I need help losing weight and getting back in shape (1 Viewer)

[ProstheticRGK]

This sounds great. I am that guy who routinely loses 40-50 pounds and puts it back on. Been about every two years, lose and gain.

My issue with doing something like this, and Im hoping you can chime in, is that I can not do this forever. So while it sounds great and it clearly works, how do you transition regular food back in. I understand the deprogramming of snack and junk food. But if Im at the beach for two weeks and we go out to eat, I want to be able to eat something other than a potato. Even if I eat chicken and a potato, how does eating regular food again work (Again, not talking about the junk food, just regular food)

That's the hard part, is what to do afterwards. I decided to go vegan and stay vegan, because i found a lot of information on diet that supports that as a sustainable and (imo) most healthy lifestyle. I know that choice is not for everyone, I used to make fun of vegans when I'd help my FIL with his BBQ catering business. so, here's my take, without the actual practical application of having done it, yet: after you've had a week vacation at the beach, eating crap: come home and do the potato hack for 3-5 days, or do it every other day for a week. I don't think it's optimal, but it would work for keeping the pounds off, and doing a detox from all the typical vacation foods.

I would recommend looking into a vegan diet at the Dr. McDougall website, and reading all the information on how heart disease, type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, and many other diseases can be completely eliminated through diet. That's what made sense to me, through a lot of reading while I started the potato diet. I realize it's extreme, but it makes sense to me, from the scientific standpoint.

 

[AcerFC]

Thank you. I cant go vegan because I dont eat vegetables. I know this is very sophmoric of me, but I dont like them outside of lettuce, cucumbers, corn on the cob, brussel sprouts and broccoli (with the last two only edible in some type of sauce)

 

[fantasycurse42]

Thank you. I cant go vegan because I dont eat vegetables. I know this is very sophmoric of me, but I dont like them outside of lettuce, cucumbers, corn on the cob, brussel sprouts and broccoli (with the last two only edible in some type of sauce)

Try them with tzatziki - great snack, healthy... 

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Thank you. I cant go vegan because I dont eat vegetables. I know this is very sophmoric of me, but I dont like them outside of lettuce, cucumbers, corn on the cob, brussel sprouts and broccoli (with the last two only edible in some type of sauce)

Understood, and believe me, I never thought I'd be pimping a vegan lifestyle either. Just throwing out info that I've read. GL, Acer.

off topic: where do you go to the Shore? Jersey?

 

[culdeus]

Actually the older you get, the more important weight lifting becomes.  You don't have to be throwing around 3 plates on the bench, 4 on the squat, etc, but you should be able to at least bench your bodyweight and squat and deadlift 1.5x your weight.

A muscular yet lean physique looks great at any age.

I'm not sure you have to squat that big.   I mean for a 200 pound guy you are looking at 3 plates on squats/DL.  I see that as a fantasy for most guys.  Just squatting anything at this point would be a bonus for many.  

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Actually the older you get, the more important weight lifting becomes.  You don't have to be throwing around 3 plates on the bench, 4 on the squat, etc, but you should be able to at least bench your bodyweight and squat and deadlift 1.5x your weight.

A muscular yet lean physique looks great at any age.

I'm open to strength training but how many men ages 40-60 do you see lifting weights? Honestly? It's not the norm and I think it's a terrible idea for heavy folks as they can sustain injuries quickly and easily...worst thing that happens from walking is icing your ankles or knees if they ache when you first gt started. 

I have a pool at the condo I live so maybe I can start swimming laps and tread some in the water to build up some lean muscle. Also have a nice bike that hasn't been used much as of late...I'm thinking very mini-tri here with swim/walk/cycle. Those athletes are strong but lean. 

 

[AcerFC]

Understood, and believe me, I never thought I'd be pimping a vegan lifestyle either. Just throwing out info that I've read. GL, Acer.

off topic: where do you go to the Shore? Jersey?

I have a place in Ocean City MD. 

 

[culdeus]

That's the hard part, is what to do afterwards. I decided to go vegan and stay vegan, because i found a lot of information on diet that supports that as a sustainable and (imo) most healthy lifestyle. I know that choice is not for everyone, I used to make fun of vegans when I'd help my FIL with his BBQ catering business. so, here's my take, without the actual practical application of having done it, yet: after you've had a week vacation at the beach, eating crap: come home and do the potato hack for 3-5 days, or do it every other day for a week. I don't think it's optimal, but it would work for keeping the pounds off, and doing a detox from all the typical vacation foods.

