Fitness Goals

Lex

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Long ago, I started a thread about Eating and Exercise. Since that time, I have received several emails or PMs from people who have either thanked me for motivating them or have simply chosen to share their fitness success stories with me.

I have a good friend who sends me (and others) his weekly weight monitor results. When he started his journey he was much heavier than I was and now I out weigh him--he has probably lost over 60 pounds and I have never been more proud of anyone for making such huge changes in the way they live their lives.

I am currently at 202 pounds as of this morning in the gym (up from 195 a few months ago) and have gotten Bubba in my gym and up with me at 5 AM so we can get in and out by 6:15 (My gym opens at 5:30).

Many people make resolutions, but not many people stick by them.

So, this thread is a a check in for all the members who are trying to accomplish changes in body and mind.

How goes it? What has been working for you? What have you been struggling with?
 

dwzig

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This is helpful, I have made a commitment to start going to the gym more regularly more so for peace of mind. I can do it, I will do it!
 

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I have lost 60 pounds, I have kept it off thus far now one year. the only way i learned to do it was to go on a medically supervised diet of 550 calories for 3 months. Blood tests every two weeks, and high protein.

Once the weight was off i had to learn to eat properly. I actually joined weight watchers so i could lose the remaining 15 pounds. I weighed in at 222 pounds one year ago. I weigh at 165 pounds ( i am 5 10)
and my goal is 150. My fat was 42% and is now 24 %. I excercise daily and weight train 3 times a week. I eat approximately 1200 calories a day, most of it is lean meats, veggies and fruits. No bread, rice or pasta except for one day a week which is my cheat day. No secret really , just a lot of fucking hard work and discipline. If I can lose weight anyone can. The ass shot in my gallery and the tan line pics were taken last week, so that should give you an idea of what my body looks like.

Ultimately you have to be realistic. I will never be a size 0 or size 2 however i can be fit and healthy and accept my body the way it is.

I know several female members PM in regards to weight loss tips, and I am more than happy to be supportive. What really helped me was a website called FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal it is free to join and i can monitor all of my food and excercise intake and journal through the web.

I hope this helps, and do not give up.
 

Lex

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Deb--that is fucking fantastic! I now know 4 people on this site (three of them women) who have lost large amounts of weight and are feeling great about themselves.

Thanks for sharing your story-I know it will help someone here who reads and never posts.
 

braumeister

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A few years ago I was up at about 246 lbs. I was having trouble finding clothes that fit. I was mad at myself because I had the self-discipline to work a job that sometimes more than full-time and get a Master's degree, and do fairly well at both.

So I started running and lifting weights on a regular basis. I had done both in the past, but not very seriously since I finished my undergrad.

I dropped down to 196 lbs in about a year. I fluctuated around 200 lbs for the next few months. I was in better shape and stronger than I had ever been. In fact, I could almost bench press my body weight and squat more than my body weight... almost.

I met a gal, and we both had a weakness. We both liked ice cream, a lot. So we ate ice cream a lot.

Which actually wouldn't have been a big problem because I changed my diet in other areas, except that I was so tired from running back and forth from her place I didn't get enough exercise. I started gaining weight again.

I fought with myself and got myself back into the gym on a regular basis. Things were going good for about two months when I had an accident at home and hurt my shoulder. I really couldn't do much in the gym for several months. The injury just wouldn't heal. By the time I was healed and able to work out again, I was up to about 236 lbs, though I could wear much smaller clothes than when I was at that weight before (more muscle mass I assume).

I broke up with the girl. In hindsight, stupidly. I should have compromised more and worked more on problems. Now it's too late to do anything, she's got a boyfriend and has moved on. You'd think I would have moved on almost right away since I dumped her, but nope. Oh well.

That was about six, seven months ago or so. I've been pretty good about going to the gym since then. Interestingly enough my weight has held steady at about 235 lbs until about two weeks ago when I got sick. I had some sort of stomach virus. I was nauseous all the time. I forced myself to eat, and strangely enough I could keep what I ate down, I just found all food disgusting.

Now I'm over the illness, and I've dropped down to 230 lbs, and I'm feeling ready to go back to the gym. I'm getting close strength-wise to where I was when I was at my lightest.

We'll see how things work out.
 

snoozan

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I hate posting numbers but I've wanted to be as clear as I could be when I posted to this, so I'll just tell it all.

I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant, and though some of it came off in the month or so after I delivered, I actually gained more such that I was heavier than I had been when I was pregnant. At my heaviest I may have been over 240 pounds, but the first time I got the guts to weigh myself, I was 233. This was November 8th of lat year.

