It's never to late...

rodnocker

rodnocker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Location
Clayton NC
The back story...
In my youth, between ages 13 to 18, I was like Forest Gump. I ran just about everywhere I went. Even after I turned 16 I would jog to a friends house a few miles away instead of taking the car. In high school I could hold a 4.5 minute mile pace for about 4-5 miles. I graduated high school in 1986, 6'2" and weighed 160lbs.

Que me 26 years later...
As of Christmas last year, I have smoked for 26 years (since I graduated HS) and have gained 100lbs. So out of shape (unless you count round) that it's pathetic. I get winded going up one flight of stairs. I've had back surgery (5 years ago) and I use the arms of the chair to help me stand up due to weak knees.

Since Christmas, I have quit smoking (my last one was the Thursday before New Years). I put on another 10lbs reaching my all time high of 270lbs. I love fishing, especially fly fishing. There is just something about the serenity of fly fishing and the thought of catching a fish on a fly you made your self. Well, I met up with a guy at church and we have become great friends. He loves to hike and has always wanted to learn to fly fish. So now I am teaching him fly fishing. We are planning to start hiking together and my plan is to hike some mountain streams that we can trout fish from and camp along the streams. Knowing he is in much better shape than I am has fueled my desire to get in better shape.

I started running again yesterday. I got up at 4:30am (with my wife and daughter) and was out the door by 4:50. There is a high school with a track around the foot ball field less than a mile from the house so that is where we went. Twenty three minutes, 1.5 miles later (6 laps), I am winded, my legs are like rubber and I'm drenched, but I feel great. Muscles tight / sore from the knees down all day yesterday. I got up this morning and could hardly walk at first. Wife sprang out of bed (the huzzy), and then I woke up the daughter (I'm not her best friend today) and back at the track again this morning.

I'm going to turn this around. I am going to loose the weight. I am going to get back into shape. I am going to get healthy so I can be here for my wife, my kids and even my grand-kids one day.

Sorry for the rambling... Just felt the need to let someone know that it's never to late to take care of yourself.
 
that is awesome.. I am very much the same minus the smoking.. very out of shape and have a belly :(

2 months back I joined a kick ball team and realized real quick how bad I was..so after that season I decided to do something

so 3 weeks ago I started running also.. I downloaded an app Couch to 5k.. I have done the first 3 weeks with very little issues and having someone talk into your ear to tell you when to run, jog, walk etc sure does help and keep me going.. I have been running around 2.5 miles 3 times a week and this week it goes up to 3 miles :)

I actually was very surprised that I could run as far as I could for being as big a fat ass as I am..
 
Keep in mind that it's probably better for you to run every other day vs every day, at least until you are into the norm of it. Otherwise you will really shock your body badly. That's how many 5k/marathon/whatever preps work.

Congrats on the decision and motivation.
 
I applaud your motivation to get back in shape. I was a track/cross country runner in high school. Ran at least 5 miles every day. Raced moto-x and hare scrambles every weekend for years. I was around the 150lb mark at 6'1". Now that I'm married with kids I've slacked off a lot on my excercise. I got up to 200 lbs and way out of shape. I've been working on my diet for a little while now and am down to 189lbs but still want to get back down around 170 or so. I already feel better but know that I have a ways to go. My big problem is eating and my lack of physical work as a job supervisor. I basically drive a lot and sit and watch my guys do all the hard labor. That needs to change also. Several of the guys in our small group at church work out together every morning. I need to find the motivation to get back into the gym. Congrats on your drive to better yourself.
 
Halfway thru the original post, i was afraid it was going a little brokeback, glad to see that didnt happen :D
Good for you finding the motivation to get of your ass. I really need to do the same, seems like I always find an excuse not too.
 
Congrats man! Stick with it!

About 9 years ago I hit my all time high of 282lbs. I'm 6'4 so I was a big dude. My weight went up and down after that. About 5 years ago, after my wife had our first kid, I was sitting at 274. I gained more weight than her during her pregnancy, before she delivered our son. :lol:

A year or so later I kicked it into gear, got down to around 240 and off and on again would go up a few pounds, never below 240.

Well, at Christmas this year my dad and I were sitting there drinking beer. My dad is 6' tall, so when I said I weighed 257 and needed to lose weight he realized we weighed the same and he needed to as well. Right there we decided to start working out and eating better. As of this morning I am down to 218 and am in awesome shape, work out an hour + every morning. He is down to 186 and works out more than me.

You are doing it right man, stick with it, things are so much better when you are healthy. :)
 
Just thought I'd throw in an update. After almost two weeks, I'm still going at it. I tried running daily the first week but the legs just could not handle it. Now I run 3 days a week and I'm working on some cross training 3 days a week. I don't like sit-ups, they hurt my back so I found a couple of others that I do instead. One is sitting in a chair, moving my feet out and back w/o touching the floor... kinda like this but much slower and my heels about 1" off the floor. Then I do leg lifts but I don't rest them on the floor between counts, like this. I am also doing some work with dumbbells as well. I'm not trying to bulk up or anything, but I know if I can build some muscle mass, muscle burns more calories. The more calories I burn, the more weight I loose and the easier it will be for me to run. I have a scale in the bathroom that shows weight and BMI. I've only lost about 2-3 lbs but my BMI has dropped from 30.8 to 27.5 as of this morning.

