Great Lakes Fitness Center

[Mama_Wags]

I need to get my butt back in gear big time. Been slack'n the last 3-4 weeks now. Eating junk from time to time. Not working out and not getting enough sleep. And I blame it all on Wags and Shimko. They force me to play xbox live at all hours of the night. And do some subliminal msg to me in my sleep and tell me to eat fast food and pizza.

And here I was thinking you were the bad influence on Tony...maybe we'll just blame Shimko!

I'm with Brooke too...I tend to do great during the week as I'm stuck to my habits - low point breakfast every morning, my Smart Ones for lunch and then a pretty healthy dinner. It's when we get lazy on the weekends and neither of us feel like cooking that my bad habits kick in. Sure, I could order a tossed salad with vinegar and oil and have a super low point dinner but that pizza just sounds so much better . I need to get back on track and refocus! I'm hoping that the nicer weather will inspire me to work out more as I can go on a bike ride with the kids or a walk in the evening. The poor wii active has gotten a bit dusty lately.

[Wags]

I need to get my butt back in gear big time. Been slack'n the last 3-4 weeks now. Eating junk from time to time. Not working out and not getting enough sleep. And I blame it all on Wags and Shimko. They force me to play xbox live at all hours of the night. And do some subliminal msg to me in my sleep and tell me to eat fast food and pizza.

I do believe its YOU who texts Shimko and I to play so shush your mouth on that one sir.. lol

[Freak Nasty Fester]

03/09/2010 292.8
03/18/2010 282.6 -10.2 lbs.

[Cujo]

Anyone have the P90X program I can borrow. I need to lose 5% body fat like, fast, to get into the National Guard :<

[Crimson]

P90X isn't a magic bullet, though. While its exercises are tough, the meal plans do require sticking to, and that's what does the most over the entire 90 day period.

What's your definition of "fast?" Maybe there are other things we can suggest to help you out.

[Cujo]

I already cut out the most sodium and all junk food. I drink tons of water and eat small throughout the day, I just need a routine. I was shooting for losing about 8 pounds in 2-3 weeks, but for me its more about the inches to pass "tape" for the National Guard. Particularly in the hip/thigh area.

[Crimson]

8 lbs. in 2-3 weeks will be very difficult, but not impossible. The basic tenet is more calories expended than consumed. It doesn't matter whether it's sodium or junk. If one eats more than what one burns, weight loss is just not going to happen.

Track what you eat daily. You need to know what you're eating and how much of it. Weigh out everything on a food scale to get as accurate a measurement as possible. Web sites like Calorie-Count and MyFitnessPal can help.

Next, exercise. With such limited time, aerobic exercise is likely going to be your best bet. High intensity interval training (HIIT) tends to be most effective, but that needs to be ramped up slowly. If you're not already on a regular exercise regimen, don't just jump right into something intense right away or your body will rebel.

HIIT alternates between high-intensity bursts of activity with slightly lower intensity periods. As your body adjusts to the activity, you add more to the routine. This can be anything from running, elliptical, biking, etc. Anything aerobic that can be altered. A good table is here:

http://musclemedia.com/training/hiit_table.asp

This shows three days a week, as you need the rest day between to allow your body to recover. Not allowing rest is counterproductive and your body will know it.

Going back to diet for a minute, eating the right things and enough of it is crucial. Starving yourself doesn't work -- the body knows what's up. Aim for a calorie deficit of about 300-500 calories per day. If you're expending 2,000 calories, consume 1,500 - 1,700. Don't drop any less than 1,200 calories taken in -- adult women generally need 1,200 just for base body functions to work (breathing, pulse, brain activity, etc.).

If you expend more through exercise, you'll need to eat more to compensate.

Finally, the biggest myth about fat loss. There's no such thing as "spot reduction." You can't choose to lose fat in certain spots. The body burns fat all over at the same time, although it doesn't collect it all over at the same time. It's like the big snow drifts. Even though they accumulate unevenly, snow mounds melt at the same time all over. The last ones to go will be the biggest mounds.

For men, that tends to be around the gut. For women, that's hips and thighs. It's just how we're wired.

[Thumper]

Forgot to post yesterday.

