Fit Nerds!

[Kaspyn]

So, in the spirit of New Year's "resolutions" and all that jazz, I thought I might poke around and see who all said one of their goals was one of the following:

-Get in better shape
-Workout (again, more, whatever)
-Get healthy

I noticed a few of us put down some sort of fitness/health goal in the new year's resolutions thread, so I thought hey...I may not be a theorycrafter, a math nerd, a programmer, or anything else really fancy but...I actually know some stuff about fitness and health and all that.

I am in no way claiming I am some sort of "guru" or even close to being where I'd personally like to be...so, this thread is mostly about supporting each other in a different aspect of our lives: health and fitness.
I know a lot of people don't like to think about health or fitness and the impact health and fitness has on our daily lives. From weezing while climbing up your stairs to not being able to chase your kids to cutting your life short from eating too many french fries and too much Diet coke, I think a lot of us have been there.

I, personally, have been on quite the journey this past year and I'd like to share my experiences and knowledge with you all, if you're interested. If you are interested, then we can support each other and make this a "safe space".

So, if there's anyone out there at all who is interested in jumping on the bandwagon with me, feel free to do it here. And if you have questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[Thovarisk]

I have been trying (not that seriously) for almost a year while going to a specialist (not a nutritionist) and I'm just not disciplined enough... guess I'll have to pump myself out to start working out seriously now and restart my strict diet instead of cheating out of it lol...

 

[greeneguy]

You know how I started working out regularly? It all started out with a psychology experiment..I got paid to work out. And it went from there. Best thing that ever happened to me. Even so, Id love to get tips and advice on how to maintain my health as far as eating goes and maybe some fun gym workouts instead of just running!!

 

[tr1age]

I love and hate fitness. Love it cause it makes me feel good. Hate it because it is a pain in the arse.

I have quite a few stories

My first story:

Firstly, don't laugh too hard at the dumpling version of me in the first image. Second, this is not an ego thing, this is just me excited about my progress and wanting to share for those who would like similar results.

The weird stigma about working out is when you don't do it you usually look down on those who do or are excited about it. We usually say they are meat heads or whatever. But in truth I think there is some weird cultural thing that causes us to be against it when we aren't doing it. But when we ARE doing it we just wanna scream to EVERYONE about how it can improve their life. Same for anything like this really.

So anyway that is the reason behind this.


So long story short, I used to be a dancer in NYC and was always very active and had a lot of clothes I loved(excuse me for sounding like a girl here) when I came to California. A lot of clothes that also identified me with my roots of a NY’er and for anyone not from here that is important.
Well like everyone at a Deskjob I gained the 5-10 lbs a year for 3 years soon being 25 lbs over my weight when I got here.

AHHHHHH!!!

I felt like shit, ended up smoking to try to control the weight after quiting for 5 years, and had many stomach problems. This also sucked cause I worked camera riggings often and was very out of shape to be running around convetions all day trying to get the shots I needed. I lost a lot of confidence in myself and didn't recognize myself in a mirror.

Anyway I put all my clothes in a tuppaware and swore one day I would get my ass back in gear. Well as we all know through crunches, laziness, and the tastey foods offered to us, I failed miserable.

So finally 3 years later I looked up personal trainers and ran across Jungle Fitness. I was super afraid of the personal trainer route because it costs money and you never know if they are good, overcharging, and just plain gonna suck at their job and be looking at their watch to when your hour is over.

So after a lot of research I found one of the cheapest personal trainer facilities in Irvine but with the most amazing results I had seen in REAL pictures of REAL people I have met. I met with Jon Jung the head of Jungle Fitness and he introduced me to Bon Gomes my "to be trainer". They had amazing energy and were willing to meet me on the schedule I needed. The facility was really cool, very open and didn't seem MEAT HEADED or hamster cage like. The trainers were not in my face, and weren't trying to sell me on shit I didn't want. I told them of my prior lifestyle and my body type and specifically said I did NOT want to get RIPPED or BULKY and they immediately told me how they could do it so I was lean and could get my dancer body back! So I signed up and well as you can see the results were quick and they didn't lie!

Not only that but instead of going: HEY EAT THIS right off the bat, they had me make my own diet and bring it in after a week or two. #1 this is NOT your everyday workout, the first day I puked. Which was a combination of me trying to get off the patch and just being plain out of shape for soo long. But understand this, for me EVERYDAY is a challenge and can hurt or be a mental game, but it isn't about the pain you feel or the fact that you are ALWAYS challenged it is your own small achievements that keep you going. So even though 4 weeks in ypou are still struggling to keep up with what you trainer is asking you to do, he is constantly keeping you from plateuing ; so maybe week 1 you could do 1 pushup, well week 2 you all of a sudden can do 15 but you better be damn sure your trainer wants you to do 25! But this is what keeps you moving forward and progressing, this is the difference between fighting your own motivational needs and having someone help you along with them!

