The Health, Wellness, weight loss, and fitness thread

[hbombgraphics]

Thanks man...still annoying to hear the kids who beat me by 3 minutes claiming they didn't do anything to train.
Knowing how much I've neglected my body the last few years, it felt really good. Also been able to get into the habit of pushups and situps every AM when I get up, before I even sip coffee or troll ILF!

yeah I'm not that dedicated:
I gotta find a way to wake up like a functional human

[benjuro]

This morning it took both my alarm AND my wife. Usually my internal clock gets me up 5 minutes early...
Once you get in the habit, like anything else, it gets much easier. Those first few days I felt like a total weakling after 10 pushups.

[jfrey]

My internal clock sucks. Always wakes me up like an hour early, and then I'm like 'well f this, I'm going back to sleep, I only got like 3 hours.' Then I wake up at my alarm and feel like death.

[benjuro]

My internal clock sucks. Always wakes me up like an hour early, and then I'm like 'well f this, I'm going back to sleep, I only got like 3 hours.' Then I wake up at my alarm and feel like death.

That's the worst. I suffered from insomnia for years (sleep apnea, technically) and started just getting out of bed if I was awake. So that 3 hours of sleep/half-dead feeling starts to span days...and you feel like you're sleepwalking all the time.
Part of my push to get back into shape is to help with the sleep issue. Like many other things, being even a little overweight makes it a lot worse.

[hbombgraphics]

This is very true
The more I run and workout the better I sleep


I have been doing a dancing game on the Wii with my daughter today, I am counting it as exersize because apparently I am a sweaty dancer

[benjuro]

I was at a conference for work recently, and there was a presenter who had done some research comparing the electronic "exergames" to traditional workout routines. Participants were kids, but it was pretty interesting to see him compare the resulting heart rates, relative amounts of movement, and the kids' preferences.
Maybe it's a no-brainer, but while they do have some benefit, the exergames don't give as much of a workout.

[hbombgraphics]

I jacked up my ankle so bad at basketball last night
Somebody give me some cardio with no legs

[jfrey]

I jacked up my ankle so bad at basketball last night
Somebody give me some cardio with no legs

Shadowboxing with 2-5 lbs dumbbells. 3-5 rounds of 3 minutes each.

I was at a conference for work recently, and there was a presenter who had done some research comparing the electronic "exergames" to traditional workout routines. Participants were kids, but it was pretty interesting to see him compare the resulting heart rates, relative amounts of movement, and the kids' preferences.
Maybe it's a no-brainer, but while they do have some benefit, the exergames don't give as much of a workout.

Yeah. I have Wii Fit Plus, and it won't give you a great workout, but what I did find it really good for was active rest. Like in between heavy lift days, or when you're sick (it's common opinion that you should just rest and not exercise when you're sick, but I have always found that some regular light exercise makes me get better faster).

[hbombgraphics]

awesome, i have weights available
I will box the shadows

thanks j

[Jwar]

Anyone got a good diet plan for cutting? I've bulked for far too long! LOL! If I cut carbs too much, I become a cranky bitch.

[jfrey]

Anyone got a good diet plan for cutting? I've bulked for far too long! LOL! If I cut carbs too much, I become a cranky bitch.

What's your current meal plan / how much do you want to cut?

[hbombgraphics]

Jwar: I hate low carb, carbs are the best! but I can cut 5 pounds any time I want by getting rid of barley and hops based beverages, also If you eat bananas as part of your breakfast you actually fight off some of the carbs throughout the day

here are some ankle pics
as well as the kicks that I was wearing

[Jwar]

I pretty much eat what I want right now because of bulking. Was taking in about 3k calories a day at least to bulk. Gained 20lbs in a month and a half (LOL!) but am wanting to cut now. I've gotta do it slowly though or I'll go nuts. I'm a fuckin carb hog right now.

My basic meals consist of

Morning: cereal (lower calorie) or oatmeal, coffee, lactaid and a protein of some sort
Snack:Protein (greek yogurt lately)
Lunch: Sandwich, some sort of veggie
Snack: Protein again, some almond butter
Dinner: Rice, whole wheat pasta, some kind of veggie, a protein of some sort
Snack before bed: Casein protein

Keep in mind this is in a perfect world. I don't always eat this clean. I don't do fast food though and try to make sure my proteins are higher than fats and salts are low.

