Losing weight, and getting toned... naturally?

Altheus

I'm currently researching how the hell i can lose some weight and tone my body without having to pay huge gym fees, and/or buy equipment for home.

I'm 5' 9", and about 11 1/2 stone, have very skinny legs and arms, but a bit of a bulging gut, with excess weight on my face and my torso.

I'm currently trying to balance my diet, which means, orange juice, and brown bread toast in the morning. A sandwich of lettuce and ham for lunch, and full cooked meal (or as close to) in the evenings. I'm not a big veggie/fruit person and never had, so I have a hard time trying to eat these (v. unhealthy I know). I've taking up jogging, but no excruciating long runs just yet, and I'm weening myself off the ciggies.

I want to be able to tone my body and lose weight using natural exercise (sit-ups and the like), martial arts and such. Any ideas of where to point me in the right direction? I'm also considering taking a supplement for the fact I dont each vegetables.

Any help, sites, routines, exercise and advice would be appreciated

Trojan

Go for a run 3/4 times a week... that'll trim you up and tone your lower body.

I highly recommend running.

Al.

reigninblood

First of all forget the supplement. If youre not interested in buliking up but more into toning and losing your gut stick with your healthy diet and youre on track with your jogging (its good youre pacing yourself too) sittups and pressups (with arms wide and close together and i prefer on the knuckles as you can go down alot lower and work yourself more thoroughly). I know this all sounds old fashioned but theres plenty of gimmicks but this is really the way to go.

Altheus

By lower body, do you mean my stomach/hips. I'm male btw, if you didnt get that, but I've got these double hips, ) ( like that like I'm wearing a ring underneath my skin of fat

Should I just do a day on day off schedule, and run myself into the ground or set realistic targets, and move up as i grow fitter.

dumb larry

Originally posted by Altheus


I'm 5' 9", and about 11 1/2 stone, have very skinny legs and arms, but a bit of a bulging gut, with excess weight on my face and my torso.

I'm currently trying to balance my diet, which means, orange juice, and brown bread toast in the morning. A sandwich of lettuce and ham for lunch, and full cooked meal (or as close to) in the evenings. I'm not a big veggie/fruit person and never had, so I have a hard time trying to eat these (v. unhealthy I know). I've taking up jogging, but no excruciating long runs just yet, and I'm weening myself off the ciggies.

I want to be able to tone my body and lose weight using natural exercise (sit-ups and the like), martial arts and such. Any ideas of where to point me in the right direction? I'm also considering taking a supplement for the fact I dont each vegetables.

Any help, sites, routines, exercise and advice would be appreciated

Info on pushups:
http://www.stumptuous.com/pushup.html

If you haven't done pushups in a while, it might be better to ease yourself into it gradually, using the approach shown at the start of that page, rather than going straight to horizontal pushups.

Bodyweight exercises:
http://b_movie.tripod.com/in_shape.htm

If you're having trouble eating fruit, it might help to buy a juicer? A food processor is also handy. I juice two oranges, throw the juice in the processor and chuck in half a banana and a few frozen raspberries. It makes a nice smoothie and takes about five minutes to make. You could also try chopping up loads of fruit and sticking it in a bowl... that's how I eat mine.

Um... another thing is to make sure you warm up and stretch your shins before running. Look up exercises for preventing shin splints on google When I started running I didn't do this and found my shins got quite sore after a while... I was running on concrete though. It can be discouraging if you get injured or push yourself too hard, so ease yourself into it.

Martial arts is a great way to stay fit. Are you training with a martial arts club already? If you're not, it's definitely best to check out _all_ the martial arts clubs near where you live before you commit yourself to any one. The instructors will probably let you watch a class so you can find out what goes on. Read up on the martial arts they offer on the net before you make your decision.

Corega

Running is the best option hands down, however it would be a viable option for you to start doing sit-ups, crunches and a lot of the other upper body exercises, the reason being is that running will not only take some of the weight away but will also build your leg muscles, mostly upper leg. The upper body exercises will help balance your body.

May I suggest to you as well cycling and swimming, especially the latter as it will tone your whole body as well as shifting the pounds/stones/tonnes

Come to think of it I myself really have to cut down on the smokes

Altheus

Cheers for all the replies. I've manage to sustain my diet (w00t) of absolutely no junk food, which is a start. I've taken up eating two bananas, and a large glass of orange juice. The hardest part is disciplining myself into running every second night or so.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Corega

Originally posted by daveirl
Swimming is no good for you if you do what the vast majority of people do, i.e. Splash around the pool, not putting in any effort. Most people get no gain from swimming because it is too easy not to push yourself hard enough.

