2014-2015 Slimming Thread

Phil Young

Phil Young

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Following on from Alex's (wegotitugetit) great idea last year - I thought it would be a good idea to make a 2014 thread! I'd really like to "project manage" this year since my job as a nutritionist & personal trainer could well come in handy for those that would like a bit of advice :)

Right, getting to it - first thing's first, you won't know how far you've come until you know where you started so benchmarks are a must if you're serious. Plenty of ways to measure and the more you do the better it will be to see the end result. Make sure you get this - very important! Don't make that mistake of thinking you'll be able to tell from looking in the mirror - you won't.

Ways to measure;
  • Photos
  • Weight
  • Tape measurements
  • Body fat percentage
  • Clothes
Next up, setting yourself some clear and detailed goals that you WANT. Forget about the details at this stage - details will work themselves out, first just focus on drawing that picture in your head of what it is you want - focusing on this is the key to success. Think about this one; the reason we don't get anywhere, is usually because we don't have a good idea of where we want to get to. Give yourself that destination and focus on it and you will eventually reach it.

Example poor goal;
  • "I want to lose 1stone"
  • "I need to get back to how I was last summer when I was 10st".
Example good goal setting;
  • "I want to reduce my body fat from 20% to 12%, retain all lean muscle, fit into my black FC fitted T-shirt & see visable definition on my chest & shoulders. I would like to be running for 30mins non-stop at a comfortable pace & improve my self confidence so that I don't feel the need to cross my arms when in public to hide my stomach. I want to feel comfortable, not uncomfortable when I look in the mirror at myself when I have no clothes on"
Finally - allow that goal to slip out of your conscious thinking & it won't be implemented as a habit (thus you will revert back to old ways and a former self). We've all done this including me. When I'm serious and, the way I ensure my goal is always in my conscious thoughts is to make my goal (weight / body fat percentage etc) my phone screen saver. Easy & powerful.

Examples of how to keep your goals in your conscious thoughts;
  • Put a reminder on your PC set to pop up every hour - and read it. Motivational photos also may help to include and look at.
  • Phone / PC screensaver.
  • Audio - record yourself reading your goals & listen to them to and from work or at times where you are more susceptible to indulge in bad food choices.
  • Talk about your goals, progress etc with a training partner / similar on a daily basis.
  • Write them down daily, as often as you can.
  • Stick motivational writing / photos to different objects at home.
Looking forward to 2014 folks, & as I always say - "a plan doesn't require a plan" so for those that don't come with a plan, good luck!!! lol.
 
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I'll start us off then and put myself out there!

I won't make any excuses for myself - I looked pretty good in the summer but then when into "hibernation mode" lol. So I'm at a point where I have as far to go as the next person.

Goal: I want to get to 8% body fat & lose no more than 1kg in lean muscle. This should make me weigh around 66/67kg. I want to feel comfortable without a top on & have clear definition in my obliques, abs & chest. I want to be lighter and faster in my kickboxing so my reactions are sharper & more precise. I want to fit back into my black Phil Young branded top without looking "podgy".

Time frame: I want to achieve the above by The end of April, giving me a full 4-months.

Start weight: 76kg
Start body fat: 19.1%
Start waist measurement: -

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Wow that's very indepth. In the past 12-18 months or so, I've gone from 47in waist to 41in, and from 105kg to 85kg.

For 2014, I want to try to bring that down to 36in waist, and lose 5kg or more in body fat. Muscle mass must increase and aiming to bench 80kg, which was my workout range when I was at uni. I want to have completed the couch to 5k programme. It's taken me five months or so to get to week 5.
 
Mine is fairly simple, I want to be able to do a 60 mile bike ride!

I've just got a new bike after realising my 20 year old mountain bike was about past it and the new one ( a hybrid) weighs practically nothing!

I want to be able to average 15mph

I've set myself the target of fish and chips in Whitby before the end of August 2014 and will post a photo if I make it!!
 
Big Nick said:
Mine is fairly simple, I want to be able to do a 60 mile bike ride!

I've just got a new bike after realising my 20 year old mountain bike was about past it and the new one ( a hybrid) weighs practically nothing!

I want to be able to average 15mph

I've set myself the target of fish and chips in Whitby before the end of August 2014 and will post a photo if I make it!!
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Nick, you might be more suited to http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/the-fitness-thread.497490/ if your goal isn't weight loss orientated (which by the sounds of it, it isn't???).

Be good to have a chat about that though - see where you are at now with training / nutrition etc!

