Losing Weight and Building Muscle. Help?

Andy101

OK so I am trying to lose weight and build muscle. I have started going to the gym 3 days a week where I do 4-5km on treadmill and 2 km on rowing machine. Also I have started doing sit ups and push up for about 30 mins before going to bed. My diet im just trying to so far not eat any junk such as fizzy drinks, sweats, crisps, chocolate. And I am also drinking more water. How long would you say it should take me to get in shape and become confident with my body. I dont like taking my shirt off in front of people as I am not fat but a bit flabby and hate my chest as i feel it is quite flabby too. Does anyone have a routine they did which helped burn chest and stomach fat ? If so I would love to hear it.

GoldRush4821

Firstly, you want to make sure youve got a good routine in the gym where you hit each muscle group in the course of the week - however you wanna do that is fine.. Secondly you need to sort our diet, fair enough youre not eating junk food but thats just part of it. You need to try and spread your food out over 6 or 7 meals a day depending on your schedule and give yourself a cheat day otherwise you will hurl yourself off a bridge. What you want to do is create a calorie deficit by exercising more and consuming less. Eat more fruit and veg and wholegrain foods... At the same time, if youve only started dont be too hard on yourself and instead try and do one new thing each week, e.g next week you could start eating an extra banana or whatever... As long as you can stick to it then you will make progress and can start increasing intensity after youve been at it longer. As for the pushups before bed I don't really know how beneficial they're going to be... If youre doing them on the same days as you go to the gym then you should be aware that you have to give your body time to rest, especially when youre just starting out. Also, there is no particular way of burning fat in one section of your body. If you stick to a program you will start to lose it everywhere, not just your chest and stomach.. At the same time, I don't know how fast your metabolism is either. Feel free to PM me im trying to condense a lot of info down into one post Good luck too. If you stick at it youll feel a hell of a lot better about yourself...

Andy101

Thanks for the reply. Yup it is going to be tough. You see I wanna get in shape for summer. I used to be quite heavy as a kid but lost a lot of weight as a grew taller and etc but now I want to lose more and define my body. And thanks I'll try stick with the routine, and on the diet ye I am going to have to eat more vegetables because I don't eat that many as it is. Im going to draw up my weekly routine and make a diet and if all goes well I might post a before and after photo thing. Thanks

To build muscle you'll need to do lots of resistance training, weights etc and eat lots of protein.

Andy101

For protein do you mean food with high protein or shakes and powder etc?

faceman

Andy101 wrote: »

For protein do you mean food with high protein or shakes and powder etc?

The shakes are handiest as they are designed to maximise the protein intake, just make sure you get one with a low fat content.

You have a window of about 45 mins when you finish your weights session to get that protein boost in to maximise its use so take it as soon as you can after your workout.

Andy101

Thanks Ill look into that too

GoldRush4821

One thing i'll tell you is don't believe everything people tell you about health and fitness.. I do agree about the getting the protein in ASAP after you work out but people will tell you so many conflicting things about what works best it's impossible to really know.. Just don't take anyones word for it look it up yourself and make sure what they're saying checks out... For example, I had people telling me you should only work out for no more than 45 minutes, other people telling me at least an hour, then youve got people saying you should stretch between exercises, the next guy tells me only stretch before and after.. its just ridiculous the amount of info out there... one more thing you cant trust the health mags for **** they just want a profit and usually the owners of the mags own supplement companies too so they've got mixed interests... Basically, don't believe that everything they say works, coz it doesn't

boomtown84

faceman wrote: »

The shakes are handiest as they are designed to maximise the protein intake, just make sure you get one with a low fat content.

You have a window of about 45 mins when you finish your weights session to get that protein boost in to maximise its use so take it as soon as you can after your workout.

faceman

boomtown84 wrote: »

Why the retarded non contributory response?

boomtown84

faceman wrote: »

Why the retarded non contributory response?

because i thought this thread needed two.:D

Andy101

Thanks GoldRush Ill look into making a plan that will suit me , cheers. And lol at the facepalm thing

faceman

boomtown84 wrote: »

because i thought this thread needed two.:D

and yet another.

