OFFICIAL Eat Right & Get Fit Challenge

[Sabo]

Had a great run 2 weeks ago..until my calf started to hurt. Was in a lot of pain after, but felt a little better the next day, and it seemed to be improving. However after a week (when there was almost no pain from walking), I did a really slow run, and it didn't feel right. I had a minor calf injury years before and tried to race with it the following week which caused a major calf strain (never got it diagnosed). I'm not so stupid now that I'll try to race but I'm probably being stupid to try to run through it. We've had perfect weather and I feel I'm losing so much progress. I'm wearing a compression band and looking to buy a deep muscle massager, but I don't know what to do. Some days I feel I'm babying it because of my former experience; other days I feel like I'm on the road to re-injury. This all happened after a year of no injuries and right when I started looking for marathon training plans.

Those massage guns are worth every penny. Bought one about two years ago to help with some trigger points in my lower legs and back, and it's been one of the best investments I've ever made. Working out those trigger points hurt like hell, but it was necessary to get everything healthy again.

I think they've come down in price considerably over the last couple years too. I saw the $1k variants being hocked on Instagram all the meanwhile you could get a $50 Black and Decker jigsaw and get a few attachments from this site:

https://jigsawmassage.store/collections/all

I bought a Chinese knock off for about $80 on Amazon, and I've had zero issues with it. I don't know why some of those units cost several hundred dollars, but P.T. Barnum probably does.

[EdRomero]

Thanks. Just ordered a $40 one on Amazon. Will try that before trying to find a sports massage therapist.

[A_B]

Thanks. Just ordered a $40 one on Amazon. Will try that before trying to find a sports massage therapist.

We got one for our nephew for christmas for after games and stuff for about this price. Reviews have been positive and he says it makes a difference but he's also a 15 year old idiot (there are no other types of 15 year olds).

[A_B]

I am below 250 on the home scale. 25.8 total pounds lost since mid february last year. Still increasing veggies and eating smaller lunch portions. Taking off more nights drinking, too. I'd be fairly pleased if I could get into the mid 230s and stay there. I will say that after I shaved to just a goatee, I can really tell the weight loss in my face and others do too. I looked like a zombie on a zoom call the first time after shaving.

I still have a gut, but it's definitely smaller. I also bought 36 in waist jeans for the first time in probably 20 years.

[DaveInSeattle]

I am below 250 on the home scale. 25.8 total pounds lost since mid february last year. Still increasing veggies and eating smaller lunch portions. Taking off more nights drinking, too. I'd be fairly pleased if I could get into the mid 230s and stay there. I will say that after I shaved to just a goatee, I can really tell the weight loss in my face and others do too. I looked like a zombie on a zoom call the first time after shaving.

I still have a gut, but it's definitely smaller. I also bought 36 in waist jeans for the first time in probably 20 years.

Nice job AB...

I've started doing Barre3 online classes, just to break up the monotony of the day. Not sure how much of a 'workout' they really are, but they are helping with flexibility.

[Giff]

I am below 250 on the home scale. 25.8 total pounds lost since mid february last year. Still increasing veggies and eating smaller lunch portions. Taking off more nights drinking, too. I'd be fairly pleased if I could get into the mid 230s and stay there. I will say that after I shaved to just a goatee, I can really tell the weight loss in my face and others do too. I looked like a zombie on a zoom call the first time after shaving.

I still have a gut, but it's definitely smaller. I also bought 36 in waist jeans for the first time in probably 20 years.

That's great man!

[elflaco2]

-Hotel Food-Airport Bars + Longer daily walks w dog and mrs + more alcohol + Steady gym attendance + more soccer - take out + home cooking = 15 lbs less than a year ago.

[Brontoburglar]

I think they've come down in price considerably over the last couple years too. I saw the $1k variants being hocked on Instagram all the meanwhile you could get a $50 Black and Decker jigsaw and get a few attachments from this site:

https://jigsawmassage.store/collections/all

haha I have one of the cordless jigsaws shown on their site. I just ordered the attachments. worth a shot.

[Giff]

Colonscopy on Friday, so there's another 5 pounds or so I hope.

[Giff]

Ended up not doing the colonoscopy due to poor insurance planning, but did go back for a three-month checkup after having crazy high cholesterol in January. After taking meds, cutting down on red meat to ~2-3 servings a week, replacing most beer with either bourbon/seltzer, and having at least a 50-minute walk every morning, I've made huge strides losing about 20 pounds overall. The results came in the mail today and my total cholesterol decreased from 316 to 168. Triglycerides from 395 to 134. The bad cholesterol is now 80 and the good increased as well. This is really the first time I've tried something like this and it has stuck. And no grapefruit-induced side effects thanks to this board. I'm fucking pumped!

