Nortac's 90 day challenge/ journal.

[nortac]

I will be essentially participating in next quarters challenge but I want to post my own challenge/journal thread in order to keep myself more accountable. I'm 60 yrs young and according to my Tanita scale, weigh 212.8 lbs and a 37.7% body fat, if you can put any stock in that, I'm 5 ft. 10 in.. The heaviest I've ever been was 225 lbs and I managed to get down to 198lbs. a few years ago from that weight. My long term goal is to be a muscular 175 lbs, not bulky, but like a swimmer or gymnast build. I hope to lose about 20 lbs. during this challenge, but anything over 10 will be considered a short term success. Beyond dedication and motivation there are a couple of complicating factors involved. I have some chronic work related injuries that always seem to throw a monkey wrench into my plans whenever I get the urge to improve my fitness. I have chronic low back pain with bulging/herniated discs and to a lesser extent the same condition in my neck. I also have SLAP (superior labrum anterior/posterior) tears in both of my shoulder joints. So this complicates to a very high degree which type of exercises I can do. Running and any high vertical impact is out, walking is fine. I used to be a road bike user, riding a 100 miles a week as a 30 something, but now because of neck pain riding in a roadie position I can only do limited rides on my mountain bike confined to paved trail use. For now push ups are out due to the SLAP tears, but I hope to remedy that. Time will tell. For a younger person, surgery for SLAP tears has only about a 60% success rate, for someone my age, surgery is not recommended. Other than that, I'm in great shape!
So of course I'm going to pay more attention to my diet, cut out the sweets and complex carbs, back off the alcohol intake some. I'm starting to walk today and will soon get back on my trail bike. I want to do some body weight exercises but I will have to go slow on anything that involves my shoulder joints. I plan to rehab/strengthen those with some light clubbells and circular strength training ala Scott Sonnen. I also plan to do some of Sonnen's mobility exercises as I have always been very stiff, even as a young man before weight gain or chronic injuries. So I have my work cut out for me. Nuthin to it but to do it!

 

[nortac]

So I began today, a bit early, just to ease into it. I soaked in a hot tub for about 15 min. to loosen up my always sore, stiff lower back and then got into the pool to do some old man stretches in the water and a few easy laps to further loosen up. Then I went for a 2 mile walk at a fairly brisk pace. A good day for me. Now to keep up the tempo. I work 12 hr shifts this weekend so any further significant workout will have to wait for Monday.

 

[alex2363]

So I began today, a bit early, just to ease into it. I soaked in a hot tub for about 15 min. to loosen up my always sore, stiff lower back and then got into the pool to do some old man stretches in the water and a few easy laps to further loosen up. Then I went for a 2 mile walk at a fairly brisk pace. A good day for me. Now to keep up the tempo. I work 12 hr shifts this weekend so any further significant workout will have to wait for Monday.

What is your diet like?

 

[nortac]

That can certainly stand some adjustment, I'm basically a meat and potatoes type guy. When I eat bread it's usually pumpernickel or rye. I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup where ever possible, rarely drink sodas. My biggest downfall is too much beer and ice cream. I raise chickens for my organic eggs and usually eat eggs daily. Trying to work fresh veggies , particularly green ones into the mix, frequently eat avocados either by themselves or in salads, I eat an assortment of mixed nuts almost daily. Organic natural peanut butter frequently. We grow some fresh food in the garden,tomatoes , bell peppers, herbs, etc. Not to much pasta, but gotta have spaghetti every once in a while.

 

[devinirwin3]

Big thing is moderation. Trying to cut all the bad stuff out immediately is going to end in cravings and cheating unless you are very strong willed. Big thing when I diet is to let my body tell me I'm hungry instead of eating just because its a certain time. A gallon of water a day is also something that can really help with hunger and to keep the metabolism going as well.

I've never been in your position where I'm overweight but I do cut 15 lbs going into the summer to shed off the winter weight gain. You say you are walking which is a great low impact way to burn calories without causing the body to crave carbs. Best of luck and let me know if you need any help with fitness/nutrition as its something I have years of experience with.

