Going to the gym

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explorer
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by explorer »

I used to be very fit. Now I am fat challenged. I lose a bit of weight. Then I put on a bit of weight. It is a challenge.

I ride a bicycle a lot, and am reasonably fit for someone fat challenged.

I believe I am better off as a result of the times when I do lose weight, even though it is difficult to keep it off. If I did not cycle, and did not lose weight when I do, I would be worse off.
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The Seawolf
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by The Seawolf »

I don't want to go all militant on my food. I have tried that before and it doesn't work for me. But there are a few things I can cut out like cans of coffee and the gigantic mango milkshakes I drink 3 times a week. The beers I will consider. I do like a beer in the evening but it doesn't have to be two. Maybe I can just stop all together. I also might start skipping lunch as I always feel shit after lunch anyway. :thumb:
1984
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by 1984 »

by Terry Fishsauce » Wed Aug 07, 2019 11:00 am

Mr.November wrote: ↑Wed Aug 07, 2019 9:16 am
Weight is calories in vs. calories out.
There is some truth in that but it's nowhere near as simple as this old trope though. It's 1970s era dietary advice along with other classics such as "eating fat is bad for you" and "don't eat too many eggs because we assume that eating cholesterol = cholesterol in your veins". All thoroughly debunked in this century.
Of course, the human body is complicated but "calories in vs calories out" is not an old trope, nor is it 1970s era dietary advice. It's a direct reference to the law of conversation of energy, usually in terms of the first law of thermodynamics. It's to put a sock in the people that go "oh my glands" (while simultaneously stuffing their fat piggy faces with a shitton of processed carbs, sugars, 4 litres of coke day etc) when fundamentally, your body can't make fat out of thin air, nor can skinny people make energy magically disappear into nothingness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy

Spigzy and Mr N's advice is good. My version below

Forget about the weight scales for now.
1. Build a regular exercise habit (I'd support the advice of doing more lifting and less treadmill - breaking muscle burns energy, repairing it and growing more burns energy, just having more muscle burns energy). Do some cardio because it will make you live longer and with fewer heart complications.
2. Build good eating habits, balanced diet, increase lean meat consumption when lifting
3. Remove calories by cutting out the stuff you don't need: sugar in coffee, sugar in tea, sugar on your cereal, just don't add sugar to anything, sweet drinks, snacks, white rice, white bread, mid-week alcohol, breakfast (works for me but isn't for everyone), etc. I wouldn't go militant either. Do one thing at a time, start with the long hanging fruit and just do it most of the time. I still it pizza, pasta and (good) bread but just limit it a bit.

I'd also second that black coffee is a great way to keep your metabolism/energy levels up and suppress appetite through the morning. I also stop at lunchtime (well, last one at 11:30). Going from 3 - 4 cans of beer Mon - Thurs to 0 - 1 can of beer Mon - Thurs, is a weekly calorie drop of 1350.
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by cptrelentless »

Coffee is just going to fuck with your blood pressure, it does nothing for you. All the caffeine hits in one go. Green tea just tastes like shit. Exercise will not make you lose weight, especially if you are only doing 25 minutes of cardio three times a week. That's not enough. Keto diet will make you lose weight. Stop drinking beer, stop eating carbs like rice, carrots, potatoes, cereal, any grain or tuber, no fruit or sauces. So no fucking bread or pizza like that idiot up there ^. Take creatine if you want muscle mass, this lean meat shit they are saying is bollocks, too. You want fat as it suppresses appetite by hormonal action on your brain. The time of day you eat has no impact on your weight, otherwise people who work at night would all be anorexic and not fat fucks like the ones at my work. Breakfast is a modern invention, no-one ate breakfast before the Victorians made it up.
1984
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by 1984 »

He said he didn't want to go militant, cptrelentless. You telling me I can't have pasta once or twice a week and still be healthy?
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The Seawolf
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by The Seawolf »

Regarding the running machine I go as fast as I can for 25 minutes. Would 40 minutes at a more gentle pace be better for fat burning? I might try and throw in 2 runs a week in the morning before work. I stopped that cos it was fucking with my Achilles’ tendons.

I am going to cut the cans of coffee and smoothies out. Reluctant to ditch the night time beer or 2 just yet but considering it.

Maybe I am being impatient as I have only been using the gym for about 5 weeks and before that I was basically horrendously out of shape as I stopped exercising about 6 years ago.

Glad to be exercising again though. I feel much better for it. Just haven’t lost any weight yet
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Duncan
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by Duncan »

Take a look at your hormones in a blood test and you may find out why you are carrying excess weight. The female hormone Estrogen makes it easy to put on weight, which is why females put on weight when they are on the pill = Estrogen .


Men's testosterone levels drop as they get older,,, testosterone = muscle. but testosterone can be converted in your body to estrogen, plus all those hormones that are fed to chicken and beef ,,,,, estrogen ,,, to make them put on weight and grow faster, and you end up with putting on weight just like a female.

Ask a doctor to include E2 [ Estrogen ] in your blood tests ,,, and surprise , surprise, they will say its not needed as if your E2 levels are high they cannot do anything about it. I wont go into long details about it.

Now about myself , at 72 years , not one ounce of fat on my body mainly because of exercise [ never been to a gym in my life ] , and the fact that I have been on HRT for the last 20 years . Testosterone = Muscle

But there is more to it than just that, testosterone affects all of your body, more energy and most important , as anyone that has gone onto it will tell you , much more clearer thinking . Gone are those days of having that '' foggy brain syndrome '' .

First step is to do your research. Google is your best friend.
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by whatwat »

You won’t see any difference in 4/5 weeks if you go three or even five times a week.

Give it three months and then report back. Just go steady and watch what you eat/drink. Simple.

In 6/8 months you can try HIIT. 30 mins of high intensity workout with a rest period.
Then mix it up with simple indoor cycling getting your heart rate at about 40% max.

(You’re running before you can walk. Don’t listen to all this advice as it all conflicts!)


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xandreu
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by xandreu »

My weight has gone up and down massively over the course of my life. I'm now well into middle age and I guarantee its become ten times harder to lose now than it was in my twenties

The same techniques and routines that have worked in the past no longer do, or at least they take five times longer.

I have eaten one average sized meal a day for the last couple of years yet I'm still overweight. I only drink alcohol every other weekend but I do drink a few too many energy drinks than I should.

Still, at least if I ever survived a plane crash in the middle of nowhere, I'd live a lot longer than most of the others.
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Re: Going to the gym

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

The Seawolf wrote:Regarding the running machine I go as fast as I can for 25 minutes. Would 40 minutes at a more gentle pace be better for fat burning? I might try and throw in 2 runs a week in the morning before work. I stopped that cos it was fucking with my Achilles’ tendons.

I am going to cut the cans of coffee and smoothies out. Reluctant to ditch the night time beer or 2 just yet but considering it.

Maybe I am being impatient as I have only been using the gym for about 5 weeks and before that I was basically horrendously out of shape as I stopped exercising about 6 years ago.

Glad to be exercising again though. I feel much better for it. Just haven’t lost any weight yet
Two options: go slow (130bpm for me) for a long time (45 mins minimum), or do HIIT/Tabata training. It's best to use a heart rate monitor if you really want to burn fat and stay in those zones. It sounds like you're not in great shape, so I would maybe go easy on Tabata for now.

As mentioned by others though, diet will play a far bigger role than you think. You really need to cut down on the calories and figure out a good ratio of macros for your body weight. There's no way around this. Cut the beer down to a minimum, and definitely avoid carbs late at night. Just cutting down on the ride a bit and those late night snacks would help.
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