Tips on how to lose 10kg?

[j.o.s.h.1408]

Hi guys. i just realized recently that im 10kg over weight and as a result decided to join the gym yesterday:clap:

Does anybody have any tips on how i can lose 10kg and how many calories i need to burn?

Last night i managed to burn around 370 calories after going on the tredmil for around 40mins and on the bike for 5-10mins.

i am planning to go the gym at least 3 times a week for an hour each session and planning to do some laps around the pool as well.

here is my diet:

At dinner time i usually have chicken and rice 4-5 times a week and a piece of steak with salad once a week.

for breakfest mon-friday i have a bowl of cereal with no milk as im lactose tolerant and when i reach work i usually eat 2 packets of crisps. around 11am i eat a few rich tea biscuits or 2-3 peeled oranges so that i dont become TOO hungry at lunch time.

At lunch time i usually bring left overs from previous nights dinner so mostly chicken and rice seperated in two containters as i dont like mixing them in one container when i eat them up.

At around 4pm i usually have more rich tea biscuits oranges or two jam tarts so i dont feel too hungry on the way home from work.

And at weekends i sometimes have KFC or cook chips and burger for myself in the weekends.

Thats basically my diet in a nutshell. Anyone got any tips on how i can lose this excess weight in the gym? Does swimming benifit more than going on the tredmill?

Thanks in advance.

[Theo]

here is my diet:

At dinner time i usually have chicken and rice 4-5 times a week and a piece of steak with salad once a week.

for breakfest mon-friday i have a bowl of cereal with no milk as im lactose tolerant and when i reach work i usually eat 2 packets of crisps. around 11am i eat a few rich tea biscuits or 2-3 peeled oranges so that i dont become TOO hungry at lunch time.

At lunch time i usually bring left overs from previous nights dinner so mostly chicken and rice seperated in two containters as i dont like mixing them in one container when i eat them up.

At around 4pm i usually have more rich tea biscuits oranges or two jam tarts so i dont feel too hungry on the way home from work.

And at weekends i sometimes have KFC or cook chips and burger for myself in the weekends.

Lose the junk food (swap for a handful of nuts/seeds), change the cereal for oats in water. Get used to feeling hungry - it won't kill you.

There's a lot more you can do with the diet, but the best way to start is to take small steps toward an overall goal.

[Pazza]

cut the carbs (40g per day allowance) - carbs from veg/salad - don't eat really fatty stuff - should take you 3-4 weeks to lose 10kg with excercise (worked for me).

[HSK]

I found a lot of cycling helped me lose some weight (over 2 months), along with less sugary and fatty food. But I have not cut them out completely...yet.

[jimbouk]

Get used to feeling hungry - it won't kill you.

Or have a drink. Half the time when you feel hungry you actually just need a glass of water to sort you out. Have one of your 5 a day as a morning snack and another as your afternoon - I find bananas very filling and good to keep you going, and you can always have some veg like a carrot if you get fed up with fruit.

As for the exercise, I'd say variety will do you the best. Mix things up with swimming/running/cycling so you don't get bored - try and do the same thing for too long and you'll soon get bored and give up. Entering a 10k run would be a good motivator, or even a half marathon if you're feeling brave! Give yourself plenty of time to build up the distances slowly though otherwise you'll end up injuring yourself (trust me I know!).

[mycarsavw]

Catch dysentery - that'll sort you right out

[TooNice]

Does anybody have any tips on how i can lose 10kg and how many calories i need to burn?

Assuming we are talking 10kg of fat, it'll be a 77,000 of calorie deficit. In practice, it wouldn't be too unusual to lose a bit of muscle in the process (unintentionally), though as a result, you may achieve the 10kg loss in less calorie deficit (not much though, either way, expect no less than 70,000). Usual word of advice is don't rush it. Pazza might've done in 3-4 weeks, but common advice is don't try to lose more than 1kg per week, or even create over 500 calories deficit per day over extended period of time(*).

Having said that, your diet need some work. As you probably found out, it's actually quite a bit of work to even burn 500 calories at the gym. In contrast, 100g of crisps contains about that many calories. If you get rid of all calorie dense snack, and substitute them with less calorie dense snacks (I see that Theo highlighted oranges, but personally I think they are acceptable substitute, though more varieties won't hurt - berries, nuts, veg etc.), you should create over 500 calories of daily deficit. Throw in the exercise, and you may find yourself with an average daily deficit of 1000 calories or more. That's where the (*) comes in. I am not sure what's your calorie intake, but if it was quite high beyond what your body need, then cutting 1000 calories per day is probably fine for a while and will give you an early boost in your weight loss. Don't do it for too long though. The body will slow your metabolism down if you are in a large calorie deficit for too long. And try switching to brown rice. If you can't stand the taste, mix it with white and slowly change the ratio as you get used to it.

