Ive got to make some modifications once I can get the right supplements in about a month, but I (at least I think) am living proof you can do anything. I started out June 3rd of last year at 395lbs, benched 145, and ran north of a 25 minute mile. Absolutely f****ng pathetic to let that happen. I started watching calories, dropped sodas, fast food, and processed foods and have progressed into a five to six day a week training regimen. Work out alone at our local gym in Taylor (HtFit).
Still a long way to go, but Im down to 307 with a 260 bench and 12 minute mile. The hardest thing has been balancing strength training and weight loss. They are not exactly conductive for one another.
There arent many photos of me out there when I was working as the Goodyear blimp, but the one I saw for the first time the other day makes me absolutely sick.
I generally avoid commenting on workouts threads b/c everyone has their own theorie,s but your tremendous progress has inspired me to post. These theories typically they vary according to sex, age and weight goals. The teen to mid twentyish year old light build guy will suggest you do weights only and many women will suggest you don't do any weights for fear of becoming bulky. These theories are valid in certain situations but applying them to all people would be ridiculous.
I am shy of 40, but I have been working out for 20 years with different goals at different times depending on the amount of bad weight I am carrying. However, I still consider myself to be a student of the workout process. In my opinion, you are definitely on the right track watching calories, cutting soda and fast food and working out regularly, but as you mentioned "balancing strength training and weight loss" has always been a struggle for me also. They are certainly not conducive to one another! Weight training especially with large muscle groups like legs, chest or back makes you extremely hungry, which can be counter-productive to your weight loss even if you are eating the right foods. As a result, sometimes when you mix both you may be gaining muscle and losing weight, but you don't actually see results which can be frustrating.
Anyway at your size my suggestion would to put the weights on the back burner for now. Your motivation to continue intense workouts is results and right now you want weight loss. Set a goal weight and make sure you burn more calories per week than you consume. Don't ignore strength training altogether, but focus the majority of your workouts on aerobic activity. For the strength portion of your workout focus on lifting your own body weight push ups, pull ups, dips etc. Focus on getting a good sweat. You'll always know how good of a workout you had by how drenched your clothes are in sweat. Once you reach your weight loss goals, then you can start mixing in the weights at that point in time you'll be able to see your results also.
Based on what has worked for me, I would recommend Insanity. It is intense aerobic exercise with strength training built in. Part of the reason it works for me is it is extremely regimented. I work out in the morning before my kids wake up and if I'm trying to work out on my own, I take longer to wake up and lose valuable time before I have to leave for work. Also you can do it easily from home. I can't tell you the number of times the added 10 minuted drive to the gym has prevented me from getting a workout in. The workouts are intense, but the program works you into them. The workouts are said to burn up to 1,000 per workout (which I am a firm believer in) and all are an hour or less.
Not trying to sound like an infomercial here, I have just seen the results and I'm a firm believer in them. Congrats on your progress so far. Good luck, keep us updated.
