It's Not That Hard to Stay in Shape

[the_rake]

In the west, we have a real problem with obesity and it's not going away anytime soon. Where I live, in the United Kingdom, '[o]ne in four British adults is obese, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, prompting fears that the UK has become the "fat man of Europe".'*1 Meanwhile, the rest of Europe is not much better:

Ireland: 24.5%
Spain: 24.1%
Portugal: 21.6%
Germany: 21.3%
Belgium: 19.1%
Austria: 18.3%
Italy: 17.2%
Sweden: 16.6%
France: 15.6% *1

... And America is the world's fattest nation "nearly 78 million adults and 13 million children"*2 are affected by obesity and of course, it's just a coincidence they are also the richest nation, right? Because obesity is not a choice, it's a disease, right? None of this has anything to do with the following:

"increased availability of a variety of palatable and affordable foods;
decreased physical demands of many jobs;
increased "screen time" – television, computers and smart phones;
“nutritional programming” -- overweight and obese mothers who may be increasing their unborn"*2

Sarcasm aside, we can probably agree that the main causes of obesity are an increasingly sedentary lifestyle that rich westerners have the luxury to afford and increasingly poor choices, especially dietary choices. This doesn't have to be a controversial take, however, because I fully acknowledge the fact that under certain circumstances, obesity is a medical condition. However, whether it's the result of extremely rare case scenarios or the more likely case that an individual has made extremely poor lifestyle choices, I don't think there's anything WRONG with obese people. In fact, I want to help those individuals, if I possibly can - or the ones that care to change, anyway.

You don't have to look like a model

The important thing is not that you have achieved your end goal, in fact nobody every achieves their end goal in life - it's an infinite tunnel. The important thing is that you are constantly progressing, and constantly moving towards something better and greater than what you are now. There will always be someone better looking than you to make you feel insecure and make you think to yourself "well, it's pointless, might as well give up". Likewise, there will always be someone worse looking than you that will make you feel complacent and think to yourself "well, I don't need to improve because look at this person, THEY'RE the ones that need to hop on the exercise bike, I'M doing just fine with my saggy old beer belly".

If you MUST compare yourself to others, do so in a positive manner. See people better looking than you as role models and see people who have not achieved what you are as people on the same path, who have yet to cover the ground that you have. If you don't keep progressing, those people may someday overtake you and then you will just feel even worse about yourself! And if you look like Homer Simpson, I beg you: don't aim for Chris Hemsworth - just aim to be able to see your toes next time you look down. Similarly, if you're a woman have realistic targets. Aim for the sky by all means, but save focussing on those dream goals for a time when that metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel is a lot, lot brighter.

It doesn't help to believe that you can't help yourself

If you believe that you are doomed to be unhealthy and unattractively overweight for the rest of your life, then you probably never will gain the inspiration that's needed to change. If you believe that obesity is a disease and not a choice, then that's a self-fulfilling prophecy (especially if you are NOT one of those individuals). I'm going to talk about positive thinking and incremental targets in a bit but for now, I will just say that when you are realistic about your goals, and you work towards them slowly but gradually you achieve a lot more. In particular, it's important to ENJOY the journey you take there. Don't be Sisyphus: don't push a boulder up a hill for all eternity in futility. Pick a small hill, ditch the rock and make it to the peak, so that you can enjoy the bird's-eye view. You can always climb a larger hill at some later point in your life.

Be a good chef

One of the worst myths about diet is that "if it tastes good, it's probably unhealthy, and if it's healthy, it's probably hard to eat". I was very fortunate to be raised by a mother who was a truly extraordinary cook. Chinese stir-fry vegetables, vegetarian lasagne, chicken salad, grilled fish and ciabatta with humous ... if you think that you can't eat healthy food and make it taste good, then you can think again. Personally, I can't think of anything more obnoxiously revolting than eating a MacDonald's big mac every day of your life. I'd much rather take an exquisitely cooked turkey steak sandwiched in a warm, crusty french baguette with lettuce, onions, olives, tomatoes and a spread of mustard.

To summarise this section:

- if you are a meat eater, then lean towards lean, healthy meats (especially white meats) rather than processed meats

- cut out saturated and trans-fats from your diet (e.g. butter, vegetable oil, animal fat, etc.) in favour of mono-saturated and poly-saturated fats like olive oil and sunflower oil

- don't put salt on everything

- eat less fried food

- avoid takeaways and eating out: actually learn how to COOK!

- make your fruit and vegetables taste interesting (e.g. fruit salad, stir-fry vegetables, strawberries and cream, banana fritter, etc., etc.

- make your food interesting and healthy in general and check out Jamie Oliver's page, which contains truly excellent vegan and vegetarian recipes as well as healthy plates for meat eaters: https://www.jamieoliver.com/

- ENJOY your food! If you are drinking disgusting vegetable fruit smoothies and eating nothing but rabbit food, you are probably going to lose motivation to stay healthy FAST.

It's a marathon, not a sprint

What this means is that you want to keep the pace going and achieve your goals incrementally, one small step at a going. I can't begin to tell you my own emotional journey with taking things one step at a time. I know all too well the perils of trying to rush things from my own experience of self-improvement. I have never been overweight, in fact I have always been in very good shape, but I have definitely been prone to procrastination in other areas.

Often, procrastinators are infamous for leaving things to the very last minute and then putting enormous stress on themselves to achieve. Well, this used to be me all over. The truth was that I simply did not trust myself to achieve my own goals and I did not have true faith that if I took a little step towards my goals today I would most likely take a little step toward my goals the next day and another little goal the next day. Instead I would bury my head in the sand, pretend like my problems did not exist, and then try to solve everything all at once. I'm not going to tell you that this strategy never "worked", because it did "work". I would find all kinds of dirty short-cuts and short-term solutions. I would use the "woolly mammoth" too: do a huge project, and then do nothing or very little else for months, feeding off your "woolly mammoth" and referring to that huge project you did recently to anybody who questions your procastination.

So yeah, you can get away with procastination. But that doesn't make it an ideal way to live your life. The stress induced is enormous and you never truly enjoy your work. And when you are not moving towards your goals, most of your time is very likely wasted. So why do it? Why procrastinate? Simple: human beings have evolved to be energy conservative. In nature, this is an incredibly efffective survival strategy. In human society, this is not so effective. However, the only way to overcome procrastination is to effectively embrace our own laziness.

