getting fat doing games art
polycount lvl 666
how do you find being a games artist has affected your waistline?
Since I started doing games art back in about 1995/6 I have put on about 6 stones and i feel that this is because I spent so much time sitting down. I really never had a problem with my weight before that. But anyway I have lost early 4 stones in the last 3 months, and am now around 15 stone 7
aiming for around 13 stones.
1 stones = 6.35029318 kilograms
Since I started doing games art back in about 1995/6 I have put on about 6 stones and i feel that this is because I spent so much time sitting down. I really never had a problem with my weight before that. But anyway I have lost early 4 stones in the last 3 months, and am now around 15 stone 7
aiming for around 13 stones.
1 stones = 6.35029318 kilograms
Replies
There's already a thread about people losing weight so perhaps you could track your further weight loss there. It's really motivating hearing from other people trying to achieve the same goal
I do wonder if there are any other normal weight guys who gained a lot over the years on here
You start to think a little differently, instead of looking at a high calorie snack and pounding it down without a thought you think "well fuck that's 45min of walking I don't want to do, so screw it" ha ha ha. The drive thru is another killer for people, there's a huge difference especially in America between what you should be eating at a fast food place and what they try to sell you. 50 years ago a "meal" was a hamburger a small fry and a small drink and that was for a active person. Now for a sedentary lump that's a high calorie treat. Tack on they shovel way more at people now... It's not hard to fly well above a persons entire caloric needs for a day in one meal, often right before bed... ouch...
But yea after having other active jobs I put on quite a few pounds being being a desk jockey. Then I got sick, lost it all, got better, gained most of it back, then worked to make it go away again, so now I'm only about 15 lbs above what I should be and dropping every week thanks to calorie counting.
ONTOPIC: Why not try animating? You will need to sometimes stand up and act out a scene in an animation, so you could be killing two bird with one stone. You can get a basic understand of character movements and other things by acting them out and trying to implement them into your work, while at the same time burning fat.
I know I clock in about 15-30 minutes of 'physical' animation whenever I'm trying to create a small animation, while it doesn't replace my weight loss training program, it helps keep things in check in the long hours of work (plus, it can help your back).
Also, drink lots of water.
I have cut out 1 meal per day and cut all out all snacks/choclate fizzy drinks. So i go to work at 8am, have cereal/coffee before I go, but then I eat nothing until my evening meal. worked well so far
yeah i will post on the other thread now guys
I don't blame my gut on sitting on my arse, it's down to the booze, cheese and lovely lovely food.
As Mark said, count the calories, do the maths. Exercise is great for keeping you fit and keeping an active metabolism, but if you want to lose the blubber then you need to stop putting stuff in your mouth. Read those numbers, count everything for a few weeks and realise how much you are putting in. It's much easier to regulate your intake than it is to go to the gym every day.
If you hit middle age and want to not be fat it's a life change thing. I dropped a stone this year by mostly cutting out drinking a bottle of wine a night in the house.
It's all about self discipline really
I think now I have a daughter I have decided that I need to stay alive for a few years until she is old enough to go to uni:)
QFT.
Also include some source of protien with your meals. Without adequate protein the weight you loose may be muscle mass, which can slow your overall goal of leaning out.
I highly recommend balancing out your morning meal and actually eating lunch, just make it smaller portioned than what you might normally eat. Your brain runs on sugar.
Take a look into dietary studies for maintaining muscle mass without weight gain. It should give you a general nutrition understanding to work with.
What you're doing now will work, as you simply aren't giving your body any choice but to metabolize itself, but there are likely healthier methods to achieve the same goal.
Holden's gonna come in here and kick your ass!
Basically, even 3 meals a day makes your body think you're starving so it fritters away every calorie it can get and stores it as fat.
I've gained 40lbs since getting into game dev, it's pretty much lack of activity - I don't eat great but I don't eat terrible either.
OH yeah, smoothies man, smoothies are awesome.
I am 23 now and I can see my metabolism starting to slow down a but the main thing is just being aware of what I eat. at work I just dont drink soda, I stick with water or orange juice, I mostly try to cut out chips and stuff and eat more salads with chunks of chicken for lunch. its the same with working out, everyone always says its actually 70% your diet and 30% how much weight you are lifting, and in my experience thats totally true.
Exercise:
Well duh :P just try to stay away from slow, long jogs and such. I used to measure my workout by how out of breath and how sweaty I was after 5 min. Chill out for a bit, hit at it hard when I can. Kind of how HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) works.
No High Fructose Corn syrup:
Studies now show that this stuff makes you feel like you need more food, even when you have a full stomach, it makes your metabolism stall as well.
Little Bread, NO Soda, Small amount of Sat. Fats:
My greatest discovery was sushi, with rice, raw fish, and a bit of soy sauce, you get full by eating awesome, and it is tasty! I also used to check how much sat. fat was in an item, I pretty much ignored any other value on the back of a package, except for huge amounts of calories or such, your body needs carbs, regular fats, etc. but Sat. fat is a bad one.
I dont know how much of this is bollocks or what, but using this, I lost 30+ pounds in 2 months or so, healthily, with a light diet and daily workouts, and I kept it off for some time after I even slowed my training down a lot. Some guys would diet hard to meet weight, and try to sweat out water weight, but a week after the fight, they would be right back to where they started, just because they hit it too hard and their body bounced back. Take it slow and make a life change, not a diet.
Also, Eat lightly all day. I dont eat meals anymore. I eat a small amount when I'm a bit hungry, often, all day. Speeds up your metabolism waay fast. And you end up eating less.:thumbup:
I find it so easy to lose weight doing this job. I eat far less when on the computer then when not. And crunch is even better. I have lost 6 pounds crunching over the last 2months. I drink 1 or 2 monsters a day, 2 cans of soda and generally a candy bar plus lunch and dinner ha.
As for drinking I have heard beer makes you a big fat ass, glad I only like hard alcohol haha
I agree on that, most fat people I know that work in a computer environment are also very lazy people in the end... that prefer staying in front of a computer playing a video game or watching tv instead of realizing that after being sit down for 8 hours at work, the last thing you should be doing is going back home to sit down again. And plus eat badly. Now get up and move!!
And for those who say we all have different metabolism, yeah thats true, in fact I have a tendency to get fat, but if you move enough you can also speed up your metabolism, these days I can eat a lot of food that will normally get me fat, but it does not now.
Actually sitting for extended periods of time is bad for you (read: without breaks). When your muscles are at rest, your body circulates much less lipase, an enzyme that absorbs fat. It also changes your metabolic rate. From what I've read on the matter, the solution is to simply break up your sitting spells by getting up and moving about (i.e. get a drink of water, relieve yourself in a co-worker's plant, etc.). I'm trying a different approach. I'm alternating between sitting and standing at a standing workstation and a high stool. I think this will present the opportunity to avoid extended sitting, but allow me to continue uninterrupted.
I've lost 50 lbs over the past couple of years that way
- Stop eating fast food.
- Eat slowly and chew more, your stomach takes a while to send to the signal that it's full. By that time you have already overeaten.
- Try not to eat while on the computer or TV.
- Drink plenty of water, especially before meals ( drink a nice chalice before eating ).
Really want to loose weight? You need to go on a raw diet ( no meat ) man. Have like 6-12 bowel movements and day to release all the crap poison shit inside your body ( working out is good too, but removing the fat through your bowels is better than your sweat glands ).
Cutting out meals, having 12 bowel movements a day and doing harsh diet programs sounds too extreme and honestly, I doubt it's sustainable over long periods of time and even if it is, sounds very unhealthy thing to do.
All in all, its pretty simpe, eat less, move more. You dont even need to count your calories or anything. Start by just cutting down on unneccesary calories, like soda, candy, etc. Remove all carbs you can, salad instead of fries, etc etc. Just cut down on the uneccesary stuff and START WORKING OUT. Ofc you gain weight by doing nothing and sitting at a computer, eating crap and getting older. The solution is just as easy as the cause. The problem most people have is that they are inconsistent. A mild workout 5 times a week and eating well will keep you in decent shape for the rest of your life. Problem is, most people dont have the discipline.
there r many ppl who do more passive (physically) work that has nothing to do with game art and don't get fat. The reason is... they don't let themselves. Yes, metabolism and other obligations r a part of the equation, but the bottom line is they're just excuses. Get a hold of urself and take care of ur body. Don't blame ur job.
I think calorie counting has always worked for me so i will stick with this for now and slowly reintroduce my lunch time meal when I have reached my target weight.
I forgot to mention we have a running machine in our house so I burn a fair few calories on that when I am working from home. I find it a bit tedious though.
shotgun I disagree. i used to be fairly physical when i was younger and even when i was an airbrush artist I used to stand up all the time.
Fact is, a lot of my freelance work involves me basically not moving for long periods of time so its bound to have an effect, though eating lots of pies didn't really help either:)
There are boxing gyms in every city, go to one that isn't too hardcore one night or two out of the week and hit the mitts/pads. You'll make good friends of all ages, learn an awesome, subtle skill, and get into excellent shape.
And if you enjoy it enough to get serious/start sparring/learn to really fight, you'll have a fantastic new hobby and all the more motivation to eat right and exercise.
& everything he said: Though I eat bread every day, almost. Starting on PiTA breads now and trying to quit It all together but their goes sandwiches. Also stopping cheese, so no more of my favorite Philly cheese steaks, damn it!
6 meals a day the size of your fist and you'll be skinny in no time, eat to nourish yourself not eat till your full, that's the start of the problem.
5' 7" 150 since age 17 - 30 now same still.
~ This.
I had heavy parents but I was pretty active because I didn't want to turn out that way. That was until 24-25 when I started riding the desk. That's about the same time the weight started to pack on. My activity dropped off, my metabolism tanked and I didn't realize that my younger eating habits even as healthy as they where provided too many calories and soon my body was in storage mode.
Yea it's about lack of activity and eating too many calories (you can get fat off of carrots, it doesn't have to be fried chicken and burgers) but having to sit behind a desk 8-12hrs a day starts to really have an effect the longer you live that way.
To contrast my story, a friend of mine since high school has eaten pretty much the same things I have, had a lower level of activity and never had to work to keep the weight off. His dad is ultra thin and eats like a horse I swear he has a tape worm or something... hahaha. You're probably one of those guys... or its going to catch up to you like it did me...
Ruz, if you recently quit smoking or are trying to quit that is an almost immediate weight gain even without a change in eating or exercise habits.
Watch out for the liquid calories... I love ales and hate low calorie piss water... Liquid calories race through your system and if its in storage mode its going become fat faster.
Watch out for going long periods between big meals. You want to pretty much eat like a cave man who spends his days hunting for grubs and berries. A steady supply of low calories. You're not a python... ha ha ha.
To translate that into computer geek terms think of it like a power supply, you don't want huge spikes in electricity followed by long periods of nothing.
I'm now thinner than I've ever been and alot more toned, putting on muscle has meant the weights not gone back to what I was but I'm still freelancing like a mother and feeling healthier than I ever have
So Watch what you eat and exercise as much as possible, just being conscious of what you are eating and the exercise you need to do is a good start. Just make sure it's enjoyable or you won't stick to it easily
yeah, it all resumes to that.
I dissagree, i've worked various office and computer jobs since I was a teen - game art pretty much demands that you sit on your butt in front of the computer all day. When i was a pc repair guy i barely sat for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Eat like a cow and graze a lot. Small meals more often. I also used to cook a big meal on say a sat and take it into work during the work in containers (saved a lot of money too)
Few carbs in the evening, and i did a fair bit of cycling into work. Oh yeah Ruz, if you get REALLY hungry, get some almonds or pistachios in between meals. I wouldn't cut out a whole meal altogether but if it's working for you, it's all good.
I've been training for 18 years and have been fortunate to keep myself in shape during that time.
Crazyfool, I used to work with your brother, so he can tell you what I look like.
I'm 192cm/6' 3 and at the time I started I weighted 420~lbs/30stone with a bodyfat of 41.5% I dropped to around 320~lbs/22.5stone at 28% bodyfat (yeah I was a fat ass/am) by the time I got unemployed and couldn't afford to eat like I was.
Keys I found out that worked for me (not everyone has the same body and will respond to the same shit, but generally there are certain things that are relatively universal).
Things to Remove or Restrict and to Add:
#0: Cut out salt, you get enough from natural foods and while things will taste bland at first after a week or two believe me you'll notice some foods are already really salty.
#1: Cut out soda and liquid sugar as much as possible, for me I quit cold turkey. I went from 2lbs of liguid sugar a day to 0, I thought I was going to die for 3 days, because of the energy crash. After that though my body adjusted and I was fine. (I'd recommend petering off of it isntead of just cold turkey, much easier and probably better for your body, but I was a dumbass, scratch that am.)
#2:Add Garlic and Black Pepper. Both of these things help speed your digestion as well as help clean some shit out.
#3: I replaced butter with low calorie options, "I Can't Believe its not butter" and only used that when I needed too.
#4: While you are awake, you should be drinking enough water to have to use the bathroom around every 45 minutes to an hour. Your urine should also be clear. During the day you eliminate a lot of calories / fat through your urine so this is a bonus!
The routine:
#1: Wake up at a consistent time after a consistent amount of sleep, at least 7-8 hours. There are obviously going to be times where this isn't a possibility, but try your best.
#2: As soon as you wake up down as much COLD water as you can. It takes your body roughly 300 calories to heat up cold ass water to a process-able temperature. You are also partially dehydrated when you first wake up, btw you'll be pissing constantly.
#3: Cook and eat a large breakfast.
#4: Wait an hour let the food settle some, do whatever, then go exercise in some form for 15-45minutes. I chose weightlifting, because its always been something I've been into. I did this everyday cycling the routine so I didn't overextend a single muscle group. The important thing is to keep your heartrate up to a safe level.
#5: Eat every 2 hours. Small meals though, after your big breakfast make small meals 200 calories or less, with the exception of lunch. This should be medium sized, I ate around 300-500 calories, generally homemade stirfry because of the taste and vegetable content.
#6: Make sure your diet is roughly balanced. Protien, Dietary Fiber, Carbs, Fats, lots of websites can give you a balanced diet ratio. I chose to Eat more protein and cut carbs down to as little as possible except for Dietary Fiber, and that worked for me.
#7: Don't eat an hour after working out and Don't eat at least an hour before bed.
#8: Contrary to popular belief, eat easier to digest foods as your day winds down, for me it was sugar, fruit sugar. I got my fruit servings the last 4 hours of the day, a cup 6 hours before bed and 2 hours before bed. Yogurt was the 4 hours before bed. It will help your body wind down.
Its already slowing down to prepare for sleep and if you back a shit ton of heavy food in there, its going to sit overnight and your body will digest it instead of fat etc.
Keep your calorie content in a reasonable range for your activity and your age level. There are tons of calculators online that will help you find this stuff out. Ignore the shit about BMI it is the worst calculation of health imo. It can vary so much depending on bone mass muscle density etc. Bodyfat % is the best way to go to determine if your actual Fatness.
Last rule, The Fat, must be happy. Occasionally take a piss and eat some candy, drink a few bruski's eat fast food, I eventually started including Fast food into my diet, and was still loosing a 1.5 lbs a day. But you have to do it smart. Eat chicken without shit on it (ranch and stuff). If they have spicy dressings get that, spicy foods boost your metabolism temporarily.
The important thing is, get back on your horse the next day, but don't do that shit for the first couple of weeks to let your body adjust to your new lifestyle.
(as a side note, I was tested for diabetes because that extreme weightloss is uncommon in such a short amount of time, and no I'm fine
I'm sure I missed some things, and I'll add it in later. Biggest thing to remember. You didn't pack that fat on overnight, you wont get rid of it overnight.
No. 21, soon to be 22, my dad is a bit on the heavy side too.