I'm still hanging in there. Congrats to the others that posted up about doing the same, and thanks for the encouragement as well.
 
Keep at it! As someone who gained (due to inactivity, stress eating, and joint pain not a result of injury but a result of tension/stress) and then lost weight many years ago and who is in the process of gaining (and then losing) with baby #2... one of the best things is to cultivate good habits you can keep up no matter where you are, what the weather is like and what kind of day you are having. How (and how much) you move, what you eat and how you handle stress all play a role. What you're doing is great and I hope you feel great doing it!

If you don't feel up to running, then WALK! People think walking isn't as good as running because you might not sweat as much, but there are lots of reasons walking is really good for you and better, in many instances. It also is better for building the muscles in the backs of your legs, which actually can help reduce back pain (making those muscles work instead of your back muscles compensating and working harder).
 
Walking actually will burn more fat than running will, but running will build up better cardio stamina and help burn calories and speed up your metabolism. Both are good for you, just gotta do what you can!

BTW, just an FYI in case you do this. A lot of peopel drink diet soda because it is "diet" and has no calories. Problem is that the stuff they put in there makes your body produce insulin, which in turn makes your body store fat. So while you are not consuming any calories, your body will actually fight against the stuff.

I have gotten really into healthy eating and fitness in the last year, any questions just ask. :)
 
And I'm not saying don't run... but sprinting in short bursts, during the course of a walk, is better use of your muscles and energy (and better for cardio stamina).

Other reasons to consider how much you run versus walk:

Here's a video I found about "proper" running form:


When running, the forward lean means you are basically falling forward. Your joints and muscles are working to prevent you from falling down. The bent leg receives the weight of the body and it bends further due to the load... and then has to lift the body’s weight back up. You use your quadriceps to do this, so they contract, which pulls the knee cap back into the bones behind it, which damages your cartilage. When walking you should land on your heel with a straightened leg. Then you shift to the ball of the foot and push off for your next step, which uses the calves, hamstrings, and butt muscles and reduces the load on the knees. You need all the muscles to be in balance in order to avoid injury. All this muscle activation is GREAT for your blood and lymphatic circulation (which also helps your metabolism).
 
I like to cross train as much as possible with running, biking, and walking/hiking. Each activity seems to work the muscles differently/work different muscles.
 
Blaze said:
A lot of people drink diet soda because it is "diet" and has no calories.
Click to expand...
I can not stand the taste of diet soda. I have tried, I have wanted to, but I just can't get past the taste of it. I have heard people say that they can't tell the difference and I just sit back and wonder what's wrong with them. My weakness is still Mt. Dew. I have one 20oz every morning. That and some nuts or something like that is my breakfast. I know it's probably the worst thing I could drink but I nurse it from 7am to around noon and drink water the rest of the day.

Blaze said:
Walking actually will burn more fat than running will
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Actually, running burns more calories than walking on a per time basis. However, walking can allow you to workout for longer periods of time allowing you to burn more calories. (citing source from CNN Health)

Blaze said:
I have gotten really into healthy eating and fitness in the last year, any questions just ask.
Click to expand...
I might take you up on this but not yet. I have to take this one step at a time or I will get overwhelmed. December I quit smoking, August I started exercising, maybe January I'll look more at what I'm eating. I am using myfitnesspal app for the iPhone to track and control calorie intake but I've not looked deeply into "what" I'm eating, just how much.
 
Too keep you motivated with more good news stories...

Since Feb. I have lost around 30 pounds. I started right at 240 and now am down to 210.

I started pretty simple. Just cut back on the sodas, sweet tea, and Kool-Aid (M-I-L makes it with a lot of sugar). Then after about a month of cutting back on the sugar drinks I was down to all water all the time. I didn't really watch what I was eating beyond that.

That pretty much as the first 10 pounds.

After that I was starting to watch what I was eating a really buckled down for a while and then some more weight dropped off.

The biggest thing is that it is impossible to stay on a diet. Lifestyle changes are very hard to make. I still struggle with dinner time. I just don't have the desire to cook and eat something by myself. I did it quite a bit early on but it didn't stick.

Making changes gradually helped me more than anything. I never tried to do too much more than I did the week before.
I started off walking around the track at the school I was working at. Luckly my office was 30ft from the track.
Then I started some running intravals. 100yrd, then 200yards, then finally making my way to 400yards (1 lap). Then I starting strings some laps together. Then I started running more miles. I have been running no less than 2 miles at a clip and all the way up to 7 miles.

Stick with it.

