Incorporating fitness and health into my Life

Beta Ray Bill

Hi Guys

Well in the last 36 months I've been slowly putting on weight and its time to do something about it

First I'll give you a bit of a Background. between the ages of 17-20 I was a total fitness freak went to the gym and ate healthy every day. I was approx 14 Stone of Muscle with V.little Body fat. (I'm 6ft btw) Then I had to stop all the Gym stuff as College was taking over my life and then after that I had a full time Job. etc etc. I am now 25 and weigh 15 stone (Was 16 stone before Xmas). I don't have much fat on my Arms, Chest or Legs, But I do have a noticeable Belly. It Needs to go.

Going to the Gym everyday is not practical for me I can get going around 2-3 times per week Tops! (mixture of cardio and weights but mostly weights 35:65) I have however changed my diet Significantly

What I have cut out:
Takeaway
Fizzy Drinks
Sweets
Snacks
Unhealthy oven foods like Goodfellas Pizza

On top of all that I am also going for brisk walks for an hour every lunch time. and I am cutting down on the size of portions of food I'm eating. and instead of having a dinner for lunch I'm having a Sambo on Whole grain bread. with ham, pepperoni and salami (no butter, Tastes Crap)

In General I'm eating healthier smaller portions of food rather that Junk food.

I am having trouble with going out though, as we all know beer = beer belly what can I have to drink when I'm out that wont waste everything I've done above.

And Also:
Is what I'm doing above enough?

AARRRGH

grahambo wrote: »

for lunch I'm having a Sambo on Whole grain bread. with ham, pepperoni and salami (no butter, Tastes Crap)

If it tastes crap, and it contains crappy meat, why bother?

Would it be possible to bring in lunch with you, e.g. some brocolli, chicken breast, and brown rice?

Beta Ray Bill

It is.

However time is an issue for me. I dont have time to be cooking chicken, Brocolli and brown rice the night before ya know?

I basically need something out of the tin that I dont need to heat up that I can eat. I was gonna start eating Tinned Tuna aswell. I'm not the biggest fan of Tuna But i'll eat it if I have to.

My Biggest problem is time. I dont have much time to prepare food. EG My Lunch today was put togethor in about 30 seconds. I need something like that

Racing Flat

This is a great start - you have cut out a lot of the bad food and are doing an hour brisk walking a day. This alone should lead to significant changes for you, you just need to be patient. Of course you could do more by doing more exercise and preparing meals as the person above said, but as you don't have time, you've made a good start, so stick with it and you'll see the results.

Theresalwaysone

You lost a stone from before xmas to now? Id keep doing what your doing, seems to be working!!

What are you planning on doing in the gym?

Im sure everyone else will agree, your diet is by far the most important factor to sort out here.

Beta Ray Bill

When I say before Xmas I mean mid November(ish)

Yeah basically I'm Cutting out the Junk Food and eating samller portions

the only thing I'm eating that might be a bit bad is baked beans.

In the Gym I usually do the Following (All on Machines no free weights for the moment)

Bicep Curls
Tricep Curls
Pec deck thingy (the one were you bring your arms togther)
Chest Press (the one were you push your arms straight out)
Leg Curl thing (Extentions and Curls, for tighs and hammys)
Shoulder Press
Situps (about 80)
Leg raises (about 30)

then when I'm finisnhed that I go for a Run
total workout lasts about an hours. I dont rest long between sets (usually 3 sets of 14 reps)

g'em

grahambo wrote: »

However time is an issue for me. I dont have time to be cooking chicken, Brocolli and brown rice the night before ya know?

It takes ten minutes. Seriously.

grahambo wrote:

My Biggest problem is time. I dont have much time to prepare food. EG My Lunch today was put togethor in about 30 seconds. I need something like that

Get up five minutes earlier. Watch five minutes less tv at night. The whole "I don't have time" thing generally doesn't wash with me so much. Does it initially require extra effort to do these things? Oh hell yeah it does, but if it was "easy" to get in shape sure wouldn't we all be running around with six packs and perfect bums?

Porridge takes 30 seconds to make. Vegetables take <5 minutes to steam. Chicken can be pre-cooked and stored for 2-3 days in the fridge. Eggs are quick, easy and a perfect source of protein.

Don't force yourself to eat food you don't like, you'll end up resenting it and you'll pig out and the effort you've made thus far will be wasted.

What are you eating at each meal at the moment?

Beta Ray Bill

today I had:

an apple and a satsuma and a banana for breckie
for lunch I had a sambo whole grain bread with, ham, salami and pepperoni (sometimes I have a natural peanut butter sambo, it has not trans fats but have have to stir before your spread)
For dinner I will probably have some cereal (usually wheatabix and cornflakes mixed together small about of sugar)
the I might eat some more fruit later or maybe have a bowl of beans,
I try not to eat after 9.30pm as I heard that's bad.

