Minnesota Fats' training log

[Minnesota Fats]

Minnesota Fats' training log:
<Personal info removed>

Alllllright...

Inspired by Loner's training log (http://actuary.ca/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=32618), I'm starting a log of my own. Similar to Loner's, this is an effort to shame myself into losing some weight. Advice and support is always welcome. I do occaisionally post to this forum under a different name, and given some of the info in here, it might not be too hard to figure out who I am (both my RF name and my real identity). However, I'd appreciate if you'd keep the speculation to yourself, and all guesses will be shot down with a "No" no matter how correct they are. Especially people I work with... one person in particular will peg me right away.

Some background info...

Despite a combination of my weight and not being especially tall, I'm actually not that unhealthy. The weight gets bumped up from having a decent amount of muscle (although I'm certainly no Arnold), and if you saw me coming down the street you'd think my body type was pretty normal. Or at least that's what I think, it's too easy to just consider yourself as the standard. I've gained about 20 lbs. since graduating college, and I'd like to bring myself back down to that before I spiral out of control. Problem is, I've been trying to do this since the moment I graduated college and have never been successful. I've always felt like the desire and motivation were there, but apparently, they're not.

My one and only goal is to decrease the fat. I plan to do this by both watching what I eat (primarily) and with exercise (secondary, but also important). Eating will be pure calorie counting... the intent is to eat somewhere in the 1600's every day, never, EVER, under any circumstances, going above 1750. Exercise will be circuit training at the gym, basically full body weight training at the gym, 3x a week (M,W,F). I would also like to get back to running... less than two years ago I could run 5 miles while barely breaking a sweat, but nowadays I get tired walking up three flights of stairs.

So, that's it! I'll edit this post each day with updated numbers. Once again, please feel free to offer advice or support or ask questions. I'm really hoping I can keep myself on track by putting this out in the public domain. :)

[Macavity]

Worry more about the aerobic exercise than the caloric intake. I suggest you can easily go over 1750 and still have lbs fly off if you're doing intense cardio for at least 30 minutes 3 times/week. Try not to go much over 2000/day but limiting to 1600 is pretty low for a guy your size with your amt of muscle. If you go too low, your body will stop burning fat and you'll start to get weak, losing muscle and strength.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I agree. 2000 calories minimum for you, especially if you're going to exercise that much (which, by professional athlete standards isn't a whole lot, but as an actuary, it's pretty good).
If you don't get enough calories, your body will find the protein the hard way: from your muscles and your brain.
And, is there a deadline? If not, then don't cut back so much on the calories.

Regarding diet:
1. Lay off the refined sugars and HFCS -- high-fructose corn syrup.
2. No alcohol, either.
3. Ween off of the caffeine, too.
Yes, type of calorie is just as important as the count. And when you eat relative to exercising is important as well.

Regarding exercise:
1. Start climbing those stairs, if you have some available, whenever you have to change elevation.
2. You can start with circuit training for a few weeks, but your body will get used to it, so after three weeks or so mix up your workout a bit, maybe with some supersets or doing each half of your body twice a week (four days of workouts).
3. I wouldn't get back into running until you've lost about 10 pounds. Your knees aren't used to your current weight. (Just a guess, but I'm cautious.) Running won't help you lose weight as much as building muscles will. Helps you keep it off when you do lose the weight. But for the most part, the risk of injury (and thus not exercising) is not worth it. Plus, running helps you become good at running. Your body finds the efficient way to run, and then your body doesn't burn calories as much as you expect it to do when running.

Regarding both:
Try this book, called "The Testosterone Advantage Plan." It balances a higher-than-average-protein diet with exercise regimens. It has three different plans, depending on your goal. Yours would include lower calories with relatively more protein and fat, while someone looking to gain weight would consume more calories with relatively (according to weight) the same amount of protein and fat (thus the balance coming from carbs).
According to the book, you'll spend 2200 calories per day just living. Add in a moderately active lifestyle, and then subtract off 1000 calories a day for a 2lb/week drop in fattage, and I compute roughly an 1800-calorie/day amount. This assumes you'll be consuming 179 grams of protein, 137 grams of carbs, and 61 grams of fat per day.
The book also assumes that building muscle is imperative to burning calories. And that protein is the way to do that.

