Work all Day, No Time for Structure

[CampbellTBC]

Because I work all day, I find it difficult to find motivation at the end of my shift - and by the time I get home, it's dark. What can I do? Nothing. Just harden up.

Basically, I'm pretty fat and definitely not in shape for my age. I've shredded 18kgs in the past 7 months which puts me at 96kgs. For a former computer geek, my legs just aren't conditioned for cardiovascular workout. But now I have dropped excess weight from my previous 114kgs, I find myself more lively and open to the idea of going for a run. I try to run as often as possible, and this last week I've gone out of my way to enforce a good 20 or so minute run each night in the dark, despite our long, pothole patterned gravel driveway. On top of that, I've started 40 minutes of cardiovascular focused P90X, a DVD with encouraging characteristics that subtly motivate the mind, ignoring the fact you look like a complete twat jumping up and down in your living room.

From Monday the 11th of July 2011, I want to see how fast I can tone up. It's my personal challenge.

One thing I do have doubts on, is my diet. I eat like a slob, and that's mainly because my parents choose to eat quick and easy food, thus me following in their footsteps. Now, my parents are not overweight, but they do not eat the kind of food required for dramatic change. Can anyone offer me tips on food I should buy, food that is affordable, easily prepared and consumed? I drink protein shakes after intensive weight training to repair the muscle tissue I have bled into, but I find it too expensive to regularly intake.

Thanks in advance!

TBC

[Chillicat]

Because I work all day, I find it difficult to find motivation at the end of my shift - and by the time I get home, it's dark. What can I do? Nothing. Just harden up.

Basically, I'm pretty fat and definitely not in shape for my age. I've shredded 18kgs in the past 7 months which puts me at 96kgs. For a former computer geek, my legs just aren't conditioned for cardiovascular workout. But now I have dropped excess weight from my previous 114kgs, I find myself more lively and open to the idea of going for a run. I try to run as often as possible, and this last week I've gone out of my way to enforce a good 20 or so minute run each night in the dark, despite our long, pothole patterned gravel driveway. On top of that, I've started 40 minutes of cardiovascular focused P90X, a DVD with encouraging characteristics that subtly motivate the mind, ignoring the fact you look like a complete twat jumping up and down in your living room.

From Monday the 11th of July 2011, I want to see how fast I can tone up. It's my personal challenge.

One thing I do have doubts on, is my diet. I eat like a slob, and that's mainly because my parents choose to eat quick and easy food, thus me following in their footsteps. Now, my parents are not overweight, but they do not eat the kind of food required for dramatic change. Can anyone offer me tips on food I should buy, food that is affordable, easily prepared and consumed? I drink protein shakes after intensive weight training to repair the muscle tissue I have bled into, but I find it too expensive to regularly intake.

Thanks in advance!

TBC

Sounds like a lot of excuses in there. We all work all day, and anyone who finishes work after about 5pm right now will find that it's dark when they get home. What about trying morning sessions instead? If that's not possible then yeah, HTFU is the answer to that one, like we all have to.

'My legs just aren't conditioned for a cardiovascular workout' - well, work on it then. I personally detest CV, and also have some issues that make it harder (pneumonia as a baby, slightly underdeveloped lung capacity which makes CV very difficult), but if it has to be done, then just bloody well do it. Try to find some form of CV that you at least mildly enjoy and work up to it. For me it's been spin classes - I don't need anyone barking at me to lift weights, but I need a bit of help with CV, so I find that with spin classes. It's hard, but essentially you go at the pace that suits you and work up to it. In the wise words of Rachel Hunter, it won't happen overnight, but it will happen. So just do it - sounds like you are, so stop with the excuse-making talk and just get on with it.

'I eat like a slob' = you've identifed the problem. Stop doing it.

'that's mainly because my parents choose to eat quick and easy food, thus me following in their footsteps' = an excuse. Or to put it more positively, you've also identified a reason for why you've been doing it, now stop doing it.

There's a lot of things my parents did that weren't exactly positive, but I'm a grown up now and have to make my own choices. Same goes for you.

I'm no nutritionist, but healthy eating really isn't rocket science.

[Grover]

:shock:

Wow can feel the chill from here!

[Chillicat]

I'm fairly no-nonsense first thing in the morning :pfft:

[tomsammce]

I'm fairly no-nonsense first thing in the morning :pfft:

no foreplay then eh.. straight into it!

[poos_n_wees]

Great post Chillicat. We really are our own worst enemies sometimes!

