Gaming World Forums
General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: TFT on August 08, 2008, 09:36:51 pm
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So, I need a little help. I kind of have a poochie pooch(not flat stomach). And I was wondering if the members with 6 packs and gunz could give me some practical tips on how to make the whole pooch-less process faster. I run at least 2 miles every other day, and I do about 50 crunches and 50 situps. And that's pretty much the extent of my workouts.
I used to lift weights but f-ck dat sh&t.
:woop:
Share your exercise routines with me, so I can create a better one for myself.
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just keep it up for 6-9 weeks. you should notice a difference! i'm currently in the process of losing a bit of flab and working out again too. try swimming, it's great cardio and more efficient than running.
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Cardio is important in burning that fat. Try to do cardio about 4-5 days a week, including jump rope, jogging, swimming, walking fast, among other things. Your diet is very important, too. Try to stay away from sodas, alcohol, and sugary fruit drinks. Drink about half your body weight in water, and if you drink juice, make sure it is of the "light" variety. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meats such as chicken and turkey. Stay away from greasy and fried foods. Well, that is my .02.
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I don't know about you but when I warm up before lifting weights or running I do pushups and situps at like 15 pushups at a time and about 25-30 situps, I do each 3 times and alternate between them. After a few days of doing that I'll add on a few pushups/situps when it starts to get easier.
That seemed to be working pretty well, I didn't have a SIX PACK but my stomach muscles were developing a little faster.
I quit after a few months of it though because I got home and got lazy...
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I'm doing an interesting set of regiments for a workout and have seen some pretty quick results. I also replaced all the beef I ate with turkey, so that may have helped too...
But for stomach workout, I do a little number where I raise my feet about 6" off the ground, and my head 6" off the ground and move torso + legs off the ground together, working lower and upper abs. After this burns enough, I do another exercise on each side of my abs.
On your side, lift the topmost leg up and your torso off the ground and just try to do a sideways crunch. You'll feel it burn pretty quick if you're not used to it. I'm at about 30 or so right now, and it's been doing wonders for my love handles.
A doctor-friend of mine who's doing residency also said this: You can eat anything you want, just have a salad first. This is the best "diet." "Want a huge slice of cake? The entire thing? Fried chicken with fried vegetables, 18 pounds of sugar, and anything else? Salad first." Supposedly the salad helps digest everything. And no salad dressing on this -- he was running this test on some patients (since Houston, where I am, is one of the fatter cities in the US), and he's seen some remarkable results... A little over half his patients (just with this diet) started to lose a few pounds in a healthy manner -- not anything that will happen like 20 pounds in 2 weeks... but yeah, totally can lose 1-3 pounds per week.
--Terin
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you are supposed to eat salad AFTER you eat things.
my brother told me this and he is a chef and im pretty sure the french call salads an "aperatif" or something that means "after eating" or something like that.
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you are supposed to eat salad AFTER you eat things.
my brother told me this and he is a chef and im pretty sure the french call salads an "aperatif" or something that means "after eating" or something like that.
No that's the wrong way around, an aperitif is a (always alcoholic I think???) drink you have before you start eating at all. I think the idea is it cleanses you palette.
"would you care for an aperitif?"
"why, thank you" *munches leaf*
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don't eat late at night. i try not to eat too much after dinner cos i just feel like a sack of dough for the next 24 hours if i do. i don't always stick to that cos heck, sometimes you've got to have a slice o' cake at 2am, but when i do for a couple of days my belly goes from Flab To Fab Good As New!!!
also if you drink alot of booze, then be careful not to eat much the next day or so cos that food just doesn't get digested right and turns into pure fatness real quick. this could mess up a week or two of steadfast chocolatelessness or whatever, so i dunno watch out. i've got no exercise tips cos i don't know any other than sweating = good.
also tft your saying the phrase "poochie pooch" leads me to believe you look and act like the person in your avatar.
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So, I need a little help. I kind of have a poochie pooch(not flat stomach). And I was wondering if the members with 6 packs and gunz could give me some practical tips on how to make the whole pooch-less process faster. I run at least 2 miles every other day, and I do about 50 crunches and 50 situps. And that's pretty much the extent of my workouts.
I used to lift weights but f-ck dat sh&t.
:woop:
Share your exercise routines with me, so I can create a better one for myself.
I was going to tell you to lift weights, but uh, nevermind I guess. In lieu of that, just keep running.
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i only said aperatif because its the only one of those words i remember (i remember it from Made)
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One rule is try to eat little after 8-9pm and ALWAYS have breakfast. Breakfast gives you enough energy and vitamins to help burn the calories throughout the day! Maybe go for Lean meats and stuff if your not a
pussy vegetarian, as there a little healthier. Swimming is also a great option and swimming once a week and walking every other day i lost like 35lbs fairly quickly. Of coarse a healthy diet is essential too.
