Getting in Shape

[Salluz]

Does anyone have any experience losing weight to get in shape?

I started going to the gym semi-regularly a couple months ago, but I've just been lifting weights. My muscles are getting bigger, which definitely makes me feel more manly (something I've been lacking in) and generally helps keep my mood from bottoming out and turning me into a mess with no motivation.

The issue is that I've only been gaining weight, because I just can't seem to stop stuffing my face. I understand putting on muscle puts on weight, but the fat hasn't gone anywhere.

I'm out of shape to the point cardio makes me feel like garbage for the entire rest of the day if I do it (I might have exercise induced asthma, too). Lifting weights also just makes me that much hungrier, but I enjoy lifting, so I'm not going to quit that. Better fat and strong than fat and weak.

Anyways, anyone want to talk weight lifting and/or weight loss?

 

[Eric Nicholas]

I have a lot of experience with this. Just curious. Do you know if your blood glucose is running normal?

 

[Salluz]

I have a lot of experience with this. Just curious. Do you know if your blood glucose is running normal?

I've never had a doctor mention in when I've had blood taken, so I'm assuming they would have told me if anything was abnormal. I had some bloodwork done just before summer due to an unrelated issue. Why do you ask?

 

[Eric Nicholas]

I've never had a doctor mention in when I've had blood taken, so I'm assuming they would have told me if anything was abnormal. I had some bloodwork done just before summer due to an unrelated issue. Why do you ask?

The hunger bit. Just making sure you weren't bottoming out while working out. But that's obviously something else. Anyways, did you have anything specific that you wanted to discuss regarding this topic?

 

[Tall Timbers]

It's my thought that if you want to loose weight you might add a cardiovascular workout. Running, bike riding, vigorous walking, treadmill, etc.

Weight training tends to add pounds and may increase the appetite without much increase in the basic metabolic rate. An equal amount of muscle mass weighs more than the fat mass. Regular cardiovascular workouts will increase your basic metabolic rate, the rate you burn calories when at rest.

In addition, cut out any junk food/sweets. Just eat good healthy food.

 

[Salluz]

Anyways, did you have anything specific that you wanted to discuss regarding this topic?

I mostly just wanted to talk about something in the men's board to be honest!

It's my thought that if you want to loose weight you might add a cardiovascular workout. Running, bike riding, vigorous walking, treadmill, etc.

Weight training tends to add pounds and may increase the appetite without much increase in the basic metabolic rate increase in burning calories. regular cardiovascular workouts will increase your basic metabolic rate, the rate you burn calories when at rest.

In addition, cut out any junk food/sweets. Just eat good healthy food.

Yeah TT I had lost some weight while I was in Madrid because I was walking everywhere and didn't have any snacks at my host family's house. Now I'm back home, so that changes things. If I decide to walk somewhere it's going to be just to take a walk. I've never been someone who can derive any sort of joy from running or similar heavy cardio, so I think it would have to be something lighter.

Food is a battle I don't know how to tackle. There's a lot of junk food in my house, and I'm not good with self control, so I'll just eat whatever is in front of me, especially if I'm stressed out or sad about something. I eventually stop craving it if it isn't there in the first place, but I don't think I can convince my family to throw out all the junk food

 

[Eric Nicholas]

Yep. Food is definitely the killer here, as you well know. I've known a few that used to be able to eat whatever and not gain much of anything. I used to be that in a similar regard, myself. I do have to be more conscious, but that really isn't an issue anymore. The heaviest that I got was 210 and for my height, that isn't awful and boy was I chasing cheeseburgers with cheeseburgers. I ate it for comfort and to kill stress for about ten or so minutes.

I will say this about cardio, I share your dislike of it. I can do it plenty well enough, but I just don't like doing it at all. I much prefer lifting and doing pushups. Pushups, bench press, and curls are my absolute favorite thing to do. I'm fortunate to have received fairly good genetics when it comes to ripping and shredding, so much so I never have to do leg workouts ever. Me and one other brother of mine share that.

 

[Salluz]

Yep. Food is definitely the killer here, as you well know. I've known a few that used to be able to eat whatever and not gain much of anything. I used to be that in a similar regard, myself. I do have to be more conscious, but that really isn't an issue anymore. The heaviest that I got was 210 and boy was I chasing cheeseburgers with cheeseburgers. I hate for comfort and to kill stress for about ten or so minutes.

