We had batting practice, but I did NOT have beer.

4/19/2011 9:08:36 PM

I went down a notch on my belt this morning

4/19/2011 9:58:28 PM

I have a question. I already weight train, but if I'm trying to lose weight through cardio should I take it easy or really try and raise my heart rate through an intense workout.

Is walking better for burning fat than running? It seems ridiculous to me that doing something less active would be more beneficial, but I've heard that more intense activities break down muscle, as opposed to less intensity which breaks down fat.

Any thoughts?

4/19/2011 10:22:15 PM

these taste great :

http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Protein-Chocolate-Deluxe-Ounces/dp/B001G8Y8VM


whats the catch?

4/19/2011 11:54:36 PM

Less filling?

4/20/2011 12:08:43 AM

^^^ In my non-expert opinion, workouts only start to break down muscle when you don't have enough energy for the activity you're participating in and you need an energy source.

General rule of thumb for cardio - 70% of your Max HR you are using fat as an energy source, 85% you are using a mix of fat and carbs and at 100% you are pretty much only using carbs.

4/20/2011 8:13:12 AM

Dead Lift Day: DL 315x1, 365x1, **430x1**.
Front Squat 165 3x10.
Calves + Shrugs.
Abs.
60 push ups + 60 Chin Ups (12 sets of 5).

**New Personal Record! ** Body weight holding at 168lbs.

###############

The reason I like low intensity walking/cardio for fat loss is because I like my calorie deficit to come from calorie restriction (i.e. eating less)....

When you are in a calorie deficit, your recovery ability is compromised. If you are training weights and attempting to maintain/build some strength during your fat loss, it is critical to make sure you recovery is adequate.

So what I am getting at is this: If you are kicking ass with weights, eating less AND running a lot, you are going to hit a wall rather quickly. Weight loss may stall, you lose more lean weight than desired, or you generally feel like shit.

Losing fat while maintaining strength/muscle and not wrecking your energy levels/well being, at a 1-5lbs a week rate requires a delicate balance of stresses...

Enough calories and protein to allow for adequate recovery, enough training stimulus to maintain/build strength, enough activity to burn calories, and enough sleep to promote recovery and optimal hormonal profile. If you can dial that all in right, you can maintain or possibly build muscle, lose body fat and feel great.


[Edited on April 20, 2011 at 10:36 AM. Reason : )]

4/20/2011 10:34:23 AM

Quote :

"General rule of thumb for cardio - 70% of your Max HR you are using fat as an energy source, 85% you are using a mix of fat and carbs and at 100% you are pretty much only using carbs."

damn seriously...i was wondering why on the treadmill near the heart rate monitor there are categories for cardiovascular strength, fat burning, and athletic. when i run i'm generally at 90 to 100% of my max heart rate since i've been focusing on reducing my time. maybe i should re-evaluate this and focus on burning fat since that's my main goal here.

4/20/2011 11:14:52 AM

That would mean I need to keep my heartrate around 140 when I exercise which seems toooo easy???

Check this section out an article I read that I agree with;

Quote :

"Long steady state cardio every workout. Exercise should be focused and efficient. More, in this case, does not mean better. The myth of the slow and steady cardio in your “fat burning zone” needs to die here. Here’s an example from a University of Wisconsin study. Two groups performed 30 minutes of cardio, one low intensity group and one high intensity group. The low intensity group burned a total 240 calories with 41% coming from fat. The high intensity group burned a total of 450 calories with 24% from fat. The high intensity group burned more calories overall and, even with a lower percentage of calories from fat, burned 12 more actual calories from fat. Moral of the story: work smarter, not longer. High intensity training for a short period of time will help you burn more fat in the long run."

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2zgjRw/life.dailyburn.com/diet-and-nutrition/eat-more-exercise-less/

4/20/2011 12:27:03 PM

So I can either have a low intensity work out and burn 98.4 calories from fat, or a high intensity work out and burn 108 calories from fat...seems like low intensity isn't all that bad

Quote :

"I have a question. I already weight train, but if I'm trying to lose weight through cardio should I take it easy or really try and raise my heart rate through an intense workout. "

What I've heard is that if you weight train and then do cardio immediately for too long (more than 15 minutes) you end up burning muscle because your body has no more energy reserves. This is counter intuitive to building muscle and losing fat, obviously. It also drastically cuts into the crucial post-workout period where you should consume proteins and carbs to revitalize your muscles and help them grow. Another point I heard was that after roughly 45 minutes to an hour of general weight lifting, you essentially have hit a wall of how effective your work out will be, and anything past that time will get you little to no gain.

What I used to do (based on advice from my much more knowledgable friend) was have an intense work out that kept my heart rate up by using super sets between two lifts, and afterwards do 15 minutes of cardio or running followed immediately by something like a peanut butter sandwich or protein shake. I think I had the sandwich on the way home from the gym and the protein shake once I got there.

[Edited on April 20, 2011 at 12:40 PM. Reason : lkj]

4/20/2011 12:32:02 PM

lol I mean, true, I guess haha It's just really easy for my heartrate to be low intensity right now, prolly because I am overweight, also I like to feel like I did something and sweat.

4/20/2011 12:40:00 PM

yeah i was doing some research on this yesterday too

Quote :

"Working in either zone will improve overall fitness and burn calories. The theory behind working in the fat burning zone is that you burn more overall fat calories and, thus, encourage fat loss. However, if you have a limited amount of time to exercise and want to lose weight---your goal should be to burn as many calories as possible. When you exercise at a lower intensity, you may burn a greater percentage of fat calories, but less total calories. When you exercise in a cardio zone, you burn a lower percentage of fat calories, but more total calories and, as a result, just as much total fat. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/90858-heart-rates-cardio-vs.-fat/ "

based on what i've ready i'm going to continue to run my 3 miles 3 times a week at a quick pace (7.5 - 8.0 mph) and keep my heart rate up around 90% of MHR. i'll also be focusing on keeping my HR in the fat burning zone doing weight lifting.

4/21/2011 9:01:34 AM

Yay! I started monitoring what I was eating on April 11th and I've already lost 4.2 lbs. So excited. At this rate, bikini in no time.

4/21/2011 9:58:54 AM

Workout fail today. Yesterday I took a rest day because I wasn't feeling 100%. I barely slept last night and took some allergy meds which I believe have made me feel super lethargic all day. I thought maybe a work out would wake me up, nope I just felt even worse the longer I was on the elliptical. So I just did my 30 minutes and skipped the strength training today. I feel like shithole.

4/21/2011 4:07:14 PM

quit focusing on missing workouts and what you can't do at the moment.

in other words, QUIT'CHER BITCHIN'


missing one, two, even three or four workouts can be overlooked.

just focus on getting to the next one and not making it a habit.

4/23/2011 12:22:01 AM

Squat Day:

Squat 315lbs 5x3.
4" Deficit DL 265 5x2.
Shrugs + Calve Hops.
Abs.

Body weight holding at 167, even after a little cheat day yesterday

Hopefully getting down to 166 or 165 by next weekend.

#######

Quick Tip: Weight/fat loss may be masked by water retention. Our bodies tend to retain water when we are stressed and/or in a deep calorie deficit.

Keeping stress levels low by sleeping enough, maintaining a positive attitude and not over-training will help mitigate this. Also intermittently using green tea or other diuritics will help release water. Try to get more potassium, less sodium.

Often times people experience "whooshes" of weight-loss... this is a quick loss of 2-5lbs due to the release of retained water.

4/23/2011 9:37:44 AM

Vitamin Shoppe is currently offering Buy 1 Get 1 50% off online (maybe in stores too). I just picked up 2 of these babies




delicious w/skim milk

4/23/2011 10:05:38 AM

About to go for a jog on the Cary Greenway. The hills around here kick my wussy Florida booty!

4/23/2011 10:17:42 AM

Did the triangle orthopaedic sprint triathlon today. Improved my time vs. last year by about 6 minutes. Waiting to see what my splits were. I think a large portion of the improvement was due to not wearing a wetsuit this time. Last year it took me forever to get out of the suit and onto the bike.

4/23/2011 11:05:41 AM

So according to http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm, I just burned 759 calories in my 50 minute workout.

My average heart rate was 148, I weigh 216 lbs and I'm now 28 years old (as of about 10 days ago).

Does that sound right? I mean I feel like I busted my tail during the workout and I definitely had my burn going. I just want to make sure I'm not getting all giddy about the amount of calories I burn when it just seems way too high.

4/23/2011 2:24:42 PM

Yeah it sounds right. I clock in at around 200 lbs, and I can burn just over 1000 calories on the elliptical in 65 minutes. That's really busting ass of course.

4/23/2011 2:52:17 PM

Quote :

"About to go for a jog on the Cary Greenway. The hills around here kick my wussy Florida booty!"

I wish I had known you were in town! I do a long run from my house into Cary and then around Crossroads. It's a really good hilly run but isn't too hard on my knees.

4/23/2011 3:44:20 PM

those calories burned sound high but I'm no expert!!!!!!

4/23/2011 4:31:38 PM

I'm just going to keep logging what I've been logging and err on the side of caution I think.

We'll see. As I continue to get in shape I'm going to see how much it changes.

4/23/2011 4:35:39 PM

Quote :

"Yeah it sounds right. I clock in at around 200 lbs, and I can burn just over 1000 calories on the elliptical in 65 minutes. That's really busting ass of course."

the elliptical machine can easily tell you that is how many calories you have burned... i've done it before... but who knows if that's the REAL amount you are burning.

4/23/2011 5:47:30 PM

To burn that many calories running, you'd have to run like 10 miles in an hour (6min/mile pace), so...

4/23/2011 6:13:36 PM

I found out through this site (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm) that I havent been eating enough so that's why my body has been holding on to weight now. Ever since I've been eating more the scale has significantly dropped, who knew? lol Anything over a 1000 calorie deficit is bad news, since I've started keeping track I've had 1500+ defecits almost every day.

Oh and I haven't worked out in 2 days. Not sad though cause the scale is still a droppin, once I come back from Raleigh I'll be back again. Happy Easter all! Chillax on that Easter candy!

4/24/2011 1:23:07 AM

http://www.internetfitness.com/calculators/calburncalc.htm

According to this, running 6 mph at 216 lbs for 50 minutes will burn 864 calories. At 5 mph it'll burn 691 calories.

4/24/2011 11:19:35 AM

^Kinda sucks it doesn't have the elliptical on there..

4/24/2011 11:29:14 AM

Quote :

"I wish I had known you were in town! I do a long run from my house into Cary and then around Crossroads. It's a really good hilly run but isn't too hard on my knees."

I'll hit you up next time I'm in town. I flew in at 10:30 pm Friday and left for Warren County at 11 am on Saturday. Whirlwind holiday weekend!

4/24/2011 8:23:30 PM

Dammit! I gained over 6lbs this weekend while visiting my parents.

Hopefully, it's mostly water weight that will slide right off.

4/25/2011 7:27:11 AM

can someone recommend an allergist in the Raleigh area? preferably for food allergies.

4/25/2011 9:55:15 AM

Vertical Push/Pull Day:
Standing Overhead Press 165 3x3. Push Press 185x1, **200x1**.
Weighted Chin Ups **BW + 100lbsx 2, 3, 2, 2**.
Dips BW + 45lbs 3x10.
0Chin Ups 3x10.
Shoulders + Triceps isolation superset 3x10

**New Personal Records**

Quick Tip:

Contrary to popular belief, going extended periods (12+ hours, aka intermittent fasting) with out eating will not cause you to wither away and die. It can be used as an effective method to ensure lower calorie intake and potentially enhance calorie partitioning when properly combined with strength training.



[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 1:18 PM. Reason : 0]

4/25/2011 1:17:36 PM

^ I see that fasting thing as an effective way for me to pass out on the floor



My special wedding pics are in 2 weeks (eek. ) aka earlier than expected and I want to drop a few pounds before then... To be exact, they're May 15th. Any suggestions on the best (healthy) ways to lose weight or at least get a little more toned before then? I would prefer not to do strictly cardio because then I'll get bored (I like using at least some weights)

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 1:30 PM. Reason : .]

4/25/2011 1:30:24 PM

Looking toned will be a function of losing fat or building muscle, so just work at one of those and you should be fine. Healthy mix of cardio and resistance training should be fine.

4/25/2011 1:34:55 PM

Any suggestion as to the most effective cardio routine, like arc trainer, treadmill, spin class, bellydancing, circuit training? I think I could figure out some good resistance stuff...

I'm sure I can Google this but I am lazy right now (and prefer personal opinion)


OH.... and btw.... I know you can't spot train and yada yada but I would like my arms to look better by then - what are y'alls favorite moves for toning arms without putting on too much? (I know I wouldn't put on a ridiculous amount in 2 weeks but I'll be continuing the toning for a while)

4/25/2011 1:40:35 PM

Running has always been the best cardio for me because you can sustain your THR. It shouldn't matter too much what type of cardio you're doing, as long as you're keeping your HR in the right area.

You aren't going to get gigantic muscle if you are doing resistance exercises, you would need to change a lot nutrition wise for that to be a problem. I would say just do basic exercises that you're comfortable with/enjoy. Pushups, extensions, curls, etc.

4/25/2011 1:55:48 PM

Samwise:

You will see the biggest aesthetic difference by lowering body fat and water retention levels. Completely forget about increasing muscle size, focus on sparing the muscle you have.

If you have 2 weeks to prepare, I'd go on a protein-sparing modified fast. Try to hit 1-1.5grams per pound of body weight in protein, preferably from meat sources. Supplement with some fish oil, about 2-4g daily, and a multi-vitamin.

Besides the meat, fill up on low calorie vegetables... Shoot for a total calorie intake of 800-1000 calories daily.

Do heavy weight training 2 times a week with significantly lower volume. Think 3x3s or 2x5s or 5x1 on the big compound lifts. You want lift near maximal weights to promote protein synthesis as much as possible. Keep the volume (total sets/reps) low and abstain from almost all cardio except for low intensity stuff, and keep that under 20min at a time.

Also, make sure you are getting adequate sleep and keeping stress levels low.

This is a "crash diet" but it is very effective to lose 15-20lbs in 2-3 weeks, with ~5-10lbs of that being fat.

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:02 PM. Reason : 0]

4/25/2011 3:01:05 PM

i am down ~10lbs pounds already!!!! i wonder if anyone can even tell. probably not. i prob just look like a fat blob still. plus, whenever i first lose weight guess where it comes from? boobs. how freaking unfortunate is that. every. time. well my double chins might not look as chinny, i guess.

oh well. moderate exercising (not even moderate, i'd say LIGHT haha), drinking more water, eating breakfast and watching what i eat throughout the day (oh and cutting out soda almost completely...still have one like every few days...but if i have one, i don't eat a snack) has helped me drop a quick 10lbs.

i need to increase the exercising, though. i bet the next 10 will be harder to lose. and the next 5 - 10lbs after that will probably just take forever, huh?

so far i've been doing this 2 - 3x a week: wake up, 20-30 min run, 100 crunches, 30 - 50 pushups. then i also do 50 crunches and 10 push ups before bed every night. i want to increase the duration of my runs and obviously start trying to do it more like 4x a week. and maybe throw some exercise in the afternoon too after work...like yoga or something.

4/25/2011 3:01:25 PM

No offense, but I definitely do NOT want to crash diet. :\ Plus, keeping stress levels low during finals time is basically a no-go. I will try to incorporate more protein though... I think 800 cals is too low for me though as I get shaky pretty easily.

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:32 PM. Reason : ^ good job!! ]

4/25/2011 3:32:40 PM

I know this is really silly, but I have a question about bod pod, which I've used before.

Obviously, it's easy to shift around water weight rather quickly. I'm just wondering whether that water weight would count towards fat or lean mass (basically the breakdown you're given) when being assessed. If it's lean mass, then I need to get bloated as fuck in the next week. Ya heard?

4/25/2011 3:34:19 PM

I've just been running 2 miles 5 days a week and i'm really impressed with the results... I need to get back in the gym to get my arms and back back into shape but that won't take long... it never does.

4/25/2011 3:34:35 PM

Quote :

"Yeah it sounds right. I clock in at around 200 lbs, and I can burn just over 1000 calories on the elliptical in 65 minutes. That's really busting ass of course."

Quote :

"the elliptical machine can easily tell you that is how many calories you have burned... i've done it before... but who knows if that's the REAL amount you are burning."

I don't pay attention to what the elliptical machine says. I clock my HR and go from there.

