Want to get in shape for summer? Join in...

[Lurker]

First up, this thread is NOT for you if you: 1) Beleive staying in shape is only for meterosexual male and slutty females. 2) Would much rather prefer to wear three piece suits, or full length salwar suit/saree in summer. Not because you like it but because it hides those extra baggage. 3) Keep pushing the agenda of getting in shape for next year. If you seriously beleive in any of those I humbly suggest this thread is not for you. However if you have made it past those points first up give yourself a pat on your back. YOU realize you have work to do and lets use this forum to better ourself. I mean surely there has to be more to life(and ICF) than discussing SRT/Kumble 24*7 or wonder why Bal Thackeray is a loony. None of those issues affect our daily lives but our health surely does. Today is 12th Feb. If we make a target of June 1st as deadline that means a total of 109 days till start of summer. That is a solid 15+ plus weeks. This is also a time when most festivities - Dusshera, Diwali, New Years, Christmas etc has become history and needless to say we all have packed some pounds. So before the summer arrives and out comes the top and muscle t-shirt lets inspire each other, and ourselves, and get to our best health. We have a bunch of certified gym rats - Gator, Predator, yours truly. Then we have people with enough knowledge who are not as regular(Varun). Plus we have people who have a very active lifestyle - Dhondy & Shwetabh. Lets pool in our resources and work to better ourselves. If we have enough participation I would even make this a competition with awards for 1-2-3. And even those who do not win will be winners in the sense their health would be better, and so would their self-confidence and life overall. So dont wait. If you have wanted to lose weight, chisel your body, add extra pounds your effort starts right here. Join in one and all. Cheers!

[coffee_rules]

What do we have to do ?

[Lurker]

What do we have to do ?

First up CA I would like all of us to share their thoughts etc. I don't claim to know-it-all although I do have a good idea when it comes to my health and typically what works for me. I would hope other experts - Predz, Gator, Dhondy, Varun etc will chim in. Now speaking of individuals. We need some sort of goal setting for each individual. And by that I mean realistic goal settings. As an example, say Coffee Rules is a 5ft 8 inch man who is about 35 years old and 200 pounds. And his main interest is to lose weight. We need to set what would be realistic in 15 weeks. Losing half a pound a week is very attainable, so you lose 7.5 pounds in 15 weeks. The more the merrier I say but if you set yourself a target of losing 2 pounds a week thats not gonna happen and you will quit after 2 weeks. So few things that need to done: 1) Realistic expectation. This is where YOU come into picture. 2) Setting up a diet/exercise/rest regime that would help you attain your goal. This is where I, and other experts, come into the picture. 3) Make sure we kick each other's butt, keep inspiring each other and not let anyone slack. Its where WE ALL come into the picture. xxx

[Ram]

Awesome thread ! Wonderful initiative there by Lurker. I am not averse to converting this into some sort of lifestyle tips thread, starting from a healthy diet, to exercise tips to hygiene tips, meditation practices, deep-breathing exercises etc. I am of the opinion a healthy lifestyle is not just about staying in shape, but encompasses every aspect of your lifestyle. Starting with me, I definitely think my eating habits arent upto the mark. Me thinks I eat too much rice, not that i particularly want to, but mainly becasue, a) its easier to cook in bulk and i can save a lot of time cooking/cleaning etc. b) I dont want to totally give up eating rice, coz thats what i have been eating all my life, so you could say there's some sort of senti attachment to it. I want to replace most of the carbs in my diet with proteins and nutrients. For now, my eating habits look like this, -- For breakfast, I generally have a cup of coffee, along with a glazed donut/ one omlette with two slices of toasted bread with ketch-up. -- For lunch, I prefer not to eat anything. So i go with fruits ( mostly one apple, along a glass of juice. I alternate between mango, orange, grapes) -- I have one cup of tea in the afternoon -- Dinner is rice, with some vegetables. ( typically rasam, sambar or mixed rice etc). For protiens, I eat plenty of Dal. Now, I would like to know if thats healthy enough. Am i missing out on anything ? One good thing about my diet habits is that I dont eat any deep fried stuff like french fries, chips, nor do i drink cola etc.

[Ram]

Lurks, If you think this thread is going in a direction which you didnt originally want it to, please feel free to point it out.

