OT | Official Fitness & Health Thread

[ReasonablySober]

I liked this article from Tim Grover this morning. Nothing new, but you hear it from a legend and it gets your attention.

When NBA teams opened training camp this season, everyone was talking about one thing: weight loss. Many of the leagues superstars got serious (and competitive) about their weight, shedding fat, getting lean, taking selfies, and talking about how they did it. Low carb, ultra-low carb, no carb. In other words, they got rid of the sugar. That’s not new, it’s basic science: If you dramatically reduce your sugar intake, you’re going to lose weight. But most people think good nutrition is too complicated because they never learned to eat right. When should I eat? What should I eat? How much can I eat? What if I can’t cook? For a lot of folks, fast food is easy, grilled chicken breast is not.

I give my athletes what I call The List: a yes/no inventory of foods they can eat, and those they can’t. Here are your options, here’s what you’re giving up. No sugar, no dairy, no fruit, no breads, no alcohol. No junk. Three weeks. Proven results. Very simple, because I want my guys focused on practice and games, not counting almonds and weighing boiled meat. The weight of the game is enough pressure.

I'm gonna give it a shot. It's three weeks until Christmas so what the hell.

So your diet is going to be meat, fish, eggs, nuts and veggies?

That'd be it. Had an ahi tuna steak for lunch, got some chicken thighs thawing at home.

[Newz]

That'd be it. Had an ahi tuna steak for lunch, got some chicken thighs thawing at home.

Sweet. I have too much **** coming up this month to try this right now. But I am going to try to do this for all of January.

[ReasonablySober]

That'd be it. Had an ahi tuna steak for lunch, got some chicken thighs thawing at home.

Sweet. I have too much **** coming up this month to try this right now. But I am going to try to do this for all of January.

Same. It's my dad's birthday party tomorrow, I've got a wedding in a week, sister's party in two weeks, then the holidays and then my brother's birthday. I figure I'll take the opposite approach. Sacrifice a bit of fun, be a DD when needed but keep from gaining 5 lbs. Come out the other side with a head start on the new year.

[Newz]

That'd be it. Had an ahi tuna steak for lunch, got some chicken thighs thawing at home.

Sweet. I have too much **** coming up this month to try this right now. But I am going to try to do this for all of January.

Same. It's my dad's birthday party tomorrow, I've got a wedding in a week, sister's party in two weeks, then the holidays and then my brother's birthday. I figure I'll take the opposite approach. Sacrifice a bit of fun, be a DD when needed but keep from gaining 5 lbs. Come out the other side with a head start on the new year.

I go to the gym right now and I'm doing well weight wise and stuff... but I would like to step it up a notch. I hate New Years Resolutions... so this definitely isn't one, it's just how the timing is going to work out.

I'm actually terrified of going to the gym in January. I'm sure it's going to be filled with a bunch of **** idiots.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I liked this article from Tim Grover this morning. Nothing new, but you hear it from a legend and it gets your attention.

When NBA teams opened training camp this season, everyone was talking about one thing: weight loss. Many of the leagues superstars got serious (and competitive) about their weight, shedding fat, getting lean, taking selfies, and talking about how they did it. Low carb, ultra-low carb, no carb. In other words, they got rid of the sugar. That’s not new, it’s basic science: If you dramatically reduce your sugar intake, you’re going to lose weight. But most people think good nutrition is too complicated because they never learned to eat right. When should I eat? What should I eat? How much can I eat? What if I can’t cook? For a lot of folks, fast food is easy, grilled chicken breast is not.

I give my athletes what I call The List: a yes/no inventory of foods they can eat, and those they can’t. Here are your options, here’s what you’re giving up. No sugar, no dairy, no fruit, no breads, no alcohol. No junk. Three weeks. Proven results. Very simple, because I want my guys focused on practice and games, not counting almonds and weighing boiled meat. The weight of the game is enough pressure.

I'm gonna give it a shot. It's three weeks until Christmas so what the hell.

So your diet is going to be meat, fish, eggs, nuts and veggies?

It's basically paleo minus the fruit. I'm a huge fan of the paleo diet which I think has made slimmer and even redistributed my weight in a more healthy/better looking way. Surprised that he totally disses fruit (blueberries, raspberries, etc) that are so good for your heart, though he is more focused on short-term results than general healthcare. Or he is just smarter than me, which is very likely.

