RF Generation Message Board

This thread is for anything fitness or health related.

I plan on using the gym here on rfgeneration a lot more this year as well as the gym in my basement. In 2008 I watched some family members lose 60 plus pounds from April to December. It's my turn to lose some weight. In 2005 when I got out of the Marine Corps I could run five miles no problem. Now I get winded walking up a hill. So I have started this topic as a diary for anything health or fitness related.

Great initiative. :)

Thanks Sirgin!
 

Today I did some weight training and took some measurements to see where I am and it's not good.

Weight: 267 lb (121.4 kg)
Body fat: 35.0 %
Bench One Rep Max: 195 lb (88.6 kg)
and the rest was just as bad.

Don't give up and you'll improve. :)

Also, try drinking water instead of soda/lemonade/... . It really makes a huge difference.

I forgot we had a gym...

The world's full of surprises, isn't it?

Today, I shockingly ran a mile. The old dog is a bit sick so I left her at home and went for a jog with the younger dog. The field is a mile long and I went halfway along it and back.

Nice! :)

Took the dog out for an hour walk.

Walked to classes and back. Pretty much the only exercise I get, not sure how I stay so fit.

The month of January was not so good, I was sick two of the four weeks. I still managed to lose 8 lbs and now in February I will get back into a workout routine.

I was 260 pounds about 10 years ago. I did the Atkins Diet (low carb) and lost 30 pounds over 4 months. It was good motivation for me and helped kick my addiction to sugar/salt etc but I needed something more to shift the weight.

I took up boxing and muay thai boxing and lost another 14 pounds. I ate way too much but worked out like a demon so my weight stayed around 215.

Then I changed to a low calorie diet and the weight has dropped off. Now I'm 190 pounds but I was 180 right before Christmas. Getting back into the routine now.

Good luck everyone!

I met a friend who I haven't seen for a while today. He said I look like I've lost weight. Then his daughter turned up who also said I look like I've lost weight.

I had lost 9lbs before Christmas, but I put a lot of it back on over Christmas. I weighed myself when I got home and I'm back to where I was before Christmas. :) I couldn't work out why I had lost so much weight because I haven't really changed my routine. I had stopped taking my medication in October, so that could well be the reason. One of the side effects of the medicine was "weight gain or weight loss" - a little ambiguous but my weight ballooned when I started taking it four years ago.

It's nice when people notice. :D

Since I started working at the college I've lost 5lbs. That's just from walking around all over the college grounds each day. It doesn't sound like much but it's something. Now I need a new belt, or a new hole in my belt, because my trousers keep falling down.

What are your stats now?

^I have not post here because I haven't improved any. :( My stats are most likely the same. :embarassed: I haven't touched my gym equipment in weeks. I was motivated to loose weight the first week of the year, but I have been to lazy the first three months this year. Now my gym equipment is surrounded by boxes. We are in the process of buying our first house. We are set to close on April 15. After we finishing closing and get the key we have some work to do before we move in. I will not be working out again until we move in to the new house.

Whelp, I've managed to get all the way down to 237 this week.

Which might be as low as I go for a while, what with the demands of my job and all.

I'm still trying to put in at least 20 miles of trail hiking a week.

*poke* I know you guys aren't slacking off. Right?

Hey now!

Was up to 245 at one point since I last checked in, but got it down to 238 over the last week thanks to 45 miles of hill hiking over four days.

Did 14 miles today with an overall elevation change of about 4000 feet.

I also set a personal record by encountering three rattlesnakes on the trails.

Ya gotta love gettin' back to nature...

I've made an attempt to eliminate soda out of my diet entirely. I've been drinking flavored water, but they ran out of water today and I had to resort to Minute Maid Lemonade. Since I've really had anything sugary to drink in 3 weeks, it tastes really strong and I had to revert to drinking Minute Maid Lite Lemonade, which is close to being too strong. Almost have to water it down because it's too sweet.

Sounds like it's time to do an elimination diet to figure out what food's causing my stomach problems now before I start constructing a diet.

Soda's been the one thing I haven't been able to completely kick.

A few years back I went without for two weeks, then fell off the wagon.

Anyway, I'm about 12 hours away from embarking on my longest continuous hike ever.


[img width=700 height=426]http://ridgetrail.org/images/stories/events/05SBRR/sbrr%20map.jpg[/img]


Just in case you never hear from me again, I had a helluva time hangin' with y'all...

Impressive. I did a similar hike (on accident) in Bryce Canyon, but unfortunately without any water! We took a wrong turn. 110F heat that day as well...talk about the march from hell.

Last year I took a 19-mile hike in mid-90s temps, with 3 liters of water; I ran out with about 1.5 miles to go.

Now I carry 3 liters plus a quart bottle, a quart of G2, and at least three packets of electrolyte gel at all times.

Fortunately, I was able to replenish my water supply at 3 points during this trip. And it's a good thing I did, 'cuz I went through about 6 liters.

Anyhoo: I managed to knock it out in just under 8 hours, which was how long I expected it to take.

I'm still getting around pretty well at present, but I've a feeling I'll not be moving too well tomorrow...

I've stopped drinking soda pretty much entirely for about a year now.  I have no desire to drink it, but I do have some on occasion when water isn't readily available (which is honestly pretty much never).  That and candy are the two things I've pretty much stopped eating/drinking that are unhealthy.

I just need to start exercising again...

Worked out with a friend yesterday for 1:45. After that, my body finally realized it had enough, and I tried to rehydrate myself too quickly. Two things to remember for next time:
1) Better breakfast
2) Re-introduce water slower

Also, I tore my right bicep because I wasn't paying attention to my form when using the cable weights. I'm having a lot of fun trying to drive (manual) and do chores around the house...

