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As far as I can see, to lose weight and be in better shape :
* Eat less whilst also adding more vegetables and fruit to your diet & reducing junk foods.
* Exercise more trying to keep a balance of aerobic and stretching exercise.
Make the transition slow & easy - for some it's a major and invaluable lifestyle change.
If you can't do it, then address the psychological / emotional aspects just as you would if constantly failing to stick to your trading rules. There may be very compulsive and addictive elements to over-eating, probably unconscious, just like over-trading etc etc.
All very simple, not at all easy : to eat less, you have to be willing to experience intense feelings of hunger, as your body is set up to eat a familiar amount each day and will take time to adjust; likewise, you have to be willing to experience resistance to exercise & do it anyway. Eventually you 'll most likely start to prefer the new feelings of greater health etc, but for some that can take a very long time...
Actually, this is a misnomer to think you should eat less and be hungry to lose weight. If you are going to be hungry all the time, you will never stick to a diet. Sure, if you consume 10,000 calories a day, then you will need to eat less, but you do not need to be hungry. If you eat the right amount of calories that you need, then you will not be hungry. Also if you eat smaller, more frequent meals and healthy snacks (fruits, peanuts, almonds) during the day, you will not go hungry.
One should focus on eating healthy and not starve yourself and exercise. Eating healthy and even 20 minutes exercise a day will already help. But then you need to be serious about exercise and not do an half hearted attempt. Just running or walking is not really going to help you lose weight either. Adding resistance training to build muscle will ensure that you continue burning calories even after your workout and not only during the time you exercise.
Meat is also not necessarily bad as it is a good source of protein which is helpful to add lean muscle. But stick to organic, hormone free meat. Contrary to many other things where organic is just a marketing gimmy with no real benefits, when it comes to meat, it does make a difference.
I get up and I go run/walk for 60-75 minutes with only 16oz water in me and my animalpak vitamins. Basically I do interval training; walking at 3MPH and Running at 6MPH, 15m walk, 15m run at a 5 incline, and I wear a weighted chest(30lbs). While I walk on the threadmill I have my laptop in front of me and I read bloomberg/reuters news and analyze the EU/Asian Markets; when I run, I just listen to BBC and BLOOM.
After that I then do light weights, 3-5 sets, 10reps, hit all basic muscles with 30-45 second rest in b/w exercise. I dont read during that time. I then feed my body a 16oz blend protein shake, 60g high fiber oatmeal, all with whole milk, and I hit the shower. The whole proces is 1.5-2.5 hours, depends on how long I was up the night before as I try to sleep 8 hours, so I adjust the intensity depending on how much time I got before I have to head out to the office. The time to depart from home does not changes, so I adjust based on what.
I try to get to the office by 8:30AM EST, that way I can watch the open and do my trades. I block the first 2 hours of my calendar at work for "emails and follow ups" , I enter all my orders before 10:30AM EST anyhow, and then monitor on my iphone. If I did traded futures that day, I was in and out between 9:35AM-10:30AM EST. Options are monitored via iphone.
I drink lots of water through out the day, I try to meet for the whole day the 1Gallon rule; no liquids will mean your thought process is slowed down and your body is not getting all the nutrients you need and taking away waste. Through out the day I will consume fruits (apples and bananas mainly) and for lunch I will always have a chicken salad with chickpeas, spinach, carrots, onions, etc. and ranch dressing. I dont do fat free, people dont seem to realize that our brain and inmune system needs fat, but in moderation. I use to do a yogurt as well, but there are now all fat free and they all taste like crap. I dont take the elevators at work, I walk up and down the whole 4-10 flights of stairs, depending where I might have a meeting that day.
Dinner time, I try to have natural protein (steak/fish/chicken/pork), rice or potatoes for carbs and vegetables, with a glass of red wine (malbec/cab) and water of course. Before I go to bed I will either consume cheese w/grapes and whole wheat crackers, or a protein drink, whichever is faster and that I feel in the mood for; nothing more annoying than waking in the middle of the night and losing sleep because your body is starving, so I try to avoid that.
I am 6'2" and my weight fluctuates between 180-190lbs, mainly based on if I am doing heavy weights or just doing cardio. The heaviest I have ever been is 220lbs and I was not eating right and doing any exercises at all.
My advice to you...
It sounds as if you have two challenges, 1) how to loose weight, 2) how to keep it off... just like in trading, find what works for you, but first you need to find out your current state and then set yourself a realistic goal (loose 1lb=3500cals per week as an example)
IMO ... No liquids during 6-8 hours is a major problem, you need to have that gallon of water next to you. You dont have to drink it all at first, but set yourself a goal to drink half while you are sitting there. No food intake during that time is also an issue, your body starves and stores food as soon as it gets it which is why fat exists for later. Eat fruits, or oatmeal bars while trading. It is not messy and you get 100cals a pop. Get a stationary cycle or a threadmill, and plant it in front of the TV in the office and while researching, etc. multitask where it makes sense to exercise; it is easy to do and your brain will be happier with endorphins floating around from the exercise, not to mention your other organs.
Find a good multivitamin, the best are Universal AnimalPak and Optimun Opti-Men. Not all multis are created equal, those are the two best ones I have come across. Get some protein shakes, Labrada LBM 60 is the best, and you dont need the whole dosage, I only drink 2-4 scoops per day; depending on what amount of protein I took in during the day. Our testosterone levels decrease with age, feeding the right ingredients helps boost them higher than normal and leads to great side effects
Must people tend to forget our bodies are machines, and need fuel and proper care. We normally allow our minds to abuse the machine. Follow whatever plan you decide upon with the same discipline as trading, and adjust as conditions change and you will be ok.
Disclaimer: ... what works for me, might not work for you, you should consult your doctor before doing any exercise.
One suggestion, for what it's worth, is to have one day a week to not
exercise and not be concerned about what you eat. 'Perfection' is to
never take a day off. I think that knowing you have a certain day each
week when you don't have to workout or follow a diet will be very
helpful psychologically.
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I Dream of Jeannie "Always on Sunday"
{When Jeannie thinks that her master needs more time to rest she makes everyday Sunday.}
Setting: Tony is just getting up on Monday morning and needs to go to work.
Jeannie: Oh but you must have time to play and relax.
Tony: Well I relax on Sunday. Too bad everyday can't be a Sunday huh?
Jeannie: That is a marvelous idea.
Tony: What's a marvelous idea? Wait.
(Jeannie blinks)
Jeannie: You may get back into bed now master.Today is Sunday.
I will serve you Sunday breakfast in bed.
that is correct, I normally assume that is understood... the body needs rest, which is why I always go for 8 hours sleep...
on weekends, Saturdays I wake up late but I do the same cycle... I dont do anything at all on Sunday.. I just lounge around... but I should specify, there isnt a diet... I dont count the calories I eat all that much, I just make sure to eat enough to support all bodily functions and the calories I am spending.. sometimes there is a surplus, sometimes there is a shortage... I dont stay away from ice cream, I do eat pizza's every so often and I love chocolate frosted doughts..
the key is moderation... I dont believe much in diets.. (atkins, southbeach, etc).. but rather on a healhy composition and variety of foods on ones overall diet.
Mike, good to see you've started. Best to introduce a few changes at a time, as you're doing.
From what you posted earlier, I believe you are trying to shed some unwanted pounds, which is a far different venture than simply living healthier (especially after you've reached a certain age).
Alot of the suggestions made previously are fine for maintenance, but you may find yourself frustrated if your goal is dropping fat.
Exercise is a very important component. When properly combined with diet, you become a fat burning machine.
Cardio/interval training has been mentioned and is an excellent addition. Heavy resistance training is a must too. The body is encouraged to spare muscle and use fat for energy which will propel you to your goal.
On the diet side, a constant supply of energy throughout the day is key to a healthy diet - whether it be a formal meal, healthy snack, or an MRP/protein shake.
I plan out beforehand what I'm going to eat during working hours, so I don't get sidetracked by work. Drink water during working hours as well.
It's very easy to lose weight - the tricky part is losing unwanted fat. This is the main reason why diets fail. People think they've lost fat when in fact it muscle, which quickly rebounds when normal diet returns.
Resist the urge to weigh yourself daily, Better to take measurements of key areas - thighs, waist, chest etc. If you drop 2 inches on your waist, it is likely to be fat loss regardless of what the scale says (though expect your worst body part to show progress last, it's a cruel fact)
The best source of diet info is on the bodybuilding forums. More average people than you'd think if you haven't been on before. Might be more than you think you need but as with trading, it's best to learn from the "pros".
I'm interested to see how you do. Make your targets challenging but realistic. I'm in the midst of a major body transformation that started last year, and should continue until fall to reach my ultimate end goal.