Health and Fitness - Motivational Thread

[Phil 5,129]

Oo - this is my kinda thread! Thanks for sharing Chris. I know it can be difficult to do so big ups to you for doing it. If you want my advise (oh yea, I graduated with a KIN degree  ) Here it is:

 

1. Give up pop - Obvious and its already been said - gotta cut back on the pop. There's substantial evidence that these drinks increase the long-term risk of several cardiometabolic disorders, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease yadda yadda yadda... you probably are well aware. More importantly for your goals, however, there have also been several clinic trials showing that the reduction of these drinks leads to meaningful weight loss. 
    
2. Don't obsess about going to the gmy - Getting to the gym can be difficult, but it's not the end-all of fitness. Over the past few years, I think there's WAY too much emphasis being put on "going" to the gym. People can get fitness without ever going there. Sign up for a pick-up league of football, play shinny once a week, join an intramural baseball league... social activities like sport are often underused as a way of getting fit. That being said, being physically active and increasing your metabolism is key. If going to the gym is the way for you, then giddy-yap. 
    
3. Small Changes - Fitness and increasing your metabolism can be done by simply altering some tiny decisions you make. Take the stairs instead of the escalator, bike or walk to class, eat many smaller meals rather than 3 large ones.-  all these things are very easy to do and will show major results, regardless of everything else. 
    
4. Find what motivates you - the most important part of attaining your goal is that you can stay motivate and have the drive to accomplish it. I have several little things that I have that keeps me motivated but ultimately, it keeps me going. You gotta keep that drive. 

The fact that you've already successfully lost a lot of weight in the past before should be a huge push in the right direction for you - you know it's attainable. Now you just have to put in the time and dedication to see it out. Even with the one time I've met you, I can see from your personality that you have a steady resolve about you and if you set your sights on something - nothing's gonna stand in your way!! 

 

Thanks for reading ahah, hopefully this helps a little. If you want anything more specific let me know. My door is always open. 

[Advantage 2,899]

5 minutes ago, JardyB10 said:

As everyone has concluded, pop is mostly bad. If you cut pop and did nothing else, you'd probably still see results over time.

 

Anyway, here are my recommendations:

 

1. Download the MyFitnessPal app. It makes watching your calorie intake infinitely easier. For the longest time I could never figure out why I couldn't gain weight even though I generally eat a shit-ton every meal I eat. The answer was because A. I'm pretty tall and therefore have to eat A LOT, B. I often slept through/skipped breakfast, and C. I actually had no idea how many calories I was actually taking in in a day. It was quite a bit less than I thought. I personally need to eat 3000+ calories a day to start reaching my goal weight, and I wasn't/don't hit that nearly as often as I thought.

 

Moral of the story: Losing weight is about calories in vs. calories out. Calories are trickier than they seem, so download the app to get a visual of how much your taking in.

 

2. Get into a routine of going to the gym. You don't even really need to work out that much when you go at first. Walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes and leave if you want. As long as you go and keep going, you will eventually get used to it and accept it as part of your routine.

 

3. Definitely go with someone if possible. If not (or even if so), check if your gym offers any classes and/or group workouts. They're actually quite satisfying, and being around other people keeps you honest. If you're worried about being judged, just remember that judging someone heavy at the gym is the dumbest fucking thing I've heard of in my life. That's like going to a French class and laughing at people for being shitty at French.

 

4. Always be conscience of your weight goals. Whenever you want a pop, think "It would be better if I had water/OJ instead." If you just got home from a long stressful shitty day of school and you just want to eat supper and play a little 'chell and pass out rather than go to the gym, think, "I don't have time to work out so I'll go for a quick walk instead." Basically whatever action you do, think if there's a better option that would help you instead.

 

And don't be afraid to rely on your family/girlfriend/support group either. Maybe strike up a deal with your boo that you get a BJ for every X amount of pounds you lose, or a HJ for every time you go to the gym. Something like that.

 

Good luck, and keep us updated!

Good advice.  One of them specifically is something I plan to try out.  I used to go to the gym and try and commit doing 2-3 hours each time...but really that just tires you out and helped me not go the rest of the week.

 

My roommate lost 50 lbs in the summer by just going an hour each time.  He would do a few different things each time and said he could go 3-4 times a week easily without it feeling like a chore.  So that's definitely something I want to try.  I always just looked at going for an hour as pointless for whatever reason.

