150lbs? Do you even lift?

I began my slow cut this week, and have removed most dairy and junk food. I've also added10-20minutes of conditioning bouts daily to my training.

These extra workouts have been pretty enjoyable. I'll double or triple up on full body movements, like kettlebell swings and pull ups, or sled pushing and pushups. Working continuously for the given time, alternating max pace with recovery.

[Edited on February 1, 2013 at 5:38 PM. Reason : ;]

2/1/2013 5:30:47 PM

Quote :

"150lbs? Do you even lift?"

Hey, I weigh 135lbs and I lift 3 times a week And not entirely wimpy numbers either. Nothing you'd be too impressed with as someone who is into lifting heavy I'm sure, but it's above average for my weight: For example my last set of bench on upper body night is 4x205, my squat is 6x200. I've just been maintaining those for awhile and not trying to push too hard beyond that.

2/1/2013 6:36:55 PM

So for the last two weeks or so I've really focused on my time under tension. Doing explosive movements with concentric motions (1-2 seconds) and then really slow controlled eccentric. I've had success with this before, but not quite like this.

Without even doing pullups/chin ups I've added 2 reps per set in two weeks because I've so much better control on my downward movements. I'm sure the several pounds of fat I've burned off have helped too and the fact that I don't immediately drink after most of my lifting sessions right now.

That being said its Friday so I'm gonna get blasted and pick a new girlfriend for the night. No whammys no whammys (herpes) please.

PS. I've never really had performance issues, but if you're not taking Yohimbine HCL and you're a dude you're just dumb. These boners are just angry on this stuff.


Pre drinking macros:
942 calories
16.7g fat
25.2g carb
167.1 protein

Gonna stick to whiskey tonight to keep it carb free. Figure 20 shots x 5.7 cal = 1,140 calories which keeps me almost 1,000 calories under my maintenance for the day since i did 45 minutes weights, 30 minutes walking.

[Edited on February 1, 2013 at 6:43 PM. Reason : a]

2/1/2013 6:37:18 PM

I don't really lift much these days, but I even I got the joke

2/1/2013 6:53:45 PM

well yes I realize the meme he was probably referring to too

2/1/2013 6:58:09 PM

Quote :

"Serious question: Not that I think the paleo diet and associated things are unhealthy (because there are ideas and merits from it that overlap with the way I eat and it is certainly healthier than the typical person's diet) but I'm curious where the big push recently toward eating and behaving like early humans came from?"

I find the trend a little strange as well. My general reply is that the paleo-dieters are probably severely underestimating the amount of grubs and termites they should be eating.

2/2/2013 1:05:05 AM

breakfast of champions!

2/2/2013 1:10:29 AM

less chat
more pics

2/2/2013 3:56:54 AM

Quote :

"150lbs? Do you even lift?"

Meme aside...I don't lift. Well, I do some kettlebell work when it gets warm and I workout in my backyard. But I don't have anything heavier than 35 lbs, so it's definitely not heavy lifting. I do push-up and pull-up workouts. I live downtown near the Citadel and they have a track that goes around the park and have training apparatuses around the track. So I'll run there and mess around with their stuff. I do some pyramid pull-up sets, then do push-ups, then go back and do burpees with pull-ups, then more push-ups, then pull-up failures (there's a low bar that I can lightly push off the ground with my feet). I don't do this exact workout every time, but I think you get the point.

I lifted heavy in college and for a few years after and I'm over it. I reached what I would consider my peak without being insane about my diet and supplements and was extremely happy with it. I weighed 165, was almost benching 300...but got to the point where I thought I looked like a stump (or a smaller version of [user]eluesis[/user] up there). I was also working out about 5 times a week. Now I work out twice a week, have slimmed down, and still have good muscle definition. I'm much happier with where I'm at now then where I was at when I was stacked 45 plates on the bench and squat racks. I have the waist of an 8 year old...so I can carry 150 lbs and still look like I lift pretty heavy.

2/2/2013 9:48:40 AM

I am by no means avoiding carbs, but I keep going over my suggested daily intake because I eat so much fruit... how bad is that in the scheme of dieting?

