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

[Cloned4Life]

100% agree on the stealing steps advice and would also chime in that it doesn’t just have to be steps. If you can do things like planks, or hand work or other things that is another great way to get your body moving when you have been sedentary for awhile.

I was extremely frustrated not getting back to my pre covid body after putting in the work. Was back to eating well, gym 6-7 days a week, everything back to normal but took “stealing steps” to finally push things past the finish line. Simply got into the mindset that if I had a major gun session I could just veg out for the rest of the day. Wasn’t an intentional thought just kind of how it happened. I was actually complaining to a colleague about it and they asked outside of the gym how much was I moving (we also had a realistic expectations convo) and I realized I wasn’t moving that much outside of work/gym.

Getting up and doing a plank during the commercials of a game or just standing and doing some occasional body weight movements while watching sports pushed me back over to where I wanted to be. Can’t recommend enough!

Great points here! Totally agree.

Throw in things like “100 push ups today” or “ 100 light dumbbell curls”.

Like the poster above, I HATE cardio. Even as a kid I refused to run anything more than 200m dash or hurdles

The treadmill I have only goes up to 4mph, so I max out the incline and ‘power walk’. That is the full extent of my cardio.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Getting up and doing a plank during the commercials of a game or just standing and doing some occasional body weight movements while watching sports pushed me back over to where I wanted to be. Can’t recommend enough!

Ha, I do that, either crunches or planks for those Disney+ 1:30 commercials. Even with my birding walkabouts and regular gym trips I sit way too much with my laptop on my lap. Not nearly as sedentary as a lot of 70-somethings but something I need to keep on top off. Even while still office working I was getting up frequency and walking to the next office floor rather than emailing or calling peeps.

 

[ScottyP]

I've been legit mad this week that I've started using my standing desk whenever I have a zoom meeting. Then 50 minutes into the meeting my apple watch tells me it is time to stand.

Agree on the steps. I'm really hoping I can get into a morning walk/stretching routine. Part of me likes the challenge of doing this in winter.

It helps motivate me now that my 11 year old is starting to fat shame me a bit LOL. He's not wrong so I can't even be mad.

Here is my advice:

Nutrition:
Eat lots of Protein - try to eat a lot of protein, especially from whole food sources (protein shakes should be used to supplement if you struggle to get enough protein). I try to focus on 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. Protein keeps you feeling full (it mimics some of the GLP-1) and feeling full for a long time. Also, it will help you preserve muscle as you are losing weight and will help you keep the weight off. Chicken, steak, pork chops, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, etc. Don't be afraid if the protein has some fat as well. The fat will also keep you feeling full. There are studies that have shown that people lose more fat by eating whole eggs compared to egg whites. I'll eat at least four eggs a day and it sets the tone for the rest of that day. Oikos Triple Zero greek yogurt has 17 grams of protien in 3/4 cup so that is a good way to get protein for breakfast and snacks.

Avoid ultra processed foods - they are designed to be ultra-palatable and you over-eat them. If you focus on whole foods and protein, you can eat as much as you want and you will lose weight. When I eat processed foods, I noticed that I tend to binge eat. Ultra-processed foods also sneak in lots of sugar. I try to make sure half of my plate is vegetables. Roasted vegetables in the oven are easy and taste really good. Coat some vegetables in a little olive oil and sprinkle some salt/pepper/garlic. Bake 425 for 20-25 minutes. Carbs are not the enemy, but make sure that the carbs you eat have some fiber with it.

Sleep - make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep makes you over-eat.

Exercise - the best exercise is the one you can sustain. I lift weights two-three times a week and walk the other days. I'm not lifting like crazy, but strength training is really important for keeping weight off and longevity. I don't like running so I focus on brisk walking as my cardio. Much more enjoyable and it gets me outside.

Focus on NEAT - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis - this is activity/moving that isn't exercise. Just try to be active, it doesn't need to be strenuous. As others mentioned, getting your steps is important, but things like taking the stairs at work, parking farther away and household chores. You can get a crazy amount of steps just cleaning the house.

 

[Cloned4Life]

Here is my advice:

Nutrition:
Eat lots of Protein - try to eat a lot of protein, especially from whom food (protein shakes should be used to supplement if you struggle to get enough protein). I try to focus on 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. Protein keeps you feeling full (it mimics some of the GLP-1) to keep you feeling full for a long time. Also, it will help you preserve muscle as you are losing weight and will help you keep the weight off. Chicken, steak, pork chops, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, etc. Don't be afraid if the protein has some fat as well. The fat will also keep you feeling full. There are studies that have shown that people lose more fat by eating whole eggs compared to egg whites. I'll eat at least four eggs a day and it sets the tone for the rest of that day. Oikos Triple Zero greek yogurt has 17 grams of protien in 3/4 cup so that is a good way to get protein for breakfast and snacks.

