Men's losing weight encouragement thread

Icey101 · #1 10-24-2011, 11:08 PM

ok guys, i have just drawn a line in the sand, my weight has been creeping up....i'm 5' 9 and weighing 85kg, mostly muscle from 10 years of gym work out but in the last year due to stress and work commitments i have put on 5 kg and a nice little gut which i am not proud of when i wear a singlet, muscle plus a gut dont mix at the beach or gym and its summer coming in aussie land...

The fix

I started on sunday, lean meals, more cardio, bike riding mixed with free weights, i am sitting at work hurting a bit due to this but am having a cup of tea in the arvo and a coffee in the morning helps mask the hunger pangs. I have started preparing my own salad lunches and 2 pieces of fruit a day, lots of water and a bowl of porridge in the morning is a good filler. Dinner prepared by the wife is usualy a tuna and veg or salad mix

i am determined to get down to 82kg, which should drop the gut off.. in 2 weeks then see how i feel for another step

so anyone else who has been thinking about it.....just do it

Edit: Day 2

I'm hurting bad, stomach hurts but feeling good, just finished my bowl of porridge and am heading into work, i am determined to stay away from the junk food machine in the breakout room, no more trips to the shop for chocolate milk at lunch time....i will win

Indiana Mike · #2 10-25-2011, 02:48 AM

Your pork gets shorter as you get fatter ...

hows that for encouragement?

I have been changing my lifestyle as well and it is working ... just remember , 1 year of bad habits wont get fixed in three days...

EscapeNote · #3 10-25-2011, 03:21 AM

So I'm reading this thread and there's an ad in the left hand sidebar for "Jillian Michaels" asking "How big is your weight loss goal?". Coincidence? I don't think so. It's actually kinda disturbing...

Icey, congratulations on making the resolve to get the weight under control. I gained about 20 lbs over the last couple of years. Not a good load to carry around. Made a diet change with my wife about 6 months ago, got into the gym more often, lost 15 lbs over several months, got to feeling much better.

But then I let myself get "down" about some things and slipped back for about a month. My wife is still going strong, only 1 pound to go to reach her goal, (YAY!) but I've gained back 5 lbs. So I resolved just yesterday to get my act together, reign myself in and lose the other 10 lbs.

It fascinates me how easy it is to play mind games with myself when it comes to eating, exercising, etc. Did really well today - now I gotta build on that success...

EscapeNote · #4 10-25-2011, 03:28 AM

Oh, and Indiana Mike, you really know how to motivate a guy!

i_got_a_mohawk · #5 10-25-2011, 04:04 AM

My weight's been creeing back up too, not been at the gym much over the past few months because work has been chaotic, been travelling with work and I've managed to knacker my back a few times at the rugger!

Up to around about 130Kg/286lbs (6ft4, ~6 years of weightlifting), need to drop to ~105Kg (230lbs) to get the definition back!

Icey101 · #6 10-25-2011, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

My weight's been creeing back up too, not been at the gym much over the past few months because work has been chaotic, been travelling with work and I've managed to knacker my back a few times at the rugger!

Up to around about 130Kg/286lbs (6ft4, ~6 years of weightlifting), need to drop to ~105Kg (230lbs) to get the definition back!

time to get into it mate

Tsal · #7 10-25-2011, 06:16 AM

I need to join this. I'm around 6' / 85 kg as well, but my "slim" point would be closer to 75 kg.

Tracebassplayer · #8 10-25-2011, 06:25 AM

Check out tsfl.com
Take Shape for Life is a program that steps you from healthy weight loss to maintenance at your goal weight.
Teaches you how to eat healthy to maintain your goal weight.
I went from 220 lbs and snug 38 waist Levi's to 158 and a 30" waist in 5 months.

MakiSupaStar · #9 10-25-2011, 10:22 AM

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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Fat - YouTube

i_got_a_mohawk · #10 10-25-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icey101

time to get into it mate

I'm back to it, been back at training and doing bodyweight work at home. Going to hit up the gym soon too.

