^^^ amen!


[Edited on August 24, 2011 at 9:10 PM. Reason : -->

8/24/2011 9:04:56 PM

what gyms do ya'll go to? anyone go to a gym in Cary? I'm trying to make contingency plans for the inevitable bankrupcy of my gym, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to spend $70 a month on Lifetime Fitness.

8/24/2011 9:17:05 PM

fitness 19 @ $10/mo...has a cage and muscle up bar, all i require

8/24/2011 9:37:35 PM

So I was thinking and Wadhead1 is right.

I used this summer of returning to America and getting married and being so busy as an excuse to neglect my exercising and my diet.

My justifications were as follows:

1. I did not have my iPhone with me at all times to track my calorie intake.
2. I was not in any sort of routine allowing me to keep a consistent workout schedule.
3. I did not control what I was eating because we were not cooking our own food due to eating out or meeting with friends we have not seen in a year.
4. I could not bring my workout equipment home due to luggage weight.
5. Two and a half months of chaos and business.

The interesting thing is that all of these things basically add up to me not wanting to put in the effort. I started keeping track of my calories again this morning and I will work out today and start getting myself back on a schedule.

Note: This post really isn't to anyone in particular, it's more just accountability.

8/25/2011 3:23:20 AM

^ It's not a complete substitute for what you normally do...but whenever I go on long vacations or I'm out of town for a long period of time, there are really simple things you can do:

1) run. Just do some simple cardio. Keeps your metabolic rate up and burns calories.

2) simple exercises you can do anywhere. Push ups and sit ups mainly. You can also do squats and lunges without any weight. But you can take regular furniture and do dips...find a bar somewhere and do some pull-ups. You don't have to be too creative.

3) if you can't cook food to make sure you eat well...just try and stay healthy on the menu and portion control.

[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 8:01 AM. Reason : .]

8/25/2011 7:59:54 AM

^^ not trying to be rude Will but you make an awful lot of excuses, which is kind of how and why you fell off the workout wagon so quickly.

lemme break it down for you:

1. you couldn't track your calories: it's not rocket science to figure out what's healthy and what's not. i don't track calories but instead focus on eating lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, and limit my carbs to 1-2 servings a day. i also limit my dairy to about 1 serving a day if that. as long as you're eating a lean meat with 2-3 servings of veggies for a meal, you're pretty good. also listen to your body. sometimes i'm more hungry than others and if so, i try to find a healthy snack (fruit, leftover veggies, etc)

2. routine: you will find in life there are always going to be obstacles and some days there are greater ones than others. i don't work out every day at 3pm on the dot. my schedule is completely broken up. the ONLY consistency i have is monday-wednesday when i have to go into the office to work because i come home the same time in the afternoon. but even then, there is sometimes a day when there is no time to work out, which happens but i make it a priority to say "i am going to work out every day" so if there is a day i can't squeeze in a work out, it's okay. (by the way, the rest of my week i work out when i can - sometimes it's at 6am, sometimes it's at 10am....today it's 9am and i haven't worked out yet but i will in the next little bit)

3. not being in control in what you are eating: sooooo was someone feeding you because last time i checked you could feed yourself. it's not hard to stick to a basic portion control. i know it's tougher at restaurants but again, going back to 1 (above) if you find a basic plan that works you can find healthy options at a restaurant or portion control what someone has prepared.

4. not bringing work out equipment: if you go on youtube there are millions of videos you can find where all you need is your body weight and a timer. or even saying "ok today i'm going to do 100 push ups and 100 squats and 50 lunges and then go for a run"

5. chaos and business: i get it, you got married, you don't live in the states, you wanted to see friends and family but again it's NO excuse - you made the time while working and hanging with your friends/fiancee in Hungary - people wouldn't be upset if you said, "hey for 30 minutes every day i'm going to try to squeeze in a work out." when i vacation with my boyfriend's family or go visit friends out of town i say, "hey would you mind if i got in a quick run at some point today - you're welcome to join if you like"

so yeah that's my two cents. sorry if i'm mean, that wasn't really my intention but i'm just trying to point out that your "justifications" are really just excuses as to why you wanted to eat crap food and sit around for 2 months.

8/25/2011 9:08:18 AM

whoops. im an idiot.

[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 9:51 AM. Reason : ]

8/25/2011 9:33:28 AM

i would like to admit i'm very cranky today.

