The "I just got back from the gym" and this is what I have eaten thread.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Okay, so there are a ton of guys in here that are working out, trying to work out, or 'thinking' about working out.

So, I figured I would start a thread. I am all about making myself accountable. The more people that I tell about working out, the more people I would let down by not going.

If you go to the gym.... then post here when you get back. If you do P90X, post here when you get done. If you ride the excercise bike.... post it here.

Anything you do to get in shape.... share with the board. I know I have gotten some great advice and feedback.

Also, post what you eat. If you post everything you eat, and you know others will be critical, you may think twice before you grab a Twinkie.

Okay, so, I went to the gym. I did five minutes on the cross climber to warm up. I stretched for about three minutes.

Then, I did three sets of squats with just 135. I did back extensions and hanging leg lifts. Three sets each. I did leg curls, calf extensions, abductor and adductor excercises as well.

On my leg day, I do very light chest exercises to work on my explosive power. I do three sets of six pushups as explosively as I can. I throw the excercise ball up like a chest pass while laying on the bench.

Then, I finished off my workout with 30 minutes on the eliptical.

As far as my diet.

Breakfast two pieces of peanut butter whole wheat toast, protein shake, and banana.

I have had another banana, two yogurts, and a handful of cashews as snacks.

I didn't have a 'lunch' per se.

Kids had sloppy joes with lean beef (as if that makes it great).... I took a baked potato, and put a serving of sloppy joe over it, with jalapenos and 2 oz's of lowfat cheddar cheese.

I have also had shotgun with water, and synthesize with water.

I won't eat again before bed.


Okay, I know putting everything down here will open me up to criticism. I know some will think that I am doing things all wrong. I appreciate any advice, but I have done a lot of reading and talking to trainers.... so, I have an idea of what I am doing.... or at least what I think I am doing.

The point of this thread, isn't to get into pissing matches about how to do things.... but rather to give ourselves a gold star for making an effort.

Try not to beat anyone down on this thread, because this is about encouragement.

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by Silock

24g per serving is fine, considering it's also 130 calories per serving. If it's that big of a deal to you, you can just double up on the servings.

You probably only need about 120g-150g per day at the most, anyway.

word

[Silock]

Guess my diet wasn't as bad as I thought. Weighed in at 172 again tonight. Oh well. I guess the intermittent fasting I did worked.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Well, this stinks.... totally amped up...... comedy went well tonight..... can't shut down brain..... tomorrow's workout is going to suck.

[Silock]

I'm amped up, too. Might be getting another tattoo tomorrow, but I need to go work out before hand. That means getting up in 6 hours. Hmm...

Soccer went awesome, even after a 24 hour fast. I was ****ing killing it. I was just on point, in the zone. 10 goals in 2 games, 4 in the first, 6 in the second. Good way to end this indoor season. Outdoor starts next week!

Just ate:
Air popped 1/2 cup popcorn (1/2 cup in kernel form) + 1 tblspn peanut oil = 300 calories
2 scoops protein powder = 260 cals
1 oz non-fat cheese = 60 cals

And lots of water. And sleep, hopefully.

[Silock]

4 cookies this morning = 200 cals

Went to the gym and was able to up the weight on just about everything, so that was awesome. Also didn't have to take a rest in between sets of plank, and just did 6 straight minutes. Feeling good.

About to eat some shrimp and noodles in a homemade peanut sauce with stir-fry veggies.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Man, I killed it today. I posted this in the biggest loser thread, but whatever. I got up and ran 3.5 miles this morning and walked 1.5 between warm up and cool down. Then I went back a couple of hours ago and put in 4 miles on the elliptical, and 3.5 on the bike. 12.5 miles today. Woot!

I ate 2 scrambled eggs and 3 oz. of turkey kielbasa this morning. Just got done with 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese with salt and pepper, and 1/4 of an Italian sub. Yum.

[Silock]

Nice

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Man, I killed it today. I posted this in the biggest loser thread, but whatever. I got up and ran 3.5 miles this morning and walked 1.5 between warm up and cool down. Then I went back a couple of hours ago and put in 4 miles on the elliptical, and 3.5 on the bike. 12.5 miles today. Woot!

I ate 2 scrambled eggs and 3 oz. of turkey kielbasa this morning. Just got done with 1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese with salt and pepper, and 1/4 of an Italian sub. Yum.

Why are you doing so much cardio?...you really don't have to do that much cardio, seriously. It's not necessary bro.

Are you trying to train to get in shape to run a marathon or something? Or are you simply trying to put on muscle and lose weight? What are your goals?

*If you're simply trying to lose weight, if I were you, I'd be focusing more towards caloric expenditure than anything. That's the bottomline and thats what matters the most.

