Excercises need!

[higley]

I recommend doing the crunches, they're more difficult than sit ups. Only go halfway up and don't rest on the floor when you come back down, just let your shoulder blades touch briefly and go back up. And keep your arms crossed and pressed against your chest, because it's easier to cheat when you stick them out straight. Do repetitions, like 12-15 in each set. Works for me

[MANICHAEAN]

Yesterday was the week-end in the Middle East. Three hours in the gym midday. No food. Four vodka & tonics to keep my morale up. Lost half a kilo! Weightwatchers beware!

[Maryd.]

Yesterday was the week-end in the Middle East. Three hours in the gym midday. No food. Four vodka & tonics to keep my morale up. Lost half a kilo! Weightwatchers beware!

I don't know wheather to laugh at that statement, or cry... Three hours in the gym, - You are keen. Vodka and tonic, I don't know about... I'm still getting of a hangover from all the wine last night. Never mind. Will take some pain killers and hop on the tredmil. (You're so funny)

[*Classic*Charm*]

Now diet. STAY OFF CARBS. Fatty food doesn't make you fat, it's just bad for your arteries. It's carbs that make you fat. Carbs turn into sugar which turns into fat. So avoid eating starches. That means no bread, no pasta, no rice, and no meshed or baked potatoes. An occasional dish is fine, but don't eat that every meal.

Instead eat vegetables, fruits, and meat. Some might say meat is bad for cholesterol. It's not. Since I switched to this diet (basically Atkins) my cholesterol actually improved. The protein in meat makes you less hungry so you won't be eating as much later on. Carbs is basically sugar which burns fast so you get hungry faster and that makes you eat more and pack more pounds. Be sure to have your veggies, they are packed with antioxidants and will keep you healthy and trim

Sorry to contradict you, Haunted, but I'm going to disagree with your recommendation to stay off carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the best way to give your body energy. Currently, the average North American gets ~50% of their energy from Carbs, though Nutritional Biochemists are recommending that that number be increased to ~60%. That is, replace fat in the diet with Carbohydrates. Within that, most of the energy from Carbs comes from starches and fibre, which ARE NOT the same as plain sugar. Yes, your carbs are broken down into sugars, but those sugars are necessary for your body to function properly. Excessive Carbs will make you gain weight, but avoiding them altogether is not a healthy way to diet.

Fat can be bad for cholesterol because it is the major source of cholesterol in the human diet (cholesterol only comes from foods of animal origin). Again, this problem is often caused by excessive consumption of eggs and meat.

Fruits and vegetables are definitely a good idea, though fruits are a huge source of sugar. Vegetables (especially dark green ones) are a good source of vitamins, but don't provide you with any energy.

Basically, what I'm saying is that everything in excess will cause you problems. Your body needs fat, protein, and carbohydrates, as well as other things of course. Balanced meals are the best way to go. And exercise of course.

Sorry for the rant, since Niamh already said she eats well haha.

Oh, and Niamh, I was having the same problem you were before- no matter what exercises you do, it doesn't feel like you're working your lower abs? I asked a personal trainer about it once and she told me that no exercise will work on lower abs until you've strengthened your upper abs. She said that with abs, you have to work downwards. She recommended this exercise for the uppers:

http://www.sixpacknow.com/preview3.html
Stupid website, but scroll down to the Curl Up. That was it, though I was told to extend my arms forward. It was working until I got lazy After that, I was told to go on to some of the other exercises mentioned in other posts.

[Niamh]

great site Classic! its given me a few ideas!

[Virgil]

Now diet. STAY OFF CARBS. Fatty food doesn't make you fat, it's just bad for your arteries. It's carbs that make you fat. Carbs turn into sugar which turns into fat. So avoid eating starches. That means no bread, no pasta, no rice, and no meshed or baked potatoes. An occasional dish is fine, but don't eat that every meal.

Instead eat vegetables, fruits, and meat. Some might say meat is bad for cholesterol. It's not. Since I switched to this diet (basically Atkins) my cholesterol actually improved. The protein in meat makes you less hungry so you won't be eating as much later on. Carbs is basically sugar which burns fast so you get hungry faster and that makes you eat more and pack more pounds. Be sure to have your veggies, they are packed with antioxidants and will keep you healthy and trim

Sorry to contradict you, Haunted, but I'm going to disagree with your recommendation to stay off carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the best way to give your body energy. Currently, the average North American gets ~50% of their energy from Carbs, though Nutritional Biochemists are recommending that that number be increased to ~60%. That is, replace fat in the diet with Carbohydrates. Within that, most of the energy from Carbs comes from starches and fibre, which ARE NOT the same as plain sugar. Yes, your carbs are broken down into sugars, but those sugars are necessary for your body to function properly. Excessive Carbs will make you gain weight, but avoiding them altogether is not a healthy way to diet.

Fat can be bad for cholesterol because it is the major source of cholesterol in the human diet (cholesterol only comes from foods of animal origin). Again, this problem is often caused by excessive consumption of eggs and meat.

Fruits and vegetables are definitely a good idea, though fruits are a huge source of sugar. Vegetables (especially dark green ones) are a good source of vitamins, but don't provide you with any energy.

