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Let's lose some weight in 2021. Back to the grind... who else is in? (2 Viewers)

Unfortunately my running is much slower right now.  First 6.65 miles were at a 13 min pace.  Next 6.55 miles were in the 14-14:30 range.  I actually took a small victory in jogging all of the first 10 miles and only walked two hills in the first 13.1 miles.  The walking started in the 16 min range and then eroded down to 20.  Throw in some time for changing socks, addressing a bloody toe, and re-fueling and it gets ugly.  

While "moving" I listened to a Koopcast that discussed when it's better to walk than run. Generally people don't like running slower that 12:30-13:00 pace.  Strange that I still felt more comfortable jogging at a 14 min pace.  Obviously I'm taking strides about the length of a toddler at that point.  Walking is more efficient when the pace drops below 12 min per mile.  The limiting factor on walking is the muscle at the bottom of the shin bone.  It's such a small muscle and becomes so stressed when walking fast that the body will naturally transition to a more inefficient running to take stress off that muscle.  I remember that muscle barking when I used to do some 13:30 pace walking to prepare for ultra events.

My other issue that needs work is that I'm 2 min / mile faster on the treadmill right now than the road.  That's either the body avoiding the pounding you're bringing up or just a factor of mental weakness.  I should be able to resolve that by running outside more.  Lately it seems to rain more than half the time and toss in cold and dark and the treadmill usually seems more appealing this time of year.
You're ####### nuts lol.

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Consult your doctor before beginning this or any diet or exercise program.

 
On a good exercise streak lately and that has been good and helped maintain this 2lb per week average.  With 2 really nice dips this week that unfortunately were just blips.  Was crazy to be up a pound one day, down 4 the next, settling in today exactly 2 pounds less than last Sunday.  Definitely having some digestive issues going around.  Like everything feels fine, just my schedule is all off for bowel movements.  Guessing body really getting used to more cleaner eating over the last month.  Thought that would actually make me more regular, but so far not so much.

But definitely feeling more energy lately.  And that is with now 3 full weeks of no running.  Just walking and some weight training.  Going to give a run a go tomorrow.  Limiting it to a mile or two during my walk to ease back into things.  Keeping the pace slower than I likely want to go.

Big test is today...Ive been good about not really cheating.  And found it actually is not all that hard eating the amount of vegetables Im eating...Im getting plenty full without a ton of calories.

But tomorrow being my birthday (and son has to work tomorrow), we are eating out tonight.  I won't eat too bad at the place.  Im already planning my meal and deciding between the small filet or their soup and salad.  Which checking MFP those would be the better options or their cajun grilled chicken salad.  If I get the steak, likely going for the steamed broccoli over their delicious browned butter pasta (but will get a taste of that as Im sure my wife will be getting that pasta either as a side or a 2 pasta combo she gets with their meat sauce...and when that meat sauce and brown butter mix a bit...so good).

The trick then becomes we are making little cast iron skillet cookies tonight.  And Im not feeling guilty about that at all.

 
https://www.midliferunning.com/MAF-training.html

I used to run hard like that every time and then I tried running slow to run fast. MAF helped me cut a lot of time off my 5k and has led to me being able to run more often and without feeling like throwing up. It sounds like you might be running harder than you should on most of your runs which is something that almost all of us do. 

My guess is that you will try this, then post that you hated your first run doing thi and felt ridiculous going so slow because surely you can run faster than this, then get encouragement from other guys who have done this, try it again and maybe see why so many people recommend it. 
So I've been thinking about this post this morning. I alternate between "this is stupid" to "he's probably got a point" to "I can run faster, I used to be an athlete damnit" to "let's look into this some more". Sorry for the novel below, this is mostly me just processing my thoughts. 

I checked my Garmin and over the last two months, my pulse averages 165ish when I run, which is not quite the top of my "vigorous exercise intensity" range according to Mayo Clinic using their heart rate reserve formulas. 165bpm is slightly higher than the the max for the vigorous exercise intensity range using the more simplistic 85% of max heart rate.  But for simplicity sake, I also looked at this website for target hear rates:  

Aerobic Zone: 70% - 80% of your Max Hr
Threshold Zone: 80% - 90% of your Max Hr

For me, those numbers are: 70% = 130 BPM, 80% = 150 BPM, and 90% = 170 BPM. So I definitely spend most of my time at the top of the Threshold Zone. I think you're suggesting I spend more time in the Aerobic Zone. Probably true.

Thing is, I don't feel like I'm running too hard. I just sort of go at a pace where the run feels comfortable. Some days thats slower, some days that's faster. The other day when I set my PRs, I wasn't pushing at all for most of the run. I got about 2.5 miles in and was right around 25 minutes. I realized the rest of the run is literally all down hill and I still had a lot of gas in the tank so then I did push it a bit.  The day I wanted to throw up I felt the food coming back up almost immediately (like 100 feet from my driveway) and I basically shuffling at that point. So it wasn't because I was working too hard at that point (though maybe later when climbing the hill). 

