Greetings from Australia - and I'm a little lost

[Ascalon]

Pleased to join the forum. Recently began my fitness trek, have been reading the site a bit this morning and after seeing the community here thought I'd join up. All the forums are a bit daunting. I wasn't really sure where to start, so I thought I'd post a self-summary here. That way a mod can either move it to the right forum, or maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

 

Basically I am looking for a bit of community support to help with motivation, and maybe some advice on a few concerns (listed below). Look forward to chatting with everyone.

 

 

Background:

 

I'm a 28 year old Australian male. As far as nerd interests go, I play a bit of Playstation and am pretty into franchises like Bioshock, Borderlands, Uncharted - that sort of thing. Latest game I played was The Last Of Us, which I took a while to get around to but it was definitely worth it.

 

I'm 178cm tall, and up until about 5 years ago I was quite active and usually weighed around low 70s. My weight has slowly crept up over that time until I topped out at about 87kg as of a month ago. Exercise has been minimal and my diet has been pretty crap. My blood pressure / cholesterol etc. were okay but headed in the wrong direction. Posture was bad (work a desk job) and have had back problems.

 

 

Goals (in order):

1. Reduce body fat to 15%
2. Improve posture
3. Build strength, especially core strength
4. Improve cardiovascular fitness

I don't really care about my overall bodyweight, as long as I am in good shape. Similarly I don't really care about muscle bulk as long as I am strong (I do a lot of small boat sailing and strength-to-weight ratio is crucial).

 

 

Exercise Plan:

• 3 days of barbell strength training PW (full body workout)
• 1hr of cardio (usually a bike ride) + half an hour of core work on off days
• Half an hour of stretching each day (usually in front of the TV at night)
• 8hrs sleep each night, no exceptions

 

Diet:

• Heavy lean protein base (lots of kangaroo, chicken breast, fish and eggs)
• Tons of vegetables
• Virtually no energy-heavy 'white' carbs (bread / pasta / rice / potatoes)
• Minimal dairy / fruits (a dollop of greek yoghurt with some kind of fruit for breakfast, maybe a glass of milk or some feta in a salad every couple of days)
• Minimal alcohol (some weeks nothing, other weeks a glass or two of wine or a couple of beers)

Not optimal by any means, but if I completely cut out stuff like dairy and alcohol I would find it much harder to stick to. I figure as long as I am relatively sensible about my food mix, and watch my calorie count, I will get good results. Currently eating at about 20% below my BMR.

 

 

Current Status:

 

In the four weeks I have been on this plan, I have dropped 6kg and my strength/posture/CV endurance has improved exponentially (noob gains FTW). DOMS has mostly disappeared on off days, I feel good and energetic.

 

 

Concerns:

 

1, Motivation - Probably the biggie. I live alone, no girlfriend, which is good for finding time but bad for support. I haven't really told my mates what I am doing because I would rather keep it a private thing. I feel good at the moment, but it's an intense plan and I am sure I will have a 'down period' at some stage.

 

2. Time - My 'off' days are crowded. An hour of cardio plus an hour of core/stretching is pretty full on. Realistically, I feel like I need to cut this down otherwise it will eventually start slipping. I was thinking about cutting the cardio back to half an hour, but that's not a very taxing bike ride.

 

3. Diet - I am fairly comfortable with this from a fat loss / satiety / nutrition perspective, but I am a bit worried about the amount of muscle I am losing. I know that losing some muscle is basically inevitable with cutting, but I'd like to keep it to a minimum. i have heard that a modified ketogenic diet may help with this but I really do not know anything about it.

[Rossimelons]

Heya. Another aussie noob here. Where are you from? I understand what you mean about wanting to keep it personal but do you have one mate you can clue up to keep you motivated? You should sign up for the latest 6 week challenge. We're not quite a week in so it's not too late. I'm finding the community here to be very inspirational and that motivates me when I just cbf. Welcome and good luck. Your program sounds similar to mine. I can't quit beer either and wouldn't want to. I'm trying to find a lifestyle that is actually achievable!

[Rossimelons]

Oh and as for the diet. I'd up your fat intake. Get fattier cuts of meat. Use a good whack of oil when cooking. Eat avocado. Stick some coconut oil in your morning coffee. If you've limited carbs and grains then your body needs the fat to burn for energy! I haven't bothered counting calories at all. I just eat when in hungry until I'm full. The weight is still coming off. A combination of strength training and primal eating is working wonders. I'm not doing cardio either because I hate it!

[Ascalon]

Heya. Another aussie noob here. Where are you from? I understand what you mean about wanting to keep it personal but do you have one mate you can clue up to keep you motivated? You should sign up for the latest 6 week challenge. We're not quite a week in so it's not too late. I'm finding the community here to be very inspirational and that motivates me when I just cbf. Welcome and good luck. Your program sounds similar to mine. I can't quit beer either and wouldn't want to. I'm trying to find a lifestyle that is actually achievable!

Hey, good to see there are at least some Australians here - I was a bit worried I'd have to start thinking in inches and pounds. I'm from Sydney.

 

Probably one mate I can clue in, he's on a bit of a health kick at the moment himself actually. Although he's married so I don't see him every week.

 

I am sort of keen for the six week challenge but I don't really have any fixed short-term goals so I'm not sure where to start.

 

Oh and as for the diet. I'd up your fat intake. Get fattier cuts of meat. Use a good whack of oil when cooking. Eat avocado. Stick some coconut oil in your morning coffee. If you've limited carbs and grains then your body needs the fat to burn for energy! I haven't bothered counting calories at all. I just eat when in hungry until I'm full. The weight is still coming off. A combination of strength training and primal eating is working wonders. I'm not doing cardio either because I hate it!