Unless you are extremely dedicated to a goal (in this instance fitness) chances are you will NOT get out of bed every morning at 4am to go for a run in the park; you will NOT starve yourself half to death to become a size zero and you probably will NOT workout until your central nervous system starts to shut down, and you feel like you're going to be sick. Face that fact and embrace it. Instead, what you absolutely must do is make a small step toward your goal everyday and a very small change towards the way you live your life.

Use chicken or anchovy topping on your pizza rather than pepperoni. Go for a long walk if a run in the park is too much for you (for incredibly overweight people, this can be extremely difficult). Purchase an exercise bike so you can watch the TV as you burn fat on a very low setting. Substitute vegetable oil and butter in your cooking for olive oil. Stop frying food: start baking, boiling, etc. Make your own noodle stir fry, it doesn't take long and is a ton healthier than pot noodles. Stop having a goddamn English breakfast with bacon, sausages, eggs and baked beans every morning. At the very least cut out the processed meat (bacon, sausages, pepperoni, ham, etc.) and trend towards white meat (chicken, fish and turkey) rather than red meat (beef, pork, duck and most processed meats). And if you're really hungry during the day get a turkey sandwich, don't go to MacDonalds for the love of everything holy!

Pro-tip: hitting the weight room and putting on lean muscle helps improve your metabolism and burn fat (ladies, gaining some moderate muscle tone does NOT mean you will look automatically like a bodybuilder!).

Conclusion

If after reading this, you still think it's mission impossible to lose weight, I guess I can't help you if you won't help yourself. But let's be real here: apart from a very small minority of people with genuine medical issues, it's NOT impossible. You can take things slow and steady. You may not achieve the ideal weight overnight but you can enjoy the journey you take there. You can make small incremental changes and put your transformation on a low-heat back burner. In other words, you don't have to be constantly putting pressure on yourself to get in shape. You just need to apply that small amount of pressure and be somewhat consistent and organised in the way you go about achieving goals.

Have a long-term goal by all means but BREAK IT DOWN! And be specific about the smaller goals. Don't just set a target like, "I want to be able to run faster by the end of the week", but specify how MUCH faster - e.g. "I want to go from a level 1.5 to a level 2 on the treadmill by the end of the week". Finally, and most importantly be realistic, because if you are an obese man you are probably not going to look like a calvein klein boxer model by the end of the year. Similarly, if you are an obese women you probably won't transform into victoria secret under wear model any time soon either. But you CAN lose weight: you CAN feel better about yourself and you absolutely CAN achieve a healthy and realistic body image.

Articles Referenced

*1 https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/statistics-and-causes-of-the-obesity-epidemic-in-the-UK.aspx

*2 https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/WeightManagement/Obesity/Understanding-the-American-Obesity-Epidemic_UCM_461650_Article.jsp#.V5K6NfkrLIU

[AlphaMale1]

I dropped 103 pounds and have kept it off for over 9 years. Here is how:

Absolutely no fast foods. Did you know those golden brown french fries get that color because they are sugar coated? You are eating potatoes and sugar cooked in grease.

Focus on protein, protein, protein.

Drink water. A lot of water. It helps your body to burn fat.

Avoid processed foods.

Avoid greasy foods.

A simple 30 minute aerobic exercise every other day burns a huge amount of calories. Even tho you skip a day your body continues to burn calories as if you exercised that day. Walking fast is my choice.

Weigh yourself often.

It is a change in lifestyle. For me the time came where if I put junk food in my mouth I would get sick from it. My body no longer wants it. I listen to what it is telling me. :)

[the_rake]

"Did you know those golden brown french fries get that color because they are sugar coated? You are eating potatoes and sugar cooked in grease."

Or you can bake oven chips, use olive oil/sunflower oil instead of butter. But yeah, cutting out processed and greasy foods is generally a good policy.

"A simple 30 minute aerobic exercise every other day burns a huge amount of calories."

Yep, aerobics, pilates and yoga are all relatively moderate to low intensity workouts depending how much effort you want to exert. Most people (even extremely overweight people) can do beginner's yoga sessions and perform the easiest variations for example.

"Walking fast"

This too. Just goes to show, it's definitely NOT that hard to do SOMETHING.

"Weigh yourself often."

This one not so much, because it can be self-defeating / lead to bodyweight insecurities. I'd say to weigh yourself once a week maximum just to keep a track on progress.

[the_rake]

"For me the time came where if I put junk food in my mouth I would get sick from it."

I like junk food from time to time. But I can definitely agree that on the whole, properly cooked, healthy and nutritious food actually tastes a lot, lot better.

[AlphaMale1]

I used the bathroom scale to remind me why I was denying my cravings. Even when I hit a plateau I wanted to know when that one ended. One thing I learned about plateau's is even tho the weight temporarily stops falling my body size continued to shrink. I got the idea of weighing myself often from an article about habits of people who lost weight and kept it off.

by the way, those cravings go away pretty quick if you resist cheating. It only takes one time of cheating and they will return. It is not worth a few moments of eating something fattening.

[the_rake]

"I used the bathroom scale to remind me why I was denying my cravings. Even when I hit a plateau I wanted to know when that one ended. One thing I learned about plateau's is even tho the weight temporarily stops falling my body size continued to shrink. I got the idea of weighing myself often from an article about habits of people who lost weight and kept it off."

Fair enough, I guess it's ultimately about what motivates you. Upvote by the way.

"by the way, those cravings go away pretty quick if you resist cheating. It only takes one time of cheating and they will return."

true. for me satisfying the occasional craving doesn't do any harm but I can see why it would have a negative impact on someone who used to have a very unhealthy lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

I do not think you should blame people for making bad eating habits. I've watched countless documentaries in which researchers show that people will make better healthy eating habits, once they are EDUCATED consumers. The problem is, not many people are educated consumers. They eat what they can get to stay alive. It's simple and convenient, or so they think. However, if they are given enough education about healthier food choices, then they will do anything to make the change, even if it means spending more time cooking and cleaning.

[Opinion Owner]

America is very capitalistic, and her capitalism was strengthened during the Cold War. We should take advantage of the capitalism and use it for good buying healthier food, like vegetables and fruits and nuts/beans/legumes/seeds as well as energy-dense staple food, such as meats and breads/noodles/rice. If businesses see a trend in consumers making healthier choices, then they will do anything to cater to our needs. . . or be forced to go out of business.

[the_rake]

"I do not think you should blame people for making bad eating habits."

Wel... I didn't. I said 'whether it's the result of extremely rare case scenarios or the more likely case that an individual has made extremely poor lifestyle choices, I don't think there's anything WRONG with obese people. In fact, I want to help those individuals, if I possibly can - or the ones that care to change, anyway.'

