Unutterably Silly Who is on a diet. Come on I know you all are!

[Stitchawl]

82k this morning. 'Love Handles' are just about gone completely! Although weight-wise a bit heavier than before, I actually have less fat on my body these days. My left bicep is almost an inch and a half larger than before, and my right one is one inch larger. I'm having trouble getting into my Fencing jacket as the arms are now too snug. Deltoids have solid definition... My thighs and calves are considerably larger too. All of this fencing is paying off! It's nice to be getting back in shape without spending hours and hours in a gym doing boring exercises! I never could do that.


Stitchawl

[pdurrant]

I'm impressed! I'm a little fitter after a year of walking to and from the railway station, but I'm still hovering around 73kg.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

82k this morning. 'Love Handles' are just about gone completely! Although weight-wise a bit heavier than before, I actually have less fat on my body these days. My left bicep is almost an inch and a half larger than before, and my right one is one inch larger. I'm having trouble getting into my Fencing jacket as the arms are now too snug. Deltoids have solid definition... My thighs and calves are considerably larger too. All of this fencing is paying off! It's nice to be getting back in shape without spending hours and hours in a gym doing boring exercises! I never could do that.


Stitchawl

Good going. I'm back on the weight loss trail, having gained back a lot of what I lost last year due to being incapacitated with back problems (now gone) and indolence...

I have lost half a stone in just over a week on my wheat-free diet (7 pounds/3Kg) and am on a quest to get from my current 13 stone 4 pounds (186 pounds/84Kg) to 12 stone (168 pounds/76Kg). I now walk half an hour or so every day (usually to the supermarket, so that I have a goal for my exercise - I too find it hard to just sit or stand in one place and exercise in the gym), but apart from staying wheat free, I am not dieting, am eating what I like, and drinking too. All thanks to stumbling over Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health by cardiologist William Davis.

[Stitchawl]

I'm really not depriving myself of very much either. My idea of dieting now is simply eating less, not eating between meals, and cutting out fried or fatty foods. I never did eat bread the way most Americans do... i.e. having a loaf of white bread and a tub of butter or margarine on the table at every meal. If I eat bread, it will be a 'specialty' bread, and I might only eat it once or twice a week. Cutting out French Fries is a big chunk of calories that I've stopped though. But I think the real key to weight loss is moving. Walking is just as effective as running or jogging,. It just takes more of it to burn the same energy. Fencing is a real burner although the numbers provided by the National Sports council say otherwise. I can't figure out how they arrived at them?!? I weighed my uniform before and after fencing one day. There was a 2-kilo difference caused by water/sweat. That's two liters of sweat... You don't produce two liters of sweat playing chess. You do it through moving, and moving hard. When I pass by fancy health clubs and see people on stationary bicycles reading a book while they gently pedal... well... I wish them well. It's going to be a looooong time before they see any results, and will probably quit long before that happens. Ya gotta do the work if you want to lose the weight.


Stitchawl

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

When I pass by fancy health clubs and see people on stationary bicycles reading a book while they gently pedal... well... I wish them well. It's going to be a looooong time before they see any results, and will probably quit long before that happens. Ya gotta do the work if you want to lose the weight.
Stitchawl

To be fair not everyone has the same weight loss goals. I see those people at the gym too but I look at it differently. If they want some 'me time' to read a book and they spend it on an exercise bike (pedaling slowly) then sure they're probably only burning 50-100 calories an hour but if the alternate is to curl up on the couch with a bag of chips and a pop or go to a coffee shop and have a cake/muffin/donut then they're ahead 400-600 calories for the day. That can make a big difference over time. I'm sure they feel better too.

[ProfCrash]

My trainer told me that he would smack me if he saw me working out reading or texting or talking on the phone. I cannot get in the work out that I want when doing that and I know that. But I agree with Barcey, it is better to get something in then nothing. The people who I know who are trying to lose weight tend not to do those things at the gym.

I do see some pretty overweight people at the gym reading when working out on a machine and I know that it is not the best for them but if it is helping them get in the habit of going then good for them. If it helps them start to get in better shape so they can do more, then good for them. At the very least, it is time that they are not sitting on a couch snacking while watching TV or reading then great.

I am working really hard on not judging people. I find that it has become a struggle since I lost my weight. My judgment is not that someone looks unattractive but that they are not being healthy and that is going to hurt them and their family. It really drives me nuts to see parents who are so overweight because it sets an awful example for their kids and it limits what they can do with their kids. I am working on reminding myself that everyone has to live their life how they are comfortable with it and that it would not be hard for me to put the 50 pounds I lost back on.

I never voice this judgment, it is an internal dialogue but it is not really all that healthy and I know that.

