Compressing The Shocks - Weight Loss

[WonderMonkey 715]

In an effort to clean up my nutrition, which is most of my issue in being overweight, I'm trying to be more conscious of the calories I'm ingesting.  This means the different alcohols, soda/pop/etc and all that.  I don't drink soda slash pop much, except for when I go the hunting cabin.  I used to drink Mt. Dew a bunch but eliminated it and now it's a "treat".  On the way to the hunt lease I stop by a certain store to get a cold Mt. Dew and the first drink is glorious!  I drink about half on the way and then when it's time to come home I drink the other half.  That singular Mt. Dew isn't a big deal, but if I'm going to clean up, I start there.  I'm also a social drinker.  I normally don't have any beer throughout the week, but then if a social event comes up, I have several.  When I go camping I carry some in, also, but I may just change the amount I backpack in instead of eliminating it.  I don't drink coffee, etc.  Usually just water, so in reality I don't have a bunch to clean up with it, but there is room.

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

yeah, i can half way relate to that, my gf step father hated all farmers, why, i have no idea, never asked him, told him one day, to stay clear of me or else, but she told me, time, and time again, he was putting pressure on her to get shud of me... i think he had some kind fixation on her, i did feel sorry for her, because he was a money person (mechanical engineer) and not a good one, she showed me some of of his inventions ... one was a push lawn mower mounted on rails to chop the tops of float bed tobacco slips, which ended being a complete failure, anyways she told me he told her he wouldnt remember her in his will, and no more money, if she kept seeing me, i told her if you depend on others for your income, or what they might lieve you at death, then .. you should think real hard, on whats expected / and your morals .... and what you see in yourself, so i kinda drove that last nail in, but what got me was the life that had no say what so ever... from my understanding ... years later, she turned to drinking (yes plus) and the other, and went down hill from that point, and he died a few years back completely broke, i know people speek of carma... maybe this is one example ? 

 

i sure hate that happened to your best friend, i spent alot time drinking, and finally chose not to any long, at least not like i had been, a few years back i stopped completely ... have no plans of going back. one thing i have learned over the years... you can always spot someone whos had a drink, or ? by just what they say and type, plus the temperament, i always think why cloud ones thinking up, but some can handle it, while others can't, i reckon the key is moderation. 

[jeepwm69 7,600]

19 hours ago, WonderMonkey said:

In an effort to clean up my nutrition, which is most of my issue in being overweight, I'm trying to be more conscious of the calories I'm ingesting.  This means the different alcohols, soda/pop/etc and all that.  I don't drink soda slash pop much, except for when I go the hunting cabin.  I used to drink Mt. Dew a bunch but eliminated it and now it's a "treat".  On the way to the hunt lease I stop by a certain store to get a cold Mt. Dew and the first drink is glorious!  I drink about half on the way and then when it's time to come home I drink the other half.  That singular Mt. Dew isn't a big deal, but if I'm going to clean up, I start there.  I'm also a social drinker.  I normally don't have any beer throughout the week, but then if a social event comes up, I have several.  When I go camping I carry some in, also, but I may just change the amount I backpack in instead of eliminating it.  I don't drink coffee, etc.  Usually just water, so in reality I don't have a bunch to clean up with it, but there is room.

 

 

I more or less stopped drinking Cokes (in the South, all soft drinks are "Cokes") probably 15 years ago.  I will occasionally have one, but we're talking 1-2/year.

 

I do drink just about every day, but it's usually two beers, or one 50/50 scotch and water on ice, so I don't drink like I used to.

 

The hard thing is eating healthy.  It's so cheap and easy to eat good tasting, but ultimately garbage, food.  Eating healthy is a PITA and it's EXPENSIVE. 

 

But it's better than heard disease, or diabetes, so it's gotta be done.

[jeepwm69 7,600]

18 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

i sure hate that happened to your best friend, i spent alot time drinking, and finally chose not to any long, at least not like i had been, a few years back i stopped completely ... have no plans of going back. one thing i have learned over the years... you can always spot someone whos had a drink, or ? by just what they say and type, plus the temperament, i always think why cloud ones thinking up, but some can handle it, while others can't, i reckon the key is moderation. 

 

Big difference in drinking to have fun, or even drinking when depressed, than drinking to die.  He was drinking to die.  Would drink warm vodka straight out of the bottle at 10AM. 

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

oh man... i was there ... PGA ... on the weekend just to be numb  ... no telling how many years i took off my life... but those days are long gone! now just boring old decaf ... and cigs ... those idiots, are no skin off my nose, what ever gets her, IMO she deserves... cause that was murder. 

[WonderMonkey 715]

Today was day 2 out of 2 that I've been helping a friend be active in the gym.  He's also working on his nutrition, which is a must.  He is very bad out of shape and hasn't been very physical since playing sports in Jr. High.

