Weight loss and weight management catch-all!

I really need to get back here. My weight is up to its highest ever by a lot as I've been focused on fixing other parts of my life. At this point, pants and even button-down shirts no longer fit. Ugh. Not looking for anything, but want to tag this as I get ready to start an effort. Pre-planning stage, I suppose.

Starting weight: 187 ish
Current Weight: 157
**Weekly Change: 1 pound
Overall Change: 30

Still need to dial in nutrition more. I did hit my goal for a day and then it went back up. I’m almost there and then I will focus more on fat percentage.

Two weeks in a row I have missed my weekend workout.

I've also spent both Saturdays drinking a large amount of tequila and bourbon, respectively.

At least I made it back at lunch today. And 4 days a week still isn't bad. But I've got to do better and keep on track.

Starting Weight: 94kg (March 24, 2018)
Current Weight: 94.4kg (May 13, 2018)
Short Term Goal Weight: 92kg (May 26, 2018)

Weightlifting Sessions This Week: 2 (WO 5/6)
Weightlifting Goal Per Week: 2

Running Sessions This Week: 0 (WO 5/6)
Running Goal Per Week: 1

JohnKillo wrote:

Starting weight: 187 ish
Current Weight: 157
**Weekly Change: 1 pound
Overall Change: 30

Still need to dial in nutrition more. I did hit my goal for a day and then it went back up. I’m almost there and then I will focus more on fat percentage.

No real change. I gained 2 pounds but not bad. I’ve been good with my back. I want to now focus on the ol chest area too.

Been a couple of months since I updated or kept myself honest here. I had initially wanted to lose some weight before I went on holiday but it never really happened. I dropped from about 210 to 205 and just maintained.

I continued working out 3-4 days a week and was actually able to continue going to the gym while on holidays so that was a first. Counting calories and keeping logs just didn't seem to be fitting into my life style though.

After my holiday I had found that I did manage to lose another 2lbs so decided to look into other life style changes that may be easier for me rather then tracking meals. I started fasting for 16hrs a day which actually easily fit into my life style, it basically allows me to eat decently between the hours of 12-8 and then just not have to think about it. I am still operating at a calories deficit and it has been working great. I am consistently hitting a healthy weight loss every week with minimal effort.

After not being able to cross the 203 threshold for months I am now down to 197, which isn't much but it's a steady slow decline. I have also gone down from a size 36 waist to a 34 and can fit in to t-shirts that were far to tight in the past.

Anyone else try fasting for weight loss how has it worked for others? I probably won't post here to often unless i have major gains or losses since I am really only averaging just over a pound a week. I do think this thread is keeping me honest and motivated to keep going though.

Rave wrote:

Anyone else try fasting for weight loss how has it worked for others? I probably won't post here to often unless i have major gains or losses since I am really only averaging just over a pound a week. I do think this thread is keeping me honest and motivated to keep going though.

I have a friend who entirely fasts every other day . Been doing it for years. Says it works great for him.

Starting Weight: 94kg (March 24, 2018)
Current Weight: 93.4kg (May 20, 2018)
Short Term Goal Weight: 92kg (May 26, 2018)

Weightlifting Sessions This Week: 1 (WO 5/13)
Weightlifting Goal Per Week: 2

Running Sessions This Week: 0 (WO 5/13)
Running Goal Per Week: 1

I have started to shift the focus of my weightlifting to include more compound movements and concentrate on a wider variety of muscle groups. Hoping this will net me better gains in the long run. I have also started to shift toward eating a bit more protein and decreasing my carbohydrates.

I'm also hoping I can incorporate seasonal fruit into my diet more frequently.

Question: is doing the same kind of exercises daily always damaging?

Due to my calves already being unnaturally muscular, I tend to avoid doing leg days. Also: 20 minutes treadmill kind of does that as well. So I don't have "leg days". I just do upper body exercises, two sets of 15-reps. Going less for bulk and more for tone.

I know bulk is dangerous done daily. Would tone be as well? The body is tearing its muscles and rebuilding them each time is my understanding. I don't know if I plan on doing exercises like this seven days a week, but three days in a row is something I wouldn't mind doing right now. I've been fighting to climb out of a depressed tailspin and unlike so many other times of depression I'm still wanting to exercise rather than sit at home. I just want to know if I'd be doing myself harm in wanting to do good.

I don't really do leg weights either. I alternate with 3 upper body weight days and 2 cardio days, where I run about 3 miles on the elliptical.

Everybody's training regimen is different, but purposefully avoiding the training of half of your body seems like a poor decision in the long run.

Leg days do suck, but they pay dividends over time. You could always try integrating more compound or full body exercises into your routine if you don't like squats/deadlifts/etc.

I think it's more that my legs are the most ripped part of my body. If you saw a photo of just my legs you'd be like "damn". Then you'd see the rest of me and it would be a very different kind of "damn".

