Trooper Fit Club

[CureMode[TK]]

Here's my story and how trooping has given me motivation to lose weight and eat better. When I started with the 501st Legion ECG in early 2008, I had just completed my TK and noticed it was a bit snug. I wasn't very overweight, I am 5'11" and I was just over 200lbs, but most of it was around the mid section. Basically this was because in my Tech job, I am not very active, and I would eat Ice Cream and chips almost daily. When I started to pursue Elite Status (Expert Infantryman) here at whitearmor.net, I began to appreciate the desire to be as accurate as possible, and it served as a huge motivation for me to lose some weight.

 

I started using SlimFast for breakfast and lunch, and using Wii fit to do some light exercise and track my progress. It was tough, SlimFast is not very filling, but I was determined and I started losing about 6lbs a month. After about 8 months I switched to just SlimFast for breakfast, and a moderate lunch, usually a sandwich, with some flavored Quaker rice chips instead of potato chips. I also cut out the ice cream, except on special occasions, and started eating italian ices as my snack at night. I managed to get down and stay around 145-150 lbs for the past year, and now I can fit my TK with ease, and I feel better overall. My wife still gets annoyed at me over the whole thing, she is thin herself, but she jokes that I wouldn't lose the weight for her, the kids, or my own health, but I would to fit into a costume. All I can say to guys trying to do the same, is stick with it, with the proper motivation you can do it.

 

I have some before and after photos, the first two are the before, and even in my face you can see there were some extra pounds there...

 

 

 

Here are a few after shots, where you can see how much better my TK fits around the mid section.

 

 

 

I'll try to take a photo of the Wii Fit stats as well, it was a nice steady decline that I have managed to hold pretty steady for the past year or so.

[Shooter]

Great story Chris, thanks for sharing!

[tkrestonva[TK]]

My wife still gets annoyed at me over the whole thing, she is thin herself, but she jokes that I wouldn't lose the weight for her, the kids, or my own health, but I would to fit into a costume. All I can say to guys trying to do the same, is stick with it, with the proper motivation you can do it.

 

 

Everyone has their unique motivating factors, it all comes down to what will get you started and keep you going.

 

Good job.

[tigger68[501st]]

Great story! I completely understand the motivation thing. That's what I need myself to get myself going. Just saying you need to be more fit to be healthy doesn't do it.

 

Okay, I'm going to add some advice here. Those of you who have a Wii...please go out and get the Wii Fit Plus Bundle, or if you already have it, get the Wii Fit Plus game. The reason? It is one of the better ways out there to chart your progress. It does it automatically and also gives you advice. On the plus side (no pun or reference to the game intended) I haven't gotten bored with mine yet, and I have a very low threshold for exercise boredom.

 

I am going to suggest one thing though, even with the Wii Fit program, don't rely completely on weighing yourself to see how much weight you are losing on a daily basis. This can be deceptive. As you begin to work out, your body will actually gain a couple of pounds. The reason for this is basic. You are moving your body in ways it is not used to. This will cause a corresponding increase in muscle mass (i.e. more contractile proteins) and a corresponding increase in weight. However, in the long run (2-3 weeks down the road) you will see a drop in weight which is actually the fat cells in your body decreasing in size.

 

Also, just so you don't freak out about 1 or 2 lbs of weight gain, every human can fluctuate in weight gain/loss by 1-2 lbs on a daily basis. I know this really strange, but it is tied in with fluid retention in the body. This is tied in with genetics so you have very little control over it. The time to be concerned about a quick 1 or 2 lb weight gain, is if the weight gain does not get balanced out over the next couple of weeks with a corresponding loss of weight.

 

Okay, I've given more pearls of wisdom today than I was thinking I would, perhaps making up for not posting anything over the weekend.

 

Oh, I need to report my own progress...well, since I worked all weekend (stocking items and walking all over the store) I am going to count that as a moderate exercise. I managed to resist ordering take-out Saturday night with the rest of the work crowd, but did give in and ate 2 chocolate chip cookies last night.

