In reply to Pirate04

Pirate04 said:

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Completed my first intentional 24 hour fast yesterday. Plan to keep it up one day a week for now. Consistently fasting 18-20 hours every day and it's feeling good!

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I've become a huge fan of IF. If nothing else, it simplifies my life a little bit and saves all the money I used to spend on unhealthy breakfasts.

I also like the idea of doing one 24 hour fast a week, though I've only done that once by choice.

In reply to Pirate04

Pirate04 said:

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Completed my first intentional 24 hour fast yesterday. Plan to keep it up one day a week for now. Consistently fasting 18-20 hours every day and it's feeling good!

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Are you planning to do any sort of workout or other fitness activity on those days? I've considered IF, but if I don't eat, my regular workout is unbearably brutal.

In reply to Ryan the Temp

Ryan the Temp said:

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Pirate04 said:

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Completed my first intentional 24 hour fast yesterday. Plan to keep it up one day a week for now. Consistently fasting 18-20 hours every day and it's feeling good!

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Are you planning to do any sort of workout or other fitness activity on those days? I've considered IF, but if I don't eat, my regular workout is unbearably brutal.

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I haven't worked out since the holidays. A lot of excuses but I haven't found a routine that works for me yet. When I've done IF in the past, I worked out a night, several hours after my last meal which worked out well for me. Unfortunately that schedule doesn't suit me currently so my plan is to work out in the mornings towards the end of my fast. I likely won't work out on the 24 hour days until my body is more used to it.

Age: 29
Height: 6'
Weight: 205
Desired : 190

Also want to get my squat back to 405 and my bench to 315 by my 30th at the end of October. Haven't done either of those numbers since high school or early college but neither is out of reach by then.

In reply to TXTransplant

TXTransplant said:

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Just some friendly advice from someone who is a few years ahead of you on this journey - especially for women, the key to maintaining weight loss in the long term is muscle. It's also the key for improving/preventing a lot of other health issues that pop up as we age.

I know you're doing whatever it takes to get the excess weight off now, but when you lose fat you also lose muscle. There is simply no way to prevent it.

I highly encourage you to work weight lifting into your exercise routine, once you get that figured out. It's more important than cardio, especially for peri-menopausal and menopausal women. Strength = health, in the long term.

To support muscle growth and maintain it, the recommendation is to increase your lean protein intake. Current recs are 1 g protein for every lb of body weight. I eat about 150 g of protein every day. Most everyone I know who has adopted this method will tell you, eating that much protein is not compatible with fasting. But the good news, is you won't need to fast anymore.

Lots of good resources out there that can get you going on this - happy to share them when you're ready.

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I'm curious about the resources you mention to get that much protein in your diet daily. Thank you in advance!

In reply to Mom2Kidz I've got some stuff I've got to get done today, but I promise I will come back to this!

In reply to TXTransplant Great write-up. I have always preferred strength based workouts over cardio for all the reasons you stated, especially after hearing the low bone density/osteoporosis struggles that my mom and some of her friends are encountering as they age. Going to CrossFit 3x a week really helps me stay focused on a routine, plus it helps to have coaches check my lifting form.

I follow Peter Attia pretty closely on stuff after reading his book "Outlive" to help me change lifestyle etc.

He's pretty adamant on strength training above all else coupled with zone 2 cardio

In reply to Ryan the Temp

Ryan the Temp said:

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Pirate04 said:

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Completed my first intentional 24 hour fast yesterday. Plan to keep it up one day a week for now. Consistently fasting 18-20 hours every day and it's feeling good!

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Are you planning to do any sort of workout or other fitness activity on those days? I've considered IF, but if I don't eat, my regular workout is unbearably brutal.

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I usually just time my workouts with my eating. An hour or so after my last meal of the day usually works pretty well for me.

Many of us are coming up on our first weekend since we've gotten started. This will come with some challenges. We've got NFL playoffs plus normal weekend stuff.

Personally I'm going to set some intention and make sure I have a plan. That's been working well for me.


Hope everyone is keeping up their momentum.

