I've never been thin, and although i've always had muscle, i still don't have a clue what it feels like to be fit. I think people who have previously been fit have an advantage over lifetime fat people like myself. As of now i can only imagian how it feels and i know it's worthwhile, not having to worry about the way the wind pushes your shirt agianst your fat, simple things like that, but i just don't know if i can ever do it. I think this feeling hampers my ability to train cause i find myself thinking "Is it possible?" and i honostly don't know.
What do you think?

I've never been thin, and although i've always had muscle, i still don't have a clue what it feels like to be fit. I think people who have previously been fit have an advantage over lifetime fat people like myself. As of now i can only imagian how it feels and i know it's worthwhile, not having to worry about the way the wind pushes your shirt agianst your fat, simple things like that, but i just don't know if i can ever do it. I think this feeling hampers my ability to train cause i find myself thinking "Is it possible?" and i honostly don't know.
What do you think?
I know what you mean man, I am in the same boat. It is possible, and don't give up. Our bodies may move a little slower, but anatomically and physiologically we are not different from anyone else. We may just need to be a bit more careful about what goes in. Keep your chin up! :nod:

heh, i hope i'm not a little slower than most people. I'm a HUGE guy, i should burn much more than all those little guys. since this summer will be my first official program, we shall see.

I know what you mean there. I'm on the same boat as you are! Even though I've managed to drop some weight and semi-transform my body, I still never felt the feeling of being very lean, or rather, "ripped". But still, I'm not will to give up yet, and one thing I realize is that in order to achieve that kind of leannes, one must have sufficient muscle mass to support a low level of bodyfat. Without muscle, I can't be ripped. (Dunno about other people, but I think this rule applies to most people who where never "previously fit"). But I'll make that as my long term goal, my short term goal is to o another cut. Why? Well let's just say my "bulk" didn't go as plan :o

My boyfriend and I started lifting and dieting at the same time. We are both by no means overweight but felt like we needed to tone up. Well he use to play football for the Auburn Tigers so he, at one point, use to be totally fit. So far it has been much easier for him to lose weight and gain muscle esspecially in his abs, than it has for me. It sucks too! He's also 36 and I am 23 so you would think since I am younger I would be in better shape than him. Who knew??

I felt that same way. I was always semi chubby. Forever my goal was to be in the 180s. I didn't think it was possible for me to have abs showing or be able to run 3 miles at a 7 min pace or see the scale below 170 (unless I came down with some deathly disease).

Let me tell you it is possible. One day at a time.

Don't worry about setting any records for quickest loss, just set a reasonable goal and don't get discouraged. It can be done! John was quite out of shape and definately not fit. Look at him now!

I'm a HUGE guy, i should burn much more than all those little guys. since this summer will be my first official program, we shall see.

One more time, you won't "burn" that much more because you have more fat. You will be helped because of your age, if and only if you cut calories and junk food. You also need to start a weight training program and I hate to say it, some cardio. you need to lose about 22% of present weight is my estimate.

Time to get started. Get equipment and get going. Worthwhile results don't come easy, you have to work for them.

One more time, you won't "burn" that much more because you have more fat. You will be helped because of your age, if and only if you cut calories and junk food. You also need to start a weight training program and I hate to say it, some cardio. you need to lose about 22% of present weight is my estimate.

Time to get started. Get equipment and get going. Worthwhile results don't come easy, you have to work for them.

Um..... i've been on a plan already.... I'm REALLY getting started this summer, but i have been cutting down a lot. I even found that i like whole wheat bread as much as white. As for cardio, that is going to be my main thing this summer, i will be doing SOME weight training, but only to keep what muscle i have.

Um..... i've been on a plan already.... I'm REALLY getting started this summer, but i have been cutting down a lot. I even found that i like whole wheat bread as much as white. As for cardio, that is going to be my main thing this summer, i will be doing SOME weight training, but only to keep what muscle i have.