 

So far in the past week, I've removed enough weight, I judge by the way my clothes fit, to be able to wear a pair of trousers 1 size smaller than what I was wearing. So I guess I'm not doing too badly...only 8 more sizes to go.

[bluehickey]

I agree: don't weigh yourself every day, you'll go crazy like I used to! Weekly weigh in is a better reflection of what's going on with your weight loss.

[TK_LEPER]

Yeah, I still have the paper point sliders they give you when you do the program, plus I don't have an iPhone... I'm too old school.

 

I don't either, but... I do have an iPod touch. Works on that.

[tkrestonva[TK]]

I've always read that a basic rule of thumb for losing (or gaining) weight safely is to try to create a calorie deficit (or surplus) of about 500 calories a day. If you're trying to lose, you want to consume about 500 calories less than you burn per day. Works out to about 1 lb of body fat per week.

 

In order to do this, it seems the first thing you need to know is how many calories you burn daily simply by being alive and breathing. Add to that your level of daily activity, and you have the amount of calories you need for steady-state weight management. From there, for weight loss you can either ramp up the activity (exercise more), throttle back the calorie intake (eat less), or both.

 

Tiffanie, any tips on the best way to determine one's minimum daily caloric requirement?

[SapaWanmdi]

I've been working on eating more, finally pushed it over the 2000 Calories/day mark, but I'm enjoying running - and have to find a way to get more food so I don't go backward. Any opinions on protein powders and such to help building muscle mass? The weight bench isn't nearly as much fun, but the right music seems to help a lot. I'm starting to get abs now (the body part - not white plastic) and my girlfriend is enjoying poking them I'm not sure how I'm doing on my weight goal, but I'm starting to feel a lot better about myself. I'll check the scale in 2 weeks when I get home - I'm currently on my girlfriend's farm.

[tigger68[501st]]

I've always read that a basic rule of thumb for losing (or gaining) weight safely is to try to create a calorie deficit (or surplus) of about 500 calories a day. If you're trying to lose, you want to consume about 500 calories less than you burn per day. Works out to about 1 lb of body fat per week.

 

In order to do this, it seems the first thing you need to know is how many calories you burn daily simply by being alive and breathing. Add to that your level of daily activity, and you have the amount of calories you need for steady-state weight management. From there, for weight loss you can either ramp up the activity (exercise more), throttle back the calorie intake (eat less), or both.

 

Tiffanie, any tips on the best way to determine one's minimum daily caloric requirement?

Okay, first of all I'd like to say that this is a great place to come for advice and to be among others who are just trying to be the best looking TKs in the universe!

 

tkrestonva, to answer your question, I'll give a quick rundown of caloric requirements, metabolic rates, etc.

 

Even when you are asleep your body is burning calories. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate and is very very difficult to determine. It is the most accurate, but the only way to accurately measure it is to put you in a calorimeter or enclosed box while you are sleeping and measure your body temperature, oxygen consumption, etc...not quite something you can do at home. What you can do is estimate your Resting Metabolic Rate, or how many calories you burn while sitting on the couch watching Star Wars movies. Your Resting Metabolic Rate or RMR is approximate 65-75% of all the calories you expend during a normal day.

 

RMR = 9.99(WEIGHT in Kilograms) + 6.25(HEIGHT in centimeters) - 4.92(AGE in years) + 166(GENDER)-161

 

Okay, now let's calculate this.

 

Weight in Kg: For those of us who don't have scales that read Kgs, find your weight in pounds. Then divide that number by 2.2. This is now your weight in kgs.

 

Height in cms: Measure your height in inches. 1 foot=12 inches so if you are 6 feet tall you are 72 inches in height. I'm 5'4" so my height is 64 inches. Once you know your height in inches multiply that by 2.54. This is now your height in cms.

 

Age: Self-explanatory.

 

Gender: If you are Male, enter 1 in the gender part of the equation, if you are Female, enter 0 here.

 

Okay, now that the hard part is done, I'm going to calculate my own RMR.

