Finally going to get back into shape!

Lestratcaster

After a decade of not going to a gym and sustaining a bad achilles injury in 2012, I've finally taken the step to get back into shape by joining a local gym.

My main goal is to lose at least 2 stone and lose a lot of chest/belly fat. I've really put on a few since not being to play football since the injury.

As its been a long long time I'm slightly nervous but I know I have to take that next step and just get going.

Has anyone done a similar thing? How many days a week did you go and what is a typical workout? e.g mainly cardio, etc.

Diet wise I eat pretty healthy, mainly chicken and fish with alot of vegetables. I eat a lot of fruit throughout the day (7 I think), rarely have anything high in sugar and seldom drink alcohol.

Would a trainer help at all? Is it worth to have 10 sessions with someone to show me a structured plan and keep me on track?

Any other tips and advice most appreciated.

tony99

Lestratcaster said:

After a decade of not going to a gym and sustaining a bad achilles injury in 2012, I've finally taken the step to get back into shape by joining a local gym.

My main goal is to lose at least 2 stone and lose a lot of chest/belly fat. I've really put on a few since not being to play football since the injury.

As its been a long long time I'm slightly nervous but I know I have to take that next step and just get going.

Has anyone done a similar thing? How many days a week did you go and what is a typical workout? e.g mainly cardio, etc.

Diet wise I eat pretty healthy, mainly chicken and fish with alot of vegetables. I eat a lot of fruit throughout the day (7 I think), rarely have anything high in sugar and seldom drink alcohol.

Would a trainer help at all? Is it worth to have 10 sessions with someone to show me a structured plan and keep me on track?

Any other tips and advice most appreciated.

good call mate good luck to you

but, without wishing to cause offence, how honest are you being about your diet? I'd be surprised someone eating what you say you eat would be wanting to shed 2 stone

octatonic

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

Lestratcaster

tony99 said:

Lestratcaster said:

After a decade of not going to a gym and sustaining a bad achilles injury in 2012, I've finally taken the step to get back into shape by joining a local gym.

My main goal is to lose at least 2 stone and lose a lot of chest/belly fat. I've really put on a few since not being to play football since the injury.

As its been a long long time I'm slightly nervous but I know I have to take that next step and just get going.

Has anyone done a similar thing? How many days a week did you go and what is a typical workout? e.g mainly cardio, etc.

Diet wise I eat pretty healthy, mainly chicken and fish with alot of vegetables. I eat a lot of fruit throughout the day (7 I think), rarely have anything high in sugar and seldom drink alcohol.

Would a trainer help at all? Is it worth to have 10 sessions with someone to show me a structured plan and keep me on track?

Any other tips and advice most appreciated.

good call mate good luck to you

but, without wishing to cause offence, how honest are you being about your diet? I'd be surprised someone eating what you say you eat would be wanting to shed 2 stone

Cheers mate, will be a long road back!

Well I think the main issue with that is portion control, I overload too much on carbs (rice and starchy crap) I think. There's a bit of pork and beef in the diet too.

I just need to get more active as I spent large portions of the day sitting down.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

3 x per week is the better option for me reading that.

I just wish I could play football again cos I'd use that as a 4th workout thing.

Any reason why I should cut down fruit? I like eating it so its easy for me to have it to hand.

Evening meal is one I need to address cos its usually my heaviest which is contributing to my weight gain. (I don't burn it off after which doesn't help).

Lestratcaster

I also plan to walk to the gym which is a mile away and takes 15-20 minutes each way as its past the high st which I usually walk up and down to 3 times per week. That'll help move my legs a bit.

menamestom

I'm finding classes are the best.  I go to the gym and follow a loose weights programme, but I like getting pushed hard like you do in classes.   My gym is £60 for the whole family and for that you can go to as many classes as you want for no extra (I go to spinning, Military Fitness and HIIT training).

