The Swamp

I'm back on that gym game. Trying to drop some weight move some mass around over the winter. Hockey has helped keep the cardio OK, but my eating and drinking habits have been shit.

Giff wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:30 pm I've been getting up most weekday mornings at 5:00am since 11/1 for a 35-minute walk (the amount of time it takes for the path I take) and have had a least a walk that long everyday save for two (my weekend walks are closer to an hour). I've not done as well at cutting back on bad foods/alcohol as much as I've hoped, but I have a little and I'm feeling very encouraged. If nothing else, my mental health has improved dramatically since I've started doing this as it's put me in a morning routine that rarely has stress since I'm up so early.

Nice habit you've established. If you're looking to try and cut back on bad foods/alcohol, I've found logging my food and drinks to be really helpful.

The daily reminders to log food and the daily weigh-in on the Noom program are probably the most helpful thing about that app, I suspect.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 7:56 am

Giff wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:30 pm I've been getting up most weekday mornings at 5:00am since 11/1 for a 35-minute walk (the amount of time it takes for the path I take) and have had a least a walk that long everyday save for two (my weekend walks are closer to an hour). I've not done as well at cutting back on bad foods/alcohol as much as I've hoped, but I have a little and I'm feeling very encouraged. If nothing else, my mental health has improved dramatically since I've started doing this as it's put me in a morning routine that rarely has stress since I'm up so early.

Nice habit you've established. If you're looking to try and cut back on bad foods/alcohol, I've found logging my food and drinks to be really helpful.

I've been meaning to do that, so I'll start....Monday?

Giff wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:58 am

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 7:56 am

Giff wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:30 pm I've been getting up most weekday mornings at 5:00am since 11/1 for a 35-minute walk (the amount of time it takes for the path I take) and have had a least a walk that long everyday save for two (my weekend walks are closer to an hour). I've not done as well at cutting back on bad foods/alcohol as much as I've hoped, but I have a little and I'm feeling very encouraged. If nothing else, my mental health has improved dramatically since I've started doing this as it's put me in a morning routine that rarely has stress since I'm up so early.

Nice habit you've established. If you're looking to try and cut back on bad foods/alcohol, I've found logging my food and drinks to be really helpful.

I've been meaning to do that, so I'll start....Monday?

I use My Fitness Pal, and would be happy to connect with you on there, if you're looking for any further accountability.

Lose It! is another good weight loss/food tracking app. It also can integrate with Strava and a few other fitness apps if you want to track how many calories you burn during exercise.

Just watched https://gamechangersmovie.com/

I get manipulated pretty easily by the most recent book or movie I see, so it's tempting to try it out. The most appealing thing is eating more carbs. And before I get too excited, there's this: https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a2 ... act-check/

Apparently getting in NBA shape means beer for Andre Drummond
https://www.wsj.com/articles/andre-drum ... major_pos7

One week in on Noom (8 days, I guess) - started at 252 and now 243.8. The initial horrible "fat bastard" loss is a good jumpstart.

Breaking an ankle at age almost 49 and being sedentary for the fall while eating badly as normal was not a great plan.

I didn’t go to the gym today so I sort of missed my last weigh-in before my routine completely goes to shit for the next who knows how long, but I’m down about 20 lbs since the beginning of the year. Solidly below 200, which feels good.

That was mostly diligently hitting the gym, actively counting calories, and mostly abstaining from alcohol. I think the first and last are going to be out the window a bit, though hopefully the nicer weather means I can run relatively often.

Need tips on things to do without a gym? I'm happy to forward what my trainer suggests.

That would be awesome. You can post here or PM if you don’t want to risk bronto’s tisk-tisking.

