And so it begins..... I think....

[Rhino82]

Hi Everyone,

 

Allow me to introduce myself, My name is Marc and I am fat

 

About a month ago I had to total breakdown where I realized how much I hate what I have become. Growing up I never had a weight problem, but after leaving school in '99 I slowly grew bigger. I am 5'2 and topped out at 207lb . Now I know that’s not obese level, but being short makes it way worse. So I made a conscious decision to change my life. Now I have tried this several times before, but always failed for one reason or another. Sometimes, I just got bored because I did not see any change and gave up, other times it was personal circumstances. I realized how much this has been holding me back in the rest of my life, creating barries and insecurities...

 

Now all this might sound doable, but the problem is, I work on a cruise ship - So I am constantly bombarded with food offerings both onboard and around the world - It seems that’s all we ever do when traveling - go out and find local food - It's an experience, but does not help the goals. We also tend to drink and smoke somewhat - Ok, a lot, like ever night and lots of beer Because of that you don’t want to eat the next day and only end up eating a huge greasy supper.....

 

Anyways, I have the food thing under control. I am now eating 3 times a day - as healthy as possible and I can see a difference in the last month. I am down to 190lb. My pants size has dropped from 44 to 40. I only allow myself to drink 1 day out of 8 and stopped smoking completely by switching to an electronic cigarette.

 

I am also very lucky to have a team member who has a long fitness history who is helping me in the gym. We go 3 days on, 1 day off. He pushes me hard with some "more than beginner" exercises, but they are obviously working....

 

Now you would think that I would be happy with the changes so far but I am super impatient. I mean, don’t get me wrong, yes there is a change but I don’t know what I was expecting to happen so soon. I look at the friend I go with and he has already grown much bigger and going to the point of getting ripped - but of course he has a history with fitness is 6'1 and 231lb and a naturally large frame. So I can’t blame him - just makes me feel like I am left behind. Now I get that I am still building muscle under the fat and one day it will begin to show as the fat drops off, but that still does not help my motivation. Honestly, but now, if it was not for him I probably would have stopped by now. We are also very lucky to have a state of the art facility onboard at no cost to us - so I have no excuse really. But still I struggle...

 

I am also using the Cellucor weight loss product and just started the Worx testosternome 60 day program, also protein after every session - Yes, I am pretty desperate to make a change - I am tired of being the fat funny guy on the beach all the time.

 

Only thing I can’t do is knee based stuff, no running or anything due to a meniscus tear that I had surgery on but never seemed to come right. To be honest 2 weeks ago I had the Dr onboard give me a Cortisone injection into the knee so that I could continue to push myself till I get home in Dec and go for another MRI to see what’s going on in there.

 

Oh, more about me. I am 32 years old, 5'2, currently 190lb. As I said, I am in a senior positoin on a cruise ship, working 4 months onboard and then 2 months at home. I am still onboard for another month so I still have time to get more comfortable going to the gym, as right now, I am not confident to go on my own.

 

These forums have been a huge source of info and insiration and I truely hope that I am going to be able to stick this one out.

 

Sorry about the rambling, but I find it hard to talk about and when I eventually get up the courage I have to tell the whole story.......

 

Thanks to everyone in advance for support, advice and motivation...

 

[Rhino82]

Oh, I have been in this vicious circle on ships now for 8 years - So you can imagine overall what it has done to my health and motivation....

[Risk]

Hi Mate, 

 

Been there done that! 

 

I'm 5'5'' and I used to weigh 220 lbs (101 kg), I also understand what you mean by getting left behind with your friends and being the funny fat kid. 

 

When I started to loose motivation I just remembered something I heard from a friend.

 

"Getting fat took time, you didn't get fat overnight. you're also not going to lose weight overnight"  

 

So dont lose hope, its going to take time.

 

Cheers mate and wish you the best on your goal. 

[Guest]

This all sounds like a step in the right direction.  I would ease of the supplements - you never really know what's in them. 

