Simple, easy-to-remember workout for weight loss?

[Demon]

I've been living a mostly sedentary lifestyle (as a result of nearly 24/7 office jobs) for six to eight years. I was very active in the gym long ago, weighed 200 lbs., and was getting to where I wanted to be physically. I weigh 300 lbs. now and my body is in a pretty sad state. (My mind is sharper than ever though.) I just obtained an important contract and I want to fit into a tighter suit for publicity photos. I have a few months before I will need them.

Obviously, I need to fix my diet. I was on a low-sodium diet because my blood pressure spikes occasionally which once impacted my ability to see, but not being able to go to restaurants was depressing, so now I just have whatever comes along. My fast-food consumption is very, very low, and I drink tons of water and no alcohol. I'll have to cut down on meat intake and sadly throw out the occasional supreme adobada fries. The low-sodium, Mediterranean diet felt very healthy (despite the feeling of being a stranger to society) so I think I'll attempt that again.

But the most serious problem is my lack of physical activity. I've had a 24-Hour Fitness gym membership for a year, which has seen little use. The membership expires sometime next year. Because of the contract I mentioned, I really need to be at my desk during the day. I can spare 30-45 minutes per evening for exercise purposes. I just need a very simple routine I can execute every night that best accomplishes my goal of losing weight. Suggestions?

 

[Alle_Gory]

A 20 min cardio warmup followed by 15+ min of weights. Not heavy weights, but do mostly compound exercises. 3 sets in the 12-14 rep range. It's not a full body routine, so rotate the areas you do everyday. Works to burn the excess fat, and maybe put on a little bit of muscle diet depending. More reps and heavier weights if you're doing compound exercises involving legs.

Works for me whenever I want to shed excess weight.

 

[Pie in the Sky]

There is absolutely no difference in the way you workout for losing or gaining weight. The only difference is your diet/nutrition. If you want to just lose weight, it really comes down to calories in vs calories out. Eat less calories than your body needs and you will lose weight. Since you have high blood pressure, just minimize the amount of fat you eat (you probably already know this) as well as sodium. Since you are trying to lose quite a bit of weight, I would also recommend that you go for a 30-45 min walk 3 times a week so your weight loss doesn't plateau so quickly. Although, I personally would rather lift weights though since it is less boring. Good luck.

 

[Quiksilver]

Assuming that 45 minutes is spent huffing and puffing rather than commuting and getting ready, then this is a fairly simple guide:

* At this point, being at least 80lbs overweight (is this accurate?) and out of shape, your only goal should be steady fat loss and building up your cardiovascular system to the point that you can safely do strength and hypertrophy training, which will in turn speed up fat loss.

* You and your doctor are the best guides on how hard you can push yourself. Apply your own measure to the intensity level you put into each exercise, based on your health.

* You've been sedentary for a long time, and are significantly overfat, so don't expect to jump in to strength training and high intensity work right away.

Week 1 - Basic heart rate work, and health assessment

Sunday - Rest - 15 minute easy walk

Monday - 45 minute brisk walk

Tuesday - 45 minute brisk walk

Wednesday - 45 minute brisk walk

Thursday - 45 minute brisk walk

Friday - 45 minute brisk walk

Saturday - 45 minute brisk walk

Week 2 - flexibility and heart rate

Sunday - 15 minute easy walk

Monday - 30 minute brisk walk, 10 minutes stretching

Tuesday - 30 minute brisk walk, 10 minutes stretching

Wednesday - 30 minute brisk walk, 10 minutes stretching

Thursday - 30 minute brisk walk, 10 minutes stretching

Friday - 30 minute brisk walk, 10 minutes stretching

Saturday - 30 minute brisk walk, 10 minutes stretching

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See how that goes for now.

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Shopping list:

Meats, poultry, eggs - Eat with each meal, don't neglect protein
Chicken - chicken breast/thighs are good, dinner
Tuna - canned is cheap and easy, snacks/lunch
Salmon - fresh is nice, as a change from tuna, lunch
Whole eggs - breakfast
Extra lean ground beef - morning snack, lunch
Other assorted meats (no deli meats or processed street meat!) - whenever

Dairy - depending on your tolerance to dairy
Cheese - buy a brick of your favorite cheese, great in eggs or salad, breakfast/lunch
* Avoid milk, cut it to a minimum

Fruit - stick to the basics and healthiest kinds, eat sparingly, no gorging
Apples
Grapes
Berries

Carbs - eat sparingly
brown rice
potatoes
sweet potatoes

Veggies - Eat with most or every meal
Spinach
Brocolli
Carrots
Peppers
Tomatoes

* Make salads, great for lunch

Flavoring

Pasta sauce
Peanut satay sauce
Curry sauce
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar

Drinks

Water
* Again, try to avoid milk

Extras


High quality fish oil (or Krill oil, if you can find it). Will help fat loss and health.
High quality multivitamin
Coconut oil, use for cooking
Extra virgin olive oil, use for low heat cooking and salads
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You don't need an elaborate diet plan yet. All you need is to stock your refrigerator with healthy choices and attack the unhealthy ones with a garbage bag and a savage hatred. This will go a long way towards fitting into that new suit.

Go buy tupperware, and lots of it.
Cook up meals in advance, and put them in your refrigerator/freezer in prepared portions.
Buy a lunch bag that keeps foods cool.
Cook up your meals (or AT LEAST meals you eat away from home) a few days in advance.

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Prepare for battle.

 

[EFFORT]

You can make a lot of noticeable progress in a few months but it'll take awhile to really get yourself back to a healthy weight, remember you didn't gain this weight over night.

If I was training you the first thing I'd have you do is go to the doctor for a check up just to see where you are and get the proper medication if needed.

Then i'd have you do a 1-2week colon cleanse (or having it done at the doc in a day)

I'd then fix your digestive system your most likely deficient in HCL (important for digestion)

I'd then put you on a very basic 4 meal a day diet with lean proteins, slow digesting carbs, healthy fats, lots of veggies and water.


In terms of physical activity I'd want you to start out doing 20min everyday on the stationary bike low intensity. each week the time would increase alittle and eventually you'd be doing that bike 60-70min everyday of the week. The diet would also progress with your progress.

I'd say you'd be down 20-40lbs in the first 2-3months

 

[Demon]

Thank you, everyone. Looks like I have quite a bit of cardio in my future.

What can I substitute for fish/fish oil? I am allergic to these products.

Also, for drinks, what about natural fruit or vegetable juice?