1/4: 190/190/160
1/11: 190/185/160 (-5)
1/19: 190/183/160 (-2)
1/26: 190/182/160 (-1)
2/1: 190/180.5/160 (-1.5)
2/8: 190/180/160 (-.5)
2/15: 190/177.5/160 (-2.5)
2/22: 190/176/160 (-1.5)
3/1: 190/175/160 (-1)
3/8: 190/174.5/160 (-.5)
3/15: 190/174/160 (-.5)
3/22: 190/173/160 (-1)

Total loss: (-17)

I miss the early weeks of loosing 2lbs a week, but hey at least the weight is still coming off!

[Gator Fett]

I've been meaning to post in this thread for a while now, but I kept on getting side tracked with other topics. Between turning 40 later this year and all the fantastic progress you all have been making in getting fit, I decided to get off my but and get in shape.

It has been years since I did any regular exercise, so after the holidays I decided to start out slow by changing my eating habits and getting daily exercise. From past experience if I jumped right into it, I knew I would start out strong then peter off after a week or so when "something" would come up. I wouldn't intend for it to happen, but I knew that there would be a day when I would be too busy or have other plans and I would put off the workout to the next day. Then the next day there would be something else, so I would tell myself to hit it harder the next day. So on and so on .... until I was not working out at all.

I figured by starting small I could change my habits slowly, thus making them really stick. I started by eating breakfast, packing my lunch and taking light snacks (carrot sticks, yogurt, fruit, etc.) to work for the day. Then cut my portions down a little at a time at dinner. I also started waking every day at work. I'm lucky that my building is HUGE and I can get in just under a 2 mile loop, buy walking once around the + shape of the halls at the Chrysler Tech Center. After a few weeks of walking at work I also added walking on the Treadmill at home on the weekends or when I was too busy at work to get in my walk.

After about a month of walking and eating right, new good habits were replacing old bad ones. After 2 months the walking was getting easier and I felt I needed a tougher workout. I knew I needed something structured. A workout that was already planned and laid out for me to get the best bang for my buck if you will. I decided the best way for that to happen was to "Bring It". I'd seen Romes results. I knew my brother-in-law was in the middle of it. A buddy at work got back into his college football days shape. So I decided P90X here I come. I stared this past Monday and just completed Yoga X tonight. And I thought Plyometrics was hard.

Here are my stats from the beginning of the year.

Goal: 200 Lbs
01/04/10 : 236.0 lbs
01/11/10 : 235.2 lbs (-0.8)
01/18/10 : 233.2 lbs (-2.0)
01/25/10 : 231.0 lbs (-2.2)
02/01/10 : 230.2 lbs (-0.8)
02/08/10 : 226.6 lbs (-3.6)
02/15/10 : 226.0 lbs (-0.6)
02/22/10 : 225.0 lbs (-1.0)
03/01/10 : 223.0 lbs (-2.0)
03/08/10 : 221.4 lbs (-1.6)
03/15/10 : 224.6 lbs (+3.2) Party weekend
03/22/10 : 220.6 lbs (-4.0) Started P90X

Any tips for me Rome or Rob?

[Freak Nasty Fester]

Initial weight: 03/09/2010 292.8
03/18/2010 282.6 -10.2 lbs.
03/25/2010 280.2 -2.4 lbs.

Total loss: 12.6 lbs

[Thumper]

Congrats Robert and Gator. You guys are doing great!

[Kal]

Best tip for ya Gator. STICK WITH IT! I have now slacked off for about a month. I did the first 90 days and then ran into some problem and poo'd my way through the next 30 (only did 4 of the 7 day work outs). And for a month now I have not ran or done p90x. I feel like bantha poodoo. This week I have got my diet back under control. Next week I plan to hit the tred mill and come April, back at P90x.

[Freak Nasty Fester]

Congrats Robert and Gator. You guys are doing great!

Thank you for the support. It means a lot!

[Crimson]

Excellent work, ladies & gentlemen!

Brooke, it will slow down so one way to get past that plateau is to boost intensity of the workout. Also remember to get your rest days in. Sometimes, the body needs a total recovery day where it does nothing strenuous in order to concentrate on repair.

Robert, don't get discouraged when the rate seems to get smaller as you progress. That initial 10 lbs. seems like fluid loss, which is pretty common when starting up any new diet/exercise regimen (the body's equivalent of a " WTF was THAT?!!"). Just stick with your program and you'll do just fine.

