Otis
Footballguy
Yup, agreed. It’s been a while, so I’m going to ease back in. As I recall when I picked this up just a little over a year ago, it was a pretty fast ramp up to being able to row long workouts.
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Otis fad diet thread — yoga, fasting, and kevzilla walking on🚶♂️ (12 Viewers)
- Thread starter Otis
- Start date
Otis
Footballguy
Nothing crazy — I did 6k in my first row back in 30 mins; previously I would have done over 6500m in 30 minutes, because I was doing 13k+ in an hour workout. But I am not usually rowing for intensity — I am keeping at MAF heart rates, so for me somewhere in the 135-145bpm range. That seems to be the optimum rate or me to row long distances without getting totally gassed, and maximize fat burning. My 5k times were in the 22 minute range, and my 10k times were in the 46-47 minute range. But again I am just back at it, not sure I’d do those times at the moment, need to work up to it.GoBirds said:
GoBirds
Footballguy
Man if you can hit a rowing machine for an hour straight that’s impressive endurance. After 5 minutes I need a break.
Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
Back at it officially today.
Have had so much booze and junk in the last month that I am up 10lb from my lowest weight, but I am 27 down from where I started last year.
Already have 10k steps today and on track for staying under my calories. I really want a drink right now. I have had way way way too much booze in the last month plus.
Let's get it!
Have had so much booze and junk in the last month that I am up 10lb from my lowest weight, but I am 27 down from where I started last year.
Already have 10k steps today and on track for staying under my calories. I really want a drink right now. I have had way way way too much booze in the last month plus.
Let's get it!
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Alright, alright, alright.
Three days sans beer, and I made it past three of my biggest triggers - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The diet has been a mixed bag, which includes the aforementioned black-eyed peas, Brussels sprouts, smoked sausage, and roasted pecans. Today it was smoked salmon, smoked gouda, capers, rice crackers, and tomatoes. And crack, which is what I call instant mash potatoes with a helping of fried onions stirred in. I wish I had never spotted that bulk-sized bag in Costco.
I'm all set for Big ### Salad week - romaine, grilled chicken, tomato, boiled eggs, pine nuts, home-prepared croutons, mozzarella, parm, and marinated artichokes. I'll be making my own dressings to avoid the crap oils prevalent in virtually all dressings found in my local grocery store, starting with these recipes, which are ridiculously easy to follow. Also, I have another recipe for Caesar's dressing using raw egg yolks and anchovy paste which is fantastic.
... and beets. I simmered and salted three big-### beets in red wine vinegar and rosemary. They're awesome. The trick is to peel and rinse the beets first, and add the salt halfway through the cooking process. I know, everyone hates beets. I used to too.
And I have grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup lined up for a few cheat episodes too.
I suppose I am being lazy, but the plan is to start working out next week. Going to focus on cleaning up the diet, no alcohol, and sleep. I'll probably dust off the meditation app too.
And now a word from my sponsor, Netflix.
Three days sans beer, and I made it past three of my biggest triggers - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The diet has been a mixed bag, which includes the aforementioned black-eyed peas, Brussels sprouts, smoked sausage, and roasted pecans. Today it was smoked salmon, smoked gouda, capers, rice crackers, and tomatoes. And crack, which is what I call instant mash potatoes with a helping of fried onions stirred in. I wish I had never spotted that bulk-sized bag in Costco.
I'm all set for Big ### Salad week - romaine, grilled chicken, tomato, boiled eggs, pine nuts, home-prepared croutons, mozzarella, parm, and marinated artichokes. I'll be making my own dressings to avoid the crap oils prevalent in virtually all dressings found in my local grocery store, starting with these recipes, which are ridiculously easy to follow. Also, I have another recipe for Caesar's dressing using raw egg yolks and anchovy paste which is fantastic.
... and beets. I simmered and salted three big-### beets in red wine vinegar and rosemary. They're awesome. The trick is to peel and rinse the beets first, and add the salt halfway through the cooking process. I know, everyone hates beets. I used to too.
And I have grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup lined up for a few cheat episodes too.
I suppose I am being lazy, but the plan is to start working out next week. Going to focus on cleaning up the diet, no alcohol, and sleep. I'll probably dust off the meditation app too.
And now a word from my sponsor, Netflix.
Taxguy
Footballguy
I’m usually at about 2:15 per 500M. For 30 min usually about 6,500M and a 10K is about 45-47 min.GoBirds said:
no rowing today, did a 45 Min Peloton ride with Alex T. Love that guy, kicks my butt. Using rower for longer steady state exercise and Peloton for more cardio intensive.
did have a little wine tonight, but not much and I’m good to sticking to a drink or two on weekends. Planning to cut back on the IPA’s and beer in general for now. Looking to drop about 10 pounds.
krista4
Footballguy
DocHolliday
Footballguy
I love beets too. Is there something special about them that I missed? Will they melt fat away by chance?
krista4
Footballguy
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
#teambeets
travelled to Utah today. Hard to make the best food choices. Did knock out 2 hours of skiing.
travelled to Utah today. Hard to make the best food choices. Did knock out 2 hours of skiing.
bostonfred
Footballguy
DocHolliday
Footballguy
The Iguana
Footballguy
Mister CIA
Footballguy
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Wow beets is one of the few foods that will make me gag immediately. 
