The getting back in shape thread

[Kiwi]

actually after starting at the call centre im SHOCKED at the amount of obese people there... yes they employ 1200 people but holy moly I have never been in a workplace with a majority of overweight people.

Of course everyone so far has been nice and friendly and helpful, in not in anyway disparaging a person soley on the basis of having a few extra pounds, its just strange to be on the "skinny" side of the fence for once!

[Crazyredhead]

actually after starting at the call centre im SHOCKED at the amount of obese people there... yes they employ 1200 people but holy moly I have never been in a workplace with a majority of overweight people.

When I worked at Convergys we had woman (no men) that were so obese they had to remove the arms from the chairs and some of them had to to have special chairs. The desk chairs would buckle. The woman were so big that they would overflow the chairs. But they were all very sweet and nice. I found out that some of them have obesity in there family and is hereditary. One such lady joined my gym and now I don't even recognise here. She is a whole different woman.

One such woman had more ass hanging off the chair than I actually had in it. (no insults intended).

Oh and I found out tonight why my lower back hurts so much, I have tight butt muscles!!!!

My trainer gave me a good back/butt masage, he worked out all the kinks in my back. I run for about an hour and am getting faster and my back is paying for it.

Back in 1995, when I rejoined the military, I went from doing nothing to being thrown into running 4 miles a day. It took almost 2 months for the back spasms to go away. I would either get shots or ice massages. You could feel the muscles jumping and bunching, felt like a big ball of muscle. After that I was running 4 miles in my sleep. I was running better than the 18 year olds. I was the fastest female in the entire company and faster than half of the guys (toot toot).

I just need to find a deoderant that can keep up with me now.

[Crazyredhead]

I have been running for the past 3 weeks and the only thing that I see is that I am gaining weight. I'm hoping that it is only muscle. I haven't changed the way that I eat and I have been running 5 miles a day for an hour. It is a little discouraging to see the scale going up instead of down. This is why I could never stick to a workout program before, I expect results in to short of time. I'm not very good in the patience dept. But my coach said to give it some time and I will start to see the inches disappear.

Now I have to deal with a large blister under my arch. I have very high arches and have to wear arch supports in my shoes or my feet will start to hurt. I guess my feet are just soft and not used to the friction. I started with 3 small ones, then I went running last night, and now I have one big one. I had to pop it, to release the pressure. I bought a box of those extra large bandaids and it feels better. I think that it is about time for a new pair of running shoes. Mine are about 2 years old. They have only about 4 months of running on them and the rest is just to the store and back. But regardless of how they are used, I still need a new pair.

I weighed in about 2-3 weeks ago at 175, now I am 177.6. I've added in some abdominal work after my run. I am tired of looking at this gut. I can wear a size 18 but they are baggy on me and a size 16 fits, but it cuts into my stomach. Since I cannot afford $8500.00 for a tummy tuck and lipo, I'll have to do this the old fashioned way. But I swear that I will look damn good by the time I hit 40.

[Severen13]

I needed to get my flabby butt back into shape, so I dusted of the weights, put some exercise DVDs on, and got back in the groove. I've been working out 5 days a week for three weeks now. My clothes are looser, I can see the shape coming back to my shoulders, I have more energy, I sleep better and I feel better. Yeehaw!

[BrightEyedKitty]

Well, after being overweight from the time I was five, I decided to try to lose a few pounds. I'm down to about 190 from over 200, over the last couple weeks.

Yogurt, carrots, apples, bananas, broccoli, those 96% fat free lunchmeats, cottage cheese and pineapple, potatoes with salsa instead of butter, plus some of those Weight Watchers/Lean Cuisine, etc. dinners to relieve the monotony.

I've heard milk is also good for a diet, so I've been buying skim milk and eating it with cereal. (Mmm...yogurt burst Cheerios!)

Unfortunately, I work in a pizza place, and I got tired of salads, so I'll either bring my own food in to snack on, or take a pizza crust, put sauce on it, run it through the oven and eat it that way. I've heard white flour isn't good for diets, but at least it's better than a ton of cheese or greasy meats.

Oh, and those soy vegetable burgers are tasty on wheat bread.

I have a bad ankle, so I'm trying to get the poundage down a bit before I start an exercise regimen.

[NightWolf]

Actually, Cheese isn't bad for a diet. It's added protein that the body needs, so I would think that throwing some cheese on the pizza crust wouldn't hurt much.

Everyone's body is different and will respond differently to specific regimines, so I would try a few different things, see what works, and go to it.

