Lose Weight/Excercise

[LJay]

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION], great work, man!Bikes are an amazing tool and you have some of the most beautiful countryside anywhere to ride. Keep it up!

PS: Have you tried to mount a couple of liter bottles on the frame? Check out REI.com for mounts, bottles and gear.

[deltalover4]

For the first twenty-three years of my life, the most I weighed was 110 lbs. People always commented about how unhealthy I looked, and asked if I've seen a doctor about my anorexia. I never starved myself; I always ate two good meals a day (I hate breakfast).

Now that I have graduated from college, and I've moved into an office setting, I have gained 35 pounds. Praise Jesus! I never thought I would make it to 145 lbs. I couldn't be happier with my weight. The only issue is that all the weight has went to my stomach. It doesn't bother me at all, but it did encourage me to do some exercises, not to lose the weight, but to tone it and redistribute it to other parts of my body.

So, I got a FitBit, I do about 10,000 steps a day, I run on the treadmill once every three days (thanks to the TV on the wall that keeps me focused while I run), I do core workouts, such as crunches, pushups, planks, ab wheels, sit ups and leg exercises, every three days, and now, I'm swimming in the pool, to get a overall workout every three days.

One thing I've learned about exercising, like everything else in my life, is that you can't do it unless you really want to. You have to have the determination and willpower to do it. Otherwise, you're wasting your time dreaming about what you hope to one day achieve.

[Insertnamehere]

That aside, I'm down about 35 lbs total

Yes, I can tell you look fitter comoared to earlier shots you showed.

kudos man!

[InbetweenDreams]

For the first twenty-three years of my life, the most I weighed was 110 lbs. People always commented about how unhealthy I looked, and asked if I've seen a doctor about my anorexia. I never starved myself; I always ate two good meals a day (I hate breakfast).

Now that I have graduated from college, and I've moved into an office setting, I have gained 35 pounds. Praise Jesus! I never thought I would make it to 145 lbs. I couldn't be happier with my weight. The only issue is that all the weight has went to my stomach. It doesn't bother me at all, but it did encourage me to do some exercises, not to lose the weight, but to tone it and redistribute it to other parts of my body.

So, I got a FitBit, I do about 10,000 steps a day, I run on the treadmill once every three days (thanks to the TV on the wall that keeps me focused while I run), I do core workouts, such as crunches, pushups, planks, ab wheels, sit ups and leg exercises, every three days, and now, I'm swimming in the pool, to get a overall workout every three days.

One thing I've learned about exercising, like everything else in my life, is that you can't do it unless you really want to. You have to have the determination and willpower to do it. Otherwise, you're wasting your time dreaming about what you hope to one day achieve.

There's nothing wrong with being skinny. Beware of the office setting, that will catch up with you sooner or later. There is such a thing called being fat on the inside...no that's not a joke it's visceral fat and is unhealthy. So you can be skinny and have all the same problems overweight people have. Not at all saying that's the case given that you are running on a treadmill, unless that is you're scruffing down Monster Thickburgers.


1,420 calories...for those who like to destroy the plumbing in the entire house

One thing for sure is that I hate using a treadmill....only use it when it is too cold or nasty to go out. You might consider the greenway. You will benefit from running outside on a path, much more effective. The only negatives I can find about going to the dam for a run are other people and dog poo. The heat can be a bit menacing in July but the key is to hydrate before, during and after...especially if you're going for more than 30 minutes. If you're going 10 miles or something better have something to drink.

I think the to being successful with fitness is indeed doing something you enjoy, for me I think I've found it with the biking. It can be very hard, did a very difficult route down near Suches, GA...35 miles and at the end was about a 5 mile climb before getting back to the car. Of course you have the people who are pros at it and pass you going 15 mph and carrying on conversation like it's a piece of cake.

Anyway, I think the point here is that neither you, me or anyone should feel ashamed of their body. Most people are insecure about how their bodies look and often are more worried about their own appearance than how you look.

[InbetweenDreams]

A few things about exercise:

1. You should aim to do at least 30 minutes 5 days per week. Folks starting out should take some time building up to that point. A lot of folks do stuff everyday with maybe 1-2 days rest. There's nothing wrong with going for a jog or a bike ride for consecutive days.

2. Over training. It would seem that it is easier to over train when you're new to a fitness routine. I'd stick to about 3 days a week then step it up after 4 weeks. This, mind you, means you don't have serious health problems like heart disease or hypertension. Pay attention to your body, if you're tired or find yourself not performing like you normally do might be doing too much too soon.

3. Hydrate. Running is usually pretty straight forward with hydration because most folks sweat a lot. Other activities like biking or swimming, you don't realize just how much water you lose. I drank over 3 liters on a 4 hour bike ride to put some perspective and it can sneak up on you.

