Thanks! Lucky you’ve got her to help; I’ve got to get on myself to make better food, as too often I get lazy. 
Speaking of beer, do you all just stick with light beer or do you try and cut it out all together?
I only drink on weekends but my choice as of late has been Beck’s Light, only 64 calories and 4g carbs per bottle so I can have 2 or 3 and not feel real guilty, plus it tastes great!
This is often a problem for me, too. Here are some things that I keep around to help:
*buckwheat soba noodles
*quinoa!
*frozen sugar snap peas
*canned chickpeas
*Kashi GoLean (lots of protein and natural fiber, low sugar)
*homemade Fruity Oaty Bars
All of those can make lazy-friendly meals very quickly. Not together, but, you know.
In fact, I am way too tired post-workout (and hellish 8 hour meeting with 30 lawyers with a median age of 50 at which we spent 3.5 hours arguing about the definition of the word “situated” in context) to cook the planned whole wheat pizza with spicy tomato sauce, broccoli, yellow pepper and part-skim mozzarella that was on the menu. So instead I will have quinoa and black beans.
Woot! Go you! Having healthiness buddies is a good, good thing. I rely on the fiancee for cooking and on you all for workouts, and that really makes a difference.
Starbuccaneer
You’re getting married?! Congratulations!
My deal with alcohol these days is not to drink it. Which is why I was instantly drunk at the meetup when I had 2 rum and cokes on Thursday night. I used to drink about 4 nights a week, but usually only one beer. It’s really helped me actually lose weight to cut it out.
But because I deprive myself most of the time, when I let myself have a drink, I have exactly what I want. No light beer.
Yeah! Thanks! You didn’t see the ring at the meetup? Lord, I still feel like it’s super conspicuous. April 2012!
Just joining the thread – inspired by pictures of Chuck at this year’s meetup. I have about 30 lbs. to lose.
I’ve got an hour commute, and it seems like I either have to sacrifice an hour of sleep or add an hour on to the end of a long day–both of which suck for various reasons. But whatever. I’ve decided: no excuses.
I just wanted to hear if others have tricks for squeezing workouts into busy schedules or if they just suck it up and do the 7 pm workout on a Friday night like Starbuccaneer whether they want to or not. Or maybe I’m thinking about this all wrong. Thoughts?
Lou
When I made the commitment to get in shape, I realized that the end of the days just didn’t work for me. I became a first thing in the morning before work gym guy. Had to sacrifice some sleep, and start being more efficient in the evenings re: planning for the next day (packing clothes, making lunches and breakfast etc).
So I ran my second 5k today. in the previous couple days leading up to the run my lower back has been killing me was one huge lump of a knot. i kept trying to stretch it out and rub it out but it would not come undone. Last night i decided to soak in a hot epsom salt bath and then after turned on the shower as hot as i could stand it and just soak my lower back some more. It really helped to loosen up my back so i was able to finally get a good night of sleep.
Woke up this morning and my back was still relatively loose so i knew i should be able to run at about my normal pace. Got to the race meet up with my dad who i was running the race with. We stretched out and then the race started.
I felt good starting off my back wasn’t hurting and the new running socks i got were a huge improvement on my feet. Previously with my normal socks my feet were aching and hot inside the first 1/4 mile. With the new socks they never hurt nor got hot. I was feeling really good keeping pace with a good a good chunk of the pack. Then came the first hill.
Now i do train in hills some but i have never encountered a hill like this one before. it was Long, fairly steep, and really early on in the race. I pushed as hard as i could but ended up having to walk up about the last 1/3 of the hill. Got to the top and continued to run. I finally crossed the 1 mile mark but it felt like i had been running forever. I tapped my ipod button which was running my nike+ ap. The nice lady in my earphones came on and told me i had been running for 11 minutes. Holy Frak i thot I am WAY above my faster than my normal pace.
I slowed down a bit and continued to run as much as i could and then walk when i needed to. I really pushed myself on the run this time however. I would really only stop running when i was on the verge of yacking. Then would walk as little as possible before i started running again. I would try and run as far as i could up every hill. Always setting a goal that i would not quit running until i hit that point. it was always just past the achievable point but a good portion of the time i made it. The last hill i had to start yelling at myself out loud to get up to the certain mailbox that i was trying to reach. i did take a note out of the Mythbusters book and started saying quite a few bad words which helped me up that last hill.
