[Webscreamer]

I always hear from women that they feel so much pressure to look good and be in shape. But for us men, don't you think there is pressure on us to have a 6 pack and nice pecks?

Are men more picky about the women? Nah... These days I think the pressure to be fit is equal between both men and women. What are your thoughts?

[Lateralus]

As somebody who is getting swept up in the drive to be fit, I think that the main reason we feel a drive to be fit is because we see the drive in women to be fit. But I'd be willing to bet they're less appreciative of it when we do it than we are when they do it.

[Warung]

Originally Posted by Webscreamer

Are men more picky about the women?

No, it's just the other way around. Plus women are a lot more shallow when it comes to picking their mate. In my experience at least.

[PB2K]

do you feel happy with a fat belly and hanging tits? i don't so i work out. it gives prettier women too.

[Warung]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

But I'd be willing to bet they're less appreciative of it when we do it than we are when they do it.

Nah, I'd say it's about the same.

[Hawkeye_a]

Well i think both sexes are superficial. But i feel women are a whole lot more obsessed with it than men..i dont have it against women when i say that. I mean....look at the cosmetic industry, plastic surgery, etc...all catering to women, i dont think men spend nearly as much on that sort of thing.

As far as being fit....i beleive it's a reflection on your lifestyle in general. A few years ago i was all about going to the gym and working out...lifting weights, etc....then id skip a few weeks over the holidays, and loose all the muscle i gained since joining the gym. So i made a conscious decision to alter my entire lifestyle to be healthy(and fit). That included....fresh foods almost always(very little frozen stuff), and fast food only when i cant be bothered to cook (i actually started cooking...and really like it). Instead of driving to classes (5 minutes by car), i walk/cycle there which takes 30 minutes each way(iPod is your friend ) unless its raining, just gives my legs a nice workout. Instead of feeling like a lab rat in a kid's cage(gym) i noticed that surfing(which i took up 18 months ago) which i had initially taken up cause it's so much fun...provided me with an entire body workout without me noticing it....And yes...the abs suddenly came outof nowhere....as did the shoulders, pecs and arms.

I guess what im saying is...you shouldnt feel 'pressured' to be fit.....try to make the necessary alterations slowley, step by step, to your lifestyle....things like food, exercise, sports and recreation. My new years resolution was to give up fizzy drinks(Coke, pepsi,etc)...apart from the occasional rum n coke with friends i dont touch the stuff...and it's made a HUGE difference.

You might have to spend a little bit more on organic/fresh foods, you'll have less time for TV, maybe less time to sleep if your going to be playing a sport. But it's very rewarding....and you wont feel any sort of pressure...in fact you'll want to keep on improving. Do the research, it's worthwhile, and dont listen to the basket cases on TV. It's sad to see people spend so much money on hollywood diets, gyms, surgery to 'look' good. When behind closed doors they chow down on McDonalds, Dominos and Coke and wonder why theyre overweight and have pizza faces, when all they had to do was buy fresh foods, which actually taste so much better, are healthier and the only negative is the higer price.

Bottom line....eat healthy (organic/fresh foods), find a sport(s) that you like and friends who like it as well. The progress might seem slow, but it'll be far longer lasting than if you joined a gym(at least from my experience). Hope that helps

Cheers

[rozwado1]

Originally Posted by PB2K

do you feel happy with a fat belly and hanging tits? i don't so i work out. it gives prettier women too.

Disagreed.

Working out doesn't get you prettier women, personality can and will. Just because you're cut doesn't mean that hot girls will be all over you.

Take, for example, bodybuilders (or gym rats for that matter). 90% of girls think that it's disgusting when a guy has 3% bodyfat and weighs 240lbs. It's way too much pressure for them to keep up with. Most gym rats (I find) date odd looking chubby chicks that, through their insecurities about themselves, need to prove that they can land a 'hot' guy. It's insecurities playing off insecurities.


Now, having said that, I also work out. ;P

[Kevin]

Don't think I'll ever have to worry about it.

