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I realise this has been done to death, and i have read most of the posts on this entire forum, but there seems to be a lot of conflicting information, and different programs for people of different builds etc.

To give you an idea i am 178cm tall, and weighing in at 97kg, i am overweight seriously, mostly all fat around my stomach, chest. <embarassing, luckily dont have to meet u all face to face lol> According to the AFCO i need to lose around about 14kg. I need to lose fat, lose weight and get fit all the same time.

I have started training using the programs i found on this forum, running 3 times a week followd by upper body work <sit-up, push-ups etc>, i dont do weights because i dont like the gym, too boring. the other 2 days i go swimming for a few hours and again the upper body excercise.

If anyone can suggest a better program for someone fat as me that'd be great.

Now to diet, this is where it gets most confusing, some seem to say dont eat sugary foods or carbs if u wanting to lose fat, lots of protein and fresh fruit, but as im training hard as well i need carbs for energy? bah conflicting stuff everywhere, if anyone who really clued up could give me advice for my circumstance, or recomend somewhere i can find some good solid info i'd be very greatful.

-Dave

viewtopic.php?t=6294

Keep searching these forums, the Royal Marines part has loads of posts about diets and routines. What i've always thought is best is to find a mate who wants to start fitness with you. You've got the right idea about fresh fruit and that but dont go crazy. Train easy to start with, even if it means doing 5 sets of 5 press ups everyday untill you can get them cracked.

Cut out processed food that's high in sugars and fat. Cut out alcohol. Don't try to starve it off as it wont work. Don't do too much with your diet, I'm sure you know what foods are going to be high in calories, if you know that you overeat then reduce your portion size slightly. Keep yourself well hydrated and drink plenty water. Build your workouts gradually and maybe think of joining a circuit training class and do that once a week. Steadily build your runs, aim to be running a medium paced 3 mile run, 3miles of 800m intervals at a fast pace with walking/jogging recoveries, and a slower 5 miler. Once a month swap the intervals for a 1.5 mile best effort run.

Don't expect miracles. It took a while to put the weight on so it makes sense that it'll take a little while to get shot of it. Do things steadily, rushing into it will only lead to injury.

id agree with the above information.

I need to loose weight to join the army too, i have found cutting out alcohol completely works ie on a friday night if you have 8 pints and a kebab you probrably will have consumed a whole days worth of calories.

Eat sensibly, Try having porridge for your breakfast with a bannana, it will keep hunger at bay till 12/1 ish and you willhave enough slow release energy to last the morning.

what ever you do remember although you need to train rest is also vitally important. try and have a two "rest days" and get atleast 8 hours sleep a night.

im talking out of experience here, be sensible, enjoy working out and i wish you the best of luck.

CW... I have deleted this post because I could not understand it and got threaders with you pathetic attempt at English. I think I managed two lines, which is a lot more than some probably managed.
Do not use text speak and lazy bad grammer... you are warned
Aye
Stix

would you not reconsider the gym? maybe buy some weights from Argos for around £30 quid? couple of minutes on these after your press ups etc is worth while as you can do loads of different excerises to boost muscel, tone muscel or what ever?

cheers, davo

Perhaps some people may disagree with me. Dont get me wrong here but as you train for something like the army, or you start a fitness training schedule, you usually start eating more than usual in order to maintain and replace the calories burnt off...

...Well here's 'Mals Thoery of....Fitness & Loosing Weight' You take in more food calories when you take part in more physical activities right? This helps maintain or gradually loose weight right?... Still with me? Well if you stayed on a reasonably healthy diet (diet been eating healthy) and DONT eat the extra calories, in theory would it not be possible for that person to loose weight? Explanation: Once all excess calories have been burnt off, your body will automatically start eating away at the fat stores. Once you have finished a training session, you WILL no doubt feel hungry. But scoff a banana to regain your enegy and fill yourself up with water if anything. This will normally cure your hunger and thirst...

...At the end of it all, your body eats into FAT STORES, and not all the extra calories you may have otherwise consumed in preparation for training

If your sitting here thinking im basically suggesting that someone starves themself during training, then I guess you might not be too far off. Simply dont give your body the calories it wants, as these will be burnt off. The less calories you have to burn off, the more fat stores that will be used as energy/fuel instead

Before I get people giving there different opinions about what I just said, or start putting quotes of my text around and commenting on them, this is ONLY my personal theory on dieting, and is by no means a published fact as far as I know,

Mal

I agree that you should reconsider the gym or buy some free weights. Very good for burning fat, as are very long walks...

