# Keep Fit Guru's



## patbhoy (Aug 29, 2007)

Ok, after years of self indulgence I have decided the time has come to try and lose the gut.
Out have gone the curry's and kebabs and i've started heating a lot healthier.
Next on the list is excercise, can anyone advise me on the best excercises to help lose weight around the waistline.
The New Year Resolution is starting early in an attempt to lose a stone by xmas.


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## SBerlyn (Nov 9, 2008)

Watching eagerly 

S


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## Adam D (Nov 3, 2009)

Mountain biking!

Build up gradually and over it time it will really burn the calories off and it is a fab cardio-vascular exercise!


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

Run. Start off doing long walks if you find it hard to run, then start to build up to jogging.

Get yourself in to a routine and you will drop the weight easily.

There is as far as I know, no way of targetting what fat to lose, your body will decide.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

There isn't really a best exercise for losing weight around the stomach. There are exercises you can do to tone the area like sit-ups. However unless you lose the fat building the muscle below will actually just serve to push your gut out further and make you look fatter.

The key is just to eat healthily and exercise regularly, with a good combination of aerobic exercise and weights to tone.

Finally it is probably going to take at least two-three months or more before you notice any appreciable difference so commitment is the key.


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## patbhoy (Aug 29, 2007)

jamest said:


> Run. Start off doing long walks if you find it hard to run, then start to build up to jogging.
> 
> Get yourself in to a routine and you will drop the weight easily.
> 
> There is as far as I know, no way of targetting what fat to lose, your body will decide.


I've already started the walking, probably doing approx 3 miles brisk walking each day.
Jogging bores me to death so i'll stick with the walking, the dog is loving it too.
Just wondered if it was possible to target the waistline as that is were I am carrying the weight.


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## Adam D (Nov 3, 2009)

patbhoy said:


> I've already started the walking, probably doing approx 3 miles brisk walking each day.
> Jogging bores me to death so i'll stick with the walking, the dog is loving it too.
> Just wondered if it was possible to target the waistline as that is were I am carrying the weight.


I don't think it is possible to target the waistline specifically, contrary to what some of the magazines say.

I found with the mountain biking that I gradually lost fat all over, but more so in the areas where us blokes tend to put it on, i.e the gut.

You will not end up like Arnold Schwarznegger cycling, but it will give you a slim, taught, strong physique.


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## yin (Dec 29, 2005)

This is a very good guide to start running

http://www.runnersforum.co.uk/beginners/4953-beginners-basic-guide-starting-out.html


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## Blazebro (May 18, 2007)

Eating sensibly and healthily is 60% of the battle.


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## Adam D (Nov 3, 2009)

Blazebro said:


> Eating sensibly and healthily is 60% of the battle.


Yes, agreed.

In the Spring and Summer I am mr health freak (well, apart from the ****).

In the Autumn and Winter my exercise levels go right down and I eat rubbish.

It's only 4 and a half months until Spring. Bring it on!!!!


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## richie.guy (Apr 10, 2006)

First off you can't spot reduce fat, so doing 100 sit ups a day isn't going to shift the gut.

Men tend to hold most fat around the waist and hips so drop your bodyfat and you'll notice the waistline shrinking as the bulk of weight lost will be from here. The first week or so of dieting you should drop water and lose a decent wedge off your gut assuming your diet is up to scratch.

To drop weight you need to be in a clorie defecit. So eat less than you burn and you'll drop weight, it's that simple. Eat too little and use too much and you end up catabolic, i.e. eating your own muscle. If you do this you'll drop some fat, then muscle, and be a 'fat skinny' person.

Slow and consistent. 1-2lbs a week is realistic to lose unless you're severely overweight in which case more is possible, but 1-2lbs is a good baseline for most people. 

Diet is 80% of the battle, cardio is the icing on the cake.


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## Blazebro (May 18, 2007)

Basically, in a nutshell stay well away from sugary foods. Eat more protein influenced foods and drop the carbs. For instance noodles has more protein and less carbs than rice, even brown rice.

Stay away from chocolate and sweets you won't miss them, but the moment you do eat them you'll gorge yourself. 

Don't eat cereal, they are all laden with salt/sugar/carbs somewhere. Eggs and baken is about the lowest calorie breakfast you can have. I don't even have sausages really as most contain more bread than pork, try replacing these with a gammon steak.

Really it is just looking at the labels on the stuff you buy, if the lable looks like it has high carbs, have a look at the alternatives. Not all fat is bad for you, mainly saturated fat.

There is one trade off for this kind of diet though, I can't run any more, but I'm strong as an ox.


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## gherkin (Jul 6, 2008)

As mentioned above really once you get your diet right the weight will come off.

One thing is though i wouldn't necessarily cut everything out of your diet its always nice to have a treat day (say friday for example).