 

He did hardest thing, though, he reached out for help and walked through the door of the gym to meet me at 6:30 am.  I told him we would partner up, and I'd be accountable to him and he would be accountable to me for our meetup time and effort while at the gym.  At this gym, if you choose to participate, there are classes to attend.  People of various abilities are in there but he's too embarrassed to attend.  He's heard me say that people are very welcoming and helpful, but it's personally embarrassing so that doesn't matter.  We will work together until his self-confidence is a bit higher and then we shall see.

 

I laid out three types of days for him.  First is lower body, second is upper body, and third is where we move in some activity.  For both the lower and upper body, I have two of each of those designed so he doesn't get board and he's exposed to a variety of exercises.  It's important that he learns to be self-sufficient.  On Monday, which is lower body, we started out very easy, with basic movements and light weights.  You could see he is fighting wanting to quit, but he knows he wants to do this.  On Tuesday (today), it was upper body, which is usually easier to mentally handle for people, so he was just fine.

 

Right now for each day (Lower, Upper) I have four exercises to do.  In time, we will add exercises but for now he just needs to get his body used to doing the activities, learn the movements, and create the habit of being in there.  Even the exercises we ARE doing is reduced in the number or sets, but we will get there.

 

Also, we are making sure we doing a very good warmup, which is difficult for him in itself.  He's showing up, though just twice, so I'm willing to commit to him as much as he commits myself.

 

I enjoy helping people, so this is rewarding.  He wants to be around for his grandkids, and if that's what it takes for him to do this, I'm good with it.

[jeepwm69 7,600]

So....what kind of stuff are you starting him on?

 

I've never had much of a desire to "beefcake!" so I stick mostly to cardio, but I know I need to do weights too, and probably should start stretching some now that I'm getting older.  I've always just hopped in there and gotten after it.

[WonderMonkey 715]

As I try to do better myself with nutrition, I have to give extra thought to my camping outing this weekend.  Myself, a friend, and my ATV are being dropped off on a gravel road near a large national forest and getting picked up again a few days later.  This is kindof like a backpacking trip except we can take a bit more stuff if we choose to.  During backpacking trips I either take some dehydrated meals or something ready-made that I have to add water to.  Sometimes, we take in more perishable food if we will be eating it soon.  Since we have the atv I can take a small cooler and take more perishable food.  The problem with normal backpacking food is that it isn't really good for you.  It gives you carbs and calories, which is necessary for the harder trips, but still, not the best.

 

So, I have to give thought to how I'm going to handle this.

[WonderMonkey 715]

18 minutes ago, jeepwm69 said:

So....what kind of stuff are you starting him on?

 

I've never had much of a desire to "beefcake!" so I stick mostly to cardio, but I know I need to do weights too, and probably should start stretching some now that I'm getting older.  I've always just hopped in there and gotten after it.

 

I don't think there is any danger to him being a beefcake, nor do I think most people have that issue.  I think you can build a bit of muscle with the intention of aging gracefully and being able to get up off the floor when you need to.  If you design a program with that in mind, I don't think you have to be overly muscular.

 

But .... there are some things I feel are important.  Picking things up and putting them back down again help strengthen many things in the body.  A traditional squat or deadlift isn't for most people.  They either have misconceptions about it, are intimidated by it, or feel it's for meatheads.  I get that.  So ....

 

So I have him build his first lower body workout around the trap bar.  It has handles that are higher so you don't have to reach down as far, it's more centered in your body so you aren't squatting nor deadlifting, you are a doing a combination.  It replicates what most people will be doing in their life.  And most importantly, there is less potential for injury.  And almost more important, it's less intimidating and people will actually do it.  Regardless of how great something is, if you won't do it, then it's useless.

 

For my friend, I have the weights (10 lb bumpers, which means full sized) on a platform so he doesn't have to reach down as far.  As he gains back some mobility, I'll lower that until we find out what's right for him.

 

 

Next we do a sled push.  Next is a backward sled pull, where we have a waist harness and you walk backward.  Lastly, we do a farmer's walk.  Take the trap bar, load it up with the proper weight, and walk a distance and come back.

 

The farmer's walk is tremendous.  And if all he really did is the trap bar work, and farmer's walk, that would be great as a starting point.

 

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by WonderMonkey

[WonderMonkey 715]

For the upper body we again do four exercises.  A flat dumbell press supersetted with a high pull down, then an include dumbell press supersetted with a seated row.

 

Now anybody would point out what we AREN'T doing, and yes, they would be right.  I'm getting this guy used to being there, some basic movements, and getting him in and out so he doesn't feel like he has to spend all day there.

[LedFTed 1,127]

16 hours ago, jeepwm69 said:

 

 

I more or less stopped drinking Cokes (in the South, all soft drinks are "Cokes") probably 15 years ago.  I will occasionally have one, but we're talking 1-2/year.

