Like the Phoenix...

Jonathon, I'd be happy to be one of your buddies, as you've described that role here. Do you have a preference whether the occasional check-in takes place in this thread vs. personally, through a direct message?

Seeing someone with the degree of dedication to attempt closing such a wide gap between current circumstances and ultimate aims as you are showing is an admirable thing. I have a lot of faith in you; you've quit smoking, and those I've encountered who have had multiple addictions affirm that this is the hardest of all addictions to overcome. If you can do that, you can do quite a lot.

I offer this just as advice and promise not to nag you about it ... but for near-term weight loss, starting from where you are, I'd recommend brisk, long walks done daily. I've spent a lot of time in gyms doing both weight training and vigorous cardio, but without a pretty restrictive diet they haven't helped me lose weight. The one time I could tell exercise made a significant difference in terms of weight loss was an 8-week period when I left the gym behind and walked a minimum of 90 minutes per day (often split between a morning session and evening session). Once a week, I'd take a longer hike, adding a little each week till nearly the final day when I hiked ten miles. I consistently lost at least a pound a week this way, with no major modification to my diet.

Given your starting weight, I'd think this might be friendly to your ankles and knees, too. I understand of course you have to take into account time available, climate, and such, and perhaps a different program would work better for you -- but this is what I'd suggest to start. After some weeks, you can begin stepping up the effort if you wish.

No wishes with this message for "May the Force be with you." I am certain it already is.

Todd

To follow up Omhu Cuspor post

There is such a thing as Water Arobics and Water walking where they have a tredmil in the water. The water helps to bolster the weight without handicapping your success rate Something to consider? I did Water Arobics when i tor ligaments/muscle in my shoulder (Freak Horse Accident) It really helped

I've often wondered if sparring in martial arts under water would be an additional interesting low impact way to refine technique! Anyone tried it? Heck, maybe even staff's as well. Since movement is slowed down due to the water resistance.

Adder wrote: I've often wondered if sparring in martial arts under water would be an additional interesting low impact way to refine technique! Anyone tried it? Heck, maybe even staff's as well. Since movement is slowed down due to the water resistance.

Is... is that a thing? I can't imagine trying to fight someone in water xD

Jonathan, count me in as part of your success team. I am happy to help you in any way I can. I hope you're feeling the great wave of support that's coming at you! Wheeeee!

Adder wrote: I've often wondered if sparring in martial arts under water would be an additional interesting low impact way to refine technique! Anyone tried it? Heck, maybe even staff's as well. Since movement is slowed down due to the water resistance.

i've never sparred in the water but i have trained in shoulder deep water since water's resistance is 12 times greater than air....it's still a heck of a workout....

when i was overseas i watched some capoeira students practice doing flips in knee deep water....

Thank you all, and anyone who wishes for me to help check in on them I am always willing as I am able to do so. I have notifications set up on my phone to this forum for the threads I follow along with all private messages. I do not live on the phone but my wife requires me to keep it with me so she can text me whenever, it is how we started our relationship and how it continues when we are apart or even when I need to hide in my computer room from my PTSD terrors, she can use the phone to contact me through it when I cannot form words.

I would not ask anyone to go really out of their way to contact me, just more if they see I am not checking in daily with a report to send a message or post asking. I do not expect anyone to "Force" or "Make" me do anything, but rather am asking for the support to help remind me I am not along which will help me get through the times where the addictions and hardships will make me want to shove aside the progressive changes in exchange for creature comforts that are destroying me. It is up to me to make the changes in my life, so if I fail it is on me, but with the support of my wife and this community I believe I can really beat this and progress in a positive manner.

Some things I am taking seriously as part of my change.... (Starting today, no reporting needed, just showcasing I'm not waiting until the 17th, but rather ramping up myself to the 17th where I will make the dive. I think it is important to soften the blow with the time I have by taking small steps so the first major step won't deflect me back.... as all too often weight loss when it fails, makes you gain more then if you had done nothing at all).

- Newly reactivated YMCA Membership, starting pool walking (just walking for a half hour in the pool WILL be a workout for me).

- Reducing empty caloric intake (Hoping to cut it in half by the time I want to start this, so it is not a "cold turkey" event but rather a relaxed start that loosens me up and enabling me to make the hard leap with support).

- Meditation Breathing techniques every time I rest

- In the morning, perform a modified Akido/Hapkido "dance" motion techniques for my physique to help me with stretches, limited in nature and all are slow (non weapon) forms meant to "get back on the bicycle" for muscle memory and not be cardio.

- Military stretches, slow though, no fast movements (not allowed to ever do situps ever again due to spine injury).

- Replacing food stock in the house with a goal of sustainable healthy eating.

- Working to come to terms with the real fact that while my wife is supportive, she is not going to change everything she does to make this work for me. It is ME that needs to change and fight myself, so to this end I am only removing my trigger foods and mentally banning her comfort foods from my consumption. This is super hard, as it means I am not going to be able to force myself into a controlled environment, this is where reporting on what I do (good/bad) in this community will come in hand as it will remind me of what I do good and where I need to focus more. I believe this is the best way for me as I can focus on WILLPOWER over isolation.

- Working on my inner temple, by committing to making time for proper meditation again. I used to do it a lot, but finding my center again was not just as easy as closing my eyes, it has been too long and I need to retrain myself to relax and let go. From what I remember, fighting to grasp peace makes sure it eludes you, only by surrendering does peace come.

