Getting fit and shedding pounds

[Paul]

After years of playing football several times a week and going to the gym 2/3 times too, I've done literally no exercise for about three years now. Over that time the weight has been steadily building up and up as my general fitness became ever worse.

 

Having decided that the gym and footy are out as a regular thing for me, I decided to buy a rowing machine and it arrived on Saturday. Me and the boy wonder have just done our first sessions and I did two sets of a kilometre each. In short, I'm fucked. I do love that endorphin rush though.

 

Here's to the long hard months and many, many pounds ahead.

[James Dean]

[Elite]

Download the Myfitnesspal app so you can track your calories and it'll work out how many you need to lose weight. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature.

[Paul]

 

Got one mate and a good 'un too. Can't fit it in around family and work commitments enough to shed the pounds.

[Paul]

Download the Myfitnesspal app so you can track your calories and it'll work out how many you need to lose weight. Once you get used to it' date=' it becomes second nature.[/quote']

 

Nice one mate. Done.

[Total Longo]

Got one mate and a good 'un too. Can't fit it in around family and work commitments enough to shed the pounds.

 

Want to sell it then?

[Total Longo]

This is my bike and i love it but i want a full on road bike now.

 

[L19red]

Got one mate and a good 'un too. Can't fit it in around family and work commitments enough to shed the pounds.

 

When you get bored with the rowing machine you'll realise you should have bought a turbo trainer.

 

Good luck with the weight loss btw.

[Champ]

When you get bored with the rowing machine you'll realise you should have bought a turbo trainer.

 

Good luck with the weight loss btw.

 

If it is more boring than a turbo trainer you're going to have to find something else to mix it up with.

 

I know how time consuming cycling is and even a couple of years ago I would have struggles to give it the time I can now but is cycling to work an option? Regular exercise without having to think about it!

[Anny Road]

There is nothing more to losing weight that a calorific deficit.

No short cuts, no miracle pill, no abs in 6 week programme, cycling, running, weights, pole vaulting, line dancing. It does not matter. Burn more than you consume. You lose weight.

Fitness is different obviously but identify your goal and don't confuse the two.

[Paul]

Want to sell it then?

 

No. I still use it on the odd jaunt with the family. However, not in a way that has me breaking a sweat.

[dickie mint]

16st-10 at the start of July now 15st-8,running-sit-ups and watch what I'm eating and just drinking Water is doing the business,aiming for 15st and see where it goes.

[Paul]

16st-10 at the start of July now 15st-8' date='running-sit-ups and watch what I'm eating and just drinking Water is doing the business,aiming for 15st and see where it goes.[/quote']

 

Bloody hell. Well done mate. We're currently the same weight. I'm aiming for 14 stone.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Getting fit (in terms of your cardiovascular system and your muscular strength) is all about exercise.

 

Shedding pounds is all about food.

 

Its really, really easy once you get into it. If you want any advice regarding the latter, drop me a PM.

[dickie mint]

Bloody hell. Well done mate. We're currently the same weight. I'm aiming for 14 stone.

 

 

 

Good luck mate.

[WaltonRed]

I've started running but my knee has started hurting cos I've been running in my astro's but gonna invest in some proper running shoes and see where it takes me

[Paul]

I've started running but my knee has started hurting cos I've been running in my astro's but gonna invest in some proper running shoes and see where it takes me

 

Running totally fucks my shins. The reason I bought this rowing machine is because it's low impact, works multiple muscle groups and is highly cardiovascular.

[G Richards]

I bought a Concept rowing machine a few years ago on the recommendation of a personal trainer. I feel as though I'm too busy to go the the gym (I know, if it was a priority I'd make the time) but I can easily get a decent workout in on the rower. Rowing is low impact and it works all the major muscle groups. I'm very happy with my rower. It should last for many years to come.

[The Acolyte]

Getting fit (in terms of your cardiovascular system and your muscular strength) is all about exercise.

 

Shedding pounds is all about food.

 

Its really, really easy once you get into it. If you want any advice regarding the latter, drop me a PM.

 

Spot on about the food. The quicker you shed weight the easier the cardio will get as you're not lugging so much excess baggage. This is also good if you have old injuries that are hampering you (back, knee, ankle etc.)

Cut the carbs and processed shite out. Bread (if not not home made) is full of both, get rid. Eat unleavened bread (pitta) if you can't go complete cold turkey from bread. Ditch spuds. Bloody hard. Replace it with rice. Eat sheds more fruit and cut your meat intake for the week. If you can, just go with chicken and fish, no red meat. Your guts will thank you for it. On no account eat pastries especially the puff variety (you don't want to know how much fat goes into a single sausage roll excluding the meat!). No pizza or kebabs or any shite like that, bin any menu that lands on your mat.

Go booze free for a while and notice the difference. Even if you hate that part your tolerance will drop markedly and getting pissed will cost half as much in 3 months time!

Once you get back into the exercise and your CV improves the weight will fly off and you can add one or two of the bad things back as a treat (e.g. you've increased the time you spend on the rower to 20 minutes and increased your pace by an extra 5 metres), just don't kick the arse out of it!

