2014-2015 Slimming Thread

TopBanana said:
Good thinking, and thatnks for the quick replies!
Would there be any problems with starting some weight training (I currently only do cardio) whilst on a calorie restricted diet?
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Nothing wrong with it at all, as long as you're eating enough before hand to fuel the extra activity, do whatever you want.

The only time calories shouldn't be changing is if you workout.

For example;

If I'm maintaining my weight and I eat 80g worth of carbs for a 45min sparring session in boxing, my energy requirements don't change when I am losing weight so neither would my 80g worth of carbs for that particular session.

There is a fine line and a lot of science and timing behind pre workout nutrition but generally, just eat some carbs 2hrs before and if you need more than you've had, you will know during your workout*.

*you will feel nauseous and like you want to vomit.
 
Phil Young said:
Sad really, most people that take protein to lose weight don't actually need it but are tricked into buying it by clever marketing.
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I've been weight training and taking protein shakes for over 25yrs and I've never seen protein powders marketed as a means to lose weight. For me protein shakes are a quick and easy means of consuming protein, without feeling full from eating and I'm on 5-6 small meals a day aside from the protein shakes.
As for Alex and his tiredness, I recommend a protein/recovery shake within half an hour of your workout, plus take some ZMA, otherwise known as, Zinc & Magnesium capsules about 3/4hr before bed. The latter will help you sleep soundly at night, reducing the feeling of tiredness, plus the Zinc will look after your immune system.
 
I would say look harder but to be honest...you don't need to look very hard :ROFLMAO:

Probably the most popular at the moment... they even had to make a new sub-brand to market it. "MaxiTone".

"specialised forumula" on this one!. :ROFLMAO:

"diet and slimming formulas for weight control" ...that must be the key to weight loss then!

So yeah...there it is. Next to "I suppose I don't drink enough water", "I don't have enough protein in my diet" is the most popular phrase I hear for weight loss...

As for tiredness; read these reasons to be tired and you'll understand why I didn't advise anything for that...

The only reason to take a post workout shake is a) building muscle. b) your pre-workout didn't have enough carbs so you need to re-build the muscle lost during your workout which is needless to say, inefficient. Similarly to ZMA - you only need to supplement if you don't get enough from your diet.
 
Phil Young said:
I would say look harder but to be honest...you don't need to look very hard :ROFLMAO:

Probably the most popular at the moment... they even had to make a new sub-brand to market it. "MaxiTone".
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That's not what I'd call a protein drink. The protein is out weighed by the other contents and the only pounds you will likely lose from the use of such would be from your bank balance due to the recommended intake and cost per kg.
I use the likes of this. http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/impact-whey-protein/10530943.html
 
nilagin said:
That's not what I'd call a protein drink. The protein is out weighed by the other contents and the only pounds you will likely lose from the use of such would be from your bank balance due to the recommended intake and cost per kg.
I use the likes of this. http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/impact-whey-protein/10530943.html
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Even still, protein is for building and repairing, of your goal is to lose weight and you are eating regularly* (not losing too much muscle protein for energy), your daily requirement for protein is quite low, hence no reason to supplement.

*even if you do lose muscle protein for energy, it will be re-built when a protein rich meal or two is introduced to through the diet.
 
I've been trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. It's not impossible, just very very difficult. I'm not making as much progress as someone on a bulking diet, and I'm not losing as much fat as someone on a slimming diet. It's happening but where I was losing say 1kg/week, it's now more like 1kg/month. Bodybuilders talk about "cutting" where they reduce their carb and calorie intakes and try and avoid muscle loss whilst losing fat.
 
omens said:
I've been trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. It's not impossible, just very very difficult. I'm not making as much progress as someone on a bulking diet, and I'm not losing as much fat as someone on a slimming diet. It's happening but where I was losing say 1kg/week, it's now more like 1kg/month. Bodybuilders talk about "cutting" where they reduce their carb and calorie intakes and try and avoid muscle loss whilst losing fat.
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Didn't I tell you that about 6 months ago man! :LOL:

You making a switch to either of them??
 
just a quick one if you could answer that would be great

last weigh in i was 19 stone 2.5 this tuesday just gone I'm the same no change but i know i did more exercise and moving more then the previous week

my food was better then the week before I'm not 100 % on my food but making chagnes week by week doing it little by little over time

any way when i was told by my slimming world consultant that it is more then likely water retention can this be true and how is the best way to combat it
 
Phil Young said:
Didn't I tell you that about 6 months ago man! :LOL:

You making a switch to either of them??
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I think discovering how much muscle mass I had lost really hit me. I attempted what is essentially a clean bulk - weight lift, eat more protein and fewer carbs and fat with an overall calorie deficit. It worked in that I'm stronger. Still nowhere near my previous muscle mass but getting there. Haven't lost much in terms of weight but body shape definitely changing. I guess on some level I was trying to make it work.
 
omens said:
I think discovering how much muscle mass I had lost really hit me. I attempted what is essentially a clean bulk - weight lift, eat more protein and fewer carbs and fat with an overall calorie deficit. It worked in that I'm stronger. Still nowhere near my previous muscle mass but getting there. Haven't lost much in terms of weight but body shape definitely changing. I guess on some level I was trying to make it work.
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Isn't that the key though, who cares about only losing 1kg a month if your body shape is changing the right way?
 
