This evening’s Fitness Club is brought to you by the lovely Cassidy, who very kindly sent me his beginner’s fitness primer. I’ll let him tell you himself.
Diet and Exercise can be intimidating. There is a ton of information out their to sift through, a lot of “bro-science”, late night infomercials inundating us with messages of what’s wrong with us…
After a while the cacophony gets way too loud and it’s easier to just do nothing. So, let’s get past that bullshit.
Welcome to the Balloon Juice Fitness Club. Let’s start with a basic premise: there is nothing wrong with you. You may be overweight or not very fit. That’s okay. It does not mean you are an immoral person who is only worthy of derision and ridicule. The BJ Fitness Club is a place for the BJ community to support one another in their endeavors to live a healthier lifestyle. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. If you’re a beginner, this is a place for you to learn and ask questions without judgment or intimidation. If you’re more advanced, please feel free to help and offer advice and we can all learn something new.
There are a lot of workout systems and routines out there and even more diet and eating lifestyles, so let’s start with the basics. A fit lifestyle has two components: good nutrition and exercise.
NUTRITION: There are a lot of good diets and eating lifestyles out there, but you need to start simple. Drastic changes will equal failure. The key, as a beginner, is to educate yourself on portions, what’s in your food, and how to plan your daily consumption. I don’t diet. I eat what I want. The key is moderation. You have to learn what a real serving looks like. Start with small changes: fat free creamer, small snacks, drinking more water, etc. Don’t go crazy and don’t deny the food you like; just eat them in moderate portions. When you look at your plate, strive to have one half veggies, and the other split between meat and starch. I tend to go with more meat than starch. Make your meals a little smaller and start snacking in between, but make it good snacking. Your goal should be to where you are eating 5-6 small amounts of food, with your 3 main meals being just enough to fill you up, but not make you full. Take your time. You didn’t gain weight overnight and it won’t disappear overnight. Again, don’t get drastic. You have the rest of your life to adopt a new eating lifestyle so lay the foundation now for moderation and controlling your hunger.
Small changes, small victories.
And water. Start drinking copious amounts of water. You should be consuming half your body weight in ounces, at a minimum, daily.
EXERCISE: Just like eating, there is an overabundance of workout systems and routines. Over time, we can talk about each one and break it down. But there are two key things that they all must have that only you can provide: fun and a goal. You have to enjoy what you’re doing. Take the time to find what is right for you. You don’t have to start working out hard today. Go visit a gym. Lift some weights. Walk on a treadmill or get on a elliptical. Walk the dogs. It doesn’t matter. Find something you enjoy that is physical. As you get into better shape, you’ll start to get curious about other ways of working out, especially as you see results and want something more challenging. If you’re workout time is coming up and you are dreading it and it makes you miserable, you are doing it wrong. The hardest part of working out is staying motivated.
You have to have a goal. Let’s be clear about this in no uncertain terms: LOSING WEIGHT IS NOT A GOAL! Picking an arbitrary number that you think you’ll look better at is useless. You may not lose weight, especially if you’re doing any kind of resistance training and putting on muscle. You will lose body fat and that will change your shape, but even that’s not a goal. That’s going to happen. You’re goal should be something tangible that you can strive for: running a marathon or half marathon, getting into a size 6, doing 20 dead hang pull-ups nonstop (my goal). The weight and your appearance will change as you exercise, so let it happen naturally and don’t focus on it. Focus on your resting heart rate, your cholesterol levels, cardiovascular health, and body composition. Weight will be what it is going to be.
This is my advice to beginners.
Have at it then, my dears. I hope to see you again next Sunday at the same time. If anyone would like to send me fitness tips or advice or questions which you would like the Juicetariat to discuss, please feel free to do so here.
[Image: The Wrestlers – Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)]
Maude
This makes me want to eat birthday cake. With ice cream.
superfly
It does in Los Angeles.
cdmarine
Reminder: There’s a Balloon Juice group set up over on Fitocracy.
http://www.fitocracy.com/group/6503/
There are only three people in there at the moment, so come show us up! (Not much activity in the past week, so it’s pretty easy to show us up at the moment.)
E-mail me at cdmarine at gmail for an invite. I only have a few to give out, but as soon as you join, you also get a bunch of invites to hand out.
cdmarine
Oh, by the way, Girl Scout Cookies are screwing me hard right now. Bastards.
MaxxLange
If you are way out of shape, deciding that you are going to run a marathon is not the way to go. Just like you said about diet, you have to start small. You have to start with something you can stick with, and build from that. Start walking, then jogging. Set a realistic goal, like running a 5k race.
Cassidy
@cdmarine: I just haven’t had time to translate what I’m doing. I know that’s a poor excuse, but it’s all I got.
Cermet
When it comes to exercise, there is only one rule that matters – find something you like to do. No matter – walking outside or a treadmill, running (fast or slow), biking or some special activity (swimming, tennis, hand ball etc). Then do it at least for thirty minutes a day (on average) three times a week. Increase level and/or duration, as you feel better. That is it.
Diet – the more you prepare it, the better it will be for you. In any case, try and cut down on junk – especially chips and their like – these are killers.
Fruit juice is as bad as soda, but is a better sugar (and cost more so it may help you to cut down but don’t kid yourself, calories are calories.
Some fats are better than others – nuts, and limited amounts of olive oil, and/or butter – use as little as possible but do use; they help diets.
Avoid eggs and any product with soy lecithen – for far too many people, these substances cause heart blockage – really.
Cassidy
@MaxxLange: Why not. It’s February. If I set a goal to run a marathon next February, that’s perfectly reasonable.
zach
Anyone with trouble setting goals and following through w/r/t exercise should check out stickk.com (yes, 2 ks). Some pointed headed economists somewhere figured that disincentives are better than incentives. You set a goal, appoint a friend to judge whether or not you’ve completed it, give the site your credit-card info, and pick a charity you hate to pay if you fail (there are other options; you can give money to a good charity instead or not give money or whatever).
I’ve been busy lately; it’s been too easy to come up with good excuses not to exercise. The deal with my judge is that they can opt to fine me or have me treat dinner every week I fail.
dbomp
I’ll distill it even further: Eat less, move more. It’s that simple.
Three years ago, at 214 pounds and totally flabby (I’m a 6’0″ guy), I decided that it’d be a good idea to start biking to work, a six-mile hilly ride. On a practice run I failed miserably, collapsing in the driveway, panting. I didn’t give up. I kept extending my practice runs until I did it, and then I did it all summer, three times a week. On purpose, I didn’t weigh myself until the target of Labor Day, and then I did: 187 pounds. Emboldened, a great friend from work convinced me that the gym wasn’t so scary and he mentored me though how to feel safe in the free weight room. I reached 179 by the Fourth of July, and I’ve been a bit under that since then. I feel so much better about my body, and I’m determined to continue.
As for food, I haven’t really changed what I eat, it’s just a matter of less. It’s Sunday night, usually my spaghetti night. I used to eat two plates of the stuff. I started eating one. When I see goodies in the kitchen at work, I’ll have a little taste, not a big slice. I’ll have one chunk of meat loaf rather than two. I’m looking at package labels to avoid surprises (have you ever looked at a bottle of ranch dressing?), but really, it’s just a matter of less.
And I feel good.
Hawes
I do think knowing what’s in your food is hugely important. I’ve lost about 13 pounds since New Year’s primarily by skipping most desserts (Except the REALLY good ones, like my wife’s Tres Leches cake. I know it has a billion calories, but it gives me endorphin rushes.).
