Are you in-shape? I've a couple of questions for you -->

[NWTRNR]

Hey SLYers --

I'm working on getting back to a healthy weight and have a couple of questions for those of you who are in-shape that I hope some of you can answer for me.

First off, I'm curious how much you eat in a typical day? I'm trying to get a better frame of reference, as mine is kinda out of whack. Really interested in specifics, e.g. Breakfast: banana, small bowl of oatmeal, coffee; Lunch:... etc.

Second: How often do you exercise and for how long per workout? And what do you do? e.g. 45 minutes, 4x a week, 20 minutes carb, 25 weights -- etc. 

And last: How would you describe your activity level at work? e.g. Mostly sedentary (e.g. deskjob), active (e.g. construction,...)

I would be extremely appreciative of any input/guidance you all might be able to offer.

Thanks in advance!     

[Robmeister]

Hey NWTRNR,

I'm not currently "in shape" but I have to once-and-for-all do it for Diabetes reasons.  So it's no screwin around.   If I don't, at worst I'll wind up in the hospital or DEAD.....at best, I'll be on meds the rest of my life.   You can check out what I've been doing since the beginning of November here (I've lost 9 lbs and 2 inches in my waist in 30 days--and that's just the beginning, baby! ):

http://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=401.150

http://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=7487.0

http://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=7869.15

Also, this is a good eating plan that doesn't have you weighing, measuring and counting calories:

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/

[nomad]

I'm in dam good shape....round is a shape isn't it?

[Shaf]

Easy man,

I'm think I'm near enough I guess but one problem I do have is with getting a balanced diet. I'm not diabetic like Robmeister but it is very prevalent in my family. 4 out of my 9 brothers are and I know this can be diagnosed at any stage of your life like it did with my dad who became a type1 in his sixties.

But yeah my diet is pretty lousy because I do enjoy good food. Stating the obvious I know, who likes  bad food 

I do try to incorporate things from mainstream regimes going though.  Take atkins where I think u should be on 20gram of carbs a day. If you like good bread/milk/pasta your buggered!  but u can reduce sugar in to some extent.  I have sugar with coffee in the morning and usually rely on sweeteners during the day until my final tea at night which I like properly sweetened with sugar so I try to stick to that.    This isn't still very structured and proper dude so I'm sure the other bro's can give u better advise. Casing point after reading Rob's link.

I've never been into actually going to Gyms to start working out but I do incorporate walking a great deal into my daily stuff.. Ditching the car for the moment and commuting by train I pretty much walk 2 or so miles a day with stuff f for work and around the city and I do know this has been a counter balance against my diet.  Coz other than I'd piling on sitting my ass in the office all day so any little changes like this I'm sure can be good for any individual

One goal I do set is going on evening run once or week or certainly once  every fortnight when there's not much happening at home.  I can hit good double digits for millage.  I'm no a fitness expert but these are pretty much geared to calorie reducing  , fat burning not specific body toning.

Some of the guys I roll with are into sculpting their mass  & weight with iron work I haven't though but I try to get it from sport. Boxing mainly, I  boxed for my Uni club and again maybe one a week or once a fortnight if I'm more truthful, go into  heavy sparring and grappling work over a 4 – 6 hr session which works on the natural strength I have along with basic stretching routines this is helping me go so way in achieving my goals.



Ps If anyone knows a good sweetener that tastes just like sugar,  please let me know 

   

[NWTRNR]

Gloss,

I did see your reply -- and not sure why it got bounced either. In any case, thanks for your thoughts.


Rob -- that blows about the diabetes -- but, it sounds like you're heading the right direction. My brother in law was diagnosed about six months ago, and that motivated him to lose a bunch of weight. Now he is not classified diabetic anymore. Just dropping the weight and watching what he ate apparently was enough for now. I'll have to check out that 4 hour website.

Also, I know that triglycerides can fluctuate a ton. Case in point, I went in for labs a couple of years back after having had shrimp scampi the night before and tons of other yummy stuff. My tri's were way high. I then watched my food very carefully (low-glycemic, low-fat) for a couple of weeks, went back, and they were down to normal.


