Cause Workin' Out is 'fun' to do...

[Gravity Defier]

At a very slow, steady pace, I managed to run (jog might be more appropriate for the time being) 3 miles before my knee/leg declared its hatred for me and all things related to mobility. Better than yesterday.

(Though I finished in a foul mood for two reasons: First, my brother turned off all the fans in the room and then shut the door, so no air was flowing in or out. He could have been really mean and turned the light off, too, so I guess I lucked out. Second, my dad thinks I'm faking the knee thing even though he saw the swelling, and is convinced I'm trying to get out of running. Like hell I am faking or trying to get out of anything.)

About an hour later, I went on a one mile walk with my dog.

4 miles, all in all, equals a productive day. Or so I'm telling myself.

But I miss the weights. And the lateral pull. And the reclining sit up bench. And the elliptical machine. And the stationary bike. *sigh*

Also, damn my brother and all men in general for quicker, easier weight loss. He just started exercising 2 or 3 weeks ago and has managed to drop 16 lbs. I don't know what he's doing, but I'm not thrilled at all. I might have lost 2lbs in the last 3 months. Ugh.

*leaves thread annoyed*

[locke]

um eightish weeks later (I started july 7) I finished day 3 of week six of the 100 pushups. woohoo. test on friday to see what my new max is (can I get to sixty?!) and gym membership starting next week when I get back from MO for the weekend.

[Gravity Defier]

I didn't run last week, up in Phoenix, because a) I figured a week off might improve my whole left knee/leg issue and b) little people are energetic enough that just trying to keep up with them is like a workout.

(They had me picking them up and putting them on my shoulders, and other assorted activities that could probably be comparable to machines...like in Rocky IV, where he used what he had around him in his workout.)

I didn't run yesterday because, well, I wasn't motivated to do so. I did walk my dog a mile, though.

Anyway, I attempted a run today. My knee is fine (thank god) but I made it a whole mile before my leg tightened up so badly, I was sure something was going to rip if I kept going. It was tightening up before but I could run through it. Not this time. *sigh* I stretched beforehand, then progressed from walk -> power walk -> jog -> run, so I don't understand the tightening. Maybe I'm deficient in some vitamin or something.

I'll walk my dog tonight and try for at least two miles tomorrow. *nod*

[locke]

btw, I got 61 pushups on my max (wow)

I've done another weeks worth of week six and it was easier this time through, looking forward to trying a max again on thursday

went hiking on sunday, and was horrified at how out of shape I was. it wasn't a difficult hike by any means but it wore me out. hopefully canvassing for obama this weekend in vegas won't wear me out.

[Ela]

I am back to a regular work-out routine. I am posting it here to give me motivation to keep to it and not make a liar out of myself.

I never got back to the 100 pushups challenge after I stopped during my mother's illness.

[Gravity Defier]

I think my new rule is no Pweb, phone, or AIM (computer or phone version) if I don't run at least 2-3 miles every day. More would be better, but my leg isn't cooperating quite yet.

I went two yesterday before the discomfort got to me, supposed to do three today but my brother (unintentionally but still annoyingly) prevented that from happening.

[Gravity Defier]

I am officially registered for a run this Friday night.

I will do okay, but I would have done better were this run 3-4 weeks ago. Oh well. I'll finish and if I can finish even 1/100 of a second faster than my last run 5 years ago, I'll be marginally happy.

[Craig]

Just read the entire thread...

Some of you guys are crazy! And I mean that in the best way possible. I started my own exercise program a couple days ago (just sit ups and pushups, but I run all day too it's just not part of the program). I think I'm going to try that 100 pushups like a few others.

Salaam

[BonitoDeMadrid]

(sorry for bumping a thread from more than a month ago)

It's official: BdM is (hopefully, if tomorrow's weighting shows similar results) 10.4 kilograms (22.9 pounds) less in weight.

Halfway point, officially reached. (I think this should go in the Personal Triumphs thread, but what the heck?)

[lyons24000]

My wife says that she is proud for you, Bonito.

Her goal is to lose twenty pounds. She wants to know how you did it. Almost as if a man's body and a woman's body react the same way to the same methods...

[BonitoDeMadrid]

My wife says that she is proud for you, Bonito.

Her goal is to lose twenty pounds. She wants to know how you did it. Almost as if a man's body and a woman's body react the same way to the same methods...

First of all, tell her I said thanks.

