Weight loss

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I don't understand what is so difficult about dieting this way. People have been doing it forever - it's not rocket science. Don't get me wrong though - I'm happy for you Cal and keep up the great progress !

Married with kids and only having about 3 hours from the time I get home to bedtime and still having to cook dinner, read stories, brush teeth, pay bills- that makes that 1 hour a little difficult. :)

But thanks! :D

Every person reacts differently. I tend to aromatize easily. I will say this, the general consensus when I was prescribed 250-300iu's in hCG to be taken on back to back days was that Id have a very tough time managing E2. That's exactly what happened to me. Now I understand it and know how much aromatose inhibitor needs to be taken in order to keep those E2 levels in check - so I can easily manage it but without the AI, Id be an emotional mess. When i suggested a more frequent low dose of hCG to the doctor instead of AI, the response was that it would actually cause even more conversion to estrogen. Too much info warning: The hCG can/does increase erectile function, penile stimulation and makes for OMG climaxes.

Contrast that with Test, which I can inject (at therapeutic doses, never done the mass amoun that people do on cycles) and have zero E2 issues.

Interesting. I've had no emotional changes, no stimulation issues. Yup, everyone's different. ;)

Almost there! :)

Almost!

Have you been calculating your lean body mass and how much fat vs LBM you've lost?

Not actively by myself- I let the scale track that. It has the electrode pads for my feet, so it measures and tracks the fat and water percentage information from day to day. I honestly haven't been recording the fat percentage since it seems like not every device spits out the same numbers (hand-held seems lower than foot-measurement), so it's just relevant to the machine you measure with- but using the scale that I have in my bathroom, I've gone from about 30% body fat down to 20%. Since I've lost just about 12% (24/200) of my weight, the fact that my fat percentage drop so far is 10% of total, almost all of my loss (assuming the scale is right) is fat. For what it's worth, when the guys at work and I were doing a body fat challenge, the fat monitor at the health center at work measured me at 22% the same hour that my home scale measured me at 28%. Odd.
 
Not actively by myself- I let the scale track that. It has the electrode pads for my feet, so it measures and tracks the fat and water percentage information from day to day. I honestly haven't been recording the fat percentage since it seems like not every device spits out the same numbers (hand-held seems lower than foot-measurement), so it's just relevant to the machine you measure with- but using the scale that I have in my bathroom, I've gone from about 30% body fat down to 20%. Since I've lost just about 12% (24/200) of my weight, the fact that my fat percentage drop so far is 10% of total, almost all of my loss (assuming the scale is right) is fat. For what it's worth, when the guys at work and I were doing a body fat challenge, the fat monitor at the health center at work measured me at 22% the same hour that my home scale measured me at 28%. Odd.

I'm not at all surprised. Hydration drastically effects the electronic bodyfat monitors especially if they're cheap. You can get some very accurate electronic handhelds at this point but you need to drop a significant amount of coin. The most cost effective way is to buy a cheap set of calipers and do a 3-6 point skin fold test.

More than anything, I also like to have tape measurements of thighs, waist, chest, arms for a before and after.
 
I'm not at all surprised. Hydration drastically effects the electronic bodyfat monitors especially if they're cheap. You can get some very accurate electronic handhelds at this point but you need to drop a significant amount of coin. The most cost effective way is to buy a cheap set of calipers and do a 3-6 point skin fold test.

More than anything, I also like to have tape measurements of thighs, waist, chest, arms for a before and after.

True- I was more thinking the difference in the electronic pathways between the feet vs between the hands. I honestly wasn't too concerned about precise measurement other than overall weight and how I feel IN my body. That and the six pack goal. :)
 
So, totalburnout, why do you take hCg?
Thread jack.

As a part of hormone replacement therapy. I've almost always have had chronic fatigue but recently developed greater symptoms that jncluded 'brain fog', lack of sex drive, etc. When I finally starting looking deeper into my health (besides eating right, sleeping enough, and intelligently working out - which I always did) I found that I had very low hormone levels.