I'm not in a huge hurry though, I'm at least honest enough to realise that any weightloss is a premtive strike at the damage which will be caused over christmas

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #11 10-25-2011, 10:34 AM

I've dropped 15lbs the past 6 weeks. I just started jogging 18-22 miles a week, and cut out the soda and almost all of the juice and ice cream. Haven't started eating healthy or lifting weights again yet. I'm still eating pretty bad food- just not quite as much of it. I tend to lose weight quickly and could have lost a fair amount more already- I just hate eating healthy

baalroo · #12 10-25-2011, 12:05 PM

I've dropped from (6'1") 264 lbs down to 227 lbs in a touch over two months. I use myfitnesspal.com and am simply counting calories, walking a few miles at least every other day, and switched to diet soda. I've still got a long way to go to reach my goal, but it's been fairly easy so far.

Bassman316 · #13 10-25-2011, 12:39 PM

Around this time last year I started gradually changing my eating habits and going for brisk walks every morning before getting ready for work. I cut out most of the crap like potato chips, fast food, soda, etc. I don't eat dessert every single night, but I cut out dessert entirely. I felt great and dropped about 10-15 lbs over the course of about seven weeks. I was so serious about it at the time that I wore a pedometer during each walk and kept track of how long my walks were, going a little bit further everyday. However, with the onset of the holiday season, and the food and drink that accompanies it, I let my eating habits go back to what they were, got lazy and stopped going for the walks. I'm right back to square one, right at about the same weight I was this time last year before I started trying to lose weight.

Definitely going to make an effort to wake up the extra 30-45 minutes early each morning to start going for walks again. They're not joking around when they sing the praises of how beneficial walking is. In my experience it's the easiest form of exercise with the most benefits, plus getting out and having a walk in the cool fall morning is nice. Having a desk job in an office doesn't yield to much exercise throughout the day, and just getting the blood flowing in the morning made me feel better. Not to mention I felt I was in a better mood most of the day, and it was nice being asked by coworkers if I had lost weight.

Besides, once I changed my eating habits, it wasn't that hard. I started eating a lot of salads for lunch, mostly ceasar salads (my favorite). Switched from white bread to whole grain, substituted the usual snacks with fruit or granola bars. In the end, I just got lazy and stopped. Definitely need to get back into it, because at my height, let's just say my weight isn't where I should be.

**crustychef** · #14 10-25-2011, 01:02 PM

I've went from (5'9") 247lbs to 209 in last 6 six months. I've probably put on 15-20 pounds of muscle too. My lean point it 190-195.I was a huge gym rat for many years but let is slide as I moved up ladder at work. My secret is CrossFit 3-5 times a week, plus a follow a Paleo diet about 95% of the time and track my calories and macro nutrient ratios using the Lose it app on my iPhone. I eat a lot meat, veggies, fat, nuts, seeds and some fruit. I don't eat grains or sugar. I limit myself to one drink maybe 2 or 3 times a week. Check it out. It's really growing in popularity in OZ. What is CrossFit?

SoonerMatt · #15 10-25-2011, 01:14 PM

EBodious · #16 10-25-2011, 01:21 PM

interesting thread. i have always been skinny and didn't own a scale or anything like that. sometime in my 30's, however, i started getting a gut (some call it a beer belly, i call it a pot belly - i get lots of laughs with that one). either way, i decided 2 years ago to try to get rid of it.

i started going to the gym twice a week, doing weights and running on a cross-trainer for 30 min. i already ate a mostly healthy diet (no soda, no meat, very little processed food) and bike/walk almost as much as i drive. so far tho, i have found that my weight does not change. the scale at the gym says 186lbs (85kg) steady for two years now. i would think there would have been some effect.

the only other change is i now go out for beers a lot more often then i used to do (suddenly single and all that). i mostly drink guiness (lo cal) and i really don't drink that much (2-3 a night, 3 nights a week). but that is way up from my married days.

i'd like to see my belly go away, but again, i am surprised that i look exactly the same as two years ago....

fourstringdrums · #17 10-26-2011, 01:33 AM

I've lost 19lbs since May. I got to the gym and hit the weights 3 days a week. I use sparkpeople.com and track my calories. I'm not always perfect (like today) but it's working, albeit slowly.

