344 Pounds — Official Spokesman of Counting Calories

What to Do at the Gym to Lose Weight

January 27, 2012

During the first six months of my weight loss journey, I lost over 100 pounds by doing nothing but using the elliptical machine. While I wouldn’t have lost weight as quickly, I could’ve stayed home from the gym and still lost a considerable amount of weight.

When giving advice on how to lose weight, I focus a lot more on counting calories instead of burning calories. The reason for that is because weight loss is much more dependent on what we put in our mouths instead of what we do in the gym. We already burn calories every day in our daily lives while we’re working, sleeping, eating, watching television, etc. Everything we do burns calories. Obviously, the gym will help you burn even more calories (creating a larger calorie deficit), but it’s not required.

That’s not to say I don’t highly recommend going to the gym (for both weight loss and a myriad of general health reasons), but it’s not required to lose weight. All that’s needed to lose weight at the end of the day is a calorie deficit.

Basic Requirements at the Gym

I could care less what super fad gimmick exercise routine you do. I just want you to be in the gym four or five days a week for at least 30 minutes a day, ideally 60.

Move your legs a little, try to build up a sweat, those kind of things.

Personally, I do a little bit of cardio every weekday for about 20-30 minutes except for Wednesday. On Wednesday, I’ll do about an hour of cardio. My cardio consists of a combination of the StairMaster, elliptical machine, and CrossTrainer. Honestly, I don’t care what machine or activities you use to do your cardio. It’s up to you!

The only thing required of you when you’re doing cardio is effort.

You can certainly just walk on the treadmill if you like to burn calories and that may be the only thing you’re able to do for a very long time depending on your age and starting weight, but don’t get comfortable. Keep pushing yourself to your limits. There’s no set program or routine I’d recommend, but instead just keep adding resistance.

Ask yourself when you’re doing cardio: is this tough? If you answered no, then crank it up a notch. If you answered yes, keep going at that speed/resistance then change it up when the answer turns into a no. I preach simplicity when it comes to counting calories, so why did you think I’d talk about burning calories any differently?

As far as weight lifting, yes, I recommend it even if you’re trying to lose weight. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t touch a weight until I had lost just about 100 pounds and it’s something I wish I would have done. I’m not the kind of person to have regret, but it is something I recommend for other people to do when they’re first starting out.

Do you have to lift weights to lose weight? Nope, just like you don’t need cardio, but lifting weights does help you lose weight and look great when you finally get to your goal weight in addition to cardio. Both work very well as a package deal.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to do anything in the gym to lose weight. I will never preach complexity. While there are certainly many in-depth discussions that can be had about doing cardio and lifting weights, that’s not my cup of tea. My business is keeping things simple and sustainable for people trying to lose weight in a world where the typical span of a weight loss attempt is 4 days. Complexity (at first) breeds failure.

Don’t make working out in the gym complicated. By just showing up two weeks after you joined means you’re already doing better than tens of millions of Americans.

Keep counting calories, burn calories however you can, and you’ll lose weight.

Body Transformation – Update 154

January 25, 2012

It’s amazing I haven’t let the stress get to me. “Conditions to close” is probably the worst phrase I’ve ever read. With that said, I haven’t skipped the gym, nor have I let my feelings lead me astray to chocolate or other comfort foods. I’m still rockin’ it in the gym and the kitchen as we get ready for the big move on February 17.

I remain a constant fixture, as the things behind me get packed up to go to Goodwill or the new house. In just about three weeks, my wife and I will be homeowners.

Today’s Weight: 198 pounds, –0.2 pounds from last Wednesday (146.2 pounds lost)
Today’s Body Fat Percentage: Coming Feb 22 (first update in the new house)
Average Daily Calories for the Last 7 Days: 2,300
Most Calories in One Meal: Wild Wings on Saturday night (keep reading)
Most Calories Burned in One Session: Probably 600 calories last Wednesday morning on my new cardio day. I did an hour of nothing but the elliptical machine — I kept the workout really simple and difficult by continually adding resistance.
Most Repeated Workout Song: Billy Joel – Piano Man

And before I’m e-mailed two dozen times again like last week about putting a Billy Joel song on my workout playlist: it’s Mr. Joel to you, haters.