Emphasis on the last sentence.

[the_rake]

"people will make better healthy eating habits, once they are EDUCATED consumers. The problem is, not many people are educated consumers."

Very true, that's why this take isn't about moralising but I give specific suggestions, especially dietary related suggestions.

"We should take advantage of the capitalism"

The problem is corporations don't really care if you are eating healthy or not, they just want to sell cheap and convenient junk food that makes for a quick profit. So we can't rely on commercial capitalism to educate people.

"If businesses see a trend in consumers making healthier choices"

Key word: "if".

[BlueCoyote]

I like your MyTake but there are 2 things I very much disagree with:

1. You mentioned that it's no coincidence that the fattest nation in the world is also the richest nation. First off just a small disclaimer, America is actually not the fattest nation in the world. The most obese country in the world is Palau, a small and very remote archipelago in the pacific ocean, a few thousands kilometers off the coast of Australia. But that's not my point here. More importantly, wealth and obesity are not related - at least not in the sense you seem to think. Japan is also a rich, developed country, yet people there are not overweight. This might partially have to do with the Japanese diet but not exclusively. Even my country Switzerland does pretty well compared to almost all other western European nations (if you ever come here, I promise you will see a HUGE difference compared to the UK).
The reason America is so insanely overweight is NOT because it's a rich country but because it's an incredibly UNEQUAL country (economically speaking). In fact, when you look at rich people in the US, you will see that practically all of them all well in shape. This is not just true for movie stars and models but also for people who don't necessarily need to be fit (take Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or even the Bushs, Clintons or Obamas). In many western countries (US and UK in particular) obesity is NOT a problem of the wealthy but of the poor. Now, because America has such an un-egalitarian society, there are a few astronomically rich folks but there are also millions of people far below the poverty line. In fact, you will not experience the kind of poverty seen in America in any other, developed nation. Importantly, poverty in unequal societies doesn't just mean you don't have money. It also means you're less educated (and informed), you might not have access to new information easily, you are more likely to struggle with other health-related issues etc..
Both the US and the UK have very unequal societies and both places are very obese. THAT is not a coincidence.

2. You mentioned that the group of people who can't lose weight (easily) is "a very small minority". That's not true and I believe you forgot here about a much bigger group because you're lucky not to be in that situation. Sure, there are some people who have issues with their fat cells or metabolism etc. and they just can't lose weight. THAT's indeed a small minority. But there are also people like myself: I don't

[BlueCoyote]

have any problems with my metabolism and my body is basically capable of losing weight just like yours. However, I have been born with a severe visual disability. This disability means that there are only very, very few sports I can do. Either they are too dangerous for me or I'm not medically allowed to do them (for example I'm not allowed to do any kind of exercises related to strength, such as push-ups, because I have a glaucoma and push-ups can cause my intraocular pressure to increase and that's extremely dangerous because it can lead to blindness). Basically, the only sport/work-out I'm allowed to do without any worries is swimming. Now, swimming is not quite as much fun as player soccer with your mates, so there's another hurdle that keeps me from working out.
This is not meant to justify my chubbiness. I know I should lose 10-15 pounds. But you should know there are MANY people like myself. There are also people in wheel chairs etc..

[the_rake]

1. Yeah I goofed up with the point about America being the fattest nation (actually some small research on the matter tells me it's Nauru, not the other country you mentioned) but I didn't argue the point you think I argued. I wasn't showing a direct correlation between wealth and obesity, I was trying to show how in a rich country where people have more options available, that also means they have bad options. Of course there's all kinds of influences. For example cultural influences like you mentioned: Japan is a country where people tend to eat more white meats (especially fish), their culinary culture is much healthier on the whole and people probably have better dietary knowledge. America is land of the big mac: their wealth probably enables it, but individual choice is most likely the determining factor here.

"Both the US and the UK have very unequal societies and both places are very obese. THAT is not a coincidence."
That's very much a likelihood.

[the_rake]

2. Ok, so there are different medical issues that can influence obesity, do you have any precise statistics? I don't think I'm that lucky to belong to a group that doesn't have these medical issues because I don't believe that this group is a minority, so probability of me being born into a different group was probably slim - at least relatively. By the way, the point is not to shame ANYONE who's obese - choice or not. The point is to offer a solution to those who ARE able to take it.

"Now, swimming is not quite as much fun as player soccer with your mates, so there's another hurdle that keeps me from working out.
This is not meant to justify my chubbiness. I know I should lose 10-15 pounds. But you should know there are MANY people like myself. There are also people in wheel chairs etc.."

There's a theory that diet is more influential than exercise. I'm not necessarily espousing that theory, just saying it's out there.

[the_rake]

"Now, swimming is not quite as much fun as player soccer with your mates"

Tbh, most of my exercise regiment is not particularly sociable either: although socialising would be a plus, I just do it for myself. If swimming was the only thing I could do, I would probably still do it. Don't get me wrong, that sucks that you can't do push-ups and stuff, I just know that for me personally that alone would not be a deterrent from exercise. Having said that, you do need to do something ground based to avoid shin-splints (a common complaint from swimmers since long time spent in the water leads to a low bone density). There's probably some low-intensity ground-based solution for this that would remedy the reduction in bone density, however. Consult a physician.

[megankxthleen]

Completely agree!
I'm an American and my everyday diet consists of:
B: Half a bottle of water, a cup of coffee with almond creamer and 1 packet of sweetener - and usually make a juice with 1 cup of spinach, 1 kale leaf, 1 cup of strawberries and chia seeds, and 1 banana; if I don't feel like that, I like to have avocado on half a piece of Nature's Harvest whole grain bread with almond butter or an egg, rarely.
L: Consists of a salad with lettuce, cucumber, avocado (if I don't have that for breakfast), some raspberries, and a "light" dressing.
Veggies. Either a cup of cooked spinach or broccoli, sweet potato on occasion, sometimes half a sandwich. I pair this with a glass of water with lemon and two shots of apple cider vinegar. This is the same for dinner.
Snack: Tomato slices with some pepper, lots of cucumber, a slice of watermelon if I have any, a handful of almonds/raisins, avocado with about a tbls of dressing, half a cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt, a bowl of fruit, celery with almond butter.
I also go for a walk/run twice a day and do between 20-40 squats/pilates a day.
I don't understand how so many in this country let themselves get to that point. It's understandable that some people have medical conditions or are on medication that lead to them becoming overweight, but it feels so much better to eat clean and not be weighed down after a meal of grease and then sitting on a cell phone/social media instead of just going for a walk or exercising. It really isn't that hard. It's a mind-over-matter type of thing.