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I can't swim - -
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Drink about half your body weight in water...
Uh, what? This is like 30-45 litres of water a day for most people. That seems a bit high!
But yeah cardio is your best bet to just lose fat, but make sure to do a bit of strength training too to maintain muscle. It's important to do a lot of core exercises, which focus less on lifting and shit and more on resistance. This means getting holding yourself up at tough angles (not sure what the proper names are) and then holding them for a long, long time. Forcing your body not to move when it wants to get pulled down by gravity is a good way to build core muscles in your body!
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just lift weights, it will make you lose weight and gain definition, which is probably exactly what you want. Lifting weights causes your body to burn suprising amount of calories because you continue to burn after the workout, versus running which only burns during the workout.
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"Abs are made in the kitchen."
Basically, to have visible abs (and any muscle, really) you need to drop your bodyfat. Your actual body fat and muscle mass will get you those abs. For example, you may have a well defined six-pack, but a layer of fat may be above it. Or you may have very little fat, but no abs muscles. I think you get my point.
So basically, lowering your body fat and getting visible abs is more than just running 2k and doing 300 situps everyday. THAT DOESN'T WORKS.
What you need is a nice diet, complemented with resistance training (weights, basically) and some cardio. To start burning fat you need a mild calorie deficit, and this process takes a while, from 4 weeks to 16 or even more, depending on your current body fat.
As for your diet, you need to eat 5 to 6 small, healthy, frequent meals (leave 2-4 hours between every meal), all which need some sort of protein. Keep yourself hydrated, drink AT LEAST 2 liters of water everyday. Keep away of junk food (refined sugar, refined flour, sodas, sports drinks, alcohol, energy drinks, potato chips, candy, fast food, etc). Stick to good sources of protein, such as eggs, chicken/turkey breast, fish (salmon, tuna, etc), cottage cheese, milk, lean cuts of meat (sirloin), WHEY, soy, etc. Also, stick to complex carbs, such as oats, brown/wild/integral rice, integral pasta, sweet potatoes, etc, and only use simple carbs after workout (dextrose, maltodextrin). Fruits are ok, you can have as much as 3 pieces per day. Eat vegetables in abundance (except for potatoes). For fats, they must compromise 20% of your total calorie intake, stick to the good fats: olive oil, avocado, salmon & salmon oil, flaxseed and flax oil, nuts, almonds.
For your training, you don't need to be on a gym, but it's highly recommended. A good routine needs to use every muscle at least once per week. Do not abuse your abs, train them like any other muscle, once or twice per week should be enough.
Do these workouts until you can afford a gym: http://www.trainforstrength.com/workouts.shtml
For cardio, 30-40 minutes 3 times per week should be enough. If suddenly you feel 30 minutes aren't enough, push the resistance up: run faster, run uphill, whatever. Intensity is everything. Also, you could try interval training, that burns even more fat.
Lastly, genetics do play an important role on your muscle mass and definition, but EVERYONE can get a six-pack. Check this site, is really useful: http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/
Hope this helps man.
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people with a 6 pack, is it constantly in 6 pack form? also people with big biceps, are they constantly hard or do you have to tense them?
this is something i've always wondered
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a healthy 6 pack imo is one that will only show if you flex .. you should have some meat that isn't muscle on your body
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people with a 6 pack, is it constantly in 6 pack form? also people with big biceps, are they constantly hard or do you have to tense them?
this is something i've always wondered
depending on your body fat then yeah it could be in '6 pack form' permanently. as for biceps it depends on how big they are
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I'm basically on a low-sugar, low-carb, low-fat diet at the moment fairly hardcore. I got put on some medication that has heavy weight gain as a side effect and I ended up gaining 18.5 kilos in two weeks which was awesome! So I was pretty pissed about that but I've been working hard and I've lost about 4 kilos in the past fortnight.
I always get hungry at night which sucks because I'm really trying not to eat then. Apart from that it's just the obvious - no soft drinks, no fried/fast food, no sweets (nothing insane at least) and try to keep your carbs/sugar really low after lunch (since after that unless you do evening exercise it can be hard to burn it). Stay far away from over processed foods, especially processed 'deli' meats.
Fish is really good for dinner if you like it. As far as I know once you're at the weight you want to be at it's cool to be a bit more lax with what you eat, but you've still gotta keep the exercise up if that's the case.
So in a sense I guess putting on all this weight was good because I've never really bothered with eating well and exercising lots and I've decided I want a 6 pack (since I've never had one before) and a toned body and all that jazz.
