The exercise/weight loss thread

[wopphil]

3 minutes ago, Brandon said:

It's a big one. Science is coming out with more studies about how it affects health and fitness.

One that helped me when I was in a heavy environment was just taking time to take some walks throughout the day. But I need to work on this one, too.

Checkout intermittent fasting though. I'm dropping weight eating almost anything (I'm still conscious when I eat out and stay away from as much carbs and sugars as possible....but will still have fries or chips, etc.) because of the intermittent fasting. I've actually moved to a place where I almost only eat once now....like how us homo sapiens used to as we started evolution. If I have coffee I have gone until 2-3pm without eating. I'll usually pig out between 12-7pm, but because my appetite and stomach have shrank, I still can't go nuts before getting full. Plus, my energy levels are through the roof unless I do include a higher amount of carbs and get the insulin spike that causes a crash. It's worth a look dude. Google it and start slow....like I said earlier, most of the fast period is simply you sleeping 8 hours a night. I started with just stopping eating by x-o'clock and would eat the next day whenever I felt like I needed it. Body starts adjusting and you can stretch it out without feeling sick or getting headaches. 

I will definitely look into it. I often go 6:30 p.m. (dinner) to 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. without anything but coffee. So I might be pretty close already.

[Brandon]

7 minutes ago, wopphil said:

I will definitely look into it. I often go 6:30 p.m. (dinner) to 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. without anything but coffee. So I might be pretty close already.

Exactly. When you check it out there are different methods and ways to incorporate it that don't alter life too much. I worked my way up to the 16 hour method. Being mindful of what I eat (I don't have time to count calories or grams of carbs/sugars) and seeing what I burn on the Fitbit (I'm sure it's off, but it's consistent) without doing too much has been solid.

[Angelsjunky]

I'm down to 186, from being 250+ a year ago, 260 two years ago. How about that. My goal is to see 169 on the scale, then build a bit of muscle and stabilize in the 170s. 

[Stradling]

I really need to get started.  I was able to lose 12 pounds simply by doing what Brandon suggested and did an intermittent fasting routine.   I fell off of that recently and gain about 3lbs.   I need to lose at least 40, but if I’m being honest it’s closer to 60.   I keep making excuses, along with nagging injuries which prevent real cardio.   Bottom line I need to stop making excuses and get after it.   I’m at 5’10” and 250lbs.  

[Brandon]

Get the diet and discipline locked in first....this is about 80% of it. Then move to low impact things like walking or yoga.

You don't have to be perfect at first with the changes, just make habit changes one day at a time. Grab the double double protein style and skip the fries. Drink water or iced tea instead of soda.......and then eat another double double protein style because of the extra carbs and calories you saved by ditching the fries and soda.

[Stradling]

Thanks B.  I really struggle giving up Diet Coke more than I struggle giving up anything else.  

[wopphil]

Day two in the books. I consumed about 2,200 calories today (with about 350 coming from carbs, mostly fruit and carrots) and logged close to 14,000 steps (2.5 mile hike with the kids, plus 40 minutes on the treadmill). The hardest part of the day was drinking sparkling water at family dinner night, while everyone else drank Stone.

So all things considered, another very good day.

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, wopphil said:

Day two in the books. I consumed about 2,200 calories today (with about 350 coming from carbs, mostly fruit and carrots) and logged close to 14,000 steps (2.5 mile hike with the kids, plus 40 minutes on the treadmill). The hardest part of the day was drinking sparkling water at family dinner night, while everyone else drank Stone.

So all things considered, another very good day.

You know what I did for that? I ditched beer entirely. I'll have a Guinness from time to time with a buddy, but beer is so bad and the craft brews out are even worse with carbs.....straight to the stomach and neck. I don't know how you feel about hard alcohol, but you can still have a moderation with things like whiskey/bourbon, tequila, and vodka....I usually do vodka soda with lemon or most times no fruit. There are no sugar or carbs, so it doesn't spike the glucose levels and it's simply some minor calories. I think you can do the same with certain white wines that have no sugar. Check that out if you want a healthier alternative to beer.

