Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with workout and weightloss

Good online workout plans?

internet!Hannah — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:20:09 -0800

I need some recommendations for free online workout programs I can work into my fitness plan! I've let myself go a bit the last year and I'm trying to get myself back in shape. However, I'm horrible at doing things without direction, so I was hoping for some recommendations for good workout plans that I can find online.

Right now I'm working on the 100 pushups program (as well as the 200 situps and 200 squats sister programs) as well as the couch-to-5k plan. These kinds of sites are absolutely perfect for me, all nice and laid out and easy to do without much preparation. Are there any other sites like these I should know about?

I'm mostly interested in finding some sort of mild weight training website, preferably something that could be done with minimal equipment (or, ideally, with a sandbag, since that's what I have on hand currently). I've got some pull-up bars handy, too, and a jumprope. I don't do well in the student gym, though.

For the record, I'm a college-age female, not horribly out of shape though slightly overweight, looking to lose 15 or so pounds and get my sixpack from two years ago back. I don't want to bulk up, though I do want to get toned.

I'd prefer only website recommendations, and free ones since I'm a starving college student, but I'm willing to take alternate suggestions if they are worth it. Thanks in advance!

Shorter and More Often or Longer and Less Often?

scrump — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:17:33 -0800

Personal training: three times a week for 30 minutes, or two times a week for an hour? I'm going to be engaging in 10 weeks of personal training at my gym. I basically have the budget to either go twice a week for an hour each time or three times a week for 30 minutes each time. I'll be working with a trainer who's ACSM-certified and has a bachelor's in exercise physiology.

My end goal is to inculcate the habit of working out/exercising, and achieve some or all of the following:

Weight loss
Being able to do 2 or more bodyweight pullups (I can do 0 now)
Being able to do squats with proper technique
Being able to do pushups with proper technique.

What are the pro/con arguments for 3x/week at 30 minutes versus 2x/week at 1 hour?

Help me build an exercise routine.

so_gracefully — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:22:29 -0800

General advice in the area of finding my exercise/fitness niche? Good, structured DVDs or programs to try? I am a female in my mid-twenties, and I have never been too "sporty" or all that excited about exercising in general. I want to become excited about it, but I have not yet been able to find something that I really like or something that feels like it's working well for me. I also have no idea how to structure it so that I'm doing something that is definitely worthwhile, so I guess that's my main question--what can I add in to create more structure so that it's effective and simple to stick with?

Goals:
- Improve heart health, lose a little bit of weight, feel more connected to my body, strengthen my muscles and make myself less vulnerable to aches/pains in my largely sedentary job.

Limitations:
- Can't afford a gym membership or even yoga classes right now
- Don't really have any equipment, or access to any

Things I already know/like:
- I am working on the nutrition part, and that is going well.
- I like to try to challenge myself a little bit throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of elevators whenever possible, parking at the back of a parking lot to give myself more of a walk, etc.
- I have really loved yoga classes in the past, but the DVDs I currently own are very meditation-focused, and I want something more strength- and challenge-focused.
- I like walking and sometimes hiking; how can I incorporate them in a way that maximizes their benefits?
- I would love to be able to swim, but don't have access to a pool!
- I have been having fun playing Dance Dance Revolution. Dance-focused workout videos make me feel very defeated because I have some problems with coordination.
- I like to follow along with DVDs, and currently I have: some basic yoga videos, some basic pilates, cardio pilates (this is the one I enjoy the most). I am definitely looking for recommendations on good videos that are meant to increase overall strength and encourage weight loss, while being fairly simple and not complicated with a lot of intense dance moves!

How does a 19 year old couch potato lose 50 pounds?

BoldStepDesign — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:07:24 -0800

Ok I’m an overweight college student here. I’m a male coming in at 6’2” weighing 275 pounds. I want to lose 30 in 30. Ideally I want to shed 50 pounds and get down to 225 lbs, which is what I was back in highschool. According to my BMI I need to lose 70-100 pounds.
I’m allergic to all nuts, fish, turkey and oranges.

