Weight Loss Discussion Thread

[madcow]

I am turning into a soup dragon. Wide necked flask of veggie soup is becoming my lunch when travelling. If I am staying away, I cut out the evening meal and go for a walk. I avoid booking breakfast if it's an extra and just have a pot of instant porridge in my room.  Boring but effective .

[Glover Fan]

I am turning into a soup dragon. Wide necked flask of veggie soup is becoming my lunch when travelling. If I am staying away, I cut out the evening meal and go for a walk. I avoid booking breakfast if it's an extra and just have a pot of instant porridge in my room.  Boring but effective .

I trust you are still eating *something* in the evening though?

Completely emphasise where you are coming from though. It's always so hard to resist a 3 course meal, full English and copious amounts of alcohol when on company expenses.

[DrMekon]

Flu has meant no cycling for a week - boo!
Flu has meant 2.5kg weight loss - yay!

[L CC]

Today I had a review at the gym.

a) Their scales say my weight is lower than my scales at home do. By 2+kg.
b) Apparently I am 'only' 29.6% lard. This was a surprise as I thought I was more than that, given that at 90kg I was 45% lard
c) Apparently I have 52kg of lean muscle mass.
d) 52kg of muscle + 29.6% lard leaves 4.7kg of bones and other stuff. Really?

Hmmm.

a) Still 2kg lighter at the gym than at home. They must have lower gravity
b) Now only 27.4% lard
c) Now 52% water (I was only 50.5% before) I think this is because it was raining on the way to the gym

but

He said my program is perfect. You what? There's nothing you would change? Apparently not. As long as I'm eating between 120 and 200g of protein a day, keep doing what I'm doing and my goals will be met.

It's a shame I'm so fat. I'd clearly be a fantastic personal trainer. 

[citoyen]

It's always so hard to resist a 3 course meal, full English and copious amounts of alcohol when on company expenses.

There was a period of my life when having a three-course meal on company expenses (sometimes twice a day) was my job. Not good for the waistline.

[Lady Cavendish]

fboab, obviously there are a lot of good things in there    However, I'm a bit confused at him saying there's nothing he'd change in your program- gym programs shouldnt stay the same however good they are, they need to be changed up every so often, not just lifting heavier weights for the same exercises all the time...... a PTs job is surely to review programs and make new/alternative suggestions? 

[L CC]

However, I'm a bit confused at him saying there's nothing he'd change in your program- gym programs shouldnt stay the same however good they are, they need to be changed up every so often, not just lifting heavier weights for the same exercises all the time...... a PTs job is surely to review programs and make new/alternative suggestions? 

Well, precisely!
He did have a couple of suggestions, to be fair, and he also said (I was bloody glad, as it would mean even earlier mornings) that 3 x 35 minutes weights was fine, and 2 x 1hr would not be a better use of my time.
But basically, he said keep doing what you're doing, as it's working, you're not overdoing it (or it would show by now) and doing any more would probably be counterproductive.

[Lady Cavendish]

I'd agree with that, 3 x 35 definitely better than 2 x 1 hour. Are you using free weights at the mo? Does your gym have a TRX?

[L CC]

Some free weights, some machines, some bodyweight (I've got it- might as well use it ).
It doesn't have a TRX- I do some cable pulls tho'.
My biggest problem is being embarrassed- there's things I wont do because I feel a plank- and not in an ab improving way. But going somewhere makes me more likely to go than if I tried to do it at home, I'd probably just stay in bed longer.

[Lady Cavendish]

I don't think I'd do it at home either tbh. I have to force myself to do my weights sessions, I'd rather just do something else, but hey, needs must.

You shouldn't feel a plank though, that's just silly talk- I bet you are one hell of a lot stronger than loads of the people in there.

(The boys at work in our office made me feel a bit of a plank about weights though actually, they all think they are the next Arnie, go onnnn and onnnnn all day about their 'routines/protein shakes/egg whites' There are about 6 of them all early 30s that go in a group. One day I'd had enough of them taking the piss out of me as they knew I sometimes went to do it as well, so I said I'd go with them one lunchtime, cue a lot of mocking. They stopped mocking when they realised I could lift more than all but 1 of them (the ex-pro footballer) Plus I was doing sets of 20 to their 12. They don't mock so much any more, and I never needed to say a word )

[simonp]

I went to the gym last night.

Never seen it so busy. The car park was overflowing due to them having cordoned a large part of it off to build a new changing block. At the busiest time of the year, genius.

I only did 15 minutes warming up on a stationary bike and 5000m on the rowing machine, and no weights. I was taking it steady on the rowing machine, but it actually wasn't my slowest time this season. Perhaps not cycling to work (50 mile round trip) means I'm less fatigued.

Motorbike kit took up two full lockers. 

