new year resolution: I decided to start sport again.

[legomaestro]

Congrats man, I seriously need to start thinking of these sorts of goals healthwise. What's your regimen at the moment? I checked on Amazon, and they don't even have Hyperbolic Time Chambers on sale.

[Coryn]

Thanks guys.

I can go into detail if you want, but it's really a combo between diet and exercise. I eat mostly soup and fish fillets with veggies. Never enough veggies. Turns out, even of you eat a ton of healthy food, it doesn't hurt you, cause your body doesn't hold on to them. On that note, I basically do no sugar, except for a little sweet thing at the end of the day maybe. Sugar is a lot more fattening than actual fat, turns out.


For exercise, I never do anything extremely stressful or intense, but I do do a lot of lighter work outs. Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday are weight days. I use free weights so I'm also engaging my core and legs while I use them. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are lighter work outs. No weights, just using my own body. Quicker and less stressful. I do a lot of like, kicks and punches these days to get a sense of movement. Do some research into shadow boxing.

Additionally, and this is key: squat every day. They're big muscles and can take the use. Plus it'll keep you from having jacked arms and bird legs. You can't skip leg day, if every day is leg day. I also don't use weights for squats, and just do a lot of them instead.

And it's more minor, but I do stand at least 4 hours a day at work. Of nothing else, it builds stamina. I know this isn't as easy to accomplish as well, but you can get a cheap standing desk thing to help with it.


And of course, remember this is just what I'm doing, and I'm not advocating it as a one size fits all. You got to figure what works for you. I started with just a few things, and added to it until I felt comfortable with the workout. Bonus: I can do this all at home, so no gym fee, and the diet is pretty cheap as well. Don't skimp on soup though. Get something with real chunks of veggies and meat. Even if it is 2$ vs 1, you might as well be drinking water with that condensed stuff.

[Coach Fro]

Congrats indeed, Coryn! I can relate to that light on your feet feeling because I myself have been doing some diet and exercise, and so far I've been feeling better both physically and mentally. Lost around five to seven pounds this past week (a rough estimate, by the way) and I strive to lose more and see even more noticeable results by the end of this month.

My current diet literally consists of me cutting back on everything and sticking with light snacks and meals, all the while resisting the urge to overeat anything. I'm mostly sticking with foods such as chicken, turkey, nuts, fruits and whatever I feel comfortable with at the moment. I eliminated pretty much all junk and sweets from my eating habits, with my only source of sugar being from the fruit I consume, which I also try not to eat too much of.  I've been sucking at staying away from bread and cheese, and I'm aiming to cut down on those as well.

Also: Water, water and more water. I cannot stress how much water has been important to me this past week. I mean don't get me wrong, I've always been a water guy, but man this diet has given me a newfound appreciation for it.

As far as exercise, I decided to stick with a beginner friendly circuit of body-weight exercises. Here's what my current regimen looks like:

20 squats
10 pushups
30 jumping jacks
15 second planks

I'm going through the current circuit at least three times a session with three minutes of rest between each round. Looking to add more to give myself more of a effective and challenging workout. I also give myself a day of rest to allow my body to repair and properly adjust for the following day of exercise. So right now I'm working out at least three to four days a week.

If there's one thing about myself I thought I could never change, it would be my weight.

Boy I love proving myself wrong.   

[Coryn]

No kidding man. I've always been a bit bulky, but I definitely noticed it nearing that line between "I'm big boned" and "Oh *censored* I'm just fat." I hadn't been on the other side of that line since before puberty, and I'll be damned if I'm going to cross it again without a fight. I can get fat when I'm dead.

I also gotta stress that you can't make the mistake of going in with "absolute will power" when it comes to food. Sure, you can resist that bowl of candy at the reception desk at this moment. And maybe you can do it five minutes from now, and maybe even five minutes after that. But eventually, you'll break. You'll break and you'll be standing there with a handful of Skittles and you'll realize your perfect streak is broken.

