Posted: 5/1/2006 9:46:28 AM EDT
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Twice in my life I have dropped my extra 80 pounds of weight. The first time, in high school, I had a crush on a hot girl and lost the weight by limiting my intake and surfing daily. By the time I slimmed down, I had lost interest in her. Go figure. I re-gained the weight over a period of 6 years. The second time I lost the 80 pounds was when I became a vegetarian at age 23. Again, I limited my intake and the weight seemed to just melt off without much effort. So here I am, just turned 32 and am 6'1" and 285 pounds. My previous top weight was 260, so this is as fat as I have ever been. My metabolism seems to have slowed and my motivation isn't what it used to be. My diet consists primarily of beans, rice, dairy and tortillas/bread. Today is the day I give up soda (again). I have a pair of 10lb dumbbells, a 60lb heavy bag, a Pilates DVD and my legs work. I've been lifting the dumbbells for the last month and am seeing some results. I punch the bag 200-300 times daily and am noticing increased strength. I do the Pilates sporadically, and it kicks my ass. It works my midsection hard, and I know if I kept at it that I would also begin to see some results there. I keep planning to go out and walk 2-3 miles in the neighborhood, but it hasn't happened yet.  I know from experience that joining a gym doesn't work for me. I'm not looking to become huge, just want to get fit and be healthy. My father died at age 51 from congestive heart failure and I don't want to follow in those footsteps. Any ideas for a workout routine that doesn't involve much financial investment? Would I be better served by upping the dumbbells to 20 lbs? Are there any sites that guide you through a basic dumbbell workout? |
| Get a set of power blocks or the bow flex selectable weight dumbells. They are both the type that you can adjust the weights on. My powerblocks go from 5 to 45 pounds and were about 150 bucks or so. Can't beat them.Why is a gym not an option? That's what I do for exercise now and believe me you just don't get huge!It takes a bunch of work to get even kind of big. Trust me at six feet two and 185 I'm far from it and I work out pretty damn hard! |
I ride a Schwinn Airdyne (stationary bike) 5 days per week, doing 5-7 miles at better than 15 mph. I recently began walking 2-3 miles a couple of times a week. I honestly feel like I get more benefit from the walking than I do the bike!! |
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When you get done punching that heavy bag, why don't you take it down and put it across your shoulders and then go find some stairs to climb. Do that about 10 times every couple of days. You also might want to take than heavy bag and put it across your shoulders and then do some squats with it. More muscle=more calories burned=less fat. |
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Start with the walk you're talking about. 5 or 6 nights a week, weather permitting, I walk over 3 miles before my dinner. If I don't want to walk in the cold or the rain, I do my treadmill, instead. I average 5 miles a day on my treadmill, without the evening walk. You sound like you just need to get started. And you're not alone. My current weight loss program began over 3 years ago. I've gone from over 450 to 180. I weigh less now than I did when I was in the 7th grade. And that was 1962-63. I know it can sound harsh, but if you want it enough, you'll do it. Just take that first step. Do 1 mile around the neighborhood just to get started and feel like you've made an effort. Build from there. I've used every excuse in the world since before you were born to justify why I couldn't do it. And my life has never been even close to what I wanted. Don't waste 40 years like I did. |
Wow! Congratulations on your achievement. I topped out at 378 15 months ago and am currently down to 318. I would like to see 190-200 lbs on the scale but have been skeptical about whether it could be done, given how far I let myself go. You've given me hope! |
Great story, congratulations. 
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That's the truth. Once started it is usually pretty easy. I'm going to pick up some larger weights today and will get out and walk the neighborhood tonight. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Are there any good websites that show the basic exercises? |
| Its real easy, buy a pair of running shoes, push away from the table, and hit the road. Its guaranteed to get you as lean as you want to be. It is impossile to fail and cost only as much as the shoes on your feet. Since you eat less food it ends up costing you nothing overall. |