Just by skipping desserts and exercising a little more I went from looking bloated to just looking stout. If I can finally skip juices for water, I think I can start looking somewhat-less-stout.
Cassidy
Only problem is you have to fuel your body. Running at a deficit means your body may start eating your gains. If you’re looking to put on muscle you actually need to consume more.
zach
@MaxxLange: “Set a realistic goal, like running a 5k race.”
Also, a good rule of thumb to avoid overdoing it is to not use painkillers/anti-inflammatory drugs unless you are experienced or someone whose paid to do so advised you to… if you’re starting to run, swollen ankles are God’s subtle message to mix in yoga or some other cross training. Shin splints will sneak up on you.
Annamal
I’ve found that using children’s playgrounds is kind of an awesome way of getting a little bit of an upperbody workout without paying gym fees.
There’s a great playground near my home which is designed around upper body fitness and has the added bonus of being just plain fun (the flying fox especially).
MikeJ
@MaxxLange:
And if you want, you never really need to move to jogging or running. Walking, jogging, and running, each burn about 100 calories per mile, differing only in how long it takes you to go that mile. If you want to make your walking more aerobic, add more vertical change to your hike.
MaxxLange
@Cassidy: That depends on how “way out of shape” a person is. Do you really think it’s reasonable to go from being completely sedentary to running 26.2 miles in one year? Maybe if you are young enough, that is do-able.
I guess what I’m warning against is what I think of as the New Year’s Resolution pattern, where people decide “this year I’m getting in shape”, work out like a boxer for 2 weeks, and then quit. There’s nothing wrong with having an ambitions long term goal, of course.
Shadow's Mom
Love this. I’ve been working on improving my nutritional intake and increasing my exercise levels. 3-4 years ago I was quite diligent at exercising, but over the past year the combination of work and school have interfered. I am a strong advocate for health at every size. So, size doesn’t matter so much as your habits. Healthy eating and healthy habits produce a healthy body. Cheers!
One tasty and healthy food option I’ve come to enjoy is quinoa. I use my rice cooker and cook in chicken stock with a couple of spoons of sun-dried tomatoes. It’s become a regular lunch. I cook it up on Sunday, then add a handful of frozen mixed vegetables to a portion and heat it up for lunch.
Softail
I find that for the first month or so going to the gym is an act of will. After that though I want to go and miss it if I don’t. I’ve stopped and started a number of time after illness or long trips and this always seems to be true. And believe me no one is more surprised than I that I turned out to be a gym rat.
Seanindc
As of 2 hours ago I am down 78 lbs in about about 6 months. shit is hard – it takes dedication and commitment. However, it gets a lot easier after you really get going. The benefits are immeasurable. The boosts in self-esteem alone are worth it.
I started at 323 doing a couch to 5k. I was unable to run for 30 seconda straight. So I ran for 15 seconds then would walk for a minute. I finished my first 5k in about 58 minutes (I got passed by 70 year old speed walkers…no lie).
An hour ago I finished 11 miles at just over 12-13 minutes a mile. It does get easier. Cardio is key. So is improving overall muscle mass and strength as they are key to maintaining a decent metabolism. Now, I can have a diet busting day (I.e. no workout and two sleeves for f’n samoas and I won’t go up). For me, I dropped my eating to about 1200 calories a day. It’s low but it’s doable. Now I average around 2000 a day comprised of a lot of veggie smoothies, seeds ( flax, pumpkin, sunflower) as munchables.
The reason I recommend running is that it teaches you so much about yourself. It teaches you not to quit when shit gets hard. Sure you can quit but that got you where you are at when you decided to make a change. Now when other aspects of my life are hard or stressful I think about running 13.1 miles in 25 degree weather at 5am in sleet and snow and just KNOW that I can handle what life throws at me…but as always YMMV.
Lastly, set goals. The sense of accomplishment is incredible when you hit them – or better annihilate them.
peggy
The easiest approach to exercise is just to build it into one’s daily life. Take the stairs, not the elevator- but be cautious at first because in so many buildings access is so controlled that the door to the floor may be locked. Think about bicycle commuting- even a short trip to a train station can be relaxing if the traffic is not too scary. Just walk, if one is lucky enough to live with access to walkable errands or walk the kids to school. If exercise is part of absolute necessities, it happens.
MikeJ
@MaxxLange:
The PBS series Nova took a bunch of people and got most through a marathon. Interesting stuff.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5570837968321056207
jl
For those who can’t lose fat, I think the following advice from Cassidy is very important.
” Make your meals a little smaller and start snacking in between, but make it good snacking. Your goal should be to where you are eating 5-6 small amounts of food, with your 3 main meals being just enough to fill you up, but not make you full. Take your time. ”
I grew up doing a lot of physical activity, and during summer on farm, often doing heavy labor all day, I could, and would, and liked, to eat like a damn pig, and was skinny and lean.
As a fat rumpled adult, I still liked to eat a lot, but was not skinny and lean. I could not figure out the problem.
I think there are two things that make frequent, relatively small meals/snacks work really well. One is portion control. When I spend even a moment guesstimating how much I need to feel satisfied (as opposed to totally full) and how many calories is in that amount, rather than just slopping it on the plate, I dish out smaller portions. And if I get hungry in between meals, and have a healthy snack planned, I end up eating junk or binging much less often.
Only thing I have to add is that staying on a strict regular diet all the time does not work for me, since it is easy to go into starvation mode, and I feel sluggish and too tired to exercise, and the flab just stays there. So, for me it’s good to still eat healthy, but to lighten up on any diet once a week or so.
I’ve read a lot of speculative stuff on in books and on the internet about magic ways that various fitness things are supposed to work, and I am skeptical about them.
But from my experience, the idea of a starvation mode, and the danger of going into one, seems correct.
So, moderate and varied diets with a break once a week or so work much better for me than an arduous strict and unpleasant bare bones eating regime.
And like others say, if you can make even a small improvement in your diet, adding any exercise adds a lot.
cdmarine
@Cassidy: Hey, your excuse is a hell of a lot better than mine. I’ve just been a lazy asshole this week.
Cassidy
@MaxxLange: I get what you’re saying, I just don’t think that’s an unreasonable goal. But then I’m also thinking in terms of competing vs. completing.
Newly-minted MBA
@dbomp- I am a fellow six footer who weighed north of 220. Started riding my bike to work a couple of weeks ago (8 miles) I do that twice a week with a swim and a long ride on the weekend. Have been watching what I eat since January – nothing crazy though. Everything in moderation, including moderation. Down 10 pounds so far…
Seanindc
26.2 in a year is absolutly doable – just follow a training plan. Unless you are 500 pounds and unable to walk without motorized assistance you can do it. My first half marathon is in 3 weeks and my first full is October 31st in DC. You can do it – just be smart about it. My 6 months of weight loss immediately followed 3 months of rehab for a torn knee.
Seanindc
26.2 in a year is absolutly doable – just follow a training plan. Unless you are 500 pounds and unable to walk without motorized assistance you can do it. My first half marathon is in 3 weeks and my first full is October 31st in DC. You can do it – just be smart about it. My 6 months of weight loss immediately followed 3 months of rehab for a torn knee.
jl
Sarah P and T, since you asked for stuff, I’ll write up a piece on rails to trails and hiking, and will send in my humble submission for your approval, so watch for that in a day or so.