In reply to bagger05

bagger05 said:

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Hope everyone is keeping up their momentum.

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I'm worried about this week setting too aggressive a standard that I won't be able to keep up with going forward. Last week was 131,000 steps, and this week is on track for 130K-140K. My schedule changes significantly next week, so I won't be able to workout as much as I have been this week. If I can stay above 100K steps a week and do cardio 4-5 days a week I'll be happy.

In reply to TXTransplant

TXTransplant said:

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Just some friendly advice from someone who is a few years ahead of you on this journey - especially for women, the key to maintaining weight loss in the long term is muscle. It's also the key for improving/preventing a lot of other health issues that pop up as we age.

I know you're doing whatever it takes to get the excess weight off now, but when you lose fat you also lose muscle. There is simply no way to prevent it.

I highly encourage you to work weight lifting into your exercise routine, once you get that figured out. It's more important than cardio, especially for peri-menopausal and menopausal women. Strength = health, in the long term.

To support muscle growth and maintain it, the recommendation is to increase your lean protein intake. Current recs are 1 g protein for every lb of body weight. I eat about 150 g of protein every day. Most everyone I know who has adopted this method will tell you, eating that much protein is not compatible with fasting. But the good news, is you won't need to fast anymore.

Lots of good resources out there that can get you going on this - happy to share them when you're ready.

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I know for me I credit strength training/having lots of muscle with me not developing any pre-diabetic conditions even when I was 5'10" 288 lbs in my 40's and eating like absolute crap.

Also, almost all of my strength gains I've ever achieved have been 3-12 months away when I took years off strength training and came back.

Money in the bank for your health.

In reply to Ryan the Temp Nothing wrong with coming out hot, in my opinion. Right now we're all motivated and so I think it's natural that we are a bit more intense now than we will be later on.

Personally I'm setting my weekly goals at what I know will work for the long haul even though I expect to blow past some of these goals my first few weeks because I'm all fired up.

Promised I'd come back, and now I finally have some time. I'm not sure people are interested in what I eat to get to 150 g of protein a day, what sources provide good info about building muscle, or both - so I will provide suggestions for both.

In full disclosure, for the last few years, I have participated in a program called Master My Macros. It's run by two Aggies, and I've had great success. This program is really what got me focused on protein and weight lifting. I would encourage anyone who is interested to check it out. It's geared toward women, but I know they have many male clients who have been successful.

As far as what I eat, most days it's the same things. I don't supplement with flavored protein powders (can't stand them), but there are a few specific "protein-enhanced" processed snack foods that I like (and I've pretty much tried them all).

I target about 1500-1600 cal/day. My BMR - which I STRONGLY suggest everyone get an estimate of via something like an InBody scan - is around 1400-1450 cal. Since 1 g of protein is 1 cal, I eat 600 cal of protein a day. The rest is divided between fat (9 cal/g) and carbs (4 cal/g). Depending on my goals, I may limit carbs to under 100 g per day, but there are lots of studies that show this exact ratio isn't important unless you are really trying to shred (like a body builder or fitness competitor).

Breakfast - overnight oats made with lactose free milk, Greek yogurt, and egg white protein powder. Lactose free milk and Greek yogurt are EXCELLENT sources of protein, if you can tolerate dairy. The filtration process used to remove lactose concentrates the protein, and Greek yogurt is a natural source. The only protein supplement I use is egg white protein powder (15 g/day in these oats) because it has no flavor and is so finely milled that it pretty much disappears in my oats. There is also no weird after taste and it doesn't make me belch (this is why I don't like plant-based proteins, like pea and soy). I sweeten and thicken the oats with a small amount of sugar free Jello pudding mix and add fruit (berries, apples, pumpkin), cinnamon, chia seeds, and a sprinkling of almonds. This gives me a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat. I'm most productive in the morning, so I need the energy to get me going.

