Losing Weight

It’s very difficult. However, both Donna and I really need to lose weight. I need to lose about 40 pounds, and Donna needs to lose some too. (I’m not going to say how much she wants to lose — I’m transparent, but I’m not stupid) Donna paid for a month at the local “gym”, which is really a physical therapy place that has aerobic classes and such. She LOVES going there, and the exercise is great for her.

I still hate exercise.

I’ve put a lot of thought into this, and it’s not physical activity that bothers me, it’s the lack of accomplishing anything. If we had a woodstove, I would happily chop wood for hours. If I had to crank start our car every morning, I would do so without complaint. Heck, I think if I had to ride an exercise bike in order to generate electricity to watch TV — I would do it. I just hate exercise for exercise’s sake. And no, “getting healthy” doesn’t count as a productive activity. I’m too short sighted for such a thing. 🙂

If it wasn’t for the ice and snow 6 months out of the year, I would buy a bicycle and ride to work every day. But that gets REALLY unpleasant around this time of year. Also, it makes hauling equipment difficult. It also makes it hard to take the kids to school and such. I don’t know what I’ll do on the exercise front, but for now I’m concentrating on food.

Food. I really like food. I’m going to try taking this opportunity to cook more at home, and cook healthier than we’ve been eating. Most of my “specialty” dishes are vegan, and very healthy. (Vegan and healthy are not automatically inclusive) I’m hoping to rekindle my love of cooking, and in turn eat foods that make me skinny instead of fat.

Wish us luck!

17 thoughts on “Losing Weight”

  1. I feel your pain I’d like to lose 44 pounds. The doctor told me small goals is the way to to at that time I wanted to lose 46 pounds. She also said plan on about 2 pounds a week. That was about 2 months ago. sigh. I like your reasoning…something that really needs doing that burns calories, would be great.

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  2. RUN the dog. Bike with the kids, a damn good habit. In winter, with good gloves and boots, you won’t get cold, I guarantee! Don’t you coach that soccer team? Chop wood for an old lady neighbour. Fry nothing, steam. Reduce meat to 1/5 of your plate or 3-4 times a week. I seen your last video…you want to make it to your daughters’s first child right? (and beyond). If that last one doesn’t work think that war can always come and you have to be able to carry them to the next safe place….Being in shape means being able to run at all times. All right, soldier, get MAD! And don’t weight yourself, go by belthole. Godd luck!

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  3. How well do I relate to that? 100%!

    I should loose about 20Kg (40 pounds?), but I don’t like to get tired while doing heavy exercise.

    Those stationary bikes that go nowhere? not for me 🙂

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  4. Richard and I have the exact same complaint you do about exercising. EXACTLY. Doing it is only mildly irritating, but not being able to accomplish anything else while doing it is just unacceptable (and any human being that tells me I should just “love” doing it for my body’s sake can bite me). Oh yeah and did I mention there’s nothing enjoyable about exercising and it just sucks.

    I’ve found success in having a DVR in my exercise corner and watching my favorite tv shows only while I’m on the treadmill. I’ll see Brothers and Sisters recorded (don’t judge) and will want to watch it so badly but will know I can only watch it while on the treadmill, which all in turn forces me to get on the darn thing. Sometimes I run on it, often I simply walk briskly. By the end of a show I’ve typically burned 350 or so calories when exerting little effort.

    I’m sure you’ve seen Richard talk about his new treadmill/laptop set up on his blog, and if not check it out. That may be a really good solution for you too. You’d be surprised how you don’t even think about being on it after a bit and frankly if you can do that for even just an hour or two a day you’re moving sooooo much more than you probably are now. It all counts.

    Anyhow, good luck. I’m dieting again now too starting tomorrow (just looking up recipes for the week in fact). I wish I didn’t love food so much. This would all be much easier. 😉

    Here’s too all of us having success!

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  5. Good luck to you both! I’m excited to see some food posting on your blog! Woo!

    My recommendation to you? Get a pedometer. Make those 10,000 steps a day! Park FAR away from store entrances, instead of right up front. Take the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator. Get up every hour or two at work and walk around for ten minutes — it all adds up!

    Check out what’s close to your house and see what kinds of errands you could walk, too — I read somewhere that the VAST majority of car trips are less than two miles! Hit the pavement, man!