I would recommend looking into a vegan diet at the Dr. McDougall website, and reading all the information on how heart disease, type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, and many other diseases can be completely eliminated through diet. That's what made sense to me, through a lot of reading while I started the potato diet. I realize it's extreme, but it makes sense to me, from the scientific standpoint.

I don't think that's how I would view this.  The higher GI spud is going to reset your insulin resistance.  There's not really a detox element to it from what you are saying above.  Most SAD is already high in high GI foods, they just aren't resistant starches and usually looks like a 20/30/50 type of profile. I would view vacation as a time to detox FROM the spud diet not the other way around and vice versa if on a LCHF hack.  

Spuds, being primarily resistant starches have the special power of being extremely high on the GI list but through magic mostly can not cause huge spikes in A1C.  They are however, not well tolerated in insulin dependent diabetics. This is for all the liver/insulin/muscle reasons of why high gi resistant starches do what they do here which isn't worth going into now.  It does however sort of stick to the point of whether this is truly a "detox" plan.  I'm not sure really anything counts as a "detox" anyways, so it's always something that I'm a little prejudiced against.  

One could see how perhaps you could alternate between the two quite well if extremely overweight somewhat indefinitely.  If you follow some of the IF KetoGains types this isn't that far out of bounds from what they try to do on refeeds. 

 

[Ministry of Pain]

33. I go to the gym every other night, typically for two hours - majority weights and maybe 20-30 minutes abs/cardio. I think if you've worked out for most of your life, your body has an advantage over someone who hasn't.

2 hours a night in a gym? Not many folks are going to sign up for that.  And yes if you have been healthy since you were young, not sure about the advantage butt mentally yes you have the edge. 

Seriously, props for taking care of yourself. I just know I can't lift weights for 2 hours a night or every other night at this point in my life. 

 

[culdeus]

I'm open to strength training but how many men ages 40-60 do you see lifting weights? Honestly? It's not the norm and I think it's a terrible idea for heavy folks as they can sustain injuries quickly and easily...worst thing that happens from walking is icing your ankles or knees if they ache when you first gt started. 

I have a pool at the condo I live so maybe I can start swimming laps and tread some in the water to build up some lean muscle. Also have a nice bike that hasn't been used much as of late...I'm thinking very mini-tri here with swim/walk/cycle. Those athletes are strong but lean. 

Injury rates for endurance sports is higher than weightlifting, and depending on how you calculate this and the population you choose it's not even close.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

If you have a competitive personality then simply tracking your calories in MyFitnessPal or similar app can do wonders.

I had been overweight all my life and started using the app about 7 years ago and have been in great shape ever since.  Seeing those red numbers and that red line graph going over your goal line on the charts just really pisses me off so I work hard to avoid it.  And when I have a good day and am under the line by a fair amount, I want to make it a great day and dominate that line by like 500 calories rather than just binge eating up to it at dessert.  #### you line, I'm going to crush you today.  

I like looking at charts and statistics so at the end of the week when I'm reviewing it if I got lazy and screwed it up it irks me and motivates me to not do it again.

It all ballooned for me from there, in a good way.  I started running because it meant I could eat a little more and still stay below that line.  Then I got skinny and didn't like how wimpy I seemed, so I started lifting weights.  I wish I had been this into getting into shape back when I was single all those years ago.

You soon get to a point where you've learned enough from looking foods up that you don't need to track it any more, you can just kind of do it in your head and know when you're eating good/bad.  Sometimes I will get a little out of hand with this and gain a few pounds (usually when I'm making good gains in the gym and convince myself that eating a lot will mean I can bench more), but in those cases I just go back to actually punching the numbers into the app for a few months and the weight falls back off.

Prior to all this I was probably around 225lbs (6 feet tall) with all of that being fat.  I got down to about 170lbs when I was just running.  Now with weight lifting being heavily involved for a few years I'm about 200lbs, but with a lot of that being muscle (body fat generally hovers around 8-10%).

It's amazing how much just having to punch those 1000 calorie cheese fries into your app and have them stare back at you will motivate you not to eat them.  Just don't take the cheap way out and say "it's a bad day anyway, so I'm just going to stop tracking for the day".  Make yourself look at it.  Make yourself see the actual numbers.

 

[James Daulton]

I'm not sure you have to squat that big.   I mean for a 200 pound guy you are looking at 3 plates on squats/DL.  I see that as a fantasy for most guys.  Just squatting anything at this point would be a bonus for many.  

