Food is such a simple pleasure that it kills me when I see people on shit like the South Beach or a really strict Atkins routine where they're avoiding stuff like...bread and rice. I get the science (or at least the claims to science) and I'm not knocking people at all for choosing to eat healthier. But given the choice between sacrificing the dream body or a few extra years on my life vs. being able to really enjoy food - not as a glutton of course - I'm rolling with food. You know?
I lost 15 lbs on the Atkins diet (started sometime last year) and re-introduced rice and breads (pretty moderately) to my diet after about 3 or 4 weeks. I've kept that 15 lbs off, too.
The "under 20g of carbs a day" for the first two weeks was difficult, but not impossible. I was pretty much eating meat and greens veggies every day for a month. Not as hard as you would think. Plus cutting out carbs eliminates a majority of the garbage that you find in vending machines.
Before I got married (and did a lot of walking on campus when I was still in college), I lost 13 lbs in a month eating fast food 3 times a week (2 double cheeseburgers minus the bun and a side salad or chicken nuggets - I considered the breading negligible).
I can cut out the soda & sweets no problem, but I love me a beer or two after work.
i ride my road bike 100 miles a week or so and i drink a shitload of beer on the weekend.
i've been tryin to put on muscle this whole year, went from 145-150 at 6'1" to a slightly chubby 180 and now back to 165-170 lean. i lift and eat well (high protein, moderate fat, low-moderate carbs) 5 days a week, but saturday nights are reserved for drinks. lifting hungover is a bitch and sunday is one of my off days, so it works out real nice.
I consider myself to be fit and I drink beer, but not nearly as much as I did 4 years ago (1-2 cases a week). I'm drinking a lot of water nowadays because: 1) it gets too warm here in GA and 2) it tastes better than beer. Lay off the brew and your stomach will thank you.
Another bad habit that I had to curb was junk food and fast food. I used to believe that since I'm such a slim dude, I can eat anything that I have a taste for. Donuts, fried chicken, pizza, cake, whatever. Well, when I weighed in this morning, I found out that I gained 9 lbs. Maybe metabolism is finally slowing down or maybe I need to stop eating like a pig.
If this thread is still poppin' over the next few days, I'll try to post some work out plans for all of y'all. It's good to see Strutters all concerned about their health.
I'll be with this. I workout three times a week, but put on some weight over the winter. Work is getting all up in my way on gym/workout time. Surgery and the month layoff to follow didn't help.
The hometeam strength/conditioning coach says to lift FIRST, if you're doing weights & cardio. The cardio is where your going to burn more calories; but, you need some time to work up to that. So, lifting helps getting your body working, and starts you burning cals. Then, when you hit the cardio, you will burn max cals there.
On food. I try to eat 5 fruit/Veg a day, more often than not, I hit that.
As for beer/alcohol...i drink too much. moving to light beer, but that really reps a whole other problem.
I work out about 4-5 times a week. Usually for 1 hour to an hour and a half. I switch up what I do every time I go. But I always start with a 5-10 minute cardio workout on one of the bikes, with a resistance of about 11, and a cross-training changing slope. this gets my heartrate up, burns 100+ calories and breaks a sweat. I then do sit-ups, then my workout for the day, then more sit-ups and Im out.
As for diet, I drink lots of water. When I'm at the gym I drink about 2-3 water bottles worth. I bring in a water bottle and then refill it at the water fountain whenever Im done. I also keep a 24-pack of water bottles in my car to keep me motivated to drink water when Im on the road rather than stopping to get a soda, etc. Ummm, for breakfast I usually eat eggs for protein. Scrambled egg w/ cheese and bacon on a bagel makes a tasty morning sandwich. I also keep strawberries, kiwis, peaches and other fruits I like stocked in the fridge and eat them with my breakfast. On days that I get tired of eggs, I have oatmeal or cereal. Always eat good before you go to the gym. You need the energy. Don't stuff yourself though. After my workout I drink a protein shake. I recommend buying whey protein in bulk. I use the vanilla flavored kind, add milk and some strawberry syrup and it makes for a rather tasty drink. For most of my meals I just try to eat healthy; yogurt, sandwiches, brown rice, tuna, etc. But I also enjoy myself a few times a week. And yes, I drink alcohol, several nights a week. If you work out often, it's not an issue.
Oh, and avoid sodas as much as possible. Treat yourself ocassionally but they are addictive.
I'm 21 years old, about 5'9" and 150 lbs. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'd actually like to gain weight, but my body just doesn't allow it.
I woke up this morning, made my coffee, and looked at soulstrut, like most mornings... this thread totally guilt tripped me into going to the gym. Good job guys.