Second of all, I present the BonitoDeMadrid recipe for losing weight-(not intended for women, people over 45 who need to lose weight, or people over 300 pounds in weight, 'cause that'll be just too hard) :

-Learn how to use the word "no" when offered high-calories food. Trust me, you'll get used to it after a while.

-Go on a 1500-calories-per-day diet; that means not only not eating over 1500 calories, but also (and most importantly) learning how to count calories (people need to start reading the tiny letters that say how many calories are there in a food)

-If possible, find a low-calories yet sweet snack (Chewy 90 calories
granola bars, if you can find them, work nicely). Not eating sweets for a long while is not good for the soul. Also, find low-calories snacks: that means no more salty snacks, but Tic-Tacs work wonderfully in this department.

-Avoid any and all types of junk food. Thus, no hamburgers, no tacos, no pizzas, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. When you reach the goal- or the halfway point for the goal- you can eat junk food ONCE (for celebration) and add 300 calories to your diet, making it 1800- but you must keep counting at all costs.

-About fruits: Fruits are excellent as a sweet treat, but don't eat too many of them, because they have their caloric value, even if it's small. For instance, a medium-sized red apple is worth 40 calories, while a medium-sized banana is worth 80 calories. (The rest I don't know, because I haven't eaten them in a while. )

-At vacations, parties, etc. try to eat a tiny bit of everything- but just a tiny bit. EXAMPLE: in a school trip when everybody brings snacks, you don't bring high calories snacks (see above), but you're allowed to take 1 piece per friend's snack. (If your friends brought collectively 6 snacks, you can eat 1 piece from each of their snacks, making 6 pieces).

-Most important step: go to the 33 meters (108 feet) swimming pool 15 minutes from your house, 4-5 times per week, and swim 50 pools non-stop (usually takes me about 45 minutes, give or take). Not only does swimming burn calories insanely, but it also builds muscles and therefore, increases your daily calorie consumption.

Good luck to all!

EDIT: Added the junk food and vacations part, plus some materials about snack consumptions and fruits.

[Wil]

Er... uh... 1500 is quite low... like very low. Especially for a guy. If you've been used to eating a lot more I'd slowly reduce that down otherwise your body would probably go in to fat-protection mode where it's actually harder to lose fat. Just an FYI. (Not to Bonito... just to anyone going on that.)

Also, I know a lot of people hate counting calories but I also know it works. If you're interested in something that is essentially like that but is also a lot more strict on exact macro nutrient ratios look in to the "Zone Diet". You're keeping a pretty strict diet but instead of COUNTING you're weighing your food. It's a lot easier to just get a little scale for the kitchen that you weigh food on before you cook or eat it is to keep track of calories. Plus, some could argue that this is an "optimal" split for protein, fat, and carbs. *shrugs*

Edit: Crossfit Journal 21

It's actually fairly simple. On page 2 is a "scale" for both men and women on how many blocks a day they should eat, keeping in mind that this is for a very athletic person. 17 blocks is ABOUT 1800-2000 calories a day. If you're doing 17 a day, for example, for breakfast you would refer to page 3 and 4 and choose five things (or five of ONE thing) from each category of protein carbs and fat. Such as, three large whole eggs, 1oz cheese, 1 oz ham (for an omelet), then perhaps 1 cup oatmeal flavored with 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar and 1/3 cup fruit cocktail, six almonds and 3/4 tsp sunflower seeds. Meal! And it's a crap load of food too.

Er, yeah, just an option for those that don't want to COUNT calories. I always hated it, and this type of diet is what I always fall back on because it is really quite simple after a few weeks. You don't have to be as weight-accurate because you know how much you can have of something. Plus, it's good to "cycle" your caloric intake throughout the week because it keeps your body guessing and keeps it from "settling in to a groove". The only thing you really need is just a fairly decent scale (hopefully digital) that can be "zeroed" out so you can put a bowl on top.

Don't mean to overshadow your way to an excellent achievement, I just thought I'd throw in another option. Good job, Bonito.

[BonitoDeMadrid]

Thanks, Wil! =) And also, your proposed diet seems really interesting, though I hope I won't have to try it until I'm much older

About the 1500 thing, three years ago I lost 22 pounds again using a 1200 calories diet- which, of course, made me regain those 22 pounds and more, after sufficient time. So 1500 seems like a fine option; the calorie loss wasn't too fast, nor too slow (I don't want to be dieting for an entire year! XD).

