Question for the fitness geeks amongst you

[Phooey]

I am trying to reduce the fat, especially around my middle portions. When is the best time to do the excercises?

1 ... Morning so that I give my body chance to burn more off as I move around all day?

2 ... Evening so I give my body time to recover and repair during sleep?

3 ... Any better time?

I am not body building I just want to lose some fat. I am probably around the 30% + body fat figure. My metabolism is pathetically slow, (wish I could afford to get it actually measured) I dieted with my boss once and after a month of eating salad and drinking water in a very active job I gained two pound while he cut out a couple of pints and only ate one meat pie for lunch instead of his usual two and lost half a stone.

I have managed to stablise my weight over years of trial and error. I walk around all day in a gentle way (teach at FE college), yoga once a week and karate twice a week. I try to minimise fat and sugar intake and average about 1200 - 1500 kcal per day. I can just about maintain 180 lb on that. Oh I am only a short arse at 5' 8"

Someone once told me that I wasn't eat enough calories to lose weight so I increased to 1800kcal and gained three pound in one week. Back to 1200 - 1500.

I'll be the first to admit that I know nothing about dieting and food science but it would appear neither do the professional. I get different answer, and contradictory answers, from differenet sources.

Your thoughts please?

[Miguel the Penguin]

The answer to these questions - as annoying as it is - is usually 'whatever works best for you'.

There has been a lot of discussion about best time to exercise but honestly, unless you're a performance athlete, just choose a time that works well for your schedule and your body. Personally, there's no way i can get up before 6:15 to get to the gym and workout before work, so I have to make do with going in the evening. Not ideal as it means I get to bed later than I'd like, but it works and I seriously doubt it has any tangible impact on my results.

I would say that 1200-1500 sounds way too few calories. Also, cutting out fat isn't a good idea. Fat - especially saturated fat - gets such a bad press but it's essential for our bodies and it has now been widely disproven that it's to blame for obesity or heart disease. I stopped buying 'diet' and low fat food a couple of years back and haven't looked back. I cook with butter, drink whole or gold top milk, eat the skins of meat etc and it really helps reduce cravings for snacks and junk food and I haven't put any weight on.

If you are eating below your maintenance calorie limit then your body is going to be going into starvation mode and hanging onto all the fat stores it can, because it's being told to think food is scarce. This is the worst things for it to do if you're trying to lose fat. Seriously, go to a site where it takes all your measurements/activity levels etc and work out what you should be eating, and then plan meals to hit that number using proper, whole, full fat foods. Don't worry what the scales say for the first few weeks - it's just your body re-calibrating and probably re-hydrating.

Finally, gentle cardio is sadly unlikely to yield weight loss effects. Especially if it's something you've been doing for a while as your body will be used to it. You're going to need to start strength training as this will increase muscle mass which will in turn increase your resting metabolic rate and burn more calories throughout the day. If done well, you will also lose inches - but gain pounds! (So ignore the scales, they give a very one-dimensional view). I'd advise doing some interval training to get your heart-rate going; this can be done in a lot of ways so have a think about what you'd actually enjoy doing the most as that's what's going to keep you going regularly.

Anyway, I could blather on about this for hours but I have to work so I'll shut up But basically: exercise when it works best for you; eat more calories; eat more fat; strength train; ignore scales; get your heart pumping at its threshold level a few times a week.

[GazzyG]

I'd echo what's said above - you need to build up at least a modicum of muscle to raise your metabolism.

This doesn't mean go full on bodybuilding mode, just some resistance training once or twice a week. Your body won't need much to see some changes.

What I will say, too, is use an app or something to count calories, as I really don't think you're counting them properly. Not being nasty at all, cos I see and hear it all the time, but a 180lb male will not maintain weight at 1200kcals. 100lb female figure athletes will lose weight at 1200kcals.

No-ones body defies the laws of thermodynamics, haha.

[Guest]

I wrote this a while ago but an interesting read if you're prepared to do so with an open mind

Have a look, might save you 00's of hours of pointless mind-numbing running, or cross training

No one wants to believe the truth: that exercise isn't the answer...

The long and short of it is - if you're not losing fat/weight, you're eating too much. Period.

[Guest]

If you are eating below your maintenance calorie limit then your body is going to be going into starvation mode and hanging onto all the fat stores it can, because it's being told to think food is scarce.

Don't believe this nonsense that's written everywhere.

