richardgavel Member

I don't know how much stock I'd put in how other people see you. First, they probably aren't seeing you naked. Clothes can hide the shape of the body to some degree of they fit right. Second, we've become accustomed to seeing average as normal. As a society, I think at least Americans are getting heavier than they were 20,…

Assuming we're talking about early enough in the morning that a normal breakfast isn't ideal, I usually go with a bagel to tide me over but I also fuel with Gatorade and Gu for runs or Stropwaffles during the bike.

I'm not going to weigh in on the BCAA question, more so to just say at this point to just focus on the basics, getting enough calories first, lifting second, macro distribution third. Keep it simple in the beginning, a lot of progress can happen with that.

For me, the post run stretch isn't as much about recovery but reducing the muscle stiffness, which can help recovery in that it will allow you to move around more normally. But the biggest benefit is that the next run can go longer before the legs get sore and stiff.

Yeah, I never bother to looks at the graphs of anything shorter than a month.

Lifting during a deficit does two things: it can help build strength (not muscle mass, but still strength) and reduces the amount of weight loss that will be muscle.

Yes to the question, because eating too little will reduce your energy levels and make you less willing to move and burn calories. True, there is a point you can go below which is "just enough to maintain body functions" but that's pretty low.

If it has to be same session, I would lift first, then do cardio. Don't want to be tired and lift with bad form and potentially have an injury.

I was wondering how quickly something like that would come up

Those same fast food places offer chicken sandwiches along with the Big Macs, small orders of fries over Xtra large ones.

Definitely not too old to lift weights, however I don't think weight lifting is the right thing to be the foundation for flab loss. Is it an important piece? YES, but mainly to avoid losing muscle as you eat less/burn more.

Hey, I definitely wouldn't consider a year and a half of maintenance "not that far". That's a nice length of time to be in maintenance. Many don't make it even that far.

Technically, they are an optional part in response to stalling. Some programs use deloads as a scheduled part of it, irrespective of your progress.

How do we read this? 800 calories for breakfast and lunch combined? Or for each?

But smoker could say "I don't have lung cancer". We all know there's a "yet" that really should be attached to that. And yes, there are smokers who may never get related illnesses. It's not about the guarantee, it's about the higher risk. Someone who drives and expensive car may never have it stolen, it's not their fault…

The decision to cut before bulk is best answered by an accurate measurement of your BF%. Have you had that done recently?

The trick is to get fresh, organic cardboard. Throw a little cumin on it and roast it, tastes great!

How much you are eating relative to maintenance will also impact progress. As well as recovery time.

Are you kidding? I do my weight training completely for vanity reasons. Personally, I have no life reason to get a better build. But I do maintain my habits all year. It's just that the goals change. Fall n winter are more about lifting, spring n summer are more cardio, being a triathlete. I do both all year, but focus…

When I was losing, I got a massage every 10 lbs.

Not a woman, but I have had some issues gaining. When you say you have to make yourself eat, is that physical or mental? For me, it's more about letting myself eat more than it is my stomach feeling full. Also, are you still losing or are you at least maintaining your current weight? Maintenance vs a clean bulk might be as…

I'm doing 5x5 on a very mild surplus, about a pound of body weight increase per month. I also do cardio on off days. I've had to adjust my 5x5 since I don't make as much progress, spending 3-4 workouts progressing at same weight, but reducing rest between sets.

Weight lifters are also, by definition, lifting weights during their cut, which helps to limit the lean mass lost during the cut. I feel that not lifting was my bigger mistake during my cut, not the speed of the cut.

Barely take 3400? I only take in 2500 and I still gain, a slow 1 lb per month but still a gain. I couldn't imagine 3400 every day!

After the deficit eating and cutting, my mind got used to that amount of food. Once I could back off, I realized that hunger is often not physical but mental and a function of habit. So there have been plenty of times I've eaten not because I'm hungry but because I just wanted the taste of something or needed more…

But they can improve. I'm 43 and I'm the lightest I've ever been since high school and that certainly has an impact on how I look (and feel, and that higher confidence has an impact in how I look).

I am curious if those people who suggest that you should feel the same way healthy or overnight, sometimes so far as not discuss it with your spouse (or not allowed to have influence) if the situation was instead that the spouse decided to quit their job and sit on the couch all day and watch Netflix.

I work out 7 days a week but it varies. 3 days lifting, 2 days running, the others biking or swimming. Problem is even though I can keep it up with only the occasional rest day, I'm realizing I am impeding my progress without more regular rest days since recovery time is when your body builds up muscle.

Don't worry at all about how fast you are walking/jogging/running. The total mileage you do is much more important and as you do more, the speed comes up gradually. But bring up the mileage slowly.

I'm almost the opposite. With the size of the meals I generally eat, if I don't eat breakfast along with my lunch/dinner, then I struggle to get all my calories in for the day. Plus I find breakfast to be such a cheap meal, since it's almost always at home vs lunch and dinner.