I really need some help

[BabolatPureStorm]

Ok, heres the deal. My high school tennis season is starting soon and i'm over weight. I MUST lose like 30 Lbs. I need some help.

So far, i don't really have a good diet, i know i should start that but i don't know where to begin. I know eat less, and eat better, but what exactly should i eat? I always get vauge answers like, oh vegtables, but i can't live on vegtables alone. Detail would be lovely

Also, what does everyone suggest for workouts? Some detailed workouts would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

[zebano]

First off 30 lbs fast isn't going to happen. 1-2 lbs a week is a good weight loss rate.

Food: Make sure you eat plenty of protein and drink lots of water. Fish, chicken, whole grains, vegtables, fruit. The less processed a food is the better. Go to a site like fitday.com and log what you eat each day.

Workouts: In tennis I find the most important thing is a good cardio base. Start running until you can run a 5k non-stop. Lifting is also a useful thing to do but far less important than cardio in my opinion. Jump rope is an amazing workout, and cycling or swimming are good choices if you need to preserve bad knees or ankles. After you can do the 5k, I would recommend doing agility and speed drills and working in a little bit of lifting (squats, lunges, overhead press and core work).

 

[BabolatPureStorm]

First off 30 lbs fast isn't going to happen. 1-2 lbs a week is a good weight loss rate.

Food: Make sure you eat plenty of protein and drink lots of water. Fish, chicken, whole grains, vegtables, fruit. The less processed a food is the better. Go to a site like fitday.com and log what you eat each day.

Workouts: In tennis I find the most important thing is a good cardio base. Start running until you can run a 5k non-stop. Lifting is also a useful thing to do but far less important than cardio in my opinion. Jump rope is an amazing workout, and cycling or swimming are good choices if you need to preserve bad knees or ankles. After you can do the 5k, I would recommend doing agility and speed drills and working in a little bit of lifting (squats, lunges, overhead press and core work).

Thank you much for the reply!

 

[eeytennis]

Ok, heres the deal. My high school tennis season is starting soon and i'm over weight. I MUST lose like 30 Lbs. I need some help.

So far, i don't really have a good diet, i know i should start that but i don't know where to begin. I know eat less, and eat better, but what exactly should i eat? I always get vauge answers like, oh vegtables, but i can't live on vegtables alone. Detail would be lovely

Also, what does everyone suggest for workouts? Some detailed workouts would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

Eat 5-6 small portioned meals a day consisting of lean meats (chicken, fish, etc.) and some carbohydrates as well as some fruits and/or vegetables. Cutting back on your portion sizes would probably be the best way to go. Yes, you will be hungry at first but you will lose weight and you will feel so good and energized. Don't eat after 8PM either...your body doesn't need much energy to sleep!

As for exercising...weight lifting if you can is very beneficial. Not only will it make you stronger but muscle burns calories...even when you are sedentary. Running is a great way to get your aerobic exercising in as well as sprint training (which will definitely benefit your court speed if you do it enough!!). Start off running a mile and a half a day and next week add a mile and the next week add on another one. You have to be at least somewhat disciplined if you want to lose weight.

Good luck!!

 

[Geezer Guy]

Here's my take on it. I've shown up at plenty of matches, seen my opponent was overweight, and I knew immediately I had the match in the bag. I'd just run him around till he dropped, then cruze in for a victory. Right? Well, that's often NOT what happened. I found out early on that just because someone's packing a bit of weight around the court doesn't mean they can't move. It just takes a couple of steps to cover the court, and you get a 30 second rest between each point, and 90 seconds on change-overs. That's plenty of time for a fat boy to catch his breath.

So, my advice to you, don't worry about your weight (too much), just practice your tennis. If you can put away the first short ball or easy sitter you get, hit some unreturnable serves and returns, you can ride out most any match. Just work on constructing ball sequences that let you end a point quickly. And, play smart tennis. You certainly don't want to get in a marathon match with a pusher. And, over time, if you can lose a bit of weight - that won't hurt.

 

[BabolatPureStorm]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I started today

breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Lunch: Bologna sandwhich
Dinner: Spaghetti and Meatballs (A fairly small portion, certainly less than usual)
Desert: a banana and an orange.

And i played tennis for 2.5 Hrs.

I drank plenty of water today. Of course i'm hungry but i'm more excited for results.

Can you all suggest some work-out routines that would be good, like sprint excercises, i don't really know where to start and i want something other than just Running around a track for 2 hours

 

[maverick66]

you shouldnt be hungry. you need to eat the right things not less. if your hungry go eat. just make smart choices in what you eat. and a bologna sandwich is a not a great choice. try to get a leaner meat if you have a sandwich.

write down what you eat. make a food journal. i remeber first time i did that i couldnt believe all the crap i was eating. best way to know what you did.

also your not gonna lose 30lbs in a short amount of time but you can make significant gains in your fitness level as the season goes on. just think of this as a long term life change instead of a quick fix.

 

[eeytennis]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I started today

breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Lunch: Bologna sandwhich
Dinner: Spaghetti and Meatballs (A fairly small portion, certainly less than usual)
Desert: a banana and an orange.

And i played tennis for 2.5 Hrs.

I drank plenty of water today. Of course i'm hungry but i'm more excited for results.

Can you all suggest some work-out routines that would be good, like sprint excercises, i don't really know where to start and i want something other than just Running around a track for 2 hours

OK, let me offer you some advice on your diet. It's not horrible, but it could be a lot better. For breakfast...the hard boiled eggs are great, but add some fruit (NOT juice!!) and maybe a slice of wheat toast. For lunch, try a turkey or lean roast beef sandwich on wheat bread...bologna is very processed and very unhealthy (even though something about it tastes oh so good ). Add some fruit or vegetables and drink water or skim milk. Have an afternoon snack...do you like yogurt? or cottage cheese? There are many different and healthy concoctions that you can make with those. Dinner is fine as long as your portion sizes are OK. And you are certainly working out enough...2.5 hours of tennis will burn a significant amount of calories. Don't be afraid to feed your body...just don't overdo it...and choose healthy foods instead of junk.

As for sprint training. Run 2 400M sprints, 2 100M sprint, and 3 50M sprints...that should be enough to get you started.