    I hate “exercise” for exercise’s sake, too. I don’t really believe in gyms, but I’ve found ways to become much more active naturally throughout the day, and that’s helped me keep my weight in check for five plus years!

    I originally used the Reader’s Digest “Change One” plan, which was all about buidling healthy habits, instead of dropping pounds. Funny thing is . . . the weight came off anyway, and has stayed off, because of those healthy habits!!

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  6. Good luck to both of you!

    I need to lose at least 40 pounds, and I feel the same way about exercise as you do: if that was the only way I could power my TV, I’d be pedaling like I was biking to Canada and back. But when it’s just because it’s the healthy thing to do, I can’t make myself get up off the couch.

    Food, for me, is sometimes a stress reliever and anti-depressant. At least temporarily…until I get on the scale and realize that this anti-depressant just made me more depressed because of what the scale tells me.

    If you find a way to do it without exercise, please let me know! 🙂

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  7. I built a treadmill desk this week. Works great. I can use the keyboard just fine, but the mouse doesn’t do too well being bounced around. I run about 40 minutes or so before bed while watching hulu or catching up on my RSS feeds.

    If you’re really interested in pedal powered generators you can buy them online ready to go for about $600 or more, or get the plans and try to do it yourself for free.

    http://www.pedalpowergenerator.com/#FREE

    My favorite is this guy who has plans available for about $10 US. I love his pedal powered water pump.
    http://www.gotwind.org/diy/Preliminary_Plans.htm

    A typical person can bike about 0.3 horsepower for two hours before getting tired. That’s roughly 200 Watts of energy before you add in the various loses from everything. You should be able to power a typical laptop all day long, or watch a few hours from a small TV.

    I think you’ll find the biggest challenge is going to be staying on the bicycle seat that long, but if you made a recumbent style generator you should be able to sit comfortably for hours while powering something useful.

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  8. For me, the most effective thing is diet. I realize exercise is important, but if I don’t diet (or “eat healthy”, which sounds more sustainable), I’ll never lose weight.

    I might try the treadmill TV time, or maybe walking the dog with an audiobook or something. Perhaps only getting to listen to the audiobook while walking the dog will be motivation…

    Thanks everyone!

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  9. For what it’s worth: Studies have shown that it’s actual physical fitness and not weight that improve weight. In one set of studies they took people at risk for major health issues and got them exercising. They were forbidden to lose weight. Long term the people who exercise regularly and eat healthy — without obsessing about “oh my god I ate something *bad* — live longer and healthier lives than those who worry about every bite and struggle for weight loss.

    So go for walks with the kids or the wife and/or the puppy, gyms are good if you’re willing to keep up with it, and at home get the kids involved, too. Exercise is the key to everything. Be fit and your health will come no matter what you weigh.

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  10. I’m in the same boat. I sit all day long at work. Unfortunately, pushing electrons around doesn’t burn calories. I LOVE food. I love it so much that the only way I’ve been able to lose any weight is to count calories and add exercise. Counting satisfies my need to convert actions into data I can measure. As in “OMG my favorite Korean lunch has how many grams of fat!” Karate satisfies my need to accomplish something while exercising, but it only works up to a point. Karate is more strength training than aerobic activity. I’m stuck using an elliptical for that and it’s mind numbingly dull, dull, dull.

    Don’t give up, eventually you’ll see improvement. I’m down nine pounds this month with only forty to go!

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  11. I cut all starches and sugars from my diet and I dropped 85 lbs. In a year. That started 2 1/2 years ago and I still haven’t put it back on. Getting rid of the sugar cravings (which happens after 2 weeks) was key for me, that and walking. Walking, walking, walking. One need not run or even jog, though I’ve worked up to that now and I actually enjoy it. “Running on a treadmill” != “Running in the real world”. Oh, and I’m working on convincing myself that “food” != “love”. 🙂

    Whatever your approach, Go Man Go!

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  12. I also need to lose weight, and a lot more than you. I’ve already dropped about 50 lbs (that last five I keep bouncing around). Drop drinking pop. Once I did that those first 30lbs were easy.

    Also, just got a Wii Fit. It may not be like real “work” or accomplishment, but they do give you rewards by unlocking more strenuous exercises. Plus it’s like playing simple video games.

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