Health and Fitness

[Tbone]

Yeah, got back up to 180 or so. I can gain weight impressively quickly :/

Back to shredding again, though with Thanksgiving and the holidays, it'll probably be slow going. I did buy a new set of dumbbells that has adjustable weight (105 lbs total, so 52.5 for each). I'm hoping to steadily increase the weight so I can actually build some decent mass. I was using 20 lbs before. I've since added to 32.5 lbs and am doing 3 sets of 8 reps of each exercise.

I've also expanding my supplements a bit. Just bought some probiotics - going to take that in the morning. Vitamin D and fish oil with lunch, Zinc between lunch and dinner, Magnesium about an hour or so before bed, and then Psyillium Husk pills before bed. Also taking whey protein after workout and as a snack around the same time I take the Magnesium.

The supplements can be a little tricky since the suggested use of them are different and some can get in the way of absorbing others. Probiotic and psyllium is because my digestive system could use the help. The rest support muscle building and general health.

I'm also still making batches of meat slop!

[Tbone]

I was curious about how much I'm spending on supplements. After totaling it up, the price is definitely worth it for the benefits I'm getting. I just ordered L-Citrulline and Creatine, so we'll see if they make the cut. I'm probably going to make this into a larger post about everything you need to workout from home and what it would cost you to get started and maintain.

EXERCISE

*Whey Protein - $21/mo
L-Citrulline Malate - $10/mo
Creatine - $3/mo
Casein Protein - $28/mo

TOTAL: $34-55/mo

NUTRITION

*Fish oil - $10/mo
*Vitamin D - $1.25/mo
Zinc - $2/mo
Magnesium - $4/mo

TOTAL: $17.25/mo

DIGESTION

Probiotic - $10/mo
Psyllium Husk - $3/mo

TOTAL: $13/mo

GRAND TOTAL: $92/mo

EQUIPMENT

Upright Bike - $130
100 lb Dumbbells - $100


SCHEDULE

Waking Up/Hour Before Workout: Protiotic, L-Citrulline Malate (6g)
Pre-Workout: (1/2) Whey and Creatine
Workout
Post-Workout: (1/2) Whey and Creatine
Lunch: Fish Oil, Vitamin D
2 Hours After Meal: Zinc
1 Hour Before Sleep: Magnesium, Casein
Before Bed: Psyllium Husk (1.5-3g)

[Tbone]

Mixing it up a bit and trying this workout. It's full body, three times a week. Ideally I'll burn more calories and give my muscles a bit more time to rest. On off days I'll still do my HIIT on the bike as well as Ab Ripper. Dumbbells are up to 37.5 now. I think I can add more weight to it for most exercises, but the curls are the real test. I may up the weight but then go lighter for the isolation exercises like curls. It's just kind of a hassle to be adding and removing weight each time.

This comes after doing research on full body versus split workouts. I've now survived the holidays and am at 177.8 lbs. Not bad considering the Thanksgiving and Christmas break and that I've been focusing more on muscle building.

[Giroux]

Did you look into compound movements, Tbone? Namely, deadlifts and squats. They fit in so nicely with a 3-day workout plan and burn more calories than anything else in the gym, plus build muscle strength.

[Tbone]

Did you look into compound movements, Tbone? Namely, deadlifts and squats. They fit in so nicely with a 3-day workout plan and burn more calories than anything else in the gym, plus build muscle strength.

I did find a few that involved dumbbells. My biggest problem is that I have a bad lower back that can easily get agitated, so any compound movements involving the lower back I try to stay away from (which is a lot of them). As a result it's just easier to do more isolated exercises, though my current routine does incorporate squats, stair steps, and side bends.

I might try and mix it up again. I just moved into a new place so now would be a good time to switch up my routine if I wanted. The move actually agitated my lower back, so I'm spending this week recovering. I've kind of hit a wall with my current routine. I'm lifting 50 lb dumbbells now. For most exercises this is a good weight, but it's a little too much for standing curl and dumbbell press. I hate taking weight off and on again mid-workout, but I probably need to either do that, go down in weight a bit to maintain good form, or switch up the exercises.

