Help - Trouble Loosing Weight & Getting Tone

P

Puggy

0
Hey Guys,

Well this is my first post on this forum, its good to be here, you all look like you know what you're doing.
I am nearly 15, 6'3 and about 105kg. I live in VIC, Australia.

I am on a few different medications for my mental health that have been affecting my weight and metabolism ever since I was about 9.
They add weight, which I work off every week, maintaining 105kg. They lower my metabolism to get rid of weight. And they make me more tired not aiding in being able to go for 30 minutes at a time with high intensity.

I really want to have a better looking body. And I think the first step would be to loose fat. To show the muscles I already have, which I have from doing regular excersize weekly. What is the best way to loose weight, show more definition? Also to have the energy to go for longer periods of time, I don't want to be taking things that will put on weight though.

I eat well too. Breakfast - Low fat yogurt and muesli. Snack - Canned Pinapple or Other Fruit. Lunch - Stirfry or Sandwhich. Dinner - Various (But Healthy). I know I can maintain my weight, but now I want to show my muscle and loose that flabby gut.

Workout Plan is: 1 hour at Gym use of caffine tablet (High Intensity), 1.5 hours at Footy Training (Medium Intensity), 1.5 hours play Footy Game (Medium Intensity)

What can I do?

Thanks
Daniel
 
Would any supplements that boost my metabolizm be good? What would they be?
I am going to start having more green tea to help, what else can I do?
 
Hi Daniel, unfortunately this site attracts a lot of spam, which the above comments look like.

A quick suggestion with your diet: fresh fruit will serve you better than canned fruit, largely due to the syrup that canned fruit is kept in (lots of extra sugar). Stirfries and sandwiches are a bit of a wildcard here, due to the various things that could be in them, so there could be room for improvement in the content there, too.

Exercise-wise, if you can't do more than 30min at a time at a high intensity, you don't have to. Work within your means. When I first started out, there was no way I was doing more than 30min in a session. Over several months I built up to hour-long sessions, and maintained that for a long time. Now I typically train for 2 hours at a time, and there have been times when I've done 3-4 hour sessions. I'm not saying that you should aspire to those insane durations (and they are insane), I'm just saying that while it's generally good in fitness to push your boundaries, there's no need to overstep them.
 
Goldfish said:
Hi Daniel, unfortunately this site attracts a lot of spam, which the above comments look like.

A quick suggestion with your diet: fresh fruit will serve you better than canned fruit, largely due to the syrup that canned fruit is kept in (lots of extra sugar). Stirfries and sandwiches are a bit of a wildcard here, due to the various things that could be in them, so there could be room for improvement in the content there, too.

Exercise-wise, if you can't do more than 30min at a time at a high intensity, you don't have to. Work within your means. When I first started out, there was no way I was doing more than 30min in a session. Over several months I built up to hour-long sessions, and maintained that for a long time. Now I typically train for 2 hours at a time, and there have been times when I've done 3-4 hour sessions. I'm not saying that you should aspire to those insane durations (and they are insane), I'm just saying that while it's generally good in fitness to push your boundaries, there's no need to overstep them.
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Hey Ryan, I see the spam, thanks for all the recommendations. I will stay off the canned fruit, just found out one of my locals sells fruitsalad for an extra 50c compared to the canned stuff. Sandwhiches, which I hate, what could I replace them with? Whats something easy to make in the mornings?

I have been training for the last few weeks, but haven't noticed a large amount of weight loss, except some toning in my legs and chest. Most of the flab around those areas seem to have decreased dramatically. I am up to 1 hour 5 times a week, which is as much as I can allow myself. I am planning on getting a barbell set at discount excersize warehouse so I can do more weights at home and cardio at gym. I don't think I will ever train that long, that would really be pushing my medication, lol!

- Daniel
 
Steve Collins said:
Hi, You must take multi-vitamins, nutritional supplements, avoid oily fatty junk food, consume at least 2 lts. of water, avoid soda, you must walk for at least half an hour after all your meals.
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Berocca Multivitamin - fizzes up in water in morning, what types of nutritional supplements?, already avoid anything oily and fatty, definatly don't cosume enough water!
 
Puggy said:
Hey Ryan, I see the spam, thanks for all the recommendations. I will stay off the canned fruit, just found out one of my locals sells fruitsalad for an extra 50c compared to the canned stuff. Sandwhiches, which I hate, what could I replace them with? Whats something easy to make in the mornings?

I have been training for the last few weeks, but haven't noticed a large amount of weight loss, except some toning in my legs and chest. Most of the flab around those areas seem to have decreased dramatically. I am up to 1 hour 5 times a week, which is as much as I can allow myself. I am planning on getting a barbell set at discount excersize warehouse so I can do more weights at home and cardio at gym. I don't think I will ever train that long, that would really be pushing my medication, lol!

