General weight loss thoughts/considerations?
Discussion
Made afew posts on here about re-joining the gym which I did last week with the intention to lose body fat. I've decided to do a combination of lifting and cardio. Lifting will be starting strength routine. I'll lift 3x a week, and do cardio on the inbetween days with 1-2 days rest in a week. Either that, or I try and do cardio right after lifting (not sure which will be best).
I understand its basically a game of calories. I figure not being really anal with my numbers, just as long as I consume somewhere between 1500-2000cals a day, no more no less. I understand that generally speaking meal frequency & time of day doesn't matter too much.
What I am uncertain about is what to expect with my lifting. I understand that you won't really gain muscle on a deficit. Also probably not gain strength? Should I be taking in as much protein for this? If so, protein shakes work out better value then eating meat. Additionally, I'm not sure what to do in terms of how hard to push myself in a typical week relative to the whole 1rep max thing. Should I be trying to lfit as heavy as possible for 5x5 3 times a week? Or maybe do my heaviest after the rest days then reduce it for the next 2 lifting sessions.
Goals? Lose the body fat. Any power/strength/hypertrophy gains its just a bonus to me.
Maybe there's anyone on here who went down my route and could offer their 2p on their experiences
I understand its basically a game of calories. I figure not being really anal with my numbers, just as long as I consume somewhere between 1500-2000cals a day, no more no less. I understand that generally speaking meal frequency & time of day doesn't matter too much.
What I am uncertain about is what to expect with my lifting. I understand that you won't really gain muscle on a deficit. Also probably not gain strength? Should I be taking in as much protein for this? If so, protein shakes work out better value then eating meat. Additionally, I'm not sure what to do in terms of how hard to push myself in a typical week relative to the whole 1rep max thing. Should I be trying to lfit as heavy as possible for 5x5 3 times a week? Or maybe do my heaviest after the rest days then reduce it for the next 2 lifting sessions.
Goals? Lose the body fat. Any power/strength/hypertrophy gains its just a bonus to me.
Maybe there's anyone on here who went down my route and could offer their 2p on their experiences
FatSumo said:
Use MyFitnessPal to track your intake, you'll be surprised at how quickly those calories pile up!
Yup, I've begun reusing that. Very handy when food has a barcode on it. Not handy though if its a meal you've been given at a family/friends house though. Shouldn't be a worry as long as I'm doing it right more times then I'm doing it 'wrong'.Xerstead said:
Better to do the cardio on your days off IMO, also consider HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) rather than plodding along on the treadmill. When you start lifting heavy you won't feel like running after 
I've not read Starting Strength but follow it properly. It has a reputation for working.
1500 Calories; Do you realise that's less than 4 normal sized pot noodles?
How many you need depends how big & active you are, and how many you'll be burning off. If you're weight is constant then adding exercise will create a calorie deficit on it's own, although a combination would be more effective. Work out how much you're eating currently and knock off a bit. It's better to do it steadily and sustainably where you can be happy rather than crashing out and quitting. If you're eating too little you'll be feeling tired, grumpy and avoid the gym because you don't have enough energy.
I've never believed in the 'time of day' thing. However, if saying 'No food after 8pm' stops you snacking in front of the tv then it does work.
I will add that since I started having breakfast (porridge/instant oats shake,) I'm far less likely to destroy a pack of biscuits during the day, and the amount of pasta/rice I have with my evening meal had decreased.
Eating 1.5g of protein per kilo of body weight, spread over the day, is often suggested. You don't need shakes, but they can be more convenient. If you're looking at supplements, don't fall for the marketing hype of the big brands, a sack of whey protein powder from the MyProtein website is practically as good at a fraction of the cost.
As a beginner, you will probably see pretty rapid gains in strength as your body learns how to use your muscles more effectively. As for muscle growth, yes, but how much depends on your diet and how much of a calorie deficit you're on.
Further advise; Judge your progress on what you look like in the mirror/measurements NOT what the weighing scales tell you. Weight training builds muscle which adds weight, possibly faster than your fat loss so the numbers may go up but you'll look a lot better.
Almost forgot, Get enough sleep
I was thinking 1500 would be absolute minimum, though I wouldn't try and get that low. Lets say that would be on a rest day/day where - for whatever reason - I've gone without lifting or some cardio.I've not read Starting Strength but follow it properly. It has a reputation for working.
