Hi folks recently people have been noticing how fat my belly is going the rest of my body isn't that big i've just got this huge belly sticking out in front... I'm male 36 years old and 5ft 8in tall and I weigh in at around 13 stones in weight. I started putting weight on about 4 years ago when i quit smoking (guess I eat more now the food tastes better). I started going to the gym about 3 years ago but soon gave up when the missus had our last baby after pressure from her that I wasn't helping with the baby and around the house. But things am getting a but easier now and she's got a bit more energy so I have more time on my hands so no excuses from me anymore.. I NEED TO LOSE THIS BELLY... I've tried dieting lately but I work wierd hours as a bus driver so i'm finding it hard as i'm inactive for between 8 and 12 hours a day and finishing at 12 midnight to 1am some nights. I find I finish work and pig out most nights and as hard as I try I seem to pick at food.. Anyway i'm going to start at the gym this week and am definatley gonna keep it up but what i'm stuck on is what I should be eating and when I should be eating (don't forget though my shifts can be 2 mornings/ 2 afternoons and 1-2 night shifts each week) I also need to know what excercises to do at the gym. Any help would be appreciated
I need to get rid of my gut!!!
- Thread starter leetwin
- Start date
Hi Leetwin--welcome to the forum!
I think the biggest thing that will help you is learning to plan your nutrition and time for yourself to get to the gym. I'd suggest that you check out the "stickies" in the various sub-forums to help you get the basics about how to get started. Here is a "Weight Loss 101":
The first thing you need to do is figure out your BMR--basal metabolic rate. This will tell you the approximate amount of calories that you need to eat to stay at your current weight. Then you need to devise an eating plan that is well balanced and gives you about 500 less calories per day than that number--this is called a "calorie deficit". Calorie deficits require your body to tap into its fat reserves.
Once you have a target of how many calories you should eat, you should plan your meals out daily or weekly or whatever works best for you. It will probably be a good strategy to eat several smaller meals per day than you are currently doing--starving and binging is a horrible metabolic trap that will cause you to gain a great deal of weight, as you have learned! Pack your food in a cooler and take it with you to work--this way you will be prepared to eat regularly. Eating several smaller meals per day will help your blood sugar to remain more stable and fight off the food cravings. This means that you will not finish out the day feeling hungry, which is the feeling that leads to the binging!
Then, after incorporating a regular gym routine, you will begin to see your gains (via your losses)! Most people find good success with a combined program of weight training and cardio. Weight training helps your body to keep its muscle while in a calorie deficit as well as keeping your bones strong, and cardio is a great way to melt fat. BOTH are important for losing weight! Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot reducing, so you won't be able to "target" your abdominal fat--your body will choose which fat reserves to tap into!
Read around here--there's a wealth of information!
I think the biggest thing that will help you is learning to plan your nutrition and time for yourself to get to the gym. I'd suggest that you check out the "stickies" in the various sub-forums to help you get the basics about how to get started. Here is a "Weight Loss 101":
The first thing you need to do is figure out your BMR--basal metabolic rate. This will tell you the approximate amount of calories that you need to eat to stay at your current weight. Then you need to devise an eating plan that is well balanced and gives you about 500 less calories per day than that number--this is called a "calorie deficit". Calorie deficits require your body to tap into its fat reserves.
Once you have a target of how many calories you should eat, you should plan your meals out daily or weekly or whatever works best for you. It will probably be a good strategy to eat several smaller meals per day than you are currently doing--starving and binging is a horrible metabolic trap that will cause you to gain a great deal of weight, as you have learned! Pack your food in a cooler and take it with you to work--this way you will be prepared to eat regularly. Eating several smaller meals per day will help your blood sugar to remain more stable and fight off the food cravings. This means that you will not finish out the day feeling hungry, which is the feeling that leads to the binging!
Then, after incorporating a regular gym routine, you will begin to see your gains (via your losses)! Most people find good success with a combined program of weight training and cardio. Weight training helps your body to keep its muscle while in a calorie deficit as well as keeping your bones strong, and cardio is a great way to melt fat. BOTH are important for losing weight! Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot reducing, so you won't be able to "target" your abdominal fat--your body will choose which fat reserves to tap into!
Read around here--there's a wealth of information!