I will say this about cardio, I share your dislike of it. I can do it plenty well enough, but I just don't like doing it at all. I much prefer lifting and doing pushups. Pushups, bench press, and curls are my absolute favorite thing to do. I'm fortunate to have received fairly good genetics when it comes to ripping and shredding, so much so I never have to do leg workouts ever. Me and one other brother of mine share that.

The skinniest I've ever been was around 160 back in highschool when I was in 10th grade. I was in tae kwon do and marching band and was watching what I was eating to some degree. I went up to 190 or so toward the end of highschool and then in college I've just put on a ton of weight so I'm up to 245 or so. I was probably down to 220 in Spain but gained it back in the months since I've been back.

Worst thing about it is now I have stretch marks everywhere that aren't going to go away even if I lose the weight. I think my end goal weight is probably 210 or so, especially if I continue to lift weights.

What was your weight for bench? I literally just started within a couple months so I'm only at 135 for 6 or so reps. I like back day more than chest. The gym I go to got a weighted row machine recently that's fun

 

[Eric Nicholas]

The skinniest I've ever been was around 160 back in highschool when I was in 10th grade. I was in tae kwon do and marching band and was watching what I was eating to some degree. I went up to 190 or so toward the end of highschool and then in college I've just put on a ton of weight so I'm up to 245 or so. I was probably down to 220 in Spain but gained it back in the months since I've been back.

Worst thing about it is now I have stretch marks everywhere that aren't going to go away even if I lose the weight. I think my end goal weight is probably 210 or so, especially if I continue to lift weights.

What was your weight for bench? I literally just started within a couple months so I'm only at 135 for 6 or so reps. I like back day more than chest. The gym I go to got a weighted row machine recently that's fun

Honestly, I cannot remember what I maxed out at, but it was fairly well over two hundred, but I worked out like crazy. I used to be a little too into it. Now, I did not do that much weight for repetitions. For repetitions I would mix it up with 200 and go down to the 170s for a final burn to achieve the rips.

I never liked eating junk food, even as a kid up until I hit around 28 years of age. But my normal diet consisted of 2 fried eggs with two strips of bacon and exactly 8 fluid ounces of orange juice. Four salads per day. Lean meat at dinner with a California or Mediterranean blend vegetables, all day, every day. No soda and no sweets and I never ate after 6:00 p.m. or so. It's not because I was trying to be cranky, more that I just didn't like the junk. This allowed me to achieve a very fit body and a tiny, tiny waist. I got so used to that that it just never bothered me that I wasn't eating pizza. Now, I have to fight those cravings a bit harder.

I've never used a rowing machine, but they look fun and I love the way that they sound.

 

[chaser]

Having Italian genes I like and crave pastas, pizzas, big sandwiches, lots of breads and cheeses along with lots of desserts, and all those carbs are hard on my 5'9" frame, especially when I stay over 205lbs . In 2015 I peaked at 219 lbs, that's when the treadmill showed up in our basement and I started walking a couple miles a day, then started speed walking and using the incline. I changed my diet, limited the carbs, actually gave up bread, cookies, treats, ice cream, sugars. Eating more nutritious foods, fruits, berries, veggies and now 5 years later I am fluctuating between 165 and 168 lbs. Some days I walk less and jog more and do some weights , but nothing super heavy. I have a bad mangled right arm, lost the extender muscles in a bad accident, so can't do bench press/pushups or overhead military press type lifts. I do some lifting workouts with dumbbells on my good arm like curls, overhead press and just range of motion exercises with much lighter weights on the bad arm, just to keep some strength in the muscles that remain and in joints/tendons , shoulders etc. I have had to buy new clothes, pant size has gone from 40 to 34 and even those are loose enough now I could probably go to 33's and shirts have gone from XL to L and some M sizes, my shape has changed and it feels good, bigger across shoulders and cardio is great for a guy who will be 66 next month.

