Fitness/Diet Accountability Thread

[Lost4words]

I did an awesome workout today. Prob best ever!

I walked to the gym, got to the door, turned around and then walked back home!

 

[timewerx]

The strength and alertness in such situations is often due to elevated adrenaline due to starvation. Living in such a situation long term will also take a toll on the human body, and will make it more vulnerable to infectious illness. In fact that's how most people living under starvation conditions die (infectious disease).

True. Though I was speaking in the context of not pushing it to far that it becomes an eating disorder.

The longest fast I did was around 3 days and didn't feel distressed though I felt hungry eventually because I didn't stopped exercising even during fasting.

 

[FireDragon76]

True. Though I was speaking in the context of not pushing it to far that it becomes an eating disorder.

The longest fast I did was around 3 days and didn't feel distressed though I felt hungry eventually because I didn't stopped exercising even during fasting.

Fasting can have health and spiritual benefits, so I'm definitely not against fasting. 3-7 days is about the maximum anybody should do a water fast, though, without medical supervision. And fasting too often tends to slow or stop gains in muscle mass.

 

[timewerx]

Fasting can have health and spiritual benefits, so I'm definitely not against fasting. 3-7 days is about the maximum anybody should do a water fast, though, without medical supervision. And fasting too often tends to slow or stop gains in muscle mass.

I've only done it once my whole life but now, I've turned to "Intermittent Fasting" (IF) everyday. 12 to 16 hours without eating each day while exercising during the fasting windows.

Exercising during a short fast makes it feel like a longer fast.

I developed a cyst at the skin of my back and got big at one point . I started exercising longer during the fast and it started shrinking. Now it's almost gone. Hallelujah!!

I probably got it the cyst from cycling long hours under intense sunlight before I started doing IF diet. The Holy Spirit pointed me to IF diet without referring to the cyst. I suppose it has something to do with it but also with general health.

I've been looking at cure for skin cysts and I can't find anything but surgical removal. I'm just glad mine healed on its own and I don't have to spend a dime!

The last two days, I've been cycling 25 and then 42 miles up and down a mountain during my fasting period. Today, I'm resuming strength exercises. Muscles recovered real quick. Before IF, my muscles took longer to recover and I reached fatigue sooner.

 

[timewerx]

And fasting too often tends to slow or stop gains in muscle mass.

On this note, I've gained 4 lbs in the last three weeks and for the first time in the last several months, I've left the underweight BMI and have entered the normal BMI category! I'm still borderline underweight but now inside the "normal" side of the border!

One thing I'd like to share. Muscle mass/size may not be as important as muscular strength. Whether you have small or big and heavy muscles, the number of muscle fibers remain the same.

Also the size/mass of muscles is often not a good indicator of muscle strength. In the last couple of months, I've had +50% strength improvement in my legs and hip muscles but did not result to any visible enlargement of the muscles. My core muscles experienced +100% improvement in strength and did not get visibly larger either.

My 4 lb gain in weight is likely split between muscles, bones, and fat (I did visibly gained a bit of fat and visibly gained more fat than muscle).

Many of the research I read some time ago indicates that it's still advantageous to keep your BMI low regardless of body fat % in helping to reduce mortality if you can do it without compromising muscular and bone strength (relative to your weight) and other body functions.

I'm aware some athletes like power lifters, and other sports that require "explosive power" over a very short period of time) tend to have high BMI, even some crossing the overweight BMI threshold even though their body fat % is really low (athletic category).

You might think that's a good thing because of their low body fat % anyway. However, having high BMI would still lower your metabolic and aerobic capacity even if your body fat % is very low. Reduced metabolic and aerobic capacity have been linked to all-cause increased mortality and also worse manifestations of disease like cancer and cardiovascular disease.

It's not a bad thing to loose quite a bit of weight as long as you keep yourself within Normal BMI. You can still build very strong muscles and very strong bones even with low BMI with adequate nutrition and progressive strength training and it might be a better strategy to "old-proof" yourself in the coming years.

 

[FireDragon76]

I did an awesome workout today. Prob best ever!