When it comes to weight, just a few other remarks. I wouldn't worry so much about the number. Calling a skinny person anorexic is no different than calling a larger person fat. So you need honestly ask yourself why you're doing all this, is it for health or is it because someone makes remarks (fat, skinny, etc). I think is an important question to answer, if you're doing it for the wrong reasons you're likely to fail. I used to do it all because a few people who don't mean anything to me called me fat or whatever and the truth is you can't satisfy anyone that way. Some people will drool over someone while others will be in disgust, so who cares what some asshole thinks about how you look on some sex app. I think the other thing is having realistic goals. I've accepted the fact that will probably never look like a body builder or an Olympian and most people don't anyway. The psychological aspect is important to know and understand also not to fall victim of it. Your body is the best tool you'll ever own, quoting the "Sunscreen" song, don't make yourself miserable trying to impress other people or making hard or unrealistic goals. Losing 10 lbs is much easier to attain then to lose 50 lbs.

On the health aspect. Where you carry the weight is important, if you're carrying it on your stomach that tends to be a bad thing over time. Might not be a big deal being in your 20's but 30 years later could spell heart disease. Men in general carry more weight around the stomach and is why men have a greater risk for heart disease than women. Doing crunches doesn't make belly fat go away, but you might have some really good abdominal muscles and never see it.

That aside, if you want to bulk up look at weight training over cardio. However, keep your goals realistic. People with smaller frames will tend to weigh less than those with larger, wider frames. Some people have a natural muscle tone, some don't.

As far as staying motivated, I think it is pretty difficult to stay with a routine for the long term, that being over several years or a lifetime. Treadmills will become boring, so finding a sport be it tennis, bike riding, swimming or weight lifting and making it a hobby is key. You have to really enjoy it, has to be something you legitimately find fun or get something out of doing it. Bottom line is someone should be happy and comfortable in their own skin. Don't exercise because you want someone to objectify you, otherwise you will surely fail.

You could bike across the county... No seriously, I mean this guy did it. Actually a lot of people have done it and most of them don't look like what we think of being fit. I mean we think of fit people of having six pack abs and big arms and it's no different than thinking that all fat people are unhealthy. Staying in good shape should involve doing something that you enjoy, so trying new things and having the patience to see if something works for you. You might easily find yourself enjoying something you never thought you would like.

[InbetweenDreams]

This is going to be somewhat of a rant post...

So I have been training with the anticipation of doing a triathlon since January. A former swim coach was to train with me and help me learn how to swim, that was my understanding. So I got a gym membership for a year there and was doing a lot of training. By February the guy just stopped coming for no apparent reason but I kept on it... I kept getting told that he would come one week or the next week or whatever. Going to say being a noob at swimming you pretty much need someone to work with you learning how to do the different strokes, yeah you can watch youtube and do it the wrong way but you'll never really improve because you won't know you're doing it wrong. So I've never really got down the breast stroke which is a very good stroke to know how to do on the lake....maybe the back stroke but that's another one I don't know how to do.

So the triathlon was to be in August, it was cancelled because not enough people had registered for it. Ok, there's one in July. Well up until very recently I hadn't done any lake swimming, which is a lot different than in a pool, mostly that you're continuously swimming, not 25 yards, stop... back and forth. Me being an ex-smoker, although it has been two years, has left its mark on me, I just can't get a steady pace going without getting too winded and then having to stop. Well it is in my opinion a little too late to try to get enough training in to work on that aspect. Not when you have to coordinate with people and you just don't go swimming in open waters with jet ski's going all over the place and people fishing. So pretty much limited.

So today I find out that not only is the race more expensive than the one I was planning on doing I have to pay an additional $15 for a one-day USAT (USA Triathlon) membership fee which brings the total to $100 just to get in the race.. That's not to mention the money I spent on swimming gear, new bike, clothing, etc. So I pretty much got left holding the bag per say. I mean if I had another month to work on things it might be worth $100 but as it stands I don't think I'm quite ready. I don't see much point in placing with guys who are 25 years older than me... Not saying I'm that out of shape but the guys who are 25 years older than me have been doing triathlons and the such for 30-40 years and just are that good. If I had another month to work on the swimming it might be worth the $100. So I'm really teetering on just skipping it and do something else.

Just like the 5k color run I did back in April....Yeah I get the whole thing about getting paint slung on you but it ended up costing me $40 plus a 3 hour drive each way to end up doing a lot of walking and not even getting a time of the race...well other than what my fitbit had... It would have been a complete waste if the proceeds were not for the Children's Hospital. If it had been a for-profit event I would have had a fit not having a time and all that.

