getting fit
-
That's the ideal goal. I'd like to get back into as good a running condition as I can - I am hopeful that I can get back to my old condition of being able to hop out the door and run 6 minute miles at will. I have a runners/cyclists build, and I do NOT bulk up no matter what I do - I've tried weight lifting, etc, and it simply makes no difference. So, for my frame, I'd rather be lean than carry the spare tire around (it looks ridiculous on me because I don't have the bulk to kind of offset it elsewhere). My first 3-4 years of college were spent hovering around 140. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
Ah, yeah... i can understand that. Could probably stand to lose 5-10lbs myself... but after years of being the scrawny kid who couldn't put on an ounce, it'd be a shame not to enjoy it now. :)
Firefox? CodeProject? GreaseMonkey? A better Life?
-
Marc Clifton wrote: Just remember how long it took to put it on Insanely fast. It only started after I started working a CSC in 1997 as a consultant and began eating out all the time, and stopped exercising for the most part. We have a digital scale, so I am getting (hopefully) accurate measurements there. Diet is pretty good, though I have since found that I have high cholesterol, no matter what I eat and it would appear to be hereditary. So I have to take lipitor, which is really annoying since I've never taken any medication, with the exception of the occaisional tylenol for a headache (maybe once or twice a year). Luckily I don't seem to be having any adverse reactions to it and it's dropped my cholesterol to 160 (from ~230). Haven't eaten red meat in almost 3-4 years. Once in a while we eat pork, but mostly chicken or turkey if we eat meat, and fish reasonably often. I used to have maybe 2 eggs a week, but have cut that back to maybe 2 a month, which also SUCKS because I love a bacon egg and cheese sandwich!!! Big salads for dinner. Smaller lunch portions, usually a sandwich my wife makes or some left over. Try to eat more whole wheat bread vs white (we don't touch wonder bread style at all) but the fresh baked ciabatta, and other baguette like bread is soooo good. Cut back on milk - about all I have now is in a bowl of cereal. My wife makes me eat oatmeal a lot in the morning, especially in the winter (I hate it, it's so boring tasting...). If I eat lunch out, I only get subway, and only allow myself a 6 inch turkey breast on wheat (that sounds unbeleivably kinky to type out...) with all the veggies. Sugar is mostly gone, I try avoid potato chips as much as possible, sometimes I get cashews instead. I rarely get coffee, but if I do I use honey instead of sugar. I do use half-and-half though. Fast food is gone (pulling of hair), pizza (unless it's homemade) is gone (weeping, gnashing of teeth), ice cream is almost completely gone (arghhh!), though we did splurge and bought a pint for the first time in about 6 months. I drink a fair amount or either water or orange juice at work. I try and eat fruit, but probably not enough - I have a really poor sense of smell and I suspect part of the reason I don't like fruit is because it really doesn't taste like anything to me. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User
Jim Crafton wrote: My wife makes me eat oatmeal a lot in the morning, I don't know if you've tried it, but I found adding nuts helps it out alot. Pecans are my favorite right now. Jim Crafton wrote: pizza (unless it's homemade) is gone (weeping, gnashing of teeth) Oh, man after spending a couple of years experimenting with homemade pizza I can't go back, and it is so easy to mix some flour, water, salt, yeast and oil together, sprinkle on some parmasan (sp) cheese and some fresh black pepper. I'm about 6' as well. I made it up to 205 and started changing my diet and excercise levels about a year ago. I'm down to 189 right now, my goal is somewhere around 175-180. I've been eating more fresh food, less processed and making sure I rarely eat until I'm completely full. I bike at least twice a week, and rotate tennis, swimming and hiking in the mix to keep from getting bored. My biggest change was moving to a neighborhood where I can start a ride easily from my house. Having to drive somewhere to excercise made it too much of a hassle. Good luck, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress already.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
Try counting the calories you are eating for a few days. It sounds like you may not be eating enough. You should never try to cut more than 500 or so calories off of what your bodies maintenance calorie requirement is. Cutting too many calories will almost ensure that our body burns healthy muscle instead of fat for an energy source. Our bodies were built with preservation as the number one goal, so if it notices that you have severely limited the number of calories you are feeding it your body will do everything it can to ensure that your fat stores are the last to go. This leads to a decrease in lean muscle mass which in turn leads to a lower metabolism which has the nasty habit of causing you to actually gain weight once you start eating normally again.