- Daniel
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're actually getting good results so far. A lot of people take several months before they see any results. If you're getting some tone/definition, it signifies that you're losing some fat and gaining some muscle. Is good.

As far as lunch goes, I'm a simple man, so when I'm doing it right, it'll often just be some meat and vegetables, perhaps just left-overs from dinner the night before (when I'm not doing it right, I'm drowning myself in KFC -- not recommended). If there are vegetables that you're happy to eat raw, that obviously reduces the amount of time required to prepare them. Peas, beans, carrot and broccoli are all staples in my household, and they steam very quickly. Salads are good, too. Just make sure you feel satiated once you're finished eating.
 
Goldfish said:
Sounds like you're actually getting good results so far. A lot of people take several months before they see any results. If you're getting some tone/definition, it signifies that you're losing some fat and gaining some muscle. Is good.

As far as lunch goes, I'm a simple man, so when I'm doing it right, it'll often just be some meat and vegetables, perhaps just left-overs from dinner the night before (when I'm not doing it right, I'm drowning myself in KFC -- not recommended). If there are vegetables that you're happy to eat raw, that obviously reduces the amount of time required to prepare them. Peas, beans, carrot and broccoli are all staples in my household, and they steam very quickly. Salads are good, too. Just make sure you feel satiated once you're finished eating.
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Yeah I am happy, flab around the chest always annoyed me, relatively non existent when I am standing. And the legs are looking alot better, didn't realize I had such large calfs and now I am start to see some lines when I walk!

Lunch is always the problem meal, its when I am out and about or at school! I don't mind eating raw vege's at all, I already do so quite a bit. As well as ****loads of fruit. Yeah if I am not full up on healthy ****, I'll go and eat bad stuff. I am also working on my cravings. Today I had one piece of chocolate cake, and thats the only bad thing. I am trying to stick to my daily intake limit kilojules wise. Will have to get parents to get some more veges

- Daniel
 
Puggy said:
Hey Ryan, I see the spam, thanks for all the recommendations. I will stay off the canned fruit, just found out one of my locals sells fruitsalad for an extra 50c compared to the canned stuff. Sandwhiches, which I hate, what could I replace them with? Whats something easy to make in the mornings?

I have been training for the last few weeks, but haven't noticed a large amount of weight loss, except some toning in my legs and chest. Most of the flab around those areas seem to have decreased dramatically. I am up to 1 hour 5 times a week, which is as much as I can allow myself. I am planning on getting a barbell set at discount excersize warehouse so I can do more weights at home and cardio at gym. I don't think I will ever train that long, that would really be pushing my medication, lol!

- Daniel
Click to expand...

A big problem people have when starting in the gym is their obsession with the scale. Not saying you are. Just putting this out there. This is not a "problem" in the sense of it being an actual problem, but a problem in that you want to lose fat, but if you're doing any kind of weight training that is new to you, your body is building muscle. These gains are typically called "newbie gains" and will last for about 3 months or so before your body gets used to the weights. This is a problem because you're building muscle and losing fat at the same time, which is going to throw you off if you're keeping track of your weight on a scale. I gave up on the scale a while ago. As long as you're getting the results you want and are happy with what you see in the mirror, don't worry about what the scale says :)
 
I have had to use scales a number of times to ensure my wieght was right, on each of those occasions it was fudged anyway as I needed to be in lower weight classes to do well, boxing, lifting etc.
If this isn't important, neither is your exact weight. As Justin says the mirror is king on aesthetic training, however if you are able to use this without being influenced by mood etc. I would call you a freak of nature, so use with caution. If you are feeling upbeat you will see a better visage in the mirror than when having a bad day, even if you were leaner and more impressive, so in the same way as weight becomes more accurate if taken as an average trend, so does self image.

If you are enjoying your training and being safe, you will look better anyway. It gives you an air of confidence and satisfaction people are drawn to.
 
Well, the gym now doesn't feel like a chore to me. I am spending 8 hours a week doing weights, not noticing alot but feeling alot. I am then spending 3 hours of cardio, the cardio is the hardest thing. I really enjoy weights but cardio feels a little like a chore. I got my membership at the gym for $18 fortnightly, so I am getting my moneys worth. I have been 'selectively eating' so not totally dieting, but carefully selecting what I am eating. I haven't majorly changed my diet, but eating fruit and veges instead of other stuff. I am proud to say I have lost 7kg, it doesn't look like alot in the mirror, but I certainly feel alot better. As you said its not so much about the scale, its about what I can see and how I feel. I didn't realize how easy it is to loose weight, and I am happy for it. Once I reach 90kg. I am 98kg now. I will start on some low carb protein and start to bulk from there.
 
