Keeping Fit

[Kekerusey]

OK,

Although I'm fortunate enough not to look particularly so, I am overweight. The highest I have ever weighed was 19 and half stone and I am currently 17 and a half.

In an effort to control my weight I now have an exercise bike (I used to have a recumbent bike but it was getting old and I wasn't convinced of the health benefits) which I use pretty much the same way I always have which is that I watch films or episodes recorded from Sky (currently on episode 5 of "Dark Matter") or streamed from Netflix or Prime. Before I do the cycling I do 100 sit-ups and 50 weight lifts.

I figure I can't be doing too much wrong with the sit-ups except, perhaps, that I use one of those frame things. I do all my exercises in my cellar which, to give an idea is maybe 5cm higher than me either standing or on my bike.

I used to use hand weights but a year or so ago I bought a long bar to go with them, the total weight is now about 15KG which doesn't seem much (never said I was strong) but I feel like I'm doing it all wrong, I find it too difficult to lift with my palms upwards, it just seems to bend my hands out too far which is odd given that it's straight ... so I do it with my palms down which just feels weird ... so what I'm after is advice as to how to lift weights as I reckon I might be doing it wrong.

The second thing is the bike itself ... I cycle for an hour at present on a level setting that starts at 12 and goes up to 28. I spent some time trying to figure out the display rationale without luck ... on my old bike the display was 10 bars each of one minute so 10 minutes ... easy. This one (a Reebok Jet 100) defies every attempt I've made to analyse it with 16 bars each "approximately" 18 seconds so "approximately" 5 minutes for the cycle ... I say "approximately" because the first one usually completes in just under 5 minutes while the second completes just over 10 minutes so I have no real idea what the thing is doing and I've reluctantly concluded it is mostly there to look pretty.

No matter, what I really want to know is how reliable the information it gives me is. After one hour I have usually done something between 18 and 21K and have used up something between 1800 and 2000 calories ... I'm guessing no one actually knows the answer but how reliable do you think that information is? I just want to know from the point of view of food intake. I don't know for sure what I eat but do look for things that look a bit heathier (lower calories etc.) and I am fairly certain I am eating less than I was a year ago. Assuming I eat what the average man is supposed to or even a bit more then I should, at 2K calories per cycle, four times per week, be in net loss and so lose weight.

Historically however, I have reached about 17 stone and then just kinda stopped. I would really like to get down to about 15 stone but I don't seem to be able to and I am not really willing to go on a crash diet, I view them as unhealthy and would prefer it to be a change for life. Likewise, I am not willing to give up everything bad ... I still drink beer and wine and I still have the occasional fry up but nowhere near as often as I used to.

So there you go ... advice please

Keke

[joeactor]

Hi Keke,

For my wife and I, all things in moderation (with food) is the best plan. We do watch what we eat overall, but don't deprive ourselves.
Usually that means having wine or desserts on the weekends, and eating a healthy balanced diet all week.

The best way to tell if your exercise and food choices are working are the scale and the mirror. Can't fool either of them!

My wife dropped 50 pounds a few years back, and because we eat together so much, I also lost about 15 pounds.
Her story was featured in a Yoga Magazine here: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/04/i-didnt-care-about-yoga-until-it-changed-my-life-san-san-lee/

As for my routine, it's on my blog here: http://www.joesdump.com/2016/07/11/vo-workout/

We both walk and hike quite a bit. I also do stretching and use a Bowflex. My wife has a trainer and does yoga.

Is it all worth it? Absolutely!
There's a tangible difference in how we both feel overall. More energy, easier to move, and better moods.

Of course, everyone must find what works for them. You've got a good routine, it seems. Maybe it just needs some tweaks along the way.

Adopt, Adapt and Improve,
JoeActor

[Kekerusey]

Is it all worth it? Absolutely!
There's a tangible difference in how we both feel overall. More energy, easier to move, and better moods.

Of course, everyone must find what works for them. You've got a good routine, it seems. Maybe it just needs some tweaks along the way.

Adopt, Adapt and Improve,

Thx Joe.

Keke

[No one]

Guaranteed weight loss equation

Dedication
+
Proper diet
+
Exercise
=
Weight loss

Honestly to see the results, you need to make the sacrifice and give up the "bad stuff", for a little while. You don't have to go cold turkey, but if you gradually phase them out, they won't be missed as much. Drink plenty of water. It's funny, but water help you lose the excess water weight.

There are apps that can help you more accurately monitor your calorie intake. They give you a rough idea of the calories burned on a daily basis of an "average" person of your weight, age, and sex. It can help a great deal. If you have the will to do it, it can and will be done.

[Kekerusey]

Guaranteed weight loss equation

Dedication
+
Proper diet
+
Exercise
=
Weight loss

Honestly to see the results, you need to make the sacrifice and give up the "bad stuff", for a little while. You don't have to go cold turkey, but if you gradually phase them out, they won't be missed as much. Drink plenty of water. It's funny, but water help you lose the excess water weight.

There are apps that can help you more accurately monitor your calorie intake. They give you a rough idea of the calories burned on a daily basis of an "average" person of your weight, age, and sex. It can help a great deal. If you have the will to do it, it can and will be done.

