jjhatch

Thanks! As far as your two tips... I had actually done a couple weeks of paleo in October and saw great results... but then I got stuck in the hospital. So that derailed everything. And I had done it pretty much cold turkey (though I did have 2 days that were non-paleo). But this week I may try and do the transition thing. For the snacks, those are some good ideas... I actually have some tuna pouches (it's straight tuna, just in a pouch not can, nothing added) but it's really hard for me to eat tuna without stuff mixed in, definitely working on that though. And fruit... I know fruit consumption is somewhat frowned upon with paleo, but for me it's better than eating any of the other things I would normally eat. Also apples and almond butter are delicious.

First week is over. Needless to say I'm not really happy with myself, as I gained 1.4 lbs. Turns out it's pretty hard to eat paleo when you're not 100% prepared and when you have very little paleo-approved foods. We ended up not going to the grocery store until Friday, so that messed things up. Only day I ate 100% paleo was Wednesday. However, my other two goals I set I met. I definitely drank 64 oz of water every day, and I walked 30 minutes a day for 4 days. I'd like to make that at least 5 days this week, and I don't think this week will be as crazy as last week was. And I'm a lot better prepared food-wise.

Three things. My clavicle. The first time I saw it in the mirror I truly had a WTF moment, and that was one of the things that proved how far I have come. My calves. Well not the back part but the side part... Never been a big fan of my lower legs (so beefy from being overweight all my life) but I see/feel the sides of my lower legs and love them. My adam's apple. Just like my clavicle, it was kinda a WTF moment... but more because I accidentally cut myself shaving there once and had never done that before, haha. It's not that defined yet but it's definitely more noticeable (to me at least) than before.And for the record, I've lost about 70-80 lbs.

Hey everyone, my name is John. This is not my first challenge but the previous challenge I was in a while ago I didn't complete. Anyhow, I feel that a little backstory is needed. In 2012 I lost about 70 lbs through proper diet as well as discovering that I love running later in the year, then in January i got really sick (bacterial endocarditis) and had to have open heart surgery to repair a valve that was damaged by bacteria. I spent pretty much the first half of 2013 recovering and getting back in shape. During this recovery period I actually met my goal weight of 195 lbs. But then in July I had another illness related to my surgery that put me back in the hospital and out of commission for 2 weeks. And then in October I was back in the hospital for the same thing as in January. Anyways, the last few months have been really rough on me physically and mentally, as I haven't been able to work out as much as I wanted to, and as a result of that and everything else going on I gained back about 20-25 lbs. I'm still recovering from my last hospital stay, and I can't really exercise like I used to for the next month or so because I have an IV in my arm 24 hours a day to get antibiotics. I'm also off of work for the next month so that's basically motivation for me to be lazy and not do anything. But after trying and failing to get everything back in order I saw that a new challenge was starting and decided to join in. While even now I'm healthier than I was before I started losing weight, I want to get back down to 195 lbs (or even lower) because I felt really good then, and I also want to be able to get back into running. While I won't be able to run for most of this challenge, I should be able to start doing so at least for the last week of the challenge. So with that out of the way. Main Quest - Lose weight to get down to 195 lbs or lower. Main Quest Goals - Eat paleo (including dairy) 5-6 days a week - Walk at least 30 minutes at least 4 days a week. - Drink at least 64 oz of water a day Life Quest - Complete 3 classes on Codeacademy (Web Fundamentals, Javascript, jQuery). I've always wanted to learn web coding and possibly make that my career, but I've been making too many excuses and been derailed too many times since graduating high school. And since I'm not working for the next month, what else am I gonna do? My Motivation As I said before, it's to get back to how healthy I was at the end of 2012/beginning of 2013. I've been overweight all my life so to have gotten down to under 200 lbs was really amazing for me. I felt fantastic, even though I had heart surgery, and I want to get back to that point. Weekly Progress I will be tracking weekly the following items. I will update this post later today after I've taken all of my first-time measurements. Weight: 218.2 lbs Neck: 14.5 in Chest: 41 in Bicep: 13 in Waist: 43 in Thigh: 22 in

So this thread may be over a month old, but if you read my story on the first page... well, it didn't end there. At the end of July I ended up BACK in the hospital due to having pericarditis (inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart). When it started, I had two days off from work so the first day I ran (as usual). That afternoon I felt a pain in my left side. I didn't really think much of it, it felt like a pulled muscle. It still hurt on Friday... But on Saturday, when I went back to work, it got MUCH worse. I work in retail so I'm moving around a lot, and that just made it worse. The pain spread to my back, and even up to my shoulder, neck, and jaw. So I left work early and went to an urgent care clinic, they did an EKG and told me that since they can't do blood cultures that I should go to the ER. Well, I got there and they ran some tests and found out I had pericarditis (even the ER doctor was surprised, which is never a good thing). I ended up staying in the hospital for about 4 days while they monitored me and gave me lots of anti-inflammatories. After I was discharged they told me no work for a week, no lifting more than 20 lbs for 2 weeks. As for the cause of the pericarditis, the doctor said it happens after open heart surgery, but it's rare for it to happen 6 months later (as in my case), but it's not out of the question. Well, after all that was over with, I really struggled getting back to exercising. I eventually realized that I had a fear of running. It was pretty silly, but because I was running when I got endocarditis AND pericarditis, my mind just connected the dots (even though the doctors told me that running did not cause/exacerbate any of it). That was over a month ago since I was discharged, and I'm just now getting back into exercising regularly. Took me awhile to get over this slump, and while I'm not completely recovered mentally I'm getting there. I decided to just go back to doing c25k again, as I find that having an actual plan really helps with sticking to exercising regularly.

