loosing weight!

[fergy7197]

Since our other topic is slagging the fatties that cant work...

iam looking for a bit of advice on losing weight etc.

Currently iam working for royal mail, as a postman. Walking around about 5 miles a day excluding walking to and from work.

I have recently joined the local gym.

When i started with royal mail i was nineteen stone on the 14th of jan, today iam just under 17.

The problem that iam having is that everytime iam going to the gym, i really cant seem to push myself that hard. I have a programme of 2 miles running (trying to get my times down as i fancy joining the navy or the police) 20 mins of x trainer, and then a variety of weights.

by the time iam finished iam like the walking dead!

I really dont see the point in paying for the gym, as iam getting good excercise every day through work, and i can easily still practice runnign as i live on a long stretch of road and can time myself etc.

can i use freeweights to try and build my arm and shoulder strength and tone while trying to lose weight? or is it not possible to do so, i have heard so many conflicting views from different people i dont know what to do

maybe some of you have a bit of knowledge and experience in this

cheers

[Cableguy]

Weight lifting is a must for weight loss mate. It will create more lean muscle which in turn will burn more fat, the more muscle thats there the more fat you will burn. Give ya metabolism a shock every now and then , eat properly for a few days then throw a big curry in to the mix to make ya body start giving food up , drink loads of water aswell. Tune your diet so your going to the toilet for a crap at least once a day and so your pi55 is peachy colour

[james26386]

The problem it seems like you have run into is the classic 'brick-wall' syndrome which happens when your body just gets used to the exercises you are throwing at it.

You need to vary your exercises and do a new regime every 1 - 2 months, come up with new plans for the gym, i.e. rowing, cycling etc. Also, differing intensities / training programs and lengths spent on machines to help mix it up.

Doing weights will help to tone up specific areas - at a stage where you are trying to shed pounds then it won't be AS important as hitting the cardio hard. But it is good to use resistance machines - keep the reps between 12 and 30 to help build 'stamina' muscle rather than strength and you want to be feeling a burn at the end of each set rather than struggling to get the last rep out.

Hope this is of some use to you!!

[Chin.]

Get some Creatine man !

[Roboscot]

Drinking loads of water can work wonders. Years ago when I worked in a bar/restaurant I was around 13½ stone and had been for a few years. I wasnt by any means trying to lose weight but I got into the habit of drinking about 8 pints of water over an 8/9 hour shift, and with no other changes in my lifestyle at all I lost a stone and a half in a matter of months, and have stayed that weight for the last 5 years.

Maybe it was the miles of walking to the toilet every half hour mind!

[munky]

on the same note as the OP... kinda... How do you lose a beer belly without stopping drinking?

I already eat healthily, plenty of fresh fruit and veg and proper food, no frozen or microwave sh*te.

I dont do much exercise except messing about with the kids playing football, on the trampoline etc... My work involves sitting at a pc so theres no help there.

I'm not fat, but have put on a stone in the last year, entirely on my gut and nowhere else.

Would cutting down on the wine and doing situps do the job or do I need to go full on and start exercising properly.

[Punx0r]

Mate, you've lost over two stone in 2 months! I'd just carry on with what you're doing, it certainly seems to be working

Motivation is a mother hen. If you're working towards something important (like the police/army) this'll probably help a lot. I'm not well-suited to give exercise advice because I suck at it. I've only gotten in shape once in my adult life and that was when I did three peaks. I hate running with a passion, but I did it regularly for about 6 months because I was doing it for a specific purpose. I told myself I'd carry it on afterwards, but I soon gave up. When my legs and lungs were burning and I wanted to stop, there was nothing to argue against stopping.

Well done with the commitment so far

[Punx0r]

I'm not fat, but have put on a stone in the last year, entirely on my gut and nowhere else.

I believe this is an age thing, get used to it

[munky]

it is... I used to eat like food was going out of fashion and never went over 11 stone.

Then I got to 29.5 yrs old and it all started to go wrong.

I know I'll never be the bronzed Adonis I have always been now I'm ready to start collecting my pension, but I do want rid of the beer gut, I cant wear half my shirts anymore.

[Sheaf]

After xmas I decided to loose about half a stone, one way I found was better lunches. I swapped my usual sandwiches/crisps etc for a bowl of muesli and a banana every day. Lost it pretty quickly. Bread and crisps are pretty bad I think.

Oh yeah, I started drinking more too. Up until recently I'd go a full day (8-6.30) with no liquid intake, which didn't help at all.