#2 Your diet is important but you can enjoy TASTEY foods not bullshit muscle milk kinda crap. I mean if you want you can add protein shakes etc to enhance the process but it isn’t nessicary. The best part, is they have flexible times and with crunch and work being soo damn busy, I was able to do ALL of this diet and all DURING the biggest crunch before a show I had to do.

I used all the food available to me from the cafeteria for my diet, and I was eating 6-7 times a day, never hungry.

I went from a 38 waste, 185 lbs, and 25BMI to 33/32waste 171lbs and 15.5 BMI in 6 weeks.

So to me the small monetary investment I did for my well being was well worth it. Plus they have a great referral program that can make it so you can essentially work out for free! Sometimes, especially for me, it took an “investment” of sorts to get off my lazy ass and do something about it.

These guys are the real deal though, I signed up for 4 days a week at 1 hour. But they aren't checking their watch to see if the hour is up, they make sure you WORK that hour! They WANT ME to be in better shape. They care about how you are doing and not how much money they are making per client. I cannot praise these guys enough. They have a ton of energy, use email, txts, etc to communicate, and keep a record of your progress. Over the 2 months I have been here so far I have gone into single digits on most of my stats. They have even dealt with me getting frustrated on bad days and taking out my frustrations on them and keeping a positive attitude to keep me motivated to continue!

So yeah there is the short and skinny of it. (drum roll)
I guarantee you they will push you to new limits and get you to where you want to be, within your schedule and budget.
The positive of this too over say the P90X is you HAVE to leave your house and you can separate home from the gym and you also get more routines, less shit to make you get bored of the same ole same ole(every day I go in I have NO IDEA what we are going to be doing, it could be pulling a tire, running the mile, doing the physical fitness challenge who the hell knows, inside on the weights, outside on the mats, it is all over the place keeping it fresh.) Not to mention you have someone to help you go that extra mile and get you to conquer your own fears, ambitions etc.

The name of the Trainers Company is Jungle Fitness.

Their number is: 9493024939

And you will want to ask for Jon Jung. He got me started and we are pretty close now(through twitter updates haha). So mention my name if you do contact them and have them show you “The Jungle” haha. They have some a referral program as well so mentioning my name may be helpful to both of us! Just sit down with him take a look and maybe ask for a day to try it out see if it is for you. That is the most important thing, thinking of it like a lifestyle VS a quick fix. Cause if you find something you enjoy, workout and diet, you won’t have to worry about this day again.

It is liberating.

Hope this covers what you were looking to find out about it .

So all in all this is a good life choice and I wanted to share the results thus far.

Anywhooooo, I will keep updating my progress here. So feel free to check back

SHAMELESS PLUG: If you are interested in any aspect of my diet or workout plan feel free to hit me up. I would love to help ya get started with the plan I am on as well there are all sorts of benefits like referrals etc, ok PLUG over lol.

Spoiler

My Second Story and most recent:


So it is hard to explain what I have been up to for my health the last month without judgement and misconceptions, but I wanted to share regardless. And for those of you who do not understand Anxiety or medication that goes with it, look it up before you judge.

The simplest way to start this is to say, I never look at the “New Year” as a moment where you make major life changes, I find myself always feeling like the “New Year” is actually the middle of the year. This year however, it just happened that right after the family gatherings, money spending for presents, hiatus of work due to holidays, departure of tourists from an already crowded city, massive amounts of unhealthy food(but food you cannot say no to because it is made with love), family crisis’s with my Grandmother going into the hospital for health issues, personal exploration into a past that remains hidden, tears, panic, stress, etc, right after it all there was a moment where the stress was at an all time low.

And my body and mind were ready for the next step.

So let’s talk about the hardest part of a blitzkrieg of things that had to happen all at once in order for me to claim my health back: Medication.

When I was 19, something in my brain chemistry changed significantly where my normal anxiety got heightened.(turns out I had this all my life but never knew it) There are many theories I have for this, but the short and skinny of it, was I was no longer able to just be me in the terms that I had defined up until that point in my life. I was no longer able to go out without fears such as: where is the nearest bathroom, will I need to leave because I am having a panic attack, how quickly can I get home, will there be drinking.

Let me describe a panic attack for me. It is a feeling of nausea. I feel as though I am getting sick quickly to the point of having to throw up. Now the shitty part about this is I am not one of those people who can throw up to feel better. I actually haven’t thrown up from anything but food poisoning since I was 19. I am the call Mom, cry, and lay down for 3 days puker. Lovely I know.
So that feeling made it very difficult to go and do normal things, since nothing specific triggered this feeling of loss of control. Only those who have had panic can understand that it is not caused by situations of stress or obvious strife, you could be walking in a field of sugar fairies and making millions of dollars, but all of a sudden, BAM PANIC ATTACK.

Well, this is why it is hard to explain the start of a hard journey 4 and half weeks ago. If you don’t understand that at 19 I got insane panic attacks, went to see numerous therapists to try to figure it out, all of them not having a clue what was causing it. Attach the fact that I could no longer get drunk because I would panic, smoke pot because I would panic, go out as much because I would be afraid of panicing causing me to panic.. you have a cocktail for a very depressing moment in life where you just wish you could be you again.

Well after a year of it, I was able to accept the fact that who I was, was part of this. And I was able to overcome the panic, and learn it, understand it, and through strong helpful influences in my life, deal with them when they came. But it did mean changes of my lifestyle, changes I still hate.
You go to a bar with friends and say you don’t drink, you automatically get put into a straight edge category. This sucks specially when you are extremely outgoing and love people around you. There is some sort of stigma attached to it where you aren’t enjoying yourself if you are not drunk. Well guess what… now I love it. I save money, I don’t get hangovers, and I can drink a drink or two but I don’t need it to be me: energetic and open. Yes I have reservations and yes it used to help me like anyone else, but you learn to compensate. I actually get an almost associative drunk now with friends.

So then I graduated college and moved back home, and after 2 years of no serious panic attacks, I got the worst panic attacks of my life. I couldn’t leave the house, enjoy holidays, go out. So I decided even though it was ingrained in my mind for my whole life that drugs were bad to deal with issues, I had no other choice. I was prescribed Klonopin and Lorazopan. When this was happening I was on 3 MG of Klonopin Daily and the Lorazopan was if I spiked over the Klonopin.
Think of it like this: Your panic is a glass of water and each time you have an attack the water gets added to the glass, but there is no one drinking it after, so it builds up, causing them to happen more frequently and with more intensity as you get it more. The drug literally just allows you to drink the water and have an empty glass. It doesn’t make you weird or different it just allows you to be you.

Well it worked. And this was a big time in my life where I got my job out in California. Well turns out, once I got that job, moved a million miles away, the panic got under control more. I didn’t need the drug as much. Problem was my doctor was on the East coast and no one was seeing me on a regular basis to help me cut my medication down.

So I tried it on my own. I got all the way to 1 MG a day, and decided to cut to 0. Well if you look this one up, that is a BIG MISTAKE. You go through withdrawal very similar to heroin. And it was ugly, I made it 4 days before I had to go back on it so I could go to work and function, not from panic but from withdrawal. I won’t go into all the withdrawal side effects but it was ugly.
I felt like I failed, but I carried on. The drug wasn’t making me different, slow, or incapable, it was just there.

Well over the next 5 years, I was able to get it down to .25 or .5MG a day which was just enough to not have side effects, but I always questioned if it was needed, because I was learning through self exploration how to deal with panic attacks on my own. I also started smoking again, which seems to help me with stress. I had quit for 5 years prior to California. So it was a big set back, but it also opened social doors up and at my job opportunities as fucked as that sounds. So I continued on and off for my 5 years. At the same time I gained a ton of weight. I got all the way up to 200lbs.

For someone who was always skinny with the metabolism of a damn jack rabbit it was depressing.(lost that metabolism at around 20) I felt like shit, I looked like shit, and I always felt like someone else. I was never me in this new environment. No one knew me as I knew me.
Well it took me literally 3 and a half years to finally do something about it. I joined up with a trainer and started my claim to me again.

I had amazing results and not only did this new workout let me quit smoking cold turkey due to the endorphins, it also made me feel like me again. It also made me re-analyze EVERY aspect of my life, my job, my goals, the people around me, etc.

I am a very positive person and I realized my life style prior was not very positive.
The thing that really showed me was the negative attitudes of those around me when I lost weight. The true friends shined bright as they commended me and supported me. But the dark influences in my life looked at me with resentment. And that sucked. Because when you start to get healthy, you want to share, and help those around you.

Well I was also on my own crusade with the weight loss and decided to see how low I could go, because prior to my trainer I didn’t even know I could have abs. I thought, in shape for me was just skinny. Little did I know.

Well I pushed it to the limit and I knew it. Problem was with all the life changes I needed to implement, I started smoking again and well, that was not a good combo, because it curbs your appetite and the last thing I needed when burning 1000-2000 calories a day was to not eat.

