The things I've done / The things I do
taso42
Posts: 8,980 Member
This post will be a somewhat aimless braindump of some things I was thinking about on the drive home from work yesterday. I want to take a look back on some of the things that I did back when I first started with fitness and weightloss, that I really believed in, but in the end were not really necessary. It may or may not help people who are just starting out or people who have lots of rigid "rules" which might be limiting them.
1. Fasted HIIT first thing in the morning
Why I did this - I believed that doing fasted HIIT first thing in the morning would a) "kick-start metabolism", and b) be better for fat-burn than doing it at any other time of day.
Granted, on days that I did this, I would usually feel fantastic all day long. But with my habits and sleeping patterns, it was hard to keep this up. I would rather have that extra sleep in the morning and exercise later on in the day.
Is there any downside to HIIT first thing in the morning? Not that I can think of. But a fringe down-side might be that if I believed in it too strongly, then I might be inclined to not bother working out later in the day if I missed my morning workout, thinking that "oh, well I guess I've blown it for today".
2. Wait 1 hour after workout to eat.
Why I did this - I thought during that extra hour I was letting my body burn up fat stores instead of taking it from food.
What I've come to learn is that when in a calorie deficit, this will happen anyway. It's simple energy in minus energy out.
This was not necessarily harmful. But it was an unnecessary constraint, and had me doing silly things like waiting an extra hour to eat when I was hungry right now.
3. Eat several small meals throughout the day
Why I did this - I thought that eating lots of small meals instead of fewer larger ones would keep the metabolism "burning steady" throughout the day.
What I've come to learn is that the metabolism keeps on burning. When it comes to meal frequency and timing, what matters most is personal preference and how meals affect performance.
4. Restrict carbohydrates to just complex carbohydrates and carbs that have a low glycemic load.
Why? I thought the simple carbs would spike blood sugar and cause a crash, and that they would stunt weight loss.
While true to a degree (if I drink a can of coke or a have a bunch of sugar, I do actually tend to "sugar-crash"), in terms of energy balance and weight loss, it doesn't matter. What matters is satiety. If I took my calories all day from snickers bars and coca cola, I probably wouldn't be satiated. But if I take calories from spaghetti, potatoes, and white rice, I am reasonably satiated, so I have no problem eating these things.
5. Limit fats
Why? I had no good reason for this. It just sounded good. Good fats vs bad fats, blah blah blah. There is nothing wrong with fat. Today I eat a plenty of fat and it keeps me satiated and I believe contributes to a feeling of well-being. I don't really make any distinction between "good fat" and "bad fat". The only fat I might shy away from is synthetic trans-fat, but even then, it wouldn't stop me from having a little treat here and there.
I think that's pretty much the gist what I believed in so rigidly, yet today, do none of those things while I continue to improve my health and my body.
Here are my main "rules" at this point in time. I believe in all of these things today. But I am open to changing my mind in the future if there is any evidence to do so.
1. Control calorie intake to control weight. Calories in vs Calorie out. If I want to lose weight, I eat under TDEE; If I want to gain weight, I eat above TDEE; If I want to maintain weight, I eat right around my TDEE. This works for every human being on earth today. Some scream and shout that it doesn't work for them and that they are somehow different. Those people are either miscalculating their TDEE or their calorie consumption, or both.
2. Heavy compound lifts. I am interested in functional strength. This is the most efficient way to achieve it. Every week I get stronger, regardless of whether I'm in calorie deficit or surplus.
3. Eat plenty of protein. Aside from being filling and satiating, protein is the building block of muscle. Sufficient protein preserves lean muscle mass in calorie deficit, and fuels new muscle creation in calorie surplus.
4. Mobility work. Spending some quality time on the foam roller and doing active stretching has done wonders to keep me flexible and prevent injury.
5. Conditioning aka Cardio. I try my best to get at 1 or 2 conditioning sessions in per week. While I don't believe this necessary for weight loss, it keeps my cardio fitness level up, and I WANT that. It also contributes to feelings of well-being. I prefer short intense work like barbell complexes or burpees or intervals to steady-state cardio, mostly because it's short and to the point.