Did an 11 miler after not having hiked for almost two weeks.

I thought it'd be a real slog at a certain point, but I hardly felt fatigued at all.

It probably means I need to step my program up.

Meanwhile, I've surpassed 900 miles of hiking and walking this year. If all goes to plan, i should hit the millennium mark before Halloween.

Sadly, I'm still fairly blimped out at 245. While I enjoy my hikes, apparently I enjoy my food even more.  :(

Did another 11-miler--technically, it's 11.4 miles-- but this time it didn't seem quite as effortless. Then again, I packed a little more water and break snacks than before. And I was breaking in a new pair of hiking boots, and I forgot to put in my fave cushion insoles.

None the less, I knocked it out under my goal time of 4 hours. And I'm still getting around all right at home right now.

But the best part was on the initial 4-mile uphill approach. A couple cyclists were trailing me for about a half hour, and they were cycling just a wee bit faster than I was hiking. When they finally caught up to me, they marveled at how I could maintain such a fast uphill pace. I replied, "Well it's about time you caught up!"

Just gotta remember to have a full glass of water ready on the night stand tonight...

I've been consistent with my kale/vegetable drinks, but not so much with the rest of my diet, which has been to dependent on quick eating.  I'm 5'7 and since I was 15 (now 22) I've weight as much as 215 and as little 115.  While I don't ever plan to get so thin again, I've been fluctuating between 150-170 for the last two years or so--completely contingent on my ability to eat smart and hit the gym.  I'm happy with my strength and my nutritional knowledge, but utterly disappointed with my lack of commitment and enthusiasm.  Tomorrow's Sunday, i'll avoid eating shit food and let's see if I can get this jump-started again.

Did wakeboard yesterday for the first time. Amazing experience!

rmk: yeah, it's myself in the picture...

This morning i attended a 10km marathon. It was really tough to finish it with my right calf hurting as f*ck, but i managed to complete it in 45 minutes.

Hey now!

Another 11.5 miles up in the local hills, in variable weather conditions.

Still have some pep in me, but I have a feeling I'll be fairly sore tomorrow.

Trying to get back into the free weights-- been going pretty slow on 'em so far.

I haven't had much free time or daylight for hiking lately.

I'm still at 245, so at least I'm not gaining.

Thinking of hitting the local community center track every other day. But doing laps is so crashingly boring, even with my tunes playing.

I'm down to 192, i was at 200 when the year began.  I need to get to 170 by August for my wedding.  I was at 170 when i first met my fiance.

l

Awesome progress!  I know you could get a 100 different health/workout ideas from 100 different people but I've found that 3 days of weight training and 2-3 days of cardio a week, combined with 5 or 6 smaller meals is the ticket to success.

Keep the weight training to 45 mins or so and do heavy weight/low reps and make sure the cardio is for at least 30 mins.  Make sure you get 20 or so grams of protein within 30 mins of working out.

You'll slim down and tone up!  Well, just food for thought.  No matter what route you take, keep it up and congrats on your wedding!

I'm decreasing the portion size of my meals and running 45 minutes twice a week.  Im starting at a slower pace because i know if i try going balls out i won't do it at all.

I started sticking to the Wii Fit lately. I'll do the 30 minute step program and change the TV input and play NHL 13 or something that doesn't require a lot of hand eye coordination. Doing that and cutting out soda, I've dropped 6 pounds in ~3 weeks.

I'm gettin' back to keeping a calorie intake log, and hiking the hills twice a week on my days off. I'll likely increase the frequency of the hiking as the daylight increases. Until then, I'm doing more walking around the neighborhood.

I've also recently gotten back to the free weights. I can barbell bench-press 25 pounds for eight reps now... which I admit is pretty sad. But it is an upgrade from the 20 pounds I started with last month.

And as soon as I feel up to it, I'm gettin' back to doin' my balance ball exercises.

I started working out after I quit my job but haven't done anything since I got the flu last week. Really need to kick myself back into gear. Getting the flu is what knocked me off my routine last year.

I cycled 130 km (80 miles) in 4,5 hours yesterday. On my new bike (bianchi). Not fast, but it was rather nice. I did the exact same trip last monday and this time I did much better. I should easily be able to do it in less than 4 hours in a few weeks/months.

I was planning to do 370 km (230 miles) in one day this summer. I'm hoping to be able to do that in 14 to 15 hours in total. Should be possible during the day time. I'm having some knee problems though, so I hope I'll manage to stay relatively healthy.

Fucking knees, we need to evolve something better.

My ankle sprain has cut my free-weight routine down to what I can do on the bench. Better to do part of my routine than nothing at all, right?

Fortunately, it seems to be healing up pretty well; I plan to hit the trails again within the next two weeks. Most likely the Saturday after next.

My issue is I want to gain weight but I also like taking long walks. Long walks along with my usual frenetic constant moving self is making me not gain any weight...I have gotten a bit more toned than I was but yeesh. I've started eating a lot more and drinking protein shakes, see if that SHAKES things up.

I have a problem gaining weight as well.  It seems that no matter how much muscle I build, I stay around 130-135.

Since the beginning of the year I've dropped 35 pounds down to ~185.  I haven't been able to go to the gym in the last three weeks due to my shitty gall bladder and I feel like garbage.  I've probably gained about 8 of that back.  This past week I've felt pretty good so I'm going to go back on Monday.  Wish me luck!

That's pretty good going.

I dropped 125 pounds in one year, myself...

...and gained 50 of it back over the next two years.

Fortunately, I'm back on a downward trend again, thanks to (largely) a more positive attitude, and getting a more regular and consistent workout routine in.


Could be the tequila consumption.  ;D

But yeah, it sucks when you just plain don't feel like doing stuff, be it for physical reasons or otherwise.


