The ~New~ SWF GYM! Newbies and New Years Resolution Peeps Wanted!

[Takumaru]

so um I have a few questions I hope you guys don't mind answering.. I've been lifting for a few weeks now but I just want to lose weight. Is it true that lifting weights can help raise your metabolism and thus help you lose weight? also, what's the quickest way to losing weight besides a good diet? should I focus more on cardio than on lifting weights?

Weight lifting is something you should do if you want to focus on gaining muscle mass. If you're interested in losing weight you should focus more on cardio. Cardio is more efficient when it comes to burning calories than lifting weights.

Keep in mind the first few pounds will be mostly water and other junk. Losing weight is something best done at a controlled rate. Don't try to rush it or you could hurt yourself.

 

[theeboredone]

Yeah, if you want to strictly lose weight, do cardio related exercises, join a dance group (Zumba), and eat below 2000 calories.

Though I will say, weight lifting does speed up your metabolism, but it's counter productive if you're not eating enough. Bad for your muscles.

 

[Airgemini]

Would it be counterproductive to try to bulk up when you don't have a great quantity supply of food to eat post-workout? I'm aware that in order to bulk up you have to eat a lot and lift a lot to gain muscle mass, but if you just continue bulking exercises without eating as much as you probably should, will all your effort just be a waste? Or should I just hold off until I get more food?

 

[theeboredone]

Wait until you get more food, but it won't hurt you if you go for a week or something without eating much...as long as you try to eat more than you usually do (which hopefully is the average), then you should be fine.

 

[Attila_]

Weight lifting is something you should do if you want to focus on gaining muscle mass. If you're interested in losing weight you should focus more on cardio. Cardio is more efficient when it comes to burning calories than lifting weights.

Not the full story.

More muscle mass --> higher bmr --> higher daily caloric output --> fat loss

Combination of both works best.

 

[Darkshadow7827]

Would it be counterproductive to try to bulk up when you don't have a great quantity supply of food to eat post-workout? I'm aware that in order to bulk up you have to eat a lot and lift a lot to gain muscle mass, but if you just continue bulking exercises without eating as much as you probably should, will all your effort just be a waste? Or should I just hold off until I get more food?

I wouldn't use the word counter productive. You do need to eat a lot post workout but the catch is, it needs to be a bunch of small meals with high protein value. Eating one massive meal isn't gonna be the most efficient way to bulk up. All your effort won't be a waste but it probably won't be the most efficient. I can attest to this as I don't eat much. Usually 2 meals a day, lunch and dinner, with a single protein shake after workout. If I were to maximize my workout, I should be eating 6 meals with lots of protein content. Anyway, I still got a lot stronger, so I wouldn't really say it's a waste. The only way I can see it being counter productive is if you don't have enough food to maintain the calories you burned and not enough protein to rebuild your muscles. If that keeps up, you'll burn fat and probably a very small amount of muscles, which are last tier for energy supply. I don't think you'll get to that point though. You'd have to be starving XD Shmot can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[theeboredone]

Last day of fasting just ended. Tomorrow I begin to catch up on what I've lost.

 

[Thundermistress]

so um I have a few questions I hope you guys don't mind answering.. I've been lifting for a few weeks now but I just want to lose weight. Is it true that lifting weights can help raise your metabolism and thus help you lose weight? also, what's the quickest way to losing weight besides a good diet? should I focus more on cardio than on lifting weights?

Not the full story.

More muscle mass --> higher bmr --> higher daily caloric output --> fat loss

Combination of both works best.

That's what I had thought as well, but didn't say anything since i'm not so well informed. : P

As a girl, I'm more keen on weight management then muscle gains as well, but I do love my strength and weight exercises at the gym.

I have found though that running regularly, even if not for very long (I now usually do, at least, 3kms in about 18 minutes on the treadmill 3 times a week) has worked pretty well for me. And I still do about 30 minutes of weights 3 times a week as well, but I personally don't lift more than 5kgs an arm as I've been a bit bulky in the past. ;c

I've unintentionally dropped almost 9kgs (20 lbs) in under a year sticking to this...kinda...and eating....well not well. But better. Haha.

