Be Excellent To Each Other

As I'm too lazy to re-read 4 pages, remind me what your email address is and I'll send one

Thanks man Thinking about getting my body fat % measured so I can see the progress there too. I've started lifting so I think that might be a better way to track how much fatness I'm losing as I'm not sure my weight will continue to decrease the same as it has. It's great motivation isn't it? The most surprising thing for me has been actually wanting to go to the gym, I'm definitely going to get my memberships worth anyway!

_{I'm not supposed to comment, as am being quiet, but yes, great motivation!}

Just 'losing weight' shouldn't be a target!

It can be if that's what you need to do primarily to get healthy.

But in that case getting healthy is the target, losing weight is one part of achieving it.

It could be your first target though.

Also, you can still be fit/healthy and overweight.

That's usually losing fat, though. If someone says 'x person needs to be less heavy', that's just a euphemism.

Weight in itself is not _usually_ a problem, as far as I'm aware. Maybe if someone has bad knees, I guess.

My point is I meet a lot of women who 'want to lose weight'. Maybe 3% mean that for health reasons. They just want to be thinner, which is not an especially healthy aim. Lose fat, gain muscle.

Being overweight isn't healthy though, I suppose to be fair that it depends on how over weight you are really. (I don't mean you specifically of course!)

Depends how that weight is distributed on your body. I hate BMI, as it fucks with people's minds with little benefit. I am technically overweight (13st, 5'10"). This bloke is obese according to BMI.

If someone is fit, they would have to be really heavy for that to be an issue. Again I say most times I see or hear someone saying they want to lose weight, they just want to get rid of some fat from their tummies, buttocks or thighs. They want to lose fat, not weight. The terms are not synonymous, is all I'm saying.

You're right - there are some exceptions. But if someone says 'I'm trying to lose weight', it's an aesthetic issue, not a health one. And they want to lose fat.

I think we agree you know. I suppose also losing body fat for most people is measured by weight.

Why not? It's not my only target at this stage but the ultimate goal is still to lose fat. I don't mind so much if my mass increases, as long my BF% and measurements go down, which is why I'm sticking with a calorie and carb controlled diet as well as exercising 5/6 times per week. My current short term (3 or 4 months) goals are to run 10km, bench press 85lbs, dead-lift 160lbs and squat 140lbs. Longer term, say within 12 months, I want to be able to run marathon distance and lift 240lbs, BP 120lbs and squat at least 180lbs and get my BF% to less than 20%.

Are we on the same page when I say 'fat' and 'weight' are not the same thing?

Someone who merely becomes lighter can still have the same level of fat, lack of strength/cardio/flexibility etc. They're just lighter, a fact that makes me shrug.


That is all most excellent, and I applaud you*... and it's not weight loss.

* Are you allowed two husbands?

Yes, we are....I think, as a women, most of that other stuff doesn't matter initially. You want to be thinner, you want to be lighter, you want to fit in to smaller clothes and be able to wear a bikini on the beach and you want it to happen in the shortest time possible. Then when you do lose weight and you still look flabby, you still have bingo wings and no bum and a flobby belly and thighs, you think about the need to exercise. The other thing that goes against most peoples ideas of 'losing weight' is that when you exercise you need to adjust your diet to get the most out of your excerise, which often includes eating more fat and carbs than you have done on any other diet. It's not a frame of mind that comes overnight or easily, understanding the difference between losing fat and losing weight is fine but in practice, seeing no difference on the scales and having to drag yourself to the gym first thing in the morning or after work is not good for keeping you focussed or motivated.

I'm not sure about the 2 husbands thing, perhaps I should change religion or something...?

This is why I don't use scales. I get weighed at, like, doctor check-ups and that's it.

2 questions:

Do I look good?
Do I feel good?

More important than weight. But I know what you mean about initial motives.

I'm paying for a gym membership that I've not used in months. I wish I had a gym buddy, or at least a proper workout to stick to. I tend to just noodle around doing this and that. The staff are useless

Almost this. I go with my sister and we do our own thing, apart from when we swim. The staff are good, but I think I could do with a proper personal session, I saw a personal trainer session offer a couple of weeks ago when I was in there, going to see if it's still on tomorrow I think.

I think I do better on my own, my friends would be more a distraction than a help!

I was running next to someone with a personal trainer the other day, she was chatting away to the girl, increasing the speed on the treadmill every now and then, the girl sounded knackered but she kept going much longer than I would have done under my own steam so they definitely push you further and harder than you would yourself. Some of the staff are pretty useless at the one I go to as well and quite obviously there for the social aspect and free use of the equipment...when I signed up I got showed nothing, just pointed in the direction of the changing rooms!

DavPaz, there are quite a few gym programmes on the interwebs, the fitocracy forum has a few pointers in the beginner section too. There is also a running programme on the Asics website too that you can tailor to your goals. I know what you mean about the fannying about though, when I'm waiting for equipment I want to use I tend to just faff.

