FitnessBore - 2018 edition

[Boogie]

Been on a two week "eat like shit" binge.  The local pizza place was loving me.

Back on the wagon again now.

Did squats for the first time in nearly two weeks yesterday.  Today, any and all stairs are the devil.  Didn't stop me from doing a routine that included some tractor-tire flippin' today, tho.  The glorious pain. 

[Cormacaroni]

so i can expect you over tonight then? yay

[Cormacaroni]

you're a hard man to help DC

[Smooth Groove]

I think I need to start using a precise method of checking my bodyfat %.  The mirror method doesn't seem to work so well once you get to a certain point.  I was doing mostly paleo for almost two weeks, including having just one or two huge meals a day.   My weight immediately went down from 185-188 to 178-180.  However, the fat didn't seem to be diminished significantly even though I continued to play basketball and lift heavy.  I think some fat was lost since I almost have a 6 pack on days when I played 3 hrs of ball but that definition is lost once I got fed and rehydrated.

OTOH, it was real clear that eating just 1 to 2 meals a day was making it hard for me to make progress in my lifts like I used to.  I don't think the fat I was losing was worth the slow down in improving strength.  I've since got back to eating several times a day with more carbs every now and then.  For the first two days, my weight went back up to 185 probably because of the additional water from eating more but since then it's gotten stabilized back to 180.  It just seems kinda odd that my weight is basically the same even though I'm eating at least 1000 calories more per day.  I wonder if I'm at the point now where I need to do something extreme to trick my body into getting the bodyfat even lower. 

[Cormacaroni]

Could it be that....calories in doesn't matter all that much? 

You might be on to something here!

And yeah, a 10lb drop is gonna be mostly water, no shocker there. For Christ's sake, stick with something for more than a couple of weeks. You can't tell shit chopping and changing like this.

[Cormacaroni]

did my workout at 10pm, after dinner and 2 glasses of wine, shrug

[Cormacaroni]

could that be an...excuse

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Posting this 'cause it neatly encompasses damn near everything I see or say in this thread:

http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2011/07/26/nerd-fitness-from-60-pounds-overweight-to-6-pack-abs/

Read the whole thing and you'll know what you're doing wrong ('cause this dude made ALL the classic mistakes), and how to do it right ('cause he ended up doing it ALL right!), other than a few details (and it even has links for that!).

What a great article.  It is such a shame that I didn't ignore ketogenic diets when I first started losing weight eight years ago.  I did the 20/40/40 f/c/p and I remember how huge of a pain in the ass it was to drop the last 10 pounds of fat and maybe that was because I was eating about 200 grams of carbohydrates a day.  I lost 115 lbs in 18 months but I wonder how quickly I could have lost it had I went with a standard ketogenic diet.  Maybe half the time?  I almost wish I was a fat fuck again so I can try it the other way.  I'm so jealous of Willco and the position he is at.

Anyway, I found the winning breakfast combination: 12 ounces of grass fed sirloin steak, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and 20 ounces of whole milk (I supplement with an AST Multi Pro multivitamin, 4 grams of Omega 3, Vitamin B capsule, and a Vitamin D capsule.  Pretty much keeps me going at full energy for about 12 hours in 110+ degree heat index weather.

[Cormacaroni]

Posting this 'cause it neatly encompasses damn near everything I see or say in this thread:

http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2011/07/26/nerd-fitness-from-60-pounds-overweight-to-6-pack-abs/

Read the whole thing and you'll know what you're doing wrong ('cause this dude made ALL the classic mistakes), and how to do it right ('cause he ended up doing it ALL right!), other than a few details (and it even has links for that!).

What a great article.  It is such a shame that I didn't ignore ketogenic diets when I first started losing weight eight years ago.  I did the 20/40/40 f/c/p and I remember how huge of a pain in the ass it was to drop the last 10 pounds of fat and maybe that was because I was eating about 200 grams of carbohydrates a day.  I lost 115 lbs in 18 months but I wonder how quickly I could have lost it had I went with a standard ketogenic diet.  Maybe half the time?  I almost wish I was a fat fuck again so I can try it the other way.  I'm so jealous of Willco and the position he is at.

