With expectations suitably tempered from 2020, I give you the fitness 2021 thread.
I did absolutely nothing today.
I've been out with the chainsaw felling trees. I'm trying to prepare a playground for my backhoe loader so that I can learn it in a safe place.
It is very hard work, but probably the most thankful and time really flies. Some 10 or so days left since a lot of trees are coming down.
I'm also working from home, I plan to go out an hour or so before lunch to get the exercise. Working from home has killed every little natural exercise I had.
I went to yoger.
With gyms closed again, I'm back to home exercise. My goal for this year is the same as any other year: get under 100 Kg. I'm currently at 104 and change - which is the closest I have been on any January, so there's hope.
I need to wear a mask during exercise classes. It sucks.
Has been a disastrous Winter for me, during December and January, I've only used my bike on 17 out of the 44 days so far, for a grand total of about 100 miles. :bleeding:
Done about 50 miles of walking in my wellingtons, through the sea of mud here and the rainy weather. :bowler:
Quote from: mongers on January 13, 2021, 01:51:10 PM
Done about 50 miles of walking in my wellingtons, through the sea of mud here and the rainy weather. :bowler:
That equals about 5000 normal miles. :cool:
I walked 5 miles. Pretty lame.
Quote from: saskganesh on January 13, 2021, 10:43:38 PM
I walked 5 miles. Pretty lame.
But you ran a fair few more, no doubt.
Did 14-15 miles on my bike today, furthest I've been in two months! :bleeding:
Quote from: mongers on January 13, 2021, 11:44:40 PM
Quote from: saskganesh on January 13, 2021, 10:43:38 PM
I walked 5 miles. Pretty lame.
But you ran a fair few more, no doubt.
On Sunday, I ran six, then walked three. Ran out of gas. It was nice to be out, but it's been a struggle to maintain consistency.
But you are doing it outside in January in Canada...that impresses me at least.
Probably my worst ever Winter for fitness in several decades, all told during the three Winter months I only cycled about 240 miles and walked another 100 miles. :Embarrass:
Quote from: mongers on March 07, 2021, 08:47:13 PM
Probably my worst ever Winter for fitness in several decades, all told during the three Winter months I only cycled about 240 miles and walked another 100 miles. :Embarrass:
I've been doing strength and interval training every work day in my living room, I don't usually do those kinds of workouts.
I think it helps me on my long walks, I've started experimenting with carrying more backpack weight on my shoulders instead of my hips, that should help me out a bit in hilly terrain.
Quote from: Maladict on March 08, 2021, 02:54:14 AM
I've been doing strength and interval training every work day in my living room, I don't usually do those kinds of workouts.
I think it helps me on my long walks, I've started experimenting with carrying more backpack weight on my shoulders instead of my hips, that should help me out a bit in hilly terrain.
That's interesting Mal, I was thinking of doing some extended walking when I can get back to using the trains, thinking of doing some day long excursions with maybe an overnight camp, so 'thinking'* about carrying a rucksac.
* purely theoretical at this point in time.
Quote from: mongers on March 08, 2021, 11:48:13 AM
That's interesting Mal, I was thinking of doing some extended walking when I can get back to using the trains, thinking of doing some day long excursions with maybe an overnight camp, so 'thinking'* about carrying a rucksac.
* purely theoretical at this point in time.
Cool, have you done it before? If not, start doing short walks from home with a full pack, before the trains come back.
It definitely takes some getting used to.
Quote from: saskganesh on January 20, 2021, 10:25:44 PM
On Sunday, I ran six, then walked three. Ran out of gas. It was nice to be out, but it's been a struggle to maintain consistency.
I haven't been running much at all all...but last weekend I did a race that was a 10 mile trail run that started about an hour after sunset--so it was entirely by headlamp. It had about 1100 feet of elevation gain: which was just another element to kick my ass. There were a few scrambling sections over rock, I wiped out once, and lost the trail a few times. Finished in 1:55 after a decent amount of walking (would like to say due to the challenge of route finding and not tripping, but there was a heavy fitness component :( ).
