Newbie here. Got some questions

[ctark]

Well here's my story. I'm 6'4 and i'm currently 280 even. I know that might seem like a lot but i was 358 6 months ago. I have a BIG body... and BIG muscles naturally, although i'm not as strong as i should be. Right now I'm on the atkins diet.. or maybe a modified form of it. Right now I walk 2 or 3 miles a day with my dog. I try to do some simple weight lifting and then I do 10 miles on the stationary bike, which takes about an hour.

Now my goal is to be 220 by April, which i think is very realistic goal. One of my questions is, should i even worry about strength training right now? Should i just keep going cardio? Also I dont want to have a bunch of loose skin when i get down to 220. I want a body I can be proud of by next summer. I've thought about getting a membership at a gym but if i did that i dont think i could do all the cardio i'm doing now, it would just be too much. I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment. I'm only going to school 2 days out of the week. Any suggestions on what i should do would be appreciated.

[ctark]

Also. I dont ever wanna get big like most of the guys here. I just wanna be medium size and very learn. Thats my ultimate goal.

[S.P.G]

Well here's my story. I'm 6'4 and i'm currently 280 even. I know that might seem like a lot but i was 358 6 months ago. I have a BIG body... and BIG muscles naturally, although i'm not as strong as i should be. Right now I'm on the atkins diet.. or maybe a modified form of it. Right now I walk 2 or 3 miles a day with my dog. I try to do some simple weight lifting and then I do 10 miles on the stationary bike, which takes about an hour.

Now my goal is to be 220 by April, which i think is very realistic goal. One of my questions is, should i even worry about strength training right now? Should i just keep going cardio? Also I dont want to have a bunch of loose skin when i get down to 220. I want a body I can be proud of by next summer. I've thought about getting a membership at a gym but if i did that i dont think i could do all the cardio i'm doing now, it would just be too much. I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment. I'm only going to school 2 days out of the week. Any suggestions on what i should do would be appreciated.

I think it would be a good idea to incorporate some sort of anaerobic training in to your program as well as you aerobic training, muscle in turn burns fat, the more muscle you have the more fat you will burn, also there are many benefits you will get from anaerobic training....

1 ensure you age gracefully
2 Feeling Better and Looking Better
3 Prevents Injury
4 Bone Density
5 Increased Metabolic Rate

[decadbal]

im not sure you mean anaerobic if your speaking towards workin out, anaerobic is without oxygen.. anyway..moving on. yes, work out.. you wont have any or much muscular shape if you dont use the muscles.. and it burns more calories.. also, dont worry bout how much you can lift.. its what you look like that matters

[S.P.G]

One of my questions is, should i even worry about strength training right now?

im not sure you mean anaerobic if your speaking towards workin out, anaerobic is without oxygen..

[Flexor]

The Atkins diet is old news thesedays. Its not actually healthy for you in the long run and surely you won't have enough energy, from not consuming any carbs, for any intensive workouts.

[ctark]

Well, I dont follow the atkins diet exactly. I did at first but after experimenting I changed some things to help it make it fit me better. I definately have more energey now than I did when i was 358.

[coleb61]

Definitely keep the weight training, watch your carb and sugar intake, but don't starve yourself, it will slow your results. Try to eat six small meals a day high in protein.

[chest6]

atkins is not a good idea..you'll burn off fat as well as muscle..and a lot of it.

[24labor]

atkins is not a good idea..you'll burn off fat as well as muscle..and a lot of it.

Yea the original atkins diet was real bad or any carb free diet for that matter b/c after a few weeks of no carbs ketosis kicks in and you don't want this b/c your body will sacrifice it's protein for energy.

[Therocksbiggestfan]

an hr to go 10miles on the bike, I think you should definatly get more miles in, I usually get about 30miles in a 45minute ride...just go fast. also Id say lift more when you put muscle on it burns fat while resting...Maybe a good spilt like this one would help. Also dont be so concerned about strength with decreased carbs your at a disadvantage wait untill you have dropped the weight and really start lifting and then your goal can be strengh...heres a good spilt

Mon-chest
tues-back
wednesday-legs
thrusday-sholders traps
friday-biceps and triceps...

abs 3x a week...

Make sure you do your cardio still, the best time is before breakfast on an empty stomach, push your self as fast as possible on the bike...also get your rest 9hrs of sleep....
with the lifting keep a moderately heavy weight which you can push about 10-12reps and 3 to 4 sets...

[collar]

you might want to add a day or 2 of weights...
i think that will help keep your skin tight rather than getting that lose skin you think you might get...
not saying you wont if you do weights but it might help....

[ctark]

There is no way i can do 30 something miles in 45 minutes on a stationary bike. Maybe a regular bike. I dont think i could even get above 25mph on my bike and my heart rate would soar into the 200's which is unsafe.

I also saw a comment about atkins being no carbs. In Dr. Atkins book he encourages you to eat carbs. Just only certain ones.

What are some good things to eat that are realitively easy to make? I eat all sorts of meats so i'm talking about something other than meat. Maybe i should ask.. what carbs should i eat?