Pre-season Fitness

[dakota4ce]

Diet matters most. You can't outwork bad food.

And lots of stretching, mobility work.

But as far as workouts, StrongLifts 5x5! Easy, simple workouts in my basement (have a Rogue rack and some weights) only 3x a week. It's amazing how much stronger I am in every other lift after squatting 3x a week.

Other than that, just swim or walk for on-going cardio. And a lot of moving around, aka NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) to keep the metabolism going. I'm 32 and learned in the last few years that 'more' doesn't equal 'better' for me. Lots of interesting studies of overexercising and its affect on excess cortisol, which in turn can lead to more fat retention since your body is in a perpetual stress state.

It's tough with a dead thyroid but the above is working pretty well for me the past few years, 6'1 185lbs now. Down from 215. Would love to be 170s by summer.

Even more simplified.....count your overall caloric intake. Stick to a plan, reduce it. That will force you to make better food decisions overall because crap food will -typically- be high in calories.

There are exceptions (example: good fats are high) so you need to pay attention to how you manage it. But it’s simplicity is powerful. Stop eating so damn much! Then, of what you do eat, make better choices.

You can get damn full on a hunk of chicken and a pile of broccoli.


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[rdlangston13]

You can get damn full on a hunk of chicken and a pile of broccoli.


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But who wants to when you can have steak fajitas with chips and queso and a large margarita?

[dakota4ce]

But who wants to when you can have steak fajitas with chips and queso and a large margarita?

You can still have that! Just not for lunch and dinner!


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[rdlangston13]

You can still have that! Just not for lunch and dinner!


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So yesterday at work was asian food day. I don't line asian food, unless its hibachi and even then its more just steak and grilled shrimp. At lunch I had some sweet/sour chicken but I was still so hungry I score a cinnamon roll, cup cake, and a rice crispy treat. I am awful, no self control when it comes to eating. This morning I went in the galley with nothing but a bacon, egg, and cheese omelette on my mind. Ate than and then they had pancakes so I HAD to get a couple of those too. Don't do my diet plan.

[larry_arizona]

But at the same time you got to eat ENOUGH.

I typically aim for the calories needed for the basal metabolic rate of the weight I want to be.

If you don’t eat enough, your metabolism goes into starvation mode.


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[dakota4ce]

But at the same time you got to eat ENOUGH.

I typically aim for the calories needed for the basal metabolic rate of the weight I want to be.

If you don’t eat enough, your metabolism goes into starvation mode.


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Of course. You would also be hungry as hell. Majority of average “overweight” folks eat way way way too much.


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[larry_arizona]

My point was that when losing weight, when the needle on the scale doesn’t move, the inexperienced often will drop calories under their basal metabolic rate and they will still not lose weight.

When in fact they need to eat more to lose weight.


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[BrentC5Z]

So yesterday at work was asian food day. I don't line asian food, unless its hibachi and even then its more just steak and grilled shrimp. At lunch I had some sweet/sour chicken but I was still so hungry I score a cinnamon roll, cup cake, and a rice crispy treat. I am awful, no self control when it comes to eating. This morning I went in the galley with nothing but a bacon, egg, and cheese omelette on my mind. Ate than and then they had pancakes so I HAD to get a couple of those too. Don't do my diet plan.

Good Lord! Wait, are you the under 40 guy? I remember those days.

[dakota4ce]

The good old days! I try to eat about 2500 cal a day now. I suspect that is slightly lower than my actual base rate. I have lost 10 or 11 pounds over the course of about three months. It’s pretty fascinating to count. I would venture to guess at some points in time I was eating 5000 cal a day.

I wasn’t obese, miraculously!


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[Shoebox]

Even more simplified.....count your overall caloric intake. Stick to a plan, reduce it. That will force you to make better food decisions overall because crap food will -typically- be high in calories.

There are exceptions (example: good fats are high) so you need to pay attention to how you manage it. But it’s simplicity is powerful. Stop eating so damn much! Then, of what you do eat, make better choices.

You can get damn full on a hunk of chicken and a pile of broccoli.


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This is very true. The biggest issue is we eat far too much food. Eating huge portions not only is far too many calories, but it also stretches out your stomach, exacerbating the problem. Eat smaller portions of whatever, you'll feel hungry for a bit, until your stomach adjusts. Then it's much easier. Eat whatever you want, just eat less of it.