 

[Darkshadow7827]

I've seen some pretty sexy women who can outlift me in some exercises. I don't get how their body can be so slender but end up deadlifting or squatting so much weight. I hate to see the guy who underestimates that person's strength.

 

[Attila_]

women who are toned and not 'skinny-fat' are easily the most attractive.

easily.

and that only happens if you lift!

 

[Evil Eye]

I finally caved and joined the protein powder brigade. (That's not a cute euphemism for working out I've been back on a schedule for a while now, I'm literally only just getting into the whole buying protein powder thing)

How much of this **** should I use, how often, and when. Also I'm surprised by how little milk it demands me to waste, literally a small cup to one big ol' scoop.

If it helps it said 120 mL to one scoop of the powder which is a portion I can't remember offhand but hte protein intake was about 28 g. No I will not give you imperial numbers suck my **** stupid amurricans. But yeah it also said not to go over 4 doses/scoops in a day for whatever that's worth.

 

[ConnorTheKid]

hmm thanks for answering my questions guys. I'm probably going to just do a combination of both lifting and cardio but focus more on cardio. Another big part for me is having the self control and will power to eat healthier. Soo hard >_>

 

[theeboredone]

I finally caved and joined the protein powder brigade. (That's not a cute euphemism for working out I've been back on a schedule for a while now, I'm literally only just getting into the whole buying protein powder thing)

How much of this **** should I use, how often, and when. Also I'm surprised by how little milk it demands me to waste, literally a small cup to one big ol' scoop.

If it helps it said 120 mL to one scoop of the powder which is a portion I can't remember offhand but hte protein intake was about 28 g. No I will not give you imperial numbers suck my **** stupid amurricans. But yeah it also said not to go over 4 doses/scoops in a day for whatever that's worth.

Sorry if I don't remember you posting earlier, but if your goal is to bulk up, and assuming your protein powder is heavy in calories, then you might only wanna take 4 servings a day if you're not getting much regular food in you.

But if it's a "normal" protein powder (not 500+ calories or so), then you should be fine with taking one after workout, and if you want, one before you go to bed. The rest, just eat regular food.

Just got done with my first workout after a month. Post meal = Chipotle.

 

[Evil Eye]

nah I've never posted before. I've been working out for years but I slump sometimes so I just kind of do my own thing or ask my weight lifting guru bro questions if needed. But yeah bulkin' is pretty much always what's on the menu as far as my goals.

Also uh, did you get some of that backwards? You say if it's a high-cal powder I should "only" take four servings, yet if it's a low/regular-cal powder I should take one or two per day? Haha. Maybe what you said made sense, I dunno, I suck at the number crunching. I've always been more of a "raid the fridge for high protein foods after the workout" kind of guy so what the hell do I know.

Anyways, it's 160 cal per serving. I was almost right on the money with the protein content, too, 26 g.

So yeah. Guess I'll ask again. Also, if it makes any difference in my protein schedule, I tend to work out at night.

 

[theeboredone]

Well, what I was trying to say is that bulking protein powders tend to only have about 20-30 servings per container. So if the instructions ask you to take 4 a day, you're essentially spending 30+ dollars/lbs/euros every 2-3 weeks. What I was trying to say is you shouldn't rely on it too much and just eat natural foods to make up for the servings.

So basically, instead of taking the required 4 times a day, you take 2, and the other 2 are just normal meals.

But yeah, since you said yours is only 160 cal, unless you're having a huge protein deficit outside of your protein shakes, I think you should be safe to take one after workout, one before going to bed, and then two times on your off day. Since you're trying to bulk, you should be getting them carbs in anyways.

 

[Evil Eye]

ahhhhhh. That makes perfect sense, sir.

Man this makes my life pretty easy since I'm pretty much eating like **** right now to phase out my junk groceries and replace them with good/healthy stuff. Luckily a lot of junk groceries have carbs and protein comin' outta their ***.

And yeah it actually said not to exceed four servings, so I wasn't sure if that meant I should be going up to four servings... or what. It was confusin' as hell. ****ing magnets, how do they work!?

Anyways, thanks for your help, chum. I now know how to integrate protein powder into my diet. Who said you can't learn anything staying up late on the internet!?

 

[Omis]

AWW YEAH EE BULKIN THAT BULK LIKE YEAH!

