Weight loss and exercise program. Get fit, look good, and feel good. Here is my plan.

[Trooper5]

Follow this and you will lose weight, be healthier, feel better, have unlimited endurance, and have fun while doing it.

I have spoken with several people on the forum and they have asked me write up a lifestyle change to help them get in shape, stay in shape, and be healthy. First off, let me introduce myself, I am not a physician, I am not a dietician, I am not a motivational speaker. I am a soldier in the US Army. Thats it. Before you start this lifestyle change talk to your physician and make sure you can do the excercise part of this.

You will note that I do not call this a diet. Diets are not lifestyle changes and therefore usually always end in disaster. People take off weight, then stop the diet, and put the weight back on with additional weight. The human body is only designed to hold a certain amount of weight. That weight is determined by your personal body make up. I weigh 210 pounds but am a "big guy". I would define a big guy as someone who is tall (I am 6'2"), broad shouldered, and large thighs. While I weigh 210 pounds I have a very low amount of body fat. I lift weights only about 2 to 3 times a week at most. What I do is run. I don't take any kind of Hydroxycut, South Beach pills, or any of the fad diet stuff. When people ask me how I got into shape, I tell them I had the best personal trainer ever, Uncle Sam.

I personally would not put anything in my body that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Exercise
Ok, here we go. The first part of this is the running schedule. Running/walking is so important for so many reasons. Not only is it a strong motivator, it is so good for your cardiac and respiratory system. When you spend an hour running, for 5 days, and you decide you want to eat a candy bar, you don't want to ruin all the work you have done to get to this point by one craving. Now, at this point in my life, what I am sharing is my lifestyle. This is how I eat everyday and I run EVERY day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. If I want a hot fudge sundae I will have one. I'll sometimes make jokes
that Im going to run it off, but I know that my body will metabolize it so fast that it will basically just be completely processed by my body, more on this in a minute.

Again, if you are really out of shape, talk to a physician before you start this running program.

week {Excercise}, [miles], time (minutes), <frequency per week.>
1 {Walk} [1] (17-20) <5>
2 {Walk} [1.5] (25-29) <5>
3 {Walk} [2] (32-35) <5>
4 {Walk} [2] (28-30) <5>
5 {Walk/Jog} [2] (27) <5>
6 {Walk/Jog} [2] (26) <5>
7 {Walk/Jog} [2] (25) <5>
8 {Walk/Jog} [2] (24) <5>
9 {Jog} [2] (23) <4>
10 {Jog} [2] (22) <4>
11 {Jog} [2] (21) <4>
12 {Jog} [2] (20) <4>
The weeks are numbered and the activity is in marked parameters. If this is unclear I will try to make it more clear. This is a 12 week program that if you are in resonable shape when you begin it, will have you running/jogging 2 miles a day, 4 days a week.

LifeStyle Change (not a diet)
Your body is made from Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates, and fibers. You need to eat these to have a healthy body. Diets that eliminate food groups are not healthy in my opinion. Diets with too much meat or protein may hurt your kidneys and may increase your choloesterol. I have heard that low carb diets will increase your chances of becoming a diabetic or make your diabetes
worse. I have heard this from several different doctors but havent really researched it to prove it's authenticty. When you stop fad diets you will regain the weight you have loss. This is why it is so important to commit to a lifestyle change. Once you reach your physical fitness and weight-loss goals, you can re-introduce "pleasure foods". Even today, if I eat a large meal with a big ol messy desert I'll make sure I "run it off". I normally run 5 miles every morning. If I eat a monster meal with desert I'll run several additional miles either that evening, night, or the next morning. As with any sport there are shoes designed individually for your feet. I run in Saucony shoes with what I
believe is a 950 heel and a 450 pad. You can have these shoes custom made for you and if you are going to be running quite a bit, I would suggest you going to a podiatrist and having them examine your foot and suggesting what you should buy. A good pair of running socks that are designed specifically for running as well as cotton shorts round out my running gear. I have a new kind of "farmers tan" to sport as well in the summer time. I usually run without a shirt and wear a Camelback; hence the unique farmers tan. I weight train usually 2 to 3 times a week. When I weight train I alternate between chest/arms, abs/back, and mix in a few additional excerices. Alot of people start programs thinking that if they work out that will be all they need to lose weight, they don't realize you need the erobic exercise running, jogging, and walking offer.

Food
The key is to eat measured amounts of food until you realize those measured
amounts are filling you up. You don't fill your cars tranmission fluid up until it is completely full do you? Of course not, and the same applies for your body. You only have one body so be particular about what you put into it and how you take care of it.

Protein and Fat:
Meat or meat entree. Usually about 6 ounces or the size of 2 boneless chicken breasts.

Green vegetables:
VERY IMPORTANT, You must stay in the cabbage family at first to optimize weight loss. Vegetables in the cabbage family gives you carbohydrates which CAN NOT be stored. They are immediately processed and discarded. Vegetable in this family are also loaded with fiber as well. These vegetable give you more weight loss and less fatigue. Examples of vegetables in this food group are broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, squash, cabbage, brussel sprouts, turnips, Kale, spinach, or any greens.