From there, I talked to my doctor and looked extensively into different diets and workout plans. From my doctor and all of the sensible accounts I've read, the best way to lose weight was gradually. This wasn't going to be a "lose 30 pounds in 30 days" thing, and that was going to be difficult in itself. I was in it for the long haul, though I didn't know how long it would be. I wanted to be 140 pounds by June.

I've stuck religiously to a balanced 1200-1500 calorie diet except on holidays or a treat day. Though I wanted to, going below about 1200 calories a day is thought to be unhealthy and even counterproductive by every doctor I spoke to. I also didn't eat low carb, glycemic index, low fat, or do any sort of fad diet. It turns out that you eat those ways to one extent or another anyway when you're counting calories.

I also have made sure I eat what I like-- after all, the changes I am making now are changes I am going to have to live with for the rest of my life if I expect to maintain this weight loss. I can eat things like chocolate, fast food, ice cream, and even pasta if it's done in moderation. I really like Subway, for instance. When I'm there, I load up on veggies and seasonings so that I don't miss things like 1/2 pound of cold cuts. I even eat at McDonald's if I have to, but I eat 8 chicken McNuggets and call it a meal.

The worst thing that I was doing to myself before I started this was going out to eat. One Friday night splurge at a Ruby Tuesday's or the local Chinese buffet would weigh in at well over 3000 calories, plus all the fat and sodium. The other thing I was doing was not paying attention to the size of the portions I was eating. A small handful of pretzels is fine but an entire bag is not. A pint of ice cream is not a proper serving.

I've had to learn to cook for myself if I want something specific and control the ingredients so I know what I'm eating and how much. One thing I can say is that cooking more has helped tremendously because I'm making good food that I want to eat. I make a killer black bean salad, among other things.

Working out and fitness have been very difficult for me for a few reasons. I've never been very into fitness and exercise, in fact, the mere thought always made me shudder. It helps that I have a 2 year old who keeps me running around so I'm not entirely sedentary anyway. I have obstructive sleep apnea, so I'm pretty much always in a state of exhaustion and that makes exercising very difficult. I'm working on getting a CPAP, but my insurance company is not being very cooperative. Also, apnea affects almost every body system including metabolism along with making you a walking zombie most of the time.

I started walking a few times a week at 3-4 mph to get a decent cardio workout. I'll walk anywhere from 2-5 miles per outing, and have even walked in the mall when I had no other option. I also have been doing ab exercises because my abdominal muscles were very weak from the c-section I had. My weight loss has begun to plateau a bit as I've gotten closer to my goal, so I'm ramping up the fitness regime to include swimming 1-2 times a week and strength training. Working out is my stumbling block, much more than the food. I don't have the time or energy to go to the gym daily, hell, I don't even have a gym membership. I also don't want to get into a mindset where I'm going to train hard for a few months, get to where I want to be, and then slack off. I want to be able to sanely fit this into my life.

Doing things this way has been frustrating because it's so slow and it's not a fast fix. At the moment, I am down to 179 pounds, which is 54 less than I was in November. I am hoping to be down to my goal weight, 145-150, by November of this year. I'm 5'9" and I don't have the urge to get stick thin, just strong and healthy. I'm hoping I'll have real reason to celebrate at the one year mark.

All the work has paid off. I used to have very severe IBS, and it's mostly gone. I rarely spend 30-40 minutes after a meal doubled over in pain on the toilet. I've slipped up a couple times and have gotten a good reminder of how much better life is without the IBS. I'm able to shop at any store now and fit into theie clothing. For a long time, it was Lane Bryant or nothing. Clothing for fat women sucks. It seems like clothing manufacturers think being fat means you don't want to wear attractive clothing.

One thing that's been cool was that last year I'd go walking with friends, and I'd struggle to keep up. Now I'm outwalking and outpacing them all. We're going to walk at the place where I felt like I was going to die when I did it last year on the 11th. I'm hoping to see a dramatic difference. I also hope to attempt to climb Mt. Washington in August, but I realize I will probably only do part of the trail.

The places where I'm still struggling are mostly workout related. I need to be more consistent, have a better routine, and do more strength training. With food, I need to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables especially now that it's summer and produce is local, fresh, and delicious. I also need to not compensate for not doing a workout by eating less. That's not good for me and is counterproductive. I keep drilling into my head that there is no substitute for getting off my ass and moving.

So that's my story. I'm not going to recommend that people PM me for my secret weight loss tricks because I think you have to find what works for you, not for me. What's helped me more from others is motivation-- and I have a lot of people on this board to thank for that. I guess my tip about getting tips is to stick to prefessionals for the mechanics of the thing and lean on your friends for the emotional support and to ease transitioning into a new way of living. Weight loss and fitness are much more emotional than they are physical is what I'm getting at, I think. Your brain has to lead and the body will follow. There's no magic diet gem that will make it easy.

