Exercise and Fitness: bro science debunked

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

On 3/25/2019 at 10:32 AM, aceluby said:

In flow I add a lot of arm balances into my practice.  Side crow, hurdlers, crow, 1 legged crow, chin stands.... I also really like the people that go to the studio, so I'm taking class with a bunch of friends; over the weekends we have the owner who leads class and has a great music selection; and I'm a huge fan of the hot room.  I just really enjoy the 95 degree room and getting ridiculously sweaty and not worrying about it.

Not sure where you're taking your yoga classes, but might want to look into trying some new places to see if you have more fun at a different one.

I just do it at home or take a generic class at L.A. Fitness. Honestly I just find it to be kind of boring, but I do like that it can be challenging and notice the benefits. One thing that really doesn't do it for me is the spiritual side. I'd prefer to cut all of that out.

[Scott_N]

Though it is a hinging movement, I certainly think of RDL as a hamstring (and glute) exercise. It belongs with legs but you don't want a lot going on in your quads. A common mistake I see is people loading it up with too much weight resulting in an exercise somewhere between a DL and RDL. Drop the weights a bit and be mindful of form. Also, even if you can, I would suggest you don't attempt to bounce the bar - no matter how lightly a tap - in order for you to better 'feel' the motion. Of course, many would say it's not kosher to tap on a RDL, anyway, but I think that depends somewhat on your muscle flexibility. Focus on form and you'll feel your way to what works for you. 

[aceluby]

On 3/29/2019 at 5:24 PM, Tywin et al. said:

I just do it at home or take a generic class at L.A. Fitness. Honestly I just find it to be kind of boring, but I do like that it can be challenging and notice the benefits. One thing that really doesn't do it for me is the spiritual side. I'd prefer to cut all of that out.

It's all about the dichotomy of trying to calm your mind, which is hardwired to be ready for fight or flight at a moments notice, while working your body, which is hardwired to be stationary to conserve energy for the fight or flight moments.  I don't go to any studios that go into anything I'd consider 'spiritual', but reinforces that general process, sometimes through different quotes and stories.  The studio I teach at has a hot room for 60 students, so to make it as accessible as possible they try to stay away from the bull shit. 

If you want to try something that is really challenging, do a drop in class ($20) for a flow class at Modo Yoga in Minneapolis.  If you like it you can do an intro month for $40 and go as much as you want for a month, if not it was just $20.  I was in really good shape when I started and it was one of the most challenging things I'd ever done.  Their regular modo classes are difficult as well, but more strength and endurance training than movement with breath.

On a side note, I've been on keto for 4 weeks now and am down 10 lbs.  15 more to go.  Also got a new bluetooth scale with body fat and muscle mass %.  If those 15 lbs are fat, I'll be right where I want right before summer.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I feel dumb for having to ask this, but when assessing your diet, how do you factor in what should be “healthy” sugars? I ask because I really like drinks like what Naked makes, and I especially love fresh squeezed OJ, but the sugar content in those things are so high. A lot of them are worse than a can of Mountain Dew, though I realize the latter does not have natural sugar.

[Jo498]

I think if you cut all/most of sodas, sweet snacks etc. you can drink some fruit juice, unless you drink lots. But all processed fruit, despite "natural", is very high in sugar.  Of course, unprocessed fruit also contains sugar but except with grapes and maybe bananas, you would need to eat A LOT to get to unhealthy levels.

As for drinks, I think the best thing one can do is to never get used to sweet drinks as "standard". Always think of a sweet drink (or an alcoholic beverage) as something special, for special occasions or after exertions. The standard drink should be calory free water (you can add some lemon juice for taste) or tea or maybe coffee.

The problem is that most high calory drinks don't change the appetite for "real food", so usually they are simply extra calories. If one is slim and doesn't need to watch out, fine. But for the others, sweet drinks and sweet snacks should be the first things to reduce or cut altogether.

[Martell Spy]

16 hours ago, Jo498 said:

I think if you cut all/most of sodas, sweet snacks etc. you can drink some fruit juice, unless you drink lots. But all processed fruit, despite "natural", is very high in sugar.  Of course, unprocessed fruit also contains sugar but except with grapes and maybe bananas, you would need to eat A LOT to get to unhealthy levels.

