So I've gotten back into doing pretty hard cardio this week after being on a very low carb diet and having no energy to do the active things that I wanted to do.
First, my current eating habits. Then, a question or two for you fine folks.
* Breakfast – 5 large eggs (375 calories, 3.05g carbs), ½ cup of yogurt (55 calories, 10.5g carbs), 1 serving of fiber powder (15 calories, 4g carbs) = 460 calories, 17.55g carbs
* 1st Lunch – Chicken breast (roughly 220 calories, 0g carbs) and veggies (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, 75 calories, 12g carbs) = 295 calories, 12g carbs
* 2nd Lunch – Same = 295 calories, 12g carbs
* Before working out – 1 teaspoon of glutamine (15 calories) ¼ cup of dried and lightly salted Emerald Peanuts (160 calories, 6g) = 175 calories, 6g carbs
* After working out - Same = 175 calories, 6g carbs
* Dinner – Ton-o-beans and ground turkey soup, 2 cups (260 calories, 28g carbs) and 1 serving of fiber powder (15 calories, 4g carbs) = 275 calories, 32g carbs
Calories = 1,675
Carbs = 85.5
Now, I'm a bit ignorant on the whole carb thing. Is there any difference between the carbs I'm getting from the veggies as opposed to getting them from the beans? Or as opposed to getting them from the yogurt? Are there good/bad carbs?
Secondly, if I'm looking to lose weight, is this too many carbs to take in on a daily basis? I workout 6 times a week and, as I said, I try to make my workouts pretty intense. Examples include doing interval running for 3-4 miles (I'm building up to 5-6 miles and beyond as my stamina increases) or swimming for half a mile non-stop (trying to work up to a mile). I'll probably start throwing some weight training in next week, as well. Do I need to decrease my carbs for weight loss? Workout even harder? A combination of both?
Any and all help appreciated.
ChillyWilly on
PAFC Top 10 Finisher in Seasons 1 and 3. 2nd in Seasons 4 and 5. Final 4 in Season 6.
You should be subtracting the fiber carbs from the total carbs to get your net carbs. If you do this you'll find that your veggies, fiber powder, and beans are all less carbs than you think.
I eat a carbmaster cherry yogurt daily that has about a quarter of the carbs that normal yogurts do and is still delicious.
Otherwise it still looks great. You may have to look at your dinner if the beans still make it high in carbs after you've subtracted the fiber.
So the weightlifting muscle recovery stuff. Why doesn't that apply to cardio as well? You're using your muscles for cardio as well, so wouldn't it make sense to not do it every day so that they can recover and become stronger?
Or maybe you *aren't* supposed to. I just hear a lot from people who do cardio 5-7 days a week and wonder about that.
It has to do with the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Cardio is aerobic and doesn't break down your muscles so you don't need the rest. Lifting is anaerobic and does.
You should be subtracting the fiber carbs from the total carbs to get your net carbs. If you do this you'll find that your veggies, fiber powder, and beans are all less carbs than you think.
I eat a carbmaster cherry yogurt daily that has about a quarter of the carbs that normal yogurts do and is still delicious.
Otherwise it still looks great. You may have to look at your dinner if the beans still make it high in carbs after you've subtracted the fiber.
How does that work, exactly? What's the relationship between carbs and fiber and why I am allowed to manipulate my numbers the way you described? I'm assuming it's because the fiber will flush some of the carbs out of my system, but I'm sure I'm not totally right in saying that.
ChillyWilly on
PAFC Top 10 Finisher in Seasons 1 and 3. 2nd in Seasons 4 and 5. Final 4 in Season 6.
You should be subtracting the fiber carbs from the total carbs to get your net carbs. If you do this you'll find that your veggies, fiber powder, and beans are all less carbs than you think.
I eat a carbmaster cherry yogurt daily that has about a quarter of the carbs that normal yogurts do and is still delicious.
Otherwise it still looks great. You may have to look at your dinner if the beans still make it high in carbs after you've subtracted the fiber.
How does that work, exactly? What's the relationship between carbs and fiber and why I am allowed to manipulate my numbers the way you described? I'm assuming it's because the fiber will flush some of the carbs out of my system, but I'm sure I'm not totally right in saying that.
