Weight Loss

[Muzza_77 0]

hey, I have 6 weeks left in my holidays. In those six weeks I want to loose a bit of the fat that I have. I plan to do this by eating a little better and just training hard over those weeks. I currently way 156lb. How many hours a day should I train? would 1.5 hours of vigorous activity do it? help me please I want to do this the right way.

Also, my main thing is not to actually loose weight for the fun of it. It is to improve at hockey. If this is the wrong method then please slam me once, then move on and tell me what to do. Amongst this I am practiceing my butt of so I haven't gone wrong there.

thanks

Muzza

[biff44 0]

Are you a girl or boy? 156 for a guy is too little, and you should put on the feedbag!

There are many theories about dieting, but the ones that seem the most true are the ones that say our bodies had been designed to live off of the land--hunting down the odd critter, foraging for berries and nuts, etc. There were NO obese cavemen! So, you want to feed your body what it was designed to eat. That means avoid heavily processed food, like sugar, candy, cakes, pies, icecream, white bread, anything with high fructorse corn syrup, etc.

To convert your existing fat into muscle, there are two schools of though.

1) Start doing some aerobic exercise, and get your heart rate into the "fat burning zone", which is somewhere in the 120 to 140 beats per minute, range, and keep it there for the next 45 minutes. It could be running, rowing, exercycling, etc. The key is to keep the heart rate up the whole time.

Exercycling like this does help your hockey, in that it builds your endurance, and you are able to still put out at the end of a tough game if you train your body this way. The key is to not overdo it during the season, or else there will be nothing left in the tank for gametime.

2) Increase your body metabolism, then sit back and let nature do the rest. Your body is composed of fat, muscle, bone. It is the muscle that actually burns energy. Even when you are sitting watching TV, your muscle is buring energy. Increase the muscle mass, and your body will have a higher resting metabolism, so you will burn off calories quicker. If you combine that with not pigging out, you will burn off the fat.

Weight lifting is a good one, especially lifting to increase muscle mass (lower reps/higher weight).

[Trooper 8]

Weight lifting is a good one, especially lifting to increase muscle mass (lower reps/higher weight).

Lifting to increase mass (hypertrophy) is done by high reps/lower weight. This is why a bodybuilder's sets will consist of reps in the higher ranges while powerlifters will perform sets of 1-5 in their main exercises.

But in the end, muscle mass will burn fat, even at rest, while aerobic activity only contributes during the activity.

[sdcopp 1]

ok first off, do you want to lose fat or weight? At only 156, I'd think you'd want to beef up, but losing fat is no problem for that goal. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you could lose the fat and actually gain weight. Take a look at what your caloric intake is and adjust accordingly. Eliminate as many sweets and fats from your diet, moderate the carbs and up the protein and fiber. Balance your workouts with both cardio and weights, minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic workout in your target heartrate area to be effective. Usually an hour workout a few times a week can be plenty.

I lost 45 pounds earlier this year since all I did was eat things like tuna sandwiches on wheat (fiber and protein), cut my junk food and went to the gym 2-4 times a week on the every other day type of schedule, all while adjusting how many calories I was eating regardless of how well I was following my dietary changes. I had my days too where it was junk from the vending machines at work all day because I was so busy at work, but I kept an eye on how many calories and kept dropping my flab til I got down to around 205 again.

[hockeydoc 0]

Weight lifting is a good one, especially lifting to increase muscle mass (lower reps/higher weight).

Lifting to increase mass (hypertrophy) is done by high reps/lower weight. This is why a bodybuilder's sets will consist of reps in the higher ranges while powerlifters will perform sets of 1-5 in their main exercises.

But in the end, muscle mass will burn fat, even at rest, while aerobic activity only contributes during the activity.

Not really. High weight w/ low reps increases mass (muscle), increased mass increases strength. I.E. more muscle, more strength...