 

I do drink just about every day, but it's usually two beers, or one 50/50 scotch and water on ice, so I don't drink like I used to.

 

The hard thing is eating healthy.  It's so cheap and easy to eat good tasting, but ultimately garbage, food.  Eating healthy is a PITA and it's EXPENSIVE. 

 

But it's better than heard disease, or diabetes, so it's gotta be done.

Mt. Dew, Big Red. lots of sugar in those cokes. little kids bouncing of the walls after drinking them. i cant drink one anymore out of the bottle, or a can. i mixed in ice in the glass, then started to add water before i poured the POP. still got my poison, rootbeer, Mr. Pibbs., Dr. Peeper. i cant finish off a 12 pack, of cans, for a while. last fall i got 2 12s of canada dry, 1 12 of orange crush, 1 12 of sun drop. sun drop is like mt. dew, cept more lemony.  well; i got to make a run to the store soon. orange crush last the longest. least 6 or 7 or those left.

i dont know about building muscle up. bulk.. i'd heard it was every other day. everyday was supposed to trim ya down.

my calves are bout 14 or 15 inches. when i was doing just squats, 250 a day, they were 11.5 on the left 12.5 on the right. guess i'm right bodied. i quit riding, the calves got bigger. not fatter, just bigger.

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by LedFTed
spelling

[WonderMonkey 715]

Today was a Noon fitness boxing workout.  Not a real boxing workout, though you can work on your skills and up your conditioning.  I like to do the classes on occasion, especially if I'm feeling lethargic as you can feed off the energy of others in the class, and you in turn can give them some.  During the day they have a half hour class for those that want to come in, get in some fitness, then get back to work.  I got there a bit early and went through my shadowboxing routine, and other things, as a warmup, then enjoyed the class.

[jeepwm69 7,600]

On 2/2/2021 at 4:15 PM, WonderMonkey said:

 

I don't think there is any danger to him being a beefcake, nor do I think most people have that issue.  I think you can build a bit of muscle with the intention of aging gracefully and being able to get up off the floor when you need to.  If you design a program with that in mind, I don't think you have to be overly muscular.

 

But .... there are some things I feel are important.  Picking things up and putting them back down again help strengthen many things in the body.  A traditional squat or deadlift isn't for most people.  They either have misconceptions about it, are intimidated by it, or feel it's for meatheads.  I get that.  So ....

 

So I have him build his first lower body workout around the trap bar.  It has handles that are higher so you don't have to reach down as far, it's more centered in your body so you aren't squatting nor deadlifting, you are a doing a combination.  It replicates what most people will be doing in their life.  And most importantly, there is less potential for injury.  And almost more important, it's less intimidating and people will actually do it.  Regardless of how great something is, if you won't do it, then it's useless.

 

For my friend, I have the weights (10 lb bumpers, which means full sized) on a platform so he doesn't have to reach down as far.  As he gains back some mobility, I'll lower that until we find out what's right for him.

 

 

Next we do a sled push.  Next is a backward sled pull, where we have a waist harness and you walk backward.  Lastly, we do a farmer's walk.  Take the trap bar, load it up with the proper weight, and walk a distance and come back.

 

The farmer's walk is tremendous.  And if all he really did is the trap bar work, and farmer's walk, that would be great as a starting point.

 

 

 

This is the kind of thing that I need to be doing.  I threw my back out trying to scooch a full 5 gal gas can up into my truck.  I've always though old men were wussies when they cried about their backs hurting, till I did it!

 

Now if I'm in wood splitting mode, or even working on Hondas, I tend to pick up heavy stuff and walk with it (from splitting spot to wood pile, or carrying an engine from the frame to my workbench), but I haven't been doing either of those lately, so I need to be keeping it up in the gym, so when I do need to do those things again in the spring, I don't hurt myself.

 

Since the wife quit smoking we don't sit out around the fire pit much anymore, and I probably have 3-4 cords of split oak in the wood pile now, so haven't been splitting much wood in the last couple of years.

[WonderMonkey 715]

21 minutes ago, jeepwm69 said:

 

This is the kind of thing that I need to be doing.  I threw my back out trying to scooch a full 5 gal gas can up into my truck.  I've always though old men were wussies when they cried about their backs hurting, till I did it!

 

Now if I'm in wood splitting mode, or even working on Hondas, I tend to pick up heavy stuff and walk with it (from splitting spot to wood pile, or carrying an engine from the frame to my workbench), but I haven't been doing either of those lately, so I need to be keeping it up in the gym, so when I do need to do those things again in the spring, I don't hurt myself.

 

Since the wife quit smoking we don't sit out around the fire pit much anymore, and I probably have 3-4 cords of split oak in the wood pile now, so haven't been splitting much wood in the last couple of years.