Focusing on input and output. In other words, it's the amount of calories you intake on a daily basis vs. the amount of calories you burn on a daily basis. If the amount of calories your burning is greater than the amount of calories you're consuming, then that's when weight loss occurs. Im sure that has been discussed somewhere in this thread, but I thought Id just bring it up as a reminder.

If you are lifting weights, which Im assuming you are, did you know doing too much cardio can be counterproductive? especially if you're lifting weights and trying to put on muscle.

The reason for that is, when you overload on the cardio training, your bodies stress hormones become upgraded and as a result hormones such as cortisol
become released and is known to have its effects by eating away at muscle tissue.

Don't get me wrong, Im not trying be discouraging or act like a prick, Im just trying to help you out by giving you good advice and stating truth. Besides, I think you're a good guy and you deserve all the help you can get.

Best thing to do is put on muscle, and focus on diet and do a sufficient amount of cardio. Keep the cardio at a certain range, I'd say 30-45 minutes is plenty, and the weight training should be 45min to an hour. That's it. That's all you need Mr. Flopnuts. Be careful to not overtrain your body or to stress it out too much. If your goal is to lose weight, just remember caloric expenditure and be sure to know what your putting out compared to what you're putting in. when you put on muscle you will burn more calories at rest and your own body will compliment you in weight loss because adding more body mass increases your RMR( resting metabolic rate) thus more calories are burned at rest. More muscle increases the amount of calories you burn in a day no doubt.

Also, for guys like me and you because of our age it's important to keep our heart rate at certain range. They say to shoot for about 124-152bpm.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by RedThat

Why are you doing so much cardio?...you really don't have to do that much cardio, seriously. It's not necessary bro.

Because he's hardcore. He wants to get the weight off quickly.

[NewChief]

I ain't gonna lie. I've been a piece of shit for about a week, now. It all started last week when we got snowed in with 12" of snow on Saturday after experiencing shorts and sandals weather the day before. Depressed the shit out of me and drove me into the kitchen for a couple of days where I cooked and ate. Then I threw out my back during my Monday workout. Plus, I've been off all week for Spring Break and have spent the last 3 days down at my mom's house eating and living the fat life. My wife requested that I not fast while I was down here because she said my mom was "worried" about the "weird" diet I was doing.

The end result: feel like shit and I'm sure the scales will tell the tale on Sunday when I return to the gym. Regardless, I'm just ready to get back on it. Ready to fast a couple of days, hit the weights hard, and get back on the routine. I was 3 pounds from my goal last week. I have a feeling I've probably put on 3-5 pounds since then.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by RedThat

Why are you doing so much cardio?...you really don't have to do that much cardio, seriously. It's not necessary bro.

Are you trying to train to get in shape to run a marathon or something? Or are you simply trying to put on muscle and lose weight? What are your goals?

*If you're simply trying to lose weight, if I were you, I'd be focusing more towards caloric expenditure than anything. That's the bottomline and thats what matters the most.

Focusing on input and output. In other words, it's the amount of calories you intake on a daily basis vs. the amount of calories you burn on a daily basis. If the amount of calories your burning is greater than the amount of calories you're consuming, then that's when weight loss occurs. Im sure that has been discussed somewhere in this thread, but I thought Id just bring it up as a reminder.

If you are lifting weights, which Im assuming you are, did you know doing too much cardio can be counterproductive? especially if you're lifting weights and trying to put on muscle.

The reason for that is, when you overload on the cardio training, your bodies stress hormones become upgraded and as a result hormones such as cortisol
become released and is known to have its effects by eating away at muscle tissue.

Don't get me wrong, Im not trying be discouraging or act like a prick, Im just trying to help you out by giving you good advice and stating truth. Besides, I think you're a good guy and you deserve all the help you can get.

Best thing to do is put on muscle, and focus on diet and do a sufficient amount of cardio. Keep the cardio at a certain range, I'd say 30-45 minutes is plenty, and the weight training should be 45min to an hour. That's it. That's all you need Mr. Flopnuts. Be careful to not overtrain your body or to stress it out too much. If your goal is to lose weight, just remember caloric expenditure and be sure to know what your putting out compared to what you're putting in. when you put on muscle you will burn more calories at rest and your own body will compliment you in weight loss because adding more body mass increases your RMR( resting metabolic rate) thus more calories are burned at rest. More muscle increases the amount of calories you burn in a day no doubt.

Also, for guys like me and you because of our age it's important to keep our heart rate at certain range. They say to shoot for about 124-152bpm.

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Because he's hardcore. He wants to get the weight off quickly.