Mister CIA
Footballguy
I never liked them until I found a technique for removing the dirt flavor.fred_1_15301 said:Wow beets is one of the few foods that will make me gag immediately.
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Pro tip: If you're having difficulty finding your homemade croutons, check the rack in the oven. I left mine in the oven for the residual heat to bake on some shredded parm.
Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
Could not get to sleep last night. Sadly, I can't remember the last time I went to bed sober. Hopefully tonight will be a better night's sleep on sober day 2. Ugh.
On track for another good day, but work has been busy so may not get to start my exercise routine today. I did already walk the dog for 40 mins.
On track for another good day, but work has been busy so may not get to start my exercise routine today. I did already walk the dog for 40 mins.
SouthJersey
Footballguy
No rowing this morning, too much chaos gettng kids set up on online school after the break. Though I did start back up with the kettle bell swings. Going for 500 swings a day. Usually 25-50 reps between conference calls.
bostonfred
Footballguy
SouthJersey
Footballguy
I'll swing the kettle bell 50 times if one of my calls finishes early and then go back to working. Do 50 more the next time i have a min. x10
bostonfred
Footballguy
How big a kettlebell are you doing this with? I'm completely brand new to the kettlebell thing and thought this was something you did 3 sets of 12 with, not 50 whenever i want.
And are these the things where you hold it out in front of you then dip down into a squat and swing it between your legs trying not to hit the floor or your boys then back up to chest height? Or something else? If so how big a weight do you use?
SouthJersey
Footballguy
45lbs. I started off with 35 lbs at the beginning of quarantine but it started getting too easy so I bought a heavier one (in hindsight since I haven't exercised in 3 weeks I should've used the lighter weight).
Yea I just swing it from hiking a football pose between my legs to chest level. I followed this video for form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSxHifyI6s8
I was doing this before: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/10000-swing-kettlebell-workout but I never did the strength movements (squats, presses, etc) between swing sets. I was just doing the swings, and not all in 1 workout but spaced out throughout the day when I have time.
bostonfred
Footballguy
Wow awesome that you can do that many. I got a kettlebell gryp for Christmas which is a handle you can clip to any dumbell up to a certain weight, not sure if that would help you but if you're like me and own some dumbells and don't want to buy a whole new set it's worth looking into.
Thanks for the YouTube video I'll definitely need to work on form.
For the program... I was reading with interest until he said it was not for sissies. Do they have a program for sissies that I could start with? I'm 45 ####### years old and have never swung one of these things in my life I can't do a pull up either but apparently that's acceptable if I want to do a handstand pushup instead like holy #### I think this is a little advanced for me right now.
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Repeating a comment or two from the recent thread on transcendental meditation, try a few podcasts on for size and see if they help with sleep. My go-to is Sean Carroll's Mindscape podcast; a briliant dude without a doubt, but monologues/discussions about theoretical physics work like a charm almost all the time. The History of Philosophy Without Gaps and The British History Podcast are very effective. ymmv, and good luck.
SouthJersey
Footballguy
LOL I think I do the sissy program. I don't do the other exercises between swings, and i take longer breaks between swings. I started with the 10 swing, 15 swing, 25 swing, 50 swing routine x5. Sometimes I would do as they say and only wait a minute between sets, sometimes I'd take longer breaks. Then i would combine the 10+15 into one set. Now feel strong enough to do 50 at a time. I still get out of breath after 50 and the longer breaks help being able to complete 500.
The biggest thing for me is the simplicity. Having the kettle bell sitting next to my desk makes it easy to convince myself that "I can at least swing this 25 times before I send this next e-mail"
SouthJersey
Footballguy
PSA: Get those bicep curls in, amigos. I'm seeing lots of getting vaccinated pics on social media from friends and colleagues who work in health care....lots of floppy arms in those pics.
Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
Thanks for the advice.
I rarely have trouble falling asleep, but last night it was anxiety about work today after a 11-day holiday break, especially because I made the mistake of checking my work email before getting in bed, combined with being sober.
I actually usually piss my wife off because I can be talking to her and then be out cold w/in 30 seconds. For some reason my mind works as tho when I hit the pillow the day is done and I've done all I can. However, I have lots of days where if I wake up early on a day I have a lot to do (work or personal) then I can't get back to sleep with anxiety of wanting to start the day.
