Cycling, shake and water

M

Mag!cman

0
Hi!
I'm a soon to be 32 year old guy who needs to lose some weight from my stomach (cycle tire on the lower part) and face (double chin, sides of face/fatty cheeks).

I'm 6ft and 78kilos so not really fat, kinda slim with those two problems (stomach,face fat).

As I ahve kinda bad knees I prefer to cycle in the gym, so I start on the "skiing" machine (i think thats the crosstrainer not sure) and do something like 7mins on it then shift to the cycle and do something like 20 mins on it.

So that it does not get boring I try to do some extra exercise like rowing and stomach crunches and a little biceps (trying to push myself and get some stamina as well).


My questions:
1. Is that good or the only way to lose stomach and face fat is to jog/run?

2. After I finish I usually have one of those "recovery shakes", but a pal told me thats not recommended if I am trying to lose weight around my stomach/face. True or false?

3. When I am back home after the gym (around 20-30 mins later) I get extremely thirsty and like to drink 2-3 glasses of water, the same pal told me thats not good as that means my body will retain water so its better to sip half a glass for like 10-20 mins or something.

I'm not looking for a huge body but just to get a bit fit but am very confused. Any help appreciated.

Thanks!
Ryan

P.S Sorry if this was posted in the wrong place, this is my first post here after finding you via google.
 
Mag!cman said:
Hi!
I'm a soon to be 32 year old guy who needs to lose some weight from my stomach (cycle tire on the lower part) and face (double chin, sides of face/fatty cheeks).

I'm 6ft and 78kilos so not really fat, kinda slim with those two problems (stomach,face fat).

As I ahve kinda bad knees I prefer to cycle in the gym, so I start on the "skiing" machine (i think thats the crosstrainer not sure) and do something like 7mins on it then shift to the cycle and do something like 20 mins on it.

So that it does not get boring I try to do some extra exercise like rowing and stomach crunches and a little biceps (trying to push myself and get some stamina as well).


My questions:
1. Is that good or the only way to lose stomach and face fat is to jog/run?

2. After I finish I usually have one of those "recovery shakes", but a pal told me thats not recommended if I am trying to lose weight around my stomach/face. True or false?

3. When I am back home after the gym (around 20-30 mins later) I get extremely thirsty and like to drink 2-3 glasses of water, the same pal told me thats not good as that means my body will retain water so its better to sip half a glass for like 10-20 mins or something.

I'm not looking for a huge body but just to get a bit fit but am very confused. Any help appreciated.

Thanks!
Ryan

P.S Sorry if this was posted in the wrong place, this is my first post here after finding you via google.
Click to expand...


While I am no health guru, I can absolutely tell you that it doesn't matter what kind of exercise you do, your body is going to burn fat where it wants to. Doing situps isn't going to make your body burn more fat on that part of your body. The most important thing is that your heart rate goes up and stays up for long periods of time - this is called "Cardiovascular" training. This is the best and most efficient way to burn fat. Running just happens to be one of the most cardio-intensive exercises you can do. As I said, it's heart rate that counts. If you're not getting winded by the time you're done with your exercise, you're not really pushing yourself hard enough.

And the fact that you're getting thirsty is a sign you're dehydrated which will make it hard for you to lose weight. You need to drink enough water to make your urine clear to only slightly yellow. Otherwise, a lot of the work you're doing is going to waste. Your "buddy" is somewhat right except the only caveat is that it doesn't matter how quickly or slowly you drink water, your body will retain water if it's dehydrated. Also, chugging a bunch of water either right before or after a workout will make you nauseous. So drink lots of water, stock up about 30 minutes before your exercise, wait until you're feeling okay, then workout, and drink more afterwards. Just think of it this way...you can't really drink TOO much water, but you can certainly not drink enough. Why not be safe?

As far as the protein drinks are concerned...it really does not matter if you get your calories from soft drinks or cheeseburgers or protein shakes. If you have an excess of calories (more calories consumed versus calories burned) in your diet you're going to gain weight. If you don't have quite enough...you're going to lose weight. I have found, though, that certain protein drinks do help to reduce post-workout muscle fatigue and speed up the recovery process.
 
If you have a smartphone like android or iPhone, you can try this app: MyFitnessPal

If not, you can visit it on your computer. it's a bit complicated to use but once you figure it out you'll be amazed how helpful it is. Just be careful about the user-generated nutrition facts - sometimes they're way off. (Saw a half pizza serving for only 120 calories and 180g of fat...WAY off).
 
Mag!cman said:
Thanks for replying and the advise guys!
Click to expand...

No problem. Also, just remember, it's important to eat ENOUGH calories otherwise you're, again, shooting yourself in the foot. Too few calories will cause your body to go into "starvation mode" which will cause your metabolism to slow down and impede your progress as well as cause you to gain weight. A minimum of 1200 calories should be consumed per day for a male. A few more are needed if you're active or lightly active - you should find a "calorie calculator" somewhere on the net and use it to find out, then with the help of the MyFitnessPal food journal, you should be well on your way to losing that weight. Just make sure you log everything you eat. :)

Good luck!
 
It would be better not to run/jog so intensely right now since you have knee problem. All you need to do something best alternative until it heal properly.

I personally recommend you to try another cardio exercise like swimming.
Fact is swimming intensely does burn off many calories. However, when you swim, you burn off calories while in the water.

The work of calorie burning slows and quickly stops after you stop swimming. This is in contrast to other types of exercise where your body continues to burn calories while it returns your body temperature to normal.

Since you feel tired soon in the gym, I recommend spending at least 30 minutes in swimming pool or in sea if possible. The result you would get in the long run would be noticeable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top