Hey, that's way better than gaining back all the weight you'd lost since the start of the year. Besides, as you get back into your routine, you should find yourself trending downward again. Just gotta stick with it is all.


More power to you, fine sir.

As for myself: Over the past couple days, I've been doing a few sets of standing free-weight reps without much complaint from the ankle.

I even upped the weight a bit on my bent-over-rowing and dumbbell-bench-press workouts, and added a set of ab-wheel reps so I can really feel the burn.

Gonna throw some balance-ball exercises into the mix, as soon as I get me a new balance ball.

I can't wait to get back up to full hiking health, since that's where the majority of my cardio comes from. It's also the most enjoyable part of my routine. Just another week to go...

Someday I should share the secret of how I went from 270 down to 190 in a single year.

You gave birth?

What, you never heard of amputation?

Actually, considering the recent tragedy in Boston, I probably shouldn't be bringing that kind of thing up.

Anyway, earlier this week I weighed in below 250 for the first time since the start of the year.

And I plan to hit the trails full-bore tomorrow. God knows the weather's awesome enough 'round here for that kinda thing.

FROST WARNING

Sucks to be where you are, huh?

ARE YOU SUGGESTING I AM NOT EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES?

You're The Infinite Leon, NOT The Omnipresent Leon.

Well, I only gained 4 pounds when I went back to the gym on Monday, bringing me up to 189.  I had to skip my normal Wednesday work out this week.  I started on the treadmill and got maybe a tenth of a mile into my run and everything cramped up at once.  I took that as a sign that I probably should take it easy until I'm back in the rhythm.

JUST STAY HYDRATED

Been lethargic as of late.  Going to hit the punching back 20-25 minutes for the rest of this week, as well as detox to be able to hit the gym the following week.

Celebrated my triumphant return to the trails by doing about 9 miles yesterday.

Been gettin' away from the free-weights routine, though-- need to get back on track there.

Especially seein' as how I'm 3 pounds up from last week's weigh-in...

Yeah, but everyone wants to know how your ankle is doing. Didn't you break it off or loose it or get a new one or something a few weeks ago?

It seems to be holding up pretty well after my little jaunt on Tuesday.

Though at one point I almost stepped on this fellow:

[img width=553 height=458]http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d3d8/61cct1eollj1ak96g.jpg[/img]

As soon as this California kingsnake was aware of me, he got into the defensive posture you see here, and pretended to be a rattlesnake by rapidly shaking the tip of his tail. I found that kinda funny.

Anyhoo: today I added a little more weight to several of my free-weight routines. For example, I upped the dumbbells I use for my dumbbell bench presses to 17.5 pounds each from 17. And yes, I'm aware that bench-pressing 35 pounds total is rather pathetic. But that's three sets of eight reps each, which is pretty good compared to three weeks ago, when it was two sets of ten reps with 25 pounds.

That is a great pic Dr. Norch!

Been plumpin' up over the last couple months, back up to 257. Been trying to get in at least 3 miles of hill-hiking a day, 4 days a week. I hit the trails in the late afternoon, and stay on the east side of the hills so I'm in the shade much of the time.

I need to get back to working out. Kind of fallen off what with vacations and all.

Went for a three mile run yesterday. It had been about two weeks since I had run and that time my calves locked up and I had to limp home the second half. Yesterday's run was awesome and quite frankly I really needed it. Nothing clears one's head like a nice satisfying long run!

That's happened to me on a few occasions near the end of a long hike. Though it usually happens more often in the middle of the night after a long hike, when I'm suddenly jolted awake by my lower legs spazzin' out. Weird thing is, it's become common enough where I know it's gonna happen a second before it hits, and I can at least brace myself.


Do you also seem to have more energy after a run? I know I usually do after a reasonably long hike. Weird, isn't it?

Speaking of: I gotta get my chubby self back on the trails one of these days. get away from all this high-tech stuff and get back to nature for a while...

Those lock ups are probably due to dehydration. DRINK MOAR WATER

I take about 3 liters of water on a hike, as well as a couple bananas and a quart of G2. I'll usually go through 2 liters of the water, both bananas, and most of the G2, and will gradually drink about a gallon of water for a few hours afterwards. Not sure if I can pack in much more than that.

Gotta love those endorphins. The best runs are the ones when I don't really feel like doing it, when I'm sluggish and tired, like after work. A nice run always shakes that off.

After spending a full day standing up and waling around at work, I rarely ever feel like hiking after the shift ends. Then there's the commute, getting my gear together, and driving to my fave trails before I even set foot in the dirt. After all that, getting up the motivation to just put one foot ahead of the other can be a monumental task for me.

But I hear ya about the best runs/hikes. I think it's due to looking back after you're done and being glad you powered through it. A real sense of accomplishment, as it were.

Absolutely. My running route starts and ends at my front door so it's a little easier for me in that respect.

Did 6.5 miles over some fairly steep rolling hills. Took a little over 3 hours to complete, which means my average pace has slowed down a bit. Probably should have stopped after 5 miles, though. Otherwise, methinks I'll rest tomorrow and try for a 3-miler on Thursday after work. Hope I have enough daylight to work with...

BTW still at 257. That food is just soooo tasty.

Nice job Zag.

I did the usual three miler last night. My respiratory and cardio functions are pretty much conditioned at this point so although I'm far from "in shape" at the moment, I feel like I'm on the right track.

Unless you're already where you want to be shape-wise, don't forget to change up your routine every once in a while. Don't wanna get complacent after all...

Excellent advice of course. I have a three mile route and a four mile route, I almost feel like I'm ready for six (three mile route twice) but I'd rather throw in some fours first. I'm just about ready for some sprint work too.

