Fitness Thread v. 2.0

Thanatos

To begin with, make sure you read this post before you start posting in this thread. If you have obviously not read this post before you started posting in this thread, I'm going to give you an infraction.

Any disagreements in this thread must be argued according to the following standards:

• Anecdotal evidence and personal observation are completely unacceptable unless you can prove your credentials as a trained and more importantly, experienced individual in the field.
• Any statements of fact must be verifiable and when challenged, citation must be provided. And calling it an opinion and therefore indefensible only makes me ban you for stupidity.
• Disagreements must not degenerate to name calling, trolling, or any other non-constructive behavior that irritates me.
• If your belief/argument/pet theory are challenged, and you cannot provide evidence to support it, while evidence is provided to call it into question, you will likely be asked to drop it. You may not bring it back up later in the thread, and if you persist, you will anger the gods (me).

On to the meat and potatoes:

Recommended Resources


www.bodyforlife.com
www.t-nation.com (good resource, but don't buy anything from them)
http://www.exrx.net (awesome exercise demonstrations)
www.bodybuilding.com (take with a pinch of salt)
Starting Strength

There are two main goals we see here as far as fitness goes. I'm going to be covering the basics for both goals. If you're 98 pounds and 7 feet tall and just looking to put on a bunch of muscle, you can pretty much skip right down to "bulking up," I'm not going to touch on much that will help you in this first section. However, if you're one of those people trying to lose weight, you're definitely going to want to take a look at the bulking up section as well, just skip the part about diet.

Weight Loss

The first goal we generally see is weight loss. There are two primary facets to weight loss: diet and exercise.

Diet

Basically, you're going need to eat less, and eat better foods. No more Big Macs. You're going to want to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day (with breakfast being the largest, preferably about 1.5-2 times the size of the others), and you're going to want to be getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 1800-2200 calories as an average-height male, and 1600-2000 calories as an average-height female (yes, biologically, females get boned on this one; sorry). You're going to want to try to aim for a variety of foods that gives you a 30/30/40 mix, with 40% of your calories being protein, 30% of your calories being fat, and 30% of your calories being carbs. Keep in mind that protein and carbs are about 4 calories per gram, and fat is about 9 calories per gram, so that's substantially fewer grams of fat than carbs or protein. Also, cut out the fucking soda. It's terrible for you.

Now, if you just go that far, you'll probably have some success. The following is getting a bit more advanced, but is important as far as weight loss and long-term fitness go, and you'll do a lot better following this advice.

Now that we've established what we're doing as far as diet goes in general, we need to establish where we're getting our carbs, fats, and protein from. We'll start with carbs, since as far as weight loss goes, they're the most important. The best thing for you--and where you should be getting the vast majority of your carbohydrates from--are complex carbs. Complex carbohydrates take longer for your body to digest than simple carbohydrates, which means that they give you a longer-lasting boost of energy. In addition, your body tends to use complex carbohydrates as energy, whereas it tends to store simple carbohydrates (starches and sugars) as fat. Most complex carbohydrates come from whole grains (note: this does not mean wheat, but specifically whole grains), and complex sugars, like the type you find in fruits. A good breakfast will include quite a few complex carbohydrates, because that is a great way to start your day, giving your body a big boost of energy early in the morning.

In addition to complex carbohydrates, you want to make sure you're getting at least 25 grams of dietary fiber per day. You don't actually have to count most of this fiber as carbohydrates, because your body doesn't actually consume it. It works as a cleanser for your body; you'll find that you'll lose weight significantly faster when getting your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of dietary fiber than when you're not.

Next, we'll move on to fats. Fats are pretty easy: you want to avoid bad ones, and eat good ones. Bad fats are saturated fats, which cause your cholesterol to go up, and your heart to become clogged, and trans-fats, which pretty much just make you die. Good fats are poly- and mono-unsaturated fats, which are used for muscle-building and nutrients for your body. In addition, there is a type of fat called "omega 3 fatty acids," that are excellent for losing weight; omega 3s are pretty much the best fats out there.

Finally, protein. Protein is the building-block of muscle, so it's important that you're getting enough of it, especially if you're weightlifting as part of your exercise regime. There are different types of protein that you can get from various foods, but generally, the stuff you get from dead animals is the good stuff.

Along with all that, you probably want to start taking a basic, generic multivitamin, to make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. Women, you need to make sure you're getting enough calcium and iron, especially if you end up cutting a lot of red meat out of your diet.

As far as scheduling goes, as I said in the beginning, the best way to eat is to make a point of consuming 5-6 small meals at approximately evenly-spaced intervals throughout the day. Generally speaking, this means a 500ish-calorie breakfast, and 4-5 200-300-calorie meals throughout the day. Eating 1-2 big meals is about the worst thing you can do, because it tells your body "hey, I'm not eating all that often, so you need to store that energy for later." Your body stores energy in the form of fat, so eating 1-2 meals, even if you're not eating that many calories, will cause you to put on more fat. 5-6 meals a day tells your body "hey, I'm constantly taking in more fuel, keep burning it." The reason breakfast is the largest (and most important) meal of the day is that you just spent 8 hours without eating, and your body needs the extra food to jumpstart your metabolism in the morning. Eat a breakfast of that size even if you're not hungry. Eat those evenly-spaced meals even if you're not hungry. This especially goes for those of you eating 1-2 meals a day now, because your body isn't going to want to eat at the times you're not accustomed to eating.

Some suggestions on what to and not to eat (neither of these lists is exhaustive):

Good Foods & Meals

Whole-wheat tortilla wraps: Lots of dietary fiber, and the carbs are all whole grains, unlike flour tortillas, which are simple starches, and corn tortillas, which are simple sugars. Again, avoid anything with corn in it. You can use these instead of bread for sandwiches (tuna is an excellent choice, but stick to chunk-light if you're going to be eating it more than a couple of times a week) or just make burritos with them, brown rice, and black beans; chicken or fish optional.

White meats: Specifically, chicken, turkey, and fish. Low-fat (and what fat there is is good for you), high-protein meats. This is where you should be getting a lot of your protein from. If you're going to eat bacon, make it turkey bacon. A George Foreman Grill is a college student's best friend when it comes to chicken.

