No More Fatass In 2011

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by Leftygolfer

You guys are much leaner than I'll ever be.  Looks to be sub 10% body fat and that is thin.

Me personally, I'm having real trouble with my diet right now.  Gym wise, I'm doing great.  Hitting it harder than ever, getting stronger, my back is getting thick, all good stuff.  But wieght wise, body fat % I am just stuck.  I was down to 14.6% based on my measurements and I wieghted 189 at that time.  Now, I'm 198 and guessing 15-16%.  I have put on size in my arms and back and my wedding ring is pretty loose so I don't think I'm that fat right now.  But I'm not going down.  It is getting harder for me. I used to be 246 a couple of years ago and have transformed my life style since then so it doesn't feel like a diet and I love working hard in the gym.

But man, it is hard not to cheat on my diet.  I have a diet from a nutritionist that I know works, I'm just not following it.  Without being able to do things outside I'm home more and for entertainment I eat.

Should I do more cardio?  I'm lifting 90% of my time in the gym and I like it.  I super set lots of stuff and get a great workout but it doesn't translate into losing fat.  I personally think it is my lack of control with my eating.

Also, there is nothing wrong with weighing yourself everyday.  I do it, love it.  I understand that there can be big flucuations but if my diet is good I can see results in wieght.

Are you referring to going down in BF% or weight?  I'm sure you know that your weight won't drop a lot if you are lifting.  Just stick with it.  The more lean muscle you have, the easier it is to burn fat.

A cheat meal is not all that bad...but cheating every day will not get the results you are after.  When you are at home, it will just come down to will power.  Clean out your pantry of all the snack crap.  That way, if you eat for entertainment, you may grab something more healthy and geared toward your diet.

If you are lifting, I would do HIIT cardio (High Intensity Interval Training).  If you are unfamiliar with this, just google it...it's everywhere.  Also you could decrease the rest time between your workouts.

Weighing yourself every day is personal preference.  Most people can't do it.  Many times even if your diet is good, your weight will fluctuate.  When I was doing a carb cycling diet, my weight was all over the place.  It frustrates most....but we have already talked about that.

I would suggest getting your diet in check.  If you are "eating for entertainment" then cardio won't be a magic exercise to get the fat off.  Your diet "has" to be in check to get the results....unless you have freak metabolism, which it sounds like you don't

[saevel25]

My keys were that i buy foods on a per week basis, so i have planned out each day for the week. So i can't over cook or i wont have food, and i only allow myself at most 1 subway visit a week.

I don't by pop (soda for those not in Ohio)

I don't by snacks

So really, i eat strickly, but it never feels like i am starving or wanting to eat more.

I don't recommend weighting your self every day, because if you eat a steak the night before you will most likely weight more than if you ate something lighter. The reason is the time it takes to digest the food. I like weighting myself every friday morning just before taking a shower. That way its consistant, its doesn't include any binge eating from the previous weekend. Its the peak point for me to get my true weight.

As for working out, my schedule is as follows

Monday, Wednesday: Circuit Training: 40 minutes

Tuesday, Thursday: HIIT for 5 minute warmup/cool down, 10 minutes of Fast running and Moderate Walking (7.6 mph / 3.8 mph)

Friday: Circuit Training with more emphasis on golf related exercises: 25 minutes

monday thru friday i usually burn 300-450 calories per workout.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by Leftygolfer

You guys are much leaner than I'll ever be.  Looks to be sub 10% body fat and that is thin.

Me personally, I'm having real trouble with my diet right now.  Gym wise, I'm doing great.  Hitting it harder than ever, getting stronger, my back is getting thick, all good stuff.  But wieght wise, body fat % I am just stuck.  I was down to 14.6% based on my measurements and I wieghted 189 at that time.  Now, I'm 198 and guessing 15-16%.  I have put on size in my arms and back and my wedding ring is pretty loose so I don't think I'm that fat right now.  But I'm not going down.  It is getting harder for me. I used to be 246 a couple of years ago and have transformed my life style since then so it doesn't feel like a diet and I love working hard in the gym.

