Anyone else trying to lose weight?

[Seareach]

Why is it that everyone on the face of the earth says exercise makes them feel good? Am I the only person in the world who exercises and then feels awful?

trick is to start off slow and build up over a couple of weeks rather than trying to do some massive workout from the get-go. After a couple of weeks you do start to feel good every time you do it....

...says me who hasn't been doing much exercise in the last 6 months! Bah!

[CovenantJr]

It was a clear sign to me that working out hard is pants.

That it is.

Why is it that everyone on the face of the earth says exercise makes them feel good? Am I the only person in the world who exercises and then feels awful?

trick is to start off slow and build up over a couple of weeks rather than trying to do some massive workout from the get-go. After a couple of weeks you do start to feel good every time you do it....

It's not like I plough into massive workouts or anything. I just hate the feeling of exerting myself, and afterwards I feel dirty and irritable. I suppose there's a mild relief at having done a chore that needed doing, but I don't get the feeling lots of people seem to. I loathe the feeling of doing exercise, and I dislike the feeling of having exercised recently.

Must be something psychological.

[aliantha]

This is just what I need -- testimonials to why I should continue to not exercise! Thanks, you guys!

I recently finished reading "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler. He's the former head of the US Food and Drug Administration and a pediatrician. The first section of the book is all about how the food industry -- both processed foods and restaurants -- have gotten us hooked on sugar, fat and salt. He says (and cites plenty of studies to back it up) that the combination has the same psychological effect on humans as other addictive substances -- and has about the same nutritional benefit. Which is to say, the marketers have figured out how to keep us coming back, so that they keep making money, but at the same time they've substantially contributed to the obesity epidemic.

The rest of the book offers some guidelines for reining it in.

I have to tell you that the food industry has certainly done a number on *me*. Just reading the stuff he cites, about the reactions by his test subjects to the mere thought of sugar/salt/fat-laden foods, sent me straight out the door for a Big Mac *and* a can of honey-roasted almonds.

Anyhow, I highly recommend it.

[Cagliostro]

It's not like I plough into massive workouts or anything. I just hate the feeling of exerting myself, and afterwards I feel dirty and irritable. I suppose there's a mild relief at having done a chore that needed doing, but I don't get the feeling lots of people seem to. I loathe the feeling of doing exercise, and I dislike the feeling of having exercised recently.

Must be something psychological.

It probably means you are working too hard. For example - when I do wii fit, I don't feel like I get anything out of it. When I do Dance Dance Revolution, I hurt at the end because I am good enough at it now that the easy ones are boring, and the only ones that offer a challenge kill me now that I am out of shape. But back when I was doing easy and getting better and better at it, I would feel really good doing it each day, and look forward to getting off work and plugging away for an hour. Starting from the beginning on Yourself Fitness kills me, while starting from the beginning on Eyetoy: Kinetic makes me feel good and I work up to where it gets unpleasant. So try something easier, and after a couple weeks, you'll not get that feeling. Or at least that is my experience. But I completely agree that in general I just feel sweaty and broken after working out.

Right now I'm working toward a degree of sloth where Wii Fit is just my pace where I'm pushing myself and work up a sweat every time.

[aliantha]

Sloth -- THAT'S IT!!!

Levered myself up off the couch Sunday morning and went to the natatorium. Got there early enough that I had a lane all to myself. Did 18 laps. Felt really fabulous for a couple of days.

Went back last night after work. Too crowded when I got there the first time (I'm a weenie who doesn't like to share lanes, mainly because I mostly do backstroke and the wake from another swimmer in my lane is baaaad), so I went home and went back about an hour before closing. Swam another 18 laps. Felt moderately okay.

So I'm thinking once again about getting a membership to the fitness center and natatorium. The facility is co-managed by George Mason U. and the county. What keeps putting me off, tho, is the price -- $48/month or $580/year. I might go ahead and do it anyhow. I really like to swim and there aren't really any other choices out here.

Then I thought, hmm, after I get to Denver, I'll need access to a pool. Wonder what a Parks & Rec membership costs there? So I googled it. Care to guess? No? $150/year.

