Im getting fat

You get rid of it by doing the opposite of what caused it. Put the fork down! Seriously, MOST of how your body looks is diet. I sympathize with your situation as a fellow lard-ass myself. Am now working on correcting that...and it's NOT NEARLY as much fun to take the weight off as put it on...that's for DAMN sure.

 

I have always been slim untill i gave up smoking just over two years ago and in that time i have put on four stone and gone up three sizes

 

Losing weight is 70% what you eat, and 30% cardio. I would not suggest situps ever, even if you are completely lean. Doing 500 situps doesn't get your heart rate going like cardio does. My suggestion is do cardio even just twice a week, go for 30-45 minutes and just make sure you keep your heart rate up. If you don't like running, use the elliptical machine. Use an iPOD, it's the easiest on your knees, plus at a constant rate you will burn major calories and sweat your balls off. Another great one is Jumping jacks, get into doing them and you won't be sorry. Whenever I go to the gym I will spend about an hour in front of the mirror doing them, it's become kinda fun as well.

Put it this way, I use the cycling machine for 40 minutes about 3-4 days a week. In that 40 minutes, I burn about 700 calories with my heart rate at about 180-190 bpm the whole time. And that's not even including my normal training. I could spend 40 minutes doing situps and would never come close. Set a goal, and picture yourself reaching your goal. You need to discipline yourself. Only a few months ago was I in your spot, fast food and no exercise at all. I now am at the gym 5-6 days a week by 5:30am. And it's the best I've felt in about a year. You WILL NOT regret it.

As far as foods, cut out fast food. It's quite easy, no more soda either. Try and eat meats like Turkey, Chicken. Try to eat at consistent times, also try not to eat past 6-7pm. If I think of anything more off the top of my head I'll let you know..

 

what everyone mentioned makes a lot of sense...and is probably all true(I only say that because I am not an expert)

However....I read in a health magazine last night that if you want you abdomen muscles to show up, that a man needs to be 10% body fat and a woman 14%. So I know that isn't what you really asked...but I thought I would just share if any are interested.

Good luck!

 

One point I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you can't burn fat in a targeted area of the body. Some people think that doing situps or crunches will burn belly fat, but that's simply not true. You add and burn fat all over your body, not just the areas that you exercise.

A personal trainer also told me that not eating after a certain time at night is also a myth. He said that your body burns calories around the clock, so there was no real need to quit eating after a certain time each day (as long as you're following a regular pattern). He recommended eating five or six small meals throughout the day, rather than two or three large ones.

As for exercise, I'd recommend cycling or swimming. Both give you a complete workout and burn a lot of calories. Above all that, both are fun (in my opinion). Find something that you enjoy doing, because if you don't like it you're highly unlikely to stick with it.

 

Eat right and do 25 minutes of stationary bike riding a day.

 

What ol' Mr. Good up there said is so accurate. Running is a tremendous way to get rid of some of the extra stuff. It's a pain in the ass, I know--and I'm a track and field fella! It's worth it though, you just gotta keep at it. There are alternatives.... the jumping jacks and elipticals are great too

Eating is the other huge one too. Right now, I'm trying to cut a couple pounds just to be a little leaner. I'm trying to avoid as much sugars as possible (when possible) which means no cookies, ice creams, desserts, etc. It's amazing how hard it is You just gotta keep at it and remember the results won't happen over night!

 

Here's how I lost 42 pounds in 14 months: 1) eat 5 small meals a day...no more than 4 hours between each meal...that keeps your metabolism going strong all day burning fat...if you go too long between meals or skip meals, your body starts storing fat and burning muscle. I choose to drink a protein shake at 5:30am and 9:30am...eat a regular lunch at noon such as grilled chicken salad, a piece of fish, or something similar...no fries or fast food of any kind...drink a protein shake at 4pm...and then eat a regular dinner at 7pm or so. I like Myoplex Lite protein shakes. As far as the meals are concerned, try to avoid anything that is white or comes in a box or a bag...in other words, avoid processed foods. And, no soft drinks whatsoever!; 2) I work out 5 days a week from 5:45am to 7am as follows: Mon=chest; Tues=triceps; Wed=back; Thur=shoulders;and Fri=biceps...I do one ab exercise, rotate one lower body exercise and cardio on the elliptical each day along with the weights...working out has really changed my body and given me that 'cut look' we all want. And, after a few months it becomes such a habit that you miss it on the weekends...in fact, when I go on vacation I still get up early and do push ups, jumping jacks,lunges, dips from stairways ect...if no gym is available. Getting in shape will change your life for the better. And, don't put it off...start first thing in the morning! GOOD LUCK