Protein powder is pretty much my life. I drink at least two of these babies a day.

 

[Evil Eye]

Bromis, you are the light at the end of my tunnel.

 

[Dastrn]

I'm new to this thread, and I have only skimmed a few pages of it. I'll read the whole thread sometime when I'm not so sick.

I've been a bit of a health nut for a few years now, although for me it looks different at different times in my life, depending on what's going on. Right now, I've been sick for about a year, so that ruined my typical workout schedule.

I'll post a few pics when i catch up on this thread.

As a girl, I'm more keen on weight management then muscle gains as well, but I do love my strength and weight exercises at the gym.

This caught my eye. You're using the wrong metric if you are measuring your success in weight. Focus instead on creating the lines that you find appealing. I don't want to use the phrase "body image" because our culture has put negative connotations and neurosis on that phrase. But your target should be a shape, and a feeling, more than a number.

You may actually gain a few kilos during a very healthy month of exercise and good eating, and feel fitter, happier, more productive, and look better too. Women need to do more weight lifting than they typically do, and it's those that do lift a bit that stand out with a very fit feminine physique.

There are also lots of women who lose weight and look rotten doing it because they are focused on the weight, not on the fitness.

With all of that said, I'm familiar enough with your modeling work to know that you're well above average in your overall fitness and "body image" (ugh, that phrase again...), so you probably don't need to hear any of this stuff. I just tend to post these ideas whenever I hear women talk about fitness in terms of weight, just to make sure that everyone reading is exposed to sound thinking in this regard.

I'll catch myself up on this thread later, and post some of my standard workouts, supplements, and meals.

 

[Thundermistress]

Well as I said 'weight management', I probably meant more in the terms of 'I don't want to get fat and be unhealthy', rather than having a number goal. I didn't actually have a goal weight, but I wanted to be fit and healthy and unintentionally lost weight along the way. That or I just got addicted to the adrenaline rush while running. I know exactly what you mean though. I was definitely stuck in that rut for a long time until I just went 'screw it'.

Because how do you otherwise gauge a shape? Or a line? What one sees in a mirror can be quite distorted dependng on their perception of themselves and I know mine is still a bit off.

Fitness and health has been and is now my main focus, as I said, I love weights and lifting, but scaled back on that and got more into cardio to train my body more into the shape that I wanted, as about two years ago, I was so bulky in the arms, I struggled to fit my shoulders into my tshirts. I was mega broad. Too much kickboxing + heavy weights.

Might put some before + after's later...

 

[Lore]

I did the elliptical machine today that my parents recently bought, and it was pretty great! I didn't like how my arms felt useless, though.

 

[Darkshadow7827]

What one sees in a mirror can be quite distorted dependng on their perception of themselves and I know mine is still a bit off.

Heart! HEART! Quote for so much truth. It's funny. I was watching some educational television and most people, in terms of attractiveness, rate themselves above average.

It's weird cause I used to think I looked funny cause how often do you look at yourself. (Might be different for you TM cause you're a model :D) But the more I lifted, the more I looked at myself to measure progress. Now that I see myself as much as I see my friends, I don't think I'm funny looking anymore. I dunno; it's just weird how your perception of yourself can change

Also, my brother said something funny. He lifts a lot too. One day he ate a whole small carton of Haagendaz ice cream. He said to me, "Man I just ate this whole jar of ice cream. Let's go lift, I feel fat... Y'know what's funny, all the skinny people feel fat." In a way, it's kinda true. If we such fitness buffs to watch our food intake, we ,or at least I, feel more conscious about what I eat. And to rag on America, but when you watch how some obese people say they aren't fat or only need to lose a couple pounds... It's no wonder America is getting fatter. I'm not sayin everyone needs to be super curvy, but there's a line between being voluptuous and morbidly obese.

Edit: Damn, TM, your little quote got me thinking and ranting like crazy.

 

[Chill]

So what's everyone up to? I'm planning on trying to lift and bulk up as much as I can in the next two months or so. I'm taking a little trip and I know that I most likely won't be consuming as much protein as usual. I also don't know when or if I will even be able to go to a gym so I want to have something to work with before I start seeing the inevitable weight loss that comes with not working out.

