Malificant:
so, we all know there are 2 kinds of gamers: the really large ones and the really skinny ones. there is no inbetween.
unfortunately, i happen to be in the former category and am starting to see i need to do something to cut my weight down. im hovering around 280-285 pounds, which is no where near healthy for someone who is 6 foot tall. and it isnt all muscle either.
now, it may be a generality or it may have some truth to it, but i find that though the caloric intake in europe is enourmous, the obesity there is much more restrained than in the US. im interested in what kinda of diets(and in what combinations) people have, as i, like maybe some others on this forum, need to start shedding some pounds for health and happiness sake.
id like to get down to 230-235 pounds by this time next year, and down to 180-200 by the end of next year. i have issues losing weight as A) i have no self discipline when it comes to “normal” exercise, B)exertional athsma prevents me from doing any sort of extended jogging or running, C) i love food and have the issue of eating when i get bored or restless, and D) a college diet is not nesessarilly condusive to losing weight(grease, deep fried, fast food, repeat).
some things i am interested in, and i am claiming total ignorance here so do correct me if im wrong or asking a dumb question, but the way meals are structured in different parts of the world. for example, i hear that over seas(germany iirc), the meal structure is a moderate to large breakfast, a moderate to large lunch,and a small evening meal. this is opposed to the normal regiment over by me in wisconsin of small breakfast, moderate lunch, large dinner. i dont claim to be a nutritionalist, but it would seem to me that the first method would be more condusive to getting to a healthy weight because the body has time and energy to break down the food completely, and then move on to breaking down energy reserves(read: fat), whereas the second method lumps a large quantity of food in the stomach at night, either keeping the body awake while it digests, or not completely digesting to switch to the sleep-repair cycle. again, this is from a logic point of view based on what i am aware of, which may be completely off base.
so what im asking is, how do you people deal with weight problems, what does your average diet look like, and how is it structured?
dancehat:
Push-ups, sit-ups, use weights is a good start. Wont mess with your athsma as jogging and such. Another alternative is swimming or powerwalking, both are lenient on your joints and dont cause much strain and as a result also wont mess with your athsma much(you know your limits better than I do!).
When hungry, eat a banana(no seriously hehe). It has a nice effect on your system and makes you feel full. Gum works as well.
I eat no big meals, just moderate breakfast, moderate lunch and moderate dinner but more often I try to keep it to 5 small meals(easier on your system).
Try to eat wholemeal rice/pasta instead of “normal” rice etc. Avoid fried food and generally try to keep a varied diet, fish/chicken is very good for example… and every once in awhile throw in a steak. The important thing is that you dont have have a superdull diet to be healthy! A balanced meal is very important.
So, dont go too hard on workout and keep a balanced meal.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Grimstonefire:
Easier said than done, but I’d try and reduce pre-prepared food. These often contain sneaky levels of sugar, which is bad for weight gain.
Canix:
ERRR I am a vegetarian and eat a basically ayurvedic diet when i am not being careless ,(gf likes cakes) .It is nutritionally much more beneficial to eat in the morning but all meals should be small to medium.I have spent alot of time working as a microbiologist and food flavourist and my advice is dont eat anything made on a production line make it fresh yourself.
Take up yoga this causes the weight to rapidly disappear and within a couple of months you should be standing on your head in the lotus postion lol:hat
Willmark:
Watch the amount of Carbs in your foods, Those simple sugars are everywhere and the human body will snatch them up very easily. That is one reason (amongst) others why Americans are having problems with obesity (amongst others).
Captain Crayon:
I know how you feel Malificant.
I fit into the round gamer catagory too.
I weighed 145 kilos at the beginning of 2006, and now I’m down to 115.
I got down to 105, but since i slacked off i’ve put on 10 kilos over the last year.
My particular issue is that I eat all the right things, but far too much. My problem is compounded by the fact my stomach capacity is about twice as much as your average person.
I had alot of success with an appetite suppressant called Duromine. It’s amphetamine based, prescription only and works by kick starting your metabolism and keeping your appetite under control.
I combined his with much healthier eating habits, much much smaller portions and a 35 dollar second hand exercise bike.
In the beginning i could only manage a few minutes at a time, but after a year i was riding the horrible noisy squeaky uncomfortable thing for Master of puppets (the album, not the song) with no worries.
The biggest problem I had was keeping motivated, something which i unfortunatly lost , hence the putting on of the 10 kilos again.
I managed it by making a routine, where at 730 every night, no matter where i was i exercised at least until 8. If i was at a mate’s place I’d go for a walk, at home smash up the bike, anything as long as i was doing something.
Before that, i’d tried everything under the sun, meal replacements, diets, everything you can think of I tried.
The best advice i could give would be to go see your doctor. I did it as a last resort and regret not going much sooner, because i wouldnt have been so fat for so long 
Another good bit of advice is drop the grog. An added bonus is more money to spend on toy soldiers, and when you start drinking again it only takes 2 drinks to get you to your happy place 
I’m still fat, but carry around a cement bag less weight. I pretty much destroyed my knee in a motorcycle accident, and it gave me no end of strife, but now its not too bad at all. I was even able to throw away my cane.
