Spornosexuality

[bigpern23]

pm please. Love to jump start a weight loss

Same here, dude.

 

[bigpern23]

heyabb, I'm on a medically supervised diet through the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. It's pretty intense, and I had been told by my Hopkins Preventative Cardiology team that if I followed JHWMC's directions to a T, I would have great results.

Of course, it all comes down to diet and exercise, taking in far less calories and burning more through exercise. Anyway, I am in a Quick Start phase, with a basic 1100 calorie diet. I dropped 25 pounds in four weeks - and it was EASY. If you and/or others are interested, I can post more details or send PMs.

Believe me, I have tried several other diets and exercises. This one is kicking ass. I thought I would starve with only 1100 calories, but the program is designed to keep you from getting hungry throughout the day. My long term goal is to get to 200. My initial short term goal was to get under 230 (from a peak of 258) and I've already met that goal. I should hit my next short term goal of 220 this week.

And I'm not just aiming to hit 200 now. I am convinced that if I keep this up, I can hit 185. I'm going for it.

I could stand to get in on this as well.

 

[SFIND]

But giving up Pepsi might be what kills me.

Do it. Several years ago I was flipping through and saw something on PBS where they wheeled out a barrel of something like 100 pounds of sugar and said, "This is what the average American drinks per year from pop." I quit cold turkey that day. For the first few months I missed it and craved it like crazy (especially my favorite Dr. Pepper) but I got over it. A couple of events I've covered in recent years have offered nothing but pop to drink, and after forcing down a little, I discovered I can't really even stand the taste of the stuff anymore. Now all I drink is water and (unsweet) iced tea.

 

[bigpern23]

Best of luck, stud. A few years back, I dropped about 30 pounds to get to an adult low of 192. I am now back up to 230-ish thanks to too much beer and lack of activity/exercise. I wish the feeling I had back then provided more motivation, but even when I was going to the gym almost daily, I had little motivation, and it wasn't until the high kicked in that it really felt worth it.

I dropped 65 pounds in about three months a few years back with excellent eating habits and an hour or more a day in the gym. Dropped to 175 and felt great. Marriage and kids cut into the time I spend at the gym and my wife is a fantastic cook, but I began easing my dietary restrictions to make things easier on her. A broken toe and appendectomy within two months of each other sidelined me from the gym completely for about four months and I've been terrible about getting back into a good routine.

Now a lot of the weight is back on. I know I can shed it pretty easily, it's mostly a matter of getting my wife (who doesn't need to lose the weight) on board and following a more stringent dietary regimen. She does all the cooking, so if she's not on board, I'll struggle.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Low-carb seems to jump start me any time I need a jump start.

I peaked at 215 pounds in my mid-20s, on a 5-9 frame. It was awful. I looked and felt terrible - and this was after I had run a couple marathons. I think I got burned out and complacent. I buckled down and got down to the high 160s. Then I ballooned up to the mid-180s after kid No. 1. Then I got down to, I remember it clear as day, 146 four summers ago. Ballooned up to the low 170s over the last couple years. Now I'm back down to 162 at least check, a week ago, so I lost 10 pounds over the last 2-3 months. It was not easy. I've got a few more to go, but alcohol is probably the biggest issue with me. Couple hundred extra calories a few times a week adds up.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

I, too, face the struggle of a skinny wife who cooks. :)

 

[Dick Whitman]

I, too, face the struggle of a skinny wife who cooks. :)

Me, too. I like when the weather warms up because I can take over the cooking. Some combination of chicken, steak, pork chop, and asparagus, for months on end.

 

[bigpern23]

Low-carb seems to jump start me any time I need a jump start.

I peaked at 215 pounds in my mid-20s, on a 5-9 frame. It was awful. I looked and felt terrible - and this was after I had run a couple marathons. I think I got burned out and complacent. I buckled down and got down to the high 160s. Then I ballooned up to the mid-180s after kid No. 1. Then I got down to, I remember it clear as day, 146 four summers ago. Ballooned up to the low 170s over the last couple years. Now I'm back down to 162 at least check, a week ago, so I lost 10 pounds over the last 2-3 months. It was not easy. I've got a few more to go, but alcohol is probably the biggest issue with me. Couple hundred extra calories a few times a week adds up.

Low-carb, high protein was my strategy. Ate lots of chicken, supplemented with a protein shake after a workout. I consumed usually around 200-250 grams of protein per day and kept carbs below 50 grams, IIRC. Never had to count calories.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Low-carb, high protein was my strategy. Ate lots of chicken, supplemented with a protein shake after a workout. I consumed usually around 200-250 grams of protein per day and kept carbs below 50 grams, IIRC. Never had to count calories.

