Congrats dude! It's great you have something healthy, meaningful, and challenging to accomplish. Wewt!
ziptnf
Thank you Jenny! The days when I was heavy and had high cholesterol and other health problems seem like ancient history now. I remember how uncomfortable I was when I was heavy and I can't understand how the really obese people get through life. Probably really poorly. People don't have to be competitive athletes like me, but simply eating less and moving more changes your life completely.
JEO
I'm kind of fat nowadays. People tell me I don't look like I weigh 110 kg, but they're just being nice and don't know of all the visceral fat I lug around all day. Getting fat is much more comfortable when you have a good base of muscle under there.
Saw this on Twitter today:
I work around people who sit at their computer all day, drink lots of beer during weekends, often have a burger, fries, and a pint for lunch during their workday (I'm one of them), but I have, during my life in my home country, seen probably less than ten people that look like the ones in the video. These people must have been waddling for years already, but they seemingly don't feel like there's anything wrong with their situation. Saw a few of them in Bruges a few years back as they were trying to enjoy those fat-ass waffles they serve there. They were going on about the CHOCOLAAATE and how they SKIMP ON THE CHOCOLATE in Belgium.
SYSTEM-J
I can't compete with Nick's athletic feats but I am training for a marathon at the moment and it's helped stave off any incipient signs of middle aged spread. I went on holiday in January and spent two weeks drinking beer and eating fried cheese, and following so soon on the back of the Festivus gluttony, the expanding waist line was definitely starting to show on the holiday photos. Now I'm back under 70kg and feeling better. I'm finding it very hard to get back to that low bodyfat leanness though - it gets harder and harder as my 30s trundle on.
Silky Johnson
quote:
Originally posted by ziptnf
Thank you Jenny! The days when I was heavy and had high cholesterol and other health problems seem like ancient history now. I remember how uncomfortable I was when I was heavy and I can't understand how the really obese people get through life. Probably really poorly. People don't have to be competitive athletes like me, but simply eating less and moving more changes your life completely.
I hear you Nick. My weight has been very stable my whole life. The most it fluctuates is about 10lbs through the winter, but I can notice even THAT. I don't step on the scale too often, I can tell just by how my clothes are fitting. For me it's all about strength and mobility so I can continue to enjoy skiing particularly, and prevent injury. In general though I just need movement. I walk 10-12 km almost every day I have off, or go for a big bike ride. I'm so grateful I don't work at a desk job!
SYSTEM-J
You think a desk job is bad, try working from home. There are days where I probably don't travel more than 300 yards in total if I don't make a conscious effort to exercise.
ziptnf
Oh my word, did Jack just use yank units to describe distance? :D
(edit: just looked this up, apparently imperial is still used across the ocean when dealing with height and weight in particular)
Glad to hear about your marathon training, Jack! I remember a few years ago you had mentioned an injury. I definitely know the feeling. How tall are you? With a 70kg weight, your BMI must be pretty low (aka you're skinny). I'm 5'10" and generally hover between 71-73kg. At my heaviest I was 96kg (212 lbs).
I always wanted an athletic build and while I'm always my own worst critic, I attained what I have today by hours upon days upon weeks upon months upon years of consistent training and work. My Resting Heart Rate (RHR) can fall below 40bpm some days.
As an athlete, however, I am constantly getting FOMO and comparing myself to others. Had kind of a rough training session today where I bonked (ran out of glycogen) and became dangerously dehydrated while running. So the mental side of this is just as difficult as the physical.
Then add in the emotional, where I spent all those months riding my bike alone, swimming alone, running alone in the dark, where the thoughts of my wayward spouse and collapsing marriage weighed heavily on me. Days when I was draped over the handlebars sobbing. Or days when I grit my teeth and pushed through. It was a mental challenge that cannot be duplicated, and has made me a stronger person because of it. That's one of the parts of my "hobby" that doesn't really get talked about much. The days when you wake up and you're sore and exhausted and you just don't want to do it, but you do it anyway. Of all my accomplishments, I think surviving all of that and pressing forward is the one I'm most proud of.
Silky Johnson
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
You think a desk job is bad, try working from home. There are days where I probably don't travel more than 300 yards in total if I don't make a conscious effort to exercise.
I would not do well lol. Also for the fact that my home is entirely my home and not a work space. I don't really know how to explain except that the physical separation of work from home is hugely important to my mental wellness. Like real world compartmentalization.
Lira
In my experience, environment matters a lot: I become a hyperactive gym freak when I'm on my own because I really like working out. I was the lightest I had ever been when I came back from Korea last year. There was a gym open until midnight right next to my flat (I'm a night owl), and I'd climb mountains on weekends, go dancing until the early hours of Sunday morning, and even climb mountains before going dancing until early morning. I have to admit that this is not exactly a pace most people would keep up if I had company.
Depending on how much I have on my plate at work or how much compromising there needs to be done at home (the dishes won't do themselves while I'm Schwarzeneggering it up at the gym), it's unthinkable to spend a couple of hours a day bench-pressing and sweating on a treadmill. I either revert back to my usual weight or go a little over that, then try to revert back as soon as possible. I guess obese people just don't have the drive or the opportunity to reverse this process because, I mean, gorging on cheese until you're 10% Carbon 90% Camembert is often an opportunity too good to pass when you're tired.
Anyway, I came back from the dead just to say the following words:
quote:
Originally posted by ziptnf
Mid-summer racing update!
It has been a busy and successful season so far.
Pure distilled amazeballs. Good to hear you're doing great!
quote:
Originally posted by ziptnf
I'm 5'10" and generally hover between 71-73kg. At my heaviest I was 96kg (212 lbs).
Hah, we're the same. 177cm tall (which I guess is 5'10"), sweet spot is 73 kg, I weighed almost 96kg when I hurt my foot and said "screw it" on the last year of my PhD. I cannot for the life of me, however, run, swim, or ride a bicycle for as long as you do though :toothless
To this day, I believe it's called PhD because your philosophy will be organising your schedule to see how many doctors you'll need once you're done, do not recommend.
quote:
Originally posted by Silky Johnson
I would not do well lol.
This. At one point I resorted to writing my thesis in bakeries because I just couldn't bring myself to work at home, heh :p
SYSTEM-J
My BMI is about 22, which is bang in the middle of "healthy" on the chart. For most of my life I was on the skinny side but in the last three years since moving to Manchester I've gained about 10lbs* of muscle, and these days I look a bit more solidly built. I do find I can't quite hit my old PB paces anymore though with the extra weight.
*We pretty much use metric and imperial interchangeably in this country.
planetaryplayer
Phd = Pizza Hut delivery.
My beer to mass index is probably 6kg of total weight
Lira
:stongue:
I love Pizza Hut, gotta give you that :D
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
My BMI is about 22, which is bang in the middle of "healthy" on the chart.
Wait, did I miss some crucial information or are we all about the same height? For some reason I thought you were like 6'23" or whatever is close to 2 metres in imperial units.