I think it's good to begin with a personal trainer. They can establish what you are capable of (so you have a benchmark to which to aspire for future sessions), and provide good workout plans. Before I had some sessions, I was another who just wandered from one machine to the next. If you have a plan, when a machine you want is occupied, you know what else is smart to use for that session.

But yeah, I get pushed by trainers further than I would push myself. And spotting! I'll sometimes not squat my max just in case I can't replace the bar afterward. Definite advantage to training with someone else. Of course, you can just ask someone in the vicinity to spot you, but not at the gym I go to!

I HAS DECISIONIZED.

I'm going to cancel my local gym membership and join the one that's 100yds from work. I used to go at lunchtime when I was working at the other campus and it worked very well for me. It's a few quid more a month, but I'm much more likely to go when it's on my 'doorstep'

I joined a gym after xmas, it was a virgin gym which cost ~75/month. As it was so bloody expensive I was determined to get the most out of it so went 3 times a week minimum. The routine the staff gave me was small and not suited to me, so I modified it to suit me. Okay, sometimes I didn't do the 30 mins rowing, other times I did a hour, etc, but n general I think the cost was the most motivation o make the most of it. That and knowing I was on a three month contract.

Hang on, hang on? Are you telling me I could turn my hour long bike ride today into some kind of pointless points? And level up and shit?

Oh, could I do that please? Do I need an invite?

At the moment I'm contemplating walking four miles both to and from work tomorrow in order to CRUSH myoptika and take his place on the Beex leaderboard. A worthy goal, I'm sure we can all agree.

I just tried to log the walk I took yesterday, taking my geriatric dog around the park. However, she's so slow and old that the 35 mins to do half a mile was outside of the available "pace" settings, so it wouldn't let me log it. I'm gonna need a faster dog.

Yeah, good luck with that.

I am looking at the pool mile challenge... It might take me a few weeks to work up to that one

When I did my silver swimming certificate, I couldn't complete it because I took so long to do the however many lengths it was that the pool closed and we all had to go home.

You need the activity 'light walking'.

Hmmm, failed to walk to work due to a lack of decent sleep, so got the bus instead. And was still half an hour late

Ah ha, thanks! Although that really wasn't worth the 7 points it got me

Ooh, it's only 60 lengths, I might try that this weekend.

I use a 20m pool at the hotel... so it is 75 lengths, and 40 nearly killed me..

"Only 60 lengths"?! Are you a fish/mermaid/metal...? The thought of 10 lengths makes me feel a bit sick. It's good cardio exercise though isn't it? With the lack of being able to breath and all that? Might give swimming a go one day but probably not soon! The Gullible Guppy quest looks like something I could achieve though.



You do need an invite, yes. Did you get one yet?



Seventyfuckingfivefuckingpounds!? Whaaaat!? What did you get for that? A striptease? A free flight? Jesus...

Hmmm, yes. I wrote a blog a little while ago about Virgin Active. Apparently it comes up pretty high when searching google for 'virgin active prices' or something, haha.

Aaaand tonight is ladies night. I'm now tempted. Might just go and do 4 lengths to get that cheevo

I love swimming, really love it, far more than anything else I do at the gym. I used to go to the gym-bit for a hour three times a week but got bored, so I only do half an hour now to keep me interested or I wouldn't go at all and would just swim. I used to be a strong swimmer, but not so fit any more, I don't get any speed up, just plod along and enjoy being in the water, it's a nice pool too.

I really want to go SCUBA diving.

Go for it, I was really pleased I went yesterday, felt loads better for it.

When do I get invited? Anyone with giigle* has my effing email address.

Thankee.

Actually, Google+ doesn't seem to show your email address, unless I'm going blind.

What's your email address, you tit! I asked you for it the other day!!?

My fackin' screen name at gmail!

What? Flis has your height, chest and inside leg measurements, your phone number and your address...but she doesnt know your email address?

Stalker fail

Oh look, I appear to have overtaken myp on the leaderboard.

Need to get your arse in gear dude and make it more of a challenge. I just wish I played some kind of 'sport' that I could do for 30 mins and bag a stupidly easy 300 points.

Seems silly you could do badminton or something for a little while, and you'd get more points than you would for doing the 10k quest, which is far harder.

Wow, you folded your stomach towards itself a few times. Any retarded simian could do that.

You'd know, stupidface.

Who's stalking who, there.

Sigh, I should probably do some sit-ups or something before midnight, do you lose points for not doing anything in a day?

No, but some kind of inactivity degredation has been mooted on the forums. They can't decide how the mechanic should work.

At the moment they have a voluntary 'Sat on my butt' activity which gets you.... minus 5 points.

Truly, a bit pointless. The only gripe of this site is that they haven't figured all of this stuff out yet. I suppose that's what that little BETA word at the top is for.

Hmm, fair enough. Oh, I went for a walk earlier, that'll do.

Halfway through level 3 after one workout. Is that reasonable? I have no frame of reference.