So many folks have been asking questions lately, it’s been hard to keep up. My apologies for taking so long to respond. My plate has been relatively full on both the home front and at work.
Rather than answer each person individually that have commented recently, I figured I would throw out a post to everyone to benefit from. Where do I start? How about I answer the questions directly:
How long did it take you to lose the weight?
About 4 months for the bulk of it. It took an additional month or so to get to where I really wanted to be. There were several times in there it seemed that I had a plateau, but persistence paid off.
How long before you started to see results?
About 4-6 weeks. Well, it was hard for me to tell as looking in the mirror each day, you don’t see the small changes that begin to happen. However, after about 4 weeks, *others* begin to comment and tell me. At about 6 weeks, I started keeping a log of weekly measurements. It’s hard to tell from the scales sometimes, as you may be losing fat, but gaining muscle.
How did you do it?
Well, read throughout my blog. I don’t really want to bore my regular readers with stuff I’ve already said. The short answer is: 3 days cardio, 3 days strength training, 1 day off. I also eat 6 *small* meals per day (many diets and books promote this) with one day off (eat anything I want). However, you have to *earn* the day off. It’s a privilege, not a right. Eat proper and train for 6 days, and you *earn* a day off.
How long do you do cardio on your cardio days?
It varies depending on my mood. Most days it is 20 minutes of varied exertion (usually intervals on an eliptical). Some days I may do more. Any more than about 20 minutes and you may be burning muscle, not fat. Cardio sessions: Keep them short, but intense.
Can you tell me which exercises are good for burning fat?
That’s a tough one. If you are trying to target a specific area of fat, it can’t be done. It is scientifically impossible to target a specific trouble area of fat. Your body uses fat stores throughout your body, not just from the area around the particular muscle you’re working. However, if you are looking for which exercises you should do to burn fat in general, both strength training AND cardio work provides the best results.
Did you take any supplements or fatburners?
The *only* supplement was a multi-vitamin. That’s it. You don’t need it. There are no shortcuts. If you read the disclaimer of ANY weightloss miracle, whether it is a machine, supplement, whatever, you’ll usually see something like: "best results achieved when combined with an exercise and diet program". Well… DUH.
Have your results been long term?
Yes. I lost the weight in 2004. It’s going on my fourth year now and I haven’t gained it back. Is that long term? Furthermore, my results were healthy ones. I went from a couch potato that was forty pounds overweight to someone who consistently competes in triathlons and other races. Check out my racing site at http://www.SpeedyLizard.com
Hope I helped answer some of the questions. Any more? Just post a comment below (you can do so anonymously).
Speedy Lizard 