Had enough of the belly, it's time to go!!
Discussion
I guess this is half a question of getting help, and half a diary so that in a years time I can look back and see how far I've come.
I've spent the last ten years progressing in my career. Moving from a physical based job in the first two, to slowly more sedentary positions over the years. I love cooking, I love eating, I love a nice glass or three of wine in the evening. But right now, I feel really really fat. I cook almost all meals from scratch with fresh ingredients, I don't eat a lot of processed food or crisps or chocolate generally. But everyone likes a treat every now and again. I know that I'm guilty of overportioning that I'm trying hard to fix.
I'm 35, 5'9", and weigh 100kg as of this morning. Pretty much all of it round my belly. Company medicals will class me as obese but I do have a very broad frame and carry it better than I should. I probably would like to aim for being around 80kg.
When I'm at home I generally walk the dog twice a day usually for about 45m to 1hr. I have a bike. I also have an old cross training that I'm going to dust off and get some usage out of. Whilst I'm at work I generally have access to a well equipped gym but I really hate going when it's busy and for the past few weeks I've been going for 2 x 30 minute cross training sessions when I have the opportunity rather than sitting at my desk. On average I've been doing about 6-7km cross training most days and so far I hate the first 10 minutes but once warmed up I'm not too bad. I do love the energy boost that it's been giving me. This is from someone with very sedentary hobbies and lifestyle.
I refuse to pay for a gym when I have beautiful countryside right at my doorstep to go explore. The only thing that pains me is running. Not only is it atrociously bad for my knees but I have feet as flat as Keira Knightly's chest and get horrendous shin splints.
So I can cycle, hike, cross train and do non accessory exercises at home (ie non-weights etc).
Well.. i'm generally just a bit lost, confused by all the plans and methods and routines and unsure of how to structure things to make the best of my time.
I've spent the last ten years progressing in my career. Moving from a physical based job in the first two, to slowly more sedentary positions over the years. I love cooking, I love eating, I love a nice glass or three of wine in the evening. But right now, I feel really really fat. I cook almost all meals from scratch with fresh ingredients, I don't eat a lot of processed food or crisps or chocolate generally. But everyone likes a treat every now and again. I know that I'm guilty of overportioning that I'm trying hard to fix.
I'm 35, 5'9", and weigh 100kg as of this morning. Pretty much all of it round my belly. Company medicals will class me as obese but I do have a very broad frame and carry it better than I should. I probably would like to aim for being around 80kg.
When I'm at home I generally walk the dog twice a day usually for about 45m to 1hr. I have a bike. I also have an old cross training that I'm going to dust off and get some usage out of. Whilst I'm at work I generally have access to a well equipped gym but I really hate going when it's busy and for the past few weeks I've been going for 2 x 30 minute cross training sessions when I have the opportunity rather than sitting at my desk. On average I've been doing about 6-7km cross training most days and so far I hate the first 10 minutes but once warmed up I'm not too bad. I do love the energy boost that it's been giving me. This is from someone with very sedentary hobbies and lifestyle.
I refuse to pay for a gym when I have beautiful countryside right at my doorstep to go explore. The only thing that pains me is running. Not only is it atrociously bad for my knees but I have feet as flat as Keira Knightly's chest and get horrendous shin splints.
So I can cycle, hike, cross train and do non accessory exercises at home (ie non-weights etc).
Well.. i'm generally just a bit lost, confused by all the plans and methods and routines and unsure of how to structure things to make the best of my time.
amare32 said:
Hate to break the bad news, I'm 5ft 8in and weigh 66kg. Not sure where you got the 80kg as an 'ideal weight' from...
From what you say, you cook from scratch which is no bad thing but how much and often are you eating? You also mention having a couple of glasses or three of wine, that alone will contribute to the weight gain. It's so easy to drink in mega calories and alcohol, soft drinks and rich drinks like lattes, etc might seem harmless but will help you pack on the spare tyre.
