it's a non starter for me at the moment. If in a year or two I feel up to it maybe. For now I just want to put on muscle without injuring myself.

I just hit the 34th hour of my fast and I'm not hungry at all yet though I did take twelve, 12.5mg ephedrine tablets over the course of it and I'm starting to come down (it was a good day though, i can see why those things are so addictive). Haven't decided if i should try to go to bed without eating and break the fast tomorrow or eat tonight.

I tried a new trick I cooked a huge meal and divided it into two parts. I destroyed the first half of the meal (shrimp jambalaya) and took casein powder with it.

Now I know I have that other huge half of a meal whenever I want it. But I'm not going to allow myself to eat anything until I eat the whole remainder. And knowing how much rice/shrimp/etc there is left to eat I just don't think I'm ready for all of that. Makes it easier to go longer without eating when you can't just snack and you have to commit to eating a massive meal.

[Edited on February 22, 2013 at 2:14 PM. Reason : a]

2/22/2013 2:13:53 PM

that's how I feel Thanksgiving Day


I feel great this week. After rehabbing my knees for two months and really working on strengthening my glutes, hip abductors etc I can run now with out having any ITB issues. This week was week one of my training plan for my next half. After really looking over this past year of running and training I've noticed that I'll consistently stick to the plan for a week or two then lollygag around and then get get back to it and then break it off.... rinse and repeat. I dont remember why I rollercoastered around like that but I know it caused my last two halfs to just suck so now I'm promising myself not to screw around and adhere to my 16 week training plan. I'll keep up my MWF strength training(the plan my personal trainer gave me) and cross training in the mornings and run my miles MWTH in the evenings and my long run Saturday morning.

And I joined the 5x50 challenge that starts the end of March and runs through May, a 5k every day for 50 days (run/walk/cycle etc) I figure this will keep me on target with the plan and cross-training too

2/22/2013 2:30:36 PM

Carb + Water loaded myself back up to 168.5 lbs (20.2% bodyfat on the scale).

I'll be below 160 lbs (18% bodyfat on the scale) by Monday morning.

Still not quite as lean as I'd like to be though. I'm thinking I may need to hit 155 while I'm already in the cutting attitude. It's hard to get back to the level of focus I'm at right now where I'm adhering nearly 100% everyday so I may as well lose those last few lbs of fat while my mind's right.

Hopefully the refeed on Wednesday/Friday has given me enough energy to overcome the diet fatigue I've been experiencing lately.

2/23/2013 2:04:40 AM

Okay... so not nearly as bad... I borrowed a set of skin calipers, but these online calculators are pretty off.

I use a the US Navy and US Marine calculators and got ~8% and ~10.7% respectively. Guess that's more normal? I'm tired of always being hungry.

[Edited on February 23, 2013 at 2:38 AM. Reason : .]

2/23/2013 2:37:49 AM

I mean here's an idea of body fat percentages.

Below 10% guys have huge hormone deficiencies to the point where a lot of guys cant even get erections. Not to mention, guys who bodybuild and look like Mr. 7% there are usually on the receiving end of the dick anyway.




There's a really easy solution to your problem. Eat a bit more. You should never let fat be less than 10% of your caloric intake. So if you're eating 2,500 calories a day (which should be plenty at your weight unless you're physically active) then you'd need 250 calories of fat which is a mere 28g of fat a day. That's pretty easy to consume in a few bites.

I mean 2,500 calories is like one oven pizza a day practically. I don't know too many people who actually suffer from undereating calories in this country unless they are actively trying to do it to themselves.




[Edited on February 23, 2013 at 2:49 AM. Reason : a]

2/23/2013 2:43:18 AM

Hiro, sorry I just noticed you said you were hypoglycemic. I don't really know enough about that condition to feel comfortable giving you advice.

I know fasting can be a great way to regulate blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity, but I don't know if that is helpful (or if its dangerous) once you've already developed the condition. Would have to find someone a bit more familiar with the condition.

I've heard that Paleo diets altered for low carb can be effective for people with hypoglycemia but I haven't researched it at all myself. Might be worth looking into

http://www.jackkruse.com/what-is-biologic-concrete/

^ link has some interesting thoughts. I'm not supporting or bashing his claims, but thought you may find it interesting. If you google "leptin + hypoglycemia" there is a lot of new alternative thoughts out there these days about the causes and how best to fight it.



