# How to lose weight in a healthy way (merged)



## matt45

i am joining the reserves soon and i been losing weight at a slow rate. every night for aboput 30 minutes i been excerising( situps,crunches and other crap) i know that you have to eat good and i been doing that but dose any one know of a quicker way to lose wieght ?

matt45


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## qor556

There is a LOT of info right here - http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/23364.0.html

Good luck!


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## matt45

thanks i am gunna need it ;D ;


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## winchable

Specifically, for burning fat I believe there's a certain range your heartrate should be in, depending on your age, where you will start burning fat. For some reason 151 for a 19 year oldish person for 20 minutes and you will start really burning fat, seems to stick out in my mind.
Most fat burning would occur if you did the excersize in the morning, or, at the end of a traditional excersize (weights or body weight resistance) session.

Shouldn't need any crazy diets so long as you are active *every* day of the week, with one day perhaps being a light or low impact cardiovascular excersize.

Humans have come to depend on technology so every day of our lives is easier and consequently less active than we were as recently as 20 years ago, requiring us to go out of our way to be active. So it might sound a little nutty that you should excersize everyday but it's neccessary lest we should eat ourselves and sit ourselves to an early grave.

Take everything you get online with a grain of salt, if you're really into it there are books on the subject, or alternatively you could go to a gym get a membership and normally they'll offer a few sessions of personal fitness coaching to get you on track once they know your goals.
There is also a chance you might not need to lose weight and you shouldn't be so worried, but a good fitness coach or nutritionist will set you on track there.

good luck


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## paracowboy

double your heart rate for 20 minutes every day. As you get fitter, it will take more effort to do this, whether that effort displays itself by running faster, or by running further. As you'll learn form the link provided above, it's best to do both.

Further, do gravity-resistance training (what we old guys used to call weight lifting). The more muscle tissue you carry on your frame, the higher your metabolism is, and the more fat your body burns to feed that muscle.

I'd suggest finding a half-hour to an hour twice a day to do both types of PT. Run in the mornings, lift heavy stuff in the evening, or vice versa. 

Eat right, but don't get too caught up in the hype about any 'super-duper special diet'. Eat properly, lots of meat, veggies, cereals, and leave the fast food/junk food alone. Booze is NOT your friend when trying to lose fat and gain muscle.

Or you can just drink a lot of coffee, dip Cope, and smoke heavily. This'll boost your metabolism as well.  ;D

Read the link, and good luck.


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## Island Ryhno

Careful what you take out of that link, alot of it is B.S and could end up getting you hurt. I'm sure you'll understand when you look at the superman routines over there  : Want some good advice, join a YMCA-YWCA and get help from a certified trainer, it's free with your membership.


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## paracowboy

Island Ryhno said:
			
		

> Careful what you take out of that link, alot of it is B.S and could end up getting you hurt. I'm sure you'll understand when you look at the superman routines over there   : Want some good advice, join a YMCA-YWCA and get help from a certified trainer, it's free with your membership.


an excellent point. Keep in mind that everyone's body responds in different way to physical stimuli. Don't get caught up in following any specific workout, find what works for you. This part 





> get help from a certified trainer


is especially relevent to you. I have a buddy who's in Olympic condition. Once in a while, I'd try to follow him in a workout, and be crippled for days.

I forgot to mention the importance of recuperation. The body doesn't get stronger during the workouts. It gets stronger when you're resting after the workout. The last few hundred meters, or last few reps in the gym, are what causes the body to decide it needs to get fitter, but it can't do that until it's resting. Schedule your workouts to allow plenty of recovery time at first. If you don't have access to a certified trainer, do some research on the 'Net and find books by *reputable* authors on the subject. Tricky part is finding out who's reputable, and who's a snake-oil salesman.


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## Island Ryhno

Agreed ParaCowboy, recovery is the road to riches.

"Oh "meltdown" it's one of those annoying "buzzwords", we prefer to call it an unrequested fission surplus" C Montgomery Burns
"


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## I_Drive_Planes

Work harder - Eat less.  For all of the exercise advice out there, thats what it really boils down to.  If you want to lose weight you must expend more than you consume, its that simple.

Planes


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## Michael Dorosh

It's not rocket science.  I never tried dieting before but once I figured out the math, I lost 20 pounds between the middle of January and the start of March.

3500 calories = 1 pound

Your maintenance level can be found here - http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalsm.html

calories burned here - http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.html

If your maintenance level is 2000 calories per day, and you eat 1500 (assuming zero exercise) it will take 7 days to lose 1 pound.  (500 x 7=3500)

Exercise will increase the rate at which calories are lost.

Consult your doctor and ensure, however, that whatever you decide to do, it is healthy and safe.


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## meni0n

Good way to lose fat is also to do endurance training combine with cardio. High reps low weight.


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## Lim0

Eat vegies and run your ass off!  ;D oh and stop drinkin that beer


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## Jaxson

alright guys, im now at a standoff with my damn scale, i run every other day for about half an hour, and i work out the days im not running (strictly upper/mid body for now so i dont over due it on my legs) now between the 2nd week of july, and as of the 16th of last week   i lost about 13lbs, now for the last week, i havent been able to move it at all, i only eat about 1800-2400 calories a day (i think my body needs about 2800 according to some online calculators ive used) plus the work outs, plus all the lifting and moving around i do at work (8 hours on my feet about 3-4 in a very fast paced walk / very light jog)   now im wondering if i am getting to FEW calories so my body is slowing down /shutting down my metabolism? is that a possibility? or do i further cut my calorie intake to lose weight? im trying to lose another 12 lbs in total by the end of september which i think is possible and reasonable, any suggestions?


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## Island Ryhno

You are eating too little for what you are doing. Food is fuel, it stokes your metabolism, try eating extremelyhealthy for the next month or so. Also try eating 6 smaller meals a day, make two of those protein shakes. And shake up your caloric intake from day to day, move it up and down so your body doesn't settle into a routine. Also try this workout; http://www.ruggedmag.com/index.php?type=Article&i=17&a=6 Now GO.


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## Jaxson

see i thought was the problem, thanks for the quick response man.... Ah well off to work!


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## FITSUMO

Portion control, frequent small meals, lots of water, exercise( at least 6hrs a week, mostly cardio) and time=70+ lbs loss for me.  Island ryhno (once again) says it best,  food is fuel.  When i started I would ask my self when preparing a meal, is this fuel that will help me on my work out, or is it crap.  If it was crap I would not eat it.

train hard.


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## CallOfDuty

Hey man, listen to Fitsumo and Island Ryhno...................they are bang on with their advice.  I ( over the past year or so) just lost approx. 70 pounds too.  I also used the " Food is fuel" thought process.  It works!


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## Jaxson

70lbs /yr thats a damn decent amount id say, yea small meals are all i actually get, for example, at work i have 3 of my 6 meals, 2 of them are on 10 minute breaks and the other is a 20 minute lunch... i think I'm getting hosed... 40 minutes/8 hrs = Horsecrud  :threat:   anyways,  thanks again everyone but one more question, concerning carbs.... do i need to cut them down or out to efficiently lose weight... for instance a bowl of cereal and a cup of milk has like 30-40 g of carbs , tuna has like 20 g/ 25% of the can..... so on so forth.


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## Gouki

dont cut carbs (if you do its an entirely different program w/ entirely different parameters) 

cut them down but do -not- eliminate them. bulk of calories comes from carbs so by restricting them you'll get the deficit you need. Try timing carb intakes before workouts too so you dont screw up your energy


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## Scratch_043

Ok, I've read past topics like this long enough, I thought this one was as good as any to ask.

I would like to start a training program while I am at school this year (college) as part of my preparation for the forces after I am done. My main problem is motivation, but I am working on it.

On to the question: What's with the different suppliments, like whey, and all of those, do they work/help, what do you use them for?

any help is appreciated.


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## Island Ryhno

You need Whey, and you need creatine. Whey, helps get protein into your body, you should only take it in doses of 30g, anything over that amount and the body cannot process it and it turns to stored energy aka fat.(4 calories in each gram of protein) Creatine Monohydrate, provides energy for muscles, volumization of muscles, bufers lactic acid build up and enhances protein synthesis. These are the only two supplements you need, other than that your wasting your money really.


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## FITSUMO

Island Ryhno, you do not NEED whey( you do need protien) or creatine, BUT they are really the only supplements that work.  
My understanding with creatine( I used when lifting years ago but had to stop cause I was getting really bad headaches from it, weird eh?) is that it is more for "body  building" than overall fitness, is that correct? ( help me out with that Ryhno) 
ToRN, do not get sucked in by the hype when you go and buy Whey or Creatine, you will see tonnes of displays that promise the world.  the good thing about taking whey is that it is in liquid form, which means faster absorbtion/synthesis, It gets to the body faster.

As for motivation, fitness is a long, hard road and the only one that can make you train is you.  For me I looked at people like Fuaja Singh, who at 94 is the world record holder for his age group for marathons, Terry Fox, Lance Armstrong, Carl Brashear( watch men of honour), Lisa Bently and Steve Prefontain, all of these people have overcome something major and trained, if they can make the time and effort, why  couldn't I.  It is easy to stay the same, it takes effort to change, but the effort is worth it.  And if you are going in the CF, your training could mean the difference between life and death.


train hard.


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## Island Ryhno

You're right of course, you don't need any supplement at all. Creatine is a body building supplement, however it is the only one that has a proven effect on the average joe workout, it helps you lift more for a longer period. Although it may be minimal amounts, it does add up over time. Also something I forgot to mention about creatine, skip the big "loading" period it suggests on the package, you don't need it. Take 5 grams once or twice a day with grape juice or the like. Enjoy.


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## FITSUMO

More info please....

will creatine help with middle distance( 10-16k) to long distance running(20-30k) or with long term biking( +70k), it was during the "loading phase" when my killer headaches happened.  Or should I stick with diet...........i will be doing some research on this now,  but like to get your perspective.

respect


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## swanita

Island Ryhno said:
			
		

> You are eating too little for what you are doing. Food is fuel, it stokes your metabolism, try eating extremelyhealthy for the next month or so. Also try eating 6 smaller meals a day, make two of those protein shakes. And shake up your caloric intake from day to day, move it up and down so your body doesn't settle into a routine. Also try this workout; http://www.ruggedmag.com/index.php?type=Article&i=17&a=6 Now GO.



