Weight Loss/ Gain thread Dec 2014 - 2015

Ancalagon said:
That is amazing.

I need to buy some heavier weights. And change my exercise routine a bit.
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The last pic seems like he might be using some gear, the transformation is just a bit to extreme to be natural, sure loosing the weight is not that difficult, but that is quite some muscle mass he gained.
 
Lament said:
The last pic seems like he might be using some gear, the transformation is just a bit to extreme to be natural, sure loosing the weight is not that difficult, but that is quite some muscle mass he gained.
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Three years though. And he had surgery to remove excess skin.
 
I haven't updated in a while so here goes.

I still haven't lost any weight, but I'm far fitter than I was.

It's also quite hard to lose weight when at most ive only got like 6-7kg to lose and i'm putting on muscle which is confusing the scale.

With regards to boxing we do a 10-20 minute warmup now and then it goes straight to bag work / sparring for the remainder. I'm taking some knocks and giving some. I've been knocked down, knocked people down - i'm feeling good but I still gas in the 3rd round and the fight is rapidly approaching (1 month 1 week away).

As a result I'm stepping up the cardio and trying to run everyday just to give me that stamina to continue. 5km+ runs and some sprints for high intensity.

Lets see how it go's!
 
Ancalagon said:
Nope, never again. Never paying for a gym membership again. I'd rather buy my own kit.
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No space at my place for that. Plus, I pay like R200/month for a gym that's 5 mins away and has everything I need. (Except 1.25kg plates)
 
OrbitalDawn said:
Why not?
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Several reasons.

The first is that I wasn't all that diligent with gym for a long time, and it was costing me R370 per month. Now that I am back on the exercise bandwagon, it was still taking me a while to get my gym discount back down. Even if I got it down to R200 per month again, that is still R200 per month. How long would it take me, at R200 per month, to pay off the exercise equipment that I have bought for the home, and will buy for the home?

But to be honest, the biggest reason is that I don't like gym. I don't like sharing the weights floor, I don't like having to drive to the gym, I don't like only being able to go at certain times (eg, I never go to the gym in peak times because it is too busy).

When I exercise at home, I do it at my own pace. I don't waste 15 minutes driving to and from gym. I shower in my own shower after I exercise. I use my own kit. I watch my own TV while exercising and I don't need to use headphones. It is 1 million times better.

Sure, I don't have nearly the variety of equipment that a gym would have. I don't have any machines, nor will I ever have them. All I have at the moment is a pair of 10kg dumbells. What I have learned to do, is a far wider variety of exercises than when I used to use the weights at gym.

When I used to use the weight machines at gym, I got lazy. I never pushed myself. I only did 4-5 of the same exercises targeting the same muscle groups. Yeah, I could have used barbells and dumbells and done a wider variety, but I really hate the weights floor. With a passion. Maybe I'm just self conscious, I don't know.

I'm far more motivated to work out at home, and I put a lot more in. I'm not just going through the motions, I really want to improve myself and push myself.

So, my next step, as soon as my Discovery HealthyGear card comes in, is to buy more kit. I need to buy 2x15kg dumbells, 1x16kg kettle bell, a skipping rope, and some floor mats (to protect against accidental drops).

I use my ottoman as a bench for dumbell bench press and flies.
 
Ancalagon said:
Several reasons.

The first is that I wasn't all that diligent with gym for a long time, and it was costing me R370 per month. Now that I am back on the exercise bandwagon, it was still taking me a while to get my gym discount back down. Even if I got it down to R200 per month again, that is still R200 per month. How long would it take me, at R200 per month, to pay off the exercise equipment that I have bought for the home, and will buy for the home?

But to be honest, the biggest reason is that I don't like gym. I don't like sharing the weights floor, I don't like having to drive to the gym, I don't like only being able to go at certain times (eg, I never go to the gym in peak times because it is too busy).

When I exercise at home, I do it at my own pace. I don't waste 15 minutes driving to and from gym. I shower in my own shower after I exercise. I use my own kit. I watch my own TV while exercising and I don't need to use headphones. It is 1 million times better.

Sure, I don't have nearly the variety of equipment that a gym would have. I don't have any machines, nor will I ever have them. All I have at the moment is a pair of 10kg dumbells. What I have learned to do, is a far wider variety of exercises than when I used to use the weights at gym.

