My Journey to Lose 60lbs – Weeks 3-4, Another Three Lbs Off!
This is the next article in my installment of articles following my weight loss process as I attempt to go from 220lbs to 160lbs on my own terms and the healthiest way possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Hello, Nick Kern here. I’m the Founder and Editor in Chief of the Cooking/Food How-To Blog – EatingInBed.com. I’ve been writing about food, health, music, movies, video games, and anything generally entertaining since 2009, and have had articles published on several sites across the vast internet landscape. My main passions are health and food though, and today I’m here to talk about my current weight loss efforts. I want to go from 220lbs to 160lbs, and I want to do it healthily!
Alright, I know several of you have been anxiously waiting with baited breath to see if I’ve given up on my crusade, and to you nay sayers I say “Nay!” I’ve continued on my workout regime and have been able to lose another 2lbs, and while 2lbs may not seem like a lot, it has to be taken into consideration that muscle weighs more than fat, and I’ve been unable to do cardio all week due to a horrible sinus infection from a black mold infestation in my apartment.
But while 3lbs may seem small, it’s important to keep in mind that ALL weight loss programs have PLATEAUS, points when your body has adapted to your exercises, BUT the first plateau that most people hit happens in the first four weeks. It happens because your body turns from fat preservation mode into muscle building mode, at this point your weight may actually go up because muscle weighs more than fat. So losing the first 8lbs was easy for me, but the whole 3rd week was spent working out and eating right with no change on the scale because I was building muscle and burning fat, as it became week 4 the weight started going down again.
This week I’m going to focus on my exercise plan!
Image via Wikipedia
DAY 1 – UPPER BODY AND LOWER ABDOMINAL
I started out slow with all of my exercises, for the Upper Body area I started with Push-ups, on Weeks 1-2 I did 10-15 push ups and that was it. By week 2 I was able to do two sets of 10 push ups. Push ups are great because they work your shoulders, chest, biceps, and to a certain extent your core. They’re also great for weight loss because doing a push up requires lifting your own body weight, which for me is quite a hefty bit of weight. On weeks 3-4 I’ve been trying to do two sets of 15 push ups, and on my most recent work out I did 3 sets of 10.
For the Lower Abdominals I prefer to do leg raises. For this exercise you lay on your back on the ground and extend your legs to a 30 degree angle with a slight bend in your knees. That’s it, you just do that and hold it for 30 seconds. It’s important to note that if you have back issues, do these near a door where you can slide your fingers under and hold on to the door, this will take the pressure off your back and focus it on your abs. The lower abs are the hardest region of the abdominal area to work and these will probably be the hardest exercise you do for a while. Weeks 1-2 I did 1 set for 30 seconds, or until I felt a burn. Now in weeks 3-4 I’m able to hold them for a minute and can do 2 sets.
DAY 2 – UPPER ABDOMINAL AND OBLIQUES
Everyone wants to get rid of their love-handles, the area on the side of your belly region that goes over your pants. These muscles are also a bit hard to work out and you’ll feel a much stronger burn from these than your upper abs. In weeks 1-2 I did a set of 16 oblique crunches; oblique crunches are when you lay on your back with your legs in the air, and your knees bent towards your chest, while your hands are on your ears. Bring your right elbow to your left knee, and your left elbow to your right knee. It sounds easy, but it hurts.
For the upper abdominal region I just do regular crunches, where you’re on your back and you’re legs are in the air with your knees towards your chest. Hands on your ears, and bring your elbows to your knees. For weeks 1-2 I did 2 sets of 20 crunches, now on weeks 3-4 I do 3 sets of 25. These will work your upper abs and will show the fastest results. It’s important to exercise your core during weight loss because it’s a muscle group that is used for almost every activity and it will boost your weight loss efforts.
DAY 3 – CARDIO
Cardio is my least favorite part of the exercise plan. Not because I’m lazy, but because it’s the same thing for an extended period of time with no variation. I like to do a 30 minute run on an Eliptical because of it’s low impact on joints, if I can’t use the Eliptical, I’ll use a recumbent bike and do 45 minutes. My goal with cardio is to burn off 200 calories in a given session because it’s almost the equivalent to the amount of calories in my breakfast and cardio increases your heart rate, and boosts your blood flow, and makes your body burn fat.
I do this same plan twice a week, I like to do 6 straight days of exercise because by the time you’ve done your cardio, your upper body and lower abdominals have had a chance to full heal. The 7th day is used as a recovery day, and it’s best to eat restorative foods like fruits and lean proteins so you’ll have extra energy for your next 6 days of working out. My goal is that this adventure will inspire people in their own weight loss endeavors and that will lead to happier healthier lifestyles.
WEEKS 3-4 RESULTS:
Original Weight: 220lbs
Current Weight: 209lbs
Weight Lost So Far: 11lbs
Distance to Target Weight: 49lbs
No Comments