Motivation /Tracking Thread

[Big A]

fixed!!

It already doesn't seem like I am eating much, I can't imagine how much less I would be eating to lose weight if it weren't for the exercise.

[Pro88LX]

Ive just been lurking this thread and figured id post up my progress. Just doing 1 hr cardio 6 days a week and weights 2-3 days a week when my buddy feels like going to the gym. was 250 last march when i quit smoking, balooned to 260 by the 4th of july. started going to the gym 2-3 days a week from july to october and got down to 240ish. went on a business trip mid october then got side tracked until february of this year. since them ive been going to the gym almost daily and doing my best to eat cleanly. weighed in this am at 224 and i feel great so far. but feel like i could be doing better diet wise, and mix up my cardio/work out more

using isoflex protein in the am (1 scoop in 8oz of skim milk)
lunch is usually 4 oz of some kind of animal protein and a cup or 2 of veggies
dinner is the same as above

i try to substitute one meal a day for a quest bar

using c4 extreme pre workout (1 scoop in 16 oz of water)

anyone have any good links for good low carb meals that i can porep for a few days at a time?

thanks!

[TeeShock]

Ive just been lurking this thread and figured id post up my progress. Just doing 1 hr cardio 6 days a week and weights 2-3 days a week when my buddy feels like going to the gym. was 250 last march when i quit smoking, balooned to 260 by the 4th of july. started going to the gym 2-3 days a week from july to october and got down to 240ish. went on a business trip mid october then got side tracked until february of this year. since them ive been going to the gym almost daily and doing my best to eat cleanly. weighed in this am at 224 and i feel great so far. but feel like i could be doing better diet wise, and mix up my cardio/work out more

using isoflex protein in the am (1 scoop in 8oz of skim milk)
lunch is usually 4 oz of some kind of animal protein and a cup or 2 of veggies
dinner is the same as above

i try to substitute one meal a day for a quest bar

using c4 extreme pre workout (1 scoop in 16 oz of water)

anyone have any good links for good low carb meals that i can porep for a few days at a time?

thanks!

I'm a firm believer in less cardio, more complex weight training. Increase the intensity by reducing intervals between sets. I would shoot myself if I did an hour of cardio 6 times per week. Squatting is a great compound exercise and calorie burner. My heart gets pounding so hard between sets my rate can be seen pumping through a baggy shirt. Chicken breast and sweet taters prep well. Bird's Eye frozen vegetables are not bad for microwave quality.


Here's a cool read. Take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.t-nation.com/training/regular-cardio-will-make-you-fat

[Pro88LX]

I'm a firm believer in less cardio, more complex weight training. Increase the intensity by reducing intervals between sets. I would shoot myself if I did an hour of cardio 6 times per week. Squatting is a great compound exercise and calorie burner. My heart gets pounding so hard between sets my rate can be seen pumping through a baggy shirt. Chicken breast and sweet taters prep well. Bird's Eye frozen vegetables are not bad for microwave quality.


Here's a cool read. Take it with a grain of salt.
http://www.t-nation.com/training/reg...l-make-you-fat

Yea it gets boring sometimes but pandora helps alot and there is tv on the machines too. Ill definitely read this article today, thanks for the tip!

[Big A]

Ive just been lurking this thread and figured id post up my progress. Just doing 1 hr cardio 6 days a week and weights 2-3 days a week when my buddy feels like going to the gym. was 250 last march when i quit smoking, balooned to 260 by the 4th of july. started going to the gym 2-3 days a week from july to october and got down to 240ish. went on a business trip mid october then got side tracked until february of this year. since them ive been going to the gym almost daily and doing my best to eat cleanly. weighed in this am at 224 and i feel great so far. but feel like i could be doing better diet wise, and mix up my cardio/work out more

using isoflex protein in the am (1 scoop in 8oz of skim milk)
lunch is usually 4 oz of some kind of animal protein and a cup or 2 of veggies
dinner is the same as above

i try to substitute one meal a day for a quest bar

using c4 extreme pre workout (1 scoop in 16 oz of water)

anyone have any good links for good low carb meals that i can porep for a few days at a time?

thanks!

