The Battle Of My Life.......

[robblok]

Dont know if you have read this before, it shows whats possible, from Pie Man to Hansum Man in 6 months.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/540221-i-lost-35-kilos-is-just-6-months/

If Robblok wasn't so modest, I'd ask him to post some before and after pictures of himself on here !!

I am just not sure its a good idea.. sure i lost a lot and got out ok but I have always been a bit scared / shy about putting pics on the internet. Not to mention the two after pics that i have in mind are poses of the muscle i kept and i am sure there are enough here who would love to ridicule me about that.

I have send it to a few people that i trust, i you have not seen the best before pic of me. Just some pictures on the wall that were still flattering of me when you came to pickup the biceps bench from my home.

I am considering it putting them up ridicule might follow me but i might do it to show what is possible..

I have been thinking about it a long time, i still feel the pictures don't do me justice i look small on them like i did not work out much.

[itchybum]

I guess you will not be flying with Samoan Air any time soon?

I am curious as to the choice of Muay Thai for weight loss.

I would imagine at around 160 kilos, you could only kick the trainers ankles with any efficiency.

So why this method as opposed to other more normal physical exercise regimes or training methods.

Can I ask how much they charge for this?

Have you asked for a contra deal, where their boxers use you as a kick bag and you get free training?

I also wish to lose a few kilos, but it is the hard to lose gut/belly area and with only maybe 3 or 4 kilos needing to be removed, it is the most stubborn 3 kilos I have ever had.

[itchybum]

Dont know if you have read this before, it shows whats possible, from Pie Man to Hansum Man in 6 months.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/540221-i-lost-35-kilos-is-just-6-months/

This was a great effort.

Wish I could do this.

Just no need to dye my hair though.

[Phronesis]

There is a single, powerful and all encompassing solution to your health and other issues:

BUY A SURFBOARD

[theblether]

I guess you will not be flying with Samoan Air any time soon?

I am curious as to the choice of Muay Thai for weight loss.

I would imagine at around 160 kilos, you could only kick the trainers ankles with any efficiency.

So why this method as opposed to other more normal physical exercise regimes or training methods.

Can I ask how much they charge for this?

Have you asked for a contra deal, where their boxers use you as a kick bag and you get free training?

I also wish to lose a few kilos, but it is the hard to lose gut/belly area and with only maybe 3 or 4 kilos needing to be removed, it is the most stubborn 3 kilos I have ever had.

So many questions

Okay, to me the key to exercise is enjoyment. I detest the boredom of cardio machines in gyms, half an hour on a treadmill is a form of mental torture.

The only cardio machine based exercise I enjoyed was the 5,4,3,2,1 system employed by one of my personal trainers of yesteryear. He would pick three machines and I would rotate around them in ever increasing intensity, with the 1 minute cycle being at sprinting speed. Taking into account the changeover times this exercise programme lasted about 50 minutes and it was gone in a flash.

The problem with many gyms though is that you can't get access to enough machines to do this programme without interruption from other members taking the machines. I digress though......enjoyment is the key, I enjoy Muay Thai.

I'm a lot more mobile than you would imagine, in fact for a guy my size, remarkably so. Seeing is believing. I'm no expert on MT training but in my gym there's plenty of what would be regarded as warm up and stretching exercises followed by technique training, which in itself requires a lot of consistent and repetitive movement. I call it violent aerobics at this point, once you get on to the bag work the level of intensity increases, MT demands full body fitness. Simple repetitive exercises such as kicking or kneeing the bag will soon drain energy..

All around you though you are surrounded by people who are not only training for self improvement, but they are also full of encouragement, help and motivation. I enjoy the pad work with the trainer, and the sparring is interesting and difficult. When I leave a MT session I know I've been in a full body work out, and I know I enjoy it. That enjoyment is the most important thing because I can't wait to go back.

In my opinion that's one of the key components of exercise.

ps. 8,000 baht per month.

[theblether]

There is a single, powerful and all encompassing solution to your health and other issues:

BUY A SURFBOARD

The only waves you get in CM is when I jump in the pool.

