2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

[8]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I'll just give an example of what I did yesterday:

6:30 a.m. - eggs, ground turkey, fruit
10:00 a.m. - handful of almonds, banana
1:00 - chicken breast, salad, mixed nuts, applesauce
3:30 - handful of almonds, carrot, pear
7:00 - fish, broccoli, squash
9:30 - couple pieces of beef jerky, handful of grapes

That's just the times of day I tend to get hunger pains, or a slight rumble in the tummy. I usually workout during my lunch, and take my dog running at night probably 3 times a week or so.

That's funny, as I type im having a banana and a handful of almonds/walnuts. My breakfast was also eggs/ground turkey/spinach.

[mattsb84]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

and if you eat a big dinner and them go to bed....well, that's going straight to storage, especially for someone who does not exercise.

And for someone who does workout? Being that this is the fitness thread and most people do work out who are posting here..what's you reasoning for saying that food eaten prior to sleep goes straight to storage? Any food, or specific food?

I could see maybe eating a lot of simple carbs doing that, but anything else? Not sure you would see a difference provided you're still at your intake or below it for the day.

[bh446066]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

The most damaging things to eat before bed are any calorically dense carbohydrates which spike the insulin levels and get deposited as fat. Pasta, pizza are a couple of examples. It is really based on your caloric debt, fitness level, and genetic make up. If you've managed to burn more calories during the day than you've consumed, don't ruin it by eating a rich, dense meal at night when your activity for the day is winding down. It is a fact that most people's largest meal of the day is dinner. If you can tone it down, and keep the calories burned higher than those ingested, you lose weight.

[l3ulvl]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

It's all mental. Eat when you are hungry, not when you think you are hungry.

I eat when I'm bored

[Feared]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I naturally have a very fast metabolism, and have always been on the skinny side. Lately something I'm trying to do is get a high protein, slow digesting meal right before bed. In the hopes it can put me over my Cal reqs for the day. Maybe some Cottage Cheese, with some healthy fats, Fish Oil, Avocado or a Casein Mix.

[cjonesfan921]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I eat when I'm bored

LOL. Been there done that!

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

LOL. Been there done that!

Same here.

Still have problems with it depending on other "extra-curricular" activities, but am doing a lot better by simply not buying "snacking/"junk foods.


I thought Insanity was becoming a little more manageable, but last night it came back and whooped my ***. My energy level wasn't where it usually is so I guess I need to up my calorie intake a little. Thankfully today is "recovery" day. HA!

[cjonesfan921]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Same here.

Still have problems with it depending on other "extra-curricular" activities, but am doing a lot better by simply not buying "snacking/"junk foods.


I thought Insanity was becoming a little more manageable, but last night it came back and whooped my ***. My energy level wasn't where it usually is so I guess I need to up my calorie intake a little. Thankfully today is "recovery" day. HA!

I've concluded that I just can't do insanity. It is way too taxing on my knees. I am probably not doing some exercises correctly, however, last time it took a long time to truly recover from it.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Thankfully I haven't noticed any pain in any of my joints. Obviously I was a little stiff the first couple of days, but no real pain.

But yeah, if you have any kind of a problems with your knees, ankles, shoulders, or wrists I wouldn't recommend it.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

And you show me something that shows where starving yourself is good for the body.

*One disclaimer I should have noted was you need to make smart choices with your snacks. You don't want to actually increase your calories with this method, and if making the wrong food choices during the day occurs, then this of course, will not work. I also emphasized stay active. I don't think anyone in their right mind would recommend eating that many times a day to someone who was sedintary.

for the record, starving = 72ish hours without calories...

there is tons and tons of scientific research into the effects of short term fasting that show that not only does your metabolism increase, but fat oxidation also increases or stays the same up until around the 72 hour mark, at which time muscle catabolism finally begins to increase.

But it takes 72ish hours for "starvation mode" to kick in at all. Before that point there are a **** ton of benefits (beyond just weight loss).

And just to clarify, I'm not talking about fasted weight training (while some people prefer it, I don't, and the RESEARCH clearly points towards the benefits of proper pre and post workout nutrition). And I'm not talking about large caloric deficits either. Its possible to practice short term fasting while maintaining proper caloric intake.

At the end of the day, there is no scientific data to support the bro science of 5/6 small meals a day (just poor logic and misinformed people passing along bad info like a bad game of telephone), while there is a plethora of actual scientific data to support intermittent fasting.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

The internet is a wonderful thing, just found an article that said Wonka Pixie Stix were a great breakfast item for building lean muscle, lol.

