To start out, god this is embarrassing, a little over a year ago I was 125 lbs. I got on the scale the other day and I am 210. Since my ex left I've lost 30 lbs problem is, but now I'm stuck in the 210 range. I ride my bike occasionally and walk a lot but I feel like I have no motivation. I'm really depressed and just always want to sleep. I've started a diet trying to go by the high in testosterone foods and started substituting V8, orange juice, and milk instead of drinking soda for the most part but now I want to start a work out routine. I know I'll be getting on insurance in January (I can't put the paperwork in until next month) so in January I'll hopefully get on some meds and start seeing a psychiatrist for T which will get me slightly more motivated. In the meantime I was looking for workout suggestions?

I only have 10 lb and 20 lb weights and a weight bench. Can't afford anything else. Only body part I can't work really hard for long periods of time is my lower back (basically just issues with a lot of bending). I think that is mostly a weight thing because it was not an issue before I gained over 100 lbs.

Orange juice can have just as many calories and just as much sugar as soda. It's not exactly the healthier alternative, neither is milk. I tend to suggest drinking only water and in place of drinking fruit juice that you eat the fruit (ex: eat oranges instead of drinking orange juice).

Thanks Nygeel I wouldn't have even thought to check it to be honest just always thought that it was healthier.

if you want to build bulk. eat foods with protein/ drink drinks with protein in them. you can buy shake mixes that body builders buy too. but those are expensive and don't taste very good.
the work out routine is easy. start with a lower weight, one that you can do reps easily with. do as many as you can, until you can't lift it again. rest for about 15 seconds, then lift again until you can't. it's called muscle failure. it'll build muscle memory and your body with bulk up faster than if you try to lift heavier weights for fewer reps.

losing weight though, you should do more cardio than weight lifting. though you may just want to convert the weight into muscle. but remember that muscle cells weigh more than fat cells do...

Quote from: Alexander on October 09, 2010, 08:07:15 PM
Thanks Nygeel I wouldn't have even thought to check it to be honest just always thought that it was healthier.

That's what the problem is. Depending on the kind of eater you are would determine what way of dieting would work. There's pretty much one way that could work but could also make you a little over obsessed about what you eat. Pretty much go a week and make a journal of what you eat, how many calories, how much salt, fat, sugar, fiber, etc is in what you eat. It'll give you an idea as to where you are currently compared to where you should be.

Tango: Thanks for the advice Any suggestions on specific exercises? I guess I didn't word my first post right. I want to lose the fat, not so much worried about my weight if it is more muscle/less fat.

Nygeel: I think I'm going to try one of the journal logs on an online site. I have one already from high school that I could start over with. Just don't remember which site it was, guess I'll have to hunt it down.

Quote from: Alexander on October 09, 2010, 08:20:48 PM
Tango: Thanks for the advice Any suggestions on specific exercises? I guess I didn't word my first post right. I want to lose the fat, not so much worried about my weight if it is more muscle/less fat.

easy arm curls, bench presses, pull ups, push ups, crunches. as long as you do reps until your muscles fail, or you can't do one more rep. the work out will work. i suggest starting out doing 3 sets. meaning do reps until you fail, wait 15 seconds, then start the second set. after a week, you should start to feel (if not see) the work out taking effect.
cardio works a little differently, you don't need to sprint, but a jog. anything that raises your heart rate, without over working it, will help you shed pounds.

Myfitnesspal.com

It tells how many calories you can eat and still lose weight, and at the same time it makes you keep a log of what you're eating.  I've lost 1.5 lbs since starting using it because I now have a calorie range and it motivates me to get outside and exercise (mostly just walking the dog more--I have to take slow steps because my knees and elbows don't allow for much else right now).

Thanks for the site suggestion Gabriel I'll take a look at it now. I'm sure my pup Luna would love to go for a walk/jog with me each night.

You're welcome!  I'm on there as LGCharlot if you want a buddy to work with on there. =)  I haven't been on in a few days due to some issues (as you've read).  And you'd be amazed how how walking the dog just 30 minutes a day burns in calories.

Looked over this, and while I can't help too much in regard to the dieting (though I have heard a Mediterranean-type diet is awesome for keeping in shape and stuff, and probably for weight-loss as well), I can help with the work-out part.

Check out AskMen.com -- seriously, tons of great info on there in general and, though I've worked out off and on for years now, I learned a lot perusing around on there.

For example, steady-state cardio isn't as effective as high intensity interval training, and you don't have to do it for nearly as long as steady-state cardio either. Crunches and sit-ups aren't the most effective for core strength either, and if you're having problems with your lower-back they can be of detriment there, too. I wanted to mention those specifically because they were mentioned already. Here is a good starting point: http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness/top-10-common-workout-mistakes.html.

If you're really serious about this and willing to do some reading, I would highly recommend starting there and then looking around on that site for a start -- it has all kinds of information, and if you need more info on something there you can always do a search online, too. Above all though: start out slow and build up (i.e. don't overdo it), learn proper technique, and warm-up and stretch.

Of course walking the dog won't help either -- hiking, even if it's not all that intense upon first look, can be a full-body work-out as well if you do it right and is even more fun with a dog.

Actually, AskMen also has a diet and nutrition section you could probably take a look at. Admittedly I haven't browsed that much myself.

Quote from: Noah G. on October 09, 2010, 08:55:22 PM


Of course walking the dog won't help either -- hiking, even if it's not all that intense upon first look, can be a full-body work-out as well if you do it right and is even more fun with a dog.

Only if you have a proper place to hike, and only if the dog likes it. XD My dog can't handle the heat very well (and neither can I--and I can't handle it if it gets too cold because I can't keep heat in easily) and she's allergic to a bunch of stuff so I can't take her hiking (not like my area has any good hiking areas -.-).   >> And that's why I'm a swimmer.  I get a full-body workout with it (whenever I get out there to do it) and it doesn't hurt my joints.

you can also you bodyspace.com for tracking your weight and muscle goals.

