2020 review / 2021 plans

[Beany]

You mean 34" Shirley?

If that's aimed at me....

... You'd probably hit me as I am a fat fucker and thus quite wide

[Mito Man]

You’re thiccc with 3 c’s.

[mr_jon]

Sounds like no fat-shaming needed (not that I would).

But definitely something to look into. Big mental health gain too (in exercising). GL!

[Beany]

You’re thiccc with 3 c’s.

I am built for comfort, not for speed!

Jon, just something milk like walking to work. Or getting a new job where walking to work is more likely (IE cheap bus, get it from a stop half a mile away, etc).

Nothing drastic - I'm not a gym bunny.

[mr_jon]

Cheap basic home rower is a good place to start, too. Stick a podcast on and fuggedabout all the shit.

[240PP]

Pair of trainers, wireless earphones and walk/run.

[McSwede]

Pair of trainers, wireless earphones and walk/run.

Very much this. Nevermind a level of fitness, I had a level of unfitness that 2020 exacerbated. I decided to download the Couch 2 5k app from the BBC and it's helped me enormously. I'm into week 8 now and am running for 25 mins. Probably doesn't sound like a lot to some of you but this is superb for me.

That app really helps build your fitness and recovery levels quite quickly. I chose Jo Whiley as the voice coach on mine, but whomever you chose will talk you through each session. I've found it to be a massive help and am so very glad that I started it.

[dinny_g]

Walking was the only exercise I did on my 4 stone weight loss journey

[Beany]

Walking was the only exercise I did on my 4 stone weight loss journey

Yeah, my neighbour has suggested going on runs with him, but I've never gone running, and with my....more generous cut I'm quite sure it'd be very uncomfortable. And probably bad for my knees.

As I say, I live at the top of a pretty steep hill so I can get some cardio in with that too just by walking up it

[Swervin_Mervin]

AIUI walking is just as good as running in terms of cardio, once you get over 15mins. Significantly less impactful on your body as well.

[duncs500]

AIUI walking is just as good as running in terms of cardio, once you get over 15mins. Significantly less impactful on your body as well.

Well, it doesn't burn as many calories Shirley.

[Beany]

That just means losing the weight will take a little longer. Better than having fucked knees innit.

[duncs500]

True, I'm a great believer in not overdoing it anyway. No point in going at it so hard that it hurts, and then making up excuses in your head to avoid going through it again and basically giving up. I've done that myself a few times.

I think little and often is a great way to get into a routine with exercise. This last time I joined the gym and set myself various little goals, but didn't punish myself if I didn't achieve them. I think just going there almost every day was the key for me, it just made it a familiar environment which made me more comfortable there and I started to enjoy it in some strange way. I'd happily walk, but realistically I don't have the time and so I found gym more efficient, they are running 45min slots so you are time limited anyway.

[Beany]

True, I'm a great believer in not overdoing it anyway. No point in going at it so hard that it hurts, and then making up excuses in your head to avoid going through it again and basically giving up. I've done that myself a few times.

Precisely this. Make it useful and attainable. Perfection is the enemy of progress, as they say.

Yeah, I could lose six inches off my waist in six months if I POWER IT AT THE GYM, but that isn't even something I'd consider.

[Explosive Newt]

I have tried all kinds of things over the years and the only thing that has categorically helped me lose weight is counting calories. Less in, more out, it's that simple. Dropped 11kg in the 3 months leading up to Xmas (hate to think how much has gone back on!).

[duncs500]

I have tried all kinds of things over the years and the only thing that has categorically helped me lose weight is counting calories. Less in, more out, it's that simple. Dropped 11kg in the 3 months leading up to Xmas (hate to think how much has gone back on!).

I do that after Christmas! Too much fun to be had before.

I just find everything takes so long for me nowadays, took a while to see an improvement in fitness in the gym, and the weight doesn't fly off like it used to when I diet. I have just come to accept that being generally conscious about my intake is part of my life now.

[GG.]

Yep negative calorie balance is all that matters. I find it helpful to exercise to build up a deficit with exercise that I can 'eat back' (plus obviously it has cardio and health benefit not directly related to weight) with booze or cheese or whatever. Makes it much more likely to not give up. Bearing in mind a bottle of wine is c 600 calories though, realistically you need to do quite a bit of exercise to engage in a binge.

2019 was a good year where I lost 20kg. Sadly 2020 saw pretty much all that go back on so this year its time for the yoyo to swing back again...

[Swervin_Mervin]

AIUI walking is just as good as running in terms of cardio, once you get over 15mins. Significantly less impactful on your body as well.

Well, it doesn't burn as many calories Shirley.

Per given quantity of time, no. For obvious reasons. But there's not that much difference in actual calories burned over distance I believe.

It's clearly way more complex than that - this is an interesting peace on it:

https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition- ... -you-burn/

[duncs500]

Bearing in mind a bottle of wine is c 600 calories though, realistically you need to do quite a bit of exercise to engage in a binge.

That's not actually as bad as I thought, I should be drinking more wine (when the gym is open in any case).

[Swervin_Mervin]

I have tried all kinds of things over the years and the only thing that has categorically helped me lose weight is counting calories. Less in, more out, it's that simple. Dropped 11kg in the 3 months leading up to Xmas (hate to think how much has gone back on!).

Same here. I haven't done it this year, but in previous years on the run up to Christmas I've cut my lunch to practically nothing (just some fruit) and for only 2 days per week, and have managed to lose half a stone in a few weeks. It's not a huge sacrifice, so not that difficult to do. And I usually find that once I get past 2pm the hunger pangs disappear.

Then again, even with a bit of a lockdown/Xmas gut I'm still only just over 11st, so I don't usually need to lose much.