[Edited on February 23, 2013 at 7:50 AM. Reason : a]

2/23/2013 7:23:41 AM

For those looking to start off into a healthy lifestyle it is possible no matter where you are now. I've lost ~40lbs, 12% body fat in the past 8 months, with NO changes in diet, NO supplements/shortcuts, but a significant increase in exercise.

Here is the progress measured over time, exercising 3-5 days a week (W = week, BF = body fat):
W0 -0lbs , -0% BF
W1-W5 -5lbs, -2% BF
W5-W9 -9lbs, -3% BF
W9-W13 -5lbs, -1% BF
W13-W17 -5lbs, 0% BF
W17-W21 -6lbs, -2% BF
W21-W25 -3lbs, -0% BF
W25-W29 -6lbs, -1% BF
W29-W33 -0lbs, -3% BF

If you who don't want to pay for a gym membership, make a one time investment of an exercise bike or treadmill and put it front of a TV. I've found it highly enjoyable to watch movies while on my exercise bike.

[Edited on February 23, 2013 at 10:06 AM. Reason : .]

2/23/2013 10:05:36 AM

What percent BF is the girl, second from left? Weird torso, muscle distribution. And the girl at the end on the right probably has one of the more well proportioned bodies in crossfit.

2/23/2013 11:21:32 AM

2/23/2013 11:49:49 AM

^^I'd say she's probably between 14 and 16%, probably not lower.



[Edited on February 23, 2013 at 1:13 PM. Reason : pic]

2/23/2013 1:12:19 PM

Yea, it's relatively common for some chicks to have a 6 pack or abdo's showing but have some jiggle and fluff on the legs. Especially inner and upper-back of the legs near the hamstring/glute tie in.

There's some stubborn fat solutions and protocols out there, but they're trade secrets

2/23/2013 1:18:51 PM

2/23/2013 1:19:25 PM

she probably looks like that because she recently cleaned up her diet and started lifting heavier weights (crossfit)

looks like she's on her way, but maybe a month or two after getting serious

2/23/2013 1:24:28 PM

Yes and no... There is a phenomenon where females (and some really unlucky males) will get leaner almost all over, yet seem to put on fat on the inner and back of thighs due to how hormones and receptor distribution can affect fat patterns.

2/23/2013 1:26:56 PM

yeah there is some evidence out there that women can actually mobilize fat stores from their upper body only to have it store in their lower body.

2/23/2013 1:40:11 PM

Don't women usually get leaner in the abdomen much quicker than men? Don't men tend to lose abdominal fat last, women tend to lose hips/leg/ass fat last?

2/23/2013 1:41:02 PM

I survived yesterday on just 8 grams of carbs

2/23/2013 1:48:12 PM

Women tend to store more fat on the thighs, men in the abs and low back.

Abdominal and low back fat can be stubborn, and is usually the last to go on men because men don't normally store fat on the inner and back of thighs.

Back of thigh fat is the hardest to lose on men and women.

2/23/2013 1:58:54 PM

That's kind of what I thought. I've got some veins popping on my calves and thighs, but I'm having a hard time getting rid of this last bit on the lower abdomen.

2/23/2013 2:04:59 PM

^ As someone who's just hitting the brutal portion of a cutting phase I'd say don't worry about it. You've got another month or two before stubborn body fat will be an issue. Just keep doing what you're doing eating at a deficit with high protein and you'll continue melting fat.

If you're really worried about your stomach fat the best thing you can do is to cut out all the saturated fats now so that when you get to 15% and below it'll be easier to mobilize those stores.

2/24/2013 1:03:40 AM

Quote :

"Starting at 177, 22.3% bodyfat according to scale."

Hit 158.5 and 17.4% bodyfat on the scale late last night before I broke my fast. Making good progress.


Going to keep grinding.

[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 7:16 AM. Reason : a]

2/25/2013 7:15:32 AM

Been making good progress in the gym, but my nutrition keeps getting sabotaged

Since I've added in a lot of conditioning over the past 4 weeks, my hunger and carb cravings have been an issue. Plus, it's easier for me to rationalize eating a plate of cookies if I pushed the sled heavily or did mixed conditioning earlier in the day.