Do a solid program if you want to keep as much muscle as possible. Of course, you may not care about keeping all your muscle. Some is definitely better than none. That is your choice.

YOu should avoid over analyzing your situation, you might find you will get results faster doing, then thinking about doing. Listen to what others have posted, if you dont work hard and keep focused and or lack the motivation that only you can provide for yourself, you will fail. I never saw much use for people who said they were going to do something, much better to read about somebody actually doing it. So get started. Good luck.

I'm not worried about muscle loss, i use to do nothing but play games and eat, yet i still had all my muscle. I may be wrong, but if i observe muscle loss i will change my plan. I'm going to start on summer for convienience. I know you guys say things like "Well i have a wife 2 kids a job and i have to do (insert), theres no reason YOU can't make time", my problem is not about time, i actually don't know what it's about. Maybe somewhere deep in my mind i WANT to put it off. I think it's just cause i want to go for that "ALL or NOTHING" attitude. School is just too much STRESS, especially with Sols floating around. This summer i will eat, sleep, and breath fat loss. If this makes any sense to you, you have my answer as to why i wait.

I'm not worried about muscle loss, i use to do nothing but play games and eat, yet i still had all my muscle. I may be wrong, but if i observe muscle loss i will change my plan. I'm going to start on summer for convienience. I know you guys say things like "Well i have a wife 2 kids a job and i have to do (insert), theres no reason YOU can't make time", my problem is not about time, i actually don't know what it's about. Maybe somewhere deep in my mind i WANT to put it off. I think it's just cause i want to go for that "ALL or NOTHING" attitude. School is just too much STRESS, especially with Sols floating around. This summer i will eat, sleep, and breath fat loss. If this makes any sense to you, you have my answer as to why i wait.

I agree with all those who said you shuld focus more on weights and cutting out junk calories. Even though you are overweight, you really don't want to get in a situation where your healthy growth is affected (e.g., your max height reduced because of some random, reduced-calorie diet). My youngest brother is your age and is looking and feeling awesome (@ 5'7" / 155). He is naturally muscular and quite lean but the weight training he is doing has made him really impressive. He eats a lot to support his growth but rarely drinks soda and is really smart about food choices. In your case, lifting weights and eating more carefully will certainly be less risky and more likely to give you the results you want: fat loss.

The only drawback is your older sisters might have to beat all the foxy young ladies off with sticks as they try to climb in your bedroom window :spaz:

Haha, i'm confused as to how you knew i have older sisters... but i don't have trouble with the ladies. i have crystal blue eyes that seem to attract them. I have no idea why. This isn't about my personal life, so... like i said, i plan on eating PLENTY of lean proteins, fiber and a little starchy carbs. I'm going to try to cut refined sugar out completely and loosely regulate fruclose(spelling). i am going to be eating around 2500 calories. I dunno if that will be too high, but i'll see. I'm getting pretty annoyed when people say it can stunt my growth. IT CANNOT. I'm eating only a bit less that i was before, maybe even the same, and it's all going to be clean. If anything this will increase my growth. People act like you NEED junk food to grow. I also don't understand why you think i'm not doing weight training, cause i am. I'm just focusing on cardio more because it plays a bigger role in fat loss. I'm going to do everything i can to super-charge my metabolism, cardio and lots of lean protein will get me there, along with my muscles and fiber.

Haha, i'm confused as to how you knew i have older sisters... but i don't have trouble with the ladies. i have crystal blue eyes that seem to attract them. I have no idea why. This isn't about my personal life, so... like i said, i plan on eating PLENTY of lean proteins, fiber and a little starchy carbs. I'm going to try to cut refined sugar out completely and loosely regulate fruclose(spelling). i am going to be eating around 2500 calories. I dunno if that will be too high, but i'll see. I'm getting pretty annoyed when people say it can stunt my growth. IT CANNOT. I'm eating only a bit less that i was before, maybe even the same, and it's all going to be clean. If anything this will increase my growth. People act like you NEED junk food to grow. I also don't understand why you think i'm not doing weight training, cause i am. I'm just focusing on cardio more because it plays a bigger role in fat loss. I'm going to do everything i can to super-charge my metabolism, cardio and lots of lean protein will get me there, along with my muscles and fiber.

