It's always pleasing to hear about someone who actually succeeded with a weight loss program using diet and exercise, and succeeded very well. This is an actual case as described below.
The Person
We'll call him Tim. Tim is 49, his physical and metabolic measurements prior to tackling his weight and fitness problems were as follows:
- Height - 5'9" - (175 cms)
- Weight - 192 pounds (87 kgs)
- Waist measurement - 40 inches (101 cms)
- Cholesterol - > 230 mg/dl (6 mmol/L)
- Fasting glucose - 115 mg/dl (6.4 mmol/L)
- Resting heart rate - 70 BPM
Tim's goals at the beginning of training were to lose at least 22 pounds (10 kilos), get fit, and to reduce his resting heart rate from 70 beats per minute to 60 beats per minute. He went close to achieving all of these and here's how he did it.
The Planning
With a program spread over 9 months, Tim decided to start slowly, do it very methodically, and to track every improvement he made. This somewhat detailed approach does not suit everyone, but it does work as long as you decide to make the changes permanent and not relapse.
Tim used a diet and exercise cell phone app to track calories in and calories out in food and exercise. You could also use any of the web-based trackers. Pick one that allows you to record foods and calorie counts, exercise and energy expenditure tracking, and a record of your weight progress. It is a good way to stay focused. Tim weighed himself regularly as well.
One of the biggest mistakes is to exercise hard and regularly and not make a similar effort to reduce energy intake by watching diet.
Diet and Nutrition
As well as reducing calorie intake, Tim changed his eating habits to include more healthy foods and restrict less healthy food, which also helps reduce calorie intake, swapping in vegetable and salad variety for fried potatoes for example.
He also made sure he didn't overeat after a training workout as a reward.
Weight Training
Twice a week, Tim attended a personal training beginner group group at a low level of intensity. The program included a variety of weights and circuit training workouts. This soon provided strength and muscle, and aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, which started to get him fit quickly.
Aerobics - Walking, Jogging, Running
Building up to 3 times a week, Tim also started to walk/run around the block, 3 miles (4.8 kilometres). At first with intermittent walking and jogging, he eventually increased this to 4 miles (6.4 kilometres) of jogging, three times a week.
The Results
After 7 months, these were Tim's numbers:
- Weight - 172 pounds (78 kgs)
- Waist measurement - 37 inches (95 cms)
- Cholesterol - > 200 mg/dl (5.2 mmol/L)
- Fasting glucose - 102 mg/dl (5.7 mmol/L)
- Resting heart rate - 64 BPM
He'd lost 20 pounds (9 kgs) and improved his metabolic numbers and his fitness considerably. He hopes to continue to lose a few more pounds and do even better on the other scores.
Tim's success was undoubtedly due to his planning and determination to reach his quite reasonable goals. Setting reasonable goals, with the help of a personal trainer or someone similarly knowledgeable, is a very important step. The 'quick fat loss' plans and diets are almost never a good idea because your body needs time to adjust to changes in metabolism and habits to prevent relapse. And of course, to stay in that 'zone' you need to develop a food and fitness program that you can follow for life.