Want to get fit for summer!

Danger781

I know there's probably a few of these threads, but I intend on making an effort to exercise a lot more this summer. I don't like having this big belly anymore! :P

So basically, I'm 18 years old and weigh over 190lbs.. I'm about 40lbs above average. I'm not really all that conscious of it to be honest, but I just find it annoying when buying clothes. There's only certain things I can buy due to the belly. Also it's obviously very unhealthy!

So what I'm looking for is some advice. I want to lose the fat, and build a bit of muscle along the way. What exercise should I start doing? Should I be doing something specific to lose weight in my stomach/chest? I'm considering joining a gym nearby. I'm also thinking about doing some jogging as well? How do I go about losing it?

I know that a proper diet is essential to this process. As soon as I finish my leaving cert I'm going to start counting calories. I reckon I need to cut my Calories down to about 2200 or there abouts? Any advice in this area?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer me! :pac:

Danger781

Bump..

bp1989

Well first post up what you eat every day.

TommyKnocker

And secondly you should get the idea of "Fit for the summer" out of your head!!!

Your goal should be to get fit and healthy, and then to remain that way for the rest of your life.

So you should be looking to make changes to your lifestyle now that you can keep for the rest of your life.

Or is your goal really to get "fit for the summer". Then become unfit, possibly over weight and unhealthy for the other nine months of the year, only to go through getting fit again next summer?

Also you say you are 18 yrs old and weigh 190lbs. What height are you? 190 on a 6' 2" 18 year old will look a lot different to 190 on a 5' 3" 18 yr old.


Best Regards,

M

Shane732

2200 calories for the OP is hardly less than maintenance is it?!!

Danger781

What I meant by 'get fit for summer' was to use the time available for me during the summer months to lose the weight as I won't have as much time when I go to college. I will however have access to a gym when I do go! And yes this is a sort of long-term goal to get healthy and change my lifestyle!

I'm not quite sure what height I am. I'm less than 6ft. I'm around average height.

Regarding my diet, it varies a lot. There's times when I eat pretty healthy, and other times where I'd eat a whole lot of junk food.. Chocolate is my one weakness. If there's chocolate in the house I can't resist it..:o

One problem I have is meal sizes. When my parents cook dinner we generally have a huge plate of food all at once (Meat, potatoes, 2 veg). They were raised that way so it's normal for them. It's something that needs to change though!

Sample diet on a working day:
Morning: Ok so technically it's the afternoon by the time I get up but yeah.. Get up have a bowl of cereal. Usually 'Crunchy nut cornflakes' or 'Raisin wheats'.

Lunch: I usually tend to pick something easy. Today I had a pretty big bowl of pasta and cheese (I really like cheese) with a bowl of sweetcorn. Yesterday I had steak. Day before that I had a bowl of noodles. A lot of the time I'll have the noodles with steak. Or else fry some chips. I like omelette's too.

Work: Start getting ready for work around 6pm and will be there until about 11:30 approx. I work in a restaurant/bar and I'm always kept on my feet. Constantly moving about for 4 hours+ is some decent exercise I guess. In work we often get to eat the leftover Chocolate fudge cake. Yes, I know it's full of fat and calories but it's so damn irresistible that I can't say no I drink about 3-4 pints of water on average per night while in there. Sometimes my sweet tooth takes over and I'd drink a pint of white lemonade and/or Orange cordial.

After work: I'm always tired when I come home so I grab the easy option. I tend to go for Cereal, pasta, noodles, or something that I can microwave. Or even worse I'll grab a take-away on the way home. Other nights I don't feel hungry at all.

Others: During the day I'm often in & out of the kitchen probably out of pure boredom. Other times I'd wander to the shop. On an average day I'd probably have 1 bar of chocolate, and a few biscuits. If I go to shop I sometimes get a can of fizzy drink, but not always. All terrible habits! The one positive thing I have to say is that i drink at minimum 2 litres of water. I've been making more of an effort lately to eat fruit as well.

:pac:

optimistic_

Other people here know more than me.

But no one is going to point out to you how badly put together that diet is, for weight loss or for maintenance.

Read all the stickied threads. Thoroughly.

I'll say this, cu tthe noodles, cut the cereal (switch to porridge, or ideally eggs), cut the fizzy drinks, cut the cake out, again the pasta, cereal, microwave ready meals cut them out, cut the chocolates and the biscuits.

It might not be possible to cut them all. So allow yourself something. 1 biscuit or something, but cut the crap.

A lifestyle change will mean no more staying in bed til afternoon, getting to bed earlier, sleeping 7 to 8 hours each night.
A much much more active lifestyle, you work evenings, what are you doing during the day? Sitting around watching tv? Get outside, walk, run...do something during the day.
Diet has to drastically change, so look at the stickies as i said.
Get more protien, less of the simple carbs you're eating.Watch the fruit too, increase the green veg.

optimistic_

Actually you seem so all over the shop i would really recommend getting to a personal trainer to put together a work out plan and a diet plan.