Avoid ultra processed foods - they are designed to be ultra-palatable and you over-eat them. If you focus on whole foods and protein, you can eat as much as you want and you will lose weight. When I eat processed foods, I noticed that I tend to binge eat. Ultra-processed foods also sneak in lots of sugar. I try to make sure half of my plate is vegetables. Roasted vegetables in the oven are easy and taste really good. Coat some vegetables in a little olive oil and sprinkle some salt/pepper/garlic. Bake 425 for 20-25 minutes. Carbs are not the enemy, but make sure that the carbs you eat have some fiber with it.

Sleep - make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep makes you over-eat.

Exercise - the best exercise is the one you can sustain. I lift weights two-three times a week and walk the other days. I'm not lifting like crazy, but strength training is really important for keeping weight off and longevity. I don't like running so I focus on brisk walking as my cardio. Much more enjoyable and it gets me outside.

Focus on NEAT - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis - this is activity/moving that isn't exercise. Just try to be active, it doesn't need to be strenuous. As others mentioned, getting your steps is important, but things like taking the stairs at work, parking farther away and household chores. You can get a crazy amount of steps just cleaning the house.

GREAT summary here - thank you!

I live off Oikos Triple Zero and whole eggs. With good butter of course.

 

[cycloner29]

I recently cut way back on caffeine. I was up to around 400 mg a day. Quit cold turkey a couple of weeks ago. Sucked with having a headache and just a loss of energythe first 3-4 days. I've kept my exercise program going at the gym. I am just drinking an Aspire now. I've also lowered my alcohol consumption during the week. More water!!

 

[RagingCloner]

I recently cut way back on caffeine. I was up to around 400 mg a day. Quit cold turkey a couple of weeks ago. Sucked with having a headache and just a loss of energythe first 3-4 days. I've kept my exercise program going at the gym. I am just drinking an Aspire now. I've also lowered my alcohol consumption during the week. More water!!

Well done! Im going on 12 days sober now, and feel my energy levels coming back. The tough thing is i also feel my metabolism starting to regulate, and i feel hungry all the time. Working on increasing my protein intake also

 

[FriendlySpartan]

I recently cut way back on caffeine. I was up to around 400 mg a day. Quit cold turkey a couple of weeks ago. Sucked with having a headache and just a loss of energythe first 3-4 days. I've kept my exercise program going at the gym. I am just drinking an Aspire now. I've also lowered my alcohol consumption during the week. More water!!

Lowering the booze consumption always good.

No comment on the caffeine lol

 

[PineClone]

I would rather kick myself in the nuts vs getting on a treadmill.

Currently I'm trying a 3 day total body split. 2 blocks that I rotate similar to a 5x5 rotation.

Block 1 - Heavy leg then cable work for the rest
Block 2 - Higher rep leg work for fewer sets then heavy check, back, shoulders.

Doing heavy legs blows my energy out of the water and the rest of the workout kind of sucks (performance and mentally)

I'll work cardio back in at some point, but I'm a little sick of jumping around like an idiot

Sounds like you have your flexibility figured out.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Trying to motivate myself to stop surfing and head over to gym and ride da bike.

Been good about weight training the last month , eleven trips in November, since getting back into it in October after bulged disk calmed down. Shooting for 12-13 trips in December. Haven't hit the bike yet. Will be a test to see how neck does. Hoping the more upright exercise bike will be okay. Short test on my regular bike in late fall did not go well. That resulted in me scrapping any plans to get out road biking this season, maybe I'll never be able to.

 

[Althetuna]

Just started weight training again last night. (Stopped for 6 months due to tennis elbow.)

Today, I feel like I was hit by a bus.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Just started weight training again last night. (Stopped for 6 months due to tennis elbow.)

Today, I feel like I was hit by a bus.

For anybody just getting back into it, remember there is no reason to go 100%. It's prefectly fine to work into it over a few weeks or month. Some soreness is expected, but if it lasts more than a couple days you should tone it back a bit. Working out doesn't work if you aren't giving yourself time to recover! Over time your ability to handle the workload will increase and you can start pushing harder. You can increase weight or volume (or both) without being as sore. Use that "next day soreness" to autoregulate. That also means if you haven’t had ANY soreness, you should increase the workload a bit. Before long you'll settle into making consistent progress with just a little soreness.

There will be setbacks - illness, scheduling issues, non-exercise fatigue (yardwork) - but if you use that soreness/fatigue feeling as a guide, it will help you make sure you're still progressing.

