Gym?

[King Malachite]

I figure an update is due on my situation.  I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was creeping on the danger side, so I'm on blood pressure medicine again, and soon to be on Vitamain D (Vitamin D was low too and cholesterol was a bit high).  My doctor also told me to drink nothing but water for a month to see what that does.  I didn't quite stick to it towards the end, but I did lose six pounds.  I was actually 256 when to the doctor, and when I went back, I was 250. He was proud of me because he said some people cannot drink water.  It made me very irritable, but I have gotten used to it.  I did drink a Mt. Dew yesterday, and it just didn't taste the same.  I suspect I can get "re-sensitized" to drinks other than water again, so I'm going to still cut back and only drink that for the most part....or at least I will try. I also asked him if I was okay to workout at a gym (my father didn't want me to sign up until I got medical clearance), and he told me yes.  I weighed myself about half an hour ago and the scaled said either 247 or 248.  I couldn't quite read it because it wasn't digital, and the markings were small. 

About the gym: I haven't signed up yet, because I wanted to try and get in more physical activity before I did.  I now add a little bit more walking in.  Last week I did a 3.2 mile walk, and I walk do my Dr.'s appointments and library now when I have to.  One thing that I find actually helps me get more physically active is jogging in place while listening to military cadences.  I now sneak that in while washing dishes.  I hate washing dishes, but this makes it a lot more enjoyable.  I did that today for about 15 and I had sweat pouring down my face. I'm sure the heat from the hot water I used had a major effect, but it was still awesome.  It was super low impact, but I could kind of feel it in my legs.  I like to chant along with them and it helps keep me going.  The funny thing is, when I was done, I wanted to keep jogging, so did so to about four of my favorite songs before stopping.  Now I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate that to a near-daily thing.  Maybe twice a day for 15 minutes each?  I'm not sure.  I actually want to try this running on an actual track, so I made a playlist on Youtube dedicated to my favorite songs from the "Run to Cadence" CDs, and pick the best songs to either buy the CD to or buy the individual track from Amazon.  I purchased the "Green Berets" edition as a sample for me and it should be here within the next week or so.   


Oh, we didn't get to go to Busch Gardens btw due to an economic  mistake on our youth assistant's part.  :/  However, I did spend some time at their gym, and it was fun.  I find that particularly like lifting weights.  There was a certain weight machine there where I put my back against it, and lift weights from the back.  The weights were rectangle, and had holes on the side with a peg you put in them, and the lower you put the peg, the heavier the weights are.  Is there a particular name for that machine?

This is the right way to do it! Set small, short-term goals for changing things: make a small change like cutting out those fries and milkshakes, adjust to that, then pick something else, like walking somewhere you go regularly instead of riding there... Make each of these things a habit before moving on to the next one, and pretty soon they start adding up to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are a couple of sites I like for this stuff -- they have some good advice and suggestions.

http://ftmguide.rassaku.net/fitness1.htm

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/11/10/healthy-eating/

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/tips-and-tricks-for-healthy-shopping-on-a-budget

Thanks for the links, Tysilio!  I checked all of them out and they give me a good place to start when it comes to nutrition.  I especially enjoyed the last link, which gave me tips of the types of food I should go organic on and the ones that would be fine without, which is something I have always wondered about..  Now I just got to figure out how to fit those meals into my budget.

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

Well done on resisting the Milkshake. do that often enough and you'll have your gym membership fee in no time!

It sounds to me like you have the right attitude and the right ideas, you just need a direction to focus. Good luck finding that thing that will encourage you to keep it up.

Thanks, LoriLorenz!  I often think about my motivators to help me want to lose weight.  Those motivators include me getting enough weight down and being physically fit enough to join the military, and/or be at a healthy weight to have a phalloplasty done.  Those are the two things that are constantly on my mind as my ultimate goal(s). 

- Do you prefer to work out at a gym, or at home?  Please tell me why you prefer this.

I started out working out at home, and then joined the gym after 2 years. I saw slight results the first few months, but they were only slight and then it plateaued completely. Now that I'm at the gym, I can progress at a much faster pace in an environment that gets me much more pumped up for my workout (working out in front of a tv just reminds me of how much I'd rather be watching tv than working out). I cannot express enough just how much of a difference the gym makes. I get sick every winter and pretty much don't workout all season, but because I have access to a bunch of great gym equipment, once I make it back into the gym I make progress in leaps and bounds. If I were still working out at home, I could never achieve such good, fast results.