[robblok]

@theblether,

The thing is you like doing it or at least you don't hate it. Else its not sustainable, like i mentioned many times its all about consistency keeping on and on and on. By posting here i hope to keep you motivated and if you hit any bumps i can always give some advice.

No i am not all knowing but i might have some idea's and others too.. then pick the ones you think are best and go on.

Did you get yourself measured with a tape measure....

[itchybum]

There is a single, powerful and all encompassing solution to your health and other issues:

BUY A SURFBOARD

Can you explain this please?

I am currently imagining theblether bobbing around the ocean on a surfboard, waiting for waves big enough to cope, but no sign of the board.

[itchybum]

I guess you will not be flying with Samoan Air any time soon?

I am curious as to the choice of Muay Thai for weight loss.

I would imagine at around 160 kilos, you could only kick the trainers ankles with any efficiency.

So why this method as opposed to other more normal physical exercise regimes or training methods.

Can I ask how much they charge for this?

Have you asked for a contra deal, where their boxers use you as a kick bag and you get free training?

I also wish to lose a few kilos, but it is the hard to lose gut/belly area and with only maybe 3 or 4 kilos needing to be removed, it is the most stubborn 3 kilos I have ever had.

So many questions

Okay, to me the key to exercise is enjoyment. I detest the boredom of cardio machines in gyms, half an hour on a treadmill is a form of mental torture.

The only cardio machine based exercise I enjoyed was the 5,4,3,2,1 system employed by one of my personal trainers of yesteryear. He would pick three machines and I would rotate around them in ever increasing intensity, with the 1 minute cycle being at sprinting speed. Taking into account the changeover times this exercise programme lasted about 50 minutes and it was gone in a flash.

The problem with many gyms though is that you can't get access to enough machines to do this programme without interruption from other members taking the machines. I digress though......enjoyment is the key, I enjoy Muay Thai.

I'm a lot more mobile than you would imagine, in fact for a guy my size, remarkably so. Seeing is believing. I'm no expert on MT training but in my gym there's plenty of what would be regarded as warm up and stretching exercises followed by technique training, which in itself requires a lot of consistent and repetitive movement. I call it violent aerobics at this point, once you get on to the bag work the level of intensity increases, MT demands full body fitness. Simple repetitive exercises such as kicking or kneeing the bag will soon drain energy..

All around you though you are surrounded by people who are not only training for self improvement, but they are also full of encouragement, help and motivation. I enjoy the pad work with the trainer, and the sparring is interesting and difficult. When I leave a MT session I know I've been in a full body work out, and I know I enjoy it. That enjoyment is the most important thing because I can't wait to go back.

In my opinion that's one of the key components of exercise.

ps. 8,000 baht per month.

Thanks and a good answer as I find the boredom of exercise excruciating.

8k is an excellent price by the sounds.

Good luck with it all and may you look like Robblok in a year or 2, I want too.

[theblether]

@theblether,

The thing is you like doing it or at least you don't hate it. Else its not sustainable, like i mentioned many times its all about consistency keeping on and on and on. By posting here i hope to keep you motivated and if you hit any bumps i can always give some advice.

No i am not all knowing but i might have some idea's and others too.. then pick the ones you think are best and go on.

Did you get yourself measured with a tape measure....

I did, well I had to buy two and stitch them together

I have an inch loss target rather than a weight loss target, one begets the other I believe.

Scales are the enemy of motivation, especially for females who have to contend with the vagaries of the monthly cycle, but even we guys can plateau out too. Right now for me it's.......

1. Cardio improvement......

2. Inch loss, related to toning through the link you sent me

3. Weight loss.

[robblok]

I agree, that is why i told you to use a tape measure. I use the scales but its always real hard.. so i also use a skin caliper and tape measure and still never sure.

Its just knowing if its going in the right direction.

[Phronesis]

Surfing is the one spot stop for all of your mental and physical health issues.

It is a great work out...both for strength and heart...a great massage (especially in bigger waves)...a social opportunity...and perhaps most importantly for the OP...it gets you outside and away from the, computer, fridge and the bar...