8/25/2011 10:43:20 AM

^^^Didn't he basically admit he was being lazy and making excuses?

8/25/2011 10:46:16 AM

in his post above he was giving "justifications" for his excuses but in my opinion they're not really justifications. they're just more excuses. it's like an excuses sandwich.

8/25/2011 11:00:42 AM

Yep, not trying to get down on you for gaining the weight, just saying that if you gained 17lbs. over that time period you couldn't have really been trying.

I just know from experience, and I'm sure porcha can attest as well having lost as much weight as he did, if you don't change your lifestyle then every change to routine is going to give you an "out." i.e., "couldn't cook tonight, guess i'll have double 1/4 pounder with cheese" and things like that. You have to learn to adapt to any situation and make it fit into what your goals are.

8/25/2011 11:02:35 AM

^^

Quote :

"The interesting thing is that all of these things basically add up to me not wanting to put in the effort."

Sounds like he knows they are weak excuses already.

8/25/2011 11:14:43 AM

Then why even both making them.

Here's what his post should have been:

"I fucked up. I gained a bunch of weight. I'm restarting my diet and this time I'm going to do better."

[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 11:49 AM. Reason : Itemize the things you messed up, not the reasons.]

8/25/2011 11:48:08 AM

Well, it's helpful to recognize what he did wrong so that he can correct them. But the main thing to recognize is that sometimes you're in situations where it's tough, but you always have control over what you eat and whether you exercise.

8/25/2011 12:59:26 PM

you always have control about how much you eat!

the other two can be "controlled" by outside factors

well maybe what you eat is a push.



[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 1:03 PM. Reason : DFSDFD]

8/25/2011 1:01:54 PM

^, ^^, ^^^ agreed.

my thing is, we're ALL human. we all mess up, make mistakes, give up sometimes and it's perfectly okay. but you can't just throw in the towel or make an excuse every single time and then blame everything else around you but yourself.

i know when i was going through all my medical stuff over the last few years and i was working my ass off, killing myself in grueling work outs and practically starving myself to try to lose weight and then seeing the scale DO NOTHING i wanted to give up plenty of times. but i kept changing things up, pushing my doctors, pushing MYSELF saying, "i have to keep going because eventually something WILL work" and you know what, it finally did and i am damn glad i stuck to my routine because once i figured out the right triggers, losing the weight became much easier.

i get that traveling is tough (i travel for my job so i get how upside down your schedule can get when you're not in the comforts of home) but even going for a 30 minute walk everyday and watching what he (Will/Morphine Boy) ate probably would have staved off a good amount of the weight he put on.

[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 1:05 PM. Reason : more people commenting]

8/25/2011 1:04:28 PM

i be fuckin up all the time, but if you just keep on with your workin out or pick it back up along with resuming your diet youll cover up that mistake pretty quickly and your body will get back on track

because remember, you dont have a time limit and overall health isnt all about rock hard abs and deangelo pelvic striations

8/25/2011 1:09:23 PM

Also when your gains (losses?) vanish, it's easy to get discouraged and not want to try again. The flip side of this is that no matter how badly you fall off the wagon, you can always get back on it. That's what he seems to be trying to do and it is commendable.

The hard part is not making the same mistakes the next time your plan is interrupted.

[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 1:12 PM. Reason : -]

8/25/2011 1:09:44 PM

Okay I just re-read my post and I can see how it could be taken that I was making excuses.

Those were the things that I was saying over the summer to justify my bad diet and lack of a lot of exercise. To clarify: I know that I was lazy and that was an admittance to that, not to "Oh hey these are the problems." The problem was that I was lazy, and that's not okay.

Thanks for being willing to set me straight anyway Cass.

Sidenote: I wish I could change my username.

ETA: I showed Cass's post to my wife and she said "That's what I've been telling you!" Made me laugh.

[Edited on August 25, 2011 at 5:29 PM. Reason : for the lolz]

8/25/2011 5:13:33 PM

flag football season is over, can regain 5-10lbs. being the fastest and tallest person on your team nets you nothing but sprint go routes. lesson learned F that.

8/25/2011 5:17:50 PM

are you also the slowest to stop, or does your team not understand the concept of a hook or square in?

