I need to be less fat.

[PutAwayWet]

So I just got back from my vacation, and I'm looking through the pictures. Fully clothed, it's easy to deny that you've slowly been putting on some extra pounds, and that it'll be easy to just drop them again anyway even if you are. Then you go someplace warm, and photos are taken of your less-than-svelte form jumping off rock cliffs into waterfall pools and you notice that your extra luggage sags, rebounds, and bulges in response to the changing inertia encountered during a flip off the cliff and you think to yourself, "Self - you are one fat fvck."

I am in the worst shape I've been in 10 years. There was a lot that went into my slow decline to American Standard physique, but in the end I know I was the author of this hefty book. I've decided to do something about it, and I figure I'll chronicle it here. Anyone else in the same boat? They say there's strength in numbers, so maybe we can get a little "group fitness therapy" going.

I figure a weekly update should work, because daily fluctuations aren't a good indicator of what's really happening. I got myself a little scale with a body fat analyzer which most likely isn't very accurate, but as long as it's precise and consistent I figure it should be a reasonable measure of progress.

The stats for Week 1:

Putawaywet

176.4 lbs

26.4% body fat

Alright - off for a ride :)

[rockhound]

176.4 lbs

26.4% body fat


You're already at my target weight...:o

[bdee]

Jason, you probably already know but.. some of the body fat scales can be influenced by your fluid intake. So don't gulp down a big glass of water (or beer) prior to jumping on the scale.

[PutAwayWet]

You're already at my target weight...:o

Yeah, but I'm 5' 6"! I'm shooting for somewhere in the mid to upper 150s range...

bdee - I do know about that stuff, thanks for the tip though. I take my readings in the morning before I eat, after I take a leak, hoping for some consistency.

[rockhound]

I take my readings in the morning before I eat, after I take a leak, hoping for some consistency.

Make sure you take the kids to the pool first!

[wigger thomas]

Just go get a snack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Zt8mn14hY

[dirtworshipper]

Yeah, I had one of those body fat scales, I could never get it to give me the same reading (or even close) twice in a row. The weight is probably a good indicator, though.

You gonna up your bike training time as part of the weight loss regime? If you're not a racer, you should commit to doing a race this fall sometime, and train for it. It's awesome motivation when you sign up for something a little out of your league, pay the entry fee online way ahead of time, and tell yourself you have to get in good enough shape to be able to finish ahead of last place when race day arrives. For me, that's about the only way I can get myself to ride with any real intensity.

[PutAwayWet]

My scale seems to be pretty consistent. I've tried the 'sign up for race to get in shape' thing in the past (two endurance races last year) and all it did was lead me to overtrain, injure myself, drop out of one and barely finish the other. I seem to perform best when I show up randomly.

There were a lot of things that went into this fattening- serious relationship leading to marriage, changes in work schedule resulting in more time sitting down and less time outdoors, buying a house, a general reduction in my desire to take care of myself...

I've really spent the last few years doing things more for other people than myself, and many areas of my personal life have suffered because of it. I think I look at the races as something external - like the training would be for the race, and not because being in better shape is good for me. I just need to make more of an effort to provide for me, and I think that will help more than anything with the weight issue. I've always been one to give to other people, but I suppose there's a point where you forget to take care of yourself like you need to. You end up missing the stuff you need to be happy. I think I was filling that void with food - I'm going to try getting rid of that void in the first place, maybe by doing more biking again. That way I can kill two birds with one poison dart - burn calories and get some self-satisfaction out of it at the same time.

[vladamir]

Now a day's people give more important fitness.To became
slime workout is necessary.
======================
mack2
Wide Circles

Wide Circles (deleted.to.kill.spam-love hairygrump)

Mr. Mack2, that was the most awesome post ever!!!

But, what is it exactly that you are trying to say?:confused:

[PutAwayWet]

At this morning's weigh in:

174.4 lbs, 26.3% blubber.

