Lose Weight/Excercise

[InbetweenDreams]

Well went for a 3 mile run today and actually can see some improvement, did it in 34:45 which comes to 11:35 pace... no still not anything to write home about but is over a minute faster than on the treadmill, so I think killing myself with the longer run on Christmas Eve did some good.

[InbetweenDreams]

Another update... Since December 5th, down 16 lbs. Looks like the triathlon is becoming more of a reality... Went last Thursday for my first swim lesson and got some swim gear stuff ordered...hopefully it will get here before the end of next week.

I've been asked to start juicing...which I think yeah, I will lose weight but not sure if it is really all that healthy... has anyone done this or know the real answer to this. I mean I'm doing pretty good right now with the food I'm eating now, it is a little boring, so I'm trying to change things up a bit...actually looking to make a curry sauce to go with my chicken & veggies...this is what I'm going to try doing...

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/x30w870u/a-s...sauce.html

I bought some avocado oil, which is good for high heat...so if you have been using olive oil to cook you really shouldn't -- it can cause cancer.. Olive oil is good for things like salads but high heat causes the oil to scorch and break down. Also avocado oil also has healthy fats... Also picked up a flaxseed spread which has good amounts of Omega 3...

Anyway, if I say at the current rate of weight loss about this time next month should be getting close to 210... Hoping to be under 200 by my next doctor's appointment, seeing the last appointment I was over 240 last month I think that would be awesome.

[Insertnamehere]

Glad to read the whole thing is working for you. Progress is a great motivation booster

I guess that is my one weak point, progress seems to be a vague term for me, mainly becuase I'm not doing any measurements. Didn't think about it when I started this bit 1,5 years ago. I do notice things of course, legs and arms getting harder lol. Trousers/pants a bit looser, etc. But methinks I need to start monitoring things.

I do hate the times I don't have it in me to keep a constant schedule. Mostly work load has to do with that and there's a double danger, because I both get home to f*cked up to work out AND I lose a bit of control over what I eat, because of all my sins in this world one of the worst is anxiety-eating.

[InbetweenDreams]

I've not done too bad about keeping control and I honestly think a lot of that is having cut out soda/sugar from my diet. My free day is today...no not religious or anything just that my parents do this massive Sunday breakfast lol and probably good to get a break from all the chicken I eat lol

I used to obsess with weighing myself, measurements and so on...do NOT go down that road...you will get excited that one day to the next you lose 3 lbs and then the next gain 5... Same with body measurements, that stuff is slow and subtle, even if you lose weight quick.. So I don't measure myself, I figure I'm doing good if my pants fall down or when I get to the last notch in my belt. My only problem is that when I lose another 20 lbs I'm going to have a lot of lose fitting clothing.

I weigh myself once a week and exactly on Saturday, if I miss it for some reason I'm forcing myself to wait until the next week. This way I can track my actual progress and not be too overly concerned about things, shit takes time and the other thing to consider is that a calorie is not a calorie, things get metabolized differently...well shit you probably know a lot of this stuff lol

Not having a consistent schedule is a big challenge, my work week is the same every week, so lucky me, however doesn't mean you can't make it work... So describe your schedule? What keeps changing, perhaps there's a way to incorporate all these changes. Also, the big this is how much and what you eat...and getting a hold of your anxiety (and exercise is a tool to help that -- never thought running 5.3 miles would make me feel better but it does, and if I could have done it twice yesterday I would have but it started raining). Just because you don't get the runner's high doesn't mean your brain isn't releasing all that stuff, but I'm sure at some point you will notice it.... My first time was running 7 miles, but I think you might notice it after an hour, I notice a change in breathing and pace and all that after 45 minutes or so...not sure what it is but usually followed by a good feeling...

If you have anxiety issues I'm happy to talk about it... Although I feel slightly embarrassed to admit I did have a therapist for a while after I had my panic attacks and luckily for me she was really good, made me feel comfortable, I always hear dismal stories about therapists, but then again she might have been happy to have a patient who refused the typical treatment of Zoloft and so on... I tried that shit and yeah, not for me and unless you're at a last resort I'd stay away from it, changes who you really are, kills your ambition...it is like you're stoned or something, you don't care about things, but you feel ok with it. I learned a lot of things about myself and there's even a really good audiobook I listened to in the office for over a month that helped me...

Anyway I'll stop ranting on...

[Insertnamehere]

Hmm. You propose some interesting points.

I think, at least monthly, some measurement seems alright. I won't be surprised if I gain weight if, lets say, I see that I'm getting some muscle here and there, cause that's obvious.

But I feel like I need some form of reference....maybe I'll just do a before and after shots of myself. Every 2 months or something like that?

