Weight Loss Plan to go from 220 to 145

[HornyCollegeGuy]

So Im now a junior in college and I weigh a hefty 220 lbs at 5'7". I can't believe I got up to this weight after being 165 in high school, but after two really rough years and no self control I managed to pack on the pounds. Its just been difficult to kep up with a good diet and exercise plan when preparing for exams and working throughout the school year. I have finally decided to change all that and get to my goal weight of 145 by August of this year. I want to be fit and in shape before entering my senior year of college. My plan is to eat 1500 calories a day and exercise 3 hours a day with two hours of cardio and one hour of weights. I need to cut out sugars, bread, and high fat foods out of my diet. I hope for the sake of my health that I can pull this off.

 

[senorserio]

Good luck! I have been doing cardio (tread mill) for a year now and have dropped about 15 pounds but I am only doing 30 minutes a day. Are you sure 3 hours isn't too much to start off with? Sounds extreme if you have not been working out.

 

[runtothemaxxx]

Hey Collegeguy!

I think it's great that you want to make a change in your health. Having lost 100 pounds, I know exactly what you're going through. Setting goals is the best way to lose weight, but I think you should evaluate the severity of your goals. I think it would be better for you in the long run to set a few smaller, more realistic goals that you can get under your belt. Too many times we set goals too high and when we don't reach them, we end up gaining the weight back. Also, like what Senorserio said, it would be more beneficial if you gradually went into an exercise program (if you try too much too soon, you could end up hurting yourself which would only slow your weight loss process).

I'm so proud of you for wanting to take this step! Deciding to make a change is one of the hardest parts of losing weight, so good job! Good luck... let us know how you're doing!

 

[jockboy01]

I agree with the comments above. It took a few years to get to this weight, and it's going to take a few to get back. There's no way to get back by august. I'd say to start slow and know that it is a long term lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. Shoot to lose 1-2 pounds a week. And that is still quite a bit. But, in a year, you could be back to your base weight at that rate. And don't hurt yourself in the process.

 

[Jonotrek]

jockboy01 is absolutely correct. 1-2 pounds a week is a good number to shoot for. Anything more than that on average is asking for health problems.

There's a good chance that you may lose some 10 to 20 pounds fairly quickly and plateau. The important thing is (a) not to get discouraged and (b) keep up with the plan - don't overwork yourself at that point.

Also, I highly suggest that you don't work out as much as you said you will. Five days a week is enough and no more than 2 hours to start. Your muscles only get bigger when you're healing them during rest and sleep. So if you are exercising them all the time you can never get them bigger - which is the whole idea. The bigger the muscles the more energy your body consumes while at rest.

Your school may have a free nutritionist on staff. See if they do and check them out to help your diet. Remember you aren't dieting... only changing your diet! Eating more often helps so bring food with you (healthy snacks) across campus because many smaller meals throughout the day is better for you since it keeps your metabolism up and your blood sugar levels more even. And finally drink only water! No pop (or soda or whatever you call it in your area). Water should be fine. You *may* consider an electrolytic drink after workouts but remember they have calories and sugars too! So they count to your 1500 calories limit.

Good luck!

 

[gvlatinboi]

I really wish you much luck with that goal, but I'd suggest you adjust how much you want to lose. I think 165 is probably more likely.

Please consult professionals though before you start it. 3 hours a day of exercise has to be monitored if you do it everyday and with that much exercise, 1500 calories might be too little to do it safely.

 

[HornyCollegeGuy]

Day two of weight loss and off to a good start. Limited my calorie intake to 1400 calories and did two hours of cardio today, waiting till the end of the week before I check the scale again. My diet today consisted of oatmill, salad with grilled chicken, yogurt with granola, vegatble soup, and an apple. Thank you all for your comments. I have decided to do two hours instead of three a day. I am also a heavy diet soda drinker, but after reading reports that it actually causes you to gain weight, I have decided to switch to water and green tea. I have also decided to set more realistic goals as suggested by first trying to lose 10 pounds in the next month, but my ultimate goal is still 145, just going to take it one day at a time.

 

[3nipples]

. I need to cut out sugars, bread, and high fat foods out of my diet. I hope for the sake of my health that I can pull this off.

You already have some great advice, but I'd like to add that it's not only sugars you need to cut out, but anything sweet. That includes artificial sweeteners. The point isn't so much the calories - you can account for those in your daily intake - but the insulin reaction of your body.