One thing I'm looking forward to getting back into is strength training. It's been so long since I did any that I hardly know where to begin. I will likely start with push-ups and pull-ups and ease my way back into everything else.

Hey now!

Didn't do diddly for exercise this week, except for a five-miler earlier today, and the results from this lack of activity were apparent when i weighed in at 260 earlier tonight. I was aiming for eight miles, but I got to a point where I knew I had to stop or I wasn't gonna make it back to the parking lot. I'm just not in the same shape I was when I was hiking 24+ miles a week, but I'm confident I'll get back up to my previous level.

On the upside: I've managed to stay off of all soda-- sugared AND diet-- since Wednesday, and caffeine since Thursday. I've been able to take the edge off the soda D.T.s by downing seltzer water every once in a while. On the downside: I've been drinking other fairly caloric beverages like orange juice and 1% milk. Back to the upside: I'm finding 1% milk too rich now, and I'm ready to go with skim... and drink much less of it. I'm also starting to eat whole oranges so I get the flavor and fiber without the concentrated calories of OJ.

I've also decided to embark on a personal challenge to walk and hike 1,345 miles-- and attain my goal weight-- by July 10th of next year. Last year I hiked 1,100 miles, so this challenge isn't too much more difficult. BTW there is a significance to the distance and end date, but I don't think anybody here really cares about the details. Besides, I've already got you all nodding off just reading the stuff above.

'Late

Hey now,

Latest weigh-in has me at 258. Good.

Completed the 8-miler I tried to to do last week, and probably dropped about 4 pounds of water weight in the process. Been gradually and constantly rehydrating since then. I don't think I'll have too much trouble getting around at work tomorrow.

Also been walking to the post office with my online sales three times this last week. It's a little over 3 miles round-trip, which I can knock out in about an hour, give or take a couple minutes.

Still been completely off the soda, but I fell off the no-caffeine wagon. Been having some form of it every other day, rather than daily.

No soda has helped me a ton, so bravo! Can't say the same for caffeine though. I have a little bit each day, relatively 2 cups of tea at work and none on the weekends.

I've been going to crossfit before work and we get into some pretty crazy workouts...

Yesterday before work I did 15 pull ups, ran 1.25 miles, 30 push ups, 30 curls, 220 double unders with jump rope and 50 toes to bar (literally hanging from pull up bar and touching my toes to the bar).

Today, I hurt. Tomorrow, I go back to the gym lol

Hate to admit it, but I've basically been substituting other caloric drinks for sodas, like milk and fruit juice. They're pretty close to the calories-per-serving that soda has, but I probably don't have to worry as much about my teeth rotting away.

Still got a bit of the sugar jones in me, too. Been trying to calm that down with soft-chew bubble gum like Big League Chew or Bubble Tape. Do so much chewing that it hurts when I try to eat later in the day.  ;)


I tried the cold-turkey route with caffeine. I was okay a full day without, but halfway into the second, I got the usual pressure headache right behind the eyes that usually comes with caffeine withdrawal. I've since been indulging every other day. It appears to be something I have to wean myself off of.


Gettin' ready for when the Bad Mudder comes to town?  ;D

I wish I could do just one pull-up or push-up. I've never been able to do that, ever. God, how pathetic is that? I figure I will eventually, but I'm focusing primarily on the cardio thing. As soon as I feel comfy enough to add strength training to my regimen, I'll start that up. I'm aiming for the beginning of next year.


I woke up expecting to be pretty achey, but aside from some stiffness in my right ankle-- the one I sprained recently-- I wasn't  too bad off. I did, however, wake up fairly thirsty, which is not unusual. And whatever troubles I had moving around in the morning, disappeared at the workplace where I spend all day standing up and walking around.

Whelp, time for that walk to the nearest post office with a few recent small scores I've resold online...

Well, I guess I didn't do bad for my first real time in months(although I have a blister the size of my pinkie nail on my ankle)

[img width=700]https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1147544_701171816566687_1838677740_o.jpg[/img]

Milks and juices are fine, its really the sugars that kill ya. Sugars and sodium just absorb water and that never helps. If it weren't for Tough mudder shocking the crap out of you I would be all for it.

I was in the same place as you, Zagnorch, a little over a year ago. I started with these: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/10_minute_trainer.do?e=b148&gclid=COec_fCYgrkCFepFMgodwG4A9A&code=SEMB_GOOGLE_TMT&s_tnt=48360:3:0

It's not exactly cheap, but it is a very easy workout program and great to get started. After that I started working into more advanced stuff but also focusing on cardio. You'll get there though, keep up the great work!

Before I hike, I put Body Glide all over my feet and other parts that will experience a lot of rubbing. You should be able to find it at any major sporting goods store; a stick or tube of liquefied powder runs about $10 a pop. Which might seem expensive, but is well worth it.

I recommend the liquefied powder over the stick type, as it applies much more easily. If you're near a Sports Authority, they carry just about every variety you can think of. Big 5 just carries the stick kind. New balance specialty stores have a New Balance-branded Body Glide stick, which is softer than the one Big 5 carries.



http://www.bodyglide.com/

Been walking ~3-5 miles a day. Exploring the neighborhoods around my new place in depth, finding the secret routes and such.

Today is the first time I didn't feel like I was going to die after the workout. Lots of shoulder presses at 95lbs and a little ab and leg work in between.

Always good to have an escape plan should things go fucko bazoo.


Well, when it starts to get a bit too comfortable, that's the time for you to step up your regimen.

As for myself: a week of little exercise at all has me back up to 260. It doesn't help that I'll have a much busier than expected work schedule over the next couple weeks. Eh, I'll figure it out.

My local community center usually starts offering a yearly pass to its gym for $150. And they have a pretty diverse and extensive set-up, too. Definitely somethin' to look into.