If you disagreed with what I said, then give your reasons instead of offering a idiotic reply. Everyone who visits this forum has a common interest here and wants to learn and improve and what they are currently doing.

That kind of attitude is only harming the forum.

boomtown84

faceman wrote: »

a idiotic reply.

...who's the idiot now!!

just joking mate relax.

yes people here want to learn...that's why it's disheartening when site moderators come on here post crap that's false and not relevant.if posters are gonna take anyone's word at face value it sure as hell is going to be a moderator.
first off this anabolic '45 minute window' is nothing more than a fantastic marketing strategy by supplement companies and it wouldn't really be relevant here if it did exist.from what i gather the op is mainly looking to lose fat.worrying about getting protein shakes into him straight after a workout is unnecessary.
op you're doing great by giving up the sweets etc.keeping that out of your staple diet is probably the hardest thing you'll do.if you feel like snacking i'd stick to low cal stuff like rice cakes/oat cakes,carrots/peppers etc dipped in humous, popcorn.....the list goes on...
get @ least 3 good wholesome meals in per day.each containing protein (chicken beef eggs fish etc...stay away from breaded frozen stuff...it's crap.) carbs (spuds,rice,pasta,breads etc...the brown/wholegrain variety is more beneficial in most cases, nutrition wise) and a small amount of fats (milk butter cheese oils etc)
gradually introduce more fruit & veg into your diet...i find fruit is easy but veg can be tough...soups are handy.cheap&more nutritious if ya make them yourself.

you seem to have gone all out with the cardio...try not burn yourself out by doing too much too soon...you could also lose interest in the gym from the overkill.
if you want to build muscle then get a trainer in your gym to give you a resistance training program(they should do this for free).
say you do 3 weights sessions and 3 cardio sessions a week(don't have to be different days) and you stay off the crap food and snack on low cal stuff you'll see results very soon.you will see great results for the summer but you should make some shorter term goals to keep yourself interested...ie if u can do 3km in a rower session now....try to increase that to 4/5km by the end of the month.
btw as goldrush said you can't spot reduce fat(ie from one specific place),your body will decide.but i wouldn't worry too much about that...it'll all start fading away soon enough!best of luck and before and after pics provide great motivation for people so i'm sure the site would welcome them.:)

Hanley

boomtown84 wrote: »

because i thought this thread needed two.:D

And BOOM......town lives up to his name. Nice

Mellor

faceman wrote: »

If you disagreed with what I said, then give your reasons instead of offering a idiotic reply. Everyone who visits this forum has a common interest here and wants to learn and improve and what they are currently doing.

Your idea of a 45min window is nonsense.
Yes, taking it close to working out offers slightly better gains. But there isn't a point, where it sudden offers no help. The is no difference between taking it 40mins after and 50 mins after.

The speed at which it digests is just as important as when you take it in terms of when it ghets to your muscles.

In fact, in order to have it immediately available to muscles post workout, taking it prework would be better. As by the time you finish, its digested. There are studies to back this up, but in real-life conditions, the difference isn't noticable.

faceman

Mellor wrote: »

Your idea of a 45min window is nonsense.
Yes, taking it close to working out offers slightly better gains. But there isn't a point, where it sudden offers no help. The is no difference between taking it 40mins after and 50 mins after.

The speed at which it digests is just as important as when you take it in terms of when it ghets to your muscles.

In fact, in order to have it immediately available to muscles post workout, taking it prework would be better. As by the time you finish, its digested. There are studies to back this up, but in real-life conditions, the difference isn't noticable.

Studies have shown that by eating protein straight after a workout, while your muscles are "active" has a beneficial effect whereas the same amount of protein taken outside of that window had little or no affect.

