Weight/Fat loss - How did you do it?
Discussion
I have noticed a number of people say that they have lost fat/weight at some point but what are the stories behind the weight/fat loss? Anyone willing to share how much they lost, how you did it and over what period of time?
Did you ride to work 3 times a week to lose two stone in a month or just change your diet and cut out bread without any gym or cardio? etc..
Did you ride to work 3 times a week to lose two stone in a month or just change your diet and cut out bread without any gym or cardio? etc..
No personal experience but I had a mate who was pushing 18 stone about 5 years ago, something snapped in his head and he decided enough was enough. 12-18 months of exercise and being sensible with what he was eating and he's now down to about 13 I'd guess and he's in pretty good shape. No fad diets or anything like that necessary, just plenty of varied exercise and not eating s
tloads. IMO most of the time fad/crash diets without a change of attitude to exercise just end up in weight yo-yoing.
tloads. IMO most of the time fad/crash diets without a change of attitude to exercise just end up in weight yo-yoing.I've got two threads on here about it and lost about 3 stone and added some muscle in 50 days in my first one.
PVAPour also has a interesting thread on it too.
It really depends what you're trying to achieve, you can achieve fat loss in a huge numbers of ways. If you just want to be a skinny dude, simply create a calorie deficit.
However if you want to retain/build muscle and achieve fat loss, that takes something more.
The truth of it is though 75% of the end result is from diet but without exercise the diet may not get you far on it's own.
PVAPour also has a interesting thread on it too.
It really depends what you're trying to achieve, you can achieve fat loss in a huge numbers of ways. If you just want to be a skinny dude, simply create a calorie deficit.
However if you want to retain/build muscle and achieve fat loss, that takes something more.
The truth of it is though 75% of the end result is from diet but without exercise the diet may not get you far on it's own.
I can only relay my experience but it worked for me:
Played rugby (eating a lot/drinking a lot/training a lot)
Injured my knee (eating a lot/drinking a lot... not training)
= a fat Kieran
I was going to Greece on hols in 2 months and needed to loose the belly and get fit for the next season after the summer/injury so this was my plan:
5 days a week:
One or the other every day
jog/run 1 mile on a hilly course and do some sprint/interval training on the way (I'd go past a park)
swim steadily for 1 hour
No alcohol (beer/wine)
7 days a week:
breakfast 30 minutes after waking up (to stop my body storing all food I eat as fat as it thinks it's starving)
high protein
no carbs (potatos, bread, rice...) after 5pm
Good food
I lost 1 1/2 stone in just under 2 months and became quite fit!
It was a real struggle to start off with but only for the first 2 days, after that it became routine very quickly.
Played rugby (eating a lot/drinking a lot/training a lot)
Injured my knee (eating a lot/drinking a lot... not training)
= a fat Kieran
I was going to Greece on hols in 2 months and needed to loose the belly and get fit for the next season after the summer/injury so this was my plan:
5 days a week:
One or the other every day
jog/run 1 mile on a hilly course and do some sprint/interval training on the way (I'd go past a park)
swim steadily for 1 hour
No alcohol (beer/wine)
7 days a week:
breakfast 30 minutes after waking up (to stop my body storing all food I eat as fat as it thinks it's starving)
high protein
no carbs (potatos, bread, rice...) after 5pm
Good food
I lost 1 1/2 stone in just under 2 months and became quite fit!
It was a real struggle to start off with but only for the first 2 days, after that it became routine very quickly.
not really ever been in a position of being fat as I've been hooked on the gym since I was 15 but I can put fat on very easily over the winter if I dont watch it, I'm not naturally the skinny type 
(ectomorph)
If you want to loose fat fast there's allot to consider but will mainly consist of diet & exercise.
1st -Establish your personal body type and composition (none of this crap 'your this age & height' so your ideal weight is 'X') essential for the right diet & training program, record your body measurements as this will help determine progress.
2nd - decide what your goal is, ie reduce fat from X% > Y%, run a marathon by the summer etc etc
3rd - work out how much time you can give to a program that will fit in with your life and that will work on an ongoing basis, no point in achieving your goals only to then going back to a place where you were unhappy before.