is there a particular way to guess at this? What's the right calorie count? Is it ~2500? ~2000? ~1500? ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
is there a particular way to guess at this? What's the right calorie count? Is it ~2500? ~2000? ~1500? ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
There are calculators all over the place on the web. Most of them only take into account your height/weight/age, but this one seems to look at your daily activities as well. I just found it with a google search, I'm sure there are better ones out there. http://www.diyglobalsolutions.com/bmr\_bmi.htm
-
Jim Crafton wrote: My wife makes me eat oatmeal a lot in the morning, I don't know if you've tried it, but I found adding nuts helps it out alot. Pecans are my favorite right now. Jim Crafton wrote: pizza (unless it's homemade) is gone (weeping, gnashing of teeth) Oh, man after spending a couple of years experimenting with homemade pizza I can't go back, and it is so easy to mix some flour, water, salt, yeast and oil together, sprinkle on some parmasan (sp) cheese and some fresh black pepper. I'm about 6' as well. I made it up to 205 and started changing my diet and excercise levels about a year ago. I'm down to 189 right now, my goal is somewhere around 175-180. I've been eating more fresh food, less processed and making sure I rarely eat until I'm completely full. I bike at least twice a week, and rotate tennis, swimming and hiking in the mix to keep from getting bored. My biggest change was moving to a neighborhood where I can start a ride easily from my house. Having to drive somewhere to excercise made it too much of a hassle. Good luck, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress already.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
andy brummer wrote: Good luck, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress already. Sigh, actually it seems as if I've hardly made any - at least any that would be noticeable to an outsider. Maybe in another 4-5 weeks it will be better. One thing I do notice is that I do feel a bit more limber. But I still want the damn spare tire off! :) ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
There are calculators all over the place on the web. Most of them only take into account your height/weight/age, but this one seems to look at your daily activities as well. I just found it with a google search, I'm sure there are better ones out there. http://www.diyglobalsolutions.com/bmr\_bmi.htm
Weird! I tried your link and for the age/weight/height I got 1902 calories a day. For the one where you estimate your activity I listed about 12 hours a day of light activity (Reading, Watching TV, Driving, Sitting) due to all the programming I do, and 40 minutes of walking (it takes me about 12-15 each way to get to the subway by our apartment, and then another 5-10 each way from subway to work). This resulted in 3010 calories. Add in about 30 minutes of calisthenics and running and you get 3256 calories! ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
There are calculators all over the place on the web. Most of them only take into account your height/weight/age, but this one seems to look at your daily activities as well. I just found it with a google search, I'm sure there are better ones out there. http://www.diyglobalsolutions.com/bmr\_bmi.htm
One other thing: the Body Mass Index calculator says at 5'11" and 185 I have a BMI or 26 which is "prone to health risks"* At 6'0" I have a BMI of 25 which is "desireable"* My actual height is something like 5' 11 3/4" so which is it? A difference of a single inch switches you from "prone to health risks" to "desireable"? Sounds nutty. *According to the Panel on Energy, Obesity, and Body Weight Standards published by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
I'm not an expert on the subject, but a couple of summers ago I realized my 180lb high-school physique had turned into a 'I've been married for 8 years' 235lb disaster. I did exactly what you're doing. Started running again (did a lot of that in my younger years) and doing the situps / pushups / etc. I started this in February. Without changing hardly anything in my diet, I dropped 45 pounds by June 16th. The reason I remember the day, is that I had set a goal to get to 185 by the middle of the summer. I missed my goal by 5 lbs, but I cannot complain. The great thing about running, is that (at least for me, anyway) it does 2 things: 1. It gets very addictive, as you start to get the 'runners high.' This is good, because when you run and it feels good, you'll run more. 2. Running has a built-in diet control. As you get more and more in shape, your body will complain if you don't give it healthy food. In summary -- it's possible to drop the weight quickly. I speak from experience. Interestingly enough, in the past 2 years I've put on an addition 10 pounds. For some reason, that just won't come off!
