Weight loss/dieting and training

[Monk]

Anyone have any decent tips or programmes?

 

Need to shift about two stone in two months, easily do-able but need to drastically lose and start training again.

 

Snapped my achillies tendon when 16 and stopped playing football, a lot of my mates are gym heads or rugby players so are all in decent shape.

Re-joined the gym today, need rid to tone chest and stomach asap.

 

Due to work, starting to think it's a bit hypercritical if I am not in decent shape.

 

Diet wise, only drinking water and going to cut out carbs (not so sure if good for a gym adn cardio programme)

[anothersaintinsouthsea]

Unless you've got fantastic will power then I reckon the only proven way to get fit, lose weight and keep it off is to do it slowly over time. 2 stone in 2 months is v challenging in my mind. I'd suggust a modest reduction in calories (best method is portion control) and a mix of weights and aerobic excercise. Have a look at high intensity interval training on the web. 5-a-side is also cracking for fitness.

[Turkish]

Have a look at this...

 

http://www.myfitnesspal.com

 

Track your diet using that, it really helps.

[Monk]

Cheers Turkish, seem to remember reading some programmes and work outs you followed.

[Turkish]

This is a very good workout, but you need to know how to use Kettlebells properly or you'll injure yourself.

 

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?36292-Try-this-workout

 

Kettlebells are great for burning fat and toning.

[Sev]

Have a look at this...

 

http://www.myfitnesspal.com

 

Track your diet using that, it really helps.

+1

I have the app for this on my phone and find it very useful for helping maintain weight when doing a lot of training. I know a few others who are using it to help with weight loss and it's really working for them too.

[egg]

Decent balance of cardio and weights for starters. Get on the mens health website where you'll get loads of tips.

 

Stick with basics for now. Running, cycling, cross training, bench press, chins, dips, curls etc.

 

As Adrian says you need fuel. Just cut out the rubbish, ie sugar, bread and generally fatty stuff. Snack on nuts and fruit rather than crisps and sweets.

 

If possible get a plan from a personal trainer and change what you do every six weeks to keep you and your body interested.

[stu0x]

If you are out of shape, and you work like a Trojan, then you could potentially shift 2 stone in 2 months - but it won't be permanent weight. 1.5lb/week (with a lot of hard work) of fat is possible. That would mean a calorie deficit of over 1000 per day - not easy. The rest will be water weight, which will pile back on as soon as you revert to a normal regime.

 

Weight loss is simple, far more simple than it is made out to be. Burn off more calories than you take in. Anyone complicating it beyond that is likely doing so to sell you something.

 

Now, if you are already in good shape, and you want to train to a particular goal, then you have to start getting increasingly technical to achieve best results. But if you're going from zero and just want to shift some weight, it really is that easy. So for general weight loss...

 

- Don't cut out carbs entirely. You need them, just like you need fats. Just at the right time and in the right amounts. Assuming you're planning to exercise early afternoon (after work), have your carb load at lunchtime (brown pasta, brown rice, or a jacket potato), and then don't have any with dinner.

- Make sure you have breakfast, one of the fibre-rich cereals is a good idea (Shreddies or Bran Flakes).

- Try and cut out/down bread, refined (ie normal) pasta, and beer. Empty calories.

- For training, stick with basic CV (running and cross-trainer and probably the most intensive), and do some very basic resistance work. If your main aim is to shift weight you're not going to be able to gain any substantial mass at the same time so there's no need to go crazy, but lifting will improve your core strength and improve the rate at which you burn calories when resting.

- Most importantly, don't overtrain. The reason most people fail is they go from zero to 100%, they knacker their body and lose interest.