Gonna Do It Right This Time!

[Jeebas]

I have been reading around the site and forums for about a month now, I figured it was time for me to sign up for an account and do an introduction.

Most of this was lifted from my response to the "What are you struggling with right now?" email I got.

 

I would say I am struggling getting that last bit of weight off and really feeling fit. 

 

A brief history - I have a very sedentary job as a Computer Programmer. In the summer of 2009 I weighed upwards of 270 lbs (at 6'2" that was pretty bad) at times so at the end of August of that year I finally decided that I needed to do something about it. 

 

I was about a year out from my wedding so I set a goal of 50 lbs in one year - getting from 265 lbs to 215 lbs. There was a gym one block down from where I worked, so I joined there. I did the Expresso Bike and Chest-Triceps (or Back-Biceps) stuff  (basically the same stuff everyone tells you to do - biceps curls, triceps kickbacks, machines for everything else!) on alternating days, working out 4-5 days a week. After a few months of no weight progress, I started eating better - no more leftovers, no more barrels of pretzels at work, no more two bagels with loads of cream cheese on them every morning. I basically did calorie counting pretty hardcore for a few months and it got results - I got to my goal two months early and every tacked on (or off in this instance) 10 more lbs by the wedding date (9/2010). 

 

After that I kinda kept things in check but really just coasted. I quit smoking in April of 2011 and though I kept up the exercise routine, I gained some weight back during that year. In 2012 I wanted to get better results from my gym visits because I had got to a point where I wasn't even sweating anymore when I was leaving. So I started running - on a treadmill, 5 minutes, then 10, then 15, then 20, then seeing how fast I could do a 5K (on the treadmill of course). I dropped most of the weight I wanted to drop but never could get under 196 (getting to 194 would make me "normal weight" according to BMI). I eventully started running outside and early the next year (2013) did my first 5K. Running was always an escape for me, I never really run very fast (somewhere between an 8 minute mile and a 10 minute mile) but it makes me feel great. I actually went most of 2013 without a gym membership as my company was moving offices, and the high price of the one I had belonged to wasn't really justifiable without the close proximity. 

 

My brother runs marathons and has been always trying to get me to commit to doing a half-marathon, so I started upping my mileage (well as much as I could get into on a lunch break from work - its hard to find time at night or weekends with two young children) and exploring somewhat flat (which is hard to find in Pittsburgh) neighborhoods and very quickly learning where NOT to run through. So I dropped all of my weight lifting routines and just ran outside for most of last year. It was great and FREE! Then the combination of it getting super cold and my wife's company reimbursing gym memberships, we joined a gym chain that had a location kinda close to my current office so I started back with a routine again - I would do Upper Body - Cardio - Lower Body - Cardio, along with walking for 30 minutes or so once I got to my office every morning.

 

Of course, what happens every year happened again - the "oh well its Thanksgiving and soon will be Christmas so who cares if I have 3-5 delicious craft beers and whatever clif bars, treats, pretzels I can get my hands on and its only Monday". Except this year, we had a tragedy strike right before Thanksgiving, so my usual end of year gluttony got a few weeks headstart and I had less willpower to fight it than before.

 

My wife and I got into an argument about weight (at my in-laws for Thanksgiving no less), with my normal whining about how I need to get back on track and she loudly said "Why don't we just do South Beach?"  I read through the book and various articles about the diet and others like it - what I liked about it was that, while not being entirely clear cut, it had a sustainable "rest of your life" phase to it (which, as with most "diets" most people never get to). I started to think, wow I don't even really LIKE rice / pasta / bread. I do like candy but always thought of it as a sometimes food at best. I absolutely LOVE beer, so I knew that was going to be tough. As the holiday season wore on, I jumped back up to 216 lbs (up almost 20 lbs from the summer time).

 

It has been almost 5 weeks since we dropped grains and refined sugar from our diet and I am glad to say that I haven't slipped up. I did start thinking after about two weeks or so that I don't want to call it a "diet" because most of these choices I want to keep for the long run - I have started saying "I don't eat []" instead of "I can't eat []"

 

One day I was researching Paleo and I came across this site, and then things kind of snowballed from there. For the last few weeks I have probably had at least 5 tabs open of various articles from nerdfitness.com at all times. I have realized that my routine of Curls-Shoulder Raises-Triceps Extensions-Rows-Dumbbell Flys for Upper Body and machines-that-shall-not-be-named for Lower Body should probably change to something using more compound exercises. 

 

I tried the Beginner Body Weight Workout and though I have push-ups and rows down pat from years of experience, the lunges and squats were kicking my butt, but even with me focusing on working out during and giving my all, I wasn't sweating at the end of it. So I am transitioning to a gym workout involving Deadlifts, Pullups (Inverted Rows for now), Pushups, Lunges and Planks. I was very hesitant to start doing deadlifts because that would involve wading through the meatheads in the free weights section, but just this past week I got over that "fear" and just did it. My form still needs work, but I am gonna keep trying at it with minimal weight and then work it up.

I had started doing intervals (on the offdays) on the elliptical, and again wasn't sweating, so I switched to the treadmill at the gym (sweat achieved!) but once it gets nice (read: not icy, I can deal with cold but not slippery, I am naturally clumsy) I am gonna start doing interval training running around this reservoir close to my office. 

 

I have read various things about Paleo and follow most of it, I just don't want to give up the salt and dairy (yogurt really is all). Also, I do plan on having a good beer every now and again, just not letting it get out of control. As a homebrewer with a four-tap kegerator in my dining room, I wasn't really gonna give that up entirely.

