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Jinx
10-20-2012, 02:03 AM
.

Jiro
10-20-2012, 02:21 AM
Aside from my track training, I only do bodyweight stuff like squats and pushups etc. I desperately need to get to a gym in order to further progress my training but I don't have the time nor the funds to do this effectively. I'm actually going to be absolutely no help when it comes to what to do for your goals though. I just know how to make you run faster.

Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World
10-20-2012, 02:24 AM
Stop eating. Completely.
Run. Everywhere.

Hollycat
10-20-2012, 02:26 AM
I just do a lot of lifting and walking, not much else.

My number one suggestion for losing weight is to drop any and all sodas and bagels, and replace them with water.
I know the bagel thing sounds kind of random, but trust me. I dropped ten pounds in a week and a half after dropping bagels and soda.

Jinx
10-20-2012, 02:31 AM
I hardly ever eat bagels. x) But it's less random than you'd think--bagels are all carbs, basically, and carbs turn to sugar/glucose in your body.

I actually don't drink much soda. Maybe one soda a week. I drink almost all water.

Bunny
10-20-2012, 02:32 AM
Take up krav maga.

Hollycat
10-20-2012, 02:34 AM
Take up krav maga.
Best Suggestion right there.

Futan
10-20-2012, 02:35 AM
It's not what you eat but how much you eat. American portions are absurd compared to most other countries. Just knowing when to call it quits actually will help you lose a lot.

Cuchulainn
10-20-2012, 02:50 AM
losing weight it 70% diet. it's tricky as unhealthy food is all the nice food. Fuck leafs and nuts and berries,

Slothy
10-20-2012, 03:49 AM
I hardly ever eat bagels. x) But it's less random than you'd think--bagels are all carbs, basically, and carbs turn to sugar/glucose in your body.

Marry me?

But seriously, lose any breads or other grains, sugars and starches. Some people can handle stuff like rice or potatoes, but many can't and if you gained a bunch of weight then more likely than not you're in the latter category. You can try cutting one at a time if you'd like to see what has the biggest impact though.

Eat more meat, vegetables, some fruit (not too much for the same reasons you want to pass on sugar), nuts, seeds and oils. Get the carbs sub 100g a day. Go even lower if you can. It's not hard and you can actually eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables and stay under 100g of carbs, especially if you're going with the leafier green kind of vegetables mostly. Stuff like carrots are actually higher in sugar than you'd think and less ideal.

Protein and fat are your friends. Eat until you're full, but don't be afraid to have generous helpings of both of those to get there. They also have the side benefit of being tasty as all get out.

For workouts, anything that has you building strength and muscle will be beneficial. Generally more so than just cardio, though high intensity can decrease insulin resistance and help you lose weight more quickly. Stuff like swimming is good. Weight lifting as well. If you can find someone to teach you proper squat technique and spot you then you're golden. If you can't fix it with squats then you're probably going to die.


It's not what you eat but how much you eat. American portions are absurd compared to most other countries. Just knowing when to call it quits actually will help you lose a lot.

Couldn't disagree more. What you eat is vastly more important than how much. Sure, eating too much of anything is probably going to make you gain weight. But try over eating with a diet based on meat and veggies. Eating the wrong foods is just going to leave you tired and hungry two hours later so you'll eat more even if you don't want to, whereas someone eating the right foods can go hours in between meals of reasonable size. It's part of why people who simply eat the same shit but cut calories will almost inevitably crack and start eating more again. Not to mention if you don't eat enough of the right foods to actually fuel your body you're more likely to slow weight loss than encourage it.

Lonely Paper Star
10-20-2012, 03:58 AM
A few years ago, I lost 20lbs by running 1-2 miles twice a week and eating better. It wasn't a rigorous diet or exercise regimen, so it took about four months. Well, I lost motivation in the end, so I gained some of that back. -____- ... but now I've been running some and eating less. I also got back into fencing.

And yeah, the portions here in the U.S. are huuuge. I usually skip combo meals and get smaller sizes. But I try not to eat out too often.

I'm having trouble dropping alcohol out of my diet, though. D;

NorthernChaosGod
10-20-2012, 04:04 AM
Diet is obviously a large component, stick to what advice has already been given. I'd listen pretty damn closely to Vivi on that one.

