So... I need to get into shape

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: fritolays
being skinny never bothered you?

I'm only about a inch or two taller than you... and weighed 130 pounds when I first started college, the difference is, I was extremely self conscious about my body and posture.... I wasn't able to go to a beach, be topless, etc. without being self conscious and paranoid.

I think it had to do with my lower level of self esteem compared to you... it then got really bad as I started being worried about my slouched shoulders in public places, just so many complications, the more I obsessed about it, the worse it affected me mentally

I'm trying hard to fix and feel better about myself and raise my self esteem. I weigh about 145 and work out almost every day.

Well, i think being skinny is better than being fat. As long as you're not hanging off your bones...

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: fritolays
being skinny never bothered you?

I'm only about a inch or two taller than you... and weighed 130 pounds when I first started college, the difference is, I was extremely self conscious about my body and posture.... I wasn't able to go to a beach, be topless, etc. without being self conscious and paranoid.

I think it had to do with my lower level of self esteem compared to you... it then got really bad as I started being worried about my slouched shoulders in public places, just so many complications, the more I obsessed about it, the worse it affected me mentally

I'm trying hard to fix and feel better about myself and raise my self esteem. I weigh about 145 and work out almost every day.

Well, i think being skinny is better than being fat. As long as you're not hanging off your bones...

majority of my weight was on the lower body... so when I say I weighed 130 lbs, I looked much skinnier than the average person with the same height and weight.

Nothing I wore looked good on me, I didn't want to wear tight shirts because that would be nasty, so I wore larger T-shirts but they also made me look scrawny.. like a shirt hanging on bones. My self esteem was at a all time low during late high school/early college years... and now I'm trying extremely hard to bounce back. I'm glad I don't have to go through those years again

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: fritolays
being skinny never bothered you?

I'm only about a inch or two taller than you... and weighed 130 pounds when I first started college, the difference is, I was extremely self conscious about my body and posture.... I wasn't able to go to a beach, be topless, etc. without being self conscious and paranoid.

I think it had to do with my lower level of self esteem compared to you... it then got really bad as I started being worried about my slouched shoulders in public places, just so many complications, the more I obsessed about it, the worse it affected me mentally

2 years later, I'm trying hard to fix and feel better about myself and raise my self esteem. I weigh about 145 and work out almost every day.

I don't enjoy being skinny, but it never seriously bothered me. I would joke around about it, and call myself "manly", and musclar, joking around about it. I just figured now was the time to treat myself better, and get some things in my life accomplished. I think my biggest problem with my personal appearance is my slenderness, and I hope to change that shortly. I am not expecting to be like the Hulk, but I want to stop looking like I just came from Somolia.

Wether or not I have a higher self esteem, I'm not sure of. I think i'm an okay person, but I never really thought bad or good about myself, just average. I found out what I think is a problem of mine, and I'm hoping to remedy it soon.

How do you feel about yourself now? Have you improved your image much since working out?

I really want to drive to wal-mart to check out those cheap dumbbells, but I am awfully tired. Worked 9.5 hours today... ugh.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: Actaeon
How many sets and stuff should I do this? I recall hearing something like I should do the exercise until I can't do them anymore (as in, physically can't lift it). Then move on to another exercise. Is that the correct way?

Thanks again guys, I really do appreciate the help. Sorry if I seem like an idiot at this, I really had no background as far as athletics go.

I might just drive to wal-mart right now...

When you start lifting, simple toning exercises (lifting a moderate weight 15-20 times a set) will keep you from overtraining and hurting yourself, give you a little time to adjust to the exercise, and probably still allow you to gain muscle mass.

After a little while (it was under 3 weeks for me), the same toning exercises won't build any more strength or muscle. That's when you do a single set as many times as possible, until you can't lift one more time ("lifting to failure"). By doing this, you trigger your muscles to start growing, so if you're trying to bulk up this is the way to go. I've heard people recommend anything from just one set of lifting to failure per exercise, up to 4 or 5 sets - I generally do 2 or 3. You'll want to choose a weight that you'll be able to do 5-12 reps of... any less and you're overtraining, any more and you're just doing a toning exercise.

