Weight / Fat loss

It's all for science.

Your new workplace has a lot to answer for.

On the percy pig topic...do fizzy pig tails still exist?

They exist, but not for long with me around.

#shamefaced

68.2kg post race.

Have rehydrated with "isotonic" beer...

Do have abs though, definitely still a 5 pack.

Pics or it doesn't exist...

I've noticed (along with Mrs. spenceey) that my body is already changing shape which is good. What exercises would you recommend for stomach?

Also I need to sleep more - 5 hours Monday, Tues, Weds I'm shattered and my body is physically feeling tired, I think that's half the reason I struggled at 35kg this morning.

Deadlifts, (Front) Squats, Chin-Ups.

So keep on doing what you're doing.

Also you need up sleep. 8hrs min.

This and above will help.

Also you need up sleep. 8hrs min.

Couldn't agree more, I'm in bed by ten most nights and sleep like a baby til 6...

Deadlifts, (Front) Squats, Chin-Ups.

So keep on doing what you're doing.

Also you need up sleep. 8hrs min.

This and above will help.

Thanks all sounds like sound advice. Front squats sound interesting may add them in to (my already squat heavy) routine.

Deadlifts I'm still finding it hard to find form, think this is because the weight I'm lifting is maybe too low?

Early nights from now on too!

Don't rush on deadlifts, they scare me in that its probably the easiest way to fnck yourself up through poor form. You should be able to do them with no weight - get your missus to film you doing them to help work out what's going wrong.

I don't think I'm doing anything wrong per say. Just how to start lifting them. Overhand and stand up straight keep the weight at your waist and back down to the floor.

Is there anyone in your gym who could show you, do any of the PT's look like they know what their doing?!? (can be a minefield, as many of the PT's in commerical gyms dont know their arse from their elbow).

Probably best you start with Romanian Deadlift.

Also don't do both front and back squats.

One session in the week instead of back squats, lower your weight say just the bar (20kgs).

Go nice and deep.

Use this hold.

Worth noting these core lifts are taxing on your central nervous system. Take a week off the gym after approx 4 weeks work otherwise you will subject your body to to much stress which will be counter productive to everything you are trying to achieve.

sooo... decided I should put my pints of Guinness into MFP and see what havok they are causing my eating sensibly. Fuck me. 6.5 pints (imperial) is a massive 1300 calories! I mean, I knew it wasn't free, but there's something about putting it into a system where you've tracked everything else.

Vodka and soda I guess for a few weeks.

Personally I'd advocate completely stopping for a few weeks, firstly you'll reset your alcohol tolerance to a degree - get pissed on less, you'll find you sleep better making you more alert and better able to make good food choices in the day and when you are exercising you'll be doing more quality work as your body won't be trying to repair itslef from both traininging and boozing.

In my training diary I colour the days I drink in blue and although I only completely stopped for a couple of weeks it had a really positive effect.

cry but I like my beer... I know you are right though.

Part of it's that I live and work on my own, in a new city (only been in SF for 3 months). So all the social events I get invited to I accept (which are few). My drinking has definitely decreased since London becuase of this, but almost all events are in a pub.

Hmm but then again I'm at 80.2kg down from 86kg 3 months ago (without serious changes). only 6 kg to go. Hah, it's like facing what you know you HAVE to do, but whining about how you don't want to do it....

^^Honestly, a high calorie intake, including your beloved beer, isn't really an issue in terms of losing weight and/or controlling it; in fact a high calorie intake will more than likely help to raise your metabolism as long as you get regular exercise.

As always the key issue here is output; that and metabolism, hence counting calories on a calorie restricted diet and trying to calculate exactly how much you need to exercise to burn off that extra pint or a slice of pizza doesn't mean shit.

A fit young man will easily burn 5000kcal or more a day sitting on his arse. So presuming for the sake of argument that you're not exactly obese, an average of an hour or two a day riding your bike, depending on intensity, and basically you can eat and drink whatever you fucking want and still lose weight.

Simples!

well that's true. Even including the beer last night I only hit 2.5k calories... so it's not the end of the world.

Probably would have been better having a meal rather than the pints though ;)

Naaaa... Guinness, the drink that eats like a meal.

Guinness- one of the lowest calorie beers....

(of normal beers)

Most diets recommend soup.
Guiness nearly equals soup.
So its fine.
If you're worried chuck some bioled buckwheat and some carrots in it.

bits of frozen chopped banana (try it)

Eating this now with cold custard.

It rules.

You are a GENIUS.

Finding it a struggle to get up in time for morning gym visits as the heat is fucking with my sleep. Went on Monday at lunchtime - really fucking busy, if anything worse than after work. Went Wednesday morning, usual time - manageably busy. Went today, gloriously quiet. Then took a detour on the way home on the bike. 100kg on the button now. Also got the news we're kicking off the season with a full list of matches for the 1's, 2's, 3's & 4's on 7th September followed by a BBQ and massive piss up. So I've got just over a month to ramp up the training.

^ I only say this as I have been sugarslutshamed into no longer wolfing 200g of sugar in one sitting.

Apparently*, even with an otherwise balanced diet, good general health and wellbeing, massive sugar / insulin spikes are still contributory to adult onset insulin insensitivity.

• I sort of knew this, but happily ignored it, cos percy pigs, fizzy drinks and ice cream are gooood.
  
  

If you are south asian you are statistically extremely likely to get the beetus. Whitey-europeans the least, then the Afro Carribeans, but (south) Asians the worst.

No idea if this is because south asians statistically have the worst lifestyle habits or that they are actually genuinely biologically more prone. But my THREE uncles (on my mothers side) all died due to type II diabetes. (two of them were actually very thin and they all did a decent amount of exercise) My mother has it too which has caused kidney failure and severe vision damage amongst other things.
There is plenty of the disorder on my Dads side too.

Every family I know of similar ethnicity seems to have a member or three who are afflicted.

Why am I rambling? Just a sort of warning I guess. Not likely (hopefully) to affect us active types. But be extra careful if you are in the risk groups, dont get lazy and fat as you get older. Be sensible with the amount of sugary gunk in your diet in proportion to your physical activity.

In other news, I weighed myself today and somehow I have lost around 8-10kg in bodyweight since the last time I checked. This is puzzling as I have been eating well, even if training has been inconsistent due to injury recovery. The annoying thing is that is must be all muscle mass as belly is still the same size - lol

After a holiday in Serbia stuffing and drowning myself with carbs/red meat and beer/Raki respectively, I noticed Highbury Fields Aqua Terra are doing £20 for 20 days all access. I signed up on Thursday and hit the gym, swimming pool and sauna. I decided to do this every day on top of other activities like cycling etc and accompany it with 20 days off the booze (help!) + healthy eating.

Weighed in at 103.4kg on Thursday morning. Aiming to drop some of that weight (Long term goal is around the 90kg mark) and get back to the shape I was in when doing lifeguarding. Hopefully won't be too arduous as I think the fitness is there, just hidden under some 'insulation'. In regards to food, looking at loads of fruit, veg, fish etc.

Day 3 so far, feeling good. That's it, will report back soon :)

Do not use a scale, use a mirror or a tape measure around your waist.

If you are doing anything with your upper body in the gym you will put on muscular weight, probably losing some fat at the same time. You will put some beef on your legs too, but only if you do something much more strenuous than cycling (which your body has already adapted to)