Last thought and the thing that makes me think you're still right, even though I don't want to hear it. I've often heard that you should run at a pace where you can have a conversation. No way could I have a conversation while I run. I've never run at a pace where I could do that, even when I was in great shape 10-15 years ago.  Back then my average heart rate while running was 175, so 165 now seems in line with the amount of effort. All I'm saying there is that I've probably always run too hard. Getting to a heart rate of 130-150 would likely mean 13+ minute miles, and at that pace I'd feel like I might as well walk.  So I don't like what you're saying, even if it's correct. I'll ponder it. 

 
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So I've been thinking about this post this morning. I alternate between "this is stupid" to "he's probably got a point" to "I can run faster, I used to be an athlete damnit" to "let's look into this some more". Sorry for the novel below, this is mostly me just processing my thoughts. 
As a followup to my novel in the prior post. I was curious about my heart rate, so I went for a short 1 mile walk. I sang out loud the entire time to make sure I was doing a pace at which I could maintain a conversation. My pace was 16:09 and my heart rate was approximately 100 BPM the entire time (which is Zone 1, warm up) according to my watch. I could have walked slightly faster, but my legs would naturally have wanted to break into a light jog if I picked up the pace much more. 

I discovered the Garmin has more info than I recognized. It tells me Zone 2 is a comfortable pace where I can still hold a conversation, that Zone 3 (Aerobic) is a moderate pace where its more difficult to hold a conversation, and Zone 4 (Threshold) is almost uncomfortable pace with forceful breathing (no mention of conversations, as that doesn't make sense if breathing is forceful). So looking at all of this, it's accurate to say that for the 15 years or so that I've been a runner, I have pretty much always run in Zone 4 (Threshold). Dialing it back to Zone 3 (Aerobic) would feel unnatural. Hmm.

Dangit @bostonfred! You've given me food for thought. 

 
Thing is, I don't feel like I'm running too hard. I just sort of go at a pace where the run feels comfortable.
Right this is what everyone says.  It's what I said. This is me a year ago in the otis fad diet thread 

This is about where i was.  Lightly jogging at 4.3 mph on the treadmill.  The day before, when i wasn't using my heart rate monitor, i was fast walking 4.2 mph.  Now I'm jogging .1 mph faster and wondering if I should even be "jogging" or just walking if the goal is to keep my heart rate at 135 either way.  I totally see the benefit of not getting all sweaty and gross. It's probably easier on the knees per step, but I'm  not sure that helps if I'm taking more steps to burn the same calories. 

 
Day 6 MAF

Back to the gym. First mile was 5.7 and i wasn't quite at 136 heart rate so i bumped it up to 6.0. Then promptly went up to 141.  Dropped back to 5.5 for most of the second mile, then 5.1 for most of the third.  Finished with a few minutes at 8.2mph which felt great, total time under 32 minutes for 5k although it would have been more like 33 if i hadn't finished fast. 

I really like this approach.  I feel like my endurance has gone up.  I've run 5k without stopping every day this week, and while I'm going slower overall, I'm getting close to the pace i was at before i started (sub 29 minutes, mostly 7-8mph with some walking)

I think I'm going to keep at this for a while until i have to take a rest day for whatever reason, and then the next day I'll treat it like a race to see what kind of time i can run. 

 
Trust the process.  Also add in a "tempo run" once a week - something close to your race pace.  

I did my first tempo run yesterday just to see if id made any improvement at speed after almost two weeks of MAF runs.  My long run used to be 5k mostly at 7 to 8mph but with some run walking usually starting after a mile and change. 

I switched to 5k MAF runs, and did my long run of 3.5 miles, so I expected my endurance at higher speeds to have improved some. 

I ran the first two miles at 7mph, nonstop.  That was a pretty big improvement for me already. I also thought i could have gone farther but that I'd definitely need to stop so I walked for a few, then ran again, walked over more, and ran the rest.  I finished the 5k in about 27:40.  My previous best was a shade over 28.  I actually felt like I was running a little slow at 7mph. 

My next goal is going to be 4 miles at MAF this weekend. That's about the ten percent increase they recommend as the most you should do - 3.1 to 3.5, 3.5 to 4, etc. Then I'll alternate between 5k and 3.5 at MAF pace during the week and try a tempo 5k later next week. I expect that I'll be closer to finishing the 5k at 7mph when I do. I'm betting that by the end of February I'll be able to finish the 5k in under 27 without any walking.  
This was like a week and a half into it

 
If you click in the thread and read around that time frame a bunch of us were trying out MAF for the first time. It's a little over a year ago so It's all pre lockdown when everyone was motivated and going to gyms and nobody wore masks yet and it was close enough to new year's that otis was rowtis and giving diet and exercise advice and telling us alcohol is poison. 

 
I'll weigh in tomorrow am. But I'm going aggressive from 3/1 to 4/1.  I'm looking to lose 15 pounds.  I know healthy slow and steady etc, I'm just doing this for 1 month!!!