 

.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Relax. It's not as hard as you think. When your life depends on it, you change your habits. Many diabetics die, for instance because they can't seem to change their habits. Pie, cake, ice cream. No problem. Once a month.
Fast food, once in a while. Skip the mayo. oil & vinegar dressing instead of the creamy stuff. 12 oz. soda, not 20 oz. I weaned myself off this stuff until I just lost my taste for it anymore. Little things like that work and they don't make you crave things because you have something to look forward to.

Moderation is habit forming and it takes only a few weeks to set it. Ain't had a doughnut in four years. I visit them when I'm in the store, sniff them, and walk away. A little extreme maybe but, you get the drift. Once you begin to feel you don't NEED it, you don't eat it.

If you're not an exercise freak, try to tie in walking ,for instance ,with something pleasant like walking and talking with a friend or spouse, listening to tunes, window shopping at the mall. Try the park with the dog along. Things like that can become habit also.

Nonetheless, all the advice here is good. Best.

 

I lost fifty pounds last year - still have a long way to go. But after I stopped eating junk, some of the weight just melted right off. Tyler's right - how you look is mostly due to your diet. I'm not fond of exercise, but I know if I do it, I'll drop the rest of this weight.

 

A wet/dry shop vac, an exacto knife, some thread and all your problems will be history!

 

I'm 6 weeks into my training plan (want to run a marathon next year) and the main thing that takes the weight off is the diet. Cut down own the calories and the foods that are bad for you and it weight comes off. Cardio doesn't hurt either.

 

I watch what I eat and I also exercise and run on a daily routine. If you don't like cardio, do something that would thrill you like playing basketball. Take a friend or two to play with you and you won't even notice you're trying to lose weight since you're having fun. Good luck.

 

Try jumping rope. If you haven't done it since you were a kid, it will kick your butt!

 

eat as much as you want whenever you want, just make sure you chase that chocolate pie down with ex lax......

 

Very true, reminds me of the girls who want to get rid of their "love handles."

Yes, sorry I didn't specify. That's correct, before I fall asleep I eat a good amount of cottage cheese as well as Peanut butter. But I'm trying to gain Mass, not lose weight necessarily like Madmax over here. I eat a big breakfast including 50g protein shake, protein bar midway before lunch, and some sort of protein midway to dinner.

I had a friend who weighed about 300 pounds maybe 16-18 months ago. I saw him 2 weeks ago and he is at 150. It blew me away, I didn't know he was trying to lose weight at all. He said it was just by eating healthy, and Zero cardio. So who knows, but I do know his excess skin wasn't too "easy on the eyes."

And if this is your only goal, just hit the treadmill. Jump rope, training, and all that other stuff fixates on your core. That used to be my thing, try and get a six pack while being buff. I reached a point where I got tired of trying to resemble the football players without being as athletic as them. I also never thought the bodybuilders with a huge upper body and tiny legs looked good either.

I don't know your social life or even how old you are, but cut down on drinking alcohol if you drink.

 

I need to lose weight...

Its my #1 goal this year.

 

Try to do 30 minutes of cardio, go for a walk or ride a bike, etc.. I'm going thought the same thing. My biggest problem is fried food & sodas.

Good luck.

 

wouldn't suggest trying this as a rookie, depending on your age, start at 110-130bpm. 180-190 would likely kill you! At 42 years old I tend to average 120bpm for an hour on the bike for a light and easy fat-burning session. Everyone's different though. 6 hours a week and cutting back your diet will do it.

 

what's the difference between using the treadmill and the elliptical machine? using the elliptical machine is easy on my knees but I feel like using the treadmill machine is more effective/faster in slimming the waist. Are they equally effective or one is better than the other?

 

Exersise and your diet will take the fat off. I just joined a gym about 3 weeks ago and started watching what I eat a few months before that. So far Ive dropped about 5lbs, I think Im gaining muscle because my weight isnt really changing but my pants arent as tight. My only problem so far is my diet, I am in the gym for about an hour a day 5-6 days a week. I do weight training and cardio.