I don’t often talk about lifestyle stuff on here, mainly because my lifestyle sometimes sucks. Between too much travel, a love of gaming and an overly busy lifestyle the truth is that my life isn’t anywhere near as balanced as I’d like. One of the things that suffers as a result is my weight. If asked, I’d always say I wasn’t really overweight, that I’m just stocky and a little over my desired weight.
While this is slightly true, the reality is that even for someone of my body mass I’m actually technically overweight. And, while doctors haven’t come knocking at my door or anything, I no longer feel comfortable in my own body. Which sucks.
For the last year, I’ve been making half-hearted efforts to lose weight. I’ve slightly changed my food habits. I bought an elliptical machine. I used to do 100 crunches a day. I bought an application to help me track my calories. At one point I got down to 225 (from a high of 245). Then I got sick and had 3 weeks of travel in foreign countries where I couldn’t even read the menu and blammo. Back to 240.
After 2 months of vague trying, I’m now down to 230 again and, thanks in no small part to Jason Calacanis’s “fatblogging”, I’ve decided to do something about it.
What I’ve decided to do, for a change of pace, is to use a new online fitness app, Traineo. Traineo does all the stuff my desktop app does (track activity, food, lots of nice graphs, etc). In addition, though, it allows you designate 4 people as “Motivators”. These people get access to your stats and get to act partly as cheerleading squads and partly as drill sargeants pushing you to “be all you can” (or, erm, be less than you are… or as little as you can be… or something, heh).
My goal weight is somewhere in the 200-210lbs range (which’d put me at about 17% bodyfat, which is fine going into the summer), for June 30th (my birthday).
So, if anyone’s interested in helping out, let me know. I don’t mind folk being hardasses with me. Telling me off. Encouraging. Whatever. I probably won’t select 4 hardasses, but 1 or 2 would definitely help.
Interested?
February 21st, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Wow! I should really join you with this effort, but more as a participant and not necessarily the drill sergeant or cheerleader. I’m around 255 now and would like to see between 220-230 to start and then we’ll go from there. With the issues surrounding my gall bladder and general energy, this would be a good effort. Thanks for sharing the Traineo site as well, that looks like a great resource.
February 21st, 2007 at 1:14 pm
how tall are you? 200 is still a lot of weight to carry around.
You mention you bought an Elliptical, does this mean you don’t use it often?
Crunches while nice for the abs & stomach, are not going to help you drop pounds. You need to find a cardio exercise you enjoy, be it cycling, jogging, treadmill, cross country skiing, or the elliptical. Then all you need to do is half an hour a day of cardio. Keep your caloric intake where it is now, and you’ll drop around a pound/week. to drop more weight, do more activity.
Also, i don’t know if you drink a lot of juice, pop, sugary coffee creations etc, but you should cut them out entirely. Drink water, water and some more water.
These simple actions will see you losing the weight you want to.
btw, what program did you purchase for caloric tracking? I always suggest people use http://www.fitday.com as it’s free, online and does a great job.
February 21st, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Traineo looks like it might as well be called “you’re a fatty 2.0″.
Is it more about getting people to push you, or keeping track of your weight/diet/exercise?
February 21st, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I would be more likely to be a participant also. I haven’t been on a scale in a while, but I’d guess I’m probably pushing 270. I’d feel pretty svelte at 230!!
February 21st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
David: I think it’s both.
Robb: I’m 6 feet tall. With my muscle mass, 200 would put me in the 15% body fat range, which is more than adequate. We have an elliptical, and I do about 10km/week on it right now. My plan is to do that, do 3 days a week at the gym, 5 days a week of cardio, as well as the crunches (which are just as much about lower back as anything for me). I already drink about 2-3L of water/day. And use FitDay.
My issue isn’t knowing what to do, it’s sticking to it. Which is where apps like Traineo and the Motivators concept might come in handy.
Sounds like you might be a good volunteer Rob
February 21st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
If you want to lose weight, you should work out. There is no way around this. Walk the dog, ride a bike, try not to drive to run close errands, join a club, workout watching tapes. I am sure there is some sort of activity you can do, Locate it, and do it.
The best thing is to lower calorie intake, and increase exercise. This way you are burning more calories while still eating, though just not as much.
Also, eat a lot of vegetables, and STOP drinking pop.
Good Luck
-Eric Carlson
February 21st, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Eric, agreed. There are no shortcuts.
February 21st, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Jeremy ~ I know the feeling! And now I’m thinking with so many people I know talking about it, the big guy is trying to really tell me something. I guess it’s time to trade in my popcycles – I wish there was a way to blog from a treadmill.
Count me in on the challenge! We’re getting a pool this summer and I’d like to actually get in it and not hang out in a moomoo from the side.
February 21st, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Jeremy .. get yourself down to Cambridge Suites Hotel .. 15 Richmond Street East on Saturday Feb 24th or Sunday Feb 25 .. They’re doing casting calls for reality show “X-Weighted” on the Life network (soon to be called Splice Network) ..
