dmkoenig Member

Here is another external blog post you might enjoy that delves into this question... https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/lose-weight-and-build-muscle-or-do-one-then-the-other

From Cookie and Kate vegetarian blog -great recipes, healthy and really good tasting... https://cookieandkate.com/2019/spicy-vegan-black-bean-soup/

Water aerobics or water walking may also be a very good option for you. There are flotation belts available to keep you buoyant and upright so you don't need to be a swimmer to take advantage. Regardless of any weight loss benefits exercise as you age is an essential part of keeping healthy and mobile. Here is one…

There are all sorts of running activities that drive different training approaches so before you introduce a new training regimen you would greatly benefit from thinking about what your running interests and goals are. There are various distances to consider - 5K through ultra marathons and different types of events like…

I've gone to buying frozen bags of avocado chunks at Costco. There always seems to be a lot of waste with buying avocados - not only in the storage of uneaten pieces but dealing with overripe or bruised avocados that you have to throw away when you open them up. The frozen bags work quite well.

There's the food intake for losing weight and the food intake needed to fuel your body. Sounds like you have developed a very healthy and responsible way to eat quality food on a plan to lose weight. I'm not a nutritionist but 1500 cal/day for a guy seems to be as low as you want to go without causing energy issues or…

Cookie and Kate is currently my favorite vegetarian blog and she has also authored a great book. She recently posted her 29 most popular recipes here. https://cookieandkate.com/2019/29-best-vegetarian-recipes/ As far as your challenge with your Dad's diet, if you are preparing tasty meals he will likely enjoy them as well.…

That looks like a very reasonable exercise regimen. If you were doing a of of HIIT training then I could see fatigue being an issue, but there is a lot of active recovery in your plan. Excluding any medical condition, if I were to take an uneducated guess I would suggest looking at the types of food you are eating,…

For the strict calorie counters the answer is likely a calorie is a calorie. From a health standpoint (e.g. avoidance of Diabetic risk), metabolism and fat storage, I have read plenty of compelling medical/science-based articles stating that things like high glycemic carbs and sugars that spike blood insulin levels should…

Sugar & carbs during your longer workouts, followed by a protein/carb recovery drink/meal within an hour after your workout to maximize absorption. Protein for rebuilding muscle and carbs to replenish your glycogen stores. And yes, overall you are consuming way too few calories for your level of activity. For days when you…

I completely get your concern about limiting yourself with junk food. I know if I am staring at a plateful of chicken wings I will likely eat them all, not just one or two (assuming they are good ones). Speaking of wings, you can google Buffalo Cauliflower wings to come up with an alternative to the high fat and unhealthy…

Actually if you are feeling sluggish and slow your deficit may be more with a lack of interval workouts where you are pushing your tempo. Longer runs will build up your aerobic capacity so you can run efficiently for a 13.1 but you still will still likely not suddenly feel faster. Interval workouts 1-2 days week, 45…

Check out https://cookieandkate.com Great vegetarian blog with lots of recipes. She also has a great cookbook but start with her blog to see if it fits your tastes.

A lot of really good suggestions above. If you are really going to make hiking a big part of your lifestyle I can't recommend enough investing in really good hiking shoes. I mean really good hiking shoes. If your feet are hurting or wet or get blisters it will be a miserable experience and a good pair of shoes will last…

Check out nutritionfacts.org. Lots of 3 minute easy to consume videos related to a particular food and its nutritional benefit (or not). The site is very pro-vegan - some think it's borderline extreme as it forces people to re-think what we consider to be healthy. Regardless you will be exposed to lots of fascinating data…

Whole foods is definitely the best way to go but there are plenty of high quality protein powders around. If you are trying to limit yourself to plant protein powder I think the Orgain Protein Powder is one of the best (pea protein). Otherwise whey is an excellent protein powder source; my go-to is Optimum Nutrition Gold…

Other things to add to smoothies to bump up your fiber include flax seeds and chia seeds.

Vinyasa yoga is a yoga practice that takes you through a series of poses or flows in a connected manner. They typically build up, the first flow starting with just a couple of poses and then increases to a half dozen or more, so there is a lot of movement and repetition as you go through and build onto each sequence. Along…

Gary - congrats on your weight loss and healthy life style. To me the term "Maintenance" is less about a strict numbers game and more of a long term focus to ensure you are eating a healthy diet. Because you engage in endurance activities you need to put special attention on feeding your body the types of food that give…

OK so I'm not a nutritionist and you didn't provide any insight to your level of activity and other things that would factor into diet choices. But I would say that it's a pretty good start. Here are a few additional ideas to consider: - If you are really interested in a vegetarian/vegan diet and your greatest nutritional…

The better question may be whether this is the right place to get your food from. There is a huge convenience factor from eating out or ordering takeout but things like stir fries can be easily replicated at home where you can control how much sodium is in your food. I travel in my job and was eating regularly at a…

Calorie burn will be about the same, fitness outcomes will be different...

Don't eat anything different the night before than you normally would. Not the right time to experiment with foods. A 10K duration in the scheme of your body's ability to use existing energy stores is not going to cause any issues. In terms of race tactics, consider a run/walk approach to completing. Most novice runners…

For an additional data point, my father is turning 90 in a couple of weeks and my mom is 85. They exercise vigorously at the gym in their condo development nearly every day and go out for daily walks. They are also strict vegans and have been that way for close to 10 years. My dad was a research scientist and has turned…

As you are approaching the hill, try to pick up the speed a bit so you have some momentum. As you start getting on the hill try to keep your cadence the same which means you will need to downshift. Get into that small chain ring (the 34) and continue to downshift until you run out of gears (moving up to the biggest ring in…

Check out https://nutritionfacts.org/2018/09/20/how-to-reverse-type-2-diabetes/ Dr. Greger is a strong advocate of going vegan. For myself, I am a flexitarian - I follow a vegetarian diet about 80% but when I feel like eating meat socially or otherwise I do, and I regularly have dairy. Regardless, there is a lot of really…

As a newer runner you certainly want to build your aerobic base by running longer and easy. However, adding interval training to your workout schedule improves your fitness faster than just running longer. Try warming up for 10 minutes at a comfortable pace and then do a series of 6-30 second intervals at 1.5 km speed…

Calorie loss is a nice side benefit of exercising but is usually not the primary focus of a fitness program. A good balanced program will include a blend of strength, HIIT and cardio based on your goals. Some days you will end up burning more than others but it's all important and good.

cookieandkate.com has lots of wonderful ways to prepare principally vegetarian food. A big world out there to experiments with if you are willing to spend some time in a kitchen. Definitely invest in a good sharp chopping knife to make vegetable prep go faster and easier.

You'll find each decade of your life your body will change (as do priorities and commitments) so the things that worked for you before may not as well as you age - it's a constant learning process but that's part of life's journey. Incorporating exercise is really important to ensure you are maintaining fitness…