Opening this thread for updates in my weight loss bet with MLYLT and to post my logs and get accountability in my weight loss and exercise goals.

Background
I am a 39 year old male, 5'9. I weighed 155 at high school graduation, then put on 40 pounds my freshman year at college (2 AM large pepperoni and extra cheese pizzas are a bitch). Since then I have fluctuated between 180 and 215.

I started logging in 2012 as part of an effort to get my then-wife to get healthier as well, and ended up dropping from 212 to 180.2, but never got under 180 which was a big goal. I went a long time then saying "Eh, as long as I stay under 190, this is fine." Then it became "Eh, as long as I stay under 200". I got over 200, then logged some more, got down to 190 or so, then quit again.

My girlfriend and I have set some weight loss goals, and I've had a hard time getting started, so here we are.

The Bet
I made a wager with MLYLT for weight loss, at $50 per month for 6 months, with a $100 overall wager. The wager is for overall % of weight lost for the period.

The wager began on Feb. 1, with her weighing in at 237.3 and me at 204.6.

The Plan
I resumed logging at My Fitness Pal on 2/2. My current caloric goal is 2050/ day, though my general method is to target on a weekly, rather than daily, basis. I work better when I can have the occasional cheats, and I travel a good amount for work, so I try to compensate for the slides by minimizing them and working in great days. For my 4 logs so far, I was under 2050 on 3 of them and about 120 over on the 4th, which I am pretty happy with.

I do welcome comments on the logs of course, but just know that nit picking each item isn't going to work. (Good - hey those yogurts are high in sugar, these other ones are just as good tasting, but better. Bad - did you really have to have cookies today?) I also am the dad of two girl scouts selling cookies. Abstinence from the cookies is not realistic, but logging has definitely limited me to the actual serving size (or less!) rather than nom nomming a sleeve at a time.

I am largely sedentary at work and at home. I really want to work on changing this. I despise the idea of lifting at a gym because I am weak, and it is humiliating. I realize how silly this is. Open to suggestions/ridicule/peer pressure.

Logs:

2/2:
2/3:
2/4:
2/5:

I'm certainly not going to suggest lifting at a gym if that's not something you want to do. But lift at home? Absolutely. A bench and a beginner weight set is enough to help you get much stronger and gain serious muscle. Since you haven't done it much, you have to start with very light weights. You don't want to get so sore that you get demoralized. Reading about proper form or watching videos will help you get started. You can gradually up the weight and will get to a point where you can work as hard as you want without getting too sore.

Can't comment on diet, cause I'm always looking for the key to success in that regard myself. But starting a lifting program at home will make you feel good and will get you some results.

Thanks for the rec. My concern is spending a lot of $$ for a home rig that I end up never using. Would love any links to ones that you would recommend as a good quality/value mix.

When I started I was also embarrassed to lift in the gym and afraid of failing a rep especially a bench rep. To ameliorate this dilemma I did 2 things.

A) Lifted early in the morning. If nobody's in the gym there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It also had the unintentional benefit of improving compliance.

B) I used dumbbells to do any pressing exercise so if I failed I could dump the weight to the side. I've since failed a bunch of bench reps but it's really not as terrifying a proposition as I had in my head.

Good luck.

Meh. Don't really know a specific brand. But I see some benches highly-rated on Dick's sporting goods website. Definitely would not buy a big clunky machine. Look for a bar and dumbbells with adjustable weights. Buying second hand is not a bad idea.

Anything is better than nothing. I know you've got a bet and that's fun, but personally I prefer setting goals about the method and not the results. In other words, my goals are three solid workouts a week + no sugary drinks or baked goods at all. Sometimes my results don't seem to match my effort, but I keep my goals focused on the effort part, if that makes sense.

I think if you go to the gym once you'll get over the "it's embarassing". There's all sorts of people doing all sorts of stuff, and the vibe is generally 'good for you'.

Nobody cares about anyone but themselves at the gym. As long as you don't put others in danger, nobody will even notice all the weird **** you are doing. A home gym seems like a bad idea if money is of concern.

Also you probably aren't as weak as you think. Just carrying around your weight trained you some, you've got muscle that you don't know how to use.

