I hit 200 pounds for the first time in my life today! This is mainly because of the massive amounts of candy I've eaten over the last two weeks, trying to recover from various insulin overloads, but still - I'm at 202. And most of it is not fat!

I went on bio-identical progesterone and 5000 IU of vitamin D a day, and lost 20 pounds without even trying.

If I let them treat my borderline hypothyroidism, I'll probably drop another 5 to 10. I'm holding off because I can't afford to buy any more new clothes right now.

KoolEaze said:

PurpleJedi said:

I've been doing the assists for a while and have managed to get TWO unassisted pullups.

My goal is to get to do three sets of 10 completely unassisted.

I used to do at least twenty when I was younger and lighter but haven´t done them routinely in a long time. I do them occasionally and can´t do more than 8 or ten, sometimes just 7, but I weigh at least 40 pounds more these days, so it´s ok. ( Most of it is muscles, not fat, but still....I have to do them regularly again because like UptownNY said, they are essential for a strong back and for testosterone production since the latissimus is a HUGE muscle, and therefore good for testosterone production).

Bye bye...the gym is calling.

Deadflow3r said:

veronikka said:

Keep it steady dont rush it and keep it up

I don't know if I look all that different from my starting weight of 250 but I feel different. I think after the holidays I will add some type of workout besides walking. I am 5'3" and would like to get down to the size that Valerie Bertinelli and Jennifer Husdon were before they started their weight loss program, . I like having a bit of roundness to me, but I don't want to be a borderline diabetic or have high blood pressure. So my goal is some sort of fat/healthy point. Size 10 or 12 is the smallest I want to go.

Start taking pictures every month, you'll see the difference

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

My friend introduced me to this site, and I gotta say...the food tastes awesome and you'd enver guess it was "clean eating" and actually healthy for you!

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

I won't.

I don't eat any differently on holidays than I do at any other time. I absolutely hate feeling stuffed.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

I won't.

I don't eat any differently on holidays than I do at any other time. I absolutely hate feeling stuffed.

Communist.

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

My friend introduced me to this site, and I gotta say...the food tastes awesome and you'd enver guess it was "clean eating" and actually healthy for you!

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

No website that advocates the consumption of processed soy products can be taken seriously with respect to "eating clean."

PurpleJedi said:

Genesia said:

I won't.

I don't eat any differently on holidays than I do at any other time. I absolutely hate feeling stuffed.

Communist.

On the contrary, telling people that they are required to overeat because everyone else does is communistic.

Genesia said:

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

My friend introduced me to this site, and I gotta say...the food tastes awesome and you'd enver guess it was "clean eating" and actually healthy for you!

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

No website that advocates the consumption of processed soy products can be taken seriously with respect to "eating clean."

You can substitute ingredients.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

Communist.

On the contrary, telling people that they are required to overeat because everyone else does is communistic.

Obviously you don't know your history, huh?

In America, we celebrate the extinction of those red-skinned savages every year by stuffing our faces with turkey and mashed 'taters, which is symbolic of our God-given right to consume more than our fair share of the bounty of this land.

ThruTheEyesOfWonder said:

Genesia said:

No website that advocates the consumption of processed soy products can be taken seriously with respect to "eating clean."

You can substitute ingredients.

That's beside the point. She rails against eating any kind of sugar (because it's "processed"), then tells people to try soy milk and TVP. Soy is one of the most genetically modified, highly processed things you can eat. (With the exception of some naturally fermented soy items - which does NOT include tofu, TVP or soy milk.)

Further proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

PurpleJedi said:

Genesia said:

On the contrary, telling people that they are required to overeat because everyone else does is communistic.

Obviously you don't know your history, huh?

In America, we celebrate the extinction of those red-skinned savages every year by stuffing our faces with turkey and mashed 'taters, which is symbolic of our God-given right to consume more than our fair share of the bounty of this land.

Maybe that's what you celebrate. I don't.

Genesia said:

PurpleJedi said:

Obviously you don't know your history, huh?

In America, we celebrate the extinction of those red-skinned savages every year by stuffing our faces with turkey and mashed 'taters, which is symbolic of our God-given right to consume more than our fair share of the bounty of this land.

Maybe that's what you celebrate. I don't.

Because you're a communist.

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

For me, there's no such thing as 'eating too much'. Gotta keep my weight up.

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

I am working out tonight and tomorrow morning

retina said:

uPtoWnNY said:

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

For me, there's no such thing as 'eating too much'. Gotta keep my weight up.

veronikka said:

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

I am working out tonight and tomorrow morning

I'll be there tomorrow for sure.

IDontBelieveYouHeardMe said:

retina said:

I hate gyms. Not because of the painful exercise you do there but because of all the steroid-pumped idiots hanging around, the stench of sweat, the waiting around to use a certain machine, etc. Luckily when I moved into a new apartment two years ago, it turned out that the building has a small gym and there's almost never anybody there! I'm not even exaggerating; I've been going there twice a week for a few months now and there might have been somebody there once or twice during that whole time. Other than that, I'm completely alone, can play my own music etc. It's as if I was some kind of billionaire with a private gym.