Remember, if you aren't eating enough your body goes into "survival mode" thinking it has to conserve what food does come into the system & does that by slowing down the metabolism. However, you still need to eat fewer calories that use up to loose weight....Stick with the advice given remembering _what_ you eat is also an important factor.


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## paracowboy

swanita said:
			
		

> Remember, if you aren't eating enough your body goes into "survival mode" thinking it has to conserve what food does come into the system & does that by slowing down the metabolism. However, you still need to eat fewer calories that use up to loose weight....Stick with the advice given remembering _what_ you eat is also an important factor.


exactly right. By not eating enough, and doing it too rapidly, your body begins to think it's entering starvation, and stores up energy (calories) as fat tissue. It slows your metabolism right down, to conserve as much fat as it can.
You keep stuffing your yap every couple hours with a healthy snack, your body has no worries about conserving energy and speeds your metabolism up. 
If you're that dead set on losing fat, there are a number of "Bodybuilder" cook books that will show you how to make hay and water taste like something other than hay and water.


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## Jaxson

thanks again guys for all the help and advice.


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## Nathadius

Yeah, I was a fatty fat fat. I was on remedial PT and the works. Too much beer and smokes at the Junior Ranks, so I made a concerted effort to change my ways. This was patially due to my father-in-law having a massive heart attack. I thought it was about time to sort myself out! The only problem is that after six months of intensive training I was not loosing any weight (of the fatty variety, I was gaining muscle). One of the Pe&r staff asked me how much water I consumed in a day. It dawned on my that the two pots of coffee I was downing everyday was not cutting the mustard. I needed to in take a lot more water... a lot!


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## pipboy48

Has anybody found the PERFECT nutrition plan? A few other threads point out some sights but they all seem to universally lack actual meal lists, shopping lists or recipies. I have yet to find something that works for me. I can ruck, I can run but I can't keep my damn hands out of the cookie jar! I want to lose my extra weight. Anybody have a perfect balanced 3Xaday meal?
Any ideas? 
pipboy


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## Island Ryhno

Try six meals a day so you're not hungry in between. And this works: www.bodyforlife.com it has foodlists and recipes and even exercise demo's. Good luck!


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## Jarnhamar

Someone must have told my wife about that 6 meals a day thing, im going to find whoever it was and punch them out


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## SemperFidelis

Step 1: Get your hand out of the cookie jar.In fact, get rid of the cookie jar all together.
Step 2: Lose the 3 white things in your diet...Sugar, White Flour, Salt
Step 3: John Berardi....awsome adive from that one...heres the site http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/    
Step 4: Make your new nutrition program a LIFESTYLE...not a diet that you get off of after you've reached your goals.Otherwise it'll just be a mean cycle.


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## camochick

Good advice semper. I stopped keeping junk food in my house and somehow I have lost a bunch of weight. Sometimes just changing your diet slightly can help. You still have to exercise but to get rid of fat ( bad fats like trans and saturated) ,and  stop eating junk. Like semper said, white bread is the devil, so is salt cause it makes you retain water. Changed from white bread to whole grain, eat lots of veggies (spinach is good and you can use it for salad, on sandwiches etc and it's so good for you), fruit, changed from canola oil to olive oil when cooking, lots of water(i add lemons, sooooo tasty), fish (one of the best foods for you and it's so easy to make).


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## Island Ryhno

Ghost778 said:
			
		

> Someone must have told my wife about that 6 meals a day thing, im going to find whoever it was and punch them out



Care to explain why?


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## Jarnhamar

I'm making a joke and implying she eats too much.

Joking aside, suggesting to someone that they should try to eat 6 meals a day when they probably dont have the backround or discipline to safely do that probably isn't a good idea.  get skinny/get in shape fast tricks are usually just that. A trick.


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## Island Ryhno

Eating six meals a day is not a get skinny/get in shape "trick". It's a basic building block of nutrition and fitness. A reason why people reach for the cookie jar is because they are hungry. They live by the old "three squares a day" adage and in the long run it hurts them. Generally if you eat only 3 meals per day you load up at those times and tend to dump a ton of calories into you. If you eat six smaller meals a day, you generally feel full all the time and have no need to binge. The principle takes some getting used to for most people as they have the ingrained 3 meals idea. You have to test run it and see what works best for you, and adjust your intake accordingly. Also if you are referencing Bill Phillips, Body For Life as a gimmick, then I'm sorry you feel that way. His idea is a lifestyle and lifetime change, not a get skinny quick trick and it is full of good advice.


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## Jarnhamar

So that will work for someone who knows what their doing. Who's in the lifestyle.  

If someone eats 3 meals a day and those meals are not balanced, what are the chances that *6* of those meals a day will not be balanced?

Walk before you run.  Sort someone out so their eating 3 good meals a day (3 meals like they are used to) and once they eat responsible, introduce them to something more advanced/requiring more discipline.


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## Island Ryhno

Most diets promote what you're promoting, stay on your old habits of three meals per day, just alter like so; 1) Eat less calories 2) Add healthy foods like salad and such. The reason most people fail at this is because they are hungry all the time, by eating 6 smaller meals a day, your caloric intake will go down, you can add healthy choices and your not hungry all the time because you eat about every two hours. You're talking semantics, if people are not eating healthy at three meals a day now, then they not going to eat healthy for 3-6 or even 10 meals a day. Becoming healthy requires a commitment, it requires discipline. Any way to ease the transition from slug to healthy helps and it's not a trick way, it's a healthy and balanced way of doing things.


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## x-grunt

I'm not a guy who gets into fads, but my wife went on the South Beach diet and I did it too as support. I was pleasantly surprised. The sucker really worked. And I wasn't hungry on it. I did have some sugar cravings for a few days. I've lost nearly 30 lbs. It's a lot like what SemperFidelis mentioned about losing sugar and stuff. The structure of the diet I found very workable, and I went off it completely after awhile and the fat has stayed off.

To each their own, may or may not work for you. Personally I needed the guidance and structure of food lists and information, along with a reasonable dose of self-discipline. After all, no diet works if you don't work it.

 Just my .02


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## Jarnhamar

I see the wisdom behind eating 6 smaller meals. This is also north america and not europe: smaller meals is easier said than done 

I'm just biased. For every diet that works, 10 don't.
i hit the field this summer and in 2 wweeks I lost 24ish pounds.  Beef jerky and granola bars.

I'll gracefuly bow out with this link, for fun 

http://www.spartanhealth.com/


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## Island Ryhno

Are you Shawn from Alberta Ghost? Great testimony!  ;D Anywho, I think folks are misreading this as a diet or worse a fad diet.  : It is not, I'm not promoting anything carb free or fat free or this free or that free. It's a principle, a simplistic but seemingly unatainable idea for most people. Lists of food you say, well here's a list of things that I buy and eat, so maybe it will help you. Don't take it as a certified anyones advice, it's just what I do and it works for me. Here's my grocery list,
Skimmed Milk, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Steak, Extra Lean Ground Beef, Cod filets, salmon steak, canned tuna, eggs, low fat marble cheese, fat free salsa, baked tostito nacho chips, 12 grain dempsters bread, turkey breasts, lite n lean chicken, ham and roast beef, Olive oil, healthy request soups, diet gingerale, Kashi Go Lean cereal, all natural Peanut Butter, Sliced almonds, franks hot sauce, V8 reduced Sodium juice, Olives, Hot peppers, Corn, Spinach, Green, Red and Orange Peppers, carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Fat Free Yoghurt, Oranges, Nectarines, Bananas, Peaches, Pares, Grapes and apples. I even have some ice cream once in a while. If you eat this stuff on a regular basis, you will not go wrong.


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## SemperFidelis

x-grunt said:
			
		

> After all, no diet works if you don't work it.



hooah


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## Bert

Ghost778
>
"I'm making a joke and implying she eats too much."
<

HAHAHAHA I betcha your wife doesn't read this forum!  You hand might
be found in the cookie jar without the rest of your body.


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## winchable

"Take my wife, no please take my wife"
"You want me to take your wife? What's wrong with her?"
"No it's a joke, I'm initially implying that I want someone to "take" a look at my wife, then revealing my true intentions of actually "Take"-ing her away. A delicious play on words, a bon, jouer sur le mots."
"..So you want me to take your wife away from you?"
"Yeah...why not"



What did people do before diets and wives for conversation?


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## x-grunt

Che said:
			
		

> What did people do before diets and wives for conversation?



We talked about the weather alot...the great Canadian pastime  ;D.


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## Island Ryhno

x-grunt said:
			
		

> We talked about the weather alot...the great Canadian pastime   ;D.



Over a Double Double and a Boston Cream or twelve, which ruined our diets so we got fat and lost our wives to fit military guys.


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## Jaxson

Dont drink pop unless its diet.... lots of sugars, empty calories.


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## paracowboy

pipboy48 said:
			
		

> Has anybody found the PERFECT nutrition plan?


 black coffee, Skoal straight, and Guiness on weekends.


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## hoote

You can get all the nutritional advice in the world but NONE OF IT WILL WORK for you unless you follow it.   The problem is that you are eating junk because it does something for you.   It is comforting, or fun, or distracting, or it is a friend when you are all alone at night.   You are feeding a need instead of dealing with it appropriately.   So (in order for example) get a teddy bear, play video games, watch tv or play paintball, or get a girlfriend or other friends.   This is pretty cut and dried but it is true.   

If you want more info read Dr. Phil's book - The ultimate weight solution (I know...groan).   But it does work.   I lost about 30 pounds and kept it off.   The reason his book is good is because it targets all those habits that undermine weight loss.   So you can read all you want about nutrition, weight loss, etc. but until you develop the proper habit control, you won't use all that good advice.   

Just my two cents.


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## Jaxson

Che said:
			
		

> What did people do before diets?




 we stayed healthy by staying alive through our own means, not counting on others for the most part, we never had burger places and cars, tv and xbox's we had horses and cornfields, stick and hoop (anyone know the name of that?) .


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## pipboy48

paracowboy said:
			
		

> black coffee, Skoal straight, and Guiness on weekends.