I had to switch to a gluten free diet two years ago. No bread. No cakes or cookies. No pasta. No beer. I lost 10 pounds in week. It just fell off. I never really fucked with sugary shit anyhow. The great thing about a gluten free diet is that it cuts almost all processed and fast foods by default. And unlike those no carb diets, you can still eat potatoes and rice.
I miss beer. But I sure as fuck don't miss that fatass gut flopping over my belt buckle.
As far as fitting in exercise, I've found that exercising short periods throughout the day, every day, work better than trying to get everything done at the gym 3-4 times per week.
I throw the little dude in the jogger and run for about 15 mins 1st thing in the AM. Do a few push-up, some planking and leg lists at the office throughout the day. Hit the gym everyday for about 30 mins on the way home. Then a nice walk after dinner. I also ride my bike to work. Yard work is good exercise too. I use all manual tools.
At the gym I usually take an hour and split evenly between weights and cardio - 15 min on the bike, 15 on the treadmill, 30 working around various machines and free weights.
Be sure to do weights BEFORE cardio. No sense wearing yourself out and leaving nothing left in the tank for the lifting portion.
Oh, and cut out simple carbs, dudes. Switch to sweet potatoes, brown rice and whole wheat bread/pasta. It makes a big difference.
It's actually the opposite. Studies have shown that cardio before weights gets your circulation and muscles going and gives you more stamina when you hit the weights. One keys is to give youself a good 5-10 min rest in between and don't just walk right to the bench press from the tredmill. 30 min of cardio and 30 min of weights shouldn't be a problem.
ALso, if you have the time alternate you cadio and weights. Weights Monday cadio Tuesday etc. This way you can really push your self and get the most out of each workout. Do a 5-10 min cardio warm up before lifting.
I can cut out the soda & sweets no problem, but I love me a beer or two after work.
i ride my road bike 100 miles a week or so and i drink a shitload of beer on the weekend.
i've been tryin to put on muscle this whole year, went from 145-150 at 6'1" to a slightly chubby 180 and now back to 165-170 lean. i lift and eat well (high protein, moderate fat, low-moderate carbs) 5 days a week, but saturday nights are reserved for drinks. lifting hungover is a bitch and sunday is one of my off days, so it works out real nice.
i did the same thing last year but i got tired of eating all the time. i have the same body type, i had to eat like 5-6 GOOD meals a day. i decided i'd rather be skinny and have good cardiovascular and leg muscles for cycling/running. the only thing having a big upper body for is looking good for da ladies, and i dont really care about that anymore. It's good to have goals, though. Lifting/running/cycling/whatever keeps me in shape and sane.
as soon as i got my road bike i dropped off a LOT of muscle and fat off my upper body. I'm 5'11", this time last year I was about 185. Right now I'm 156-157.
something i'd like to suggest that really worked for me and may work for a lot of you is circuit training...you are doing more reps and using lighter weights, so u can't really show off (my gym is filled with a population of 98% guidos) but its great because its almost like an aerobics thing. add cardio to the mix and you'l get on point. i started this consistently since february and i have to buy new pants and had to punch new holes in my belt.
i got the plan from this book, which i'd really recommend despite the questionable cover:
and it has some really sound advice. its not really a diet, the title of the book is more of a gimmick than anything else, its more of a lifestyle change in your eating habits (its similar advice to that body for life book). and for those of you worried about giving up on your favorite foods, you can allow yourself ONE cheat day a week where you eat whatever you feel like. this is actually good for 2 reasons. 1) u know u can eat your favorite shit, even though its limited to one day 2) this actually shocks your system after being used to such good food and pumps up your metabolism (or an explanation more scientific than that)
ok...i'm down. i have the nike women's half marathon coming up in october and need to start training NOW!!
if anyone's in oakland and want to run around lake merritt weekday mornings starting late june (once i'm out on summer break) let me know!!
1 or 2 laps! no ipod! as much as i want to listen to music when i run and run longer distances, i can't hear myself breathe and don't run as well when i have no music going on. it's harder on the mental brainpower stuff but it still works better for me.
also i want to ride my bike more. it's an involuntary fixed gear and has a heavy ass frame so lugging it around burns calorieeeees.
I eat 4-5 small meals a day. You know the average american eats their meal in 7 minutes? SLOW DOWN. Most people stuff themselves so fast they dont know they are already too full until its too late. You just have to look at portion sizes from 20 or 30 years ago to see that shit has doubled if not tripled.
An average fast food meal from the 60's was the size of what a happy meal is now, soda included.
If I have to eat at one of these places on the road or in a hurry I will almost always go for the kids meal. Much cheaper, you don't deprive yourself of guilty pleasures and a couple hours later you get to eat again.
So basically, I eat what I want in moderation and I eat all day long.