This week saw a little bit higher average calorie count due to my wife’s birthday over the weekend. We celebrated over a juicy steak and a baked potato. The night before (Saturday night), my daughter and I had a daddy and daughter date at Wild Wings, my favorite restaurant. Our meal included fried mushrooms for an app and grilled chicken with some spicy cheeses and fajita mix — upscale bar food, if such a thing exists.

I’m such a good date. I paid the bill, too.

Still no soda (50+ days strong) of course, but the calories were a little heavy over the weekend for those two meals. The rest of Saturday and Sunday were good, as were the last five weekdays, and I even snuck in a gym workout on Sunday afternoon.

Going to the gym 5-6 days a week combined with 2,100 calories a day has been working well for months now. I don’t plan on changing that formula anytime soon. On second thought, that’s always been the formula. I’m just actually following the formula now and not going overboard on calories over the weekends like I once did.

I was “going stupid” on the weekends up until last November. When you eat 2,000 calories over five days, then 3,500 the next two, your overall weekly average obviously goes way up. Sure, the work during the five weekdays still count, but your progress is seriously hindered by the gross excess in calories over the weekend.

I’m glad I put that to rest. I’m seeing results in the mirror and losing body fat because of it. I couldn’t be more motivated, even with all of the other craziness in my life.

On the other hand, I’m sure plenty of folks that started losing weight a few weeks ago are getting a little stir crazy and bored right about now. Please accept my apologies that you haven’t lost 50 pounds in three weeks like the ads said. I do have good news, though: you will have nearly reached your goal weight by February if you keep going.

February of 2013. In all seriousness, weight loss is a slow, painful process that lasts years. You need to get out of the short-term mentality and make this part of your life.

Think of it this way: you’re trying to cram counting calories (a square) into your life (a round hole). It’s uncomfortable now, but keep trying to jam that sucker into the hole.

Eventually, that hole will start to chip away and it’ll fit.

Being Scared of Joining and Working Out at the Gym

January 23, 2012

Are you scared of working out at the gym? Do you feel like people are watching you while you’re on the treadmill or that you’re out of your comfort zone?

Yeah, me too.

Most people that join a gym feel like they’re on display. It’s a normal feeling, one I experienced in 2009. It took me at least a few months to feel like I “belonged” to my gym. It’s hard enough trying to get back into burning calories, learning exercises, etc, without feeling like someone is watching and judging you from the squat rack.

Whether someone was actually watching me or not when I first joined my gym was irrelevant — I felt that way. That’s all that was needed to make me nervous.

So, what do you when you’re scared and feel like someone is watching you from the shadows? No, you’re not allowed to leave to never return after two weeks. That’s what other people do, not you. You need to put on a show. Work out as hard as you can. That’s what I did. I put everything into my workouts — still do. I earned their respect, as well as mine more importantly. Act as if — act as if you own the gym and you’ve been doing this for years. Do your workout as hard as you can, don’t stutter or meander or walk aimlessly around the gym for a few minutes between exercises.

Even though you may not be the most graceful or knowledgable at first, there’s no reason you can’t give the same focus and dedication as everyone else in that gym.

No experience required.

As you keep going to the gym and become a regular, you might even start to get compliments. Even though people probably aren’t staring you, they’ll still notice if you’re walking around with 25 or 50 less pounds. Eventually, you’ll start to feel accepted. You’ll see the same faces on a daily basis and they’ll see you. Even if they couldn’t have cared less about you at the beginning, they’ll recognize you, and you’ll feel like you’re part of the gym. You’ll want to keep going back. That’s a good thing.

On the other side of the coin, are you the kind of person who legitimately doesn’t care what people think? Well, you’re in the minority, but that doesn’t change a single thing I recommended. Do it all. None of it’s for their benefit, anyway — it’s for you.

The next time you walk into your gym, act like you pay the electricity bill.

Body Transformation – Update 153

January 18, 2012

I think it’s officially safe to say I’ll never have a can of soda again. And on that note, I only have another thirty days of getting anything to drink from this kitchen.

We’re now within thirty days of closing on our new house.