It's a fact, when you run or do intense exsercise, your body will burn up the carbs you have consumed as it is more efficient. Walking and weights however will burn fat as this is far more efficient.

Proof for this would be marathon runners who 'hit the wall.' This is where all there carbs have been used up and the body starts using up fat supplies which decreases performance as the process is not as efficent.

Just stay positive, think of it as a good 'base' to build muscle on The magazine 'mens health' has lots of health and nutrition tips in, might be worth a look.

Coops

Khendon: You need to get your metabolism working for you.

Here is a failsafe plane to get you to lose weight and get fitter:

1. Train first thing in the morning on an empty stomache. You need to run and you need to do weights - or at least resistance training whether you use weights or if you just do sit-ups, push-ups, etc. (a minimum of 20 mins of running and a minimum of three sets of progressive resistance training, alternating between arms, trunk,and legs, three times per week to start). Sports and swimming will complement nicely but cannot substitute! You need to run at a moderate pace; one where you are not out of breath all the time. This is the best pace for fat burning. Doing weights will make you stronger and the increased muscle mass will demand more calories to be burned for fuel. Also, the weight training is good for bone density (bones being the anchors for the muscles), as well as for increased metabolism.

2. After training in the morning, DO NOT eat anything within 45 minutes of the end of your training session. The reason for this is that your body is still placing significant energy demands for some considerable time after your workout.

3. When you do finally eat, ensure that there is some good quality protein going down range. There is nothing like protein in the morning to really kick-start that metabolism of yours! Three or four egg whites scrampled on toast (hold the butter) will really get you going. Some fruit and a small bowl of porridge wouldn't hurt. I do stress the protein though!

4. For the rest of the day, eat sensibly. Balance your proteins and carbs and make sure you are getting plenty of roughage! Lean chicken breast, with raw broccoli and baby carrots, and a little brown rice is a good meal, as is fish, spinache, and a small baked potato.

5. Stay off the beer. You are not in a position now wherr you need to be "carbing up". While I don't buy all that Atkins crap, you do need to stay off the carbs somewhat right now. Not altogether, but just ease back. Six ounces of skinless chicken breast should be accompanied by only as much brown rice or pasta as you could fit into a cupped hand (levelled, not piled - be honest with yourself!).

6. Drink water constantly!!! I cannot stress this enough! You need to get into the habit of having water on hand at all times. The constant processing of water in the body will first of all keep you well pre-hydrated for your runs and workouts, and also it assists in the processing of food, allows for better nervous function, and goes a long way to assisting in dealing with the processing (and therefore reduction) of fat. It's a pain in the arse having to hit the washroom all the time, but the effects are worth it! If you can, get good bottled water, although that can get pricey if you don't have a machine at home. Nevertheless, drink LOTS all the time. Take your body weight in pounds, multiply by .66 and the result is the number of ounces you need to be drinking (convert that to litres if you must). For instance, I weigh 210 pounds (15 stone or 95.5 Kg). 210 multiplied by .66 = 138.6 ounces or about four litres per day. Believe me this works like a dream as long as your also doing the rest of the stuff (eating sensibly and exercising).

7. If you must snack between meals. Just take a handfull of baby carrots to keep your jaws busy.

8. Stay mentally positive. DO NOT weigh yourself! Kick those scales under the bed where they belong! Just concentrate of getting rid of the fat. The rest of ti will fall into place. Live it day by day and don't bat yourself up if you have an off-day. Just get right back into the saddle the next morning and tell yourself you CAN do this! You will start to see the results sooner than you think!

The above, appart for the water issue, is simply a matter of output over input, with a sensible appraoch. DO NOT starve yourself or your metabolism will go into survival mode and will not allow you to lose weight. It's your metabolism that you need to control! Points three and four are critical.

Lifting weights doesn't burn a lot of calories but it will burn them anaerobically. You're then into the debate about whether it is best to burn calories anaerobically as this will burn more fat rather than aerobically which will burn a lower percentage of fat and more muscle. I think the jury is still out on that. One side believes you should aim to burn anaerobically the other thinks it doesn't matter, calories burned is what counts. Just don't think that by lifting weights you'll be doing much to work off the fat.