When I used to use the weight machines at gym, I got lazy. I never pushed myself. I only did 4-5 of the same exercises targeting the same muscle groups. Yeah, I could have used barbells and dumbells and done a wider variety, but I really hate the weights floor. With a passion. Maybe I'm just self conscious, I don't know.

I'm far more motivated to work out at home, and I put a lot more in. I'm not just going through the motions, I really want to improve myself and push myself.

So, my next step, as soon as my Discovery HealthyGear card comes in, is to buy more kit. I need to buy 2x15kg dumbells, 1x16kg kettle bell, a skipping rope, and some floor mats (to protect against accidental drops).

I use my ottoman as a bench for dumbell bench press and flies.
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You're with Discovery, aren't you? Costs me R129 a month at Virgin Active and can use the gym any time I want, which ever sections I want. Loads of options for cardio, on alternating days with weights. Currently I use the bag the most, but can do spinning, any of the various classes, etc.

You shouldn't use machines anyway, they're crap. Free weights are the best.

I hear you on some of the complaints, though. It is a tad annoying when the place is so damn busy. But you can also use it to your advantage. Learned some great stuff from fellow gym-goers, and people are friendly and can help motivate and inspire you. Guess it's a personality thing, but I probably won't exercise as hard at home.

Anyway, if you're intent on staying on at home, there are some things you can do (which you're already planning by the sounds of it) that will help a lot. If you have the space and a proper mat - get an olympic barbell. With one of those you can start deadlifting, do barbell rows and overhead press. Do compound exercises, anyway, whatever you do.

The problem comes in with needing a squat rack - squatting seriously is the king of exercises. Functional strength ftw.

And if you're bench pressing with 10kgs/15kgs with any kind of regularity they'll be too light very quickly, and then you have to buy more weights, and do the same again when you improve that little bit. Every time. A barbell with some 10kg/20kg plates will at least give you some variation in that sense.

Frustrations with gym from a practical perspective I can understand, but if the problem is because you're self-conscious I'd say it's worth going to gym especially to break through that. I think most people (me included) are pretty intimidated by gyms when they start, but that fades fast if you just go for it. And I mean in the free weight section, not hiding in between the machines. :)

P.S. this goes for you too, Fanie. ;)
 
I'll think about a barbell, space is limited though. Dumbells and kettle bells are easy to hide, and even the barbell itself is not too bad. But the barbell plates are massive.

I am with Discovery, as I said, it was costing me R370 per month because I didn't use it enough.

Everyone is different. When I exercise, I want to be alone. I don't want to be buddy-buddy. But then, that is the way I am normally.

Look, I'm probably never going to be massive, but that is fine. I just want to gain definition and tone really, lose body fat.

10kg is already too light for me, for most exercises. Hence the jump to 15kg.

I remember reading this blog on exercising without gym. This guy shared stories of people in 3rd countries (ironically) who exercise and train to be boxers, when they have nothing. They manage to do it, these guys are really buff. Places like Brazil, Ghana (I think) etc etc. So, I also don't want to be too equipment dependent.
 
Ancalagon said:
I'll think about a barbell, space is limited though. Dumbells and kettle bells are easy to hide, and even the barbell itself is not too bad. But the barbell plates are massive.

I am with Discovery, as I said, it was costing me R370 per month because I didn't use it enough.

Everyone is different. When I exercise, I want to be alone. I don't want to be buddy-buddy. But then, that is the way I am normally.

Look, I'm probably never going to be massive, but that is fine. I just want to gain definition and tone really, lose body fat.

10kg is already too light for me, for most exercises. Hence the jump to 15kg.

I remember reading this blog on exercising without gym. This guy shared stories of people in 3rd countries (ironically) who exercise and train to be boxers, when they have nothing. They manage to do it, these guys are really buff. Places like Brazil, Ghana (I think) etc etc. So, I also don't want to be too equipment dependent.
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I didn't mean you have to be buddy-buddy, but just that people in the gym aren't always just in the way, they can be helpful, too.

And the exercises I mentioned don't make you big, it's just the most efficient and effective exercise there are. And they're based around functional strength, so strength that actually benefits you in real life.

Bodyweight exercises are good, though. Can do them almost anywhere.
 
