Weight Loss Thread

Noodleface_sl said:

I was thinking about doing weekly/monthly pictures of myself as motivation and posting them, but I'm looking rather disgusting and think it is in bad taste.

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I highly recommend weekly pictures. I did that for several months and it was insanely motivating, especially when I could see a difference in the pictures but the scale weight didn't move/barely moved. I also think the fact that you know you have your scheduled picture day coming up is excellent motivation to avoid chowing down on those 12 donuts or polishing off that whole stuffed crust pizza.

Tuco's reasoning against it is kind of silly, because the same thing can be said for just using scale weight. There is always the possibility that you'll plateau at some point. However, while a number on the scale might stay the same, it's very possible to see a bit more definition week-to-week in pictures, which keeps motivation up.

Do you want me to go full-blown nude? One of my balls hangs substantially lower than the other and I'm worried there might be a glare off of it from the flash

Noodleface_sl said:

One of my balls hangs substantially lower than the other

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This is off topic but you gotta watch that shit. I had the same issue since birth (non-descended testicle) and 27 years later...WHAM, nut cancer. Although it is not a for sure thing but having an under developed nut due to it not descending properly is a huge risk when it comes to testicular cancer. I got the cancer / nut removed (and no they wouldn't let me keep it like in Buying the Cow) and then had to go through chemo a year later.

Sorry for the derail but saw the comment and felt obligated to pass one some knowledge.

Thanks for the heads up. Nut cancer is actually a serious concern for me as my father had it around my age as well. I don't know if it's hereditary or not, but I am always examining the ol' sack.

If you start to suddenly get that "blue balls" feeling and jacking off only stops it for like 30 minutes, get your ass checked. That is how I found out. I thought I sprained a nut playing Soccer at first if that is even possible. As for it being hereditary, I don't know but my uncle and my grandfather (same side) also had it.

Cad_sl said:

I'm 6'2 and 185lbs right now, I'd like to go down to 175 and lose mostly fat. To accomplish this I've been eating 150-200g of protein daily, 1500-1800 calories, and lifting 4 times a week and doing 20-25 minutes of cardio per day (300-350 calories worth).

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I agree with the others -- you'll definitely lose weight following this program but also a lot of muscle. You didn't specify a timeline -- are you in a hurry? If not, I suggest shooting for .5-.75 lbs a week; take it slow. With your #s, your sedentary TDEE is 2215. If you DIDN'T exercise, you shouldn't be eating less than 1715 (500 deficit a day = 1lb a week).

I --highly-- suggest dropping the cardio altogether. It's been proven in studies but I just woke up and I'm too lazy to go find something. Think about this intuitively; you're eating less and putting a new type of stress on your body (a calorie deficit). You can convince it to maintain most of its lean mass by eating high protein and lifting with high intensity (reps at close to your max). Cardio doesn't fit with this at all -- cardio makes your body want to strip down its muscles, since they (for the most part) are not helping and they're consuming a now-limited resource.

Up to you; but I assure you, if you posted this same thing in reddit.com/r/fitness or any other reasonable forum, most people would agree that this is not enough food and too much work to maintain strength and lose weight.

Getting pretty close to goal but I may have derailed my train yesterday. I was rolling with one of the guys at the gym and while attempting to escape side control I felt something...pop?snap? Almost like a rubber band being stretched and released at my lower left rib cage. The pain and discomfort were not unbearable, but definitely present and I had to stop for the day. The pain seemed to be coming from the muscle area a little lower / behind the rib. I went home and iced it, woke up and it is about the same. The area is tender when stretched / when I utilize those muscles.

Anyone had anything similar to this happen or know what it sounds like? My google doctoring was popping up things like intercostal strain. The pain hasn't been bad enough to make me want to rush to the doctor and I have an appointment with a chiropractor anyway on Tuesday. He seemed to know a bit about sports medicine so I was going to run that by him.

I think this is definitely going to keep my out of the gym for at least a week or more which is too bad because I had some good momentum going.

Speaking of sugar killing people:

Threat Grows From Liver Illness Tied To Obesity

In the past two decades, the prevalence of the disease, known as nonalcoholic fatty liver, has more than doubled in teenagers and adolescents, and climbed at a similar rate in adults. Studies based on federal surveys and diagnostic testing have found that it occurs in about 10 percent of children and at least 20 percent of adults in the United States, eclipsing the rate of any other chronic liver condition.

There are no drugs approved to treat the disease, and it is quickly becoming a leading cause of liver transplants around the country.

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?The equivalent of this is foie gras,? said Dr. Joel E. Lavine, the chief of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children?s Hospital. ?You have to force feed ducks to get fatty liver,but people seem to be able to develop it on their own.?

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Check my blood test results a few pages back. There is a cure.

My workout routine is retarded. I'm thinking of starting Stronglifts 5x5 to gain functional strength. Does anyone know anything about the 5x5 program and if I should give it a shot?

It depends on what your goal is, to be honest. It also depends on just how long you've been lifting (if at all). What's your height/weight and current lifts?

Most 5x5 programs are good for developing a basic strength level. The problem is that they're not quite complete. You'll end up with some areas lagging since almost all of them only focus on compound lifts. If you can find a decent one that has a good range of isolation accessory lifts, they're good to run as a novice lifter (and even without, they're worthwhile).

