Taking control my my weight again...

[skudmunky]

Eh, I'm 17, 6'2", 202 pounds, and trying to covert about 8 pounds of fat into muscle. Started running 3 days a week 2 weeks ago, and I've been weightlifiting for 2 or 3 years now.

Gotta get rid of all my leftover baby fat! Looks bad on the beach

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by arnesto My diet I use to control my weight, is that I try to eat 4 to 5 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables... Eat whole fruit, better to eat a orange than drink orange juice. The most nutritious fruit are watermelon and grape fruit. There are so many fruit I like to eat. Those are, strawberries, bananas, blue berries.

Nice! Now that I think back to my "mad" training years, I used to eat a lot of whole fruits (mostly apples, oranges, grapes). Now I haven't touched the stuff in years! (Well, not regularly anyway.)

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I used to weightlift 2 times a day, 6 times a week and I was very lean and muscular, but I got tired of hanging out with a bunch of sweaty dudes in the gym.

I hear that on the burnout factor.

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I still weight lift, but only 2 times a week and I suppliment my workouts by taking a pilates and yoga class after work. In my pilates class, I am the only guy and there are about 20 women. I would say half of them are pretty hot. I don't go there to try to pick up on them, but I do like being there versus hanging out with a bunch of grunting dudes in the weight room. Workouts should be fun and something you look forward to doing as an activity, so this is a nice change of pace for me.

Ahhh, variety is the key to both workouts and women. The more options you have to choose from, the better!

When I first moved to Cayman, I'd often walk the beaches on the weekends and if there was a volleyball game going on, I'd hang out and watch until invited to join in when someone got tired and needed a break. Kind of miss those days.

 

[mbriant]

Wmcmanus, we must live in a parallel universe. I hit 292 last February ( I've shaved off a few lbs. since then) and have gained and lost large amounts of weight throughout my life ... the healthy diet/exercise way .... the unhealthy crash diet way .... and even Pinkie's worry/smoking way. My Nordictrak, exercise bike, and rowing machine have been in a storage locker for 10 years, my weight machine is in a buddy's basement, and my treadmill is right behind me ... covered in boxes of stored junk and empty ebay boxes like it's been for the past 5 years. Like you, I'm basically lazy and hedonistic. Like you, my motivation comes and goes suddenly and out of nowhere. The only way I've ever enjoyed exercise is through competitive sports where I'm distracted. Unfortunately my battered old joints and bones will no longer allow me to play squash/tennis/hockey and sometimes not even golf.

I've always found an attractive female to be great motivation...at first...but then once in a comfortable relationship, the pounds start piling back on. A good friend of mine who had never been thin at any point in his entire life and who's fast food/anti-vegetable/pro-twinkie diet pushed him to over 300 lbs a year and half ago, has made the most remarkable lifestyle transformation I've ever witnessed. A year ago, he met an attractive, health nut, personal trainer female who turned him into a different person. He must have lost more than 100 lbs and two chins in the past year. He now lives at the gym and dines only on salads, fruits, chicken, fish, and balsamic vinegar. He hasn't had a single hamburger in a year. About once a week he allows himself to indulge a little, but despite his occasional complaining, so far shows no sign of falling back into a trans fat coma. He and the lady broke up after only a couple of months, but instead of relapsing into a King Size Joe Louis funk, he's stayed strict and is living like Charlie Sheen. It's inspirational. But I can't help but think that if I met a woman who continuously pushed me towards a healthier lifestyle, I'd probably eventually resent her for it.

I don't really have any advice, but thanks for letting me tell my story.

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by Canon Over the years my weight has slowly and steadily increased... As has the size of my stomache and waste.

I think you mean "waist" although I suspect you're also right about "waste"! Tends to happen more when you over-eat.

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I'm 5'5" and around 235 LBS and I think it's getting to be time to do something but like you were saying that whole motivation factor... I've never been a very active person and I'll admit that the majority of my free time is spent in front of the computer in my chair.

I can't ever imagine what you might be talking about there, guy! Seems to be a common problem among the Head-Fi loyalists.

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When I first moved out on my own I sort of put myself on a different diet than I was used to. Lots of rice and vegetables, a bit of fruit and absolutely no snacks. I started to loose a bit of weight, people commented a couple of times when I came back to visit. Well fast forward a year from then and I'd started eating more processed foods (see macaroni and cheese... why the heck they have to make this stuff I don't know... it's irrestistable it seems but absolutely no good for you at all.) Oh yea and I was drinking around 3 cans of coke a day.

All of which are common pitfalls when your mind is focused on "health" (including diet and exercise) on a daily basis. Happens to a lot of us.

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So far it's all been thought and no action. I guess i'm actually going to go out for a walk tonight.

