Unusual challenge. Significant weight loss with diving as goal.

[raoulsttexas]

First off, GOOD FOR YOU!

Secondly, there's a lot of good advice above. I'll throw in my 2psi...

If a personal trainer / nutritionist is too spendy (was for me), look into various group workouts in your area. Here in Portland, they're called "boot camp", but you can find something similar. typically, they'll have the uber classes for the crazy athletic types, but they'll also have a biggest loser-ish type of program, and maybe something in between. i pay about $75/mo for a boot camp where we meet 3 times per week. we have 2 trainers, one is weights/lifting focused and the other is circuit / core / cardio focused. those guys have helped me an INCREDIBLE amount. over the past 2-3 years, i've lost about 50 lbs, ran my first 5k, and can deadlift 355lbs. no, you don't have to do this stuff, and to be frank, i don't much care about my lifting abilities. it's just that now, i can. before, i couldn't. it feels great! AND my sac rate has improved drastically.

Lastly, i'd recommend a program similar to losebellyfat.com. this is basic interval training and it really worked for me. i LOATHE running....still do. i will never be a distance runner. however, i CAN give a 30 second max effort, recover, and repeat 16 times. take YOUR time, and go at YOUR pace. if it's walking for 30 seconds and then standing (or even sitting) for 90 seconds while your recover, then that's TOTALLY fine. just start somewhere and keep going.

fwiw.... and good luck! find people to keep you motivated!

 

[flots am]

New Years rolls around and this is the year I lose the weight.
I have *a lot* of weight to lose. A lot. We're talking "Biggest Loser" a lot.

Diving is fun and if you're really big, losing weight is a good idea, however they're not really closely related.

The fitness requirements for SCUBA are actually pretty low, and mostly involve making sure you're not going to drown and can get yourself back to shore. For example, there is a swim requirement, but it's pretty minimal. I beleive PADI is 200 yards, which is only two complete laps in a pool.

You might want to learn to dive sooner rather than later, since it will get you out and moving around more.

flots.

 

[LM]

This thread's bad-ass. :fro:

Thanks everyone for such great advice. It's all being taken to heart.

Gracias.

 

[Abaco24]

Flots am, you must have really long pools in your area

 

[LM]

Diving is fun and if you're really big, losing weight is a good idea, however they're not really closely related.

The fitness requirements for SCUBA are actually pretty low, and mostly involve making sure you're not going to drown and can get yourself back to shore. For example, there is a swim requirement, but it's pretty minimal. I beleive PADI is 200 yards, which is only two complete laps in a pool.

You might want to learn to dive sooner rather than later, since it will get you out and moving around more.

flots.

Yeah, the more I learn about this, the more I'm starting to think that diving might not be as far off as I think.

I'm definitely fat, but it's "Chris Farley" fat. I can still run around, move around, etc, etc... Save for an insignificant back issue which doesn't impede me much, I'm pretty mobile for a fat guy. I just let my intake/output ratio get waaaaaaaaay off kilter for the past 10 years and now, wear the result. The bright side is, snorkeling is real easy when you float like a cork

I think I'm going to buy my MSF today, just as some incentive hanging around the house to look at and keep the motivational fires lit. I do about 90% of my retail shopping online. Is this something I can order via the internet or is "in-person purchase" a must?

 

[mselenaous]

I think I'm going to buy my MSF today, just as some incentive hanging around the house to look at and keep the motivational fires lit. I do about 90% of my retail shopping online. Is this something I can order via the internet or is "in-person purchase" a must?

Go ahead. You can practice with them in the pool. Anything that gets you motivated and keeps you moving is great.

Do give your local dive shop the opportunity to show you good quality MSFs. The right mask is all about the fit, something which you can't try on through mail order. If you see something online that interests you, show it to your LDS - they might have it in stock and price match or have something similar that might work even better. A poor fitting mask will make you mental and I think this causes too many folks to stop pursuing the sport. A poor fitting mask affects comfort and hence enjoyment underwater.
Snorkels - lots of options. Best bet is KISS, "keep it simple silly", the simpler the better.
Fins - again fit is important and you will probably want adjustable open-heeled fins that you can wear with the appropriate thickness booties (both items that should be tried on for comfort so that they fit together).

I know some big fellas that are very active divers so don't put off getting started with your dive training. Good luck with your "size-improvement" program .

 

[flots am]

Flots am, you must have really long pools in your area

An Olympic pool is 50M

flots

 

[flots am]

I think I'm going to buy my MSF today, just as some incentive hanging around the house to look at and keep the motivational fires lit. I do about 90% of my retail shopping online. Is this something I can order via the internet or is "in-person purchase" a must?

That's a real can of worms so I'll let others chime in.

The only thing I will say is that mask fit is pretty much the most important criteria (after a tempered glass lens) and you can't tell if it fits over the internet.

flots.

 

[Jimmer]

I absolutely agree, mask fit is EVERYTHING! A $10 mask that fits will be better than any fancy high dollar mask that doesn't fit. Any good dive shop can help you sort out the correct fit. I'm sort of a nut when it comes to masks. I have 5 or 6 right now, because when I find one that has a nice fit, I buy it. The last mask I bought fits so perfectly and I was soooooo happy with the complete and total lack of ANY leaking on my recent trip down south, that when I got home I called my LDS and told them to set aside another one for me, which now sits in my gear room still in the package just so I have a backup "favourite" mask.

P.S. good work on the weight loss goal. I am hoping to lose about 25 pounds myself this year, to make my recreational diving more comfortable, and my technical diving safer.

Jim

 

[aquaregia]

Buy your mask locally. Even a slight leak in the mask can really kill your enjoyment.

I had a friend lose like 150lbs in 2 years doing nothing except an hour a day at the gym and never buying hot pockets. He used to eat quite a lot of hot pockets.