 
If you click in the thread and read around that time frame a bunch of us were trying out MAF for the first time. It's a little over a year ago so It's all pre lockdown when everyone was motivated and going to gyms and nobody wore masks yet and it was close enough to new year's that otis was rowtis and giving diet and exercise advice and telling us alcohol is poison. 
LOL - I'll take a look. Thanks!

 
Today was the one month mark for my 5k MAF training.  

25:59.

A month ago I was happy to break 29 minutes and afraid that training slow would hurt my speed. I know @fred_1_15301 and a few others were worried about the same.

I've shaved off nearly a minute per mile in one month and i feel like I will probably be down below 25 by the end of March.  

Taking a rest day Saturday before my Sunday long run and another Monday before my Tuesday tempo run helped too. The only speed work I've done is a weekly 5k to see how my speed  is doing - everything else has been at MAF pace,  and I've actually run slower this week than i was the week before.

I think I'm going to keep my long run capped at 5 miles for another week or two, and maybe add in some intervals one day this week to start getting used to running at closer to a 7 minute mile pace. Giving up booze and chips for lent should help a bit too.
one more

 
Ran my MAF 5k a little extra slow today just for @FBG26. Did domd walking, yoga, lifting and push ups.  Ate some takeout with my kid but stayed well under calories and had 130g protein and 26g fiber.  Lots of water. 

Saw someone I hadn't seen in a while today and they said holy #### you lost a lot of weight, must be 50 lbs. It's 65 actually. And counting. 

Nine weeks down. 5 weeks to Easter. 

 
I remember that post of yours a year ago but must have missed the part of running a 7 minute mile.  Did you actually hit that goal?
Nope. I can't remember what my record is but I think it's around 7:30. I'm settling in at the 5k plus distance right now and will probably start increasing it a little so I can watch whole episodes of better call Saul. I'm finally watching it and it's living up to the hype so far. I want to get my aerobic fitness back up and increase my maximum distance and then get back to work on my 5k.

 
Nope. I can't remember what my record is but I think it's around 7:30. I'm settling in at the 5k plus distance right now and will probably start increasing it a little so I can watch whole episodes of better call Saul. I'm finally watching it and it's living up to the hype so far. I want to get my aerobic fitness back up and increase my maximum distance and then get back to work on my 5k.
7:30 is still very good.  It’s been a long time since I’ve ran but I believe my fastest mile this past year was just under 8 minutes (and I was completely winded).

 
hit 225 at one point

Start 223 somewhere for this...

  • 12/28 221.6
  • 12/29 220.4
  • 12/30 219.8
  • 1/1 218.6
  • 1/4 220.2
  • 1/5 219.6
  • 1/6 218.4
  • 1/7 218.0
  • 1/9 218.0
  • 1/15 216.8
  • 1/21 215.4
  • 1/29 214.8
  • 2/4  213.6
  • 2/13 213.6
  • 3/1 209.6


3/1 209.6  took a mini detour but it's still 16ish pounds in a couple months.

30 to go will settle in at 25 is.  Anywhere between 180-189 I'm happy but want to hit 179 just to see it before I maintain. So I'm sure I'll put some back on.

Stretch goal is 195 by 4/1 I know I know. Realistic is to just see the 1

 
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1-25.  201.4

3-1.   197.2

Down almost 1 pound from last week.    Will take it.  Goal is 195 by 4-1.    It’s all about my decisions at the table since I have always enjoyed working out.  Who knew that eating healthy would be so difficult on an almost daily basis?   We are all relatively smart people here so why don’t we make the right food choices more often?   Obviously, green beans, peppers, apples, and grilled chicken and fish are what I should be eating.  Why do I consider Snickers bars, cheeseburgers, French fries, and potato chips every day?   Why are we wired this way?   

 
1-25.  201.4

3-1.   197.2

Down almost 1 pound from last week.    Will take it.  Goal is 195 by 4-1.    It’s all about my decisions at the table since I have always enjoyed working out.  Who knew that eating healthy would be so difficult on an almost daily basis?   We are all relatively smart people here so why don’t we make the right food choices more often?   Obviously, green beans, peppers, apples, and grilled chicken and fish are what I should be eating.  Why do I consider Snickers bars, cheeseburgers, French fries, and potato chips every day?   Why are we wired this way?   
One of the most helpful things I've heard on this board was from @Joe Bryantwhen he was getting fit, and he said he started to see food as fuel instead of entertainment during the week, and reserve the fun foods for the weekend. That was a really helpful insight.

 
So I've been thinking about this post this morning. I alternate between "this is stupid" to "he's probably got a point" to "I can run faster, I used to be an athlete damnit" to "let's look into this some more". Sorry for the novel below, this is mostly me just processing my thoughts. 

