[ashakouri1]

I am male 25 years old, 5'11" about 197 poungs, and want to lose about 15 pounds or so. I have changed my diet to subway, without mayo, and I think I am cutting out a lot of calories I use to eat. Also cutting out a large or Calories from Fat.

My question is about diet coke, does it hinder or stop weight gain. I drink maybe 20 oz. diet coke a day. I am trying to cut back but taking small steps.

Also my schedule is that i workout last at night like 10 p.m., and just wondering if that is bad too.

And the type of workout I do is about 30-45 min of elliptical machine, some bicycle, and then some free weights. Like the legs and biceps curls. And I am trying to go every day, or at least every other day. I know I should be more specific but wondering if this is a decent workout.

Another question is the heart rate. I have been told for people who want to lose weight, they should hit around 130 for the heartrate. I try to follow this, but it just seems like I am not sweating or feeling anything. Is that what it is suppose to be like?

[johan]

I think the choice you're making to just eat subway is ok. I think you need more than that in your diet though. More fruits and vegetables and grains. Subway might be good as part of a weight loss program, but I don't think it's particularly healthy. At least not the meat.

Working out at 10pm would kill me. I can't sleep well if I work out after 6pm. So I'd recommend working out earlier. Maybe you do sleep all night, but I'd be concerned that the quality of the sleep may not be that good.

130bpm is the low end of the range. Assuming you're healthy and maybe 25 to 30, I'd recommend you maintain a heart rate between 130 and 150. You may not feel much at 130 bpm, but the key aspect of aerobic exercise is not exertion but duration. After 90 minutes at 130bpm you'll feel differently about how difficult it is.

When I run, I maintain a heart rate usually between 150 and 160 bpm, which works out to about 7:30 to 8 minute pace. Running like that burns about 900 calories an hour. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. If you don't change your diet, and if you run like I do, then you're looking at 4 hours of running to burn a pound of fat in a week. Unless you eat more.

As far as Diet Coke goes, I gather that that stuff is either addictive or habit forming. And there is no way that it is good for you except maybe as a comfort food. This brings me to the last thing I have to say: don't confuse weight loss with a healthy lifestyle. You can do lots of stuff to lose weight that really aren't good for you. And in the end you'll be neither healthy nor thin.

Hope that helps. I spent years training as an endurance athlete. No results to brag about, but I did learn some things about working out.

[Tony T]

I agree with Johan that Subway sandwiches may not be a good choice for your total diet. Don't believe what you see on TV. And no matter what you eat, be sure you take a good vitamin supplement. A diet is a stressor on the body and you must have balanced nutrition to be on the safe side.

Diet Coke shouldn't affect your weight loss one way or the other. However, for your information, as you get older you should cut out all sodas. First, aspartame used to sweeten many sodas is poison and has many side effects on people who are vulnerable to them. Second, the sweet taste of the soda sets off certain metabolic responses in the body that makes it come close to processing the intake as sugar. Caffeine isn't particularly nutritious and won't give you the same energy boost as your exercise will. Over a period of time, caffeine will not be a positive thing in your diet.

If I were you, I would quickly switch to good old WATER, you're favorite kind, and hydrate yourself that way. It may not be as refreshing to you as Diet Coke right away but later you will grow to yearn it and you can drink as much as you like (within reason) with ZERO calories and many health benefits. If refer you to this link, put up by Columbia University, that will convince you that WATER is the way to go: http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0971.html At the bottom of that page is a link about the risks of Apartame, used to sweeten sodas and which also goes under the name Equal: http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0736.html

As for your heart rate, 130 seems to be at the lower end of the range of what you should be doing but is certainly adequate. To make the computation for yourself, go to: http://exercise.about.com/cs/fitnesstools/l/bl_THR.htm and insert the data for yourself.

You may not be sweating because of inadequate cardio exercise, which one of the trainers at the gym can help you with.

Before you change your exercise in any substantial way, it would be a very good idea to get yourself checked out by a doctor. Heavy exercise and diet can wreak havoc on your body...even a youthful one...and your doctor can make sure you are prepared. You may even have medical issues about which you are totally unaware and which could be affected by your new exercise regimen. The possibility is slim but death is so permanent and it does happen for some.

Good luck!

[Trialbyfire]

I would avoid diet coke and replace it with water, which is so good for you for a number of reasons.

[norajane]

Google High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT, and do a couple of days a week of that instead of your slow cardio. At 130 bpm, you're not working out hard enough.