Okay, so first off, I went through very low motivation the last few months, and I'm looking to get back to reaching my goal of losing weight to get a decent body. And now I've learned that I'm going to Hawaii the first full week of November (for a geology field trip) which will include 1-2 days of free time on the beach.

So, I weigh 169 (this morning) and am 5' 7.5" tall. I did some measurements and with the forearm, wrist, waist, and buttox technique, I came in at ~17% bodyfat.

I'm trying to figure out if it's realistic to lose most of my gut (I figure at least 10 lb is needed) before I leave for Hawaii. Any tips/advice/feasibility/how-to (without the use of a gym, though I do have free-weights I use)? :confused:

Slightly more than a 2 lb loss every week....if you eat right....do lots of cardio....I don't see why not.

10 lbs in 8 weeks is only 1.25lbs per week. very achievable.

10 lbs in 8 weeks is only 1.25lbs per week. very achievable.

Any tips on how? Like, in terms of cardio, would walking an hour a day (2x30 min) briskly work? Need to mix with weights? Etc.?

Any tips on how? Like, in terms of cardio, would walking an hour a day (2x30 min) briskly work? Need to mix with weights? Etc.?

Check out the Cut Diet at www.cutdiet.com - I'm just embarking on this and finding it very good. Comes complete with suggested weight training etc. Although targeted as a 16 week program I'm sure you can take enough away to make some changes over a shorter period.

Couple of more generic suggestions:

1) Switch all drinks to water or unsweatened iced tea. Assuming you currently drink soda, juices, etc...this will be a great start as you may currently be drinking in 1000+ calories a day.

2) If you currently consume any alcohol...don't for the next 8 weeks.

3) Identify several of the "worst" foods you consume on a fairly regular basis. You know the foods I'm talking about :). Potato Chips, Cookies, Ice Cream...whatever they may be. Make a conscious effort to eliminate them from your diet entirely for the next 8 weeks. EVERY time you are about to grab one of these items...eat a piece of fruit instead.

4) If you currently are not doing any cardio exercise (riding a bike, jogging, running, etc)...add 30 minutes a day. If you are currently doing some...double your current amount.

5) Do abs. Will this decrease your "gut"? No. You cannot target particular fat on your body by working out the muscles under that fat. HOWEVER...assuming your abs are currently "out of shape"...getting them tightened up will give you the perception of less of a "gut" by flattening things out under that fat.


10 or so pounds in 8 weeks is definitely doable without going nuts. Even if you don't get exactly 10 off by the time you hit the beach...would you rather be at any future lower weight (whatever it ends up being)...or your current :). That's really what's important. Any headway is better than no headway so stay motivated and you sound like you'll be happier than if you just stay as-is from now till then!!!

Yes if you're consistently serious about it.

Couple of more generic suggestions:

1) Switch all drinks to water or unsweatened iced tea. Assuming you currently drink soda, juices, etc...this will be a great start as you may currently be drinking in 1000+ calories a day.

2) If you currently consume any alcohol...don't for the next 8 weeks.

Don't drink any of that except for around 2-4 cups of orange juice a week and occasionally some skim milk.


3) Identify several of the "worst" foods you consume on a fairly regular basis. You know the foods I'm talking about :). Potato Chips, Cookies, Ice Cream...whatever they may be. Make a conscious effort to eliminate them from your diet entirely for the next 8 weeks. EVERY time you are about to grab one of these items...eat a piece of fruit instead.

Yeah ... I'm trying to break my Doritos addiction (I would get a bag around once a month). I'm trying to eat something before I go grocery shopping so I don't do any of that wretched impulse buying.


4) If you currently are not doing any cardio exercise (riding a bike, jogging, running, etc)...add 30 minutes a day. If you are currently doing some...double your current amount.

I'm trying to go from zero to around 2x ~20-30-min of very fast (4-4.5 mph) walking per day (before breakfast and after dinner). I want to get a bike, but that's not in the budget until around the turn of the year.


5) Do abs. Will this decrease your "gut"? No. You cannot target particular fat on your body by working out the muscles under that fat. HOWEVER...assuming your abs are currently "out of shape"...getting them tightened up will give you the perception of less of a "gut" by flattening things out under that fat.

I unfortunately know you can't target specific areas of fat (which SUCKS). Is there a target amount of crunches, or sets and reps that I should try to work up to that would be good? Or is it just "as many as possible?"


10 or so pounds in 8 weeks is definitely doable without going nuts. Even if you don't get exactly 10 off by the time you hit the beach...would you rather be at any future lower weight (whatever it ends up being)...or your current :). That's really what's important. Any headway is better than no headway so stay motivated and you sound like you'll be happier than if you just stay as-is from now till then!!!

Yes. But, unfortunately, long-term goals had worked for me (Jan. '06 - Aug. '06 when I lost ~17 lbs), but then I got incredibly lazy and though I wanted to drop the weight and get fit, I seemed to completely lack motivation when it came to doing it. :spank:

I'm hoping that a series of short-term goals (like starting with this one) will help do the trick and kick this year-long slump.

astro,


Don't drink any of that except for around 2-4 cups of orange juice a week and occasionally some skim milk
It sounds like you're on the right track then on what you're taking in. The OJ and skim milk are fine...don't worry about them. Those Doritos are another story though...but you knew that :D. I'd still also look for any other really "bad" foods hidden in there...you may find a few others you don't really think about. Most of us have them.