Whole-grain cereals: Essential part of your breakfast. These give you energy to make it through the rest of the day, and should, in addition to the whole grains, give you a bunch of dietary fiber, too. Kashii Go Lean cereal is a favorite on these boards; it's excellent for you, tastes okay, 100% whole grains, a bit of protein, and loaded with dietary fiber. You can find it pretty cheap at Trader Joe's and Raley's/Nob Hill. It goes great with...

Non-fat/1%/2% Milk: That's in order of preference. Personally, I can't stand non-fat, but don't taste a lot of difference between 1% and 2% milk. Do not drink whole milk. Ever. Soy and rice milks are generally loaded with sugars to make them taste good, so most of them should be avoided, too.

Eggs: Lots of controversy over these. Here's the skinny: eggs are awesome for you. We're talking lots of protein plus several vitamins and minerals plus pretty much the best fats you can find (poly- and mono-unsaturated). People talk about cholesterol in them, but saturated fat intake has way more to do with your cholesterol levels than cholesterol intake does, and eating eggs will not appreciably increase this. You also need to eat the yolk; that's where most of the nutrients and fats are. 2 eggs a day is not unreasonable, nor is 3 if you can fit them in. Hard-boiled eggs will keep for about a week pretty easily, so you can do a bunch at a time, and eat them in the morning with a bowl of cereal as a fast breakfast.

Whole Grain Bread: Make sure it's 100% whole grain. This is what you use for your sandwiches.

Olive Oil: This is your oil of choice when it comes to cooking oils. It's loaded with monounsaturated fats, and is one of the best ways to get your HDL cholesterol (that's the good cholesterol, as opposed to LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol) up.

Vegetables: The more colorful, the better. Carrots, squash, peppers, onions, garlic, broccoli, tomatoes... the list goes on and on. For health purposes, corn and potatoes are not vegetables.

Fruits: Complex sugars, vitamins, and some dietary fiber. These are great for snacking.

Brown Rice: This shit is great, especially if you've got a rice-cooker, and buy a shitload of it at a time. It's ridiculously cheap, too. I like to get it, and buy those packets of tuna steaks, have the tuna over the rice. Delicious.

Lean Pockets: Yes, I'm a shill. The best ones are the "Lean Pockets Whole Grain." The carbs are mostly whole grains, they've got a bunch of protein, and they've even got dietary fiber. 98 seconds in the microwave makes them a really simple meal.

Coffee: Not decaf, actual, honest-to-god coffee. A cup or two a day is good for your heart, and the caffeine helps your energy levels, as well as being a good way to wean yourself off of soda. It's also loaded with antioxidants. If you have stomach problems (like, say, an ulcer, or acid reflux) you probably want to avoid it, but otherwise, it's debatably better for you than tea.

Bad Foods/Meals

Corn: Corn should be avoided at all costs. This means corn chips, corn tortillas, corn in and of itself, regular soda (in the U.S.), and the incredibly vast array of things which you would never consider that contain high-fructose corn syrup (if it says "high fructose corn syrup and/or pure cane sugar," it's the former). This shit is simple sugars, and they pretty much turn straight into fat.

Potatoes: Simple starches. Turns straight into fat. This includes frying them.

Regular Soda: This one is so bad, it bears repeating. The stuff is basically liquid death. It's ridiculously calorie-dense (a single 12oz. can of Coca-Cola contains 130 calories of pure high-fructose corn syrup. The worst part is that your body doesn't even really interpret it as sustenance (it pretty much turns straight into fat, because the sugars are so simple), so it's easy to drink a ton of it. On a 2000-calorie diet, 2 cans of coke is over 12% of your intake for the day, in the form of pretty much the shittiest, most unhealthy calories you can have. If you absolutely can't quit, and replace it with something like coffee, drink diet. If you're drinking enough of it, quitting regular soda alone can cause you to lose weight, without any other dietary changes or exercise. Not to mention that obesity rates in the U.S. are pretty much directly correlated to soda consumption rates. This shit is awful for you.

White bread: Again, simple, processed starches. Pretty much anything with flour in it should be avoided. And yeah, the bun is probably worse for you than the burger at McDonalds.

Candy/cake/cheesecake/chocolate/etc.: This is pretty much a "well, duh."

Eating Out

So, we're mostly 20-somethings and teenagers, here, which means we do a lot of fast food and restaurants. Most fast food places now have all of their nutritional information on their websites. You can make the choice of either eating at relatively healthy fast food places, or sticking to the good stuff on the menu. Sometimes, you have to sort of make up your own good stuff, like going to McDonalds, ordering 2 chicken sandwiches, and throwing away both buns. Taco Bell is actually one of the healthier places when it comes to this, as you can order your meal "fresca style" (though, I've heard this tastes like balls), which makes it healthier, and the healthiest thing on the regular menu (the spicy chicken soft taco) is on the value menu, contrary to most fast food places having the healthiest options cost three times as much as the shitty stuff.


Now, for the second part of our weight loss discussion,

Exercise

This is the second cornerstone to weight loss, and while weightlifting is very helpful (and will be covered a bit later), it isn't, strictly speaking, necessary to weightloss, nor is it as helpful as aerobic or cardiovascular exercise ("cardio" for short). There are many, many varieties of cardio. They key is to get your heartrate up which helps you to burn calories. 20 minutes is generally the minimum amount of time you want to spend at cardio, with 30-40 or longer being preferable. There are several popular methods to take with cardio:

• Standard Cardio: You start with a slower, less-intense warmup, ramp it up a bit for awhile, then have a cooldown.
  
• Hill Training: You start with a slower, less-intense warmup, then slowly ramp it up until about halfway through the exercise, where you're doing some pretty intense workout, then ramp it down again, slowly, all followed by a less-intensive cooldown.
  
• Interval Training: There is both low-intensity and high-intensity interval training. Low-intensity interval training is a slower, less-intense warmup, followed by "working" and "resting" periods of cardio, where you turn it up to pretty intense for a couple minutes, then back down to less intense for a couple of minutes, followed by a less-intensive cooldown. High-intensity interval training, the most popular (and arguably most effective) method of cardio is similar, but is usually 2-4 minute "resting" low-intensity periods, punctuated by short, incredibly intense "sprint" periods of about 1 minute, where you push your body as hard as it can go. This is thought to keep your body from getting accustomed to the level of cardio you're doing (as in standard cardio), and getting your heartrate way up for short periods is supposed to give your metabolism a big bost. This is arguably the best cardio to do if you're trying to lose weight.

