Well, Hi there!

[MrBunraku]

Hi there!  I realized I joined the Nerd Fitness site back in December, but I've never introduced myself.  Let's rectify that!

 

I'm Ed, and today is my 46th birthday! I've been the fat, nerdy kid all my life.  I've never been in shape.  Like the rest of the US, I've taken bouts of eating well/exercising but I've never kept up with any of it to see any benefit.

 

However, after reading the articles and checking out some of the stuff on Nerd Fitness, I've made a conscious effort to improve my diet, and I've been doing the hotel room workout at least 2 times a week.  I've also started doing some workouts with the guys at work.  I've actually dropped a pant size (and they fit!  I don't feel like I'll pop a button and kill somebody!) and, I think I'm starting to see a bit of definition around the mid-section.  I have plenty more to do, but at least I'm seeing progress.  That may be the best encouragement I've ever had!

 

One of the problems I'm having currently is that I'm a touring puppeteer.  I'm touring throughout Europe with Walking with Dinosaurs, which is great!  But I don't have a lot of control over my food options.  We have catering which makes great food for us, but I often find myself with a lack of choices.  I've been avoiding grains to a certain extent, but I haven't gone full Paleo.  They do provide undressed salad, tuna and lunch meats for lunch, so I normally have that and some soup, depending on what it is.

 

The 20 minute hotel room workout is great for me, since I never know exactly what kind of equipment the hotel gyms will have (if they have one at all.)  I'm thinking I may need to advance to the full body weight workout 3 times a week, particularly since it doesn't require any real equipment.

 

I am a bit concerned because I started losing weight without a plan.  I went through a depression for about 2 months, and that's when I started to lose weight.  So, I had no plan, I just didn't have an appetite.  It wasn't until others started commenting on the weight loss that I really made it a conscious decision.  I feel like I really need a concrete plan, so I can track my progress and see what works and what doesn't.  And I'm finally posting on here because I feel like I need some accountability.  

 

I look forward to engaging with folks on here!  Thanks!

[Kishi]

Man, sounds like you've had a lot more things to work with and against than the average nerd finds in this place. Still. You're a freaking puppeteer! That's awesome!

 

Anyway, plans. If you want some advice: don't worry so much about the plan. Plans are great. Plans help you to move forward. But at the end of the day, it's pretty rare to see one survive intact. I'd honestly advise you to think less in terms of concrete plans and more in terms of principles, such as exercising your whole body and avoiding or indulging certain foods as a rule.

 

I say that as someone whose plans have fallen through more often than not, so I may not be the best one to ask about this. ;

[JustAStudent]

Welcome to the rebellion! Hope you start to feel at home here.

 

I agree with the others on making more flexible plans. Of course you can follow some set plans like working out X times a week, which is something you can control completely (save a few exceptions) and trying to hit certain food intake targets, but back up principle based plans are great for when you can't entirely control a situation. You feel like you can at least do something about it. For example, when faced with a buffet, even thogh I'm not usually a paleo eater, I will try to make food choices more centered around that diet, as it's pretty difficult to drastically overeat on paleo.

 

For your plan, if you know how many calories are in the food you eat, then that would help. If not, you could try keeping a diet as consistent as possible then monitoring your weight loss on that diet, adding or subtracting quantities of food based on your rate of weight loss. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing and you will get to know roughtly how much you need to eat to maintain/lose weight/gain weight.

 

Good luck with all your fitness goals. It really is a great community here that is so helpful. Or has been to me.

[MrBunraku]

Thanks for the replies!  I greatly appreciate it!  

 

I've generally been trying to keep to the principle of lean meats, eat the crap out of vegetables, and avoiding grains.  Of course, I'm touring through Italy for the next couple of weeks, so keeping away from grain may be tough.  Kind of a very, VERY loose Paleo type diet.  So far it seems to be working though.  My size 38 pants actually fit, and they're not getting any more snug.  In fact, they seem to be fitting better.

 

I've been doing the 20 minute hotel room workout, but yesterday I tried the basic bodyweight circuit.  I was able to make it through the entire thing, but I was good and sweaty by the end of it.

 

Yes, I'm extremely blessed to be a puppeteer.  I decided at 5 years old that's what I wanted to be, and I'm actually doing it as my living and supporting my family.  

 

As a bit of shameless self pluggery, you can see the show I'm currently touring with at www.dinosaurlive.com/uk/.

 

Thanks again for the info!  My next goal is to really set up a system to track my progress, workouts and probably my food intake.