I had a friend who was 150kg and near suicide after his wife took off wife his business partner. I brought him a board and he came and slept on the couch in my beach house in OZ for six months. I taught him to surf. That was ten years ago...he is now 87 kilos...fit as...has a successful business and a new and very cute (Thai) wife..

Last year during a quiet ale he thanked me for the board and identified surfing as saving his life...

[itchybum]

Surfing is the one spot stop for all of your mental and physical health issues.

It is a great work out...both for strength and heart...a great massage (especially in bigger waves)...a social opportunity...and perhaps most importantly for the OP...it gets you outside and away from the, computer, fridge and the bar...

I had a friend who was 150kg and near suicide after his wife took off wife his business partner. I brought him a board and he came and slept on the couch in my beach house in OZ for six months. I taught him to surf. That was ten years ago...he is now 87 kilos...fit as...has a successful business and a new and very cute (Thai) wife..

Last year during a quiet ale he thanked me for the board and identified surfing as saving his life...

The problem with surfing is that you need to be ready at all times for the best waves, so this means holding a job is next to impossible.

And there is no social welfare to rely upon in Thailand.

[Phronesis]

Surfing is the one spot stop for all of your mental and physical health issues.

It is a great work out...both for strength and heart...a great massage (especially in bigger waves)...a social opportunity...and perhaps most importantly for the OP...it gets you outside and away from the, computer, fridge and the bar...

I had a friend who was 150kg and near suicide after his wife took off wife his business partner. I brought him a board and he came and slept on the couch in my beach house in OZ for six months. I taught him to surf. That was ten years ago...he is now 87 kilos...fit as...has a successful business and a new and very cute (Thai) wife..

Last year during a quiet ale he thanked me for the board and identified surfing as saving his life...

The problem with surfing is that you need to be ready at all times for the best waves, so this means holding a job is next to impossible.

And there is no social welfare to rely upon in Thailand.

Blether...

What brings you joy?

Focus on bringing more of that into your life.

AND ruthlessly edit out anything that detracts from your joy.

Build your lifestyle and work around the pillars that bring you joy.

Simplify and be frugal.

IMHO bad health including obesity is just a symptom of more profound issues.

Losing weight is pointless unless the work is first done to address the issues that lead to your homeostatic imbalance.

Oh...and the frugal bit should be a walk up start for a Scotsman...

[Phronesis]

Blether

This is an old book...but it is more relevant today than ever. Get a copy any way you can and read it.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78428.Your_Money_or_Your_Life

And I disagree wholeheartedly with both you and robblok. The battle isn't won in the kitchen. It is first won in your head...and then...your heart.

It is readily apparent from your posts that you are a smart guy.

Smart guys don't die of diabetes, heart attacks or other obesity related diseases.

Eat less and exercise more...it's that simple...the rest is just BS...

[robblok]

Blether

This is an old book...but it is more relevant today than ever. Get a copy any way you can and read it.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78428.Your_Money_or_Your_Life

And I disagree wholeheartedly with both you and robblok. The battle isn't won in the kitchen. It is first won in your head...and then...your heart.

It is readily apparent from your posts that you are a smart guy.

Smart guys don't die of diabetes, heart attacks or other obesity related diseases.

Eat less and exercise more...it's that simple...the rest is just BS...

Duh f course you first have to set your goals and go for them but then food is the most important thing. But i 100% agree with you about the mental aspect, but the moment someone makes a post like the blether he is already convinced something has to change.. so that a given.

And yes its that simple eat less and exercise more.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Once you lose all that weight, what to do with all the hanging skin?

I've lost 8Kg in the last year and thinking about a chin lift, it's so bad.

(from 90Kg down to 82Kg in just under a year)

I can't imagine the problems someone going from 158Kg to 100Kg would have.

[robblok]

Once you lose all that weight, what to do with all the hanging skin?

I've lost 8Kg in the last year and thinking about a chin lift, it's so bad.

(from 90Kg down to 82Kg in just under a year)

I can't imagine the problems someone going from 158Kg to 100Kg would have.

Lost 24 kg in a year no such problems.

It could be age related as the skin is less elastic as we get older.