There are also a variety of different ways to do cardio:

• Running: The best cardio there is. Running is about as intense as you can get, and will burn calories faster than anything. Unfortunately, if you don't have a good surface to run on, you don't have weather that allows for regular running, you have bad legs/knees/whatever, or you are substantially overweight, running isn't such a good idea (it's pretty much the most high-impact form of cardio there is). However, if the option is there, take it. Running on a treadmill is also an option, but nowhere near as good for you as using a track.
  
• Swimming: On the opposite end of the impact spectrum, we have swimming, which is pretty much as low-impact as it gets. Swimming laps is an awesome way to burn calories, but again, unfortunately, that doesn't work for those of us who don't have access to a sufficiently-sized pool, and/or don't have the weather for it.
  
• Biking: Biking is pretty low-impact, and can be a lot of fun. If you're going to get into, say, mountain biking, though, it can have high entry costs (bikes are expensive), though stationary bikes are still an option.
  
• Elliptical: The low-impact alternative to running. They pretty much have the same advantages and disadvantages of a stationary bike.
  
• Stair machine: These are brutal, great exercise, and medium-to-high-impact. It's honestly difficult to do them for a long length of time, but they're very intense. Given the choice between a treadmill and a stair machine, I'd recommend the stair machine.
  
• Walking: Medium-impact, if you really can't do anything else, walking is way, way better than nothing.

All that being said, cardio does a whole hell of a lot for your metabolism. You can get away with just adding exercise, or just eating healthier, and maybe lose weight, but the metabolic effects of exercise combined with the health effects of good eating are a much, much better way to lose weight than either of them alone. Together, they are much greater than the sum of their parts. In addition, you should be doing some weightlifting, in order to build more muscle, which will not only further help your metabolism, but make you look better as you lose weight, not to mention the general health benefits, including more energy, reduced likelihood of injury, and stronger bones.


Bulking Up

Diet

Diet for people bulking up is a bit easier than diet for people trying to lose weight. The most important thing is going to be making sure you're getting enough protein; it should be at least 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight. This means that if you weight 120 pounds, you're going to want 120-180g of protein per day (that's about 540-800 calories). If you're closer to the ectomorph end of the spectrum (naturally very skinny, not very muscular), you're probably going to need to be eating more food. If you find that you're eating 2500 calories a day, and still not bulking at all in spite of working out, you probably need to be eating 3000-3500 calories a day. Every person is different. The bonus of the ectomorph body type is that you really don't have to worry about putting on fat as much; it's more important for you to worry about getting muscle, so if you want a greasy hamburger, eat a greasy hamburger; eating foods you want is going to make you eat more, and if you want to bulk up, you're going to have to eat more. You're probably going to want to focus on eating meat, but some soy is okay, and if you find that you're having trouble eating enough protein, you should consider using a whey protein powdered shake in order to supplement your diet.

Even for someone who's trying to lose weight, if you're doing weightlifting, one of the things you want to remember is to get a good, protein-rich meal as soon as possible after working out. Within 15 minutes is prime-time (the best-case scenario), but anytime within an hour will help your body to produce more muscle. If you're supplementing your diet with a shake, immediately after your workout is a great time to drink it.

Here is a good weights routine for beginner to intermediate lifters. Beginners might want to start with a 3x10 system, before moving onto 5x5 with heavier weights, which will increase strength gains significantly over the higher rep range. This program uses all of the big compound lifts, is fairly quick, and allows you a little bit of wiggle room for extra exercises. Don't add any isolation arm work until you've been doing it for 6 weeks.

Tube's Exercise Regime For Faggots

Monday

Bench Press 3x10, http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/BBBenchPress.html
Dumbbell Pullovers 3 x 10
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/DBPullover.html
Barbell Deadlifts (conventional stance)
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/BBDeadlift.html
http://www.dieselcrew.com/articles/deadlift101.pdf

Wednesday
Incline Dumbbell Rows 3 x 10
http://www.shapefit.com/middle-back-exercises-middle-back-shrugs.html
Pullups (wide grip overhand) 3 x 10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pull-up_(exercise)
Pullups (Close reverse grip)
Calf Raises 3 x 10
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Gastrocnemius/LVStandingCalfRaise.html

Friday
Barbell Squats 3 x 10
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBSquat.html
Standing Military Press 3 x 10
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidAnterior/BBMilitaryPress.html
Whatever isolation work you like
Examples would be barbell/dumbbell bicep curls, tricep extensions, whatever you feel like. If you’re not doing ab work on other days, do them on Friday. Whatever makes you happy.

Ab Work (do after every workout, or on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Weighted bicycles 3 x 20
http://www.criticalbench.com/exercises/bicycle-crunch.htm
Side Leans 3 x 10
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Obliques/DBSideBend.html
Ball Crunches until you can’t do any more and wish you were dead

If your gym doesn’t have anywhere to do pull-ups, or you can’t do one (really can’t, no being a faggot) do pulldowns. Upgrade to pull-ups as soon as you can, pulldowns are for faggots). Do as many sets as you need to get to thirty, be it six by 5 or whatever. Once you can do 3x10, do it wearing a weight)
If your gym has a calf raise machine, use that. If not, use a barbell. Go heavy, your legs can take a lot of weight.

Thanatos

I'm reserving this post for more stuff, including a section on weightlifting, but I want some good weightlifting shit to fill it out with, since that's the area of fitness with which I am least-acquainted. So, people, post general, frequently-requested weightlifting advice.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Nice new post Fag. I mean, Than.


What's a good healthy breakfast cereal? Personally I like these Stop and Shop brand Nature's Promise things with the fiber twigs and random shit.

Casket

Explain this ban on drinking Whole milk.

Is it just because it has a lot of fat in it or is it because it has a bunch of HORRIBLE SHIT that will give you CANCER and TOXINZ.

