Trooper Fit Club

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Hey everyone.  I've just gotten involved in the forums here at FISD within the last month or two (as a poster at least - I've been lurking intermittently for awhile now) and am on a wait list for armor finally.

 

None of that is why I've stopped in though, I've started branching out from "What do I do to join" threads and into the other areas of the forums, and found the thread here. 

 

First thing I have to say is that this is an awesome idea, and I'm happy for all of you who have made progress and continue to do so, as well as those of you that have decided to get underway.  I'm in the US Army, so I stay in shape for the most part, but I see a lot of you doing some great things, and I thought that for those of you who are using exercise as part of your fitness plan I could share a few internet based tools to hopefully help some of you out.  I'm not a trooper (yet) but I still want to help troopers where I can!

 

This first link is to a tool that can be used in conjunction with our Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), which consists of 2 minutes each of push-ups and sit-ups, and a 2 mile run.  There is a mobile version available, too.  You can use it to score yourself on an Army APFT, measure your body fat by inputing some measurements, age and gender, things like that.

http://550cord.com/products/info.asp?ProductID=7&product=Army-Fitness-Calculator

 

This second link is to a page with a lot of useful fitness information links.

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/army-fitness-requirements/weight-control-program

 

Not sure if anyone will be interested in this or not, but perhaps someone will be able to use some of the information to reach their goals.  If so, then it was worth the time that I took to post it.  Best wishes to all of you in reaching your goals.  I offer this in the spirit of Troopers (or maybe prospective ones) helping troopers!!

[Sheik Yerbouti[501st]]

Thanks for sharing the info Tim, I am going to have to incorporate some of the info there into my regimen.  I think I need to change things up a bit to get rid of the last 10 pounds.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Probably a good idea, Brent. 
 

Although I'm in shape normally, there was a time (in 2007) while I was assigned as a recruiter that I gained a bunch of weight and had to drop about 50 lbs to get to where I needed to be, and I concur that a change in your regimen is probably a good idea to bust through that last five to ten pounds.  Keep at it, I'm sure that you'll get there!

[blythe]

Thanks for the links! I now know I have to do 40 push-ups and 45 sit-ups in a minute. The good news is my new weight is in compliance, my old weight was not! PROGRESS! Maybe I will challenge my coworkers and figure out how many of each we can do today.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Ben...  First, congrats on the weight loss.  Progress is key to getting to the goal, for sure. 

 

Second...  The APFT is 2 minutes for the pushups and situps.  Probably much easier than doing it in 1!

 

Third...  Challenges are a great way to stay motivated - especially when you've got others involved!

 

Keep at it!

[blythe]

Is that two minutes per exercise or one minute per exercise?

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

2 minutes each, with no less than 10 minutes, but no more than 20 minutes in between the three events.

 

Sequence goes like this:

 

Push-ups for 2 minutes.

 

10 minute break.

 

Sit-ups for 2 minutes.

 

10 minute break.

 

Run 2 miles.

 

[blythe]

I hit a healthy BMI today! First time I have been at a halthy BMI since high school! Also, I am starting a "Body Fit" class today -- which I am going to rename "Trooper Fit" in my mind.

[blythe]

Sorry if I am spamming the hell out of Trooper Fit club, but I have more progress:

 

 

Boom baby!

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Looking good (except for that awful green shirt   )!!

 

Keep up the good work!

[Sheik Yerbouti[501st]]

Good work Ben

 

 

need that damn thumbs up button on here

[bluehickey]

Nice Job Ben!

[bluehickey]

OK, I just have to share what has been helping me shed the pounds this past month. I have been Juicing which is only drinking fruit and vegetable drinks each day, plus plenty of water. I have been doing this for about 6 days in a row and then taking a break for a few days. I've lost almost 20 lbs in one month!

 

I'm on my third time doing it right now and it's really not as hard as you'd think. Sure it is tempting to want to eat when others around me are eating delicious food that I can smell, but I've found that I can function completely normally just on the juice and water. I thought it would be torture but it really isn't. My body works fine because it is using up all of my stored fat on my body for fuel.

 

If you are thinking about trying this out you'll have to get a Juicer which is different than a blender. A juicer extracts just the juice from something while a blender combines the juice with the food as well. Good juicers can be expensive ($100+), but I got a really good one cheaply by finding it in the local classifieds ($65).

 

My usual drink consists of the following: an apple, an orange, two carrots, 1 celery stick, 1/3 of a cucumber, and some grapes.