I'm not convinced it's "guaranteed" but yes, that's more-or-less the way I work it ... personally I think it gets hardrer to shift the fat as you get older and I have had a very long time to accumulate it.

Keke

[Davin]

If want to get serious about it, head on over and read the FAQ from r/fitness. It contains articles that link to the scientific studies that back them. It's probably the best single source I've found that covers pretty much the basics of getting fit. And honestly, I didn't see much progress at all until after I started taking things a bit more seriously.

To boil it down, it gets down to managing your calories like a bank account where you want a lower balance. Now, there are exceptions, and there are many other complicated things, but going for the calories out over calories in, will be about 95% accurate for almost everyone (excepting of course those with very rare genetic disorders or other rare ailments). the difference with this bank account though, is that you can never get an accurate number about how much you put in or take out or what the current balance is... besides that, about 3500 calories is about a pound of body weight of fat and muscle. If you eat a surplus of 3500 cals, you will gain a pound, if you have a deficit of 3500 calories, you will lose a pound. I made a google spread sheet (actually, one a year for the last four years), that tracked my progress, and it's almost dead on to my averaged weight from a scale to what my weight should be given my calorie intake and output. Well about 5% off.

Also, one of the general rules is that you cannot gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. The major exceptions to this rule, are beginners (or people that haven't worked out for about five years) for the first month or two and taking steroids. Also, you can do both at the same time if you sit around your maintenance, but it's much slower than going through phases of bulking and cutting. Plus I find that a few months of bulking, then some maintenance, then cutting, then maintenance... etc. makes it less boring.

First, I calculated my Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) from my age (36), height (70"), weight(165), and gender(M). It's 1883 right now. Then I add in the minimum I will allow myself to do each week (walking 6 miles a day, jogging 2 miles Mon-Fri, and working out Mon-Fri), which averages out to 834 calories a day. That means that my maintenance caloric intake is 2718. So if I want lose one pound a week (usually I do 2 lbs a week for two weeks, then 1 lbs a week while I'm cutting), I can eat about 2200 calories average a day. So I set that as my target caloric intake. When I'm maintaining, I will set it to 2700, when I am bulking I will set it to 3200. Works very well for me.

I also found that I don't take to major changes too quickly, so I had to gradually work into it. I started with a goal of 4k steps a day, and now my goal is 14k steps a day. I started with just a few basic weight exercises with 10 lbs dumb bells, and now I have specialized my routine based on the day (yesterday was leg, which is the worst day), with 45 lbs dumb bells. For calorie tracking, I started by just recording what I ate not caring about reducing intake for the first few weeks. There was a lot of failure and bad tracking at the start, but now I don't eat anything without first recording the calories and protein.

[solidsquid]

Before I toss in my information, please forgive my ignorance of the weight system - being a "Yank" I'm used to "pounds", "inches" and "miles".

I'll also say that I'm not a professional - I'm not a nutritionist, I'm not a physician, I'm not a sports medicine specialist, I'm not the droids your looking for.  With that said, I can share my experiences and hope they may help you somehow.

I used to be in the military but received a medical discharge in 2000.  I maintained my girlish figure for a while but once I started grad school the poor eating habits, lack of exercise and massive amounts of drinking began to catch up with me.  I put on a considerable amount of weight - going from 155 pounds eventually to 220 pounds.  I tried working out regularly and eating a bit better but nothing seemed to work.  I started working out harder adding cardio with lifting free weights.  I progressed in lifting the weights - started out curling 20 pound dumbbells, now at 50 pound dumbbells.  However, my weight didn't change much.

I decided that the suspect could be carbohydrates.  So, I started a very low carb diet with my workout.  For breakfast I have a protein shake (Muscle Milk Vanilla Creme) and the same thing for lunch.  I drink plenty of water in between and also have a cup of coffee in the morning.  For dinner I eat lean meats, lots of veggies and even use some low carb options like low carb tortillas.  Once I drastically cut carbs, the weight started to slowly come off.  I'm currently down to 193 from 220.  Although, I just had a long weekend with my parents visiting and didn't eat so well.  Nonetheless, it's back on the wagon.  I did my cardio today - an interval run on my treadmill where I alternate between a power walk and full on running (not jogging) - I do that for one mile after I do some crunches and leg lifts.  On Mondays and Fridays I do weight lifting and finish up with a half mile jog.

It has worked really well for me, the toughest part is the lack of energy I used to have when working out but I've gotten used to it as time goes on.  I hope to continue and eventually get down closer to my military weight.

[Tom62]

What works for me is a low carb, more vegetarian diet, combined with some hours of exercise.
I drink more mineral water and eliminated all sugary drinks and fruit juices.

[xSilverPhinx]

Have you considered going to a dietitian or nutritionist?

It's not just about going on a calorie-restricted diet, adjusting protein versus carbohydrate and fat intake is also important, which you can do without starving yourself and still some some effect. 

Another thing, muscle weighs more per volume than fat does, so it might be that even though you're slimming down you don't see that much change in weight at this stage. Are you keeping track of your measurements as well?