The Weekly Male Stop - 1/26 to 2/1
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KevinS62
Posts: 239 Member
Fellas,
I like the idea of a group of guys lending a hand at keeping each other accountable. Others have said the same in the In the http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/788032-looking-for-friends-to-keep-me-motivated thread. What I want to to do is take that thought and see if I can't get it sparked.
Starting with this post, I propose that we have a weekly thread. If you have a weekly weigh-in, post it here. If you are having an issue or question for the group, post it here. If you are shy or just want to say hello once a week, guess what.... Post it here.
I am starting this one on a Friday, but that doesn't always have to be. Friday is good for me, because that's the day that I chose for recording my weekly progress. This morning, i basically closed on week 3 and starting week 4.
Also, keep in mind that you should feel free to start your own thread at any time. I just thought a weekly "community" thread might be in line with what some of us are looking for.
Kevin
I like the idea of a group of guys lending a hand at keeping each other accountable. Others have said the same in the In the http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/788032-looking-for-friends-to-keep-me-motivated thread. What I want to to do is take that thought and see if I can't get it sparked.
Starting with this post, I propose that we have a weekly thread. If you have a weekly weigh-in, post it here. If you are having an issue or question for the group, post it here. If you are shy or just want to say hello once a week, guess what.... Post it here.
I am starting this one on a Friday, but that doesn't always have to be. Friday is good for me, because that's the day that I chose for recording my weekly progress. This morning, i basically closed on week 3 and starting week 4.
Also, keep in mind that you should feel free to start your own thread at any time. I just thought a weekly "community" thread might be in line with what some of us are looking for.
Kevin
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Replies
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As I mentioned, Friday's I record my weight and this is a "keep me accountable" thread. I started my week started off on the wrong foot, making chili and having too many beers, going over on my calories all weekend. I had to make up for it during the remainder of the week.
Goal Weight: 200 lbs by July 4th (and will reassess)
Near term goals are currently marked as 230 lbs by 2/1/13, 220 lbs by 3/8/13 and 215 by 4/5/13.
01/07/13: 247
01/11/13: 239 (-8)
01/18/13: 235 (-4)
01/25/13: 233 (-2)
14 down and 33 to go!0 -
What's your diet/routine? Mine is kind of whacky. It's early in my routine and I'm working up to actually doing exercise.
Breakfast: 1 egg and black coffee, ~84 calories. Yes, 1 egg for a 230-250 lb man. Before you say it's not enough, hear me out. I NEVER eat breakfast. I'm doing it now because everyone tells me that "it's the most important meal of the day", etc., etc. But ask me about my fluffy baked omelets. Easy to make, and they taste pretty good.
Lunch: Typically either soup or tuna. Option 1: a can of soup (2 servings) with bread or crackers. If crackers, I limit myself to six. Bread is a slice of whole grain/wheat, if it's in the house when I pack for work. Not really less calories than white, but better for me. Depending on the soup, (Onion soup is 100 calories, while Potato/Broccoli is 320, my lunch ends up around 250-400. Sometimes I might add a second slice of bread. Option 2: Can of tuna (about 2 servings) and 2 slices of toast. Again, I go with whole grain/wheat. Total calories 230-250.
Dinner: I typically eat whatever is put on the table, and try to stay disciplined about my portion size. I'[ll eat steamed broccoli and cauliflower with a little seasoning, but when I have a salad, I'm going to have ranch dressing, and that's a killer. I'm eating a little less red meat and a little more fish; talapia, salmon, etc., and also eating more chicken. Hopefully, when I'm done, dinner is around 400-500 calories.
Snacks: During work, it's not an issue. When I get home, I'm hungry. After dinner, while watching TV, I feel the need for a snack. This was real difficult when I first started. My mom (bless her heart) was sick during Christmas, but followed up with her tradition, sending her cookies and bars in January. Thankfully, they're gone finally.
I just found we had some leftovers from Halloween. Small, 0.5 oz packs of pretzels. Not bad and only 50 calories. Other than that, the plan is carrots and/or celery.
Drinks: As I mentioned, at breakfast (morning), I drink black coffee. As far as I know, there's not much calories in it. For lunch, it's a bottle of water. For dinner, it's water. Between meals, it's water. I do not drink any soda. All this is 0 calories.
Alcohol: This is my vice. I like my Bud Light (110 calories). I will likely have a "few" beers on Fridays and Saturdays, and my bowling night on Tuesdays. I might also have a couple on Sundays. The difference between my beers I drink here and the last time I dieted, is I'm actually trying to keep track of the beer I drink in my daily diary. And I try not to go over.
I'm sure someone will like it and some won't, but I'm comfortable with it.
-Kevin0 -
Hey, Kevin. I like the idea. And actually, Friday is my weigh-in day as well. I will start my own post next MFP site. I am in my 10th week of being on MFP. My weight has gone like this:
Week 1: 182
Week 5: 176.6
Week 10: 172.6
I had a bump up in weight in Week 8 but my weight has trended downward consistently. My short-term goal weight is 165 pounds by Week 20. After that, I plan to see if I can up my calories and protein, lift heavy and gain some mass.