Danger781

Well I knew I had a terrible diet. That much was obvious, and I'm willing to work to change it. For now, I'm going to start changing my diet bit-by-bit until the leaving cert is over and I can start get some proper exercise done. I've bought a decent pair of head phones that hopefully will not continuously fall out of my ear. When I get a chance I'm going to go into town and get a good running shoe for myself. Gotta find somewhere that does a gait exam or whatever it's called. I'm going to try out the 'Couch to 5k' program!

Now to the food.. As the person above me said I need help to sort out my diet..

Breakfast In the morning I'm going to switch from the sugary cereal I eat to something more substantial and healthy. I love Ready break with a bit of sugar or honey, and it keeps me full for a few hours. Alternatively I'd eat 2-3 Weetabix with some sugar sprinkled on top. Would that be considered a healthy option? Would it really make much of a difference switching from normal milk to one with a lower fat content?
Edit: Ok after re-reading what I just typed, I realised I'm pretty much replacing sugar with a different sugar.

Smoothies I'm going to start making some smoothies to help me on my way to 5 a day! Frozen yoghurt, Ice cubes, 3 Fruits, and whey protein. Does that sound okay? Should I have them before or after exercise?

Dinner I eat pretty healthily for dinner, but I think my portions are too big. I'm going to cut down on the sizes and the amount of gravy I use. I've often been told I eat dinner with my gravy.. :P

Snacks I've been looking up online for some healthy snack ideas, and I've seen quite a few interesting ones My main concern though is ditching the biscuits and chocolate for a healthy option such as fruit. Getting rid of chocolate altogether will be far too difficult so I'm going to buy some proper dark chocolate. 70%+

Comments / Advice etc. are greatly appreciated!:pac:As you can probably guess I'm completely clueless when it comes to this.. Looking forward to learning though!

optimistic_

Sorry, just in a rush to head out at the minute.

Change your breakfast to porridge made with water if you can, if you need sweetener put in some honey, or cinnamon is good.

You said you're looking to go for gait testing, don't bother yet. Wait til you're sure running is for you and you're going to be serious about it, til then get a decent pair of asics gel in elvery's or lifestyle.

Smoothies can be good, but can be very high in calories, best to make your own and know what you're putting in. ie. Natural yogurt or some cottage cheese, low cal, low gi fruits. Don't bother with whey yet, get your protein sorted in your diet first, worry about whey later when you've sorted that and are clear on your goals.

Stop the gravy, and for fat loss cut down the spuds at least if not cut them out, sub in carrots and green veg (broccoli is surprisingly nice, i eat it raw)

Watch how much chocolate you eat. Even with 70%.

Eat fruit, nuts, cottage cheese, veg sticks (chopped raw carrots, with humous, delicous and as long as it's not badly made humous, very healthy)



But don't just take what i'm saying here, get stuck into those stickied topics on the top of the fitness page, the fat loss and nutrition threads especially.

G86

Danger781 wrote: »

My main concern though is ditching the biscuits and chocolate for a healthy option such as fruit. Getting rid of chocolate altogether will be far too difficult so I'm going to buy some proper dark chocolate. 70%+

!

If you're cutting out choc I think it's best to go cold turkey, I did that about 8 years ago and haven't touched it since. I just made sure I'd loads of fruit in the house to snack on whenever I wanted to reach for chocolate! The first 2 weeks were a killer but after that I really just lost the taste for it, and I never crave it at all now.

Danger781

optimistic_ wrote: »

Change your breakfast to porridge made with water if you can, if you need sweetener put in some honey, or cinnamon is good.

How about Ready break with Honey? :P Easier to make compared to porridge! Is there much difference? I'll start adding honey to my breakfast instead of sugar. That should help. What about Full fat vs. Low fat milk?

optimistic_ wrote: »

You said you're looking to go for gait testing, don't bother yet. Wait til you're sure running is for you and you're going to be serious about it, til then get a decent pair of asics gel in elvery's or lifestyle.

Yeah I suppose you're right about the gait test. I already have a decent pair of Nike running shoes. I just dont wanna cause an injury or whatever by not wearin proper footwear! :eek:

optimistic_ wrote: »

Smoothies can be good, but can be very high in calories, best to make your own and know what you're putting in. ie. Natural yogurt or some cottage cheese, low cal, low gi fruits. Don't bother with whey yet, get your protein sorted in your diet first, worry about whey later when you've sorted that and are clear on your goals.

I will be making the smoothies myself as it would be easier than buying them. As you said, I know exactly whats going in. Why should I not put in the protein? Just curious.

optimistic_ wrote: »

Stop the gravy, and for fat loss cut down the spuds at least if not cut them out, sub in carrots and green veg (broccoli is surprisingly nice, i eat it raw)

The parents love a big plate of spuds When they cook dinner I get nearly a whole plate of them.. Far too much for my liking! Rather than cutting them out completely, how about 3 or 4 baby potatoes?

optimistic_ wrote: »

Watch how much chocolate you eat. Even with 70%.

