I just turned 40, and for the past 5 or so years I have been unhappy with the way I look.
All my life my metabolism has been insane, I could literally eat anything all day and not gain a gram, which has its downsides as well, but not the point.
My weight went up to 80kg and I formed a pot belly which I didnt like. One night I decided enough was enough, started a diet and exercise routine.
I did look at gyms but they are stupid expensive where I live, so I bought a resistance band thing from InnStar. Its like a Gymproluxe if you have been bombarded with Facebook ads. I use it every day for bench press, preacher curls, and some other things I dont know the name of.
I also started using a body weight exercise app that claimed results in a month.
The diet I thought would be hardest, but I immediately stopped all snacks and moved onto a weightloss protein shake which are amazing and I cant believe it took this long to taste them.
Its been a week, and I feel better, Im not sleeping as much, I look forward to exercise, I am much more physically active than before, but I dont feel like I look any different. I am not expecting instant results and I havent booked myself into a Mr World contest this weekend, but I am curious to hear real experiences of when people started to notice their own changes.
First off, if you’re looking for major changes you need to make this a lifestyle change, or you won’t last long enough.
The good news is that you found diet easy so far. That’s the biggest part. A few weeks is not long enough to get rid of a pot belly. Depending how much of a belly you got, probably looking at closer to 6 months for a really visible change. By 3 months you’ll probably notice a difference but might not be where you want to be yet.
Just stick with it, but try not to focus on it.
Its hard not to focus on! But I try not to dwell, and keep pushing through the exercise.
It takes a long time to lose weight, and it’s about 80% diet and 20% exercise. But after a few weeks your heart/breathing should already be better. I’m 55 and wen I started jogging I was without breath and heart in top after 400 yards. Now I can run 2 or 3 miles non stop without too much suffering :)
I’d keep the focus on your performance. You can do x amount of push ups etc. That is easier to notice and keep track of. I had a notebook where I wrote down every exercise session so I remembered.
The problem with seeing a difference is that you see yourself every day, and the difference from day to day is so small that you’ll just update your “before” image in your head.
The obvious solution is to take a before and after picture, longer between the better. At least a month.
For me it’s about not worrying about the day to day appearance/weight/progress, and instead just focusing on accomplishing my daily goals, with no loftier intent.
Time will help guide your intent.
Abs are made in the kitchen, but you sound on the ball there already so:
Yeah in 2-3 months without missing many days you’ll start to notice.
Edit: In my experience it’s other people who see you often/semi often who notice external changes first. Not sure if that’s just me or not.
I believe it’s true too that other people might notice first. I think it might be because we look at the mirror often, especially when working out, and don’t notice the small changes our body has gone through during the process. But when you see someone you haven’t seen in weeks, the difference is much more noticeable
Take a photo; check back 30 days later. Rinse and repeat.
Progress can seem slow, that if you look at yourself day-to-day you’ll not notice it.
Scale isn’t the best judge either, because even if you weigh at the same time every day (first thing post BM is good) - your weight can fluctuate due to hydration and quality of sleep.
Consider measuring your waist as an alternative, seeing as that’s what was your initial motivation.
If you aren’t already, add walking to your daily routine - or even consider programs like Couch to 5K or ZombieRun if you want some motivation and a tougher goal. It’s great for your heart health, and will help contribute a small amount of additional burned calories.
Lastly, diet is the most important facet of weight loss. I highly recommend logging everything you eat (at least for the first week or two to get your bearings) using an app like Cronometer.
Another thing to add on to why weight isn’t a great measurement - You will put on muscle as you lose fat, especially if you shift your diet while you workout. It’s fully possible that you lose 5 lbs of fat in a month while putting on 5 lbs of muscle. Both are great strides forward, but the scale will show no change.
If you are going to use a scale, get one that will do body fat analysis as well. They aren’t 100% accurate, but its another measurement that gives a closer look at your actual fitness.
I started at 35. From skinny fat to visibly “are you lifting” took me about 1 year. Looking “big” took 3-4years. I gained about 15kg of bw, probably about half fat and half muscle. The hardest part now is trying to diet down a bit again. Much harder than actually working out imo.
I did workout using a squat rack at home.
Still the best decision I ever made.
Exercise is going to have the least effect on your weight unless you’re wildly out of shape.
It’s all about diet for the most part.
You should try intermittent fasting.
Measure your waist monthly. Yep just your waist. For me, I generally see weight loss over a few months of increased exercise. You will get better results with strength training, less weight loss but more lean, so just as much change in volume. Bodyweight will get you there but at some point you may want to pick up weights.