1500 Calories; Do you realise that's less than 4 normal sized pot noodles?
How many you need depends how big & active you are, and how many you'll be burning off. If you're weight is constant then adding exercise will create a calorie deficit on it's own, although a combination would be more effective. Work out how much you're eating currently and knock off a bit. It's better to do it steadily and sustainably where you can be happy rather than crashing out and quitting. If you're eating too little you'll be feeling tired, grumpy and avoid the gym because you don't have enough energy.
I've never believed in the 'time of day' thing. However, if saying 'No food after 8pm' stops you snacking in front of the tv then it does work.
I will add that since I started having breakfast (porridge/instant oats shake,) I'm far less likely to destroy a pack of biscuits during the day, and the amount of pasta/rice I have with my evening meal had decreased.
Eating 1.5g of protein per kilo of body weight, spread over the day, is often suggested. You don't need shakes, but they can be more convenient. If you're looking at supplements, don't fall for the marketing hype of the big brands, a sack of whey protein powder from the MyProtein website is practically as good at a fraction of the cost.
As a beginner, you will probably see pretty rapid gains in strength as your body learns how to use your muscles more effectively. As for muscle growth, yes, but how much depends on your diet and how much of a calorie deficit you're on.
Further advise; Judge your progress on what you look like in the mirror/measurements NOT what the weighing scales tell you. Weight training builds muscle which adds weight, possibly faster than your fat loss so the numbers may go up but you'll look a lot better.
Almost forgot, Get enough sleep
I would have also thought that HIIT is a little OTT if you're lifting aswell. I figure in the end its best to do whichever cardio you're more likely to keep up doing. I'm ok with getting on the rowing machine and Arch trainer/cross trainer for a total of 50minutes. It gives an 'estimate' of around 600cals burnt in 50minutes. Throughout it I sweat buckets and my heart rate is above 160bpm.
Looking at the spreadsheet here...
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Startin...
I'm rather confused. How do I know where to start off in terms of weights? How do I test myself? I can't seem to find this bit anywhere.
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Startin...
I'm rather confused. How do I know where to start off in terms of weights? How do I test myself? I can't seem to find this bit anywhere.
goldblum said:
ambuletz said:
Looking at the spreadsheet here...
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Startin...
I'm rather confused. How do I know where to start off in terms of weights? How do I test myself? I can't seem to find this bit anywhere.
The link you have posted is to a beginners strength training program and it's not really for someone totally new to the whole concept of weight training. Go to your local leisure centre gym and circuit train for a few weeks. Get an idea of what lifts you understand and how to perform them, build up your knowledge and strength, chat to a few people there and phttp://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Startin...
I'm rather confused. How do I know where to start off in terms of weights? How do I test myself? I can't seem to find this bit anywhere.
s off the regulars by misusing equipment. That's a joke.goldblum said:
Ah apologies.
What's your No 1 priority in the gym then?
Fat loss. Anything else I can get along the way is a bonus. Lose about 3stone (or slimmed down to how I know I looked like when I was 3stone lighter). ALthough I don't want to be one of those people who look skinny fat when slim. (never have).What's your No 1 priority in the gym then?
goldblum said:
dirty boy said:
I lost more weight by weight training than I ever did when running.
You're the exception to the rule then. Calorie expenditure isn't even close. A 180lb bloke burns about 4-450 calories in 30 minutes at a fast jog. The same person will burn about half that doing weights with a 90 second rest between sets.
Thoughts on this guys? Pretty much supports the whole 'calorie is a calorie' and its 'all about the deficit' thing.Guy losing 65lbs in 3months doing SS & eating just dominos
Some pretty nice strength gains there too.
This is all after I've chomped down on a pizza that's 1000cals or so. (first thing I've eaten all day).
Now if I were to do a similar thing to him.. My BMR works out at 2041cals. He's doing a 1150 deficit on his BMR. His deficit is probably even more huge then that considering that he's doing SS!!
If I were to do SS and go on a similar deficit to him, it would involve lifting 3x a week+ cardio and only consuming about 900cals surely. This strikes me as ridiculously low. I always thought I would probably be much better eating somewhere around 1500-2000.
I'm rather suprised he made strength/muscle gains on such a little deficit.
If I were to do SS and go on a similar deficit to him, it would involve lifting 3x a week+ cardio and only consuming about 900cals surely. This strikes me as ridiculously low. I always thought I would probably be much better eating somewhere around 1500-2000.
I'm rather suprised he made strength/muscle gains on such a little deficit.
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