If I don't lose weight this winter....

[A_B]

Visons of

 

 

[otisg]

I am in the same boat. The shadow of my ass weighs 40 pounds.............

Which is about 30 more than it should.

[Chef23]

@AB I struggled for a long time to lose weight and I started working with Jenny Labaw on line last winter and having the accountability of filling daily workout and food lags made a big difference for me. I kept 25 lbs off all summer and I am going to work on another 25 this winter.

 

I strongly recommend using a trainer to help out I don't think I could have done it on my own.

[Ed_Obermeier]

Weight loss is 70% "diet" (defined really more accurately as "nutrition"). Meaning what you do and don't eat and when you eat it. They don't teach nutrition in this country so you have to go educate yourself as to what constitutes a proper diet, good food versus bad food etc. You can loose lots of weight just by correcting your nutrition alone but exersize definitely turbo charges it.

 

I lost my weight by basically cutting out the junk carbs, eating several small meals a day versus 2 - 3 large poorly timed meals, make sure I'm getting plenty of protein etc, plus 3 - 4 gym sessions a week. I'm not perfect by any means but definitely much better than I ever used to be. Ditto what @chef23 said about getting a trainer. Not an absolute necessity but definitely a huge leg up if you're serious about your weight and fitness.

[454SS]

Lowered carb and fat intake while keeping protein intake the same or slightly increased, all while eating under your maintenence calorie intake for the day (This is the hard part) will equal weight loss with only slight decreases in muscle loss.

[Razorskier1]

I've never been overweight, so to speak, but I have gone between 210 lbs and 185 lbs within the same ski year multiple times. What's the difference? Well, in the winter I'm in the gym and I train with relatively heavy weights, creating significant growth in lean mass. I also eat more, because to train that hard my body demands calories. Weight goes up. In the spring and summer, I don't go to they gym at all. I just ski. I have never measured it, but I probably cut my calories by 10-20%. I will lose weight and end the season around 190. This season I started the ski year at 195 and ended it at 192. I just decided not to gain so much mass in the winter.

 

Now, all of that being said, I am convinced that your body is a calorie factory, and what you want is to raise your base metabolic rate. Building lean mass does that. I believe that if you focus on building lean mass, however you chose to do it, you will find that you can drop weight more effectively than if you focus solely on running, biking, etc.

[Wish]

@razorskier1 just to be clear ... lean mass=muscle? ..metibilic rate=speed at which the body consumes calories??

[A_B]

Well, I use to weigh 190-195 in summer and maybe go up to 205-210 in winter, very similar to Razor.

I started being a part-time skier and put a few extra on, then 2 summers off, and now 250-260. I like to eat, it isn't beer. Just need to start working out and reduce calories, which for some reason, at 53, I am finding hard to sustain.

[Razorskier1]

@Wish -- yep. Body is just a factory for burning calories. If you can create greater lean mass and increase muscle density, you burn more calories all the time, even when you are sitting typing stuff on BOS.

[Skoot1123]

@454SS - be careful about your statement. A calorie deficiet will make your body go into "80%" mode. In essence it won't work as efficiently because you aren't giving it enough fuel. In fact, if someone is working out they need to EAT MORE. And since muscle burns more calories you will need to eat more to keep your body at is "100%" efficiency status. Eating more protein will actually help you feel full longer, so if you struggle with getting hungry, try upping your protein intake.

[454SS]

@skoot1123 you are partially correct a calorie is a unit of energy therefore if you do not give your body enough energy, calories, then it uses stored energy, fat and muscle, to keep you going. Everyone has a maintenance calorie level, this is the calorie level at which calories in = calories burned, this level is varying and can only be estimated, in order for you to lose weight your calorie intake must be less than your calories burned and vice versa if you want to gain weight. However creating to much of a calorie deficit is not recommended, also working out does increase your calories burned which in turn raises your maintenance calorie level. A general rule of thumb I use is no more than a 400 calorie deficit in either direction of your maintenance level.