Shaf -- interesting. thanks for your input. Have you ever had a weight problem, or have you been more close to in-shape, etc.? Reason I ask is that a couple of my buddies who have always been a good weight seem to have a different mind-set when it comes to eating and food. They seem more to eat just enough to get through the day, whereas I LIKE TO EAT. Also, keeping active is key too. 

As far as sweeteners go -- I use agave syrup for my sweetener of choice. It's great with no weird aftertaste and very low glycemic effect. You can find it at more and more grocery stores. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup

[Razor X]

Try to eat several small meals a day -- as opposed to the traditional three meals a day.  It keeps your metabolism running at a steadier pace, instead of peaks and valleys.  It also keeps you from getting so  hungry that you overeat at the next meal.  Try to have an equal amount of protein and carbs at each meal.  Carbs are digested more slowly when eaten at the same time as protein, so you'll feel satisfied longer.  Jillian Michaels, who is one of the trainers from The Biggest Loser, says men should never eat less than 1,500 calories a day because once you go below that you run the risk of really messing up your metabolism, making it very difficult to lose weight.

For exercise, you should do a combination of weight training and cardio.  You'll burn more calories during a cardio session, but the muscle you build from weight lifting will make your body burn calories more efficiently -- and you'll continue to burn calories for an hour or so after you finish a weight-liftijng session.

[marty22]

I agree with my Jersey pal, Razor X.

[DuffRyder17]

I pump iron twice a week
and I endurance train twice a week...
45 mins is a pretty standard workout time, by that I mean it is both effective and safe... relatively speaking of course... don't go to extreme at first, and don't be surprised if your body has trouble going for 45 mins especially with cardio if you out of shape currently

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Diet--I eat between 1500 and 2000 a day, starting w/ oatmeal--not instant--w/ cinnamon and sweeta in morning w/ coffee.  I try to stay low-glycemic, and avoid all foods containing corn syrup sweetners, limit foods w/ sugar and highly refined foods.  Eating out is a challenge but with a little sliding here and there I can keep that under control.  No soft drinks--corn syrup issues! unless artificially sweetened.  RazorX is right about smaller meals throughout the day, but I can only do that on weekends because of work and travel. 

Exercise--6 days a week, 30-40 minutes weights broken into two body parts each day, 10 minutes of abs, 20 minutes aerobics.  I do this in the morning, I'm at the gym at 5a.  (Benefit--it's great for insuring a close shave! )  First thing I do when travelling is find out what the hotel gym looks like and if they have a guest policy at a local gym.  I've been pretty lucky so far w/ guest privileges at a YMCA and gyms like Golds. 
Work--desk job w/ site visits.  Not too strenuous. 

I am a pre-diabetic, w/ mostly steady numbers for 8+ years, borderline hypertensive--controlled on one medication, and boarderline high cholesterol--controlled w/ Zetia.  I'm trying to keep my A1c below 6, but my last test was 5.9 so I'm getting pretty strict right now.  I've been on pills before but got off through weight loss and exercise and intend to keep it that way.

[Shaf]

Yeah bud

Those friends of mine that are what you’d call blatantly slim do tend have the mind set u mentioned about eating just enough. With conditioning and having a smaller stomach organ on average I guess u can eat just enough.  I do to a Point. Certainly over weekdays Just trying not to over indulge when we have our dinner and things. During weekdays I do tend to skip lunch sometimes but I’m first the one admit that’s not good idea. If not sticking to a regime I’ll try to make sure I have few days where I’m eating sensibly or knocking off high carb foods and not over doing it. Along with just trying to be active in daily life, that’s seems to ok for me. If weight was an issue I’m sure I’d be more serious about my diet and workouts for sure.

What Razor mentioned about smaller meals to run your metabolism steady is not only good if your at least trying to stay active but will have good psychological effect in beating down food cravings u could get. Gonna try that myself.   

[marty22]

dont skip meals...it causes stomach problems. I eat and workout and if Im a few lbs. heavier (just a few) than what I should be, Im gonna live with it.

[NWTRNR]

Thanks everyone -- these are great suggestions and insight. I really appreciate it.

