It's time to get fitter and shape up ......advice for a salad dodger please

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

55
6 foot
16 stone
Fairly big build , doctor wants me to drop two stone if possible as my blood sugar is pre diabetic

So , diet wise I know what to avoid and what to eat etc

I am not going to be building any muscle mass at all at my age so heavy gym work is out ......thank feck as I hate the gym

I don't enjoy cycling and can't swim like I used to .....my ankle is reconstructed so no running , 5 a side

I thought plenty of walking , some pilates and yoga classes ?

Mixed in with some basic dumbells and home exercises ?

Anyone got any decent links , there's absolutely stacks out there and I don't know where to start

[Hilts]

Calorie deficit.

Walking.

Have you got a garage or somewhere you can put a heavy bag.?

Kettlebells and slam ball exercises good to get the heart rate up and burn calories. Not too expensive to buy.

[North Cardiff Blue]

55
6 foot
16 stone
Fairly big build , doctor wants me to drop two stone if possible as my blood sugar is pre diabetic

So , diet wise I know what to avoid and what to eat etc

I am not going to be building any muscle mass at all at my age so heavy gym work is out ......thank feck as I hate the gym

I don't enjoy cycling and can't swim like I used to .....my ankle is reconstructed so no running , 5 a side

I thought plenty of walking , some pilates and yoga classes ?

Mixed in with some basic dumbells and home exercises ?

Anyone got any decent links , there's absolutely stacks out there and I don't know where to start

Walk up and down Mountains, it's still easy but miles better than walking on boring flat car polluting pavements, it will involve more effort and get your heart working and will lift your spirits and make you happier

[Rjk]

A mate has had some good results with regular short high intensity workouts - 7-10 mins (there are plenty of apps) coupled with long walks when he can fit them in with a hot bath afterwards which extends the calorie burning and drops blood sugar levels.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Walk up and down Mountains, it's still easy but miles better than walking on boring flat car polluting pavements, it will involve more effort and get your heart working and will lift your spirits and make you happier

I used to wear a nun's outfit and climb mountains, like Julie Andrews, but haven't done it for ages. Perhaps I should get back into the habit.

[North Cardiff Blue]

I used to wear a nun's outfit and climb mountains, like Julie Andrews, but haven't done it for ages. Perhaps I should get back into the habit.

[FormerlyJohnnyBreadhead]

Exercise is obviously good for you, and I'm assuming you're being told to lose weight to lower the risk of a heart disease. So walking is a great start. It's also great for your mental health, especially if you've got some good podcasts to listen to.

Don't dismiss weights, either. You don't have to turn into Arnie and go full on gym bro, but lifting weights is proven to be more beneficial for weight loss than cardio. Just take it easy and know your limits.

That said, it doesn't matter how much exercise you do, as the majority of weight loss is achieved in the kitchen, not the gym. If your GP can refer you to a dietician who can create a diet plan for you, great. If not, avoid added sugars like the plague, cut down on portion sizes, and avoid things that are high in fat. And drink a lot more water.

The key here isn't to achieve the goal of losing 2 stone, it's to make subtle changes in your lifestyle that become habits. Otherwise you'll lose the 2 stone and then just revert back to type.

[JamesWales]

55
6 foot
16 stone
Fairly big build , doctor wants me to drop two stone if possible as my blood sugar is pre diabetic

So , diet wise I know what to avoid and what to eat etc

I am not going to be building any muscle mass at all at my age so heavy gym work is out ......thank feck as I hate the gym

I don't enjoy cycling and can't swim like I used to .....my ankle is reconstructed so no running , 5 a side

I thought plenty of walking , some pilates and yoga classes ?

Mixed in with some basic dumbells and home exercises ?

Anyone got any decent links , there's absolutely stacks out there and I don't know where to start

Good for you.

My advice is go to a supermarket and buy lots of chicken, salmon, porridge, salad, sweet potatoes, veg etc. It's much easier to do if you eat when hungry, but just eat well. Having a lot of food in the house helps in that respect. An empty fridge just makes a trip to spar for a pasty or chocolate bar more likely

It can get boring, but chicken breast is great and you can make loads of good meals with that as a base.

Walk as default - it's surprising how quick it can be to get around

Run if you can, or in your case swim or cycle. - even doing a lap of the park and stopping 5 times, within a week you'll be stopping twice, then not stopping, then doing 2 laps, then running longer distances

Cut out booze, sugar, bread, processed food. Even just during the week.

Weigh yourself regularly so you can see the progress being made. You may be surprised how well it goes.

Good luck and good for you!!!

I've done this myself and would be happy to send recipes if you like.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Calorie deficit.

Walking.

Have you got a garage or somewhere you can put a heavy bag.?

Kettlebells and slam ball exercises good to get the heart rate up and burn calories. Not too expensive to buy.

