AP's Fitness Progress Thread! Had a few health scares lately, so it's time to get in shape!

[Agent Provocateur]

So because I've been having issues with my health lately, I've decided it's time to get into a shape that isn't round.

Six days ago, before I started working out, this is what I looked like:

210lbs

I currently look like this:

200lbs

What I'm focussed on as of right now is slimming and toning. The only forms of exercise I have available to me are home strength training (push-ups, crunches, dumbbell exercises, etc.) and the local aquatic centre. I can't afford a gym pass yet, but I'm working on that.

What my strength workout routine looks like right now:

I do two sets (working my way up to 3), so each of these numbers is for one set.

15 pushups
80 crunches
1 30-second plank
20 squats
20 biceps curls with a 15lb weight
10 triceps extensions with a 15lb weight

As for my cardio exercises, it varies from day to day, but generally:

20 minutes (600 meters) freestyle swimming
10 minutes (200 meters) backstroke
10 minutes (200 meters) breaststroke

That brings me up to one kilometer per day. I've gone from doing 200m in each of two visits to 1km a day in the space of five days, so obviously these measurements are only going to increase over time. I'll be posting updates regularly!

I also walk for about an hour to an hour and a half per day.

I'm eating roughly 2500-2800 calories a day and burning about 800-1000, which I hope isn't too excessive. I try to eat fewer than 250g of carbs per day, more than 120g of protein and fewer than 120g of fat. I've been fairly successful sticking to those amounts as of late, but we'll see what happens when cheat day rolls around!

Any and all tips are welcomed, but I'm mainly posting this thread to keep myself motivated to work out. Thanks for reading!

 

[KaraBulut]

Is the walking an aggregate or are you walking continuously for 60-90 mins without a break?

How tall are you?

Assuming that you're tall, the overall diet strategy and daily kcals is fine. Just looking at the pictures, you have a generally mesomorphic body type but you're retaining water. Usually that points to an issue with simple carbohydrates and processed foods. You might want to be observant about sugars in pre-prepared foods (look for added sugars in ingredient labels) and where possible, get your carbs from vegetables and whole grains.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

Is the walking an aggregate or are you walking continuously for 60-90 mins without a break?

How tall are you?

Assuming that you're tall, the overall diet strategy and daily kcals is fine. Just looking at the pictures, you have a generally mesomorphic body type but you're retaining water. Usually that points to an issue with simple carbohydrates and processed foods. You might want to be observant about sugars in pre-prepared foods (look for added sugars in ingredient labels) and where possible, get your carbs from vegetables and whole grains.

I do four 20-minute walks a day, and occasionally I'll go out for a longer walk, about 30-60 minutes depending on how I feel after swimming.

I'm 6'0" or 182cm, so not overly tall, but still above average. I'm aware that I'm retaining water, as I've lost almost 10 pounds in 5 days, and if I'd lost that much in fat I think I'd be anorexic. However, I'm not willing to give up juice, white bread and peanut butter just yet. Those are about the only simple carbs I eat, along with white sugar in iced tea as an occasional treat. I also plan on switching to unsweetened juices as soon as I can.

Also, since I decided to get serious about getting in shape, I've cut out as much processed food as I possibly can. If it hasn't been made with fresh ingredients and from scratch, I want nothing to do with it.

And, this is probably a stupid question, but you mentioned getting carbs from vegetables and whole grains; are fruits a healthy carb to be eating? I make myself a fruit smoothie with milk every day, so is that adding to the water retention? If so, would exercising more, within reason, be enough to counter it?

I'm actually really surprised to hear that I'm a mesomorph. I've always considered myself an ectomorph because my arms and legs are generally fairly slender compared to my fat gut. Both my parents are mesomorphs, though, so I guess it's not too surprising.

 

[KaraBulut]

I do four 20-minute walks a day, and occasionally I'll go out for a longer walk, about 30-60 minutes depending on how I feel after swimming.

The old guidelines called for at least 20 mins of sustained cardio. The newer research says that longer periods of cardio with variable intensity is more beneficial. So extending your walks to longer periods and walking on hilly terrain will help. Bicycling and hiking are also good for this type of exercise.

I'm 6'0" or 182cm, so not overly tall, but still above average. I'm aware that I'm retaining water, as I've lost almost 10 pounds in 5 days, and if I'd lost that much in fat I think I'd be anorexic.

And if you lost that much in fat in 5 days, you'd gain it all back as quickly. Slow and progressive weight loss is the only way to keep the weight off.

The chart for a 6 foot, 200 lbs male shows that the maintenance kcals would be about 2800kcals/day. So anything between 2300-2800kcals with exercise is going to put you in enough deficit that you body will begin using stored fat which is exactly what you're wanting.

This site has a good calculator for different targets based upon height/weight.

And, this is probably a stupid question, but you mentioned getting carbs from vegetables and whole grains; are fruits a healthy carb to be eating? I make myself a fruit smoothie with milk every day, so is that adding to the water retention? If so, would exercising more, within reason, be enough to counter it?

