General Fitness Thread

[Gol D. Silvers]

I decided to start a discussion about this matter and I don't know if there has been a similar thread made in the past(If there was, feel free to close this thread then) so here I go: I've decided that I'm gonna live a healthier lifestyle by going back to the gym and dieting again. I say again because I did that before and I lost about 30 lbs. which unfortunately I gained back after 2 years but now, I've decided that I'm gonna stay on this path to a healthier lifestyle for the rest of my life. I currently weigh 220 lbs.(I'm 5'11, I checked the BMI and it was stated there that I'm obese however, I don't look that fat and I'm waaay normal compared to those who participate in the "Biggest Loser" reality show and I've asked a few friends and they did say that ) and one of the reasons I've decided to do this is: A lot of sicknesses run through my family from diabetes(My grandfather and father have it while my grandmother from the mother side also has it and many other relatives too) to heart-related diseases. So now, I want to hear from you guys be it tips/pieces of advice, sharing(If you have the similar dilemma or if you're underweight and want to gain weight etc.) to even words of encouragement. I figured I ought to share this just for the heck of it.

I appreciate the feedback though I probably won't be able to drop by as often as I would want to.

[looking_at_you]

you don't need to go to the gym all you need to do to lose weight is walk to the shops instead of driving lose weight fast doing it lol

[Hannyabal]

Sounds like a macho threat

Spoiler:

[SuperJew]

Honestly, while exercise is Very Much Encouraged, how much weight you'll lose depends on the diet.

The book I recommend for this is called Food Rules (I think) and it has very simple to understand rules that'll get you eating healthier.

Oh, and this isn't going to happen overnight. Set a timeline of 6+ months and be persistent.

[Flux]

Gold D Silvers - that's great to hear, I made a similar decision about a year ago.

I started eating loads of fruit, apples, oranges, grapes bananas etc, Cut down on the junk food kinda snacks etc, I cut out Coke completely (it's really addictive if it's like your mai/sole drink of choice for such a long period, referred to on here as 'Sugar Cola' sometimes) and replaced it with Diluted Orange Juice. And now that I'm on the DOJ I can't actually say I miss the taste of Coke, which is weird as I was so fond of it. I started drinking more cups of milk when possible too.

I began excercising every night. Sets of 20 pushups a night with some stretches and situps, and runs sometimes, since I like Running. It feels great because over the past year I've actually felt the effect, my muscles slowly getting bigger, and feeling a lot healthier in general.

Try that to get you started, 20 pushups before bed, see how many sets you can do. And get it going regularly, then evolve that when you can and try and cut out / reduce the food types I was talking about.

[The Beast]

I have really nice abdominals. I've kept them up for long enough that my lower torso is flat and firm, but it's still slim.

I work out to stay thin and feminine, basically. I've kept the same dress size for years. It's not like I wouldn't stay thin normally anyways, though, I've always been underweight or almost to the weight I should be my whole life.

Although I haven't actually worked out worked out in quite a while. Dancing and drumming just sort of upkeeps it in place.

I try to stay kind of healthy, though as a complete shut in it's not something that comes natural. Attempting to stay active keeps spirits up so I don't feel completely like a soulless mannequin, at least. But sometimes I forget to eat and when I do it's just meat, vegetables, noodles in one small dish. I am lazy.

My muscles will all deteriorate and die one day and they will take me down with them. I will be doing a sit up and my arms will fall off.

[Airflow]

You know what's awesome? A healthy metabolism.

[CCC]

Well if we're going to tell our personal histories...

I was always on the skinny side as a young child, despite not eating healthily and never doing any sports (except karate, occassionally). But then my metabolism crashed in middle school and I chunked up a bit (I was fond of using the word "husky"), so I went back to the karate and did it seriously throughout the rest of middle school and all of high school. By the time I got my first dan black belt I was quite fit (not really muscled though); about 5'9" and 140 lbs.

Then I went to college. I didn't actually gain the freshman 15 (maybe 5 or 10?) but stopping all physical activity, besides walking, altogether and being given the option of cheeseburgers or pizza for dinner every day was certainly not a good thing. As of last spring I was 5'9" (final height, I suppose?) and ~160, and at that point I decided to make a change.

