Motivated

[J_Irizarry]

Hello Nerd Fitness Community
Hey, I'm seriously glad I stumbled upon this site. I've always been a little self concious about my wait until I reached high school. Then, I just stopped caring and decided to just be happy with myself, and not care what others thought, I guess you can call that maturity?
Anyway. After a while though, I began to want to lose weight, not for any reasons like girls, but for myself. But I never stuck with it. Now After I graduated, and i still am the same, if not more. I'm 18 years old, and I have back pains, and get tired easily. I want to be fit and healthy, six pack abs, making pull ups look easy the whole deal, yet I am 5'11" and weight 235 pounds, I have a gut and a muffin top, and I am embarassed to take off my shirt at the beach. So I finally got the motivation to do something about it. I got my assault pack and I filled it with books (the heavyest things I have at the moment) now it weighs somewhere between 25-35 pounds (I dont have a scale for accurate measurements. But I took that and that is now my home gym. I do bicep curls, and other "exercises" i don't have names for, like I lay on my bed and just lift it. I started this two weeks ago, and although I noticed a change in endurance, I didn't notice a change in my look.

Here is my "work out regimen"

• Without the back pack
• Curl ups- Started at 5; now i can do 25.
• Bicycle kicks- Started at 60 rotations; now I can do 180 rotations
• scissor kicks- I can do about fifty
• Push ups- Im pathetic, I can barely do three without my arms shaking and quivering
• leg lifts- 25
• jumping jacks- 200

With the back pack

• Bicep curls-50
• tricep curls- 50
• I dont know what to call these I just lay down and lift it like a bench press-100
  

I was doing these and while I noticed a change in my endurance and stuff I did not notice a change in my body- particularly my torso area, chest, sides, and gut. I remembered something my gym teacher told me, that exercises like curl ups and stuff not only are boring to do, but they build the muscle under the fat, and leave the fat there. I want to burn the fat, but where I live it is dangerous to go running alone, and my family wont go running with me, also the area where I can run is just boring to see the same houses over and over again, or running in circles, so I need some suggestions. ( also, steve, if you read this, how much did the vibram shoes cost you?)

As for my diet:

I like the idea of the paleo diet, however i still live with my parents, so Im under the eat what your given diet, and ive tried talking to them about letting me cook my own food (besides breakfast, which is limited to two eggs a week because supposedly it has high cholesterol and is bad to eat them every day or more than twice a week (I dont have cholesterol or food related problems) or sandwiches/hotdogs/cereal/tuna fish/leftovers/whatever else I can find), and for dinner they werent so happy about the idea of buying specific food for one person (money is tight, especially in our situation, we live off of unemployment and the jobs i signed up for i have gotten no replies)
I sound like I'm making excuses, and I hate it, so any suggestions you have I will try. this is all for now.

[ebm1224]

welcome to the forum! it sounds like you've already gotten started in the right direction but you're right, to see the best results you need to do some cardio...it will help you burn fat so that you can see the muscle you are building. if you don't have access to a gym and running isn't a good option, then you need to find things you can do at home. look online for free exercise videos and check out yard sales for people getting rid of old videos they don't use anymore. alot of them are kind of goofy but they do the trick. as for food, it makes sense than you can't expect your family to change everything just for you. in that case you have to find the wiggle room you do have. can you go grocery shopping with your parents and see if there are healthier alternatives that the whole family will enjoy? also, eggs are really cheap and filling. i know you said your parents dont like you eating too many of them...but if you pair them with veggies and fruits maybe they'll see it as a step in the right direction overall. ultimately, losing weight is about calories in vs. calories out. for that reason, i think it's a great idea to track what you eat online. check out some free websites (i use sparkpeople.com) and get a recommendation for how many calories you should be eating...then see what changes you can make to your diet in order to start moving in the right direction. good luck and welcome!

[ETFnerd]

J, the most important thing is to not give up on the things you want to achieve in life. No matter what it is, find a way to get there. I am so impressed that you have been so resourceful. You appear to be someone who does not let circumstances dictate your condition, and are actively finding ways to get it done. I admire your attitude and I believe that if you never quit on yourself, you will be able to achieve your goals many times over, far beyond what you first deemed possible.