Hmmmm. Perhaps I am confusing you with some other young man that posts here. I thought you said you only have a pair of 20 lb dumbells, so I assumed you were not lifting much. And I do recall seeing something about pizza and soda inhalation ;) What I meant in the above post was if you were not eating clean foods and were reducing calories a lot, as many people who are starting out tend to do, you could very well affect your growth. Same if you are doing extreme cardio and not adjusting your diet. If you are not doing those things, then no need to worry about it.

As far as the sisters, let's just say that all women are psychic and leave it at that :p

I am the guy with 20 pound dumbbells, yes, i'm not doing a BUNCH of training as of yet, because they are too light for much else. I DO however, plan to get a barbell, at which point i will preform all the stuff that i really want, and need to do. Like: Standing presses, squats, deadlifts, curls(20 pounds isn't enough), bench press. Those are all i can think of right now, but i probabaly will end up with more.

I'd like to add, as i've said in my thread, "is fat loss suppose to be simple?", it is really simple, is this really all i need to do. Just to follow this plan unfailingly, unless it stops working anyway.
Remember Meals are: Calorie tapering, filled with lean protein and fiber, 6 a day.
Cardio is: 4 days a week(i changed it), 45 min at least, with last bit being HIIT
Weight training is in maintenence form just to keep muscle, not gain, and to speed up my metabolism. It will be something like: 3 days a week
3 sets with 8-12 reps per set.

The most common mistake people make while trying to lose fat is that they care less about their muscle! This is definitely wrong and for one fact, gaining that muscles you've lost is very, very difficult! Tke John for example, when he first cut, although he might have lost some muscles, the muscle loss was kept to a minimum. That's why he was able to be that ripped. Again, the keyword, 'sufficient muscle mass to support low bodyfat'.
If you just focus on losing weight (even though it means sacrificing muscle mass), you'll end up the same person you are now, only a few pounds lighter. I bet that isn't your goal :p
I even found that i like whole wheat bread as much as white.
Well, to tell you the truth, white and whole wheat bread are almost the same, the only difference is that whole wheat has a little bit more fiber. But as far as GI level go, they're both the same :d_eek: For me, bread and cutting don't go along. Try to limit them as much as possible :tu:

uh oh, no turkey sandwich? I can live with that. Just so you know, i am not ignoring my muscles. I am extremely proud of my strength and muscle size. Cause the thing is.... i didn't have to workout at all to get them. Thats why i figure 3 days is enough, because i don't think i'm going to lose much muscle, if any, at all, WITHOUT weight training. I don't mean to sound ignorant, and i'm not trying to inflate my ego or anything, i just have build a lot of confidence, cause that is the number one factor in fat loss. Thats and determination, but confidence fuels determination, so...

uh oh, no turkey sandwich? I can live with that. Just so you know, i am not ignoring my muscles. I am extremely proud of my strength and muscle size. Cause the thing is.... i didn't have to workout at all to get them. Thats why i figure 3 days is enough, because i don't think i'm going to lose much muscle, if any, at all, WITHOUT weight training. I don't mean to sound ignorant, and i'm not trying to inflate my ego or anything, i just have build a lot of confidence, cause that is the number one factor in fat loss. Thats and determination, but confidence fuels determination, so...

And knowledge and determinaton fuel success, so good luck :gl:

Thats why i figure 3 days is enough, because i don't think i'm going to lose much muscle, if any, at all, WITHOUT weight training.

Use them, or lose them!

From what I have seen while lifting muscle loss in slowed, I think this is due to the demand your putting on them.

The body feels it should burn fat instead of muscle because the muscle is needed, the fat is not.

