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Four weeks to look good

post #1 of 40
4/8/08 at 5:49pm
Thread Starter 
tl;dr skip to bottom.

So I have a formal in a little over four weeks. The entire group will be staying in various beach houses during the weekend so I expect to be out on the beach for the majority of the weekend. People from all over will be attending so of course I want to make the best impression. Basically, I want to get into the best shape that I can in the next four weeks and use this as a platform to staying in shape for eternity.

Some background info. I used to be on the varsity swim team of my high school but I haven't done any sort of sports/consistent exercise since then (I'm a sophomore in college now). The only exercise I get is from intramural sports, which are few and far between, and walking to class. Surprisingly it's about 2 miles or so of walking since my classes are situated in buildings on opposite sides of campus. I try to eat moderate portions at meals and indulge in ice cream/etc. occasionally. Even with the lack of exercise and poor diet I've been maintaining a (what I consider) healthy 145lb at 5'8".

I know four weeks isn't much but I'm sure I can get some results. I don't mind changing my diet and I definitely don't mind working hard to get results.

Basically it comes down to these questions.

1. Realistically how much weight can I lose in this time span?
2. What kind of work outs should I be doing to get the best results?
3. What kind of diet should I be on?

(Mostly concerned about abs/arms you know, beach places)
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post #2 of 40
4/8/08 at 6:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dekayte View Post
tl;dr skip to bottom.

So I have a formal in a little over four weeks. The entire group will be staying in various beach houses during the weekend so I expect to be out on the beach for the majority of the weekend. People from all over will be attending so of course I want to make the best impression. Basically, I want to get into the best shape that I can in the next four weeks and use this as a platform to staying in shape for eternity.

Some background info. I used to be on the varsity swim team of my high school but I haven't done any sort of sports/consistent exercise since then (I'm a sophomore in college now). The only exercise I get is from intramural sports, which are few and far between, and walking to class. Surprisingly it's about 2 miles or so of walking since my classes are situated in buildings on opposite sides of campus. I try to eat moderate portions at meals and indulge in ice cream/etc. occasionally. Even with the lack of exercise and poor diet I've been maintaining a (what I consider) healthy 145lb at 5'8".

I know four weeks isn't much but I'm sure I can get some results. I don't mind changing my diet and I definitely don't mind working hard to get results.

Basically it comes down to these questions.

1. Realistically how much weight can I lose in this time span?
2. What kind of work outs should I be doing to get the best results?
3. What kind of diet should I be on?

(Mostly concerned about abs/arms you know, beach places)

Are you a guy? I don't know what you look like personally, but I would be thinking, instead of losing weight, why not gain weight by turning the fat into muscle?

If this is the case I would go to the gym and do everyday exercises while eating lots of protein rich foods.

Someone else will surely give better advice.
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post #3 of 40
4/8/08 at 8:08pm
1. Realistically how much weight can I lose in this time span?
2. What kind of work outs should I be doing to get the best results?
3. What kind of diet should I be on?

1. 8 lbs max, or 2 lbs per week, anything more will be muscle or water
2. at least 30 minutes cardio at least 3 days a week. This also means 60 minutes x 5 days a week is better. Do basic strength training 3x/wk to maintain lean muscle mass.
3. ~40-45% carbohydrate, 35% protein, 20-25% heart healthy fats
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post #4 of 40
4/8/08 at 9:54pm
at 5'8 145 Im assuming you are still fairly slim. Your workouts and diet will depend on what goal you want to accomplish. In general, you need to "eat clean." Cut out all the junk food-sugars, saturated fats, processed carbs, etc and combine in with an excercise program which will suit your needs. If you want to lose weight, then do a combination weight training-cardio regimen. If you want to gain more muscle mass, then lift heavier, and concentrate your cardio on non-lifting days. Good luck.
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post #5 of 40
4/8/08 at 10:23pm
I'm 6' 2". When getting ready for a trip to the Dominican Republic I did a 4 week diet and workout that really made a difference.

I did circuit training mixing weights, stretching and aerobics on the odd days and 25 minutes of stairmaster and assorted weights and abs on even days. Each day I tried to push myself a little more than the day before. I drank water, no soda or juice, ate mostly protein and vegetables and cut out almost all carbs. I lost 8 pounds, ate till I was full and was feeling well toned. I really felt the difference and my wife noticed after 2-3 weeks.