Bronto is great, but not my trainer. It might be a little bit before I can post, but I'll happily share.

eh, if this is for a month, focus on weak points. work on isometrics, do core workouts like crazy, do some single-limb stability and strength, mobility because we're all desk jockeys and go run and get out and enjoy the weather ... and do more core workouts like crazy

even I am going to put the "pick up a truck with a different type of deadlift" on the backburner for a few weeks

Back to my doc telling me to lose weight I’m down six pounds just through diet. Smaller meals. But not afraid to have a snack in between. Ravenous only mornings but have an apple or some yogurt and granola and it makes a big difference. Once I add in exercise it’ll melt off.

So, my workouts are sent to me as if I was going to workout 6 days a week, and rest one. I usually get 4 or 5 workouts in per week, plus I run 2-3 times.

My workouts are generally
Knees & Ankles 1
Hips 1
Shoulders & Elbows 1
K&A2
H2
S&E2

I usually do the workouts at the gym, but quite a bit of these can be done without a gym.

Knees & Ankles 1
90:90 Progression
3x 60 seconds each leg





Reverse Deadmill/Sled
This one is hard to replicate without either a sled to drag or a treadmill. The treadmill is not turned on. I do 90 seconds or so, one rep.





3" Poliquin box step up
5x10





Nordic
3x10
No clue how you'd do this without a bench and strap, but I'll look and see what I can find.




Couch stretch - this can be done anywhere. I generally do it like in video 2(without the pole), and not against the wall, as in video 1. The cue that I often get from my coach is to get my knee (that's on the ground) as far back as possible.
3x60 seconds each side





Calf raises
3x10 each side



Tibialis raises
3x15-20

No short video with tibialis raises, but it's one of the first exercises Ben talks about in the following video for working out when traveling.

That last video could be really helpful for when you don't have a gym. He (Ben) and his group are my coaches. I'll try and find other videos that they do for when you don't have a gym, are traveling, etc. that may help when in social isolation. I'll also add the other 5 days of my normal 6 day rotation.

EdRomero wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:44 pm After years and years of trying to run independently then taking months off for no good reason, I joined a running group. After 2 months with them, I got a pr in a 3 mile race and actually look forward to the days after work and the weekend mornings I get to run with them (having a bar or a breakfast place to go to afterwards certainly helps). The bad news is I completely quit any strength work during this time and went to the gym tonight, so I'm in good running shape and absolutely horrible lifting/push-up shape.

Also, I recommend this book for people who need motivation to exercise and for commonsense advice

My favorite advice in the book was to drink water when you're thirsty. Your body and brain are designed to keep you hydrated.

I'm up to 7 miles on my long runs (along the Boston Marathon route) and under 170 for the first time in about 5 years. Going for 8 on Saturday, and turning into one of those annoying people who talk about how great running is too much. Still avoiding push ups and pull ups like they have herpes though.

EdRomero wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:55 pm

EdRomero wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 7:44 pm After years and years of trying to run independently then taking months off for no good reason, I joined a running group. After 2 months with them, I got a pr in a 3 mile race and actually look forward to the days after work and the weekend mornings I get to run with them (having a bar or a breakfast place to go to afterwards certainly helps). The bad news is I completely quit any strength work during this time and went to the gym tonight, so I'm in good running shape and absolutely horrible lifting/push-up shape.

Also, I recommend this book for people who need motivation to exercise and for commonsense advice

My favorite advice in the book was to drink water when you're thirsty. Your body and brain are designed to keep you hydrated.

I'm up to 7 miles on my long runs (along the Boston Marathon route) and under 170 for the first time in about 5 years. Going for 8 on Saturday, and turning into one of those annoying people who talk about how great running is too much. Still avoiding push ups and pull ups like they have herpes though.

I got there, and a little farther (ran two halves last year) (but not under 170, you bastard), peaking in November last year. I ignored strengthening my legs, specifically, and overall body as well until December. Started the training program i mentioned above in November after feeling like I needed to get stronger. I definitely became annoying runner guy as well, but I had a good crew of runners to share that with.

Thanks man. And I was just effing with bronto.