I was told once that the enemy of a good plan is the perfect plan. It's easy to walk through the cacophony of the internet and find many conflicting and confusing opnions and advice. Life is to be planned but also lived. You have to go out there and through trial and error figure out what you are about and what works for you. As you go through this process, people here and elsewhere will give their opinions. It looks like you are already able to filter others' advice through the lens of your needs. Think critically, plan properly and execute with maximum effort. That has always been the recipe for success and it appears that you are well on your way to your goals.

Glad to have you here.

[Optimus Prime]

I can't say it better (or even close to as well as) ETFnerd said it, but it sounds like you are on the right road. It will take some time to notice a change in your appearance. I do suggest taking a before picture. It's easier to notice changes when you have a basis for comparison.

As far as eggs, you really could have those more often. See this link. I'm sure there's more information on it, but more often than not - eggs are a large staple of the paleo diet. As far as your gym teacher goes, you certainly can burn fat lifting weights and not running. I'm sure there is someone more knowledgeable than I around here that can expand on that.

Welcome to the forums.

[Rick]

Ditto on Optimus Prime's points. Eggs are good for you (you need fat and cholesterol for your brain as well as daily fuel). Burning fat is easier when you have a faster metabolism, and the quickest way to a fast metabolism is muscles!

You're work is inspiring, keep it up and keep us posted!

[ETFnerd]

I was thinking about you today and kept thinking maybe you could take a couple of milk jugs with screw caps and fill them with sand or gravel. Since there is still a little room, you could try to fill in as much water as it will still take. Then you would have instant dumbells.

You can also take some heavy rocks and put them (one at a time) in a old large towel as if it were a slingshot. Hold both ends of the towel over your shoulders, one in each hand and do weighted squats. Be careful but it should work.

If you have a nightstand by your bed, hold it upside down with both hands while you are lying in bed and "benchpress" it to failure. Take the drawer out if it has one so it doesn't slide out.

Do handstand pushups against a wall with your hands each on a stack of books about a foot tall. Then you can mimic military presses with your bodyweight.

Get a long pipe (6-7 feet) and see if you can fill it with some concrete or other filler. Hang some cinderblocks on it on either end and do deadlifts.

That should cover most basic lifting exercises.

[J_Irizarry]

Wow nice to see the support here. Sorry I havent responded in so long, but i dropped coconut milk on my laptop while at the beach lol. I'm kind of pissed off, because I hurt my knee pretty badly a few days ago while playing manhunt. (I slipped and my knee bent the wrong way and i heard something crack. I can walk and all, but I cant put any stress on it or run too much.

[J_Irizarry]

Ive read quite a few of the things here, The Paleo Diet really caught my interest, when I get a job I hope I can start it.

heres a little starting progress report

Weaknesses/Things I have to work on

• I'm only 5'11, yet I have a 44" waistline, not good.
  • I checked that yesterday, I was like . My dads waist line is only two inches more than that. Crap.
• Saying no, not asking for extra food when it tastes really good.

  Mainly when my mom makes my favorite foods, like today she made burritos, and yesterday she made philly cheese steaks. ouch.

• Watching how I eat at get-togethers/events

  I'm a Puerto Rican, As you know we Puerto Ricans are very sociable, even more so here on the island, and when you have a close knit family, and a church with many events, Theres is plenty, let me emphasize on that, plenty of food. And good food at that, so It's like walking up hill. In mud. while wearing a weight belt. and pulling a wagon. full of rocks. lol

• Getting a job

  With this would be like ripping any excuses away from myself. Excellent. With my own money, can choose my own foods, my own equipment, and I won't be at home all day, giving myself the opportunity to just be sitting down. Hopefully I can get a job at the supermarket next to the Gym *Crossing fingers*

[sumdawgtwigg]

Welcome man! I was in your situation not that long ago. I'm 5'10'' and weighed about 220 at my biggest. I was so embarrased and would never take my shirt off around anyone. No matter how much or how little you do the trick is to stick with it! Never give up! Just because you don't see results in a month, two months, three months. If you keep going the change will come. Don't try to change everything all at once if you don't think you can stick with it. Do a little at a time if you need to. A little will go a long way.

[Rick]

Incremental changes are definitely a must. If you run a marathon today you'll have to rest a month.

You might consider asking around for a workout buddy. I usually prefer to do my own thing, but having someone to work out with prevents me from skipping "just one" session. Having a partner also makes it easier to eat healthier at social events.

[J_Irizarry]

Yeah, I get you there, but I just moved to PR so I dont know anyone. Yet another thing getting a job is needed for huh?