(PS: I don't care who you are in real life.)

[tommie frazier]

one person in particular will peg me right away.

so it's a guy who works with Loner...

good luck with the plan. I too am fighting the battle.

[Loner]

one person in particular will peg me right away.

so it's a guy who works with Loner...

good luck with the plan. I too am fighting the battle.

Obviously someone isn't up on his Savage Love reading. Pegging is something a chick does to a dude.

[burton leon reynolds]

one person in particular will peg me right away.

so it's a guy who works with Loner...

good luck with the plan. I too am fighting the battle.

Obviously someone isn't up on his Savage Love reading. Pegging is something a chick does to a dude.

oooooooohhhh face!

[Minnesota Fats]

Thank you for the advice, that's definitely some good stuff to consider. I was wondering if I was setting the calorie bar too low. I might keep it there for a little bit, just to see how it goes, but I'll be doing some Googling tonight to read more about that. The problem is there's so many conflicting reports out there on what's best.... I guess in the end, it all depends on the particular person.

I should be fine with immediate running and gym work. I've stayed fairly active at the gym and it wasn't too long ago that I'd go run a few miles, I just haven't been doing either as often or as hard as I should have.

[Klaymen]

And go to bed hungry. Eat just enough dinner to get you to tomorrow. If you can't stand the rumbling at 9pm, throw a slice of bread down there.

[Professor Donald Trump]

They don't call me Springfield Fats because I'm dangerously obese...

[tommie frazier]

Obviously someone isn't up on his Savage Love reading. Pegging is something a chick does to a dude.

I actually knew that, owing to faithful reading of SL each week.

I just typed it that way to be a moran, since you were previously referenced in the thread.

[llcooljabe]

And I thought this would be a discussion on playing pool...

[Minnesota Fats]

Woohoo... one day and I already went past the limits I set for myself. :swear:

[Maxprime]

This Spring's exam studying fattened me up, so I dropped 24 lbs. to get my body fat % back down to 10.6% :)

The best weight loss exercise that you can do is cycling. On my average ride I generally burn somewhere around 2500 calories - even more when I was fatter. That being said, if it's not your thing - just make sure you do something aerobic and do it a long time.

As for watching what you eat - a couple things:
1) Stop even thinking about eating fast food - it's absolutely terrible for you.
2) Plan your meals out somewhat - think to yourself "I'm going to be running/cycling later, I need some carbs" or "I'm going to bed, I don't need 600 calories of complex carbs to sleep".
3) Allow yourself to cheat some. People go nuts on diets because they torture themselves. You can have dessert every once and a while - but make sure it's every once and a while and not all the time. When you do cheat, try to minimize it. Don't eat a bucket of fried chicken - just eat a few wings, etc.
4) Keep that calorie deficit up. If you really flat out despise aerobic workouts, just make sure you are in a 500 calorie deficit per day and you should lose almost a pound per week.

Hope this helps - we've all been there.

[Minnesota Fats]

Lesson of the day: If you mom sends you a surprise box of food and cookies and you eat a whole ton of it, you will lose a pound and a half.

[Smooth Verona]

3. Ween off of the caffeine, too.
I am starting my diet and exercise this week. I am curious about the caffeine statement. I heard somewhere that coffee was the perfect diet drink (no calories and makes you feel full). Also, I heard that spicy foods are good on a diet because they can increase your metabolism. They suggested using hot salsa as salad dressing. Any thoughts on the coffee or spicy statements?

I like this idea of posting for motivation. I'm 5'10'' and 210. I could drop about 35.

[MNBridge]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents in here.