[JohnCox]

Skiing was my motivator to lose weight....I learned to eat (I eat 4-5 substantial meals a day....healthy, including carbs with 3-4 of those meals), i weight train (more in winter to allow more time to ski), and I ski. My net loss, including a significant increase in muscle stands close to 80 lbs....water skiing saved my life. ;)

[webbdawg99]

I second what @razorskier1 said. Increased lean muscle increases your BMR. Muscles are hungry for calories while fat is not. And remember this....large biceps won't burn nearly as many calories as large quads and glutes! If you wanna increase your BMR, you must increase muscle mass! The easiest way to increase muscle mass is to build the largest muscles in your body....your legs! I hate doing legs but I remind myself they are my "stay lean" muscles. I'd even argue that leg exercises, especially those like squats that engage your core, are better for your six-pack than crunches ever will be! Also, if you have to choose between resistance training and cardio....go with resistance training. But a healthy balance of both is ideal. And if you hate cardio like I do....try Tabata intervals 2-3 times a week. It's s 4 minute workout! Google it!

[Wish]

I googled it. Looks to be a 16mn workout. I saw 4 separate exercises at 4mn each. Still, that's way better than an 30mn+ run or hrs on the bike. I may give that a try since I hate boring cardio.

[webbdawg99]

The true tabata method is 4 minutes. It's 8 cycles of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. The key is that during the "on"....you need to be at full exertion! Most people sell themselves short in this aspect. When done properly, you'll really be hating life only 2 minutes in. I prefer to do it on a rowing machine. I typically fall off and lay on the gym floor for a few minutes after. It's brutal, but turns your body into a calorie furnace for up to 72 hours after.

[Bulldog]

A true tabata workout will kick your a**. Quick and very painful!!

[Skoot1123]

I can't say enough about P90X. I'm on my third round of P90X classic. I did 2/3's of P90X2 in the spring. The improvements I have seen in not only strength but flexibility and CORE ability are phenominal. I won't claim any athleticism - I just stick with it and have seen gains in athletic ability and coordination. I'll have to look at the tabata method for days I'm in a crunch. (no pun intended)

[Chef23]

The Tabata stuff is brutal. I did a Tabata cycle recently that included three Tabata cycles one of pushups, one of air squats and one holding my chin over a pullup bar. This was after doing some other stuff in my workout but it was a brutal 12 minutes. In the beginning of the pushup sequence I could do 12-13 pushups in 20 seconds by the end I could only do 3-4 before I couldn't do anymore.

[jayski]

There are tons of different workouts to do, they will all work, but the big thing everyone needs to realize is that NUTRITION is the most important factor to getting lean and building muscle, without proper fueling your not going to achieve anything.

 

90+% of the population, even those that workout consume way too many calories and the wrong ones...just because you start or are working out does not mean you need more fuel (calories), choosing the right ratio of fuels (protien/carb/fat) is very individualistic and needs to be tracked, along with caloric expenditure during workouts.

 

The statement that you need to be in a caloric deficit is true and false, the odds are you need to consume less fuel than you currently are if your carrying unwanted BF, you got that way cause you ate too much and the wrong stuff...period, so yes you need to be in a deficit in comparison to your current self, but you need to find the caloric amount of the target weight you want to be @ and tailor it from there...

 

Your body needs Race fuel, not just premium...

[A_B]

I have to laugh, as I read this on my iPhone while I read emails and wait for my Cheeseburger and fries. Hmmmm..... Lifestyle change needed?

[jayski]

@AB that is funny!

[A_B]

I'm pathetic....

[Chef23]

@AB changing my food choices was as hard as doing the workouts but it needs to happen if you are going to lose weight. I needed accountability to someone besides myself to make it happen.

[Bulldog]

Remember EVERYTHING has a "life cost" sometimes the burger and fries work sometimes it does not…. Each thing we eat can help or hurt in so many different ways.