I'll look it up and add you Gabriel That is, once I figure out the site lol I didn't even think of swimming.

Noah: Thanks man I'll look at askmen. I'm stuck in middle of a big city with a car (as of yesterday) but no license yet so I can't get anywhere to hike. Honestly I'm not really sure where I could hike if I had a way to get to wherever it was. I used to get a major workout horseback riding but it's too expensive in the city or I'd still be riding. Thanks for mentioning the sit ups and crunches again. On second thought of it I realized your right, I really can't do them right now unless on a soft surface which would be useless.

Mark: thanks for the site suggestion, I'll take a look

  I just remembered swimming.  I haven't been able to swim lately here because I was off of my Prozac which was making me unmotivated, yadda, yadda, yadda (lol).  Though I think I might start again--it's lots of fun, when no one else is in the pool. xD 

And good luck with everything!

LukasGabriel (sorry, not sure which you would prefer it shortened to), that would be a big touché on that first one. I honestly don't know what I would do if I had a dog like yours -- I keep forgetting how fortunate I am with my current dog in regard to health issues (even cancer, given she'll be 7 next year and is part Boxer) and all that jazz. I live "in town" and my favorite hiking spot (dog's too) is just along the river; admittedly part of that is because it's close, but it's a nice hiking spot with enough variation to keep it interesting and still get a good hike out of it -- plus she can cool down by walking in the water (or falling in on occasion).

Swimming definitely is an awesome work-out for the entire body, and easy on the joints as well. Didn't think of it either because I only just recently learned I can, in fact, swim...somewhat at least. Another great full-body work-out, actually, is all-out 4-wheeling -- a day of that and even toes and fingers have been worked out, haha! But, given you're in the city, suppose that would work even less for you, Alex.

Curious, Alex, does your city have a park with walking trails? Maybe you could work with that?

I had found in the past that crunches and sit-ups have more of an effect on an incline bench (those are usually padded) than on a flat surface like the floor or something. But, for the best effect there's other exercises, and ones that are easier on the lower-back as well. I did find the incline bench alleviated some on the back for me, but not a great deal.

Another thought: what about boxing or something?

If there's a Y in your area you could look into whether they offer classes or not. You'd have to do conditioning as well as the boxing itself. Plus, it's mad fun, man.

Lukas or Gabriel or Gabe. ^^   Your choice, I'm not picky.  Your dog sounds really awesome--my dog's a bit small (16 lbs) and very active, but the weather here doesn't agree with her and she's allergic to so many inhalants that I feel bad for her (doesn't stop her in the least because she doesn't realize the reason she gets itchy is because of things in the air).  I'd love it if we had a (safe) river here to go hiking along--I'd definitely do it and I'd take my dog with me because she loves the water, but all of our fresh water is infested with gators and poisonous snakes (gotta love south MS).  And this place is so not dog friendly--we can't even take our dogs to the beach without getting a fine or ticket.

4-wheeling sounds awesome--I'll have to make some buddies here because (despite being in a city) everyone 4-wheels here, so thank you for that advice and I love the advice for the abs.  My dad (who has a horrible back) props his legs up on his bed or the couch and puts a pillow under his butt sometimes so he can do the crunches--which are still a requirement for his PT.

Edit:  And since Noah suggested Boxing, I'm going to throw Tai Chi out there for basic balance and toning. 

Everyone has already made wonderful suggestions so far. Swimming is great and easy on the joints as others have said, but I don't recommend doing it often if you're like me and have chronic ear problems. Alternating between swimming and jogging/running as your stamina builds is another option.

As for the weights situation: have you tried a basic bodyweight routine? The exercises utilize your own body as resistance and they're convenient because you can do them almost anywhere and any time. Push-ups, pull-ups/body rows, squats, etc are good to start. There's also literally a ton of variations you can experiment with in a routine as your strength and stamina improves. BodyWeightCulture has a "20 Level Challenge" and some basic routines you can check out if you are interested. Once you feel your strength increasing, you could add some weights or more leverage to amp up the difficulty. The beauty is you can pretty much do these exercises for free.

There is also a PDF with "The Big 9" bodyweight exercises that can give you an idea of where to start. It even has example routines at the end. http://chrisholden.net/fitness/big9.pdf

All right, I'll go with Gabe.

I say it whenever I can (yes, I'm a very proud owner): she is awesome. Haha, but really, you're dog does sound neat. What breed is she?

Wow, I will say, as far as the likelihood of coming across potentially dangerous animals, Upstate NY does have its advantages. No gators to worry about here, and largely any venomous snakes are few and far between -- I have yet to come across one myself that I'm aware of (but I do keep an ear out just in case). My area's neither here nor there on dog-friendly, but where we go hiking the most isn't within city limits (not even town limits) and no one makes a fuss that my dog is off-leash there.

4-wheeling is definitely awesome: flippin' love it myself. Unfortunately I don't know many people who have them or the land to ride them on, so I only get a chance every once in a while.

You know, Gabe, lately I've been thinking of taking up some kind of martial arts -- not for the cool factor, but for the centering and focusing aspect, as well as what you mentioned. I guess sort of as a manly yoga-substitute? Haha, I think Tai Chi was on the mind, but also Wing Chun -- would you happen to know anything about that? I learned a little Aikido years back and would love to learn more: perhaps I'll broaden that horizon as well.

Nick: awesome suggestions for something that could be done at home, and especially for a way to gradually get into working out (and could be used as things progress as well). That is an area I'm not the most help in as regards working-out since it can be so individual how best to ease into this.