So anyway, I am starting to get results, although not as fast as I used to a few years ago. I have to work a lot harder these days and the most difficult thing is to lose belly fat. My body is way happier adding muscle than burning fat (despite doing 80% cardio and 20% weights) so if I don't watch out I'll end up with a beer belly shaped like a six-pack, lol.

You're probably struggling to lose fat because you've signed up to some of the main gym myths/mistakes: 1. You should be doing 80% weights and 20% cardio, not the other way round. In fact, you could even drop the cardio altogether and incorporate your weights into a circuit routine with little rest between sets. Ever noticed that the best physiques in the gym are in the weights room and that the cardio machines are always occupied by flabby people? 2. Don't do steady state cardio as it's pretty useless, it's boring and certain forms are bad for your joints and bones. If you want to lose fat, do a form of interval training. 3. It's what goes in your mouth that determines whether or not you're lean and defined. You can exercise 'til the cows come home, but if your diet is poor, you have an excess of calories (especially if they are from carbs) then you'll never get cut. 4. Use free weights and not machines. Compound, natural movements activate more muscle and trigger growth, testosterone production and calorie burning than artificial, isolated movements.

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an informative response!

What you say about cardio vs weights is interesting. I did know that muscles burn fat so the more muscles you build, the faster it gets to get rid of the flab. I've rarely heard such a "radical" view of its effectiveness though. Most people I've asked recommend at least a bit of cardio for fat-burning and usually they say that over 50% is a minimum. But I'll give your method a try. I'm just hoping I won't end up looking like Lou Ferrigno when I'm done, lol. I'd like to feel cut, but I'm no bodybuilder-type.

As for my diet it's actually not too bad. I don't eat any junk (candy, ice cream, pastry, chips) anymore and usually I don't even eat any fast food (pizza, burgers) but I do often eat large portions of protein- and starch-rich "man food" (red meat, fried potatoes etc). I know that portion control would help and that I should avoid anything fried etc etc but I'm not sure I want to make any further sacrifices in the food department. There has to be quality to life as well!

It's also interesting what you say about the gym machines. I can see that you have a point. Most of them are so static and repetitive that I can almost feel them wearing down my joints while I'm using them. Are you recommending that I don't go the gym at all, and that I instead do various exercises at home? I do own a couple of dumbbells but that's all I have by way of equipment. It would also be difficult to know which exercises are good ones. I wouldn't want to improvise movements that can be damaging.

Again, thanks for the advice!

(and just for the record; I'm actually quite fit by most people's standards. I'm just not as cut as I'd like to be, and I do have a slight gut which annoys me since I'm not used to it.)

retina said:

PurpleJedi said:

So are we all going to jump on this thread with "damn I ate too much & gotta work it off" posts the day after tomorrow?

Yeah I'm gonna play paintball this weekend though so I'll be alright

IDontBelieveYouHeardMe said:

retina said:

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an informative response!

What you say about cardio vs weights is interesting. I did know that muscles burn fat so the more muscles you build, the faster it gets to get rid of the flab. I've rarely heard such a "radical" view of its effectiveness though. Most people I've asked recommend at least a bit of cardio for fat-burning and usually they say that over 50% is a minimum. But I'll give your method a try. I'm just hoping I won't end up looking like Lou Ferrigno when I'm done, lol. I'd like to feel cut, but I'm no bodybuilder-type.

As for my diet it's actually not too bad. I don't eat any junk (candy, ice cream, pastry, chips) anymore and usually I don't even eat any fast food (pizza, burgers) but I do often eat large portions of protein- and starch-rich "man food" (red meat, fried potatoes etc). I know that portion control would help and that I should avoid anything fried etc etc but I'm not sure I want to make any further sacrifices in the food department. There has to be quality to life as well!

It's also interesting what you say about the gym machines. I can see that you have a point. Most of them are so static and repetitive that I can almost feel them wearing down my joints while I'm using them. Are you recommending that I don't go the gym at all, and that I instead do various exercises at home? I do own a couple of dumbbells but that's all I have by way of equipment. It would also be difficult to know which exercises are good ones. I wouldn't want to improvise movements that can be damaging.

Again, thanks for the advice!

(and just for the record; I'm actually quite fit by most people's standards. I'm just not as cut as I'd like to be, and I do have a slight gut which annoys me since I'm not used to it.)

