File :-(, x, )
Need some motivational help Anonymous
Dear /fit/,

Ive been a longtime 4chan guy, and when they brought out /fit/ board, I got really excited, because I had just started going to the gym. I'm a 23 year old male, 5' 10", and I don't know how much I weigh, because I'm almost too scared to get a real number, but the last time I did check, I was around 290, and that was 2 years ago, and I'm definitely bigger now. Not so big I cant exercise mind you, but I'm definitely heavier, I can see it in my face for sure.

I started with just doing the elliptical machine, I would do that for an hour, and aim for 4 miles, which after a while, wasn't so hard. I got 3 personal trainer sessions with my package, and got some instruction on basic lifting, and some good things to do. And I was loving it, I was going 7 days a week, always for an hour, longer if i wanted to. I would alternate days for lifting, doing 30min on the elliptical, then doing the lifts. I did this for about a month and a half, maybe 2 months. I also worked on changing my portion sizes, and tried to make my meals a bit better, but thats always hard when your living on student loans that barley give you enough money to live on.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
I go to a full year college, so when my summer hit, I had one month off. I went to Cali with my mom(lame, so what) and when I got there, I went to use the pool, and as I looked at myself in my swimsuit, I realized, that at least to me, I didn't look any different than when I started all this. I looked just as fat as I remembered, and it made me feel like shit. Why was I doing all this extra stuff, taking time away where I could be doing things I liked, like sitting on my ass playing video games, when it wasn't even making me better?

When I came back home, I didn't go back to the gym. I made excuses(my class schedule changed, and I couldn't go when I used to), but even when that got changed back to where I easily could go, I still didn't. My trainer called again and again, so he could set up for our last appointment that was prepaid, but I made excuses and still didn't go.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
That was 6 months ago. I still haven't gone. I feel like a bitch. I WANT to be in good shape. I WANT to go and make myself healthier. But I have this thing in my head nagging me about how its not going to make a difference, I'm still going to be fat, and that all that will be for nothing.

I'm not looking for sympathy here, I'm not looking for you guys to pat me on the back, tell me it will all be ok, and I didn't make this all up to make you guys fall for it while I stroke my e-peen.

I'm just looking for someone else who has been, or is currently, in a situation like mine, and has some insight as to how I could stay motivated to go, or another way to tell if you are making progress losing weight without getting on a scale.

Pic is what I would love to look like.
>> Anonymous
Your motivation should be looking in the mirror and not wanting to fit the American stereotype.
>> Anonymous
I've had a buddy like this. He started like you, except he didn't give up. He was about 260 at 18. He realized that he wasn't going to stay like this the rest of his life.

He took swimming classes, ran almost every day, and weight lifted as much as possible. Just lighting lifting. He tried to eat as healthy as possible, and found that weight watchers actually worked very well as long as you commit to it.

Good luck, sir. Keep in mind that as you grow older, it gets MUCH tougher, so I would suggest to really start looking at yourself now and seeing if this is how you want your kids, peers, and co workers do view you the rest of your life.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117118
If it was that easy, I would never have gotten fat in the first place. It was looking in the mirror that made me stop.
>> Anonymous
>>117107

also, take "before" pictures or have your body fat % measured... most objective way to see progress.


do you eat sugary food/drink sugary drinks? that has to stop today.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117127
>Keep in mind that as you grow older, it gets MUCH tougher

I totally agree, and from what I hear, your body doesn't recover itself as well as you get older.

Ive made the plan that I am going back on Monday, after I go home for the weekend and have my dog put to sleep (awesome I know).

With my level of exorcise and current size, how long do you guys think it would take before I could see a change in my body?
>> Anonymous
Listen man, I used to have to go through the same exact thing. I wasn't focusing on loosing weight like you, but on getting cut, and being able to run a 5k in under 24:00. The 5k goal was only my secondary goal though. I NEEDED to get more cut. I was a medium build and had no definition and I had stubborn abdominal fat. No matter what I tried, I still looked the same in the mirror 3 months after I started, and after I achieved my 5k goal.

However I was stubborn and kept sticking with it. Everyday, I'd find some lyrics or a quote that got me pumped or motivated. I also kept a journal, saying what I did that day and how I felt. It sounds kind of emo, but it worked. 5 months after the initial goal, this friday, I am finally seeing some definition around the stomach, and others are noticing at the pool.

