The WDYDT Fitness, Exercise, Diet Thread

byfthalone

well that's a shame...was hoping to hear of your ride....hoping things heal fast and completely

quadzilla

tommyboy wrote: »

Well, after two weeks of calorie counting I'm down to 163 (from 170), and my workouts are still going strong. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be cutting this many calories, probably a few more weeks and then bump it up again. I guess I'm still afraid if I keep this up too long I'll lose my muscle gains I've worked so hard for these last 5 months or so.

It's surprisingly hard to lose muscle. Also, losing 5 pounds in 2 weeks is a bit dangerous. About .5-1 pound/week is the most you should aim for as healthy weight loss. Since you've already been working out, that's unlikely to be water weight, which is where most people see large drops in the first week or two after starting a diet/exercise plan. You may be cutting calories too much. I know the only time I've ever lost weight like that was when I got a bad case of the flu.

cnh

As you age it's actually pretty 'easy' to lose 'strength' in a couple of weeks or more. I find that if I don't do some moderately to heavy resistance training at least once a week..I slowly lose my strength and it takes longer to get it back than to lose it?

Dieting, on a low protein diet, also has that effect for me. And currently, my daughter has given me the nastiest ear, nose and throat cold I've had for many years--been two weeks since I've seen a barbell. Not good, not good at all! But I have taken the opportunity to eat less and lose the few pounds I've been gaining. A double whammy there. (weight loss and no training) Oh well, here's hoping I'm back in the coming week!

Stay healthy, 'my friends'!

cnh

fatchowmein

Stress fracture. Does not show up on two x-rays. I'm cleared for a 5K in July but he wants me to cut back on the mileage by 1/2 and ease back into it. If it continues to be a problem, I'll have to get an MRI and a boot on my foot. I'm to take 500mg calcium+D 3x day. I am happy, happy, happy! :biggrin:

cnh, hope you get better.

cnh

Sorry to hear about that, Vince. But you'll be back. I remember tearing the S&*t out of my Achilles when I was in my early 30s and being back in about 2 months time...albeit, gingerly, but by the end of that summer I was running 4 (7.5 minute) miles and walking back 3 miles in 90+ degree weather in NYC's Riverside Park.

Take care, take it slowly, and do take that calcium. I take a 1000 mg of Calcium a day plus D, and down a couple of Chondroitin, Glucosamine and MSM tablets (maximum strength) every day. Although it might be a 'placebo' effect, I really believe without all that, and MORE supplementation, I'd never be able to continue to do what I do in the gym each week?

cnh

fatchowmein

Walked 2 miles. Wife joined me for the first quarter in her toning shoes (they look unstable IMHO).

quadzilla

cnh wrote: »

As you age it's actually pretty 'easy' to lose 'strength' in a couple of weeks or more. I find that if I don't do some moderately to heavy resistance training at least once a week..I slowly lose my strength and it takes longer to get it back than to lose it?

Dieting, on a low protein diet, also has that effect for me. And currently, my daughter has given me the nastiest ear, nose and throat cold I've had for many years--been two weeks since I've seen a barbell. Not good, not good at all! But I have taken the opportunity to eat less and lose the few pounds I've been gaining. A double whammy there. (weight loss and no training) Oh well, here's hoping I'm back in the coming week!

Stay healthy, 'my friends'!

cnh

Strength and muscle mass are actually two different things. My arms are the same size as they were when I was 18, even slightly larger, but I can't do 100 pushups any more.

But yes, I agree in general. As we get older, most people do start losing both muscle mass and strength. And you can take off large amounts of muscle with extreme diets of < 1000 calories a day. But if you're eating fairly normally, and especially if you're still training, you aren't going to lose much, if any, muscle. That was my point.

cnh

quadzilla

I wasn't really talking about muscle mass per se. As for me my biceps do lose some mass if I lay off lifting for a few weeks. And my strength, even in my 50s can be built up and return with enough training. Even today I'm not much weaker than I was at 25? Size and strength remain fairly constant here as long as I stress the system with enough resistance.

I also find that certain amount of 'protein' is necessary. Not massive amounts but 'adequate' amounts. Some of lower calorie diets skimp on muscle building protein.

But, I pretty, much agree.

cnh

quadzilla

cnh wrote: »

But, I pretty, much agree.

You're pretty, and you much agree?

cnh

You got me there. My head is messed up because of the cold. I almost couldn't make out a check for my Real Estate taxes at City Hall this afternoon.

Or as Steve Martin said in the Pink Panther, 'No, I do not consider myself a beautiful woman! lol

Pretty...just take out the unnecessary comma.

cnh

tommyboy

quadzilla wrote: »

It's surprisingly hard to lose muscle. Also, losing 5 pounds in 2 weeks is a bit dangerous. About .5-1 pound/week is the most you should aim for as healthy weight loss. Since you've already been working out, that's unlikely to be water weight, which is where most people see large drops in the first week or two after starting a diet/exercise plan. You may be cutting calories too much. I know the only time I've ever lost weight like that was when I got a bad case of the flu.

