RunningAHEAD - Topic: Chubby guy looking for all types of advice. (page 2)

smitty42

posted: 1/16/2008 at 8:57 PM
modified: 1/16/2008 at 9:08 PM

Quote from MrFinn on 1/16/2008 at 8:10 PM:

+1 .... Diet to lose weight, and exercise for fitness. I'm not sure that it matters what weight loss program you use. It's really all about eating less and eating better. I had success with Weight Watchers.

For me diets don't work. I fail at diets. It was about a change in lifestyle that I can make last. MTA: Exercise for me is/was an important part of my weight loss. If I just had to diet, I couldn't lose the weight because I hate starving. If I just exercised, I couldn't lose the weight because the sugar, candy, donuts, pizza all tasted so good. I had to make changes in both cases.

"If I control myself, I control my destiny."

run4fun8910

posted: 1/16/2008 at 11:52 PM

I would like to throw in my 2 cents. First I can not diet. It does not work for me. What I found out is that the more active I become the more I find myself eating less junk food and more of the healthy stuff. Second find an activity that you really enjoy and do a lot of it. Of course start out small and slowly increase the duration and intensity. For me it is running. I am 7 weeks running now and love it. I started at 245.5 and today on the scale said 222.5. That is exciting for me but not as exciting as being able to run none stop for 25 minutes. I am new to this site and found that everyone is so friendly and willing to offer advice. Bonus no one has called me stupid yet. Shawn

Short term goal: 5K Long term goal: half marathon. Stay injury free. Shawn

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 1/17/2008 at 7:24 AM

Quote from smitty42 on 1/16/2008 at 8:57 PM:

For me diets don't work. I fail at diets. It was about a change in lifestyle that I can make last.

Dieting is a change in lifestyle. It's getting out of bad habits and into good ones.

Quote from run4fun8910 on 1/16/2008 at 11:52 PM:

First I can not diet. It does not work for me. What I found out is that the more active I become the more I find myself eating less junk food and more of the healthy stuff.

If you are eating less junk and more good stuff then you are dieting. Look, I'm not going to argue with the results of either one of you, but to lose weight calories in must be less than calories out. You either need to take in less or burn more. You'd be surprised how few calories you burn by running, especially if you are only doing it a couple hours a week. I've at times gained weight running 5-6 hours a week. It's not that hard to do. I just think for new folks starting out they need to get their eating under control. At a minimum keep a log of what you eat. I'm sure most people would be surprised by the amount of calories they consume in a given day. Also I think there's less risk with dieting. You can cut back eating quite a bit and not worry about starving to death. If you overdo the running right off the bat you'll get injured for sure. OK, I'll stop now.

Not at it at all.

smitty42

posted: 1/17/2008 at 7:53 AM

Quote from MrFinn on 1/17/2008 at 7:24 AM:

Dieting is a change in lifestyle. It's getting out of bad habits and into good ones. If you are eating less junk and more good stuff then you are dieting. Look, I'm not going to argue with the results of either one of you, but to lose weight calories in must be less than calories out. You either need to take in less or burn more. You'd be surprised how few calories you burn by running, especially if you are only doing it a couple hours a week. I've at times gained weight running 5-6 hours a week. It's not that hard to do. I just think for new folks starting out they need to get their eating under control. At a minimum keep a log of what you eat. I'm sure most people would be surprised by the amount of calories they consume in a given day. Also I think there's less risk with dieting. You can cut back eating quite a bit and not worry about starving to death. If you overdo the running right off the bat you'll get injured for sure. OK, I'll stop now.

We're saying the same thing. I just don't call it a diet. When I think I the word "diet" I think of Atkins, the Grapefruit diet, South Beach, diet pills, . . . We're saying the same thing, just different words - burn more calories than you take in.

"If I control myself, I control my destiny."

huber

posted: 1/17/2008 at 8:54 AM

Quote from ChknWingy on 1/16/2008 at 6:23 PM:

Hi! Congrats on getting here and good luck staying!! Have you looked into logging your food? Or becoming a portion control lover (if logging is not up your ally then you want to be really cognizant of portion controls and try to stick to 1)? My suggestion is for a week or two log what you eat in a notebook. Be honest about everything you swallow and try your best to guesstimate portion sizes. Do this without changing your habits. You will probably be amazed and easily see where problems are. My guess is you are probably also overeating. I've tried to solve this problem by using a smaller plate (salad maybe). I fill it up and eat it all, but it is MUCH less then when I filled up and ate my dinner plate! As far as running. I'm not a pain person so I started running 3x a week. And I would go around my neighborhood loop. I would walk when I had to. It took me a while to run the whole thing but when I started getting close to being able to do that I added on a second loop. Eventually i got to where i was running 3 miles 3x a week. Just take it slow and don't be disappointed if you can't run 2 miles every time right now.

