Help! I'm Fat - *** Official Exercise and Weight Thread ***

[tyler24]

Yup, whatever works for you is best. For me, instead of trying to fight my sweet tooth, I allow myself sweets in moderation, if my daily calories/macros allow. I enjoy them, but I also enjoy being fit. So, I strike a balance between the two. They have minimal value outside some carbs and a short energy boost. But I do enjoy them, and that’s enough for me. Again, this is what works for me. Also, we’re talking like a single cookie or maybe a cup of non-fat pudding. Not a giant piece of cake or other huge dessert. Just a little sweets to keep the beast at bay.

Haha I totally get it! But if you want to try cutting something out like that down the road. I recommend working on mindfulness beforehand. It makes it soooo much easier.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Damn this thread. Was going to skip my daily walkabout, old man knees be hurtin more than normal today, but would have to confess here and suffer the shame. So, lacing up the LL Beans for frosty malt walkabout. Wish they cleared some trails but it's cross country season and plowing in the adjacent park is verboten.

Only 120 to 150 days till bike season.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Damn this thread. Was going to skip my daily walkabout, old man knees be hurtin more than normal today, but would have to confess here and suffer the shame. So, lacing up the LL Beans for frosty malt walkabout. Wish they cleared some trails but it's cross country season and plowing in the adjacent park is verboten.

Only 120 to 150 days till bike season.

You don't have to kill yourself. If your knees hurt today, find something you can do that accommodates your knees until they start feeling better. Change your pace, or change your route to avoid hills, or take a couple breaks along the way to stretch or massage them out. Doing ANYTHING is better than doing nothing, even if you do less than normal. If it hurts you won't want to do it, and if you injure yourself you can't do it. When you're done, don't be afraid to ice them and/or take some ibuprofen as needed.

ETA: I love to lift, but I've got a weird shoulder thing that flairs up from time to time. When it happens, I have to reduce the weight I'm lifting by over 50% but that allows me to continue lifting until the episode (usually about a week) has passed. Then I can work back up to where I had been, and get back I to my program.

 

[BoxsterCy]

You don't have to kill yourself. If your knees hurt today, find something you can do that accommodates your knees until they start feeling better. Change your pace, or change your route to avoid hills, or take a couple breaks along the way to stretch or massage them out. Doing ANYTHING is better than doing nothing, even if you do less than normal. If it hurts you won't want to do it, and if you injure yourself you can't do it. When you're done, don't be afraid to ice them and/or take some ibuprofen as needed.

ETA: I love to lift, but I've got a weird shoulder thing that flairs up from time to time. When it happens, I have to reduce the weight I'm lifting by over 50% but that allows me to continue lifting until the episode (usually about a week) has passed. Then I can work back up to where I had been, and get back I to my program.

Thing is pretty much everything hurts at my age. For my left knee I used the "Does it make me grimace going down the stairs" which it did yesterday. Took a couple ibuprofen and did my "I'll see it feels better after a mile". Wasn't too bad so completed walkabout. Walkabouts are already my fallback from running. Did do street and not the snowy woods though.

 

[clone4life82]

A little inspiration for everyone... The photo below is me in the same shirt. On the left, 9/1/2018 and about 350lbs. On the right, tonight after my workout and right on 250lbs.

View attachment 80610

I turned 40 just before Halloween and have been very overweight my entire life (and, let's be honest, I still am). But it can be done at any age. Just find something you can stick with, no matter how small it seems, and then stick with it. Be patient. Over the course of 3 to 12 months, the tiny changes you can't see from one day to the next will add up to a dramatic transformation.

There will be ups and downs. Pay attention to the day-to-day, but don't get hung up on it. Binging, skipping a workout, etc is like throwing an INT or giving up a homerun. Acknowledge it, figure out why it happened, and move on.

damn dude! Nicely done!

 

[madguy30]

Damn this thread. Was going to skip my daily walkabout, old man knees be hurtin more than normal today, but would have to confess here and suffer the shame. So, lacing up the LL Beans for frosty malt walkabout. Wish they cleared some trails but it's cross country season and plowing in the adjacent park is verboten.

Only 120 to 150 days till bike season.

Do you have an exercise bike of any kind?

I got a desk elliptical that's a decent alternative on days when it's either hard to get outside due to weather or if my legs don't feel right for running.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Do you have an exercise bike of any kind?

I got a desk elliptical that's a decent alternative on days when it's either hard to get outside due to weather or if my legs don't feel right for running.

Thought about that but if I keel over biking at LifeTime or outside someone will maybe have time to call 911. Same for running and walkabout outside. If I had a bike in the basement and keel over I might be a dead man since I live alone. Might need a heart workup, haven't done a stress test in quite a few years, but not doing that till I can actually get into an office for a face-to-face visit. Everything about my personal health care is ****** up right now.

 

[madguy30]

Thought about that but if I keel over biking at LifeTime or outside someone will maybe have time to call 911. Same for running and walkabout outside. If I had a bike in the basement and keel over I might be a dead man since I live alone. Might need a heart workup, haven't done a stress test in quite a few years, but not doing that till I can actually get into an office for a face-to-face visit. Everything about my personal health care is ****** up right now.

