Hi

[Al2O3Kestrel]

Hi All,

I am a 23 year old engineer working in Ocean City, NJ. I have never been able to maintain a workout routine. In high school, I was plagued by lyme disease and pinched a nerve in my shoulder (twice!), but I had enough general movement that I was able to maintain a healthy weight and worried mostly about being underweight. In college, I gave up sports (decided to focus on schoolwork and developing my social skills), but I walked everywhere. Now, as an "adult", I live a relatively sedentary lifestyle and travel somewhat frequently for work. Because of stress, I rapidly gained 15ish lbs, and find myself stuck.

My short term goal is to compete in a triathlon in 2012. I have one picked out (my dad will be doing it with me) in May (I think), so I need to get my butt in gear and begin!

I also love adventure - and as such, I will be competing in the Ragnar Relay Florida Keys event in a few weeks.

[ETFnerd]

Sounds great to do it with your Dad. I do races with my parents who are better runners than I am. There are also father-son relays and other family events. It's a way of connecting with them forging memories together. Welcome and I look fwd to reading how it goes for you.

[Crooked]

Welcome to the Rebellion! Do you have a training plan for preparing for your triathlon?

[Al2O3Kestrel]

I don't have a training plan. I've never really trained for anything (hooray for natural athleticism!) so I'm a bit out of my depth with training plans. I've looked at a bunch online and bought a bunch of books, but haven't really found anything that has called to me. I have found that most novice programs move too slowly and intermediate programs too quickly.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[ebm1224]

welcome to the community! i remember when i was in my early 20s and found that all of a sudden i had gained 20-30 lbs (thanks desk job and grocery shopping on my own!). it just takes some time to figure out what has changed and making some adjustments for it. good luck on the triathalon - that's rad!

[Al2O3Kestrel]

Hahaha I have a bizarre relationship with food. I'm a craving eater - so if I can't find something that sparks my craving... I don't eat. Clearly unhealthy. When I do eat, I tend to do small meals about every four hours or so. I'm trying to change that, but I find that a lot of the literature is all-or-nothing and frankly, overwhelming... and I, at least right now, cannot do that and stay sane (I am of the opinion that Grilled Cheeses should be a food group). Plus, I'm not 100% sure that I am ingesting a sufficient quantity of calories.

[ebm1224]

you should try to track what you eat - at least for a couple weeks - to see if you are in fact eating enough. from everything i've heard, it's not bad to eat small meals - alot of people recommend that. you also want to pay attention to what you are eating - junk vs actual food, etc. grilled cheese won't kill you but i wouldn't eat it 3 meals a day either.