Also, I agree with your claim that the body would probably go into fat-protection mode- but that's where the swimming (also) kicks in, and though there may be weeks you won't lose weight (I had quite a few myself), eventually the swimming will force your body to use its energy, and lose fat again.

[Wil]

So long as they work in to it slowly I'm sure they would be fine. Just the way you put it -- if someone is eating 2500 or 3000 calories a day and then suddenly drops to 1500 for a "diet", the body doesn't tend to react that well to something like that. 1500 is fine so long as it isn't done suddenly.

I don't like the word "diet" to mean "short term eating plan" -- it's kind of unreasonable to think that you won't eat bad food for awhile, only to go back and eat bad food more. Most people tend to find that not dieting but instead just changing the way they eat is more effect at losing weight and keeping it off. So, once you reach your goal, don't just go back to eating bad food! Just, control your portions and eat the "bad" stuff in moderation.

[Valentine]

Since starting on birth control, I've managed to gain a little over 15 pounds. I'm not
really big framed to begin with, so it's not detrimental that I lose it...but I'd really like to. And I want to do it the healthy way. I probably eat a little over 2000 calories a day right now on average, I would assume. Maybe even more on some days - yesterday it was probably more like 2500-3000 if I sat and added it up - but some days I barely eat at all. I'm not the healthiest eater.
Would it be a shock to my system to cut to a steady 1200 calories each day? If I could just get back to even 130 (I'm at 136 right now), I'd be happy.

[Wil]

How active are you? If you're up moving around any significant amount the 1200 isn't going to really be enough. Really, just try to balance your intake. A normal person (that is, one that doesn't spend all day sitting down) can burn upwards of 2,000 calories a day by just living. If you could just keep your intake at around (counting doesn't have to be exact) 1500-2000 a day then you'll lose weight without any trouble. Just make sure to drink plenty of water also (8 glasses a day or more). Try and keep the food "good", too. Basically, avoid fast food and significant amounts of "junk" food.

[Valentine]

I don't go out of my way to exercise, honestly. I walk a couple miles a day between classes on campus and walking around the strip for lunch and all. I used to be fairly active, but with the whole MBA thing, pretty much most of my free time is studying and school projects. I'd love to say I'll fix that, but adding any extra time for activities other than resting (tv/movies in bed before sleep) is pushing it with my energy levels.

I eat a lot of fast food. It's cheap and quick during school days. And I love french fries, lol, so it's not even smart choices. I told myself no more of that, and I bought some frozen meals and soups and such to keep in the law building's fridge.

[Wil]

See, so you get plenty of exercise! So, just try and balance your eating so you don't go a day without eating and then eat extra the next day. Stay away from fast food, soda, and junk foods. Just keep it as healthy as you can and as regular as you can. Every 3 hours if possible you should eat something small. Many smaller meals is better than a few large meals. It really isn't that difficult.

[Valentine]

Haha, I bought lots of healthy foods so I'll try that. I don't think I'll actually count calories at all, because I think if I cut out (most) junk I can easily keep a lower calorie count, without trying. I think I'll keep drinking diet sodas for now though

I'll post in a couple weeks and let you know if it's working.

[Wil]

I think I'll keep drinking diet sodas for now though

Ugh. If you're going to drink soda just drink REGULAR soda. I'm going to sound like a hippie but diet sodas are only about a hundred times worse for you than regular soda. Regular soda isn't even BAD, it's just that they use artificial sweeteners in both instead of good ole' sugar.

Seriously. Awful, awful stuff diet soda is. I hate seeing people drink diet soda because, really, it's not "diet" in any way and often times makes it more difficult for people to lose weight. It has also been shown to further reduce insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics. If you MUST drink soda, just drink regular soda, limit it to one a day, and drink it sooner in the day.

I mean, when you think about it, soda has been around for nearly 200 years (1830's or there about). Restaurants have been around for 250 or more years (in the western world). It isn't until recently that obesity has become such a problem... with the advent of artificial sweeteners and artificial preservatives... it might not be largely medically accepted but I personally believe that a large part of our weight problems in the world are due to the artificial crap we eat and drink every day. Not really only that, but the fact that food is also so available and people are getting slowly and slowly more stationary. Probably both!