Vitamin and "energy" supplements are almost certainly unnecessary unless you're in the gym for 3+ hours. Drink a lot of water, eat a varied diet, sleep right, and you should be good to go. Protein shakes are OK if you want, but if you're a fairly skinny guy, you shouldn't need them.

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: fritolays
being skinny never bothered you?

I'm only about a inch or two taller than you... and weighed 130 pounds when I first started college, the difference is, I was extremely self conscious about my body and posture.... I wasn't able to go to a beach, be topless, etc. without being self conscious and paranoid.

I think it had to do with my lower level of self esteem compared to you... it then got really bad as I started being worried about my slouched shoulders in public places, just so many complications, the more I obsessed about it, the worse it affected me mentally

2 years later, I'm trying hard to fix and feel better about myself and raise my self esteem. I weigh about 145 and work out almost every day.

I don't enjoy being skinny, but it never seriously bothered me. I would joke around about it, and call myself "manly", and musclar, joking around about it. I just figured now was the time to treat myself better, and get some things in my life accomplished. I think my biggest problem with my personal appearance is my slenderness, and I hope to change that shortly. I am not expecting to be like the Hulk, but I want to stop looking like I just came from Somolia.

Wether or not I have a higher self esteem, I'm not sure of. I think i'm an okay person, but I never really thought bad or good about myself, just average. I found out what I think is a problem of mine, and I'm hoping to remedy it soon.

How do you feel about yourself now? Have you improved your image much since working out?

I really want to drive to wal-mart to check out those cheap dumbbells, but I am awfully tired. Worked 9.5 hours today... ugh.

Yes, I used to HATE working out... I just never had the motivation and go to the gym surrounded by huge guys who make me feel even more skinnier.

but one day, it clicks. You see improvement in your body.. and that became the sole motivator for me. Ever since then I enjoy going to the gym and putting a hard hour of work in... knowing that it'll pay off.

For me, I HAD to directly work on problems which affected my confidence, there was no other choice. I could not live any longer trapped with my own insecurities. I also started wearing one of those tight tank top shirts which also gives me motivation to work out... so I can see my body and see that it needed improvement, instead of wearing a T-shirt.

I'm not looking to get huge.. I'm asian, it's almost impossible to do that.
I'm going toward the cut basketball/boxer type body, I weigh about 145-150 lbs now... looking to get up to 165, my ideal weight. I definitely feel better about myself.. working out relieves stress, raises self esteem, stay in shape, etc.. It's a win win win situation.

 

[Actaeon]

Ok, I talked to a few more people today about what I should do.

They suggest that since I want to gain a little bit of weight, and muscle, that I should eat lots of protein stuff. Chicken, steak, potatoes, and other high protein foods. Since alot of this stuff is fatty, is it still ok to eat? I had some Bourbon chicken, and some other chinese foods today, and I'm pretty sure that has a little bit of protein and some fat. I was also told to avoid eating/drinking sweet stuff. I told them I was just drinking water from now on, that I hated it. They suggested flavored water and gatorade. Are those ok too?

As far as a working out schedule, I am considering getting those cheap dumbbells, using that for the "muscle"/upper body stuff, and using the jogging/sprinting for the lower body. I might do this an hour or two a day, or whenever I get the chance.

Will that diet (high protein/fatty foods + no sweets), with that exercise plan (dumbbells/jogging) help me with my goal of gaining weight, stamina, and muscle?

Thanks

 

[SWScorch]

lifting is good for adding bulk, but if you want to be truly healthy, augment it with a healthy dose of cardio, like running or biking. Try to keep your heart-rate in the 140-170 range. probably 20+ minutes a day, 3-4 times a week would be good. I'm not an expert by any means, and I'm cardio-addicted, so I might be wrong, but I think I've heard that's a good figure.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: SWScorch
lifting is good for adding bulk, but if you want to be truly healthy, augment it with a healthy dose of cardio, like running or biking. Try to keep your heart-rate in the 140-170 range. probably 20+ minutes a day, 3-4 times a week would be good. I'm not an expert by any means, and I'm cardio-addicted, so I might be wrong, but I think I've heard that's a good figure.

