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I see this often. Clients go all in for a year or so, then take it for granted and even though they still work out, they add 2lbs here, 5lbs there and next thing you know, they have gained much of the weight back. All while still working out. For this reason I have clients that I have trained 5x a week for almost ten years who still report their weight to me daily via text and many more who weigh themselves daily. I weigh myself daily as well. It's not something that can be ignored if you pick up weight easily or have health issues attached.
Eating for maintenance is not nearly as hard as people make it but some sacrifices must be made. Fasting helps tremendously, and cardio, but ultimately you have to draw a line in the sand where you will not go past.
I'm donating my large clothes as I slim down. If something gets tight I will have to buy new and I won't do that.
My new plan of the last four months is based on adjusting my life to something sustainable. I'm doing a paleo diet, although only 95% strict because I refuse to give up cheese, and have a slice of pizza once or twice a week. Strength training 2 - 4 times a week plus cardio 5 times a week. It's working, but most of all, this is sustainable.
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I did that for years — low carb paleo diet, 3x1hr weights training, and 2-3x45min running or swimming per week. Did ok, but workouts took much time and it was not easy to keep carbs, pain, and injuries low. Things improved a lot once I switched to a zero carb, carnivore diet.
Here are some issues with carbs/grains especially important for folks above 45:
1. The more carbs you eat, the more you have to work out, which puts more stress on your body and joints which are inflamed by the carbs/grains. This is a vicious cycle that leads to injuries, pain, and driving your body into the ground. It can only be broken by going zero carb (carnivore).
2. Carbs are very addictive, like heroin. Eating a little amount of them increases the odds of you succumbing and eating more of them later. This snowballs into ocassional “live a little” binges. The more carbs you eat the harder it is to control (resist) them. Going (and staying) zero carb kills the carb pangs/cravings and makes it the easiest (by far) to forget/resist carbs.
3. Insulin resistance (metabolic syndrome) is the most important problem. Weight/obesity is just one indicator pointing to it, but you can be thin and insulin resistant, and also be chubby but not insulin resistant. The best way to avoid insulin resistance is to keep your insulin calm and low. Carbs spike your insulin, regardless of whether you burn them out with a workout or not.
4. Once you go into zero carb, carnivore, fat burning mode, every carb eating episode takes you out of ketosis and into carb burning mode which confuses and stresses your body (kidneys, liver, etc.) and metabolism. Switches between the fat burning and carb burning modes should be minimized or completely avoided.
It takes 2-3 weeks to get into a nice, low/calm insulin, no carb pangs, zero carb, carnivore mode. The feeling is eye opening and very refreshing for anyone who hasn’t tried it before. Genetics has nothing to do with it. People who give up in the first 2 weeks concluding that this is not for them simply hadn’t completed the body’s transition to the fat burning mode.
All humans evolved as mostly carnivores over millions of years. Before agriculture few thousand years ago, plants, carbs, seeds, grains were just Plan B in case meat was not available. Animal cells are the most balanced “supplement pills” for your human cells — optimized, designed, and honed by millions of years of evolution.
Ultimately, arguing and convincing rarely works. Best to try it for yourself and let your body speak to you. There’s nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain by giving it a proper shot.
I hear you and there are lots of different opinions on this point. I've tried the carnivore diet (Atkins) in the past and did not do well on it. I try to limit my carbs for the very reasons you cited, but I know the diet I do has to be sustainable long-term, and I know it is unrealistic for me to cut out bread and pasta forever. Paleo, with a few moderate cheat days, works best for me.
In regards to exercise, I have tried to switch over to lower impact routines. I use the elliptical a lot more than the treadmill these days because it is easier on the joints. For the first time in my life I hurt brachioradialis (forearm) muscle from lifting weights. Very common injury for people getting into lifting and hopefully with a week off, and some ice, I should be back at it next week.
Bottom line - I believe there is no one size fits all for people when it comes to getting and staying in shape.
I hear you and there are lots of different opinions on this point. I've tried the carnivore diet (Atkins) in the past and did not do well on it. I try to limit my carbs for the very reasons you cited, but I know the diet I do has to be sustainable long-term, and I know it is unrealistic for me to cut out bread and pasta forever. Paleo, with a few moderate cheat days, works best for me.
In regards to exercise, I have tried to switch over to lower impact routines. I use the elliptical a lot more than the treadmill these days because it is easier on the joints. For the first time in my life I hurt brachioradialis (forearm) muscle from lifting weights. Very common injury for people getting into lifting and hopefully with a week off, and some ice, I should be back at it next week.
Bottom line - I believe there is no one size fits all for people when it comes to getting and staying in shape.
It's for sure the older you get the more low impact is important, also warming up first and slowly, I'm always amazed at the 20 and 30 yr olds on group rides, they go off like jack rabbits at the start and I can't keep up, but at the end of 50-60 mi I can stay w/ the best of them and leave most in the dust.
