goal (or if you achieve your goal in spite of it) ... who am I to argue ?

[deviation]

I don't know what kind of condition your knees are in or what kind of cardio equipment you have @ your gym but if you are looking to burn more calories the stair master or jogging/running on a treadmill will burn more calories faster than a eliptical would.

Plus the great thing about a stairmaster is that it's just another exercise for your calves and hams. Quads too.

In 15 minutes, i ran at a speed of 10 on a treadmill. It came to be 2 miles, while a friend of mine went at a easy speed of like 60 or so on a stairmaster and he burned just about the same amount of calories as i did. He was doing so much less work.

Wife always does the eliptical and i always burn more calories than her in a shorter time period when i run or get on the stairmaster.

Eliptical is still a great form of cardio especially if you have bad knees. Just thought i would throw my 2 cents out there.

The one eliptical i love most is the free motion one. I guess it's a form of a eliptical. The range of motion is much more. It works your hamstrings so much more.

[Dreamliner]

Nothing burns calories like a calorie deficit. Just saying. :wink:

[jdrgator]

I would never recommend training six days a week, but if you enjoy this sort of template, and if it helps you to achieve your weight-loss goal (or if you achieve your goal in spite of it) ... who am I to argue ?

Let me ask you this before I explain my thinking on it: What would you recommend (generally speaking) given my stated goals?

My thinking on it is that I know how much too push myself, and the first step was obviously just getting back into the gym. But I wanted to make sure that I trained hard to lose fat in a relatively short but reasonable amount of time (100 lbs in 10 months, or something in that general range); not to just maintain. It's one thing if I had never worked out before, but because I was an athlete and worked in the industry for quite awhile, I have a pretty good understanding of what I need to do.

On the other hand, when I start getting to a point where I am much more comfortable with my weight (say around 230), I would drop down to 5 days a week and then eventually to 4 days a week after hitting my goals.

At least that is how I conceived this before I headed back into the gym. When I was in my late 20s and early 30s and in good shape (about 187/9% bf), I did cardio and weight training 3 days a week and one 4th day just cardio, but at the time, I also played in a modified fast-pitch softball all summer and fall and did other things like mountain biking, skiing, racquetball, intramural sports in college etc.... IOW, I was generally much more active.

But now I write/research and teach for a living so if I am not teaching, I am at my computer writing, and that has had a big effect on my weight gain (plus I had completely stopped working out or playing any sports since 2005). So training six days a week has some real psych and energy benefits right now considering that outside the gym, I am still pretty sedentary.

Anyway, your thoughts are always enlightening, dream.

[jdrgator]

I don't know what kind of condition your knees are in or what kind of cardio equipment you have @ your gym but if you are looking to burn more calories the stair master or jogging/running on a treadmill will burn more calories faster than a eliptical would.

Plus the great thing about a stairmaster is that it's just another exercise for your calves and hams. Quads too.

In 15 minutes, i ran at a speed of 10 on a treadmill. It came to be 2 miles, while a friend of mine went at a easy speed of like 60 or so on a stairmaster and he burned just about the same amount of calories as i did. He was doing so much less work.

Wife always does the eliptical and i always burn more calories than her in a shorter time period when i run or get on the stairmaster.

Eliptical is still a great form of cardio especially if you have bad knees. Just thought i would throw my 2 cents out there.

The one eliptical i love most is the free motion one. I guess it's a form of a eliptical. The range of motion is much more. It works your hamstrings so much more.

I don't have bad knees. In fact, given my weight and years of sports, my body has held up pretty well, though I struggled with my lower back issues b/c of my weight....not much anymore, though. But we don't have any stairmasters at this gym, unfortunately. Probably because a large part of the clientele are morbidly obese, geriatric, or have some physical limitations (the gym gets fed clients from many of the doctors in the city who send their patients there).

But I wish they did. I love the stairmaster and it certainly kicks my arse. I was always a fan of the ones with the chains though, not the cables. And I don't like to run, at least not yet. I am still 290 though when I get down some more, I am going to include some running in my weekly routine. In due time I suppose. It's working for me now so I am not so quick to change it up until it's needed.


Nothing burns calories like a calorie deficit. Just saying. :wink:

That is the the first rule of losing weight!

I am keeping my cal intake at about 2k a day, though I drop down to 1.6k once a week (I've done that the last three weeks).