Anyway, I found the winning breakfast combination: 12 ounces of grass fed sirloin steak, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and 20 ounces of whole milk (I supplement with an AST Multi Pro multivitamin, 4 grams of Omega 3, Vitamin B capsule, and a Vitamin D capsule.  Pretty much keeps me going at full energy for about 12 hours in 110+ degree heat index weather.

Huh, I don't drink milk at all these days. Some cream and too damn much yoghurt. Even that is too many carbs for my liking (I can feel the insulin spiking) so I keep it to the PWO window. 12oz steak for breakfast is motherfucking tho

[Cormacaroni]

DC - do the swings 2 handed. That's the standard. Grip strength isn't the main thing you're working on with swings (it's hip drive/core stabilization), so don't let it limit the number of reps you can do.

Seriously, come over and I'll show you the ropes. Better to get it sorted out at the start rather than do it wrong forever. I have DBs with varying weights so you can use as little as 2kg for technique practice if you want. Shawn may be coming over on Sat anyway so we can do a session. You can show us how to run!

[Cormacaroni]

i'm on holiday Aug 6-14...throw a sickie! If you need photographic evidence of illness, I'm sure we can arrange it!

[Cormacaroni]

alright, we are on for Sunday morning at my place...Shawn is keen for some kettlebells followed by the eating of dead animals. It's a fairly regular thing of late so surely there will be time to suit you eventually.

[Cormacaroni]

I knew you didn't get that sexy by accident 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Posting this 'cause it neatly encompasses damn near everything I see or say in this thread:

http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2011/07/26/nerd-fitness-from-60-pounds-overweight-to-6-pack-abs/

Read the whole thing and you'll know what you're doing wrong ('cause this dude made ALL the classic mistakes), and how to do it right ('cause he ended up doing it ALL right!), other than a few details (and it even has links for that!).

What a great article.  It is such a shame that I didn't ignore ketogenic diets when I first started losing weight eight years ago.  I did the 20/40/40 f/c/p and I remember how huge of a pain in the ass it was to drop the last 10 pounds of fat and maybe that was because I was eating about 200 grams of carbohydrates a day.  I lost 115 lbs in 18 months but I wonder how quickly I could have lost it had I went with a standard ketogenic diet.  Maybe half the time?  I almost wish I was a fat fuck again so I can try it the other way.  I'm so jealous of Willco and the position he is at.

Anyway, I found the winning breakfast combination: 12 ounces of grass fed sirloin steak, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and 20 ounces of whole milk (I supplement with an AST Multi Pro multivitamin, 4 grams of Omega 3, Vitamin B capsule, and a Vitamin D capsule.  Pretty much keeps me going at full energy for about 12 hours in 110+ degree heat index weather.

Huh, I don't drink milk at all these days. Some cream and too damn much yoghurt. Even that is too many carbs for my liking (I can feel the insulin spiking) so I keep it to the PWO window. 12oz steak for breakfast is motherfucking tho

I can't really think of a great item that is easy to prepare and consume that offers quality calories like whole milk.  With 20 ounces, that means that I only consume about 27 grams of carbohydrates.  Except for the vegetables that I eat, that is pretty much my only source of carbohydrates.  So I'm content with my choice of whole milk.

[Cormacaroni]

Well, I just listed yoghurt and cream... Still dairy but better in every way.

Yoghurt comes pre-digested by friendly bacteria, so doesn't have the anti-digestive issues of milk. In fact, it AIDS digestion of other foods. Plus, the good stuff is higher in fat and lower in lactose carbs than the milk. (I know you eat the stuff anyway, just reminding you of the benefits vs milk...)

I've had my arm twisted into buying some whey protein lately and been giving it a shot. It's definitely a last resort for me but it is super-easy to prepare when pressed for time. Much better than not eating at all first thing in the a.m.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

It's probably water weight but still a hell of a motivator.

Well, I just listed yoghurt and cream... Still dairy but better in every way.

Yoghurt comes pre-digested by friendly bacteria, so doesn't have the anti-digestive issues of milk. In fact, it AIDS digestion of other foods. Plus, the good stuff is higher in fat and lower in lactose carbs than the milk. (I know you eat the stuff anyway, just reminding you of the benefits vs milk...)

I've had my arm twisted into buying some whey protein lately and been giving it a shot. It's definitely a last resort for me but it is super-easy to prepare when pressed for time. Much better than not eating at all first thing in the a.m.

