CDFDiveMaster:
Ok, I'm glad I found this post. Her I go. I'm 40, weight is 238, I'm 6'-0". I'm a yoyo dieter and frequent the gym only to see how big i can get my arms, I can't run do to some military knee injuries. Can anyone suggest or help me put a plan together, meals, cardio ideas, my goal is to get to 210-215. I'm not a big veggie eater either. Help!
Jay
To keep from yoyoing again, just start by modifying your exercise without worrying too much about changing your eating. Once you get momentum in your new fitness habits, you can then think about cutting out sources of calories that you don't really need. We can cross that bridge once we get to it.
There are plenty of knee-friendly cardio ideas- the elliptical trainer is an easy one. It's like a combo of running, cycling, and cross-country skiing in motion, but most ellipticals do not require a lot of range of motion out of your knees, and there is zero impact. You mention that you go to a gym, so you should have access to elliptical trainers there.
Swimming is also a great source of cardiovascular conditioning, and it has secondary benefits to a diver.
Strength training should not be about arms or the "mirror side," as you allude to. It is easy to find well-balanced programs, though, that will maintain what you've got while improving the strength balance around your joints. I post free workouts weekly (usually <g>) at
http://divefitness.com/html/workouts.html, which will not only show you how to exercise your whole body, but they will also give you ideas for scheduling strength and cardio exercise around each other.
28 pounds might sound like a lot of weight to lose, but if you think about losing it over 4-6 months, you will be more successful in getting it off and keeping it off. In any event, you should not make any change in your life to lose weight that you cannot sustain long-term. Otherwise, I can promise you that whatever weight you lose will come back and bring some friends. <g>
Cameron