Losing Weight - General sort out

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Soldato
Joined
9 Apr 2004
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In order to try and keep my motivation up I am going to keep a thread on here about my weight loss.

I have tried many times in the past but due to a hectic lifestyle and in all honesty laziness I have always struggled to maintain things. This thread and keeping it updated is hopefully going to help.

I will be 30 this year and in many ways I have what I have always wanted; a beautiful wife, 4 wonderful kids and a reasonable income. I am however starting to get concerned, I don't do enough exercise and as a result I am setting a bad example to the kids.

Their diet is fine and we will usually always eat together at the table as a family, however I am prone to a takeaway as well.

My plan is to lose weight and have a lot more energy than I do at the moment. When I am working I will usually be out of the house from 6am to 6pm and my work is almost exclusively office based. It can be very stressful and being so unfit I am finding it harder and harder to cope.

Weighed and measured myself this morning and came out with the following:

Height 5' 9"
Weight 14 stone 8 3/4 lbs
Chest 42.5"
Stomach 40" (at the fatest point)

My plan is two fold, spend at least 30 minutes a day on the cross trainer and a far healthier diet. I used to love cooking and over the last couple of weeks we have got far better at cooking meals from scratch.

Once I have got some more energy I will then move onto building up some more muscle mass in my upper body.

A long post but hopefully I may be able to inspire / share the journey with others. I will update measurements on a weekly basis and we will see.
 
will you not put on weight by building muscle mass?? But good luck i did the same 3 years ago 16 stone down to 12 stone 4 pound i still run every week 35 to 40 miles and i still keep the fat off : )
 
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Also, increasing muscle mass means you are burning calories quicker; in relation to this, don't neglect building your leg muscles; they are some of the biggest in your body and can be increased relatively easily.
 
At the moment my body is a bit of a disaster - so losing weight (the fat) is the key driver initially. Once I have lost that then I will look at putting on some more muscle. My legs wont be neglected - they are one of the few parts of my body that always seem to be in a good shape - I did massive amounts of cycling when I was younger and using the cross trainer they will get plenty of work. My things are 23" and calfs 17" with very little fat on either of them.
 
Is getting back on a bike an option as part of you commute? If it's something you know, enjoy and can fit into your day then it's worth contemplating.

/Asprilla continues mission to get whole would cycling....
 
[DOD]Asprilla;16167214 said:
Also, increasing muscle mass means you are burning calories quicker; in relation to this, don't neglect building your leg muscles; they are some of the biggest in your body and can be increased relatively easily.
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will running help build leg muscle? After i have done marathon in may i start training for para 10 so i will be dropping 1 run a week and start doing more weights to build more muscle.
 
fadetoblack said:
will running help build leg muscle? After i have done marathon in may i start training for para 10 so i will be dropping 1 run a week and start doing more weights to build more muscle.
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AFAIK they will work different types of muscle fibres, running for slow twitch and weights for fast twitch.
 
The only type of running that will develop bigger/stronger muscles is by sprinting, and its also an awesome exercise to include in any workout.
 
I would love to commute to work by bike but my average commute is over 100 miles round trip so cycling is out just now.

The plan is to get the family cycling at the weekend but I will need to look into bike trailers as the two youngest are 2 years and 3 months.
 
Bar said:
I would love to commute to work by bike but my average commute is over 100 miles round trip so cycling is out just now.

The plan is to get the family cycling at the weekend but I will need to look into bike trailers as the two youngest are 2 years and 3 months.
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good luck - I got a bike seat for my 2 & 1/2 year old at the weekend and dusted the bike off for the 1st time in about a year and took him out with me - he loved it and it's really given me new impetus to get out on the bike more often (also means I have another 15kgs to travel with!!!)
 
Exercise cant out-run a poor diet. Sort the diet then sort the exercise.

I reccomend the Anabolic Diet. Low carb for 5 days, then a 2 day carb-up weekend (switch to 1 day for better fat loss results).

its not easy but it works. got to remember that because its low carb its not a quick 1 month fix diet. I've been on it since 24th Jan and I've lost about 10lbs in total, but more importantly bf% reduced by 2% and inches about 2.5" of my waist.