-
andy brummer wrote: Good luck, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress already. Sigh, actually it seems as if I've hardly made any - at least any that would be noticeable to an outsider. Maybe in another 4-5 weeks it will be better. One thing I do notice is that I do feel a bit more limber. But I still want the damn spare tire off! :) ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
Jim Crafton wrote: One thing I do notice is that I do feel a bit more limber. I'm sure I'm not doing things optimally as far as weight loss and fat ratios goes, but I feel better then I ever have. I said that just after I started, and I feel better even still. Jim Crafton wrote: But I still want the damn spare tire off! I still have mine, but I can tell that it is shrinking.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
Marc Clifton wrote: Just remember how long it took to put it on Insanely fast. It only started after I started working a CSC in 1997 as a consultant and began eating out all the time, and stopped exercising for the most part. We have a digital scale, so I am getting (hopefully) accurate measurements there. Diet is pretty good, though I have since found that I have high cholesterol, no matter what I eat and it would appear to be hereditary. So I have to take lipitor, which is really annoying since I've never taken any medication, with the exception of the occaisional tylenol for a headache (maybe once or twice a year). Luckily I don't seem to be having any adverse reactions to it and it's dropped my cholesterol to 160 (from ~230). Haven't eaten red meat in almost 3-4 years. Once in a while we eat pork, but mostly chicken or turkey if we eat meat, and fish reasonably often. I used to have maybe 2 eggs a week, but have cut that back to maybe 2 a month, which also SUCKS because I love a bacon egg and cheese sandwich!!! Big salads for dinner. Smaller lunch portions, usually a sandwich my wife makes or some left over. Try to eat more whole wheat bread vs white (we don't touch wonder bread style at all) but the fresh baked ciabatta, and other baguette like bread is soooo good. Cut back on milk - about all I have now is in a bowl of cereal. My wife makes me eat oatmeal a lot in the morning, especially in the winter (I hate it, it's so boring tasting...). If I eat lunch out, I only get subway, and only allow myself a 6 inch turkey breast on wheat (that sounds unbeleivably kinky to type out...) with all the veggies. Sugar is mostly gone, I try avoid potato chips as much as possible, sometimes I get cashews instead. I rarely get coffee, but if I do I use honey instead of sugar. I do use half-and-half though. Fast food is gone (pulling of hair), pizza (unless it's homemade) is gone (weeping, gnashing of teeth), ice cream is almost completely gone (arghhh!), though we did splurge and bought a pint for the first time in about 6 months. I drink a fair amount or either water or orange juice at work. I try and eat fruit, but probably not enough - I have a really poor sense of smell and I suspect part of the reason I don't like fruit is because it really doesn't taste like anything to me. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User
If you replace your fat with muscle, you will see that your clothes don't fit as well, but your weight might not decrease entirely - dont depend upon weight alone as a measure of your progress. Be sure to go somewhere and get a fat analysis, since you might not see drastic weight loss, but you should be seeing an overall improvement in physique. If you replace fat with muscle, I think it was one pound of muscle will burn 50 calories per hour (maybe it was per day :~ ) in a quiescent state. So you can lose even more calories as you gain muscle mass. I had high triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood clucose - because of transaturated fats in my diet. I countered with multi-vitamin, niacin (not niacinamide - got to read the label), B-Complex, flax seed oil pills, and occasional doses of cinnamon on various food items. Cholesterol also converts to Vitamin D if you get some sunshine and testosterone if you are exercising. Walking will take off the tummy fat. Situps will mostly burn calories and give you a fine set of abdomen muscles you probably won't see for awhile :(( This is working for me. It has been almost 9 months now, and I am still a work in progress :rolleyes:
-
If you replace your fat with muscle, you will see that your clothes don't fit as well, but your weight might not decrease entirely - dont depend upon weight alone as a measure of your progress. Be sure to go somewhere and get a fat analysis, since you might not see drastic weight loss, but you should be seeing an overall improvement in physique. If you replace fat with muscle, I think it was one pound of muscle will burn 50 calories per hour (maybe it was per day :~ ) in a quiescent state. So you can lose even more calories as you gain muscle mass. I had high triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood clucose - because of transaturated fats in my diet. I countered with multi-vitamin, niacin (not niacinamide - got to read the label), B-Complex, flax seed oil pills, and occasional doses of cinnamon on various food items. Cholesterol also converts to Vitamin D if you get some sunshine and testosterone if you are exercising. Walking will take off the tummy fat. Situps will mostly burn calories and give you a fine set of abdomen muscles you probably won't see for awhile :(( This is working for me. It has been almost 9 months now, and I am still a work in progress :rolleyes:
Blake Miller wrote: testosterone if you are exercising. God that's the last thing I need more of. I'm basically a walking hormone as it is. :rolleyes: If that happens I'll have to start wearing blinders on the subway, especially in the summer.:(( ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
1. Absolutely adjust your diet, as the others said. (e.g. carbohydrates after exercise reduce fat after-burn, zero-fat intake is bad because your body changes strategy and clings on to all the fat it still has, and many more funny stuff that is more or less true) 2. when exercising, it might happen that you put on some muscles, which - for the same size - are usually heavier than fat. 3. The human body is, basically, a water pump with a few-pound reservoir. Without a very regular day, weighting yourself at the same time (recommended early morning), and some averaging over the last few days you are just in for self-frustration. Keep us updated! Don't give up!
