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So im not trying to offend anyone or make a big assumption and i know this is not for everyone. But myself and my friends like to think we stay in pretty good shape and are pretty darn good at lifting weights and exercising in general. i weight lift and exercise everyday and i know there are many people like me who do the same. Im not saying every table top gamer is out of shape or has a few extra pounds they can loose but i got an idea that i use to use when i was a little over weight and had little to no muscle on my body and i incorporated Warhammer 40k, warhammer fantasy and other table games into it. I used the deaths of my troops the loss of a game, or simply the amout of time gaming i did to motivate me to hit the gym or get outside and exercise.

I would do a sit up for every conscript that died, I did 5 push ups for every tank that was destroyed, ran a mile for every Character that died or every game i lost, I did this till i started getting really good at exercising and i started bringing my own food that i made at home, salads, vegetables, chicken brown rice and such and moved away from the normal diet of chinese food and pizza i had at the game store, 2-3 times a week. now i love lifting and going on runs( but not as much as lifting) and i brought myself from 260 lbs of a high body fat percentage to a solid 210 lbs of about 10-15 % body fat. Anyone can do it if they want it enough.

What made me make the first move was getting into jr high when i could hardly do 10 pushups and my father was my PE teacher... i was embarrassed as heck. I came up with the warhammer idea. and started improving, soon i was doing 50 pushups every moring before school and before i went to bed, by the end of the school semester i did all 50 pushups for the test with ease. i was motivated and continued on, working on my run time, sit ups, and some weight lifting. When i hit high school i ran into a different problem. I joined the football team and ended up on the O-line. I was big and strong but it wasnt all muscle. By my senior year i was one of the strongest guys on the team but i had no defintiona in muscle tone and had a gut the stood out. i woe baggy clothes and was always embarrassed of the amount of fat i had. I got back to the warhammer workouts to put more cardio into my workouts and ate clean healthy foods. i lost my gut and 50 pounds over 4 months and was so happy. through out college i continued to workout and lift and run. I got onto an app called my fitness pal that tracked my improvements, goals, diet and helped me pick healthy foods, ect . ( its free btw) until i found myself where im at now. ive fought through knee, back and all around joint injuries and endless sore muscles but it brought ,e to where i am today. When i take a girl out on a date or meet new people the last thing they expect my hobby to be is table top gaming. I personally dont like this stereotype, and hope that others feel the same way .

So i was curious if anyone else has a similar story or anyone else who wants to change themselves like i did, change their life style. Lets here your story, maybe itll motivate someone ! Lets here who wants to change, post your work outs, post your advice, lets work together lets keep each other in check !

Thanks for reading
FMJ

I got in shape for a bet it looks like im going to loose......
I wanted that sicaran. the sad thing is that I lost the weight in fat...but gained quite a bit in muscle that wasnt there before :(

So im guessing the weight as in the number on the scale was the bet?
but since you gained muscle you are going to lose the bet??
if ou really want to win. you can always look into a detox. just eat clean and buy a detox set from a nutrition store or a pharmacy. itll clean out your intestines of any extra.... lets call it "matter" lol and ive seen people lose 15 to 20 lbs in a matter of a week, ( if they havent done one in a long time, or never before) Just gotta stay extra hydrated and take in extra vitamins, because itll flush all that out along with the extra "matter"! good luck buddy, and be safe when you do it! .And look on the bright side you may have lost a sicaran but you gained muscle! ( PROBABLY MORE THAN THE GUY YOU BET TOO!)
FMJ

yeah...it was get down to 280......im like 283-285 right now. sometimes 280.....


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 fullmetaljacket wrote:
So im guessing the weight as in the number on the scale was the bet?
but since you gained muscle you are going to lose the bet??
if ou really want to win. you can always look into a detox. just eat clean and buy a detox set from a nutrition store or a pharmacy. itll clean out your intestines of any extra.... lets call it "matter" lol and ive seen people lose 15 to 20 lbs in a matter of a week, ( if they havent done one in a long time, or never before) Just gotta stay extra hydrated and take in extra vitamins, because itll flush all that out along with the extra "matter"! good luck buddy, and be safe when you do it! .And look on the bright side you may have lost a sicaran but you gained muscle! ( PROBABLY MORE THAN THE GUY YOU BET TOO!)
FMJ

The guy is a body builder......so no....

detox my friend ..... look into a detox. i used a acai detox from CVS.. shed like 10 lbs of "matter' haha, of coarse i do detoxes very often lol check it out! get the muscle and the sicaran
FMJ

I sport and excersise quite a lot.
The trick is finding a sport you really like. There are so many different options, there is always something fun to do.

