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Weird weight issues and need advice on preparing for winter (exercise, blues, etc)

C

cay

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
113
Alright first off, I'm 5'11" 230lbs and a size 54 in the shoulders and a size 36 around the waist. Before I started this adventure in early october I was 235lbs and a size 40 around the waist. Not exactly sure how to explain that one beyond "more active" and "shitting a ton" (still seriously wtf). But after my knoggin got knocked around a bit went ahead and had a doc check it out and they weighed me. On top of that recently my hunger oh man, now I never starved myself during the last decade I always made sure to eat, sometimes incredibly infrequently (oddly I'd gain weight or size or whatnot during these times). But typically I'd eat 3 square meals a day between 2500 to 3500 calories a day. Typically a lot of single orders of double cheeseburgers from mcdonalds.

This morning I had 3 bowls of cereal (though most days I've been having about 3 eggs), lunch I had a double cheeseburger from 5 guys (then got a really really small amount of ice cream to wake the kids up), then went on a 6 hour nature walk with my kids, then we had pizza where I had 3 slices. Crashed about 9:30pm woke up at 1:30am (smelling like withdrawal I'm starting to think this is less smelling like withdrawal and more just finally noticing my own body odor and hating it, I take two showers a day). Anyways last time I was hungry like this (I'm 28 ) and had weird weight to size ratio's was when I was going through puberty. Even highschool I ran every morning 5 miles and managed an important diet to stay around 170lbs (and a size 34 waist, note even at the best of times when I grew out I couldn't fit into a size 32, my bone is actually maxed at 33).

Now don't get me wrong, I was a thin kid, really thin, always a broad shouldered individual though. I have skinny super thin arms (with people more in the 120lb weight class) and legs. I can fit about 1 finger under my belly but honestly I don't want to gain a lot of weight. I've read a lot of other people hunger coming back, when balanced in with being "a fuckton more active" did you guys gain a lot of size (I actually couldn't care less about the numbers I'm just confused 4 pant sizes in 4 lbs... my stomachs gone flat, I mean I know I was backed up but that's ridiculous). Before the drugs after puberty I didn't have a metabolism to speak of and I ate healthy, most of my appearance has always been based on activity (which makes it really shitty that I'm a programmer). *

I don't know maybe it's the fact that I go to sleep after my wife and kids (8:30) and then I wake up some 6 hours before the rest of them do (1:30 vs 7:30). On top of that I'm not sure what the hell I'm going to do with the recent cold snap and the start of the winter.

I guess in this case, tips tricks helpful advice on staying active when it's in the negatives (about a month from now) and how a lot of you kept your size down (assuming you did)? Note also any advice on what you could do with your kids very helpful. I can't really do a gym membership and never could stay consistent with those (who knows though I'm a completely different person now, but still when would I go with full time family respon.. oh right that huge window when I'm only awake).

Side note, I've made a lot of mentions about how easy it's been so far most of you have made it past my time (oh hey I do believe technically day 31). It also helps that I have a serioius mental disorder that is kinda fucking with those cravings, they come to me as laughter. However my state could change and I simply know that if I hit a depression cycle (and with winter coming... I very well could) it could be absolutely devistating to me. I just simply am not a person who deals with depression well, the opiates stabilized me but made me depressed and lethargic as hell. Right now I am happy, excited, energetic, impulsive, and many of the other "not so good things but seem awesome to me" that come with mania (and to my wifes speculation I have that psychosis thing down). I am honestly scared to death of hitting a depression cycle, I mean it's almost like my happiness is subject to the sun light in my right eye (colors are extremely more fluid in my right eye while my left eye they are far more pale and washed out with a huge amount of white added). I would like to also mention that inside my house I am still lethargic but I'm bursting with energy. It makes for a very weird combo.

So yeah I guess anything I talked about if you have advice for dealing with any of that from winter blues to excercising in the winter.
 
T this has more to do with post opiate withdrawal effects on the body or maybe I'm crazy and this is how my body is supposed to act in normally I'm really not sure.
 
What really helped me focus on exercising was the fear of gaining weight more weight and the fact that metabolism gets slower after the age of 27. At the moment, I do extreme cardio workouts almost everyday and eating as healthy as possible no burgers etc. If you are really committed, you will avoid any type of junk food and eat as healthy as possible. It takes dedication and time to lose weight. Some people just have faster metabolism and I know some people that even if they eat a ton amount of food, they will not gain as much weight as other people, but that doesn't mean they are healthy.