Sorry, I should have added that Dave. Front Crawl is good for toning your upper arms, torso and calves. Breast stroke is equally good for the arms, calves and hips and the back stroke, while not as good as the the former two is excellent for warming up/cooling down.

TomTom

I'm having a similar problem. I'm 6'2" and weigh a bit over 16 stone. I may have a good size frame but the weight is starting to pile on on the gut and chest. Could anyone recommend a regime for me to follow, e.g. 10 situps followed by a jog or something along that line. Basicly I need to to build a daily fitness plan and I don't know where to start. I've cut down on junk food and am trying to stick to regular meals. I had a serious knee operation so jogging get's quite painfull after a short time even on grass. any help would be appricated.

tunney

http://www.runnersworld.com/home/0,1300,1-0-0-1049,00.html

Saw this today and thought of ye

Gist of it is run 20ish miles a week and watch the weight fall off. Not the easy answer that I suspect most wanted but hey.

reigninblood

I'm having a similar problem. I'm 6'2" and weigh a bit over 16 stone. I may have a good size frame but the weight is starting to pile on on the gut and chest. Could anyone recommend a regime for me to follow, e.g. 10 situps followed by a jog or something along that line. Basicly I need to to build a daily fitness plan and I don't know where to start. I've cut down on junk food and am trying to stick to regular meals. I had a serious knee operation so jogging get's quite painfull after a short time even on grass. any help would be appricated.

I have a rowing machine. Only cost me €100 and depending how you have the setting you can have your heart rate right up and be burning off the inches or set it a little stiffer and really work your legs and upper body. If you do it correctly it also tones your stomach. Maybe you should look into one cos with your knee it would be ideal cos there is no jarring like when you run

TomTom

A treadmill was recomended to me as I was told it would be easier on my knee. I though it would be the same. Rowing machine sounds good, never though of that. I might just join the local gym the only problem is getting into a routine of going.

vasch_ro

I would say slowly and surely is the way to go, take your time and slowly build up everything, for example start walking for 20 mins three times a week, watch your foof, drink more water ,
consult your GP before taking on anything very strenous, with your walking start jogging a little, eventually more jogging than running, increase to 4 or 5 times a week depending on your schedule.
If you can get your hand on a swiss ball they are very good for building up abdominal strenght and core strenght.
I would also say read what you can, and inform yourself, weight training is also a good way to go and it really complements aerobic training like runnning. Talk to a pro if you can, maybe read mens health if you see a copy around etc etc

Amz

TomTom if you're having trouble with your knee then a non impact sport such as rowing/swimming/cycling would be best for you as they improve cardiovascular endurance(if done correctly) plus they are much less likely to aggrevate any injuries you may have.

Any of these non impact exercises will be good for toneing up and improving general fitness

Regards

Amz

Trebor

martial arts are good but it depends which one you do.

i did Tae Kwon Doe for a year which was very good they had use doing sit-ups puss-ups running, generlly getting us in to shape to spar
i now do karate which is not as demanding as the other but i am learning more on how the body works and how to strech.
and how to put force into my attacks as oppose to brut force.

you could always try do a martial art and the other things as most training is two nights a week.

tunney

Martial arts to get fit? You get fit to play sports you don't play sports to get fit.

Trebor

Originally posted by tunney
Martial arts to get fit? You get fit to play sports you don't play sports to get fit.

the whole idea of martial arts is training your body, i don't class it as a sport in such that you must train to play it.

Altheus

I always thought and consider Martial Arts a discipline for body and mind, and with the new-found discipline your learn to protect your body no? Martial Arts is used as a sport, but more often it's merely exibitions of the skills and disciplines gathered and learned.

tunney

Some may not class martial arts as a sport but not the less it is stupid to think that they should be used as a means of improving physical fitness. Get fit then do martial arts you'll be a lot better martial artist. But if the goal is fitness why bother with martial arts? join a gym.

Trebor

when training in karate i have had my heart rate much higher than i get it in the gym (because i have more control over what i do in the gym so i don't push myself) and also with going to the gym you have to convince yourself to go and as it is always open you keep saying to yourself "ah i'll go tomorrow" whereas with a martial art training is on spefic nights only so you are more likly to go. also going to the gym on your own is hard for some people.

tunney

So a lack of discipline is your reason for doing a martial art rather than going to the gym?