As for actual exercise, I would say to minimize your steady cardio unless it's swimming and throw in some HIIT. For weight lifting the best thing to do would be as many heavy, compound lifts as you can manage. If you have access to the equipment of course. Starting Strength (http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Lifts) would be a good place to start since it's a few lifts to get you used to the forms and build up a good base level of muscle. And if you follow the advice for finding your starting weight, you shouldn't really need too much help from a spotter for a couple of weeks if you watch videos on how to do the lifts properly.

Faris
10-20-2012, 04:07 AM
I barely had the money for it but I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. Having someone to report to really helped me change my diet (especially since the first one I had and I became good friends). Top diet advice: Eat breakfast including protein, replace soda for water, drink over 1L of water per day no matter how many extra trips to the bathroom you will have to make, and have about 5-6 small meals per day.

The other reason why I paid for a personal trainer was because I have no idea how to use weight lifting equipment or what kind of exercises to do and doing it wrong would make me even more prone to back injuries.

Slothy
10-20-2012, 04:43 AM
and have about 5-6 small meals per day.

A lot of people recommend 5-6 meals a day, but as far as I'm concerned it's a matter of doing what works for you. I used to do this (2 of my 5 meals were more snacks than meals though), but honestly found eating that often a pain. I switched to three bigger meals and had no issues. Just eat until your satisfied and let the number of meals fall out of that is my take on it. Some people prefer more, others less. But there's no real reason to force yourself into one or the other. If you aren't hungry, you probably don't need to eat. That simple.

And I didn't explicitly say it before, but when I say focus on meat, veggies, nuts, seeds and oils (in other words, fats), have some of each at every meal. No exceptions. Although if you're going to skip one, carbs are the easiest to pass over without any adverse effects.

NorthernChaosGod
10-20-2012, 04:49 AM
Yeah, that isn't even any solid evidence for eating more than three meals a day anyway. I'd say eat however many meals you want as long as you're getting your macros and meeting your caloric needs.

Shiny
10-20-2012, 05:51 AM
I walk a lot. That's my work out and when it gets warm I swim in my pool. Sometimes I will also lift up my dog and carry her around. She's fat.

Araciel
10-20-2012, 07:20 AM
Been doing interval training. Tough but super effective...Just 30 mins of cardio every day or two

Also minimal sugar and no pastries, minimal bread..WATER and booze/beer once in a blue moon.

two fruit/three or four vegetables a day

Laddy
10-20-2012, 07:49 AM
I'm a midnight vigilante known as Le Bard. I fight crime. That keeps in shape, but you can't tell anyone. :bigsmile:

Quindiana Jones
10-20-2012, 09:20 AM
Hundred push up challenge is always my benchmark. I do press ups, sit ups, dips and bodyweight squats. I intend to add pull ups when I can find something to pull up on, and weighted squats when my life is stable enough that buying some weights would be a good investment.

I recommend that sort of exercise to everyone. A lot of women believe this will make them look like big, buff men, but it's not true. Anybody doing any exercise should always include press ups and squats, because they're pretty much the most perfect a single technique can get xD. The dips are more for toning than strength, and the situps are, of course, to destroy the beer (read food) gut. :D

I wouldn't get too anal about food. Vivi's advice is good, but focusing too much on that stuff can really bog a person down in the beginning and put you right off. I still don't bother with it, to be honest. You can pretty much drop carbs entirely. We're not cavemen and we don't need to store for the winter, so carbs are all but useless and can simply be replaced by protein. Eat fruit and vegetables, doesn't matter which, eat eggs and lentils (if you like lentils) and meat. Eat extra protein before and after exercise. As I've said before, my calorie intake goes up to about 4000 every time I have a cycling day.

Slothy
10-20-2012, 12:50 PM
I'm just sort of wondering if I'm expecting too much too soon when it comes to exercise?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this, though I did just wake up (literally 5 minutes ago) and the brains a bit foggy.