Ruckus
@Cassidy:
A poor excuse is better than no excuse.
RossInDetroit
FYWP. Let’s try this:
I’d like to see an authoritative reference for the ‘drink a lot of water’ thing. One of my d0ct0rz is a kidney specialist. I asked him about the d1et/he@lth/water connection. He said:
1) if you ur1n@te 3 times a day you’re getting enough water.
2) Too much water can interfere with your body’s uptake of some nutr1entz.
3) people with a history of kidney stones should drink the amount of water their d0ct0r tells them to.
4) l0sing we1ght through water intake dates back to a ‘50s fad d1et and is unproven
RossInDetroit
I hate Word Press. In modjail…
StevenDS
A point on nutrition: I take issue with the idea that you should switch to “fat free creamer”. First of all, fat doesn’t make you fat. Eating lots of crappy, sugary, PROCESSED food does. There is nothing wrong with eating plenty of healthy fat- olive oil, grass fed meats, even quality butter and lard.
Second of all creamer cannot be “fat free” withiout some ridiculous chemicals or processing to mimic the taste and texture of real cream. The regular half and half is just fine.
Again the key to healthy food is to eat real food, as brilliantly defined by Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food”. That means you need to learn how to cook, because frozen dinners and cheap fast food chain restaurants are out.
Pretty much the best thing you can do is buy and read “In Defense of Food” and “the Joy of Cooking”.
Violet
@cdmarine:
I had Girl Scout cookies for lunch yesterday. An entire box. They were supposed to be a late morning snack, along with a cup of tea. I was only going to eat two or three. But I was in front of the computer and just mindlessly kept eating them and then they were gone. And I wasn’t hungry. So…lunch.
And really, this is part of my question and issue. I know all the stuff I’m supposed to do. I like exercising, but I go through periods where I just don’t want to go. I’m in one right now. I’m still managing to walk with a friend every day, but other than that, no.
And the same thing happens with food. I know what I’m supposed to do. And honestly, I eat pretty healthily as far as meals go. I grow a lot of my own vegetables. I cook most of my meals. But I also like some junk food, especially sweet stuff (ice cream is a real problem). And when I’m pressed for time, or tired, or just having a crappy day I tend to “reward” myself with food.
It’s not a matter of knowing what to do. It’s a matter of doing it when I’m in a down cycle. How do you cut the cycle short and get back on the wagon? Eventually I’ll get there, but it may be after 2-3 weeks of doing not much in the exercise department and eating Ben & Jerry’s a couple times a week.
BTW, the goal thing is a great suggestion and it’s worked for me in the past. But once I reach the goal, I tend to stop what I’m doing and say, “Yay! I reached my goal. Let’s have a cookie.” I’d like to move away from the goal-oriented style and figure out how to maintain the healthy lifestyle.
Kathleen
I started running when I was 36. I started by walking with a group of runners recovering from injuries. Then they began running/walking. I had to keep up, so I started running with them. Walking/running is a great way to get started,in my opinion. I’ll never forget that first day I ran by myself non-stop (2.5 miles across the Ohio River and back) on a cold, gray February day. 26 years and 13 marathons later that still ranks as one of my greatest triumphs. I doubt I will ever qualify for Boston, but my goal is to turn 100 and show up for the race. Surely they couldn’t refuse me! (-: I will be more than happy to offer encouragement to those who want to run – particularly those who want to run a marathon. Running, particularly marathon running, has literally saved my life on many levels.
Raven
I have to echo the “find something you love”. I am the son of a coach who was a fitness maniac and understudy of Dr Thomas Cureton
He was a runner from his time at Illinois after WWII. As a result, even though I was a juvenile delinquent extraordinaire, I have also always been a gym rat. Full court full contact basketball was my game from my teen years until my late 40’s. For ten years I switched to running because I found that the recovery time from the many b-ball injuries became longer and longer. About 12 years ago the wheels gave out and I switched to a daily 2 mile morning walk and a 1250 meter swim. My background in the field of Recreation and Leisure Studies reinforces to me that finding fitness related activities that a person enjoys is crucial. I used to think the “boot camp’ operations were pretty silly but I know some folks who really thrive in the supportive environment that the local group provides. Shake that groove thing, Shake that groove thing yea yea.
MikeJ
@RossInDetroit:The one word that sent you to mad jail you didn’t try to disguise. Your doctor is a kidney speçialst, which has the dreaded pill name in it.
There’s a greasemonkey script for firefox that will warn you about mods that trigger the filter when you try to post.
cmorenc
I found a way to get paid to work out regularly (!) I referee competitive-level soccer, both youth select/travel, high school, and adult, and so my “workout” is essentially an extended set of intermittent wind sprints spread over one to four games at a time. Some of these better youth teams are filled with some of the fittest kids on the planet playing an intensely physical, fast-paced game; fortunately I don’t have to be as fit as they do (I never have to play the ball or get tackled myself), but neither can I afford to fall behind play enough that I either miss seeing important calls or cannot “sell” tough calls.
The biggest problem is that my legs take a real pounding in-season, and there’s a fine balance between the increasing fitness from working 8-12 games a week and the increased risk of injury. I’m 62 years old and don’t heal up from an injury as well as I used to, so I need to be careful to try to avoid festering chronic injuries if I can. But my old beat-up knees don’t cut me enough slack here, some days I feel 25 out in the middle of refereeing games but feel 85 that night at 10pm. Some day in the foreseeable future, my body will tell me it’s time to hang it up. And I’ll miss it.
I also work out at the local YMCA off-season at least 4x per week; 20-30 min on the stationary bike hills course on an intermediate setting, with a modest weight-lifting circuit every other time, and I really need to keep it up in-soccer season for workout balance, but it tends to slip into irregularity as the game count goes up into the heart of the season.
Lojasmo
Move around some,
Lift something heavy.
Sprint some
Sleep enough
Eat colorful vegetables, meat, fruit, and eggs.
Avoid starchy vegetables, rice, flour, and sugar.
Today:
Skipped breakfast
Rode on bicycle trainer for 36 minutes
Ate eggs and corned beef.
Ran with a friend on MTB trails for 36 minutes
Roasted chicken, parsnip, and carrots for dinner.
Raven
@cmorenc: No water?
Spiffy McBang
One simple thing to remember nutrition-wise is that fat is more calorie-dense than carbs or protein. So you can fill yourself on fewer calories if you stick to lower-fat foods. You should still have some fat in your diet- preferably healthy fats (e.g. olive oil)- but given how fatty a lot of food in America is, this is a change that’s frequently easier to make and stay consistent with than cutting down on the volume of food eaten.
demkat620
Best fitness tip I can give: Find a buddy or two. The moral support is a big help. I have two work friends that I hit the gym everyday with.
And peer pressure to get your ass out of the deskchair and into the gym can help too. Also, it’s people for me to laugh with through the workout.
RossInDetroit
@MikeJ:
Thx. I’ve been disguising s0c1@l1st so long I forgot that the forbidden letter sequence appears in other words.
FYWP is not ready for its Turing Test.
peggy
Another non-stressful approach to health is the Atkins Diet(low carbohydrate) because if one follows the rules, there is no restriction on quantities. Pasta lovers, bread devourers, and cake fanatics need not even try. But if vegetables, meat and dairy suit one will lose weight and improve some heart risk factors. NEJM article showing that Atkins and the Mediterranean diet gave a larger and more enduring weight loss than a low fat diet.