Spoiler

That was me NOT healthy.
Well I knew I had to make changes again and quit smoking again once I cleaned my life of the stresses. Mind you the stresses were so strong here, I felt like if I didn’t smoke, I would not be making the right decisions and my withdrawal may effect it in a negative way making me question if I did it right. So once I was able to figure it out, I made the change.

Spoiler

That was me healthy again. And getting very strong.
I still looked at it as me heavier however. I have a very skewed sense of self image. I take pictures to keep track. And I am grateful for that.

Anyway, extremely long story getting to the point now haha. After this years Holidays and New Year, I saw this picture and decided I needed to do this again. But this time, take my time, and add a few wrenched into the journey.

I met a therapist that would help me cut my medication the right way and help me to feel safe doing it, guiding me the whole way. Problem is, I also wanted to quit smoking soo badly. Well I can’t do that without working out, which is hard for me. And I couldn’t do all of that without eating healthy. I am lazy, and it is hard to cook my own healthy food. My sister helped me out greatly so far with that by helping me cook food for every day.

So what did I do? All at once, I cut my medication to .25 a day, quit smoking, started working out, and revised my eating completely. One might look at that and say do it slower, not all at once, but my brain doesn’t work that way. I needed to do it all at once because they were all so tied to each other. Or you may look at it as these things are not that hard or connected, but they are all soo connected and difficult on a level that isn’t tangible. So for me I am extremely proud and excited for the next day everyday and the day of as well.

My brain was ready to take the leap to get off the medication completely. I am damn good at dealing with my panic attacks when and if they happen these days so I want to be free of the medication and see if I can do it on my own. If I cannot at least I know instead of just being reliant on the medication. But it will take time. Cutting it down slowly over the next few months with the right help. Plus the drug company was starting to limit the production of what I took and it is scary to not have something that gives you withdrawal. Regardless of having a panic attack or not, without it from .5 to 0 equals withdrawal that is worse than panic.

My brain was also ready to get rid of the cigarettes. Sometimes your body just doesn’t want them anymore and you have to capitalize on that. I had to see a friend of mine go through chemo treatments when she is super healthy and never smoked, and I watched her strength during it, and realized I may not be that strong. And while not a deciding factor it helped to get my head thinking it was time to attempt quitting again. My mother said it indirectly the other day in a way that I liked. I made the mistake of starting smoking, and I had to fix it. Because even though I like it, it is a mistake and it is extremely dangerous. Which you know as a smoker but you ignore anyway, part of which is because of the extreme addicting aspects of it. It blinds you regardless of side effects. Which let me list some so you can grasp what I would deal with to smoke:

1. Dulled smell
2. Dulled Taste
3. I smelled
4. My breath was horrid
5. Nausea in the morning
6. Frequent diarrhea
7. Coughing up nasty hard phlegm every morning
8. Constant clearing of my throat
9. The feeling of being winded
10. Higher intake of oxygen, making you breath smaller when not smoking
11. Mouth sores from the nicotine
12. Teeth discoloration(fixed this as well with a dentist prescribed whiting tray)
13. Habits of smoking right after using the bathroom, midway through a movie, on the phone, at a bus stop, after getting off a bus, after eating, before eating, 2 before a workout, 1 right after, waking up, going to sleep, the list goes on with this one.
14. Upset stomach often
15. Curbed appetite.
16. House smelled
17. Clothes smelled
18. TONS OF LAUNDRY
19. 300$ a month to smoke

So these are just some of the things I overlooked to smoke, because without being able to drink, smoke pot, etc, I felt like it was my only edge left. The only thing that made me sociably acceptable when out with friends. Yes I may not drink but I go on smoke breaks.

Anyway, after quitting for the 4 and a half weeks so far, I feel amazing. But I get afraid that without the cigarettes the results won’t be as good from working out. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but it would yield faster results due to not being as hungry. But I couldn’t push as hard, and why get into shape to just be aesthetically pleasing. So this whole time I have just had to trust my workout, and know I will binge on some days, and crack here and there with food, but there is no rush. The first month is your body tightening without as much physical to show, the second month is more physical show, and the third month is a huge step. And after that, since I have a longer plan, I should be in amazing shape, and feel soo much better.

And to reiterate, it was my mistake to start, so I must take action to fix it.(even though I think smoking has sex appeal and I enjoy it, I get so pissed that we allow them to be sold even as a smoker, because I know what I am struggling with, and wish others didn’t have to ever do this. And I wish people understood how hard it is to quit smoking, it is as addictive if not more than other drugs because it is allowed to be incorporated into every part of our lives, not only associating it with the basics but with who we are.) And this time around I feel great about it. I feel empowered. I don’t want to smoke. I want to hike, i want to breath fresh air, I want to smell the beach, I want to inhale big for fresh crisp air, not a drag of a cigarette. I have been able to make the act of smoking seem bad in my head vs something I miss this time around.