T-34 · #18 10-26-2011, 02:10 AM

Lean meals/drinks combined with intensive cardio workouts always worked well for me. No sweat - no weight loss!

**crustychef** · #19 10-26-2011, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBodious

interesting thread. i have always been skinny and didn't own a scale or anything like that. sometime in my 30's, however, i started getting a gut (some call it a beer belly, i call it a pot belly - i get lots of laughs with that one). either way, i decided 2 years ago to try to get rid of it.

i started going to the gym twice a week, doing weights and running on a cross-trainer for 30 min. i already ate a mostly healthy diet (no soda, no meat, very little processed food) and bike/walk almost as much as i drive. so far tho, i have found that my weight does not change. the scale at the gym says 186lbs (85kg) steady for two years now. i would think there would have been some effect.

the only other change is i now go out for beers a lot more often then i used to do (suddenly single and all that). i mostly drink guiness (lo cal) and i really don't drink that much (2-3 a night, 3 nights a week). but that is way up from my married days.

i'd like to see my belly go away, but again, i am surprised that i look exactly the same as two years ago....

Track your calories to find out how much you are consuming. You might be surprised. I know I was. Then just eat 500 calories less than you need to a day. You will lose weight. I would add another training day too. 3 workouts a week should be the minimum, 4-5 is better. Honestly it could be a simple as cutting your beer consumption in half.
Other tips would be to eat more protein (tofu, beans) and less starchy carbs like bread, rice, potatoes, etc. If you do dairy then consider getting a whey protein power to help supplement your diet. If not dairy then get soy protein powder. Make a protein smoothy for breakfast and/or after a workout. Bulky veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and other hearty greens are you friends to help keep you full when consuming less calories. Be careful with fruit and nuts they can pack butt load of calories in small servings.
Training tips. It is amazing how much more fat I lost when I started doing heavy compound lifts vs isolation lifting. Compound lifts like the squat, deadlift, push press, overhead squat, push ups, pull ups, bench press, full sit ups and dips should make up the bulk of ones training. They recruit more muscle groups force your core to be active and burn way more calories than isolation lifts like curls, calf raises, dumbbell lateral raises, triceps extensions and leg presses.
This does not require hours at the gym either. 1 hour max. Cardio should be short and intense. 10 minutes of intervals or something similar. Stretch! Very important.
Good luck and go for it.

EBodious · #20 10-27-2011, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crustychef

Track your calories to find out how much you are consuming. You might be surprised. I know I was. Then just eat 500 calories less than you need to a day. You will lose weight. I would add another training day too. 3 workouts a week should be the minimum, 4-5 is better. Honestly it could be a simple as cutting your beer consumption in half.
Other tips would be to eat more protein (tofu, beans) and less starchy carbs like bread, rice, potatoes, etc. If you do dairy then consider getting a whey protein power to help supplement your diet. If not dairy then get soy protein powder. Make a protein smoothy for breakfast and/or after a workout. Bulky veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and other hearty greens are you friends to help keep you full when consuming less calories. Be careful with fruit and nuts they can pack butt load of calories in small servings.
Training tips. It is amazing how much more fat I lost when I started doing heavy compound lifts vs isolation lifting. Compound lifts like the squat, deadlift, push press, overhead squat, push ups, pull ups, bench press, full sit ups and dips should make up the bulk of ones training. They recruit more muscle groups force your core to be active and burn way more calories than isolation lifts like curls, calf raises, dumbbell lateral raises, triceps extensions and leg presses.
This does not require hours at the gym either. 1 hour max. Cardio should be short and intense. 10 minutes of intervals or something similar. Stretch! Very important.
Good luck and go for it.

in general i'm gonna say, "thanks, brother!"

but you got to kidding about the beer....

... rite?