Doing well there. Weight training is generally more enjoyable for most, only freaks like me enjoy plodding along doing cardio, and even I do virtually all of this outside with music for company.
There are ways you can do weights that make them cardio. There are a number who think only running cycling etc is in this range, their ignorance is generally encouraged by those wanting to profit from it. In the same way as running flat out for 10 seconds and stopping is not cardio because it has spiked your heart rate and then dropped off so weights that you can do for a duration while keeping heart rate elevated is great cardio.
If you are breathing freely and not resting that usually means you are in an effective cardio range. As such having a barbell, some dumbells and a step you can do a cardio session without touching a machine. Below is an example using all free weights and a step, weights will be light, movements smooth and rests non-existant. Balance curteousy of BALS (Back Arms Legs Stomach)
Warmup, cool down and stretching are to be done around this.

Keep each movement going for 1 minute at a time, repeat 3 times to give 24 minutes of workout, this will go over because of time taken to switch positions, make these swift to keep heart rate going.
Deadlift
Dumbell press laid on step
Step ups with dumbells
Alternate elbows to knees laid on step, feet never touch floor
Bent over rowing
Shoulder press
Squats
Hold tight crunches

This will use weight for intensity so these need to be low. If you feel stitch at all or out of breath more than occasionally you need to drop the intensity. The increase will come in time.

Dropping carbs and increasing protein will not help you bulking up. There is a closely guarded secret the shake manufacturers don't like advertised, especially to those carrying weight they don't want. The body wants energy more than protein for building muscle. You need energy to train, metabolise and recover, even breaking down protein takes energy. The human animal is designed to work best on high complex carb diet, that't the boring bland starchy food, plain pasta, potatos, rice even the big bad bread is great for this. This will seem sarcastic, and it is but not to you, I hate the mis-information propogated by those who have spent long enough reading comics from wieder to have digested real books on sports nutrition.
There is a lot of confusion regarding converting fat to muscle of muscle turning to fat, simply put neither happen, but there is more to it than simple dismissal. Excess fat you are carrying is energy the body will happily release to aid recovery and training if there is abundance it will even use it to fuel muscular growth. So the fat doesn't become muscle but as long as the body sees a regular amount of food coming in, usually assessed on carb intake, it will consider the fat something it can burn, and if you are training the muscle will be seen as something to protect and improve.

Bulking and cutting are an interesting set of terms and if you are carrying a reasonable level of excess both can occur at one time, scrawny ones like me have to choose one or the other. Training in the bulking range, 6 to 10 reps at rep max, will build muscle, the additional musle will burn energy, and if there is a slight calorie deficit you will build muscle and lose fat at the same time. This could see the scales stay constant or drop slightly while your lean mass increases.
Once you get to lower body fat levels this luxury will stop and likely never return again, then things get more complex and that can be lots of fun, especially when you notice an extra stone (about 5 or 6kg) you didn't notice and everyone else did and find out it was predominantly lean, can feel a bit of a prat then.
 
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CrazyOldMan said:
Doing well there. Weight training is generally more enjoyable for most, only freaks like me enjoy plodding along doing cardio, and even I do virtually all of this outside with music for company.
Click to expand...

I am really enjoying it, I can have some decent conversations, I am only using light weights as my strength isn't great. I have met some body builders who are quite big. All are alot shorter than me and have been skinny all there lives until bulking. One of them has been very good at showing me little changes in my excersizes to add alot more effectiveness.


There are ways you can do weights that make them cardio. There are a number who think only running cycling etc is in this range, their ignorance is generally encouraged by those wanting to profit from it. In the same way as running flat out for 10 seconds and stopping is not cardio because it has spiked your heart rate and then dropped off so weights that you can do for a duration while keeping heart rate elevated is great cardio.
If you are breathing freely and not resting that usually means you are in an effective cardio range. As such having a barbell, some dumbells and a step you can do a cardio session without touching a machine. Below is an example using all free weights and a step, weights will be light, movements smooth and rests non-existant. Balance curteousy of BALS (Back Arms Legs Stomach)
Warmup, cool down and stretching are to be done around this.

Keep each movement going for 1 minute at a time, repeat 3 times to give 24 minutes of workout, this will go over because of time taken to switch positions, make these swift to keep heart rate going.
Deadlift
Dumbell press laid on step
Step ups with dumbells
Alternate elbows to knees laid on step, feet never touch floor
Bent over rowing
Shoulder press
Squats
Hold tight crunches

This will use weight for intensity so these need to be low. If you feel stitch at all or out of breath more than occasionally you need to drop the intensity. The increase will come in time.
Click to expand...