 

Back to the beginning, as I said I am struggling with "that last bit":
* I have set initial goals of 194 lbs which would put me at "normal weight" for my height (I understand that BMI isn't the end-all-be-all but as a first goal, this one should do) by the end of March (doable if I can maintain 2 lbs a week between now and then)
* A more long term goal of 13% body fat. 

 

I want to identify more strength related goals such as "Be able to do a pull-up (with great form)" and "Be able to deadlift 300 lbs" as I go along as well.

 

Sorry if that all sounded very like a de-railed train of thought. Thanks for reading! I am very excited to be a part of this and start learning more! 

 

-Nick

[T2sarahconnor]

Hopefully it felt good to put all that down in words. If your ready to formulate your quest and goals put it down in rebels now and get a jump on the next six week challenge. Here is a link to a thread that helped me http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/39099-adventurers-hq-and-library-read-before-posting/

Here is where you want to post your quest and goals to get the most feedback. http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/forum/327-level-1-rebels/

We are all here to support you! Look forward to following your progress!

I went Paleo a few weeks ago but I still have a good beer once and a while. What a great wife you have if you have a 4 tap in your dining room. Make my husband keep it in the garage!

[Tomu-san]

Go, Jeebas!

 

You are already on my list of heros. As a 6'1", 320lb. web developer, your progress so far gives me hope.

 

If you want to do Paleo but keep dairy (I feel ya, I loves me some cheese!), you might want to look into Mark's Daily Apple and the Primal Blueprint.

[.strike]

Welcome, Nick! Your fitness goals are very inspiring and definitely achievable. Let us know how we can help

[Basement Cat]

Welcome to the rebellion, Jeebas!

 

You seem to know what you want, so that's great! One thing though: sweat is not necessarily an indication of how hard you are training. Neither is soreness, for that matter. Just because you are not sweating up a rainstorm does not mean your workout is not intense enough. Stick to something you enjoy and don't worry about sweating or not. Track your progress, that will be a far better indicator of how hard you are working.

 

Good job on fixing your diet! Paleo is not necessary by any means. If you can handle dairy, then by all means use it! The key is monitoring your caloric intake. So long as you have a deficit, you will lose weight. Paleo is simply a way to avoid crunching the numbers by eating lower calorie foods, like vegetables and lean meat.

 

Steve has a handy rule for less than ideal foods: never two days in a row. Enjoy your beer (in moderation), but never two days in a row.

 

Good luck with your goals and keep us posted!

[Jeebas]

Hopefully it felt good to put all that down in words. If your ready to formulate your quest and goals put it down in rebels now and get a jump on the next six week challenge. Here is a link to a thread that helped me http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/39099-adventurers-hq-and-library-read-before-posting/

Here is where you want to post your quest and goals to get the most feedback. http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/forum/327-level-1-rebels/

We are all here to support you! Look forward to following your progress!

I went Paleo a few weeks ago but I still have a good beer once and a while. What a great wife you have if you have a 4 tap in your dining room. Make my husband keep it in the garage!

 

Thanks for the links! I am checking them out right now!

 

Here's a pic of the kegerator!

[T2sarahconnor]

Nice. It actually blends with your dining room! I would feel so sophisticated drinking from that!

Can't wait to see what you come up with for quests and goals. If you start a new topic in rebels you can post a link to this one so people can read your story above.

Have a great day. I am headed out to do some cardio and strength training aka shovel snow.

[Jeebas]

Go, Jeebas!

 

You are already on my list of heros. As a 6'1", 320lb. web developer, your progress so far gives me hope.

 

If you want to do Paleo but keep dairy (I feel ya, I loves me some cheese!), you might want to look into Mark's Daily Apple and the Primal Blueprint.

 

Thanks! It is awesome to hear someone say that!

 

I am very proud of the progress I have made since late 2009, though I do wish I had done everything right in the first place, or at least "more things better", like I am striving towards now. But I guess the mistakes I made (not cleaning up my diet in the first place, letting my willpower fade, doing extraneous exercises, etc.) were all a learning experience in the long run and have allowed the most recent changes I made to my lifestyle (cutting out grains and sugars, adjusting to a different routine at the gym) go over a lot easier.

 

Here is an album of my progress over the years - https://picasaweb.google.com/116576695081222772200/ThisIsWhyIExercise

 

I plan on posting some more pictures eventually of my current progress.

[Jeebas]

Welcome to the rebellion, Jeebas!

 

You seem to know what you want, so that's great! One thing though: sweat is not necessarily an indication of how hard you are training. Neither is soreness, for that matter. Just because you are not sweating up a rainstorm does not mean your workout is not intense enough. Stick to something you enjoy and don't worry about sweating or not. Track your progress, that will be a far better indicator of how hard you are working.

 

Good job on fixing your diet! Paleo is not necessary by any means. If you can handle dairy, then by all means use it! The key is monitoring your caloric intake. So long as you have a deficit, you will lose weight. Paleo is simply a way to avoid crunching the numbers by eating lower calorie foods, like vegetables and lean meat.

 

Steve has a handy rule for less than ideal foods: never two days in a row. Enjoy your beer (in moderation), but never two days in a row.

 

Good luck with your goals and keep us posted!

 

 

Thanks! I guess I get worried when something might not be working for me as efficiently as I like (beginner body weight workout) and I really wanted to overcome my reluctance to break into the heavy weights section of the gym (for deadlifts, inverted rows, squats, etc.)

I do planning on tracking progress with pictures and measurements, along with weight / body fat % - I am already very OCD and have spreadsheets for EVERYTHING so I totally nerding out over that aspect of it!