TIME TO GET RRRIIIIIIIPPED!!!!! - the exercise thread

Chiming in to echo that only 1k calories is not good, and definitely confusing your body into holding on to everything, like you mentioned. Budgie's advice is really solid. I'd also suggest protein shakes or powder to supplement nutrients/get them without feeling like you're overeating. Also, you're definitely on the right path with whole grain carbs. You might look into the GI method of eating - one of the tenets us eating sugars that take a long time to digest, which is better for blood sugar.

 

@Kaylotta thank you for the info. it seems like most fruits have low GI ratings because of the fiber also present, so i shouldn't be worried about eating a serving or two per day especially if i'm also eating the skin on stuff like apples... i'd pretty much only be in trouble if i was going full fruititarian or something.

i have tried some diet shakes in the past and been all right with them, i could try to find some protein ones or protein powder. i am honestly kind of scared though that if i start eating -more- that i'll just balloon up more. and i know that isn't necessarily how that will work but it is a real fear. but man a friend of mine who does serious weight lifting linked me to something to see how many calories i should be eating and even the 'lose weight fast' category is at like 1500 calories. and i could be eating 2000 calories a day and still be losing weight at an average pace. that's just so mind boggling to me when i struggle to eat 800.

 

@Aniseed re calories: yup. though if you've struggled w/anorexia before, it makes sense that your brain throws this stuff at you. a couple really close people in my life have also struggled w/anorexia, so i've seen a little of what it does. :( sucks big-time.

what i think will happen, with my limited knowledge of biology - your weight will probably fluctuate? because your body will be learning what to actually do with the energy you're giving it, while you're still working out like you were before. meaning you'll start losing fat, but gaining muscle tone. right now your workouts aren't really targeting what you want them to, because your body can't give up its energy reserves. on the other hand, once you start getting enough calories, you'll already have the muscle memory to gain muscle tone. remember that the number of your weight does not reflect what that weight is comprised of. 150lbs muscle != 150lbs fat. (which i'm sure you know, just bears repeating.) you may be better off looking at other representative numbers - like, maybe measuring your waist, or number of reps, or how much you're squatting/pressing/whatever exercise you're doing. those will better represent what your body is actually doing.

i dunno, i'm just spitballing. i know how frustrating it is to try to exercise when depressed, though i haven't got the double-whammy of anorexia background. i'm not hungry, but i don't have the energy to exercise, and i'm so incredibly out of shape. so i need to eat more and better, but i also have high cholesterol, which means i shouldn't eat certain foods, but those foods are easier than the healthy foods, and ... so on.

 

Hello friends I am a wimp in body strength who wants to get strong. Just sorta posting here because boy do I tend to do things more often when I feel like people are expecting me to.
Also I've had a sort of wish to lose ~10 pounds for a while? I dropped 10 excess I'd gained last year over the summer, I'm 5'3" and 145 right now, I've been down to 135 back some years ago and I liked how I looked at that weight a lot so I'd like to reach it again.. but I don't feel a huge urge to do that so I just. haven't.
also i'm going abroad in.. four days so idk how well I can keep track of how much I'm eating while I'm like ?????? what even is what i'm eating?

 

@amberbydreams So how is plan get strong going?

 

Signed up for a marathon on September 18. I'm officially crazy. Longest run to date: 13.1 miles. 164 days to go.

 

JROTC was/is a really good way to get some exercise in twice a week for me. Sometimes we'd do really fun stuff like "speedboat races" where 4 cadets sit on the floor, lock their legs around each others waists, and scoot across the floor using only arm power (plus the person whose legs were free). Sometimes we'd do goat trails and pushups until a couple people threw up (or passed out and had to be carried to the classroom by another 2 cadets and gently placed on the floor with some pants as a pillow, but that only happened once). Plus it got me up to 41 pushups on a 2-second cadence, which was hellish but I FUCKING WON so it's fine. I really want to work on my core strength, though! I'm awful at curl-ups and crunches, plus they hurt my back because I'm a slacker who never does physical therapy exercises.

 

Haha wow I like forgot I posted this. I haven't been working out but I have been walking a lot more. I'll start some muscle stuff for my arms tomorrow, today I'm on a like 5 hour walking tour sooo that works

 

Marathon upd8: 124 days, a little less than 18 weeks to go. I made a goddamn spreadsheet with ALL the runs I have to do and sent it to my brother. I figure I'm less likely to talk myself into skipping runs if someone can text me and ask "so did you do the thing?" I might even link the spreadsheet here for extra accountability.

The schedule is super important because I have a bad hip. I fucked it up early in 2013 and never got a satisfactory diagnosis. The pain eventually went away, but ever since, it is a special snowflake that needs to be babied. If I push even a tiny bit too hard, it locks up and incapacitates me for weeks. Goal of the schedule: ramp up slowly enough that I never push farther than my hip can handle.

Right now I'm at 5 days a week and 20-ish miles a week. I go up to 6 days a week in mid-June. I'll peak around 50 mpw in late August.

It looks a little scary laid out like that, but also doable as long as nothing goes too badly wrong. I'm ready! Bring on the miles!

 

it finally occurred to me that i could actually, theoretically, go to the community centre/pool that i walk past on my way to the grocery store. i just have to sort out the ole "what the hell how do i swimwear" issue that i haven't even touched since i got my insulin pump 3 years ago. in the meantime i want to try doing pushups again! should go look up how to start off with knee pushups, hm.

 

Personally for swimwear I do a sports bra + guy shorts combo for ultimate comfort (and because I think it makes me looks like a cute lesbian, which is always the look in goin for)
Tho I suggest actual made for swimming swim top over my sports bra method, it tends to drag down a lot

 

This is the kindest and most realistic article about exercising while depressed that I've ever read.

 

If it's a different type of hurt, stop. Like, if you always have a sort of dull ache in your lower back after rowing, but all of a sudden it's a stabbing pain, you've at best overdone it, and might have tweaked something to boot.

 

Just remember the right movement: legs-back-arms-arms-back-legs

I rowed for 2,5 years on and off, and you can really mess up your muscles if you do anything else.

This is a good explanation:


(I tell this to everyone who starts rowing, because man, I've seen people do stupid things on rowing machines XD)

 

That said, rowing is seriously awesome :D (Even better in an actual boat ;))

 

I know fuckall about arthritis, but my right hip started hurting me when I was 15. I've found that a little walking, especially slowly (shopping, ugh!), is excruciating and requires a cane. If I can pick up the pace and actually stride and get things warmed up the pain goes away pretty quickly.

Desk jobs are murder. I was in decent fitness before I started sitting at a computer all day every day for money. My last job they wouldn't even let me leave my desk unless I had a "good reason". I took walks for my lunch break and got a standing desk but standing only takes you so far. Now I'm working a split shift and fighting sleep issues and back pain, so that helps. I used to to armored sword fighting, which is great exercise but high-impact. I've had to stop for long stretches because my body has trouble taking it, especially my knees. I really want to get in shape to do it more.

I bought a new used bicycle last weekend and rode it home from the store, and promptly sliced my hand open the next day so I haven't been able to use it.

 

I really want a treadmill since I pace anyways and feel like that would work better for me excersizing. I can't afford one, doubt my parents will buy me one, and the stationary bike we have is is flimsy and top heavy i'm afraid i'll fall over when i'm on it. Also, walking is great excersize when i'm just watching netflix or whatever anyways.