- If you work out at Anytime Fitness, please tell me what it is like, and if you like it.

I've joined Planet Fitness, and I really love that place. I've never inquired about Anytime Fitness (the one by me I've heard is expensive), but it looks pretty legit inside.

- If you pay for a gym membership, how to you personally stay motivated to get up and go there to work out on a weekly basis?

I don't workout all the time, mostly cuz I'm always sick or my work schedule messes me up too much. But I do what I can, and try to motivate myself everyday by waking up and remembering the changes I'm trying to achieve (this pertains to my exercise regime and my dieting). Since I've stopped really smoking and drinking, sometimes when I get the really strong urge for these crutches, I put on some workout clothes and get moving instead.

- Advice for a morbidly obese transguy that wants to work out at a gym?

First off, I think morbidly is a poor choice of words for your weight. You're not quite that overweight.

Second, cardio will be your friend. I prefer the eliptical cuz the treadmill hurts my shins something awful. I HATED cardio before, but once you push past those first 5-10 minutes of pure agony, it gets much easier. I was only doing MAYBE ten minutes at a time, then one day realized I should be doing more for myself. Once I put in that first day of 30 minutes on a stationary bike, I felt like I had pushed past that point that always made me stop before, and it almost became easy!

Also, I do mostly weight lifting, but do 15 mins cardio before and after my workout, and it makes me feel like I've worked out much harder. If youre interested in weight training as well, I'd suggest alternating weight and cardio days. Since weight loss is your main goal, maybe 30 mins cardio everyday, and then weight training every other day or so. If you can't make it to the gym everyday, do cardio videos at home to keep yourself on track! If you can manage to workout 5+ days a week, I'd say do 60 mins cardio on cardio days, with 30 on weight days.

Another thing I wanna mention, cleaning up my diet has changed my life. While weight hasn't really been a problem for my all my life, I've always been in terrible health. Since I've started on a clean diet, a lot of my problems have cleared up almost completely! I'm now completely disgusted by all the foods I used to eat just knowing what they did to my body.
As far as starting out a good weight loss diet, I've been drinking hot water with lemon in it every morning before I eat or start my day (real lemon, not that awful juice in a bottle). It's supposed to be good for kicking up your metabolism throughout the day. I also like green tea some days for the same reason.

Good luck dude, just remember anything's possible, you just have to keep your mind on the right track! Don't forget your goals! Wake up every morning and remind yourself of your plans to stay healthy for the day. And do a little bit of research on dieting and working out. When you know how to properly workout, your results will get much greater!

Lol I wish I was classified as "overweight"  According to the BMI chart, I am morbidly obese.  My sister is a runner, and she was saying something similar about how it gets better after if you can get past that "agony" point, and then it is lather, rinse repeat, so it must be some truth to that. 

I'm an obese guy. I went from 220 to 160 (then back up to 180 but we'll skip that part). There are two main components of weight loss, there's diet and there's exercise. The problem is that you will get hungry when you exercise.
If you live alone, or have a space to yourself, work out at home. The thing I started with was walking. Try to walk in situations where you would have a short drive. If there's nothing nearby, just walk around your neighborhood. If the weather is crummy, walk around your house. Climb stairs. If you want to make walking easier and more enjoyable, get audio books. Keep a pedomiter on you or download an app to help you keep track (I use moves on android).
Set small realistic goals that increase as you go on. I tend to set my daily activity goal to walking 2-5 miles. This can be achieved easily with daily activities. Maybe sign up for a charity race and have your goal as completing a 3k run within a certain amount of time.

When it comes to the diet portion of weight loss, that's where the trouble is. A serving of food is like a handful, so counting how many servings I was eating was difficult. I didn't even know a handful of chips was a serving til I looked at the back of the label and counted. Get a food diary. Write everything you eat and how many servings. Don't try to hold back, you're more likely to write less than what you actually ate.
Eat all the veggies you want. Lettuce, carrots, celery, broccoli, radishes, cauliflower....beats...peppers. There's others I just can't think of more veggies right now.
Why eat tons of veggies? They're low in calories for the amount you eat.

