2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

[8]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Did you weigh yourself right before the workout then after? Because weight can fluctuate pretty dramatically during the day for various reasons. Which is why I only weigh myself in the morning, when Im completely empty, to get a good read.

You may have lost sweat but were still carrying some food/water weight from the day. Also some scales have small errors depending on the temp of the room, and the surface you are on (mostly digital ones)

Just realized I left out that I weighed myself the morning after the workout (I only weigh myself in the morning on an empty stomach too). My scale is really sensitive, if you're not completely still it'll make the number jump. I usually take my weight about 3 times back to back and do a best out of 3 kind of deal.

[NDAlum]

I weigh myself every morning in shorts. I have my girlfriend look at the scale. The primary reason I do it is to keep me honest about cheating. If I am about the same I didn't cheat.

[mattsb84]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Just realized I left out that I weighed myself the morning after the workout (I only weigh myself in the morning on an empty stomach too). My scale is really sensitive, if you're not completely still it'll make the number jump. I usually take my weight about 3 times back to back and do a best out of 3 kind of deal.

It's normal for your weight to fluctuate throughout the day depending on what you've had to eat/drink. My weight can fluctuate quite a bit(as much as 6-7lbs), but the main key is that from a week to week(or month to month) basis, your weight is trending up or down based on your current goal. There will be a point where it plateaus and you'll need re-analyze your current routine and adjust though.

Also, keep in mind, there's only 4 ways (that im aware of anyhow) for you to physically lose the weight (bm/urinating/sweating/puking). 5 if you count cutting off body parts.

[AUChase]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I'm starting a food log as well.

I was down to 208, but now I'm back around 214.5 on my scales, which isn't much but I feel a lot worse. I still primarily drink water, but I've been eating more fast food, snacks, and drinking way too much Captain and Coke.

Going to eliminate week day drinking, get a food log going to keep myself honest, and keep working out.

By the scales at MEPS and BMI (which is dumb) I'm still good to go right now, but I have three and a half months to maintain it. Its time to start working harder and stop making excuses.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Also, keep in mind, there's only 4 ways (that im aware of anyhow) for you to physically lose the weight (bm/urinating/sweating/puking). 5 if you count cutting off body parts.

That's not entirely true...

I believe that most of your weight loss is actually in the form of breathing... Pretty much all your bm/urinating is directly from stuff you've recently eaten. You stop eating, you stop pooping. That doesn't mean you stop losing weight.

However all that "stuff" that's already been turned into fat/muscle/etc doesn't go back into the digestive tract when it's burned. And everything you do requires you to "burn" fuel (mainly glucose). It is this process of converting carbs/fats/protein to fuel that actually creates the fat loss.

When glucose (which is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) is broken down for fuel, it produces a byproduct of carbon dioxide (C02) and water (H20). When we exhale, carbon dioxide makes up the majority of that process (water is also breathed out at a surprisingly high rate, since our breath is extremely "humid" for lack of a better term. It is not part of the intended process of breathing, but we still breath out quite a bit of water).

As crazy as it may sound, we are quite literally breathing our mass away. Sweat would also make up a large part of this, but again that lost mass is mostly "superficial" in that our sweat is made up of mostly water which you gain back when you drink water again. It is in breathing where we excrete the byproduct of energy use, which, if you're burning more calories than you're taking in (aka losing weight), would be where the net loss comes from. All the other ways of excreting mass are more or less break even processes based on what we consume.

[NDAlum]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE



On a serious note that is impressive knowledge. (If true I am not even well-versed enough on that matter to make an assessment!)

[mattsb84]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

That's not entirely true...

I believe that most of your weight loss is actually in the form of breathing...

This is interesting(and possibly true) but the cynic in me is currently shouting "rubbish". Do you have any studies/books/journals that cite some data on this?