My diet is pretty consistent now.
Breakfast: Fiber One Cereal and skim milk or High Fiber oatmeal. Plus 2 boiled egg whites.
Lunch: Heart of Romaine lettuce, olives, tomatoes, grilled chicken breasts, 2% cheddar cheese, and low-fat Italian dressing.
Dinner: Chicken, center-cut pork chop, or hamburger (cooked on the Forman Grill), veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans), and roasted sweet potato.
Snack: Usually have a banana in the morning and also in the afternoon. I also eat Blue Diamond Nut Chips…but my dietician just told me that they have no nutritional value and to cut it out. So, I am trying to avoid them now.
My vice is chocolate and sweets. I am a hell of a baker and my baked goods have done their evil work on me. So now if I bake I do it on a Sunday and take the stuff to work the next day.
Anyway, that’s my story. See you next week.0 -
Good job bro. I can only imagine getting back into the 170s and 180s. A few years ago I hit my "Plateau" and had a devil of a time getting below 205. I finally got to 195, and stupid-me decided to take a break. Long story short, the breaks I took, brought me back to 250 again. I sure hope this time I can get below 200 before I get tired of the dieting and exercise.
Keep it up, FitGoal165!
-Kevin0 -
Great idea! You may have to remind me every once in a while to come post as there are so few guys here that I rarely remember to stop by "The Male Stop"! As far as "routines" go, I simply don't have one. In fact I'm a big proponent of NOT having one. If you think about it, plateaus are simply when equilibrium is reached between your diet & exercise on the one hand, and your body's desire to STOP the weight loss on the other. After all, metabolically speaking, we're starving ourselves, so our body will do all sorts of things via hormone response, catabolism, etc. to try to shut down the loss. In order to prevent that from happening, you have to be constantly improving and preferably changing up both diet and exercise to keep your body guessing. I also am a firm believer in utilizing multiple exercise modalities. You can't just do cardio and expect to get the body you want. At least 2 days per week of some sort of strength training are also almost mandatory. As you'll see, since you're on my friend list, my workouts are pretty varied. One day I might do some functional training, another I might go run, another a long walk, another ride my bike, another use my kettlebells, etc. Once I overcome a shoulder injury, I hope to get back to lifting heavy.0
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Hey, Kevin. I like the idea. And actually, Friday is my weigh-in day as well. I will start my own post next MFP site. I am in my 10th week of being on MFP. My weight has gone like this:
Week 1: 182
Week 5: 176.6
Week 10: 172.6
I had a bump up in weight in Week 8 but my weight has trended downward consistently. My short-term goal weight is 165 pounds by Week 20. After that, I plan to see if I can up my calories and protein, lift heavy and gain some mass.
My diet is pretty consistent now.
Breakfast: Fiber One Cereal and skim milk or High Fiber oatmeal. Plus 2 boiled egg whites.
Lunch: Heart of Romaine lettuce, olives, tomatoes, grilled chicken breasts, 2% cheddar cheese, and low-fat Italian dressing.
Dinner: Chicken, center-cut pork chop, or hamburger (cooked on the Forman Grill), veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans), and roasted sweet potato.
Snack: Usually have a banana in the morning and also in the afternoon. I also eat Blue Diamond Nut Chips…but my dietician just told me that they have no nutritional value and to cut it out. So, I am trying to avoid them now.
My vice is chocolate and sweets. I am a hell of a baker and my baked goods have done their evil work on me. So now if I bake I do it on a Sunday and take the stuff to work the next day.
Anyway, that’s my story. See you next week.
P.S. I forgot to mention that my highest weight was 192 at the beginning of 2012 (I’m only 5’5”). I gradually started watching my diet and trying to be active every now and again. So, I got down to 182 by the time I started on MFP. Also, I usually eat a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert. It's only 150 calories and it keeps me off of "the hard stuff". Ha!
@ Cordianet, I like the idea of keeping the body guessing too. I am looking to incorporate some different exercises into my routine. And I also have a shoulder issue. I can lift but I have to be very mindful of my form and also listening to my body and taking a rest day or two when my shoulder needs it.0 -
All good stuff guys!Also, I usually eat a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert. It's only 150 calories and it keeps me off of "the hard stuff". Ha!
I need to hear things like this. One of my biggest issues is wanting a snack or something in the evening, after dinner, when the wife and I like to watch a little TV.As far as "routines" go, I simply don't have one. In fact I'm a big proponent of NOT having one. If you think about it, plateaus are simply when equilibrium is reached between your diet & exercise on the one hand, and your body's desire to STOP the weight loss on the other.
I hear ya. I just like to have routine in my life. Wake up, SSS, weigh myself, grab lunch, head to work, eat my egg,... Of course if/when I hit my next "plateau" I might have to dig up your post. :happy:
I haven't logged much exercise in my diary yet. Mainly because I haven't started. It's inevitable though. I can probably get to 200 on diet alone, but if I want to get to the weight my doctor says I should be at, there will need to be more exercise in my "routine".0 -
If you want a routine to follow for exercise, here's my simple prescription:
3 times a week for at least 30-60 minutes each time, do some sort of cardio based activity you enjoy. This could be walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing a boat, etc. The idea here is to burn a few calories, but more importantly, get your heart rate up to improve your cardiovascular fitness.
