400lbs -- Want to be much less than that... a few questions.

[shemp]

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wow op see my thread about running 1 hr a day. if u run very very slow at first myabe u could try it.

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I'm skeptical a 6'8"/400# dude should begin his fitness program by running, however slowly.

[Thremp]

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wow op see my thread about running 1 hr a day. if u run very very slow at first myabe u could try it.

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I'm skeptical a 6'8"/400# dude should begin his fitness program by running, however slowly.

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Sitting down on the floor and then standing up 100x should be more than enough to completely wipe him out.

Meh. I'll take even 25x for a start.

[Inso0]

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wow op see my thread about running 1 hr a day. if u run very very slow at first myabe u could try it.

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I'm skeptical a 6'8"/400# dude should begin his fitness program by running, however slowly.

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Yeah I think running right away would cause my knees to explode.

I think you underestimate the havoc that can be wrecked by slamming 400 pounds down on each one of your knee joints every half a second for an hour.

Granted, they've been getting me around and I don't really have "knee problems" in the sense that they hurt, but why invite it?

Someone else mentioned my back. That is somewhat of an issue when doing certain things. For instance, hand washing dishes will cause some really irritating lower back pain after a while because I'm bent over ever so slightly for long periods of time.

You have to be as tall as me to realize how much stooping and bending is required on a daily basis because you dont fit the 5'10" mold that the world is engineered around.



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Sitting down on the floor and then standing up 100x should be more than enough to completely wipe him out.

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And yeah, the ground is pretty far away... I do have an aversion to sitting/laying on the floor with the kids because getting up is a chore. Playing games on tabletops > spreading it out on the carpet, imo! Perhaps I'll try that later today and see how it goes.

Should I get down on my back, or lay on my stomach like those exercises we all did back in high school football practice? I can guarantee you I wont be able to do it as quickly as I did then!

[Thremp]

Just doing 100 BW squats is more than enough to tire you out. I siad it tongue in cheek, but there is a huge amount of GPP style stuff you should be doing now instead of running.

[Assani Fisher]

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You have to be 100% about this and getting healthy.


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Not to pick on you in particular, but I totally disagree with this line of thought. I also disagree with the people pushing oatmeal/lean meats/cottage cheese/fruits/vegtables/etc. on him. A while ago I wrote this:

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Heres the thing though: Very often people come here on the message board, go the their gym, start reading fitness mags, etc. with the intention of getting back in shape. They're instantly hit with tons of suggestions like 6 small meals a day, oatmeal in the morning, cottage cheese at night, only wheat bread, make sure you lift because muscle helps you burn fat in the long run, no soda/juice/alcohol, work your core, do this type of cardio, and so on and so on.

And do you know what happens? 99% of the time they're in the same exact shape one year later. 1% of the time they turn into great physical specimens.


The problem is that going from a normal unhealty lifestyle to this hardcore regiment is too much for the average person to do for longer than a few weeks. Its just not practical, and IT IS UNECCESSARY.

To the poster above that said maybe I'd be a world class athlete if I didn't drink, you're totally wrong. I'm very much an average natural athlete. But I work my ass off every day doing exercises that I LIKE DOING. And I eat and drink sensible foods that I LIKE EATING. I really don't ever do any form of exercise that I don't enjoy and if I want to eat something I go ahead and eat it.

I'm not advising someone to go out and drink more alcohol than they want, and I'm certainly not saying its completely harmless. I'm just saying thats its not that big of a deal.


I would be more than willing to make a prop bet that I could take 10 random people who want to lose weight and you take 10 and we'd give them advice over the internet for one month then let them go on their own afterwards. You go by your methods and teach them a strict diet and exercise routine. I'll give them a very laidback routine, let them eat and drink many "unhealthy" foods in some moderation, let them binge eat at times, let them skip using weights or doing any exercises that they don't enjoy doing, and focus on sports that they enjoy playing....and I'd be willing to bet that as a group my 10 would be in better shape 18 months later.


My basic point is that getting in shape isn't that hard, but the reason that so few people do it is because so many people make it seem so hard. The OP here has 7 posts and is asking such a basic question that I don't think hes very advanced...let him drink for now. If he ever choose to become a pro model or athlete then maybe he can go nuts and be really strict.

Anyway sorry for rambling so much. I just think that we go about things in such a poor way when we bombard newbies with strict guidelines.


