getting back in shape

[artis_xe]

what are your qualifications to give advice? that you're a smoker who had a heart attack?

adding muscle mass allows you to burn more calories at rest and performing simple every day movements. increase muscle mass = lose fat. it's simple.

So being a smoker totally sums me up ? I was not the average smoker. It did not affect my breathing the way it does most people. I wish that it had .It never stopped me from working out, going on long bike rides and/or any other physical activities. I agree it was very stupid to do considering I was very healthy otherwise and spent alot of time in the gym. That is why I have to disagree that going to the gym and ramping up your workout to balance off calorie intake is the right thing to do.

increase muscle mass = lose fat. it's simple ? No it's not that simple.
With that thinking , people enter the gym, totally disregarding the concept of proper form and just start pounding more weight. I have seen so many people injure themselves this way. Many a workout of mine was interrupted by me walking over to a newbie and showing them good form because the trainers stand there and give only so much help until they start quoting hourly prices.
And more muscle may burn a higher percentage of fat to begin with, but then you have to be able to maintain the increased mass which is where people have problems. Have you ever seen the guy in his 40s who used to play high school football? What do most of those guys look like ?

Granted, my statement was a bit general, that you HAVE to workout to lose weight. True, alot can be lost through proper diet and water intake, but (in my perfect world) I would rather not have people dismiss the important of exercise.

 

[artis_xe]

Side note . I would never ever suggest stepping on a trainers toes by helping others at the gym unless you are fully prepared to deal with any and all said consequences brought on by such action. Just saying.

 

[joba]

Great easy fast breakfast recipe. Cup of frozen organic mixed berries. 1 scoop high quality protein powder. Ground flaxseed. Cup of almond milk. Blend. Takes 30 seconds to make, filling , taste great n nutritious ! Have one every morning for the last two years.

 

[rcole_sooner]

I need to come up with something healthy I can do like that shake. I just don't like dealing with dirty dishes (or blender).

My breakfast is a single pre-cooked sausage patty (Jimmy Dean). 40 seconds in the microwave, in a paper towel, squish out the grease, put in a new paper towel, and eat it with my fingers on the drive to work. Probably not so great on cholesterol, but it satisfies my craving for protein. Plus no dirty dishes or preparation utensils.

Wash it down with a Diet Coke.

I've tried lots of stuff, that has worked for at least the last 2+ years. Was even on the list of foods for the actual weight loss portion of the original diet. I just stuck with it, since it was a breakfast that worked for me.

Gets me through to the mid-morning snack of nuts and cheese.

 

[James Carney]

It's difficult. The cute secretary at work has reese cups at her desk.
Meh, there are worse fates.

 

[Hamtone]

indeed, muscle burns fat.

those guys on the cover of the muscle magazines that look like the incredible hulk eat a MASSIVE amount of calories each day. why? to feed the muscle. eat to grow muscle, muscle burns fat.

its an interesting equation, but you have to eat to lose weight.... its kind of ironic lol

Muscle does burn fat but its negligible at general novice levels. If youre carrying around lean body mass of 200 lbs and weigh 225, yeah you will burn a bit more calories.

The real answer to this that gets misunderstood is this; More muscle potentially burns more calories because of the workload they can handle.

So a novice squatting 225 for a 1rm, is giving 100% max effort, is not the same for an advanced lifter squatting 495.


Another thing that is also broadcast as gospel is this; If youre a professional athlete or youre gaining mass, eat often and clean. If youre working to lose fat, the best way to do this is to limit the insulin response in the body. When insulin is released fat burning is stopped. Insulin is anabolic, and fat loss is a catabolic activity. Think of your body like a pendulum. It swings towards anabolic and you hold it as long as you can then it swings towards catabolic. You hold catabolic as long as possible, then let it swing back to anabolic.

So, with this being said all day snacking on anything when trying to drop fat can work but is not as effective as other methods. Im not going to advocate anything in particular because everyone is different and I know what works for me the best.

The idea that your metabolism gets all revved up because youre eating every 2 hrs really is not true. Your metabolism is not nearly as fragile as people think otherwise if we were lost in the woods (we come from the woods after all) where food can be scarce. If our bodies burned the kind of calories that people think we do we would die in a day or 2 without food. In most cases people can last about 3 weeks. Now this does not mean go on a starvation diet but it does mean that we do not have to eat every 2 hours on a fat loss program, its frankly stupid and makes zero sense. Most of the places that advocate this are trying to keep you from overeating and thats what it is really attempting to teach you. I can go on 24 hr fasts then wake up and do hard core sprint workout or maybe sledge hammer work wait another 3 hrs and eat, tank up and lift in the late afternoon.

It takes time to understand how it all works but its not rocket science. Good luck and good for you for wanting to better yourself.

 

[Hamtone]

It's difficult. The cute secretary at work has reese cups at her desk.
Meh, there are worse fates.

Fat doesnt make you fat sugar does. we burn fat otherwise our bodies would pack sugar cubes in our bellies for fuel. Fat is good, sugar bad.

 

[TOMMYTHUNDERS]

here's an answer copied for a medical/fitness website. you can easily find similar stuff all over the internet.

