Rebel on A Mission...

[TheMormonRebel]

Howdy y'all; I'm here to really find inspiration and ways to help hold myself accountable. I'm currently serving a two year mission through my church, half way through it, but I'm not here to talk Religion unless someone else brings it up with me haha! I'm here because I've gotten to my worst point and I want to keep it at my worst point and not get any worse! I'm currently hovering around 330 pounds (I know, ugh!) but on the bright side, I can't fall on my face!! So my goal, I don't really have a weight goal (I'd be happy getting back down to 280) because I know with my body type I'm always going to be a bigger person. What I'd really like to do is get down to 280 (Scratch that earlier weight goal comment) but really flip it around. Instead of two hundred and eighty pounds of laser-deflecting flab I'd prefer to have two hundred and eighty pounds of awesome something to do with muscles! 

 

Part of the daily schedule of a missionary is a half hour of exercise , or a little more if we wake up early, and I've been doing a bit better of actually working out rather than sleeping in. As far as diet goes, part of it as out of my control since we rely on the generosity of Church members feeding us but I figured one thing I can do with that is to exercise greater self-control and have better portions of veggies versus awesome meat products. However, breakfast and lunch, typically, are in complete control! 

 

So, here I am! Nice to meet you all! Rebel On!

 

- The Mormon Rebel

[TheMormonRebel]

So I hope there are some good people that can give me advice/support! I've started by doing the beginning body workout on MWF, trying to do three circuits and it killed me this morning! Then on Tues/Thurs/Satur I'm going to be doing the interval running with Sunday's as my rests days Then in November I'm going to try and do a Mostly-Paleo diet (I can only control my diet so much on my mission.) Any suggestions? 

[TurtIe]

A large amount of your progress is going to depend on who your companion is. Make sure he's motivated- it will help you both in the long term. As you said, food is an issue, you can't really control that quality but you can avoid that quantity. Try limit yourself to a plate. I know your spending budget is small so focus on getting the most bang for your buck- try find some Farmer's Markets in the are where you're serving- they're a great place to get cheap produce (and find potential investigators).

Bodyweight workouts are a great to start. Keep the rest intervals short to increase your bodies metabolic response and try to get in as much incidental exercise as possible (hello tracting), however, at the end of the day your weight is dependent on what you eat (or how often you fast, haha). My brother served in Perth, Australia and he dropped a solid 20lb after convincing his companion to drop all carbohydrates after lunch.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Yay! A paladin!

 

I'm also outside my usual haunts (not on a religious mission, but teaching abroad, which has some similar challenges), so I can commiserate*/be excited for you! Like was said above, you can control what you choose of offered dishes, and how much of each. And with two-thirds of your diet under your direct control, you have a lot of chances to make choices. 

 

I'm doing bodyweight workouts, to keep it simple. You can probably find a playground to start with, if finding a gym or investing in equipment would be a hassle. I'd have a hard time storing weights enough to equal how much I weigh, so . . . I just lift me.

 

I very much doubt you're where I am (Shikoku, Japan), but I'm from Idaho originally, so if you want to stop in, chatting with Missionaries is just like home for me. 

 

* Huh. Word nerd stuff ahoy - just ignore if you don't care: commiserate has two "m"s. That struck me as stupid, because clearly you don't need an extra "m" to feel miserable with someone - "co-miserate". But it's actually from commiserÄtus, the perfect passive participle of commiseror, which means "to pity", which is funny, because in English it's usually more about shared sympathy. Can you tell I was an English major? 

[TheMormonRebel]

Hey Turtle Runner and Tzippi! Thank you soo much for responding to my introduction! I was beginning to loose hope for the kindness of this board haha That is some good advice Brother Turtle! Luckily for me, my current companion and I are both motivated to try and loose weight (He's complaining about being just over two hundred and ten and I"m like cry me a river before I eat you for a snack!) I think I might be able to find a farmer's market here, I'm serving in a pretty rural area currently!! Luckily for me, eating hasn't been a big problem! I can control myself unless it's something I love (Like just about anything served at a buffet!) but for most morning breakfasts I limit myself to a protein shake and a bagel, and in November I"m going to cut out the bagel part for less carbs!

 

And yes, Tzippi, I have been known to run as a Paladin in a few games I've played, typically though I prefer putting on the heaviest armor money can buy and grabbing the biggest gun money can be and just drawing ALL the agro possible! My friend, PaDavid, like's to play Halo with me because I draw ALOT of enemy fire and it gives him time to snipe! I don't have any playgrounds near me now, but there is a skate park but that probably won't help! But I'll keep an eye out for the future. I'm actually not in Japan, as much as I would like to be, but maybe we can run a tough mudder together at some point haha! That's one of my goals when I get home, no matter what shape I am in, conquer the Mudder!

 

Also, word stuff is always fun! I've been writing a couple stories on my off time!

[Tkal]

If food choice is the problem, but timing is not (I have no clue about your service), fasting can help. I am not sure how it goes with your beliefs, although many religion has some form of fasting integrated.
 
There are several version of intermittent fasting. The most common strategies are

• fast for 24 hours (more or less) once or twice per week. The other days you eat normally
• eat only once per day, as much as you want
• follow the 18-6 rule: you fast every day 18 hours, then for 6 hours you are allowed to eat

During a fast you can drink as much as you want, as long as it is plain water. Also tea and coffee can do, as long as you drink them without sugar nor milk.
 
Which strategy to choose is a matter of habits and willpower. From the studies I read, something happen to your insuline/ghrelin level around the 18th hour, so to get the full benefit of fasting you should do it for at least 18 hours.
 
For me the biggest benefit is that you learn to recognize real hunger from "it is time to eat" hunger and "I am bored" hunger. Your body can tell you exactly when and how much to eat to stay fit, once you learn its "language"
 
For more info on intermittent fasting you can check also the IF/leangain thread

[TheMormonRebel]

Thanks Tkal! 

 

I do fast on a regular basis, normally the first weekend of the month! But maybe fasting more often might be a good idea! Thank you!!

[Tkal]

If you start forming a plan in you head, put it down and join next challenge. It is a great way to get support, practical and not