Workout and diet

[darkpenguin]

I've recently taken it upon myself to get fit via exercise and diet and was wondering if anyone had a diet/fitness regime that worked well for them and minded sharing their secrets.
I'm wanting to slim down and then bulk up muscle wise afterwards if that helps?

Thanks

Craig.

 

[jacquie4000]

To slim down I eat a lower carb diet, higher protein. Lift lighter weights but more reps. Always include 30 minutes of cardeo excercise. Start by cutting out white flour, white surgar and soda.

 

[darkpenguin]

Yeah I downloaded some e-books that mentioned just how bad white sugar and flour was, I was surprised lol.
I have been riding my bike more recently which is good, it sounds kind of lame but I just did 2 miles in half an hour today which is pretty good considering i'm out of shape and the town I live in is way to hilly for my liking lol

 

[jacquie4000]

Bike Riding is a good cardeo exercise. I am sure you will do well if your mind is set on it and you end up having so much more energy too. Good Luck.

 

[darkpenguin]

thanks

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Jacquie already gave some good advice. Weight management isn't rocket science, but it's a discipline. Here's the low-down:

1) Watch your food portion sizes. One serving of meat should be no larger than the palm of your hand.

2) White sugar is your enemy........more than fats or carbs.........and read the labels on packaged goods. If the label says "High Fructose Corn Syrup" or anything like it, it's packed with sugar. Avoid these like the plague.

3) Very good advice is to only shop from the perimeter at the grocers, since that's where the whole foods are located. Packaged/canned goods are typically located in the center aisles, and they are (again) loaded with sugar, salt, and hydrogenated oils. These ingredients are a boon to any weight-loss effort - forget about how they're bad anyway for one's health. :cover:

4) Pick up a vegan cookbook and learn a few of the recipes. Some vegetarian cookbooks might have more sugar in their recipes than what might be considered healthy, but vegan cookbooks typically are sugar-free (including honey, of course) and only incorporate the healthy fats. You'll quickly become familiar with tofu, legumes, and all the varying grains.

As far as exercise goes...........make walking a priority. Walk everywhere - think about investing in a pedometer that tracks how many steps you take in a day. An eventual target is 10,000 steps in a day for great health. A lot of people here in the U.S. don't even break 1,000 because of sedentary lifestyles, so it's obvious just how valuable this type of tracking is. Once walking becomes a habit, you can then add the common exercise regimens that appeal to you like yoga, martial arts, weight-training, running, etc.

But the best thing anyone can do for weight loss is to just simply cut out sugar. It's simple, but enormously daunting for many because of how prevalent sugar is in our everyday foods, not to even mention just how addictive the crap is.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I'm not a nutritionist, but I've counselled my fair share of dancers/pupils on weight-management. Trend diet fads come and go, but the elimination of sugar and the increase of walking always helps. I can practically guarantee it. *thumbs up*




Peace,
Mystic

 

[darkpenguin]

Thanks for the great advice. I must admit that my one vice is sugar and it's going to be a tough one to break but hey I gave up smoking easy enough so sugar shouldn't really be an issue.
The walking also shouldn't be a problem seeing as I don't heve a car and cycle/walk everywhere pretty much.

 

[Hema]

Stay away from soda! I did that and lost a few pounds and got a flatter tummy! Eat lots of fruits and veggies. Drink lots of water. Stay away from white flour. Eat whole wheat. White flour sticks to the walls of your intestines and can cause your belly to get big. Don't eat late at nights. If the food is not digested well, the body will store it as fat. If you have to eat late, eat something light, like fruit or cereal. Eat your lightest meal at nights.

 

[darkpenguin]

thanks Hema

Well I just might have worried myself over nothing lol.
Just measured my bmi and found it to be 30.12(obese) and started worrying.
Then I find at the bottom of the page that it doesn't account for muscle mass with weighs more than fat.
Soooo I could be obese or I might not be given that beneath my chubbyness I am quite muscular.
Seems to me that BMI measurements might not be all that acurate really.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Yeah I downloaded some e-books that mentioned just how bad white sugar and flour was, I was surprised lol.
I have been riding my bike more recently which is good, it sounds kind of lame but I just did 2 miles in half an hour today which is pretty good considering i'm out of shape and the town I live in is way to hilly for my liking lol

You must be in poor shape... I can still walk 5 miles in an hour. hills included. ( aged 72)
a fit man can do 6+

It is the effort you put in that is important... you will do more for the same effort as you get fitter.

Don't bother with a diet to lose weight... If you eat any good diet... Low fat... high in roughage (vegetables) not too much meat ( preferably white meat and fish) little sugar, very little salt. You will do OK. but It must be balanced.

You actually need a reasonable amount of carbohydrates for energy, when you are fitter and can do a serious amount of exercise increase the fish and white meat to build muscle.

Always stop eating when you are still a little hungry.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

thanks Hema

Well I just might have worried myself over nothing lol.
Just measured my bmi and found it to be 30.12(obese) and started worrying.
Then I find at the bottom of the page that it doesn't account for muscle mass with weighs more than fat.
Soooo I could be obese or I might not be given that beneath my chubbyness I am quite muscular.
Seems to me that BMI measurements might not be all that acurate really.

If you can get your fat between your fingers near your waist more than 1/2 inch... you have too much. if you can do it on your thighs you have a big problem.

You may have a fair bit of muscle but it might just be from carrying around to much weight. Think about it... if you carried a 30 lb sack of potatoes every where you went you would soon build muscle.... you would also feel tired.