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
Jim Crafton wrote: Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? You need to weight train. If you only do cardiovascular excersises, and you now look like a pear, you'll simply look like a smaller pear later. You have to weight train to develop your muscles. Muscle required a lot of energy to run, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism goes, and the more fat you lose. Don't be deceived, though, you'll GAIN weight eventually as your muscle grows, because muscle weighs more than fat, so you can't think of your health in terms of your weight. At 6', it's not at all inconceivable that you'll end up at 210 lbs, but be in killer shape! Kyosa Jamie Nordmeyer - Taekwondo Yi (2nd) Dan Portland, Oregon, USA
-
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
You can't just track progress with a set of scales. If you exercise and replace a pound of fat with 2 pounds of muscle, it looks like you're gaining weight (which you are, but in a good way). You may need to define your goals more precisely - it sounds like you want to lose fat, but are measuring weight. I would suggest that you go to your local gym, and get a full professional evaluation. They should cover exercise regime, (which exercises, how often, how intense etc), possibly target and maximum heart rates, and diet. They will be able to take into account your age, lifestyle and current fitness levels. In theory, losing weight is easy. You just burn more calories than you consume. In practice, it isn't that simple, since different types of exercise will burn differing amounts of fat vs other energy sources. If you don't like running, try finding an aerobic exercise that you do like (cycling? swimming?) instead.
-
One other thing: the Body Mass Index calculator says at 5'11" and 185 I have a BMI or 26 which is "prone to health risks"* At 6'0" I have a BMI of 25 which is "desireable"* My actual height is something like 5' 11 3/4" so which is it? A difference of a single inch switches you from "prone to health risks" to "desireable"? Sounds nutty. *According to the Panel on Energy, Obesity, and Body Weight Standards published by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
BMI goes in bands - typically 20 - 25 is "OK", up to 30 is "overwieght" and over 30 is "obese". For a target BMI I would aim for the middle of the OK band, or about just below - say about 22.
-
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
You're not going to get rid of the gut that way. Situps don't work like that. What you're developing is some really strong, tough abdominal muscles hidden under that tire. There's nothing wrong with that, and fat doesn't weigh much - it's still very healthy! I've heard that turning exercises will help to accelerate fat loss in the midsection, exercises like the old windmills they made us do in school where you touch your left toes with your right hand and vice versa, but having no large gut I haven't tried them personally. Generally, the fat will be burned off all over, as you reduce your total fat content. You won't see any weight loss at first, either, since right now you're replacing adipose tissue with muscle tissue, and muscle is far more dense than fat. When I first started exercising a few years ago by taking karate classes I was surprised to find that I gained weight even as my body fat percentage dropped to about 6%. It makes sense when you think about it, but it's not intuitively obvious. You're on a great course here, Jim, and you'll never regret it (unless you really don't want to extend your life by another 20 years or so). I think you are already seeing lots of results, just not the ones you were expecting. I'll bet you have more energy during the day, more endurance than before, and very likely a more positive attitude about life in general. If you want to improve things fatwise, take a close look at your eating habits - calories in minus calories burned equals stored calories (fat). There is no way around that equation, as energy is a conservative property of all objects. It's summer, and there are all sorts of yummy fruits and veggies out there that contain no fat, and only simple sugars in small quantities. Pig out on Nature's bounty and lay off the dumplings and Twinkies. Make the equation negative for a while, and keep up the great routine - you'll love the result. Congratulations on selecting a wonderful lifestyle change.:-D "...putting all your eggs in one basket along with your bowling ball and gym clothes only gets you scrambled eggs and an extra laundry day... " - Jeffry J. Brickley
-
Jim Crafton wrote: Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? In the words of Eddy Merckx - 'Ride lots.'.
