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Toofattoclimb
Sep 12, 2012, 11:44 PM
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So, I suffer from low motivation. It sucks. But, I have always wished to be in shape enough for rock climbing. Sadly, I have tried to lose weight but my enthusiasm wanes quickly. I was hoping to come here to find people like me who would love to climb if they could. Maybe we could support each other? Also, are there any ideas (nothing in public please, I am 300 lbs and don't want the insults) to start not only working out, but working out while developing my skills? I'm hoping that maybe that, instead of a boring jog or lifting weights, I can do something that will keep me motivated. I thought about attaching handholds to the wall and just hanging there periodically to help :) anyway, any advice is appreciated.
I love how many of you responded  TY so much! I have read everything. But, I find it strange you all assumed I was male. I am female. 
I have already started eating less. I do know about good nutrition and serving sizes. I just get too lazy to cook  but I am going to work on it rigorously. You all have inspired me so much. I am definitely going to go outside and see if there are any areas where I can climb (safely) without being vertical. That is an excellent idea!!
A personal trainer... I have considered this. There is a gym thisclose to me but again, the looks I get. I don't know if males have the same experience or not, but ugh I have had people laugh at me before when I tried to work out. And this is an LA Fitness. I just imagine the gaggle of beautiful people in there and feel like I just can't do it.
Again, thank you all for the information. I am definitely going to get moving! As for the name, I suppose I could request a name change. You are right that it is too negative. Maybe I will finally get enough motivation to actually follow through.
You are an awesome community. Thank you for your help 
(This post was edited by Toofattoclimb on Sep 16, 2012, 4:13 AM)
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hudub
Sep 13, 2012, 12:09 AM
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I would suspect that if your goal is to rock climb, that you maybe need to do some physical conditioning first before you hit the wall. Otherwise there is probably a high likelihood that you may get injured and that would probably deter you from climbing even more.
There are plenty of conditioning and exercises that you can do at home without any equipment, using just your body weight. I would suggest that you find some kind of conditioning regiment and follow that. Along with a healthy diet, you'll slowly work your way to the wall.
Try to keep motivated and research new routines to keep things fresh or to change it up. Keep focusing on the end game which is to get into a shape so that you can climb. I wish you the best of luck!
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mikebee
Sep 13, 2012, 6:48 AM
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Eat less.
Start walking rather than driving, or drive, but park further away than normal, and walk the extra.
Get into the habit of eating better, eating less, and moving more. You don't need to stop everything straightaway, just build up to it over a few months.
Starting to climb is a way to get motivated, but I fear you might struggle a lot to start and then lose interest. The key will be to lose some weight to start, once you see the number on the scales decreasing, you'll get motivated from that and hopefully it all builds from there.
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healyje
Sep 13, 2012, 8:19 AM
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My old partner from bitd was 270-280 for the past twenty years. He retired and started walking two years ago and then started running - thirty seconds at a time at first. He's now 170 and trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2013. It can be done.
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sungam
Sep 13, 2012, 10:38 AM
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Hey buddy. I fluctuate from about 250/260 (though haven't been that high for a while) and 195 (haven't been that low in a while either, though I am slowly making my way towards it). Motivation is a big, big problem for me.
I would recommend, as a first step, that you stop giving a fuck. People are going to give you shit no matter what. Fuck them, who gives a shit. Ignore it. Don't let a few people's retarded sense of whatever stop you from having a blast. Go to the climbing gym. Give exactly 0 fucks about people climbing better then you (except from a motivational point) or looking down on you about your weight or performance.
I would say the most effective way of keeping motivated is to climb often. Not just because climbing is good training for climbing, but also because it keeps you in touch with your goals. If losing weight for climbing is some distant and seemingly arbitrary goal you aren't going to buy broccoli by the kilo. If it is clear and present then you will be able to keep focus on the goal. When I drift away from climbing/slacklining my diet and exercise quickly slips as well.
I don't know how much you know about nutrition, but if you don't already then I would recommend you learn quite a lot. It helps. I recommend "Gold Medal Nutrition" by Glenn Cardwell.
As far as exercise to lose weight, find something you enjoy, even if it isn't optimum weight loss per hour. Doing an okay-ish activity often is far better then doing a great activity when you can be bothered. For me this is climbing and slacklining, and sometimes road biking. there are a lot of fun sports out there, find some that you really enjoy. ^.^
Losing weight takes a long time and it sucks at the time, but it's worth it in the end.
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jowybyo
Sep 13, 2012, 12:20 PM
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+1 to sungam's comments. Give 0 fucks is a good motto for everyone to live by. People can be d*cks for no reason. F*ck them. If you want to climb, then do it. F* what anyone else has to say about it.
I started climbing as a way to get in shape because working out is boring. But I have found that climbing motivates me to eat better and be more active in general.
Most gyms have a wide range of routes that are great for beginners. Also, if you have a good area near by for Class 3 and 4 scrambling/hiking, that would be a great place to start.
Either way I encourage you to give 0 fucks about what other people think and get out there and have a good time.
If you live anywhere near MD, I'd be willingly to meet up with you and go climbing sometime.
-Joe B.
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amarius
Sep 13, 2012, 1:58 PM
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It is sad that you seemed to have made decision to quit before starting - "too fat to climb"
Even though jogging and weight lifting are good for fitness, there is no chance that one can jog or lift their weight off. There are exceptions, of course, such as folks who can devote all their living day to exercise.
At my weight of 150lb I would have to run 31 miles for the work equivalent of dropping 1 lb of fat. Walking would take 44 miles, and forever. Just to preclude further discussion - running and walking does burn calories differently
The easiest way towards the weight loss is the food intake review - go on the internet, see how to figure out your daily calorie consumption, look for ways to cut out calorie rich empty foods
Stay away from the special diets and super duper supplements
There is data showing that high intensity aerobic activities have effect of boosting metabolism for hours after physical exercise, incorporating something like that in your workouts might be beneficial in increasing weight loss.
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edge
Sep 13, 2012, 2:10 PM
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Maybe you should plan on hiking the Appalachian Trail next season. I guarantee you will lose substantial weight.
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J.Haze
Sep 13, 2012, 2:18 PM
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I've never had a lot of weight to cut but recently changed my diet and physical activity to lose some weight with hopes of bettering my climbing.
Some suggestions I would recommend:
Plan meals and don't buy anything when shopping that strays from that list so your not tempted late at night for a snack.
Portion size your food, labels have serving sizes for a reason.
If your diet is anything like that average american's your carbohydrate intake is probably through the roof, cut out bread and pasta. Try replacing pasta in a meal with salad, might get hungry quicker after the meal but its something you'll probably have to deal until your body adjusts. *FYI don't completely cut carbs like the atkins diet and such as it can be extreamly dangerous, just decrease overall intake*
I am by no means a vegatarian but be smart about the proteins you buy - replace beef with bison its much leaner and tastes better imo. Turkey! its lean high in protein and can be used in countless meals instead of pork or beef. My rule of thumb with meat is keep the portion to about the size of a deck of cards, generally equates to 6-8 oz.
Along the lines with physical training
I would shy away from hanging as this type of training is not necessary until you push grades, I didn't start hangboarding sessions till recently looking at getting into 5.12 next year. Also it could be detramental to your tendons and cause serious injury which would probably put you off climbing even more.
Bike!, If you have a bike buy a magnetic trainer - set that bad boy up in front of the tube and watch tv while you ride, keeps you off the couch and hopefully entertained enough to not get bored - if not buy a stationary bike they are cheaper than the bike/trainer setup.
Got a dog? - get one and take him for lots of walks he will love you for it and it will get you out walking and buring some calories. Side note - ladies love puppies, even more so if you have a story about saving him from the shelter *wink*
Only way to increase strength for climbing is to climb, not really any way of doing that out of public places - +1 to don't give a s*** what others think
If being in public is a large part of being put off from losing weight try the bike idea and also look into the P90X program - I havent used it at length but know climbers that have used it to train outside of the climbing specific muscle groups, and their overall fitness increased as well as climbing ability.
You can do a lot with a mirror, a set of free weights, and the internet. Go to walmart get some cheap $20 dumbells and find some excersizes on youtube - use the mirror to insure you use correct form.
Theres no magic diet out there anything claiming to help you lose weight in some strange way is usually dangerous and not helpful in the long run. The only exception to my anti-diet program outlook would be Weight-Watchers, i've seen it do amazing things for my fiances mother (basically portion control through a points system).
From you post it sounds like motivation is an issue and nobody can really help with that besides yourself. You need to find your own inspiration and drive to commit to a healthier lifestyle, whether its the way you look/feel or just to be able to send and experiance that feeling. Look at your diet first and foremost, take a few days to a week and write a food journal to really understand where you are going wrong with your diet and then change it, eating better will significantly improve the way you feel and will help with motivation and energy.
Your worst enemy in succeeding in a helthy diet and excersize routine is yourself, just do it whats the worst that could happen you could actually reach you goals?
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wonderwoman
Sep 13, 2012, 2:50 PM
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First of all - choose a different username. Self-talk is so important when it comes to success. If you refer to yourself as toofattoclimb, you will believe this about yourself. Eliminate self-limitations. Take the word 'fail' out of your vocabulary, too.
If you are looking for online support or a way to track your food intake and compare it with calories burned, I recommend checking out http://myfitnesspal.com You can log your daily food and it calculates the calories you eat versus the calories you burn. It may not always be accurate, but it's something. Also, like facebook, you can have friends who will comment on your food diary, give you tips, and write inspirational things on your wall. It is a very positive environment for people who want to get in shape or just eat and exercise consciously.
Also, like other folks have said, don't give a rat's ass about what other people think. Go out an climb. When you do what you enjoy, it is less about exercise and more about fun and doing what makes you happy. Pursue what you love.
I hope you'll post again. But let a mod know if you want to get rid of that nasty username and choose a more positive one for yourself!
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r3dey3
Sep 13, 2012, 4:04 PM
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I was in your situation a year ago.. I was 300 pounds (down to 215 now) and would get winded walking up a flight of stairs. I joined a gym and started working out with a personal trainer (doing weight lifting) and doing some form of cardio (walking, biking, swimming) 3 times a week; over the first month I lost about 5 pounds.. When I really started losing the weight was when I started eating less.. I'm not even going to say better, because I continue to eat the same foods I ate back then, just in a LOT smaller portions and less often.
I met with a nutritionist who definitely helped me out. As an average male, your body probably needs between 1700 and 2300 calories a day, just living; plus another 300-900 depending on your activity during the day; the smaller number if you sit at a desk, the higher if you're lifting heavy things all day. To lose one pound a week, you need to have a 500 calorie deficit a day; meaning you eat 500 less calories than you burn. You could use an app like MyFitnessPal to track calories, but I found when I used that I actually ate more than I should. What worked for me was breaking things down into servings; for a ~2000 calorie diet I had:
8 servings of starch (15g carbs, 1-3 g protein)
15 servings of protein (7g protein)
14 servings of fat (5g fat)
2 servings fruit (small!)
2 servings of milk (8 oz non-fat or 1%)
5 servings of veggies (i never got to 5, so I don't count them)
Once I had these numbers, i went and looked at the nutrition information of all the places I would eat and figured out how many servings they were - for example Arby's
Large roast beef: 3 starch; 6 protein; 6 fat
Med roast beef: 2.6 starch; 5 protein; 4.5 fat
reg roast beef: 2.5 starch; 3 protein; 3 fat
small curly fries: 4 starch; 5 fat
My biggest thing was starch, I ate like the typical american, Carb and Fat heavy with little protein/veggies. Looking at the above numbers you can quickly see that a standard "value meal" is almost ALL of your allowed starch for the day.
Working out does allow you to eat more, but you don't want to count all the calories you burned working out as calories you eat, you should divide the number in half, that way you still have benefit.
As for exercise one of the better things you can do is Cardio with light strength training; muscle burns more calories than fat, so the goal of the strength training is to build muscle; while the goal of the Cardio is to burn fat. When doing cardio you don't want your heart rate to be to high or else you won't be burning fat - each person has a different heart rate at which they best burn fat, but the common formula (see http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html) works well enough when starting out.
It can be done; it's not easy, and motivation is the hardest part. But climbing is a great motivational factor for me; it's the reason I'll have a salad instead of burger for lunch now. Get on the wall as soon as you can, and try. Even if you just get halfway up the first time as long as you keep with it you'll continue to see improvement and that will help with motivation.
One "positive" think about starting out weaker is that it forces you to learn technique earlier - you can't just power through moves, you need to figure out the most efficient way so you're able to make them. I have a couple of climber friends that can make it up some the 5.11 at our gym because they just power through them, but then there's a 5.10a that they struggle with (it's technique-y). Yet I can use that 5.10 as a warmup, but I'm struggling with the strength aspect of 5.11s.
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J.Haze
Sep 13, 2012, 5:04 PM
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r3dey3 wrote: depending on your activity during the day; the smaller number if you sit at a desk, the higher if you're lifting heavy things all day.
Thats what got me out of shape and a little overweight, went from standing all day working as a chef to a desk jocky job but didn't think to alter my diet. Now I got the diet thing down just have to figure out how to deal with sitting in an office chair 8 hours a day.
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dagibbs
Sep 13, 2012, 7:00 PM
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You can climb.
Climb easy stuff, most particularly, look at climbing less-than-vertical stuff. Vertical to over-hanging puts a lot of weight and stress on the arms & hands -- you won't be ready for this. But, less-than-vertical still leaves most of the work being (or capable of being done) by legs & feet, and they're built for it.
This can be a problem in a gym -- few climbing walls and almost no bouldering walls are set up for less-than-vertical climbing, and often where they exist, they are the "kids routes". Still, climb them.
Or, look to climb outside -- outside it tends to be that the easier climbing (3rd class, 4th class, 5.0 to maybe 5.5/5.6/5.7 range, but more at the lower end) is almost always less-than-vertical.
Good luck.
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Fred20
Sep 13, 2012, 8:39 PM
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Like everyone else said, you got to just do it!
Make sure you are smart about it so you avoid injury.
I see plenty of larger people climbing at the gym, I respect them a lot more than the DB's that walk around shirtless looking like action figures.
If you can't physically climb now, do other activities until you can. I used to run a lot but after a knee injury I started biking and got completely hooked on that, I never would have started biking had it not been for the injury though.
I broke my hand a few weeks back and climbing easy routes is hard for me, but until I get my strength back I'm not risking injury again!
Finally, proper nutrition has always been the hardest part of fitness for me.
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bearbreeder
Sep 14, 2012, 5:03 AM
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you can always climb lower angle stuff ... slab, scrambles, moderate cracks ...
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madkiki
Sep 14, 2012, 5:16 PM
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I have worked as Wall Climbing Instructor for 9 years and I have had all kinds of climbers.
One thing I have noticed about heavy people and their ability to climb all depends on one thing "Determination". If you have Determination then you can climb, but it will be harder. The heaviest climber I have had was 15 years old and was 320 lbs, but he was determined to climb and proved that he could climb. On the other hand I have seen heavy people just give up too easily.
If you want to lose weight then you need to find a method that best works for you, but at the same time you should keep on climbing. find a group a people that you feel most comfortable climbing with.
A lot of the best climbers get to be really good by working out in the fitness centers, running, biking, and whatever it takes to get into shape. It is not always spent in climbing gyms although they do climb a lot.
No matter how you work out it does make you feel good about yourself which enables Motivation.
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Wade308
Sep 14, 2012, 10:08 PM
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Personal trainer.
Best thing that ever happened to me. I have crap for motivation to work out on my own. Now I just show up, get my ass kicked, and watch the transformation.
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sticky_digits
Sep 19, 2012, 6:10 AM
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when i graduated high school i weighed in at 300lbs... Yeah i've been there bud. I know the feeling. I lost 50lbs my senior summer just hiking. At 280lbs i noticed the difference and started being conscious of what i ate to keep it going. At 250lbs i started slow jogging. I plateaued at 220 about a year and a half after i graduated. I didn't really have any drive to get better for any reason in particular I was healthy enough to do the things i loved.
Now what I really want is to become a half decent boulderer. 220 might not be way to heavy to do overhangs and dynos but with my strength it was. Everything I did up to this point was purely leg based. I occasionally did an ab routine...
So anyways I'm 208 now working my way towards under 200 for the first time since... 13 years old? God zelda was such a B* in the long run... overhanging bouldering is really the biggest goal i've set for myself and i'm excited to see the progress I make towards it.
It can be done! That is the point that i'm taking a really long time to get at. Yes i still have residual self esteem issues from being fat(i kind of still am scientifically) and i did get the dirty looks but the fact is when you want something you go for it. I promise you if you dedicate yourself to this for one really long hard month maybe two you'll see the progress and want so much more you wont be able to stop yourself from going to the gym.
BTW You just feel like everyone is looking at you. When i go to the gym now I notice way more people starting out where i was some 4 years ago than I do those people that are ridiculously ripped or have like 2% body fat.
If publicity is that much of a problem and i'm sure it is if your anything like me. Get a dog and take it for walks out in the park. Explore areas outside of town find a good place with lots of terrain and graduate yourself into harder hikes. Eventually you will have to go to the gym or at least invest in some equipment for working out.
Good luck! Hope you find what you're looking for!
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cracklover
Sep 19, 2012, 3:40 PM
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A lot of you have commented on the looks you get - being stared at by thin people when you try to work out, and feeling like you're being judged.
I can only speak for myself, but I think it's worth letting you know: I'm one of those lucky people who has never seriously struggled with being heavy. I have a naturally fast metabolism, and also grew up with good habits around both food and exercise. So... I'm one of those thin people you see looking at you.
With that said, every time I see a heavier person out on the hiking trail, or in the gym, or going for a run - yes, I look, but I'm not thinking what you you think I'm thinking. I'm thinking "Awesome, good for you!" I'm thinking how hard that must be, and how impressive that is to be out going after it. I'm thinking of how much harder you're working on your jog than I am on mine. I'm super-psyched for you that you've found the motivation to buck the stereotype of the typical overweight American to feel sorry for yourself and not do anything about it.
I mean, I don't know you, so it's not like I can give you a high five. And besides, I'm thin, so anything I said to you would probably come across sounding like I was being patronizing and/or sarcastic. So I don't say anything. But just realize that when I look your way as you jog by: I'm thinking very positive thoughts, and I'm super-impressed at what you're going after. Keep up the good work.
Cheers!
GO
(This post was edited by cracklover on Sep 19, 2012, 3:43 PM)
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cracklover
Sep 19, 2012, 3:41 PM
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Oh, and by the way, it makes more sense to respond to other people's posts with new posts of your own on this thread, rather than altering your original post.
GO
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binkus
Sep 29, 2012, 4:31 PM
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cracklover wrote: A lot of you have commented on the looks you get - being stared at by thin people when you try to work out, and feeling like you're being judged. I can only speak for myself, but I think it's worth letting you know: I'm one of those lucky people who has never seriously struggled with being heavy. I have a naturally fast metabolism, and also grew up with good habits around both food and exercise. So... I'm one of those thin people you see looking at you. With that said, every time I see a heavier person out on the hiking trail, or in the gym, or going for a run - yes, I look, but I'm not thinking what you you think I'm thinking. I'm thinking "Awesome, good for you!" I'm thinking how hard that must be, and how impressive that is to be out going after it. I'm thinking of how much harder you're working on your jog than I am on mine. I'm super-psyched for you that you've found the motivation to buck the stereotype of the typical overweight American to feel sorry for yourself and not do anything about it. I mean, I don't know you, so it's not like I can give you a high five. And besides, I'm thin, so anything I said to you would probably come across sounding like I was being patronizing and/or sarcastic. So I don't say anything. But just realize that when I look your way as you jog by: I'm thinking very positive thoughts, and I'm super-impressed at what you're going after. Keep up the good work. Cheers! GO
Cracklover, I was planning an saying something similar but noticed that you already said the same thing. Anyway I'll second your opinion about always being impressed when I see overweight people in the Gym or outside exercising. As Cracklover stated, I myself might also get caught looking, but it wont be because of any negative thoughts. Instead it is simply because I am impressed at the effort required to make this type of change.
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Climb511
May 6, 2013, 6:54 PM
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First, let me say you have made a great decision and a wise choice in taking control of your health and fitness. If you wanna climb, the only one stopping you from achieving that goal is you. Climbing is an excellent alternative to just moving around weights in the gym. That gets old really quick. When you reach your goal weight, you should have a T-shirt made that says something like, "I used to weight 300lbs, then I took up rock climbing", or something like that. This would be an awesome testimony to other men and women who would see you wearing that shirt in the rock climbing gym. You might even draw a lot of attention from people who want to know how you did it. I hope you stay with it...Hang in there!
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Sunshine1990
Jun 5, 2013, 8:37 AM
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Just persist in what you are planning. Before climb, some exercise must be taken to lose weight. Athough you are good at climb, you need have a better state to do this adventure thing. Good luck to you and come on!
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rebeccab_v
Dec 6, 2013, 8:23 PM
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AWESOME ANSWER!!
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rebeccab_v
Dec 6, 2013, 8:24 PM
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I agree..."Give 0 fucks" is my new motto!!!
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