[Dreamliner]

jdr, certainly you know your limitations. Equally important: you know your 'exercise personality.' If you truly enjoy training every day, split routines, isolation movements ... go for it. My perspective is that exercise, especially split routines and isolation movements don't burn very many calories. And certainly my bias is to focus on calorie deficit and just hit the 'sweet spot' on exercise, the minimum effective dosage. But maybe I'm just lazy. :wink:

But if you want to exercise a lot SO AS to GREATLY bolster your calorie deficit, I'd do what I have done in the past, total body workouts 5-6 days a week, maybe alternating strength and cardio emphasis, something like the Monkey Bar Gym template.

Just my two cents.

[deviation]

I just brought up the knees question because usually people that use the elliptical is because they can't use the treadmill. The elliptical is much easier on the knees.

Also you can burn A LOT of calories through out a routine if you keep your rest times low and do everything in either circuit or superset form.

I wore a chest strap and a HR watch one time to track the calories i burned and my heart rate through out my chest & shoulders routine. In that hour of chest and shoulders i burned 650+ calories. Not counting the calories i burned for my cardio afterwards. I put everything in supersets that day.

Leg day, i burn much more. Around 800 and 900 cals.

[jdrgator]

I just brought up the knees question because usually people that use the elliptical is because they can't use the treadmill. The elliptical is much easier on the knees.

Also you can burn A LOT of calories through out a routine if you keep your rest times low and do everything in either circuit or superset form.

I wore a chest strap and a HR watch one time to track the calories i burned and my heart rate through out my chest & shoulders routine. In that hour of chest and shoulders i burned 650+ calories. Not counting the calories i burned for my cardio afterwards. I put everything in supersets that day.

Leg day, i burn much more. Around 800 and 900 cals.

I know exactly what you mean. If done right, you can burn a lot of calories in really only a short period of time. At some point, I will change my training routine to start hitting it even harder. I mean, I am going hard now, but I want to finish this 10-week class that I signed up for (it isn't cheap) and then I'll see after that.

I think I also might invest in a HR watch one of these days...

Thanks for comments, they are helpful! Same to you dreamliner!

[Dreamliner]

I know exactly what you mean. If done right, you can burn a lot of calories in really only a short period of time. At some point, I will change my training routine to start hitting it even harder. I mean, I am going hard now, but I want to finish this 10-week class that I signed up for (it isn't cheap) and then I'll see after that.

I think I also might invest in a HR watch one of these days...

Thanks for comments, they are helpful! Same to you dreamliner!

And jdr, I almost hesitated to comment at all. You're obviously making great progress and that is to be commended!

[jdrgator]

And jdr, I almost hesitated to comment at all. You're obviously making great progress and that is to be commended!

Your comments have a lot of value. I like hearing different approaches since I am trying to remain open to new ways of training. It's easy to get into a routine but they can go very stale, so hearing others opinions, especially those with expertise, is obviously beneficial.

p.s. After eight weeks, I am down to 288.5 from 307.8. Blood Pressure is 110/80. Waiting to receive my results from some other tests but so far, so good!

[Dreamliner]

Fantastic! I wish I had your blood pressure. Mine tends to run high no matter what I eat and no matter how lean I am and no matter how active. Just the hand I was dealt. My sister is 5-2 105, runs marathons, does yoga ... and has to take two BP medications.

[gatorman_07732]

jdr glad to see all is going well and that you are in the zone. I have eclipsed my threshold of 200 lbs and now whittling my way down to 190 lbs. It's been some years since I've been down this low but it's feeling good. Glad I kept those 34 waist jeans.

[jdrgator]

jdr glad to see all is going well and that you are in the zone. I have eclipsed my threshold of 200 lbs and now whittling my way down to 190 lbs. It's been some years since I've been down this low but it's feeling good. Glad I kept those 34 waist jeans.

Awesome gman! I'm sure you are feeling great.

BTW, I am now down to 282.8 lbs (pre meal morning weigh in). Haven't skipped meals, but I have cut back quite a bit, though still remain satiated. Keeping about a 1800-2100 cal regimen.

[gatorman_07732]

Awesome gman! I'm sure you are feeling great.

BTW, I am now down to 282.8 lbs (pre meal morning weigh in). Haven't skipped meals, but I have cut back quite a bit, though still remain satiated. Keeping about a 1800-2100 cal regimen.

Are you doing any bike riding?