Thanks for the reply, i've already worked my BMR which is 3133.12 so I need to be eating around 2600 calories to start with that I understand, i'm also trying to eat healthier lots of tuna, chicken and salads and wholemeal breads etc, but I still have loads of questions like what is it best for me to drink because apart from the occasional cup of tea or coffee or glass of orange juice i've been trying to stick to mineral water but can you have to much of it or can it sort of stay on you? is it the best thing for you???? Also i'm gonna try and get to the gym 1st thing in the morning (work permitting) if I do should I eat my breakfast before I go or after I come back ??? Whats the latest I should eat as sometimes my shifts dictate when or where I can eat especially when i'm on lates (ie- 12 midnight finishes), Also within my gym routine should I be aiming to do cardio everyday and how often should I incorparate a weight routine into this(I used to do this 3/4 times a week)??? I would be grateful for more advice as I have so many questions.. I will try reading some of the stickies and find out some info in the meantime. thanks again for your help so far 
find your bmr with activity level.
start by making healthier choices, if you come home and start eating a bag of carrots at night it wouldnt be much of a problem would it, cut out all liquid calories only drink water.
try packing food with you when u go to work
your going to need to do both weight lifting and cardio but since you want to lose fat i would suggest cardio as much as possible if you have the time 5 days a week 45min cardio combined with 3 days lifting would give you tremendous results with a good diet check out the nutrition and weight training stickies. If your still crammed for time try doin HIIT at least 3 days a week for 20-30min at high intensity
start by making healthier choices, if you come home and start eating a bag of carrots at night it wouldnt be much of a problem would it, cut out all liquid calories only drink water.
try packing food with you when u go to work
your going to need to do both weight lifting and cardio but since you want to lose fat i would suggest cardio as much as possible if you have the time 5 days a week 45min cardio combined with 3 days lifting would give you tremendous results with a good diet check out the nutrition and weight training stickies. If your still crammed for time try doin HIIT at least 3 days a week for 20-30min at high intensity
Thats great as I can do cardio 7 days a week if need be as I have an elliptical walker at home which means if I can't get to the gym I also have that option, also have my own weights and bench at home so the same can be said there too... As for my diet thats where I seem to struggle more (but reading some of the articles on this site has helped me tonight)... Right i'm gonna give it a go and thanks again for the advice
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Try tracking your calories and planning your menus on fitday.com. I have had good success with a diet where 40% of my calories come from both protein and carbs, and 20% comes from fat.
It's best to approach this thing as a "work in progress"--ever changing and developing...you will get better at achieving dietary goals as you work with your diet. Perfefction will not be achieved on Day 1--it will take a little time. Start with the suggestions you've had here, and work your way forward--1. don't drink your calories, 2. mix up the cardio/weight training to increase activity level, 3. work on incorporating high quality foods into your diet to reduce overall calorie intake and leave you feeling full, 4. eat several times during the day to prevent ravenous bouts of hunger, 5. plan plan plan!!
Good luck!
It's best to approach this thing as a "work in progress"--ever changing and developing...you will get better at achieving dietary goals as you work with your diet. Perfefction will not be achieved on Day 1--it will take a little time. Start with the suggestions you've had here, and work your way forward--1. don't drink your calories, 2. mix up the cardio/weight training to increase activity level, 3. work on incorporating high quality foods into your diet to reduce overall calorie intake and leave you feeling full, 4. eat several times during the day to prevent ravenous bouts of hunger, 5. plan plan plan!!
Good luck!
Right i've just finished a very long shift at work and for once I don't feel over hungry as I usually do, Started off my day and had a bowl of low fat cereal, then went to the gym did some weights (even though I don't think i'm doing it right) and did about an hours cardio and if the machines am working things out right I burn't off around 700 calories, I then came back and had me a pasta in sauce for my dinner before heading off too work.. In my break at work I had a bowl of egg salad and a banana and then later on at work I had me a fruit pack of apples and grapes which I really enjoyed and to finish things off an hour or so before my shift finished i've eaten a brown bread sandwich with boiled eggs on... I've worked out this is around 2000 calories i've had today as the only thing i've drunk is water also... So hows that for starters am I going the right way????? Oh yes I also did 45 minutes on my cross trainer on sunday evening....