There’s a casting call here in Winnipeg same time – my wife wants me to sign up *sigh* // still thinking about it.
You have to do the questionairre of course
http://www.lifenetwork.ca/lifenetwork/castingCall.aspx#x_weighted
February 21st, 2007 at 3:18 pm
lol @ reality TV.No thanks, no time for reality TV (watching or being on)
February 21st, 2007 at 3:20 pm
yup I hear you. The only thing that was curious to me was full use of trainer Paul Plakas (Taking It Off) instead of hiring one.
February 21st, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Jeremy, I’m willing to volunteer and help keep you motivated.
I am a very active cyclist/alpine skier. I logged over 10,000kms last year, and plan on increasing that this year as well as double the number of races I enter.
I’m 30, and little pleases me more than seeing people take an interest in their fitness, and overall health level. The quality of life improvements for a small investment in oneself are too great to ignore!
Sounds like you have a good handle on things, and aren’t in a danger zone, so improvement should come without much pain
February 21st, 2007 at 7:25 pm
What I did was find another blogger/podcaster and we have made our diet public at http://www.middleageshed.co.uk, we live 300 miles apart and have only ever met once but decided that making our aim public we would have to lose our weight! It is great as we do a twice a week podcast one of which is a live weigh in – wow that gets the heart racing I can tell you. It is not business just two people turning a chore into something to enjoy – why not join us, or come on the podcast….and give the male perspective!
February 21st, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Jeremy,
There a few easy diet things that you can do that won’t stress your daily routine, but will make a difference.
1. Most people don’t consume enough fiber and don’t eat breakfast. All-Bran Buds contain 40% of your daily recommended fiber intake per 1/3 cup serving, meaning if you eat 2/3 cups in the morning, you will not only consume 80% of your recommended fiber intake, but you will also be having breakfast. I suggest eating the Buds with vanilla soy milk (i prefer 8th Continent if you can find it), which also will give you 10g of protein along with the fiber — I pour the milk on the buds about 5 minutes before I want to eat them. One note of caution: the fiber works, so be prepared for it to do what it’s supposed to do.
2. Most people don’t drink enough water and are dehydrated. Make yourself drink water throughout the day; I find it easiest to buy cases of bottled water and force myself to drink 4-5 bottles per day. Lots of people think that I’m crazy and spending too much money, but there’s something psychological about cracking open a new bottle, finishing it, and throwing it away. I prefer to purchase my bottled water at Costco and I buy the Kirkland brand — it’s around $5 for 30 bottles. In my opinion Arrowhead, though cheaper, is one of the worst tasting bottled waters and also contains added sodium. It sounds like you’re already doing this, but it never hurts to mention it again.
3. Have healthy snacks around you throughout the day. Most diets encourage eating several small meals throughout the day, but many people find it difficult to achieve that goal. If you can’t do that, then at least get yourself some healthier snacks to have around to try and keep yourself full. I like to buy big containers of cashews, almonds, and pretzels at Costco and have those around — granted that you’re not supposed to ingest all that extra sodium, but it’s better than a bag of chips or a candy bar. Additionally I like to purchase some of the dehydrated fruits at Costco — the mango slices are my favorite — and have those around when I need sugar; many of the fruits have no sugar added and are high in fiber.
4. Cut out the soda, coffee, and caffeine. I went from drinking 4-5 diet sodas per day plus coffee plus the occasional regular soda to consuming not more than 1 full sugar, decaffeinated soda per day and lost 10 pounds. Considering the fact that I was drinking mostly diet sodas, I attribute most of the change to a massive caffeine reduction.
As other people have said, you have to lower your calorie intake and increase the rate at which your burn your calories.
Good luck!
RH
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:18 am
Jeremy, if you REALLY want to lose weight, AND still have an insatiable love for gaming, I suggest playing around with the Nintendo Wii for a bit
I can bring mine down to the office someday and you can give it a shot. Just 30 minutes a day, for a month, helped a guy lose 10 pounds: http://wiinintendo.net/2007/01/15/wii-sports-experiment-results/
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 am
Gary, I’d love to try the Wii sometime
I am getting DDR for the 360 in a week (when it comes out), which is a fantastic cardio workout 
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:17 am
Hi Jeremy, If you’re still looking for motivators for Traineo sign me up. I’d describe my motivational temperament of that between drill sergeant and shaolin monk
I think you have all the tools required to achieve this goal so rack em up! I’m in a similar position as yourself in terms of age family, CEO of a startup etc so there might be mutual value to be shared.
February 24th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I need help too… I’ve gone from 3-time (slow) marathon runner to 205lbs — with my height (5′8″ish) and (lack of) muscle mass I am officially “obese” which is pretty damn pathetic. I think just about everyone knows what to do (eat healthier, smaller portions, exercise), but the challenge is being disciplined, retraining myself, and resisting temptation regardless of what environment I’m in or the people I’m with (even more challenging now that I’ll be traveling a decent amount). Ideally, I’d drop down to 170… but I’d be very happy just 20lbs lighter at this point.