Blake T

In terms of the cardio excersise options I'd also add rowing (and more specifically the rowing machines) as the best overall cardio excersise as it works the upper legs core muscles and upper body all at once.

Also swimming doesn't burn as much calories as running due to it's lower impact, but again it has the advantage of excersising the entire body.

General team sports are a good suggestion as well.

Blake T

Casket wrote: »

Explain this ban on drinking Whole milk.

Is it just because it has a lot of fat in it or is it because it has a bunch of HORRIBLE SHIT that will give you CANCER and TOXINZ.

Due to the larger fat content there is just a heap more empty carbs.

Personally after drinking lite milk then moving to skinny milk 99% fat free drinking whole milk now days feels like I'm drinking a cup of oil.

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote: »

Nice new post Fag. I mean, Than.


What's a good healthy breakfast cereal? Personally I like these Stop and Shop brand Nature's Promise things with the fiber twigs and random shit.

Oats/Porridge are hands down the healthiest breakfast you can get your hands on. Stick in some berries and a small amount of low fat yoghurt and it will be super tastey.

Thanatos

Casket wrote: »

Explain this ban on drinking Whole milk.

Is it just because it has a lot of fat in it or is it because it has a bunch of HORRIBLE SHIT that will give you CANCER and TOXINZ.

Because it's loaded with saturated fat.

Casket

Faggot 2 wrote: »

Casket wrote: »

Explain this ban on drinking Whole milk.

Is it just because it has a lot of fat in it or is it because it has a bunch of HORRIBLE SHIT that will give you CANCER and TOXINZ.

Because it's loaded with saturated fat.

That's it? Isn't that easily solved by just regular exercise?

Well, I guess unless your 250 fucking pounds.

Murphy

Shazkar Shadowstorm wrote: »

What's a good healthy breakfast cereal? Personally I like these Stop and Shop brand Nature's Promise things with the fiber twigs and random shit.

I have some Kashi GoLean Crunch that I really like. It's slightly sweet, and pretty tasty. I also have a box of Special K Vanilla Almond that is pretty good for breakfast. Honestly though, any whole grain cereal (check that the first ingredient is some form of whole grain) is fine. Cheerios work. I usually have a bowl of those with some kind of fruit in the morning.

I also sometimes go with Steel Cut oatmeal for breakfast, but those take a while to make properly. Rolled oats or quick cook oats aren't going to give you the same benefit/effect.

Starfuck

Lifting books

Dinosaur Training
http://www.davedraper.com/dinosaur-training-book-excerpt.html
- A Kubrik staple. Lifting heavy, low reps, incorporating odd lifts, thick bars, building a solid foundation. You really could not go wrong with this book.

The Complete Keys to Progress
http://www.davedraper.com/keys-to-progress.html
http://sfuk.tripod.com/reviews/keystoprogress_1.html
- This is a collection of old articles published in the 60's from John McCallum in Strength and Health. Great, great, great stuff. McCallum has a fantastic storytelling writing style that gives you some great info on old fashioned lifting and bodybuilding. McCallum is the originator the Get Big Drink. Seriously, one of my favorite lifting books of all time.

Super Squats
http://www.davedraper.com/super-squats.html
- This is by Randell Strossen, I think he owns Ironmind or something, whatever. Great book. If you got a good lifting foundation, and the cojones to tackle 20 rep squats, you'll want to read this book. The 20 rep squat thing is something I tried a few years ago when chasing some squat PRs and this book was a great tool.

Insiders Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Lifting Techniques
- Even though, I am not an avid McRoberts fan, this is a good book for any beginner and even guys that have been training for a while. It can help you dial in your form better. I'm also going to go ahead and recommend Beyond Brawn, because it has some good info and stresses safety above all else (maybe a little too anal about some things, but whatever).

Kelso's Shrug Book
http://sfuk.tripod.com/reviews/shrug_kelso.html
- This is a great little book. Under 100 pages and Paul Kelso just kicks ass. His Texas Powerlifting Book is also something I'd recommend. But I'd say, for what you get in the Shrug Book, it is totally worth it. He's got tips and types of shrugs that you could incorporate into a work out to help you out in your training in general.

That's all on books I have to recommend. I'd consider these just essentials in any lifters library that wants a nice range of tools to draw from.

Thanatos

Casket wrote: »

Faggot 2 wrote: »

Casket wrote: »

Explain this ban on drinking Whole milk.

Is it just because it has a lot of fat in it or is it because it has a bunch of HORRIBLE SHIT that will give you CANCER and TOXINZ.

Because it's loaded with saturated fat.

That's it? Isn't that easily solved by just regular exercise?

Well, I guess unless your 250 fucking pounds.

Starting your day off with a serving of something that's 1/3 of your RDA of saturated fat per serving is not a good idea, whether you're trying to lose weight or not.

Even if you're not trying to lose weight, saturated fat is one of the primary causes of heart disease, and it's what causes you to have cholesterol problems. You want most (if not all) of your fats to be unsaturated.

And even if it were "easily solvable by regular exercise," so is eating cheesecake, ice cream, soda, french fries, and all sorts of other unhealthy shit, but you don't see those on the list of "foods that are good for you," either, do you?

Shazkar Shadowstorm

I grew up on 2%, and then starting in elementary/middle school they had 1% at school so I got used to that, and then at college they had skim and 2%, so I'd either mix them or just drink skim and now I'm used to skim, which is weird because I used to think it tasted like water...

Lewisham

I just quit diet Coke.

It's at once both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I used to drink it like water, and now I drink water instead.

It's easier in terms of cravings, but it's harder to not buy that can of diet coke in the vending machine that looks so cool and frosty...

Casket

Thinatos wrote: »

Starting your day off with a serving of something that's 1/3 of your RDA of saturated fat per serving is not a good idea, whether you're trying to lose weight or not.

Source? I have weighed 140 pounds for the past few years and I hover around 13% body fat. I drink 3 glasses of WHOLE milk a day. That's 21 glasses of milk a week. I exercise regularly and I don't drink soda or cheesecake and fries or beer or any of that shit. It can't be as horrible as you say.