I'm trying to go from zero to around 2x ~20-30-min of very fast (4-4.5 mph) walking per day (before breakfast and after dinner). I want to get a bike, but that's not in the budget until around the turn of the year.

No need for a bike...you can do everything you need cost-free. Each week for the next 8...I would suggest progressively increasing your cardio. Maybe one extra day of walking per week until you get to 6...and then 5 extra minutes on each walk each week after that? Or try to mix in some jogging intervals each day? You still definitely have room to grow here.

Is there a target amount of crunches, or sets and reps that I should try to work up to that would be good? Or is it just "as many as possible?"
I would actually suggest against the "as many as possible?" approach to abs. Remember that they are muscles like all others. You wouldn't do "as many presses as possible"...or "as many squats as possible" every week. Your abs are no different. I would focus on doing GOOD reps over quantity. Try google for some different ab exercises. We call them collectively by a single name...but there are different exercises out there to target the different abs. You should try to incorporate a variety. But again...keep the reps GOOD and allow rest days like you would any other muscle!

I'm hoping that a series of short-term goals (like starting with this one) will help do the trick and kick this year-long slump.
I was definitely not trying to imply that short-term goals are a bad way to go. I actually think they are the most important! However...I DO think that people sometimes get so caught up in whether or not they achieve them to a "T". All I was trying to say was that if you don't get all 10 off...you're still better off than had you not done anything. So don't get discouraged...ANY transformation of your physique between now and then is an accomplishment. Enjoy it! Then when you get back from Hawaii...set a new goal and work toward that one. But again...as long as you make progress...you have something to be proud of!

10 lbs in 8 weeks is only 1.25lbs per week. very achievable.

DUH!

I missed it. My bad.

You can easily do it.

I lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks. Lifting 4 times a week and doing cardio 3 times a week. DIET IS A KEY. You can loose 10lbs just with good diet.

DIET IS A KEY. You can loose 10lbs just with good diet.

While I agree with you here, I honestly don't think that diet is my main problem (more like lack of physical activity). I say this because all the common things people say to cut out (soda, alcohol, chips, cookies, ice cream, etc.) are things I already've cut out (well, mostly cut out chips, but definitely cut them out over the next 2 months).

However, I do think I need to find more things that have more protein and less carbs. I've realized that maybe half of the dinners in my rotation are decent for this purpose. Great ones are:

Blackened chicken - (30:5:66) with 53 gms protein in 1/2-lb serving.
Chicken-Broccoli Stir Fry - (31:15:54) with 58 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.

That's it. Ones that I think are decent are:

Chili - (11:53:36) with 42 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.
Fried Rice - (14:49:37) with 39 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.
Mexican Rice - (9:57:34) with 32 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.
Hamburger Soup - (15:49:36) with 23 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.

And the rest are:

Dumplings - (22:52:26) with 15 gms protein in 4 dumplings.
Mu Shu Chicken - (32:50:18) with 24 gms protein in 2 pancakes with filling.
Baked Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Sausage - (19:52:18) with 18 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.
Balsamic Vinegar Pasta - (25:59:16) with 16 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.
Ho'-Made Pizza - (31:57:12) with 25 gms protein in 2 1/6-pie slices.
Sticky Rice - (17:64:19) with 34 gms protein in an entire recipe (2-4 servings).
Salad - (43:40:17) with 8 gms protein.
Matzo Ball Soup - (52:37:11) with 3 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.
Vegetable Soup with Egg Noodles - (9:78:12) with 6 gms protein in a 1-bowl serving.

I didn't list tuna with miracle whip or the basic pasta with meat sauce because I consider them too boring usually.

Okay, I guess I contradicted myself -- my diet can definitely be improved since I've been making that baked pasta dish like every-other-week 'cause I really like it. So for dinners, I'll probably stick with the "Great" at least once a week and the "Good" as filler, with the occasional salad, etc.

But regardless, I think the bulk of my problem is still that I don't get much exercise (well, except for in the last 3 days).

Trust me.. you can lose weight just by eating very clean.

Your diet is not THAT good.

Dumplings?
Baked Pasta?
Pizza?
Rice?

You list main ingredients, but how about listing stuff that is used with those ingredients? For example, if you use white bread crumbs and white flower to make your chicken, then that's not good.

Also, do you know what your calories intake is? If you eat less calories than you burn per day sitting on your butt on a couch, you still will lose weight. Figure out what your BMR is, then go from there.

Trust me.. you can lose weight just by eating very clean.

Your diet is not THAT good.

Dumplings?
Baked Pasta?
Pizza?
Rice?

You list main ingredients, but how about listing stuff that is used with those ingredients? For example, if you use white bread crumbs and white flower to make your chicken, then that's not good.

Also, do you know what your calories intake is? If you eat less calories than you burn per day sitting on your butt on a couch, you still will lose weight. Figure out what your BMR is, then go from there.


I guess I've advanced this plan so much over the last 5 days that I haven't really updated this thread with specifics. Rather than post duplicate material, I'll refer you to: This thread (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=39174) for more on the specifics, in particular post #4 (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=528771&postcount=4).