realistic fitness question

[children&art]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 1:45pm

i am out of shape and i realize not attractive anymore. there is a big emphasis on a very manly physique in the gay community, and it's something i've never had but would like to.

i posted on here a while back about dreading exercise and while i have maintained a pretty consistent treadmill/stair-climber schedule, it is not my favorite thing in the world.

a question to those of you who are in good to great shape: is it realistic to think that i can go from my "before" pic (glasses, white shirt) to a version of "after" (shirtless dreamy guy)? how long might that take? can i do it on my own or do i need a professional to help guide me? am i just kidding myself?

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 1:54pm

You can do it. Just be aware that it'll take a good deal of exercise (though you won't have to KILL yourself- but you'll have to mix up a good deal of cardio with weight training).

It'll also take a nutritional overhaul. They'll have you eat several small meals throughout the day, with specific protein/carb/fat proportions. To get muscle bulk, you might have to take supplements and protein powder.

I'd definitely recommend working with a trainer, if you can afford it.

I can't say you'll look EXACTLY like that guy, because certain things, such as ab definition, are somewhat genetically based.

If you want to drop weight quickly and healthfully, I highly recommend spin classes.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 2:19pm

Computer retouching claims another victim.

The hunklet in the photo doesn't even look like that. Or if he does, he does nothing else but work out and sleep. In other words, pretty and pretty dull.

You have to take a realistic but kind stock of what you are starting with. If you are broad amidships, there is no way you'll ever have a tiny perky butt. Your physiology won't let you.

Then it is dull work.
Eat less. Exercise more.
Eat better. Read food labels. It is not a specific diet, but a way of life.
Walk up the stairs and escalators. Walk more. Drive less. Working out is not restricted to the gym.
Trainers can get you to do the routine. If you get one to show you the routine and you keep it up on your own, that's great. But if there is no self-discipline, it won't work.

Make exercise a part of you. Let it be one of the defining things about you. Embrace the label gym rat, runner, biker, swimmer, etc.

Taking the weight off and keeping the weight off are two different things. See the part about eating better. This doesn't mean you can't have a slice of pizza now and then, but not every day and not the whole pie. A half to a full pound a week loss is ideal.

I have a friend who want to lose 50 pounds and she did. It took her a while since she accumulated 4 feet of diet books on her shelves. She said that Weight Watchers was the only one that truly works for the majority of people.

I know of someone else, a great big sissy, who lost literally half his body weight (350 pounds to 175!) with diet and exercise. It took him a bit over a year.

Personal note: I turned myself into a jock 25 years ago after 30 years of smoking slothness. I swim (Gay Games in Chicago here I come!) and now coach other swimmers. People who knew me back then remember this big guy who knew show tunes, and now I am known as this big guy who still knows show tunes and swims fast.

Be realistic. It won't happen all that fast.
Find a workout partner if you can.
Make it fun.
Be good to yourself. Buy new clothes.
Think of all the times you'll get laid.

Xx

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 2:24pm

...and find an activity you enjoy! If i had time, i'd do yoga all day long.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 2:31pm

There are some on this board that will tell you that you can be anything you want to be. "Don't dream it, be it!"

Then there are others that will tell you there is no way in hell you will EVER look like that guy. You can lose weight, get a haircut and new clothes and hope for the best, but without extensive plastic surgery (and I mean BODY work, not face)you will probably never have that body.

It is up to YOU to find out the truth.

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:02pm

Cut what you eat in half and make sure that half is protein also drink tons of water.

Get to a gym a minimum of 5 times a week and don't leave the gym till your ready to be taken out on a stretcher. In other words, don't be a scared of aches pains. As long as you stretched and check in with the staff there - bust your a**!

The reason movie stars have those bodies is because they treat diet and working out as part of their job description.

A while back, a friend of mine, worked at a Village gym.

Paltrow used to go there when she lived nearby at the time.

When she was getting ready to film, she did cardio THREE TIMES A DAY - EVERYDAY!!

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:13pm

I love Gwynnie to death, and love her even more now.

Must be Madonna's discipline rubbing off on her.

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:18pm

I think she has shown herself to be a tad bit over-rated (she flounders like a whale in "Proof"!)

I agree with Kathy Griffin, there's a pomposity there that's a little too Borgia at times for my taste!

If she actually does the "Dietrich" bio-flick , you'll feel graves rolling all over Germany!
Updated On: 3/24/06 at 03:18 PM

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:25pm

I disagree with you on every count.

And, it's not pomposity. It's elegance and sophistication.

I think Kathy Griffin is pretty funny, but she's about as tacky and trashy as they come.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:26pm

Why would somone so obsessed with their body that they do cardio three times a day everyday make you love them MORE? I have the opposite feeling. It makes me think she needs help.

[leadfootlouie]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:32pm

The theory being that when your face is 60 foot high as is your butt, you want to look as slim as possible.

That, I have no problem with. We would all do the same if faced with the same life.

It's her attitude that can suck the air out of a room!

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:33pm

I'm kind of obsessed with working out, that's why.

And I actually enjoy it, a lot.

[children&art]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:41pm

Love4Cheno and WOSQ:

Thank you SO much for your replies on my thread.

I know that the guy in the photo is a perfect ideal that is probably not obtainable without computer enhancement, but at least it's a more tangible goal than just saying "i wanna look better."

I have always been a huge sissy, not necessarily fat, but not a gym bunny and not a jock by any stretch of the imagination.

Your replies were so straight-forward and so blunt, that they made a lot of sense.