First off I just want to say thank you for all the great advice everyone! I have started a log for my foods as per my personal trainer at the gym. We sit down with their nutritionist after the two weeks and they tell me what I have been doing wrong. Now to be honest, I didn't run the total two miles. There was alot of walking in there, but I did the 2 miles in 30 minutes. Great advice on taking my time. I have scheduled 5 days a week for cardio, and most of that being running. Wish I could run outside but its going to be in the teens here in KY through the weekend. A bit too cold for me. Really impressed with everything you guys have said and how helpful you are. I really want you to know I appreciate it. I'm sure I will have several more questions in the future. P.S. Thank god for Icy Hot. Growing up I always though Icy Hot was what an old man smelled like, now, I am that old man Wink

HwyChld

posted: 1/17/2008 at 10:10 AM

Good luck on making such positive changes in your life. You mentioned you have had knee problems in the past, I did too and thought for many years that I just couldn't run. A little over a year ago the Dr. said I needed to exercise to get my cholesterol levels balanced and in the normal range. I didn't know what to do because I had just bought a house and could not afford a gym membership or to buy an elliptical or something similar. A year went by and I did nothing. By stroke of luck I cam across a running site on the internet that explained why I had such bad luck running in the past. Wrong/worn out shoes, running every day, too much too soon. I followed a beginners program they outlined using good shoes and completed the 9 week course with no knee trouble at all. The program was mentioned earlier in this thread, the Couch to 5K program. I am now on my fourth week of the One Hour runner program, and could not be more thrilled that I have been able to do this injury free. Good luck and listen to your body, it will tell you when you are overdoing it.

MrFinn

Prince of Fatness

posted: 1/17/2008 at 10:11 AM

Quote from smitty42 on 1/17/2008 at 7:53 AM:

We're saying the same thing, just different words - burn more calories than you take in.

Fair enough.

Quote from huber on 1/17/2008 at 8:54 AM:

I have started a log for my foods as per my personal trainer at the gym. We sit down with their nutritionist after the two weeks and they tell me what I have been doing wrong. Now to be honest, I didn't run the total two miles. There was alot of walking in there, but I did the 2 miles in 30 minutes. Great advice on taking my time. I have scheduled 5 days a week for cardio, and most of that being running. Wish I could run outside but its going to be in the teens here in KY through the weekend. A bit too cold for me.

It sure sounds like you're truly committed to this. That's great.

Not at it at all.

modal

posted: 1/17/2008 at 10:49 AM

My advice: -Cut the Soda (I lost 10 pounds from this alone) and most of your fruit juices -Drink water -Walk mindlessly for 30 mins to an hour each day -Eat more vegetables (especially colon cleaners like beans and cabbage/broccoli/brusselsprouts) and fruits.... -Need motivation get a IPOD or a roommate (or wife) who makes you want to get out of the house -Couple entertainment with your excercise

Vim

Mr Inertia

Suspect Zero

posted: 1/17/2008 at 12:53 PM

Not much to add. Burn more than you take in. Eat breakfast every day. Avoid fast food and soda. Take it easy on cheeses and sour creams. Hit the fruit and veg pretty hard. I lost over 60 pounds on those rules alone. Oh, the key is consistency.

smitty42

posted: 1/17/2008 at 1:14 PM

Quote from huber on 1/17/2008 at 8:54 AM:

Wish I could run outside but its going to be in the teens here in KY through the weekend. A bit too cold for me.

I used to feel the same way. I thought people were crazy for running outside when it's cold. Now I really like it. You just need the right clothes. Even in the teens, you can work up a good sweat outside on a run. Sounds like you've got a good plan in place. Just us posted as you make progress.

"If I control myself, I control my destiny."

