The exercise/weight loss thread

[Chuck]

Wow, it has been a while since we've talked fitness and gym talk. 

How's everyone doing? 

 

[Blarg]

I've lost over 40 pounds since April. Keto is working fine, I just need to work on portion control to continue the program. I draw the line on sticking a cube of butter in my coffee but everything else is OK. I may even take a shot at intermittent fasting by skipping a day now and then. 

This was all prompted by a blood test that read 118 for sugar levels which is pre-diabetes. My Father spent 30+ years of his sticking himself with a needle 2-3 times a day and I'm just not going to do that because of bad eating habits. 

So every day I have been making sure my carb count is under 35 grams, which isn't hard to do. Just don't eat any fast food, processed food, food that is white, biege, yellow, orange or red unless it is red meat. It's a good thing I like brocolli, brussel sprouts and spinach. Kale, not so much.

Current goal is to get under the 230 mark before New Years then start hitting the exercise to make a push for under 220 for Spring Training. Once I get to what I would say is a reasonable wieght (TBD by waistline not scale) the Keto diet goes away and I will be transistioning to a more balanced diet but with both portion and sugar based eating under strict control. 

Oh, and fuck diabetes.

[Brandon]

Recently been interested in food consumption based on ones makeup. Someone recently introduced me to a book called "Eat For Your Blood Type" and I am still researching it......like most things, it's hit or miss on the internet. While down the rabbit hole I also came across eating for your body type....mesomorph, endomorph, etc. Interesting stuff. To save you some time, here is essentially a list of the foods that one is supposed to consumed avoid based on blood type:

• Those with type O blood should choose high-protein foods and eat lots of meat, vegetables, fish, and fruit but limit grains, beans, and legumes. To lose weight, seafood, kelp, red meat, broccoli, spinach, and olive oil are best; wheat, corn, and dairy are to be avoided.
• Those with type A blood should choose fruit, vegetables, tofu, seafood, turkey, and whole grains but avoid meat. For weight loss, seafood, vegetables, pineapple, olive oil, and soy are best; dairy, wheat, corn, and kidney beans should be avoided.
• Those with type B blood should pick a diverse diet including meat, fruit, dairy, seafood, and grains. To lose weight, type B individuals should choose green vegetables, eggs, liver, and licorice tea but avoid chicken, corn, peanuts, and wheat.
• Those with type AB blood should eat dairy, tofu, lamb, fish, grains, fruit, and vegetables. For weight loss, tofu, seafood, green vegetables, and kelp are best but chicken, corn, buckwheat, and kidney beans should be avoided.

[Catwhoshatinthehat]

I started keto before going on vacation which was kind of pointless but at least it gave me an idea of how I would feel physically cutting carbs down to about a tenth of what I was previously taking in.  After vacation got back on it but still only 3 weeks in.  Like any diet it feels monotonous but at the same time after I eat I'm full and I feel better.  If any of you have come across any keto snacks you wouldn't necessarily think are keto particularly things I can buy that are good to go and snack on at work or on the run that would be appreciated.     

Brandon I actually bought the Eat Right For Your Blood Type book some time back and took notes and summarized the type B recommendations.  Whenever I start to reintroduce carbs back into my diet I will probably lean towards trying that to a degree.  Wasn't a fan of not eating chicken because when I was training for full and half marathons I ate a lot of chicken, vegetables and brown rice.  Obviously the exercise was a big part of it but I got in the best shape of my life and was at my lowest weight in almost a decade.  Chicken is also one of the easiest things to cook up 2-3 lbs on the weekend and use for meals throughout the week.      

[Blarg]

11 hours ago, Catwhoshatinthehat said:

If any of you have come across any keto snacks you wouldn't necessarily think are keto particularly things I can buy that are good to go and snack on at work or on the run that would be appreciated. 

Try simple cheeses for that need to have a snack. Avoid the crappy string cheese or those horrible blue bell crap and look at more Euro style hard cheeses like piece of parmesan in brick form or Gouda. Something that bites your taste buds back. You don't need much to pack a lot of flavor in your mouth and that is what snacking mostly is. 

[Brandon]

Yeah, I think the jury is still out in my mind. Certain foods are really good for you, so negating it doesn't seem to compute for me. Chicken is also the easiest protein digestion for meats outside of maybe turkey. I didn't buy the book, just scoured the internet looking it up after this chick told me about it. WHat's your thoughts on the book or premise the author has?