Does anyone have any tips for fat burning stuff that I can do at home that isn't too time consuming? I know about going for runs and so on but it'd be cool if I had some other stuff that I could do in my room or backyard that would help and wasn't the same old 'going for a run'. Jump-rope seems like a fair idea and I imagine it'd work really well so can anyone back this up?
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Just about any sort of physical activity is good for you. I mean, there are a lot of specific workouts for your preferred goals but just staying active on a daily basis is the foundation for everything else.
As far as dieting goes: if you have trouble eating less or cutting out certain foods that you love but shouldn't eat, I would recommend getting a job. If you're busy for at least 8 hours a day doing some completely menial task that leaves you braindead at the end of the day you don't really have a whole lot of time to sit around thinking MAN I'D LIKE THAT DOUBLE CHEEZEBURGER RIGHT NOW.
I'd highly suggest cutting soda out of your diet. It's just....bad. And it's really easy to get into other drinks too! Juice, water, milk, and BEER are all great alternatives. That last one should only be for weekends though.
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DDR
Run
Sit in a swivel chair at your computer on the maximum height and lift your knees up as high as you can, if the table is in your way then sit sideways, the higher your chair, the higher the resistance so I pretty much do it when I'm using RPG Maker, heh
Regarding dieting; I pretty much have a fruit salad every day or two, I'm a bit naughty with the fast food but I try to incorporate Subway into that as frequently as I can, as far as drinks go I usually get 100% breakfast juice (5 fruits, nature power!), in between that to fill me up I have a few bits of toast, bread makes you think you're full and ruins you're appetite which is why sandwiches are the most common thing to have at lunch time, it gets you through the day until dinner.
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1.go for a quick run in the morning.
2.eat a good breakfast.. about 350 calories
3. for lunch, not a lot of carbs, but a good amount of protein (subway is good for this)
4. for dinner, eat a a good balance of protein and carbs. (chicken and rice) for example
5. a couple hours after dinner, do your workout, which is:
stretch for 10 minutes.
do crunches until you feel a burn, then do 20 more.(upper + middle abs)
then lay completely on your back legs out, and hold your legs in the air 6 inches off the groud, you can cheat by putting your hands under your butt, (lower abs) Hold it for 30 seconds, as you get better, try to not cheat.
Then lift your legs in the air all the way, and do 20 toe touches or more if you feel you can.
then put your legs flat again, and do crunches with legs flat (works lower mid, and upper abs)
Back: lay on your stomach, go into a modified push up position, but have your elbows on the ground instead, and keep your hands down too. You can hold your hands together if it's easier on your elbows. Try to hold this for 30 seconds at a time. If you cant do that, then lay completely flat on your stomach, and lift your upper body off the ground along with your legs, or alternate one or the other.
Do wall sits (put your back against the wall with your knees bent as if you were sitting in a chair.) Try doing this for a minute, as you get better at it, add time.
also you can do other workouts with lighter weights, if you feel like you want to. but once your done, you should do some cardio to help the recovery process for the next day.
you could go running again, or swimming.
if you have a jump-rope, use it. it will help you lose more weight than you think, and helps with the recovery process.
In High School, I lost 35 pounds doing this in a matter of 2-1/2 months. I started off only able to do 50 jumps ropes at a time, but stick with it. dont give up, you'll surprise yourself as to how many you can do just after a few days.
after that, have a sports drink.. like a gatorade. that should be the last carlories you have for the night.
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people with a 6 pack, is it constantly in 6 pack form? also people with big biceps, are they constantly hard or do you have to tense them?
this is something i've always wondered
Six pack is constantly in six pack form. If you tense it looks well, contracted. It really depends on your bodyfat. As for biceps, they're hard but not SUPER hard, more like "firm". Same for every muscle.
As for people skipping breakfast or dinner, one advice. Don't do this. Or skip meals in general, it's the WORSE thing you can do to if you're attempting to lose fat. Cut all the cereals (brand cereals), they're candy, not even food (there are few exceptions, but really FEW). A good breakfast needs a good amount of protein, good fats and carbohydrates. And for dinner something not so heavy, but slow digesting and adding fiber is always nice.
Everyone thinks that by eating less you will lose weight and it makes some sort of sense, but that's not how our body works. If you start to eat less and less, you'll be saying your body food is few, and it will actually enter some sort of "hibernation" form, and you will gain weight.
