No, I'm lifting heavy to offset my calorie restriction.

Keeping most things in the 6 rep range, but a few things lower than that. Right now my thumb is injured pretty badly so it limits how hard i can grip weights, but I'm lifting as hard as I can (though I'm not doing compound movements or a ton of closed chain exercises).

I've limited drinking to 2-3x a week while on this diet, I'm going to get major results this time.


destroyer, are you taking your creatine with carbs/protein? It won't absorb well if you don't spike your metabolism along with it. I like to take it after lifting and then once again at night with my dinner. I'm DEFINITELY gaining a ton of water weight, I can feel it and it's measurable on the scale. I've also used half doses of yohimbine which is responsible for water retention too though.

1/17/2013 5:05:56 PM

Quote :

"Does anyone have IBS? If so, how are you treating it? Dietary changes or Rx meds? "

Here. Basically, I eliminated dairy, whey and fried food about 4 years ago, so now I never really have issues. On occasion, I slip up and go crazy on loaded nachos, which triggers really painful attacks.

Whey protein is really the worst for me. Might be a mild allergy... it also makes me break out in hives.

1/17/2013 5:14:40 PM

Quote :

"Good grief everyday I hit a new high in weight and bodyfat on the scale. How much waterweight is it possible to retain when you first start lifting regularly and loading creatine? I feel like stay puff marshmellow man I'm blowing up so much. Arms look good all pumped up, but I'm ready to see some results on the scale to keep me motivated."

reminds me of this from Mean Girls


weight loss bars from Sweden

And for all your internet gospel you should know that lifting heavy in the <6 rep range is not the in thing now. Especially not heavy singles.

[Edited on January 17, 2013 at 5:33 PM. Reason : russian weight training methods]

1/17/2013 5:31:20 PM

I think we'd probably all be better off if we just ignore face, in this thread or any other. I'm pretty sure that posting on TWW is how he masturbates, and I feel a little bit dirty every time I read one of his posts, like I'm being used as a sex toy. We're all being subjected to his verbal jizz.

1/17/2013 7:31:08 PM

face is the best / most interesting part of this thread.


i.e. Alternative perspectives on issues = appreciated.

1/17/2013 7:46:09 PM

Quote :

"Here. Basically, I eliminated dairy, whey and fried food about 4 years ago, so now I never really have issues. On occasion, I slip up and go crazy on loaded nachos, which triggers really painful attacks. Whey protein is really the worst for me. Might be a mild allergy... it also makes me break out in hives."

I was diagnosed in 2008 or 2009. I went through everything, the hydrogen breath test, upper and lower endoscopy, test for celiac. The breath test came back positive for high amount of H. pylori. She put me on an investigational drug used to treat traveler's diarrhea. It relieved the bloating and pressure, but in less than a week I devleopled constipation from the drug, so I stopped.

I didn't want to be on drug for the rest of my life for this problem, so I also decided to play around with my diet. I first eliminated wheat for 2 weeks, and it did wonders. Then I slowly introduced it bak, and realized I am dose-dependent. I can have wheat products, but just not a whole lot ( i.e. a dinner roll, a slice of pizza/ slice of bread, small tortilla, etc. is fine on the digestive). I don't do dairy anyway because I'm L.I. I don't do most veggies but green beans and romaine seem to be the only thing I can tolerate.

Today was the most frustrating and fattest I have ever felt. I ate pretty clean all day, so maybe stress and lak of sleep can cause your stomach to ferment more than usual? It may also have to try and eliminate coffee and tea to see how I feel. I'm a little nervous about not having my caffeine though.

I'm seeing my G.I again since 2010 for this ongoing problem, in March. In the meantime, I'll just have to start a food diary again to figure it out.

1/17/2013 8:11:16 PM

I would guess that I probably have the best results of anyone in this thread year to date.

I'm dropping fat like a mother, looking leaner by the day. And I'm not going to quit either.

Just sticking to the science bros.

[Edited on January 17, 2013 at 8:25 PM. Reason : a]

1/17/2013 8:24:31 PM

scale must be broken again

1/17/2013 8:40:40 PM

This thread isn't about a scale it's about results and I'm getting great ones.

Simple formula. Caloric deficit, high protein, lift heavy, low intensity steady state cardio, sleep.

Caffeine, IF'ing, fish oil, creatine, vitamin d, calcium, green tea, cinnamon.

You really don't need much more than that.


And what are you saying I should be doing instead of lifting heavy to preserve muscle mass???

I can't lift high volume while in caloric deficit and I certainly don't want to lose strength right now...