I hate DC.

[AjK]

Hats off to all of you who are plugging away! As I have stated before I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Some small standard tips (that really do help) in addition to eating healthier foods is to spread your food intake out over the day but not eat late. Exercise (even lightly) in the evening to help burn off what you have taken in during the day. If you are hungry later in the evening just tell yourself how good breakfast is going to be! I know this all sounds both cliche and silly but it did help me lose 40 pounds and keep it off. Best of luck to us all!

[Zarathustra]

Exercise shouldn't make you feel bad. Tired maybe, but not bad. Now if you're just getting started, it's going to really, really suck. I hate getting started after a long period of inactivity. But after you've done it for only a couple weeks--less than a month--you start to crave the exhilarating feeling of your heart pumping and blood flowing. Having muscles engorged with blood and limber with stretching is one of the best feelings in the world. So much better than the feeling of atrophy from sitting on the couch all winter. Seriously, when I go for extended periods of time without exercise, I start to ache. Maybe it's an age thing. If you're young, you might not notice how much better it feels to exercise than to sit around. I'm 37. If I go 6 months without working out regularly, I feel 52. But getting back into it, I feel 20. (Ki has headaches if she dosen't work out.)

With that said, I got into pretty decent shape last year after working my ass off, starting in February. And then once I got in good shape, I stopped around June. I started eating and drinking too much. I had a lot of fun last summer. Way too much.

This year, it has been a lot harder getting back into it. I've lost 15 pounds, and I'm just now at the weight I started last year in February! Crap. So easy to put on, so hard to take off. I can't keep that shit up, or I'll be fatter every year.

So, I started jogging last month. I've jogged about 60 miles so far. I've cut my calorie intake to less that 1500/day. It's working, but tomorrow will be our first day at the pool, and I really wish I was 10 pounds lighter.

[Ki]

Sea makes a really good point...start off slow and build. Which is hard to do, at least for me. I usually start off all gangbusters and then injure myself. lol! I can really relate to what Cov Jr is saying but I think slow and consistent is the key. Definitely consistency. Even when you feel grumpy and absolutely do not want to do it, just go and you'll find you feel better afterward.

[Worm of Despite]

Why is it that everyone on the face of the earth says exercise makes them feel good? Am I the only person in the world who exercises and then feels awful?

trick is to start off slow and build up over a couple of weeks rather than trying to do some massive workout from the get-go. After a couple of weeks you do start to feel good every time you do it....

It's not like I plough into massive workouts or anything. I just hate the feeling of exerting myself, and afterwards I feel dirty and irritable. I suppose there's a mild relief at having done a chore that needed doing, but I don't get the feeling lots of people seem to. I loathe the feeling of doing exercise, and I dislike the feeling of having exercised recently.

Must be something psychological.

Nah, probably just out of shape. =P

I used to feel the same way, took a few months, maybe a year, I forget. I intend to have the capacity to run through brick walls till my 40s and to be able to say by my 60s I used every part I had to the fullest. If you wear yourself out you're not accomplishing anything, much less getting the needed healing post-workout to build upon your efforts; always come off strong from your exercises.

So who here can do 40 push-ups? That's the Foul challenge--if you can't do 40 push-ups, you're in worse shape than Foul. Think on that, and be dismayed.

[Zarathustra]

So who here can do 40 push-ups? That's the Foul challenge--if you can't do 40 push-ups, you're in worse shape than Foul. Think on that, and be dismayed.

40? Sure. But I used to be able to do 70 . . even a few one arm push-ups. Sadly, not now. But I will again.

I got the Perfect Push-up hand grip things. It actually makes push-ups harder because you can go down lower. I think it forces you to have the correct form, which always makes it more difficult, but they feel better because your wrists are bent awkwardly.

I don't know what kind of exercise everyone is doing, but if you're trying to build muscle mass, the protein powder shakes are really good. When I mix one up (with frozen fruit) and drink it right before a work out, it makes the workout much easier.

