What do you wish you hadn't done on your fitness journey?

I wish I'd never tried running, and I wish I'd stayed the hell away from plyometrics or any kind of impact. It was so far from worth the injuries. Hindsight is 20/20, I had no idea how bad my biomechanics were. Careful preparation and graduated activity and attention to form didn't help. Long-term consequences there.

I wish I *had* started out with something like Pilates to gently build up more stability around my joints from the get-go. Then weights, then some LOW IMPACT cardio.

slaite1 wrote: »

I would not have tried so hard to eat "clean" and have the perfect workout. I knew better, but I got caught up in the hype. If I had kept it this simple from the beginning-my progress would be much further.

This is something that I'm finally learning. Throughout the years I've tried losing weight on and off. My problem is that every time I do it I become a perfectionist about eating clean and working out a lot. However, I have an all-or-nothing mentality that I can't seem to rid myself of, and it typically leads to my failure in the end. I'll eat something that isn't "clean" or miss a few workouts, and then it all sort of snowballs from there until I stop entirely.

This time around I'm letting myself eat what I want to eat, while trying to stay in my calorie goals. I do still make an effort to opt for more nutritious options and meet my macros, but if I wake up tomorrow and decide I really need some pizza rolls for lunch, I'm gonna have myself some pizza rolls. I'm finding things to be much easier now that I've decided to just focus on calories first. Maybe in the future I'll try a little harder to bring better things into my diet, but for now I'm going to just focus on eating good portions first.

I wish I'd been more mindful of what I was doing after my only other "diet" (Slimming World). I maintained that weight loss for over 25 years, without consciously exercising or following the plan - the lifestyle change was so thorough that I no longer noticed it. Consequently, when the CO part of my CICO changed drastically 7 years ago I didn't make the necessary adjustments and the weight has piled on.

I wish I had bought my bike a long time ago. I really hate going to the gym and finding a fun exercise activity has made all the difference. Now that I'm in good shape from biking I can do things I never thought possible - like running for several miles. I'm nervous about what to do in the colder months.. I'm too much of an outdoors person.. But at least I know I have my bike waiting for me in the Spring.

ebbingfat wrote: »

slaite1 wrote: »

I would not have tried so hard to eat "clean" and have the perfect workout. I knew better, but I got caught up in the hype. If I had kept it this simple from the beginning-my progress would be much further.

This is something that I'm finally learning. Throughout the years I've tried losing weight on and off. My problem is that every time I do it I become a perfectionist about eating clean and working out a lot. However, I have an all-or-nothing mentality that I can't seem to rid myself of, and it typically leads to my failure in the end. I'll eat something that isn't "clean" or miss a few workouts, and then it all sort of snowballs from there until I stop entirely.

This time around I'm letting myself eat what I want to eat, while trying to stay in my calorie goals. I do still make an effort to opt for more nutritious options and meet my macros, but if I wake up tomorrow and decide I really need some pizza rolls for lunch, I'm gonna have myself some pizza rolls. I'm finding things to be much easier now that I've decided to just focus on calories first. Maybe in the future I'll try a little harder to bring better things into my diet, but for now I'm going to just focus on eating good portions first.

This is pretty much exactly how I am doing it-and basically how I stopped bingeing. By simply following calorie goals and exercising I am almost back to my "good weight" already. I have recently started paying more attention to macros and micros again-but can now do it easily and still fit it the pizza with no problem!

I wish i hadn't taken a "break" last Christmas, lost 14lbs at that point and that 4 week "break" turned into a good six months. I was also trying to stick to 1200cals (eating back exercise) and would regular walk 3/4 miles places to earn beer etc. I was miserable, tired and bored. If i had just gone about it more sensibly and stuck with it i would have lost maybe another 2 stone by now.

Kexessa wrote: »

I wish I hadn't bought into the "fat is bad for you". That started back in the 80's as I was coming of age and it dominated my 20's and 30's. My only concern was how much fat something had. Not sugar, not protein, not well rounded nutrition, just fat. And not eating fat made me fatter. Imagine that.

Back then nothing was clear enough. All fat was bad. There was no "good fat". It was a hard habit to break. When I get fat free products now, like yogurt, it's because I'm hoarding calories for ice cream, not because of the fat.

I'm right there with you. I think a lot of younger people don't get quite how pervasive that was. "Fat makes you fat" was taught as a definite thing. I remember the loud hosannas when the Snackwells cookies came out. You were supposed to trim all the fat off of all of your cuts of meat.