 

3 minutes ago, Kendrick said:

Yeah dude! I got a perfect one for you. I highly recommend downloading the app SworkIt. It's very cut/clear on what you do and you can work around your schedule with it. Also you can set how long you want the instructor to coach you through. Just give it a try, if you hate it delete it. It's for your smart phone but I'll tell you I started to use it for basic core workouts and it helped me lose 7 pounds in the first week.

 

*I had to cut weight because there is no advantage to working with 210lbs.

I'll give it a shot.  Appreciate it.  I just don't really know what's least or most effective at the gym honestly.

[Kendrick 4,741]

55 minutes ago, Advantage said:

3 minutes ago, Advantage said:

I'll give it a shot.  Appreciate it.  I just don't really know what's least or most effective at the gym honestly.

This app you can use in your bedroom dude, that's how good it is. Has some great exercises. Some hate going to gyms and having people there. My buddy is fairly large because he was in a car accident and wasn't on his feet for awhile. I told him about this because I know that he was embarrassed that he sweats out a whole ocean when he works out. This was a guy who was in great shape so he hated people seeing him like that. 

[Advantage 2,899]

4 minutes ago, Phil said:

Oo - this is my kinda thread! Thanks for sharing Chris. I know it can be difficult to do so big ups to you for doing it. If you want my advise (oh yea, I graduated with a KIN degree  ) Here it is:

 

1. Give up pop - Obvious and its already been said - gotta cut back on the pop. There's substantial evidence that these drinks increase the long-term risk of several cardiometabolic disorders, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease yadda yadda yadda... you probably are well aware. More importantly for your goals, however, there have also been several clinic trials showing that the reduction of these drinks leads to meaningful weight loss. 
    
2. Don't obsess about going to the gmy - Getting to the gym can be difficult, but it's not the end-all of fitness. Over the past few years, I think there's WAY too much emphasis being put on "going" to the gym. People can get fitness without ever going there. Sign up for a pick-up league of football, play shinny once a week, join an intramural baseball league... social activities like sport are often underused as a way of getting fit. That being said, being physically active and increasing your metabolism is key. If going to the gym is the way for you, then giddy-yap. 
    
3. Small Changes - Fitness and increasing your metabolism can be done by simply altering some tiny decisions you make. Take the stairs instead of the escalator, bike or walk to class, eat many smaller meals rather than 3 large ones.-  all these things are very easy to do and will show major results, regardless of everything else. 
    
4. Find what motivates you - the most important part of attaining your goal is that you can stay motivate and have the drive to accomplish it. I have several little things that I have that keeps me motivated but ultimately, it keeps me going. You gotta keep that drive. 

The fact that you've already successfully lost a lot of weight in the past before should be a huge push in the right direction for you - you know it's attainable. Now you just have to put in the time and dedication to see it out. Even with the one time I've met you, I can see from your personality that you have a steady resolve about you and if you set your sights on something - nothing's gonna stand in your way!! 

 

Thanks for reading ahah, hopefully this helps a little. If you want anything more specific let me know. My door is always open. 

Appreciate it Phil.  If I think of something I'll let you know bud.

[Advantage 2,899]

6 minutes ago, Kendrick said:

This app you can use in your bedroom dude, that's how good it is. Has some great exercises. Some hate going to gyms and having people there. My buddy is fairly large because he was in a car accident and wasn't on his feet for awhile. I told him about this because I know that he was embarrassed that he sweats out a whole ocean when he works out. This was a guy who was in great shape so he hated people seeing him like that. 

Interesting.  I figured I'd do the gym just to kill time and because it would help with my issues but it's nice to have options outside of the gym too.

 

Appreciate the mention of it.  I'll try it out.

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

this is great stuff guys, i guess there shall be no more banning phil from any of us, except maybe @sterling , who will always say ban phil. 

[Kesler 1,514]

Okay srsly juice is just as bad as pop, do not recommend it  

[Tim 182]

nice I like threads like this. i dabble in powerlifting so i can answer questions about gym things if anyone has any

[JardyB10 4,868]

18 minutes ago, Dewie said:

Okay srsly juice is just as bad as pop, do not recommend it  

Most of it does have a shit ton of sugar in it, and I certainly don't mean it's a direct replacement for pop or water. But it's far better than pop, don't smoke crack. I'm not talking about "juice" like Sunny D or Fruit Punch. I mean like, a carton of pure apple or orange juice. And yes, it does have a lot of sugar, but that's partly because FRUIT has lots of sugar, and I feel the Vitamin C is a nice pick-me-up. A glass of OJ in the morning with an egg and toast is smart, IMO. Obviously you don't want to drink a gallon a day.

