Exercise for losing weight

Introduction The basics To lose fat, you need to use up more calories than you eat - in other words, calories in must be less than calories out. There's a little more to it than that as well - you need to eat the right things (see below!) and you also need to make sure that you eat enough. There's a thread here http://www.handbag.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=419354&highlight=calories which shows you how to calculate how many calories you need a day. So diet is the first and most important thing to sort in any weight loss program. Next on the list is weight/resistance training, to build up muscle mass and increase your metabolism, with cardio coming a poor third. Cardio is not actually very efficient at helping specifically with fat loss, but has important health benefits in other respects. Certain types of cardio, such as high intensity interval training or pyramid training, are better at helping with fat loss than others. More on this later. Next you need to throw away your scales or at the very least, stop using them for a while. This is because weight is a very poor guide; it's much better to go by body measurements. Try measuring: Right bicep at the largest part Chest at nipple line Waist at belly button Hip at hip bone level Right thigh at the largest part Right calf at the largest part Then re-measure yourself in two weeks or more. Muscle is more dense than fat, so you might find that your weight loss ultimately slows down, or that you even put some weight back on. But as long as the inches are reducing, you're still on the right track. It's perfectly possible to be a slim toned size 10 and weigh more than if you were a size or two bigger. What should I be eating? Lots of complex carbs, as much veg as you want (apart from potatoes), fruit, lean protein and moderate quantities good fats (such as those in oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocadoes and so on). There are some more ideas http://www.handbag.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=397936 on this thread. What exercise should I do? You should do 3 weight training sessions per week, plus (ideally) a couple of cardio sessions. The weights sessions can be at the gym, at home with dumb bells or a class like Body Pump. High level yoga and Pilates also count as resistance training. More details on this are in the next post. But won't I end up looking like Madonna if I do weights? Not unless you're genetically inclined that way and prepared to spend a lot of time and effort working at it! It takes a lot of effort (don't I know it!) to build even a modest amount of muscle. With a good weights and eating program, you'll end up looking lean and toned, but not overtly muscular. I want to get rid of fat in a particular area. Can I do this? The short answer is no, unfortunately. You can't spot reduce fat, and it's a seemingly inviolable law of nature that you lose fat most slowly from the place you most want to lose it from! There is no magic exercise that will remove bingo wings, flatten tummies or trim down saddlebags. The best thing to do is to work your whole body, hard, to help increase its ability to burn fat. And on that subjectwill my boobs disappear? It does vary from person to person, but generally, if you lose weight at a sensible sustainable pace, continue to eat well and weight train, youll probably have minimal loss or none at all. Indeed, some people (myself included) find that that whole area looks better as a result of improved muscle tone. OK, I'm convinced. Where do I start? Read on....

