For BG fitness fanatics, a question..

[Weiing]

a) does that guide look good? Friend said it did and he says the fitness nuts he talked to when he was looking into it all agreed, just figure I'd get more input wherever I could lol.

First of all...I have heard good things about C25K (couch to 5k) from people who wanted to lose weight/start getting active when I was first starting my own weight loss journey. Intervals are always fun. I have never done this program myself per se, but I do do HIIT (sort of same concept...) It is nice to be able to do your workout in 20-30 minutes. Anyway, the feedback I heard from other communities (such as caloriecount.com at about.com) is generally positive. Obviously, if you think you would enjoy running or whatever, then be my guest and try it out. But just as a precaution, running isn't as easy as it seems... as for someone who may be coming from complete inactivity to running/jogging, it may make you more at risk for injury. Maybe. But at least with C25K, they gradually increase running length/distance, so it shouldn't be as bad... but be careful.

As a side not, some of the people that started C25K weren't aiming to run a 5K, but still used the guide as an introductory thing to running and becoming more active. You can also do other things to become more active, such as just walking more...walking up stairs... parking further away from a store at a parking lot and walking further to the store, etc.

But then after the program. What then? Your body will eventually start to expend less calories as it adapts to your workout regimen. So eventually, you'll need have to change it up, whether you go longer distances, running longer, or running/sprinting harder.

I do believe...my own personal belief... that weight training of some sort will be advantageous, too. How are you measuring your idea of "putting effort into it"? If you're measuring it with the amount of sweat you expel, then that's not an accurate measure. If you're measuring it by if you feel extremely tired/pooped after, then it could be a good measure... but you know what? AFter a good lifting day for me, I'm not feeling too tired/pooped from it. I'm feeling good, and may not have even broken a sweat (as that's just your body's way of cooling down). I think weight training is advantageous because it'll help you retain muscle while you lose weight/fat while also maybe gaining some muscle (at the start) to increase your overall resting metabolic rate. Don't forget that it's not just about burning calories during the time you workout, but also after your workouts and throughout the whole day. For instance, HIIT doesn't burn as much calories in 20 minutes as steady state cardio. However, it burns more calories overtime, beyond the workout session.

In the end, it's really up to you what you feel comfortable starting out with and what you believe you can sustain. In short, C25K is a good program for the most part.

SORRY for the long post.

[sephir]

For future reference about caloric intake/workout:

http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

You have to sign up which takes 2 minutes. Its not exact, but its fairly accurate. I use it to estimate my intake/work estimates in order to maintain my bodyweight. It even includes values for alcohols so if you want to know the exact caloric intake of your drinking session you can~

[Serif]

Figured I'd ask in this thread instead of starting a new one. What's a diet-friendly to get wasted on?

Best I have heard of is Bacardi Limon + Water

I think only 68 calories if I remember correctly

Tastes like a weak lemonade

[Norellicus]

stuff

Don't worry about being long winded, I like in-depth information

re: injuring myself by choosing to run, I'm not very worried; I consider myself quite sturdy and fairly flexible, and like I said I'm not really overweight (yet! 6'3", probably in the 190lbs range though I haven't weighed in for some time), so I don't think I'll have much issue with too much stress on my extremities. I have a decent pair of athletic shoes, but they're sorta old; assuming I stick with this I may get a gait analysis done and get something proper for my body type that won't fuck me up in the long term. I actually went out last night and did the week 1 run and it felt pretty good

As for what to do when I get to the end of the C25K routine, I know that's an issue but I'm trying to take baby steps here I'm not sure yet what I'll do at the end. Though I do admit it didn't entirely dawn on me that I'd have to extend the routine further...somewhere in my head I got the idea that I could just run the last of the routine all the time, heh. I suppose I could always check in here to find out the best options! :D

And about the weight training, I know some weight training is beneficial even to runners, I just didn't want to get into a heavy weight training routine like the one I had experimented with seemed to be taking me down.

When I say "putting effort into it" it's just an internal feeling really, the exercises the system instructed me to do felt effortless on one difficulty and felt dangerous on the next difficulty up. That may be a function of my current body condition and I won't have as much trouble with it in coming weeks once I've progressed further on the intervals, I'm not sure. My dad suggested a different routine to try as well, particularly to do between running days. Will have to see how that plays.

Anyhow, the warnings are appreciated, I won't deny I'm mostly new to a lot of this and don't know what I may have overlooked without someone with more experience bringing it up

[Weiing]

more stuff

Well, I just wanted to be sure you are going about it in a safe way that won't cause you too much injury. But as you seem to know your own body/its limits/etc, I'm confident you can do it!

As for weight training... eh. I mean, I LOVE it, but you don't HAVE to weight train. even doing body weight exercises can help, such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats (body weight), plyometrics, etc are all really nice and can beat you up pretty bad.