 

Weight: 280lbs/2.2 = 127.27 kg

Height: 64 inches*2.54 = 162.56 cm

Age: 41

Gender: Female = 0

 

RMR = 9.99(127.27) + 6.25(162.56) - 4.92(41) + 166(0)-161

= 1271.43 + 1016 - 201.72 + 0 - 161

= 1924.71 calories per day.

 

So if I just sit on my couch all day and do nothing but watch SW films, I'll burn 1924.71 calories a day. Now, based on generalities, this could be 75% of my caloric expenditure daily. So using that estimate, I burn 2566.28 calories a day. So if I want to lose weight I need to consume 2066.28 calories a day. And I'm a woman...

 

Some things to remember, this is a general equation. The only way to really know what your RMR is, is to go to an Exercise Physiology laboratory and have it measured by oxygen consumption/carbon dioxide production, and even that is going to be slightly off because of the anxieties posed by testing.

 

Okay, RMR information:

 

1. RMR increases as muscle mass increases. The more muscle or lean body mass (LBM) you have the higher your RMR. Makes sense right?

2. As you get older your RMR decreases. This can be adjusted by increasing activity and LBM.

3. Cold climates increase your RMR. Your body has to produce more energy to stay warm.

4. Eating small regular meals throughout the day will increase your RMR.

5. Crash dieting actually DECREASES your RMR. So be careful about crash dieting.

 

Enough info for today. Hope everyone can use this.

Edited May 11, 2010 by tigger68

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Excellent info, thanks Tiffanie.

 

I've been working on eating more, finally pushed it over the 2000 Calories/day mark, but I'm enjoying running - and have to find a way to get more food so I don't go backward. Any opinions on protein powders and such to help building muscle mass? The weight bench isn't nearly as much fun, but the right music seems to help a lot. I'm starting to get abs now (the body part - not white plastic) and my girlfriend is enjoying poking them I'm not sure how I'm doing on my weight goal, but I'm starting to feel a lot better about myself. I'll check the scale in 2 weeks when I get home - I'm currently on my girlfriend's farm.

 

Sounds like you already know the problem - you need to eat more, spend more time in the weight room, and possibly less time in your running shoes.

 

If you're like most avid runners I know (1) you run A LOT, (2) you have a sky-high metabolism, (3) you have an intense dislike of weight training, and (4) you don't eat nearly as much as your body needs to gain quality weight. Knowing how many calories you burn in a typical day - factoring in exercise and any other physically exerting activities (including farm work ) and bumping it up by about 500 calories would help you a lot.

 

As for your question regarding protein powders and such, I've been using them for many years. They're great as a quick, convenient way to get extra calories and macronutrients (protein/carbs/fat - important to read the label to determine how much of what you're getting), but supplements are exactly that - supplements. They can never completely replace whole foods, and should not become the mainstay of your diet. First make sure you're eating as often as possible - clean foods, NOT JUNK. Also make sure your training is conducive to muscle gain - too much running or any other form of endurance training can be counterproductive to mass gain. Finally, make sure you're getting enough rest and not overtraining, training serves as the stimulus but actual growth happens while you are resting/recovering.

 

Once all 3 components (nutrition/training/rest) are dialed in, then supplement as you need. Bodybuilding.com is an excellent online resource to learn more when you're ready.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Very interesting thread, and great job troopers that are doing their best to not only lose weight for the looks / costume fit, but to improve quality of life and health as well!

 

Just a small personal plug, I know Wii Fit is being talked about a lot. But the fact is, it's not as consistent and effective as it could be.

 

I work on EA Sports Active and EA Sports Active More Workouts, as well as the new ones on the way. It's an interactive fitness product for the Wii.

 

We did a lot of independent testing and even have a personal trainers on staff to help us evaluate the effectiveness of our workouts and ability to burn calories. You will sweat, you will burn calories. The results speak for themselves, check out the videos and testimonials here.

