Hey guys,
It's my first post, so go easy on me please!
I've just turned 25 and am about 5"11. Anyway, about 3 months ago I used to weigh around 85 kg's (187 lbs), until I started eating healthily and swimming 3x/wk, etc. etc. I managed to get my weight down to 75 kg's (165 lbs), at which point I have started doing weights at the gym. I'm now about 73-74kg's, so obviously I still have some body fat to lose. I can feel the muscle piling on (only been to the gym 4 times over the past 2 wks or so), so the weight training is obviously working! As you can see, I'm quite pleased with myself
However, after asking around, I think 73 kg's isn't overly overweight for someone of my height and build. I used to think I was slightly larger than a medium build, but people have been commenting on how "thin" I look now (as in, compared to before), and now I think I must just be of a medium build, definitely not a small build. The thing is, my stomach and face are still too big. Unfortunately, my mother has told me that I may never get rid of my puffy face (with slight double chin, which I hate!), but I just can't believe that's the case. Surely I can get rid of it?
I've done a bit of searching in these forums and have come up with the following points:
- Drink more water (1.5L/day sound about right?)
- Try to consume less than 2000mg of sodium per day
- Eat potassium (spinach/bananas)
- Add vitamin B6 to my diet
- Do face exercises (more detail on these please!)
- Get enough sleep (8+ hrs)
Is there anything else I can do? I have no idea how much sodium I consume per day, but since switching to healthy foods I never eat from any fast food places anymore (except once/wk on my "junk food" day ).
I have trouble drinking 1.5L of water every day, unless I've been swimming or to the gym. Is there an easier way to force myself to drink this much?
With the vitamin B6, can I just get B6 tablets and take those, or should I be targeting certain foods?
Someone suggested doing face exercises, sort of like smiling. This may sound funny, but I already smile a lot (people tell me this) so are these exercises any different?
And finally, the hardest point, I do get enough sleep (as in usually exactly 8 hrs/night), but unfortunately due to my line of work it's usually well after midnight until midday. My usual bedtime is around 3am. I've found that I always have dark rings under my eyes, and just above and under my eyes are puffy. How can I stop this? Is there any difference between going to bed at, say, midnight and sleeping for 8 hrs than going to bed every night at 3-4am and sleeping for 8 hrs? Assuming this bedtime is constant?
I think I will still have to lose another 5 kg or so to get my stomach down to the proper size. It's not huge or anything, but I'm judging this off the guy who's helping me with my exercise. He's pretty much the same height and build but has been going to the gym for around 2 years, so his bodyfat percentage is very low. So should I aim for 68kg after attaining my desired muscle "look"? He currently benchpresses around 85kg and I'm doing 45kg. However, I'm already ahead of him with the leg press (115kg versus his 105kg), and that was the first time I even tried it. Obviously I'm stronger in the lower body and he's better in upper body, so does that affect my target weight?
OK then, sorry about the length of the post, got a bit carried away! As you can see, I'm still fairly new to this weight loss/exercise thing, so I don't know the correct terminologies. Any help would be much appreciated.
It's my first post, so go easy on me please!
I've just turned 25 and am about 5"11. Anyway, about 3 months ago I used to weigh around 85 kg's (187 lbs), until I started eating healthily and swimming 3x/wk, etc. etc. I managed to get my weight down to 75 kg's (165 lbs), at which point I have started doing weights at the gym. I'm now about 73-74kg's, so obviously I still have some body fat to lose. I can feel the muscle piling on (only been to the gym 4 times over the past 2 wks or so), so the weight training is obviously working! As you can see, I'm quite pleased with myself
However, after asking around, I think 73 kg's isn't overly overweight for someone of my height and build. I used to think I was slightly larger than a medium build, but people have been commenting on how "thin" I look now (as in, compared to before), and now I think I must just be of a medium build, definitely not a small build. The thing is, my stomach and face are still too big. Unfortunately, my mother has told me that I may never get rid of my puffy face (with slight double chin, which I hate!), but I just can't believe that's the case. Surely I can get rid of it?
I've done a bit of searching in these forums and have come up with the following points:
- Drink more water (1.5L/day sound about right?)
- Try to consume less than 2000mg of sodium per day
- Eat potassium (spinach/bananas)
- Add vitamin B6 to my diet
- Do face exercises (more detail on these please!)
- Get enough sleep (8+ hrs)
Is there anything else I can do? I have no idea how much sodium I consume per day, but since switching to healthy foods I never eat from any fast food places anymore (except once/wk on my "junk food" day
).I have trouble drinking 1.5L of water every day, unless I've been swimming or to the gym. Is there an easier way to force myself to drink this much?
With the vitamin B6, can I just get B6 tablets and take those, or should I be targeting certain foods?
Someone suggested doing face exercises, sort of like smiling. This may sound funny, but I already smile a lot (people tell me this) so are these exercises any different?
And finally, the hardest point, I do get enough sleep (as in usually exactly 8 hrs/night), but unfortunately due to my line of work it's usually well after midnight until midday. My usual bedtime is around 3am. I've found that I always have dark rings under my eyes, and just above and under my eyes are puffy. How can I stop this? Is there any difference between going to bed at, say, midnight and sleeping for 8 hrs than going to bed every night at 3-4am and sleeping for 8 hrs? Assuming this bedtime is constant?
I think I will still have to lose another 5 kg or so to get my stomach down to the proper size. It's not huge or anything, but I'm judging this off the guy who's helping me with my exercise. He's pretty much the same height and build but has been going to the gym for around 2 years, so his bodyfat percentage is very low. So should I aim for 68kg after attaining my desired muscle "look"? He currently benchpresses around 85kg and I'm doing 45kg. However, I'm already ahead of him with the leg press (115kg versus his 105kg), and that was the first time I even tried it. Obviously I'm stronger in the lower body and he's better in upper body, so does that affect my target weight?
OK then, sorry about the length of the post, got a bit carried away! As you can see, I'm still fairly new to this weight loss/exercise thing, so I don't know the correct terminologies. Any help would be much appreciated.