Swim, bike and run thats what i'd suggest (but then i would i do triathlons  ). start of little then work your way to bigger distances.

One thing i was told but a fitness instructor (how true i don't know) but due to the make up of alcohol they are generally the last calories to be burnt off - again how true i'm not sure


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

simple principles:

1. burn more calories than you eat = weightloss

any exercise will help you do that. WALK as much as possible as its amazing how it gets you going and keeps your body burning calories even after you get back.

2. you cant 'target' fat from one area of your body

you can build muscle in certain areas, but fat is simply storage of excess calories so needs to come off all over.

3. LOW intensity to start off with, but frequently

go easy, avoid injury and mix it up to avoid getting hurt or put off by aches & pains etc. Variety is key to avoid boredom, and add in some weight training activity or circuit training. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so a body with more muscle uses more calories than a flabby one (point 1 above). Occasional high intensity sessions have been proven to burn more calories over time than pure low intensity aerobic exercise, but its ALL burning calories.

4. the classic 'healthy' diet of low fat is NOT that healthy....

The out of date advice says minimise all fat and eat more carbs like pasta & rice etc. You should actually focus on lowering your intake of _high GI carbohydrates_ primarily (pasta, rice, potato, sugar, flour & anything processed). It is these that cause cravings, snacking and fluctuating blood sugar levels. Maximise your fruit and vegetable intake. Minimise intake of SATURATES fats (fatty meat, butter, dairy fat) but take in MORE healthy fats like olive oil, polyunsaturated fats as they are actually HEALTHY and more is a good thing (as long as you stick to point 1 above). Read up on the low GI diets for more information and you will be amazed at how it aids health and weight loss.

5. Take it steady

1-2lbs a week is the recommended healthy weight loss. Any more is likely water loss anyway, but can put you at risk.


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## spyk3d (Nov 25, 2007)

One way to keep yourself motivated it to document you transformation. So keep a weekly diary of how much you have lost. At the start of the regime take a photo of yourself in the mirror with your shirt off, do this weekly as you lose weight the photos will help you see what you are losing and where and will help to keep you motivated.


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

You'll need to break in gently but I found the best way to shift fat was interval training i.e. sprints etc.

For example run at a steady pace for 1m45s then sprint for 15s, and just repeat.

There are loads of variations on interval training but the trick is it keep the metabolism up for longer. I swapped by standard 15 min jog before weights for interval training and it has really helped shift the flab and even helped the 6-pack.

Good luck :thumb:


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## t1mmy (Dec 9, 2006)

Like others have said, a well balanced and healthy diet is key. Without that you might as well not bother.

Google and Youtube something called p90x. It's a training and diet program which sems to have been yielding positive results for people. It's pretty intense but it depends how serious about it you are.


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## Star2 (Aug 20, 2008)

Try and find something that you enjoy doing that will burn calories, and even better still find someone else equally motivated, so that you can spur each other on when the temptation not to bother kicks in.

If you don't have anything in mind then maybe look at trying different sports each week, running, cycling, swimming, indoor rock climbing, rowing etc. 

The other thing to maybe consider is how any activity would dovetail to your current schedule. Its important to make it as easy as possible to do, and integrate it into your day. Sticking to any now activity is going to be the hardest thing, so don't worry too much about doing the 'best' thing to lose weight. The best weight loss activities are the ones that you enjoy and continue to do. 

Good luck.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Another thing to mention is if you're anything like me you won't actually lose much weight because for every pound i lose in fat i tend to put it on in muscle. 

So don't be disheartened if the scales don't tell the story you want. As long as your clothes feel a bit looser and you look better then that's the main thing.


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## MOB (Oct 27, 2005)

I started going to the gym a couple of months ago and was doing well, I was just getting bored with the cardio.

So a couple of weeks ago I tried a spinning class - and now I'm hooked.

I do at least 3x 1 hour sessions a week, and the weight is falling off.

500-800 calories burnt per session, time flies by compared to gym work, and I actually look forward to it.

Best eureka moment I've ever had when trying to get in shape


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## MOB (Oct 27, 2005)

rmorgan84 said:


> Another thing to mention is if you're anything like me you won't actually lose much weight because for every pound i lose in fat i tend to put it on in muscle.
> 
> So don't be disheartened if the scales don't tell the story you want. As long as your clothes feel a bit looser and you look better then that's the main thing.


+1 very good advice :thumb:


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

MOB said:


> I started going to the gym a couple of months ago and was doing well, I was just getting bored with the cardio.
> 
> So a couple of weeks ago I tried a spinning class - and now I'm hooked.
> 
> ...


If you're interested in pure calorific loss then the cross trainers are the best if you work hard you can quite easily burn 500 calories in 30 mins. I find the best thing to do is just put some of you favourite music on your ipod, preferably something with a quick beat, turn it up loud and the time will fly by.


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