The Gym Diary

[MetalFRO]

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.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

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.

[Crabmaster2000]

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?

[CKsGallery]

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]

[RobotWillie]

I also shower at home. I dont think I have ever used my gyms bathroom facilities for any reason whatsoever.

For those that shower at the gym, do you shower barefoot? I dont think I could do that. I would be too freaked out about so many things.

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.

[MetalFRO]

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?

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.

[Tynstar]

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?

[MetalFRO]

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

[Tynstar]

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

Get to it!!!!

[slackur]

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.

[Tynstar]

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

[slackur]

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

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.

[Tynstar]

Thanks

[MetalFRO]

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.