Good enough for 46th out of 92 participants: perfectly mediocre. :) I was sore for the next few days and still bruised up from the wipe out.
Quote from: Maladict on March 08, 2021, 12:12:05 PM
Quote from: mongers on March 08, 2021, 11:48:13 AM
That's interesting Mal, I was thinking of doing some extended walking when I can get back to using the trains, thinking of doing some day long excursions with maybe an overnight camp, so 'thinking'* about carrying a rucksac.
* purely theoretical at this point in time.
Cool, have you done it before? If not, start doing short walks from home with a full pack, before the trains come back.
It definitely takes some getting used to.
Yes, a fair bit in the past, but like decades ago now. :cool:
Thanks that's good advice, maybe I'll go in the loft later and find my rucksac and tent. :hmm:
Spring is here, so I've decided to actually do a morning exercise routine and stick with it. The idea is to get up early and exercise before taking a shower and having breakfast.
Other than going on long walks, I pretty much quit exercising with the start of the pandemic and the gyms all closing - plus I was concentrating on losing weight via dieting, plus the winter weather was so miserable. But now, I need to get a bit more fit.
My routine is to do one day of mostly body weight exercises (push ups, squats, lunges, jumping Jacks, etc.) and the next day doing interval running (run fast for 30 seconds, then walk for two minutes, then repeat). Starting with only a few reps of each exercise, aiming to ramp it up as I get more used to it.
Been doing this for a week now. Reasonably sore, from being so sedentary. Still, it's a start.
I keep telling myself that tomorrow I will start doing that again. I have been pathetic.
Quote from: Malthus on March 31, 2021, 05:22:51 PM
Still, it's a start.
It's the hardest part. Good job.
Just been looking for this thread on page 3 or 4 of the forum index, so surprised to find it here at the top of page one; gasp people are doing fitness stuff! :P
Myself, this month I've cycled further than the total I did during all of the three preceding Winter months. Though that's still only 240 or so miles this month, so a very long way to go, figuratively and geographically so. :(
April's target, is to cycle off of my two 'home' 50,000 OS* maps in all points of the compass.
Or at the very least travel further N,S,E and W than I did at any point during the pandemic.
*Salisbury Plain and Bournemouth/The Purbecks.
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2021, 05:25:28 PM
I keep telling myself that tomorrow I will start doing that again. I have been pathetic.
I had a million excuses not to start, for months ... I was dieting, the gyms were closed, the weather was bad, etc.
I hate exercise and I hate getting up early, which is the real reason I wasn't doing it. I just had to remind myself that I hate being unwell even more.
Though the hard part is going to be being consistent. I'm pretty happy I've been able to control my eating and lose some excess weight, and that was the really hard part for me - so I hope if I can do that, I can keep up doing exercises.
On a related note - for someone like me who just wants to stay fit, rather than building big muscles, access to a gym isn't really necessary. Simple bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere, and they do the job.
Quote from: Malthus on March 31, 2021, 11:31:12 PM
Though the hard part is going to be being consistent.
Rope someone else into doing it with you, even if it's in an entirely different place. It works.
I live in Balmy Beach (in TO) so I have a beach and a boardwalk. What currently works for me is to get up at 5AM a few days a week and run three miles. It's really glorious. On weekends, I do a "long" run, which is 6 miles or more.
I am 50% of where I was at two years ago. But I have started a daily pushup regimen, so that is quite good, on balance.
I met a coyote last week, and this week I saw another. They like the dark, obviously.
Quote from: Malthus on March 31, 2021, 11:31:12 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on March 31, 2021, 05:25:28 PM
I keep telling myself that tomorrow I will start doing that again. I have been pathetic.
I had a million excuses not to start, for months ... I was dieting, the gyms were closed, the weather was bad, etc.
I hate exercise and I hate getting up early, which is the real reason I wasn't doing it. I just had to remind myself that I hate being unwell even more.