Thanatos

Casket wrote: »

Thinatos wrote: »

Starting your day off with a serving of something that's 1/3 of your RDA of saturated fat per serving is not a good idea, whether you're trying to lose weight or not.

Source? I have weighed 140 pounds for the past few years and I hover around 13% body fat. I drink 3 glasses of WHOLE milk a day. That's 21 glasses of milk a week. I exercise regularly and I don't drink soda or cheesecake and fries or beer or any of that shit. It can't be as horrible as you say.

Thinatos wrote: »

Even if you're not trying to lose weight, saturated fat is one of the primary causes of heart disease, and it's what causes you to have cholesterol problems. You want most (if not all) of your fats to be unsaturated.

And even if it were "easily solvable by regular exercise," so is eating cheesecake, ice cream, soda, french fries, and all sorts of other unhealthy shit, but you don't see those on the list of "foods that are good for you," either, do you?

Casket

Which is deadlier, trans fat or saturated fat.

virgilsamms

I have a recommendation for breakfast thats quick and easy, though you do have to start the night before - use the healthy oats whatever they are, throw some in a pot with linseed, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds (etc, use seeds you like), raisins and other dried fruits. Add some water, cover and go to bed. Wake up, add a bit more water and cook until porridge like. It's delicious and pretty healthy.

Phoenix-D

I have a weird schedule, so I have basically three days a week to do my heavy exercise. They're all in a row, too. The other days I can manage 10 minutes. Maybe.

Given that, should I be working out hard all three days? Doing light work in the middle, one heavy day in the middle?

Thanatos

Casket wrote: »

Which is deadlier, trans fat or saturated fat.

Which is deadlier, arsenic or cyanide? Cyanide, so why don't you go eat a bunch of arsenic?

The Cat

Blaket wrote: »

Casket wrote: »

Explain this ban on drinking Whole milk.

Is it just because it has a lot of fat in it or is it because it has a bunch of HORRIBLE SHIT that will give you CANCER and TOXINZ.

Due to the larger fat content there is just a heap more empty carbs.

That sentence is lacking in logic. I think you meant to say empty calories

Folken Fanel

So I'm at a bad place. My deadlifts are suffering because my grip sucks. My lower back has gotten really strong and I've been increasing the weight accordingly, but my hands literally open every time I try to lift up the current weight I'm at on my last set. Should I just go back down to less weight with more reps?

Also, what is THE best oatmeal I can eat? Right now I'm doing 1 serving of Quaker oats mixed with milk and brown sugar for flavor. It still takes like shit, but I've stuck with it. I tried throwing some frozen blueberries in there, but thats not tickling my fancy either.

One more thing: I want to start incorporating more vegetables into my diet. I'd like to start eating salads, but I don't know where to start in making those. What's the secret to making a salad that tastes really good?

Dark Moon

Folken Fanel wrote: »

So I'm at a bad place. My deadlifts are suffering because my grip sucks. My lower back has gotten really strong and I've been increasing the weight accordingly, but my hands literally open every time I try to lift up the current weight I'm at on my last set. Should I just go back down to less weight with more reps?

Also, what is THE best oatmeal I can eat? Right now I'm doing 1 serving of Quaker oats mixed with milk and brown sugar for flavor. It still takes like shit, but I've stuck with it. I tried throwing some frozen blueberries in there, but thats not tickling my fancy either.

One more thing: I want to start incorporating more vegetables into my diet. I'd like to start eating salads, but I don't know where to start in making those. What's the secret to making a salad that tastes really good?

Are you using a one hand overhand, one hand underhand grip when lifting? You should also be using chalk. Between those two points, you should be able to pick up most anything.

As to the salads: I love a bit of tasty cheese on top of my salads. A little bit of sun dried feta and some nice Parmesan makes any salad very nice. I also like a little bit of lemon zest on my salads when the mood strikes me.

themightypuck

Folken Fanel wrote: »

So I'm at a bad place. My deadlifts are suffering because my grip sucks. My lower back has gotten really strong and I've been increasing the weight accordingly, but my hands literally open every time I try to lift up the current weight I'm at on my last set. Should I just go back down to less weight with more reps?

Also, what is THE best oatmeal I can eat? Right now I'm doing 1 serving of Quaker oats mixed with milk and brown sugar for flavor. It still takes like shit, but I've stuck with it. I tried throwing some frozen blueberries in there, but thats not tickling my fancy either.

One more thing: I want to start incorporating more vegetables into my diet. I'd like to start eating salads, but I don't know where to start in making those. What's the secret to making a salad that tastes really good?

Do you use alternating or hook grip? Alternating adds some pounds for me. Also, based on personal experience, be careful. When your grip fails you need to drop the bar not chase it.

Folken Fanel

Dark Moon wrote: »

Folken Fanel wrote: »

So I'm at a bad place. My deadlifts are suffering because my grip sucks. My lower back has gotten really strong and I've been increasing the weight accordingly, but my hands literally open every time I try to lift up the current weight I'm at on my last set. Should I just go back down to less weight with more reps?

Also, what is THE best oatmeal I can eat? Right now I'm doing 1 serving of Quaker oats mixed with milk and brown sugar for flavor. It still takes like shit, but I've stuck with it. I tried throwing some frozen blueberries in there, but thats not tickling my fancy either.

One more thing: I want to start incorporating more vegetables into my diet. I'd like to start eating salads, but I don't know where to start in making those. What's the secret to making a salad that tastes really good?

Are you using a one hand overhand, one hand underhand grip when lifting? You should also be using chalk. Between those two points, you should be able to pick up most anything.

As to the salads: I love a bit of tasty cheese on top of my salads. A little bit of sun dried feta and some nice Parmesan makes any salad very nice. I also like a little bit of lemon zest on my salads when the mood strikes me.

I've been using an overhand hook. Maybe I'll try the alternating hook next time. Not too sure about chalk though. I'm pretty sure my college's gym prohibits it.

Thanks for the salad advice, I'll give it a shot.

.... still waiting for oatmeal suggestions!

themightypuck wrote: »

Also, based on personal experience, be careful. When your grip fails you need to drop the bar not chase it.

Personal experience? You drop the bar on your kneecaps or something?

