Smoking cessation, weight gain, procrastination

[lowendgenerator]

May 1st of this year, I fell down a flight of stairs. No broken bones, but a nasty sprained ankle with torn ligaments and muscle tissue. This was a blessing in disguise. Being laid up on the couch, doped outta my mind, made it easy to quit smoking once and for all. I had wanted to quit for years, and nothing stuck. Not being able to move was a great motivator.

Fast forward a few months. I'm healing up nicely, I can walk without a limp, and there's only the occasional morning stiffness in my ankle. I start to notice that I'm getting pudgier than normal around the middle. My flesh has become soft, and I'm getting stretch marks around my sides. So I decide to make a few changes to my diet. I start avoiding cheeseburgers and fast food like it's the devil, and try to take it easy on the pizzas. I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, stir-fry, boca-burgers, etc. I did start drinking the occasional pop again, which I know is bad news.

The weight kept on coming. I got a new job, figured being out and about would help shed some pounds. Didn't realize I would be sedentary 95% of the time I was working. Ambulance driving is one of the easiest, laziest jobs there is. The only time my heart rate got up was when I was responding to an emergency. Screw that, this job sucks anyway. So I quit to be a stay at home mom.

I figured, cleaning up after my wife and kids on a daily basis will shed some pounds, right? Wrong. I spend most of my day sitting in front of the computer, usually on Talkbass. I still eat healthy, and the chores get done, but I don't do much else. No lawn to mow, no leaves to rake, no snow to shovel. So I chill and play bass.

So here it is, September, a full four months after my accident, and I'm up to my highest weight ever. I literally cried when I looked at the scale this morning. It's gotten to the point where I'm becoming afraid to eat. I'm hideous to myself, and I cringe when someone wants to take a photo of me. I've decided to grow out my beard to hide the multiple chins developing under my fat face. I'm depressed. I have no motivation. I've never had a problem kick-starting myself to do something. It's like being paralyzed. I have all of the tools to get off my ass and sweat, but I don't do it. I wake up and say "I'm going for a nice long walk today." I get as far as putting on my shoes, and then I get distracted and end up doing something else, like ranting on Talkbass *ahem*.

Do I start taking metabolic suppliments? Join a gym? There's one within walking distance of my house. Go on the Subway diet? Maybe the Wii Fit? I hear that the Xbox Kinect has some great calorie burning games.

One thing's for sure, I've gotta spend less time on the computer.

[carlos840]

As a health freak, i have to say that the easiest way to control your weight is to control what you put in your mouth!

Exercising is only the second step!

Think of it this way, it is a lot easier to not eat those 500 extra calories a day than it is to burn 500 calories!

What i did, (keep in mind that we all have a different body and respond differently to everything) was to to stop eating anything that was fast foot or processed, i also stopped eating simple carbs ( white bread and pasta, white potato, white rice) and fatty foods...Completely got rid of bread and pasta since IMO they are mostly good when covered of crap (cream and cheese on pasta, butter, mayo etc on bread).

Now i eat 5 meals a day, each one has some complex carb (sweet potato, beans, lentils, brown rice) some protein (chicken fish) and some greens (brocolli, green beans, asparagus)

When i first started doing that i very quickly lost around 20 kilos (45 pounds) i then started to exercise a lot, llift weights and got into MMA, since then i have put back on around 12 kg of muscle and am now at 6"3 and 185" with around 10% body fat.


So to sum it up, IMO dont focus on exercising, focus on what you eat, that will show result a lot faster than exercising and still eating crap!

[staindbass]

im sorry to hear that im no expert, but eat alot of vegetables, the are mostly water. i have the opposite problem, im as thin as a rail and can never gain weight.

[lowendgenerator]

Originally Posted by carlos840

As a health freak, i have to say that the easiest way to control your weight is to control what you put in your mouth!

Exercising is only the second step!

Think of it this way, it is a lot easier to not eat those 500 extra calories a day than it is to burn 500 calories!

What i did, (keep in mind that we all have a different body and respond differently to everything) was to to stop eating anything that was fast foot or processed, i also stopped eating simple carbs ( white bread and pasta, white potato, white rice) and fatty foods...Completely got rid of bread and pasta since IMO they are mostly good when covered of crap (cream and cheese on pasta, butter, mayo etc on bread).

Now i eat 5 meals a day, each one has some complex carb (sweet potato, beans, lentils, brown rice) some protein (chicken fish) and some greens (brocolli, green beans, asparagus)

When i first started doing that i very quickly lost around 20 kilos (45 pounds) i then started to exercise a lot, llift weights and got into MMA, since then i have put back on around 12 kg of muscle and am now at 6"3 and 185" with around 10% body fat.


So to sum it up, IMO dont focus on exercising, focus on what you eat, that will show result a lot faster than exercising and still eating crap!

I have been watching my food, or so I thought. It's easy to be tricked into thinking what you're eating is healthy. I like to fry up vegetables in a pan with a little sesame seed oil. Asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, maybe even some peppers, and wrap it all up in a wheat tortilla. That's gotta be good for you, right?

Or what about the red beans and rice that I make, using green beans and corn instead of sausage and meat? It's kinda processed, since all I gotta do is open the bag and throw it in the boiling water, but beans are good complex carbs, right?

I think what I need is better education on dieting.

And while I agree that diet is the most important part of losing weight, I feel right now I need to focus more on my non-existant workout routine. My metabolic rate has slowed to a crawl.

[Strohsx]

1. Get a wireless mouse and a netflix account.
2. Get a stationary exercise bike.
3. get off your ass to sit your ass on that bike and watch a crappy movie everyday.

50lbs do not lie.
Also take it easy on the carbs which literally fill vegetarian stuff, more straight protein and lean meat.
Vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean fewer calories, healthier or weight loss.

