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Stickman_11

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Everything posted by Stickman_11

  1. What is Miracle Morning? Tell me more. As a guy who sets his alarm for 6am then RE-sets it for the latest possible time I can without being late to work, I would be highly interested in making a morning routine for myself. I. Just. Cant. Get. Up. Anyway, welcome! And as a fellow false-starter, I really am glad to see you back in the game.
  2. Well, I had a bit of a regression in my challenge. Ran into some days where I just struggled to get off the couch or out of bed. But I made it in to work today. So I consider that a big win for me. Had an energy drink, but thats ok. Sometimes taking two steps forward requires taking one step back. You guys are an awesome community. And yes, AuntDinosaur, the heat here is downright nasty too. But we are supposed to cool off tomorrow so yay for that! I plan on finishing this challenge, even if I have to limp across the finish line.
  3. This is FANTASTIC advice as I sit here eating a giant plate of nachos and drinking a beer, hahaha. But I did write it down in my log! Day three- I finally went for my walk! Still energy drink free Logged all my food. Even the unhealthy stuff. Im trying to get over the "if I didn't write it down then it didn't actually happen " mentality. I do need to make some sort of baby steps on my savings goal. Its still untouched. Thank you guys for all of the encouragement so far!
  4. Day 3- Still energy drink free. Logged my food. Did well on macros. Minus the 2 beers I had after supper.... Went for a walk finally!
  5. I'm creating this topic as a placeholder for my training logs and the such. Accountability is a big motivator for me, so I will keep you all up to speed on my gladiator training. Currently what I am focusing on is getting out and walking. Every day. For at least 5 minutes. This will increase as my endurance does. I would like to implement weight training as well, but need to also focus on taking baby steps. I notoriously try to make a million changes at once and then proceed to fail at all of them. As far as my diet goes, I am going to focus on increasing protein intake and decreasing carbohydrate intake. I will do this by limiting the breads, refined sugars, and starches that I eat. So, for my first log: Day 1: Drank coffee instead of my energy drink Logged all of my food for the day. Had fish tacos for dinner in celebration of my brother's birthday, so definitely consumed more carbs than I would have liked, but I said no to the jumbo margarita and had an iced tea instead. Day 2: Drank coffee instead of my energy drink Logged all of my food for the day. Kept my carb count low. Had a few whiskeys after dinner. Still haven't gone for that walk... Even if no one reads this, just putting it out on the internet seems to make a difference in my mindset. Apparently it is easier to lie to my friends and family about these things than to perfect strangers on a forum. Thank you guys for being the awesome group that you are.
  6. Man...this hits me. I am a chronic scroller. I got rid of Facebook last year and thought that would help, but I just found other apps to waste time on... You've got me thinking though, so thank you for that! It definitely illuminates the fact that I do have plenty of time in my day for a 5 minute walk.
  7. Those look like achievable goals! Welcome fellow First Timer.
  8. I like your clean sink goal. I am going to incorporate that into my next challenge. Its a love/hate thing, not having an automatic dishwasher. And I don't think my sink has been clean in months. (Ok, I know that sounds gross, but I don't have month old dirty dishes in my sink. I just never seem to get ahead of it.) I, too, have coffee in hand. Lets GOOOOOO!
  9. Day two was better. Still need to find a way to get out and walk. It's like I always find something else to do instead. I am on day 3 of no energy drink and actually not really craving it that badly. My office coffee seems to be doing the trick. Here's to improving a little more today.
  10. Happy Birthday! Enjoy the time unplugged and in nature!
  11. Alright, so day one wasn't perfect. But it wasn't terrible. ✅ Phase out energy drinks and replace them with coffee or tea ✅ Keep a food journal ❌ Walk for 5 minutes. ❌ Start a savings account and save $200 Room for improvement.
  12. Hey Ash! I too am "new" to Nerd Fitness, so let me be the first to say Welcome fellow Level One-er! I don't have a lot of sage wisdom to share with you, but I will be following your journey and cheering you on! Just remember that 50 is the new 40! How often do you train on your treadmill? Are you following a plan, such as C25k? Anywho, welcome again, and you totally got this!
