The Health and Fitness Thread

[NeverYield]

Diet is the single most important factor for weight loss, abs are made in the kitchen as they say, just revealed in the gym. 

Lots of people will Start doing endless running first, or other cardio, before getting their nutrition right.

 

[d-d-d-dAz]

1 hour ago, NeverYield said:

Diet is the single most important factor for weight loss, abs are made in the kitchen as they say, just revealed in the gym. 

Lots of people will Start doing endless running first, or other cardio, before getting their nutrition right.

 

Abs are also hugely influenced by genetics. Wasted half my life chasing an aesthetic form of fitness, only to flounce out with disappointment that I still hated how I looked.

Bad couple of years fitness wise for me, with loads of minor health quibbles culminating in 2024. Had an issue with my heart, was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis and in the process of scanning for something else they found I had scoliosis in my lower back (likely from childhood, just never picked up). So, nothing life threatening but enough to put me in a funk and to confuse me with how to proceed fitness wise.

So after decades of barely going to the doctor, last year felt a bit overwhelming and I did what I always do when I'm overwhelmed... I ate, and ate, and ate with intermittent bouts of exercise and dieting.

It didn't help that I was also working a job I despised. I got up to 269lbs by the end of Summer 2024.

Since then I've tried to get on top of my diet, and really got stuck into walking. I walked from where I live in Kew to the O2 for Raw the other week (around 13.5miles), which I actually really enjoyed. 

Part of me wants to find a way of getting back to the gym or running as it feels like the 'right' thing to do, but walking and diet feels more sustainable. At 238lbs this morning, so it is coming off... just slowly.

Edited April 30, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[Jesse]

I've never been slim, but I've always been active. Used to do my 10-15k steps a day, gym 5 days a week, Friday BJJ sessions. 2020 hit, I moved to a remote job, and my health fell off a cliff.

Five years later and I'm tired of being barely mobile so I'm getting back on the fitness wagon. Right now just using the NHS 12-week weight loss app to get my daily calories under control and doing 30mins of gentle walk or stationary bike. A week and a half in and I'm not hating it the way I thought I would - I'm definitely hungry a lot but keeping myself to between 1,900 & 2,200 calories a day isn't as restrictive as I imagined and the exercise feels good.

Hoping I can keep it up past the honeymoon period, as it'd be nice to be able to be more active at work conferences where right now I have to dodge half of what's going on just to sit down.

[deathrey]

I did manage to do something resembling a full workout yesterday but have to admit I felt really shit afterwards rather than feeling better, think it was just a particularly low energy day. I am going to try and go swimming tomorrow as it's going to be hot and I'm hoping that will be better though I am sleeping very poorly at the moment and that's adding to the low energy.

Diet is something I struggle with as someone who has always been naturally thin. I don't feel like I eat excessively and I try to keep fairly healthy. I consciously try to eat my 5 a day, I'm vegetarian and I don't drink alcohol and gave up fizzy drinks about 6 months ago. I do have a sweet tooth but I try to keep it to a biscuit with a cup of tea or a square of chocolate after dinner (never a whole bar). I usually have porridge with fruit for breakfast, a light lunch (salad, soup sometimes a pitta with salad) and my evening meal is portion controlled as I used to have massive portions but is usually something veg heavy with a carb like pasta or rice. I don't really snack other than the biscuit with my tea so I'm not sure what else I can cut out to lose weight.

[NeverYield]

32 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

Abs are also hugely influenced by genetics. Wasted half my life chasing an aesthetic form of fitness, only to flounce out with disappointment that I still hated how I looked.

Bad couple of years fitness wise for me, with loads of minor health quibbles culminating in 2024. Had an issue with my heart, was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis and in the process of scanning for something else they found I had scoliosis in my lower back (likely from childhood, just never picked up). So, nothing life threatening but enough to put me in a funk and to confuse me with how to proceed fitness wise.

So after decades of barely going to the doctor, last year felt a bit overwhelming and I did what I always do when I'm overwhelmed... I ate, and ate, and ate with intermittent bouts of exercise and dieting.

It didn't help that I was also working a job I despised. I got up to 269lbs by the end of Summer 2024.

Since then I've tried to get on top of my diet, and really got stuck into walking. I walked from where I live in Kew to the O2 for Raw the other week (around 13.5miles), which I actually really enjoyed. 

Part of me wants to find a way of getting back to the gym or running as it feels like the 'right' thing to do, but walking and diet feels more sustainable. At 238lbs this morning, so it is coming off... just slowly.

Yes you're 100% right mate, abs and biceps, calves etc, even the length of your clavicle regards to chest plays a huge part in how much you can show, grow and develop a muscle. Calves for example, if you've got bad insertions, you can train them 'til the cows come home and never achieve a result you're happy with. They always say don't they the day you step foot in a gym is the day you'll never be satisfied with how you look.

Does the scoliosis cause you any pain? At least you got your diagnosis with back and heart and can now have a plan of action moving forward and get a bit of fitness back involved. 