Now, you'll want to just give it all up then, if you're like me (ie. Human). You'll be all "Well, my diet is ruined, guess I'm doomed" But, if you build in those little allowences and indiscretions, you won't feel overwhelmed when they happen. It takes the stress out of the diet, knowing that if you occasionally mess up, it's not the end of the world.

I also suggest not thinking about diet and exercise as "something I'm doing to lose weight." Think of it as "something that I do." Do not ascribe an end goal to it. Let it become just another one of your habits. Now, it takes 7 continuous weeks to build a habit, but once it's in, it's in. And if you think of it as just another part of your lifestyle, then it comes easier. Again, it's less stress to deal with, which reduces stress eating (one of my greatest sins) and helps with that end of things. Think like this, and instead of worrying constantly about when your weight will be gone, you will simply notice that it is.

[Coryn]

Sorry to basically turn this into my own weight loss journal, but here we are again with the updates.

I have now met my stretch goal for the year. I lost the 28 pounds I was hoping to, plus one more. Given I didn't weigh in until a week after new years, and Lord knows I was worse off on the day itself, I'm calling this 30lbs.

I am leaner, stronger, feel better, and I.... still have a gut...

*Sigh* this is harder than I thought it was going to be.


Unfortunately, beyond this point I have no real frame of reference. I was never very good at keeping up with my weight in my teenage years, so when I first started paying attention, I was right in that 180 range. Any diet journals I may have had before highschool are certainly gone, and worthless even if I had them. I'm basically the thinnest I've been in my adult life, and now I have no idea where to proceed.

Facts are, I still have fat I can stand to lose, a belly I could stand to tighten up, and muscles I can stand to grow. And I need to double down on my actual diet. I've fallen into the trap of eating worse because it hasn't been affecting my weight loss, but that's certainly not good for a whole slew of other factors.

I understand that I've got an endotherm body type, but gosh darn it, I'm not trying to be mcjager thin over here, I just want a flat stomach.

Guess it's time to invest in some more vegetables

[Coach Fro]

Allow me to join in on the updates if you don't mind.

Before I started my own personal get healthy adventure, I weighed around 310 to 314 or so pounds. Two months later I'm around the 284 range. It's safe to say I made some decent progress.

Coryn you were right, it's easy to revert to those old eating habits. Luckily, I've been doing good at staying strong mentally and not beating myself up about it. Reading up on a healthy diet gets me back on the right track, and while consistency has been a major problem of mine (Which is probably why i haven't broken the 270's barrier yet), fortunately I am blessed with the ability to quickly change and adapt my to a new approach on the fly that can keep me grounded.

Originally, I was trying out the 16/8 fasting diet for a week or two. It certainly works (especially when paired with a routine workout), but I found that it's hard to stick with for a long period of time. After doing some further reading on weight loss and health info in general, I figured that as long as I long eat when I'm hungry and not overdo it, I should be fine.

My main problem is reverting strictly to a plants and animals only kind of diet. Animals, sure I can eat those all day. Plants, well... I haven't met too many vegetables that I actually liked, so finding some greens that I can actually chow down on will be a struggle for me.

But no excuses. I promised myself to change and I'm gonna do it. No matter how long it takes, I'm gonna lose this weight, I'm gonna live a more healthier lifestyle. Just need that infinite patience.

But enough about me. Keep those updates coming Coryn! I like reading them, as they're inspiring for me. I've read that the stomach region is usually the last in line when it comes to losing body fat. That sucks balls, but hey, makes the journey more rewarding in the end I would say.   

[Coryn]

Good job fro! Keep that up! Not beating yourself up is definitely an important part of the process. You've made really good progress, a lot more than I did in that same span of time! But that seems toake sense. This is only anecdotal, but it seems that the farther you are from your body's sort of 'equilibrium weight', (the weight your genetics are kinda saying you should be at), the easier it is to lose weight. Then once you get close (as I think I am, because the last five pounds were freaking hard to lose, as opposed to the first like, 15), then it becomes harder. Tldr: you can get yourself to a much better place easier than you think. And you got the added benefit of more starting muscle mass to build from than someone like me who started 100 pounds lighter on the scale. So you're on a shorter road to buff in that respect.

