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PFM Health Club II

seagull

seagull

Seabird flavour member
For the first time in a while I struggled to get to the concourse in the upper west stand at the Amex. I didn't stop but it was hard and I was glad to be at the top of the stairs.

I got on the scales yesterday and decided it's time to start losing weight again. I'd put on about 4kg since before Christmas. I've got a friend (a nurse) who said that it is not what you eat between Christmas and New Year, but between New Year and Christmas that really counts.

No excuses, I over indulged on the food and drank a bit more than usual (though never to excess) and relaxed my exercise regime.

Moderate exercise is my limit, cancer and a heart condition (and my advancing years :)) do restrict what I can realistically do, I just want to be as fit and well as I can be.

So we go again, back to eating well and going for brisk walks etc. (2.6km this morning in 30 minutes). I know I could cut my beer intake, but I only drink at week-ends and I look forward to my Friday evening pint as a reward for getting through another week.

My fIrst target is to get back to where I was pre-Christmas (92kg).

Here is the original thread, much helpful advice and encouragement (but some willy waving too and the odd minor spat, but then this is PFM :))

https://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/pfm-health-club.219068/
 
I am in a similar position although not just Christmas period, things have slid a little for the past year and a few pounds extra has become quite a few more pounds. I am still running (100th Parkrun last week) but my daily activities are long gone and I have gone back to eating between meals a bit.

My main thing will be getting the eating back under control as I am reasonably active and although not at my peak of 2 years ago, not too unfit.

Thanks for the reboot of the thread.
 
I put on a couple of kilo, but all gone now.

Still on a morning regime, 3mins bike (neck and eye exercises also), 1km on the rower (6mins) then yoga whilst tea brewing.
When I do miss a day, by 3pm my muscles become a little tired. I do not bother with walking much as air quality is crap round here.

I do need to loose some more weight, but GP happy with the progress, albeit at a snails pace.

Bloss
 
Most of my exercise last year came from walking the dog (who we got in March), with cycling and running getting put completely to one side. This year I've started running again though (mostly with the dog) as while the dog-walking has stopped my fitness dropping too far, it was still dropping compared to when I was running more.
 
If you’re not doing it already, download a calorie counter app. I use LoseIt! and it’s working well but I’m sure there are others to your taste. Obviously, exercise is important but that will just get you extra calories to eat
It’s the only thing that works for me, as I have very little self control. When you realise how many calories are in alcohol, it makes it easier to control that too
 
See in my case it is what I ate between Christmas and New Year. Largely Christmas 2006 to New Year 2019!

Apart from being a greedy pig and two foot short, my problem is portion sizing. I bought a cheap set of Salter scales over Christmas, not to get obsessed but they're to understand the amounts I should be consuming. 50g of porridge is pleasantly more than I thought, whereas with chicken it helps to keep control over a few days.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00140VYEG/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Having a bucket of vegetable soup on the go at all times helps too.
 
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Wish you best of luck. I'll repeat the mantra of the greatest contributor to your body-shape is what you eat. I'm not a fan of temporary 'diets' or sudden calorie restrictions as they are short lived and frankly don't work longer term.

The job is to slowly puzzle out a diet that you can live with for the rest of your life, that never leaves you hungry but maintains you at your ideal weight. In the short term a bit of portion control and cutting out 'grazing' while understanding genuinely how many calories you're consuming vs how many you actually need is a good start. Just shout if you want help with any of that.

Persistence will serve you better than initial enthusiasm.
 
seagull said:
I got on the scales yesterday and decided it's time to start losing weight again.
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This is the hardest bit. Anyone can say "Oh, I'm really going to buckle down this time, I've got to start taking it seriously" but until you actually say "Right, today I am eating what it says on the sheet and nothing else" it never goes beyond "Oh, one of these days I really am going to sort this out".

I've got a friend (a nurse) who said that it is not what you eat between Christmas and New Year, but between New Year and Christmas that really counts.
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Dead right. Do what the hell you like for that week, the other 51 are the ones that count.

So we go again, back to eating well and going for brisk walks etc. (2.6km this morning in 30 minutes).
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You got it.
I know I could cut my beer intake, but I only drink at week-ends and I look forward to my Friday evening pint as a reward for getting through another week.
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That's fair enough and provided you aren't doing 10 pints Fri, Sat, Sun it's achievable. I use the Friday (or whatever) night out as a reward for good behaviour the rest of the week. You only get the night out with the lads/steak and chips dinner/fish and chips lunch before football/whatever you enjoy IF you have stayed on the wagon all week. Could this work for you? At the end of the day it's less about your waist and more about what's between your ears. If your head wants it, you will do it. If it doesn't then you will kid yourself all day long that you are on a diet and you will find a way to cheat and stay where you are.
 
This is the first time I've really been bothered by my weight but I've got to get some off. A snapped achilles last July did me for 3 months in plaster and then a boot during which I carried on eating and drinking as normal..........well actually maybe a bit more - whilst being very limited in getting about. Back on the bike now but, whilst that's great for general fitness and strengthening my injured leg, it doesn't really burn calories so walking as much as possible as well including always taking the stairs at work (7 floors). Cut beer out except for Friday and Saturday and avoid caning it.
 