[wopphil]

6 hours ago, Brandon said:

You know what I did for that? I ditched beer entirely. I'll have a Guinness from time to time with a buddy, but beer is so bad and the craft brews out are even worse with carbs.....straight to the stomach and neck. I don't know how you feel about hard alcohol, but you can still have a moderation with things like whiskey/bourbon, tequila, and vodka....I usually do vodka soda with lemon or most times no fruit. There are no sugar or carbs, so it doesn't spike the glucose levels and it's simply some minor calories. I think you can do the same with certain white wines that have no sugar. Check that out if you want a healthier alternative to beer.

Yeah, craft IPA is horrible for you. 200 calories per 12 ounces, and I'll typically have three or more when I drink. I am going to have to drastically cut back on my beer intake. Although I do tend to eat a lot less after a few beers. 

[wopphil]

Day 3 in the books. Woke up at 4:30 with an odd amount of energy.  Worked out for about an hour and a half.  Fasted almost 15 hours and cut the cream from my coffee. Only transgression was a diet Dr. Pepper in the afternoon. 

[Brandon]

14 minutes ago, wopphil said:

Day 3 in the books. Woke up at 4:30 with an odd amount of energy.  Worked out for about an hour and a half.  Fasted almost 15 hours and cut the cream from my coffee. Only transgression was a diet Dr. Pepper in the afternoon. 

That wasn’t an odd amount. Everyone that Paleo, Keto, low carb/sugar gets that rush around day 3-4 because your body isn’t dragging ass from trying to break down what isn’t supposed to be in our bodies. When your body starts breaking down fat or ketones instead of glucose (this is what carbs and sugars break down to) it ups the metabolism and wants to break down first.

Props dude. If you have that non-carb energy rush and are jumping straight into a bigger fasting period you’ll be a beast in no time.

If you need soda, try one of those LaCroix or something similar drinks. It’s basically soda without the sugar. They are great.

[wopphil]

51 minutes ago, Brandon said:

 

If you need soda, try one of those LaCroix or something similar drinks. It’s basically soda without the sugar. They are great.

These are what enabled me to avoid beer on Sunday. They helped big time. I actually found an Arrowhead sparkling strawberry that was fantastic.

[halomatt]

I'll do a LaCroix with Vodka and a twist of lime or some citrus.  Refreshing and the taste is pretty good.  I'm 48 and had to cut beer out of my life about ten years ago.  I noticed that I would become very very bloated with beers, to the point where my intestines would hurt.  I decided that it wasn't worth it and now stick to wine and vodka. 

[Brandon]

8 hours ago, halomatt said:

I'll do a LaCroix with Vodka and a twist of lime or some citrus.  Refreshing and the taste is pretty good.  I'm 48 and had to cut beer out of my life about ten years ago.  I noticed that I would become very very bloated with beers, to the point where my intestines would hurt.  I decided that it wasn't worth it and now stick to wine and vodka. 

Same. I started to get fat real quick.

I did some research and luckily I like and can have straight booze. I'm usually a vodka/soda guy....no sugar and no carbs (I also liked your mention of the lemon-lime La Croix, that is actually really solid), straight bourbon or whiskey...sometimes on the rocks if I want to cut it. Or just quality tequila, also neat.

All are no sugar and no carbs, just empty calories but minimal. Some white wines are low in sugar, but I'd rather lay off it and just have a good red like Jordan every now and then.

[cez]

13 hours ago, halomatt said:

I'll do a LaCroix with Vodka and a twist of lime or some citrus.  Refreshing and the taste is pretty good.  I'm 48 and had to cut beer out of my life about ten years ago.  I noticed that I would become very very bloated with beers, to the point where my intestines would hurt.  I decided that it wasn't worth it and now stick to wine and vodka. 

same here with no beer, and for the same reason

transition has been easy since i live in wine country

[wopphil]

On day 7 now. Made it through July 4 holiday without any hiccups. I haven't ever in my life had such a low carb and low calorie week like this last one.