It seems ironic to me that the public health view on this subject has turned 180 degrees. I am now very skeptical about almost any claims I hear regarding nutrition due to this.

There are several things i wish i hadn't done on this fitness journey. The most important thing though is the use of Pre Workout stimulants. I didnt need them.....i work my butt off in the gym but, searching for that magic thing to workout harder, longer , faster etc etc almost cost me a heart attack/stroke and the withdraw from it was nothing to laugh at. You should not take anything that will alter the way your body should work on its own. Muscles are strong...bones are strong....your organs are still delicate things on the inside that you have no idea how badly you can harm them until you do. Im not trying to preach or tell anyone what they should or shouldnt do but, just to be smart about it. I now will do only coffee as a pre workout and as i said before i dont need it. If my body has no energy to do the things i want it to...then i need a rest day. Your body is the only house you have to live in.....leave the ego at the door and protect it.

happysquidmuffin wrote: »

I wish I hadn't quit MFP the first time, when I had gone from 161 to 152, and then all the way back up (and then some) to 168. Well now I'm 164, so I'm almost back to where I had started from...

Ditto..first time around I went from 218 to 183, and the I quit and and gained it all back and then some to 226.6. I am now back down to 215.

I wish that when I'd started reading this board that I'd been better able to filter all of the advice and new information that I was taking in and not let it take me off of the path that was best for me. I tried clean eating (for two weeks, but still), doing mostly resistance work with little cardio, and a few other things I never would have thought to do that basically wasted a year.

I'd never had a problem maintaining my ideal weight until I stopped exercising and my weight crept up over a couple years' time. When I did a rough calculation of how many extra calories I had to have eaten to have gained the weight that I did over said period of time, it came out to something like 150-200 calories per day. I wasn't massively overeating, which told me that I gained weight primarily because I'd stopped working out. I wasn't willing to eat less, so all I needed to do was get active again.

When I dumped all of the noise and went back to doing my trusty videos and DVDs, that's when I started making progress. I'm doing this for my goals, not someone else's idea of what my physique and goals should be.

professionalHobbyist wrote: »

I got a trainer and dr sent me to a nutritionist

When I first got to MFP I already knew there is more to a piece of food than calorie count only.

I wasted time discussing CICO with some people here that treat it like the only property of a piece of food.

It is the internet, not the gym. I don't take things here serious any longer if it remotely conflicts with what I hear from my trainer, doctor, nutritionist.

Don't waste time arguing here. That is the main thing I took from MFP.

Along these lines, I am endeavoring to spend more time exercising and less time arguing. I'm happy with my path and don't need to spend so much time saying "I can too [censored so as not to derail] and lose weight.

bbontheb wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

bbontheb wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

I wish I'd never tried running, and I wish I'd stayed the hell away from plyometrics or any kind of impact. It was so far from worth the injuries. Hindsight is 20/20, I had no idea how bad my biomechanics were. Careful preparation and graduated activity and attention to form didn't help. Long-term consequences there.

I wish I *had* started out with something like Pilates to gently build up more stability around my joints from the get-go. Then weights, then some LOW IMPACT cardio.

I'm going to take this as direct advice. I have a bunk leg so to speak...I need someone to evaluate it-did you see anyone about it?

A physiotherapist. It took me a while to find a good one some are not so focused on getting you geared for fitness activity (eg they mostly work w older populations) - go to one affiliated with a sports medicine clinic & get recommendations

Glad if my experience can maybe save one person some trouble

Yes, absolutely. I've been dealing with knee, hip, and buttock pain as well as just above the kneecap (quad? tendon?) only on one leg. My gait is wonky, and one leg sort of swings out. I think I have a pelvic tilt causing it but unsure. Been walking fast and starting to jog but keep wondering if I am doing worse for my leg than getting it slowly built up where it's weak (with a professional). So, yes...definitely helped me with your experience.

My husband has been dealing with this. If it hurts when you lift the leg up, it's probably the tendon that goes to your quad which I believe is called the Semitendinosis tendon. It usually gets inflamed because you're compensating for other pain, often in the other leg, and therefore are walking differently. For my husband it was a bout of gout in his left big toe that caused it on his right knee. He's been wearing a brace and has had to stop bowling until it heals.

If it's hurting, don't keep running. You could cause really serious damage to it. If I were you I'd see a doctor and let it heal before trying to correct the imbalance that's causing it.