Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm currently debating whether or not I want to switch gyms. I'm free and clear of the two-year obligation at my current gym. It's served me well and I've gotten to know some of the other people who go there and get along well with them. There are things I don't like about it, however, like the dolts who do curls in the only squat rack in the gym, the large groups of young kids who hog equipment and don't let you work in with them during their social hours, etc. (in other words, the usual bullshit you see at most commercial gyms) and I've thought about going to a more serious training environment.
The gym I'm considering would only cost me $10 a month more and there's no long-term contract. It was ranked among the top 20 gyms in the country by Men's Health. It's more of a powerlifting/strongman gym and has more equipment geared toward that kind of training (power racks, reverse hyper benches, etc). It also has boxing equipment and classes (because I write about boxing, it might be a good idea to get a little first-hand experience).
This other gym is actually a little closer to where I live, while my current one is about halfway between home and work.
The drawbacks to the place I'm considering are that there are no showers (though it's close enough to home that with proper time management it shouldn't be a problem and there is also a shower at work), while it's closer to home, the traffic I'm likely to run into is a lot heavier and this place's greatest value is its personal training which is currently beyond my means (though it is offering new members two orientation sessions to learn how to use the equipment).
If you were me would you switch gyms or stay put?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Does anyone know anything about exercise-induced anaphylaxis? I can't exercise much because of some other physical issues I have, but when I do any kind of aerobic exercise, except for swimming, the uncovered portion of my skin below the neck, starts to itch uncontrollably. If I wear a long-sleeved shirt and pants, I only itch a little, but if I wear anything that leaves my arms or legs exposed, the itching begins and doesn't stop until I stop. I've never mentioned it to a doctor, because it's never been a problem, since I don't exercise much. Something just made me think of it, so I thought I'd see if any of you folks had any experience/ideas.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

14 mile run yesterday felt good, even though it was 85 degrees.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I just returned to my healthy lifestyle after a five-month binge. I gained back all 30 pounds that I had shed. I bought an exercise bike. In about five days, I've shed eight pounds. I'm expecting things to slow down in about a week.

My issue tonight is that I need a good dose of willpower to overcome the urge to eat. I put off dinner for too long. Now I have my eye on this five-cheese DiGiorno pizza. I bought it because it was on sale. I usually get the California Pizza Kitchen variety, which tend to be fairly healthy for pizza.

Anyway, this thing has 360 calories per serving with 15 grams of fat per serving. A serving size is one-quarter of the pie. I had a 600-calorie salad for lunch and then a 400-calorie snack (baked wrap with ham and cheese and onions). I also had 200 calories from tapioca pudding.

I'm a fat dude, and my daily caloric intake to maintain weight is actually 3,500 calories. I took a short walk, mowed the yard and also burned 250 calories on the bike today. What I want to hear is that I can just sit down and eat the entire fucking 1,500-calorie pizza without concern.

But I know that would be a mistake. Should I try eating half? Or should I just fix something else before this hunger gets the best of me?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Well, nobody responded. Can't a guy get a little help?

I went with Boar's Head honey ham with provolone. Basically, I made two hot ham and cheese sandwiches. I'll probably add some sort of condiment to the stuff. It sounds tasty. I managed to go from thoughts of an entire pizza and its 1,400 calories and 45 grams of fat to 600 calories and 12 grams of fat.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Stop buying the pizzas. Even if they're on sale, even if they're free. Not only are they dripping in fat, they're also loaded with sodium and have almost no nutritional value.

Not sure about the 12g fat in the two ham sandwiches, though....just the cheese is probably 10. Can you go with one sandwich, or forget the bread?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Try making your own pizza. Use a whole-wheat crust, low-fat cheese (and less of it), and use vegetables and low-fat meats for toppings.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

45 min on a treadmill is not enough, buddy. Why don't you try 60 min weights and then 45 min on a treadmill? And don't forget your diet..

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Meals should be spread evenly throughout the day, like 4 to 6 times or so. More carbs in the morning while reducing those towards the evening while increasing the fats (but only the good ones, such as nuts, avocado, olive oil, salmon).

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

What worked really good for me is two days on higher carbs, low fat, moderate to high protein, followed by very low carbs, high fat and high protein. This way your metabolism never has the time to adjust. You burn fat while simultaneously maintaining - even increasing - lean muscle mass.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Sounds like a good plan.

I ate my pizza today. It's gone. Shared it with my girl. I guess I had about 1,000 calories and 30 grams of fat. But that served as both breakfast and lunch.