Do what works for you. When I was younger I used to think I had to be drenched in sweat for it to be exercise. Now I realize that isn’t the case. Doing something to get the body moving - walking, peddling, running, rowing - anything helps. If playing a game makes it so you are more likely to keep doing that exercise than I think it is great to use the Switch.
Yeah, I had good results in the past with a recumbent bike and a PS2. The judgy gym folk are technically correct that an hour of that is not going to be as beneficial as an hour of something much higher intensity, but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing, and making the exercise as enjoyable as possible drastically helps to address the questions of motivation and finding time for exercise.
And contrary to @Gigglemoo, I found that slow strategic games are perfect for this (I played all of SMT: Nocturne and La Pucelle Tactics like this, among others). When I tried to use action games, I’d subconsciously slow my pedaling down while trying to nail the timing on game sequences, but with anything menu-based, I found it easier to keep a steady pace.
We had to get rid of the bike in a move, sadly. I’ve tried using a Vita at the gym, but it doesn’t work as well due to the screen shaking. I’ve been thinking of trying the Switch for that since the controllers separate.
That’s interesting. I tried biking with La Pucelle Tactics a few months ago and it was a total fail. Had the best results with brawlers, racers, and rhythm games on medium difficulties. Yesterday my bike said a little over 900 calories with slightly under 2 hours. Not sure how accurate that is.
I use a bulky old 2DS on gym machines. Was always worried about breaking or dropping the Vita. I’ve seen someone using a Switch on an elliptical, are those joycons fragile?
I’m less worried about a joycon breaking than I am about the sweat. Those controllers are going to get real gross real quick.
Every winter I let myself get a pudge around the gut, and every summer I shed it. This means that I’m doing my OMAD “diet” until its gone.
I think living in the Rockies really does contribute to better health. I’ve been XC skiing daily, including down small telemark downhills, and dang if it doesn’t leave some burn!
So I’m actually “okay” on weight alone – in the “overweight” category but not close to “obese.” But what I actually want is to be at a reasonable weight and in shape, to embiggen my lifespan as much as possible.
I thought my reasonable weight would give me at least a little bit of an easier time when exercising. I’m learning now that healthy weight and fitness are definitely not one and the same. I did 30 minutes on an exercise bike this morning, and holy shit it was hard. I’m still sore.
Keep it up and it will definitely get easier. Maybe push yourself just a little less until your body gets used to it.
A couple days ago we had a nice warm stretch and I went running outside for the first time since winter. I’ve been pretty good about hitting the treadmill or recumbent bike 5 times a week or so, pushing myself fairly hard. My typical outside run is a little over 3 miles. When I haven’t done it in a while I usually run a 10 minute per mile pace. After a month or so I’m run at a 9:00-9:30 minute per mile pace. This day I ran at a 8:42 minute per mile pace, best I can recall in years for sure.
My official weight this morning was 200.4 pounds, not quite below the 200 mark - which is my short term goal. After eating breakfast and hitting the treadmill I had a hunch, and I was below the 200 pound mark. now I know it was because I was a bit dehydrated, but I just wanted to see it. I’m so close to getting my official morning weight below 200.
I’ll add my two cents here in agreement with @robc04. When I started running and using elliptical machines 2-3 times a week, it was rough for a while. I’d say probably a week or two of being sore after workouts, and the second day after was generally the worst. But a little stretching works wonders, and by the second week it was noticeably less, and by the third pretty much gone entirely.
Congratulations, on both the weight and improvement in running!
…and it’s official 199.6 pounds!
I’ve been tracking food consumed and calories burned with a Polar M400 and MyFitnessPal.
I started logging on February 11th, where I was 207.4 pounds.
I believe I was 215 pounds a week or so earlier.
If I went by my calories consumed vs burned, I would have only lost around 3 pounds since February 11th, instead of the nearly 8 I lost. Since I had lost quite a bit the week prior, I would have thought I would have already lost my stored glycogen - which I think could account for 2-3 pounds. I’m also eating less salt than I used to, but I also would have thought any excess retained water would have already been lost too. I’ve been drinking more water than I used to too. Probably 50 to 75% more. Now I drink between 70-90 ounces.
Not that I’m complaining, but does anyone have any guesses where all this extra lost weight is coming from?
Hell yeah, Rob! Congrats man. That is a great victory!
