Getting into shape

[Feyd]

I'm sure that a lot of you work out to maintain your health, or just because you enjoy it, and I'm sure that some of you are also like me.

Not fat at all, but not where you want to be.

I eat Doritos and drink soda as I watch TV before crashing to sleep and waking up at irregular hours, and when I do eat actual meals its usually fast food or something quick and easy, which generally translates into quick and easy and really unhealthy.

Those of you that USED to be like me but changed for the better, what did you do? I remember there being a weight lifting thread where this was discussed slightly a while back but I never did get around to doing anything.

Would buying a weight bench and lifting weights really be a good way to burn fat and build muscle? A friend suggested I do that and start doing something like riding a bike, the combination of bike riding + weight lifting on a regular basis is an excellent way to get back into shape.

That's my main game plan, but if anyone knows of anything else easier to do I'm all ears.

I also have a problem with food. I don't have an eating disorder, but living with my brother (who by the way can eat an entire Wendy's and not gain a pound, I smell food and gain weight) we eat shit. Chips, fast food, quick meals.

I've looked for healthier options, but on a budget, it's much more feasible to buy the shit as opposed to the slightly more costly healthy options. Anyone have any cheap but healthy recipes (that do not involve cannabis) that I could replace my shitty eating habits with? I'll bite the tiny little bullet and buy better food if I have to, but if I can save a few bucks here and there I'd love to.

I'm not too tired but I'm gonna go do a bunch of pushups and situps until I am tired so I can fall asleep and hopefully wake up at a decent hour

 

[drew87]

fruits and veggies man, think natural. If you are going to start anywhere, start with breakfeast. if you ever treat yourself to any meal, make it breakfeast. Go out and eat the dankest breakfeast you can think up. eggs, toast, fruit, some cerial, stock up rather than just eating out. spend 5 dollars at wendys and you get one meal. spend 15 dollars at the grocery store and get 8 meals.

 

[420inprogress]

Get at least 8 hours of sleep a day. Go to bed at the same time for at least a week to develop a sleep regimen.

Do not eat anything at least 4 hours before you go to bed.

Drink water instead of soda.
Learn to make sandwiches instead of eating fast food.
Cook pasta...
Use alternatives to traditional fatty food, for example, instead of using hamburger meat, use tofu or veggie burgers...

Instead of buying a weight bench, barbells, or other exercise equipment, I started simple. Sit-ups and push-ups, doing shuttle runs, swimming, biking, walking, isometrics and calistenics. Being active is the key-so you burn fat and excess carbs. Exercise when you wake up and early in the evening.

All the motivation you need can be summed up in 3 letters: SEX

Being healthy increases your libido. Having a physically fit body improves your self-confidence. Easting less junk food improves your complexion and decreases pimples.

If you're in school, go visit a nutritionist. They can provide you with a wealth of knowledge.

Good luck!

 

[gizerakos]

go to a gym.if you try to exercise alone you ll get bored and quit soon.that's at least what happened to me.

 

[Guest]

I hate gyms, they are the most boring places in the world besides a library.
Buy some dumbells or whatever, and that can be your muscle tools.

If you want to increase muscle don't go use one of those machines, dumbell exercises make you use more muscles than a machine.

Then I would go biking. Get a mountain bike and go through the woods. This is the only thing I could do without getting bored that I could still consider exercise.

And don't eat shit, eat a good amount of protein if you are actually working out, but eat healthy things too, lots of plants

 

[Budsmith]

Everyone here has given such great advice, but I liked to also add that it isn't all physical things that help you lose weight...it's also a mental side that's very important to understand. Support from others helps a lot when it comes to losing weight... try and find a online support group or someone that's willing to encourage you and talk to when you fill down about the weight loss process.

 

[Stoner4Life]

I've looked for healthier options, but on a budget, it's much more feasible to buy the shit as opposed to the slightly more costly healthy options. Anyone have any cheap but healthy recipes (that do not involve cannabis) that I could replace my shitty eating habits with? I'll bite the tiny little bullet and buy better food if I have to, but if I can save a few bucks here and there I'd love to.

an 8 or 9 ounce bag of chips, doritos, cheeze munchies etc is about $3.00 today, that's about $6.00 per pound for shyt calories. Buy some steaks for that money or anything else for that matter. The true cost is down the road when you're out of work due to a heart attack or stroke. It's a lot cheaper right now any way you look at it bro. I hear you wanting to do the right thing.......

