Rant Board Weight Loss / Exercise Thread

[Harlowe]

Thanks for sharing info. I do some floor work - your basic sit ups/crunches, push-ups and lunges and some yoga, just nothing serious. I really want to try heavy weights and move away from the high rep low weight business.

[Minute]

Sorry Harlow, it's been a crazy week to say the least. I'll make one up this weekend. 3 days a week is fine. Can you give me an hour on each of those day?

[Minute]

Lol, Ok I got it 90% done last night Harlow, but I have to leave for climbing in Nashvegas. I'll try to finish it asap. P.S. You guys gotta come do this with me some time. Blooh makes fun of my chicken legs

[Layani]

ok, someone clarify stuff for me if you can! I read lots of times that walking as exercise is useless for weight loss or fat burning and that you need to jog/run. Also I read that IF one is to walk, they won't get much benefit unless they can walk around 6-8km per hour (3.7-4.9mi per hour) but jogging or running is even better. Now, I also read up about heart rate zones ( and got myself a heart rate monitor). It would seem for efficient fat burning, I should be working out at 70-80% of my maximum heart rate (apparently MHR = 179 for me making 70-80% = 125-143bpm). If I DO include jogging as per advice read - my average heart rate per workout ends up around 170 with a max of around 190bpm (its been between 188-193 over 4 workouts) - effectively suggesting I should be having a heart attack at my age any day now after a workout. However, if I just walk the same route at between the suggested speeds, my heart rate is still similar. As I said in a previous post, I can walk about as fast as a lot of people jog. So I see the "walking is useless" theory as a load of crap.

So, my question is this - if I use the general MHR calculation and use 179, achieving a "fat burning zone" of 125 -143 is going to feel like a casual stroll (ie - under the suggested 6-8km per hour). If I use the average MHR of the workouts I've done which is about 190, the "fat burning zone" of 70-80% makes a heart rate goal of 133 - 152 per workout - not much faster. I've reached my goal weight, but my measurements haven't moved - I still have little pads of fat on my stomach, hips, thighs and upper arms (yes I know, typical for a female 40 and over) and since my jogging higher intensity workouts are theoretically in heart rate zones that use glycogen instead of fat for fuel, it would seem to me I need to slow down and do lower intensity workouts. Am I correct in this assumption of aiming for 133-152 bpm lower intensity walking? I love getting out of the house for 45-60 mins for a break from my toddler daughter!

And before Minute jumps on and repeats his mantra about too much cardio and not enough muscle building, I'll include for further info I do upper body weights after 1 hour cardio on one day, and lower body toning after cardio the next (making 3 upper body and 3 lower body toning sessions per week - abs included every day) with 1 day a week when I do nothing but 1 hour of pilates. BUT any advice for shifting the last pads of fat and reshaping those areas is appreciated. Forget joining a gym at $25 per week + $300 joining fee. I have a fitball/swissball/balance ball/whatever you want to call it, a small selection of dumbbells and a back yard.

Layani

[Layani]

ok, just been reading more about glycogen and fat burning. Again, myriad of differing and conflicting info out there. Most say the body burns glycogen first, then uses fat. Some suggest doing weights BEFORE the cardio and that weights will use the glycogen stores faster, leaving fat to burn for cardio. Another suggestion was cardio first thing in the morning - uh, I am NOT a morning person. Either way, I still feel that busting my guts by adding jogging is just that - busting my guts. The jogging just ups the heart rate for a bit, then it goes back down, rinse and repeat and I'm dragging my feet by the end, but with power walking, I maintain my pace and heart rate and its the same average per whole route as for the added jogging workout (188-193) - just seems more efficient. But I know nothing! SO my question still stands - tho slightly modified. Do I work out aiming for the 70-80% MHR or do I work out doing the suggested 6-8km per hour where my heart rate goes up to 180+bpm ( approx 95% MHR using the 190 figure)? And do I do weights first or after when my muscles are warm?

Layani

[Ddrak]

Her typical walk(thanks Strava):

heartrate.png

[Minute]

You get conflicting info because there's enormous amounts of money to be made by putting different info out there. Steer the general public into thinking one thing & you can have an entire fad of nonsense.