[Feared]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Unless you're a wrestler, pro athlete, or need to make weight for a certain military organization. Looking at the number that pops up on the Scale is not a good indicator of how successful your short term Weight loss goals are going. Weight fluctuates constantly based on a number of factors, Water retention. The number on the scale could go up 2-4 lbs but you might not have gained a lot of body fat you could have just put on some lean muscle if you've been working out hard.

It's better to go by how you look, how you feel, waist size, arm size, calipers to measure body fat. Fretting over 5 pound increments is pretty pointless. You still want to weigh yourself every now and then to get a general idea of how you're doing; but healthy weight loss is pretty gradual and you will notice the difference more through out the course of a few months rather than weeks.

[8]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I agree with that for most people but for me and it seems NDAlum, checking everyday is an accountability thing. It's just part of my routine and let's me know I'm on the right path. Now if you're someone who obsesses over it then yeah you shouldn't check everyday.

[AUChase]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I check every day even though it usually doesn't change much. I have a weight I can't go over and I have to be careful mixing cardio and weights.

Ran 1.5 miles, 40 pushups, and 40 crunches in less than 15 minutes today. Keep on grindin!

I need to start swimming some more too. Luckily I don't have any extra swim requirements at Basic with my job. I can swim, I just prefer to float, sitting on a life jacket sipping a captain and coke

[KG]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Day 3 of HIIT Tabata completed. Did the resistance (weights) early this morning so it felt good to get it done with. Day 2 (Cardio) was tough because we're in the middle of a major heat wave. Going to drink a lot of water tonight before I go to sleep and wake up early to beat the heat. Tomorrow's workout is Cardio again:

Tabata - Mountain Climbers (20 secs of action w/10 secs of rest after X 8 sets)
8 sets of sprints
High Intensity sprint for 13 secs (104 secs total)
10 sec rest (80 secs total)
Low Intensity sprint for 49 secs (392 secs total)
10 sec rest (80 secs total)

I do it on the track and remember it was ~1.5 miles in about ~10 minutes. I think this time it will be in the 1.6-1.7 mile range.

[D13]

Started insanity this week. First time following this thread. Love the stories and inspirations you guys provide.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I'm getting ready to hit my "recovery week" of Insanity. Second time to this point after months of starting stopping. That second month is looming, though.

[NDAlum]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Unless you're a wrestler, pro athlete, or need to make weight for a certain military organization. Looking at the number that pops up on the Scale is not a good indicator of how successful your short term Weight loss goals are going. Weight fluctuates constantly based on a number of factors, Water retention. The number on the scale could go up 2-4 lbs but you might not have gained a lot of body fat you could have just put on some lean muscle if you've been working out hard.

It's better to go by how you look, how you feel, waist size, arm size, calipers to measure body fat. Fretting over 5 pound increments is pretty pointless. You still want to weigh yourself every now and then to get a general idea of how you're doing; but healthy weight loss is pretty gradual and you will notice the difference more through out the course of a few months rather than weeks.

I do it for accountability. We also come in different shapes and sizes. I believe you are shorter and have a small frame. I'm 6-3 and have a big frame. Currently at 6-3 235 and people would guess about 200.

Personally the ONLY way I go up 5 lbs on a scale is if I overeat by a large amount. When I weigh myself at the same point each morning and with the same routine there is zero chance I got up more than 1-2 lbs with standard fluctuation.

I understand what you are saying about other measures being more important than weight and I would agree. However weighing myself every morning is a way to keep myself honest. That's why I have my girlfriend witness it as well.

[The JareBear]

Re: 2013 FITNESS CHALLENGE

This is a little long, and probably a waste of your time, but here goes nothing. Excuse typos, using an ipad

Spoiler

Welpppp

Ok, so, this might be the last post I ever make on here and I would like to be able to get it out there just in case somebody has some sage-like advice that that can help change my life around....who knows right?

So, I need help.