[Edited on January 17, 2013 at 8:50 PM. Reason : a]

1/17/2013 8:49:20 PM

Well,
Thanks AntiMnifesto, I do have some mountain bike shorts but not really worried about that side of it. With a 22 mile commute I want a pocket so bike shirts are the natural thing to try. They work and are functional, but a little too tight I guess. I have yet to ride into work despite this being the best time of year for it. Soon though. Work schedule has been nuts.

Good news is since the 1st of the year I am down 4 pounds. I ran/walked in the Disney half marathon last weekend. the walking aspect was more a result of how unbelievably crowded it was. IT was like that 1st mile of any race where everyone is trying to get around the other one, but it just never stopped. The course had a lot of turns and was never very wide.

Going to try and eat more avocados as I too live in FL! good idea!

1/17/2013 8:50:21 PM

^ good job!


I've been at the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and running on Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Adding in the gym days has really made a difference the past few weeks. I haven't been weighing myself but my clothes feel a lot different and I feel a lot stronger. I've been mixing it up and tomorrow I do squats! I'm no longer scared of the squat rack!

Saturday my gym is doing a promo where if you do 4 back to back fitness classes you get a free personal training session with the owner. She's a runner too so I really want the opportunity to work with her. I really wish I could afford having a trainer but I'll take what I can get, so I'll be running at dawn and then hitting the gym

1/17/2013 9:08:36 PM

God dieting sucks. Had a 1,200 calorie diet day going until this girl texted then added like 1,500 in booze then got back burned off like maybe 60 calories with her, passed out then she woke me up and have me drive her to her boyfriends at 4 AM. Girls are psycho

1/18/2013 4:39:31 AM

^ you may want to get more sleep. 7 hours a night min. Your cortisol levels are probably through the roof, which makes it near impossible to lose fat/weight.

Also, LOL, cool story bro.

1/18/2013 7:47:47 AM

Only 60 calories? Quick make-out sesh and a handjob?

1/18/2013 7:57:58 AM

I was assuming 2-pump dump

1/18/2013 7:59:21 AM

I would think after 1,500 calories of alcohol, a two pump dump would be pretty difficult. But I normally have to work through a whiskey dick.

face never disappoints.

1/18/2013 8:01:20 AM

I love getting my clients results. After some diet modifications and supplement additions, one of my clients unlocked his weight loss. He's lost 12lbs since Monday. Which takes it up to 25lbs lost over 6 weeks!

Tomorrow, another client has her pageant. Calipers are reading ~15% body fat and she's looking great... I hope the judges appreciate an athletic figure, rather than skinny-fat.

February is going to kick off my slow lean out, i'll document it better this year.



[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 9:30 AM. Reason : ;]

1/18/2013 9:29:29 AM

Miss America does Crossfit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/15/crossfit-miss-america-mallory-hagan_n_2473252.html

1/18/2013 10:31:14 AM

^yeah, I've been following her on fitocracy.

1/18/2013 10:43:39 AM

I thought this was what a crossfit girl was supposed to look like

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 11:09 AM. Reason : one moar]

1/18/2013 11:07:14 AM

^^^ From acraw's Huffpost article:

Quote :

"Even for those who don't suffer a debilitating condition, encouragement to overdo it is everywhere: "I do give them a little sticker [if they puke],” Hollis Molloy, a trainer at CrossFit Santa Cruz told Livestrong.com. “Back in the day, we used to give them shirts and the availability of the shirt ran out.” "

Ugh, how is that healthy? I teach spin, and when I see people who look nauseous, I ask them to please dial down the resistance for a sec and take a quick breather. Vomiting from a workout can't be good for you.


Regardless, Crossfit does a body good, for sure! Love Miss America's physique. Gorgeous curves in the right places.

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 11:15 AM. Reason : e]

1/18/2013 11:13:21 AM

I am going to keep my crossfit hate train rolling...

Quote :

"Regardless, Crossfit does a body good, for sure! Love Miss America's physique. Gorgeous curves in the right places."

Disagree. Proper coaching, training, and nutrition does a body good. You CAN get that from crossfit; when you have a good coach, you have a good coach.

But, I've never seen any other training program that has caused more injuries. It's practically ingrained in it's culture. If you aren't puking or going balls to the wall, then you aren't a fire-breathing crossfitter. I will admit there are exceptions to the rule, hence my comments about good coaches.

FYI - Using barbells, daily undulating periodization and interval/circuit training =/ crossfit.

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 11:38 AM. Reason : ;]

1/18/2013 11:37:48 AM

a guy that told me he was new to crossfit almost offed himself trying to work in with me (at a non-crossfit gym) while i was deadlifting on tuesday. he told me there was a 5x5 DL crossfit workout the previous day or something? he hadn't warmed up, didn't listen to me when i offered to take the weight off the bar for him to work in some warm ups, and just addressed the bar i had set up for my last warmup and proceeded to try and yank it up. after listening to me tell him to stop, he told me he'd never deadlifted before, but had read about it. dude looked like he was going to snap. he watched me finish mine out, then i unloaded to 135 for him, which he struggled with mightily too. i showed him how to set up some plates on the ground so you can DL with 95 lbs, and have the same range, as to not be doing a deficit deadlift due to the diameter of the non-bumper 25s being smaller than the 45s. i'm not sure why he thought he could just waltz up and whip out a bunch of deadlifts at 255 without ever having done them before. i mean, i'm a noob too, and we all were noobs once, but that's just dumb.



i'm still on the first phase of restarting starting strength (2nd edition program), where while your body can take it, you're squatting and deadlifting three times a week.. it's getting taxing on recovery. especially while having a respiratory infection, lol. i think next week i'm going to bring in the power cleans for the next phase.

1/18/2013 11:40:37 AM

Her(Miss America) last two workouts posted are

Quote :

" Jump Squat (Toyotas): 10 reps (+9 pts) 10 reps (+9 pts) 10 reps (+9 pts) Push-Up: 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat: 20 lb x 8 reps (+56 pts) Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 12 lb x 10 reps (+33 pts) 10 lb x 10 reps (+32 pts) Stability Ball Jack Knife Sit-Up: 10 reps (+15 pts) 10 reps (+15 pts) Exercise Ball Crunch: 10 reps (+7 pts) 10 reps (+7 pts) "

Quote :

" Goblet Squat (dumbbell): 30 lb x 10 reps (+43 pts) 30 lb x 10 reps (+43 pts) Dumbbell Step Ups: 5 lb x 1 reps (+5 pts) 5 lb x 1 reps (+5 pts) Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift: 30 lb x 10 reps (+61 pts) 30 lb x 10 reps (+61 pts) Push-Up: 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) 10 reps (+19 pts) Side Lateral Raise: 5 lb x 10 reps (+10 pts) 5 lb x 10 reps (+10 pts) 10 lb x 10 reps (+10 pts) Dumbbell 2-Arm Triceps Extension: 20 lb x 10 reps (+11 pts) 20 lb x 10 reps (+11 pts) 20 lb x 8 reps (+11 pts) Stability Ball Jack Knife Sit-Up: 10 reps (+15 pts) 10 reps (+15 pts) 10 reps (+15 pts) Exercise Ball Crunch: 10 reps (+7 pts) "

are they examples of a crossfit workout?

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 11:51 AM. Reason : two might be better eh?]

1/18/2013 11:48:34 AM

Haha no. And nothing wrong with it, it's an example of something anyone can do without fancy CF equipment. The idea behind that workout is probably very little rest between each movement.

1/18/2013 11:51:44 AM

Nope. Want to know why? There are bicep curls and the use of a stability ball.

/half sarcasm half serious

Here's a crossfit workout I just made up:

AMRUUPI (As Many Rounds Until U Puke/Injure):

20 box jumps
15 double unders
10 thrusters
9 kipping pull ups
8 Rings Dips
7 400m Sprints
6 wall balls
5 crossift hip flexor sit ups
4 SDLHP
3 sled hammer jammers
2 hand stand push ups
1 rope climb

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 11:57 AM. Reason : wod]

1/18/2013 11:52:08 AM

I knew I should have never mentioned Crossfit lol

1/18/2013 12:00:30 PM

Quote :

"I would guess that I probably have the best results of anyone in this thread year to date."

well you don't really know how anyone else is doing because you're one of the only folks who is actively posting day to day. are you taking pics? i'm interested to see your progression with the way you diet, etc.

1/18/2013 12:44:36 PM

Yes I posted an initial pic already. I'll post a follow up in a few weeks, I can see a lot of results already but a picture wouldn't quite do it justice yet


Also yes I know about the cortisol / sleep / fat loss issues but girls don't exactly work like that. You can't exactly text them at 530 like hey come over now because I have to get eight hours sleep tonight. You have to wait for them to make separate plans from whoever they are seeing, get them liquored up, pretend to care about them, get their friends approval/offset the cock block, and hold their wrists behind their head until they stop squirming. If you can get all that done by 3 AM you're doing well.

1/18/2013 1:15:00 PM

Ok, i'm going to noob all over this thread. You guys want to help me make a plan?

I'm 6'4. In college i was sort of skinny at 200ish. Then I got a job and settled in and got a bit chubby at 230lb. Two years ago i moved to Boston and somehow got skinnier at 205lb. I was riding my bike a lot and did some cyclocross racing, but didn't "train" per say or eat particularly well. I think it was more the adaption to city life with all the walking, etc. Now i'm creeping back up and just hit 220lbs. I probably gained 10lbs in the last year and i think it coincides with my quitting coffee and going out to eat at lunch a lot.

I've never "worked out" or lifted weights before.

So now I'm 6'4 220lb. I joined a gym in December and have been going 3 days a week. I don't really have a plan so here's what i've been doing.

Current Plan:

I started doing my current routine basically randomly just to get started.

Treadmill: warm-up walk for 0.25 miles at 4.0. Run for 1.5 miles at 6.5. Cool down for 0.25 at 3.8
Cable machine bench press: 3 sets of 8 reps of 115lbs
Cable machine overhead/incline press: 3 sets of 6 reps of 90lbs
Cable seated row machine: 3 sets of 10 of 100lbs
Stair climber (either rolling stairs/escalator machine or stairmaster): 40-50 floors

I've been trying to eat a little better by eating more salads at lunch and avoiding pizza and burgers.

Results:

So it's been about 6 weeks i guess. I haven't lost any weight, but i feel much stronger. I feel like my posture is better, i feel stronger and not old and frail. hah. My fiancee says can tell a difference looking at me, especially my back. When i first started, i was doing 15lbs lighter of everything so i've improved that much strengthwise.

Goals:

My goal is to lose some weight, i'm fine with being under 210lb. I'm also motivated by events/adventures. For example i'm climbing Mt. Washington next week which isn't trivial in the winter so that's why i've been hitting the stairmaster. I'd like to start doing the Sunday spin class and maybe get back into racing bikes in the fall. So guess i'm interested mostly in losing some weight, cardio, and getting my legs strong. I don't really care about being a muscle man.

New Plan:

Now i'd like to change things up a bit and get a little more focused. What should i do, WolfWeb? If you hurry up i'll start the plan today.

1/18/2013 1:16:06 PM

Quote :

"I can see a lot of results already but a picture wouldn't quite do it justice yet "

you'd be surprised. sometimes you can't really see the difference until you do a side by side comparison.

1/18/2013 1:57:49 PM

any of you boys and girls worrying about becoming huge and muscle men because you start lifting weights, lemme go ahead and put those thoughts to rest.

unless you're eating huge amounts while lifting heavy ass weights, you're not ever gonna be BIG and MUSCULAR

you've got to eat big to get big.


if you eat normal amounts of quality food at or below your recommended daily amounts of macros / calories, you will probably find yourself actually shrinking in your own skin, yet weighing the same or slightly less

building muscle is sexy, and you won't all of a sudden balloon up to 250+ or fitness competition levels because you weight train

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 2:10 PM. Reason : r]

1/18/2013 2:09:14 PM

1/18/2013 2:20:13 PM

you can, however, get huge, if you want

it just takes work and dedication

oh, and money, because all those calories aren't gonna be cheap

1/18/2013 2:24:16 PM

Iheartkisses, how much protein(g) would you say you consume per day? I'm asking because I heard high protein diets can cause gas/bloating/discomfort. I am at the high end, so think I need to play around with this too.

1/18/2013 2:26:52 PM

Quote :

"oh, and money, because all those calories aren't gonna be cheap"

??? I see huge poor people all the time.

1/18/2013 2:27:52 PM

I'm talking about going from being small / average using quality calories and being big and muscular, not just huge /fat

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 2:39 PM. Reason : s]

1/18/2013 2:33:29 PM

I spend less money eating well because it means I'm not eating out or drinking out nearly as much. If you get your protein from sources like whey it's actually really cheap. Carbs can be had cheap with beans/rice. Fat is obviously pretty cheap too. But I get your point that yes you have to eat quite a bit more than most skinny people are accustomed to so if you don't try to find bang for your buck it can be expensive.

Okay i did the math, i didnt blow my diet nearly as bad as i thought yesterday. My judgment was a little impaired when i posted at 4:45 AM last night haha

2125 calories
34g fat
60g carb
165g protein

Comes out to 14% fat, 11% carbs, 31% protein, 44% alcohol (lol).


The key to yesterday being successful despite drinking 11 drinks is that I kept my fat intake very low and ate it 9 hours before I went out drinking. When you drink your body converts alcohol to acetate and all fat/carb burning shuts down. If you are eating fat while you drink or before you drink it will store as body fat. If your glycogen stores aren't full the carbs will mostly just store as glycogen which you can deplete later. Carbs converting to bodyfat stores are very uncommon unless your carb intake is massive because de novo lipogenesis (carbs converting to fat stores) is not an efficient process. Also, I got 80% of my protein intake early enough that a lot of it should have been synthesized to mitigate muscle loss.

I made SMART drinking choices. I had 7 miller lites (3.2g carb apiece) and 4 glasses of scotch/whisky (0g carb if you pick the non flavored ones). So really all I did was take in a bunch of empty calories for the most part. Since I was still in caloric deficit, that's not a big deal. Be smart when you drink.

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 2:59 PM. Reason : a]

1/18/2013 2:48:45 PM

For the women:

http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2011/05/16/females-fat-loss-and-performance/

1/18/2013 2:50:54 PM

^ how many grams of carbs is on the low end?

1/18/2013 3:08:56 PM

Quote :

"Iheartkisses, how much protein(g) would you say you consume per day? I'm asking because I heard high protein diets can cause gas/bloating/discomfort. I am at the high end, so think I need to play around with this too. "

I don't really pay close attention to macros. Probably anywhere from 50 to 75 grams per day. I rely on eggs/egg whites and seafood for protein, for the most part.

Prob not nearly enough for your workouts though.

But, anyway, I've found that eggs have been the easiest source of protein for me to digest. With no bloating/gas. I just supplement whole eggs with egg whites so I'm not going crazy on cholesterol.

Now, whey, on the other hand. Ugh. The worst.

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM. Reason : d]

1/18/2013 3:21:06 PM

^^100g or less per day

1/18/2013 3:24:16 PM

Absolutely nothing wrong with cholesterol in eggs...haven't we dispelled that bullshit in this thread yet?

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 3:26 PM. Reason : Oops...double]

1/18/2013 3:25:44 PM

well, also the calories

I like a higher ratio of egg whites to yolks because it means I can have a bigger omelette for fewer calories

1/18/2013 3:29:42 PM

Yeah dietary cholesterol has nothing to do with your cholesterol levels.

It's really all activity levels, genetics, and stress

1/18/2013 3:47:18 PM

Quote :

"For the women: http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2011/05/16/females-fat-loss-and-performance/"

That article isn't bad, but it's trying pretty hard to sound novel and fancy. All it's saying is do a low carb diet, don't be afraid of fat, and make sure you are getting enough strength training.

IMO, it's not the best idea for women to go low carb 100% of the diet. Low carb diets fuck women up when it comes to mood swings. I prefer carb cycling. Low carb about 70% of the time, and then low fat/high carb 30% of the time. Cycling carbs on around strength or high intensity training days.

I do agree with his recommendation to start no-carb during the day, then gradually taper them in after lunch.

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 3:57 PM. Reason : 70/30]

1/18/2013 3:56:36 PM

I've done the low carb thing before and it fucked up my menstrual cycle. Also, I can't get over the foggy-hotheadedness.

75g of protein seem to be on the low end for an endurance athlete like you...Iheart...

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 4:02 PM. Reason : ....]

1/18/2013 4:00:09 PM

to get past the brain fog of low carb dieting, you have to drive your carb levels to extremely low levels for the first 4-5 days. Otherwise, you'll be taking in enough carbs to prevent your brain from making the switch from glycogen to ketone bodies for fuel. You also want to keep your fat intake much higher than your protein intake during this period, or else your body will rely on gluconeogenesis to keep glycogen available for the brain to run off of.

You'll also have to remember that you're only going to be able to push your workouts at 80-90% of your normal intensity, so don't overdo it.

1/18/2013 4:12:29 PM

^^ I'm not a serious athlete though. I'd probably see gains if I upped my protein intake, but I prefer to eat foods that I like and that make me feel better.

To better describe my diet, it's more of an Alkaline Diet. 75% alkaline foods. Keeps my immune system healthy and keeps inflammation to a minimum. When my diet gets too acidic, I notice it in my skin immediately. And I start to get run down. And I have more digestive issues.

My doc says I'm perfectly healthy and to keep doing what I'm doing.

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 4:27 PM. Reason : .]

1/18/2013 4:24:30 PM

^ fish oil is great for fighting inflammation.

Ive been using glucosamine daily and notice a hell of a lot less joint pain also

1/18/2013 5:07:33 PM