...That must be some good fish and chips if that's your goal ;)
 
omens said:
Wow that's very indepth. In the past 12-18 months or so, I've gone from 47in waist to 41in, and from 105kg to 85kg.

For 2014, I want to try to bring that down to 36in waist, and lose 5kg or more in body fat. Muscle mass must increase and aiming to bench 80kg, which was my workout range when I was at uni. I want to have completed the couch to 5k programme. It's taken me five months or so to get to week 5.
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What's the plan now then, get down to 80kg's then start thinking about the muscle size?
 
Think I might join the crowd.....Have lost two stone...now sixteen stone.....looking to lose another stone at least....if not two....find it hard to exercise due to time and past injury/illness.... probably biggest down fall is diet and alcohol intake....
 
Want to be a maximum of fifteen stone though the cardiologist say I should aim for 13-14 stone.... need to avoid the beer and choc...not sure of body fat.....but I would really love the healthy body
 
Stroke......... was forty when I had it......no paralysis thankfully....forty five now but told not to overload the system with heavy workouts
 
Brain stem entry to brain and possibly to over work and stress... you know the usual 18 hour days trying to make your business work
 
Phil Young said:
What's the plan now then, get down to 80kg's then start thinking about the muscle size?
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I've already been lifting for the past 3-4 months, hence calculating weight is difficult. I would like to weigh 80kg with max 10% bodyfat but I suspect it is an unrealistic target to achieve in one year.

After trying different combos, I found it best to run first and then do lifting.
 
omens said:
I've already been lifting for the past 3-4 months, hence calculating weight is difficult. I would like to weigh 80kg with max 10% bodyfat but I suspect it is an unrealistic target to achieve in one year.

After trying different combos, I found it best to run first and then do lifting.
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The reason I ask which will you achieve first is that losing body fat requires less calories than you normally use, building muscle requires more, so by trying both at the same time will give you a stalemate...best try one first then the other as they are different diets.
 
Phil Young said:
The reason I ask which will you achieve first is that losing body fat requires less calories than you normally use, building muscle requires more, so by trying both at the same time will give you a stalemate...best try one first then the other as they are different diets.
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Completely understand the issue.

I've lost weight but I've started to try and build muscle now. I've found that although my weight has remained constant, my waist size is now 1" less since I've been lifting. I don't think it's impossible but do agree it's harder. I found that when I lost weight, it wasn't just fat but also muscle, which I was disappointed about. If I even maintain what I have in terms of muscle (rather than gain), and continue to lose fat to my target, I'll be happy.

At the mo, I'm more geared up for losing weight than building muscle, and I'm still in that noob phase where I'm improving my lifts each session because I'm training the muscle fibres to contract rather than strictly build new muscle.
 
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omens said:
I've already been lifting for the past 3-4 months, hence calculating weight is difficult. I would like to weigh 80kg with max 10% bodyfat but I suspect it is an unrealistic target to achieve in one year.

After trying different combos, I found it best to run first and then do lifting.
Click to expand...
omens said:
Completely understand the issue.

I've lost weight but I've started to try and build muscle now. I've found that although my weight has remained constant, my waist size is now 1" less since I've been lifting. I don't think it's impossible but do agree it's harder. I found that when I lost weight, it wasn't just fat but also muscle, which I was disappointed about. If I even maintain what I have in terms of muscle (rather than gain), and continue to lose fat to my target, I'll be happy.

At the mo, I'm more geared up for losing weight than building muscle, and I'm still in that noob phase where I'm improving my lifts each session because I'm training the muscle fibres to contract rather than strictly build new muscle.
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Have you tried using your weight training as your cardio workout. How long a breather period do you have between sets. Start with a maximum of 1 minute breather and eventually get it down to 30 second breathers. Use a light weight and go for an isometric workout. Pause at 1/3 of the way of the movement for 2-5secs flexing the muscle, then progress the movement to 2/3, hold and flex for 2-5secs, finish the power stroke by holding and flexing again, then on the reverse movement, repeat the hold and flexes. Do as many reps you can to failure but be prepared for some serious muscle burn. Do 4-5 sets for each exercise. This should promote good lean muscle growth and because of the short rest periods you will be raising your heart rate further and burning fat. Consuming a good source of protein within 1/2hr of finishing your workout will help the muscles grow. When you find you can comfortably do 10 reps on your last set of each exercise then it's time to increase the weight.
 
