A month so far... now some confusion

[SafUK]

Hi all, Just joined.

Im Saf, 30yr old Male, 6ft and weighed 280lbs 1 month ago. Yes im a big'un!!

 

I joined this forum as i wanted to speak to people who have gone through the phase that im in right now. That is, one of complete confusion after a month or so of regular workouts and a healthy diet.

 

I have never been an active person, always lazy.

About a year ago i started Gracie Jiu Jitsu, a friend introduced me to it and i liked it so was plodding along at 2 sessions a week.

It was going well until i hurt my ankle and couldnt walk on it properly. It put me out of training for 3 months and laziness kept me out for a further 3. So i was out for a total of 6 months. I recently got back into the flow of it again but since 1st march i have finally got my a$$ into gear and decided to do something about my weight.

 

-I am now eating very healthy, smaller portions but more frequent, mostly fruits.

-Training Jiu Jitsu 3 times a week.

-Walking twice a week during lunch hours at work (approx 2.5 miles each time)

-Doing 2 sessions TonyHorton 10 minute trainer every evening (20 mins)

-and doing extra sit ups and pushups each night.

 

That is ALOT of activity compared to what i was doing 2 months ago. 

Im feeling really good, lost 11lbs in 6 weeks, but am i doing too much too soon? will i burn myself out

 

But now the confusion has kicked in:

-I try to eat alot of fruit, bananas bieng my fav but recently read an article that they are very fattening and contain too much sugar, could the bananas be slowing my weight loss down? should i stop eating them?

 

Also i am looking to buy some protein powder to have a shake after training for muscle repair. But there are so many on the market, Pure protein, Impact protein, Whey protein, Impact Whey, Casein Protein Etc etc.

What the heck do i go for and which would benefit me the most? i dont want bulk or size. im trying to lose fat but retain my muscles, i dont want to be weak when ive hit my target weight. 

 

All i want is to get the required daily amount of protein in my body to repair my muscles after some jiu jitsu and intense cardio.

 

Its confusing.

 

Any advice from you fitness guru's will be appreciated.

[sumdawgtwigg]

I would just say watch how you are feeling. If you start getting bored then slow down or change up your routine. 

 

 I go with muscle milk. Whatever you decide on just make sure it's not packed with all kinds of unnecessary stuff. A friend of mine was taking creatine without reading what was in his protein mix. Turns out it had creatine in it as well and he was doing a huge overload on the stuff. So, if you do want that stuff, just make sure to read the labels. I can't help you much with actual amounts of everything you need to just maintain, math isn't my thing lol. Someone else here will surely help you with all that though. 

 

Anyway, just a little friendly advice, welcome aboard! Great job so far! 

[Morrigainz]

Why fruit? Why not veggies? Fruit is good for you, to a point, but it does have a lot of sugar (less so if you eat things like berries). Generally I try to eat more vegetables than fruit.

 

As far as protein goes, I would stay away from protein shakes unless you're having trouble getting your recommended amount. It's always better to get your protein from real sources than manufactured ones. So - meat, cheese, eggs, etc.

 

And re: doing too much, only you can say. If you feel good, then keep doing it...if you feel tired, take a day off. As long as you are doing something, that's awesome.

 

Congrats on your weight loss so far!

[SafUK]

Cheers for the replies guys. I do feel good and starting to feel the advantages now.

 

 

@sumdawgtwigg - Very good advice, i shall be checking labels before i buy any, but looks like ill most probs leave it and get my protein from real sources.

 

 

@MirGSS - I do eat some veg at home, when its cooked, i.e boiled or steamed with some grilled chicken or something but

how can i eat veg during the day, aside from carrot sticks, what else could i snack on?

 

 

Alot of people are telling me to do heavy weights alongside my cardio and martial arts but my plan was to lose more fat and when im nearer to my ideal weight then ill start on some weights. Am i wrong or are they?

[Morrigainz]

Veggies are hard for me too. I'm not sure what your during-the-day situation is, but I've started buying those bags of frozen veggies that you can throw in the microwave, and having those for lunch. Or, I made some spinach the other night at home and brought it in with me. You could also make squash or sweet potatoes - the potatoes are super easy - just pop them in the microwave for 5 mins. The squash you can prepare at home and bring to work.

 

But, having said all that, I still struggle with veggies

 

As for your programming, it's your body. You do what feels right to you. If it's not working, change it up. One thing I would say, as a bigger person, you probably don't need to be doing heavy squats. You've got enough weight that bodyweight squats would be plenty. That being said, weight training may help you. In addition, strength training will help prevent muscle loss, which is inevitable when you lose weight (hard to lose 100% fat). Muscle is also metabolically more active than fat, meaning that it burns more calories. Some people have dismissed this as inconsequential. I do not know; I am not an expert on this kind of stuff.

 

But if it makes you happier to continue the way you are, and then to start weights maybe when what you're doing stops working as well....then do that. If you're not happy with your program, you're not going to continue it.

 

Make sense?

[sumdawgtwigg]

@sumdawgtwigg - Very good advice, i shall be checking labels before i buy any, but looks like ill most probs leave it and get my protein from real sources.

Good man! I use mine very little. It's good for days you just can't seem to get all that food down. 

[SafUK]

Veggies are hard for me too. I'm not sure what your during-the-day situation is, but I've started buying those bags of frozen veggies that you can throw in the microwave, and having those for lunch. Or, I made some spinach the other night at home and brought it in with me. You could also make squash or sweet potatoes - the potatoes are super easy - just pop them in the microwave for 5 mins. The squash you can prepare at home and bring to work.

 

But, having said all that, I still struggle with veggies

 

As for your programming, it's your body. You do what feels right to you. If it's not working, change it up. One thing I would say, as a bigger person, you probably don't need to be doing heavy squats. You've got enough weight that bodyweight squats would be plenty. That being said, weight training may help you. In addition, strength training will help prevent muscle loss, which is inevitable when you lose weight (hard to lose 100% fat). Muscle is also metabolically more active than fat, meaning that it burns more calories. Some people have dismissed this as inconsequential. I do not know; I am not an expert on this kind of stuff.

 

But if it makes you happier to continue the way you are, and then to start weights maybe when what you're doing stops working as well....then do that. If you're not happy with your program, you're not going to continue it.

 

Make sense?

 

 

Makes perfect sense. Its just when ur new to working out, everyone arround you becomes an expert in fitness all of a sudden and there is so much conflicting information flying about its hard to know if you are following the correct advice and not some dude who does his fitness on COD or WoW. lol.

Thankfully i have a good friend who is good at this fitness stuff and he has been pivotal in me getting to where i am so far.

 

One guy said i should lose it slowly or i could end up with 'flaps'  of skin and then my man b00bs will look like the flippers on a penguin.!!

 

I do think my current schedule is working but not as fast as i want it to, i know i have to increase intensity levels in stages and so hopefully will do more when my body can handle it, then maybe more will start to drop off me too.

 

I will google some upper body workouts with resistance bands as i dont have any weights at home. Will resistance band strength training be enough for now?

[Teros]

just two quick things.  quick results don't = permanent results.  slow and steady wins the race.  also, there's gonna be tons of information on all of this stuff and a lot of it conflicts with itself.  just keep it simple.  I used to read hundreds of sources and end up a few hours later frustrated and confused and not want to even bother.  http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/10/13/simplify/