So... I've gain a lot of weight post college

[SineSwiper]

So, what the fuck are you doing that is so work related, EsquE? :)

[EsquE]

So, what the fuck are you doing that is so work related, EsquE?

I seriously do almost nothing at work that is work related...and yet they keep paying me. And telling me I'm doing a good job. It's awesome.

I guess when you work with morons that have no work ethic, and you can do ten times as much as them without even trying, you look like a damn good worker. It's all about perspective...and about me getting in a good nap every day.

[Zeus]

So, what the fuck are you doing that is so work related, EsquE?

I seriously do almost nothing at work that is work related...and yet they keep paying me. And telling me I'm doing a good job. It's awesome.

I guess when you work with morons that have no work ethic, and you can do ten times as much as them without even trying, you look like a damn good worker. It's all about perspective...and about me getting in a good nap every day.

So you're an office worker then? :-)

[Anarky]

To revisit this thread...

I got lazy for awhile and fell off my track.... which I kinda did to myself. I've been having Knee issues for a few years now, which has effected working out and finally got an MRI of it. The doctor came back and recommended physical therapy, so I'm hoping this is the new catalyst to getting back into shape.

Gym membership next....

[Julius Seeker]

Knee injuries are a bitch. Sometimes they take a half a decade to fully heal.

[Zeus]

Knee injuries are a bitch. Sometimes they take a half a decade to fully heal.

Usually they never fully heal. Knee and back, two parts of your body that once they get hurt, they're never gonna be the same again

[Anarky]

Yea... my knee has been messed up since I started college really. And you know being a guy, we wait as long as possible to avoid going in to the doctor. So from what the doctor said no need for surgery, but still shocked I've been walking on my knee for all these years and all I needed to really do was specific exercises... kinda doesn't make sense, but hoping it makes a difference.

[Zeus]

I had a minor scope to repair a ligament tear frm paintballing and it still gets sore on me every now and then

[Julius Seeker]

Yea... my knee has been messed up since I started college really. And you know being a guy, we wait as long as possible to avoid going in to the doctor. So from what the doctor said no need for surgery, but still shocked I've been walking on my knee for all these years and all I needed to really do was specific exercises... kinda doesn't make sense, but hoping it makes a difference.

You're absolutely right there. I really messed up one of my knees in Muay Thai 6-7 years ago; it wasn't even during a contact striking exercise, it was during a shadow boxing session and it just went out on me and locked right up in a bent position; I put my leg against the floor and pushed down with all my weight and it snapped back into place, there was a lot of shooting pain. I could barely walk for a couple of days. There was a lot of pain for a couple of months; so I took it easy, iced it, did that sort of thing. Once I got back to heavy training, it did the same thing again, only this time the pain lasted only a week. It happened again maybe a couple of months later. As the years went forward, it became more frequent, but less painful. It was locking up on me anywhere between 1 and 5 times per week by about two-two and a half years ago. It would occur mostly when I was kneeling onto something, but after snapping it back into place there was little pain, at most it lasted an hour. I was able to do things normally, but I was going to go to the doctor about it expecting to get surgery. Strangely, a year and a half ago, when things were going wrong frequently, it just stopped, and it hasn't occurred since. I am not sure what was wrong with my knee but I think it may have been a bone shard that just finally shook itself free.

And yeah, I really put off going to the doctor about it. Actually, right now is about the only time in my life since my growth spurt where I didn't have some sort of injury on the go (almost always minor stuff); lots of sprains and tendon stuff, pulled muscles, deep bruises, a few broken bones, ankles have very bad luck traditionally with me. Major joints are the biggest pain in the ass. Though I don't recall ever hurting my back though, so I consider myself lucky. The only time I really went to a doctor about something is if I was sure it was broken or if whoever ws coaching told me to go; but generally I have a similar attitude towards that.

[Anarky]

Just wanted to update this post.

I joined a gym mid December, got an awesome deal from Costco for 2 years at 24hour fitness for $289.

I've been going 3 days a week so far and I'm really enjoying it. Doing about 20 minutes of cardio and then lifting, so I spend about an hour at the gym.

Right now I'm usually in the 195 pound range, and have seen as low as 192 on the scale some mornings. I am starting to look better, and more importantly feel better. My knee has been better too since I'm working it too.

My diet is vastly improved, and I probably drink a regular soda about once a week now, and don't drink as much beer or alcohol. Fast food tends to not agree with my stomach either. I guess all that healthy food trumps the bad stuff.

[Kupek]

Regular exercise encourages better eating, and vice-versa.

If you get bored with your workouts, don't be scared of trying something new. Losing fat and gaining muscle are adaptations. Once your body has adapted to the stress you're subjecting it to, it's not going to continue to change; it's already adapted. So changing things up keeps it interesting, and brings results faster.