Quindiana Jones
10-20-2012, 12:55 PM
Everybody expects too much too soon when it comes to exercise. xD

Slothy
10-20-2012, 01:23 PM
10 lbs. sounds kind of low for 8 weeks after starting out, but everyone is different and 10 lbs. lost is 10 lbs. lost. Had you cut out most sugar, starches and grains in that time? Eating plenty of protein? If you were swimming a lot you might have gained a decent amount of muscle mass as well which can skew the scales a bit. When I originally started at the local CrossFit gym a few years ago I didn't lose a pound in the first three months or so, but my clothes were fitting better, my pants fit around my waist like I'd lost 20 and I was noticeably leaner. I had obviously kept up pound for pound in muscle gain with the fat loss. It's one of the reasons that I take how I look physically and how my clothes are fitting as more important than the number on the scale. Scales don't measure fat loss which is the goal. Not just weight loss.

Point is, if things are going in the direction you want, but not necessarily the speed you expected, it could either be that you just can't lose any faster, or we need to tweak things a bit. That's the thing about diet and exercise; you need to find what works and tweak and experiment with things to improve it further.

Slothy
10-20-2012, 01:34 PM
That would be a good idea. I don't trust scales and they tend to make people place more importance on losing weight rather than losing the right weight. But if you're losing inches and your body composition is changing then that's what you want to see regardless of what the scale has to say on the matter. Barring actually getting you body fat measured every so often that's probably the best way to go.

NorthernChaosGod
10-20-2012, 07:22 PM
I wouldn't steer clear of scales entirely; I still weigh myself at least once a week to gauge progress in appearance against actual weight fluctuations.

Quindiana Jones
10-20-2012, 07:23 PM
I usually just fondle myself all over to check my appearance. Way more fun than scales.

NorthernChaosGod
10-20-2012, 07:27 PM
I don't think she's quite up to that level yet.

Quindiana Jones
10-20-2012, 07:59 PM
I think she's well past it, myself.

Pike
10-22-2012, 07:53 PM
I don't exercise.

But I have never in my life had a job that didn't involve copious amounts of walking around and heavy lifting and that sort of thing so I sort of get exercise through work.

Aulayna
10-22-2012, 08:06 PM
My job involves large amounts of sitting on my buttocks infront of the computer. Going to the gym afterward for me is actually quite a cathartic way of unwinding and getting rid of the pent up stress of the day. Finding I'm generally more happier now than I was when I'd just head home and eat comfort food in front of the TV/computer.

(saying that I've been slacking an awful lot with it latey...)

escobert
10-22-2012, 08:59 PM
I am the laziest person ever.
I eat horribly, smoke and drink alcohol excessively.
And I have stayed the same weight for about 10 years now. Seems to be working for me :D

I should note that I'm usually around 155lbs at 6'1".

Raistlin
10-22-2012, 11:15 PM
I've been a real lazy fucker lately. I need to start running again, and should probably work on officiating high school basketball games again this year, because the latter is the only way I've been getting exercise in the winter.

Trumpet Thief
10-22-2012, 11:40 PM
I've been around the same weight my whole life, with slight fluctuations due to laziness/business. For me, simple things like drinking green tea (which is a metabolism booster, unless I'm wrong), eating whole grains, and avoiding too much fast food usually work well (common sense, I know). Aside from that, little things like going on the bike while you're studying and spending an hour every two days going to the gym or playing a sport work out great. Light weightlifting even helps, regardless of whether you want to put on muscle or lose weight. :)

Cuchulainn
10-25-2012, 02:20 PM
I just read someone say 'losing the right weight'....weight loss is weight loss. You can't chose where to lose fat from, it leaves where it leaves. You can lose muscle growth when on an energy deficit but that comes back in no time.

Apart from that don't listen to the madness spoken here. Decent diet backed up by decent exercise is all you need. It's mostly diet thought.

Slothy
10-25-2012, 02:38 PM
I just read someone say 'losing the right weight'....weight loss is weight loss. You can't chose where to lose fat from, it leaves where it leaves. You can lose muscle growth when on an energy deficit but that comes back in no time.

No, weight loss is not weight loss. Losing weight because you're losing body fat is good. Losing weight because you're sacrificing muscle mass through a combination of diet and certain types of exercise? Debatable I guess depending on where you start and your athletic goals, but certainly not the same as fat loss and not generally desirable, especially if you don't have much muscle mass to begin with. And saying "that comes back in no time" is a bit silly because it doesn't unless you're eating right and doing the right kinds of exercise. Most people are really bad at knowing how to build physical strength and muscle.


