Middle aged bloke problem...
Discussion
I lost nearly 3 stone a few years back from taking up running.
Even though you are overweight you have to start somewhere so just take it easy and do a little bit more each week. If you do want to run go to a decent shop and get a properly fitted pair of trainers.
I ran for 8 years and could eat what I wanted
I cycle now, its easier on my knees but doesn't burn as many calories. I cycle nearly everyday and do weights 3 days a week but I do eat a lot and drink so I am now 16 stone (bulked up quit a bit when I started doing weights again).
Going to stop drinking in Jan for 6 months in preparation for a 140m ride so hope to loose a couple of stone.
Good luck
Even though you are overweight you have to start somewhere so just take it easy and do a little bit more each week. If you do want to run go to a decent shop and get a properly fitted pair of trainers.
I ran for 8 years and could eat what I wanted
I cycle now, its easier on my knees but doesn't burn as many calories. I cycle nearly everyday and do weights 3 days a week but I do eat a lot and drink so I am now 16 stone (bulked up quit a bit when I started doing weights again). Going to stop drinking in Jan for 6 months in preparation for a 140m ride so hope to loose a couple of stone.
Good luck
I've been there, in fact I was a lot further down the road than you are.
Started at 42 years old, 6ft 6 and 28.5 stone.
Currently 45 years old, still 6ft 6
and now 21 stone.
If you Googled a picture of a beer swilling, takeaway eating, fat couch potato lazy slob then you would find a picture of me.
I've got 3 stone to go to hit my target weight of 18 stone, but I'm getting there pound by pound and week by week.
You've got far less to lose and should have a much shorter journey than I've had.
Booze - drop it from your diet full stop, I perhaps drink a can of cider or a pint of lager once a month
Food - my fitness pal, low fat everything, smaller portions, lots of green veg and grilled chicken
Exercise - whatever works for you, but at least 5 hours a week of exercise that leaves you breathless (I bike ride, circuit train and weight train)
You will have off weeks, just try to limit how badly you fall off the wagon.
Although diet is more important than exercise (70/30 ratio I think roughly?), I find exercise helps to keep me on track, why eat that chocolate bar/pork pie/cream cake when you are undoing all that hard work at the gym or that 20 mile bike ride.
My worst weeks have been where I've been unable to train or ride due to illness, work or whatever and I end up eating stuff that I wouldn't usually eat.
Do you work with any gym bunnies or have a mate that goes? working in pairs works really well for me.
I also have a PT for 2 sessions a week that really pushes me to my limits and has massively increased my mobility, strength and conditioning.
If I can do it at 45, with two young kids and an incredibly busy business then anyone can do it.
Started at 42 years old, 6ft 6 and 28.5 stone.
Currently 45 years old, still 6ft 6
and now 21 stone.If you Googled a picture of a beer swilling, takeaway eating, fat couch potato lazy slob then you would find a picture of me.
I've got 3 stone to go to hit my target weight of 18 stone, but I'm getting there pound by pound and week by week.
You've got far less to lose and should have a much shorter journey than I've had.
Booze - drop it from your diet full stop, I perhaps drink a can of cider or a pint of lager once a month
Food - my fitness pal, low fat everything, smaller portions, lots of green veg and grilled chicken
Exercise - whatever works for you, but at least 5 hours a week of exercise that leaves you breathless (I bike ride, circuit train and weight train)
You will have off weeks, just try to limit how badly you fall off the wagon.
Although diet is more important than exercise (70/30 ratio I think roughly?), I find exercise helps to keep me on track, why eat that chocolate bar/pork pie/cream cake when you are undoing all that hard work at the gym or that 20 mile bike ride.
My worst weeks have been where I've been unable to train or ride due to illness, work or whatever and I end up eating stuff that I wouldn't usually eat.
Do you work with any gym bunnies or have a mate that goes? working in pairs works really well for me.
I also have a PT for 2 sessions a week that really pushes me to my limits and has massively increased my mobility, strength and conditioning.
If I can do it at 45, with two young kids and an incredibly busy business then anyone can do it.
popeyewhite said:
grumbledoak said:
You get fit in the gym. You get thin in the kitchen.
Please, weightloss is roughly 50/50 exercise/diet. (Truthfully it's 55/45% exercise/diet. Exercise is also considered more important for it's other health benefits).Exercise does have a huge benefit both for physical and mental health.
We changed our diet, had to get some trousers taken in etc. It wasn't really a conscious effort just less crap. I haven't found booze made any difference.
The thing is I now covert a piece of fish instead of a takeaway. It's just a habit thing.
Occasionally I have a takeaway, and I'm mightily disappointed. My own cooking is better, I'm quite capable of knocking up some noodles or a curry.
The thing is I now covert a piece of fish instead of a takeaway. It's just a habit thing.
Occasionally I have a takeaway, and I'm mightily disappointed. My own cooking is better, I'm quite capable of knocking up some noodles or a curry.
Foliage said:
popeyewhite said:
grumbledoak said:
You get fit in the gym. You get thin in the kitchen.