The bold part is the key, diet is EVERYTHING when it comes to losing weight. For low-carb meals I grill a couple bags of chicken breast each weekend, using various spices to change it up, and switch from dicing it into a salad with low-fat dressing, or eat a small side of brown rice or yams.

I'm a firm believer in less cardio, more complex weight training. Increase the intensity by reducing intervals between sets. I would shoot myself if I did an hour of cardio 6 times per week. Squatting is a great compound exercise and calorie burner. My heart gets pounding so hard between sets my rate can be seen pumping through a baggy shirt. Chicken breast and sweet taters prep well. Bird's Eye frozen vegetables are not bad for microwave quality.


Here's a cool read. Take it with a grain of salt.
http://www.t-nation.com/training/reg...l-make-you-fat

I am right in between you two, and it's working for me. Weight training 5-6 days a week, and 20 minutes of light cardio right after. It's just enough cardio to get the blood moving, and keep me from getting bored. The training is pretty static, and my fat loss is directly related to how good I am with my diet. It all boils down to the simple formula of calories in < calories out.

It also comes down to finding a program that you can live with long-term, and with my ADHD there's no way I'm doing an hour of cardio a day for any length of time, but 20 minutes is nothing really. My diet also isn't super strict like it has been in the past, and at 3 months in I am not wanting to gnaw at my leg for little extra something to eat like in the past. I eat what I want on cheat days, and keep an just keep an eye on overall caloric intake. I had nachos and stuffed jalepenos last weekend at BWW, and though it wasn't nears as satisfying enough for the gross feeling afterword, I was no worse for the wear in the log-run in terms of fat loss.

[Pro88LX]

is it better to do cardio AFTER weight training? I have been doing it before.

The bold part is the key, diet is EVERYTHING when it comes to losing weight. For low-carb meals I grill a couple bags of chicken breast each weekend, using various spices to change it up, and switch from dicing it into a salad with low-fat dressing, or eat a small side of brown rice or yams.




I am right in between you two, and it's working for me. Weight training 5-6 days a week, and 20 minutes of light cardio right after. It's just enough cardio to get the blood moving, and keep me from getting bored. The training is pretty static, and my fat loss is directly related to how good I am with my diet. It all boils down to the simple formula of calories in < calories out.

It also comes down to finding a program that you can live with long-term, and with my ADHD there's no way I'm doing an hour of cardio a day for any length of time, but 20 minutes is nothing really. My diet also isn't super strict like it has been in the past, and at 3 months in I am not wanting to gnaw at my leg for little extra something to eat like in the past. I eat what I want on cheat days, and keep an just keep an eye on overall caloric intake. I had nachos and stuffed jalepenos last weekend at BWW, and though it wasn't nears as satisfying enough for the gross feeling afterword, I was no worse for the wear in the log-run in terms of fat loss.

great advice, thanks!

[R1psycho]

is it better to do cardio AFTER weight training? I have been doing it before.







!

I usually do a quick run or brisk walk for 10 minutes as a warm up, then lift and 20-30 minutes of cardio after. I find it works best for me.

[Big A]

Weight training depletes your glycogen stores, so doing cardio after will get you to burning fat quicker. In the reverse, cardio will zap your energy (glycogen), leaving you flat, weaker, and less motivated.

All that said, it all boils down to calories in<calories out, do what keeps you coming back for more. Nobody here is talking contest prep, and doing cardio first with a lack-luster workout after is far better for fat loss than banging out the weights, and being "too tired" to get your cardio in.

[Pro88LX]

I usually do a quick run or brisk walk for 10 minutes as a warm up, then lift and 20-30 minutes of cardio after. I find it works best for me.

Weight training depletes your glycogen stores, so doing cardio after will get you to burning fat quicker. In the reverse, cardio will zap your energy (glycogen), leaving you flat, weaker, and less motivated.

