Fatness

[Brisa]

Well, Im 6ft 1 and around 15 stone. I eat fairly healthy, continous chicken, brown bread, salad and pasta etc. I very rarely would eat junk food. I have been very strict about what I eat from say July. I excercise quite a bit and develop a lot of muscle but still have a layer of fat over it so its like more exercise = more muscle = me look fatter? This layer of fat just will not go away! It stays the same no matter what.

Any advice would be amazing but any wanky comments will be cut down like a confier at crimbo...

Alexx? Im sure your the guy to talk to...

Thanks

[Alexx]

Well if you cut past all the crazy diets, and fads, and complex advice, in the end it all boils down to;

If Energy out is greater than energy in, result = Fat loss.

You should be aiming for roughly 1800-2000 calories per day. Don't get too hung up on this, but use it as a guide. www.calorieking.com is great for getting an idea of what food is made of.

You want to try and keep eating high protein food, and avoiding food with high fat (which it sounds like your are doing anyway).

You should try spread your meals out more evenly. Eat less, more often. Your better eating 4 or 5 small portions than the usual 3 big portions. Then you just need to do some cardio work, to make sure your burning more callories.

It may be a case of just biting the bullet and joining a gym for a month, just getting yourself down there every day and doing an hour's cardio to burn an extra 500-600 calories a day.

And muscle doesn't make you look fatter, it's one of those things that the human eye is very clever with, muscle is built / placed in totally different places to areas increased fat stores show.

Good Food spread out, Plenty of Cardio exercise, plenty of water = fat loss!

PS: Like anything good, it takes time :-

[nb88]

^ Listen to that guy he knows his stuff :-

Work that body

[ian]

Well if you cut past all the crazy diets, and fads, and complex advice, in the end it all boils down to;

If Energy out is greater than energy in, result = Fat loss.

You should be aiming for roughly 1800-2000 calories per day. Don't get too hung up on this, but use it as a guide. www.calorieking.com is great for getting an idea of what food is made of.

You want to try and keep eating high protein food, and avoiding food with high fat (which it sounds like your are doing anyway).

You should try spread your meals out more evenly. Eat less, more often. Your better eating 4 or 5 small portions than the usual 3 big portions. Then you just need to do some cardio work, to make sure your burning more callories.

It may be a case of just biting the bullet and joining a gym for a month, just getting yourself down there every day and doing an hour's cardio to burn an extra 500-600 calories a day.

And muscle doesn't make you look fatter, it's one of those things that the human eye is very clever with, muscle is built / placed in totally different places to areas increased fat stores show.

Good Food spread out, Plenty of Cardio exercise, plenty of water = fat loss!

PS: Like anything good, it takes time  :)

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i have to agree this guy nos what he is chatting. :)

where u get that form a the internet or somin lol

[Alexx]

where u get that form a the internet or somin lol

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Nah, I'm just a genral gym rat... have been for like a year or so. :)

[Brisa]

Ive noticed a few things in your post Alexx that have been helpful, one is the more small meals rather than eating in morning, nothing all day until around 6-7 then that would be a largish meal.

Cardio exercise, what exact sort of things am i to do within this? I have been severly meaing to joing a gym but its finding the time. If you could describe any home exercise i could do, i do sit ups, pull ups and press ups but i dont know if im doing them right..

[rich4130]

Sorry to steal your thread, but how would I do the oposite?

I'm wanting to put on weight, I'm about 8 stone, and whatever I eat, I never seem to put much on, what sort of things should I be eating/doing to do this!?

Any alternatives to doing to the gym as well :)" ?

cheers

rich

[dirtbiker]

Ive noticed a few things in your post Alexx that have been helpful, one is the more small meals rather than eating in morning, nothing all day until around 6-7 then that would be a largish meal.

Cardio exercise, what exact sort of things am i to do within this? I have been severly meaing to joing a gym but its finding the time. If you could describe any home exercise i could do, i do sit ups, pull ups and press ups but i dont know if im doing them right..

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By cardio he means doing aerobic exercise, such as swimming, running, rowing or cycling.

