ramskermfc Member

It better be possible at 48 . . . I just turned 49. I've never had a fast metabolism, but it went into snail gear after 40 for sure. Still, with me it's more just doing what I know I need to do and the results do come--it's not that it can't or doesn't happen. Problem is that I lapse on that and have cycles where I put on…

Yup . . . no running for me as general exercise. Bad knees from various sports-related injuries over my life and I'm missing the lateral meniscus in one knee. Running kills that knee especially after a mile or so and the soreness and extra wear and tear just aren't worth it. I'll do some things that involve shorter bursts…

Maybe just some water fluctuation? IMHO, yes . . . exercising is well worth the effort if you are trying to lose weight and change your appearance, especially some kind of resistance training. But even if it's only cardio, the more cals you burn vs what you are taking in, the more weight you lose.

LOL . . . I can sympathize with the Hawaii goal. We went a few years back with some friends and the motivation not to be the most out of shape person among them was sky high. Did not want that captured in pictures for perpetuity. Just keep consistent and work hard and you can make a big change in a few months. Every time…

Personal preference as to what, when and how much. If you work out first thing in the morning, you may or may not need/want something to get you started. Some people train fasted (I did for several years and it worked fine for me) but some people need a little something in their systems ahead of workout whether that's…

You lose weight when in a caloric deficit . . . so the answer is almost always "you are eating more than you think" and/or "you are overestimating what you are burning with exercise". When you say you are watching what you eat, what does that mean? Do you have a food scale and are you carefully and meticulously weighing…

Mostly just forming the habit of doing it and the energized feeling you get from getting in a workout first thing. That along with the nagging feeling of regret you know you'll have when you skip it and then never end up getting to the gym the rest of that day. I always hate that.

Hard to say based on the information provided. What kind of timeline are we talking about here and what additional activity are you doing? You mentioned building muscle, but are you also lifting weights? What are all the activities you are doing and the timeline of all that starting and when the weight gain happened? You…

A lot to be said for a good motivator . . . sounds you have one and are on a mission. Just stay consistent and you'll be fine. Good luck and go get it!

I'd agree with the comment about water weight. The lifting will make you retain some water and, especially if you are sore, your body is holding onto some fluid most likely. Give it some time to level out and see how it goes. Over a longer period of time as you start to build some muscle, you also may find that the weight…

You'll get opinions on both sides . . . whether they help or not or if something like an energy drink or some coffee are just as good. But doesn't hurt to try one and see if it works for you. Be aware that there can be some effects from them that can be a little weird or unpleasant--like the degree to which they can make…

When I was on keto, I ate a ton of chicken salad. Can use either canned chicken or cooked chicken . . . the best is to get rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club or Costco and break it down into containers that can be kept in the fridge and used over about 4 days. Cube up some chicken. mix in some chopped hardboiled egg, mayo…

https://youtu.be/mBZ4vnJRHgU

Keep an eye out on Craigslist for an Airdyne.

I found "ketostix" (either the real ones or the Walgreen's brand) to be "helpful" when I was first getting into Keto and occasionally just as a check. My understanding was basically that you were either in or out--so the color doesn't really make all that much difference in the end. But eventually you become pretty in tune…

Keep your fiber intake up . . . and something like sugar free orange Metamucil can be your best friend on keto. I really liked keto when I did it for about a year. I ran a TKD, since I was doing a lot of lifting and jujitsu. Needed the extra carbs around workouts instead of a periodic carb up.

Was on keto (TKD) for about a year several years back . . . liked it and had good results with it. I've always done far better on low carb. Dropped off keto when I ended up with a kidney stone. Turns out that I'm a calcium oxalate stone producer, so I need to avoid high oxalate foods--and I was eating a metric crap-ton of…

Lots of Breaking Benjamin, Alkaline Trio, Chevelle, Foo Fighters, Rise Against, Green Day and some others.

C4 is pretty tame compared to some, but you may just have a sensitivity to something in it. You can try reducing the amount you take and give it a little time to see if you adjust. If not, you may need to move on from it. I've had a few that just didn't agree with me . . . even one that was a newer version of a pwo that I…

Body parts? No. But there are lifts that I don't do or that I don't go as heavy on due to either previous injury or the risk not being work the benefit. For example, I am missing half the meniscus in one knee from sports-related injuries, so I don't squat heavy to keep the grinding on that knee low (leg press isn't as hard…

Was rolling in bunch of spots . . . too many awesome one-liners to even remember. Have never laughed so hard during opening credits in my life. There's a bunch of subtle stuff in the closing, too. And don't leave til the end . . . the very very end. I may have to go see it again.

I'm at the gym by 5am during the week. Have never been able to eat real food beforehand . . . makes me want to hurl. I have trained fasted (lifting too) with good results and also with just a pre-workout shake. For the last few years, I've done the shake--about 30g protein and 15-30g carbs and that has also worked well. If…

Impressive transformation . . . congrats!

As others have said, creatine is inexpensive, safe and has been around awhile. When someone is getting into weight lifting and wants to know what supps they "need", creatine is one of the first that would get mentioned along with a protein powder if getting your protein/cals was an issue. Not that you physically NEED…

The Jabra's mentioned above are one option. Another might be the MEE audio Air-Fi Journey, also on Amazon. I have both. The Jabra's were the first bluetooth set I tried and they were ok. The reviews are hit & miss. Some people had good luck but many others had issues. I got about 2 years out of mine before they started to…

I have tried a few different BT headsets. Recently have been using the Oduo CR15, which has pretty nice sound, decent battery life (so far) and comfortable hooks to keep them on my ears. They aren't going anywhere when you have them on. Cord between them is a little longer than I'd prefer but it was pretty easily fixable.…

Really like my PowerBlocks . . . they are at least 15 years old and still going strong. I've also heard good things about Ironmasters. Other companies make adjustable DB's, but I think you tend to get what you pay for on these items. You'll save a ton long term with adjustables vs buying individual DB's and the storage…

The best time to work out . . . is the time that you'll do it consistently. As far as your body is concerned--it doesn't matter. I'm not a morning person, but forced myself into 5am workouts because there were so many benefits and so few drawbacks. You just have to figure out what works best for you and then stick with it.

ON is a pretty solid choice . . . good quality and won't break the bank. Shop around for the best price. The trick really is finding a brand and flavor that meets your needs and that tastes good. Flavor can vary widely in quality between brands and even within brands--meaning one company's chocolate might be really good,…

It's not lazy at all . . . it's convenient and for some people it's just really hard to eat the raw food to meet their protein targets (whether that's just a matter of volume, not having time to prepare/sit/eat, etc). I'm not a fan of making them a primary source of protein--like making them 3 or 4 "meals" every day, but…