What I eat:
3 Scrambled eggs; cheese and or Katchup, or 3 Over easy eggs; 2 pieces of toast
Lunch, Sandwich (usually grilled cheese, or ham/turkey sandwich) or soup with pringles chips
Usually Pasta for dinner, maybe a cheese burger, soup or a steak, salad always with ranch, a veggie maybe jello
Two days a week I get anything from pasta, donuts, chocolate, basically leftovers at work
2-5 starbucks style coffee’s a week have cut down sizes to mediums, some times smalls
Fridays:
Friday night’s are Pizza and a bottled soda with friends, I’m not giving that up. Pizza is home made, usually IBC root beer or cream soda. One thing I refuse to give up.

Exercise:
I work out 3 days a week, usually 30 minutes on the treadmill, 2 miles, then some ab/chest workouts
Realizing how badly I do eat. I need to cut out what I eat, or atleast down 50%, increase my work outs.

That being said, to get where I want to be, what would you recommend for me?
I need diet ideas and work out ideas, plans etc...
Any helpful suggestions would be apprenticed!

Help whip my post-obesity body into shape

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:29:31 -0800

I used to be obese. I have lost about 80 pounds out of my goal of 100 lost, and am struggling to lose the rest. My body, even though I am in my mid 20s, is now a complete mess. I am covered in stretch marks from head to toe. I’m hardly exaggerating. They start at my shoulders and don’t let up until my calves. I have big hanging flaps of skin and fat under my arms. Some bits of stretch marks and loose skin on my tummy, hips, thighs, and rear. I look like I had a baby or four. My breasts sag and are also covered in stretch marks. I’m aware that I’ll likely only ever look normal by plastic surgery, but what I am looking for is how to improve my body as much as I can through accessible methods until I can begin to afford surgery (or better, avoid it). I’ve tried searching Google and here, but I can’t seem to find the right information. Lots of questions/background inside. I lost the weight mainly through diet changes and using a food log, along with some walking. I couldn’t afford a gym while losing my weight and even if I could, I was too embarrassed to work out in that condition.

I’ve discovered that I had a pretty hourglass figure hiding under the pounds, but what good does it do me? I honestly was not prepared to look this awful after what was supposed to be the triumph of losing all that weight. I look fine in clothes if I cover everything excluding my forearms and below my knees.

I started getting fat as a kid, and was overweight until college, where I went through severe depression, and gained 45lbs. I eventually recovered. I stepped on a scale one day shocked to see it say almost 220lbs. I’d cry daily. My clothes weren’t fitting anymore. It was then that I decided to overhaul my diet and stop hating myself.

How can I lose this last 20lbs, tighten up as much as possible, and see some progress in my body?

I joined a gym late last year, and went regularly until work and illness knocked me off track, and I’ve been having trouble going regularly ever since. I hate working out. I’d never worked out before last year, aside from P.E. at school.

I am terribly uncoordinated and I’m not sure if I do exercises right. My gym is very cheap – there are no trainers on the floor. I can hire a trainer, which I am considering, but I can only afford one session. Maybe two.

Is there anything I should be asking with regards to finding a trainer who can help my specific case?

What exercises might I try that are geared to a beginner’s level, but will help me drop fat, tone, lengthen, and build muscle? I mainly just go in there, pick a couple machines per session according to muscles worked (usually legs one session, arms next, with abs on both) and top it off with about 30 minutes of cardio.

Any advice on setting up a program? Especially one geared to fat loss and toning for someone like me. Does this look like it might work for me?

How would I adapt it? I see his note on adapting it for women on the bottom, but I actually don’t understand the program (mainly the workouts) to begin with.

I’ve read the Ask posts that deal with loose skin and obesity. I followed links there to programs like Body Fat Guide and on other sites to Joyce Vedral’s program. Both claim they can reduce or eliminate loose skin. Do these work at all? I can’t seem to find reliable reviews. The first claims losing body fat will help.

What’s the most inexpensive, yet accurate way to get body fat measured? Due to my stretched out skin, I don’t think using calipers would work. Or would they? While I’m curious if following the Body Fat Guide program works, I’d like to know this in general, since I didn’t exercise while I lost the weight. I suspect my body fat ratio might be really high.

I have NO muscle tone whatsoever. I am soft and doughy and jiggly all over. When I worked out steadily, I saw no progress at all. Weight didn’t change, no change in the way clothes fit, no muscles seeming to grow or tighten. For someone like me, with this terrible body, is it possible to see progress? If so, when?

