could really use some help

I'm a 5'7" 34 year old male and am in terrible shape. I weigh about 210 lbs
and realistically I should be no more than 170 lbs. I want to eventually
have a little bit of muscle tone, especially in the upper body, but right
now I just want to lose the fat. It's being fat that's bothering me most of
all. I want to see changes in my body as quickly as possible So what I'm
wondering is if I'm on the path to doing that or if there's a more effective
way.

Here's what I *have* been doing for the last three weeks: I've limited my
daily intake to between 1000 and 1500 calories. There have been three days
in there where I fell off the wagon and it was probably as high as 2500
calories. The rest have been in the 1000-1500 range. I am a creature of
habit, which might be a boon to me in this endeavor, as I am able to eat
almost exactly the same thing every day without getting (too) sick of it. I
start out with an apple or orange when I first wake up. About an hour
later, I have a Zone Bar (210 calories - 7 grams fat, 21 grams carb, 16
grams protein). A couple of hours later I have lunch, which is a grilled
chicken breast (187 calories, 6 g. fat, 0 g. carb, 34 g. protein), broccoli
and green beans (total of about 3 g. fat, 17 g. carb, 4 g. protein). In the
mid-afternoon I have another Zone Bar, and sometimes maybe an apple a little
later on days when I am going to exercise. In my case, that means doing
cardio three times a week, usually for about 50 minutes. Mostly this has
been in the form of spinning/cycling classes. In the evening I have another
Zone Bar, and that's it. There has been very little variation from this so
far.

So my question is, am I on the right path? Is my calorie intake too high?
Too low? Not consistent enough?

I know there's no overnight cure, but I want to make sure that I'm doing
everything I can to bring about my goal as quickly as possible. As you can
tell, I have so far not included any lifting in my regimen. Is it a bad
idea to completely ignore it for now? I just figured it'd be easier to lose
fat first by restricting calories and burning as many as I can (and I'm
operating under the assumption that 50 minutes of cardio will burn more than
50 minutes of lifting), then start lifting once I've gotten down near my
goal weight. Will this work? Are there any supplements on which there is a
consensus that they are effective and should be part of my overall plan? I
would really like to try ephadra/ephadrine (whichever is more effective) and
I know that perhaps there is not a consensus on that one, but would
appreciate any info on the recommended frequency/amount of dosage one should
take. Also if there is a particular brand that anyone would like to
recommend, I'd appreciate having that information as well.

I know this is a long post, but I would truly appreciate any sincere
thoughtful, feedback you can provide. Thanks.

Ephedra is illegal because too many people have died from taking it. Keep
up with what you're doing and forget about speed. You need to be doing this
the rest of your life or the weight will come back. You want to be healthy
for good, not bounce up and down like a yoyo. So keep up the exercise, get
a wider variety of plant foods, and make sure you get your 120 grams of
carbohydrates a day to keep your serotonin levels up.

"Nikko" wrote in message
ink.net...
I'm a 5'7" 34 year old male and am in terrible shape. I weigh about 210
lbs
and realistically I should be no more than 170 lbs. I want to eventually
have a little bit of muscle tone, especially in the upper body, but right
now I just want to lose the fat. It's being fat that's bothering me most
of
all. I want to see changes in my body as quickly as possible So what
I'm
wondering is if I'm on the path to doing that or if there's a more
effective
way.

Here's what I *have* been doing for the last three weeks: I've limited my
daily intake to between 1000 and 1500 calories. There have been three
days
in there where I fell off the wagon and it was probably as high as 2500
calories. The rest have been in the 1000-1500 range. I am a creature of
habit, which might be a boon to me in this endeavor, as I am able to eat
almost exactly the same thing every day without getting (too) sick of it.
I
start out with an apple or orange when I first wake up. About an hour
later, I have a Zone Bar (210 calories - 7 grams fat, 21 grams carb, 16
grams protein). A couple of hours later I have lunch, which is a grilled
chicken breast (187 calories, 6 g. fat, 0 g. carb, 34 g. protein),
broccoli
and green beans (total of about 3 g. fat, 17 g. carb, 4 g. protein). In
the
mid-afternoon I have another Zone Bar, and sometimes maybe an apple a
little
later on days when I am going to exercise. In my case, that means doing
cardio three times a week, usually for about 50 minutes. Mostly this has
been in the form of spinning/cycling classes. In the evening I have
another
Zone Bar, and that's it. There has been very little variation from this
so
far.

