karamazov80 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I've recently been trying to get myself in physical shape--changing my diet a bit and improving my workout routine--because I'm tired of being fatter than I should, and because it just feels good to live better. Maybe some of you are doing the same, are considering doing the same, or are already in shape, and feel like giving some advice or pointers regarding how the rest of us might achieve our goals. If so, this thread can be a place for discussing such things. It can be tough to go at this stuff by yourself, so if nothing else, maybe this thread can be used to keep people honest and motivated. I'm 29 years old, and my metabolism simply doesn't work like it used to, but I have a crippling addiction to fast food. I realize that my age is catching up to me, and I need to cut down on the nasty/bad-for-you foods while doing more and more effective exercise. Typically, I probably eat fast food once every other day because it is convenient and cheap. I also have an addiction to Coca Cola, probably drinking 3-4 a day. My goals are to eat fast food (or any kind of really unhealthy restaurant foods like Applebees or IHOP) once to twice in a week, and to get down to one Coke a day. Easier said than done, as my body is quite addicted, and I get migraine headaches if I try to stop cold turkey. These are really nasty headaches, by the way, that incapacitate me for the rest of the day. In terms of exercise, I've been jogging pretty consistently for about a year now, after being very erratic in my exercise over the last 10 years or so. I now jog about 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week, which in the Louisiana heat and humidity can be a real task. I always hated weight training, and have started and stopped doing it about 10 times over my lifespan, but realize that I have to start doing it if I want to really lose weight and to get into shape, as my jogging has not lost me any weight. In fact, I have gained about 5 pounds over the last year. I now weigh about 230; I'm about 6' 2". My goal is to get down to 200 (roughly my weight when I first started grad school in 2003!), or at least to maximize my muscle:fat ratio. I paid for a summer pass to the gym here, have used it three times in the last week, and hope to get my money's worth! This is my story, and if others find some use of this thread, I'll post updates regarding my specific strategies and the effect of such (or the lack of such an effect) as time goes on. So, what is your story, and what are your plans for getting or staying in shape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minijeff Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Kudos for starting this my friend! It takes a lot of courage for some people to step forward on this. Heres all the advice I can give you as I have done some of this, been through it, and am working on it. A bit of a back story: I am also 6'2 and when I was in highschool I wore pants with a waist size 46 and at some points that was even pushing it to fit comfortably. I have always had terrible eating habits, snacking like crazy, overeating and such. I also had the pop addiction...easily 3-4 a day or more. One day my wife and I decided that we needed to make a change. With all of our kids we find it hard time wise to exercise but fit it in when we can(thank you Wiifit!) but the biggest help has been a change to eating habits. I still snack but it is smaller amounts, same with meal portions...and pop has been cut out of daily life and is now just a treat now and again. I drink water almost all the time and eat healthier meals despite the more effort required to make/prepare them(especially for 7 of us). I dont want to sound preachy, the Coke drinking was a hard one to let go of but I started slowly and worked it down, and feel a lot better all around. I know where pants at a 40 but recently have been slippin into a 38 which I havent wore since grade 9!!! I am 31 and am feeling and looking better then I have in 15 years! So just keep at it man, it'll be worth it. Oh on a note about gaining weight through exercise - we all know the muscle weighs more then fat so watch how much muscle mass you build during exercise or you might find the scales going up. Jeff of the Miniacs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) Thanks for contributing, Jeff. Glad to see you making time to do what you can with your family situation being what it is. So far, I don't have kids to take time away. Otherwise, I don't think that I could do it. Yeah, it would be nice if my fat were all replaced by muscle, but I don't see that happening I've got a 38 pant size now myself, but this is the biggest I've been and I don't like it. My goal is 34, like I had for a while in college. Regarding eating, "they" say that eating a number of smaller meals through the day is much better than gorging 2 or 3 times. I guess your case shows that the other extreme of snacking all day can also be detrimental. Personally, I've had issues with eating a lot 2 or 3 times. I've basically stopped buying candy, cookies, etc., and am trying to "snack" on fruits or nuts instead. More than anything else, I think this all comes down to habit--getting into the habit of eating healthy, going to the gym consistently, etc. Being a real creature of habit, I'm hoping that I can get away from some of my bad ones and into good ones. Edited May 31, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM2 