As a mid-morning snack, I drink 1 cup of Mootopia milk with 3/4 cup of cold brew. I sweeten it with a little sugar free vanilla syrup, but this isn't necessary. I froth about 1/4 cup of the milk to make a foam/cream to put on top. I also eat 150-170 g of low-fat or fat free Greek yogurt (with berries and stevia, or sometimes honey). I say "Greek" yogurt, but these days, I actually prefer the Skyr or the Icelandic Provisions.

Lunch - 4 oz turkey, 1 slice low-fat (NOT fat free) cheese, a little mustard, and lettuce on lavash flat bread. I like the Atorias brand, and it's even better when I can toast it on my gas stove.

Some days, I eat a bag of protein chips (this is one place I can tolerate plant-based protein) and/or a protein bar. My favorite protein chips are the Natural Endurance nacho flavor. My favorite protein bar is the Fulfil salted caramel. Both of these are 150-160 cal and 14-15 g of protein (and relatively low fat, with no added sugar).

By lunch, I've usually hit 120 g protein (130+ if I eat the chips AND the bar).

Dinner is usually 4-6 oz lean protein (99% ground turkey, 97% ground chicken, 96% ground beef, chicken breast shrimp, or lean fish). I do taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, Greek/shawarma seasoning, or whatever other blend I have on hand. Sometimes I'll make a salad, or a veggie/riced cauliflower bowl. I use pesto, cheese, sour cream, hummus, tzatziki, chili garlic seasoning, Franks Red Hot, and sriracha as condiments. The goal of dinner is to hit my protein goal and limit carbs (I typically stick with protein and veggies). Sometimes I will make or buy a soup (I have recipes I can share, if you're interested anything I've mentioned. If I buy soup, I always add more protein.

I do occasionally have beef - usually filet or skirt steak. On weekends, I might make a two-egg omelette with a low-ish fat sausage (Sprouts has some really good ground chicken sausage), shredded cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, and 15-20 g of egg white protein powder. I sometimes have pork and salmon (I love salmon, but it is high in fat).

Other foods that I always have on hand: parmesan cheese (this has a shocking amount of protein), various low fat cheeses, pistachios, low fat cottage cheese, pretzel crisps (for when I'm craving something crunchy), a really good peanut butter (Big Spoon Roasters is amazing, and I sometimes add this to yogurt), LMNT drink packets, sugar free Jello pudding mix, dark chocolate (80% and above), low fat mozzarella cheese sticks, and prosciutto (I crisp this up in the oven at 425 and use it in place of bacon). I incorporate these foods when I want to mix things up a little.

I prefer lean protein and add my fat back with condiments. I will say, though, it is MUCH harder for me to hit my fat goal. I'd just rather have carbs than fat on most days. I most always cook my own food, but I recently tried a Kevin's Healthy Foods (the Korean Beef) because it had very good macros. It was crazy good (BF loved it, too). I have to be careful with fatty protein because it's really easy to exceed my fat goal but not get enough protein in. I also don't really like fatty meats.

As far as people to follow/learn from...after you start getting into this, I think you'll find that everyone is pretty much saying the same thing (and a lot of them are selling something). It's just a matter of whose personality and format you prefer (podcasts, Youtube, Instagram, etc). But here are a few I enjoy:

Layne Norton (IG and YT, he also did a great interviews on Huberman Lab and Jillian Michaels; his personality is not for everyone, but he knows his sh/t)
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (podcast, IG, and she has a new book out - have not read it)
Absbyamy (IG - she is my favorite; she focuses on workouts/lifting for women, but she touches on food, hormones, and other things)
Cynthia Thurlow (podcast, but stick to her stuff about muscle building, protein, and menopause/peri-menopause; she sometimes has shady guests that like to scare people about "toxins"; she also shills a TON of supplements).
Fiftyfitnessjourney (IG - her body transformation is incredible)
Liftinglindsay (IG)
Sweetandspicymacros (IG - good for high protein food ideas)
Drstacysims (IG)
Fitafter40nutrition (IG)
Carolinedrury.fit (IG)
Mastermymacros (IG - I couldn't not mention them)
Drvondawright (IG - an ortho surgeon)

Gainsbypat is another good one on IG.

