got a belly and want to lose it

axel_2078 · May 16, 2005

I'll get right to the point. A little over a year ago I was 5'7" and 155 lbs. Now I'm 5'7" and 178 lbs, and I'm 26. I attribute this to marriage, since I don't eat like I used to (Air Force dining facilities) and I don't have nearly as much time to work out since I work 12 hour days. I've gained 24 lbs and it's noticeable in my belly area. Last year at 165 lbs, I had a 33" waist. This year when I was measured, I weighed 182 lbs and came in at a 36". I don't know if I was measured correctly though, since it was done differently than it was last year. (This time I was measured directly across my navel and over my clothing.)

How do I get rid of this fat? What's the best way? I do exercise and I'm trying to watch what I eat. I'd like to be 155 again, but I'd settle for 160. When I weighed 155, I was a pretty skinny guy, but by Air Force Standards I was overweight and was supposed to weigh around 130 lbs. Now I'm 178 and by Air Force Standards, that is obese.

McCarley · May 16, 2005

It's all about diet, exercise, and time, mostly diet.

JennFank · May 17, 2005

Hey I am having the same problem as you are. I am 24 years old and I weigh about 165 pounds compared to 135 pounds a few years ago. My goal is to get back to 135 pounds, but similar to you I work about 10 hours a day, sitting in front of a computer all day. I don't have much time to work out as I would like to, even though I do work out a little bit and try to eat healthy. But nothing seems to be working. My energy levels are really low also, which stops me from working out as much as I should. I need some help with this problem. I want to get back to me old self again.

spockafina · May 17, 2005

axel_2078 said:
How do I get rid of this fat? What's the best way? I do exercise and I'm trying to watch what I eat. .

As McCarley said, diet, exercise, time, & diet.

What do you do for exercise? Why don't you post your typical diet, too, and we can tweak it a bit

axel_2078 · May 18, 2005

For exercise I try to work out three times a week. I do cardio at each workout for at least 30-40 minutes (treadmill, bike, or free runner) and then I do push ups and sit ups. As far as diet goes....well, I can't say I have a set diet. I try not to eat sweets, drink water before anything else, watch salt intake, and watch out for fatty foods. However, I work 12 hours shifts, and my schedule rotates every two weeks and every two months we switch off beteen day shift and night shift. During the day it's hard to get away to get something to eat since there are only 5 of us here. Sometimes I can eat lunch, other times I have to wait a few hours, sometimes I don't eat at all. I know I could bring my lunch to work with me. The only reason I like to go home for lunch is because I live on base and I have two puppies that I need to let out to go potty. Aside from that, when I work day shift and I get off work, it's 7:30 pm. I know you're not supposed to eat much after 6 pm, but my wife usually waits to make dinner so she can eat with me.

hicarbon · May 19, 2005

axel_2078 said:
For exercise I try to work out three times a week. I do cardio at each workout for at least 30-40 minutes (treadmill, bike, or free runner) and then I do push ups and sit ups. As far as diet goes....well, I can't say I have a set diet. I try not to eat sweets, drink water before anything else, watch salt intake, and watch out for fatty foods. However, I work 12 hours shifts, and my schedule rotates every two weeks and every two months we switch off beteen day shift and night shift. During the day it's hard to get away to get something to eat since there are only 5 of us here. Sometimes I can eat lunch, other times I have to wait a few hours, sometimes I don't eat at all. I know I could bring my lunch to work with me. The only reason I like to go home for lunch is because I live on base and I have two puppies that I need to let out to go potty. Aside from that, when I work day shift and I get off work, it's 7:30 pm. I know you're not supposed to eat much after 6 pm, but my wife usually waits to make dinner so she can eat with me.

I have a similar problem with eating habits. I work noon till 9pm and it's really hard to eat correctly. Unless I get up early enough to cook something for dinner before I leave for work, I'm basically forced to either snack, or grab something while I'm out. I did however find that even getting those larger Lean Cuisine dinners works pretty well. My energy levels were also very low due to not getting enough excercise, vitamins and not eating right. I noticed however that once I started doing some good cardio at the gym after work (We have 24hr. gyms) and adjusting my diet, plus I now take a multi-vitamin, my performance levels have really gone back up.
What AFB are you stationed at? I am sure there are continuously open fitness centers on base, we had them when I was in the Marine Corps and as we all know, the Corps gets the shoddy end of the stick!

But anyhow, yeah I definately know how you feel.

shimmering · May 19, 2005

man i agree that diet is everything. i used to think that with enough exercise you could get away with anything, and to some extent that's true. but boy it is SO much easier to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight by watching those calories. if you're limited in the amount of exercise you can do, clean up that diet, it will make all the difference. try bringing a blender to work (they make small portable ones, too), with that you can make your own protein shake/meal replacements. maybe start with a shake as a breakfast replacement. just watch the calories in the shakes you make, many people mix up shakes that have as many/more calories as a meal. here's an example i like to do for breakfast: 10 oz water, 1 scoop whey protein powder, 4 strawberries, or a peach, or a banana, a tbsp milled flax seed, & 2 tbsp whole oats. blend it together and you have a healthy, low calorie meal replacement. it's all about skipping the meals to go (which are usually enormous in calories and fat) and making your own.

spockafina · May 19, 2005

It's important to eat 5-7 meals, 2-3 hours apart, throughout the day. Definitely bring food to work - in a small cooler, if you must.
And it's fine eating after 1800 - that's just a myth. So long as you're spacing your meals evenly, eating before bed is not a big deal.

Continue to stay away from sweets. There are tons of threads with ideas for meals/foods to eat - do a search and you'll find a lot of lists and tips

axel_2078 · May 23, 2005

hicarbon said:
What AFB are you stationed at? I am sure there are continuously open fitness centers on base, we had them when I was in the Marine Corps and as we all know, the Corps gets the shoddy end of the stick! But anyhow, yeah I definately know how you feel.

I'm stationed at Scott AFB, IL. Unfortunately, we don't have 24 hour gyms here. We only have two and the latest they stay open is 10 pm. We didn't have 24 hour gyms at Keesler AFB, MS either. You would think that an Air Force base would have 24 hour gyms, since we typically have the best of the best, but I haven't been to an AF base yet that does. I'm supposed to get off of this 12 hr schedule thing around August. (It's a one year thing) Once I get off this schedule, I'll go back to a regular office and I'll be able to do PT during the duty day again. Right now I have to do it on my off time. Even though we're technically allowed to do it on duty time, none of us do because there are only 5 of us here, each filling a different position. A loss of one can severely unbalance the load on the others. I'm so ready to go back to regular duty days.