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its not bad, since your a newb i wouldnt worry about nutrient ratios and low carb stuff yet as you get closer to your goal or hit a plateu those things will then come into play . if your doin an hour cardio almost everyday you could probably even eat a little more generally try not to dip below a net 1500cals (you burnt 700 and ate 2000 that would b 1300) but for starting off thats pretty good. As for the lifting try either looking up proper form online, post qestions about specific exercises in the weighttraining section or if you have the money you could even schedule a personal training session, proper form is crucial not just for results but so you dont hurt yourself
You're off to an awesome start, Leetwin! Keep it up!
I've just finished my 1st week on my diet and even though you can't see any results yet i've stuck to it well i've also been doing my cardio every day except yesterday as I needed a break, also done my weights twice this week and will do both again today. Mainly been drinking just water except for an orange juice with my brekkie but have stuck to the healthly foods and snacks all week. One thing I have noticed as the week as gone on is that the fat around my belly is starting to go soft so here's hoping that I can keep it up and thanks to all for your help
Good luck Leetwin! Im also from the Uk, aged 35 with a huge belly - Im just about to get started on all this so Im about a week or 2 behind you - dont
Shaun
Shaun
Right i've done 2 1/2 weeks of this new lifestyle and guess what i've lost 6lb in weight already i'm delighted with that even though you can't see hardly any improvement off my gut yet the rest of me seems to be thinning out nicely people have even commented on it.. I've also brought me a mountain bike this week and wen't out for a 10 mile bike ride around our new canal system yesterday (is cycling a good form of cardio??) and am still doing my weights routine and keeping well to the healthy eating and aint finding it as hard now i'm used to it a bit... Anyway thanks to every for your advice and encouragment and i'm defintly keeping this up and hopefully 6 months down the line i'll have a great body... :yelrotflmao:
Cycling is a fabulous form of cardio, and its even better when you like doing it.
Congrats on the 6 pounds! Keep up the good work! You are doing great!
Keep.................Roooooooooooooooooocken......................onnnnnnnn!!
Best wishes
Chillen
Right just to let people now i've now lost over a stone in weight and am sticking to my diet as well as I can. Recently though i've broken my elliptical walker and am now unable to use it at home when I can't get out due to work so what I was wondering is there anything I can do at home without the machine to give me good cardio workout???
Can you buy another piece of cardio equipment or are you strapped financially?
I skimmed over your other posts, and unless I missed it in one of your other posts, it doesnt seem like you have any serious medical issues to prevent you from walking or jogging. Are you willing to try that?
To get the blood moving you could do things like: Jogging in place, skipping rope, burpees, juming jacks, and many other types of exercises like these to burn additional calories.
You could mix and match some of these to perform combos. For example, Jump rope for a few minutes and then go directly to doing burpees for a few minutes, and then jog in place for another few minutes. You could set up stations with the equipment you have and include body weight exercises and other card-like exercises, and have a "form of HITT" right at home.
There are many things you can do and one can string together various body weight exercises for a great work out that will get the blood pumping at the same time. Look up various body weight exericises, and cardio-like exercises that you can do, and string them together.
Keep ROCKEN!
Best wishes
Chillen
Chillen's advice is good--do that!
Also, weren't you bike riding there for awhile? Cycling is great cardio! You definitely want to have movement that includes both resistance training and cardio to keep the weight loss going...great work so far!
Also, weren't you bike riding there for awhile? Cycling is great cardio! You definitely want to have movement that includes both resistance training and cardio to keep the weight loss going...great work so far!
I still get out on my bike as often as I can but the problem is that before my Elliptical walker broke when my shifts at work dictated that I couldn't get out I would do an hour on that at home so the main thing I need is excersices I can do at home, I am looking into buying another walker or a treadmill but as yet the right one for the right price hasn't come up and with respect to jogging I suppose I could go out but I find that if I run on the roads that it really does my left knee in (think this is down to an old footballing injury)...
Hi folks been on my diet/workout routine for a month now and i'm amazed i've lost 22lbs so far which is great... What I was wondering is though can I lose weight too fast and am I losing it too fast????? I've been eating well since I started this and even though i've had the odd lapse my diet is 1000% better than it used to be and i've been sticking to the exercise and weight routine as well which I am really enjoying so I can't really see the problem....
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