 

I can't tell you how excited I am to troop again knowing that I'm going to fit into my armor much easier and look better in pictures!

[Haribon72[TK]]

I'm adding myself to the thread since i'm one of many future troopers that are having difficulty with the side shims.

 

I'm 5'10" and 230 pounds.   My goal for this year is 190 pounds.

[IMaDesignerd]

Hello all!

 

I stumbled upon this topic via a link from another thread that was about "large" stormtroopers. I myself am a larger person and, as soon as I can get a deposit together, will be on a waiting list for armor. The armor I am buying should be able to fit me, however, I want to get to a point where I will look great in it. I have wanted to lose weight for a long time and this just might be the perfect motivator. I actually started a diet plan two weeks ago on my own and I have lost 2 lbs. I am a male,  5'11" and 240lbs. I carry most of my weight in my mid section and thighs. My target weight would be 185, because I have a larger frame and I think that going lower than that would look unhealthy.

I am glad that this thread exsits. It will really help me along the way.

 

 

Greg Bellows

[bleh242]

no pictures yet as I am also waiting on my armor, but I'll join the club.

 

I'm male, 5'11' and 235lbs. I was at about 250 6 months ago when I went for my Merchant Marine license physical and found out I was having some blood pressure issues.. they wanted to put me on meds, but I flat out refused until I tried some alternatives. The next day I quit drinking caffeine and cut my soda intake drastically.. I'd probably cut it all together, but I like my Ginger ale and Ginger beer too much to quit entirely. I then started planning out a way to excercise that I would stick to as I get bored easily with gyms and I spend every other 3 weeks on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, . through some trial and error I've come up with a plan that works with my schedule, we'll see how that goes . currently I'm alternating between jogging 2-3 miles on day one and rowing 6000 meters on a rowing machine on day two

 

on the food side, I've been a vegetarian for 11 years.. not a healthy eating one, but a vegetarian nonetheless, all I'm doing there is trying to eat more fresh foods and less junk..which can be difficult on the ship, but luckily the baker isn't that good right now so the desserts aren't that tempting

 

as for my goals, the biggest one was the blood pressure, which is already down to reasonable levels, so no drugs for me, yay

 

after that I'd like to get down to the 200-220 range and see what happens after that.. 

Edited March 12, 2014 by bleh242

[IMaDesignerd]

So, I wanted to post a quick update, just in case there are any other troopers out there that are, 1. still reading this thread, and 2. looking for inspiration.

 

Anyway, I have been dieting and exercising pretty much everyday since my last post. I have been walking/jogging 2 miles a day about 5 days a week and have been eating a low carb diet. (15 Carbs a day) I am happy to say that this morning I weighed myself and I am down 21 pounds from 240 to 219. My clothes are fitting much more loosely and I have gone up 2 notches on my belt. =D

It has been a tough process, especially since the only meat protein I eat is fish. Low carb can get really boring really fast when the only meat you eat is fish, but the results are totally worth it. My mindset on food has changed and now and I look at it only as fuel for my body. Once I hit my target weight, I will slowly starting eating the foods I love again, but until then I am sticking to it.

[Starfox2010]

Since im on a 6 month waiting list for my armor, I thought id brouse around and throw my 2 cents in.

 

First and foremost, this is what worked for me, understand that it may not be for everyone.

 

After High School I got to 230pnds where I weighed 160.  The GYM wasnt cutting it, I wasn't into picking things up and putting them down.  I started getting into running of all things, after work it was a good stress relief.  I went from doing a mile which I never did to doing the L.A. Marathon (this was in a year's period of time). 

 

What actually helped me is finding something I found interesting and kept switching it up.  The marathon was a 1 time thing for me, it was brutal but very rewarding.  I switched to doing fun running like obsticle courses -  The Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, then Spartan Race (there's easyer ones like Run or Dye, Zombie Run etc.).   These were cool because you got to do them with friends or by yourself.  The race itself in prospective is not whats important (very fun though), the fact that you are training and eating right for it, is.  After this I jumped to Jiu-jitsu, it was a giant leap but all in all it is fun, most importantly I lost a lot of weight. The first thing that may come to mind is Karate Kid where the guys were assholes and you dont fit in, however its the total oposite.  People are very nice, you learn at your own pace and best of all you meet new people.  it's of all ages, weight classes and gender ( Ed O'Neill aka Al Bundy is a black belt in it). It also helps to know that you dont need to get in shape before you join.