I also made my own workout routine this time, combining aspects from Crossfit, p90x, and Insanity. It is high intensity but very doable everyday. I look forward to it.
That mixed with the food I am eating, when i do break my diet, it is on healthy items, as I don’t own junk food in my house. So it is better to bing on some almond milk and cereal than 12 bags of chips or candy.

My stomach feels amazing too. I thought I might need to get scoped prior, I thought I was broken, but the cigarettes really had bad effects on me.

I am not getting anxiety, I have had a few small attacks just from my body gettings used to the cut in medication, but it is healthy and very deal-able. That is exciting for me. I feel empowered. I feel like I will be able to go to 0 when it is time and be OK.

The clarity I get from the workout and all these steps I mentioned is also letting me see more of the stuff in my past that may trigger this, and slowly but surely I am able to look at it without blocking it out completely, but that is another topic and something that will take a lot more time. But at least I see it and it isn’t so much of a “shit what if it just happens one day” thing that looms over you.
Day 1:

Spoiler

This is where I had to start from again. But this time I planned to do it differently. I plan to take my time. I have no rush to be ripped again, but I plan to be. I always lose weight in the winter and then gain in the summer. Which sucks Well not this time dammit.

I have 5 months to get to the last picture I showed you in the black tank top.
On top of that I take a picture everyday in an app on my phone called 365 days. It allows me to keep track of the progress. I also keep my weight and BMI so I know what is muscle gain and weight loss. Because in the beginning the muscle gain always cancels out the weight loss. It is important to know both so you know you are progressing.
This is week 3:

Spoiler

This was month 2-3

Spoiler

Month 3

Spoiler

So this is my progress so far. And it is a lot more than just losing weight. It is a health change in my life, my body, and my mind.

The quote that has been resonating in my head lately is:

You get out of it what you put into it!​

​

And how true that is. I am putting my heart and soul into this, and so I was worried to even write this, as I have no beaten anything yet, and I don’t want to jump the gun and make it sound like a victory. But I also appreciate the support, so I figured it was as good a time than any to share.
I will keep updating as it goes on, but so far, so great!

I feel great, I feel happy, I feel positive, and I feel strong.

And even though I am usually looked at with a very positive attitude I have days where I am deprressed, overwhelmed, and down. But even then I just remind myself to TRUST in the excercise, to trust in the eating, and to not put a time limit on this, as this is my life and it has to become my lifestyle to be successful.

I had my chance to push to the limit, this is not that time.

So there ya have it, my exciting journey continues, and I smile, cry, and sweat through it all!

I fluctuate, I fail, I succeed, but I always try.
P.S. As I have designed this workout and eating routine, if you have ANY questions feel free to ask away

 

[tr1age]

Oh and I totally forgot this from one of the beta weekends: http://www.alttabme.com/forum/index.php?threads/gaming-food-easy-fast-healthy.219/

 

[Thovarisk]

wow.... that was quite a LOT to go through Tristan but I'm happy to hear its working out for you and I'm quite impressed to be honest. Even though i quit smoking a few years back it was really difficult and sometimes i still get that "ummmm... a cigarrette..." then I mentally slap myself and its all good again.
Your story motivates me, even though I don't really have a plan at the very least tomorrow I'll start doing the 30min treadmill workout that I used to do sometimes and start an excel sheet to track progress, OH and most importantly I'm not gonna cheat on my diet anymore (damnit I love carbs) and maybe if everything goes well in a couple of months I'll join a gym and start weight training to build muscle, right now the plan is to cardio cardio cardio and lose weight... if I had to guess I'd say I weight somewhere around 330lbs (yeah i have really fucked up on my diet these last few months)

I'll keep you guys posted, maybe that will motivate me.

 

[tr1age]

wow.... that was quite a LOT to go through Tristan but I'm happy to hear its working out for you and I'm quite impressed to be honest. Even though i quit smoking a few years back it was really difficult and sometimes i still get that "ummmm... a cigarrette..." then I mentally slap myself and its all good again.
Your story motivates me, even though I don't really have a plan at the very least tomorrow I'll start doing the 30min treadmill workout that I used to do sometimes and start an excel sheet to track progress, OH and most importantly I'm not gonna cheat on my diet anymore (damnit I love carbs) and maybe if everything goes well in a couple of months I'll join a gym and start weight training to build muscle, right now the plan is to cardio cardio cardio and lose weight... if I had to guess I'd say I weight somewhere around 330lbs (yeah i have really fucked up on my diet these last few months)

I'll keep you guys posted, maybe that will motivate me.

