Gym & Misc General Health and Fitness Thread

[peternorth]

My PT tho cancelled. "things that piss me off"- I have left that thread no matter what smart ass comments ppl make.

Literally 45 mins before the time.

I texted him back basically cancelling the whole 4 sessions. But he saved me $150, so kudos to him.

You dont have to pay up front?

 

[Shell]

You dont have to pay up front?

Nah. Havent had a session with him/yet (just the complimentary one)

And tbh considering he cancels at the last minute id be reluctant to pay up front

 

[ThePezDispenser]

Bit of an odd one, but has anyone tried wearing an apple/fitness watch during an footy match?

 

[k31th]

Bit of an odd one, but has anyone tried wearing an apple/fitness watch during an footy match?

it'd get destroyed, nothing surer.

 

[phantom13]

Not sure it would be legal anyway. Been a few years since I graced a field but defs couldn’t wear a watch then.

 

[RickSanchez]

Hey all,

Been going gym for about 8 months, lost about 30kgs so far but it's kinda stayed around the same recently.
Lately though been getting more fatigued earlier, I feel like I'm low on energy and get home pretty exhausted (I work from home so I am lucky enough to go the time I do and have that rest period).

It's a tough one because I'm doing somewhat moderate to high weights, yet I want to lose weight as well, so I have pretty lowish calorie days (1000-1200)
I can't tell if I am just doing too many exercises, not having enough breakfasts or not having enough rest days, or maybe a combination of a few things.
I go maybe 4 to 7 days a week, depends if I've had some bad weekends where I drink quite heavily and just can't go the next day (these are the days where I kinda ruin the rest of the week but I try to spread it out).
My weight is still too high so when I am strict, I am very strict but I don't think I starve myself.

Breakfast is usually 40 grams muesli, 10g chia seeds, and skim milk. I mention this as I usually go after breakfast as for my gym it's the best time to go for me. I usually have one of those green tea x50 drinks as I stopped taking pre-workout because I shouldn't have too much caffeine with my high BP.

I usually do upper body stuff 2-3 times a week, leg exercises 2 times a week, core/cardio stuff 2 times a week. I try to have a rest day every now and then but it usually just happens after I am super sore or had a big night so I don't really plan it out. Each day I do 4 sets of 10 on about 6 to 7 different exercises, as well as some light cardio maybe 15-20 minutes each day (more on the core/cardio days).

I started a new routine last week and got through it but I was absolutely exhausted at the end of it. Today I did the same upper body day as last Monday but I got tired way faster than usual and struggled with a few exercises early on.

Just wanted to see those more experienced than I am to see why I am suddenly struggling early on and feeling a bit light-headed at times.
I am definitely making some mistakes so just wanted to see where I could improve.

Another question is as well if I am doing a low-calorie diet and weigh quite heavily, can I still build muscle, or do I need to still have more calories?
I know that is a pretty dumb question but even though some parts of me look much better, just want to know if I can lose weight but still build some muscle as I might be pushing myself hard and limiting my calories for no real reason.

Thanks, sorry for the long post but I thought I'd try to give some information and I know I'll probably have to give more.

 

[EasternTiger]

Hey all,

Been going gym for about 8 months, lost about 30kgs so far but it's kinda stayed around the same recently.
Lately though been getting more fatigued earlier, I feel like I'm low on energy and get home pretty exhausted (I work from home so I am lucky enough to go the time I do and have that rest period).

It's a tough one because I'm doing somewhat moderate to high weights, yet I want to lose weight as well, so I have pretty lowish calorie days (1000-1200)
I can't tell if I am just doing too many exercises, not having enough breakfasts or not having enough rest days, or maybe a combination of a few things.
I go maybe 4 to 7 days a week, depends if I've had some bad weekends where I drink quite heavily and just can't go the next day (these are the days where I kinda ruin the rest of the week but I try to spread it out).
My weight is still too high so when I am strict, I am very strict but I don't think I starve myself.

Breakfast is usually 40 grams muesli, 10g chia seeds, and skim milk. I mention this as I usually go after breakfast as for my gym it's the best time to go for me. I usually have one of those green tea x50 drinks as I stopped taking pre-workout because I shouldn't have too much caffeine with my high BP.

I usually do upper body stuff 2-3 times a week, leg exercises 2 times a week, core/cardio stuff 2 times a week. I try to have a rest day every now and then but it usually just happens after I am super sore or had a big night so I don't really plan it out. Each day I do 4 sets of 10 on about 6 to 7 different exercises, as well as some light cardio maybe 15-20 minutes each day (more on the core/cardio days).

I started a new routine last week and got through it but I was absolutely exhausted at the end of it. Today I did the same upper body day as last Monday but I got tired way faster than usual and struggled with a few exercises early on.

Just wanted to see those more experienced than I am to see why I am suddenly struggling early on and feeling a bit light-headed at times.
I am definitely making some mistakes so just wanted to see where I could improve.

Another question is as well if I am doing a low-calorie diet and weigh quite heavily, can I still build muscle, or do I need to still have more calories?
I know that is a pretty dumb question but even though some parts of me look much better, just want to know if I can lose weight but still build some muscle as I might be pushing myself hard and limiting my calories for no real reason.

Thanks, sorry for the long post but I thought I'd try to give some information and I know I'll probably have to give more.

Geez Louise that's a ton of weight you've lost congrats

First of all, I've fainted in the gym from overexertion so don't worry about feeling light headed. When I started it was the bent over row movements that caused dizzyness.

Take a week off weight training every few months to freshen up. If you don't want to take a week off then go in and do half your current volume for a few weeks. I'm exhausted from one session this week and had trouble sleeping, so I know a deload is in order.

You're doing 24 to 28 total sets every session? You are hitting your ability to recover threshold at those levels and don't have sufficient calories to repair. Are you training at high intensity/going to failure? Cycle your intensity from 'balls to the wall' to maintenance level sessions.

If you are going to push yourself to the limit you simply cannot booze up on the weekend.

You need to have the basics in place: plenty of water and sleep.

Don't weight train for more than 3 days without a day off.

You've plateaud on your insanely low calorie diet so back off for a few months then go again.

When you're dieting drop 500 calories at a time from maintenance and see how you go rather than a massive plummet in calories from the get go.

From the info you've given it just seems you've done a great job so far but you've pushed yourself a bit too hard and you're exhausted, but don't know how to slow down. It's actually a good problem to have because the opposite is 'I'll start the diet on monday."

A good start is to do 2 sets per exercise instead of 4, and see how you feel. Then gradually work your way back to 4 sets.

Forget about getting jacked on 1200 calories. You're lucky if you can still stand upright. Get your weight down to whatever your goal is and then worry about looking like Arnie.

Last resort should be a visit to the doctor to ask for duramine.

 

[RickSanchez]

Geez Louise that's a ton of weight you've lost congrats

First of all, I've fainted in the gym from overexertion so don't worry about feeling light headed. When I started it was the bent over row movements that caused dizzyness.

Take a week off weight training every few months to freshen up. If you don't want to take a week off then go in and do half your current volume for a few weeks. I'm exhausted from one session this week and had trouble sleeping, so I know a deload is in order.

You're doing 24 to 28 total sets every session? You are hitting your ability to recover threshold at those levels and don't have sufficient calories to repair. Are you training at high intensity/going to failure? Cycle your intensity from 'balls to the wall' to maintenance level sessions.

If you are going to push yourself to the limit you simply cannot booze up on the weekend.

You need to have the basics in place: plenty of water and sleep.

Don't weight train for more than 3 days without a day off.

You've plateaud on your insanely low calorie diet so back off for a few months then go again.

When you're dieting drop 500 calories at a time from maintenance and see how you go rather than a massive plummet in calories from the get go.

From the info you've given it just seems you've done a great job so far but you've pushed yourself a bit too hard and you're exhausted, but don't know how to slow down. It's actually a good problem to have because the opposite is 'I'll start the diet on monday."

A good start is to do 2 sets per exercise instead of 4, and see how you feel. Then gradually work your way back to 4 sets.

Forget about getting jacked on 1200 calories. You're lucky if you can still stand upright. Get your weight down to whatever your goal is and then worry about looking like Arnie.

Last resort should be a visit to the doctor to ask for duramine.

Thank you, much appreciated.
Don't mind too much about getting jacked just yet as weight loss is the main goal, do you know what type of exercise I should be doing if aiming for weight loss? Such as more sets/reps at a lower weight?

 

[SnakeMan86]

Hey all,

Been going gym for about 8 months, lost about 30kgs so far but it's kinda stayed around the same recently.
Lately though been getting more fatigued earlier, I feel like I'm low on energy and get home pretty exhausted (I work from home so I am lucky enough to go the time I do and have that rest period).

It's a tough one because I'm doing somewhat moderate to high weights, yet I want to lose weight as well, so I have pretty lowish calorie days (1000-1200)
I can't tell if I am just doing too many exercises, not having enough breakfasts or not having enough rest days, or maybe a combination of a few things.
I go maybe 4 to 7 days a week, depends if I've had some bad weekends where I drink quite heavily and just can't go the next day (these are the days where I kinda ruin the rest of the week but I try to spread it out).
My weight is still too high so when I am strict, I am very strict but I don't think I starve myself.

Breakfast is usually 40 grams muesli, 10g chia seeds, and skim milk. I mention this as I usually go after breakfast as for my gym it's the best time to go for me. I usually have one of those green tea x50 drinks as I stopped taking pre-workout because I shouldn't have too much caffeine with my high BP.

I usually do upper body stuff 2-3 times a week, leg exercises 2 times a week, core/cardio stuff 2 times a week. I try to have a rest day every now and then but it usually just happens after I am super sore or had a big night so I don't really plan it out. Each day I do 4 sets of 10 on about 6 to 7 different exercises, as well as some light cardio maybe 15-20 minutes each day (more on the core/cardio days).

I started a new routine last week and got through it but I was absolutely exhausted at the end of it. Today I did the same upper body day as last Monday but I got tired way faster than usual and struggled with a few exercises early on.

Just wanted to see those more experienced than I am to see why I am suddenly struggling early on and feeling a bit light-headed at times.
I am definitely making some mistakes so just wanted to see where I could improve.

Another question is as well if I am doing a low-calorie diet and weigh quite heavily, can I still build muscle, or do I need to still have more calories?
I know that is a pretty dumb question but even though some parts of me look much better, just want to know if I can lose weight but still build some muscle as I might be pushing myself hard and limiting my calories for no real reason.

Thanks, sorry for the long post but I thought I'd try to give some information and I know I'll probably have to give more.

Firstly, Great Job on the Weight loss.
The low energy, exhaustion, light headed-ness etc will be because your calorie intake are so low. 1000-1200 is an extremely low amount for a male especially when your exercising.
As long as your burning more calories than your consuming you will continue to lose weight.

The problem is You can also undo a whole weeks worth of calorie defecit boozing up on weekends. For example, if your in a defecit of 200-300 calories every day, then on friday night booze it up, eat greasy, high calorie foods you can eat and drink anywhere from 1000-2000 calories more than you burn, thereby wiping out a whole weeks worth of work, then saturday your hungover, probably don't eat the best, don't exercise etc.
Like every day, you put $100 in a shoebox to save money, then on saturday, you go and spend $1500 on your Credit card on something you don't need. Not only have you not saved any money, but you know owe a little more money. The body works the same way.

Your muscles also need protein and calories to grow, so if your barely consuming enough calories to get you through a day, then you wont be able to put on muscle.

My advice would be to up your calories a bit, but cut out your boozing weekends. Set yourself a goal of 4 weeks. Slightly Higher calories and no alcohol or huge nights out. You'll see a huge difference in your energy levels and weight loss.

 

[RickSanchez]

Firstly, Great Job on the Weight loss.
The low energy, exhaustion, light headed-ness etc will be because your calorie intake are so low. 1000-1200 is an extremely low amount for a male especially when your exercising.
As long as your burning more calories than your consuming you will continue to lose weight.

The problem is You can also undo a whole weeks worth of calorie defecit boozing up on weekends. For example, if your in a defecit of 200-300 calories every day, then on friday night booze it up, eat greasy, high calorie foods you can eat and drink anywhere from 1000-2000 calories more than you burn, thereby wiping out a whole weeks worth of work, then saturday your hungover, probably don't eat the best, don't exercise etc.
Like every day, you put $100 in a shoebox to save money, then on saturday, you go and spend $1500 on your Credit card on something you don't need. Not only have you not saved any money, but you know owe a little more money. The body works the same way.

Your muscles also need protein and calories to grow, so if your barely consuming enough calories to get you through a day, then you wont be able to put on muscle.

My advice would be to up your calories a bit, but cut out your boozing weekends. Set yourself a goal of 4 weeks. Slightly Higher calories and no alcohol or huge nights out. You'll see a huge difference in your energy levels and weight loss.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm definitely looking to increase that calorie intake and maybe cut the gym routine slightly as well at this stage.
I think like a lot of people out there I got a bit obsessed with calorie counting even though it's detrimental.
I've found healthy ways to get that calorie count up so I'll start with that.

I think drinking will be the tough one for me, I got a lot of free time on my hands so I get really bored and need to find a way to fill that boredom.
I definitely don't drink as much as I used to (probably 1-2 times a week to once every 2-3 weeks), as well as trying to eat better when I drink (will be honest, doesn't always work). I try to stay away from sugary stuff and beer too.

I think that's another reason why I thought I'd do such a low-calorie intake as well, I'm not silly enough to believe that being a good lad for a whole week means I can eat and drink what I want, but to a point, I guess the impact would be less severe (I know it doesn't work that way, unfortunately).

In regards to sleeping as well, I don't sleep that well often but I've started pretty recently to go to bed earlier so hopefully that, plus the changes I plan to make help.

Thanks.

 

[SnakeMan86]

Thanks for the reply.
I'm definitely looking to increase that calorie intake and maybe cut the gym routine slightly as well at this stage.
I think like a lot of people out there I got a bit obsessed with calorie counting even though it's detrimental.
I've found healthy ways to get that calorie count up so I'll start with that.

I think drinking will be the tough one for me, I got a lot of free time on my hands so I get really bored and need to find a way to fill that boredom.
I definitely don't drink as much as I used to (probably 1-2 times a week to once every 2-3 weeks), as well as trying to eat better when I drink (will be honest, doesn't always work). I try to stay away from sugary stuff and beer too.

I think that's another reason why I thought I'd do such a low-calorie intake as well, I'm not silly enough to believe that being a good lad for a whole week means I can eat and drink what I want, but to a point, I guess the impact would be less severe (I know it doesn't work that way, unfortunately).

In regards to sleeping as well, I don't sleep that well often but I've started pretty recently to go to bed earlier so hopefully that, plus the changes I plan to make help.

Thanks.

It sounds like you have a good grasp of things. Just little tweaks. You don't need to be obsessing with calorie counting etc. If you've done it in the past, then you should have a basic grasp of things.

Great job on cutting down the drinking as well. Try to find positive alternatives. Like I said, set yourself a goal of a month. So Even when you're out and the temptation is to drink with your mates. I think even if you explain to you're mates that your going a month dry to lose weight, they will be pretty supportive. Then just drink your water, or coke zero's etc and you don't miss out on the social aspect.

The low calories could also impact on your sleeping habits as well. I'd look at upping it to around 1500-1600 at least, after a week or so you'll find that your workouts aren't as taxing, as your body is getting more fuel in, and at night your body isn't starving, so should help you sleep. If not try Melatonin. The lack of sleep will also be impacting your workouts.
If you do play up, it's not the end of the world.. But get your arse off the couch, Chuck your headphones in, put on a podcast or something and go for an hour walk or something the next day.
And keep asking questions

 

[phantom13]

This is wholesome content. Love all round.

Huge effort rick sanchez too. Well done mate.

 

[EasternTiger]

Thank you, much appreciated.
Don't mind too much about getting jacked just yet as weight loss is the main goal, do you know what type of exercise I should be doing if aiming for weight loss? Such as more sets/reps at a lower weight?

You've lost 30 kgs in 8 months! I should be the one asking you how to lose weight lol.

You said you started a new workout program? Tell us what that is and we might be able to give you some tips.

At this stage it looks like you're doing enough exercise. If you want to do more go mow the lawn/wash the cars/paint the fence. It will help you lose more weight and keep your partner very happy.

 

[RickSanchez]

You've lost 30 kgs in 8 months! I should be the one asking you how to lose weight lol.

You said you started a new workout program? Tell us what that is and we might be able to give you some tips.

At this stage it looks like you're doing enough exercise. If you want to do more go mow the lawn/wash the cars/paint the fence. It will help you lose more weight and keep your partner very happy.

I pretty much just do back/shoulders Monday, legs Tuesday, core/cardio Wednesday, upper body Thursday, legs Friday, Saturday just usually do a combination of stuff I feel that I've missed out on and Sunday I do core/cardio again. Do 4x10 and about 6 to 7 different exercises as well as some light to moderate cardio (find it hard to do anything beyond moderate because I'm still in bad shape and I'm flat-footed so my feet get pretty sore pretty quick, I should really be looking into correcting that). Don't think I'm doing things right though...

I haven't really had PT sessions yet as I feel like I'm a long way back but I remember having a PT session when I was about 19/20 and I went super hard, stacked it in front of everyone doing sprints, and threw up at the gym and at home. Got some sort of PTSD from it.

I'm pretty sure I'm not doing things as well as I could have and I lost a lot of weight mainly by cutting out drinking and dieting. Think I need to change things up and I'm gonna try to get stuff like nuts/seeds to help boost that calorie count. Had leg day today and I cut out one exercise and I do feel less exhausted but I feel like I could have done more. I guess this stuff is all a process and you gotta find out what is right for you, sucks that I am impatient. I like the suggestions though to bump up that calorie count (with healthy stuff of course) and to reduce my sessions by maybe one or two exercises. I think it'll be a good balance and once I feel like I got that energy I can maybe push it up a bit more if I want. I don't rotate the different types of exercises I do enough as well, I find myself adding a few new ones in and keeping some old ones I feel that are working but bump up the weight, not sure if it's correct though so I'll try fresh with a whole bunch of new ones starting next week.

I appreciate all the support and advice from all of you. I went to the doctor 8 months back and my BP and weight were way worse than I imagined and I joined a gym soon as I got back home. BP is slowly going down with my reduction in weight. I have a good GP as well as he's always somewhat impressed at the weight I've lost which makes me feel good, but I got a long way to go.

It's funny that you mention simple things like washing etc, I find myself wanting to get up and get things done more over time. Don't get me wrong, I'm still lazy at times but it all makes a difference.

 

[SnakeMan86]

I pretty much just do back/shoulders Monday, legs Tuesday, core/cardio Wednesday, upper body Thursday, legs Friday, Saturday just usually do a combination of stuff I feel that I've missed out on and Sunday I do core/cardio again. Do 4x10 and about 6 to 7 different exercises as well as some light to moderate cardio (find it hard to do anything beyond moderate because I'm still in bad shape and I'm flat-footed so my feet get pretty sore pretty quick, I should really be looking into correcting that). Don't think I'm doing things right though...

I haven't really had PT sessions yet as I feel like I'm a long way back but I remember having a PT session when I was about 19/20 and I went super hard, stacked it in front of everyone doing sprints, and threw up at the gym and at home. Got some sort of PTSD from it.

I'm pretty sure I'm not doing things as well as I could have and I lost a lot of weight mainly by cutting out drinking and dieting. Think I need to change things up and I'm gonna try to get stuff like nuts/seeds to help boost that calorie count. Had leg day today and I cut out one exercise and I do feel less exhausted but I feel like I could have done more. I guess this stuff is all a process and you gotta find out what is right for you, sucks that I am impatient. I like the suggestions though to bump up that calorie count (with healthy stuff of course) and to reduce my sessions by maybe one or two exercises. I think it'll be a good balance and once I feel like I got that energy I can maybe push it up a bit more if I want. I don't rotate the different types of exercises I do enough as well, I find myself adding a few new ones in and keeping some old ones I feel that are working but bump up the weight, not sure if it's correct though so I'll try fresh with a whole bunch of new ones starting next week.

I appreciate all the support and advice from all of you. I went to the doctor 8 months back and my BP and weight were way worse than I imagined and I joined a gym soon as I got back home. BP is slowly going down with my reduction in weight. I have a good GP as well as he's always somewhat impressed at the weight I've lost which makes me feel good, but I got a long way to go.

It's funny that you mention simple things like washing etc, I find myself wanting to get up and get things done more over time. Don't get me wrong, I'm still lazy at times but it all makes a difference.

Yeah that's definitely a lot of volume.
Combine all that with bugger all sleep and not enough calories no wonder your buggered all the time.

The gym isn't the be all and end all for weight loss. Cutting out a day and just going for a good 30min/45min walk or bike ride etc will help give your muscles a rest while also keeping the body moving and burning.
Or if you've had a full on day at work where you've been moving all day, or a full on day of yard work etc, then don't feel like you NEED to go to the gym. Like ET said, even if its simple chores but your moving the whole time, As long as your intake is in check and you're in that deficit you'll be fine.

When your doing that much it can wither go 2 ways.
You either become addicted and love it, or you burn out and it becomes a chore.
You're absolutely kicking goals mate so should definitely be proud of your progress.

Its really, really hard to put on much muscle while in a defecit, especially the one you are on, because you're muscles simply aren't getting enough fuel to grow.
So if your priority is weight loss, then focus on that. Then when you get to a weight you are happy with, you can tweak your calories and start focusing on muscle growth.

 

[peternorth]

Great posts today everyone. This is what a community is like!

 

[peternorth]

As others have said, and i agree, limiting or eliminating the boozey weekends. it'd be a shame to see all that hard work you've put in go to waste. I know a lot of my friends always go "yeah ive had a hard day/week, I need a beer/few beers". Sometimes a few times a week! Then complain they're never losing weight or feel sluggish or can't find a nice girl.

 

[RickSanchez]

Yeah that's definitely a lot of volume.
Combine all that with bugger all sleep and not enough calories no wonder your buggered all the time.

The gym isn't the be all and end all for weight loss. Cutting out a day and just going for a good 30min/45min walk or bike ride etc will help give your muscles a rest while also keeping the body moving and burning.
Or if you've had a full on day at work where you've been moving all day, or a full on day of yard work etc, then don't feel like you NEED to go to the gym. Like ET said, even if its simple chores but your moving the whole time, As long as your intake is in check and you're in that deficit you'll be fine.

When your doing that much it can wither go 2 ways.
You either become addicted and love it, or you burn out and it becomes a chore.
You're absolutely kicking goals mate so should definitely be proud of your progress.

Its really, really hard to put on much muscle while in a defecit, especially the one you are on, because you're muscles simply aren't getting enough fuel to grow.
So if your priority is weight loss, then focus on that. Then when you get to a weight you are happy with, you can tweak your calories and start focusing on muscle growth.

Yeah, I always felt the calorie intake wasn't enough to build the muscle, just wanted to push myself after being a lazy sod for too long.
It's a process and takes time, so I'm still learning from it.
Today I dropped an exercise out of my leg day routine and just did a little bit more cardio. I think I'll try add even more cardio eventually as my focus is weight loss, so I don't need to be too crazy with weights for now. Once I get to my target then I'll change my diet and routine to bulk if I want to go down that path.
I'm struggling to lose belly fat and around the chest as well but I must have lost a bit because some older clothes fit much better now which is a nice little win. I think I definitely have a bit more definition though in the arms and shoulders which is nice but can't really go full out on weight loss while wanting to build as well.

Great posts today everyone. This is what a community is like!

Yeah, haven't been here long but I'm enjoying the positivity.
Hard to get a lot of positivity on some bigfooty threads so definitely a nice change haha.
Definitely can't wait to complain in that thread about irritating things in the gym though, I definitely sook at the gym at the actions of a few people.

 

[RickSanchez]

As others have said, and i agree, limiting or eliminating the boozey weekends. it'd be a shame to see all that hard work you've put in go to waste. I know a lot of my friends always go "yeah ive had a hard day/week, I need a beer/few beers". Sometimes a few times a week! Then complain they're never losing weight or feel sluggish or can't find a nice girl.

I know it's bad and I definitely drink too much, even now but the number of those big sessions is declining.
It's just how social things exist these days but I admit I'll just keep kicking on instead of knowing when to call it.
I had a liver function test a few years back and had some issues, had a blood test months back and it was pretty decent news so it's a start.
The results were better than expected for cholesterol, etc as well. I'm pretty lucky to not have other medical issues but the weight/BP was a massive wake-up call.

I'm a bit silly in that I'll pass on a drink at the pub or a family event or at dinner, but when there is an event at a mates or mine, I'll drink far too much.
That's a whole other topic though..

 

[EasternTiger]

I pretty much just do back/shoulders Monday, legs Tuesday, core/cardio Wednesday, upper body Thursday, legs Friday, Saturday just usually do a combination of stuff I feel that I've missed out on and Sunday I do core/cardio again. Do 4x10 and about 6 to 7 different exercises as well as some light to moderate cardio (find it hard to do anything beyond moderate because I'm still in bad shape and I'm flat-footed so my feet get pretty sore pretty quick, I should really be looking into correcting that). Don't think I'm doing things right though...

I haven't really had PT sessions yet as I feel like I'm a long way back but I remember having a PT session when I was about 19/20 and I went super hard, stacked it in front of everyone doing sprints, and threw up at the gym and at home. Got some sort of PTSD from it.

I'm pretty sure I'm not doing things as well as I could have and I lost a lot of weight mainly by cutting out drinking and dieting. Think I need to change things up and I'm gonna try to get stuff like nuts/seeds to help boost that calorie count. Had leg day today and I cut out one exercise and I do feel less exhausted but I feel like I could have done more. I guess this stuff is all a process and you gotta find out what is right for you, sucks that I am impatient. I like the suggestions though to bump up that calorie count (with healthy stuff of course) and to reduce my sessions by maybe one or two exercises. I think it'll be a good balance and once I feel like I got that energy I can maybe push it up a bit more if I want. I don't rotate the different types of exercises I do enough as well, I find myself adding a few new ones in and keeping some old ones I feel that are working but bump up the weight, not sure if it's correct though so I'll try fresh with a whole bunch of new ones starting next week.

I appreciate all the support and advice from all of you. I went to the doctor 8 months back and my BP and weight were way worse than I imagined and I joined a gym soon as I got back home. BP is slowly going down with my reduction in weight. I have a good GP as well as he's always somewhat impressed at the weight I've lost which makes me feel good, but I got a long way to go.

It's funny that you mention simple things like washing etc, I find myself wanting to get up and get things done more over time. Don't get me wrong, I'm still lazy at times but it all makes a difference.

You have some wiggle room there and can do more cardio sessions and drop some weights volume.

Doing that much volume in a severe calorie deficit is 'pro bodybuilder getting ready for a contest' territory.

If you hire a PT they will get you doing more cardio and a circuit style weights program with shorter breaks.

Understand if your goal is pure weight loss then doing 100+ sets a week will tend to maintain muscle mass even in a calorie deficit. In the long run you are better off building muscle and shredding as much fat as possible.

I would try and scale back to 5 exercises per weights session, and once your energy levels stabilise increase cardio if you want to push it again. 7 exercises at 4sets/10 reps is exhausting if you're going anywhere near failure.

Once you're happy with your weight and can eat normally, then push the weights as hard as you want.

