How to stay in shape, when all your time goes to game programming?
Quote:Original post by Leo_E_49
Get a hobby, I train in martial arts (it's lots of fun, if you want to try it out, I wrote the beginner's guide so PM me). [grin] If you're healthy, you'll probably code better (be less lethargic, have more focus etc) it's worth the time and effort to keep fit.
yup; that's what i used to do... i enjoyed it to until it got too serious
personally i'm on campus and so i walk EVERYWHERE, not to mention my friends are off campus (20 - 40mins walking) and then on top of that i will do DDR sometimes
just do what you can!
I'll be honest, I'm not fat, but I'm definitely not in shape. Spent the summer in San Francisco. Now, that's one dense city, so most things I needed to do were within 20 minutes walk, most within 10. So, what did I do? I walked everywhere, I took the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. I also started drinking a lot less pop and a lot more tea and coffee (soy latte's actually taste better in my opinion). I haven't "lost weight", but my pants are definitely looser, my thighs shake less, and my belly doesn't jiggle as much.
Another thing that I think has helped is putting less meat in my diet. This wasn't a decision so much as it just happened that way. When I cook, I prefer not to deal with meat (it's not as big a deal if you under cook veggies or spill their juices). When we went out to eat, we usually got Thai or Indian food. Seriously, find a little hole in the wall Asian food restaurant. They're usually cheap (me and my room mate could go and spend $15, and that includes a generous (>25%) tip) and served with a big plate of rice and not so much meat (not because they're cheap, but because that's just not their style).
Another thing that I think has helped is putting less meat in my diet. This wasn't a decision so much as it just happened that way. When I cook, I prefer not to deal with meat (it's not as big a deal if you under cook veggies or spill their juices). When we went out to eat, we usually got Thai or Indian food. Seriously, find a little hole in the wall Asian food restaurant. They're usually cheap (me and my room mate could go and spend $15, and that includes a generous (>25%) tip) and served with a big plate of rice and not so much meat (not because they're cheap, but because that's just not their style).
I agree on the calorie counting. I'm not a medical practitioner, so talk to your doctor about your needs, but for me, this has worked:
I've found that the easiest way to cut calories, while still not growling from hunger, is to cut refined sugars and starches. Just don't eat ANY of them.
No sodas (or switch to Diet -- but the sweeteners are crap for other parts of your body). Water is really good for your body -- the more, the better as far as I'm concerned!
No potatoes fries, chips, donuts, cakes, or white breads.
Very careful with white rice, tortillas, pasta, etc.
When you get snacky, first drink a pint of water.
If that still doesn't work, eat a carrot or two, or half a cold chicken breast, or a few rolls of turkey meat. (Stay away from the fats -- high calories!) Apples, peaches, raspberries and strawberries are good too.
Cauliflower and Broccoli are excellent, if you can view that as a snack!
Last, MAKE TIME to excercise. Take at least half an hour, five days a week. Rise 30 minutes earlier and go out before you have breakfast, or run during your lunch break. Also, park in the far corner of each parking lot -- if possible, walk or bike to places instead of driving.
Good luck! It'll take all the self-determination you have, but it CAN be done. Don't expect to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week (more than that isn't healthy), but in half a year, you can lose 30 pounds by following sound practices. Weigh yourself once a week, and plot it over time -- I do it Sunday mornings.
Also: A gallon of fat weighs 5 pounds, so imagine what losing a simple 5 pounds would do to your flab...
I've found that the easiest way to cut calories, while still not growling from hunger, is to cut refined sugars and starches. Just don't eat ANY of them.
No sodas (or switch to Diet -- but the sweeteners are crap for other parts of your body). Water is really good for your body -- the more, the better as far as I'm concerned!
No potatoes fries, chips, donuts, cakes, or white breads.
Very careful with white rice, tortillas, pasta, etc.
When you get snacky, first drink a pint of water.
If that still doesn't work, eat a carrot or two, or half a cold chicken breast, or a few rolls of turkey meat. (Stay away from the fats -- high calories!) Apples, peaches, raspberries and strawberries are good too.
Cauliflower and Broccoli are excellent, if you can view that as a snack!