If your heart rate is higher in karate than in the gym, you either have a dodgy heart or do SFA in the gym.

Altheus

so you're trying to tell me that the ancient chinese, korean and japanese masters at the art went to there local and ran 16km on the treadmill and did a few minutes on the rowing machine? I've been to a few martial arts classes and the first 20-30 mins of a session is purely fitness training.

tunney

Whether or not the first while is fitness or not training or not is completely dependant on the martial art and the teacher. Martial arts I've gone to don't rely on physical fitness and as such there is no fitness stuff.

As for the ancient whoevers, do you _honestly_ think they were fat ****s that had to worry about their shape? No they would have been hard working physical people that would have already _been_ fit, both from lifestyle and from diet, and as such wouldn't require a martial art or gym to _get_ them fit.

Altheus

I'd say a lot of them were undernourished and considerably weaker than the modern day fat ****ers as so eloquently put it. The sessions were hard, and fitness would have been something that would come out of them. I think it's a perfectly acceptable thing to enjoy martial arts as a means of getting fit. So long as you dont sit out, and push yourself to do everything then surely fitness will come along with it? I just dont understand your idea of having to be fit to do something, as opposed to doing something to be fit. You can approach things either way, and still succeed, albeit the latter people have a tendency to drop out.

Trebor

Originally posted by tunney
So a lack of discipline is your reason for doing a martial art rather than going to the gym?

If your heart rate is higher in karate than in the gym, you either have a dodgy heart or do SFA in the gym.

preety much, i have no one to motivate me in the gym so i end up taking it easy on myself but in training if someone is about to punch you move out of the way as fast as possible.
and trying to kick waist high for 15 mins (for me) is very hard but a good work out for the legs

Trebor

Originally posted by Altheus
So long as you dont sit out, and push yourself to do everything then surely fitness will come along with it?

agreed,
if you just throw your hand out for a punch you will get nothing put if you put force behind it you will build power

tomED

I probably came in on this conversation very late - but what the hell, i think it would be good if i passed some info on to the people tryin to lose weight.

I was 15 stone not so long a go and have no toned down to 9.5 stone.

What did I do?

The most significant changes I made were

1. Changed my habits - Instead of sitting in watchin telly or a video I would either go hae a workout, jog or simply do a few st ups. This got me away from my habit of sitting and eating my life away.

2. Ensured i was doing something that i enjoyed to keep me motivated. If yer not interested in going for a walk or you feel that a run is too much hassle don't do it. Find something that will interest you. If you enjoy watching telly, get a treadmill and plonk it in front of the TV while yer favourite programs are on.

I found that exercise only helped me keep the weight off - it didnt actually help me loose the weight.

My diet changed, but not dramatically - for example i was still eating out of a chinese every week while i lost the 5.5 stone.....

I could go on and on - but i'll only bore ye all.

I guess what im tryin to say is - get interested in losing weight and feeling good. Buy a few mags and read p on statistics or whatever it will take for you to feel motivated. Once motivated you wont want to be sitting down and your motivation will no longer be about losing weight, it will be about having fun!

Benbaz

Originally posted by tomED
I was 15 stone not so long a go and have no toned down to 9.5 stone.

Just out of interest, what height are you Tom?

tomED

5' 9 - I know i am barring on the little underweight side but I am working on that.

I basically went way to far initially and lost too much weight. I was down to 9 stone at one stage!!!!!!!!

Workin to get up to around 10 stone. I dont want to be the build type - just toned and slim.

tunney

TomEd, in one thread you offer expert advice gained over years of experience, in anohter you admit to being a recent ex-fatty that only recently got into shape? And in that other thread you were giving advice on weight lifting? At 9.5 stone you haven't done much eh? Not putting you down, congrats on the weight reduction, but I am simply questioning your qualifications for giving "expert" advice and insisting that you and not the moderators are right?

tomED

Sorry tunney - but you have to start somewhere... and i never claimed to give expert advice - only adivce on what has helped me and what i have been told.

tomED

and moderators arent always right either.....

or am i allowed to say that or will i be kicked off?? lol

tunney

I know you have to start somewhere - I just wanted to point out that with your limited experience odds are that you're not right.

tomED

yep fair point. but if what i have done has allowed me to acheive my goals are the odds not back in my favour?

or at least it is information that someone else maybe able to acheive their goals by sticking to it!

i would have to say its probably a lot tougher to get to where i have after being overweith and unfit than being fit and tryin to acheive what i achevied....

tunney

"i would have to say its probably a lot tougher to get to where i have after being overweith and unfit than being fit and tryin to acheive what i achevied...." TomED

Oh I know what that is like, I was extremely overweight 18 months ago, body fat percentage of about 35% at least, now down to 15% (at most) and ran the mens 10k thingy yesterday in 49 mins. Not an amazing time, but not too bad either.