I walked to the gym, got to the door, turned around and then walked back home!

I grew up in the suburbs, and the family had a gym membership, and I thought it was ironic that people would get in a car, drive to a gym, just to walk or jog on a treadmill. Of course, I now know that a treadmill can be a lower impact activity, but I just found it ironic that many Americans discount the value of walking it terms of physical fitness. Perhaps because many of us don't live in walkable areas in the first place.

 

[FireDragon76]

My body fat is now about 21 percent, down from several months ago. I haven't really lost much weight, so I'm guessing I have gained a few pounds of muscle. I am feeling a bit out-of-sorts, though. I have been having wierd, vivid dreams and I feel really tired sometimes. Maybe I'm cutting too many calories. Ketones are about 0.5 - 1.6 mmol/dL in the mornings, so I must be burning some fat.

I don't feel particularly hungry, in fact sometimes it feels like I have to force myself to eat. My protein consumption is about 80g - 90g a day, roughly 20-25 percent of calories. Fiber is a bit lower- when I'm not on a weight loss diet, I typically consume 40-60g, but now it's usually around 30-40g. Total calories are usually around 1700 -1800, whereas maintanence would be around 2300.

I have been working out a few times a week, usually I go to the little gym we have here in the apartment complex, do ten minutes on the treadmill, occasionally five minutes on an eliptical on medium-high, and I'll do about 20 minutes of weight lifting with a pulley machine or I'll do resistance bands and calisthenics. I'm thinking of trying to work out a scheduled plan so I can track progress.

 

[timewerx]

My body fat is now about 21 percent, down from several months ago. I haven't really lost much weight, so I'm guessing I have gained a few pounds of muscle. I am feeling a bit out-of-sorts, though. I have been having wierd, vivid dreams and I feel really tired sometimes. Maybe I'm cutting too many calories. Ketones are about 0.5 - 1.6 mmol/dL in the mornings, so I must be burning some fat.

Just a few more and you'll be within the fitness side of the fence!

Feeling really tired? Could be many things like exercising too much, low carb diets can also cause it (can be normal if you're starting out on a low carb diet), not getting enough oxygen to your body or brain(this can be serious), lacking in certain vitamins or minerals, or a health condition that needs to be diagnosed.

 

[Lost4words]

I grew up in the suburbs, and the family had a gym membership, and I thought it was ironic that people would get in a car, drive to a gym, just to walk or jog on a treadmill. Of course, I now know that a treadmill can be a lower impact activity, but I just found it ironic that many Americans discount the value of walking it terms of physical fitness. Perhaps because many of us don't live in walkable areas in the first place.

I get taken for a walk at least 3 times a day!

 

[YorkieGal]

Working on arms, shoulders and abs today and then cardio. Can't practice Krav and be all flibbery and slow!

 

[FireDragon76]

Just a few more and you'll be within the fitness side of the fence!

Feeling really tired? Could be many things like exercising too much, low carb diets can also cause it (can be normal if you're starting out on a low carb diet), not getting enough oxygen to your body or brain(this can be serious), lacking in certain vitamins or minerals, or a health condition that needs to be diagnosed.

I'm not on a low carb diet, just a calorie restricted diet. About 65 percent of the calories come from carbs. The only macronutrients I'm really tracking are protein and fat. I eat about 1800 calories a day.

 

[YorkieGal]

Tired, cranky, dehydrated, carb fat from Halloween evening, stressed from life circumstances but did my 2 mile run.

Sometimes, I really don't want to do what I should be doing so I make myself ... I've seen what happens when myself and others make too many excuses.

Not today!

 

[timewerx]

I'm not on a low carb diet, just a calorie restricted diet. About 65 percent of the calories come from carbs. The only macronutrients I'm really tracking are protein and fat. I eat about 1800 calories a day.

1800 kcal sounds too low for an American

I think that explains it. I weigh 117 lbs (53 kg) atm and eat 1600 kcal per day just to maintain weight.

My daily calories burned is right around that number with exercise included.

