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2017 Fitness Thread


Soulboy
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1 hour ago, Drinks said:

I have a concept 2 in the garage next to the turbo. Set them both up on New Years Eve. Chance of me getting on the rower though is slim to none.

We're after a used Concept 2, but they still go for stupid money!  You still doing Tris?

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15 hours ago, billy2shots said:

I've  done full on keto diets in the past (less than 30g of carbs a day TSN massive) and whilst the first 5 days are hard with lethargy and head fog, I do get on quite well once the body adapts and starts using fat as its fuel source rather than carbs.

The sugar craving 5 days in is just the pits.  I've got a massive problem with Chocolate Hobnobs - I have a an amazing ability to be totally disciplined in what I eat when, but wave Chocolate Hobnobs in my face and it all goes tits up :) And the Lidl versions are just as good :grin:

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2 hours ago, Drinks said:

I know lots of people who have had great success with slimming world.

A coleague has been on it for around 6 months and has lost 3 stone and my sister in law is 2 weeks in to slimming world and 7lb lighter.

Seems to be a good balance of being able to eat "free" food so you aren't hungry and also treats with your sins. Fry light is horrible though. 

How much do you want to lose?

 

There is always that one Achilles Heel. Mine is the Mrs home cooked cheesecake. She seems to go into baking overdrive as soon as I look to drop body fat, I'm sure she does it on purpose. 

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5 hours ago, Drinks said:

 

How much do you want to lose?

Well...

I know BMI isn't necessarily the best all encompassing measure, but to get it below 30 (i.e. not obese) I need to lose 5st 5lb. That would be a target weight of 14 stone. I'm 5ft 8in by the way.

A few years ago I was just over 20 stone. That was a bit of a shock when I weighed myself for the first time in ages. I managed to lose nearly two stone through *some* more exercise (walking, basically) and *some* attempt at a better diet, but I've not been consistent and I've put some weight back on since then (although still a stone lighter than my worst). 

I'm 49 at the end of Feb. I always had a vague notion that I should try to lose weight *before* I started suffering symptoms of serious health issues like diabetes. Fortunately I seem to have been lucky on that front so far (although I'm due a health check). The time has come to admit losing the amount of weight I need to requires a far more organised, dedicated and supported effort. 

Grateful to eldavo for his message. Definitely on the list of options to consider. As I said to eldavo, one thing I need to overcome is the feeling that I need to lose some weight before I can see myself doing any exercise other than walking, while the logical side of my brain accepts that exercise is going to be a vital factor in losing that weight. 

One of the difficult parts for me is finding an exercise programme that starts at a level I'm confident I can actually do and builds at a pace I can live with. I'm (perhaps a bit too) acutely aware that I'm not 30 any more ... and that the last time I did anything more vigorous than a brisk walk is an awful long time ago. 

Erm. End of ramble. 

Edited by garcon magnifique
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Good on you for starting it off though Mike +++

The only thing I'd steer clear of is BMI - it really is a load of horsesh*t.  I'm 6'1" and 89kg (14 stone something in old money) and my BMI says I'm borderline obese.  Yeah right - I'm 12.5% BF.  BMI works as a general guideline for some people in the NHS to make random decisions, but nothing more.

Kicking alcohol will make a massive difference, or even just cutting right back on it, and then looking at what you eat and when.  Don't cut it out, but try to control how much sugar you eat - hidden sugar is the worst and DON'T use anything with artificial sweeteners in it - stick to regular sugar.  The body treats artificial sweeteners a bit differently to sugar, with a much worse effect in that they trigger different types of insulin spikes (which cause your body to store fat to use later).

Don't FFS start starving yourself - you have to enjoy what you eat, or you'll just resent it and say "feck that" after a very short space of time.

Stick with it though - it'll be massively worth it once you start +++

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I think facing up to issues is just as hard as actually doing something about it. You've made the first step G and you won't regret making a life change for the reasons you mentioned. 

You really don't need to go bat s4it crazy in fact that's the worst thing you can do. If you make huge changes now, they will work for a month or two and then stop. When the weight loss stops you won't have anything up your sleeve to get it going again.

You need to make a change and when the weight loss slows you need to make another change and then rinse and repeat. So many people drop calories too low too fast and smash the exercise to pieces. One month later they give up and return to there old ways because it's not sustainable  

You will be amazed just what you can do by reducing alcohol, takeaways and chocolate/sugary snacks and drinks. Add in walking a little more and the pounds will fly off. Once that slows then you can focus on food choices in more detail and start to worry about calorie counting.  

Edited by billy2shots
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6 hours ago, Mook said:

We're after a used Concept 2, but they still go for stupid money!  You still doing Tris?