 

Exactly.  Just because you are doing physical work doesn't mean your body is setup to do that safely.  If you see a well-designed weight training program as therapy, or setting your body up for success, then that's a good way to view it.  We as humans have lots of imbalances, wonky knees that should be stabilized, etc.  It's hard to focus on those things while you are actually processing wood or carrying an engine.  Most people just deal with the pain and consider it a fact of life, which leads to more and more pain as we age.

 

I personally want to be able to get down on the floor and play with my grandkids, when they arrive.  I also want to continue to do outdoors activities and I can't do that if I'm so heavy I grind my knees and hips to dust, or my body needs fixed too much.

[WonderMonkey 715]

I may film my simple workout and share it.  I film it sometimes just to watch myself and check my form, then delete the video.  If you want to see what's done, I'll post it.

[LedFTed 1,127]

you put much stock in interval training? i kinda like it myself. i guess to me, as running it was run till ya near cant, then walk, to ya can run again. the intervals of walking, disappear as time goes on..

[WonderMonkey 715]

8 hours ago, LedFTed said:

you put much stock in interval training? i kinda like it myself. i guess to me, as running it was run till ya near cant, then walk, to ya can run again. the intervals of walking, disappear as time goes on..

 

I think the science agrees that it's superior to much longer steady-state.  And of course like you mention it's relative in that you can do walk/run until you can do run/sprint.  I don't pound the pavement but I do this on my bike and it's great.  It's the difference in doing "cardio" and doing "conditioning".

[WonderMonkey 715]

Down to 269 lbs as of this morning.  Started at a high of 293 lbs.  I hope to keep up a steady effort and continue to lose unwanted body fat, and maintain or build muscle.

[jeepwm69 7,600]

I've managed to tweak my ankle.  Interestingly enough it only hurts if I step on it wrong.  It gives me zero problems otherwise.  I still managed 2.5 miles on Sunday on the elliptical. 

 

Yesterday I had to go to the city for a checkup and to get the wife a car load of wine, so no workout, unless you count me moving stuff around in the shop last night.

 

Will plan on sticking with 2.5 miles a day this week, and hopefully moving up to 3 a day next week.

[WonderMonkey 715]

6 minutes ago, jeepwm69 said:

I've managed to tweak my ankle.  Interestingly enough it only hurts if I step on it wrong.  It gives me zero problems otherwise.  I still managed 2.5 miles on Sunday on the elliptical. 

 

Yesterday I had to go to the city for a checkup and to get the wife a car load of wine, so no workout, unless you count me moving stuff around in the shop last night.

 

Will plan on sticking with 2.5 miles a day this week, and hopefully moving up to 3 a day next week.

 

I first read "tweak" as "broken", somehow.  Let's count a load of wine and moving stuff around as a workout, because it could have been.

 

How do you occupy yourself on the elliptical?  Read, listen, or watch?

[jeepwm69 7,600]

25 minutes ago, WonderMonkey said:

 

I first read "tweak" as "broken", somehow.  Let's count a load of wine and moving stuff around as a workout, because it could have been.

 

How do you occupy yourself on the elliptical?  Read, listen, or watch?

 

Usually have earbuds in.  There's a TV on the wall too, but I'm pretty good with just zoning out and thinking about stuff like "if it has fuel, and has spark, why won't it start?"

[WonderMonkey 715]

2 hours ago, jeepwm69 said:

 

Usually have earbuds in.  There's a TV on the wall too, but I'm pretty good with just zoning out and thinking about stuff like "if it has fuel, and has spark, why won't it start?"

 

HA!  Yes.  For my bike trainer I need massive distraction.  I subscribe to a virtual riding world, have an audio book going, circus clowns, etc.

[_Wilson_™ 6,563]

2 hours ago, jeepwm69 said:

 

Usually have earbuds in.  There's a TV on the wall too, but I'm pretty good with just zoning out and thinking about stuff like "if it has fuel, and has spark, why won't it start?"

 

spoken like a true mechanic, lol! you never can get too far away till it pulls you back in. 

[WonderMonkey 715]

Today was a tough day.  Only two exercises.  The first was a three set warmup then a 5x5 trap bar squat.  After that I did trap bar farmer's walk for distance.  It took me 10 drops to finish the distance.  Metallica got me through.

Edited February 11, 2021 by WonderMonkey

[WonderMonkey 715]

I made a video of today's lower body workout, normally done on a Monday.  I had to redo it because the music playing in the background caused it to get flagged for copyright violation.  When the new, SILENT one gets done rendering, I'll upload it and share.  The purpose of the video is to show an older person (I'm almost 53, yeah I know it's not the oldest here on the site) that they can get active and start to reverse old age.  We can all age, buy why not do it well?  Bone density and muscle mass are important to aging gracefully, and we all want to be able to get off the floor as needed, and ON THE FLOOR, when grandkids come to visit.

 

So, stay tuned.