I checked my Garmin and over the last two months, my pulse averages 165ish when I run, which is not quite the top of my "vigorous exercise intensity" range according to Mayo Clinic using their heart rate reserve formulas. 165bpm is slightly higher than the the max for the vigorous exercise intensity range using the more simplistic 85% of max heart rate.  But for simplicity sake, I also looked at this website for target hear rates:  

Aerobic Zone: 70% - 80% of your Max Hr
Threshold Zone: 80% - 90% of your Max Hr

For me, those numbers are: 70% = 130 BPM, 80% = 150 BPM, and 90% = 170 BPM. So I definitely spend most of my time at the top of the Threshold Zone. I think you're suggesting I spend more time in the Aerobic Zone. Probably true.

Thing is, I don't feel like I'm running too hard. I just sort of go at a pace where the run feels comfortable. Some days thats slower, some days that's faster. The other day when I set my PRs, I wasn't pushing at all for most of the run. I got about 2.5 miles in and was right around 25 minutes. I realized the rest of the run is literally all down hill and I still had a lot of gas in the tank so then I did push it a bit.  The day I wanted to throw up I felt the food coming back up almost immediately (like 100 feet from my driveway) and I basically shuffling at that point. So it wasn't because I was working too hard at that point (though maybe later when climbing the hill). 

Last thought and the thing that makes me think you're still right, even though I don't want to hear it. I've often heard that you should run at a pace where you can have a conversation. No way could I have a conversation while I run. I've never run at a pace where I could do that, even when I was in great shape 10-15 years ago.  Back then my average heart rate while running was 175, so 165 now seems in line with the amount of effort. All I'm saying there is that I've probably always run too hard. Getting to a heart rate of 130-150 would likely mean 13+ minute miles, and at that pace I'd feel like I might as well walk.  So I don't like what you're saying, even if it's correct. I'll ponder it. 
Note - I'm a very average runner and not one of the elite beings you can actually find around here that could pontificate better on these topics. That said...

There's a lot that goes into running and training. And there are numerous approaches that vary. There are a number of people that subscribe to the MAF approach and "running slow to run fast" but it isn't the only theory out there. MAF has proven to be a very effective method for many, many people. You have to dedicate yourself to the process, but it isn't the only way and it may not be the way for you depending on what your own goals are, both short and long term. 

I've been working on incorporating more slow runs into my routine but more often than not I still run more by "feel" than by "formula". But it really depends on what your goals are. Given this is the weight loss thread, there is a lot of info out there that says running slow will be better for that - your body will learn to burn fat better, which will lead to more long term weight loss. It's also great if you are planning on doing long runs (i.e. marathons) for the same reason.

If you are really interested in the top and/or theory behind, pop in the "run a 10K" thread on here and there are a number of guys in there that can debate/discuss the benefits of MAF running versus other methods with you.

 
As a followup to my novel in the prior post. I was curious about my heart rate, so I went for a short 1 mile walk. I sang out loud the entire time to make sure I was doing a pace at which I could maintain a conversation. My pace was 16:09 and my heart rate was approximately 100 BPM the entire time (which is Zone 1, warm up) according to my watch. I could have walked slightly faster, but my legs would naturally have wanted to break into a light jog if I picked up the pace much more. 

I discovered the Garmin has more info than I recognized. It tells me Zone 2 is a comfortable pace where I can still hold a conversation, that Zone 3 (Aerobic) is a moderate pace where its more difficult to hold a conversation, and Zone 4 (Threshold) is almost uncomfortable pace with forceful breathing (no mention of conversations, as that doesn't make sense if breathing is forceful). So looking at all of this, it's accurate to say that for the 15 years or so that I've been a runner, I have pretty much always run in Zone 4 (Threshold). Dialing it back to Zone 3 (Aerobic) would feel unnatural. Hmm.

Dangit @bostonfred! You've given me food for thought. 
Also, note, the "zones" on your Garmin are just default values. The standard method is to use (220 - your age) = max HR. Then it calculates zone 1 to 5 based on percentages of that max HR. There are places you can and pay to have fitness tests done that will calculate your actual max HR and give you better ideas of what your range are. There are also some tests you can do to calculate your max HR on your own. The most common one involves doing a warm up run, then running a few intervals (about 1/4 mile) at max speed and measuring your HR. The you can use that measured max HR to calculate your own zones. Garmin has options in the setup to tweak your own zones if you want.

All that said, pretty sure I've just left my zones in the default values. And I tend to run faster than I'm "supposed to" more often than not. 

 
Oh and original reason for popping in here was that for the first weekend in a while.

Ran a 5k on Saturday in very wet, muddy conditions (as also posted in the running thread), but ate chick fil a and drank a milkshake on the way home. Then in the evening went to my BILs and ate all the gumbo, a couple different kinds of dessert and had several beers. All well worth it, IMO. No regerts! 

 
Literally my entire family has a stomach bug. I guess that's one way to lose weight. But between being up with kids who don't feel well and visiting the bathroom ourselves, my wife and I barely slept last night. 

 
I hope I'm not to late to check in.  Weighed this morning at 266.6

I'm so fat.   

Started today eating better.  I'm ready to lose this crap feeling.  
Welcome to it. I started at 284.6 and there are a few others here who were higher than that. We're all working on the same thing and it's been great to have the accountability buddies in here keeping an eye on each other.  