[Saintslfc13]

Spot on about the food. The quicker you shed weight the easier the cardio will get as you're not lugging so much excess baggage. This is also good if you have old injuries that are hampering you (back, knee, ankle etc.)

Cut the carbs and processed shite out. Bread (if not not home made) is full of both, get rid. Eat unleavened bread (pitta) if you can't go complete cold turkey from bread. Ditch spuds. Bloody hard. Replace it with rice. Eat sheds more fruit and cut your meat intake for the week. If you can, just go with chicken and fish, no red meat. Your guts will thank you for it. On no account eat pastries especially the puff variety (you don't want to know how much fat goes into a single sausage roll excluding the meat!). No pizza or kebabs or any shite like that, bin any menu that lands on your mat.

Go booze free for a while and notice the difference. Even if you hate that part your tolerance will drop markedly and getting pissed will cost half as much in 3 months time!

Once you get back into the exercise and your CV improves the weight will fly off and you can add one or two of the bad things back as a treat (e.g. you've increased the time you spend on the rower to 20 minutes and increased your pace by an extra 5 metres), just don't kick the arse out of it!

 

Pretty sound advice though I disagree on the red meat if you can find a good source for it (grass-fed and/or pastured) then it has it's place in a fitness plan, it's loaded with protein and when grass-fed the fat is healthy, it has the added bonus of being more satisfying for most people than either chicken or fish. I will say though that if you're one of those heathens that like their steaks well done then you should just ditch it altogether, for both culinary and health concerns.

 

I'd also say to ditch the rice too if you can manage, it's better than spuds and bread certainly but it's not wholly necessary, you can get all the carbs you need with a better nutrient profile from vegetables. Important to remember that corn is also a grain too as far as our bodies are concerned, I've seen loads of people totally fuck their low-carb "diets" up by not realizing that. Laying off the booze is also very important, and if you can't manage that entirely stick with wine (preferably red as it's got more of the beneficial stuff in it than white) or liquor (straight, on the rocks, or club soda) and practice moderation or just have one day where you expect to drink and factor that into you dietary plans. When it comes to shedding pounds Beer is pretty much the drinking mans Kryptonite. Also as The Acolyte said above your wallet will thank you for it both in the short term and long term as you'll been spending less on it from the off and you'll need less if/when you start drinking more again.

 

It can be tedious and overwhelming at first but start reading the ingredients as well for the random shit you buy (sauces, dressings, etc.) if you're not going to make them at home. Loads of hidden carbs in just about everything and ironically enough the LITE stuff has more carbs than the non-lite for caloric reasons. Eventually you won't need to keep doing it because you'll know what has what.

 

FitDay is a great website for calorie and nutrition tracking on the desktop, I'm not sure if they've got an app though but the aforementioned myfitnesspal works for that.

 

Also, if you do plan to go the low-carb, ditching grains route there are a plethora of websites with lower carb and grain-free alternatives to things you'd normally use them for, subbing spaghetti squash or thin sliced zucchini for pasta for example.

[Mike D]

regards Kebabs, grilled chicken in pita with salad and no sauce are nice if you want cant resist the takeaway.

[Remmie]

I've been eating more healthily recently, trying to avoid my 3 great loves of Bread, Beer and Cheese. It's actually been quite enjoyable as I plan my meals a lot more and have deliberately avoided dieting as such by eating lots more smaller healthier meals and snacking on vegetables. I don't see the point in making myself unnecessarily hungry. The difficult bit has been working it into my social life as I fucking love drinking and eating out. In the last 2 weeks I have had 2 stag dos and a wedding, try not drinking at them, especially when you are best man! My strategy I think will be to pursue drinking Rum, though you tend to get boring stuff at pubs.

 

Exercise wise I am trying to come up with something regular. I already cycle to work but it's so close that there isn't that much exercise taking place. Stuff like football can be a pain in the arse when working shifts, ditto Yoga which I have been considering taking up.

 

So far I've done no exercise and slightly improved my diet and still managed to lose weight despite my social schedule so I must be doing something right, just need to dial it up a notch or 3.

[PaulMcC]

Get weights and do high intensity stuff with very small breaks in between.

[Anny Road]

There is no such thing as bad food in terms of weight loss. 2000 cals of kebab is the same as 2000 cals of organic feed chicken breast.

Likewise low carb is completely irrelevant if you don't count cals. It is more a system of eating that makes low calorie eating easier rather than having any direct weight loss benefit.

 

Your food intake is relevant when you factor in your exercise. For instance if you were training for a marathon I would keep carbs relatively high whereas if you play badminton once a week it won't matter.

Training high intensity for short burst benefits from a higher protein intake particularly if strength gains are a priority. Even then you need to measure everything you eat.

Sounds complicated but is pretty easy once you get used to it.

[Total Longo]

I love drinking.

 

To be fair, Zeb, you are the greatest drunk the world has ever seen.