I have two thoughts and experiences with keto. One I was kind of doing keto by accident a few years back and dropped 40lbs by eating about six times a day...I basically just snacked. The other was introducing intermittent fasting with a keto based diet.Either way, I think I was a bit more strict with diet and alcohol consumption while snacking, though. I tend to lean more towards mixing up snacks. A few keto type snacks I would do and always mix around to keep the boredom and cooking to a minimum was:

 

Hard boiled eggs (I love throwing some Sriracha on them)

Cottage cheese

The Oikos Triple Zero greek yogurts

Deli meat and cheese rolls (sometimes add cream cheese for the fat)

Egg muffins (just bake some eggs in muffin tins while throwing in whatever you want into each tin for flavor)

Some type of healthy beef/turkey jerky

I tried a few fat bomb recipes, didn't really like much but you may

Costco sells these teriyaki pineapple meatballs that have 0 sugar and carbs that are fantastic

Also used to add keto based company items. Perfect Keto sells a keto shake that is similar to what one would do for a protein shake. I used to always have a Questbar on me in case I ever wanted to eat something quick.

 

Outside of those regulars, I would just Google recipe ideas. I would eat quite a bit before my fasting window last time out and feel like I was one of those dudes that was consuming too much protein and not enough fats. What I used to do, especially during the start and during the "keto flu" stage was load up more calories and consume more sodium/salt, namely bone broth warmed up at anytime if I started to feel the fatigue, irritability, or headaches. Another thing I added that I liked and was beneficial was this:

https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/beat-keto-flu-with-homemade-electrolyte-drink

 

[Catwhoshatinthehat]

So far I've done a lot of deli meats, cheeses, yogurt, cottage cheese, jerky, peanut/almond butter on celery, etc.  I usually eat 2 eggs in the morning and sometimes a third one at night and I'm not opposed to eating more I just know there's debate about how many is too much.  Recently I started snacking on pork rinds and the baked cheese bites Trader Joe's sells.  After I eat I really am full I just want to have enough go to snacks that I don't slip up or cheat at snack time because nothing sounds good.  I'll definitely check out some of the keto shakes and I know there are a lot of keto products out there now I just haven't done the research to see what's available at local stores and which I can order.  Thanks for the info.

[Chuck]

Good stuff guys. I just started keto to start leaning out way before next spring/summer. I've been bulking up you can say for the last two years, lifting heavy at the gym and at home on average 5 days a week, while consuming a bunch of protein and carbs. I'm pretty much done with carbs outside of the occasional going out to dinner, Thanksgiving, Christmas feasts for a while now. 

Have any of you worked out for years and did the same things, routines, sets/reps, but didn't see any growth? That was me this past year as I finally turned the corner in Feb of this year and started seeing big gains. The problem is, the heavier I've got the easier it is to sustain injuries when you fall, muscle tears and joint pain from the heavy lifting. So I'm going do more stretching, still continue lifting, more cardio. 

I'm weighing in at 225 lbs at 5'10 in this picture, taken a week ago -- rocking out to Audioslave.

 

[notherhalo]

sign me up when there is a keto beer that you can drink 20 of in a night

Edited October 17, 2019 by notherhalo

[Brandon]

10 hours ago, Catwhoshatinthehat said:

So far I've done a lot of deli meats, cheeses, yogurt, cottage cheese, jerky, peanut/almond butter on celery, etc.  I usually eat 2 eggs in the morning and sometimes a third one at night and I'm not opposed to eating more I just know there's debate about how many is too much.  Recently I started snacking on pork rinds and the baked cheese bites Trader Joe's sells.  After I eat I really am full I just want to have enough go to snacks that I don't slip up or cheat at snack time because nothing sounds good.  I'll definitely check out some of the keto shakes and I know there are a lot of keto products out there now I just haven't done the research to see what's available at local stores and which I can order.  Thanks for the info.

Sounds like a similar mix like I did. The only thing I’d like to change is I wanted to cut back in dairy, but haven’t found anything that will work yet.

Speaking of Trader Joe’s, they make an enchilada sauce that is either or close to zero carbs and sugars. I used to do an enchilada bake with cut up chicken, the sauce, cheese, olives, and sometimes add sour cream. I would sometimes add cauliflower rice, but don’t really like the item.

I haven’t done many of the newer keto companies or snacks, there’s a bunch out now. I came across Perfect Keto early in and really dig their stuff. Their powder mix is a fantastic exogenous ketone product. I’d even eat carbs but would take this after and when I’d do my blood test the next day I was still over 3.0 which is the ketosis baseline. Highly recommended if you sometimes want to get out of the mundane foods.