They say that it takes your body eating something about 3 times to start aquiring a taste for that thing. So try to be open, and be persistent, and you'll overcome. Start with something you're on the edge about, and find different ways to cook it. For instance, I've warmed up to asparagus by roasting it in smokey seasonings. I got around to broccoli by making stir fry with it, and the first time I sauteed a mushroom a whole new world opened up for me. Point being: like beef, you can drastically alter how a vegetable tastes in the way you cook it.

It also wouldn't hurt to invest in some veggie heavy cook books. I find that making something yourself always makes it taste better. And having a good looking picture of the final product certainly won't hurt.


That's definitely the truth on the belly fat. I got the double whammy that it's where my family's men traditionally carry their fat the most. Part of it too is that I get worried I'm making myself bloated with the added vegetables to my diet, and then just feeling terrible when I see myself in the mirror afterwards. Part of me knows it's just bloating that will go away, part of me goes "you completely undid everything with a single meal!". But such is life. I got to tell you though, I did lose fat in places I didn't realize held so much, so the belly also stands out more than it did. I love laying on my side, day bed style, and that was never a problem. But now it feels like my stomach is dragging me on to my face, because I've lost so much of the counter weight  but you know, I'll take that loss for being able to see definition around my pelvis any day.

[Coach Fro]

Ah cook books, cook books. It's been so long since I actually had or seen one. I'll probably stick to online recipes for  the time being until I can get my hands on a physical one.

I know what I must do to get to the next level, but the mental hurdles that hinder me are definitely tough to overcome. Being in a house with family that as not as concerned with health and fitness as I am at the moment makes things a bit harder. I'm taking the small steps though. If mom cooks chicken and spaghetti, then I'll just take the chicken and skip out on the carbs  from the spaghetti. Real small I know, but baby steps are always important.

The funny thing is I've always been somewhat fit and athletic for my size. Quite honestly, 300 plus pounds sounds overweight but I always had a husky body shape. I can throw kicks pretty high in the air and I can be pretty quick when it comes to my movement. Seriously though, I was actually surprised when I found out I was over 300 pounds. But hey, looks can be deceiving I guess.

[MahluaandMilk]

Muscle does weigh more than fat because it's more dense.

[legomaestro]

King Pin is the proof for all of that.

It's pretty ballsy to post about this sort of stuff so respect from that alone. Definitely cheering for you to meet your goals, and I think the 'don't beat yourself up for messing up' bit is the most important. I'm sure you won't stop taking the urgency of the change any less seriously, so never despair and straight up quit on the goal.

I need to seriously learn to cook more though. It's cheaper if anything, and cheapness stays on the top of the list any and all the time for me personally haha.

[Coryn]

Cookbooks will safe your soul one day my friend. I only have a few, but there's little more rewarding than picking out something you've never had, buying the ingredients, putting it all together, and then finding out that it's super delicious. And just as a life skill, it's a fantastic resource to have. If you can read, you can cook.


If you want a solid foundation, go get yourself an Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook. It's got a little of everything from the American tradition, and while I won't say I've made anything from it that truly blew me away, it won't leave you with leftovers.

[Coach Fro]

Between my mom's birthday being last week and mine being today, whatever progress I made so far has pretty much gone down the drain. I may have even mentally given up to a certain extent. It's been two weeks of healthy eating abandonment and I feel like total sh!t

But hey, setbacks happen, right? Can let em get you down, right?

*Sigh*

I'm gonna be hitting this reset button hard...

[Coryn]

You always have to keep the idea in your mind that you are still dieting, you're still on the regime. That way it's easier to get back on the path. Cause you never really left.

I get that feeling though. With vacation this week, I've basically destroyed any chance of staying the course. I'm definitely taking a week off while I get back on track.