It's a great feeling knowing you achieved your goal, and other (including the ladies) noticed.

tl;dr Stick with it and keep a journal to make it a habit, and to restore the habit when you break it.
>> Anonymous
>>117141

think first about feeling a change. what you see will catch up if you keep at it.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117139
I switched to diet soda around a year ago, and stopped buying pop altogether (aside from a casual drink once in a while) shortly thereafter. I try not to eat too many sweets, most of the unhealthy I get in my diet is from the low cost food i have to eat because of lack of money.
>> Anonymous
eating = doing something
not eating = not doing anything

lazyness is the key
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117233
I don't see what that has to do with my thread. I was asking for people with similar experiences, I don't even know what your comment is in response to. If you have something constructive to say, please make it a bit clearer.
>> Anonymous
Count calories and do aerobic activity only (maybe some weightlifting after your legs have given out and you still have some free time). Eat less than 2000 calories every day and exercise for as much as you can 7 days a week.

You say you worked out for an hour at a time, but how intensive were those work outs? You have to push yourself continuously. Run as far as you can in an hour, and then lower the time in which you can get to that point, etc. Even if you start acting like a man right now it's still going to take months to get off that excess 150 lbs, deal with it or continue to be fat.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117268
As I put in my post, my workouts were not steeped in excellence, as listed at about 4 miles in an hour, or 2 in 30 min,some free weights, sit ups and leg lifter machine thing.

Now I understand that you need to keep making it harder to improve, but I don't believe that is very appropriate at this stage. I can keep cutting time from a 4 mile run as much as I want, but at over 300 pounds, its not like I'm going to make a 10 minute mile. Maybe I'm wrong, but that seems very unrealistic to try for at this time.

I'm all for making things harder, but at some point, you hit the wall of what your body can do, at the level of physical condition you are currently at. At my level, that wall is really close to my face.

What exercises do you guys recommend for pure weight loss? I'm not talking diet or whatnot, just for the physical activity part. Whats best for getting rid of fat that a fat man can do?
>> Anonymous
>>117268

300 pound guy should NOT run for an hour, or eat only 2000 calories a day... that is a recipie for injury and fail....


op should cut all sugar and starches out of his diet, spend more time on the ellipticals at the gym, go on more walks, and learn how to lift weights right (i.e. pick up 'starting strength' by mark rippetoe')
>> Anonymous
>>117286

there is no single exercise. you will want to get more muscle. and lose more fat. this takes different types of activity. you need to change your whole lifestyle.

and cheap food is no excuse, cottage cheese and tuna are cheap... cabbage is cheap... dried beans are HELLA cheap... you are responsible for yourself, 100%, and you need to stop making excuses right now.

otherwise you will continue being a poor excuse for a human being.
>> Anonymous
>>117128
Weight yourself. Weigh yourself every day in the morning and write it down. Take pictures of yourself and date them. Really. Real change in body mass is a slow process, and if your measuring stick is just looking in the mirror, it's going to look like not much is being accomplished because you're comparing it to your mental image of yesterday or last week. If you have data to look at, you can really see the progress. Also diet makes a bigger impact than exercise. Don't ignore exercise, just understand that a day of cheating on your diet can undo an entire week of exercise.
>> Anonymous
>>117299
No no no... Don't weigh yourself in everyday, that just leads to anorexia. Weigh yourself in every Saturday morning after a nice piss. Don't weigh yourself at all for the rest of the week.
>> Anonymous
>>117286

When I started out a five weeks ago, I was 272 lbs (6'1" tall). For the first week my cardio was pretty shit (on elliptical), but it quickly improved. By the next wek I could do a 10 minute mile. Now I average 8.5-9 minute miles on it and weigh 260.

I really recommend some good lifts like squats and deadlifts. Don't put it off. START NOW. More muscle helps you lose weight faster.

I personally use this program for my weights http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117292
I get what you are saying, though I think its the mean type of constructive criticism, but whatever. I know that dried beans are really cheap, but I guess I didn't state this properly in my original post.

I go to college. But with that, I live in a dorm.

I don't have access to a full size fridge, nor a kitchen to prepare my everyday meals. Cottage cheese sure thing, tuna, heck yeah, cabbage.... ok, I could find room in the fridge.... but what do I do with cabbage that doesn't need a kitchen? or dried beans? Im limited on what I have to work with here.

>>117299
>>117301
I don't have a scale, and I'm really not comfortable weighing myself in the middle of the workout area. Its a bit embarrassing. Its bad enough being next to the guy who is on the elliptical next to me, was there before I got there, and was still there when I left, going 3 times faster than me.
Could I just do the pictures, or is weighing myself really that big of a deal?

>>117306
thank you, I am reading this now.
>> Anonymous
>>117319

do you have a cafeteria? does it have meat and vegetables?
>> Anonymous
I've been exactly where you are.

They key, as several people have mentioned, is documentation. You might not see results in a mirror, but you can see results in your weight when you weigh yourself every morning and write it down.

Write everything down that you can think to measure your progress. Take snapshots if you want to see small changes over time.

Hell, make charts and graphs if you need to. You'll see all kinds of progress on paper before you ever notice any changes in the mirror.
>> Anonymous
>>117301
>No no no... Don't weigh yourself in everyday, that just leads to anorexia.