 

[deoxy4]

Good luck on your journey. I am in your situation, being over 60 and about 20 pounds overweight. I am 6'3" and 215 but feel much better at 185.

May I suggest the site myfitnesspal.com as a resource. It has been very helpful for me as I cycle from a Low Carbohydrate to a Ketogenic diet. It is a very good place to log your food consumption and breaking it down to macronutrients-protein, fat and carbohydrates. You can also log your exercise program. The forum(s) are filled with many members who are willing to help.

Walking is a great low impact exercise. I might suggest that you start walking on a rubberized track. When I first started walking 4 miles a day I got shin splints, which is fairly common. It set me back for a week or so. I found that walking on the track for a few weeks was much easier on my shins and knees. I now can hike on local park trails, 4-6 miles, without issue. Purchasing a $20 pedometer for me was a good purchase to log distances walked. A decent set of $20 fitness bands are a decent purchase when warming up, cooling down or when your not up to weight lifting. They also have much improved my range of motion and made me more limber.

There are some inexpensive supplements that are helpful to ease the break from carbohydrates and sugars. I will try and fin a reference and will post. Good luck.

 

[deoxy4]

L-glutamine is an inexpensive amino acid supplement that some find helpful in breaking a sugar addiction. You might want to do a google search for "L-glutamine sugar addiction".

 

[nortac]

Thanks for all of the input guys! I pretty much know what I have to do and how to do it. I'm very much into supplements. Today I weighed in at 210 even. That is about the low end of my usual weight fluctuations. I had the afternoon off and did some more easy pool exercises and a few easy laps. I've also started some low weight clubbell training for my shoulders.
http://www.rmaxinternational.com/om/home.php

 

[nortac]

Weighed in a 209 lbs this AM. After a couple of mugs of black coffee with a little local unprocessed honey, I had a slice of Pumpernickel toast with butter, followed by some Greek yogurt with more of the same honey and a handful of blueberries from my own bush. Finished off with a spoon of natural peanut butter. I drank some water to prehydrate and counteract the diuretic effects of the coffee. Had a short soak in the hot tub and some stretches in the pool. Gotta do sumpin to get these old bones and tendons to loosen up. Then I got out my old trusty but dusty Trek mtn. bike. I was surprised and delighted to find out that my Wahoo HR monitor and bike cadence sensors were still functional after not being used for about a year. So I took the bike out for a shakedown cruise, so to speak, first in over a year.It kicked my *** but felt good at the same time. I ride on a level paved Rails to Trails about 3/4 miles from my driveway. It was in the mid to upper 80's and very humid, partly overcast. According to my Wahoo fitness and cycling app on my iPhone I rode an even 10 miles in 51:56 and averaged 11.55 mph, ave HR 134, ave cadence 75 rpm, max speed 16.13 mph, max HR 155, burned 737 kcal, blah, blah, blah....When I finished and got off the bike I could hardly stand up straight and my neck was killing me!! but I soon recovered and rewarded myself by improperly rehydrating with a New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale! I will properly hydrate once the beer guzzling has been completed.

 

[nortac]

[MENTION=38936]deoxy4[/MENTION] I did order some L-glutamine. I also use Pycnogenol and L- arginine.

 

[deoxy4]

You sound pretty knowledgeable about supplements. Have you ever experimented with a magnesium supplement? Initially I experimented with magnesium oxide and found it didn't help. I later found that magnesium oxide is not very bioavailable and chelated forms work much better without intestinal distress. Magnesium glycinate is one of the better forms. It tastes horrible, but damn it works. I take it before and after exercising and before bed. It really helps to relax muscles and loosen things up. I find very few supplements that I can definitely say deliver-this is one for me.

You have inspired me to lube the bearings and tune my '80's Univega Alpina Sport, similar to your Trek I suspect. I have some slick tires in the cellar which should work for pavement. Got to love old school butted steel tubing and bullet proof Shimano or Suntour friction shifters and derailleurs. They have paved a number of old railroad routes in the area for biking and walking. Going to give it a whirl. Good to have a few tools in the arsenal.