I think its more that I'd get quicker results if I did one or the other. I have a target of 9 months to get my bodyfat down further. If I could get my waist down by another 6 inches, I'd be happy.
 
So turns out my feet have gotten smaller. I've gone from size 10 to 9. :( You know what they say about men with small feet.....
 
Someone needs to explain to me why eating breakfast makes me more hungry and not less. All this dietary advice recommends not skipping breakfast. Normally, I will skip breakfast, have a small snack at lunch and a meal in the evening. The entire thing works out to 1200kcals which is where I need to remain to lose weight.

Today I had a late start at work so I had an omelette at 8am. By 12pm I'd eaten a Yorkie and some Ritz crackers. At lunch, I'd made fajitas and a granola yoghurt parfait thing. I've already totalled 1600kcals. The rest of the week I've been really good apart from Weds PM when I went to Harvester with the girlfriend and had some food. I totalled 3000kcals that day. So far I'm averaging 1700kcals which is around my maintenance intake.

Sooooo frustrating.
 
I'm so glad I stumbled across this thread. Between Dec and April I lost 3 stone, I haven't been great with measurements at all and have no idea what my body fat levels are but I do know I have dropped from a dress size 16 to a 10, 12st 7 lbs to 9st 7lbs but now I need to maintain it for the long term. I haven't followed any diet plans and my eating habits can be erratic at times but I am making much healthier choices, reducing the amount of fat and sugar in my diet and increasing my fluid intake.

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So after months of trying (after having got rid of the 6kg I put on whilst in America for less than a week), I have managed to break through the 80kg barrier. Now weigh 79kg.
 
This is my first post in this thread as I am on a major weight management campaign following multiple medical alarm bells in April this year. I'm 51 years old and have been overweight to various degrees for most of my life, right from childhood. In recent years I've not been overly concerned about the excess blubber because I was never aware of any health related problems resulting directly from the weight. But in April this year that all changed. I don't recall what prompted the measurement - I think days on end of mild, nagging headaches - but we have a blood pressure monitor at home and I decided to check my blood pressure. It was 190/150, which is crazy high. I went to the doctor and was immediately put on meds to control the pressure and things calmed down very quickly. However, follow up blood test revealed type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and some mild liver disorder.

So, as one who likes to take responsibility for my actions and not rely upon others, including medication, I embarked on my campaign to drop the extra baggage and get fitter too with the aim to come off all medication for blood pressure and cholesterol and to avoid starting medication for diabetes. 3.5 months on I have achieved great results and am continuing to make further progress. Some stats....

Highest weight ever recorded - 123.6kg = 19.5 stone = BMI of 39 (Double obese. 40+ would be morbidly obese)
Starting weight when I got my blood pressure scare - 117kg = 18.4 stone = BMI of 37 (Double obese)
Current weight after 3.5 months of diet control and exercise - 92.6kg = 14.6 stone = BMI of 29.2 (Overweight)
Total weight loss in 3.5 months = 24.4kg = 3.8 stone or just over 1 stone per month.

Waist circumference at start = 47"
Waist circumference now = 40"

Blood pressure at start = 190/150
Blood pressure now = 103/73 variable, but always in this neighbourhood, without medication, measured daily and recorded for trend analysis.
Resting pulse is now between 45-50, typically 48 (no idea what it was back in April)

I do weigh myself daily and plot the results and the graphic decline in weight is massively motivational. I've dropped from double obese (BMI) to overweight (BMI) and my next milestone is to get into the "normal" (BMI) weight range, the top of which is 79kg for me. I'm on track to meet that goal by the end of September. Once there I shall review how I look and feel and decided whether to stop there or go further.

Most of the results have come from change of diet, but as well as daily dog walks I did add exercise bike sessions to the mix a few weeks back. As time has progressed I am setting more aggressive targets for the bike and monitoring achievement through pulse measurement and calorie burn. Theses are tracked graphically while I exercise and are a further motivational aid to push harder and achieve more.

Here are some graphics, which are such a positive reinforcement of my efforts....

Firstly, recent daily blood pressure (and resting pulse) as this is what kicked things off to begin with....