As someone who had major (open heart) surgery early in the year, the best advice I can give you is to go slow. I definitely know how you feel about not doing any exercise, but if you do too much too soon you can set yourself back more than if you just didn't do anything at all. This is going to sound somewhat contradictory, but the best thing to do is to use weight machines. Say what you will about them, but they are fantastic for building/maintaining muscle after an injury/surgery. For the 2-3 months I was in cardiac rehab, my therapist had me use only weight machines except for bicep curls, because I had lost so much muscle mass from not doing anything for nearly a month. Basically, use weight machines at a lighter weight until your restrictions are lifted, then ease back into free weights.

I've read and been told that 1-2% is comparable to running outside. I do 2% because 1% would e equal to running on flat ground outside, but as we know the entire world is not flat, thus the extra 1% for minor inclines.

Here's the deal. Back in January I had to have open heart surgery, due to a bacterial infection that damaged a heart valve. The valve was repaired, I went in for cardiac rehab, and from the middle of February to the middle of May I went to the hospital for my rehab. My therapist gave me an exercise prescription to use until the end of June. Well, now it's the end of June... And now I'm a bit clueless as to where to go from here. My prescription had me doing a mix of cardio (running) and strength training (weight machines). I still want to run as I enjoy it, and I would like to do more strength training, but again, not sure where to begin. And for the record, my surgeon had me on weight restriction of no more than 30 lbs until the beginning of April, and after that no restrictions. I was also cleared to go back to work, and I work in retail so I'm regularly picking up things that weigh more than 30 lbs. As for details on my prescription strength training... They had me doing 50 lb leg extensions, 60 lb back rows, 50 lb lat pulldowns, and 50 lb incline press, and 20 lb bicep curls. So basically I'm just wondering what would be best for me to be working on now. I'm thinking of following the Rebel Strength Guide... But I've never really used free weights before (before my surgery I was focusing on running, with doing bodyweight exercises), so I'm pretty clueless.

I'll put in my own story... Back in January I got sick. Like, 105 degree fever sick. Long story short (I'll share the details if anyone is interested), I had a bacterial infection in my bloodstream which attacked the mitral valve in my heart. So I had to have open heart surgery to repair the valve. The surgery went well, I was treated for the infection and then started cardiac rehab. It was a long process, but thankfully in the year prior I had lost 70 lbs, and had picked up running so my recovery went pretty fast. I was in rehab for about 3 months, and went 3 days a week for about an hour each time. I had an awesome PT who helped me every step of the way, and I progressed through rehab fast, and was running in late March/early April. Ironically, I'm probably in better shape now than I was before the surgery. I'm still around the same weight, however with rehab they focused equally on both cardio and strength training which I wasn't really doing before (I didn't get into running until July/August 2012, and I started losing weight in January 2012). I had been doing some bodyweight exercises at home before the surgery, but it was hard for me to stick with the program. And even though I was using weight machines at rehab (and still am, my "exercise prescription" with machines ends at the end of the month), I'm definitely stronger now than before. But it was definitely frustrating, and it still is as I'm still not quite back at my previous endurance with running. And it took SO long for me to transition from a fast walk to running, my PT put it off for I think 2-3 weeks? But like everyone else has said, you WILL get back to your previous strength, but only if you work at it.

Great article. I work in retail so my usual shifts are from 4 am to 2 pm, though sometimes I'll have to do a closing shift (12 pm to 10 pm), which really messes up my schedule. I can definitely say that food prep is important. While I'm not hungry right when I get up at 3 am, I take a bunch of already prepped food with me to eat throughout the day. Usually some refrigerator oatmeal for breakfast, nuts/fruit for a snack, and then a healthy cooked meal for lunch, that I just pop in the microwave. My problem is with exercise. Not only am I in retail, but I'm in charge of stocking the shelves and processing trucks so not only am I on my feet but I'm lifting a lot of heavy stuff, so I'm usually exhausted when I get off work. But on the other hand, I don't want to get up any earlier than I have to, to go to the gym. So basically I just have to suck it up and go to the gym after work. It sucks, but I usually save my hardest workout days for my days off.

I started using a double-edge razor a few months ago after discovering the wicked_edge subreddit. I love shaving this way, however I still haven't been able to master the art of lathering. I don't know what my problem is... At first I thought it was hard water, but I switched to distilled water and I get the same results. But despite that, I still love shaving this way. I get a lot less irritation and I feel awesome after doing it haha.

This makes me glad I have a job where it's okay to sweat. I work in retail, and I'm always in charge of processing trucks or restocking shelves so I'm ALWAYS sweating. It kinda sucks though when I'm dripping with sweat at 4-5 am..

I don't like the huge banner. It's too... infomercial-y, if you know what I mean. Also, the crazy amount of white space is driving me bonkers. Other than that though, I love the design/layout.

I've heard good things about them, but like with ANY workout program in order to get results you have to be diligent in following the program. But for some people it doesn't work as well because you may not have as much motivation working out in your own home versus working out in a gym.

My favorite is simple, a BLT except instead of mayo you use mashed avocado. So delicious.