The body's priorities are getting glucose to the organs including liver/kidneys/lungs/heart and most importantly - the brain. It will do this regardless of what you are eating / not eating. Glucose will be produced from stores (fat & a small amount of protein or glycogen if available) or you will supply if through the diet. You have very little say in how much energy your body uses - apart from exercise, but this is a small percentage of what energy you actually use on a daily basis from fat...

Eat fewer calories than your body needs and you will lose weight & the majority of that will be fat. The AMOUNT of weight/fat you lose is simply down to the deficit you provide. Your brain/heart/lungs/liver etc will not demand less energy simply because you are not supplying it through the diet and WILL get it from storage in the amount your cells require.

It is as simple as that.

[Joeman]

The long and short of it is - if you're not losing fat/weight, you're eating too much. Period.

 

yep, thats the hard facts!

i've always been a bit chubby, but never been one to each much junk food - not like some of the guys i work with who much on chocolate an redbull all day long...

I did an intensive fat burning session, two personal trainer sessions per week for 6 weeks and it worked wonders. Yes i adjusted my diet a bit, but i was still having the cheeky lunchtime beers.

Exercise is the key - you can eat what you like if you do enough exercise... which reminds me, i need to get back to the gym!

[techno]

If your looking to get fit, healthy and lose weight personally I wouldn't ask anyone on here unless there actually trained, your best bet is search for real information trust me when I say there's more than enough on the net if your willing to put the time in and read you might find something that works for or suits you.

You may find a lot of contradiction also.

[Guest]

If your looking to get fit, healthy and lose weight personally I wouldn't ask anyone on here unless there actually trained

That'll be me then

Up to level 5 here in the physiology department & nutritionist. Specializing in biochemistry & cellular energy production... here at your service

[Joeman]

If your looking to get fit, healthy and lose weight personally I wouldn't ask anyone on here unless there actually trained, your best bet is search for real information

 

yep, because the rest of the internet is full of truth, written by highly trained people, with zero commercial interest...

[Guest]

there's more than enough on the net if your willing to put the time in and read you might find something that works for or suits you.

I'll tell you what the net's been saying for the last 5 years...

-Eat more fat.

-Do more weight training.

-Take protein supplements.

-We wasn't "designed" (who designed us!?) to digest carbs.

And my personal favourite;

-Coconut oil is the cure for everything, from beer bellies to cancer

There you go, no need to do any research - I've given you the long and short of it LOL.

[min200]

I have lost between 4-5 stone over the last few years and I did it by a simple process. I denied myself nothing I liked and I did not go on a faddy diet all I did was cut my portion sizes down and moved about more. Put less in more exercise.

By exercise I dont mean gyms I just did what I liked doing so I walked more bought a mountain to use to ride to the shops first ( 2 mile round trip) oh and then I found I liked walking so I walked even more with Wifey in Derbyshire.

It was slow and steady loss and it hasn't come back and the only "food change" I had was actually eating more fruit than I did already when I felt particularly greedy

[Fozzie]

there's more than enough on the net if your willing to put the time in and read you might find something that works for or suits you.

I'll tell you what the net's been saying for the last 5 years...

-Eat more fat.

-Do more weight training.

-Take protein supplements.

-We wasn't "designed" (who designed us!?) to digest carbs.

And my personal favourite;

-Coconut oil is the cure for everything, from beer bellies to cancer

There you go, no need to do any research - I've given you the long and short of it LOL.

 

I must show Moo this who believes the oil whitens teeth...

I've been told to eat more healthy fats found in nuts!

But if someone said "eat more fat" I'd be popping down to Maccy D's right after the gym

Im not fond of the amount I have to eat, my gym did tests with me and found I need 2900-3000 cals a day just to maintain weight. I was one of those skinny guys that put away 18oz steaks and had entire chickens for lunch and didn't see an inch of waistline gained.

Now I'm 20kg heavier and 15% bmi with a diet that has had to eliminate fizzy drinks, most chocolate and so on... On cheat days I devour a massive meal from Nandos however which makes up for it.

So for burning fat... Just build muscle and then do more cardio on top, you'll see that fat dissappear.

[Guest]

So for burning fat... Just build muscle and then do more cardio on top, you'll see that fat dissappear.

it's as simple as that! ....if you can put on about 10kgs of muscle, you *might* notice a difference...

[Fozzie]

So for burning fat... Just build muscle and then do more cardio on top, you'll see that fat dissappear.

it's as simple as that! ....if you can put on about 10kgs of muscle, you *might* notice a difference...

 

It is so long as your diet reflects the effort in the gym

I hear people saying nutrition is 80% of it... I still disagree and think it is more 50% split mainly as I see some take more cheat meals than other and train harder to compensate get more trimmed. Do a good balance of both and you can't lose!