I'm just wired differently.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
I’ve never tried kettlebell but I’m very intrigued. May have to give it a shot. I’ll also be starting in the sissy category.
bostonfred
Footballguy
I feel like I will eventually punch myself in the sack if I do two arm swings, but if I do one arm swings I will take out my knee instead. I'm sure it gets easier to not do those things with experience, right?
krista4
Footballguy
That kettlebell stuff looks tough. Kudos to you guys for doing it.
I weighed this morning so have an official goal now. This morning I weighed 12.6 pounds more than my low sometime last year. So there you go - lose 12.6 pounds. I'll do the weekly Monday weigh-ins as I did before and report back here. Did my Adriene yoga first thing this morning to try to start the day right.
I weighed this morning so have an official goal now. This morning I weighed 12.6 pounds more than my low sometime last year. So there you go - lose 12.6 pounds. I'll do the weekly Monday weigh-ins as I did before and report back here. Did my Adriene yoga first thing this morning to try to start the day right.
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
@bostonfred if you still have the lifetime app. It will have kettlebell workouts on it. Beginner and up. 45 lbs is heavy. Kudos to the dude, using it. Especially for anything other than squats or basic swings. Be careful of that attachment. Don’t nail your knee. It’s probably wider than a normal kettlebell.
@fred_1_15301you will love kettlebell workouts!! Back before the world went bonkers , my favorite workout of the week was Saturday morning kettlebell class.
1 hour of HIIT with a kettlebell. Class was 4, twelve minute blocks. Usually, 4 moves per block. Start with a static lift. Then with motion. Then with an extension. Then dynamic, I alternated between 10/12/20 kilo bells, depending on the exercise. The instructor was amazing. ETA: the missing 12 minutes was 3 minutes of awful cardio, with 1 minute breaks, at the end of each block.
@fred_1_15301you will love kettlebell workouts!! Back before the world went bonkers , my favorite workout of the week was Saturday morning kettlebell class.
1 hour of HIIT with a kettlebell. Class was 4, twelve minute blocks. Usually, 4 moves per block. Start with a static lift. Then with motion. Then with an extension. Then dynamic, I alternated between 10/12/20 kilo bells, depending on the exercise. The instructor was amazing. ETA: the missing 12 minutes was 3 minutes of awful cardio, with 1 minute breaks, at the end of each block.
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DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Did a grip of exercise today.
4 hours of skiing. 2 hours exclusively bumps.
Followed by a 2.5 mile, uphill hike.
Followed by an hour of cross country skiing. First time trying it. Pretty fun. Very different.
I’m tired.
4 hours of skiing. 2 hours exclusively bumps.
Followed by a 2.5 mile, uphill hike.
Followed by an hour of cross country skiing. First time trying it. Pretty fun. Very different.
I’m tired.
bostonfred
Footballguy
One week down, 89 days to go. Myfitnesspal for calories, running and rowing for cardio, ketlebells and pushups for strength, and yoga with lots of core when I feel like it and have a block of time. 20 to 25 minutes of any day 6 or just pick something at random.
January 2019 me does not recognize January 2021 me.
January 2019 me does not recognize January 2021 me.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Fred, have you ever shared your starting point or goal weight? Completely understand if you don’t want to share - I took the opposite route in years gone by and posted my half naked selfies. @Keerock > hi
bostonfred
Footballguy
https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/743200-otis-fad-diet-thread-—-now-kind-of-a-rowing-thread-but-also-let’s-not-be-fat/?do=findComment&comment=22990511
Post above has my original starting weight. I'm currently making a hard push until Easter (April 4th). I will be drunk before lunch. I'm back up over 230 right now after breaking 220 two months ago and then celebrating my birthday and the holidays like it was my job and upping my workouts. I don't know how much of that is water weight but it is still coming off fast so I know some of it is. I'd love to hit 200 on this push but I don't know if that's realistic especially if i want to keep building these sweet newb muscles. If I get to 210 or 205 I'd be happy, and I might keep going past Easter to break 200 if I'm close.
For other fitness stuff, I am 45, running 5ks on the treadmill around 27 minutes and getting close to 26, but I'm cross training and doing up to 30 minutes on the rower. I don't know my 5k rowing pace because I have a cheap ####ty rower. Sometimes I row more than run or run more than row, sometimes I do both. I mostly go by feel. I just started with the kettlebell and using a 15lb until I figure out if that's right, and I do sets of 50 pushups after doing hundredpushups.com for a couple month.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
That’s awesome Fred - keep it up! One thing I’ll mention, when I’ve lost in the past I usually set goals that were at times easy and I shortchanged myself. Also, in general people think their best weight is usually a good bit higher than it really should be. Not saying either of those are you but I used to think breaking 200 was good and I could maybe be 180-190. I was still fat. I wasn’t “skinny” until I got to 160.
But you’re doing awesome and most importantly you are making yourself healthier for your family. Love it.
But you’re doing awesome and most importantly you are making yourself healthier for your family. Love it.
MAC_32
Footballguy
It is the sorta thing you do 3 sets of 12-15 of, a variety of different movements will provide greater benefits.
Steeler
Footballguy
bostonfred
Footballguy
My "best weight" is irrelevant right now. I'm not going to get there overnight, so there's no rush to pick a goal. Even if there were, it would be wildly inaccurate because I'm still trying to add muscle. If I try to "lose 20 lbs" and "gain 10 lbs of muscle", I'm just putting arbitrary numbers out there. Why no lose 15 and add 15 lbs of muscle? What makes 20 and 10 correct?
You're talking about fine tuning. Which I will need to do, and I'll document the process and talk about what I learn because I know other people are following along and might benefit from this. And part of that process for me is stopping periodically to let my skin tighten up around my new size and shape. If I'm going to sustain this for life I need to be able to get off the wagon and get back on, I need to be able to live on 1500 to 2000 net calories per day, which currently loses weight for me but will eventually be maintenance calories, and so on. In the meantime I can work out, enjoy some wine and recharge my batteries and my metabolism before making another push later in the year. If the world opens back up this summer, I might not be in a hurry to do another couple months of dieting. We'll see.
What I am trying to do is lose over 100 lbs without extra loose skin and without paying huge amounts of money or getting surgery. I have figured out what works for me and I'm completely confident that I will do it now that I know how. I'm just trying to do it the right way and maybe lead by example while I'm putting this effort in.
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AAABatteries
Footballguy
No doubt - I guess my point, if I even had one, was don’t shortchange yourself. You got this though.
Steeler
Footballguy
I met the 10K step goal averaging 10,021 steps per day, in fact I didn't even need to move on 12/31 because I met it a day earlyYou guys are still killing it in here - I'm setting records for number of consecutive days of drinking. I've gained some weight but still 20 pounds less than when I started this weight loss effort in 2019. The main goal for the year was to average 10K steps per day for the entire year (probably seems lame to some people, but it's getting me off my ### and moving so it's working for me). I'm still in range of completing the goal although I need ~12,500 steps per day to reach it. I'm off the last 2 weeks of the year so I should make it. Interim goal to finish the year is to get back under 200 by 12/31 -- it sucked to lose that "1" on the scale. I've drastically cut back on calories (except booze) the last week and I'm headed back to sub 200.
Next year will be less drinking, fewer steps per day, and more weight training / stretching / yoga - I'll probably do the 30 days with Adriene thing, and no drinking in Feb... I'll probably refine these to something more concrete but for now I'm focused on making both of the 2020 goals by the end of the year (10K steps, sub 200).
. I did not meet the sub 200 goal but I did weigh 201 this morning, so that's a good sign.I didn't really start anything for the new year on 1/1 because it was a Friday and it was the last three days of a 2 week vacation before returning to work - not going to start making big changes at that point. But yesterday was pretty good.
Only concrete goals are to drink on a maximum of 50% of the days (which is unfortunately way down from the number of days I drank in 2020). I figured M-T zero drinks and F-S a couple drinks or whatever. Also, planning to do the zero drinking challenge in Feb. Tightening up the diet and tracking calories is another goal for 2021. Planning to do the 30 days with Adrian yoga thing at some point, maybe in Feb.
At this point I'm just doing a short walk with my daughter each day, some weight training, some core training, etc. No challenges or goals of 50 pushups a day or whatever (not knocking those, I've done them in the past, just not what I am doing right now). Just some basic stuff at this point.
Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
Are all of you that have been in this thread for a while posting primarily in here? Or one of bostonfred's other threads?
I'm up for moving threads if needed, but will miss the Otis updates (and backslides).
I'm up for moving threads if needed, but will miss the Otis updates (and backslides).
kevzilla
Footballguy
I can barely keep up in here, I don't have the bandwidth for other threads. Although I'm sure BF is doing the Lord's work in those as well.
SouthJersey
Footballguy
Got a 5k row in this morning. Have a great day, friends.
eaganwildcats
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I hear you and to a large degree I’m still there. I’ve personally found that (for me) health and fitness and losing weight is a lot about momentum. I either trend good or bad. Ideally I find that sweet spot but when I’m in a funk or rut I find that it helps to just start doing things. Take a 5 minute walk, do some no weight squats for one minute. Eat a few healthy meals or fast part or all of a day. Drink water and get lots of sleep/rest. I find as I just start doing these things that I pick up momentum and eventually the funk just isn’t there any more.
Poke_4_Life
Footballguy
I've been starting slow this week as well. My initial plan was walking and yoga/workout everyday. So far just the walking is happening. Along with eating within my calorie goal tracked on MFP. It's been easy to keep the walking because I never really stopped, except for a days.