Oh I've got my plans set. I just need more guns is all.

In that case, maybe your neighbors should have escape plans should you go fucko bazoo.  :gunpistols:

Still at 260. Mainly from no walks, hikes, or workouts at all. This is primarily due to work-- after the day's done, I just plain don't feel like doing anything. Gotta get over that, and at least take a walk around the block or something. One the bright side: maintaining is better than gaining.

I also broke down from a stressful work day and downed a Big Gulp. Fortunately, it was rather disappointing. I'll do my best to recall that disappointment the next time temptation calls.

As for the caffeine: I'm pretty much going without for two days, then having a little something on the third day.

I've been trying to get off the caffeine myself. I tend to go a few days, and if I get really tired at the start of work, I'll try to see how long it lasts before I grab some caffeine. I tend to last close to a week before I grab something, but recently I've been falling asleep sooner and not feeling as tired when I wake up. Unfortunately, woke up at 3am last night and didn't get back to sleep until 5:30am...damn sleep cycle's breaking down.

I joined the YMCA at the end of December. I'm hoping to lose around 50 points by keep a closer eye on what I'm eating (which I hate) and playing a lot of basketball (which I love). Wish me luck!

Quitting caffeine is actually really easy to do once you have the mindset for it, and once you realize caffeine doesn't give you any energy at all.

I had my last cup of coffee on November 3rd, 2013 and haven't had any since then. And I've been drinking coffee for nearly 10 years at around 4-6 cups of drip coffee per day.

The small "urge" to grab a cup of coffee in the morning faded after 2-3 weeks for me. Now I don't feel feel the need for coffee, ever.

You just have to stick to it and that first month will pass in a flash. After that it's smooth sailing really.

I applaud y'all's efforts to kick the caffeine.  Those of you who've deployed in the last few years know that energy drinks are abundantly available and drinking them becomes routine (Pre-mission Rip-It, mid-mission Rip-It, post-mission Rip-It) so I got used to a high caffeine level. What helped me cut back was to add up all the money I spent in a month on caffeine.  Add it all up and then think about what games you would have bought with that money.  Imagine how many copies of Silent Service you could buy!

I've been trying to lose weight since the last week in January and I'm down 18 pounds to 186.  Just 11 more pounds to go and I'll be at my goal.  I'm pretty sure I've got the flu right now, so this week doesn't look good.  I don't know if you've ever tried to go to the gym with a high temperature, but you don't get much done.

I finally got my hands on a treadmill. I never wanted to shell out for one but if I knew how much it was going to impact my life, I would have gotten one a long time ago.

In the past, my "off-season" would start around October, when I didn't feel like going outside to run. I would become slothy and sedentary until about April when I would say holy shit I need to lose some weight. By the time summer comes I'm just making a half-assed attempt to at least not look like a fat slug on my one or two annual trips to the beach.

Having a treadmill has changed all that. I'm going for long runs on it twice a week and walking almost all other days, with a normal lifting routine on running days.

I am now almost in the shape I want to be, and it's not even March! That's just with eating right since Jan 1 (cliche I know but I stuck with it) and working out since the beginning of Feb.

Some day I will live in an area where I can go outside year-round, but until then, I can't believe what a game-changer owning a treadmill can be.

Working some crazy hours lately so I have to hit the treadmill early in the morning. Did a little over two miles fast walking this morning starting at about 4:30am. God bless my wife for putting up with it. It's only temporary anyway.

Had a great heavy workout this past Sunday, going a little longer with my lifting routine and way longer with my run (7.5 miles). It felt great. Doing my heavy workouts only twice a week has made a huge difference in not only my performance and results but my mental attitude towards working out. I used to lift every other day, and run almost every day. For me that was a recipe for burn out. Now that I lift then run twice a week and either walk or rest on all the other days, I look forward to those heavy workouts and make the most of them when they come in a way I never have before. 

25 minute lifting routine followed by 3+ mile run at about 10min/mile pace.

Update! After a couple of months, I am now 20 pounds lighter. Feeling great!

Nice job man!

As for myself:
Sunday - 30min lifting routine followed by 5+ mile run.
Monday - rest.
Tuesday - 2 mile brisk walk.

Got myself a couple wimpy weights just to keep some tone on my arms while I'm not doing anything else strenuous in life.

Thurs - 20min lifting routine then 4+ mile run

I've been an off and on (mostly off) work out guyer my whole life. I've always been athletic, but always a bit underweight.

My goal: gain 10-25 lbs by August 1st. For me, this will be an immense challenge.


@ GrayGhost - Congrats on the running. I used to run a lot myself. It releases tons of endorphins and can be very instrumental in fighting depression, quitting drugs or alcohol, as well as it's obvious health benefits. That's why you feel so great after a run, it's a natural high.

I noticed above you bought a treadmill. If you choose to run outdoors, try to avoid running on roads or sidewalks or other hard surfaces. It's not good for your legs. You won't feel it now, but when you're an old man you're knees will be as stable as marshmallows.

If you or anyone else needs advice on breathing techniques, proper form, stretching, curing shinsplints, etc. feel free to pm me.

Thanks Jerry,

I've been struggling with that fact that long distance running really kills the body for years now. I used to run six miles six days a week, sometimes more. Now I have been running only twice a week and may cut that down to once a week if I can stay conditioned that way. I intend to ramp up how much walking I do and pepper in some sprint work but as far as long distance endurance training I really only want to be conditioned enough to run a particular 5K I do with a buddy of mine every year in July. 

To be honest I have already seen better results doing more anaerobic training (though no more than twice weekly) and less aerobic training.