True.  But if you lift consistently and properly 1.5x bw isn't a stretch at all.

 

[dino259]

How much of this is a balance between the nutrition side and the habit side of things.  I would think most of this affects people on the habit side of things.  Diets like the potato diet force people to change their habit of what they eat.  It is just easy to keep doing the same thing.  As the discussion here is getting into is how do you transition from the potatoes to a healthy long lasting diet instead of reverting back to your old fat habit.  I think the nutrition/body chemistry side of things plays a part, but I'm leaning toward it being a smaller part than the easy habit side.

 

[NutterButter]

I see no point to putting up that much weight once you get into your 40's.   I'll stick to low weight/high reps.   Having a six pack with some reasonable muscle mass is fine with me.   

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I echo BaGeL and was trying to figure out what step 1 would be and I think he hit it on the head. 

-I would download the MyFit App and start tracking your weight. You do not need to set the calories at losing 1-2 lbs a week, just put in your weight as best you can guess and simply hit maintain and you will get some absurd amount like 3,000 calories a day and you can start tracking what you eat. You have no idea how to manage until you figure out what is going in your mouth daily. I'm not making fun of you, it's almost impossible to have a legit chance at managing your weight if you don't understand what an actual healthy day of balanced meals look like. Once you do that and get your hormones to balance a little you can start thinking clearly and make better decisions. 

I mean this, it's not your fault. It's easy for in shape people to poke fun at us fat asses but I was trying to watch my baseball game last night and every commercial is fast food or something you should not be eating.  If you like to watch any of the 4 major sports you are subjected to an almost daily drilling of bad food commercials. You have got to break the cycle and do something different. Step one in facing the demons is being honest about what you are eating and how much you are eating and when you are eating, I know it's tough. It's so much easier to stick your head in the sand but I promise this app is worth your time. 

 

[fantasycurse42]

I think the potato diet/Bale/*insert fad here* are never sustainable - Are you prepared to eat potatoes for the rest of your life? I doubt it. You need to make an adjustment to your negative eating habits, maybe have one cheat day where you enjoy something you shouldn't, like a taco night or something. 

Replacing a fatty meal with fish, fried chicken with grilled chicken, rice and beans with quinoa and cranberries... Things like this are sustainable IMO, can of tuna and apple are not.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I think the potato diet/Bale/*insert fad here* are never sustainable - Are you prepared to eat potatoes for the rest of your life? I doubt it. You need to make an adjustment to your negative eating habits, maybe have one cheat day where you enjoy something you shouldn't, like a taco night or something. 

Replacing a fatty meal with fish, fried chicken with grilled chicken, rice and beans with quinoa and cranberries... Things like this are sustainable IMO, can of tuna and apple are not.

When did beans and brown rice become the boogeyman? High fiber in them beans. 

 

[fantasycurse42]

I see no point to putting up that much weight once you get into your 40's.   I'll stick to low weight/high reps.   Having a six pack with some reasonable muscle mass is fine with me.   

I agree with this wholeheartedly... A chest day for me consists of:

10-12 reps x 3 flat dumbell

10-12 reps x 3 incline dumbell

10-12 reps x 3 decline bench

12-15 reps x 3 close grip bench

10-12 reps / 10-12 reps x 3 skull crushers/close grip barbell

combo 15-20 reps / 20-24 reps x 3 cable cross / tricep pulldown / tricep extension

If I can't do at least 10, I lower the weight. This has been big on cutting fat and showing muscle.

Also, don't cheat yourself, if you can't do a certain exercise (use bench in this example - touch chest, full extension), lower the weight, you're only cheating yourself.

 

[ProstheticRGK]

I have a place in Ocean City MD. 

Nice place. I grew up outside of Philly, and have great memories of the jersey shore. My sister has a gorgeous house in Ocean City, NJ we try to get there every couple years. I love going to the shore for a week. Waffles and ice cream and Italian water ice on the boardwalk.

I don't think that's how I would view this.  The higher GI spud is going to reset your insulin resistance.  There's not really a detox element to it from what you are saying above.  Most SAD is already high in high GI foods, they just aren't resistant starches and usually looks like a 20/30/50 type of profile. I would view vacation as a time to detox FROM the spud diet not the other way around and vice versa if on a LCHF hack.  