I love the paleo diet but it is really hard to maintain due to our culture. If I had a personal chef, it would be easy but I eat meals 10 times a week with co-workers and our restaurant choices in Beloit are very limited. It literally is impossible to order just plain animal and vegetables. Add in eating at your friends house, there is no way they follow paleo. I honestly prefer the taste of meat, fruits and vegetables plain but nobody serves it. Order salmon, and it is covered in a sauce, butter or some breaded topping.

Oh....and I love drinking too much

[Newz]

Yeah, my problem with paleo has always been that I try to get too intense with it too quick and then I just end up falling apart. Like you said in our society it is incredibly hard to actually follow the diet... the one with no fruit is going to be even more brutal.

The last time I did paleo it only lasted 2-3 weeks... but I saw a huge change in my body in a very short time. Next time I need to keep it up, but just add in a cheat meal every once and a while so I eventually don't fall apart and go back to bad eating habits again.

[Be Here Now]

I've been doing a variation of the paleo diet with intermittent fasting for nearly 2 years. My peak weight was 195 (I'm 5'11"). Yesterday at a physical I weighed in at 156. My body composition is so much better compared to back when I counted calories and tried to lift. Now I just trust my body and eat until I don't want to eat any longer.

I've found the best macro breakdown to be as follows:

60% clean fats (grassfed ghee/butter, mct oil, coconut oil, olive oil/avocado oil, cacao butter)
30% protein (grassfed beef, wild seafood, pastured pork and chicken, collagen)
10% carbs (rice, good pasta once a week/occasional slice of bread, fruit and veggies)

Cheat foods: grassfed organic full fat cottage cheese with my pasta, beer, and gin/whisky.

Try starting your day of with a cup of high end coffee mixed with 1tbsp of grassfed butter, 1 tbsp of mct oil, 1 tbsp of cacao butter, 1 tbsp of collagen, and cinnamon. Blend it up and it's better than any latte you could possibly get from a coffee shop. Try to hold off on eating lunch until 1-2 pm and watch the fat melt off your body.

[RiotPunch]

I'm down about 50 lbs since July (265 to 215ish). I cut out diet soda and and try to cook all of my meals, mainly meat and veggies without many carbs. I don't eat anything passed 7 PM and don't have my first meal until 12 PM. I don't do much cardio at all, but I do lift weights 4 times a week. Going to start playing ball again too and see how much more I can lose. I'd love to get to around 190-200, which was my prime high school playing weight.

I'm still drinking plenty of beer and getting results too, which is sweet.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

I'm down about 50 lbs since July (265 to 215ish). I cut out diet soda and and try to cook all of my meals, mainly meat and veggies without many carbs. I don't eat anything passed 7 PM and don't have my first meal until 12 PM. I don't do much cardio at all, but I do lift weights 4 times a week. Going to start playing ball again too and see how much more I can lose. I'd love to get to around 190-200, which was my prime high school playing weight.

I'm still drinking plenty of beer and getting results too, which is sweet.

So you go without food for 17 hours? That does not seem healthy, especially once you start playing bball. 10 pounds a month seems like a lot. Do you feel better?

[RiotPunch]

I'm down about 50 lbs since July (265 to 215ish). I cut out diet soda and and try to cook all of my meals, mainly meat and veggies without many carbs. I don't eat anything passed 7 PM and don't have my first meal until 12 PM. I don't do much cardio at all, but I do lift weights 4 times a week. Going to start playing ball again too and see how much more I can lose. I'd love to get to around 190-200, which was my prime high school playing weight.

I'm still drinking plenty of beer and getting results too, which is sweet.

So you go without food for 17 hours? That does not seem healthy, especially once you start playing bball. 10 pounds a month seems like a lot. Do you feel better?

I feel fantastic. The 7 and 12 rule is just a guideline, but I do not always abide my it. My energy levels are the highest they've been in a long time. I've done a few pickup games and have felt pretty good too. A little gassed, but I chalk that up to my drinking and the occasional cigarette.

[ReasonablySober]

I'm down about 50 lbs since July (265 to 215ish). I cut out diet soda and and try to cook all of my meals, mainly meat and veggies without many carbs. I don't eat anything passed 7 PM and don't have my first meal until 12 PM. I don't do much cardio at all, but I do lift weights 4 times a week. Going to start playing ball again too and see how much more I can lose. I'd love to get to around 190-200, which was my prime high school playing weight.

