My time to get fit - stage 1 - The beginning.

[Buffman]

Ok so it has been a weekend of temptations and some pretty bad eating......

Know how you feel there, my diets been pretty poor (Combination of not eating often enough/enough and drinking whilst on the go at uni , can't say I dont enjoy it though).

I agree with Morba in his second post. Sometimes the size just comes with genetics. I go gym very regularly, I lift amongst the heaviest in the place, 40kg dumbell a side on bench press (an I only weigh 60kg). i train the same way and with the bigger guys there however I'm just soooo much smaller than them, I just can't put on size.

Those are some good lifts, eat more and you'll inevitably put on size .

As for working out your lifts in lbs etc, just do what you feel capable of for 8 reps (or whatever your normal rep range), make sure you're pushing to failure each week then check the weights every few weeks and it'll make progress far more noticable/save time. That's what I'm doing as I've joined my uni gym with barbells and I'm just doing whatever weight I can within a reasonable rep range.

 

[Morba]

I agree with Morba in his second post. Sometimes the size just comes with genetics. I go gym very regularly, I lift amongst the heaviest in the place, 40kg dumbell a side on bench press (an I only weigh 60kg). i train the same way and with the bigger guys there however I'm just soooo much smaller than them, I just can't put on size.

thats rather impressive, what are you like on a barbell for 1rm?

cant put on weight? eat more, simple. keep eating until you grow.

 

[Kappa]

Anyone know if these already exist or if I need to have them custom made ?

Cheers
RB

Something like that sounds like it would have to be custom made

I thought I was being ingenious when using the flat part of an open squat rack as a safety measure lol!

Good stuff RimBlock. Really looking good in those pics and dont look like you're 225lb's!

I feel I have to change my workout at the gym, started to lose motivation now, not running as much, the whole weekend is turning into a cheat day etc That picture telling me to squat certainly helps though Today is a new day, the week is a new week and its leg day! BAM! Gonna start to do cardio after my weights workouts again, just 20mins, which is better than nowt!

If cardio is becoming a pain have you had a crack at outdoor running? I HATE using cardio machines, but running is brilliant, the only effort I have is actually getting out the door and the first 5 mins, after that, its great! Especially when it's sunny, just running past things you drive by daily is so much more interesting then on a treadmill staring at a tv!

 

[DarkShadow]

That sounds about right RimBlock.

From my research and understanding 30-50g of carb is ok through the day. The good thing about keto is, you don't have the hunger pans like you get with normal diet.

The big negative for me was carb cravings. I absolutely miss milk, it's so difficult to avoid!

I've noticed some huge changes over the last few weeks. Over my year it has definitely been by far the quickest I've shedded fat.

 

[RimBlock]

Something like that sounds like it would have to be custom made

I thought I was being ingenious when using the flat part of an open squat rack as a safety measure lol!

Nuts, thought as much. Have to get the pegs first and do some measurements. Not sure how the gym staff will react with me taking a tape measure in there .

Good stuff RimBlock. Really looking good in those pics and dont look like you're 225lb's!

Many thanks Kappa.

Ahh, well..... If I relax the belly more then, well I am sure you get the idea. I am not straining to hold it all in but just tensing the stomach a little rather than letting it flop down like a pudding .

Before I started with this whole 'get fit' thing, tensing my stomach made no visible difference .

I feel I have to change my workout at the gym, started to lose motivation now, not running as much, the whole weekend is turning into a cheat day etc That picture telling me to squat certainly helps though

I know what you mean. I have been feeling quite disappointed recently. The new gym is a little disappointing but was a change I need to make due to cash. The belly is still there and the measurements are not really changing much at all. Hopefully after I can get all the details about the CKD diet down and start it, I will see more fat loss.

I am guessing that with the exercise I am doing that I am just under my maintenance which is why I am not loosing any significant size around my belly. I will go the CKD diet way I think and see where that takes me.

Today is a new day, the week is a new week and its leg day! BAM! Gonna start to do cardio after my weights workouts again, just 20mins, which is better than nowt!

20 Minutes after weights should be pretty good. Completely deplete your energy reserves. I am looking at drop sets to do the same thing after my workout. I enjoyed doing the bench press drop sets and felt it the next day.

If cardio is becoming a pain have you had a crack at outdoor running? I HATE using cardio machines, but running is brilliant, the only effort I have is actually getting out the door and the first 5 mins, after that, its great! Especially when it's sunny, just running past things you drive by daily is so much more interesting then on a treadmill staring at a tv!

