I have joined a gym & need advise re: Diet etc...

neonitrix

Hi Guys,

I finally got around to joining a gym, I joined Westpoint in Blanchardstown for €395 per year.

I currently weigh 17.2 - 17.4 (108 - 109kg) I wasnt doing much excerise and my diet was crap.

I joined the gym last monday and have attended each day I have been put on a routine of:

Warmup:
10 Minutes Treadmill walking @ about 6.6 miles per hr
Warmup Stretches (Hamstrings/Thighs/Calfs)

Cardiovascular:
20 Minutes Cross Trainer
1500 Meters Rowing Machine
Treadmill 10 Minutes Running (hate running)
15 Minutes Excercise Bike

Resistance:
Ab Crunches (Ab Machine) 30 reps x 4

As well as this routine I have started using the pool and swim 20 - 30 Lengths - BreastStroke

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My Diet has gone thu overhall as much as possible, I used to drink about 5-7 Liters CocaCola daily for the past number of years (addicted to the stuff). I have now been off the stuff for 3 months and drink loads of water instead.

I stopped eating chocolate and sweets

An Idea of what I am eating at the moment is:

Breakfast:

Brown Bread Toast / Tomatoes / 1 egg Boiled or mabey fruit (dont like breakfast much)

Lunch:

Sandwhich - Chicken or Beef with Lettuce Scallions Tomatoes

Dinner:

Chicken Stir Fry with rice peppers mushrooms and other veg

or

Fish (Cod) with baby potatoes and veg


*Over the day I drink Bucket Loads Of Water & eat fruit if I get Hungry*
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Anyone recommend healthy menu options as I am trying to varey my diet.

basically what I am looking 4 is advise on what foods are healty eg. Porridge (good or bad) / cheese (good or bad) / Milk (what type should I drink and do I limit myself to how much I drink of it)

After reading the above will this workout routine & diet see me anyway close to loosing weight?

Also when I go out for a night what is best to drink out of the below:

a. Vodka (Smirnoff Straight no mixer)
b. Guinness
c. Bulmers?

(I am not going out as much and not drinking anywhere near what I used to) past week I had 4 shots of vodka and thats it.


any advice is appreciated


p.s. where can I get the body fat % test done?


tks


neo

tunney

Percentage body fat test _should_ be available in your gym, just ask for it and I'm sure that they'll sort you out.

Jak

For diet and food, there is actually a board here that I haven't looked at yet for such things, I'm sure they might have some ideas for healthier meals.

As regards your program, it is an ok fairly stock training program provided by the gym. Did you say you were training everyday?

While maybe 7 long low intensity programs is the way to go for you, motivationally, it is insanely difficult to maintain a 7 day training schedule in the long term. The most I ever managed was 6 and eventually that program fell apart from over training.

4 Days a week would be plenty.

Also, if you are doing each of those machines everyday, try not to.

Try maybe doing a single long session on one machine on each day, and spread the machines over the 4 days. I personally don't think the machine hopping approach is optimal in terms of training fitness (especially) or weight loss. In any case you have just started so take things slow, just keep going to the gym, even if you think it will be a bad session, try to build the routine and make it something you don't have to think about.

JAK.

m1ke

i've been on pretty much the same routine as yourself for the last 12 months. It has helped greatly. It's slow weight loss but has worked out at about 1.4lbs a week for 52 weeks.

Your daily diet looks like it could use another dairy product or two. Don't mind about special brands or l/f stuff and that, just consume in regular portions - 1 pot of yogurt, 1 cup of milk, 2/3 slices of cheese. The stuff is good for you. Also porridge as a subsititute for the breakfast you mentioned is excellent, especially as control of insulin levels. Something you can have on alternate days perhaps.

Drinking out - yea the shots seem to be the lowest, suppose ye could use some sort of diet soda mixture also, but too much caffine fecks u up. I think about 3 cups of tea/coffee etc.. a day is the max. Of course any sort of drinking seriously fecks up weight loss and training schedules, the less the better, its the place where ive always fallen down. From the exercise pov Jak has it covered.