Exercise wise, do both cardio and weight. Three 1h session at the gym per week is very good. I wouldn't be too worried about specifics at the beginning. Pick exercise you'll enjoy so that you can stick to goals you set (e.g. distance or time). As you improve you'll burn more cal and get fitter

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Don't wear any clothes??

[j.o.s.h.1408]

[Rob_B]

As an aid do you have an iphone or android phone? Myfitnesspal is really useful for calorie/fat counting.

[j.o.s.h.1408]

yea i got a android device

[Lucio]

The main thing to remember is look at it as a % of your body weight, if it's 20-30% you're looking at a year's worth of dieting, if it's just 10% or less, then you may be able to burn it off more rapidly.

In my case, I stuck to a 1400 to 1800 calorie diet (about 400 to 800 under my maintance load), and added 2 aerobics sessions a week to burn off 2 stone 6lbs/15.4kg or 11.4% of my starting body weight in 12 weeks.

[lego batman]

Definitely the combination of strict diet and exercise - exercise won't work on it's own.

"In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless," says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn't as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or, for that matter, from magazines like this one.

The basic problem is that while it's true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn't necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.

Have a look here: http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...914857,00.html

Also:

Treats can defeat the object of exercise

14 minutes lifting weights equals one cappuccino (108 calories)

55 minutes of stretching equals a 50gram energy bar (185 calories)

17 minutes of the stairclimber at 3mph, resistance setting 12, equals one strawberry and banana smoothie (138 calories)

45 minutes running on treadmill at 7mph equals one blueberry muffin (420 calories)

16 minutes on indoor rower equals a KitKat (106 calories)

19 minutes on elliptical trainer equals a banana (105 calories)

21 minutes of aerobics equals a small pack of raisins (123 calories)

10 minutes on exercise bike equals low-fat fruit yoghurt (55 calories)

from http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/l...cle6878496.ece

[j.o.s.h.1408]

jesus i diddnt know banana had a lot of calories in it. so does apple! anyways one thing u forgot to mention is the fact that muscle mass in your body helps burn up your calories so going to the gym pumping weights increases your matabolism to help burn up those calories.

Also, running in the tredmil, doing swimining increases your stamina and strength so thats also a good thing too. But i agree, it seems that having a proper diet is the way to go but having that along with doing regular exercise keeps u even more fitter

[Galant]

Yeah, I'd recommend trying to forget calorie counting unless you plan on/don't mind making that a permanent lifestyle choice. The main thing here is that for most people losing weight/getting in shape is about making permanent lifestyle changes rather than two or three months of 'fitness' and then back to normal. A peron's health/fitness will follow hir or her lifestyle. So if someone goes 'fit' for three months, his or her body will respond and their health will improve...for three months. If after that the individual falls back into the old routine then their body and health will follow and it'll be back to square one.

Fitness is enjoyable. Being fit is fantastic. Often times getting there doesn't feel it, but once the major barriers have been breached it really is enjoyable.

So my recommendation is to find a method and lifestyle you can enjoy and plan to stick with it. Set it straight in your head right now that your life is going to change, permanently, for the better and that the landscape changes now are for a brighter future.

Find exercise you enjoy. Try to discover foods and combinations you like. Basically, think of it as a journey to a new home. You're leaving your old location behind and moving to somewhere brighter, fresher, warmer and entirely better. Set out seeking to discover something new, find those things, and then keep going.

If you love the gym, then great. A lot of people don't or can't afford it. Try to get it right from the start. Ask some advice from a trainer or a friend who really knows what they're doing. Building muscle and getting stronger really is a brilliant experience. Painful at times, but if you take the overall approach - developing the supporting muscle groups and not just the 'showy' ones - you'll see marked improvement in your overall health.

As for cardio, bikes, rowing and swimming are all great. Running is good but can pose joint problems for some. An alternative is to go for long, energetic walks, or hiking. Dancing is another great option. It's shunned by many guys but that's just crap. A friend of mine once told me about his wedding reception. He didn't want to dance but his new bride loved it. She was dancing with various people and he was okay with it until this bloke who really could dance started dancing with her. Once he started leading her around the floor and the latin motion kicked in my friend said he didn't care if he couldn't dance; he got up and cut in. No-one else was going to dance with his wife like that. Why not open up the possibility to even change your partner's life for the better? As a bonus, dancing has also proven to be beneficial to mental health.