Apart from that don't listen to the madness spoken here. Decent diet backed up by decent exercise is all you need. It's mostly diet thought.

The people telling her to eat the right foods and exercise are mad? Telling her fat loss is mostly diet is madness? Well, there we have it folks: Cuch has admitted he's battrout crazy. :p

Cuchulainn
10-25-2012, 02:46 PM
You will ALWAYS lose both when on a deficit. You can't pick fat and ignore muscle. That's just silly.

I don't care what broscience website told you otherwise. I already said weight loss is mostly diet. It's all the add ons that I had issue with.

Slothy
10-25-2012, 03:23 PM
You will ALWAYS lose both when on a deficit. You can't pick fat and ignore muscle. That's just silly.

I don't care what broscience website told you otherwise. I already said weight loss is mostly diet. It's all the add ons that I had issue with.

If you're eating sufficient amounts of protein, low carbing, and actually exercising (particularly lifting weight), you can gain muscle while losing fat. If all you do is eat the same old trout but try and enter a caloric deficit to lose weight, then sure, you're probably going to have trouble not losing muscle mass along with any fat you lose. That's also probably the worst way to try and lose weight since losing muscle mass is going to slow your metabolism even more.

But if you actually try and work with our present understanding of the bodies metabolic functions and how fat storage works it's not really an issue since carbs are what drive fat storage and manipulating the ratio of carbs to other macro nutrients alone can result in fat loss. Most people wouldn't even need to reduce their calories right away since fat storage is hormonally driven (primarily as a response to insulin production) and reducing carbs reduces the production of insulin which stops fat storage in its tracks. Besides that, when you go low carb and aren't having your appetite artificially stimulated anymore by things like huge blood sugar spikes and the subsequent crashes, you'll tend to naturally settle into eating as many calories as you require for your activity level without needing to worry about it much.

But sure, if you'd rather hand wave things like actual studies away and stick with what you know based on the "common knowledge" weight loss advice then you'd be absolutely right. Assuming the human body and science simply worked a specific way because you want them to anyway.

As for your accusations of "broscience websites" giving me my information, I feel the need to point out that I actually read quite a few articles on nutrition, diet, and health, and always look at the source study when I can to see what their data actually says and what their methodology was to look for obvious flaws which could colour the results. I'll also typically read up on analyses of new studies from several sources including other doctors and scientists who have a more formal background in the field than someone like myself who follows this stuff out of my own interest. I bring this up only to point out that I'm not some dingleberry who goes to some body building forum and takes the posts of its Joe blow members as the word of god on diet and nutrition. My knowledge comes from my own efforts to educate myself by reading many actual studies and my own experiences with implementing these ideas in my own life and personal discussions with dozens of others who've done the same.

Cuchulainn
10-25-2012, 04:09 PM
.....


You are so far up yer own hole you literally look normal. But thanks for playing :)

~*~Celes~*~
10-25-2012, 04:46 PM
My job is demanding enough that I not only lost weight when I got it, but was able to keep it off. My other secret? Smurfing, lots and lots of smurfing :bigsmile:

Slothy
10-25-2012, 04:55 PM
Never change Cuch. :)

Cuchulainn
10-26-2012, 12:33 AM
bff4eva

NorthernChaosGod
10-26-2012, 06:34 AM
You people are ruining a nice thread. :colbert:

Jiro
10-26-2012, 11:51 AM
Me and exercise don't get on well.

Slothy
10-26-2012, 12:18 PM
You people are ruining a nice thread. :colbert:

Yeah, our bro love is getting in the way of an otherwise lovely topic. I'll refrain from wanting to snuggle with anyone else.

Except Jiro. I mean look at the guy. Who wouldn't want to snuggle him?

But seriously, anyone have any questions they'd like to talk about?

Rye
10-28-2012, 09:55 PM
I lost almost 30 lbs last year, and I'm really happy with my shape and size now, but I think that I would line to tone up to get rid the last bits of flab. Particularly, I'd like to start working on my arms. I have really thin arms like spaghetti though and absolutely zero upper body strength. Where should I start? Embarrassingly, even push-ups are difficult for me to do with my arm strength.

Aulayna
10-28-2012, 09:58 PM
Planks.

