The six pack challenge

[TalkToTheHand123]

I used to be very active / sporty when younger, many moons ago. The weight seems to have been a bit of a gradual increase up to now for many reasons (no real excuse). I've tried (to a degree) to stop the increase with many different ideas but have failed.

I'm trying to get in a good routine which works well for me and hoping a few ideas I have had recently will help me reach my target. I'd probably be more than happy to just lose 2 or 3 stone (currently 15.5 stone), but ultimate target is to get my 6 pack back.

Anyone have similar goals?

Was quite pleased hitting the 15 stone mark this morning but serious heartburn and a large Easter egg has no doubt set me back.

Congratulations on your loss!

Apologies if I missed it, but have you thought about adding some planking to your routine? From what I have read they are such a great exercise.

We made the decision that we have to cut down on the the hours we spend in front of the tv if we want to really loose weight so have added some gardening to our evenings. It might not be a traditional exercise but all the digging has made me sore 🤣

Ah forgot about planks, I deffo will be adding to my routine, just tried some and you really feel it quickly.

Not sure about planks at the moment as I was hoping for a schedule that was quite light.

Going to the gym was more to just get me out the house, but once I get there I enjoy a good workout which leaves me too tired to get a lot of things done. Although maybe if I get a bit more used to it, I may be ok.

Getting to bed early is a routine which I need to focus on and address, soon preferably. Without it, my day is a quite a struggle.

I somehow had the motivation to do 40mins on the treadmill last night and was just going to leave it at that but ended up doing light sit-ups on the stool. I then did a lot of stretching.

I'm shattered now so going back to sleep for a bit. Had a little alcohol last night also which didn't help. I think I'll try keep off it for a while.

I plan to just do light stretching regularly as I need my limited energy to get quite a few things done which I've been putting off due too being too tired with exercising. I feel I'm losing weight and just need to be patient. Quite confident I'm not going to put it back on. Just need to avoid any blow outs.

Forgot to mention the stretching in front of a mirror seems to help me do more.

Hi @TalkToTheHand123 how are you getting on?
I’m really surprised you’ve been able to do 25 mins of sit ups! At my gym class we do sit ups for 2 mins and everyone is ready to collapse afterwards, but we move on to other exercises. How are you managing 25 mins?

Hi SS, they are light sit-ups so sitting on a stool, not the hardcore type.

I've had to put exercise on hold for a bit as I'm just shattered through the day and can't function properly. Need to discipline myself for earlier nights.

Weight just going up and down between 15 and 15.5 stone.

How you getting on?

Oh, how does that work- how do you engage your stomach?

That’s a shame you’ve had to stop, how much sleep are you getting? Are you managing to control your diet?

I got back from holiday yesterday and luckily I stayed exactly the same weight, so I’ve managed to maintain my loss. Very pleased with that and going to carry on, hoping to lose a little more to get under 9st.

When you lean back, you feel the tummy stretch.

I'm getting just under 7 hours most nights as for some reason I can't get myself to bed before midnight.

My diet is quite good. I very rarely eat a takeaway and don't really snack on any junk food so quite confused why I'm not losing weight.

Have you tried weighing out your portions? If you’re not calorie counting, I’d suggest at least weighing out things like pasta, cereals etc as you might be surprised what the recommended amounts are.
They do say 80% of weight loss is diet and only 20% is exercise, so you might need to focus on what (or how much you’re eating).

I've thought about it but never have the patience. I just keep cutting things out. I used to have the odd packet of crisps, sweets or chocolate but practically none lately. Stopped eating sausage. Even rice.

All I really eat now is brown bread, salads and yoghurts. I even cut out alcohol even though I hardly drink.

Can I ask which exercises people do to get great abs? Keep going OP!

What is a typical day’s food nowadays? For example how many slices of bread, do you use butter, jam etc. What about coffee, tea, sugar? Dressings on salad? This is why I calorie count, because all of those things add up. I used to drink 4 or 5 coffees with milk and sugar, that was a few hundred calories before I’ve even eaten.

If you’re really eating only salads and yoghurts I’d expect you to be losing weight fairly consistently.