I finally made my last turn and hit the three mile point. From there i saw the finish line and saw the time clock. At first i thot i was miss reading it. It had to say 47 min which i was expecting. But as i got a bit closer i realized it said 41 min…Holy FRAK again i was running for a personal record time. By a HUGE margin. i kicked up my running for that last .2 miles almost sprinting (for me). Crossed the line in 42 minutes and a few seconds. i set a goal last month to finish in 45 min but realistically expected to cross in 46 or 47 min. But 42!!! had to be a mistake. i have not seen my official time yet but its going to be somewhere around that time. i feel good, my back doesn’t hurt and the endorphins are flowing.
What a great run.
Next goal is to work on running the entire time. I really have to work on pacing a bit better. Any suggestions from more experienced runners would be greatly appreciated
will post pics as soon as i get them
Congrats - I’m working up slowly to a 5k (not for a race, just so that I can say I can do 5k)…I’m so pleased that you broke your expected time by a large margin. 
Not much today, today was an active rest day where I went shopping with the wife and son. We must have spent a total of 4-5 hours walking around the place so definitely a lot of good exercise. While not sunny, it is getting more spring like so that’s all good.
Yesterday was a good day in terms of diet and exercise.
Seated Curl and Press - 2x10 @ 16kg
Lat Pull down - 2x12 @ 72.5kg
BB Bent Over Rows - 2x10 @ 24kg
Side Bridge 2x45secs (Should have been 60secs) - Both sides.
10 of the best - 10-12 attempts at freestanding handstands
The gym was empty so I guess all the new year people had quit and that everyone was out on the town getting drunk and partying instead of working in the gym :).
I think you hit the nail on the head: just do it. Do it whenever the hell you can. If that’s at night, cool. If it’s morning, cool. Whatever makes it work out for you. Sure, there are some benefits to working out at certain times of the day. But they pale compared to the benefits of working out vs. not working out.
You can also view it as a way to speed things up. If you get tired of a plateau and want to kick it in gear, more workout will definitely do the job. Cardio is definitely your friend for weight loss, but don’t forget the strength training as well. The more strength training you do, the more likely you are to hold on to some of that muscle instead of just losing it with the fat. Lots of people are “not fat” but aren’t in shape, either. (Audra and I call it “skinny fat.”) But whatever you do, working out will definitely improve your situation.
You’ve already done the hardest part, which is accepting that you’ve gotta make a change – and keeping that foremost in your mind to stay motivated. Looking forward to your posts here, too. Welcome!
My intent all along has been to keep it reasonable and stick to my nutritional goals, etc. But in practice I pretty much don’t drink compared to before. It’s not that I’m a teetotaler. I just find that most of the time it’s difficult to swallow taking in a bunch of calories that have no nutritional value. I’m working so hard to make changes in my body that the small social plus of drinking doesn’t outweigh the benefits of having something useful in place of those calories.
That said, I certainly have a drink from time to time (as Podcast #263 certainly demonstrates). That was the first I’d had in three months, with the previous being a Smithwicks at Trinity Hall a while back. The whisky was my only meetup drinking, less due to fitness concerns than just not wanting to get so tired that I’d miss out.
So it’s been a while since I posted. My work schedule has gone crazy - 10 to 11 hour days, and then I fly home every other weekend (working away from home and family). All this has made it hard to start a routine and stick to it.
But last weekend when I wasn’t home, I was able to get two fast paced bike rides in and used the Nikefit app on my iPhone. I really liked the app as it changed things up every 30/60/90 seconds. While each exercise was simple, putting them together for 30 min really got me sweating and I could really feel it.
Work will still be crazy (and stressing me out as the project is ending and I don’t know my next assignment) but I’m going to force myself to do the workouts. It feels good and I hope it helps with the stress.
You all really inspire me. I hope I can post some progress soon.