Make sure you are getting enough to eat before and after a workout. That will cut down on the fatigue and irritability. Stretch before and afterward. Don't skimp on stretching. Drink plenty of water, especially if you're exercising outside. And definitely give your muscles a day break for something like jogging. For weight lifting, break your workout sessions into muscle groups and only do one a day, giving that muscle group at least 5 days to rest and rebuild. (Chest, shoulders/triceps, legs, biceps/forearms, etc.). Once every five days for any muscle group is plenty of exercise, especially if you're doing it right (correct form, slowly so that you're not throwing the weight) and if you're going to failure. It's the fastest way to build muscles, and should not take more than 30 minutes of lifting a day. Maybe even 20 (not counting warm-up and stretching) if you've got dumbells and don't have to constantly change out weights. They're a great investment if you plan on keeping this up.

[Ki]

So who here can do 40 push-ups? That's the Foul challenge--if you can't do 40 push-ups, you're in worse shape than Foul. Think on that, and be dismayed.

40? Sure. But I used to be able to do 70 . . even a few one arm push-ups. Sadly, not now. But I will again.

I got the Perfect Push-up hand grip things. It actually makes push-ups harder because you can go down lower. I think it forces you to have the correct form, which always makes it more difficult, but they feel better because your wrists are bent awkwardly.

I don't know what kind of exercise everyone is doing, but if you're trying to build muscle mass, the protein powder shakes are really good. When I mix one up (with frozen fruit) and drink it right before a work out, it makes the workout much easier.

Make sure you are getting enough to eat before and after a workout. That will cut down on the fatigue and irritability. Stretch before and afterward. Don't skimp on stretching. Drink plenty of water, especially if you're exercising outside. And definitely give your muscles a day break for something like jogging. For weight lifting, break your workout sessions into muscle groups and only do one a day, giving that muscle group at least 5 days to rest and rebuild. (Chest, shoulders/triceps, legs, biceps/forearms, etc.). Once every five days for any muscle group is plenty of exercise, especially if you're doing it right (correct form, slowly so that you're not throwing the weight) and if you're going to failure. It's the fastest way to build muscles, and should not take more than 30 minutes of lifting a day. Maybe even 20 (not counting warm-up and stretching) if you've got dumbells and don't have to constantly change out weights. They're a great investment if you plan on keeping this up.

Malik's my personal trainer.

[Fist and Faith]

It's not like I plough into massive workouts or anything. I just hate the feeling of exerting myself, and afterwards I feel dirty and irritable. I suppose there's a mild relief at having done a chore that needed doing, but I don't get the feeling lots of people seem to. I loathe the feeling of doing exercise, and I dislike the feeling of having exercised recently.

Must be something psychological.

My ex and I had a treadmill in the basement. I LOVED it. Loved running in general, even though I've grown too lazy for it. Sleep apnea blew me away for several years, before I was diagnosed and got my CCP sleeping machine. Now Christy and I walk and ride our bikes a lot, and it feels great to exercise again. Getting back to my point, I always enjoyed getting on the treadmill. But I was in the back yard once when my ex was down there on it. I heard her yelling or something, and went to look in the window. She was running along, chanting, "I HATE THIS!! I HATE THIS!! I HATE THIS!!"

[aliantha]

It's not like I plough into massive workouts or anything. I just hate the feeling of exerting myself, and afterwards I feel dirty and irritable. I suppose there's a mild relief at having done a chore that needed doing, but I don't get the feeling lots of people seem to. I loathe the feeling of doing exercise, and I dislike the feeling of having exercised recently.

Must be something psychological.

My ex and I had a treadmill in the basement. I LOVED it. Loved running in general, even though I've grown too lazy for it. Sleep apnea blew me away for several years, before I was diagnosed and got my CCP sleeping machine. Now Christy and I walk and ride our bikes a lot, and it feels great to exercise again. Getting back to my point, I always enjoyed getting on the treadmill. But I was in the back yard once when my ex was down there on it. I heard her yelling or something, and went to look in the window. She was running along, chanting, "I HATE THIS!! I HATE THIS!! I HATE THIS!!"

