Where do I start?

[Pheidippides]

I am almost 36.

I am 5 foot 9.

I am 215 lbs.

I want to be to 180-185.

I don't look bad. I wear the weight well. However, I'm feeling bad.

It's cold outside and I love to eat.

Anyone been where I am?



I have always mocked marathon runners. However, I have privately thought that I'd like to privately train for and run a marathon. If for no other reason than to say to myself I could to it.

That's probably the wrong approach, but I have always struggled to stay motivated to exercise if it didn't include training for or playing a sport.

I'm kind of at a loss right now.

I thought the gym would be a great place to get some suggestions from people that have been where I am and are now great examples of fitness.

I have been there. Getting started is the hardest part. If you can get some momentum and keep consistent generally (we all have a bad day now and again), you'll be surprised at how fast you get there.

This from a guy who couldn't run a full mile without stopping to walk and wheeze two years ago.

Keep asking questions - I asked a ton. The collective knowledge of the people here, and their willingness to share, is amazing. If it weren't for their encouragement, I wouldn't have believed in myself enough to run that first marathon. And I'd be without my favorite hobby now.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I had started many a fitness regimen after leaving law school, but always bailed after a few days. Over the years, I got out of shape and weighed 40 pounds above my marriage weight (high 170s back then). Frustrated by my condition, I decided to give it a "final" try, committing to exercise six days a week for one month, planning and recording each day's effort. If, after 30 days, I didn't feel and look noticeably better, I'd bail once and for all. I surprised myself by actually sticking to the commitment. Not only did I feel immensely better, my morning walks, then runs and rides, became a habit.

I admire the younger folks here who manage to find the time to exercise despite the demands of family, work, church, etc. Since becoming an empty nester, and with far more control over my work schedule, it's much easier for me now. Unquestionably, regardless of one's schedule, finding the time to get out and move is essential to one's mental and physical health.

[RC Vikings]

I believe the first thing a person needs to do is set a goal that they need to get in shape for. Your goal of doing a marathon is a good start. Honestly I can't think of anything more boring than getting on some machine in a gym for an hour just trying to burn some calories. If I go into the gym knowing I need to get in shape for a bike race, to climb a mountain or do a triathlon I feel like I'm in their for a purpose. Also I would say mix it up. Climb stairs for an hour one day, swim the next and then ride a bike the day after. You will find yourself enjoying the variety and you won't get burned out doing the same thing everyday. Once again for the best workout of your life try this.

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[woot]

i'm no runner, but i'd say start by running a 5k, get your 10k in, do your half marathon(s), and work towards the marathon. a 5k, even for the most (ok, more) out of shape individual, is a realistic goal with a couple months training.

or, you could join us over in the bike shop. if you have $1500 floating around, there aren't a lot of sports more efficient in terms of time/calories burned than cycling. i'm 6' 215 and in 40 minutes of moderate cycling on the trainer today i burned 1500 calories. there's no way i could do that running.

Sorry, but you did not burn 1500 calories in 40 minutes of moderate cycling. You wouldn't burn that many if you somehow found a way to sprint full speed wearing a 200 lb weight vest for 40 minutes. Maybe if you swam as fast as you can in freezing salt water for 40 minutes you could do it, but even then I doubt it.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Sorry, but you did not burn 1500 calories in 40 minutes of moderate cycling. You wouldn't burn that many if you somehow found a way to sprint full speed wearing a 200 lb weight vest for 40 minutes. Maybe if you swam as fast as you can in freezing salt water for 40 minutes you could do it, but even then I doubt it.

I've always wondered about the accuracy of calorie burns as shown on my Garmin 305. According to that device, I'm burning between 550 and 900 calories per hour of cycling, depending on exertion (our 90-mile CUF ride up and around Mt. Bachelor showed a burn of around 750 calories per hour). Running at a 9 min/mile pace (I'm 6'3" and weigh in the high 180s) reportedly burns 900/hr or so. Does that seem high or about right? Honestly, I don't pay much attention to calories burned or ingested.

