The no BS MFP EDUCATION thread

lissaann22479

What do you think about protein powder? Is this good for the body or should you try and consume it naturally? I use protein powder occasionally mixed in milk, and I add fruit to it. Please tell me your views on this.

mfpcopine

I'm always afraid that when I'm spending my time at the gym I'm not getting the most out of it. Since I can't afford a personal trainer, how should I design my workout routines? Or, better yet, is there a definitive site or source that can help me build the right routines?

Right now I use a combo of free weights and machines for weight training and I alternate between the elliptical, treadmill, and stair climber (sometimes) for cardio. But I worry I'm missing muscle groups or the activities I am doing aren't actually effective. I've read a lot of conflicting information.

It's very confusing, but start with determining your goals.

Ordinary fitness and weight loss?
Muscle development?
Training for a sport?
Fat loss?

If you have a lot of weight to lose, focus on losing weight and probably any general exercise program will work, so long as you are consistent. When you get closer to your goal weight you may want to do some research or try to find a personal trainer who can help you design a program consistent with your goals.

mfpcopine

How much of difference can one see eating free range vs grain fed?

Just know your free range meat is going to be tougher than grain feed meat.

http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/is-grass-fed-beef-better-for-you.aspx

...the flavor of grass-fed meat is less predictable because the animals’ diets change as the local forage changes with season and location.

I have to agree with this. A burger place started serving grass-fed beef as a trial and we were asked what we thought of it. I actually like grain-fed better. Fortunately, I don't eat too many burgers, and this place was on the expensive side.

hooperkay

Okay I have a question. I just started going to the gym. I do cardio like 5 times a week and strength training every other day. I also play tennis competitively. So basically every day I'm doing something now. I normally eat between 1500-1700 cal a day. I haven't lost anything in the last couple of weeks, haven't gained either. I do have roughly 30-40 more pounds to lose, so I think I should see some loss. Inches haven't reduced either. I was thinking that I needed to up calories, but I am forcing myself to eat now. I'd rather drink protein or something. I have no clue what kind to get or how much? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

alythe

Bump. Thanks for the info, everyone.

mfpcopine

I've seen a few comments about not seeing any peer reviewed articles on a couple of different topics, but it's important to remember that just because one person has not seen any does not mean there aren't any out there. The ability to site peer reviewed articles is only as good as a person's access to them. The problem with most peer reviewed articles is that they are not free and available to anyone that wants to read them. You have to be given extensive access through your job or pay the thousands of dollars per journal for a subscription or pay around 35 dollars per article. My husband has a PhD and he has access to a large number of peer reviewed journals and is the author of quite a number of them himself (on physics, not exercise or nutrition), that's how I know. If a person has access and time there may be more articles out there on any given subject. Just a reminder.

True "experts" ought to have such access, through professional subscriptions or university libraries or some other source.

aimsteen

bump

Steel6981

In the perfect world I would be able to develop a plan of exercise that covered all things equally, but I have found that I just end up doing a lot of things not so well. As someone with 100+ to lose, if I want to pick one thing and do it well is it better to pick cardio first to help with substantial weight loss? Is there any undesireable consequences to waiting to add strength training?

mfpcopine

In the perfect world I would be able to develop a plan of exercise that covered all things equally, but I have found that I just end up doing a lot of things not so well. As someone with 100+ to lose, if I want to pick one thing and do it well is it better to pick cardio first to help with substantial weight loss? Is there any undesireable consequences to waiting to add strength training?

I'm no expert, but I'm sure there isn't a health consequence. Focus on losing weight and doing cardio or any exercise you like and will do consistently. When you're closer to your goal weight you can look at strength training then. You might want to make yourself do a little strength training now (which could be body weight work) along with the cardio purely to build the discipline of doing both things.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Any exercise you can do consistently will help. Don't overwhelm yourself and end up doing nothing.

Iceman1800

Okay I have a question. I just started going to the gym. I do cardio like 5 times a week and strength training every other day. I also play tennis competitively. So basically every day I'm doing something now. I normally eat between 1500-1700 cal a day. I haven't lost anything in the last couple of weeks, haven't gained either. I do have roughly 30-40 more pounds to lose, so I think I should see some loss. Inches haven't reduced either. I was thinking that I needed to up calories, but I am forcing myself to eat now. I'd rather drink protein or something. I have no clue what kind to get or how much? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

this is actually great information. You basically found out how many calories you need to maintain your weight while doing specific amounts of exercising. Maybe cut out about 200 calories a day and see what happens.

swat1948

Bump (for reference purposes later)

hooperkay

Okay I have a question. I just started going to the gym. I do cardio like 5 times a week and strength training every other day. I also play tennis competitively. So basically every day I'm doing something now. I normally eat between 1500-1700 cal a day. I haven't lost anything in the last couple of weeks, haven't gained either. I do have roughly 30-40 more pounds to lose, so I think I should see some loss. Inches haven't reduced either. I was thinking that I needed to up calories, but I am forcing myself to eat now. I'd rather drink protein or something. I have no clue what kind to get or how much? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

this is actually great information. You basically found out how many calories you need to maintain your weight while doing specific amounts of exercising. Maybe cut out about 200 calories a day and see what happens.

Well didn't think about it that way? But if I was exercising more do I need more calories?? I guess I could try both ways? I just don't wanna gain anything..lol. I've worked too hard getting it off.

Lina4Lina

In the perfect world I would be able to develop a plan of exercise that covered all things equally, but I have found that I just end up doing a lot of things not so well. As someone with 100+ to lose, if I want to pick one thing and do it well is it better to pick cardio first to help with substantial weight loss? Is there any undesireable consequences to waiting to add strength training?