I'm wrestling with the idea of posting some before/after pics here, if ya'll want to see me with no shirt on ;)

Yeah I feel like there's going to be an epidemic of bad knees in about 30 years. Seems like freakin every 20-30 year old middle-class white person I know is galloping about all day eery day. Not to mention the fact that they're going to be fast freakin zombies.

I just walk 3-5 miles at a brisk pace most days and do some weight cardio at home. It doesn't murder the body so much and still gets the heart pumping.

I used to run all the time, but on soft surfaces because I get shin splints really easily if I run on pavement.  Other than that, I only lift dumbbells now.  I used to go all out and work out for hours at a time, but I don't care anymore and lift a few days a week now.

It's a Gym thread. I think that no shirt is one of the hazards people should have to endure. :P

So that would explain why so many movies/games feature fast zombies these days. I wondered where they came from.

Sounds like an invitation to me! Coming soon...

So I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill two Saturdays in a row. Right around 27 minutes both times. Not great by any means but to me that proves I can run a 5k only once a week and still stay in running shape.

It was almost nice enough to run outside today. Once I can do that I will really start trying to work on my pace.

Haven't checked in here in a while, but I've kept up the same routine I wrote about a few times already. Actually will be running a 5K on May 10 in addition to the one I do in June. Looking forward to it.

Very much enjoying doing my walking/running outdoors when possible.

I'd gotten pretty lax in my walking over the brutal winter. Back into now that it's tolerable outside.

I did get some weights to toss around while I'm otherwise non-active. They've helped in keeping me toned-ish.

I started running and cycling recently, to get in better shape. Mostly cycling though, because of the risk of injury with too much running. I run once a week, if that. I try to get on the bike 2-3 times a week.

Ran in the Dora Pederson Memorial 5K in Newton, New Jersey this morning.

Came in second in my age group and 25th overall with a 22:49. I am very happy with that.

^ Very nice time. My 5K PR is 25:42 according to Strava. Which isn't bad, considering I started running 3 months ago.

Thanks Sirgin!

That reminded me I didn't post about another 5K I ran two weeks ago, the Chief's Challenge in my current town of Hopatcong NJ.

Here I am at about the halfway point:
[img width=700 height=459]http://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10479928_811839888827565_1867640202789983637_o.jpg[/img]

Here I am motoring towards the finish line:
[img width=700 height=466]http://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/10498502_811840128827541_7231142160171730946_o.jpg[/img]

And here I am crossing the finish line with my time of 23:30
[img width=700 height=466]http://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10325575_811765335501687_3214373002690946636_n.jpg[/img]

Finished 13th overall (out of about 220 participants) and third in my age group. You'll notice the time I got is almost a minute worse than that last 5K I ran, but that one was on a flat highway where as the Chief's Challenge is hilly as hell, so I'm really happy with this time.

Just think of how much time you could have shaved off if you hadn't been show-boating for the photographer. ;) Nice job, sir. Makes me want to sign up for one of the runs out here again. Unfortunately, I have put on almost 100 pounds since getting married, so it would take some work to get back in shape. ha ha

Went on my first hike since my ankle became arthritic. With the aid of a hiking pole, I managed two miles on some lightly hilly ground. Felt pretty good about going that far after six months off the trails, even though it took me almost twice as long as before.

Signed up for a biggest loser type competition at work so I could hopefully win some prizes while I try to get in shape enough to keep up with my rapidly growing children. Started out at 231 back in July, got down to 209 at my first weigh-in last month. I weigh in again on the 16th, but since I haven't been exercising at all, I doubt diet enough will put me below 200 again this time. I need to get my speed bike out and get a few trips in while I can since the snow has already started here in Denver.

Weighed in at 197.2 on the 16th for a total of 34 pounds lost in two months. Sadly, once again just from diet alone (really need to make an effort to exercise more, maybe I could cheat a little on the diet if I did)...I really must have been eating a lot more than I thought to have gained so much over the last couple years but also to be able to drop it so fast as well. Once this competition is over, I will definitely be eating a lot of what I miss and going to buffets again, but probably cutting back on all the soda and Kool-Aid I had been consuming prior to my entering the competition.

Boshamp, I'm happy for you, but do you think you might be better off sticking with a healthy diet after the contest is over?

What you wrote kind of looks like "I haven't had a cigarette in three weeks. I can't wait until the month is over so I light up a pack a day again!"

I wouldn't say I eat unhealthily, but I eat a lot. I have a good diet of all different types of foods and love veggies and "Health" foods, but my real problem is that I stopped exercising. I used to ride my bike to and from college 3 days a week, in addition to being an amateur MMA fighter/boxer. I used to eat between 10-12,000 calories a day, and never went over 160...but then I got married, stopped fighting and stopped riding. I have been steadily gaining weight over the past 7 years and once I hit 240 and realized my 4 year old had more energy than I could keep up with, I decided to diet. Since I am no longer able to exercise as I used to, all I can do is eat a little less than normal once I get down to a normal size. My metabolism will hopefully do what it should in digesting it all well...at least until my kids move out. :)

My ankle has calmed down enough where I'm able to hike again. Which is good, 'cuz I'm dangerously close to 280. I've been doing a certain 2.5-mile route every other day for the last two weeks, and plan to move it up to a full 3-mile route by the start of next week. The grade's moderately steep, and on reasonably smooth ground. Other than that, it was pretty awesome hitting the trails again after several months away. Just gotta pace myself, which I think I'm doing quite well.

I haven't run outside in months, but today it's about 45 degrees and sunny out, and I'm already warmed up from my first (and fucking last) leaf-raking of the season. I think I'm going to go for it!

DO IT! Rake those leaves like there's no tomorrow!

In my neck of the woods, it's sunny with nary a cloud in the sky. Temps expected to be in the mid sixties. Combine that with a day off, and it's a great day to get my flabby self on the hikin' trails. Though I should probably mow the lawn first...