High reps @ lower weight increases tone (burns fat), for a more cut figure as with body builders. I.E. more of a cardio, heart rate raising work out to increase muscle tone. Lower weight w/ more reps also allows for better form w/ increased extention on lifts to lengthen muscle for more symmetry.

Also higher weight w/ less reps increasing muscle mass will significantly increase body weight. So if only loosing weight is the goal this would be counter productive. However, at 156lbs I would think weight should not be your focus, but health.

Start by increasing muscle mass. This will not only make you stronger, but will increase metabolism significantly, thereby helping your body make more efficient use af the calories you are ingesting. Keep your intake (calories)about the same, as long as it is balanced/healthy. Point being that the typical effect of increasing muscle mass is to increase caloric intake due to the bodies craving more fuel to compensate for the increased physical output. Fight that urge as you increase your caloric burn, and you will get the best effect of both sides. Increased strength/lower bodyfat, and very quickly your body will adjust and give you an increase in energy as well. Be less focused on the scale, as you may go up in weight, depending on you build.

just my 2 cents...but factual! ;)

[LegoDoom 0]

How old are you? There is a diet where you can lose .5 to1% of your body fat per week, but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. And for those people who are saying he should bulk up, the diet helps you burn fat and gain muscle, not lose weight.

And while training is definitely important, I wouldn't recommend over an hour of lifting followed by a moderate cardio program. Although if you don't plan on bulking up, I'd back off some of the weights and increase some of the cardio. I think what you eat is more important than over training.

[SB39 2]

First off, when you build muscle you also add fat 99% of the time; just the way the body works. Try one of the methods outlined in these articles:

http://home.hia.no/%7Estephens/interval.htm

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=251run2

http://cbass.com/Sprintendurance.htm

http://www.cyclecambridge.com/Smith-HIIT.pdf

Long story short, forgo the longer, slower runs for high intensity. You can accomplish a lot in just 6 weeks if you do it right. Rest well

[Trooper 8]

Weight lifting is a good one, especially lifting to increase muscle mass (lower reps/higher weight).

Lifting to increase mass (hypertrophy) is done by high reps/lower weight. This is why a bodybuilder's sets will consist of reps in the higher ranges while powerlifters will perform sets of 1-5 in their main exercises.

But in the end, muscle mass will burn fat, even at rest, while aerobic activity only contributes during the activity.

Not really. High weight w/ low reps increases mass (muscle), increased mass increases strength. I.E. more muscle, more strength...

High reps @ lower weight increases tone (burns fat), for a more cut figure as with body builders. I.E. more of a cardio, heart rate raising work out to increase muscle tone. Lower weight w/ more reps also allows for better form w/ increased extention on lifts to lengthen muscle for more symmetry.

Also higher weight w/ less reps increasing muscle mass will significantly increase body weight. So if only loosing weight is the goal this would be counter productive. However, at 156lbs I would think weight should not be your focus, but health.

Start by increasing muscle mass. This will not only make you stronger, but will increase metabolism significantly, thereby helping your body make more efficient use af the calories you are ingesting. Keep your intake (calories)about the same, as long as it is balanced/healthy. Point being that the typical effect of increasing muscle mass is to increase caloric intake due to the bodies craving more fuel to compensate for the increased physical output. Fight that urge as you increase your caloric burn, and you will get the best effect of both sides. Increased strength/lower bodyfat, and very quickly your body will adjust and give you an increase in energy as well. Be less focused on the scale, as you may go up in weight, depending on you build.

just my 2 cents...but factual! ;)

Sorry, but all programs designed to build mass are based on the repetition method. These are the rep ranges that build mass. Please refer to Zatsiorski's The Science and Practice of Strength Training for more detail. Bodybuilders get cut only in the couple weeks before competition or a photo shoot, they do not look like that year round.

Examine Joe DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards program. The change he makes to the Westside template is adding a high rep day to add mass to the athlete.