If you reduce the calorie intake, energy has to come from somewhere I'd rather it be fat than muscle.

use them, or lose them?

As i've been trying to say... i've never worked out before and i HAVE them, how can i lose them by working out?

use them, or lose them?

As i've been trying to say... i've never worked out before and i HAVE them, how can i lose them by working out?

Caloric deficit will always lead to some combination of fat and muscle loss. If you are not working the muscles, odds are you will lose a higher percentage of muscle than if you were. You can't lose a lot of weight and have no muscle loss, even if you are a Greek god. But you can minimize it by lifting weights in a consistent and educated way. That is all people are trying to say.

use them, or lose them?

As i've been trying to say... i've never worked out before and i HAVE them, how can i lose them by working out?

You made the statement WITHOUT weight training, I am asuming you think that you can restrict your calories do cardio and keep the muscle??

If you go light on the weight training or just don't do it at all, you will lose muscle. You have them now only because your not, or were not on a calorie restrictive diet. When you restrict calories (energy / fuel) your body looks for other sources. take your pick, fat or muscle?? ;)

Ah, i gotcha. I didn't really understand what you were saying. I will be doing weight training 3 days a week when i get a barbell, for now, i'm stuck with curls and body weight exercises(which are actually pretty good).

You may not gained them by working out, but you can and will lose muscle if you are constantly on a low calorie diet. Put it this way, if you stay on a cutting diet for too long, and keep on dropping calories, even though the muscle loss process can be slowed down by weight training, you'll eventually lose them because of insuficient calories.

By the way, do you plan signing up for a gym? If I may suggest, it would be one of the greatest asset you can invest from today 'till forever! If I didn't joined a gym, I'm sure I'll be as stressed as hell everytime I put on weight, accidentally :lol:

Hey big guy, I hate chiming in, but I have to ask- have you started anything yet? I read your previous posts, and you keep saying you're putting it off, planning for the future, etc. But have you started making those lifestyle changes yet?

Have you started changing your diet and cutting out all junk foods? Processed foods? High fructose corn syrup?

If you're not lifting and doing cardio, are you walking as much as possible, always taking the stairs, doing sit-ups and pushups every day? Have you thought of joining a sport? A club sport? A local group that kicks a ball around for an hour or two?

Have you, dare I ask, started to track your calories? Or at least learned how to read nutrition labels?

It's all well and good to talk to no end about what you're *going* to do, but now that you're learning, put it to good use. Start today by making the changes to your life, so if and when you do start your program, you will be at an advantage.




Ah, i gotcha. I didn't really understand what you were saying. I will be doing weight training 3 days a week when i get a barbell, for now, i'm stuck with curls and body weight exercises(which are actually pretty good).

For me, bread and cutting don't go along. Try to limit them as much as possible

you know, when i decided i was sick and tired of being fat (265 pounds was my wake up call) i didn't care if i lost muscle, i just didn't want to be fat. i would make sandwhiches.. 2 slices of bread = 200 calories, 3-4 slices of certain brands of packaged deli meat = 100 calories, yellow mustard = 0 calories, lettuce = 15 calories. so i'd make a sandwhich that had slightly over 300 calories. i'd eat 3 of those a day (sometimes 2, with some water-downed soup with 200-300 calories) with strictly 1 packet of oatmeal in the morning and a glass of whey and that's all i ate that day out of the 4-5 meals. so i ate like 1200-1500 calories, the same thing, every day for 4 months.

sure i got sick of it, but i didn't want to be fat either, and i was also ruthlessly weight training and doing massive cardio. i lost over 20 pounds a month, but it wasn't healthy to do so. now i'm trying to put back on some of that muscle i lost, and it's hard as hell and slow going.

would i do the same thing again with what i know now? absolutely. i had always been fat and my goal was to not be fat at anymore, whatever the cost (and eventually i paid that cost with my gallbladder).