Though the hard part is going to be being consistent. I'm pretty happy I've been able to control my eating and lose some excess weight, and that was the really hard part for me - so I hope if I can do that, I can keep up doing exercises.
I took your pep talk to heart. Morning workouts have begun again :)
My diet proceeds well and i have lost 14 pounds since Christmas. 34 more to lose and I will be back at my 1980 weight. Main exercise is brisk walking, about ten miles a day these days. I do a few exercises for the upper body and arms but find them very easy to forget <_<
Hit 103 Kg today. Just 3 off my target!
Praying that gyms don't get closed again...
Last year I joined a swimming course in my local swimming club. By chance three old class mates of mine had the same idea and it's been great fun doing it with them. When the second wave of Corona hit in November it was cancelled, but after new years it started up again. Swimming is hard training when doing it right I've discovered.
My old class mates are guys who've been exercising their whole lives and they don't have a beer keg like me, so I've had problem keeping up with them. They've also been able to put in extra passes during the week which I've not. But, working from home, I've started running and mountain biking just to build cardio to be able to keep up. It's been a great motivator making me exercising at home Monday-Wednesday, resting till Saturday and swimming.
This working from home thingy is excellent, saves me 1.5 hours every day that I can use for exercise. When Corona is over I will definitely try to work more from home.
Though the main goal is general health an important side goal is to lose weight. I clock in at 86ish kg and I want to get down to 70-75ish kg which would be a good weight for me. I have not, even with all this exercise, lost a kg.
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on April 08, 2021, 02:00:25 AM
My diet proceeds well and i have lost 14 pounds since Christmas. 34 more to lose and I will be back at my 1980 weight. Main exercise is brisk walking, about ten miles a day these days. I do a few exercises for the upper body and arms but find them very easy to forget <_<
:cool:
That's some going Tricky, but be careful it can be addictive, I've an aquaintance who's 71 and he's out nearly everyday Winter or Summer, sometimes for 7 or 8 hours of walking. :blink:
Quote from: crazy canuck on April 06, 2021, 08:38:13 PM
I took your pep talk to heart. Morning workouts have begun again :)
Excellent!
I've roped in my wife to do the interval training part with me. Turns out she is better at it than I am.
Quote from: Threviel on April 08, 2021, 03:02:11 AM
Last year I joined a swimming course in my local swimming club. By chance three old class mates of mine had the same idea and it's been great fun doing it with them. When the second wave of Corona hit in November it was cancelled, but after new years it started up again. Swimming is hard training when doing it right I've discovered.
My old class mates are guys who've been exercising their whole lives and they don't have a beer keg like me, so I've had problem keeping up with them. They've also been able to put in extra passes during the week which I've not. But, working from home, I've started running and mountain biking just to build cardio to be able to keep up. It's been a great motivator making me exercising at home Monday-Wednesday, resting till Saturday and swimming.
This working from home thingy is excellent, saves me 1.5 hours every day that I can use for exercise. When Corona is over I will definitely try to work more from home.
Though the main goal is general health an important side goal is to lose weight. I clock in at 86ish kg and I want to get down to 70-75ish kg which would be a good weight for me. I have not, even with all this exercise, lost a kg.
It is difficult to lose weight by exercising alone - unfortunately, weight loss usually requires keeping track of what you eat at the same time as you exercise.
I've been able to lose quite a bit of weight, but that was all from controlling diet. I've run into a bit of a wall though, I'm hovering at the same weight for a while now, even though I'd like to lose another ten pounds or so.
Yeah, I did it about seven years ago. Calorie app on the phone and lots of training, got down to 72ish from 95ish and was happy there. Then we had kid nr 2 and my wife got sick and we lost all direction for a few years.
This time I don't have the motivation to count calories, that shit is good for you, but hellishly boring. So I'll see where swimming takes me.