My biggest issue when working out is that I get tired so quickly. Ephedra did the trick in helping out with that but now that it's banned :swear: Since then I just despise going to the gym. (Right before it was banned I was going 5 days a week 45 minutes to an hour a day). Now I'm beat 15 minutes into that routine. It sucks!

Any ideas?

I am not a big fan of aerobics either. But one thing that I have (had) incorporated into my workout is a just enough aerobics to get my heartrate up. Then while lifting go quick enough to maintain a rate above X. All the benefits of aerobics without the boredom (But be prepared to go lower on the weights.)

[aces219]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents in here.

My biggest issue when working out is that I get tired so quickly. Ephedra did the trick in helping out with that but now that it's banned :swear: Since then I just despise going to the gym. (Right before it was banned I was going 5 days a week 45 minutes to an hour a day). Now I'm beat 15 minutes into that routine. It sucks!

Any ideas?

I am not a big fan of aerobics either. But one thing that I have (had) incorporated into my workout is a just enough aerobics to get my heartrate up. Then while lifting go quick enough to maintain a rate above X. All the benefits of aerobics without the boredom (But be prepared to go lower on the weights.)

If you get tired that quickly, you are trying to do too much. Lift less weight. Go slower. Get more sleep.

[aces219]

3. Ween off of the caffeine, too.
I am starting my diet and exercise this week. I am curious about the caffeine statement. I heard somewhere that coffee was the perfect diet drink (no calories and makes you feel full). Also, I heard that spicy foods are good on a diet because they can increase your metabolism. They suggested using hot salsa as salad dressing. Any thoughts on the coffee or spicy statements?

I like this idea of posting for motivation. I'm 5'10'' and 210. I could drop about 35.

Personally, I think eat whatever low-cal stuff that is going to help you lose. Caffeine isn't evil. It's a drug that has the potential for addiction. But if it's not causing insomnia or jitters, go for it. I drink a lot of water when I am trying to lose weight because it fills me up and because I end up feeling dehydrated, but the jury is out on whether you actually need to flush your body. I just feel better if I drink the water. I don't really like black coffee so that makes that not such a great choice for me, but I love Diet Coke.

[MNBridge]

If you get tired that quickly, you are trying to do too much. Lift less weight. Go slower. Get more sleep.

Problem is my muscles can handle it fine. I just get wore out, not muscle fatigue.

[aces219]

If you get tired that quickly, you are trying to do too much. Lift less weight. Go slower. Get more sleep.

Problem is my muscles can handle it fine. I just get wore out, not muscle fatigue.

If your muscles are going strong, then what part of you exactly is worn out?

[Vlagmar]

I would recommend having sex more often.
Through away the remote.
Get rid of your cable or satellite.
Walk to work.
Walk at lunch.
When you serve yourself dinner, cut the portions in half and have the leftovers for lunch.
Drink lots of water.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

3. Ween off of the caffeine, too.
I am starting my diet and exercise this week. I am curious about the caffeine statement. I heard somewhere that coffee was the perfect diet drink (no calories and makes you feel full). Also, I heard that spicy foods are good on a diet because they can increase your metabolism. They suggested using hot salsa as salad dressing. Any thoughts on the coffee or spicy statements?

I like this idea of posting for motivation. I'm 5'10'' and 210. I could drop about 35.
Caffeine eventually induces an insulin surge, which tells your mind to eat something. As long as you're IV'd to the coffeemaker, you'll be fine. Lots of diet pills contain caffeine. It's a crutch.
I don't know about spices. They work well for the taste of plain chicken.

Yes, about 35 pounds is right. Me too. Should take about nine months. A pound a week is acceptable; you shouldn't drop 10 in a month, because you're not 400 pounds. the faster you drop, the more you eventually add.

[MNBridge]

If you get tired that quickly, you are trying to do too much. Lift less weight. Go slower. Get more sleep.

Problem is my muscles can handle it fine. I just get wore out, not muscle fatigue.