To be honest when I started, I just did. I didn't have particular goals in mind which I think was a mistake.

Again, since I've started some things HAVE changed so it's not like I'm not noticing any progress at all.


Ahhhh, food. Food is my Achilles heel, man. My main problem is not sugar, which is rather easy to identify and cut out, but complex carbs. Starch is my doom, and there you go, starchy foods are my go to remedy when I get stressed, anxious or the likes. That needs to change, I know. That kind of relationship with food is not healthy as it is.

And then the sources of anxiety. Too many to count. I have social anxiety issues, so a simple train trip to work everyday, crowded with people, is enough to trigger it. Work is something else too. Bitchy boss, inconstant work load which can get über crazy.

Then, the personal issues. Those are always a thing.

Maybe I need to se a shrink lol.


My work out schedule is fairly constant most of the time, 5-6 days a week, on average 30 min of whatever it is on that day, strenght, kick-boxing, HIIT, regular cardio, plyometrics, abs, a mix of all those, etc.

The problem is certain times of the year and certain situations.

This particular few weeks, ugh. I've been dealing with everything. Personal issues, potential work problems, crazy work load, all at once. And then punctual things like hey, on Tuesday there was a crash on the highway, so an hour extra worth of commuting (which is already 1,5 hours going to work and the same back)....etc, etc, etc.

I get home and I'm just....dead. And, you guessed it, anxiety-eating.


Resuming is not all that hard for me, I did start again yesterday, but I hate these period of crazyness that start taking a toll on me.

[InbetweenDreams]

Well as long as you're doing it. I mean I went back to smoking in 2012 and gained it all back and more over the course of 3 years...kind of a shame really I mean I was about 15 lbs away from 165 at that time...right now 59 lbs... Of course the only difference was that I was only running and didn't do the proper nutrition... I feel much BETTER this go round, although not quite as quick but I suspect that's due to the extra weight mostly.

Just keep motivated, if you're having a stressed day try to push yourself to do something...

Right now I'm only running and just started swimming and about to start going to the gym... Thankfully it is a county recreation park so it won't be as expensive as a regular gym... Hopefully, I don't actually know the costs I'm getting into...

I know how you feel about the anxiety, there are certain things that bother me... Like I really hate grocery shopping when it is really busy, just all these people blocking the isles chit chatting and whatnot just gets on my nerves...like bad... and often just feel exhausted and in a rotten mood by the time I get out of the store. It isn't the same kind of exhaustion as working out, its not easy to explain.

[matty7]

a good tip for shopping if you don't already do it is to write a shopping list of just the things you need and that you know are good for you - that way just aim for the aisle's you need and it removes the temptation to put poor food choices in your basket - plus you get round the supermarket a lot quicker..

you mention juicing in previous post - just be careful of the amount of sugar you can unknowingly consume in one go, especially using too much fruit.

It sounds like you have a plan that your sticking to, hopefully you make these lifestyle changes permanent in order to keep at the weight your happy with, I think that's where people fail the most, they get the weight loss then ditch the swimming and running etc and fall back to the old bad habits

[Cridders88]

a good tip for shopping if you don't already do it is to write a shopping list of just the things you need and that you know are good for you - that way just aim for the aisle's you need and it removes the temptation to put poor food choices in your basket - plus you get round the supermarket a lot quicker..

This ^^

I never go to the supermarket not knowing exactly what I want. Mainly because I cannot stand spending more time than needed in a crowded grocery store. But yes, the less time you are in there, the less tempted you are...

[Pcolakuntryboy]

I bought one of those Bowflex MaxTrainer machines last week, someone had it on Craigslist for $500 (normally a $1k machine), so I figured what the hell. I am not overweight, but OMG I did not realize how out of shape I am until I stepped onto that thing! I have owned a treadmill for years but this is way harder, you basically feel like you've ran up a steep mountain when you're done. I'm going to have to ease into this to keep from giving myself a heart attack. LOL

[MikeW]

...I've been asked to start juicing...which I think yeah, I will lose weight but not sure if it is really all that healthy... has anyone done this or know the real answer to this. ...

Been asked? By whom, for what reason? Except for fresh wheat grass (which requires a special type juicer because the grass is tough as shit), I don't get the point. What juicing does is remove the fiber from the vegetable or fruit. It doesn't reduce the calories. In fact, it "condenses" them in a sense. I mean, the volume of food consumed is less so you're apt to feel more hungry.

If the point is to do some sort of "cleanse," then don't juice, just fast for a day or two drinking only water, maybe with a bit of lemon juice in it. (Intermittent fasting is one of the strategies I use regularly.)