[jfrey]

Morning: Replace whatever milk you use with a low fat variety. If you're using Lactaid Whole, start using Low Fat, or Reduced Fat. No sugar in your coffee. Halve the protein, and add a stalk of celery.
Snack: Replace yogurt with piece of fruit.
Lunch: Add more veggies to your sandwich. If you're using Iceberg lettuce forget that. You want more dark greens - romaine, baby spinach, etc. Replace bread with multigrain sandwich thins or veggie wrap. If the sandwich is cold cuts, get low sodium if you can.
Snack: Replace with piece of fruit, or one or two celery stalks, or some carrot. (Replace almond butter with a small amount of unsalted mixed nuts - about a tablespoon).
Dinner: Rice is fine (but shouldn't be white if that's what you're having), Whole wheat pasta is fine (but I'd probably cut the amount by maybe a third of whatever you're having).
Snack: Cut protein amount by half. (When you're going for high mass, protein before bed helps prevent your body from catabolizing your muscles, but it can also make your body retain some additional fat. Cutting the amount by half should give you a good balance).

Some rules of thumb and tips:
1. Every meal should be 50% or more colour (that is to say fruit or veggies).
2. At any point you are simply too hungry to keep to this schedule eat 3-5 unsalted almonds (this will alleviate some of your hunger and will keep your metabolism high - when I say 'at any point' I mean once an hour max, not once every 5 minutes).
3. Just about any snack (even something like Greek Yogurt which is good for you) can be replaced with a piece of fruit or a veggie to good effect. Also
4. No soda, juice, or sweets. (If you want some juice, have a piece of whole fruit and a glass of water instead).
5. Always go organic whenever you can.
6. Always have fresh as opposed to frozen or dried whenever you can.
7. Eat a variety of fruits and veggies. Avoid sticking to just one or two kinds. You don't want to get bored with your diet, and variety - as a matter of course - will tend to cover more bases nutritionally.
8. Always go low sodium (you need sodium in your diet, but it's in everything now so it's almost impossible to not get enough).
9. Make sure you're always hydrated (keep a bottle of water with you at all times - for bonus points make yourself some iskiate like I do once or twice a day. There are some different recipes but they're all pretty simple. My personal preference is 16oz water, 2 tbsp Chia seed (available at GNC or Vitamin Shop), and 1/4 of a lime squeezed. Some recipes call for sugar, but you don't want to do that. If you don't like lime you can use lemon, but I prefer lime. Let sit for 5-10 minutes shaking occasionally to break up any clumps - when the chia is dispersed evenly through the water it's ready. A GNC Shaker Bottle works best for making it (I'm sure other people make them but I have a GNC one) http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?pr ... 4.12942138 It has this like wire ball in it that helps mix stuff).
10. Meat should be lean cuts. Check packages for fat content.
11. I assume you take a multi-vitamin, but if you don't, start. The purpose isn't to replace anything from your diet, but rather to make sure you aren't leaving any nutritional gaps. My personal favourite is ON Opti-Men.
12. I also recommend adding some high quality green tea, or a green tea supplement to your diet, as well as a fish oil supplement. There are a few kinds of fish oil - so consult with your health store and find out what you think is good for you. I prefer Nordic Naturals with lemon (the lemon helps prevent any aftertaste). A note on fish oil: I recommend taking half the suggested dosage. Remember you're only trying to fill in gaps, not replace important parts of your diet. If you're taking in too much fish oil it can have anti-clotting effects, so be safe and take half doses.
13. Avoid dressings and sauces. They're usually just empty calories and fat.

[benjuro]

Shit, man, are you a nutritionist? Awesome advice.
Hbomb, your ankle looks jacked up buddy, like the time I went over my mtn bike bars and tumbled down a hill like a rag doll. I could barely walk for 2 weeks.
Yesterday was so nice here in central Mass., a buddy and I went for a 2+ hour off-road bike ride. My ass hurts today but man it felt awesome.