8/25/2011 5:47:12 PM

I posted this in the "time to get in shape" thread, but here it is for y'all too

let's see if I can remember everything...

warm up
squats
V scissor kicks
scissor kicks laying down
leg raises
double crunches
this thing where you spread your legs as far as they can go then twist and touch your toes
spread legs as far as they can go, put your hands behind your head, then lean forward and sit up multiple times
side crunches (multiple ways/times)
single punches
triple punches
front snap kicks
roundhouse kicks
side kicks
inside crescent kick
outside crescent kick
did my form (basic form, moves 1-20) about 4 times
self defense steps 1-5 (multiple times)
front snap kicks on the bag (100 times)
22 push ups
cool down

then when I got home...

practiced self defense moves 1-5 again (for the opposite side)
bicep curls
overhead tricep extensions
4 other weight training moves (now I'm too lazy to finish writing them out)




I'm tired.

8/25/2011 10:34:01 PM

thats awesome sam

8/26/2011 10:18:17 AM

well, while i didn't get to cardio last night, for the first time in almost 3 weeks, i did wake up to find myself at 190.8

which puts the total loss closer to 35 lbs now

8/26/2011 11:21:43 AM

^2 Thanks I am a little sore today.. probably going to hurt like hell tomorrow. I am pretty excited that I did a inside crescent kick over Master Lee's head You do MMA fighting, right?

^ Awesome! gg any more progress pics?

8/26/2011 11:58:35 AM

my tattoo is almost completely healed.

next week its ON!

8/26/2011 12:02:37 PM

Hello kickboxing, how I have missed you.

8/26/2011 12:20:45 PM

^^^ no new pics as it honestly doesn't really seem like a change to me, i may have some after my vacation in september (provided i don't epicly slip up)

8/26/2011 1:24:57 PM

^ Wow you and I are almost identical. Great job, btw!

I posted in here on Monday about hitting 191 after a run, but I thought that loss was mostly water weight. Well here we are on Friday, and I believe it's now a legit 191.

I started at 227 back in April.

So that's a loss of 36 pounds for me.

8/26/2011 2:01:16 PM

haha, too close to identical, april 22nd: 225, today: 190, hard to believe the change

8/26/2011 2:37:59 PM

Quote :

"are you also the slowest to stop, or does your team not understand the concept of a hook or square in?"

all I did was decoy with maybe 1 bomb TD a game. it sucked. was a coed league so...yeah.

8/26/2011 5:45:30 PM

I need advice.

I'm 5'10, a month from my 25th birthday (reason I'm doing this diet).

I hate to admit it but I'm a guy that likes to drink a lot of beer. I pretty much put down a 12 pack of Corona Extra a day (140 calories X 12= 1,480/day) since I've been in grad school and I've always eaten whatever I wanted from gravy biscuits to burgers and wings at the bar (pretty much daily) and I've always maintained my weight around 175, give or take 3 pounds or so on any given day. However, I NEVER drink soda, eat any form of desert (don't like sweets) and stay away from fast food (but do eat pub grub).

This past week I haven't drank a single thing and that's actually not been a problem at all. I've worked out Tuesday, Thursday, and will work out again Sunday, doing weight lifting and also did an hour of cardio Thursday night. I've been using an iPhone app (Lose It!) to count calories (1,600/day suggested) and have been WELL below each day, not even counting the exercise. I feel like I'm starving myself since I'm always hungry. I love salad so I've eaten salad (mixed greens with carrots, peppers, onions, celery, little cheese), each day with balamic vinagerette. Sometimes I eat hummus and pita. I've also been drinking shakes with bananas, berries, greek yogurt and a little milk. I've limited myself to less than a quarter pound of chicken or fish a day (some days not eating meat at all)

I went down to 171 yesterday when I weighed myself (always at the same time a day) but then today I shoot up to 173.5?! I just don't understand how I can gain 2.5 lbs when I don't even eat that much weight in food? I've read a ton of diet info online but it all seems to be conflicting. What can/can't I eat in order to lose weight fast? 25 is quickly approaching and I set out on this diet to be in good shape by my birthday (Oct. 3rd) and don't mind making sacrifices and working hard, but I just can't seem to find what actually works amidst all the info online.

I just don't understand how when I was taking in probably 2,500+ more calories a day I was maintaining my weight but when I diet nothing has really changed other than I feel much better and have more energy.