Be the master of every situation.

 

[Babbabud]

When i start getting into shape I just try to smoke the wife out each day. Thats a tough thing to do . So each evening I roll as many as it takes to put her to sleep and by the end of the week Im in great shape and ready to smoke with the bigdawgs

 

[perakko]

lots of vegetables, meat and fiber. quit the snacks, if you want some sweet eat dried fruits like papaya and pineapple, very good and lots of fibre. breakfast is very important so you're not craving munchies all day long... quit booze if you drink, that's definately the worst.

for exercise i'd suggest basic push-ups, sit-ups, anything with your own weight for starters. running or biking regularly, like 3 times a week.

good luck!

 

[specialk]

And don't eat shit, eat a good amount of protein if you are actually working out, but eat healthy things too, lots of plants

actually if yer got some body fat u dont even need to eat protein. Becuase when u work out your fat will rebuild into muscle building material.

Being fat and work out goes hand in hand for muscle growth

 

[Guest]

actually if yer got some body fat u dont even need to eat protein. Becuase when u work out your fat will rebuild into muscle building material.

Being fat and work out goes hand in hand for muscle growth

Interesting, I've never looked up on what to do if there's fat in the first place. I should probably shut my mouth in that case!

 

[Pink]

Some good ideas in this thread....may I ask how old you are?

 

[treble]

buying ready made meals either fast food, healthy food or frozen food is going to cost you more than cooking something. If you cook your own meals it will be cheaper and better for you if you do it right.

I found myself an exercise bike ...ask around, perhaps you know someone who has one sitting idle. I put that infront of the TV and rode it for 15 - 20 minutes per day with moderate resistance. not a long time at all. To start with 15 minutes would wipe me out. As you get fitter you will find you naturally ride for longer.

Exercise bike too dull? get a rowing machine.. again ask around.

Calorie counting is another thing to take a look at. You can get a calorie counter pocket book. This guys book is excellent. http://www.calorieking.com/shop/11-...ie-Fat-Carbohydrate-Counter-2008-Edition.html

I used it years ago when I started. Its like 8 bux. They even use it on biggest looser... why? cause it works. The best bit is how easy it is to use. grab the book and a note pad. Record what food and how much food you eat per day. Do that for 1 month.

As you record the food, look up the calories in the book and add them up for each day. Then you look in the calorie book.. near the end it has a chart of body weights and how much calories you need each day for that weight. All you do is pick the size/weight you want to be and eat that amount of calories.

It is best to pick the next size down from the one you are on - remember you counted for a month. That way its not so much a sudden drop in food. Eat the calories you need and throw in 20 - 30 minutes moderate exercise per day, you will loose weight easy. Once you actually get to the next weight down, you can move on to the next one. Also your energy levels will increase naturally as you go.

its much much easier than people think it is. I'm always amazed by all the diet and weight loss rubbish they feed people. Sets people up for failure. The part I like is you can choose the weight you want to be. too easy.

good luck with it.

 

[Old Man Time]

Good topic.

My advice might take the most self-discipline....Id suggest running 3 miles every other day and a 10k every 7th. And days that you not running....swim 500+ yrds at your local pool.

You will be as solid as a brick shithouse in about 4 weeks.

 

[Old Soul]

There is no easy way to do it. Just get started and don't stop. If you can motivate yourself, then get some equipment and get started. If not, get a membership at a gym. Some people need to go somewhere to focus on their workout. Muscle burns fat and building lean muscle speeds up your metabolism. Free weights are the best way to build muscle but form and speed is very important. Always lift weights first and then do your cardio second (running, biking, etc). This will be more efficient and help you burn more fat during your workout. Increase your protein intake as this helps build lean muscle. You can still cheat every once in a while. You do not want to deprive yourself but make the majority of your choices good ones.