[DJ_Bald]

Hi NWTRNR. I would say I am in pretty good shape at 6'3'' 201.
I work out doing the P90 workout which is like a shorter version of P90X. (this is the same one RobMeister is doing)
Each workout is 30-35 minutes. I have always been a weight lifting guy doing the musle and fitness split routine but wanted to try something different.
I like it...I am flexible and strong and have good endurance.
I would recommend it to you if you have ever had a hard time sticking with a work out.
Its hard but its short and ez to follow.
In the past month I have worked out 26 out of 30 days....I dont think I have ever done that in my life. 
PM me if you want more info...
I follow a similar diet to robMeister...Im not trying to lose weight but I am trying to build lean muscle and cut up my abs.

[(|8-)]

I'm 6'0" and about 180 lbs., turning 40 next month.  When I was in my 20s before I started cycling, I was over 190 lbs. and none of it was muscle.  I know I had some 36" waist jeans then, and now I wear 32".

Usually, I ride my bike to work, and usually it is 30 minutes each way, though I have had weird commutes where I could take the train in the morning and do a longer ride home.  I do not feel I have to ride every day, but I end up riding most days.  If I have to go somewhere after work, I'll drive or take a bus or train.  I will ride in rain or cold, but not a downpour or blizzard.  It's a lot of fun, and doing it sometimes is better than doing it never.  (Yes, it is dangerous, but it is just as dangerous being in traffic on a bike as in a car--statistically, the maneuverability and vision you have on a bike seems to make up for not being surrounded by a ton of metal.  Buses and trains are much safer than either riding or driving if you are going to use that as your excuse.)

When I've been in really good shape, it's because I've had a fast ride once a week, like a race or a team ride.  Youngsters can have more hard rides every week, but one is good for me.

Right now, I'm out of work and I thought I would try weight training for the winter.  I learned that I feel a lot better (mood and energy) when I have something intense like weight training or a race or hard ride in my weekly routine, though sometimes I am lazy, especially with bike commuting when it is not racing season, and then I ride at the same steady pace all the time.  I thought it was because of the short days of winter, but now I am wondering if it is getting the right kind of exercise.

At my current weight, if I want to lose weight (hanging around bike geeks will convince you you should lose weight no matter what you weigh), I need to write down everything I eat and keep it under 2200 calories.  I would guess that means I eat about 2500 calories when I'm not paying attention.  The difference is mostly how much junk food I eat--at least when I'm writing it down, I stick to a little bit and not the whole bag of potato chips.   And even when I'm being careful, there's always one day a week where I don't keep track and it doesn't seem to matter.

They say habits take 12 weeks to take hold, which seems about right in my experience.  That's probably how long you should try an exercise routine or eating habits before deciding they don't work.

[Camp]

I am currently trying to bulk up for the fire academy--but my typical diet goes like this (mind you, yours shouldn't look anything like this ha ha)

breakfast: Oatmeal, at least 1 glass of whole milk, 1 banana
snack: protein shake made w/ whole milk
lunch: large chicken breast or turkey wrap (wrapped in whole wheat), more whole milk, some type of vegetable
snack: 1 glass grapejuice w/creatine, fruit, some raw nuts maybe
dinner: more whole milk, some type of meat, some type of veggie
snack: whole milk, nuts

IDEALLY I am drinking 1 gallon of whole milk per day...but realistically I have a hard time putting away that many groceries.
Currently I am 5'11'' and I weight about 170.  My bodyfat % is 17% or so... My goal is to get to 175-180, and then trim my body fat % down again....and repeat until I can be relatively lean at a weight of 180 or so with about a 12% bodyfat.

My diet probably doesn't help you, but you should stick to a diet where you eat many smaller meals per day.  Eating that way, you'll really never feel HUNGRY, and you keep your metabolism up.  Also, if you are trying to build muscle (you should be since it will help you burn fat) you need to keep a high protein intake.  Finally, your DIET is JUST AS if not MORE important than what you do in the gym.  Wanna lose weight? Gain muscle?  Its all in your DIET.  Keep a strict diet at least 6 days a week, and have one cheat day where you eat whatever you want (within some reason obviously).  I would stop drinking any soda, limit alcohol consumption to the weekends (or your cheat day).

I weight train 3x per week for usually 45 min per workout.  Since I am trying to bulk--I am not currently on a cardio program, but that will change in a little over a week.

I have a horrible problem with spamming this link in the fitness threads, but it really really is a good link for guys new to the gym looking to get into shape.  www.stronglifts.com  You should start the 5x5 program and read up on the dieting stuff.