Now I have been following a plan similar to that. My friends and I call it the vitamin beer and vitamin chicken wing plan. no Skoal though!  Thanks for all the tips. I have no problems with follow-through when I set my mind to it. I think there also might be an environmental factor at work. I live in London... A very food oriented city. We can always be quoted "Thai, Mexican, Japanese...etc."  there's always some new food to eat.  On the other side of things... when I go to visit my bud at CFB Kingston I lose weight because i'm not eating at a different place every night... go figure (It must be all that walking from bar to bar there) Anyway.. .thanks for all the tips!
Pipboy


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## visitor

People eat junk because they are hungry. Lots of time  they are hungry because they are not getting enough protein in their diet. Try eating some lean protein with every meal and you will not have to eat  6 meals a day. Who has the time? Go to low fat milk, etc. Cut out butter on the bread.  Eat bread with fiber instead of white bread. The little things will add up and then you can have the odd dessert. A draconian diet will not last.


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## Island Ryhno

Must....smack....head....reapeatedly...ungh..ungh. Look, I don't make this shit up ok. Here's what I know, I've been kicking around gyms a long time, along the way the principles of "fitness & nutrition" struck me as interesting. Hell I've even considered doing  Kinesology or some such foolishness. In that time I've tried absoluetly everything, I'm like my own guinny pig. I've even tried NOX. 

In all my reading, studying etc, I've found some simple truths. Protein is good, but not in the copius amounts that people keep suggesting, I'm a 275lb man, I lift weights intensely and I run a decent 5k, if anyone needs a lot of protein it's me. I've seen skinny boys and girls trying to ingest twice the amount I take, guess what I'm still outdoing them. Refined carbs are shitty, but tasty, who doesn't like some french fries or potatoe chips? Limit the intake of those. Fat is essential to your diet, you can't live without it and GASP some of it is good for you. People got fat by going "fat free" most fat free stuff is loaded with sugar, one of those bad refined carbs. 

Now, the principle that evolved this thread, eating 6 smaller meals per day keeps you constantly full. If you're constantly full with good stuff, there is no room for bad stuff, right Mars bar! I don't care what you eat three times a day, you will still feel hunger at some point and that's where you get in trouble. I just put this stuff up here when people ask, I'm not pushing anybodys product. If people don't want to take what I'm saying that's fine. For anyone to come on here and say that what I posted was draconian is absurd. Visitor, you should rethink your approach to nutrition if you believe that 6 meals a day is draconian. Go read about some nutrition folks, it's not hard to find these days.


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## visitor

I never said eating 6 meals/day   is draconian. "Draconian"means harsh   and usually implies severe. How could 6 meals/day   be severe? :/        I was referring to the initial poster who said he ate a lot of cookies and someone replied for him not to eat   cookies. For him to deny himself something he likes is draconian. He should   try to work cookies into his plan, as you seem to do with fries or potato chips. To each his own.

And you smack   your head unnecessarily.   To my mind a meal is different than a snack. And some people are   not in a position to   fix 6 small meals a day. Eating an apple on the fly is something else, but again, some people's jobs do not allow for that.

Secondly, if he is eating lots of carbs,   and is still hungry, he may need more protein. Personally, I had the same craving of carbs. When I upped my protein (which when analyzed, was way too low) I   lost 20 pounds   (and kept it off) and my   constant hunger went away. Eating SOME lean protein   (not copious amounts as you are referring to)   is what I suggested. You don't know what his current amount is and neither do I.   You can also get lots of   the necessary fat in your diet, esp if you are eating cookies and still cut back fat in other way. If our boy is overweight something has got to go. Switching to low fat milk, mayonnaise, etc.   is less painless than giving up   all the cookies.

 If he is really interested, he could get his diet analyzed as I did and figure out the balance of food he needs to lose weight and also   give him enough energy to do all his activities. Everyone is different.

I think a   lot of the   frustration on boards such as these occurs when people misinterpret what is said,   make assumptions and jump to   conclusions without clarifying.     

On the other hand if you would rather smack your head...


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## SemperFidelis

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/34571/post-269178.html#msg269178


If your interested pipboy48


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## TCBF

Good link, short, concise, to the point info.  Thanks.

Tom


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## SemperFidelis

TCBF said:
			
		

> Good link, short, concise, to the point info.   Thanks.
> 
> Tom



Your welcome


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## LordVagabond

First of all, I did a search on all the fitness threads I could but couldn't find any advice on weight loss while training for fitness exam

So, hence, this thread exists  

Anyways, I have applied to the forces, and have the next 5 or so months (finishing university) to get myself trained up to spec. I can do, as of yesterday, 25 pushups, 49 situps in 1 minute, and a 17:36 2.4km run. The biggest problem affecting my fitness right now is my slightly large gut (I'm not "fat," just horizontally large, but not sticking out the sides and all that jazz) and how it is impeding my run speed and endurance. 

My question pertains to how to lose said gut by May, when I graduate. I have already drastically changed my diet (no more pop, less pork  :'(, more skinless chicken, whole wheat pastas and breads, etc) and I hit the gym 5 days a week with MWF getting 30 minutes in the locker room steam room. So far I haven't seen a pound of change, and that is going hardcore in the gym with multijoint exercises and a full "military set" every other day (pushups immediately to situps immediately to chin machine immediately to ab plank etc). I run a little bit (30 minutes jog to get my endurance up) 4 days of the week and then do a 2.4 km run on Friday afternoons on the track at the fitness center at University.

So... how do I lose weight and gain military level fitness?


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## PViddy

diet, cardio, weights.

The more muscle mass you put on, the more calories you consume  keep up the exercise, you won't be drastic results right off the bat but the name of the game is to burn more calories than you consume.  Keep up the hard work, i am sure you'll get there.

cheers

PV


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## Cliffy433

My advice:   I know university students are broke... but if you're serious about it - get a personal trainer.   If you provide a good personal trainer with a timeline, a realistic goal (yours is), and are willing to stick to a program (you sound like you are) - then you're laughing.

Also: You state you have a gut, but haven't referenced the rest of your body type.   There are three main types, mesomorphs, ectomorphs, and endomorphs.   I forget which is which, but essentially one is a pear, one is greek god, one is skinny.   Sounds like you might be a pear.   Greek statues and twigs can run, pears cannot run as well.

Pears can get fit for their body type, but there are limitations.   Pears are designed for ruckmarches, not running.   We had one monster of a 1CER on ROTO 7, just huge.   He was designed to ruckmarch and carry heavy things at a steady pace, and to pull tracked vehicles out of mud when a wrecker couldn't.   Running was breaking him - when the physiotherapist ordered him to do low-impact cardio (read: NO RUNNING) he was fine.   Some people are just not designed to run.

How does that help you?   Not much, I'm afraid - but I have yet to see a single recruiting centre that makes people run 2.4km.   That distance and time is a goal.   Most BMQ/SQ use the shuttle-run, and most recruiting centres use the step test.   Both are designed not to mimic a 2.4km run, but to evaluate your cardiovascular capability to run 2.4km.   Which you can.   Keep training, increase the lengths of your runs, then decrease time, and you should be fine.

Oh, and find a running partner who's a strong runner.   It's DAMN hard to stay motivated running alone.

tlm.


----------



## Clément Barbeau Vermet

Run every day but do not eat more.
And even if you stay a little bit fatty, you will become stronger and will get more endurance. It may be normal for you to be a bit fatty, its because of your metabolism. I eat like a pig for all last summer and I remained very skinny.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Clément


----------



## winchable

> Oh, and find a running partner who's a strong runner



It also helps if she's an attractve female. No honestly! The last thing you want to do is A)Be emasculated and fall behind B)Look whimpy and stop.
Same for fitness trainers, what more motivation could you ask for on top of the forces.

Yes I know it's horrible of me to say but it's the unspoken truth.


----------



## LordVagabond

Referring to body types: Back when I was 18, I was pretty much a straight line up and down if you looked at me side on. I had ripped abs (always have) and strong lats, and my shoulders are extremely well defined. I slipped a disc very slightly at a Tae Kwon Do tournament tho, and that precluded me from exercise for the better part of two years while waiting for a full bill of health from the doc. As soon as I got it, I started my jogging again, but by then I was ~260 lbs, and my endurance really suffered hard, so I lost motivation and didn't exercise again until ~22 1/2 years old (I'm just recently 24). 

So, I know that I can have the body of a greek god, and I can tab like anything (I usually hike trails with buddies carrying most if not all the heavy stuff and don't usually get tired, and that's like 25 km a day). SO I guess I'm a rucker and not a runner, eh?  :crybaby: Ah well, gotta get on that running


----------



## Aislinn

There are actually many references to loosing weight in these threads, though I know the search option can be hit or miss at times. Look in the Training forum. Paracowboy usually has good advice. My advice would be to run more. Run at least 45 minutes 4 times a week. While weight training can boost your metabolism (which helps with weight loss), the best way to loose is through cardio activities. Get your heart rate up and keep it there for a while. Also, you say you are eating healthier, but maybe look into portion sizes. It's hard to know what the right size portion is these days, as even the most reserved restaurant portion is double what it should be. That being said, you want to make sure you're getting enough calories for you fitness routine. A book from the library (as opposed to the more expensive option of a nutritionist) could help. 
Good luck.

Cheers.


----------



## Beast 77

Alright here's my ever so controversial weight loss plan. I'm not a nutritionist, but it worked for me. After reading a great little book called "The no-grain Diet" by Dr. Mercola, and following his diet, I lost a lot of weight. Basically it's a low carb diet. I didn't eat any grains at all, including rice. No starchy vegtables like potatoes and corn, and absolutely no sugars including fruit and juice. I know this sounds like torture, but you get used to it, you  lose weight and you feel really good (no more sugar lows). The idea behind it is that your insulin levels are screwed up and therefore effect your metabolism, so you have to get your insulin levels under control by not eating grains and sugars. I know a lot of people will say that I'm mental, (actually a lot of people already have) but there it is. I've lost almost 80 pounds eating this way. Good luck. Oh, and the idea is not that you will eat this way forever, just till you reach your target weight.


----------



## Jaxson

"My advice:  I know university students are broke... but if you're serious about it - get a personal trainer.  If you provide a good personal trainer with a timeline, a realistic goal (yours is), and are willing to stick to a program (you sound like you are) - then you're laughing."