If your metabolism is running well and you don't get doner and chips on the way home and a double fry the next morning and spend three days recovering I think you can handle a good few pints occasionally. It's the cumulative effect of a bad lifestyle that catches up with you. Or at least me anyway. :D

Now I have pan fried chicken on flat bread instead of take away kebabs; the mango & yogurt have been dropped for lemon juice and chilli. Ready made baked potatoes are better than a bag of crisps and a couple of biscuits. Pasta gets weighed and it's more than enough. And I've stopped watching all those cookery programmes on the telly. After two weeks off I had a couple of glasses of red on Saturday and feel much better for it.

Here's an article about my cousin, it's in the family!

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/real-life-stories/raith-rahmani
 
Figuring out what works (or doesn't) for you helps. Between 2011 and 2012, I adopted the principles of the South Beach Diet and avoided high GI carbs and bad fats. I got down to 82.5kg from a solid 115kg for my 5'10" frame. For the next seven or eight years, I managed to keep my weight to around 85kg. Right now, I'm registering 86.5kg on the scales, and I'm partly blaming a slow down in my metabolism simply from getting older. I suspect it's more likely that I'm less discriminating about high GI foods. My biggest weakness is snacking after dinner, whether that is a piece of fruit, some nuts, a few pieces of chocolates or all of that.

What I have learnt is that drastic changes are not sustainable, and it is OK to feel hungry from time to time. In fact, often, thirst can manifest as hunger and so I drink a glass of water whenever I feel hungry between meals. The ultimate test is how your clothes feel on you, and I must say my 34" pants can feel a bit snug, so I'll go back to being mindful about what I eat.
 
Exercise knackers me nowadays and I'm convinced my scales are too, as it always reads the same weight (10.5 to 11 stones in real money) Maybe I put too much emphasis on weight as an indicator of general health as a visual assessment in the mirror is just too disheartening. Wish there was a swimming pool nearby, as swimming is the best exercise ever. Walking is boring and time-consuming. If you've got to exercise, have fun doing it, i.m.o.
 
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89kg or 14 stone 5' 10" ish up from 85kg 13 1/2 stone, 34" waist is loose, still going to he gym 3 times a week between migrains.

61 in March!

Pete
 
Mike Reed said:
Exercise knackers me nowadays and I'm convinced my scales are too, as it always reads the same weight (10.5 to 11 stones in real money) Maybe I put too much emphasis on weight as an indicator of general health as a visual assessment in the mirror is just too disheartening. Wish there was a swimming pool nearby, as swimming is the best exercise ever. Walking is boring and time-consuming. If you've got to exercise, have fun going it, i.m.o.
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I think there's a lot of confusion between being overweight and being fit/unfit, it needs two completely different approaches depending on what you want to achieve. It seems obvious, but the amount of people who think going to the gym and burning 200 calories on a treadmill allows them to carry on eating what they like, makes me think its not very obvious at all.

Just losing weight is easy, yes even for "big boned, slow metabolism, genetically fat" people, the way to crack it is as @crimsondonkey states above with a sensible approach to diet, something you can stick to long term without it being a chore or that needs any sort of constant calculating of this or that and something that definitely isn't a fad that you'll be bored of in 4 weeks. No need to worry about exercise for losing weight.

Getting fit is a different ball game, that obviously involves exercise whether it be of the tedious running/walking/cycling kind or sport based. Attempting to control weight purely by means of exercise is doomed from the start. By all means exercise for the health benefits but don't rely on it to keep your weight down.
 
Just on the same journey myself. 6' and 50; shocked to see I'd broken 100kg on Jan 2nd. Back on the only thing which has ever worked for me in the past, which is low refined carb / low sugar and 150+ mins / week of gentle exercise (walking or light running). After about 3 weeks I'm at 96.4kg this morning - I'd really like to get <90 which would be the lowest I've been since my early thirties. My BMI says I should be 83kg to be <25 on the BMI scale - I can't see how I can do that in all honesty, I'd be delighted if I got below 90.

Anyway, happy with progress so far - I think the key for me is both diet and exercise; I also only allow myself one "treat" meal per week where I (selectively) eat what I want. I think I can keep it up until end-Feb - will post back how I am doing every so often.
 
Pete MB&D said:
89kg or 14 stone 5' 10" ish up from 85kg 13 1/2 stone, 34" waist is loose, still going to he gym 3 times a week between migrains.

61 in March!
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You are the model of a major modern migraine (apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan):D With a 34" waist, the same as mine (at 5'8 1/2), you must have an hourglass figure ! Other possibilities are a heavy head, burly chest or leaden feet.:) At 61, plenty of time to streamline things. In my eightieth year, my hourglass has little sand left. Ah, but isn't life a beach !
 
Mike Reed said:
You are the model of a major modern migraine (apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan):D With a 34" waist, the same as mine (at 5'8 1/2), you must have an hourglass figure ! Other possibilities are a heavy head, burly chest or leaden feet.:) At 61, plenty of time to streamline things. In my eightieth year, my hourglass has little sand left. Ah, but isn't life a beach !
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Overweight according to BMI.

Pete
 
For blokes, our testosterone levels drop with age. That means some weight training is required to maintain muscle mass, let alone build them. I know this because I'm not as strong as I used to be. It is easy to be fooled with steady weight when muscle loss is increasingly replaced by fat.

Ageing sucks.
 
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