I did the bulk of my weight loss a few years ago. I was around 230 at my peak, down to about 170 now. I’m of fairly average build, 5’ 10” I’d like to loose a few more, but I’m reasonable stable at my current weight.

The thing that got me to start was my son. When I went in for a checkup, the doc asked “How tired do you get hauling him around all the time? Think of how much energy you’d have if you dropped that much weight off yourself”. It may have been a small thing, but it got me on the road.

Tricks that worked for me:
Cut the crap out of your diet. Soda, alcohol, candy, etc. It’s OK to treat yourself once and a while, but keep it rare.
Potion control. You don’t need to count every calorie you eat, but be sure you have a ballpark in/out.
Speaking of calories out, exercise. For me it was just walking a mile every day.
Compete. I joke that my ideal weight is 5 pounds less then my brother. As wargamers, we all have a competitive side; harness it for good.

I am 154 lbs currently, at 5'9"-5'10" ish.

I am getting a little round around the edges but I don't feel like a catastrophe just yet.

I've been making an effort. I'm just a hair under 6' and hovering right around 200lbs at the moment. I'm down from record blob-like 270ish years ago, and mostly just disgusting local maximum of 230. I'm pretty far from being in good or even acceptable shape still, but at least when I look in the mirror these days I see something vaguely human-shaped.

I've got another 30 or so to go. I've just started to get into weights just to have a more well-rounded routine. The winter weather has really been messing with things, I was snowed out of the gym 2 days this week.

 Ashiraya wrote:
I am 154 lbs currently, at 5'9"-5'10" ish.

I am getting a little round around the edges but I don't feel like a catastrophe just yet.

It's funny how quickly a "little round" can turn into "land whale behemoth leviathan."

Im currently starting to train for the UK Historical Medieval Battles team in the hope of taking part in Battle of the Nations.

That said, I have never been fat

Was never absurdly huge but was a chubbier adolescent growing up. Ended up losing a ton of weight from getting out more, eating less, etc. Then I took an MMA class with Bas Rutten and some other guys...when Bas said he was training 14 hours a day, I figured the least I could do was a couple hours a day at the gym.

Took a long time off due to a back injury and other issues and had zero time to lift in the army but now I'm more or less back on track. I'm not huge but I've gone from ~170 to 190 in two years or so. Most of that is muscle.

'Bout 85 kilos and 2 meters. Mostly bone and muscle, but a fondness for good food and better beer keeps me warm in the winter.

 Chongara wrote:
I've been making an effort. I'm just a hair under 6' and hovering right around 200lbs at the moment. I'm down from record blob-like 270ish years ago, and mostly just disgusting local maximum of 230. I'm pretty far from being in good or even acceptable shape still, but at least when I look in the mirror these days I see something vaguely human-shaped.
I've got another 30 or so to go. I've just started to get into weights just to have a more well-rounded routine. The winter weather has really been messing with things, I was snowed out of the gym 2 days this week.

Insert up to 294 lbs and we have pretty much the same story.
Found Kendo to be good strength / weight loss method: wear armor and beat the heck out of each other with bamboo swords while screaming... good times.
Eat smaller amounts but more often that is what removed the huge amount of weight with little exercise.
Scottish ancestry tends to promote a rather brick shaped body type in the best of times, but showing positive progress for an old guy.

Exercising for every lost unit is a great idea!

Never could get into working out, It just isn't fun. Luckily by...
-being naturally tall and skinny
-sporadically rock climbing
-moderatel watching what I eat
-being too cheap to eat-out often

...I've been able to stay "in-shape". Still, being trim isn't the same thing as overall health. I'm sure that my heart could benefit from more cardio. I keep telling myself that when the kids are a bit older I'll start jogging with my wife again.

On a related note, how one dresses can also make them appear more or less heavy. I was at the big FLGS yesterday. There were alot of folks there of varying builds. However I noticed what looked like a number of fairly slender folks who were wearing loose, baggy, or relaxed slacks. I'm not saying everyone should wear skinny jeans, but just switching to strait-fit jeans and a shirt that isn't XL would make many folks look (and probably feel) much more in-shape.

6'2", 190lbs. Ran 4 miles tuesday, 3 yesterday, 2 today. Work out regularly 4-5 times a week. Everyone in my gaming group is in the same shape or better then I am.

I'd honestly say that the ratio of "disgusting" gamers to not "disgusting" is probably pretty similar to the regular world.