As a guess, your TDEE isn’t guessed exactly right. It’s really hard for those to be 100% accurate. Your activity varies daily, even just a little. You also burn calories (slowly) on things you would never even think about.
Mark it as a victory but keep an eye on things, as it sounds like your extra activity kicked your BMI up just a tad.
Welcome to onederland :)
The extra is probably just water weight, with a little waste/lbm/etc. Double check the calories if you’re using the counter on your bike too. Mine was off by over 20%.
It probably isn’t blubber. Are you having any of the effects of high cortisol? I’m roughly your size and using a deficit to lose ~8 pounds a month, it’s very noticable for me.
Thanks @skipper and @Gigglemoo!
As far as high cortisol…
I definitely haven’t been experiencing weight gain :-)
I do have some thinning skin on my hands and skins. With the skins I believe it is due to my venous insufficiency that I developed. I don’t think I bruise easily.
I don’t think I’ve experienced any of the other listed symptioms.
I do take flovent (an inhaled steroid) for asthma.
That’s awesome, dude!
No clue. But if you’ve been exercising regularly and built up some muscle, your metabolism might have shifted a little bit, causing you to burn more calories than you think you are. Calorie intake and outtake is kind of an inexact science anyway.
Also, the heavier you are, the more calories you burn through exercise – if you’re relying on a calorie counter (on an exercise bike or treadmill or whatever), they are set to a “default weight” to do their calorie calculations. If you weigh more than that, you’d be burning more calories than the machine says.
Thanks SadleyBradley!
I haven’t been really doing anything for strength training, other then doing some push ups. I guess running / walking can build up some muscle but i don’t think it builds much.
I use my Polar M400 for computing calorie burn, which knows my weight, heartrate, age, and what activity I say I’m doing. I generally don’t wear my heartrate monitor for walking - just running, but it does tell how much I’m moving.
Well, Project Fatness Reduction 2018 is officially under way.
I’m more or less following the Nerd Fitness basics, as they track closely to my previous research / what I understand is commonly accepted these days / what I think will work for me:
- Fuck sugar, for the most part.
- Cut carbs, where you can. I’m not trying to do keto or anything, but just dropping or reducing bread and bread-like substances will drop both my raw calories and my glycemic load by quite a bit.
- Less processed shit, more fruits/veggies/proteins/fats that bear some resemblance to the organisms they once were.
- Dramatically less alcohol. I don’t plan to teetotal, but in general the idea is to go from “I like to have a couple beers after work and more than a couple when I’m out with the boys” to “I like to have a couple beers when I’m out with the boys.”
Also, on the “move your body” part:
- 2-3 times a week, intervals on the exercise bike for ~20 minutes
- 2-3 times a week, basic bodyweight circuits
- Lots of stretching every day
I’m two days in, and already I have more energy, my gut is happier with me, and my body feels better. I know there’s a chasm coming next week where I’m sore and I just want a beer and some pizza, god damnit, but I really would like to live past 40 and see my kids grow up now that that seems like an attainable goal again.
Plus, I have an excuse to hold the heathen hammer high every morning when my wife and kids get out the door and it’s time to get swole. This is a non-trivial incentive.
March 13, 50 pounds to go. Whee!
Luck is wished to you, my dude! I’ve got closer to 120lbs to go for ideal doctor-prescribed bodyweight, but same sorts of thoughts. Maybe not as good at the carb-reduction as I should be. Alas.
And heathen hammer-holding seems to do a great deal for motivation. . .
Oh, the doctors would like me at more like 90 pounds down, for sure. 50 pounds is my personal goal for now. I will be so happy when I’m back down under 200 for the first time in, uh, 13 years?
It’s amazing how dramatically different you’re going to feel, even before you start to lose any large amount of weight. The best thing about cutting simple carbs is that the lack of sugar tends to even out energy levels throughout the day. Sure, you may want your morning coffee, etc, but if you have those periods in the middle of the day where you feel sluggish (or want a nap, like I used to!), that seems to go away. Instead, you’ll enjoy feeling reasonably energetic all day long - not too hyper from sugar, not to slow when the sugar rush dies out.
That in turn will help you reach your exercise goals, which will help with weight loss.
Track your weight every day! Get used to weighing yourself at the same time every day so the measurements don’t fluctuate as much. Seeing the steady decline in your weight on a plot is incredibly satisfying.