Has anyone noticed that fat people tend to call normal sized people skinny? I weigh 200 lbs, and am 5'11"- according to every BMI calculator I've seen and every chart in the military, I am "overweight". I got called skinny by a couple guys at work who both have guts, LOL. I was tempted to make a fat joke but I just avoid conflict at work unless it's something that truly needs saying.

I'm five-eleven myself, and 200 pounds is my current goal weight to reach at the end of 2015 (I'm presently at 285). IIRC I think the healthy weight range for that height is supposed to be between 170-185 for men, depending on type of body frame and other factors. However, after talking to my doctor, we agreed that 175 might be a little too light for me. Should I make my goal weight and not find it "svelte" enough, I'll just set a new goal weight of 190.

Not trying to tell you guys what to do, but weight is not necessarily a good metric for health. I haven't weighed myself in years and as matter of fact my wife and I threw away the bathroom scale a few months back because neither of us used it. Furthermore, BMI is bullshit.

Anyway, Dear Gym Diary:

I have changed my strength days from Sunday and Wednesday to Monday and Thursday. Sunday has become a complete rest day, which is awesome. Saturday I run, so the detrimental effects of running won't contaminate either strength day. So last night I lifted, tonight and tomorrow I walk the tread briskly for two miles, and so on.

I also stopped pairing my strength training with treadmill walks. I used to have it in my head that I had to pair the two, but a few weeks ago I decided to skip the tread on a strength night and just "go hard" into the lifting and I'm pretty sure that has been a good decision.

I did end up running last Saturday afternoon like I posted about and it was glorious. I almost burst into tears as soon as I started because it had been such a damn long time since I've had a "real" run and it felt so good.

I don't think weight is a good indicator either. I think how you feel when you look in a mirror, naked, and how winded you are after going up the stairs is a good indicator as to how healthy you are.

Amen. That's precisely how I feel. Good luck in the new year my man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4i8SpNgzA4

I'm gonna pick up a treadmill today I saw off of Craigslist. It's the only way I can run because I work long hours and the gym is far away (I refuse to run outside, along the street, for various reasons)

Good luck man. As I described somewhere earlier in this very thread, getting a treadmill was one of the best things I've ever done in my life.

What reasons?

Sup gents

I kicked into running mode and did my normal 8 mile run to start the season today.

Bravo! Do it. Do it!

I'm training for my first 5K of the season on May 2. Gotta dig up some records to see what my PR is so I can smash it.

Well that was hard, LOL. Psyched for this race. I'm gonna go all out.

Ended up slightly improving on last year's time with a 22:21. Was hoping for sub-22:00, which would have been a PR, but I'm very happy with this time. It was a great race.

Here's a post race pic of me and my boy Andre with our hardware. I got third in my age group and he was first in his with a time of 22:15.

[img width=541 height=461]http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11020836_10152993439708375_8991786944476521491_n.jpg?oh=3334a1e8d74349421ea884eb4b227a8c&oe=55CF4F03&__gda__=1440259174_b205a90488372c85b6e72642e0c16e8d[/img]

my girlfriend got me one of those tourist-y local walking guide books, with about 60 different walks around the city. decided to make it a habit to do one of them every week, it's nothing strenuous but i tend to almost power walk most of the time because i can't stand going places slowly. really enjoying it as each walk in the book has a short description of the park or area around the walk, including pointing out local historic landmarks that are worth checking out. most of the things mentioned in the book i knew nothing about, so i'm getting to know my city a lot better through this.

i agree with the above conversation about weight and BMI, especially weight. muscle weighs more than fat. that being said, if you're really overweight and you know it's mostly fat then having a number to aim for as a goal would really help with motivation, as long as it's reasonable. a vague goal of "i want to look like this in the mirror" or "i want to do this many stairs without straining" is a lot harder to visualize as you're working towards it IMO.

also this is my first post in The Gym forum! the last forum on rfgeneration that i had yet to make a post in, excluding the april fools temporary ones.

I rode 323 km in one day (200 miles) on my bike. I'm quite happy with that. Riding over 300 km in one go was one of my goals this year.

I am participating in a weight loss competition at work that runs from February through the middle of April.  I'm not making much headway, because I haven't been able to go work out nearly as much as I want, due to my wife being out of town and me having to stay at home with our foster boy, but I'm making some progress.  I started at just a shade under 300, and am slowly whittling that down.  I have begun to exercise much better portion control, have eliminated sugary drinks almost entirely (no soda, and only the occasional sweetened tea or lemonade type of drink), and have cut down to almost no sweets with, or between meals.  My eventual goal is to get down to 175.  I was 195 when I graduated high school, and 185 when I got married a year later, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.  Ultimately, once I'm down to that weight, I would intend to gain a few pounds back via weightlifting and such, so that it's all muscle mass.  Not sure where that would put me, but honestly, as gbpxl said, at 5'10" I'd be okay at 200 pounds if I was mostly muscle.  I would like to get back to a 34" to 36" waist again, so shopping for pants is easier, and also be able to have choice again when shopping for shirts.  I pretty much have to buy 2X or 3X now, depending on the shirt (sometimes my work polo shirts have to be 3X because they shrink after 2 washes).  This would also allow me to go back and wear some of my old concert shirts, which would be great.  In any event, I've been trying to work in this general direction now the last couple months, and hopefully I can continue to make progress over the next few months.  I'd like to be down 50 pounds by mid-year.

My wife's looking to lose ~100 pounds (she's at 265 now after being on Prednisone for a year and gaining 50 pounds), but she keeps getting sick just after we start getting back into the swing of things. We're trying to switch over to the Paleo diet, as she was recommended a specific form of Paleo (Auto-immune) to help with being sick constantly as well as help lose weight. Trying to get on a schedule for walking.