As for drinks, I think the best thing one can do is to never get used to sweet drinks as "standard". Always think of a sweet drink (or an alcoholic beverage) as something special, for special occasions or after exertions. The standard drink should be calory free water (you can add some lemon juice for taste) or tea or maybe coffee.

The problem is that most high calory drinks don't change the appetite for "real food", so usually they are simply extra calories. If one is slim and doesn't need to watch out, fine. But for the others, sweet drinks and sweet snacks should be the first things to reduce or cut altogether.

Yeah, this is great advice. Also, cut milk, except small amounts. No energy drinks, definitely no sweet coffee. Anything with cals.

Iced tea non-sweet is great, if you can afford some good stuff like Gold Peak. A friend suggested selzter and this has become my go-to drink, as it is much cheaper than iced tea. I get 12 packs very cheaply at Safeway. 

I'm basically trying to lose weight, while still having the ability to drink some beer. It looks like I can still lose weight and drink 3 beers a day, if I maintain at 1050 calorie food diet. Not sure if I can drink 4 beers a day yet and still lose. I'm pretty happy though with my results from setting my food cals this low. I'm 42 years old and 194 pounds. Just lost about 25 pounds in the last few months.

This is with a sedentary lifestyle.

[Proudfeet]

On 3/23/2019 at 12:57 AM, Proudfeet said:

Its apparently readily available and inexpensive. I'll give it a try.

I can afford a new pair without much trouble, but I'd rather not have to spend and more importantly, I hate shopping, especially for shoes. I don't even really like my current pair, its just acceptable and I was really tired of trying them out. 

The injury thing is a good point though. I figured that I could stop if it started flapping but it might just split apart suddenly. I'll see how it goes after I try the glue.

Well, it didn't work out due to my poor workmanship. It barely lasted a week more and I might have caused more damage from the process of applying the glue. Might have been better if I left it alone.

Sigh, I guess I have to go get a new pair. 

[Jo498]

I am not sure if there is a certain amount of legend to it but in the (late) middle ages the monks came up with particularly nutritious types beer to ameliorate the pressure of the many fasting periods of the church year. Liquids were allowed ("liquida non frangunt ieiunium") and beer is also vegan, many fast days did not require total abstention from food but allowed like one basically vegan meal per day. To this day there is ritual day of tapping the strong fasting beer (Starkbieranstich) in Bavaria, shortly after Ash Wednesday.

Regardless of this or weight loss, you should not drink 3 beers every day. This is at least on the threshold of addiction. But you probably knew this already.

[Martell Spy]

9 hours ago, Triskele said:

That is some seriously low daily caloric intake.  But it does illustrate just how much alcohol can wreck a diet.  If you just add four regular macro brews to that you'd jump by 600 to 1,650 which is sill quite low but not so insanely so.  

Yeah, I had to totally ban any beer over 5.0 abv. And yes, alcohol was a big part in my gaining weight in the first place. You have to make serious trade-offs to keep it in a diet if you aren't moving. 

I tried a 1600 cal diet a ways back and failed to lose weight. I think probably I was going over though. I've since banned mayo, as it is both very unhealthy and hard to track what cals you are putting in.

Part of the reason I set the food cals so low, is failures. Sometimes I am on the go for appointments, and I am pretty much forced to eat fast food, for example. I know this is going to happen, and just try to limit the damage.

[Martell Spy]

2 hours ago, Jo498 said:

I am not sure if there is a certain amount of legend to it but in the (late) middle ages the monks came up with particularly nutritious types beer to ameliorate the pressure of the many fasting periods of the church year. Liquids were allowed ("liquida non frangunt ieiunium") and beer is also vegan, many fast days did not require total abstention from food but allowed like one basically vegan meal per day. To this day there is ritual day of tapping the strong fasting beer (Starkbieranstich) in Bavaria, shortly after Ash Wednesday.

Regardless of this or weight loss, you should not drink 3 beers every day. This is at least on the threshold of addiction. But you probably knew this already.

Hahah, well if I'm setting my diet around me being able to drink beer, I might indeed have a problem. I talked to friends from a couple different friend groups though, and in both cases they told me they knew people that drink 12 beers a day. Also, back when I was considering if I was an addict, I tried quitting. And yes, I was able to quit for six months. So, I think I'm all right, but I am definitely a suspicious individual. 