  13. Hey guys, I'm Stickman. I used to be TrappedInAFatGuy, but I didn't utilize this community the way I should have (This was like 6 years ago) and since I am basically brand new to the forums again, I decided to change my name and have a totally fresh start. Looking back to 6 years ago, I WISH I was as "fat" and out of shape as I thought I was back then. But today is day one, and this is Level 1. Here are my goals for this challenge Diet: 1. Phase out energy drinks and replace them with black coffee or tea. (I am a Bang-aholic and drink two a day currently.) 2. Start keeping a daily food journal so I can hold myself accountable for the garbage I put in my body. (I have convinced myself if no one sees me eat it, then it didn't actually get eaten. This has led to some very awkward and shame-filled binges in my parked car.) Fitness: 1. Walk. Outside. Every day. For at least 5 minutes. Level Up: 1. Create a savings account and have $200 saved up. I do love this community and look forward to hitting these goals. I really need to focus on keeping myself accountable for my actions. I will be doing that here. With you guys. So thank you for being here. Lets GOOOOOOOOOOO!
  14. I am not very good with putting my thoughts onto paper (or screen). Currently: I am dealing with two major problems... 1.) About 15 years of inactivity built up with very little done to combat it. and 2.) Absolutely ZERO motivation to actually do anything about it. As far as the first problem, I realize that the past is the past and I can only look forward. But it seems overwhelming from where I stand. Which is at the start line. Which brings me to my second problem. I see the trail, I have the map, I even have the tools. But I can't seem to step over the start line and begin the journey. Previously: I was a 4 sport high school athlete and a college volleyball player. I rock climbed and mountain biked for my hobbies. I spent about 10 hours a week in the weight room and another 10 in practice. I was 185lbs with 7% bodyfat. Back to Currently: I still have the brain of an athlete but the body of an overstuffed armchair. This causes me to overdo workouts to the point of injury and then become disheartened and sedentary while I wait for my injury to heal. I am just getting off an avulsion fracture of my left ankle and can finally put weight on it without limping, but cannot run on it. Over the past 15 years I have slowly expanded to 300+lbs and at least 36% bodyfat (I haven't had the courage to check either metric in the past few months...). I don't know what I am trying to accomplish here. I am just tired of being fat and hurt all the time. I don't want to go to a personal trainer and hear all the cliches and motivational speeches. So I figured maybe I would turn to my fellow nerds and see if there's a better approach. Again, sorry for the ramble. Just getting stuff off my chest. I was sitting at lunch today (I teach in a boys home) and one of the students made a comment under his breath about how "I figured Mr J wouldn't pass up an opportunity for some more food. So much for getting skinny." I don't know why I let myself be affected so much by a 14 year old, but I did. So here I am. Hi.
  15. Hey buddy! Welcome! I too am sick and tired (and slightly embarrassed) and ready to make a change! I like the idea of a simple food log. I tried something like MyFitnessPal (which is a GREAT app, I'm not against it) but found that logging food in it was a) too time consuming, especially with homemade meals and b) too tempting to "forget" to log something. One thing I'm trying (not sure if it will work or not) is to just snap a picture of every meal and snack I consume in a day. I think this will provide me with an effective visual as to the food and garbage I have been cramming into my gullet. Like you said, keep it simple. I am in a similar boat as you, so I am not real full of advice yet. But I will be following your journey and will be questing right along side you. You got this man!
  16. But I am totally lost. And as a member of the male persuasion, I have a hard time admitting that fact. I guess I could start at the beginning, but it was a long time ago. And fairly irrelevant to anyone without a degree in counseling. So I will start with this week. I went on vacation this week with my kids. They don't live with me, so it is extremely special when I get to spend extended time with them. We went to Branson, MO for a family reunion and to visit the amusement park down there. My kids are still somewhat little (though growing up WAY too fast) and they aren't yet captivated by the fastest and scariest roller coasters. Which is fine by me. But, like their father, they do enjoy a little thrill in their lives. So they talked me into going on one of those rides that lift you up in the air and then drop you over and over. It worked out well because each "side" of the ride had three seats and there were three of us, so I sat in the middle and prepared to comfort my terrified daughters as the ride slowly climbed to the top. Except I didn't get to make that climb to the top. My harness wouldn't latch because my stomach got in the way. It was honestly the most humiliating thing I have ever gone through. Sitting there on the ride, with everyone in line watching as two high school girls put their shoulders into the harness, trying to get it to close so I could ride. My kids looking at me like "you better get it figured out, dad." Eventually they gave up. I had to get off the ride. And my daughters, who were so excited to do this ride because I would be with them, had no desire to ride alone. So we made the walk of disappointment and shame- their disappointment, MY shame- out of the ride, past the lines of gawking people. I have never considered myself "fat". I was always the athletic guy growing up. I was in all sports, and played college volleyball. My freshman year in college I was 170lbs and had 8% body fat. I still have the mentality of an athlete, even though I don't have the body or willpower of one. My weight has just slowly crept on over the last 15 years. I hit 200, then 230, then 250. I am 5'11" and now weigh 280lbs. I don't look like I weigh as much as I do (so I'm told by extremely polite people) so I have been able to pretend that I don't have a problem. But I clearly have a problem. I eat everything in sight. At restaurants, I finish my meal, and then finish everything everyone else didn't eat. I am sedentary. I haven't so much as gone for a long walk in almost a year. Every year I make grand goals and have the best intentions. Two years ago I was going to do a Tough Mudder. But I procrastinated on my training and never got registered. This year I was going to join the local club volleyball team. But I am self conscious about my weight and never pulled the trigger. It is overwhelming to me because I have to work on both diet and exercise at the same time. I need to find a way to stop consuming 6000 calories a day and also go be active when I barely feel like getting off the couch. I guess what I am looking for here is accountability from someone who understands. And to create new habits in my life and to be able to go on the damn ride with my kids. Note: I wrote this from a fairly emotional state, and have decided to not go back and edit it. I apologize for any grammatical errors and any lack in clarity or continuity.