Bullshit. We're not talking about 120 pound girls here. 300+ pound men should weigh themselves every day. Especially if they need motivation. When I first started losing weight, I was losing a fucking pound a day. If that doesn't motivate you, nothing will.

As the weight loss slows down (it will), you can then go to weighing yourself less frequently. But by the time it really slows down, you'll be over the hump.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117322
Ummm kind of. I go to a technical college, and the food services are run my the culinary program, and not only is our cafeteria not really large on account of selection, but they don't seem to have things that are good for you.

I cant say for positive, as Ive only had lunch there once, and got a sandwich, but for breakfast they serve things like bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, their version of a egg McMuffin, that sort of thing. They don't serve dinner, not in the normal sense, theres a restaurant that opens up for dinner, but its like a sit down place, and priced about the same.

Oh did I mention that the college is lame and doesn't have a meal plan, so all food bought there comes from my pocket, not the loans? I really hate this place. Seemed great at the time....
>> Anonymous
>>117338

Not having a kitchen makes things tough... In the long term, you'll need to move out of the dorm and into an apartment or a house. In the short term, tuna is your new friend. And salads. You'll have to go to the supermarket pretty frequently - buy whatever veggies are cheapest and eat them raw. Apples and bananas are great, and need no refrigeration. You will not make any progress without proper nutrition, and it's your responsibility to figure out a way to make it work for you.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
One thing that caught my eye that i found confusing from the link one of you posted:
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

on the part about Nutrition on this program.
"In general you’ll need your body-weight in lbs x 18kcal daily. Add/remove 500kcals from there if you want to gain weight or lose weight."

Umm with my weight that would make me needing to take in 4900kcals a day with minus 500 for loss. I have a few questions about that.

1. is a kcal the same as a calorie?

2. If I'm on that plan, I can follow that sure. But if I'm not, is that advice still valid? its seems a bit high either way to me really. 2000 calories is what I see flashed around on milk cartons and bagels and stuff, but I dont know what I should be doing besides trying to stay at 2000.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117342
you are right, good points.
>> Anonymous
OP, you know deep down in your heart that you want to train, you want to get into incredible shape and you want to have an ambition.

Just tell yourself everytime things are dismal or difficult: You're not there yet, but you're closer than you were yesterday.
>> Anonymous
>>117350

at your size you will need at least 2500 a day, even if you're trying to lose weight. But definitely not as many as the site indicates.

kcal = calorie

ignore nutrition advice on food packages, it understates the amount of protein you need by a lot

stop eating bagels and other refined starches (you shouldn't eat anything made of grain that's not whole grain, and you should minimize that even...)

you really need to lurk a lot more for a while, maybe you will learn something
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117378
>stop eating bagels

as I am halfway through a bagel thinking it was the better thing to eat!
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117378
Oh and also, I did start lurking again, but it seemed like it was all threads about diet soda, toothpaste and your perfect woman. So I figured I'd must make my own.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Me a few years ago and me now.

It's nothing but a mental game. Eat more frequently throughout the day, weight train with big, complex movements, do everything smart. I laugh at my friends who say they spend 2+ hours at a gym. There's no point being in it over 75 minutes. I used to jog 4 miles a day but changed it to HIIT. Both are ALWAYS outside, no matter the weather. Screw the treadmill. Row when you can. You want motivation? Imagine results, but don't dream it'll be easy. It won't. Don't hope you'll wake up one day feeling psyched to exercise after a period of doing nothing. That happens after you made it a habit. It's all about consistency.

I'm more of the longtime 4chan lurker. Don't really post.
>> Anonymous
Wow, this is amazing.
I've been on 4chan for about a year and this is one of the first threads I've seen with consistent and well-used Grammar. Makes me think that the world is getting smarter. Keep up the good work.
>> Anonymous
>>117104
When I started loosing weights everybody told me that it would take approx 3 months before ANY results were visible on my body, which wasn't a very nice thought but after 7 years of working out I can clearly see a big difference.
I used to weigh about 72kg and today Im at 91 ripped
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
Do NOT weigh yourself everyday, you will go crazy with the fluctuation of weight. Hydration levels, waste levels, all play a role in your weight. You will always fluctuate 5-/+ lbs any given day. Once a week, in the mornings, fasted, after your piss and morning constitutional, is ideal.

In regards to your preservation of self image and self esteem around people in the gym? I have NEVER laughed at anyone in a gym for being over weight and working out, or heard of people laughing at someone in that position. YOU took the initiative to go to the gym that day, YOU are taking the initiative to improve yourself. Cannot say the same about a large percentage of the population.