A PT would work well, if you have the budget, but I prefer groups/classes anyway.

or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday)

That's roughly what I've been doing, 16:8 6 days a week, just add 16 hours to my evening meal, find it mostly really easy.
Footy tonight though so 9:30pm equates to a 1:30pm first meal tomorrow, I'm okay with it, some may struggle (in which case, try to make it until at least mid day)

AustrianJohn

@octatonic suggestion is good. 

If you don't lose weight to begin with don't worry, you'll be replacing fat with muscle (which is much heavier). If you keeping working the weight will come off.

Good luck!

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

3 x per week is the better option for me reading that.

I just wish I could play football again cos I'd use that as a 4th workout thing.

Any reason why I should cut down fruit? I like eating it so its easy for me to have it to hand.

Evening meal is one I need to address cos its usually my heaviest which is contributing to my weight gain. (I don't burn it off after which doesn't help).

Calorie control and sugars.

Fruit is healthy but in moderation and the sugars in fruit can be a weight loss killer for some folks.
What sort of fruit do you have?
Try to go for low GI/GL (glycemic index/glycemic load) fruits.

Also add in some nuts- not a lot, a handful or so a day.

It is a myth that eating later in the day causes you to store more fat- 2000 calories is 2000 calories, it doesn't matter when you eat them.
Total calories matter- if you can manage to control your eating then you could lose weight eating 1000 calories a day of candy bars if you ate nothing else.
I'm not suggesting you do, of course.

The point of eating 'clean' is that healthy food is generally more filling than the 'yummy but bad for you' stuff.
The whole point is to control the number of calories you eat in a day and exercise on top of it to shift fat.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

3 x per week is the better option for me reading that.

I just wish I could play football again cos I'd use that as a 4th workout thing.

Any reason why I should cut down fruit? I like eating it so its easy for me to have it to hand.

Evening meal is one I need to address cos its usually my heaviest which is contributing to my weight gain. (I don't burn it off after which doesn't help).

Calorie control and sugars.

Fruit is healthy but in moderation and the sugars in fruit can be a weight loss killer for some folks.
What sort of fruit do you have?
Try to go for low GI/GL (glycemic index/glycemic load) fruits.

Also add in some nuts- not a lot, a handful or so a day.

It is a myth that eating later in the day causes you to store more fat- 2000 calories is 2000 calories, it doesn't matter when you eat them.
Total calories matter- if you can manage to control your eating then you could lose weight eating 1000 calories a day of candy bars if you ate nothing else.
I'm not suggesting you do, of course.

The point of eating 'clean' is that healthy food is generally more filling than the 'yummy but bad for you' stuff.
The whole point is to control the number of calories you eat in a day and exercise on top of it to shift fat.

Ok cool.

I have apples (Braeburn), bananas, grapes, kiwi, strawberries and oranges throughout the day. Evening meal I'll get a green vegetable like celery/broccoli/lettuce etc

Not a massive fan of nuts but I will try it if it benefits me long term.

I rarely eat past 9pm anyway but just thought I'd mention it.

SNAKEBITE

If you want a total plan the try Jim Stoppani's "Short cut to Shred".

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/docs/2015/shortcut_to_shred_e-book_revised_9-9-2015.pdf

Lots of Jim's stuff on youtube as well.

The bloke is a Medical Dr. sowhat he says is backed by actual science, not bro science.

Once you get round the fact he sells supplements and concentrate on his actual programme it's a winner.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

3 x per week is the better option for me reading that.

I just wish I could play football again cos I'd use that as a 4th workout thing.

Any reason why I should cut down fruit? I like eating it so its easy for me to have it to hand.

Evening meal is one I need to address cos its usually my heaviest which is contributing to my weight gain. (I don't burn it off after which doesn't help).

Calorie control and sugars.

Fruit is healthy but in moderation and the sugars in fruit can be a weight loss killer for some folks.
What sort of fruit do you have?
Try to go for low GI/GL (glycemic index/glycemic load) fruits.

