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Questions about increasing my distance -- Minor annoyance with MFP's interface
So I can comfortably run the 5K at this point. Last weekend I came in second in my age group at a pretty big run. Yay. Now I want to ramp up to the 10K. I've started with fitness labs' 5K to 10K app and I'm on week one. Is there anything I should know or do to ease the transition? Any tips or advice from more experienced…
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A Disease of Prosperity
I've been thinking lately about how so many of our poor lifestyle choices -- and the chronic conditions that stem from them -- are made possible in large part by the immense luxury we enjoy in the developed world. I'm thinking of: * routinely eating 500+ more calories than your body needs * alcoholism, substance abuse *…
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Adele or Amy Winehouse?
Was having this debate with someone the other day and it's stuck in my head. For me, it's Amy, and it's not close. Don't get me wrong -- I *like* Adele, but that's part of the problem. She's so completely inoffensive that everyone likes her, from babies to old people. Her songs feel really generic -- in the sense of being…
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Alcohol and Society
I wonder if anyone feels the same way I do about just how ingrained alcohol is in our culture. I.E., slightly disturbed. Now I'm not advocating for some kind of neo-prohibitionist movement. But it is profoundly curious how smoking has become, for the most part, socially censured -- while alcohol, which can be so much more…
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16:8 Fasting Tips and Tricks
I think the title says it all. I'm giving it a try just to switch things up a bit. With my schedule and lifestyle as it is, I think there could be benefits to restricting my "feeding window," over and above any weight loss or metabolic effects -- if those are not just broscience. My window today is 11 am to 7 pm. Is there…
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Reversing the Variables
Here's something I see just about every day in the several years I've been a member here: "I know I'm eating X calories and burning X throughout the day, but the scale [isn't moving / is going up!] What's happening?!?" You believe you're doing everything 100% right, yet the scale for some reason isn't holding up its end of…
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The Ecological Fallacy
So I was having an intellectual discussion with my data scientist friend this past Friday, and he brought up something really interesting. It's called the ecological fallacy. Basically, what it means is you generally can't make conclusions about individuals based on group data. How might this apply to weight loss? Well, we…
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What Cheat Days Do to My Numbers
File this under mildly interesting. Up to the beginning of August, I was following my plan to the letter 7 days a week, every week. This month, I have let myself take a break about once a week. Usually the weekend. The difference in the shape of my graph is profound. I'm still losing weight overall, and at the same rate,…
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Synthesized Meat
(Not a debate so much as a thought experiment. ) Let's say that sometime in the next several years, we develop the ability to create any kind of meat in the lab. Steak, lobster, hamburger -- whatever. We can do it. And it's been proven incontrovertibly safe. Biologically and chemically, the synthesized meat is…
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Guidance on Cutting/Bulking Benchmarks
I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I want to go ahead and get some insight on this. My GW is150, which will put me just into the normal range at 22.8 BMI. It will be around New Year when I hit that #. Slow and steady, and all that. My question is: what are some reasonable numbers to aim for in terms of bulking and…
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Questions re: Plateauing and Weight Loss Relationship
So, I have another ~25 lbs I need to shed. That's going fine. I've lost 10 in the past 3 months, right on schedule. My "problem" (I don't know if it's a problem) is that I feel like I'm close to plateauing on pretty much all 5 lifts in SL 5x5. Does being in a calorie deficit make this happen faster? Is there a way to push…
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Help: Engineering a Recipe Based on Available Ingredients
So here's the deal. I have: Some baked chicken breasts Some green peppers and onions, maybe some other veggies Garlic Lots of rice Plenty of spices I'm wondering about the best way to bring all these together. I know the rice needs to cook by itself of course. But then should I add the other stuff in and add something like…
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Overhead Press
So, apparently this is the most challenging compound exercise for a lot of people. It certainly is for me. By challenging, I mean difficult to progress. Why is that? And what can I do about it? I thought about doing MORE strength exercises to target the shoulders, but might that be counterproductive? I'm stuck on session…
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Olympic Bar and Plates Problem
So: Stupid Question. Is there a "trick" to getting big (#45 and up) plates off of the Olympic bar? The bars I use have about 18 inches that the plate has to travel. Today I spent as much energy in trying to get the plates off as I did actually performing the deadlift. And I'm sure I looked ridiculous doing so. My current…
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Shin Splints or Something Else?
HI all, I recently kicked back into C25K after falling off the jogging wagon this winter. But I'm having an issue. Once I'm a few minutes into any running segment, my shins absolutely THROB with pain. Not quite enough to stop me from going a 3-minute interval, but if this keeps up, 5 minutes just won't be possible. I…
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Stronglifts 5x5
So, as of yesterday I completed the first workout in the beginner's regimen. It was my first time going into the free weights section and really "owning" it. And: I felt like a freaking rock star the rest of the day, for some reason. Anyway... I have some questions for the gurus on here. * what comes 'after' stronglifts? I…
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Day Zero
Greetings Community, I am back after several years; in the past, I enjoyed MFP as simply a way to satisfy my mild OCD tendencies. I was a healthy weight and felt fine about my body. Today, I'm still in the shadow of a divorce. Unknown to me, part of the settlement stipulated that I gain 50 pounds while staring longingly…