[the_rake]

yep, and I can personally confirm that it's not even needed to eat as healthily as you do.

[the_rake]

are you vegetarian by the way?

[megankxthleen]

I am! And I know, but I've kind of become accustomed to it haha. Every once in a while I still have pizza or baked goods on occasion. It's really all about self-control.

[the_rake]

that's ok, with you're daily routine you can afford to, believe me.

[megankxthleen]

That's why I eat like I do. Especially around the hollidays. That way it's a lot easier to stick to good habits but still be able to indulge a little without having to really worry about the crazy exercise plan I need to make the next day, or to not even care at all and end up in the overweight population of American citizens. It frustrates me when I see people who want to lose weight and just can't get their minds into it. It's really sad, especially when it's a big goal of theirs and they overwhelm themselves.

[J1020]

Im not somebody who is obese or overweight but I do not judge people who are. I have had an eating disorder in the past which I have pretty much handled on my own and this year I met someone who became a vegan and she showed me ways one can eat even healthier. I have also been to other countries where yes, people are in a ''healthier'' shape and even still I realize that here in the U. S. things are not that simple.

A hamburger = $1
Chips or junk = $1
A salad = $4

Junk, fast and greasy food are MUCH cheaper. Specially PROCESSED food.
Even food with GMOs are much much cheaper. The government are in bed with these corporations and do not give a shit about people's health, the general public pays the price tho.
You can buy a simple can of beans and it has sugar, why the fuck do they add sugar to beans? Why do they add sugar to everything as an additional ingredient? Its stupid.
Eating garbage is the norm here, for you to eat healthy you have to educate yourself.

Good take and hopefully it helps someone, health is probably the most important thing we should keep in mind before others.

[the_rake]

"Im not somebody who is obese or overweight but I do not judge people who are"

Neither do I. This take is about helping the people who are medically able to make changes to their lifestyle. Their past choices don't matter so much as the choices they are willing to make now and in the future.

"A hamburger = $1
Chips or junk = $1
A salad = $4"

Umm... are you sure about this? I mean I can buy the ingredients for a salad pretty damn cheap. Maybe you're going to the wrong stores, or maybe you're making the mistake of purchasing pre-made takeaway salads. You should make your own salads. I recommend iceberg lettuce, olives, a small dose of olive oil, diced peppers, feta cheese, onion and maybe a little meat (e. g. chicken or salmon strips) for some tasty variety. Have your own variations though.

"Junk, fast and greasy food are MUCH cheaper"

They're cheaper because they're jam packed with things like water, salt, additives that help preserve the food, etc. Eat out and it's not so cheap.

[the_rake]

... go to a decent supermarket with good bargains (in the united kingdom we have a store called Aldis, I don't know about US), and you can get most of the ingredients for a balanced diet at a knockoff rate. Cooking for yourself also tends to be cheaper on the whole than constantly paying money to eat out. Add up the prices of all the microwave dinners and fast food you've been eating over, let's say one week and you might be surprised at how much money you could save if you put a bit of thought into your grocery shopping.

"The government are in bed with these corporations"

True, public policy needs to be critiqued as much as individual choice but I don't think we should let the latter of the hook.

"You can buy a simple can of beans and it has sugar, why the fuck do they add sugar to beans? "

Alternative: buy a can of butter beans from a store like aldis, add tomato puree, garlic and basil. 10 times healthier, ten times better flavour.

[the_rake]

"for you to eat healthy you have to educate you have to educate yourself"

only a little bit. the take I wrote is a good start. jamie oliver's website is another good port of call. google search "cheap, healthy, good quality foods" is another.

"Good take and hopefully it helps someone"

Fingers crossed. Thanks for your opinion.

[sp33d]

Mostly people don't have a choice in what major changes occur to their bodies. Even men that work out regularly will develop a 'pot belly' regardless as they would without working out. It's not a medical issue or 'problem', per se, merely what their genetic code dictates.

That said, diabetes is not exclusively inherited, one can still develop it due to poor lifestyle, notably in the diet department. Hence it's not a valid excuse.

--The important thing is not that you have achieved your end goal, in fact nobody ever achieves their end goal in life - it's an infinite tunnel.--
This 'end goal' mentality is what discourages so many people due to, mostly, impatience. Calling it a tunnel feels a bit.. limiting. I'd rather call it a maze.

The culprit is the average person's simple, limited thinking ("average person" not clearly defined ), a trend that is sadly becoming more prevalent. It's debatable what has actually caused said trend and a basis for a separate take, entirely.

In a way it goes back to what was pointed out:
"I can't help you if you won't help yourself". The latter is often considered as an insult, which is unfortunate.

To summarise this take, for the most part it suffices to say "Be realistic about your expectations". Something that is, indeed, mission impossible for many people for we live in a society dominated by propaganda-borne misconceptions and false expectations.

[will_ofB]

Great mytake man. I can't seem to shake off procrastination and negligence. Even when I gain momentum I find myself falling back into old habits. I'll keep excerpts from this handy to reference whenever I start to fold. Also have to agree that if you didn't develop good eating habits at home early it's definitely harder to pick them up later in life. I was fortunate that my mother loved to cook too. When I had junk food binges and become too lazy to cook it felt like my body just couldn't handle and begged me to cook home again haha.

[the_rake]

" if you didn't develop good eating habits at home early it's definitely harder to pick them up later in life"

true, but I think the other guys can still learn to cook. I would recommend anyone that's overweight / unhealthy to pay upfront for 6months worth of cooking classes. it's not physically difficult or strenuous and if you're committed, you will definitely learn how to make good, healthy food. if you pay up front then you're committing yourself and I think anybody that does this will soon learn the benefits. personally I have never done this but I'm sure there's more than a few guys struggling along in the kitchen that could benefit.

[Hasaboyfriend]

The thing about the cooking is that they have to realize that they can't just suddenly hop from eating 4 Big Macs a day to eating only salads. It is a very SLOW transition from eating junk food to eating healthy an cutting out junk food entirely. If they suddenly stop then they will give up fast. Slowly turn that Big Mac into a salad, or get a salad instead of fries with your Big Mac. In the mornings put fresh fruit in your sugary cereal. Instead of eating Doritos, switch to buttered popcorn, eventually switching to just salted popcorn, to no popcorn dressing at all. It will be slow but you will get there!

[the_rake]

" 4 Big Macs a day to eating only salads"

And they don't have to. There's plenty of healthy eating options that are more diverse than just salads.

