Losing Body Fat/Exercise Routine/Diet

[Exodus]

So as some of you may have seen, the buzz has worked wonders for my confidence and looks. However, I know it can look even better if I reduce my body fat.

For about the past year or so, my diet and exercise habits have been rubbish, since learning to drive I use the car everywhere and quite frankly it's beginning to p*** me off that I don't do much in terms of exercise.

So Im sure like most people here, we work full time, 9-5 or roughly there abouts...so I'd like to work around that. I'm going to sign up to a gym this week and get some tips from the guys there, but Im not sure what else to work on. So far this is my planned routine to ease me into it:

- Cycling everyday to work and home (I have to cycle to a bus station and then trek it into work for like an hour, but I can deal with that). I reckon I'd be cycling 8 miles a day back and forth.

- I'd go to the gym every Saturday and maybe go for a run or a jog every Sunday.

Diet Wise:

- Breakfast consists of Bran Flakes (or similar) followed by either fruit or a low fat greek yoghurt.

- Lunch: Sandwiches, 1 Cereal Bar, 1 Packet of Crisps and 2-3 Pieces of Fruit

- Dinner: Can range from something like pasta to (vegetarian) fajitas.

So thats me at the moment. I've bought a pedometer to measure my walking steps and check my calories. Really I'd love to gain some muscle, especially on my arms, lose some body fat on my stomach and face and just a good fit appearance going.

Anything else anyone add, change or suggest?

[8868alex]

Hi, been in a similar situation myself

You got some good ideas. I would certainly look at interval training (rowing, running, exercise bike, etc). An intense session of half an hour, 2-3 times a week will help. Also, consider complete body workouts using the big exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench, barbell presses, etc). Vary your routine every 6 weeks and perform exercises in a differant order periodically. I also suggest supersets - you'll get a great "burn" and also some cardio benefit.

I used to do a session of heavy lifting, immediately followed by a 20-25 minute cardio interval workout. This is often referred to as the "fat burning furnace" and is ideal for the purposes of building lean muscle.

I've also had a very positive experience with the 5:2 diet (intermittent fasting). Over 3 weeks, i lost 4 pounds of fat. This is not for everyone though as it takes some getting used to and does limit your workout options on the specific days.

Good luck!

[Spex]

Avoid as many shitty carbs and increase your protein.

Also a simple strategy - Calories in Calories out :-)

[Aeroes]

So as some of you may have seen, the buzz has worked wonders for my confidence and looks. However, I know it can look even better if I reduce my body fat.

For about the past year or so, my diet and exercise habits have been rubbish, since learning to drive I use the car everywhere and quite frankly it's beginning to p*** me off that I don't do much in terms of exercise.

So Im sure like most people here, we work full time, 9-5 or roughly there abouts...so I'd like to work around that. I'm going to sign up to a gym this week and get some tips from the guys there, but Im not sure what else to work on. So far this is my planned routine to ease me into it:

- Cycling everyday to work and home (I have to cycle to a bus station and then trek it into work for like an hour, but I can deal with that). I reckon I'd be cycling 8 miles a day back and forth.

- I'd go to the gym every Saturday and maybe go for a run or a jog every Sunday.

Diet Wise:

- Breakfast consists of Bran Flakes (or similar) followed by either fruit or a low fat greek yoghurt.

- Lunch: Sandwiches, 1 Cereal Bar, 1 Packet of Crisps and 2-3 Pieces of Fruit

- Dinner: Can range from something like pasta to (vegetarian) fajitas.

So thats me at the moment. I've bought a pedometer to measure my walking steps and check my calories. Really I'd love to gain some muscle, especially on my arms, lose some body fat on my stomach and face and just a good fit appearance going.

Anything else anyone add, change or suggest?

Hey Mate,

Good to hear your making the effort to lose fat and keep fit.
Your diet has a lot of processed carbs, stay away from them, as it's not natural for your body 9/10 it will be stored as fat if your not using energy. Add some fruit/vegetables to your diet.

Here is an example of what i'd eat during the day. (I eat this way because I ride triathlons, play football, box etc).

Meal 1 (breakfast) Oats with Honey + Milk(only on cereal), Tub of blueberries, Protein shake.

Meal 2 (Snack) Banana , Rice thins + Peanut butter.

Meal 3 (Lunch) Chicken + Sweet Potato Mash + Brocolli

Meal 4 Salmon with Salad + Pasta

Meal 5 Protein Shake.

This is just an example. But since cutting out processed foods, I feel so much better. I try to stick to nice meats, organic veges etc. Really makes a difference to your well being.

Keep at it,

[Kayman]

It's all about calories. To lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit i.e you use more than you consume. Make a note of how many calories you consume in a day, wear a monitor to work out if what you're doing in a day is burning off more than you're taking in. Cycling is a great way to do this plus it's very good for your heart, your legs will grow strong and you'll burn fat from all over your body and your metabolism will increase.
But if you want to tone and increase muscular strength and definition as well as lose weight I recommend you hit the rowing machines and or go swimming 3 times a week, that will hit every muscle in your body and you'll tone up from head to toe.

[BigThinker]

If you can manage your time to incorporate cycling into your day-to-day life, you won't regret it. There's a ton of iphone apps for setting goals, tracking progress, and designing cycling routes.

It sounds like your time availability for lifting is pretty slim. I'd say if you can at least get in 3 days a week, work on your upper body. If you're actually putting in distance on a bike (especially a basic 1 speed), you should get some good leg definition without lifting.

If you're the type of guy who prefers to be doing something engaging for cardio (not running, biking), get into tennis. Easy game to pick up at any time in your life and it'll burn the calories away guaranteed.

