I'm tired of being fat

[Wag]

I'm too fat. Somehow I'm 43 and I'm now like 70lbs+ overweight. Part of it is from all the anti-depressants, anti-convulsants and anti-psychotics I've been taking for years for anxiety, depression and pain management, and the other part is I've just let myself go.

I actually used to be in really good shape in my early/mid 20s until I ruptured a disc and then I was never the same after.

I know what I need to do. Damn. I need to get started. Getting off some of the meds would probably help a bit (trying to do that now with my doc's help).

Anyone offer some encouragement? Especially those in my age bracket would help...

 

[zerocool84]

Cocaine seems to perk people up.

 

[RossMAN]

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52

 

[Chrono]

#1 start slowly by.. eating less but healthier and... then

#2 start exercising by walking more often... then once you are confident your body can take more abuse... jog... then proceed to run... remember to do some lifting as well since that'll help you build some muscle

#3 mentality is critical here... try to get support by joining a friend or family member and working out with them... etc... hanging out with people with the same ideals are crucial for you to succeed early on.

 

[Pantlegz]

stop eating so much

 

[busydude]

ATOT is for people to judge other people. RossMAN said it right, create a thread in H&F.. there are a lot of folks who can inspire you.

 

[FoBoT]

same here, 46, about 60-70 # over, just gotta get up and move
if you need some real help, head over to the Health and Fitness subForum

 

[RossMAN]

same here, 46, about 60-70 # over, just gotta get up and move

You're an old fart.

Drink less soft drinks, eat less, move more ... Maybe one day I'll follow my own advice.

 

[xSauronx]

stop eating. a friend of mine is like 41 and weighed 210 or so, basically quit eating so much because he didnt want to exercise and got down to a decent weight

 

[Zebo]

Get a heart rate monitor and start walking in zone 3 for 45 min a day. One month in you'll find yourself picking up the pace, jogging a little, walking a little to maintain zone 3. 2 months in you'll be jogging whole time. 6 months you move to zone 4 for the same 45 min.

You won't need anti depressants.
You'll have tons of energy all day long.
You will sleep like a baby.
Your body will not allow you to eat garbage, it wont even taste good.
You won't get sick.
You'll be thin with sexy ripped legs after 6 months.

Guaranteed. Changed my life.

 

[jagec]

ATOT is for people to judge other people.

Sounds like something that a loser would say.

 

[busydude]

Sounds like something that a loser would say.

I didn't achieve everything in my life.. in that sense I am a loser. :|

 

[IAteYourMother]

cut out soda completely. I bet just doing that will do wonders.

 

[SwiftWind]

You'd be surprised how much weight you can lose just by switching from carbs to proteins. Ie meats, veggies, fruits. Cut out the bread, rice, pasta, etc. if you work out, it's a different story.

 

[AFurryReptile]

It's all mental. Do what I did:

1) Commit to the following two steps for a month.
2) Eat better. Protein for breakfast. Something without much substance, like salad for lunch, and a high-protein, low-carb dinner. No soda (diet is okay, in moderation)
3) Start working out, slowly. Weight train for like 45-60 minutes 3-4 times per week, and cardio 15-30 minutes.

Do that for just 1 month. You will feel amazing by the end, and you won't want to stop.

 

[dr150]

Eating less does wonders. Low on carbs, high on protein.

Eat breakfast early and a good lunch at noon. Don't eat the rest of the day except for a small snack in the evening.

Do a 45+ minute park walk (as much uphill preferably). Gradually you'll lose the first tier of weight. Then you can start jogging as your bones don't have to take the impact of the weight and so it's not such a psychological slog when exercising. Imagine 70+ lbs of books on your back...that makes exercising a bitch, so start slow until you reform that exercise habit. Play some itunes along the way and the hour will go by fast.

When you lose that first layer of fat, try to jog uphill. You cannot imagine how fast you can burn fat off trying to run up a 45 degree hill! It's substantially better than jogging flat for a much longer time from a fat burning goal.

 

[Kadarin]

Some good advice in this thread. Once you start, you need to get yourself into the mindset where you keep doing it. The hardest part about the whole thing is simply starting.

 

[LagunaX]

No soda - I felt so much better and had more energy once I quit soda.
Reduce your white carbs.
Don't eat until you feel full - eat until you feel OK.
Smaller meals and portions but more often throughout the day so your body doesn't get hit by a big calorie load that turns straight into fat.
Limit fried foods and desserts - these are the biggest calorie and fat loads.

I don't know if it works or not but i knew this BBW that did ok by just drinking a full glass of water before any meal.

 

[Zebo]

A lot of ppl trying to take short cut with diet but that does not change your whole body chemistry like exercise nor will it make you feel fantastic. Humans only very recently have got sedentary, that's why we are all crazy, don't sleep well, need coffee etc. Time to back 50 years or so and move that body.

And you can eat whatever you want if you burn 2000 calories and the bigger you are more you will burn moving. That's one benefit of being fat, at first.

 

[brainhulk]

We all need to start hunting and gathering our food

 

[Zebo]

I do that already. But with shotguns and poles and boats it's not exactly exercise.

 

[brainhulk]

I do that already. But with shotguns and poles and boats it's not exactly exercise.

naw, you need to run after prey and choke them. shooting them is cheating!

 

[Zebo]

naw, you need to run after prey and choke them. shooting them is cheating!

True notice you see no fatties on national geographic and they don't take Prozac either.

 

[WelshBloke]

If he's on pain meds for a fucked up back wouldn't jogging make things worse?
What about swimming or cycling?

 

[yhelothar]

Eating carbs might help you lose weight, but for the depressed, it helps promote serotonin functioning.

In fact, depressed persons are known to consume more carbs, essentially self-medicating. The stereotype of the person hugging the tub of ice cream while feeling blue is there for a reason, and modern neuroscience is showing that it's not merely just one sinfully gorging on simple pleasures as a coping mechanism.

However, what you want to do is eat more complex carbs. This will keep your insulin level balanced for a longer period of time without needing to frequently load up on the carbs to prevent the crash.

This means more whole grains.

Here's an excellent guide on good mood food for depression.

http://www.foodforthebrain.org/content.asp?id_Content=1635