4th - Work out a routine based on the time you've allowed yourself, use a mix of gym sessions with outside low & hi impact cv & try and have some intermediate weekly goals
5th - diet will essentially be, lower fat, lower carb & higher protein but the ratio between the three & what foods you eat will depend on your particular body, certain food eat in a ceratin order will increase your metabolic rate, ie burn fat more effectively.
Understand where you are now and where you want to be is key i think, I'm on a big learning curve with regard to Heart Rate and fat burn right now, bit of a cliche but you never stop learning at this
(ectomorph)If you want to loose fat fast there's allot to consider but will mainly consist of diet & exercise.
1st -Establish your personal body type and composition (none of this crap 'your this age & height' so your ideal weight is 'X') essential for the right diet & training program, record your body measurements as this will help determine progress.
2nd - decide what your goal is, ie reduce fat from X% > Y%, run a marathon by the summer etc etc
3rd - work out how much time you can give to a program that will fit in with your life and that will work on an ongoing basis, no point in achieving your goals only to then going back to a place where you were unhappy before.
4th - Work out a routine based on the time you've allowed yourself, use a mix of gym sessions with outside low & hi impact cv & try and have some intermediate weekly goals
5th - diet will essentially be, lower fat, lower carb & higher protein but the ratio between the three & what foods you eat will depend on your particular body, certain food eat in a ceratin order will increase your metabolic rate, ie burn fat more effectively.
Understand where you are now and where you want to be is key i think, I'm on a big learning curve with regard to Heart Rate and fat burn right now, bit of a cliche but you never stop learning at this
Pvapour said:
If you want to loose fat fast there's allot to consider but will mainly consist of diet & exercise.
Pretty much it.Round 1 for me:
Exercise: Gym 3 times per week, free weights, focused on compound exercises
Diet: Calorie counted like hell
Result: Dropped from 105kg to 86kg over around 6 months (also gained some muscle definition)
Round 2:
Diet: Simply cut things down. 1 chinese curry = 2 nights dinner. 1 slice of toast and cheese instead of 2, etc.
Exercise: Football 3-4 times per week
Result: Dropped from 105kg to 91kg so far over around 6 months again
Well, I'm just embarking on my journey, but having tried a few things, I am going back to basics. The first time I lost weight, the most successful time FWIW, I did by nothing other than sensible eating and walking.
Since then, I read loads of stuff on the internet about this and that, and ended up getting confused.
Now, I am pretty much going back to basics. Not too bothered about being super shredded or huge, as long as I look decent, I still have a life to lead, will still drink at weekends, and will still eat out at times.
With that out of the way, here is what I am doing now:-
Gym 5x a week = 3x Resistance training splits (chest/shoulders/triceps + legs + back/biceps), 2x Cardio (Abs, then 45 mins of 70% MHR steady cardio)
Walking = 3x a week, at least 45 minutes, brisk pace
Diet:-
Breakfast = Beans on toast / Egg on toast / Weetabix
Morning snack = Half a large pot yoghurt, apple, banana
Lunch (after weights training) = Small baked potato, 2 chicken thighs, salad / vegetables
Dinner = Chicken fajitas / Stir fry / Pork dinner etc etc
Little or no booze through the week. No takeaways.
Thats it. I know I wont end up on the cover of mens health, but I honestly can't see why it wouldn't do what I want it to do - i.e. get a decent shape ~15% body fat and lose the beer gut.
Since then, I read loads of stuff on the internet about this and that, and ended up getting confused.
Now, I am pretty much going back to basics. Not too bothered about being super shredded or huge, as long as I look decent, I still have a life to lead, will still drink at weekends, and will still eat out at times.
With that out of the way, here is what I am doing now:-
Gym 5x a week = 3x Resistance training splits (chest/shoulders/triceps + legs + back/biceps), 2x Cardio (Abs, then 45 mins of 70% MHR steady cardio)
Walking = 3x a week, at least 45 minutes, brisk pace
Diet:-
Breakfast = Beans on toast / Egg on toast / Weetabix
Morning snack = Half a large pot yoghurt, apple, banana
Lunch (after weights training) = Small baked potato, 2 chicken thighs, salad / vegetables
Dinner = Chicken fajitas / Stir fry / Pork dinner etc etc
Little or no booze through the week. No takeaways.