No probs! I think red meat is fine - you don't see many fat lions do you? It's the other stuff such as fried potatoes etc that's the killer. I suppose you could just have half the fries and make up the rest of the portion with veg or salad? Also, try replacing a couple of meals each day with a protein shake or bar. Aim to eat about 1.5g - 2g of protein for each kg of bodyweight every day. If you've only got dumbbells but no bench then the gym is probably still better, even if they only have machines, otherwise you won't be able to work your chest properly. Also, I think the very act of going to the gym is a big motivation and gets you in the right frame of mind to workout. Could you take your dumbbells and leave them at the gym? Or ask them to get some bars and iron plates? I wouldn't necessarily advocate cutting out cardio altogether. I'd just swap the proportions around. And I'd definitely not pound away on a treadmill or x trainer for ages. Just do 10 mins of HIIT (google it) or make your weight routine aerobic by doing a set, then running to the next machine for a set, then on to the next etc etc with no rest in between. Circuit training, basically! That's difficult to do in a public gym, but it seems that you more or less have the run of the place. One other thing - twice a week probably isn't enough, especially if you are over 30. You should try to go at least 3 times a week. [Edited 11/24/11 11:45am]

Again, thank you very much for the valuable advice!

I think I'll leave my eating habits the way they are for now, but if I still can't get any results after doing the other adjustments I'll consider - ugh! - salad and those gross-looking protein shakes too.

HIIT looks interesting and you're totally right that I should make good use of the fact that I have the whole gym to myself, and do the circuit.

I am indeed over 30 (35 in fact) so I know that I should probably do more exercise than twice a week but for now that's all the time I can spare. If it was just the one hour of actual exercise each time it would probably work, but the changing of clothes, the walk to the gym, the warming-up, the shower afterwards...it eventually adds up to quite a lot of time.

I won't rest until the stomach is gone though!

retina said:

IDontBelieveYouHeardMe said:

retina said:

Again, thank you very much for the valuable advice!

I think I'll leave my eating habits the way they are for now, but if I still can't get any results after doing the other adjustments I'll consider - ugh! - salad and those gross-looking protein shakes too.

HIIT looks interesting and you're totally right that I should make good use of the fact that I have the whole gym to myself, and do the circuit.

I am indeed over 30 (35 in fact) so I know that I should probably do more exercise than twice a week but for now that's all the time I can spare. If it was just the one hour of actual exercise each time it would probably work, but the changing of clothes, the walk to the gym, the warming-up, the shower afterwards...it eventually adds up to quite a lot of time.

I won't rest until the stomach is gone though!

Mmmmmm. I fear that unless you cut out the fried taters you'll not make much progress on your gut! Think about it - a portion of fries might be 500 calories and so if you eat em every day, you'd need to jog for 3.5 hours during each of your twice weekly workouts in order to burn them off. Of course, that's a crude calculation which presumes that the fries are, in effect, all "excess". However, the point is that doing cardio to undo poor dietary control is unlikely to succeed unless you run like Forrest Gump. Putting it another way - if you delete the fries from your diet, you'd be 500 cals in deficit per day = 3500 per week = 1lb of fat lost per week. Btw, not all protein shakes and bars are gross. Many protein drinks are indeed horrible and taste like medicine, but some brands taste just like regular milkshakes and some of the protein bars are really good too, albeit expensive. For example, the ones I eat taste very similar to a Snickers bar. It's just a case of asking around, browsing the fitness forums and a little bit of trial and error.

You know your stuff!

Today is the day after Thanksgiving and I weigh just 216lbs! Hurray! I say "just" because I started the year around 250 lbs and was down to 230 on August 29th 2011. We all ate from noon to around 3pm and that was it for me. I was very full and didn't need to eat another bite. If I keep this up I will sail through the holidays without gaining any weight back and maybe even loosing MORE.

Loosing weight during the holidays would be a near miracle and I would be soooooo proud of myself!!

Deadflow3r said:

Today is the day after Thanksgiving and I weigh just 216lbs! Hurray! I say "just" because I started the year around 250 lbs and was down to 230 on August 29th 2011. We all ate from noon to around 3pm and that was it for me. I was very full and didn't need to eat another bite. If I keep this up I will sail through the holidays without gaining any weight back and maybe even loosing MORE.

Loosing weight during the holidays would be a near miracle and I would be soooooo proud of myself!!

PurpleJedi said:

Deadflow3r said:

Today is the day after Thanksgiving and I weigh just 216lbs! Hurray! I say "just" because I started the year around 250 lbs and was down to 230 on August 29th 2011. We all ate from noon to around 3pm and that was it for me. I was very full and didn't need to eat another bite. If I keep this up I will sail through the holidays without gaining any weight back and maybe even loosing MORE.

Loosing weight during the holidays would be a near miracle and I would be soooooo proud of myself!!

Thanks! I was so excited this morning that I put my "best of bowie" cd on and started dancing around the house! (which is only going to make me even fitter!) I am home alone so I can blast it.

Deadflow3r said:

PurpleJedi said:

Thanks! I was so excited this morning that I put my "best of bowie" cd on and started dancing around the house! (which is only going to make me even fitter!) I am home alone so I can blast it.