I take a low dose of testosterone that puts my at a high/normal males level of T and the hCG keeps my own system from completely shutting down - which will make having kids easier when my girlfriend becomes my wife. The hCG also helps to give a sense of well being - there's not a one for one replacement when dumping exogenuos (outside) hormones into your body, since your body is capable of changing 10 different factors in an instant. That's why it's so dangerous to play with hormones. Fix 1 thing, break 3 things. At this point, I have most of it dialed in but it's not perfect yet.

Cal, I was expecting to see you hit your goal weight already. What's up, did you hit it?
 
Cal, I was expecting to see you hit your goal weight already. What's up, did you hit it?

Yup, made it this morning- 174.6 pounds, just under the red line. I've been busy so I haven't been able to update the chart, plus I stalled a bit over the weekend. It happens. I have a few days' worth of hCG left, so hopefully I can get really close to 170 before I run out.

2013-06-04_weight.jpg
 
Congrats! Hit the weights, go on a high protein diet and sleep at least 8 hours a night, after you come off.

You can just get your wife prefers again an ask her to per on you...
 
Congrats! Hit the weights, go on a high protein diet and sleep at least 8 hours a night, after you come off.

You can just get your wife prefers again an ask her to per on you...

Huh? Per on me? And thanks! No weights- bike and run. High protein's not a problem, that's my normal diet.
 
Huh? Per on me? And thanks! No weights- bike and run. High protein's not a problem, that's my normal diet.

Lol, guess my phone doesn't see the word 'pee' often enough, so it auto corrected.

I was joking that you could get additional hCG from a pregnant wife peeing on you.

Also, just say yes to lifting weights. It's proven to burn more calories than cardio because the effects are longer lasting. I.e a run or bike ride may burn more calories during the actual exercise (or not, depending on variables) but post workout, will not raise your BMR as much as weight lifting. You also get the benefit of adding more lean body mass, which will also raise your BMR as muscle requires more energy (calories) to maintain than other tissue like fat.

Long story short - weights are the quickest way to make your body look the way you want and for general health. Add it in addition to your biking and running.
 
Great info total, I've been doing 100% cardio and dieting and have had pretty good results so far (18 pounds in 5 weeks). I will add a small amount of lifting to my routine so I have a combination of cardio and weights.
 
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Great info total, I've been doing 100% cardio and have had pretty good results so far (18 pounds in 5 weeks). I will add a small amount of lifting to my routine so I have a combination of cardio and weights.

Check out Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe or 5/3/1 by Jim Webdler. Both are good, structured programs and are effective for people of all experience levels.

The information for both can be found free online. A gym membership costs $30. If you want something completely planned out for you that incorporates cardio and weight lifting, seek out a Crossfit gym near you. I'm not a Crossfit brand snob but I have been training similar to the high intensity interval training that Crossfit is based on, since I was kid and grew up wrestling. Crossfit just packages all of the principles to help people from beginners to elite athletes.

At 27, with a bad back and jacked up hormones, I'm probably in the best all around shape of my life.
 
:thumbsup:

Thanks man, I'll check those out. A few of my buddies swear by crossfit and have been trying to get me to sign up. I'm going to do a bit of research first before I decide to fork up the monthly fee for a gym membership. Although, I guess Crossfit is something that could be done at home with free weights? I'm not really sure what all it consists of.

I've shed weight pretty quickly but I have a feeling that it will be harder to lose pounds as my weight gets lower toward my target weight (175). More of my fat will be turned into muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. Also, most of my workouts are similar so there might be a problem there. I think my body is starting to adapt and become more efficient at performing exercises that previously allowed me to burn more calories. I should look into varying my workouts and making changes to my routine (like lifting weights, as you suggested).

/threadjack
 
I would agree that if you are trying to get in good shape then lifting weights is key. You dont have to lift to get big... lifting with lighter weight, higher reps, and very little rest between sets will burn the shit out of some calories. And you will get stronger and more toned without putting on a lot of mass. I mean im not an expert, but personally, i got good results... lost 30lbs and got stronger.
 