I’m no marathon runner, but can run up and down the stairs at work all day, carrying tools and chain blocks with no problems, work outside in 40 degree heat all day and still have enough energy to hit the pub.
I think you may have motivated me to get back on the bandwagon and get down to under 100
torn:
i think exercise is the key thing. diet can go a long way by just cutting out junk food snacks like chocolate and crisps and only eating meals.
Im in fairly good shape, not brilliant, just slightly overweight. i dont regularly exercise as much as i used to but still go out for runs every now and again. even if its just 3 or 4 laps of the track. The trick is to get started and make sure you keep going.
cardio is more important to lose weight, and if you want to burn fat you have to get your heart rate up. the best advice i think i can give would be to go see a doctor and ask their advice. they should put you in touch with a nutritionist or give you a good idea of what exercises will be best without affecting you asthma.
asheira:
6ft 212lbs ALL muscle!
…wait, is fat a muscle?
lol
asheira:
and the reason the US has the most fat people is as follows:
- seditary lifestyle
- lack of healthy foods at restraunts (and when there are healthy choices we add unhealthy things)
- Super size! (Danmed McDanalds)
- the kid sized drinks at fast food places are THE LARGE in other places
- We exept that we’re fat and don’t try to change ourselves
- We eat when we’re bored
- AND FINALY, fast food places put things in their food that makes you ADICTED to them here in the US. not a concpiricy theory or a rumor IT’S FACT!
That’s why we sould exersize and eat fast food RARELY!
Malificant:
and the reason the US has the most fat people is as follows:
- seditary lifestyle
- lack of healthy foods at restraunts (and when there are healthy choices we add unhealthy things)
- Super size! (Danmed McDanalds)
- the kid sized drinks at fast food places are THE LARGE in other places
- We exept that we're fat and don't try to change ourselves
- We eat when we're bored
- AND FINALY, fast food places put things in their food that makes you ADICTED to them here in the US. not a concpiricy theory or a rumor IT'S FACT!
That's why we sould exersize and eat fast food RARELY!
asheira
1. seditary lifestyle meaning warhammer? at least for me it occupies the majority of my freetime. better than playing wow at least.
2. lack of healthy food at restaraunts is secondary to the fact that i enjoy the most unhealthy food(read: corned beef hash). some chains, like wendys, has good side options(i enjoy their baked potato), but my bigger problem is being in college with no car. so i eat what is available to me on campus, and when we go out, i am at the mercy of others(read: taco bell/hardys/micky d's)
3. cant argue with super size. its a bad idea, and im as guilty as the next at endorsing it.
4. to be fair on drinks, i drink alot. if the drinks were smaller, id buy 2, i happen to be a very thirsty kinda person.
5. this is what i am trying to change! so i definatly hear you there.
6. guilty. boredom is the root of all fatness. maybe if i had more kick ass warhammer ideas i wouldnt be eating as much...no, ok i fail.
7. grease? cow? im sorry but it isnt just fast food places, it is common knowlege that everything that tastes so good, is usually as bad for you as it tastes good. for example, i was sailing in the keys a few years back, and stopped at a place in marathon key. they serve the. best. food. period. it was: deep fried key lime pie w/ curly fries and malt vinegar on the side. i love it so much, and thank god i dont live there or id be approaching 400!
torn:
maybes the US really is that bad, but it could be worse here in the UK everywhere is on some sort of healthy crusade. I think our problem here with weight is more to do with alcohol than diet. I blame mcdonalds for all the fat kids though. there “eat some crap and get a free toy” campaign is a bit underhanded.
I never thought of warhammer as a seditary lifestyle. at least i always stand up to play, and theres a hell of a lot more movement than in video games.
the fact you dont have a car is probably good thing, i means at least you are walking everywhere.What i did once to get some exercise was every time i went food shopping i walked to the supermaket that was about 45 mins away, then had to carry it all back. i know it sounds like self punishment but what i was really doing was changing one of the more mundane parts of my life and turning it into exercise.
Xander:
My best advice is to give up Soda all together, even some juice will contain way too much sugar. Drink water instead, and if you have to drink juice, drink REAL fruit juice.
Soda (I call is pop) has so much sugar in it, tons of calories. Substituting that with water will make a world of difference, not to mention water is extremely healthy and necessary in a good diet.
wallacer:
I walk to work everyday which seems to keep me at around the average weight for my height.
It’s surprising how much difference a bit of regular walking has made.
Willmark:
Xander speaks truth. Soda is LOADED with carbs and reducing the intake of such will work wonders. Water whenever possible.
Kera foehunter:
well i was a fat kid .there are so many things people will tell you what do to. all fat is ,is stored energy. Burn up more cal. than you take in. Walking could be the key ,that what i did.At least a 1/2 hour a day dont eat after 6.00. Well what do i need to tell you your doing it.( yea)
i proud that you have done this health choice. Now i can say im going to see less of you Malificant.