Also add in some nuts- not a lot, a handful or so a day.

It is a myth that eating later in the day causes you to store more fat- 2000 calories is 2000 calories, it doesn't matter when you eat them.
Total calories matter- if you can manage to control your eating then you could lose weight eating 1000 calories a day of candy bars if you ate nothing else.
I'm not suggesting you do, of course.

The point of eating 'clean' is that healthy food is generally more filling than the 'yummy but bad for you' stuff.
The whole point is to control the number of calories you eat in a day and exercise on top of it to shift fat.

Ok cool.

I have apples (Braeburn), bananas, grapes, kiwi, strawberries and oranges throughout the day. Evening meal I'll get a green vegetable like celery/broccoli/lettuce etc

Not a massive fan of nuts but I will try it if it benefits me long term.

I rarely eat past 9pm anyway but just thought I'd mention it.

OK, you have a better diet than most people in terms of what you re eating, you must just be eating too much.
Watch portions and exercise and it should start to shift.

The most important thing to remember is it is a marathon, not a sprint.
If it took you a couple of years to gain the weight you have then it is likely to take about half that time again to lose it.
People often give up 2-3 months into it thinking 'it isn't working for them' when in reality it is just working slower than they would like.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

3 x per week is the better option for me reading that.

I just wish I could play football again cos I'd use that as a 4th workout thing.

Any reason why I should cut down fruit? I like eating it so its easy for me to have it to hand.

Evening meal is one I need to address cos its usually my heaviest which is contributing to my weight gain. (I don't burn it off after which doesn't help).

Calorie control and sugars.

Fruit is healthy but in moderation and the sugars in fruit can be a weight loss killer for some folks.
What sort of fruit do you have?
Try to go for low GI/GL (glycemic index/glycemic load) fruits.

Also add in some nuts- not a lot, a handful or so a day.

It is a myth that eating later in the day causes you to store more fat- 2000 calories is 2000 calories, it doesn't matter when you eat them.
Total calories matter- if you can manage to control your eating then you could lose weight eating 1000 calories a day of candy bars if you ate nothing else.
I'm not suggesting you do, of course.

The point of eating 'clean' is that healthy food is generally more filling than the 'yummy but bad for you' stuff.
The whole point is to control the number of calories you eat in a day and exercise on top of it to shift fat.

Ok cool.

I have apples (Braeburn), bananas, grapes, kiwi, strawberries and oranges throughout the day. Evening meal I'll get a green vegetable like celery/broccoli/lettuce etc

Not a massive fan of nuts but I will try it if it benefits me long term.

I rarely eat past 9pm anyway but just thought I'd mention it.

OK, you have a better diet than most people in terms of what you re eating, you must just be eating too much.
Watch portions and exercise and it should start to shift.

The most important thing to remember is it is a marathon, not a sprint.
If it took you a couple of years to gain the weight you have then it is likely to take about half that time again to lose it.
People often give up 2-3 months into it thinking 'it isn't working for them' when in reality it is just working slower than they would like.

Yeah cutting out some of those fruits will be hard! But yeah what I try to do is take the portion of carbs down and replace with a bigger one of vegetables.

Yeah I'm a guitar tutor so I know the exact same thing, learners will quit after 2-3 lessons when they haven't given it enough time to see any real progress. All I'm looking to do is just get back into the regular cycle again (might have to just start with 2 sessions per week for a fortnight) then increase.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

If you wanted something 3x a week then try this:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 40 min running/cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Do something outdoorsy, long hike, cycle or something like that.

It is mostly diet though.
Try this:
Drop the fruit from 7 pieces to 2. 
If you struggle with that then substitute the fruit for pieces of carrot and celery.
Drop one meal a day down to half portion (I do it with dinner), or try intermittent fasting (such as not eating from 7pm at night until midday) 3 days a week.
Halve the amount of bread/rice you are eating and switch both to wholewheat/brown varieties.