Ancalagon said:
I remember reading this blog on exercising without gym. This guy shared stories of people in 3rd countries (ironically) who exercise and train to be boxers, when they have nothing. They manage to do it, these guys are really buff. Places like Brazil, Ghana (I think) etc etc. So, I also don't want to be too equipment dependent.
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Rosstraining.com
Rossboxing.com

I think you're referring to him and if you aren't you should be. His approach to low tech is amazing. The world is your gym!
 
jsheed_sa said:
Rosstraining.com
Rossboxing.com

I think you're referring to him and if you aren't you should be. His approach to low tech is amazing. The world is your gym!
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Yeah I think that is it.

It's kind of inspiring to see what people can do with much less. I'm not really a believer in needing to have all of the latest greatest equipment to feel good and look good. Sure, I could probably get better results, but in my case, the cost of gym in terms of the extra time it takes and having to deal with masses of people just make it not worth it for me.

I'd rather do what I can do at home or on the road than at gym.
 
I noticed the OP has not been updated in a while, maybe my PMs are getting lost in the mail :whistle: :p

Anyhoo, I'm down about a kilo now in 5 or so weeks. Pretty much portion control, eating when I am hungry and trying to steer clear of empty calories.

My Salter scale has my body fat at the same % that the Bio measured, which is 17.7%. My Aim is to get it down to 12% (while retaining muscle mass) but that said anything closer to that goal is great.
 
I did Parkrun this morning, and then afterwards, used online calculators to work out (approximately) how many calories I burned.

Unbelievably, I burned around 800 calories. I didn't realize running burned so much. Even with cheating and eating a donut this morning, I've been starving the whole. I currently have a lamb rib (well lamb flank to be exact) in the oven, and I can't wait for that to finish.

If I can just run 3 times per week including parkrun, and keep up my weight lifting, I should be dropping KGs in no time. As long as I keep the cheating to weekends!

EDIT: In keeping with the discussion about calories, I'm a little worried that I'm undereating.

This is my daily routine when I am at work.
I have around 70g of Bokomo Bran Flakes (242 calories) with 1 cup of low fat milk (102 calories). During the day, I snack on around 100g of roasted unsalted cashew nuts (580g). For lunch, I have 1 peanut butter sandwich on wholewheat low gi bread (242 calories for the bread, plus around 94 calories for the peanut butter, total 346). Then, when I get home, if I am hungry I might snack on more cashew nuts, but I still finish a 500g packet of cashew nuts in around a week. In other words, my daily total of cashews eaten is probably still around 100g.

For supper, I have 300g of a protein of some sort, such as chicken or beef. The chicken or beef is always cooked in a dish of some sort, such as chilli con carne for the beef, which also has beans in it, and a curry for the chicken. The sauces do add a bit of calories, such as the chicken curry sauce being made with coconut milk. I do include veggies, but not a massive amount. Estimates for supper: 700 calories for a chicken curry with rice to probably around a thousand for chilli con carne with cheddar cheese (I don't eat chilli con carne with any carbohydrates at all).

So, on a chicken curry day, my total might end up being around 2000 calories. According to BMI calculators, that is almost exactly what my BMR is. Am I eating too little and sending my body into starvation mode?
 
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Bad weekend for everybody I take it? :p

I blame Ocean Basket and the excessive carbs I ate yesterday! :o Hopefully it's only water weight I gained!

Oh, also to blame are these insanely delicious and probably high calorie choc coated biscuits an uncle brought from Auz for us to munch on :(
 
StrontiumDog said:
Bad weekend for everybody I take it? :p

I blame Ocean Basket and the excessive carbs I ate yesterday! :o Hopefully it's only water weight I gained!

Oh, also to blame are these insanely delicious and probably high calorie choc coated biscuits an uncle brought from Auz for us to munch on :(
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I also blame Oceanbasket/
 
StrontiumDog said:
Bad weekend for everybody I take it? :p

I blame Ocean Basket and the excessive carbs I ate yesterday! :o Hopefully it's only water weight I gained!

Oh, also to blame are these insanely delicious and probably high calorie choc coated biscuits an uncle brought from Auz for us to munch on :(
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Haha, was also at Ocean Basket this weekend, had a huge platter (for two) but didn't have any chips or rice
 
I have decided against the weight loss, my training goals have shifted considerably.

I am now looking to bulk up, already seeing massive gains with my 7 day gym plan and also with the new supplements I am taking, will join again come winter when I look to cut :)
 
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