Today’s Weight: 198.2 pounds – down nothing from last Wednesday, 146 total

Today’s Body Fat Percentage: Still coming.

Average Daily Calories for the Last 7 Days: 2,100

Most Calories in One Meal: Last night. My daughter said she was hungry when I picked up from school yesterday so we headed to Chic-fil-a. I had a few chicken fingers and some waffle fries along with an unsweet tea. All of it probably cost around 700 calories. We rarely eat fast or fried food these days, so it was guiltless.

Most Calories Burned in One Session: Sunday’s afternoon cardio extravaganza. I did an hour on the CrossRamp at level 14 (out of 20) on the highest incline. That stuff ain’t easy. I probably departed with 600 calories during the workout.

Most Repeated Workout Song: Billy Joel – The Downeaster Alexa (yes, Mr. Joel.)

I’ve now gone over 40 days without touching soda or sweet tea.

You don’t have to give either up completely to lose weight, but it certainly helps. Same goes with alcohol. It should go without saying that you have to at least moderate their consumption — they’re all too high in calories to drink all the time. And besides, the less calories you drink the more real food you can actually eat to fill in its place.

I like eating, so that works out well.

Don’t ever feel bad for eating. I know it’s common to try to make yourself feel guilty for eating food of any real subsistence while you’re losing weight, but your body should want to replenish itself after a hard workout or a long day at the office. Just make sure to moderate yourself most of the time and you’ll still lose weight while enjoying food.

Now, it’s time to head to the gym. Afterward, it’ll be time for eggs, bacon, and toast.

How to Get Started Losing Weight

January 16, 2012

This showed up in my Facebook inbox on Friday night:

So I’m not sure how much you remember of me from hs (high school), but I’m pretty much in the same place that you were…I want to get healthy and lose weight, but I have no idea where to start…it’s like one big ugly circle…is there any advice that would make this easier? At least in the beginning?

The ole’ “how do I get started losing weight” question. I get it often. Most aren’t looking for the answer “count calories!,” they’re looking for a quick step by step guide on how to literally get started losing weight. Consider this that very quick guide.

Step One

Realize that counting calories is indeed the best way to lose weight. You get started by losing weight and can continue to do so for a very long time by just eating less of what you’re currently eating every day. Most people can eat around 2,000 calories a day and lose weight for a while, but you’ll have to find the number that is specific to you.

There are things outside of counting calories that come into play down the road, but counting calories and portion control is the foundation for your weight loss and always will be. Counting calories isn’t about eating salads all day, but instead keeping the high in calorie food to a minimum, which oftentimes works out to be the “bad” food.

Step Two

Moderate both counting and burning calories. When you tell yourself you can’t have something, that’s when your body begins to crave it — eventually, you’ll cave, and you’ll cave (binge) hard. Instead of eliminating french fries, soda, ice cream or any other arbitrary food from your diet, moderate its consumption. Leave that kind of food out of the house and only indulge on infrequent occasions.

You don’t get started losing weight by saying goodbye to ice cream. You lose weight by not eating half a pint in front of the television on a Tuesday night.

As far as burning calories, don’t be a gym rat. Unfortunately, you usually see an influx of these guys and gals around early January every year. Most folks new to the game think that the longer you can burn calories the more weight you’ll lose, and that’s of course true, but if you burn out and stop going entirely by February — you’ve failed.

Around an hour a day Monday through Friday — that’s all the gym you need.

Step three

Tell everybody you know that you’re trying to lose weight. Don’t feel shame, but instead feel confident that you will lose weight and it won’t bother you in the slightest when the weight starts coming off. I posted a video of myself online at 344 pounds (which is how this all started) then sent it to friends, family, and the internet.

It was embarrassing at first, but it motivated me to change.

The reason for telling everybody you know is to gather support for your journey. Don’t expect friends and family to change the way they eat or drink as that’s honestly not fair to them, but just set the ground rules and tell them that you mean business about making changes in your life. You might get some naysayers or negative comments, but most folks that you know should support what you’re doing. Telling everybody you know is sort of like a warning shot across the bow.

Whether they like it or not, you’ll be a changed person next time they see you.

← Previous Entries