I stopped eating greek yogurt a while ago because the retailer I used to get it from stopped carrying it.  Now that I pretty much do all of my shopping these days at Whole Foods, I need to get back into it.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

It's probably water weight but still a hell of a motivator.

it very well may be. but i'm still surprised. i'm not overweight (70 kg/155 pounds @ 183 cm/6") and i've already been living on a moderately low carb diet for a long time. but going full on paleo seems to have made a bigger difference than i anticipated.

I'm not knocking the success at all but it always seemed like the obligatory water weight lost in the beginning is a good enough motivator to stick to a plan, especially if it produces great initial results but not at the expense of your overall health.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Sigh, I never once said that you were concerned about your overall lack of health.  I'm just saying that losing initial water weight is great because you're losing a lot of weight without doing detrimental damage to your body (ie, starving yourself)

Jesus Christ

[Shaka Khan]

but i'd be lying if i said that i didn't still have quite a bit of superfluous baby fat even at 70 kg.

Where?

Better not be your rear. Nothing looks worse than a boney rear.

[cool breeze]

It's probably water weight but still a hell of a motivator.

it very well may be. but i'm still surprised. i'm not overweight (70 kg/155 pounds @ 183 cm/6") and i've already been living on a moderately low carb diet for a long time. but going full on paleo seems to have made a bigger difference than i anticipated.

what kinds of changes did you make? less refined food?

[cool breeze]

I'm still not entirely clear on the differences between atkins/diet low carb and paleo.  I just assume it's down to the quality of foods, because some family members went on low carb and they ate some junky junk, but no carbs, so it was a-ok or something.

[Cormacaroni]

Yeah, Paleo is now about as helpful a term as 'techno'. There are a million ways to skin that cat. Certainly I don't make decisions on what to eat or do based on whether men did so in the paleolithic - that's nonsense as in many cases we have better options than they did. And reading the original 'Paleo' book by Loren Cordain is baffling these days. It was a great basic blueprint but one that has been greatly improved on since, and will continue to be improved on the more people get into it.

[Cormacaroni]

Also, although the Atkins people make the appropriate noises about it being a lifestyle choice etc...the Atkins diet is mainly used as a crash weight-loss diet, whereas Paleo is mostly something that folks commit to for the long-term.

[Cormacaroni]

yes, obviously 'techno' is a distinct sub-genre within the overall 'techno' genre

[Cormacaroni]

The Crossfit Games are over but you can stream the archived video here.

I am by no means a Crossfit cultist at this point, but the performances and sportsmanship are still inspiring. Although this year is almost a total whitewash, wtf. Where are my BBCs.

http://games.crossfit.com/

[Van Cruncheon]

(Image removed from quote.)

someone add :hatefuck stat

[Mupepe]

Welp.  Fuck it.  I'm done being in a calorie deficit.  50 lbs gone.  My strength has gone up slightly but fuck it.  I want gains.  I'm going to eat around maintenance now and just make sure it's clean.  I'm sure I'll get on a deficit again in a few months but for now I'm looking for an ego boost on numbers and mass.  I'm excited   Staying around the same strength for ~6 months is a real motivation killer

[Cormacaroni]

Hmm. 50lbs is a lot, and I can see why you are keen to get back to eating and lifting big but did you actually lean out though? It seems reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaallly common for folks to go through these cycles of lifting/eating until they get too fat (rather than hitting their lifting goals), then diet/cardio until they get too weak (rather than hitting their body comp goal). 

I just signed up for a 2hr private lesson with a badass kettlebell teacher here in Tokyo

[Cormacaroni]

different every time!

Right now, it's a lot of kettlebell stuff - presses from the floor, push-presses, snatches, cleans, swings, windmills, Turkish get-ups, squats etc. No particular reason, other than kettlebells are super-convenient for me right now, and they help to rehab my wonky left shoulder.

[Mupepe]

Hmm. 50lbs is a lot, and I can see why you are keen to get back to eating and lifting big but did you actually lean out though? It seems reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaallly common for folks to go through these cycles of lifting/eating until they get too fat (rather than hitting their lifting goals), then diet/cardio until they get too weak (rather than hitting their body comp goal). 