I just am amused that the routine posted above aligns with the stuff that I wrote

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Mar 13, 2020 8:13 am I just am amused that the routine posted above aligns with the stuff that I wrote

Just wait until I post days 2-6!

Day 2 Hips #1

90:90 progression, same as above. Every leg (K&A and H) day starts with 90:90 progression 3x:60 each side

Jefferson Curl
3x10 with a 30 second pause on the last rep
You'll need dumbbells or kettlebells for this



Hanging L-sit
3x :30 You'll need a bar, or something to hang from here, but not really a gym



Couch stretch
Same as previous

Seated pancake

3 sets of 2 minutes




Quadratus Lumborum
3x10 each side

You could do this at the gym on the stand, or with a kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand

Day 3 Shoulders & Elbows #1

Bodyweight row
You need a low bar for this, or some way to elevate your feet so that your feet are at least 3 feet or so lower than your arms. The closer to parallel you get, the harder it is. At the gym, I set a bar to about waist height on the smith rack.
5 sets of 6-10 reps



Incline Dumbbell press
5 sets of 6-10 reps.
Need an incline bench and dumbbells. you keep your hands neutral so that you can get your arms lower/a fuller stretch.



External rotation
5 sets of 6-10 reps. Really works the back of your shoulders. Don't need much weight.



Powell Raise
5 sets of 6-10 reps. Could probably do this at home on a bed or couch. I use roughly the same weight for this as I do the External Rotations

Not sure if these videos are password protected or not. They don't show up on a Youtube search.

they work -- at least the ones I hit play on

They must just be unlisted. I'm going to try and not post too many from them. I feel somewhat strange sharing their work for free when I pay $50/mo. It's their livelihood. That being said, what percentage of what I pay for is the plan, and what percentage is the coaching?

I'd say 25/75, unless the coaching isn't as personal as I'm thinking it is

8.5 miles and 2 beers before noon. Now time to sit on my couch and watch college basketball. Oh wait.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2020 12:00 pm I'd say 25/75, unless the coaching isn't as personal as I'm thinking it is

They've set up a myriad of plans, depending on your specific goal, and I video my last set of every exercise and they give feedback.

It's all online through trucoach, even though they're only about an hour from me.

I don’t post here. Or at least I haven’t in many years.
Hi. I’m Neal. I’m a food addict. Not in a joking way either. I guess it depends on how you define addiction. To me it comes down to doing something that you know is going to kill you or ruin your life, but you do it anyway. That was me until late November 2019.

I’m a type 2 diabetic, in addition to all the other fun stuff that goes along with being obese. If you don’t know, the big # that matters to most diabetics is the A1c. That number gives you a 3 month average of where your glucose levels are. Through meds and insulin, a managed type 2 diabetic should be at an A1c of 7 or below. Late November I was a 12.7. I took meds and insulin, but ate like shit, didn’t check my sugars, etc. I ate when nobody could watch me, late at night, in my car, etc. Sounds like an alcoholic or drug addict, doesn’t it?

After my doc reamed me out, which never mattered before, I changed my mindset for the hundredth time. But for some reason this time, it has stuck (for now). In December I was 325 lbs, today I’m at 308. My A1c in November was 12.7, today it is 7.4. It has been all diet so far. I went for a 30 minute walk today and might start trying to do that more often since it’s nice out. It hurts to walk when you’re a fat load.

I fully expect to fall off the wagon soon. I know myself. This news and these numbers will trick my brain into telling me I can lighten up on my diet because I deserve a reward and that is usually when I relapse. But for now, here I am.

Im not posting here for pats on the back. Those are lovely, but they don’t give me the same brain reward as a candy bar or bag of candy bars would. I’m posting here because I don’t tell people in my daily life I’m trying to get better because I really don’t want to see the disappointment when they see me fail eventually. Deep shit for a Saturday afternoon. Apologies.

Hi, Neal. Nice work. You don't have to solve this at once, and we're here to listen.

You can do it, bfj.