They say a person should be able to see progress within a few weeks, but I worked out for about four months with nothing apparent. It’s incredibly discouraging when absolutely nothing changes, especially when the whole process of getting to the gym and working out feels like torture. I just want to know that going through the torture of working out regularly is going to net me visible results. Sure, I care about health benefits of working out, but right now, my idea of progress is visual. I want to be as slim and as tight as I can be until surgery becomes a possibility.

The way I look makes me feel incredibly bad, and it causes some conflict with my S.O. who loves me dearly but is sometimes understandably frustrated by how bad my body is. We both are. I’m young and I want to look and feel normal and even to feel sexy. We both were excited when I decided to lose the weight only for it to turn into this nightmare.

What can I do in the meantime to make this post-obesity body of mine look better? Any tips or personal stories? I just need all the help that I can get right now.

Please don’t tell me that I am not my body. Don’t tell me to focus on the health benefits of having lost the weight/working out. I already know those. I need practical advice on what to do.

Okay, enough rambling. Responses or questions may be sent to formerbiggirl@gmail.com .

Help me find some healthy podcasts

tomcochrane — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:30:15 -0800

[Workout/Weight loss Filter] I'm looking for workout and weight loss podcasts and blogs, and healthy, wheat free recipes (due to a wheat intolerance). Any help? To be specific, they're for a 22 yr old female who is in very good shape. The internet has tons of information for people who are very overweight or who are very unfit, but that's not what I'm looking for.

She's very fit, works out regularly, and is not overweight. She just needs some extra motivation and help to lose a couple of extra pounds and to keep a healthy diet.

One other note: She is also always on the lookout for tasty but healthy recipes (or even meal plans!). However, she cannot eat wheat due to an intolerance. Any tasty, healthy, wheat free recipes would be welcome!

So if anyone knows of any good, motivational workout or weight loss resources, please contribute.

Thanks.

Back to the gym with a bad back

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 20:49:22 -0800

Can anyone offer advice for going back to the gym after a back injury and six months of downtime? I hurt my back at the gym more than six months ago. It turns out I had some long-term damage to three discs in my lower back due to compression, and that contributed to the eventual blowout. There is no rupture, but there is some disc compression.

Unfortunately none of the doctors or therapists I was seeing for a while after I blew my back out speaks any English, and so I have nobody to ask about advice for getting back into shape now that I'm itching to do so. I've gained back a fair bit of weight in the last six months (from my more-or-less optimal weight of about 95kg back up to about 110kg -- I'm not obese, but I am a large lad all 'round), and I want to get back into fighting trim, and strengthen my back and core muscles. I'll be heading back to the gym in a few weeks -- planning for three sessions a week, 90 minutes or so, probably, with some walking/hiking on the weekends.

I had been going to the gym regularly for a couple of years before the injury and had gotten into the best shape of my life, so I'm reasonably familiar with the equipment and gear.

Advice for things to do, and things to avoid, in terms of equipment or exercises, as I get back into it? I'll take all advice with a grain of salt of course, since I know most of you aren't doctors, but will take all advice with thanks.

Working out 40 minutes straight or in four 10 minute segments?

visual mechanic — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 19:26:00 -0800

I use an elliptical trainer for 40 minutes per day. Is there a quantifiable benefit to doing the 40 minutes without a break? I used to tough it out and slog through the 40 minutes straight, and I would never top 700 calories burnt in that time.

Recently, I've been taking a 1 minute break after every 10 minutes and I'm able to burn more calories on the machine (up to 820 lately). Now I know that I'm taking 43 minutes instead of 40 minutes, but while on the machine I feel like I'm working harder.

I prefer taking the breaks. But should I push a little harder and not take them? By the way, my goal is to lose weight and to get in shape.

Help a fat guy come up with a lifestyle solution

grahamux — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 01:00:57 -0800

I'm overweight and I'm pretty damned tired of it (23 years old, about 260ish 6' tall). I've already started modifying my eating habits and now I'm looking for a workout solution. I'm a computer guy, so I spend a -lot- of time sitting during the day (usually night). I know a lot of you work out quite regularly and I would like to know if someone could come up with a basic workout regimen. I live in an apartment complex with a decent gym. I just don't know what days I should walk how far and what machines I should do how many reps of what. Also, I'd like some suggestions as to where I should go after I've been doing this for a while if possible. Apologies in advance if my search-fu is inferior.