Lots of fresh veggies and lean meat, hell even quality fatty meat ain't as bad as pasta.

Take it to the bank.
Peaking of which I need to get off my ass.

ALSO:
DON'T DIET, CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Don't just think you are eating healthier, look at the calories you are taking in. Try dropping your calorie intake to 1500-2000 per day.

Drink water.

Join a gym or go running/cycling/swimming 3+ times a week (every day if you can).

Do some weight training if you can.

Any team sports that interest you? Could be a great way to get in some excersise without actually thinking of it as excersise!

[turbo chicken]

weight watchers... it makes tracking what you eat so easy ... I've seen it work with my wife. Amazing really. she really shed the pounds when she actually exercised ... SparkPeople.com is free but not as simple as the weight watchers program... but you track your stuff and can set up a exercise program.

Go to your doctor as well and get a full panel done as well... there may be a change in your body that has happened recently that may be related to the weight gain.


These things are just my expierences thry my wife... and I recently started using spark people... take if for what it is...


last thing... mental health is very very important as well... i recommend seeing a mental health professional. depression is a very serious thing ... it can make you feel like you don't have any energy and you will say "i want to exercise" ... "but im just too tired"... i've witnessed this ... it's a hard to overcome.

[stratovani]

Believe me, you're far better off carrying around the extra weight than smoking. Other than doing hard drugs, smoking is probably the worst thing you can do to your body. The weight's not good for you either, but it's not nearly as bad as smoking.

[IconBasser]

if you think that quitting the cigs is what's causing your weight gain, you could always get an e-cig. Nicotine without all the other crap.

[steamthief]

You need some aerobic activity - running, walking, biking, swimming, etc., to burn calories. If you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight, whether they come from junk food or healthy food. Joining a gym may be a good idea. Muscle burns calories faster than flab, so if you incorporate some light lifting 3x week, the aerobic exercise will be even more effective.

Congratulations on quitting smoking! That will make your aerobic capacity that much better. I'd get a used bike off of craigslist - less stress on knees than running, you can incorporate riding it to do local errands, plus it's just fun to ride a bike! Makes one feel like a kid again.

[Keano]

Originally Posted by carlos840

As a health freak, i have to say that the easiest way to control your weight is to control what you put in your mouth!

Exercising is only the second step!

Think of it this way, it is a lot easier to not eat those 500 extra calories a day than it is to burn 500 calories!

What i did, (keep in mind that we all have a different body and respond differently to everything) was to to stop eating anything that was fast foot or processed, i also stopped eating simple carbs ( white bread and pasta, white potato, white rice) and fatty foods...Completely got rid of bread and pasta since IMO they are mostly good when covered of crap (cream and cheese on pasta, butter, mayo etc on bread).

Now i eat 5 meals a day, each one has some complex carb (sweet potato, beans, lentils, brown rice) some protein (chicken fish) and some greens (brocolli, green beans, asparagus)

When i first started doing that i very quickly lost around 20 kilos (45 pounds) i then started to exercise a lot, llift weights and got into MMA, since then i have put back on around 12 kg of muscle and am now at 6"3 and 185" with around 10% body fat.


So to sum it up, IMO dont focus on exercising, focus on what you eat, that will show result a lot faster than exercising and still eating crap!

I don't entirely buy into the whole "5~6 meals is more ideal than 2~3" thing, but I do agree with the general intent of this post. Your diet is definitely half of the battle, if not more.

Originally Posted by lowendgenerator

I have been watching my food, or so I thought. It's easy to be tricked into thinking what you're eating is healthy. I like to fry up vegetables in a pan with a little sesame seed oil. Asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, maybe even some peppers, and wrap it all up in a wheat tortilla. That's gotta be good for you, right?

Or what about the red beans and rice that I make, using green beans and corn instead of sausage and meat? It's kinda processed, since all I gotta do is open the bag and throw it in the boiling water, but beans are good complex carbs, right?

I think what I need is better education on dieting.

And while I agree that diet is the most important part of losing weight, I feel right now I need to focus more on my non-existant workout routine. My metabolic rate has slowed to a crawl.

Getting more greens and complex carb is good, but it's not just about what you eat. Learn about caloric and macronutrient (carb/protein/fat) requirements and get in the habit of tracking the things you eat. There are apps for your phones and websites such as livestrong.com that will help you out there, or there's always the old school pencil and paper method; invest $15 on a digital scale to keep things precise.

As for which one to focus on first, having a better diet will improve the progress you reap from your exercises.

[turbo chicken]

^oh yeah... use a scale... until this was added to the routine of documenting what was being consumed... it was just guessing and we were way off

[carlos840]

Originally Posted by Keano

I don't entirely buy into the whole "5~6 meals is more ideal than 2~3" thing, but I do agree with the general intent of this post. Your diet is definitely half of the battle, if not more.

I think it depends what your goals are!

I did see a huge increase in muscle gain when i started spreading my food intake in 5 to 6 meals a day compared to 2 or 3!

For most people its not necessary but if you are trying to gain muscle IMO it really helps...
It also helps reaching your daily protein an food intake without having to eat to much in one sitting!
I for example eat around 150 grams of protein a day, that represents 50 eggs, or 6 cans of tuna or 4 big chicken breasts!

Since i dont really like to rely on whey protein and mainly get my protein from whole foods i would have to eat so much per meal it would be pretty tough to keep up with it!
Spreading it throughout the day makes it more manageable although still not easy!

In the end it is again a personal choice, do you prefer to eat more less often or less more often!



One more thing, dont think of this as a DIET, it will only make it harder, think of it as a lifestyle change!

(regarding scales i never bothered with it, either for me or for food and i dont really count calories, only think i count is protein)