- Joined
- Jul 17, 2013
- Messages
- 1,539
Hello friends,
Throughout my adult life I have struggled a little bit with fluctuating weight. I'm 6 foot even (183 cm). My waist normally sits around 33" but at exceptionally lean times I've gotten it down to 31" or even less; at fatter times it can go up past 34" (even 36" and beyond at the worst). Likewise with body-mass index (BMI), I've always been either side of that 25 mark that doctors regard as the upper healthy limit. My proudest moments were when I got it down to the low twenties (21.0 was my lowest-ever in recent years); but often I've been in the mid to upper twenties where it really should not be.
Years ago, in my early thirties, there was a dark time when it was around 28.5! But I've never been obese as such, I'm happy to say.
Right now I'm round about 25.5 BMI which is too much, but not disastrous. I eat sensibly with all-natural and home-cooked foods, although I do sometimes eat too much.
I do cardio every day (these days, around 4.5 miles' run outdoors if it is fine, which I complete in an unremarkable but not embarrassing 38 to 40 minutes; or the equivalent in the gym if the weather is unsuitable). However, nurses and trainers have often told me that the key to weight management is actually strength training, in that stronger muscles consume more energy at rest.
Only trouble is, I really don't like it. Lifting weights tends to raise my blood-pressure and make me irritable and short-tempered (very different from my normal personality). I feel dog-tired after it (not a pleasant tiredness like after a bike ride, run, or skiing, but an unpleasant, shattered one), and it causes me pain and stiffness the next day. "Stretching" as practiced by exercise supremos doesn't alleviate the stiffness, if anything just makes it more painful.
I just think it's not good for me. I have a somewhat gracile body type that doesn't put on muscle easily. Decent shoulders and chest (I did competitive swimming in my teens), and I have plenty of stamina and general energy, but can't lift really heavy weights. On the other hand, groceries I can carry home from the store on foot, with no especial effort, not bad for my age. I can manage a few pull-ups and other calisthenics but I have no love for weights... there is even a weights room provided in my apartment block, but I mainly stick to the cardio stuff.
My girlfriend says I look good but I think that's less a reflection of reality, than of the well-established fact that women tend to see their (satisfying) sexual partners as more attractive than they actually are.
If anybody has good suggestions to add a bit of strength without overdoing it, or another good way to avoid putting on weight, I'd be happy to hear. I know I could just as well ask this on a bodybuilding forum or something, but people know me here and I feel that this community is generally better-adjusted and consists of more intelligent and thoughtful individuals than I'd find elsewhere.
Thank you!
-Marty
Throughout my adult life I have struggled a little bit with fluctuating weight. I'm 6 foot even (183 cm). My waist normally sits around 33" but at exceptionally lean times I've gotten it down to 31" or even less; at fatter times it can go up past 34" (even 36" and beyond at the worst). Likewise with body-mass index (BMI), I've always been either side of that 25 mark that doctors regard as the upper healthy limit. My proudest moments were when I got it down to the low twenties (21.0 was my lowest-ever in recent years); but often I've been in the mid to upper twenties where it really should not be.
Years ago, in my early thirties, there was a dark time when it was around 28.5! But I've never been obese as such, I'm happy to say.
Right now I'm round about 25.5 BMI which is too much, but not disastrous. I eat sensibly with all-natural and home-cooked foods, although I do sometimes eat too much.
I do cardio every day (these days, around 4.5 miles' run outdoors if it is fine, which I complete in an unremarkable but not embarrassing 38 to 40 minutes; or the equivalent in the gym if the weather is unsuitable). However, nurses and trainers have often told me that the key to weight management is actually strength training, in that stronger muscles consume more energy at rest.
Only trouble is, I really don't like it. Lifting weights tends to raise my blood-pressure and make me irritable and short-tempered (very different from my normal personality). I feel dog-tired after it (not a pleasant tiredness like after a bike ride, run, or skiing, but an unpleasant, shattered one), and it causes me pain and stiffness the next day. "Stretching" as practiced by exercise supremos doesn't alleviate the stiffness, if anything just makes it more painful.
I just think it's not good for me. I have a somewhat gracile body type that doesn't put on muscle easily. Decent shoulders and chest (I did competitive swimming in my teens), and I have plenty of stamina and general energy, but can't lift really heavy weights. On the other hand, groceries I can carry home from the store on foot, with no especial effort, not bad for my age. I can manage a few pull-ups and other calisthenics but I have no love for weights... there is even a weights room provided in my apartment block, but I mainly stick to the cardio stuff.
My girlfriend says I look good but I think that's less a reflection of reality, than of the well-established fact that women tend to see their (satisfying) sexual partners as more attractive than they actually are.
If anybody has good suggestions to add a bit of strength without overdoing it, or another good way to avoid putting on weight, I'd be happy to hear. I know I could just as well ask this on a bodybuilding forum or something, but people know me here and I feel that this community is generally better-adjusted and consists of more intelligent and thoughtful individuals than I'd find elsewhere.
Thank you!
-Marty