Sounds good but I get split shins. Have always had them when running. This is why I tend to stay away from the running machines. I have a friend who runs around Singapore doing a lunch time cardio session. The weather would also kill me though.

On a plus note, my shoulder feels fine now, my hand is feeling better but putting the barbell on it will really be the test and the Achilles tendon is getting better.

I think I will start another thread for the CKD diet just to gather information as people with information may not be reading this thread. I will like to it from here and keep the diet summary and progress reports in this thread. I have seen some of the historical threads and will re-read them now but I suspect they do not have what I am after.

Cheers
RB

 

[RimBlock]

Know how you feel there, my diets been pretty poor (Combination of not eating often enough/enough and drinking whilst on the go at uni , can't say I dont enjoy it though).

I have been good staying away from the choc bars (loved kitkat chunky and boost) and only very rarely with the cake so not so bad but 'things' keep getting in the way.

Last night we went to a Chinese wedding banquet (5th in 3 years) and for those who have never been to one, it is usually in a big hotel event hall with a few hundred people and a 10 (somethimes less) course meal. Now the amount of food per course is usually small but there is a little difficulty spending 2 hours not eating anything. TBH the food last night was pretty good but that was as to be expected as the hotel was on Orchard Rd which is the equivelent of Londons Oxford / Regents Streets. Oh well that is the last 'event' I am aware of for some time .

As for working out your lifts in lbs etc, just do what you feel capable of for 8 reps (or whatever your normal rep range), make sure you're pushing to failure each week then check the weights every few weeks and it'll make progress far more noticable/save time. That's what I'm doing as I've joined my uni gym with barbells and I'm just doing whatever weight I can within a reasonable rep range.

Sure but the convertion (Kg * 2.2 = lbs) gives me a starting point after deduction say 5-10%. The bench press felt much heavier and it was 10lbs lighter than the calculated weight. I suspect the weights are not made to exacting specifications.

That sounds about right RimBlock.

From my research and understanding 30-50g of carb is ok through the day. The good thing about keto is, you don't have the hunger pans like you get with normal diet.

The big negative for me was carb cravings. I absolutely miss milk, it's so difficult to avoid!

I've noticed some huge changes over the last few weeks. Over my year it has definitely been by far the quickest I've shedded fat.

Sounds good but it terrifies me with the amount of fat to be consumed. Whipped cream, bacon, full fat cheese..... this is why I would like some more info on what I can eat and some idea of diet plans before starting. I would also miss milk and the sugar in tea / coffee although I understand you can take sweeteners if they are not fructose.

Cheers
RB

Cheers
RB

 

[RimBlock]

Link to the CKD thread I have started here on overclockers.

Hope it becomes a good location for information for all people interested.

Cheers
RB

 

[RimBlock]

Well I swung a personal trainer session for the new gym free as orientation and got lucky.

I got a trainer who was willing to listen and suggest new exercises within the realm of freeweights. He also spent the best part of 3 hours with me.

On the bad side, the git had me doing super sets .

Hard work with 15 / 10 / 10 reps when I am used to 8//8/8.

My hand felt fine, my shoulder hurt doing the flys but this time it was at the front not where it was damamged before. My Achilles tendon felt fine.

Personally I feel he is someone I could work with when more money was available.

A PT who listens to their client. Now theres a thing

Cheers
RB

 

[RimBlock]

So cardio yesterday.

They have very few tv screens with the cardio machines but they do have a couple of the cross trainers up on a balcony overlooking the gym so I ended up using one of those with some music from my phone to keep from getting too bored.

Well I managed 60 minutes (40 at level 12 and 20 at level 10 to keep the heart rate within good solid state cardio levels). Pretty happy to have managed so long and with a heart rate most the time of 154.

I will continue with this for a bit and see if I get better results than with the HIIT I was trying (and probably failing at).

One suggestion that was made when speaking to the PT's about working out but not loosing the inches was that it could be because I am not drinking enough water. I must admit my water consumption is and has always been very low. It was down to around 1-1.5 litres of water a day (usually with a dribble of orange squash to give a hint of flavour) and two big mugs of tea. I have been told that with my size, the extra exercise and the climate here that I should be looking at 4-6 litres a day .

They believed that part of my lack of inch loss is likely due to the body retaining water to supply the core body processes but is taking it away from other minor uses like skin hydration. The water stored adds size. This does ring true as when peeing it tends to be banana skin yellow . Well I have always had a low tolerance for lots of water with it just passing through me very quickly unless I am very dehydrated. It was not until I started with the new diet and exercise that the pee has gone so yellow.