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

16 minutes ago, Tim said:

nice I like threads like this. i dabble in powerlifting so i can answer questions about gym things if anyone has any

damn Tim you're a power lifter? i better stop bugging you or else 

[sterling 2,000]

I hear the downtown Sheraton in Toronto has a good pool with a handsome lifeguard that you could swim at

 

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Chris, right with you on the soda. In middle school and high school I actually did a pretty good job limiting myself an occasional coke, but the wheels fell off in college and my soda intake skyrocketed. Basically, whenever the Flyers played, I had a can. If I was stressed due to procrastinating on school work, I drank a can. If I was drinking, there was a good chance it was a whiskey and coke. As I type, I actually have some right now, even though I know I shouldn't since I already had some when I went out to dinner tonight. I don't know what it is about it, but soda is what I crave when I'm looking for something sweet. I go through phases where I can replace it with something like orange juice or straight water, but it never lasts. And it's a shame, because I'd say I eat relatively healthy, but neither I (or really anyone on my dad's side of the family minus Austin, who has never liked the stuff) can kick the habit.

 

I was able to shake the "freshmen 15", but I'm beginning to discover that the "corporate 30" is no joke. 

 

 

[Daniel 565]

I definitely struggle with soda drinking (seems to be a recurring thing here lmao). I'm supposed to be on a cut right now after bulking up through the last few months but I've had a load of work to do after winter break and every time I'm in the library I seem to have a Coke with me. It's still not good for you but if you can try easing yourself off it by switching to a calorie free option before getting off it entirely you may find yourself more likely to stick to it! 

[Kendrick 4,741]

To touch on the Juice comment. @Dewie is partly right. Freshly squeezed juice is good for you, but how often do you have that available unless you have a juicer right? The vitamins and stuff from fruit in juices can fight infections and various viruses. However, contrary to popular belief, those orange slices that they give kids in North American soccer halftimes? Thats actually the worst thing you could give them. The acid from those oranges tears at your muscles and makes them become weak during high intensity sports.

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

Great to see there's a bunch of fitness dudes on here.

 

Most of your health is going to depend on what you eat. It gets said a lot, but it's true. It's definitely difficult to get off of a habit if you have them.

 

Like recommended on here already, I'd definitely check out /r/fitness on Reddit. It's a great community and everyone there is very helpful.

 

Also, if you don't know what kind of workout routine, I'd recommend www.bodybuilding.com. There's a little thing on there where you pick what you intend to be doing and what's best for you. Every workout has little videos to show you how to do them as well. When I get bored with a routine or finish a program, I just keep on going to that website.

 

Heading to the gym is sometimes difficult. A lot of the motivation is just making yourself go. There will always be excuses, but you just have to get up and go.

[Phil 5,129]

11 hours ago, DollarAndADream said:

Also, if you don't know what kind of workout routine, I'd recommend www.bodybuilding.com. There's a little thing on there where you pick what you intend to be doing and what's best for you. Every workout has little videos to show you how to do them as well. When I get bored with a routine or finish a program, I just keep on going to that website

 

I live on that site. 

[Kendrick 4,741]

"Make excuses for going to the gym, not for avoiding the gym"

[Daniel 565]

I mostly visit bodybuilding.com for the roasting of Jason Genova 

[Mike 708]

I'm glad to see this thread and if this stays active I'll continue to post here as well.

 

High School Weight: ~~240ish

College Weight: ~~260ish

Last Spring: ~~New Record 280ish

I've made a few changes mostly in my career which has me up and moving/lifting and not at a computer all day.

Weight As of 30 seconds ago: 265

At 6'3" I don't look that big in fact when I ask people they say I don't know 230 and never expect that I weigh so much.

I've never taken fitness seriously or ever tried to really get into good shape even when I played sports in school.  I lifted and ran at practice but never did anything extra on my own.  Even when I lifted it was just going through the motions and I'm not really a gym person.  I just bought a home gym last week and am going to try to take things serious this year to get into the best shape of my life.