CambellTBC, have a look through the nutrition/recipe section of the forum.. Heaps of ideas, recipes and tips in there :nod:

At the supermarket, hit up the veges, fruits, lean meats, fish, nuts..

[CampbellTBC]

Nah, he's right. No excuses. I just need to HTFU.

[teamfatboy]

In the wise words of Rachel Hunter, it won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

True, dat

I'm fairly no-nonsense first thing in the morning :pfft:

Equally true :grin:

But seriously... there is a lot of wisdom in those words.

Whether you succeed or not boils down to one thing: how badly do you want it?

There are people on here working out with rusty weights in damp basements, bakers who hit the gym before they start work at 4am, or walk 10km to work, and home again...the common factor is THEY WANT IT.

It's about starting, and not stopping. If someone had told me when I entered the gym for the first time that I'd lose enough weight to finish 10k runs mid-pack, i'd have said they were dreaming. But the reality is my body handles them just fine, because I never stopped.

So, what CAN you do - read the recipes, read the links. Read the journals. Be open to change.

Simple things like working out what your calorie load is, and actually putting it down on paper. Guessing ain't going to do it. Learn about portion sizes, learn about glycaemic index, and never stop. Learn to treat food as fuel, not as a reward, or entertainment. Learn about hydration. Learn about what food is (hint, if it involves high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners, or things you can't pronounce, it probably isn't food).

Well done for coming this far - and good luck with the next phase.

[Styris]

It is main problem with almost many people who remain busy at offices. Same is the case with you and also with me. I am also fat and i am reducing my weight nowadays. I like to play cricket and football but when i joined office i could not find time to play and become fatty and bulky and gained 7 kg from 70 kg to 77 kg. It is too much for me and i also want to reduce it but have no time. My story resembles with you.

[sampsonaxehammer]

Once you learn the rules of a healthy eating you can make it quick and tasty.An easy example

open a can of oil tuna drain excess oil.

put instant mash potatoe flakes in a bowl add hot water and one capfull of virgin olive oil

put tuna on top of potatoe add lots of pepper its a fat burner.

grab carrot out of fridge.boom takes 2-3minutes and costs about $2.

lol obviously i do have better dishes than this one but this is how quick it can be to have protien,fats,carbs,vege if your not feeling like cooking.

As for training You have to find a big enough why? Why do you want this?what would it mean to have...?who would you like to become? etc.. In the back of my paper journal i have a few questions that help me get focused if im feeling flat or my heads not in the right space this helped me transform my body and results in the bodyforlife programme years back..

go for it..no one can do it for you..life owes you nothing..make it happen

peace.

[Chillicat]

It is main problem with almost many people who remain busy at offices. Same is the case with you and also with me. I am also fat and i am reducing my weight nowadays. I like to play cricket and football but when i joined office i could not find time to play and become fatty and bulky and gained 7 kg from 70 kg to 77 kg. It is too much for me and i also want to reduce it but have no time. My story resembles with you.

Um, sorry, but what nonsense. I work in an office and am not fat, so I don't see how it follows that by starting to work in an office you suddenly have no time for looking after yourself and 'become' fat - you choose not to do those other activities, it's not that you don't have time. It's a nonsense excuse and I'm sick to death of hearing it to be honest.

We all have the same number of hours in the day, and you choose how you fill those hours. If you choose to sit on your arse all day and make excuses, ok fine - it's your choice, but stop the moaning.

If you choose to work more than 8 hours a day, again it's fine - if you are career oriented and want to make that a priority, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's your choice, not a requirement. Those of us who choose to just stick to 8 or so hours and have more balance in our lives find that there are still plenty of hours left after 8 hours of work and 8 hours of sleep to fit in a 30-60 minute workout and still have time for other hobbies/interests/family commitments.

It's only hard if you make it hard. Get a better attitude and you might have more success.

Hmmm, I'm coming across as very grumpy in this thread :pfft:

[tomsammce]

i sit on my arse at work for 12 hours a day and im a fucken machine, sleeping with your eyes open its called lol

[Luigi]

EVERY DAY I WORK SO HARD, BRINGING HOME MY HARD EARNED PAY...... TRY TO GYM IT BABY !! BUT THE DARK KEEPS ME AWAY....

SWEEEEET LITTLE MUSCLES, I DONT KNOW WHERE YOUV BEEN!!, GOTTA WORK THOSE MUSCLES - COME BACK AGAAAAINNNNNNNN :grin:

[Stef]

You must get breaks during your work day? Do some activity on your lunch break, at the moment I am using my lunch breaks to go to the gym because I can't find motivation after work - go for a walk on your break, or a run around the streets