Anyway...... so now I am on a mission to drink 4 litres a day plus tea etc. For someone not used to drinking so much I really need to schedule how much by what time to make sure I am on track.

Two weeks of this and I should see some good inch loss if water retention is a cause for keeping it.

One thing that I was a bit dubious about was him pressing my arm and seeing the two white patches where his two fingers pressed and then him explaining that this was a classic sign of water retention..

Oh well, back to the water bottle .

Cheers
RB

 

[TheCybermonkey]

I drink quite a bit during the day.
At work I normaly go through 2-3 litres of water plus 4-5 cups of green tea.
But that does mean regular toilet trips

With that said, I have also been through a similar phase of the fat not appear to be coming off. But Im sure a lot of it was in my head.

Firstly I think the first lot of weight coming off was so dramatic in terms of how I looked, that once i had shifted the first couple of stone or so, I didnt 'look' like I was losing as much.

According to the scales however, my weight was still dropping steadily.

That moves onto my second point which is that I think I have a tendancy to judge my weight lose by my stomach.

So although I was losing weight...it wasnt coming of my stomach and I therefore percieved that I wasnt losing weight but in reality it was just coming of areas I couldnt see of maybe even from around my organs or somthing.

Anyway...
Point is...keep your chin up and moving forward and it WILL come off!!!!

 

[RimBlock]

Anyway...
Point is...keep your chin up and moving forward and it WILL come off!!!!

One way or another .

But seriously, thanks for the comment.

For me, the hips have gone down a bit but the belly is still there and does not seem to be reducing. Tape measure tends to agree with me and I hope that more water will help to give the body what it needs to shift the weight. My weight fluctuates a bit but then I don't keep much stock in that. The photos look a bit better but I would have expected more for 3 months work.

My concern is that if I am doing something wrong then I would like to fix it rather than going a t a very slow pace when it could be safely quicker.

I also understand your point about the fat maybe coming off rom the internal organs and that would be great but hard to measure .....

After reading so many threads on bodybuilding.com about the fat loss in 6 months etc, half way through that it seems there is little change from the first month with regards to fat loss.

Anyway, I will keep plodding away and push up on the cardio. I was happy with the 60 minutes on the cross trainer. Heart rate was good for fat burning, it was not too boring and the machine reported about 750cals burnt. Ok now we know the machine is likely to be fairly inaccurate but with 2-3 sessions of that a week I should be looking at at least 1lb per week.

Again, thanks for the support .

RB

 

[TheCybermonkey]

For ref (we are all different though)...I lost 7 inches from around my fatest bit of my stomach.
For me that was where my belly button is.

I lost that in maybe the first 2 months or so and then only now in the last few weeks am I now visably seeing the fat come of my stomach again.

Not sure what my actual waist mesurement has come down from ( at work and dont have my measurments here and havnt taken any in a while thinking about it) but i have gone from my top whole on my belt to having to make a new hole as it doesnt go small enough.

Luckerly my trousers/jeans just about stay on otherwise new clothes would be costing a fortune.

 

[RimBlock]

Well done on the 7 inches in two months....

I have lost around 2 inches in 3 months from the widest point but my hips are now requiring me to go two notches down on my belt. It has been like this for a couple of months though.

How long was it between the inital loss and finally seeing visible loss again ?

Anyway, must stop with the complaining and work harder .

Back for another cardio today. Will try for the hour again which the machine believes should give me one less lb of fat (combines with the Wednesday session). We all know machines lie (well they were programmed by humans )

I have added waist exercises like crunches, knee raises (lay on back, knees bent and above the waist, try and put you knees on your nipples), side twists (lay on back, knees bent, feet flat on floor, legs apart, lift shoulders off the floot and touck heals with hand, alternate sides - left, right, left, right) adn the last, name unknown to me (pushup position but resting on the forearms not the hands, hold for xxx seconds).

Even after the squats etc these are burning for me so I will keep at them to continue to help strenghten my core.

Well I got through 3650ml of water yesterday, most plain apart from the last 500ml. Went to the toilet around 8 times. Finally had clear pee . Also had a big cup of tea and whatever water was in food.

Another day, another 4-6 litres of water. Time to get drinking..
RB

 

[TheCybermonkey]

Think my visable weight loss came back after a couple of months.

