Yet another weight loss thread

Shurwhynot

Sorry for starting up a new thread when there are so many already on here, but i'm just looking for advice really.

Joined a gym 4 weeks ago as i need to lose weight and generally tone up (5'11, 90kg). I was given a set program of 4 sessions a week, all including 40-50 mins cardio followed by a simple weights session for an individual part of the body (ie, this evening i'll be doing Thighs, tomorrow is calves and shoulders etc). Now i've been following this pretty religiously, apart from the odd blip.

My cardio normally consists of 35 mins on the bike at a decent level (normally burn off over 300 cals) and 15 mins on the stepper (another 120-130 cals). I tend to stay away from the treadmill and cross trainer due to an old sports injury (cruciate). I do push myself for this period of time so i'm happy not to change this.

The weights are also good as i do "feel the burn" so to speak after them, and i was shown how to do all of them properly the first week i joined by one of the trainers. She also advised me to do 4 or 5 different abs exercises at the end of every session. Now she advised me to do cardio first. Is this the right way to go about things and if so what should i do then? Weights or abs?

I've tried to clean up the diet too and have only drank alcohol once in the past 3 weeks. I'm finding it hard to find a good diet though with foods i'd actually enjoy eating. I'd normally have Bran Flakes in the morning, an apple at around 10.30, lunch would normally be some ham/turkey on wholemeal bread with a small bit of butter. Some more fruit at about 3.30 but then i'm not too sure as to what to have at night time after the gym. I would normally have something like pasta and chicken or maybe spaghetti bolognese in small portions.

Any advice on the above would be welcome! It's the diet side of things that i'm looking to get right. Whenever i read about "good diets" they seem to have foods in them that i would never dream of eating and that seem like a little bit too much effort to prepare etc.

P.S. Sorry for the length of the post!

Zamboni

Shurwhynot wrote: »

Any advice on the above would be welcome! It's the diet side of things that i'm looking to get right.

Ditch your trainer, ditch your programme, ditch your diet.

Read the stickies on training and nutrition.
There is invaluable advice in there on both.

The training programme you were given is a bog standard useless piece of nonsense created by and for idiots.

Shurwhynot

Zamboni wrote: »

Ditch your trainer, ditch your programme, ditch your diet.

Read the stickies on training and nutrition.
There is invaluable advice in there on both.

The training programme you were given is a bog standard useless piece of nonsense created by and for idiots.

Great advice...very helpful

celestial

Zamboni wrote: »

Ditch your trainer, ditch your programme, ditch your diet.

Read the stickies on training and nutrition.
There is invaluable advice in there on both.

The training programme you were given is a bog standard useless piece of nonsense created by and for idiots.

Em a bit harsh

celestial

Shurwhynot wrote: »

Sorry for starting up a new thread when there are so many already on here, but i'm just looking for advice really.

Joined a gym 4 weeks ago as i need to lose weight and generally tone up (5'11, 90kg). I was given a set program of 4 sessions a week, all including 40-50 mins cardio followed by a simple weights session for an individual part of the body (ie, this evening i'll be doing Thighs, tomorrow is calves and shoulders etc). Now i've been following this pretty religiously, apart from the odd blip.

My cardio normally consists of 35 mins on the bike at a decent level (normally burn off over 300 cals) and 15 mins on the stepper (another 120-130 cals). I tend to stay away from the treadmill and cross trainer due to an old sports injury (cruciate). I do push myself for this period of time so i'm happy not to change this.

The weights are also good as i do "feel the burn" so to speak after them, and i was shown how to do all of them properly the first week i joined by one of the trainers. She also advised me to do 4 or 5 different abs exercises at the end of every session. Now she advised me to do cardio first. Is this the right way to go about things and if so what should i do then? Weights or abs?

I've tried to clean up the diet too and have only drank alcohol once in the past 3 weeks. I'm finding it hard to find a good diet though with foods i'd actually enjoy eating. I'd normally have Bran Flakes in the morning, an apple at around 10.30, lunch would normally be some ham/turkey on wholemeal bread with a small bit of butter. Some more fruit at about 3.30 but then i'm not too sure as to what to have at night time after the gym. I would normally have something like pasta and chicken or maybe spaghetti bolognese in small portions.

Any advice on the above would be welcome! It's the diet side of things that i'm looking to get right. Whenever i read about "good diets" they seem to have foods in them that i would never dream of eating and that seem like a little bit too much effort to prepare etc.

P.S. Sorry for the length of the post!

Ok so you're doing weights and cardio which is a good start. We could delve a bit deeper into the structure of your programme but it's grand to start off with, if you've only been at the gym 4 weeks. Have you lost any weight yet? Are your clothes looser?

Diet wise is usually the tricky part for most people. Once you are keeping up the training though it makes everything easier. Here are some ideas to play around with:

Breakfast: How about eggs, porridge?

Lunch: Mix it up with more meat, more veg, fresh soup, salad?

Dinner: More veg, fish? Just keep the portions reasonable

Fruit is great but don't overeat it either - you can throw in some nuts and seeds in small portions too (unsalted, unroasted varieties). More great ideas in the stickies too.

sfag

scan thru the recent posts where this question was answered before. The good foods are all listed. The bad ones too.

If you are doing weights then do them on different days than the cardio so you get the best of both sessions.

Theres lots of different kinds of meats out there - check them out.
Diary produce good too.
Eat yourself thin.

You will get short replies becuase folks will be tired of answering the same old questions. read the stickie on weight loss and then ask very specifi questions on what you dont understand - preferably after putting into action.

Zamboni

celestial wrote: »

Em a bit harsh

Probably came across like that
Just trying to save the OP a lot of time and cutting straight to chase.

Shurwhynot

I have lost about 2 kgs so far, and i do feel better and more energetic. I don't see how it can be a bad program when i leave the gym absolutely shagged?

Is there anywhere that gives sample achievable diet plans?

corkcomp

Shurwhynot wrote: »

I have lost about 2 kgs so far, and i do feel better and more energetic. I don't see how it can be a bad program when i leave the gym absolutely shagged?

Is there anywhere that gives sample achievable diet plans?

you posted few times recently asking for diet advice ... what was wrong with the advice you got? if you read the stickies and similar posts from the past week then you got all ya need!! if your leaving the gym tired then you are probably on the right track

SouperComputer

I'll throw in my 2c from my recent experience with weight loss, its pretty generic and you may already be doing some of this, in which case you can disregard

For me "eating healthier" wasnt enough, I found the real gains (well losses) when I took control of the cals going in\out of my body. The "loose It" app for the iPhone/iPod makes it pretty easy. The built-in foods are US-centric, but to be honest, I end up making custom ones most of the time anyway...

I believe there are online resources where you can track your diet too. Its good for keeping an eye on the proportions of carb\fat\protein as well as sodium and sugar.

Also, for max fat burn you may consider a low HR cardio programme. I'm probably opening a can of worms mentioning this, but it seemed to work for me. You dont want to eat any nearer than 2hrs before your workout, however a recovery snack\drink after you workout is essential. Avoid eating less than 2hrs before you go to bed too. Breakfast is essential, make sure you get one, even if its just a banana. Eat smaller snacks on a regular basis to keep energy levels & metabolism up, crucial if you are creating a calorie deficit to reduce your weight....

Oh, and take your multivitamins