Thats it. I know I wont end up on the cover of mens health, but I honestly can't see why it wouldn't do what I want it to do - i.e. get a decent shape ~15% body fat and lose the beer gut.
Mal79 said:
I lost 3 stones in 3 months!! It wasn't the healthiest way of doing it but I had a protein shake with oats for breakfast, cereal bar for lunch and another shake with oats for tea! Add in plenty of water and multi-vits and that was it 6 days a week!! I had a treat one day a week be it a chinky or similar. It was only hard for the first few days but then it was easy!
I lost 6 in 6 doing similar.There's so much over-complication when it comes to losing bodyfat! It's very simple (but not always easy): you create a calorie deficit by eating less and moving more. You don't have to run five miles a day, or go to a gym, etc, etc. If it helps keep you interested and motivated then do it, but it's not essential.
The greatest challenge for me is consistency: consistently taking in fewer calories than I burn and not having ready meals or lots of beer!
Also, if you've a target weight in mind it might be useful to set yourself some interim goals that you can hit sooner: this'll help you stay motivated and not like you're nowhere near the top of the mountain.
The greatest challenge for me is consistency: consistently taking in fewer calories than I burn and not having ready meals or lots of beer!
Also, if you've a target weight in mind it might be useful to set yourself some interim goals that you can hit sooner: this'll help you stay motivated and not like you're nowhere near the top of the mountain.
As above - burn more than you consume and you'll lose weight. Whether you do that by burning more, consuming less or both doesn't matter. The calorie deficit is what matters.
I like to eat junk and drink beer and wine. Not always, not everyday, but also not worrying about it. To counteract that (and because I love it) I run, a lot. I'm lean, verging on skinny (6ft, 10.5-11st).
I like to eat junk and drink beer and wine. Not always, not everyday, but also not worrying about it. To counteract that (and because I love it) I run, a lot. I'm lean, verging on skinny (6ft, 10.5-11st).
yes burn more than you consume.... l was 2 stone over weight and went to the gym once a week but no luck and you had to wait ages to get on anything so bought a motorized treadmill to start with, and being semi retied and wanted to do something healthy as l had never had the time before kept to a healthy diet and have not looked back, lost my 2 stone and even done the run for life and going through the finish line was just fantastic l was so on a high, me just done that WOW , so l run out side now and that in its self is so different to running on the treadmill and doing the run this year 
In the most simple terms: EAT LESS FOOD. 
That's it. There is no diet you go on, you CHANGE your diet, FOREVER.
If you don't lose weight after a month, eat even less food.
You can't go on some fad trendy diet for a month, drop 50 lbs, then go back to your old pizza and full English habits, as you will put all that weight back on.
That's it. There is no diet you go on, you CHANGE your diet, FOREVER.
If you don't lose weight after a month, eat even less food.
You can't go on some fad trendy diet for a month, drop 50 lbs, then go back to your old pizza and full English habits, as you will put all that weight back on.
King Herald said:
In the most simple terms: EAT LESS FOOD.
That's it. There is no diet you go on, you CHANGE your diet, FOREVER.
If you don't lose weight after a month, eat even less food.
You can't go on some fad trendy diet for a month, drop 50 lbs, then go back to your old pizza and full English habits, as you will put all that weight back on.
and change doesn't mean NO bad food EVER. It means have the full english once a month instead of every week (and half what you usually have in it). It means have a takeaway as an infrequent treat instead of every friday night with the girlfriend and every saturday after the pub.That's it. There is no diet you go on, you CHANGE your diet, FOREVER.
If you don't lose weight after a month, eat even less food.
You can't go on some fad trendy diet for a month, drop 50 lbs, then go back to your old pizza and full English habits, as you will put all that weight back on.
The trouble with what King Herald suggests is that if you diet alone your metabolism will slow down. After losing half a stone on the diet you will find that you won't lose any more weight unless you reduce the food again. The way to prevent this happening is by having a moderate diet coupled with moderate exercise.
Cut out carbs and sweets. Jog for 15 minutes everyday and you will probably lose a couple of pounds a week without slowing down your metabolism. Nice and sustainable. Nice and easy!
Cut out carbs and sweets. Jog for 15 minutes everyday and you will probably lose a couple of pounds a week without slowing down your metabolism. Nice and sustainable. Nice and easy!
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