Current Events > Question for guys who's in shape and been in the gym for 2+ years

(+) Yeah! (+)

I desperately need to lose weight before I hit the point of no return. I'm like 6' 275lbs and estimate around 30% body fat, that's 25 lbs from 300. Like wtf. Gotta stop it before it get's worse.

I'm gonna be lifting weights 3 days a week and doing cardio the other 3 days.

How many calories should I strive to burn per cardio session as a complete beginner? I used to aim for 300, but I'm thinking 500 will give best results, It sucks because I'm a noob and get burned out quick. There's also the saying of just eat less and a lot of cardio isn't needed.

Anyway I'm going to the gym tonight after class fellas.

Use a calorie calculator to find your maintenance. My guess would be you're around 3000 and then eat less. Try for like 80% maintenance.

Actually that might be a bit high. I was using my height, age activity level and your weight.

Maybe around 2500 and shoot for 2000
---

ImInTHIS posted...

There's also the saying of just eat less and a lot of cardio isn't needed.

This. Consume less calories, eat healthier. Cut out as much sugar as you can. Doing that alone will drop you down a good chunk. Cardio won't hurt but it's not going to do as much. Burning calories is way harder than consuming them.
---

You need to find a program that is tailored to what you want. This includes nutrition.

Full body HIIT workouts might be something you should look into.

theAteam posted...

ImInTHIS posted...

There's also the saying of just eat less and a lot of cardio isn't needed.

This. Consume less calories, eat healthier. Cut out as much sugar as you can. Doing that alone will drop you down a good chunk. Cardio won't hurt but it's not going to do as much. Burning calories is way harder than consuming them.

This is just weird to me. It's as if i feel the need to do cardio or else I won't lose weight whatsoever.

Right now I'm shooting for 2400 calories.

BalisticWarri0r posted...

You need to find a program that is tailored to what you want. This includes nutrition.

Full body HIIT workouts might be something you should look into.

I'm doing full body workouts. Squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, overhead press, curls, and calf raises.

Well, the best way, if you have some money, hire a coach to design a diet for you and follow your progress (like measuring your body fat % every two weeks or something). This way he can adjust your diet on the go if you're not making progress or if your calories are too low and you're losing muscle mass, etc.

If not, counting calories is a good way but it can get tiresome after a while.
---

BTW, can anyone suggest a good, quick preworkout meal? My workouts suck because i have little to no stamina.

ImInTHIS posted...

BTW, can anyone suggest a good, quick preworkout meal? My workouts suck because i have little to no stamina.

Well if you have little stamina during your workout it probably means more that you need to get in better shape than your pre-workout meal being inadequate IMO

I never used pre-workout meals but the general idea is that if you do you should try carbs before working out and protein after working out.

Try a fruit, like an apple or a banana or something.
---

what i did when i started working out was lift weights, but also begin and end each workout with a walk/jog to warm up/cool down.

the biggest factor in your weight loss is going to be diet, so you need to work on cutting out unhealthy foods (soda, candy, junk food, etc) & portion control (measuring out servings of what you eat, snacking on low cal food like carrots or celery, etc).

besides that, my suggestion for working out is to pick a routine and stick with it, or create one. a lot of people like Starting Strength for lifting and Couch to 5k for running.

When I first started lifting, I was so weak that I was unable to chest press 20lb dumbbells, so I began using the resistance machines and did a 3 day split (chest/triceps, back/biceps, legs/shoulders, with ab workouts mixed in) and I had good progress with this until I was strong enough to tackle free weights and barbells. but YMMV of course
---

frozenshock posted...

ImInTHIS posted...

BTW, can anyone suggest a good, quick preworkout meal? My workouts suck because i have little to no stamina.

Well if you have little stamina during your workout it probably means more that you need to get in better shape than your pre-workout meal being inadequate IMO

I never used pre-workout meals but the general idea is that if you do you should try carbs before working out and protein after working out.

Try a fruit, like an apple or a banana or something.

Yeah I'll do the banana thing. I'll probably still feel sick, but hopefully i'll be used to it in 2-3 weeks.

ImInTHIS posted...

This is just weird to me. It's as if i feel the need to do cardio or else I won't lose weight whatsoever.

It will help you get healthier in general and I would advise doing it. Just know it's not going to be the main contributor to losing weight.
---

Just got back. Did like 45 minutes with ab coster in between.

When do I see the gains?