I'd also say don't get to worried by the pseudoscience of it all because the truth is that I doubt anyone has a clue really. Sensible eating habits and a progressive exercise regime are the best way towards being healthy and fit. If you want to shift loads of weight then progressively build up your running so that you're running 10 miles a day and lay off the kebab and double chips.

As for "hitting the wall", that was previously thought to be about using up glycogen stores but there is new thought on that http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6599.html Which nicely proves that the "science" of today will most likely be nonsense of tomorrow and probably science again in a years time.

thanks for all the input guys, i have started eating sensibly now, only snacking on fruit or veg, cut down on bread, cut out cheese and things, porridge for breakfast etc and loads of water, all great advice above thanks.

Only thing im having problems with is the running, im dreadfully unfit atm and finding a slow steady pace where i can stay out for a good 30 minutes is hard. I have been cycling to work 2 or 3 times a week and doing sit-ups and pushups, but im going to buy some free weights this week. Plan to start swimming once or twice a week also.

Easy to get a little defeatist, i dont weigh myself but i have found i am alot more unfit than i thought i was, but sticking at it for the end goal of getting in the army

Cheers guys

-Dave

im in exactly the same boat as you mate, i weigh 15st dead on and im 6ft, around my stomach its all booze enduced flab, stop drinking and you will see the benifits. training wise, use fartlek method, iv been doing it for about a month, last night i cracked 1.5 mile in 9 mins 23 seconds, good but not good enough

just keep to a strict diet of breakfast lunch and T

works for me. PM me if you want any other info or help

The best way to lose weight is to lift weights and do running. Muslce literally burns fat, the more you have, the more you can burn. If you want to get scientific about it to guarantee weight loss, calculate your BMR which is your Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of calories a day you need to stay the same weight. You can find many ways to calculate it using google.com search engine. The best way in my opinion is to eat 250 calories under your BMR. In addition to this, burn another 250 through aerobic exercise or weights. This leaves a 500 calorie deficit per day. Keep in mind that 3500 calories is 1 pound of fat. So if you follow this routine every day then you will lose about 1 pound of fat a week. If you want quicker weight lose, just eat less or burn more to increase the deficit, say to 1000, which would be 2 pounds a week. If you are going to reduce calories to very low levels through eating less and exercise to lose fat, it is important to do it gradually, or your body goe sinto survival hibernation mode and starts actually making you more fat from any food that you get.

The best people to talk to about fat loss are bodybuilders... they need to go from being quite fat in the off season to having under 6% body fat in a short space of time. I wouldn`r recommend going that low because you need some fat to play with or if you miss a meal your body starts catabolising muscle. You can do things like ECA stacks to lose weight.

I used to be a fat bastard....the way i lost about 2 stone in pure lard was to eat at 3 hour intervals throughout the day, about 6 small meals a day. This revs up your metabolism to very high levels. My diet consisted of a cup of rice (measure when uncooked) and a breast of chicken. (no skin and cooked under a grill). That was a meal....i could have that 6 times a day if i wanted and be unde rmy BMR....also a cup of porride oats would count as a meal..with each meal have 2 tall glasses of water.....

Body builders and some boxers have been known do diet like obsessed models. AND its a known fact that due to the way bodybuilders train and diet they are actually un-healthy although have big muscles.

Basically your best bet is to eat 3 normal meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and if you feel hungry have some fruit. Drink lots of water.

Keep it simple, you dont want to over complicate things with scientific jargon, or complex diets (such as cutting, carbs or starch) if it looks un-healthy for you it probrably is.

For example a big greasy burger and a pint of stella followed by a fat slice of chocolate cake with double cream is probrably not what you'd call a healthy choice, but a nice tuna sandwich with salad a glass of milk/water and two scoops of low fat chocolate ice cream is.

NO ALCOHOL till you have passed RSC

Remember, keep it simple, exercise lots, drink lots of water and you will notice the difference soon enough. If I can do it mate you can do it.

newshmooo well done on your weight loss. I too had a weight problem and ive been on "my diet" and ive lost a stone in around 6/7 weeks. im now 15st 1lb, and am weighting (waiting, sorry about the punn!) for a RSC date, after i pass im going to

Mike

The best way I’ve found to loose weigh it to count your calories, Thenewshmoo_1 was spot on with what he said.

