Unfortunate before and after, and exercise question

[Caligulette]

I used to look like this:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f272/Yummytreats/porvous.jpg

That was about seven years ago, I think. At the time I was surfing about 4 times per week for hours at a time, and had had neither a child nor cancer.

I miss my body. Now I look like this (roughly, it's last year's holiday time):
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f272/Yummytreats/1169.jpg

Surfing is- due to time and money factors (I would have to totally re-equip myself, as one board is in Cali, and the other is in DC- a place which, no matter how hard someone lies to you to get you to move there, does not see surf!) out of the question.

I want to be less flabbily. I also hate to exercise when it's just "doing exercises". Boring. Blah.

The point of this thread, other than a wee photowhore- does anyone have any recommends for interesting, non-equipment-intensive activities? Also- does anyone want to join me in getting some kind of exercise and encouraging each other in that direction?

[Shelli]

I've been trying to get back into it myself, and so far, I haven't made it past the :tread:. I could do with some motivation myself. :yup2:

[ITSOZAZ]

walk. i think walking is really good for you. give yourself a goal and take a long walk. i always walk to the corner store and part of my way to work. i take the camera out and go on long walks.

cycling is another thing...you don't have to be all hard core about it...just get a bike that suits your needs and get out there!

[ITSOZAZ]

btw...you don't look big at all in that second picture.

[seebs]

I'm getting Wii Fit when it comes out here. It looks entertaining, and all I need is something that's a little more engaging than a treadmill.

[Julie]

Get a dog cause then you have to take it for walks everyday :)

And you don;t look big in anyways shape or form in that second pic!

[Artemis Entreri]

Running, walking, cycling, they're all good and require little or no equipment.
If you want to push yourself get a partner. I can barely run a mile if it's just me but if I'm trying to keep up with someone else I push myself much much further.

You'd probably see the best results cycling:cyclist:. I've seen fat people jogging but I've never seen a fat person on a bike.
Look around for cycling clubs/groups. They are surprisingly popular, even here in LA (Lower Alabama)

[ITSOZAZ]

I've seen fat people jogging but I've never seen a fat person on a bike.

i have...i...can't....stop....seeing.....it. :stunned:

[Qingdai]

I don't know, but my workout is causing me to gain more weight.
I don't think it is muscle either, unless anyone knows of any auxillary abdominal muscles that jiggle.

[Uthgar the Brazen]

I don't know, but my workout is causing me to gain more weight.
I don't think it is muscle either, unless anyone knows of any auxillary abdominal muscles that jiggle.

My jiggly abs could take out Tokyo faster than Godzilla. The 1954 one, before he went all pussy.

[Caligulette]

I likewise have jiggle-abs. It's the flabble arms which get to me most, though.

[Qingdai]

Those are your wings, you get them when you are over 30.

[freemonkey]

I want to do some weight training. I've read its some of the best exercise you can do for boosting your metabolism and long term weight control. I'm not sure I totally understand how it all works, though. And I don't have room or $$ for all kinds of equipment.

I get confused about what's best to do. My doctor told me I need 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise to burn calories, but just recently I read something about how 20 minutes or more of aerobic exercise starts using up muscle, instead of fat, which is bad.

So then I thought, maybe I should do 19 minutes of aerobic a bunch of times a day.

[viscousmemories]

I was planning on starting a new "weight loss & fitness track" thread on January 1st, since last year's thread (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11501) saw a lot of activity. I don't know about y'all, but I pretty much abandon all hope of eating well and exercise during the Christmas season.

[Ensign Steve]

Shame on you, vm. :unfrown:

[viscousmemories]

Watt? The only difference between this month and the rest is that I can blame the season for my lethargy and (usually) get away with it. Frankly I've just about given up for good. If I haven't adopted healthy habits after 40 years full of good intentions, I doubt I ever will.