Glad it is helpful if anything. One thing I can say is Cardio Cardio Cardio is often a much longer path to weight loss than muscle muscle muscle. Lean muscle will burn more fat than cardio can ever. And as a man, you can build it very fast. Plyometrics and Core work can be 5-10X more efficient than a treadmill and less monotonous. Just a heads up Any workout is a workout though. But one can yield results faster.

 

[greeneguy]

Tristan--I would love to know any muscle-building workouts you do at home!! I am actually starting to run (as I said before) and I'm starting to bike once I get back from vacation in California. I am joining a triathlon team at my university just so I can get some good aerobic exercise in..but to be honest I'm afraid to start. My body is not in the best shape ever, and I'm afraid of jumping into the pool with 98% of everyone who is ripped in the club. I am trying to get a headstart on biking and running, which I'm doing pretty well at so far..but I want to see results by the end of summer. I guess it is a body image thing, but I know if I don't feel even remotely confident about myself, there is no way I'll have motivation to make the training sessions in the pool. If you have any muscle workouts that are easy to do in a smaller apartment or even outside, I would LOVE to hear what they are.

 

[Thovarisk]

Thanks man, "Plyometrics and Core work" I will research on it and add it to the treadmill, I always thought that I needed something else besides walking so this just might do it! *charrmote*

Edit: a coworker just convinced me to change my chair for an exercise ball!! anyone knows or has any comments on these and what results you can get?

 

[Ruxandra]

Thanks man, "Plyometrics and Core work" I will research on it and add it to the treadmill, I always thought that I needed something else besides walking so this just might do it! *charrmote*

Edit: a coworker just convinced me to change my chair for an exercise ball!! anyone knows or has any comments on these and what results you can get?

I was just talking to my friend about this the other day. I am actually going to get one in the fairly near future (as in once I remember to order one this weekend). It's supposed to help work on your core but results can take quite a bit longer than more intense workout routines - which might not be a bad thing =)

 

[ToxicAsF]

I'm a fat, hairy mess who loves to eat and drink. My problem is self control. I'll be good for a week, get a craving, and BAM right back to where I was. I'm also cheap and refuse to pay for gym memberships / trainers. SO... Yeah. At the moment I'm fat and staying fat. I want to be in better shape, but don't feel like putting in the effort. Contradiction of effort and laziness.

 

[Ruxandra]

There's a really awesome app called Lost It! for both Android and iPhone. It's been out for a while and works really well for keeping track of calories (for both food and exercises). It even has a barcode scanner. I highly recommend it if you're trying to stay on track with keeping in shape/getting healthy ^_^

 

[REDACTED]

I can use all the help and inspiration I can get when it comes to health and fitness! It has been the bane of my existence since, well, I came in to existence! LOL
I am particularly interested in learning about 'whole foods' and balancing cardio/weight training. I know you mentioned Kaspyn that you were in to weight training, and I know it is different how women approach it vs. men.
So maybe we could all share some of our current goals/aspirations, and maybe touch base here on progress? Just a thought.
Another free program that I have used for a long time for tracking my food/exercise is FitDay.com, I believe they also have a phone app. Not 100% sure because I have used so many different applications over time.
Anyway, thanks for starting this post! Hopefully 2013 will be a very healthy year for all of us.
[Edit] MyFitnessPal.com was what I was thinking about. That is the site with the applet. Though FitDay.com may have one as well by now.

 

[Kaspyn]

Holy shit, you guys are all over this and I am now WAY behind....ok, here we go, my thoughts:

1) In reference to all the "BAM, I start cheating on my diet" and "I can't stick to it for very long" and whatever else. Let me tell you guys something(s) (ha). You will fail. Let's be honest, here. We are all human and no matter what, life will suck at times. You will give in. It's the nature of the beast. What you can control is how far you give in. I think the most important thing here is understanding WHY you give in. Thov says he loves carbs...can I ask why you're dropping them completely, or to a point that you start craving them so much, you give in? I have been on this weightlifting/weight loss journey a long time.
Also, being female, I have a much harder time losing weight (and now that I'm 28, it doesn't come off as easily). I strongly caution you to not drop carbs or soda or bread or fucking twinkies so quickly. Take it slowly. I think one of the biggest pitfalls is jumping in headfirst. You must learn yourself.


A lot of the reason people fail on "diets" is because they see them as "diets". They say, man, I need to lose some weight so I will just go on a "diet" and workout and run and do all of these super healthy things. But your brain has been wired to reach for cheetos and other garbage for so long that you just reach for it and don't think about it. So, I would say maybe to start thinking about it. Don't overthink it, but think about WHY you want those cheetos, or WHY you feel like a low carb diet is right for you, when it hasn't worked in the past? Start asking the question "why" and be prepared for a long journey, much like I had this past year.