Obviously its easiest to do this at a gym, but you could get a road bike and put some miles in on that. :)"

[deagledaddy]

Sorry to steal your thread, but how would I do the oposite?

I'm wanting to put on weight, I'm about 8 stone, and whatever I eat, I never seem to put much on, what sort of things should I be eating/doing to do this!?

Any alternatives to doing to the gym as well ;)" ?

cheers

rich

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High protein/carbs food would do the trick me thinks. Don't wanna go for the fatty stuff weven if you think your skinny. Your arterys will still clog up and you will increase your chance of getting a heart attack when your older :)

Do lots of weights and eat lots of protein, you will get bigger!

[Tartridge]

By cardio he means doing aerobic exercise, such as swimming, running, rowing or cycling.

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You need to be working sub-maximally to burn fat/calories though - around 60% :)

[Alexx]

By cardio he means doing aerobic exercise, such as swimming, running, rowing or cycling.

Obviously its easiest to do this at a gym, but you could get a road bike and put some miles in on that.  ;)"

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Basically, Cardio = Cardio Vascular exercise. Excersie that burns energy (calories), raises your heartbeat, and leaves you feeling genrally tired!

It's easiest in the gym yeah, but some people find it too boring, running, cycling (not trials, that doesn't count :) I mean like road or XC), swimming, those kind of things are all good.

Exercises like pullups, crunches etc and anerobic, and have no effect of bodyfat.

You need to be working sub-maximally to burn fat/calories though - around 60% :)

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Indeed, you should be working enough to get up a sweat, and pushing your heatbeat up nicely. Slow jogging or half assed cardio does burn calories, but so few it's not worth bothering :)

[Fuse]

Sorry to steal your thread, but how would I do the oposite?

I'm wanting to put on weight, I'm about 8 stone, and whatever I eat, I never seem to put much on, what sort of things should I be eating/doing to do this!?

Any alternatives to doing to the gym as well :)" ?

cheers

rich

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It all boils down to not eating enough. I know that you may think you're eating loads, but the simple fact is, that if you're not putting weight on, you're not eating enough! As stated before, it's a simple energy balance of what goes in minus what goes out.

The biggest hurdle you'll face is not wanting to get fat. I was only about 9 stone myself 14 months ago (I'm about 5'9") but I now weigh around 11.5 stone. This is down to making sure I eat enough food and high intensity weight training. You're scared to eat too much, because being naturally skinny you're afraid you might get fat. So long as you train hard, and eat the right sort of stuff (plenty protein!!!) you should be able to minimise the amount of fat you gain, and maximise the amount of muscle. It's inevitable that you'll gain some fat, but this won't be noticeable with all the new muscle you have ;) Plus you can always do a cutting phase later to trim off the excess.

The best way to do it is to calculate your daily calorie needs, and then add an extra 300 on to enable weight gain. This needs constantly updating though, as your calorie needs will increase the heavier you get. If you're serious about bulking I suggest you trawl the internet for some guidance, or you can PM me (or maybe Alexx :)) and I can point you in the right direction.

I'm afraid there's not a lot of alternative to the gym though if you want to bulk up with muscle as opposed to fat.

[munkee]

just wondering alex why doesnt trials count towards it all.. like natural today i was sweating, breathing hard in general almost collapsing

[Alexx]

just wondering alex why doesnt trials count towards it all.. like natural today i was sweating, breathing hard  in general almost collapsing

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Well, It depends how you ride really. Genrally people sit around chatting, chilling, do some gaps, have a laugh... as aposed to pushing yourself as hard as you can none stop for an hour. It's not going to be as effective as say XC.

I'm the same as fuse, bulking, I was 8.8 stone 9 months ago, and now i'm pretty much bang on 12, still at 6.7% bodyfat too :)

[rich4130]

High protein/carbs food would do the trick me thinks. Don't wanna go for the fatty stuff weven if you think your skinny. Your arterys will still clog up and you will increase your chance of getting a heart attack when your older :)

Do lots of weights and eat lots of protein, you will get bigger!