Spuds, being primarily resistant starches have the special power of being extremely high on the GI list but through magic mostly can not cause huge spikes in A1C.  They are however, not well tolerated in insulin dependent diabetics. This is for all the liver/insulin/muscle reasons of why high gi resistant starches do what they do here which isn't worth going into now.  It does however sort of stick to the point of whether this is truly a "detox" plan.  I'm not sure really anything counts as a "detox" anyways, so it's always something that I'm a little prejudiced against.  

One could see how perhaps you could alternate between the two quite well if extremely overweight somewhat indefinitely.  If you follow some of the IF KetoGains types this isn't that far out of bounds from what they try to do on refeeds. 

If this comes across as me trying to argue with you, please understand, I am not. Just genuinely trying to figure out what you're saying because I respect your knowledge and don't fully understand this post.

my understanding is that Glycemic Index is mostly overrated as a tool for battling type II diabetes, or losing weight. On a high carb (starch) diet, type II diabetes is unheard of- incidence is crazy low. Look at the China study, to see the effects of the SAD on a culture that primarily was starch-based and switched to a Western diet. Huge explosions in incidence of type II diabetes, heart disease, overweight/obesity, cancers of all kinds (colorectal, prostate, breast), gout, MS, Rheoumatoid arthritis. And these are populations where potato consumption is fairly low- the Chinese government even started a propaganda campaign to encourage potato consumption. Their diet used to consist of primarily rice, or wheat/millet with a very low consumption of animal products.

Rice and other grains don't have the RS of potatoes, so there has to be something else that was keeping people's insulin normalized, right? Or, am I completely missing the point of your post?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Injury rates for endurance sports is higher than weightlifting, and depending on how you calculate this and the population you choose it's not even close.

Walking? You want me to believe more people injure themselves walking then weightlifting?

Am I on Candid Camera? You're killing me Culdie. 

One could do both and enjoy the benefits. I want to look at some strength training but Im thinking stuff I can do on mat in my house like push ups. 22/22 circulating. 

Guys over 40 who regularly lift weights in a gym? What's the % of grown men or adults doing this? 

 

[fantasycurse42]

When did beans and brown rice become the boogeyman? High fiber in them beans. 

https://www.google.com/#q=rice+and+beans+calories

A side of rice and beans has 700 calories, over 1/4 of your daily fat intake, and almost 40% of your daily carbs... This is supposed to be a side dish with one meal, way too much in there. Just my opinion.

 

[NutterButter]

I agree with this wholeheartedly... A chest day for me consists of:

10-12 reps x 3 flat dumbell

10-12 reps x 3 incline dumbell

10-12 reps x 3 decline bench

12-15 reps x 3 close grip bench

10-12 reps / 10-12 reps x 3 skull crushers/close grip barbell

combo 15-20 reps / 20-24 reps cable cross / tricep pulldown / tricep extension

If I can't do at least 10, I lower the weight. This has been big on cutting fat and showing muscle.

Also, don't cheat yourself, if you can't do a certain exercise (use bench in this example - touch chest, full extension), lower the weight, you're only cheating yourself.

Those are the reps I strive for.  Now the # of sets is up to you.  You clearly enjoy lifting so bang out 15 sets for chest.  I'm a cyclist so I'm probably doing the bare minimum for sets and I like to circuit 4 exercises to get the heart rate up.   For the average joe just looking to be healthy 15 sets for chest is way overboard just as 5 hours per week on the bike would be.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Those are the reps I strive for.  Now the # of sets is up to you.  You clearly enjoy lifting so bang out 15 sets for chest.  I'm a cyclist so I'm probably doing the bare minimum for sets and I like to circuit 4 exercises to get the heart rate up.   For the average joe just looking to be healthy 15 sets for chest is way overboard just as 5 hours per week on the bike would be.

That is chest and triceps, sorry. But yes, I enjoy lifting weights... When I go up to a heavier weight, it is a very rewarding feeling. I guess it would be similar to an endurance athlete seeing a lower time.

 

[NutterButter]

https://www.google.com/#q=rice+and+beans+calories

A side of rice and beans has 700 calories, over 1/4 of your daily fat intake, and almost 40% of your daily carbs... This is supposed to be a side dish with one meal, way too much in there. Just my opinion.

Rice is a big no no.  Beans on the other hand are fantastic.  I eat tons of those.  Ideal diet for me would consist solely of beans, lean meats and veggies.    I think you'd have a hard time overeating if you stuck exclusively to that and there's a lot of options combining those three.   

