Health and Fitness

[Nittany Ned]

Trying to find the right off-topic thread for this, not sure if it makes sense here but idk where else.

Huge freaking kudos to those that are running the Pittsburgh half or Pittsburgh full marathon this morning. The blood sweat and tears, heart and determination to train for what is IMO one of the hugest physical achievements by humans will go rewarded.

Very glad to see it is getting extensive media coverage and Charlie Batch is welcoming the top finishers and Pomp interviewing the champs.

[iamjs]

doing my first Spartan Stadium Sprint tomorrow in DC at Nationals Park. Nothing like running steps all day in 90+ degree weather.

[iamjs]

doing my first Spartan Stadium Sprint tomorrow in DC at Nationals Park. Nothing like running steps all day in 90+ degree weather.

they should have called this the Spartan Stairclimber instead. I'd say probably 60-70% of the run was on the stairs and between the seats. My watch showed over 700 ft of vertical and probably also had 700 half a dozen instances of me dinging my toes against the **** cupholders since they had us running between rows. It got to the point where I was so tired of dinging my toes that I just walked between the aisles.

[count2infinity]

253 days after downloading MFP, I am now no longer "overweight". 6'5" and 210 (started at 285). BMI of 24.9. I know people hate BMI, but it's nice to sort of check a box like that.

I can fit into a medium shirt quite comfortably (although they're typically short as hell...), and a 34 waist for the first time since probably middle school. Crazy stuff. I'll probably aim for about 10 more pounds and then maintenance mode from there.

[shafnutz05]

253 days after downloading MFP, I am now no longer "overweight". 6'5" and 210 (started at 285). BMI of 24.9. I know people hate BMI, but it's nice to sort of check a box like that.

I can fit into a medium shirt quite comfortably (although they're typically short as hell...), and a 34 waist for the first time since probably middle school. Crazy stuff. I'll probably aim for about 10 more pounds and then maintenance mode from there.

That's awesome dude! I remember when I was finally able to fit into a small... Holy hell what a feeling. A medium and 34 waist for your body type is crazy. And yes BMI is flawed but it still felt great to get into the normal range. Congratulations.

I just turned 35 last Saturday, and I look and feel younger than when I was 27. Taking care of yourself makes aging so much better.

[skullman80]

253 days after downloading MFP, I am now no longer "overweight". 6'5" and 210 (started at 285). BMI of 24.9. I know people hate BMI, but it's nice to sort of check a box like that.

I can fit into a medium shirt quite comfortably (although they're typically short as hell...), and a 34 waist for the first time since probably middle school. Crazy stuff. I'll probably aim for about 10 more pounds and then maintenance mode from there.

Good stuff c2i!

I'm settled in nicely at about 185 or so at 6ft. I tend to vary between 183 and 186 or so. I thnk I am still technically overweight by BMI, but I feel great and all my health markers are where they should be. I can fit into a medium pretty comfortably too but they are short. Normally buy large just cause shirts shrink after I wash them. In a size 32 waist pants with a belt. I just turned 35 and am in the best shape of my life easily.

I think I'm closing in on 1000 days on MFP... 200lbs down from where I started. Just wish I would have done this 10 years ago haha.

[count2infinity]

Yeah... I wish I had known how easy it was years ago. I had all the fat logic going. Slow metabolism, that's just the way I'm built, I eat somewhat healthy, I'm somewhat active, etc. I just needed the kick in the ass to get it moving.

[skullman80]

Yeah the initial week or two is the toughest. Once you see how easy it can be, and how good it feels to get in better shape... it just all fits together nicely.

I'm basically in maintenance right now, but am working on toning. I may not ever have a six pack, but dammit I can see my abs right now and have like a 4 pack so ill take it haha.

[mikey]

Nice going, c2i...that's a significant chunk there, in really not all that much time at all...and just in time for beach season...

[count2infinity]

Haha... beach season. I wish. My only vacation this year might be taking a week off just to do chores around the house.

[MR25]

After things started boiling over into areas of my life that I didn't want it to, I decided to go talk to a therapist.

I've done nothing but just talk, but holy hell it feels amazing to talk about things and have someone just listen.

[shafnutz05]

After things started boiling over into areas of my life that I didn't want it to, I decided to go talk to a therapist.

I've done nothing but just talk, but holy hell it feels amazing to talk about things and have someone just listen.

Good for you man. It changed my life.