Fibers:
These are breads and potatos. I usually get enough fibers from my cabbage family vegetables and try to avoid potatos. If I am going to have bread I stick with whole grain wheat bread.

TIPS:
*Now this may sound strange but think about it and give it a try. I try to limit the amount of fluid intake I have when I eat a meal. It dilutes your natural stomach acids and juices, making it more difficult for your stomach to break down the foods you consume. If your stomach juices are diluted your food will sit there longer and begin to ferment which will cause bloating and gas. Try to wait 30 minutes before drinking any kind of fluid to allow your natural stomach acids to break down the food.

*Avoid heavy latte, cuppachino, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages. Drink tea, coffee (using Splenda or other non-sugar sweeteners) and plenty of water. If you are going to be expending alot of energy consider drinking Power-ade or Gator-ade to replenish electrolyte and sodium loss.

Meal Examples:
Breakfast: 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of milk, coffee, tea, or other diet drink, water. Another choice would be choosing one from each group (2) scrambled eggs, or (2) fried eggs, or (2) boiled eggs: in addition to (2) strips of bacon, (1) sausage patty, or (2) sausage links.

Lunch: Approx 6 ounces. Hamburger, chicken, fish, pork chops. Don't coat it, grill it. Up to 2 cups of vegetables from the cabbage family.

Salad. You can have all the lettuce you want. Its the toppings that can really put a damper on your weight loss. Be careful with the dressings, try to stick with 6 teaspoons or less of dressings. Be sparing with the other additives you add to your salad.

Dinner: Approx. 6 ounces again. Steak, ground beef, fish or an other kind of non-breaded grilled meat. Up to 2 cups of vegetables from the cabbage family and a salad.

Snacks: Up to 3 fruits a day. Apples are the best. Other examples are citrus fruits, pears, peachs, blackberries, strawberrys, pineapple, etc..

Avoid fruits like grapes, raisins, and plums. These are high in sugars. Bananas are full of fat and causes cellulite.

Sugar free Jello and fresh or canned fruit in natural juices are excellent snacks. A whole week's worth of Jello/fruit combo can be made in advance and stored in your fridge.

ALWAYS TRY TO DRINK WATER OVER ANYTHING ELSE. I "spice" up my water with different additives like sugar free lemonade, orange, and iced tea. All of these come in single serving packets designed for a single bottle of water. Be sure to sip a little bit of the water out of the bottle so you can shake it up well.

Try to avoid pea's, carrots, corn, potatos, rice, pasta and bread until you have met your ideal weight goat. These also cause an insulin surge and your body will store the calories if you are a diabetic.

Try to avoid breaded and deep fried foods. Choose baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled foods instead.

Don't even bring things like chips, popcorn, ice cream, candy, cookies, or any other foods that you are trying to avoid. If they are not available when you have a craving you are more likely to eat fresh fruit or the Jello.

Try to get at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep every evening. Try to be eating all day with your snacks of fruits and meals. Don't skip a meal. This will get your metabolism moving and keep it moving. Get a friend, family member, or co-worker who is interested in making a life change. Team up with them and put the odds in your favor.

Remember, the excercise and food are all part of a life change. These are merely a set of examples. Research different kinds of foods and adapt them into your food plans. Once you make this part of your daily routine you will find that the weight drops off, stays off, you feel healthy, are more energetic, think clearer, and can make decisions more easily. People will naturally want to be around you and you will be a positive force that attracts people. Your love life will blossom as you will have a physique that attracts your mate and possess unlimited stamina.

While at first this seems like alot of work, once you make it part of your daily routine you will find that it just falls into place and becomes 2nd nature. Even the little things, like parking far away at the end of the parking lot to get a little extra exercise to ordering broccoli with your steak at Outback.

I pulled some of the above material from materials we have available to us to be as medically factual as possible. Again, I stress I am not a physician, dietican, or personal trainer. This is what works for myself and the guys I work with daily. I will try to answer any question and help you out in any way I can. I really hope this works out. I know Lady Bugg has started an exercise program and is already feeling better! Not that she needed to start a workout program anyway!

Have fun with it, Troop.

[CarnelianButterfly]

I just thought I'd add something that I've run into.

My friends eat out together, several of them are not healthier eaters (one is a McD junkie), they are bad influences. They can be critical of me eating healthier foods, veggie sides and small portions can foster comments that I find negative.

Its nice to be with my friends, but they can be diet downers at times. I just have to fortify my resolve and not let them get me down.

[RayKay]

Overall, good post, and lots of good tips. I however, as a lifelong exerciser and healthy eater myself have just a couple comments:

Banana's are NOT full of fat and do not "cause cellulite". Cellulite is the cellular structure of fat cells that are bound together. Many, many people have cellulite (90% of women) and does not matter if you are thin, or overweight. No foods, creams "gets rid of it" though you can lessen it's appearance with muscle building and proper hydration.

