So what are some things you should hear from your doctor that lets you know you're alright to workout at a good pace?

Is it just blood pressure? LDL/HDL cholesterol? etc. I'm just wondering because I got like a 119/82, which isn't that bad I think. I'm 5'7 185 (Yea, I need to lose some weight. Hence, the question of working out)

 

I think it's more than that! I've been on a diet lately though.

My daily diet consists of
-Breakfast: Bowl of Honey Nut Cherios
-Lunch: Light salad with fat free dressing or sometimes a subway sandwich wheat bread all vegetables
-Dinner: Plain pasta with light tomato sauce

After dinner I would usually run a few miles with my dog around the block, i've been doing this for not too long but already I see progress and blood pressure is looking better according to my doctor.

Yes the food is pretty boring.

edit: I also eat the pasta with chicken breast sometimes, just plain grilled chicken breast. Sometimes chicken breast with whole wheat bread since you also need the protein.

 

Just a heads up. Honey Nut Cheerios isn't doing your heart many favors. It has a ton of sodium which can raise your blood pressure.


To the OP: What kind of working out? Cardio? Plyo? Weight training?

120/80 is generally considered normal.

Just my opinion, and I'm no way trained in any medical field, I usually go around ~70% of what I would consider my max when I'm getting back into the groove of things. If you're getting into weight training, focus on form first. Getting the form down when the weight is lighter will help keep form correct when things get tougher. IIRC, for cardio, the rule of thumb for max heart rate is 220 - age.

 

It's always safest to ask your personal physician. That way you can keep him updated and inform him of any irregularities you might notice during/after work outs which might be indicative of potential health risks/problems.

Anecdote: my brother is 32, 5' 7 or 8", works out regularly and is about 15% body fat. He was informed by his doctor last year that he has exercise induced arrhythmia, meaning he could potentially suffer from a heart attack from regular work outs. These are things a forum will be unable to tell you.

Start with a jog and work your way up over the course of a few weeks and always aim for a calorie deficit of about 500 calories a day (burn 250, reduce intake by 250, or a mix) . You would be looking at losing a pound a week. Losing more than 2 pounds a week is generally considered unhealthy, and can lead to a loss of muscle mass.

Alternate work outs between cardio and strengthening, more muscle mass = your resting metabolic rate will be higher.

Good luck in trying to lose weight.

 

I'm still learning, thanks for the heads up though. I heard some cons about whole wheat oatmeal but i'm not sure. What do you recommend for a good breakfast?

 

Thanks for the updates, and yea I know the doc makes all the calls when considering the bottom line on advice.

I'm pretty knowlegeable with the nutrition stuff.

1) Less processed stuff is much better, ie wheat > white, brown rice > white rice. But again it depends on the items. Whole grain cereal doesn't mean it's the best thing for you either since it's pretty processed. Something like cooked steel oats are awesome.

2) Something like 80% of a diet should be fresh veggies, juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and little fruits. 20% can be cooked including beans.

 

If you plan on working out, I would ease into everything.
May of last year, I was unhealthy with my eating/exercise habits. I had the opposite problem though, I was skinny. 5'3" and 123lbs. I couldn't even run a mile. So I got into the gym. It takes awhile and can be frustrating as heck to see your heart rate sky rocket after a cardio workout. You just have to stay consistent and keep pushing.
Almost a year later and I'm at 145 with 5% body fat and a 7:30 mile is a warm up for me!

Find something that works for you and slowly add on to it!

 

Here's what I eat
Egg whites
Plain Greek yogurt
One peice of triangle cut whole weat toast
Protein shake filled with isolated whey protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, kale, blueberries, and oats.

It doesn't taste good, but you get used to it. I've lost 2 pant sizes in 3 weeks, but I play highsxhool baseball and go to the gym 7 days a week and do weights and cardio.

Drink a lot of water. 8-12 bottles a day. This helps your body get rid of things it doesn't use instead of storing them into fat

Lunch I eat turkey with spinache kale and tomatoe on whole weat, a fruit, and a protein bar,

After the gym protein shake (same as breakfast)

Dinner plain grilled chicken wth spinache kale brown rice, plain pasta is also good, fish is good,

Main thing is to stop eating out, stop drinking soda, stop late night snacks, and eat small things throughout the day to keep your metabolism going, and if you do that right your body will burn fat overnight because your metabolism is faster than normal.

 

I was 29yo, 5'9", 226 lbs, and smoked a pack a day.

Hell if I was going to ask my doctor if it's okay to work out. I just worked out.

Over 3 years later I'm 160 lbs, run 30-40 miles a week, and smoke free.

Still ain't got a check up or any bloodwork though.

 

Diet is going to be your best friend. I work out daily M-F with my friend who is a personal trainer and we do intensive cross training circuits. Since I worked out so much I figured I could eat whatever I wanted. Last year I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was 142/92, which is considered Stage 1 Hypertension. I changed up my diet (hardly any sodium all whole wheat grains and lean proteins), and my BP when down considerably. ALWAYS check the ingredients on the food that you buy. ex: If the first ingredient doesn't say whole wheat flour, it's not whole wheat.

Consult with your doctor, ease into your workouts, and make an effort to change the way you eat. Consider it a life change, not a diet and you will get better results and be overall healthier IMO.

 

ahh to have the metabolism of a teenager

 

I'm 18 haha. Yeah but my foods are all healthy and lean. Dieting works

 

I've read some terrie things about milk in general, does that apply to almond milk? Just wondering cuz I know that Costco sells it and I'm a huge Costco fan if I can get the product there I will. As for the diet/change of life to eat healthy habit, the question I had was do you eat more protein and less carbs? I know some methods try to up protein to 40% of your your days calories or even higher if your building muscle and trying to lose fat.

 

You don't need no stinking doctor! Seriously, unless you have a serious condition that you didn't post, just go for it and listen to your body.

 

Since no one here is a professional, I highly recommend seeing one, both medically and nutritionally.

What works for someone may not always work for someone else.

There are a lot of misconceptions and wrong info out there.

The thing you can work on in the mean time is staying motivated and making exercise a habit.

Just a quick tip, carbohydrates should be the lowest percent intake, followed by "moderate" protein. Remember, anything above 3g per kg body weight of protein is going into the toilet. Once you're working out, that drops down to 1.4g per kg bd wt.

Being clear about what you want out of it would help direct an exercise plan.