Lose weight the man says...

[Rubber Bullets]

I need to lose weight, it's official.

At various times in my life I have found regular exercise easy to achieve and less so at others. This is one of the less so times.

When I can get into a routine with exercise I have always found it easy to keep going with it, and have in the past lost weight easily. At the moment though very mixed work times etc make it hard to get a routine going.

I could get into a home based routine though I think.

I have a couple of options.

1) Dig my old Spesialized Stumpjumper out of the garage, get it properly serviced and buy a cycle trainer for the winter. This way I get a bit of basic fitness and will have a bike that I can use next spring.

2) Buy an exercise bike, get a bit of basic fitness and then sort my bike out next spring.

Any thoughts? I am painfully aware that most exercise bike purchases get used a few times and then become dust traps

RB

 

[Doomy]

Well exercise bikes are like riding without the scenery, there is your answer.

GET ORRRN YA BLODDDY BAAAAAAAAIIIKE.

Winter is only cold on a bike when you stop for more than 5 minutes or a fag break (I dont smoke when im riding, honest guv)

 

[Will]

I'd be tempted to go the turbo trainer route if you don't have lights for night riding. Get a slick rear tyre, or a special turbo tyre if you can (less noise, less wear, not sure if you can get them in 26"), and away you go. Not that cheap, but exercise bikes aren't cheap either.

 

[Tom]

Trainers and exercise bikes are BORING mate - I have a trainer for mine, and I can only manage 5 minutes before I get bored out of my skull.

Best to treat your bike to a service (do it yourself tbh, cheaper and dead easy) and get out there. Simple rides around your local area, say 4-5 miles or such for the first few weeks.

As for diet, well just eat natural - meat, fish, vegetables, some fruits (not all), dairy. As long as you steer clear of simple carbohydrates and refined sugars, and generally eat less calories than you burn, you'll be allright.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

It's the routine that I need, not so bothered about the bordom. I used to cycle to work, roughly 3-4 times a week. Was only about 7 or 8 miles but was resonable exercise, and I always pushed to reduce the time it took.

At one time I worked near a pool that had lane swimming 3 times a week at lunch time, that was great and I have probably never been fitter than I was then. Could get there and back and swim over 2k in the hour.

I do have lights Will, and I never worried too much about the cold Doomy, I had (still have) all the gear, but starting again at this time of year would be miserable in the extreme.

I think I'll go with Will's idea. A decent turbo trainer is way less than a decent exercise bike, and looks considerably less poncy. It'll get may arse used to the old saddle again too.

Once my little girl goes to school in January I'll be able to swim again regularly, even if it's only once a week.

RB

 

[Will]

The top of the range turbos have PC programs, where you can race people over set courses such as hillclimbs. If you're into that sort of thing. Might make it slightly less boring.

Personally, with lights, I prefer to get out on the bike. My lights manage about 4 hours charge with plenty of light, and I've got Glentress and Innerleithen forests a short drive away.

 

[Jupitus]

Top tip:

4 slices of brown toast with marmite for brekky/brunch. Works wonders

 

[Draylor]

Top tip:

4 slices of brown toast with marmite for brekky/brunch. Works wonders

I thought doctors would advise against making yourself sick

 

[TdC]

ah RB matey, just get your bike serviced and get on it. make yourself use it for everything! just that at first, and perhaps going down the gym (preferably with a mate, so you can egg each other on). I'd not try a trainer unless you're so motivated you know for a fact you'll be on it. they're dull as fook imo. the only reason I use them at the gym is so I can admire the arobics girls

 

[fatbusinessman]

I thought doctors would advise against making yourself sick

So true, Marmite is the spawn of the devil.

 

[Ch3tan]

Top tip:

4 slices of brown toast with marmite for brekky/brunch. Works wonders

marmite for teh win!

 

[Athan]

Two things, from my last bash at "I need to be fitter and a bit slimmer":

1) As many others have said, most exercise is boring as shit. The only way I got myself to do it at all was to watch some TV whilst I was at it.

2) In my case exercise didn't actually seem to work at all for reducing weight, at least not for improving body shape at all. And I WAS even doing stomach crunch type stuff as well. On the other hand the couple of days I spent decorating the bathroom (so a fair amount of exercise) AND forgetting to eat, the weight dropped off. However, don't read this as a recommendation for a crash diet.

-Ath, who gets weekly exercise on the way back from food shopping as he lives most of the way up the highest hill in London (Shooters Hill) :/

 

[Wij]

I'm getting slightly less scarily unfit (skinny drug-addict look unfit, not Greggs-addict look unfit) by playing 5 a side one a week. It's not too boring, you have friends encouraging you to go, and you get a pint and a chat afterwards. Lots of mobile phone porn to see too. Sometimes there's an aerobics class on before us ! Works better for me than any gym I'd never go to or excercise equipent I'd never use.