Last, MAKE TIME to excercise. Take at least half an hour, five days a week. Rise 30 minutes earlier and go out before you have breakfast, or run during your lunch break. Also, park in the far corner of each parking lot -- if possible, walk or bike to places instead of driving.
Good luck! It'll take all the self-determination you have, but it CAN be done. Don't expect to lose more than 1-2 pounds a week (more than that isn't healthy), but in half a year, you can lose 30 pounds by following sound practices. Weigh yourself once a week, and plot it over time -- I do it Sunday mornings.
Also: A gallon of fat weighs 5 pounds, so imagine what losing a simple 5 pounds would do to your flab...
If you're not too tubby, one of the greatest exercises out there for losing weight is swimming.
Just go to the local civic center (or whatever you call it) and do as many laps in the pool as you can.
Be aware, however, that exercise alone is not enough. You might lose some weight, but I doubt it will please you.
Interestingly, though, it can be substantially dangerous to start an exercise plan and an exreme diet simultaneously. If you're exercising more, and eating less, obviously you're going to run into problems.
Sneftel is right that you want to eat less calories than you burn, however, you do not want to eat considerably less calories than you burn. Starting an intense exercise plan and an intense diet plan at the same time may be too much.
So my advice is definately get on a diet. However, don't get on a diet where you eat less -- that's just stupid. Eat just as much food, just eat less calories.
You can also start exercising within reason. Don't go out and run two miles every day from the start. Instead, start just walking around the block. After a few weeks to a month of that, start jogging as long as you can without running out of breath. Then start trying to do two or three miles a morning.
After all this, then it's probably safe to start doing laps in the pool.
The exercise should really be viewed as a supplement to your diet. Not the vice versa.
Lastly, whatever you do, don't stop. You must be consistent if you want results. It's that simple.
Just go to the local civic center (or whatever you call it) and do as many laps in the pool as you can.
Be aware, however, that exercise alone is not enough. You might lose some weight, but I doubt it will please you.
Interestingly, though, it can be substantially dangerous to start an exercise plan and an exreme diet simultaneously. If you're exercising more, and eating less, obviously you're going to run into problems.
Sneftel is right that you want to eat less calories than you burn, however, you do not want to eat considerably less calories than you burn. Starting an intense exercise plan and an intense diet plan at the same time may be too much.
So my advice is definately get on a diet. However, don't get on a diet where you eat less -- that's just stupid. Eat just as much food, just eat less calories.
You can also start exercising within reason. Don't go out and run two miles every day from the start. Instead, start just walking around the block. After a few weeks to a month of that, start jogging as long as you can without running out of breath. Then start trying to do two or three miles a morning.
After all this, then it's probably safe to start doing laps in the pool.
The exercise should really be viewed as a supplement to your diet. Not the vice versa.
Lastly, whatever you do, don't stop. You must be consistent if you want results. It's that simple.
There is a formula (I'm not a big health/fitness guy so I can't remember what it's called but you can google it) that takes your weight, and other factors and gives you approximate caloric intake needed.
So let's say that you do the forumla and you need 2000 calories per day to retain your current weight. If you gauge that back to 1500 calories per day you will lose 1 lb / week just from that, if you gauge back to 1000 calories per day you will lose 2 lb / week. Any further than this has undefined results as your body might go into starvation mode and start actually retaining more fat, but on the flip side might operate correctly. Either way it is stupid because it will come right back the minute you stop eating like a mouse.
Adding a small exercise routine that burns 500 calories per day will burn another lb/week, or 1000 calories again 2lb/week.
So effectively if you can cut back 1000 calories per day and exercise off 1000 calories per day than you can easily and safely loose any excess weight that you want off and retain that weight.
If you do the whole crash diet thing than 99.9% of the time you'll just be actually worse off over the long haul, because now your metabolism is even slower so if you go back to your old eating habits you will gain faster. So obviously I'd never recommend anything like that.
So let's say that you do the forumla and you need 2000 calories per day to retain your current weight. If you gauge that back to 1500 calories per day you will lose 1 lb / week just from that, if you gauge back to 1000 calories per day you will lose 2 lb / week. Any further than this has undefined results as your body might go into starvation mode and start actually retaining more fat, but on the flip side might operate correctly. Either way it is stupid because it will come right back the minute you stop eating like a mouse.