4/25/2011 3:55:13 PM

Quote :

"Any suggestion as to the most effective cardio routine, like arc trainer, treadmill, spin class, bellydancing, circuit training? I think I could figure out some good resistance stuff... I'm sure I can Google this but I am lazy right now (and prefer personal opinion)"

I really like spin class for this, for a number of reasons (aside from the fact that I'm a cyclist, so I'm naturally biased towards it). It's low-impact, so there's relatively lower risk of injury. It's constant aerobic activity, and you can adjust the resistance on the bike to your own pace and level of fitness, so it's very easy to adjust the workout to keep your heart rate at your target. A good instructor can push you harder than you think you can go, so you can make bigger gains to your fitness than going it alone on an elliptical machine or treadmill. And some places will put up cycling races or other sports events up on a big screen during the class and orient the class session around the course, so it can be pretty entertaining and immersive to help the minutes go by quickly.

4/25/2011 5:12:40 PM

Quote :

"OH.... and btw.... I know you can't spot train and yada yada but I would like my arms to look better by then - what are y'alls favorite moves for toning arms without putting on too much? (I know I wouldn't put on a ridiculous amount in 2 weeks but I'll be continuing the toning for a while)"

Sam do some of the P90x videos. I started back up 4 weeks ago and I've noticed a lot more muscle in my arms from doing the chest and back work out and the shoulder/bi/tri work out.

-------------------

Changing topics:

I changed my work out routine from 5 days of cardio to 3 days cardio and 3 days weight training for the last 4 weeks. I increased my food intake per H8R's suggestion to me a few weeks ago (add in skim milk in the morning when I wake up, 2 servings of protein powder/water days I work out, and some fresh yogurt/granola in the evening). It sounds like a lot of dairy but I don't eat any dairy throughout the day minus what I just mentioned.

Weight is still not budging although I've been good about watching what I'm eating, avoiding sulfites, and also now not drinking any alcohol. Still very frustrated. Here is what I ate today. Anyone want to take a shot at my diet? (am I eating too much, too little, maybe I'm losig weight but putting on muscle so that's why my weight isn't going down, etc)

6:30am 8 ounce skim milk with an instant coffee thing
8:00am banana
9:30am 2 hard boiled eggs
11:30am lunch varies - mostly leftovers. Today was lean steal with spinach in it (rolled) and baked asparagus
2:00pm protein powder with water
P90x chest and back
4:30pm protein powder with water
6:00pm seared ahi tuna, small homemade burger on whole wheat bun, tomato/onion/ some sprinkled low cal cheddar cheese
7:00pm all natural frozen yogurt (plain) with granola

Today isn't even an ideal day since I don't normally eat this much red meat. I obviously didn't think about dinner when I planned for lunch. Most lunch and dinners are chicken or fish and then a veggie as a side.

4/25/2011 7:44:50 PM

damn that's a lot of protein

4/25/2011 7:55:18 PM

I'd maybe cut it to one protein shake after a workout and I only do 2 scoops instead of three. Too much can make you kind of bloated.

They say making a smaller caloric deficit and then going back to regular can kick start your body into losing again and yeah if you haven't strength trained before you're gaining muscle

Let me find what Jillian said recently;

Quote :

"Smart Tip: Often we struggle w/losing the last 5-15lbs because our calorie deficit is too HIGH. We misconstrue this as a "plateau", but in actuality our body is at a healthy weight, it's the aesthetic that we're unhappy with not our health. So if your cal deficit is over 1000 a day your body will signal a metabolic slow down as a survival response. No more than 1000 cal deficit a day is key for shred mode."

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 8:44 PM. Reason : efwesw]

4/25/2011 8:39:54 PM

^i'm a little iffy about this starvation mode stuff....




[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 8:57 PM. Reason : dgdfd]

4/25/2011 8:56:31 PM

Quote :

"I'd maybe cut it to one protein shake after a workout and I only do 2 scoops instead of three. Too much can make you kind of bloated. "

I only do 1 scoop for each shake. So 2 scoops total a day

4/25/2011 9:00:28 PM

I think "starvation mode" is way, way, way overused, but from personal experience I have noticed that if I cut my calories too much my rate of loss slows. I think it was about two years ago that I lost a good bit from counting calories, and when I was at 1,400-1,450 with minimal exercise I lost consistently, but then I dropped that to ~1,250 with the same activity level and pretty much stopped. It's very anecdotal, but I'll happily eat a little more and lose consistently than try to drop my calories lower again and end up hungry and possibly the same size.

4/25/2011 9:03:47 PM