The french folks have a certain love for food, they take time to enjoy the things they consume. Your supposed to chew your food too not inhale it, this will help with the time factor as well and you'll appreciate what your putting into your body more.
exactly. eat SLOW in moderation. I know its hard for you menssssss.
I eat 4-5 small meals a day. You know the average american eats their meal in 7 minutes? SLOW DOWN. Most people stuff themselves so fast they dont know they are already too full until its too late. You just have to look at portion sizes from 20 or 30 years ago to see that shit has doubled if not tripled.
You've never seen a family eat as fast as mine did when my father was an active firefighter. They eat all their meals quickly at work because they don't know when the alarm is going to go off, and most of them take that style of eating home to their families. That's how I was raised. We've slowed down a little bit since he retired, but my last girlfriend was amazed at how fast we ate when we all got together so I guess we didnt slow down as much as I thought.
I didn't realize a lot of people were like that, thought it was just us.
I eat 4-5 small meals a day. You know the average american eats their meal in 7 minutes? SLOW DOWN. Most people stuff themselves so fast they dont know they are already too full until its too late. You just have to look at portion sizes from 20 or 30 years ago to see that shit has doubled if not tripled.
You've never seen a family eat as fast as mine did when my father was an active firefighter. They eat all their meals quickly at work because they don't know when the alarm is going to go off, and most of them take that style of eating home to their families. That's how I was raised. We've slowed down a little bit since he retired, but my last girlfriend was amazed at how fast we ate when we all got together so I guess we didnt slow down as much as I thought.
I didn't realize a lot of people were like that, thought it was just us.
Dude, I used to date a girl and my parents used to make fun of her for eating like she had the last plate of food on the planet. Her dad was a rich insurance guy so there was no "time constraint, lack of food" excuse. She just ate like a maniac. She would always end up with food on her clothes, which was not a good look. She wasn't even fat, just a food junkie I guess.
Comments
I lost 15 lbs on the Atkins diet (started sometime last year) and re-introduced rice and breads (pretty moderately) to my diet after about 3 or 4 weeks. I've kept that 15 lbs off, too.
The "under 20g of carbs a day" for the first two weeks was difficult, but not impossible. I was pretty much eating meat and greens veggies every day for a month. Not as hard as you would think. Plus cutting out carbs eliminates a majority of the garbage that you find in vending machines.
Before I got married (and did a lot of walking on campus when I was still in college), I lost 13 lbs in a month eating fast food 3 times a week (2 double cheeseburgers minus the bun and a side salad or chicken nuggets - I considered the breading negligible).
i've been tryin to put on muscle this whole year, went from 145-150 at 6'1" to a slightly chubby 180 and now back to 165-170 lean. i lift and eat well (high protein, moderate fat, low-moderate carbs) 5 days a week, but saturday nights are reserved for drinks. lifting hungover is a bitch and sunday is one of my off days, so it works out real nice.
I consider myself to be fit and I drink beer, but not nearly as much as I did 4 years ago (1-2 cases a week). I'm drinking a lot of water nowadays because: 1) it gets too warm here in GA
and 2) it tastes better than beer. Lay off the brew and your stomach will thank you.
Another bad habit that I had to curb was junk food and fast food. I used to believe that since I'm such a slim dude, I can eat anything that I have a taste for. Donuts, fried chicken, pizza, cake,
whatever. Well, when I weighed in this morning, I found out that I gained 9 lbs.
Maybe metabolism is finally slowing down or maybe I need to stop eating like a pig.
If this thread is still poppin' over the next few days, I'll try to post some work out plans for all of y'all. It's good to see Strutters all concerned about their health.
true. but lifting drunk will seriously increase your max.
The hometeam strength/conditioning coach says to lift FIRST, if you're doing weights & cardio. The cardio is where your going to burn more calories; but, you need some time to work up to that. So, lifting helps getting your body working, and starts you burning cals. Then, when you hit the cardio, you will burn max cals there.
On food. I try to eat 5 fruit/Veg a day, more often than not, I hit that.
As for beer/alcohol...i drink too much. moving to light beer, but that really reps a whole other problem.
As for diet, I drink lots of water. When I'm at the gym I drink about 2-3 water bottles worth. I bring in a water bottle and then refill it at the water fountain whenever Im done. I also keep a 24-pack of water bottles in my car to keep me motivated to drink water when Im on the road rather than stopping to get a soda, etc. Ummm, for breakfast I usually eat eggs for protein. Scrambled egg w/ cheese and bacon on a bagel makes a tasty morning sandwich. I also keep strawberries, kiwis, peaches and other fruits I like stocked in the fridge and eat them with my breakfast. On days that I get tired of eggs, I have oatmeal or cereal. Always eat good before you go to the gym. You need the energy. Don't stuff yourself though. After my workout I drink a protein shake. I recommend buying whey protein in bulk. I use the vanilla flavored kind, add milk and some strawberry syrup and it makes for a rather tasty drink. For most of my meals I just try to eat healthy; yogurt, sandwiches, brown rice, tuna, etc. But I also enjoy myself a few times a week. And yes, I drink alcohol, several nights a week. If you work out often, it's not an issue.