Also, with the cheating and falling off the wagon...sometimes you're doing too much all at once. Also, you could be short-changing yourself in terms of vitamins and minerals. A lot of times you'll start craving things if you're deficient in something else, like protein, salt, vitamin D, that sort of shit. It takes playing around with things and just "eating the cookie" as Dan John says to figure out what you need.

2) Running is awesome, all things moving are awesome, but Tristan has it right that building muscle should be up there on the priority list. Overall, your BMR rises the more lean mass you have. Muscle takes a lot of calories to maintain (because it burns more calories just "being" than fat does). On a deadlift day, I will literally eat 2800 calories in about 2 meals (I follow a 1 meal a day (sometimes 2 for larger lifting days) approach, and it's fucking beautiful!) and on rest days I will walk or sit on my ass, but only eat 1400 calories (in 1 meal, in the evenings..."don't you get hungry?" I'm used to it...."isn't that bad for you? Nope.")

3) I recommend some reading: Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe (even though he's kind of an ass) the very much NSFW website Chaos and Pain (Jamie Lewis) and Dan John's book "Never Let go" as well as the youtube channel "Strengthcamp" (Elliott Hulse, who is a fucking GOD to me! He is a huge reason why I know what I know)

If you're looking for a simple program to follow, hit me up. I am a weightlifter, though, so that's really all I can help you with. If you're not sure about lifts or how to do them or what you need, let me know. I don't mind Skyping with any of you to help you out. I don't have any sort of certification (I was going to, but decided against it) but like I said, I know some stuff. And what I don't know, I have plenty of resources to help you find the answers for you, and you only.

I have a coach who has helped me a lot this past year. I also have tons of friends who are into fitness and who DO have certs and are crossiftters, runners, cyclists, olympic lifters and competitors, powerlifters, garage lifters and so on. I know people who do Carb Back Loading, IF, Keto, Warrior Diet (me) and deadlift over 500 pounds, front squat over 300 pounds and are the most healthy people I have ever met.

This IS possible. It does take a ton of support to pull off. This is one of those things where you have to ask yourself a lot of questions, take good notes, and fail and try again. But I promise you, I (we) will do what we can to help you.

I am super happy this thread has taken off!

Now, here's my progress over the last year: (not where I want to be quite yet, but getting there!)

Spoiler

So, my goal this year is to get stronger, keep rehabbing my back (I have bulging discs and degenerative disc disease, so they say) and get back to where I used to be: deadlifting 305 at 150lbs and feeling awesome every day.

 

[tr1age]

I was just talking to my friend about this the other day. I am actually going to get one in the fairly near future (as in once I remember to order one this weekend). It's supposed to help work on your core but results can take quite a bit longer than more intense workout routines - which might not be a bad thing =)

See to me I like the band-aid effect. Push hard for 1 hour a day instead of pushing hard all day haha. RIP IT OFF!

Tristan--I would love to know any muscle-building workouts you do at home!! I am actually starting to run (as I said before) and I'm starting to bike once I get back from vacation in California. I am joining a triathlon team at my university just so I can get some good aerobic exercise in..but to be honest I'm afraid to start. My body is not in the best shape ever, and I'm afraid of jumping into the pool with 98% of everyone who is ripped in the club. I am trying to get a headstart on biking and running, which I'm doing pretty well at so far..but I want to see results by the end of summer. I guess it is a body image thing, but I know if I don't feel even remotely confident about myself, there is no way I'll have motivation to make the training sessions in the pool. If you have any muscle workouts that are easy to do in a smaller apartment or even outside, I would LOVE to hear what they are.

Green lemme start you off with the amazing weights I have for my apartment in NYC.
http://www.amazon.com/PowerBlock-Cl...241596&sr=8-2&keywords=50lb+stackable+weights

​

AMAZING and take up VERY little space.
They lack the 5 increments but it is all workable.
That and some resistance bands and you are good to go.
If you want a higher intensity cardio in your own home than a run around the block, check out the Insanity DvD's and focus on the first 5 workouts. The others are just fluff. Plyo, Core and Balance, Pure Cardio, Strength, and the 5th eludes me at the moment. Those are the 30-45 minute workouts that will achieve results. PLYOMETRIC to the max. With so much cardio I call them failcersises. You cannot make it through an entire one without falling, but eventually you can, depending on the day. You just get better and better at them. If you go into it thinking you will BEAT IT you will lose. You have to understand it is OK to do the 800th pushup on your knees
Anyway, that's all for now. Ill add more later. Hope that helps.