[Stitchawl]

Choosing a relaxing pedal while reading a book at the gym is fine as long as one realizes that it will take five times as long to loose the desired weight. Unfortunately, most people give up after several months of going to the gym and seeing only a pound or two difference. Between the cost of membership, PITA factor of just traveling to and from the health club, changing clothes twice, but not seeing any real results is simply not motivating. It's that 'giving up' that causes the problems. If someone is twenty pounds overweight, it's going to take them 10-15 years of gentle pedaling to shed it. If they put down the book and put out just a bit of effort, it would drop off within the year. People who are in good condition tend to continue working out in health clubs and gyms. People who are overweight do not. Most want to see results, and when they don't, they just stop trying.


Stitchawl

[ProfCrash]

You are assuming that they are trying to lose weight.

I see people who look to be healthy and fine (who knows) reading while on a machine. The pace is not one that will really help them maintain their weight or lose more weight but I don't know their motivation. Maybe this is their cool down time?

I see people who are overweight reading on a machine. I am assuming that they are trying to lose weight but who knows.

I see plenty of people at the gym working out in ways that are not healthy (awful form) or just goofing off. Many times I assume that they are there so that they can say "I went to the gym" if someone asks them about their weight.

What it gets down to is I am not them and I really need to not worry about why they are there and concentrate on me. I don't want to do that because it will not help me achieve my goals. I am going to have to assume that they are being honest with themselves regarding their exercise and how it helps them achieve their goals.

(shrugs) It is their money and their motivation, I will let them worry about it and I'll worry about myself.

I do have this internal conversation on a regular basis at the gym.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

You are assuming that they are trying to lose weight.

Yep. That's what this thread is all about.

I see people who are overweight reading on a machine. I am assuming that they are trying to lose weight but who knows.

I'm basing my remarks on comments I've heard overweight people say. I really have no other information source other than what I see as I walk past them and look in the windows. As you say, a lot of people just want to say 'I go to the gym and work out.' I have one acquaintance who is a member of a club called 'Riverside Health Club.' But God forbid anyone asks him if he's been to the 'health club.' His immediate reply is "You mean have I been to the gym? Yes, I go to the gym every other day." I guess the name 'health club' doesn't carry the same macho respect as 'gym.'

I do have this internal conversation on a regular basis at the gym.

If that helps you to achieve your goals, it's good.
I never go to the gym. I tried for several month while in Japan, but it was just too boring for me. Nice group of people there at the times I went, and I enjoyed the camaraderie, but after a few months it just got to be a drag shlepping there and back every other day, spending two hours making three circuits of the machines to work each muscle group. I do miss the comedy of watching several guys who would lift free weights for 5 minutes then flex in front of the mirror for the next 10. I didn't lose much weight during those several months but I did increase muscle tone. For the past two years I've used fast, long walks around town to lose weight, and ordinary calisthenics at home (100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 straight leg raises,) to rebuild muscle. Now that I've added Fencing exercises to the mix, arm and leg muscle mass is increasing, weight is staying down, and stamina is building up. Based on this past International Fencing competition's results, this combination works for me at age 67. As you say, I won't worry about how others do it.

Stitchawl

[ProfCrash]

The reading while sitting on a bike comment comes from your fencing post, others are simply responding to it. You lost weight walking and fencing, awesome.

I lost 50 pounds going to the gym regularly. It is easier for me to go to the gym and use that equipment and I like the classes. I needed a personal trainer to help get me motivated and kick start my weight loss journey. That was me. It worked. I go now because I can go right after work, work out, take a shower and pick up my little man who is in day care in the building I work out at.

Everyone should do what works for them. I know folks who do great exercising on their own and I know others who do better at a gym. I am guessing the folks who read while working out are happy with what they are doing.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

.......... I am guessing the folks who read while working out are happy with what they are doing.

... I'm guessing that if they were happy with it, they would continue.


Stitchawl

[pdurrant]

Just my first sub-73kg weight for months this morning. Now I just need to keep from snacking for the next three months and I'll be at my target weight. Past experience shows I'm not good at this, but I shall do my best.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Just my first sub-73kg weight for months this morning. Now I just need to keep from snacking for the next three months and I'll be at my target weight. Past experience shows I'm not good at this, but I shall do my best.

Congratulations, Paul! Just keep your eye on the prize. You CAN do it.


Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

Ready to order a new set of Sportif 7-pocket shorts... one size smaller! I actually prefer the Classic over the Tidewater (4.5" inseam rather than 7"inseam,) but Thai cultural norms say that men need to wear the longer ones. When in Rome...
I've only worn long pants one day in the past 14 months, and live in Sportif's shorts. These things just don't wear out and they also don't shrink... but I do.


Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

I ordered four pair of Sportif shorts in my new size. If I had the need for long pants, I would have gone for their stretch cargo pants too. I luv this company's quality. The stuff just never wears out!


Stitchawl