I didn't suggest it was an ideal weight. But it's a target weight that I'd like to hit. I think I was about 12 stone when I was at Uni, so 76kg. I'd love to get back to that level. In addition of course I want to gain fitness, not just end up like a stick with a belly. From what you say, you cook from scratch which is no bad thing but how much and often are you eating? You also mention having a couple of glasses or three of wine, that alone will contribute to the weight gain. It's so easy to drink in mega calories and alcohol, soft drinks and rich drinks like lattes, etc might seem harmless but will help you pack on the spare tyre.
At work I do two meals a day at 11:00 and 17:30, trying to limit carbs and stick to white meat, fish and veg.
At home it's generally fruit + black coffee for breakfast, home made soup + sandwich for lunch. Dinner is where both myself and my wife fall down. Both in portion size and what we make. We both love to cook and try new recipes. I guess that's the largest adjustment we need to make. Alcohol is a bad one I know.
But I drink black coffee with no sugar, we don't do puddings, I don't drink fizzy juice. I just have a very sedentary set of hobbies and interests. A lot of it is just self motivation to get off the sofa in the evening and do other things.
Edited by RichTT on Wednesday 4th February 18:35
Edited by RichTT on Monday 9th March 10:02
Well, did my first weigh in after the first month of this new 'life'.
Down from 16 stone 4 to 15 stone 7, and that was just over a week ago. Pretty happy with that. Looks like the key for me is eating breakfast, avoiding mid-week drinking and making sure I'm more active when I'm offshore. Using the MiBand to make sure I'm doing 10k at least per day is a real motivator. Easy to do 7-14km when I'm at home walking the dog every day. But having to make a real effort to get to the gym every day while at work is the big step.
Down from 16 stone 4 to 15 stone 7, and that was just over a week ago. Pretty happy with that. Looks like the key for me is eating breakfast, avoiding mid-week drinking and making sure I'm more active when I'm offshore. Using the MiBand to make sure I'm doing 10k at least per day is a real motivator. Easy to do 7-14km when I'm at home walking the dog every day. But having to make a real effort to get to the gym every day while at work is the big step.
I did the myfitnesstracker app for three weeks while I was at home and able to control every aspect of my diet. Gave me a very good idea of what was and wasn't going to help me lose weight. Now that I'm back offshore I don't have the same control. But I do however have a much better idea of what I need to be eating on a daily basis. It's certainly a worthwhile app to have.
Wife goes swimming 3-4 times a week, so I'm starting to tag along and head to the gym to start doing the 5x5 routine. Walking the dog daily takes me well above the activity levels i need to maintain to continue to lose weight.
Wife goes swimming 3-4 times a week, so I'm starting to tag along and head to the gym to start doing the 5x5 routine. Walking the dog daily takes me well above the activity levels i need to maintain to continue to lose weight.
johnwilliams77 said:
Big congrats. I have gone from being even heavier to still slightly above 90kg's. I am aiming for 80-85kg also. I am more concerned that my bf is at decent levels than being obsessed with absolute weight. I am wearing jeans I have not wore since 2006/7, which is nice.
Did you work very hard at diet and training? I have been very active (cycling to work, walking a lot, playing sports) but diet has a lot of room for improvement. I have cut out booze for the last 8 weeks also and plan to keep booze free until I am where I want to be.
Thank you. I don't normally seek praise for something that should be common sense. Eat well, drink less, exercise more. Did you work very hard at diet and training? I have been very active (cycling to work, walking a lot, playing sports) but diet has a lot of room for improvement. I have cut out booze for the last 8 weeks also and plan to keep booze free until I am where I want to be.
But I'm really not doing anything more special than that. I have however had a few helping hands.
Since I work offshore I have a double edged sword when it comes to food. On one hand there's no booze out here for the three weeks, so no temptation. But I also don't get to cook my own food, and the risk of choosing between a cooked breakfast and a bowl of muesli or porridge with some fruit can be a really hard one!
For the first 2-3 months, during my onshore three weeks, I was using myfitnesshelper app to track and quantify the food and drink I was having. That really really helped in understanding what and when I was eating. I didn't live off lentils and veg though. I ate well, ate full meals and cooked plenty.
Third was getting a fitness band. I spent £18 on the MiBand from Xiami and have worn it every single day since February.
But honestly, the simple mantra of eat well, drink less, exercise more just works.
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