Fruits are high in fructose- the same sugar that gets added into processed foods. With fruit, it's a matter of quantity and freshness. When you eat fresh fruit, you're at least getting nutrients and fiber along with the sugar. With other carbs like white bread you're taking in a lot of carbs, not much in the way of fiber and nutrients and lots of sodium (fun fact- one of the big sources of dietary sodium is breads and sodas).

Given the choice between a handful of fresh berries vs fruit juice/smoothies, the fresh fruit is the better option and will have far far fewer calories.

FYI- peanut butter is calorie dense but in reasonable quantities, it provides protein and healthy fats for a very reasonable price.

I'm actually really surprised to hear that I'm a mesomorph. I've always considered myself an ectomorph because my arms and legs are generally fairly slender compared to my fat gut. Both my parents are mesomorphs, though, so I guess it's not too surprising.

Your overall proportions are mesomorphic- if you look at your pictures, the proportions between your shoulders, waist and hips are more linear. An ectomorphic frame tends to be more bottom heavy and rounded at the waist and hips. The issue is really more about exercise and how your body responds to different types of foods. There are some people who respond to sodium and simple sugars in a way that favors water retention and fat storage. So, if you stick with a daily exercise program working up to increasing intensity and just make a few dietary changes, you'll see a lot of water weight loss- much like you've seen since you started the diet and exercise program.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

KaraBulut, thank you so much. That's an incredible amount of information and you've helped immensely.

You've answered all of my questions aside from one: I make my own smoothies with fresh fruit and a blender. It may seem like a stupid question, but does blending fruit with milk make the fruit less nutritious? I really only ask because I'm not really a huge fan of just eating fruit; I'd rather drink it in smoothie form, and I really like putting cottage cheese in with it for a nice protein boost.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

... and I really like putting cottage cheese in with it for a nice protein boost.

I also prefer to drink milk as a source of protein, so that's why I enjoy smoothies as well.

 

[KaraBulut]

KaraBulut, thank you so much. That's an incredible amount of information and you've helped immensely.

You've answered all of my questions aside from one: I make my own smoothies with fresh fruit and a blender. It may seem like a stupid question, but does blending fruit with milk make the fruit less nutritious? I really only ask because I'm not really a huge fan of just eating fruit; I'd rather drink it in smoothie form, and I really like putting cottage cheese in with it for a nice protein boost.

Juice does retain most of the vitamins like vitamin C. The studies show that vitamins and nutrients do decay over time and with exposure to oxygen. Does it matter if you're using fresh fruit in a smoothie? Probably not in a noticeable amount- especially if you're drinking it within minutes of preparing the smoothie- the key thing is that you consume it immediately after preparation.

If someone wants the maximum benefit, eating the fruit whole and fresh is the optimum way. The next best is preparing it and consuming it immediately (i.e. slicing it). After that, blending or juicing fresh fruit and immediately consuming it. Last choice would be commercially prepared juices- both because of the age of the juice and because many of the prepared products have added sugar.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

My daily update time is here!

Immediately after my morning cup of coffee, I weighed myself. I'm currently down to 198 from 200 yesterday morning.

I don't see much point in posting a picture because I look almost the same as I did in the last picture up above, so this is just a text update.

I didn't wake up in time to do either my home exercises or swimming, so I did both in the afternoon. It was a struggle to do my strength training; I really didn't want to do them; but I managed to get them over with so I could reward myself with some swimming time.

I did the same workout I outlined in my first post up above, but I did something a little differently; I did 150m of breaststroke and 250m of backstroke.

I very slightly strained my right elbow doing the backstroke. I was locking my elbow rigidly instead of making my elbow bend inward, which wasn't good for my elbow. I started taking measures to prevent that near the end of the third lap, but as it's still feeling a bit sore as I'm writing this, I'm going to be taking a rest day from all exercise tomorrow and hitting it hard on Saturday.

I also ate very well; mainly fresh vegetables and fruit, along with an excellently healthy dinner; but I did "treat" myself to an energy drink and half a chocolate bar, which made me feel very unwell after eating so healthily for a week and a bit. Lesson learned!

Thanks for reading! I'm so excited to get into a shape that's not round!

 

[Benvolio]

I think you always get more benefit if you do each set to exhaustion. Since you are using light weights, keep lifting until it aches and you can hardly do another. It may take 25 or more reps but the last rep, the one that hurts, is the most inportant. That is the one which stimulates growth of the muscle cells and blood supply. The reason it hurts is that the arteries and veins are not supplying enough oxygen and removing the lactic acid. This stimulates them to grow, providing the basis for muscle growth. The same principle applies to the push ups, etc.
I also suggest you look in the thrift stores, like Goodwill. They often have weights at a cheap price. Also, craigs list and the newspaper classified. Perhaps ask on craigs list. People buy weights and give up, and they never wear out.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

I think you always get more benefit if you do each set to exhaustion. Since you are using light weights, keep lifting until it aches and you can hardly do another. It may take 25 or more reps but the last rep, the one that hurts, is the most inportant. That is the one which stimulates growth of the muscle cells and blood supply. The reason it hurts is that the arteries and veins are not supplying enough oxygen and removing the lactic acid. This stimulates them to grow, providing the basis for muscle growth. The same principle applies to the push ups, etc.
I also suggest you look in the thrift stores, like Goodwill. They often have weights at a cheap price. Also, craigs list and the newspaper classified. Perhaps ask on craigs list. People buy weights and give up, and they never wear out.