February 25th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Good luck Jeremy! I recently lost 50 pounds, going from 230 to 180. We’re about the same height and in similar businesses. My initial motivation was something called “The Hacker Diet” which is something John Walker put together after he founded and sold Autodesk, then looked at his picture on the cover of Fortune or some similar and said “Crap! I’m fat!” He put it together in terms that are real, and mathematical and make a lot of sense. This is no “grapefruit” diet or fad thing. It just comes down to the fact that 1 pound = 3500 calories. So, reduce your intake by 3500 cal per week, and lose one pound. This one simple fact made me look at everything I ate in a new way.
Other things I did: bought a high quality digital scale that works down to the decimal – so you can see that you lost 0.4 pounds in a day, for instance. I also was VERY careful about keeping a daily log of my weight.
http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html
February 25th, 2007 at 8:30 am
All the best, Jeremy.
I’d help but I can safely say I should be in the participant category as well.
And yes, it’s all about motivation. I too know what has to be done … it’s just bloody doing it.
Here’s how I lost 30 pounds for my wedding – I walked for two hours a day along the beach, cut down on the sugary drinks (that was tough) and drank water.
That was 12 years ago. I’ve put that all back on and then some.
February 25th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I was at 195 lbs. 2 years ago. I was the skinniest kid in high school and graduated at 135 lbs. I felt like crap. I then went skiing and hit a huge mogul came down on the backside hard and cracked my foot. Put me out of commission for the winter and into the following spring. Life was rough. But something came over me. I realized how fortunate I was to be able to actually have 2 feet. Sounds funny but having 2 feet and being normal again was a big time rush for me.
I was determined to lose weight. I am now 160 lbs and well on my way to 155. I have been losing an average of 2-3 lbs per week and I finally figured out what makes me lose weight. It is all about finding what works. I feel awesome and have tons of energy.
The trick is actually easy. It is a lot like blogging. People know how to blog but they quit 6 weeks into it. You have to make some mental changes.
I have a schedule if you want it Jeremy. I can’t guarantee it works for you but I am losing 2-3 lbs per week and still have energy
Steve
February 27th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
What ever happened to RippedGeeks.com?
http://web.archive.org/web/20041012233616/www.rippedgeeks.com/index.ph p/archives/week-2-measurements-jeremy/
February 28th, 2007 at 12:10 am
Hi Jeremy, even though I don’t know you, I sympathize whith your situation. I’m a personal fitness trainer, and I appreciate anyone who puts it out there that they need help. I would love to be one of your motivators. Let me know if your interested. I may be able to offer tips and hints that have worked for my clients.
lb
February 28th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I’m on board now at traineo, that is a good web. Currently about your weight, I need to lose another 40 or so, about half by years end. Great idea.
Mark
March 14th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I’d recommend sparkpeople if you get tired of traineo. It’s a whole community of peeps trying to eat healthy and get exercise. Has blogs, groups, food trackers, water trackers, exercise videos..its all free too.
May 25th, 2007 at 3:57 am
1. Don’t do crunches until you take the weight off or you will just end up with a hard thick gut like a weightlifter. Guaranteed. Don’t try to lose weight and build muscle at the same time or you will end up misshapen.
2. Rather than attempting to apply one single plan to everything you need to think in phases and cycles. Take some weight, then tighten up, then take some more off, tighten up, etc.
3. Get swimming, it’s brilliant.
4. Get your cardio from something other than an elliptical trainer – which takes your muscles and joints through their full range of motion in a non-predictable manner. That’s the key to health.
5. Be holistic. Forget machines, embrace life and make your excercise part of your day. Ride a bike, take a walk, play fetch with a dog – just get out of the house. Good health is not just about body fat.
6. Figure out something which motivates you. No one can motivate you to proper intensity but yourself. Period. If you can’t motivate yourself then you need to repair that flaw first because that’s going to be a barrier to your long term weight regardless of your short term results.
7. Go slow. Healthy weight loss is the goal. Whatever you do, do not yoyo. Being a little overweight is healthier than losing weight and regaining it because each time you yoyo back up, you retain a slightly higher level of fat than before. It’s your body’s attempt to survive in the face of sudden caloric reduction.
8. Don’t listen to people who oversimplify this issue. It is neither easy nor simple. Changing your life is hard. But you can do it. You can do anything with your life you choose to do. So just man up and make a choice. From what I’ve read here you haven’t made the choice yet so I predict a relapse. Until you make a permanent change in the way you think, it’s all just lip service.
9. Don’t reward yourself for small short-term gains. That’s the sort of thinking which drives the yoyo cycle. Set only mid-to-long term goals and celebrate them voraciously. Losing 20 pounds in a month doesn’t mean a thing. Keeping 20 pounds off for 5 years is awesome.
10. Best of luck. I think you need to muster a bit of spine personally but who cares what I think, it’s what you think that matters and it’s nice to see you addressing such constructive stuff. I wish you every success!
April 4th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
how much weight would I loose if i just quit drinkng pop. I drink 6-8 cans a day. Have put 50 pds on in the last 6 years
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