any of y'all into working out?

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy

http://nsca.com/education/articles/p...-your-clients/

IF isn't a diet... it's a tool for fat loss.

[Azure]

Well I'm glad people are getting away from the idea that you need to constantly be eating all day long to keep your metabolism running.

There was a study done recently that even said you don't need breakfast in the morning either to supposedly get your metabolism going.

[Devils'Advocate]

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff characterized the media attention around this "don't need breakfast" study as irresponsible and harmful.

Here is Dr. Freedhoff's take on how often you should eat in a day:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news...should-you-eat

And in that vein, I'll say I'd NEVER do IF. Just going from 7am to noon makes me famished. And me being famished = "not good". But that may just be my own messed up body. But I'm with Dr. Freedhoff.... what works for one person may not work for another. Which is why I LOATHE to give nutritional advice. Just because something worked or is working for me doesn't mean that it is the right thing for everyone.

[savemedrzaius]

I started using free weights and it really does make a HUGE difference. For me the free weights were always intimidating, but once you start using them and get a hang of it, it's worth it.

Any advice on natural supplements? Right now I take fish oil.

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

I started using free weights and it really does make a HUGE difference. For me the free weights were always intimidating, but once you start using them and get a hang of it, it's worth it.

Any advice on natural supplements? Right now I take fish oil.

I take fish oils (imo the most important supplement) , vitamin D (1000 IU's per 25 lbs), and multi vitamin (not the synthetic crap like Centrum).

Whey protein if it's difficult for you hit your daily protein intake (1g per pound of lean body mass)... but food over supplements always.

[Devils'Advocate]

I assume you have your doctor's okay to be having that much vitamin D?
http://www.osteoporosis.ca/osteoporo...ion/vitamin-d/

Taking more than 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily should be done only under medical supervision.

(I am of course assuming you weight more than 50 pounds)

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by SHOGUN

I take fish oils (imo the most important supplement) , vitamin D (1000 IU's per 25 lbs), and multi vitamin (not the synthetic crap like Centrum).

Whey protein if it's difficult for you hit your daily protein intake (1g per pound of lean body mass)... but food over supplements always.

I agree food over supplements except when it comes to whey. Whey has proven health benefits and has even been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers. Casein on the other hand has been shown to promote tumor growth in labratory animals. Probably only a fraction of what ciggarettes do i'm guessing.

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by PIMking

down 4 lbs and 2"

The most important advice I can give is to take progress pics every 10 days or so and trust the "clothes test". That is to say, if your clothes begin to feel looser or you begin to fit into clothes that were previously too small/tight, run with that and don't worry about the loss of pounds.

I was floating between 240-250 towards the end of May after a couple years of horrific dieting/lack of exercise caused me to balloon. I decided to make a change after going through a breakup with my then GF. I downloaded one of the many Couch to 10K programs and the Runkeeper app and hit the pavement. I made some simple changes to my eating habits, followed the running program and committed to strength training on the machines to maintain some muscle. I went from 240 to 224 in fairly short order and then stalled in early July. Despite the stall in weight loss, I found that on a daily basis I was noticing just how much looser my clothes were and that I able to fit into smaller and smaller sizes even though my scale weight was stuck. It's a bit discouraging at first when you're so used to "obsessing" over your weight number but when you continue to receive compliments on how good you're looking from friends/family and you can see the continued progress in other areas like clothes, it definitely makes you realize how insignificant your current "weight" is. For me, I decided to cut back a bit on the daily weight training as I found I wasn't seeing the results in my running due to muscle fatigue (I was running 4-5 days a week as opposed to the 3 days set out in the program as I was actually enjoying it so much). Cutting back to 2-3 days of strength and 2-3 days of running helped me to drop another dozen or so lb's and I am now sitting at 211.

For me, the biggest thing was probably cutting down on wing nights/alcohol in general and replacing that with simple meals consisting of lean protein and lots of vegetables & water. At my worst, I was probably going out for a couple beers and 20ishwings a couple times a week and then out on the weekend as well for dinner/drinks at least once. Cutting that back to once a week has saved me a ton of calories. I still go out and am not scared to order a burger or beef dip or whatever but I just choose a healthier side like veggies or a salad instead of fries and will often choose a light beer instead of a regular brew. The #1 thing that I think about now when I'm ordering a meal is "where can I save calories here", sometimes that means asking for a sandwich without the garlic mayo, getting the dressing on the side for a salad, or even getting a couple of waters at the end of a wing night gathering instead of that final beer that you probably don't even really desire when aren't quite ready to go home yet.