- Working on my inner and outer temple merger by using isometrics with meditative breathing.

---

I am trying to be very realistic about all of this. Because I am a digital artist with some skill... and a writer, I am going to draw and show all of my exercises, write about my diet, show recipes, schedule, etc. I cannot quit cold turkey and psychology teaches me that I have an addictive personality based upon switching my addictions from stuff like smoking to food. As such my goal is to work on "muscle memory" to get back into motion over cardio as I cannot reliably do serious cardio without health concerns yet. I am going to work on switching my addiction of food to physical motion and/or my artistic/web programmer skills. The physical motion will compensate for the physical appeasement and the mental appeasement will be expressed artistically (hopefully), if not... my goal is to try to funnel my efforts towards constructive and sustainable life habits.

I know that eating a lot, or even snacking, may be impossible to reduce.... so replacing the intake with foods that can be safely consumed in large quantities to replace the bulk need while I transition is something I am studying currently. I don't trust cold turkey in an uncontrolled environment, that is all too often setting yourself up for failure. If I can replace one serious bad habit for one lesser bad habit, I will do so... and stage it down until it works.

For example, I do not see myself able to just stop consuming sugar with my coffee, I am so addicted to that sweet rise in the morning with my caffeine. So I will use honey and tea and work on reducing my overall initial intake of coffee first. Moderation is my goal, not just slicing away what I do not want in my life in one go. I do not think just quitting stuff is reasonable, it has never worked for me and all too often leaves me binge eating myself to a higher weight bracket.

That first movie, Kit, so wonderful :blink: Thank you for sharing that!

~ Aqua

Update:

Dusting off my old bits and working on some new things to ramp this up....

- Spine: As I live a sedentary life I need to get up every 15-20 minutes to do this exercise that has me slightly bend my knees, and with hands on my hips, lean back some for a five count. I need to do this three times and then I can sit down. This is to help with sciatica and lower spinal degeneration pain.

- Ankle: Slowly doing the Alphabet with the ankle of each foot, my big toe leading the way. Since both of my legs have been broken a handful of times including tearing both angle junctions, this exercise is designed to focus on strength and precision that goes up from the ankle to the knee. Speed should not be the focus, but precision.

- Isometrics Thrice: Morning/Afternoon/Evening ~ Isometrics or the use of your body's natural weight as counter/actual weight to use in pushing against or with walls and such to work on small joint muscles and low impact tolerance.

- Tai Chi Chuan: Flow forms meant to be practiced every morning. Working on the 24 forms to remember how to flow from one to the other properly. Might be buying a wall poster to help. Once I know the forms, I will do a modified version for the shallow end of the pool.

- Monkey Pumpers: This is an exercise which you have your arms at opposite right angles, one fist up and one fist down. Switch positions put pushing back your fists. This rebuilds and strengthens the shoulder cuffs. Exhausting and painful for me though due to my injuries and thus done before swimming.

- Pool: Walking in the pool back and forth for an hour.

- Aikido/Hapkidoo: Bokken practice Forms, modified for precision, meant to work the upper body with a specific goal of working slow to regain precision over strength. 54 pieces of titanium in my chest/back will prevent me from regaining much strength but I can regain some fitness precision and muscle memory... as well as work out the upper back which gives me no end of issues with muscle spasms from my rebuilt musculature.

- Tang Su Do: The form called the Iron Eagle, a modified squat stance which focuses on doing the "I" forms in stationary position and focuses on temperance of the lower body while the "I" forms are done with the torso/upper body. This is an exercise performed until exhausted and meant to burn up the energy remaining from a day. To be done an hour after dinner.

- "Cope Meditation": I learned this from my counselor when I was a preteen. How to lay down and performing a relaxing meditation that starts at the feet and works up through the body, relaxing each stage of the body and preparing it for sleep. Meant to be done in bed in a relaxed position.

- (Diet) Morning Coffee: I got a coffee maker that makes a specific amount of coffee (keurig coffee maker) and a form of coffee to consume once per day. It reduces my sugar and milk intake by 3/4ths. Caffeine is reduced by around 1/2. Supplementing with black tea unsweetened through the day as needed.

- (Diet) "Comfort Foods": Consuming all comfort foods that can be consumed by me in the household, with no plans to repurchase. Comfort foods will be allowed in my diet but rather than keep a reserve of foods in my household, I am going to make it so that I have to go out and get my comfort foods. This prevents me from doing so late at night as everything closes down here by 10pm and has me focus on "comfort foods" or natural fruits in a basket.

- (Diet) Protein and Fiber: I depended on whole milk to regulate me. I have cut out all whole milk and went down to 2% milk fat rating with a goal to replace all milk with water. With Metamucil and Protein Whey every morning along with a banana I should be able to get to lunch.

@Kitsu, I just was about to post this video too! This guy with yoga is awesome.

However, he addresses mostly physical issues.

I don't have a video for psychological. And I didn't suffer from ptsd, and I never was to war. But I was in depression for 12 years. 5 before diagnosed with depressive disorder, then 7 on antidepressants. Doctors told me that I'll never come off them. But I did, in about 3 months after last one who said that I can't.

Just illustrating my point:

There is something much stronger then our traumas.