The only problem with going to the gym is when you get bored of it, the muscle turns to fat again. I went to the gym for about 18 months, put on about 1/2 stone or so in muscle, but when I stopped going it turned to fat and I then had to loose it....

[Cableguy]

The only problem with going to the gym is when you get bored of it, the muscle turns to fat again. I went to the gym for about 18 months, put on about 1/2 stone or so in muscle, but when I stopped going it turned to fat and I then had to loose it....

Thats impossible tbh , fat and muscle are two totally different tissues, you cannot turn fat in to muscle in the same way you cant turn water in to gold. More muscle burns fat but it most definately doesnt turn in to it. Only way this is being portrayed is your muslce is getting less and burning less fat, but theres more than one way to burn the fat off, you dont need to go and do an hour in the gym each day.

[james26386]

The only problem with going to the gym is when you get bored of it, the muscle turns to fat again. I went to the gym for about 18 months, put on about 1/2 stone or so in muscle, but when I stopped going it turned to fat and I then had to loose it....

Thats impossible tbh , fat and muscle are two totally different tissues, you cannot turn fat in to muscle in the same way you cant turn water in to gold. More muscle burns fat but it most definately doesnt turn in to it. Only way this is being portrayed is your muslce is getting less and burning less fat, but theres more than one way to burn the fat off, you dont need to go and do an hour in the gym each day.

Ditto. Common myth. They cannot be turned from one to the other. The body will merely cut down your overall fat levels and build muscle levels by exercising as it is your bodies way of 'making the exercise easier for itself.' You will soon lose all that 'cardio' muscle and build up a layer of fat over it when you stop the exercise as the body wants to revert back to its natural self.

As for the beer gut thing - the killer bit of a pint or 10 is the amount of calories in each one circa 200 odd. So easy to see why a beer gut is easy to create!

Only thing is to cut the beer and go for something lower calorie like g+t's, or exercise like a rhubarb to compensate all those extra calories. I once heard a study that beer guts are actually more to do with when you drink beer, you often crave food as well and that is the cause of the belly. Can't say I totally believe it, but I think there is some truth in there!

[Cableguy]

Yeah beer is a killer, i gained 8 stone drinking and have lost 5 stone so far for not drinking for 12 months. Granted i gave it some help with exercise but my main problem was beer and ill never touch the crap again becuase of it.

Average bloke can easily drink 6 - 8 pints with a meal on a night out thats 1800 calories without your lunch , tea or any snakcs during the day , for someone trying to lose a guy they should be taking no more than around 1500 in a day so its a losing battle. Lose the drink or lose the gut tbh.

Bare in mind it will take 1 hour running at 10 - 12kmph ( enough to put someone on their ar5e whos not run for a while ) to simply burn 1000 calories, is that really worth the four pints ?

[shen]

Weight lifting is a must for weight loss mate. It will create more lean muscle which in turn will burn more fat, the more muscle thats there the more fat you will burn.

absolutely right here....best way to speed up metabolism.

However the sad fact from tests shows that your adult body size is kinda like elastic and your body will want to return to your normal weight/size.
Getting fit then letting it slip will work only short term....enjoy a lifetime of muscle toning

[Cableguy]

Weight lifting is a must for weight loss mate. It will create more lean muscle which in turn will burn more fat, the more muscle thats there the more fat you will burn.

absolutely right here....best way to speed up metabolism.

However the sad fact from tests shows that your adult body size is kinda like elastic and your body will want to return to your normal weight/size.
Getting fit then letting it slip will work only short term....enjoy a lifetime of muscle toning

Not entirely true , if your overweight ( i was 19.5stone so yeah overweight ) then lifting weights to build more lean muscle to burn the fat off will work , and when you stop lifting the weights your body will stay exactly the same PROVIDING you have done the other ground work and used the weights to help tone up and to accelerate weight loss. As i said my problem was beer, simply stopping lifting weights wont make me go back to 19.5 stone again , im simply not designed to be fat, nor is anyone.

Im 14.5 stone now and havent lifted weights for nearly 6 months and im not gaining

[munky]

I drink wine... not beer. Unless I'm in public... but I dont go out drinking much/at all. I have a wine belly.

How many calories in a bottle of wine?

[Cableguy]

Damn site more than in beer mate ! your looking at 85 - 100 calories for a 125ml glass so over 400 calories if you drink it in a pint glass

[munky]

I'd always thought it would be less than beer.

I guess thats where I need to concentrate my efforts.