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Hmm I do quite like the idea, but I can't help thinking I'm still growing, I'm 17 but I probably am physically a bit younger, is this a good thing to do?

Fuse.

All sounds very serious! But I can see and understand what you mean.

Cheers.

[Lawnmowerman]

Try riding bmx for a bit, the bikes weigh a tonne and you get fookin knackered riding around the skatepark for 4 hours :) Since i started a few months ago ive got quite muscly :)

[Brisa]

I have a bmx, ride it about the same as my trials bike. Looks like im gonna hit the gym and start talking to some knolageable people.

Thanks a lot Alexx, been really helpful. Cheers.

[Fish-Finger-er]

also genetics, some people just have a higher metabolism for no reason, means calories are burnt quicker even when resting, less weight gain.

also about being visibly fat, rather than muscly, again, altho working out helps, some of it is down to genetics and how ur body was treated in its early years to how it uses muscles/fat.

some people naturally have super low or high body fat percentage , those people with naturally high body fat percentage, although they will be able to lose weight and lower there fat percentage. theyll never have the washboard abs(well they will, but it will be invisible under an inch of fat).

this is down to either genetics, or the bodies upbringing, and its requirements for energy as a youngster.

for example, if you were a person who was mal-nourished as a child, and were very thin. chances are the way your body works now, is to absorb all the energy it can from food, which it will burn slowly over 2 or 3 days,(rather than turn it to fat) as it knows turning it to fat is pointless as it will be needed soon, as youll often miss days without meals.

as to wether its genetics or up bringing, cant be proved, as any tests like this on genetically identical people (mono-zygotic twins for those in the know) would be considered dangerous and unethical.

yeah workin out helps, but some people, no matter how hard they try, will never get washboard abs, as there body will use protein and even muscle fibre for energy, before it will drop the fat levels down to 8-9% body fat(which is the level where washboard abs would become visible).and by the time you reach this,the muscles will have wasted(atrophy) to the point wer no abs are visible.

[Alexx]

those people with naturally high body fat percentage, although they will be able to lose weight and lower there fat percentage. theyll never have the washboard abs(well they will, but it will be invisible under an inch of fat).

yeah workin out helps, but some people, no matter how hard they try, will never get washboard abs, as there body will use protein and even muscle fibre for energy, before it will drop the fat levels down to 8-9% body fat(which is the level where washboard abs would become visible).and by the time you reach this,the muscles will have wasted(atrophy) to the point wer no abs are visible.

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Not true.

ANYONE can have washboard abs. It's just down to dedication, and time.

I've seen guys go from 350lb (25 stone) down to 160lb (11.5 stone), and get washboard abs. It took most of them a good 3 years to do.

Like I say, it doesn't matter what your metabolic rate is, if energy out is greater than energy in your body has to burn it's self, do it for long enough and you'll eather

a ) die

b ) get thin

:)

I've attached a picture, it's by no means one of the best transformations i've seen, it's average compared to some, but i had it to hand. The guy is a member of another forum I post on...

[Heatsink]

In those pics it looks like the guy discovered tanning beds in 2000 and baby oil in 2001!

Good transformation though, sshows what's possible with hard work :)

[Alexx]

baby oil in 2001!

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*shudders*... god they should ban that stuff...

It embodies everything that is wrong with bodybuilding... :) haha

[Dai the Socket]

I need to get down the gym more :)

Need to bulk up more for rugby.

[D-L-B]

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I've noticed with all these transformation pics that loss of fat it usually acompanied by loss of hair... :)

Dan

[picki]

dont get pissed too much either! beer is bad for fatties!

might have to visit the gym and loose some arse fluf!

[br3n]

this is actually a really interesting thread, I have a friend who wants to loose weight and one that wants to put on weight so they'll both benefit from this.

I find riding trials, even though yes we are sitting around chatting and doing the odd gap or two, the rides too and from places tend to help.

I dont really do much excerise other than trials, but if we're out for a full day im usually pretty knackered from it so i guess it does something.