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Next a sample output from this morning's exercise bike workout. Note the ever increasing heart rate as I was motivated to push harder and harder to achieve higher heart rate zones. I ended with a new max HR of 188, which is considerably higher than my age would suggest from the basic 220-age calculation and sets the target range of my zones even higher. Also note the 425 calories burned in just half an hour at these work levels. That alone took care of breakfast and the dog walk which followed took care of lunch. That leaves only the evening meal to contribute to my base metabolic needs and other activities, guaranteeing continuing progress towards my goal.

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Finally, as this is the weight loss thread, my weight loss so far and projected end date to achieve my next major goal of no longer being "overweight". The blue line is a straight line between my start date and weight and my end goal of weight and date. The red line is a trend analysis and forecast based on actuals. Note that my rate of loss has increased in the last few weeks following addition of the exercise bike and ever increasing enthusiasm and motivation to drop the pounds...

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I had further blood tests this week and will receive results next week. I anticipate/hope that both the cholesterol and diabetes results will come back within "normal" range. Whether or not I succeed this time round I shall continue my crusade for a healthier me. I'm not going back to the old ways. :D
 
Well done Tim on your progress so far!

Can I ask which Polar Watch/ Computer you are using to create HR chart and also which app you have used to create weight loss chart?
 
Dalton said:
Well done Tim on your progress so far!

Can I ask which Polar Watch/ Computer you are using to create HR chart and also which app you have used to create weight loss chart?
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Thanks, Dalton. The watch is the new Polar V800, not cheap, but quite an amazing device. It combines full heart rate features as well as activity and sleep tracking to come up with a total daily calorie demand/expenditure. I've only had it for three days and I think it is superb. I bought t from Amazon UK where the price is the best on the net for a trusted supplier.

The app is called Libra and is free on Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.cachapa.libra
 
Phil Young said:
That's quite a turnaround. Well done on the results so far - especially the BP, surely you were one bag of crisps away from a taxi ride with flashing blue lights!

Amazing stuff!
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Thanks, Phil. Yes, the doctor was horrified when I walked into the surgery and produced those figures. I was on the brink of hospitalisation according to the doctor, but as I was on holiday in Wales at the time (my usual doctor could not see me before we went away) and not at home he sent me on my way with pills. I didn't actually realise how ill I was. My partner was more concerned than me as she was worried that I might have a stroke, heart attack or similar, which could have caused untold damage if I was driving at the time. Fortunately the pills were very effective and an immediate change in diet, activity level and a "Zen" take on life's frustrations had me back on the right path very quickly. The thing is that my symptoms were extremely mild and without taking that initial blood pressure reading and going to the doctor I might not be here today, Gulp! I'm not going to take liberties with my health again.
 
Cheers for the reply. Polar watch is way out of my price range, so will look at alternatives. Looks impressive though!

Will check out the app.

Like you say, charting your progress definitely helps to motivate.
 
Dalton said:
Cheers for the reply. Polar watch is way out of my price range, so will look at alternatives. Looks impressive though!

Will check out the app.

Like you say, charting your progress definitely helps to motivate.
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I don't know what sort of activities you pursue, but there are many (free) smartphone apps which can take some of the load and will talk to a suitable heart rate strap without the need for a watch at all. For example, I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the included S Health suite will measure steps/activity/calories for normal daily like and you can also specify various exercises to be tracked with or without a heart rate strap for additional accuracy and data collection/analysis. I now use the V800 instead of my phone, but I still use the phone (with the Polar Beat app) when doing a bike workout as the big display and graphics really make me push for new goals.

For weight loss gaining a holistic view of all your calorie needs every 24 hours is really going to help with calorie management. Maybe something like the Vivofit with HRM (£100) or Forerunner 15 (£140) would be more in your price range if you do want a watch.

EDIT : BTW, here is a screen print from my phone during a static bike session. This is from the free Polar Beat app coupled with the Polar H7 heart rate monitor strap. The strap came with the watch, but is available separately and the watch is not required for this to work.

2014-07-19%252019.20.13.png


As you can see it is very easy to keep an eye on heart rate, training zone and calories burned. Although not evident from the data as shown the calorie burn rate increases as the heart rate rises, thus reflecting the greater effort at higher rates. Without the heart rate monitor the effort involved may not influence the data and thus could prove misleading. The app could also be used outdoors with the phone's GPS to also record distance and speed data. Obviously that doesn't apply to a static exercise bike without instruments.
 
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tdodd said:
I had further blood tests this week and will receive results next week. I anticipate/hope that both the cholesterol and diabetes results will come back within "normal" range. Whether or not I succeed this time round I shall continue my crusade for a healthier me. I'm not going back to the old ways. :D
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Saw the doc this morning and got some great news....