Dinobot Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I have been dieting over a month now and have dropped 20 someodd pounds. I don't think I'm fat, but I'd like to get some of the girth off. I'm happier as I drop some weight and I feel better too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 20 pounds in a month?? Wow! What is your diet like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinimateEspo25 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 well, i am 6'1 one and up to about 10 days ago, i weighed 194 lbs. I now weigh 186. As a black belt whose been practicing karate for 17 years, I haven't been in competition shape in a few years. Lately, in an effort to get back into active competition, I've adopted the 5-6 meal a day plan with a slight increase in protein and decrease in carbs, as well as snacking on fruit for part of those meals. I also have begun a high intensity cardio workout to burn the fat I have on me, and then when i get down to just muscle, build it back up with muscle and get back around 190ish in muscle. The goal is to keep my power while increasing my speed. At my size, power is stock, but most don't have speed. So in doing this, i hope to get to be faster. so honestly, the best thing I can say, start a jump rope exercise routine, as it will burn the fat off. If anyone wants to know this routine, I'll be more than happy to explain it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM2 Dinobot Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 No! No, OVER a month. It's been closer to 2 at this point. About 5 pounds a week or so. And it's the Atkins diet. (yes, yes, I know, Atkins was an evil man who will burn in Hell forever and I'm slowly killing my body and starving bread farmers in middle America) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 sorry for any offense, TM2. One thing about those kinds of diets, though, is that everyone I know who has tried them ends up gaining all the weight back whenever they get off of them. I hope your experience is different. so honestly, the best thing I can say, start a jump rope exercise routine, as it will burn the fat off. If anyone wants to know this routine, I'll be more than happy to explain it to you. I've tried "interval" running a few times, but I hate it (sprint for 30 seconds, walk for 3 minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, walk for 3 minutes, etc.). It was similar to jump-roping, as just wears you down fast. But I haven't thought about trying to jump rope. I think I'll add it to my routine. Thanks, Espo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Harris Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 After just reading the thread's title I thought it is more of a joke, but now I see it's serious and it's a good idea. Right now I don't have the weight problems you have (5'8, 143lbs), but I do remember the time I was "on Coke 'n' Sprite 'n' burgers" when I was a teenager. Maybe I was lucky to grow up in Germany since we didn't have that much fast food chains here and that stuff wasn't (and isn't) cheap. (I just googled that a BigMac is 3,29Euros in Germany, around 4,50$! Those are cheaper in the US, aren't they?) Anyway, this is what I do nowadays: Nutrition: I love to eat and I love to cook as well. I usually have two meals a day - breakfast and supper - plus three to four times a week snacks in the afternoon. I learned to eat two handfull of fruits a day and included that to my breakfast (it's pretty easy, cheap and healthy - just mix and chop a few strawberrys, oranges, apples, kiwi fruits, bananas or whatever you get your hands on.) usually along with one or two bread rolls (absolutely typical for Germany!) and one or two cups of fresh coffee. I do drink a lot water (usually tap water, I know that there are many countries where you can't drink it, here you can) over a day. I can't remember when I changed my drinking habit, I guess it was when I moved out of my parents' house and needed to safe money. Now I'm used to it and I really like it. A few days a week I go to a café have a cup of coffee and a bagel, cake, cookie or whatsoever. I love and enjoy this a lot just to meet freinds, read a book or prepare something for university. For supper I usually cook almost every day. My girlfriend and I are both vegetarians, but that doesn't mean we live healthier or gain less weight per se - you can still add cream, butter and oil to almost everything... I usually cook Italian or Asian food and I don't "contain myself" when it comes to pasta or risotto with lots of cheese. I know that a number of smaller meals throughout the day is better, and eating a lot in the evening isn't very healthy either, but I guess you have to "listen to your body" or just try out how you live with it. I'm eating that way for about 10 years now and my weight hasn't changed a lot. I don't think that diets do really work, since they're just a temporary change in your habit. Just like you pointed it out Karamazov, most people gain weight after the diet ends. I guess you have to change something permanently. But you should do this slowly and you have to like it. Otherwise you'll always feel like being forced to live like that. That's a tough one, but I guess reducing your coke consum is a good start. Sports: I don't do a lot sports. I jog two, sometimes three times a week about 30 to 40 minutes. Usually before breakfast - and the way back home I'm getting fresh bread rolls and take a shower. That is a great start. And sometimes a do a little yoga. That's almost it, I never got used to go to the gym. But what I do is walk to most places. I do live in a city with about 250000 people. It takes around 20 minutes to walk to university and about 15 minutes to reach the main shops or parks. (Of course I use busses and subways when I don't have the time or it's really bad weather.) I guess this is a good thing, since you're always "burning fat" that way. At least I belive it does and therefore it works. But jump rope is a great idea! (...) 