So maybe I need more motivation to go for it and just whatever happens happens.... but I just feel disappointed in myself and how everything has went with trying to seek help with training and advice. I don't think I will do all that well and the USAT crap really pisses me off and all the fees are for the judges who administer the race and enforce rules...which is all fine and dandy but me being totally new there's a good chance I may unknowingly violate some rule and get disqualified or penalized when I'm not going to be placing anyway. I think I would feel better at a non-USAT sanctioned race but looks like there aren't any anytime soon. The one I was going to do wasn't a sanctioned race and was right down the road in areas I'm familiar with.

Anyway, going to get off my soap box now. I think I may look at doing more stuff on the bike which has been a big interest of mine...things like bike touring/travel. There's a Mountains to Sea tour the state hosts in October, might not be able to do that this year but perhaps next year.

[SilverBullet]

I don't see much point in placing with guys who are 25 years older than me

You know, when I was in Savannah I found this amazing place to go for walks. It was an OLD abandoned train track next to a civil war fort and within jumping distance (literally) of a boating/shipping lane.

in distance according to the map it was just over 6 miles (in a line, 12 miles to and fro), I would park in the middle and walk my favorite half then possible the other depending on what else I wanted to do that day sometimes visiting the fort.

There was an old guy that did this trail daily as well, I would guess he was 50-60. I felt bad being 26 and being passed up so I started jogging it, I then realized his pace was faster than mine (at 6,2 I can keep a decent speed up) he was maybe 5,11. One of the days on my last week there he started to pass me on the round about of a three mile segment and I was like... not today!!

I ran all the way back to my truck ^_^ he still beat me but was within eye contact the whole time . His pace was difficult to match, slower than my run, faster than my jog.

I dont think im in terrible shape but I definitely had an older guy put me in my place , so when you go to the triathlon, dont go to "win" go for fun, this is your first, many who go there are very experienced. Just have fun, place where you will and plan for the NEXT one . A foolish card player brings all his money to a new table

AND DONT GET DISCOURAGED! regardless of the cost, 15$ more or W/E GO FOR IT! you will regret it you don't, cheating yourself after all your hard work.

[InbetweenDreams]

Thanks, well I'll think about it. I guess I'm more worried about getting disqualified. It is a 600 yard swim which really isn't a lot but it is more than what I can do in one chunk currently. I kind of feel that I should be able to keep a steady pace but I can't... Treading water is important, do it wrong well you can't rest up enough to get going again, then you end up doggy paddling which is inefficient as hell lol. So I do all the wrong things when I get too tired...which is the whole point of learning to tread water and so on.

Biking and running I feel comfortable with. Really enjoy the biking and plan on continuing that regardless of whether I do the triathlon or not...

But yeah the cost should be a non-issue and kind of going against my own advice by not doing it. Just going to be another tricky month trying not to overspend.... Dammit I want fireworks too lol

Even more temptations when you walk into REI lol

[Camfer]

From your description of swimming, it does not sound feasible for you to complete a 600 yard lake swim. You have to decide if you want to get just as far as you can and then haul yourself into one of the rescue boats. You can discuss that with the organizers in advance of the race.

It's totally fine not to finish the race. Plenty of people will start the race and not finish it. Set a reasonable goal for yourself on how much you want to complete.

[InbetweenDreams]

From your description of swimming, it does not sound feasible for you to complete a 600 yard lake swim. You have to decide if you want to get just as far as you can and then haul yourself into one of the rescue boats. You can discuss that with the organizers in advance of the race.

It's totally fine not to finish the race. Plenty of people will start the race and not finish it. Set a reasonable goal for yourself on how much you want to complete.

Well interestingly enough I went swimming this evening, actually just got back from it not too long ago, did way better. Still had to take a few short breaks but I was able to keep going a lot longer... I just had to flip over on my back and catch my breath and get going again. Not really sure how far I swam, I don't have a GPS on my watch, or rather I don't have a watch I can take in the water that also has GPS...bought the wrong thing for that... I estimated somewhere around 875 yards (right at 800 meters) just winging it on Google Earth, of course that's swimming in a straight line and I know I didn't swim in no straight line lol.

I think if I did the triathlon I would probably be able to do it, I just might not be happy at all with my time. I was anticipating on being in much better shape and had learned how to do the breast stroke, very good on the lake for getting your bearings...

I have until July 10th to decide for sure that I'm doing it...then the price goes up again!

Anyway, I guess I should get off of here and get started on meal prep (lunches for the next two weeks)...

I did neglect to mention I have made it to the halfway point, down 40lbs. Kind of weird, doesn't seem like it but would be nice to lose another 40lbs. Going to try intermittent fasting....after the triathlon and see how that goes.