Yeah I've thought that it was a bit too much. This is the first time I have ever truly watched my diet so I had no reference point. So I bumped my calorie intake averaging about 200 more. My weight seems to fluctuate +/- 3 lbs so its tough to judge how much weight I really lost. I'd say 4-6 is a good estimate. My bench press was a little weaker this week, but that happens from time to time even when I'm not couinting calories.. we will see next week.

Thanks for the info

quadzilla

tommyboy wrote: »

Yeah I've thought that it was a bit too much. This is the first time I have ever truly watched my diet so I had no reference point. So I bumped my calorie intake averaging about 200 more. My weight seems to fluctuate +/- 3 lbs so its tough to judge how much weight I really lost. I'd say 4-6 is a good estimate. My bench press was a little weaker this week, but that happens from time to time even when I'm not couinting calories.. we will see next week.

Thanks for the info

4-6 pounds is average for a normal sized person. It's just water weight. That's why you're not supposed to weigh yourself every day.

mystik610

quadzilla wrote: »

Strength and muscle mass are actually two different things. My arms are the same size as they were when I was 18, even slightly larger, but I can't do 100 pushups any more.

But yes, I agree in general. As we get older, most people do start losing both muscle mass and strength. And you can take off large amounts of muscle with extreme diets of < 1000 calories a day. But if you're eating fairly normally, and especially if you're still training, you aren't going to lose much, if any, muscle. That was my point.

Very different things.

After almost 2 years of p90x, insanity, cross-fit and yoga, I've recently decided to spend some time pounding the weights in the gym for the first time in a very long time.

The interesting thing is that thinking in terms of how much I can lift, I look stronger than I really am. There are guys smaller than me that are bench pressing, curling, shoulder pressing, etc etc more than I am. During my undergrad my focus in the gym was purely strength training, and although I'm the same size I was in my prime back then, I'm nowhere near as strong. I can knock out more push ups, pull-ups, and am generally more well-rounded in my fitness now, but lifting heavy is not my strength anymore (no pun intended).

fatchowmein

Walked 2.75 miles. Jogged a couple of times very slowly (40 yards) just to see. So far so good.

fatchowmein

Back on the road again and it felt great even in the 100 degree heat.

5 min warmup walk
5min run/2 min walk, repeat 7 times while trying to keep my heart rate below 142 which meant I went very, very slowly
5 min cool-down walk

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1TD_pSeNelU&quot; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

fatchowmein

1/2 P90x Chest & Back.

quadzilla

I feel like a slug. It's a rest week, so I took Sunday off on purpose, but have gotten trapped at work late 2 nights in a row now, and so now I'm hoping to get my Monday workout in on Wednesday.

fatchowmein

quadzilla wrote: »

I feel like a slug. It's a rest week, so I took Sunday off on purpose, but have gotten trapped at work late 2 nights in a row now, and so now I'm hoping to get my Monday workout in on Wednesday.

The hard part is when you're on a roll and you're in rhythm, these interruptions really throw you out of sync.

I'm on a new schedule with an additional rest day, Wednesday, and part of me feels like a slug. The other part tells me to go run amok since the wife is out of town. :biggrin:

cnh

I'm enjoying reading the posts because I've been out of it for almost two weeks. Looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and see if I have strep or something that needs antibiotics because I just can't seem to shake off this cold my daughter gave me. As a result, my fitness, strength and mood have all been steadily disintegrating. I feel well enough to work, but too **** to workout and I'd only relapse if I did anything 'serious'.

Looks like I'm going to have to make that Doctor's appointment and have the old tongue depressor and light check out my throat. I have this mild fever 99-99.2 (which is actually in the normal temp range for humans-97-99 but my normal is closer to 98.2-4). Was losing my voice again a couple of days ago. Sure a lot of people were 'enjoying' that?

Easy does it!

cnh

tommyboy

cnh wrote: »

I'm enjoying reading the posts because I've been out of it for almost two weeks. Looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and see if I have strep or something that needs antibiotics because I just can't seem to shake off this cold my daughter gave me. As a result, my fitness, strength and mood have all been steadily disintegrating. I feel well enough to work, but too **** to workout and I'd only relapse if I did anything 'serious'.

Looks like I'm going to have to make that Doctor's appointment and have the old tongue depressor and light check out my throat. I have this mild fever 99-99.2 (which is actually in the normal temp range for humans-97-99 but my normal is closer to 98.2-4). Was losing my voice again a couple of days ago. Sure a lot of people were 'enjoying' that?

Easy does it!

cnh

Two weeks and colds still going strong? Seems a little more than just a cold doesn't it? Colds might last me a week tops, but I guess we're all different

cnh

Yeah, I'm being a typical male. Symptoms do suggest that I have a bacterial infection that needs a course of antibiotics--slightly increased heart rate and low grade temp, etc. I'm prone to 'sinusitis' and take a while to admit it to myself.

Looks like it's the Doctor's office for me tomorrow!

cnh

quadzilla

Got my Monday workout in yesterday, or tried to. Had several problems with my bike since I haven't ridden that one in over a year. But it's the one with the power meter, so it's the one I needed to use. Of course, I found all kinds of stuff that seemed ok when I gave it a quick once over that then proceeded to not work once I tried to go for a ride. Well, there's always today and Friday Friday Friday... fun fun fun... Which seat should I take?

fatchowmein

quadzilla wrote: »

Which seat should I take?

I don't understand the question. I'm thinking you're asking whether to ride with the bike you've been using or go with the one that's been mothballed for over a year? If so, I'd say go with your regular bike.

Ran today at 6pm in 100+ temps. Tested out the Amphipod RunLite 4 hydration belt. Hated it at first because I was trying to wrap it to my hip. It finally stopped bouncing when I pushed it to my waist. There are four 8oz flasks and I filled one with Gatorade and water in the rest. Drunk it all.

5 min warmup walk
5min run/2 min walk, repeat 7 times while trying to keep my heart rate below 142 which meant I went very, very slowly
5 min cool-down walk

I had a hard time keeping my heart rate below 142 during the 3 min run portions (lotsa hills). When I zone out I sped up and increased the beats. Frustrating but obviously I don't know what I'm doing so I better stick with the program. Easy does it and I'll get there minus injuries or so I keep telling myself.

quadzilla

fatchowmein wrote: »

I don't understand the question.

Look up Rebecca Black Friday.

fatchowmein

quadzilla wrote: »

Look up Rebecca Black Friday.

Oh, sorry. I'm not one of the cool kids. Didn't know. :redface:

fatchowmein

Did my run/walk this morning as usual (see post#395). I bought a long sleeve Adidas Clima365 running shirt but woozed out this morning. Too bad. It was 81 with the heat index at 89 which would have probably worked out. Ran in my Under Armour short sleeves instead.

Didn't try too hard to keep my heart rate down. Went with perceived effort instead (easy) for 3.5 miles.

cnh

Finally back in the gym for a bit today. My wife hit me with some combo of Western and traditional Chinese meds we picked up in China last year that seem to have edged out whatever I had.

It goes without saying that my strength was down. I took it easy...kept the benching under 200 lbs. I've been hitting the Slim Fast for lunch with a fruit or some nuts to lose the few pounds I've gained during the rather SADS inducing New England winter.

Of course just cutting calories without exercising, you're not really going to lose more than a pound a week, if you are lucky? So it's back to some light aerobics tomorrow. Probably break out the ancient bike with the prostate shredding seat! Gotta replace that seat--I'm not 25 anymore and that seat was giving me problems in my late 30s!

It goes without saying that I really, really, really dislike intensive aerobic training but have no problem with its anaerobic counterpart? Runners high--don't really know what that is (maybe a rationalization rooted in an unconscious masochism--lol).

More power to you aerobic guys!

cnh

fatchowmein

6 hours at the lake swimming and jet skiing and playing "shark" and "train" with a bunch of 6 - 8 year olds. Wish I was the caboose.

Instead of the usual sunscreen ritual that I always forget to reapply, I tried wearing a Body Glove Rash Guard long sleeve shirt and a large brim water proof hat. Probably looked ridiculous with my cycling glasses on but it worked great. No burns.

cnh

OK, out on my wife's dirt bike for about 45 minutes. I barely felt anything except for my knees and I'm in really awful aerobic shape. Probably couldn't run a 10 minute mile?

Slow but 'steady' boys and girls!

cnh

fatchowmein

5 min walk, 30 min slow run, 5 min walk.

My heart rate was in the low 130's most of the time: 128-143 bpm. The 143 was due to a big hill. Quite interesting considering I had a hard time staying below the 140's last week. May be the weather?

98 degrees, partly cloudy (mostly showed up near the end of my run), windy. Wore that long sleeve Adidas I mentioned on Saturday. Felt weird with cloth on my forearms and warmer overall. I'll try again when there's a full sun beating on me but I'll wet my forearms first. So far, in terms of coolness, it's as follows: Saucony singlet (favorite), Nike Pro Combat sleeveless with the weird mesh on the back, Nike sleeveless, Nike/Under Armour short sleeves, Adidas long sleeve.

Had the hydration system on me (3x 8oz water, 1x 8oz Gatorade). Love it. Also wore a Livestrong visor but my thinning hair my mean I can't use it with the sun overhead since I don't want to burn my scalp.