Fitness Challenge!

[creagdhubh]

Never had any Michelob, but I will say that Guinness is the finest "light" beer I've ever had. Makes a good recovery drink after P90X, too! (Just trying to mantain the thread.)

Haha! Quite! int:

[Pleater]

On the Atkins diet list I visit there are a couple of men who are athletes and doing Atkins and being rather astonished by the way their times are improving both for the distances and recovery.

One was still eating carb dense foods, 'to keep going' and 'to recover' and then stopped because it wasn't working.

This is the actual Atkins diet, not the one described in the media.

I know I ought to stick to strict Atkins and lose weight, but just eating the allowed foods makes me feel so much better that after three days when my joints stop aching and I feel more alert and energetic I am far less motivated. Whilst I can get around on my bicycle and bounce on the trampoline my weight doesn't seem important.

I know that I lose more weight eating Atkins than fasting - so calories in/calories out thinking has to be wrong where my metabolism is concerned.

Anyone who is seriously into the idea of losing weight and being fitter would, I believe, do well to examine just how much of the established advice on eating applies to their own selves.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Reverend Graham]

Rab, my double marathon is the Gin Pit ( real muddy ) and my Deca is in the one a day format, if you don't make the start line a 6am every day, your out, in the all in one you can get some rest when you want to, this way you have to train your body to recovery real quick.

Pleater, my Deca is not far from you, at Avon Tyrell, if you fancy a laugh watching guys destroy themsevles pop along any time from june 1st to the 10th, the last day is the best

Graham

[Geoff Withnell]

I have been working myself on getting back into fitness. I have found that Weight Watchers works very well. NOTHING is completely verboten, it's a question of portion control and moderation (something I am not good at ). The program emphasizes eating the right foods, in reasonable quantity and getting activity (aka exercise). I have lost a considerable amount of weight, 8 inches off my kilt waist, and gained a whole bunch of stamina and strength. What I believe, and the nutritionists and food scientists at WW seem to agree, is that the human body works best with a combination of protein, carbs, fiber, and healthy oils. But I also believe if it works for you, go with it. What ever gets you off the coach is good!

[creagdhubh]

I have been working myself on getting back into fitness. I have found that Weight Watchers works very well. NOTHING is completely verboten, it's a question of portion control and moderation (something I am not good at ). The program emphasizes eating the right foods, in reasonable quantity and getting activity (aka exercise). I have lost a considerable amount of weight, 8 inches off my kilt waist, and gained a whole bunch of stamina and strength. What I believe, and the nutritionists and food scientists at WW seem to agree, is that the human body works best with a combination of protein, carbs, fiber, and healthy oils. But I also believe if it works for you, go with it. What ever gets you off the coach is good!

Well said, and you are so right, Geoff! Best of luck in your fitness and overall good health endeavours.

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

Day 2 of my 'back in shape' program was yesterday. I realise it is still early, but everything has been going rather well thus far. I am sore as heck, which is typical, and something not very unfamiliar to me, but I am already sleeping better, and feel the energy boost gradually returning! I have been limiting my daily caloric intake as well (no more than 1,200 calories per day), but without starving myself, which ultimately, never works in the end.

I drink tons of water throughout the day; and pre and post workout, I drink Gatorade G2. I also drink a small glass of fat-free, organic milk with dinner, as well as having a small glass of V8 low sodium every day. I eat a lot of salads, just because I love salad! It's usually always mixed greens with spinach, almond shavings, dried cranberries, and a low-fat vinigarette of some sort. I sometimes add small pieces of grilled chicken breast to the salad as well, for protein. Most of my larger meals, aka, dinner, consist mainly of fish (albacore tuna, mahi mahi, trout, salmon, etc) or chicken, with tons of fresh raw, or steamed veggies. I snack on fresh fruit - blueberries, bananas, cranberries, cantaloupe, raspberries - throughout the day, along with unsalted almonds. Fat-free yogurt and a multi-grain English muffin, or fiber cereal, with orange juice, is usually what I have for breakfast.

Bottom line with good nutrition, it's really all about healthy choices; being consistent in those choices, and portion control. Naturally, if one wishes to lose weight, caloric intake must be less than what you burn whilst working out. I am looking forward to working out everyday now, and the funny thing that happens every time, without fail, is that once you begin to take care of your body physically, you begin to crave healthy foods and not the greasy, fried nastiness - it's amazing - happens to me every time!

Things I cut out completely from my diet:

-Desserts
-Soda
-Fast food
-High-sodium foods
-High-sugary foods
-High-fat foods
-Anything fried
-Candy

*Consumption of alcohol is limited, but not eliminated.


Best of luck to all!

[Brett]

I have been working myself on getting back into fitness. I have found that Weight Watchers works very well. NOTHING is completely verboten, it's a question of portion control and moderation (something I am not good at ). The program emphasizes eating the right foods, in reasonable quantity and getting activity (aka exercise). I have lost a considerable amount of weight, 8 inches off my kilt waist, and gained a whole bunch of stamina and strength. What I believe, and the nutritionists and food scientists at WW seem to agree, is that the human body works best with a combination of protein, carbs, fiber, and healthy oils. But I also believe if it works for you, go with it. What ever gets you off the coach is good!

WW is a fine system and works for many people. There are many ways to skin a cat and when people ask me what the "best diet" is, my answer is always, 'the one you will stick to'. For some that's WW, for others it's Atkins and others do well on the traditional higher carb, low fat diet.

Ultimately, for weight loss, once the caloric defecit is figured out for an individual and enough protein is included to maintain muscle mass, wether the remaining calories come from carbohydrates or fat is largely irrelevant. At least, that's what the years upon years of research concludes. There may be a slight metabolic advantage to lowering or eliminating carbohydrates, but once water loss is factored in, it's not terribly significant. What is significant is that the particular diet helps an individual deal with hunger and craving issues. This varies from person to person and bodytype to bodytype.

Regardless of wether carbohydrates or fat are the main source of calories outside of protein, no diet can outfox the laws of basic physics, although many diets claim to be able to do just that.

Now if we're talking not just weight loss, but optimum health, than things change a little bit and as the science fleshes out further, I would imagine we'll see the paleo style diets are going to win out.

[Brett]

Day 2 of my 'back in shape' program was yesterday. I realise it is still early, but everything has been going rather well thus far. I am sore as heck, which is typical, and something not very unfamiliar to me, but I am already sleeping better, and feel the energy boost gradually returning! I have been limiting my daily caloric intake as well (no more than 1,200 calories per day), but without starving myself, which ultimately, never works in the end.

I drink tons of water throughout the day; and pre and post workout, I drink Gatorade G2. I also drink a small glass of fat-free, organic milk with dinner, as well as having a small glass of V8 low sodium every day. I eat a lot of salads, just because I love salad! It's usually always mixed greens with spinach, almond shavings, dried cranberries, and a low-fat vinigarette of some sort. I sometimes add small pieces of grilled chicken breast to the salad as well, for protein. Most of my larger meals, aka, dinner, consist mainly of fish (albacore tuna, mahi mahi, trout, salmon, etc) or chicken, with tons of fresh raw, or steamed veggies. I snack on fresh fruit - blueberries, bananas, cranberries, cantaloupe, raspberries - throughout the day, along with unsalted almonds. Fat-free yogurt and a multi-grain English muffin, or fiber-one cereal, with orange juice, is usually what I have for breakfast.

Bottom line with good nutrition, it's really all about healthy choices; being consistent in those choices, and portion control. Naturally, if one wishes to lose weight, caloric intake must be less than what you burn whilst working out. I am looking forward to working out everyday now, and the funny thing that happens every time, without fail, is that once you begin to take care of your body physically, you begin to crave healthy foods and not the greasy, fried nastiness - it's amazing - happens to me every time!

Best of luck to all!

your diet sounds pretty spot on for health and your last paragraph sums up the process very well.

[Joshua]

Helped a friend move during a fast yesterday. Amazingly enough, feel great this morning although I did have to sleep in a little. I was a little woozy after breaking down and packing furniture into my truck with just the fuel on my torso. Today's weigh-in was 2lbs less than yesterday, so I guess I did alright.

Art DeVany talks about fasted workouts producing growth hormone, don't know how valid this is but I trust ol' Art - he's a smart guy.

[creagdhubh]

your diet sounds pretty spot on for health and your last paragraph sums up the process very well.

Cheers, Brett!