OK, back to PU... Get outside and start moving. You won't regret it.

[Uncle Ted]

After talking to Space Ghost privately last year I invested in an used LifeCycle 9500 that I found on Craigslist for $400... I got it from an exercise equipment broker that got it in on trade and wanted to dump it.



SG inspired me to work out more. I used to work out at the local YMCA but my wife got us kicked out of there (a long story).

Over the last two months of ownership of the recumbent bike I have been doing 40 minutes in the morning and about 40 minutes at night while watching TV/movies/netflix or reading CUF/email on my iPad (I have built a way to ipad so it sits securely over the front panel). I will also work my upper body with dumbbells while riding. So far I have lost about 12 pounds or so.

[scottie]

I like PAC's 30 day commitment thing, but another good option IMO is to start out small by simply cutting back on your carb intake (cutting back ~50%) and doing a simple exercise (30 minute walks are perfect to start) 5 days a week. After 2-3 weeks when your clothes feel a little looser, you notice your increased energy, and you're feeling a little sexier, there's great potential for it all to snowball and six months later you'll be unstoppable.

[woot]

I've always wondered about the accuracy of calorie burns as shown on my Garmin 305. According to that device, I'm burning between 550 and 900 calories per hour of cycling, depending on exertion (our 90-mile CUF ride up and around Mt. Bachelor showed a burn of around 750 calories per hour). Running at a 9 min/mile pace (I'm 6'3" and weigh in the high 180s) reportedly burns 900/hr or so. Does that seem high or about right? Honestly, I don't pay much attention to calories burned or ingested.

OK, back to PU... Get outside and start moving. You won't regret it.

As a rule, such things tend to exaggerate, some of them extremely so. For one thing, they almost always include the calories that you would have burned anyway, which really shouldn't matter since presumably the user is only interested in energy expenditure due to the exercise itself. Even then, some of the numbers I've seen those things produce is absurd.

The moral is that diet is drastically more important than exercise for weight loss. Building muscle is great, in that it increases one's resting metabolism, but straight cardio doesn't help in building muscle once you've been doing it for a while, and can even be counterproductive on that front. Mostly, cardio is just the same thing as eating less as far as weight loss goes.

[Surfah]

SG inspired me to work out more. I used to work out at the local YMCA but my wife got us kicked out of there (a long story).

I've got time.

[Mrs. Funk]

Sometimes I sabotage myself on the weight loss front by trying to do too much, too fast. I will drastically cut back my calorie intake AND begin a super aggressive exercise regimin. Within about a week, I'm exhausted, perpetually hungry, and cranky. And end up giving up. And the cycle continues.

Be realistic and be gentle with yourself starting out. Even working out once or twice per week if you are currently aren't getting much exercise is an improvement. It's much better to do something consistently, even if it's walking twenty minutes a few times per week, than have two-week periods of high intensity followed by five months of inactivity. For me personally, I would probably give up pretty quickly if my first goal was to run a marathon. It sounds so scary and unattainable. A 5k or a 10k sounds much more manageable, and then I could consider a half-marathon or something. You might be different, though.

Writing down everything you eat is helpful though tedious. Perhaps most importantly, it keeps you honest. If you eat a gigantic piece of chocolate cake, write it down! When I was seriously losing weight after college, having to write food down was sometimes motivation enough to avoid naughty foods. Websites like Fit Day and The Daily Plate make it a lot easier.

[Pheidippides]

I've always wondered about the accuracy of calorie burns as shown on my Garmin 305. According to that device, I'm burning between 550 and 900 calories per hour of cycling, depending on exertion (our 90-mile CUF ride up and around Mt. Bachelor showed a burn of around 750 calories per hour). Running at a 9 min/mile pace (I'm 6'3" and weigh in the high 180s) reportedly burns 900/hr or so. Does that seem high or about right? Honestly, I don't pay much attention to calories burned or ingested.

OK, back to PU... Get outside and start moving. You won't regret it.