Maybe I'll just figure out lower back stuff though, at least for home. That's the one part of my body that seems to be doing poorly, though I'm starting to theorize it's because of the fact that I sit so much. I don't have my walking partner that I would take frequent breaks at work with, and with my YouTube channel so much of my day is spent in the same seat. I'm trying to figure out more ways to get off the chair and move around and stand and such.

I tend to do a “body part day” except for abdomen. (Diet would help me more than focusing on exercising that). Everyone is different.

PS. Would you consider a yoga ball for sittin?

My thoughts, in no particular order:

1: Making decisions about what to train based on what you see in the mirror isn't the smartest approach. It don't matter how ripped your calves look if your entire posterior chain (quads, hamstrings, butt and lower back) is weak. Never mind the fact that the big leg-day lifts (squats and deadlifts) aren't explicitly targeting your calves anyway, and that your calves are a tiny proportion of your "lower body" muscle mass.

2: The real magic of squats and deadlifts is that they're whole body exercises. They hit your posterior chain the hardest, but also hit back, chest and core. Skipping them because the smallest benefit from them doesn't need the work is wrong-headed. Getting your posterior chain strong is one of the best long-term improvements you can make to your strength, but also one of the least impressive from the mirror.

3: Remember the physics: Work = force x distance. Leg day moves the most weight the most distance. It's one of the most effective tools in your strength training toolbox.

4: Two sets of 15 likely isn't enough work to really run the danger of overtraining if you up the frequency. Recovery is exponentially more important the closer you're training to your limit (if you can do 15 reps at a given weight - you're a long way off your weight limit, and 30 reps total isn't a big enough training load to be a concern). Caveat - listen to your body and rest when it tells you it needs it.

5: A weak posterior chain combined with a desk job is a time-bomb.

6: If your goal is to get stronger, you may want to address that 2 x 15 at some point in the near future. It's fine and dandy for newbies, but the benefit of it will tail off within a few months.

7: Bulk and tone aren't really things. Muscle and fat are. "Tone" is what happens when you have some muscle and have very little fat over it. What you probably mean: "bulk" is a lot of muscle and a fair bit of fat, "tone" is a a fair bit of muscle and bugger-all fat.

You have convinced me, Sir Jonman, and I am now researching how to exercise the Posterior Chain most effectively.

It's been a while since I did squats and boy howdy do I hate them, buuuuuuuut I also hate this weird discomfort so sounds like a plan. I'll see what Planet Fitness machines exercise around that area as well.

ccesarano wrote:

You have convinced me, Sir Jonman, and I am now researching how to exercise the Posterior Chain most effectively.

It's been a while since I did squats and boy howdy do I hate them, buuuuuuuut I also hate this weird discomfort so sounds like a plan. I'll see what Planet Fitness machines exercise around that area as well.

Squats and Deadlifts are the absolute best bang for your buck, IF you can get the form down. They're fairly technical lifts, but don't let that scare you off them. The form isn't hard to learn. Youtube is a super resource for form.

Don't underestimate the power of a light pair of dumbbells either. Walking lunges are amazing. Bulgarian split squats will slay you. Goblet squats are superb. For a newbie, doing those exercises with no dumbbells will be challenging and super-effective.

Machines are the easiest and least-good way to approach this. They're a million times better than nothing and ten times worse than free weights. Why? Because they don't require you to balance, so all the teeny-tiny muscles that keep you balanced during the work don't get exercised. Which results in strong "big" muscles, and weak "small" muscles i.e. without the ability to keep the big slabs of muscle where they need to be. It's fine in the short term, over the long term, it's a fast track to injury-town. Machines have three-and-a-half good use-cases: injury-rehab, assistance exercises on top of free weights, and "there are no free weights". The half good use-case is "don't know how to do the free weight version", and that's only a half because the solution to that problem is literally in your pocket (Youtube).

By all means, stick with machines for now. Just plant the seed in your head that gradually transitioning into the weight room should be your goal.

You ever wanna know how bad your balance is, do reverse lunges.

I found an exercise I find more irritating than squats.

ccesarano wrote:

You ever wanna know how bad your balance is, do reverse lunges.

I found an exercise I find more irritating than squats.

Just wait until you try Bulgarian split squats ;).

MrMetonymy wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

You ever wanna know how bad your balance is, do reverse lunges.

I found an exercise I find more irritating than squats.

Just wait until you try Bulgarian split squats ;).

I love those.

Rave wrote:

Been a couple of months since I updated or kept myself honest here. I had initially wanted to lose some weight before I went on holiday but it never really happened. I dropped from about 210 to 205 and just maintained.

I continued working out 3-4 days a week and was actually able to continue going to the gym while on holidays so that was a first. Counting calories and keeping logs just didn't seem to be fitting into my life style though.

After my holiday I had found that I did manage to lose another 2lbs so decided to look into other life style changes that may be easier for me rather then tracking meals. I started fasting for 16hrs a day which actually easily fit into my life style, it basically allows me to eat decently between the hours of 12-8 and then just not have to think about it. I am still operating at a calories deficit and it has been working great. I am consistently hitting a healthy weight loss every week with minimal effort.

