mathjulz Member

I guess your "old school" means sit-ups? I don't think they're especially great either (note I said they are only slightly better). I can empathize with you on the hip issues/back pain. I was out of the gym for several months for a recurrent back/hip pain issue. It was finally diagnosed as hyper-mobility of the SI joint,…

I honestly think planks are far better for improving core strength. Also balance activities, like yoga ones. And maybe I've forgotten "correct" form for a crunch, so there could be that. Edit - also note that I said situps are only slightly better (IMO), but again they require correct form.

I agree that crunches are horrible - useless for anything but getting better at crunches, IMO. I would give situps slightly more value, but there are still better ways to have a strong core.

"Junk food" is quite an arbitrary term. To someone eating paleo, bread might be "junk" (even whole wheat). To a vegan, meat/animal products might fall into the category of "junk food." While these are possibly extreme examples, they illustrate the point. When I think of "junk food" (which is a term I usually avoid) I think…

This makes sense. When I was in physical therapy for low back/hip issues (hypermobility leading to muscle pain), they had me work a lot on my glutes. Re-learning to use the right muscles helps alleviate the stress and therefore pain on the other ones. OTOH, now a lot of people, especially women, want the rounded booty. So…

It's also entirely possible that there was a typing error - the word "person" unintentionally omitted, where she meant to say "an obese person" (just like "a lean person"). I've done that sort of thing myself on occasion. I agree that word use and semantics can be important. But I also think that we need to strive for…

I'm glad you cleared that up. It made no sense as I read it (the mean post gone). Though I am somewhat curious now, haha...

And here you are ...

"Eat what you want" doesn't mean "eat as much as you want." Learning to "reduc[e] the sugary and fatty meals and treats" is exactly what they (IIFYMers) mean. It's learning to eat within your calorie limits for when you aren't tracking (if you choose to stop tracking) in a way that is sustainable, since most people don't…

After wading through a previous discussion or two in this thread, I'm sorely tempted. Cookies all day sounds really good right now. :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: (Is that enough?)

I've tried it both ways. If I do cardio before, I am very well warmed up for lifting. As long as I keep it to around 30 minutes, it doesn't seem to impact my ability to lift. I am working on rebuilding speed and endurance for running, so I can't say it's an "easy" cardio. On the other hand, yesterday I went for 5k (about…

Hmmm. I only read the study abstract. My bad.

So a mere 600 mg/week of testosterone will build over 17 lbs of muscle in 20 weeks without training. So a year of test and NO TRAINING I can put on 34lbs of muscle!!??!! And people believe that? Seriously. Think about that. No training and 34lbs[/quote] Where are you getting that number? It simply says that men who take…

Keep a big mug/bottle of water at your work desk and sip on it through the day. Chew gum. Maybe try a fidget spinner (lol) or something else to keep your hands busy. Doodle or try one of those adult coloring books. It's all about changing the habit that you have (snacking) to another habit. I do agree that planning a…

Those are some mighty big cats there! :sunglasses:

I think that eating one meal a day, or within a smaller window (ie fasting 16 hours, eating in 8; fasting 18 hours eating in 6) can be effective for weight loss or maintenance (I don't know about bulking, I'm not experienced with that). The calories from that one meal, or from that window of time for eating, have to meet…

So much this! Sometimes I can have some water and wait a bit and the desire for the food diminishes. Other times, only the cookie will do! When that is the case, I've found that it's best to have the cookie, but make sure it is the best cookie (a wonderful home made chocolate chip, vs some cheap store brand, for example).…

Why not? My example already had 2 servings of fruit. If you want a glass of wine instead of a banana, that's fine. Nobody is saying that you HAVE to put more fruit in when there's calories left (at least not on this thread...) Just that fruit, and the sugar that comes from fruit, is okay in a weight loss diet. It doesn't…

Did you see the sample day I posted? (I know, the formatting was bad). 1093 calories and 78 g of protein. Not everybody needs 100g or more, especially if they are small enough to require a 1200 calorie diet. (I'm only 5' tall and I generally can lose on 1600 calories or more). If you lift, chances are 1200 calories are too…

Actually, for fun, I input that into an old day in my food diary. Here is the result: Breakfast Calories kcal Carbs g Fat g Protein g Fiber g Sodium mg Price First - 1% Low-fat Milk, 1 cup 110 13 3 8 0 130 Butter - Salted, 1 pat (1" sq, 1/3" high) 36 0 4 0 0 29 Great Value - Whole Wheat Bread, 1 slice 70 13 1 3 2 150 Egg -…

But it doesn't necessarily do that (depending on overall macro goals). I could cut out a few slices of bread and have a cup of strawberries and a medium apple instead. I could even dip that apple in peanut butter and have protein as well :) And if I chose 2 eggs for breakfast with 1 slice of toast and butter, and a glass…

Here's another thought - isn't our society older on average now than we were in the late 80s? After all, those baby boomers are now hitting their senior year. And it seems to me that weight tends to increase, even slightly, as we age. Did they control for age in their examination? (I don't recall if it said so or not).…

IIRC it's just the threshold numbers.

One thing it doesn't seem to address as a likely factory is overall activity levels. They discuss exercise being the same, but not overall lifestyle. I believe we spend more time sedentary than even 20 years ago, more time in front of a screen and less time outdoors. Tools to make our work easier are more common and less…

It compares BMI, so takes height into account. :wink:

I think that different estimators are going to work well for different people. It depends on what measurements they use. Some people may have a higher body fat % but not carry it in the places a certain calculator asks for. If you carry more in your limbs a calculator that only uses waist and hips will give you a lower…

You stated that she is on some kind of medication for depression/anxiety. Sometimes those medications can make it feel harder to lose weight. (Usually it's because they mess with appetite centers, not because they slow metabolism.) It's a tough balance :\ Do you know the last time she had her thyroid levels checked? That…

btw, this thread doesn't disappoint :D

Perhaps I've missed it (I'm having a hard time following the OPs stream of thought writing) but I didn't really see any stats. And the profile picture could easily be someone who is not him (a lot of people will post pictures of what they see as ideal/their goal instead of themselves).

I only read the first 2 pages, but I think it's just going to repeat from there. Actually, I'm probably repeating anyway. But, I would agree with the point of working with him to learn the lifts. Work with low weights (the bar, or less). If he is an experienced lifter he *probably* knows the correct form and can watch your…