But man, it is hard not to cheat on my diet.  I have a diet from a nutritionist that I know works, I'm just not following it.  Without being able to do things outside I'm home more and for entertainment I eat.

Should I do more cardio?  I'm lifting 90% of my time in the gym and I like it.  I super set lots of stuff and get a great workout but it doesn't translate into losing fat.  I personally think it is my lack of control with my eating.

Also, there is nothing wrong with weighing yourself everyday.  I do it, love it.  I understand that there can be big flucuations but if my diet is good I can see results in wieght.

yeah I usually stay sub 10's just based off of how i like to view myself.  sometimes i get up into the 12% range though..

its good hit the gym as hard as you can that way you have no regrets.. a big back is great and training it is very important. its probably the 2nd biggest muscle group aside from your legs..Now your body fat percentage being stuck... that happens alot.. you could reach a plateau in your training.  a lot of peoples body's do not want to get into those single digit bf numbers.  like north said you begin to feel weak and frail.  i personally dont feel the effects of low body fat until i'm sub 6% (been there once it sucks) but everyone is slightly different.  my advice is to keep training hard. and really dial in your diet. 15% is a great number to be at.  you are healthy.  if you are really adamant about your goals though take your diet seriously and the weight will "fall" off.  you'd be surprised how easy it is to maintain 12 with a good diet.  like someone said earlier... they almost have to go out of there way to overeat lol  just really get serious dial in that diet for a month and see how you look.  you might be surprised :)

[Leftygolfer]

I appreciate all the advice.  The thing is I don't have cheat foods but I eat alot of healthy foods.  I have a strong will power when I'm motivated, but right now I'm just not.  That is the thing that is missing for me.  I feel healthy and strong and it is easy for me to maintain.  But I'd like to get rid of the extra in the middle just to say I did it but what can motivate me?  I'm married so I'm not trying to pick up girls.  My wife doesn't care and me being in better shape has no effect on her attractiveness to me.  If I knew she'd sleep with me more if I was in better shape, that would work, but its not the case.  What motivates others to change?

[Bo the Golfer]

Originally Posted by Leftygolfer

I appreciate all the advice.  The thing is I don't have cheat foods but I eat alot of healthy foods.  I have a strong will power when I'm motivated, but right now I'm just not.  That is the thing that is missing for me.  I feel healthy and strong and it is easy for me to maintain.  But I'd like to get rid of the extra in the middle just to say I did it but what can motivate me?  I'm married so I'm not trying to pick up girls.  My wife doesn't care and me being in better shape has no effect on her attractiveness to me.  If I knew she'd sleep with me more if I was in better shape, that would work, but its not the case.  What motivates others to change?

I think the real key is finding what works for you. I lost 30+ pounds last year as my friends and I signed up for a team triathlon. Having to check in with my buddies and be ready to run that 5k was all the motivation I needed. In the past when I told myself to get in shape for golf it never worked. Having to answer to some of the important people in my life did the trick. We are signed up again this year and I still could lose another 30 pounds so I am back at it after a holiday break. Just find something to work towards or sign up for a race with a friend. It may do the trick.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by Leftygolfer

I appreciate all the advice.  The thing is I don't have cheat foods but I eat alot of healthy foods.  I have a strong will power when I'm motivated, but right now I'm just not.  That is the thing that is missing for me.  I feel healthy and strong and it is easy for me to maintain.  But I'd like to get rid of the extra in the middle just to say I did it but what can motivate me?  I'm married so I'm not trying to pick up girls.  My wife doesn't care and me being in better shape has no effect on her attractiveness to me.  If I knew she'd sleep with me more if I was in better shape, that would work, but its not the case.  What motivates others to change?

Do you workout alone?  If so, having buddies there to push you and compete with as far as results go, would do wonders I bet!  Motivation is one of those things that is a very much dependent on the individual.  Like Bo The Golfer said, you have to find what works for you.  It is easy to get caught up in these kinds of ruts when you are married.  I am married as well and it is hard for me to diet when my wife is not. But it's just one of those things you have to push through.

