The belly is getting bigger, time to stop the rot.

King Kenny · April 09, 2012, 04:34:51 PM

I used to play alot of football, but haven't played in more than two years. From playing and training 3 to 5 times a week, I now never train.

Whilst playing I could eat whatever I wanted and always stayed at a steady weight. I still eat whatever I fancy but unfortunately the weight is creeping up. I am almost two stone heavier now than I was when I was playing.

I want to get back in to shape for various reasons. The main one is vanity I suppose. I don't want to be another fat fool waddling around. I have always been in good shape, so the appearance of a belly is starting to annoy me.

Secondly, I obviously want to be healthy and don't want to jeopardize my health due to bad diet and lack of exercise.

Like many men of my era, I am now very busy with career / family and free time is at a premium. I suppose I basically want to know what has worked for others on here who have found themselves in a similar position. What exercise do you take? Did you drastically modify your diet?

All suggestions welcome. And anti Liverpool abuse is expected and unfortunately deserved.

muppet · April 09, 2012, 04:38:15 PM

Quote from: King Kenny on April 09, 2012, 04:34:51 PM
I used to play alot of football, but haven't played in more than two years. From playing and training 3 to 5 times a week, I now never train.

Whilst playing I could eat whatever I wanted and always stayed at a steady weight. I still eat whatever I fancy but unfortunately the weight is creeping up. I am almost two stone heavier now than I was when I was playing.

I want to get back in to shape for various reasons. The main one is vanity I suppose. I don't want to be another fat fool waddling around. I have always been in good shape, so the appearance of a belly is starting to annoy me.

Secondly, I obviously want to be healthy and don't want to jeopardize my health due to bad diet and lack of exercise.

Like many men of my era, I am now very busy with career / family and free time is at a premium. I suppose I basically want to know what has worked for others on here who have found themselves in a similar position. What exercise do you take? Did you drastically modify your diet?

All suggestions welcome. And anti Liverpool abuse is expected and unfortunately deserved.

Some of us have just started running. I am 3 stone heavier than when I played 20 years ago. Just started last week with the App mentioned on this thread:

http://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?topic=12559.525

Denn Forever · April 09, 2012, 04:40:16 PM

Cut down or cut out the amount of bread you eat.

J70 · April 09, 2012, 04:46:41 PM

I lost 3 stone in six months three years ago, then shed another stone the following year. No big mystery to it. Just stopped eating shite (I've a very sweet tooth!) and resumed exercise, mostly walking, with some running. I also took up indoor rock-climbing and bouldering, which is an excellent workout.
My problems also started when the football ended and my awful diet started to take its toll. It was lucky I did lose it too... a potentially serious health problem showed up after the weight was off that would have been much harder to deal with had I still been heavy.

muppet · April 09, 2012, 05:05:39 PM

Quote from: King Kenny on April 09, 2012, 04:45:30 PM
Was reading that thread earlier Muppet. I appreciate that running will have to form some part of any exercise regime I undertake. However, I always found long distance running monotonous when I was training, and think I would find it hard to motivate myself to go on runs.

Are you just running or doing anything else?

Just running with music blaring at the moment. 1 week in haven't lost a gram yet.

But I am pleasantly surprised that it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I hope to lose some weight, get a little bit fitter and then play indoor/astroturf to keep the weight off.

Puckoon · April 09, 2012, 05:46:20 PM

I think there's something being overlooked here. Yes exercise is key and important to maintaining weight, but if you're still eating like you did at 18 you'll struggle with weight. The western diet is not that good at all, and a few vanity pounds is fine here and there but when you're getting into multiple stone overweight it's down to diet and lifestyle for the most part. I've just put 5 pounds back on in one month after going back to eating extravagantly and drinking more (due to family visitors and a holiday with the wife). My exercise regime only lost about 20% of its previous intensity and frequency during this period.

Diet and water consumption are very important.

J70 · April 09, 2012, 06:12:44 PM

Yes, to lose weight, calories consumed has to be less than calories used. Its much, much, easier to shift that ratio by reducing calorie intake.