Honestly, I'd pick strength training. As you lose weight, you will lose muscle. To help maintain your muscle, you will want to strength train. That is based on my own experience.

JacquelineD35

bump... thanks for this post

Pinkigloopyxie

I've been noticing that I feel dizzy often in the morning after standing up. My vision sort of goes fuzzy for a moment and I'm wobbly for a few seconds. I haven't tested my blood pressure since starting here on mfp but I know my first number on my blood pressure is in the normal range while the second was a few points into pre-hypertension. In the morning when I wake up my heart beat is very slow as well, about 55 and then increases to about 64 beats per minute. Am I doing something wrong? I drink plenty of water and do my best to keep my salt down. I have been trying to eat more lean protein in my diet because I noticed it was often low. I'm not good every day with avoiding chocolate but usually I get in plenty of veggies and some fruits, and I generally don't eat grains/pastas.

I can't go to a doctor until next week when College starts up because they have free doctors for some things on my campus but I can't afford a doctor otherwise. If you can provide any insight, thank you! And thank you anyways for reading even if you can't!

beccyleigh

bump

auntiemsgr8

bump

hooperkay

I've been noticing that I feel dizzy often in the morning after standing up. My vision sort of goes fuzzy for a moment and I'm wobbly for a few seconds. I haven't tested my blood pressure since starting here on mfp but I know my first number on my blood pressure is in the normal range while the second was a few points into pre-hypertension. In the morning when I wake up my heart beat is very slow as well, about 55 and then increases to about 64 beats per minute. Am I doing something wrong? I drink plenty of water and do my best to keep my salt down. I have been trying to eat more lean protein in my diet because I noticed it was often low. I'm not good every day with avoiding chocolate but usually I get in plenty of veggies and some fruits, and I generally don't eat grains/pastas.

I can't go to a doctor until next week when College starts up because they have free doctors for some things on my campus but I can't afford a doctor otherwise. If you can provide any insight, thank you! And thank you anyways for reading even if you can't!

I don't think your doing anything wrong. Were you hypertensive before? Do you take blood pressure meds? If not then it's probably just orthostatic hypotension. Just don't move or try to walk until you are not dizzy. If dizziness doesn't go away then will have to see doctor. If you take blood pressure meds and have lost weight, then you may not need them anymore. Will have to see md 1st.

twortwoj

bump

kafergie

Bump, have read eight pages so far, I will come back later. Great info!

s50s

bump

Onederchic

All your bump are belong to us.

Pinkigloopyxie

I don't think your doing anything wrong. Were you hypertensive before? Do you take blood pressure meds? If not then it's probably just orthostatic hypotension. Just don't move or try to walk until you are not dizzy. If dizziness doesn't go away then will have to see doctor. If you take blood pressure meds and have lost weight, then you may not need them anymore. Will have to see md 1st

Thank you for replying! I don't take any meds, the doctor there just told me to watch it and take it a few more times but that was before summer. I'm only a few points into pre-hypertension and I did later google and find out about OH, thank you. It doesn't happen every morning but I'll keep an eye on it.... I kind of have a bad fear of heart problems. Forgot to take my blood pressure at work as well, whoops.

macdiver

Subscribing

njohn1967m

Bump

margeb102

some good info

chrishgt4

I've seen a few comments about not seeing any peer reviewed articles on a couple of different topics, but it's important to remember that just because one person has not seen any does not mean there aren't any out there. The ability to site peer reviewed articles is only as good as a person's access to them. The problem with most peer reviewed articles is that they are not free and available to anyone that wants to read them. You have to be given extensive access through your job or pay the thousands of dollars per journal for a subscription or pay around 35 dollars per article. My husband has a PhD and he has access to a large number of peer reviewed journals and is the author of quite a number of them himself (on physics, not exercise or nutrition), that's how I know. If a person has access and time there may be more articles out there on any given subject. Just a reminder.

True "experts" ought to have such access, through professional subscriptions or university libraries or some other source.

Honestly, I think we are far too eager to want scientific backup for everything we hear.

Sure, there is a need for some scientific backup, but if you look back in the history of bodybuilding, science has been pretty slow on the uptake. Some correlation between an action and a consequence gets noted by a bodybuilder, the info spreads and many people note the same results. This gets into general use. Somewhere along the line science tried to work out why. Those bodybuilders may offer a 'best guess' explanation as the the biology and physics behind it, but just because they may get the reasoning wrong doesn't mean the cause/effect is wrong.

Everything started out as 'broscience' at one time or another. For example, building different parts of muscles (eg inner vs outer pec). This has always been dismissed as impossible scientifically, but bodybuilders have argued the case from anecdotal evidence and personal experience. Because of the lack of scientific backup, people suggesting this get ridiculed on sites such as bb.com. Now, more recently, there have been studies which seem to point to the recruitment of different areas of the muscle leading to specific growth which are supporting what bodybuilders have been saying all along.

Peer reviewed articles backing the claims up are all well and good, but a lack of them shouldn't lead to instant dismissal of the point. In some ways, anecdotal evidence means a whole lot more. If you have 90 out of 100 people noticing a cause and effect, just because science can't explain it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

ETA - for those who want the scientific study (which has since been backed up with further studies, no I don't have link to those) backing up selective hypertrophy: http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2000/02000/Nonuniform_Response_of_Skeletal_Muscle_to_Heavy.18.aspx

lkcuts

Thank you for your infomation!!!Where else could you get Free advice to boot!?? I think its a very commendable thing you are doing here

sunshine_gem

Bump.

AngInCanada

bump so I can read later. Got to page 5 but I gots stuff to do!