Spiffy McBang
And don’t skip breakfast!
oldmtnbkr
Lots of good ideas here. I’d add: don’t beat yourself up. I’m 65, retired, still have trouble managing my time well enough to get in more than 2 rides a week. A cold/flu, or some stressful event (like right now I’m doing home care for a post-op spouse) will interfere; if your main exercise is outdoors, so will weather in most of the country. I was very, very lucky 16 yrs ago when my son introduced me to mountain biking. It’s way strenuous and I’m a couch potato, but it’s so much fun I was motivated to bike commute til retirement just so I could have more fun on dirt. I’ve gone to a gym occasionally, but that takes some strength of character (in short supply here). Finding something active that you enjoy is key. I’ve backslid on eating habits recently and gained some weight I need to lose in ’12, but I can still ride as strongly as ever and my various blood numbers are ok. So, I’d say “move more” is the more important imperative.
Violet
@StevenDS:
I was at a class this afternoon and went to the corner shop to get some coffee to stay awake. Calling it tepid was generous and the only creamer they had was the pump kind. Between the almost cool coffee and the creamer, the whole thing tasted like a cup full of chemicals. I had a sip or two and then threw the rest out.
Spiffy McBang
@peggy: Atkins can help a lot of people- I would say most- on a temporary basis. I used to date someone who had put herself on it more or less permanently, so for some people it works that way too. But in my experience, and that of most friends who have tried it, at some point we end up extremely sluggish from the lack of carbs, and to stay on it as a regular thing would render us more or less incapable of living as we normally do.
I think almost everyone who’s trying to shed some weight should experiment with it, but they should also be prepared to hit a wall where it’s not only ok, but probably wise to switch to a different type of eating pattern.
Cassidy
@RossInDetroit: I’m not suggesting drinking water to lose weight, although you will lose some water weight as your body will stop retaining it. I say drink water to stay hydrated. That simple.
@StevenDS: It isn’t that “fat free” creamer is better, it’s just a suggestion of ways to make small changes. It can be anything. I use regular creamer with foo-foo flavoring. It’s one of my pleasures.
@Raven: I love the boot camp workouts, but I also work better when I can turn my brain off and do what I’m told. I think it’s an Army thing.
@Violet: I think in the end it’s finding an activity you love doing and simply don’t want to stop. Food-wise, sometimes you just have to throw out the temptations. It’s drastic and I don’t care for it, but you can’t eat it if it isn’t there.
DecidedFenceSitter
Thirding (I think at this point) – do what you love. If it is dancing, do that. If it is lifting/running? Do that.
For me it was getting back into martial arts (specifically Krav Maga) – it sucks frequently for the first 15 minutes of cardio to warm up. I have to drag myself there, but there’s something in the violence and the movement that just suits me.
But movement is key. Am I going to lose weight as much as someone who’s doing something more focused? No. But I’m going to lose more weight than I would if I was trying to do that other routine, because THIS, THIS I will continue to come back for time and time again.
SiubhanDuinne
@MaxxLange:
I thought you said, start small.
Raven
@SiubhanDuinne: When I was at Kennessaw State couple weeks back I was amazed at all the folks walking up that big ass mountain.
Cassidy
@Cassidy: Arghhhh…stuck in moderation and don’t know why.
SiubhanDuinne
@Raven:
I’m up at KSU pretty often and the same thing has occurred to me, frequently.
Ruckus
Lots of good stuff here.
Boiled down.
1. Count calories and eat a healthy, reasonable quantity diet.
2. Start slowly, work up to a higher pace and effort.
3. Running. It’s not for everyone, if you have injuries like bad knee(s), try other things like walking, biking, the gym.
4. Set reasonable goals. You can always set new ones when you meet the old ones.
5. It takes a while to put on the weight, get out of shape, getting into shape, losing weight takes time.
6. Someone who does not run at all would probably be reaching to set a marathon in one year goal, unless they are 20-35ish and in reasonable shape. The biggest problem is not being unable to finish, it is avoiding injuries.
7. For best results find a coach if possible.
8. As an example, someone who wants to do a full triathlon, swim 2.4 miles, bike 112miles, run 26.2 miles but is not working out now should set 2 years of training. Towards the end of training, 4-6 months out, you need to be working out about 20 hrs minimum per week with 30 being better.
9. Don’t try to lose weight too fast. It’s a better lifestyle you’re after, not a trophy.
Raven
@SiubhanDuinne: Lot of folks had ski pole thingy’s.
jl
@Violet:
You sound like me worrying about how to control eating two years ago.
I find that planning ahead makes all the difference.
A couple of times a week I cook up some basic stuff that I can use as a basis for some meals. So, cook up a pot of roasted veggies with some basic herbs and spices, or a pot of lentils. Or sauteed brussels sprouts and mushrooms with a little vinegar and oil. Or some sweet taters or winter squash. Throw that into some containers, or if you really made a lot and it is freezable, into the freezer.
Now, over the next week or ten days, you have some choices for quickly building a light meal. You just slop out some of the veggies, or beans, or whatever, and add some lean meat or dairy.
Do the same thing with sauces. I love Middle Eastern food, so learned to make some variations on on yogurt sauces, and garlic/lemon/olive oil dressings, and humus type things, that I can mix up with some prepared veggies and meat.
Get some little containers for yogurt, or low fat cheese, fruit and veggies. When I make dinner or breakfast, I take a few minutes to prepare at least a few of meals and snacks for the day.
So, planning ahead is the key for me. Make it easy to have next few meals and snacks ready. Fact that it is ready reminds you there is an alternative to cookies, and I, at least, tend to eat it, since I went to the trouble of making it.
Edit: and as commenter said above, NEVER skip breakfast, and make it the biggest (though still healthy) meal of the day. That works very well for me in controlling thoughtless binges, or hunger that leads to binges.
Edit: and final thing is that I find I save a lot of money on food, and like the food I cook myself better.
cathyx
@Spiffy McBang: Why not? That’s a myth.
Mary G
I’ve lost 39 pounds since last March 1 on Weight Watchers – slow, but I am on steroids for rheumatoid arthritis and awaiting another knee replacement, so exercise is mostly lying down or sitting or in water.
Smaller plates, seriously. You eat with your eyes and the exact same amount of food on a salad plate looks enormous compared to its lonely appearance on a dinner plate.
ETA: Also my slow cooker is my best friend. Having a freezer full of good food that’s already all measured out and can be microwaved quickly is awesome.
Ruckus
@peggy:
My understanding was the original Adkins was supposed to be temporary, to get one’s metabolism to change to where craving carbs would lessen so that losing weight would be better. I think a large number did the typical thing, if a little is good then a whole lot must be better.
Raven
@cathyx: Everything is a myth if you want it to be.
Southern Beale
I think if I consumed a minimum of half my body weight in ounces of water each day, I’d never get out of the bathroom.
Cassidy
Typically I don’t eat breakfast. I also exercise in the morning starting with a supplement that works best on an empty stomach. I may have a shake or breakfast drink before I work out and then a shake right after. I don’t eat my first real meal until lunch, but I’ve never been a breakfast eater.
Raven
Does eating breakfast make you hungrier?
“If you believe that breakfast makes you hungrier, think again and trust that eating a hearty breakfast is indeed the best way to start a day of dieting. Give it a try?”
Cassidy
@Southern Beale: You get used to it. I promise.