Blake T

If you want to improve your grip strength try wrapping a cloth around the bar, this makes the bar thicker and engages your grip more, do it on your benching and your dumbell though rather than your dead lift.

Murphy

I like McCann's. Steel cut are a lot tastier than rolled oats (IMO). They have a nuttier flavor and texture. You'll still maybe want to add some sweetener or fruit (I toss some flax seeds, bananas and some organic sugar), but it's all a matter of taste. Use the method above posted by virgilsamms if you don't want to take the time to cook them in the morning.

Blake T

For awesome oats do the following.

1 egg
150 mls of milk
10 grams of ground flaxseed/linseed (same thing)
10 grams of vanila protein powder
65 grams of quick oats
5 roughly chopped almonds

Mix everything in a bowl in that order then place 70 grams of berries (Blaket recomends blueberries!) and nuke on high for three minutes twenty.

Use this time to make your lunch for the day and save time and money.

Top with a tablespoon of reduced fat yoghurt and mix until your get a light purple mush.

It has around 600 calories and sets you well on your way for the day.

Murphy

I can't stand rolled oats due to texture, but that recipe would be good with pretty much any oats.

devoir

So I need ideas for easy meals. I don't mind having preparation time, but it has to be the kind that I can do all in one go and then package up the food for later. 5 minutes of actual attention, 15 minutes of total time to prepare any individual meal. Preferably something that works well with a busy work lifestyle that I can bring to work, throw in the fridge (or not) and then retrieve for instant gratification if I need to work at my desk.

The obvious idea is sandwiches, but if I go down that path I need something that doesn't go soggy and that I can keep in the fridge for hopefully the whole week (or freezer). I can buy sealed containers (in fact I have a couple) so stuff to reheat is okay too.

At the moment I'm quite ill and can't concentrate, and I'm sure some of it is due to the fact that I haven't been able to focus my time on preparing quality food like I was doing for the past two-three months.

Assistance is appreciated in advance.

Murphy

Soup can be good. Not the canned stuff, as that generally has way too much sodium (some is ok, but the flavor still sucks). But you can make soup ahead of time, and freeze it in small batches for use later. Plus, if you make it yourself, you control the ingredients, and so it can be as healthy as you need it to be.

What I do in order to eat healthy (because I know that if I don't plan to, I'll snack, or buy something stupid on impulse) is buy a lot of things that I can grab and go with, or that will hold for a long time. I eat a lot of fruits I generally buy the sturdier ones that will hold up, and that I can take with me if necessary (apples, bananas, oranges, etc.). I parcel out things like nuts in little baggies so that if I'm in a hurry I don't have to worry about finding something to snack on.

Sandwich wise, as long as you keep the bread from getting too moist, you shouldn't have any problems. Don't put any condiments on it when you pack it, or package the ingredients separately if it's something like tuna/egg/chicken salad.

I'll be doing more and more of this in a couple of months when I start going back to school, so maybe I'll have some more ideas then.

devoir

Yeah, I think I might have to go down the whole vegetable soup idea to mix things up. A portion of soup and a sandwich at different times during the work day. Maybe a food processor to get it to a reasonable consistency, although I'd prefer not to spend any more money than is absolutely necessary at the moment (houses are expensive...).

I'm also going for porridge in the mornings as I can take the packets to work if necessary and microwave it there.

The Cat

devoir wrote: »

Yeah, I think I might have to go down the whole vegetable soup idea to mix things up. A portion of soup and a sandwich at different times during the work day. Maybe a food processor to get it to a reasonable consistency, although I'd prefer not to spend any more money than is absolutely necessary at the moment (houses are expensive...).

I'm also going for porridge in the mornings as I can take the packets to work if necessary and microwave it there.

You can get a decent stick blender for under $20, they're perfect for soup-thrashing. And the usually come with a little half-assed food processor attachment that's good enough to mince a batch of garlic or make some dips.

The Cat

devoir wrote: »

So I need ideas for easy meals. I don't mind having preparation time, but it has to be the kind that I can do all in one go and then package up the food for later. 5 minutes of actual attention, 15 minutes of total time to prepare any individual meal. Preferably something that works well with a busy work lifestyle that I can bring to work, throw in the fridge (or not) and then retrieve for instant gratification if I need to work at my desk.

The obvious idea is sandwiches, but if I go down that path I need something that doesn't go soggy and that I can keep in the fridge for hopefully the whole week (or freezer). I can buy sealed containers (in fact I have a couple) so stuff to reheat is okay too.

At the moment I'm quite ill and can't concentrate, and I'm sure some of it is due to the fact that I haven't been able to focus my time on preparing quality food like I was doing for the past two-three months.

Assistance is appreciated in advance.

If you have a little kitchenette space at work, you can just bring the sandwich bits in a tupperware container and assemble them at lunchtime. 's what I used to do to avoid sogginess. It means carrying a biggish lunchbox, but its worth it.

Jacobkosh

A couple quick questions:

1) I'm really really poor at the moment, so have been eating a lot of rice (both white and brown). Where does this stand on the good---bad spectrum? What can I do, cooking wise, to make it better?

2) I've always heard that skim milk is better than one or two percent because getting those percentages means adulterating the milk with a bunch of bad evil chemicals. Is this true/false/irrelevant? I mean, I've developed a taste for skim anyway so it's not even an issue most of the time, but we only have 2% at work.

Abdul the Terrible

Oh great a new Fitness Thread.

Good op Thinatos.

matisyahu

Is there really no way to fit potatoes or corn into a healthy weight loss diet? I grew up in a household that specialized in I guess what you could call Upper Midwestern Cuisine. Everything had some combination of cream of mushroom, cheese, red meat, potatoes, and corn. Can I get away with some corn on the cob? If potatoes are so bad then how come they saved Ireland instead of just making them all really fat? I feel like I can't get full without either eating these "meat and potatoes" type foods or eating enormous portions of healthier stuff. Is there a pill I can take that doesn't make me so hungry all the time?

I've also recently become convinced that I have lactose intolerance. I don't know if this requires a legitimate diagnosis, it should be sufficient just recognizing that whenever I eat dairy products I have...discomfort and...expulsion. This is a new development so I'm just starting to brace myself for dietary changes, no more milk means no more cereal, no more anything delicious. Who ever heard of eggs and toast without milk? Is it possible to eat healthy and still enjoy eating? Dinner will always be more than fuel to me..

devoir

Good point Abdul; I did mean to say something about the quality of the OP of this thread; hats off to you Thanatos.