Not sure. Haven't renewed my Tri club membership this year and in reality I've done SFA for the last 15 months. I'd like to do another IM but it would end in divorce so going to put that off for now.

Have started training again and motivation is good have done 8 turbo sessions this year. Yes I know that it's only the 10th! It feels really good to be back in that training zone and itching to do a workout. 

They have always felt like a chore of late, so to have that drive back means I might be ready to do something. My shoulder is there or there abouts after it got wrecked at Tenby now too.

The other down side is that they are so expensive.  Will enter something this year, not sure what. 

Fancied doing a SUP, MTB & trail run but they are in too far away just for a jolly. 

How about you still aiming to be top of the obstacle course race podium or have you gone back to triathlon. 

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1km under 4min is easy??

hhhmmmmm now that I think about it even a wibbly wobbly like me can do it 5 min......hhhhmmm okay something to work towards.

im also vastly over weight so I've restarted better eating (no more chip and beans for lunch!) and daily exercise.

Taking that very steadily right now : 15min x-trainer, 12min rowing (working towards 15min each) then I just head to pool to cool down and do a couple lengths before steam room and out.

when I get up a bit more stamina I'll look to add reps of light weights after rower probably.

want to lose at least 20kg (that's my target) although I suspect that will merely get me to somewhat chubby.

Edited by Waylander
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1 hour ago, Waylander said:

1km under 4min is easy??

hhhmmmmm now that I think about it even a wibbly wobbly like me can do it 5 min......hhhhmmm okay something to work towards.

im also vastly over weight so I've restarted better eating (no more chip and beans for lunch!) and daily exercise.

Taking that very steadily right now : 15min x-trainer, 12min rowing (working towards 15min each) then I just head to pool to cool down and do a couple lengths before steam room and out.

when I get up a bit more stamina I'll look to add reps of light weights after rower probably.

want to lose at least 20kg (that's my target) although I suspect that will merely get me to somewhat chubby.

Doesn't matter what you're doing, as long as it's right for you +++

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1 hour ago, Drinks said:

How about you still aiming to be top of the obstacle course race podium or have you gone back to triathlon. 

I only did 2 races last year after dislocating my shoulder racing in September 15 and having (yet another!) shoulder op Feb 16.  Rehab has been challenging, to say the least, but I'm now back into full-on training (since late October last year).  Shoulder is about 95% now - still get twinges, but I work around it.

First obstacle race is March, but we're sticking to more endurance stuff this year (20+ miles), so fewer races and more training, because I want to get to the top of my age group in races now.  Why the hell I do them is beyond me, because I'm not built for running, in any way whatsoever :roflmao:

I race with my not-wife (it's how we met), so it tends to not be the cause of arguments when we're training :) That said, a good mate of mine nearly ended up with the D word after his IM training last year! He did bloody well in it (Austria) so it was all worth it - apparently! 

There's an awesome race called Coast to Coast http://ratrace.com/coasttocoast/ near Inverness - 105 miles of run, bike, kayak, bike, run etc in 1 day which I badly want to do this year, but it's the week after Man v Mountain http://ratrace.com/manvsmountain/, so I'm not 100% sure I'll do Coast to Coast yet.

We both got massively into road biking last year, but then I got back into MTB over Christmas - aaaagh!  TBH, I'm not bothered as long as I'm outside and doing something.  Going to get back to triathlon this year, but not sure what yet, and then do some decent events in 2018 - that's my goal anyway.  Just have to see how it goes - it takes a lot longer for me to recover after endurance races.

Completely agree re the cost of racing in anything - it's expensive!

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My 10k time in Dec was 41 mins (41.10) but having done two efforts this year I'm off that for now, but it will come back quick enough. I hope. It isn't much fun but I quite like the countdown from 10,000 and just seem to while away the time hoping the time is going quicker than it is! I don't even have any headphones at the moment for it.  I'm going to buy a C2 when we move house. So not until next year then! I'm pulling under 40 mins for over half of the effort but the last 3k beats me. Plus the machines at my gym have worn footstraps so I have to keep tightening them, although it seems real rowers don't even need them! Concept2 website forum is good for tips.

Mook, after my Devizes to Westminster race I fancied the coast to coast, but then got married and have two young kids so it went onto the backburner. Quite fancy giving it a go though. My current job won't let me train consistently without sacrificing time with the kids and that is more important.

Mike, great work. Stick at it. Small gains equal big gains with consistency. Oh, and try Becks Blue. I drink it all the time now and I'm quite satisfied with a few of them at the weekend. And I LOVE boozing but decided far too much so cut back hugely. Last year I probably cut my booze consumption by 75% and lost about half a stone without changing any other dietary factor.