Raven
@Southern Beale: That’s a myth.
cmorenc
@Raven:
Yes, water and also Gatorade/Powerade. It’s very easy to become dehydrated while working games, especially in the warm months. I can always tell when I’ve under-hydrated during games because I’ll get a mild headache later that night that only goes away with ibuprofen + drinking lots of liquids.
jl
@cathyx: Maybe skipping breakfast is OK for some people, but for me, controlling eating is much easier if I eat a big breakfast.
So, I think worth a try for people who are having trouble with diet.
Raven
@cmorenc: I meant swimming.
peggy
@Spiffy McBang:
I think how tolerable one finds Atkins depends on natural metabolism or some such thing. I was on it for decades perfectly happily, working in high powered research situations. I also like those foods. Other people, may be not.
It does resemble the Inuit/hunter gatherer/pre-agriculture diet somewhat, which is the diet we evolved on. On the other hand, adult milk drinking is a rather recent mutation, so arguing as to what is “natural” is very foolish.
cathyx
@Cassidy: Have you heard of a a website called leangains.com? You would like it.
Lojasmo
Oh, and. 30 minute dog walk
cathyx
I work out in the morning without breakfast, and don’t eat until noon when I do that. I have no energy problems. But I eat very healthily when I eat.
Raven
I eat farm eggs for breakfast and anyone that doesn’t like it can kiss my ass.
Lojasmo
@Spiffy McBang:
!
I rarely eat breakfast. The substance released that increases metabolism after eating. (can’t remember the name) is based on caloric intake, and has a rather lengthy half life.
I have seen scholarly articles, but am too lazy to cite.
Also, too, growth hormone is only present in the fasted state.
nick
1. “Starting Strength” for functional strength training. 45 minutes 2-3 times a week.
2. High Intensity Interval Training in the off season. 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week; this can be replaced by playing basketball or soccer.
3. Dynamic stretching/joint mobilization for 10 minutes before exercise followed by 10 minutes of static stretching at the end.
4. Skill training for soccer and basketball for fun and calorie burning.
5. Yoga whenever I can fit it in.
6. I avoid processed foods as much as possible.
I’m 55, and I spend 60 to 90 minutes a day, six days a week, staying fit.
Violet
@jl:
I can do that for awhile. Have done. Will most likely do again. The problem is when I fall off the wagon, for whatever reason, and it goes on for awhile.
It’s just been a bunch of stuff one after the other for the first part of this year and while I could have fit in a trip to the gym, and even did pretty well for one week, overall life was busy and kind of chaotic and full of bad-for-me food.
I try to eat well, but I can’t seem to get back in the swing of things. I think it’s a matter of willpower at this point. Either I need someone to hold me accountable or I’ve got to just make myself. So far I’ve been lacking in the willpower department.
Cat Hair Everywhere
Lots of great advice!
I was a couch potato until age 28, then began walking with a friend. That eventually turned into running, then the addition of strength training. 15 years later, I have run 4 marathons, 1 50K and countless half marathons, 10Ks etc. I agree completely that the key to regular exercise is making it enjoyable. For me, exercise is a big part of my social life. I run with friends, and I do strength work in a small class that encourages camaraderie. For me, I am most consistent when I work out first thing in the morning. For me, that is 5AM. I get up at 4:35, get dressed in the dark (I set out clothes the night before) and get out the door before I am awake enough to decide otherwise. If I don’t show up, my friend has to run in the dark by herself, so I have accountability.
Regarding food. I echo what others have said. I don’t do well with a strict diet. I also have a sweet tooth and like to cook, so I do my best to eat what I like in moderation. I use small plates, because a full plate makes me feel like I am getting more food, and I have a 4oz. ramekin for ice cream. (a serving of ice cream looks sad in a big bowl, but looks great in a 4 oz. ramekin) I never let myself eat out of the package. I measure out a serving size of whatever treat I decide to have, then close the box and put it away. I keep most treats out of my sightline, and somewhat difficult for me to get to so I don’t just mindlessly grab stuff. (either in the freezer in the garage on the bottom shelf in the back, or on the highest shelf in the pantry, so I have to get the stepstool) I also use an app called Sparkpeople and keep track of what I am eating. I don’t log every day- I take Sundays off and other days here and there, but it does help me make sure I am getting the appropriate amounts of protein, carbs etc. I find that if I have zombie-like sugar cravings, what I really need is protein. If I blend up some whey protein with crushed ice and juice, it satisfies my sweet craving long enough for me to get some protein.
Mike G
@superfly:
Funny! Or so the stereotype goes. Still true in affluent parts of LA, but the Southland in general is as overweight as anywhere else. Not Texas or Georgia fat, but a trip to Disneyland will dispel the myth that all or most Southern Californians are fitness buffs.
Cain
I started off running too, at first I could only do about 3 miles, and now I’m up to about 8 miles. I haven’t gone longer mostly because I just don’t have 2 hours to run like that. :-)
But it can be quite exhilarating to run. I try to do a final push at the end to really get things going.
I cannot however dot his kind of running when the weather sucks. Listening to what people are saying it seems that I should at least try in whatever weather is out there.
I have signed up for the 8 mile run next month, so I need to do a little training. I’m not overweight or anything, at 42, I’m in pretty decent shape in terms of fat and what not, and the key is to have smaller proportions and not eat processed food. I’ve taken to eating salads for lunch, and cutting back on meat in general and eating more grains. Smoothies in the morning!
catclub
My present activity, which I love, is swimming in a very cold
(as low as 54 deg F with a short wetsuit). The first jump into the water is always hard but after I swim I _never_ regret having gone.
I also think the cold water is a great weight loss/maintainance technique since it changes my metabolism for a few hours.
jl
@Violet: I have (self discipline related) time management problems and I fall into whatever groove is easiest.
But, once I got into the habit of pulling a tub of something out the fridge, or bag out of the freezer, that is something I really like to eat, and I can make it into a healthy meal (or two meals) in five minutes, I keep at it.
On a weekend, cook up a week’s worth of a couple of things you really like and write out meal plan for the week. Sometimes I do that if the next week is going to be a continuous time crunch.
dbomp
You running nuts are making me feel inadequate. I worked all last summer to build myself up to run in a September half-marathon with the goal of finishing in the top half of my class (men 45-49). And I succeeded, finishing in 1:56.
And all the while, I was cursing myself for the stupid, painful, exhausting idea. I’ve run in the indoor track at the gym since, and done all the other things to keep in reasonable shape, but a full marathon? That’s insane. I couldn’t do it.
Cat Hair Everywhere
One more thing that helps me with moderation- I have rules about certain foods. I love Peeps, but I can only have a box of the yellow chicks at Easter. None of those Johnny-com-lately Peeps of Other Holidays. I can buy one bag of my favorite candy corn in October. I am looking forward to getting my one Irish Potato at See’s next week, because my rules say I can’t buy my yearly one until March. I can eat whatever I want with no guilt on holidays. It may sound rigid, but it allows me to enjoy my favorite treats with no guilt, and keeps me from overeating.
I also decided years ago not to eat treats unless they were the very best. I found out I am gluten intolerant a few years ago, which has helped with Treats in the Wild/At Work, but before that I decided that I would skip things like grocery store cake for birthdays and showers, because I don’t really like it. No candy from the secretary’s desk. You get the picture. It has worked out pretty well for me.
jl
@Cat Hair Everywhere: Ha! Yes, setting things up ahead of time so I will go do some exercise before I find excuses not too is important for me.