60 secs between sets (apart from squats where I need 90), and around 60-120 secs between exercises. TBH I feel that after doing squats and deadlifts, my heart is pumping harder than if I were running!
 
omens said:
60 secs between sets (apart from squats where I need 90), and around 60-120 secs between exercises. TBH I feel that after doing squats and deadlifts, my heart is pumping harder than if I were running!
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That's good, I'm the samem I get bored with running etc. before the heart starts pumping, yet do some squats or deadlifts and I can feel my chest pounding and go a bit light headed. Try reducing the weight for your squats and deadlifts see if you can get the rest periods down, or alternatively try replacing the squats and deadlifts now and then with leg press, you should be able to move larger weights and get more reps that way. then when you return to squats and deadlifts next time you may see an improvement in the weight and rest time. How heavy are you squatting a good thing to aim for is at least 15 reps with a weight the same as your bodyweight. Don't be frightened to throw in some heavy weight workouts from time to time. Even if you only manage 4 or 5 good form reps. You probably don't need me to tell you if you can't do a rep with good form, reduce the weight,
 
I have shyed away from doing squats until now. I think I tried to do them in my 20s but couldn't and hence used a leg press. Even recently, when I started lifting, the worry about back injury really put me off along with the facts that i was inflexible and struggled with barbell placement.

So for a few months I solely did upper body work. I got to the point where i now know where to place the bar and can support it. Along with stretching every other day, I've managed to increase my flexibility so I can squat just below parallel.

At the moment, I pyramid up with the weights to keep form strict. I'm uber worried about doing serious damage so at the mo I'm squatting around 30kg of which 20kg is the bar.

I do 2x10 bar only as warm up and then just go for 3x8-12, slowly increasing the weight. Deadlifts are a lot easier but I reckon I might be doing them wrong. I have always lifted the weight, contracted and the placed the weight back on the ground and stood up. That counts as one rep. Still worried about back damage so I keep the form as strict as possible.
 
omens said:
I have shyed away from doing squats until now. I think I tried to do them in my 20s but couldn't and hence used a leg press. Even recently, when I started lifting, the worry about back injury really put me off along with the facts that i was inflexible and struggled with barbell placement.

So for a few months I solely did upper body work. I got to the point where i now know where to place the bar and can support it. Along with stretching every other day, I've managed to increase my flexibility so I can squat just below parallel.

At the moment, I pyramid up with the weights to keep form strict. I'm uber worried about doing serious damage so at the mo I'm squatting around 30kg of which 20kg is the bar.

I do 2x10 bar only as warm up and then just go for 3x8-12, slowly increasing the weight. Deadlifts are a lot easier but I reckon I might be doing them wrong. I have always lifted the weight, contracted and the placed the weight back on the ground and stood up. That counts as one rep. Still worried about back damage so I keep the form as strict as possible.
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The reason people get back injuries when squatting would normally be due lower back instability (weakness).

Do some direct work to your lower back using weights and you'll make it strong enough to support you in those positions.
 
The hospital told me I had to lose weight. I've shed 1.5 stone so far since 13th October but I've sort of been on a plateau the last 3 weeks ( weekend away, Christmas and wedding ) If I pluck up the courage to weigh myself in the next couple of days, I might even find I've put a couple of pounds back on :(

Anyway the last couple of days, I've been back to a strict 1500 calorie a day diet though I haven't taken any excercise due to a painful foot condition which is currently under investigation but so far the doc is not sure what it is. A scan showed nothing. I'm looking for some excercise which wouldn't strain it further.

Phil, I noticed on the older thread you said something about the body mainly burning fat during excercise if the heart rate was under 60% of it's maximum. Does this mean it is better to take only moderate or mild excercise in order to burn fat? Also any suggested excercises I could try?
 
wooster said:
The hospital told me I had to lose weight. I've shed 1.5 stone so far since 13th October but I've sort of been on a plateau the last 3 weeks ( weekend away, Christmas and wedding ) If I pluck up the courage to weigh myself in the next couple of days, I might even find I've put a couple of pounds back on :(

Anyway the last couple of days, I've been back to a strict 1500 calorie a day diet though I haven't taken any excercise due to a painful foot condition which is currently under investigation but so far the doc is not sure what it is. A scan showed nothing. I'm looking for some excercise which wouldn't strain it further.

Phil, I noticed on the older thread you said something about the body mainly burning fat during excercise if the heart rate was under 60% of it's maximum. Does this mean it is better to take only moderate or mild excercise in order to burn fat? Also any suggested excercises I could try?
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Putting the pounds on Christmas, to be expected - I wouldn't disheartened with it, it's nice to induldge and you're back on track now anyway.