Oh, and avoid sodas as much as possible. Treat yourself ocassionally but they are addictive.
I'm 21 years old, about 5'9" and 150 lbs. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'd actually like to gain weight, but my body just doesn't allow it.
sex is the answer.
I did that, too
You are obviously NOT married.
Oh yes I AM, Sir.
You are obviously NOT married WITH KIDS.
I miss beer. But I sure as fuck don't miss that fatass gut flopping over my belt buckle.
As far as fitting in exercise, I've found that exercising short periods throughout the day, every day, work better than trying to get everything done at the gym 3-4 times per week.
I throw the little dude in the jogger and run for about 15 mins 1st thing in the AM. Do a few push-up, some planking and leg lists at the office throughout the day. Hit the gym everyday for about 30 mins on the way home. Then a nice walk after dinner. I also ride my bike to work. Yard work is good exercise too. I use all manual tools.
It's actually the opposite. Studies have shown that cardio before weights gets your circulation and muscles going and gives you more stamina when you hit the weights. One keys is to give youself a good 5-10 min rest in between and don't just walk right to the bench press from the tredmill. 30 min of cardio and 30 min of weights shouldn't be a problem.
ALso, if you have the time alternate you cadio and weights. Weights Monday cadio Tuesday etc. This way you can really push your self and get the most out of each workout. Do a 5-10 min cardio warm up before lifting.
i did the same thing last year but i got tired of eating all the time. i have the same body type, i had to eat like 5-6 GOOD meals a day. i decided i'd rather be skinny and have good cardiovascular and leg muscles for cycling/running. the only thing having a big upper body for is looking good for da ladies, and i dont really care about that anymore. It's good to have goals, though. Lifting/running/cycling/whatever keeps me in shape and sane.
as soon as i got my road bike i dropped off a LOT of muscle and fat off my upper body. I'm 5'11", this time last year I was about 185. Right now I'm 156-157.
i got the plan from this book, which i'd really recommend despite the questionable cover:
http://www.amazon.com/Body-Sculpting-Bib...81346464&sr=8-1
its cheap and its a great workout plan anyone can follow. i've combined this workout with the eating principals in that "abs diet book"
http://www.amazon.com/Abs-Diet-Six-Week-...81346532&sr=1-1
and it has some really sound advice. its not really a diet, the title of the book is more of a gimmick than anything else, its more of a lifestyle change in your eating habits (its similar advice to that body for life book). and for those of you worried about giving up on your favorite foods, you can allow yourself ONE cheat day a week where you eat whatever you feel like. this is actually good for 2 reasons.
1) u know u can eat your favorite shit, even though its limited to one day
2) this actually shocks your system after being used to such good food and pumps up your metabolism (or an explanation more scientific than that)
anyhow that worked for me
i have the nike women's half marathon coming up in october
and need to start training NOW!!
if anyone's in oakland and want to run around lake merritt weekday
mornings starting late june (once i'm out on summer break)
let me know!!
1 or 2 laps! no ipod! as much as i want to listen to music when i run
and run longer distances, i can't hear myself breathe and don't run as
well when i have no music going on. it's harder on the mental brainpower
stuff but it still works better for me.
also i want to ride my bike more. it's an involuntary fixed gear and has a heavy
ass frame so lugging it around burns calorieeeees.
exactly. eat SLOW in moderation. I know its hard for you menssssss.
You've never seen a family eat as fast as mine did when my father was an active firefighter. They eat all their meals quickly at work because they don't know when the alarm is going to go off, and most of them take that style of eating home to their families. That's how I was raised. We've slowed down a little bit since he retired, but my last girlfriend was amazed at how fast we ate when we all got together so I guess we didnt slow down as much as I thought.
I didn't realize a lot of people were like that, thought it was just us.
Dude, I used to date a girl and my parents used to make fun of her for eating like she had the last plate of food on the planet. Her dad was a rich insurance guy so there was no "time constraint, lack of food" excuse. She just ate like a maniac. She would always end up with food on her clothes, which was not a good look. She wasn't even fat, just a food junkie I guess.
If you find yourself getting tired while running, throw on Man On the Silver Mountain, you'll be good for another mile or two.
yeah how is everyones summer 2007 fitness plan going?
i played 3 on 3 pick up basketball last weekend and am still recovering.