Greetings and Salutations

[snowMan]

Greetings! I ran across this site by accident because of the article on the Legend of Zelda. On a side note, awesome game and awesome article. Let me begin with my story:

I have always struggled with weight and been on the "heavy" side. For several reasons that were both my fault and out of my hands, I ended up gaining a significant amount of weight between 2008 and 2011. In October of 2011, I weighed a solid 332lbs. and felt miserable. I got winded easy, found simple tasks like tying my shoes difficult, hated doing any outside activities, and I couldn't wear any shirts smaller than 3X (and even 3X were starting to get a bit snug). It is actually quite miserable and depressing to weigh more than most analog scales will register (280lbs). I decided something had to be done, so I went on a crash diet that consisted of juice fasting for two weeks. The diet was a "success" and in two weeks I had lost 18lbs.

As I quickly learned, most of this weight was water and probably even muscle that my body had to burn while I starved myself. Not surprisingly, this 18lbs. deficit was quickly gained back and by Thanksgiving, I tipped the scales at 337lbs. I managed to stay at this weight through the holidays, but knew that something had to be done. During December, I began doing serious research into weight loss, weight gain, and how calories are actually used/burned. I decided that I was going to start eating healthier, but also monitor what and how much I ate. I did this for two weeks and discovered that, even in an attempt to eat healthy, I was eating an enormous amount of calories per day. It became obvious to me that trying to eat healthy without a plan would ultimately end in failure, so I needed a plan.

My new diet begin on January 1, 2012. The plan was to maintain a 7,000 calorie per week deficit which would equate to losing roughly 2lbs. per week. To accomplish this, I generated a spreadsheet that calculated my BMR*1.2 (Harris-Benedict Principle) for each week based on my Sunday weight. To aid in this I cut out tons of high-calorie junk food and ate mostly vegetables during the week. On the weekend I would splurge a little and eat out or order a pizza.

In addition to strictly monitoring what I ate, I also begin exercising. Starting out, I would walk the track at a local park. Over time I attempted to jog parts of the track with limited success. Then, one fateful day (about three weeks into my new exercise routine), it rained. I couldn't go to the park in the rain, right? Right. So I missed an exercise day and figured I would just make it up the next day. Sounds like a good plan, I thought anyway. Missing one day made it oh so easy to skip the next day, and the next, and eventually the entire week. When I weighed myself that weekend to re-calculate my BMR, I was somewhat shocked to see that not only did I not lose any weight, but I had actually gained a little. Looking back now I'm quite sure this was just water fluctuation, but it was quite devastating to me at the time. I could no longer skip an entire week of exercising, so to stay motivated I gave myself a deadline by signing up for a 5k run two months down the road.

Having a deadline is an incredible help to keep from getting lazy and skipping workouts. I quickly went from barely being able to jog one lap to jogging multiple laps and eventually jogging the entire 5k (3.1 miles) distance. When race day arrived, I was very proud to finish the race in 37 minutes. To keep from getting lazy, I have continued to set goals like this for myself and have ran multiple 5k races and a 10k race. I am currently training for a 15k in October. As of this morning, I have lost over 100lbs. and currently weigh 221lbs.

This community looks awesome and I am very excited that I found it. From reading (and truly getting lost reading and reading...) the articles here I see that early on I made some classic beginner mistakes in the weight-loss arena. Then I tried to solve my problems by starving myself and overdoing it with cardio. While this got good results, it obviously isn't maintainable long-term. I have made great progress from where I started last year, but also still have a long way to go. Instead of aiming for some imaginary ideal weight, my goal is to be comfortable in my own skin. I plan to accomplish this by staying active and eating healthy. In addition to my running, I plan on beginning weight lifting next week and am also considering trying an all-paleo diet for 30 days.

I look forward to reading and learning more to improve my general health. This site is an excellent resource and I am excited to be here.

[rtalencar]

Welcome. You've made great progress already and I wish you the best of luck and even greater success going forward.

What type of weight lifting program are you looking at?

[snowMan]

Welcome. You've made great progress already and I wish you the best of luck and even greater success going forward.

What type of weight lifting program are you looking at?

Thank you for the warm welcome. Right now I am considering a routine that incorporates barbell and dumbell exercises Monday/Wednesday/Friday and then running intervals on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday with Sunday being my rest day.

Barbell/dumbell exercises I would like to perform: dead lift, bench press, squat, overhead press, chest press, curl, hammer curl, bent-over rows. I will probably start out easy with fairly light weights and build up so I don't push too hard. Do you have any suggestions for me?

I have never been able to do 1 pull up or chin up. As I get stronger, I would like to eventually be able to perform at least 1 of each.

[rtalencar]

Thank you for the warm welcome. Right now I am considering a routine that incorporates barbell and dumbell exercises Monday/Wednesday/Friday and then running intervals on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday with Sunday being my rest day.

Barbell/dumbell exercises I would like to perform: dead lift, bench press, squat, overhead press, chest press, curl, hammer curl, bent-over rows. I will probably start out easy with fairly light weights and build up so I don't push too hard. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Well you just opened up a HUGE can of worms...as I love talking lifting. So in advance of such extreme boredom that causes you to claw your own eyes out Event Horizon style, I apologize:

There's a bunch of ways you can go with this. Two start I'll say that two fantastic references for you can (and should) be Starting Strength by Rippetoe and the StrongLifts 5x5 website. Rip is really technical with his explanations and his book can be pretty damn dense, but if you can incorporate his ideas into your lifts it's well worth the time. StrongLifts is a fantastic beginner routine. There's some pretty good information on the site regarding form, and the program has a lot of merit. The best part about it is that it gives a complete breakdown on progression and deloads and the whole nine. I had a lot of early success with this program, and I'm sure you would too.

