Thread: Too overweight. Need advice to cut down.

Fat does not turn into muscle. they are to completely different chemical make ups.

Your pecs will come as you lose the fat that is covering them.

focus on compound exercises, exercises which incorporate many joint actions, as they will recruit the most muscle fiber, have a greater impact on energy expenditure and increase stimulation of the endocrine system and hormonal release.

Some exercises that would be good are:
squats
lunges
bench press
overhead press
rows
pulldowns
leg press

Also, if you haven't worked out for awhile and are pretty deconditioned I would throw in some cardio to increase muscle endurace and step up a nice base for yourself. You may want to focus on higher reps 10-15 for right now also. Again, trying to focus on muscle endurance and getting back into some sort of condition and to give your tendons and ligaments some time to adapt to the stress which isbeing placed on them and prevent injury.

And ofcourse focus on diet!!

cardio needs to be your #1A focus, with strength training a #1B.

Start with biking and/or elliptical as these will be lower impact. no less than 30 minutes. Ideally, you'd want to be up into the 60 min range. Add in some overall weight lifting exercises. The "old skool" if you will to get the major muscles going. These include (IMHO):

Bench press
Military press
Squats
Curls
Tri pull downs
seated rows

I used machines for the first 6 weeks just to get my muscles ready for free weights. In doing so, I minimized my chance of injury. Your mileage can and will vary.

Also, a diet log CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED! Everyone under reports their own caloric intake. Start using a journal like on www.Fitday.com to accurately see your intake.

If you are not ready to at least write down everything your eating, then your not ready to start a serious diet.

I think P-funk's suggestions are great. I just want to add to take it day by day. For many people losing weight and building muscle is not the easiest thing in the world.

STICK WITH IT! Don't give up no matter how slow your gains may come.

When I was younger (16-22) I made great gains. I was consistently in the gym and plaid football/stickball almost everyday. I am fortumate that I build muscle rather quickly and te extra activities kept e lean. However, After 22, school, girl, work (blah, blah, blah, excuses, excuses) took priority and I was not training regularly. I put on weight (and I ean bad weight). School is now done, married the girl and career is on track and guess what back in te gym?

In eight weeks feeling great and making good gains. Friends and family cannot believe how much healthier I look. Muscle gains are coming along (thanks to muscle memeory and a gift from my ancestors) but weight is coming off a lot slower. I was trying a low carb diet (Atkins) and was getting frustrated.) Did some research and I recently started eating 5-6 small meals a day and it has helped as it seems my body is burning more fat. More carbs are also helping the muscles along.

I know I am going to get there now. So will you. Just do some research, devise a plan and stiuck with it. If you notice after soe time that things don't work, switch-it up. Don't be afraid to try something new. If you have questions, ask. If you cannot find anyone, there are some great people on these boards with a whole host of knowledge wo are always looking to help.

Good luck, bro!

Order of importance for weight loss:

1. diet/nutrition
2. weight training
3. cardio

Originally posted by Prince
Order of importance for weight loss:

1. diet/nutrition
2. weight training
3. cardio

Exactly!

One suggestion I'd like to make Chode is to have your bodyfat % determined. Don't focus so much on losing total weight, but getting your bodyfat percentage down to around 12-14%. A good diet plan is the first thing you must do to get started. Not ENOUGH calories and too much cardio will allow you to drop weight quickly, but the problem is you'll lose muscle right along with fat. Although your weight on the scale may come down quickly, in this case you'll probably see your bodyfat % isn't dropping that much with it.

A diet with adequate calories and structure (see Sticky's in the Diet section), a weight training program focusing on compound movements (bench presses, squats, deadlifts, squats, bent rows, military press, etc), and MODERATE cardio, will cause your body to increase muscle mass, and drop fat. Your actual weight may not seem to be dropping that fast, but your bodyfat % will drop consistently.

Lastly, be patient. The weight loss must be a relatively slow process if you want to gain muscle, yet lose fat, at the same time. Slow, consistent progress is the key. Good luck!