A little background:
I am 32 years old, work in IT (i.e. sit on my ass all day), work 9 hour days plus 1 hour total commute each day. I have always been really active in sports, especially racquet sports (badminton, squash, tennis), basketball and soccer. I also golf a whole hell of a lot in the summertime, and always walk the course.
As career demand heightened, so did familial demands. I have a 20 month old daughter who I spend every possible minute with. One night I was running around with her in the backyard, chasing the dog, and I had to sit down and rest because I was seriously out of breath. I looked at her and realized that if things continued down the same path, I wasn't going to be around as long as I wanted.
As of February 11th, 2008, I was 237.5 pounds, and on a 5'9" frame, it just isn't carried well
I started out progressing towards my new lifestyle that day. I essentially became a lacto-ovo vegetarian (i.e. no meat, no dairy, no eggs), but I'm not super strict about it. If there is something that has a little egg in it, or a bit of milk as an ingredient I don't worry about it. I have given up meat pretty much entirely (for the time being anyway), and I feel much lighter. Of course, I'm also trying to plan meals better, and eat less white flour, processed foods and sugar-based products.
In addition, I altered my work schedule to work 5 days a week (instead of 4), and I start 1 hour later in the mornings. I now get up earlier than I used to, and head to the gym 4 days a week, in addition to regular weekly basketball and squash games if I can arrange them. I am looking forward to warmer weather so I can get outside on my bike, and do some trail running in the hills.
Fast forward 7 weeks. I am currently about 215 lbs, fitting into clothes that had previously been relegated to the back of my closet (I even threw out some fat-pants), and having way more energy and vigour than I have had in quite some time. My blood pressure has dropped significantly, my cholesterol has dropped about 15%, and in general I just feel way better, even if only because I'm finally doing something positive.
The weight loss has plateaued somewhat, or at least slowed somewhat. I believe this is in part because of muscle gains, and in part because a lot of the real excess has disappeared, and now I'm getting down to the tougher parts.
My diet looks something like this:
5:30 a.m Just some water before going to gym.
7:15 a.m 10-grain hot cereal with fruit, and sometimes nuts.
At least 1-2 pieces of fruit, and some rice or soy milk.
10:00 a.m. 1 piece of fruit, and/or cut up veggies.
12:00 p.m. dinner leftovers, or a killer bean/veggie soup/stew that I make.
1-2 slices whole grain bread.
5:30 p.m. Simple dinners --> veggies & pasta, rice casseroles, stews etc.
I'm trying to minimize snacking, especially after dinner, and I am keeping better hydrated than I ever have before.
My workouts look something like this:
I'm on a two day rotation. Note that I usually don't do all of the exercises listed, I try to rotate them a bit.
db = dumbells
bb = barbell
Day one: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, Abs
Day two: Back, Legs, Biceps
Now, I've certainly seen strength gains doing what I'm doing, and I know I need to add squats in there too. I've been researching some of the recommended strength programs (Rippetoe etc.), but I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. For some reason, I'm not comfortable yet using the barbells, and I prefer to work out alone, so I'm worried about form/injuring myself etc. I'd like to book some time with a trainer to help set me up, and give me some confidence that what I'm doing is proper form, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
My goals:
Ultimately, my goal is to make this my lifestyle, and never go back to the energy-sapping sloth I was. In terms of numbers, I want to crack the 200 mark by the end of July, and my maintenance weight should be around 180, which is what I weighed in highschool when I was a basketball/soccer fiend. Obviously, I want my blood pressure to reach normal levels, and I want to have cholesterol far below the average. I have a family history of heart disease, and I want to do everything in my power to avoid the fates that have befallen my grandfather, grandmother and Dad.
Before my journaling actually begins, I'd like to solicit some feedback on what others have done to get into better shape. I'm not looking to be ripped, or to be super-strong, I just want a very solid base, without the spare tire
edit: I do have before pictures, but I'm not ready to post them quite yet ... once I get to 200 I will do so!
I am 32 years old, work in IT (i.e. sit on my ass all day), work 9 hour days plus 1 hour total commute each day. I have always been really active in sports, especially racquet sports (badminton, squash, tennis), basketball and soccer. I also golf a whole hell of a lot in the summertime, and always walk the course.