WarplockMonkey:
Well, since im only 15, im still burning my ‘puppy fat’ as i like to call it
Im 6 foot and a bit, and weigh 185 pounds, but im not fat, i am proud to say it’s all muscle
I used to have wieght problems when i was 12-13, but as i got older the wieght distributed
cornixt:
I suffer from a very low metabolism. I walked more than three miles every day for years, low fat/sugar food, and didn’t lose a thing. The first change I made to my diet was to have a banana in the mid afternoon, because it would keep my metabolism higher for longer, therefore burning more calories. It worked for a while but then I plateaued again. Next step was to replace my lunch sandwiches with bananas also. This had a marked effect, the weight came off slowly and consistantly over the following few months. I eventually stopped having any bread apart from in the occasional pizza and it all worked wonders. I was slimmer than I’d been in years. It seems that bread was actively slowing down my metabolism (and explains why I lost hardly any weight while at uni, since I used to eat loads of bread because it was so cheap). I put it all (and more) back on when I changed jobs and moved in with the in-laws, who ate a lot of unhealthy foods with large portions, and I no longer had motivation to walk. Since we moved out I went back on the same regime and lost most of it, but not all, and I still don’t walk as much. I am now starting to lose the fat that I have had in certain places since I was in my early teens.
One thing I’ve noticed about US food is that there is a huge amount of sugar in everything. It seems that just about everything contains high fructose corn syrup, which doubles the calorie count with the aim of making it taste sweeter. Eating out is significantly more unhealthy than anything you make at home, even processed ready-made meals. Places like Sharis and Perkins have more fat in them than you can imagine, most meals have more than the entire daily calorie intake recommended. European foods might look the same or less healthy, but in most cases they aren’t. Mexican food is probably the best take-out if you avoid the fried stuff and don’t overdo the cheese.
Good foods to eat are soups, cereals (not the ones covered in sugar), and bananas. You don’t have to completely cut out any particular meals or food types, in fact you can use them to treat yourself once or twice a week. Grill your meats (I know that grills are unusually rare in the US, except those on barbecues), grilled chicken is very low fat and tastes as good as fried. Cut down on what you put on foods: salt, butter, mayonaise, sauces, sugar. A night of heavy drinking can add an extra 1000 calories, even if you drink that crappy “light” beer.
Malificant:
haha, staple of my college existance: george foreman grill.
torn:
wooo george foremam grills! for the win lol
i am obsessed by them i think im onto my fourth now, the big one with 1 big grilling side and 1 hot plate side perfect for onions, mushrooms and healthy fried eggs!
When my fiancée did her weight watchers i had to do it too, and you do notice a lot more what your eating. i had to cut down regular beer and start drinking coors light, which is now my favourite beer.
talking about metabolysims when i was playing american football i used to take suppliments to speed mine up, which in theory helped burn fat and build muscle quicker. all i ever noticed was visiting the tiolet more often, though i never put any weight on.
cooking at home is great. im in a bad situation for health at the moment because i spend a lot of my time living out of hotel rooms, which means eating out unless you can cook it in a kettle (beleive me weve even tried making sunday dinner in a hotel kettle). so when i get home i do try and add more fruit and veg into my food, use grills meat, cut out bread, potatoes and cheese as much as possible, and use spices instead of sauces.
some of our favourite meals are ones my fiancée came up with while on weight watchers. dice some chicken, fry it in a pan with some healthy spray oil and mix in cajun spice so its sealed into the meat. make a sauce out of a tin of chopped tomotoes, some tomato puree to thicken it up and add onions, peppers and mushrooms. (all free on WW) then serve on top of nice rice (i dunno what its called its the yellow stuff in the pack with bits). Doesnt take too much effort to cook and is really healthy. you could have wholemeal pasta instead of rice but it does taste like crap.
Another good one is chinese stir fry. pack of stir fry veg, diced pork, a few spices on the pork and cover the thing in soy sauce. very cheap very healthy and tastes great.
asheira:
and the reason the US has the most fat people is as follows:
- seditary lifestyle
- lack of healthy foods at restraunts (and when there are healthy choices we add unhealthy things)
- Super size! (Danmed McDanalds)
- the kid sized drinks at fast food places are THE LARGE in other places
- We exept that we're fat and don't try to change ourselves
- We eat when we're bored
- AND FINALY, fast food places put things in their food that makes you ADICTED to them here in the US. not a concpiricy theory or a rumor IT'S FACT!
That's why we sould exersize and eat fast food RARELY!
asheira
1. seditary lifestyle meaning warhammer? at least for me it occupies the majority of my freetime. better than playing wow at least.
Malificant
actualy i meant most of america
i get exersize when i play warhammer, cuz i'm standing the whole time
i meant sitting and watching TV, while you play on a laptop eating.