My weight loss, which had been going well has sort of plateaued.
I’ve been told to increase my cardio to break through it.
So I bought an exercise bike. I have arthritis in my spine and being a big guy trying to run, it makes my back go out.
I love to lift. I go to the gym and work out with weights for an hour and love every minute of it. The more it burns, the better.
Ten minutes on that fucking bike in my garage and I’m ready to give up nuclear launch codes.
I just don’t understand people who like to run or bike, they have to be nuts.
I’ll push through this because I want to get healthier for my kids, but don’t expect me to enjoy it. I’d rather be doing pullups.
Try spending twenty minutes on a heavy bag, incorporating footwork and a variety of punches. You’ll need a pair of bag gloves.
How I broke through this same challenge was to do the following. Eat five very small meals spaced out in accordance with your active daily periods. Have the first one at 5 a.m. and the last one at 5 p.m. No snacks whatsoever. Each meals should be small enough to barely fit on a six inch plate–no stacking. Should be 80% protein and 20% healthy carbs.
When you stop losing weight, cut back one of the meals and or, downsize the meals slightly. Keep the same protein to carb ratio. And remember, once you start to exercise, you’ll need to always keep that level of exercise or you’ll gain weight back.
I chose to not do any increase in exercise until I lost 70 lbs. over a 10 month period. I did then start to carry a large backpack filled with water and ammo and two rifles and one sidearm (Eberlestock Upranger Pack) for enjoyable exercise over a two mile hike daily to get conditioned.
Feel like ten million bucks right now and could not be happier. Sounds like you might need to skip the backpack weight I’m using however, since you back is not as healthy as mine.
Keep after it, you’re right, your children are more than worth it. And so are you, not to mention your wife as well.
I lost 25 pounds in a couple of months when I started intermittent fasting. I just squeezed my meals into the hours between 11am and 4pm and didn’t make any other changes. I already lift 3 times a week.
I bike a lot but avoid stationary bikes as boring. It feels less like work if you’re actually getting somewhere. That said, my few encounters with humid Southern weather on a bike make staying indoors and watching C&Rsenal videos on a stationary bike more appealing.
I enjoy riding for fun, but not for health. I have back issues myself, so I can’t run if I’m over a certain weight. Try an elliptical machine — they feel weird at first, but are easy on the back and joints and have a high calorie/minute payback.
+1 on the elliptical, keeps your back in a more neutral posture. Also look at recumbent exercise bikes, you’re upright w/ back support.
Enjoying running is Stockholm syndrome. But once you do it is actually enjoyable.
I know – everyone has their own magic tricks. I can recommend a half dozen books. Short answer – if you don’t like riding, don’t do it. Lifting could be better for you anyway. So far, I’m down 55 pounds. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who have lost over 100, and a few who’ve lost over 200.
Let me relay the one I think is most important. Exercise has virtually no effect on weight. Nor does thinking “I’m going to burn some more calories”. People are not laboratory instruments. You can’t just think “I’m going to eat less” and not either (1) get more hungry or (2) have less energy and get cold (which has its benefits in Florida in summer – although it’s terrible for your health). Likewise, you can’t just say, “I’m going to burn some more calories” without the same two effects!
When did the world lose the concept of “working up an appetite”? Why should it be the least bit surprising that exercising can make you more hungry?
You’re an engineer so you’ll get this: they’re not independent variables. You can’t change one without affecting the other.