Is your plan just to eat better?  There's a few different options people are using these days, I use myfitnesspal which is a free app for calorie tracking and I would be happy to help you with it if you want. Some people here use noom, which is a paid app but comes with some additional features that are supposed to help you develop the long term habits. Some people have done keto, others are doing intermittent fasting, and others are just cutting out the booze and junk and eating better. 

Whatever your plan is just posting in here helps me, and hopefully it does the same for you. 

 
126 protein 

31g fiber

1372,g sodium which is way under my 2300 goal, I've been bad recently so that was nice 

Stayed under calories 

Did a slightly longer MAF run, 3.5 miles instead of 3.1, and will continue to increase it 10 percent per week until i don't want to anymore. No goal just would be nice to have the option to run longer sometimes. 

They say that you should always weigh yourself at the same time every day if you bother weighing yourself at all, it's really about what you see in the mirror and how you feel and blah blah. I got off the treadmill, stepped on the scale, pee so dark i had to flush before the bowl melted, but on the scale I saw a temporary and meaningless 216.2 which will not be repeated in the morning but absolutely counts towards my morale right now.  I fully expect to weigh in around 219 or 220 tomorrow but for tonight I'll have pleasant dreams. 

 
199.0. Just finished hard 45 min Peleton ride. Egg beaters with salsa for breakfast. Chicken breast for lunch. Chicken salad with avocado and tomatoes for dinner. 

Made some good decisions over the weekend. Mexican restaurant had fajitas no torts, chips or margarita mix (they were out of fresh limes) No wine at home. Staying the course. Hope the scale shows it the next few days. Would love to threaten 195 before setting sights on 190

 
126 protein 

31g fiber

1372,g sodium which is way under my 2300 goal, I've been bad recently so that was nice 

Stayed under calories 

Did a slightly longer MAF run, 3.5 miles instead of 3.1, and will continue to increase it 10 percent per week until i don't want to anymore. No goal just would be nice to have the option to run longer sometimes. 

They say that you should always weigh yourself at the same time every day if you bother weighing yourself at all, it's really about what you see in the mirror and how you feel and blah blah. I got off the treadmill, stepped on the scale, pee so dark i had to flush before the bowl melted, but on the scale I saw a temporary and meaningless 216.2 which will not be repeated in the morning but absolutely counts towards my morale right now.  I fully expect to weigh in around 219 or 220 tomorrow but for tonight I'll have pleasant dreams. 
I went from never weighing myself, to weighing myself 3 times a day. I lose about 1kg after my run, then usually weigh 1kg more at night than before my morning weigh in.

morning x

post run x-1

night x+1

Pretty consistent.

 
Welcome to it. I started at 284.6 and there are a few others here who were higher than that. We're all working on the same thing and it's been great to have the accountability buddies in here keeping an eye on each other.  

Is your plan just to eat better?  There's a few different options people are using these days, I use myfitnesspal which is a free app for calorie tracking and I would be happy to help you with it if you want. Some people here use noom, which is a paid app but comes with some additional features that are supposed to help you develop the long term habits. Some people have done keto, others are doing intermittent fasting, and others are just cutting out the booze and junk and eating better. 

Whatever your plan is just posting in here helps me, and hopefully it does the same for you. 
I lost 30 pounds last year and I gained all 40 of it back.

I was doing nutrisystem, and it worked for me.  I know its not really the ideal way to do it, but it was a time saver and required very little thought.  I have a lot of the food left, so right now, I am just trying to get through that and see where I am at when all that is gone.

Lots of vegetables.  Broccoli, cucumber, carrots, cauliflower are the go-to items.  I am lucky to like veggies.  I'll also do up some asparagus or brussel sprouts.

I am not planning on buying more of the nutrisystem.  My biggest problem is long term.  I have no issues losing the weight initially.  I need to figure out a way to do better.  

 
Kind of plateaued around 200.  Little below, little above.  My problem has been a little too much alcohol during the week (not much but a bourbon 3-4 nights a week) and more so not enough exercise.  I’m still trending downward and I’ve said this is the long game for me so I’m not too disappointed but will be nice to get firmly under 200.  Should be there by next week.

 
Thanksgiving to Christmas: 229.2 to 220.4.

New Years to Valentine's Day: 220.0 to 212.0
Starting my March period.

March 2: 210.6.

That's artificially low since I was puking my guts out last night. Tomorrow will be a better indicator for where I'm actually at since I'll have some food in my system, but this is what we're going with for recording purposes. 

 
I lost 30 pounds last year and I gained all 40 of it back.

I was doing nutrisystem, and it worked for me.  I know its not really the ideal way to do it, but it was a time saver and required very little thought.  I have a lot of the food left, so right now, I am just trying to get through that and see where I am at when all that is gone.

Lots of vegetables.  Broccoli, cucumber, carrots, cauliflower are the go-to items.  I am lucky to like veggies.  I'll also do up some asparagus or brussel sprouts.