Is Meno getting fat again? :D

 

[Thundermistress]

(Might be different for you TM cause you're a model :D)

Well and I'm a woman. It's like hardwired in girls to constantly be checking out how they're looking. Srsly.

There was actually an awesome blog post I came across about what defines 'curvy' in the terms of a dressmaker (which is something like the difference between the measurement of the waist/chest/hips and how it's more about proportion...should see if I can find it), as I personally feel the term gets tossed around far too easily these days. But anyway, could go on but don't think that interests you guys as much. : P

So what's everyone up to? I'm planning on trying to lift and bulk up as much as I can in the next two months or so. I'm taking a little trip and I know that I most likely won't be consuming as much protein as usual. I also don't know when or if I will even be able to go to a gym so I want to have something to work with before I start seeing the inevitable weight loss that comes with not working out.

Is Meno getting fat again? :D

I think I'm going to try and up my running stamina again since the weather is warming up a little (hoorah Australian seasons...), I've been running a little more on my days when I'm not at the gym and been averaging 3-4kms on my runs (cause I get kinda bored) but might try to tack on a few more kms in the next few months.

Spoiler

Some pictures and things...Think the biggest change other than a bit of belly, is my face, friends/family have been commenting on how much thinner my face looks... :s

December 2009 or so...

These were taken in about June/July last year...

These were taken about 2-3 weeks ago...

Yeah I know flattering lights help, but I think there's a discernable enough difference. :|

 

[Chill]

If it means anything I could tell that you've slimmed down from some of your photos but I just didn't know how to say it without it sounding like I thought you were fat (hint: you weren't). I suck at compliments.

 

[Thundermistress]

Nawwww. <3

It's a hard compliment to give to a self conscious female. But I getchaaaaa. <3

 

[Attila_]

Amazing how quickly you can get fit when you're really smash yourself...

Feeling very good about things right now.

 

[CAOTIC]

yeeeeep. i just got to match my training with eating and sleeping properly (no more traveling!) and i'll be set.

where is chill going? o:

 

[Thundermistress]

Aussies taking over the thread. Squeeeee. <3

 

[theeboredone]

Finally tasted those ready made muscle milk bottles. Chocolate flavor tasted just like Ensure for you guys or gals that wanted an idea.

Still though, stuff is expensive so I won't be going near that stuff D:

 

[Pluvia]

It's not that expensive.

 

[eighteenspikes]

$2 a bottle for the same amount of protein as 3 eggs is expensive.

 

[Attila_]

8x300m yesterday, 6 minutes in between reps, all reps completed in under 48.5 seconds, progressingly getting faster.

and i felt fine afterwards.

life is amazing.

 

[Thundermistress]

Had a good session at the gym today, felt strong. Arrrr. Did 3km's in 17 minutes which is the fastest I've done in a while. n___n

 

[theeboredone]

Safe to say I've been feeling pretty sore after these first two workouts after none for three weeks lol.

 

[Keblerelf]

My school gym is closed until Sept. 12th, but Ive heard they might not open it until the 16th at best.

I've ran around my school these past two days (1.8 miles) but today my knee hurts whenever I extend my leg, so I'm taking a break.

I'm going to be getting some free gym trials so I'll have something to do the next week or so. Hopefully they open soon.

 

[theeboredone]

o_o are they doing renovations? UT has 3 gyms lol...

Mmm....boiled eggs with salt n pepper

 

[Evil Eye]

So being on a workout schedule with the protein powder is interesting. The most immediate change I've noticed is that I'm not sore at all the day after. Or if I am, it's a dull ache in a particular muscle or two. I have to assume this ain't no coincidence, and as such I am very pleased with my purchase and keep with the portions I've been using, and brand of powder.

Many thanks to the one duder that gave me tips on when and how to use it, too.

 

[theeboredone]

Never thought protein powder could have effects on how your soreness is regulated. I just figured it would be your body getting used to the exercises lol.

 

[Evil Eye]

Eh I work out a fair amount and generally always have since I was a teenager. I used to be sore all the time the next day then fine enough to work out the day after and so on. But now there is almost no soreness at all. I know it's the lactic acid or whatever but that obviously ain't no coincidence.