The Gym/Losing Weight thread

[Cyph]

I've spent this holiday break in the backyard, now I'm tanned and toned. Best work out ever!

[KT]

I'm going to post my new years resolution for my training early. Over the past year i have dropped back on my running and have taken up a lot cycling. With the gift of a new bike over christmas, i have decided to ride the 100km Sydney to Wollongong and aim for a good time.

So here is to all the PALGN gym'ers/trainers/weight-loss'ers new and old. Good luck with your training in the new year.

[Cyph]

Nice kt, I want to get back into my running but my hammy holds me back

[mikezilla2]

i could swear my ankles are screaming at me to stop !
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[dimefan90]

I started a diet 2 days ago. it sucks, im always hungry and im tempted by all the nice food in my fridge (damn you christmas leftovers)

I plan on buying a bike to get some exercise.
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[bleach1st]

Great to hear people are still trying hard, I've had a good year in terms achievements
I've been consistently gyming 5 days a week for the majority of the year. Spent time learning lifting fundamentals like squats, deadlifts and bench press properly and got my diet/supplements in check to see my lifts increase massively this year. Ended up going from 66kg at the start of year to 75kg now
Looking forward to 2012! My currently membership ends in March though, not sure if I should look into resigning up at where I am currently. At $15.95p/w I still get the feeling I'm getting ripped off, especially given the poor maintenance on the equipment there...
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[Jordan]

I'm on deployment with the army for the next few months. Not allowed to drink.. that alone should be a fair few kgs right there lol. Been in the gym a lot more as well.


Also.. first post in 8 years. Haha

[Island_Wolf]

[OropherX]

i lost 3kg working at Coles nightfill new years eve (massive load) then I ate a whole box of dominos pizza by myself today ^___^
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[dimefan90]

[Island_Wolf]

Replacing snacks/drinks is okay but that alone shouldn't make you always hungry. The main meal is probably the issue there, a good main meal can help snack less. Maybe try changing your eating habits more slowly? and look to see the nutrition values of the meals you eat (don't have to follow the numbers, just make sure it has fair amount of protein and low-med GI carbs). For example, add something with the salad sandwiches, possibly need more protein and a tad more carbs.
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[timmay33]

When I was down to my lowest weight (87kg when I was 18) my diet was to take what I was given for dinner and only eat half and have the other half for breakfast.

This worked because its not only about portion but also time of day. You dont need the big energy filling food at night... your body will just use your reserves (fat and glucose) to repair. But also the protein from what dinner you did have.

Also having the bigger breakfast (than cereal) also helped for good eating throughout the day.

Granted I was working the furniture dept of a retail store and thus doing alot of physical work, but something as simple as eating half for dinner half for breakfast really helped.

I am doing this again but its hard when I am going out for dinner alot more now (restaurants and subway, not fast foods)
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[ObsoletE]

My work has set up a weightwatcher at work program, and since it's easy and convenient, i decided to join.

the initial weigh-in wasn't exactly a success - the scales didn't go high enough, however this wasn't entirely my fault. i mean, sure, i'm a fat sod, but i'm also a very tall guy, and the scales the leader brought didn't go all that much over the upper weight-limit for someone my height. (plus, for OHS reasons, we had to weigh in with shoes on, and for the same reason above, my shoes are also rather bulky...)

bleh, sounds like i'm making excuses, but that wasn't the point of posting here. i guess it's just to announce the plan to lose weight than anything else.

so yeah, been watching all the propoints and other aspects that WWs preach. it's kinda strange though, looking through all the literature, i really don't eat all that badly - it's just the portions i eat, which is really what i suspected going in. (i mean, i've always preferred fresh cooking to tinned/jarred foods, i've always preferred the taste of wholemeal bread to white. things that they suggest as small changes, i already do... don't get me wrong, i do keep the odd RTE meal in the freezer for those nights after work that i CBF cooking when i get home, but they're pretty rare.)

i guess living alone doesn't help much either. i mean i pretty much wing it with my meals - if i'm having pasta, i'll just grab a couple of handfuls of dry pasta and cook that, there's no real control, and if i end up with a big portion, then i eat it. so i've bought some electronic scales and introduced that between the "grab a handful" and "put in water" stages - keeping to the suggested portions.

the biggest change will actually be what i drink. i'm not actually a fan of soft drink in general (particularly cola - i just hate the taste of cola), but i love fruit juice. usually i'd have several glasses per day. i always knew they weren't really as healthy as you'd expect, being loaded with sugar and so on, but actually seeing the values WW attaches to a glass of pineapple juice was a bit of an eye-opener. someone in the group did suggest going half-half with water in the juice, but it's something i'm going to have to get used to, cos initial impressions are not great.

so the plan runs for 13 weeks initially - and quite honestly, it's going to be really tough these 13 weeks, because pretty much everything is stacked up in these next 3 months for me. i mean just this past 2 nights, i've had family birthday dinners to attend, and there's at least 1 birthday every 2 weeks from now, including my own, and it all ends with Easter.

anyway - i guess that's my story. it wasn't meant to be a rant, or excuse, or anything other than stating my intention to lose weight - although i might've sounded like that at times.

TL;DR? Obs wants to lose weight.
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[Zhou]

[dimefan90]

[bleach1st]

[Island_Wolf]

My bf commented how much I've changed in a year, from not being able to walk around the shopping centre for 30 minutes straight and always depressed to being able walk around for hours and is a happier person.

Got my blood test 2 weeks ago, insulin resistance level back to normal. I will hopefully never forgot how easily I can get diabetes and maintain this 60-62kg for life. 1 year to lose 15kg was hard at first, seeing how many other diets you lose that amount in months.