Those are just some minor things that I find have helped me, hopefully you can find something in there that strikes a chord with you and can help you out a little bit. In the end, calling it a lifestyle change and not a diet really took alot of the stress out of it for me which is what hurts most people (myself previously included). Just staying in a positive mental frame about the whole process can win you half the battle. For example, I realize that ordering that large pizza instead of a medium on a day that I feel like pigging out won't suddenly put me back at 240, it's ordering that SECOND pizza 2-3 days later and then falling into that dangerous cycle is what starts the process. I also try and limit my damage to one meal. This may be silly but if I order that large pizza, I do my best to eat the whole damn thing, it's amazing how quickly your body goes from being able to eat an entire large pizza with ease to feeling like death after two-three slices. Whatever I can't finish gets thrown in the garbage or given to guests to take home so that the cycle of bad eating stops at that meal. After a day of: good breakfast/lunch, pigout at dinner, I find it is much easier to return to the healthy eating cycle by not having those last couple slices or boxes of chinese food staring you in the face the next day as you are whipping up some spinach salad with tuna.

Anyways, best of luck and I hope you continue to keep us updated.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I assume you have your doctor's okay to be having that much vitamin D?
http://www.osteoporosis.ca/osteoporo...ion/vitamin-d/



(I am of course assuming you weight more than 50 pounds)

That has been proven wrong.

The recommended daily allowance for Vitamin D is currently set at 400-800IU/day, but this is too low for adults. The safe upper limit in the United States is 2,000IU/day, while in Canada it is 4,000UI/day. Research suggests that the true safe upper limit is 10,000IU/day. For moderate supplementation, a 1,000-2,000IU dose of vitamin D3 is sufficient to meet the needs of most of the population. This is the lowest effective dose range. Higher doses, based on body weight, are in the range of 20-80IU/kg daily.

http://examine.com/supplements/Vitamin+D/

Pretty strange that people are still stuck in the 1,000IU RDA. If you are deficient in Vitamin D, which many people in North America are since we mostly work inside, it takes higher doses to get your blood levels back to normal.

I've personally been taking 6,000-10,000IU per day depending on the season for 5+ years and my blood levels are perfect.

[Devils'Advocate]

If it is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, then why hasn't Health Canada changed their recommendation:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutriti...a-d-eng.php#a7

[Azure]

Because it takes years for government organizations to officially change their recommendations. Aren't they still stuck on 'you should get the majority of your calories from carbs' mantra?

[Devils'Advocate]

Touche.

[SHOGUN]

If there's one person you should trust with vitamin D studies, it's Dr. Rhonda Patrick. I asked her on twitter, and she recommended 1,000 UIs per 25 lbs. Obviously I checked my blood levels before and after a month... my blood levels are perfect.

[Azure]

Best way is to get your blood levels checked. And for people that check them, they quickly realize it takes a heck of a lot more than 1,000IU per day to get your levels back to normal.

Some people have been given up to 50,000IU per day in severe deficiency cases.

[Flabbibulin]

^^^Are you sure that isnt once a week? 50,000 a day seems a little insane.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

^^^Are you sure that isnt once a week? 50,000 a day seems a little insane.

It is done under doctor supervision and in extreme cases but there are lots of documented incidents where extremely high doses of vitamin D have helped people with various issues.

[AcGold]

I found that 5 minute rounds on a heavy bag is a better workout than anything else I've ever done. In the gym 20 minutes doing weights for upper back is nothing in comparison to one 5 minute round on a heavy bag. I woke up the other day and moving my arms brought that deep muscle soreness that I haven't felt in years and it's an incredible cardio workout as well.

[Devils'Advocate]

Yup. Bought a heavy bag for my basement. Great upper body work out, good cardio *AND* it does wonders for the mental health as well.

[terminator]

I have low Vitamin D I supplement with 5-15K a day depending on how many pills i'm willing to swollow.

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by AcGold

I found that 5 minute rounds on a heavy bag is a better workout than anything else I've ever done. In the gym 20 minutes doing weights for upper back is nothing in comparison to one 5 minute round on a heavy bag. I woke up the other day and moving my arms brought that deep muscle soreness that I haven't felt in years and it's an incredible cardio workout as well.

I gave myself an umbilical hernia working a heavy bag once, that sucked. But I agree, fighting is pretty much the perfect workout. Total mind and body challenge, especially against live opponent.

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

I started using free weights and it really does make a HUGE difference. For me the free weights were always intimidating, but once you start using them and get a hang of it, it's worth it.

Any advice on natural supplements? Right now I take fish oil.

75% of North Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, 40% are deficient in Magnesium and 15-20% are deficient in Vitamin K and Zinc.

Magnesium is a SUPER important micro nutrient because it is a key element in several enzymes that help with things like blood clotting, DNA repair, muscle control and is a huge help in getting proper sleep (which bring many, many more of its own benefits).

Basically eat a crap load of leafy green vegetables and you should be able to get a lot magnesium, almonds have lots too.