I think I said this in my previous post, but sports drinks = crap. The purpose of sports drinks is to rehydrate you and replenish lost electrolytes and carbs, but they actually dehydrate you more, and it's because of all the added sugar, basically it's a soda. Yes, they do replenish your electrolyes, but normal food can do that. If you want to rehydrate yourself, have a banana and water. Water will rehydrate you and a banana will replenish your electrolytes, and it has antioxidants too.
For drinks, also forget sodas. Sodas is the only drink that has been directly linked to obesity. So cut the sodas and diet sodas. Also, forget about fruit juice. I know what you're thinking... "it's fruit..! and has vitamin c!" Yes well, but the problem is they add sugar to an already sugary drink, and remove fiber. Instead, have the whole fruit, it has the fiber, no added sugar, the vitamins and it's just superior.
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Six pack is constantly in six pack form. If you tense it looks well, contracted. It really depends on your bodyfat. As for biceps, they're hard but not SUPER hard, more like "firm". Same for every muscle.
well my muscles are really soft when relaxed and really hard when tensed, is this because i'm not in shape?
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well my muscles are really soft when relaxed and really hard when tensed, is this because i'm not in shape?
this might just be my imagination but now that i'm working out my muscles are tense(r) almost all of the time compared to what they were a few weeks ago
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Uh, what? This is like 30-45 litres of water a day for most people. That seems a bit high!
Yeah I was like wtf when I read that too. EXPLAIN YOURSELF
you should have some meat that isn't muscle on your body
muscle=meat
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Uh, what? This is like 30-45 litres of water a day for most people. That seems a bit high!
half your body weight in fluid ounces my friend, so take your weight in kilos or whatever, divide by two and replace k with fl. oz and you're set
honestly, the way I keep my weight down and my figure nice and trim is this. before I eat something I say to myself 'would an italian eat this at this time of day?' if the answer is no, then I dont eat it. so basically my breakfast is real light, and I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables with nuts and cheese as small snacks and then for dinner I usually have to eat whatever my parents make unless I'm eating at work, in which case its just a SMALL portion of chicken, fish or red meat usually with just herbs and olive oil to go along. Keeping portions down really helps too. I dont find that I get voraciously hungry at random times during the day anymore so this 'diet' if you could call it that isn't difficult to maintain... its tasty... and I've dropped 10 pounds and kept it off for a while now heh (then again I wasnt going for drastic weight loss, I was just going for eating healthier lol)
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Yeah I was like wtf when I read that too. EXPLAIN YOURSELF
muscle=meat
he said some meat that isnt muscle. ie fat.
people should have some or they look a bit barf :/
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Are veins considered as meat?
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In modern English usage, Meat most often refers to animal tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to organs, including lungs, livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood.
Probably
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For water consumption, drink about 2 to 4 liters per day. It really depends on your physical activity and such, I take a gallon daily. ;)
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Hey pulits could you give us an example for a good breakfast? I need something that I can make easily and what gives me enough strength for work. Thanks
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eggs have a lot of protein. eat something with substance, no cereal or waffles or anything.
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I can't swim - -
ahaha, me neither. i wish i could, though! i really enjoy being in the water.
anyway i can understand why you don't want to lift weights. it is too fucking boring and unenjoyable for me to commit to it. i guess i have no will power or just dont care much about being BUFF!!!!! but anyway i dont like running either so i went with BIKING because i live by the cleveland metroparks and they are actually pretty nice. idk if it's really as effective as lifting weights or running two miles a day, but i would imagine that after enough 20-mile bike rides you will lose some weight and start developing TONE, although probably only in your legs. still you could couple that with the sit-ups or whatever it is you're doing to supplement your jogging. honestly i would say a big part of it for me is finding something that i do not hate doing/don't have to force myself to do, since i really enjoy night time bike rides! idk if that's an issue for you but yeah, it's fun. like i actually look forward to them as a chance to get some fresh air/clear my head, and that makes it easy not to ultimately say FUCK IT and stop going. maybe not so much without an mp3 player of some sort but everyone has one of those, so!
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Hey pulits could you give us an example for a good breakfast? I need something that I can make easily and what gives me enough strength for work. Thanks
I usually go for some non sugary cereal and a fruit
Apple cinnamon oatmeal , Vector, plain cheerios followed with an apple, orange, banana, or even sometimes a plum.
Some may not know this but Homogenized milk, while super fatty is actually the best milk you can drink if you do any physical activity and is best for breakfast for the morning energy boost. I drink a glass or 2 of Homogenized Milk every day and with proper exercise find no problem to it!
Try to eat only small portions of bread. I used to have like 2 sandwiches a day with white bread. That's bad. Now I have a single slice or 2 every day or so or if its served with supper.