We're behind you all the way!!!

For my update. I've been really REALLY bad. I haven't worked out in about 3-4 weeks. First I had family in town for a wedding, right after that I got sick and was stuck on a bland diet for 2 weeks. Uggg..now that it's over, time to get back on track. My first week so far has been hell. Everything hurts and I'm reminded that the body doesn't like to take that much time off. It's also time to get back on that good ole diet. No more soda, no more fast food. Well, very little of it anyway.

[Luna]

What I've been doing is counting calories. Every other diet I've tried hasn't worked or if it did - I quickly gained the weight back again.

This way, with counting calories - I can eat whatever I want - ice cream, cake, cereal - as long as I leave myself enough calories for the rest of the day. When I'm hungry between meals, I drink water or diet snapple.

I've actually learned that I wasn't hungry all the time - my body actually wanted WATER not food - but I was just shoving more food in me. Now I find I have more energy, I feel better and I'm actually NOT hungry.

I've only lost a few pounds, but I know doing this they will stay off b/c I'm not losing them drastically on some fad diet that you can't stick with. I don't drink anything sugary except the occasioanl OJ, everything is diet, or water/sugar free flavored water.

The Lean Cuisine meals are good, so are "Smart Ones". I'm also saving a lot of money. Lean Cuisine is usually on sale 2 for less than the price of one mall lunch costs.

[NightWolf]

Way to go Luna!! I hope things keep on going down from here for ya.

[Severen13]

My collar bones and biceps are coming back!!!!

[PuckishOne]

Hooray collarbones!! It's a nice feeling, seeing those formerly-buried little bits of yourself, isn't it?

For myself, I have hit what you might call a Giant Freaking Wall of Mental Blockage. Trying to work through it, but I know I really, really need to find some alternative to the gym...to be read "something I actually like and will do." Hoping to find some dance, martial arts and/or yoga classes nearby that aren't going to break the bank...wish me luck. Meantime, I am managing to slog through the gym on occasion, and cutting back on the especially-bad foodstuffs (fast food, beer, general fried foods).

It's awesome to hear the success stories - the small ones as well as the major ones - from everyone, though. Great job!!

[Kiwi]

I brought a skipping rope the other day, and kyle got me a birkam yoga card for my birthday (thats the heated room yoga) because I have such shoddy circulation.

I used to kick skippings ass, now im like this big clumsy oaf.... quite a shock to the system!

[Crazyredhead]

I didn't go to the gym today and I won't tomorrow. I will have to add an extra mile onto my run monday. I had a large slice of raspberry cheesecake today and a Prime Rib with Cheese sub from Quizno's today. I think that I found a naughty place to go to when I want to cheat on my diet. That sub was the BOMB!!!!

[Der Cute]

Well, now that I've moved to a warmer climate, I'm drinking more water!!!

When I was in Alaska, I was cold, and liked drinking soda a lot. Now I'm in Washington state, and I like drinking water It tastes better when you're hot and in the sunshine.

Yesterday I also went to the hotel's gym and did a 30 min workout on a bike and treadmill.
That may not be too much, but it's better than nothing.

Now if the hotel would quit putting fresh warm cookies out at 6:30 pm. Gah.

And I like the sunshine around here, it really helps pick me up.

Cutenoob

[protege]

After moving down the street 3 weeks ago, I'm slowly getting back to the gym. I'd like to go there more, but I don't want to end up hurting myself. Usually, I'd warm up with some cardio, then run through the Nautilus machines. However, since I've been carrying boxes most nights, I simply skip the cardio

Hopefully, my "spare tire" will disappear soon. While I'm at it, I need to bulk up a bit muscle so I can better handle the MG's lack of power steering. It's heavy at parking speeds, but lightens up a bit at speed. Trust me, it's can be a pain on twisty roads

[officegirl]

It seems no matter what I do, I can not see a difference. I am not fat by any means but I have fat in places I never use to have fat and I HATE IT!!! I now have love handles and am super self-conscious about them. I don't want to be one of those "muffin top" girls. Also, my tummy is no longer flat as it use to be When I was in high school, I didn't have an ounce of fat on me. After I got to college, the dreaded freshman 15 took it's toll on me and while I've managed to lose most of it, it's left behind some not-so-pleasant surprises. I jog when I get time and do pilates as well and walk my dog every day and I believe I eat plenty healthy but I have not seen a change. Anyone have any ideas about what I can do to finish off these last 5-10 pounds??