I figure most of the 8 lbs I put on eating the garbage available on my overseas trip should come off pretty easily/quickly, since my body never really had time to get used to having it. So far this week I've done a really good job of cutting back on portion sizes, especially at dinner. It's tough for me when you cook for 2 - might as well eat it all at one dinner, because there's never enough leftovers for both of you. I'm hoping to lose that mentality. I'm also going to try going back to eating earlier dinners. I find if I wait until 6-7PM to eat, I'm so hungry it's more like inhaling food than eating. So I'm going to shoot to eat dinner no later than 6 PM. I didn't get to exercise as much as I had hoped this week though, for a couple reasons. I'm still trying to get my body back on the NH clock. The last two nights I've finally been able to sleep the entire night - both the 14 hr time change and the longer days here in the northern hemisphere really messed with my system. I also had some issues with my knee/back that I visited my chiropractor for. Before I left on my vacation I went and saw her for the same issue, which she took care of - and which I promptly screwed up again that night by playing a stupid softball game. So this time I decided to rest a bit and let her work settle before I did anything stupid. At $55/visit it was as much a financial decision as it was a physical one.

This weekend is KendaFest presented by Dirt Rag. I'll be a ride leader and I'm hoping to spend as much time on the bike as I can. With any luck, that should give my metabolism the kick in the pants it desperately needs!

[vladamir]

Your gonna have to incorporate some strength training to get to your goal Mr. Wet.:)

[PutAwayWet]

Yep, I know. I'm hoping to get to the gym 3 days a week. Ten years ago when I was in my previous 'worst shape ever' (after 5 years of heavy drinking / traveling / eating whatever was cheap) I buckled down and did 4 hours a night, 5 days a week in the gym, and supplemented that with 10 - 20 miles of hiking a weekend. That dropped me from 27% body fat to 12% in about 6 months, while losing 5 pounds. Of course the only thing I owned then was a dog (and who really owns who is debatable) and I had just moved here and so had no real friends / lady friend to occupy my time, so going to the gym every night was easy - and way more exciting than hanging out alone. Now I'm married, own an apartment building, I'm trying to finish a Masters thesis, and stay out of the poor house. About the only free time I have is between 5-6:30 in the morning, so I'm going to see if I can't get there then. The nice part about that time of day - no one else at the gym (at least mine, anyway)!

[phlatlander]

There's a reason those steenkin' roadies are so skinny. ;) I've been riding 3-4 mornings during the work week (20-30mi) at a high-intensity and maybe a longer 60mi on the weekend & have dropped 15lbs since March. I still eat what I want & consume beers. Body wt down to 174 this morning before yoga & I could care less about what body fat % is as long as I feel güt and save on not having to buy bigger pants! :D Mornings are getting darker so I'm breaking out the halogen already. PB Superflash (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3034.html) for the rear defense.

I'm snatching up any cheep winter riding gear now to extend this as much as possible into the winter. 30° was our coldest morning ride last winter (I know, I know... we don't want to hear how cold it is up there again, Tryandgetme) and I'd like to be more comfortable this coming season that I was last...

Good luck.

[Joshua Pattersnap]

I hear ya on trying to shed some pounds.

I spent most of my summer off the bike, being lazy and consuming too many late night liquid carbs in Europe. Worth it though.

Now it's time to get in shape for 'cross season. For me long rides and an easy to moderate tempo on my road bike help jumpstart the metabolism.

Also, if you find yourself at a plateau, unable to shed anymore pounds, try switching exercises. When this happens to me I run more and ride less. Strength training, specifically circuit training, does wonders too.

Good luck, keep the reports coming in!

[fudgedit]

I have lost 25 pounds since the beginning of the year. I have ramped up my trail riding as of lately, three to four times a week instead of maybe twice. I think it is the anaerobic uphills that are helping the most. My goal is for all of my 36 inch waist pants to fall off without a belt. I broke through 200 today. I weighed in at 199lbs. I celebrated by buying a new pair of 34 inch jeans!! I am shooting for 185lbs by the end of the year. I have been trying to work intervals in as they seem to help increase strength building and kick in the heart rate. I even was doing sprints in the kayak today. I did 8 sets of thirty seconds all out paddling sprints. My shoulders and back are aching in a good way. I also hit the weights three to four times a week. I am mixing in yoga in the evenings to help with breath control, plus I like a good "OM".