Great, thanks for that. I will do this once every gym session just to increase my cardio times as this could have become a problem area if I had only lifted weights, lol. All these excersizes sounds perfect for me, and a good warmup before weights.

Dropping carbs and increasing protein will not help you bulking up. There is a closely guarded secret the shake manufacturers don't like advertised, especially to those carrying weight they don't want. The body wants energy more than protein for building muscle. You need energy to train, metabolise and recover, even breaking down protein takes energy. The human animal is designed to work best on high complex carb diet, that't the boring bland starchy food, plain pasta, potatos, rice even the big bad bread is great for this. This will seem sarcastic, and it is but not to you, I hate the mis-information propogated by those who have spent long enough reading comics from wieder to have digested real books on sports nutrition.
There is a lot of confusion regarding converting fat to muscle of muscle turning to fat, simply put neither happen, but there is more to it than simple dismissal. Excess fat you are carrying is energy the body will happily release to aid recovery and training if there is abundance it will even use it to fuel muscular growth. So the fat doesn't become muscle but as long as the body sees a regular amount of food coming in, usually assessed on carb intake, it will consider the fat something it can burn, and if you are training the muscle will be seen as something to protect and improve.

Bulking and cutting are an interesting set of terms and if you are carrying a reasonable level of excess both can occur at one time, scrawny ones like me have to choose one or the other. Training in the bulking range, 6 to 10 reps at rep max, will build muscle, the additional musle will burn energy, and if there is a slight calorie deficit you will build muscle and lose fat at the same time. This could see the scales stay constant or drop slightly while your lean mass increases.
Once you get to lower body fat levels this luxury will stop and likely never return again, then things get more complex and that can be lots of fun, especially when you notice an extra stone (about 5 or 6kg) you didn't notice and everyone else did and find out it was predominantly lean, can feel a bit of a prat then.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this, definatly a big in site. I am already naturally quite broad in both the chest and shoulders, which apparently is a perfect basis for becoming big. So you're saying that I should have normal carb intake from the protein powder, not trying anything to fancy. Or I shouldn't try anything like that. But then how do I get more muscular? I already eat quite a bit of complex carbs like that, what say should be my daily intake of pasta, etc?

Thanks
 
The circuit I have given is one example. Youu will be well served doing this for a few months then changing it to keep the body on it's toes.

Normal food is generally best for training regardless of whether you are building up, trimming down or maintaining. Adding supplements can make it very easy to throw balance out so if you are doing this be very careful, especailly as excess protein either will not be digested, converted to fat or urinated out.

Food pyramid is a good basis for balance. The versions I was used to seeing years ago simply showed sections to give an idea of quantity for balance, now many show portion numbers which is crazy. Human beings are designed to work best with diets high in complex carbs, low in sugars, moderate in fats and protein. Basically the opposite to most of the western world who eat high sugar, fat and protein and consider complex carbs the devil, too bland and incorrectly considered instantly fattening.

Exact intakes etc. I won't even attempt to advise. I don't know you, your training etc. Just eat in balance, if you find it's too much cut back all round, too little increase all round. Seems too simple to be true, and in truth finding a diet that simple is more complex than it should be nowadays but it works.
 
Well guys, been about 4 months now.
Have lost 7kgs. But on alot of muscles.
Have decent sized biceps. Traps are starting to grow.
Legs have slimmed down and are tighter. Chest is bigger and less flabby.
Shoulders are getting bigger.

Have stayed off protein powder. Eating a can of beans a day. 23 grams protein.
As well as pasta for carbs. Very happy with results. And my target to be alot better by Feb.
Looks well and truly in the works.

Motivation hasn't been an issue even though I am depressed.
My diet hasn't changed except for the addition of not snacking and more protein and complex carbs.
 
Good stuff. Take it you're well and truly ready for some new sessions and will be able to increase intensity now due to increased fitness.
Really good to see people doing well from comittment!
 
Hitting it pretty hard. Trying not to over do it, because of some mental problems in which over excersize cannot help. But will keep it up and everything thing will work out. Once you know loosing weight and putting on muscle is within reach, its hard to give it up!
 
we make weight loss much more difficult than it needs to be with extreme diets that leave us cranky and starving, unhealthy lifestyle choices that undermine our dieting efforts, and emotional eating habits that stop us before we get started. But there’s a better way! You can lose weight without feeling miserable. By making smart choices every day, you can develop new eating habits and preferences that will leave you feeling satisfied.
 
yes any supplements that boost your metabolizm are good and there are some real weight loss supp's . also I am going to start having more green tea to help even further
 
LissaCoffey said:
yes any supplements that boost your metabolizm are good and there are some real weight loss supp's . also I am going to start having more green tea to help even further
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While I agree with you about the green tea, I do have to say that most supplements are junk.
 
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