[UMWhockey 0]

if you are looking to loose weight for hockey, try spinning classes at your local gym. I did a whole summer of those classes and lost at least 15 lbs. A lot of pro teams have their players do these classes in training camp. Works on leg endurance, strength, and also burns about 700 calories in the 45 min to an hour workout.

[Muzza_77 0]

Thanks everyone for the great replies!

1. I am a guy.

2. I am 15

3. Sorry, I forgot to tell you this. I play inline, so needing to increase muscle is important but not as important as if I was playing ice. I will work on my muscle though.

4. Sorry for the confusion. I shouldn't have made the title "weight loss". I want to loose fat. I don't mind whether I gain weight, I would actually like to gain weight

Thanks

[SB39 2]

What are your numbers:

Height?

Weight?

Bodyfat%?

Lego- if youre talking about the anabolic diet, I've read amazing things about it too, but it requires a lot of discipline.

[Jim A 4]

Find a program that you are going to continue after the 6 weeks are up...

traditionally it takes 9 weeks for change to become habit whether its eating, llfe adjustments etc..

A program that combines most of the above will be best for long term success...they all feed into and effect one another..

[hockechamp14 0]

The best advice I can give you here is that you should NOT look for the quick and easy way out. The best thing for you is to understand nutrition and make long term habits to improve your health, performance, and body composition.

I recomend: the metabolism advantage (search for it on amazon, by Dr. John Berardi), or John Berardi's precision nutrition package for ideas as to how you can lose fat.

www.precisionnutrition.com

Of course, this is if you have a desire to lose this weight. There are tons of people who say "I want to gain 10 pounds of muscle" or "I need to lose these extra 15 pounds" but they don't. Why don't they? Because they really don't want to! They're too happy doing what they're doing now to change it.

So make the decision, this is what you want to do!

[usahockey22 0]

You are 15 years old and 156 pounds...you do not need to worry about losing weight right now. If you want to help yourself for hockey, you should focus more on gaining strength, speed, stamina, flexibility, and maybe a little weight too.

I would recommend just having a good diet (it's good for you anyway), lots of complex carbs, healthy fat, protein from whole food, natural sources. Keep doing your hockey workouts, maybe add in some extra cardio if you want. (running or biking)

Also, you are at the age where it would be beneficial to start weight training. Your weight isn't anything you should be concerned with at 156...in fact, if you focus on lifting 2-3 days a week and eating well, you should actually gain some weight, but your body fat percentage will go down. This is because muscle mass increases your daily calorie consumption compared to fat, and a new lifter will typically add muscle pretty quickly, without putting on much, if any, fat. This gives you more muscle relative to fat, lower body fat percentage, and you will look muscular instead of chubby...it will also be great for your strength and speed on the ice.

When I was about your age, I only weighed around 140 pounds (at 6 feet tall), which I decided was underweight. When it came to body contact on the ice, I got thrown around a lot and couldn't really hold my own against people. Then I started really focusing on lifting and eating, and ended up at around 195 pounds of mostly muscle by my senior year of high school...and now when there's contact on the ice, it's the other guy who goes down, not me.

Whatever your goal is though, it's always achievable, as long as you are actually determined and follow through with a program. This is usually about 5-10% of the people who set foot in a gym, and those are the ones who are successful. Let me know if you need any help with diet or workouts...

[Muzza_77 0]

I am 6ft and 156lb. I am not really sure what my body fat percentage is. Hey, USAhockey22 it would be great if you could provide some information on diets. That would be fan-tastic.

Also, I will continue this after my holidays in a "watered down way", it is just that I have all this time, which I can improve. I have rep field hockey tryouts in febuary and REALLY want to make nationals in 2007. So I have to start now.

So far I am doing:

- Sprinting one day, long distance running the next, alternating

- Workout every second day.

- Stick handle 6-7 hours each week

- Go to the rink twice a week by my self to get practice

- Play at the local park whenever I can.

This year when I played state I had so much fun. Though when I watch the videos that my dad took, I really can see that I was a burden to the team, so I am determined to do this.