Thanks for this thread, Lex.
 

Rikter8

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I took the plunge at work because I needed to.

i joined a Co-worker Weight loss competition. The pot is worth over a Grand.
It's based on percentage of weight loss, and body fat loss.
I'm currently 240lbs, and my goal is to be 200~210 lbs, by Halloweenie.

Everybody was in dis-belief that I weighed that much, and they made me re-weigh in front of EVERYONE which made me feel about 2 inches tall.
BUT...I came in a Pound OVER at 241, so I told them to record it as the official since they didnt believe the 240 yesterday LOL....bitches.

SO....my journey is in front of me. The deadline is the middle of December.
With all of the stresses in my life, it's going to be a battle to remove the bulge.
For somebody with social phobias, a gym just isnt an option, so i have to make do with the equipment I already have, and with diet.

And the rest of you skinny bastards on the board...Pu-lease. You do NOT need to diet.
 

snoozan

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I took the plunge at work because I needed to.

i joined a Co-worker Weight loss competition. The pot is worth over a Grand.
It's based on percentage of weight loss, and body fat loss.
I'm currently 240lbs, and my goal is to be 200~210 lbs, by Halloweenie.

Good for you! Because you're male and because of your starting weight, I think reaching your goal by then is attainable. You'll just have to work hard!

GOOD LUCK!!! And please keep us posted.
 

transformer_99

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I guess I'm fortunate, never had a weight problem and at stages of my life with normal growth spurts never fluctuated more than 20 lbs with a relatively active lifestyle. Currently 193 lbs, get down to 180-ish and as much as 200.

Over the past few years though, I've simply become more sedentary in my leisure time habits. That's changed somewhat, I started cycling, running and playing soccer. I'll never be a teen again, but I can still play in spurts. It's funny, with health care what it is, I play hard, but within limits. I used to be competitive to the point where I pushed myself to make the big plays, nowadays I'm content with showing a level of respectability in competition and if I get beat on a play, so be it, it's not the end of the world and in the end the measure of satisfaction was getting thru it uninjured and the good sportmanship. I still golf on occassion, I'm finding a more balanced cardio exercise program leaves me with better strength and flexibilty for golf. Who knows, maybe I pull out the old tennis and racquetball rackets ? The weightlifting thing I did and got bored with the whole sets/repetition thing. No doubt I could still benefit from it, but that bores me fast, not to mention gyms in S FL are packed, so I'd just assume find a park or school field and run around like a dog off it's leash. I pretty much have run of the place when I find them and free to go at my own pace. The beauty of it, costs a lot less than a monthly fee. It's not for everyone though, I think if I were in worse shape, it would be a lot tougher to self-manage myself. The other day though, 45 minutes @ 1/2 speed of soccer was all I could stand, the heat was brutal. That's another thing, I pay special attention to hydration and vitals, nobody needs to collapse trying to get healthy.
 

vince

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Thanks for the thread Lex. I really commend all of you for setting goals and working so hard to attain them! There are so many plans and methods for weight loss or muscle gain it can be confusing. Just use common sense when you make your plan. Whatever you choose to do, consistency will be your most important weapon.

One thing that really helps is having an exercise buddy. I have one now and we push each other to work hard. But more importantly, we make sure the other guy shows up! When you have an appointment to meet, it is diffucult to jam out on the other guy (or gal). Sometimes I don't feel like rolling out of bed at 5:45 to go for a run. But I know that my friend will be coming and so I can't blow it off. After 3 weeks we are now up to a 5 kilometer run and a half hour swim. It really energizes me for the day.

My goal is to lose the ten pounds of winter flab that are covering up my abs. It should take about six weeks. The last 10lbs are the hardest to lose!

Good luck and keep up the good work you sexy LPSG people!
 