[Lurker]

Lurks' date=' If you think this thread is going in a direction which you didnt originally want it to, please feel free to point it out.[/quote'] No no quite okay Sriram. In a way I would love to see more and more of ideas being thrown out there, get everyone a feel of comfort and then start our serious effort say around 20th of this month. That means all of us have been educated enough on the subject, they realize what needs to be done, they know what they can eat, what they can cut out of the diet, what to workout, stuff like that. In short preliminary work would be out the door and serious work starts. Coming to your thread about your eating lifestyle here are my observation: 1) Eating rice is perfectly fine. It is a cultural thing plus the ease of use can not be beaten. However one thing I would recommend is cut down on eating polished rice, including Basmati that you get from Indian stores. See if you can develop a taste for brown rice. You can get it from any food store(or Wal Mart). They are much better on nutrition profile and will feed your body better. Say you cook rice 7 times a week, start with brown rice 2 out of 7 and then increase as much as you can. 2) Overall you are consuming fewer calories than you should. This means either you are on the thin side or you are not so much thin but you might have a bit of belly. The latter is explained due to the fact that body stores fat when it is not sure when it will be fed next. 3) I will change your breakfast to something more solid. Take away the glazed donut and replace it with thicker omlette. Wheat toast is fine though oatmeals are the best but yes you may have to develop a taste for it. Since you are relatively young you dont need to worry about cholestrol but generally I recommend 2 egg white to 1 whole egg. In other words if you make a 3 egg omlette throw 2 egg yolks out. 4) Have a hearty lunch. Fruits and juice is good but they are not filling plus have only sugar. A good alternative is a chicken sandwitch with yogurt/fruits. Not sure if you eat chicken though. 5) Lastly I see you eat veggies but not so much fibrous veggies. In the evening when you have rice and veggies boil some broccoli in microwave. Try to eat a cup everyday. Will boost your testosterone level(and hence block the estrogen level thus cutting fat) as also give fibre to keep you regular. xxx

[Dirty_South]

I want to gain weight ..... a lot .

[Lurker]

I want to gain weight ..... a lot .

Whats your height, weight, age Blue Billion? Also can you give me your daily diet, just as an example? Lastly what are your options for working out?

[Dirty_South]

Height - 6 ft 2" Weight - Around 68 kgs Age - 23 yrs 7 mths :D Daily diet...lol .... I'm tooooo lazy to cook everyday , so I eat in Hotels. I never eat Breakfast :nervous: , I have my lunch and then Dinner ...which I usually prepare at home. I now smoke around 3-5 Cigarettes (used to smoke more than a Pack). I'm at the work place for atleast 10-12 hrs a day. Any tips/help ?

[Lurker]

Height - 6 ft 2" Weight - Around 68 kgs Age - 23 yrs 7 mths

Thats a good news, bad news situation Blue Billion. Good news - Age is on your side. You can chisel your body as you want, if you desire to. Your harmones will help you put on muscles and not unncessary fat. Bad news - Your young age ensures your metabolism is superfast and hence whatever you eat is getting used up pretty fast. So you have to eat, eat & eat.

Daily diet...lol .... I'm tooooo lazy to cook everyday , so I eat in Hotels. I never eat Breakfast :nervous: , I have my lunch and then Dinner ...which I usually prepare at home. I now smoke around 3-5 Cigarettes (used to smoke more than a Pack). I'm at the work place for atleast 10-12 hrs a day.

You realize yourself, without me telling you, that your problem is your diet, or the lack thereof. I can understand the lazyness part(been there done that) but what I can not understand is eating in hotels part. What you can do is stuff your refrigerator with healthy food and keep munching on it. Surely you can make a trip to the grocers every week, cant you? Plus your smoking is increasing your metabolism(nicotine is alleged to do that) as also decrease your appetite, so double whammy there. The first suggestion I would give is to be more disciplined when it comes to food. Dont miss a breakfast or lunch. Yes you are lazy and right now you dont care etc etc. But surely you can not tell me that when you swing by Abercombie shop you dont feel like wearing one of those body hugging t-shirts or nice fitting jeans? To bhai thora mehnat to karna maangta hai na? If you can't take care of all your diets make sure you are eating good fats. Fats like nuts - almonds, walnuts, peanut-butter etc. And by this I mean raw and not salted and roasted(those are practically junk). Ideally I would like to put you on a diet regime :D:D let me know if you can convince your butt to be kicked for a few months. :D

[Dhondy]

Not another fitness clinic by Lurker?:D Just a few dictums. Run regularly, use resistance training, don't smoke or drink beer and have regular sex. The latter apparently is just as good for your cardiovascular fitness as aerobics as per recent research. I realise that not all of these options are available to end users, but any othe other three should do the job.

[Dirty_South]

Arey bhai ...help karna :) I really don't care what I eat , when I eat and I know that's my main PROBLEM. :nervous: I used to weigh around 80 + kgs (a year ago) .... Gimme a good diet ..... what to eat..when to eat..and I'll follow.. .. :wtg: PS - I'm a pure veg :)

[Ram]

Doc, how much should I run ? And what do you mean by Resistance training ? If its too laborious for you to type it out, even internet links would suffice.

[Ram]

Lurks, many thanks for those tips. The main reason for me not eat anything wholesome for lunch is that it makes me drowsy and my concentration levels dip drastically, which isnt good for me.

[Dhondy]

Doc, how much should I run ? And what do you mean by Resistance training ? If its too laborious for you to type it out, even internet links would suffice.

