Healthy Living 101

[bulldog19]

Todd thanks for starting this thread it gave me a Kick in the A$$ to do something. I went w/ my family this weekend and we tried Stand Up Paddleboarding. What a great workout and was fun all rolled up into 1! This also motivated me enough that I joined the gym last night.

[pokey64]

OK, I’m with the program too! Beth and I have been talking about getting healthier since our first child was born in Feb. Just avoided committing to a plan… We rid the house of garbage food a week ago and went shopping for fresh food and lean meats.

I’m not a big soda drinker. Maybe a couple per week. I drink a lot of coffee though, probably 5-6 big mugs a day. I’ve cut it back to 2 a day and usually one is a decaf. I’ve always drank a good amount of water but have amped it up. For snacks I’ve been bringing fruit to work. Breakfast is usually yogurt and fruits. For lunch I’ve been doing salads at Subway. For dinner we’ve been grilling a lot of chicken and veggies. Here’s a stuffed chicken breast we did the other night. (green peppers, pablano, onion, spinach, salt, pepper, and a little fat free zesty Italian dressing) We also grilled up some asparagus as a side. It was pretty good.



I’m 5 11 and was at 231.8 last Monday morning when we started. I was my heaviest in high school at 265. I got down to 235 in college and then 213 in 2004 before our wedding. Since then I’ve bounced between low 220s and high 230s.

I weighed in at 223.6 this morning. I feel good about 8.2lbs in 8 days. My clothes are already fitting better. My goal is to be at or below 200 by October. My work is mostly in front of a computer so getting an exercise routine figured out is my next thing to tackle. To get started we’ve been doing family walks in the evenings.

I’m on this site often so seeing this thread should help keep me focused. Thanks for getting it started Todd and thanks to everyone who has contributed!

[hifi875]

Another thing about taking a day off is that is gets you anxious to get back to whatever exercise you are doing(running/lifting or anything). I take off every friday to get ready for my long run on saturday and I feel like i should be doing something, but I know i will be better off by not doing anything.

[Chad-1stGen]

Great thread Todd!

I've been wanting to get healthier lately too and figure out a way to help motivate my wife to do the same.

First step was purchasing a set of pedometers for us to see how active we are (both work desk jobs and she sometimes works from home so even less active). My wife's work from home days she could average less than 1,500 steps in a day! I averaged 3-3.5k. We set the common goal of 10K steps a day. My pedometer records total steps as well as aerobic steps when I walk for at least 10 minutes at a minimum pace of 60 steps per minute. During the month of June (first month using the pedometer) I averaged almost 11K steps per day and had 22 days over 10k+ steps and 8 days where I missed the goal. I also averaged about 50 minutes a day of cardio walking.

During this time I lost zero weight and got motivated to improve the diet as well so about 3 weeks ago I started using myfitnesspal on my iphone. This app is awesome! SI got sick over 4th of July and am still recovering so I am just getting back into things but since using myfitnesspal I've lost over 8 lbs.

My user name of myfitnesspal is The_Dude if anyone wants to add me. Myfitnesspal claims you are 3x more likely to reach your goal if you have friends on there lol

PS if you guys want ripped abs then try the P90X work out and follow the diet to the letter. Assuming you are in average shape and average body fat% before hand then after 90 days you will have abs.

[legend]

Originally Posted by Chad-1stGen

PS if you guys want ripped abs then try the P90X work out and follow the diet to the letter. Assuming you are in average shape and average body fat% before hand then after 90 days you will have abs.

This last bit's a joke isn't it

[Chad-1stGen]

Originally Posted by legend

This last bit's a joke isn't it

LoL actually its not. I tried P90X a few years ago and made it 70 days before I aggravated an old wakeboarding injury. I did drop weight but I shredded crazy amounts of body fat and had the beginnings of a 6 pack. Pretty sure I would of had one for the first time in my life if I made the next 20 days.

Today I'm not even healthy enough (back problems) to try P90X again at this point or I would.

[toy71camaro]

And tonights dinner..




Pesto Basil Tilipia (grilled on foil) with a dash of grated Parmesan cheese, Baked Cauliflower with an olive oil, fresh garlic and dash of grated parmesan cheese (kids said it was popcorn, so we agreed thats what it was. They ate it! lol, although the 3 yr old girl said "this tastes like trees" and my son said "it looks like baby trees" lol). Then a Chedder Garlic biscuit. And all for ~315 calories.

[Vegas69]

One of my favorite lessons from the Compound Effect.

Imagine your life as a glass of sparkling water. Everyday of your life some muddy water finds it's way over the rim and into your glass through your enviroment and influences. Now you are left with murky water. The key is to continually flush out and displace your glass with more sparkling water.

The more positive things you make part of everyday, the less impact negative things in life are going to effect you.

[legend]

Originally Posted by Chad-1stGen

LoL actually its not. I tried P90X a few years ago and made it 70 days before I aggravated an old wakeboarding injury. I did drop weight but I shredded crazy amounts of body fat and had the beginnings of a 6 pack. Pretty sure I would of had one for the first time in my life if I made the next 20 days.

Today I'm not even healthy enough (back problems) to try P90X again at this point or I would.

P90X has some good before and after images, but there are much easier ways of dropping body fat and getting in shape. The main thing is to try and lose fat and preserve muscle, not just "weight"



Arnold weighed around 240lbs and so does the guy below...



it's not the scales that matter it's what you're made up of

[Chad-1stGen]

Originally Posted by legend

P90X has some good before and after images, but there are much easier ways of dropping body fat and getting in shape. The main thing is to try and lose fat and preserve muscle, not just "weight"

it's not the scales that matter it's what you're made up of

Agreed 100%. My point earlier was that while yeah I lost some weight on P90X I lost a ton of body fat %. I also gained a significant amount of strength. My arm and chest size barely changed while I lost inches everywhere else. There may be easier ways to get a six pack but in my experience P90X is the closest thing to a sure thing to do it in 3 months or less that I've come across.