But I did something I swore I'd try not to do: stepped on the scale. And the results are pretty disheartening...no weight loss at all. When I weighed myself Wednesday, I just excused it by assuming my sore body meant I was retaining water. But the same thing today - my weight was again unchanged.

My body is typically quick to respond to diets and I am quick to see scale movement, so I dont know what is going on here.

[cez]

throw your scale out the window when you're doing any type of big diet change

your body does all kinds of weird things with water whenever you significantly decrease or increase any macro

[Tank]

4 hours ago, GOPSnowflakesHateCezero said:

throw your scale out the window when you're doing any type of big diet change

your body does all kinds of weird things with water whenever you significantly decrease or increase any macro

I second this. There have been weeks where I didn't lose pounds but I definitely lost inches. 

[wopphil]

Weighed myself again this morning (been a full week since I started my diet), and again no change. I weighed in at 209.8 on Sunday, 209.6 on Wednesday, and 209.4 yesterday and this morning. It's odd not only that the numbers aren't going down, but how consistent they have been (the scale does, however, appear to be working correctly). Whatever, I am going to try to ignore it. 

I averaged about 1,700 calories a day for the week. As for carbs, I ate only trace amounts of bread or potato product (probably the equivalent of one serving of potato chips and one small slice of bread across the week), however I did eat a serving or two of fruit each day. I now feel as though I have built up some really strong momentum. 

[Brandon]

On 7/6/2018 at 7:08 AM, wopphil said:

On day 7 now. Made it through July 4 holiday without any hiccups. I haven't ever in my life had such a low carb and low calorie week like this last one.

But I did something I swore I'd try not to do: stepped on the scale. And the results are pretty disheartening...no weight loss at all. When I weighed myself Wednesday, I just excused it by assuming my sore body meant I was retaining water. But the same thing today - my weight was again unchanged.

My body is typically quick to respond to diets and I am quick to see scale movement, so I dont know what is going on here.

Don't use a scale. Go by how your clothes fit.

[Brandon]

4 hours ago, wopphil said:

Weighed myself again this morning (been a full week since I started my diet), and again no change. I weighed in at 209.8 on Sunday, 209.6 on Wednesday, and 209.4 yesterday and this morning. It's odd not only that the numbers aren't going down, but how consistent they have been (the scale does, however, appear to be working correctly). Whatever, I am going to try to ignore it. 

I averaged about 1,700 calories a day for the week. As for carbs, I ate only trace amounts of bread or potato product (probably the equivalent of one serving of potato chips and one small slice of bread across the week), however I did eat a serving or two of fruit each day. I now feel as though I have built up some really strong momentum. 

What you're doing nw is for results in 2-3 weeks. There is no quick results with lifestyle changes. Also, you're going to fail if you get discouraged this quick or expect changes right away.

[Brandon]

27 minutes ago, calscuf said:

When I ate vegan I lost like 7 pounds in the first week.  Don’t listen to brandon, there are quick ways to do anything.

When I say lifestyle change, I don't think Phil is eating quinoa and sucking dick.

[Blarg]

Plus you can make some extra money on the side.

[wopphil]

2 hours ago, calscuf said:

When I ate vegan I lost like 7 pounds in the first week.  

This is kind of what I was thinking. Last year, I dropped ten pounds in four weeks, using a diet that still allowed for pasta, beer, etc. (albeit restricted amounts). I figure that starving myself for a week should result in at least some scale movement.

But it's not a big deal, I know the diet is working, and I am not really all that discouraged.

[wopphil]

Through 11 days now - or exactly one-third of the way through the initial phase. My clothes started feeling looser this week. The diet is getting much easier as well. I am not nearly as hungry as I was the first week, and saying no to certain food is no longer difficult (given the momentum I have). 

I have been keeping my calories very low - never exceeding 2,000, and some days going as low as 1,400.