I put on 55lbs since open the store 2.5 years ago. I used to be in extremely good shape when I first opened and was 6'1" and weighed about 180lbs. In the middle of December I started hitting the gym again eating much MUCH better. Have lost nearly 35lbs of that already. Its been really great to fit into old clothes again and just feel better all around.

How's your weight loss challenge going Metal? Still sticking with it?

Lost a little over 100lbs a few years ago, and have slowly put on about 20 of them back on, got into the world of ultra trail running and drinking beer, just finished my longest distance yet of 40 miles at the Labor Pains Endurance Race this past weekend. Sooooo Soreeeeee right now

[img width=700 height=933]https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21272120_10155276122374300_7202463294422868094_n.jpg?oh=82ea78d86b434926e58cdac200827cef&oe=5A1D8DC2[/img]

I took swim lessons in my teens and my least favorite part was walking barefoot from the locker room down the hall to the pool. I was so grossed out by the feeling of walking on soggy water other peoples feet left on the floor. Plus that hall wasn't too clean feeling and it had little chunks of dirt you could feel walking on it, nasty.

lol, funny thing as to feet themselves pertaining women is I have a foot fetish. I said I was bi in another topic but I still only like feminine feet. Mind you, we are talking dozens of strangers of all ages, yes it was open to all ages, my most memorable moment was an old guy in like his 70s grunting and letting out a huge fart that echoed when I was changing in the locker room. And all sorts of levels of hygiene as far as taking care of/washing feet. My own dad had fungus so theres no telling as far as strangers go. I never used the shower either, I just did it when I got home right away and of course didn't use the same clothes.

I ended up having to stop because I developed an allergy to the chlorine eventually that I didn't have to start. In my late teens my body had a transformation where it became allergic to things I hadn't been to before reacting in hives on the skin such as peanuts and too much other food to name and a skin condition I have called eczema got worse. Yet I grew out of allergies to dog and cat hair which I am happy for since I love my cat who was a stray. So the body is an odd thing.

Edit: As far as in high school goes I managed to always have gym as my last period so I didn't have to go to class sweaty. I just took a shower when I got home, which I never stayed after and did anything after school, my anti social self.

I wish I could say I was, but sadly, I fell way off the wagon, and am basically back to the weight I started at. I'm still keeping refined sugar intake to a minimum, eating salads at lunch, that sort of thing, but haven't been motivated much to get out and exercise. I need to, I just can't bring myself to change into workout clothes when I get home from work. Almost 6 months into my new job, and I'm still drinking from the fire hose, so with the mental exhaustion I come home with after work, I'm not as motivated to get out and walk. I did finally locate all the parts to my weight bench, however, so I may assemble that and see if I can work a bit of lifting into the equation. My big thing is just starting a routine and sticking with it. I have a hard time getting going. Once I've started, and developed that habit, it's easier to just keep doing it, because it becomes part of a consistent routine.

For about 8 months I have started lifting weights and working out. I haven't lost a lot of weight but all my cloths fit way different. I have been converting fat into muscle.

My personal best are:

Deadlift: 365 lbs
Back squat: 275 lbs
Bench press: 235 lbs
Zercher front squat: 205 lbs(so so painful)


Anyone else here lift weights?

I have my weight bench set up in my apartment, but haven't used it much.

Get to it!!!!

Back in college I took two semesters of weight training, swimming, fencing, and scuba diving.  After college, my Beloved and I joined a gym for about a year but when the kiddos were born, we just couldn't fit it in.

Fast forward many fits and starts until about nine years ago, when I started regularly on the indoor bike.

These days, I don't lift weights per se, but I do have an arm/upper body workout I do for twenty minutes five days a week, probably increasing to 6 days a week soon.  I also practice guitar for an hour a day for six days a week, which is definitely a workout ;)  And as I've mentioned long ago, I still do ten miles a day on the highest tension of our recumbent bike for six days a week.  Thankfully I've been able to structure my day to fit this 2.5 hour block of time, generally in the mornings after I get everyone in the house out the door to work/school.

I had to start the upper body stuff due to some weird, slow muscle degeneration thing my body started around five years ago.  I was losing muscle tone and strength, random muscles were twitching all of the time, bones in my hips, arms, hands were locking up out of place, and in general I started having some small problems that were becoming major problems.  Went to several specialists, had a nerve conduction test, lots of blood work, all sorts of stuff.  The final analysis was... yup, something weird going on, but nothing that was showing up on the test markers.  I was literally told to come back when I showed a new severe symptom.

So, I changed my died to eat a little better, added an upper body workout to my bike workout, had a lot of people pray for me (including me,) and stopped worrying about it.  Sure enough, now I don't have the same level of degeneration (it is still happening to some degree, but it is offset somewhat.)  I can finally play guitar chords I'd lost the ability to play for awhile, and I have more natural energy to spend time with my family.

Long story short, I only lift 15 lbs weights for my upper body, but I do so with several exercises daily and I focus on stamina as opposed to muscle mass reps.

WOW slackur that is a lot of working out a day! Nice work!

Thanks! Lol @'died' instead of 'diet'
Yeah, for working out every day it is disappointing to not see more muscle building, but it seems to be staving off whatever degenerative thing my muscles are doing, so hey, I'll take it!  Plus, my bike workout is the time I get to play video games every day :D

I also haven't lost weight but have noticed over the years my belly converting to upper torso definition and my arms gaining some tone.  My Beloved has noticed too ;)

Kudos to your hard work, and those are nice numbers.

Thanks

I have lost some weight thanks to switching to a more ketogenic way of eating, so that has helped. I just haven't ramped up workouts yet.