Then you have the winter time.  It is hard to get motivated for much of anything in the winter, but come summer time you will be motivated but then you will have to wait for a while to show off the results.  Starting now, you will be able to show the results this summer.

Anyway, just think of what motivates you to do anything and go from there.

[tristanhilton85]

Just an update for me... I started on Jan 1 at 199 lbs, this morning I was 184.8... about 10 to 15 pounds to go .

[Yukari]

15 lbs in 20 days???  Seems a little too drastic.

I haven't read through all the threads, but what is your routine and diet like?

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by Yukari

15 lbs in 20 days???  Seems a little too drastic.

I haven't read through all the threads, but what is your routine and diet like?

A lot of water weight probably.  Generally 1.5-2lbs per week is good. Water weight comes off at first at makes the weight loss look pretty drastic. I've lost about 14 lbs in about 1.5 months.  Up front it came off quick because of the water.  Now it's more like 1-2 per week.

You don't want to lose it really fast....that's usually when it comes back fast

[tws1098]

There are some great ideas and some great ideas..in theory in this thread.

• Counting Calories - not easy & time consuming

1. Many times when people count calories they do not eat better, they eat less which only makes them hate the "diet" they are on and no longer enjoy eating.  It can also lead to binging.
2. Instead: When starting out choose the lesser of two evils.  For example: start trying 100% juices, flavored waters, and natural teas (Swiss comes to mind). Make your own burger with 85 or 93% lean beef instead of having fast food (you dont want to know what they make their burgers out of).  The better you can plan out your meals for the week, the more successful you will be at sticking to a plan and losing weight.  It allows you to buy groceries with a purpose rather than buying what looks good (it is also helpful to eat before shopping as you are more likely to put calorie dense foods in your cart when you are hungry)

• Don't eat things that are bad for you - There are no "bad foods"

1. A common thought is that there are bad foods that should never be eaten.  This is untrue. There are nutrient dense and calorie dense foods.  Typically people trying to lose weight have a hard time because they try to eliminate calorie dense foods or are counting calories and therefore just eating small meals of calorie dense foods.
2. Solution: Follow the plan you laid out for yourself (as mentioned earlier) but plan a meal that is just for you.  If that meals going to McDonald's or Burger King, that is fine.  The key is to use it as a reward and to be smart about it.  You will find that over time your tastes will change (maybe only a little) and you will naturally gravitate to the healthier options they have.  It is a great way to keep yourself motivated because you are finding new ways to create healthy dinner options you enjoy and at the end of the week you have a "eat whatever you want" meal to satisfy that part of you that still wants junk food.

• You need to run or have a hard core workout plan - do not fit into schedules, are tough, and are not typically easy to stick with

1. Instead: start walking, whether it is when you golf, taking your dog out, or something you do with your significant other it is one of the best fat burning exercises. Yoga or other low level training methods are also very advantageous.
2. Exercise Physiology studies show that when you exert a low level of energy over a prolonged period of time the majority of that energy is pulled from fat sources.  When you run or exert high levels of energy, especially in short bursts, you are first tapping out carbohydrates before the body moves on to fat.  This transitional period is where I believe your "second wind" comes from during long strenuous activity.  Carbohydrates are a quicker burning more readily available (and efficient) source and is why they are chosen by the body over fat in high level activity.

If anyone has any specific questions or thoughts regarding what I posted, please feel free to PM me or comment here.  I hope it is helpful and all of the above are merely suggestions, none of which are meant to suggest calorie counting or high level exercise are to be avoided, but should be considered after other options have been explored or in addition to those.