But there are operations for these kind of things but loosing weight would be step 1

[theblether]

My Gastric Band surgeon told me that exercise is the key to reducing the excess skin problem, however it wouldn't totally mitigate it. Rapid weight loss without exercise is the worst combination.

He said that weight training would help, for example larger biceps would take up the excess skin the arms, but it was inevitable that I would require surgical intervention at some point.

That's a bridge I will cross later, and it really is a self inflicted wound.

[Kalbo]

Once you lose all that weight, what to do with all the hanging skin?

I've lost 8Kg in the last year and thinking about a chin lift, it's so bad.

(from 90Kg down to 82Kg in just under a year)

I can't imagine the problems someone going from 158Kg to 100Kg would have.

Huh ? I've dropped 9kgs in 4 months and have no such problems (108Kg to 99kg)

[Firefan]

Inspiring story Theblether! And well done for taking those first steps!

AS for the ever ongoing carb/no carb, high fat/low fat discussion there will never be a "correct" answer as our bodies react differently (be that from genes or enviroment or even mental) - but since veggies/legumes/mushrooms/fruits Etc. are carbs ALSO - we most certainly are build for carbs.

Totally processed white flour/breads/sugars/breakfast cereals Etc. are also obviously not normal human foods - neither are things that is overly processed in cans/boxes or sugar coated/deep fried crap. Or anything that can keep on a supermarket shelf longer than you! Commen sense.

Personally I do well with a limited amount of whole grain, fiber rich foods like oat meal/brown/black rice - and dark pumpernikel style breads. Anything above that (pastas, whole wheat toast style bread Etc.) just makes me bloated and tired. I'd rather eat a ton of veggies!

As for the fats it is again not a question of low/high - but rather GOOD fats (from coconut oil, flax, egg lechitine, fish/krill oils, free range/organic meats Etc.) rather than crap veggie or animal oils.

Just a quick google on coconut oil and weight loss is an eye opener there. people actually use it for losing weight! Personally I consume a lot of coconut oil (maybe 3-5 table spoons a day, in foods, hot cocoa, for cooking, in home made raw chocolates and so on) as well as krill oil supplements, organic eggs, flax seeds - so calculated in calories I should be one fat blob! I am 185 cm and weight is 83 kilos and fit (feeling and looking), a weight I have kept since army days 20 years ago.

I DO work out or swim occasionally,play some football and some casual muay thai - but it is the diet that is the key to my weight stability and health level.

Cheers to all!

[theblether]

Thanks for that. I'm in the Cameron Highlands for a couple of days, then off to KL. I start back at training 1.00pm on Monday and this is where the fun begins. Effectively a 30 day fat shred programme.

This one really is a mixtureof trepidation and excitement.

.

[soi41]

Read the whole thread, and as wellmeaning as all advice given here are, it is still only band-aid. Even the OP's approach to the problem is IMO at best halfhearted. Muay Thai as a mean to loose weight, give me a break, "I consider giving up drinking in the future", yes you are very serious about loosing weight!! "I don't want to use a scale to measure my progress" Afraid to fail?

Blether I am not having a go at you, but I think you should consider your present state as a potentially fatal illness. If you had cancer, you would probably try to survive by all means and at any cost. This is no different, if you don't do something about it, and I don't mean sharing your story on the internet, you are going to die before your time.

Just like there are clinics for alcoholics, drugaddicts, there are clinics for people with your problems. And they threat the whole person, the mental side of it, the diet and the exerciseregime. i think most programs are for 90 days (live in) and ofcourse they don't come for free, not to mention lost business during that time. On the other hand, to be the richest body in the cementary, the choice shouldn't really be that difficult.

And who is going to criticize my poor English grammar, if you don't get well ?

Check the "bootcamps", might be worth a try !

[itchybum]

Actually very brave of him to put it all out there. Doubt I would, until after I lost it.

Have you seen that doco made from a chap that went on a juice only diet in America and lost a pile of weight.

Now agree or disgaree on the method, but checkout the trucker in it that is huge and eventually decides to do much the same as Blether, simply lose it.

Checkout the difference in him from when he was first met in the truck stop and then at the end of the video. Huge, as in difference.

[theblether]

Soi41 makes some valid points, there is no doubt it's a battle against morbid obesity.