The skinny on water:

Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.


Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.


Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.


For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.


Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.


Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.


Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.


Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.


as for the 'obvious', the same could be said about the message that all you need to do to lose weight is eat less and exercise more. yet there exists a multi-billion dollar industy that spreads that same obvious message everyday.
the must figure not everyone has figured that out yet?

crisco huh? sounds delicious...better lie down for awhile afterwards though to get the full effect.

i'm skeptical of the claims in red. i'd like to see any references for these claims. i'd also like to know by what mechanisms these things happen.

So being a smoker totally sums me up ? I was not the average smoker. It did not affect my breathing the way it does most people. I wish that it had .It never stopped me from working out, going on long bike rides and/or any other physical activities. I agree it was very stupid to do considering I was very healthy otherwise and spent alot of time in the gym. That is why I have to disagree that going to the gym and ramping up your workout to balance off calorie intake is the right thing to do.

so you were essentially packing your body full of stimulants that also cause vasoconstriction and increased heart rate (nicotine and caffeine) and then doing intense workouts. were you surprised when you had a heart attack? do you think it's appropriate for you to tell others to steer clear of intense workouts because of your tremendous mistakes? do you think a drunk driver who gets in an accident because he was drunk should tell other people to never drive cars?

increase muscle mass = lose fat. it's simple ? No it's not that simple.
With that thinking , people enter the gym, totally disregarding the concept of proper form and just start pounding more weight. I have seen so many people injure themselves this way.

did anyone advocate for not paying attention to good form? please direct me to that post. i advocate for increasing muscle mass. nowhere did i say "BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!"

Many a workout of mine was interrupted by me walking over to a newbie and showing them good form because the trainers stand there and give only so much help until they start quoting hourly prices.

horrible gym etiquette. if people ask you for advice give it. if they don't, worry about what you're doing. stop paying so much attention to what others are doing.

And more muscle may burn a higher percentage of fat to begin with, but then you have to be able to maintain the increased mass which is where people have problems. Have you ever seen the guy in his 40s who used to play high school football? What do most of those guys look like ?

I wrestled and played football from my childhood through high school, and then i played football through college. i have been strength training for over 20 years. exercise and weight lifting isn't something to be done for a few years. exercise is necessary for all people of all age groups. you can't use the fact that some people let themselves go as an excuse for not training hard. train hard always.

 

[zeronalo]

I went to a beer and pizza party last night and blew it. I guess my one or two bad days a week just got used up.

Back to the gym tonight. I have a free session with a personal trainer that I'm going to use next week. I wanted to get into some kind of shape first so I could survive a workout.

What about eating carbs before or after the work out? I like me some fresh bread and actually make my own. It's an addiction.

Freddy

 

[rcole_sooner]

Yeah, it is hard.

1 or 2 slices of pizza and about 2 beers is the limit. Even on cheat night.

Usually it is not my own self control, but ignoring the peer pressure to eat and drink more.

No one respects a guy trying to stick to a "diet".

 

[FUS44]

squat, bench. row. 5x5 heavy enough that these sets are challenging. Diet, 3x a week cardio. 3x3 a week lifting. No cheating on food/no alcohol for the first six weeks. increase water. No soda. You'll be jacked and tan in no time. Just make sure you have a new haircut.

 

[barricwiley]

Seeds! Pumpkin, sunflower, whatever. You can eat them all day long and not increase your blood sugar (so note that it definitely should not be used as a meal substitute). I eat some mixture I buy at Fresh Market which consists of a variety of seeds, a few almonds and cashews, and some raisins.

You must be a Baseball player?

 

[Bohacker]

I admit I have only read about 1/2 this thread but I've seen quite a few posts on calories. If this is redundant I apologize.

The only way to be reasonable accurate in estimating calorie level is to first compute your basal metabolic rate (BMR). The formula for men is:

BMR = 66 + (13.7 * wt in Kg) + (5 * ht in cm) - (6.8 * age in yrs)

Then once you know that you compute your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This is simply a ration * BMR. Ratio guidance is:

Sedentary 1.2
light exercise 1-3x/week 1.375
moderate ex 3-5x/week 1.55
Hard ex 6-7x/week 1.725
Extreme ex daily 1.9

Now once you have your TDEE you need to decide if you want to put on lean muscle mass or just loose weight. You can adjust your TDEE up or down by no more than 15% depending on your goals. If you dip much below 15% your body will think it is starving. It will lower your metabolism and convert as much energy to fat as possible.

For similar reasons I am a big fan of eating small meals every 3 hrs or so. It takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to digest a meal. If you regularly go 6 or more hours without a meal, again, your body will think it is starving and take measures to prevent this.

The body is an amazingly adaptable organism. The above makes sense and I know it works. I'm 5'10" and a few years ago I weighed 198 lbs with a waist size approximately 39". I did weight training for 1 hour 3x/week, ate 6 times a day and stayed within +15% of my TDEE. In 4 months I weighed 212 lbs and was less than a 34" waist. Another 4 months and I was 195 lbs with a 31" waist. Best shape of my life since I was 19.

 

[Bohacker]

Just look at my avatar, REAL results!