The Health and Fitness Thread

[Statto]

Worth noting also that the fat burn zone is at about 60-70% of maximum heart rate. If you're running hard and your HR is way up there, your body is using other fuels that are quicker to burn. You can burn fat running, but it's fairly slow running (for most people) that does it.

When I started running (coming up on 8 years ago) I was wearing 42in trousers and XL t-shirts, I now wear 32in & S/M. I've done basically no other form of exercise until quite recently (I've finally caved to doing strength work) and the running definitely helped me lose weight - but the big difference started to show when I sorted the diet out. 

 

[gmoney]

On 3/12/2026 at 10:43 AM, gmoney said:

I've got a wedding in May and I absolutely refuse to buy a new suit for it, so I've got a weight-loss goal. I feel like I've been beset with minor illness constantly since the new year, so I've not had the energy for the gym, but through dieting I've lost just under a stone, and I'll need to lose around another to cut a fine figure in my suit and not look like someone's pulled a ripcord. I'm really pleased to have made that much progress through dieting alone. Once I feel brave enough to get in the gym I'm hoping it will fall off. 

It's been a little bit slower going, but I can now put the jacket on and do the button up and it looks good. Mission Accomplished basically. Just have to maintain, or ideally lose a tiny bit more from now until the wedding. Haven't been to the gym once! Though the joke is on me as I have been paying for it the whole time. 

[deathrey]

I went to stay with my parents for a week and a half last week, I think I ate more chocolate than in those 10 days than I have all year. When I put my jeans on yesterday morning they were TIGHT. I need to get back to the gym this week

[wandshogun09]

Parents love feeding you up don’t they? Every time we visit my parents my mum looks at me and goes “you look like you’re losing weight again”, proceeds to cook more food than a Rugby team could put away and expects little old short arse me and my even shorter wife to somehow polish it all off. She’s the same with the kids as well, bless her. Can barely move every time we leave her house. 

Edited April 14 by wandshogun09

[Gus Mears]

My mum's thing is eating all of the food which she has ostensibly bought for others and then having to replace it. I remember she ate the same stollen 4 times one December, before I had to step in and put all of the Christmas food in the shed round mine until solstice.

Edited April 14 by Gus Mears

[deathrey]

Oh yes, my youngest actually got to the point where he was hiding and when I asked him why he said 'Nanima (grandma) keeps trying to feed to me'.

I can't solely blame my mum though, my sister is the manager of a chocolate store. Lots of ex-display Easter stock came home and mainlined straight in to my gob. Also my favourite Easter eggs went on post Easter sale and I consumed a lot. I'm a bit ashamed at the sheer amount I ate, but not regretful.

Edited April 14 by deathrey

[Mr_Danger]

My mums thing is telling me I’ve put weight on then cooking me a steak sandwich and insisting I eat her left over cake she made whilst making me 12 cups of coffee and wrapping up food for me to take home and “make a butty with later.”

[Sergio Mendacious]

My mama once explained that she always fed me up with pork scratchings because she wanted me to be "as big as the side of a house so no-one bullies you."

Aye, right, massive farting lardarses are normally the apex predator socially.

[NeverYield]

On the subject of bad food there's an old fella in my gym, late seventies, still going strong, in his day he hit big numbers in comps across the compound lifts, was a decent rower and sprinter and I remember I asked him once what was his secret and he said "a bit of grease never hurt nobody"

This discussion and a post from renowned strength coach Josh Bryant yesterday reminded me of it, Josh's post basically touched on the same thing, when he was competitive he'd eat 5 clean meals a day but a few times a week he'd eat chinese or something because an old head told him "throw a bit of grease in the engine now and again" 

obviously over indulgence is bad but if you're planning to do a heavy deadlift or bench session and you load up on some treats the day before and a shit load of carbs then you're strength will be through the roof on the day haha

I remember one time I had a massive box of doner meat and chips and then hit the gym that night at about 9 o clock for squats and felt very strong 

[westlondonmist]

Could be worse, could be my mother in law. She feeds people a shit ton over Christmas, preceeds to tell people they need to lose weight and then cries becasue she's fucking put on weight. Don't buy 20 packs of mince pies for 6 people over 3 days, and stop with the pork pies. Problem solved.

I've worked out 3-4 times a week the past 3 months and put on weight, although I think some of that is muscle but the neck button on my shirts are a bit tight (annoying as the rest is quite loose). I basically realised it's keeping things like Clubs, Penguins or KitKats. Yeah they only have 100 calories in em, but I'd end up eating 4 a day. If cookies were around, yeah another 3 or 4. I can't control it so I've just decided fuck it don't have em at all. I might get the odd chocolate bar when I get a meal deal at work, and that's 200 calories but that's all for the day and I can't go to the kitchen cupboard and eat more. 

The missus asked for cake the other day and I went and got one for her, she asked what I was having, I said don't fancy it today. "I wouldn't have gotten it if you didn't want any", I hate having cake around. We buy a cake and I'll have slice after slice, my problem I know but I just can't control these things. 

Edited April 15 by westlondonmist

[FLips]

I had a serious bout of IBS for a few weeks a couple of months ago and after moving onto a stricter diet (which is now more relaxed), I kept up with the healthy eating side of things. Lots of fruit, veg, turkey, chicken and fish. Cut out bread other than the odd wrap every week or so, cut out fizzy drinks and strictly moderated sweets to only if I’m offered one. No junk food, unhealthiest snacks are dark chocolate ricecakes, maybe with peanut butter.

I haven’t weighed myself but I’ve dropped from (depending on clothes) a 50-52 waist to a 44-46. My obesity related aches and pains are gone and it’s given me a new lease of life. I’m out walking the dog for about an hour every day. Mental health is the best in years and I don’t feel disgusted looking at myself in the mirror anymore.

[gmoney]

That's amazing mate, nice one. 

[Chest Rockwell]

Amazing work!

[tiger_rick]

2 hours ago, FLips said:

I had a serious bout of IBS for a few weeks a couple of months ago and after moving onto a stricter diet (which is now more relaxed), I kept up with the healthy eating side of things. Lots of fruit, veg, turkey, chicken and fish. Cut out bread other than the odd wrap every week or so, cut out fizzy drinks and strictly moderated sweets to only if I’m offered one. No junk food, unhealthiest snacks are dark chocolate ricecakes, maybe with peanut butter.

I haven’t weighed myself but I’ve dropped from (depending on clothes) a 50-52 waist to a 44-46. My obesity related aches and pains are gone and it’s given me a new lease of life. I’m out walking the dog for about an hour every day. Mental health is the best in years and I don’t feel disgusted looking at myself in the mirror anymore.

Well done, Flips, that's incredible.

[FLips]

I’ll make sure to post some side-on pics at some point.