Then again you could find a new, or old, sport you enjoy. Find a group, team, or club, and have a go. If you're not the social type it can seem daunting but the thing to remember is that if you don't like it it doesn't matter, not everything is for everyone. Remember, you're exploring and discovering. There may be a number of failed explorations but when at last you find something you love it changes everything. Sort of like discovering the Hexus Forums!

Health and fitness is, ultimately and foundationally, a platform for life. It might look like the quest to lose a number (10kg). It is, in fact, the opening of possibilities for your life that you might never have considered or imagined. Seriously. That's the truth. The world is full of amazing experiences. Good health and fitness is state of being that opens the doors to many of them and even improves and enhances your experience of the ones you already enjoy.

Whatever you choose just make sure it's not a flash in the pan. Make a real change, and you will, without doubt, see real change. Make no, or little, change and that's what you'll get. Enjoyment is just something that makes changes easier.

[TooNice]

jesus i diddnt know banana had a lot of calories in it. so does apple! anyways one thing u forgot to mention is the fact that muscle mass in your body helps burn up your calories so going to the gym pumping weights increases your matabolism to help burn up those calories.

Muscle help, but not that much if this article can be trusted: http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/cals.htm

Having said that, exercising to increase your muscle mass will require you be fitter, and that'll lead to more productive gym sessions with more calories burned per session.

When you consider that 25g of Toblerone (that's one single piece in a 400g bar - used as an example because it's the nearest snack within my reach) contains 132 calorie, a banana (under 100 cal per 100g) or an apple (under 100 cal per 200g) is not something to be worried about unless you eat a lot of it. Don't forget that fruits, aside from the calories, is also a source of vitamins and fibre. And really, 100 calories isn't that much (5-7% of a 1500-2000 calories diet).

"In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless," says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn't as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or, for that matter, from magazines like this one.

The basic problem is that while it's true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn't necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.

I have a couple of issues with the above quote, mainly because it almost come across anti-exercise/excuse someone would use to not exercise:

1. While it is true that you can lose weight without exercising, and even lose mostly fat with an excellent diet, exercise will improve one's fitness. It'll also reduce muscle loss (most people want to lose fat, rather than weight).

2. You don't have to burn calories to lose weight, you only to create a calories deficit. That's either done by increasing physical activities (burn more calories without increasing calorie intake) and/or (preferably and) simply decrease calorie intake (diet). Calorie deficit, no matter how it is created will likely lead to hunger anyway, there are ways you could reduce that (constantly eat relatively calorie light food to fill your stomach and/or eat slower digesting food), but a big part of it is one's mental motivation.

3. Even if Mr Ravussin is suggesting that a deficit created from cutting one's diet by 500 calories will result in less perceived hunger than a deficit created by burning 500 calories at the gym.. I still don't buy it. Or at the least, I don't feel like it's true in my case, and chances are, I am not the only one.

I think that because I do not want to undo the efforts at the gym, I am mentally more disciplined with my diet when I am exercising than when I am not.

Anyway, I am not the only one who's sceptical with that statement: http://www.diet-blog.com/07/yes_exer...you_hungry.php

Yeah, I'd recommend trying to forget calorie counting unless you plan on/don't mind making that a permanent lifestyle choice.

I largely agree with the rest of the post, but I still think that calorie counting is something worth doing for at least a couple of weeks if only as a form of education. It might be obvious that eating 400g of Toblerone in one go is not very good, though not difficult for anyone with a sweet tooth, and perhaps not immediately obvious how much one should cut to be considered 'reasonable'. Once you realise that eat a whole pack contains 2100 calories though, you may start realising that half a pack is still quite a lot. You also realise how calorie light vegetables are. 400g of kimchi = 132 calories. They may not fill you up for as long as 400g of chocolate, but it's incomparable (that said, kimchi is decent for the health, but don't go over the top as it's heavy on sodium - message is, eat your greens).

Aside from the bit of time it takes, I don't see any reason to discourage calorie counting even if you are not going to make it a permanent habit. I only did it for about a month to identify key issues and made tweaks (notably in terms of what/how much I snack and my breakfasts) and am better of it.

Speaking of reading up on food, SiM previously recommended this book and I also think it's worth a read (http://www.amazon.co.uk/150-Healthie...5900636&sr=8-1). If you are cutting down on what you are eating, you should make sure that you eat more of the nutritious stuff.