You might have seen me talking about percentages of fat used at different heart rates, but it doesn't really matter - exercise doesn't help with weight loss (unless you do silly amounts per day like 3-4hrs). If you can't exercise because of your foot I wouldn't be too concerned, the thing is to eat a clean diet and the calorie would secure a steady weight loss but have to stick to it for 90% of the time - it's easy to demolish good day with a large meal out.

Exercise is going to mostly benefit you from the cardiovascular adaptation which would lower the risk if many risks. These adaptations include growth of heart muscle, dilation of arteries & improved oxygen delivery - anything gets you out breath such as cycling will help.

If you want an exercise that's great whilst not going to cause you harm, lay on your front on the and stand up. Get back down where you started. Do that for 5 sets of 15 with a minute rest in between and see how you get on for a start.
 
omens said:
I have shyed away from doing squats until now. I think I tried to do them in my 20s but couldn't and hence used a leg press. Even recently, when I started lifting, the worry about back injury really put me off along with the facts that i was inflexible and struggled with barbell placement.

So for a few months I solely did upper body work. I got to the point where i now know where to place the bar and can support it. Along with stretching every other day, I've managed to increase my flexibility so I can squat just below parallel.

At the moment, I pyramid up with the weights to keep form strict. I'm uber worried about doing serious damage so at the mo I'm squatting around 30kg of which 20kg is the bar.

I do 2x10 bar only as warm up and then just go for 3x8-12, slowly increasing the weight. Deadlifts are a lot easier but I reckon I might be doing them wrong. I have always lifted the weight, contracted and the placed the weight back on the ground and stood up. That counts as one rep. Still worried about back damage so I keep the form as strict as possible.
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Back injury is usually because of doing exercises for the stomach and forgetting about the lower back. This creates an imbalance and when you tense your core whilst squatting the back is left weak and vulnerable. I do lower back hyperextensions laying on a leg curl machine as well as good mornings and straight leg deadlifts to work the lower back muscles. Also it's worth performing exercises that work the whole core together, I find supermans and planks are ideal for this.
Form for squats and deadlifts is fairly similar keep your back straight and your head up fix on something ahead of you and continue to look at it throughout the movement, if anything you could arch your back, backwards slightly When you push up remember you are doing all the real work with your legs, control your hip movements and push through the heals of your feet. As I wrote before, don't increase the weight unless you can perform it with 100% good form and this is especially important for squats and dead lifts.
 
Yup which is why I don't jump the weights up. I've started doing supermans at home ever since I got an exercise mat for xmas. The leg curl machine is upright/seated so can't lie down but I guess I could use the decline bench when I get strong enough.

Used to love doing good mornings but will hold for now until I feel more confident.
 
Deadlifts and good mornings aren't really a lower back exercise. They both primarily work the glutes and the lower back is slightly worked due the movement being more hip extension (glutes) rather than spinal extension (lower back group). You'll feel sore and get DOMS from them because the lower back gets stretched under tension, causing muscle micro damage, and the normal soreness associated with a good workout.

Better off lying in prone position (face down) with a rather heavy weight carried across the chest, then go up like a crobra stretch and hold for few seconds at the top of movement. It's effectively a dorsal raise but with resistance.
 
Phil Nice to see a 2014 thread great start to it too

my goals are going to be sorted soon and will post here also will do photos

I'm back above my weight last year but having another child in the family has not helped then on holiday aswell as chrismtas put most of it back on

my real goal is i want to be around 14 stone thats a 5 stone weight loss over they year not sure what percentage etc that it but I'm guessing it is big

my biggest issue is having two children to look after is hard when i come home from work at 5pm my little lad he wants my attention and my wife insist on me spending time with him (i agree) but it makes it so hard for me to be able to do anything i can't go to park no lights at this time of year we can't play football as we have no garden

he goes to bed at 8pm so not able to do anything before then

i also have a messed up knee after fighting on my birthday party (early birthday ) was with 15 lads against two lol

i got into biking again mid last year and was doing around 12 miles in a hour which for 1st time out was great need to improve on that though my training buddy brother has since moved away so getting hard to get training with some one

is there any a advice you can give to help my situation to say if you did half hour here then half hour there but do this instead of do that kind of thing that would be great full

tuesday nights and wednesday nights are free ish for me weekends might be able to ride bike from my house to my mums house 12 miles

if i can get a plan for training together and stick to it then i think i could have a good chance this year my food I'm having issues with for dinners tea times are great but I'm putting my head into books shortly my diet / training will commence 1st full week in january all being well my knee sorts itself out
 