[Hasaboyfriend]

Yeah I know, I was just using salads as an example. The transition is slow either way.

[the_rake]

fair dos. preach it.

[Phoenix98]

It's true, all it takes is right eating habits and proper exercise, and to be honest there are many healthy ways to fix food that makes what was unhealthy, healthy, for instance if you like hamburgers make em in a smoker, the smoke and heat cooks the burgers, makes em taste good and all the fat drips down in to the coals. Way better then making them in a deep fryer like in fast food places. or if you like say french fries make em on a grill and not in a boiling case of grease and fat.

And there are just many healthy alternatives to junk food in general you just have to know where to look.

[the_rake]

" to be honest there are many healthy ways to fix food that makes what was unhealthy, healthy, for instance if you like hamburgers make em in a smoker, the smoke and heat cooks the burgers, makes em taste good and all the fat drips down in to the coals. "

and the prize goes to Phoenix98. You basically just explained my point down to a t. Hell, even going to a supermarket for a mince beef burger is probably going to be a lot, lot healthier than a macdonald's burger given the amount of toxic crap they put in that stuff. I'm not even saying we should eat nothing but burgers but that there are small incremental changes we can make to our diet that are both damn easy and inexpensive (in fact many of them SAVE money).

@yololoyo
"learn to suffer"

you don't even need to do that. Well, maybe a little bit but really not that much. There's SO many healthy and readily available alternatives in this day and age.

[Phoenix98]

Lol thanks and yup that's true, one of my favorite cookbooks is the shredded chef and its full of tasy and delicious recipes split into two sections one fat loss and muscle growth that book shows that what you say is true.

[the_rake]

"one of my favorite cookbooks is the shredded chef"

I'll have to check it out, although I personally think you should bulk clean rather than gain muscle dirty then have to cut to lose fat. But the part about tasty recipes for muscle gain sounds good.

[yololoyo]

Nah man it's part of it I know and I say this as a factual manner. Also it's good for you because you become mentally stronger, speaking of wich not many people are willing to challenge themselves

[Phoenix98]

Well this book was written by a world class bodybuilder and fitness guy, he's got one for the best bodies out there to. And the foods are clean so don't worry.

Author is Michael Matthews of bigger leaner stronger.

[the_rake]

"And the foods are clean so don't worry."

Cool, I'll check it out.

[LunaLawliet]

Excellent MyTake! I've found that it's incredibly easy to stay healthier when you freaking cook your own food and keep eating out at a minimum. And thanks for pointing out that Jamie Oliver website. I've made a few vegan recipes from there before and they turn out great. 😃

[the_rake]

I've heard diet is actually more important than exercise.

[LunaLawliet]

I agree with that!

[Vivaldi]

Is looking muscular is for health really? It is for looks. I don't see nay point you bring up the word up for everything. I know a gym coach that smokes cigarettes. These kinds of things are for looks. Having some belly fat will not kill you for sure so just say it is for looks.

[the_rake]

@Vivaldi it's for looks and health. obviously you can have a good physique and be unhealthy in other regards. that doesn't mean that those isolated aspects of dieting and exercise won't help with health.

[Vivaldi]

There are many going to gym but also smoke cigarettes. It is only for looks.

[Vivaldi]

Not going to gym will not kill you if you think otherwise.

[the_rake]

@Vivaldi

"It is only for looks"

Stop saying that. Just because there's a few gym rats that are also smokers doesn't mean the only reason people go to the gym is for looks. That's a fallacious argument.

[Vivaldi]

You will live a lot longer because you are going to gym? What's your aim? Living until you are 100 years old because you go to gym? What is the aim? I find it very stupid when someone says going to gym is for health.

[the_rake]

@Vivaldi

What are you even going on about? Nobody said anything about living to one hundred. You need to google search what's meant by the strawman fallacy.

[Vivaldi]

Since your aim is not to live longer by going to gym, then it is for looks.

[LunaLawliet]

@Vivaldi WHO CARES? Whether it be for health or aesthetics, let people take care of themselves!

[the_rake]

@Vivaldi

Black-or-white fallacy:
"You presented two alternative states as the only possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist.

Also known as the false dilemma, this insidious tactic has the appearance of forming a logical argument, but under closer scrutiny it becomes evident that there are more possibilities than the either/or choice that is presented. Binary, black-or-white thinking doesn't allow for the many different variables, conditions, and contexts in which there would exist more than just the two possibilities put forth. It frames the argument misleadingly and obscures rational, honest debate."

[martyfellow]

One of the best introductory fitness articles you could find anywhere.

I would only add, 'stay away from supplements, unless prescribed by an MD for a diagnosed medical condition.' Too many people rely on these things. And they work, but with side effects, and they won't improve your cardiovascular fitness, only make you look ripped.

[the_rake]

yeah, I mean I did take protein shakes for a while and there was definitely a visible difference in that time but at the end of the day, I was never really certain if that stuff is good for you or not. most of the research I looked into had two sides of the argument in terms of protein shakes.

[SirenDep]

It took me two years to loose 10.5 kg on my own. Some weeks I lost weight and others I put it on, and for many weeks or months I remained the same. A year ago I started running on the nearby football field and exercising. I recently learned I have hashimoto's, but it won't stop me, it just means it will take more effort

[the_rake]

"It took me two years to loose 10.5 kg on my own"

Good on you

[Vivaldi]

Losing weight is easy but gaining muscle is difficult. That's why it is difficult to be what they call in shape since muscle is needed for that. Losing weight depends on 2 things which is eating less and moving more ( walking, running, swimming)

[Vivaldi]

Also losing weight happens so very much faster than gaining muscle. Gaining muscle takes so fucking long time. It is really so difficult unless all you want is arm muscle.

[SirenDep]

@Vivaldi It depends on the person. Being a woman, I find I gain muscles easily. Because I lost the weight so slowly, I kept my muscles and lost mostly fat. I still have a long way , but I find I'm more toned than ever. Running is cardio, but it also builds muscles because it engages the whole body. And with swimming you build your arm muscles. I love both! I also exercise sometimes, but not very regularly. If I put more effort in it, it will be easier for me than loosing weight

[SirenDep]

I think feet is the easiest place to put on muscle, because you exercise them just by walking around. With arms you have to be putting actual effort. And the belly is the hardest of all..

[the_rake]

vivaldi is right: gaining muscle is harder (and harder still for a woman) ... but he's still only making excuses not to improve himself. if you want excuses not to work hard, you find them everywhere. I went through periods where I did not have access to a gym but I still found solutions to my problem with bodyweight circuits, isometric contraction and yoga.

https://www.beastskills.com/

like I said, finding an excuse is easy, overcoming those excuses and using the resources that you do have takes will power.

