@Packman92,

I typically take in more calories than that. I add in my workouts which put me around 2k calories intake before working out.

I'm doing mostly just cardio right now because I am just getting back into it (had surgery and couldn't run or lift). I plan on hitting the weights soon.

@acraw,

I have never heard of fitday, but we all use myfitnesspal at work. I think its really simple. The barcode scan thing is amazing!

I forgot to add I'm 5'9" 193#

When I graduated boot camp, I was 142#. Don't think I will ever get that low again.



I'm such a fatty.

[Edited on June 1, 2013 at 12:12 AM. Reason : ya]

6/1/2013 12:01:09 AM

that prancercise video is the best thing ive seen all day

6/1/2013 12:24:56 AM

Isn't it?? My mom does that stuff all the time! I was sure as a kid she was just doing it to embarrass me.

@acraw Does fitday calculated calories burned doing strength training etc? That's one thing I don't like about myfitnesspal, it hard to calculate/estimate burned calories without using an external app. Scanning barcodes is great!

6/1/2013 7:16:11 AM

Fitday fucking sucks compared to myfitnesspal. It doesn't have near the database of foods and as a former long time fitday user I can't believe how much better it is.

6/1/2013 7:31:14 AM

If anyone wants to be my friend on myfitnesspal let me know via pm. I am always looking for low calorie meal ideas.

6/1/2013 2:01:16 PM

I don't really use Fitday beyond logging my food on days that I think I'm undereating. Just trying to gauage where I'm at for the day because I typically undereat( not on purpose) and I think that's part of my issue.

I don't think it's that accurate, maybe +/- 150-200 cals on certain food items. You can also customize your food by entering what's on your nutrition label. I end up customizing food 80% of the time because the stuff I eat, I eat almost daily.

I'm gonna give myfitnesspal another chance. I'll look into it tonight.

6/1/2013 2:28:07 PM

I squatted 185x15 at 161 lbs today after my week off. Definitely had a lot more energy and powered through a long workout with high reps.

I really like high rep squatting. Im just a lot more comfortable with less weight and have better ROM because im not scared of getting stuck. Also I push myself a lot harder.

Good god those are fucking exhausting though. Tried to do a little cardio afterwards and my legs were fucking jello.

6/1/2013 5:56:26 PM

uhhhh, hmmm....

I wonder what formula/methodology myfitnespal is using because when I entered my data, it has me on 165 carbs, 40g fat, and 45g protein. Minka and I have similar profiles.

6/3/2013 10:44:12 PM

Oh, I don't think anyone pays attention to the macronutrient suggestions. It's just for tracking. Or maybe they do, who knows.

I like http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ for estimating calories/macronutrient breakdown.

[Edited on June 3, 2013 at 11:14 PM. Reason : ]

6/3/2013 11:14:16 PM

Thank you! And shit, 2500 is a lot of food for me, unless you throw in some "dirty" foods. Could always add more fats too, but I tend to keep my carbs at 80-100 on rest days, 150-200 on gym days.

PS- Heavyiest weighted pullups for the Guiness World Record
http://youtu.be/gmCtEaZiVxg

6/3/2013 11:57:14 PM

I'm allotted 353 carbs, 85 fat, 97 protein


what did you put as your activity level?

6/4/2013 12:20:24 AM

Why not just lower your carbs dramatically to burn fat?

90g is a lot of fat and your protein intake is way to low id double it or youre going to lose a ton of muscle. Especially since youre running a lot

6/4/2013 12:45:14 AM

^^On myfitnesspal? "Active"

And Steven I wouldn't follow their guidelines lol...

6/4/2013 12:53:55 AM

Even if you're relatively active, I'd set activity down to one of the lower settings. Active could be appropriate if you're a server or doing something where you're on your feet a lot, but I like establishing baseline intake using sedentary. As someone who habitually overeats, I'd rather underestimate than overestimate, but I'm also legitimately sedentary outside of the gym.

