Getting Overweight from playing live poker and internet poker

[Rod Jr]

3 years ago, i was in pretty decent shape. After the discovery of poker, I pretty much played poker 10 hours a day in the casinos and on the internet.

I want to continue playing poker but I find myself not working out and eating tons of junk food and drinking soda and beer.

Since coming home to spend the holidays with my parents in Oregon, I've developed what looks to be the early stages of Male Pectoral Disfunction....or "Man Boobs" as you guys would say.

I'm embarrassed to leave the house without heavy clothing on and it's even progressed to the point where I'm considering wearing something for support.

Women look at me like I'm homeless these days and my self esteem has sunk a new low.

I dont really want to work out, I want to devote all my time to playing poker.


Is there anything I can do? Can someone help me?

[billygrippo]

dont eat crap and work out. this is truely the only answer.

[SinCityGuy]

There is no excuse for this.

Millions of people who have "real jobs" manage to stay in shape. If you have the flexibility of being a professional poker player, you have no one but yourself to blame for being out of shape.

[Nightwish]

If you truly want to lose weight, you need to do two things: start working out and start eating right.

To get the first done, get a gym membership. Don't get a cheap one, get an expensive one. This will get you to start going at least in the beginning (which is the toughest part) cause you'll hate to see your money flushing down the drain. If you still have some self-respect left, make a pact with yourself that you will go to the gym every single day for at least an hour for two weeks straight. Every single day! If you accomplish that for two weeks, exercising on a regular basis will have become part of your routine and getting yourself to the gym will no longer be a problem.

Next, start eating right. This means no more junk food. None. Don't try to wean yourself off it, just cut it off completely. And again, make a pact with yourself to cook decent meals and not eat any junk food for 2 weeks. When it comes to soda, switch to diet stuff. It'll taste like crap for the first couple days, but you'll quickly get used to it. After a week, you'll really like the taste and normal sugary soda will start to seem nasty. Same goes with beer. Switch to light beer and cut down your consumption to no more than 7 per week.

If you're a real man and have respect for yourself, you'll do all this and thank me later. And the best part is that unless you're morbidly obese already, you'll start seeing results very quickly. Good luck!

[Equal]

Working out helps you play better poker, since you mind focuses better. Even if you play 10 hours a day you still have plenty of time to work out.

[Shandrax]

A couple of guys come into my mind: Robert Williamson III, Howard Lederer and Greg Raymer. If you sit on your butt doing nothing but eating and playing poker, it will show sooner or later. I hope it's not too late to pull the breaks and counter it by working out each day. Otherwise you would have to resort to gastric bypass surgery which is supposed to work wonders.

[wheelz]

take up smoking?

[POKhER]

I skipped most of that post when i saw a few things.

"Don't get a cheap one, get an expensive one." & "None. Don't try to wean yourself off it, just cut it off completely".


Thats just bad advice. Sugar levels would drop dead and he'd feel like crap. He'd have huge urges to eat junk food.

Its like saying to a druggy "Ah just quit, who cares about cold turkey its only a bit of shaking and cold sweats... easy".

You've got to want to lose weight and if you want it, you shall suceed.

Sign up to a forum, i'd recommend www.muscletalk.co.uk where you can ask for advice from bodybuilders and "normal"(lol) blokes just wanting to get fitter.

Its xmas season... Don't be fooled by gym adverts... paying £100 a month wont motivate you to work out... it will just make you feel stupid like you've wasted your cash and in affect make you feel even worse about yourself. Infact if you just want to lose weight you only need to do pressups and lift bags full of tinned beans and whatever else then go for jogs in the FRESH AIR.

Getting fit DOES NOT COST MONEY, its only the stupid people whom think it does.

Sign up to the forum, Post in diet section and get advice then Post in workout section and ask for a workout/routine. Most will recommend a gym as it is better, but definatly not required.

Start on a cutting diet that you will slowly adjust to, removing your junk food and replacing it with good foods gradually.

Switch to sugar free drinks gradually and let your body adjust.