If you're looking for something that provides a more aesthetic physique though, they're pretty crap. My opinion is that they're also only good for about 6-12 months before you need to move on to something else.

Here's Why Soda Is Even More Unhealthy Than You Thought

TL;DR high amounts of fructose makes you fat and prone to type 2 diabetes. High amounts of glucose doesn't have the same effect. Now I'm kind of curious to track obesity vs the increase in HFCS in products.

EDIT: And that didn't take long, people have already done studies. They proved correlation, but not causation. So it looks like we can put 2 and 2 together. So now the question is how much of the obesity problem is excess consumption of fructose.

Himeo_sl said:

My workout routine is retarded. I'm thinking of starting Stronglifts 5x5 to gain functional strength. Does anyone know anything about the 5x5 program and if I should give it a shot?

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5x5 is going to be tough with no carbs. Carbs fuel your muscle cells for extended set-rep-combinations.
When I went low-carb, that's what I first noticed. My max lifts stayed the same, but I had to go from 3x5 to 1x5 on the top set.

I'm using an RPT-type programming now, and it works. You could try something like:

Day A:
Squat at RPE 9 4-6 reps, then take 10% off the bar and repeat for +1 rep
Benchpress at RPE 9 4-6 reps, then take 10% off the bar and repeat for +1 rep, then take a total of 20% off and repeat for +2 reps
OHP at RPE 9 4-6 reps, then take 10% off the bar and repeat for +1 rep, then take a total of 20% off and repeat for +2 reps

Day B:
Squat at RPE 9 4-6 reps, then take 10% off the bar and repeat for +1 rep
Deadlift at RPE 9 3-5 reps, , then take 10% off the bar and repeat for +1 rep
Assistance/vanity curls in for 3x8 at RPE8

Alternate day A and B.
Aim to increase the rep-count from last time (if at 4, try for 5)
If you manage the max in the rep range (typically 6), next time add weight (2,5kg) and aim for the low in the rep range.

[1] RPE:Improve Your Training With RPE Strength Unbound
[2] RPT:Routine | RippedBody.jp

That's one of the most bizarre workout routines I've ever seen. Instead of using weight, it's entirely based on...how it feels that day? I don't understand the whole RPE thing, but I guess otherwise it's very similar to a 5x5.

Honestly, there's not a whole lot of mystery in lifting weights. The same crap that worked 50 years ago still works today. And you don't need to buy anything that tells you how to do it. The internet has plenty of readily available routines.

RPEs make sense once you get used to the system.

Most times, you end a 5RM set at RPE 9 or thereabouts. So when it says RPE9 4-6 reps, it basically means: Use the weight that you think you can safely do 5 reps with - 1 less on a bad day, 1 more on a good day. I started out doing Starting Strength, Texas Method and stuff like that, but when I began dieting I found that it was more difficult to predict a linear progression.

The reverse-pyramid system (RPT) is commonly used with dieting/leangains/IF type eating patterns to compensate for the lack of carbs, and tends to work well with RPE-type rep patterns.

Himeo_sl said:

My workout routine is retarded. I'm thinking of starting Stronglifts 5x5 to gain functional strength. Does anyone know anything about the 5x5 program and if I should give it a shot?

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I do. I began ICF two months ago (similiar beginner program; just has more accessory lifts). My starting weights were approximately: 135 squat, 135 deadlift, 100 bench, 50 overhead press, 75 row. I can't remember exactly -- the guidance given is to start lighter than you think. I transitioned to SL 5x5 after a month because ICF was taking too long in the gym; I lift with my wife and two people doing ICF on the same bench/powerrack takes 2+ hours once the weights start getting heavier.

I just got back from the gym, my numbers now are: squat 230, deadlift 235, overhead press 80, row 120, bench 150. Every lift is 5x5 except deadlift which is 1x5. I didn't follow the linear progression exactly; both my wife and I had no prior lifting experience so we took it really slow at the beginning because we were worried about form.

I have done a TON of research in the last few months on fitness, nutrition, etc etc. This is the best program for a beginner for at least six months. It quickly builds a good foundation of strength and teaches the primary lifts. I could talk more about this but we're on our way out the door.

Here is a video from earlier (I film my lifts to figure out proper form). This is my PR (just like every squat for the last month) so it's a little wobbly.20140614 Low Bar Squat 230lbs Set 2/5 (PR) - YouTube

Ossoi, I get that you really like your program, your diet, your everything. But holy shit you're being a hypocrite here. It seems as if you dismiss everything that isn't what you did as not worth doing.

I never said your program was shit. It's may very well be awesome. The thing is, there are tons of programs out there that arefreethat are just as good. All I said was that no one needs to go out and pay for a beginner weight lifting program. It's entirely unnecessary to spend money on something that's worked since the 1950's.

Ossoi_sl said:

This is the leg workout I did today, took me an hour. Now if anyone wants to argue that going to the gym and doing 5 sets of 5 squats is going to be equivalent or superior to that, then be my guest

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How can you compare a5x5 set to a full hour workout? How about an hour long 5x5 set of leg exercises vs yours, I'd wager you'd get similar results.

On another note, I went pants shopping today and now I'm down to 30 s waist but still need 32/33 cause my legs are too big unless I want some baggy garbage.