Let’s get in shape

[Ms PatriYacht]

I probably have the slowest metabolism on the planet, I lost 30 lbs last year which took about 5 months. I would like to loose 10 to 15 more, however since Nov. I have gained and lost the same 4 lbs, so I am at a standstill. I exercise constantly, I am at the gym for at least 1.5 hours 5 to 6 days a week. I go very early in the morning and start with 35 to 45 min of cardio then weight training on different body parts. I don't rest between sets, for instance today I did chest and back and in between each set I did various leg raises with ankle weights, then at lunch time I did a 40 min ramp it up ab DVD and most nights I go to a yoga studio for some heated intense power type yoga. In the summer at lunch time I run or bike ride. Exercise just about consumes my life, I work at home and unless I am going out someplace nice I hardly get out of my workout clothes, most days I wind up putting off taking a shower until bed time because I aways think I might exercise again, it's really sort of ridiculous.

Chris is right about a food journal, studies have proved that dieters that record what they eat loose more, I try to but never really follow through with it. It is also a good idea to have healthy foods ready to eat so when you get hungry you don't have to spend a long time preparing a meal or snack. I am the queen of cooking bulky low calorie food, so I will give you a few of my favorite ideas. I read several places that if you include low cal soups in your diet it will curb your appetite and I have found that to be true. I make a low cal veggie soup (no peas or potatoes) I start with chicken stock, full head of cabbage, onions, carrots, parsnips, spinach, bokchoy, large cans of chopped tomatoes and a few parsnips, after it is cooked most of the way I throw in some canned kidney beans. Depending on if it is meal or a side dish when I heat my portion up I will add things to it like chicken, brown rice, left over steak, parmigian cheese, etc. Another thing I use a lot of is chicken, it's sort of my staple, I always have it around. I will simmer a big pot of chicken breasts in broth until the meat starts to shred, I add it to stuff like chili, soups, brown rice, low cal chicken salad etc. If you like Mexican shredded chicken you can also simmer the chicken breasts in chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Now here is an odd one, I snack on roasted Brussel sprouts, I sprinkle some olive oil, kosher salt and garlic powder over them. I roast them in the oven at about 400 for 20 min. or so, I like it best when the outer skin is brown and crispy, just shy of burnt. I keep a container of them in the fridge and can eat them cool or warmed in the mico wave. I put them on a veggie tray once and my friends that did not like Brussel sprouts wound up eating a bunch. For snacks or dessert I eat the 45 calorie pudding cups, I dip fresh strawberries in the chocolate flavor or an apple in the carmel flavor. I love key lime pie, so I buy the 80 calorie key lime yogurt and sprinkle a teaspoon of Graham cracker crumbs over it. LOL I even put the yogurt in a shallow bowl so I can sprinkle the crumbs over all the yogurt not just in the top. I find a cup of hot chi tea with a tablespoon of half and half and a no calorie sweetener will make me feel like I ate a piece of warm apple pie. Don't get the Starbucks Chi, way to sweat and fattening. My two big problems are wine and salty stuff. I have made a big attempt not to have wine during the week (this week I fell off the wagon several times) and I stopped buying pretzels. I am afraid Exercise and food deprivation is a life time sentence for me

[Ms PatriYacht]

Dave for breakfast try making eggs with no yokes or only one yoke, add some chopped up tomatoes, spinach, onions, or any other veggies you like, try turkey bacon. Some days have oatmeal, or a whole grain cereal like Total, the oatmeal especially will stay with you, then 2 hours later eat an apple if you had the eggs or a piece of string cheese if you had the oatmeal. Apples are a very good fruit to incorporate into a diet, sometimes I will even put a little peanut butter on a few of the slices (LITTLE is a key word here) I was just thinking about tuna, it's a great food but don't overdue it, I have heard lots of MD's talk about not eating it more than a few times a week because of the mercury. Also just because it is morning does not mean you have to eat what we think of as breakfast foods, sometime I will make a lettuce sandwich, a piece of thin cut turkey breast, piece of swiss cheese, a few baby spinach leaves rolled up in a piece of romaine. l also buy the spray salad dressings, not only do I use it on salads I spray it on sandwiches.