If your muscles are going strong, then what part of you exactly is worn out?

I just 'feel' beat. No energy.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

MNB, as an unlicenesed non-physician, I suggest you eat more protein. Your muscles need protein to rebuild after the workout breaks them down.

[MNBridge]

MNB, as an unlicenesed non-physician, I suggest you eat more protein. Your muscles need protein to rebuild after the workout breaks them down.

Strength isn't the issue (I can bench about 150% of body weight). Or even what I'm shooting for. I'd gladly give up strength to go back to having a six pack.
It's just general rundown. Which has in the past led to injury :swear: .

But then 10 - 20 minutes after I'm done it doesn't even feel like I was working out. I could sit in the gym for 2 hours I guess but I don't have the desire or time for that.

I want a 45 minute high intensity workout (like I used to enjoy - with ephedra) again :(
* And I only took 1 tablet a day so it's not like I was abusing.

Thinking of trying diet pills -- I understand they have caffine and some other speed (bad word) like enhancement. But I just cringe at the thought. Which is worse not working out or taking those things?

Or just straight caffine pills but I've tried that and it just didn't have much 'kick' (I only took the equivalent of 1/2 cup of coffee so maybe I need to jack it up?).

[J.T.]

I can't say much to add, but would like to give you encouragement. After having to lose about 65 extra pounds that came with my pregnancy (I gained over 85), I wish you much luck with the battle!

[Minnesota Fats]

Why yes, I have lost 3.5 lbs., thanks for noticing. :D

[Minnesota Fats]

Another day of eating more than I should but still losing weight. I don't get this at all.

[Macavity]

Minesota Fats, I think you shouldn't measure in lbs but rather in waistline. When your clothes start feeling looser, you know you've lost the bad weight.

[Minnesota Fats]

That's definitely a good idea. I'm hoping that will come down with the weight... I've got this pair of pants I wanted to wear yesterday but I had to nix it because the button was too tight and I didn't want to cut off circulation to my legs. :oops:

I can't say much to add, but would like to give you encouragement. After having to lose about 65 extra pounds that came with my pregnancy (I gained over 85), I wish you much luck with the battle!
I don't know how I missed this the first time. Thank you J.T.!

[aces219]

I'm down today too. Seems like my body finally decided to release the water it's been holding on to. Stupid prednisone.

[Minnesota Fats]

I ran across a problem in my calorie counting today, maybe someone here can help me out.

I had Hamburger Helper's Cheeseburger Macaroni for dinner (yeah :oops: ). On the side of the package, it has the usual nutrional information. But when you make the stuff, part of what you eat comes from the package itself (macaroni shells, cheese powder), while part of it is from outside sources (meat, milk). So the nutrional info on the side... is this just for what's in the package, or does it account for the 1 lb. lean ground beef and 1.5 cups milk used in the meal's preparation?

[Macavity]

Aren't there usually 2 columns: one based solely on the package and the other based on the "prepared" version which takes into account butter, milk, meat, etc added?

If there is not 2 columns, I would assume the calories are only for what's in the package and you would need to factor in the meat and butter.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Try a new diet that excludes such ambiguity.

[Brutè]

An online training log is a great idea. I just started training for a triathlon (now that I'm done studying) and found a great site that includes a free training log feature. It's quite extensive and lots of friendly advice too.

[The Drunken Actuary]

I just started training for a triathlon (now that I'm done studying) and found a great site....Doesn't a triathlon include open water swimming? What's the name of that site? Maybe they need some snorkeling tips...

[Minnesota Fats]

Wow, I'm really bad at weekends. :oops: I'm looking at today as a new beginning. I think my downfall has been that I don't plan what I'm going to eat in advance, so that once it comes time to eat I just think "here's something in the kitchen, I'll just eat it and however much of it I want." Hence the large amount of cereal that found itself consumed on Saturday.

So this week, and this goes double for weekends: Plan ahead!!!

Aren't there usually 2 columns: one based solely on the package and the other based on the "prepared" version which takes into account butter, milk, meat, etc added?
Yup, you were right. Can't believe I didn't notice that. Thanks!

[Brutè]

I just started training for a triathlon (now that I'm done studying) and found a great site....Doesn't a triathlon include open water swimming? What's the name of that site? Maybe they need some snorkeling tips...

On the off chance that you have a legitimate interest....
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/category-view.asp

But I'm not sure if snorkeling is allowed during the swimming part of the race. Or any other part for that matter. It might be considered some kind of outside assistance. :D

[Macavity]

I think my downfall has been that I don't plan what I'm going to eat in advance, so that once it comes time to eat I just think "here's something in the kitchen, I'll just eat it and however much of it I want." Hence the large amount of cereal that found itself consumed on Saturday.

You definitely need to plan. When you must shed lbs. , the act of eating is not fun and should never be looked at as fun. It should be a necessity, a chore, and rigorous ideal. Never spontanous. You should have all meals planned perfectly for the entire week. Repetition and monotany works best when trying to lose weight. NEVER eat cereal. It contains proceded grains that are terrible for you. Eat lowfat yogurt for breakfast. Eat the same thing everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It should not be an aventure in taste buds. This will help shed the lbs. Once you are thin and your metabolism is flying, you can change back to more interesting, tasty foods.

[The Bomb]

I'm v. anti-"diet" (e.g., Atkins, South Beach) as a whole, but there is some wisdom in some of those plans' tenets.

Have you considered reading Body For Life (http://www.bodyforlife.com)? Both my partner and I lost weight by employing several of the concepts contained in this book.

The premise is as follows:

Eat 6 times a day (smaller meals), with each meal containing one serving of protein and one serving of carbs. Add some veggies two or three times a day, as well. Drink water--lots of it.

Exercise--do both strength training and cardio. Strength 3x a week (Two days upper body; one day lower body--then reverse in Week 2). Cardio 3x a week (20 min interval training).

How closely you choose to follow the prescribed regimen may affect your results. When I stayed on course with the meals, I did excellently. Varying from the exercise routine above didn't affect me as severely. As a fitness instructor, I ignored the book's preferred cardio activity, but did accommodate 1-2 days of heavier lifting into my schedule (outside of the high-rep, low-weight "BodyPUMP" classes that I teach).

As cliche' as it sounds, the one thing I found that held true for both of us was:

"If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail."

When I actually sat down the night before and spent 5 minutes writing down what I would be eating the next day (some meals were: "bran flakes and egg whites", "cottage cheese and yogurt", etc....nothing real fancy), I kept to the schedule very well. The days where I didn't do it, I wasn't as successful.

Just thought I'd put that out there as another alternative. There is no "easy" way to weight loss and fitness, but having a schedule like the above helped an anal-retentive Virgo like me--maybe it'll help you, too.

[aces219]

I think my downfall has been that I don't plan what I'm going to eat in advance, so that once it comes time to eat I just think "here's something in the kitchen, I'll just eat it and however much of it I want." Hence the large amount of cereal that found itself consumed on Saturday.

You definitely need to plan. When you must shed lbs. , the act of eating is not fun and should never be looked at as fun. It should be a necessity, a chore, and rigorous ideal. Never spontanous. You should have all meals planned perfectly for the entire week. Repetition and monotany works best when trying to lose weight. NEVER eat cereal. It contains proceded grains that are terrible for you. Eat lowfat yogurt for breakfast. Eat the same thing everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It should not be an aventure in taste buds. This will help shed the lbs. Once you are thin and your metabolism is flying, you can change back to more interesting, tasty foods.

I think this is true to a point, but I think it also depends on how much weight you have to lose. If you are going to be dieting for at least a year, how could you stand to eat the same thing every single day? I also think that this doesn't teach you how to work other available food into your eating plan, so you are more likely to just put all the weight back on once you have lost it.