 

[timewerx]

Tired, cranky, dehydrated, carb fat from Halloween evening, stressed from life circumstances but did my 2 mile run.

Sometimes, I really don't want to do what I should be doing so I make myself ... I've seen what happens when myself and others make too many excuses.

Not today!

We don't celebrate the Nov 1 festivities as a personal choice (everyone around us do).

And because they are considered holidays here, I was able to cycle 40 miles 3x this week in 3 different days and simply kept eating the same foods. I lost 4 lbs just this week. I'll be able to gain it back in two weeks.

Holidays makes me lose weight! Because we don't celebrate.

 

[FireDragon76]

1800 kcal sounds too low for an American

My calculated base metabolic rate, given my weight and body fat is 1750. Add in the thermic effect of the food I eat in a day, that comes to about 1900. Add in basic sedentary activity, that comes out to 2200. Then you add 50 calories for calisthenics, and another 50 for a treadmill session, and that's about 2300. So to lose fat, I have to eat quite a bit less than that. 1800 cal/day would be about a 500 calorie deficit.

What's really strange is that I shoudn't even be able to maintain my current weight, according to Cronometer's accounting, yet the weight on the scale hasn't really budged downward (it's still 177, the only thing that has changed is body fat). So something is broken with their formula. My guess is that their "sedentary" multiplier might not be accounting for non-exercise related activity correctly (pacing, standing up, fidgeting), which people naturally tend to increase or decrease depending on calories.

Three years ago I lost some weight early in the pandemic, and I had the same kinds of problems actually losing weight. I found in the end the only thing that worked was alternating one day with a 250 calorie deficit with another day with a 750 calorie defict. It was hard to get used to but it worked. I was very hungry some days, I must have had alot of willpower, but the weight of the scales dropped consistently. The only exercise I did back then was walking alot, I got a pedometer and tried to do 10,00 steps a day (I ended up wearing out a pair of sandals, in fact, from all the walking). The diet left me lean at 160, though. But I have gained it all back since then, because I had to basically keep eating in a strict way to keep the weight off (summer rolled around and I couldn't keep walking like that consistently).

 

[timewerx]

My calculated base metabolic rate, given my weight and body fat is 1750. Add in the thermic effect of the food I eat in a day, that comes to about 1900. Add in basic sedentary activity, that comes out to 2200. Then you add 50 calories for calisthenics, and another 50 for a treadmill session, and that's about 2300. So to lose fat, I have to eat quite a bit less than that. 1800 cal/day would be about a 500 calorie deficit.

What's really strange is that I shoudn't even be able to maintain my current weight, according to Cronometer's accounting, yet the weight on the scale hasn't really budged downward (it's still 177, the only thing that has changed is body fat). So something is broken with their formula. My guess is that their "sedentary" multiplier might not be accounting for non-exercise related activity correctly (pacing, standing up, fidgeting), which people naturally tend to increase or decrease depending on calories.

Three years ago I lost some weight early in the pandemic, and I had the same kinds of problems actually losing weight. I found in the end the only thing that worked was alternating one day with a 250 calorie deficit with another day with a 750 calorie defict. It was hard to get used to but it worked. I was very hungry some days, I must have had alot of willpower, but the weight of the scales dropped consistently. The only exercise I did back then was walking alot, I got a pedometer and tried to do 10,00 steps a day (I ended up wearing out a pair of sandals, in fact, from all the walking). The diet left me lean at 160, though. But I have gained it all back since then, because I had to basically keep eating in a strict way to keep the weight off (summer rolled around and I couldn't keep walking like that consistently).

My personal experience with Covid infection and vaccine is messing up my cardiovascular system. It gave me hypertension.

Factors that can make exercising difficult.

Anyway, it sounds like your body has not yet made adaptations to burning fat more efficiently. Have you tried Intermittent Fasting (IF)? It can make those adaptations.