There has been numerous threads on the benefits AND disadvantages of personal trainers, educate yourself and take the time to plan your own routine made for you.


----------



## qor556

Hmm I have always wondered, drinking coffee and having caffeinated no-sugar products actually detrimental to your diet? Does it actually spike insulin levels inhibiting weight loss? Always heard conflicting things...


----------



## FITSUMO

I have gone from 310 to 240, it has been a long haul and it is no where near finished.  What helped me, first off portion control, then eating 5 small meals a day, no pop, whole grains only.  I set a goal for my self, in my case doing a Olympic and 1/2 iron distance TRI( now focus is on interval and sprint type things), so that meant running, biking, swimming and weights.  My training started out with 3 runs a week, a 5k for time, a 6-9k trail run, and one long distance run, starting at 9k and building to 30k.  For the running I did the 5 and the 6-9k runs with no walking( it took time to build to that) and for the long run I did and still do a 10 min run 1 min walk thing.  I swam 3 times a week doing a 1.5k for time, a 2-4k and I had a long swim of 5-8k straight swimming.  The biking broke down to 2 trail rides for fun, and 2 road rides for specifics( ie hills, sprints, cadence etc).  The weights was basic movements with med to heavy weight.  For me on this type of training I had to eat grains( the carbs were important for the distance), but portion control is the biggest thing that changed for me.  

Enami has great advise to run at least 45 mins a day, for me I tried to do at least( very least) 60 mins of cardio a day 6 times a week.

And yes an attractive running mate helps alot, ego is such a funny thing

As was said earlier, go to the posts that paracowboy started in training.  He and all the others that have written, have great advise.  Good luck, do it smart so it stays off.

respect
FITSUMO


----------



## polo

Losing weight may not be what you're looking for...you sound more interested in losing adipose tissue. What you need to do is forget about how much you weigh because muscle weighs more than fat...and water more than both. Make sure you're well hydrated before you run, DO NOT TAKE CAFFIENE PRODUCTS OR HIGH CARBOHYDRATE PRODUCTS...caffiene spikes your heart rate and can be very bad to your health when doing even moderate activities, carbs (ex. chocolate bars, fruitopia) spike your blood glucose levels, this raises insulin in the blood and once all of the glucose is taken into the cells there is a depletion and the effect is TIREDNESS!!! this in both your muscles and your mind. Don't forget your brain is a muscle. Death can even occur if a human overdoses on his/her limits of carbohydrate, caffiene or fat soluble nutrients (vitamin D). Be very careful when you diet and exercise, professional advice is a MUST. The worst thing you want is to die from taking too many vitamins or a cup of coffee.


----------



## polo

Oh and to add something I forgot...
Pastas and breads contain starches which are complex carbohydrates...these are important in maintaining blood glucose and insulin levels, if they are eaten in moderation. Do not overeat these but make sure you recieve a good supply to keep you going for the day, the best thing is breakfast and only a little at lunch/dinner. Don't forget whatever is not used by your body (especially complex carbs) are stored as fat. 
Make sure that if you are eating pasta and breads that you counteract the oils used for cooking/buttering (don't want to clog your arteries) the best way to do this is to use vegetable based oils. Consuming others may include different fats (hydroxyginated, saturated, unsaturated, etc.)


----------



## paracowboy

1) you don't need to lose "weight". Weight means nothing.
2) eat less
3) exercise more

It's not as complicated as everyone is trying to make it sound. Run farther, faster. Lift more weight, more often. Do more calisthenics. Eat less food, and ensure it's healthy food.


----------



## LordVagabond

Well, seeing as specifics is what this thread needs, I will post my exercise routine, and you can all pick it apart 

My goal is to raise my upper body strength (I can still only do 1-2 unassisted chin ups) and lose the flab on my body (reduce my body fat percentage).

I should also note that I take absolutely NO supplements or extra-meal vitamins (ie vitamin pills)

My breakfasts are usually high fiber with a glass or two of orange juice. I have a snack of a bran muffin (baked fresh every week by mum! ) at around 11 am. Have something at ~2 pm, then have a supper usually ~5-6 pm which usually includes a meat (beef or chicken mostly, and both lean), veggies and two to three glasses of water (a glass will be considered ~250 mL)

Excercise:

Monday: Lower body day. 20 minutes full body stretching, upper and lower body. Leg press machine, leg curls, squats, etc. Process is 10 reps at manageable weight, then add weight, 8 reps, add weight, 6 reps, add weight, reps to exhaustion (usually 4-5). Break for 5 with stretching and hydration. Also, hydrate between each excercise machine. After this, up to track for 2 laps walking, one lap fast walk, then 30 minutes jogging with my little manboobs and not so little stomach bouncing around like a happy bellydancer. AFter 30 minutes, 2 laps walk, then to stretch mats for stretching and massive hydration (usually 500-750 mL). Back down to main weight room for any toning work I feel like, then mats for stretching, then steam room to make muscles happy  ;D

Tuesday and Thursday: pure cardio day. Stretch, then stationary bikes for 30 minutes intervalled cardio. From there, upstairs for jog as per monday, then stretching, then showers

Wednesday: Upper body day and military sets. Stretching, bench presses, free weights butterfly, overhead press, bicep and tricep curls, etc. Military set as described a few posts above. Break. Jog. stretch. steam room.

Friday: Lots of stretching, warm up 10 minutes on low impact cardio on stationary bike or elliptical trainer. Upstairs for 2.4 km run. Back down to stretch and if needed, ab work (crunch rolls, situps, ab plank, etc) then steam room.

There's my routine. Any suggestions on how to make it work better at reducing body fat?


----------



## polo

Try to increase your water intake to keep things moving in your blood. If you are partaking in constant activity throughout the day plus a 20 min. workout you should consume 4 bottles. If you sit on your butt for a break day 2 bottles is okay. Drink mineralized water though, demineralized can pull your minerals out of cells to balance (osmosis).


----------



## LordVagabond

I drink, on average, 4-6 liters per day, and on some days up to 8 liters. And it's water straight from the taps (because I have my own water bottle that I keep refilling) so it has all the goodies in it


----------



## polo

Sweet deal, keep it up. You should have no problem with your fitness if you exercise and eat properly. Good luck!


----------



## TN2IC

tlm said:
			
		

> Pears can get fit for their body type, but there are limitations.   Pears are designed for ruckmarches, not running.   We had one monster of a 1CER on ROTO 7, just huge.   He was designed to ruckmarch and carry heavy things at a steady pace, and to pull tracked vehicles out of mud when a wrecker couldn't.   Running was breaking him - when the physiotherapist ordered him to do low-impact cardio (read: NO RUNNING) he was fine.   Some people are just not designed to run.




That is so me... but I was'nt on ROTO 7. Just remember not everyone is the same.


----------



## LordVagabond

Well, I know that I'm a rucker... I just don't want to fail my fitness exam  :crybaby:  because I really really REALLY want to get in to the Canadian Forces


----------



## horsegunner353

I strongly recommend you (and anyone else interested) pick up a copy of "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips.

I spent most of last year on two major staff courses... Army Ops and Artillery Ops.... needless to say, like some goldfish, my body grew to the size of the environment, in my case the wide-beth staff officer's chair.

Upon returning to Shilo after Artillery Ops, a fellow officer offered me his copy of Body for Life.   In six weeks I went from 205 to 180.   

The trick is, there is no trick.   Phillips preaches that diets don't work... they have a 100% failure rate.   A dedicated lifestyle change is what is required.

The key tenets of his program are as follows:

Eat six small meals a day, not three large ones.   Ensure each meal has one serving of carbs and one serving of protein, and two of those meals should include fruit/vegetable.

Exercise six times a week, alternating three resistance and three cardio workouts.   The cardio workouts are short... no more than 20 mins... but intense.   Take caution here as 90% of PT classes in the military are "runs". I personally inserted one or two long-distance runs per week, alternating each week.

Finally, here's the best part, at least once a week, have an off day where you do no exercise at all and eat anything you want.... if you want to eat McD's five times that day... then do so.   The reason all diets fail is because we try to immediately cut out tasty servings that our body has grown to love over a large number of years.   Once you see the outstanding results of your lifestyle change, eventually that day off, all you'll want is to eat the same healthy food you have all week only more of it.

My wife was previously a fitness instructor at the Gym in Shilo.   Her advice with respect to specific exercises is that the best way to get good at push ups, chin ups and sit ups is to do them.   That sounds patently obvious, but I'm struck at how many people try to improve these exercises by doing other exercises.   The only way to go from 25 pushups to 50 is to just keep doing them.

Good luck... you've got plenty of time and it sounds like you have the motivation, therefore, you have 99% of the equipment you need to make this happen! If you ever falter in motivation, watch the scene from Saving Private Ryan when the German and American are wrestling with a single bayonet and the German wins.   If that doesn't motivate you to do more push ups nothing will!


----------



## Jaxson

"Exercise six times a week, alternating three resistance and three cardio workouts.  The cardio workouts are short... no more than 20 mins... but intense.  Take caution here as 90% of PT classes in the military are "runs". I personally inserted one or two long-distance runs per week, alternating each week."

Your minimal running time should be 20 minutes, not the max.


----------



## ZxExN

Losing weight (fat) or gaining weight (muscles) is all about descipline and consistency. Go to the gym 5 days a week and cut the junk food. It's that simple but not easy to do. Goodluck.


----------



## horsegunner353

With respect to Jaxson's post.

That wasn't a typo, Bill Phillips prescribes a maximum  of 20 minutes for his cardio plan.  The key is that it is 20 minutes of intense, interval-style cardio.  If you intend to just go for a long, normal paced run then 25 minutes should be the minimum you go for.