That's excellent! I can totally relate -- I am *so* not a runner. But I can walk a long way, and I like to swim. A couple of times, I actually got that "runner's high" thing while swimming. A real eureka moment!

Speaking of eureka moments, it occurred to me about a week ago that if I can backpack 10 miles in a weekend, or walk 2 1/2 miles before work, or swim 18 laps twice a week, why, that makes me...athletic. Jeebus. Not a word I'd *ever* associated with myself before. Kinda makes me want to keep exercising.

Anyway, the point being that it's true what they say: the key is to find something you like doing. If running (or whatever) makes you dirty and irritable, try something else.

[Worm of Despite]

So who here can do 40 push-ups? That's the Foul challenge--if you can't do 40 push-ups, you're in worse shape than Foul. Think on that, and be dismayed.

40? Sure. But I used to be able to do 70 . . even a few one arm push-ups.

If I did push-ups more regularly I think I'd be at 70 pretty easy after a few weeks. My grandfather, during his Army days, easily did 80 to 100. I think if a civilian can do 10 push-ups off the floor he's in better shape than 90% of America.

[Ur Dead]

I once lost 150 pounds in a few minutes.. Told the gal to move out!

<Badda boom.. >

[CovenantJr]

trick is to start off slow and build up over a couple of weeks rather than trying to do some massive workout from the get-go. After a couple of weeks you do start to feel good every time you do it....

It's not like I plough into massive workouts or anything. I just hate the feeling of exerting myself, and afterwards I feel dirty and irritable. I suppose there's a mild relief at having done a chore that needed doing, but I don't get the feeling lots of people seem to. I loathe the feeling of doing exercise, and I dislike the feeling of having exercised recently.

Must be something psychological.

Nah, probably just out of shape. =P

I know I'm out of shape. That's why I'm exercising.

[Zarathustra]

Anyway, the point being that it's true what they say: the key is to find something you like doing. If running (or whatever) makes you dirty and irritable, try something else.

Great advice. Biking is one of the most fun. Makes you feel like a kid.

[SoulBiter]

My wife and I work in the same building and are able to eat lunch together. We bring our lunch instead of eating out and we try to bring lots of veggies and low cal stuff. We have an hour for lunch so after we eat we walk 5 laps around the building which amounts to 2 miles. Adding that two miles a day to what we already do makes a HUGE difference.

We also work out 2 to 3 days a week and try to work in some running time. We are trying to work out way up to running in some 10K's soon.

But whatever you try has to be something you can do consistantly. Thats why fad diets and starving yourself doesnt work. You have to find stuff that you can eat that wont make you feel like your are constantly on a diet. You really have to think in the long term and you have to think in terms of healthy not just weight loss.

I hear people at work all the time talking about losing weight and such. Most are looking for a magic pill or something they can buy that will just take the weight off. The problem is there really is no such thing. Some of those same people will be in the lunch room today eating fried chicken tenders and a double order of mac and cheese. Consistant exercise and eating properly is the only way to get yourself at a healthy weight and keep in off.

I can also relate to having to exercise to feel well. At 46, if I sit around for a few days without getting some exercise, I start feeling my age catching up, my body starts aching and I just get tired. As long as I make sure to get off the couch and get some exercise I feel fine.

[AjK]

Well said by Soul Biter top to bottom. Agree 100%. Habits are the key. The old (but good) cliche I have always liked is "There is no finish line".

[CovenantJr]

Yeah, it's more about health for me. Or rather, feeling healthy. I'm not particularly overweight, though I carry a bit of bulk round the middle that I shouldn't. The main things is memory; I vividly recall a few years ago that, while running to escape a sudden downpour, I pelted half the length of a loooong street at a full sprint and didn't even notice I'd done it. I already considered myself out of shape then, so the fact that I couldn't do that now (at least, not without feeling it) galls me. That's what it's about, really. Well, that and not feeling like I have to put a shirt on to answer the door when it's 35 C outside (and inside, for that matter).