One thing I've learned is that you cannot "spot reduce." You can work those love handles, but unless you change the way you fuel your body, all you are going to accomplish is building the muscle up beneath the handles. Low and no carb diets are extreme. I have treid them and they work- as long as you stay on them. I did lose about twenty pounds in 2-weeks, but when I got off the diet, the weight seemed to come right back. So the trick is- if you are going to try Atkins- to use it as a start up tool only, then manage your diet in a more healthy manner. I wouldn't recommend it at all, though, as it was absolute TORTURE watching all your friends eating ice-cream, pecan pie and all those great carbs, while you are eating eggs, meat and cheese... ONLY.

Good luck!

 

My runs are 5 one mile runs weekly. I'm starting out slow because I haven't ran in a LONG time, don't wanna kill myself right away. I got lots of great info from you guys, I could write a book. Thanks again.

 

I'll throw in my $.02.

I know that after I started running, I lost weight. It didnt matter what I ate or how much,I lost weight FAST, and I believe that that is the typical type of result.

You gotta run right though, and I prefer doing more than just running.

Weights will surely help, because as someone pointed out, muscle burns fat, and it does it if youre working out or not, 24/7. Plus, it's kind of weird having no fat OR muscle...like those Ally Mcbeal people with no muscle tone or fat.

There's plenty of stuff you can do without going through the expense of joining a gym too. I did QUITE well for myself by simply doing pushups, situps and a run every day. Once I started doing incline situps with some weights added (did use a gym for this), I REALLY saw improvement in fat loss. Abs are a huge muscle group, so if you get them in shape, they'll burn alotta fat.

You mentioned you dont have a gut, but I'll go ahead and throw this in: Most of the gut that people have is not so much from fat, but from the muscles being weak and allowing the insides to bulge outward. Ick.

Slow runs that dont QUITE get you out of breath will burn more calories than fater runs, but to get that sort of thing to work, you have to do a LOT of running. The theory behind this is that before you start getting too out of breath, your body is burning your fat supply, as it is a "long term" storage of energy. Once you start to go anaerobic, you begin to burn sugars instead of fat.

Your body being hungry is a good sign. It means that things are happening that your body is not used to. It's needing more than youre giving it. You should think about supplimenting your intake with a vitamin regieme, as well as munching on fruit throughout the day. Try to increase the fiber you eat.

Later on, as you keep up your running and start to see improvements in the run and your body, you'll want to start adding carbs, as your fat reserves will be pretty low.

protein will help your muscles recover and rebuild themselves. If you stick to JUST running, you wont need too much of this after your first month or so. That doenst mean you shouldnt eat any, however.

I'm going on and on, but there are whole books devoted to this sort of thing. Feel free to browse at a Boarders or B&N book store.

One last thing that took me quite a while to figure out is: Hydrate, very well. Youre speed, endurance and everything will go way up if you have plenty of water in your system, and you wont cramp up as easy.

Yah, anyhow...Good luck..

-Dave

 

Boss50, I have the same problem. I recently started working out and I have completely changed my lifestyle. Carbs are not the enemy, on the contrary you need enough carbs to help energize you when working out. Everything in moderation. I was on atkins for about 3 months, and I lost about 35 pounds, but I felt incredibly weak at the gym. I would run a mile, and be completely burned out. I didn't have enough energy to continue my weight training. What I did was increase my carb intake about %25 - %50 to about 25-30 grams of carbs per day. I try to eat my carbs around mid day, helps with the workout.

One of the best things you can do is do aerobics with some weight training. I wouldn't recommend that you do heavy lifting. Light weights at high repetition will help you build/tone lean muscle and burn fat. Remember that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, you have to feed that engine (your body), just do it in moderation. Low impact training can be very beneficial, and be consistent, it's the key to success.

Quit the fast food, try making multiple meals in advance, that way when you don't feel like cooking or want something quick, you can. Eating correctly isn't hard, you just have to learn the do's and dont's

This article might help you out http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybui...tness_tip.html

Good Luck

 

[QUOTE=quarterhorsemom] ...how in the Heck do they take "carbs" out of anything? Am I missing something or is this really legit? Does anyone know the process? QUOTE]

They replace 'em with fuel injectors. (I'll go slap myself now.)

 

[QUOTE=pchristman]typical FTE wrenchhead good one

 

When I started running 26 years ago I could barely do a mile. In a few years I was running marathons. Now I just run because I want to. I still have not caught anything yet, except a cold. If you are looking to carbo load (haven't used that word in a few decades) for a run, it really is not necessary unless you are going long distance (8+ miles at a time) assuming you maintain a normal diet that includes carbs. If you train for a marathion the old way, 60+ miles a week, then you need to be carbo loading.

Try using your own body weight combined with running, sit ups, pull ups, push ups. I have never heard of anyone getting hurt using their body weight. Some of the best atheletes in the world only use body weight, Marcus Allen, Herschiel Walker etc.

Water, water, water. Hydrate heavily about an hour prior to the run. Unfortunately you will need to be near the facilities for the next 45 minutes. If you get hungry during the day, drink a LARGE glass of water. You will be surprised how satisfying it is, and good for you also.

Keep running. Bad days and good days. It is a healthy addiction that will benefit you in the long run. Don't worry when you become consumed by times etc. This will pass into the stage where you are only running for your piece of mind. Beware of the runners who tell you that they do not know how fast or how far they run. They are the true sleepers.

 

I bow to that one! fuel injectors Bwahahahaha! THWAP!

 

I'll add my 2 cents since this is one thing on FTE I know a little about.
The muscles uses glycogen to fuel itself. Everybody has it, about 30 minutes worth, depends on the person. Once these stores are gone, then the body uses other fuel, fat, muscle.So to effectivly burn fat you need to get over that mark, to really see it come off. Work up slowly, you didn't get that way in 6 months, it's harder to take off. Don't become a mileage junkie, I use time, its much more pleasant. If I want to run hard or easy, I run for that set time.

It was alluded to earlier.But I'll say bluntly. Diet's don't work. IT"S A LIFESTYLE CHANGE!!! Sorry for yelling.Most folks don't get it. Diet's have a end, changing your lifestyle is....well for life. Also start reading food labels,I'm dumber than a box a rocks and picked it up pretty quick. Lotsa good info above so I'll stop rambling.
Good Luck!!

Joe

 

Well tonight I tried my first apple half hour before my run...and I could actually tell a difference in my energy level. It worked so great I actually enjoyed running. haha. I could have went forever but I got a terrible cramp in my stomach. Is there anyway to stop this from happening?? Too much water before maybe?

 

You guys wore me out just reading all of this.

 

Don't forget the anerobic exercises too... Added mass/muscle will burn and replace fat...