Keep up the good work.

 

[nortac]

My wife and I both use Magnesium Oxide and I have no GI upset with it, but it is supposedly "pharmaceutical grade" and I believe there is a difference in quality as compared to other mag ox formulations.

 

[deoxy4]

If it works for you, cool.

Magnesium aspartate, chloride, lactate, citrate and glycinate each have bioavailability 4 times greater than the oxide form and are equivalent to each other per amount of magnesium, though not in price.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]

 

[nortac]

If it works for you, cool.

Magnesium aspartate, chloride, lactate, citrate and glycinate each have bioavailability 4 times greater than the oxide form and are equivalent to each other per amount of magnesium, though not in price.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]

One can easily spend a small fortune in supplements. I will pay more for Ester-C than cheaper vitamin C supplements as it does not upset my stomach, even in high dosages where as a cheaper vit. C will irritate my stomach.

 

[deoxy4]

I agree. After experimentation everyone eventually finds out what works for them.

 

[alex2363]

Weighed in a 209 lbs this AM. After a couple of mugs of black coffee with a little local unprocessed honey, I had a slice of Pumpernickel toast with butter, followed by some Greek yogurt with more of the same honey and a handful of blueberries from my own bush. Finished off with a spoon of natural peanut butter. I drank some water to prehydrate and counteract the diuretic effects of the coffee. Had a short soak in the hot tub and some stretches in the pool. Gotta do sumpin to get these old bones and tendons to loosen up. Then I got out my old trusty but dusty Trek mtn. bike. I was surprised and delighted to find out that my Wahoo HR monitor and bike cadence sensors were still functional after not being used for about a year. So I took the bike out for a shakedown cruise, so to speak, first in over a year.It kicked my *** but felt good at the same time. I ride on a level paved Rails to Trails about 3/4 miles from my driveway. It was in the mid to upper 80's and very humid, partly overcast. According to my Wahoo fitness and cycling app on my iPhone I rode an even 10 miles in 51:56 and averaged 11.55 mph, ave HR 134, ave cadence 75 rpm, max speed 16.13 mph, max HR 155, burned 737 kcal, blah, blah, blah....When I finished and got off the bike I could hardly stand up straight and my neck was killing me!! but I soon recovered and rewarded myself by improperly rehydrating with a New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale! I will properly hydrate once the beer guzzling has been completed.

What is your daily calorie intake?

 

[nortac]

What is your daily calorie intake?

I don't know, I've never been a calorie counter, but I'm pretty confident that it is not terribly excessive. I'm more likely to do portion control and eat the right food types, eliminating sugar and limiting complex carbs. For me counting calories would be too much of a chore. I know it works well for many people and some people have no idea that they are taking in too many calories and by how much. If I had to take a rough guess maybe 3-3,500? Some days possibly more. This is without portion control or recent changes in my diet. I could be way off, but for me , it doesn't really matter. I know how to eat properly, I've lost weight before. It's just a matter of will power. YMMV greatly, mine does.

 

[alex2363]

I don't know, I've never been a calorie counter, but I'm pretty confident that it is not terribly excessive. I'm more likely to do portion control and eat the right food types, eliminating sugar and limiting complex carbs. For me counting calories would be too much of a chore. I know it works well for many people and some people have no idea that they are taking in too many calories and by how much. If I had to take a rough guess maybe 3-3,500? Some days possibly more. This is without portion control or recent changes in my diet. I could be way off, but for me , it doesn't really matter. I know how to eat properly, I've lost weight before. It's just a matter of will power. YMMV greatly, mine does.

Yes, bodybuilders/weight conscious athletes go by 3500 calories daily, but also consider daily energy expenditures, age, gender, and medical issues for weight management.

 

[nortac]

I probably underestimated my caloric intake, but not by a whole lot. I could probably stand to reduce it by 20%, which I certainly would achieve by portion control and proper food type selection.

 

[nortac]

Here is the bike I rode yesterday I may be changing out the handlebars for a more upright position as my neck was really bothering me by the end of my ride yesterday. Much more than last year when I rode last.