I am not planning on buying more of the nutrisystem.  My biggest problem is long term.  I have no issues losing the weight initially.  I need to figure out a way to do better.  
One of the reasons I like noom and myfitnesspal is that monitoring your calories and learning healthy portion sizes and meal options gives you an idea of what sustainable maintenance looks like and also how to get back on track later.  The problem with "diets" like nutrisystem and keto is that you eventually get to your goal weight, stop dieting and haven't learned those things so you go back to eating the way you did when you put on the weight in the first place. 

One thing that might help is to finish your nutrisystem meals like you planned, but also log the calories in myfitnesspal (which is a free app) and just get used to it. Nutrisystem is great in the sense that it's easy to follow and it's a low calorie meal option, and once you get used to that lower calorie amount daily, it might be easier for you to transition to start eating normal healthy meals on your own. 

As always I'll give this disclaimer. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Consult your doctor before beginning this or any diet or exercise program. T

 
12/29: 268.6

2/23: 235.4

3/2: 230.6

Really good week. Lost 4.8 pounds by sticking to my program, walking a lot and getting a few really good workout sessions in. This after having a flat week due to the snow storm in Texas which resulted in me going off plan. 38.0 pounds in 9 weeks. 11 more weeks to go. Now that I am almost halfway through, I know that I am going to make my goal even if I have to extend my program a few weeks. Feeling really good right now.

 
  My biggest problem is long term.  I have no issues losing the weight initially.  I need to figure out a way to do better.  
You are not alone.  Many of us can focus for a few months and lose weight.  The problems are diet fatigue and taking our foot off of the gas when we feel like we have hit our goal.   Fatigue sets in so we decide to take a break from dieting for just a little while which turns into a long while.  When we take our foot off of the gas, we let the bad habits return over time.  Portions go back to being too large and we return to eating sweets.  Alcohol is a big cause of derailed diets.  The booze is not only a bunch of empty calories but also leads to many bad food choices.  

 
Was trying to hit some benchmarks before I turn 50 in a few weeks.  One of them was getting two plates up again.  Was up to 205, took a week off over xmas, went to do a warm up set with 135 and felt like my shoulder was going to explode.  Got back into 5x5 yesterday, will be benching tomorrow. Hopefully
This ain't happenin.  Went down with lighter warm up sets and when I put on 105 felt the pressure in the shoulder joint again.  Military press is fine.  Might just try and do high reps (sets of 20) with quarters on.  Kinda bummed.

 
This ain't happenin.  Went down with lighter warm up sets and when I put on 105 felt the pressure in the shoulder joint again.  Military press is fine.  Might just try and do high reps (sets of 20) with quarters on.  Kinda bummed.
I cant bench anymore - something wrong with left shoulder.   I can throw and golf and do regular exercises - even pushups - but if I go too much or too heavy its there

 
  • Date         |  Weight   |   Chg From Start  |   Weekly Loss   |   Calories
  • Nov 27         226.1                                           
  • Dec 24         212.9                -13.2                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1523
  • NEW START DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS TO VALENTINES DAY - GOAL MADE! SUB 200!
  • Dec 26         213.1               -13.0                                          Avg daily calories during period: 1510       
  • Jan 1           211.2                -14.9                  -1.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1983
  • Jan 8           210.3                -15.8                  -0.9                  Avg daily calories during period: 1546
  • Jan 15         207.0                -19.1                  -3.3                  Avg daily calories during period: 1524
  • Jan 22         205.4                -20.7                  -1.6                  Avg daily calories during period: 1513
  • Jan 29         203.0                -23.1                  -2.4                  Avg daily calories during period: 1521
  • Feb 5          202.1                -24.0                   -0.9                 Avg daily calories during period: 1594
  • Feb 12        200.6                -25.5                   -1.5                 Avg daily calories during period: 1851
  • Feb 19        199.5                -26.6                   -1.1                 Avg daily calories during period: 1524
  • Feb 26        197.9                -28.2                   -1.6                 Avg daily calories during period: 1535
  • Feb 27        197.5                -28.6                                          2600
  • Feb 28        198.6                -27.5                                          1210
  • Mar 1          198.1                -28.0                                          1355
  • Mar 2          197.3                -28.8
Had a small cheat day on Saturday when my son came home from college and wanted to eat at our favorite cajun place.  Seafood Extravaganza.  Fried shrimp, crawfish, and conecuh sausage on a bed of rotini pasta with a spicy, creamy creole sauce. Also cheddar cajun mashed potatoes. So good.  New low weight this morning.

 
Also, note, the "zones" on your Garmin are just default values. The standard method is to use (220 - your age) = max HR. Then it calculates zone 1 to 5 based on percentages of that max HR. There are places you can and pay to have fitness tests done that will calculate your actual max HR and give you better ideas of what your range are. There are also some tests you can do to calculate your max HR on your own. The most common one involves doing a warm up run, then running a few intervals (about 1/4 mile) at max speed and measuring your HR. The you can use that measured max HR to calculate your own zones. Garmin has options in the setup to tweak your own zones if you want.