I get a decent amount of fat from avocados, eggs and dairy, and my carb intake doesn't fall too low because I still eat stuff like sweet potato and legumes (I eat an absolute mountain of vegetables). I also tend to use olive oil for salad dressings and cooking. But you're probably right that I should have a look at it.

 

I might post my diet details for a few days in the nutrition forum (when I find it!) and see what people think. I am still getting the hang of this diet thing. I'm a bit skeptical about the whole primal/paleo craze, but not having to track macros and calorie count sounds pretty good.

 

I hate cardio as well, but I am mainly doing it for heart health. Also I hate being out of breath every time I have to run anywhere. I am planning on doing Tough Mudder at the end of the year, I'd like to build up some decent endurance for that.

[viciousred]

Hi! Yay! another Aussie newb!

 

I've been reading nerdfittness for a while but joined yesterday. I'm in Sydney too!

 

Looks like your off to a good start!

[Basement Cat]

Welcome to the rebellion, Ascalon!

 

You seem to know what you want and how to get. Good job! Good luck with your goals and keep us posted!

[Endor]

Welcome, great to have another Sydneysider here, I'm on the Central Coast which being from Newcastle you'll know but plenty people here don't so I just say Sydney.

 

My first impression is that you have changed a lot of things all at once which is hard to maintain long term. I think you have a good plan but doing it all in one go is difficult so I'm impressed you've stuck at it for 6 weeks and dropped some weight

 

I would definitely recommend doing the 6 week challenge, you can still join in and it's the best way to get some support here. You'll find other people in the same boat and you can go through it together.

 

I'm not sure how many of Steve's articles you have read, but there are a few out there that I found really helpful. Here's a couple I like:

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/03/04/how-to-lose-weight-without-doing-one-minute-of-exercise/

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/11/15/are-you-boring/

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/about-2/rules-of-the-rebellion/

 

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-burns-more-calories-cardio-intervals-or-weight-training/

 

 

I hate cardio as well, but I am mainly doing it for heart health. Also I hate being out of breath every time I have to run anywhere. I am planning on doing Tough Mudder at the end of the year, I'd like to build up some decent endurance for that.

If you are lifting weights in sets of 5 or more at a decent weight with rests of less than 2 minutes between sets you are improving your cardiac health in my opinion. I am fitter than I have been in years and I can play an hour's intense squash no problem. I don't do any 'cardio' as such but I get sweaty and out of breath doing intense squat sessions I fit test above average.

 

 

I am sort of keen for the six week challenge but I don't really have any fixed short-term goals so I'm not sure where to start.

 

I am planning on doing Tough Mudder at the end of the year, I'd like to build up some decent endurance for that.

 

3 days of barbell strength training PW (full body workout)

 

Virtually no energy-heavy 'white' carbs (bread / pasta / rice / potatoes)

 

Looks like a set of challenge goals to me. You just need to be more specific and create trackable goal, maybe something like this:

 

1. Do x activity twice a week with specific focus on building endurance. Test endurance at start and end of challenge.

2. Lift heavy 3 times a week.

3. Eat white carbs no more than 4 times a week.

 

You have a pretty good list in your first post so pick the 3 goals that you most want to achieve in the next 5-6 weeks.

 

This will help you get started on your 6 week challenge: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/forum/253-rulesfaq/

 

Good luck mate

[Ascalon]

Thanks mate, I've taken your advice and signed up.

 

It's a big bunch of changes, but at the end of the day it is a pretty simple plan - (basically) one hour of active exercise a day, and stop eating like crap. The way I have structured the diet is not hugely restrictive so I think that helps. It is mostly just thinking before I eat. I used to get takeaway on the way home because it was easy, not because I particularly enjoyed it. Now, that cheeseburger represents one less beer I can have on the weekend, or having to turn down dessert at a fancy restaurant. Not worth it.

 

The stretching is nothing, I do it in front of the TV at night. Sometimes I miss a day because I am out for dinner or whatever, but that's NBD.

 

If I was starting from zero I think I would have struggled more, but it was more a case of pulling together everything into a coherent plan. I was already pretty adept at cooking healthy food, I know my way around free weights, and I am an experienced cyclist. I used to get up at six and exercise for an hour each morning. They are all just things I had got pretty lazy about the last few years. It was a struggle the first couple of weeks, but I definitely feel like I am slipping back into old (good) habits now.

 

I start a new job in the next couple of weeks, which is what has sort of prompted me to sign up here. The extra time off over Christmas has definitely helped me bed down my new program but I don't want to start losing motivation and letting things slip once time gets a bit tighter. That's what happened 5 years ago.

[Endor]

All makes sense, funny how people look at things differently and find some things easier than others. I should be stretching every day and doing physio....I have the time but I just don't seem to have the focus to get it done.

 

Great that you are back into it, I bet you are already feeling heaps better

[Ascalon]

Biggest struggle for me is getting out of bed for cardio on my 'off' days. Look forward to gym day, but getting out of bed and getting going for a run or a cycle needs a huge effort -.I just don't enjoy it that much.

 

I am thinking of switching to swimming on my off days, but I am going to leave that until I have my fitness up and my routine well bedded down. A friend of mine did a zero-to-one-mile-in-six-weeks course a while ago. Maybe that can be my six week challenge a few cycles down the track.

[Endor]

I had a swimming goal in my first challenge, I haven't been recently but I used to go once a week, I think it's great exercise.