The key to my beach body is getting more sleep! I am working way too much.

I bought these toys today for my gym:



I wonder how many calories will be burnt on it

1/9/2013 9:22:57 PM

you paid for a tractor tire?

1/9/2013 9:35:57 PM

Yea, they aren't as easy to find as you think they are. And when time is money, you spend money to save time.

1/9/2013 9:49:58 PM

oh, i got mine for free. but i live in richmond and the place i went to had a mountain of them they were more than happy to part with

1/9/2013 10:03:12 PM

Agree on the sleep. Sucks. I depend on unisom way too much, and I always feel hungover next morning.

1/9/2013 10:12:29 PM

Anyone ever taken Zinc & Magnesium as a sleep aid? I think i mentioned i have some on the way. I'm very hopeful. I'm also going to stop using the internet after 10:30 PM from now on. It tends to keep you up way too late.

[Edited on January 9, 2013 at 10:21 PM. Reason : a]

1/9/2013 10:20:33 PM

Yeah, you should be able to get old tractor tires for free. They'll give them away as long as you can haul it

1/9/2013 10:25:02 PM

Quote :

"Anyone ever taken Zinc & Magnesium as a sleep aid?"

not specifically as a sleep aid. i have found, though, that it doesnt really make me any more likely to be able to fall asleep.

1/9/2013 10:26:46 PM

I have access to entire field of tires....no joke. Pretty sure they're free.

[Edited on January 10, 2013 at 8:53 AM. Reason : ]

1/10/2013 8:53:01 AM

I must have contacted all the wrong places, but out of the 10 tire places I called, they didn't have anything over 200lbs.

I didn't pay much for it, it's also new so the tread is grippable, and it came with a couple 45lbs plates.

1/10/2013 8:57:42 AM

yeah, i had to call a bunch of places too.

this is the one i picked up last year.


around 400 lbs with great tread that has just enough ground clearance to get under it.

1/10/2013 9:41:15 AM

ughhh i have been so lazy and have zero motivation

1/10/2013 10:16:20 AM

^Baby steps!

I've been killing myself with sleep deprivation, crappy diet, and stress. It can get overwhelming, but you can remedy it pretty quickly...

Get a good nights rest, a belly full of vegetables, meats, and complex carbs, and a little TLC if you are lucky enough to have a significant other.

Once you are recharged, get moving and work up a sweat!

1/10/2013 10:34:38 AM

Fitness improving, video game skill decreasing....priorities, priorities....

1/10/2013 10:50:13 AM

Anyone ever feel immense pain in their palm like where their thumb bone connects to the wrist the day after working out?!

Very strange spot but it hurts like hell today. I did a lot of barbell work yesterday so I'm guessing I was holding a weight funny during an exercise or carrying it to/from the rack or something? Never felt this before though...

I've done LISS cardio for three straight days now and lifted heavy for two of them.

I didn't want to go too extreme on calorie deficit while I started a consistent lifting program because I didn't want my body to try to hang onto fat or anything. I think next week (week 3) I can drastically reduce carbs and total calorie intake and start burning 2-2.5 lbs of fat a week instead of the 1-1.5 I'm burning now.

I'm going to do a high volume glycogen depletion workout Tuesday along with some interval cardio work. Then stay under 20 carbs/day for as long as I can take it. Before upping it to 50 carbs/day for a few weeks. Anyone tried this before? How long were you able to stay under 50 carbs before you felt you had to do a refeed? I'm not looking to do a standard CKD where you refeed every weekend. Most of the research I've read shows you need 3-4 weeks to really amp fat loss.

[Edited on January 10, 2013 at 7:41 PM. Reason : a]

1/10/2013 7:38:44 PM

I honestly don't think going low carb does that much by itself, aside from the fact that it helps you avoid food that isn't very satisfying and achieve a calorie deficit. With a leangains approach, you aren't actually going into ketosis, the low carbs on rest days just allow you to fit in more fat, which helps offset some of the hormonal issues that arise during a prolonged deficit.

Didn't fuck with low carb for yesterday's pwo, that's for sure. BBQ Chicken Pizza. 1780 calories, 251g carbs, 39g fat, 112g protein.


[Edited on January 11, 2013 at 10:50 AM. Reason : ]

1/11/2013 10:42:07 AM

I am insulin resistant, and no matter what I did when I was off my meds I gained weight. Talk to your doctor about metformin. The last time I was off it I weighed 70 pounds more. It will also help prevent you from developing diabetes later in life.

1/11/2013 10:50:29 AM

I am addicted to carbs, when I eat carbs it leaves me wanting more carbs.

Also if you have a belly, chances are you have insulin resistance issues and that carbs are preventing you from losing as much fat as you otherwise could.

Also, carbs cause crashes in energy, lethargy, etc for me which prevents me from working out because I don't feel like it or I'd rather just go to sleep.

1/11/2013 11:07:35 AM

I've decided to offer fat loss and training programs for anyone interested. The fee is $50/month.

What you get:
- Total program and resources on how to lose fat, all the way down to six pack levels.
- Personally customized recommended calories and macro-nutrient levels
- Work out and activity template
- Meal template and supplement recommendations and guidance
- Weekly check-in and correspondence Q&A for anything related to training and nutrition.

You essentially get all the information with the first month's payment. However if you want continued consultations and correspondence after the first month, another payment is required. PM me if you are interested!

1/11/2013 12:19:36 PM

Buy an ad

1/11/2013 12:52:40 PM

Exercisin': 2 cyclocross races last weekend, back on the bike commuting, did some runnin', manual
labor and yoga. My speed on the bike and running has greatly improved since break.

Foods: sticking to the low gluten diet, became Tea Queen, been keeping up with my supplements.
(women's multi, fish oil, Vit. D).

Rest: Been sleeping enough.

Weight loss: 4 lb since late December.

1/11/2013 1:18:48 PM

^^ For the amount of free advice he gives here and the general lack of knowledge on diet and fat loss here, that's just a prick comment

1/11/2013 1:27:55 PM

^^Low gluten? You're either eating gluten or your not...otherwise I think you're missing the point...

1/11/2013 3:16:03 PM

So, face is just going to ignore my advice.

1/11/2013 6:54:39 PM

Hey sorry I dont go to doctors but if i do maybe i'll get blood tested for it.

Right now I'm making myself more insulin sensitive by training daily (weights or cardio) while fasted (no food 14-16 hours prior to weight lifting or cardio, jsut bcaa).

I'm also going low carb, high omega 3's, vegetables + nuts, and 400mg caffeine and a shitload of other micronutrients.

I've also reduced my alcohol consumption to 2-3 nights a week and I'm trying to keep it under 15 drinks and no mixed drinks to avoid the sugars. Ideally, I'd drink a glass of wine every night to really get my insulin in order, but sometimes 1 drink can lead to 20 so I haven't tried that yet.

This should rapidly alter my insulin sensitivity. If it doesn't I'll look into meds but I hate taking non-recreational drugs if I can help it.

[Edited on January 11, 2013 at 7:04 PM. Reason : a]

1/11/2013 7:03:09 PM

how do you drink that much and still function? I'm wasted from one glass of wine.

Like, how do you feel after 15 drinks?

1/11/2013 8:21:21 PM

Quote :

"This should rapidly alter my insulin sensitivity. If it doesn't I'll look into meds but I hate taking non-recreational drugs if I can help it."

drugs, drinking, and exercising

we should be friends

1/12/2013 3:44:11 PM

Quote :

"Going from 2mg of fish oil to 10mg"

Someone doesn't know their units

1/12/2013 4:08:40 PM

Yeah sorry that was supposed to be grams I noticed that but it was too late to edit.

We could begonias I think I may have known you freshmen year. Not sure though, never talked to you at lifestyle.

I normally feel great the more I drink, doesn't everyone?

1/12/2013 7:59:36 PM

Ugh, if I drink more then 3 beers (high gravity) in an evening I feel bad and can't function optimally next day.

I don't sleep enough to be able to drink a lot.

1/12/2013 9:28:23 PM

Yeah when I go out from 5 pm to 2 am and have to get up at 7 AM for work i don't have my most productive mornings. But people know not to rely on us on Thursday mornings

1/12/2013 9:50:59 PM

Quote :

"Agree on the sleep. Sucks. I depend on unisom way too much, and I always feel hungover next morning."

for real. resorting to taking one is guaranteed to ruin the next day, as far as i'm concerned. try half a tablet if you haven't already, MUCH more tolerable.

[Edited on January 12, 2013 at 10:49 PM. Reason : .]

1/12/2013 10:47:01 PM

How about melatonin supplements in lieu of Unisom?

Also, after 2 glasses of wine, I'm typically fall-down stupid. And that's not a good quality in a woman. I try to limit myself to one drink every 1.5 hours, only bc I hate being sloppy.

Alcohol tolerance varies so wildly from person to person. It's kind of fascinating.

1/13/2013 8:18:47 AM

I've heard melatonin supplements are very easy to misuse and simply are not a good sleep aid for most people. (Dr. Oz said so... I don't remember why)

1/13/2013 8:37:13 AM

I take about 1.5mg dose once or twice a week and it works very well for me.

1/13/2013 8:43:42 AM

They're fine in moderation. Just like most things.

1/13/2013 9:20:17 AM

^^^^ it is weird. I don't drink often at all, but I probably had about a dozen drinks over about 6 hours on Fri night bar hopping in Key West, and I never got more than a little buzz. I only had the mildest of hangovers the next day, too, and I'll bet part of that was starting that night of drinking on 2 hours of sleep from the night before.

1/13/2013 9:36:35 AM

Really tiny girl gets drunk quickly. Big guy gets drunk slowly.

Revelations ITT

1/13/2013 10:38:15 AM

lightweights ITT

melatonin, GABA, etc have no effect on me - but I have legitimate sleep issues (dr. diagnosed, prescribed meds) so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

however, my sleep has improved after I made it a priority - no matter what I'm doing or where I am, if I have to be functional the next day then I need 7-8 hours of sleep. I'm also a fan of naps - I have a 4 hour break during the day so it's perfect if I didn't get 7-8 hours the night before. Wine helps for night time sleepiness too

1/13/2013 10:38:16 AM

Sooooo I signed up for the color me rad 5k April 6th and it will be my first. What sort of advice do you guys have for preparing for this event for one who is getting into a cardio routine as of a few weeks ago but is otherwise out of shape?

1/13/2013 11:41:01 AM

Let people throw paint at you while you're running

1/13/2013 11:46:34 AM

Quote :

"Really tiny girl gets drunk quickly. Big guy gets drunk slowly. "

I just don't get it. My bf weighs 185 and he gets drunk just about as fast as I do. Then again, he's half-asian, so maybe that's why?

Alcohol tolerance fascinates me.

1/13/2013 12:44:20 PM

Quote :

"he's half-asian"

I hope for your sake it isn't the bottom half.

1/13/2013 1:09:02 PM

ahahahaha

not sure I'd be with him if that were the case

1/13/2013 1:12:24 PM

^^^ right, I'm 185 and don't drink much. There's more to it than just size.

Interestingly, I can drink a triple espresso or a big Monster and take a nap. Painkillers don't seem to affect me the way they do other people, to the point that I don't even bother having the Rx filled half the time. They used to give us Ambien on deployments (working odd hours), but it had basically no effect on me, while others took it and had themselves a near coma, haha.

I did notice an effect from Dexedrine, though...and ephedrine/caffeine stacks (back when they were available easily) worked OK for me.

1/13/2013 1:19:36 PM

A lot asians can't metabolize alcohol. They turn red after 1-2 drinks. It's probably that.

1/13/2013 1:19:37 PM

I'm about to break this fucking scale. When I look in the mirror I can definitely tell I'm losing fat but the scale isn't showing a lot of results.

I know when you start lifting weights your body starts retaining water. And on top of that I'm on creatine and yohimbine HCL which also both lead to water retention.

So that's gotta be what's going on. But it's still pissing me off. I need to be able to quantify my fat loss.

Going to use my anger to really starve myself good this week.

MattJM. So I either broke or sprained my thumb Friday night though some horseplay. I'm hoping it's just a sprain but this mother hurts. I went to the gym today and was able to do pullups with a neutral grip, but I couldnt do any barbell work because i couldnt grip the bells without intense pain.

I want to preserve as much muscle as possible while I'm on this rigorous cutting diet. Any ideas that don't utilize your thumb very much for chest and shoulders? I'm scared to try pushups don't wanna cause any long term damage.

[Edited on January 13, 2013 at 2:45 PM. Reason : a]

1/13/2013 2:44:58 PM

Push ups on your knuckles?

1/13/2013 3:24:24 PM

was thinking that but thats how kevin love fractured his whole hand like two months ago

1/13/2013 3:46:52 PM

I'm trying to finish a marathon before November 2013.

1/13/2013 8:30:58 PM