You have mentioned that you can't or won't go to the gym? How bout an hour of running outside your house every other day? Do you have a target of how much weight you want to lose?
 
I think I can respond to this without going into the confusing changes caused by the opiate withdrawal. The reason running outside doesn't work: I'm in the midwest, we get double digit negative temps in about a month and right now last I checked it's 28f outside. Also I can't run (my pain for my drug was in the right knee) oddly (and unbelievably) my legs are totally cool with rollerblading, so I've been rollerblading about 15miles for about an hour every morning on a dedicated path behind my house. The problem with this is the cold snap, it's simply too cold simply too slick to make this a continuing idea safe or good. So as you said going to the gym, not to shoot this down but my endurance is ridiculous, when I go to the gym it's more about "time working out" for me then what I do, I've been a big gym buff for years but never lost weight or gained musscle mass even though I'd spend 2 to 3 hours a day doing the following:
- 1.5 hours jogging at 7 to 9 miles per hour
- free weights for about half an hour to an hour (every other day)
- use the machine weights if I feel like I have time but probably grab a second "cool down" run.

My resting heart rate was about 120bpm, my active heart rate was about 130bpm. I'm so screwed, oh and to the note about junk food and my weird ass body. The most weight I've lost was this time I spent an entire summer eating nothing but little debbie snacks and playing Diablo 2:LoD. I'd ask if I was losing muscle mass but I can still bench as much as always... I really just don't understand.

Honestly though if my weird size changes aren't caused (weighing essentially the same, but going from fat to slender, from a size 40male waist to a size 36 (comfortable same brand type of jeans I wouldn't have even been able to squeeze into)) by the opiate withdrawal then I'm probably on the wrong forum all together but the coincidence is rather weird.
 
^correct me if I am wrong, so you have used opiates and have quit. Certain drugs messes up the metabolism of the body for some people and I believe that your body's metabolism right now is out of whack. You need to get your metabolism back in balance but it may take time, so I will stick to what I have posted before to have a very healthy diet and exercise. When I say healthy diet, you really have to be strict and watch what you eat and always exercise. I still think that given enough time your body should respond to this and you should be able to see results in time.
 
If you really want to lose the weight and get your head in the game you should try planning the meals more often. Since you mentioned having kids and eating out a lot, you may really want to take it seriously for them as well. You will save a ton of money as well, at least for the most part.

I would consider replacing all the mcdonalds with chicken salads or just chicken sandwiches on a whole wheat roll/bread. I would opt for the chicken tenderloins as 2-3 of those for your size would still only be 2-3grams of fat. You can supplement your protein with chicken as well at around 25-35 grams per tenderloin. The red meat is one thing on occasion but having it from places like mickeydees each day is just unhealthy. You miss out on a lot of important things like learning how to prepare your own meals.

I would also suggest using egg whites for the breakfast and cutting down on all the extra cereal (3 bowls is something I used to do and I'm usually able to override my past with the eggs, although I do fall into my temptations sometimes and eat more, or treat myself a bit). Egg whites are approx. 25calories per egg, so even 8 eggs would be around 0 fat and 200 calories. Get some lowfat cheese, a serving is around 1gram-2grams of fat, 50-100calories. You can make an omelette with that. I would watch out for all the bread products but that's just me personally (it does tend to put on weight though that feels noticeable).

Other than cardio, I would also do some decline situps with a weight. This is a fairly easy setup if you have a bench, or a gym membership. I am smaller than you and have no problem with 10-15 minutes of decline situps with a 45 pound weight in my hands. Adding this to your workout will help burn some of that belly fat away, it's actually ridiculous what your stomach can turn into (I'm not longer practicing my health nut ways, although I wouldn't mind doing it again - but there are results you see that are just something you have to experience yourself - I mention this because it becomes something you want to do, not just for health but it makes you feel a lot more confident in yourself). Leg raises are really good too - those two workouts alone will fix the gut no doubt.

I really believe in a full body workout, less time but fairly intense. Targeting the whole body relieves you of that 'baggy' feeling that you may get from being lazy. It's always good to hit your whole body at the gym as well, missing a whole section like the back can just stunt your workout. 3x a week is fine, and it can be something you tread lightly with at first, just make sure not to under indulge when you're capable of moving forward.

I hope my post has relayed some quality reminders as to living a better life and I hope you succeed at what you're trying to do.

-dp
 
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