Men Are Hotter In The Morning?

Maybe it's just my gym, but I've found that hotter guys tend to be at the gym first thing in the morning compared to the evening crowd. There also seems to a drastic attitude difference between the two. It's almost as if the guys in the mornings are there to actually work out and the guys in the evening are more concerned with scoping the scene and posing. Of course, that Stand & Model approach to gym time has absolutely nothing to do with the around 70-80% of members being Friends of Dorothy… I'm sure that has no effect on the attitude...

I've come to quite like gyming in the mornings though. The people are more pleasant, there's less of them, and as I mentioned above they are much hotter, which is a key motivator in the "I want to look like that" department. The pleasantness could be due more to it being 5:30 am which means no one in there is quite awake yet, but still… having less people in the gym is quite nice too.

I know my husband thinks I'm insane for getting up at 5am just to go to the gym, but the way I figure it is I either do that or go in the evenings which usually takes me longer due to the crowds in the gym. Not to mention I'm just generally annoyed with life by the time my work day is done and I've sat on the CTA for an hour and a half. Oh, and the mens just aren't as hot.

I still go in the evenings sometimes, usually because when my alarm goes off at 5 am my body and mind tell me that I must go back to sleep for another hour, but I'm trying to phase that out and make my mornings more gym centric. I also like that there are fewer reasons to not go to the gym that early compared to the evenings. At night there's always something I that need to do, someone we need to meet, or dinner that needs to be cooked, but not so in the mornings so if I go in the AM then I can be free to entertain or play house husband for the evening.

The downside is that 5 am is hella early. Yes, working out gets my blood pumping and wakes me up and provides some energy for the day, but by noon or so I'll be dragging bad. Nothing that some coffee or tea can't fix, but still, I'd rather not have to rely on caffeine to get through the day.

So, I sum this us thusly:

Working out in the morning Pros
Hot guys
Less crowded gym
Pleasantness
More time in the evenings

Working out in the morning Cons
It's damn early
I have to get up early
Crazy people are up early
I might be tired throughout the day, due to waking up early

Losing Weight: Body Image Issues Are Hard

One of the things I did not expect when I started on my weight loss odyssey is the odd psychological effects losing weight can have on a person. I've shed some body image issues just to acquire all new ones. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the more than 40 pounds I've lost, it's just that weight loss comes with a few new mental problems that no one really talks about.

Although I feel better about myself now, there are times where I just hate that I've lost weight. I know, queue the world's smallest violin… believe me, I get it. But it's true, and just because I've lost weight doesn’t mean I my feelings on the matter are less valid. I started on my weight loss journey back at the end of October, but since then I've not particularly had the time or ability to refurnish my wardrobe. I've picked up a few items here and there, but by and large my closet is still the same now at 158 lbs as it was at 200 lbs.

So what does this mean for me? Well, it means that I'm still wearing larger clothes. I'm struggling to make belts fit and find ways to make my favorite shirts wearable. Some things I just can't wear anymore. It affects me in a way that I can only describe as nostalgic. Things would be easier if I just put on the weight again and could fit into my clothes. I think I just need to get new clothes to fix this problem, but some of those clothes are still my favorites and it's hard to let go of them.

The biggest problem I've run into though is straight up body image issues. I've lost 40 pounds. It's noticeable to anyone that's known me then and now. But sometimes I don't see it. Sometimes I look in the mirror and can't see a change at all. Sometimes I feel like I've just wasted time eating better and exercising because I'm still just a chubby guy. I know in my heart that is not the case because just two minutes before thinking that I had to find a belt to hold up the pants that use to fit snug, but in my mind I still feel like I'm big.

This is even weirder for me to handle when I get hit on, which is happening with more frequency. I'm use to being mildly invisible, but now I'm mildly attractive. So when someone approaches me with a little smile and a flirty eye-lash flicker, I feel guilty. I feel like I'm lieing to them because they see a cute guy and all I see is a chubby boy. Those flirtations should be another sign to me that I have lost weight and should act as a tool to help reinforce a new body image, but more often than not I catch myself feeling bad instead of proud.

I know some of my readers at this point are still thinking that this is me throwing myself an unwarranted pity party. The thing is that as I've been losing weight I've been seeking out on-line forums that feature other people that have been going through similar issues. Truth be told though, there aren't many resources for guys out there. I guess we are suppose to be concerned with bulking up or whatever, but some of us just want to be thinner. I have found a few forums like 3 Fat Chicks, but they are pretty targeted to women exclusively. No hate to the ladies out there, but body image issues affect men and women differently I think.

Overall, I'm really well aware of how much work I've put in to losing weight and I am aware that it shows. I wish there was more information available for those of us losing weight about how to handle these body image issues though. I suppose most people are just happy when they lose weight and maybe I'm a freak, but I think more people go through this than admit it. It's kind of taboo to say things like "my weight loss has affected my self-image negatively." And it's not even that I look at my self negatively now as compared to at 200 lbs, it's just that I'm having trouble adjusting to me now.

Goals Acheived

Here we are in June and I've been keeping (mostly) strong to my work out habbits and eating plans. Sure, there are days when I eat poorly or not as structured as I would like, and there are weeks when I don't get to the gym 3 times like I've promised myself, but overall I'm sticking with my plans.

I'm at a point now where I can't seem to drop more weight. My original goal was 155 pounds, and I'm very close at 159. But those four pounds make a big difference to me. Don't get me wrong, in very happy with 159, but I wouldn't be upset with 155.

Part of this lack of progression is due to my more lax approach to this whole regiment. The other part is that my work out now is more focused on strength training than weight loss. And while I'd like to actually weigh 155, i'd be much happier if I looked healthy and relatively in shape.

But all-in-all I'd say the goals I've set out for myself back in October when I decided it was time to lose weight are acheived. I feel good, I believe I look good (if the way my fiancé looks at me is any indication ;) ), and all that makes me happy.

Next up: beach body! ;)

A Year In Pictures

In which I reveal pictures of me throughout the year to show how much weight I gained throughout the year and have subsequently been losing in the last few months:

Starting the year with last winter.

Then comes the spring... bad t-shirt choice

Moving into the Summer and I'm hiding behind my boyfriend

On into the fall, on our vacation, right before I decided to start losing weight.

Finally, it's New Year's Eve, and I'm shedding the pounds.

Probably seems a bit self involved to post these, but I'm really proud of myself for actually being able to make a change and start losing weight again. I'm down to 169 now. When I started, I was nearly 200 pounds. Only a few more to go and I'm be in my happy "target weight."