Working a job you hate can make everything else worse can't it, and yeah walking is brilliant, easily accessible and very good for your general condition, and that is a very good walk 13.5 miles. 

I wouldn't bother with anything else right now other than walking and dieting, sustainability is a big thing and if you feel that is more sustainable for you then stick with it 'til you know 100% you'd like to run or do more. People always say 'what's the best routine?', 'what's the best exercise?' but to me the answer is always the best workout is the one you can stick too. 

As long as the weights coming off that's the key. 

[tiger_rick]

2 hours ago, NeverYield said:

Diet is the single most important factor for weight loss, abs are made in the kitchen as they say, just revealed in the gym. 

Lots of people will Start doing endless running first, or other cardio, before getting their nutrition right.

 

Very good advice. I think Steve Austin is a bit fan of the saying "You can't out-train a bad diet" too. Whatever you are trying to achieve, what you eat is the most important part, it's the easiest change to make and it's also the hardest. 

I've been really active of late. Morning walks taking my photos (thanks for all the kind thumbs ups, I'm started a Facebook page now. It's going well.), playing football and generally moving a lot at weekends as I do anyway running a football club. I'm aiming for 1800 calories a day but generally been in the 1900-2000 region. Lost 2.7kg in the last 3 weeks so slowly getting back to where I want to be.

I was almost 154kg in 2018. I got down to 99.5kg in a couple of years and have since slowly crept up. I'm 114kg currently. Really would like to be back under 100.

[NeverYield]

2 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Very good advice. I think Steve Austin is a bit fan of the saying "You can't out-train a bad diet" too. Whatever you are trying to achieve, what you eat is the most important part, it's the easiest change to make and it's also the hardest. 

I've been really active of late. Morning walks taking my photos (thanks for all the kind thumbs ups, I'm started a Facebook page now. It's going well.), playing football and generally moving a lot at weekends as I do anyway running a football club. I'm aiming for 1800 calories a day but generally been in the 1900-2000 region. Lost 2.7kg in the last 3 weeks so slowly getting back to where I want to be.

I was almost 154kg in 2018. I got down to 99.5kg in a couple of years and have since slowly crept up. I'm 114kg currently. Really would like to be back under 100.

Thanks mate. I've heard him say that yeah,  and he's right there, whether its building muscle or losing fat the most important bit is the diet. 

Morning walks are brilliant, yeah football and being involved in the training is a fantastic way to keep fit and sharp, that's a good intake there for nice and steady and sustainable weight loss, another issue you often see when dieting is a drastic change in intake, which again isn't really sustainable. 

Anywhere in the 90kg region is a great weight if your're active, great weight for maintaining fitness and strength. 

[King Coconut]

50 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I got up to 269lbs

What's that then? Or are we all gonna have to google it?

[d-d-d-dAz]

5 minutes ago, King Coconut said:

What's that then? Or are we all gonna have to google it?

I actually don't know, I only do things in lbs (just how the scales are set up).

Based on quick maths, around 19 stone?

[d-d-d-dAz]

23 minutes ago, NeverYield said:

Does the scoliosis cause you any pain?

 

Hard to say. My back has always been an issue, but I always put it down to a bad injury I had when I was at uni deadlifting (too much weight, rounded back... ping).

I never went to the hospital at the time, but always assumed I had a slipped disc or similar and have had flare ups ever since, especially connected to vigorous activity.

So I have back problems, but whether it's the scoliosis or the disc (the same scan spotted the blown out disc) is hard to say. I guess it's more likely the structural instability caused by the scoliosis created the conditions for the blown disc.

[NeverYield]

Yeah deadlifting is responsible for many an injury Great movement, perhaps the best hip hinge movement there is, but can cause serious aggro can't it. 

[TibBo]

Fluid intake often gets overlooked too.  I think you are meant to drink around 3 litres a day, which really helps to reduce bloating/water retention and speeds-up metabolism.
I've always found that the key to getting abs really, as a lot of it is water retention for me

[NeverYield]

100% water intake is crucial. 

 

[Jesse]

On 4/30/2025 at 9:47 AM, Jesse said:

Hoping I can keep it up past the honeymoon period, as it'd be nice to be able to be more active at work conferences where right now I have to dodge half of what's going on just to sit down.

Happy to say I currently weigh 130(.4 shh) kg, which is the loest I've weighed in the last year and down from my peak of 144kg at the start of this year. And weirdly, I'm loving every minute of it. I'm enjoying the new foods, I'm often feeling like I could eat but not with much of a need to eat so it's been easier to avoid the snacks than I thought. Definitely enjoying being a little more mobile, getting to the top of the hill without sweating through my shirt.

[westlondonmist]

Doing my training for a half marathon, did 15km today. Got PBs on 5km and 10km but that last 5 was tougher than a mutton vindaloo. Still it's done and only 4.5 months to get myself ready for an extra 6.1km.