I just signed up for a 2hr private lesson with a badass kettlebell teacher here in Tokyo

oh it was definitely fat.  Like I said, my strength stayed the same and I wasn't on a starvation diet.  I was just on a 500-700 calorie deficit.  I won't be bulking, just around maintenance.  Enough extra calories that I can actually make progress and just not just spin my wheels on lifts. 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Alright assholes, you win...I'm not drinking anymore whole milk and instead I'm going with full fat greek yogurt

[Cormacaroni]

Mups - You're evading the question! Are you now at a true maintenance body fat level, i.e. 10% or below...?

[Mupepe]

Mups - You're evading the question! Are you now at a true maintenance body fat level, i.e. 10% or below...?

Of course not.  I wasn't evading, it just wasn't very clear.  I'm at about 18%.  But my motivation eventually got to 0%.  I just need a change of pace and some encouragement.  So I figure a few months of a slow bulk with a controlled diet will do me good.  The reason I gained so much last time was that I didn't give two shits about what I ate.  I learned my lesson about that :'(

[Cormacaroni]

Why not work on stuff that promotes continued fat loss rather than strength and mass gains though? Get down to the low teens at least. You've gone so far in that direction it seems like a shame to stop before you get to a truly healthy body comp.

You have years and years to build strength again afterward. Just set different goals, like say getting to a certain number of pull-ups or whatever, and it will become as much fun as benching.

[Mupepe]

The problem with that is that I also haven't made gains on pullups or anything else really.  I've stayed the same for a while and also my fat loss has stalled like a motherfucker.  I'll still be eating clean (aside from my weekly tacos on Saturday).  The only difference will be getting rid of the 500 calorie deficit and eating at 2700 and making my workout more back and leg oriented (a squat obsession has replaced my BP obsession). 

All in all, I need something to move to keep me motivated because I've been lethargic the last week or two because I haven't seen results. 

got any suggestions for my fat loss issues?  It seems like my body is just intent on keeping it as preservation method.  My diet is a lot of red meat, tuna, eggs, bacon, chicken thighs and asparagus or green beans.  Those items make up 80% of my diet.  Every once in a while I'll have pork chops or something. 

[Cormacaroni]

If you've been doing this deficit for long enough, your body adapts and it no longer becomes a deficit. Your metabolism sounds like it has downshifted semi-permanently, which is making you less active (which explains the feeling of lethargy). So yeah, eating more might be just the ticket to kickstart fat loss again. You'll need to be careful to keep the intake appropriate to your activity level though, 'cause once you start lifting heavy again, the impulse will be to eat eat eat. Especially squatting...I've never experienced appetite like when I was squatting heavy 3 times a week. Track your carbs carefully, and keep cheats to once a week I guess.

[Mupepe]

That's the plan.  I put a lot of work into this and I'm going to be very careful not to gain fat this time around. 

[Groogrux]

So after my month off I'm starting back into Paleo dieting again.  I'm also going to be taking OxyElitePro for a while until I get back into the swing of things.

[Cormacaroni]

had some of that today (Yogurt and blueberries), with macadamias as well. If you crave whipped cream though - go for it. Whipped cream and strawberries is better than 99% of desserts anyway

[Eric P]

i am doing half a cup of fage full fat yogurt with some blueberries for breakfast alongside whatever i normally eat.  This is typically my one fruit serving a day.

i had been lazy so i wasn't doing much beyond that and a chicken sausage.  this morning i found myself awake at 4:40 in the goddamn morning so went ahead and did a chicken sausage and three eggs in a semi omelet.

[Groogrux]

It's probably not the BEST way to go about it, but I've been doing Protein shakes for meal replacement in the mornings for the past few weeks.  I've had bacon and eggs once in the past month and I really miss it!  Maybe after I get settled in this new place in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to go back to my beloved breakfast.

[Mupepe]

It's better than not eating as long as it's not filled with sugar.  Real food is always better but protein shakes will do the trick in a pinch. 

I've stopped protein shakes altogether by cutting out processed carbs and using the extra calories to get my protein.  I used to be a big believer in protein shakes but unless you're short on time I believe they're mostly a waste of money.  If you're on a full on bulk I could see the use, but even then some chicken thighs or ground beef is better and cheaper.

[cool breeze]

i am doing half a cup of fage full fat yogurt with some blueberries for breakfast alongside whatever i normally eat.  This is typically my one fruit serving a day.

i had been lazy so i wasn't doing much beyond that and a chicken sausage.  this morning i found myself awake at 4:40 in the goddamn morning so went ahead and did a chicken sausage and three eggs in a semi omelet.