As others have suggested you might want to increase you calorie intake or you will eventually crash and burn.

It's pretty impressive what you're able to do. 1200 calories and 100+ sets a week would have crushed my soul after a month.

 

[RickSanchez]

You have some wiggle room there and can do more cardio sessions and drop some weights volume.

Doing that much volume in a severe calorie deficit is 'pro bodybuilder getting ready for a contest' territory.

If you hire a PT they will get you doing more cardio and a circuit style weights program with shorter breaks.

Understand if your goal is pure weight loss then doing 100+ sets a week will tend to maintain muscle mass even in a calorie deficit. In the long run you are better off building muscle and shredding as much fat as possible.

I would try and scale back to 5 exercises per weights session, and once your energy levels stabilise increase cardio if you want to push it again. 7 exercises at 4sets/10 reps is exhausting if you're going anywhere near failure.

Once you're happy with your weight and can eat normally, then push the weights as hard as you want.

As others have suggested you might want to increase you calorie intake or you will eventually crash and burn.

It's pretty impressive what you're able to do. 1200 calories and 100+ sets a week would have crushed my soul after a month.

Yeah, I had a feeling I wasn't doing it right but I've got some good advice from all of you so I'll be putting the calories up and dropping the number of exercises I do. If I feel like I got more in the tank I'll just stick to extra cardio for now. I'd like to lose maybe 20-30kg more then I'll look at increasing the weights again.
I do feel a bit s**t though now because I put so much effort mentally and physically into all those weights and they probably weren't doing too much for me due to my silly calorie intake. I feel alright now with the changes I made today, but I'll see how it feels for the rest of the week. Hopefully, less stress I put on myself and the added calories can help me fall asleep quicker as well.

 

[SnakeMan86]

Yeah, I had a feeling I wasn't doing it right but I've got some good advice from all of you so I'll be putting the calories up and dropping the number of exercises I do. If I feel like I got more in the tank I'll just stick to extra cardio for now. I'd like to lose maybe 20-30kg more then I'll look at increasing the weights again.
I do feel a bit sh*t though now because I put so much effort mentally and physically into all those weights and they probably weren't doing too much for me due to my silly calorie intake. I feel alright now with the changes I made today, but I'll see how it feels for the rest of the week. Hopefully, less stress I put on myself and the added calories can help me fall asleep quicker as well.

Don't feel s**t mate. What you were doing is 1000% better than not doing anything, or living the life you were in the past. It's also given you a base and the muscles are conditioned to weight training. It also shows that you have the right drive and the willpower/attitude. So the changes won't be an issue for you, either will being consistent with it.

Plus, we've essentially told you to can eat more and do less in the gym..... Gotta be happy with that

 

[RickSanchez]

Don't feel sh*t mate. What you were doing is 1000% better than not doing anything, or living the life you were in the past. It's also given you a base and the muscles are conditioned to weight training. It also shows that you have the right drive and the willpower/attitude. So the changes won't be an issue for you, either will being consistent with it.

Plus, we've essentially told you to can eat more and do less in the gym..... Gotta be happy with that

Yeah, not too bad I guess. I'm just impatient.
Pretty much all I'm doing for the added calories is eat more nuts, seeds, and protein.
I don't even know what to eat really, having high BP is bad as well as I can't have too much sodium as well so it limits the options a bit.
Inerested to see how this goes.

 

[Milpool]

If you can survive as long as you did on such low calories and high work load you're obviously mentally strong, there's no way that counted for nothing. Now you have a good baseline to see what effect more calories has on you too. I think the most of important thing increase to up your calories is protein, 1gram per lb of body weight, then make the rest of your food fit around that.

 

[RickSanchez]

If you can survive as long as you did on such low calories and high work load you're obviously mentally strong, there's no way that counted for nothing. Now you have a good baseline to see what effect more calories has on you too. I think the most of important thing increase to up your calories is protein, 1gram per lb of body weight, then make the rest of your food fit around that.

Thanks for the comment, you're right about the protein. I'm somewhat familiar with what foods are high in protein, just need to find a way to fit them all in.