Still swimming 2x a week and I got a Fitbit, more for a “baseline” of how much walking I do than anything else. Some days I walk more than others, and I can now tell how much walking feels good, versus I pay for it the following day.
I ruined my last pair of capris gardening when I should have changed clothes first, so I went shopping for new pants. Surprise–I’ve dropped a clothing size! For the first time in a LONG time, I shopped in the Misses section, not the Women’s section. Although my goal was not specifically to lose weight (increase strength and flexibility, yes. Lose weight, no), it happened. No clue what I weigh, as I haven’t stepped on a scale in years, but I am feeling stronger and more flexible.
I do 21:5 intermittent fasting. It works really well for me. I can have a snack, dinner and dessert all within my eating window and I just have coffee, tea and water the rest of the time. I work out fasted with no issues.
My workout partner and I are both on a quest to get ripped.
He’s already ridiculously fit (like, Cirque du Soleil gymnast physique, but with more muscle), but wants to get even leaner. Me, I want to lose another 10-15 lbs, while keeping as much muscle mass as possible. He’s a believer in I.F., and I’m willing to defer to his “subject matter expertise.”
He’s 23 years younger than me, which makes everything much harder for me. Not that I’m complaining - I’m really enjoying the challenge!
I don’t know if you visit Reddit or not, but they have a subreddit dedicated to Lean Gains. It’s very informative, and you will find people who share similar goals of getting ripped.
SNR is a pretty consistent issue on reddit, I find. Particularly in the fitness subs. But there may be useful resources.
Deadlifts are my favorite lift. I’ve been neglecting the gym the past few weeks (my father was critically ill and passed away last week), but I’m looking forward to getting back to some heavy lifting and running.
I’m down 20 lbs as of this morning, and am 6 lbs away from my original goal weight. That goal may change as I get back to working out more, though.
I waited until I’ve been going for a month to say anything, but I joined a local LA Fitness with a pool and am taking water exercise classes three days a week. It’s pretty active one which I follow up with a sit in the hot tub. It’s made a world of difference with my arthritic knees and hip. I used to lift weights and I want to go back to that as well. Mainly upper body and core since I have to be careful with my knees. Last year, the doctor was afraid that I’d have to have the series of cortisone shots. He’s been after me to find a water exercise class, but they’re all for retirees who can go to class Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10AM. Finally, a new gym opened down the street from work, they’re on the work wellness program ($25 a month through Blue Cross Blue Shield), and they have a water exercise class that starts at 6pm. Trifecta!
I’ve got a good diet. I make almost all of my own meals and prep on Sunday for the week including snacks (hummus, peppers, grape tomatoes, cheese sticks, nuts, grapes).
I love swimming and always have, I’ve been making all my own meals for years, a batch of oatmeal can cook on the stove in the time that it takes me to take a shower. It’s the organization that’s my challenge now. Getting out the door with breakfast, lunch, snacks, swimsuit, towel, change of clothes. Getting it all back in the house at night, repacked and ready to go. I live alone, so it’s really easy to just drop the stuff by the door and collapse in a puddle of superheated goo as the summer gets hotter and hotter.
Day 5 of my Intermittent Fasting experiment.
It works.
I’m not sure if it’s all the metabolic mumbo-jumbo that the proponents talk about, or just the simple fact that it’s almost impossible to eat three meals worth of calories in two. Whatever the reason, I have lost just about 6 oz per day since I started.
The after-workout to break-fast time is hard. That’s 4 long hours.
It remains to be seen if I can keep muscle mass doing this. To that end, I’ve ordered some BCAAs, which are supposed to prevent muscle catabolism. They won’t arrive until later this week.
Sounds like you’ve got a great thing going there, and a month is a good, solid time. Congrats!
By now, you’ve likely received the BCAAs. Any difference?
I’m proud to report that I have now worked out 3 days in a row. It’s making an incredible difference in my.mood, plus my weight dipped down again after some unhappy bloating. My diet is really on point. Exercise is the key to my feeling and looking better and stronger, and I’m glad to be back at it. I know it’s only been 3 days, but I’ve written exercise for the coming week into my calendar and I’m feeling optimistic.
Well, the BCAAs have probably come, but I’m on vacation. I’m still following the I.F. routine, and doing what I can in the hotel gym, but it’s not really the same s being home. The last few days before I left, I had the juice bar at the gym make me a BCAA shot after my workout, which did seem to help with my hunger a bit.
OK, it’s been just over a month of Intermittent Fasting. My weight seems to have stabilized, but I think I’m still getting a bit leaner (my scale says my BF % is down around .75% for the month). My partner suggested that I cycle off IF, and start adding some carbs back into my diet - so, we’ll see how that goes. I am taking BCAAs and Creatine now. Here is a photo from this morning’s workout.
So yesterday, as I was walking into Tractor Supply, I noticed my shorts were hanging on my hips. Not strapped across my belly, or cinched at the waist, but casually hanging on my hips. They’re shorts I’ve had for at least ten years and they typically fit at the waist. Not sure how much weight I’ve lost, but my clothes are literally hanging on me. It’s kinda nice.
After I hit my Weight Watchers goal of 200 pounds, back in June, I set it to 193, to make the loss an even fifty pounds. Last weigh-in was at 193.3, so I’m hoping I’ll hit my new goal when I weigh in again next Friday.
I ran my first race in about two years this weekend; a 6K that I completed in 35:35, which put me second in my age group (the “thinks he’s still 30” to “Better warm up the defibrillator” class). That’s the first time I’ve ever finished among the winners in any race I’ve run. Very, very stoked.
I’ve been on vacation for the past week and a half, which has been mixed. On the one hand, my eating has been less rigid. Most days I don’t do IF, although I’m not necessarily eating worse food than usual. On the other hand, I am getting out to run most days, so that’s a positive.
It’s also been hard for me to be away from my scale. I’m used to checking on my weight most days, so it feels hard to be without that. But this is supposed to be a way of life rather than A Diet, and life contains vacations, so here we are.
I’ll still be glad to get back to basics when I return on Saturday.
I’ve just finishing yet another cycle of my very low calorie diet. I am so ready for food again, you know you’ve been dieting too long when green beans sound like a treat. In good news, I’m down to a reasonable weight and am about 29% fat.
I know I haven’t posted very often, but I come back and read this thread when I’m feeling discouraged. It’s been super helpful. Thanks!
I’m at the point where people are finally noticing/complimenting me on weight loss. I’m still hoping to drop another 7-10 lbs, but it feels good. I’ve been running a fair amount, but need to step up the lifting. That matters more than the number on the scale, although numbers are useful data.