Those are called drop sets, right? I've been doing that. What I posted above is an average between the two sets I normally do. I should've mentioned that.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

Well, I had one hell of a weekend. For starters, I didn't work out on Friday. I then went out drinking that night, consumed a bucketload of calories, and didn't work out until Sunday. I then consumed over 4500 calories (on Sunday; I didn't count Friday but it was just as bad).

But I'm back at it now! I'm just about to leave for the pool, and I plan on doing my full 40-minute/1km workout. I might even try to push myself to more than that! I sure need it!

And I think my scale is wonky, because it's now reporting my weight as 206. It's one of those ancient manual scales, so I think I was standing on it wrong. No matter, though, because I've lost about 3" around both my waist and hips and all of my nice clothing fits me better.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

So I managed 1.4km today! It took me 50 minutes. 1km freestyle, 150m breaststroke, 250m backstroke. Those endorphins are fucking amazing.

I'm having my customary post-workout Guinness and a natural protein shake (cottage cheese, milk, strawberries, half a banana and some white sugar [bad!]). I'm also looking (and feeling!) a lot fitter, even with my big fat gut.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

So I did a crazy amount of exercise today; I swam for an hour (30min freestyle, 15min breaststroke and 15m backstroke) and I went for a 40-minute walk. I pushed myself very, very hard, especially considering how hungover I am. I feel much, much better now than I did before my workout, though!

Here's a new picture:

(nude by request )

I can already tell I'm starting to lose the gut and tighten my pecs up. That picture's not the greatest, but it works.

 

[bankside]

I'd say I see it in your face too.. keep it up!

 

[Agent Provocateur]

So, daily fitness update!

I did two 20-minute walks this morning, 35 minutes (1km) of front crawl, 15 minutes (0.25km) breast stroke and 15 minutes (0.2km) backstroke. I'm noticing that, if I look right after I get out of the pool, I'm actually starting to get real pecs! The line in the centre of my chest is starting to form too. Both of these features disappear after about 15 minutes, but it's really encouraging to see that all my hard work is paying off.

I gotta say, there's no drug like dopamine, though. When I get out of the pool after working myself over for an hour, it feels like I just popped some really good painkillers.

 

[Benvolio]

Your temporary enlargement is known as "the pump". It is common for biceps, pecs etc to feel enlarged after the right work out. Arnold famously compared it to sex in "Pumping Iron". You are on the right track.

 

[KaraBulut]

I gotta say, there's no drug like dopamine, though. When I get out of the pool after working myself over for an hour, it feels like I just popped some really good painkillers.

There is a reason a lot of 12 steppers become gym regulars. All that oxygen, endorphins and other neurotransmitters that go into override do produce a healthy buzz.

 

[Agent Provocateur]

Your temporary enlargement is known as "the pump". It is common for biceps, pecs etc to feel enlarged after the right work out. Arnold famously compared it to sex in "Pumping Iron". You are on the right track.

Yeah, it's very noticeable. It's also really encouraging to see that my actions are actually constructive, even though it's mainly temporary. For the moment. It's great to hear that I'm doing it right, too!

There is a reason a lot of 12 steppers become gym regulars. All that oxygen, endorphins and other neurotransmitters that go into override do produce a healthy buzz.

The feeling I get right after I step out of the pool feels just as good as a noseful of Oxycontin, but better because I know it's natural and the opposite of harmful.

My sponsor told me that I shouldn't replace one addiction with another but aside from possibly overdoing it chasing that runner's high, I don't see the issue.


So, my daily fitness update is here.

Today was supposed to be my rest day, but I decided I absolutely had to at least do a little bit. I only did 15 minutes (400m) of freestyle, 10 minutes (150m) of backstroke and 10 minutes (200m) of breaststroke. I might go for an hour-long walk along one of the nature trails later today, but I'm going to try and take it easy today.

I do have a question, though; exercising as vigorously and frequently as I do, should I go for one rest day a week or two? And on those rest days, is it okay to do a little bit of the same exercise (in my case, swimming)? I'm starting to feel like I'm overdoing it, but it feels so damn good and I'm getting such great results that I don't want to give it up for even a day.

 

[Benvolio]

I think you can safely let your body be your guide. If your body feels like working, go for it. But if you feel sore or tired, take a rest. When you work out with weights, you may experience delayed muscle soreness the next day or day after. Actual bodybuilders do a split routine: push one day (chest, tris), pull another day (back and bis) and legs a third. Then at least one day out of the gym. I would not worry about an addiction, or even working too hard without a rest. The bigger danger is that if you overdo it you will start to burn out and want to avoid it. Let you body tell you.

 

[palemale]

I did not see any back exercises in your routine. You must make sure your weight training includes back! I've had PT for neck and shoulder injuries over the years, and the majority of the exercise I did in PT was for the back. A strong back looks incredibly sexy, and it keeps the rest of your body in good shape.