I no longer do stronglifts because, honestly, I got bored with it. While I was working hard, I never really felt like I had an epic workout, which is something I really missed from previous workout programs I used to follow. I also missed some of the more targeted muscle exercises. Doing a full body routine with compound exercises has a lot of merit, and those exercises should be the meat of any good training regime, but I missed the little exercises and wanted to do them again. What I've done more recently is take my interpretation of Paul Carter's Lift-Run-Bang template (it's in his book, but assuming you don't want to drop money on a book by some guy you may never have heard of, search 'Getting Jacked' at lift-run-bang and read the 7 part series). The specific workout I'll be doing, along with my goals, can be found here

With respect to the exercises you have chosen: Deads, bench, ohp, squats, and rows are solid choices. You're doing two types of curls though and no tricep exercises. Also chest press seems a bit misplaced since you're already doing bench. I'd honestly suggest some kind of pulldown exercise to balance you out (bench and rows are opposites, ohp and say lat pulldown would be opposites too). Also including some bodyweight exercises might be something you want to consider as well. Do you have any specific goals for lifting beyond that generic 'get stronger and get in better shape'? Honing in on what you want can go a long way towards customizing a better program for you to follow.

Hope that helps.

[snowMan]

Well you just opened up a HUGE can of worms...as I love talking lifting. So in advance of such extreme boredom that causes you to claw your own eyes out Event Horizon style, I apologize:

No apology necessary, I am excited to learn as much as I can so talk about lifts all you want!

With respect to the exercises you have chosen: Deads, bench, ohp, squats, and rows are solid choices. You're doing two types of curls though and no tricep exercises. Also chest press seems a bit misplaced since you're already doing bench. I'd honestly suggest some kind of pulldown exercise to balance you out (bench and rows are opposites, ohp and say lat pulldown would be opposites too). Also including some bodyweight exercises might be something you want to consider as well.

I appreciate the input and would like to "balance" my workout plan. Based on your suggestion, I will drop the chest press and add a pulldown exercise. I may add bodyweight rows. What would you recommend for triceps exercises? Would overhead triceps extensions or triceps kickbacks be enough to balance out the curling?

Do you have any specific goals for lifting beyond that generic 'get stronger and get in better shape'? Honing in on what you want can go a long way towards customizing a better program for you to follow.

At this point I want to get in better overall shape before setting any goals. I need to ponder what "better overall shape" really means to me, in a measurable sense, so I can use that definition to set a goal to train for. I'll get back with you on that.

[rtalencar]

I appreciate the input and would like to "balance" my workout plan. Based on your suggestion, I will drop the chest press and add a pulldown exercise. I may add bodyweight rows. What would you recommend for triceps exercises? Would overhead triceps extensions or triceps kickbacks be enough to balance out the curling?

I'd just pick the one you like best. The ones you listed are fine, as are pull-aparts, pushdowns, skullcrushers, etc. EDIT: almost forgot, bodyweight rows are very good for you, but that's a horizontal pull which you theoretically should be hitting with the bent over rows. You may want to try to stay with a vertical pull like lat pulldowns or chins (if you can do those) or something. Just a thought.

At this point I want to get in better overall shape before setting any goals. I need to ponder what "better overall shape" really means to me, in a measurable sense, so I can use that definition to set a goal to train for. I'll get back with you on that.

Looking forward to hearing about this. It doesn't have to be complicated either. Take the stuff you're doing and figure out where you're at, then pick a number that's better and shoot for it. It's not the most accurate of plans, but at least it gives you an initial goal while you're fine tuning your program. Good luck

[snowMan]

Looking forward to hearing about this. It doesn't have to be complicated either. Take the stuff you're doing and figure out where you're at, then pick a number that's better and shoot for it. It's not the most accurate of plans, but at least it gives you an initial goal while you're fine tuning your program. Good luck

Initial "light" goals:

• Complete 30 days of a full-paleo diet
  
• Bench-press 100 lbs.
  
• Squat 120 lbs.
  
• Deadlift 160lbs.
  
• Perform 1 pullup/chinup
  
• Run a 7-minute mile
  

[CyningaDena]

Welcome to NF! I'm totally impressed with your story so far and the goals you've set. You've done some awesome work already. It's good to hear that you're holding yourself accountable, but I hope you're also rewarding yourself for your accomplishments, because that's pretty darn inspiring! Looking forward to hearing how your goals progress.

[rtalencar]

Initial "light" goals:

• Complete 30 days of a full-paleo diet
  
• Bench-press 100 lbs.
  
• Squat 120 lbs.
  
• Deadlift 160lbs.
  
• Perform 1 pullup/chinup
  
• Run a 7-minute mile
  

Good luck!

[snowMan]

Good luck!

Today is day one of my full-paleo diet and the beginning of my workout routine. Wish me luck!

[Morrigainz]

Hey I just saw this thread - welcome! Rtalencar gave you some great advice with the lifting. One thing I would say: until you're in awesome shape, I would focus mostly on the big lifts: DLs, press, squat, etc. These are full-body compound movements that work several muscles at once. Things like curls and triceps extensions/kickbacks really only work the one area. TBH, I've seen more definition in my tris from my OHP/BP work than I ever did while doing extensions/kickbacks. If you really want to do it, go ahead, but don't sacrifice your big lifts for the small ones. I also found triceps work to be hard on my elbows.

Anyway...good luck to you and congratulations on your success so far. I can't wait to see your progress!