[govmentchedda]

Nice fucking work, man.

[Shirley]

Damn, I don't really know those measurements, but those are some serious numeric drops. Great work.

[Giff]

Thanks guys. It almost makes me think the January numbers were inflated somehow, but I'll take it.

[The Sybian]

Damn, I don't really know those measurements, but those are some serious numeric drops. Great work.

It's enormous! Congrats, Giff. Amazing how quickly a the body adjusts to a few changes. I need to get my ass back in gear. I'm up 20 pounds from my lowest. When I lost weight, I kept good habits but didn't really police what I ate. The gain was really a slow creep, but I need to stop the slide.

[mister d]

Thanks guys. It almost makes me think the January numbers were inflated somehow, but I'll take it.

"See, they call him The Inflator because one time he got some blood work and ..."

[rass]

That's great giff.

Damn, I don't really know those measurements, but those are some serious numeric drops. Great work.

It's enormous! Congrats, Giff. Amazing how quickly a the body adjusts to a few changes. I need to get my ass back in gear. I'm up 20 pounds from my lowest. When I lost weight, I kept good habits but didn't really police what I ate. The gain was really a slow creep, but I need to stop the slide.

I think you're looking mighty fine.

[Shirley]

I mentioned that since we put in a proper home gym, I've been lifting more regularly than I have in a long time. The flip side is I'm fucking old now, so putting on muscle is hard, but I've been steadily progressing.

Well, this morning, I was doing my bench - 4 sets of 5 reps at 190. I was pretty happy to get up to 190, but I've relatively plateaued there, not moving up after 2-3 weeks of that like previous weights. Anyway, I did the first set and the first rep felt heavy and then I barely finished the second. I was pretty pissed at my regression until I realized I'd put 35s on the bar instead of 25s, so I was actually doing 210, not 190. That's a new bench PR for me! Granted, I probably haven't tried a one-rep max in 25 years, but still the most I'd ever done before was 200.

I'm hoping to get to two plates this summer.

[sancarlos]

Ended up not doing the colonoscopy due to poor insurance planning, but did go back for a three-month checkup after having crazy high cholesterol in January. After taking meds, cutting down on red meat to ~2-3 servings a week, replacing most beer with either bourbon/seltzer, and having at least a 50-minute walk every morning, I've made huge strides losing about 20 pounds overall. The results came in the mail today and my total cholesterol decreased from 316 to 168. Triglycerides from 395 to 134. The bad cholesterol is now 80 and the good increased as well. This is really the first time I've tried something like this and it has stuck. And no grapefruit-induced side effects thanks to this board. I'm fucking pumped!

Wow, just saw this - that is great work, bud.

[Pruitt]

Looks like I'll be hanging out here now.

My diet wasn't all that bad, but it's now going to have to get a lot better. I eat enough veggies, love fish, don't eat much red meat, not crazy about fruit, and am going to have to cut down on salt. Cheese, mayo, deli meats and peanut butter are all in the rear view mirror.

In the past, my cholesterol levels were between "Normal" and "high normal." Never a cause for alarm. ETA: Just realized the irony in that statement

I've been put on Crestor for at least the next 9-12 months. This will "melt" the plaque that is causing a 60% blockage in one of the un-stented arteries.

[bfj]

Still on the wagon. The scale (which I hate) read 295 this morning. That’s 30 lbs lost since November. I’m still trying to walk 30 minutes or more 4 days a week. I’m still eating the way I’m supposed to eat as a T2 diabetic. Low carbs, low sugar is a huge pain in the ass. I haven’t touched chocolate since November. In my head, it is the trigger that may start my backslide, so I won’t touch it.

I fully expect to fall off the wagon again, but for now, I’m still behaving.

Thanks for listening.

Almost a year later and as I predicted, the wheels and I fell off the cart. Scale at the doctor's office showed me a number I had never seen (not in a good way). I'm back on the wagon, but more in a "hanging on to the bumper as it drives away" fashion as opposed to "driving the wagon" as I should be.

Down 20 lbs since getting on the scale at the docs office that day.

[A_B]

There's a lot less of the swamp to kick around these days!

[elflaco2]

-Hotel Food-Airport Bars + Longer daily walks w dog and mrs + more alcohol + Steady gym attendance + more soccer - take out + home cooking = 15 lbs less than a year ago.

down another 2.