Dave23

posted: 1/17/2008 at 1:22 PM

"Run long, run daily, drink little and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken This is a good starting point. Probably couldn't hurt to check with your family physician before embarking on any crazy running plans, and once out the door, follow a sensible training program. There are many available online, or in books. Or, just ask here. No shortage of opinions and advice on this site. Good for you for seeing the need to make a change in your life. There are more here like you than you might first realize.

huber

posted: 1/17/2008 at 3:34 PM

Tonight I'm going to start doing the couch to 5K and am going to use the podcast on itunes with the guy name Robert. Several friends have said good things about that podcast. Right now eating my celery sticks instead of a bag of chips. Lunch, ate a salad in the office instead of a triple burger from Wendys like th guy next to me. Damn that burger and fries smelled good! Thank again everyone. I will update you guys in a few weeks to how it is going.

LebbenB

posted: 1/18/2008 at 9:08 AM

Quote from modal on 1/17/2008 at 10:49 AM:

My advice: -Cut the Soda (I lost 10 pounds from this alone) and most of your fruit juices -Drink water -Walk mindlessly for 30 mins to an hour each day -Eat more vegetables (especially colon cleaners like beans and cabbage/broccoli/brusselsprouts) and fruits.... -Need motivation get a IPOD or a roommate (or wife) who makes you want to get out of the house -Couple entertainment with your excercise

The comment about soda is truth! One of my subordinates came to me for advice about his weight problems and I looked at his diet - you never saw him without a cold drink (That's Southernese for "soda") in his hand. I made him cut all the soda and sweet drinks out and he started losing weight at a good clip; to the point that he passed his body fat test and was taken off the weight control program. For additional motivation to run, make friends with your inner gear head. There's plenty of gizmos and gadgets to buy to support your running habit. Hey - if you buy a high speed-low drag wrist top GPS you gotta get out and use it, if for nothing else than to justify the expense to spouse/GF. At this point of your program, time spent running/walking is much more important than the distance you cover during that time (IMO.) Longer distances will come - just be patient with it. RLTW Mike

fisher

posted: 1/18/2008 at 9:47 AM
modified: 1/18/2008 at 9:49 AM

Quote from huber on 1/17/2008 at 8:54 AM:

Now to be honest, I didn't run the total two miles. There was alot of walking in there, but I did the 2 miles in 30 minutes. Great advice on taking my time. I have scheduled 5 days a week for cardio, and most of that being running. Wish I could run outside but its going to be in the teens here in KY through the weekend. A bit too cold for me.

There's been a lot of great advice so far, I just want to reinforce some of it really. First, with regards to weight loss, there's a lot of theories out there, and different things work for different people. Just remember that the bottom line is that no matter what, if you are going to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in by a good margin. Do that, eat regularly, and moderately healthy, with controlled portions, and you've taken a good first step. First, I would strongly strongly urge you to do things in a careful and deliberate manner. I've done a pretty good amount of running, but every time I stop and then start again I have to be careful about how much, how fast. So don't push things too far before your body is really ready. It's easy to run for a week or such at whatever speed feels comfortable to you, and then all of a sudden come down with shin splints or some other ailment. With that in mind, not running the whole distance..probably a good thing if you're just getting into things! It's best to start with a mixture of walking and running than to head right out the gate full bore. Remember, just because your body feels up to something now doesn't mean that it will remain capable of sustaining that level of activity. Your bones have to adjust to the increased stress before they will really be able to support a high level, thus starting out slow with a walking/running mix. Someone mentioned the Couch to 5k program earlier. That, or a slight modification of that is a great place to start. I would definitely suggest having some sort of plan, it'll be easier to stay motivated if you have quantitative targets that have to be met rather than just loose ideas of "today I'll exercise for a while." I've had that problem before myself. The last thing I'd suggest is that you get some of your running friends to help you out! For a lot of people running ends up being a solitary venture, but it is infinitely more satisfying to do it in a group. It's easier to stay motivated, it's more fun, and if you're able to keep up a conversation while running, that's probably about the right pace for you to be starting out at anyway. Beyond that, best of luck!

~J

SimonR

posted: 1/18/2008 at 10:31 AM

You have lots of advice now, time to go do it. I think that eating habits and exercise are complementary, you will have more success with a combination than with either alone. My son went from 243lbs down to 170lbs. with a combination of the two, and has had no problem maintaining the lower weight for a couple of years, but it did take some time, be patient.

PBs since age 60: 5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.

10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.

Chubby guy looking for all types of advice. (Read 1117 times)