Basically.... soda. Ugh. Try and not drink it. I know it might not seem like it now, but that stuff is disgusting. If you stop drinking it for a few months you'll realize just how nasty the stuff is. I wouldn't have believed it a few years ago, but I stopped drinking it and now most soda tastes just awful. IF I have a soda I drink Orange or Root Beer... and then I only drink maybe one or two a month, MAYBE. You really would be better off kicking that habit... not only health wise but the money savings also! Because... water is free and everyone has it!

[Luet]

Regular soda isn't even BAD, it's just that they use artificial sweeteners in both instead of good ole' sugar.

I just wanted to clarify and add to this. Regular soda has HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) which is bad because it is sweeter than sugar and yet does not satiate your craving for sweet, so you keep wanting more and more. Diet soda has splenda or aspartame or one of the other fake sugars which are very hard for your liver to process and are controversial in many ways.

There are some great "natural" sodas out there that use real sugar (cane sugar, etc) for when you really feel like some sweet carbonation. It is scary how many products have HFCS, it's everywhere! And now there are those hideous commercials by the Corn Refiners Association promoting the crap. Grr.

[Valentine]

I'm addicted to caffiene. I get hideous migranes that last at least a week or so when I go without soda. They begin even if I go just a day without a soda.
So, basically, it's diet soda or caffiene pills, because I drink about 7-8 a day.

[Wil]

Luet has it exactly right! When I wrote "Regular soda isn't even bad" I was thinking of soda from Europe and Mexico. I think I've said this before, probably in this topic, but besides the fact that HFCS doesn't make you feel "full", it's also not taxed on import unlike real sugar. I've also probably made the comparison of people from Europe drinking a lot of soda but they aren't fat. But, I think I read or heard that Europeans are starting to have the obesity problem now and fast food is starting to become more popular. *hmms*

As for your caffeine addiction, Valentine,... that's what it is, an addiction! Seriously not good. Seven or EIGHT cans a day? Good lord, woman! You need to spend this holiday detoxing at a rehab or something... that's just ridiculuos. I understand the need for caffeine, I really do. But, just like any other "drug", the more you use the more your body not only depends on it but also requires more of. That's just... wow. Insane. Forget eating right... your first step is to stop drinking soda. Replace soda with coffee and real sugar. It would be MUCH, MUCH better for you. Then slowly reduce the amount you drink per day. Just.. wow.

[Valentine]

Huh. I'm so dense, I didn't even THINK about coffee. I could probably lower my soda intake and drink more coffee. I actually like my coffee with steamed milk and very little sugar, so it wouldn't even be that bad for me if I drank a lot...

Yeah, the caffiene is bad. Sometimes if I only drink 5 or 6 cans, I get such bad headaches that I need to take a couple caffiene pills (which I've learned to keep around). And cokes don't help at all; I need Vault or Mountain Dew or other high-caffiene sodas.

I drink a lot regardless of what it is, so I guess that's where the addiction came in. I think I probably average 200 or more ounces of liquid a day.

[Wil]

Soda bad! Stop drinking it! I'd even try and slowly reduce the caffeine intake... by a lot. You should need one in the morning and one in the afternoon TOPS. The less the better, really. Because, the more you drink, the more it'll take to bring you up to the same level of [awakeness]. I know several people that drink coffee, but they only drink it once or twice a week... when they REALLY need it, because they know if they start to depend on it they'll just continue to crank it in.

Speaking of being awake... how do you even sleep at night?!

[Valentine]

Sleep? Oh, that's where the confusion lies. I probably only sleep about 4 hours a night due to schoolwork.

God am I looking forward to winter break

[locke]

good advice here on soda, diet soda etc. Wil is also spot on with the 1500-2000 calories thing. Starches and sugars are generally more likely to make me gain weight with my metabolism, but some people have the genes that they still don't gain weight eating those, their body just amps the calorie burning. *shakes fist at naturally skinny people* Nomi hit the nail on the head with the artificial sweeteners.

