When gaining isn't everything

[piecone]

Hi All,

I'm 1.8M, weigh 103KG - so far so good. Unlike many in these forums, I don't want to bulk up, rather, I need to slim down. I tend to carry fat around middle torso (yep, the bad spare tyre).

I get away with it a little (I think) because I have broad shoulders, decent chest, arms and legs. I walk 3-4 times a week for about 30 or more minutes, compete in the City To Surf annually (I walk the 14KM's in 109 minutes).

I obviously need to ingest less calories to move the fat. I am not a fan of substituting shakes for food, but wonder if 6 meals per day can be effective?
Should I worry less about daily caloric count and instead focus on the TYPE of food I eat?

I think my best weight is probably 90KG, which I hope I can maintain. Any advice/hints would be appreciated.

 

[candyflip]

I get away with it a little (I think) because I have broad shoulders, decent chest, arms and legs. I walk 3-4 times a week for about 30 or more minutes, compete in the City To Surf annually (I walk the 14KM's in 109 minutes).

Hi and welcome.

I wanted to give a thoughtful response to your question, but I lack enough information to do so with full understanding, from what you've provided. So I'll just comment on what you say here with a reality check of my own, and you take it with a grain of salt?

Walking 3-4 times a week for 30 mins or more is a minimum for a healthy heart and some exercise for your circulatory system. It is not a 'fat burner' or muscle worker in any usually understood sense. Further, walking the 14kms once a year in an hour and 3/4 is hardly Iron Man stuff. It's a nice long walk....once a year.

If you want to lose weight (especially tummy fat), you've got to start really exercising, stop eating as much as you do now, or (preferably) both.

We'll all be happy to help if you give more info on your age, current diet and if you want that weight reduction of 13kgs to be just fat, or if you don't mind fat and muscle going?

cheers

 

[leachy]

Squat bench and deadlift 3x per week. Look for the PTC beginner program. Keep this up with your walking.

If it doesn't grow in the ground or mother nature didn't make it, don't eat it. So that means meat (steak/chicken/tuna), veges, fruit, eggs, rice and maybe some pasta.

Do this for 3 months then reassess.

 

[bro]

Should I worry less about daily caloric count and instead focus on the TYPE of food I eat?

Well you should worry about the type of food you eat. Whether you should worry about counting calories or not depends on what works for you.

Obviously you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, but if by just cleaning up your diet, eating healthier, more protien and less-calorie dense foods your weight starts dropping you don't need to worry about the exact amount of calories you're eating each day.

If that doesn't work for you however, calculating how much you eat each day might be necessary.

Good luck.

 

[piecone]

Thanks for the responses, some more info as requested. I am turning 50 in a few months. I have 'dodgy' knees from many years of training for and playing rugby league & rugby union in my youth, so walking is my only comfortable means of cardio.

I have lost about 5KG since November by returning to gym & eating a little cleaner (cut out fatty foods, reducing serving sizes, occasionally substitute shake for a meal - usually breakfast). I'm a realist, my lifestyle is balanced against my body goals. So I will have a few beers after golf on a Saturday, or a glass of wine with my parents over dinner. But MOST of the time, I'm sensible.

I'd rather lose body fat than merely weight, so I guess I wouldn't mind looking leaner at 100KG rather than lighter in fluids and muscle mass to be 90KG.
Current training is mostly compound movements - squat, leg press, deadlifts, bent over rows, military press, curls/extensions etc. All reps in the 8-10 range, no more than 4 sets per large body part, 3 for smaller. Split now is Day 1 Legs, Back & Biceps, Day 2 Chest, Delts & Triceps, Day 3 repeat Day 1.

 

[Rugby88]

I have slowly been dropping weight over the last prob 7 months now - gone from 123kgs down to 96kgs - I havnt had a set diet as such or even a set training plan...I have made it a point to be smart in my choices on food and training...I go out to dinner sometimes upto 3-4 times a week...I ALWAYS have a steak, no chips with salad or veggies...its just all about making smart choices...iam not a big believer in counting cals/grams etc etc unless your doing a bodybuilding comp or something like that...it just takes to much time and u still need to live your life!

I would suggest really looking at what you eat...see how diff foods react with your body...I have worked out now that Iam very very carb senstive and need to focus my diet more so on proteins/fats....

Be smart about things and the weight will come off easy!

 

[candyflip]

Thanks for the responses, some more info as requested. I am turning 50 in a few months......

Thanks for the extra info.

At 50, your metabolism is taking some major slugs now. Being unable to do more than walk on those knees means you'd need to do clever cardio if you wanted to up the rate using exercise, and that would mean a lot of ground based bodyweight exercises and floor/mat based movements. Do low impact cardio classes appeal? How about walking with some weights, or a weighted vest? Easier in winter under a larger parka and not feel stupid.

Your gym program sounds great though and I'm glad you are already doing it, which you hadn't originally mentioned - its fantastic for your bone strength and to slow the onset of muscle wasteage, so keep that going as long as you can. The older we get, the more important this will be to stave off the inevitable downsides. And it's a staple in a weight management program of course. I wouldn't increase your program markedly, unless you want to add real muscle mass. Remembering though, that is harder for us at this age without a major investment in time and diet. Your call.

You've already lost 5kg through a few simple changes and as some have already noted, simple changes are often all that's needed. You have to enjoy your life, and cutting the odd boozy night out completely at our age without any attributed health concerns is just stoopid - you want to enter the last half of your life with a smile on your face, not a permanent grimace, after all ! So keep going with the cleaner diet - as you study it more, you'll see more areas where you can fix little things. Say, halve (or remove) the sugar in your tea and coffee, or cut out cakes or sweets during breaks with the same... things will pop out at you. Try natural fat burners, like lemon/cinnamon in teas, and chillis and peppers in your large meals. Anything that kicks the metabolism up a gear.

Certainly turning more towards a more traditional Asian/Japanese diet (virtually no processed sugars in their natural diet, lots of lean meats and egss for protein, rice as their only carb, not bread, moderate alcohol, green or black teas, plenty of veg and some fruit) will make a huge difference, if you and your lifestyle can stomach it.

Keep moving though. That's the secret.