I seem to go in these weird phases...ill lose 8lbs over a month and not think I look any different and then wake up one day and its as if its just suddenly come off over night.

I have also started doing some core work over the past couple of weeks.
Were only talking a couple of sets of cycle sit ups (or whatever theyre called), some leg raises and some twisting sat up with your feet raised and a weighted ball in your hands moving side to side. Then maybe a plank for 1.5 mins.

Do this twice a week.
My core is quite weak really as before taking this all up, I litteraly had done no sport or anything for about 10-11yrs.
Getting much better though and the squats and Deadlifts have helped a lot.

 

[RimBlock]

Think my visable weight loss came back after a couple of months.

I seem to go in these weird phases...ill lose 8lbs over a month and not think I look any different and then wake up one day and its as if its just suddenly come off over night.

I have also started doing some core work over the past couple of weeks.
Were only talking a couple of sets of cycle sit ups (or whatever theyre called), some leg raises and some twisting sat up with your feet raised and a weighted ball in your hands moving side to side. Then maybe a plank for 1.5 mins.

Do this twice a week.
My core is quite weak really as before taking this all up, I litteraly had done no sport or anything for about 10-11yrs.
Getting much better though and the squats and Deadlifts have helped a lot.

I am not sure if you have noticed this, probably have but, I like my morning look. Up to around 30 minutes after getting up when all the fat is still spread around from sleeping and not pooled at the stomach area again. The evening look is awful .

Mentioning squats, I did a set for the first time in a while due to my Achilies tendon and still love them. Went up to 110lbs + bar which is....... damn........ 154lbs........ which is 70Kg. My max was 80Kg befor stopping for recovery and this time they were full squats with thighs below parallel. Pretty happy with that.

I also did dropsets with the bench press. 62Kg (inc bar), dropping down around 2kg per set of 8 until I finished with a clean bar. Last 3 sets I upped to 10 or 12 reps. That really gives a good chest pump and burning arms . I quite enjoy it as well.

Another 60 minutes cardio today which was a bit boring and I am aching all over from yesterday and the cardio on my legs today.

I think for cardio I will try and rotate machines each week to keep the body guessing but try to aim for the same 'ectimated calories burnt' figure if I can.

I feel a bit adrift as far as weights routine goes now. Being 3 months in I feel it would be good to mix it up a little and have a change but am not sure what to change to. Any suggestions anyone ??

Cheers
RB

 

[TheCybermonkey]

Cant say I have noticed the morning look.
Didnt realise fat could move around to be honest.
Assumed it was attached to your skin/internal tissue somehow.

I tend to look best when I get in after work.
Think its becuase im usualy quite hungry by then and just done my walk home so my stomach is pulling in.

Your squats are coming along.
I did my my PB of 60kg for 8reps last week.
Thats going a bit below parallel.
When I first started, i could feel it in my lower back, so I have been quite carful to nail form and work my way up.

My bench aint great either..only 50kg.
But its better than when I started.
Chest is the area Im going to need to work on the most I think.
Shape and size wise that is.

But ill get to that once my body fats right down and im ready to start bulking.
Its a Marathon not a sprint and all that Jazz!!!

 

[RimBlock]

Cant say I have noticed the morning look.
Didnt realise fat could move around to be honest.
Assumed it was attached to your skin/internal tissue somehow.

AFAIK it is but I think it get squashed / spread a little sideways when sleeping for xxx number of hours and takes a little bit of time to go back to it's normal bulge, for me anyway .

I tend to look best when I get in after work.
Think its becuase im usualy quite hungry by then and just done my walk home so my stomach is pulling in.

Your squats are coming along.
I did my my PB of 60kg for 8reps last week.
Thats going a bit below parallel.
When I first started, i could feel it in my lower back, so I have been quite carful to nail form and work my way up.

I have a week back so also had to be careful and used the hyperextends to help strengthen it. My back certainly feels better now. I found after I got the hip rotation worked out that the form came naturally and now I really don't need to think about it too much at all. Makes concentrating on the lifts much easier. It is also good seeing the very few who do squats when I am at the gym, and a lot of guys here are pretty big, I seem the be the only one going so low and the only one with a big red face at the end .

I am happy with 3*8 @ 70Kg and want ti back up to 80Kg as my bench press is catching up. I like my leg press of 166Kg (3*8) although I have also not done that one recently as well. I have tried the hack squats with the lever machine and it was fairly easy till I sorted out the back / shoulder rest to allow me to go below parallel with 109Kg and then it was very difficult .