Adid you say you lost 20 lbs since January, if so that is very amazing and almost impossible, so I want all your tips

[tommymonza]

We cook at home as much as we can since both me and my GF like to cook.She is a skinny 115 and notices when she hits the alcohol too hard and puts on a few pounds and off they come.Now me i hover right around 225 with highs of 243 last summer.

Anyways she cooks from the magazine Cooking Light on a regular basis and it is all very good food and both of us are very picky eaters.She is the Food Critic for the newspaper and moved here from Italy with an incredible gift for cooking.Anyways the recipes are easy to make and take little time .The secret is not to want to have double helpings, save some for lunch ,I always have a rotation of leftovers in the fridge.I believe a lot of downfall for men is eating out at lunch.There is just to much tempting crap out ther eto eat.

My downfall is we eat late and i like beer to much and we both drink wine like it is going to be the last bottle.The beer i started drinking has been Busch Light because it is so chitty that after 2-3 you just can't hanle another one.If i want to splurge i drink Peronis for a treat once in a while.Other than that rred wine and an occasional Martini.I was drinking Captian and gingers last year and gained 20lbs in 6 months.That liqour will get you.

[dykstra]

I heard Stecz is going to try and cut down on sheep.

[viperfitness1]

Today I did my 30 min on the exercise bike before breakfast. I have to tell you, it was a difficult adjustment. My body was just not ready to exercise 10 min after I woke up. I have never been a person who has to have coffee of some other form of boost in the morning, but I was struggling to do what has become pretty easy for me this morning. I did get to bed a little late last night, and had a few drinks with dinner. This may have been a contributing factor to my dragging ass!

About breakfast. I have been eating 2 eggs scrambled seasoned with a small amount of salt, pepper and cheese along with 2 strips of beacon every morning. I know this is not a fat free breakfast by no means, but is that terrible? What are some breakfast ideas. I like a hot breakfast that is quick and easy.

hey david!

well it may take a few days to adjust to the am cardio but when you do you wont mind... you can even take up to an hour after you wake as long as you dont eat before you do cardio

heres my thing tho... i HAVE to have my coffee on my cardio machine with me. i have one large cup of black coffee the entire time im doing cardio.

i do know the ups and downs of caffine but i know my body does better with one cup of coffee a day and i do especially better in my cardio session with it too. no research that i have read has ever said that one cup of coffee will have any negative effect on you weight loss program. its is a little bit of a diaretic but it is still hydration and will NOT hurt you

most professional bodybuilders use it all the time to help them.

i think your breakfast is ok but i would suggest 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites. switch your bacon to turkey bacon...

i would just rather have a protein shake and call it a meal myself but my stomach cant handle a lot of food after cardio...

hey i was going to suggest some resistance bands for the next month before you join a gym to get your body used to some resistance training. it can help you start to see the basics of a good program

if you get some let me know and i will build you a short 15 min workout with them

[viperfitness1]

I probably have the slowest metabolism on the planet, I lost 30 lbs last year which took about 5 months. I would like to loose 10 to 15 more, however since Nov. I have gained and lost the same 4 lbs, so I am at a standstill. I exercise constantly, I am at the gym for at least 1.5 hours 5 to 6 days a week. I go very early in the morning and start with 35 to 45 min of cardio then weight training on different body parts. I don't rest between sets, for instance today I did chest and back and in between each set I did various leg raises with ankle weights, then at lunch time I did a 40 min ramp it up ab DVD and most nights I go to a yoga studio for some heated intense power type yoga. In the summer at lunch time I run or bike ride. Exercise just about consumes my life, I work at home and unless I am going out someplace nice I hardly get out of my workout clothes, most days I wind up putting off taking a shower until bed time because I aways think I might exercise again, it's really sort of ridiculous.