Banana's are also one of the best foods for exercising (mid-exercise or pre-exercise) and recovery due to the potassium levels and good carbs in them. Potassium reduces lactic acid build up in muscles. Plus, they are easy for most people to digest quickly so are more tolerable to many people for exercising. They do have sugars (more sugars the more ripe) but as with anything in moderation, this is good as they are also easily digestible for quick energy when you need it.

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Grapes and plums are not "higher in sugar" than canned fruits (even those in juices). As long as they are in moderation, like anything else, they don't really need to be "banned" in comparison to the canned fruits. Plus they do have other healthy benefits to them. Overall, it is important to have variety, stick to fresher foods (as opposed to packaged stuff) and so I am totally with you on the lots of vegetables, lean proteins, etc!

Healthy carbs are good for you, and it is important not to cut them out entirely, oatmeal is good, but not having them rest of day can cause you to kind of hit a slump during day too. Carbs are what we burn first for energy.


I agree it is important to get the right shoes for you, but that varies per person, per foot stride. Many running stores are able to properly measure your stride, gait as well and find what is right for you. You are a heavier runner so need more cushioning, where as someone my size tends to use neutral shoes with less cushioning. Also, replace shoes often! This is generally every 400 miles for the AVERAGE runner, but someone heavier or with a heavier stride may need to replace them more! This is VERY important if you are running!

It is also good to add cross training in there, particularly if you are starting out. I am a runner as well, but I am also a cyclist (mostly mountain biking), play touch football, practice yoga, weight train, and other such things to continously keep my body on it's toes and also for the fun and variety. It also lessens injury risks.

If you are starting out running, the walk/run is a good idea too...build up your running by taking walk breaks during as well...this is actually something that allows you to improve running. Studies have shown that even frequent marathon runners improved their times by using some walk breaks.

[Trooper5]

Im not really sure on how much weight you can lose in a week. This is how I eat every day and have for the past 10 years. I couldn't even guess how much you could lose following this. The important thing to remember is not only will this make you more healthy, it will change your body.

I would imagine if you had 50 pounds or so to lose, and followed the lifestyle change and excercise program you should be able to lose that in 2 to 3 months, thats just a guess tho..

And Butterfly is correct, if you surround yourself with people who eat unhealthy, it makes it harder to maintain your condition.

[Trooper5]

Well, I wanted to keep it as simple as possible and give people something basic to follow. The banana comment came directly from a Army Spec-Op doc, heard him say it myself.

As far as cross-training, again, I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Simple walking/jogging/running. When we "run" part of our run is to run our obstacle course, which is one of the most challenging o-courses in the country. There is a special on the military channel this month entitled, "Best Ranger" in which it features several of our team physicians and shows our obstacle courses in detail.

[Clementine orange]

Good post, some interesting information there. I never thought about the "don't drink water with a meal because it will dilute stomach juices" - thanks for the tip.

I keep a food and exercise diary on line - it helps me keep focused and I can track my progess and set goals etc. I've been doing it for years - it's fun to look back on things and see where I've come from.

[theghost]

You can probably loose about 2lb a week on this diet depending on your body fat.

[lizziebee]

Troop I just wanted to thank you for your plan. It was so sweet of you to take time out of your day to do that for me....I must say, not being on any diet...EVER, I now have to make my mashed potatos and whatnot and act casual about it! Thanks again...Take care of you!

[KrisAnn]

FABULOUS post! This is the kind of thing that makes me glad to have joined enotalone

And I really do like the walk/run thing. I agree that cross training is important, but just walking and running works very well too. I'm in the Air Force (Troop, don't you dare call it Chair Force, haha!), and lost 15 lbs when I went to basic training. ALL of that was from running and strength training. There is no cross training in the military, lol, and it works just fine.

I think when it comes to exercizing, it's what you think you can stick to that will be most helpful to you. If you know you're going to get bored with a quickness from just walking and running, then absolutely, find something that suits you better. Otherwise you're going to stop.

Silent-Eyes, I don't think it's a good idea to worry about what you'll lose in a week. Troop is right, losing weight and staying healthy is a lifestyle change, and if you focus on what you can do in a week, you're going to be very disappointed if you don't meet up to whatever standards you may set for yourself. Just do your best, that's all that matters. Some weeks you may lose 2 lbs, some weeks 3, some weeks .5, some weeks none. But as long as you're busting your booty, you're going to feel good about yourself!

[sidehop]

Originally Posted by RayKay

If you are starting out running, the walk/run is a good idea too...build up your running by taking walk breaks during as well...this is actually something that allows you to improve running. Studies have shown that even frequent marathon runners improved their times by using some walk breaks.

Good info, I started running a week ago, I definitely see a change with the number of wheezing I get with my asthma which is less. I'm hitting about 9 minutes for a mile but I want to get back to few years ago when I was running about 3 miles in 20 minutes. Ugh I hate running but trying to build up some endurance! I'm going to try to walk & jog.

Great info too Trooper