[Artemis Entreri]

FM,
When you lift weights you stress and fatigue your muscles. Between work outs your metabolism stays high as your body converts food to repair and "grow" muscle. This is the reason you don't work out everyday (or at least not the same muscle group) when you're weight training, the muscles need time to recover. It's also why you want to eat more when you're weight training.
So if you want to slim down eat the same or only slightly more than you are eating normally. Aerobic excercise burns calories while you are active but it doesn't promote muscle recovery and growth during your resting phase. This is how it was explained to me.

Aerobic exercise also increases your metabolism but in a different way. I've noticed when I did aerobic training (running for 30min+ per day) I had more energy. This I'm sure led me to be more active and thus burn more calories even when I wasn't running.

When I was weight training I wasn't quite bursting with energy, though I did feel much better than when I wasn't working out at all. But I was eating like crazy and dropping fat quickly. I started drinking protein shakes between meals. I only gained 5lbs in the 3mths that I was working out regularly but I gained muscle and lost a good bit of fat.

This is a pic of me about one month in (light work outs and aerobic). I was just starting to lose weight.
http://a94.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/34/l_09c58ced7263b1c0002407dccb4725bd.jpg
This is a pic 6wks later (moderate-heavy weight training)
http://a797.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/14/l_a42041ade08df2dcabd0b0295bfe437c.jpg
I'm not sure if you can tell much difference from those photos but I could tell in person. I lost my double chin and at least 2in off my waist. Some of it has come back in the last 8 months and so it is time to start going to the gym regularly again.

[freemonkey]

Thanks Artemis. I get the weight lifting part, but had a little difficulty with how much aerobic I should be getting. (Sorry, I just re read what I wrote earlier and I did not communicate that very well.) I started doing more, and eating better, but was not losing any weight. Very frustrating.

I'm going to go get some heavier dumbbells tomorrow.

[Adora]

Well, you might not ever look like your hip surfing-self again, considering you've had a kid and all. If you can find another sport you like, that might be an idea? Until then, just try to eat healthy, and don't focus on the weight, because you'll just undermine yourself and either give up because you're not losing it (which isn't the point, when you want to be healthy) or end up doing something stupid like dieting.

I can't even see the difference between the pictures, because they're so small.

[Clutch Munny]

I think the secret is to always stand next to something wide, like a surfboard, and not something tiny, like a kid.

[Caligulette]

Well, you might not ever look like your hip surfing-self again, considering you've had a kid and all. If you can find another sport you like, that might be an idea? Until then, just try to eat healthy, and don't focus on the weight, because you'll just undermine yourself and either give up because you're not losing it (which isn't the point, when you want to be healthy) or end up doing something stupid like dieting.

I can't even see the difference between the pictures, because they're so small.
There's a difference of about 4 dress sizes. (I used to be about a 6/8, now I am probably ("probably" because I hate to shop, so don't, but am going by what I have grown out of and judging by how much bigger it would have to be for me to fit into it) a 10/12. I have always had (and liked) hips, but I used to also have more of a waist.

You are right about the *focusing* on weight, to be sure. I know I eat a lot more candy necklaces when I start stressing about it. My favourite jewelry.

I am thinking of ice skating.

[Clutch Munny]

does anyone have any recommends for interesting, non-equipment-intensive activities?

My experience is that building exercise and good eating into your lifestyle, and particularly into your daily routine, is the only way to make fitness a sustainable goal. In practical terms this means letting other things slide in order to exercise, if it comes to that; and it means a household effort rather than just something you do for yourself. If you are partnered and kid-cumbered, partner and kid should just go without Pringles in the house, if that's one of the ways you can suddenly find yourself 300 calories up without really assuaging your hunger. And partner should be prepared, e.g., to visit or cuddle with kid in the early a.m. if you get up 20 minutes early to start the day with some exercise (vastly easier without a wee one clutching your leg or bugging you for a drink).

