The Fitness Thread

[Poison-]

Originally Posted by JenovaSephiroth

Uh... Let's just say that I haven't followed any sort of diet. I'm never hungry when I get up, so I pretty much just have two home-cooked meals every day, and at night, I have gamer food. Chips, iced tea, stuff like that. On days that I have work, I pack and bring lunch with me.

If you have a small breakfast everyday, and cut out the chips and iced tea and replace them with healthier foods, like almonds and water, you should see much better results. As long as your body is burning more calories than you are eating, you will lose weight.

[xMUSICxMASTERx]

I'm around 5'4 and 100-105 pounds/~47kgs (underweight) I pretty much never work out, I'm badly out of shape. I've had a naturally really fast metabolism all my life, I used to eat like crazy and be just under a normal weight for my height. A bit over a year ago there was money problems, less food, depression, etc. I stopped eating as much and kind of stuck to it. I'm not sure if I've ever really felt hunger which is weird, but when I ate a lot I just loved eating and craved everything (especially sweets) and now I barely ever feel like eating anything and I get full really easily.
I think that I should be able to get back into the habit of eating properly over time, but it's a bit of a struggle. I should probably start exercising at least once in a while too because it might help balance everything out. Not sure why I even posted this lol, just felt like sharing.

[i heart candy]

I'm 22, 6 ft 1 inch tall , and right now sitting at about 185 pounds. I recently just got back into cross country running. I used to be very passionate about it in high school, and I stopped doing it as soon as I graduated. It's been about 2 weeks, and so far I've been averaging 32 miles per week. This includes sprints, and a much healthier diet.
My goal is to be in the low 170's in regards to weight.

Edit: Changes I've made in my life for the past 3 months...
1. I quit smoking cigarettes. I can taste, see, smell, and react much better. (I encourage anyone who smokes to do this. The longer you wait, the harder it is to quit.)
2. I stopped drinking as much as I used to. I still drink, but not nearly as much.
3. I quit eating so much fast food. Every now and then I will get it, but only as a last resource - in addition to this, I started learning how to prepare simple meals that require a microwave.

My confidence points shot up, and made my life 5x more stress free.

[infinity.]

Originally Posted by JenovaSephiroth

5'11, 155lbs here. Once or twice a week, I go down to the arcade to play PIU doubles (D14-D17) for a couple of hours, but even after all of that, I still have a gut, and I haven't gotten rid of it since... ever, I think. Any ideas on how to work on that?

once or twice a week really won't do you much.
do atleast 10 minutes of cardio on the days you arent doing piu

also foods matter

6'4 160lbs -- was 202lbs start of my junior year of high school. pretty much just run and eat healthy and be fit and whatnot

[i will pwn u]

Originally Posted by Reach

The short answer is go to the gym, lift heavy weights, do compound movements and eat tons of food so you gain weight.

This.. 100%.. for gaining mass..

[Ohaider]

I've actually been working on this for about 2 weeks now, since summer breaks about over i gotta get off my ass haha

Here's what i've been doing so far and actually accomplishing


At work (movie theater), and out
-stopped drinking free soda
-stopped eating movie butter on free popcorn

At home
-less snacks
-healthier meals

Exercise
-Cycle every day for 2-3 hours
-Lift/crunches/sit ups/push ups/pull ups every other day

So far so good! haha and also thank you for showing me Fitocracy.. I freaking love this.


OP should have account names of FFR members on Fitocracy since it's a social network of a sorts, motivating, and relevant

Edit: I also like how it's got levels. Lol

[SC_coolguy44]

I just thought I'd share this. I'm 6 feet tall, probably around 200 lbs. I haven't exersised in a really long time (probably at least 2 or 3 months) and I eat unhealthy foods more often than healthy (over half my day when I'm not in school I probably actually spend on FFR). Sometimes I do end up making better choices in exersise and food, though. How can I get the motivation to exersise again (for someone like me it's really difficult because I am lazy).

[Dynam0]

I was the skinny dude in high school (Weighed 125 lbs going into uni) but when I went away for school, binge drinking and eating pizzas before passing out, awful sleeping habits in combination with the fact that my ridiculous metabolism might have 'slowed down' from getting older, I shot up to 175 by my 3rd year of uni. Very little physical activity throughout being at school.

Every summer I would work labor jobs with full-time hours and if I wasn't working I was out drinking. I would lose around 10-15 lbs over the summer and gain a little muscle.

Right now I'm 5'11'' 160 lbs, I only drink around 2-3 times a month now (compared to 3-4 times a week) and I'm still working doing physical labor. I eat fast food probably 3 times a week though (midnight mcdonalds runs are epic).

All-in-all I'm pretty damn out of shape, a healthy weight for myself I could see being around 150 and it would be so easy if I focused a little more on what I ate and/or if I did some cardio every once in a while.

I've never had to work out to stay away from being obese and I'm lucky I have the genes to basically abuse my body and still stay relatively small (although I had a bit of a beer gut at some points)

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by Mike Weedmark

Reincarnate, from your post, you seem really concerned with the mathy stuff behind workouts. I'm not super ripped or super strong, but I'm probably the most normal looking guy in a group of people who seem to be hitting the "This is where I get fat" stage of life. Don't worry so much about numbers, imo. Instead try to focus on having a fun, adventurous, childlike approach to life in general (when it's appropriate), and the workouts will take care of themselves.

And that DDR doesn't look like it's hurting either. Keep doing that is my advice. And try to avoid soda and booze. A lot of stuff is bad for you, but not in the deathblow kind of way those are.

What's wrong with core?

It's all about numbers. You can't track progress or fix faults without knowing exactly what you're doing wrong. You can still have fun while doing the math.

[Hakulyte]

I somehow cut on anything with wheat and loss 10 pounds, stopped being a sleeping zombie, improved reaction/concentration etc. and I'm a lot less hungry all of a sudden. ?_?

I also have the same weight/shape as Reincarnate somehow rofl.. I saw the DDR vid and I almost thought it was me and went wtf.

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by Hakulyte

I somehow cut on anything with wheat and loss 10 pounds, stopped being a sleeping zombie, improved reaction/concentration etc. and I'm a lot less hungry all of a sudden. ?_?

I also have the same weight/shape as Reincarnate somehow rofl.. I saw the DDR vid and I almost thought it was me and went wtf.

You lost weight because you were in a caloric deficit. Also wheat is high in carbs and carbs restore glycogen. Glycogen is basically an energy store for muscles. Makes your muscles puffy and big looking too.

[Poison-]

For people that find it extremely hard to find the motivation to workout, try finding a friend, girlfriend, boyfriend etc. To workout with. It makes it a lot easier to get the motivation, and I actually find it more fun to be honest. I used to have absolutely no motivation at all, but I always wanted to get bigger. When I started working out with my girlfriend, I noticed how much I actually love weightlifting. I actually help train a few of my friends, and they've gotten some pretty good results. If you can find someone if similar goals, or even just someone to go to the gym with, it'll make it all worthwhile.

A huge portion of getting those results you really want comes from the food you guys eat. I know from first hand experience that a lot of you skinny guys may think you just have a "naturally fast metabolism", while I'm not saying that this is entirely untrue, but I guarantee that you guys probably don't eat as much food as you think. I thought I was eating a lot when I was skinner, and then I actually counted how many calories I was eating, and it wasn't nearly enough for me to gain weight. Everyone should do a calorie count for a few days, and be honest on it, too. That can be a great starting point for a lot of you. Write down everything you eat, and when. Portion sizes and everything.

[i love you]

Back in high school, I was 6'2 weighting about 170 lbs and was in REALLY great shape.

Now, I am 6'3 weighting about 210 lbs however I have gained a ton of muscle since I decided to do weight training recently. It has been 46 days so far and I must say that I am liking my results however I am still not satisfied with the extra fat I have in the abdominal area and I really would like to hear from Reach/SCWolf what I should do to trim that fat off.

My Goal: Get to 190 lbs with around 8-9% of body fat. I am currently at 210 lbs with around 15-16% of body fat that seems to be hard to get rid of for me.

[Reach]

A huge portion of getting those results you really want comes from the food you guys eat. I know from first hand experience that a lot of you skinny guys may think you just have a "naturally fast metabolism", while I'm not saying that this is entirely untrue, but I guarantee that you guys probably don't eat as much food as you think.

This is 100% true. Studies show that metabolism doesn't vary nearly as much between most people under normal conditions as they would like to think.

"Fast metabolism" is just code for "I don't eat that much and naturally feel full quickly". That feeling is controlled in the brain and tends to vary a lot between individuals. Most people that claim to have slow metabolisms simply have the opposite problem; they don't feel full easily.

Also completely agree with your ideas on motivation. It's great to have a partner.

It has been 46 days so far and I must say that I am liking my results however I am still not satisfied with the extra fat I have in the abdominal area and I really would like to hear from Reach/SCWolf what I should do to trim that fat off.