8 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

[Brandon]

8 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Good stuff guys. I just started keto to start leaning out way before next spring/summer. I've been bulking up you can say for the last two years, lifting heavy at the gym and at home on average 5 days a week, while consuming a bunch of protein and carbs. I'm pretty much done with carbs outside of the occasional going out to dinner, Thanksgiving, Christmas feasts for a while now. 

Have any of you worked out for years and did the same things, routines, sets/reps, but didn't see any growth? That was me this past year as I finally turned the corner in Feb of this year and started seeing big gains. The problem is, the heavier I've got the easier it is to sustain injuries when you fall, muscle tears and joint pain from the heavy lifting. So I'm going do more stretching, still continue lifting, more cardio. 

I'm weighing in at 225 lbs at 5'10 in this picture, taken a week ago -- rocking out to Audioslave.

 

I have always mixed it up to not plateau, but have because of consistent workouts or diet. As soon as I shocked my system or changed it up things started going well again.

Looking good dude. If you want to take it to the next level look into TRT.

[Blarg]

9 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I'm weighing in at 225 lbs at 5'10 in this picture, taken a week ago -- rocking out to Audioslave.

225 lbs at 5'10"? Shit, you are way too heavy for a toolsy middle infielder. 

[Blarg]

Finally got the blood test results. Glucose dropped to 104. Still listed as high but stepping way back off the diabetes ledge, normal is 65-99 so I'm not far off from getting out of the danger zone. 

I somehow survived the Anniversary dinner. I had a vodka double at the lounge, then a glass of red wine with dinner, had some bread with butter and shared the creme brulee they gave us for our 40th.

That obviously blew out the Ketosis but I'm back on the program and ready to dump more fat. Last checked I hit the 45 lb loss marker. Goal is to lose 15 more before years end. That's going to require some exercise. 

[Chuck]

On 10/27/2019 at 8:18 PM, Blarg said:

Finally got the blood test results. Glucose dropped to 104. Still listed as high but stepping way back off the diabetes ledge, normal is 65-99 so I'm not far off from getting out of the danger zone. 

I somehow survived the Anniversary dinner. I had a vodka double at the lounge, then a glass of red wine with dinner, had some bread with butter and shared the creme brulee they gave us for our 40th.

That obviously blew out the Ketosis but I'm back on the program and ready to dump more fat. Last checked I hit the 45 lb loss marker. Goal is to lose 15 more before years end. That's going to require some exercise. 

Great job, @Blarg. Good news. Keep up the good work! 

[wopphil]

Last year, I dropped about 20 pounds and was in the best shape I had been in for quite some time. This year, I have worked way more at my job, worked out way less, and done a poor job with my diet. Consequently, I have gained back most of the weight (I am about 6' 1", 210; i should be closer to 195).

The weight gain takes a huge toll on me both physically and mentally. I have to find ways to keep my weight in check. I am thinking of putting a gym into my garage. Time is such a premium for me that the ability to spend even just 20 to 30 minutes working out in my garage each day could prove a difference maker.

Anyone have good luck with a home gym? Any recommendations you can make? I am thinking of getting a Marcy Smith cage/machine - they just came out with a new one that looks cool and has tons of exercises). I also intend to get some free weights, kettle bells, bands, etc., as well as a treadmill.

[arch stanton]

A gym is great. Being in shape and working off stress helps but maintaining your weight is about diet. Drop the bread. Drop the fries. Drop the sugar. Increase the veggies. And you live in one of the nicest climates on the planet. Go out and walk 

[Brandon]

Yeah, I've been back and have quietly been doing two-a-days some days. While being healthy is a plus, I've found the biggest benefit to be the mental health side. If I start feeling anxious, depressed, or stressed I simply drive over to the gym or use the one at my complex and let off some steam and it does wonders.

I've been out of the loop for quite some time, so taking it super slow because my supporting muscles and ligaments can't take the strain that my head thinks is still an athletic 18 year old. I pretty much go to LA Fitness in the morning and do a routine of the sauna, treadmill, bike, then sauna. In the middle of the day I'll walk over to my complex gym (which is nicer than most regular gyms) and do something around the treadmill, then machines/weights.

My blood pressure has been close to stroke/seizure levels so we dropped quite a bit of booze, eat better, and getting to the gym about daily. I somehow flipped a switch mentally a while back and am almost addicted to going to the gym now opposed to it feeling like work or a second job.