Adding a small exercise routine that burns 500 calories per day will burn another lb/week, or 1000 calories again 2lb/week.
So effectively if you can cut back 1000 calories per day and exercise off 1000 calories per day than you can easily and safely loose any excess weight that you want off and retain that weight.
If you do the whole crash diet thing than 99.9% of the time you'll just be actually worse off over the long haul, because now your metabolism is even slower so if you go back to your old eating habits you will gain faster. So obviously I'd never recommend anything like that.
The equations are, if I remember, something like this:
Basic Metabolic Rate (Calory expenditure per day assuming no physical exertion)
For men: BodyWeight (kg) * 24
For women: .9 * BodyWeight (kg) * 24
Next, multiply by one of the following coefficients which applies to you:
Men (10% - 14% body fat) - 1
Women (14% - 18%) - 1
Men (14% - 20%) - .95
Women (18% - 28%) - .95
Men (20% - 28%) - .9
Women (28% - 38%) - .9
Men (>28%) - .85
Women (>38%) - .85
So all that gives you your BMR. You then plug that into an equation called the Harris Benedict Equation, which takes into account several more factors, including average amount of physical activity per day.
This page talks about determining how much to lower your daily calory intake to lose weight.
In general, dropping relative calory intake by more than 1000 per day is considered unhealthy. So a good plan might be to lose 500 by eating less calories, the other 500 through exercise.
Basic Metabolic Rate (Calory expenditure per day assuming no physical exertion)
For men: BodyWeight (kg) * 24
For women: .9 * BodyWeight (kg) * 24
Next, multiply by one of the following coefficients which applies to you:
Men (10% - 14% body fat) - 1
Women (14% - 18%) - 1
Men (14% - 20%) - .95
Women (18% - 28%) - .95
Men (20% - 28%) - .9
Women (28% - 38%) - .9
Men (>28%) - .85
Women (>38%) - .85
So all that gives you your BMR. You then plug that into an equation called the Harris Benedict Equation, which takes into account several more factors, including average amount of physical activity per day.
This page talks about determining how much to lower your daily calory intake to lose weight.
In general, dropping relative calory intake by more than 1000 per day is considered unhealthy. So a good plan might be to lose 500 by eating less calories, the other 500 through exercise.
I pound out 400 pushups and 400 sit ups every other day. I also run on my off days about 5 miles. I only spend about an hour a day doing this. I also do pullups/chinups when I get home with one of those door frame bars (one that doesnt do damage it sits on the molding above).
Programming, Sports and School is one of the only things that i do now. I'm one of those who exercise relative to how much i've eaten of "fat food" like Hamburgers, Sausages and Pizza.
It's easy to focus to much on how you look. The important is how you feel
It's easy to focus to much on how you look. The important is how you feel
Quote:Original post by nilkn
Interestingly, though, it can be substantially dangerous to start an exercise plan and an exreme diet simultaneously. If you're exercising more, and eating less, obviously you're going to run into problems.
Sneftel is right that you want to eat less calories than you burn, however, you do not want to eat considerably less calories than you burn. Starting an intense exercise plan and an intense diet plan at the same time may be too much.
So my advice is definately get on a diet. However, don't get on a diet where you eat less -- that's just stupid. Eat just as much food, just eat less calories.
Bingo. I can tell you, though, that when you've hit your calorie target for the day and it's only 4 PM, those celery sticks start looking really tasty. [wink] Also, as much as possible, spread your meals out into snacks. 5 meals a day sounds excessive but it WILL help you lose weight if you're properly counting your calories.
It's impossible to determine algorithmically how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. There's a plethora of formulae out there, and they're all crap. I suggest you start with a 1600 cal/day diet. Two weeks in, see how many pounds you're losing per week, then adjust within there. (BTW: Don't weigh yourself more than once a week.) Remember, 1 lb of fat = 3500 excess calories. Don't try to lose more than 2 pounds per week or you WILL begin to lose muscle mass.
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