Check out http://www.crossfit.com/. I incorporate some of their philosophies into my lifting sessions.

[Anarky]

If you get bored with your workouts, don't be scared of trying something new. Losing fat and gaining muscle are adaptations. Once your body has adapted to the stress you're subjecting it to, it's not going to continue to change; it's already adapted. So changing things up keeps it interesting, and brings results faster.

Yea, I'm about to change it up again. You were right about how important getting into a gym is for being more effective at working out and keeping with it.

[Anarky]

I'll bump my own thread since Tessian was complaining about activity.

I am at 190 consistently now and look much better and have put on a good amount of muscle. I now work out 4 days a week, went up from 3 recently. So since November I've been consistent and never missed more than 1 day of the gym during a week.

I am on Creatine and Whey protein.

This is my current routine: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/matt88.htm

[Mental]

Get better jobs....peons.

Are you ever going to learn to express yourself without backhanded compliments?

In thread-related discussion, exercise is good. And don't worry too much about obesity guidelines in America - they're crap, because they're all based on BMI, which was never intended to be used to diagnose indiviudals, being a statistical measure.

I'm 5'5" and 180 - technically obese, or close to it. But I don't give a rat's ass. Most of it is muscle at this point. Matt Damon is classified as overweight by the government, and Sylvester Stallone is classified as obese. Almost all bodybuilders or people who work out intensely are put in one of those two groups eventually due to weight gain from muscle gain.

Summary - don't worry so much about the scale. Worry about how you look and feel instead.

[RentCavalier]

I ten feet from a fully equipped gym.

Why do I not work out more?

[Kupek]

Anarky, if you ever get bored with your current routine, try focusing on some compound, power movements. Things like squats, deadlifts and cleans.

[Anarky]

Anarky, if you ever get bored with your current routine, try focusing on some compound, power movements. Things like squats, deadlifts and cleans.

Right now I'm still rehabilitating my knee, but I plan to change my routine in another month or so. Still seeing great gains form the current one

[Mental]

So, what the fuck are you doing that is so work related, EsquE?

I seriously do almost nothing at work that is work related...and yet they keep paying me. And telling me I'm doing a good job. It's awesome.

I guess when you work with morons that have no work ethic, and you can do ten times as much as them without even trying, you look like a damn good worker. It's all about perspective...and about me getting in a good nap every day.

DUDE! What the ass, how did I miss you on this thread!

Every time I see you on here I feel like it's a Mew sighting like in Pokemon Snap. I have to hurry up and try to talk to you before you disappear.

[SineSwiper]

Every time I see you on here I feel like it's a Mew sighting like in Pokemon Snap. :P I have to hurry up and try to talk to you before you disappear.

Oh Jesus fucking Christ, that was the nerdiest thing I've seen all week.

[KluYa]

I'm 6'4", 155 lbs, I sit in front of a computer all day doing nothing at all and I eat more than anybody I know (lunch is usually 2 foot long subs). Hate me plz.

[SineSwiper]

I'm 6'4", 155 lbs, I sit in front of a computer all day doing nothing at all and I eat more than anybody I know (lunch is usually 2 foot long subs). Hate me plz.

I bet you have ADD or something similar.

[Mental]

Every time I see you on here I feel like it's a Mew sighting like in Pokemon Snap. I have to hurry up and try to talk to you before you disappear.

Oh Jesus fucking Christ, that was the nerdiest thing I've seen all week.

Sine, you can of course lick the smegma off my unwashed dongle.

KluYa, Esque - it's good to see you both.

[KluYa]

I'm 6'4", 155 lbs, I sit in front of a computer all day doing nothing at all and I eat more than anybody I know (lunch is usually 2 foot long subs). Hate me plz.

I bet you have ADD or something similar.

No, unless you're saying I can add, in which case I'm compelled to agree. I've never met a simple arithmetic problem I couldn't pwninate Louisville on Arizona style. Integers more or less run for the hills when I'm around.

Replay, Esque hasn't posted anything here in about a year now, but in any case it's good to see you too. It'd be even better if I knew who the heck you were, but that's a minor detail I suppose. What's new and exciting. How are things.

[Mental]

= Mental

[KluYa]

Oh wow.. hey. It's been too long.

[SineSwiper]

No, unless you're saying I can add, in which case I'm compelled to agree. I've never met a simple arithmetic problem I couldn't pwninate Louisville on Arizona style. Integers more or less run for the hills when I'm around.

Not meaning to insult. It's just that a few of the people I know who have the high metabolism without any physical activity behind it usually also have some form of ADD or sleeping disorder.