[aceluby]

7 hours ago, Martell Spy said:

Hahah, well if I'm setting my diet around me being able to drink beer, I might indeed have a problem. I talked to friends from a couple different friend groups though, and in both cases they told me they knew people that drink 12 beers a day. Also, back when I was considering if I was an addict, I tried quitting. And yes, I was able to quit for six months. So, I think I'm all right, but I am definitely a suspicious individual. 

If you're plateauing, you may consider taking a few days to a week off your diet and then going back on as sort of a 'reset'.  With such a low calorie count your body may be putting itself in a constant state of starvation.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Why not just drink the beer instead of water while lifting? Kill two birds with one stone plus you get a better buzz. Call it the Brett Kavanaugh method of weight training:

 

[TrueMetis]

The dad from Full House talking about sucking dick for coke is a high point in cinematic history.

[Martell Spy]

6 hours ago, aceluby said:

If you're plateauing, you may consider taking a few days to a week off your diet and then going back on as sort of a 'reset'.  With such a low calorie count your body may be putting itself in a constant state of starvation.

Thank you for the advice. As far as i know I have not hit the dreaded plateau yet. I've read of it and I'm definitely looking out for it. My plan was if I hit is to either cut the beer down or start walking. I did not know about the reset though, so that is very valuable advice. 

I should mention, I have a GI disease. It is under treatment and I'm fairly healthy, but it is quite possible that I'm getting some kind of appetite advantage here over a person without a disease. That is also why I'm fairly new to the weight loss thing. I got the disease at 23 years old, and did not have weight issues until 38. Any time I gained weight, the disease tended to remove it without me trying much.  I mainly gained weight by becoming a drinker. 

I do get a little hungry about 5 to 6 hours after eating my breakfast, which is 330 cals of biscuits. I am generally able to ignore this and it goes away. I get extremely ravenous if I'm late eating my dinner though. 

[Theda Baratheon]

I’ve gone down to 1600 calories per day - finding it surprisingly easy to do whilst eating good, healthy food. Drinking lots of water. Jogging and walking a lot and doing exersices at home and I’ve lost half a stone in a week. Damn. I’ve been super unhealthy for too long and not enjoying all the food I’m eating and hating sitting in doors doing nothing and right now I’m feeling really great. I know I won’t lose this much every week - I’m hoping for 1-2 pounds each week but I’ve tried a few times to do something like this and never has it felt as good and natural as this time. I expect it to start getting really tough at some point but right now I’m having an excellent week. 

[Theda Baratheon]

Okay this will seem like nothing to people who are genuinely fit LOL but just worked a 8 hour shift and then went for a 2.5 mile (4km) jog. feeling so proud of myself right now. I’m beaming 

[Impmk2]

Well done! 4km is not nothing, and honestly getting to the stage you can jog those first few is the hardest bit in my experience*. From there you can train yourself to anything. 

Honestly many days I struggle and procrastinate just getting out the door. It's half the battle.

*until the 30km wall but that's a whole different thing.

[Erik of Hazelfield]

I am just sooo tired of my diet and fail miserably to stay at 2400 kcal/day. This had made me hit a plateau some 3 kg short of my goal. I've lost just 4 kg since Christmas, due to my 0.5 kg/week loss plan being offset all the time by days or even weeks of not following my diet.  When I do keep to my calorie goal carefully I've found it works very reliably: down 0.5 kg per week.

Does anyone have any tips on how to regain the inspiration to reach my goal? What worked for you?

[HexMachina]

On 4/7/2019 at 7:56 PM, Theda Baratheon said:

Okay this will seem like nothing to people who are genuinely fit LOL but just worked a 8 hour shift and then went for a 2.5 mile (4km) jog. feeling so proud of myself right now. I’m beaming 

Well done! Homestly any exercise at all after an 8 hour shift on your feet is an achievement, a shift in retail can be surprisingly draining. Im glad your diet and change of lifestyle is still going well

[Theda Baratheon]

14 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Well done! Homestly any exercise at all after an 8 hour shift on your feet is an achievement, a shift in retail can be surprisingly draining. Im glad your diet and change of lifestyle is still going well

Thanks! I really enjoyed it because it’s a lovely route next to a river and then through some woods. I know the place well from walking there a lot. So easy to do in the early evening so I’m going to try to commit to at least 3 days a week doing this. If I can do it after an 8 hour shift then I can do it any day lol. I’m feeling so good lately.