 

[ScottyP]

For anybody just getting back into it, remember there is no reason to go 100%. It's prefectly fine to work into it over a few weeks or month. Some soreness is expected, but if it lasts more than a couple days you should tone it back a bit. Working out doesn't work if you aren't giving yourself time to recover! Over time your ability to handle the workload will increase and you can start pushing harder. You can increase weight or volume (or both) without being as sore. Use that "next day soreness" to autoregulate. That also means if you haven’t had ANY soreness, you should increase the workload a bit. Before long you'll settle into making consistent progress with just a little soreness.

There will be setbacks - illness, scheduling issues, non-exercise fatigue (yardwork) - but if you use that soreness/fatigue feeling as a guide, it will help you make sure you're still progressing.

Some soreness is okay. If it is a lot of soreness, you are likely overtraining.

 

[bos]

Just started weight training again last night. (Stopped for 6 months due to tennis elbow.)

Today, I feel like I was hit by a bus.

Had tennis elbow for the first time ever at the beginning of the summer and it went on for months. That SUCKED. Im with ya on that.

 

[Althetuna]

For anybody just getting back into it, remember there is no reason to go 100%. It's prefectly fine to work into it over a few weeks or month. Some soreness is expected, but if it lasts more than a couple days you should tone it back a bit. Working out doesn't work if you aren't giving yourself time to recover! Over time your ability to handle the workload will increase and you can start pushing harder. You can increase weight or volume (or both) without being as sore. Use that "next day soreness" to autoregulate. That also means if you haven’t had ANY soreness, you should increase the workload a bit. Before long you'll settle into making consistent progress with just a little soreness.

There will be setbacks - illness, scheduling issues, non-exercise fatigue (yardwork) - but if you use that soreness/fatigue feeling as a guide, it will help you make sure you're still progressing.

I appricaiate the input. I've been weight training off and on since highschool, roughly 35 years or so.

The problem is I think I'm still in highschool.

 

[ScottyP]

Had tennis elbow for the first time ever at the beginning of the summer and it went on for months. That SUCKED. Im with ya on that.

I'm dealing with that right now. Just got done with a PT session where they did some dry needling. It is weird because I can lift a 40 lb dumbbell but struggle to lift a pot of coffee. My grip strength was way down if I had my arm extended a bit. It would hurt to even zip up my coat. I figured go the PT route because it seemed that it didn't go away with rest for many people.

 

[bos]

I'm dealing with that right now. Just got done with a PT session where they did some dry needling. It is weird because I can lift a 40 lb dumbbell but struggle to lift a pot of coffee. My grip strength was way down if I had my arm extended a bit. It would hurt to even zip up my coat. I figured go the PT route because it seemed that it didn't go away with rest for many people.

My most difficult time with it was mornings when I woke up or sometimes in the middle of the night when it sat idle for too long. Such a gross feeling.

 

[stewart092284]

All, I'll add... is don't have a goal per say. Don't say "I want to be 210" and etc or lose 50 pounds.

A few years back I was 330+.
Then I got to 300, and I was okay with that.

Then I started being healthier after lockdowns just cause I thought you know what, its a crazy world, I'm in my mid 30's... I need to take care of myself better.

Then my mom got sick and sadly passed, I was around 270 and had high BP that spring after. Not high end to get medicine or an age to start, and they thought a decent amount was because of the stress, etc. but enough to be like, hey, I need to keep working at this.

So then I got down to 250, etc...
And now I'm down to 230's.

I need to get back in sometime soon for my next physical as its been a little over a year, cause who knows, maybe my BP is still high though 99% of the time I feel good, everyone tells me I look great, and again, I'm 40 pounds lighter and eating / drinking / sleeping better and stress seems better so in theory at least, all that matters


But my point is, I never was able to actually lose and keep weight off when I had a set goal.
This was simply about eating better, being more active and trying to become more healthy. Cut out soda, stopped eating out, etc. Relatively small, simple steps is what worked for me.


So that'd be my advice. Start small, don't have a goal right away and just have the generic "I'm trying to get healthier" goal etc, because I know all too well what Its like to not see the scale change and get discouraged

 

[besserheimerphat]

I appricaiate the input. I've been weight training off and on since highschool, roughly 35 years or so.

The problem is I think I'm still in highschool.

Same. The last couple years I've done a better job being consistent, but yeah after a break I'm always gung-ho to get back at it.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Noticed no posts yet this calendar year. So here goes.

Nothing says ""You've got no life" like being an old man and finding yourself in a gym on a Saturday night.

At least there was no waiting for a machine or a bench or anything.

 

[Cyientist]

Noticed no posts yet this calendar year. So here goes.

Nothing says ""You've got no life" like being an old man and finding yourself in a gym on a Saturday night.

At least there was not waiting for a machine or a bench or anything.


View attachment 140836

I thought my gym has had relatively low attendance compared to the expected resolution crowd. Last Saturday I had to go around 9 AM and I thought there would be no way I could get my circuit in, but I didn't have to wait or replace once!