Fair balls to you for achieving your goals, I really do whole heartedly congratulate you, all I'm saying is that perhaps there may have been an easier way to achieve your goals

tomED

its great getting a congrats so congrats to you too!

But to be honest..... i thought it was extremely easy to acheive....................................................

tunney

What height are you TomED?

tomED

5' 9" - is that how ye write it?

tunney

5' 9" Thats how you write it. You're 5' 9" and 9.5 stone right? If so I SERIOUSLY suggest you look at your training regime. Someone that height that is training hard at weights should not be that light, no where near that light.

What does your average workout consist of? And no lying, alot can be told by someones weight and height.

tomED

AS i said I take it very easily!!! Im not looking for a bigger build i like being lean and toned! I just want to put oin an extra half stone - but sure i could do that if i didnt go toilet for 2 days! lol!!!

I workout with weights 3 times a week.. actually its probably better to do it in a list.

This is my latest workout routine btw!

Monday:

1 hour game of football
30 mins weight lifting in the morning consisting of:
pull-ups (on bar) for biceps
free dumbbell weights (biceps)(2 sets of 12,5kg)
2 triceps excerises (overhead and overhead lying down) (2 sets of 12,5kg)
my chest exercise is straingt out of a mag - workin wonders for me at the mo!
45Kg - inclined with 12 reps then straight to flatbench (no rest) for 15 reps (two sets)
3 sets of 12 pressups
30kg barbell overhead lunges
10kg (each dumbbell) fly shoulder exercise


Tuesday

20 min run
ab exercises

wednesday
weight training as per above

thursday

1 hour football
ab exercises

friday
weights as per above

saturday
rest

sunday
ab exercises

hows that for pure and utter unstructured exercising!

tunney

Well other than the fact that you are completely ignoring your back and legs......

If you do alot of chest work and/or ab work you HAVE to do your back as well. For every muscle group you work you HAVE to work the opposing one. Otherwise that can cause serious problems.

What are you doing about upping weights? How are you judging when to increase?

tomED

im not ignoring my back or my legs.

i do the lunges for my thighs and the rest are being built naturally by running.

my back is being accounted for with my shoulders exercises and the exercies i do with the chin up bar. didnt make that obviuos.

upping weights
once i am able to comfartably lift my weights - i increase the weight im lifintg by 10%

tunney

Thighs only? An imbalance between hamstrings and thighs can cause soooooo many problems. Chin ups only really work your back if you use the correct grip, and then they don't work your biceps(really).

It sounds as if your a member of a gym, if so ask a professional to work out a proper programme for you. You'll benifit alot from it.

tomED

yes the chin bar does help biceps but as you say its all down to grip.

Again this is my latest routine - i have only adapted it in the last week.

Fair point about legs.

tell me this please is running not enough? I have always all through my life had big legs - and i mean muscly legs (upper half anyway) i dont want them any bigger i just want strength so i can improve my sprinting speed for football.

is running not enough anyway?

thanks

logic1

Sorry but that looks like a horrible work out routine.

Are you a pre-teen girl?

And running is not good for muscle building, it is a catabolic activity not conducive to retention and increase of lean body mass.

So far on this forum I've seen you continually hint that the moderator is incorrect because apparently Mens Health is the koran of body building and you dedicate your life to studing it and aspiring to the massive, chisselled 160lb physiques that adorn every page.

Then you come along with the most horrendous, unstructured, beginners weight regime I have ever seen.

You'd do well to stick around here a while, drop the attitude and listen to the advice of those more knowledgable, more experienced and generally less obtrusive.

Also you say you've hit your goal easily, your goal was to drop from 15stone to 9 at 5'9"? Jesus maybe youneed a bit of a reassesment.

Also you're throwing the word "Toned" around quite alot. There is no such thing as "tone" it's simply lean body mass coupled with low bodyfat.

Do you think if you train hard you're going to explode in rippling muscle within months? It's not that easy I'm afraid. Also I'm eagerly awaiting your "links" which prove all your posts correct.