I can always find an excuse to sit or lie someplace. Often don’t feel like exercising, and will skip it, knowing very well, that if I get my ass in gear, within ten minutes I will be having a great time exercising.
Some of these self discipline problems are strange, when I think about it.
Cassidy
@Cat Hair Everywhere: Aw man….Muscle Milk protein powder, the chocolate one. That will solve your sugar craving.
Cat Hair Everywhere
I lovelovelove Tera’s Whey. Excellent quality whey powder. The chocolate is really good with milk and a spoonful of Ovaltine, but I love the 50/50 bar orange juice/vanilla whey combo.
Cat Hair Everywhere
@dbomp: A 1:56 half is great! I’d be thrilled to be able to run one that fast again!
nick
Also, it helps that I’m somewhat OCD. IMHO, the gym is full of OCD people.
Cassidy
@dbomp: Agreee with Cat Hair. If you worked for three or four months to get that, I’m guessing you could probably already do a marathon. I’ve always been a good runner, usually in the top 5-10 in my company throughout my career and I’m positive I couldn’t compete in a marathon.
patrick
And consider reading a good book.
peggy
@Violet:
“Lack of willpower” is the point I was trying to make about the Atkins Diet. If you can stand the idea of not eating bread and cold turkey on cookies, it is not difficult. You can start out without barely needing to cook- luncheon meat, bagged salads & fatty dressings, frozen veggies, cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts, eggs, heavy cream and Splenda. Atkins bars help ease the sweets cravings. After a few days of eating lots of protein which is very filling, the claws of the cookie monster start to retract.
Two weeks later, having eaten hamburgers, broiled some fish & chicken and lost a pound or two you sit back and re-evaluate. Either continue, adding in a few carbs or go back to your previous lifestyle, re-energized.
Chris T.
Don’t Fear the Fat
Yes, it has more calories (9 per gram, vs 4 per gram of protein or carbohydrate) in the same space/weight. But eating fat is not how you gain fat; your body makes fat out of sugar, and will even modify protein into sugar (and then make the sugar into fat) if you eat enough (or perhaps I should say “too much”) of those.
The surprising thing is that burning (body) fat goes faster and easier if you eat “new fat”. To over-anthropomorphize and over-simplify, your liver—which is sort of your body’s “main battery” for getting energy; it provides most of the energy you need when you last ate more than a couple of hours ago—gets first crack at everything you eat, and keeps an eye on fat coming in and going out.
If a lot of fat is “going out” (via fat-burning activity like exercise), and no fat is “coming in” (via dietary input), the liver goes: WHOA BUDDY, SLOW DOWN THERE and makes you tired and sluggish. It’s worried that you’re going to starve to death. It knows that food is really hard to come by, after all. It’s not like calories are out there on store shelves. You have to spend days chasing down meat animals, and it takes lots of hours every day scrounging up roots and berries!
It’s wrong, of course—it just hasn’t evolved to match modern society. But you can pacify it pretty easily. Have the occasional little bit of fat, and your liver will relax and stop worrying so much. You’ll feel better and have more energy for that exercise. That’s not to say “go crazy and eat a whole stick of butter”, just, don’t panic if there’s a bit of fat in your diet.
carolina
I think if you want to make a change in terms of diet, you should get a food scale. People’s understanding of what a serving size is is all over the map. As a person who doesn’t eat what my kids eat (which is important, a 32 year old metabolism does not equal that of a three year old), I cook a variation of what they are getting and keep it separate. I never measure their food, but I typically measure mine out.
I also recommend looking at the sugar v. protein grams in food. The more protein, the more you will feel full. So for greek yogurt, I have found that it is much healthier — and economical — to buy the big tubs of plain greek yogurt, and stir in flash frozen berries or other fruit that has been thawed a bit, adding a teaspoon of sugar. You get a much higher volume of food — at least double the volume if you ate the fruit in the bottom variety of Dannon — with a ton more protein, and much less sugar. And it is tasty.
belle
one more suggestion. it goes with the drink more water part.
don’t drink calories. don’t. drink. calories.
this means alcohol is out. so are sodas. liquid calories contain no fiber, by definition. so no juice, either.
this will drop 3 pounds/week, I promise.
The Bobs
This BJer lost 35 pounds in the last year. The wife now thinks I’m hot, hot, hot. Not bad for 55.
Bobby Thomson
@dbomp: If you can run a 1:56 half, McMillan estimates that with proper training (let’s be conservative and say another 6-12 months), you could run a full marathon at 4:04:39, just at your current level of fitness. And your current level of fitness won’t be your level of fitness after 6-12 months so long as you take it slow and avoid injury.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
but without ridicule, derision, and my immorality, i have nothing?
Emperor of Ice Cream
Eat a good breakfast (oatmeal w flaxseed is now a staple); big salad for lunch – hold the bad stuff but load up on everything else; fruit snacks in mid morn and afternoon; dinner pretty much what you want, just have reasonable portions and don’t have crap too often. That, and exercise 30 minutes 3 times a week along with 45 minutes walking most days. I’ve lost 20 lbs in 4 months – about 10 to go. Now 183 going to 173-5 at 6’0 and 54 yo. Oh, and weekends – give yourself a day off each week on sat nite thr Sunday brunch. Gotta live life and keeps your body from thinking it is ever in scarcity mode. Pretty easy to follow.
Matthew Reid Krell
Honestly, for this BJer, accountability is the key. I can manage working out, and even watching what I eat, but there has to be someone along with me – even if it’s Future Me. So I really like the tracking mechanisms that some websites have, both of exercise and of food. It helps me greatly.
Now, since it’s almost nine at night and I haven’t made my planned elaborate dinner, I guess I’ll go scrounge up something simple now.
Bobby Thomson
I recently dropped about 60 pounds in 6 months.
Low fat, high fiber, high protein, portion control. Protein and fiber both help you to feel full. Water does help with a high fiber diet because it causes the food in your stomach to expand and take up more space. Eat lots of vegetables – all the green leafy and cruciferous vegetables you want – and a decent amount of legumes, fruits, and whole grains. Nonfat greek yogurt mixed with low calorie protein powder, bran, and ground flaxseed makes a great breakfast. You can add raisins and peanuts before a workout for an extra kick. You can taste evil foods every now and then so that you don’t binge on them, but make sure it’s just a small serving no more than once a day.
At least 30 minutes of cardio at least 4 and usually 6 times per week. And set attainable short-term goals. One way is to sign up for events a few months in advance and put them on your calendar – but be careful that you listen to your body and don’t force yourself to do something you shouldn’t just because you’re registered.
Don’t forget the weight training for metabolism. Unless you are eating a lot of food, you will not bulk up. Smaller weights with high reps can be cardio, too.
It also helps to have a motivation, but most people do before they take these steps.
artem1s
I started getting serious about 6 weeks ago about following an actual fitness plan. I’ve lost about 6 lbs so far but more important I have been developing a system that is turning into a good set of habits.
I have been working on eating better for a couple of years but just recently found a great tool for tracking calories, nutrition and weight. It syncs with my smartphone which makes it easy to keep track throughout the day. It’s called myfitnesspal.com
Also, I have been attending a twice weekly Zumba class at the neighborhood rec center. After a year I can make it through the 1 hour class now comfortably. It’s a great workout and very fun. I never could bear running. Just too boring. I also have made it a habit to either take a good hour or two walk at the Zoo (year long pass is only $75) or along Lake Erie on the walk path.
I sail during the summer and am planning on taking up rowing this year. There are lots of activities that are more interesting than running.