Fibers are carbohydrates, but your body can't break them down and use the energy. Firewood is also carbohydrate in the same way.
The bacteria in your gut can however break it down and eat it, which is why you get gassy as hell on a fiber rich diet.
Yeah fiber doesnt count because your body can't use it (directly) - that's wht makes it fiber.
soluble fiber is what your gut flora live on. And some of your gut flora produces fats (for example, butyric acid) as a byproduct of this. Also b vitamins.
insoluble fiber does nothing expect increase stool size.
Been slacking a tad on the exercise front but I'm doing alright eating-wise.
Still maintaining my weight of 155 so that's good I suppose.
Able to run for 25 min straight on the treadmill! That's pretty spiffy. Next goal: 30 minutes.
Thinking of getting some handweights since I have a hard time doing pushups.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can do maaaaaaybe 3 real pushups (backstraight, go waaaay down and make it back up). Or is there a better way to get better at pushups? I like that they work more than just your arms, but I've always been terrible at them.
Thinking of getting some handweights since I have a hard time doing pushups.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can do maaaaaaybe 3 real pushups (backstraight, go waaaay down and make it back up). Or is there a better way to get better at pushups? I like that they work more than just your arms, but I've always been terrible at them.
Practice, practice, practice.
I did them the sissy way until I could 20 in one set.
Then I switched to the "real" way and found I could do five real pushups per set. So I did that for a while. Now I can 15 real pushups per set. Which still isn't a lot, but ... anyhow, practice and build in increments!
How important do you find calorie intake vs excersise? Yes, I know they are both important but what do you feel has made a bigger difference in your weight loss?
How important do you find calorie intake vs excersise? Yes, I know they are both important but what do you feel has made a bigger difference in your weight loss?
Exercise.
I guess the easiest way to say it is: the feeling I get from eating a really healthy meal cannot match the feeling I get after working out for an hour. That make sense?
Thinking of getting some handweights since I have a hard time doing pushups.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can do maaaaaaybe 3 real pushups (backstraight, go waaaay down and make it back up). Or is there a better way to get better at pushups? I like that they work more than just your arms, but I've always been terrible at them.
Practice, practice, practice.
I did them the sissy way until I could 20 in one set.
Then I switched to the "real" way and found I could do five real pushups per set. So I did that for a while. Now I can 15 real pushups per set. Which still isn't a lot, but ... anyhow, practice and build in increments!
Tevin, I quite agree it feels much better to excersice. I am a long distance trail rinner and love the feel of a run. But I struggle with eating well and it gratly delays my weight loss.
So here is some math for you: There are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat. If you are going really hard exercising you are going to be lucky to burn 350 cal/30 mins. If you work out for 30 mins a day it will take you 10 days to lose 1 lbs of fat.
Conversely, dropping from a 3000 cal diet to a 1500 cal diet will give a pound of fat about every two and a half days.
Of course exercise and food affect metabolism and insulin in different ways, but this at least gives some comparison between eating right and exercising assuming purely a calorie in calorie out analysis. Doing 2 hrs of intense exercise daily is about the equivalent of dropping 1500 cals in food intake.
Thinking of getting some handweights since I have a hard time doing pushups.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can do maaaaaaybe 3 real pushups (backstraight, go waaaay down and make it back up). Or is there a better way to get better at pushups? I like that they work more than just your arms, but I've always been terrible at them.
Practice, practice, practice.
I did them the sissy way until I could 20 in one set.
Then I switched to the "real" way and found I could do five real pushups per set. So I did that for a while. Now I can 15 real pushups per set. Which still isn't a lot, but ... anyhow, practice and build in increments!
Practice is where it's at, but there's a couple methods for improving that don't involve necessarily the "sissy" way (which I assume you mean you have your knees on the ground instead of your feet).
One, use stairs or a chair against a wall or the edge of your bed, so that you're at an incline. Flat against the ground can be tough if you've never done it, but I think you get a better experience if you keep proper form and simply make it easier.
Two, look into getting some pushup bars. Some people have a hard time with their hands completely flat, and the bars make it generally more comfortable. I can do about 25 pushups but it is much more enjoyable using the bars.