AllJuicedUp - I'm not trying to argue with you, man No science is really necessary here. The basic formula is: eat less calories, make smart food choices, exercise more, lose weight. The premise for the breakfast is your fueling yourself for the day, and if you eat a big dinner and them go to bed....well, that's going straight to storage, especially for someone who does not exercise.

thats my point, there are "articles" all over the internet with **** info... that is not the same as actual science (in fact, its the exact opposite).

I'm not disagreeing with any of the "eat less, make smart food choices, exercise more, lose weight" stuff. I am disagreeing with the premise that by eating breakfast you are fueling yourself for the day. Or that eating a big dinner is any more detrimental than eating that same food at any other point during the day.

You say it yourself, in the end its about calories in vs calories out. Meal timing does not make an iota of difference as far as fat storage. It's true, there is a correlation between night eating and obesity compared to eating a good breakfast and being skinnier, but that is a correlation, not a causation (people who eat breakfast tend to be more health conscious and snack on less crap during the day vs people who eat crap at night... scientifically speaking, its not the meal timing that causes this, its all those other factors like quantity, type of food, etc).

Eating at night does not cause those calories to go straight to fat storage any more than eating the exact same food 8 hours earlier. And that insulin increase will occur no matter what time of the day you eat that food as well. In fact, the actual science points to the fact that lower meal frequency actually results in a LOWER blood glucose level than higher meal frequency. You spike slightly more with lower frequency eating (there is a spike no matter what when you eat), but you come down from that spike significantly quicker than with a higher meal frequency, where the come down is much less steep (and the overall result is actually a higher insulin level with more small meals).

I'm not arguing the actual nutrition aspects with you. Limit bad carbs, take in less calories than you burn, etc... I'm merely arguing that there is no science behind the many meals mumbo jumbo (in fact, any actual science points to less meals being better) and there is less than no science behind the meal timing bs (besides nutritional intake surrounding workouts). If you took two identical people and fed them each the exact same 3 meals and only swapped their breakfast for their dinner, there would be no difference between the two (all other things equal). The net caloric gain/loss/stored fat/etc would be exactly the same.

[khaled]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

So, I have just started working out again, joined a gym.

Is it okay if my workout is just riding the stationary bike for 30 mins five times a week? I also try to play an hour of basketball once a week.

[TarHeelMan]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I don't want this to break into an IF vs. 5-6 small meals a day war, but to me IF isn't something that can be maintained over a lifetime while 5-6 small meals a day can. Now I'm sure there are some exceptions to this.

I agree that there are a plethora of ways for one to lose weight and/or feed themselves during the day. I haven't seen a study that shows that there is an inherent benefit to constantly eating throughout the day. My personal experience was that, for all the shakes and small meals I would eat during the day, I would be hungry, and still watching the clock to see when my three hours were up so I could eat my next meal. It's good to not be a slave to my diet now, I can fast all day, especially now that I've trained myself to understand what actual, real "hunger" is, and eat a satisfying meal (no junk). Even when I'm away on vacation, I can follow this. I was away a couple weeks ago with my wife; we'd eat dinner around 7:00, and after a late snack or something around 11:00, I'd be good until 3:00 the next day.

[mattsb84]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

So, I have just started working out again, joined a gym.

Is it okay if my workout is just riding the stationary bike for 30 mins five times a week? I also try to play an hour of basketball once a week.

What is your overall goal?

[bh446066]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Well, I certainly don't have a library of medical journals at my disposal, and the internet is often a fruitless search for legitimate research, so I'll just say this and I'm going to bow out.

February 2011 - I was 212 lbs (very heavy for my frame, I'm 6'0", but small jointed), this is when I started both Paleo diet and CrossFit 100% all in.

August 2011 - Down to wavering between 194-198 lbs, had built some good muscle, but still wanted to lose a little more. So, I changed from "3 squares a day" style to spreading out small meals throughout the day, but the caloric content was in my estimation, virtually the same as before. I changed nothing with my exercise, so this was the "control".

December 2011 - Down to a low of 176, now have gained back up to between 180-182 lbs, which I attribute to taking a protein recovery drink immediately after wods (has helped my strength building immensely). I've held steady at this weight since then.

I know these numbers and dates bc I'm fanatical about tracking my progress and workouts. Now, it sure seems to me that my change in the way I was eating, not what I was eating was a stimulus for that massive weight loss, certainly kicked my metaboilism into hyperdrive. Since I changed nothing about the content of my food intake, and kept the workout schedule the same, unless I have a tapeworm, that's the only conclusion I can draw....it works. Call it mumbo jumbo if you like, but I swear by it, and many of the clients at my wife's gym do as well. That's the way humans used to be. Forage....move around...forage....move around....repeat.