There are lots of ways to lose weight and get fit; this is just one of them. It has worked well for lots of people, but that's not to say it's necessarily the best one for everyone. The most important thing about exercise is to find something that you enjoy. Where do I start? A good place to start is by getting a weights induction at your gym - although an alarming number of gym instructors don't know anything about sports science or nutrition, they should at least be able to show you how to use the machines. Get a routine set up, and stick to it for a couple of months. Then try a new workout - your body is very good at adapting to workouts, so you need to keep challenging it. You should aim for three weight sessions per week with a rest day between sessions to allow your muscles to recover. Ideally you would do cardio on the rest days, but that's not realistic for everyone. You can do the cardio training after your weights workout instead. What routine can I do? Here http://www.handbag.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=362622 is a routine that you can do at home. These dumb bells http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3008243/Trail/C%24cip%3D50353.Sports%2Band%2Bleisure%3EC%24cip%3D50406.Home%2Bgym%2Bequipment%3EC%24cip%3D50413.Weights%2Band%2Bdumbells.htm from Argos are a good investment if you want to work out at home. You can also buy resistance bands, gym balls, weight benches and other things if you want, but you can get a good workout with just a pair of dumb bells. Here http://www.handbag.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=363077&page=7&highlight=calories is a routine for the weights machines at the gym. And there's another here http://www.handbag.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=363077&page=14&highlight=calories . This http://www.handbag.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=363077&page=23&highlight=calories is a more advanced routine. The whole of the Weights stickie thread is also worth a read and contains a lot of invaluable help and advice. You can get more exercises at: exrx http://www.exrx.com/ Body for Life http://www.bodyforlife.com/ Stumptuous http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/index.php This site http://diet.ivillage.com/workouts/wweight/topics/0,,4s5m,00.html also has some good info. Joan Pagano has a book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strength-Training-Women-Joan-Pagano/dp/1405306432/ref=sr_1_1/203-7170700-0545566?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179262595&sr=8-1 , suitable for beginners, with some sensible clear workouts. I also like this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/30-minute-day-Challenge-Simon-Waterson/dp/0007156073/ref=pd_bowtega_1/203-7170700-0545566?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179262626&sr=1-1 by Simon Waterson - hard going, but it works. What weight should I use? The heaviest you can manage! You should just be able to perform around three sets of 8-10 repetitions (reps) with the weight. If you can do 12, then it's time to up the weight. It might take a few sessions to get the weight right. Should I use free weights or machines? Either, it doesn't really matter. They work you in different ways, so it's not a bad idea to mix it up - either do a mix during the week, or do one type for a couple of months and then change. The important thing is to work as hard as you can. If you feel that you're particularly unfit or are worried about hurting yourself, it might be better to start with the machine weights, because (IMO) they're easier to control and use. Free weights require good technique and also some degree of core strength to protect your back and stabilise yourself. OK, but how do I "do" weights? No matter what type of weight work you're doing, there are certain basic rules that always apply: Lift in a slow and controlled manner - ignore the wannabe he-men who hang out in the weights room, use massive weights and try to go as fast as they can! Aim for a dynamic but controlled lift/pull/push/whatever (count one-two) and a slow smooth release (count three-four-five). Keep your abs engaged, try to keep your posture good, and keep breathing! Grunting is an optional extra, but might help get you through the last rep in the last set! Help! I'm actually getting bigger! The dreaded "bulk" word! You may well find that in the early stages (perhaps the first few months) you get a bit bigger. If this happens, then don't panic! Sometimes, particularly if you muscle up quite quickly you might find that you put muscle on before you lose fat, particularly in places where you tend to lose fat most slowly. This can make you bigger temporarily, but it will go away if you continue with a good eating and exercise program. How about cardio? I'd say do whatever you happen to like, be it dancing, swimming, martial arts, running, hillwalking or whatever, as long as it gets your heart rate up a good deal and gets you breathing hard - cardio is generally more about health benefits other than fat loss. Some weight training, particularly circuits, also counts as CV work. However, interval training and pyramid training, as mentioned, are both good ways to help fat loss, because they raise your metabolism for some time afterwards. They also have the advantage of needing relatively short time periods - half an hour or so is enough. There are lots of ways to do both types of training, but essentially both work on the Perceived Exertion scale, where 0 is asleep and 10 is running for your life! Here are some basic methods: To interval train, you could do something like this: one minute at P.E. level 6 (moderate and sustainable) and one minute at 8 (very hard!), repeating (say) ten times. You can up the intensity to 9 (very very hard!) for some of the middle segments if you wish. Pyramid training is much the same, but you start at a P.E. level of around 4-5, and work up gradually to a level of 8-9 in the middle of your workout, then work down again. You should aim to spend about a quarter or fifth of your workout at the high intensity level in the middle - around 5 minutes or more in a thirty minute workout. Both are tough and it will take time to build up; ten minutes may be enough at first as long as you really work hard! I'm sticking to the routine, but I'm not losing weight or inches If you're not getting anywhere, the first thing to do is to look again at your diet. It's important not eat too much, but just as important not to eat too little, especially if you're active. This is because your body will start to use its own muscle mass as fuel if you significantly undereat, which is bad news because it slows your metabolism down. If you are physically active and are trying to lose fat, you should eat no less than 200-300 cals below than your daily calorie requirement. For most women, that means you should be eating around 1800 cals a day. This is a very important point - so many people make the mistake of eating too little, and wonder why their metabolisms are sluggish and they struggle to lose weight. If they ate more, they might well lose more fat. I can do the whole workout now and it's almost easy! What next? Once you're comfortable with your workout, it's time to make it harder again! Up your weights, so you can only just perform 8 reps again, increase the intensity in your CV workouts, try something new, and keep pushing yourself. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I'm not a sports scientist nor do I have any qualifications in this field. This post is distilled from years of personal experience and the collective wisdom imparted by the Fitness baggers, particularly mr nonsense (who is a qualified PT!).

OK, I hope I got most points and links to the good posts there. But please feel most free to add your own links/pointers/tips/corrections/additions/savage criticisms as and how you see fit. And mods, please (pretty please) may we have this stickied? g_k

well done and thank you! first read it looks brill, will read again with fresh eyes in the morning though and see if there are any answers to my silly questions that could be added!

It's brilliant, thank you! I'm surprised there isn't more on Pilates

Fab work hun!

great advice! i'm currently doing 3 aerobics classes a week, they are a killer! but they also incorporate weights so hopefully i'm doing enough! gonna have a look at the thread on food now!

Well, I did consider it, but it's supposed to be a "getting started" guide to losing weight through exercise and in the early stages, Pilates doesn't really do that... Also, there was the minor point that by the time I had finished expatiating on the virtues of the aforementioned, the word count had gone through the roof! g_k

Excellent G_K :rawk: I was thinking whens the Pilates going to come into it aswell

There is some great info there - I have just started on this and got myself some weights - I do not have access to a gym so everything will be done from home. I have the Charlie Brooks DVD for cardio. I also lrun a bit and am getting a mini trampoline - which is aparantly good for toning up etc. Its the food part I find hard, I am a veggie who is allergic to nuts and has a major love of cheese!

Thanks so much G_K this is so helpful!! I've been wanting to tone up but didn't even know half of that I'm going to get those dumbells and have a proper go at it!

Just to say what a great thread! I hope lots of people will make use of this advice, especially about weight training. I've dropped from a size 16 to a 10 and lost nearly 40lbs! (I'd put on lots of weight when pregnant and post giving birth...) I didn't use any fad diets, just exercise (including 2-3 weight training sessions a week) and healthy eating - lots of wholegrains, protein, and of course plenty of fruit and veg! Also don't deny youreself the odd treat! Good luck to everyone trying to lose weight, tone up or just improve fitness!!

Looks fab g_k, must have taken you ages!

Excellent posts geek_kitten!!

Its such a good thread g_k well done. Have been having a little think about it and wonder if it would be good to do a little link for portion control and food for exercise. Like meal plan for the basic 1500 cal day then with extra items to build calories for those needing more. It can show a good example of balancing nutrients, importance of protein etc? In fact I am sure its been done somewhere before - I will see if I can search and find a few links.