Quote from: mongers on April 08, 2021, 09:32:22 AM
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on April 08, 2021, 02:00:25 AM
My diet proceeds well and i have lost 14 pounds since Christmas. 34 more to lose and I will be back at my 1980 weight. Main exercise is brisk walking, about ten miles a day these days. I do a few exercises for the upper body and arms but find them very easy to forget <_<
:cool:
That's some going Tricky, but be careful it can be addictive, I've an aquaintance who's 71 and he's out nearly everyday Winter or Summer, sometimes for 7 or 8 hours of walking. :blink:
Yes, I've heard that can be a problem but fear not...I have a non-addictive personality :cool:
But low on willpower and perseverance; the principal risk is that I forget my object and accidentally stop the program.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 06, 2021, 06:30:44 PM
I met a coyote last week, and this week I saw another. They like the dark, obviously.
When are they bringing you across?
Dusted off ye olde dumbbells again at lowest setting (5.5 kg each). Been doing some light exercises over the last few days and did my first full workout for all muscle groups today (a dozen exercises with 3 sets of 10 slow reps each; 30-45 sec pause between sets and about 2 minutes between exercises). Took me about an hour, but I'm pleasantly exhausted (though I expect to be quite sore tomorrow :P )
Looks like I have quit smoking. Again. Because there's fuck else to do during these lockdowns.
I will hit 25 miles this week easy.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 11, 2021, 04:04:04 PM
Looks like I have quit smoking. Again. Because there's fuck else to do during these lockdowns.
I will hit 25 miles this week easy.
It's certainly worth a go.
Good going on the running.
This evening I did 24 miles on the old bike, one working gear, did the loop a minute or two quicker than last time I did it, all of 6 months ago, so not to shabby. The route even includes an actual hill!
nice. :bowler:
I just finished my 9th day off tobacco. It looks like I have finally done it. :)
Quote from: saskganesh on April 16, 2021, 09:00:33 PM
nice. :bowler:
I just finished my 9th day off tobacco. It looks like I have finally done it. :)
:cool:
That's one of the toughest battles anyone can have.
Quote from: saskganesh on April 16, 2021, 09:00:33 PM
nice. :bowler:
I just finished my 9th day off tobacco. It looks like I have finally done it. :)
Excellent!
Funny thing, just by coincidence, I had my last smoke at a Languish meet I think you were also at - fifteen years ago or so. Right before my kid was born.
Also, still going with the morning workouts.
Quote from: Malthus on April 17, 2021, 01:15:52 PM
Quote from: saskganesh on April 16, 2021, 09:00:33 PM
nice. :bowler:
I just finished my 9th day off tobacco. It looks like I have finally done it. :)
Excellent!
Funny thing, just by coincidence, I had my last smoke at a Languish meet I think you were also at - fifteen years ago or so. Right before my kid was born.
I think I still have the pictures.
we were drinking on College street with your beautiful friend.
Keep at it Sask :cool:
Quote from: saskganesh on April 17, 2021, 02:20:12 PM
we were drinking on College street with your beautiful friend.
She's in Paris now.
When you saw her, she was living in a basement apartment and making ends meet by painting movie props. She got married to her boyfriend, who is from a wealthy family, the pair now own properties in London and Paris as well as in Ontario - her husband is fully occupied with litigating against the rest of his family over the family fortune (a long, Bleak House-like court saga of shifting alliances, betrayals, etc.) and he's staying in their London place while she stays in their Paris place, alone except for her elderly cat.
We keep in touch.
I remember she got married to the rich fellow. Thanks for the narrative installment!
Quote from: Richard Hakluyt on April 17, 2021, 03:05:52 PM
Keep at it Sask :cool:
It has all ramped up. Ran 22k in 1:55. The next day I biked a slow 40k. But today I am just going to have a long walk. Six miles.
I am eating everything and sleeping like a giant
36k hike in full gear on Saturday. It was rough towards the end, and I got a bad sunburn (it was supposed to be cool and overcast all day).
Not ready for multi-day hikes yet, which is a bit disappointing. But the nice spring weather is such a relief after being indoors for so long.