Chris is right about a food journal, studies have proved that dieters that record what they eat loose more, I try to but never really follow through with it. It is also a good idea to have healthy foods ready to eat so when you get hungry you don't have to spend a long time preparing a meal or snack. I am the queen of cooking bulky low calorie food, so I will give you a few of my favorite ideas. I read several places that if you include low cal soups in your diet it will curb your appetite and I have found that to be true. I make a low cal veggie soup (no peas or potatoes) I start with chicken stock, full head of cabbage, onions, carrots, parsnips, spinach, bokchoy, large cans of chopped tomatoes and a few parsnips, after it is cooked most of the way I throw in some canned kidney beans. Depending on if it is meal or a side dish when I heat my portion up I will add things to it like chicken, brown rice, left over steak, parmigian cheese, etc. Another thing I use a lot of is chicken, it's sort of my staple, I always have it around. I will simmer a big pot of chicken breasts in broth until the meat starts to shred, I add it to stuff like chili, soups, brown rice, low cal chicken salad etc. If you like Mexican shredded chicken you can also simmer the chicken breasts in chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Now here is an odd one, I snack on roasted Brussel sprouts, I sprinkle some olive oil, kosher salt and garlic powder over them. I roast them in the oven at about 400 for 20 min. or so, I like it best when the outer skin is brown and crispy, just shy of burnt. I keep a container of them in the fridge and can eat them cool or warmed in the mico wave. I put them on a veggie tray once and my friends that did not like Brussel sprouts wound up eating a bunch. For snacks or dessert I eat the 45 calorie pudding cups, I dip fresh strawberries in the chocolate flavor or an apple in the carmel flavor. I love key lime pie, so I buy the 80 calorie key lime yogurt and sprinkle a teaspoon of Graham cracker crumbs over it. LOL I even put the yogurt in a shallow bowl so I can sprinkle the crumbs over all the yogurt not just in the top. I find a cup of hot chi tea with a tablespoon of half and half and a no calorie sweetener will make me feel like I ate a piece of warm apple pie. Don't get the Starbucks Chi, way to sweat and fattening. My two big problems are wine and salty stuff. I have made a big attempt not to have wine during the week (this week I fell off the wagon several times) and I stopped buying pretzels. I am afraid Exercise and food deprivation is a life time sentence for me

oh girl!! i could have a lot of fun with you... i love your dedication to exercise!!!

can i ask you a question tho?

how do you feel about cheat days and do you take one?

[38fountainSC]

Here is some software you can try out for 15 days free. I use it for food journal tells you everything you need to know about what you ate.

www.dietpower.com

[viperfitness1]

I probably have the slowest metabolism on the planet, I lost 30 lbs last year which took about 5 months. I would like to loose 10 to 15 more, however since Nov. I have gained and lost the same 4 lbs, so I am at a standstill. I exercise constantly, I am at the gym for at least 1.5 hours 5 to 6 days a week. I go very early in the morning and start with 35 to 45 min of cardio then weight training on different body parts. I don't rest between sets, for instance today I did chest and back and in between each set I did various leg raises with ankle weights, then at lunch time I did a 40 min ramp it up ab DVD and most nights I go to a yoga studio for some heated intense power type yoga. In the summer at lunch time I run or bike ride. Exercise just about consumes my life, I work at home and unless I am going out someplace nice I hardly get out of my workout clothes, most days I wind up putting off taking a shower until bed time because I aways think I might exercise again, it's really sort of ridiculous.

Chris is right about a food journal, studies have proved that dieters that record what they eat loose more, I try to but never really follow through with it. It is also a good idea to have healthy foods ready to eat so when you get hungry you don't have to spend a long time preparing a meal or snack. I am the queen of cooking bulky low calorie food, so I will give you a few of my favorite ideas. I read several places that if you include low cal soups in your diet it will curb your appetite and I have found that to be true. I make a low cal veggie soup (no peas or potatoes) I start with chicken stock, full head of cabbage, onions, carrots, parsnips, spinach, bokchoy, large cans of chopped tomatoes and a few parsnips, after it is cooked most of the way I throw in some canned kidney beans. Depending on if it is meal or a side dish when I heat my portion up I will add things to it like chicken, brown rice, left over steak, parmigian cheese, etc. Another thing I use a lot of is chicken, it's sort of my staple, I always have it around. I will simmer a big pot of chicken breasts in broth until the meat starts to shred, I add it to stuff like chili, soups, brown rice, low cal chicken salad etc. If you like Mexican shredded chicken you can also simmer the chicken breasts in chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Now here is an odd one, I snack on roasted Brussel sprouts, I sprinkle some olive oil, kosher salt and garlic powder over them. I roast them in the oven at about 400 for 20 min. or so, I like it best when the outer skin is brown and crispy, just shy of burnt. I keep a container of them in the fridge and can eat them cool or warmed in the mico wave. I put them on a veggie tray once and my friends that did not like Brussel sprouts wound up eating a bunch. For snacks or dessert I eat the 45 calorie pudding cups, I dip fresh strawberries in the chocolate flavor or an apple in the carmel flavor. I love key lime pie, so I buy the 80 calorie key lime yogurt and sprinkle a teaspoon of Graham cracker crumbs over it. LOL I even put the yogurt in a shallow bowl so I can sprinkle the crumbs over all the yogurt not just in the top. I find a cup of hot chi tea with a tablespoon of half and half and a no calorie sweetener will make me feel like I ate a piece of warm apple pie. Don't get the Starbucks Chi, way to sweat and fattening. My two big problems are wine and salty stuff. I have made a big attempt not to have wine during the week (this week I fell off the wagon several times) and I stopped buying pretzels. I am afraid Exercise and food deprivation is a life time sentence for me