Phil Young said:
good mornings aren't really a lower back exercise. They both primarily work the glutes and the lower back is slightly worked due the movement being more hip extension (glutes) rather than spinal extension (lower back group).
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Although good mornings aren't specifically for the lower back because you have to concentrate a certain amount on the front and rear trunk muscles for stability whilst bending over with a weight on your shoulders the trunk core receives a workout and also helps novices to concentrate on specific areas of the body whilst performing the exercise. Meaning they get more confidence in themselves performing different exercises and less prone to injury.
 
wegotitugetit said:
Phil Nice to see a 2014 thread great start to it too

my goals are going to be sorted soon and will post here also will do photos

I'm back above my weight last year but having another child in the family has not helped then on holiday aswell as chrismtas put most of it back on

my real goal is i want to be around 14 stone thats a 5 stone weight loss over they year not sure what percentage etc that it but I'm guessing it is big

my biggest issue is having two children to look after is hard when i come home from work at 5pm my little lad he wants my attention and my wife insist on me spending time with him (i agree) but it makes it so hard for me to be able to do anything i can't go to park no lights at this time of year we can't play football as we have no garden

he goes to bed at 8pm so not able to do anything before then

i also have a messed up knee after fighting on my birthday party (early birthday ) was with 15 lads against two lol

i got into biking again mid last year and was doing around 12 miles in a hour which for 1st time out was great need to improve on that though my training buddy brother has since moved away so getting hard to get training with some one

is there any a advice you can give to help my situation to say if you did half hour here then half hour there but do this instead of do that kind of thing that would be great full

tuesday nights and wednesday nights are free ish for me weekends might be able to ride bike from my house to my mums house 12 miles

if i can get a plan for training together and stick to it then i think i could have a good chance this year my food I'm having issues with for dinners tea times are great but I'm putting my head into books shortly my diet / training will commence 1st full week in january all being well my knee sorts itself out
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15 vs 2!? That must have been fun! LOL.

Alex, pop your efforts into the diet mate - this is where you'll get your results, training is great for health & many many health related things but for weight loss, nutrition. I posted a link to an explaination back up in #20 (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/2014-slimming-thread.522813/#post-6012361) which explains it a bit more but what you need to be doing is eating what you "need" rather than what you "want".

For example;

You plate up for dinner. Steak & Chips - which by all means can be fine.

Steak - Does it NEED to be fried? Do you NEED a 300g piece of meat? Do you NEED a cut with fat in it?
grill a 100g cut of meat (looks pathetic but really all you need) and have this with a handful of chips and you're on the right path because THAT, is all you need for the next 3hrs or so...but obviously, the reason why we're all embarking on this mission is because we have too much of what we "want" :)
 
nilagin said:
Although good mornings aren't specifically for the lower back because you have to concentrate a certain amount on the front and rear trunk muscles for stability whilst bending over with a weight on your shoulders the trunk core receives a workout and also helps novices to concentrate on specific areas of the body whilst performing the exercise. Meaning they get more confidence in themselves performing different exercises and less prone to injury.
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Each to their own - from a physiology point of view, I can't really see the point of good mornings - at most you're getting a good stretch to the hamstrings whilst looking a bit strange lol. BUT, it does give that soreness so people love them for that I guess.
 
Well I am 32 I weigh a tad close to 10 stone and I don't like it at all, I used to be a size 8 but I am now in a 10 and beginning to feel certain trousers like jeans for example to tight. I am happy with how my arms and legs look as I do weights every other day, but what's depressing me is my tummy. So my aim for this year. Is to get back to my size 8 with what ever exercise I can do in my own flat as I do not have the confidence in going to my local gym.
 
all this body fat percentage stuff is confusing me, all i know is im unfit and overweight and 43 and it's time to sort myself out before i have a heart attack or stroke in the next few years so I was planning on starting slowly, ie walking half a mile and building this up and at a pace to be having to breath harder, I believe anything less is useless.

But reading on here thats only good for cardio? which is good but id like to lose some weight too?

So I guess cardio plus calorie controls the key?
 
Donnie said:
all this body fat percentage stuff is confusing me, all i know is im unfit and overweight and 43 and it's time to sort myself out before i have a heart attack or stroke in the next few years so I was planning on starting slowly, ie walking half a mile and building this up and at a pace to be having to breath harder, I believe anything less is useless.

But reading on here thats only good for cardio? which is good but id like to lose some weight too?

So I guess cardio plus calorie controls the key?
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Yep, nutrition is your key to weight loss (fast loss) so this should really be the starting point :)
 
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