jmvh59 Member

Something like a clif bar or maybe some trail mix would probably be ok. Be plenty hydrated before you start. Some people have pretty sensitive stomachs when it comes to running. Best to take it easy until you know how you are. I'm pretty much the opposite. In boot camp, I would eat a big breakfast of pancakes and whatever…

I once lost 35 pounds in 35 days. It can be done if you are willing to push your body to its limits. I was just finishing my 5 year enlistment in the Marines, and I had gained a bunch of weight while on a month-long special duty assignment and had to lose it all or face administrative punishment. I ate nothing but rice,…

Thanks for all the information, everybody. It looks like the consensus is to get fitted at a running shoe store. What can I expect to pay for shoes, and how many miles should I expect them to last running on pavement?

I'm not so sure we're all masochistic. I had barely run further than the one mile per year required by the presidential physical fitness test in school when I joined the Marine Corps. We did so much running in boot camp. I remember wishing i would just die so I would not have to go on. I hated running. At some point, it…

The following advice can be followed or ignored at your leisure... First of all, don't be a scale Nazi. Pick one day a week to weigh yourself. Weigh yourself at around the same time of day. My weigh ins are first thing Monday morning, right after I wake up and use the restroom. My wife weighs herself on Friday mornings.…

I am a 36 year old rookie. I never touched a rugby ball before this past February. I have played in every A match my club has played this year, and only missed 2 B matches. I even played an entire Old Boys match on a Sunday after playing every A and B minute the previous day. I really like the camaraderie that rugby…

While that article has some scientific backing, here are the main points I'm taking away from it: 1. If you are running several hours per day on the treadmill and you are not losing weight, you need to reevaluate your workout scheme. 2. If you are doing a LOT of just cardio, you need to get your T3 levels checked regularly…

Seriously, I like this website in that regard. You don't HAVE to eat only rabbit food to lose weight. You just have to make sure you keep your calories under a certain amount. Healthier choices tend to have fewer calories, so it's easier with them, but you can have the occasional burger or whatever and it won't be the end…

I live near Steelton, which is just east of Harrisburg.

Congratulations on quitting smoking! That's such a bad habit I'm so glad to be done with! I can hardly believe I used to love smoking so much... There were a few other hypothyroidism symptoms I totally forgot about when I originally posted. I was FREEZING all the time, so I was constantly bundled up. I never wanted to get…

You know, I first started walking before work in the mornings with my wife and our dogs in the summer of 2010. That was a few short weeks after I had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I went untreated for a while, so I had just gained a bunch of weight and was really out of shape. By the fall, the walking turned to…

Bright eyes

First of all, don't psych yourself out! The rain and lower temps will be pretty nasty compared to the normal San Diego climate. However, running generates heat and you sweat because of it. In the rain, your body will not need to sweat as much to cool off. In fact, if you are really exerting yourself, rain and wind feel…

I like apples, oranges, bananas, C.R.A.P. (Chocolate, raisins and peanuts), granola bars, string cheese, and olives for snacking and lunchy sides. Soup is a pretty good low calorie main course option. You can heat it beforehand and put it in a thermos if you do not have access to a microwave. Hope that helps!

Hiking is definitely high on the burned calories scale. It presumes you are carrying a pack and climbing/descending hills. It doesn't seem to care about your pace at all. I could hike a trail one day and then hike it again the next day but take an hour longer and burn 600 or so more calories going the same distance! So…

Ooh-rah! I was about 185 when I ran my best PFT. Even then, I would have been 2 tenths of a pound over my ideal BMI. I'm way heavier now, but getting on track to losing it.

Everybody has got some really good advice, but is your 900 calorie a day routine working for you? If it is, I would not necessarily change it. The 1200 calorie minimum rule is pretty universal, but you are probably in the bottom 1 percentile for height, so I would suspect you may be the rare exception to the rule. If you…

Many machines have heart rate monitors built in to the handles. Presumably, they are accurate at calculating calories burned, or are you saying that those machines are off?

Honestly, to get and stay in shape requires a significant lifestyle change. That's why the weight loss industry is such a moneymaker. Everybody is looking for a quick fix and would rather spend money than do the hard work. If you go back to your previous lifestyle, your body will transform back into its old state.…

That's really interesting. I wonder how other body-weight driven exercises stack up, like dips. I now understand why doing pushups is so dang hard for me... : ) Thanks for the info.

I've found what had worked for me years ago when I was in the Marines, and what I'm working on now, is to get the endurance built up before working on the speed. For me, that means keeping the legs churning, even if walking would actually be faster. Run in place if you have to stop moving--while waiting to cross traffic,…

I should have waited to post, because in my post-run stupor I transposed my start time from 5:23 to 5:32, which adds 9 minutes to my run time, bringing me to 43 minutes for 4.35 miles instead of 34. So, I'm running 10 minute miles, not 7.5s. I'll get there. I'm still proud of myself, because that is the farthest I've run…

Welcome to the world of running. Exercise machines like treadmills, ellipticals, and stairclimbers can help you get ready, but they cannot prepare you for actually moving your body weight at running speeds. It is not easy at first, but your body will get used to it in a surprisingly short amount of time. Here is the best…