I’m feeling pretty good about being about to maintain this routine over time.
vheidi
@StevenDS: I loved Joy- until I got How to cook everything by Mark Bittman- I still use both, but the former for formulas, and the latter for how to cook. Also, pressure cooker! I love mine, and you can cook whole grains and beans after work really fast.
Stranded Northerner
Go see your doctor if you haven’t in the last few years. I’ve dropped 30 pounds after being diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism and sleep apnea.
merrinc
@Cain:
I started running again in June. At first, it was mostly walk/run intervals and they were mostly walking. Today I ran 12.39 miles or as I like to say – double digits, bitches. There’s something about being able to run an ENTIRE HOUR that makes me positively giddy. Hard to explain that to a non-runner.
Joseph Nobles
My goal: fit into my old fat clothes.
nhdemocrat
I have ridiculously bad feet for someone who used to run cross country (flat feet led to a collapsed arch on my left foot), but I’ve been working out regularly for a few years now and I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that finding a schedule that fits and sticking with works best. I started out with three nights a week and its slowly drifted up to 5/6. My biggest challenge now is diet/nutrition.
patrick
@belle…
I went on a 21-day juice f(e)ast and lost fifteen pounds. My juices were predominantly from vegetables (at least 3:1 veggies to fruits) so as not to consume too much sugar.
Cain
@merrinc:
SCORE dude! :) I have only hit double digits once. (we got lost running haha) I would like to do start up again.
I also would like to try my hand at long distance cycling. I think that would be awesome.
merrinc
@Cain:
It was only my third time hitting that milestone. I’m doing a half in Columbia, SC on March 10 so that was my last long run before the race. I am hoping to finish in 2.30 or less – I am not fast. But you don’t need to be fast to get a runner’s high! Or a finisher’s medal.
The weather makes it tough for me to keep a consistent training schedule, too. I prefer to run at night and I’m not keen on that in colder weather. The weather was nice today (I ran in early afternoon) but man, I hate running in the sunshine. I must’ve been a vampire in a previous life.
BH in MA
I’m 5’7″ and went from 205 to 167 about 5 years ago. I rebounded to 175 and stayed there for years. I have crept back into the 180’s again and so have started my weight loss system again: a spreadsheet where I record my weight daily in one column, track a 10 day moving average in another (this is what I think of as my “true” weight), and a third column where I calculate the average daily calorie deficit over the previous week.
This is what works for me. I’m a numbers guy.
Knowing you have an appointment with the scale and are going to record the information makes you behave. That which gets measured gets changed.
I exercise 3-4 times per week, 30-45 minutes each time, usually a combination of treadmill and rowing machine (home equipment).
I try to eat less, but I very specifically did not try to eliminate things from my diet. That way lies guilt, self loathing and failure. I still eat the occasional McDonalds meal – I just haven’t had anything other than a Happy Meal for six years.
By tracking your weight, you learn where you misbehave. For me it was weekends and vacations. Now that I know, I can allow for it. I don’t feel guilty about misbehaving when we go out on Friday night because I have a late breakfast and a tiny lunch.
You can’t exercise yourself thin. The majority of your weight loss will come from eating less. According to my estimates, I ditched 133,000 extra calories to lose 38 pounds and 90,000 (about 2/3) were the result of eating less.
Allow for setbacks and plateaus. For me there were several weight levels that were hard to get below. 182 was brutal – it took weeks. But once I was through it and passed 180, another 5 pounds came off easily. Don’t worry if you gain 5 pounds on vacation despite your best effforts. Once you get back into your regular routine, it will come off again.
Set your goal below your ultimate target to allow for some bounceback. I had a tough time getting below 173 so I figured that would be a stable zone for me. But rather than set a goal of 173, I set a goal of 165 and made it to 167. I bounced back up as expected and stayed around 174-176 for years.
This time I’d like to see if I can get below 160. Only 84000 calories to go. I hope to be there by mid-summer.
EL
From being a slim kid and teen, I started to put on weight in my late 30s and it got worse every decade. I started at the gym a year and a half ago and got a little more toned, but only dropped 5 lb. I finally read up, and have so far dropped 10 lb (5 more to go). What I can tell you:
1. Weigh your food when possible
2. Know how much protein and carbs you should be eating. Eating fairly healthy but too many carbs and not enough protein, I lost very slowly. Eating 64 g of protein and 140 g carbs (I’m a short 60 year old woman who exercises) and the weight loss goes well when I stick to the diet.
3. An Ipad is the greatest exercise device I’ve found. I get on the elliptical and read BJ and the GOS, etc. and the time goes fast.
Myths to debunk – no need to drink 8 glasses of water. That was based on a misunderstanding of the actual data.
My biggest challenges – the holidays, and March/April when I bake hundreds of cookies for a neighborhood event. And the cookies all sit in my freezer, except when I sneak them out…
Gretchen
I used to love running, but the aging joints got me. So I took up yoga, and loved that, but my favorite yoga studio was sold to someone who only did Power Yoga, and anyway the twins had started college so I decided I shouldn’t spend the money on classes. Gained 30 pounds. Kept making and breaking resolutions to go to the gym. I work nights, and am too tired after work, and when I get up, the gym is closed. The day after New Year’s, I went to Sears and bought an elliptical machine. I dial up a Balloon Juice entry with a long comment thread, and don’t notice the time passing until my 30 minutes is up. It’s working so far.
Finding some exercise you enjoy is crucial. I love to swim outdoors, and swim a lot in the summer, but swimming in the gym doesn’t do it for me, so I don’t go in the winter. I’m glad to find something that I enjoy, or at least don’t notice I’m doing, in the winter.
Last time gas prices got high, my husband said “I’m not paying that. I’m going to buy a bike and bike to work.” I said “sure your are”. He’s been 50-80 pounds overweight most of the time I’ve known him, and considered the outdoors something you had to pass through to get to the next building. His buddy took him out on an experimental ride, and the buddy’s wife seriously considered calling the EMT’s when he came back red-faced and panting. But he persevered, they scoped out a safe bike-route to work, and he was delighted by the money he saved commuting. Then he started joining local group rides on the weekends, and now he’s passionate about it, is very involved with the friends he’s made on the group rides and even takes vacations to take multi-day rides. I never would have predicted this from what he was like the first 30 years I knew him, but he finally found something he loves.
Mark
A couple of other suggestions – things that worked for me and my friends:
1) Figure out what your metabolic rate is given your height, weight, age, sex
2) Set up a google spreadsheet and count everything: calories, protein, fat, carbs, sugar.
3) Weigh yourself every day (and know that 15- or 30-day averages are what’s meaningful)
4) Track workouts too.
5) For me, it wasn’t really all that critical what I ate. (Eg – I ate tons of fruit and low-fat fruit yogurt.) But if you’re tracking what you eat, you’ll develop more discipline and avoid restaurants, which is key to losing weight.
I was 6’0 225 on 1/1/2011 (and 33 years old). Dropped to 198 in five months, and that’s where I’ve been for the last nine months. Ran 750 miles last year, though I hate running. Switched to playing more hockey – I’ve played 63 times in the last six months.
I actually need to drop another 10 lbs so I can qualify for the lowest life insurance rate. That would put me at 10% body fat too. I think the life insurance tables are crap!
