lancesquire
New member
'Tis the season when millions of Americans eat and drink themselves silly from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and then make a resolution to lose weight starting January 1st. This usually involves some sort of diet that's impossible to maintain combined with a sprinkling of workouts that don't show instant results and make the person walk away thinking "why bother" by January 10th.
Here's my weight loss advice, and I think it's pretty effective for anybody truly committed to change:
1) Don't eat like an idiot
2) Do workout
Simple? Yes.
Easy? No.
Let me give you a little bit of my background, focusing on my weight/fitness throughout my life:
I started doing light cardio on elliptical machines at the local gym. For the first week, it was hard to make it for a half hour without stopping. But I knew that's how it would go.
After a month, I was feeling a lot better, but I was disappointed that I couldn't perceive any visual results, and I didn't notice any difference in how my clothes fit. I turned to the internet, and found more useless information.
After another couple of weeks, I finally started noticing some results. But when I think back on it, I realize it was mostly because I had changed my diet. And it wasn't a huge change. I just started eating less because I was planning my schedule around working out instead of around eating. I have a hard time doing cardio on anything but an empty stomach, so I had to plan my eating accordingly. And when I started incorporating weights into my workout, I had to plan my eating even more.
Until around that six-week point, I thought exercise was all that mattered; after all, when I was in the Marine Corps, all I had to do was work out, and I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted. But now I realize that after 30, things change physiologically.
I don't pretend to be an expert, but after the age of 30, I'd say that results for weight loss are about 80% diet, and 20% exercise related. For me, planning a daily routine around both diet and exercise is synergistic...I work out so I feel better, and eat better so I can work out more effectively.
In 5 months, I have lost 50 pounds, and I honestly haven't been on a so-called "diet" at any point during that time period.
Don't eat like an idiot. Do workout.
Here's my weight loss advice, and I think it's pretty effective for anybody truly committed to change:
1) Don't eat like an idiot
2) Do workout
Simple? Yes.
Easy? No.
Let me give you a little bit of my background, focusing on my weight/fitness throughout my life:
I was a chubby band kid throughout middle school and high school. Enough said.
- I joined the Marine Corps after high school, and got into great shape for obvious reasons.
- After serving 4 years, I got out of the Marine Corps, and went to college to become a teacher. During my 6 years in college, I fluctuated anywhere between 170 lbs and 220 lbs. But I was still young, and all I really had to do was get back on a running routine to lose weight.
- I began my career as a teacher, and managed to get up to 250 lbs thanks to eating too much junk (pizza mostly), and becoming a garden variety couch potato.
- 5 months ago, I was waking up in the middle of the night in pain. I'm a side sleeper, and the weight of my abdomen and legs put too much pressure on my hips. I tried shifting to my back, and the pain was even worse. In short, I hadn't slept a solid 8 hours in over a year. I realized something had to change.
- I decided to stop making excuses, and commit myself to getting into shape again, mostly because I was in pain,--something that most overweight people deal with in one way or another.
I started doing light cardio on elliptical machines at the local gym. For the first week, it was hard to make it for a half hour without stopping. But I knew that's how it would go.
After a month, I was feeling a lot better, but I was disappointed that I couldn't perceive any visual results, and I didn't notice any difference in how my clothes fit. I turned to the internet, and found more useless information.
After another couple of weeks, I finally started noticing some results. But when I think back on it, I realize it was mostly because I had changed my diet. And it wasn't a huge change. I just started eating less because I was planning my schedule around working out instead of around eating. I have a hard time doing cardio on anything but an empty stomach, so I had to plan my eating accordingly. And when I started incorporating weights into my workout, I had to plan my eating even more.
Until around that six-week point, I thought exercise was all that mattered; after all, when I was in the Marine Corps, all I had to do was work out, and I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted. But now I realize that after 30, things change physiologically.
I don't pretend to be an expert, but after the age of 30, I'd say that results for weight loss are about 80% diet, and 20% exercise related. For me, planning a daily routine around both diet and exercise is synergistic...I work out so I feel better, and eat better so I can work out more effectively.
In 5 months, I have lost 50 pounds, and I honestly haven't been on a so-called "diet" at any point during that time period.
Don't eat like an idiot. Do workout.