.logic.

tomED

Originally posted by logic1
Sorry but that looks like a horrible work out routine.

Are you a pre-teen girl?

Whoever said I wasn't!!! LOL.

Originally posted by logic1
And running is not good for muscle building, it is a catabolic activity not conducive to retention and increase of lean body mass.

This was actually the point i was trying to get across in my original post - but don;t have all thos fancy phrases you use. Am i right that you are sayin that it doesnt help building body mass if you are running?

[/B][/QUOTE]

Originally posted by logic1
So far on this forum I've seen you continually hint that the moderator is incorrect because apparently Mens Health is the koran of body building and you dedicate your life to studing it and aspiring to the massive, chisselled 160lb physiques that adorn every page.

Eh sorry, i have only questioned what he has to say - i do want to learn, but i just don't believe in dictatorship. If someone has an opinion fair enuff, but if they refuse to listen to someone elses thats not a very healthy environment for people to learn. It would be like if microsoft were here telling us the best way to write html... how many of us would stick around?

Originally posted by logic1
Then you come along with the most horrendous, unstructured, beginners weight regime I have ever seen.

As i said it is unstructered - but at the moment i am getting results from it - so why change?

Originally posted by logic1
You'd do well to stick around here a while, drop the attitude and listen to the advice of those more knowledgable, more experienced and generally less obtrusive.

To be honest i find the people on the mens health site a little more helpful and not as up their own arses as they are in here. I came lookin for advice. The only person that has been nice to me has been tunney..... i passes on what all you feel is bad advice. OK im sorry for that... what can this person that originally posted get from this??? Two things

1. what the majority of you in here think is right
2. and what you think is wrong

Luckily this person has learned a lot from our conversation, but im none the wiser, all i know is that i have been kicked to the ground for suggesting something and then complaining about dictatorship.

Sorry i thought this was a forum for free speech. obvoiuosly not. Its obviuosly a place that is run by people who love being right all the time and hate anyone throwing any alternative suggestions at them....

Originally posted by logic1
Do you think if you train hard you're going to explode in rippling muscle within months? It's not that easy I'm afraid.

Eh no - as i have constantly stated am i extremely happy with my TONED body. Don't want it any bigger, dont want it any smaller.......

tunney

TomED, don't be discouraged, you're on the right track, you just need to talk to a professional about what your goals are and they will tell you the best way to achieve them.

Running is not enough to build up leg muscles, go to ww.runnersworld.com or the like and they will all recommend a series of leg exercises, both to prevent injury and to improve running. Leg extensions to combat knee injuries, leg curls to prevent imbalances between quads and hamstrings, squats to improve sprinting and hill climbing. In short running is not enough. Personally however leg exercises are the ones I most frequently skip, solely cause my legs can't handle the amount of running and cycling I do when combined with weights. If I could drive the 7 miles to the gym I am in I would and then i would do the leg work.

As for physique, at 5'9" you should be heavier if you are serious about bulking up. When I started about 18months ago I was about 35% fat and 15 stone, after a year I was 25% fat and 12 stone 9, In the last 6 months I've gone down to 15% fat and am 12 stone 6. Yes I still need to drop some lard but the point I am trying to make is it is possible to lose fat but stay the same weight. Don't concentrate on losing weight, rather on losing fat.

Change your goals, set some goals like "I want to bench 80kg in 4 months", "I want a six pack", "I want to run 5 minute miles".

just my two cents,

tomED

cheers man - i really appreciate i have learned a lot from you.

Im not discouraged with training or working out. I just love keeping fit. I don't wat to build muslce at this stage i enjoy lifting weighta and running to keep fit.

I no longer have an ultimate goal becuase i am completely happy with my body. Im in maintenance mode really.

The only thing i was discouraged with was the lack of help and snobbery of this board....

i feel like an outcast now

i just wanted to tell people that i had achevied the body i wanted without too much work and without gettin into detail....
maybe that was my problem... detail....

but i would have like to hear a nicer response, just like yours, from other people!

ah well!!!!

logic1

Originally posted by tomED
i just wanted to tell people that i had achevied the body i wanted without too much work and without gettin into detail....
maybe that was my problem... detail....

but i would have like to hear a nicer response, just like yours, from other people!

ah well!!!!

Why don't you head on over to the CTYI board. They'll give you a kiss and a {{{HUG}}} and make you feel all good about yourself.

:rolleyes:

.logic.

tomED

lol

sad...