[Vivaldi]

I never seen Anybody Who had a muscular feet.

[the_rake]

"With arms you have to be putting actual effort. And the belly is the hardest of all.."

Actually, legs are hardest because you have to lift heavy-ass weights and do squats and deadlifts.

[Vivaldi]

Arm muscle starts being seen in a short time Unlike other muscles in body.

[Vivaldi]

It is so Much easier to get arm muscle noticed than other muscles in body.

[the_rake]

@Vivaldi well, ok then. do a beach body routine plenty out there. biceps curl some dumbbells (or a bag of heavy books/stones/whatever) when you watch tv. I prefer my leg days and believe the testosterone surge from huge compound lifts increases overall mass, but working on arms, abs and chest is probably still better than doing nothing.

[Vivaldi]

I believe Abs is one of the most difficult ones since you need to have a very low body fat as she had also mentioned that. You can work Abs like Hell but nobody Will see it.

[SirenDep]

Weird, I've always had some muscle in my feet, even when I didn't exercise at all! Now, running is enough for my legs. For the arms, I had to put some effort, to lift weights and do pushups. Abs, I don't bother with, until I loose more weight..

[the_rake]

@SirenDep
" I've always had some muscle in my feet"
"I find I gain muscles easily."

Psychologically, you're probably exaggerating your own features - as in, a person with an objective perspective most likely would not say the same things about your appearance. I think we all do this to an extent, especially when it comes to our own perceived imperfections.

@Vivaldi
"Abs is one of the most difficult ones"

Don't make everything about abs, man. For example, if you work on abs but not low back, you will have a core imbalance that could lead to a low back injury. People make everything about abs because everybody's all about the six pack. Thing is, a six pack is overrated. It's not even visible if your not wearing a shirt. A broad chest and shoulders on the other hand is something different and nothing quite screams out "functional strength" (emphasis on functional) than sculpted thighs on a man. But I digress, if you wanna make it all about the beach muscles, then do your thing.

[Vivaldi]

Making an effort for a muscle doesn't mean that muscle will be visible. I am saying it is easier to make arm muscle visible than other muscles in body.

Here is my skinny fat body, by the way.

cf.girlsaskguys.com/.../...1-bacc-01fe36334ea4.jpg

[the_rake]

@Vivaldi dude stop being so self-conscious and posting photos everywhere on the internet. if it bothers you that much, DO something and don't give me lame reasons why you can't or post more photos saying it's futile. it's not futile.

[Vivaldi]

I will keep letting everybody see my photos.

[Bug_Catcher]

not every one has the time, money or energy to cook healthy meals and go to the gym.

Take my brother for example. he works 50+ hours a week and looks after his son on weekends. i imagine the last thing he wants to do after 10 hours at work is spend time at the gym or cooking so he usually eats things that can be thrown in the microwave whilst he's in the shower.

I agree obesity is a massive problem, but its not always that simple to make considerable changes for the better. Life just isn't that black and white im afraid.

[the_rake]

cycle to and from work, take the occasional break from the desk to stretch and increase vitality and therefore productivity, take a fruit salad into work that way, encourage his son to go for a long walk or run in the park, microwave healthy stuff ( I used to microwave diced skinless, boneless chicken breasts with butter, salt and pepper and make salad while I was waiting for the chicken to cook), etc.

the options are literally endless, you just got to be (a) creative and (b) flexible. also, a ten hour work shift still gives you time to exercise at the end of the day. you'll probably sleep better that night, and you won't just constantly feel like shit - unhealthy, out of weight, no energy, etc. people need to stop making excuses.

[Bug_Catcher]

my point is, its easy to say all this stuff about being healthy, but when you work a shit job and are exhausted and pissed off from work, the last thing you want to do is work out when you get home.

Its all too easy to preach, but the reality is some people just dont have time.

Again, using my brother as an example he spends 3hrs commuting to work (1.5hrs each way). he leaves at 6 (up at 5) in the morning and doesn't get home until about 1930-2000 at night. if he was going to the gym and cooking properly he wouldn't get a chance to chill out until about 2130. by that time his son would be in bed so he wouldn't be able to speak to him during the week (unless he phoned before the gym). after everything is done it would be gone 2200. Then there are the daily chores around the house such as cleaning, washing, laundry etc.

[Bug_Catcher]

At this point i think its fair to say that he isn't massively over weight. sure he has a belly and he isn't happy about how much he weighs but I seriously dont know how he manages as it is, and dont blame him for not hitting the gym.

sure, some people probably are making excuses, but there are those genuine cases where people literally dont have the time.

[the_rake]

"there are those genuine cases"

well... this isn't something I've exactly disagreed with.

[Bug_Catcher]

actually, you kind of did.

"a ten hour work shift still gives you time to exercise at the end of the day. you'll probably sleep better that night, and you won't just constantly feel like shit - unhealthy, out of weight, no energy, etc. people need to stop making excuses"

"people need to stop making excuses" - its not an excuse for some people.

Im not trying to be argumentative, and i encourage people to exercise. Hell, I've lost 8kg in the space of 5 weeks because im in a position to do so. i work 9 hours a day and a lot of the time i dont want to work out after work, which is why i used my brother as an example. He must be absolutely fucked after work every night.

honestly, looking at some of your replies to those who disagree with you, you do seem to disregard the fact not everyone is in a position to cook healthy and work out.

[the_rake]

"its not an excuse for some people. "

I know, I'm talking about in general. I'm not really referring to a small minority of people that have - what I would consider to be - genuine reasons. Still, if it doesn't bother you being overweight, I guess it's not your problem, just the problem of people that don't like fat people for whatever reason.

[cipher42]

You seem to believe that everyone has the time and energy to actually do all of this. Which simply is not the case. Yes, you mentioned people with medical disabilities preventing them from excercising or losing weight, but what about people whose lifestyle itself prevents them from being able to do these things? Do you have any idea how many people live in poverty in the US? How many work multiple jobs just to survive? Some people don't have time to spend on going to the gym or excercising. Some people don't have the money to "be a good chef". I find posts like this one extraordinarily ignorant, because they assume that everyone is well off enough to live the same kind of lifestyle.

[the_rake]

"You seem to believe that everyone has the time and energy to actually do all of this."

No, my belief is that when done correctly it really doesn't take that much time and energy to achieve in the first place.