How important do you find calorie intake vs excersise? Yes, I know they are both important but what do you feel has made a bigger difference in your weight loss?
I've lost weight by cutting back on calories while hardly exercising at all. Exercise is important for strength/health, but you can lose weight without it.
exercise causes an increase in insulin sensitivity in the muscles and liver, which is very beneficial for weight loss - this effect is certainly greater then direct calorie expenditure through exercise.
Diet is abundantly more important than exercise if you're simply looking to weigh less.
But the more you want to look good, be in better cardiovascular shape, etc...exercise (along with a proper diet) will be exponentially more important.
But just for general health, diet will always be a more important factor. You can eat well and not exercise and lose weight. You can't eat absolute garbage, workout a little and be in great shape.
ChillyWilly on
PAFC Top 10 Finisher in Seasons 1 and 3. 2nd in Seasons 4 and 5. Final 4 in Season 6.
Weighed in at 193. That is a total of 22 lbs lost. 28 to go. Superbowl weekend pretty much negated a week of weight loss /sigh.
I am now noticing a big difference in how I look and people are asking if I lost weight. It feels good. My only issue is that I'm not getting enough fiber in my diet so I just started taking some fiber pills. They are making me gassy. I look forward to being able to have whole grains again.
On the 15th I weighed in at 193 as well, so it's still a close race
Been slacking a tad on the exercise front but I'm doing alright eating-wise.
Still maintaining my weight of 155 so that's good I suppose.
Able to run for 25 min straight on the treadmill! That's pretty spiffy. Next goal: 30 minutes.
Thinking of getting some handweights since I have a hard time doing pushups.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can do maaaaaaybe 3 real pushups (backstraight, go waaaay down and make it back up). Or is there a better way to get better at pushups? I like that they work more than just your arms, but I've always been terrible at them.
hundredpushups.com
I tried this a couple years back. Went from one set of 5 to a max of 25 after 4 sets after like 4 weeks. Then I stalled a bit and then stopped. Tried a test set recently was able to still do 13.
VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
edited February 2011
I started doing pushups maybe a month ago and I was able to do 7-8, and then 4-5, and then was pretty much done
been doing em twice a week just at the gym and I can now do 15 in a set if I push or 4 steady sets of 10. I feel more comfortable doing them and it's not even like I'm doing them every day.
Thinking about getting a bike this spring. I was going to get one last year, but something came up and I had to use the money on other stuff.
I'm thinking about this one, because I'm pretty sure that's the one I was looking at last year. What do you guys think? How can I tell if I'm too heavy for any particular bicycle?
I goddamn hate that I love good food and wine/whiskey/beer.
I'm pretty sure that's what's keeping me from losing those 10 pounds of fatty tissue I want gone.
Is there anything to do than just stop drinking? I'm a fairly decent cook so I think what I eat is good, not diet healthy but just all round ok.
I already go to the gym almost every day and do cardio one day and weights the next. Would pure cardio be better for weight loss? I sort of remember muscles are good to have since more muscle mass means more calories burned each day.
Oh, and another thing. I've had people saying that walking is better than running if your trying to tone, this is from people in the body building business. It doesn't make sense to me though, if I'm running I must be spending more energy per h than if I walk. Is there something to it that I'm missing.
So, I'm curious--does anyone have any experience with mixing Tabata & very low-carb?
I've fallen off the wagon a bit and put back on some weight since getting a new job, but since I've got something to aim for in the short term and the long term, I'm hoping to stay motivated to get it back off. That, and I feel like shit while eating badly.
Anyway, I'm looking at just a basic routine, but I've never really done much besides some basic weight training while doing low-carb.
I was thinking of something like:
1 day of Tabata Sprints
1 day of Tabata Burpees
1 day with some dumbbell exercises
2 days of rest
Aaand I dunno what else.
InkSplat on
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
that seems reasonable, could add in a day of bodyweight stuff
this guy advocates a few sprint type days mixed in with a few days of weight/bodyweight stuff http://www.marksdailyapple.com
The thing about Tabata, HIIT, or any high intensity exercise is that you need a replenished store of muscle glycogen to get the most out of it. My understanding is that you replenish glycogen fastest by eating carbs. Your body can also replenish it by using your body fat, but at a slower rate.
