Time to combine a necessity and a passion

Unfortunately I have found that over the years not only has my knowledge has expanded but also my waistline. My current weight is 249, when my ideal weight is around 200. I looked in the mirror yesterday and wanted to puke. So I got to thinking, why not combine my love for scrapping with a necessity to lose weight. I have decided to start walking (fast walk pace) during lunch at work. It would be a win-win-win situation as I can get exercise, I would save money by not buying lunch, and would not have the calorie intake. The way I would combine it with my scrapping passion is by wearing pants with cargo pockets and picking up small pieces of scrap metal on the road as I am walking along. I am a goal oriented person, so I have set a goal of picking up 150 lbs of scrap by the end of the year to help motivate me. I will keep it separate from my other scrap, dividing it only into ferrous and non-ferrous buckets. I will not weight it until after December 31st, so that way I will not be tempted to start slacking off if I see I am reaching my goal early. Will be interesting to see what I end up with.

goals are good so best of luck

Also keep track of found money on these power walks! And I think you will meet or exceed both of your goals!

I started on foot and did exactly what you described, making my way over to neighboring companies and peeking in their dumpsters. If I noticed goodies, I just asked someone around if I could take this or that. Eventually one place started laying stuff outside for me (until someone else noticed and started picking it up before me). Walking is also a great way to meet people and notice things you don't when you're driving.

Good luck to you and may you find a cash register full of cash! (My first wahoo! moment scrapping, it wasn't full but I didn't complain about the $95!)

Good for you!! I'm in the same boat (overweight).

It would be great if you periodically told us the weight of the goodies you find! Tellling us your weight is optional, but it might be encouraging for the rest of us!!!

Jon.

I need to lose some weight as well, but don't skip your lunch, eat something small with a good amount of fiber in it, it will help hold you over till dinner. To really do it right eat a big breakfast, small lunch and even smaller dinner. Skipping a meal sends your body into starvation mode and you will actually gain weight. Most definitely do the walking thou.

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Originally Posted by brandon

I need to lose some weight as well, but don't skip your lunch, eat something small with a good amount of fiber in it, it will help hold you over till dinner. To really do it right eat a big breakfast, small lunch and even smaller dinner. Skipping a meal sends your body into starvation mode and you will actually gain weight. Most definitely do the walking thou.

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Actually that is not necessarily true, it depends on how a person does it. I looked at a couple of medical websites (WebMD and another big one, don't remember the name), and they both talk about how if a person goes on a 3 day fast (nothing but water), it can help jump start their immune system. I want to start doing that once a month. I agree though about skipping meals without attempting the 3 day fast, as a person can eat more as they are hungrier. I plan on making a small microwave meal after I get back from my walk.

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

Also keep track of found money on these power walks! And I think you will meet or exceed both of your goals!

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Actually thought about doing that. Probably will now.

Just remember to eat something during your walk (such as a protein bar or such) if you're giving up your lunch time. Going cold turkey during the middle of the day will set you up for power eating later that night...

6 ft 160lbs, I'm 28, and have been active all of my life, I do not believe in skipping meals and go with the 6 small meals a day, that can be anything from a banana and yogurt to a slice of whole wheat toast with your choice of spread.
exercise is an awesome choice, but don't forget to put fuel in the system, your body will wonder where to get fuel from and hoard making your weight lose program stall. My buddy went from 240 - 220 and then stalled, started eating 6 and went down to 160 and he's 5'9. All the best!

In high school playing basketball, my goal was to bulk up and gain weight to 200 pounds, my height then was 6'4". As a freshman in college playing basketball and now 6' 6" my goal was to increase my weight to 220 pounds. My best friend from high school, suggested maybe I should be content with what I was and quit trying to increase my body mass. I was a athlete and in excellent shape, working out, running and doing everything to be competitive at the highest level. After my freshman year I decided that there was more important priorities than basketball. I kept working out, running, and playing "street" basketball until I was thirty. This is when I went into management for the airline I was working for. The demands of the job left very little time for basketball or much of anything else. At my twenty year high school reunion, my best fiend asked me, "are you still trying to gain weight?". I was now well over 280 pounds and honestly felt like a slug!

That was my wake-up moment about my weight. I started monitoring my weight daily, eating healthier, and started making time to exercising daily. I started running every other day and power walking on the other days. The biggest change and what really brought my weight down, was eliminating sugar from my diet as much as possible. I quit drinking sodas completely, my parents never let us drink them at all when I was a kid. I must have thought as a adult, it was a free for all. Because I abused my diet consuming just about anything I wanted. It took me almost five years to get my weight back to 220 and I'm at 210 now.

I use a pedometer to keep track of my miles ran and walking. I average 15 to 18 miles with all of my combined activity daily. I also weigh myself every morning and eat three times a day, with very little sugar in my diet. My suggestion for all that need to loose weight, stop drinking sodas. A 12 ounce can of coke is 140 calories, 38 grams of sugar (about 8 teaspoons).

Just passing by..don't everyone get excited.

If i may...

Not sure if your a big soda drinker or not, but you can also try cutting it back, or off if you are. My wife wanted to lose weight two years ago, an she gave up her Diet Pepsi, lost about 75lbs. All did was stop the soda intake and about a mile a day walk. She did the walking to an from work, as we only lived a half mile from her work. No big diet, no fads, no real changing of her eating habits. Soda an walking.

If you don't drink soda..then..well just ignore this, an perhaps it'll help another. Either way I wish you lucky. Your body is your temple an all that jazz, might as well feel like the Ritz an not a 2 dollar crack hotel. :)

Oh an she didn't really drink a lot of soda to start with, at lest 1 a day, to 2. 20oz ones.

Me..I'd rather give you a arm then give you my soda. Thankfully scrapping, an my joy of walking keep me looking fit, healthy an so **** handsome.

Again good luck!

Sirscrapalot - Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain


Bonus Quote! - The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain

I've never touched a soda in my life, and never will.

I'm a little overweight now, but not too bad. I was 270 and 5'11" during my junior year of high school (Bullying problems caused a lot of panic weight). When I graduated (different school), I was down around 250. I fluctuate between 225 in the summer and 235 in the winter, now. I work a desk job and need to be out more. That's the difference.

In the fall, this is my workout:
http://hungrychickenhomestead.com/wp...traw-Truck.jpg

Our truck hauls bales out of the field. My father loads it to 27 bales, but I load it to 42 (Actually easier the way I stack it). I do at least three loads a day, and that'll burn the pounds off.

Each bale is about 50 pounds. I think this may be a good way to lose weight for you, too. You don't need the farm, or the straw. But, I'm sweating decently at the end of each load. Get sweating! *Paging Richard Simmons*

Oh, Sirscrapalot, it's already too late for that:
http://preparingyourfamily.com/wp-co...lcome-back.jpg





matador: "I feel like this is just the beginning. Today, Sirscrapalot, tomorrow, who knows?" - Welcome Back, Kotter (Sort of)
Hey, I don't have this whole quotes thing figured out yet!

After reading some of the replies, I reread my post and realized I did not go into enough detail on one part. When I said I would have a win-win-win situation, and part of it would be not buying lunch, what I meant was not going out to Whataburger, Grandy's, KFC, etc and paying $8 - $10 bucks for lunch. I was not advocating skipping lunch entirely. What I have done is bought a bunch of Hormel Complete meals, which is a smaller meal, generally 280 - 300 calories, and only $2 each. I nuke one of those when I get back from my walk and eat it at my desk.

Now on the flip side, what I have been doing for close to a year is once a quarter I will go on a 3 day fast (water only). This is not for dieting purposes. I have been doing some research on the internet and there is some evidence that a 48 - 72 hour fast can do a kick start on ones immune system. Apparently what happens is during the fast the body will try to do things to save energy, and one of them is to "recycle" (a term we can all relate to) white blood cells, particularly damaged ones. Then when a person starts eating again then it triggers the immune system to start producing healthy white blood cells again. Maybe it is coincidence, but I have not had the colds and minor health irritations that I normally have a few times a year. If anyone is interested in looking at it Google "fast immune system".