[PutAwayWet]

Week 3 stats:

174.2 lbs / 26.0% BF

Got out on the bike three times this week, but didn't make it to the gym. Also played in a charity golf tournament after which I lost all self-control at the chicken wings :o I'm sure that didn't help anything. But, I do feel my fitness level creeping back up ever so slightly - last night I was able to open things up on my ride a lot more than at any other time this year. And I've been doing a much better job (other than the golf dinner) of keeping my dinner portion sizes down.

This is the first time I've done weighings on a weekly basis. Usually I do them every day or not at all. I think I like the weekly interval. When I weigh myself daily, it fluctuates so much. Also, with the constant reminder every morning, I think I put too much stock in the individual readings and end up over-compensating by either eating too much or too little that day based on that morning's readings. So far the weekly thing has helped keep me more focused, without dwelling.

[ExTxn]

If weekly weigh-ins work for you, cool. Just don't get discouraged if you over-wing it or glug a few too many dark and foamies once in a while. Three days a week at ten miles a day, along with some good old, practical exercises can work just fine over a period of time-plus, you won't burn out and drop into old habits if it's a doable regimen. Over the last few years, when I plop on the couch and up my food and beer intake, my weight has jumped to 240 (I'm a short 5'11") and this pounds my knees like you wouldn't believe. Riding 30-40 miles per week on average with a big emphasis on portion control at mealtimes, and stopping before I get stuffed, I'm back down to 205 again, on my way back to 195. I was lucky enough to ride every day this week, but that's just because the kids are out of school (they come along sometimes) and the wife is on a break. Just keep doing what you're doing, and keep it steady. Trying to do 100 miles a week and 4 hours a night at the gym may not work for everyone, but you can work with what you have. Good luck, PAW//dlr

[PutAwayWet]

Man, I'm starting to get really hungry. I guess that's a good sign, because my metabolism must be jumping back up. But it sure does make it hard to not pig out. Historically I've always had a metabolism that responds pretty quickly to my activity level - if I'm a couch potato, I'm not hungry; but when I'm very active, there's an inferno of calorie burning going on. It's kind of funny - I can't sleep with a sheet on my at night anymore, now that my internal blast furnace is back up and running.

The tough part is feeding myself enough to give my body what it needs nutritionally without fully satisfying my calorie needs. One thing I have noticed is that I'm craving meat something fierce again. I've been a mostly vegetarian for the past two years (which might have had something to do with my overeating), but lately all I want is a burger or steak. I've eaten more meat in the last three weeks than I have in two years. Although this disturbs my mind a bit, I'm listening to my body; if I'm craving it, I must need it. It's going to get expensive though - my compromise with my morals is that I can only buy local organic meats.

I had a great workout at the gym this weekend. I tend to bulk up pretty easily, so I've switched things around a bit. Instead of doing sets of specific muscle groups on different days, I've decided to do one set of everything, with slightly less weight, as quickly as I can (while not rushing the actual motion of the exercises). This includes (alternating opposing muscle group exercises): Dumbbell chest press; dumbbell incline chest press; dumbbell flys; plate-loaded decline chest press; 7 different positional plate-loaded rows and back exercises; cable lat pulldowns; cable reverse flys for the back; 2 versions of dumbbell shoulder presses; dumbbell front raises; dumbbell side raises; plate-loaded shrugs; single arm dumbbell curls on the preacher bench; single arm triceps extension on the cable machine; 3 sets of plate-loaded incline leg press; cable back extensions; and minimum 200 varying position ab crunches on the abbench. I stretch each muscle group during the workout, and do 10 minutes of whole-body stretching before and after the entire workout. I managed to do it all in about 80 minutes, and I'm hoping to make that time shrink. I figure that way, I get both the anaerobic and aerobic workouts simultaneously. Of course, longer sustained aerobic workouts will happen on the bike :)

But geez, am I HUNGRY!!