 

[NutterButter]

That is chest and triceps, sorry. But yes, I enjoy lifting weights... When I go up to a heavier weight, it is a very rewarding feeling. I guess it would be similar to an endurance athlete seeing a lower time.

Exactly.  I was gym rat in a former life but once I started to feel the wear and tear and drastically cut down and switched to cycling which to me is the best thing you can do provided you don't fall.   

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Hey, can anyone help me find a good weightlifting routine? I need to start adding in some resistance training, while I've got the snowball rolling down the hill. My goal is to optimize strength and flexibility with a strong core, and get leaner, faster and stronger. Don't want to bulk, or work on glory muscles, just boost overall fitness with a goal of competing in endurance strength races (like Tough Mudder).

i only have 3 days per week that I could commit to lifting (optimally) but willing to consider another schedule, if that's the consensus best results. And I could commit to 2 hours on those days. I'd prefer to do it in my home, rather than a gym, with whatever equipment I need. Was thinking free weight barbells and a weight bench. Point me in the right direction.

 

[fantasycurse42]

For core I plank and side plank... Start with a goal of 30 seconds, than 45, than 1 minute, and so on... Do a few sets, planking is actually highly recommended by physical therapists for back pain to strengthen your core. 

 

[culdeus]

Nice place. I grew up outside of Philly, and have great memories of the jersey shore. My sister has a gorgeous house in Ocean City, NJ we try to get there every couple years. I love going to the shore for a week. Waffles and ice cream and Italian water ice on the boardwalk.

If this comes across as me trying to argue with you, please understand, I am not. Just genuinely trying to figure out what you're saying because I respect your knowledge and don't fully understand this post.

my understanding is that Glycemic Index is mostly overrated as a tool for battling type II diabetes, or losing weight. On a high carb (starch) diet, type II diabetes is unheard of- incidence is crazy low. Look at the China study, to see the effects of the SAD on a culture that primarily was starch-based and switched to a Western diet. Huge explosions in incidence of type II diabetes, heart disease, overweight/obesity, cancers of all kinds (colorectal, prostate, breast), gout, MS, Rheoumatoid arthritis. And these are populations where potato consumption is fairly low- the Chinese government even started a propaganda campaign to encourage potato consumption. Their diet used to consist of primarily rice, or wheat/millet with a very low consumption of animal products.

Rice and other grains don't have the RS of potatoes, so there has to be something else that was keeping people's insulin normalized, right? Or, am I completely missing the point of your post?

Nobody really understands the RS phenomenon.  At least not to the point to explain it in a way that makes sense to all populations.  On the surface it would tend violate the laws of thermodynamics, yes, and some of the deeply held notions of what would promote body fatness.  The China study certainly did little to address the situation.  

On the surface it seems spuds without added fat are for all intents a superfood, add the slightest bit of fat and they become your worst enemy.  Which of these is the problem here?

 

[James Daulton]

Rice is a big no no.  Beans on the other hand are fantastic.  I eat tons of those.  Ideal diet for me would consist solely of beans, lean meats and veggies.    I think you'd have a hard time overeating if you stuck exclusively to that and there's a lot of options combining those three.   

Rice is like 200 calories per cup.  Rice is awesome.

 

[kutta]

Walking? You want me to believe more people injure themselves walking then weightlifting?

Am I on Candid Camera? You're killing me Culdie. 

One could do both and enjoy the benefits. I want to look at some strength training but Im thinking stuff I can do on mat in my house like push ups. 22/22 circulating. 

Guys over 40 who regularly lift weights in a gym? What's the % of grown men or adults doing this? 

I do, and I'm 50. There are a few guys my age at the gym who do too. It's really not that weird. 

 

[James Daulton]

Walking? You want me to believe more people injure themselves walking then weightlifting?

Am I on Candid Camera? You're killing me Culdie. 

One could do both and enjoy the benefits. I want to look at some strength training but Im thinking stuff I can do on mat in my house like push ups. 22/22 circulating. 

Guys over 40 who regularly lift weights in a gym? What's the % of grown men or adults doing this? 

What's the % of guys over 40 who do anything?  If you walked into a gym, you'd probably be shocked at the proportion of guys over 40 pushing weight.  I'm near 50 and I don't think I look nor do I feel anywhere near that old.  I don't even consider someone "old" until they're 65+.