Just giving an absurd example that's probably not accurate: 6 pounds of broccoli has the same amount of calories of a tablespoon of cooking oil. So if you eat more veggie you'll have less overall caloric intake while still feeling full.

I did previously have a planet fitness membership. It was in my budget at the time and there wasn't a contract. The only downside of a gym like that is the lack of structure for the price. If I wanted a lot of guidance I would need to go to an expensive gym.

Alsoooo want to say that losing weight does not necessarily mean healthier. You can be fat and overall healthy. You can lose weight and become more unhealthy.

You may have written a lot, but I really do appreciate the information.  I took your advice and ordered a pedometer.  However, i went he cheap route and brought it from China on Ebay, so it should be here next month.  I thought about the audiobook idea.....and even music while doing activities.  I'm looking into buying a n iPod/Mp3, to store music, but the thing is, I don't have the slightest clue as to where to start.  I'm doing the  research on that is best for me (probably Mp30 and I'm still confused.  I am really behind on technology, so until I figure it out, I reckon downloading songs on my PSP will have to do for now.  Portion sizes is what really gets me.  I live with my mom, and she's the one who brings in the groceries, a lot of it being junk food and soda, but also vegetables when  she can afford them, so I take advantage of that and eat all the salad she makes for me, much to her chagrin because there's usually none left for my brother, lol.

Take up something on the side if you can! Even just walking around the block once a day can do wonders for your health.  Also, try to permanently change your eating habits, slowly but for the better.  All I have done recently is reduce the amount of sugar I am eating per day and i feel a lot of fat has gone away.  Though the last five years i have been eatinga  ton more broccolli and kale and trying to eat stuff like soy that supposedly helps boost T.  There are foods that do that, but I forget where!

I am a huge fan of broccoli!  I could eat that everyday and not get tired of it.  I haven't tasted kale, so I should put that on my list of healthy foods to try. What does it taste like?

Best advice I can give is what I had to focus on myself. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Wear comfortable clothes that won't restrict you or make you self conscious. Go with a plan in mind of what you want to do or focus on before you get there. The more I wandered around trying to figure out what I wanted to work on, the more self conscious I would get. If I had it planned out ahead of time I was able to focus better on just what I was there to do.

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions of people who know more than you do, just wait until they're not in the middle of a set.

Awesome advice!  Thank you!  I find  that I am the most comfortable in sweatpants or shorts, but probably sweatpants more because the shorts tend to get stuck in my thighs.  :/

[aleon515]

Another workout at home (though there are gym workouts in there):
http://hasfit.com/

Stands for "heart and soul" fitness.
Nice at the "lower end of the scale": short workouts, beginner work outs of all kinds. There are yoga, "rehab exercise", weights, "body-weight", etc.

*Very* clear in showing how to do the routines. There are more advanced workouts. Everything is free. No equipment required (though a pair of weights gets you more workouts). Diet programs, etc. ("clean diet" nothing fancy. It's how I eat and tried the low fat skillet lasagna, amazing!!). 

There's an app for $2 (android and iPhone-- the iPad is really nice, can do all the exercises using this).
For beginners (can't judge for others), really nice.

BTW, at home I exercise in lounging pants, but I think kung fu pants or gi pants would be amazing.


--Jay

[Ayden]

I was going to suggest 15 minute aerobics spurts, but sounds like you beat me to it!

I found that just moving increased my health overall. I'm a writer and a teacher, so a lot of what I do can be done on my butt, but I try to move around as much as possible. In my classes I tend to get pretty animated and I get up and down a lot. At home I'll work on a project and then every 1,000 words or so I get up, listen to some music and do stretching, calisthenics or something else to get my heart going. Whenever I'm on the phone to family I pace around. Just moving can be a great way to get more in the mindset to exercise.

There's a radio program here that plays on my street every day at 3pm that was designed to be a short, 10 minute exercise for office workers. It's basic but I've found that it's actually very enjoyable and it changes enough that you don't get bored. Try looking up radio taiso routines. It's Japanese, but I'm sure you could find it in English.