2/2/2013 5:54:34 PM

depends on your total calorie intake and level of activity.

2/2/2013 6:13:25 PM

I think that the trend to eliminate processed food and BS additives has been around a long time, but now that it has a name and is trendy it's picking up a lot more people. I'll never complain about people trying to eliminate crap from their diet, but I don't feel too bad about myself if I want a little bit of refried beans (beans, lard, salt and no chemicals) with a meal.

2/2/2013 7:48:59 PM

^Right. We eat hardly any processed food and make most of our meals from whole ingredients.

Quote :

"I think it comes from a recognition that the vast majority of human evolution and adaptation occurred in starkly different circumstances than the ones we find ourselves in today. Our ancestors didn't have access to abundant sources of high energy foods, but today we do. However, biologically, we're still governed by roughly the same biological underpinnings that make candy and ice cream taste good and broccoli and celery taste bland. I'm not by any means paleo, primal, or any of that; highly restrictive diets, at least for me, eventually lead to episodes where I lose control and eat way too much. However, I think that an understanding of the biological mechanisms that allowed humans to survive and flourish is pretty helpful when trying to maintain good health in the (relatively new) post-agricultural revolution era."

fair enough.

2/2/2013 7:56:13 PM

Bleggh, 5 mile run and 2.5 mile walk this morning after work. That was unpleasant.

2/3/2013 11:00:30 AM

Quote :

"150lbs? Do you even lift?"

2/3/2013 12:05:22 PM

couple mile walk with the dog this morning. 30 minutes of plyo just now.

2/3/2013 4:21:08 PM

you don't want to be eating a lot of fruit when you're trying to lose weight. Stick to the leafy vegetables and lean meats.

2/3/2013 4:30:30 PM

Anyone use the row machine much at the gym? I've been using it the last couple times I lift as a warm-up and am really enjoying it...

2/4/2013 1:36:00 PM

i'll row 1500m as a warmup too, i feel as if it's a better full body warmup than dicking around on a bike or something.

2/4/2013 1:39:37 PM

I wish I could find a gym that had a versaclimber.

2/4/2013 1:44:12 PM

I erged 5700m in 30 minutes this morning

2/4/2013 1:59:48 PM

Has anyone done strict Paleo?

I'm doing a 60 day challenge with 2 friends. I'm on day 4, and I feel like shit. No energy, very tired, slurring a little. I've kept my calories close to what I need, but I feel awful. I exercise hard 6 days a week (Aerial silks, Krav Maga, heavy weight lifting, running 5-10 miles 3x a week, hot yoga), so I know what I usually feel like even with this level of activity.

2/4/2013 2:34:30 PM

What is the hurry? This is what irks me with many people. They go on these extreme diets and over- train to try and get quick results. Rome wasn’t built in one day, why do you think our bodies are any different. People want to see results in 3 months rather than 12 months, where are they going exactly? We kill ourselves in our workouts and we stress out about our meals. People are too impatient.

And I know many people who go on a 30- 60 day Paleo challenge and most of them gain it back. I think people have this backwards. What we should all take away from Paleo is to eat as little processed foods as possible. Eat whole, nutritious foods. Make it a habit and part of your lifestyle. But many people use it as a crash diet to lose the last 10-12 lbs, but we know that’s not really all fat you’re losing. So people end up gaining the weight back.

Quote :

"If you spend too much time worrying about optimizing your diet or optimizing your physical appearance, you will miss out on optimizing your life. Balance is so important. It's great to improve what we eat and try to live healthier lifestyles, but not to the point where it interferes with living. Our eating and exercise habits should enhance our lives, not take over our lives."

[Edited on February 4, 2013 at 3:00 PM. Reason : /]

2/4/2013 2:57:39 PM

Quote :

"I'm doing a 60 day challenge with 2 friends. I'm on day 4, and I feel like shit. No energy, very tired, slurring a little. I've kept my calories close to what I need, but I feel awful. I exercise hard 6 days a week (Aerial silks, Krav Maga, heavy weight lifting, running 5-10 miles 3x a week, hot yoga), so I know what I usually feel like even with this level of activity."

If you're doing "strict paleo", I would bet that you're also eating few (or at least fewer) carbs, possibly venturing into ketogenic territory. Keto has a time and place, but it's not for very active people.

What does a typical day's eating look like for you?

2/4/2013 3:23:59 PM

Quote :

"I wish I could find a gym that had a versaclimber. "

My gym has one

2/4/2013 3:35:10 PM

Ok...my diet... (I'm 5'3 and 120lbs for the record and at 21% BMI)

This is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast:
Paleo Pancakes - 2 bananas, 2tbsp almond butter, 2 eggs, 1 tbsp honey

Lunch- 3 slices of a 10 egg paleo quiche w/ spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes
3 clemintines
1 avocado

Dinner - 2 slices of meatloaf (Had carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, and fresh parsley) with 5% fat
ground beef
2 boiled eggs
A baked sweet potato

Is that not enough?

2/4/2013 3:55:33 PM

what are your goals? to lose weight or change your diet / lifestyle? Both?

2/4/2013 3:58:52 PM

I'm training for 2 ultra marathon relays and to lean out a little for my aerial silks.

The marathon relays are in 6 months and 8 months - 6 months is a 120 mile trail run with a team of 6 and the 8 month is a Ragnar with a team of 10 for 200 miles.

I'm honestly just trying to lean out a bit. I still have some excess fat around my thighs and stomach, and I want to get rid of it b/c it's just extra lbs to lug around.

2/4/2013 4:02:04 PM

with that much running and distance, you'd be better suited to give a vegan lifestyle a try, IMHO

a few of my best friends are vegan, their energy is through the roof

they do full iron distance tri's, marathons and ultras

2/4/2013 4:29:00 PM

Quote :

"a few of my best friends are vegan, their energy is through the roof they do full iron distance tri's, marathons and ultras"

Isn't that because most vegans just eat a lot more carbohydrates and sugar? At least most I know eat a lot more bread/pasta/flour then non-vegans. Not the best for your blood sugar, but if it works..

Just saw this:

Quote :

"Has anyone done strict Paleo? I'm doing a 60 day challenge with 2 friends. I'm on day 4, and I feel like shit. No energy, very tired, slurring a little. I've kept my calories close to what I need, but I feel awful. I exercise hard 6 days a week (Aerial silks, Krav Maga, heavy weight lifting, running 5-10 miles 3x a week, hot yoga), so I know what I usually feel like even with this level of activity."

Yeah paleo + lots of cardio don't really work that great together. Eat lots of bananas and sweet potatos. It's possible but it's much easier to get energy from sugar. I don't know why you feel like shit though. I felt great after going on it. More level headed, less slumps after lunch. I even feel like I think a lot more clearly now.

I started early November and cheat every now and then but eat pretty much however much I want and still drink wine/cider/scotch and have lost much more weight than I thought. I think it's just because I was addicted to bread, pasta, and beer.


[Edited on February 4, 2013 at 4:41 PM. Reason : s]

2/4/2013 4:34:48 PM

their diet is entirely plant based

I'm not trying to start a debate, I'm merely suggesting what I've seen that works for her type of training

[Edited on February 4, 2013 at 4:39 PM. Reason : s]

2/4/2013 4:38:08 PM

What does "plant based" mean though? Like only whole foods? Or processed plant based foods as well? Sugar, corn syrup, bread, pasta, etc? IMO vegans who survive on sugar aren't necessarily the healthiest...

-Because a whole foods (non processed) vegan diet would be hard to do if you're a marathon runner. I guess you could eat lots of fruit and starchy veggies but it's much easier if you have access to simple carbohydrates.

[Edited on February 4, 2013 at 4:42 PM. Reason : s]

2/4/2013 4:40:15 PM

fruits and vegetables, a lot of juices (the kind you make in your kitchen with a juicer and raw plants)

they're not on the face diet, they don't drink excessively or eat cake and candy, pretty much, at all

they'll drink a beer and eat an oreo, but they don't live on it

2/4/2013 4:49:19 PM

Quote :

"Breakfast: Paleo Pancakes - 2 bananas, 2tbsp almond butter, 2 eggs, 1 tbsp honey Lunch- 3 slices of a 10 egg paleo quiche w/ spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes 3 clemintines 1 avocado Dinner - 2 slices of meatloaf (Had carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, and fresh parsley) with 5% fat ground beef 2 boiled eggs A baked sweet potato Is that not enough?"

It's hard to say without looking at portions, but it doesn't seem like a large percentage of your calories are coming from carbs. If you look at your calorie totals and macronutrient breakdown as compared to pre-paleo challenge, what changed? There's nothing fundamentally different about "clean eating" that would make you feel worse; something had to change about total calories or carb consumption.

Quote :

"they're not on the face diet, they don't drink excessively or eat cake and candy, pretty much, at all they'll drink a beer and eat an oreo, but they don't live on it"

Really, one oreo? I'd like to have ten or zero, but not one.

[Edited on February 4, 2013 at 4:57 PM. Reason : ]

2/4/2013 4:51:50 PM

Quote :

""they're not on the face diet, they don't drink excessively or eat cake and candy, pretty much, at all they'll drink a beer and eat an oreo, but they don't live on it""

But I meant processed foods. Bread, pasta, etc. When you hear "plant based" you typically think raw diet. It would be very hard running marathons on a raw diet.

2/4/2013 5:01:18 PM

they don't only eat raw food. They don't eat a bunch of pasta and breads, but I have seen them eat mexican food and PB&J sammiches. They eat when they're hungry.

I understand what you're saying, but they're not unhealthy vegans that are in great shape, they put in the work and eat right.

You'd have to ask them how they prepare for a race.

2/4/2013 5:21:40 PM

Well I got blasted Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so its back on the grind this week. Let's burn some fat bros.

2/4/2013 5:29:18 PM

MeatStick, how much grain have you been consuming prior to the challenge? You could be going through gluten withdrawal.

2/4/2013 7:32:21 PM

Ah yeah! I went through that for a few days. Felt like shit and had some headaches.

2/4/2013 8:08:58 PM

I've gotten a little more rigid with my diet so I can have more caloric room for nutritious foods. I'm basically eating very low carb except for vegetables, apples, and a serving of these extra fatty/delicious flax seed corn chips a day.

I now have no appetite, dull lower back pain, and digestive problems.

I dunno...I've made so many weirdly dramatic changes in the past several months that I can't even begin to sort out what the problem might be. So I'm just treating the symptoms and hoping they go away...and complaining about them constantly.

[Edited on February 4, 2013 at 9:45 PM. Reason : In two weeks, I'll let y'all know if I'm pregnant.]

2/4/2013 9:31:53 PM

Just joined...

Started doing TABATA again today. Sucks, but it's a hell of a good workout. 8 rounds and got just under a mile and a half. Then took a 10 minute break and did 2 rounds of a circuit with 12x pullups, 25x pushups and 25x situps.

Portion Control started today as well. Trip coming up in May and I'm a little late to the party. Should've started about a month ago.

2/4/2013 10:04:31 PM

I ate a lot of carbs to be honest. I was a pasta fiend, loved bread, and had a flagrant use of cheeses...on crackers, lol. I also ate a lot of rice, couscous, and quinoa.

I guess it could be withdrawl...how long does this usually last? I went for a 10 mile run yesterday in Umstead and my mile times increased by almost 1:30-2 minutes...awful. Just awful...it was like a death trudge.

2/4/2013 11:34:06 PM

^^ tabata of what?

2/5/2013 12:13:34 AM

I did upper body after work with some LISS cardio. Came home took a nap and went back and did lower body with minor cardio afterwards. More human than inhuman.


RIP GIRLFRIEND. Dieting for fifteen more days. I'm Focused man tell Stout to Holla at me

2/5/2013 12:58:22 AM

There are parts of gluten and casein that activate opiate receptors in the brain, so you're going to feel like a junkie trying to come clean. Just not as severe. The harder the withdrawal is the better you will feel afterwards though. I can't remember how long it lasted for me, and I just gave up gluten and still eat some cheese so I'm not looking forward to repeating it.

2/5/2013 7:05:54 AM

^^^

Running.

30 seconds of ~85% sprinting + 15 seconds of walking = 1 round

2/5/2013 7:54:37 AM

I got my whoosh! 168.4 this morning despite weighing in at over 174 mid day yesterday.

That's 14 lbs down in 15 days from my manipulated weight despite drinking four days in a row.

I'm thinking its time to up my protein intake slightly to preserve LBM. Strength numbers are still going up despite eating 1,000 calories a day. Newbie gains + fasting/leangains + supplements bros.

2/5/2013 8:29:19 AM

Lots of good advice here, and many of them have been said in here before.

http://hulsestrength.com/page/Vacation-BB.pdf

Quote :

"Results for the 10 dieters who did cardio only The cardio only group lost more overall weight than the resistance only group, but unfortunately lost a significant amount of lean body mass. They also experienced a decrease in resting metabolic rate. So, obviously if someone is dieting hard they need to more than just cardio to maintain their lean muscle mass. Results for the 10 dieters who did resistance training only This group didn't lose any muscle mass whatsoever. In fact they lost more body fat than the cardio only group. Also, you have probably heard that "the metabolism slows down if calories are kept too low". Well…this group actually had a higher resting metabolic rate than when they started. So resistance training is key when you are dieting."

and

Quote :

"The two main approaches I teach that work well... There are several ways to perform resistance training in a way that allows you to burn fat, while maintaining muscle. I am going to talk about two that are simple and work every time when done properly. 1) Low Volume Strength Training Followed by HIIT. Maintaining or increasing your strength while dropping body fat is an easy way to transform your body quickly. This works exceptionally well for people aiming at increasing muscle density (hard defined muscles...the angular look instead of “pumped up” looking rounded muscles). The HIIT (or High Intensity Interval Training) is there to increase your natural fat burning hormone (HGH) and boost your metabolism to speed up the fat loss process. 2) Resistance Intervals With Weights or Bodyweight. This is a great way to maintain muscle while dropping body fat at the same time. The great thing about this workout is that it doesn't take up much time and doesn't require a gym. This is geared towards people who aren't as concerned with muscle density...for people who just want to strip off the fat while maintaining muscle. This is kind of a “hybrid” type of workout...almost like doing a cardio workout while providing ample resistance to challenge the muscles."

2/5/2013 10:53:32 AM

^ The first excerpt I agree with completely. Unless you are OBESE*, you absolutely need to be doing resistance training while you diet and your cardio should be kept to a minimum if you're on strict calorie restriction. It's okay to decrease the FREQUENCY and the VOLUME of your workouts but not the INTENSITY. I.E. it's fine to do two full body workouts a week with 2-3x sets per body part. The key is do not drop the weight on the bar. If you go to the gym and pull marathon 90 minute workouts with 6 sets of 12 reps per bodypart you are going to lose significant muscle and you're going to pulverize yourself because you can't recover on low carb/calorie diets.


In the second excerpt I don't like the part where it talks about using HIIT on low calorie diets. You aren't going to be able to recover well enough and it's going to take away too much from your resistance workouts. I'd stick with Low intensity steady state cardio while on massive calorie restrictions. Something like walking 20-30 minutes 2-3x per week.

I do agree that using bodyweight exercises (close chain) can help maintain muscle mass, though some of them may be a little too easy. If you're cranking out 75 pushups and 25 pullups that's not ideal. But since most people are doing under 10x pullups per set that can be a great way to maintain LBM.



* If you are obese it's okay not to do resistance training when you first start dieting. The reason is twofold. Your muscles are already getting a workout lugging your fat around and it's perfectly fine for you to lose about 25% of your lean body mass that is mostly connective tissue and shit because you're so heavy. If you're obese the psychological benefits of seeing the scale really move those first few weeks can do wonders also. Eventually, you'll need to strength train too though or risk looking like a loose skin wreck down the line.

2/5/2013 5:52:51 PM

Got my new black concept 2 rower

Just rowed 2 miles and did 100 push ups (10 PUs every .2 miles). Feels good man



[Edited on February 6, 2013 at 4:39 PM. Reason : pic]

2/6/2013 4:38:03 PM