I invite you to take a mental look back through your fitness and nutrition history and evaluate how your beliefs and behaviors have evolved over time.
Keep at it! It just gets better and better!
edit: some proofreading and minor edits
1. Fasted HIIT first thing in the morning
Why I did this - I believed that doing fasted HIIT first thing in the morning would a) "kick-start metabolism", and b) be better for fat-burn than doing it at any other time of day.
Granted, on days that I did this, I would usually feel fantastic all day long. But with my habits and sleeping patterns, it was hard to keep this up. I would rather have that extra sleep in the morning and exercise later on in the day.
Is there any downside to HIIT first thing in the morning? Not that I can think of. But a fringe down-side might be that if I believed in it too strongly, then I might be inclined to not bother working out later in the day if I missed my morning workout, thinking that "oh, well I guess I've blown it for today".
2. Wait 1 hour after workout to eat.
Why I did this - I thought during that extra hour I was letting my body burn up fat stores instead of taking it from food.
What I've come to learn is that when in a calorie deficit, this will happen anyway. It's simple energy in minus energy out.
This was not necessarily harmful. But it was an unnecessary constraint, and had me doing silly things like waiting an extra hour to eat when I was hungry right now.
3. Eat several small meals throughout the day
Why I did this - I thought that eating lots of small meals instead of fewer larger ones would keep the metabolism "burning steady" throughout the day.
What I've come to learn is that the metabolism keeps on burning. When it comes to meal frequency and timing, what matters most is personal preference and how meals affect performance.
4. Restrict carbohydrates to just complex carbohydrates and carbs that have a low glycemic load.
Why? I thought the simple carbs would spike blood sugar and cause a crash, and that they would stunt weight loss.
While true to a degree (if I drink a can of coke or a have a bunch of sugar, I do actually tend to "sugar-crash"), in terms of energy balance and weight loss, it doesn't matter. What matters is satiety. If I took my calories all day from snickers bars and coca cola, I probably wouldn't be satiated. But if I take calories from spaghetti, potatoes, and white rice, I am reasonably satiated, so I have no problem eating these things.
5. Limit fats
Why? I had no good reason for this. It just sounded good. Good fats vs bad fats, blah blah blah. There is nothing wrong with fat. Today I eat a plenty of fat and it keeps me satiated and I believe contributes to a feeling of well-being. I don't really make any distinction between "good fat" and "bad fat". The only fat I might shy away from is synthetic trans-fat, but even then, it wouldn't stop me from having a little treat here and there.
I think that's pretty much the gist what I believed in so rigidly, yet today, do none of those things while I continue to improve my health and my body.
Here are my main "rules" at this point in time. I believe in all of these things today. But I am open to changing my mind in the future if there is any evidence to do so.
1. Control calorie intake to control weight. Calories in vs Calorie out. If I want to lose weight, I eat under TDEE; If I want to gain weight, I eat above TDEE; If I want to maintain weight, I eat right around my TDEE. This works for every human being on earth today. Some scream and shout that it doesn't work for them and that they are somehow different. Those people are either miscalculating their TDEE or their calorie consumption, or both.
2. Heavy compound lifts. I am interested in functional strength. This is the most efficient way to achieve it. Every week I get stronger, regardless of whether I'm in calorie deficit or surplus.
3. Eat plenty of protein. Aside from being filling and satiating, protein is the building block of muscle. Sufficient protein preserves lean muscle mass in calorie deficit, and fuels new muscle creation in calorie surplus.
4. Mobility work. Spending some quality time on the foam roller and doing active stretching has done wonders to keep me flexible and prevent injury.
5. Conditioning aka Cardio. I try my best to get at 1 or 2 conditioning sessions in per week. While I don't believe this necessary for weight loss, it keeps my cardio fitness level up, and I WANT that. It also contributes to feelings of well-being. I prefer short intense work like barbell complexes or burpees or intervals to steady-state cardio, mostly because it's short and to the point.
