Bodybuilding/Workout/Diet thread

[SD]

Sarge

If you're having trouble with your muscles/joints etc. try taking flaxseed oils with omega 3 fatty acids. A lot of people will say to take fish oil but I like flaxseed oil better. It cushions your joints.

You're sluggish because you're taking too many simple carbs in. Try adding more protein to your diet and subtracting some of the simple carbs. Simple carbs are fine in the morning to give the body a boost but too many throughout the day will leave you with that sluggish feeling.


I dropped about 15-20 lbs. since the beginning of the year without working out. I used Tim Ferris's slow carb diet. Today was my first day at the gym. I used to do 30 minutes of cardio and another 30 minutes of weights. I changed all of that up, now I'm 15 minutes cardio, 15 minutes of natural movements like air squats/push ups/pull ups, then another 15 minutes of cardio. My old routine was mundane and boring.

[Sgt PSN]

I'm currently taking fish oil pills, but that's mostly to help combat a high cholesterol problem.  Still might give flaxseed oils a try though.  Glucosamine is helping the joints but am open to damn near any option that will help ease the pain. 

Simple carbs?  I think I remember hearing about that in high school.  I'll be googling that tonight to see what I need to remove/reduce in my diet and what I can sub in. 

My "workout" is fairly simple.  I sit in the sauna for about 10-15 minutes because my joints are like the Tin Man when I get up in the morning.  So sitting in there helps loosen me up and allows me to get a good stretch.  Then I'm on the treadmill for about 20 minutes (I will increase my time/distance as my stamina and endurance return).  Then back to the sauna for 10 minutes to stretch.  Then situps/crunches, pushups and pullups.  Then back on the treadmill for 8 minutes.  Next week I'll be looking to go up to about 23 min to start and then 10 min to finish.   

I've been doing this for 2 weeks now every Mon, Wed, Fri.  This week, I'll continue that routine but I'm also adding a bike on Tue and Thur.  I'll start out easy.....probably 5 miles and then work my way up from there.   Once it gets warmer I'm going to start running in the pool and doing a little less on the treadmill.   

[Eagaholic]

Sarge

If you're having trouble with your muscles/joints etc. try taking flaxseed oils with omega 3 fatty acids. A lot of people will say to take fish oil but I like flaxseed oil better. It cushions your joints.

You're sluggish because you're taking too many simple carbs in. Try adding more protein to your diet and subtracting some of the simple carbs. Simple carbs are fine in the morning to give the body a boost but too many throughout the day will leave you with that sluggish feeling.


I dropped about 15-20 lbs. since the beginning of the year without working out. I used Tim Ferris's slow carb diet. Today was my first day at the gym. I used to do 30 minutes of cardio and another 30 minutes of weights. I changed all of that up, now I'm 15 minutes cardio, 15 minutes of natural movements like air squats/push ups/pull ups, then another 15 minutes of cardio. My old routine was mundane and boring.

Taking omega-3 oils like from fish is probably a very good idea but flaxseed oil could be a bad idea. Flax also has omega-6 fatty acids which can be metabolized into proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory compounds, it just depends on how that individual processes them.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I've been working out 5-6 days a week for about a month and trying to eat better at the same time. I've only lost like 2-3 pounds but at least an inch off of my waist. Most of my pants are size 36, but my actual waist measurement is 38.5. Then, I bought a new pair of jeans today, and all the 36's were too big, so I got a 34. Seriously, what the farg?

But anyway, I feel much better getting my ass moving. And I know how much you all care, so there you go.

[Don Ho]

Sarge, agree with Eagaholic.  Throw some elliptical workouts in there.  If your back, hip, knees are sore the elliptical machines are the best to help alleviate all that stress.  I have osteoarthritis of the hip and it sucks.  To young for hip replacement they tell me.  I stopped running about 15 years ago.  Cardio consists of surfing, bodysurfing, walking - no more than 3.5. miles per trip and lots of time on the elliptical machines at the gym.  Wish I swam more because that is the best workout.  

Are you stretching a lot?  I just started spending more time during my workout to stretch.  That really helps.

[SD]

I've been working out 5-6 days a week for about a month and trying to eat better at the same time. I've only lost like 2-3 pounds but at least an inch off of my waist. Most of my pants are size 36, but my actual waist measurement is 38.5. Then, I bought a new pair of jeans today, and all the 36's were too big, so I got a 34. Seriously, what the farg?

But anyway, I feel much better getting my ass moving. And I know how much you all care, so there you go.