Diabetes - blood sugar now at normal levels and no signs of diabetes.
Cholesterol - down to 2.5 thingybobs per wosname, comfortably within normal/desirable levels.
Blood pressure - 100/72 at 44bpm without medication
Weight - 91.4kg
Waist - 39.75"
Liver - no problems.
Kidneys - no problems.

One thing that did crop up is that I appear very slightly anaemic. It's borderline normal, but needs keeping an eye on so I have another blood test scheduled for three months. As we've cut down on red meat for cholesterol control I'll be upping the greens and spinach to address that shortcoming.

As for the weight, it continues to fall and I have very confidence that I will hit my 79kg target in September. Yesterday my girlfriend surprised me with a new shirt - size medium - and it fitted and looked great. That's quite a difference from the XXXL sizes I've been buying for some years.

All in all I'm well chuffed with my progress and look forward to making further improvements in my fitness and health over the coming months/years. :D
 
Phil Young said:
Very very good. Well done!
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Thanks, Phil. I'm pleased to say that I really haven't felt that I've suffered in order to get to where I am now. The diet (self concocted) has been very easy to stick to - I don't miss the naughty snacks and binge nibbling on chocolate, crisps and bread/toast that set me on the road to self destruction at all - and I enjoy the exercise. Of course there is nothing like a bad medical report to focus the mind so I have been very motivated to sort things out. The funny thing is that I'm struggling to imagine having to eat more in order to maintain weight once I hit my target. t makes me wonder what on earth I've been doing stuffing my face or all these years. Crazy!

Further down the line (maybe not that far) I may well add weight training to my program because I appreciate the value that will bring in a number of ways and I don't want to end up like wimpy stick of anorexic skin and bone. Before that I need to work on my jogging/running. I tried some jogging earlier in the week and my quads were crippled for two days afterwards and still a bit sore today, three days later, but what a calorie burner that proved to be. Hopefully I'll give that another whirl tomorrow and more regularly after that.

Great thread and well done to all who are trying to lose weight and improve their health. (y)
 
Today, at 88kg, I completed my first 5k Park Run. I managed the course without stopping in just under 35 minutes, placing 87th out of 97 runners. I know it's not a quick time by any stretch, but I'm delighted to have completed the course at all. The last time I ran anything like 5k was around 20 years ago or more.

Average heart rate was 175 with maximum of 186 at the finish line and 623 calories burned. :)

EDIT : I ran another 5K two days later, this time on my own, and shaved 32 seconds off the Park Run time. Good to see progress.
 
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Haven't been on here much in the past few months for various reasons..... One of which was being on a "naughty boy" report at work which made me clean up my browsing habits in the office ;)

The other is that I became a Dad at the beginning of June :)

When I started posting in here at the beginning of the year I was just over 16st, my initial target was to get below 15st7lb, then to get to around 15st and then get to as near as 14st7lb as possible.

By Feb I'd got to around 15st, just by modifying my diet. I had a bit of a rough time with some crappy stuff happening in my family and then the grief at work but I managed to maintain a weight of around 15st.

The week the my daughter was born I dropped to 14st 10lb but it didn't last long :LOL:

Then "BBQ season" started and I ended up around 15st 4lb but with a little discipline I'm back down to 15st again :)

Now I've gone on a bit but just to back Phil's point about weight control being about diet, I've done very little exercise this year, my weigh has gone up/down, the only thing that's changed it my diet ;)
 
Evenin' all, my wife joined Slimmers World a while ago and lost 3 stone in around a year. She looks wonderful, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm doing it on the cheap, no classes for me. I just eat what Jackie cooks and continue to go to the gym.

Started 10 days ago and have gone from 12 stone 13 to 12 stone 6. Very surprised.

Jackie has gone out for the night....just scoffed 3/4 of a pepperoni pizza :naughty: but I'm quite proud that I left any at all as I'd usually eat the lot.

Cheers.
 
Not sure if this belongs in the slimming or the fitness thread, but I am now down to 84.6kg (from 117kg in April) and completed my second parkrun today, shaving 2:30 off my previous time three weeks ago when I weighed 88kg. It was still a very slow time at 32:25, but a step in the right direction.

I still have a milestone target of 80kg by the end of September, which looks within reach, but will continue to lose weight beyond that, although the need is now more one of cosmetics and pride rather than medical. I carried out a major wardrobe refresh last week (Large tops instead of XXL and 34" trousers instead of 38 and 40"), with lots going to charity, and I think another shop may be needed before the end of the year for medium tops and 32" trousers. :).
 
I've lost just under a stone in just under 6 weeks - I was 16 and now slightly over 15.

Very pleased to be honest - all without going to the gym (I've been very lazy!) - I've just been watching my portions and have basically cut fizzy drinks from my diet, I only had diet coke but always made me very bloated.

I want to get to the magical 14 stone mark before my wedding in May next year!
 
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