Wouldn't the jogging fit into the cardio requirement? I completely agree with cardio for health reasons, and I hope my jogging will improve my stamina.

Any recommendations on my above post about gatorade and the foods and such?

Thanks.

 

[GoingUp]

http://www.johnstonefitness.com is another good site too

 

[SportSC4]

that diet sucks for what you want to do. you need carbs if you want to gain mass. rice, potatoes, pasta, etc. just don't overdo it with the carbs.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Yeah, you're right, those foods are pretty high in fat... and protein only becomes muscle if you're doing the lifting to go with it, otherwise it also becomes fat. As I said in my previous post, eat a varied diet and you should be good to go... try and work some protein into every meal (a couple hardboiled eggs and a glass of milk at breakfast, for example), but don't neglect all the other food groups. At your particular weight, you should have no trouble getting as much as you need.

Gatorade is fine, they were probably warning you against drinking soda or carbonated stuff (which dehydrates you further and contain a lot of empty calories).

 

[LtPage1]

start running (!), do lots of pushups, situps, calisthenics, stuff like that. you wont build huge muscles like you would lifting weights, but youll be actually fit.

 

[SWScorch]

Originally posted by: Actaeon
Wouldn't the jogging fit into the cardio requirement? I completely agree with cardio for health reasons, and I hope my jogging will improve my stamina.

Any recommendations on my above post about gatorade and the foods and such?

Thanks.

Yeah, sorry if I didn't catch it, but it seemed to me like you wouldn't be doing much jogging. If you are, well then great But don't jog, run This is probably just arguing semantics, but to me, jogging implies slogging away at a slow pace, whereas running will make you work up a sweat.

As for diet, I only drink the following: water, gatorade, crystal light and milk. Sometimes juice, but that stuff has a lot of sugar in it so it's only marginally better than soda (which has carbonic acid which is evil). Stay away from refined foods and overly processed foods and you'll be fine. Eat a lot of carbs and proteins, but don't skimp on the fat. You need fats, just not too many.

 

[Actaeon]

Dieting is complicated. Lets see if I have this figured out.

Eat a variety of foods, but have an empthasis on carbs and protein. Avoid soda. Gatorade/Flavored Water is ok.

Working out... Pushups/sit ups, the dumb bell things, and jogging/running/sprinting.

Does that sound good for helping me with my goal of gaining weight, stamina, and muscle?

 

[gotsmack]

Originally posted by: Actaeon
I was also told to avoid eating/drinking sweet stuff. I told them I was just drinking water from now on, that I hated it. They suggested flavored water and gatorade. Are those ok too?

As far as a working out schedule, I am considering getting those cheap dumbbells, using that for the "muscle"/upper body stuff, and using the jogging/sprinting for the lower body. I might do this an hour or two a day, or whenever I get the chance.

Will that diet (high protein/fatty foods + no sweets), with that exercise plan (dumbbells/jogging) help me with my goal of gaining weight, stamina, and muscle?

Thanks

I can't drink a lot of water, that is why I drink plain tea (no sugar or milk) try a bunch of different blends until you find one you like. Depending on how strong you like your tea one bag should be good for 8-32 ounces of water. You can buy one of those electric hot pots to boil water at work (maybe around $20 depending on what features it has).

I like using my dumbells because I can use them while I watch TV. I also have an elliptical machine to do cardio while I watch TV and am looking to get a wind resistance rowing machine (about $350 for a decent one). A lot of rowing machines fold up so it is good for small rooms.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: Actaeon
Dieting is complicated. Lets see if I have this figured out.

Eat a variety of foods, but have an empthasis on carbs and protein. Avoid soda. Gatorade/Flavored Water is ok.

Working out... Pushups/sit ups, the dumb bell things, and jogging/running/sprinting.

Does that sound good for helping me with my goal of gaining weight, stamina, and muscle?

That should serve you well.

You can always change things up later too, if you aren't making progress towards a specific goal. Different people have different body types, and your plan should be tweaked to suit you individually.