Cutting carbs to sub-100g should be one of the last tools in your belt, steady state cardio being the very last. Once you go below that, you don't have much else to cut from. The best way to stay lean and preserve muscle on a long-term basis is to eat as many carbs and fats as you possibly can while still hitting your protein target. Cut 300 from maintenance, and if you correctly calculated maintenance, you should be able to lose half a pound a week or something like that. If you stall out, subtract 10-20g of carbs, repeat as necessary.

The mistake I have made (and the one I suspect many other people make) is to diet for a few weeks, become impatient, and decide that because I'm not losing as fast as I want to, I might as well cut out an additional 500 calories a day. Well, that will work, until you stall out again...except now, you're at 75g of carbs a day and you have nowhere to go.

Layne has another video out on metabolic adaptation where he elaborates on some of the physiological mechanics that cause the body to become energy efficient (read: downward regulation of the body's energy needs, making it more difficult to lose fat). It's a little under 40 minutes but I think it supports many of the previous assertions he's made on the topic.

6/4/2013 9:01:04 AM

Thanks for that post. I just ate some pot roast, egg salad, almonds, an apple, chips/salsa, yogurt, a protein bar, and spoonful of peanut butter.

Just taking care of my metabolism.

6/4/2013 4:16:59 PM

Finally was able to take a transformation pic. I lost a bit of muscle and weight when I went on my week long cruise but...I gotta get my cardio on track. I hate running. Anyways..this is about 3 months of work.


[Edited on June 4, 2013 at 6:24 PM. Reason : d]

6/4/2013 6:24:15 PM

Nice work!

[Edited on June 4, 2013 at 7:36 PM. Reason : ]

6/4/2013 7:35:58 PM

Yesterday we did some more sprinting and row sprinting (if you want to call it that) at my CF gym. My legs were already sore from the prior Thursday when we did some max effort sprinting and today I can barely walk. Fucking sucks as I want to work out today and we are supposed to be doing some upper body work, but there is no way I can even bend over to lift a barbell or dumbbell. I bet I can barely jump up to a pull up bar

I guess I need to take a few days off to recover fully.

6/5/2013 9:11:26 AM

^ It can be mild rhabdo

6/5/2013 9:49:03 AM

Ever since I read about rhabdo a few weeks back, I watch my urine color when I am feeling sore. This is the worst I've felt though since starting CF. I drink lots of water so I am not really concerned that I could actually suffer effects of rhabdo. I will say that I have been feeling a little sick the last couple days with a head cold or sinus issues so that is probably just exacerbating the soreness.

6/5/2013 10:28:32 AM

Weighed in today. 3 lbs lost in a week.

6/5/2013 7:09:24 PM

on day 37 of Insanity! eating clean and only a couple days behind on my workouts. Only 24 days left to go. Down 15 lbs and a couple inches on my waist. After a recovery week the first week in July I will start intense strength training. Will be incorporating a lot of compound lifts and eating maintenance calories and upping protein intake.

6/6/2013 9:52:35 AM

started back to 5 day a week bootcamps and the whole30 challenge on monday.

i feel like death warmed over right now

6/6/2013 9:55:49 AM

looking forward to getting home this weekend and using my own gym. The apartment gym is decent for an apartment and I'm glad it has dumbbells but it's still not the same. I've been feeling good lately though. The main thing I haven't been as happy with lately is sleep. Long hours Monday-Thursday and getting an early start have been throwing off my sleep schedule.

6/6/2013 10:18:50 AM

any obscure mass building exercises for the quads? i have not been able to regain (or catch up, at least) all my muscle mass in my left leg since my acl reconstruction 20 months ago. granted, i don't work out my right leg any less, but my legs are obviously disproportionate

6/6/2013 3:11:09 PM

I'm back on myfitnesspal again. I really like the program. I've been adding folks.

6/6/2013 5:00:07 PM

I want to buy some adjustable dumbbells. Thinking about this one since the SO could buy more weights for them later if he wanted. Any thoughts or better suggestions?

http://www.amazon.com/Cap-Barbell-40-Pound-Dumbbell-Set/dp/B000VCDXNS

6/6/2013 8:08:57 PM

Those things are a pain in the ass. It obviously saves money and space, but it's super annoying if you're trying to do super sets (alternating between two different exercises with very little rest, in many cases using different weights) or drop sets. You would probably get a lot of use out of them, but your bf/husband will probably need heavier weights after a few months of hard training.

6/6/2013 8:14:53 PM

^ I had some of those in high school and felt like they were pretty shitty. You had to have really slow movements or the plates would get loose. And it's not like you can put a TON of weight on there.

An old roommate of mine had some of these bowflex dumbells:



And I thought they were pretty awesome. I think the max is 52.5 lbs. Not crazy heavy, but not too bad.

6/6/2013 8:17:45 PM

I was thinking about getting 2 sets, so it would be easy to have one for him and one for me, or have two different weights for the same workout. If they get loose easy looks like I'll have to get a non-adjustable set for me. I need something lighter for aerobics type stuff and the SO wants something heavy.

6/6/2013 8:25:58 PM

I would spend the money on something nicer for him (or buy used at a Play-it-again or Craigslist)...and just get you a couple light regular dumbbells. You're not going to want to do aerobics with the ones you posted.

6/6/2013 8:40:06 PM

Ok, I'll go get some 5s for me for now and his lazy ass will probably never buy anything.

6/7/2013 9:50:28 AM

5 pound weights? Might as well just lift half gallons of milk

6/7/2013 10:34:28 AM

A 2L soda bottle will be so easy for a female to do shoulder touches with one in each hand.

6/7/2013 12:10:44 PM

yoo-hoo really isnt milk and i havent seen it in a 2L in a while

[Edited on June 7, 2013 at 12:46 PM. Reason : .]

6/7/2013 12:44:41 PM

Quote :

" I need something lighter for aerobics type stuff"

You said it yourself...you don't need much. And you don't want bulky, adjustable dumbbells to do aerobic stuff. I promise you that you won't use the dumbbells in your picture. You won't use the bowflex ones I posted either. Adjustable weights are too bulky for aerobic type exercises.

Don't get pissy because we didn't sign off on your poor choices of equipment. Be appreciative if we keep you from making a bad purchase.

6/7/2013 3:38:03 PM

What wrong with the dumbbell plate sets? They're good and easily expandable. I use them all the time.

If you need different weights, get more bars. Not rocket science.

Also, it's a $60 investment instead of $300.

6/7/2013 4:22:38 PM

I think the suggestion of doing aerobics with milk jugs was dumb, because there is a huge opportunity for disaster. I don't mind buying 5lb weights and will probably start with those.

6/7/2013 6:28:57 PM

Aerobics are dumb. Why waste your time and money?

Just suck it up and lift weights so youll get results

6/7/2013 7:25:05 PM

Need to build up some cardio, and want to make the strength stuff next a little easier by building some upper body while doing cardio. Also, I want to try using the UFC personal trainer for kinect so I don't embarass myself when I start some fun classes. There's a Thai boxing place right down the street from me, but it's pretty pricey so I'm not sure I'm going to try it.

6/7/2013 8:32:41 PM

In my classes, most of the exercises are done with 5 and 8 pound weights. If I were buying basics for use at home, I'd buy two sets of weights (one a few pounds heavier than the other) and a good resistance band. There's no need for one of those set ups. I'm in agreement that you probably wouldn't want to bother with it.

6/7/2013 9:39:13 PM

Realistically 5 lb weights have zero practicality or use.

Im sure if we put our heads together we could come up with something like oh it could be used as a doorstop. But why not just buy a door stop?

6/9/2013 12:40:10 PM

I say ditch the light dumbbells and use your own bodyweight to build overall strength. Of course you can modify things like pushups and pullups until you can do a "proper". So many things you can do with your bodyweight, you'll just have to get creative, and use the resources available online.

For instance, you don't need to do dumbbell shoulder press ( I'm guessing that is what she means by DB shoulder touches", when pushups work just about every muscle group in your body ( triceps, core, glutes, low back, shoulders, lats, quads, hamstrings). Problem with many people is that they don't know/understand what it means to keep everything tight and squeeze, and you end up doing elbow bends. rather than real pushups, so you don't engage any of the muscle groups I listed.

Do the knealing pushups until you're strong enough for the ones on your toes.

Same for pullups. If I would invest in anything, is the assisted bands for pullups on the bar.

And if you buy the band...it can serve as a resistance band for even more bodyweight excercises! And acts as a stretch bands for those tights muscles!

Tricep dips on the bench with your bodyweight is just as effective as those tricep kickbacks with dumbbells you see in Shape magazine, or whatever.

[Edited on June 9, 2013 at 9:05 PM. Reason : ...]

[Edited on June 9, 2013 at 9:06 PM. Reason : ...]

6/9/2013 9:01:46 PM

tricep dips on a bench are horrible for your shoulders

6/10/2013 12:22:06 AM

Was on hiatus from the gym for 2 weeks and started back again this morning and was pleasantly surprised that I was right where I left off in terms of body weight and flexibility, and I even had my expected gains in strength. I had to call it quits on my last exercise though because I was getting pretty nauseous. Guess I need to do a Walmart run for some more Gatorade powder.

I did peek in this thread a few times over the last few weeks and saw several posters looking for myfitness pal connections. I'm using it too and could use a few motivators in my feed.

Also, now that school's out in Wake County, has anyone seen a rise in the number of kids in the gym? I got there this morning and there were about 6-8 middle school age kids scattered throughout the place. I was a little peeved at first, but they mainly stuck to the machines and cardio equipment and away from the free weights.

6/11/2013 8:33:36 AM

Anyone got suggestions for a good ab routine? I do mine twice a week on my lower body days and it feels inadequate. It's just 3 sets of 12: reverse crunches, crunches, oblique crunches.

At first I was hitting fatigue with each, but now I could easily keep going. I know I can just keep doing reps until I hit fatigue, but I'd like to find a good 15-20 minute routine that will hit everything and leave my gut feeling like the rest of my body after a workout.

6/12/2013 2:41:00 PM

I do 200 reps with anywhere from 4-10 different exercises or varying motions all focusing on some maner of core. I will say that I get a lot better results from crunches than actual sit ups.

i have to take breaks, once you get comfortable take less breaks until you can barrel straight through. then do more reps.

thats how i do it

Quote :

"Aerobics are dumb. Why waste your time and money?"

Wow. Thats a strong statement

[Edited on June 12, 2013 at 3:09 PM. Reason : d]

6/12/2013 3:08:06 PM

How do you determine "results"? Teh Buuurrrnnnnn?



hmmm, core work

heavy front squats, heavy deadlifts, heavy presses...that seems to work best

maybe occasionally....

hanging leg raises, weighted planks, russian twists, ghd sit-ups....but mostly heavy lifting and nutrition

[Edited on June 12, 2013 at 3:37 PM. Reason : ]

6/12/2013 3:34:41 PM

I seem to be stuck at an 8 pound weight loss and have fluctuating back and forth for a week now. Gotta change something up or increase the workouts to reach my goal (135).

At my dr visit yesterday, they had a new scale that also determines BMI and I was at 22, so that's awesome. At this point I want to continue to shed these last 10 pounds, tone and maintain

Question--do you guys prefer hand weights or a kettlebell?

[Edited on June 12, 2013 at 3:53 PM. Reason : Kettlebell v hand weights]

6/12/2013 3:52:38 PM

^ depends on what you plan to do with the weights. And by hand weights I assume you mean dumbbells. There are exercises you cannot do with kettlebells that you can with dumbbells and vice versa. Really you need both.

Also what is the big deal about your weight? If you can see your body improving and your BMI is going down, who gives a damn about weight. You are building muscle.

6/12/2013 4:01:58 PM