:thumbsup:

Thanks man, I'll check those out. A few of my buddies swear by crossfit and have been trying to get me to sign up. I'm going to do a bit of research first before I decide to fork up the monthly fee for a gym membership. Although, I guess Crossfit is something that could be done at home with free weights? I'm not really sure what all it consists of.

I've shed weight pretty quickly but I have a feeling that it will be harder to lose pounds as my weight gets lower toward my target weight (175). More of my fat will be turned into muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. Also, most of my workouts are similar so there might be a problem there. I think my body is starting to adapt and become more efficient at performing exercises that previously allowed me to burn more calories. I should look into varying my workouts and making changes to my routine (like lifting weights, as you suggested).

/threadjack

You'll get it done.

Few quick things;
If you aren't familar with the complex movements like squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc. - its a good idea to take an On Ramp type course for Crossfit. Yes, the membership is expensive but its essentially personal training. Take on the membership for a month or two. If you don't like the cost or community, after you've learned the movements, go work out at your house or another gym. Again, I keep saying Crossfit because it becomes a no brainer - they establish your workouts for you, your stretching routine, your rehab routine, your diets, and also provide a community of healthy people for motivation. Take the best elements of a home program like p90x, add in more complex (beneficial movements like squats, cleans, snatches) and add a bunch of fit people around you and you have 'crossfit'.

A kettlebell gym, MMA gym, or anything else dubbed as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) gym is a suitable replacement for the 'Crossfit' name and should have the same benefits.

Next, fat can't actually convert to muscle. There's no way that fat tissue can be 'converted' to muscle. Fat cells can expand and contract, once created, they don't disappear - they just go through the aforementioned expanding and contracting.

Problem with home 'free weights' is that you become a chest and arms guy. The majority of the muscle mass in your body is in your legs. You should be using a barbell for barbell squats. Squats should be the foundation for any credible workout program. To use a car analogy, its similar to taking a Honda Fit and dropping $20,000 in mods into it or just buying a Z06. The Z06 has a better foundation and will always have more potential. You can make the Fit go pretty quick and look pretty good, but you'll never get the results as if you started with a Z06.

Any credible workout program should include these;
Barbell squat (front or back)
Deadlift
Shoulder press
Pull ups
Cleans and/or snatches

(Notice I didn't say bench press or curls? A shoulder press is more bang for your buck than a bench press. Bench isn't a bad exercise, in fact its a very very good one, but its not necessary for a good foundation.)
 
I would agree that if you are trying to get in good shape then lifting weights is key. You dont have to lift to get big... lifting with lighter weight, higher reps, and very little rest between sets will burn the shit out of some calories. And you will get stronger and more toned without putting on a lot of mass. I mean im not an expert, but personally, i got good results... lost 30lbs and got stronger.

Keep the reps to less than 15 reps. Use at least 60% of your max lifting weight. It's been proven in research studies to be more effective to use 60%+ of your max, in any rep scheme, than to do many more reps at a lower percentage of your max weight.

The rep scheme also won't effect the mass you put on. That's a wives tale. The workload will but not rep scheme.

And lastly, its not easy to gain mass, so don't be afraid you'll 'get too big'. Anyone who says that, automatically loses credibility. Bodybuilders dream about going to sleep at night and waking up significantly bigger the next day - and they do everything they can, including steroids, to try to put on that mass.

Long story short, to get 'big', you have to put in substantial effort to your diet and workout. No regular gym enthusiast is going to be mistaken for Arnold. Again, an old wives tale.
 
Again, great info.

Right, I just meant that fat will be replaced with muscle, not directly converted. I know most of those terms and movements but a few I'm not sure of (googling 'clean' and 'snatch' at work is probably not a good idea) :p

I'm not trying to 'get big' just lose my extra 20 pounds, lose the tummy, and tone a little bit. I'll look more into CrossFit and all it entails. Any members here part of the CrossFit community?
 
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