(curse you enter key submitting the form)

The Plank Exercise - Abdominal and Core Strength (http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/qt/plank.htm)

They won't hugely work your arms but you'll soon get some strength there.

Along with some dumbbell lifting!

10 Best Arm Moves (http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/arms/exercises/best-arm-moves/)

(apologies for pants links - just picked the first ones I could find that had pictures!)

Jiro
10-29-2012, 03:41 AM
Can you do one push up? Do one push up a couple times a day. Then try for two. Then build up. It's a lot easier than trying to do a bunch all at once.

Rye
10-29-2012, 03:43 AM
I feel as though my form is wrong, though. Hmmm.

Jowy
10-29-2012, 03:45 AM
seconding jiro's pushup idea.

on weekends, i usually just hammer out twenty-five pushups every two hours or so. during weekdays, I regularly kill myself with <a href=http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/the-300-workout-can-you-handle-it>this</a>. floor wipers are pretty awful and by the end of it i can't do my second set of pullups. i know i'll get there eventually though.

CimminyCricket
10-29-2012, 03:51 AM
I lost six pounds in a week by eating food that gave me horrible diarrhea. True story.

I do CrossFit twice a week and run once a week. On the weekends I'll do prison exercises to keep from getting lazy.

NorthernChaosGod
10-29-2012, 08:02 AM
I lost almost 30 lbs last year, and I'm really happy with my shape and size now, but I think that I would line to tone up to get rid the last bits of flab. Particularly, I'd like to start working on my arms. I have really thin arms like spaghetti though and absolutely zero upper body strength. Where should I start? Embarrassingly, even push-ups are difficult for me to do with my arm strength.

If pushups are difficult, I would try doing a dumbbell bench press with light weights. Then perhaps some bent over rows with dumbbells as well. Then you can do biceps curls and tricep extensions after. The best way to build up strength and muscle in your arms is by doing compound chest and back movements for the most part. I would never just focus on your biceps and triceps.

Formalhaut
10-29-2012, 02:44 PM
I don't mean to advertise my own stuff, but I made a blog yesterday exactly all about exercise and and two techniques related to it.

Formalhaut
10-29-2012, 02:57 PM
Hmmmm, you could do waist twists, when you swivel from side to side, and then from diagonally down - left to the other side of the diagonal. Maybe, I'm not fitness instructor.

Slothy
10-29-2012, 03:44 PM
As I figured I would, I've been toning up pretty quickly. (GETTIN SOME MICHELLE OBAMA ARMS, RIGHT?) but my problem spot is my lower tummy. My upper abs lose quickly and tone up, but I can never lose weight or tone my lower abs.


Any suggestions?

Just some bad news unfortunately: you can't really target fat loss. All you can do is continue trying to lose weight and what comes off comes off. Strengthening the muscles can help tone things up down there, but no amount of focusing exercise on that area will make the fat from that area leave before anywhere else on your body. If you're keeping the carbs low and getting plenty of exercise (including some high intensity stuff when possible) then just give it time. Unless you're stalled in your fat/weight loss, there's probably no reason to tweak things too much yet.


Along with some dumbbell lifting!

10 Best Arm Moves (http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/arms/exercises/best-arm-moves/)

(apologies for pants links - just picked the first ones I could find that had pictures!)

I'll ignore my general dislike for isolation exercises compared to compound movements with regard to some of those and simply state that their demonstration of that "traveling power squat" had some of the worst form I've seen in a while. It was quite hilarious, but I wouldn't recommend doing the move that way. In fact, I don't think I'd recommend doing it at all until someone has learned to squat properly first.

NorthernChaosGod
10-29-2012, 04:13 PM
As I figured I would, I've been toning up pretty quickly. (GETTIN SOME MICHELLE OBAMA ARMS, RIGHT?) but my problem spot is my lower tummy. My upper abs lose quickly and tone up, but I can never lose weight or tone my lower abs.


Any suggestions?

There's no such thing as spot reduction so you're kind of out of luck there. All you can do is to continue to lose fat overall and hope for the best. :p Peoples' arms generally "tone up" faster than other parts.

Jiro
10-29-2012, 05:04 PM
ITT NCG and Vivi22 shit on everybody's hopes and dreams in the nicest possible way.

NorthernChaosGod
10-30-2012, 01:48 AM
Only because I love you guys. :aimkiss: