View Full Version : Joining the Fitness Band Wagon - QCH Style
Well... might as well get off my ass and get going. I have a Fitday account and I am starting my balanced eating routine. I am shooting for 1800 - 2000 calories per day consisting of no more than 100 carbs, 80 fats, and a minimum of 200 of protein.
According to many of BMR websites, my BMR is somewhere between 2200 and 2300 calories. So if I can trim my calories by 400 to 500 per day, I should shed at least a pound a week. Add in more activities and I will be able to shed another pound. I am, for now, looking to shed 20 pounds by Oct 2nd.
In the mean time, I am also looking to do re-join my work's gym. I will start with 4 times a week (rest on Wednesday) and try to get in some stuff at home on the weekends. I have a Bowflex, a Healthrider, and a pool. All things that will help me keep with it even when I'm at home.
So... Meal replacement shakes? I'm looking for a good tasting but not fragging expensive. I take a daily vitamin so adding them to the shake is not necessary. Any suggestions for the cost restrictive person?
Q, get a road bike. This is the best thing I have done for myself. The first week was completely demoralizing. I had to walk my bike up the hills with a suffocating feeling. Four weeks later, I lost 3-4 pounds and I do not know my limits anymore other than 1 hr of time allocated for riding 4-5 days a week. And I can not wait for the riding time to arrive; I love it. I did not do anything specific to decrease my eating and I do not count the calories. But exercise and drinking a lot of water naturally decreased my portions. I do not want to eat much since I can not ride after that. I can not eat much after riding since I drink a lot of water after riding. IMHO, increase exercise first before worrying about the calories and forget about the math, just enjoy physical exercise.
QCH: If you have a Costco near you, they sell massive bags of 100% pure whey protein powder for $35 a bag. For < $100, you can get 2-3 shakes a day (mixed with 2% milk or water) for 8-12 weeks.
Q, get a road bike. I forgot that I have an exercise bike too. My bike needs a tone of stuff done to it to make it rideable and I live in Illinois so almost all flat.
As for water... I am already consuming over 1/2 gallon of water just at work. Almost no carbonated beverages. I know I am real close to a gallon of water a day without pushing.
Thrax: Yes there are but I'm not a member. As for the water/ milk. Does it change the taste? How hard to get the stuff to dissolve?
Now do 3 meals and 2 shakes a day?
I forgot that I have an exercise bike too. My bike needs a tone of stuff done to it to make it rideable and I live in Illinois so almost all flat.
I just overhauled my son's mountain bike. Replaced rear derailer, brakes, rusted handlebar with aluminum, brake levers and shifters, even a lighter crankset. Now it is like new, actually much better and ~4 pounds lighter than original with all new Shimano parts. You can find all of the parts on Amazon and Ebay. This is much cheaper than a new bike and it is fun; I enjoyed learning how to do the adjustments of gears and brakes.
Thrax: Yes there are but I'm not a member. As for the water/ milk. Does it change the taste? How hard to get the stuff to dissolve?
Now do 3 meals and 2 shakes a day?
The protein powder comes in vanilla and chocolate. The vanilla is alright, but the chocolate makes milk taste like a chocolate shake. Water + chocolate is a little weird, but it didn't take me more than a day or two to get used to the taste when I switched over. As for dissolving: I give it 10-15 seconds in a blender.
You could probably find the powder online. It's EAS 100% whey protein. It comes in a big silver/purple bag.
edcentric
6 Jul 2009, 5:59pm
QCH, Where in IL? I am in SE WI and would be glad to show you the ropes tuning a bike.
I just drug mine out and started riding again.
The first two weeks is hell, but great after that. I ride 3 times a week. always a rest day between.
My daughter is taking a group of Girls Scouts (that have been on tours before) on a 9 day, 280 mile ride from Traverse City to Mackinaw. They will be carrying all of their gear and food.
tbh, i wouldn't commit to a giant 5lb bag of something you've never tasted before. i made the mistake of buying a 2lbs jug of gross ass powder that is still sitting atop my fridge today. then again, you cant just go to a vitamin store and demand the pepsi challenge. i personally like optimum nutrition's delicious strawberry flavor. i like to mix it with almond breeze original unsweetened almond milk, but it all about experimenting to figure out how you like making your shakes.
Yeah, I forgot to say that. I might not be as close as edcentric. But, post a picture of your bike and its make/model. I can advise on the parts/fixes you might need.
i know a dude who doesn't have a work out plan, instead he owns a fixed gear bike in chicago and has got to be skinnier than shwaip... if thats even POSSIBLE
Man... thanks everyone for jumping in my thread to offer help. That's one of the reasons Icrontic is a great place to call home. :D
Let me really look at my bike and see what it needs. I am quite handy so doing the work to get the bike up and running shouldn't be too bad but knowing where to get the parts... THAT I will ask for help with.
Protein Shakes - I might have to see if I can get some samples of these powers. I just remembered that I bought some power 15 years ago when I was working out. Tried it and hated it. Never used it again. Man, I totally blanked on that one. :)
Some advice: There are three types of protein powder.
1. 100% pure whey.
2. Mixed protein. These contain a mixture of soy, casein and whey protein.
3. One of the above with vitamins.
#3 will always taste like pure ass because you're drinking ground up vitamins in chocolate. How can that ever taste good? Answer: It won't.
primesuspect
6 Jul 2009, 8:51pm
You've got the build for it, Q. You look like a beast in this pic:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63697416@N00/3679317404/" title="DSC01735 by Lynx-0-, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3679317404_52be02e714.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC01735" /></a>
You can do it, man. You'll be a fuckin' stud
You know what... I pulled that pic out of the bunch and I said "I cannot be on the far end of obese like the stupid BMI states." BMI states I am almost morbidly obese at 37.2 BMI. To reach a BMI of 20 (middle of the "normal" range) I'd need to be 130 pounds. Come on!!!! 115 pounds... I didn't weigh 130 pounds since I was in fragging grade school. My tibia (shin) is almost 2 inches thick at it's narrowest when the average is about 1 inch.
So, when Master Thrax says poo-poo to the BMI scale I'd have to agree.
i know a dude who doesn't have a work out plan, instead he owns a fixed gear bike in chicago and has got to be skinnier than shwaip... if thats even POSSIBLE
Say hi to your dude for me :bigggrin: I am also trying to fit physical exercise naturally in my daily life without too many details to resolve. Biking seems to fit most easily. I am eating what I find (which is mostly what we think healthy for our kids) and biking as much as I can. This is an experiment I am trying and will let you know how it goes by the end of summer. Results look encouraging and, most importantly, I enjoy for now.
I bike for my cardio, and it has been instrumental in thus far losing some 21 pounds.
fatcat
6 Jul 2009, 11:05pm
<-big fan of banana cream whey. GNC Pro Performance.
If my lazy ass has lost weight and gain muscle you can too Q!
If you can't fix up your bike on your own, it really shouldn't be too hard to find a local bike shop that'll do a tune up for not too much. Being able to ride a bike is great (you should get up to at least 20 mph on a road bike - if you don't live too far from work, you'll have little need for a car).
Shorty
7 Jul 2009, 10:18am
Q .. you are naturally a broad fella anyway (rather than me who had to start from the ultra skinny with paunch). A healthy diet and a decent amount of exercise.. you will uber.
Shit, now I got to work REALLY hard.
I work almost 30 miles away from work and carpool with the wife and kids.... so biking to work is not a good option. :(
Thank you all for the encouragement... It helps. :D
So, when Master Thrax says poo-poo to the BMI scale I'd have to agree.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
According to BMI, at nearly 6' and 170# I'm edging toward obese. If obese is a 5:34 mile, 235# bench, 305# squat, and a 385# deadlift, I'm okay with that.
How is this menu I have planned for tomorrow?
http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=qch2002 (http://www.fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=qch2002)
-30g fat, +30g protein. Otherwise it's very balanced. Good job, Q.
Nemikan
12 Jul 2009, 5:44am
You know what... I pulled that pic out of the bunch and I said "I cannot be on the far end of obese like the stupid BMI states." BMI states I am almost morbidly obese at 37.2 BMI. To reach a BMI of 20 (middle of the "normal" range) I'd need to be 130 pounds. Come on!!!! 115 pounds... I didn't weigh 130 pounds since I was in fragging grade school. My tibia (shin) is almost 2 inches thick at it's narrowest when the average is about 1 inch.
So, when Master Thrax says poo-poo to the BMI scale I'd have to agree.
! it says i'm fit! /flex wait.. but i don't do anything but sit on the computer all day.... :confused:
SPIKE09
12 Jul 2009, 5:25pm
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
According to BMI, at nearly 6' and 170# I'm edging toward obese. If obese is a 5:34 mile, 235# bench, 305# squat, and a 385# deadlift, I'm okay with that.
TY Nomad I always thought BMI was bull and that confirms it I'm 6'2" BMI based sh1t says I should be 13 stone 5 pounds iirc , my Dr has quite vehemently said if I go below about 16 stone he will have me hospitalised.:bigggrin:
I had a wonderful ($40 worth) dinner on Monday night. As a member of Fermilab's "Arts and Lecture Committee" I was treated to a dinner at our onsite gourmet restaurant. I'm guessing that even though I cut back during the day I still went over my 2200 cal. goal. :(
Yesterday I picked right up and tried to fine tune my daily intake. How about this? (http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=qch2002&Year=2009&Month=6&Day=14)
That looks really great, Q. The weight will come right off with a diet like that. You've got some wiggle rooms on carbs, too.
While it may not be an awesome variety, it is easy to buy, easy to prepare, and easy to gather for my day at work. All I have to do is figure out how much in a week and I can hand my wife my list of 5 or 6 things to get and I'm done. I plan on expanding with a few compariable items but I figure I can live with this as long as I have a meal or two a week that is a bit more and then a day where I can go over for variety.
The way my life is right now, I WILL have a day here or there where I have to eat out, eat on the run, or whatever. Figure I'll aim low for the normal days to cover for the bad meals.
As soon as my back clears up I am adding exercise. Right now, the extra weight coming off should make it easier to get exercising. Less belly, less stress on back and knees. ;)
Variety is the key to failure, honestly. I know people want to eat a huge variety of foods every week, but the truth is that consistency wins in weight loss. Knowing what, how much and when you're going to eat every day takes the thinking out of it.
You eventually get to the point where you don't even have to use Fitday because you just know your portions and when you're going to eat.
When I say variety... I mean swapping out chicken for pork. Swapping out eggs for something else. Not so much so I can change it up but if I am forced to go outside my normal routine I have an arsenal of foods that I can pick from in a pinch and not go way off. For instance... I get invited to dinner and they are having XYZ. If none of them are on my, so called, limited list then I could fail. If I have an approved list then I can say "Hey, Z is on my list so I can take some of that and maybe take a nibble on the other things to be polite.
It felt weird it when a friend of mine went on a diet and he would never come over because his "diet" wouldn't allow it. I want to be able to fit in a few "normal" foods and know that I am not cheating and my host feels like I am actually eating with them.
But, yes, I plan on having, like, 10 things that I eat on any given week. I want to be able to feel like "Eat to Live" not "Live to Eat". The special days are special not the norm. Am I right?
There are just days when your schedule, your friends, and your life won't let you eat on the plan. It's just gonna happen that way. So you take it in stride, and do the next day as planned, or the next day.
Fitness is for a lifetime. A day here or there won't ruin the world.
OK... over the past week I've had 3 big events in which I was able to eat like a pig for free... In the past that would instantly mean belt stretching to gigantic proportions. All three days were premium food cooked by professional cook/ chief.
So... what happened? I ate way more than I should have, or so I thought. I realized than in just 10 days of eating smaller portions I THOUGHT I ate too much when in fact I was eating more than the last 10 days but far less than I would have a month ago.
So... when I stepped on the scale I was fully prepared for a severe increase in weight. I am proud to say I am at the same weight as my best. So at 237.5 lbs and my goal of 220 lbs... I am nearing half way in just 17 days I've dropped 7.5 pounds.
Also... I ordered a 5lb bag of EAS 100% Protein after trying it out with the 2lb jug. It will be here next week. I also added some fiber supliments with calcium. My FDA recommended percentages are almost all over 100% and most are several 100% over.
So a quick question... how long after a bad meal/ day will the weight actually show up? I know the next day you have to "eliminate" the left overs but the other weight due to calories/ fat intake show up on the scale?
I don't really think a meal is out of your system for a few days, honestly. Like after the LAN, it took me 3 days to drop the 7 pounds of water weight/food weight and get back to normal.
Best thing you can do is just jump back on your eating plan and continue, and it'll all pan out as it ought to in short order.
Well... even though I've have 3 days of not great days I still lost weight. The key is my "bad" meals are no where near as bad as my old "bad" meals.
So today I stepped on the scale and it stopped at 230 lbs. Then I realized that it was July 6th when I started this journey. Yep, 15 lbs in 1 month. Now next week I'll be up in the Boundary Water's canoeing for 5 days eating fancy rations. I have no idea if the activity will offset the food... I hope so. So I am WAY ahead of my projections. I have another 10 pounds to go in 2 months.
After I return I start the gym hard to help excelerate fat-to-muscle transformation.
way to go Q. just keep at it. think of all the ladies looking at ya on the beach ;)
Update: Today I stepped on the scale and low and behold I am SOOOO close to my first goal weight. Today I read 222.5. Yep, 2.5 pounds away. I should be able to hit that by next week which will make it two months of eating better. 25 pounds in 8 weeks... to think I thought losing 25 pounds in 12 weeks would be tough. :D
I get paid next Monday and I will sign up for my Fermilab's gym membership to start hitting the weights. I think my next goal will be 210 AND better muscle tone. If I can stay 210 and get some toning for the rest of the year, man will I be a happy camper. I think 200 is not out of the question until I start bulking up then 210 may be a good weight but how I look, feel, and how my body responds will be the test.
Side note, I am REALLY ticking off some friends and family that are dealing with their lack of weight loss. But dedicated Q is dedicated!!! :D
I think you'll do just fine. :)
lordbean
28 Aug 2009, 4:40pm
Go go gadget QCH!
Nice job, man. Keep plugging, you'll get there.
update... Still hovering around 223. Life has been rough lately but I have started to work out 2-3 times a week and I am visiting the Physical Therapist for my back twice a week. Eating has been the rough part. I eat great for 2 or 3 days then a day or teo of bad eating. Stress and sleep have hampered my progress. I still have 15 days to lose the 3 pounds. Working out has helped keep me going so I know I'll be a fitter, slimmer me by 2010. ;)
fatcat
15 Sep 2009, 9:59pm
I seem to push harder when life is going shitty and relax when life is good. It's like getting where I wanna be is the only sanity I have some days.
Keep at it brother, we are all behind ya.
Expo'10 gonna be one sexy shirtless party!
Reporting in... today I can officially state that I have reached my goal. I have been hitting and then missing my "220 lb" goal all week. Early this week I was between 220.5 and 222.0. For the past 2 days I have been at or below 220. I weighed in today at 218.5 pounds. So since my 35th b-day (March 28) I have lost over 35 pounds.
Next goal is 210 by new Years AND work out more heavily. Then 205 by March 28th. 50 pounds in one year... Never thought it could be attainable.
primesuspect
25 Sep 2009, 8:24pm
Awesome work, Q. Congrats :)
Thanks Brian... I might not be Thrax Sexy by EPIC10, but I will be Crush'n Q Sexy ™
primesuspect
25 Sep 2009, 10:01pm
(I'm more of a man-bear lover myself.. I prefer Crush'n Q Sexy™ to Thrax Sexy, personally)
Oh stop.... you're making me blush... or is that H1N1? ;D
Bad diet is bad... Being busy and tired means REALLY bad food choices. Not going shopping for MY foods means I eat what is available or eat out. Working out has taken a backseat to crammed work schedule...
Good news... I'm still hovering at the 220 lb mark. And yesterday, just for giggles, I popped off 25 push-ups without a problem. Yep my fat 255 lb old self would not be doing that... 220lb and 25 was rather easy. Next week should be less crazy so back on course. :thumbsup:
pigflipper
15 Oct 2009, 3:44pm
Doesn't it feel great to do 25 pushups and barely break a sweat? I am still struggling with pushups, but I am following a method for pushups, situps and pull ups that a coach of mine way back suggested. Start @ 5 reps each, then, each day add another rep. The first time I did that, I got to the point where I could do 45 of each without breaking a sweat (well, pull ups are my personal hell, I struggle with them no matter how many, but being able to do 45 at a time was an awesome feeling). Once I hit 45, I left it there since I was interested in the conditioning only.
At 220 lbs, I am still unable to do more than 2 pull ups. Someday... someday. :D
vBulletin® v3.8.1, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.