[dodint]

Awesome.

[dodint]

I'm pretty disgusted and embarrassed with myself having failed again this year to lose weight. I went from 297 down to 268 last fall but completely lost interest and ballooned back up to 298 as of two weeks ago. Started CICO and running again and have dropped 12 pounds in the last 9 days. I know it's mostly a quirk from changing the diet but I feel good. Usually I get the urge to lose later in the year so it'll be nice to be smaller during some summer activities for a change. Would like to get to the mid-270s by the time I go to NC in July, I'm at 286 this morning. Overall I'm at my peak high weight for the SIXTH time since 2013. Really need to break this cycle and live better.

Speaking of, I finally relented and began taking blood pressure medication. It's only been about a week and a half but I don't get those intense throbbing headaches at the base of my skull after a long day anymore. I played hockey last night and woke up feeling fine this morning which is a welcome change.

I decided to spend this summer 'getting better' on a couple of different fronts and so far it's been very positive. Established myself with a general practitioner for the first time since 2006 last week. Crazy stuff.

[Viva la Ben]

Quitting cold turkey on fast food has helped me drop 30lbs. Protein bars, and granola bars have filled that void.

[shafnutz05]

Yeah, I really need to get lined up with a GP.

[dodint]

Quitting cold turkey on fast food has helped me drop 30lbs. Protein bars, and granola bars have filled that void.

I'm proud because I was away from home most of last weekend eating in restaurants and family functions and still managed to eat in moderation well enough to not reverse my progress. Sounds small but that's YUGE for me.

Big test next week when I road trip down to Kentucky.

[DigitalGypsy66]

You're in law school, work full time, and drive cool cars. Cut yourself some slack.

I've been an on and off MFP user for a while, and I think I'm back on it full time now that baseball season is over (it's hard meal planning and calorie counting meals late in the day when practices and games get canceled and rescheduled at the last minute. Plus, I get to sleep in now that the wife and kids are out of school.

Does anyone get a strange sensation of happiness when they can input their entire day's meals early in the day? I like doing that to see where I have wiggle room or where I can add snacks etc. It's great being able to meal plan for an entire week, which keeps us out of trouble calorie wise.

[dodint]

Yeah, meal planning is essential for my success. I'll lose weight at a steady clip until I stop planning. Even tracking in real time isn't good enough because I'll get to 8pm and have 100 calories left, and then eat 1000 calorie pint of ice cream as a snack. With a plan I know that once everything on the list is eaten I'm done. The only thing I've been allowing myself is substitutions if they're equal to or lower than what I already planned.

[DigitalGypsy66]

My wife and mother in law brush their teeth early in the evening in an attempt to stop further eating for the day. That does not work for me.

[skullman80]

Pre logging my day helps tremendously. Knowing I already prelogged the ice cream sandwich I eat every night at 9pm helps give me something to look forward to at the end if the day.

[dodint]

This will sound silly but I told myself that this time around to treat this like a disease and a course of treatment. Really hoping that allows me to get down to my goal weight this time.
I'm basically pretending I have cancer/diabetes. Bad juju.

[skullman80]

It took my doctor telling me I'd be dead within 5 years for me to take losing weight seriously. Between that and keeping an old picture of me in my wallet when I was at my heaviest...keeps me motivated.

[count2infinity]

I started eating lunch at home or packing a lunch every day. That helped a ton. We also have a menu board that we stick to pretty religiously. Plan out our dinner plans for each night every weekend. Shop for the items needed for those meals, and don't deviate. We found ourselves saying "what do you want tonight?" "I dunno... what do you want?" "Let's just order a pizza..." over and over.

It's a 9x9 picture frame that we put a piece of scrapbooking paper in it and it hangs on the wall in the kitchen with a dry erase marker to do the planning for the week.

I never ate breakfast before. Eating breakfast helped me so much to not binge at lunch time, so I incorporated that into my diet as well. And yes, yes, yes to pre-logging. With the knowledge of what I'm having for each meal, I'll even log my food the night before. That half pint of Halo Top ice cream at the end of the night is awesome when you know it's not breaking the bank on your calories.

[dodint]

Halo Top ice cream . . . is awesome

Hey hey, lets not get crazy.

(j/k, I like HT, the texture takes some getting used to though)

I solved my ice cream issue by buying single-serve novelties. I cannot be trusted with any kind of ice cream container.