To your question. Duration cardio should be done separate from lifting. If you plan on doing an hour of cardio, then do that. Lift on another day. Your lifting days should start with a quick burst of cardio (Like a 5 minute sprint/elliptical) followed by some high rep work, ended with some heavy lifting work. Depending on the health of your heart, your heart rate will drop at about 20 bpm, then 15, then 10, ect. So going from 190 to 80 only takes a few minutes. This is why shooting it up real high, real fast, and then leveling out at a good rate is also the way to go on your cardio days. On your lifting days it will jump around a lot. Also a good thing. Making your body process glucose also makes your liver determine what gets stored. Same reason sugar alcohols are somewhat bullshit. Yes they are too dense for your body to process, so you don't have the caloric intake, but they still shoot your bsl up which tends to make your liver store fat.

I'm getting off topic. Jump high, plateau out = thumbs up. Keep bangin Layani

[Layani]

Minute,

Do you know much about the MAX Workouts by Shin Ohtake? Just had a read about them. From what I understand, they are short 30 min high intensity interval sessions - a week looks like this - weights/cardio/weights/cardio/weights/moderate long walk cardio/rest. Sounds similar to what you've been suggesting in previous posts? I like his theory - the body gets used to the same exercise and adapts making itself more efficient at doing it, thus you lose the benefits of that particular exercise and you plateau. Probably helps explain my current problem. My theory has been - blast the hell out of the body and let the body figure it out (lol!) but getting tired of that since the walk/jog and Zumba seem to be doing little to shift my problem areas. From what I read about his 'system' it also sounds like something I could do at home - his web site charges $40 for his ebook download - cheaper than a gym here! Sounds like a hard work workout, but I'm willing to try something new to get a thinner waistline (popping out a kid almost 3 years ago is to blame! my waist is thick in proportion to hips/bust and the ratio currently suggests on the body fat calculators that I need to lose weight - hahaha!)- I can't afford to lose too much more weight or I'll be below a healthy BMI and I'll probably get cranky and irritable etc. I think he changes the routine every 3 weeks to prevent the body adapting.

Easter is NOT helping with the chocolate on offer around here!

Layani

[Ariannda Kusanagi]

I love Minute =D

I wont even start on the fact that the amount of stress ive been under has caused me to gain 40 lbs back, so i wont... lets just say im back to working on it, seriously

[Ddrak]

Ari,

Stop buying sweet stuff. Look in your shopping cart before you reach the checkout and take out the bad stuff.

Dd

[Minute]

Fo sho. Remember sugar is an empty calorie. If you lived your entire life without consuming a single gram of it you would be nothing but healthier for it. It literally is the most simple carbohydrate we consume. If you don't burn it immediately it is stored, so limiting the intake of it to a bare minimum is one of the best things you can do. Speaking of shopping, eat before you go. Every single time. I don't even care if you aren't hungry. If you go shopping when you're so full you are about to pop you will save yourself a weeks worth of shit you shouldn't have. And if you are trying to limit your caloric intake but there's sweets in your house, you will eat them. Oh yes you will.

I'll give you a good link to a study done on keto diets vs low fat ones. Keto vs Low Fat It's a long read but it does a good job of outlying the pros & cons. Definitely read the "Adverse Effects" section. Which is why I'm not a huge proponent of diets in general. Mostly because they are based on extremes. Cut ALL of this out. You can't have ANY of that. Extremes tend to produce results, but in real world practice have very limited lasting effects. As with the exercise programs I talked about before, you have to make it part of your life. It cannot be something you do to lose weight or it will eventually fail. You need to sit down 1 night a week & pre-plan your weeks meals. You need to eat every 2 hours of the day. You need to focus on high protein, low sugar, complex carbohydrate foods. Don't do extremes. Don't try to cut your current caloric intake in half. That's crazy. You're going to be coveting & most likely break down & gorge.

Also get a partner or partners. Someone who you can push & they will push back. I have people tell me constantly that they wanted to stay home today but they knew I'd be there & that I'd kick their ass if they didn't show. You are 100 times more likely to "skip" if no one else is relying on you to be there.

The 1 thing I preach above all, more than exercise, more than a healthy diet, is consistency. Feel bad? Feel sick? Feel depressed? Just don't feel right today? I don't give a fuck. Take your ass to the gym. Do 1/2 your workout. Do 1/4. Do something. A half step is still better than a missed one, because a missed one is the beginning of the fall.

