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2005/04/03, 09:34 PM
Hello all this is my first post, so again hello all. I have been looking for fitness forums to chat with, learn and help self assure myself.
Quick backstory (but with me that means it wont be that quick). I have always been heavy. In 10th grade I was 280 lbs (I am between 6 ft to 6ft 1 inch tall depends on who is measuring me). A friend got me to promise him to join the cross country team if I didnt make the junior high baseball team. Sure enough I didnt make it and I had 2 and a half months to get to running 3+ miles, when I had a hard time going up steps. By the end of the cross country season I was running 3.2 miles in under 19 and a half minutes. I no longer weighed 280 lbs I now weighed 195-200 lbs. Of course crud happens and I found myself a few years later weighing 230 lbs, I went on a weight management program and went down to 210 lbs. I wont go on and on here. It just happened over and over. Finally a few years ago I had a big life problem and it went downhil or uphill for weight. I found myself last year topping out at 348 lbs.
I finally let my doctor get me to a nutricionist (sorry about the spelling). With some tweaking I found I was able to cut out about 4 lbs a month by stopping drinking regular sodas, I was drinking up to a 6 pack or more a day. Then I let my doctore get me to walk. I was walking like 30 minutes a day (only a mile and half or a tad more). In three months I had lost 24 lbs. Then I had life bite me in the butt again.
I have a history of mental illness, and it finally peaked and I needed to go into a hospital. I tell you that because it threw me out of my walking schedual and more importantly the great psychiatrists prescribed me medicines which caused me to gain 20 lbs back over the next 4 months. I am tryin to get away from all those rotten medicines (The ones that caused the weight gain are gone now).
This leads me to now. I went into the current exercise/lifestyle plan at 221 lbs. In a tad over 3 weeks I went back to my doctore (who is a partial motivator for me) and I weighed 216. Good start 5 lbs, but I would like more.
So I am posting this long winded "quick message" to tell what I am doing and see what others think of it. Plus to help to maybe reduce my self doubts and negative thoughts, such as those 5 lbs lost are because of the doctores scale or I am dehydrated.
I go straight to the treadmill when I get to the gym. I am currently at 3.7 mph for 50 minutes (I am going to try it at 3.8 starting tomorow morning, monday). From there I go to the weight machines. Since I have done the strength and size building things before I decided to lean myself first then see what I may want to do. I just do toning exercises and I spend roughly 35-50 minutes on the machines. I work all the main muscle groups and then what secondary ones I can.
I have changed my eating by 180 degrees. I was eating out at mostly fast food for so long now I havent eaten any burgers or chicken from the fast food chains in a couple months. I eat salads all the time now, even converting to the no fat dressings. I eat predominatly low fat foods, like 90+% of the time. I still wont drink regular soda instead I drink diets, but I have dropped that number now. I do need to up my water though. The diet part, although I am mostly not hungry now so I dont consider it a diet, makes me wonder if I should be showing more results than just 5 lbs.
Just wondering what others thought, probably very confused as to the length and meaning of it but oh well.
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2005/04/03, 11:43 PM
Good Luck with your goals. Sounds like you are on the right track.
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2005/04/04, 03:55 AM
I am not sure what you mean by toning exercises - are you doing high reps?
You will probably be better off doing "the strength and size building things" if this means lower reps.
Let me know if I've misunderstood :)
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2005/04/04, 06:14 AM
yeah can u put ur exercise routine here for us.. i'm sure the knowledgeable guys will tweak it for u if it needed to be tweaked..
and keep up the good work.. u r on the right track.. just don't give up.. and little by little.. everything will go to the right place... even those 5pounds are achievement..
congratulations....:)
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A life worth living is a life lived with honor and dignity..bow to no moral and bowed by none.. THATS ME
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2005/04/04, 01:33 PM
keep going - sounds like you are getting things in the right spot - 2 lbs a week is the most you should lose
Keep a diary of what you eat & when - I believe they say to try to eat 13x your wieght if you are a guy trying to lose (10 if you are a girl - you didn't say & no profile) I was wondering if you might had put yourself in starvation mode - How many calories are you eating??
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Reddy
All people smile in the same language
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2005/04/04, 03:58 PM
I would drop the sodas...drink water....or tea/coffee(freshly brewed not the can kind...those are worse than soda on your tooth enamel)...
I'd drop the dressings(low fat dressings are still high in fat....to be labeled as such...the companies must fit a certain criteria like 50% (that FDA sets)of normal dressing in terms of fat...but if regular dressing has 20g of fat...you're still getting 10g with this 'low fat' variety) altogether and use a bit of virgin olive oil or vinegar, or lemon juice...
To help you stick with the diet/exercise...make sure it becomes routine and part of your life/lifestyle...a part of you so you can't just stop any time when the mood strikes you...plan meals ahead of time...even a week in advance if you have to....plan your workouts in advance....set goals for yourself......challenge yourself....
To get more productive results from weight training I suggest you switch to freeweights and to supplement use cables/machines....you will have to learn form and start slow but your results will be much better.....with freeweights your whole body will constantly be working to support and assist the working muscles....with machines you don't get the benefit of working these auxillary muscles like your core/lower back.....start doing big compound exercises to build a base of strength...it will help you lose weight faster and function better in your life....machines have their place...but I really recommend you switch to free weights
Squats
Deadlifts
Cable Pull Downs/Pull Ups
Dips/Close Grip Bench
Rows
Barbell Curls
good luck with your exercise/nutrition
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