looking to slim down and be healthy

[Cheesemourne]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm 32 years old, 6'1" and 232 lbs currently. I've always struggled with being consistent with exercise without some external motivation; when I ran with my ROTC battalion or worked out at at my police academy, it was easy enough to keep up with the crowd; running 3-5 miles was a normal thing for me when I was younger, though I never was terribly muscular at the time as I didn't lift weights. I've left law enforcement, and now after a number of years in a moderately stressful IT job in an office all day, I've lost what fitness I had and I am very unhealthy. I've been drinking way too much soda and I get sick far too frequently. I have trouble running and even just shoveling the snow in front of my house can really wear me out. Long gone are the days I can play basketball without wheezing, though I do cycle to work sometimes (6 miles one way).

 

I'm currently working a 4/10 night shift schedule, which can present its own challenges as far as diet and exercise. I loved the article about being responsible for creating the environment you need for success. I'm tired of excuses and I want to live a more active, healthier life so I can be around for a long time with my wife and children. My employer spoils me with a well-stocked break room full of all kinds of goodies (some healthier than others) as well as providing meals, which means that temptations abound at the office for bad eating habits (first world problem, I know). I have always had a hard time not taking advantage of free food no matter how bad it is for me.

 

So here is my initial plan, to try to get down to my target weight of 190 lbs:

 

Instead of the 3-4 sodas or energy drinks a day I was consuming, I am limited to 1 a day for the first two weeks of January,  and then one every other day for the rest of the month. I intend to give them up altogether after that, but I've tried to quit caffeine cold turkey in the past and it has never worked out well for me. I recognize that my dependence on caffeine has reached a very unhealthy level and I am committed to giving it up completely eventually. I was mostly drinking diet soda so I doubt this will help me lose much weight but I am going to give it up regardless.
 
I've cut out all sugary snacks/candy as of two days ago and intend that to be a permanent trend. Means no more muffins or cinammon rolls at work.

I'm following a paleo approach for my diet (though I have no plans to give up dairy). Once I have made my weight loss goals I intend to add back reasonable amounts of heavier, dark bread once in a while, and avoiding heavily processed breads and grains permanently. I realized that I need to make it convenient for me to eat well so I'm not tempted by the junk food in the break room, so I've brought in pouched tuna, and canned fish of various kinds to my desk at work so I have good protein options available that are just as convenient.

 

I've started with the nerd fitness beginner bodyweight workout. Currently I am able to complete a single circuit before I am exhausted. I've done it twice so far this week, and my goal is to be able to complete 3 circuits without stopping by the end of January by doing this 3 days a week.

 

I do have access to a basic gym with cardio equipment and dumbbells at work that I intend to use when I can, but it is much easier for me to work out at home, especially on my nights off (hence the focus on body weight exercises for now). I plan to buy a set of adjustable dumbbells to give myself more options at home eventually; I have a reverse hyper machine at home to help prevent lower back pain that I need to use more consistently than I have been. I don't have room for much else.

 

On my off/rest days from the bodyweight exercises, I will be walking more and trying to be more active in general. Once the weather goes above freezing I intend to start cycling to work again.

I'm optimistic that this community will help me stay engaged and motivated and make changes to my habits that will stick for the long haul. Clearly the way I have been living the last five years isn't working, but nobody can stop me from making things better from here on out.

[Guzzi]

Hi! This looks like a good plan. I like your idea about taking things to work that are easy and convenient but healthy. I would warn you though that if you usually eat a lot of sugary treats at work then you might find that you struggle to quit completely by going cold turkey on those too. Check out the symptoms of cutting out sugar, it's quite scary. You might be able to do it without a problem but you know what they say, forewarned is forearmed. 

 

The onething I would say is that you're looking to make a lot of changes at once which can be really hard to keep up. If you find yourself struggling, missing workouts, drinking sodas, then consider taking it easier. This article is a good read about how to make habits stick. 

 

Have you thought about joining in the upcoming challenge? That's the best way to keep on track and get support. If you want any advice then just ask.