Posts by awmust54

I agree with misskady.  Run with a friend.  I am a big guy, but I used to run through some pretty iffy areas and I always had at least one running partner.  I think people are less likely to mess with you if you at least have some back-up

I would just try and relax a little.  I mean, this is your first one, so I am guessing you are not trying to win it.  I am terribly competitive, but the first one I did I was trying to go way too fast (mostly in transitions and at the start of each different exercise).  Just take your time, and make sure you ahev everything ready before you begin.  Keep your focus on finishing well.

I was at 5-Star basketball camp in VA and we were playing in this huge hanger looking thing, and the courts had been brought in.  They were like 8 inches off the cement.  I went diving for a loose ball and tossed it back in and went cartwheeling off the court.  I slid like 3 feet and leveled a 10 gallon trash can.  Lots of noise, lots of stuff everywhere.  The trainers came running over and when I rolled over it looked like someone had stuffed a grapefruit under my skin around my wrist.  I shattered 4 bones, including the scaphoid into like 7 or 8 pieces.  I had to have surgery and 6 pins put in.  It was gruesome.

I am kind of on the fence on this one.  I used to be all for tossing people in need the small cash I had on me, but I witnessed something that kind of rattled all that.  My college roommate and I helped this guy out in downtown Indy when he said he needed 30 bucks to fill a gas can so he could start his car on I-65 and get to Memphis.  We walked him to the gas station and helped him out.  Two weeks later, I am in the bar section of Indy and see the same guy.  He walks up to us and gives us the same scam, just that his car was in a different place.  My roomie let him get about 5 minutes into his talk and then stopped him and reminded him that he had done this to us already.  And how could you forget two 6'7 guys who gave you money?  He just smiled real big, said "whoops" and walked off.  I got real leery of people after that.  That being said, I am sucker for those in need.  So the debate goes on...

I think this has been said, but I'll reiterate it.  Eat a HEALTHY meal beforehand.  A guy who sat next to me had like a double Hardee's thickburger and they started having all these health concerns for him.  Apparently it spiked his cholesterol levels and his blood sugar was off.  They told him eating poorly can give the impression of false health problems.

I agree with Jules.  I think having a poor attitude (arrogance to lack of self-confidence) can make even the best looking woman unattractive.

I personally like curvy/athletic women.  I also agree that men, like myself, like real women.  I don't want someone who looks like she can pass for 15, or has to be carded to buy cigarettes.  I want someone who I can take to dinner, and not worry I am the only one eating while she eyeballs my food.  Also, it shows men that you are comfortable in the way you feel.  I always see women who look like they are too skinny and instantly wonder if they have low self-esteem.  It is a stereotype, but I always wonder.

I dunno, just some random thoughts there.

I guess my beef with the AGG is how awful their form is.  I mean, I have come to accept that those types will be in there, so I deal with it.  I just don't get how having 2 45's on each side of a curl bar and throwing your back into it isn't damaging something.  Wouldn't it be better just to have 25-30 lbs less and actually be able to control the weight?  They just look comical trying to toss all that weight around.  And I also agree with the comments about grunting.  I am working my a$$ off, but I don't sound like I am trying to pass a kidney stone.  Oh, and someone mentioned the body odor, how about the AGG that comes in loaded with cologne?  Try running in that haze...

(Ok, my gripe is done )

Hey, that's fantastic stuff, man.  I am following a beginner's guide to the triathlon.  My goal right now is just to finish.

Also, how accurate is Phord's calculator?  It said I should be eating 2518 calories a day.  Is that doable, especially with all the training I am doing?  Or should I dial the calories up a bit?

Those links were exactly what I was looking for, I really appreciate it.

I know no one has responded to this thread in a bit, but I thought I'd share a story from my team leader in Iraq.  Joe married his high school sweetheart 11 years ago and they have 4 kids.  He is still very much in love with his wife, and loves her even though she is about 100 lbs heavier than when they got married.  While we were in Iraq, Joe and I started lifting and Joe gained about 5-10 pounds of muscle.  He and his wife talked through MySpace a lot, and they exchanged lots of photos.  His wife stopped sending him photos of her about 3 months in, and was just sending the kids.  This lasted until we had about two months left.  Joe comes and gets me and shows me a pic on the computer.  His wife had been motivated, since Joe was bettering himself, to lose weight.  She had lost almost 80 lbs!  For the next two months Joe just kept saying how he REALLY had to get home to see his wife.  We went through some bad stuff that last two months, but I don't think anything could have brought him down.  I don't know, I thought that was really cool, and things like that can carry a guy through a bad deployment.

Eliza I am running into the same issue.  From what I have read, you can keep putting on lean muscle by increasing protein intake.  I am trying to drop weight but not muscle because I have two physical jobs.  However, the sites that I saw these on where mostly bodybuilding websites, so I would take it with a grain of salt.  Most weight-loss sites don't cover this issue.

Mine is 6'7 - 229.  I was in shape, playing basketball, and I could eat whatever I felt like.  Those were the days...

I have a question regarding this.  I just figured out my RMR (2,200) and realized I have been eating about 500 calories too many a day (normally between 2,500 and 2,750).  However, my workout routine is intense and I have topped 5000 burned (according to CC) more than a few times.  I eat that much to support my activities in the gym.  Now, if I was to reduce my diet to, say, 2000 calories, would I create too big of a deficit?  I am trying to lose an additional 15 pounds and I don't want to cut out that food if it isn't going to do anything. 

Hahaha, my oh my.  I thought we were going to keep the instigating to a minimum :)

Hola everyone.  First off, let me say this has been a very interesting thread to read.  I am a guy, and have been in gyms since I was in high school.  I think you have represented the entire scope of the way women are perceived, both positively and negatively.  I think women who try be healthy in general are attractive.  This goes from the woman who has strong arms (not competition arms, but athletic) and looks like she could, to quote here, kick my a$$, or the one in there trying to drop 15 lbs and become a fitter woman.  I do think, however, that there are a lot of vain, look-at-me, stick figure women who can sometimes populate the gym.  The place I work out is full of them, and it drives me nuts.  I think it is good to know, that despite that, there are women out there who go to the gym with a purpose, and that purpose is to get fit, not get looked at.

Something else you should do is to make sure you are properly hydrated.  I ran a 10K and hadn't been drinking enough water and it affected my run.  Start at the beginning of the week so you don't have to overhydrate in the last couple of days.  Oh, and get water during the race too.  You'll be surprised at how fast you lose it. :)