 

My Tools for success are

1) My Fitness Pal App (2600+ Calories to maintain current weight looking for 2400 daily to lose)

2) George Foreman Grill (Mostly just chicken I like to cook but hate to clean and this is easy to use)

3) Kitchen Scale (for correct serving/eating amounts)

4) Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym (Estimated delivery Tuesday 01/20/2016)

5) Using the "Portion Control Plate Method".  I don't mind veggies but usually the meat/starch section takes 70% of plate and little veggies.  Also the starch going to stick with whole wheats, beans, and high fiber things not high processed whites and sugar starches.

6) Other changes I don't eat a lot of fast food or drink much soda but I do go out to eat a lot (chinese, applebees, pizza, wings, mexican, and etc).  Going to try to cut that down to 1 super splurge meal a week where I go HAM instead of every other day or several days in a row.  I drink Arizona Tea 150 calories 39g sugar per 23oz can.  I water it down though and drink it over 2-3 days instead of 1 24oz pepsi 250 calories 69g of sugar.  Same for real non concentrate juice I do 1 or 2 parts water for 1 part juice.

 

[Tim 182]

I'm seconding what Mike said about the MyFitnessPal app. great app for tracking calories and macros and it's super easy due to it having almost a lot of dishes from major restaurants and virtually any food item you can buy at the store you can scan and all the information will pop up. i try to use it daily 

[Phil 5,129]

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

37 minutes ago, Phil said:

this is why you win top leader. leader on and off the 'ice'

[DollarAndADream 3,357]

2 hours ago, Tim said:

I'm seconding what Mike said about the MyFitnessPal app. great app for tracking calories and macros and it's super easy due to it having almost a lot of dishes from major restaurants and virtually any food item you can buy at the store you can scan and all the information will pop up. i try to use it daily 

I used to use MyFitnessPal every day, but I realized that I basically never went over my calorie intake so I just stopped using it.

[BOOM 8,810]

I used to have a motivation thread in Davos...then I lost motivation. Good luck Chris, hope you feel better and get healthier man.

[Advantage 2,899]

6 hours ago, Mike said:

I'm glad to see this thread and if this stays active I'll continue to post here as well.

 

High School Weight: ~~240ish

College Weight: ~~260ish

Last Spring: ~~New Record 280ish

I've made a few changes mostly in my career which has me up and moving/lifting and not at a computer all day.

Weight As of 30 seconds ago: 265

At 6'3" I don't look that big in fact when I ask people they say I don't know 230 and never expect that I weigh so much.

I've never taken fitness seriously or ever tried to really get into good shape even when I played sports in school.  I lifted and ran at practice but never did anything extra on my own.  Even when I lifted it was just going through the motions and I'm not really a gym person.  I just bought a home gym last week and am going to try to take things serious this year to get into the best shape of my life.

 

My Tools for success are

1) My Fitness Pal App (2600+ Calories to maintain current weight looking for 2400 daily to lose)

2) George Foreman Grill (Mostly just chicken I like to cook but hate to clean and this is easy to use)

3) Kitchen Scale (for correct serving/eating amounts)

4) Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym (Estimated delivery Tuesday 01/20/2016)

5) Using the "Portion Control Plate Method".  I don't mind veggies but usually the meat/starch section takes 70% of plate and little veggies.  Also the starch going to stick with whole wheats, beans, and high fiber things not high processed whites and sugar starches.

6) Other changes I don't eat a lot of fast food or drink much soda but I do go out to eat a lot (chinese, applebees, pizza, wings, mexican, and etc).  Going to try to cut that down to 1 super splurge meal a week where I go HAM instead of every other day or several days in a row.  I drink Arizona Tea 150 calories 39g sugar per 23oz can.  I water it down though and drink it over 2-3 days instead of 1 24oz pepsi 250 calories 69g of sugar.  Same for real non concentrate juice I do 1 or 2 parts water for 1 part juice.

 

Good stuff Mike.

 

I also get the "you don't look your weight stuff".  Most think I'm around 280 but to me it's getting out of control and I feel that excess weight.  That is where I put my foot down cause it's one thing to gain a few lbs, but to feel that extra weight is rather scary.

 

I think I'll have to download MyFitness App since it seems to be getting a lot of praise here.  I had heard of it before but never really worried about counting calories.  With that being said, it can't hurt and portions can be troubling at times for myself.  (I also have that going out to eat problem occasionally.  Especially when we go to play pool.)

 

 

3 hours ago, boom said:

I used to have a motivation thread in Davos...then I lost motivation. Good luck Chris, hope you feel better and get healthier man.

Thanks bud. I hope you are doing great as well.

 

Glad to see so many are taking to this thread.