[Chris S]

You shouldn't feel a plank though, that's just silly talk- I bet you are one hell of a lot stronger than loads of the people in there.

She is . She's stronger than me too!

I can only manage 4Kg on Lat Raises, and even then it's a bit marginal - fboab does more.

(I can do push-ups though)

[Ningishzidda]

I am turning into a soup dragon. Wide necked flask of veggie soup is becoming my lunch when travelling. If I am staying away, I cut out the evening meal and go for a walk. I avoid booking breakfast if it's an extra and just have a pot of instant porridge in my room.  Boring but effective .

Which is better for a resting cyclist? Three poached eggs and three slices of grilled bacon, or a pot of instant porridge?

[L CC]

I have to force myself to do my weights sessions, I'd rather just do something else, but hey, needs must.

I like lifting weights.

RAaWWWWR.

[hellymedic]

Good news: 3kg down since the start of the year.

Bad news: none of that has come off my waistline, which is the one and only area where I need to lose a bit.

Sigh.

I know it'll come off eventually if I keep at it, but it's still mildly depressing.

Funny!

My waist is always the first to go, followed by my boobs.

Hips and thighs slim MUCH later.

[L CC]

It's a man thing, innit.

(Boobs first here, then waist, then thighs. Presumably eventually my toes.)

[Glover Fan]

b) Now only 27.4% lard

It's a shame I'm so fat. I'd clearly be a fantastic personal trainer. 

Isn't 27.4% "good" for a woman? I thought they tended to sit around the 25% mark anyway?

I've just resorted to throwing the rest of the Christmas food out. I know, I know, it's a waste and I could have solved world famine, but it was not helping my current regime. I promise not to buy as much next Christmas.

Day 3 of reduced calorie intake. It's surprising how quick my body adjusts to functioning on lower calories. I am a lot less hungry than usual. Going to go on the bike this evening for 50km to expedite fat burn.

[CrinklyLion]

My biggest problem is being embarrassed- there's things I wont do because I feel a plank- and not in an ab improving way. But going somewhere makes me more likely to go than if I tried to do it at home, I'd probably just stay in bed longer.

When we had an accessible affordable leisure centre I was a member and did lots of swimming/aqua.  I eventually made myself go and try an intro to the gym, despite a bit of a panic attack at the thought.  I ended up a bit of a regular, and eventually got over the being embarrassed about being the fattest person there by quite some margin and not knowing what I was doing.  It did help that I got less fat and clueless, I guess.  What helped more was bumping into another regular - the frighteningly fit marathon running lady - at a kids party one day and being introduced to her by the birthday boy's mum.  She looked at me and said "Oh hello!  We've seen each other in the Barbican gym haven't I?  Always make me smile because you actually work - unlike half of 'em!".

[L CC]

b) Now only 27.4% lard

It's a shame I'm so fat. I'd clearly be a fantastic personal trainer. 

Isn't 27.4% "good" for a woman? I thought they tended to sit around the 25% mark anyway?

Depends on your age. It's OK. It's a lot better than my BMI (31) implies.
It's also an electrical impedance guess, so could be utter fantasy.

[simonp]

Two different body fat scales differ by about 5% for me.

[Lady Cavendish]

My ones at home tell me I'm 48% fat or something. They are evil.

[Glover Fan]

The batteries in my scales are low, haven't checked my body fat for about 8 months through ignorant bliss. 15.7% fat and 65% water.

I think the fat is a couple of percent higher than I remember. Not gonna cry over it though.

[Greenbank]

<insert traditional MV-stylee comment about body fat scales>

[Wowbagger]

Quite pleased this morning. My new, expensive, analogue scales had me losing weight, even though they reckon I'm heavier than the old digitals which were pissing me off because of their eccentricities. I'm no longer able to tell what fraction of a kg I've lost though, which is no bad thing. The trouble is the kg scale is in red, which I can't read from 5' 8" away. I could see this morning that I was 18½ stone, which is half a stone less than the start of the year. I have to get on my hands and knees to read the equivalent in kg, which made it 117 of them.

[Lady Cavendish]

I'm getting more fed up than ever.

So I've already given up the bread pasta pizza potatoes (insert all other foods I love here)

The one very carby thing left is that I do have a big bowl of porridge with Banana and protein powder for breakfast. I'm so reluctant to give this up as I absolutely love it- I ride in the mornings really looming forward to the reward of the porridge!

Plus I'm slightly worried about this loss of top end speed people are mentioning with low carb things. I need my top end speed.

I thought I might try seeing how low carb I could go for the rest of the day but keeping the porridge in? Or does that defeat the point? Plus I'm quite lazy and uninspired- I need some lunch/dinner ideas. I don't really want them to be very fatty though.....plus I hate cream