I say go ahead and try it. If you take at least 48 hours rest between workouts, that might be enough for your body to be fully recovered on a low-carb diet. If not, you might need to increase your carb intake a little, or maybe take more rest between workouts.
Edit: I haven't done a low-carb diet myself, so someone else might have a different experience.
Thinking about getting a bike this spring. I was going to get one last year, but something came up and I had to use the money on other stuff.
I'm thinking about this one, because I'm pretty sure that's the one I was looking at last year. What do you guys think? How can I tell if I'm too heavy for any particular bicycle?
I doubt you're too heavy. I was looking on their site, and they said that that type of bike was suitable for "jumps under 12 inches". Whatever your weight, I'm sure it is less impactful on the bike when not jumping than a 250 pound rider (I'm assuming 250, but even 200) falling from a foot off the ground.
How many reps/sets are you doing? What is your rest time between sets and what is your rest time between workouts? Generally people will try to drop weight and get more reps in and then go up again or they will try working the muscle with a different exercise for a bit and then go back.
However diet has a huge impact on gaining muscle and strength. If you are at a calorie deficit because you are trying to lose weight, this can make it difficult to gain muscle and could be the sole reason for your plateau.
Eating, sleeping and getting sufficient rest between workouts is a huge part of gaining muscle.
Generally people will try to drop weight and get more reps in and then go up again or they will try working the muscle with a different exercise for a bit and then go back.
There hasn't been a problem adding weight with squats and dead lifts - does that mean anything?
that seems reasonable, could add in a day of bodyweight stuff
this guy advocates a few sprint type days mixed in with a few days of weight/bodyweight stuff http://www.marksdailyapple.com
The thing about Tabata, HIIT, or any high intensity exercise is that you need a replenished store of muscle glycogen to get the most out of it. My understanding is that you replenish glycogen fastest by eating carbs. Your body can also replenish it by using your body fat, but at a slower rate.
I say go ahead and try it. If you take at least 48 hours rest between workouts, that might be enough for your body to be fully recovered on a low-carb diet. If not, you might need to increase your carb intake a little, or maybe take more rest between workouts.
Edit: I haven't done a low-carb diet myself, so someone else might have a different experience.
Yeah this is the case. Anything high intensity and long duration (like crossfit tabata's) will likely not run optimally on a ketogenic diet because of the glycogen issue. You can still be pretty low carb and not run into issues with this though, especially if you eat carbs in a post workout meal.
Generally people will try to drop weight and get more reps in and then go up again or they will try working the muscle with a different exercise for a bit and then go back.
There hasn't been a problem adding weight with squats and dead lifts - does that mean anything?
Not necessarily. Your muscles will respond differently and you may not yet be at your physical limit on the other exercises. How long have you plateaued for on bench? As you start getting heavier, you are going to increase slower and you'll need more rest between times working that muscle. If you are benching three times a week and are doing 5x5's to failure, you may need to give more rest between days working chest.
dzenith on
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
edited February 2011
yeah I wouldn't do bench that often, are you doing the same lifting every time you go or is only one of those days bench?
Posts
First, my current eating habits. Then, a question or two for you fine folks.
* Breakfast – 5 large eggs (375 calories, 3.05g carbs), ½ cup of yogurt (55 calories, 10.5g carbs), 1 serving of fiber powder (15 calories, 4g carbs) = 460 calories, 17.55g carbs
* 1st Lunch – Chicken breast (roughly 220 calories, 0g carbs) and veggies (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, 75 calories, 12g carbs) = 295 calories, 12g carbs
* 2nd Lunch – Same = 295 calories, 12g carbs
* Before working out – 1 teaspoon of glutamine (15 calories) ¼ cup of dried and lightly salted Emerald Peanuts (160 calories, 6g) = 175 calories, 6g carbs
* After working out - Same = 175 calories, 6g carbs
* Dinner – Ton-o-beans and ground turkey soup, 2 cups (260 calories, 28g carbs) and 1 serving of fiber powder (15 calories, 4g carbs) = 275 calories, 32g carbs
Calories = 1,675
Carbs = 85.5
Now, I'm a bit ignorant on the whole carb thing. Is there any difference between the carbs I'm getting from the veggies as opposed to getting them from the beans? Or as opposed to getting them from the yogurt? Are there good/bad carbs?