 

[babs]

I took up swimming in the summer, and to my amazement I'm still doing it. I've gone from only just managing 2 lengths of the pool to anything from 40-60 lengths a time (1-1.5km). I can't say I feel much different, but people keep telling me I've lost weight so I can only assume it's working.

The good thing is it's slow, steady progress. If I lost weight quickly the hypochondriac in me would deduce that it's nothing more than aids of the cancer and I was dying.

 

[Damini]

I've started to learn how to swim. It's not that I was never taught, its just that I'm massively unco-ordinated, and also nearly drowned in a swimming lesson when I was about 6, so I have a whole nuerotic fear of being out of my depth and a style that is not so much swimming as postponing drowning. So, I'm not doing lengths, really just flailing around in the shallow end, but its a start. I've also paired this up with learning chinese boxing once or twice a week, and I've discovered I absolutely love it. People keep telling me that I've lost weight, so it's obviously working.

Exercise bikes are rubbish. You'll use it every day for about 2 weeks, and then you might as well throw a rug over it and call it an ornament. Take up a class of something you've always fancied giving a go. When I walked into chinese boxing, it looked like I'd walked into a US Marines base, and so as the podgy unfit girl I nearly fled out the door. I nearly fled again when the warm up was to jog around the room for so long that I was practically crawling, red faced and sweaty. I've stuck it out though, and I'm really glad I did.

 

[Doomy]

Two things, from my last bash at "I need to be fitter and a bit slimmer":

1) As many others have said, most exercise is boring as shit. The only way I got myself to do it at all was to watch some TV whilst I was at it.

2) In my case exercise didn't actually seem to work at all for reducing weight, at least not for improving body shape at all. And I WAS even doing stomach crunch type stuff as well. On the other hand the couple of days I spent decorating the bathroom (so a fair amount of exercise) AND forgetting to eat, the weight dropped off. However, don't read this as a recommendation for a crash diet.

-Ath, who gets weekly exercise on the way back from food shopping as he lives most of the way up the highest hill in London (Shooters Hill) :/

Ermm. You arent what id call fat.

 

[Munkey]

I play squash near enough every day of the week, I would play 5-a-side but I cant find anyone else to play with :/ I also do the odd jog around campus to try and keep my stamina up, but its not working so far I would love to swim, unfortunatley theres no pool on campus so thats out.

That said, I do exercise alot more here than I did when i was in college, so Unis turning out pretty good so far.as long as you find something you're good at and you stick at it you can't go wrong.

 

[MKJ]

Well in my case I need a goal to get in shape. My goal is to try and get in shape to run another marathon. Without some sort of goal there doesn't seem to be a point in losing wt or exercising. Do you have a specific goal? Also keeping a diary is a good idea. Plenty of free ones on the net if you have server access. I rigged up loads for my club members to use - running club. Dead easy to setup and I will post the details if you want the proggie.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

I guess my goals will be in terms of weight lost, among others, and once I start seeing a diference it will make it easier to carry on.

Took my bike into the local shop today, and they've got a reasonable turbo trainer on offer as well. I can get it and the service for the same money as a crap exercise bike.

I used to play squash loads (another fit phase of my life) and love the game, but you can't play it to get fit, you need to get fit to play it. More middle aged men die playing squash than any other game, a fact that I am painfully aware of. It would be very nice to get fit enough now to start playing again, another target I guess.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

RB

 

[Furr]

Since leaving Uni i've noticed that im now.. well fat! Need to quit smoking and start getting back to the gym and eating less since I now have lots of food to eat when at uni i was eating maybe two meals a day?

haev gone from 12 1/2 stone to 13 1/2 stone in 5 months... terrible

 

[Gumbo]

I lost 2 and a half stone in 2 years by working 60+ hours a week and getting lots of stress in my personal life.

Bugger this exercise crap, I don't have the time for it

 

[Rubber Bullets]

I have a plenty stressful job

I just eat when I get stressed

RB

 

[yaruar]

So true, Marmite is the spawn of the devil.

Not quite true, but close enough.

Marmite is satan's anal seepage.

 

[TdC]

yer, and vegemite's his crusty knob-cheese tbh.

 

[throdgrain]

RB










eat less, fatty

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Throddy,

your kind words of support brought a tear to my eye

TBH although my diet could be better, but it's not that bad. It really is regular exercise that I need.

RB

 

[Athan]

Ermm. You arent what id call fat.

"I need to be fitter and a bit slimmer"

Not quite the same thing . Plus I'd lost a fair bit of weight before we met up that time. Trust me, at the time I'm referring to it was a REAL struggle to get into my jeans without popping the button :/.

-Ath