Three doctors (each of whom have personally dealt with obesity and with thousands of obesity patients) discussing diet, metabolism, and carbs. The guest doctor is a bariatric surgeon. Excellent discussion. Long but well worth your time. I especially liked the guest dr's classification of carbs from a drug & substance abuse perspective:
I did the InBody Scan today. I don't believe it, but it said I'm 14% body fat. Whatever the number is, it's the lowest it's been in my life! I've had some back problems and I've been focusing really hard on deep core for the few months. It's cured the back pain and my car is really strong now. I'm curious how it will be in driving season and if it makes much difference. I wont' have to work to control my torso near as hard. I'm a master of the plank and dead bug now!
At the gym today I set 2 new personal bests. Beat my best 2000 meter row on a Concept 2 rowing machine and beat my best Espresso bike time on a 5.4 mile road course. I've lost about 40# over the last 3 years through diet and exercise. My main diet change was minimizing Italian Hoagies.
At the gym today I set 2 new personal bests. Beat my best 2000 meter row on a Concept 2 rowing machine and beat my best Espresso bike time on a 5.4 mile road course. I've lost about 40# over the last 3 years through diet and exercise. My main diet change was minimizing Italian Hoagies.
14% body fat? Wow - that would be a dream number for me. That is not bad at all.
Down 20 pounds but hurt my tendons (tennis elbow) by being too aggressive lifting weights. Now I have to stop for about 6 weeks to allow them to heal. Stupid!
Still doing cardio and trying to watch what I eat!
I need to kick this thing to the next level as my goal is to lose another 17 pounds by August and as I get down the pounds are harder to come off.
Made it to 210 (down 24 total) but hurt my back last week and it's been a struggle. Haven't gained anything but haven't lost anything either. 24% body fat.
Have 9 weeks until kart season starts and would still like to target 200 lbs by the first kart race to insure that I can get below min weight. I could make weight at 205 but on a low fuel level but would really like to not have to deal with that.
Long tern goal is 195 by the middle of the season and then stay there.
so like most people, wife and I set a New Years resolution to lose weight/get in shape. Just walking, sit ups and some vague form of watching what we eat....watch the carbs, less drinking during the week (weekends are sketchy). Weather has derailed some walking but sit ups are still on - set amount each day, add more each month. Kicker is you get a 5 sit up penalty for each drink you have...so if we're traveling over a weekend and out every night...you can get into a backlog of A LOT of sit ups!! Feb 1 I started running every other morning.
Getting close to my goals (below 200 target, 190 stretch goal). Lost most of the holiday weight, still have 5-6 lbs to hit the target.
Gotta lose the weight for racing season. We added weight to the car with all the new roll cage bracing, so driver needs to balance out the difference!!
FYI, I HATE exercise for the sake of exercise...and as an Italian, it kills me to cut out pasta and bread...and pizza...and fries... but especially beer/wine. The 200 bottles of wine we have in the wine room are getting lonely...
below is a hearth rate chart of a friday practice session at the Sebring PCA 48 (cup car group). when the rate goes up around the 20 min mark we go on track. When it goes up further I am starting to push and/or hit traffic. you can see the initial drop around the 40 min marker indicating checker is out and inlap as started and the steep drop after that when I pit
I am sure part of the level is the "stress of driving" due to my inexperience but it shows you (at least I am) are working hard on the track.
for me personally the on track part is similar to doubles squash (and less strenuous than singles squash). I hope that with further experience I can drop it by 10-15 beats by taking some stress off and have more of the car control/driving basics handled by muscle memory and subconscious actions
(I have seen live feeds of a Pro racing the Nurnbergring at night and he was around 115 with spikes to 135-140 when he was passing someone in the dark)
At the gym today I set 2 new personal bests. Beat my best 2000 meter row on a Concept 2 rowing machine and beat my best Espresso bike time on a 5.4 mile road course. I've lost about 40# over the last 3 years through diet and exercise. My main diet change was minimizing Italian Hoagies.
Bill - what was your 2k time? I did my first one at CrossFit a couple weeks ago and got a 7:06 ;-)
On the question of fitness goals, I started out at 230 after the holidays, a personal high. Joined CrossFit, started their FoodRx challenge which focuses on whole food diet. Eliminates refined sugars, high GI carbs and processed foods, but does provide a balance of nutrition, so not full on paleo. Probably the biggest benefit has been with no alcohol.
So far lost 18 pounds in 5 weeks. Pretty excited about the results as I've always got energy, don't feel hungry during the day, and really seeing results. Goal is to get down below 200 for the racing season, and on track so far!
Bill - what was your 2k time? I did my first one at CrossFit a couple weeks ago and got an 8:06 ;-)
On the question of fitness goals, I started out at 230 after the holidays, a personal high. Joined CrossFit, started their FoodRx challenge which focuses on whole food diet. Eliminates refined sugars, high GI carbs and processed foods, but does provide a balance of nutrition, so not full on paleo. Probably the biggest benefit has been with no alcohol.
So far lost 18 pounds in 5 weeks. Pretty excited about the results as I've always got energy, don't feel hungry during the day, and really seeing results. Goal is to get down below 200 for the racing season, and on track so far!
I lately have been doing 5K and haven't tried 2K for 2 years and did 8:27.1. I'm 74.
01-01-2019, 03:29 PM
