weight loss, diet, and fitness thread

[Pbartender]

Weight is misleading if you're also doing weight training - by putting on muscle, you increase your weight. If you're using weight as well, don't go near the scales - the informaiton doesn't help you. You could be losing body fat and still putting on weight in the form of muscle (which is a good thing). In addition, muscle weighs more than fat per volume.

The mirror's your best guidance here.

Quoted For Truth.

I've been bicycling back and forth to work -- about 12 miles round trip -- every day for the last four years. On top of that, two years ago I transferred to a job that doesn't involve rotating shifts, and I stopped visiting the vending machines at work.

Over the last two years, I've held steady at about 190 lbs, but my waist size has gone down from 38" to 34" with a belt.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

Sounds like you need to be doing a LOT more cardio.

Yeah, I just hate it. I like strength training well enough, but I've never liked running or biking. Having a bad knee doesn't help, but even before that injury I never did cardio work unless I had to for sports or gym class in high school.

10 minutes on a bike isn't long, but its 10 minutes longer than I used to do.

 

[xrpsuzi]

Yeah, I just hate it. I like strength training well enough, but I've never liked running or biking. Having a bad knee doesn't help, but even before that injury I never did cardio work unless I had to for sports or gym class in high school.

10 minutes on a bike isn't long, but its 10 minutes longer than I used to do.

I detest the stationary bike too! It doesn't help that I've never learned how to ride a bike, so the movement had always felt really strange to me.

Have you tried swimming laps? There are a number of strokes that work the full body, so you can change it up to keep if from getting boring, easy on the joints, and you don't really sweat (conversely you have to monitor your heart rate to make sure you aren't pushing it too hard). If they could come up with a ipod that I could wear while swimming, I would never leave the water.

Popped on the scale this morning, and I'm back to where I was before the Thanksgiving/birthday break and 48 hours away from finishing Fitness Challenge #2.

 

[megamania]

I need to work on my mental health first. I am dipping back into depression as I am behind on my morgage, paying 700 a month to heat this craphole of a house and all any one has to say is "where is my money".

This sets me in a blue funk of which I answer with tons of food, most of which is carbs and sugar and as a diabetic.... I am slowly killing myself... and don't care.

 

[megamania]

ooooooi..... I did bloodwork last Wednesday. I see the doc this Friday. I'm sure I'm in double digits and as such will hear about it from the doctor.....

 

[GlassJaw]

Yeah, I just hate it.

Well, you're not supposed to like it...at least not at first. If you're heart rate isn't up and you aren't hurting, you aren't working hard enough.

Eventually though, you start to need it. As I've mentioned in this thread, I went from barely being able to run a half-mile to running my first 10k race (6.2 mile) today (finished in 1:03!).

Have you tried swimming laps? There are a number of strokes that work the full body, so you can change it up to keep if from getting boring, easy on the joints, and you don't really sweat (conversely you have to monitor your heart rate to make sure you aren't pushing it too hard).

Heh, I wouldn't consider swimming "easy". I went swimming with my sister and her husband and they destroyed me. He teaches a competitive swimming class and gave me a lot of routines to do in the pool. It was brutal. I've always been a good swimmer and have been running a lot so I figure, heh, this will be a piece of cake. It was an eye opener. Really comes down to muscle memory and what you are used to. I definitely need to hit the pool more.

 

[adndgamer]

I'm 5'10", 160lb, and around 9% body fat. I used to have an extra 15 pounds or so on me and a much higher body fat percentage, but I lost that quickly just by watching the foods I ate, and making sure that I was being active.

For the most part it's easy. You need to burn calories greater than or equal to your intake, or you will gain weight. So, you can either increase activity (good, because it increases your metabolism as well) or you can decrease your caloric intake (bad, imo, because it leads to a decrease in energy). I work in IT and sit in front of a computer for 12 hour stretches at a time. Little things can add up like getting up and walking around for a while. I also made the switch from regular soda (tons of calories) to diet soda (0 calories).

As far as being more active goes -- It doesn't have to be full-on workouts, and I actually think that it's better to work on changing small habits. Walk more often, eat more fresh fruits and less processed foods.

For a few months I set a time to work out, just doing calisthenics like pushups & situps, squats. The results were amazing. In just a few weeks of working out every other day I was seeing tons more definition in my abs and chest.

Take an active interest in food that you're eating. Watch out for fat content and calories. Drink plenty of water.

That's all I've got. Good luck!

 

[xrpsuzi]

Heh, I wouldn't consider swimming "easy". I went swimming with my sister and her husband and they destroyed me. He teaches a competitive swimming class and gave me a lot of routines to do in the pool. It was brutal. I've always been a good swimmer and have been running a lot so I figure, heh, this will be a piece of cake. It was an eye opener. Really comes down to muscle memory and what you are used to. I definitely need to hit the pool more.

I totally get you--when done properly, swimming will kick your butt every time. Add in some current, and you're toast. That's why I mentioned having to really watch your heartrate--inevitably, every time I start swimming again, I try to race out of the gate with freestyle, overdo it and have to start over with less aggressive strokes. Dumb monkey....

Exercises in the water are also good for people who are really overweight, where gym/machine exercises would involve a lot of skin-on-skin rubbing, excessive (and uncomfortable) sweating, and stress on your joints, legs, and feet.

That's the only thing I really miss about moving to the midwest--my small town doesn't have a gym or YMCA with a pool so I haven't swam in ages. Maybe it's time to make a deal with a local hotel with a pool....

 

[megamania]

bloodwork results arrived yesterday-

Bloodsugar ACL = 10.6 (susposed to below a 7, normally run between 7.5 and 8)


In about one hour the doctor will be chewing me a new one.


So soon I may be mentioning my own excerise program......

 

[RangerWickett]

I need to work on my mental health first. I am dipping back into depression as I am behind on my morgage, paying 700 a month to heat this craphole of a house and all any one has to say is "where is my money".

This sets me in a blue funk of which I answer with tons of food, most of which is carbs and sugar and as a diabetic.... I am slowly killing myself... and don't care.

Yeah, that's a wee bit unhealthy.

What works to get you out of depression? Exercise, that's what.

What's your address? I'm going to send you a Kwanzaa card to cheer you up.