02-03-2005, 06:23 PM
Hi!
For Christmas last year I got a membership at the local gym from my parents, and I've started working out. The primary goal of exercising (for me) is to lose weight and to become thin again. A six-pack stomach, some visible pecs and a bit of strength in my arms wouldn't hurt either, but those goals are secondary to me fitting into my old pants again. :) It's been 3 years since I did any kind of regular work-out (gym-classes in High school :P) and I've noticed an increasing bulge around my waist. I decided it was time to take action into my own hands and do something about it. Magic didn't work, neither did yelling obsceneties at my stomach, so I had to think of something else.
I'm 22 years old, 1.70cm tall and I weigh 67kg. (5.7", 148lbs)
I've signed up for a year, but obviously, I'm interested in getting results as quick as possible, and I thought I'd ask you if you had any experience in losing weight and/or building muscles. I've done some reading, but in similar fashion to discussing history; many people have conflicting views about what is "correct".
Example: I've heard that caffeine allows your body to lose weight more easily (this is the lay-man explanation, in case you didn't notice :P), so a cup of strong coffee an hour before working out is recommended. Then I heard that caffeine has the opposite effect. (I read these things in Norwegian articles, so I can't really show you who said what, but both sides of the debate are well-respected and both seem to know what they're talking about.)
Another example is water. Some say drink much, some say drink very little, and some say the ideal is to drink water in moderate amounts.
How often should one exercise a week? My doctor told me 3 hours a week, which amounts to 2-3 work-outs, but my friends and I are planning to work out 4-5 times a week. Is that overkill? I've heard you should have a day of rest between each work-out. Is this also recommended, or just utter nonsense?
Obviously, now that I've started working out, I want to do it as efficiently as possible, without hurting myself or ruining my motivation. Do you have any experience on this topic? Do you have any helpful hints or tips for a someone who's just starting out? I take vitamins every day. Are there any other supplements I can/should take to lose weight faster? I'm not interested in anything illegal or dangerous (steroids or the like), but are protein shakes helpful at all? I'm not stupid, I won't be eating any "healthy chocolate bars" which promise immediate weight loss, but I've heard from several people it helps to be rich on protein when you work out, and that chicken and tuna should play a large role in my diet. Seeing as tuna tastes like crap, I'll have to stick with chicken.
I guess I could google myself silly looking for answers to all these questions, but I'm looking for experience from people I trust (i.e you); people who have been in the same or similar situation. I don't see myself taking advice from someone who looks like they might have modelled for the posters on my gym.
I appreciate any help you can give me.
Cheers!
- [wcip]Angel
For Christmas last year I got a membership at the local gym from my parents, and I've started working out. The primary goal of exercising (for me) is to lose weight and to become thin again. A six-pack stomach, some visible pecs and a bit of strength in my arms wouldn't hurt either, but those goals are secondary to me fitting into my old pants again. :) It's been 3 years since I did any kind of regular work-out (gym-classes in High school :P) and I've noticed an increasing bulge around my waist. I decided it was time to take action into my own hands and do something about it. Magic didn't work, neither did yelling obsceneties at my stomach, so I had to think of something else.
I'm 22 years old, 1.70cm tall and I weigh 67kg. (5.7", 148lbs)
I've signed up for a year, but obviously, I'm interested in getting results as quick as possible, and I thought I'd ask you if you had any experience in losing weight and/or building muscles. I've done some reading, but in similar fashion to discussing history; many people have conflicting views about what is "correct".
Example: I've heard that caffeine allows your body to lose weight more easily (this is the lay-man explanation, in case you didn't notice :P), so a cup of strong coffee an hour before working out is recommended. Then I heard that caffeine has the opposite effect. (I read these things in Norwegian articles, so I can't really show you who said what, but both sides of the debate are well-respected and both seem to know what they're talking about.)
Another example is water. Some say drink much, some say drink very little, and some say the ideal is to drink water in moderate amounts.
How often should one exercise a week? My doctor told me 3 hours a week, which amounts to 2-3 work-outs, but my friends and I are planning to work out 4-5 times a week. Is that overkill? I've heard you should have a day of rest between each work-out. Is this also recommended, or just utter nonsense?
Obviously, now that I've started working out, I want to do it as efficiently as possible, without hurting myself or ruining my motivation. Do you have any experience on this topic? Do you have any helpful hints or tips for a someone who's just starting out? I take vitamins every day. Are there any other supplements I can/should take to lose weight faster? I'm not interested in anything illegal or dangerous (steroids or the like), but are protein shakes helpful at all? I'm not stupid, I won't be eating any "healthy chocolate bars" which promise immediate weight loss, but I've heard from several people it helps to be rich on protein when you work out, and that chicken and tuna should play a large role in my diet. Seeing as tuna tastes like crap, I'll have to stick with chicken.
I guess I could google myself silly looking for answers to all these questions, but I'm looking for experience from people I trust (i.e you); people who have been in the same or similar situation. I don't see myself taking advice from someone who looks like they might have modelled for the posters on my gym.
I appreciate any help you can give me.
Cheers!
- [wcip]Angel