Thanks everyone.

[usahockey22 0]

For an athlete's diet, there are a few basic things that can help...

First of all, you need to determine if you want to gain/maintaing weight and muscle, or lose weight. You say you want to lose weight, but I would advise eating a "gaining" diet, especially with all the cardio you are doing, you will need it just to keep from losing muscle. If you want numbers, most people say you should eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, and 2 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight, per day...this is for gaining weight. If you want to gain more or faster, eat more carbs, if you want to lose weight, lower the carbs. Really though, you don't need to worry about counting calories at your age, especially with all the exercise you are getting. You should just eat as much as you can, as often as you can.

Try to eat smaller meals, but more frequently throughout the day...eat every 4 hours, and try for 4-6 smaller meals each day. This will actually help you lose fat. First, it will increase your metabolism throughout the day. Second, it will tell your body that you are going to be feeding it consistently...therefore, it won't store as much fat on your body.

Each meal should have some good high quality protein, along with some good carbs and fat.

Protein- Lean cuts of red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, milk, and eggs.

Carbs- Potatoes, Whole Grain Wheat or Rye Bread, Oatmeal...don't forget fruits and vegetables

Fat- Nuts (Peanut Butter), some vegetables (like avocado), fish all have good amounts of healthy fat...other than maybe having a natural peanut butter sandwich and milk and/or fish for one meal, you don't need to specifically go looking for fats to eat...

Important Meals

It is always important to have a good breakfast...have lots of protein, carbs, fat. A nice big meal. You have just been asleep for 8-9 hours hopefully, so your body needs food.

After any workout it is good to consume a good amount of simple carbs (fruits, juices, gatorade), along with protein. If possible, use protein shakes with whey protein and fruit juice.

Before bed...it's a good idea to at least eat a small meal maybe an hour before bed, just so you don't go to sleep on an empty stomach. If you are really trying to gain weight, you can have a large protein/carb meal before bed (which is what I used to do).

If you really want to gain, you can supplement your meals throughout the day with protein shakes (whey protein powder, milk, oatmeal, natural peanut butter in a blender)...I usually have one of these every morning for breakfast, because it is quick, fills me up, and is good nutrition to start the day. I used to have 3 of these per day back when I was really trying to gain weight (breakfast, after workout, before bed). At least try to have a protein and carb shake before and/or after you lift.

Make sure to take a good multivitamin each day, maybe extra vitamin C, along with whey protein powder for shakes...these are the only supplements you will really need.

Last but not least, drink a lot of water every day. Don't drink soda at all, it is terrible for you. You should drink 1-2 gallons of water spread throughout the day, plenty before, during, after exercise. This is probably the one thing that almost everyone could do that would really improve their health and athletic performance. Your body thrives on water, and your muscles are nothing without it.

I probably left some things out, but this will give you a good idea on how to get started...most people don't really want to be eating 6 times a day or mroe to really gain weight, and it's not somethign you need to worry about that much...just eat more, and eat more often, to start. If for some strange reason you think you are gaining fat, eat less carbs...if you want to gain more, eat more. Pretty simple. But the most important things are just eating natural whole foods throughout the day, no fast food, no high saturated fat, no trans fat, fried food, soda, etc...fruits, vegetables, good protein and carbs. Lots of water.

Hopefully this will help.

[Muzza_77 0]

Wow! thanks that is awesome!. Yeah ok, I want to lower my body fat, but gain weight in muscle.

Thanks for the great information usahockey22!

[Michael9 57]

I am 6ft and 156lb. I am not really sure what my body fat percentage is. Hey, USAhockey22 it would be great if you could provide some information on diets. That would be fan-tastic.

Also, I will continue this after my holidays in a "watered down way", it is just that I have all this time, which I can improve. I have rep field hockey tryouts in febuary and REALLY want to make nationals in 2007. So I have to start now.

So far I am doing:

- Sprinting one day, long distance running the next, alternating

- Workout every second day.