You can eat the potatoes and corn, it just isn't ideal. Small portions might fill your 'need' for them without tipping the balance too much, just be aware that it will run counter to the goal you have in mind.

Regarding the milk, I stopped drinking milk during my later teenage years. Before that I had never been a big fan of milk, but I never had major physical reaction to it. Now (and keep in mind I'm chinese, so genetically prone to lactose intolerance) I get very uncomfortable if I have any significant amount of 'normal' milk by itself. I can have milk in porridge, etc, but it cannot be the main component of whatever I'm consuming. Hot chocolate is about borderline for me.

Thanks for the "make it at work" suggestion. Bloody obvious, really. I ended up buying a bunch of fixings after I posted and making eight sandwiches to take to work/eat at home. I've also boiled up some eggs so I'll see what I can do about a light egg salad for sandwiches that I'll take to work in separate components.

What about blending food? In relation to vegetables and fruit, I imagine it's a time efficient way of consuming a lot of fibre and nutrients. And if I take the blender to work... Are there any downsides to consuming your food like that, aside from the 'boredom' issues?

Edit: Also, on another completely different topic; I've ascertained that the problem I've been having while running is a very tight calf muscle. Basically the one that runs down the middle of the calf, on the rear-facing side of the bone. It's really tight to the point that I can feel it if I do a flat-footed squat. I've been suggested to go to a sports therapist to get it worked on, but if I can fix it relatively quickly (one to two weeks) by doing specific kinds of stretches at home, I'd prefer that method. Any other advice/information on that kind of problem would be very handy.

The effect of that muscle being too tight is that my left leg locks up after 4-5 minutes of running, depending on the surface I'm on and the way my foot strikes the running surface.

Blake T

No food is necessarily bad. I mean at the end of the day icecream does contain protein, but it also contains fats.

It's more recognizing what is in the food that is good/bad and weighing it up.

Potatoes and Corn are simple carbs which mean that have a high GI which means they'll spike your insulin levels and once it drops it makes you hungry again soon after.

It's more recognizing that it's not too flash, and if you can keep your calorie intact in check then fair enough.

But for most people it's far easier to stick to low GI foods and not worry about random hungry peroids during the day.

Try however replacing the potato with sweet potato in your recipies as it's higher GI and generally better for you in terms of minerals as well.

Wulf

I didn't see it mentioned, but wouldn't a bit of honey be a decent sweetener for Oatmeal dishes, or is there something about honey that makes it not so good?

Brucelee41042

Honey would be a good alternative to sugar/sweeteners. Here's a good read on the health benefits of honey:

http://www.honey-health.com/

Also, honey is the only food the NEVER spoils. I believe when uncovering ancient tombs in egypt, archaeologists found honey in covered jars, and it was still edible! Thats a few thousand years shelf life.

JeffH

Folken Fanel wrote: »

So I'm at a bad place. My deadlifts are suffering because my grip sucks. My lower back has gotten really strong and I've been increasing the weight accordingly, but my hands literally open every time I try to lift up the current weight I'm at on my last set. Should I just go back down to less weight with more reps?

Get wrist wraps.

As far as potatoes, you can always have sweet potatoes, which actually are good for you.

And to add something else, I'll post my favorite inspirational speech. I have it printed out and hanging on my fridge. It never fails to make me feel awesome after a hard workout, and feel like shit when I'm slacking. Spoilered for really long

What Seperates us from them

"So, what are you doing for a living these days?" Bob asked me. We're sitting on the couch at one of those tedious holiday get-togethers, you know, the ones where you're supposed to be nice to family members you never see except during major holidays and funerals. I think Bob is my wife's brother-in-law's second cousin or something.

"I'm the assistant editor and a writer for Testosterone magazine," I say. Bob looks at me with a blank expression on his face, as if I'd just told him I sell handmade testicle warmers beside the freeway and was looking to open franchises across the nation.

"It's a bodybuilding magazine," I say.

Blank expression. Deer caught in the headlights. Ronnie Coleman doing trigonometry.

"Oh," Bob finally says, "I heard you were, like, one of those bodybuilder guys or something. So, what's that like, you know, working out every day and stuff? I just don't have time to lift weights all day, but I have been meaning to get rid of this beer belly." He takes another sip of beer. "What do you suggest?" Sip.

At first I was a little offended. I wanted to grab him up and say, "You can't tell I'm a bodybuilder?! Look at my ass! Now, if that's not a nice round squat-built piece of sirloin, I don't know what is! You think that comes naturally? I can crack walnuts with this puppy! Wanna see? Huh, punk? Do ya? Do ya?"

Then I realize this just might cause a scene and could cost me several Christmas presents. I was planning on returning any presents I got and using the money to buy a power rack, so I didn't want to jeopardize this gift getting opportunity. I also realized that old Bob probably had a certain preconceived image of a bodybuilder and I just didn't fit that image. I'm not gorilla huge; I weigh about 205 at 5'11" right now. (When I first started lifting I was a pudgy 159, so that's not too shabby.) Also, I wasn't wearing clown pants, a fluorescent string tank top, a hanky on my head and one of those little fanny packs. And isn't that what real bodybuilders are supposed to wear?

Bob continued to sit there drinking his Natural Light, smoking a cigarette and waiting for an answer, oblivious to the fact that he'd come this close to seeing some serious walnut- crunching ass power. I tried to figure out how I could explain to the average guy what the typical T-Man does and why he does it. How could I get him to understand what it is we do, how we feel, how we live? So I took a deep breath and told him something like this:

"Well, Bob, I guess you could use the term bodybuilder if you really need a label for what it is we do. Most of us actually don't stand on stage and compete, though. We lift weights and manipulate our diets so that we'll look good naked. Sure, it's healthy too, and we'll probably live a longer and more productive life than the average guy, but mostly it's about the naked thing. Truthfully, it goes beyond even that.

