Just joined a gym to lose weight... What should I do?

[Maestro]

High dietary protein doesn't really do anything significant to increase muscle gain, your body doesn't reuse digested protein to build new muscle.

 

[Raziaar]

An unbelievable amount of misinformation in this thread.

If you want to lose weight, simply consume fewer calories than your body burns keeping you alive. If your body requires 2000 calories to maintain your weight, you eat 2000 calories and you'll maintain your weight. It doesn't matter if you eat cheeseburgers to do it or if you eat healthy.

Eating healthy does a number of things that helps the process. For starters, it keeps your body healthy. If you eat properly you'll also find less of a desire to overeat because you'll feel full for longer... none of that eat a meal and you're hungry again in an hour crap.

Exercise keeps your body healthy as well... and it also helps further your calorie expenditure, so in addition to reducing the number of calories you consume the calories burned from the exercise will only add to that amount and increase your gains(or rather your losses).

Proper nutrition and exercise work to make you healthy and energized while you're trying to lose weight, fueling your determination. They make you feel great.


I've accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years, but it was only until recently that I started putting any of it into effect. I find that by eating healthy and exercising my mind is never on food anymore, I never feel hungry, and I feel absolutely fantastic. No more gastrointestinal problems for me either... and that was a huge motivator. The most important thing of all though, is making it a lifestyle change, and not just a solution that you plan to abandon once you reach your goals. If you're just on some bullshit diet that you plan on tossing, you're going to simply bounce back to your previous weight.

 

[Dan]

This is my recipe for life long success: I don't worry about food or exercise. My weight always sticks around +/- 6 lbs of what it was when I finished high school. I have always been competitive and try hard at sports that I like. I don't have any predisposed inclination to stuff myself with shitty greasy food. I work at a climbing gym where you can climb whatever is fun or do chin ups whenever there's nothing going on. This is enough to keep my six pack without having to schedule "exercise".

 

[Raziaar]

This is my recipe for life long success: I don't worry about food or exercise. My weight always sticks around +/- 6 lbs of what it was when I finished high school. I have always been competitive and try hard at sports that I like. I don't have any predisposed inclination to stuff myself with shitty greasy food. I work at a climbing gym where you can climb whatever is fun or do chin ups whenever there's nothing going on. This is enough to keep my six pack without having to schedule "exercise".

Yeah, you don't worry about exercise because you bicycle across the god damn country.

 

[Hurricane]

On the flip side, does anyone know good, healthy ways to gain weight (muscle, not fat)? I've been wanting to bulk up for awhile now and since my xc season ends this week, it won't affect my running if I do.

 

[Maestro]

On the flip side, does anyone know good, healthy ways to gain weight (muscle, not fat)? I've been wanting to bulk up for awhile now and since my xc season ends this week, it won't affect my running if I do.

Same boat as me.

To put on weight it comes down to eating more, exercising three times a week, doing the same exercises and putting more weight on every one every time you go in (even if it's only a few ounces each time), and eat more.

I'm in horrible shape right now since I haven't really exercised since I broke my leg. I'm going to start going back this week.

 

[Hurricane]

I'm not sure If I can eat any more than I already do. I eat about 3000 calories a day. I know weight lifting is effective, but I was hoping for an alternative to it because I don't enjoy it at all.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Take up martial arts! You build up your muscles in a much better way to weight lifting anyway, because you maintain all your flexibility, and you don't end up with ridiculous proportions. The group I did it with always had a really intense workout before we did all the technical stuff though. It's good as well because you have the motivation of your peers.


I'm so excited about starting again when I go back to England. I've lost about two stone (Around 30lbs) since I stopped. It makes me sad.

I did ninjutsu by the way.

 

[Raziaar]

If you're trying to consume a bunch of calories, don't do it eating unhealthy things like burgers and shit...

Eat nuts... like walnuts or peanuts or cashews or any other... preferably without salt. Each ounce of those damn things and you've downed 200 calories, and there's not a whole lot in an ounce. You can easily grab a couple small handfuls and wind up consuming more calories than a big mac if you're not careful, and it's completely healthy for you. Well... unless you ridiculously overdo it I guess... might be purines or something.

 

[Zephos]

On the flip side, does anyone know good, healthy ways to gain weight (muscle, not fat)? I've been wanting to bulk up for awhile now and since my xc season ends this week, it won't affect my running if I do.

As Raziaar said, mixed nuts are excellent. I just started getting back into exercise head on (more time, good weather, I suppose) and the way I bulk up is to eat around 4 or 5 meals a day. Diet usually goes like this:

Breakfast: Cereal, half a litre of milk (mixed with milo), piece of fruit.

Morning Tea: Fair lot of mixed nuts, piece of fruit.

Lunch: Two salad and meat/tuna sandwiches. If out somewhere, a subway sandwich tends to fill in for this.

Afternoon Tea: Not very specific, but usually yoghurt or a wholegrain biscuit like vita-weats or saladas with vegemite spread.

Dinner: Obviously not specific, but there is always a half a litre of milk consumed as a side. Usually a pasta or rice dish with heaps of assorted vegetables and a sizable chunk of meat or lentils.

Obviously this is not adhered to that strictly, but generally if I stick to it loosely, and make sure I drink that litre of milk (which isn't an unhealthly amount) I tend to feel energized, sleep well and tone up very nicely.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I did ninjutsu by the way.

Considering that the homepage of the Brighton ninjitsu people proudly proclaims that it is "the ancient art of the ninja shadow warriors", are there any other varieties of martial art you would particularly recommend?

 

[DEATHMASTER]

i do push ups on a random basis now so that once i do them just a day or 2 in a row i'll have my sculpted pecs back, at first i had to do push ups about 2 weeks in a row before i started getting them, starting is the biggest hurdle. I used to do sporadic crunches too and wondered why i never got results, lately i've been doing them near daily and its been about a week or 2 now and I'm seeing results. Important thing is to keep at it, especially in the beginning.

 

[Eejit]

Considering that the homepage of the Brighton ninjitsu people proudly proclaims that it is "the ancient art of the ninja shadow warriors", are there any other varieties of martial art you would particularly recommend?

Jujitsu is pretty good, has a little of just about everything.

 

[Hurricane]

Take up martial arts!

I actually did do this when I was younger (Tang Soo Do). It was quite fun, until my whole family decided to join.

I actually saw a local ad for open swim at the neighboring high school, so I think maybe I'll start swimming once a week as well as continuing to run.

Also, Deathmaster, I do a full core workout every other day.