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OP,

In my opinion Frosted Mini Wheats are just fine for you right now. Perhaps in a year or two when you're in better shape and want to get into great shape then you should cut them out. But they're not that bad. Eliminate the total crap like McDonald's and sodas and most desserts. And try to at least be healthy concious(get the healthiest grocery store pizza instead of just randomly getting one). But most importantly work on changing your lifestyle slowly and surely; Don't try to go all out for a few weeks and then quickly burn out. Most importantly find a type of exercise that you enjoy doing and do it as much as possible. I think the suggestion to start playing active games with your kids(like tag, frisbee, sports, etc.) is a great one.

bitch moan count

[Wynton]

Assani,

FWIW, I started reading this forum perhaps 3 weeks ago and I appreciate the very advice you suggest is overly strict or burdensome for a newbie.

It all depends on one's perspective. We can all agree that a regimen that is unrealistically strict or tough will not work. But I'm not sure the advice you single out falls into that category.

For example, I actually find it easier to eat 6-7 "meals" a day, rather than my old routine of 3 conventional meals, interrupted by futile attempts to "snack" healthy in between. The greater number of meals per day seems to fit my natural rhythms better. Together with the advice about HIIT and lifting weights, this nutritional approach has helped me lose some weight already. And the different types of workouts are not really more difficult than what I was doing previously; they're just more efficient, apparently.

Just my perspective.

[shemp]

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A while ago I wrote this:

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It was self-indulgently wrong then and is more so now. Suggestions tend to be all over the map, with the "incrementalist" approach you seem to favour represented.

I'm not sure if more people fail on a path that is meant to start with a single small path, or one that starts with a huge step. A lot of people fail on either path, and some succeed. Meaningful change in the singular or plural, to the extent that that makes any sense at all, is bound to be a big step.

I think you Assani, would be better served to simply state your views instead of take some sort of broad swipe at the forum-- which is not of a single mind anyway. If you want to discuss the forum, maybe you should start a thread on it as opposed to using the OP. It seems like you have a lot to add to the forum-- even if it alternates between the views: "No one (but me) responds to the OP's actual question," or "Everyone (but me) overwhelms/intimidates folks by bombarding them with advice, some dubious." We are all the heroes of are own narratives, but at some point you have to give up on the one-guy-against-the-world-thing, it's not true and the world wouldn't notice if it were.

[Wolfram]

What's so friggin hard about eating oatmeal in the mornings? Or having grilled chicken and rice for dinner instead of pizza?

I think most people overreact to the suggestions and think "ZOMG, I can never be so strict" when in all reality, this isn't really that strict. I for one thought it would be a pain in the ass to eat 6 meals a day, but it really isn't. Just eat breakfast at home, lunch at a healthy diner/subway (or bring it with you), dinner at home, and then fill in the blanks with fruits, nuts, yogurt + muesli, cottage cheese, cliff-bars or whatever you can think off.

[POKEROMGLOL]

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And do you know what happens? 99% of the time they're in the same exact shape one year later. 1% of the time they turn into great physical specimens.

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I disagree with this. I think people cut out 1 of their 9 McDonalds trips per week, drink 7 beers instead of 12, walk 1 mile twice a week, and are confused when they are 395 lbs from a starting weight of 400 6 months into "trying to get healthy." They then think to themselves, this sucks what is the point and go back to being just as bad as they were.

In my opinion, this is the same theory as "aim small, miss small." The #1 and ultimate difference for me getting into shape and looking good was and continues to be to think of myself as an elite athlete in training. An elite athlete doesn't think "oh deadlifts suck, I won't do those today." or "I wasn't built for sprinting, screw that." or "My ideal weight is X because of my genetics." If a 400 pound man sets a goal of running a marathon in 6 months, that is probably unattainable. But, if after that 6 months he has been dedicated to reaching his goal and can run 15 miles, I would have to say that is some big league progress.

If a fat guy sets out some psycho healthy zone diet that is completely clean, he will have the guidelines with which to battle with. Sure he might cheat here and there, but he will ultimately be much healthier. And as he adjust to his new lifestyle, he will slowly be able to cut those cheats out and eventually be able to be really in shape.

No one gets in shape without being dedicated and changing your lifestyle.

[Wolfram]

I agree with pokeromglol.

The biggest thing is being able cheat and then get back on the horse. As long as you can do that, I think going 100% from the beginning is the best way.