The other point is to factor in a break. One day a week where you give yourself a treat, where you take a break from exercising.

 

[drhladnjak]

I'll come right out and say it--three hours per day of exercise is too much. It's not that it's inherently dangerous (I'm not qualified to make that judgement). The problem is that it's not sustainable. Losing weight for the long haul requires you to change your lifestyle with regard to exercise and eating forever. It's not a matter of going on a diet and working out like crazy for 6 months or a year then going back to your old habits, but rather finding a diet and exercise regimen that you can stick to for the rest of your life.

Nobody with an interesting social life and a real job (or is a full time student) has enough time to work out 3 hours every day. If you can stick with such a grueling routine for a few months, you'll almost certainly lose weight then gain some (or all) of it back when you fall off the wagon. You'll get sick or get busy with finals or have something else important to do then fall out of your extreme routine and off the wagon.

Making realistic commitments that you can keep for the long haul is the way to go. A sane diet with 3-4 days per week of exercise for about an hour is aggressive but manageable for most people.

 

[versatastic]

Two hours of very light cardio isnt that bad. If it was hard core conditioning two hours would be a bit much unless you're an athlete. If you're on the bike or eliptical at a low or zero setting that would be fine. I think the major problem would be getting bored out of your mind for two hours.

If you have time around your classes, you might want to just take long walks around campus (~2-5 miles over the course of the day), especially if it has some hilly terrain. Walking is great for your vasculature and increasing the basal efficiency of your heart.

As I've said in other threads, I can't stress enough the importance of taking a simple multivitamin at least a few times a week if you're going to restrict your caloric intake and variety of foods that you eat. I wouldn't take other supplements besides that, except for some extra calcium, magnesium, and zinc if you're going to keep up with that much cardio. (You can get the mg and zn from bananas and orange juice if you will allow that in your diet.) Don't take more of the recommended daily values though. Of course you will survive without them, but you'll definitely be better off with them.

Also, I have to agree with the other posters who assert that a gradual shift in your lifestyle is much more important than an exercise binge. As soon as you go back to your old habits or start eating more because you're so hungry all the time, you're just going to pack on the pounds again. You probably won't gain a belly after one big meal, but your body will gradually store as much energy as possible in the form of fat. If you so much as start eating a snickers bar or bag of chips every other day, you'll get fat again in a few weeks.

 

[Wtc50e]

I went from 240 to 191 in 3 months, but bro I am hardcore - i never cheat on my diet and um only go to the gym for an hour a day.

I should really eat more - but I'm almost there.

 

[KaraBulut]

5' 7" and 145 lbs is probably going to be a little too thin unless you are a very small framed guy. Unless you're going for the emo look, you'll probably like the way you look more if you try to build up muscle while you lose the fat.

What you don't want to do is lose muscle mass from the combination of calorie restriction and increased exercise. If you focus solely upon what you see on the scales, you're more likely to lose muscle mass.

In addition to watching your weight, you might want to also get measurements of your biceps, shoulders, chest, waist and thighs. Your goal should be to lose fat from around your waist and butt while you gain muscle in the other areas.

Your weight will decrease as you lose inches of fat in your waist and butt. You want to increase the muscle size everywhere else.

If you want to go all out and be very serious about it, go to a gym and have them measure the fat in several areas of your body. That way you have a starting point for comparison so that you can monitor fat loss and muscle gain.

 

[versatastic]

I agree with Karabulut. I know several people who are 5'8"-6", 145-155 lbs with very diverse body types. They range from emo skinny to muscular and very toned. It definitely depends on the excercises you do. If you do cardio 2 hours a day like a marathon runner, you'll get a very lean an bony figure. If you're lifting weights and doing hard cardio like sprinting up hills, you'll get very muscular with very similar body weight as the former.

When you burn your fat, you lose the mass that the fat took up. If you lift weights concurrently with long cardio sessions then you'll gain muscle mass in parallel with your fat mass loss. Thus, even though your weight decreases, your overall volume doesn't change as much so that you can be 145lbs and still muscular.

 

[Wtc50e]

Yeah but why wouldy ou want to be like 150 at 5'8 isn't that a bit too thin? I mean I guess it's all relative, but I'm talking about just weight without the muscel mass.

 

[3nipples]

^^when he gets close to his goal he'll know if he should stop or continue...