When I was losing weight, I kept pictures of body builders and male models around, it might sound faggot. Picked traits I liked from each gave me motivation to keep going. Pre-making meals for the week also made it a lot easier. If things didn't take 15 minutes to prepare, I was all for eating it. Unfortunately most things that are fast to make are not always healthy or overly tasty. Pre-making the meals on a Sunday made it so I had something healthy to eat at all times throughout the week without having to spend time making it repeatedly.
>> Anonymous
>>117926
Cont.


I hate cardio, and will always hate cardio. It just isn't my thing, so I tried to do it sparingly and as needed. I figured out portions and calorie intakes of all the junk food I enjoyed, then figured out how long it would take for me to burn off on the treadmill. All junk food consumption stopped immediately, im not going to bust ass for 45 minutes so I can have 10 seconds of salivation and orgasms in my mouth.

Set small goals that lead to your bigger goal. Its easier to eat an elephant one piece at a time, then one giant bite. I set my goals 5lbs at a time.

Don't jump ship, quit, or cut corners. I imagine that is how you got all the weight you accumulated over the years. Keep going! Best feeling in the world is when you run into someone you haven't seen in years, and they shit their pants when they see you've lost all that weight.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>117724
>>117750
>>117926

Wow I thought my thread was dead. Thank you guys for your stories and experiences. Like I said, Im starting the gym again on monday when I get back from visiting home, and I will work on changing what I eat and how much of it I eat. I cant switch right away, mostly becuase I just went to the grocery store earlier in the week, and I cant afford to just throw out what I bought, but Im looking at the labels now, and making best with what I have until its grocery time again.

I do love fruit and salads, fish, chicken (not fried luckily, got food poisoning from KFC a few years back, from the coleslaw, but its the smell of fried chicken that makes me nauseous now) and I find yogurt and granola to be pretty good with some fresh strawberries in it, so Ill get some of that and start eating breakfast again. I'm so used to 2 large meals a day, thats going to be a tough change, but I will work on that, and fill out what I'm used to with water I guess hahaha. I already eat wheat bread, so switching to whole wheat wont be too tough.

Someone said stay away from refined starches. How do i know what has that in it?
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
Oh and PS:

How bad is milk for you? I mean I can look at the label, but I did the same with bagels, and they didn't look that bad to me..... I drink 2% ATM, just with some meals, not like a substitute for pop or water or anything.
>> Sponge !!5qxfxHYSQxJ
Set yourself a goal.

Tell yourself that if you don't lose 10 pounds within the next 2 months then you have to kill yourself.

If you don't lose the 10 pounds, kill yourself.

That way you either lose the weight or die. No one has to listen to you whine whatever happens, so it's win-win.
>> Anonymous
LISTEN TO MY ADVICE OP: There were two guys in my friends MMA class with almost you're exact build. They were sparring partners and after a few months I didn't recognized them. You don't even have to do MMA. Just start going Brazilian jujitsu classes and you'll shed the fat. Rolling around for an hour a day like that will make you sweat and bleed your weight out, give you a huge boost in confidence, and give you the ability to defend yourself well. Or you can do what my lazy cousin did. Wrap your self up in a couple of hoodies and a few shorts and jeans and duct tape them off. Then walk around at from noon to 1 pm. He was like 5 10 250ish I think and at the end of the summer he weighed less that 200. Probably around 190. He stopped drinking pop and ate mostly fruits and vegetables. He never went out to eat unless it was subway and only drank water and OJ. He just at raw foods or fish mostly. His diet wasn't really strict or anything he ate a pizza every once in a while but he would just mostly eat salads and shit. He still eats like that too because he's used to it.
>> Need some motivational help Anonymous
>>118339
I wish I could be awesome like you, have so little to do or worry about, you spend your time being an ass on the internet. It actually took you more effort to post what you did than to just not care. So do yourself a favor, stop externalizing your feelings about yourself onto people on this board, and find something constructive to do.
>> Anonymous
(the one who showed the picture of himself)

>>118334

Milk is not bad for you. You WANT fats. Get yourself educated on monosaturated, polysaturated, omega, and trans fats.

How to tell if whatever has refined flour? It's usually
white = refined
However, it doesn't mean to avoid them altogether. As a matter of fact, after you are done with your workout, when you put your protein in your body, that's when you want that white bread (oh yeah, also educate yourself on the different kinds of proteins, you should've also had a bit in you before workout too). You want the fast-digesting carbs inside your system when your body is recovering and starving from the workout.
>> Sponge !!5qxfxHYSQxJ
>>118419

no
>> Anonymous
>>118419

you are not allowed to ask for help on /fit/ and then whine.

drop and give me 20.
>> Anonymous
You live in a dorm...most schools have gyms. Get some of your roommates or buddies to go to the gym with you at least once a week. That is what i had to do to get some motivation.