  17. Well...not good. I think I have to bow out of this challenge. I have been hit with a double whammy. Not to air my dirty laundry on the interweb, but I just found out this week I am losing my job AND probably getting a divorce. So yeah... suddenly walking doesn't seem like such a pressing issue. I'll check back in with you guys periodically. Hopefully the next challenge finds me in a better place.
  18. Don't know if I will ever be THAT bored! Haha!
  19. This is going to be largely blank for now, as I am just joining up and not really sure what direction I am headed in yet. I want to do the challenge. But I haven't had time to read up on the in's and out's. So I will post what I have going on to this point. Goal #1. Eat cleaner. I am knocking out convenience store lunches. I find myself grabbing a bag of chips and a taquito for lunch more often than not. I am going to bring my lunch to work with me, and include veggies and protein. Goal #2. Get out and DO SOMETHING. I am going to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. I would also like to be able to do multiple unassisted pull-ups. (I am currently at 1.) I would love some input on this. I am so n00b it hurts right now.
  20. Thanks Arya! I'm a bit lost at this point. I read through the experience levels, and goals and such. But I'm not really sure what to do with this info. Is there a forum for the upcoming challenge where I sign up as well? All I did was put my name into the Google Docs form... And, in true n00b form... how do I get my signature as cool as you guys?
  21. Also, I signed up for the next 6-week-challenge. Now what?
  22. Thanks for the words of support and encouragement, guys! I am not easily offended Nightside, so your constructive criticism was exactly what I needed to hear. I am looking for motivation and accountability here, and I feel you guys are going to keep me right on path. In the past, I have asked friends to help keep me accountable, but none of them told me the hard truths, or called me out when I slacked, for fear of offending. I am glad to see that is not the case here. Here are two goals I have: 1. No more "convenience store" lunches. 2. Take 10,000 steps a day. I will keep you posted on how that goes. Yesterday I took 13,000 steps.
  23. Ok, I have taken the first step...for the 10th time. Taking the first step for me has never been the problem. I am FANTASTIC at losing 10 lbs. I have done it at least a dozen times. I currently weigh 247lbs, and for you math guys and gals, that means I used to weigh 367lbs, right? Nope. I weigh the exact same as I did when I took my 1st "first step". I need to see what it is like to take step two. A little about me. I am the excuses guy that Steve was talking about in today's Blog post. I am a 33 year old married father of 3. I used to be in FANTASTIC shape. Then I got really sick about 15 years ago and spent some time in the hospital. Due to the metabolic shift my body took, I put on a bunch of weight. (Excuse #1.) Ever since then, I have tried to get back into my former athletic form. But I worked strange hours as a youth minister, and I had a small child at home. So I never had any time to work out. (Excuse #2). Now I have 3 children and I am gone from home during the week, and only get to see my family on the weekend. While I am travelling, my routine is interrupted and when I am home, I want to spend time with my family, not with a barbell. (Excuse #3). I also don't have time during the week to prepare my food and make healthy choices. (Excuse #4). As you can see, I have a million reasons why I can't lose weight. And they all make perfect sense to me. But unfortunately I can't excuse my way out of high blood pressure, or diabetes or heart problems. So it is time to check the excuses at the door so that I don't get hung up on Step Two. I'm here. Which means I am on my 11th Step One. And as I am about to venture into uncharted waters, I am getting a bit overwhelmed. The problem is, I am EXTREMELY well read in what to do. I know the right things to do, I know the right things to eat. I know what step two and three and four look like. But there is something preventing me from taking them. And it's not knowledge. I think it is commitment. And from what I have read here, you guys are one committed bunch. So here I go, step one has been taken. As Samwise Gamgee says, "If I take one more step, I will be the farthest away from home that I have ever been."
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