[TETENAL]

Women feel the pressure to be fit, because what they see in the media. What women don't know is what Photoshop is: http://glennferon.com.nyud.net:8090/...io1/index.html
Men don't feel the pressure to be fit, because they can realistically assess that the image that is transported in the media an unrealistic phantasy. We know that nobody in real life looks as good and is as cool as in the movies.

[tgags]

When I was into the bar and club scene I felt like if you don't look like a guy on the cover of GQ girls don't pay much attention to you.
But when you meet them at college, or work, at that personal level, then it didn't seem to matter as much.

I think girls are more in tune with, and mentally influenced by the media representation of them (we're certainly bombarded by it every day in our culture).

Funny, I have an article here about how more "Real Women" are making it into advertising (related to the predominant 'waif' look). And Dove did a whole ad campaign with "ugly" chics. (not that they were ugly, but they were not hotties by the current media standard, and the title of the ads said something like "I am not ugly"... or something like that, anyone know of that campaign?

Unfortunately they say plastic surgery is up more than ever. I get 3 local local magazines, and I have never seen so may ads for cosmetc surgeons.
Also, in the HS I teach at, the girls (and even a few guys) are obsessed with the tanning salons.

TG

[Maflynn]

I would consider myself somewhat fit, I work out (cardio wise) 5 - 6 days a week, I run 3 - 5 miles a day. Before that I was unhappy with my looks, how I felt about myself and thought I was wasting my life (just laying around watching tv).

No I know I'm doing something positive everyday, my gut is gone and generally feel very good about myself.

I didn't do this to get pretty girls, or for someone else, I did it for me. That's really the only reasonn that will keep you working out. Doing it for someone else means in time you'll give up.

Mike

[tooki]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

So i made a conscious decision to alter my entire lifestyle to be healthy(and fit). That included....fresh foods almost always(very little frozen stuff), and fast food only when i cant be bothered to cook (i actually started cooking...and really like it).

Just a little clarification: as a general rule, frozen vegetables are more nutritious than fresh. Why? Because fresh vegetables lose nutrients (especially vitamins) at an astounding rate; the half-life of some vitamins is very short in a cut plant. Most frozen vegetables are frozen within a few hours of being harvested, literally holding in suspended animation most of the vitamins -- not to mention flavor compounds. This also means that fruits and vegetables are harvested ripe, rather than harvested green and allowed to ripen en-route.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that you stop eating salad. But if you're making broccoli, for example, don't feel guilty about using frozen -- you aren't sacrificing quality or nutrition, quite the contrary.

The same applies to a few canned vegetables -- tomatoes are the big poster child here. Canned tomatoes are a special variety of tomato that is bred for flavor, not the ability to travel, since it's canned right off the field. So for almost any dish where you'll cook tomatoes, canned are much more flavorful and more nutritious.

Fish is in a similar boat as vegetables. Fish decomposes quickly, yet it freezes very well. Fresh fish may be 3 or more days old by the time it hits your pan; frozen fish is normally frozen on the boat, so it's VERY fresh, and pretty much guaranteed not to have spoiled. Since fish thaws very quickly, it's also a good convenience item, since you can just keep it in the freezer and still have dinner on the table in under an hour. (I recommend fish that is vacuum-packed in individual portions. It doesn't get freezer burn, and it's convenient.) Note that if the freezing process is done correctly, very little texture loss will occur.


As for cooking yourself -- good for you!! It's curious that as more and more people learn to appreciate fine dining out, more and more have stopped cooking at home.

tooki

[wdlove]

I don't feel any pressure. Also don't worry about the situation. I do try to eat healthy.

[Webscreamer]

I run for completely other reasons than to look good. I run because it frees my mind and gives me a purpose and something push for. You learn after while that you're feet can get you a lot of places and just that feels powerful. I generally train for half-marathons and marathons which is another reason to get my butt out on the path.

But I started this thread when I walked past a Bally's yesterday and saw about 50 on the treadmill on the most beautiful day. This bothered me and then came to realized these people are just running to look better, not get to endurance or because they like it. But hopefully if they get out and hit the path, they will enjoy it more.

Running is always the highlight of my day.

[RAILhead]

I have a belly, I have a hairy chest, I'm 20 some-odd pounds overweight, and my wife still likes to hit it repeatedly.

She loves me more than she loves my body, and that's the ticket.

[Cold Warrior]

I don't want to be a lard ass, so I work out and don't overeat.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

I have a belly, I have a hairy chest, I'm 20 some-odd pounds overweight, and my wife still likes to hit it repeatedly.

She loves me more than she loves my body, and that's the ticket.

[ghporter]

The pressure I feel to be and stay fit is all because I do NOT want to have any cardiovascular problems now or in the future. Both of my grandfathers and one grandmother died of heart problems, and my father had a heart attack at an unpleasantly early age. I have vowed NOT to join them in the "cardio club."

I take stairs instead of elevators when I can. I don't mind parking farther away from wherever I'm going and walking a hundred or so yards-even when it's bloody hot, like today! I go for healthier foods when I shop, and I cook sensibly without adding unnecessary crud. Mostly I avoid food that's made of "ingredients" and try to stick with food that's made from food. I put on some weight after I retired in January, and I've been working on getting rid of it. Progress is slow, but it is there.

[Chuckit]

Women can get hanged; they're too common to be worth that kind of trouble.

That said, while some guys feel the pressure to be fit quite intensely, I don't think most guys feel it as much as most women. Just from listening to the people I've known talk.

[Kerrigan]

In my experience, everyone thinks that you look good when you're holding a machine gun.

[loki74]

hmm... A lot of the pressure I have to try to be fit comes from the fact that I currently lead a pretty sedintary lifestyle. I mean, I spend most of my time either sitting in front of the Mac or sitting and drawing. I'm gonna have to get my act together if I plan on not having all these annoying pains when I'm old.

I would tend to agree with rozwado1. See, I'm pretty damn skinny. But whenever I mention that I really need to gain some weight, all of my friends who are gilrs say stuff like "You don't want to be like those weird bodybilder guys right, cause thats like gross." As long as you're not completely hideous, I think that a lot of girls value your personality more.

Of course, there are a lot of shallow chicks too... but whatever.

[RAILhead]

Heh, you should have seen some of the pics I browsed through for that blog entry!

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by Webscreamer

But I started this thread when I walked past a Bally's yesterday and saw about 50 on the treadmill on the most beautiful day. This bothered me and then came to realized these people are just running to look better, not get to endurance or because they like it. But hopefully if they get out and hit the path, they will enjoy it more.

Running is always the highlight of my day.

I know. i noticed the same thing over summer here in OZ. its the most beautiful day, blue skies, people walking their dogs in the parks, and then i look into thelocal gym, and people are on tread mills, plugged into headphone and watching TV. Really sad. If anything....working out indoors is a good idea if there bad weather. But heck...even if its raining and i have the morning off...i run to the surf. I take any reason to be outdoors.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by loki74

I would tend to agree with rozwado1. See, I'm pretty damn skinny. But whenever I mention that I really need to gain some weight, all of my friends who are gilrs say stuff like "You don't want to be like those weird bodybilder guys right, cause thats like gross." As long as you're not completely hideous, I think that a lot of girls value your personality more.

I have/had the same problem. I have a pretty fast metabolism....so was borderline underweight when i got to uni. thats when i jumped on the gym&suppliments bandwagon. And dont get me wrong, i did put on muscle, and it was a lot of fun since i had a good group of friends at the university gym. but..its like your going out of your way to goto the gym, just to exercise....if you stop, you revert back to your old state just as fast. Unless you want to make the gym a part of your lifestyle, that could be a problem. There are better ways of keeping fit....sports is one of them. Try and join an intramural team. And sports are fun as well. When winter comes around with snow n rain, thats when u should join a gym imo, just to sustain your exercising needs till spring.

As far as women....pay no attention to what they say on this subject. What they say and do are completely different things especially when theyre between 16-25. In fact forget about what they think or do, pay more attention to yourself for yourself. I dont know much about motivational stuff....but you shouldnt let women be your only motivation for keeping in shape. Remember, you are #1 to yourself so do things accordingly.

Cheers

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by loki74

But whenever I mention that I really need to gain some weight, all of my friends who are gilrs say stuff like "You don't want to be like those weird bodybilder guys right, cause thats like gross." As long as you're not completely hideous, I think that a lot of girls value your personality more.

You really need to stop listening to these friends who are girls. Girls have no freakin' idea what girls like.

[Cubeoid]

Girls like fudge creams.

[Salty]

As a former exceptionally fat guy, and now an only marginally fat guy I have to say. When you're exceptionally fat you're not motivated solely by the fact that girls won't look at you. It's the fact that everyone looks down on you. Now that I actually know what I'm doing at the gym and have a clue what to do it makes things a lot easier. And I find people treat you a lot nicer. Though I imagine once I look more fit and trim like everyone else there'll be days that I wish I was fat again so I could know if I was around people who were truly good hearted or not.

Anyway. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a 6 pack, or nice pecs. Which is actually really frustrating because that's kinda what I'm going for. I for a long time figured that if I could get down to 250 from 315, then I'd be super happy. And in some ways I am (I'm at 270 and haven't gone down in months which is a bit frustrating, I keep loosing pant sizes though so I'm not terribly worried). But to be honest, I don't know if I'm ever going to be happy. Which scares me. I've known too many people with eating disorders and junk, and while I doubt I'll get one of those, I am worried that I'm going to never be happy with the way I look and continue going to the gym for unhealthy reasons.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Salty

As a former exceptionally fat guy, and now an only marginally fat guy I have to say. When you're exceptionally fat you're not motivated solely by the fact that girls won't look at you. It's the fact that everyone looks down on you.

No. I know plenty of extremely fat guys who the girls do look at and other folks look up to. It's your own perception of the situation which is your problem.

Originally Posted by Salty

But to be honest, I don't know if I'm ever going to be happy. Which scares me.

Lose the attitude. Lose the bitchiness. Take advice from people who know better than you do. Life will then open up for you.

[nredman]

"He may not look like much but ladies call him the human jackhammer"

[andreas_g4]

Originally Posted by rozwado1

Disagreed.

Working out doesn't get you prettier women, personality can and will. Just because you're cut doesn't mean that hot girls will be all over you.

Disagreed. It does mean exactly that. Personality, on the other hand, will enable you to keep them.

Take, for example, bodybuilders (or gym rats for that matter). 90% of girls think that it's disgusting when a guy has 3% bodyfat and weighs 240lbs. It's way too much pressure for them to keep up with. Most gym rats (I find) date odd looking chubby chicks that, through their insecurities about themselves, need to prove that they can land a 'hot' guy. It's insecurities playing off insecurities.

There's a HUGE gap between people who work out and those steroid-plastic-washable-"athletes".

Now, having said that, I also work out. ;P

Me, too.

[ghporter]

Gym rats are particularly boring people to non gym rats. That's because the gym is all they ever do; their whole world revolves around eating right to go to the gym to do the reps to get hungry to eat right... On the other hand, someone who builds his or her schedule so they can stay fit and still do other things is usually not boring to most other people. In fact they tend to be pretty interesting overall, since they have a better rounded life overall. (I'm working on that, but it's hard to be "well rounded" socially-and NOT physically-while in a pretty serious set of college courses.)

[ReggieX]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Gym rats are particularly boring people to non gym rats. That's because the gym is all they ever do; their whole world revolves around eating right to go to the gym to do the reps to get hungry to eat right...

Just like every other nerd type out there!

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by ReggieX

Just like every other nerd type out there!

Every obsessive nerd type, that's for sure. I know people who can switch their interests like TV channels so at work they're all business, at home they're all involved in the garden and papering the walls, and in their recreation they're 100% committed to whatever recreation they're doing. Being something other than Johnny one-note is a Good Thing.

[goMac]

They way my girlfriend has put it to me, having a fit body is just a nice bonus, but in the end has little bearing on attraction. As a previous poster said, it has more to do with personality. My girlfriend would enjoy me a bit more if I had a six pack, but in the end it doesn't change much of what she thinks about me. If anything, I keep my body from going to waste out of respect to my girlfriend and keeping myself nice for her.

[ghporter]

One thing my wife has pointed out about fitness-you invest time now and get the dividend of living longer and better. She says she wants to keep me around to reach things on tall shelves for her for a long, long time, so I work on staying fit. She's stuck with me regardless so it's her preference that she stays stuck with someone who's healthy.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Kevin

My hero

-t

[Salty]

Originally Posted by Doofy

No. I know plenty of extremely fat guys who the girls do look at and other folks look up to. It's your own perception of the situation which is your problem.

Lose the attitude. Lose the bitchiness. Take advice from people who know better than you do. Life will then open up for you.

Uhh... not that many girls look at fat guys. Least not the ones around here. That said, your last bit of "advice" is more common sense. And while your comment implies that I am some how deficient in these areas. I'm not stop Implying I am.

[Kerrigan]

If you're fat and rich, then lots of fit girls will love you

[Salty]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

If you're fat and rich, then lots of fit girls will love you

Love and use are two different things.

[Kerrigan]

Hey, take it whichever way you can get it.

[wallinbl]

That pressure you feel is your belt.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Webscreamer

But I started this thread when I walked past a Bally's yesterday and saw about 50 on the treadmill on the most beautiful day. This bothered me and then came to realized these people are just running to look better, not get to endurance or because they like it. But hopefully if they get out and hit the path, they will enjoy it more.

Treadmills can be easier on your knees. I used to run until I had knee surgery last fall. I've moved to swimming and biking, although I do the biking indoors sometimes because I can use my iPod (it's not really safe to use headphones while biking).

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

If you're fat and rich, then lots of fit girls will love you

There's some truth in this, but not in the obvious way.
It's about attitude. You see a fat rich guy with a hot chick you immediately think it's because he's loaded and she's a gold digger, only after his money. Not always so. A lot of the time it's because the very same attitude which made him rich in the first place (no fear, hyper confidence) is also an extremely effective attitude with which to wow the ladies.

[Salty]

Well quite frankly I don't really want to change. I'm pretty near happy with who I am, I'd like to change a few things, and I try and down play a few others, but I'm not about to drop a lot of valueable stuff about myself simply to get a girl on my arm.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Doofy

A lot of the time it's because the very same attitude which made him rich in the first place (no fear, hyper confidence)

Most of the guys I know like that are total losers who don't even realize that everybody thinks they're annoying pricks.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Salty

Well quite frankly I don't really want to change. I'm pretty near happy with who I am, I'd like to change a few things, and I try and down play a few others, but I'm not about to drop a lot of valueable stuff about myself simply to get a girl on my arm.

I think there are many people that are like me and do it for myself, not for anyone else. I enjoy runner's high, and I enjoy being in shape.

I think there has also been some evidence to the idea that your body has something of a lifetime calorie limit, and eating in excess over a number of years will put an end to you. (It's an oversimplification, but it's more than just being overweight is unhealthy.)

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Most of the guys I know like that are total losers who don't even realize that everybody thinks they're annoying pricks.

You mean "everybody except the chicks they're with thinks they're annoying pricks", surely.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Salty

But to be honest, I don't know if I'm ever going to be happy. Which scares me.

Originally Posted by Salty

Well quite frankly I don't really want to change. I'm pretty near happy with who I am

Dude, make your mind up.

[Kerrigan]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Most of the guys I know like that are total losers who don't even realize that everybody thinks they're annoying pricks.

"Guilty as charged"

[Kerrigan]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Dude, make your mind up.

I think what he's saying is that he's content with not being content with himself