How to lose fat???

[Flashpoint]

Go skating. Ideally outdoors. With a dog. And a stick and puck.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I can't figure out how to get myself to do 30-40 minutes of cardio aside from running or by myself. I never really played sports in my life, much less team sports so I wouldn't be any good on a team. I was that kid that couldn't even dribble 5 steps down the gym in phys ed. I still can't. Any sports you can just join that don't have so many requirements of skill or knowledge or even just being good at it?

I'm sorry, but thats bunk.

I never played on team sports as a kid, and I seem to be able to participate fine as an adult. Its all about attitude.

Basically, I know I may never have the instinctive skills as the guy whos been playing since childhood does. But more often than not I find that regardless of skill levels people just appreciate having participants so a good game can be had.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Seriously? Hmm, that's good to know. I was told the best way to burn fat is to go hard on the weights to burn off your primary energy reserves and then hit the cardio to start burning off the stored energy reserves (fat).

It's all about feeding the furnace. The energy required to replenish muscle tissue is greater than the energy required to simply stave off atrophy. Becaues the OP isn't wishing to 'lose weight' (and actually seems to want to gain it) a program centered around cardiovascular fitness probably isn't for him. Something that gets him in better shape while making his shape more aesthetically pleasing (to him) is probably the better course of action.

You won't accomplish anything without both, though.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by lchoy

hmm...if no sports, perhaps simple lifestyle changes such as biking to work or on weekends. Taking the stairs if going up or down less than 4 floors. As hard as it may be, cut back to 1 pint of beer a week.
Eating healthy: 2/3 of your plate should be fruits and Vegetables and whole grains. Reduce fatty or fried foods. Hydrate. Oh and allow time to digest before sleeping. Midnight snacks aren't good. (I work for Health....)

The genetists side of me will also point out that we are all genetically pre-disposed to a certain level of core body fat.
Oo, consult a nutritionist or fitness consultant at a gym as well for more personal assessment and tips (family doctor as well)

Any credence to atkins type high protein low carbohydrate diets?

Speaking of genetic makeup, I have a mutant acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme so I can't really even (and therefore don't) drink alcohol so it's a beer belly without beer. I drink a lot of water, at least a glass of it an hour. I'm also allergic to a large swathe of fruits and certain fungi like mushrooms so I typically have to eat green vegetables only.

Geez, I'm a poster boy for survival of the fittest aren't I? Why haven't I been eaten by a sabretooth tiger yet or left by my tribe to die in the forest?

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

It's all about feeding the furnace. The energy required to replenish muscle tissue is greater than the energy required to simply stave off atrophy. Becaues the OP isn't wishing to 'lose weight' (and actually seems to want to gain it) a program centered around cardiovascular fitness probably isn't for him. Something that gets him in better shape while making his shape more aesthetically pleasing (to him) is probably the better course of action.

You won't accomplish anything without both, though.

Exactly, it's kind of strange for me trying to figure out a way to lose fat WHILE gaining weight through diet and exercise. I've always been much happier doing anerobic weight lifting versus aerobic and cardio, etc.

[Machiavelli]

Another thing I suggest that's already been mentioned is team sports.

You do NOT have to be good, like a previous poster mentioned. All you need is a certain level of enthusiasm.

From personal experience, I am not the skilled soccer player around but I'm good at running around for the ball (being pretty fast, long legs, etc.) and got into great shape (flat stomach too!) from playing city league womens soccer. Seriously - if you can make it onto any team where you actually like the sport being played, it goes a long way.

You'll be exercising almost the entire time without actually feeling like your exercising.

It helps to be an A-type competitive person, b/c you'll work so hard for fear of losing!

Man, I really need to get back to that soccer...

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Another thing I suggest that's already been mentioned is team sports.

You do NOT have to be good, like a previous poster mentioned. All you need is a certain level of enthusiasm.

From personal experience, I am not the skilled soccer player around but I'm good at running around for the ball (being pretty fast, long legs, etc.) and got into great shape (flat stomach too!) from playing city league womens soccer. Seriously - if you can make it onto any team where you actually like the sport being played, it goes a long way.

You'll be exercising almost the entire time without actually feeling like your exercising.

It helps to be an A-type competitive person, b/c you'll work so hard for fear of losing!

Man, I really need to get back to that soccer...

I am really that bad. Even playing street hockey in university, the game starts to suck and you stop having fun when you realize that nobody wants to pass to you and you're hopeless at getting the puck. I guess it's a childhood prejudice against team sports that I have. I did kung-fu as a kid and am still really flexible. Does anybody do martial arts or kickboxing type things here?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

What kind of speed is it average to be able to maintain for running 30 minutes? I'm not really a stamina/endurance kind of guy. Terrible lung capacity. I was also that guy that puked all the time in track in highschool. Hell, I got light headed and puked two years ago trying to play street hockey running down the length of the rink.

I don't think your lung capacity is a result of you having smaller lungs than the rest of us, they just aren't used to being worked hard.

Tips for your running:

Stretch before you run. While you're stretching make sure you concentrate on large belly breathing. This will relax you, help the stretching, and prepare your lungs for exercise. They'll be more open and as a result, you won't fatigue as fast because your muscles will be getting more oxygen for longer.

Stretching is REALLY important. Before a workout, after, and even during. I have calf issues, so I stretch during. Not for too long though, as you want to keep your heart rate up.