During this summer, I cut soda and non-fruit dessert out of my diet completely, incorporated far more fruits and vegetables into my diet (which wasn't hard, because I barely had any before), and started going to the gym and using the weight training machines every day.

I was worried if I could keep it all up after going back to school in the fall, but so far I'm managing to get to the gym 5 out of 7 days per week and I've pretty much stopped eating the greasy shit that constitutes 80% of the cafeteria menu (what's left are salads and sandwich wraps, basically), along with staying off soda and sweets. And never any beer (just straight vodka shots; low calorie and super effective). Down to about 150 now.

I know it sounds cliched, but I've never felt better in my life before now. Definition in my arms and chest is just starting to show (can't wait for some fucking abs), and I walk with slightly better posture. I'm also not nearly as sluggishly tired as I used to be all the time, and I haven't gotten sick yet despite every person around me coming down with the typical disgusting fall-term cough/cold/sore throat.


So yeah- my advice: no soda, no sweets, more fruits and vegetables, and try to get into a gym routine (or even a workout at home). It's hard to make drastic changes like that in your life at first, but once you've stuck to it for a few weeks it's self-perpetuating, because you realize that falling off the horse means wasted effort thus far. Keeping that realistic body image as a concrete, visual goal is great too. It's what lets you push through the pain as lactic acid pervades your muscles.

[Uncle Kenny]

Decided to dig this thread up again (with a little help from mom) since I've been working out a lot more recently. I've been working out over the past few months and I've already dropped my weight down from 210 lbs. to 194 lbs. It feels good to be solidly below 200 lbs. again. Recently, I've been going to the gym with my best friend and another friend of ours that just got out of prison; we've been getting a solid routine going and drinking protein shakes after each work-out.

Also, over the past few weeks, I've been attempting to completely cut out soda from the things I drink. I figured it would be too hard to make the leap to water immediately so instead I'm going the middle ground and sticking with only water-based drinks for now (sweet tea, hi-c, orange juice, etc.) and when I'm ready to, I'll drop down again to water. So yeah... I've also been eating healthier as well, though this one is a lot easier since I know a lot of cheap, healthy dishes.

At the gym, we work out our arms, legs and abdomen, all three of us with the intention of being swole by the end of the year. So we're all pretty committed to the body building. I do also want to lose around 10-15 more pounds but to be honest, I don't look too bad right now. And besides, it should come naturally. It's been fun so far and it definitely helps that like... 20 of my friends work out regularly (seriously).

[killerbee1000]

I've been working out and dieting for the past year or two, and I've gone from 217 lbs all the way down to 196 lbs.

I work out on the weekdays and rest during the weekends. I work out a part of my body each weekday.
Monday-Legs
Tuesday-Chest and Arms
Wednesday-Buttocks
Thursday-Back and Shoulders
Friday-Abdomen
After that, I ride an exercise bike for half an hour. I do the heavy weightlifting every tuesdays and thursdays. When it came to dieting I didn't just eat healthier food, I limited the portion sizes in my meals and doing almost no snacking during the day and evening(except for the occassional oreo lol). I very rarely drink any pop now, I mostly drink carbonated water, juice, and milk.

My target weight is to get down to atleast 190 lbs.

[loneassassin]

Mondays and Thursdays I do arms and legs, Tuesdays and Fridays I do core exercises and a lot of cardio, and I run two miles a day on Saturday and Sunday. Wednesday is my rest day

[city_lights31]

If I hit 170 lbs in the next six months (currently 192) then I am going to get a mohawk. I want a mohawk.

[Uncle Kenny]

Just got back from the gym and shit am I worn out. We did arms today, a few burn-out exercises, hit the cardio and sat in the sauna for a good 10 minutes. Then we ate Subway afterward for that itis effect. Heuuh... Shit... Can't wait to rest and recover this weekend.

[Kitsune Inferno]

I have lost like 30 pounds in four months.