My wagon is starting to slow down, I got get back on it.
 
rodnocker said:
I can not stand the taste of diet soda. I have tried, I have wanted to, but I just can't get past the taste of it. I have heard people say that they can't tell the difference and I just sit back and wonder what's wrong with them. My weakness is still Mt. Dew. I have one 20oz every morning. That and some nuts or something like that is my breakfast. I know it's probably the worst thing I could drink but I nurse it from 7am to around noon and drink water the rest of the day.
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I've always felt this way but I can hardly drink water either. I don't like it. I will drink it if I've been working outside and get hot but just to sit down and drink a glass, no. I need some flavor!
 
McCracken said:
I've always felt this way but I can hardly drink water either. I don't like it. I will drink it if I've been working outside and get hot but just to sit down and drink a glass, no. I need some flavor!
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They sell sugar free flavor packs in single serving sizes. My wife uses them all the time because she hates plain water too.

I don't drink any soda or anything with caffeine. I drink a glass of OJ in the morning with breakfast, water all morning at work, can of V8 juice with lunch, water in the afternoon, and a glass of milk with dinner. I drink Gatorade and water after strenuous cardio workouts, or when working outside in the summer.
 
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RatLabGuy said:
Keep in mind that it's probably better for you to run every other day vs every day, at least until you are into the norm of it. Otherwise you will really shock your body badly. That's how many 5k/marathon/whatever preps work.
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It allows for recovery/healing time. Helps prevent injury. You can be doing really well, then get an inflamed plantar fascia, shin splints, microfractures in your foot bones, etc, that'll put you out of the game for a few weeks or a month. Then you've got to start all over.
 
Well, all three of us are still at it, three mornings a week. I have gone from jogging 1/2 a lap and walking 1/2 a lap for 1.5 miles, to jogging 4 laps and walking 1/2 a lap for 2.25 miles so my endurance is getting better. I did finally find a diet drink I could stomach the taste of. Diet Dr. Pepper has knocked at least 290 calories off my day and I've switched to snacking on carrots and celery. I'm at my all time low for the past 8 years of 244lbs as of this morning. My mom and step-father have been "inspired" by me posting on Facebook about getting into shape and they actually got their treadmill out and have started exercising also. Hard getting up at 4:30, but I feel great after I run.
 
Now that you can get accustomed to that diet soda, you are almost on your way to kicking it all together since you have already gotten half the taste out. :lol:

I still drink a diet soda every now and then, sometimes I just need something with a little taste. 95% of the time I drink water, eventually it just becomes habit. :lol:

Really great to hear you are keeping up with it man! I hear ya on the waking up part, I work out at 5:15 in the morning. Was hard at first but you get used to it and you definitely feel a lot better during the day!
 
I was doing some research earlier, & ran across a repeat item; you have to have 8 hours sleep! I find that, hard to do, even though I know I need it! So, I'm wondering if "rodnocker" is getting his Family up at 4:30, are they in bed, by 8-8:30? THAT would/will, be tough!
 
My wife and I both work full time and are taking full time college courses online. Unfortunately, the ONLY time I had was mornings. My daughter usually goes back to bed when we get home. She's in early college and her school doesn't start until around 11am. The wife and I? I'm averaging around 6 hours of sleep as is the wife. We both sleep in Tuesday and Thursday until 6am. You are right about the sleep thing though. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Most adults need between 7-9 hours. However, more than 6 in 10 get fewer than that and about 8% get less than six (CDC, 2008). I'm doing what I can with the time that I have though. I guess sacrifice is about making choices.
 
I smoked for 25 years,

I quit smoking & began the Adkins low carb. diet April 1 of this year. I was at 257lbs ( I stand 6' 4") today I am at 229 &dropped 2 pants sizes.. I have returned to my martial arts roots I now exercise every day minimum 45min.. I was mostly cardio but now I am mixing weight training and stamina. I feel great!
Best thing so far is I looked this morning & my abdominal muscles are appearing:D again! Damn this gave me a big boost to work out harder.


For me the this diet has worked wonders, no more blood pressure issues. the weight loss has kicked the sleep apnea in the ass. It's so cool to dream again..


Keep working on this man, the benefits out weigh the work 10 fold...
 
Blaze said:
Now that you can get accustomed to that diet soda, you are almost on your way to kicking it all together since you have already gotten half the taste out. :lol:

I still drink a diet soda every now and then, sometimes I just need something with a little taste. 95% of the time I drink water, eventually it just becomes habit. :lol:

Really great to hear you are keeping up with it man! I hear ya on the waking up part, I work out at 5:15 in the morning. Was hard at first but you get used to it and you definitely feel a lot better during the day!
Click to expand...


Nothing but green tea and spiced black tea. I have a friend in Russia that gets great deals on green tea laced with jasmine.

The black tea is spiced with cinnamon & clove. sweetened with a just a little splenda & it's great. The sugars & high fructose corn syrup is your greatest enemy. These are nothing but empty carbs that get turned directly into fat to be stored for later use. (unless you are so active that with your normal diet your carb intake is low enough that the body uses it right away)
 
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