Any suggestions? And please spare me the alcohol lecture, as I've heard it a thousand times.

Thanks

[Edited on August 27, 2011 at 4:37 PM. Reason : .]

8/27/2011 4:34:48 PM

have you only been at it a week???

8/27/2011 4:37:07 PM

^^ Weight can vary quite a bit from day-to-day. I wouldn't worry about it.

What I would worry about is consuming less than 1,600 calories a day. There is such a thing as eating too little, and it's not healthy.

What does being "in good shape" mean to you? It seems you're pretty fixated on weight. I'd focus on commitment to healthy eating and exercise, not reaching some arbitrary weight by some arbitrary date.

8/27/2011 4:51:33 PM

Weight loss is not linear. It happens in spurts.

There is a theory that when you actually lose adipose tissue, the mass is temporarily replaced with water. After sustaining the calorie deficit, the water gets released and you can lose between .5-3lbs within a day.

What people don't realize is that with a diet, you focus on the fundamentals* and stick with it for weeks at a time. If no change in weight, you remove more calories, trade macronutrients (carbs/fat for protein), or increase daily activity levels.

*Weight Loss Fundamentals:
1. Eat less than you have been
2. Eat more protein
3. Increase activity (exercise and movement)
4. Focus on strength training for increased fat loss
5. Get good sleep and keep stress levels low

8/27/2011 5:30:16 PM

no outside exercise thanks to the hurricane, but i've gotten in the habit of doing a quick daily routine


150 pushups
300 crunches/ab exercises
50 curls each arm w/light weight ~15-20lbs


feels pretty good and i'm still running 10mi/week and lifting at the gym 3x/week for 45min sessions

8/27/2011 5:48:01 PM

^^^^yes.

Quote :

"What does being "in good shape" mean to you? It seems you're pretty fixated on weight."

I feel like I'm in decent shape physically. I can run 2-3 miles without stopping, do 50 pushups in a row, that kind of thing. I just want to lose the beer belly that I've gained through college and (mostly) grad school. I unfortunately wear my weight in my face and I've just gotten comments from old friends and family that have caused me to want to drop down to what I weighed a few years ago. Around 160.

Quote :

"There is a theory that when you actually lose adipose tissue, the mass is temporarily replaced with water. After sustaining the calorie deficit, the water gets released and you can lose between .5-3lbs within a day."

That actually makes a lot of sense. Earlier in the week I gained 2 or so pounds after a heavy workout then the next day lost it all plus a pound from the original weight.

So does eating more protein mean that I can eat a lot (or even as much) lean meat as I want? I'm a huge meat and potatoes person and I know that the ladder is not good for dieting but if I have chicken breasts on bread or rice is that bad?

[Edited on August 27, 2011 at 5:58 PM. Reason : thanks]

8/27/2011 5:54:40 PM

I'd probably do a 10th of those ab exercise and replace them with leg movements... air squats, lunges or jumps.

There's really no point in doing high volume of ab work. It doesn't make your abs come out more. However, it can be useful if you have a core stability issue.

For general calorie burning you want to use movements that recruit the most muscles. Crunches, planks, and various ab movements don't fit that criteria.

8/27/2011 5:55:12 PM

I am so sick of being bloated

I am so antsy to go speak to the GI doc on Thursday I am miserable... now I don't even know what triggers it... I feel like I'm 5 months pregnant practically every day from this f'ing bloat (and trust me, I know that's what it is because one day it for some reason disappeared and I was able to fit into my nice work pants again, then the next day it was back)

And I'm tired.. so tired. Not as bad when I was in that damn apartment, but it seems ever since this bloating has been even worse my fatigue got even worse.

/rant.



Master Lee also kicked our asses today. I thought I was going to pass out multiple times... then he totally laid the smack down on this little kid the kid tried claiming Master Lee didn't teach him certain moves... yet his brother knows them (they are about the same age and go to class together). Not smart. He kept mouthing him and all of a sudden Master Lee yelled out "20PUSHUP" and gave the kid this look that said, "You're going to regret it if you don't get to pushin" Then he was lectured.