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ahaha, me neither. i wish i could, though! i really enjoy being in the water.
anyway i can understand why you don't want to lift weights. it is too fucking boring and unenjoyable for me to commit to it. i guess i have no will power or just dont care much about being BUFF!!!!! but anyway i dont like running either so i went with BIKING because i live by the cleveland metroparks and they are actually pretty nice. idk if it's really as effective as lifting weights or running two miles a day, but i would imagine that after enough 20-mile bike rides you will lose some weight and start developing TONE, although probably only in your legs. still you could couple that with the sit-ups or whatever it is you're doing to supplement your jogging. honestly i would say a big part of it for me is finding something that i do not hate doing/don't have to force myself to do, since i really enjoy night time bike rides! idk if that's an issue for you but yeah, it's fun. like i actually look forward to them as a chance to get some fresh air/clear my head, and that makes it easy not to ultimately say FUCK IT and stop going. maybe not so much without an mp3 player of some sort but everyone has one of those, so!
I can't swim either and I am actually afraid of swimming in lakes!
With any exercise regimen though the thing is that it is always miserable at first and you will have to force yourself to do it. Once you get your body in gear, though, and have been at it for several weeks or months, you will crave physical activity. Not exercising at the end of the day (or whenever you usually do it) will make as little sense to you as not stretching your back after sitting in a chair for several hours.
TFT: Some people are just not genetically predisposed towards having attractive stomachs. I am one of those people and maybe you are too! As long as you aren't like FAT or anything though I don't think anyone will really think twice about the way your stomach looks (when it looks neither good nor bad) and seriously maybe you just need to be more confident or something.
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what, no. i had a flat stomach when i was in highschool, i am like 60 years old now. i dunno dude, it's like a really skinny nerd with tattoos. it's just awkward and out of place.
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wait, what's out of place, a flabby hipster? i see plenty of those!
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Do some cardio and drink plenty of war. That's all there is too it. :)
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Hey pulits could you give us an example for a good breakfast? I need something that I can make easily and what gives me enough strength for work. Thanks
Sure, man!
A good breakfast should have a good portion of protein, fats and carbohydrates, and it really is the most important meal of your day. I used to be one of those guys who "didn't have time" to eat breakfast. That's a lame excuse.
Remember, most cereals don't even stand out as "food", they're resemble candy more.
So basically, remove brand cereals from your diet, seriously most of them are shit. Cereals are part of a balanced breakfast, but not A balanced breakfast. Do not buy a cereal that has sugar as their one of their main ingredients, and be sure it is 100% whole grain. Some cereals that are ok: Kashi, Cascadian Farm, Food for Life and Nature's Path. Try adding some fruit to your cereal (berries and bananas blend well).
Anyways, some breakfast ideas:
5 egg whites
1 package of oatmeal (choose the ones that are high in fiber, low in sugar)
1/2 cup of skim milk
1 tablespoon of milled flax seed
or
5 egg whites with chopped broccoli
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup of berries (I usually have blackberries or blueberries)
1 tablespoon of milled flax seed
or
6 egg whites
1 small orange
1/2 cup of oats
1 teaspoon of flax oil
or
2 scrambled eggs with lots of veggies (purple or green onion, bell pepper, tomatoes)
1 slice veggie cheese
1 slice Ezekiel bread toast with 1 tsp Strawberry (sugar free)Jam
or
3/4 cup of Kashi Hi-Protein Cereal
¼ cup fresh blueberries
6-8 Walnuts and 6-8 Almonds
1 tablespoon of milled Flaxseed
1 cup skim milk
However, I do understand sometimes we have to save as much time as possible, so if you really are in a hurry, try making a smoothie, give this recipe a shot:
1 scoop of whey protein (vanilla flavour blends well)
1/2 cup of frozen berries
around 6 oz cup of any milk (cow, goat, soy)
around 4-6 oz of organic orange juice
1 tablespoon of goji berry juice
1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon of milled flax seed
You may add some oats or green tea extract, but normally I don't do it because it's fucks up the flavour. :P
If anyone's interested: my breakfast is kinda different, because of the whole workout thing, but basically is like the ones above just high in protein:
2 whole eggs+6 egg whites+3 slices of turkey breast ham
1 cup of berries (blackberries or blueberries)
1/2 cup of oats with skim milk
optional: 1 tablespoon of milled flax seed
well my muscles are really soft when relaxed and really hard when tensed, is this because i'm not in shape?
There are many reasons for this. It can be because of your body fat or your water retention (maybe both). Your actual muscle mass also play an important role and how you workout, finally genetics do play an important role in this. But just lower your bf% and see what happens. :)
And no,it's not because you're out of shape.
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Don't eat anything a couple hours before bedtime. Those extra calories don't really have even a chance to get burned off.