Also, welcome Giroux!

[Tbone]

It's been a long time since I've updated (about four years!). It feels like a lot has happened since then! I've been living with my girlfriend for several years now, so the days of just fixing a meal for myself to last all week is all but over. We also moved into a smaller apartment, so I had to get rid of my stationary bike that I had at home. Still, I've tried to keep and adapt my routine and continue keeping my weight down. My body really wants to live around 185-190, so anything higher that that usually is a sign that I need to slim back down.

Since I got rid of the stationary bike, I would go to the gym in our apartment complex and use the elliptical. This was fine until COVID hit and we didn't leave the apartment. I tried to supplement my exercise with VR - specifically Beat Saber - which was better than nothing. Still, I was having some health issues (turns out I have ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune disorder) and general mental issues from the stress of COVID times and gave up exercising for a while. When I finally got vaccinated and started working again last year, I noticed I didn't fit into any of my dress pants. Got the batteries replaced in the scale and realized I was back to 201 lbs! Yikes! So I started shredding again.

Currently I'm doing HIIT on the elliptical every other day at the gym. I think I'm on 30/60 but will be ramping up the difficulty soon. On off days I'm doing 30 minutes of Beat Saber at home (a specific playlist at 120% speed that is designed for exercise) and doing stretches. Right now I have less of an emphasis on muscle building and more on stretches and core building for pain management and strengthening my spine. Last year I was able to get to 190 lbs before I went out of town for a gig. I was able to maintain 190 lbs throughout the end of last year/beginning of this year when once again I avoided the gym due to Omicron. A few weeks ago my girlfriend had a similar "omg" moment of gaining COVID weight, so we've both been trying to shred again. The last month I've gone from 190 to 184 with the hopes of getting to 175 and then going from there!

As for diet, I still don't eat breakfast. Lunch consists of either fish fillets, a chicken patty, or a turkey burger with a 35 calorie tortilla and a half can of peas, corn, or green beans. Somewhat boring, but consistent. We've been doing meal deliveries for dinner since COVID and did Blue Apron for a long time. Now we do EveryPlate. It's pretty convenient since the calories and nutrition are listed for each meal. Each week I just choose the low calorie options (try to stay less than 750 calories). For a midnight snack I'll do greek yogurt mixed with PBFit (70 calorie peanut butter mix) or a small bowl of cereal. Sometimes I'll have a bourbon neat but try to keep it to one unless it's the weekend.

As for supplements, I'm currently doing Vitamin D, Fish Oil, and Turmeric. The turmeric is specific to my inflammation issues. I haven't added protein shakes back in yet, but I may if I start trying to balance weight loss with muscle toning/weight lifting.

Despite always having fluctuations in my weight, I'm pretty proud of the fact that I've kept the lifestyle changes and focus on health for nearly 10 years now. I feel that's the hardest part of diet and exercise - it's easier to do it for a few months for a temporary gain, but the truth is it's something you have to maintain for your whole life. I'm about to turn 38 and it's much more of an uphill battle now then when I was 28, but such is life! I'm glad I've kept this little diary of sorts, as I can go back and look at things I may have forgotten about! I started this as sharing stuff I was learning with others, but it turns out I was also sharing stuff I was learning with my future self!

[Jeyk]

I’m glad to see this come back as a focus for you; keep sharing progress and ideas in this thread!  I myself have been on a journey with weight loss since 2018, where I went from ~340 to 217.  When COVID hit, I went back up to 250, but am back down to 227 with a goal of 205.  I wouldn’t have been able to do it without threads or discussions like this, where I could pull ideas or do analysis of what others have done that I can and implement utilize with regard to my own routine/lifestyle.

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis of ankylosing spondilitis (and struggle with mental issues related to the challenges COVID presented); however, you’ve always been a determined and driven individual, so I’m sure you’ll be on top of your game if you aren’t already. 