D-Generate

Surely an egg a day couldn't be good for you?

Anyway the rest looks pretty good to me, but as Jak said the machine hopping isn't probably the best. I find just sticking to one machine for say 30/40 minutes is a lot more beneficial than using say 3 machines in that time. Going to the gym 7 times a week also seems a bit excessive, even if your body can stand up to it you will start to hate going to the gym because of boredom. Perhaps swapping one of the days with going for a long run or cycle outside might keep your interest longer.

The man to ask for cardiovascular excercises is daveirl but he is gone away at the moment. Search for some of his posts on the fitness forum for some training and diet tips.

neonitrix

Thanks For the advice guys,

The whole thing with me going 7 days a week is to get into a routine as I work nights 11pm - 8am and then head to the gym its taking alot of willpower to get myself there but once I am there its not a problem.

I will keep it at 6 or 7 days for a week or two more and then bring it down to 4 mabey 5 days.

I am finding its getting easier to use the machines now like the cross trainer the first day I went my max was 7 minutes this morning I used it for 20 minutes

The only thing I cant get used to is the treadmill for running so I am using the bike instead.

I am getting to like the rowing machine which is 7 1/2 min for 1500 meters.

thanks again.


also any sweets I can eat that dont contain fat eg. glucose barley?)

Also are eggs good or bad for you? I cant remember?

neo

tunney

Sweets contain calories, eat too many sweets and put on weight. The fat content of food is not the only way to put on weight.

[Jackass]

Hang in there buddy!
I was in the same boat as you with going to the gym, i was trying to tone up, and loose a stone or two but motivation gets difficult after a while, because at first i was going everyday, really eager, and i expected to loose lots of weight very quickly!!

All i can say is (and i am far from an expert) ,don't bother with weighing yourself and checking body fat regularly, because you have to be very patient when trying to loose a bit of weight, it takes a while before you start to notice an improvement physically, but don't get discouraged, because it gets faster and faster the longer you train, but it doesn't help if you over do it, your body needs a month or two before it will start to change noticably! This isn't fact, it's just from my particular expierince.

As for the Booze, a pint of Guinness (apparantly) is as fatening as a pint of cream, which is a lot.
Vodka has very little or no fat content, and bulmers would be fattening enough, no more than one or two on ocassion.

Cheese is fatty, so is milk, in fact all dairy products, i drink super milk, and rarely have other dairy products.
Bannannas are good for energy, so are apples.
and you cant go wrong with water!!
and OMG! how can you drink so much coke! would that not rot your teeth???:eek: :eek:

tunney

Guiness is the least fattening of beers, ales, cider and stouts. if you have to consume massive quantities of alchcohol and you don't want to drink spirits then drink guiness.

As for cutting out dairy, studies have shown that sensible intakes of dairy products can result in less calories being stored as fat.

Eat sensibly, don't cut out food groups but remember chocolate, fried foods and soft drinks are NOT food groups and can be cut out COMPLETELY.

tomED

When I initially started to lose my weight I weighed myself every second day. People say you don't see a difference in your weight for at least 2 weeks, but eeryone is different.

Its easy to lose 2lbs in a day, a dump will do it - so looking at a weighing scales everyday isnt going to help you because it will bounce up and down like a yo-yo.

Try gauging you weight once a week - this will keep you motivated. Initially you may lose up to 8lbs in one week (maybe more!) but after that you shouldn't be losing NO more than 2 lbs a week (correct me if im wrong someone). Dont forget that muscle weighs more than fat....

I used the weight watchers point system as a guide when I started. I would be allowed have 30 points a day when i started. A pint of guiness was 4 points. A pint of larger 3. Afaik vodka and a diet drink was 1.5.

Make sure you have breakfast everyday, even if it is only an apple, this kick starts your motabolism.

For me I also found that working out only helped keep the weight off, didnt actually make me lose weight. I could have worked out everyday, but if I was easting crap the weight would have never come off.