Are kettleballs better than dumbells ?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Walk up and down Mountains, it's still easy but miles better than walking on boring flat car polluting pavements, it will involve more effort and get your heart working and will lift your spirits and make you happier

It's not going to be easy for me mate , it's going to kill me

[North Cardiff Blue]

It's not going to be easy for me mate , it's going to kill me

OK mate, small hills to start with and build up to steeper hills and small Mountains, the Wenallts a good place to start and when it gets dark you may be able to lose a few pounds dogging?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

A mate has had some good results with regular short high intensity workouts - 7-10 mins (there are plenty of apps) coupled with long walks when he can fit them in with a hot bath afterwards which extends the calorie burning and drops blood sugar levels.

Will have a look thanks

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Exercise is obviously good for you, and I'm assuming you're being told to lose weight to lower the risk of a heart disease. So walking is a great start. It's also great for your mental health, especially if you've got some good podcasts to listen to.

Don't dismiss weights, either. You don't have to turn into Arnie and go full on gym bro, but lifting weights is proven to be more beneficial for weight loss than cardio. Just take it easy and know your limits.

That said, it doesn't matter how much exercise you do, as the majority of weight loss is achieved in the kitchen, not the gym. If your GP can refer you to a dietician who can create a diet plan for you, great. If not, avoid added sugars like the plague, cut down on portion sizes, and avoid things that are high in fat. And drink a lot more water.

The key here isn't to achieve the goal of losing 2 stone, it's to make subtle changes in your lifestyle that become habits. Otherwise you'll lose the 2 stone and then just revert back to type.

I don't mind doing weights , it's heading down the gym 4 times a week I won't hack

Some basic home weights work will be fine

[Hilts]

Are kettleballs better than dumbells ?

No just different. Ive just got 1 kettlebell. Generally use it for a more cardio type workout and use dumbells for weight training.

I agree though weight loss the kitchen should be number 1 priority.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Good for you.

My advice is go to a supermarket and buy lots of chicken, salmon, porridge, salad, sweet potatoes, veg etc. It's much easier to do if you eat when hungry, but just eat well. Having a lot of food in the house helps in that respect. An empty fridge just makes a trip to spar for a pasty or chocolate bar more likely

It can get boring, but chicken breast is great and you can make loads of good meals with that as a base.

Walk as default - it's surprising how quick it can be to get around

Run if you can, or in your case swim or cycle. - even doing a lap of the park and stopping 5 times, within a week you'll be stopping twice, then not stopping, then doing 2 laps, then running longer distances

Cut out booze, sugar, bread, processed food. Even just during the week.

Weigh yourself regularly so you can see the progress being made. You may be surprised how well it goes.

Good luck and good for you!!!

I've done this myself and would be happy to send recipes if you like.

Yes that's fine mate

I bought some Quorn the other day and had a stir fry , bit bland but it's better than a Chinese take away 🙃

[Rjk]

Yes that's fine mate

I bought some Quorn the other day and had a stir fry , bit bland but it's better than a Chinese take away 🙃

was that one of the supermarket stirfry sauce thngs? they are horribly bland

So easy to make a good healthy stirfry as tasty as a takeaway one - probably helps that my wife is from China though.

She eats 4 or 5 cooked meals a day and just doesn't put on any weight - if you believe her this is down to not drinking any cold drinks, and avoiding carbs in the evening.
But then she also genuinely believes that there are ghosts in the house that are making the fridge make a funny noise sometimes, so I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

[welshyoot]

Not much more I can add to the above really.

I'm now 50 but this time last year I weighed around 17.5 stone (I'm 6'2). I've since lost six stone, partly through a change in diet but mainly walking. I'd started going for little walks during lockdown, just to get out of the kitchen and away from the laptop. I was aiming at 8k a day, but now do 20k a day (which is around 7-8 miles). I try to do it in three chunks - early morning pre-work, lunchtime and evening. Finding the right Podcasts has been essential, as once you get into the right one, you forget you're exercising. It's also been great finding new routes, paths, shortcuts etc in and around the area I've lived all my life, that I never knew existed. It can feel like a chore sometimes, either when the weather is bad or when (in my case) you realise at 11pm you've done 19.5k steps and you end up trudging aimlessly around the house for 10 minutes to get to 20k. It has become an obsession, but one that will hopefully be of benefit.

Definitely weigh yourself regularly as with the right diet - I cut out my lifelong favourites such as pasties, pies, sausage rolls and, in particular, crisps - and plenty of exercise, the weight will definitely come off. One note of caution, it may cost you a few quid as I've had to pretty much invest in a new wardrobe for anything that didn't involve my feet!

Good luck

This is great advice. I will try to incorporate more walks- I know I should anyway, but it's helpful to see it laid out. How long would you say each walk takes you (i.e. so you get to the 20k at the end of the day)? Do you use a step counter? Are there any decent ones anyone can recommend? Nothing fancy - just something that records the steps, perhaps connects with the phone but that's not really necessary either.