-Ty

B.S. - Health and Physical Education

B.S. - Health Education

Both from East Stroudsburg University (2010 grad)

EDIT: I just saw the post on working out with buddies....I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOING THIS.  It will motivate you more than anything else because you can keep each other in check and often times come competitive juices get flowing (extra motivation)

[kbiddle]

I started back on the treadmill in ealy Nov. in earnest abit in Oct but did not get serious until Nov.. at any rate I started slowisg barley maiing a mile a day.. slowly I have worked myself up to 5 miles 4 times a week... I have dropped right at 36lbs and stayed there for a bit... I am 6-3 was at 238 when I started and not I am right at 201-202... and feel 1000% better... only takes 45-50 mins and I dont watch what I eat.. try and stay away from stuff right before bed etc.. but all and all has seemed to make a difference...

Glad I finally stared using the tradmill for what it was designed for instead of another shelf :)

[saevel25]

Well it is true that your burning more fat at lower intensity, but for those who work 8-5 a day, and workout on lunch breaks, you definetly burn more fat by going high intensity. Just because your going to have the calorie defecit greater than percent fat burned. That, running also works out muscles and builds muscles as well, which will increase metabolism, as does higher intensity workouts as well.

But yea, if your starting out, i recommend the bike. Its low impact until you can get to jogging, then more intense exercises. Build your way up.

[PhilsRHman]

Decided to check back in now that it's been six weeks since I started my diet. Hate calling it a diet because it's really been a re-learning of how to eat. I've been chronicling my progress over on my work blog at www.metro.us/diet and it's been great having to stay responsible because I know people are reading about it, telling me that they're motivated by it, etc. Funny, people won't tell you how fat you've gotten until you drop some weight, then they're all like, "I'm so happy you're doing this, it's so much better for your health, etc"

Anyway, as I've said in this thread, I'm actually shocked at how easy it's been to track calories. I've been using a free app for my iphone called Lose It that lets me type in stuff I know, and also has a bank of foods and lots of restaurant nutrition. The biggest thing was realized how insane my eating had gotten. I know for sure I was eating 3000-4000 calories most days and over that at least a couple times a week. By knocking it down to 1800, which I've found to be very reasonable, the weight is coming off nicely. In just under six weeks, I've lost 21 pounds. But more importantly, my eating habits have completely changed. I've changed my normal ways, such as eating fast food in certain situations (in hindsight I was eating fast food 4-7 times a week, and always two value meals or more).

Honestly, my cravings vanished after 2 weeks and I honestly enjoy the healthy food more. For example, last night my wife and I went out for dinner. I had only eaten a turkey sub (no mayo, no cheese, just vinegar, hot peppers, lettuce tomato) earlier in the day so I knew I had a lot of calories to play with. I ended up having a cup of Manhattan clam chowder (150 cal), clams on the half shell (55 cal) as apps, then for dinner I had a mixed grill of 3 oz. salmon (155), 3 oz. tuna (118), 3 oz. mahi mahi (93), rice (166), broccoli (50) and I added a tablespoon of olive oil (120) for the little bit they used on the fish just to be safe. All told, that was 900 calories, but to be able to eat out, have a lot of different tastes and LOVE the food was awesome. I always thought being on a diet meant carrot sticks and grilled chicken salad without dressing. Although 900 seems like a lot, in this case it's a matter of perspective. In the past I'd have had New England clam chowder (250), fried calamari (650 according to my app), zuppa di clams with linguini (600-800 cal) and the bread on the table (400 cal) and cheesecake for dessert (700) and wowsa! More than 3x the meal that I made sensible decisions at every stage. I could have made it a 600 cal dinner, but could have also made it 3500, so I'd say I'm ahead of the game.

Suddenly weighing in at 209 (only 5-foot-6), I can see 199 as a realistic goal, and being sub-200 for the first time in years would be awesome. And the fact I feel so much better and now feel like I could start working out and really look forward to walking the golf course this year is going to be the perfect thing to kick me over a plateau I'd expect to hit in the next couple weeks. Since I've done almost no working out (other than shoveling and just trying to be a bit more active - walking around the mall, going to the heated driving range, etc. - instead of sitting around all day) I know that adding exercise is the next big thing.