 

[darkpenguin]

If you can get your fat between your fingers near your waist more than 1/2 inch... you have too much. if you can do it on your thighs you have a big problem.

You may have a fair bit of muscle but it might just be from carrying around to much weight. Think about it... if you carried a 30 lb sack of potatoes every where you went you would soon build muscle.... you would also feel tired.

Ok I can do the first but not the second. my legs are the one place I've never had trouble keeping muscular.
I actually feel really stupid for letting it get this bad. But hey at least now I'm making an effort to turn it around.

Thanks terry

 

[Shadow Wolf]

A good diet I like for building muscle, and lossing weight with while eating small portions, is meat and potatoes. You gotta watch the meat though, and avoid fried meats, and light meats like bacon. Chicken and fish are especially good, lean of course. But you have to watch the amount of fish you eat due mercury content.

For workouts, it depends. For building muscle, go high weight, low rep. For building endurance, low weight, high rep. Despite some actual research and articles, stretching is important, as is an easy warm up to loosen the muscles, and a good cool down to ease up on soreness and reduce the chances of injury. A suna also helps, imo, greatly to help muscles relax, and can also burn a few extra calories.
And remember to consume lots of protien, because your body will eat away at the muscle mass. I recommend, if it's available in the UK, drinking Muscle Milk, or any protien shake for that matter. Personally, I use Muscle Milk because it has a wide variety of flavors.

And don't forget to keep with aerobics and speed building, as too much muscle will slow you down and reduce your overall flexibility.

And the best part, once you are at your target weight, and if you work out enough, you don't have to worry about your diet, as you can maintane a constant weight.

I forget what it's called, but there is some legal supplement that will build you faster than sterioids (this is almost literally overnight), but the muscles are all fluff, and you will loose them even if you take a day off from your regiment. And too much muscle is bad. I forget his name, but someone has actually had a muscle explode because it was literally too big. I'll try and find a picture of him. This guy was HUGE! Ugly HUGE even. Make the god's cry HUGE.

I'll ask my brother for the title of this book we call the workout Bible. It has information on everything from a diet that will work for you, to what vitamins and minerals to take, supplements, what will work best for you based on your goals, and even an appropriate regiment for you based on goals.

 

[Todd]

I've recently taken it upon myself to get fit via exercise and diet and was wondering if anyone had a diet/fitness regime that worked well for them and minded sharing their secrets.
I'm wanting to slim down and then bulk up muscle wise afterwards if that helps?

Thanks

Craig.

Well, I just lost 15 to 20 pounds in the last couple of months while on a physical workout program. I decided not to go on a total diet as I think that can seriously affect someone's metabolism. Don't starve yourself. That could lead to your body thinking that it's in a famine, and will store more fat/food. Although, I am watching what I eat. No candy. Wheat bread instead of white (plus I like the taste better). Plenty of protein and low carbs. As a matter of fact, I'm taking a supliment called Evopro that has 25 grams of protein per serving and is low in carbs and sugar.

Other than that, I'm strickly working out 5 times a week. I usually do 35 to 45 minutes of cardio on the EFX/Eliptical machine and then about 30 minutes of strength training. I have two strength training programs that I alternate through the week. First day I do Chest, Shoulders, and Legs. Second day I do Arms (tricep, bycep, etc), back and abs. Then I go back to the first day routine.

Unfortunately, I just found out that I might have a torn ACL (I play too much football). My knee has been hurting for the past 3 years. I go in for an MRI in the next week to find out if I do or not. That'll definitely affect my workout routine if I do have a torn ACL, but will not stop me from working out.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Young Professional Rugby players are taught how to cook and what to eat.
Once they are fit and got their weight off, They go onto six small meals a day.
High protein and carb + vegetables for health.
This with the almost constant training soon builds up muscles. they usually put on 50 lbs of muscle in the first year.

 

[MaddLlama]

Don't diet. Dieting is bad for your body, because you loose weight, then once you stop dieting you gain it all back, and then have to diet again. This cycle throws your metabolism out of wack and eventually you loose less and less weight.
Also, the "more protein, less carbs" idea is not nutritionally sound at all. Carbs should make up about 60% of your diet. Carbs are what gives you energy, and the body is less able to turn protein into the same substance. That's why the Atkins diet is one of the worst.
Ok, now that I'm off my soap box, the best idea is to adopt a healthy, maintainable diet, and exercise. You can try mypyramid.gov for a look at the new food pyramid which is a good basis for forming a healthy diet. One thing to remember about carbs is to eat mostly whole grains, and keep refined/bleached flour to a minimum.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Todd was right.
I did forget to mention do not starve yourself. The negative greatly outways the benefits, and you will loose muscle mass, your bones grow weak, the digestive track is thrown off, and your entire body suffers.

 

[lillitruthseeker]

i love to workout it keeps my brain focused -- i like the Core workout that you do with weights on the big ball -- its very fun and works all your muscle groups -- i do that every other day -- and i run everyday -- i ran in the Race for the Cure on Mothers Day and it was so much fun -- i bet there are fun exercise activities in your area you could do -- make some healthy choices in your foods and dont even worry if you eat something you think is "bad" -- exercise is the way to go and it makes you feel so good -- thats my advice and i wish you the best of luck

 

[Mike182]

i think i might take some of the advice in this thread myself actually, i need to start on a decent diet, loose a small bit of weight (mainly i just want a flatter tummy) and start exercising.

what are some of the meals people make when on their diets?

 

[Viconia]

I recommend buying this book: http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Tr...0967089735/ref=pd_sim_b_4/104-5355692-4676739