My morning workouts continue - but weight is not coming off - Only about two weeks in so that is probably a factor - but I think I miss the intensity of the work out I got when doing reps with my gym buddies.
Quote from: Maladict on April 26, 2021, 10:19:22 AM
36k hike in full gear on Saturday. It was rough towards the end, and I got a bad sunburn (it was supposed to be cool and overcast all day).
Not ready for multi-day hikes yet, which is a bit disappointing. But the nice spring weather is such a relief after being indoors for so long.
:cool:
Good going Mal, sounds like you're not far off.
Down a few pounds. The older ladies are still deadlifting more than me. :(
I ran five miles, saw three wild foxes and was then propositioned by a Persian prostitute. What? I showered, and went to work, but I was late because my putative streetcar was in the middle of a three police car investigation. Same stop where a homeless man had been stabbed two mornings before.
I live in a very white, very bougie, Toronto neighbourhood. :wacko:
I am solidarity dieting with my wife this year. I am down about 15 pounds so far, to the point I was judged pre-diabetic in my A1c at my last physical :showoff:
Maybe if I lose another 15 I will finally be: not diabetic.
Meanwhile my wife has lost about 35 pounds. She is kicking ass.
Quote from: crazy canuck on April 26, 2021, 12:24:06 PM
My morning workouts continue - but weight is not coming off - Only about two weeks in so that is probably a factor - but I think I miss the intensity of the work out I got when doing reps with my gym buddies.
I find it very difficult to lose weight through exercise alone. I've never been able to do that.
The only thing that works for me is strict control of what I eat. I've been doing that over the whole covid thing - being forced to cook at home with only occasional take out lets me control what I eat better.
I really had to lose weight - I was at 244 pounds (six feet tall). Now, I'm down to 191 as of today. My goal is 184, so still some way to go.
Quote from: Malthus on April 17, 2021, 03:52:56 PM
and he's staying in their London place while she stays in their Paris place,
Trouble in paradise?
Quote from: Malthus on April 29, 2021, 10:12:21 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on April 26, 2021, 12:24:06 PM
My morning workouts continue - but weight is not coming off - Only about two weeks in so that is probably a factor - but I think I miss the intensity of the work out I got when doing reps with my gym buddies.
I find it very difficult to lose weight through exercise alone. I've never been able to do that.
The only thing that works for me is strict control of what I eat. I've been doing that over the whole covid thing - being forced to cook at home with only occasional take out lets me control what I eat better.
I really had to lose weight - I was at 244 pounds (six feet tall). Now, I'm down to 191 as of today. My goal is 184, so still some way to go.
:cool:
Malthus, that's pretty impressive, just another 3 pounds to lose and you'll have lost a whole 4 stone* :bowler:
* or the weight of a 7-8 year old kid?
Quote from: saskganesh on April 29, 2021, 05:08:45 PM
I ran five miles, saw three wild foxes and was then propositioned by a Persian prostitute. What? I showered, and went to work, but I was late because my putative streetcar was in the middle of a three police car investigation. Same stop where a homeless man had been stabbed two mornings before.
I live in a very white, very bougie, Toronto neighbourhood. :wacko:
:lol:
Also, good job Valmy and Malthus :thumbsup:
Quote from: saskganesh on April 29, 2021, 05:08:45 PM
I ran five miles, saw three wild foxes and was then propositioned by a Persian prostitute. What? I showered, and went to work, but I was late because my putative streetcar was in the middle of a three police car investigation. Same stop where a homeless man had been stabbed two mornings before.
I live in a very white, very bougie, Toronto neighbourhood. :wacko:
Brain is going to be very confused by the first sentence.
Quote from: mongers on April 29, 2021, 10:16:36 PM
:cool:
Malthus, that's pretty impressive, just another 3 pounds to lose and you'll have lost a whole 4 stone* :bowler:
* or the weight of a 7-8 year old kid?