[Sabo]

Down 20 lbs since getting on the scale at the docs office that day.

Way to go, not as beefy Frank Jackson!

[rass]

Ran 12+ miles this morning. 9:10ish per pace which is quicker than I normally go in the AM, especially starting out that early (before 7).

Felt pretty good but as soon as I stopped I got light-headed and had to wait a second before I could remember the door code. Made it inside and got some water and was fine.

[govmentchedda]

Ran a 10k in gorgeous weather this morning. 52:43

[sancarlos]

I decided to add a couple sets of squats to my home exercise routine. Guess those muscles had gone dormant, because I woke up stiff the next morning and they.ve hurt for two days now.

[EdRomero]

I went to bed thinking I would do a half marathon this morning and I ended up doing 3 miles. Also, it looks like the massage gun and running slow fixed the calf.



Reading this was helpful. He's crazy, but he has some good advice about running and eating healthy (although he pushes for veganism a lot).

[Shirley]

Ran 12+ miles this morning. 9:10ish per pace which is quicker than I normally go in the AM, especially starting out that early (before 7).

Ran a 10k in gorgeous weather this morning. 52:43

Jesus, you fuckers are fast. I just started adding a regular run day to my routine - lift two days and run on my off day. I'm still not able to finish my ~2.5 mile loop without walking a bit in the middle. And even then, the parts that I do run fully are around 10 min pace (except the last part which is mostly downhill). I never was a good distance runner. I was fast up to 400 meters, but fell off a cliff after that.

[P.D.X.]

Bad track placement?

[govmentchedda]

Ran 12+ miles this morning. 9:10ish per pace which is quicker than I normally go in the AM, especially starting out that early (before 7).

Ran a 10k in gorgeous weather this morning. 52:43

Jesus, you fuckers are fast. I just started adding a regular run day to my routine - lift two days and run on my off day. I'm still not able to finish my ~2.5 mile loop without walking a bit in the middle. And even then, the parts that I do run fully are around 10 min pace (except the last part which is mostly downhill). I never was a good distance runner. I was fast up to 400 meters, but fell off a cliff after that.

My wife beat me by almost 2 minutes as well. Couldn't get my breathing to settle down until at least 1.5 miles in.

[mister d]

My wife beat m...y ... 2 ...nut...s ... well. Couldn't get my breathing to settle down until at least 1.5 ... in.

Have a great Sunday, fellas.

[L-Jam3]

Ran 12+ miles this morning. 9:10ish per pace which is quicker than I normally go in the AM, especially starting out that early (before 7).

Ran a 10k in gorgeous weather this morning. 52:43

Jesus, you fuckers are fast. I just started adding a regular run day to my routine - lift two days and run on my off day. I'm still not able to finish my ~2.5 mile loop without walking a bit in the middle. And even then, the parts that I do run fully are around 10 min pace (except the last part which is mostly downhill). I never was a good distance runner. I was fast up to 400 meters, but fell off a cliff after that.

Shirley, don't beat yourself up over pacing. First off, if you're running with a group, you'll get faster times mainly due to everyone's subconscious competitive streaks kicking in. For me, the consistently best mile times have always been timed races, and some of my best mile times were longer races like the Philly Ten-Miler (the biggest 10-mile run in the country as it's completely downhill the entire course). Also, depending on what you're listening to will change your pace. My daily runs starts with me listening to old podcasts, but switching over to music, primarily hip-hop, shows up in my running app as faster times.

Since I'm now 2nd shot + more than 2 weeks, I'm going to start going back to the gym for weights again. I'm thinking 2 upper body days and 1 lower body day per week, and occasionally flip it. Can anyone recommend a good weight training app? Best use to track sets and suggest numbers?

[BSF21]

Ran 12+ miles this morning. 9:10ish per pace which is quicker than I normally go in the AM, especially starting out that early (before 7).

Ran a 10k in gorgeous weather this morning. 52:43

Jesus, you fuckers are fast. I just started adding a regular run day to my routine - lift two days and run on my off day. I'm still not able to finish my ~2.5 mile loop without walking a bit in the middle. And even then, the parts that I do run fully are around 10 min pace (except the last part which is mostly downhill). I never was a good distance runner. I was fast up to 400 meters, but fell off a cliff after that.

Shirley, don't beat yourself up over pacing. First off, if you're running with a group, you'll get faster times mainly due to everyone's subconscious competitive streaks kicking in. For me, the consistently best mile times have always been timed races, and some of my best mile times were longer races like the Philly Ten-Miler (the biggest 10-mile run in the country as it's completely downhill the entire course). Also, depending on what you're listening to will change your pace. My daily runs starts with me listening to old podcasts, but switching over to music, primarily hip-hop, shows up in my running app as faster times.

