Congratulations you motley crew of fitness fools! You’ve made it through one week of the fitness challenge. Some of you have already fallen off the wagon, and we’re here to shame you into slinking back on. You’re not gonna give up already, are you??
Just admit that you fucked up and start week 2 anew. We won’t judge you more harshly than you judge yourself, we promise.
Week one of a new routine is always hard. Motivating yourself to do stuff really sucks. The good news is that if you made it through the first week, you have evidence that you won’t die from the changes you made. The bad news is that weeks 2 and 3 are gonna suck worse before it gets better. But you want to be healthy and strong, right?
Oh geez, maybe I should add a carrot to balance out that giant Hillary sized stick I just dropped in this article.
For myself, I had an okay week. Superbowl weekend was a 48 hour glut, but I ate well otherwise. I only got one day of physical activity in, which is 1/4 of what I wanted. It’s going to be hard to find the time to do physical activity. How about y’all?
I’m down to 216 from 222 a couple of weeks ago. I skipped out on Super Bowl Gluttony and went to an all night psytrance party the night before instead.
I’m also 5 weeks in to my new home construction gig, so going up and down ladders and humping hemlock siding all day long has probably helped.
The one dietary change which will always guarantee me significant weight loss is removing beer, which I’m struggling to do. Who would want to quit drinking beer?
When trying to give up something, it’s always best to replace it with something else to achieve success.
I recommend replacing your daily intake of beer with whisky.
Or stick with beer, and give up food.
I’ve had success by not bring any beer into my house that isn’t already in my belly. I’ve probably cut my beer intake in half but I spend more as I now buy all my beer at the bar, however I walk (bout a mile round trip) to the bar so it helps me get to my daily 12,000 step goal. kind of a good news/bad news story.
I’m trying to diagnose an issue whereby I end up unusually exhausted in the middle of an exercise routine with weights and reps the same as I managed successfully only a few weeks ago.
Don’t worry about it. Just do the right things and the numbers will take care of themselves. Watch sleep – that’s the one that kicks my ass.
+1 on sleep. A well rested body will result in a more efficient metabolism.
+2. Not only do my lifts suck if I haven’t been sleeping well but after a day or so I’m bloated up like a tick. It’s like being hungover without the actual hangover. Well, if I’m being honest…it’s often accompanying a hangover, but the point stands.
Randomly getting exhausted, as in gasping for breath and wobbly when regaining feet, is not something which counts as worrying about the numbers. It’s “Something is fucking wrong and I need to figure out what”. Because it won’t otherwise get corrected.
Not to worry you, but, dude, get your heart checked out.
I have. That’s one thing working fine.
Are you restricting calories? Pissing almost clear?
If you are low carbing, make sure you are getting enough sodium.
Yes to the first. I don’t know to the second (not in a habit of checking).
I have not been particularly anti-carb, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the food I’ve been getting has been shorted sodium.
If you’re low on sodium, you can look towards sports drinks. I’m a fan of the Nuun tablets, you can get them ~$5 a tube and each tube has 10 tablets in it. They’re mild in flavor, and aren’t loaded with sugar (or sweeteners) like most sports drinks.
That sounds an awful lot like a blood flow/oxygenation issue. Are you a smoker?
/IANAD
I have never smoked.
Do you have anxiety issues?
Not by the standards of other people. This problem is the only source of anxiety, as I have a phlegmatic attitude towards most problems. (ie “Well that sucks, what do we do to fix/ameliorate it?”)
OK, just saying stuff like that doesn’t have to be physical in nature. Those could be anxiety/stress symptoms.
You’re old?
*IANAD
Have you tried to mix preworkout into your oatmeal?
Please don’t take offense, but I have no idea what ‘preworkout’ is.
(And I don’t think I’ve had oatmeal in ages. Maybe as an ingredient in a cookie)
Its a protein + caffeine + electrolyte powder you mix with water. The running joke is if you drink it any other time you get the jitters, so don’t do it while driving, talking to cops, etc.
Ah, okay.
How many days a week are you working out? You need recovery days in between weight days.
Monday-Wednesday-Friday.
Decent week. Didn’t hit the scale, but had to cinch the belt tighter. I give myself a B on diet – might have snuck a couple of grain-based sports drinks…
It’s going to be hard to find the time to do physical activity.
Always hard to create new habits. Just do better next week.
^ This. Don’t beat yourself up over past failures; just resolve to achieve your goal this week.
Down 4.4 lbs this week, 21% of GlibFit challenge goal achieved, 19% of overall goal achieved.
I d didnt get in last week cause i had a pretty bad week but i did weigh myself yesterday and was 85.5 . Last May i was 80 and that is my short term goal. Long term 75 but depends on muscle mass added.
Food wise i didnt overeat this week and booze wise i cut down but still to much…
My bad shoulder is improving the doc didnt see any issues on xray plus ultrasounds. Didnt get an MRI but dont think i need one. So cant give 100% at the gym but i am taking it slow
Either you’re a tiny person or you’re using those wonky french revolutionary units again.
Men use kilograms. We no need to use half measures to feel better
If I wanted to fool myself into feeling better, I’d use kilograms so I wouldn’t look as heavy.
Use stone
200lb=14.2857 stone
I think I get Elmo’s popularity now. Also, let me tell you a story of a little fat boy who everyone picked on…
1 lb down, which isn’t really significant. Having SP gone this week hasn’t helped because we can’t get in my favorite sport- Hide The Salami. But I have been cutting way back on dairy stuff, and last time I did that, I dropped 10 pounds in about 2 months.
“Hide The Salami”
You’re not going to lose any weight eating salami all the time. Can you believe this guy?
If it’s hidden, he won’t be eating it.
He said he hasn’t been able to play that game since SP is gone. So, he’s stuffing his face with salami all the time. Geez
There aren’t that many compliant 8 year olds around.
Damn kids these days. Don’t even like fine lunch meat like salami
I put Turkey chili on my hot dog today. I’m good, right?
Whoah, ease up there, you don’t want to go too fast!
Katy Perry’s one redeeming quality is her chest
Great minds think alike. Her brain may be ready for Hillary but those bosoms would love them some liberation.
She’s definitely going to develop back arthritis. Hawt
Missed a lift day, but I used it as an excuse to rearrange my schedule, so now I do “heavy” on Wednesdays. I like it better, because it sets everything else such that I get all my exercise in Sun-Fri with Thursday off, leaving Saturday as a regularly-scheduled bacchanalia. Also, having done a respectable heavy day, I think that what I thought at first was a partial tear of my right labrum was just a bad strain, because I’ve revisited my form and am not feeling nearly as much pain when I do overhead lifts.
I hang from my pullup bar every day. It really helps my old man shoulders, especially on overhead days.
I need to add pull ups to my routine. I feel that’s one group of muscles I’m neglecting.
You can get a pretty damn good work out by just doing pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, push-ups and planks. No weights required.
Oh, and wall sits and lunges.
/friends don’t let friends skip leg day
I squat three days a week, bro!
I scrolled down until I saw the Katy Perry GIF…..what were we talking about? Aw who cares, I’ll be in my bunk.
Still doing physical therapy. Trying to reincorporate lifting using dumbbells only at half my previous weights (at PT’s urging). 30 min on elliptical trainer. On the plus side, to offset the lowered physical activity I’ve savagely curtailed my calorie intake and dropped from 13% to 12% body fat, so even though I feel weak, I actually look a little stronger in the mirror.
Still coming to terms with the fact that I can never do barbell lifts or competitive soccer ever again. Still working up to skiing.
And despite her annoying SJW tedium, Katy Perry’s tits are pretty damn spectacular.
From a Christmas gluttony high of 225, I’m down to 209. I’m aiming for 160 – 170. I haven’t been that light in 20 years. Will I float away?
I try to exert as little effort as possible.
But I have put on a few pounds, probably from beer/wine. I’ll start doing crunches or something.
I’ve hit the trainer four nights this week (between 40-60 minutes each session), and burned off all that I gained on the work trip, and a couple of pounds beyond that. I’ll call that a win.
I’ve dropped 3 lbs this week, and 20 lbs since November. I’m working on reeling in my “easy days” so there’s less of a yo-yo effect on my weight. Currently it’s a declining sawtooth function with the ups centered on the weekend and the downs centered on the workweek.
That pattern saw me through my first year of weight loss. When it stopped declining I added exercise.
What is the Nick Gillespie of exercise?
Maybe the shake weight?
Zumba.
Crunches. Not completely useless, but there are way better ones that will accomplish more. Kind of how I see NG.
If the goal is to tighten up the abdominal muscles which have been stretched by decades of carrying too much visceral fat, what would be the better option?
All of your big lifts (squat, dead, etc) will help. There are also more specific exercises that will do the job.
I wish that side had a less eye-straining color scheme. I’m going to have to read it in small chunks if I want to be able to drive home.
In a non sarcastic way, I do want to thank you for the answers. I know I snark a lot but these threads are ones where I am trying to learn.
I detest the stupid site design, but there is some good information in between the supplement ads!
Snark away. Lifting is the most rewarding, frustrating, miserable yet awesome thing I’ve ever done. It’s a long, slow slog, but there really is no replacement for getting stronger.
+1 on hating their color choices
What Tundra said.
I also like planks and push-ups (if you’re doing them right you should engage your abs).
Big, Olympic-style powerlifts will honestly probably hit your abs more than anything else you’re doing, you just need to make sure your form is correct. Your abs are the foundation of the lift and will help keep you from getting injured since they should be acting as your support mechanism, not your lower back. Not using abs doing those lifts is how people get back injuries.
I’ve noticed my obliques becoming more defined since doing stronglifts.
I’m still carrying too much subcutaneous fat to see any changes. The only places I feel a difference is in the biceps, deltoids and whatever those shoulder muscles that tie the back to the neck are called.
Trapezius.
Thank you.
The biggest factor in body fat is diet, diet, diet. Lifting helps because building more muscle increases basal metabolic rate, but if you’re still running a calorie surplus, you’ll never lose fat. No amounts of exercise can circumvent physics.
If you really want to lose fat quickly, go keto and run about a 500 calorie/day deficit. Your body will be preferably using fat to make up the difference in energy due to ketosis and you should lose about a pound a week. It’s pretty amazing what a difference 5 fewer pounds of fat on your midsection makes.
Prog gun yoga?
This:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVC4EXfPvZo
Jazzercise?
Yoga.
I went out to bars twice so far this week. #winning.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DViEFlzVwAAFuKY.jpg:large
LOL
According to this site Katy Perry wears a 32D.
http://www.bodymeasurements.org/katy-perry-sizes/
My goals are drink more water (i.e. one pitcher) get more sleep (7 hours a night) and stretch 6 days a week. I am doing well on water, ok on sleep (made it 4 days) and nada on stretching. Will do better next week.
I need to work on flexibility, but I hate stretching. So boring.
I started the stronglifts program at the end of January, and that’s
going pretty well. No weight loss as yet, but I suspect that will
come naturally as I get stronger. I’d say it’s working in that I’ve
been looking forward to workout day. It helps that I bought
a power rack for the house. There’s no way I’d be motivated enough
to go to the gym, but I’ll wander down the hall to the bookery
where it’s set up. I started with the bar; today is 30 kg squat,
22 kg bench press, and 31 kg barbell row. We’ll see how it goes.
The small but continual weight increases seem to appeal to my
sensibilities, so I think I’ve finally found a weightlifting program
that will work for me.
Having the rack in-house is pretty much the only thing that lets me stick to a program of exercise. If I had to go somewhere to do it, especially somewhere with people, I’d find excuse after excuse. Now it’s down to just telling myself “get off your lazy ass and get to it.”
Concentrate on form. Once you start getting to the point where the increases aren’t so easy, you want to make sure you’re still doing the lifts correctly. Not doing so is a recipe for injury.
Back when I was regularly going to the gym, it was perverse entertainment to watch some of the (usually chicken leg) meatheads load up the bar/machine with a zillion pounds and proceed to rely on bad form and momentum to get them through their reps.
I see overhead press abused quite often. I could double my OHP if if I bounced it up with my legs.
Any time I have to deload, I reevaluate my form and usually can push through when I hit my old limit.
I try to do that as much as possible. The way I see it, if you don’t do it
with the correct form, you haven’t really done it at all. I saw some
video of some guy doing a bench press. He was all pumped and
excited, but his grip was so wide he had maybe a 5-6 inch range
of motion at best. I found it hard to be impressed, regardless of
the weight (which, to be sure, would have crushed me). I’m not
trying to impress anyone by showing off. I’d rather impress them
by having them comment to their friends after I had done something
“holy crap, I didn’t realize nw was that strong”. I don’t need to
half-ass something to impress the ignorant.
Of course, I should probably start. I’d do better at work if I’d
go for the flashy “look at me, I fixed the server, I’m a god-damn
hero”, instead of “why do we need you, the servers never have
problems anyway”.
“Why do the servers keep breaking?”
Good for you. Keep at it until it becomes a habit. Also, don’t forget if you reach your genetic limit at 5×5, you can switch to 3×5, then 3×3 in the app.
Well, I wrote my own tracking web interface, but yes, I do like the
emphasis on doing a set routine with increases in a way that
keeps the progression going. I’ll probably expand my database
and cgi script to account for deloads and switching once I get to
that point. Currently it suggests the increment to add weight,
which has been sufficient for the four workout days I’ve had so
far.
I can see needing to switch to 3×5 on the overhead press
fairly soon. I bought 0.5 and 1 kg weights so I can do increments
as small as 1 kg, which is what I’m doing for the bench press,
row, and overhead press.
I was supposed to go to the gym on Monday, but decided to get sick with a stomach virus instead.
Ate my first normal sized meal Wednesday night and am starting to feel normal again.
Going to the gym on Monday, and I do mean it this time.
My son went to the gym on Wednesday, drink some kind of weird colored protein drink, then the stomach virus kicked in and he vomited it everywhere.
I ran my 3 miles three times a week, and did resistance training. Mostly staying on my low carb/lower than normal protein diet. I look thinner and the pants aren’t as tight. Since I don’t own a scale, I won’t know if my weight loss is real until I check in next week at the doctor’s,
Status quo from January because I’m busy, but my bank account’s getting fatter, so I refuse to feel guilty.
To recap – I started serious calorie restrictions on Dec 1. As of last Saturday, I’m down about 50 lbs, which I think is 1/3 of my way to my goal. Not sure because I haven’t had an accurate body fat measurement done, but based on my inaccurate measures another 100 lbs will put me at ‘average healthy’ body fat levels. By BMI, I’ll still be obese. To be normal by BMI, I would need to have like -25% body fat, which I’m told is scientifically impossible and would kill me.
Anyway, I’m still eating about 1800 kCal, less than 20 g of carbs, and 135 g of protein a day. Cronometer is a life saver for this. Yesterday was scrambled eggs for breakfast, “duet of fish” at a fancy client entertainment lunch, and dinner was 14 ounces of ham and a salad. Any diet that involves 14 ounces of ham is a good diet.
All my old jeans are in storage. I’ll probably turn them into denim micarta and make them into chef’s knife handles at some point. For the irony.
I’m currently wearing a sweater I purchased when working at NASA. Twenty years ago. So that’s cool and good for my geek cred.
^ Winning.
Great progress, Leap! I dig the planned demise of the old jeans.
I’ve been to the gym 2X this week and last week (2 days more than normal for the past 5 years). As per usual my appetite has started increasing. I need to fight this to some degree or at least resist the urge to eat carbs and sugar.
Down about 2 pounds based on low carb diet and the forearm exercises inspired by Q’s links. The fat burning engine is taking it’s time firing up compared to 1.5 years ago. May have to go to 2 a days on the forearm exercises.
Down to 211.2 this morning, though not from eating well or working out. Somebody needs to kick my ass until hear!
I could watch that Katy Perry gif forever.
I’ve been excellent about cutting back on booze. I have no exceeded my limits. I imposed a limit on myself a few weeks before the challenge started.
An exec at my company brings in doughnuts every Friday. I decided in January that I’d eat no more than one doughnut a month. I had only one in January. I had my one for February today. No more for the rest of the month.
I have been OK about other snacking. I’ve cut back, but I did fall off the wagon last Monday.
I have not been good at all about going to the gym.
Start weight was 293 lbs. 291 lbs tonight.
I achieved my eating goals Mon-Thurs and even invented a new drive to work breakfast item. Fried egg with S&P and a bit of garlic powder (yolk broken cooked hard) on a slice of Cotto Salami and folded in foil and kept in a warm oven until time to leave. It drips a bit of grease but I am not wearing a suit to work so no problemo. I call it Huevosalamaco and it is quite tasty. Add some hot sauce and we are talking a gourmet 10g of protein with only 1g of carb. I reignited Myfitnesspal, but my Iphone is not sharing my steps with fitnesspal for some reason. There must be some place to enable that other than the ones I found or maybe that is a premium feature. I don’t know. I need to be better about tracking meals which I had no problem doing when I sat at a computer all day, but alas those days are no more. I will eventually get all my foods in there. I did not get on the bike this week but thought about it so F for effort and B+ for right think because that is all that matters these days. I did not get into a workout schedule yet either but did work in some painful stretching and did some no weight squats. I also have not dug out the scale and dusted that thing off. Next week.