- Stick handle 6-7 hours each week

- Go to the rink twice a week by my self to get practice

- Play at the local park whenever I can.

This year when I played state I had so much fun. Though when I watch the videos that my dad took, I really can see that I was a burden to the team, so I am determined to do this.

Thanks everyone.

at 6' tall and only weighing 156 lbs. I would think that you wouldn't have very much fat to begin with. I'm 5'8" and i'm just about 5 pounds lighter thaan you.

[Muzza_77 0]

Well, yeah, I don't have that much fat. But i do have fat which can be lost. lol

[SB39 2]

Kid, you're skinny. Hit the weights, do teh sprints cuz they help more than just fat loss, and eat quality food.

[Jake 0]

6'0" and 156.. If anything, you'd probably want to gain (muscle) weight.

[AnthonyJTa 0]

after about 45 minutes of complaining about being out of shape, and overweight- the guys in my pickup hour are having our own "Biggest Loser" after the Holidays to see who can drop weight, and keep it competitive and fun before we put a team in for our local league.. hopefully it'll be the push I needed. Whoever had the best results at a weekly weigh-in plays for free... and we were thinking of dropping $50 a piece into a pool, and by mid-07, someone gets the pool.

my luck, we'll all end up manorexic, and be a fragile and frail team in the league

[Docter Pepper 0]

when i had jaw surgery last january, i lost at least 15 pounds. It was perfect because i was starting to feel that i was getting fat. Now, 2 years later, it's either time to get in shape or time for another round of surgery

[Jarick 5]

I'm 5-8, 180 right now...I was 5'6-185 in high school, then dropped down to 135 in college, then I was at 200 over the summer.

Assuming you're not doing anything like binge drinking or taking prescription medication (like I was over the last couple year, hence the 65 pound weight gain), I wouldn't focus on specific goals, but manageable changes in habit. Meaning that you don't hit the gym and diet for two weeks then drop it.

I read everything over at Body for Life, it has a free workout plan and a free recipe search. Not and advertisement, I haven't bought anything, just stole the workout ideas and recipes every week.

Basically, what I did was to alternate weightlifting with elliptical for six days, then rest on the seventh. I did lower reps, 8-8-6 for each exercise, trying to increase weight on each set. I would do two exercises per muscle group (i.e. biceps, triceps, back), and alternated upper and lower body. For cardio, I did elliptical (low impact on joints) for 20 minutes. I warmed up for two minutes, then I would do 45 seconds all out as fast as I could, and about 1:15 slow. This is kind of like HIIT but manageable for someone out of shape like me, and similar to the shifts I take.

Diet, drink water as much as you can, usually an ounce a day per body weight. Eat vegetables with every meal and for snacks, take a protein shake after workouts, stay away from sugar, get some lean protein, and avoid junk food and trans fats. Lots of good foods and recipes out there.

Like everyone else said, at 6 feet and 156, you'd want to put on some muscle instead of losing weight. Remember that muscle burns calories, so by putting on muscle, you will burn off that fat. By alternating lifting with cardio, you give your muscles rest but keep your body on edge so it won't be prone to storing excess calories as fat. And next Spring if you want to get cut for the summer, cut back the calories and lifting and hit the cardio harder.

-------------

Anthony, see if you can get some skin calipers to measure bodyfat...then do pounds of muscle gained minus pounds of fat lost. So if you dropped from 25 to 15 percent bodyfat but stayed at 200 for example, it would be 20 pounds of fat lost and 20 pounds of muscle gained for 40 pounds NET.

[AnthonyJTa 0]

Anthony, see if you can get some skin calipers to measure bodyfat...then do pounds of muscle gained minus pounds of fat lost. So if you dropped from 25 to 15 percent bodyfat but stayed at 200 for example, it would be 20 pounds of fat lost and 20 pounds of muscle gained for 40 pounds NET.

one of the guys on the team is a trainer at a local health club, so he's got one of the digital gauges.