JohnK
@BH in MA: If you are a numbers person, you might like using a nutrition calculator like myplate at live strong.com. I recently ran the numbers at http://www.bmi-calculator.net/ for BMI, BMR, body fat, hip to waist ratio, etc. There are also good summaries of calorie calculations for gaining or loosing weight.
Am have arrived at my target weight, BMI 21, just in time for spring training camp. Still have time to stabilize my calorie intake and get a month of hard training in before training camp.
Have taken to eating whole foods, organic when possible. No processed foods, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, no industrialized meet, poultry, fish or dairy. Using myplate, I weigh all my food and track all incoming calories. I always get my MDR for the nutrient groups but am usually over on fibre, +300% and protein +350%. Getting enough fat is easy with almonds, walnuts, pecans and avocados. I try to stay above 100-percent MDR for fat, mostly unsaturted.
For protein, I use whey, wheat and soy isolates. I like wheat the best and only eat one serving of soy isolate per day. Supposedly, when dropping weight, you loose 75-percent fat and 25-percent muscle. Keeping high protein should help keep more lean muscle mass.
When I had a lot of weight to lose, BMI 30+, the pounds dropped off at a rate of 5 lbs a week. But when I got to normal, the rate dropped to 3, then 2 and now just one or less between BMI 21 and 20.
Cutting one pound means a net calorie burn of 3500 calories. When I started, I didn’t know the basal metabolism rate falls as you lose weight so you have to recalibrate target calories as body mass falls.
For exercise calories, I use my garmin with heart rate to calculate calorie burn. The generic numbers at livestrong are way high for me since I ride 2-6 hours per day so my heart rate is very low. On a good day, after a rest, I can burn 400 calories per hour. After several weeks without a day off, I’ll only burn 300 calories per hour. That will change once I increase my calories for weight maintenance and start high intensity training.
Am getting close to high school wrestling weight where I frequently spent time in the hot room chewing gum and spitting into a towel. Good times, forty years ago.
epmason
@Chris T.
Nice to see the primal community represented! I’m having so much fun eating bacon, steak, eggs, bacon, chicken, bacon, butter, bacon, and bacon. Tracked my calories for about a week to get a general sense of what portions I should be taking in and then just eye-balled my meals from there. Add a few helpings of veggies and I’m set. Down 16 pounds over the last 5 months (could have been more but you’ll have to pry my two nightly bottles of beer from my cold, dead, hands).
As for exercise, like a previous poster (who clearly reads Mark’s Daily Apple) said: lift heavy things, sprint once in a while, take long walks, and get plenty of sun.
And like nearly everyone said, find something you love! If any part of your workout is a chore, stop doing it and find something else (if you hate it you’ll stop doing it anyway, better to be proactive and replace it with a better activity now than to give up out of frustration and go back to the couch for another 6 months.)
Finally, for those of you thinking of joining a gym, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ask other members for advice. It might seem intimidating to walk up to the ultra-ripped guy/girl and pick his/her brain, but they got that way because they love to work out. And that usually means they love talking about working out. Far from being stand-offish and arrogant these are the people who know how good it feels to be in great shape and they love nothing more than to be able to help someone else feel the same way.
Good Luck, Everyone!!
celiadexter
I don’t weigh my food, drink 8 glasses of water, avoid alcohol or do any of the sensible things all of you suggest, but I stay in shape because I get our and exercise every morning — after 30+ years it’s not only part of my routine but it’s addictive. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you move fast. My best suggestion is to have music you love — the right music will seriously motivate you to exercise and to keep going. I run/walk about 40 miles a week and don’t think I could enjoy it as much without my trusty pod loaded with salsa, funk, hard rock, etc. I’ll happily share playlists with anyone interested.
belle
@ patrick:
if it was just juice, I bet you did.
I was meaning eat normally, but no liquid calories.
anyhow, good for you. I lost 25 lb. in10 weeks.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@cdmarine:
I was already in Fitocracy! Thanks for posting the link! I just joined the group. If anyone else wants an invite, I’d be happy to help.
tdm
I know I’m late to the party here but I’d like to give a plug to MyFitnessPal.com. It’s basically a log of what you eat and what you burn. I’ve been using it for almost a year and it helps you be mindful of what’s going in and out. I’ve lost about 40 pounds and just feel terrific. For me, watching portions was key as was finding some kind of exercise I will do.
I am also REALLY easily unmotivated and lack restraint. So I had to schedule my workouts on my calendar so I will actually do it without excses and I have 2 dessert days per week — Wednesday and Saturday — and that’s it. It seems exceedingly lame but it helps me stay on track.
Angelos
Good stuff here.
For those who don’t know “how” to work out, or at least how to get started, I can heartily recommend the (admittedly pricey) video programs from BeachBody. You’ve all probably seen the P90X commercials (I’ve done that series in full once, and use the videos a lot still in a “what do I feel like today?” fashion), but they have other ones that are less intense, or that have different goals, or take less time per day. I have one friend using 10-Minute Trainer because she’s got such a crazy life right now (single mom, full-time job, getting another degree), she can’t commit to large chunks of time at the gym. But any one of those hi-intensity 10-minute videos is a great way get the blood flowing, and if you have more time, stack 2. Hell, maybe you can squeeze in 3! She loves the freedom, and that the program took away her excuse of “don’t have time for the gym.” We ALL have 10-20 minutes to do something, and you don’t even need to leave the house.
My “gym” is a 4×6 exercise mat (a set of those interlocking play mats); a plain bench; 10, 20, and 40-pound dumbell sets; a 12-lb medicine ball; and a 55cm exercise ball.
I’m waiting for my knee to get closer to 100% (had a scoping done in December) before I start P90X2, so I rebound from the time I lost while injured. I can’t wait. It’s crazy-intense, and you get to swear at Tony and his stupid jokes.
Also, real food. Meat/eggs, veggies, legumes, fruit, Greek yogurt (easy to make your own), olive oil, Chia seed, Muscle Milk and tons of fruit and veggies in my breakfast shake. Nothing processed, no HFCS, no soy, none of that fucking poison Big Food wants to fill us up with. Food.
Paul in KY
@Annamal: Are you that creepo in the tight workout shorts who’s been hanging around the local playground? ;-)
Paul in KY
@Gretchen: Glad to hear about your hubby. Bike riding is a great exercise.
stevestory
Okay, my bodyweight in ounces is 180*16=2880 ounces.
Holy Shit that’s too much water!
Paul in KY
@stevestory: I think he means 180 lbs. Take 1/2 of that: 90 & you should drink 90 oz of water a day.
Still, a good amount of water.
Angelos
If there are any Fitocracy invites available, I’d love to check it out. Group motivation is always helpful.
agtzelepis gmail
StevenDS
@Cassidy:
My point is that “fat free creamer” is worse for you than regular half and half. So if you want to actually take small steps, stop using “fat free creamer”, and start using regular half and half or whole milk, preferably organic.
Cassidy
@StevenDS: Okay. /shrug
There’s always one.
Apsalar
For about a year I’ve been doing a program called CrossFit. I go to a specialized gym where that’s all they do. It’s done in classes, so there’s no wondering around the gym trying to figure out what to do today, or mindless elliptical for 30 minutes. Everyday is a different workout working on strength or conditioning or both. A lot of people have this idea that CrossFit is something that only people who are already in good shape can do, but that’s not true. Every movement can be modified so that you can do it (or find a substitute movement). The main drawback is that it’s on the expensive side for a monthly membership, but I would suggest to anyone who think it might be interesting to check it out. List of gyms (they call them affiliates)