 

http://www.easportsactive.com/home.action

 

If you guys are serious about using an interactive fitness product in addition to regular exercise and changing your diet and lifestyle, you should really consider EA Sports Active. There's lots of testimonials out there.

 

In fact, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is.

 

If there are 3 troopers on this thread that are actively trying to lose weight and get fit, (Tiffanie, I'd like to make you one of them as you've posted lots of great info to help people) I will personally send you a copy of EA Sports Active for you to try. Some catches:

 

- you must commit to a 6 week challenge that has approx 3 workouts a week

- must be in conjunction with diet / lifestyle changes (eg: eliminate sugar, fat, alcohol, etc.)

- you must post your results here

 

Whether you reach your goal with EA Sports Active or not isn't the goal. I've found that all it takes sometimes is something like this to show people the benefits, and hopefully other lifestyle changes happen. Hopefully, you will find it effective (I think you will!).

 

*BTW: No I do not get games for free, I have to pay for them just like everyone else.

[tigger68[501st]]

Panda, I would be interested in that product. I see it everyday at work, and I have wondered about it, but since I already have the Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus, I didn't want to purchase another workout game. I think the reason they came out with the Wii Fit Plus was to try and compete against the EA product.

 

Okay, I'm going to come out right now and say that EA makes good products. So if you don't already have Wii Fit or the WFP game, consider the EA Sports Active workouts. I'd be more than happy to endorse anything that will help people get in shape, and I include myself in that group.

 

That said, I'm going to give my advice for today (I skipped yesterday because I thought the RMR info was enough for 2 days )

 

Even though you are trying to lose weight, you still need to keep a balance of foods in your diet. I know that food fads come and go (Atkins diet anyone?) But you need to consider what your body uses as fuel.

 

Carbohydrates (CHO) and proteins are the easiest forms of fuel for your body to use. To burn 1 gram of CHO or protein requires only 4 calories. In contrast it takes 9 calories to burn 1 gram of fat. I'm not just talking about carbohydrates from grains, rice, sugar, etc...I'm also talking about veggies and fruits.

 

So a good rule of thumb now that you know how many caloires you need to be eating is to have 55-60% of your diet be carbohydrates (mostly fruits and veggies with grains thrown in for good measure), 25-30% should be protein, and 10% should be fat.

 

Why am I telling you to make sure you have fat in your diet? Well, the body needs it to function. All your cell walls are made up of a fatty substance. Your body needs cholesterol to have proper liver function. If you don't eat enough fat (and 10% is enough) then your body will produce its own cholesterol and it won't be the LDL cholesterol, it will be HDL (the bad kind). Besides, fat makes things taste good, and gives satisfaction. I'm not telling you to go out and eat a stick of butter by anymeans, but don't avoid it altogether. This is a scientific fact, and I'll look up the research if anyone is interested.

 

As for the carbohydrates, try and make the veggies and fruits the main part of this percentage. Yes, you will need grains but they shouldn't be the primary source of calories.

 

Protein...fish, chicken, pork, beef, legumes, etc. Just remember that most beef has been bred for taste, which means that the more the marbling, the higher the fat content. So, that wonderful Kobe beef you want to eat? The reason it is so tender and tasty? The high high fat content in the meat.

 

Just remember this phrase...Everything in moderation and you'll do fine.

 

(Stepping off my soap box for another day)

[tigger68[501st]]

This post is primarily for those troopers in the US, but can be applicable for all troopers.

 

In the US, our taste buds have become accustomed to sweetness in all our foods. I am going to throw out this warning because I was surprised the first time I saw this ingredient...

 

Most of our foods contain the added high fructose corn syrup. Even foods you wouldn't think would have it do. Like condensed soups??? Yeah, I've seen HFCS or even sugar listed on the ingredients. If you are looking to avoid sugars you need to be very careful about what is in everything pre-packaged you purchase.