[tws1098]

That's awesome, man.  Keep it going. The way you broke down what you had for dinner is perfect.  So many people don't see how much good food you can eat while on a "diet"

[ControlJunkie]

Been a little while since I posted on this thread as well. Been in the gym 5-6 days per week, spending no more than an hour and a half per day. I still wish I could wake up in the morning and get an hour of cardio in before work as well, but I just cant get it going. Maybe it's the cold weather, and waking up freezing every morning? I dont know. Will get there at some point. Also have been counting calories (got another comment on that in a sec) pretty religiously, and sticking to a pretty strict and structured diet. I give myself a couple of cheat meals every week so that I don't lose my mind, but it has gotten to the point where I don't want them nearly as bad, and when I do eat out, I eat something more on the healthy side. An Alice Springs Chicken or Victoria's Crowned Filet from Outback would rock though. :-)

Now, a little over a month later, I'm down something like 13-14 lbs, since I started, still got a long way to go, but it doesn't happen as fast as it did in college and I've come to terms with that. When you see subtle changes in the mirror, or clothes start to fit different, for some reason, to me, that has been a lot more of positive reinforcement than the readings on the scale. And I feel a shitload better too, just a little more tired and sore sometimes :-)

So, back to the calorie counting thing - some say it's too time consuming, or too hard, or whatever, but I think, again, it's all about the mindset or mental approach you have about it. As PhilsRH said above, there are apps out there for the iPhone. I know there are quite a few out there for Windows Phone 7, and I'm assuming Android as well. I haven't even gone that far with it. Instead, I have a spreadsheet (that's getting quite large now) that has one sheet with all of the foods I eat and their nutritional info (started small, added stuff as I've gone along), and I have sheets for each day. When I eat something, I copy it from the food list sheet to that day's sheet, and multiply if I eat multiple servings of that food. I'm actually looking at bringing it all into Access now, and making some sort of small Access application to simplify input even more.

Anyway, the whole reason I jumped back into this thread was because I have a question that some of you may be able to answer. I jumped back on Creatine (and Glutamine as well, fwiw), and I know back when I used to take it, it was recommended to mix it with fruit juice, as the sugars in fruit juice aid in absorption, and is the same logic behind the amount of sugar in stuff like Cell Tech. Well, I'm not going quite that far yet, as 70+ grams of sugar per scoop is a little crazy to me right now. So my question - is there any reason not to mix it with a milk-based drink? Part of my morning routine is a Starbucks skinny iced latte (skim milk, espresso, vanilla) mixed with a scoop of protein powder. It would be perfect for me to mix the creatine in here also, but before I did, I wanted to see if anyone had any experience here. Thanks in advance!

[tws1098]

Originally Posted by ControlJunkie

Been a little while since I posted on this thread as well. Been in the gym 5-6 days per week, spending no more than an hour and a half per day. I still wish I could wake up in the morning and get an hour of cardio in before work as well, but I just cant get it going. Maybe it's the cold weather, and waking up freezing every morning? I dont know. Will get there at some point. Also have been counting calories (got another comment on that in a sec) pretty religiously, and sticking to a pretty strict and structured diet. I give myself a couple of cheat meals every week so that I don't lose my mind, but it has gotten to the point where I don't want them nearly as bad, and when I do eat out, I eat something more on the healthy side. An Alice Springs Chicken or Victoria's Crowned Filet from Outback would rock though. :-)

Now, a little over a month later, I'm down something like 13-14 lbs, since I started, still got a long way to go, but it doesn't happen as fast as it did in college and I've come to terms with that. When you see subtle changes in the mirror, or clothes start to fit different, for some reason, to me, that has been a lot more of positive reinforcement than the readings on the scale. And I feel a shitload better too, just a little more tired and sore sometimes :-)

So, back to the calorie counting thing - some say it's too time consuming, or too hard, or whatever, but I think, again, it's all about the mindset or mental approach you have about it. As PhilsRH said above, there are apps out there for the iPhone. I know there are quite a few out there for Windows Phone 7, and I'm assuming Android as well. I haven't even gone that far with it. Instead, I have a spreadsheet (that's getting quite large now) that has one sheet with all of the foods I eat and their nutritional info (started small, added stuff as I've gone along), and I have sheets for each day. When I eat something, I copy it from the food list sheet to that day's sheet, and multiply if I eat multiple servings of that food. I'm actually looking at bringing it all into Access now, and making some sort of small Access application to simplify input even more.