So my question is, am I on the right path? Is my calorie intake too
high?
Too low? Not consistent enough?

I know there's no overnight cure, but I want to make sure that I'm doing
everything I can to bring about my goal as quickly as possible. As you
can
tell, I have so far not included any lifting in my regimen. Is it a bad
idea to completely ignore it for now? I just figured it'd be easier to
lose
fat first by restricting calories and burning as many as I can (and I'm
operating under the assumption that 50 minutes of cardio will burn more
than
50 minutes of lifting), then start lifting once I've gotten down near my
goal weight. Will this work? Are there any supplements on which there is
a
consensus that they are effective and should be part of my overall plan?
I
would really like to try ephadra/ephadrine (whichever is more effective)
and
I know that perhaps there is not a consensus on that one, but would
appreciate any info on the recommended frequency/amount of dosage one
should
take. Also if there is a particular brand that anyone would like to
recommend, I'd appreciate having that information as well.

I know this is a long post, but I would truly appreciate any sincere
thoughtful, feedback you can provide. Thanks.

Ephedra is illegal because too many people have died from taking it. Keep
up with what you're doing and forget about speed. You need to be doing this
the rest of your life or the weight will come back. You want to be healthy
for good, not bounce up and down like a yoyo. So keep up the exercise, get
a wider variety of plant foods, and make sure you get your 120 grams of
carbohydrates a day to keep your serotonin levels up.

"Nikko" wrote in message
ink.net...
I'm a 5'7" 34 year old male and am in terrible shape. I weigh about 210
lbs
and realistically I should be no more than 170 lbs. I want to eventually
have a little bit of muscle tone, especially in the upper body, but right
now I just want to lose the fat. It's being fat that's bothering me most
of
all. I want to see changes in my body as quickly as possible So what
I'm
wondering is if I'm on the path to doing that or if there's a more
effective
way.

Here's what I *have* been doing for the last three weeks: I've limited my
daily intake to between 1000 and 1500 calories. There have been three
days
in there where I fell off the wagon and it was probably as high as 2500
calories. The rest have been in the 1000-1500 range. I am a creature of
habit, which might be a boon to me in this endeavor, as I am able to eat
almost exactly the same thing every day without getting (too) sick of it.
I
start out with an apple or orange when I first wake up. About an hour
later, I have a Zone Bar (210 calories - 7 grams fat, 21 grams carb, 16
grams protein). A couple of hours later I have lunch, which is a grilled
chicken breast (187 calories, 6 g. fat, 0 g. carb, 34 g. protein),
broccoli
and green beans (total of about 3 g. fat, 17 g. carb, 4 g. protein). In
the
mid-afternoon I have another Zone Bar, and sometimes maybe an apple a
little
later on days when I am going to exercise. In my case, that means doing
cardio three times a week, usually for about 50 minutes. Mostly this has
been in the form of spinning/cycling classes. In the evening I have
another
Zone Bar, and that's it. There has been very little variation from this
so
far.

So my question is, am I on the right path? Is my calorie intake too
high?
Too low? Not consistent enough?

I know there's no overnight cure, but I want to make sure that I'm doing
everything I can to bring about my goal as quickly as possible. As you
can
tell, I have so far not included any lifting in my regimen. Is it a bad
idea to completely ignore it for now? I just figured it'd be easier to
lose
fat first by restricting calories and burning as many as I can (and I'm
operating under the assumption that 50 minutes of cardio will burn more
than
50 minutes of lifting), then start lifting once I've gotten down near my
goal weight. Will this work? Are there any supplements on which there is
a
consensus that they are effective and should be part of my overall plan?
I
would really like to try ephadra/ephadrine (whichever is more effective)
and
I know that perhaps there is not a consensus on that one, but would
appreciate any info on the recommended frequency/amount of dosage one
should
take. Also if there is a particular brand that anyone would like to
recommend, I'd appreciate having that information as well.

I know this is a long post, but I would truly appreciate any sincere
thoughtful, feedback you can provide. Thanks.

Ephedra is illegal because too many people have died from taking it. Keep
up with what you're doing and forget about speed. You need to be doing this
the rest of your life or the weight will come back. You want to be healthy
for good, not bounce up and down like a yoyo. So keep up the exercise, get
a wider variety of plant foods, and make sure you get your 120 grams of
carbohydrates a day to keep your serotonin levels up.