The other day I was carrying 50 pound blocks of stone around for some landscaping work ... I was finding that pretty hard work, then had the thought that, last year, I was carrying around that much weight all the time! 😄
The trick will be not to get lax about eating, and gain it all back again. All too easy to do.
Weighed myself this morning - weight fluctuates up and down day by day, but today was the lowest I've been so far since I started getting concerned about weight - 190 exactly. I'm pretty encouraged.
My immediate goal is just under 184, simply as that would give me a BMI of 24.9, or "normal". I know BMI is kinda arbitrary for individuals, but this just gives me a goal to aim for.
So, six more pounds to go. Though the more I lose the harder it gets and the slower it goes.
I was 180 when I was 16. Are you going through a mid life crisis?
:D
I would be quite concerned if I weighted 180 lb.
Quote from: Barrister on April 30, 2021, 12:23:21 PM
I would be quite concerned if I weighted 180 lb.
I would also be concerned if I weighed 180 - thin as a reed I would be. At 16 I was only 6'4" so it didn't look as bad. :D
Due to my diabetes issues my specialist informed me I need to be 175 to avoid probable liver failure due to this thing called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
Fortunately I am under 6 feet tall so hopefully I won't be too freakishly thin.
Quote from: Valmy on April 30, 2021, 12:36:18 PM
Due to my diabetes issues my specialist informed me I need to be 175 to avoid probable liver failure due to this thing called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
Fortunately I am under 6 feet tall so hopefully I won't be too freakishly thin.
Crap Valmy, I hope you are going to be ok :)
I am feeling less nervous now that I got such good results from my last blood test :)
But yeah my genetics were not kind to me in this instance.
I look alright at 180-200. 175 is still fine. I look like I haven't had food in weeks when I get under 160, which has not happened in 10 years, & I'm short.
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 30, 2021, 01:16:12 PM
I look alright at 180-200. 175 is still fine. I look like I haven't had food in weeks when I get under 160, which has not happened in 10 years, & I'm short.
When I had my first growth spurt in the summer between grade 7 and 8 I went from 5'2" to 6'2" - on the bright side I went from a B swimmer to a provincial champion. On the not so bright side I went through a lot of pain - not the least of which was my parent's bill for groceries. I entered grade 8 thin as a rail - 6'2" 160 soaking wet. That is when I hit the gym. :D
Quote from: Valmy on April 30, 2021, 12:36:18 PM
Due to my diabetes issues my specialist informed me I need to be 175 to avoid probable liver failure due to this thing called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
Fortunately I am under 6 feet tall so hopefully I won't be too freakishly thin.
Damn, that is terrible.
I have high blood pressure (controlled with pills) which is my immediate medical motive to lose weight.
Plus, the whole covid risk thing.
Quote from: Valmy on April 30, 2021, 12:36:18 PM
Fortunately I am under 6 feet tall
Not something you hear everyday.
I'm like 6'0/6'1 and weigh 145.
My 52km ride last evening was OK and somewhat easier than last Sundays' 50km ride, because a third of that was off-road.
Quote from: crazy canuck on April 30, 2021, 09:19:57 AM
Quote from: saskganesh on April 29, 2021, 05:08:45 PM
I ran five miles, saw three wild foxes and was then propositioned by a Persian prostitute.
Brain is going to be very confused by the first sentence.
I can hope.
Quote from: alfred russel on May 01, 2021, 08:38:37 PM
I'm like 6'0/6'1 and weigh 145.
You are three inches taller than me and 4 lbs lighter. :showoff:
Seeing 60 year old women deadlift more than me is a great motivator.
Wait a minute, you asked a woman who can deadlift more than you her age - and lived to tell about it?
Quote from: crazy canuck on May 03, 2021, 07:19:13 PM
Wait a minute, you asked a woman who can deadlift more than you her age - and lived to tell about it?
He said she could deadlift. He never said how fast she could run!
I'm considering doing some strength exercises rather than just doing aerobic activity as I do nowadays. :hmm:
Fuck I'm sore.