 

[Salluz]

Having Italian genes I like and crave pastas, pizzas, big sandwiches, lots of breads and cheeses along with lots of desserts, and all those carbs are hard on my 5'9" frame, especially when I stay over 205lbs . In 2015 I peaked at 219 lbs, that's when the treadmill showed up in our basement and I started walking a couple miles a day, then started speed walking and using the incline. I changed my diet, limited the carbs, actually gave up bread, cookies, treats, ice cream, sugars. Eating more nutritious foods, fruits, berries, veggies and now 5 years later I am fluctuating between 165 and 168 lbs. Some days I walk less and jog more and do some weights , but nothing super heavy. I have a bad mangled right arm, lost the extender muscles in a bad accident, so can't do bench press/pushups or overhead military press type lifts. I do some lifting workouts with dumbbells on my good arm like curls, overhead press and just range of motion exercises with much lighter weights on the bad arm, just to keep some strength in the muscles that remain and in joints/tendons , shoulders etc. I have had to buy new clothes, pant size has gone from 40 to 34 and even those are loose enough now I could probably go to 33's and shirts have gone from XL to L and some M sizes, my shape has changed and it feels good, bigger across shoulders and cardio is great for a guy who will be 66 next month.

Congrats on the weight loss!

 

[Spartan Sprinter 1]

Diet is your major hurdle, there's a famous saying that states that you can't out train a bad diet.

Other than that mix your cardio up a bit , it doesn'thave to be endless km's of running or walking etc, you could go to a park and do interval training where you might so 20 pushups, jog 100m and then do situps and jog back and do another excercise .

Do that 5 - 10 times and you got yourself a good cardio alternative.

I wanna go into more detail but i'm low on caffeine today LOL

 

[Eric Nicholas]

Having Italian genes I like and crave pastas, pizzas, big sandwiches, lots of breads and cheeses along with lots of desserts, and all those carbs are hard on my 5'9" frame, especially when I stay over 205lbs . In 2015 I peaked at 219 lbs, that's when the treadmill showed up in our basement and I started walking a couple miles a day, then started speed walking and using the incline. I changed my diet, limited the carbs, actually gave up bread, cookies, treats, ice cream, sugars. Eating more nutritious foods, fruits, berries, veggies and now 5 years later I am fluctuating between 165 and 168 lbs. Some days I walk less and jog more and do some weights , but nothing super heavy. I have a bad mangled right arm, lost the extender muscles in a bad accident, so can't do bench press/pushups or overhead military press type lifts. I do some lifting workouts with dumbbells on my good arm like curls, overhead press and just range of motion exercises with much lighter weights on the bad arm, just to keep some strength in the muscles that remain and in joints/tendons , shoulders etc. I have had to buy new clothes, pant size has gone from 40 to 34 and even those are loose enough now I could probably go to 33's and shirts have gone from XL to L and some M sizes, my shape has changed and it feels good, bigger across shoulders and cardio is great for a guy who will be 66 next month.

Hahaha! I hear you on those Italian genes. I made a previous comment that my blood type is "pizza". It would be pizza Napoletana in particular. I was feeling the Romana, but I've switched back. Our (Italian) food really is awesome, though. Why can't it be healthy? Just whyyyyyyyyy?

 

[chaser]

I make our family recipe spaghetti sauce from scratch, a big batch of it and freeze it in quart size freezer bags, I have to have a wonderful Italian dinner at least once a month during winter months. A plate of mostaccioli and sides of beef and chicken parmesan, a meatball , garlic bread sometimes a glass of red wine. While the sauce is cooking(about 7 hours) I put in some feather bones that have been stripped of most the fat, sometimes a a quail or pheasant breast, or chicken breast, it all comes out so flavorful, and then nap time haha

 

[Eric Nicholas]

I make our family recipe spaghetti sauce from scratch, a big batch of it and freeze it in quart size freezer bags, I have to have a wonderful Italian dinner at least once a month during winter months. A plate of mostaccioli and sides of beef and chicken parmesan, a meatball , garlic bread sometimes a glass of red wine. While the sauce is cooking(about 7 hours) I put in some feather bones that have been stripped of most the fat, sometimes a a quail or pheasant breast, or chicken breast, it all comes out so flavorful, and then nap time haha

Now that's what I'm talking about. Okay, back to getting back in shape... yep.

 

[Andy C]

I have enjoyed daily exercise for the past 42 years. People can give you tips, workout routines, and even diet information, but to me, the most important area is consistency. Finding reasons to skip workouts has a quick domino effect. Making it a priority in a busy schedule takes an effort, but by doing so, you will quickly reap the rewards of your efforts.

I run 6 days a week, and lift weights in my home “gym” 4 days a week. Im not as fast as I was, nor as strong, but at age 63, one thing has remained the same, consistency.

Research via the internet various workout routines and daily schedules. Don’t overload at the beginning as that leads to injury, then missed workouts. Its a marathon, not a sprint.