It wasn't that hard to keep it up for four weeks. Psych your self to eat right and exercise everyday and I'm sure you can accomplish a lot in four weeks. Good luck.
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post #6 of 40
4/8/08 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
I guess I should have worded my first question better, I meant how 'cut' could I get not so much lose weight. I was more concerned about what to eat since I've never had to watch what I ate before. Thanks for the help.
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post #7 of 40
4/8/08 at 10:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dekayte View Post
I guess I should have worded my first question better, I meant how 'cut' could I get not so much lose weight.

I was more concerned about what to eat since I've never had to watch what I ate before. Thanks for the help.


definitely weight training to get enough lean muscle to look "toned"

I'm positive that you can get some great results with a circuit training program while eating clean. Eat enough protein, about 1.2 grams per lb of body weight, then cut out all of your refined carbs utilizing fruits and veggies as your main carb source. Oh yeah, dont forget to eat good fats (olive oil, nuts, flax, avocados)

You have to stay on track with both your diet and excercise to see noticable results.
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post #8 of 40
4/9/08 at 12:31am
Eat lots of veggies, eat 6 times a day, don't eat fats, eat a big breakfast (eggs, fruit, shredded wheat, no added sugar), small dinner (soup, steamed veggies), low carbs (ie no bread) after 5pm, go to bed feeling like you could eat just a little more (hard to aim for, sometimes I overshoot and am to hungry to sleep), aim to never feel full and never feel really hungry, get 8 hours sleep.

Jog before breakfast, run at night, do weights 4 times a week, careful of over training.

Forget 'weight' loss, get some scales that measure bodyfat and go for 'fat' loss. Aim for about 1% loss a week (that's the maximum my doctor said I should go for).

I managed to loose 5% in 4 weeks once. I parobably wasn't eating enough and lost too much muscle at the same time, so aim for 1% a week.
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post #9 of 40
4/9/08 at 10:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bure View Post
why not gain weight by turning the fat into muscle?


Isn't that like turning an orange into an apple?
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post #10 of 40
4/9/08 at 10:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shraka View Post
Forget 'weight' loss, get some scales that measure bodyfat and go for 'fat' loss. Aim for about 1% loss a week (that's the maximum my doctor said I should go for).

Terrible.

Focus on bodyfat more than weight--- sure. But relying on scales that supposedly measure bodyfat-- hell to the no.
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post #11 of 40
4/9/08 at 10:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by taxgenius69 View Post
Isn't that like turning an orange into an apple?

Nothing outside the ability of a good alchemist.

lefty
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post #12 of 40
4/9/08 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by taxgenius69 View Post
Isn't that like turning an orange into an apple?

I believe it is...
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post #13 of 40
4/9/08 at 12:44pm
Four weeks is definitely time for fat loss. You could probably lose 4-5 pounds. It won't make a huge difference in how you look without a shirt, but you might be more "cut" giving the impression of larger muscles. Here's my advice. 145 at 5'8" is very thin. I think you need to concentrating on building muscle. Start lifting heavy 3-4 times per week, eat a lot of protein-rich food, and get plenty of sleep. Concentrate on big compound movements if you are able. You say you were a swimmer. Muscle memory is a very real (and awesome) phenomenon. If you start lifting all that muscle you had as a swimmer will most likely come back in four weeks.
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post #14 of 40
4/10/08 at 5:50pm
Thread Starter 
So here is a small update. (it's been 2 days, haha) I did weights on Tuesday after my post and I'm definitely feeling sore as hell today. I plan on doing it again today as well. I don't think the work outs are going to be too bad to keep up with. I'm mostly concerned with my diet. I usually have classes from 10AM-3:30PM and work afterwards so six meals is hard to put together. I can usually get breakfast, lunch and dinner but its hard to sneak snacks in the middle of class/work (pharmacy area is hard to eat at ) Also I know people have posted what to eat but here are my options. Sandwiches, pasta, salad bar, and a bunch of unhealthy stuff. I figured I'd stay with sandwiches, pasta, and the salad bar. What am I allowed to put in my sandwiches and what should I avoid? The same goes for the pasta and salads. I really only have basic knowledge about diets.
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post #15 of 40
4/10/08 at 5:57pm
If you must eat pasta, go with whole wheat.

Jon.
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