Background: 16 years old, 6'1'', 175, BMI: 23.1. I gained a little bit of chub from playing World of Warcraft uncontrolled for months on end. All i did was snack and play. I ended up gaining I think about 15-20 pounds of unwanted weight.

Goal: 160 by January first, setting my BMI to be 21.1. I'd like to mainly work on tightening up my pecks/stomach a bit. I'm not saying I want a six pack, or massive muscley pecks. I just want to get rid of some of the chub.

My Idea: Run 30 minutes a day. Pushups as so, 30, 20, 10. (Every two weeks i'll go up 10 more like so, 40, 30, 20, 10...and then 50, 40,30,20,10). Crunches: 50, 40, 30, 20, 10. I'll do that all daily.

As for what I eat: No sugary drinks, I'll drink one glass of milk/one glass of orange juice a day. However I'll drink plenty of water. I'll try not to eat out as much as possible (can't really control what my parents put on the table to eat...). I'll also try to stay away from sugary foods such as cookies/candy/etc. I will allow myself a little bit of sugary food, but not to much.

Now, I need your advice. I've never done something like this before, and really have no idea. Do you think this would work? What should I add/change/not do? Any advice to get to 160 by January 1st would be awesome!

Cutting out sugary drinks is great, but remember juice is an incredibly sugary drink (it's basically fruit without the parts that make fruit good for you).

Running is good. When it comes to strength training, don't just focus on a few things (like daily of pushups and crunches). Instead, get a well rounded routine that works all your muscles. Look around for program ideas, if you don't have access to equipment, there are also a lot of bodyweight exercises you can do.

Don't just try to go without eating, you need to eat every few hours, and make sure you are eating enough. Just make sure you eat the right things.

would a gym membership be worth money? I'd prefer to do this without a gym membership but I can see how a well rounded excerise routine would be important. Maybe I do running/push ups/crunches one day, and then the next I do pullups (I could go to the local park or something) and something else. I forgot to mention that I'm now working in the Self-Serve warehouse for IKEA, and so I do get a lot of lifting of boxes/pallets. That'll probably help. I'll google/search the boards for good tips on excersises.

Tomorrow I start, so this should be interesting. . Probably the hardest part for me will be staying determined..

EDIT: Just adding in, how can I watch calorie intake, i.e if i eat an apple how much is that? I assume what I should do everyday for eating:

• Cereal/Milk (?)
• Snack: Apple/or some kind of fruit
• Lunch: Some kind of lean meat/some kind of fruit/some kind of vegetables
• Before Dinner: Ramen (?) some kind of carb
• Dinner: Main course + vegiies?

Also with school coming, when should I do my work out, after school, before school, before sleep? Tips on timing are great. I'm trying to research but it seems like workouts and timing and all that are really dependent on your goals...

Hi JonM

I have been losing weight now for the past 2 months and the way that I have done it was fairly easy.

I have joined my local martial arts club and I train 3 times a week for 45 mins.
I also have access to the gym and for the martial arts and gym it costs me £49 a month.

What I also have done is cut out all fizzy drinks. I have cut out all fast food. I use to eat and MCDonalds 3 times a day for about 4 months until I noticed my trousers did not fit me.

Change white bread for wholemeal bread etc .

I also use protein shakes before and after exercise.

In the gym I do 4 sets of 8 reps on the following equipment.

Bench press

Barbell Curl

Barbell

Crunch

Squat

And I use the running machine. This has worked for me and I have lost 8 lbs so far.


Hope this helps.

Here are the before and after pics of me



Matt

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And don't forget cycling for a good lower body and cardio workout and doesn't require much equipment.

I personally feel that weight training is an integral factor of weight loss, even more so than cardio activity (I could explain my reasoning if you wanted, but I'd rather not take the time at this moment as it is late at night for me). You might check out the men's weight training forum and look for a FBW you can use.

btw, as a side note, when I played WoW, I lost weight (fat and muscle). This is because I played instead of eating. Interesting how that worked out.

Remember each time you eat to get a protein/carb combo (and by carb, I don't mean starch).

That means, don't just eat an apple here, or some pasta there. If you eat a piece of fruit (carb), combine it with some cottage cheese (good source of protein). Whole oats are tons better for you than any cereal. Also, don't eat Ramen - they are pure salt. I know, they're good, but look at the label, that info is for half of the package, so you have to double everything it says to get the nutrition info (yikes).

Deschain makes a good point - whenever you're looking at nutritional labels, always multiply whatever you're looking it by the number of servings listed on the label. That will give you the total amount of that item (calories, protein, carbs, etc) in the package.

this is amongst the best of online diet trackers, you'll need to add some of your own but its a great way to keep track of what you eat and control your portions

FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

ok they way i lost 20 lbs in 2-3 weeks was just running and lifting.. you may think your not losing weight but its because its turning into muscle.. i run everyday for 20 mins keeping my HR between 120-160 so i know im burning fat but not muscle if you run longer than 20 mins your burning muscle. if your heart rate goes higher than 180 your burning muscle drink alot of water watch what type of food you eat no fryed just baked or grilled if you want fried use olive oil stay away from your house its good to get a member ship at a local gym because it keeps you motovated i started out working out at my house..but there was a tv,a computer, a bed and a couch. go to the gym you meet alot of new people and alot of new beautiful girls. it will pay off in about 6months when you get lean and cut email me if you want i have a meal plan if you want and also i can help you with any other stuff. pm for email

This is an unhealthy rate of weight loss. That is waay too much to be losing in just 2-3 weeks. Fat loss of 1 pound a week is healthy.

no. You don't gain muscle when losing weight. Since you have a deficit diet you cannot build more muscle. Also, fat does not turn into muscle. Just like water doesn't turn into gold.
Actually, High Intensity Interval Training, is the best way to go about burning fat. Also, you do not know that you are burning fat and not muscle. It is impossible to lose no muscle during a cut. Besides, it's the heavy weight low rep weight lifting that helps reduce muscle loss.