Help!!! I'm Lost on Weight-Loss!

Okay well we'll start with the statistics.

6'1" 240-250 lbs

Goal weight: 180-200 lbs (depending on how the weight looks on me)


Okay I've got a Total Gym 1500 and I drink tons of water and try to workout 3 days a week on my system, but I've yet to see any signs of progress. Some people start workingout and try to lose weight and one week they drop 5 lbs then 3 the next and by 4 weeks they've dropped nearly 20. I've yet to see any weight drop and have been working for 2 weeks or so. I mean sure I don't expect to see weight drop off like crazy, but a few pounds would be nice. I just don't know what the secret -IS- I want to do it naturally.


Can anyone help with A. ) workout routine using the Total Gym and other things to add with it B. ) the best diet plan and the source to read up on it C. ) any tips or secrets that are just nice to know.


I'm also 22 right now, not to active outside my workingout....maybe that's the issue too?!?! I plan to get an ellpitical at some point and work cardio 6 days a week...The majority of my weight is core weight my legs/arms aren't fat they are actually very lean considering my size, but I have a very large chest (46") and a large gut. These are the areas I want to target and tone.

aeroth;283722 said:

Okay I've got a Total Gym 1500 and I drink tons of water and try to workout 3 days a week on my system, but I've yet to see any signs of progress. Some people start workingout and try to lose weight and one week they drop 5 lbs then 3 the next and by 4 weeks they've dropped nearly 20. I've yet to see any weight drop and have been working for 2 weeks or so. I mean sure I don't expect to see weight drop off like crazy, but a few pounds would be nice. I just don't know what the secret -IS- I want to do it naturally.

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Sometimes folks will see nothing for a couple weeks, almost as if your body is resisting or something. Others see their best results at first. Weight loss is weird, not a predictable science.

Many people I've talked to don't feel the Total Gym is that great of a workout piece. I've used them a little bit in the old therapy clinic I worked at years ago and they were okay, but a strong individual would max-out the resistance in a relatively short period of time.

Your water intake sounds solid and the resistance work is good, but you've said nothing of diet and cardio, two of the biggest keys. Do you currently do any cardio and have you made any changes in your diet? If not, I can guarantee your results will be slow.

Can anyone help with A. ) workout routine using the Total Gym and other things to add with it B. ) the best diet plan and the source to read up on it C. ) any tips or secrets that are just nice to know.

Click to expand...

Diet is something you have to see how it works for you. Have you tried other diets in the past and what was tough and bearable about each one? You have to decide if you want to drop the weight off fast, hope you have the discipline to stick to the diet and not just "snap" and binge, then hope you can adjust to sensible eating afterwards. That is not a successful approach too often. Most people don't do something crazy like the "48 hour diet" or lose 10 pounds in a week and never see those pounds again. Personally, I do a heavy amount of cardio, some weight training, and have adopted a diet I can live with.

I'm also 22 right now, not to active outside my workingout....maybe that's the issue too?!?! I plan to get an ellpitical at some point and work cardio 6 days a week...The majority of my weight is core weight my legs/arms aren't fat they are actually very lean considering my size, but I have a very large chest (46") and a large gut. These are the areas I want to target and tone.

Click to expand...

Cardio would be a massive boost to your plan. Right now, I ain't doing shit cause I just got home to a water-soaked apartment and my place (and life) is in disarray. But I hope to get that straightened out this week and get back to my cardio I've done for weeks. I usually do about 10-15 hours of cardio per week, with some at higher "cardio" intensity and then some in the "fat burn" slower range.

penguinsfan;283736 said:

Sometimes folks will see nothing for a couple weeks, almost as if your body is resisting or something. Others see their best results at first. Weight loss is weird, not a predictable science.

Many people I've talked to don't feel the Total Gym is that great of a workout piece. I've used them a little bit in the old therapy clinic I worked at years ago and they were okay, but a strong individual would max-out the resistance in a relatively short period of time.

Your water intake sounds solid and the resistance work is good, but you've said nothing of diet and cardio, two of the biggest keys. Do you currently do any cardio and have you made any changes in your diet? If not, I can guarantee your results will be slow.



Diet is something you have to see how it works for you. Have you tried other diets in the past and what was tough and bearable about each one? You have to decide if you want to drop the weight off fast, hope you have the discipline to stick to the diet and not just "snap" and binge, then hope you can adjust to sensible eating afterwards. That is not a successful approach too often. Most people don't do something crazy like the "48 hour diet" or lose 10 pounds in a week and never see those pounds again. Personally, I do a heavy amount of cardio, some weight training, and have adopted a diet I can live with.



Cardio would be a massive boost to your plan. Right now, I ain't doing shit cause I just got home to a water-soaked apartment and my place (and life) is in disarray. But I hope to get that straightened out this week and get back to my cardio I've done for weeks. I usually do about 10-15 hours of cardio per week, with some at higher "cardio" intensity and then some in the "fat burn" slower range.

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10-15 hours of cardio what you doing playing hockey all day lol.

Pandora;283743 said:

10-15 hours of cardio what you doing playing hockey all day lol.

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I so wish, as hockey kicks ass. I typically do about 60-90 minutes of moderate elliptical work and sometimes 3-4 miles on the treadmill. Sometimes, it's more or less and sometimes I miss a day, then other days I'll work out for 4-5 hours on a raining weekend while watching a couple football games.

Aeroth, any luck with anything lately?

It's all on hold sadly...I'm in the process of a pretty serious job hunt and trying to move out. So until everything settles down it's kind of crazy. I can't devote the time I want to devote...I spend all my time with my fiance and feel guilty when I try to get time for myself. I'm hoping to get a job in the next few weeks then get moved out and start up on the p90x program in December so I can try to hit my target by summer. But I really have no clue where things are going.

aeroth;284182 said:

It's all on hold sadly...I'm in the process of a pretty serious job hunt and trying to move out. So until everything settles down it's kind of crazy. I can't devote the time I want to devote...I spend all my time with my fiance and feel guilty when I try to get time for myself. I'm hoping to get a job in the next few weeks then get moved out and start up on the p90x program in December so I can try to hit my target by summer. But I really have no clue where things are going.

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Completely understand. It happens, but just make sure you remedy it ASAP as soon as you get your job situation straightened out. For that matter you might want to get back to exercising and put the job hunt on hold, as most hiring happens between January and March.

I haven't worked out for a couple weeks either, as I've been trying to get apartment cleaned up from some mold and water damage. It's getting there. There's light at the end of the tunnel.

Check out crossfit.com for the workout of the day and the message board there nutritional section (that covers a mix of paleo and zone diets). I'm not a hardcore zone'er but I do eat a calorie restricted diet and have lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 6 pounds of lean body mass in 6 weeks since starting and feel stronger then ever.