That, and I'm jealous of people with naturally high metabolisms :P

[Kupek]

People don't have "naturally high metabolisms." Our metabolism is a function of what we eat, how much we eat, how often we eat, and how frequent and intense our physical activity is.

KluYa is probably overestimating how much he eats. He, like me, is probably just eating the amount his body tells him. People in general are terrible at estimating how much they eat, in both directions. Bodybuilding forums are full of guys asking why they aren't putting on any mass, and it turns out they're eating a thousand (or more) calories less than they think they are.

[SineSwiper]

So, a person who has a condition that would promote hyperactivity in the hypothalamus (such as bipolar disorder or various sleeping disorders) would not burn more calories?

[Zeus]

People don't have "naturally high metabolisms." Our metabolism is a function of what we eat, how much we eat, how often we eat, and how frequent and intense our physical activity is.

So some people don't have a tendency to gain weight while others do?

[KluYa]

No, unless you're saying I can add, in which case I'm compelled to agree. I've never met a simple arithmetic problem I couldn't pwninate Louisville on Arizona style. Integers more or less run for the hills when I'm around.

Not meaning to insult. It's just that a few of the people I know who have the high metabolism without any physical activity behind it usually also have some form of ADD or sleeping disorder.

That, and I'm jealous of people with naturally high metabolisms

Ah. I wasn't sure what to make of your remark to be honest (hence the odd reply), but I explain the lack of weight I've gained by chalking it up to what I eat as opposed to how much I eat, since the former is every bit as important as the latter. I try to stay away from corn and wheat, pork, refined sugar, and dairy to an extent as well. Even the buns in the aforementioned submarine sandwiches are gluten free.

My dad is a bit of a nutball when it comes to nutrition and I've picked up a lot from him I guess growing up. I eat according to my blood type (not 100% of the time but often enough) and although I certainly don't overestimate the volume of food I take in, I might be underestimating the exercise I get a little bit. Until recently I used to play a couple of games of DDR now and again. Even 30 minutes of casual walking per day is more than enough to have a substantial impact on one's metabolism at any age, and positively affect their general mood and overall health to boot.

If someone asks me for advice on losing weight, one of the things I tell them is to try and add a lot of vegetables to their diet, particularly something like broccoli with a lot of fibre that will keep you feeling full longer. Vegetables typically have much fewer calories by volume than most other foods. It works for me, anyway.

[Kupek]

So, a person who has a condition that would promote hyperactivity in the hypothalamus (such as bipolar disorder or various sleeping disorders) would not burn more calories?

There are people with thyroid problems, and they have lifelong struggles with obesity. Not being a little overweight, but being obese. It's exceedingly rare. I have heard of no links between being underweight and being bipolar and having sleeping disorders. If anything, what I've seen through quick Google searches only talks about possible links going the other way.

Excluding those with hormonal problems, people "who have a tendency to gain weight" do so because of their lifestyle - what they eat, how often and how much they eat, and how active they are.

[Mental]

I doubt Klu is overestimating his food intake. If Mike Phelps can down a few thousand calories before breakfast, a skinny six foot DDR player can do two footlongs for lunch, easy.

I can grub like a mofo when the mood strikes me, and while I have somewhat of a gut, I'm not nearly blubbery enough to account for how much food I can put away if I'm about to go lift furniture for a few hours or whatnot...

[SineSwiper]

There are people with thyroid problems, and they have lifelong struggles with obesity. Not being a little overweight, but being obese. It's exceedingly rare. I have heard of no links between being underweight and being bipolar and having sleeping disorders. If anything, what I've seen through quick Google searches only talks about possible links going the other way.

Excluding those with hormonal problems, people "who have a tendency to gain weight" do so because of their lifestyle - what they eat, how often and how much they eat, and how active they are.

Yeah, but you seem to think that only the extremes exist. Everybody's chemical makeup is different. There may be people with slightly higher or lower chemistry than normal, but not enough to alarm a doctor, mainly because they base their ranges on how much of a cross-section of people are lower or higher.

BTW, here's a study on connections between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and bipolar disorder. The hypothalamus also controls sleep cycles, so it's not a stretch to suggest a link between that and sleeping disorders.

[Kupek]

If Mike Phelps can down a few thousand calories before breakfast, a skinny six foot DDR player can do two footlongs for lunch, easy. :P

Michael Pheps trains for six hours a day, six days a week. He swims 50 miles a week. He eats that much because his body needs it. His body is using 10,000 calories a day. Playing DDR every once in a while isn't even close to that kind of intensity.

Sine, there's no evidence to support what you're saying. You're bending over backwards to avoid the conclusion that individuals can control their own weight.