Remember that physical activity does a lot more than keeping your size where you want it. It’s good for your mental health, your bones, your heart, digestion, it’s an important part of a healthy life, be glad you are able.
I am going to the gym 1-2 times a week for about 2 years now. I think I started to see the first signs after about half a year.
I am not super well defined as I would need to go more often than 2 times a week, but you can see I am a bit more muscular than the average. However, my belly is still there, and if I am not cruel to myself it won’t get away. If you want to lose weight, 90% is diet.I recommend to shoot some photos to track your progress. When you see yourself daily in the mirror, it’s much harder to tell a difference.
But yeah as others said, especially in the beginning it’s much more about feeling healthy than seeing a lot of difference.
But I want to be ripped now!
I do have a before photo which I will use as a bench mark.
Make it to a month, and it will be come a new habit. After three months of dedication, you’ll probably be able to look at yourself in the mirror and see real changes.
It’s going to be an uphill battle to get in shape without proper gym equipment. Even among those who start going to the gym, most end up quitting because it’s a lot of effort and the results don’t come fast enough. Trying to work out at home makes it even harder. To gain muscle mass, you need to be lifting at the absolute limits of your strength - and that’s really difficult to achieve outside of a gym setting. It can be done, but I generally advise against it, because the odds are stacked against you.
Also, keep in mind that you can’t effectively lose weight and build muscle at the same time.
Thanks, I appreciate the input.
I understand that this whole process is going to be more difficult without a gym, but financially its not feasible just yet. Also because I am at the beginning of the process, I figured I would wait until I knew I could stick at it, rather than start a subscription I dont use.
I gained a reasonable amount of muscle mass from just doing pushups 100+ every day, no weights at all.
Enough that my t shirts felt a lot tighter anyway, and friends noticed too.
The good news is the first few pounds are the easiest to lose.
The bad news is that you will not see a meaningful difference in just a week, or even one month, not enough to be the only thing keeping you motivated, at least. Depending on what you are after, caloric weight-loss might not even be enough to reach a very specific look, though it will go a long way.
My advice to you: find a way to stay motivated that is not based on results. This needs to be a new mindset, a journey you are undergoing. You’ll need a sizable adjustment to your routine. Find a laborious project you are excited about to keep you off the couch and on your feet.
Most importantly, realize that weight loss is almost all about what you eat. It’s very hard to go on a caloric deficit just by exercising, because a) exercising will make you more hungry, b) will convert fat to muscle which is heavier (though leaner), and c) it’s a LOT more work and time. Instead, physical activity is more of a way of attaining a deficit without an extremely boring diet of lettuce and it also takes away opportunities to eat out of boredom.
You’ll feel more hungry than you are used to, especially in the first couple of weeks as your body learns a new metabolic normal. Drink lots of water to both stay hydrated, and to feel full.
Thanks, that makes me feel hopeful!
The diet and exercise is making me feel hungry, because I was eating out of boredom I am eating a lot less, but I am now drinking a lot more water, so I am getting up to pee in the night more.
I should have just stuck to the cakes.
Something to keep in mind is that after 30 male testosterone starts to decline and decreased testosterone can result in carrying more weight around the mid-section and may make it harder to lose.
Thanks, i had read some bits about it, but not how dramatically it can affect. Might be worth a test to see what my levels are.
That depends on a lot of varying factors, such as your metabolism, genetics, diet, physical activity, your daily routine such as work and what kind, and so forth. You may also initially gain weight when trying to lose it because muscles are more dense/heavier than fat, and working out for example obviously encourages muscle growth as well.
Overall you will probably start to notice some improvements within the first 3-4 weeks, although it helps a lot to do before/after pictures since the gradual changes are easily missed if you see yourself every day in the mirror.
Hell yeah, props for taking the first steps. I’m 23 right now and I started doing calisthenics about 3 years ago and I’m very happy with the results. When I first started I was skinny fat and spent most of my days behind a computer screen eating lots of snacks. Even with basic exercises like push-ups, squats, pull-ups, I started noticing a difference in strength after about two weeks. I felt much better, slept better and had no more back problems. During that time I also stopped snacking and started drinking protein shakes, which really showed after about a month. After 3 months I lost around 6 kg of fat.
What I love about calisthenics is that it builds functional strength and is very fun and dynamic. You also don’t need a gym because YOU ARE THE GYM.
If you’re interested, you can check out Yellow Dude on Youtube.
I am using a calisthenics app and I really like it to be fair, but augment with the resistance bands and some cardio.