 

Okay, another shopping tip. If you are purchasing the reduced or low-fat crackers or other products, double check the labels. Fat adds flavor so to compensate the manufacturers usually double up on the sodium content which will cause you to retain water, increase your blood pressure, and is an all around bad thing. If you want to get those Wheat Thins, Triscuts, Ritz crackers, etc., you are better off purchasing the full fat and just eating less. Your kidneys will thank you in the long run.

 

If you're like me and you love chips and salsa (I'd rather have that than cake or candy any day), I suggest instead of purchasing your chips, make your own from corn tortillas. You can cut them and then bake them to make them crispy. Yeah, it doesn't taste quite the same, but you're dipping them in salsa anyway so who cares?

 

Next week I'm going to be uploading recommendations about heat injuries and dehydration and how to avoid them. Those of us in the northen hemisphere are headed into summer, and trooping in armor will be quite exhausting as well as presenting a danger for heat related problems. Those of you in the southern hemisphere, don't think I'm not thinking of you as well. I'll give you some recommendations for keeping hydrated in the cooler weather which is almost more dangerous because you won't feel as hot, and are less likely to drink enough.

 

Okay, have a great weekend everyone!

[TK-4510[501st]]

TK-4510 reporting in

Weigh in 05.16.10 --196 lbs

Result -7 lbs loss

 

Atkins is awesome

 

 

 

Over and out.......

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Great news, Mike!

 

I won't knock Atkins for quick, short-term weight loss - competitive bodybuilders have been using the same high-protein / low-carb strategy when dieting down and getting shredded for a contest long before Mr. Atkins made it popular among the masses. However, I will say this - the Atkins diet is not really appropriate or sustainable as a long-term solution. I'll leave the whys to Tiffanie or someone else who actually has formal training in this area, but it really does come down to a permanent lifestyle change if you hope to permanently keep the weight off. Carbs are the body's primary fuel source, and long-term deprivation of that source can have some unintended side effects (again, I leave the details to Tiffanie). Further, you'll find that once you go back to a "normal" diet, here comes the weight gain.

 

My 2 cents - again, I don't want to sound like I'm demeaning your achievement, rather I don't want to see you (or anyone else) get frustrated down the road.

[TK-4510[501st]]

Yeah I know. I am going to lower the carbs with Atkins and after the weight loss I am going to be using a glycemic index for my permanent diet.

[bluehickey]

Congrats Mike!

 

Well, I maintained my same weight again this week. It was a pretty rough week: I slept horribly which made me so tired during the days that I had absolutely no energy to exercise. Add to that going on a weekend trip and having to grab food at fast food places along the way, I'm probably lucky I maintained and didn't gain!

[tigger68[501st]]

Okay, I'm going to respond quickly to a couple of the posts here and then I'm going to get back to work on the hydration thing...

 

The Atkins diet...not sustainable for long term. It puts an incredible strain on your kidneys. One of the reasons it is so successful is that your body doesn't store protein as fat as a general rule. It is also easier to break down than other products. However, because the body doesn't tend to store protein as fat, it will if enough is eaten, the kidneys have to excrete the excess protein in the urine. This can lead to problems with kidney function later in life. Atkins is okay to kick start your dieting, but not as a long term solution. I would even be wary of using it longer than 3-4 weeks because of the strain on the kidneys. The kidneys are very delicate and once damaged don't repair easily. Even Dr. Atkins himself said that he had only planned to have people use the diet for 2-3 weeks initially and then change the way they were eating. Unfortunately he died of a heart attack (irony anyone?) before he could implement that change in a big way for his diet plan.

 

bluehickey, the whole goal is to lose and be able to maintain the weight loss. The fact that you didn't gain any weight over the weekend with the whole fast food thing is a positive note. Don't ever get down on yourself if you can't maintain the dieting phase of any weight loss program.

 

Okay, I've now got to address dieting...diets don't work in the long run. Seriously. There are enough scientific studies that show that 70% of everyone who diets gains the weight back with a 10lb increase in the weight gained back within 2-3 years. I personally don't like those odds. It is more of a lifestyle change that you need to make. However, I'm going to reiterate this again and again. Don't deny yourself! When you deny yourself you have a tendency to crack up, grab the thing you're denying yourself and then binge on it, eating way more than you had intended, and then feeling guilty so you deny yourself...binge...feel guilty... Anyone see a pattern here?