[SineSwiper]

Sine, there's no evidence to support what you're saying. You're bending over backwards to avoid the conclusion that individuals can control their own weight.

You're refusing to accept that body chemistry plays a factor because you're the type that enjoys exercise so much that you get into MMA training. It's like the rock star that tells people that anybody can be successful if they just try hard enough, using their own experiences as mere anecdotal evidence, despite the statistical evidence showing that they are the exception, not the rule.

As far as evidence, I just gave you evidence. More evidence: "Although useful in bipolar disorder, mood stabilizers, such as lithium, divalproex sodium, and carbamazepine, can cause significant weight gain." Why? Because the medication is countering body chemistry that is affecting the metabolism.

[Kupek]

Your hypothesis was the opposite: bipolar disorder would lead to overactivity in the hyperthalamus, leading to the person being underweight.

Of course body chemistry plays a factor. But it's not the only factor, and I doubt it's the largest factor (again, excepting people with serious thyroid problems, who are rare). Instead, your physical activity and what you eat play a much bigger role.

I know it probably makes you feel better to believe that you have no control over your weight, but that's just not the case. There's even people in this thread who looked at themselves, realized they were gaining weight, did something about it, and saw results.

Also, your analogy is broken. While success in popular music is largely a result of random chance (there's an excellent study about this, but I can't find it), mastering something is not. Mastering singing, playing the guitar, programming, wood carving, writing - any skill based activity - is the result of years and years of devoted study and practice. Everyone who is not mentally retarded is capable of mastering something. It's hard, it takes time and serious devotion, but it's possible.

Becoming popular is a zero-sum game. Only a small number of people can do so - by definition of what it means to be popular - so when someone does, they essentially eliminate that possibility for others. Mastering something is not a zero-sum game. Nor is losing weight and improving physical fitness.

[Zeus]

People don't have "naturally high metabolisms." Our metabolism is a function of what we eat, how much we eat, how often we eat, and how frequent and intense our physical activity is.

So some people don't have a tendency to gain weight while others do?

*waves for attention* :-)

[Kupek]

People don't have "naturally high metabolisms." Our metabolism is a function of what we eat, how much we eat, how often we eat, and how frequent and intense our physical activity is.

So some people don't have a tendency to gain weight while others do?

*waves for attention* :-)

Excluding those with hormonal problems, people "who have a tendency to gain weight" do so because of their lifestyle - what they eat, how often and how much they eat, and how active they are.

[Mental]

Your hypothesis was the opposite: bipolar disorder would lead to overactivity in the hyperthalamus, leading to the person being underweight.

I dispute your analysis on account of my persistent inability to achieve underweightness.

[Kupek]

That was Sine's theory, not mine.

[SineSwiper]

I dispute your analysis on account of my persistent inability to achieve underweightness.

You box. You can't possibly be overweight.

BTW, my hypothesis was originally what I was talking about, so it wasn't the opposite.

[Mental]

I dispute your analysis on account of my persistent inability to achieve underweightness.

You box. You can't possibly be overweight.

BTW, my hypothesis was originally what I was talking about, so it wasn't the opposite.

I take it you're not familiar with the history of boxing.

One of the few people to come close to beating Joe Louis was a fat bartender named Tony Galento, nicknamed "Two Ton" because he claimed to have been late for a match because he had two tons of ice to deliver - also because he liked to weigh in at about 235 lbs (which was a lot heavier comparatively back when food was scarce, during the Depression era) and eat lots of spaghetti, pasta, really anything he wanted, if the stories about him are true.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Galento

<img src="http://static.boxrec.com/wiki/thumb/f/f ... .Tony4.jpg">

Also, I urge you to consider good ol' Butterbean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Esch

<img src="http://paxarcana.files.wordpress.com/20 ... erbean.jpg">

Fat boxers are slow, easy to hit, frequently low on stamina - but if they hit you and hit you hard, you are probably going down from the momentum of the blow if nothing else, and it will hurt, a whole lot.

Check out some of Butterbean's KOs on YouTube. His record is not all that impressive taken as a whole by modern boxing standards, but I've seen at least one fight where he gets hit, gets hit, gets hit - then socks the guy in the face with one good right. The guy's head literally snaps back to its maximum extension, snaps BACK down forward all the way to his neck, then snaps back again and he falls like a tree. I don't know that anyone on here would really want to fight Butterbean and his 416 lbs of jelly-roll.

(Also, I don't really "box" - I do a boxing-based workout. It keeps me in okay shape, but actually boxing regularly is far more intense.)

[SineSwiper]

True, but there's got to be some muscle behind Butterbean's frame.

[Mental]

True, but there's got to be some muscle behind Butterbean's frame.

Quite a bit, in fact.

He's not fat, he's big-boned.