Secondly, if I'm looking to lose weight, is this too many carbs to take in on a daily basis? I workout 6 times a week and, as I said, I try to make my workouts pretty intense. Examples include doing interval running for 3-4 miles (I'm building up to 5-6 miles and beyond as my stamina increases) or swimming for half a mile non-stop (trying to work up to a mile). I'll probably start throwing some weight training in next week, as well. Do I need to decrease my carbs for weight loss? Workout even harder? A combination of both?
Any and all help appreciated.
I eat a carbmaster cherry yogurt daily that has about a quarter of the carbs that normal yogurts do and is still delicious.
Otherwise it still looks great. You may have to look at your dinner if the beans still make it high in carbs after you've subtracted the fiber.
It has to do with the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Cardio is aerobic and doesn't break down your muscles so you don't need the rest. Lifting is anaerobic and does.
How does that work, exactly? What's the relationship between carbs and fiber and why I am allowed to manipulate my numbers the way you described? I'm assuming it's because the fiber will flush some of the carbs out of my system, but I'm sure I'm not totally right in saying that.
Fibers are carbohydrates, but your body can't break them down and use the energy. Firewood is also carbohydrate in the same way.
The bacteria in your gut can however break it down and eat it, which is why you get gassy as hell on a fiber rich diet.
soluble fiber is what your gut flora live on. And some of your gut flora produces fats (for example, butyric acid) as a byproduct of this. Also b vitamins.
insoluble fiber does nothing expect increase stool size.
Still maintaining my weight of 155 so that's good I suppose.
Able to run for 25 min straight on the treadmill! That's pretty spiffy. Next goal: 30 minutes.
Thinking of getting some handweights since I have a hard time doing pushups.
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can do maaaaaaybe 3 real pushups (backstraight, go waaaay down and make it back up). Or is there a better way to get better at pushups? I like that they work more than just your arms, but I've always been terrible at them.
Practice, practice, practice.
I did them the sissy way until I could 20 in one set.
Then I switched to the "real" way and found I could do five real pushups per set. So I did that for a while. Now I can 15 real pushups per set. Which still isn't a lot, but ... anyhow, practice and build in increments!
Exercise.
I guess the easiest way to say it is: the feeling I get from eating a really healthy meal cannot match the feeling I get after working out for an hour. That make sense?
Guess I'll just keep at it then.
http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/weightloss/calories-burn.html
These are okay approximates I think.
So here is some math for you: There are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat. If you are going really hard exercising you are going to be lucky to burn 350 cal/30 mins. If you work out for 30 mins a day it will take you 10 days to lose 1 lbs of fat.
Conversely, dropping from a 3000 cal diet to a 1500 cal diet will give a pound of fat about every two and a half days.
Of course exercise and food affect metabolism and insulin in different ways, but this at least gives some comparison between eating right and exercising assuming purely a calorie in calorie out analysis. Doing 2 hrs of intense exercise daily is about the equivalent of dropping 1500 cals in food intake.
Practice is where it's at, but there's a couple methods for improving that don't involve necessarily the "sissy" way (which I assume you mean you have your knees on the ground instead of your feet).
One, use stairs or a chair against a wall or the edge of your bed, so that you're at an incline. Flat against the ground can be tough if you've never done it, but I think you get a better experience if you keep proper form and simply make it easier.
Two, look into getting some pushup bars. Some people have a hard time with their hands completely flat, and the bars make it generally more comfortable. I can do about 25 pushups but it is much more enjoyable using the bars.
I've lost weight by cutting back on calories while hardly exercising at all. Exercise is important for strength/health, but you can lose weight without it.
But the more you want to look good, be in better cardiovascular shape, etc...exercise (along with a proper diet) will be exponentially more important.