I hate to sound all "girly" with the statement that I'm about to make, but this thread could turn into a bit of a "support group" type of thing. Or perhaps we can start another thread which is not based specifically on my life long struggle with these issues (i.e., knowing what is good for both my mental and physical health but then not following through for whatever reasons). It could include other people's stories about their struggles: what has worked, what hasn't, where they're at with it now, plus a "checking in" obligation (say once per week) to report on progress or the lack thereof.

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It sounds like you are already armed with the knowledge, have reaped the rewards in the past and I'm sure you'll be able to do it again. Thanks for the inspiration and I wish you the best of luck.

As do you, I know that it's worth it. I know that I'm worth it too. Plus, I want to be able to give that yet to be found, unidentified but none the less "out there somewhere" woman who will one day become my wife, the best that I have to give. Know what I mean?

 

[akwok]

Sorry to go off-topic, but:

In the past year, I cut pop, chips and candy, and also regulated my eating habits - I've lost over 55lb (starting at 243lb in June '05). I used to drink a couple of cans of coke a day, and it was extremely difficult to cut it cold turkey for the first few weeks.. who says caffeine isn't addictive!

I also used to eat whenever I liked - I stopped that and now I pretty much eat the same thing everyday - two slices of toast and a slice of fat-free ham for breakfast, a bowl of rice noodles in soup & veggies for lunch, and whatever I want for dinner. For dinner, I can gorge on ribs, steak, spaghetti, nachos, etc - just no snacks or any drinks other than water. Last term, I only ate two meals a day - rice noodles in soup & veggies for lunch, and whatever I wanted for dinner. I can't go back to that schedule now, though, since I have morning classes this term (I would wake up at noon last term, and eat dinner at 6-7).

I don't exercise either.. although I did exercise at the beginning, but eventually stopped due to coursework.

It's great! My housemates think I'm nuts, as I eat -a lot- during dinner (and a lot of times it's crap, too), yet I am still losing weight (although not as rapidly as in the beginning - it seems to stabilize at around 2lb per month, now). It's the akwok diet, I guess. Maybe I just get fat through sugars, who knows..

. It may also be due to the fact that I eat almost 0 processed foods now, as everything for dinner is prepared fresh (with the exception of nacho chips, but we eat those maybe twice or three times a month only). Fresh spaghetti, homemade mac & cheese, homemade fried rice.. homemade burgers and cut fries

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by skudmunky Eh, I'm 17, 6'2", 202 pounds, and trying to covert about 8 pounds of fat into muscle. Started running 3 days a week 2 weeks ago, and I've been weightlifiting for 2 or 3 years now. Gotta get rid of all my leftover baby fat! Looks bad on the beach

Keep after those goals, man! Trust me, you don't want to become a FF in your 20's and still be there when you get in your 40's! And yes, I'm a moderator, so I can say that I'm a FF and nobody can ban me for it. Ok, they can, but then when I get unbanned, I can ban them (Jude included... as he giggles at the thought of it.) Besides, it's Ok to call yourself a "Fred Flinstone"...

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by mbriant Wmcmanus, we must live in a parallel universe. I hit 292 last February ( I've shaved off a few lbs. since then) and have gained and lost large amounts of weight throughout my life ... the healthy diet/exercise way .... the unhealthy crash diet way .... and even Pinkie's worry/smoking way. My Nordictrak, exercise bike, and rowing machine have been in a storage locker for 10 years, my weight machine is in a buddy's basement, and my treadmill is right behind me ... covered in boxes of stored junk and empty ebay boxes like it's been for the past 5 years.

I really think we're getting somewhere with this group therapy thing. "Hi, my name is Mike, and I'm a FF too!" (and a fellow moderator who can call himself that)

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Like you, I'm basically lazy and hedonistic.

Say what? What you jis' call me, son? I'm gonna mess you up, you FF! (Ok, maybe I'm having too much fun tonight. Must be the post workout energy surge.)

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Like you, my motivation comes and goes suddenly and out of nowhere. The only way I've ever enjoyed exercise is through competitive sports where I'm distracted. Unfortunately my battered old joints and bones will no longer allow me to play squash/tennis/hockey and sometimes not even golf.

I hear you there too. When you're playing competitive sports, it doesn't "seem" like a "workout" but truly is, and it also involves a healthy element of socialization, some strategy, post game analysis, etc. In other words, it's you getting caught in the act of "living"! Wow. Careful there, big boy. You might just be having some fun in this life!

Translate that (now out of your 20's and into your 40's... wife, kids, job, mortgage, and all... not to mention your heavy Head-Fi load, and you really do far more than your share Mike), and where are all of those old softball buddies now?