I suppose I could get up a bit earlier. Is Tuna a good or bad thing to eat?
I like eggs also but I'm unsure what way to cook them.

g'em

grahambo wrote: »

an apple and a satsuma and a banana for breckie

Fruit is, of course, a good thing but there's nothing really substantial there for your breakfast - all that food is very easily digested and won't keep you full for very long. Put the fruit in some natural yoghurt and add some sugar-free muesli or srpinkle some flaked almonds on top. Alternatively add the fruit to porridge oats (soak overnight for extra morning-time easiness ).

grahambo wrote:

for lunch I had a sambo whole grain bread with, ham, salami and pepperoni (sometimes I have a natural peanut butter sambo, it has not trans fats but have have to stir before your spread)

It's not the worst lunch by a long shot but how about dropping some of the processed meats and have a sliced chicken breast and some salad in it?

grahambo wrote:

For dinner I will probably have some cereal (usually wheatabix and cornflakes mixed together small about of sugar)

Buy a steaming pot. Put chicken in one level and steam for 10-15 mins. Put veg in another level and steam for 3-5 minutes. Eat and enjoy

grahambo wrote:

I suppose I could get up a bit earlier. Is Tuna a good or bad thing to eat?
I like eggs also but I'm unsure what way to cook them.

Tuna is brilliant, eat straight from the tin, add to salads, have in sandwiches or mix into pasta - essentially eat it whatever way you like it.

Eggs are brilliant cooked in any manner tbh - scrambled, poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled. Even frying the egg isn't 'bad' it's just the oil you use to cook it that will make it slightly less desirable for weight loss.

Your diet is fairly devoid of vegetables, and could do with some more quality protein (eggs, lean unprocessed meats) and some good fats (nuts, seeds and their oils). Most of these things won't actually require that much more of an effort - it's generally figuring out what's good/ bad that takes most time and once you've got that sorted it's all gravy

Beta Ray Bill

Thanks Dude

I'll defo keep that in mind. Will try the Tuna and Egg thing for more protein during the week and might eat some chicken and swordfish on the weekends.

Will also eat more for breckie.
I like veg, Steamer sounds like a great Idea.

g'em

I know at this time of year everyone wants to make changes and see results real quick, but the great results really come from changing life-long habits. You said you've been in good nick before so you know how good it feels. An extra few minutes of effort during the day is worth it.

Oh and of course read the stickies for lots more ideas.

grahambo wrote: »

Thanks Dude

*sigh* :rolleyes:

Raam

Would cycling to work be an option for you? It will have you fitting fit in a few months.

Beta Ray Bill

g'em wrote: »

*sigh* :rolleyes:

?

Beta Ray Bill

Raam wrote: »

Would cycling to work be an option for you? It will have you fitting fit in a few months.

Not Really

To I sweat heavily even after I've stopped training ad had a shower.
I've tried this already for a month

Cycled from Kilbarrack to Balsbridge everyday.
My Butt was killing me at the end of it. plus I almost got killed 3 times.

kinda put me off it ya know? hence the walking!

Raam

grahambo wrote: »

Not Really

To I sweat heavily even after I've stopped training ad had a shower.
I've tried this already for a month

Cycled from Kilbarrack to Balsbridge everyday.
My Butt was killing me at the end of it. plus I almost got killed 3 times.

kinda put me off it ya know? hence the walking!

I've been commuting for years (a few km shorter than you with a similar start location) and I can sympathise over the "almost got killed". It's a risk every cyclist takes. Perhaps you could try purely for leisure in your own time. I've been using cycling to get the old man in shape and I can see results happening after a few months. The pain in the butt is removed bby using padded shorts.

Best of luck.

Jimmy Bottlehead

g'em wrote: »

Originally Posted by grahambo View Post
Thanks Dude

*sigh* :rolleyes:

Hahaha!! This hasn't popped up in a while... its obviously January when the public confuse your gender.

When will these crazy kids learn?

swimmingly

One thing I always worry about when people embark on strict regimes is that they're going to burn themselves out, no matter how earnestly they made the commitment. I was able to get back into swimming after a 10 year hiatus because I fell in with a really great crowd through sea swims during the summer. They take place all over the Irish coast. Might be a way to take your eyes off the scale and get them on the prize. The environment is fun and competitive for those who want it to be but generally great craic. Swim Ireland has all the info.

Seeing your post about sweating, no one in the pool smells your sweat!

Good luck!

Beta Ray Bill

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Hahaha!! This hasn't popped up in a while... its obviously January when the public confuse your gender.

When will these crazy kids learn?

whoopsey

thanks Dudette

r3nu4l

grahambo wrote: »

Thanks Dude

g'em wrote: »

*sigh* :rolleyes:

grahambo wrote: »

?

g'em is more of a dudette than a dude

EDIT: Meh, I'm even typing slowly today I see the question has been answered

Sangre

g'em wrote: »

*sigh* :rolleyes:

Well you are the mod of Men's Health and the Ladies Lounge. Stop sending us mixed signals!

hunnymonster

swimmingly wrote: »

One thing I always worry about when people embark on strict regimes is that they're going to burn themselves out, no matter how earnestly they made the commitment. I was able to get back into swimming after a 10 year hiatus because I fell in with a really great crowd through sea swims during the summer. They take place all over the Irish coast. Might be a way to take your eyes off the scale and get them on the prize. The environment is fun and competitive for those who want it to be but generally great craic. Swim Ireland has all the info.

Seeing your post about sweating, no one in the pool smells your sweat!

Good luck!

Major problem with the OW swim scene is that the current water temp is hovering around 7 C. Noone can stay in long enough for a descent workout this time of year. I hear you on them being a great bunch though.