Not that I’m fussed over a six pack, but it would take some dedication to get one. Everyone has one underneath. However we need to lose weight and also exercise consistently to achieve that.
A healthy nutrition filled diet with extra protein or a protein shake to help muscle growth. Lots of exercise you enjoy to help lose weight and strength and also help your mind set. Even walking at first. Weights to help define your muscle. Stretching and seated sit ups won’t work alone.

Everyones bodies are different anyway I know some slim very fit ladies but they don’t have a six pack. I spin twice/three times a week, walk for miles and do kettlebells and resistance bands, yoga too. no six pack. But that’s not my aim tbh.

@TalkToTheHand123 the reason you had one when you were younger is probably that you were sporty. Also our bodies are different when younger too. Maybe find ways to eat and exercise which help with your weight first before worrying about a very tough target. Target a dress size or a stone etc. one thing at a time

I think my muscles aren't as strong as they used to and I forget to warm up and cool down a lot which stops me from making better progress.

Anything which stretches the stomach can do wonders if you stick to it. I used to do a lot of imaginary running (top half only) which I half forgot about and just remembered now thinking about it.

It has been 4 bread and butter sandwiches (8 slices) but switched butter to apple / cranberry sauce. Idea from the bland diet as I get easy bloated from any other food. Although also have soup. Also just for ease.

I do have a bit of light mayonaisse on the salad when I get home.

Finishing my daughter's foods probably doesn't help 😳.

I've been really close to the 15 stone mark more lately so at least some progress and hope.

A six pack is the ultimate target, but my main target has been to take it a stone at a time (getting to 15 stone, then 14, but might do in half stones as it's taking me longer).

*to start doing the imaginary running again.

I sometimes don't finish my sandwiches.

I want one! I need to do more core work. I got kinda close to starting to get one last year 😂 but wasn't doing any strength work. Maybe this year I'll manage it!

8 slices of bread every day is a lot of calories, on top of the other meals mentioned. Can you try and cut it down to 1 sandwich? I agree with pp, stretching and seated exercises won’t be getting your heart rate up, you’d be better off aiming to do cardio. Even going out for a brisk walk would do more benefit than imaginary running. Presumably you mean just moving your arms back and forth? I think you need a simple routine of a few stretches (should only take 1 or 2 minutes), a 30 minute walk and then a few stretches to cool down. Stretching isn’t really exercising and isn’t going to burn any fat.

Do you have any underlying health conditions @TalkToTheHand123 ?

From what you are saying here it sounds like your diet is really limited and not that high in protein, which is what you’d need to build muscle. There’s not a lot of information to go on, so I could be totally wrong, but I wonder if what you are eating might be part of the reason why you feel so tired?

I have a relatively high body fat percentage, so definitely no six-pack here. But as I do a lot of exercise, my stomach is relatively firm and has a little bit of definition. It sounds like that might be what you are aiming for? I wouldn’t be able to do the level of exercise I do if I was just eating bread and salad though, so if you are able to I would look at widening your diet a bit and get a bit more of the good stuff in (vegetables, whole grains, more protein etc)

I often don't eat all the sandwiches. They are what I take for a 12 hour shift. I forgot to mention I do eat quite a bit of chicken.

It's mainly the lack of sleep, but also work brain drain and surfing the internet a lot.

I managed a few early night in a row a few months back with sameish diet and it did wonders.

I'm currently at the gym though on the treadmill😀trying to work out how much time to spend here 😂

Veg also when I get in

Is there any particular reason why you are not getting enough sleep? Is it having young kids, not being able to fall/ stay asleep, or just not prioritising it?

Literally everything is easier if you’ve had enough sleep, so if that is under your control that’s actually a better place to start your weightloss journey than the gym. Get enough sleep and you’ll end up having more energy for exercise, it will be easier to resist treats, make healthy food choices etc etc.

There’s plenty of evidence that shows the impact of sleep on weightloss. Have a read of this:

www.healthline.com/nutrition/sleep-and-weight-loss#TOC_TITLE_HDR_7

Oh I don't doubt it. I just don't like going to bed.

I usually get home about half eight, then make something to eat, then like to watch a bit of TV then a little internet surf. I wait for the energy also to get off the sofa to get to bed.

I'm going to make more of an effort though.

The gym was mostly just something to do and now it's just to try get my money's worth. I have 11 months to think if I want to continue!