Basically, what I'm saying is that everything in excess will cause you problems. Your body needs fat, protein, and carbohydrates, as well as other things of course. Balanced meals are the best way to go. And exercise of course.

Sorry for the rant, since Niamh already said she eats well haha.

Oh, and Niamh, I was having the same problem you were before- no matter what exercises you do, it doesn't feel like you're working your lower abs? I asked a personal trainer about it once and she told me that no exercise will work on lower abs until you've strengthened your upper abs. She said that with abs, you have to work downwards. She recommended this exercise for the uppers:

http://www.sixpacknow.com/preview3.html
Stupid website, but scroll down to the Curl Up. That was it, though I was told to extend my arms forward. It was working until I got lazy After that, I was told to go on to some of the other exercises mentioned in other posts.

Well, I don't mean to generate controversy, but I'm with Haunted on this. Carbs are what gives you excess calories. Classic, you say that "carbohydrates are the best way to give your body energy". While that might be true, the amount of carbs we eat are way, way more that necessary to carry on normal expenditure of calories, even of you are exercising regularly. Unless one is running a marathon, there is no need to load up on carbs. A slice of bread or two a day is more than enough for normal activity. Think of it this way. Primitive man did not make carbs or sugars. Those are relatively recent creations and in my opinion relative unnatural to human diet. (Of course i eat them, but that's because they taste so good. ) Even the early carbs were from unrefined flour, which has a higher fiber content and not as digestible. There is no need to eat a lot of carbs. Sorry Classic, I have to disagree with you.

As to colesterol, frankly this is way over rated. People with problem colesterol have problems not so much from diet but inherent to their body function. Sure if you eat a complete meat diet, your colesterol will be higher than not, but not a huge amount. Remember there is good colesterol and bad colesterol. But denying yourself meat you are also denying yourself good colesterol. It's the ratio of bad to good (or is it good to bad, I forget which is the numerator and which is the denominator) colesterol that is the important number.

As to that web site. Good one Classic. I've never seen those butterfly crunches. I'll have to give them a shot and see if they are different.

[*Classic*Charm*]

Well, I don't mean to generate controversy, but I'm with Haunted on this. Carbs are what gives you excess calories. Classic, you say that "carbohydrates are the best way to give your body energy". While that might be true, the amount of carbs we eat are way, way more that necessary to carry on normal expenditure of calories, even of you are exercising regularly. Unless one is running a marathon, there is no need to load up on carbs. A slice of bread or two a day is more than enough for normal activity. Think of it this way. Primitive man did not make carbs or sugars. Those are relatively recent creations and in my opinion relative unnatural to human diet. (Of course i eat them, but that's because they taste so good. ) Even the early carbs were from unrefined flour, which has a higher fiber content and not as digestible. There is no need to eat a lot of carbs. Sorry Classic, I have to disagree with you.

As to that web site. Good one Classic. I've never seen those butterfly crunches. I'll have to give them a shot and see if they are different.

I'm not saying load up on carbs at all! Just not avoid them altogether. As I said, a proper diet is about moderation in everything.

What do you mean primitive man did not make sugar? Humans are omnivores, and therefore have been consuming carbohydrates in the form of whatever plant-based foods they consumed. Our bodies NEED glucose to function. They don't need as much as we typically ingest, but it is necessary nonetheless.

As for the website, it was a complete random I found trying to find the exercise Glad it was useful

[Mathor]

Think of it this way. Primitive man did not make carbs or sugars. Those are relatively recent creations and in my opinion relative unnatural to human diet.

All vegetables contain carbohydrates
All fruits contain sugar which means all fruits ALSO contain carbohydrates.

[Virgil]

I'm not saying load up on carbs at all! Just not avoid them altogether. As I said, a proper diet is about moderation in everything.

What do you mean primitive man did not make sugar? Humans are omnivores, and therefore have been consuming carbohydrates in the form of whatever plant-based foods they consumed. Our bodies NEED glucose to function. They don't need as much as we typically ingest, but it is necessary nonetheless.

As for the website, it was a complete random I found trying to find the exercise Glad it was useful

All vegetables contain carbohydrates
All fruits contain sugar which means all fruits ALSO contain carbohydrates.

Yeah I know. But I'm talking about complex sugars from breads and pastas. The glucose from processed sugars and the carbs from refined flour were not part of the primitive diet. Proteins provide 4 calories per gram and that is the same as carbohydrates. Yes both carbs and proteins provide the same energy. And carbs have fairly little nutrition, raise your blood sugar levels, so that they make you want to eat more frequently.

I'm still with Haunted on this. If you want to lose weight trade carbs for proteins. Don't eliminate carbs, but don't think they're doing you much to lose weight.

[Mathor]

I'm still with Haunted on this. If you want to lose weight trade carbs for proteins. Don't eliminate carbs, but don't think they're doing you much to lose weight.

But that's not really right either. It's about the AMOUNT. A healthy mix of protein and carbohydrates is what your body needs to be healthy. One isn't better than another in any way, you need both.