Again, lifting when you're older is way way more important for your overall health than lifting when you're younger.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I do, and I'm 50. There are a few guys my age at the gym who do too. It's really not that weird. 

I mentioned this guy who I see regularly in mine that is at a minimum 70, prob older. In their 40's/50's, I see dozens of regulars too. 

One guy who has to be mid/late 40's looks like a regular guy, does 275 8-10x on the bench press. Very impressive. 

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Nobody really understands the RS phenomenon.  At least not to the point to explain it in a way that makes sense to all populations.  On the surface it would tend violate the laws of thermodynamics, yes, and some of the deeply held notions of what would promote body fatness.  The China study certainly did little to address the situation.  

On the surface it seems spuds without added fat are for all intents a superfood, add the slightest bit of fat and they become your worst enemy.  Which of these is the problem here?

I guess, if I'm understanding you correctly, the dissonance is coming from you assuming that some animal products are included in an every day diet, and that adding spuds to that causes insulin spikes/overweight cascade of badness. And my take is, if the addition of animal products is what screws up the "magic" of potatoes, maybe it's not the potatoes, but the addition of animal products? Especially, considering that other high carb staples, without resistant starch, have the same effect as the spud diet, as long as not paired with high consumption of animal products. 

But, the possibility that I am completely misunderstanding what you're saying is not lost on me.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Would quinoa work instead of potatoes?

 

[culdeus]

I guess, if I'm understanding you correctly, the dissonance is coming from you assuming that some animal products are included in an every day diet, and that adding spuds to that causes insulin spikes/overweight cascade of badness. And my take is, if the addition of animal products is what screws up the "magic" of potatoes, maybe it's not the potatoes, but the addition of animal products? Especially, considering that other high carb staples, without resistant starch, have the same effect as the spud diet, as long as not paired with high consumption of animal products. 

But, the possibility that I am completely misunderstanding what you're saying is not lost on me.

There's nothing mysterious about a VLF diet.  There are people out there that do VLF with all sorts of non RI stuff.  Go to instagram and whatever and you can find people that lost #### tons of weight on high carb diets by going VLF.  It's just harder to make it work because the other stuff potatoes bring to the table that you might miss pounding back pixie sticks all day.

If you are over TDEE with something like taters with a 10% fat number no matter whether it's coconut oil or bacon you will run into problems.  Big problems.  This to me is the primary flaw here.  That's hard to do for most people for more than a month or two.  It seems like a great short term hack though.  There isn't a keto flu to fight thru.  If refeeding of LCHF you might put on 2-3 pounds of water weight but that's easily shed at the end of it.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Hey, can anyone help me find a good weightlifting routine? I need to start adding in some resistance training, while I've got the snowball rolling down the hill. My goal is to optimize strength and flexibility with a strong core, and get leaner, faster and stronger. Don't want to bulk, or work on glory muscles, just boost overall fitness with a goal of competing in endurance strength races (like Tough Mudder).

i only have 3 days per week that I could commit to lifting (optimally) but willing to consider another schedule, if that's the consensus best results. And I could commit to 2 hours on those days. I'd prefer to do it in my home, rather than a gym, with whatever equipment I need. Was thinking free weight barbells and a weight bench. Point me in the right direction.




 




3

If you want to keep things simple, here are some books on bodyweight exercises that I think are good:

Strength Rules by Danny Kavadlo
Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade
Homemade Muscle by Anthony Arvanitakis

They're all pretty much the same book. They feature mainly pushups, pullups, and squats, and variations on them, with progressions for all skill/fitness levels. They're all based on working out at home with little or no equipment beyond a pullup bar.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Rice is a big no no.

One of the diets with the best track record for weight loss (and improved insulin sensitivity and blood pressure) is the rice diet.

I think it's hard to say categorically that any real food is a big no no. No matter what real food you pick, somebody has had success featuring that food.

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Would quinoa work instead of potatoes?

I think so, but long-term, I would watch out for vitamin and mineral deficiency. The only thing potatoes lack is Vitamin B12. Quinoa has an abundance of complete protein (all the amino acids needed) and the right ratio of macros to fit the profile for the hack, but it's missing in some vitamins and minerals. If you supplemented Fruits/Veggies with the quinoa, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[Otis]

Actually the older you get, the more important weight lifting becomes.  You don't have to be throwing around 3 plates on the bench, 4 on the squat, etc, but you should be able to at least bench your bodyweight and squat and deadlift 1.5x your weight.