I'm still drinking plenty of beer and getting results too, which is sweet.

So you go without food for 17 hours? That does not seem healthy, especially once you start playing bball. 10 pounds a month seems like a lot. Do you feel better?

I feel fantastic. The 7 and 12 rule is just a guideline, but I do not always abide my it. My energy levels are the highest they've been in a long time. I've done a few pickup games and have felt pretty good too. A little gassed, but I chalk that up to my drinking and the occasional cigarette.

That was one of my rules 5 years or so when I lost about 40 lbs. All of it came off in about 3 months. Really didn't do anything other than that but walk 18 holes most days and avoid deep fried food.

[Be Here Now]

To me processed sugar was the easiest thing to give up. I stopped craving that **** within a month.

If you're willing to spend some money you can still buy/make very healthy condiments like ketchup, mayo, and ranch.

[Thunder Muscle]

You lost me at no alcohol.

Yea, that's clearly what I'm gonna miss the most. I haven't gone a week without drinking since I turned 19.

Haha, right. I just had the longest stretch of about 12 days last month after our son was born & had to stay in NICU --- unfortunately it correlated with eating like crap so didn't see much of weight loss. I was doing well with T25 and seeing results, but haven't been able to get back on it. Hopefully I can maybe get a couple weeks in before holiday and then after the new year get back on track.

[BUCKnation]

A couple of years ago I was probably about 240 and my friend got me into a lifting program. I combined that with some cardio (basketball and biking) and lost about 60 pounds in about 8-9 months. My diet wasn't overly impressive either other than pretty much only drinking water and staying away from a ton of junk food.

My week consisted of basketball 3-4 times a week along with lifting 4 times a week with some light cardio mixed in if I didn't play basketball.

Right now I am at a flat 200, about 6-2, I look good with clothes on, but I never was able to get rid of "gut". I think I lost a little motivation there over the past couple of years and have kind of settled or gotten lazier/busier. My gains are pretty great lifting wise (just hit 315 on squats), but I just can't seem to drop weight.

I'm definitely looking around at diets, but as a college student it's pretty hard to stick with anything, especially on the weekend nights.

[Peja Stojakovic]

been following starting strength since september and running a couple miles or doing sprints every rest day. it's been really good. got a couple inches on my vert and i'm a ton stronger. eventually when i get the nerve to find a coach i want to do the classic olympic lifts cuz they seem cool as ****

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed2Gr-muaDk[/youtube]

[th87]

What worked well for me (so far) is the Lean Gains diet/intermittent fasting protocol, along with Stronglifts 5x5. Right now, I'm looking to cut down to like 9-10% body fat, and then "clean" bulk (I've read that bulking from a lower body fat enables better calorie partitioning, such that the weight gained will go more towards muscle).

The basics are a net 20% calorie reduction, with protein up to 1.3 x body weight daily, and a 16 hour fast.

On lifting days, I try to eat high carbs/low fat (higher calories), and on rest days, low carbs/high fat (lower calories). No cardio.

[ReasonablySober]

I've been doing a variation of the paleo diet with intermittent fasting for nearly 2 years. My peak weight was 195 (I'm 5'11"). Yesterday at a physical I weighed in at 156. My body composition is so much better compared to back when I counted calories and tried to lift. Now I just trust my body and eat until I don't want to eat any longer.

I've found the best macro breakdown to be as follows:

60% clean fats (grassfed ghee/butter, mct oil, coconut oil, olive oil/avocado oil, cacao butter)
30% protein (grassfed beef, wild seafood, pastured pork and chicken, collagen)
10% carbs (rice, good pasta once a week/occasional slice of bread, fruit and veggies)

Cheat foods: grassfed organic full fat cottage cheese with my pasta, beer, and gin/whisky.

Try starting your day of with a cup of high end coffee mixed with 1tbsp of grassfed butter, 1 tbsp of mct oil, 1 tbsp of cacao butter, 1 tbsp of collagen, and cinnamon. Blend it up and it's better than any latte you could possibly get from a coffee shop. Try to hold off on eating lunch until 1-2 pm and watch the fat melt off your body.

Tried it this morning. Pretty good. I've got a Kalita Wave, scale, grinder and electric kettle coming in the mail today. With some good beans it'll probably be better tomorrow morning. I'm trying to think of an alternative to cinnamon. I like it, but wondering about substitutes.