But i take your point about taking some protein pre workout, but as far as I understood it, you dont need that much pre workout, even taking the amount contained in the likes of a yoghurt pre workout, has a beneficial effect. Most people would be eating prior to a workout for fuel anyway.

metamorphosis

Boomtown, you notice that faceman is a mod of theatre right? and not fitness?

Play nice people, and if you must reply, it helps to give some constructive criticism in your first reply back too rather than just try to look cool.

boomtown84

faceman wrote: »

Studies have shown that by eating protein straight after a workout, while your muscles are "active" has a beneficial effect whereas the same amount of protein taken outside of that window had little or no affect.

I'd love to read that one!

boomtown84

metamorphosis wrote: »

Boomtown, you notice that faceman is a mod of theatre right? and not fitness?

Play nice people, and if you must reply, it helps to give some constructive criticism in your first reply back too rather than just try to look cool.

yes...and for the op's sake i reckon he should stick to the drama.
based on his last offering the op is made to believe that if he misses the anabolic window of opportunity the protein he takes in will have little or no effect......COME ON!!!???!!!
Metamorphosis...is my point not valid?

op...for the love of god and for your own sanity,do not worry about when you consume your food and rest assured that every time you eat some protein(no matter what time of the day,in or outside any magic windows) it WILL have an effect.

btw i forgot to say in my last post...well done on starting to drink lots of water...it's very important.try to get @least 2 litres in a day...3 on training days,or 7....with all that cardio you're doing:p!

TommyKnocker

While personally I don't put much stock in the 45-60 min anabolic window for protein consumption after workouts, the fact is that if you google "taking protein after workouts" you will get thousands upon thousands of hits about this magical window.

There is so much conflicting information on the web it is often hard to know what information is current and what is out dated.

While just throwing up "Face Palm" pics is cool and all and you will get lot's of thanks on your post, without an explanation as you why you disagree with the point made, it is IMO usually of no benefit to either the OP of the thread or the poster who's point you disagree with.

Just my 2 cents worth

Hanley

faceman wrote: »

Studies have shown that by eating protein straight after a workout, while your muscles are "active" has a beneficial effect whereas the same amount of protein taken outside of that window had little or no affect.

But i take your point about taking some protein pre workout, but as far as I understood it, you dont need that much pre workout, even taking the amount contained in the likes of a yoghurt pre workout, has a beneficial effect. Most people would be eating prior to a workout for fuel anyway.

Post them.

GoldRush4821

Yes, as people are saying, if you are eating the right amount of protein per day,(i.e 1 gram for every kg you weigh - even this will prolly set people off haha) then when you take your shake post workout will not significantly increase your gains. The truth is, if you're sticking to a fairly rigid cardio/diet/resistance training regime then it is near impossible to tell which exact part of said regime just lost you those last few pounds or gained you that extra bit of muscle. At the end of the day, everyone's body is different. Some will assimilate protein faster than others, so can afford to take it a little later. The saying "the statistic means nothing to the individual" comes to mind.. I find people can be very snobby with their own opinions regarding the best way to lose and fat and gain muscle (me included) and it's ironic that these people often have no tangible results to prove that their hypotheses is correct other than a quote in a magazine. As I already said, fitness magazines cannot be relied on in any sense so, whatever works for you works for you...

Bottle_of_Smoke

faceman wrote: »

Studies have shown that by eating protein straight after a workout, while your muscles are "active" has a beneficial effect whereas the same amount of protein taken outside of that window had little or no affect.

But i take your point about taking some protein pre workout, but as far as I understood it, you dont need that much pre workout, even taking the amount contained in the likes of a yoghurt pre workout, has a beneficial effect. Most people would be eating prior to a workout for fuel anyway.

To be honest I had a bit of sympathy with the facepalm pic because I think the eating protein directly after workout effect is exaggerated. Like a lot of things in nutrition and diet it makes sense intuitively so its an easy sell.

