300lbs to 5k ready, need advice.

[Lightwysh]

I'm 32yo, currently around 305lbs and have not done much for exercise for the last 10yrs. From the time I was 20-22 I spent on average 2-3 hours a day in a gym doing mostly strength training. I was never really able to do large quantities of reps but could do heavy weights 5-10 reps and usually 3 sets before I Jello'd out.

Throughout my life I have never had much for endurance or stamina but rather burst strength. My old football coach said it was the way my muscles are built and something about red vs white muscle. I honestly don't remember. I could never do a mile in under 9 minutes but I always did well sprinting.

Eventually life changes kept me from the gym and I let my body go to hell. Recently I saw we are having a 5k zombie run here in Colorado and its something I would really like to do. I know I won't be able to make this years event but my goal is to he ready next year.

Any tips on how to get back into an active mode. Currently I work 10 hour shifts M-W which limits my activities on those days. With commute I'm out of the house at am and home around 930pm. At work i am strapped to a desk exept for 2 15 min breaks and a 45min lunch. When I get home it's usually a small dinner and maybe an hour or 2 of bills, browsing, gaming then into bed. My days off I can really spend more time as I don't really have much for obligations. Basically I have Thurs, Fri, and Sun free.

I thought to get started maybe get some 5lbs ankle weights and walking a couple hours on each of my days off. Then increasing the weight I carry via a backpack, adding 10lbs every couple of weeks. After 6-8 weeks removing the weights and trying jogging just see how far I can go in one direction then walking home. Trying to go further each time.

I have spent the last 2 weeks cutting caffine and sugary drinks from my diet. I don't really eat alot, my calories with sodas were around 2500-3k a day. So I've maybe cut 500 calories a day from soda.

Now I need a bit of advise. Will I be able to increase my endurance? Is it true that certain people typically have a certain muscle type and are pretty much stuck with it? Any supplements you can reccomend to reduce muscle aches such as amino acids? Also how much protien should I be stacking to encourage muscle development? How much weight is safe to add via ankle weights and either a weight vest or backpack?

[Deleted]

Honestly, your knees, ankles and feet are probably being punished enough having 305lbs beat down on them as you walk around all day long. To that end I'd highly recommend against running using weighted vests / backpacks. As part of my job I have to be comfortable running with weight and indeed, the first 9 weeks of training are devoted entirely to preparing our joints to cope. Even with that in mind we lose huge numbers of applicants due to the simple stresses of this activity through shin-splints, stress-fractures, ligament damage and a whole raft of other complications. These lads are certainly no-where near 305lbs.

If you want to make a concerted effort to get fit enough to run 5k start small, assess your current level and work from there. I also note that you currently prioritise things like "gaming" and "browsing" as things that you need to fit exercise around.. These are things you should remove from your schedule to make time to train, atleast until you've achieved your goal... Gaming and browsing are not obligations..

Try 20 minutes of on/off running - walk 2 minutes, jog 1 minute, repeat. Once comfortable - walk 2, jog 2, then walk 2 jog 3 and so on and so on until you're easily running non-stop for 20 minutes...

From there, increase the distances, times and speed of your runs but be slow, be methodical and allow your body to adapt to the new changes. Going too fast too early will just break you and mean you have to spend even longer inactive.

[Badpaladin]

Caffeine in drinks isn't a problem. In fact, I'd recommend it if you're needing the short-term energy -- but as coffee, not as one of those sodas with more caffeine they call energy drinks.

[Lightwysh]

@reqq

Thank you for that write up. I don't prioritize gaming/browsing it has just become part of my routine for after work. I could try to walk at night just not sure how comfortable I am walking at 10-11pm then still fitting in dinner and trying to make it to bed by midnight.

[Fearme]

Check out www.reddit.com/r/c25k

[Lightwysh]

Check out www.reddit.com/r/c25k

Yep I saw that c25k. I dl'd the free app which looks amazing.

---------- Post added 2012-06-17 at 09:30 AM ----------

I just tried to do day 1 of that c25k, I got about halfway through before my ankles completely froze on me. The muscles on the out side of my ankle/shin just locked up, it hurt so much to try and push off I literally penguin walked back home. when i got home, I sat for about 5-10 mins and they let loose again.