[PutAwayWet]

Week 4:

174.0 lbs / 26.1% BF

Kind of a rollercoaster week for me. Started off really well by doing two great long rides and hitting the gym hard. Then I had the chain-snap incident on tuesday, and I've been laying on the couch ever since. It's not looking great for the week ahead - it'll probably be a week or so before I can do anything serious. Heck, I'll even settle for being able to walk :) I'll just have to be extra careful about what I eat.

[RepublicanSS]

give back the government cheese.

plus isn't it caloric needs? not calorie needs? mister needs to be less fat editor.

out of the kindness of my heart i will help you with your fat problem. burn more calories than you consume.

[mscotch]

PAW....carrots when ya can't ride...but what do I know?

I haven't seen 174 lbs. since a year out of HS.

[PutAwayWet]

I haven't seen 174 lbs. since a year out of HS.

Yeah, but I'm 5'6"! :(

[RepublicanSS]

lol!! i haven't known a man 5'6" since elementary school, no wonder you edit posts.

later napoleon.




Yeah, but I'm 5'6"! :(

[mscotch]

Yeah, but I'm 5'6"! :(

dood, I'm 5'7":eek:

[mscotch]

lol!! i haven't known a man 5'6" since elementary school, no wonder you edit posts.

later napoleon.

hey! watch it there, bub!:D

[phlatlander]

Another nod to yoga. Twists aid digestion so it's the natural alternative to that creepy moustached infomercial guy that's way too concerned w/what is in my colon. Then there's this. (http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/38165/detail/) Yoga's not the same calorie burner as an intense weight workout or ride, but it's a good complement.

[PutAwayWet]

Another nod to yoga. Twists aid digestion so it's the natural alternative to that creepy moustached infomercial guy that's way too concerned w/what is in my colon. Then there's this. (http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/38165/detail/) Yoga's not the same calorie burner as an intense weight workout or ride, but it's a good complement.

I love yoga. I used to be a regular practitioner, but I've kind of fallen out of it. I suppose I could try some one-legged yoga in the meantime :p It worked for the Karate Kid! I'm guessing with the antibiotics I won't need the colon blow :eek:

[PutAwayWet]

dood, I'm 5'7":eek:
Ah, another member of the 'husky' section at Sears :D Even last night the nurse couldn't get the leg immobilizer to fit around my thunder thighs..

[hairygrump]

later napoleon.Wow. This thread seems to be becoming about some insecurities and disatisfactions other than those of the original poster.

Cool it with the name-calling.

[PutAwayWet]

Week 5:

172.8 lbs, 25.9% BF

I should have known this would happen :) Sure it's only a pound from last week, but historically being injured/sick causes me to lose weight. When I had mono 13 years ago I fell asleep on the couch thursday night and woke up sunday afternoon 15 pounds lighter. When I had a massive ski wreck 8 years ago, I dropped 20 lbs in about a month. Maybe it's all the typing I've been doing - these fingers have been burning through the calories lately :rolleyes:

[phlatlander]

...I fell asleep on the couch thursday night and woke up sunday afternoon 15 pounds lighter.

Without soiling yourself? Damn that's a 15lb fever to burn off! Yikes.

[PutAwayWet]

Without soiling yourself? Damn that's a 15lb fever to burn off! Yikes.
Yep. I let it go so long before going to the Doc that I was in rough shape. I was diagnosed with Mono, Strep-C (whatever that is), and two ear infections. My parents woke me up regularly to take medication, but I don't remember it. My sister finally pushed me off the couch and told me to take a shower because I smelled, otherwise I might have slept there longer.

[FatBob]

Wow. This thread seems to be becoming about some insecurities and disatisfactions other than those of the original poster.

Cool it with the name-calling.

Yeah, he's from FL and think's he's a MTN Biker... that's the funniest part. Probably why no one takes him seriously.

[ironspoke]

Another nod to yoga. Twists aid digestion so it's the natural alternative to that creepy moustached infomercial guy that's way too concerned w/what is in my colon. Then there's this. (http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/38165/detail/) Yoga's not the same calorie burner as an intense weight workout or ride, but it's a good complement.