And of course the last line of WOSQ's reply: "Think of all the times you'll get laid" is a HUGE motivator.

Thanks

[gymman]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 3:47pm

You can do it, but very few guys can get those abs--they are more genetic than anything else. As a former certified trainer, I agree 100% with Cheno--consistency is the key. Go 5 times a week, but don't overdo, or you will burn out. If you need to lose weight, do cardio before you do weights. Concentrate on form, not how much you lift. Create a realistic food plan, and stick to it. REST!!! Never work the same body part more than once every 5 days. If you can afford it, hire a traner just to get you started.

[duroc]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 5:07pm

I don't know what you look like now, but if you want to look like the guy in the bottom picture, it is going to take time, dedication and, as Cheno and gymman said, consistancy. I am actually trying to bulk up. One of the most important things to realize is that appearance, even before your routine, is determined almost totally by diet. Figuring out, and mantaining a proper diet is crucial to weight gain or weight loss, and just a healthy appearance.

Just to get you started. I use this site to count calories. it is critical you keep track of how much you eat:
http://www.calorie-count.com/

What I recommend doing is going to site, reading the tips it gives you, and figure out what your daily calorie expenditure is. If you're trying to loose weight, you can either eat less then # of calories you need a day. Or, if you exercise, you still want to eat as much as your body needs. Another useful site I came across with a ton of information of weightloss and weight gain, can be found here: http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/fitness.htm

let me know if you have any questions and g'luck.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 5:57pm

so much of what we can physically achieve is based on genetics. Why would you want to look like someone else? Get on an excercise program, and be and look the best YOU!

Updated On: 3/24/06 at 05:57 PM

[grizzabella]

Posted: 3/24/06 at 9:34pm

Truer words were never spoken, Elphaba! Doing the best with what you've been given is really what it's about. Diet and exercise, along with committment and diligence will give you the best physique you can obtain. You've already gotten great advice in this area, but Children&Art, don't forget about the inner man. If you also cultivate those characteristics that will make you a valued friend, lover, partner, you will be attractive to the right person, for more than a night. Unless you're only looking for Mr. Right Now. But it will be your choice.

[children&art]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 8:06pm

i was listening to NPR on the way home tonight and heard something i didn't know, kind of discouraging. can someone who knows about fitness help me out?

this fitness guy was saying that you won't lose any weight by just eating right and doing just cardio. he said without weight training there's no chance to lose weight?

true?

the treadmill, the stair master i can do, those don't scare me. but weights and dumbells and thos emachines i have no idea about and they scare me.

help?

[duroc]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 8:29pm

I'm really no expert, but I'd have to disagree w/ him. From what I've learned, cardio is for just that - weightloss. If you maintain a high protein diet, w/ the proper amount of calories/day, and do moderate intensity cardio 3 times a week, you should start to loose weight.

I should note that cardio and weight training contradict each other. When I told my personal trainer I wanted to gain 30 lbs, the first thing he told me was to avoid cardio, altogether.

[duroc]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 8:59pm

ok, I did a little reading up on the subject:

"Alternating weight bearing with non-weight bearing exercises every other day may be recommended to minimize the repetitive orthopedic stresses of exercising daily. The combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise may utilize more fat than either type of exercise alone."

http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/AerobicGoals.html

I don't know if I'd say anaerobic exercise is crucial, but it is probably better to do it, then not do it. Here are some other links you might find helpful:

http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/AerobicComponents.html
http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss.html

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 9:17pm

I agree, duroc. If I understand correctly, aerobic/cardio is about getting your heart rate up and that's how you lose fat. Weight training will increase your muscle, but it's not like the newly-gained muscle will replace the fat around it - it'll just be "in addition to" and, if anything, you'll look bulkier.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 12:01am

"Weight training will increase your muscle, but it's not like the newly-gained muscle will replace the fat around it - it'll just be "in addition to" and, if anything, you'll look bulkier."

Yes, but any time you gain any muscle your metabolism rate increases, so while it's not necessarily as immediate of a fat-loss, it will help you lose more and keep it off in the long run.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:35am

That's true. I'm just saying that weight-training alone won't help you lose weight at all though (that notion of "spot-reduction" is such malarky) - you need the cardio as a fatburner.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 1:39am

I would stay start with a few weeks of weight training, then add in some hard core cardio for a while, and then slowly lighten the cardio while maintaining the weight training throughout. It's kind of pointless to try to lose all that weight right off the bat and THEN put it back on in the form of muscle. Just convert it. People who were heavy to begin with put on muscle a lot faster than skinny 'uns.

[duroc]

Posted: 3/26/06 at 2:03pm

yeah. I think there are two reasons why people who are heavier gain muscle more quickly then people who are skinny. One is that heavier people have a larger appetite to begin with. That is the reason they gained weight in the first place. I found, when I first started calorie counting, that I was barely consuming enough calories to maintain my resting metobolic rate. That is why I now eat 7 times a day... to make sure I am consuming 500 cal. over what I'd normally need. Another is that I think in part, by exercising you convert fat into protein (and consequently muscle), especially if you are just consuming enough calories to maintain your weight with that level of activity. With me, there is little fat to burn, so if I don't eat enough, my muscles start eating themselves, to mend ripped tissue.

Concerning why your metabolism rate increases when you gain muscle - that's because metabolic rate is determined by total body weight. Type a Tiff is correct - if you just lift weights, chances are your weight will not really change. In fact, it may increase, as muscle tissue is heavier then fat tissue. You need aerobic exercise to burn a significant amount of fat.