But yeah, I guess I was going way ahead. Baby steps first! I say go try C25k if it looks really good to you. Many enjoy you, you may too! Good luck and keep us (or at least me!) updated. ;o

[Atreides]

So being the huge chocoholic I am, I had a nervous breakdown and went to Whole Foods today to buy a shitload of chocolate. Supposedly you can get all the antioxidant benefits of chocolate by having roughly 200 calories every 3 days (sadly exceeding this amount doesn't increase the benefit lol), and 70 calories (1-2 pieces) per day is a reasonable indulgence for one of my favorite foods.

Anyway in dark/bittersweet chocolate there isn't all that much sugar, and whatever is there is definitely worth it IMO. I've been having a small piece after dinner for a while now and it helps keep me sane while dieting, so now I have a big variety to choose from lol.

already down 13.5 lbs in 6 weeks (4-5 lbs for the first week and 1-1.5lbs every week after that) which is right on track. I'm hovering around 1900 cals/day but I'm wondering if I should increase it a little considering I've been working out pretty strenuously 4days/week (1-1.5hrs weights, 30 mins HIIT) and sometimes I feel weak afterwards. I guess I'll reevaluate if I start losing more than 2 lbs/week.

In related news I would kill for a cheeseburger

[Weiing]

Then have your cheeseburger. Nothing wrong with a cheeseburger...

And yeah, I think you can probably up your calorie intake as you work out quite rigorously. You can probably go on about 2000-21000 a day and still lose weight. If your body is feeling weak, it should be pretty apparent something is wrong. It may be the low caloric intake, or it can actually be the need to have more fat/protein in your diet rather than carbs/sugars (although I doubt you have lots of simple sugars anyway).

As for dark chocolate.. mmm it's so good! But perhaps it may be better to have more natural chocolate to get more of the antioxidants. I'm talking raw cacao, not just chocolate. What kinds of brands do you eat? Chocolate is my weakness.I need to learn to eat only 1-2 squares at most...but it's just so hard! hahaha.

[Meat]

i just have my after workout shake with grape juice, i think the same flavonoids in dark chocolate are in grape juice\wine. My diet however has going to shit, my new gf is italian, a baker and is a HUGE alky. i cheat just about every other day and am constantly playing catchup.

[Atreides]

Then have your cheeseburger. Nothing wrong with a cheeseburger...

And yeah, I think you can probably up your calorie intake as you work out quite rigorously. You can probably go on about 2000-21000 a day and still lose weight. If your body is feeling weak, it should be pretty apparent something is wrong. It may be the low caloric intake, or it can actually be the need to have more fat/protein in your diet rather than carbs/sugars (although I doubt you have lots of simple sugars anyway).

As for dark chocolate.. mmm it's so good! But perhaps it may be better to have more natural chocolate to get more of the antioxidants. I'm talking raw cacao, not just chocolate. What kinds of brands do you eat? Chocolate is my weakness.I need to learn to eat only 1-2 squares at most...but it's just so hard! hahaha.

Normally I buy Trader Joe's Pound Plus, either Bittersweet with Almonds (which is really more of a dark than a bittersweet) or Dark 72% Cacao, simply because it's really high quality with a nice chocolatey flavor, especially considering how god damn cheap it is.

The 3 things I bought today:
1) Tcho Dark Chocolate "Chocolatey", which was like 5 bucks for a little bar, and decent although it had that acidic/liquory aftertaste that high end chocolate tends to have that I normally don't like
2) sweetriot flavor 65%, which are raw cacao nibs dipped in dark chocolate, also about 4 bucks but they claim it's only 1-2 calories per piece, or only 140 calories in the package, which is pretty nice. Still, to prevent melting they use that shiny chocolate coating you see on chocolate-covered stuff, which I don't like as much because it tends to be waxy and overly candy-like.
3) Divine 70% dark chocolate, which I had to put in a ziploc and hide from myself after half a piece because it is AMAZING. I don't remember how much it cost but it's seriously one of the best dark chocolates I've ever had.

I figure when I run through these I'll experiment with another 2-3 bars from Trader Joes/Whole Foods or whatever.

And if my diet lacks anything it's carbs, I have plenty of healthy fats and protein but not a lot of starchy carbs besides sweet potato. I might throw in a piece of ezekiel bread or something, hmm.

[richardd]

i just have my after workout shake with grape juice, i think the same flavonoids in dark chocolate are in grape juice\wine. My diet however has going to shit, my new gf is italian, a baker and is a HUGE alky. i cheat just about every other day and am constantly playing catchup.

my gf is just a friend with benefits now, but she can make a mean ass cheescake, lol


but i still dont eat that crap. sugar is not my sweet spot. i can care less if i never eat a single peice of chocolate for the rest of my life or any other candies for that matter lol (except maybe ice cream). but steaks/hamburgers/and other meats are my weakness. i always have to have the above average serving i can seriously sit down and eat a plate of ribs and just not be full. crazeh

[Weiing]

my gf... a HUGE alky. .

The nerd in my just automatically thought that she's a BIG Alkyoneous... >_>

@Atreides Is that 72% Cacao you have come in a bright green wrapper thing? If so, that is delicious. I also like the Belgium chocolate from Trader Joe's that come in a tin can. mmm. TJ"s is so awesome and so cheap.

@Richardd... you not liking sweets/chocolate? Can't be friends with you anymore.

[richardd]

not that i dislike em really, i just dont prefer it

[Caiyuo]

Definitely chocolate for me too. Sunbelt makes these Chocolate granola bars that are pretty terrible nutritionally for what I'm aiming, but they're so goddamn good that I sometimes just work on one throughout the entire day to make myself feel better about it lol. I remember like 4 years ago, my then-gf and I would grab Symphony bars from Walgreens like twice a week and split them; dating always seems synonymous with weight-gain to me, lol.

i cheat just about every other day and am constantly playing catchup.

I hate that feeling, it's hard to ever feel like I even out afterwards, especially after a night out involving beers.

[Weiing]

I remember like 4 years ago, my then-gf and I would grab Symphony bars from Walgreens like twice a week and split them; dating always seems synonymous with weight-gain to me, lol.

Yeah... it's true. dating/marriage usually leads to weight gain. Even studies show! I guess that means we should never date! EVAR! Weird, isn't it?

[Caiyuo]

Yeah... it's true. dating/marriage usually leads to weight gain. Even studies show! I guess that means we should never date! EVAR! Weird, isn't it?

lol OR learn to tell the significant others that, no, eating out for the 3rd time this week probably isn't a good idea. Weird how like, ordering chinese take-out and sitting down to a movie for a night alone is kind of a rarity when single whereas it's standard fare as a couple. Something comforting about it, I guess there's solace in knowing you aren't the only one sabotaging your diet lol.

[Weiing]

lol OR learn to tell the significant others that, no, eating out for the 3rd time this week probably isn't a good idea. Weird how like, ordering chinese take-out and sitting down to a movie for a night alone is kind of a rarity when single whereas it's standard fare as a couple. Something comforting about it, I guess there's solace in knowing you aren't the only one sabotaging your diet lol.

ahaha Yeah...it is horrible. But sometimes I just don't feel like making lunch/dinner! Perhaps it's because making food for one is easier than making food for two (as in having to decide what to make... Will the other be in the mood for what I want to eat?)

My fiance and I actually did a conscious thing and said "Ok, no eating out for a WHOLE month." At first, we reduced it to no more than three times a week, but decided to not eat out for a whole month. It actually went by fine. it's not like we go out and eat crap for the most part anyway... But it still seemed daunting not to eat out for a whole month for the sake of convenience. Still do-able...but eh.

It's also compounded by the fact playing video games like FF11... At our worst, it was "Oh got to make (fill in the blank) event! Go out real fast and get something to eat". SO ashamed of the past, but it's way better now. :D

[Angelsin]

Love this thread. Good info and motivation for me.

I started working out and stopped later on many times because I couldn't see any results. Decided to give the whey protein a shot. After a few weeks I'm definately noticing a difference. Have to agree it sucks to have a sweet tooth.

[Weiing]

Yeah...be patient. Results aren't always fast, but once it becomes apparent, it's pretty awesome! Shouldn't always be about the results though. ;o

[Churchill]

Could always tell your significant other to fuck off if they don't want to eat an egg, turkey, and spinach omelet every night before bed.

Or to eat 4oz of turkey, a metric shitload of asparagus, and 12 almonds for lunch.

lol.

[Caiyuo]

ahaha Yeah...it is horrible. But sometimes I just don't feel like making lunch/dinner! Perhaps it's because making food for one is easier than making food for two (as in having to decide what to make... Will the other be in the mood for what I want to eat?)

My fiance and I actually did a conscious thing and said "Ok, no eating out for a WHOLE month." At first, we reduced it to no more than three times a week, but decided to not eat out for a whole month. It actually went by fine. it's not like we go out and eat crap for the most part anyway... But it still seemed daunting not to eat out for a whole month for the sake of convenience. Still do-able...but eh.

It's also compounded by the fact playing video games like FF11... At our worst, it was "Oh got to make (fill in the blank) event! Go out real fast and get something to eat". SO ashamed of the past, but it's way better now. :D

That's good that you both made a conscious decision to do so, I'd kind of ignored my health at the time since I'd been skinny all along; mostly just getting too comfortable I guess. Same way here, though, XI was probably the worst perpetrator for me lol. Always something sugary to keep me going at like 2AM for salvage, along with the sleep loss. Can't imagine what kind of awful rushing oh-god-sky-in-15 stuff I was eating lol.