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Weight Loss....

I'm in the IT field as well and with my job, I'm virtually on call 24/7/365 so I basically sleep with my electronics. What I've noticed is that a lot of companies are building apps that limit the blue light emitted. Apple, for example, has "Night Shift" now that reduces the blue and pumps out more red so your brain isn't disrupted as much. Might be something to look into if you're like me and can't wean off electronics at night.
 
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I'm also in IT, but luckily this job was kind of a 'downgrade' from the last one in terms of work and responsibility, so I don't have to be on call all the time. Unfortunately, I'm the only person on my contract here in Japan, so trying to deal with people stateside has me up real late if I need to call east coast, and up real early if I have to call west coast.

It is very tough to pull away from my electronics. I'm really big into movies/tv/games/etc. Part of me wants to cut back on them and get out more, but at the same time, those are the things I like, and I don't want to change. Maybe when they finally launch the Pokemon GO servers here I'll get out of the house to catch em all XD
 
Well done for keeping going. As a runner, I advise you just to walk during this hot and humid weather. And check out Hal Higdon's website for advice on how to approach running safely, and with the confidence that his advice has helped half a million people work towards their goals. Importantly, make sure you get some advice on the right shoes before you do too much.

Good luck. It's great to hear you are still motivated. Change will come little by little so try not to stress about it. You will succeed if you continue and slowly change your lifestyle. I am sure all the TAG members are behind you :)
 
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@Merritt
If the thread mill gets onto your knees and ankles, try a bike, preferably one where you sit like in a chair.
If your gym has aqua gymnastics or something like that, it's also very easy on your knees etc.

For me it was very important to find something I'm comfortable on. Otherwise you always create excuses to finish early.
It's also easier to gradually increase intensity then.
 
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Merritt said:
I'm pretty sure for as slow as I run, they're all ahead of me :p
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You know when I run the old ladies walking their poodles pass me! But only because they don't stop to pick up the doggie poop. I swear if they did I would be able to keep ahead!
 
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This whole moving to Japan thing is doing a number on my sleep schedule. I couldn't sleep past 0400 so I ended up going for a run. Wow I'm so slow compared to where I was a year ago. :cry:

Hang in there everybody!(y)
 
Verbal said:
This whole moving to Japan thing is doing a number on my sleep schedule. I couldn't sleep past 0400 so I ended up going for a run. Wow I'm so slow compared to where I was a year ago. :cry:

Hang in there everybody!(y)
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It takes awhile to completely adjust to the time change.

Where are you coming from?
 
I'm ethnically Asian and grew up with that diet. I admit, I'll cheat and have some really fattening burgers and fried chicken every now and then, but I typically prefer my smaller portions of meats steamed, stir fried, or roasted with plenty of veggies... and rice. Must have my rice.

Now that I'm in Japan, I may go overboard with noodles for a bit.
 
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Verbal said:
I'm in the IT field as well and with my job, I'm virtually on call 24/7/365 so I basically sleep with my electronics. What I've noticed is that a lot of companies are building apps that limit the blue light emitted. Apple, for example, has "Night Shift" now that reduces the blue and pumps out more red so your brain isn't disrupted as much. Might be something to look into if you're like me and can't wean off electronics at night.
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I second this. Reducing the amount of blue light you see helps you sleep much more easily, and improves the quality of sleep (because you feel naturally sleepy).

I use f.lux for OSX and Twilight for Android. Twilight is not very good in that it switches off sometimes and you need to activate it again, but it could be that I have a mid range phone which causes the app problems. I don't use my phone other than for communication and checking forums, so it's not a big deal.

As for losing weight, sometimes I have to be careful that I don't lose weight. Other times I have to be careful I don't gain weight. It's a tricky problem, and probably very unhealthy, but every few weeks or even days my appetite switch flips.

My appetite ranges from wanting to eat a little only to hungry enough to eat a horse. Sometimes I just have a salad, other times I eat ramen with the free "large helping" of noodles, around 400-500 grams of noodles. I'm still hovering around 60kg/130lbs, but I want to exchange some fat for a little muscle by going to the gym. Unfortunately, I haven't gone to the gym in ages. Shameful, but I might start soon.
 
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Curacao said:
I'm familiar with the research. If you want to lose weight you need to limit your intake of calories.
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It ain't that cut and dry. You can raise your metabolism by eating more, which might burn more calories over time.
That is why a "starving yourself diet" is detrimental to weight loss, because it lowers your metabolism with body going into survival mode.
 
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roots reggae said:
I don't mean to beat this topic to death, but I just watched a video by a doctor that supports the assertions I made. It turns out I forgot to mention the effect of a good night's rest on weight loss/gain.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/game-changers-healthy-diet_us_57864589e4b0867123defe08
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Yes sleep is very important. In one study they found that sleeping 6 hours for 4 nights increased the total calorie intake by 20%. Another study found that sleeping 5.5 hours instead of 8 hours decreased the amount of fat loss by 55%!

Sure it sounds nice what the doctor said but what does research say?
http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-science-of-nutrition-is-a-carb-a-carb.html
"In a 6 month study of 390 participants, one group ate a diet high in complex carbs and another group ate a diet high in simple carbs. Both diets contained the same amount of calories and carbohydrates in total. There were no differences in fat loss or muscle retention. The diets were also identical in their effects on blood lipids."
 
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Soapysoap66 said:
It ain't that cut and dry. You can raise your metabolism by eating more, which might burn more calories over time.
That is why a "starving yourself diet" is detrimental to weight loss, because it lowers your metabolism with body going into survival mode.
Click to expand...

The problem with eating way too few calories is that you will also lose a lot of muscle. There is an optimal rate of weight loss. If you are obese then you can easily cut your calories in half. Even though I'm not fat, I cut my calories by 40% for the last two months. I lost fat and gained muscle. I eat less calories but more food. Instead of 100 g potatoes I am eating 300 g of watermelon. Food select becomes very important. You have to select low-calorie foods that are satiating which in practice means lots of vegetables and lean meat/fish.
 
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