Please, weightloss is roughly 50/50 exercise/diet. (Truthfully it's 55/45% exercise/diet. Exercise is also considered more important for it's other health benefits).popeyewhite said:
Why not? A couple of published studies have. Both got one group of sedentary adults to exercise and one to diet. One burnt the same amount of calories through exercise as the other group through diet. Controls were used and sample size good. The exercisers experienced greater weightloss. Not by much though.
I suspect the perceived effort to create the calorie deficit though exercise is higher than the perceived effort to create the calorie deficit through diet.Personally I find it much easier to exercise more than to eat less, but then I've been a runner for 28 years so it comes naturally to me.
ewenm said:
I suspect the perceived effort to create the calorie deficit though exercise is higher than the perceived effort to create the calorie deficit through diet.
Possibly, but some people REALLY like their food!ewenm said:
Personally I find it much easier to exercise more than to eat less, but then I've been a runner for 28 years so it comes naturally to me.
Same here, I don't particularly diet, just don't eat rubbish. I've run/weightrained for many years.popeyewhite said:
Why not? A couple of published studies have. Both got one group of sedentary adults to exercise and one to diet. One burnt the same amount of calories through exercise as the other group through diet. Controls were used and sample size good. The exercisers experienced greater weightloss. Not by much though.
Because no matter what the studies say, everyone is different and needs to find their own path, everyone is motivated differently. The biggest factor in losing weights isn't the science of it, but the mind set of it, the best route is the one that works for that person and that persons personality, that persons motivation.
A split of diet and exercise is good but trying to quantify it into a percentage is impossible.
Biggest problem with too much exercise is the "caloric compensation effect" - reaching for a snack when you've finished. Other studies have shown that moderate exercise (e.g. walking) can be more effective.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/1...
This whole area of exercise and diet is full of contradictory information because there are two industries built on convincing people that dieting is better than exercise or vice-versa, but it does appear that what you eat has more impact on weight than exercise.
"Members of the National Weight Control Registry are people who have lost weight and kept it off successfully for a minimum of one year. Of these people, 89% use a combination of diet and exercise, although 10% have had success using diet alone and 1% used exercise alone. However, research shows that the combination of exercise and diet is more effective than diet alone. Furthermore, while diet alone helps you lose weight, it is exercise that improves your physical fitness."
""As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise. An analysis of more than 700 weight loss studies found that people see the biggest short-term results when they eat smart. On average, people who dieted without exercising for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds; the exercisers lost only six over about 21 weeks. It's much easier to cut calories than to burn them off. For example, if you eat a fast-food steak quesadilla, which can pack 500-plus calories, you need to run more than four miles to 'undo' it!"
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/1...
This whole area of exercise and diet is full of contradictory information because there are two industries built on convincing people that dieting is better than exercise or vice-versa, but it does appear that what you eat has more impact on weight than exercise.
"Members of the National Weight Control Registry are people who have lost weight and kept it off successfully for a minimum of one year. Of these people, 89% use a combination of diet and exercise, although 10% have had success using diet alone and 1% used exercise alone. However, research shows that the combination of exercise and diet is more effective than diet alone. Furthermore, while diet alone helps you lose weight, it is exercise that improves your physical fitness."
""As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise. An analysis of more than 700 weight loss studies found that people see the biggest short-term results when they eat smart. On average, people who dieted without exercising for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds; the exercisers lost only six over about 21 weeks. It's much easier to cut calories than to burn them off. For example, if you eat a fast-food steak quesadilla, which can pack 500-plus calories, you need to run more than four miles to 'undo' it!"
Foliage said:
Because no matter what the studies say, everyone is different and needs to find their own path, everyone is motivated differently.
The biggest factor in losing weights isn't the science of it, but the mind set of it, the best route is the one that works for that person and that persons personality, that persons motivation.
A split of diet and exercise is good but trying to quantify it into a percentage is impossible.
Calorie intake/expenditure is quantifiable. The biggest factor in losing weights isn't the science of it, but the mind set of it, the best route is the one that works for that person and that persons personality, that persons motivation.
A split of diet and exercise is good but trying to quantify it into a percentage is impossible.
If you wish to discuss motivational psychology that is another matter, but it happens there are a number of psychometric tests used to quantify motivation as well. Although a number of psychometrics are based on Likert and are technically therefore qualitative, for the purpose of data analysis these are often taken as quantitative and are accepted as percentages.
Monty Python said:
For example, if you eat a fast-food steak quesadilla, which can pack 500-plus calories, you need to run more than four miles to 'undo' it!"
Part of the issue is implied in this statement - 4 miles is NOT a long way. It's a short run. We have become so sedentary in our lifestyles that moving ourselves on foot for a relatively short distance has become unusual and something that's a challenge.If we can change the mindset that exercise is something you have to decide to DO rather than just a background part of your day, then we can all be healthier. Walk into town, take the stairs, park the other side of the car park, play a sport with friends, etc. It doesn't have to be the (heavily advertised and monetised) gym attendance. There are few things less rational than driving to a gym to run on a treadmill...
Of course, you've got to want to do it.
popeyewhite said:
Foliage said:
Because no matter what the studies say, everyone is different and needs to find their own path, everyone is motivated differently.