But just for general health, diet will always be a more important factor. You can eat well and not exercise and lose weight. You can't eat absolute garbage, workout a little and be in great shape.
On the 15th I weighed in at 193 as well, so it's still a close race
hundredpushups.com
I tried this a couple years back. Went from one set of 5 to a max of 25 after 4 sets after like 4 weeks. Then I stalled a bit and then stopped. Tried a test set recently was able to still do 13.
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been doing em twice a week just at the gym and I can now do 15 in a set if I push or 4 steady sets of 10. I feel more comfortable doing them and it's not even like I'm doing them every day.
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I'm thinking about this one, because I'm pretty sure that's the one I was looking at last year. What do you guys think? How can I tell if I'm too heavy for any particular bicycle?
I don't think that's gonna help the wrist pain I've been having all day.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
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yeah that came out wrong, as far as I know you wouldn't want to do em every day
I'm pretty sure that's what's keeping me from losing those 10 pounds of fatty tissue I want gone.
Is there anything to do than just stop drinking? I'm a fairly decent cook so I think what I eat is good, not diet healthy but just all round ok.
I already go to the gym almost every day and do cardio one day and weights the next. Would pure cardio be better for weight loss? I sort of remember muscles are good to have since more muscle mass means more calories burned each day.
Oh, and another thing. I've had people saying that walking is better than running if your trying to tone, this is from people in the body building business. It doesn't make sense to me though, if I'm running I must be spending more energy per h than if I walk. Is there something to it that I'm missing.
I've fallen off the wagon a bit and put back on some weight since getting a new job, but since I've got something to aim for in the short term and the long term, I'm hoping to stay motivated to get it back off. That, and I feel like shit while eating badly.
Anyway, I'm looking at just a basic routine, but I've never really done much besides some basic weight training while doing low-carb.
I was thinking of something like:
1 day of Tabata Sprints
1 day of Tabata Burpees
1 day with some dumbbell exercises
2 days of rest
Aaand I dunno what else.
this guy advocates a few sprint type days mixed in with a few days of weight/bodyweight stuff http://www.marksdailyapple.com
The thing about Tabata, HIIT, or any high intensity exercise is that you need a replenished store of muscle glycogen to get the most out of it. My understanding is that you replenish glycogen fastest by eating carbs. Your body can also replenish it by using your body fat, but at a slower rate.
I say go ahead and try it. If you take at least 48 hours rest between workouts, that might be enough for your body to be fully recovered on a low-carb diet. If not, you might need to increase your carb intake a little, or maybe take more rest between workouts.
Edit: I haven't done a low-carb diet myself, so someone else might have a different experience.
Hadn't weighed myself in probably 2 weeks?
Stepped on and I was 152!
Closer and closer to my goal
Hell, I might even be able to make my ideal goal
I doubt you're too heavy. I was looking on their site, and they said that that type of bike was suitable for "jumps under 12 inches". Whatever your weight, I'm sure it is less impactful on the bike when not jumping than a 250 pound rider (I'm assuming 250, but even 200) falling from a foot off the ground.
I can't seem to get past 80lbs on bench - and that doesn't even seem like a lot.
However diet has a huge impact on gaining muscle and strength. If you are at a calorie deficit because you are trying to lose weight, this can make it difficult to gain muscle and could be the sole reason for your plateau.
Eating, sleeping and getting sufficient rest between workouts is a huge part of gaining muscle.
between 1-2 minutes
I lift Tues/Thrs/Sat
There hasn't been a problem adding weight with squats and dead lifts - does that mean anything?
Going to purchase Starting Strength (why aren't you on Kindle!?) and prepare for gym stuff after I get back from PAX.
Yeah this is the case. Anything high intensity and long duration (like crossfit tabata's) will likely not run optimally on a ketogenic diet because of the glycogen issue. You can still be pretty low carb and not run into issues with this though, especially if you eat carbs in a post workout meal.
Not necessarily. Your muscles will respond differently and you may not yet be at your physical limit on the other exercises. How long have you plateaued for on bench? As you start getting heavier, you are going to increase slower and you'll need more rest between times working that muscle. If you are benching three times a week and are doing 5x5's to failure, you may need to give more rest between days working chest.