However, I think it distracts from what is far far far more important - having a regular supply of protein and consuming more calories than you burn up the 2/3 days after you've trained(which is every day if you're training regularly)

faceman

boomtown84 wrote: »

yes...and for the op's sake i reckon he should stick to the drama.
based on his last offering the op is made to believe that if he misses the anabolic window of opportunity the protein he takes in will have little or no effect......COME ON!!!???!!!
Metamorphosis...is my point not valid?

op...for the love of god and for your own sanity,do not worry about when you consume your food and rest assured that every time you eat some protein(no matter what time of the day,in or outside any magic windows) it WILL have an effect.

btw i forgot to say in my last post...well done on starting to drink lots of water...it's very important.try to get @least 2 litres in a day...3 on training days,or 7....with all that cardio you're doing:p!

No thats not what i said. We're talking about 2 different things here. protein intake to aid recovery and repair post workout and protein intake in general.

Fighters Planet

GoldRush4821 wrote: »

Firstly, you want to make sure youve got a good routine in the gym where you hit each muscle group in the course of the week - however you wanna do that is fine.. Secondly you need to sort our diet, fair enough youre not eating junk food but thats just part of it. You need to try and spread your food out over 6 or 7 meals a day depending on your schedule and give yourself a cheat day otherwise you will hurl yourself off a bridge. What you want to do is create a calorie deficit by exercising more and consuming less. Eat more fruit and veg and wholegrain foods... At the same time, if youve only started dont be too hard on yourself and instead try and do one new thing each week, e.g next week you could start eating an extra banana or whatever... As long as you can stick to it then you will make progress and can start increasing intensity after youve been at it longer. As for the pushups before bed I don't really know how beneficial they're going to be... If youre doing them on the same days as you go to the gym then you should be aware that you have to give your body time to rest, especially when youre just starting out. Also, there is no particular way of burning fat in one section of your body. If you stick to a program you will start to lose it everywhere, not just your chest and stomach.. At the same time, I don't know how fast your metabolism is either. Feel free to PM me im trying to condense a lot of info down into one post Good luck too. If you stick at it youll feel a hell of a lot better about yourself...

Kinda summarised everything here

boomtown84

faceman wrote: »

Studies have shown that by eating protein straight after a workout, while your muscles are "active" has a beneficial effect whereas the same amount of protein taken outside of that window had little or no affect.

But i take your point about taking some protein pre workout, but as far as I understood it, you dont need that much pre workout, even taking the amount contained in the likes of a yoghurt pre workout, has a beneficial effect. Most people would be eating prior to a workout for fuel anyway.

that's exactly what you said...so by your(and these "studies") reckoning any protein taken outside this window has no effect!it's there in black and white/blue.please read back over it aloud and listen to how stupid it sounds.

faceman wrote: »

No thats not what i said. We're talking about 2 different things here. protein intake to aid recovery and repair post workout and protein intake in general.

so what does protein intake in general do if it doesn't aid recovery and repair??

faceman

boomtown84 wrote: »

that's exactly what you said...so by your(and these "studies") reckoning any protein taken outside this window has no effect!it's there in black and white/blue.please read back over aloud it and listen to how stupid it sounds.

so what does protein intake in general do if it doesn't aid recovery and repair??

Thats not what I said and youre being pedantic. Whats with the aggression in your posts? You'd swear i made this stuff up.

I dont really care what you think tbh.

boomtown84

faceman wrote: »

Thats not what I said and youre being pedantic. Whats with the aggression in your posts? You'd swear i made this stuff up.

I dont really care what you think tbh.

Yes,yes i would.