 

You keep saying your friend has a history of fitness, the best thing you can do right now is build your own.  You need to learn to listen to your body.  See which exercises are the hardest, which ones you see the most progress which, etc.  Use your friend and a sounding board by telling him about this stuff.  You an he, for example, may do well with a different cardio/strength ratio in your training.  You and your friend may need different ratios of carbs/fat/proteins.  Everyone is different.  The trick (I think) is to get down to basics:  basic food, basic exercise, and then you'll really be able to hear what your body is telling you.  Once you start paying attention to the inner voices from your knees, appetite, energy levels, etc you will have much more powerful knowledge than if you listen to marketing about fad diets and supplements.

 

Slow and steady wins the race.  The biggest changes take a while, but going slowly will make this a "lifestyle change" and not a passing habit, so you'll stay healthy.

 

Good luck!

[Rhino82]

Hi Mate, 

 

Been there done that! 

 

I'm 5'5'' and I used to weigh 220 lbs (101 kg), I also understand what you mean by getting left behind with your friends and being the funny fat kid. 

 

When I started to loose motivation I just remembered something I heard from a friend.

 

"Getting fat took time, you didn't get fat overnight. you're also not going to lose weight overnight"  

 

So dont lose hope, its going to take time.

 

Cheers mate and wish you the best on your goal. 

Thanks for the suport - I am in this for the long run and pretty determined to stick it out this time !

 

And btw thats a great quote to remember !

[Rhino82]

This all sounds like a step in the right direction.  I would ease of the supplements - you never really know what's in them. 

 

You keep saying your friend has a history of fitness, the best thing you can do right now is build your own.  You need to learn to listen to your body.  See which exercises are the hardest, which ones you see the most progress which, etc.  Use your friend and a sounding board by telling him about this stuff.  You an he, for example, may do well with a different cardio/strength ratio in your training.  You and your friend may need different ratios of carbs/fat/proteins.  Everyone is different.  The trick (I think) is to get down to basics:  basic food, basic exercise, and then you'll really be able to hear what your body is telling you.  Once you start paying attention to the inner voices from your knees, appetite, energy levels, etc you will have much more powerful knowledge than if you listen to marketing about fad diets and supplements.

 

Slow and steady wins the race.  The biggest changes take a while, but going slowly will make this a "lifestyle change" and not a passing habit, so you'll stay healthy.

 

Good luck!

 

 

This all sounds like a step in the right direction.  I would ease of the supplements - you never really know what's in them. 

 

You keep saying your friend has a history of fitness, the best thing you can do right now is build your own.  You need to learn to listen to your body.  See which exercises are the hardest, which ones you see the most progress which, etc.  Use your friend and a sounding board by telling him about this stuff.  You an he, for example, may do well with a different cardio/strength ratio in your training.  You and your friend may need different ratios of carbs/fat/proteins.  Everyone is different.  The trick (I think) is to get down to basics:  basic food, basic exercise, and then you'll really be able to hear what your body is telling you.  Once you start paying attention to the inner voices from your knees, appetite, energy levels, etc you will have much more powerful knowledge than if you listen to marketing about fad diets and supplements.

 

Slow and steady wins the race.  The biggest changes take a while, but going slowly will make this a "lifestyle change" and not a passing habit, so you'll stay healthy.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice !

 

I wont lie - I bought into all the supplement stuff because I was looking for a quick fix lol - However I have since changed the perception to being a kick start. Once all the current stuff is used I doubt I will get any more as I can see now where my work lies.

 

I have the reliance right now on my friend as I know nothing about the gym, or where to start. As far as I was concerned going and running on the eliptical for 30 minutes was a "big deal" As I get more comfortable I will start to experiment and find what works - I already can feel and identify what is most effective, but as I have only been doing this for 3 weeks this is a HUGE learning curve for me. We will only be together for another few weeks before we have our vacations so I am trying to learn as much as I can from him right now. I totaly get that whats good for him may be the opposite for me, but I have absolutly no base to start from, and even less of an understanding on how it all works and fits together. (another beauty of this site to learn from)

 

As you said, get to the basics - Something I am learning through him. 3 weeks ago the free weight section was like a tower of doom for me. Today I have a semi comfort level and more importantly a better understanding and confidence. I can apply the same to food and lifestyle changes. We have also helped each other by overnight stopping smoking and almost totally cut of all our drinking, so I am pleased at least we are helping each other but yes, sooner or later I have to stnd on my own feet - but knowledge is power and hopefully I will have some by then.

 

Thanks for the reply and advice !