 

Find something to do besides standing still,  you dont even need to do it every day, I train 3x a week  sometimes I hike or run on sundays.   Lastly, Eat 3 complete meals and 3 snacks and go to sleep on time (yes a cheat meal a week is ok).  Reply or pm me if you have any questions.  I hope I helped a bit.

 

Best of luck everyone.

[Stormy1992]

I hope this doesn't sound stupid, and I've been reluctant in posting this.. But I have the opposite problem and I'm going to work on it. At 5'8" and 115 lbs (yes I'm a guy) I'm incredibly skinny and it upsets me greatly. My goal weight is 140. I started taikwando and hapkido in August, which have helped a bunch already. I haven't had soda in over a year now. I chose an accurate size armor set for my first set, and will be getting it very shortly. But I don't want to look like I'm swimming in it, or cut it down so it fits and looks anorexic.

Got the same problem man! good to know im not the only one out there.. im 5,10 130lbs age 22.

[TK Rome[501st]]

Here's an observation from a fat dude: you guys look totally bad a** in your armor. I'm probably starting from the highest point here at 300 lbs. Just started back on my work out regiment of boxing and cardio every other day. Dropped the ball for two months while I was between jobs and old habits came back to bite me (smoking being one of them, but I'm working on dropping that habit too.)so hopefully by the time I get my armor I won't have to shim the hell out of it.

[bluehickey]

Here's an observation from a fat dude: you guys look totally bad a** in your armor. I'm probably starting from the highest point here at 300 lbs. Just started back on my work out regiment of boxing and cardio every other day. Dropped the ball for two months while I was between jobs and old habits came back to bite me (smoking being one of them, but I'm working on dropping that habit too.)so hopefully by the time I get my armor I won't have to shim the hell out of it.

 

Good luck Romen, keep us posted on your progress.

[Stormy1992]

Romen, i too just gave up smoking.. its a horrible habit, good to know youre trying to drop it. dont give up and you can loose those pounds too! work out and such! im starting to lift myself to gain some lbs, but id gladly take some from you

[Zarlon[TK]]

Here's an observation from a fat dude: you guys look totally bad a** in your armor. I'm probably starting from the highest point here at 300 lbs. Just started back on my work out regiment of boxing and cardio every other day. Dropped the ball for two months while I was between jobs and old habits came back to bite me (smoking being one of them, but I'm working on dropping that habit too.)so hopefully by the time I get my armor I won't have to shim the hell out of it.

 

You can do it Roman! Rick (Starfox2010) above is totally correct. In order to change you need to have the motivation to find something that works for you. It took me many tries but I finally found a program that worked for me. About 2 1/2 years ago my dad went through some issues that he was never able to recover from and eventually passed away. I decided then and there that I would make some drastic changes.   I knew that diets don't work for me. I could lose weight easily but I'd always put it back on so I had to find something that I could maintain for the rest of my life. 

 

 

I knew that I needed to get my butt off of the couch so I started walking every day. That lead me into trying to do a little bit of running. I had friends that had run some of the Disney races and that seemed interesting to me. I have a bad right knee so running full time was out of the question but then I found the Galloway run/walk/run method where you run for a few seconds and then walk for a few seconds. I started to use the Galloway method and signed up for my first 5K in August of 2012. Since then I've run multiple 5K's and 10K's as well as ten Half Marathons and my first full Marathon in Disneyworld this past January. The Galloway method was the thing that clicked for me. Paying the entry fee for multiple races months in advance gives me the motivation to run and to reduce the amount of food I eat without depriving myself of the food I love. If I know I'm going to have an unhealthy meal or two I just increase my runs to burn it off. In that first year I was able to lose 80 pounds and I've kept it off for almost a year and a half now so it definitely can be done! Keep at it..If I can do it anyone can!

 

[TK Rome[501st]]

Thanks for the motivation guys! I started some sir cut training. This week and got some cigarette patches from the girlfriend but I dropped that after I noticed it intensified my cravings so I figure best way to do it is cold turkey and replacing smoke breaks with work out breaks. I'm ordering my bucket tomorrow as an incentive to keep it up and then order my armor. I will post an update when I see significant results.

[TK Rome[501st]]

Sorry I meant circuit training. This auto correct kills me! Must be a Rebel plot to keep us troopers from communicating.