While you're running, try going at a good pace (not flat out) for a couple of minutes, and then switching to a fairly brisk walk for a minute or two, then back to running. Keep going for running intervals as you become accustomed to it.

edit: any kind of new fitness routine has a large psychological component to it. It's easy to get frustrated with either a perceived lack of ability or results. It's important to stay realistic about your beginning goals and to take pride in them when you reach them. Small psychological wins (20 pushups the day after 15 as an example) are really important during the beginning stages to keep you going on your routine. Seriously, be happy with yourself over even slight improvements. You need the small building blocks before you'll start to see substantial results.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Burns more fat to exercise at a lower intensity for a long period of time.

No it doesn't.

Okay, it might....calorie wise.

But if you do 'true' High Intensity Interval Training....you can burn MORE fat, MORE calories in LESS time.

Okay, that sounded like a really poor commercial....but Google HIIT.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

Seriously? Hmm, that's good to know. I was told the best way to burn fat is to go hard on the weights to burn off your primary energy reserves and then hit the cardio to start burning off the stored energy reserves (fat).

I believe adding 1 lb of muscle to your body will burn an extra 35-50 calories.

So, an extra 10 pounds of muscle will burn approximately 350 to 500 calories a day, or an extra pound of fat every 7 to 10 days, without making any other changes.

In other words....best way to lose weight? Gain muscle.

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Azure

No it doesn't.

Okay, it might....calorie wise.

But if you do 'true' High Intensity Interval Training....you can burn MORE fat, MORE calories in LESS time.

Okay, that sounded like a really poor commercial....but Google HIIT.

Yes, yes it does.

After you reach your anaerobic threshold, you start to burn carbs rather than fat - i.e. you burn lots of calories, but you stop burning fat.

And Hack&Lube, if you're into kung-fu/martial arts, do that!

[Azure]

And do NOT underestimate the importance of eating 6 times a day like Flash said.

The idea behind weight loss is to not screw up your metabolism. 6 meals a day will help you with that.

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Another thing I suggest that's already been mentioned is team sports.

You do NOT have to be good, like a previous poster mentioned. All you need is a certain level of enthusiasm.

From personal experience, I am not the skilled soccer player around but I'm good at running around for the ball (being pretty fast, long legs, etc.) and got into great shape (flat stomach too!) from playing city league womens soccer. Seriously - if you can make it onto any team where you actually like the sport being played, it goes a long way.

You'll be exercising almost the entire time without actually feeling like your exercising.

It helps to be an A-type competitive person, b/c you'll work so hard for fear of losing!

Man, I really need to get back to that soccer...

I can play soccer

[Dan02]

not to be a downer, but some people will never have the 6 pack no matter how hard they try. Short of doing the Survivor thing and literally starving themselves for over a month, and even then it might not work.

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty

I can play soccer

DO IT.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Yes, yes it does.

After you reach your anaerobic threshold, you start to burn carbs rather than fat - i.e. you burn lots of calories, but you stop burning fat.

No, no it doesn't.

A HIIT session involves a warmup period, several short, maximum-intensity efforts separated by moderate recovery intervals, and a cooldown period. The period of alternating effort and recovery intervals typically lasts a total of 15 minutes.
Studies by Tabata [1], Tremblay[2], and others have shown this method to be more effective at burning fat and maintaining, or building, muscle mass than high-volume, lower intensity aerobic work-outs.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Dan02

not to be a downer, but some people will never have the 6 pack no matter how hard they try. Short of doing the Survivor thing and literally starving themselves for over a month, and even then it might not work.

Correct.

As with most exercise programs, the goal is body image change. If you're disastified with the tummy, build up stuff around it to minimize or alter the look.

Sometimes that's enough for people.

"Hey, i don't have a six pack, but watch me lift this car over my head."

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Dan02

not to be a downer, but some people will never have the 6 pack no matter how hard they try. Short of doing the Survivor thing and literally starving themselves for over a month, and even then it might not work.

Simply not true.

The 6 pack is a result of lowering your body fat percentage into the single digit level.

5-10% is what most males need to reveal their six pack.

The 'downer' part is that a male with a BF% of 15-20 is perfectly healthy. And can be a reasonably good shape.

You don't really have to 'starve' yourself.....but have a perfect eating plan. And if you 'try' hard enough....it can be done.

Problem is....it takes 'perfection' to accomplish it.

[Machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Azure

No, no it doesn't.

Well, how many people exercise like that?

I'm taking about high-intensity, short duration workouts in general compared to low-intensity, long duration workouts. You know, what the general public does and what 80% of patients that we see do.

I'm sure that HIIT is great. It's just that most people can barely keep track of their daily calories, much less follow a complicated work-out plan. The more complicated a food plan/workout plan/budget/basically anything in life, the lower the adherence rate.

[chid]

A lot of lower division soccer teams don't require much skill. I've played with girls who had NEVER played at age 20 and its just a great way to run around (especially in outdoor) but still have a purpose. I take the lazy route and play goal keeper hehe

[Flame Of Liberty]

Hack&Lube:

Are you really sure its actually fat? I mean if you are skinny, your belly may appear "fat" compared to your (nonexistent) chest. Your inner organs have to be stored somewhere and they take up space so to speak, so it might appear as a "beer gut" hanging out.

Machiavelli:

When and where?