As career demand heightened, so did familial demands. I have a 20 month old daughter who I spend every possible minute with. One night I was running around with her in the backyard, chasing the dog, and I had to sit down and rest because I was seriously out of breath. I looked at her and realized that if things continued down the same path, I wasn't going to be around as long as I wanted.
As of February 11th, 2008, I was 237.5 pounds, and on a 5'9" frame, it just isn't carried well
I started out progressing towards my new lifestyle that day. I essentially became a lacto-ovo vegetarian (i.e. no meat, no dairy, no eggs), but I'm not super strict about it. If there is something that has a little egg in it, or a bit of milk as an ingredient I don't worry about it. I have given up meat pretty much entirely (for the time being anyway), and I feel much lighter. Of course, I'm also trying to plan meals better, and eat less white flour, processed foods and sugar-based products.In addition, I altered my work schedule to work 5 days a week (instead of 4), and I start 1 hour later in the mornings. I now get up earlier than I used to, and head to the gym 4 days a week, in addition to regular weekly basketball and squash games if I can arrange them. I am looking forward to warmer weather so I can get outside on my bike, and do some trail running in the hills.
Fast forward 7 weeks. I am currently about 215 lbs, fitting into clothes that had previously been relegated to the back of my closet (I even threw out some fat-pants), and having way more energy and vigour than I have had in quite some time. My blood pressure has dropped significantly, my cholesterol has dropped about 15%, and in general I just feel way better, even if only because I'm finally doing something positive.
The weight loss has plateaued somewhat, or at least slowed somewhat. I believe this is in part because of muscle gains, and in part because a lot of the real excess has disappeared, and now I'm getting down to the tougher parts.
My diet looks something like this:
5:30 a.m Just some water before going to gym.
7:15 a.m 10-grain hot cereal with fruit, and sometimes nuts.
At least 1-2 pieces of fruit, and some rice or soy milk.
10:00 a.m. 1 piece of fruit, and/or cut up veggies.
12:00 p.m. dinner leftovers, or a killer bean/veggie soup/stew that I make.
1-2 slices whole grain bread.
5:30 p.m. Simple dinners --> veggies & pasta, rice casseroles, stews etc.
I'm trying to minimize snacking, especially after dinner, and I am keeping better hydrated than I ever have before.
My workouts look something like this:
I'm on a two day rotation. Note that I usually don't do all of the exercises listed, I try to rotate them a bit.
db = dumbells
bb = barbell
Day one: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, Abs
- Bench press (db)
Tricep Kickbacks (db)
Overhead shoulder press (db)
Chest flyes (sometimes db, sometimes machine)
Tricep push-downs (machine)
Lateral/Front shoulder raises (db)
Shoulder Shrugs (db)
Upright Rows (bb or machine)
20-30 minutes of cardio, usually treadmill, doing intervals.
10-15 minutes of stretching.
Day two: Back, Legs, Biceps
- Lat Pulldowns (machine)
Iso Bicep Curls (db)
Hammer Curls (db)
Preacher Curls (bb)
Seated Row (machine)
Bent Over Rows (db)
Deadlifts (bb)
Leg Press (machine)
Quad Lifts (machine)
Calf Raises (machine)
Assisted Pull-ups (machine)
20-30 minutes of cardio, usually treadmill, doing intervals.
10-15 minutes of stretching.
Now, I've certainly seen strength gains doing what I'm doing, and I know I need to add squats in there too. I've been researching some of the recommended strength programs (Rippetoe etc.), but I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. For some reason, I'm not comfortable yet using the barbells, and I prefer to work out alone, so I'm worried about form/injuring myself etc. I'd like to book some time with a trainer to help set me up, and give me some confidence that what I'm doing is proper form, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
My goals:
Ultimately, my goal is to make this my lifestyle, and never go back to the energy-sapping sloth I was. In terms of numbers, I want to crack the 200 mark by the end of July, and my maintenance weight should be around 180, which is what I weighed in highschool when I was a basketball/soccer fiend. Obviously, I want my blood pressure to reach normal levels, and I want to have cholesterol far below the average. I have a family history of heart disease, and I want to do everything in my power to avoid the fates that have befallen my grandfather, grandmother and Dad.
Before my journaling actually begins, I'd like to solicit some feedback on what others have done to get into better shape. I'm not looking to be ripped, or to be super-strong, I just want a very solid base, without the spare tire
edit: I do have before pictures, but I'm not ready to post them quite yet ... once I get to 200 I will do so!
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