Damn I'm all over the place. Sorry. Ari, you're in control. You make the decisions. It's your life, your body. Put in that work & keep bangin kid!

[Harlowe]

Minute always offers up good advice, but with people that are prone to stop and start a lot, I'm with Ddrak. The easiest thing in the world to start out with is just cutting out the sweet stuff and putting back any junk you've put in your cart. You'll be amazed how much that will help you. Fruit will taste better, wine will taste waaay better. The next easiest thing is making walking a routine. Build on that once it's become habit. Going balls out in the beginning, esp when you know you've yo-yo'd programs a lot, isn't going to work. Build on incremental lifestyle changes one at a time.

Cutting out or at least down on processed sugar isn't really difficult. I don't eat it because I think processed sugar is empty crap. I'll occasionally have something, if it's a party or special occasion where there is something I really want to have (because I don't believe in complete & total deprivation), but it's never a daily thing or a mindless snack choice and I honestly don't miss it.

[SicTimMitchell]

Wii Fit Plus.

I'm serious. Wife got it for Christmas, and I've gone from 220+ to 173 last time I checked in this week.

The trick is to set your goals LOW, since the game gets more fun and you unlock more stuff when you're meeting them. I'm talking like 10 pounds in six months as a goal, and not feeling bad if you don't make it. And don't do the "30 minutes a day" thing or whatever. 30 minutes of actual working out is like two hours or more in real time. Ignore it. I currently do three yoga exercises, three strength, the Kung Fu (it's really damn fun), and end with the Zen meditation. If I'm feeling like I'm up for more, I do the free running or bicycling for a while.

It's a game. A game kids can play. Once you realize that, and just relax and go with the flow instead of worrying about "scores" or treating it like a regular video game, it's really fun and easy.

[Minute]

Not sure if any of you are protein junkies, but many brands use gelatin fillers & other bullshit that skew the numbers. So anywho, they have an experiment searching for the best. ON is the brand I use so I was glad to see them doing so well. Thought I'd share.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... XOVE#gid=0

Oh & on the subject of protein. I'm a huge proponent from getting my protein sources through natural means. Tuna, eggs, ect. But truly busy people often can't or are unwilling to do what it takes to get their intake right. That being said I have always been a HUGE critics of protein bars. They always come in only 3 categories.

1. Good source of protein & low source of sugar/sugar alcohol = Taste like ass
2. Good source of protein & high source of sugar/sugar alcohols = Taste meh
3. Low source of protein & high source of sugar/sugar alcohols = Taste great (why bother?)

Anyway, recently I've discovered the only one that really blew me away. I highly recommend these: http://www.questproteinbar.com/

So far I love the ingredients used, the company, and their reps. They aren't super cheap, around 2 bucks (less if you buy the packs), but I just saw a fat fuck spend 2 bucks in the vending machine on pure shit so...

[Arkaron]

I recently switched to working days, so when it isn't too humid I walk home (three miles). Working in a hospital is great as far as food goes, and I seem to eat whenever the surgeons do. They are all insanely healthy so I try and pay attention to whatever they are eating. It's usually a salad with chicken.

Alcohol is probably still my biggest vice, but I'm learning to sleep better without it. Also, if any of you are on anything for depression or anxiety, ask to switch to an 'energizing' drug. You shouldn't feel like a zombie.

I always feel better after I do anything physical, and you always lap the person sitting on the couch.

[Minute]

Lap me on the couch

[Harlowe]

Minute, we (you and I) just talked about Quest bars in this very thread in Feb. =) Microwave the brownie ones they are awesome.

[Minute]

Minute, we (you and I) just talked about Quest bars in this very thread in Feb. =) Microwave the brownie ones they are awesome.

Oh yeah, well I 3rd the recommendation

[Harlowe]

I don't know if you mentioned it before, but are there any other flavors you really like? I think I've only tried two and the other didn't leave the same impression the brownie ones did, so I don't buy anything else.

[Minute]

I don't know if you mentioned it before, but are there any other flavors you really like? I think I've only tried two and the other didn't leave the same impression the brownie ones did, so I don't buy anything else.

Which two? There's 12 different flavors I think & many are VERY different. If you liked the brownie, the Chocolate Peanut butter & Cinnamon Roll would probably be good for ya. I personally like the Vanilla Almond & Coconut Cashew. The fruity/dessert ones are my least favorite, but I figure it to be personal preference.