As to the kind of exercise: It's very hard to do better than things like push-ups and sit-ups (real ones, pulling all the way up so abs meet thighs, and not "ab crunches") for strengthening core body muscles in your back, abdomen, and arms. This will firm you up in lots of ways, and just make you feel much better regarding everything from your posture to how tired you get from your daily routine. (ETA: Lots of different ab exercises will give you the same effects; ab crunches are not very effective, from what my Kin. prof buddies tell me, but other activities like bicycle crunches can be.)

It won't burn a whole pile of calories, though, unless you're really doing a lot of such exercises. To burn calories quickly, you need intensity -- either under load (weight training) or at speed (an/aerobic exercise). Jogging and cycling are both great for the latter, but you can do aerobic and anaerobic exercise right in your livingroom, too: this site (http://fitnesstrainerstogo.com/cardioarchives/2005/12/easy_home_cardi.html) describes some very good ones.

I'm sure none of this is news to anyone who ever stood that close to a surfboard, but sometimes it helps to be reminded, or to hear it said differently. Bottom line -- make daily exercise as important as the other things in your life, and work it into your household's routine. No fancy gear needed.

Also- does anyone want to join me in getting some kind of exercise and encouraging each other in that direction?

I'm already doing my thing, described here (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=442713#post442713) . But I'll bet you'll find takers in the new version of that thread, as vm is talking about starting in the new year. Good luck!

[xyza]

There's a difference of about 4 dress sizes. (I used to be about a 6/8, now I am probably ("probably" because I hate to shop, so don't, but am going by what I have grown out of and judging by how much bigger it would have to be for me to fit into it) a 10/12. I have always had (and liked) hips, but I used to also have more of a waist.

You are right about the *focusing* on weight, to be sure. I know I eat a lot more candy necklaces when I start stressing about it. My favourite jewelry.

I am thinking of ice skating.With the dress sizes it's not really a difference of 4, only 2. The odd numbers don't count as they simply don't exist.

A size 10/12 may be big in the States according to popular society (actually it's getting that way here too with the bloody size zero) but a size 10/12 is a healthy not too big size.

Having said that seeing as you were smaller I understand what your saying.

I've been from size 10 to size 16/18 and all the way back to an 8 in the past. Now I'm a 8/10 (only talking about waist here as my top has always remained a 12). I'm happy at an 8/10 and now fight to maintain it.

Something my SO said before he saw my fatty picture (sorry it's the only way to describe it) and stopped trying to feed me chocolate ...
"Your at the age now where you shouldn't expect to be the size you were as a teenager, you look good so don't stress over it".

[Brimshack]

If you're anywhere near nature, you might consider taking up mountain biking. Start with a used bike and don't go doing trails with names like "organ doner" or "rocky ridge." Don't focus on the exercise much less proving your skills on technical sections, just enjoy the scenery. A good mountain bike ride takes a lot of energy, and if you're out among the trees and the butterflies, the time spent on this can be quite a pleasure.

[Adora]

There's a difference of about 4 dress sizes. (I used to be about a 6/8, now I am probably ("probably" because I hate to shop, so don't, but am going by what I have grown out of and judging by how much bigger it would have to be for me to fit into it) a 10/12. I have always had (and liked) hips, but I used to also have more of a waist.
Well, this doesn't really mean anything, unless you're concerned about BMI, and you give us your height/weight. Which is silly, because it all means nothing unless you buy into common misconceptions about beauty, masquerading as "health and fitness" discourses.

Ice skating is really awesome, though. I want to find somewhere outdoors to go when I'm in Japan. Are there any local rinks around you?

[Caligulette]

There is one which I could go to before work.

It was funny, because I found out I could ice skate when I lived in DC, Turns out all that time spent balancing on the ocean paid off in the National Sculpture Garden.

I do not know how much I weigh, as we have no scale. I am 5'3", though and about this big around....

[Dingfod]

Holy cow! That's big!

[Caligulette]

This is what I'm saying!

[Uthgar the Brazen]

Bah, I am Galactus to your Ant-Man. I remain unimpressed. :hmph: