Mod Edit: This thread is huge! But it's time to roll out a new thread.
BG Fitness Fanatics II
There have been a few fitness/workout threads posted in the last year or so but nothing really touches on a few questions I have. I've googled, asked people, etc. but I can't get answers to my questions so I'll try here..
Over time I've gone from 250~ pounds to 149 pounds as of this last week. This has been a slow process that has never really emphasized working out.. just great dieting and some minor cardio. As you can imagine this has left me with a less than stellar body (in fact, an incredibly horrible body under the clothes). People always think I'm super anorexic, way too thin, etc. at 6'0 and 150 pounds but they can't see underneath the clothes.. and don't see the fact that I have absolutely no muscle/definition to me.
So my questions would be..
[1] I have a 50-60 minute schedule planned out. Thirty minutes of this is cardio (fairly intensive) with the other 20-30 being various restrictive weight training with dumbells, my bowflex, and other items at home. After I've done my workout, what the hell am I suppose to do? Is it normal for me to just play FF:XI or whatever? It's too dark to go outside and do anything else. What do you guys who work out do after or what SHOULD I be doing?
[2] I have every intention of putting on muscle and continuing to lose fat at the same time but I'm afraid doing cardio is going to actually hurt gaining muscle. Should I do less cardio and more restrictive exercising? I always feel more pumped up and energized when I do cardio.. but only after 15~ minutes.
[3] Since I have a 0% chance of ever making it to a gym (the closest is an hours drive if not more).. but I do have access to my bowflex, stair master, treadmills, etc. what is my best bet at aiding muscle growth / toning up this blob I call my body. Like.. maybe exercises I wouldn't normally think of (or maybe putting a twist to an old one like situps, pushups, benchpressing, etc.)
[4] What, if any, do you guys use for protein shakes? I have a whey protein mix thing that I throw in with skim milk, ice, and a banana.. but that shit gets seriously hard to drink after a week (I'm not a big sweet-tooth person). And if you don't use protein shakes.. where does the majority of your protein come from? I'd guess the same as mine which is grilled chicken, fish, turkey, fat-free cottage cheese, fish, tuna, more fish, and ... fish.
Yah, sorry if this wasn't worth making a thread over.. I just want input from every direction. ANY input would be amazing as I'm really serious about my body and doing the actual WORK I should have done the whole time I lost weight. I'm tired of being the "anorexic" fatty underneath it all lol.. and I'd really like to do those marathons the big cities have one day without being embarassed of passing out five minutes in.