[GJardim]

Good work guys.
I've been trying to do some "home workout" since the beggining of the year and it's paying off. My abs are nearly shaped and my chest and arms are now atleast decent. I guess I'll just maintain it from now on: 3 days doing workout and 1 playing soccer every week. I really want to swin again though, I feel like I'm getting tired more easily since I stopped swimming.

[zachri]

My weight is an awkward son of a gun and it doesn't help I'm a shortass (5"3)... most of it tends to stick on my ass anyhow.

CHANGING THINGS SLIGHTLY BUT KEEPING ON TOPIC - I heard somewhere that if you do three minutes of intense exercise A WEEK then apparently that's enough (alongside a healthy balanced diet of course)... reckon it's true? Sure, it was research done, but... I have yet to actually try this yet (tempting tempting)

[Cyclone_Baroness]

I've been doing Zumba Rush for the Kinect for my cardio, I look stupid flaing around but I'm really burning calories either way lol. But I do want to get more toned instead of just droppin weight, I've got about 25-30lbs to lose overall, but I'm more concerned with tone. So Monday I'm going to start the Insanity workout. I'm not terribly out of shape, but since I have this job where I pretty much sit 40 hours a week I need something a bit more intense to counteract it. I don't eat terribly and I can easily stay under 1200 calories even with a grazing eating habit (every couple of hours). The job I had before I lost 20lbs in 2 months because I was able to fastpace walk 4 hours a day and I hardly had time to eat...Not extremely healthy but it worked, although gained it back with this job. I also stopped drinking soda at the time cause it cost money.

I think that regardless of diet if you can get in daily excerise it helps.

[cutty]

Well I would say the most important thing to lose weigth and stay healthy is the food. The best is to eat nutritious like fruits, vegetables, fish, meat without any fatty sauces and of course to drink clear water. It's enough to go jogging 2 or 3 times a week (and it doesn't have to be that long) cardio-training is always the best way to lose fat and weight.

[Uncle Kenny]

Well I would say the most important thing to lose weigth and stay healthy is the food. The best is to eat nutritious like fruits, vegetables, fish, meat without any fatty sauces and of course to drink clear water. It's enough to go jogging 2 or 3 times a week (and it doesn't have to be that long) cardio-training is always the best way to lose fat and weight.

That's not entirely true. It is true that you'll lose weight with cardio but without at least some form of minor muscle building, it'll be harder to keep that weight off without working out on a regular basis. Cardio eliminates fat at the time of the work-out but muscle building does the same thing and continues to eliminate fat during recovery (since your muscles will pretty much eat them up). So it's recommended that in addition to cardio, you do at least some muscle building. You don't have to be a body builder, but hitting some light weights should do the trick.

---

Anyways, as for me, we got another friend of ours to tag along with us to the gym so now our work-out group has gotten even bigger. I made sure that my partner, Brandon, and I completed all of our sets today so I really pushed him. I've been adjusting myself to his level but it's all good. My abs have gotten stronger already as well, which was a nice surprise.

I also met back up with a friend of mine from high school that I haven't seen in a few years. Learned a lot of crazy shit about some other friends' lives, namely that we're all not kids anymore. So that was a pleasant experience. I'll be doing legs tomorrow.

[cutty]

That's not entirely true. It is true that you'll lose weight with cardio but without at least some form of minor muscle building, it'll be harder to keep that weight off without working out on a regular basis. Cardio eliminates fat at the time of the work-out but muscle building does the same thing and continues to eliminate fat during recovery (since your muscles will pretty much eat them up). So it's recommended that in addition to cardio, you do at least some muscle building. You don't have to be a body builder, but hitting some light weights should do the trick.

---

Anyways, as for me, we got another friend of ours to tag along with us to the gym so now our work-out group has gotten even bigger. I made sure that my partner, Brandon, and I completed all of our sets today so I really pushed him. I've been adjusting myself to his level but it's all good. My abs have gotten stronger already as well, which was a nice surprise.

I also met back up with a friend of mine from high school that I haven't seen in a few years. Learned a lot of crazy shit about some other friends' lives, namely that we're all not kids anymore. So that was a pleasant experience. I'll be doing legs tomorrow.

I see, you're right.... so you go to the gym, how does your training plan look like? and do you have a nutritional protocal?