i really love some of the meal ideas you have... im going to have the key lime yogurt after cardio for lunch tomorrow! that sounds delicious !!!

and i wanna try that brussel spout thing too

[DonziGirl]

Key lime yogurt is good.

I've never tried brussel sprouts like that, but I do carrots and cauliflauer like that and it's really good. I put a little spray Pam olive oil on them with salt, pepper and garlic.

[OldSchool]

I don't know about you, but brussel sprouts give me the farts!!

Off to the gym!!!!

[Wrinkleface]

I don't know about you, but brussel sprouts give me the farts!!

Off to the gym!!!!

Thanx, TMI TMI TMI TMI TMI

[Wrinkleface]

does anybody have 1 of these? do U like?? goods, bads, etc???????????????

[phragle]

one thing I did when I was racing quads to stay in shape, and I gaurantee it will bring the most fit too their knees in short order.. I had a skateboard half-pipe in the back yard, run back and fourth on it at a good pace all the way to the top. the repeated loading and unloading on your body wwill kick your azz.

here is another thing to try...this actually looks like fun...

http://www.aeroball.info/index.html

[DonMan]

My weakness is BEER.


I tried the Miller 64 and it was simply beer-flavored water. I hated it. I love full-flavor beers and I know they are bad for you.

I have settled on Miller Lite. Like the commercial says - "Tastes Great / Less Filling". It has 96 calories and 3.2 grams carbs. Seems like a good compromise.

I am concentrating on eating fish, grilled chicken. Avoiding fried food.

Have you guys seen the latest reports on high-fructose corn syrup ? That stuff is B-A-D for you !

[phragle]

beer nutritionally is nothing more than liquid white bread.

[tommymonza]

Beats drinking Soda

[viperfitness1]

well sos sopport group....

i had a bad week of results

total weight today is 242lbs... gained 3.5 lbs
lean weight 199.9lbs, up 1.6lbs from last week
fat weight 42.08lbs, up almost 2lbs

total % of fat is 17.3% a .2% gain from the previous week

i missed 2 days of cardio (my toe injury) and had a bad week of dieting due to business lunches i had no choice of attending. i had arbys the other two days which is bad and i have to make a conscious effort not to eat there agian...

my weight training was really good but i felt like my intensity level was a little low this week. i also started some pro hormones to promote some muscle growth and they seem to make me extremely bloated and very watery under my skin..

im intelligent enough to recognize that i need to buckle down this next week and try to make a dent in my fat %. im going to focus really hard next week on my diet and get below 17% by next sat.

however my girlfriend seen awesome results and lost another 2% of body fat this week... this brings her total loss to 7% since jan 1. im really proud of her.

we have our cheat day tomorrow. im thinkin seafood and sam adams??

ate the key lime yogurt and graham cracker for lunch... was really good but i read that graham cracker has a relatively high GI index and i will probably not add that to it again. although it was very tasty

[MacGyver]

How do you measure body fat% ?

[viperfitness1]

How do you measure body fat% ?

i use medical grade calipers with a 7 site calculator...

body tank is the best tho... no margin of error

[38fountainSC]

Viper where about the same I'm 230 @ 17%. Started out 255 in November. Are you trying Finadrol? I just tried it made my weights go up a bit. I have some calibers but cant seem to consistent readings. I need someone who knows what there doing to show me how to use them.

Magyver I use a scale that measures bodyfat. Tanita here is a link to some:http://www.itinscales.com/pbodyfat.htm