Ah, but you do have your music! I'm here to tell ya, pal, there ain't nothing like The Doors "Live in Detroit" on my 2 channel system at 1:30am at 95 dB (being single helps sometimes) with the lights off and me in the back of the room groovin' away on the treadmill for an hour. Unreal! I get to listen to fantastic music (not that top 40 junk they play at the gym) and pace my workout however I want to.

As far as bad joints, that's where a good elliptical machine comes in. If I could keep just one pair of headphones it would the HE90's. My elliptical trainer is the functional equivalent in terms of exercise gear. It's like jogging but with no impact, and smooth as can be. It's way cool (and to give yet another shameless headphone analogy), ellipticals are the K1000's of exercise gear: totally different than any other experience you can have.

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I've always found an attractive female to be great motivation...at first...but then once in a comfortable relationship, the pounds start piling back on. A good friend of mine who had never been thin at any point in his entire life and who's fast food/anti-vegetable/pro-twinkie diet pushed him to over 300 lbs a year and half ago, has made the most remarkable lifestyle transformation I've ever witnessed. A year ago, he met an attractive, health nut, personal trainer female who turned him into a different person. He must have lost more than 100 lbs and two chins in the past year. He now lives at the gym and dines only on salads, fruits, chicken, fish, and balsamic vinegar. He hasn't had a single hamburger in a year. About once a week he allows himself to indulge a little, but despite his occasional complaining, so far shows no sign of falling back into a trans fat coma. He and the lady broke up after only a couple of months, but instead of relapsing into a King Size Joe Louis funk, he's stayed strict and is living like Charlie Sheen. It's inspirational. But I can't help but think that if I met a woman who continuously pushed me towards a healthier lifestyle, I'd probably eventually resent her for it.

Picking up on your last sentence, and only a long-term FF can identify with this, but the last time I lost weight (the 105 pound loss over 2.5 years), I had so much new energy that I almost hated myself at times. There were days when I longed to just lay on the couch and scratch myself, doing nothing all day and being perfectly content with that. I was so energized that I was practically bouncing off of the walls. This was especially true when I'd pop an occasional "Ripped Fuel" (they're over the counter and available at "health" stores, but lookout mama!). But even when I was totally "clean" and "natural" just the fact that my body had changed so much made me kind of uncomfortable at times. I didn't miss the big belly and the bloated feeling I used to get by eating an entire half gallon of ice cream in one setting. But still, the newfound energy was almost too much at times, in an odd sort of way.

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I don't really have any advice, but thanks for letting me tell my story.

No problem, sir. "Thanks for sharing. Next?"

 

[Tech2]

Wmcmanus,

I haven't read this entire thread, so forgive me if any of this has already been said.

I'm a bit older than you: I'll be 50 next year. I am shorter than you (5'8") and currently weigh approximately 175lbs. I was 150lbs when I graduated from high school. I currently work out three days a week, at home with free weights, and walk my buddy, a Golden Retriever named Penny, 5 times a week. I'm not ripped, but I've been working out for the last 5-6 years and I have accomplished my goals of putting on some muscle, not having a belly, being in better shape than 90% of the guys in my age group. And at the risk of sounding vain, all of this happily leads to me feeling better and looking much younger than my actual years.

Here's what I think after reading your very first post in this thread:

You are a maniac.

What I mean is that is it seems that there is no happy medium with you. You're either going all-out on a crazed mission to be fit, or you're giving up and being a couch potato.

Since you obviously already know very much about eating right and working out, I'll offer a different piece of advice from an outsider's standpoint:

Find a nice balance between the two extremes. Work out, exercise, and eat the right stuff, but enjoy yourself. When you push too hard it seems you burn out and move on the the less healthy life-style.

I'll admit that at times, even my relaxed work-out schedule becomes a chore, and I can see how your much more rigorous regimen could quickly cause the average person to burn-out and give up.

Balance. Try it.

(And good luck.)

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by Tech2 Here's what I think after reading your very first post in this thread: You are a maniac. What I mean is that is it seems that there is no happy medium with you. You're either going all-out on a crazed mission to be fit, or you're giving up and being a couch potato.

You're spot on. What can I say? At least I know it. That's a start, right?

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Find a nice balance between the two extremes. Work out, exercise, and eat the right stuff, but enjoy yourself. When you push too hard it seems you burn out and move on the the less healthy life-style... Balance. Try it.

You've got that right too. I need balance and the only way I can find out if it works is to try it. I'm pretty much there now, but just need to remind myself as I get more into it to maintain a sense of proportion.