 

[greeneguy]

There's a really awesome app called Lost It! for both Android and iPhone. It's been out for a while and works really well for keeping track of calories (for both food and exercises). It even has a barcode scanner. I highly recommend it if you're trying to stay on track with keeping in shape/getting healthy ^_^

I use that app all the time!! It is the most amazing thing ever..I mean a BAR CODE SCANNER? I had no idea you could do that on a phone! It helped me so much keep track of what I was eating. Like Ruxandra said..highly recommend.

Green lemme start you off with the amazing weights I have for my apartment in NYC.
http://www.amazon.com/PowerBlock-Cl...241596&sr=8-2&keywords=50lb stackable weights

that is WAY cool. That might be something I'd be interested in to have around the apartment. I think my roommates would get into those too haha. I will check out Insanity. I heard it was pretty good from a friend as well. Thanks so much!!

 

[Kaspyn]

Also, someone asked about bodyweight workouts:

Here's a link to TNation, it's a good article on bodyweight work and gives some work.

 

[Zakis]

I'm a fat, hairy mess who loves to eat and drink. My problem is self control. I'll be good for a week, get a craving, and BAM right back to where I was. I'm also cheap and refuse to pay for gym memberships / trainers. SO... Yeah. At the moment I'm fat and staying fat. I want to be in better shape, but don't feel like putting in the effort. Contradiction of effort and laziness.

Im sort of in the same boat. A lot of it is work though too. I have tried many times to get back into a routine only to have it thrown on the ground and stomped on due to work. Case in point...I dusted off my stationary bike yesterday and rocked out a few miles with the intention of continuing and adding stuff to the routine(as I have done many times in the past year) and promptly went to work last night and got forced for extra hours. So 13 hours later I am tired, hungry and on my way home. When I am in this state my first thought is taking care of my wants so I grab a big deli sandwich, shower, eat and watch some Top Gear and pass out for a few hours before getting up to eat again or prepare food for work again at 11:30pm.

Being truthful, I can be very lazy which is exaggerated by my schedule, but every time I actually attempt to put something together some bad karma comes out of nowhere and smacks me in the face. That being said those weights are PERFECT for my apartment Trist, definitely looking into them.

 

[MyLittlePony]

I use that app all the time!! It is the most amazing thing ever..I mean a BAR CODE SCANNER? I had no idea you could do that on a phone! It helped me so much keep track of what I was eating. Like Ruxandra said..highly recommend.

Yeah, in the past I lost 30lbs using loseit.com and the app that goes with it, it's great and I highly recommend it. You'll be amazed by how many empty calories you can eat in a day when you're not looking at some sort of tracking app. I just started back up on it this week after weighing myself on new years and being shocked by what I saw (I knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad).
So, yeah, I started back up, goal of losing 50+, so far so good. I'm not focusing on weight explicitly, but overall health this time around. I think that approach works much better. I also got a new Bowflex since I sold my old one a few years ago (even though I lost 40lbs using it, I was out of room in my home so I sold it... I'm now of the opinion that my basement can be a little cramped in the interest of getting healthy).

I figure if I have the willpower to quit smoking (almost 2 years now!), I should be able to power through avoiding unhealthy foods and tempting treats. I will miss my beer and bread though, how I love thee.

 

[tr1age]

Yeah, in the past I lost 30lbs using loseit.com and the app that goes with it, it's great and I highly recommend it. You'll be amazed by how many empty calories you can eat in a day when you're not looking at some sort of tracking app. I just started back up on it this week after weighing myself on new years and being shocked by what I saw (I knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad).
So, yeah, I started back up, goal of losing 50+, so far so good. I'm not focusing on weight explicitly, but overall health this time around. I think that approach works much better. I also got a new Bowflex since I sold my old one a few years ago (even though I lost 40lbs using it, I was out of room in my home so I sold it... I'm now of the opinion that my basement can be a little cramped in the interest of getting healthy).

I figure if I have the willpower to quit smoking (almost 2 years now!), I should be able to power through avoiding unhealthy foods and tempting treats. I will miss my beer and bread though, how I love thee.

You can eat Bread and drink beer. It is all about moderation. Don't starve your body from the foods it loves or you will end up fall back into old ways.

It is the WORK you put into your body that helps it, not the calories you count.

This obsession with counting calories is really not the way to meet goals, unless you are going for a world record or want to look like Arnold, which in that case count UP not down.

You KNOW when you eat too much and you KNOW when you eat the right portions.

And mix in a workout and BLAM.

I know it isn't as easy as that is written out, TRUST ME I KNOW. But it really does boil down to that simple of a philosophy.