GC's answer is part of it. Calories in vs. calories out. I try to burn up as close to 5000 calories as I can everyday, but honestly it's usually closer to 4000. I'm only doing this kind of cardio 2-3 days a week, and it's split between morning and afternoon/evening time. It's definitely not coming all at once.

The other part, is that in the last 2 and a half months or so I've really gotten into running. I never ran a mile in my life, and it's a bug that's just gotten a hold of me. I love it.

So, while I'm now able to run the distance of a 5k, I'm not only training for my first one next month, but I also have every intention of running at least a half marathon if not a full one at some point in the next year or two.

Will I be a runner for life? I don't know. But I definitely plan on being a runner for a while. Just because I enjoy it, and at 32 (really 33 at this point) this is really my last chance to do it. I don't want arthritis as an old man. This is just something that I think is important for me right now.

I'm not trying to burn up all of this weight too quickly. Have you seen those people on The Biggest Loser that lose a bunch of weight really fast? Yuck. But I am a little obsessed with the 300 mark. Unless you've been fat your whole life, you wouldn't understand. 18 years is a long ass time to weigh over 300 lbs. I'm ready to be done with it and I'm incredibly close.

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by NewPhin

I ain't gonna lie. I've been a piece of shit for about a week, now. It all started last week when we got snowed in with 12" of snow on Saturday after experiencing shorts and sandals weather the day before. Depressed the shit out of me and drove me into the kitchen for a couple of days where I cooked and ate. Then I threw out my back during my Monday workout. Plus, I've been off all week for Spring Break and have spent the last 3 days down at my mom's house eating and living the fat life. My wife requested that I not fast while I was down here because she said my mom was "worried" about the "weird" diet I was doing.

The end result: feel like shit and I'm sure the scales will tell the tale on Sunday when I return to the gym. Regardless, I'm just ready to get back on it. Ready to fast a couple of days, hit the weights hard, and get back on the routine. I was 3 pounds from my goal last week. I have a feeling I've probably put on 3-5 pounds since then.

Even though you feel like crap, it sounds like its keeping you on your toes, which is a good thing, and Im sure you will be ready to go back at it hard. No worries bro. It happens. Happens to the best of us.

Best thing is to just put whatever you were concerned about behind you and move forward. That's all you can pretty much do?

I'd like to think of it this way, sometimes feeling like sh*t isn't a bad thing? That may sound weird, but its the feeling like sh*t that makes me go arrrggghh and drive me to take it all out at the gym.

At least you are determined and have something to look forward to?

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

GC's answer is part of it. Calories in vs. calories out. I try to burn up as close to 5000 calories as I can everyday, but honestly it's usually closer to 4000. I'm only doing this kind of cardio 2-3 days a week, and it's split between morning and afternoon/evening time. It's definitely not coming all at once.

The other part, is that in the last 2 and a half months or so I've really gotten into running. I never ran a mile in my life, and it's a bug that's just gotten a hold of me. I love it.

So, while I'm now able to run the distance of a 5k, I'm not only training for my first one next month, but I also have every intention of running at least a half marathon if not a full one at some point in the next year or two.

Will I be a runner for life? I don't know. But I definitely plan on being a runner for a while. Just because I enjoy it, and at 32 (really 33 at this point) this is really my last chance to do it. I don't want arthritis as an old man. This is just something that I think is important for me right now.

I'm not trying to burn up all of this weight too quickly. Have you seen those people on The Biggest Loser that lose a bunch of weight really fast? Yuck. But I am a little obsessed with the 300 mark. Unless you've been fat your whole life, you wouldn't understand. 18 years is a long ass time to weigh over 300 lbs. I'm ready to be done with it and I'm incredibly close.

Oh okay. So thats understandable then. My bad.

Go for what you love. That's the best thing. Never been at that mark in my life so really Mr.Flopnuts I wouldn't understand. But 18 years is a long time. Do you go for checkups just to see if everything is okay i.e., blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar level, etc.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by RedThat

If you are lifting weights, which Im assuming you are, did you know doing too much cardio can be counterproductive? especially if you're lifting weights and trying to put on muscle.

The reason for that is, when you overload on the cardio training, your bodies stress hormones become upgraded and as a result hormones such as cortisol become released and is known to have its effects by eating away at muscle tissue.

It's not that big of a deal. He's not a competitive marathon runner. THOSE guys have problems hanging on to muscle mass. For everyone else, cardio shouldn't even be a concern when it comes to muscle mass.

There's been some kind of crazy myth floating around, probably starting with bodybuilders, that cardio kills muscle mass. It doesn't. Muscle mass is simply a response to a training stimulus. Many people that are overly focused on cardio don't lift weights at all, or don't lift heavy weights enough. Well, of course that's not a recipe for maintaining or increasing muscle mass.