They're called weekends, not days off.

Hope everyone is making good choices out there.

In reply to bagger05

bagger05 said:

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They're called weekends, not days off.

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I used this today when my husband said he didn't want to go to the gym.

In reply to CharlieBrown17

CharlieBrown17 said:

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Age: 29
Height: 6'
Weight: 205
Desired : 190

Also want to get my squat back to 405 and my bench to 315 by my 30th at the end of October. Haven't done either of those numbers since high school or early college but neither is out of reach by then.

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Wasn't overly sure of my max on bench, it's been a few years since I really targeted any Olympic lift or did a 1RM.

Decided to give it a go this morning. Hadn't unracked or pressed 225 in quite a while but 4x felt really good. Ended up grabbing a rando to spot me for 245x2 then 255 once. I think 275 was realistic top for me today but I hate missing lifts with someone I don't know.

Traveling for work until end of next week, hoping to get back with my buds after that and hit a true 1RM

Damn near perfect day today. Good lift, long walk, stayed moving, hit protein and calorie targets. And on a Saturday!

Taking note again that I don't feel like I missed out on anything by not boozing it up or eating garbage.

Age: 46
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 315 on Dec 27th
Goal: 235

Current: 289

In reply to bagger05

bagger05 said:

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Damn near perfect day today. Good lift, long walk, stayed moving, hit protein and calorie targets. And on a Saturday!

Taking note again that I don't feel like I missed out on anything by not boozing it up or eating garbage.

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Saturday is usually my best/hardest day. I block off 630 am - 1030 am for my specific goals. I'm not working out that entire time…that includes getting ready, driving, resting, etc.

I've come to appreciate it because that time is dedicated to my workout and nothing else. I'm not rushing to get back to my desk or a meeting. I'm not pissed because I had a hard day at work. I'm not stressed out because the gym is crowded and my workout is taking too long. I'm not worried about getting home and cooking dinner, feeding animals, doing laundry, or whatever other chore awaits me. I'm not worried about going too hard and disrupting my ability to fall asleep. I'm completely focused on my workout and pretty much nothing else.

There are some cons…I do have to get to bed early on Friday night, and I've learned that alcohol is only an impediment when I workout, so Friday night happy hour is out. But having that time to really focus on my goals and not be distracted by everything else in life is so worth it.

It's Monday.

Any check ins?

I had a weird weight spike this morning but overall remaining on track for my goals.

Overall a great week.

Avg steps: 12,986
Avg calories: 2120
Avg protein: 185
Lifts last week: 4

I work out in the evenings Mon-Thurs. Class tonight was cancelled and Y closed early. Forced rest day was not in my plans.

In reply to TXTransplant Yeah the gym was closed this morning which was a bummer.

In reply to texag06ish Not a great week (because I can't consistently find the time to run) but I still showed positive weight loss results.

I ran (1) 5K in 36 min and squeezed in 2 shorter runs. I also hit the weights 6x last week.

Another solid week with my diet and I weighed in at 244.8 this morning.

In reply to bagger05

bagger05 said:

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Any check ins?

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Day 25
- Down 10.0 pounds
- Down 0.4% body fat
- Resting HR down 9 BPM

The rest is on my Noom thread

In reply to Ryan the Temp Holy smokes man great progress!

Age: 41
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 218
Goal #1: Get to between 180 and 190
Goal #2: Beat my 7 year old in a 5k. Our family ran three last year and he smoked me in all of them.

In reply to beerag04 Bruh…I've officially passed the endurance baton to my son. That little dude can run for days.

Ugh…the Y opted to keep all locations in the Houston area closed today. This week is not going as planned.

In reply to TXTransplant Hang in there. Do what you can.

In reply to bagger05

bagger05 said:

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Big drop today. Not doing anything different. Weight loss is weird.

Hope everyone is sticking with it.

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I call these "corrections." Sometimes I'll suddenly slow down or even go the wrong direction and then one day I'm suddenly down 5 pounds. Definitely weird.