Stick to low fat meats like chicken.

Just for a reference.... a big mac meal is 18 points, can of coke 2, bag of microwave popcorn 9 (that one killed me for a while!).

Golden rule for eating out - stick to chicken!

Again all above has worked for me, may not work for others!

tomED

Originally posted by tunney
Guiness is the least fattening of beers, ales, cider and stouts. if you have to consume massive quantities of alchcohol and you don't want to drink spirits then drink guiness.

It may be lower in fat - but i think its higher in calories.

tunney

i think its higher in calories.

nah its lower in calories as the rest (bud and the like) have added sugar.
Personally I drink smithwicks

The WW points system is not the best thing to follow as it can says a chicken dish from an indian (korma or something) as more fattening than a big mac. There may be more calories in the indian dish but there is no way that it is better for you.

Amz

tunney did you get the PM I sent you about a month ago?

tomED

weight watchers is all about calorie intake really....

i would recommend it to anyone trying to lose weight - because as you go on you start to realise that the food you were easting was crap and probably get a new diet like I did!

tunney

Amz, just checked PMs now, I didn't think anyone would send one to me!!!!

neonitrix

Hi Guys,

I am eating alright trying to cook everything in small portions. Went to the gym sat sun and mon but couldnt go this morning too tired after working last night might go 2moro.

Finding I like the Cross Stepper Thingy the best 30 or 35 minutes @ resistance level 7 dosnt bother me now - the first day I was 5 minutes and about to die.

also when is best to weigh yourself b4 meal after meal? does it matter?

The only thing I am finding is I am tired but that seems to be just my body adjusting I amnt getting hungry at all which surprised me.

yesterday I did

1 mile walk on treadmill - 10 minutes
35 minutes cross stepper resistance 7
20 minutes electric bike resistance 5 - 5.2 miles
1500 meters rowing machine - 7.25 minutes approx
30 x 4 abcrunch - weight 25
22 lenghts pool - 550 meters

I am liking going to the gym its just getting there after work thats the problem I prefer going at the weekend its alot busier and more people to talk to.


p.s. (couldnt stop myself going for drinkies on Sunday 5 or 6 pints of bulmers were very nice indeed)

neo

tomED

Im not an expert.... but I think you are over doing it and will probably be pissed off with it all within a month!

Other guys here will know better!

tunney

TomEd, I dunno, all depends on how much time he has and how much he wants to train. And whether he sees it as training or a hobby.

neonitrix

I work nights so would usually get home by 9am ish / the way I am looking at it is why sleep when I can go to the gym for two hours I will end up healthy hopefully and all I am missing out on is a few hours sleep.

as of today I am 17 stone I would like to make that 16 as Its obvious I am carrying around a stone of fat I dont need aka man boobs and beer belly

And as well as that I have other insentive I would like to get fit and walk the marathon next year with my dad - its his 50th B Day and he is feeling old.

To Put it simply I miss being healthy - I used to be a 32/34 pants for christ sake now I wear a tent size 38. I let it happen & now I want to fix it.


neo

tunney

Fair fecks to ya, keep at it.

tomED

Which is why I think you should not kill yourself to do it.

I went through this aswell - i lost a lot of weight. The only way I could do it though was by making sure that it wasnt a chore.

The way you are talking about your routine sounds to me as though you feel its a chore - like as if it has to be done. Leaving so late from work to do it probably isnt heloing you either.

I basically found an interest in what I liked doing - made sure it didnt get in my way and that it didnt feel like I had to do it....

but everyone's different!

neonitrix

I understand what your saying and you may be right but I guess I am keeping track of exactly what I am doing in the gym because I am doing it and not having a heart attack in the process.

I am happy with the workout I am doing I have likes and dislikes about it.

I like the cross trecker & bike & swim

dont like the rowing machine but I will put up with it as it only takes 7 or 8 minutes out of my day.

I dont like the treadmill running so I use the electric bike instead - I like to cycle but not around town as bus drivers are evil


neo