I've been debating for weeks whether or not to post here and finally I just decided nobody here will ever meet me in real life so what's the worst that can happen. Maybe I embarrass myself on a message board, well, it ain't like I was a gold standard for quality posts anyway so I don't really have much to lose.

Over the past six months I have gained at least 50 pounds, maybe more, but I am afraid to step on the scale any more. I am on my summer vacation back home in San Diego and I spend most nights sitting in my friends living room watching netflix because I am too embarrassed to go out with them. I know I look bad. I know people are thinking "what the hell happened." It's shameful

I just cant stop eating. I eat when I am not even hungry. I can go and spend 12 dollars at Jack in the Box and as I am stuffing myself I am thinking about my next meal. I go to bed and wake up in the morning planning out where I want to eat that day. It's unbelievable. I don't eat food because it tastes good. I eat because I just can't convince myself not to. I mean, do I sound like a lunatic?

Ive eaten fast food, in excess, at least twice a day, every day, for six months straight. I used to be four notches in on my belt comfortably, now I have to suck in just to make the first notch. It's bad man....it's bad. I'm falling apart. I'm irritable, have mood, swings, always tired.

This time last year I was in the best shape of my life and looked better than I ever had. Now, I ain't saying I was looking good, mind you, but I was looking better than ever, so it was a moral victory, when you're ugly like me you take what you can get, ya now? I am 6 foot 3, and this day a year ago I weighed 178 pounds. If I were to step on a scale now, I would be shocked if I was lower than 250.

This started last August. A girl I really liked basically decided to never talk to me again overnight, then the girl I dated afterward said some pretty not nice things about me and instead of manning up and moving on, dwelled on it and didn't let it go. I ended up getting flat out rejected by the next couple girls I flirted with, but I thought I was cool with it all. When Track season started I was handed a much bigger workload than usual, lots of roster management/meet entry stuff that i wasn't accustomed to and I think a combo of stress and self-doubt just got me all at once and I started eating fast food on the way home from practice. It started as every other day and just got worse and worse. It was almost as if I was eating because I was sad and then sad I was eating? If that makes sense? This all sounds super lame, I know, and unbecoming of a grown *** man. I don't know what else to say though.

I have noticed that my resting heart rate has gone up quite a bit. I was mid 70s last summer, its low 90s now. Haven't taken my BP, its probably borderline hypertension. I get random mild pains in my left arm and chest sometimes, I feel like its my body warning me that something is not right.

I don't know how to get back on track. Even if I could manage my appetite, which I can't, when I have tried to start hitting the workouts hard like I used to I have become very frustrated with the results. I know I am out of shape but it sucks not coming close to what I used to do easily. Plus, the last couple times I have tried to go hard, cardio twice a day 6 days a week with a short lifting session added 3x a week, I find myself waking up in the morning after 3 or 4 days with swelling around my knee or foot issues. I attribute this to tendonitis of some sort, most likely flaring up due to being so out of shape and jumping right back into a full workout regime.

Does anybody have any suggestions? I feel like if I can get in a steady workout schedule I can manage the cravings easier. I have always found working out to be a natural appetite suppressant and I struggle to do one without the other (diet and work out). It's clear that I can't just go balls out like I used to in the gym, when I try I just get some setback with my knee or foot that kills my momentum and motivation. Should I start off 3x a week, cardio twice a day? Cardio once a day 4x a week? Lift, don't lift? What do you think?

Any useful tips for appetite suppression or craving management? Anything at all would go a long way for me man, I am really struggling. This has completely taken a hold of my life and affected my every day living in the worst way.

I feel really weak, it doesn't make sense to me. I tell myself just to stop eating crap and buy wholesome, nutrient rich food but before I know it, almost without thinking, I find myself walking to the car and going to Taco Bell. I find reasons to justify "just one more cheat meal." Over and over

I used to think I was a moderate fitness/diet guru, but I have been humbled. I am struggling hard and any advice would really help.

Thank you very much