Whilst it may seem a bit extreme to some, and the argument of "eating healthily and exercising" will help you lose weight.. this is only if you binge eat chocolates, crisps etc. Of course that theory works, all it is is going from 4000 (binge) to 2000 (normal) so you lose weight.

Have a look into the Anabolic Diet and try it for at least 5 weeks (when you're fully fat burning adapted)... then comment on it and only after 5 weeks if you feel its not for you stop it... but I trialed it and can assure you I'm on it for a lot while longer.

Oh and also, dont get too hung up on what you weigh... make sure you measure waist, arms, legs etc - sometimes I have put on weight on the scales but lost inches off areas. Key is to keep at it and don't give up.

Its a great diet, and should be called a lifestyle really (well it is for me... its like I've found the correct diet in how my body functions) After many years of frustration diets this one here has been the winner for me.

Hope that helps.
 
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In terms of diet it is somewhat harder for me (although this may just be an excuse) but we eat as a family at the table every night.

As a result the food we eat has to be balanced for everyones needs:

Wife - recently given birth, wanting to lose weight, breastfeeding
Me - overweight and lazy
Eldest Son - 6 years old
Youngest Son - 4 years old
Eldest Daughter - 2 years old
Youngest daughter - 4 months old

As a result the food we eat has to be suitable for all and "low" or "high" anytype of diet is not really appropriate.

One area I am trying to sort out is my love of takeaways. To this end I am experimenting with making my own "healthy" versions. Instead of ordering a donner kebab I make my own: lean lamb mince, onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, cream crackers - all mixed and shaped then cooked in the oven along with a load of peppers.

The majority of the food we eat now works to be roughly: 50% veg (not including potatoes) 25% protein, 25% carbohydrates. Snacks throughout the day are generally fruit based.

We rarely have fizzy drinks in the house (although I am partial to irn-bru) and we rarely drink alcohol.

This is a long term aim, and if I can lose 3 stone in 6 months I will be happy. The main purpose is to have more energy and be less lethargic.

Thanks for all the comments - its helping me stick to it.
 
Bar said:
In terms of diet it is somewhat harder for me (although this may just be an excuse) but we eat as a family at the table every night.

As a result the food we eat has to be balanced for everyones needs:

Wife - recently given birth, wanting to lose weight, breastfeeding
Me - overweight and lazy
Eldest Son - 6 years old
Youngest Son - 4 years old
Eldest Daughter - 2 years old
Youngest daughter - 4 months old

As a result the food we eat has to be suitable for all and "low" or "high" anytype of diet is not really appropriate.

One area I am trying to sort out is my love of takeaways. To this end I am experimenting with making my own "healthy" versions. Instead of ordering a donner kebab I make my own: lean lamb mince, onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, cream crackers - all mixed and shaped then cooked in the oven along with a load of peppers.

The majority of the food we eat now works to be roughly: 50% veg (not including potatoes) 25% protein, 25% carbohydrates. Snacks throughout the day are generally fruit based.

We rarely have fizzy drinks in the house (although I am partial to irn-bru) and we rarely drink alcohol.

This is a long term aim, and if I can lose 3 stone in 6 months I will be happy. The main purpose is to have more energy and be less lethargic.

Thanks for all the comments - its helping me stick to it.
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I like your attitude and your frankness, it should serve you well on your quest.

The fact that you rarely drink alcohol is huge plus. I struggle here, while i can happily go without it during the week, come the weekend, i regularly binge drink on nights out.

Making your own food is a great idea - you know exactly what you are putting in and can therefore balance your diet accordingly.

I haven't got any specific advice at this point. If you are serious and keep at it, you will probably see some quick results. Maybe after a couple of months, progress may slow a little and the novelty of it all may start to wear off. What i will say is stick with it, and don't let yourself fall back into bad habits.

Good luck.
 
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