Since I'm now 2nd shot + more than 2 weeks, I'm going to start going back to the gym for weights again. I'm thinking 2 upper body days and 1 lower body day per week, and occasionally flip it. Can anyone recommend a good weight training app? Best use to track sets and suggest numbers?

I'm getting back to the Y this week too. Need to start lifting but doing it in a way that doesn't make me want to die for 3 days afterwards. I'm terrible at getting back in the groove and not going to hard.

(i'm terrible at getting...hard)

[govmentchedda]

Ran 12+ miles this morning. 9:10ish per pace which is quicker than I normally go in the AM, especially starting out that early (before 7).

Ran a 10k in gorgeous weather this morning. 52:43

Jesus, you fuckers are fast. I just started adding a regular run day to my routine - lift two days and run on my off day. I'm still not able to finish my ~2.5 mile loop without walking a bit in the middle. And even then, the parts that I do run fully are around 10 min pace (except the last part which is mostly downhill). I never was a good distance runner. I was fast up to 400 meters, but fell off a cliff after that.

Shirley, don't beat yourself up over pacing. First off, if you're running with a group, you'll get faster times mainly due to everyone's subconscious competitive streaks kicking in. For me, the consistently best mile times have always been timed races, and some of my best mile times were longer races like the Philly Ten-Miler (the biggest 10-mile run in the country as it's completely downhill the entire course). Also, depending on what you're listening to will change your pace. My daily runs starts with me listening to old podcasts, but switching over to music, primarily hip-hop, shows up in my running app as faster times.

Since I'm now 2nd shot + more than 2 weeks, I'm going to start going back to the gym for weights again. I'm thinking 2 upper body days and 1 lower body day per week, and occasionally flip it. Can anyone recommend a good weight training app? Best use to track sets and suggest numbers?

Not sure how interchangeable it is, but I liked 5x5 Stronglifts.

[elflaco2]

i second 5x5. recommend it even.
have restarted it two weeks ago after a long layoff.
helps that we installed a rack in the basement - so no excuses (and a good break in between meetings to go pump some iron)

[Brontoburglar]

if you want to lift "heavy" I'd suggest 5-3-1

boring but big is the way to go with it. you can get your work and accessory sets done for that exercise in 30-40 min easy, especially on lower body days.

boring but big is doing 5x10 accessory work, so for example if you're doing a squat and deadlift variation for your lower body lifts in your third week you'd do for your squat day

squat
set of 5
set of 3
set of 1+ as many as you can do "comfortably" pushing yourself
3-5 singles with that 1+ weight (I like this as some extra work)

deadlift
5x10 @ ~ 50% of your max

throw in 3-4 sets of a good ab exercise and you'll feel pretty tired

[Shirley]

I've been doing this one in my home gym for a few months and have really liked it. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/worko ... split.html

The general idea is you do one exercise per day for power (4x5), a couple for muscle (2-3 x 12) and one for burn (1-2 x 40). I have a spreadsheet with it all in there so I can keep track of my weights and watch my progress.

[Brontoburglar]

i've done a variation of that principle and have been debating going back to it after I get sick of 5/3/1 in a few months. it's enjoyable. and leads to some fun soreness

[Shirley]

i've done a variation of that principle and have been debating going back to it after I get sick of 5/3/1 in a few months. it's enjoyable. and leads to some fun soreness

Yeah, I've liked it, but I am about due for something new. I used to do Shortcut to Size (or maybe Strength), but that one requires a spotter for a lot of things and also has a lot of pulley exercises which I don't have.

I don't want to do too much of the 5-3-1 type stuff because - again, usually no spotter, and I also don't want to risk fucking up my back on a deadlift or squat.

[Brontoburglar]

i've done a variation of that principle and have been debating going back to it after I get sick of 5/3/1 in a few months. it's enjoyable. and leads to some fun soreness

I don't want to do too much of the 5-3-1 type stuff because - again, usually no spotter, and I also don't want to risk fucking up my back on a deadlift or squat.

my usual lack of a spotter is exactly why I like 5-3-1. the formula makes the weights low enough that you're not one-rep maxing for a loooong time and you're advised to shut it off before you ride the strugglebus on a rep. I'd much rather get 3-5 good reps in later as singles or doubles than by trying to get 7 instead of 6 reps on my last set because I pushed it too far