6'1 (...) 186lbs (...) black belt (...) practicing karate for 17 years (...) competition shape (...) increase in protein and decrease in carbs (...) high intensity cardio workout (...) build it back up with muscle (...) keep my power while increasing my speed. (...) You are Iron Fist!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) I think that there are pretty stark issues between the U.S. and Europe in terms of our overall physical condition, and a lot of this has to do with food consumption. Fast food chains here typically have "dollar menus," where you can buy something off a list for a dollar. Thus, you can essentially eat an entire meal (with drink) for $4, and very little if anything on this list is healthy. And of course, McDonalds is one of the few industries to have consistently thrived throughout this economic malaise, and it has a lot to do with the price of their food. The other major reason we are so bad off is that no one walks anywhere. People will drive to a store, then drive across the parking lot to another store instead of just walking there. One observation that you guys in Europe probably would be surprised to see: I live in one of the most unhealthy states in the country, because it is one of the poorest, and the people here don't have healthy living habits. An indication of this are these obese people who drive around the Wal-Mart (the major supermarket here) in these little electric carts, not because they can't walk, but because they are too lazy to walk around the store! They walk outside to their SUVs or whatever, drive to the store, walk to the electric carts area, and drive around the store. It is really sad. It's like the future in Wall*E is right around the corner here. Regarding tap water, I won't drink it here. Edited May 31, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinimateEspo25 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 You are Iron Fist!!! You mean Iron Fat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I have always been lucky to a certain extent that I don't have to watch what I eat or drink & I have just weighed myself & I'm 200lbs. I'm 6'2" & I must confess I have not partaken in any sport since I stopped playing football in my early 30's . I think it's the roll of the die or your genes & yes,definitely where you live, I love Mc.D but I live 25 miles from the nearest one which is probably a good thing . I live on a farm & my life generally involves manual work these days which keeps me fit & if it weren't for the copious amount of alcohol I imbibe socially I'd say I live a fairly healthy life. I applaud your endeavours to lose weight & for a change I won't take the piss ,all I will say you are what you are ,lose weight & feel better for it ....but don't take things too far. Can't resist attempted humour......I'm lucky, if I wanted to lose 10lb of ugly fat .......I'd cut my head off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj87 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 this is a great idea for a thread, and great work to anyone who has decided to get healthy! the US/UK differences and fast food being cheaper have both been mentioned... take aways. etc. are certainly more expensive than healthier options over here, there is no question about it. when i was at school i'd play sports most days and eat whatever my ma had made for me... t'was only going to college when i stopped being active, ate rubbish sometimes twice a day, it all got completely out of had, and by 17 i'd had enough, hated the way i looked, the way i felt, and certainly wasn't happy struggling just to get up a flight of stairs. I am now 21, i box 3-4 times a week (boxing is the hardest sport i've ever done, i would recommend it to anyone... you do not have to fight or hit/get hit, clubs are more than happy to just let you train cardio) or go to the uni gym... play football (sorry... 'soccer'), tennis, running or rugby (a bit of variety never killed anyone!). I eat a lot of fruit, fish and avoid things that are fried, mainly as i just dont like stuff like that anymore. i still enjoy a few pints and a take away pizza or curry with friends... but its all about moderation. I honestly feel, anyone that doesn't at least get a little exercise here or there is really missing out. keep up the good work people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimadman Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I have been big my whole life but the little ones have inspired me to start living better. Since January I have gone from 375 to right at 330 and I feel awesome my goal is to get below 300 by the end of summer. It will be the first time since high school that I have been so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyfarr Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I'm 19, im 6'3", and unfortunatly i weigh around 17/18 stone, (i prefer not to know my exact weight, that way i dont get too paranoid). The problem I get is going through stages, il put on a load then lose a bit. My worst attempt has been in the last month, I bought a protein suppliment, and was too busy to commit to the exercise everyday. The result? A balloon! Ive gotten massive, its all bulk and muscle, and people are saying I look better, but i just feel a bit silly, that and my clothes dont fit. I've come to the conclusion the best way to lose weight is to cut out all the crappy food an exercise a bit more, i try now to do about an hours hard running or an hour on the punch bag every other night. Its working. Slowly but surely. If anyones got some advice feel free to help me become iron man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entertheninja! Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) I'm 13 and I lift weights once or twice a week, I run track at school, I do like 10 pushups a day, and I'll do like 50 pushups a week so I'm in fine physical shape for my age. I weigh a lean 102 and my arms actually have muscles so I watch my diet accordingly, I do housework daily and I'll mow the law everyother week so I guess I'm in good shape for a geek and an American... But its cool that youre looking to change your diet...I respect that. And to BHM if you want to lose more weight than cutting your head off (it weighs ten pounds according to the kid from Jerry Macguire) watch the 2 seasons of "The Hills" that are out on DVD already;it'll induce vomitting, why do you think I'm lean? Edited May 31, 2009 by entertheninja! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj87 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I'm 13 and I lift weights once or twice a week without intending to sound patronising, remember go easy with them. You're still growing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dio Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 There's a myth that if you workout when you're young, you'll be short. It's untrue of course XP The way that I quit caffeine was to slow down my intake. I reduced to two cans of Pepsi a day for a week, then I bought those really small cans and drank one of those and a regular can a day for a week, then I did two small cans a day for a week, then I did one regular can a day for a week, and finally ending with one small can a day for a week. After you've tapered off to that amount, it's easy to quit! If you need a smaller amount of caffeine after the small cans, you might want to eat some dark chocolate as it's delicious and healthy for you, and has a bit of caffeine in it as well. Tea is also good for you, but don't drink too much of it because it has some caffeine too. There's a comparison chart out there so you know how much each item has caffeine. I was surprised to learn that milk has a tiny bit of it XD I need to lose weight but I have a bad back (scoliosis), so having a body ball really helps in doing crunches. I hear they're better for you too. It's best to pick one up at Ross as the ones at Big5 are a bit pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Well good luck on the weight loss crusades guys. I'm not even trying personally. But my Oblivion character is getting yo be an athletics journeyman. :biggrin" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 Had a nice jog today in the blistering heat, followed up with some jump roping as suggested by Espo, and then some push-ups. Tomorrow is gym day. Gotta keep at it! I'm actually pretty addicted to doing "something" at this point. If I don't let off steam by exercising in some way, I start getting antsy around 4-5 pm almost every day. It is a nice addiction to have, because I really feel great for a few hours after I finish with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM2 Dinobot Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Skimming this thread (feeling FRAT at the moment) I notice one interesting thing... I'm short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimadman Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I'm short. There are about 1 million jokes swirling in my brain right now. Must.... resist...... the temptation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minijeff Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Skimming this thread (feeling FRAT at the moment) I notice one interesting thing... I'm short. lol if thats all you take away from this thread then I guess its going over your head I just had a good run of Wii boxing which really gets the heart rate up there...loving it! also a big thing that is helping is walking...I walk as much as possible - which works quite well in the smaller city we live in....and of course getting out and playing with the kids help a lot! Jeff of the Miniacs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM2 Dinobot Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Well, it's just what I've noticed. I'm 5' 10" and don't think I'm short, but when people start posting 6' 2"+ heights, I just want to facepalm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimadman Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Well, it's just what I've noticed. I'm 5' 10" and don't think I'm short, but when people start posting 6' 2"+ heights, I just want to facepalm. I'm not sure you understand the type of joke I was implying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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