Same here when I cut the carbs. I lose, seemingly, no matter how much I eat. That was especially true when I was at my heaviest. After two days I'd be down like seven pounds.

 

[bigpern23]

Me, too. I like when the weather warms up because I can take over the cooking. Some combination of chicken, steak, pork chop, and asparagus, for months on end.

Same here. We grill a lot, which also means less glazes, sauces and other such flavorings that add up to weight gain. Lots of fish (salmon and swordfish, in particular), chicken and shrimp as the weather warms.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

I'm slowly but surely getting back into a routine, although I'll never be back to my pre-family heyday of working out 28 days a month. I'm not losing weight yet, but I've slimmed down by a couple of inches. The problem I'm running into is stiff hips, which leads to a sore back. I need to find something low impact that will help me with that in-between my regular workouts.

 

[bigpern23]

Same here when I cut the carbs. I lose, seemingly, no matter how much I eat. That was especially true when I was at my heaviest. After two days I'd be down like seven pounds.

That's the best part, is I was never hungry. In fact, I probably ate way more than I do now, which is problematic in itself. I should be eating five smaller meals per day with a couple of healthy snacks. I remember people in my office being like, "Do you ever stop eating? How the hell are you getting skinnier?"

 

[amraeder]

****,
How'd you kick-start yourself on the early morning routine? Wife just went back to work recently after kid #1, and now I pick him up from daycare after work and watch him in the evening. Starting that killed my workout schedule (I'd usually go right after work). The obvious thing to do is to get my #$@ up in the morning and go to the gym. But damn I'm really struggling.
I know the answer is probably, "just make yourself do it, wuss" but that's turned out to be easier said than done. Any tips for moving to the early am workout schedule?

 

[Dick Whitman]

That's the best part, is I was never hungry. In fact, I probably ate way more than I do now, which is problematic in itself. I should be eating five smaller meals per day with a couple of healthy snacks. I remember people in my office being like, "Do you ever stop eating? How the hell are you getting skinnier?"

My wife sees me do it, sees the results, and she's still so conditioned to old-time thinking about this that I'll toss a steak on the grill and she'll say, "You're not going to regret that later, right?"

 

[bigpern23]

I'm slowly but surely getting back into a routine, although I'll never be back to my pre-family heyday of working out 28 days a month. I'm not losing weight yet, but I've slimmed down by a couple of inches. The problem I'm running into is stiff hips, which leads to a sore back. I need to find something low impact that will help me with that in-between my regular workouts.

When I was at my heaviest, I found the elliptical was great for a low-impact, high-intensity workout. As I shed weight, my knees got better and I moved to the treadmill (which I found worked better for me than the elliptical once I was at a decent weight).

I recently found out that I have a ****load of polyps in my nasal passages, that have effectively blocked me from breathing through nose since I was a teenager (I'm a literal mouthbreather, not just a figurative one :D ). The doctor asked if I've ever played sports or exercised and he was surprised when I said yes. He wondered how the hell I was able to get enough oxygen to run 10 miles. I'm excited to get them removed this week and get back to the gym. Doctor thinks I'll be better than I ever have been.

 

[Dick Whitman]

****,
How'd you kick-start yourself on the early morning routine? Wife just went back to work recently after kid #1, and now I pick him up from daycare after work and watch him in the evening. Starting that killed my workout schedule (I'd usually go right after work). The obvious thing to do is to get my #$@ up in the morning and go to the gym. But damn I'm really struggling.
I know the answer is probably, "just make yourself do it, wuss" but that's turned out to be easier said than done. Any tips for moving to the early am workout schedule?

It really just has to become a habit, and I know, like you said, that's a lot easier said than done. I set my alarm to go off at three different times, usually something like 3:51, 3:54, and 3:58. Some variation of that, depending on what time I get up to bed.

You do have to get to bed early enough. I get six hours of sleep, pretty much, each night. Maybe slightly less. I usually put my clothes in the workout room the night before, and grab a Diet Coke out of the refrigerator on the way down. I down that while catching up with the news for about 20 minutes, then usually get going at 4:20, 4:30, 4:40, depending on that day's workout.

Once you get used to it, you'll love it. It kind of sucks because I don't get to run outside, but I get to work out without any concerns about being interrupted. I'm not trying to squeeze it in. To me, it's the only way that is actually sustainable. Just wake up before everyone else. (It was rough in my daughter's first year, I'll admit, because the night was unpredictable.)