"Nikko" wrote in message
ink.net...
I'm a 5'7" 34 year old male and am in terrible shape. I weigh about 210
lbs
and realistically I should be no more than 170 lbs. I want to eventually
have a little bit of muscle tone, especially in the upper body, but right
now I just want to lose the fat. It's being fat that's bothering me most
of
all. I want to see changes in my body as quickly as possible So what
I'm
wondering is if I'm on the path to doing that or if there's a more
effective
way.

Here's what I *have* been doing for the last three weeks: I've limited my
daily intake to between 1000 and 1500 calories. There have been three
days
in there where I fell off the wagon and it was probably as high as 2500
calories. The rest have been in the 1000-1500 range. I am a creature of
habit, which might be a boon to me in this endeavor, as I am able to eat
almost exactly the same thing every day without getting (too) sick of it.
I
start out with an apple or orange when I first wake up. About an hour
later, I have a Zone Bar (210 calories - 7 grams fat, 21 grams carb, 16
grams protein). A couple of hours later I have lunch, which is a grilled
chicken breast (187 calories, 6 g. fat, 0 g. carb, 34 g. protein),
broccoli
and green beans (total of about 3 g. fat, 17 g. carb, 4 g. protein). In
the
mid-afternoon I have another Zone Bar, and sometimes maybe an apple a
little
later on days when I am going to exercise. In my case, that means doing
cardio three times a week, usually for about 50 minutes. Mostly this has
been in the form of spinning/cycling classes. In the evening I have
another
Zone Bar, and that's it. There has been very little variation from this
so
far.

So my question is, am I on the right path? Is my calorie intake too
high?
Too low? Not consistent enough?

I know there's no overnight cure, but I want to make sure that I'm doing
everything I can to bring about my goal as quickly as possible. As you
can
tell, I have so far not included any lifting in my regimen. Is it a bad
idea to completely ignore it for now? I just figured it'd be easier to
lose
fat first by restricting calories and burning as many as I can (and I'm
operating under the assumption that 50 minutes of cardio will burn more
than
50 minutes of lifting), then start lifting once I've gotten down near my
goal weight. Will this work? Are there any supplements on which there is
a
consensus that they are effective and should be part of my overall plan?
I
would really like to try ephadra/ephadrine (whichever is more effective)
and
I know that perhaps there is not a consensus on that one, but would
appreciate any info on the recommended frequency/amount of dosage one
should
take. Also if there is a particular brand that anyone would like to
recommend, I'd appreciate having that information as well.

I know this is a long post, but I would truly appreciate any sincere
thoughtful, feedback you can provide. Thanks.

Patricia Heil wrote:

Ephedra is illegal because too many people have died from taking it. Keep
up with what you're doing and forget about speed.

In a shocking turn of events, Patty is wrong again. Ephedrine is
readily available in every drugstore in the U.S. and no one who has used
it responsibily has been shown to die from it. It's not speed, either.

For more information visit www.drumlib.com to learn about thermogenics.

Dally

Patricia Heil wrote:

Ephedra is illegal because too many people have died from taking it. Keep
up with what you're doing and forget about speed.

In a shocking turn of events, Patty is wrong again. Ephedrine is
readily available in every drugstore in the U.S. and no one who has used
it responsibily has been shown to die from it. It's not speed, either.

For more information visit www.drumlib.com to learn about thermogenics.

Dally

"Ignoramus7404" wrote in message

Thanks for your response. A couple of follow-up questions...

You are on the right track, but you could make some modifications. One
is to ditch the zone bars and eat real food.

How important is this? I use Zone Bars because I don't want to have to
think about what percentages/ratios my rations should be. I like knowing
exactly what I'm putting in my body. Will eating these impede my progress?
Or do they just not have as many nutrients as real food?

Second is that exercise
is important if you want to look good, feel good and keep weight off
after you lose. Success in losing weight lies in devoting a good
amount of time to it, to spend on exercising, cooking food, learning
about dieting etc. You could, say, eat 300 calories more and spend 300
extra calories exercising. Unless you exercise your muscles, they
would be the first to go (and not your body fat).

I do cardio three or four times a week. I assume you mean I should also be
lifting weight

Expect to be on some sort of a diet (conscious eating) forever.

That much I figured

So, it does not at all make sense to be in a hurry to lose weight.

I just figure the quicker I see results, the more motivated I will be to
stick with it. That was what I meant by that comment.