IntoxicatingToxin

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I want to lose weight. I want to lose a LOT of weight. I just have no idea where to start. For starters, I'm addicted to soda. I've found that Diet Mountain Dew is really good, so I've been trying to drink that instead of regular soda, and I've been trying to drink more water (but I know that I still don't drink as much water as I should). I don't eat out very often, but I don't cook either. Everything we have here is all quick meal stuff. Mac 'n Cheese, hamburger helper, spaghetti o's, etc. I always match those items with fruits and veggies, but I know that's not enough. I absolutely hate cooking, I can't stand it. My mom kept telling me to start eating more fish, but I hate fish as well. I've tried several kinds of fish cooked several different ways, but I simply don't like fish. I also don't get enough exercise. I'm home all day long with my son, our dog, and our roommates dog. I just sit around. I do housework, but I never get OUT of the house, unless it's to run errands. It's hard to leave with the dogs here. My roommates dog is a pup... if I leave him running around the apartment, he eats everything, but if I put him in his kennel, he whines, howls, and yaps. I know that has to be annoying to the neighbors, so I try not to leave too often because of that reason. My dog is good... I can leave him here and he won't bother anything. We have a gym here in the apartment complex, but it's at the clubhouse, and I'm not on the lease so I can't go up there for fear of getting caught... same with the swimming pool. My only option really is to walk... and leave the dogs here to their own misery. The dogs are impossible to walk together. Neither of them are really leash trained. I can't join a gym because I can't afford it. So I basically have no idea what to do. What kind of foods are there to eat for someone who abhors cooking? What kind of exercise is there for someone who can't easily leave the house (or who can't really be gone long if she does)? The other small problem I have is my son. He doesn't always like going on walks with me. I hate forcing him. He's up for it about half the time. But, to a 5 year old, I guess walking is just boring. He's too big for a stroller, really. Anyone have any ideas for that as well? To get him more motivated to walk with me so I don't have to fight him on it, or force him when he doesn't want to, or skip a walk because he's not in the mood?
 

naughty

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I want to lose weight. I want to lose a LOT of weight. I just have no idea where to start. For starters, I'm addicted to soda. I've found that Diet Mountain Dew is really good, so I've been trying to drink that instead of regular soda, and I've been trying to drink more water (but I know that I still don't drink as much water as I should). I don't eat out very often, but I don't cook either. Everything we have here is all quick meal stuff. Mac 'n Cheese, hamburger helper, spaghetti o's, etc. I always match those items with fruits and veggies, but I know that's not enough. I absolutely hate cooking, I can't stand it. My mom kept telling me to start eating more fish, but I hate fish as well. I've tried several kinds of fish cooked several different ways, but I simply don't like fish. I also don't get enough exercise. I'm home all day long with my son, our dog, and our roommates dog. I just sit around. I do housework, but I never get OUT of the house, unless it's to run errands. It's hard to leave with the dogs here. My roommates dog is a pup... if I leave him running around the apartment, he eats everything, but if I put him in his kennel, he whines, howls, and yaps. I know that has to be annoying to the neighbors, so I try not to leave too often because of that reason. My dog is good... I can leave him here and he won't bother anything. We have a gym here in the apartment complex, but it's at the clubhouse, and I'm not on the lease so I can't go up there for fear of getting caught... same with the swimming pool. My only option really is to walk... and leave the dogs here to their own misery. The dogs are impossible to walk together. Neither of them are really leash trained. I can't join a gym because I can't afford it. So I basically have no idea what to do. What kind of foods are there to eat for someone who abhors cooking? What kind of exercise is there for someone who can't easily leave the house (or who can't really be gone long if she does)? The other small problem I have is my son. He doesn't always like going on walks with me. I hate forcing him. He's up for it about half the time. But, to a 5 year old, I guess walking is just boring. He's too big for a stroller, really. Anyone have any ideas for that as well? To get him more motivated to walk with me so I don't have to fight him on it, or force him when he doesn't want to, or skip a walk because he's not in the mood?


Hey Meg,

I hear ya girl! Did you think of walking early in the morning around the block seven days a week? Or break it up do a little in the morning and a little at night. It will really help also drink LOTS of water, try cutting out one thing at a time, so you wont feel deprived. Make a food journal so you arent fooling yourself as to what and what amounts you eat. Also if you have any health issues every diet is not necessarily good for you. Prepared food are a killer as well. It sounds like you may need a quite a few more fruits and veggies. Canned and frozen while not ideal are still legit.
 

Wyldgusechaz

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Our bodies were evolved under conditions where it was difficult to get calories and protein. Wanting to eat is hard wired into our biochemistry.

Its really easy for me to stay lean and I certainly can't complain at all but its soooo boring. I have lucky biochemistry. I have empathy for those who aren't as lucky.

Europeans seem so much slimmer than Americans, does anyone know why?
 

Dazza

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I have the opposite problem, I am too skinny :(
I am hitting the gym a fair bit to try and bulk up as well as eating like a horse.
I have been 70kg for years but after 4 weeks of intensive gym work and eating small meals 6 times a day I have gone up to 73kg (160lbs). Woohoo!
The aim is to get up to 176lbs (80Kg) - obviously muscle not fat.
Wife is most pleased as am I. Shame we are not going to beach this year as I won't get to show off my new bod :mad:
Good luck to everyone with their weightloss and gym sessions. I know its really hard work but if we can all encourage each other here then we stand a fighting chance.