Sick hustle. You should win this pretty easily whether it's lbs or % by not being an idiot.

Oh.

Was going to put some snark here, but I'll link this informative article instead: https://www.t-nation.com/training/wh...-novice-you-do

This sounds familiar. Let's hope this thread stays a bit more on track than the last one.

In all statistical likelihood as a 5'9" white male, you're a favorite to be lifting weights heavier than me within the first 3 months, and I'm almost a year into a strength training log. So stop your bitching and hit the gym.

Also, people who never lift weights shouldn't invest in home gym equipment.

I like that article. I think Black Aces can get a good program going with just about 7 or 8 exercises. So I still think a bar, a bench and a couple of barbells is enough to start. Gym memberships aren't cheap, and its very likely his could expire without getting much out of it if he hates going. You can always buy equipment second hand, and sell it for the same price or a small loss.

Having your own weights means never having to wait for someone to finish at the gym or skipping the exercise entirely because the area is in use. You can lift how you want, and when you want with no scrutiny from anyone. Its hard enough to get with a program without being in an uncomfortable place.

No, gym first before buying equipment.

Yesterday's log:

I appreciate the article and comments about the gym and home equipment. It isn't normal "I don't want to" gym issues, it's a deeper self-esteem/insecurity/depression/self-loathing issue. I like the concept of doing it in the morning, but I have an hour commute and am a single parent, so that will be not possible. I will keep evaluating how best to add the exercise component.

EDIT to add: Some quantities are estimated, have a food scale arriving tomorrow.

Muffins. Butter. Jelly. Cookies. Chocolate. Cheese. Bacon.

1700 cals though. These Texas people .....

Literally the only activity I get any enjoyment from at all is eating. Gotta find what enjoyment I can in 1700 calories.

Log for 2/7:

That's crazy mentality bro.

Eating is like putting gas in the car. Counting calories is just the fuel gauge.

Better get rolling on a path to exercise. That will solve many problems.

I understand that mentality and know it is the healthy one. But it seriously is the only thing that is enjoyable for me. A lot of people say that "oh you will enjoy exercise and it will make you happy", but I never have had that feeling from exercise and I played football in high school and have at various times engaged in exercise routines.

If the only thing you enjoying in life is food you got a lot more problems than needing to lose weight

Stipulated, working on the one I can actually fix.

I'd also put in that your chances of losing substantial weight and keeping it off long term depend on how well you address that. I can definitely relate to the joy of eating, but I attribute a big part of my fat loss success to managing to develop a more "take it or leave it" mentality toward food. Basically, I still love food but I respect how addictive it can be. I've become practiced at taking into account the short and long-term costs of making an impulsive decision to eat poorly, which has led to better decision-making overall.

Lots of us hate lifting, including me. I only do it because I don't want my muscles to turn to mush as I age. But again, anything is better than nothing. Eating wrong and exercising is much better than eating wrong and not exercising. Try racquetball. Its fun and fantastic exercise.

Totally agree, something is better than nothing, and going to have to do it, even if it adds to my overall lack of happiness.

Wanna avoid things that make me more depressed though. Sports usually suck for me for exercise, because I suck at all of them, so just end up embarrassed/more depressed. Looking at implementing some form of cardio, walking/biking likely.

In regards to being embarrassed at the gym, you just have to fake confidence and like you know what you are doing until you figure it out. After faking it for a while you'll realize that you have actually learned what you are doing and the confidence you now have is real. The first step is just doing something and not being scared of how you will be precieved; everyone has started at the bottom and has not known how to do something at one point in their life.

Thanks. Yeah, it isn't really embarrassment at not knowing how to do something. More that it just contributes to my already overwhelming feelings of inadequacy and inferiority.

I love playing golf, but despise playing with or in front of strangers, because I suck and it's pathetic. Sure, easy to say no one cares until either you play from tees two in front of the rest of the group or you hit 80% of your tee shots off the course. Same in the gym, easy to say no one notices until you ask to rotate in, and they have to put all the weights back on every time and spot you while you struggle with the bar as a grown ass man.

I golf w people like you and its honestly fine w me. I actually have more respect foe them because they are out there exposing themselves just to have fun/do good. That is as long as they aren't cocky or disrespectful of the activity.