It took me 3 months to go from 17% to 8%. You will have to keep going, probably for awhile.

Another thing to consider is that you will lose body fat from different places at different times. I had a similar problem in that as I got to around 10%, my arms, shoulders, chest and back were completely ripped to shreds, but I still had a lot of flab on my abdomen and legs. However, I simply kept going, and the fat started coming off of my stomach almost all at once. Legs came last.

You can't really spot reduce sadly. Getting rid of the fat in those areas involves losing fat everywhere, and chances are your abs will be the very last place you lose fat.

[SCWolf]

What he said.

[infinity.]

addendum: i'm currently ~8.25% body fat. was about 4.5% last semester due to too much exercise and a poor diet. however, i have found that managing body fat becomes very easy once you find out the extremes.

for anyone wanting to drop a few percent, cut out calories and colors from fluids aside from protein -- only water and protein shakes. easiest means of cutting a gut, when you sweat off water weight, sodas and sugary drinks will evaporate as well, but sugar stays, fat remains etc

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by Infinity.

4.5% last semester

Body fat percentage guide:

6%: Amateur competition condition. Physiological minimum that is sustainable without drug usage. Abdominals visible unflexed.

http://www.podarco.com/fitness/image.../shredded2.jpg


5%: High level competition condition. Physiological minimum for natural bodybuilders. Cannot be sustained without drug usage. Increased vascularity compared to 6%, skin begins to become paper thin.

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/im...i46d1066e.jpeg

4%: Professional competition condition. Impossible for natural bodybuilders. Cannot be sustained for more than a few weeks even with drug usage. Very similar to 5% in terms of vascularity and thickness of the skin, but overall muscle mass is vastly increased because of steroid usage:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eRp_UgKxei...ybuilder15.jpg

3%: Physiological minimum under any condition. Cannot be sustained for more than a few hours. Incredibly dangerous and unhealthy condition. The body must be completely dehydrated in order to achieve this state, as subcutaneous water levels approach 0. The individual is also in a state of starvation. This condition needs to be carefully controlled, as death can be a serious risk.

http://muscleandbrawn.com/forums/att...55137335_n.jpg

[gnr61]

as some peeps on this forum know, i lost some 75lbs between '09 and '11 (230-155). in that time i was pretty regimental about food and exercise and did a lot of group-sporty activities like running and tae-kwon-do and eskrima stick fighting which kicked the fat out of me pretty good. peak i was around 145 and 9% body fat (i'm 5'9 and have been since 6th grade =.=).

since then i've been -very- slowly putting weight back on, a result of depression, a good bit of family trauma and dropping out of school for a few semesters and more or less becoming a binge-eating zombie. i usually bounce out of it long enough to keep it from getting too out of hand--i'm 165 now and not horrendously unhealthy--but i've stopped the martial arts and whatnot and still hate my habits since prior to now i've had experience with being really healthy/fit.

so basically this is a great thread idea and will hopefully keep me motivated to get back to the gym (or more likely just bodyweight workouts for now) and eating healthy. the latter should put some ease on my wallet too since fast food and cigarettes gets to be a pretty pricey diet <____>

my ultimate goal is to get lean/semi-cut as frankly i don't particularly like the bulky look myself. i've got a lot of random flab/stretchmarks from my overweight days and it's always been a point of insecurity for me; nothing counters that like having a sexy ass core.

will stay posted in here with my progress and good luck to everyone else with their own goals. LET'S GIT IN SHAPE

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by SCWolf

3%: Physiological minimum under any condition. Cannot be sustained for more than a few hours. Incredibly dangerous and unhealthy condition. The body must be completely dehydrated in order to achieve this state, as subcutaneous water levels approach 0. The individual is also in a state of starvation. This condition needs to be carefully controlled, as death can be a serious risk.

http://muscleandbrawn.com/forums/att...55137335_n.jpg

holy shit

why anyone would want to look that vascular is beyond me

EDIT:

On the other hand, I can understand the impulse. I had great fun pushing the limits of my desktop computer to see how much performance I could squeeze out of it by overclocking everything and optimizing every variable that I could. There was, of course, risk involved.

Same likely applies here -- except I'd argue that there's a huge leap between risking computer hardware vs. risking your body :P

[Poison-]

Also, anyone just wanting to do bodyweight exercises should take a serious look at Insanity. SCWolf mentioned it before, and I just looked into it and it looks like a pretty good workout program. You can find a torrent of it easily.