[Blarg]

Ok, confession time. I blew up my diet once more. Last Friday I weighed in at 239.1 and then Saturday I ate a slice of my Mom's 86th birthday cake at the party I organized at Angelo & Vinci's. I special ordered it, the cost was $120 and I have not many more of her birthdays to celebrate. It was damn good cake.

Then I doubled down on stupid and Sunday I went on a Triumph club event to Julian. This is the last of apple season and Julian is a town that is a simple three blocks long and every restaurant, coffee shop and bakery serves apple pie. No one except myself in the family eats apple pie. There is one pie shop at the end of town that makes an excellent apple pie in multiple types. Over the three days I was there I had two slices with caramel sauce and ice cream. The third day I left town before any of them opened or I would have eaten one more slice.

So Wednesday I weighed myself, expecting the worst and the scale read 239.3. it seems that one weekend's of over indulging wasn't catastrophic and added to quality of life so I'm able to jump back on the diet and work to my goal. 

We are on the cusp of the holidays but having gotten my cheat out of the way I think I can survive the season without succumbing to the office cookies and sweats extravaganzas. Then when late January rolls around I'm going to have another piece of cake. Because I'm not sure how many more birthdays I get to celebrate. 

 

[tdawg87]

I mean, logically a couple "bad" days isn't going to do anything so long as you get right back on track after. 

Pm me if you want some weight loss tips.

[Blarg]

With the Ketosis diet if you fuck up and blow up your carb count as bad as I did you basically start back from scratch. So I'm in purgatory for another couple weeks trying to get a system reset.

It was worth it.

[tdawg87]

Well that's why I will never try that diet. There is absolutely no way it works for me. Gotta have a cheat day here and there.

I just gotta get my fat ass out of bed and do shit. And also not drink so much which causes me to binge eat. Yeah.

[Brandon]

So my two cents, which doesn't mean shit.

I tend to follow a Keto light type of lifestyle....I'm cognizant about sugar and carbs, but I'm not going to live a shitty lifestyle trying to conform. I found when I was doing it consistently, I would eat heavy carbs then do blood testing the next day and still be above 3.0 which is considered keto. If you are consistently good, you're good.

I'm going through a weird dilemma because I have seen results from both, keto plus intermittent fasting and the typical low carb/sugar six meals a day. There seems to be benefits in both, but more importantly it depends on your frame and how your body reacts. I like keto, but have found the cheat day that absolutely fucks up your system to be a plus and keeps away from stagnation or plateuing (sp?)....there is something to be said said about system shock, the same way H.I.T.T shocks and fucks up your system. I have been good and following a pretty solid regiment, but ate like shit and even had ice cream and woke up leaner because of the continuous work. One day or weekend isn't going to set you off. If you're consistent then you will be fine and work through the cheat meals or off days.

I like the body shock, but also realize I'm a mesomorph so my body style is different with how it handles the changes. 

Eat that cake and feel good about it, then get back in the gym and do what you normally do.

[arch stanton]

5 hours ago, tdawg87 said:

Well that's why I will never try that diet. There is absolutely no way it works for me. Gotta have a cheat day here and there.

I just gotta get my fat ass out of bed and do shit. And also not drink so much which causes me to binge eat. Yeah.

If you think of it as a diet then it’s always dreadful. When my daughter was born in April of’16 I was around 255 at 5’11”. She became the motivation I needed to make actual lifestyle changes. The diet I use is called “don’t be a dumbass”. There’s no secret these days as to what makes you fat and what works to lose weight. I set short term goals, like 10-12 pounds, then allow myself to indulge a bit without being a dumbass about it. I dropped 60 pounds in about a year and have kept it off since. If you find a way to track your calories you’ll figure out a lot of foods that you don’t really care about are ridiculously high. 

[Blarg]

I think you have a book title right there. Don't Be A Dumbass Diet. Unfortunately the common sense approach is lost on most of society but it would probably still be a best seller, even if no one  actually follows the advice. 

[tdawg87]

Yeah when it comes to losing weight in bulk, it's really not that hard. I dropped 60 pounds about 8 years ago. Took me 4 months and all I did was count calories and walk on the treadmill a bit. It just takes control, which is the biggest hurdle. 

If I really put in the effort, I could be at a healthy weight in a little over a year. But I'm not doing any "diets" or fuckin marathons or shit. I just need to eat and exercise like a normal human being should. 

But keeping it off will be the problem. I gained that 60 pounds back and then some in another year.