"people live in poverty"

Well, weight loss doesn't tend to be a primary concern for those people since if they're truly poor they probably don't have that much money to expend on food in the first place.

"Some people don't have time to spend on going to the gym or excercising."

A walk in the park barely costs a thing, and if you don't have that much time you can get off a bus stop earlier to walk to work. Where there's a will, there's a way.

"Some people don't have the money to "be a good chef"."

Being a good chef saves money.

"I find posts like this one extraordinarily ignorant, because I did not understand the basic premises".

Fixed.

[cipher42]

Ah so you just don't understand how this works, alright. Less money doesn't necessarily mean less food, particularly in the kind of society most people in the US live in. Rather, less money (and less time) means less food you make yourself as well as less healthy food, and instead of those eating cheap junk/fast food, which actually means it's a significant amount harder to lose weight than you'd think.

[the_rake]

@cipher42

Two things: 1. this take was not about fat-shaming. it's about helping people that are actually able to take that help.
2. you're assuming it's cheaper to live unhealthily. check out my conversation with J1020

[cipher42]

I think you're still completely misunderstanding the issue. In your conversation with him, you focus on making food for yourself. I already addressed that, if you care to look back on my previous comment. The issue with poverty is not purely the lack of money, but also the lack of time that so often comes with it. Poor people aren't in poverty because they work so little, they're in poverty because the jobs they can get don't pay enough. As such, many people in poverty have to work multiple jobs to support themselves. Asking those people to work that much as well as make time to excercise and cook their own meals is patently ridiculous. Fast food is called fast food for a reason you know. So yes, it absolutely is cheaper to live unhealthily, particularly considering that as they say, time is money.

[the_rake]

I think I gave examples of food that can be cooked quickly, cheaply and easily both in the take and in the comment section. There are better examples still - I get that not everyone has the know how, but that's why I think if people who do know better post their ideas and recipes it helps a lot. Also, I did not say anywhere that poor people are poor because they are lazy, that's just putting words in my mouth. Even the fat people who are like that because of choice rather than circumstance, I am not judging and instead trying to offer them advice. So you can save your moralising for Nicole Arbour.

[cipher42]

Can you please stop making excuses? Any amount of time is valuable. And anything more complex than something you take out of the box and pop in the microwave is something many people aren't going to want to deal with after coming home late at night from a long day of work. Particularly when many of those people are supporting families who theyd also have to cook for. Also, I never said you claimed poor people were lazy, I just said they weren't because that's a popular belief. I honestly honk you're taking this more personally than you should. All I'm saying is that your take didn't take into account many of the factors that could prevent someone from doing the things you describe. Do you actually have first hand experience living in poverty and trying to support a family? No? Then why do you act as though you know best?

[the_rake]

"Any amount of time is valuable"

I wonder how much time is spent driving the car down to mcdonalds, waiting in the cue and then paying for a burger when you could have just made a sandwich that morning with a dirt cheap loaf of bread, lettuce and maybe some sliced chicken or something. Are you really going to tell me that the latter option is expensive and time consuming compared to a fast food diet? I think we all know that there's plenty of options available people are either (a) uneducated about them or (b) just don't want to make appropriate lifestyle changes.

"late at night from a long day of work."

I'm sorry but the vast majority of westerners have time after work to practise a bit of basic life skill. Next you're going to justify people living in complete squalor and their raising their kids to be unhygienic fast food addicts because... poverty!

[the_rake]

"
"Do you actually have first hand experience living in poverty and trying to support a family? No?"

Milton Friedman once answered this question when he was asked why he thought he had economic solutions for solving poverty if he had never lived in poverty himself (which in actual fact he had). To paraphrase the man, he said

"You don't ask a surgeon if he's ever suffered an illness before he treats a patient. You judge the man's abilities by his technical prowess as a surgeon: it's irrelevant if he's never had a heart attack or lung failure".

[the_rake]

"I honestly honk you're taking this more personally than you should."

Well, you did call me ignorant and imply a bunch of other stuff. Not that I'm bitching or anything, I can take criticism.

[somebodysaycheese]

How come people keep bitching a out people staying healthy. when your govt is doing nothing to stop feeding you shit that kills you. Fyi, the shit in your food also has mosy of the country suffering from mental illness which has a major effect on overall health, just about every American has depression and anxiety. take your energy and protest the govt and its lack of will to change laws and regulations. You get healthier food, you get overall healtier food unless its organic its not good for you to begin with.

[the_rake]

"How come people keep bitching a out people staying healthy. when your govt is doing nothing to stop feeding you shit that kills you"

Yeah, government and industry is a big part of the problem. But people still have access to good nutritious food, and with some basic dietary and culinary knowledge, they don't have an excuse not to take proper control over their diet. I think that both, individual choice and public policy is to blame here.

"take your energy and protest the govt and its lack of will to change laws and regulations."

Tbh, these are complicated and nuanced issues. The nutritional and health gurus with expertise on government policy are the ones that should be doing something to make their knowledge more available. My knowledge is just square one.

[somebodysaycheese]

Ofcourse we the people have a responsibility to ask to stop being poisoned. Is goos nutritional food readily available... not organic. and unless you eat organic you aren't helping yourself at all. And like i said it still effects our mental health we are very mentally unhealthy people.
I dont think your spot on our saying something that has beem said millions of times, yet it isn't making a difference. You have to go after those who want you ill

[the_rake]

"our saying something that has beem said millions of times, yet it isn't making a difference."

I don't think many people have looked at it from the same angle as me. Some of the premises may have been replicated, but I don't think many people have thought about how they can be conservative with their time and energy, do low-intensity workouts, eat cheap, healthy and GOOD tasting food and still lose weight. What I do see is a lot of people trying to lose weight completely the wrong way.

"You have to go after those who want you ill"

I believe that we are responsible for ourselves.

[posted]

"It doesn't help to believe that you can't help yourself"
This I agree with so much, I feel like this is used for a lot of shit, not just weight.
There are certain cases where it is an actual problem, but generally it's just laziness/weak will in my opinion.

[LittleSally]

Good take. I was surprised to read about Ireland. O. o
The thing is, it's not that hart to stay in shaoe.. but to get in shape... that's a whole other ball game...

[the_rake]

"but to get in shape... that's a whole other ball game..."

true.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yep, it's true. :) After I stopped eating McDonalds and all that fast food bullshit and stuck to drinking water and tea, the weight just slid right off! I went for 241 lbs to 170 lbs. I got a bit more to lose but I know I can do it!