Try to eat as much homeade food as possible as this will be more healthy. Do you know how to cook? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It does not have to be a big meal but something to kick start your day. If you need any other help, let me know.

Peace

 

[timmy thc]

go on bike ride through the woods

also when hiking pack your bag heavy bring lots of water or something else heavy (but at least you can drink the water when thirsty) i like my bag around thirty pounds this weight really builds stamina and endurance good luck

 

[LoneStarGrower]

actually if yer got some body fat u dont even need to eat protein. Becuase when u work out your fat will rebuild into muscle building material.

Being fat and work out goes hand in hand for muscle growth

yea uh actually there is no way for fat to magically turn into muscle, you can burn fat and build muscle simultaneously, but they are seperate compounds that don't transform into one another.

regardless of your body fat percentage, you will still need lots of protein if your body is undergoing heavy stress (intense weight lifting).

do a few google searches and you will find that you can get a very effective whole body workout by using simply dumbells and a bench, preferably one you can use for flat, incline and decline. remember to start out slow and let your body get used to exercise, it's easy to get carried away and injure yourself. start simple with pushups,pullups, crunches for a few weeks while eating healthy and doing cardio (running, biking, swimming are best imo).

once you get in that routine for awhile, start lifting. do some research on legit websites or books ( recommend bodybuilding.com) so you can workout with the most effectiveness, not overworking or underworking. oh yea and drink alot of water and get some whey protein to drink after workouts, before bed and in the morning. good luck and stick with it, it's worth it.

 

[kmk420kali]

actually if yer got some body fat u dont even need to eat protein. Becuase when u work out your fat will rebuild into muscle building material.

Being fat and work out goes hand in hand for muscle growth

Absolutely wrong!! Fat and muscle are 2 separate tissues--
You can build or lose fat. You can build or lose muscle. But you cannot magically make one turn into the other--

The best thing to do, is start eating right, and burn a lot of calories-- Walking, crunches, light running....get some of the fat off...then as you start getting more energy (and you will!!) then start on some weight training--

**Edit** I didn't see the one above this^^^ yeah, what that person said too--lol

 

[tuco]

Good for you, hope you can keep at it.

I've never had a problem with being overweight but I did have a problem with being scrawny. So I can only give my own experience with bulking up once you loose the fat.

Personally, I never really found a huge benefit in using protein supplements. Not to say they don't work but FOR ME the benefits did not justify the costs. Do some google searches and find natural foods high in protein. e.g. bananas, eggs, lean chicken, tuna...bah, too many to mention but easy to find out.

Check out this site for exercises. A lot of exercises for simply using a dumbbell. Exercise and Muscle Directory


Do you grow your own weed? If you have space and time start growing your own trays of wheatgrass...yes it tastes like shit but it makes a huge difference in your energy levels and it contains nearly every macro-nutrient known to man, high in protein, anti-oxidants and hemoglobin (the molecule which transports oxygen in the bloodstream).

Best of luck.

 

[Feyd]

Wow thanks to everyone who gave all this great advice.

For the gym suggestions, lets just say I'm not the gym type. In highschool I had a membership to gold's gym (my dad got free memberships from a client) and I finally went before they ran out, and I hated it.

A bunch of guys on the floor area walking around with back support belts grunting dramatically as they did anything, and I always felt like everyone was staring at me. I feel more comfortable at home. I would go if I had a friend to talk to there, but I just hate going to the gym by myself. And I don't know ANYBODY where I live so that's not an option.

I like the running option, I guess I'll buy some good running shoes and a zune or ipod or something and hit the pavement.

I do wish I could cook myself meals, but I live with my brother, his girlfriend and a baby, so when we buy groceries I usually have no decision. I'll do my best though to stop eating shit. I don't know exactly what stuff to buy though. I'm guessing I can't go wrong buying apples and oranges and bananas to snack on everynow and then, maybe some granola bars... and I can figure out a good meal rotation for the week. One day I'll have chicken, some days some beef, etc. I will let you guys know when I become a brickhouse

Oh and btw @who asked how old I was, I'm 20 years old, 6'4, 250lbs.