Quote from: mongers on May 03, 2021, 08:06:49 PM
I'm considering doing some strength exercises rather than just doing aerobic activity as I do nowadays. :hmm:
I highly recommend it :)
Yes. You need to be a mini-hulk. Blast your quads. Strop your pecks. Grate cheese on your biceps.
21k under 1:55. I've clearly plateaued.
5 1/2 weeks. I am now dreaming of cigarets. :shutup:
Have had a nasty bout of sciatica the past two months, which has limited some of my exercising. I am: old.
Quote from: saskganesh on May 16, 2021, 09:57:01 AM
21k under 1:55. I've clearly plateaued.
5 1/2 weeks. I am now dreaming of cigarets. :shutup:
:worthy:
Also the lack of nicotine has made your spelling go cranky. :P
Took a 12K urban hike yesterday down to the lakeshore and back, and I'm feeling a bit sore still. I definitely need to do more walking, that used to be a regular walk for me.
Quote from: Malthus on May 17, 2021, 11:01:20 AM
Took a 12K urban hike yesterday down to the lakeshore and back, and I'm feeling a bit sore still. I definitely need to do more walking, that used to be a regular walk for me.
:cool:
8 miles is still a decent hike, about 3 times what I could manage.
Quote from: Malthus on May 17, 2021, 11:01:20 AM
Took a 12K urban hike yesterday down to the lakeshore and back, and I'm feeling a bit sore still. I definitely need to do more walking, that used to be a regular walk for me.
I hear you brother. I have been avoiding our local trails because they have become so congested. But now that I have had my first jab, I ventured out - and made it about half way along my usual route before feeling like I needed a rest. Problem with half way points is the only way back in either direction is doing the other half. :D
Down to 188.8 pounds today - my immediate (arbitrary) goal is 184.6. Reason for goal: at 6' tall, that would give me a "normal" BMI (which I recognize is pretty arbitrary, but it gives me something to aim at).
Never thought I'd even get close - when I started, more than a year ago now, I was at 244.6.
Wow, that is outstanding Malthus!
Thanks!
Ironically, the whole pandemic thing has helped a lot - being at home all the time means eating home cooked meals all the time, rather than eating out.
Makes it much easier to control what I actually eat. My main problem is that I love eating all sorts of crappy processed food in large amounts (my favorite food groups are: sugar, salt, and burnt crunchy bits ;)), cutting that right out and consistently eating healthy is a key step for me. Also, much more fruit and vegetables, much less carbohydrates generally.
Quote from: Malthus on May 26, 2021, 01:11:38 PM
Down to 188.8 pounds today - my immediate (arbitrary) goal is 184.6. Reason for goal: at 6' tall, that would give me a "normal" BMI (which I recognize is pretty arbitrary, but it gives me something to aim at).
Never thought I'd even get close - when I started, more than a year ago now, I was at 244.6.
This is amazing, well done :cool:
Quote from: Malthus on May 26, 2021, 01:11:38 PM
Down to 188.8 pounds today - my immediate (arbitrary) goal is 184.6. Reason for goal: at 6' tall, that would give me a "normal" BMI (which I recognize is pretty arbitrary, but it gives me something to aim at).
Never thought I'd even get close - when I started, more than a year ago now, I was at 244.6.
:cool:
Good grief Malthus, that's Really impressive.
Update - I just made my weight goal I set over a year ago.
I'm down to 183.8 (as of an hour ago), which puts my BMI into the "normal" range - I'm 6 feet in height exactly. Not that BMI is diagnostic or determinative of good health.
Down from 244.6 ... a loss of just over 60 pounds, over a year and a quarter or so.
Now I just gotta keep it off. In other words, the hard part.
Congrats Malthus. I've been stuck in the 104 Kg range for over a year, after dropping from 110 to 104 fairly quick. Historically this has been my "wall".
Quote from: celedhring on July 06, 2021, 01:43:38 PM
Congrats Malthus. I've been stuck in the 104 Kg range for over a year, after dropping from 110 to 104 fairly quick. Historically this has been my "wall".