Baconface, congrats on your continued progress!! I know what you mean about getting into a regular eating schedule. I basically made myself eat at certain times of the day when I began working out, and over time I started to get hungry more often. Now I eat about 6 times a day, which may seem like a lot, but it works for me! I usually do breakfast with Chuck around 7:00 am, a snack around 9:30-10:30, lunch from 11:30-12:30, snack around 3:30, dinner around 6, and a snack around 8. Each meal is small but as you continue to work out you will, I think, find yourself wanting to eat smaller meals more often. Sticking with your calorie goals for the day is the most important factor.
Oh, and I just wanted to back up Chuck’s comments on the kitchen scale. I can’t tell you what a huge difference in ease and convenience it is to have a little, flat digital scale – and measuring cups! Lots of em. Plastic is fine! – to keep track of things. It may seem anal for me to pour exactly 52 grams of cereal, zero out the scale, add 60 grams of raspberries, and exactly 1/3 cup of skim milk. But it works. And that level of accuracy saves time in the end that I’d otherwise spend trying to figure it all out.
Yayy 'Talos! Fraggle dance Talos, just keep sticking with it, and you’ll find yourself craving junk foods a little less. It gets easier. You can do eet!!
Juan, that’s awesome!! Keep up the great work! Juan! Juan! Juan!..
Starbuccaneer, getting to the gym five days a week is not easy, and it’s common for me to slip and only make four. During the week of the meetup I worked out on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday… then didn’t work out again until Wednesday after the meetup. It sucked. I’ve been really down on myself about a lot of things. But when I do get to the gym as planned, it takes a lot of inner pushing to overcome the desire to do something easier. Chuck is a big help to me in this way – he motivates me all the time to go. The danger zone is when you think “I should go work out…” and right THERE. As soon as you think it, get your stuff, change, fill your water bottle, and get out the door. If you stop and start thinking of other stuff you could be doing, you will almost inevitably choose something else. I know this because it’s what I do; no matter how much I’d like to think I am disciplined I pretty much will always take the easy route if I give myself time to think about it.
To get to the gym five days a week, I go Monday mornings before work, Wednesday early evenings with a coworker after teaching, Thursday evenings, and Saturday and Sunday whenever I get there. Mine is not the most stable plan, but Chuck and I both put our scheduled workouts on the digital calendar we share and try to go together whenever possible. Try putting your workouts on the calendar for the whole upcoming week, and treat them like appointments that can’t be broken.
My other suggestion is to remind yourself that a 30-minute workout on the go is far better than no workout. If we only went to the gym when we had luxurious amounts of time, we’d almost never go! So pack your gym bag in advance and throw it in the car, and if you have an hour for lunch, work in a fast walk or jog, etc. It all adds up!
Finally, I was thinking about your heavy work schedule. My days can get pretty tightly packed, too, and the only way I can manage to eat right is to pack my food in advance. Chuck and I have a few varieties of lunch packs that can optionally hold ice packs. I put in meal replacement or protein bars, washed fresh fruit with some paper towels (apples, tangerines, pears, or grapes in a baggie), or whatever else I have at home that’s healthy. Figure out how many calories you need during the day, and pack that much plus maybe one more fruit, and you’re good to go.
I hope this helps!
All of the posts here really do help me. I’ve been struggling with a lot this semester, and it really means a lot to have this support. I look forward to checking back soon with my workout updates.
Audra
Haha, the first time I read that, Juan, I thot it said “I’ve got to get ONE [a girlfriend] myself to make better food.” Heehee - I guess I’m not the only person who has “one” confusion. 
I’m with Starbuccaneer and Chuck on this - I drink very, very little, but when I do, I try to drink what I want and not worry too much about it. Like Chuck’s case, the whiskey at the meetup was the first drink I’ve had in a while except a beer or two over the last few months. MGD 64 is a good low-calorie beer, but you do compromise in flavor (and alcohol content, fwiw). I think I prefer a good full-flavored drink once in a long while instead of regular “meh” drinks. Oh, and the reason I drink very little is the same as Chuck’s – I have a daily calorie goal set for myself, and it’s hard to justify taking in calories that will turn basically into sugar but not really make me feel full. I am not very good at managing hunger, so I have to eat high-fiber, high-ish-protein stuff frequently to not turn into “Hangry” beast. :oops:
Welcome, Lou! Glad to see you here! I agree with what others have said - any workout, even a short one, is better than no workout. If you can squeeze in little bursts of activity here and there, it will make a difference!