At least half an hour every day, at a pace sufficient to get the sweat pouring off you. Dumb bells are an example of resistance training.

[Ram]

At least half an hour every day, at a pace sufficient to get the sweat pouring off you. Dumb bells are an example of resistance training.

I am not that much of a runner, but I walk regularly. I walk 5 kms in 50 mins, once every two days. That gives me a general sense of staying fit. In the weekends, I play atleast 2 hours of sport ( either cricket/basketball/tennis). So essentially, that is about 18 kms of brisk walking every week + 2 hours of general sport.

[Lurker]

Gimme a good diet ..... what to eat..when to eat..and I'll follow.. .. :wtg: PS - I'm a pure veg :)

Chal ek sample diet batata hoon tere ko. See how much of this you can manage in a day. And yes I will make you eat and eat and eat. Meal 1(around 9 am): 2-4 toast of wheat bread with honey/jelly/jam. 1 orange/apple/2 bananas Glass of milk(whatever you fancy regular or fatfree..upto you) Start with 2 bread and go upto 4. Since you are on lighter side you can afford to eat more if you can. Meal 2 (around 12 pm): Veggie sandwitch with yogurt and some fruit. You can get this from regular store. However if you can make it that would be even better. Meal 3 (around 3 pm) Whey protein with two spoons of macademia/peanut butter/olive oil. This is your new addition. And yes you need it because you are having little protein otherwise. I can give you names of a few Whey Protein you can check out at local fitness center. Meal 4(around 6 pm) Bowl of yogurt/cottage cheese with fruits. Meal 5 (around 9 pm) Typical meal - say rice, daal, veggies and stuff. This will get you 5 meals of which 4 are solid and one is supplemented. Once you get a hang of this I will increase the shake to twice a day to bump up your protein and thus you will also have 6 meals a day. Of course if you can start eating eggs that would help too but not sure if thats an option.

[Dhondy]

I am not that much of a runner, but I walk regularly. I walk 5 kms in 50 mins, once every two days. That gives me a general sense of staying fit. In the weekends, I play atleast 2 hours of sport ( either cricket/basketball/tennis). So essentially, that is about 18 kms of brisk walking every week + 2 hours of general sport.

Walking does give some benefit, Sriram, but not as much as was originally thought. If you can't run, do swim or use a stationery rower, or a cross trainer. Walking is strictly for the geriatric brigade, not a lad of your age. Cricket is useless for fitness, tennis is good, basketball is fantastic.

[Ram]

Coming to your thread about your eating lifestyle here are my observation: 1) Eating rice is perfectly fine. It is a cultural thing plus the ease of use can not be beaten. However one thing I would recommend is cut down on eating polished rice, including Basmati that you get from Indian stores. See if you can develop a taste for brown rice. You can get it from any food store(or Wal Mart). They are much better on nutrition profile and will feed your body better. Say you cook rice 7 times a week, start with brown rice 2 out of 7 and then increase as much as you can.

Ok, Will try out the brown rice part and tell you how it works

2) Overall you are consuming fewer calories than you should. This means either you are on the thin side or you are not so much thin but you might have a bit of belly. The latter is explained due to the fact that body stores fat when it is not sure when it will be fed next.

I am of medium build, but you are right, I do have a bit of a paunch, which is why I am trying to cut down on the rice and replace it with chappati more often.

3) I will change your breakfast to something more solid. Take away the glazed donut and replace it with thicker omlette. Wheat toast is fine though oatmeals are the best but yes you may have to develop a taste for it. Since you are relatively young you dont need to worry about cholestrol but generally I recommend 2 egg white to 1 whole egg. In other words if you make a 3 egg omlette throw 2 egg yolks out.

Well, there is a convenience part to it. I dont have to *cook* a glazed donut, its ready to eat off the shelf, and saves me a lots of time

4) Have a hearty lunch. Fruits and juice is good but they are not filling plus have only sugar. A good alternative is a chicken sandwitch with yogurt/fruits. Not sure if you eat chicken though.

I am vegetarian ( but i eat egg), fruits and juices suit me just fine. They make me feel light and active

5) Lastly I see you eat veggies but not so much fibrous veggies. In the evening when you have rice and veggies boil some broccoli in microwave. Try to eat a cup everyday. Will boost your testosterone level(and hence block the estrogen level thus cutting fat) as also give fibre to keep you regular.

Will try this thing out, thanks

[Lurker]

Lurks' date=' many thanks for those tips. The main reason for me [b']not eat anything wholesome for lunch is that it makes me drowsy and my concentration levels dip drastically, which isnt good for me.

There is a term for that, I will lookup my home computer when I get a chance. Essentially it is the sudden surge of glucose level that makes you drowsy. If you dont eat much of carbs and instead have a protein rich diet, say a Chicken breast sandwitch from subway you should not have this problem. I am guessing you feel this way because you consume a bit of rice which raises your insulin/glucose level.