[Deleted]

"For rapid weightloss, google "4 hours body" by Tim Ferris." Get the book worth it`s money! Really wanna lose weight? Use that book! Wanna gain muscle? Use that book! Till you own that book, no white carbs, no sugar, no bread and better no rice no pasta, take beans, meat (no cordon bleu because of the "shell" lacking the word) and vegtables. The cut sugar will make so much difference, because we are so sugar overloaded, and have so much insulin in our blood because of the sugar in the blut, and insulin pumps alot of it in the fat cells, if insulin is low, you can start to finally burn fat.


IMPORTANT: Get a BIG and very Heavy Pan, with a nice handle, and if someone tells you the following:" It`s only a about calories in and out" Give him or her a hefty whack with the pan on the head, this my jump start their brain! <--- Important (please don`t do this literally).

[Lightwysh]

IMPORTANT: Get a BIG and very Heavy Pan, with a nice handle, and if someone tells you the following:" It`s only a about calories in and out" Give him or her a hefty whack with the pan on the head, this my jump start their brain! <--- Important (please don`t do this literally).

Lol, I know this. I know a little bit about diet. But in my situation diet isn't helping, only staving off the inevitable. I just need to get my big ass motivated.

[Deleted]

1 KG or 2.2 pounds less per week, can be even more for you it will be 3kg 6.6 pounds i would guess per week. Is that motivating?

[Deleted]

IMPORTANT: Get a BIG and very Heavy Pan, with a nice handle, and if someone tells you the following:" It`s only a about calories in and out" Give him or her a hefty whack with the pan on the head, this my jump start their brain! <--- Important (please don`t do this literally).

Thing is, this is basically true.

Yes, the specific nutrient composition of your diet does make a difference but if your choices are eating "healthy" 5000 kCal/day or "unhealthy" 2200 kCal/day then the latter is probably the better choice (and barring food-induced diarrhea you're unlikely to lose any weight at all with the former diet).

I do agree that if the total energy intake is the same then the composition of your meals becomes more important but the number one priority should still be to not exceed your daily energy requirement to maintain your weight (i.e. if your BMR is 2400 kCal it's better to be a bit low on protein than it is to try to hit your protein target and sacrificing your target energy intake).

[anyaka21]

I agree with what someone said about forget about the added weight. It won't do any good, just put more pressure on muscles and joints.

What I would recommend though apart from diet, get on an eliptical trainer. That can help build endurance and it would be easy on the body, much less stress on the muscles and joints. Just start from low incline, low resistance, and build up to higher incline higher resistence.

Endurance and stamina can always happen, it just takes time and dedication.

[Epiphanes]

Walking will not aid you in running; only running will aid you in running. That said, I watched a man lose around 40 pounds doing nothing but walking at a brisk pace while maintaining healthy eating habits in the course of 3 months. Plyometric cardio would be a great place to start. Instead of adding weight to your already obese (not an insult, just a description of where you stand) frame, use the weight you already possess and work with it to your advantage. You can gain 0.5 lbs of muscle per week, and lose 0.5 to 1 lb of fat in the same amount of time.

If you notice that you aren't losing anything on the scale (I'd advise only weighting once every 2 weeks), don't get discouraged and remember that muscle replaces fat rapidly, and in most cases at the same rate you're burning fat. Also remember to drink lots of water; for a 205 lbs man, you would need on average around 2.7 liters per day. Dehydration will sap your energy and can cause liver and kidney problems.

As someone already stated, you need to prioritize your nightly activities around reaching your goal, working or not. I can get a full work out done in roughly 25 minutes. That includes 2-3 minutes of intense cardio (as an example, look up "Six Pack Shortcuts - M100's") with 3 full super sets of roughly 4-5 exercises that are a combination of compound and isolation (ie. standing reverse flyes + dumbell alternate hammer curls + front dumbell raises + concentration curls with seconds between each).

Good luck. And remember, never get discouraged because of a weight scale; if you look better and feel better, you're doing it right.

[Cûr]

First week of March I weighed 322 lbs. I'm 42 as of last Monday.
As of this morning, I weighed 252 lbs.

In March I couldn't go 10 minutes on the treadmill at 3MPH without feeling like I'm gonna stroke out.
Today I'll do 25 minutes varying between 3.5MPH (fast walk) and 5MPH (med jog). This is about 1.5 to 1.6 miles.

Dukan Diet. Follow it to the letter. It works. It's not a fad. Diet and exercise you can do it.
You *must* exercise (try for 20 minute a day minimum) everyday. Walking at first, then jogging when you can.

I will tell you weight loss is addictive, and it's a great positive reinforcement cycle. Lose some, and you want to lose more. So you exercise, and eat better. The trend continues. You can do it.

If you want more info PM me.