Andy101

boomtown84 wrote: »

...who's the idiot now!!

just joking mate relax.

yes people here want to learn...that's why it's disheartening when site moderators come on here post crap that's false and not relevant.if posters are gonna take anyone's word at face value it sure as hell is going to be a moderator.
first off this anabolic '45 minute window' is nothing more than a fantastic marketing strategy by supplement companies and it wouldn't really be relevant here if it did exist.from what i gather the op is mainly looking to lose fat.worrying about getting protein shakes into him straight after a workout is unnecessary.
op you're doing great by giving up the sweets etc.keeping that out of your staple diet is probably the hardest thing you'll do.if you feel like snacking i'd stick to low cal stuff like rice cakes/oat cakes,carrots/peppers etc dipped in humous, popcorn.....the list goes on...
get @ least 3 good wholesome meals in per day.each containing protein (chicken beef eggs fish etc...stay away from breaded frozen stuff...it's crap.) carbs (spuds,rice,pasta,breads etc...the brown/wholegrain variety is more beneficial in most cases, nutrition wise) and a small amount of fats (milk butter cheese oils etc)
gradually introduce more fruit & veg into your diet...i find fruit is easy but veg can be tough...soups are handy.cheap&more nutritious if ya make them yourself.

you seem to have gone all out with the cardio...try not burn yourself out by doing too much too soon...you could also lose interest in the gym from the overkill.
if you want to build muscle then get a trainer in your gym to give you a resistance training program(they should do this for free).
say you do 3 weights sessions and 3 cardio sessions a week(don't have to be different days) and you stay off the crap food and snack on low cal stuff you'll see results very soon.you will see great results for the summer but you should make some shorter term goals to keep yourself interested...ie if u can do 3km in a rower session now....try to increase that to 4/5km by the end of the month.
btw as goldrush said you can't spot reduce fat(ie from one specific place),your body will decide.but i wouldn't worry too much about that...it'll all start fading away soon enough!best of luck and before and after pics provide great motivation for people so i'm sure the site would welcome them.:)

Thanks for the advice

Andy101

GoldRush4821 wrote: »

Firstly, you want to make sure youve got a good routine in the gym where you hit each muscle group in the course of the week - however you wanna do that is fine.. Secondly you need to sort our diet, fair enough youre not eating junk food but thats just part of it. You need to try and spread your food out over 6 or 7 meals a day depending on your schedule and give yourself a cheat day otherwise you will hurl yourself off a bridge. What you want to do is create a calorie deficit by exercising more and consuming less. Eat more fruit and veg and wholegrain foods... At the same time, if youve only started dont be too hard on yourself and instead try and do one new thing each week, e.g next week you could start eating an extra banana or whatever... As long as you can stick to it then you will make progress and can start increasing intensity after youve been at it longer. As for the pushups before bed I don't really know how beneficial they're going to be... If youre doing them on the same days as you go to the gym then you should be aware that you have to give your body time to rest, especially when youre just starting out. Also, there is no particular way of burning fat in one section of your body. If you stick to a program you will start to lose it everywhere, not just your chest and stomach.. At the same time, I don't know how fast your metabolism is either. Feel free to PM me im trying to condense a lot of info down into one post Good luck too. If you stick at it youll feel a hell of a lot better about yourself...

Fighters Planet wrote: »

Kinda summarised everything here

Yup thanks everyone for the replies helping me a lot

Mellor

faceman wrote: »

Thats not what I said and youre being pedantic. Whats with the aggression in your posts? You'd swear i made this stuff up.

That's exactly what you said

faceman wrote: »

Studies have shown that by eating protein straight after a workout, while your muscles are "active" has a beneficial effect whereas the same amount of protein taken outside of that window had little or no affect.

This is just wrong. Are you familar with the term bad science, this is at play here.
Those studies you refer to don't exist. So yes, you are making it up. Not on purpose i believe, you are jsut misunderstanding the information you were given or have read.

First of all, you muscle is always "active".
Second, nobody disputes that protein taken close to a workout (before or after) has an increased benefit over other times.

But you are exaggerating the increased benefit to ridiculous proportions. Saying that it has little or no benefit outside this window is nonsense. Closer is marginally better, but your body needs protein at all times, it is constantly repair and making new cells. Even while you sleep. Are you familar with caesin protein?


Take it as close as you can, but don't get hung up on it. Certainly don't believe that it has no effect the rest of the day.
You are far better with a constant supply of protein throughout the day, with an extra hit of it around training, than if you took all your daily protein after training.