Also, I don't know if appetite is a problem for you as it can be for me. When I feel the appetite kicking in when I KNOW I've eaten plenty throughout the day, some quick physical activity always curbs the urge. Whether it be some pushups, a short bike ride, sit ups, any of these things will help you a lot more than eating more than is necessary.
I see a lot of people recommending Subway as far as fast food (I work here). While most every 6-inch sub is better for you than a Big Mac, you really have to watch what you eat here. Only a handful of subs are low on fat. Anytime you're looking at roast beef, pepperoni/salami, STEAK, BACON, there are a LOT of extra calories. Not only that, but I see people all the time talking about watching their figure, and they do alright until they slather on way too much mayo. Regular mayo in general is empty calories, so stick with vinegar/oil, sweet onion, or any of the mustards.
Oh yeah, and the cookies are over 200 calories each.
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Yeah dude, I don't have a sweet tooth or anything. Once in a blue moon I'll really crave something like a handful of cookies, or a slurpee. But not usually. I dunno, I'm like 126 and 5'5, I..I need to eat guys. I'd love to eat healthy but I'm poor : (
But I'm starting to cut down on mid-night snacking and stuff, since as you pointed out is really bad. One..step closer...
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126 and 5'5 is not overweight at all. in fact it's pretty normal for your height
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
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nigga i need gunz
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oh i misread your post. since weight wise you're pretty normal the only thing that will really make a noticeable difference is lifting weights or doing assloads of pushups/situps until you get toned.
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serious question:
when you're lifting weights, is it really better to lift more a few times, or lift twice as many with a smaller weight? i've heard mixed opinions on this for max beefage.
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Diet/Light Drinks does you worse than normal Sugar Drinks, as continuous ingestion of aspartame affects the nervous system in not appealing ways.
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serious question:
when you're lifting weights, is it really better to lift more a few times, or lift twice as many with a smaller weight? i've heard mixed opinions on this for max beefage.
Smaller Weight. ALWAYS.
Not only there is a much lower risk of damaging yourself, the point of lifting weights is to get your muscle used to a level of exigence. Your muscles won't be used to big lifts if you just use them few time. It is better to work loads with small weights and go to the next level when you start feeling the weight is unchallenging. However, the next level shouldn't be big weights, just a little bit bigger than the previous weights.
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I have a fairly big frame (wide shoulders, big arms/legs, generally just quite solid) but I'm trying to lose weight and gain muscle/tone my body. Will I need to ingest any extra protein or should I be getting enough from a regular diet?
Usually I eat some fruit and rye toast with vegemite for breakfast, a salad or sandwich (chicken and salad usually) for lunch and I try to eat healthy stuff for dinner but it varies really wildly (pasta or a casserole are common but I'm trying to eat fish and so on as well). I don't drink soft drinks or eat sweets/fast food. Does this seem alright for what I want? I don't get to do a heap of exercise but I usually walk/run a few kilometres each day and do a work out routine with weights/crunches/prone holds in the evening.
Mainly I want to lose weight and get a flat stomach, so if it'll be easier to do that first and then gain muscle that's all cool. I'm just generally wondering what the best way to lose weight is (and I'm looking for more specifics because I know don't eat too many carbs/fats and do cardio, just wondering stuff that worked for you). I'm going to start going to the gym and going swimming so hopefully that helps.
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I have a fairly big frame (wide shoulders, big arms/legs, generally just quite solid) but I'm trying to lose weight and gain muscle/tone my body. Will I need to ingest any extra protein or should I be getting enough from a regular diet?
typically no. a good rule of thumb for protein is if you way 100lbs get at least 100mg of protein a day. 150 lbs would be 150 mg, etc. 1 mg of protein for each pound you weigh.
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serious question:
when you're lifting weights, is it really better to lift more a few times, or lift twice as many with a smaller weight? i've heard mixed opinions on this for max beefage.
When you're new to weightlifting, it's ok to start with decent weights (something that gives you enough challenge to perform around 8-12 reps, but isn't too heavy). But as you make progress, you need to increase the resistance (weight). Muscles ONLY repond to overload. Fatigue does not create or tone muscles by any means. In fact, if you don't give your muscles always some sort of new resistance or challenge, you're actually giving your muscles a reason of NOT to grow.
Simple as this: 8 good solid perfect reps with decent weight is SUPERIOR than 20 so so reps with small weight.
I have a fairly big frame (wide shoulders, big arms/legs, generally just quite solid) but I'm trying to lose weight and gain muscle/tone my body. Will I need to ingest any extra protein or should I be getting enough from a regular diet?