It is tough with work though. I'm up at 04:30 tomoorow for 2 days in Sheffield, followed by Leeds for a day. Then next week Chicago for a day then the next week Dublin then London for the following week. You can train, but not consistently. And diet is a bit rubbish eating away from home too!

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On 09/01/2017 at 6:42 PM, garcon magnifique said:

Talking of diets, or not, I'm actually genuinely considering joining Slimming World. :secret::o

Myself and the mrs started Slimming World back in October, well kind of.

 

I'm not interested in going to fat club and I've no desire to talk to other people for 'motivation' and I'd rather just get on with it on my own, so Mrs T just borrowed the Slimming World recipe books off her mates and we've simply just changed the way we cook, most of the food we eat is the same just cooked differently, aside from my lunches that is, the chicken and bacon baguettes or Tesco meal deal sandwiches are out and normal brown bread sandwiches are in, I don't enjoy it as much but I can put up with it because the rest of the food we eat is more or less the same.

 

Personally I've found it very easy, but then I don't have to do anything, Mrs T provides all my meals I just eat them.

 

I do have a wobble every now and again, I had a sausage bacon and egg baguette this morning for example and I reckon I've put about a stone back on after stuffing my face all Christmas, I also haven't stopped drinking, although I'm a binge drinker rather than a regular, probably go out once every six weeks or so and get smashed, maybe a couple of beers every other weekend otherwise, so I'm no dedicated role model for the diet.

 

Having said all that, I'd lost 3 stone just before Christmas.

 

Started at a similar weight to yourself at just under 20 stone, I'm getting to the point now where my clothes no longer fit (trousers in particular, need a belt!) and I feel 'light enough' to start adding in some regular exercise without it causing me to be in pain, so next week I'm starting swimming again, see how that goes and then maybe have a go at that HIT stuff as I won't have time for much more.

Edited by Tipex
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Secret to all great diets is to not make it a chore - if it is it won't last. I don't even realise how healthily and how high in protein I eat, because for my wife and I it has just become natural. Sure we cheat, but we have found over a long period of time how to eat stuff that is not only tasty and satisfying but also clean.

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Completely agree +++

Just for some ideas, breakfast is normally scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and half an avocado, mid-morning might be something like a chicken renee - chicken breast, cut it open, stick a spoon of cream cheese in it, close it up, wrap it in (fat-trimmed) bacon and stick it in the oven for 30 mins .  Home-made chilli - loads of ginger, chilli, cinnamon. All of those, the carb content is minimal, protein content is high and fat is there as well.

Lush! :grin:

We eat 7 times a day and you'd think it's a right PITA, as we have to prep loads of food on a Sunday afternoon/evening for the week, but once you're into the routine, it just works - and it's not difficult.

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That I think it my biggest problem right now - it will be easier once our respective parents leave and we can make a whole-family change in eating but at the moment it still lots of curries and rice etc for oldies' tastes so occasionally missus makes me something different or I have it with less rice etc

For lunches I'm alternating a sald with egg&tuna or a can of soup with fruit (I might add slimfast occasionally into the mix) - not as protein high as I'd like so I am eating a helluva lot of fruit

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OK, just be careful with the fruit.  It's not refined sugar, but your body treats it in a similar way - simple carbs, so your insulin gets spiked and your body tries to store the energy for later (i.e. fat).  That's a real simplification, but you get the idea.  Try if you can to cut down on the fruit (don't cut it out!) and replace some of it with veg if possible.  Whatever you like, whether it's raw peppers, carrots, cucumber or whatever.

Rice, potatoes, pasta etc. are all simple carbs, so if your missus is making stuff for the oldies, then try to just have the curry if you can.

Oh, and check the sugar and salt content of your soup and try and find a healthy one.  Stuff advertised as "low fat" may well be, but they tend to be stuffed with sugar and salt to give them taste.

HTH +++

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Buy one of these. 

We for one over xmas and it's ace, throw veg in, stock and leave for 15 mins. 

Perfect healthy soup. Had a blade inside to chop the veg to make it less chunky if preferred  

we make smoothies in it too, fresh fruit and fat free frozen yoghurt. Awesome 

IMG_0080.PNG

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Thanks Mook, greatly appreciated.

Noted re fruit - I need to find something "safe" to snack on too. I generally prefer savoury to sweet anyone and one impact of the fruit is wanted to soften the sweet taste. At the moment the new discipline is doing the job bu as said above I need something more tangible for when the iron will corrodes....

Yes I have started buying the low-salt versions of the soup. First couple have been fine if a little more watery than the standard versions

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