All that said, it all boils down to calories in<calories out, do what keeps you coming back for more. Nobody here is talking contest prep, and doing cardio first with a lack-luster workout after is far better for fat loss than banging out the weights, and being "too tired" to get your cardio in.

thanks guys! Mixed it up last night but it was a short workout as i had shit to do after. 10 mins cardio, 30 mins non stop wieghts (lower weight high rep) and 20 mins cardio. felt good after not burned out like doing a full hour of cardio

[Broncojohnny]

I ran 7.4 miles at lunch today at a 9:05 pace. Hooray motivation!

Running before lifting will give you balls of steel but you won't be able to do the reps that you normally would. I did it for a few years and it was usually 2-4 miles on the treadmill before lifting. You'll have great endurance.

[SS Junk]

I started actually trying to lose fat about a year ago. Weighed in at 267 with a 42" waste. Did a body stat to try and use a calorie intake window so I could mantain as much strength as possible while trying to lose fat. Today I'm at 242 with a 38" waste. The changes have been so gradual no one really noticed. I'd like to get down to 220 by the end of the year.

I ran 7.4 miles at lunch today at a 9:05 pace. Hooray motivation!

Running before lifting will give you balls of steel but you won't be able to do the reps that you normally would. I did it for a few years and it was usually 2-4 miles on the treadmill before lifting. You'll have great endurance.

I ran before lifting for several months and hated the fact my strength wasn't there when lifting heavy. I felt really good while lifting, but tired. Just to change cardio things up, I've given up running for now and started in doing a circuit training type regiment. I'm tired of running. I hate running, but will pick it up again once I get tired of what I'm doing now.

[Big A]

Fortunately I am still on track, and slightly ahead of the 5lbs per month goal. I am just shy of 3 months in, and have hit the 20lb mark as of today. I'll reiterate that diet is everything when trimming up, I only workout so that I am allowed to eat a little more. heh

Well, I had a by-week of sorts last week, with a net of exactly 0lbs lost or gained. Nothing changed in my training or cardio, still doing both daily, it was ALL diet, so I've got to get my sweet tooth in check. I did seem to notice that my strength/stamina was back up in terms of # of reps, which is a good indication that I wasn't in a deficit any more. I chose to ignore that and tell myself that a little more Ben & Jerry's won't throw me off track. You can justify whatever you want in your mind, but that doesn't make it any less caloric, or detrimental to progress.

It's a little too close to summer for that kind of result, so I am a little frustrated at myself, but not gaining weight is still progress over the expanding waistline I had 3 months ago. I am in this for the long-haul this time, no fad diets, so rather than freak out and sacrifice strength for making up the lost time with starvation and extra cardio, I simply ratcheted my diet back down, limited the cheat meals this week, and netted a 3lb loss.

That's a 23lbs total loss for the year, with another 30lbs to go, preferably by August, so I guess perhaps it's time to step away from the "long-haul" excuse, cut out ALL refined sugar, and up the target to 10lbs a month strength be damned. How in the f&$# did I put on an extra 50lbs to begin with?! Oh yeah, but stuffing my piglet face.

[stangin4lyfe]

That's a 23lbs total loss for the year, with another 30lbs to go, preferably by August, so I guess perhaps it's time to step away from the "long-haul" excuse, cut out ALL refined sugar, and up the target to 10lbs a month strength be damned. How in the f&$# did I put on an extra 50lbs to begin with?! Oh yeah, but stuffing my piglet face.

Great job so far!
No need to cut out ALL sugar, just reduce intake.
4-8lbs per month is a healthy reduction.
Nothing wrong with stuffing, long as you stuff it with the right "stuff".

[Big A]

Great job so far!
No need to cut out ALL sugar, just reduce intake.
4-8lbs per month is a healthy reduction.
Nothing wrong with stuffing, long as you stuff it with the right "stuff".

I need to reduce the intake, and stop eating it right before bed. I can't complain with the over-all progress, but it is so frustrating to fall into old habits.

The key is to keep pushing forward, and to continue to mentally get leaner and stronger, and the body will follow. It's been my experience that if I focus solely on external goals and achievements, I reach them, and soon thereafter let my fat ass mindset take back over, and the weight comes right back. I don't want to do that this time, I want off the damn rollercoaster.

[SS Junk]

I need to reduce the intake, and stop eating it right before bed.

It's a bitch, but have you tried to just drink water when you have a craving?