Yeah I wish! I love cycling, but living in Astoria and arguing with my wife about the safety of it make it less than appealing. Riding in Central Park *might* be an option but it's so damn crowded with pedestrians I'd be extremely nervous about be able to actually ride and far more worried about hitting someone. I suppose I cuold drive somewhere and then ride but driving through NYC/Queens traffic just to ride takes most of the enjoyment out of it, at least for me. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
Jim Crafton wrote: Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? You need to weight train. If you only do cardiovascular excersises, and you now look like a pear, you'll simply look like a smaller pear later. You have to weight train to develop your muscles. Muscle required a lot of energy to run, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism goes, and the more fat you lose. Don't be deceived, though, you'll GAIN weight eventually as your muscle grows, because muscle weighs more than fat, so you can't think of your health in terms of your weight. At 6', it's not at all inconceivable that you'll end up at 210 lbs, but be in killer shape! Kyosa Jamie Nordmeyer - Taekwondo Yi (2nd) Dan Portland, Oregon, USA
Ignore my prev reply (if you see it, I tried to reply to LunaticFringes post). Jamie Nordmeyer wrote: You need to weight train. In theory I agree. However I know myself. I hate the gym with a passion. Currently running is a bit of a PITA only because it's difficult to get back into it, but I can tolerate it. Gyms however are places of utter and complete boredom to me. I've tried many times in the past and never lasted very long, I just hate them. I've tried weightlifting - in high school I weighed 135 and could bench 180. And looked like a complete rail. Also gyms are at least $100 a month here and that's just more than I can justify on something I'll end up either 1) completely loathing 2) get caught/distracted by staring at the glorius T & A that will undoubtedly grace said gym Jamie Nordmeyer wrote: so you can't think of your health in terms of your weight. True. And I need to keep that in mind. I have looked at signing up for Taekwondo at a local place near the subway. They also want aroudn 100 per month, but I'd be a lot more open to paying that as that I would consider a lot more enjoyable doing. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
-
so this spring I finally got fed up seeing the 20 lb tire around my gut and decided to do something about it. I started running 2-3 times a week, and walking an addition 3 miles on the off days. Our spring was pretty cold this year in NYC so this was always that effective. Recently (the last 3 weeks) I have switched to running 4-5 times a week. This plus doing 15 X 8 sets of situps, plus an assortment of stretches and other situp like exercises for about 20 minutes after which I run. I am up to ~2 miles of running. So my question is: How long till I see some results? The running is slowing getting easier, though it's still a PITA. At best I'd say I've lost 6-7 lbs. I currently weigh in at 185 and I'm 6 feet tall. I'd like to drop down to 165. I'd like to get rid of the old gut too. Is there a better way to do this than running and situps? I am guessing it's going to take me at least all summer to accomplish this and take a fair amount of discipline to keep it off during the winter. ¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF!
you'll probably never get there, and I don't think you really want to. weight depends on a lot of factors: sex, body type, age, eating/drinking habits, health, amount of exercise. fit doesn't mean skinny and without asking about your age 165 for 6 feet looks a bit exagerate The way exercise works in losing weight is mainly that your body gets used to burning more calories. It is NOT about what you burn WHILE you exercise, is about the basic metabolic level: people who work harder or exercise often burn more energy while doing nothing as well than the lazy bunch. From what I read you need half a hour of decent exercise (something that would make you sweat) for at least 3 days in a row to produce a significant change. And breaks longer than 2-3 days will bring the level down again. That works both ways, if you work out you get a healthier appetite (and if you break your training routine the appetite takes a lot longer than 3 days to change :-( ). What you eat is also a problem, and it is a real problem. Try to use common sense and stay clear of fat-free, sugar-free, I.Q. diets. Just look around you and you'll that those diets are money producing confidence tricks that only work for those that write the books. The best thing is to avoid excesses and give your body what it needs (if you really crave something and don't eat it you'll only build up stress and once you make one mistake you won't be able to stop). Sea food is a good idea, also drink plenty of water and avoid too much soft drinks, tea and coffee. Also, if you start working out part of your body fat will get transformed into muscle. Different types of exercise produce different results, and your body type is also very important. For any kind of body shape changes, not only losing the love handles, you need to target them specifically. Walking is great for your social life (walking in the right neighborhoods, that is :-) ), but it doesn't do much for losing weight. Running is not a bad idea, but bad technique (sadly enough there good technique is required even for this) can get you in trouble with your knees. Good technique on the other side means that you spend a lot less effort for better results, if need to push yourself continuously. In my view (a lot of people will disagree) the best things you can do (all of them done together, not just one) are: - moderate running (just for cardio and mobility), biking or rollerskating are even better - swimming (it is cardio plus full body exercise in one) - crunches (read a book first, it's