My bench aint great either..only 50kg.
But its better than when I started.
Chest is the area Im going to need to work on the most I think.
Shape and size wise that is.

50Kg was the average at fitness first so I was really happy going up to 60Kg and then 70Kg. For some reason though the weights don't seem to translate like they should with the 2.2lbs to 1 Kg. The poundage feels a fair bit heavier for some reason.... or maybe it is just in my head.

But ill get to that once my body fats right down and im ready to start bulking.
Its a Marathon not a sprint and all that Jazz!!!

Yeah but I seem to be running on the spot

One thing I will say is that after 1 hour and a reported 750 Kcal burnt I feel really hungry when I get home. I mean really hungry. Must resist.....

Mid autumn festival is next weekend with moon cakes and I am sure they will also be very bad for me but luckily I dont like the traditional ones. Unfortunately they now do snowskin ones which are lovely . Must resist, must resist.

Oh well, F1 rolled into Singapore for the night race well and truly today. I work on one of the circuits corners although the view is blocked from my office. You could hear the cars going around the circuit though. Looking at the practice laps on TV now the track looks like a normal track with the concrete barriers and not a lot of the city area the race is in but these roads are ones I walk down on the way to work most days .

Anyway, back to the TV.

RB

 

[Sagalout]

I'm no expert by an means, but I do think a lot of the 'theoretical' resting calorie useage etc is just wrong, or at least varies so much person to person that theres no point basing your diet on it.

I was in a similar position to you a couple of years back. 35, 6ft, 230lbs. I tried weights for about 6 months and did feel a hell of a lot better, but ate a reasonable amount (of good quality food) to compensate. Not a huge amount, but probably still about 2000-2500 cals a day. The weight dropped to about 210 pounds and i dropped a few inches off the belt but then just stopped. No doubt with a good personal trainer etc it would have made a difference, but I decided to just go on a much stricter diet in terms of calories. I dont do weights anymore as I dont want to build any more muscle, so I just do free cardio! about 20 miles a week running and between 60 - 100 miles cycling. Coupled to a predominantly mediterranean diet of about 1500 cals a day I now weigh 175lbs, am still losing about a 1lb or 2lb a week and never feel hungry and have bags of energy.....oh and I can get into 32" jeans again (from a high of 40"!)

My typical diet/exercise would be:

Get up at 7. Go for a 4 mile run or 10 mile bike ride.
Breakfast - small bowl of alpen, cup of espresso

Lunch - home made salad, typically leafy with cherry tomatoes, olives, spring onion, peppers and either a slice of ham, bit of chicken or salmon/mackerel. Nice drizzle of good quality olive oil and a bit of balsamic

Dinner - Nice piece of fish, usually trout/sea bream/sea bass with tomatoes, olives, bit of rice or pasta.

Thats it. No need for snacks or 101 small meals. I tend to go for a decent bike ride on a weekend (20-50 miles), and I'll have a few more carbs to compensate

As I say, might not suit you at all, but you work in IT (like me) so I think we tend to forget that we generally do sod all through the day so dont need many calories! It sounds to me like you're eating at a maintenance levels for the exercise you're doing so either increase that or reduce the calories. Thats assuming that you just want to be slim, which was the impression I got from your initial posts.

 

[RimBlock]

Thanks Sagalout

Sounds like you have been through it.

I tend to agree that it feels like I am at maintenance although stepping up the cardio has left me pretty hungry afterwards which I am taking to be a good sign.

I like the weight training and so would like to keep it but will eat to recover rather than to build for new. My biggest issue to feeling great is the legacy of smoking for 15 or so years. My lungs should recover but it will take aa long time.

I will keep with the hour cardio twice a week and the weights for now and see how it goes. The cardio was sorely missing or was at least not regular. Also doing the HIIT I never got as hungry as I am at the moment. Weight days and I am not more hungry than usual so hopefully I will see some loss soon(ish).

Trying to drink the 4 litres of water is still a challenge but no doubt it will get easier.

Thanks
RB

 

[Kappa]

For me I use a 1.5l evian bottle, and try and go through that twice in a day (unfortunately not spread out, and usually at work, 1 bottle in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Seems a lot easier than imagining refilling a smaller bottle 8 times a day or something!

Also your bladder will adapt so you dont go to the loo every 5 mins

My gym buddy just showed me the latest muscle & fitness, think he wants us to do the Triple H workout