All that said, pretty sure I've just left my zones in the default values. And I tend to run faster than I'm "supposed to" more often than not. 
I've always wondered about the max HR calculation.  Given the formula above mine should be 173.  Sometimes when I'm biking up a mountain my HR will touch 190 and I'm absolutely gasping for air. Is it dangerous to exceed the max HR by that much? Also I know it's a general calculation and people are unique, but I've been worried about it before.  Also note: I haven't done this in a year or so since the pandemic, any biking has been relatively flat around my neighborhood.

 
I lost 30 pounds last year and I gained all 40 of it back.

I was doing nutrisystem, and it worked for me.  I know its not really the ideal way to do it, but it was a time saver and required very little thought.  I have a lot of the food left, so right now, I am just trying to get through that and see where I am at when all that is gone.

Lots of vegetables.  Broccoli, cucumber, carrots, cauliflower are the go-to items.  I am lucky to like veggies.  I'll also do up some asparagus or brussel sprouts.

I am not planning on buying more of the nutrisystem.  My biggest problem is long term.  I have no issues losing the weight initially.  I need to figure out a way to do better.  
This to me is important.  Sustainable, repeatable processes are key to weight loss.  I've adopted the Chickpotle diet (protein drink in morning, Chipotle bowl for lunch, 8 chickfila nuggets for dinner), because I know how many calories and protein are in what I'm eating.  It's definitely not the best, but it hits the metrics I'm looking for and is easy.

 
12/29: 268.6

2/23: 235.4

3/2: 230.6

Really good week. Lost 4.8 pounds by sticking to my program, walking a lot and getting a few really good workout sessions in. This after having a flat week due to the snow storm in Texas which resulted in me going off plan. 38.0 pounds in 9 weeks. 11 more weeks to go. Now that I am almost halfway through, I know that I am going to make my goal even if I have to extend my program a few weeks. Feeling really good right now.
Tremendous progress!

 
I've always wondered about the max HR calculation.  Given the formula above mine should be 173.  Sometimes when I'm biking up a mountain my HR will touch 190 and I'm absolutely gasping for air. Is it dangerous to exceed the max HR by that much? Also I know it's a general calculation and people are unique, but I've been worried about it before.  Also note: I haven't done this in a year or so since the pandemic, any biking has been relatively flat around my neighborhood.
First, you can't exceed your max HR - max HR is literally the maximum beats per minute that your heart will do. The 220 - your age is just a very generic way to calculate your own max HR. It's not scientific but is an easy way to get an approximation of what your max HR might be. A given persons actually max HR can vary for any number of reasons (both good and bad). The generic calculation puts my max HR at about 170 but in reality my max HR is likely about 185ish or so. That's based on observations while running. I have never had an actual test done to see what it actually is. 

Then most exercise things will break your HR zones into 5 levels:

  • level 1 = 50-60% of max
  • level 2 = 60-70%
  • level 3 = 70-80%
  • level 4 = 80-90%
  • level 5 = 90-100%
You get different benefits from working out while maintaining those zones. The difference in using the 'generic' calculations and a measured calculation on max HR is only going to be a few beats per minute.

Here's a pretty good article on the benefits of working out in each zone: https://www.polar.com/blog/running-heart-rate-zones-basics/

If you google "hr zone training" or something similar, you will find countless articles out there that will give you far more info than you could ever imagine. 

In general, however, from a weight loss standpoint, it is generally recommended to train primarily in zone 2 or lower 3 - that's where you get the most fat burn and such.

 
I lost 30 pounds last year and I gained all 40 of it back.

I was doing nutrisystem, and it worked for me.  I know its not really the ideal way to do it, but it was a time saver and required very little thought.  I have a lot of the food left, so right now, I am just trying to get through that and see where I am at when all that is gone.

Lots of vegetables.  Broccoli, cucumber, carrots, cauliflower are the go-to items.  I am lucky to like veggies.  I'll also do up some asparagus or brussel sprouts.

I am not planning on buying more of the nutrisystem.  My biggest problem is long term.  I have no issues losing the weight initially.  I need to figure out a way to do better.  
I hear you.  That's why I'll never do a packaged program diet again.  I've done Nutrisystem.  Yeah it works.  But as soon as you stop the mini pizzas in a box the weight comes back on.  Lifestyle changes work long term. Love the idea of cheat days or Joe's comments re weekdays are fuel, weekends more fun as a rule.  Still have to live.  But if the composition of what one eats doesn't change (meaning just eating lesser calories of junk to lose weight initially) the weight comes back almost every time.  

 
Apologies for a long stint with very little updates but I have been mostly playing Tennis 3-4x a week and then on the off days I tend to either do 60 minutes on the bike or a walk of some kind. 

In my Tennis League I run, most of the guys are past the point of watching me and congratulating me on my weight loss, I've kept it off now for many many months so i was asked to lead a 60 day challenge from March 1st thru April 30th to see who can lose the most weight in the group for those want to participate. I have folks on the MyFitPal App and I named a group for us and so far we have 3 or 4 signed up and the idea is these guys can only get so good on the Tennis Courts because the weight hinders them from moving properly and hitting the ball correctly and with enough pace etc...so I'm trying to help them. 

This is the first time I have really been asked to do something like this. I also get phone calls for odd things from this group like this past Friday, one of the guys was trying to meet this Psycho-Therapist lady he met online and asks me at 7:00 on Fri Evening to meet him up at Square Grouper(Outside Bar) by 8pm...I'm like dude I'm a married guy, it doesn't work like this. I told him no but then after I hung up, my wife encouraged me to go and help him get over his fear factor, the guy is really obese but one heckuva tennis player, I'm trying to help him shed a few pounds.

Maintenance was always one of my biggest fears, I've lost weight before in my life but I always bounce and slowly gain it back. Could not tell you what has changed exactly but if I do see myself trending a couple pounds the wrong way i put a stop to it real fast, whatever I have to do. 

I need to get back to the Otis thread but I also wanted to see what happens when I don't post how much I have run. biked and played Tennis for a couple weeks and see if I am still as motivated. We are starting to get a little warmer down here in South Florida, temperatures will be in the 90s daily before we know it and then exercise will be more like it was when i started out March/April 2020 where you had to get your exercise in before 7-8am or after sunset and even then it usually is baking or humid. 

Hope everyone is well,

Cheers from MoP  :thumbup:    

 
104g protein

35g fiber

Sodium a little high after pizza for dinner 

Stayed under calories

@fred_1_15301Ran two miles at 7 minute mile pace... about a quarter mile at a time.  Still, intervals are a thing, and that's how you get where you're going. Back to MAF pace for a while and then maybe I'll see what my fast 5k looks like.. will try another fast mile in a couple weeks maybe. 

 
Maintenance was always one of my biggest fears, I've lost weight before in my life but I always bounce and slowly gain it back. Could not tell you what has changed exactly but if I do see myself trending a couple pounds the wrong way i put a stop to it real fast, whatever I have to do
This is the way imo. If you don't choose a weight where you say it's time to lose a few, your weight goes up until you finally say it's time to lose a lot.  Look how many people in here just gained back 30 or 40 lbs after losing weight before. I gained back about 20 in a bout of planned holiday gluttony that I thoroughly enjoyed but it took me most of January and February to get back where I was. The trick is to catch it before it goes too far, and to get to the point where you can turn on the diet for a few, get things back in control and then resume maintenance.  Happy for you that you've found that balance.  

 
This is the way imo. If you don't choose a weight where you say it's time to lose a few, your weight goes up until you finally say it's time to lose a lot.  Look how many people in here just gained back 30 or 40 lbs after losing weight before. I gained back about 20 in a bout of planned holiday gluttony that I thoroughly enjoyed but it took me most of January and February to get back where I was. The trick is to catch it before it goes too far, and to get to the point where you can turn on the diet for a few, get things back in control and then resume maintenance.  Happy for you that you've found that balance.  
I appreciate that, I have a BDay in April and I would like to do some things for my health that are not just about the scale. Meditation would be a worthwhile investment of time for me if I would allow the process to happen. I have in some ways as I cannot stress the importance of limiting your TV time and all that it encompasses, not fair to just pick on the newsies, there's lots of bad television out there and it rots the brain. I have cut it off almost completely and you will pay a price however as I obviously sound like an idiot discussing most hot topics of the day, see the CV Vaccination thread if you need any further proof 😂

But back on point here, I have a couple pairs of shorts that I really enjoy wearing right now since I lost the weight and they have velcro fly in the front so when the little velcro part can't overlap as easy then we gotta strip weight pronto because these Sofa Surfers I like to lounge in 24/7 are the most comfortable shorts I've ever owned, French Terry never felt so good.   

 
104g protein

35g fiber

Sodium a little high after pizza for dinner 

Stayed under calories

@fred_1_15301Ran two miles at 7 minute mile pace... about a quarter mile at a time.  Still, intervals are a thing, and that's how you get where you're going. Back to MAF pace for a while and then maybe I'll see what my fast 5k looks like.. will try another fast mile in a couple weeks maybe. 
I need more of this in my diet, a lot more. 

 
I made the mistake of buying a large bag of M&Ms recently.  It was gone in 3 days.   Even after months without junk food like that in the house, I buy one bag and am right back in my old mode of operating.

On the plus side, I tracked all the calories, but on the minus side it didn’t stop me from eating lots and lots of pure garbage.

The key?  I just can’t buy that crap and bring it into my house.

Anyway, despite all that I’ve been doing more strength training, eating more protein, trying to add muscle and following a plan.  My weight has stayed +/- 1 lb in the past few weeks.  
 

edit to add:  I really didn’t want to come in here and be honest about the M&Ms, but I just have to be straight with this crew.   It really pisses me off that I lack willpower when it comes to sugar.  But it feels better, oddly, to be honest with this group.

 
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