To start with you need to find out how many calories your body needs u to consume a day and through a lot of research I’ve found a rough guide to be to multiply your body weight in pounds by 15 but for a more accurate way u need to view the following website and go through there free assessment which will give you an accurate account how much u need to consume: http://www.caloriescount.com/

Now down to loosing weight .3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound so to loose 1 pound a week u need to consume or burn off 3500 calories less a week than your body needs which equates to 500 calories a day.
So by doing this its very easy for you to control how much weight u loose a week I.E if u wished to loose 3 pound a week you would have to consume or burn off 10500 calories less a week broken down to 1500 less a day, now this may seem a lot but in reality it isn’t it just depends on how u intend to do it, for example if u eat 500 calories less a day but do an activity that burns 1000 calories your still loosing your 1500 calories a day so it need not be a case of just eating 1500 calories less which for most would be almost impossible.

Now the questions you’re probably going to ask are going to be the same as I asked
A, how do I tell how much calories a certain exercise burns?
B, how do I count the calories I’m eating?
C, what is the best way too uses those calories?
D, does it work?

Well for the answer to A, go to the following website:
http://www.caloriecontrol.org/ they have an online exercise counter which is a very good way to determine how many calories u are burning during exercise.
The reason I say it is good is that it takes into account your weight because individuals at different weights doing the same exercise for the same amount of time will burn more or less calories depending on how heavy they are.

And the answer to B is quite simple, most food company’s now have made it easy to find out how many calories are in the food you’re eating by putting a chart on the back of the product.
This chart will contain many things like: the amount of protein or carbohydrates the food contains for if u wish to check in detail what you’re eating but it will also tell you the amount of calories it has in it which is what concerns you most.
So by knowing this and keeping a note of it you can easily track and plan how many calories you are eating or going to eat in a day. In addition to this there is always the internet most food companies like McDonald’s Etc, have websites which will provide that kind of information for you.

And the answer to C depends entirely on you and what u prefer, I find that if I split my meals up evenly and place them quite close together I.E five 500 calorie meals a day at 3 hour intervals. It stops me feeling hungry in between and stops the temptation to snack on something I don’t need. The 1 thing I would suggest is that you don’t eat any meals later than 7 / 8 o’clock purely for the fact that your body is generally less active after that time and also drink lots of water which helps to get rid of the fat cells and waste products in your body.
if you find drinking water on its own hard try adding fruit squash to give it some taste it works for me.

And my evidence for D is based purely on my own experiences.
About 3 months ago I went to my local AFCO to apply for the parachute regiment and was initially turned down for 2 reasons 1, because I was over weight I’m 6ft tall an weighed in at 16 stone and 2, because I have a minor injury to my knee.
The reason I have made an effort to mention my injury is because it has precluded me from any vigorous exercise until I’ve been cleared by the physiotherapist so the weight I have lost has been almost entirely due to counting calories, so in turn what I’m trying to say is that even if your injured and cant do the daily 5 mile runs your used to u can still loose the weight.

So straight after my visit to the AFCO I decided to try an loose weight any way I could first I tried the famous Atkins diet but found it to strict and to hard to keep to and also that when I stopped eating the required foods for as little as a day I piled pounds back on rapid style.
Then I tried weight watchers much to the enjoyment of the lads at work and there endless teasing, but found this kind of diet 2 impractical for the reasons of having to count points and not knowing how many points to allocate to witch food etc also the foods it suggests I dint like.
So I turned to counting calories which suited me fine, in the 6 weeks I’ve been doing this I’ve gone from being 16 stone to being 14 stone 10 lb and dropping the reason for this is that it taught me that I didn’t have to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and foods that I didn’t like I could just eat the food I did like but make sure I didn’t consume more calories than I was allowed.
Now obviously if you take what I’ve just said it to extremes and eat 4 Cheese Burgers a day with a Mars bar for desert but keep under your calories it most probably won’t work purely because the amount of fat you are taking in will be way too high.
So its just a matter of using your common sense if you do fancy a piece of chocolate or a packet of crisp with your meal by all means eat them loosing weight is to hard not too just don’t eat them in excess

I hope this has helped some people in the battle against weight that a lot of us face, and good luck to you all what ever you decide to do

AlphA