Grover wasn't kidding about seeing immediate results on that 21 day plan. Last monday I stepped on the scale and got 220, this morning I hit 210.

[Badgerlander]

I've been doing a variation of the paleo diet with intermittent fasting for nearly 2 years. My peak weight was 195 (I'm 5'11"). Yesterday at a physical I weighed in at 156. My body composition is so much better compared to back when I counted calories and tried to lift. Now I just trust my body and eat until I don't want to eat any longer.

I've found the best macro breakdown to be as follows:

60% clean fats (grassfed ghee/butter, mct oil, coconut oil, olive oil/avocado oil, cacao butter)
30% protein (grassfed beef, wild seafood, pastured pork and chicken, collagen)
10% carbs (rice, good pasta once a week/occasional slice of bread, fruit and veggies)

Cheat foods: grassfed organic full fat cottage cheese with my pasta, beer, and gin/whisky.

Try starting your day of with a cup of high end coffee mixed with 1tbsp of grassfed butter, 1 tbsp of mct oil, 1 tbsp of cacao butter, 1 tbsp of collagen, and cinnamon. Blend it up and it's better than any latte you could possibly get from a coffee shop. Try to hold off on eating lunch until 1-2 pm and watch the fat melt off your body.

Tried it this morning. Pretty good. I've got a Kalita Wave, scale, grinder and electric kettle coming in the mail today. With some good beans it'll probably be better tomorrow morning. I'm trying to think of an alternative to cinnamon. I like it, but wondering about substitutes.

Grover wasn't kidding about seeing immediate results on that 21 day plan. Last monday I stepped on the scale and got 220, this morning I hit 210.

http://paleokosherkitchen.com/healthy-h ... e-creamer/

[Be Here Now]

Tried it this morning. Pretty good. I've got a Kalita Wave, scale, grinder and electric kettle coming in the mail today. With some good beans it'll probably be better tomorrow morning. I'm trying to think of an alternative to cinnamon. I like it, but wondering about substitutes.

Grover wasn't kidding about seeing immediate results on that 21 day plan. Last monday I stepped on the scale and got 220, this morning I hit 210.

You could try some vanilla to give it a nice touch. I use that too.

Here's my exact setup...I started with a french press, moved to a reusable k-cup for my kuerig, went back to the press, and now finally settled on the aeropress. That kalita wave looks pretty nice too.

coffee...https://www.upgradedself.com/products/bulletproof-upgraded-coffee-5lb
mct....https://www.upgradedself.com/products/b ... octane-oil
cacao.....https://www.upgradedself.com/products/b ... cao-butter
vanilla...https://www.upgradedself.com/products/b ... anilla-2oz
collagen...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KG7EDU/ref ... s=collagen
grassfed butter....http://www.amazon.com/Kerrygold-Pure-Ir ... fed+butter

I think you'll like that upgradedself site if you don't already know about it. Someone here posted about it like 2 years ago and I've really grown to shape my diet around it's guidelines.

[ReasonablySober]

Tried it this morning. Pretty good. I've got a Kalita Wave, scale, grinder and electric kettle coming in the mail today. With some good beans it'll probably be better tomorrow morning. I'm trying to think of an alternative to cinnamon. I like it, but wondering about substitutes.

Grover wasn't kidding about seeing immediate results on that 21 day plan. Last monday I stepped on the scale and got 220, this morning I hit 210.

You could try some vanilla to give it a nice touch. I use that too.

Here's my exact setup...I started with a french press, moved to a reusable k-cup for my kuerig, went back to the press, and now finally settled on the aeropress. That kalita wave looks pretty nice too.

coffee...https://www.upgradedself.com/products/bulletproof-upgraded-coffee-5lb
mct....https://www.upgradedself.com/products/b ... octane-oil
cacao.....https://www.upgradedself.com/products/b ... cao-butter
vanilla...https://www.upgradedself.com/products/b ... anilla-2oz
collagen...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KG7EDU/ref ... s=collagen
grassfed butter....http://www.amazon.com/Kerrygold-Pure-Ir ... fed+butter

I think you'll like that upgradedself site if you don't already know about it. Someone here posted about it like 2 years ago and I've really grown to shape my diet around it's guidelines.

Awesome! Huge help. When my current supply of stuff runs out I'll give your setup a try.