[Exodus]

Hey

Thanks for the tips and advice. Ill keep up the cycling (its quite on and off, but Ill stick to it as of next week). I mean right now, I'm happy losing some body fat and just toning up to a reasonable weight. I like Kaymans idea about the rowing as Im sure after a few months I could see some good results.

The only thing is bloody work!! Im up so early to commute and it just eats up your day, when you get home you're so tired, just like, cba!! But that's not the attitude to have.

I think Ill cycle and gym on alternate days, at least Im varying my work out and Ill still have some of my evenings to do other stuff.

Also Ill cut out the crap carbs. As Im a vegetarian and I know a google search will answer this, but can you guys recommend any good sources of protein besides meat?

[Kayman]

Hey

Thanks for the tips and advice. Ill keep up the cycling (its quite on and off, but Ill stick to it as of next week). I mean right now, I'm happy losing some body fat and just toning up to a reasonable weight. I like Kaymans idea about the rowing as Im sure after a few months I could see some good results.

The only thing is bloody work!! Im up so early to commute and it just eats up your day, when you get home you're so tired, just like, cba!! But that's not the attitude to have.

I think Ill cycle and gym on alternate days, at least Im varying my work out and Ill still have some of my evenings to do other stuff.

Also Ill cut out the crap carbs. As Im a vegetarian and I know a google search will answer this, but can you guys recommend any good sources of protein besides meat?

In supplement form vegetarian whey protein with skimmed milk. I'm not sure if you eat fish but fish is a great source, egg whites, beans, whole grains are good sources of veggie protein. Broccoli is somewhat of a super food so get plenty of that into your diet. But I'd say skimmed milk with a couple of scoops of whey a day would be your best bet for protein. If you're looking to build a bit of muscle try and get 0.8 to 1 gram of protein to every lb of body weight. I do really recommend a rowing regime, imagine a cardio and weights session all in one go and your cardio fitness and stamina will improve massively.

[Exodus]

I think you're right, whenever I went to the gym in the past it was always treadmill and bike, but a longer time on the rowing machine should give me that all area work out I need.

I tried having Whey Protein in the past, but it tasted foul (probably because I didn't mix it right). What about natural sources of protein like nuts? And can you recommend any decent sources of protein?

[Kayman]

I think you're right, whenever I went to the gym in the past it was always treadmill and bike, but a longer time on the rowing machine should give me that all area work out I need.

I tried having Whey Protein in the past, but it tasted foul (probably because I didn't mix it right). What about natural sources of protein like nuts? And can you recommend any decent sources of protein?

Some whey can be nasty tasting, some others taste pretty good. Just try and find a brand that sits well with you, add a scoop or two of nesquik to it to improve the taste if you want. Nuts are a good source of protein but also high in fat (although its good natural healthy fat), so if you're looking at losing weight then eat them in moderation, a small handful every couple of days. Like I say if you eat fish or decide you can start eating fish then that's your protein sorted right there.
I used to do a lot of rowing in the gym, 10 kilometers in two 20 to 25 minute sessions but it took a while to work up to that. You'll find you'll become quite broad in the shoulders and slimmer around the waist and your thighs will get solid. But most important is to find something that you enjoy doing, if you don't then you wont stick to it, it'll feel like working for working's sake.

[Exodus]

What would you recommend as a starting point for rowing? Should I combine it with any other exercises? Right now I just want to slim down a bit and ditch the fatty man boobs and fat around the stomach.

[Kayman]

What would you recommend as a starting point for rowing? Should I combine it with any other exercises? Right now I just want to slim down a bit and ditch the fatty man boobs and fat around the stomach.

Some rowers like to incorporate a bit of weight training with rowing, some weight lifters like to incorporate a bit of rowing, it all depends on what your goals are, if you're looking to shift fat quickly then I would make rowing your main thing for about 12 weeks then mix it up a bit with some weight training.
To start just get on a rower, set your resistance to a medium setting and then work on using correct form, I've seen people use bad form on the rowing machine so many times.
To start set a goal, say 5 to 10 minutes when you're a beginner, pace yourself and try and make those 10 minutes. After a couple of weeks your stamina will have improved and then do 15 minutes, then after another two weeks 20 minutes. Then start doing things like two 20 minute sessions with a 5 minute break in the middle, or one long paced 40 minute session. Interval training where you do 2 minutes easy rowing followed by one minutes fast rowing. Pyramid rowing where you row hard for increased lengths of time say 1 minute hard rowing, followed by 1 minutes easy rowing, followed by 2 minutes hard rowing, followed by 1 minutes easy rowing, followed by 3 minutes hard rowing etc etc..
There's all kinds of ways you can change it up.
As you get stronger and go for longer, increase the resistance on your machine. Make a note of how many meters you cover in a particular amount of time ( say 20 minutes for instance) and then try to maintain that distance or beat it the next time you row.
Just don't be surprised if on your first time you struggle to even make 5 minutes, don't over do it, it can be really hard work but it will build up your stamina very quickly it'll surprise you. Once your fitness improves you can start throwing in a couple of sets of stomach crunches or an ab exercise of your choice to get a really complete workout.

[Exodus]

Coupled with my cycling and a change of diet, Im hopeful of results. Your input has been genuinely welcomed (in terms of buzzing/shaving) and now this.

Thank You Very Much.

[hage]

I'm an old bloke and I've always worked out/done something. Last summer I had a six-pack for the first time ever. This is what seemed to work for me.

1. calorie counting: a gruel at the start but easy-ish after a while.

2. no alcohol/processed sugar: a gruel at the start but easy after a while.

3. reading about bodybuilding/exercising. Don't know why but it seems to help.

[akai]

I've been sticking to a traditional bodybuilding routine plus basketball and running for cardio. A few years back when I got out of shape (skinny fat) I gave P90X and shot and got solid results. It gave me a good base to work with before I started lifting heavy. It's pretty tough, but it's worth.