I invite you to take a mental look back through your fitness and nutrition history and evaluate how your beliefs and behaviors have evolved over time.
Keep at it! It just gets better and better!
edit: some proofreading and minor edits
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Replies
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I've only started a month ago, so I don't have anything to contribute to this list. It's an awesome thing to read, though, thank you for posting it!0
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There's some great advice in here, taso! Always interesting to look back at where you've been.0
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I missed you, Taso. I'm very glad you're back.0
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Solid post, brah. There's some really good advice in here so hopefully some of the newer (and the misinformed) people get a chance to read this.0
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♥0
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Everyone needs to read this. And rethink what they think they know. :happy:0
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Good lessons learned, I've been through a lot of that myself.0
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I did the breakfast thing for a while. Got up early and spooned down stuff I didn't enjoy eating because I had some deeply ingrained idea that I needed to eat breakfast (not even 5 small meals, just that I had to eat breakfast). Gave it up for a snack at 10:30, sometimes, if I want. Never looked back. I don't even like eating stuff I *do* enjoy first thing in the morning. Why would I keep forcing myself to do it?0
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Good post. Well thought out. :glasses:0
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Great information and validation!!! Love this post :happy:0
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Thanks for sharing.0
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This is why I cherish having you on my friends list. I learn so much from you.
When I first started I was so restrictive on my diet it was driving me crazy, (and everyone around me) eventually my NO list became my ONCE IN AWHILE list but amazingly I was still losing weight at a pretty consistent rate. Funny how that happens...lol
Thanks for sharing, great post!0 -
Thanks for sharing. Just what I needed to read today.0
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Excellent post!0
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Excellent post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.0
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Awesome man! I think we all do some odd stuff on the way thinking it's helpful but what you've done over time is boil it down to the essential stuff that is 90% of the deal and not getting hung up on the 10% that doesn't really matter. Bravo!!0
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:flowerforyou:0
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Too bad this can't be pinned to the top of the forums forever...
I loved this.0 -
I used to restrict myself from everything I thought was bad for me, and thought I had to eat a very minimal amount...led to a not so good relationship with food for a while...and I could never seem to stick with it.
Now I try to meet my macros, especially protein, and enjoy foods i once thought were off limit. I now eat enough to fuel my body and my workouts, and nothing is "bad"
thx my friend.0 -
I did the breakfast thing for a while. Got up early and spooned down stuff I didn't enjoy eating because I had some deeply ingrained idea that I needed to eat breakfast (not even 5 small meals, just that I had to eat breakfast). Gave it up for a snack at 10:30, sometimes, if I want. Never looked back. I don't even like eating stuff I *do* enjoy first thing in the morning. Why would I keep forcing myself to do it?
Which explains why my idea of a big meal is smaller than yours, Tameko: you didn't have 600-800kcal for breakfast :laugh:
I often think back to my early beliefs on mfp. I used logic to explain that if I was lighter than the average woman, my calorie needs must be below 2000kcal, because that was the average and mfp's prediction of my maintenance calories. I'm very glad reality proved otherwise.
I think that last point is interesting: at what point can research trump a belief, or sometimes, preference? I have read fairly convincing research on how evil sugar is, but I'm not even reducing my consumption, let alone eliminating it from my diet.0 -
Excellent post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
+10 -
Great read.0
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:flowerforyou:0
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i used to force myself to eat cardboard in the mornings because it was supposed to be good for me. no longer. i don't even buy the stuff anymore.
if you are confused, substitute the word "oatmeal" for "cardboard".0 -
Too bad this can't be pinned to the top of the forums forever...
I loved this.
I absolutely agree. I just started a couple of weeks ago and this is the best thing I have read since being here. Thanks!0 -
Great post Taso!0
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Thanks for your thoughts, Taso.
Like so many others, I've changed my approach as I've learned new things along the way. You did a great job of summarizing a lot of main pain points for the masses and I'm sure it will help others.0 -
Fine post. So glad to have your sound advice back in the forums.0
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