I post at muscletalk, its a great place. I lost about 50lbs and my added about 2" to my arms in the first 4months-5months of training.

I've been slacking recently, but i will return mid january where i shall lose about 5-8lbs more(will take around a month) and have my abs [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Good luck.

[goodguy_1]

I dont know if the OP is a hox or not. If it isnt a joke it's pretty damn gross.

-try doing any aerobic exercise(swim,walk,run,cross-country ski etc) a minimum 45 minutes a day 5-6 days a week.

-cut out eating drinking anything with alot of sugar,corn syrup, anthing hydrogenated.

-eat less saturated fat

-drink alot of water thruout the day.

-eat smaller portions. Americans are pigs and eat double the size portions that are recommended for healthy eating habits.

-dont eat until you are 100% full or over-full in other words dont be a pig eat till you are 80% full.

-find exercise you like to do -one that feels good to your body and mind-for me that is watersports-swimming,surfing etc sometimes biking or jogging. Also a weight-training program will help you with weight problems. I would focus on regular aerobic exercise w/some weight-training regimen and re-think your diet and eating habits from scratch.

No excuse for young people ..poker players or not to be out of shape.

2/3 of Americans are overweight. Americans are pigs..cut out the crap that makes us sick people..ie sodas,snacks-chips,high saturated fat quick foods pizza, burgers etc.

with time you will feel much better.
-Focus on fruit,vegetables,nuts,fish and leaner meats.

-if you have a sweet tooth fruit are a great subsitute ie pears,peaches,any melon bananas,strawberries-yum.

-if you cook add spices to your food ie lots of garlic,onions-which is also good for you. I grew up in a family of italian cooks so thats easy for me.

-use virgin olive oil over butter..fast and easy to cook for yourself. Cut excess fat off meats,chiken etc

-eat less dairy-cheeses,whole milk etc. I drink non-fat vanilla soymilk..I love it and I'm used to it.

Believe me I love meat-t-bones, porterhouses, greasy yummy fried chicken,burgers, bbq but I just try and limit the damage by not eating it too often..

Do aerobic exercise almost everyday and eat smaller portions. Your poker results will get much better-you will be able to play longer sessions with more focus. The main edge I gain is that I seem to get less frustrated from badbeats when I'm in good shape..

be disciplined with your exercise regime.it's easy to take one day off and it easily turns into 2 or 3. You must be disciplined and get in your exrcise no matter what unless you are just too sick and your body's immune system is low.

If you force yourself to exercise regularly you will have more energy than you ever had before to do what you want to do poker or not. Also your sex-life and senses-should also benefit.

sorry for rambling. I think it's disgusting that Americans are in such hideous health. It costs the country billions of dollars. We are living longer but are in worse shape.

[Pocketducks]

I was in the same boat as you. Used to be athletic and in shape, then my new job started and I was trapped behind a desk, never moving. I lost 15 lbs. in the past month by doing a few very easy things (which is great considering optimal weght loss should be about 2 lbs per week.)

I go to the gym 5 times a week (mon-fri) take weekends off. (do at least a half an hour of cardio and do strength training 2 to 3 times a week.
I eat something healthy and small every two hours to promote metabolism (Apple, 100 calorie granola bar, etc.)
I eat two meals a day that consist of either baked chicken, broiled steak, or baked fish with some veggies. (1 serving should be some carbs, like a potato with dinner.)
I don't snack on crap!! (no chips or candy)
Don't drink soda at all!!!!!!!! (no diet soda because it's loaded with sodium that makes you do what.....drink more soda!) Drink close to a half gallon of water per day (you should never be without a bottle of water in your hand)

Follow those guidelines and I guarantee that you lose weight the healthy way and fairly quickly. I don't know how big you are now, but remember that the more fat you have on your body, the more fat you burn in a month period. So I went from 190 to 175 in a month. If you are 250, you would reach the 15 lb. mark faster than I did.

Oh ps- switch to 2% or skim milk, switch to whole grain bread and pasta, and be sure to eat breakfast everyday to fire up you metabolism.

Good Luck