Mr. Lister, Sir – I had a thot when I was reading your comment about running the 5k. You’re having a lot of lower back tightness - could it be tight hamstrings? The trainer is having me work on stretching my hamstrings a lot lately. The strength work I’ve been doing for them (mostly straight-leg dead lifts, smith machine, and various squats) makes them tighten up and hurt, BAD. (In fact, they’re killing me now.) At any rate, our trainer told me it’s important to keep stretching the hamstrings, otherwise they could cause lower back pain and problems. Sure enough, lately I’ve been having some low back pain, and stretching my hamstrings seems to help it. I didn’t realize until recently that your hamstrings actually come all the way up the back of your thighs and connect behind and above the glutes – right at the lower back, a little below where the waistband of your jeans might be. Anyway, just a thot. I hope you get some relief from that pain soon!
I have to add it onto the end of the workday. It does suck, but (for me) it sucks way less than getting up an hour earlier. One thing that has helped me is developing a few good strength exercise routines that I can do at home. In my apartment building, I can run up and down the stairs, which is a good 10 minute cardio boost on a day when I’m really pressed for time.
heheh. That is one method!
This Is the one I have. Got it at CVS for about $15. It’s nice and slim, but has a solid feel, switches easily from lbs & oz to oz to gms, and zeroes/tares quickly. I’ve been using it for over a year and haven’t had to replace the 9V battery yet. One thing I noticed is it’s nice to have the buttons all on the front. My parent’s scale has the button to switch from metric to English units on the bottom. PITA!
Day 1 begins. I bought new running shoes yesterday, made a detailed list of what I should eat each day of the week, went grocery shopping, and got up early today. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
meetup fever and recovery still processing.
back to recording food and exercise.
no weight gain- static. yaaaaay.
new 21 day challenge planned for April.
it’s dang early.
Yesterday would have been a gym day (At home) but I ended up doing gym like exercises from about 11am till 8pm. The wife and I were inheriting a former studio type extenstion on the house which houses a kitchen, so there was alot of cleaning to do.
The tasks I ended up doing were
•Scrubbing cupboards and selves (Bics and tris - with a lil bit of elbow :)).
•Carrying a TV (Crt style - felt and had to hold it like an atlas stone - It was like supersetting deadlifts with front squats).
•Moving a fridge numerous times - Deadlifts
•Moving suitcases from the cupboard up two long flight of stairs - Farmers walk supersetted with upright rows
•Moving various equipment (CV, kitchen appliances) - Front lateral raises mixed with other bicep curl type exercises
•Chasing the boy around trying to keep him out of trouble - Short bursts of Cardio
•Moving a wardrobe from ground floor, up stairs to second landing - Deadlift again supersetted with finger grip (had to lift the wardrobe by its ledge aka with the finger tips).
Now I had to do some of those multiple times throughout the day, needless to say that I was knackered and tired. I also needed a good carb up and even had a couple of spoonfuls of chocolate trifle. grin.
Measured myself on the scale this morning and I’ve lost 3lbs since last week, strength is good and going up in the gym which means that I’m now down to 15 stone 3lbs which is the lowest I’ve ever been in my adult life (that I can remember).
In total, I’ve lost 67lbs.
I’ll post some before and afters when I get home. I also need to check to see whether today is gym day. I do need to do some stretchs/mobility work as sometimes when I work, I can feel a slight twinge at the top of my thigh/leg. It’s also evident that my range of motion sucks if I try to do a roundhouse type kick with my left leg so I need to work on the flexability.
Looking into getting into cooking, I fancy looking at Caribbean type food and seeing what they are usually made up off and see if I can do them in a healthy but tasty style.
Also looking to see how I can start fitness photography (Behind the camera for now). I think I’ll be good at it. (Again, I’ll post some past efforts when I get home).
I have some comments regarding some above points - but end of lunch, so I’ll answer them when I get home