The way I eat seems to surprise many people which is a surprise to me. It appears that the way I eat is a huge no-no to many diets now but then I see people at work always seems to fail to follow these diets and snack away. "Rice is fattening" "Coffee is fattening" "Yoghurt is fattening" "Carbs is fattening" *shrugs*
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[sithsylar]

That is really funny cause i have lost like 45KGs with having low fat yoghurt for breakfast and having coffee with a sugarine tablet.... Its been tough going to the gym but i go 5 days out of 7. Been eating really well don't care if i get hungry i just say to myself that is my belly eating itself hahah.

Its tough tho for me its like a addiction if i go off this diet i know i will just keep eating and eating. Got to be strong for the final hurdles.
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[KT]

Massive props to both of you.

My training is continuing pretty normally. Did my first 100km week on my bike a while back. All this rain around sydney has really put a dampener on my outdoors training though. I ran two long distance runs over the weekend just because i don't know when i will have the opportunity to be outside again.

[VMan87]

^ All you people are doing awesome and should be so so proud of yoursleves.

I literally love hearing about how people have had the courgae to look at themselves in the mirror and say enough is enough and do what needs to be done to change. It's a long process - years really but if it takes 2yrs of hard work to make you happy for the rest of your life it's unbelievably rewarding.

I get so sick of large people that think the world owes them something and just come up with excuse after excuse as to why they are fat - like it's never their fault.

So massive kudos to you all for facing yourself and living a better life

[timmay33]

I guess nows a good time to share my story.

I have always be an overweight person. Since primary school.

When I left school (2003), in the first year I was reasonably fit, after working in a furniture dept of a store and simply just having half my dinner at night and half for breakfast. I reached 87kg at my lowest, although not buff. I am 6' 3" or 190cm tall and rather large build so this weight was normal for my body type, where as most others would be more around the 70 or less.

I soon quit work to focus on my studies. This is where the weight started to climb. Due to work load and low funds I never worked out. I also ate poorly. I had little flutters with working out here and there for 5 years.

It was last year when my mate started to lose the weight, that I decided to do the same. This was when I was at my all time high of 121kg in July 2011. The heaviest I have been all my life.

It was a reall downer and I can see how people might just eat to take the mind off it. I would often have a "snack" of a can of soft drink, a couple of chocolate bars and bag of chips. That was over 2500 kj or about 1/3 my adult avg daily requirement, just as a snack. If I kept my way I would join those of biggest loser. People often think how do you let yourself get to that kind of weight (140kg+), the trouble is it is easy. The difficult part is getting rid of it and staying rid of it.

So through cutting down on food, the old addage of Energy in/Energy out, I started to lose the weight. Not soo much cutting out fast food all together but having it maybe twice or 3 times a month. Every time I picked up packaged food, I looked at the nutriotional information and primarily the kj. This habit really helped as I could gauge how much I had already had and if I could afford to eat somthing. The weight came off at about 1kg a week. This was without going to the gym.

I finally joined my local Stepz gym just before christmas when I was 107kg as I was floating around that weight for sometime and felt it necessary to start working out to lost more weight. I really enjoy the 24hr part, as in the past I was a member of fitness first and found I always ran out of time to work out.

I then saw an ad for a 8 week challenge through the gym. It only cost $200 for a diet plan (1700-1800 cal/day or 7000-7500kj/day), 2 workout sessions a week with the trainer (as part of a group) and also a workout plan for the rest of the week. I joined this and feel its the best money I have spent. when I started I was weighed in at 104kg, held a plank for ~40 secs, held a squat against the wall for ~35 secs.

Just past the 2 week mark on the weekend and had a weigh in. I weighed in at 99.7kg. This made me soo happy as this is the lightest I have been in 4 years, and I still have 6 weeks to go. I hope to reach 85-90kg again but have a buffer body, more defined muscles. Being able to hold the plank and squat for more than a minute is also a dream. I look forward to going to the group session each time as each time I go I know I am closer to my goal.

I feel soo much healthier, soo much more energetic. That one day in July last year really feels like the begining of my new, better life. I now feel disgusted at the amount of energy in a can of soft drink, or even a small bar of chocolate.

It also feels like it doesnt cost me anything. The money I save on not having as much fast food covers the cost of the gym.

This thread has given me much inspiration as it is when we see other succeed, we push ourselve to succeed as well. I hope my story gives someone that push to make the change needed to lose the weight.

TL;DR
Always overwieght as child.
87kg my lowest point just after leaving school
121kg, my highest point 5 years after.
Decided to change one day in July 2011.
Now 99.7kg.
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[sithsylar]

Keep it up Timmy you can do it! I can't wait to get under 100... Haven't been that since high school
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[timmay33]

^Cheers dude

After having done my group session last night, I noticed when doing push ups my wrists began to hurt. This prompted my to think I need to strengthen them.

Has anyone done this and what are the best exercises to focus on them? Or do you just srengthen them as secondary with other exercises (bicep curl, bench press, etc)?
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[VMan87]

^ Yeh man all streghthening for joints comes from doing the weights itself you don't specifically target to strenghthen a joint by doing a particular excercise. One of the massive pros to lifting wieghts is it really does increase your bone density and strength.

Hwoever sore wrists and elbows is a very common ailment when lifting weight (even your own body weight as you are doing with push ups).

Try changing the angle you plant your hands on the ground to do your push ups and see if this helps, it can also help work other muscles involved in doing the push up motion if you change your "stance" if you will.

Also if you're only 2 weeks into an excercise program, pain in joints is very common as they're getting used to the extra strain you out on them - they will quickly grow strength and the pain should subside.