----------



## LordVagabond

I'm now also adding a Saturday swim to my workout  2 hours of various strokes, diving, water treading, etc  ;D


----------



## Spazz

LordVagabond said:
			
		

> I'm now also adding a Saturday swim to my workout  2 hours of various strokes, diving, water treading, etc   ;D



Holy crap, I admire your enthusiasm! Just make sure you have time to sleep eh?  ;D


----------



## LordVagabond

Spazz said:
			
		

> Holy crap, I admire your enthusiasm! Just make sure you have time to sleep eh?  ;D



I just know that I want in to the best career in Canada   :warstory:

I also get 5-10 hours of sleep, depending on my schedule, and I eat 5 times a day. Basically, my motivation is that I don't want to be on the receiving end of a "Private Bloggins, why are you so out of shape?!?!" lecture  ;D


----------



## hoote

horsegunner353 said:
			
		

> If you ever falter in motivation, watch the scene from Saving Private Ryan when the German and American are wrestling with a single bayonet and the German wins.   If that doesn't motivate you to do more push ups nothing will!



This quote had a huge effect on me.   I was recently pondering why we do so many pushups.     But being prepared to push a bayonet wielding enemy combatant off of my chest is a good enough reason for doing all the pushups in the world!   

As for my suggestions, 

Your workouts need to mmimic your activities as a soldier.   So assess your abilities with regards to strength and cardio   If you are good at one exercise, then don't spend all your time on it.   Focus on your weaknesses.   For example, if you are super at ruck marching then focus on something else. 

Strength:
If I were you I would do multiple sets of pushups instead of all kinds of weights.   If you are like me (I"m 5"8 and 195lbs) then you have plenty of body weight to use as resistance.   When I say multiple sets, I mean MULTIPLE sets.   You need to build muscle endurance as the army tests how many pushups you can do, not how much you benchpress (well, maybe they do but not at the fitness eval).   So for example I started out with a few weeks at 4x15pushups, then 4x20, then 5x20, then 5x25, then 6x25, then 6x30, then 10x20, then 20x20.   I have been working on this for 1.5 years and just started the 10x20.   So it takes time.   I would do this 3 times/week unless you are suffering from DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness).   If that is the case, wait until you are not stiff and sore and keep going.   Once you can do a week of pushups and don't feel stiff, move up to a more difficult set.   If you can't complete a set (which happens to me all the time), then take a 2 second break and tab on!   or complete the set with negatives (go to the start position with arms straight and let yourself down-studies show that the most benefit is gained when the muscle is lengthened under stress).

The good thing about pushups is there are a billion ways to do them.     Vary the routine, do different types to target different areas (hands close, shoulder width and far apart, try dive bombers-look them up).   Do incline pushups or get a small child to sit on your shoulders for greater resistance.     


As for chin up I do 8 sets of 10 (4 sets wide grip, 4 sets normal chinup grip).   I started out with 2x8, then 3x8, then 3x10, then 4x10, etc.   I can complete the first set or two and then have to finish the sets with negatives (for chinups-climb up to the bar (use a chair or whatever) and let yourself down slowly).   When it comes to improving chinups, negatives really work.   And the good thing is you can do lots of them because all you have to do is let yourself down slowly.   I went from 2 chinups to 13 (but losing 25lbs helped out I'm sure)


Cardio

As for cardio unless you have lots of time and are chasing a cute girl in the swim aerobics class, I would stick to running.   Nothing can replace it.   As a soldier, you won't be chasing Bin Laden on the elliptical machine!   

Your body has to get used to the beating and pounding.   However, one must be wise, running injuries result when you go too far, too fast, too soon.   Start out slow and gradually work up to your goal.   Run on grass or a professional track to spare your knees.   Call the running room and have them give you some advice on what runs to do and how often over the phone.   I did this and they suggested the following:

4 runs per week
1st run-normal run comfortable distance
2nd run-either run intervals or hills (hills are amazing at strengthening your legs to help you run faster).
3rd run-normal run comfortable distance
4th run-long slower run-go for distance (don't increase it anymore than .5km per week).   So run for 10 min, walk for 1min and repeat.   You can literally go forever like this.   

The reason you need to vary your run is because your body undergoes different metabolic processes when you do different runs.   Fast runs work on ccardioand power, longer runs allow your body to produce more mitochondria-which are needed to supply your mmuscleswith energy.   So more energy=longer more powerful runs.   


Well, I am going on and on but here is one more rant.

Weight loss:
Use the measuring tape as a the primary indicator of weight loss and not the scale.   It is hard to lose fat and not lose some muscle as well.     So be careful how you do it.   Anita Bean published a really good book on all this including how to eat for athletic performance.   She advised to eat 5-6 SMALL meals a day-this keeps blood sugar stable and each time you eat your body has to rev up the digestive system to digest the food (you burn 100-150 calories each time you eat).   

You also need to calculate how many calories you need each day (include exercise) and eat 10-15% less than your body needs (skip the butter on the toast, cookie after lunch, morning donut and you're good to go).   This is much easier to do than crash diet.     

Well, that's all I have to say...


----------



## LordVagabond

As far as I understand (from watching the BMQ vid and reading up on it) there is a swim portion of BMQ where you need to be able to do three "survival tasks" or you go to remedial training... ie jump into a pool, tread water for 2 minutes, then swim 50 m, etc. So I am getting my body used to holding its breath, jumping from heights, treading water, and laps are very good cardio, so apart from helping build strength, they help burn fat. 

I can't do long distance running very well yet, but I can ruck like nothing else. I'm slowly getting myself up to it, but all the flabber that's bouncing around doesn't do much to help. And it actually hurts after about 10 minutes because it's tugging on my body structure.

I also don't have 1.5 years to get myself up to spec. I have 6 months, 7 at the outside, according to the guys at CFRC Calgary. So I need to power on and get things DONE....

Sadly, I cannot do even one unassisted chin up yet (the chinup machine has counterweights to offset body weight). My arms aren't strong enough to haul my body vertically up yet. Too much weight  :crybaby:


----------



## hoote

You have a good point.  I have had a ton of time to prepare.  From what you say, excess weight is a key concern of yours.  

Have you looked into Dr. Bernstein's Weight Loss Clinics?  Look him up on the web.  Apparently people lose 4-5lbs of fat a week on his program.

It will cost you about a few hundred bucks a month though but from what I hear it works.


----------



## paracowboy

horsegunner353 said:
			
		

> With respect to Jaxson's post.
> 
> That wasn't a typo, Bill Phillips prescribes a maximum  of 20 minutes for his cardio plan.   The key is that it is 20 minutes of intense, interval-style cardio.   If you intend to just go for a long, normal paced run then 25 minutes should be the minimum you go for.


Phillips isn't a soldier. We do PT for an hour. 90% of the time, that PT is a run. Having this guy run for 20 minutes is not going to help him. 

Vagabond, have you read my post on Blisters and PT yet? It covers everything you need to lose fat and gain muscle quickly, and will prepare you for Basic in other ways, as well. It was recommended to you twice by others, and I'm curious.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

paracowboy said:
			
		

> Phillips isn't a soldier. We do PT for an hour. 90% of the time, that PT is a run. Having this guy run for 20 minutes is not going to help him.
> 
> Vagabond, have you read my post on Blisters and PT yet? It covers everything you need to lose fat and gain muscle quickly, and will prepare you for Basic in other ways, as well. It was recommended to you twice by others, and I'm curious.



There you go. All you need to know, and then some. Finito.


----------



## cherrypie269

Hello all,

I'm planning on joining the CF as a med tech, just waiting for all the processing to start up again. I need to lose quite a bit of weight, right now I'm about 5'6 180 lbs.
I'm trying to figure out where to start here. My scheduale only allows me to workout early morning/late night, and since I live in the country it's not safe to run outdoors after dark (lots of bears around here!). I do have an older treadmill, although there is no incline function.
Right now I can do about 10 decent pushups, about 20 sit ups, and I can hold a steady jog for about 20 minutes (I'm working on quitting smoking too!).
So my question is... what should I be doing? Can anyone give me some help with coming up with a good workout plan? Thanks in advance


----------



## Deck

Cherry,

My suggestion would be to enroll for an aquatic fitness program if at all possible. There are many routines available to you on line that you could use if there is not a program in your area that would suit your current schedule. 

If you are not at present a strong swimmer, do not be discouraged this avenue will have two fold benefits for you. It will provide you with a low impact cardio intense workout while helping to develop swimming skills that will be of great benefit to you later in basic training. 

I don't think the benefits of walking can be overstated. If in your part of the world your having a typical winter with snow, try some winter golf. As crazy as this might sound its a great way to burn off some steam and calories while allowing the brain to focus on other than mundane activities. Simply grab your handy 3 wood an orange street hockey ball and find a patch of deep snow to start belting out the 300 yards. All of a sudden your getting a low impact workout that is involving both lower body and upper body. The deeper the snow the better, as this forces you to lift those knees and lots of digging while looking for your ball.  Bring a friend and fetch happy dog and now you have a real sport.

I do hope these ideas have given you a small insight of place to start. Just being creative about what activities you do will go along way towards helping you obtain your over all goals. My only caution would be the hope that regardless of what you do, try to limit the exposure to risk of injury. You have plenty of opportunities to challenge your self to higher risk activities as your training with in the CF progresses. At this point you are your only currency you have to offer the CF and that value is greatly diminished if you sustain injury at this point.


----------



## Major_Malfunction

There are SO many threads about this so I won't get into datail about it cuz I'll probably get yelled at 

don't think of it as losing weight... think of it as losing body fat. There's a huge difference. If you look in the mirror (the mirror is your friend!) and you see copious amounts of unwanted body fat, then the solution is simple: less food, more exercise.

Well, not really... 

you may not be eating too much food, you may just be eating the wrong food. how's your diet? Do you eat a lot of junk or fast food? If you do, STOP!  

Protein: meats and eggs
Carbs: veggies and fruit
Fats: oils 
If you like to eat those... you're already on your way!
I tell this to all my clients... throw your scale out in the yard and forget about it. Scales are useless. Use your mirror! Once you start to see results, then you know you're doing it right.

Oh, and quit smoking... did you know smoking deteriorates your abdominal wall?  (heh, that always scares my younger client... no washboard for you!)

Anyway.. surf around these forums and you'll find some great advice. 

Good luck


----------



## ducky

Major_Malfunction said:
			
		

> Do you eat a lot of junk or fast food? If you do, STOP!



great tip...but oh so hard...i tell you


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

ducky said:
			
		

> great tip...but oh so hard...i tell you



Not that hard once you know what's in it.


----------



## readytogo

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> Not that hard once you know what's in it.
> [/quote
> 
> I would agree with that 100% start looking into what these "junk" foods contain and you wont feel to bad about dropping those out of your diet all together.  Drink a pile of water and do your best to not eat anything after 7:00pm.  If you find that you must try cottage cheese, its high in protien(casein protien to be percise) which will burn slowly and leave you feeling full longer.
> 
> my :2c:
> 
> RTG


----------



## opp550

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> Not that hard once you know what's in it.



This :nod:

I know it doesn't work for everyone, but if you just take a glance at the nutritional info on some products, what you see can make you jaw drop. Also, when reading the nutritional info, do take into account sample size, since they often make it look healthier by only showing half of the meal. 

Diet and exercise are each only half of the battle.


----------



## kincanucks

Reduce your carb intake, stop eating processed foods, take whites out of your diet (sugar, flour, salt, etc.) and exercise daily.  Lost 45 lbs in five weeks that way.  Set a realistic daily carb intake and stick to it.


----------



## Ascendant

kincanucks said:
			
		

> Reduce your carb intake, stop eating processed foods, take whites out of your diet (sugar, flour, salt, etc.) and exercise daily.  Lost 45 lbs in five weeks that way.  Set a realistic daily carb intake and stick to it.



Losing nine pounds per week is not healthy.


----------



## kincanucks

Kratos said:
			
		

> Losing nine pounds per week is not healthy.



Bullshit.  While I still don't agree with your non medical POV, I have recalculated my weight loss and it was over an approximate eight period or 5 pounds plus per week.  Out.


----------



## Ascendant

kincanucks said:
			
		

> Bullshit.



Really?

You can "lose" a ton of weight in a very short period of time, but most of it will be water weight. As soon as your resume normal eating/drinking habits, it will just come back.

The maximum amount of actual fat a healthy person can lose is 2-4 lbs per week. Healthy person meaning someone who still has a moderate body fat percentage. Clearly the higher your body fat percentage, the easier time you will have losing weight in the beginning. You never stated your height/weight. Some sources will also say healthy weight loss is 1% of your BW.

If you start losing weight too quickly, your body will go into survival mode and your metabolism will slow down, not allowing you to lose more weight.

Losing weight very quickly will also cause you to lose a lot of muscle tissue. Also not good.

You did not, in a healthy manner, lose 45 lbs of actual body weight in five weeks. That is not bull****


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

Lost 22 lbs in just over a month by drastically switching my eating and working out at least 3 times a week..becoming more than 3 now that my body isn't as sore the next day. Down to 188 and shrinking.


----------



## Biggoals2bdone

readytogo said:
			
		

> EpicBeardedMan said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not that hard once you know what's in it.
> [/quote
> 
> I would agree with that 100% start looking into what these "junk" foods contain and you wont feel to bad about dropping those out of your diet all together.  Drink a pile of water and do your best to not eat anything after 7:00pm.  If you find that you must try cottage cheese, its high in protien(casein protien to be percise) which will burn slowly and leave you feeling full longer.
> 
> my :2c:
> 
> RTG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I disagree with not eating after 7pm, bad idea, say you go to bed at 11, that's 4hrs without anything through your system which is what you DON't want, you want your "furnace to constantly be burning, not start stop, start up again, etc'...don't know about you guys, but i'd have MAJOR trouble getting to sleep in that condition, small protein rich snack 30mins before bed, is your best option.
> 
> protein (other then super fast digesting protein such as whey) actually keeps you fuller longer, because it takes longer to get broken down. Also I would add that other great sources of healthy fats, is nuts; almonds, cashews, etc.
Click to expand...


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

Thought I'd post my struggles to get where I am now, with just under 2 months to go until I leave for BMQ. I started applying for MP, I have my diploma in Police Foundations and really wanted to be a Police Officer. I work as Loss Prevention and eventually I found myself not wanting to do Police work anymore, just dealing with the scum of society didn't really tickle my pickle anymore, mostly because I dealt with a lot of them at work and couldn't imagine myself doing that for life.

I switched to Navy 5 months ago, applying for NESOP first, and NCI OP second. I re-did my interview over the phone with the captain at the local CFRC for both trades and everything seemed alright. A week later I got a call at work from the CFRC offering me a NESOP position, which I accepted happily. That ENTIRE day was spent phoning family and friends because I was so happy about it.

Now there was one problem, my fitness level! There were times where I would be eating McDonalds twice a day. Not only is it junk food, the chemicals they put in the food are just downright nasty for you. I started going to a Crossfit gym which my mom found out about because she taught a learn to run class for the running room and one of the trainers came in and did a demonstration for the class and my mom went to check it out. She dragged me a long because 5 months from that date I'd be leaving for BMQ.

Anyways, the first and second time I went to Crossfit I puked, but I kept going back and back, etc. I was informed about the Paleo diet which to sum up is basically if you were a caveman what would you eat? (Fruit, nuts, vegetables, fruits, seeds, water, meat). I have 1 cheat meal a weak and that helps me keep things realistic. Anyway in the 3 months since I started Crossfit I lost 27 lbs, dropped 2 waist sizes and my cardio and strength have just turned ridiculous. Anyway I got asked to do a testimonial for my gym because of my results, which is here(Under Alex): 
http://www.squareonecrossfit.com/testimonials/

I'm hooked and doing it until I leave for BMQ and hopefully BMQ will be a tad more easier on my body now that I've had these changes. Anyway just wanted to share my sucess story with people who are or were in the same boat as I am.


----------



## charlaje

I did loose a ton of weight in the 10 month process it took me to get in.  The first time I tried to run,  i did 20 steps and i stopped dead... I knew I wasn't gonna run right away.  Walking long distances and cycling was the way for me to kick off things,  as well as something very close to that caveman diet!  The first 3 months the results were staggering...  

     I wasnt anywhere near a gym or training facility, so I had to do calisthenics mostly.  Its an easy and affordable way to exercise at any given time.  Walking at least an hour a day is also a winner to shed the first few layers when you haven't exercise for a long time. 

     As for BMQ and beyond,  its easy to carry on with your habits, as most units will do pt regularly and not to mention the BFT or EXPRES test, whatever case may apply, on a yearly basis.   I found the diet part to be the most difficult part, because on BMQ you won't eat like a caveman!


----------



## Bluebulldog

because on BMQ you won't eat like a caveman! 
[/quote]

That may be true. But you will have choices available to you that are more sensible than others.

Of course, during BMQ, your body will be burning a LOT of calories regardless, so I wouldn't worry too much about what you're feeding your body. It will be treated like a burnable fuel nonetheless.


----------



## Dou You

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> I was informed about the Paleo diet which to sum up is basically if you were a caveman what would you eat? (Fruit, nuts, vegetables, fruits, seeds, water, meat).



I have done Paleo and it does work and I highly recommend it for anyone to cut your body fat down quickly. However, for this diet to be successful you can not have anything "extra" on days in which aren't cheat days. That means no "little" snacks (like a bite of chocolate, or a cookie, or just a tiny bit of anything other than what EpicBeardedMan mentioned). It is strict, strict, strict which causes big, big, big cravings, but if you have the will-power it works wonders.

For those who want to follow this diet strictly and are serious in wanting to get more lean I would suggest a few things:

1) Eat ONLY meat and leafy green vegetables for the first two weeks. But have a handful of unsalted/all-natural nuts every breakfast as well (NO peanuts).

2) After two weeks, introduce berries (small ones, like blueberries, raspberries, etc.) throughout the day. After the next week you can then introduce apples. But for the first two weeks stay away from all fruit. Fruit is actually quite sugary.

3) Mix up your source of protein. Don't just have Chicken every day, all day. Your protein source should be diverse. Eg. Chicken, pork, beef, tuna, haddock, mackerel, salmon, halibut, shrimp, lobster, turkey, lamb, and wild game. Getting your protein from all of these sources, or even more, during the week would be optimal. Mixing up the nuts in the morning would be good as well. Eg. Brazilian, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews. but remember no peanuts.

4) Get 1.0 to 1.5 times your bodyweight in grams of protein. Eg. 200 lbs. bodyweight = 200 -250 grams of protein per day.

5) Drink ONLY water. NO alcohol, NO energy drinks, NO coffee or tea (unless completely black with no additives whatsoever).

6) EpicBeardedMan mentioned a cheat day every week. I would recommend doing only a cheat MEAL every week. So, one dinner a week you can prepare whatever you want to eat, as much as you want, and then sit down to eat it, but once that dinner is finished your cheating is finished as well! No snacking after, you go straight back to eating only what ran, swam, or flew in it's lifetime. NO cheat meals for the first two weeks though!

If you follow this diet, even without my recommendations, you will lose weight. And I am one of the testimonials for sure. I was by no means fat, I just used it after a mass-gaining cycle, and it shredded my body fat big time. The recommendations I put in are for those are serious about getting "ripped" or"cut" and dropping their bodyfat percentage. It is really strict, and a ton of will-power is needed but if you follow it you will see amazing results. One last thing to remember; follow the diet to a T. It is a "strict" diet for a reason. So DON'T CHEAT YOURSELF!

Just my 6 cents  .

Good luck to those who are going to try it, and congrats to those who have kept to it and have seen results.

Cheers!


----------



## MJP

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> Anyways, the first and second time I went to Crossfit I puked, but I kept going back and back, etc. I was informed about the Paleo diet which to sum up is basically if you were a caveman what would you eat? (Fruit, nuts, vegetables, fruits, seeds, water, meat). I have 1 cheat meal a weak and that helps me keep things realistic. Anyway in the 3 months since I started Crossfit I lost 27 lbs, dropped 2 waist sizes and my cardio and strength have just turned ridiculous. Anyway I got asked to do a testimonial for my gym because of my results, which is here(Under Alex):
> http://www.squareonecrossfit.com/testimonials/



Pushing yourself to puking during a WOD is stupid.  Since it was your first few times the trainers there should have been monitoring your process and scaling the WOD to your abilities.  Not matching the workout to your abilities is the easiest way for someone to injure themselves needlessly.  I use crossfit to maintain physical fitness while at school because the base gym is too far for me to go everyday.  My gym IMHO rocks in that aspect, the trainers use a very common sense approach to workouts and scale exercises and rep schemes to ensure that no one gets injured while still building overall physical fitness.  

As for Paleo it is good for losing weight and general energy levels.  I use it during the rugby season to ensure that my body has the required energy to last.  I will contest that it won't be easy to maintain on BMQ.  I was in the Mega for a good portion of last summer doing second language training and had to eat at both the recruit and officers mess.  It was relatively easy to maintain a fairly strict paleo diet eating just mess food.  Usually you'll have to remove some bread or other undesirable food to get the right mix but it is very doable.


----------



## Ascendant

We aren't cavemen, why eat like one?

To get the full effect, you might as well not wear clothing. Also, make sure you hunt/kill and gather everything you eat yourself.

You know, just to get the full "Paleo" effect.


----------



## Kat Stevens

I ate just like a cave man in basic;  mostly with my hands, and wolfed it down like someone was going to take it away from me.


----------



## PuckChaser

Kat Stevens said:
			
		

> I ate just like a cave man in basic;  mostly with my hands, and wolfed it down like someone was going to take it away from me.



Its a necessity when you have 20 minutes to eat, and it takes 15 minutes to get through the line to get food. I perfected fast eating with a fork, but there were plenty of handfuls completed.


----------



## JB 11 11

Congrats on your acheivement Epicbeardedman. I hope it serves an inspiration to others.


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

Dou You said:
			
		

> 6) EpicBeardedMan mentioned a cheat day every week. I would recommend doing only a cheat MEAL every week.



Yeah meant to put this, I only have one meal where it's a cheat, and it usually ends up being a slice of pizza with a beer. I feel gross enough after that as it is


----------



## Dou You

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> Yeah meant to put this, I only have one meal where it's a cheat, and it usually ends up being a slice of pizza with a beer. I feel gross enough after that as it is



It feels gross the next day if you eat a lot eh?  :nod: Makes you want to just stick to the healthy stuff. The diet definitely works that way. Pizza, and some peanut butter for me, but then I feel gross as well.


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

Dou You said:
			
		

> It feels gross the next day if you eat a lot eh?  :nod: Makes you want to just stick to the healthy stuff. The diet definitely works that way. Pizza, and some peanut butter for me, but then I feel gross as well.



Yeah theres like a taste in my mouth kind of feels like a sheen of butter is covering the inside of my mouth at all times, its gross. Tommorow is my cheat day, pizza and sailor jerry's!


----------



## Dou You

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> Yeah theres like a taste in my mouth kind of feels like a sheen of butter is covering the inside of my mouth at all times, its gross. Tommorow is my cheat day, pizza and sailor jerry's!



Sunday is mine, and I just happen to be heading down to watch the Buffalo Bills game...there will plenty of good opportunities to have my cheat meal, for example, after seeing/smelling the deliciously greasy tailgate food  ;D.


----------



## hold_fast

I was strongly considering the caveman diet after reading this topic. But then I realized how hard it was for me not to post a comment asking if that was EpicBeardedMan's mom or not in his testimonial.

Considering I've just said what I was trying not to say, well, you can see how my willpower for food would work out.


----------



## ballz

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> Its a necessity when you have 20 minutes to eat, and it takes 15 minutes to get through the line to get food. I perfected fast eating with a fork, but there were plenty of handfuls completed.



First I learned to swallow the peach halves whole...

Then I learned peaches were a waste of time.

Words to live by:
"You need meat to grow" - Dave Shirley


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

hold_fast said:
			
		

> I was strongly considering the caveman diet after reading this topic. But then I realized how hard it was for me not to post a comment asking if that was EpicBeardedMan's mom or not in his testimonial.
> 
> Considering I've just said what I was trying not to say, well, you can see how my willpower for food would work out.



Not my mom, no. lol. It's PALEO not caveman diet


----------



## Ascendant

So I guess Paleo/cavemen diet fanboys are going to be sad now that it's been discovered that they probably ate used flour/ate bread?


----------



## EpicBeardedMan

Kratos knows best, clearly.


----------



## Ascendant

EpicBeardedMan said:
			
		

> Kratos knows best, clearly.



When did I say or imply I "know best"? I didn't...

The Paleo/caveman diet and it's supporters were adamant about (among other things) the exclusion of grains from their diets because that's not how a caveman ate. There's a very popular website, Mark's Daily Apple, run by Mark Sisson, one of the biggest pushers of "Primal eating". He demonizes grains and so do most of the Paleo/primal followers.

I have been on more than one forum where there have been heated and long winded debates on the Paleo diet.

So yes, I find it hilarious that there is now very strong evidence, basically to the point of fact, that cavemen ate grains.


----------



## MJP

Kratos said:
			
		

> When did I say or imply I "know best"? I didn't...
> 
> The Paleo/caveman diet and it's supporters were adamant about (among other things) the exclusion of grains from their diets because that's not how a caveman ate. There's a very popular website, Mark's Daily Apple, run by Mark Sisson, one of the biggest pushers of "Primal eating". He demonizes grains and so do most of the Paleo/primal followers.
> 
> So yes, I find it hilarious that there is now very strong evidence, basically to the point of fact, that cavemen ate grains.



Can you post the study/studies that point to widespread grain within the Paleolithic population?  I wrote an essay for a bio anthro course on our Paleolithic ancestors diet last year and the prevailing research hasn’t shown a grain based trend for them.  That is not to say there was not usage of grains, however the evidence is slim.  Most isotope studies of Paleolithic bones have not supported the notion of a grains based diet, but rather a diet of meat (in many forms), fruits, nuts & vegetables as the dominant foods in their diets. 

All that said, I think people have to take a step back and look at what works for them.  Personally for me milk doesn't help, but lots of the guys I train with swear by it when they are building up bulk.  For me it makes my body generally feel crappy, but it wasn’t till I took it out of my diet and then reintroduce it that I found this out.  

  

Ignore the horrible formating my browser was not making it easy to to cut and paste the citations in.

1. Diet, Mobility, and Settlement Pattern among Holocene Hunter-Gatherers in Southernmost Africa,  Judith Sealy, Current Anthropology, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Aug., 2006), pp. 569-595 

       Neanderthal Diet at Vindija and Neanderthal Predation: The Evidence from Stable Isotopes, Michael P. Richards, Paul B. Pettitt, Erik Trinkaus, Fred H. Smith, Maja Paunovic, Ivor Karavanic, Vol. 97, No. 13 (Jun. 20, 2000), pp. 7663-7666 Published by: National Academy of Sciences

	Stable Isotope Evidence for Increasing Dietary Breadth in the European Mid-Upper Paleolithic , Michael P. Richards, Paul B. Pettitt, Mary C. Stiner, Erik Trinkau, Vol. 98, No. 11 (May 22, 2001), pp. 6528-6532 Published by: National Academy of Sciences

	Mesolithic and Neolithic Subsistence in Denmark: New Stable Isotope Data, Michael P. Richards, T. Douglas Price, Eva Koch, Current Anthropology. 44, No. 2,

edited for horrible grammar


----------



## northernboy_24

Eat what you want, but realize that people NEED a balance of complex carbs, proteins and healthy fats.  Associated with those foods you need to balance your intake of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.   Eating lots of vegetables and fruits is important (fiber, nutrients, vitamins and sometimes healthy fats).  The good news is that fruits are necessary and great for you.  Yes they contain sugars that is why you dont eat a bag of oranges or apples a day but they are great for you in moderation.

Complex carbs are necessary especially if you are active 
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/34/9/1831
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/288/20/2569

As for those of you eating tons of proteins, that could cause issues as well (no long term analysis in healthy kidneys but patients with less than optimal renal function should be very careful)  Do not eat more than 2g/kg/day  1.5-1.9g/kg/day has been shown to be beneficial in high output athletes.

So what does this say, dont eat white pasta all day every day, dont eat extreme amounts of fruits, veggies, fats or proteins.   Have a healthy diet, balanced diet is important.  We need healthy fats (flax oil, olive oil, avocados, seafood (fish oils) and heck even nuts.

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/2/1/25
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3018342  (yes men can have breast cancer)

Dont consume too much sodium (1500-2000mg/day; 2000 if you are sweating a lot), drink lots of water.  Your body needs fats and needs carbs to survive.  Stressing your body on a extremely low carb input to the point where you get dizzy (aka atkins) is not healthy.  Carbs and fats feed the brain and your muscles the energy they need to perform.

If you dont like my advice then talk to a licensed nutritionist.  Complex carbs dont always have to be grains (casava, sweet potato etc)


----------



## Ascendant

MJP said:
			
		

> Can you post the study/studies that point to widespread grain within the Paleolithic population?  I wrote an essay for a bio anthro course on our Paleolithic ancestors diet last year and the prevailing research hasn’t shown a grain based trend for them.  That is not to say there was not usage of grains, however the evidence is slim.  Most isotope studies of Paleolithic bones have not supported the notion of a grains based diet, but rather a diet of meat (in many forms), fruits, nuts & vegetables as the dominant foods in their diets.
> 
> All that said, I think people have to take a step back and look at what works for them.  Personally for me milk doesn't help, but lots of the guys I train with swear by it when they are building up bulk.  For me it makes my body generally feel crappy, but it wasn’t till I took it out of my diet and then reintroduce it that I found this out.



I never said their diets were grain _based_.

This news broke last week, I believe:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1321844/Stone-Age-man-ate-bread-just-meat.html

http://www.livescience.com/technology/ancient-flour-suggests-cavement-balanced-diet-101019.html

http://www.science20.com/cool-links/cavemans_kitchen_grains_menu_20000_years_farming

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=humans-made-flour-30000-years-ago-10-10-19


----------



## Mudshuvel

... so easy a caveman could do it!

Sorry, just had to say it.


----------



## MJP

> I never said their diets were grain based.
> 
> This news broke last week, I believe:
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1321844/Stone-Age-man-ate-bread-just-meat.html
> 
> http://www.livescience.com/technology/ancient-flour-suggests-cavement-balanced-diet-101019.html
> 
> http://www.science20.com/cool-links/cavemans_kitchen_grains_menu_20000_years_farming
> 
> http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=humans-made-flour-30000-years-ago-10-10-19



I think even the most fervent researchers of paleolithic diets have conceded that grains made up a small portion of their diets.  To say it isn't so is to ignore archaeological findings and quite frankly I wouldn't pay much attention to their research.  Although reading the news articles it doesn't sound like they were cultivating the plants like our ancestors 10,000 years ago did when they gradually made the switch to horticulture.  I will certainly read the source article over the next few days though as it sounds interesting (as interesting as finding 30000 year old flour can be I guess 
.

 The science however still shows through bone studies that their diet was primarily meat, fruit and veggies(or what passed for veggies back then).  Until we get better methods, and/or a broader sample base (or time machines) those are the findings we have to work with.


----------



## Ascendant

MJP said:
			
		

> The science however still shows through bone studies that their diet was primarily meat, fruit and veggies(or what passed for veggies back then).  Until we get better methods, and/or a broader sample base (or time machines) those are the findings we have to work with.



Most people primarily eat meat, fruits and veggies. I'm not arguing with that.

The point was simply to lol at the Paleo prophets and groupies that demonize grains in our diet solely because the caveman didn't eat them.


----------



## MJP

Kratos said:
			
		

> Most people primarily eat meat, fruits and veggies. I'm not arguing with that.
> 
> The point was simply to lol at the Paleo prophets and groupies that demonize grains in our diet solely because the caveman didn't eat them.



Well you certainly got them......I am sure they feel appropriately chastised.


----------



## Ascendant

MJP said:
			
		

> Well you certainly got them......I am sure they feel appropriately chastised.



I know, right.


----------



## dinicthus

Kratos said:
			
		

> The point was simply to lol at the Paleo prophets and groupies that demonize grains in our diet solely because the caveman didn't eat them.



I wonder how they prove that? The few frozen or fossilized ancients they have discovered didn't eat grains shortly before their demise, thus they can make blanket assumptions?

I see that societies that we regard as primitive don't have a great deal of grains in their diet, but, it isn't "cave days" now so who knows what grew then? And grains are not the only source of carbs. Potatoes, squash, bananas/plantains in warmer climes, and other stuff have carbs a-plenty.


----------



## eharps

Hey guys,

This is my first time posting here and I have a seemingly simple question, but first I'll give a little backstory.

I applied for Infantry and Combat Engineer in early February and just confirmed that my CFAT will be on April 13 in Ottawa. I have been using the time that I have to get in better physical shape than I have been in. I have always been of a rather stocky build due to growing up on a farm with lots of long days and hard work. When I started I was 6"1 242 pounds, with some extra fat around the middle, but not a huge amount. My BMI has always rated me as obese so I decided that I should work on losing as much as I can to make all of the exercises easier and, eventually, BMQ.

Currently I am 220 pounds after putting some work into it, running and weight training, but I have hit a plateau. My mid section has thinned a bit but I am looking to lose more weight to get into my ideal range, ~185 pounds.

My question, after that short novel, is what sort of exercises can I do in order to break through this sort of weight barrier and keep progressing towards a leaner self? What do you guys do to stay in shape or get in shape? My go to is a run, burpees, some P90X (mostly cardio) and weights.

Cheers,

eharps

PS Also running in Ottawa Spartan Sprint this year for the first time! That should help prepare me!  :-\


----------



## sidemount

Don't forget that weight and fitness level arent always black and white. 

First question would be, are you fit the way you are?

I know lots of people around your height in the 200lbs range that are very fit, lots of muscle mass though.


Second thing is, with weight, diet and exercise are very closely tied together.

If you want to lose weight, you need a diet that, after your resting metabolic rate and daily exercise, is calorie deficient. At the same time you don't want to cut too much because you will lose muscle mass instead of fat. 
Also need to look at the types of food you are eating.....there is a whole science behind this.

I suggest that if you have plateaued with exercise, you do some good research into your diet and adjust there.


----------



## ProPatria05

Sidemount has it absolutely right. Exercise alone will get rid of that first round of 'easy to lose' weight. After that, you need to temporarily adjust your diet so that calories in are less than calories out. Once you're where you want to be it's regular exercise plus healthy diet.

I can speak from experience the effect of cutting too many calories and losing weight too fast, which I did when I was 17 (25 years ago  ). I lost 35 pounds in about 3 months on basically a starvation diet while doing intense exercise. A lot of that weight was muscle mass, exactly as Sidemount has described. It took a long time to gain that back.

Slow and steady wins the race.


----------



## eharps

Thanks a lot sidemount/ProPatria05.

I have a lot of muscle mass and a rather big build, but yes I am relatively fit. I could stand to lose some more fat, but nothing im going to lose sleep over. I count calories on a daily basis as a way of monitoring not only my consumption, but also what I am eating.

I used to eat a lot of whatever I wanted but only recently have starting paying attention to veggies/nuts/healthy fats/fish vs processed food as of late. I have noticed that while remaining the same sort of shape, my waistline and hipline are reducing, so clearly I am moving in the right direction.

I think you guys are right about the long term race however, I think most of my struggle is just mental and my desire to lose fat doesn't match up with realistic pacing. I appreciate the pointers and will continue to continue on! 

I guess my consideration is more image-minded not fit-minded. Just want to be ready that's all!


----------



## sidemount

By the sounds of things you are doing exactly what you need to be doing.

If you have the muscle mass and are fit, I wouldn't worry about trying to rock another 35-40lbs of cut. Ignore (for the most part) BMI, people with a greater than average muscle mass it doesn't tell the whole story. 

To be quite honest, if I were you, and you are fit like you have said, I'd be looking into maintaining with a possible drop of 10-15lbs, and the reason for that is this: You have your trade choices as infantry and combat engineer. Yeah being able to be the fastest runner is great but deployed and on ex its going to be a lot of pack-mule like times, carrying a ton of kit. If you drop the 35-40lbs like you were wanting, I'm gonna bet that you will lose a lot of muscle mass doing that. 10-15 is a more realistic goal, you can maintain muscle mass, and while doing this, work on your cardio so you aren't at the back of the pack all the time.

For workouts, my default is crossfit style. Its a nice combo of everything.

Also, take everything above with a grain of salt as its just my opinion, but in 12 years of the army it hasn't failed me yet.


----------



## eharps

I appreciate that, practical advice is generally better than trying to reach some standardized physique I would imagine.

I will keep on truckin'

Many thanks,

Evan


----------



## mariomike

In case a little inspiration is necessary.  
At 01:25:
http://www.yourememberthat.com/media/3037/The_D_I__Jack_Webb/#.VQxF3bt0x9A

"You ain't gonna eat no bread, no corn, no pie, cake, desserts of any kind. No whole milk, no beans, no butter, no sugar, no potatoes, candy, ice cream, salad dressing or peanut butter... You came here with nothing but fat. You're gonna leave here with nothing but muscle."


----------



## Jarnhamar

Going to the gym alone won't make you loose weight.  Instead of just having fat you'll be building heavy muscle under the fat.  You need to look at your diet and adjust that too.  You can't target certain parts of your body for fat loss because loosing fat is an over all effect. You'll notice you loose weight in your face before your stomach because it's a smaller area.


Personally I worked out twice a day for 2-3 months and I couldn't lose a pound.  I switched to the south beach diet and after a month it was like a switch was thrown and I was basically loosing a pound a day for 40 pounds.

This is why soldiers who deploy to the field for a month and a half can sit around on their ass and loose 20-30 pounds.


----------



## coachman

Hi.
I just remembered one useful technique that military personnel in the past did to drop their weight.

Go to the hardware store and get yourself a plastic wrap and a couple of towels. 

Wrap your body from your shoulders to the waist a lot of times, somewhere in the middle place towels. Is to pick up a sweat.
Jog for one hour to warm up and then start jogging for 2 - 4 hours non stop. You will sweat, you will sweat so much.

But, the results are outstanding.


----------



## dangerboy

What military pers did this?


----------



## daftandbarmy

coachman said:
			
		

> Hi.
> I just remembered one useful technique that military personnel in the past did to drop their weight.
> 
> Go to the hardware store and get yourself a plastic wrap and a couple of towels.
> 
> Wrap your body from your shoulders to the waist a lot of times, somewhere in the middle place towels. Is to pick up a sweat.
> Jog for one hour to warm up and then start jogging for 2 - 4 hours non stop. You will sweat, you will sweat so much.
> 
> But, the results are outstanding.



Sounds a bit too kinky for anyone in the military, except the Navy of course 

But seriously, that is BS. Having been on a school wrestling team for years, requiring weigh ins to determine what class you would wrestle, we would wear plastic garbage bags and do brutal runs before weigh in to lose 'water weight'. 

All this does is dehydrate you, of course, which is bad too.


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## sidemount

Agreed.
From Jan to May I dropped 45lbs.
I started with weight  watchers and after a short bit on that, I had a good idea on how to approach meals and eating. I never cut out anything completely, I changed portions and frequency. More veggies and lean meats more often and cut way down on sugary/fatty foods and drink.

Weight loss is 80ish % diet. Eating proper types/portions of food is your key to weight loss, not some weird ass towel wrapping.



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## Brad Sallows

The answer is simple: output > input.  (Energy.)


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## ballz

Brad Sallows said:
			
		

> The answer is simple: output > input.  (Energy.)



Yes. However measuring both of those accurately can be tough.

I am perpetually fighting against weight gain. If I'm not active I will pack on pounds quick. The best thing I've done is buy a scale for weighing food. Not only does it help with accuracy, it helps you realize which foods simply aren't worth eating.


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## Brad Sallows

Agreed: some people need to approach the problem methodically.  I have been overweight all my life, and was above the "obese" threshold for over 15 years.  But when I finally set out to lose weight, I just cut back my habitual intake and increased my habitual exercise; I established a routine in which I was losing about 1kg/week, and stuck to it for as long as necessary.  Then I gradually allowed myself to increase intake until I reached steady state.  I found simple circuit training - stairs and weight machines - to be highly effective.


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## GrizzIy

Track your calories that you intake and what your burn (Fitbit or etc) make sure at the end of the day there is always a defect (don't starve your self).

I was able to loose 10 lbs in 10 days, mind you I completely cut out breads, pasta, rice, potatoes and drank only water. My caloric intake for those 10 days were in the range of 900-1200 while I burned approximately 
4000-4500.

I ate a lot of vegetables, maybe 1 banana per day, mostly chicken brest, steak and drank a lot of water.

Obviously no sugary drinks or anything aside from water.


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