mariodispenza Member

80% diet/20% exercise is correct. But, keep in mind that cardio and a good diet will make you look better in your clothes while weight training and a good diet will make you look great witihout them.

I also agre with EVilPINK but let's try and shift the thinking a little bit (actually a lot). You're writng that you "no longer have any enthusiasm for this." Expressing the situation in those terms says a lot about whether you've decided to change your life as opposed to "dieting and exercising." (To me, anyway) Your…

It all depends on how your body responds. The bars tend to have sugar and other fillers, which I prefer to avoid. Even though I compete in weightlifting, I stopped using the powdered protein as well because for some reason, when I use it, my weight creeps up. I have to maintain weight to stay in my class so, the protein…

Exactly right.

Oh, and what workout program you choose isn't as important as enjoying it. I'm a competitive weightlifiter at age 50 and I do very little cardio because it works against my performance. But, I have less than 12% body fat because of my diet. We compete in weight classes so, I have to watch it. But, I love it and can't wait…

You've decided to change your life. Don't think of this as a journey with a final destination. Each day you become heathier and healthier so there is victory in every day. We are not unlike alcohoics in that the key to success is one day at a time. You can't transform yourself in one big move, it has to be a gradual…

Very simple rule by the late, great Jack LaLane: "If man makes it, don't eat it." That includes any alcohol except a glass of wine. If you follow that rule as best you can, you'll find that all of your food is non-processed and therefore low glycemic. I gave up alcohol, two years ago and athought I admit that I miss beer…

Ok, pretty much everyone on this site has struggled with dropping weight but how to gain it in a healthy way is a legitimate question (but, I'd love to have your problem). To build lean body weight, you'll need to perform the basics of weight training - squats, bench press, military press, dead lifts and pull ups (or pull…

Two days of each bodypart is plenty and so is 45 minutes for that matter. Also, I'd add what is probably the best overall body exercise, the overhead squat. You have to begin with a broomstick and you'll want to get someone from Crossfit or an Olympic lifter to show you how to do it properly. I'd underscore what the…

And if you want a little inspiration and an idea of what working with weights does for women, check out this link: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_f.htm. Best of luck and enjoy!

First and foremost, get out of the mindset that there are "women's gym workouts." Don't think of yourself as any different than anyone else walking into that gym because it nurtures the doubt in your mind about whether you should be there, whether you should use the free weights, etc. Have defined goals, get with a trainer…

Don't eat a donut, don't even consider eating a donut. Our motivations are as much about behavior patterns as they are about anything else. About ten years ago, I saw a nutritionist about my cholesterol and she recommended the Mediterranean Diet, which really isn't a "diet" at all but more of a lifetstyle. I love…

Exactly.

Food is fuel, not entertainment. We must never reward ourselves with food. We are not dogs. Having something sweet (or whatever) from time to time is normal. But, if it's something you cannot control once you start it's best to leave it out of your life.

Well done.

Agreed. Kb, did you think that the criticism would be helpful? Dealing with and overcoming these issues has much to do with education and confidence. Denigrating someone for reaching out doesn't inspire one to do so.

Remember that when eating out a menu is simply a LIST OF INGREDIENTS. Whatever the chef has on that menu, s/he can arrange in whatever fashion you want. Find one of the salads that you like and have the chef add the sea bass filet to it or have them grill the haddock without the batter. Even the roasted lamb is a good…

I'm a man, so I'll assume that I'll have daggers thrown at me and just deal with it. But, as an objective observer, it seems to me that there has to be a significant portion of attitude and environment involved. If not, women's college sports teams all across the country would never get anywhere. A significant portion of…

It happens to everyone. But, keep this in mind about anything - If you don't face it, you can't fight it.

Well, I have been to Italy a number of times (note that my names end in vowels). I've also been to France and Sicily. All Mediterranean cultures have fantiastic food. But, there are three things that the Italians who came to the U.S. lost as the generations Americanized. First, vegetables are a huge part of the…

Hottie 11 is correct.

Where are you? I can probably recommend some top-notch instructinon at a very reasonable price in Olympic weightlifting. Take a look at this clip of Natalie Woofolk-Burgener. The lifts work every muscle in the body in every rep. Can't guarantee that you'll make the U.S. Olympic team but I can guarantee that you'll never be…

Good discussion.

Denigrations aside, the pad keeps you from having adequate control over the bar and it's harder to feel whether the bar is in the right position. If after a few weeks of squatting a couple of times a week, you're still bothered by it, the bar is probably in the wrong position. Power lifters and Olympic lifters use…

I used to push through soreness no matter what. But as I hit my late 40's the overuse injuries started to occur. So now, if I have a lot of soreness, I take as long as I need to do a slow, warm up through a full range of motion (oly weightifting). If the soreness doesn't go away once I'm warm, I know that I'm better off…

I use bumper plates in my garage, which has a concrete floor. Instead of a platform, I bought horse stall mats from Tractor Supply Company. They'e 3/4" thick and incredibly dense (read: VERY HEAVY). They're 4' x 6' and cost about $40 each. I'm an olympic lifter and the only time that I"m not dropping that bar is on squats.…