That's great, bfj. Don't hesitate to post here or DM any of us if you need a little encouragement or a kick in the ass.

BigFitnessJew, baby. Get after it.

Don’t fuck this up for us, asshole.

Good luck, Neal. Hope to see NBMIJ (NormalBodyMassIndexJew) here before long.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually a bit concerned about losing weight during this quarantine. Last year I lost about 35 pounds between March and November. I lost the weight at a steady pace. I have a scale that measures body fat, water weight, muscle mass, bone density... and it comes with an app that keeps a chart and graphs out all the data. The first 25 pounds, my wife kept insisting she didn't notice, as she saw me every day, and she was always thrown by people commenting on how much weight I lost. Then the last 10 pounds, she was worried that something was wrong. On Thanksgiving, her mother sat her down and thought there was something wrong with me, and they were both treating me like I had an eating disorder or something. I even scheduled a physical and blood work to ease her mind, and my numbers all came back better than any time in my adult life. About 6 years ago when I lost my job, I topped out at 245. Well, when I had my job I was 245, went I lost my job stress caused me to drop 25-30 pounds in 2 months, and I kept that off and stayed between 215-220 for 5 years.

I'm not really sure how I lost that much this past year. I did go off anti-depressants in March, which is probably a factor. I was playing more tennis and doing my usual gym routine. I also discovered riced cauliflower in all its glorious forms. I use it instead of rice when I make stirfry, or as a side dish. I guess that could account for 4-5 pounds a month. It's not that much when you break it down by month.


At Thanksgiving I was down to 184, and that's the lowest I've been since Freshman year of college. Since Thanksgiving, I stayed between 188 and 184. I hadn't been to the gym for 2 weeks prior to the quarantine as I was preparing the house for going to market, and I was eating worse, so I went into quarantine at 188. Within 2 weeks, I'm down to 181. I feel like I'm losing some muscle, but the scale shows only 2 pounds muscle loss. I don't know how accurate that thing is. As I mentioned, I lose my appetite under high stress, plus I'm rationing food expecting the stores to run out, and we are trying to survive on grocery delivery services, which are now impossible to schedule. I haven't bought any junk food, because I am stocking up on basic necessities and shifted to survival mode. We have a decent gym setup in the basement. We have an elliptical, rowing machine, an exercise ball with attachments for resistance bands, and I bought a set of heavy resistance bands when the gym closed. I'm trying to keep some muscle, but I find it harder to get a good workout with the bands than with free weights.

I wouldn't rely on the scale for muscle mass calculations

that said, keeping muscle is fairly easy -- especially for a "newbie" like you (AKA, someone who hasn't been training hard and consistently for 10 years). you could work out pretty decently once a week and do an OK job maintaining

losing weight is a good problem to have to a certain extent!

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:14 am I wouldn't rely on the scale for muscle mass calculations

that said, keeping muscle is fairly easy -- especially for a "newbie" like you (AKA, someone who hasn't been training hard and consistently for 10 years). you could work out pretty decently once a week and do an OK job maintaining

losing weight is a good problem to have to a certain extent!

I've been consistently lifting weights for 22 years. I started in law school, had a classmate I worked out with who just retired from the Marines, and he spent time as the weightlifting instructor at boot camp. He taught me form and pushed me way further than I ever would have gone. I wouldn't say I trained hard since leaving law school and the terrifying motivation of my friend, but I was almost always consistently working out over the years. I think drinking was the biggest problem with my weight, although I cut back on that heavily when my first child was born 13 years ago and I was diagnosed with a fatty liver, and I think anti-depressants caused added weight retention. Over the last year, I've seen significant improvement in the amount of weight I lift, which was a little surprising. I expected better cardio results after losing weight, but didn't think I'd get stronger. I've never pushed for big gains, and I have 2 surgically repaired shoulders, so lifting heavy often hurts my labrums before the targeted muscles when I lift heavy.