Anyway, the whole reason I jumped back into this thread was because I have a question that some of you may be able to answer. I jumped back on Creatine (and Glutamine as well, fwiw), and I know back when I used to take it, it was recommended to mix it with fruit juice, as the sugars in fruit juice aid in absorption, and is the same logic behind the amount of sugar in stuff like Cell Tech. Well, I'm not going quite that far yet, as 70+ grams of sugar per scoop is a little crazy to me right now. So my question - is there any reason not to mix it with a milk-based drink? Part of my morning routine is a Starbucks skinny iced latte (skim milk, espresso, vanilla) mixed with a scoop of protein powder. It would be perfect for me to mix the creatine in here also, but before I did, I wanted to see if anyone had any experience here. Thanks in advance!

You can mix it with water, the fruit juice thing is just and aid as you mentioned.  Once you have mixed it, it shouldn't taste grainy.  If it does, that isn't the best thing to be using, but realistically still wouldn't be an issue. If it mixes in fine there will be little if any difference from how you use to take it.  You should however, be trying to drink a full glass of water afterward, or at the very least be drinking water during your day.  Creatine is great unless it is misused or you do not stay hydrated (this can be more problematic when 1st getting back into it). Let me know if you have any other questions, I used it myself during football and then lifting in college and have read about it and talked to several qualified people before taking it.

[ControlJunkie]

Originally Posted by tws1098

You can mix it with water, the fruit juice thing is just and aid as you mentioned.  Once you have mixed it, it shouldn't taste grainy.  If it does, that isn't the best thing to be using, but realistically still wouldn't be an issue. If it mixes in fine there will be little if any difference from how you use to take it.  You should however, be trying to drink a full glass of water afterward, or at the very least be drinking water during your day.  Creatine is great unless it is misused or you do not stay hydrated (this can be more problematic when 1st getting back into it). Let me know if you have any other questions, I used it myself during football and then lifting in college and have read about it and talked to several qualified people before taking it.

Thanks big time for the input, but the big question I had was whether or not mixing it with a milk-based drink negatively affects the way it's absorbed. Not sure if that was really clear or not.

I also wanted to post a little update. I've dropped 10-15 lbs, but the rate at which I'm losing has slowed a good bit. I'm cool with it though. I can visibly see a difference, and my clothes are getting looser. One of the biggest reasons I started down this road was to be in better shape for golf. I'm happy to say, it looks like it's paying off.

This past Friday, I played 18 with a couple of friends. Two months ago, after finishing 18, I was pretty tired and would go home and relax on the couch, This past Friday, I easily could have gone at least another 9, if not 18 - we just ran out of daylight. Had tons of energy. So after finishing up, I changed clothes and went to the gym and got in an hour on the treadmill/elliptical/bike. Needless to say, I was pretty pleased with myself. Felt great after, want totally cooked. I think it's just as cool to see results like that as it is to see the physical changes in the body.

[ControlJunkie]

Hey guys, just wanted to pass this along, it might be worth it's own thread though. Check out Nike Golf's The Grind - http://www.nike.com/nikegolf/the-grind/us/en_US/index.jsp

Some of it is kinda pointless, but there are quite a few useful videos with exercises that help with various golf-specific movements. Some of it is pilates, some of it is cardio, and others are core strengthening exercises. Aside from that, there are a number of good swing videos from Michelle Wie, Tiger, Lucas Glover, and other Nike athletes. It does require you to register, but I think there are some good resources in there.