Usually I eat some fruit and rye toast with vegemite for breakfast, a salad or sandwich (chicken and salad usually) for lunch and I try to eat healthy stuff for dinner but it varies really wildly (pasta or a casserole are common but I'm trying to eat fish and so on as well). I don't drink soft drinks or eat sweets/fast food. Does this seem alright for what I want? I don't get to do a heap of exercise but I usually walk/run a few kilometres each day and do a work out routine with weights/crunches/prone holds in the evening.
Mainly I want to lose weight and get a flat stomach, so if it'll be easier to do that first and then gain muscle that's all cool. I'm just generally wondering what the best way to lose weight is (and I'm looking for more specifics because I know don't eat too many carbs/fats and do cardio, just wondering stuff that worked for you). I'm going to start going to the gym and going swimming so hopefully that helps.
It's impossible to gain muscle mass and lose fat at the same time, our bodies just don't work that way. When you are bodybuilding, you can only "bulk" or "cut", that means: gain or lose mass. When you bulk, you gain muscle mass, but also fat, it's unavoidable. When you cut, you lose fat, but also muscle. What's the deal? Minimizing fat gains and muscle loss with proper nutrition.
First, I'd say you should determine your body fat and decide to lose fat or gain muscle. If you're around 8-12bf it's ok to pack on some muscle, but if you're higher, it's really tough to get some muscle when you have high body fat. There are many ways to determine your body fat, many websites have free calculators and most colleges or health centers can determine your bf% for free. If you want to just get toned, well, lose fat first, then bulk. Or the other way around, both work. :)
As for protein, there's a big debate on how much people should ingest. But for a normal couch potato it can go from .8 to 1 grames per kilo of body weight. If you weight 70 kilos, you should consume 70gr of daily protein. If you want to increase your muscle mass, you should aim for more, from 1.1 to even 2 gr of protein per kilo of bodyweight.
Of course, swimming and gym work. But diet is as important as your workouts, and with your current diet you will see some good results at first, but eventually you'll need a more specialized diet if you want to make further progress.
Don't eat anything a couple hours before bedtime. Those extra calories don't really have even a chance to get burned off.
I agree that a dinner shouldn't be that big, but don't skip dinner or 'wait for a couple of hours'. After dinner your body won't recieve any nutrients for 8 or so hours, so it's important to have somethhing before bed. Maybe not JUST RIGHT before bed, but a few minutes, maybe an hour before.
So, if your total calorie intake is alright, don't worry about having calories at night. :)
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Cheers for that Pulits. I had a feeling I'd have to do one and then the other. I'm already a bit beefed up in terms of muscle so I'll mainly focus on losing weight for now because that's more important to me at the moment. Then after that I'll decide what I want to do. I'll have a go at determining my body fat - I imagine it's probably kinda bad after that huge, sudden weight increase I got. I'm losing weight all the time though which is good! In a couple of weeks I'll sit down and figure out exactly how I want to go about all of this.
Once I get to my ideal weight I imagine I'll still be stocky because of my frame. In that case, if I just want to tone the body I have, would I even need to bother with the bulking up for muscle gain? When I think about it I'm big enough as I am and would really just like a toned body with a flat stomach and all that jazz.
Can somebody explain to me the toning/bulking processes and the differences in terms of what you'd do? As I said I don't think I want to gain more muscle, I just want to make my body toned once I'm at the weight I'd like.
Thanks Pulits/Ryan! Sorry for the slightly annoying, roundabout questions, I'm just pretty clueless about all this stuff and I always find it easier hearing from people rather than looking up websites.
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Cheers for that Pulits. I had a feeling I'd have to do one and then the other. I'm already a bit beefed up in terms of muscle so I'll mainly focus on losing weight for now because that's more important to me at the moment. Then after that I'll decide what I want to do. I'll have a go at determining my body fat - I imagine it's probably kinda bad after that huge, sudden weight increase I got. I'm losing weight all the time though which is good! In a couple of weeks I'll sit down and figure out exactly how I want to go about all of this.
Once I get to my ideal weight I imagine I'll still be stocky because of my frame. In that case, if I just want to tone the body I have, would I even need to bother with the bulking up for muscle gain? When I think about it I'm big enough as I am and would really just like a toned body with a flat stomach and all that jazz.
Can somebody explain to me the toning/bulking processes and the differences in terms of what you'd do? As I said I don't think I want to gain more muscle, I just want to make my body toned once I'm at the weight I'd like.
Thanks Pulits/Ryan! Sorry for the slightly annoying, roundabout questions, I'm just pretty clueless about all this stuff and I always find it easier hearing from people rather than looking up websites.
