How tall are you and what weight are you, Sugartits?

[JawD 99]

Why isnt it enough to just run/do a bit of sport and go to the gym? Why do you have to take supplements and pseudo-scientific compounds at the same time.

 

If you want to live a long life, dont smoke, eat healthily and do lots of sport. If you want to lose weight quickly, which i understand JawD is doing then maybe it can help. Other than that surely this is just part of the preening, self-obsessed, shallow moronic culture that brings us the cast of Geordie shore?

 

Thing is, I'd been training for 18 month on and off but wasn't satisfied with the results. So I started reading.

 

Just going to the gym so I could tick a box I'm my life was bullocks if I was still drinking huge full fat latte and stuffing my face with Danish pastry.

 

I had the fell tale spare tyre, the worst kind of fat on a bloke for heart disease and diabetes.

 

I got an interest not just to shed fat / lose weight. I don't mind admitting I'm terrified of dying before my kids are set up for life (own house, job, hopefully own family). Then I can feel I've done what I'm here for. I'm 40 now and have seen blokes my age, your age, dead.

 

As well as the health benefits it's the psychological side as well. I'm the fittest and lightest I've been in over a decade.

 

So for me supplements is about pushing as hard as I can and doing what I think is best. Afterall, how many take a multi-vit? That's just a supplement isn't it? Then fish oils? All I do is add BCAA to that and whey protein (on days to top up I've I've not ate enough).

[Gemmill 44931]

I'd rather be a fat bastard than read through this boring shite.

 

Click away from this thread and you've got both your wishes.

[ChezGiven 0]

Why train in the first place? It's good for the body and mind, makes you feel good and is good for your heart.

 

Ultimately though, most people get into it because they want to improve their body image.

 

Why wear nice designer clothes? Why get a good hair cut? Why wear expensive after shave? It's the same thing; it's trying to project the best image of yourself that you can. That doesn't necessarily mean looking like one of the spray tan steroid chumps from Geordie shore.

That wasnt the question i asked which is why isnt just good regular exercise and healthy eating enough. If you dont want to look like a steroid chump then you can achieve that without the need to start spouting pseudo-scientific waffle about proteins. I have a mate just like you and the stuff he comes out with about BCAAs, peptides, hormones etc is ridiculous. You dont have to be sculpted to look super cool, i know this from personal experience. Wearing nice clothes is something men and women of all shapes and sizes do and can make the majority of them look nice, only a small minority of women have plastic surgery and only a small (but increasing % of men) use supplements to give an extra edge to how cut they look. The point is that someone with a healthy self-image and a healthy regard for whats important in life wouldnt be spending their time trying to eke out marginal gains with frankly poorly researched and for the most part unproven 'supplements'.

[ChezGiven 0]

Thing is, I'd been training for 18 month on and off but wasn't satisfied with the results. So I started reading.

 

Just going to the gym so I could tick a box I'm my life was bullocks if I was still drinking huge full fat latte and stuffing my face with Danish pastry.

 

I had the fell tale spare tyre, the worst kind of fat on a bloke for heart disease and diabetes.

 

I got an interest not just to shed fat / lose weight. I don't mind admitting I'm terrified of dying before my kids are set up for life (own house, job, hopefully own family). Then I can feel I've done what I'm here for. I'm 40 now and have seen blokes my age, your age, dead.

 

As well as the health benefits it's the psychological side as well. I'm the fittest and lightest I've been in over a decade.

 

So for me supplements is about pushing as hard as I can and doing what I think is best. Afterall, how many take a multi-vit? That's just a supplement isn't it? Then fish oils? All I do is add BCAA to that and whey protein (on days to top up I've I've not ate enough).

Again doesnt really answer it, i dont want to die before my kids get old either but for the life of me cant remember reading anything about BCAAs making you live longer. As for how many people take multi-vits etc, then the answer is probably a lot smaller % of people than you think.

 

You probably got rid of the spare tyre because you stopped eating badly.

[Gemmill 44931]

I read a book about how much protein you need by the same bloke who wrote the intermittent fasting book, and he concluded that you don't need any more than you get from eating a normal diet (with the help of a number of studies, although obviously I'm not that clued up on what makes a good study), and that the only supplement actually proven to make asignificant difference when building muscle is creatine.

 

This bloke used to work in the supplements industry. It's worth a read, particularly if this stuff is costing you a decent amount each month.

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

Creatine is great if you want to add half a stone of water to your muscles. And fuck your kidneys.

[Gemmill 44931]

That's exactly what I'm after. I'll get some ordered.

[JawD 99]

Again doesnt really answer it, i dont want to die before my kids get old either but for the life of me cant remember reading anything about BCAAs making you live longer. As for how many people take multi-vits etc, then the answer is probably a lot smaller % of people than you think.