I have the same problem. All my jeans are 36, some (like the ones I'm wearing now) won't stay up without a belt. I tried on a pair of 36 dress pants for work and they were tight, so I had to move up to a 38.

[Sgt PSN]

http://www.mealsmatter.org/

Pretty cool/easy to use site that has a lot of good nutritional/diet info.  I've never been a calorie counter or paid too much attention to what I eat...never really had to because I've always been a very active person so whatever crappy food I put in my body was burned through before it could turn into fat.  The last 2 years though have been kind of bad though....minor medical issues = less activity = weight gain.  So since I never had a need to pay attention to all this stuff before, I always find myself confused when reading the labels on food at the grocery store and this site explains it all pretty well.  Also provides a lot of healthy recipes that look pretty good.  Has tools to track your weight, what you're putting into your body and gives you a grocery list based on the different recipes you've selected.  It's neat-o! 

Also, it turns out that my oatmeal and tuna fish diet wasn't quite as good for me as I thought it would be.......was consuming well over 100% of my daily recommended carbs.  That probably explains why I only lost 1 pound last week. 

[reese125]

while its always nice to notice the calories that get put into your body, dont obsess over it because counting calories is not a necessity for fat loss. the last thing you want is for your body to go into starvation and craving mode because your body then trains itself to actually store fat.

your body needs good fat to lose fat. focus on the fat burning foods and should be all well and good--considering you do some form of exercise--which I think you said you do now.

When you are paying attention to the ingredients always stay away from high fructose corn syrup because its a fat storer. Also, hydogenated oil and aspartamene is awful for you. Also, everyone always says to stay away from bread, but thats not necessarily true. If its whole grain youre in good shape.

Look out for the words "refined", "bleached wheat flour", "enriched" or "fortified with".

[Sgt PSN]

The bread thing I already knew.  I mostly try eat whole grain or whole wheat bread but every now and then I slip in a loaf of italian bread because I like it. 

As for the calories, I don't think I've ever consistantly gone over 2000/day....maybe in my teens, but def not since then.  Only reason I'm tracking them now is so I can see what the relation is to the calories I burn through exercise.  Yesterday morning I ran about 2.25 miles and knocked out some crunches and pull ups and the estimated calories burned was just under 500.  My average caloric intake since I started tracking this stuff (like a week ago) has been around 1600/day.  So I adjusted my intake for the rest of the day yesterday so that I wasn't taking in 1100 more calories than I burned off through exercise.  As far as I know, taking in more calories than you burn is what leads to weight gain, and burning more than you take in leads to weight loss. 

So it appears I'm going to have to increase the distance and duration of my runs....like nearly double it in order to really start making a difference.

[Dillen]

If you're looking to burn calories don't bother with crunches, they aren't going to burn shtein. Do loads and loads of interval training cardio. Cardio bores me to death so I don't do it for more than 20-30 min at a time, but it's good. If you don't do intervals you won't get as tired, sweat as much, or lose as much fat as you would in the same amount of time and distance. For example, I'd run like 3 miles on a treadmill on the same speed (7.5 or 8mph) all the way through. Compare that to changing speed constantly (7mph for 5 min, 10mph for 3 min, 3mph for a min, 8 mph for 5 min, back to 10, etc.) After the intervals I'd come out soaked in sweat even if I wound up doing the same distance over the same time. Lose more fat, lose more water weight, all that shtein. I'd assume you just want to lose your excess weight (fat and waterweight) and don't want to lose weight at all costs (losing muscle mass), so do that on your cardio and you'll be set.

[Rome]

Interval training has saved my ass.  Seriously, no knee issues from constant pounding I'd get from long distance training and the rest periods in between the hard training makes them all the more tolerable.

It sucks getting older, though.  Wait till you fargers hit your 40's.  Ugh... just awful.

[reese125]

Also Sarge-if you're into calorie counting and tracking all the food/caloric intake you eat on a daily basis get the Myfitnesspal app. Very easy to use and keeps you in check.

[Diomedes]

This thread is a treasure trove of womanish bullshtein.

Counting calories, jesus christ.

You all do know that you're going to die, right?

You're all going to die no matter how many chin ups you do or how many calories you "take in."

[Rome]

Calorie counting is for Romes & women.

Just reduce your intake and eat better (read: eat more fresh fruits & vegetables & lean meats, fish & skinless chicken) plus cut down on sugar & salt.

And if you want to eat something, for god's sake, just farging eat it then work it off later. 

[Rome]

lol - dio beat me to it.

holla.