Joe Posted April 28, 2002 Share Posted April 28, 2002 I have man-boobs, they're huge and embarassing and effects me emotionally. I wear "baggy" shirts - so to speak - to hide them and still don't feel comfortable. What's the best way to lose these? I was told exercising for about 20-30 minutes a night by riding a bicycle would help lose them since it's a form of areobic exercise. Any truth to this? Will riding a bicycle every night help with losing the fat in my chest, also known as my man-boobs? Link to post Share on other sites
C Posted April 28, 2002 Share Posted April 28, 2002 I think you should do exercises with weights. Find special exercises for the chest. I have man-boobs, they're huge and embarassing and effects me emotionally. I wear "baggy" shirts - so to speak - to hide them and still don't feel comfortable. What's the best way to lose these? I was told exercising for about 20-30 minutes a night by riding a bicycle would help lose them since it's a form of areobic exercise. Any truth to this? Will riding a bicycle every night help with losing the fat in my chest, also known as my man-boobs? Link to post Share on other sites
girl Posted April 28, 2002 Share Posted April 28, 2002 you'll need a combo of cardio exercises - ie biking, running - whatever gets you sweating , and weight lifting. good luck I have man-boobs, they're huge and embarassing and effects me emotionally. I wear "baggy" shirts - so to speak - to hide them and still don't feel comfortable. What's the best way to lose these? I was told exercising for about 20-30 minutes a night by riding a bicycle would help lose them since it's a form of areobic exercise. Any truth to this? Will riding a bicycle every night help with losing the fat in my chest, also known as my man-boobs? Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Your particular problem is one of excess bodyfat. In the process of distributing it throughout your body, some has collected on your chest. One of the greatest myths in the area of fitness is spot reduction. To wit, you cannot select bodyfat in a particular area of your body to remove. Fat mobilization is controlled by the liver in a genetically predetermined fashion. One of the most obvious examples of the genetic nature of this is in the fact that men tend to maintain bodyfat in the abdomen region while women do in the hip/thigh region. In order to reduce bodyfat in one part of your body, you must reduce bodyfat as a whole. Now, the question is how to best reduce bodyfat. Many people promote activity considered "cardio" for this purpose. However, activity in general is quite poor for caloric expenditure. For example, a typical individual weighing 150 pounds will expend approximately 100 calories per mile of foot travel (turns out it makes little difference if you walk or run the mile). A single pound of bodyfat is approximately 3500 calories. Take into account the baseline calories you would expend by simply existing and the fact that not all caloric expenditure in this fashion will be bodyfat and the actual fat reduction is slim. It would take you many hours on that exercise bike to eliminate a pound of fat from your body. It is far more efficient to engage in dietary manipulation. A reduction in 500 calories per day will account for a pound of bodyfat per week. However, it is ESSENTIAL that a caloric reduction be accompanied by PROPER strength training. Without this, muscle tissue will be sacrificed in the process. This means less bodyfat mobilized AND a reduction in your overall metabolism. You should have many questions about what I have just written. This is good. Fitness is one field that people rarely question and often get misled. I encourage you to fire with your queries until you understand exactly what I've said and why I'm saying it. Link to post Share on other sites
Tony T Posted May 3, 2002 Share Posted May 3, 2002 Joe, you've been working on this for some time and you've lost lots of weight. That's GREAT!!! Everything Ryan, who is a fitness expert, has said in his post above, is right on the mark. You can't determine what's going to come off when even though all those exercise infomercials on television might suggest otherwise. I suppose you can tighten up muscles in certain areas to firm up. You can use the new forum's mail function to send Ryan your specific questions for a quick response. I think, as Ryan has pointed out, that you should continue your weight loss regimen combining exercise and activity with a reduced calorie diet. When your genes tell the fat in your man-boobs to start moving out, they will. Please don't be discouraged. I am amazed and encouraged by the progress you have made since you started your program. I'm also happy you took my suggestion and purchased a treadmill. It's nice to be able to lose weight and watch television at the same time. Continued good luck to you!!! And remember, no matter what you weight, love yourself. Link to post Share on other sites
Ryan Posted May 4, 2002 Share Posted May 4, 2002 I'm not sure I'd call myself an expert....because so many people use the term "expert" when they dispense advice that is completely unfounded. I simply know more than most on this particular subject matter because it is a passion of mine and I spend my time researching and applying. I will not hesitate to quickly challenge any myths or fallacies posted. People should still have and pose questions to what I say in order to understand better. Do NOT assume what I say is true simply because I say it. Truth stands alone....and if it doesn't make sense, insist on clarification. As for firming muscles, this is really a matter of being sedentary or being active. The degree of partial contraction a muscle has in a resting state is called tonus. This is not to be confused with the term TONE, which the fitness industry LOVES to throw around, that means nothing more than lean. Those who lead sedentary lives will lose some of this tonus simply due to muscle inactivity. Once one establishes regular and significant muscular activity, this "firmness" will return to normal levels. It will have no effect on your fat levels. Now, I'm not entirely sure what you are doing with the treadmill, but I certainly hope it is not running. This is one of the most horrible activities to suggest for people....much less pawning it off as exercise. If you are using this treadmill to perhaps do some brisk walking, that's fine......for now. That will help you transition from sedentary to active in lifestyle. However, this activity is not exercise. It is NECESSARY that proper weight training be the crux of any attempt to improve health and fitness. You should REALLY have some questions now. Link to post Share on other sites
kajkdjljlsjdlkjlas Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Eh, well I don't much about man boobs but I have then and well I've asked my father what to do about the and he advise me to massage and knead them like dough so that the fat with burn away. Does this have any truth behind it? Link to post Share on other sites
wideawake Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Originally posted by kajkdjljlsjdlkjlas Eh, well I don't much about man boobs but I have then and well I've asked my father what to do about the and he advise me to massage and knead them like dough so that the fat with burn away. Does this have any truth behind it? I doubt this is a legit question, but perhaps... No, your father's advise is not correct. Link to post Share on other sites
Madeline Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 ryan-- You're the second person I've heard this week say that walking on the treadmill is preferable to running... Can you say more about this...and why you think this 'activity' (walking) is not exercise, and why you think running is the most horrible suggestion for people? I've been running for 2 years and haven't lost weight (25 - 30 miles/week)...but have started weight training consistently and am seeing results there. I want to get SMALLER and as well as more firm. FRUSTRATING! Link to post Share on other sites
Lila Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Find a physical activity that you LOVE and ENJOY doing. Otherwise, it's tough to stick with it for very long. Diet and exercise is key. There are no other secrets to weight loss. Link to post Share on other sites
wideawake Posted June 12, 2003 Share Posted June 12, 2003 Hey Madeline, I'm not Ryan but I believe I know the answer to your question. When you walk your body can process body fats fast enough to convert them to energy efficiently - hence you lose body fat. When you run your body can not convert fats quick enough to keep up with the energy demand, and hence it switches to burning carbs - (glucose and glycogen). I think this is probably a gross over-simplification, but something along those lines. I personally weight train and do some cardio, but have always found more benefits from weight training. Link to post Share on other sites
veggie Posted June 13, 2003 Share Posted June 13, 2003 The main difference, I think, is that while these activities are similar calorically, running is much harsher on the body, i.e., you are much more prone to injury when you run. To lose bodyfat, your best bet is to reduce calories (and to keep your intake of fat low) and to train with weights. Link to post Share on other sites
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