Yes man, probably you should lose the fat first. If done correctly, you'll get some definition, flat stomach etc. And from here, it's up to you to decide to get more muscle or just stay in shape and all that. I'd recommend gaining some muscle mass, though. :)
Anyways, don't worry much about your "ideal" weight, or losing x number of pounds. "Ideal weight" is more like a guideline, but nothing else. For example, one person can be 20 pounds above his ideal weight, but he is an athlete with a great physique an muscle mass. And on the contrary, one person could be just slightly above his "ideal weight", but have a 20% of bodyfat index. So instead, focus more on actual fat loss. There's a huge difference between fat loss and simple weight loss. Weight loss refers to muscle, liquids and fat one person can lose, while fat loss only refers to fat loss.
I'll try to explain bulking and cutting the best way I can with the knowledge I have. I'm just and afficionate, but I'm not a pro bodybuilder or nutritionist, so of course someone specialized in the field will give you a better advice than mine.
The process basically goes like this:
-Cutting: It's an attempt to lose body fat while retaining as much muscle as possible, and it's accomplished by having a slight calorie deficit, coming from your diet, exercise or both. Here, you try to have as much protein as possible, since you want to keep your muscle. Like always, you must focus on a good diet, having 5-6 small frecuent, healthy meals and drinking enough water. There are supplements that make this process faster, but they're not always adviceable. Lets say that your body needs 2500 daily calories, you want to lower this calorie intake by 150-300 calories. If you suddenly stop seeing progress, cut your calories again 150-300.
As for training, weight training and cardio are a must. Since you already said you're considering entering a gym, just ask your trainer to give you a proper routine. But just stay with compund movements and give preference to free weights over machines. Both work, but free weights have a more natural movement and such. A mistake many people do is to increase the number of reps and lower the weigt while cutting, and this will only provoke muscle loss. Just stay in a 8-12 rep range and you should be fine. :)
-Bulking: Bulking is the opposite of cutting, and it basically is the process in which you gain muscle and strenght. It's almost mandatory that you will earn some fat, but this is normal, and you can always cut the fat away. From my experience, it's easier to bulk when you have a low body fat, since your body will absorb anything you give. While bulking, you want to increase your calorie income. This means eat more, but not junk food. Many people do this mistake. Just eat healthy, but with slighly larger proportions, and you will eventually pack muscle. People stop doing cardio when bulking, but this is not adviceable by any means, cardio is a healthy activity and should be done no matter what.
As for training, volume training and strenght training are assosiated with bulking. Again, ask your trainer this, but it basically is the same. Stay in the 4-7 rep range for strenght gains or 8-12 for hypertrophy. Of course weight training is mandatory, because instead of getting muscle you will get fat.
As fore muscle mass supplements, there are many. But a beginner should focus first on his/her diet before trying any sports supplements.
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1268956 A really interesting article about bulking in general.
You said you have the intention of swimming, that's cool. By just swimming and eating right you will lose fat. But weight lifting is a really healthy and wonderful activity that shouldn't be taken out of question by any means, on the contrary, one should give a priority to weight lifting.
Finally, I'm of the idea that when person is happy with itself he/she shouldn't really worry of burnin extra fat or gettin 10lbs of additional muscle. Unless that person is a dedicated athlete or bodybuilder, he/she should just focus on eating right and exercising regularly, but that's just me. ;)
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Pulits for your breakfasts, Skim milk isn't the way to go. Skim milk is good throughout the day yes but for breakfast and best body fuel in the morning, Homogenized is seriously the way to go!
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Pulits for your breakfasts, Skim milk isn't the way to go. Skim milk is good throughout the day yes but for breakfast and best body fuel in the morning, Homogenized is seriously the way to go!
It's a personal choice really (milk). A vegetarian person could have soy milk or rice milk, a lactose intolerant person could have lactose free milk. For a more calorie dense breakfast, whole milk works. Goat milk is another nice option.In my opinion, skim milk is the way to go, because of the high protein content and little to no fat. If possible, chose an organic milk, it simply is superior to regular farming milk in many many ways.
As for homogenization, most milks go through that process nowadays. :)
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Yeah dude, I don't have a sweet tooth or anything. Once in a blue moon I'll really crave something like a handful of cookies, or a slurpee. But not usually. I dunno, I'm like 126 and 5'5, I..I need to eat guys. I'd love to eat healthy but I'm poor : (
But I'm starting to cut down on mid-night snacking and stuff, since as you pointed out is really bad. One..step closer...
You weigh 126 pounds and you are complaining about being flabby?
Like . . . are you the laziest couch potato in the world or what? :( You must be 100% bodyfat to be flabby if you weigh that little.