The exercise/weight loss thread

[wopphil]

So two weeks ago I started a five-day vacation. I started the vacation at 199.8. Ate and drank whatever I wanted for 5 days, then went right back to the diet. Weighed in this morning at 198.8. So while the vacation might have stalled my progress, it didn't cause me to go backwards. I suspect the next 6 or 7 pounds are going to be hard to take off (my ultimate goal is to get to 192 or so). 

It is amazing how much better I feel in every way. There are huge mental health effects to losing weight, and physically I feel a world better. My heart rate is way down and i have more energy.  I haven't had to take a heart burn pill in two months, and believe I have had only a single dose of advil during that time. 

[wopphil]

Weighed in today at 198.6, which means I have definitely stalled out (basically I am down one pound the last three weeks). I am getting a bit frustrated given how hard I have been working. I am still north of 20 percent body fat, so it isnt like I dont have fat to be lost.

Any recommendations? Should I ditch the long cardio sessions and focus primarily on lifting? Should I increase my calorie intake a little bit?

[Stradling]

I too have slowed down.  I am down about 19 lbs and only a pound a week the last two weeks.  Eating is still on point, although I have enjoyed a couple of cauliflower crust pizzas this week from Pieology (lower in carbs but still more than I should have a day).  I have been lifting and still doing cardio.  I do feel great and also feel as though I am losing inches.  It also feels as though there will be a nice week where I drop 3 or 4 lbs in my future.  

[CanadianHalo]

AngelsWin be like...

[Brandon]

It's kind of hard to shit on people when you are using cartoon gifs.

[Tank]

i was weighing myself every friday during my recovery from surgery. it was fun to track the progress, and it was really inspiring to me. had one week where i lost a full 20 lbs, but my average was usually 3-5.

well, i kind of stopped weighing myself a few months ago. i've reached the leveling off point from the surgery and know that what the surgery provided has now stopped, and anymore weight loss will come from my hard work. 

wife convinced me to step on the scale last friday. i'm still down a total of 182 lbs. Felt good to see the number roll up. i will always have to be mindful of what and how much i eat, but i've settled into a nice routine that works well for me, and i continue to walk when i can. i'm not a gym rat and won't get my money's worth if i join one. my next step is to see if i can qualify for surgey to remove my kangaroo pouch - that should drop another 20 lbs or so, and that would be a really nice number for me.

[wopphil]

I started changing my routine a few weeks ago to incorporate more lifting and less cardio. I have been happy with the results. My body feels good and appears to be improving in look. 

Yesterday, I tried on a bunch of clothes that previously didn't fit. Now they all fit, and many are being donated because they are too big. It almost feels like i shrunk a size over night. 

But in spite of this, I am still not seeing any scale movement the last month or so. My diet has been very clean and i have worked out almost every day the last few weeks. But no scale movement at all. It's very frustrating. Perhaps I am just retaining a lot of water from the lifting. But I am still at least 18 percent body fat, so there are plenty of fat pounds that can still come off. 

[Adam]

I’ve been getting fatter the past few months. Gotta slam on the breaks and get after it

[Tank]

47 minutes ago, wopphil said:

I started changing my routine a few weeks ago to incorporate more lifting and less cardio. I have been happy with the results. My body feels good and appears to be improving in look. 

Yesterday, I tried on a bunch of clothes that previously didn't fit. Now they all fit, and many are being donated because they are too big. It almost feels like i shrunk a size over night. 

But in spite of this, I am still not seeing any scale movement the last month or so. My diet has been very clean and i have worked out almost every day the last few weeks. But no scale movement at all. It's very frustrating. Perhaps I am just retaining a lot of water from the lifting. But I am still at least 18 percent body fat, so there are plenty of fat pounds that can still come off. 

With my wdaughter eight loss surgery, stalls are common and I've endured several over the last two years. But one of the things I've learned I see that even the scale may not be moving, my body is still making changes. Don't be too discouraged about the number. The fact that clothes that were too small are now too big should give you a boost that what you're doing is working. Keep at it, Phil.

[wopphil]

15 minutes ago, Tank said:

With my wdaughter eight loss surgery, stalls are common and I've endured several over the last two years. But one of the things I've learned I see that even the scale may not be moving, my body is still making changes. Don't be too discouraged about the number. The fact that clothes that were too small are now too big should give you a boost that what you're doing is working. Keep at it, Phil.

Thanks Tank. Yeah, I definitely feel my body has made big progress the last few weeks, despite the lack of scale movement. And truth be told, I probably only have another 6 or 7 pounds of fat I can realistically shed, so it isnt like I have a long way to go. 

[Blarg]

Muscle weighs more than fat. The increased wieght training is probably on an even trade and that's why your scale isn't moving. 

[Lou]

Pujols should be listed at 165 lbs 

[Blarg]

His left half is.

[Blarg]

But then you have to listen to ABBA which destroys your self esteem and binge eat Oreo cookies and Häagen-Dazs to feel better. It's a vicious cycle. 

[Blarg]

Hence the vicious cycle, Dancing Queen.

[Blarg]

You would if the 24 hour Walmart carried any in their frozen deserts aisle. 

[Lou]

now?

[Stradling]

6 hours ago, Blarg said:

Hence the vicious cycle, Dancing Queen.

This post deserves a lot more attention. 

[Stradling]

Just finished a weekend in Nashville.  I ate and drank like I used to, not looking forward to the scale when I get home. 

[Blarg]

Google ABBA and Gay. Together. 

[wopphil]

On 9/17/2018 at 3:50 AM, Stradling said:

Just finished a weekend in Nashville.  I ate and drank like I used to, not looking forward to the scale when I get home. 

Dont step on it. Seriously, why do so? Get back to diet and exercise and give it at least a week. You probably only added water weight over the weekend.

[wopphil]

Questions for those who lift:

- Is 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight sufficient protein intake for ideal muscle growth? 

- what is a good target range for the number of sets I should be doing for each muscle? Including a few warm up sets, I have typically been doing between 12 and 18 sets per muscle group (spread across 3 or 4 different types of exercise). Today for example, I did 6 sets of benching on the Smith press, 4 sets on the fly machine, 4 sets of incline dumbell press, and 3 sets on a bench machine. My chest was pretty much done about half way through the routine. 

- how many days should I wait between lifting muscle groups. If I do my back and triceps on a Monday, for example, can I come back to them as early as Friday? Or should I give them a fourth or even fifth day of rest?

- any protein powders you recommend? I have been using a Garden of Life plant-based protein. It's ok- a little pricey. Is plant-based going to be less effective than whey?

[Brandon]

If Phil keeps talking about the scale nonstop can we please just lock this thread up?

[Angelsjunky]

Oreos are basically vegan. Only the gayest of vegans won't eat them because they have "cross contact" with milk, but all of the actual ingredients are vegan.

So calscuf, you have to decide how gay you are as a vegan.

[Blarg]

Come on over, I have an organic apple waiting for you.