I've seen a few guys mention Yoga on here and I have actually mentioned this in posts prior to this but still havent taken the plunge. I'm interested in starting off with a Yoga DVD possibly one geared toward kids as I'd like my kids to get in to it. I heard through a mutual friend one time of how he got into it after watching his kids do it. Any suggestions out there?

Oh and PAW, keep it up!!!

[fudgedit]

I've seen a few guys mention Yoga on here and I have actually mentioned this in posts prior to this but still havent taken the plunge. I'm interested in starting off with a Yoga DVD possibly one geared toward kids as I'd like my kids to get in to it. I heard through a mutual friend one time of how he got into it after watching his kids do it. Any suggestions out there?

Oh and PAW, keep it up!!!

Spoke-I personally would recommend taking classes from a certified instructor. The reason being is that there are many adjustments a good teacher will show you that you are not aware of. Plus, I found that having a group of people going through the same odd movements as you is helpful as you have something to model from. Plus, there really is nothing like being in a room full of people involuntarily farting as they move into compromising positions. My old teacher used to do family yoga on Saturday mornings for free.

[jollygreen]

man i wish i could hit that but besides being completely impossible( 6'5" 230lbs) i feel pretty good that i dropped 30 lbs this year riding and training. stupid winter comfort food mmmm pasta, but i digress and now i must ride.

[PutAwayWet]

Week 6:

173.2 lbs, 26.0% BF

Has it really been 6 weeks? Geez. I've lost a single pound. It probably doesn't help I've spent the last two and a half weeks on the couch with the bum knee. At the very least, I've been doing pretty well sticking to my improved eating habits. Portion sizes are still staying sensible, and I've renewed my rejection of all refined carbohydrates - white sugars, white flours, etc. With any luck, I can reestablish these better eating habits while my knee is recovering. One I'm back on the bike and in the gym, hopefully they'll be easier to stick to even though I'll be ripping through the calories again. I'm hoping to take the roadie out for a spin this weekend - I walked up a set of stairs today, and it wasn't super painful!

[PutAwayWet]

Week 8 1/2-ish:

Weight: 171.8 lbs
Body Fat: 25.4%

Well, I said I wanted to lose it slow and steady, to try and keep it off. 4.6 lbs in 8-ish weeks - about half a pound a week. Not bad I suppose, I guess it shows that I've adjusted my calorie intake about right. I would have been ok with it if it had come off a little quicker than this though :) I've been so busy with working the last week and a half I forgot to weigh myself until this morning. The good news is the knee's getting better, and I was able to ride (road) again for the first time this week. Now that my food intake has gotten better, I'm hoping being able to ride will help accelerate things a bit...

[PutAwayWet]

Week 9:

170.8 lbs; 25.3% BF

Gettin' there :) Officially 5 lbs down, 10 to go. Been commuting on the roadie a couple days a week, and finally got to get out in the woods tonight.

[PutAwayWet]

Week 10:

169.4 lbs, 24.8% BF

It's nice to see the 160's again, although the 169 I am now is grossly out of shape compared to the 169 I was 8 years ago when I was a gym rat, but that's life. Still haven't been making it to the gym, but commuting a couple days a week seems to have helped out. Being back in the woods again now that the knee's healed and the bikes are back from the powder coaters should also help the mission!

[Jay13]

I feel kinda fat myself right now. Being a stay at home dad over the summer (I'm a teacher ya know) kinda took its toll this year. The nuclear heat didn't help get me on the bike either. I'm back to work now and have lost a couple pounds but I was up to 199 until the first week of school. Now I think i'm around 187-190 range but at 6'1" that ain't so bad. I just wish I could shake this cold.

Oh yeah , Fatbob this is a week late and I'm the LAST person in the whole world who would defend "that guy" but have you ever ridden any Fl MTB trails? You might be suprised how good they are for being at sea level.

[PutAwayWet]

have you ever ridden any Fl MTB trails? You might be suprised how good they are for being at sea level.

I'll vouch for that. Good stuff down there, fo' sho'!