G86 wrote: »

If you're cutting out choc I think it's best to go cold turkey, I did that about 8 years ago and haven't touched it since. I just made sure I'd loads of fruit in the house to snack on whenever I wanted to reach for chocolate! The first 2 weeks were a killer but after that I really just lost the taste for it, and I never crave it at all now.

Yeah I know but dark chocolate is good in small amounts though. It would also help to satisfy my chocolate cravings until I can work on cutting them out completely. I can't binge on dark chocolate either.

optimistic_ wrote: »

Eat fruit, nuts, cottage cheese, veg sticks (chopped raw carrots, with humous, delicous and as long as it's not badly made humous, very healthy)

I love a raw carrot every now & then. Hummous is something I have yet to try, but many boardies have been preaching about hummous in these threads so I'm definitely going to try it! How about peanut butter? I mean proper natural peanut butter. Nuts are lovely for snacking on actually, but I've always gone for the salt covered ones! :P I'll be sure to buy natural ones next time.





THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR YOUR ADVICE It really helps

G86

Try almond butter

Danger781

G86 wrote: »

Try almond butter

I can honestly say I've never seen any other type of nut butter other than peanut :P I'll have a proper look around next time :rolleyes:

Red Cortina

You can get almond butter in health food shops

Danger781

Red Cortina wrote: »

You can get almond butter in health food shops

Thanks! I just remembered there's a health food shop just up the road from me. I've never been inside it...

optimistic_

I am actually not aware of what the nutritional info is for readybrek, I just know i hate the stuff lol.
Porridge is very easy to make though - 2 minutes in the microwave!
If you must use milk when trying to lose weight - 0% fat milk (the pink girly carton)

As long as you stretch correctly before and after running, and warm up, you should be fine (injured myself not too long ago from not stretching - still suffering with that injury every now and again)

Keep an eye on the calories of your smoothies if it's weight loss you're after.
Figure out your calorie needs for weight loss (see threads above, or many other sites with information on calculations based on body fat %, overall mass etc)
As for the whey, simply because there's no need for it. Unless you are using a whey shake after a workout for protein to be absorbed more quickly. I wouldn't just take it for the sake of it. Eat more lean meat, fish etc for your every day protein needs.

Again, especially during weight loss, i would cut potatoes except when you need carbs, before workouts, and even then - small amount, so if you workout after dinner, i'm sure it couldn't hurt.

Nuts are great, but calorific. handful of peanuts is 150kcal, so watch the portions. Weight them out if need be.

And good luck with it.

G86

Danger781 wrote: »

Thanks! I just remembered there's a health food shop just up the road from me. I've never been inside it...

Oooh go in, go in! You'll find all sorts of yummy things! Check out Nakd fruit and oat bars, they're especially yummy! Oh and get some oatcakes to have with your hoummous, the rough nairn ones are lovely with toppings. If you want ones to go with tea, the 'fine' ones would be a good bet I'd say, they're kinda sweeter. And as for the nuts, just pack them into wee 25kg bags yourself, that way you'll not go through a whole bag! I'm a demon for them, once I open the pack they're gone!

I love spuds too, it's a Donegal thing But sweet potatoes are just as nice, especially roasted.

Danger781

optimistic_ wrote: »

As for the whey, simply because there's no need for it. Unless you are using a whey shake after a workout for protein to be absorbed more quickly. I wouldn't just take it for the sake of it. Eat more lean meat, fish etc for your every day protein needs.

Well I was intending on using it because I was told it was beneficial for weight loss, as well as building muscle. Weight loss is the priority but if I can build muscle at the same I wouldn't be complaining :rolleyes: Toning/Muscle building will be done when I'm at a weight I'm happy with.

Danger781

G86 wrote: »

Oooh go in, go in! You'll find all sorts of yummy things! Check out Nakd fruit and oat bars, they're especially yummy! Oh and get some oatcakes to have with your hoummous, the rough nairn ones are lovely with toppings. If you want ones to go with tea, the 'fine' ones would be a good bet I'd say, they're kinda sweeter. And as for the nuts, just pack them into wee 25kg bags yourself, that way you'll not go through a whole bag! I'm a demon for them, once I open the pack they're gone!

Hehe I'll be sure to take a peak inside some day I was eating 'Nature valley' granola bars for weeks thinking I was picking the healthy option. Then I took a look at the ingredients.. I was shocked there was so much sugar in them! Haven't eaten much of them since :P

I'm not a tea man.. Never liked the stuff! I'd mainly be buying snack foods in the health shop place, and stuff to garnish the snacks with (Nut butter, humous and so on). Yeah thats a good idea for the nuts actually! I'll invest in some sandwich bags and organise the food into portions

Danger781

Not a bad day today!

I'm not really watching my diet properly yet, but I'm working on making better decisions.

Had a bowl of Alpen for breakfast instead of Cruncht nut cornflakes

I only half my normal portion size of potatoes, with less gravy than usual.

I turned down Rhubarb tart & custard for a bowl of strawberries.

However I wanted something crunchy later on in the night.. Couldnt resist a bag of crisps That problem will be solved once I get my ass off the chair and out to the shop to buy some healthier options!