Gator, the hardest part of every day will be just starting (oh, and Ab Ripper X, too ). I always tell myself "just give it 10 minutes." Usually, I'm pumped up after warm-ups and the first few exercises to just keep going. There have been days where I just wasn't in it, so rather than proceed with bad form and no concentration, I just stopped, called it my "rest day" and readjusted my schedule by one. The next week, I was back on track again.

[Thumper]

1/4: 190/190/160
1/11: 190/185/160 (-5)
1/19: 190/183/160 (-2)
1/26: 190/182/160 (-1)
2/1: 190/180.5/160 (-1.5)
2/8: 190/180/160 (-.5)
2/15: 190/177.5/160 (-2.5)
2/22: 190/176/160 (-1.5)
3/1: 190/175/160 (-1)
3/8: 190/174.5/160 (-.5)
3/15: 190/174/160 (-.5)
3/22: 190/173/160 (-1)
3/29: 190/170/160 (-3)

Total loss: (-20)

OMG! I thought maybe two pounds this week. I pushed my workouts a bit harder and took Rome's advice on taking some rest days. I am offical 2/3 to my first weight goal!!!!

[Crimson]

Good job, Brooke!

As for me, I'm in Week 2 of my Round 3 restart. I've decided that for the pull-ups, I'm going to just do as many as I can without any assistance whatsoever. Previously, I'd try to crank out unassisted pull-ups, then fill in with chair-assist. Then for the 2nd set, I'd do a set with my resistance bands. Now I'm just going to go without.

[Freak Nasty Fester]

AWESOME JOB BROOKE!!!!!!!!

[Gator Fett]

Great job Brooke.

Goal: 200 Lbs
01/04/10 : 236.0 lbs
01/11/10 : 235.2 lbs (-0.8)
01/18/10 : 233.2 lbs (-2.0)
01/25/10 : 231.0 lbs (-2.2)
02/01/10 : 230.2 lbs (-0.8)
02/08/10 : 226.6 lbs (-3.6)
02/15/10 : 226.0 lbs (-0.6)
02/22/10 : 225.0 lbs (-1.0)
03/01/10 : 223.0 lbs (-2.0)
03/08/10 : 221.4 lbs (-1.6)
03/15/10 : 224.6 lbs (+3.2) Party weekend
03/22/10 : 220.6 lbs (-4.0) Started P90X
03/29/10 : 220.0 lbs (-0.6)

Total Loss : (-16.0)

I think I understand why I only lost 0.6 when last week was the hardest I have worked out in years. I bet I didn't eat enough. Right Rome? According to the P90X tracking sheet I have been using, I was averaging about 1800 cal/day where it said I should be eating 3000. Don't really get the sience behind it, but I added a protein bar and shake to my diet this week. Hopefully that will help.

[Crimson]

Sounds about right. The nutrition guide is assuming maintenance levels, so for weight loss in conjunction with the X, drop to about 300-500 less than what it suggests. Chances are that you'd be fine around 2200 - 2500.

The rationale is because the body thinks that it's not going to get any more food, so it conserves what it has in preparation. By providing a constant stream of nutrients, the body doesn't have to store it as much.

[Gator Fett]

Goal: 200 Lbs
01/04/10 : 236.0 lbs
01/11/10 : 235.2 lbs (-0.8)
01/18/10 : 233.2 lbs (-2.0)
01/25/10 : 231.0 lbs (-2.2)
02/01/10 : 230.2 lbs (-0.8)
02/08/10 : 226.6 lbs (-3.6)
02/15/10 : 226.0 lbs (-0.6)
02/22/10 : 225.0 lbs (-1.0)
03/01/10 : 223.0 lbs (-2.0)
03/08/10 : 221.4 lbs (-1.6)
03/15/10 : 224.6 lbs (+3.2) Party weekend
03/22/10 : 220.6 lbs (-4.0) Started P90X
03/29/10 : 220.0 lbs (-0.6)
04/05/10 : 218.6 lbs (-1.4)

Total Loss : (-17.4)

I guess increasing my calories helped. Even with Easter and my daughters 8th birthday party, I was able to take off some weight. Boy was it hard only taking one small piece of Dairy Queen ice cream cake. The kids had bigger pieces than I did.