 Eilif wrote:

-moderatel watching what I eat
-being too cheap to eat-out often

These two things go hand in hand. When you eat out, it’s hard to keep track of what’s in your food. A lot of places will put unhealthy stuff in the food because it tastes good. Can’t blame them for serving yummy stuff, but eating at home lets you know exactly what’s in your diet. Most pre-packaged, processed foods share the same problem.

I've started following this guy on Instagram

http://www.thebodycoach.co.uk I would highly recommend him. Sign up for his emails and get a "lean in 15" guide emailed to you. Some really helpful tips there.

Just scroll to the bottom and fill in the "Free Get Lean Guide" form. You'll get 1 email a day for 15 days with helpful stuff in.

Some of his workouts on instagram are a bit hardcore but you can probably figure out a way to tone it down a little if you're just getting into it.

 Nevelon wrote:


These two things go hand in hand. When you eat out, it’s hard to keep track of what’s in your food. A lot of places will put unhealthy stuff in the food because it tastes good. Can’t blame them for serving yummy stuff, but eating at home lets you know exactly what’s in your diet. Most pre-packaged, processed foods share the same problem.

Very True!
I'm very lucky in that despite working a full-time job, my wife see's cooking as a hobby and escape so even if I did over-indulge at lunch, I'm pretty much guaranteed a healthy dinner. Also I didn't mention that I usually skip breakfast and have an early lunch. The verdict is out about whether this is beneficial or harmful for adults. It's certainly not good for kids and teens who are still growing and you have to be sure you're not over-eating at lunch and dinner to compensate.

One problem with skipping meals it that it plays havoc with portion control. Sure, you don’t get the calories from breakfast, but there is a strong urge to overeat at lunch.

Rather then just passing on a meal, eat a 100 calorie healthy snack.

Obviously different techniques work better for different people. YYMV etc.

Controversial articles on obesity.

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/fat-officially-incurable-according-to-science/
http://www.cracked.com/article_21828_6-bizarre-things-nobody-tells-you-about-weight-loss-surgery.html

Yeah, your mind is built a certain way and it is odd to say the least

Cracked. Where I go for guidance on all my serious personal health issues.

 Nevelon wrote:
One problem with skipping meals it that it plays havoc with portion control.

Not to mention your metabolism.

Its also worth noting that going for the traditional 3-square model of eating is counterproductive where weight loss is concerned, both for reasons of metabolism and portion control. I've always preferred the 5-6 small meals model, at least absent special occasions. Unfortunately that model is also not one supported by society, and is therefore either expensive, labor intensive, or boring (turkey, pepper jack, and onion sandwiches eventually get old).

Do cardio, eat healthy, bleed weight. It's how I did it. No tricks, no weird meal timing nonsense. No gimmicks. It's easy and fast if you are consistent.

- Just eat correctly (high volume so you feel full, low-calorie foods that are healthy)

- Stop drinking your calories (juice, pop, booze, etc) because they do nothing to satiate you and those valuable calories can be put into food that contributes.

- Introduce regular activity.

Went from 268 lbs of piss, to 160 lbs, currently 175 lbs of shredded lean mass, in three years.

For having a good weight, I think lots of exercise is more important than what you eat.
At least, I always eat a lot of food (and most of it rather fat with sauce etc.) but I struggle to get my weight past 55kg (that is about 120lbs I think). I constantly move around a lot (not so handy when having a miniatures hobby) so that could be the cause. It is funny because my mother almost eats nothing compared to what I eat, and she is a bit round and has to go on a diet every few months. She doesn't do sports.

Eh, I am 5'5 and 123 pds. I was 5'6 and 140 in the military but, I can't work out until the local VA says so. (Hate to mention that here on Dakka but, you guys don't judge.)

That being said, I cannot work my hip region so I am at a bit of a loss, I guess swimming will be my go to.

I would love to rebuild my arms and chest though. Problem is my diet/stomach has shrank. I eat like five bites and I am full, I hate it to be honest. I want to be 140 with huge arms again.

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:

- Stop drinking your calories (juice, pop, booze, etc) because they do nothing to satiate you and those valuable calories can be put into food that contributes.

Booze does nothing, you're right, but the vitamins and minerals provided by certain beverages can be very helpful for weight loss and muscle gain; even if they contain calories.

So no beer.....
:(

I've been losing weight steadily for about 6 months now, I'm down about 15-20 kgs from where I was (depending on the exact time I want to say I started losing weight).

I was a big boy after university but I've decided to join the army and beat myself into shape. Doing it on my own was useless, I couldn't get the motivation the exercise or eat less, so i just bit the bullet and got a personal trainer, and I've started seeing great results.