Another thing that can make those adaptations is introducing structure to your workouts and basically increasing calorie burned through workouts and post workout "burn" or EPOC or "afterburn" by introducing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Or if you wish to keep it simple, do longer cardio at moderate intensity (hard enough but also feels easy enough that you can do it for long periods without fatigue) up to 1 hr a day OR 30 mins a day and one 2 hr session on the weekends. To preserve your joints, do most of it with elliptical bike and a smaller portion with treadmill. Don't abandon the treadmill entirely. You need both elliptical or stationary bike and treadmill time.

Also have your blood sugar examined.

Once you get well adapted to metabolizing fat and improved insulin sensitivity, you'll feel a lot less hungry and makes it much easier to go through the day with calorie deficit.

 

[YorkieGal]

I don't believe in calories. Many doctors no longer believe in calories. Apparently, the whole concept of it was debunked by the person who actually came up with it on the basis of the science it was proposed for versus what it was then used for....same old story with science and cash.

https://elemental.medium.com/the-calorie-myth-f9e5248daa0c

Case in point: I maintained a very obese weight for 15 years, after losing 100lbs, restricting calories to 1200-1500.

In 2021, I gave up carbs, seed oils, processed foods etc and increased calories to 2200 and lost 60 lbs in just over 18 months.

Doctors told me to maintain my initial loss was 'amazing' since losing and regaining was what happens to 99% of the population. Still being obese, they considered me a success and told me to be proud of what I'd achieved and don't worry about exercise. Just maintain the loss.

If I would have listened to mainstream doctors, I'd still be on the couch extremely 'proud' of myself for being super large and inactive.

On that note, I'm doing chest, shoulders and abs again, today. Might do a 2 mile run since I have Krav tomorrow and time will be iffy.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

 

[timewerx]

In 2021, I gave up carbs, seed oils, processed foods etc and increased calories to 2200 and lost 60 lbs in just over 18 months.

Congratulations!

It's probably the carbs. It seems to be a problem for many. I used to have issues with high carb diet as well, wild blood sugar swings.

But with intermittent fasting with exercise, it got my insulin sensitivity fixed and adapted to fat metabolism. These adaptation will dramatically reduce hunger cravings.

Resisting temptation to indulge in food is hard but resisting the hunger cravings is even much harder. Best if you can make it go away. Although these adaptations don't come overnight. A few weeks at least and then it gets easier from that point.

 

[FireDragon76]

I'm going to give it more time and see what happens. I don't want to focus on weight loss right now so much as building muscle and increasing fitness. I have noticed cardio endurance on the treadmill has improved, my heart rate is lower than it used to be.

Dr. Gil Carvalho of Nutrition Made Simple on Youtube recently discussed a Japanese study of prediabetic people and insulin sensitivity, and weight training improved their A1C scores the most, compared to cardio. He talks about various reasons why that might be so. If you are only somewhat overweight, chances are you don't have alot of muscle mass, which you can lose further through dieting, so it might be a better strategy to gain muscle rather than focus on weight loss.

I haven't recently been tested for diabetes but last time I checked my blood sugar about three years ago, my blood sugar was normal. My mom is diabetic, though, and so was my grandmother. Both had more serious problems with weight, though.


I used to do intermittent fasting or time restricted eating several years ago in the middle of the pandemic, but for me it was part of my biofeedback and meditation routine. I was using the Muse headband at the time. I found fasting for several hours after I woke up in the morning gave me a window of time where it was easier to get a higher score, and I could practice for several sessions in a row that way and get decent scores. I haven't been using the Muse in about a year, though, I sort of got out of the habit. Practicing morning fasting didn't seem to result in any additional weight loss, I just ate a bigger meal later in the day.

 

[YorkieGal]

Had about 200g of protein today!!!! 76g fat, 1500kcal, and 14g carbs. Got carried away on my meat platters lol

Workout/36 min/10 sets/3 reps/repeated twice:
skull crushers
Chest presses and decline chest presses
Pike push ups
flyes and decline flyes
cross body pike crunches - finisher

Used 22 lb dumbbells per arm for chest presses but 12 lbs for flyes and skull crushers were reduced to 12 lbs then 10lbs when burned out!

Hopefully will feel it all when I'm doing my 2 mile run tomorrow.

Enjoying some unsweetened iced tea.