Thanks for stopping by. Cool that you've found your groove and are feeling fit and full of life as you approach 50. As you say, that puts you ahead of 90% of the crowd.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Maybe you could try establishing boundries on your amount of time spent each day on certain activities. Write it down, then when you find yourself starting to go a little over the edge you can look back and see that you didn't want to take that far. I don't have any experience with this problem so take that for what its worth hehe.

Biggie.

 

[Genetic]

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Originally Posted by Wmcmanus End of story.

That's it? I want more.....

OK I'll give you the final countdown....You eat 1 calory and you have to burn it to stay at the same level.

One Pizza = one marathon

I realy can say that, for my part, I dont have time to eat pizza....

Good luck.

Amicalement

 

[micaela]

Just curious - what other hobbies do you have besides audio & working out? Maybe its time to add another really enjoyable new activity with somewhat of a learning curve involved just to keep you from obsessing about the work outs?????

Also don't know if guys do this as much as us women - but I definitely eat more junk & more constantly when I'm under stress of any kind. If I'm emotional about something - good or bad - I eat. Or sometimes, though not as much when I'm really bored. That is something I have to watch all the time & find other things to fill that "comfort" gap when it gets really out of hand.

I guess the emotional part is the only thing that hasn't already been mentioned & I do think that sometimes there is some of that involved when weight fluctuates as much as you are describing. At least for me that has been true. I found that when I finally got to the root of some emotional issues the weight issues became more "normal" & not an obsessive type thing. It seemed that I became like the rest of the world - able to make good choices when I wanted to & allowing myself the freedom to make bad ones too when I want to without beating myself up over it!

Best of luck to you & to all of us trying to be more healthy!!

 

[Graz]

This thread is well on-track to accumulate enough good info & advice here to write a book...

I can see it now...
#1 on the best-seller list! [size=medium]"The Head-Fi Fitness Plan"[/size] ... with tips on diet, exercise, and a comprehensive analysis of all the best headphone gear to use while exercising!

I'm only half-joking...I've seen diet & fitness publications that are far more ridiculous...

Peace,

Graz

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by Graz This thread is well on-track to accumulate enough good info & advice here to write a book... I can see it now... #1 on the best-seller list! [size=medium]"The Head-Fi Fitness Plan"[/size] ... with tips on diet, exercise, and a comprehensive analysis of all the best headphone gear to use while exercising! I'm only half-joking...I've seen diet & fitness publications that are far more ridiculous... Peace, Graz

Funny post, Graz. But I do agree that a lot of good information has been shared already. It's more or a lifestyle thing for those of us who are over a certain age (to me, after 35 or so, you can't get away with bad eating and a lack of exercise anymore unless you are super active in your work). I agree that this thread has a lot of potential for encouraging people in many ways.

 

[Wmcmanus]

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Originally Posted by micaela Just curious - what other hobbies do you have besides audio & working out? Maybe its time to add another really enjoyable new activity with somewhat of a learning curve involved just to keep you from obsessing about the work outs?????

So true! There is a lot to this, and I know back in the days (years really) when I was working long hours and involved in a lot of things, I didn't have time to obsess over anything. Be it over eating or over exercising or whatever. Those are my main hobbies at the moment. I do a lot of other things with my time, but nothing I would call a "hobby" as such. Something to consider...

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Also don't know if guys do this as much as us women - but I definitely eat more junk & more constantly when I'm under stress of any kind. If I'm emotional about something - good or bad - I eat. Or sometimes, though not as much when I'm really bored. That is something I have to watch all the time & find other things to fill that "comfort" gap when it gets really out of hand.

Perhaps women are more prone to this type of thing than men are, on average, but I suspect it has more to do with a person's psychological "composition" than anything else. People who tend to be "emotional" (and I fall into that camp in some ways) probably fall into these traps more so than do the Steady Eddie types.

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I guess the emotional part is the only thing that hasn't already been mentioned & I do think that sometimes there is some of that involved when weight fluctuates as much as you are describing. At least for me that has been true. I found that when I finally got to the root of some emotional issues the weight issues became more "normal" & not an obsessive type thing. It seemed that I became like the rest of the world - able to make good choices when I wanted to & allowing myself the freedom to make bad ones too when I want to without beating myself up over it!

More good points, and I'm happy to hear that you've been able to deal with those things that were troubling you. Oddly enough, I've never thought of myself as having any major (or even identifiable, in a self analysis sense at least) emotional issues. Sure, I've had my ups and downs in life, and some of the downs have been quite difficult to adjust to (my former fiancee was murdered my the guy she left me for about 5 years later), but even that didn't have a direct or immediate effect in terms of my diet and exercise habits. She was actually the person who gave me a great deal of encouragement the first time I lost all of the weight.

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Best of luck to you & to all of us trying to be more healthy!!

Here, here!