Planning is very important though. At minimum, I try to chart out all the calories in my head. While I won't plan exactly what I am going to eat ahead of time, I plan how many calories I would like to allocate to each meal. If I eat a bigger lunch, I have to eat a smaller dinner. If both are small, maybe I can have dessert. I find it's easier to try to eat to a specific range (for me, 1500-1800 calories a day) than 1 number.

Don't let yourself go too long without eating. Then you really will binge because you are so hungry. When I am on the verge of a binge, I really try to ask myself "what do you want more, the food or the weight off?" Usually works. Have some quick low-cal snacks available too.

[The Drunken Actuary]

I just started training for a triathlon (now that I'm done studying) and found a great site....Doesn't a triathlon include open water swimming? What's the name of that site? Maybe they need some snorkeling tips...

On the off chance that you have a legitimate interest....
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/category-view.asp
Thanks!

Let the invasion countdown begin!

[Minnesota Fats]

:bump:

[The Drunken Actuary]

Ooooh. I forgot all about this. Must register name.

[Maine-iac]

:bump:

Hit the 180's today. :D

Well, congratulations! :)

[Klaymen]

Maybe it's here and I missed it, but do you have a specific weight goal you want to achieve? Back when I was 240 lbs and starting dieting, every 5 lbs was significant, but my goal was to get to 200. I made it all the way down to 195 before settling down in the low 200's.

As Aces219 said, it's often a decision [in the evening] to either eat more or lose weight.

Congratulations on hitting the 180's. Next stop: 170's.

[Minnesota Fats]

Maybe it's here and I missed it, but do you have a specific weight goal you want to achieve?
Good question. I'm shooting for 175 right now, at which point I'd like to reevaluate and see how things look. I'd like to say I'm doing this for health reasons, but in all honestly it's almost 100% superficial.

[Minnesota Fats]

:bump:

Christmas sucks!

Fortunately I'm getting back to where I was. Which is kind of amazing considering that I haven't really eaten that healthy. That's my motivation right now.... knowing that if I really ate like I should be, results would be coming much quicker.

[Minnesota Fats]

<Personal info removed>

[Minnesota Fats]

7 day moving average of my weight for the past year or so.

Today: 180.5 lb, 20.5% bf.

[Minnesota Fats]

Who wants to be the first to post in my thread since 2004... anyone? Just wanting to make sure it's at least being noticed. :D

[Minnesota Fats]

Who wants to be the first to post in my thread since 2004... anyone? Just wanting to make sure it's at least being noticed. :D
Anyone? :tfh:

[Frenchie]

:( Poor MF's being ignored. I'm sorry. Truly, I am amazed at what you've done! Great job! I may turn to you for help w/my progress! :clap:

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Hey, MF, great job on the long-term results!! Sad to see that off-the-wagon holiday period, though.
But, it's there, and every sees it, and now it's behind you.

[Minnesota Fats]

Thanks guys! Short-term results weren't good tonight, I had a dinner big enough to choke a goat, but I know it'll just be a blip in the radar.

<Personal info removed>

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I'm very confident I'll reach my 165 goal. :)
How tall are you again? I think I would be too much of a beanpole (with a gut) at 165 (5'9" myself).

[Minnesota Fats]

How tall are you again? I think I would be too much of a beanpole (with a gut) at 165 (5'9" myself).
X. I think with my build, it'd be a great weight for me. I'm going for the "sexy" look.

[Minnesota Fats]

<Personal info removed>

[tommie frazier]

damn. 11 pounds in a month? they get harder the leaner you get. i can understand challenging yourself, but unless the bet is who gets to be on top (in which case, you win either way), it's a little aggressive.

good luck all the same.

[Minnesota Fats]

It's a bet along those lines, and while I do win either way, I prefer the prize for winning. :D

I'm feeling pumped! Who came up with the idea for this weight loss section? Great idea whoever it was!

[silverfox]

You might have to train in a rubber suit.