Diet - I dont believe in any specific diets, although many seem to work for a select few. The best diet IMO, is burn more calories through consistent daily exercise, slightly cut back on the food portions, and don’t eliminate any of your favorites, just eat smaller portions.

 

[chaser]

I have run since I was a kid, except back in 2015 when my back was so messed up, used to run 5 miles a day 6 days a week, I could do 5 miles in about 50 minutes or close to it, but after losing the lower discs in my back I had to quit. I started speed walking then jogging a half mile or so last year on treadmill, it has a soft forgiving base, no way I can run outside on concrete anymore ,those days are history, until we get our new bods!!

The best diet IMO, is burn more calories through consistent daily exercise, slightly cut back on the food portions, and don’t eliminate any of your favorites, just eat smaller portions.

Totally agree, to lose a lot of weight I did cut out most carbs, desserts etc., but now I eat pretty much what I want just in moderation and if I eat something really high calorie I hit the treadmill a little longer a couple sessions.

 

[Trev]

Does anyone have any experience losing weight to get in shape?

I started going to the gym semi-regularly a couple months ago, but I've just been lifting weights. My muscles are getting bigger, which definitely makes me feel more manly (something I've been lacking in) and generally helps keep my mood from bottoming out and turning me into a mess with no motivation.

The issue is that I've only been gaining weight, because I just can't seem to stop stuffing my face. I understand putting on muscle puts on weight, but the fat hasn't gone anywhere.

I'm out of shape to the point cardio makes me feel like garbage for the entire rest of the day if I do it (I might have exercise induced asthma, too). Lifting weights also just makes me that much hungrier, but I enjoy lifting, so I'm not going to quit that. Better fat and strong than fat and weak.

Anyways, anyone want to talk weight lifting and/or weight loss?

I had a problem with losing weight and it all came back to my eating habits. I thought it was ok to eat the same, even when I was exercising, but the weight remained the same. It was only when my calorific output was greater than my calorific input, that I lost weight. I believe exercise usually does not do it by itself, we need to cut down on the calories, unless we are into very heavy physical exercise.

 

[Andy C]

I had a problem with losing weight and it all came back to my eating habits. I thought it was ok to eat the same, even when I was exercising, but the weight remained the same. It was only when my calorific output was greater than my calorific input, that I lost weight. I believe exercise usually does not do it by itself, we need to cut down on the calories, unless we are into very heavy physical exercise.

Yes! Most dont realize the amount of calories that are burned during exercise. A typical man who weighs 180 pounds will burn approx 120 calories per mile ran on a 3 mile run. Thats only the equivalent of 2 pieces of toast with a tiny amount of butter on one piece. Weight lifting is probably less than half that amount of calories burned during the same amount of time as the run would take. My point is this - running a 3 mile run will cause many to feel they burned a HUGE amount of calories, thus justifying a bigger breakfast than normal.

Below is an online calculator that shows how many calories you burn based on the activity you are doing and your height, weight, sex, age.

https://www.freedieting.com/calories-burned

If trying to lose weight, if you burn approx 400-500 calories a day through exercise, and drop about 500 calories day for your a average calorie consumption, thats a net loss of approx 1000 calories a day. Over a 7 day period, you would lose approx 2 pounds of body fat. That may not sound like much, but it adds up over a period of several months. 2-3 pounds of weight loss a week is what most sports Drs recommend. Anyone can starve themseleces for a week or so, and lose a lot more than 2-3 pounds, but they wont keep it up very long, and the rebound effect will happen, the weight returns, and brings along a few additional pounds.

It all comes back to being consistent in both exercise and diet.

Log books have always helped me with exercise. I have logged in my training diary every run or weight lifting session for the last 4 decades. The log book is like a training partner for me. I have my weekly schedule, and it feels good logging in each day when I hit my goal. Plus, it keeps track for me what I did over the last month, and I can reflect on if I made the right progress, or if I need to make changes to my daily routine. Seldom do I not hit my daily goal, and it feels awful ending the day without an entry in my log book.

 

[GEOINTAnalyst]

Well you know what they say - "Eat Right, Stay Healthy, Die Anyway"

But to really loose weight go on a low-carb diet - meat, not deep fried or coated like fried chicken, the coating has a lot of carbs, no pasta or grains also loaded with carbs, no vegtables that grow below ground, they also have lots of carbs (i.e potatoes, turnips, carrots and the like) if it is white on the inside do not eat it except for cauliflower. The problem is not calories it is the carbs