I think I'll be able to go up a belt by middle of September

8/27/2011 5:58:00 PM

i agree with everything thats been said so far (interesting with the water-fat theory!)




but i also want to say that i've had a LOT more caffiene today than normal.
keep in mind i do not drink much so i rarely keep track of it, but today i drank soda after soda and all of a sudden bam- i was jittery and heart was apounding.

added it up- about 350 mg

i have such a wimpy caffeine tolerance

8/27/2011 6:08:16 PM

Protein is very important for several reasons...

1. It is the most satiating macro-nutrient. Gram for gram, it fills you up faster and longer compared to everythign else.

2. When in a calorie deficit, your body will tap protein stores first to produce required energy. If it's not in your diet, it will come from your muscles. Eating high protein doesn't completely stop muscle breakdown during weightloss, but it helps considerably.

3. When you over eat on protein (calorie surplus), your body has a very hard time converting it to fat tissue.

8/27/2011 6:18:41 PM

Caffeine does nothing for me


Jealous of you Joie

8/27/2011 6:21:59 PM

Samwise, have you tried an elimination diet strategy?

In other words, removing possible problematic foods from your diet for ~2-4 weeks and seeing if you have a positive response?

The paleo diet is a good way to try that.

From the experiences of my clients, removing carb rich foods (pasta, rice, bread, etc.) and replace with greens/veges goes a long way in fixing bloat and sluggishness. It also really helps with weight loss too, since you retain less water and generally eat less calories over all.

8/27/2011 6:24:43 PM

I want to, but I can't right now. They don't want you eliminating certain types of foods from your diet until the doctor's appointment in order to not mess up results in case you have a food allergy


I'm worried I have a food allergy... let's just say, there's evidence I'm bleeding somewhere in the intestinal tract I already have an autoimmune disorder so I'm wondering if the two are linked - Chron's or Celiac? I don't know.. I go on Thursday (finally). I'm just tired of all this.

8/27/2011 6:27:20 PM

Regardless of the doc's diagnosis, you may want to read up on the paleo diet... They've reported great success from people with autoimmune issues.

Generally it's rooted in removing grains, legumes, eggs and dairy. Those foods all have certain proteins that some people (especially those with autoimmune disorders) can't tolerate.

Good luck!

8/27/2011 6:33:06 PM

Thanks, I'll definitely look into it... though I would probably still have to have dairy, eggs, and at least almond flour occasionally Do you happen to know what autoimmune disorders? It's frustrating because I have hypersomnia but they can't rule out narcolepsy, and that's one of the areas of the autoimmune disorders where they don't know exactly what happens in the cells. They just know there's an out of whack immune response :\

[Edited on August 27, 2011 at 6:38 PM. Reason : I'm hoping it'll be something simple like a certain type of allergy but Chron's is scary sounding ]

8/27/2011 6:37:59 PM

It is a pretty complex issue...

If you are gluten intolerant, and you consume gluten containing foods, a bunch of bad stuff can take place once leaky gut (caused by the sensitivity and intolerance to gluten) is in place.

The main issue is from a enzyme called transglutaminase that can get in to your system if leaky gut is occurring. I'm probably missing some key information here, but this enzyme can wreak havoc on your immune system, preventing your cells to function properly.

Essentially what happens is your immune system tags the transglutaminase as a foreign invader, and sets out to destroy it. The bad thing is that this enzyme , and related enzymes, are ubiquitous in the body. Once this takes place a whole chain of issues can crop up down stream from the immune system attacking the body.

Like I said, it's very complex and I am probably missing some key info but that is the gist of it.

8/27/2011 6:58:12 PM

8/27/2011 7:03:32 PM

I didn't know that much detail about how the body attacks it, so thanks All I had looked into was the immune response can destroy the intestinal villi, leading to malnutrition, and lots more stuff...


^ I hope not. I'm so paranoid about cancer now though (thanks cancer clinic) that when I saw the first sign of intestinal bleeding I was like OMG WHAT IF I HAVE POLYPS ALONG MY INTESTINE AND I'M ONLY 24 AND THEN I WOULD HAVE TO THINK ABOUT GENETIC TESTING OMGOMGOMG

then I calmed down

8/27/2011 7:12:25 PM

i got a colonoscopy yesterday.


it's not bad.

even the prep isn't bad.
other than moviprep is DISGUSTING.

[Edited on August 27, 2011 at 7:21 PM. Reason : hahaha tmi!! AHHHHH]

8/27/2011 7:16:52 PM