What helped me, ironically enough, was the pandemic. Staying at home all the time meant no more eating out. When I decided to diet, it was easy enough to simply put all my day to day meal decisions in the hands of another person (my wife) and stick to it. Based on a menu we came up with in advance.
My problem has always been that I like to eat, and left to myself, I'd eat unhealthy foods ... the long term planning part of my brain wants to eat healthy, with more emphasis on fruits and vegetables, but I find it difficult, left to myself, to keep that up; the short term part of my brain would much prefer tasty things that are loaded with calories and fat. Having someone else help implement the long term plan daily has been a huge help.
I've been continuing with the swimming. During the summer we swim in a scenic outdoor 50m swimming pool.
(https://www.medley.se/media/2711/image_72192707.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=825&height=413&rnd=132669351050000000)
The swimming is doing me real good. I'm feeling stronger and I have bigger muscles than earlier. It's not doing anything with my weight, if anything I'm going up due to always being hungry, staying at a steady 85ish kg. I haven't had any focus on diets and have eaten lots of crisps and drunk lots of beer during the summer. Even though the weight is steady I'm shrinking, the second chin is gone and my stomach is getting smaller and smaller.
Before my vacation I also used to run or mountainbike a few times a week, but I haven't gotten back to that just yet. Three weeks without swimming made me lose far more than I thought I would do and I have enough to do just to recoup from the swimming.
It's the most fun exercising I've ever had, when I'm entering the water every problem just flows away and I can relax my mind and just focus on the swimming. The swim group is also quite fun, a bunch of men and women my age and everyone friendly and nice. No silly prestige or anything.
The plan for the autumn is to focus more on diet to get down to 75-80 kg and then just try to stay there.
Week three completed after our gym reopening. First week bench was light but still felt really hard to lift - only 155. Today 205. So good progress. But I think it will be a while before I get back to my pre pandemic lifts of 275. Deadlifts are going good but still staying light. Need to get a lot more flexibility and overall strength before I try something heavy. I am not even trying squats at the squat rack yet. A lot more flexibility and hip mobility is going to be needed to get back to that. For now just a lot of body weight normal squats.
Did 50 miles on the bike this evening, oddly I felt I had quiet a bit of energy left over when I got home. :hmm:
Progress is coming quickly now - this week I am up to 265 on the bench press. And the deadlift is coming along - 255. The deadlift is fairly easy so I do a lot of reps with that weight. I don't want to throw my back out going heavy. Squats are also coming along nicely now.
No one's posted in this thread in nearly two months; I can guess what will be top of some peoples new years resolutions list. :D
For myself I'm doing very little, including cycling. Though I'm getting some exercise walking/running to catch trains and buses across the West country.
Earlier this week I choose to walk the 4 -5 miles to the bus stop from my brother's place rather than someone giving me a car lift. I was quite please I did the 4.45 miles to the top of the hill in under an hour, 58 minutes to be precise or 4.6 mph. :)
Though I seem to remember walking up hill is actually easier than walking down the same hill, is that correct?
I finally got my arrhythmia checked out at the OR. They couldn't fully fix what was wrong, which was quite a disappointment. But while I was there they did try to kill me for almost an hour without success. So it seems rather unlikely that this shit will get me killed.
Which means I've run out of excuses for being a lazy bastard. On the plus side, thanks to all the work & health related stress of the last few months I'm down to just slightly overweight (a mere 4 kg over normal BMI levels). Any kind of exercise would get me there pretty fast.
I'm down 20 pounds since July.
Still working out 5 days a week. Need to get more work shirts - getting a bit tight in the shoulders and arms.
Quote from: crazy canuck on December 06, 2021, 12:05:39 PM
Still working out 5 days a week. Need to get more work shirts - getting a bit tight in the shoulders and arms.
No, keep them so you can flex at a dramatic moment and the entire room hears you tearing your clothes apart with sheer bulk.