I was always of the Cardio= Fat loss Opinion, I used to do Cardio until I could do no more, even reading posts about incorporating weights I thought to my self, who cares, I want to lose the fat, once I've done that I'll rebuild the muscle.

But recently I thought I'd try to hit the weights harder and do a little less cardio. IMO this has been more sucessful. I feel better for doing it, being far from ripped my arms are taking some shape and the weight loss is far more consistent. Now all I need to do is to get my diet 100% in check and stop all this months of commitent, then going off the boil, only to start again and keep it all determined. I will suceed.

But back to the point in hand, if you haven't thrown a good weights schedule into your fat loss plan, try it. What have you to lose?

the best way to lose weight is to stop posting on JSF and get your ass moving! :lol: :lol: :lol:

adam

Ah, i gotcha. I didn't really understand what you were saying. I will be doing weight training 3 days a week when i get a barbell, for now, i'm stuck with curls and body weight exercises(which are actually pretty good).

Weight training 3 days a week will be fine. But you best be getting some plates to be put on the barbell if you have the size and strength that you say. The barbell itself is not going to give you any type of workout. You also need to understand this: it doesn't really matter if you're naturally strong. People who are naturally muscular can easily lose significant size on a caloric deficit without weight training. It's a completely different ballgame than maintenance or eating a caloric surplus. But since you WILL be doing weight training, you should be fine. And it is possible to maintain ALL muscle with a proper weights program when cutting. Maybe not for everyone. But certainly for some, and it happens all the time. It is likely for you given your age and that you are at a stage in your life where you're naturally adding muscle even without exercise.

Just so you know, i am not ignoring my muscles. I am extremely proud of my strength and muscle size. I don't mean to sound ignorant, and i'm not trying to inflate my ego or anything, i just have build a lot of confidence, cause that is the number one factor in fat loss.

The number one factor in fat loss is calorie control. When you lose that fat, you might see those muscles you refer to. And a good workout with weights is a good way to test strength. I hope you get started. Summer is short. :cool:

Hey big guy, I hate chiming in, but I have to ask- have you started anything yet? I read your previous posts, and you keep saying you're putting it off, planning for the future, etc. But have you started making those lifestyle changes yet?

Have you started changing your diet and cutting out all junk foods? Processed foods? High fructose corn syrup?

If you're not lifting and doing cardio, are you walking as much as possible, always taking the stairs, doing sit-ups and pushups every day? Have you thought of joining a sport? A club sport? A local group that kicks a ball around for an hour or two?

Have you, dare I ask, started to track your calories? Or at least learned how to read nutrition labels?

It's all well and good to talk to no end about what you're *going* to do, but now that you're learning, put it to good use. Start today by making the changes to your life, so if and when you do start your program, you will be at an advantage.

Yes i have already cut out all trans fats, lowered my processed intake, and i haven't had a chip or soda in around 3 weeks. As i said, i'm waiting for summer simple because it will be easier on my mind, and i also want to be fully concentrated on my fat loss. I'm ITCHING to get started. I have already asked my mom to buy 6 conatiners with 3 slots in them so i can put lean protein the the biggest slot, fiber in one of the others, and starch/fruclose(spelling) in the other slot. This way i can have my meals completely planned out the night before.

Good! My point is that if you start watching your food intake (including portions, food choices, etc) you can start losing fat, with light activity, and start seeing changes now. Start planning your meals NOW, start your food portioning NOW, so that all you have to worry about when summer comes is your exercise. It won't hit you all at once.



Yes i have already cut out all trans fats, lowered my processed intake, and i haven't had a chip or soda in around 3 weeks. As i said, i'm waiting for summer simple because it will be easier on my mind, and i also want to be fully concentrated on my fat loss. I'm ITCHING to get started. I have already asked my mom to buy 6 conatiners with 3 slots in them so i can put lean protein the the biggest slot, fiber in one of the others, and starch/fruclose(spelling) in the other slot. This way i can have my meals completely planned out the night before.