First Post.

[Treadstone medusa]

Hello all

 

My overwhelming desire for self-accountability drove me to the forum. So let me give you a bit of background about me.

 

ME:

I am 29 and have been following the paleo diet (strictly) for about 3 Months. I have had very few cravings and on the whole I have severely reduced snacking and have started introducing intermittent fasting approximately 3 days week with an 8 - 9 hour eating window with 3 feeds a day on my fasting days, and between 4 and 5 times for the rest of the week. 

 

Despite the fact I have lost in the past 5 months I have lost 15lbs I am still rather rotund and look very much like a 'before' picture. I am approx. 5'11 and currently weigh 198lbs I would hazard a guess that I am in the 28 per cent body fat range. I am type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetic and have been since I was 14. I work in a very sedentary office environment which is not ideal and my persistent requests for treadmill desks continue to get shot down by management.

 

MY MISSION:

I must admit most of my pull into paleo have originated from personal vanity, I have an arbitrary number of 165-170lbs as a goal which seems reasonable for a dude of my height however I would like to be able to pursue normal day to day tasks without the added pressure of sucking in my gut. I essentially would love to get my body fat down to 12 - 15 per cent and build some nice lean dense muscle to boot. In terms of time frame by the time I’m 30 (8 months) would be lovely however I am a realistic guy and I appreciate this transformation isn't necessarily realistic. Also the lifestyle changes I have been making over the past 5 months I would like to continue forward and live a genuinely healthy and balanced life. Since losing my Dad a couple of years ago I am also uber conscious of staying as healthy as possible and I am looking outside of conventional government approved methods of health and wellness.

 

I have been doing a ton of research in medical journals, online forums, podcasts looking for the perfect plan, both training and nutrition. Whilst I am currently following Paleo I think it would be small minded to believe this is the method to in which to place my hope however I am prepared to give it a good shot especially as it appears to be doing something. 

 

In terms of training I am slightly less evolved in my journey, my ideal would be lots of compound heavy lists along with sprint intervals 3 to 4 times a week accompanied by long walks at the weekend and walking as frequently as possible on my lunch breaks, however here's the rub:

 

THE RUB:

I am terrified that I may have extremely form when exercising, I am sure that this mental block is seriously detrimental to my ultimate goals I think my fear stems from 2 things - injury, I am terrified I will cause back injury rendering me useless and setting me back further on my goals, and 2 personal vanity again I don’t want to be that guy in the gym grunting and looking a complete fool wobbling around off balance knocking into people and objects like a domino.

 

This has led to me doing exercises confined to my dark basement with extremely light weights, thus achieving very little. Also the weather in England isn’t very conducive to nice long leisurely walks in my lunch breaks; the near constant rainfall renders it nearly impossible to leave the office during my much treasured time away from the desk.

 

Any advice, criticism, help, ideas are welcome, AND I ULTIMATELY WANT TO BECOME ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY SUCCESS AND FAILURES ALONG THE WAY. I'M KEEN TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES I'M CURRENTLY FACING AND THE CONTINUED FRUSTRATIONS THAT WILL INEVITABLY FOLLOW. 

[Basement Cat]

Welcome to the rebellion, Treadstone Medusa!

 

Congratulations on going paelo! Well, if you are afraid of having bad form and hurting yourself, I suggest you hire a trainer for a little while so you can learn proper form. As for the other stuff you're afraid of at the gym:

 

1- Grunting is normal when lifting heavy. Don't worry about it.

2- Wobbling means you are lifting too much. If you train smart that shouldn't happen, at least not to the point that it would like something out of the three Stooges.

 

Just go, do your thing and get out. Most people are in their own little world, so no worries.

 

Good luck with your goals and keep us posted!

[BattleCat]

This this is my first post here and I really don't have much authority to speak from because I am mostly a fat idiot, but a very important part of not getting injured is to maintain correct posture.  It will help your body distribute the weight that you are trying to lift, especially in deadlifts and squats.

 

I would spend a week or 2 just focusing on these, don't forget hips too.

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/faq#wiki_other_q_and_a

 

For strength training, I would go with either Starting Strength or Stronglifts.  I like the Stronglifts program (2 alternating workouts 3x/week) a touch more but starting strength definitely is much better on technique.   I mostly hate the Stronglift videos, especially bench press. (Just google either of these)

 

Both of these are just doing your lifts and getting on with your life.  You don't have to be a 6day a week gym bro.  Start with light weights and focus on getting form correct or you will hurt yourself.  

 

I lost quite a bit of weight doing low carb and weight lifting, but I broke myself, stopped working out and gained it all back.  A big reason I broke myself was because I had poor posture and bad form.  

 

Every time you increase the weight you lift, do not go on unless you have the correct form.   You can get stronger and lose weight easily with bad form until you hit that spot where something slips or impinges.  I'm still dealing with it today.  

[Treadstone medusa]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the support. 

 

I rather stupidly posted this same thread in the weight loss area as well so i am managing the two conversations. 

 

Just a quick update on where I am - re-joined a gym with a buddy of mine had our first session in there yesterday. Whilst the gym don't have any personal trainers per se they do have very helpful and knowledgeable staff, all advice was congruent with the many hours spent watching YouTube videos had taught me (I am a closet underpants gnome).

 

The process was really useful they fixed a few issues with both of us and let us on our merry way. Think it's mainly about confidence at this stage. I will continue to seek advice from this community and the gym staff and progress from there. 

 

Thanks again guys.