The Fitness Thread

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MaraCarr
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by MaraCarr »

Ubik wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:42 pm Woo TB! Looks like you've been at a good place for a while but very awesome you're breaking through that barrier.

I'm apparently incapable of exercising in the winter, I think I have a recessive hibernation gene or something.
No ...you are completely right. I have the recessive hibernation gene also....I thought I was the only one.

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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

Mine's not necessarily hibernation, just... I like going out biking, and when it's -10° out, I don't like going out biking. Same with hiking, walking, shooting hoops, etc. Winter just does a number on most of the exercising I like to do. And I know I could walk on a treadmill or ride an exercise bike (both of which I own), but it's not nearly the same.

The other thing I love to do, DDPYoga, is now made much harder as well. A few years ago, it was easy to find time to do it, even with a baby on hand. Now that baby is 4 and a half, and runs around destroying things in half a second if I'm not watching her. And if my wife and I both happen to be awake and available and not working on something, we'd rather spend time together rather than splitting up into separate rooms to keep the child at bay while the other does their exercising. Someday....
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Dan Dando
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by Dan Dando »

TenaciousBe wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 2:46 amAnd if my wife and I both happen to be awake and available and not working on something, we'd rather spend time together rather than splitting up into separate rooms to keep the child at bay while the other does their exercising. Someday....
Maybe it would be useful for you to blend little pieces of exercise into your day instead of thinking of it as a structured thing that you have to find time for. So for example, every hour you could try dropping down to do maybe do half a dozen press-ups. Likewise, do you have stairs at home? Sprint up and down them once every hour. Anything you can do pull-ups on? Do a couple every hour. You can experiment with how much you do of all these bits and bobs but it all adds up - this way you can keep an eye on your kid and keep the ol' ticker healthy at the same time :)

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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

Dan Dando wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 10:29 pm
TenaciousBe wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 2:46 amAnd if my wife and I both happen to be awake and available and not working on something, we'd rather spend time together rather than splitting up into separate rooms to keep the child at bay while the other does their exercising. Someday....
Maybe it would be useful for you to blend little pieces of exercise into your day instead of thinking of it as a structured thing that you have to find time for. So for example, every hour you could try dropping down to do maybe do half a dozen press-ups. Likewise, do you have stairs at home? Sprint up and down them once every hour. Anything you can do pull-ups on? Do a couple every hour. You can experiment with how much you do of all these bits and bobs but it all adds up - this way you can keep an eye on your kid and keep the ol' ticker healthy at the same time :)
This is a good idea! On the upside, on days that I work (Monday through Thursday), I'm on my feet at work for probably 8-9 hours of my 10 hour shift, moving around, lifting things, a lot of walking, so I gather up a good number of fitbit steps and it keeps the body active. I just need to find more time on those off days to keep up!

So, weekly weigh-in. I did it on Friday this week rather than Saturday, because my wife and I were out overnight celebrating our 5 year anniversary. Friday weigh-in, 200.2! The damn scale teased me by flashing that 199 at me, for just a second, before settling in at 200.2. It's only a fifth of a pound, but damn! Might hit it by next week. :D
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zazthespaz
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Re: "but zaz, you look amazing already!" aw shucks, thanks guys!

Post by zazthespaz »

Anyone have any experience with testosterone supplements? I was reading it can help improve muscle, burn fat, and give energy. Being in my early 30s, I know my metabolism has slowed down some - I've put some (bad) weight on in the past few months and am trying to get back into a regular gym routine around work and school. I was thinking the testosterone would help get me back in shape and be a motivator as well as provide energy to go to the gym, maybe help me break through the weight plateaus I tend to hit when exercising. Just curious if anyone's tried it before?
anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.
gbruin wrote:
Go reread what zaz says

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SHEAKENBAKEN
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Re: "but zaz, you look amazing already!" aw shucks, thanks guys!

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

zazthespaz wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 2:06 pm Anyone have any experience with testosterone supplements? I was reading it can help improve muscle, burn fat, and give energy. Being in my early 30s, I know my metabolism has slowed down some - I've put some (bad) weight on in the past few months and am trying to get back into a regular gym routine around work and school. I was thinking the testosterone would help get me back in shape and be a motivator as well as provide energy to go to the gym, maybe help me break through the weight plateaus I tend to hit when exercising. Just curious if anyone's tried it before?
I could ask my friend who goes to the gym and has been known to take things like that, I think. Not sure if its testosterone supps but I know he's taken a few things :eek :lol

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Re: that's what Bobby's for.

Post by zazthespaz »

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 4:16 pm
zazthespaz wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 2:06 pm Anyone have any experience with testosterone supplements? I was reading it can help improve muscle, burn fat, and give energy. Being in my early 30s, I know my metabolism has slowed down some - I've put some (bad) weight on in the past few months and am trying to get back into a regular gym routine around work and school. I was thinking the testosterone would help get me back in shape and be a motivator as well as provide energy to go to the gym, maybe help me break through the weight plateaus I tend to hit when exercising. Just curious if anyone's tried it before?
I could ask my friend who goes to the gym and has been known to take things like that, I think. Not sure if its testosterone supps but I know he's taken a few things :eek :lol
Nah, I'm good thanks, I'd rather get a first hand account than friend of a friend who likes to put lots of stuff in his body...
anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.
gbruin wrote:
Go reread what zaz says

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gbruin
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There is no cure for time.

Post by gbruin »

Having seen and known a few people who are taking actual intramuscular testosterone electively, I'm not impressed with it at all. For people who have adrenal insufficiency and other legitimate hormonal deficiencies, testosterone replacement is pretty important. Most people who use it however do so because they are simply getting older and now have to exercise and eat well full time, and it has caused a lot more problems than it's worth. I had a good friend who started taking it when he turned 50, despite having normal basal testosterone levels, just so he could feel like he was staying energetic and fit, and the mood swings he went through for several months destroyed his marriage. It also increases the risk for certain cancers. Changing your diet and exercise habits and sleep hygiene are far more effective and safe than supplemental testosterone.

Please talk to a good primary care doctor or endocrinologist before you start taking anything like that.

Luckily, lots of the widely advertised OTC testosterone containing products don't actually get you increased serum testosterone. The products may contain testosterone but it just gets broken down to its basal components once it sits in your stomach for 30 seconds.
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TenaciousBe
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Re: There is no cure for time.

Post by TenaciousBe »

gbruin wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 2:37 pm Having seen and known a few people who are taking actual intramuscular testosterone electively, I'm not impressed with it at all. For people who have adrenal insufficiency and other legitimate hormonal deficiencies, testosterone replacement is pretty important. Most people who use it however do so because they are simply getting older and now have to exercise and eat well full time, and it has caused a lot more problems than it's worth. I had a good friend who started taking it when he turned 50, despite having normal basal testosterone levels, just so he could feel like he was staying energetic and fit, and the mood swings he went through for several months destroyed his marriage. It also increases the risk for certain cancers. Changing your diet and exercise habits and sleep hygiene are far more effective and safe than supplemental testosterone.

Please talk to a good primary care doctor or endocrinologist before you start taking anything like that.

Luckily, lots of the widely advertised OTC testosterone containing products don't actually get you increased serum testosterone. The products may contain testosterone but it just gets broken down to its basal components once it sits in your stomach for 30 seconds.
I can attest to this. Over my health journey of the last almost 10 years, I've encountered SO many "lose weight fast" tactics and pseudoscience bullshit. At the end of the day, whether you're trying to lose weight or get them gainz, it all really boils down to self-discipline and doing the thing, eating appropriately and getting the right kind and amount of physical activity. I'm sure there are some supplements out there that help (I do take multivitamins, a B-complex supplement that apparently helps with the brain and my seizures, and a hemp oil for the Omega acids), but I don't think they do anything for my weight, just keep my overall nutrition topped off.
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zazthespaz
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Re: And maybe swimming. Might be pushing it...

Post by zazthespaz »

Thanks guys! Really appreciate the story of your friend Greg, sorry to hear that for him. I didn't know about negative side effects like that, but also haven't really done any research (yet - I was going to before purchasing any). Will be sure to talk to a doctor if I decide to pursue that route, but for now I think I'll stick with making the effort to get to the gym.
anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.
gbruin wrote:
Go reread what zaz says

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Because all OTC products are absolutely safe...

Post by gbruin »

zazthespaz wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 9:20 pm Thanks guys! Really appreciate the story of your friend Greg, sorry to hear that for him. I didn't know about negative side effects like that, but also haven't really done any research (yet - I was going to before purchasing any). Will be sure to talk to a doctor if I decide to pursue that route, but for now I think I'll stick with making the effort to get to the gym.
Just to clarify, my friend was getting prescription testosterone injections from a physician. That wasn't from any the over the counter products you can get at the various vitamin/supplement stores.
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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

Weight check: kicking off the new year at 251.8 pounds.

It's depressing. It wasn't that long ago (14 months) that I was holding onto the lowest weight range of my adult life, in the 200-210. I don't really know what changed, but the last couple months of last year, it jumped into the 220s, and even this past August, was still holding steady in the 230s. How I'm up to 250 now? I really don't know. All I know is, I HATE IT. Even at 200, I felt like I still had a long way to go to get to where I wanted, and now I have to cover all that ground just to get back to THAT point, let alone get any further. It's daunting.

I've lost track of how many times I've talked about "rebooting" that initial weight loss / healthy living journey that I started, actually, 10 years ago today. And I don't want to stand here today and make silly claims about how I'm going to do this, do that... but I gotta do something. Strapping 50 pounds to yourself and walking around with it is not comfortable in the slightest.

First things first, I'm going back to my fitbit app and starting to track my foods again, pay attention to these portion sizes. I always feel like my food intake is "not that bad," but it's easy to get out of control when you're not paying attention to it. Secondly, I'll be reporting that weight here occasionally again, holding myself to some sort of accountability. Third, and while I acknowledge that exercise isn't really a big part of weight loss, I really haven't been doing any sort of anything for months now (aside from being on my feet at work). I had a fantastic summer of doing my DDPY workouts at least 4 days a week, if not more, and then somehow just stopped at the end of the 13 week program rather than starting a new one. Regardless of where the weight sits, the body feels SO much better when it's being used, stretched, put to use. The long term goal for this year is, when we get past the winter months, to finally get myself back in the old bike habit, but for now, the yoga mat (or the wife's exercise bike) is the best thing I can do for myself.

Proclaiming, yet again, that I'm getting "back to basics" feels like the local musician trope of "big things coming!" Nevertheless, here we go. Let''s get this party started...
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Crumbso
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by Crumbso »

TenaciousBe wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 7:28 pm Ahh, that makes more sense. Sounds awesome, but unfortunately I'm in a spot where I don't really have much disposable income to work with, so probably no new equipment for me. Riding the old stationary bike would probably be better than nothing, but just sitting and pedaling in a straight line for hours doesn't sound that enchanting - I really do bikes for the terrain, the changes in elevation, going uphill so I can go downhill, etc. The fun stuff!

Ugh, this whole epilepsy thing is so frustrating. I have a seizure maybe once or twice a month at the most, and that prevents me from getting out and doing the fat bike trail riding that I love because that threat of seizures is always looming overhead. There's a 99% chance I'll be fine, but my luck, that'd be the one time one would hit. Sigh. The good news is, I started a new medication for the seizures a few weeks ago, and so far, I haven't had another one since starting that med. Though, that's pretty much on my typical seizure schedule - last one will have been 3 weeks ago as of this Saturday (usually have one around the 4 week mark if I haven't had one in that long yet), and I started the new med the following Tuesday. So, if I make it to this Saturday, and then get another week down, I'll be pushing into my typical "about time to have a seizure" area. And if I can get past the 4 week mark and start going longer, I may be able to credit the new med for keeping them at bay. We hope! And if I can get a couple months down seizure-free, that'll get us into April and springtime, and maybe I can get the bike out and feel a bit safer. I'm sure I'll have it out anyway for fun little paved trail rides with the family, so that's something anyway. :)

I've also been working on keeping more consistent with my DDPY workouts here at home, mostly just for myself but also in hopes that they'll help keep the seizures away as well. My neuro was pretty excited when I first met with her and mentioned that I was doing a form of yoga, she said she wishes more people did yoga, that it would be such a help for everybody's overall health. I agree! If I may show off a little, here's my "how it started vs. how it's going", me 7 years ago (340 pounds) and me today (205). :)

Image

Image
Your effort and progress is super impressive, man. That is amazing. Don't worry about the odd up and down. If you're generally trending in the right direction, yourt doing great.
Image

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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

Crumbso wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:08 pm
Your effort and progress is super impressive, man. That is amazing. Don't worry about the odd up and down. If you're generally trending in the right direction, yourt doing great.
Thanks man. Perspective is important. :) The good news, I'm still down 90 pounds from that first picture, and I'll be 3 years seizure-free next month!
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