 

You probably got rid of the spare tyre because you stopped eating badly.

 

Its not about BCAA making you live longer, its about the whole picture really. In a sense I agree, I may have lost my weight through the much improved eating along with the more focussed training. But the trainer who put the lot together for me suggested using it and then I researched it and everything suggested to do it, so I did. I could easily drop it but I wont. As for multi-vits, apparently 35% of people use them.

 

For protein, Id agree if you eat a normal diet then you should not need any supplemented. But then you need to consider that a normal diet should be a decent fist sized amount of clean meat per meal. If I eat then then alls good, but if I dont then thats when I use protein.

 

As for creatine, its not just about adding water to muscles. you need to up your water intake if you use creatine (Id imagine if you popped pills every day that would fuck your kidneys as well). Creating increases ATP. Only really beneficial (as I understand) for short burst weight training (ie lower rep ranges). Creatine is a natural product (from the body) and again you can eat food to drop the need but its also about timing and you are unlikely to eat a steak right before the gym.

[Dr Gloom 21939]

That wasnt the question i asked which is why isnt just good regular exercise and healthy eating enough. If you dont want to look like a steroid chump then you can achieve that without the need to start spouting pseudo-scientific waffle about proteins. I have a mate just like you and the stuff he comes out with about BCAAs, peptides, hormones etc is ridiculous. You dont have to be sculpted to look super cool, i know this from personal experience. Wearing nice clothes is something men and women of all shapes and sizes do and can make the majority of them look nice, only a small minority of women have plastic surgery and only a small (but increasing % of men) use supplements to give an extra edge to how cut they look. The point is that someone with a healthy self-image and a healthy regard for whats important in life wouldnt be spending their time trying to eke out marginal gains with frankly poorly researched and for the most part unproven 'supplements'.

 

Regular excercise and a healthy diet is enough of course. But it depends on what your goals are. I won't lie; I love all the health and psychological benefits of training but my main motivation is aesthetic. Most people that start lifting weights or training seriously do so with one eye on looking good naked.

 

I don't know about you but I've found that as I've hit my 30s, my metabolism slowed right down. Suddenly I couldn't eat and drink what I wanted and stay slim. So I got a gym membership, spent years wasting my time then decided to read up and start taking it seriously. Like any hobby, once you're on to it, it's hard not to become obsessed with doing it to the best of your ability.

 

There are a lot of bullshit supplements out there of course. The only ones I have tried are whey protein, creatine and BCAA. I've never touched hormones or steroids. And I'm not a fan of creatine but I have found the other two useful when combined with a strict training and nutrition plan.

 

As for healthy self image, what does that even mean? Am i more insecure than someone that's happy walking around with man boobs and a spare tyre, or am I just less lazy?

 

I could achieve that look very easily.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Dr Gloom

[JawD 99]

I was similar, started when I was prob mid 30s. Really fucked off by it when I hit 40 (plus I have been getting annual BUPA healthchecks for around 5yrs and watched my weight and other stuff going the wrong way). Body image has to have something to do with it as well. course Im happier knowing my wife is MUCH happier with how I look now than I did last year. Feel better about myself as well. I simply cant fault it.

 

you do have to be careful though, there is so much bullshit on supplements. Train well and eat well is THE most important thing to get right.

[Dr Gloom 21939]

I was similar, started when I was prob mid 30s. Really fucked off by it when I hit 40 (plus I have been getting annual BUPA healthchecks for around 5yrs and watched my weight and other stuff going the wrong way). Body image has to have something to do with it as well. course Im happier knowing my wife is MUCH happier with how I look now than I did last year. Feel better about myself as well. I simply cant fault it.

 

you do have to be careful though, there is so much bullshit on supplements. Train well and eat well is THE most important thing to get right.

 

eating well and training 3 times a week is probably better than training 5 times a week and eating more crap. i tend to over-train and eat more crap than i should.

[ChezGiven 0]

Regular excercise and a healthy diet is enough of course. But it depends on what your goals are. I won't lie; I love all the health and psychological benefits of training but my main motivation is aesthetic. Most people that start lifting weights or training seriously do so with one eye on looking good naked.

 

I don't know about you but I've found that as I've hit my 30s, my metabolism slowed right down. Suddenly I couldn't eat and drink what I wanted and stay slim. So I got a gym membership, spent years wasting my time then decided to read up and start taking it seriously. Like any hobby, once you're on to it, it's hard not to become obsessed with doing it to the best of your ability.

 

There are a lot of bullshit supplements out there of course. The only ones I have tried are whey protein, creatine and BCAA. I've never touched hormones or steroids. And I'm not a fan of creatine but I have found the other two useful when combined with a strict training and nutrition plan.