2 times a week, do SOME sort of strength training. That said, I firmly believe that no one should lift weights without first becoming more proficient at body weight only exercises. Here's a link to get you started with that: http://www.globalbodyweighttraining.com/basic-to-advanced/
There are tons more resources out there on the net so feel free to find what works for you. If I has to pick, I'd say the most important four are squats, pullups, pushups, and planks. There are beginner moves for all of these and they also have advanced variations as well. You could get super strong just doing these four.
When you feel ready, I'm a big fan of lifting heavy weights. Doing so will increase your metabolism and strengthen your bones and ligaments as well as your muscles, something that's important for aging guys to keep us active into old age. Here's an excellent beginner routine:
http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/
On the other 2 days of the week, feel free to mix it up. You could add in an additional strength training session, though us older guys sometimes find that hard. You could alternately do a long hike or bike ride, do some form of HIIT training, some functional fitness moves, or even do training more akin to a cross-fit workout of the day. One day a week, as the Bible instructed us, it's best to have a rest day. Our bodies need this time to repair and recuperate.0 -
I've been at 191 for the last 3-4 weeks, but I've also begun exercising. I've lost 1 1/4 inches off the waist since last month, so something's working!0
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I've been at 191 for the last 3-4 weeks, but I've also begun exercising. I've lost 1 1/4 inches off the waist since last month, so something's working!
Man, I want to be where you are! Did you update your goal on the site since losing your 20 lbs? As we lose weight, we need to take in fewer calories if we want to keep losing. When I started at 247 and said I wanted to lose 2 lbs per week, the MFP calculated that I needed to set my daily calories to 1480. When I reached 235, I changed my weight and MFP recalculated it for me to only take in 1420 calories/day.
The last time I got down to 195-200, it seemed like I hit a plateau. But now I'm thinking that I just might have needed to adjust my daily calories again. Hopefully I get to the point again so I can test that theory. :drinker:0 -
Kevin - your progress is awesome! I can't imagine making it through the day on less than 1,500 calories, but you're there and seeing the bennies. Way to go, and keep it up!0
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Hey Guys,
Would love to get in on this. I started MFP 4 weeks ago and lost just under 6lbs since, though I started my weight loss program back in November and have loss 14lbs overall. My Goal is to get down to 155-160 and then put on some lean mass. I've always been kind of scrawny and what they call a "hard-gainer". I've always been curious what it'd be like to have some decent muscle mass on my frame.
Dietwise, I've got a BMR of around 2000 calories since I'm fairly active (I run 3-5 days a week). Trying to keep my deficit close to 700 calories.My challenges are sweets (mainly chocolate) and my love of bourbons and rye. I don't drink alot these days, but a neat bourbon is typically double of what a beer is.
Anyhow, I'm currently at 178lbs. Here's to reaching the finish line strong!
-Phillip0 -
I've been at 191 for the last 3-4 weeks, but I've also begun exercising. I've lost 1 1/4 inches off the waist since last month, so something's working!
Man, I want to be where you are! Did you update your goal on the site since losing your 20 lbs? As we lose weight, we need to take in fewer calories if we want to keep losing. When I started at 247 and said I wanted to lose 2 lbs per week, the MFP calculated that I needed to set my daily calories to 1480. When I reached 235, I changed my weight and MFP recalculated it for me to only take in 1420 calories/day.
The last time I got down to 195-200, it seemed like I hit a plateau. But now I'm thinking that I just might have needed to adjust my daily calories again. Hopefully I get to the point again so I can test that theory. :drinker:
I did update my goal to 185 about a month ago. At the same time, I changed my macros to 40/30/30. I'm not sure if I'm plateauing because I've added strength training to my regimen, or if my calories are set too high (I'm on lose 1/2 lb per week). I might have to sit and reevaluate this week.0 -
Kevin - your progress is awesome! I can't imagine making it through the day on less than 1,500 calories, but you're there and seeing the bennies. Way to go, and keep it up!
Thanks. I'm seeing benefits, because I'm impatient and I'm trying like h*** to stay under my alloted calories most days. The good thing is that I don't feel like I'm starving myself too bad right now. The first week was rough, but it's gotten better.0 -
I did update my goal to 185 about a month ago. At the same time, I changed my macros to 40/30/30. I'm not sure if I'm plateauing because I've added strength training to my regimen, or if my calories are set too high (I'm on lose 1/2 lb per week). I might have to sit and reevaluate this week.
My guess is the 1/2 pound per week goal that is calculating the daily calorie goal too high. I dunno. Like I said in my last post, I'm impatient and in order for me to stay with it, I need to see weekly results. Of course, with that being said, I need to watch out for burnout and too much frustration if/when I hit a plateau.
Still, I think I'd love to see 185 right now.0