 

[The Big Ragu]

****,
How'd you kick-start yourself on the early morning routine? Wife just went back to work recently after kid #1, and now I pick him up from daycare after work and watch him in the evening. Starting that killed my workout schedule (I'd usually go right after work). The obvious thing to do is to get my #$@ up in the morning and go to the gym. But damn I'm really struggling.
I know the answer is probably, "just make yourself do it, wuss" but that's turned out to be easier said than done. Any tips for moving to the early am workout schedule?

I know you didn't ask me. :) But I wouldn't say it's "just make yourself do it, wuss." In my experience, it's about building habits and routines. Once it becomes routine for you, it isn't as hard as it is going to be at first. You will drag your ass out early and hate it for a bit. It may be a struggle. But slowly, you'll get used to it. And it sort of builds on itself until you actually look forward to it -- it feels good. You'll also have days where you just want to blow it off, and that can be a start of a reversal of the routine for you. So you always have to be on the lookout for that creeping in.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I know you didn't ask me. :) But I wouldn't say it's "just make yourself do it, wuss." In my experience, it's about building habits and routines. Once it becomes routine for you, it isn't as hard as it is going to be at first. You will drag your ass out early and hate it for a bit. It may be a struggle. But slowly, you'll get used to it. And it sort of builds on itself until you actually look forward to it -- it feels good. You'll also have days where you just want to blow it off, and that can be a start of a reversal of the routine for you. So you always have to be on the lookout for that creeping in.

I agree with this pretty much word for word. The hardest thing is developing the habit. Now, there's nothing at all difficult about getting up at 4 and working out for me. It's just what I do. People are impressed when I tell them, but there's nothing to really be impressed about. It took about two weeks of willpower and now it runs on its own.

 

[bigpern23]

I know you didn't ask me. :) But I wouldn't say it's "just make yourself do it, wuss." In my experience, it's about building habits and routines. Once it becomes routine for you, it isn't as hard as it is going to be at first. You will drag your ass out early and hate it for a bit. It may be a struggle. But slowly, you'll get used to it. And it sort of builds on itself until you actually look forward to it -- it feels good. You'll also have days where you just want to blow it off, and that can be a start of a reversal of the routine for you. So you always have to be on the lookout for that creeping in.

Agree on this. Also, as **** noted, you just have to get to bed early enough. I struggled with that quite a bit until my son was born. Sleep became such a precious commodity that I got out of the habit of staying up until midnight or 1 a.m. to watch a West Coast game and now I'm usually in bed by 10. That makes a 6 a.m. wakeup much easier, and if I have to, I can get up at 5 pretty easily (don't think I'll ever be a 3:30 riser like ****, though).

But falling asleep earlier was always a challenge for me. I was a night owl for many, many years. Now, I see the sun rise on most days and find that I actually enjoy it.

 

[amraeder]

It really just has to become a habit, and I know, like you said, that's a lot easier said than done. I set my alarm to go off at three different times, usually something like 3:51, 3:54, and 3:58. Some variation of that, depending on what time I get up to bed.

You do have to get to bed early enough. I get six hours of sleep, pretty much, each night. Maybe slightly less. I usually put my clothes in the workout room the night before, and grab a Diet Coke out of the refrigerator on the way down. I down that while catching up with the news for about 20 minutes, then usually get going at 4:20, 4:30, 4:40, depending on that day's workout.

Once you get used to it, you'll love it. It kind of sucks because I don't get to run outside, but I get to work out without any concerns about being interrupted. I'm not trying to squeeze it in. To me, it's the only way that is actually sustainable. Just wake up before everyone else. (It was rough in my daughter's first year, I'll admit, because the night was unpredictable.)

Yeah, that's the other thing, is when I go to bed is determined by the kid's last feeding, and it can be between 9:30-10:30 usually. And then there's the chance of a 2 p.m. or 3:30 feeding. My wife will take one of those but I can't have her do both - that wouldn't be right. So, even if I go to bed at a reasonable hour I'm dog-ass tired in the morning. I like the multiple alarms, though. That'll make it harder to ignore one and just go back to sleep.
My other logistical concern is figuring out how much time I need in the morning to be "awake" enough to start working out. The idea of easing in with news and a diet coke makes sense.
It'd be easier workout buddy to keep me accountable, but all my friends live closer to work - about 40 minutes from where I am in the boonies :). So it's all about motivating myself.