Here's a podcast which may help with your diet sludge, as you're doing your walking. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00...odes/downloads - listened to most of it recently and have tried to stop all ultra processed food as a result. Have found it quite difficult, but it forces you to cook and take note of what is in your shopping bag/cupboards. It's only been a few days but I was quite shocked at the revelations in the podcast and on looking at the various ingredient lists. Basically the recommendation is to only eat things with ingredients you'd expect to find in a normal kitchen.

was that one of the supermarket stirfry sauce thngs? they are horribly bland

So easy to make a good healthy stirfry as tasty as a takeaway one - probably helps that my wife is from China though.

She eats 4 or 5 cooked meals a day and just doesn't put on any weight - if you believe her this is down to not drinking any cold drinks, and avoiding carbs in the evening.
But then she also genuinely believes that there are ghosts in the house that are making the fridge make a funny noise sometimes, so I'd take that with a pinch of salt.

[Gnojek]

This is great advice. I will try to incorporate more walks- I know I should anyway, but it's helpful to see it laid out. How long would you say each walk takes you (i.e. so you get to the 20k at the end of the day)? Do you use a step counter? Are there any decent ones anyone can recommend? Nothing fancy - just something that records the steps, perhaps connects with the phone but that's not really necessary either.

Here's a podcast which may help with your diet sludge, as you're doing your walking. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00...odes/downloads - listened to most of it recently and have tried to stop all ultra processed food as a result. Have found it quite difficult, but it forces you to cook and take note of what is in your shopping bag/cupboards. It's only been a few days but I was quite shocked at the revelations in the podcast and on looking at the various ingredient lists. Basically the recommendation is to only eat things with ingredients you'd expect to find in a normal kitchen.

Nothing fancy, I just use the "Health" app on my iPhone to count my steps. If you have an iPhone, it's the white app with the small red heart on it, that is one of the standard ones. I always keep the phone in my pocket when I walk so the steps are registered. Alternatively there are plenty of other step-counting apps you can get for free.

I know lots of people use watches or other devices, but this works for me. I just need to remember to keep the phone in my pocket, even when I'm just walking around the house, back and fore to the garage etc.

Good luck

[ninian opinian]

Nothing fancy, I just use the "Health" app on my iPhone to count my steps. If you have an iPhone, it's the white app with the small red heart on it, that is one of the standard ones. I always keep the phone in my pocket when I walk so the steps are registered. Alternatively there are plenty of other step-counting apps you can get for free.

I know lots of people use watches or other devices, but this works for me. I just need to remember to keep the phone in my pocket, even when I'm just walking around the house, back and fore to the garage etc.

Good luck

Map my Walk is a decent app. It’s free and it gives you your distance walked (K’s or miles), duration, average pace, steps, calories, el again (ft) and average cadence. Also gives you detailed analysis of pace, elevation etc. you can get weekly totals and plan your routes. Also gives you a map of where you’ve walked.

They also have one for cycling, Map my Ride and one for running Map my Run although you can use the same app for all and just adjust it accordingly.

All you have to do is put in your weight, height etc.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

No just different. Ive just got 1 kettlebell. Generally use it for a more cardio type workout and use dumbells for weight training.

I agree though weight loss the kitchen should be number 1 priority.

Right what size kettleball would I need .....for cardio work .......not going to be competing with Arnie

[stan butler]

55
6 foot
16 stone
Fairly big build , doctor wants me to drop two stone if possible as my blood sugar is pre diabetic

So , diet wise I know what to avoid and what to eat etc

I am not going to be building any muscle mass at all at my age so heavy gym work is out ......thank feck as I hate the gym

I don't enjoy cycling and can't swim like I used to .....my ankle is reconstructed so no running , 5 a side

I thought plenty of walking , some pilates and yoga classes ?

Mixed in with some basic dumbells and home exercises ?

Anyone got any decent links , there's absolutely stacks out there and I don't know where to start

Get a punch bag and do a few non stop 2 to 3 minute rounds. Walking at a fast pace not a stroll. Weight training but it doesn't have to be heavy weights just do more reps with a lighter weigh..

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

OK mate, small hills to start with and build up to steeper hills and small Mountains, the Wenallts a good place to start and when it gets dark you may be able to lose a few pounds dogging?

I am not into any of that smutty nonsense

Generally

[North Cardiff Blue]

I am not into any of that smutty nonsense

Generally

Ha ha oh yes, salad dodger not dogger sorry

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Get a punch bag and do a few non stop 2 to 3 minute rounds. Walking at a fast pace not a stroll. Weight training but it doesn't have to be heavy weights just do more reps with a lighter weigh..

Just dumbells stan or a barbell ?

Can you get barbells you don't have to add weights to ?

[stan butler]

Just dumbells stan or a barbell ?

Can you get barbells you don't have to add weights to ?

I use dumbells but any kind of workout that gets your heart rate higher is good.. I have a stand up punch bag due to room issues and that gets my heart rate up and burns calories , fat etc..
Fast walking is another.
As i said i use a garmin to track my workouts and it tells me my heart rate has i train so i can up the effort