IADad said:
Good advise. I'm trying to only eat meat and cheese as one small part of a meal, not for snacks as I used to. and make much more of my meal fruit and vegetables. And I'm trying to not eat anything after 8 PM. I'm trying brushing my teeth at that point so I have that fresh mouth cue and a feeling of "I don't want to eat anything more, I've brushed my teeth for the night already..."
One question, if I start to lift, how do I determine what 80% of my max is? Also since I'm heavy, wouldn't situps and pushups be good starts to exercising large muscle groups?
Sorry...I've been gone for a bit. Sit ups should be done everyday...your abdomen muscles are important to keep strong as they tie the body together...or even better...one day sit-ups and the next day...hyper extensions...one for abs...and one for lower back. These are not for burning calories...making you slimmer...etc. These are the most important core muscles. They provide support and stability to the body. Along with daily stretching...they will help keep your lower back (probably the most commonly pulled...and most debilitating common injury there is) safe. Just do 4 sets of tiring but not highly straining exercises as part of your daily before stretching routine. You will feel amazed in short order...how much stress is relieved...and how much better you will feel by doing these along with stretching.
The max is determined by how much you can comfortably lift for one time.
If you are not at all in shape...make sure you start out light and work your way up. Just when you start to really slow down as you attempt the lift...that will be your max. Remember...always bench in a power rack.
If you don't have access to weights...then push ups done for many sets and a lot of reps per set would be your goal. You will end up working your butt off for far less gain in musculature. Remember...your goal is to build a bigger engine...not to burn off fuel as you exercise. Even when you do aerobics...most of your weight loss comes from the much higher metabolic rate your body will be set at all day long...and from the much faster rate of food transition through your intestines. It is pure scientific stupidity to only count calories burned during exercise. The prevalence came about for decades because most of the scientists were not athletes themselves. Were they so...it would have been intuitive...as they would have felt the effects themselves. And...if you do your aerobics within a few hours of bed...your weight loss will be dramatically sped up. When I was doing this...for years...I couldn't gain weight no matter what...or how much I had eaten. This was in my 30s and 40s mind you.
I know that many don't exercise much. That is why I listed this minimum level.