You can
drop your 50 lbs of weight in a sane manner, in maybe 6 months or so,r
ather than be in a hurry. Don't expect to lose weight and eat all you
want afterwards, it does not work, unfortunately.

Yeah, sadly I know that too.

"Ignoramus7404" wrote in message

Thanks for your response. A couple of follow-up questions...

You are on the right track, but you could make some modifications. One
is to ditch the zone bars and eat real food.

How important is this? I use Zone Bars because I don't want to have to
think about what percentages/ratios my rations should be. I like knowing
exactly what I'm putting in my body. Will eating these impede my progress?
Or do they just not have as many nutrients as real food?

Second is that exercise
is important if you want to look good, feel good and keep weight off
after you lose. Success in losing weight lies in devoting a good
amount of time to it, to spend on exercising, cooking food, learning
about dieting etc. You could, say, eat 300 calories more and spend 300
extra calories exercising. Unless you exercise your muscles, they
would be the first to go (and not your body fat).

I do cardio three or four times a week. I assume you mean I should also be
lifting weight

Expect to be on some sort of a diet (conscious eating) forever.

That much I figured

So, it does not at all make sense to be in a hurry to lose weight.

I just figure the quicker I see results, the more motivated I will be to
stick with it. That was what I meant by that comment.

You can
drop your 50 lbs of weight in a sane manner, in maybe 6 months or so,r
ather than be in a hurry. Don't expect to lose weight and eat all you
want afterwards, it does not work, unfortunately.

Yeah, sadly I know that too.

"Ignoramus7404" wrote in message

Thanks for your response. A couple of follow-up questions...

You are on the right track, but you could make some modifications. One
is to ditch the zone bars and eat real food.

How important is this? I use Zone Bars because I don't want to have to
think about what percentages/ratios my rations should be. I like knowing
exactly what I'm putting in my body. Will eating these impede my progress?
Or do they just not have as many nutrients as real food?

Second is that exercise
is important if you want to look good, feel good and keep weight off
after you lose. Success in losing weight lies in devoting a good
amount of time to it, to spend on exercising, cooking food, learning
about dieting etc. You could, say, eat 300 calories more and spend 300
extra calories exercising. Unless you exercise your muscles, they
would be the first to go (and not your body fat).

I do cardio three or four times a week. I assume you mean I should also be
lifting weight

Expect to be on some sort of a diet (conscious eating) forever.

That much I figured

So, it does not at all make sense to be in a hurry to lose weight.

I just figure the quicker I see results, the more motivated I will be to
stick with it. That was what I meant by that comment.

You can
drop your 50 lbs of weight in a sane manner, in maybe 6 months or so,r
ather than be in a hurry. Don't expect to lose weight and eat all you
want afterwards, it does not work, unfortunately.

Yeah, sadly I know that too.

"Nikko" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Ignoramus7404" wrote in message

Thanks for your response. A couple of follow-up questions...

You are on the right track, but you could make some modifications. One
is to ditch the zone bars and eat real food.

How important is this? I use Zone Bars because I don't want to have to
think about what percentages/ratios my rations should be. I like knowing
exactly what I'm putting in my body. Will eating these impede my
progress?
Or do they just not have as many nutrients as real food?

Depends on your POV really. Meal replacements are helpful to some people
especially if time is an issue. They're also good in that they're portion
controlled and you know what you're getting calories, etc. Also, they
can take the place of a multivitamin if you aren't getting enough nutrients
from your food. Finally, some people like the taste of their bar/shake/meal
and it keeps them from eating things that are not so good. For example,
when I get in that real *I need chocolate* phase, sometimes chocolate
protein shakes make a good breakfast/snack/lunch, etc. Just check the
labels of the supplements to make sure they aren't primarily sugar (like
slim fast), make sure you're getting enough calories each day, and try to
fit in plenty of veggies - not a lot of fiber in those bars

There are studies out there that show meal replacements are helpful to
weight loss. Do what WORKS for you and don't get too hung up on people who
think they know it all. There are some people, myself included, who have
done well with meal replacements.

I do cardio three or four times a week. I assume you mean I should also
be
lifting weight

Doing resistance training like weights is important to a well-rounded
fitness routine. If you can't or won't do a gym (not really necessary)
there are plenty of things you can do on your own. An excellent resource is
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html which is geared toward women but
helpful to all.

Best of luck!

Jenn