Part of the reason starches and sugars make weight gain so easy for about forty percent of the population is that they basically prop open up the pathway to fat storage, while suppressing the pathway that burns excess calories. Diets rich in protein and light in simple sugars and starches tend to help those forty percent by keeping the pathway to fat storage closed and opening up the pathway that burns calories. Do to correlation=causation this led to a very excited craze called Atkins a few years ago, but because few people understood the diet itself and even fewer scientists and dieticians even bothered to study the science that underpins the principle (if not necessarily Atkins proscriptions) it was shouted down before it could be understood. This is unfortunate, as the basic science was done in the thirties in Germany when doctors basically wiped out obesity in their country. Unfortunately all those doctors and researchers died in WWII and there was a competing hypothesis in the West (there was a lot of competition between Germany, which used to be the world's center of science (to the point every scientist had to learn German then) and the United States) which took root here and has been the flawed basis for all our science studying the issue of obesity since then. Only now, decades after we learned about the concepts of genetic variation that explain the differences the Germans saw that made some of the population more predisposed to obesity, are we actually beginning to question the fundamentals, and discover that our current science can better explain past successes than the scientists who discovered those successes could.

(the above paragraph is why I've generally learned to keep my mouth shut about obscure topics, because people start giving me looks--I read too much--it's vastly worse with movie related topics)

I heart coffee, btw, just had my daily cup. caffeine is thermogenic, so it gives the metabolism a very slight boost (a few more calories burned a day), but caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning you'll need to drink more water to compensate for it dehydrating your system.

[Valentine]

Blah, 4 glasses of wine and hummus w/ pita is NOT a healthy night...bummer...

[locke]

I'm thinking of making a "Keeping You Honest" thread wherein one can post what calories one consumed that day, as well as any other thing you need to post to keep honest but think it might just as well fit here. haven't decided yet.

Blah, 4 glasses of wine and hummus w/ pita is NOT a healthy night...bummer...

but it sounds like a fun night!

[Young Val]

I'm thinking of making a "Keeping You Honest" thread wherein one can post what calories one consumed that day, as well as any other thing you need to post to keep honest but think it might just as well fit here. haven't decided yet.

Yeah, I actually keep a food diary (when I'm in the process of trying to lose weight/be healthier. Which I am, currently). It totally sucks when you have a bad day and you have to write down that you ate 8 Little Debbie Snack Cakes in 10 minutes, or something, but it does at least shed some light on things.

[Valentine]

I can't write things down. When I do, I get really obsessed with numbers and what I eat to write down.
I'm a lot healthier on a while when I just attempt to eat healthy, and - if necessary - tally numbers in my head for the day and forget them.

On the actual working out portion of this, I lost my student ID that gets me into the gym I'll be searching for that this weekend, so that I can start going again next week.

[locke]

okay so I weighed 212 before thanksgiving vacation, I weighed 212 yesterday and today. so at least my weight is stable over the holiday. I suspected I was not eating as many of mom's snacks she has planted throughout the house as I have in the past, and it appears I was correct. I'm not getting a gym membershipthis month because it would be wasted for half of december. However, in the spirit of the 100 pushups thing, I'm going to do a pushups, situps, squats etc type of calisthenics right after I get up, starting tomorrow. Not to lose weight, though that would be nice (I'm a lot more comfortable in the 200-205 range), but more to maintain fitness and prepare for the weightlifting regimen I've been drawing up for January 5-May 29. I hate running or I'd go running, but I'd rather do just about anything than running, so my brain would be trying to find distractions to avoid actually doing it when scheduled. I might break up the monotony of the calisthenics with swimming laps, though our pool is woeful for laps and I get bored easily swmming laps.

Goals for next year: Bench Press body weight 6 reps (previous max a couple years ago, 160 for 4 reps), 10 pullups then later 25 pullups, 50 dips, 100 pushups, 100 situps, 1 muscle-up, 7 minute mile, squat 300lbs 6 reps (keeping this low because I've already had a hernia, thank you very much).

[locke]

I stayed up late which meant I woke up with barely enough time to make the wednesday cookies, much less do calisthenics. hopefully I can get my baseline 'test' workout done tomorrow.

[locke]

I did say I was starting a calisthenics program right?

i don't think that is the right term at all, basically instead of just pushups I'm going to be doing pushups, situps and squats in the manner of the 100 pushups challenge

I'm only going to be doing this for a few weeks until I get a gym membership and begin crossfit or MAX-OT again in January. my hope is that it'll act as a bit of a warmup to getting back into the swing of workouts, so that I can hopefully ease the bodyshock of starting workouts again and hopefully avoid a burnout.

so my initial tests for pushups was 50 (coulda done more, but hard to resist quitting on a round number), for situps was 69, and air squats was 79 (really deep knee bends as there's no weight involved)

[CezeN]

Am I the only one here whos trying to gain weight??
THough it seems to be impossible since my metabolism is so fast, and my mom doesnt make fatty foods.