Really sorry to hear that.

Bonus of desk elliptical: you can do them while sitting down.

 

[cycloner29]

Just got back from my yearly physical. I looked at my chart over the few years. I went from 241 in 2019 down to 229 today in 2021. My BMI also has dropped. Gotta wait and see what my cholesterol levels look like. Weird thing was I grew 3/4".

 

[cyclonespiker33]

What are people's secret to not eating late at night?

 

[clone4life82]

What are people's secret to not eating late at night?

that’s probably one of my biggest hangups so I’m interested in the responses also.

 

[cyclone4L]

What are people's secret to not eating late at night?

This past year has been a grind with this. While I've gained a little weight back, I have learned to get into better routines.

Late night eating is tough. Some of the ways that I combatted it:

Drink A TON of water whenever I have cravings.
Go to bed EARLY, can't eat when you sleep.
Put a lock on the fridge and snack cabinets and give the key to someone to hide.
Exercise.

 

[madguy30]

What are people's secret to not eating late at night?

I try to do a general nightly 12ish hour 'fast' and I've made a general rule to not eat my main meal after 6 PM which I can usually do but I still tend to snack afterwards. Typically it's an apple or banana. Maybe a handful of whole almonds. Anything that I know the general caloric and nutritional value of so at least if I snack it can have a purpose.

 

[cyclone4L]

I try to do a general nightly 12ish hour 'fast' and I've made a general rule to not eat my main meal after 6 PM which I can usually do but I still tend to snack afterwards. Typically it's an apple or banana. Maybe a handful of whole almonds. Anything that I know the general caloric and nutritional value of so at least if I snack it can have a purpose.

That fasting stuff and diet stuff is crap; especially for a guy like me who is not an expert.
Most of us know what to eat and what not to eat. We know not to eat desert and late night treats. We know we need to get a little bit of exercise, but most of the battle is in the diet.

My suggestion to dumb dumbs like me (people who aren't experts), just do what you think will work and stick to it. Go on the scale everyday and you should see progress. Don't drink beer and eat cookies and expect to lose weight.

Those specialized diets are usually for athletes and health freaks which I am not and most people do them wrong....
I tried to eat steak for a month. BORING. Just have coffee for breakfast, eat a ham sandwich with some kind of juice you enjoy and a lite snack for lunch, and try to not pile up the plate for dinner. Take weight before dinner.

 

[discydisc]

That fasting stuff and diet stuff is crap; especially for a guy like me who is not an expert.
Most of us know what to eat and what not to eat. We know not to eat desert and late night treats. We know we need to get a little bit of exercise, but most of the battle is in the diet.

My suggestion to dumb dumbs like me (people who aren't experts), just do what you think will work and stick to it. Go on the scale everyday and you should see progress. Don't drink beer and eat cookies and expect to lose weight.

Those specialized diets are usually for athletes and health freaks which I am not and most people do them wrong....
I tried to eat steak for a month. BORING. Just have coffee for breakfast, eat a ham sandwich with some kind of juice you enjoy and a lite snack for lunch, and try to not pile up the plate for dinner. Take weight before dinner.

For me fasting is the easiest way to cut down on calories regularly, well that and switching from beer to whiskey.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Lately my go to late night snack is toast using home made bread. I never should have started baking bread. So much better than store bought.

 

[madguy30]

That fasting stuff and diet stuff is crap; especially for a guy like me who is not an expert.
Most of us know what to eat and what not to eat. We know not to eat desert and late night treats. We know we need to get a little bit of exercise, but most of the battle is in the diet.

My suggestion to dumb dumbs like me (people who aren't experts), just do what you think will work and stick to it. Go on the scale everyday and you should see progress. Don't drink beer and eat cookies and expect to lose weight.

Those specialized diets are usually for athletes and health freaks which I am not and most people do them wrong....
I tried to eat steak for a month. BORING. Just have coffee for breakfast, eat a ham sandwich with some kind of juice you enjoy and a lite snack for lunch, and try to not pile up the plate for dinner. Take weight before dinner.

My 'fasting' is only that in name just because I'm basically just trying to not eat late. It's not a part of a special diet of schedule because like you're alluding to, that's not something that works for me.

My general diet would fall in the 'Mediterranean Diet' category but not by any scheduled plan or anything. Just simple lean eating. It's frustrating looking up an eating schedule for any 'diet' and it makes it sound like you need 10 ingredients per meal.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

On the plus side I have been maintaining the MWF routine on the Bowflex since Jan 1st. Wish I had started that last spring when all this COVID crap started. I would probably be looking fairly good by now.

 

[cycloner29]

I really try to make it a habit of not eating anything past 7. I will go through the cabinets looking for something but then I just tell myself not to eat and will drink some water.

 

[KnappShack]

Lately my go to late night snack is toast using home made bread. I never should have started baking bread. So much better than store bought.

Half of a Costco brand protein bar. Good amount of fiber too. Keeps the belly from grumbling during sleep.

I've eaten more of those things than I'd care to imagine.