Disposition

yeah im feeling sorta crazy and want to lose 20 pounds. I weigh 180 right now and want to be 160 and I want to do it in 5 weeks. Its day 2 of my little venture and my routine is...

run 3 miles at the trails in the morning then in the evening do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine then do some ab work for 15 minutes and as many pullups I can do for the day. So im prolly burning around 800 calories a day from cardio

I eat 3 times a day. For breakfast some fruit, for lunch a can of tuna and for dinner a bowl of oatmeal and a little yogurt. I drink a lot of water to suppress appetite

should i plan on this working or should i plan on dying? i guess i should mention ive been into the work out game a very long time and done all kinds stuff to see how well it works with losing/gaining weight and muscle. so i KINDA know what im doing(not really) just wanted some opinions/advice.

eribrav

Well think about it this way.......if you can weigh 20 pounds less in 6 months, and then keep it off for years after wouldn't you be happy? What's the rush to do it so quickly?

There is not an effective way to lose 20 pounds in 5 weeks that will maintain good health and result in keeping the weight off. You're better off taking this as a serious change in lifestyle which you will maintain over many many years. The exercise part you've got right, but that diet is atrocious. There's no way you will stick with that long term, and ultimately you will weigh more than you do now. Try losing 20 pounds over 5 months (that's about a pound a week). Then you will truly lose fat instead of muscle and bone, and you can do it with a diet that's rational and can be maintained long term.

drawerfixer

Honestly, I don't think trying to lose X amount of pounds in X amount of time is the best way to approach the fitness situation.

Is it possible? Yeah. Is it probable? Not really. Is it healthy? Not at all.

If you're looking to lose 20 pounds and truly stay at 160, I would advice for a more long-term, realistic(?) approach. I certainly don't want you to dissuade you from exercising; noble goal, and congrats. However, attempting such a feat in five weeks will likely result in overtraining, burn-out, and malnutrition (not really, but by my sketch estimates, you're taking in >1000 calories a day).

Eat when you're hungry, but eat healthy. Set up a nice, escalating training regimen and stick to it. This goes for both sides of the fence. Overtraining is just as bad as undertraining, IMHO. It definately leads to injuries (ask my hamstring).

Really though, I'm glad you're on the path. I'm also trying to drop 15 or so pounds, but I refuse to undereat, overtrain, step on a scale, or set a 'mission accomplished' date. When I'm happy with my body, I'll know what I need to maintain myself there.

Hopefully, someone who actually knows something can expand, or contradict my points. Best of luck, and remember to have fun. Bah, I thought I was done. You need to have FUN! It just doesn't go well without that element.

hannukah harry

i think with your current plan you will successfully lose 20 lbs of muscle in 5 weeks.

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Cowman

3 times a day eating? and that little food? and pullups and abs every day?

yikes

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Blackthorn

This is a recipe alright. The calorie deficit you are creating combined with over working individual muscle groups will get you somewhere that's for sure. It's likely to be somewhere you don't really want to end up. Lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest than does fat so your objective is a good one. Your proposed method however will leave you burning muscle more quickly than fat since your calorie deficit will leave your body no choice but to turn to it's most ready source of energy to fill that need.

Here's an idea:

1) Eat 5 to 6 six times a day and in each meal include a portion of high quality (i.e. low fat) protien, a portion of good for you complex carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetables, brown rice, etc). Eliminate all crap from your diet (Beer, soda, cheeseburgers, fries ... all GONE). Each portion should be no larger than your fist. Spread these meals out to every 2 to 3 hours.

2) Alternate your training between days of cardio and resistance training (weights)

- on alternate weeks split your workout to allow your target areas to recover so for example:

= Monday and Friday - Upper body resistance
= Wednesday - Lower body resistance
= Tues, Thurs, & Sat - Cardio -- first thing in the morning is good; do this on an empty stomach and wait approximately 1hr after training to eat.

3) Drink lots of water. If you think you drink enough you are wrong. 9 to 10 glasses of water a day. Get used to pissing a lot.

4) Get a good night's sleep. 8hrs. This recovery period is essential for your body to repair the damage you have done to it while training.

5) Make a plan and follow it. Record your daily results. Review areas where you "missed". If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.

10 to 12 weeks later you will enjoy a brand new you that is leaner and more energetic than you've ever been.

For a good deal of information about this approach check this out: Body For Life

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