That, more or less, is roughly the breakfast I've had for the past few years.  I rotate the breakfast meats (recently I tried Beef Bacon from trader joes and it is pretty good!), and perhaps more fruit than I assume most paleo people eat (mostly various berries, some grapefruit and cantaloupe).

though I've had less fruit in the morning because I bought a blender to make daiquiris (or an approximation of it).  and I've been meaning to buy real bacon or pork products.  Pork products are so foreign to me.  My parents never enforced any of their beliefs on me (muslim) but there was never any pork in my house.  First time I've ever had pork as a main part of a meal was about two years

[Mupepe]

BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON

[Eric P]

bacon takes a while to cook properly, so i don't know if i want to commit that much time to my morning routines and the thought of pre-making it sounds like such a pain in the ass.

[Mupepe]

The gap between done and burnt with bacon is so wide that you generally don't have to worry about fucking it up.  throw it in the frying pan, start getting ready, go flip it, finish geting ready, eat. 

[Mupepe]

you don't seem to very picky about your other cuts of pork

spoiler (click to show/hide)

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[Eric P]

bacon takes a while to cook properly, so i don't know if i want to commit that much time to my morning routines and the thought of pre-making it sounds like such a pain in the ass.

takes 10 minutes max in a frying pan. but if you'd rather do other shit while your bacon is doing its thing, put it in the oven instead. takes a bit longer, but you can shower and get dressed in the meantime.

i do 10 min on low per side.

[Van Cruncheon]

i like my bacon CHEWY AS FUCK

[Cormacaroni]

I think the time has come to start posting pics of our breakfasts

[Eric P]

i went out and bought 2 pounds of grass fed ground beef, some fancy sausages, a pound of grass fed bison and two pork chops.

dinners for the next few days are going to rule.

[Cormacaroni]

today's breakfast

...featuring potatoes! I've loosened up my stance on potatoes and rice a fair bit. They're fattening but they cause no digestive issues that I can detect (assuming the spuds are not deep-fried in vegetable oil etc). Once in a while they seem to do no harm. These were some leftovers that I fried up in the bacon fat.

[Cormacaroni]

While I'm at it...here's a great paleo dinner. Indoor BBQ! Ingredients: Beef, vegetables, fire

[Eric P]

this morning i'm doing something simple. 

1/2 pound ground beef
1 plum tomato
1/2 small onion
a dash each of chili powder, rosemary, garlic powder
4 eggs.

half for me, half for the gf.

[Beezy]

Ingredients: Beef, vegetables, fire

[Mupepe]

I just worked out for 3 hours earlier today and its ramadan 

I gotta ask.  Why are you working out for 3 hours?

that's way too long IMO.  After about an hour to an hour and a half you're probably not doing much good.  any test boost you had is long gone and your body is exhausted.

[Smooth Groove]

3 hrs is fine as long as you have proper nutrition and you are working out different bodyparts.  A sport like basketball is also OK since there's plenty of moving around slowly in between the bouts of high intensity.

All in all, I need something to move to keep me motivated because I've been lethargic the last week or two because I haven't seen results. 

Try driving up the intensity of your workouts while eating the same amount of food.  Cut down on rest time to 60 secs then 45 and eventually 30.  Also try doing explosive lifts like snatches and cleans, which are extremely draining.  Next time, you deadlift or squat, try doing it with 30 to 50 % weight but jump as high as you can at the top of the lift.  Finally, do 30 mins of moderately high intensity cardio at the end of each workout.  I guarantee your fat will start burning again if you take your workouts to another level. 

[Groogrux]

I was going to go to the gym today after I got done at my friend's wedding.  They close at 6 on Saturdays.  Fucking weak.

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Especially since I moved from a smaller town that had a tiny gym and they managed to be a 24/7 place...

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[Eric P]

so, uh, paleo works wonders.  I've been purely paleo since tuesday and i already have some shirts that are fitting a lot better (i totally broke plaeoedge by having a whiskey and water last night)

now you'll have to excuse me, because even though it's raining and I was up until 2 am, i'm about to go running. 

[Cormacaroni]

water weight blah blah blah but yes it does work wonders. Over time.