jim180155 Member

It used to be when I went grocery shopping I’d park fairly close to the front doors. No more. Now I find a spot in the back end of the Jewel parking lot and walk in. That alone usually gets me my 10,000 steps since I shop at Meijer, and the Meijer store is about 3 miles away.

I have Powerblocks too. It’s the 5 to 70 lb, upgradeable to 130? lbs, rubber coated. I love them. But they’re not cheap. OP, there is no one weight that will do everything for you. Your larger muscles can handle more weight than smaller muscles, you can lift more in compound lifts than isolation lifts, and the main idea…

It’s my favorite too. You can find cheaper protein when it comes to advertised grams of protein per dollar, but cheap protein isn’t necessarily the bargain it appears to be. "Amino spiking” is fairly common, and it results in you getting less protein than you think you’re getting. It also changes the protein grams per…

You’re talking about a deload week. It’s a good idea, and there are different ways to approach it. Here’s an article on it: muscleforlife.com/deload-week/ I had been taking a deload week after ten weeks of lifting, then read that someone my age (61) should probably be taking a break every six weeks. So that was my new…

That sounds like too few calories. Start with a deficit around 500 calories per day for a 1 pound/week weight loss, which would put you at your low target of 155 around the first of April. Or calculate your TDEE and then eat at a deficit of 20%. Here’s an online calculator: iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ I think you’ll find…

What challenge? Reverse dieting is just a slow end to a caloric deficit rather than an abrupt stop. Either one is a definite improvement to a 500-ish calorie deficit. It’s supposed to put a smile on your face, not feel like a challenge.

You make it obvious in the bolded sentence that your weight goal is nothing more than a rough estimate. What you’re really trying or hoping to do is to lose fat and add muscle. I’d suggest you start tracking your body fat percentage now, along with your weight, so you can monitor improvements in both areas. I’ve found body…

OP, Bane is right. If you go vegan you’ll need to supplement your diet. Vitamin B is one of the obvious deficiencies from eating plants alone. And while it’s possible to get enough protein on a vegan diet, it takes more work and planning. You should start doing some serious research. And if you come across somebody…

ON’s Extreme Chocolate is good.

I don’t know the answer to that. I mean, we know that there are other factors that influence water retention, like sodium intake. And other factors, like stress, can influence cortisol levels. And then just to make sure no one knows what’s going on, women have their own fluid retention issues with menstrual cycles. So the…

I tried veganism for 3 months a couple years ago. For some of the reasons already stated above, like animal cruelty and supposedly improving micronutrients, I found it appealing. BTW, I was focusing on whole foods. I was, for the most part, staying away from processed food. But certain aspects of it started to bother me.…

Toning is a misnomer. Muscles don’t “tone.” They get bigger, they stay the same, or they get smaller. The same can be said for strength. If you want the toned look, what you’re really looking for is less fat and probably a little more muscle for an overall lean look with some muscle definition. You don’t want to get bulky,…

Yes, the whoosh effect. It generally happens with those who’ve been in a deficit for a while, causing a rise in cortisol, which increases water retention. When you then eat a lot, cortisol levels drop and water retention drops. You wake up the next day several pounds lighter. Unfortunately, it’s not a good long term weight…

Well, crap. I’m too old. Too bad. I could have told you what works when you really get older, rather than the post-teen years of 40s and 50s.

I usually have two smoothies a day, one after my morning workout and the other for lunch. The first one is 600+ calories, the second is 500+ calories. They both taste good, but they're designed primarily around macro balance, calorie limits, micronutrients, probiotics and fiber. Between the two I use milk, coconut milk,…

You don't find the motivation. You start working out. The first few times are always the hardest. But it quickly starts falling into place. The motivation comes after that when you notice you look better, clothes fit better, you're stronger, faster or whatever. It's when those last things start happening that you'll find…

I think I've listened to Lyle McDonald on a Mike Mathews podcast.

Yes, most of what I've read suggests ending a cut and starting a bulk at around 10%, or a bit higher, maybe 12%. You then continue the bulk up to around 15% to 17%, then start cutting again. During your bulk, IF you do everything right (eat at a moderate surplus, get plenty of rest and lift heavy), you can expect to gain…

Play guitar sitting down: 20 calories per hour Play guitar standing up: 60 calories per hour Play guitar standing up on a treadmill: 60 calories per hour Play guitar standing up with treadmill turned on: 220 calories per hour Play guitar standing up with treadmill turned on in the middle of a freeway: 6,879 calories per…

I take a multi-vitamin, fish oil, and D3. The fish oil may or may not be good. (Conflicting studies) Most people are deficient in vitamin D, so I take an extra 1,000 IUs in addition to the 1500 IUs that are in my multi. (I wasn't aware of the K2-D3 link, so Gale's info is good.) And part of the reason I'm taking the multi…

You spend more energy digesting and converting protein and carbohydrates, but for the most part, a calorie is a calorie. If your only goal is to lose weight, watch your calories and don't worry about the rest. If you're less tunnel visioned and want to be healthier and fitter as well as a bit smaller, watch your macros and…

Yes. You might have to experiment with the 200 calories to find the right number, but you've got the right idea.

Do the things you enjoy and eat more.

From what I've read, we all have set points. Our bodies seek homeostasis and fight change. They don't want to gain weight, nor do they want to lose weight. If we're overeating (eating in a surplus) our bodies respond with a faster metabolism and more NEAT (non-intentional, unconscious exercise, fidgeting and movement) to…

Follow your doctor's advice. You should find out pretty soon when your surgery will be. You won't lose much muscle or strength even if you have to take off a couple months, and what you do lose should come back quickly, much faster than it took to build the first time. After the surgery, see how you feel and again, follow…

Thanks, that was it. I was on my iPhone. Now I'm back on my computer and I can see profiles again. But the urge passed. I think I'll shovel the driveway rather than seeing how well people's advice match up to their actual results. (Although it looks like it's working for you.)

Queen, for you I get "This user's feed is private," the same message I get for everyone else.

Not that I want to disturb the circles we're going in, but I have a question. Everybody's giving advice. I started wondering how well some of that advice is working, so I clicked on a member's profile and found that it's closed to all but friends, unless her friends can't see it either. So I clicked on the next one and the…

Most days I drink two smoothies, followed by dinner with soup and a half pound of chicken. It's not a "cleanse" though. It's food. Both smoothies are over 500 calories and are a nearly ideal (for me) mix of protein, carbs and fats. They're also good for probiotics with yogurt in one and kefir in the other. And they help me…

There's some truth in what you're saying. If was going to eat a slice of bread or a steak or a bag of potato chips or a cup of broccoli, I'd rather eat them un-blended, and I think I'd find them more filling un-blended. But that's not what I'm eating in a smoothie. Between my two daily smoothies I'm eating milk, coconut…