I had my metabolic rates tested as part of a VO2 max test I did, and my stats matched up nicely with my Garmin 305 stats.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I've got time.

Yeah, no kidding. Spill it Ted.

[ERCougar]

I had my metabolic rates tested as part of a VO2 max test I did, and my stats matched up nicely with my Garmin 305 stats.

Running or cycling? I think the running stats are pretty accurate; I think the cycling numbers are way too high. If you compare the cycling numbers to any of the online calculators, the 305's are like double them (at least the last time I checked).

[Eddie]

For me it was a process to get where I am - and I still need to lose some. I kind of paused in the middle.

I started at 6'3" and about 240 lbs. Being tall, I carried the weight well, and I'm not a couch potato - I've always enjoyed hiking, playing bball, etc.

I remember being at a health fair where they were doing some testing and I figured "what the heck". My BP, pulse, colesteral, etc. was all OK. But when they tested my body fat I showed up as "borderline obese". The tester couldn't believe it and made me do the test again, but I knew it was true - I was carrying it on my waist and doing nothing to get rid of it.

2 years ago a friend talked me into doing a sprint triathlon with him (400 yard swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run). I started training in January for an August race. Initially I would drink enough water swimming 50 yards that I wouldn't do much more than that. 30 minutes on the bike wore me out. With the help of a TV attached to a treadmill I could ignore my way through 30 minutes of jogging.

I would get up at 5:30 and be done and home by 6:30am. As time went by, my endurance grew and I would do combined workouts where I would swim for 30 minutes and then bike for 30. Or bike and then run - you get the idea. Those weren't every day - usually just Saturday. Mostly I would extend my workout in one area - but was always home by 6:30.

The day of the triathlon came. I was excited. I ran the race, did OK (not fastest, not slowest). But what stood out was that it was EASY. Too easy. I thought a triathlon would be a challenge (granted - this one was a short sprint), but when I got done I felt like I could go out and do it again 15 minutes later. I had expected to be exhausted.

With the triathlon done, I found myself without reason/motivation to continue, and really fell back from exercising. That's when I decided I wanted to work up to a marathon - I wanted something challenging. So I started running last fall to have a base, just starting with 2-3 miles 3 times a week and slowly building to 4-5 miles. Last January I signed up for the Ogden Marathon and downloaded the Hal Higdon beginner training schedule. Knowing I needed to be ready for the marathon kept me going. After that I did an olympic distance tri at the end of summer.

And really that is my story - I enjoy running, swimming, and biking now, but having the goal of an upcoming race keeps me doing them. Without I don't have the discipline to be consistent.

I discovered that to lose weight there are a couple of things that help.

First - I've got to get out and moving. And having a goal or target event helps keep me motivated to doing that.

Second - I've got to keep from getting too hungry. And I've got to have the right food on hand. So I picked up some snacks that are healthy - low fat yogurt, fruit, veggies, string cheese, etc. I typically have a snack arond 10:30am and another between 2:30-3pm. I drink about 20 oz of water before each meal - which helps me not fill up on just food.

Like you - I like to eat. And simply depriving myself leads to binging later. So I have to allow myself some treats. And I usually give myself one "free" day or meal each week in which I can eat whatever I want - even the less than healthy stuff. But I try not to overdo the goodies. I also watch my portions and try to pay attention to my stomach - ie am I eating because I am hungry or because something tastes good and I want to taste more of it?

When I go to a restaurant I have to pay special attention to not clean the plate, and plan to take some home.

I heard a nutritionist say that if you find yourself looking at labels a lot to figure out what is good for you and what isn't, you are eating the wrong foods. The stuff you should be eating typically doesn't have labels (fresh fruits and veggies, etc.)

[Pheidippides]

Running or cycling? I think the running stats are pretty accurate; I think the cycling numbers are way too high. If you compare the cycling numbers to any of the online calculators, the 305's are like double them (at least the last time I checked).

Running. I have no clue on the cycling.