[techno]

So for burning fat... Just build muscle and then do more cardio on top, you'll see that fat dissappear.

it's as simple as that! ....if you can put on about 10kgs of muscle, you *might* notice a difference...

 

It is so long as your diet reflects the effort in the gym

I hear people saying nutrition is 80% of it... I still disagree and think it is more 50% split mainly as I see some take more cheat meals than other and train harder to compensate get more trimmed. Do a good balance of both and you can't lose!

Don't think there's any percentage split depends on your size ie if your big and move about 100% diet change would lose you weight.

Then as things progress that balance changes.

I see my mate hitting gym regular but he hasn't changed enough in his diet so no real change where wife who can't do much exercise had changed diet and has made significant gains.

[Guest]

So for burning fat... Just build muscle and then do more cardio on top, you'll see that fat dissappear.

it's as simple as that! ....if you can put on about 10kgs of muscle, you *might* notice a difference...

 

It is so long as your diet reflects the effort in the gym

I hear people saying nutrition is 80% of it... I still disagree and think it is more 50% split mainly as I see some take more cheat meals than other and train harder to compensate get more trimmed. Do a good balance of both and you can't lose!

I actually calculated it to about 89% diet, *IF* you were doing 6hrs of exercise a week.

It will be a plus or minus of a few percent but like I said on my site and here - if you're not losing weight, it's NOT because of exercise and you'd be a fool to think it was (or had anything to do with it).

A cheat day is a ridiculous concept that can easily put you back 3-4 days. Have a couple of naughty meals here and there and getting in hidden calories will easily see you anat a maintenance stand still.

[Fozzie]

The % of diet vs training does massively change between PT's and various body builders. So I am still a bit apprehensive I must admit so I always just go a bit liberal and split it down the middle

A cheat day is bad for people losing weight agreed, but for me it's great as I'm trying to bulk up. I don't do them so much now but last year I was doing one a week, still no fizzy drinks or cakes etc, but I would go to Nandos and eat a huge amount of chicken, chips, houmous with the peri peri drizzle etc and worked out in one sitting I was clearing 1800 calories

Then about 12-8 weeks before holidays I just shut off all cheat days, all fat and sugar intake is reduced, protein is upped and training kept at the same speed. Just to cut myself down to the 15% body fat I enjoy today, aim is to drop to 10% next time I do a stint.

[GazzyG]

It's perfectly possible to lose weight with no exercise whatsoever. Millions of people do it.

However, it makes it harder to keep off if you go back to eating normally, hence you end up with yo-yo dieters.

[Guest]

The % of diet vs training does massively change between PT's and various body builders. So I am still a bit apprehensive I must admit so I always just go a bit liberal and split it down the middle

All I have to say about that is my favorite quote by Einstein;

"If you cannot explain it simply, you cannot explain it well enough"

Once you start probing a lot of these PT's, they will soon start stuttering and giving puzzled looks. I'm afraid "because your body thinks...." is not a good enough answer / understanding of how we produce our energy.

I would also ask you and everybody else on the fence to use a bit of common sense;

-Movement accounts for around 20% of your daily requirements.

-The brain alone demands 20% of your daily energy requirements.

-The average male hour workout for "fat burning" will have a net energy loss of around just 22-24g of fat (just under 2 tablespoons of oil).

-The same male's average fat usage for the day will be around the 160g mark - WITHOUT any exercise. (which puts the workout to about 12% of the daily usage).

Here's the long and short of it... if you did days of 1x hour per day, for a month... the next month you could lose the same weight without doing ANY exercise but extending your diet for just another 3 days*.

Exercise is for getting stronger, sports performance, de-stressing, injury rehabilitation etc but it is not for losing weight. Disbelieving this is just like you telling me what a spark plug does and me not believing you... but this is where the problem is - too many beliefs, not enough of the proper text book knowledge

*Assuming everything else was equal.

[Fozzie]

Put things into number form and averages and you earn my trust in your info. Good stuff

[RigsVille]

I wrote this a while ago but an interesting read if you're prepared to do so with an open mind

Have a look, might save you 00's of hours of pointless mind-numbing running, or cross training

No one wants to believe the truth: that exercise isn't the answer...

The long and short of it is - if you're not losing fat/weight, you're eating too much. Period.

 

Phil, nice article and website, thanks for sharing.

[Phooey]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your thoughts.

I think I could get a lot from your article, Phil. Thanks. Will read properly when I have a minute or ten to sit down. Now, where are those cream cakes the missus bought me? Only joking! lol