[robblok]

Soi41 makes some valid points, there is no doubt it's a battle against morbid obesity.

Yes hes points are real valid, loosing weight is a lifetstyle change once you go back to what you did you gain it back. You need to always mind what you eat that is why most people loose the battle because it wears them down. In general bad food is easier and nicer then healthy food. You really should change habits else you will gain everything back you lost.

[robblok]

Actually very brave of him to put it all out there. Doubt I would, until after I lost it.

Have you seen that doco made from a chap that went on a juice only diet in America and lost a pile of weight.

Now agree or disgaree on the method, but checkout the trucker in it that is huge and eventually decides to do much the same as Blether, simply lose it.

Checkout the difference in him from when he was first met in the truck stop and then at the end of the video. Huge, as in difference.

The method could be debated but in the end i think the cure was not worse as the problem. I think its ok to result to extreme measures even some pills if needed but only if you plan to keep it off. Because repeating extreme measures might be bad on the long run then.

[Tolley]

Actually very brave of him to put it all out there. Doubt I would, until after I lost it.

Have you seen that doco made from a chap that went on a juice only diet in America and lost a pile of weight.

Now agree or disgaree on the method, but checkout the trucker in it that is huge and eventually decides to do much the same as Blether, simply lose it.

Checkout the difference in him from when he was first met in the truck stop and then at the end of the video. Huge, as in difference.

The method could be debated but in the end i think the cure was not worse as the problem. I think its ok to result to extreme measures even some pills if needed but only if you plan to keep it off. Because repeating extreme measures might be bad on the long run then.

I don't think it was extreme going on a juice detox regime especially given that the guy in the doco had so many health problems. He stopped taking all his medications and was free of all his medical conditions when he finished his juice regime. So his story was not just about weight loss.

Inspiring story really as he was headed for an early grave and turned his life around.

Juice regimes are a great way to revitalise the body. I used to drink a big carrot celery and beetroot juice every day. Getting lazy these days and don't do it but if I started suffering any health problems I would immediately go back to the live fresh organic veggie juices to revitalize my health.

[robblok]

Actually very brave of him to put it all out there. Doubt I would, until after I lost it.

Have you seen that doco made from a chap that went on a juice only diet in America and lost a pile of weight.

Now agree or disgaree on the method, but checkout the trucker in it that is huge and eventually decides to do much the same as Blether, simply lose it.

Checkout the difference in him from when he was first met in the truck stop and then at the end of the video. Huge, as in difference.

The method could be debated but in the end i think the cure was not worse as the problem. I think its ok to result to extreme measures even some pills if needed but only if you plan to keep it off. Because repeating extreme measures might be bad on the long run then.

I don't think it was extreme going on a juice detox regime especially given that the guy in the doco had so many health problems. He stopped taking all his medications and was free of all his medical conditions when he finished his juice regime. So his story was not just about weight loss.

Inspiring story really as he was headed for an early grave and turned his life around.

Juice regimes are a great way to revitalise the body. I used to drink a big carrot celery and beetroot juice every day. Getting lazy these days and don't do it but if I started suffering any health problems I would immediately go back to the live fresh organic veggie juices to revitalize my health.

I was talking for extreme measures in general.. not that juicing.

[Naam]

Blether,

there's one thing you should be aware and you have to accept it. people like you (and me) who excelled in sports when young will have to battle weight till they carry us to the crematorium or graveyard. we can win repeatedly battles but we will never win the war! and with age it is getting

tougher and tougher to win a battle. when i was in my mid-30s to mid-40s it was a piece of cake to lose 3-4kg by not touching food for 5 days.

once i panicked returning from a long holiday with delicious food galore and saw my weight 84kg (height 180cm). that caused a record of 13 days zero food (only black coffee, tea with lime and 60 Marlboros), working 12 hours a day and losing 12 kg. i was age 40 then. now at age 69, with a "reconditioned" heart and some other problems which prevent extensive exercise i am 95kg having recently lost 6kg which took me a couple of months. weight loss achieved without any exercise, no special diet but eating small portions 6-8 times a day. and when i'll see the "8" on the scale i will be happy!