[Niamh]

protein diets like atkins are very very bad for you. They actually put a lot of strain on the heart. in order to be healthy and to loose weight properly is to maintain a "balanced" diet, not but filling up on one thing more than another.

[TheFifthElement]

Basically, what I'm saying is that everything in excess will cause you problems. Your body needs fat, protein, and carbohydrates, as well as other things of course. Balanced meals are the best way to go. And exercise of course.

That seems like very sound advice particularly as it seems that food, and how food interacts with the body, is both a complex and poorly understood subject. How often does food advice change? Every 5 minutes, or so it seems. For example:

Fat can be bad for cholesterol because it is the major source of cholesterol in the human diet (cholesterol only comes from foods of animal origin). Again, this problem is often caused by excessive consumption of eggs and meat.

A recent study indicated that the correlation between eggs and cholesterol has been misunderstood. In UK now the advice is that there is no limit on the amount of eggs you can eat, see here for more info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7882850.stm

It's likely that the same is true of meat in that provided you eat lean meat it doesn't badly affect your blood cholesterol.

Of course that's what they're saying now, who knows what they'll be saying tomorrow!

Currently, the average North American gets ~50% of their energy from Carbs, though Nutritional Biochemists are recommending that that number be increased to ~60%. That is, replace fat in the diet with Carbohydrates. Within that, most of the energy from Carbs comes from starches and fibre, which ARE NOT the same as plain sugar. Yes, your carbs are broken down into sugars, but those sugars are necessary for your body to function properly. Excessive Carbs will make you gain weight, but avoiding them altogether is not a healthy way to diet.

Carbs are what gives you excess calories. Classic, you say that "carbohydrates are the best way to give your body energy". While that might be true, the amount of carbs we eat are way, way more that necessary to carry on normal expenditure of calories, even of you are exercising regularly. Unless one is running a marathon, there is no need to load up on carbs. A slice of bread or two a day is more than enough for normal activity. Think of it this way. Primitive man did not make carbs or sugars. Those are relatively recent creations and in my opinion relative unnatural to human diet. (Of course i eat them, but that's because they taste so good. ) Even the early carbs were from unrefined flour, which has a higher fiber content and not as digestible.

I think the problem here is storage. Carbohydrates are a form of sugar, so in the sugar chain you have the simple sugars like sucrose, fructose, glucose, then you have more complex sugars (carbohydrates) then even more complex sugars (fats). The more complex the sugar the more work the body has to do to break it down, and in the reverse situation the more complex the sugar the easier it is for the body to store as no conversion is involved. So the body will store fat first, complex carbs next, less complex carbs or sugars last. Carbohydrates are certainly present in natural diet - potatoes and rice are both strong sources of carbohydrates as are cereals (refined or unrefined), bread and pasta - but carbohydrates are also present in fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses, yoghurts and milk. See here for more info on complex carbohydrate carrying foods: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nut...bohydrates.htm

The body deals with all these things in the same way, an excess of sugars (of whichever type) will result in storage of fat. So if you eat too much carbs, sugars or fat then your body will store it for later use. According to some scientific opinion you have a certain number of fat storage cells and once these are all full your body will produce more. Once you have a fat cell you can't get rid of it and it's purpose is to store fat so that's what it tries to do. This is why when you put on an excess of weight (especially as a child) it is more difficult to lose it, because you're fighting your body's desire to fill its fat cells to the limit. More info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7378349.stm

Protein, on the other hand, can't be stored by the body so if you eat too much protein you simply urinate it out. Generally this doesn't cause any problems but if you do have any issues with kidney function, or if you have high blood pressure which can also be damaging to kidney function, it's not recommended to put them under any extra stress.

[MANICHAEAN]

Am I a voice crying in the wilderness?
All this analysis of: carbs, body mass index, lifestyle changes, abs, pecs, glutes, cellulite, muscle resistence, sets, warm-ups, warm-downs, cardio. muscle definition, high protein drinks & detox diets is so much tosh.
Try the Manichaean method. Lunch only , exercise, & four vodka & tonics (slim line) per night. A sylph like figure is guaranteed, plus your morale will remain high!

[Mathor]

Of course that's what they're saying now, who knows what they'll be saying tomorrow!

It doesn't really matter what they are saying. However, if you do not have enough protein or carbohydrates in your diet, you will NOT have enough energy to get through the day. All of these crazy diet tips are unhealthy for the human body. Eat an abundant amount of healthy carbs, proteins, fats, and more important DO THE EXERCISE to make use of all this energy being put into the body.

[TheFifthElement]

It doesn't really matter what they are saying. However, if you do not have enough protein or carbohydrates in your diet, you will NOT have enough energy to get through the day. All of these crazy diet tips are unhealthy for the human body. Eat an abundant amount of healthy carbs, proteins, fats, and more important DO THE EXERCISE to make use of all this energy being put into the body.

Oh I agree. All I was saying is that there's such a lot of conflicting/confusing advice out there that it's often difficult to know what's the right thing to do. It seems especially so in relation to food (eggs are bad, then eggs are good; wine is bad, then wine is good, then it's bad again, and so on). But as *Classic Charm* mentioned, they key is balance - balanced diet and balanced exercise too. There's no magic, quick fix solution.