[shen]

Damn site more than in beer mate ! your looking at 85 - 100 calories for a 125ml glass so over 400 calories if you drink it in a pint glass

I get through two bottles a week...glass with every meal and also drink about 2 pints every night and considerbly more on weekends.
I eat 4 meals a day, plenty of meats, fish and veg/salads included and a few pies and fry ups a week.

I haven't changed weight in over 10 years...(apart from losing a stone when i got gan grene in my peritoneum lol) lucky lucky me

[munky]

give it time and you wont be so smug... I'm guessing you're reasonably young?

Its true what they say -

When you're young you can eat what you like, drink what you like and still climb into your 26 inch waist trousers and zip them closed.

Then you reach that age -- 24, 25 -- your muscles give up and wave a little white flag and without any warning at all, you're suddenly a fat b*stard.

(banana for the first person to name the song/group, and the tv show they sampled)

[618ireland]

But you do lots of training Shen
I'm 5 10, 16 stone, go to they gym few times a week, my problem is too much yummy stuff Although going to work in Galway for 12 months so trying to coincide that with a change in diet, am 28 now and feel I must change my ways once and for all.

[shen]

give it time and you wont be so smug... I'm guessing you're reasonably young?

yeah i'm 32

and 618 i do do practice alot my particualr thing but it's not extremely hard going..in fact it's very relaxed.
I did mention somewhere after having a gan grenous gut i did nothing for about a year and didn't put any weight on..i was 26 at the time.

on another note my father was always very slim....shorter than me at 5'9 or thereabouts.
Always eat well, not super healthy but never package meals or crap, didn't drink large amounts, glass of wine with meals.
Always active...even used to play 5 aside football with his much younger colleagues when he was 60.
like me....still a very slim and athletic looking chap when he had a sudden massive heart attack in the middle of the night. aged 62.

here's what i'll say to everyone who isn't excessively obese and is looking at themselves.....do not stress or listen to the crap that your size makes you unhealthy, worrying and putting yourself down is a million times worse than a few extra calories.

Aditionally my grandma is 90 this year and my grandad was 93 when he passed away last year...he was always slim, my grandma is still slim and extremely healthy with all her own teeth, looks much younger than her age and goes out and about in town every day....when she comes round for dinner each sunday she makes a point of eating any fat I leave on my plate from roast lamb and says ... 'a bit of what you fancy does you good'

Enjoy life, it's what it's there for!

[munky]

give it time and you wont be so smug... I'm guessing you're reasonably young?

yeah i'm 32

Well thats just not fair.

Enjoy life, it's what it's there for!

Too right.... thats my problem. I want to get rid of the beer gut, but not as much as I want a drink.

[618ireland]

Is your Dad ok now Shen ? (I hope he is obviously)

[Punx0r]

When you're young you can eat what you like, drink what you like and still climb into your 26 inch waist trousers and zip them closed.

Then you reach that age -- 24, 25 -- your muscles give up and wave a little white flag and without any warning at all, you're suddenly a fat b*stard.

(banana for the first person to name the song/group, and the tv show they sampled)

Red Dwarf and Carter USM

[fergy7197]

I had no idea that lifting weights will help lose weight!

every day is a school day!!

I think i will continue as its going - i need to really push myself to go to the gym cos after work im frankly fooked!

its amasing what changes your body can make when you change what you do!

[jarewo]

i'll throw my bit of advice in here.. best thing you can do with training is get a workout partner that will push you and tell it straight. i run between 3 and 6 miles each day ,either before work or after and also on the rower for 30 mins each day. but i just dont push myself beyond my comfort zone until recently when i got a training partner.now he only lifts weights and cycles having that variation and someone else pushing you at something you do not normaly do works wonders..im now 13 stone and have until recently never been above 11.5 when im looking like jason statham ill stop.lol till then the ab master is my new best friend.

[200coupe]

If i believed wii fit id say i was obese!
Im not mind as my gf brother roughly the same height comes up as ideal weight and he's a skinny git where as im more stocky than him.

Im 28 now and i can still fit into jeans that i had when i was 18, but that's because i bought them too big in the 1st place (waist size 34ish jeans 36 )

Ive always been around the same weight of around 13.5 - 14.5 stone, might have been a bit lighter around 8 years ago when i skated every night but then again i drank alot at the time to offset that .

I do eat better that i used to luckily my metabolism hasn't slowed down that much from when i was younger but i am weary that it will one day and that it will be harder to shift the weight.