Also do some body weight exercises each day- sit ups, press ups, stretching etc.

3 x per week is the better option for me reading that.

I just wish I could play football again cos I'd use that as a 4th workout thing.

Any reason why I should cut down fruit? I like eating it so its easy for me to have it to hand.

Evening meal is one I need to address cos its usually my heaviest which is contributing to my weight gain. (I don't burn it off after which doesn't help).

Calorie control and sugars.

Fruit is healthy but in moderation and the sugars in fruit can be a weight loss killer for some folks.
What sort of fruit do you have?
Try to go for low GI/GL (glycemic index/glycemic load) fruits.

Also add in some nuts- not a lot, a handful or so a day.

It is a myth that eating later in the day causes you to store more fat- 2000 calories is 2000 calories, it doesn't matter when you eat them.
Total calories matter- if you can manage to control your eating then you could lose weight eating 1000 calories a day of candy bars if you ate nothing else.
I'm not suggesting you do, of course.

The point of eating 'clean' is that healthy food is generally more filling than the 'yummy but bad for you' stuff.
The whole point is to control the number of calories you eat in a day and exercise on top of it to shift fat.

Ok cool.

I have apples (Braeburn), bananas, grapes, kiwi, strawberries and oranges throughout the day. Evening meal I'll get a green vegetable like celery/broccoli/lettuce etc

Not a massive fan of nuts but I will try it if it benefits me long term.

I rarely eat past 9pm anyway but just thought I'd mention it.

OK, you have a better diet than most people in terms of what you re eating, you must just be eating too much.
Watch portions and exercise and it should start to shift.

The most important thing to remember is it is a marathon, not a sprint.
If it took you a couple of years to gain the weight you have then it is likely to take about half that time again to lose it.
People often give up 2-3 months into it thinking 'it isn't working for them' when in reality it is just working slower than they would like.

Yeah cutting out some of those fruits will be hard! But yeah what I try to do is take the portion of carbs down and replace with a bigger one of vegetables.

Yeah I'm a guitar tutor so I know the exact same thing, learners will quit after 2-3 lessons when they haven't given it enough time to see any real progress. All I'm looking to do is just get back into the regular cycle again (might have to just start with 2 sessions per week for a fortnight) then increase.

OK, cool- you seem to get it.

cj73

Always remember how long it took to put the weight/fat on and don't get disheartened when it doesn't fall off in a fraction of that time. 

skay

When people say they want to lose weight, what they should be saying is that they want to lose fat, as you don't want to lose muscle (for aesthetic as well as long term health reasons).

Being in a calorific deficit, without resistance (strength) training will result in some muscle loss, especially if you reduce your protein consumption when cutting calories, and you will end up looking 'skinny' as opposed to 'lean'.

Try 18:6 intermittent fasting (helps with restricting calories without it feeling like you are), with a 3 times per week full body training, while eating around 1g protein per 1lb lean body mass per day, and you'll never be in better shape. 

Started training at 41 years of age to get rid of my pot-belly, been going to the gym regularly for almost 4 years now,  and have never looked or felt better my whole life, I have visible abs now! Would recommend.

tony99

If you want to increase the strength in your index finger just try scrolling through all the quooooooooooooootes on here.

WiresDreamDisasters

tony99 said:

If you want to increase the strength in your index finger just try scrolling through all the quooooooooooooootes on here.

Alternative methods are available if you're female.

RedRabbit

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

axisus

I spent years doing lots of strenuous exercise to lose weight. Never worked. 

Managed to finally start eating less. Lost weight.

The exercise is great to make you feel better, but definitely adjust your diet to lose weight.

Lestratcaster

cj73 said:

Always remember how long it took to put the weight/fat on and don't get disheartened when it doesn't fall off in a fraction of that time. 

Yep of course, I mean, I would like to look better by Christmas time but I will keep it going anyway.