I was getting all sentimental yesterday explaining to a friend (who doesn’t game beyond maybe some mobile games with a small group of folks) that I’ve been a part of a gaming community (FA), albeit loosely in the past few years, for over a decade (two, soon!) - and I realized that enough of us are in similar age brackets to where we’ll be experiencing age-related challenges as a cohort, with health, wellness, and self-care creeping more and more to the forefront.  This thread will be a great way to continue promoting some support and motivation.  I certainly wish I started my own obsessions with health and fitness much, much earlier!

If you come across any solid workouts, whether it be strength training, cutting/trimming, HIIT routines, other generally useful resources, share them!  I’ve been following a few channels on YouTube for workout ideas, for demonstrations of proper form and muscle engagement/isolation, and fasting/diet ideas/tips - do you have anything specific that you like to use for research/ideas?  With regard to your diet, do you do any specific macro tracking, or elimination of certain macros (e.g., carbs)?  Have you ever tried intermittent fasting?  Intermittent fasting will net you some great results if done with discipline.

[Jeyk]

Oh, forgot to mention - Beat Saber is awesome as a regular cardio activity.  I have wrist weights, a weighted vest, and ankle weights that I’ll use while playing it.  I turn it on the highest difficulty setting, adjust the options so I can’t fail a song (I don’t care about accuracy, I just want to complete the song while constantly moving), and I exaggerate movements to get the heart rate up and tire myself.  It makes for great sessions post-lifting or for a morning activity, and it’s (for me) rather therapeutic.

[Tbone]

Hey Jeyk! Great to hear from you! I'll answer some of your questions!

-For my exercises, I typically focus on things I can do at home with my own equipment. As a result, this ends up being either dumbbells or a full body circuit workout. I did the circuit workout for a while, but it can be a little rough on my back. For dumbbells I just make sure to hit different muscle groups. As you mention, I try to focus on form and creating muscle engagement over number of reps and try to do a slow count when lifting weights.

-For dieting I focus mostly on calorie count. I also try to get a good amount of protein. When I was going at this hard, I ate "meat slop" (which I've referenced before) that had a good macro balance and tried to reach protein goals while still maintaining my calorie goals. If I get to a point to where I want to bulk up a little and start lifting weights, I'll shift from strictly calorie counting to focusing on protein. I use the app "Lose It!" to track all of this.

-As for intermittent fasting, I sort of do this naturally. I have a sensitive stomach in the morning and so usually don't eat a breakfast. This means I also usually do a fasted workout. I eat a late lunch (usually 3pm). This gives me some calories for a snack at night if needed, but also creates a good chunk of time where I'm fasting. It's not something I consciously try to do, but it happens naturally for me.

-For cardio I do HIIT 3x a week and use an app called "Exercise Timer" to build the intervals. I'm currently on a 30 work / 45 rest cycle. I alternate HIIT with regular cardio using Beat Saber. I use this playlist and usually do 30 minutes with no break with YUR tracking. I do expert/expert+ with no fail and increased speed (worked my way up to that). And yes, it's fun!

-I would advise caution when adding weights while doing Beat Saber. It's easier to have an injury than you may think. When I first started using Beat Saber for working out, I used these custom grips to grip it like an actual saber, but the jerkiness of changing directions quickly caused me to injure my shoulder. The weighted vest and ankle weights are probably fine, but I would be careful if you start ramping up the difficulty and speed of songs while using wrist weights. That seems like it could cause injury to me. I also stretch before and after Beat Saber and treat it like a regular workout.

As an update, I'm down to 178 lbs! I'm working again and have had a very busy month, so progress has slowed a little, but it feels great to not feel "overweight" anymore. I did a shoot this week where I played an Indiana Jones type of character for a commercial, and it always feels good to feel more confident in a role like that than feeling like the "chubby version". My birthday is next week so cake and going out to eat will probably continue to slow down my progress, but there's no hurry!

[Tbone]

Today I tried jogging in place while doing Beat Saber. Nothing too crazy - just keeping my legs moving. I have an anti-fatigue mat that keeps me in place. My average heart rate went up 10 bpm as well as my peak (from BS without jogging), so it seems to be a worthwhile addition as long as you're careful!