As for the cortisol issue, directly correlating it to cardio is incorrect. ANY overtraining, whether it's cardio or weights, will increase cortisol. In fact, that's where the post-workout carb thing comes from. Weightlifters wanted to reduce cortisol levels after lifting, and so spiked their insulin. That's one way to do it, but it's not as big a deal as they make it out to be.

The key to controlling cortisol is rest and proper nutrition. Eat good fats and plenty of protein and veggies. You can't overtrain, whether you do it through cardio or through lifting weight. For people with lots of excess body fat, cortisol can be very helpful, as it mobilizes the transfer of energy from adipose tissue (fat) to the bloodstream. Can it cannibalize muscle tissue? Sure, but if you get enough protein and are subjecting the muscles to adequate amounts of training, it's not going to happen.

There are plenty of athletes that do more cardio than the average gym-goer and still maintain and build muscle. Even the ones that aren't on steroids

As for muscles burning more calories, it's not as much as you'd think. One pound of muscle only burns about 5-7 calories per day. A very insignificant amount.

http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqan...309&itemid=358

Now, I agree with you that 30-45 minutes of cardio is enough, but it's intensity that matters, not length. That's why I've been hammering on this HIIT concept. Steady-state cardio like running 3 miles, doing 4 miles on the elliptical and some on the bike isn't great, for many reasons. It's not really that intense. Steady-state cardio can increase carb cravings and cause you to eat more. And finally, HIIT is just a better time investment as far as calories burned per minute goes. Now, if he's doing all of those 12.5 miles as HIIT, then I have no problem with it. But 12.5 miles of steady-state isn't nearly as good for you as the equivalent time in an HIIT program.

[RedThat]

Originally Posted by Silock

It's not that big of a deal. He's not a competitive marathon runner. THOSE guys have problems hanging on to muscle mass. For everyone else, cardio shouldn't even be a concern when it comes to muscle mass.

There's been some kind of crazy myth floating around, probably starting with bodybuilders, that cardio kills muscle mass. It doesn't. Muscle mass is simply a response to a training stimulus. Many people that are overly focused on cardio don't lift weights at all, or don't lift heavy weights enough. Well, of course that's not a recipe for maintaining or increasing muscle mass.

As for the cortisol issue, directly correlating it to cardio is incorrect. ANY overtraining, whether it's cardio or weights, will increase cortisol. In fact, that's where the post-workout carb thing comes from. Weightlifters wanted to reduce cortisol levels after lifting, and so spiked their insulin. That's one way to do it, but it's not as big a deal as they make it out to be.

The key to controlling cortisol is rest and proper nutrition. Eat good fats and plenty of protein and veggies. You can't overtrain, whether you do it through cardio or through lifting weight. For people with lots of excess body fat, cortisol can be very helpful, as it mobilizes the transfer of energy from adipose tissue (fat) to the bloodstream. Can it cannibalize muscle tissue? Sure, but if you get enough protein and are subjecting the muscles to adequate amounts of training, it's not going to happen.

There are plenty of athletes that do more cardio than the average gym-goer and still maintain and build muscle. Even the ones that aren't on steroids

As for muscles burning more calories, it's not as much as you'd think. One pound of muscle only burns about 5-7 calories per day. A very insignificant amount.

http://www.acefitness.org/fitnessqan...309&itemid=358

Now, I agree with you that 30-45 minutes of cardio is enough, but it's intensity that matters, not length. That's why I've been hammering on this HIIT concept. Steady-state cardio like running 3 miles, doing 4 miles on the elliptical and some on the bike isn't great, for many reasons. It's not really that intense. Steady-state cardio can increase carb cravings and cause you to eat more. And finally, HIIT is just a better time investment as far as calories burned per minute goes. Now, if he's doing all of those 12.5 miles as HIIT, then I have no problem with it. But 12.5 miles of steady-state isn't nearly as good for you as the equivalent time in an HIIT program.

So you're saying this whole cortisol thing is kinda blown out of proportion? I could see that.

Interesting I didn't know that cortisol could have that type of effect for people who are overweight. Thank you for your insight Silock. It has its pros and cons but the con aspect of cortisol can be controlled..hmmm I follow this very thing that you have said in regards to proper nutrition eating the proper amount of Protein, good fats and veggies. I do that and know Im okay.

I just get a little concerned sometimes, and fear stuff like overtraining. Sometimes I'll even do 45 minutes on the eliptical and I see my HR raise to like 160bpm, and Im like, "oh noes, thats too intense, I hope Im not overtraining or doing too much"...The fear factor sets in and then the thoughts of cortisol cross my mind from time to time.