The biggest factor in losing weights isn't the science of it, but the mind set of it, the best route is the one that works for that person and that persons personality, that persons motivation.
A split of diet and exercise is good but trying to quantify it into a percentage is impossible.
Calorie intake/expenditure is quantifiable. The biggest factor in losing weights isn't the science of it, but the mind set of it, the best route is the one that works for that person and that persons personality, that persons motivation.
A split of diet and exercise is good but trying to quantify it into a percentage is impossible.
If you wish to discuss motivational psychology that is another matter, but it happens there are a number of psychometric tests used to quantify motivation as well. Although a number of psychometrics are based on Likert and are technically therefore qualitative, for the purpose of data analysis these are often taken as quantitative and are accepted as percentages.
Good thread, I'm fascinated by weight loss science and the theories that divide opinion on the subject.
I've got a friend of a friend who lost an incredible 8 stone in 5 months on the Cambridge Diet, he's a cocky t
t and laughed at how quickly he had caught up and overtaken my weight loss total.
He's done zero exercise and to be fair he's kept 95% of it off for the last 6 months, but he looks very unhealthy, almost ill, whereas people that haven't see me for 6 months are amazed at how much fitter I look and how mobile I am (kicking footballs around with the kids, bike riding, boot camp etc).
This guy is my inspiration - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/peter-dropped-150-...
I've got a friend of a friend who lost an incredible 8 stone in 5 months on the Cambridge Diet, he's a cocky t
t and laughed at how quickly he had caught up and overtaken my weight loss total.He's done zero exercise and to be fair he's kept 95% of it off for the last 6 months, but he looks very unhealthy, almost ill, whereas people that haven't see me for 6 months are amazed at how much fitter I look and how mobile I am (kicking footballs around with the kids, bike riding, boot camp etc).
This guy is my inspiration - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/peter-dropped-150-...
Foliage said:
This again is an issue I've seen repeatedly on this forum, over analysing, over thinking the most simple and basic of stuff.
D'you mind? You directly addressed my post! If you don't understand something, just say. I'll happily explain it to you. But here's a tip - don't use words or concepts you clearly don't understand in the first place and you won't get caught out.ewenm said:
Part of the issue is implied in this statement - 4 miles is NOT a long way. It's a short run. We have become so sedentary in our lifestyles that moving ourselves on foot for a relatively short distance has become unusual and something that's a challenge.
If we can change the mindset that exercise is something you have to decide to DO rather than just a background part of your day, then we can all be healthier. Walk into town, take the stairs, park the other side of the car park, play a sport with friends, etc. It doesn't have to be the (heavily advertised and monetised) gym attendance. There are few things less rational than driving to a gym to run on a treadmill...
Of course, you've got to want to do it.
Careful, you may be over-analysing there. If we can change the mindset that exercise is something you have to decide to DO rather than just a background part of your day, then we can all be healthier. Walk into town, take the stairs, park the other side of the car park, play a sport with friends, etc. It doesn't have to be the (heavily advertised and monetised) gym attendance. There are few things less rational than driving to a gym to run on a treadmill...
Of course, you've got to want to do it.
A further worthwhile avenue to explore would be far greater public education. We can't change the damage the fast food business has done to the health of the nation so far, but it would be easily possible for the government to put several million into educating the public to the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, obesity etc. Still amazes me the money they've spent on anti-smoking measures, yet alcohol is still perfectly legal, costs the state far more and arguably does far greater damage both individually and socially. More public awareness of the importance of exercise is desperately needed.Another vote for a bit of running with Couch to 5K. Running's pretty much the cheapest way to get a bit more exercise, and less time consuming than going to a gym as you can run from home. Once you've got the hang of doing a bit of running find your local parkrun for a free weekly timed 5km as well. Thanks to parkkrun I now know loads of people who run ranging from slower than me to about as quick as I can cycle, and have much more motivation to run now that I meet up with mates for it.
The C25K programme starts you out nice and slowly (60 seconds running and 90 seconds recovery I think) and builds slowly enough to not put you off, I could really feel the difference week by week. Loads of phone apps to help with it, but I used these podcasts http://www.c25k.com/podcasts.htm
The C25K programme starts you out nice and slowly (60 seconds running and 90 seconds recovery I think) and builds slowly enough to not put you off, I could really feel the difference week by week. Loads of phone apps to help with it, but I used these podcasts http://www.c25k.com/podcasts.htm
For me, when I first started, the My fitness pal app was a true eye-opener regarding calories and sugar content in everyday foods. Once I educated myself, I swore to consume as little processed/fast foods as possible, and stick to foods your own body recognises when broken down.
Edited by chris watton on Friday 11th December 15:25
chris watton said:
For me, when I first started, the My fitness pal app was a true eye-opener regarding calories and sugar content in everyday foods. One I educated myself, I swore to consume as little processed/fast foods as possible, and stick to foods your own body recognises when broken down.
This is good advice. You can eat quite a lot of food and not feel hugely hungry if you eat the right stuff. Cutting out as much sugar as possible and not eating processed stuff is a good start,Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff