263 replies to this topic

[Pacifus]

Thanks for the words of wisdom. This was my first cheat day since the diet began and I escaped with an estimated 2,800 consumed today and I wasn't a total slob all day. As far as cheat days go, I didn't really let myself go.

This coming Tuesday will be three weeks, which is a milestone. One thing I'm trying to remember is that this diet is not about losing a ton of weight or looking good naked. This is about me changing my life from sedentary and eating whatever makes my mouth happy to more activity and a diet based on will power and self control. I'm bound to lose some weight, and further, bound to face some setbacks (like the coming stall you mentioned).

My problem in the past has been that I've never focused this hard on it, and when I've indulged myself, I've always been way too hard on myself and just convinced myself that this is the way I'm supposed to be. But I know that's bullshit. It's never been easier to lose weight: I live in one of the most bike friendly cities in the country and it also happens to be a city that has plenty of amazing dining options that caters to healthier living.

Thanks again.

[Playa Shunna ver2.0]

Reggie20x6, on Apr 7 2012, 06:21 PM, said:

My current cardio obsession is jumping rope. After getting bored with jumping for time, I started combining it with things.

Do you do double unders?  If not then start.  Way fun.

[Reggie20x6]

I've currently mastered jumping forward/back and side-to-side on one foot or both at once - and switching feet/direction mid-skip. I'm trying to build up my stamina to the point to where I can jump hard for at least five minutes straight without stopping. I'm only at about 2-3 minutes right now (depending on where in the workout I'm jumping). Double-unders will probably come within a few weeks, but I'm not there yet.

My biggest problem with things like boxer/jog steps isn't so much the cardio aspect, but that my brain isn't processing the cadence. I've been jumping before/after/during every workout - trying to ingrain the patterns in my head, but it's a slow process.


What he's doing at 2:20 - my brain can say 1-2, 1-2, 1-2, but my limbs don't follow the count.

Any tips for people who are just starting out in jumping rope would be appreciated.


My ultimate goal, and this is probably the worst guy for an absolute beginner to aspire to, is to be able to do moves and a pace somewhat similar to Mayweather:

[Reggie20x6]

I got an Inversion Table off of Craigslist for $25 yesterday. That is absolutely crazy, and the woman clearly had no idea of what the market is for such a piece. I could easily resell that for $75-$100, but until that date, my body has been loving that table. I've wanted one of those (or Gravity Boots) for years now.


I'm also training for a Spartan Race (5K with obstacles) on May 20th. I've been going nuts with the StairMaster, weighted StairMaster sessions, jumping rope, weighted carries, burpees, weighted jumps, walking lunges and all sorts of other modes to improve my cardio.

I'm looking forward to my weight vest getting here (supposed to be by Friday), so that I don't have to look like a jackass - carrying a weight plate around with me everywhere I go at the gym. I'm also really looking forward to flying back to St. Louis in a couple of weeks, to get all of our stuff out of storage for the final move down here. I've really missed my T-Sled and dragging sled - not to mention all of the hills in St. Louis to train on (Houston, as best as I can tell, is nearly 100% flat).

[Tabe]

I'm in a company-wide "biggest loser"-type competition starting on Tuesday.  5-man teams and it runs 12 weeks.  I'm 6'2" and 240 lbs.  I eat like crap and freely admit as much.  My plan is to essentially cut out all junk and significantly reduce calorie intake while also adding 30-60 minutes of elliptical 6 days a week.  This will be a HUGE change in lifestyle for me.  While I would obviously love for my team to win the competition - and the $5000 first prize - that's really a secondary concern.  I mainly just need to drop some pounds and this is a great motivator for doing that.  I'm planning to lose somewhere in the 30-40 lb range.  If I can do that, and keep it off, I'll be very happy.

Tabe

[soup23]

Funny Tabe,  I just started a biggest loser competition last Tuesday.  We are on 6 man teams.  I am 6'1" and at 289 lbs was at my heaviest.  I dropped six pounds last week basically cutting out soda and reducing calories.  This week I am planning on upping my exercise and look forward to the results.  I would like to at least get down to my marriage weight of 220-225.

[Tabe]

Tabe, on Apr 25 2012, 01:38 PM, said:

I'm in a company-wide "biggest loser"-type competition starting on Tuesday.  5-man teams and it runs 12 weeks.  I'm 6'2" and 240 lbs.  I eat like crap and freely admit as much.  My plan is to essentially cut out all junk and significantly reduce calorie intake while also adding 30-60 minutes of elliptical 6 days a week.  This will be a HUGE change in lifestyle for me.  While I would obviously love for my team to win the competition - and the $5000 first prize - that's really a secondary concern.  I mainly just need to drop some pounds and this is a great motivator for doing that.  I'm planning to lose somewhere in the 30-40 lb range.  If I can do that, and keep it off, I'll be very happy.

Tabe

One month in and the results have been great.  Got off to a hot start, losing 10.6 lbs the first week.  I have lost 20 lbs total so far and my teammates have also been doing great.  We are in first place - and that's based on just 4 of our 5 guys reporting their weekly weights.  One guy is intentionally choosing to not weigh-in every week.  

I have done really well, staying within my calorie intake limits every single day except one (my birthday - the big 4-0, yo!)  I have eliminated regular pop completely (except for a single bottle of Faygo Rock N Rye while I was in Michigan - there are some things I simply cannot pass up).  I have been doing 45-60 minutes of elliptical 5 times a week.  I tried to do 6x a week but was having trouble recovering when I did that.  I also missed a couple days with some muscle pain.  Generally, though, progress has been smooth.  I am getting up 80 minutes earlier than before so I can get to work at 6:45 am, leave at 3:45 pm, and get a good workout in without having to get home at 7pm or something.

I can see a difference in my appearance and in how my knees feel.  I have dropped a size in my pants and am wearing my belts (and watch?!?) a couple notches tighter.  

I have been using an app on my phone (MyFitnessPal - *HIGHLY* recommended) for tracking all my food and exercise and it has been immensely helpful.  I have also found low cal foods from the Smart Ones brand and salads from Safeway that are really good AND are filling.  I do miss some of the junk foods I used to eat all the time - fried chicken and nachos, I'm looking at you - but I am not having any issue with being hungry or anything like that.  I even was able to go to Red Lobster and eat my favorite appetizer (crab stuffed mushrooms) AND a steak because I had correctly planned the rest of my meals that day.  

I have also been the beneficiary of a lot of support from friends and family.  They all know what I'm doing, the competition I'm in, and have been really encouraging.  The people in our weekly couples Bible study have all made sure to include stuff I can safely eat as part of our potluck dinners.  The feedback I get from my daily Facebook updates (which I do as much for my own benefit as anything else) has been awesome.

So I'm 2/3 of the way to my bottom-end goal and that's great.  After the competition is over, I am committed to working out regularly and eating better.  I will definitely relax some of my restrictions - sorry, but I'm not swearing off fried chicken for life, LOL - but will work to keep my portions under control.  I will probably also cut back to 3x a week workouts and 30 minutes each.  Not sure.  That's something that's going to get adjusted.  I also plan to start yoga after watching the Youtube story about the war vet that DDP helped.

So, yeah, one month in and things have gone great.  I'm pumped for the results I've seen and am thrilled with my teammates and how they've done.  

As a slight correction to the above, I was actually 243 on weigh-in day.  I'm 223 now.

Tabe

[MojoJsyn]

Me and the wife are gonna start. I have severe Arthritis and looking towards hip replacement. So me being 5'11 and around 235 doesn't bode well for my knees and hips. Cut out soda and junk. Gonna eat more healthy(fruits and such since I hardly eat them at all) and hopefully will be well enough to exercise.

With the Arthritis it makes it tough but maybe I'll be able to walk a mile or so a day. Use to years ago but the disease has progressed worse so can't do much.

Hopefully the weight lose will help with my pain as well.

[Pacifus]

Just checking in...

Took the kids to the doctor and got on the scale for the first time since I started this journey and found that I lost 35 pounds in 10 weeks. It was good to put a number with the mirror results.

I've taken in an average of 2,300 calories a day and worked out an average of 5.25 times per week with my shortest ride being 25 minutes (several times) and my average ride being 35 minutes and my longest being 1.25 hours (three times).

The hardest part was adjusting to the idea that I don't deserve a treat for the most mundane activities. Getting past that has seemed to help a lot.

[strobogo]

My biggest issue is that even doing exclusively cardio, I put on more muscle than lose fat.  For a while I was doing 3 hours on a bike 3-4 times a week and gained weight because my legs exploded in size.  The best I can do for my body type is make it more solid.  I've found resistance training has been the best for my body.  Actual weight lifting just makes me bulky and not really in shape looking.  It makes me puffy.  It's really, really hard for me to get toned.  My body just isn't built for that even when I was at my peak fitness level.  That weird kind of Cain Velasquez body type, but on a much smaller level.  

A total gym and resistance bands work best for me.  And not eating so shitty.  Cut down on the fast food to once a month, not snack around on chips or eating when I don't really need to.

[driver]

About a month ago I quit drinking all alcohol and pop with a lot of sugar. I started eating a salad or two a day(McD's $1 side salad works nicely) and started eating fish(either salmon or tilapia) a few times a week. I started walking every night. At first it was a mile, then a mile and a half, two miles and then four miles. I've done four miles the past three nights and it feels very good to just get out and walk. Outside of the trips to McD's for the salads I've kept the fast food to a minimum outside of a trip to Subway twice a week. It's slow going but any weight loss is a huge improvement over where I was at.

[Reggie20x6]

My home gym is really starting to come together. I've now got a spin bike, 50' cardio/battling ropes and I just got a tractor tire off of Craigslist this morning. The guy wasn't sure of the weight, but he estimated that it's somewhere in the 500-pound range (anywhere from 450-550 pounds). I also picked up a 10-pound sledgehammer from Lowe's this afternoon.

The only thing left to buy is a combo heavy/speed bag setup (my fiancee is into kickboxing for cardio), and I've got to get my flatscreen up and mounted in the corner.

Very pleased.

[Beech27]

Reggie20x6, on Jun 25 2012, 11:36 PM, said:

My home gym is really starting to come together. I've now got a spin bike, 50' cardio/battling ropes and I just got a tractor tire off of Craigslist this morning. The guy wasn't sure of the weight, but he estimated that it's somewhere in the 500-pound range (anywhere from 450-550 pounds). I also picked up a 10-pound sledgehammer from Lowe's this afternoon.

The only thing left to buy is a combo heavy/speed bag setup (my fiancee is into kickboxing for cardio), and I've got to get my flatscreen up and mounted in the corner.

Very pleased.

First thought: Holy shit, you're flipping a 500 lb tire!?
Then: Oh, the sledgehammer. Right. But still pretty brutal, and an awesome setup.

[Reggie20x6]

I flipped it a few times. I hadn't warmed up before the guy dropped it off, so I didn't go too crazy.

It's all about leverage/momentum anyway - more so than the total weight of the tire. I was deadlifting 350 this weekend and that felt harder than flipping the tire did.



This gal is a powerlifting ringer, but it gives you an idea of the tire size:

[OutlawStar51]

I gotta figure something out.  I finally got hit by the old "stop smoking weight gain bug" and put on 15 pounds out of nowhere two months after quitting smoking altogether.  Course, 5 straight weeks of fast food dinners due to working late didn't help either.

Problem is, I'm trying to maintain a pattern during the day at work.  Usually Oatmeal around 9ish, lunch (some kind of soup, normally) around 1, then whatever is being made for dinner when I get home between 6 and 7.  My issue is, I'm getting ravenously hungry during the day (right before meals), and swapped my nicotine addiction for caffine.  

Suggestions on anything I could go on (that will allow me an occasional indulgence into my smoked BBQ meats in the summer or an indulgence dinner every-so-often), or some snacking pattern I should get on so I'm not wanting to eat my desk twice a day?

[Beech27]

OutlawStar51, on Jun 26 2012, 07:42 PM, said:

I gotta figure something out.  I finally got hit by the old "stop smoking weight gain bug" and put on 15 pounds out of nowhere two months after quitting smoking altogether.  Course, 5 straight weeks of fast food dinners due to working late didn't help either.

Problem is, I'm trying to maintain a pattern during the day at work.  Usually Oatmeal around 9ish, lunch (some kind of soup, normally) around 1, then whatever is being made for dinner when I get home between 6 and 7.  My issue is, I'm getting ravenously hungry during the day (right before meals), and swapped my nicotine addiction for caffine.  

Suggestions on anything I could go on (that will allow me an occasional indulgence into my smoked BBQ meats in the summer or an indulgence dinner every-so-often), or some snacking pattern I should get on so I'm not wanting to eat my desk twice a day?

Caffeine is actually an appetite suppressant, so it should help quell your hunger a bit. Of course, nicotine is as well, so you're going to be a little more hungry than usual for a little while longer. But that's fine. Hunger, in and of itself, is not an awful thing.

Still, some things to mention: 1) Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you need to eat. Sometimes you have to take an objective look at your calorie needs, and consume appropriately. Ultimately, weight loss is a math problem, nothing more. Eat however often you want, whether that means six meals or day long fasting. 2) Eat more satiating meals. If you're getting famished between meals, your meals are too small. If you want to go the 3 squares route, try and spread the calories out evenly. Massive hunger can lead to massive overeating. 3) If your caffeine intake is via soda, cut it out, and replace it with coffee or tea. Dosing sugar throughout the day is hell on your body. 4) This probably goes without saying, but working out really helps. Your body stores glycogen for a reason; use it.

[SoopArr AE]

Just found out today that I am borderline diabetic, so I got to work on the weight-loss wagon.

Just need to establish a structured meal plan low on carbs, apparently.  This is going to make breakfast a real pain in the ass, since I mainly eat cereal and coffee.  Anyone have any advice on dieting to prevent diabetes?

As for exercise, I started doing something similar to the old-school 5BX program the Canadian Air Force used, only replacing sit-ups with crunches.  It's only something small to start with until I get used to it enough to do more intense exercise.  Any advice on that front?

[Beech27]

SoopArr AE, on Jul 5 2012, 10:10 PM, said:

Just found out today that I am borderline diabetic, so I got to work on the weight-loss wagon.

Just need to establish a structured meal plan low on carbs, apparently.  This is going to make breakfast a real pain in the ass, since I mainly eat cereal and coffee.  Anyone have any advice on dieting to prevent diabetes?

As for exercise, I started doing something similar to the old-school 5BX program the Canadian Air Force used, only replacing sit-ups with crunches.  It's only something small to start with until I get used to it enough to do more intense exercise.  Any advice on that front?

Weight loss helps bring blood sugar levels back to agreeable levels. Adding fitness does the same thing. After that, we've got controversy, and the specifics get messy.

I'll keep it simple though: Eat real food in reasonable amounts, cut the crap, and cut the snacks. No matter what any low carb zealots tell you, calories still count. Build meals around meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, and then some smaller amount of whole food starch, like potatoes, rice, etc.

Lift weights, and if you feel up to it, do some intense cardio. Again, it needn't be complicated. If all you can do is pushups, pullups, planks, lunges, and hill sprints, that can still get you pretty fit.

Mainly, just know that anything you do, effort wise, will be a step in the right direction.

[SoopArr AE]

Beech27, on Jul 6 2012, 01:05 AM, said:

SoopArr AE, on Jul 5 2012, 10:10 PM, said:

Just found out today that I am borderline diabetic, so I got to work on the weight-loss wagon.

Just need to establish a structured meal plan low on carbs, apparently.  This is going to make breakfast a real pain in the ass, since I mainly eat cereal and coffee.  Anyone have any advice on dieting to prevent diabetes?

As for exercise, I started doing something similar to the old-school 5BX program the Canadian Air Force used, only replacing sit-ups with crunches.  It's only something small to start with until I get used to it enough to do more intense exercise.  Any advice on that front?

Weight loss helps bring blood sugar levels back to agreeable levels. Adding fitness does the same thing. After that, we've got controversy, and the specifics get messy.

I'll keep it simple though: Eat real food in reasonable amounts, cut the crap, and cut the snacks. No matter what any low carb zealots tell you, calories still count. Build meals around meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, and then some smaller amount of whole food starch, like potatoes, rice, etc.

Lift weights, and if you feel up to it, do some intense cardio. Again, it needn't be complicated. If all you can do is pushups, pullups, planks, lunges, and hill sprints, that can still get you pretty fit.

Mainly, just know that anything you do, effort wise, will be a step in the right direction.

My man.  So basically, I can eat oatmeal and an omelette in the morning without worrying about losing my feet?

It especially hits home because my uncle just got his leg amputated since he wasn't trying too hard to manage his diabetes.  Don't want that, or to go blind.

[Beech27]

SoopArr AE, on Jul 6 2012, 01:30 PM, said:

Beech27, on Jul 6 2012, 01:05 AM, said:

SoopArr AE, on Jul 5 2012, 10:10 PM, said:

Just found out today that I am borderline diabetic, so I got to work on the weight-loss wagon.

Just need to establish a structured meal plan low on carbs, apparently.  This is going to make breakfast a real pain in the ass, since I mainly eat cereal and coffee.  Anyone have any advice on dieting to prevent diabetes?

As for exercise, I started doing something similar to the old-school 5BX program the Canadian Air Force used, only replacing sit-ups with crunches.  It's only something small to start with until I get used to it enough to do more intense exercise.  Any advice on that front?

Weight loss helps bring blood sugar levels back to agreeable levels. Adding fitness does the same thing. After that, we've got controversy, and the specifics get messy.

I'll keep it simple though: Eat real food in reasonable amounts, cut the crap, and cut the snacks. No matter what any low carb zealots tell you, calories still count. Build meals around meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, and then some smaller amount of whole food starch, like potatoes, rice, etc.

Lift weights, and if you feel up to it, do some intense cardio. Again, it needn't be complicated. If all you can do is pushups, pullups, planks, lunges, and hill sprints, that can still get you pretty fit.

Mainly, just know that anything you do, effort wise, will be a step in the right direction.

My man.  So basically, I can eat oatmeal and an omelette in the morning without worrying about losing my feet?

It especially hits home because my uncle just got his leg amputated since he wasn't trying too hard to manage his diabetes.  Don't want that, or to go blind.

I certainly don't think eschewing all carbs is a good idea for most. And oats are a good choice; just opt for the plain, unsweetened variety.

Cutting out junk, watching total calorie intake, and adding in workouts will be the biggest steps. A body that has to work metabolizes carbs much better.