 

As for healthy self image, what does that even mean? Am i more insecure than someone that's happy walking around with man boobs and a spare tyre, or am I just less lazy?

 

I could achieve that look very easily.

How long do you spend looking in the mirror per week? Thats what i mean by healthy self-image.

 

The choice is not between taking obscure proteins and being fat, its a choice between living a normal life and obsessing over body image.

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

Would lasses rather fuck an ugly bloke with a good body or a good looking bloke with a less than good body?

[JawD 99]

Would lasses rather fuck an ugly bloke with a good body or a good looking bloke with a less than good body?

 

Probably a bloke who didnt come across as an arse tbf

[JawD 99]

Say no to drugs, supplements, powders

 

say yes to pinball, swatch and tiny wing mirrors

 

I wasnt necessarily saying he was an arse btw But its a fact isnt it? No point have a perfect body (no such thing) and being a cunt is there?

[Dr Gloom 21939]

How long do you spend looking in the mirror per week? Thats what i mean by healthy self-image.

 

The choice is not between taking obscure proteins and being fat, its a choice between living a normal life and obsessing over body image.

 

probably about as long as the next man. definitely not as long as a lot of people at my gym. i know the type you're alluding to - they spend hours preening, sculpting their hair and adding layers of moisturiser - and i'm not one of them. but i don't see caring about your appearance as unhealthy.

 

a normal life for most guys my age typically involves a diet that the human was never meant to eat in a million years, too much booze and sitting hunched over a desk in an office for 10 hours a day. that was me too until a few years back. do i feel better now? yes. do i look better now? yes. does that make me obsessed or not normal?

Edited January 9, 2013 by Dr Gloom

[ChezGiven 0]

I wasnt necessarily saying he was an arse btw But its a fact isnt it? No point have a perfect body (no such thing) and being a cunt is there?

There does seem to be a correlation though

[Christmas Tree 4728]

Youth of today.......

[Renton 21635]

does that make me obsessed or not normal?

 

No, but discussing your latest training session endlessly on a football message board might.

[ChezGiven 0]

probably about as long as the next man. definitely not as long as a lot of people at my gym. i know the type you're alluding to - they spend hours preening, sculpting their hair and adding layers of moisturiser - and i'm not one of them. but i don't see caring about your appearance as unhealthy.

 

a normal life for most guys my age typically involves a diet that the human was never meant to eat in a million years, too much booze and sitting hunched over a desk in an office for 10 hours a day. that was me too until a few years back. do i feel better now? yes. do i look better now? yes. does that make me obsessed or not normal?

Well to be fair, you have come across like that sometimes in this thread. Obviously when LBT was posting in here too, it got a bit ridiculous and it was easy to be left with the impression that a few people on here were like that.

 

I understand the issues of course, i have to balance family life with loads of travel and trying to run off excessive amounts of dinners and wine combined with sitting in hotel meeting rooms, airports and on trains etc.

[LoveTheBobby 1]

 

 

probably about as long as the next man. definitely not as long as a lot of people at my gym. i know the type you're alluding to - they spend hours preening, sculpting their hair and adding layers of moisturiser - and i'm not one of them. but i don't see caring about your appearance as unhealthy.

 

a normal life for most guys my age typically involves a diet that the human was never meant to eat in a million years, too much booze and sitting hunched over a desk in an office for 10 hours a day. that was me too until a few years back. do i feel better now? yes. do i look better now? yes. does that make me obsessed or not normal?

 

That last bit sounds like it could be the opening schpiel to an impending workout DVD

 

'DO IT WITH DOOM'

 

. . you haven't have you ?

[Dr Gloom 21939]

That last bit sounds like it could be the opening schpiel to an impending workout DVD

 

'DO IT WITH DOOM'

 

. . you haven't have you ?

 

i think i missed my true calling

[Dr Gloom 21939]

No, but discussing your latest training session endlessly on a football message board might.

 

fair enough

 

there have been far stranger discussion on general chat mind

[JawD 99]

Well to be fair, you have come across like that sometimes in this thread. Obviously when LBT was posting in here too, it got a bit ridiculous and it was easy to be left with the impression that a few people on here were like that.

 

I understand the issues of course, i have to balance family life with loads of travel and trying to run off excessive amounts of dinners and wine combined with sitting in hotel meeting rooms, airports and on trains etc.

 

That a similar issue I face. How tough is it to be remotely healthy when airports / trains etc sell anything but. I spend so much time on the road I would eat at Costa and apart from costing a fortune, isnt exactly the best choice. Take food with me when I can but not always practical.

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

 

 

Say no to drugs, supplements, powders

 

say yes to pinball, swatch and tiny wing mirrors

 

It was a genuine question some big fucking chips on shoulders in here mind! Am I supposed to be the fat or ugly one in that hypothetical question btw?