"Let's be honest here. We do it because of people like you, Bob. We look at you sitting there with your gut hanging over your belt and we watch you grunt and groan just getting out of a chair. Guys like you are our inspiration, Bob. You're better than Anthony Robbins, Bill Phillips, Deepak Chopra, and Zig ****ing Ziglar all wrapped up into one. We love it when guys like you talk about not having time to exercise. Every time we see you munching on a bag of potato chips, you inspire us. You're my shot in the arm, Bob, my living and breathing wake-up call, my own personal success coach.

"You want to know what it is we do? We overcome. We're too busy to train, too, but we overcome. We're too busy to prepare healthy meals and eat them five or six times a day, but we overcome. We can't always afford supplements, our genetics aren't perfect, and we don't always feel like going to the gym. Some of us used to be just like you, Bob, but guess what? We've overcome.

"We like to watch 'normal' people like you tell us about how they can't get in shape. We smile and nod sympathetically like we feel your pain, but actually, we're thinking that you're a pathetic piece of **** that needs to grow a spine and join a gym. You smile sheepishly and say that you just can't stay motivated and just can't stand that feeling of being sore. (For some reason you think that admitting your weaknesses somehow justifies them.) We listen to you ***** and moan. We watch you look for the easy way out. Because of people like you, Bob, we never miss a workout.

"You ask us for advice about diet and training and usually we politely offer some guidance, but deep inside we know you won't take our advice. You know that too. We smile and say, 'Hope that helps. Good luck,' but actually we're thinking, 'Boy, it would suck to be you.' We know that 99% of people won't listen to us. Once they hear that it takes hard work, sacrifice and discipline, they stop listening and tune us out.

"We know they wanted us to say that building a great body is easy, but it just isn't. This did not take five minutes a day on a TorsoTrack. We did not get this way in 12 short weeks using a Bowflex and the Suzanne Somers' 'Get Skinny' diet. A good body does not cost five easy payments of $39.95.

"We like it that while you're eating a candy bar and drinking Mountain Dew, we're sucking down a protein shake. You see, that makes it taste even better to us. While you're asleep we're either getting up early or staying up late, hitting the iron, pushing ourselves, learning, succeeding and failing and rising above the norm with every rep. Can you feel that, Bob? Can you relate? No? Good. This wouldn't be half as fun if you could.

"We do it because we absolutely and totally get off on it. We do it because people like you, Bob, either can't or won't. We do it because what we do in the gym transfers over into the rest of our lives and changes us, physically, mentally, maybe even spiritually. We do it because it beats watching fishing and golf on TV. By the way, do you know what it's like to turn the head of a beautiful woman because of the way you're built? It feels good, Bob. Damned good.

"When we're in the gym, we're in this indescribable euphoria zone. It's a feeling of being on, of being completely alive and aware. If you haven't been there, then it's like trying to describe color to a person who's been blind since birth. Within this haze of pleasure and pain, there's knowledge and power, self-discipline and self-reliance. If you do it long enough, Bob, there's even enlightenment. Sometimes, the answers to questions you didn't even know you had are sitting there on those rubber mats, wrapped up in a neat package of iron plates and bars.

"Want to lose that beer belly, Bob? I have a nutty idea. Put down the ****ing beer. I'll tell you what, Bob. Christmas morning I'm getting up real early and hitting the iron. I want to watch my daughter open her presents and spend the whole day with her, so this is the only time I have to train. The gym will be closed, so I'm going out in my garage to workout. You be at my house at six in the morning, okay? I'll be glad to help you get started on a weight training program. It'll be colder than Hillary Clinton's coochie in there, so dress warm.

"But let me tell you something, Bob. If you don't show up, don't bother asking me again. And don't you ever sit there and let me hear you ***** about your beer belly again. This is your chance, your big opportunity to break out of that rut. If you don't show up, Bob, you've learned a very important lesson about yourself, haven't you? You won't like that lesson.

"You won't like that feeling in the pit of your stomach either or that taste in your mouth. It will taste worse than defeat, Bob. Defeat tastes pretty goddamned nasty, but what you'll be experiencing will be much worse. It will be the knowledge that you're weak, mentally and physically. What's worse is that you'll have accepted that feeling. The feeling will always be with you. In the happiest moments of your life, it'll be there, lying under the surface like a malignant tumor. Ignore it at your own peril, Bob.

"Don't look at me like that either. This just may be the best Christmas present you'll get this year. Next Christmas, Bob, when I see you again, I'm going to be a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little leaner. What will you be? Will you still be making excuses? This is a gift, Bob, from me to you. I'm giving you the chance to look fate in those pretty eyes of hers and say, 'Step off, *****. This is my party and you're not invited.' What do you say, Bob? Monday, Christmas morning, 6am, my house. The ball's in your court."

Okay, so maybe that's not the exact words I used with Bob, but you get the picture. Will Bob show up Monday? I don't know, but I kind of doubt it. In fact, Bob will probably take me off his Christmas card list. He probably thinks I've got "too much Testosterone," like that's a bad thing. I think Bob is just stuck in a rut, and as the saying goes, the only difference between a rut and a grave is depth.

The way out of the rut is to make major changes in your life, most of which won't be too pleasant in the beginning. The opportunity to make those changes seldom comes as bluntly as I put it to Bob. Most of the time, that opportunity knocks very softly. What I did was basically give Bob a verbal slap in the face. You can react two ways to a slap. You can get angry at the person doing the slapping, or you can realize that he was just trying to get you to wake up and focus on what you really want and, more importantly, what it'll take to get it.

If you're a regular T-mag reader, I doubt you need to be called out like Bob. But maybe you've caught yourself slacking a little here lately. Maybe you've missed a few workouts or maybe you started a little too early on the usual holiday feasting, like, say, back in September. Just remember that the time to start working on that summer body is now. The time to get rid of those bad habits that hold you back in the gym is now. You want to look totally different by next Christmas? Start now. This isn't because of the holidays or any corny New Year's resolutions either. The best time is always now.

Christmas day I want you to enjoy being with your family and friends. I want you to open presents, sip a little eggnog and have a good meal. But if your regularily scheduled workout happens to fall on December 25th, what will you be doing at six o'clock that morning?

That's what separates us from guys like Bob.

Credit for this article to T-Mag.com