A muscular yet lean physique looks great at any age.

I've never been able to bench my bodyweight.  I've made it through 40 years alright.  

 

[Otis]

If you want to keep things simple, here are some books on bodyweight exercises that I think are good:

Strength Rules by Danny Kavadlo
Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade
Homemade Muscle by Anthony Arvanitakis

They're all pretty much the same book. They feature mainly pushups, pullups, and squats, and variations on them, with progressions for all skill/fitness levels. They're all based on working out at home with little or no equipment beyond a pullup bar.

Just bought this based on your recommendation above.

 

[Jayded]

Jan 18 - 218.8 lbs

May 13 - 197 lbs

Super stoked as that's 10% drop. For me that's a ton and really highlights for me the work I've put in and the progress I don't want to lose by going back to old habits. I was finally able to find a way not to starve myself and yet hit the gym and see the results compound to where I'm living a fulfilling lifestyle all around.

 

[Courtjester]

Congrats Jay!!! 

I was at 204 this morning and I so want to break back into the hundreds I can just taste it. 

 

[James Daulton]

I've never been able to bench my bodyweight.  I've made it through 40 years alright.  

My point is not that you have to or that those should be goals, but if you lift when you're older (which is something you should do), even if you don't lift heavy, you will get stronger and you will be able to do these things.  They will just come with the natural addition of more lean muscle mass.

And Oats you're what 40?  Your body has already started to shed its natural lean muscle.  Think about what you'll have left at 50, 60, 70 if you do nothing to stimulate your muscle.

 

[NutterButter]

Rice is like 200 calories per cup.  Rice is awesome.

Yeah if you just eat a cup of cooked rice which is really nothing size wise.  Or I can eat a cup of black beans and get 3 times the protein and like a gazillion times the fiber for the same amount of fat.   

 

[NutterButter]

One of the diets with the best track record for weight loss (and improved insulin sensitivity and blood pressure) is the rice diet.

I think it's hard to say categorically that any real food is a big no no. No matter what real food you pick, somebody has had success featuring that food.

Christ, there's a rice diet too.  Hey, whatever works for ya. 

 

[Rick James]

https://www.google.com/#q=rice+and+beans+calories

A side of rice and beans has 700 calories, over 1/4 of your daily fat intake, and almost 40% of your daily carbs... This is supposed to be a side dish with one meal, way too much in there. Just my opinion.

that portion size is 461g, or just over 1 lb of food. No one is going to eat that much.

 

[James Daulton]

Yeah if you just eat a cup of cooked rice which is really nothing size wise.  Or I can eat a cup of black beans and get 3 times the protein and like a gazillion times the fiber for the same amount of fat.   

It's also triple the calories of the rice.  I'm not downing black beans, just saying that most foods have tradeoffs and that rice is certainly not bad.  In fact, a typical lunch for me will be a cup of rice, 1/2 pound of chicken, and some sauteed veggies.  The whole thing has maybe 600 calories and is super filling.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

@Jayded

Outstanding work!

Can I ask how tall you are? Sounds like you lost about a lb a week, that's terrific. I wish I could settle in to about a pound a week but I get very antsy if I am not losing 2+ lbs a week, that's gonna come to a stop soon. The bigger you are the more you tend to lose initially. 

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Yeah if you just eat a cup of cooked rice which is really nothing size wise.  Or I can eat a cup of black beans and get 3 times the protein and like a gazillion times the fiber for the same amount of fat.   

I am from Miami and we love our black beans n rice. I have them go about the half the normal amount of rice and close to twice the amount of beans. I agree NB, awesome source of fiber and does terrific things to clean out the bowels. I understand some folks get gassy but if you cook them or eat them the right way they don't always make you explode. 

Amy's has a vegetarian baked bean in a can that is delicious with grilled chicken and corn on the cob. 

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Like most things, rice is fine if you're smart about it.  If you're eating a box of Rice A Roni cheesy au gratin rice then yeah, not so good.  If you're mixing a cup of brown rice in with some steamed veggies and grilled chicken then those are great carbs to keep you going without tipping the calorie/fat scales.  That's actually been my go-to lunch the last 5 years or so.  Mix in some hot sauce (virtually no calories, have to watch the sodium though) and it's tasty/satisfying while getting you good macros with just the right amount of calories.  The fun part is that you can mix up the hot sauces (again, not overdoing it to keep the sodium in check) to change the flavor every few weeks and it's like a whole different meal.