 

If you like chips and salsa...great! Make your own chips and then dip them im the salsa. If you like cookies...great, plan to have one cookie after dinner. That way you won't feel deprived and binge. One cookie after dinner is better than a whole box in one sitting.

 

Enough for today. I'll post more later about hydration.

 

And Pandatrooper...thank you for offering. I'm taking you up on that challenge and look forward to posting here on the fit club the results.

 

Cheers!

[Trooper Zero]

If there is and image error I apolagize. I am about 6'4 and just over 242 ibs. My goal weight is 210ibs and once my leg heals I will do hikes with light to heavy packs, do a 2-5 mile run 3-4 times a week and work on my diet ( I will be abil to do this sence school for me is out the 25th).

[ajax407[TK]]

Unfortunately he died of a heart attack (irony anyone?) before he could implement that change in a big way for his diet plan.

 

 

Actually Dr. Atkins didn't die of a heart attack.

 

"On April 8, 2003, at age 72, a day after a major snowstorm in New York, Atkins slipped on ice while walking to work, hitting his head and causing bleeding around his brain. He lost consciousness and went into a coma on the way to the hospital. He spent nine days in intensive care, before dying of his injuries on April 17, 2003."

 

Just an FYI

[bluehickey]

If there is and image error I apolagize. I am about 6'4 and just over 242 ibs. My goal weight is 210ibs and once my leg heals I will do hikes with light to heavy packs, do a 2-5 mile run 3-4 times a week and work on my diet ( I will be abil to do this sence school for me is out the 25th).

 

Welcome Tanner, sounds like you've got a good goal set for yourself.

[tigger68[501st]]

Actually Dr. Atkins didn't die of a heart attack.

 

"On April 8, 2003, at age 72, a day after a major snowstorm in New York, Atkins slipped on ice while walking to work, hitting his head and causing bleeding around his brain. He lost consciousness and went into a coma on the way to the hospital. He spent nine days in intensive care, before dying of his injuries on April 17, 2003."

 

Just an FYI

My apologies. I had read earlier that he had suffered and subsequently survived a cardiac arrest episode. Also, documents that were released in 2004 from the NY Medical Examiner's office stated that he suffered from previous heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. Speculation abounds as to whether or not this contributed to his fall and death.

 

That said, the American Heart Association decries the Atkins diet as not one to follow long term. Again, I'm going to come out and say I'm not a fan of fad diets, and the Atkins diet no matter what anyone says is a fad diet. I'm grouping the South Beach Diet in with the Atkins diet. I watched my younger sister start the South Beach Diet and go through 2 weeks of torture because she could eat no carbohydrates except veggies. 9 days into the diet she stated to me one night that, "I'm so hungry I could gnaw on my own arm, and I could because it is all protein and fat, not restricted." That kind of comments worry me. She went off the diet on a trip to the Czech Republic and while there binged on pastries, breads and other starches. Luckily since they were walking everywhere she didn't gain it back, but I'm going to refer back to my previous posts about denial and binging. These diets are not sustainable in the long term, and can cause irreparable damage to your body.

 

I'm getting off my soapbox now because I don't want to seem unruly for the forum. I will post tomorrow regarding the hydration for hot weather, hot weather with humidity, and cooler weather for those entering into their winter seasons.

 

TTFN (ta ta for now)

[Trooper Zero]

Welcome Tanner, sounds like you've got a good goal set for yourself.

Thanks and I just lost 6ibs I fell better already

[SapaWanmdi]

I got back from my trip today, and visited the scale - up to 127 lbs now! (drinking more water, so that's probably a part of it) I'm trying one of the protein powders they had at walmart, hopefully that will help. I'm feeling better about me though

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Good to hear.

 

What kind of protein powder did you get? What else are you doing differently?