With that said, my performance and energy levels are feeling great. Hitting new PRs on big lifts, my work capacity has sky rocketed, and I think I am actually gaining some lean mass without any fat gain.

This week my goal is to be more strict and dramatically reduce my junk food binges.

2/25/2013 8:00:25 AM

last thursday while on vacation i rolled and/or powder buried a snowmobile multiple times in waist deep+ powder at ~8-9000 feet. getting them unrolled/unstuck is a total bitch involving picking up the front or back ends and swinging them onto packed snow or out of their holes or tree wells.

all those squats and deads really paid off

even just walking around in unpacked snow like that is exhausting at elevation.


[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 10:31 AM. Reason : e ]

2/25/2013 10:18:15 AM

IIFYM

2/25/2013 10:23:07 AM

Quote :

"If you're really worried about your stomach fat the best thing you can do is to cut out all the saturated fats now so that when you get to 15% and below it'll be easier to mobilize those stores."

Any evidence to support this?

2/25/2013 10:52:07 AM

Finally up to nearly 150 miles running so far this calendar year---goal is to do 1000 miles for the whole year. I'm behind pace by a little over 9 miles, but I can make up that ground since my shin splint pain has subsided greatly. Of course, the majority of the mileage has been on the treadmill. I'm just waiting for warmer weather in the mornings when I can shift focus to actual pavement/gravel/grass. I'm also doing this in addition to my regular afternoon/evening weight lifting routine, with most of the running in the mornings/off days. Running this morning after doing deadlifts yesterday was

[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 11:36 AM. Reason : ]

2/25/2013 11:35:50 AM

^^

Quote :

" Another factor that I haven’t discussed yet has to do with a relatively unknown fact about fat cell metabolism. Studies have shown that the type of fat stored (e.g. saturated versus unsaturated) affects how well it is mobilized from the fat cell. Unsaturated fats are mobilized more easily than saturated fats and the polyunsaturated fats (i.e. fish oils) are mobilized the most easily of all. What this means is that the more unsaturated/polyunsaturated fat that is stored in the fat cell, the easier it will be to get out. This is also a big part of why fish oil supplementation isso crucial while dieting, the body preferentially depletes its own body stores for energy. Guess what the punch line of this section is? Stubborn fat depots are more likely to store saturated fat than unsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. You can test this out too, pinch some of the fat in a relatively easy to lose area. It should be soft and somewhat squishy. Now pinch your thigh or butt fat. Hard as a rock, right? That’s because saturated fat is structurally different than unsaturated fats (saturated fats are solid at room temperature, unsaturated fats are liquid). Now, before continuing on in this chapter and summing up, I want to make a practical comment about the difference in fatty acid type between depots. And that comment is basically that, while I can tell you how to modulate everything else I’m discussing in this book, what type of fat you currently have stored in your fat cells right now is out of your control. What you’ve eaten over the last 20 or 30 years while storing your current body fat determines the types of fat stored there. If you’re dieting down for the first time, there’s simply nothing you can do about it. However, after your diet is over and you regain some fat (trust me, you will), what you can do is try to keep saturated fat intake down and unsaturated/polyunsaturated fat intake higher while you’re doing it. That alone should make your next extreme diet easier since the fat stored in your fat cells will now be the easier to mobilize unsaturated/polyunsaturated fats. I don’t usually quibble that much over food quality but this is one place where, practically, it might make a difference in the long run."

So for example let's say I go for a 4 mile walk this afternoon. I will mobilize a lot of fatty acids from my stubborn fat depots. Some of those fatty acids I may burn off during my low intensity exercise and some of the fat mobilized will burn off during the evening as my body needs fuel. The portion that doesn't get burned off will just redeposit in my fat stores and will be a pain to mobilize again since we're assuming its saturated fat from pizza I ate 10 years ago. (Luckily I know about fasted cardio and yohimbine so I will mobilize it again, oh yes, i will mobilize it again.)

When I come home and eat fish oil, olive oil, and other poly/mono fats most of it will store as body fat. However, this stuff comes out of the fat cells very easily and will mobilize for basic energy requirements over the next few days and doesn't require extreme measures to get rid of later.

[Edited on February 25, 2013 at 1:10 PM. Reason : a]

2/25/2013 1:01:52 PM

Good thing my primary diet is high in saturated fats. Been dropping weight like crazy.

2/25/2013 1:07:50 PM

like the passage notes saturated fats tend to store in your stubborn fat depots.

So if you're over 15% bodyfat (which nearly everyone over the age of 20 that isn't an obsessive gym rat is) then it won't really matter much yet because you're still burning visceral fat and have enough fatty acids floating around naturally in your blood stream that mobilization isn't an issue.

2/25/2013 1:31:29 PM

I guess it depends on your diet. If you're on a ketogenic, paleo, etc diet that focuses on fat for fuel you're going to be burning that fat anyway and not storing it. There's plenty of gym "rats" under or at 15% body fat who follow these diets and have no problem losing abdominal fat.

2/25/2013 1:51:48 PM

Face, I knew you were reading SFS by McDonald.

2/25/2013 2:16:13 PM

chick on the far right is fucking perfect in every way!!

2/25/2013 2:43:45 PM

yes that is one of the things i read before i started my diet

2/25/2013 5:51:40 PM

girl on the left scares me. i wonder how tall she is

2/25/2013 7:49:42 PM

prolly like 5'10"

2/25/2013 8:06:28 PM

Damn if the girl on the far right isn't the hottest girl I've ever seen. Agree with whoever said she was perfect.

2/25/2013 8:36:07 PM

I've started eating a few carbs again as my body seems to be able to tolerate them now that I've got my insulin sensitivity under control after a few weeks/months without them.

I think it's going to make a big difference in my lifts and allow me to increase my cardio.

After doing some research I've decided to increase the amount of LISS cardio I'm doing. I am breaking the cardio up into 2 sessions of 45-50 minutes each on cardio days. That allows me to get sufficient protein after each session to avoid catabolism.

2/26/2013 1:00:42 AM

Anyone still training out there? 156.3 and 16.6% after my late night workout.

Going to go ahead and just say if any of you fuckers are crazy enough to try the RIP GIRLFRIEND diet and exercise program you really should read that passage I quoted above. You need to switch to mono/poly fats now and eliminate the saturated ones to make this easier on yourself. During my next bulk I'm going to avoid saturated fats at all costs, they are a real bitch to get out of stores.

I am seriously at ass busting levels of work right now and the fat is coming off slower and slower. I had to take ~10 days off from lifting for some healing and I stupidly didn't raise my calories enough so I did catabolize a little bit of muscle here lately. My strength had dropped in a few lifts tonight.

Puked my face off when I got home tonight. Body is fighting me. Attitude sucks. Going to have to wrap this fat loss program up soon and switch to a hypertrophy program.

Guessing I'm just under 13% body fat at the moment. Pretty sure I can't get all the way to 10% without taking a diet break first.


Just a heads up. You know how everyone always says "oh yeah I need to lose 10-15 lbs". Well you're fucking wrong. I'm down 30 from my high and 20 since Jan 1st and I still have bodyfat. And I started smaller than a lot of people. Realistically, you probably need to lose 40-50 lbs because you're going to lose some muscle along the way too. Just letting you know.

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 2:22 AM. Reason : a]

[Edited on February 27, 2013 at 2:31 AM. Reason : a]

2/27/2013 2:19:14 AM

you're right face i feel like if i could just get down to 70 lbs i would have that beach body i've always wanted

2/27/2013 2:36:26 AM

ha. you might be an exception. You need to up your protein intake and hit the weights and you'll be there.

it's less fun to throw a girl around if she doesn't fight back.

2/27/2013 2:47:28 AM

Quote :

"156.3 and 16.6% after my late night workout. .... Guessing I'm just under 13% body fat at the moment. Pretty sure I can't get all the way to 10% without taking a diet break first."

Dude, as a qualified professional, I can almost gauruntee getting that small, weak, and skinny is not a good idea.

To each their own though...

2/27/2013 7:04:53 AM

Quote :

"Anyone still training out there? "

last time i checked, we were all still in this - we're just not like you posting every 8 hours about some new diet switch up or fad you read about online. just worry about your fat melting and we'll take care of the rest

moving on.

an update from my stupid allergy/weight issues: we have pretty much figured out the trigger so we're playing around with a few things just to be sure. i went to an allergist late last week and he put me on an elimination diet so now i am on day 6 of eating only a handful of healthy low allergen foods to try to clean out my system and bring it back down to some sort of baseline before i can reintroduce certain foods back into my diet.

believe it or not, it hasn't been that bad. luckily i don't get bored eating the same things which i think is key but tonight i am going to branch out a little bit with some different veggies just to see how it goes. currently i can have: chicken, turkey, lamb, quinoa/rice, chia seeds, raw sunflower seeds, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, apricots, rhubarb, asparagus, and raw honey. i couldn't find apricots or rhubarb in the grocery store when i went and asparagus aggravates my sulfite sensitivity so that is a no-go (which is a shame because i lurve asparagus).

most of the weight has come back off from what i initially gained but not all of it - still trying to dig in and figure out what is causing this trigger or if maybe i have put on a few pounds of muscle since i am working out a lot more and moving around more (i sold my car when we moved so i walk everywhere now on top of working out). we have a really nice gym in our apartment complex so i have been going there everyday to work out.

so end result - i was 126 pounds when we first moved in but spiked up to 135 pounds. i am now back down to 129 pounds, hoping to get back into the 125-127 pound range.

2/27/2013 8:13:31 AM

Finally took myself off that damn paleo kick...I survived 3 weeks and felt like shit. My cardio was hurting and lost most of my energy. I switched to I guess "Primal" of a 20/80 diet...80% mostly paleo (Lean meats, veggies, and fruits), and 20% whole grains, quinoa, and allowing some crap food now and then. No sugar still, cut back to practically no dairy, limited salt, and only drinking water. Staying around 1350-1400 calories a day too.

Got my running times back to 8:30 miles for anything over 5 miles and 7:30 for 3-5 miles, and sub 7 for my 5ks.

Doing Aerial silks 2 hours 3x a week, Krav Maga for an hour 4x a week, running 20-30 miles a week, and lifting weights/flexibility/sprint training 3x a week for 2 hours.

However, I haven't noticed much weight loss (8lbs in the last 4 weeks?) Is that about average given the amount of activity and diet?

2/27/2013 10:39:11 AM

Quote :

"There's some stubborn fat solutions and protocols out there, but they're trade secrets "

Stick with large, compound movements. Spot reduction won't work, throw away your Thighmaster ladies.

2/27/2013 11:03:52 AM

Down to about 188 as of today. Starting to get some decent definition in my abs, still have some stubborn fat in the lower abdominal area. Also time to buy a new belt.

2/27/2013 11:14:20 AM

Quote :

" Stick with large, compound movements. Spot reduction won't work, throw away your Thighmaster ladies. "

You are right, spot reduction doesn't work.

However, getting fat to come off the back of your thighs and abs is very hard. Hence the name "stubborn fat".

There is evidence that fat can be mobilized from one part of the body, then redeposited in "stubborn" locations. This is apparent when you see women with 6-packs and visible abs, yet cellulite and noticeable fat on the hips/thighs (see the pictures above).

With proper training, nutrition, and supplement protocols you can mobilize and burn the fat in this stubborn areas (after you've gotten significantly lean). It's just hard and requires specific behaviors.

2/27/2013 11:16:56 AM

Quote :

"Finally took myself off that damn paleo kick...I survived 3 weeks and felt like shit."

You seem to be quite the outlier. I feel like complete shit when I go off it and eat grains. Most people feel great after a few weeks on it. I've also been losing a good bit of weight since I was on it. I've been calling it the "all you can eat diet" because I basically eat however much I want, when I want, and I've been losing weight.

Then again I only run 1-2 times a week for no longer than 3-4 miles and mostly focus on climbing/weight training so you probably just weren't getting the right amount of carbs for your level of cardio.

2/27/2013 11:19:05 AM

Well...I am training for some longer distance runs (2 ultra marathons and some halves)....and you can only eat so much fruit and sweet potatoes, lol

Paleo just didn't suit me. To be honest, I used to eat whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted and still stayed at the same weight, I thought paleo would kick me out of the "Maintenance" mode...it really messed with me.

I'm liking primal. I haven't gained any of the weight back, but I have all my energy back!

2/27/2013 11:23:35 AM

I love that there's a race that's longer than a marathon. Because 26 miles is for wusses.

2/27/2013 11:54:45 AM

Quote :

" throw away your Thighmaster ladies."

but but but .... i aspire to be suzanne somers!

2/27/2013 11:58:09 AM