Puckoon · April 09, 2012, 06:18:55 PM

Are you being sarcastic?!

mannix · April 09, 2012, 06:24:06 PM

Puccoon is right, your metabolism slows a lot as you age. Spuds,white rice,beer,white bread,sweets and all soft drinks are your enemy in the weight battle. Lots of water and any exercise that makes you sweat will go a long way in helping you lose a belly. Check out compound exercises and do them lightly to start, joints and muscles are weak on even tough looking lads that are not used to training. Running of any sort, compound exercises and a cleaner diet would see that 3 stone gone in months rather than years. The trick is to not go cold turkey and deny yourself, just cut the bad stuff back to a taste. And log the exercise on an open page so you will see the progress, same thing for the weight loss. Log it on a given day every week. When you see it dropping the rest will fall into place.
I am helping someone with what you are doing at the moment and they have lost 14 pounds since mid January and have another 40 to go. The person got professional diet advice.
It's too bad people let themselves get that size, my sister weighs 275 pounds, 41 years old and can barely walk a mile.

Hardy · April 09, 2012, 06:37:11 PM

I agree with the lads. Pushing back from the table is the best exercise you can do to lose weight.

As said,

Calories in > calories expended = weight gain
Calories in < calories expended = weight loss

The bad news is that hunger is the feeling of burning tissue calories instead of food calories to get your energy. In other words, if you don't feel hungry, at least a little or for a while, you're not losing weight.

The good news is that when you reach your target weight you never have to feel hungry again. Unless, of course, you resume eating more than you're using and start the whole cycle again.

laoislad · April 09, 2012, 06:54:11 PM

Quote from: muppet on April 09, 2012, 05:05:39 PM
Quote from: King Kenny on April 09, 2012, 04:45:30 PM
Was reading that thread earlier Muppet. I appreciate that running will have to form some part of any exercise regime I undertake. However, I always found long distance running monotonous when I was training, and think I would find it hard to motivate myself to go on runs.

Are you just running or doing anything else?

Just running with music blaring at the moment. 1 week in haven't lost a gram yet.

But I am pleasantly surprised that it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I hope to lose some weight, get a little bit fitter and then play indoor/astroturf to keep the weight off.

I'm doing this same as muppet. I also use to find running monotonous but I'm doing now is making sure I run a different route or rather than run around the road around my estate I plan on going onto the Pheonix Park for some of the runs or out to places like Howth or Portmarnock beach just to make it a bit more interesting.
Starting Day 1 Week 2 tonight and it will be 90secs running instead of 60 last week so hope I can keep up!

Tony Baloney · April 09, 2012, 07:14:15 PM

You and muppet are great fellas. I will make a start this week I think. Just need to gather up the right gear

muppet · April 09, 2012, 07:16:11 PM

Quote from: Tony Baloney on April 09, 2012, 07:14:15 PM
You and muppet are great fellas. I will make a start this week I think. Just need to gather up the right gear

Gear is very important. You will permanently traumatise the children if you put on your old string vest and micro shorts and go running in front of the neighbours.

Canalman · April 09, 2012, 07:31:13 PM

Imo weight loss is 80% plus down to what you eat/drink. Personally would vouch for the walking over the jogging. Astro twice a week extremely important especially for those who played team sports when younger.

A tip given to me some years ago is to always have bags and bags of apples lying around the house as snacks for when you are hungry.Avoids the temptation to nibble at biscuits or heaven help order that Chinese take away.

Cutting out the crisps /sweets/ muffins etc at the petrol station/ centra also a must.

Tony Baloney · April 09, 2012, 07:58:53 PM

KK that sounds like my life. The grazing in the evenings is a killer. A cup of tea and a couple of bars of chocolate wouldnt be unusual. Crisps are a killer too and the missus always has spuds, pasata or rice on the menu as its what the wanes eat. Dont want to get home late from wprk and start making something separate so will have to cut down rather than cut out. One thing I would advise anyone to do is reduce portion sizes at meal times. I horse food into me at a rate of knots and stop when Im bursting. Not good!