[the_rake]

Ahah, well losing 70lbs is already an excellent job. I recommend a resistance training programme to cut the rest, since increasing muscle tone is known to burn fat much faster, this will probably save you a lot of time and speed up the whole process.

Check out these links, the information available may totally radicalise your perspective on fitness:

muscle.iuhu.org/.../...ht-lifting-stupid-facts.jpg

www.amazon.co.uk/.../0982522738

[Ghassan]

Running is way more beneficial for your health, but lifting is better for looks. When the list you put says running burns muscle that's when I knew it's not that good of list. Running and lifting can burn muscle if you're not eating right. It's all about the nutrition. Running is better for the heart and all joints. Clearly it's done by some bodybuilder or a power lifter.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Who the fuck downvoted me

[ButteredToast]

@Ghassan Both are good for your health.

[the_rake]

thing about running is the repeatedly absorbed impact from hitting the ground impacts the joints. I was sceptical about the muscle thing as well (although running doesn't really build fast twitch fibres, just slow twitch and the mass gets burned from aerobic respiration) but the joint damage thing and some of the other stuff is real. you might be thinking, "but weightlifting puts pressure on the joints as well" but that's not true. for one thing, you're not hitting the ground at such a high velocity, and your feet are already planted. even for olympic lifts like clean and snatch, your feet never leave the ground when you do it properly. for powerlifts like squats (low depth), the increased weight actually triggers an increase in bonedensity and for deadlifts, your COM is below the bar...

[the_rake]

... anyway, cycling and swimming are better, healthier forms of cardio in my opinion. you just have to combine swimming with some ground based activity - e. g. bodyweight exercises - because of the risks of shin splints.

[the_rake]

other stuff: breathing cold, dirty air when you go for a long run is bad for the lungs. the immune system compromise thing is probably related to this. scar tissue on the heart is probably the result of the cardiovascular system being overworked.

[Ghassan]

Why are you assuming that running is a an overly repeated activity? it's stupid to run a lot or lift weights a lot. The list is right only if the runner is stupid and the weight lifter is smart, because weight lifting also can cause a lot of injuries if the lifter doesn't know some basics, too.

[the_rake]

@Ghassan

well, with running the emphasis tends to be on aerobic respiration which typically requires low intensity, high volume workouts: this means repetition - again and again - in order to make sure it's the cardiovascular system that's working rather than the actual muscular strength of the individual. with weightlifting the emphasis tends to be on anaerobic respiration. although you can sort of combine high volume and high intensity, typically anaerobic activity is low volume (relative to aerobic) and extremely high intensity (compare 3 reps, or even 8 reps to jogging for 30 minutes or 60 minutes). plus for weightlifting you have all that rest in between sets, the function which is typically to give the cardiovascular system a chance to return proteins, carbohydrates to the muscles as well as oxygen (which burns the glycogen store). all this means that the muscular system is the primary focus, and the focus on repetition is greatly diminished...

[the_rake]

... you could do a single rep (1 rep max), in a huge compound lift like squat or deadlift which trains the whole body at once, in fact and that would be sufficient work for the whole day because of the tremendous energy exerted during that one lift.

[Iron_Man]

Good job

[Ghassan]

What you said means that running is better for your health. Focusing on one area/group of muscles doesn't make you any healthier. I don't mean to say that weight lifting sucks, I'm just saying that running is healthier. Weight lifting almost always focuses on one thing, which does not make it a sport or doesn't make you athletic.

[the_rake]

@Ghassan

why does what I say mean running is better for your health? improving the cardiovascular system is important but running is not the only way to do that: there's other exercises like swimming, rowing and cycling that improve the cardiovascular system without compromising the joints or risking repetitive strain injury, lung damage, etc. hell even high volume, low intensity weight training - e. g. kettlebell training, dynamic effort and plyometrics - hit the aerobic system. and weight lifting when done properly doesn't hit one muscle group, I don't know where you got that. I also don't know what your reasoning is that it's more beneficial to improve aerobic respiration over anaerobic respiration along with the strength benefits that typically come with high intensity training. when done properly, weightlifting hits core strength which is absolutely vital for posture, breathing, everyday movements, general strength and all kinds of things. nothing is healthier than core strength.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Please stop having a conversation on my thread. You're blowing up my notifs

[Vivaldi]

Hahaha :D

[Iron_Man]

Lol

.

[ladyfloem]

Thank you for this take, it was very intelligent! I agree with everything you said, and I know a big part of getting in shape is make simple changes based on who you are. I was wondering if you had any ideas for someone who wants to start resistance/weight training? I have a little experience but I don't want to look dumb at the gym :P

[the_rake]

yes! pick up a copy of starting strength by rippetoe. if you do that, then everybody else at your conventional gym will be the ones looking dumb.

[the_rake]

but if you can't afford the book, then watch these free instructional videos he did for art of manliness (yeah I know, cringe name right? but never mind that) ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T9UQ4FBVXI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhVC_AnZYYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AObAU-EcYE

[ladyfloem]

Thank you!! This is perfect!

[the_rake]

np

I forgot to mention barbell rows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8l_8chR5BE

If you do those four lifts, you have the entire body covered. Good luck, because it get's tough as the weights start to increase! In the beginning you should just be focussing on form, maybe even with an empty bar though. If you get form absolutely right that transfers directly into power.

[PrettyBama]

Even with all that. When it's all said and done it IS hard and a lot of People don't have the willpower! it's very much a lose 1 lb gain 2 lbs kind of game for a lot of people unless doctors get involved. Give people room for error. And me personally coming from being super fat to losing a lot of weight I don't blame people who give up completely.

[the_rake]

maybe the way you went about it as particularly and unnecessarily strenuous, I dunno. I just think that you can add a bit of exercise in and substitute for some healthy foods and it's not that hard but ok.

[PrettyBama]

Very dismissive. The bottom line is that fat people aren't trying to lose 2 lbs every other month. They... we.. Want the weight to literally melt off. it's possible and it's common. But it's not easy.

[ObscuredBeyond]

America is also a land where lobbyists repeatedly bribe Congress and the FDA for the privilege to put stuff in our food which is banned in other countries - stuff the body converts straight to fat. Always check ingredients. Chemical soup will make you fat.

[the_rake]

"America is also a land where lobbyists repeatedly bribe Congress and the FDA for the privilege to put stuff in our food which is banned in other countries"

True.

[waterlaz]

It is kinda hard in modern society where you don't have to chase them mammoths.
I'm doing about 10h of cardio each week, stopped eating sweets (actually I've stopped consuming sugar at all, even my cocoa is bitter) but the damn lovehandles just won't go away.