After not being able to cross the 203 threshold for months I am now down to 197, which isn't much but it's a steady slow decline. I have also gone down from a size 36 waist to a 34 and can fit in to t-shirts that were far to tight in the past.

Anyone else try fasting for weight loss how has it worked for others? I probably won't post here to often unless i have major gains or losses since I am really only averaging just over a pound a week. I do think this thread is keeping me honest and motivated to keep going though.

I just started micro-fasting mixed with low carb to see if that kick starts my weight loss.

My routine is that I only eat between 12pm and 8pm every day, and I front-load most of my calories to earlier in the day. Otherwise I only drink black coffee and water. I’ve only done it for two weeks and I’m trying it because I kind of already do it often by skipping breakfast, and then (trying) not to eat after 8pm. I've definitely lost weight based on how my clothes fit, but it’s too early to hop on a scale. Otherwise I feel great and plan on keeping this up for as long as possible.

I’ll report back after I’ve done it for a while.

Does anyone here who's tried micro fasting also use a body composition scale? I'd be worried that the fasting would lead to lean body mass loss rather than just body fat.

Then again, I'm no doctor so what do I know? I'd be interested in trying intermittent fasting one of these days.

What is micro fasting? It is it just essentially fasting 16hrs a day like I am?

Without cutting carbs or even worrying about what I am eating this is the most success I've had losing weight. I am only eating between noon and 8pm as well. Generally most of my caloric intake is at dinner. This may speak more to my late night snacking then the fasting though.

I dont have a composition scale, but my wife and I have noticed a pretty big change in my arms, chest and even stomach. I am noticeably more muscular in pictures now then I was before I started working out and eating better 5 months ago. I am still seeing gains at the gym in all of my weights. 1 rep max on bench started at probably under 140lbs and I'm now at 165lb which isn't much I know but I'm happy with that progress. That all said I don't feel like fasting is having any impact or effect on muscle loss. Although I've only been at it for just over a month now.

Glad to hear other people have had success with it and look forward to hearing how others do with it. For me it just really seems to fit easily into my current lifestyle with very little thought. I find I actually get full much easier now during meals then I used to despite eating less throughout the day.

Rave wrote:

What is micro fasting? It is it just essentially fasting 16hrs a day like I am?

That's exactly it. Some people do it for a portion of their day, while others go completely without food for a day or two a week.

I don't think I could handle the latter.

PaladinTom wrote:
Rave wrote:

What is micro fasting? It is it just essentially fasting 16hrs a day like I am?

That's exactly it. Some people do it for a portion of their day, while others go completely without food for a day or two a week.

I don't think I could handle the latter.

Good to know thanks. I also don't think I could handle skipping an entire day for food, by the time noon rolls around as it is I am pretty ready to eat lol.

JohnKillo wrote:

Starting weight: 187 ish
Current Weight: 155.2
**Weekly Change: 2 Pounds
Overall Change: 32

I doing okay. Swapped one swimming day for a longer leg day instead. My BMI is fine. I think I want to get a more defined chest. Seems to be my trouble spot lately.

Starting Weight: 94kg (March 24, 2018)
Current Weight: 93.2kg (May 27, 2018)
Short Term Goal Weight: 92kg ( June 24, 2018)

Weightlifting Sessions This Week: 2 (WO 5/20)
Weightlifting Goal Per Week: 2

Running Sessions This Week: 0 (WO 5/20)
Running Goal Per Week: 1

Not much change weight-wise this month, but I'm noticing some other things that are encouraging.

Starting weight: 187 ish
Current Weight: 154.6
**Weekly Change: .5ish Pounds
Overall Change: 33
My gosh darn left shoulder has been popping fierce lately. I’ve been doing more stretches and scapular exercises to get it back into decent shape.

Want to do ring flys but I’m worried about that shoulder acting up.

Starting Weight: 94kg (March 24, 2018)
Current Weight: 93kg (June 5, 2018)
Short Term Goal Weight: 92kg ( June 24, 2018)

Weightlifting Sessions Last Week: 1 (WO 5/27)
Weightlifting Goal Per Week: 2

Running Sessions Last Week: 0 (WO 5/27)
Running Goal Per Week: 1

Honestly, I don’t know if the running portion is realistic, since I haven’t gone running in a very long time. I also need to keep a better record of my food intake.

Starting Weight: 94kg (March 24, 2018)
Current Weight: 94.6kg (June 11, 2018)
Short Term Goal Weight: 92kg ( June 24, 2018)

Weightlifting Sessions Last Week: 1 (WO 6/3)
Weightlifting Goal Per Week: 2

Been a bad few weeks. Missed a couple workout days, went on vacation for a week and didn't do anything. Probably drank too much too.

Gained back a couple of pounds.

Not the end of the world but just a bad trend. Not feeling as motivated as I was from Jan-Apr.