mkolbe2

Took off Thursday too to regain some strength. First time is always the worst! Planning on going up to the gym this afternoon, as well as tomorrow morning. That still puts me at 4 days/week.

Tuesday! SO came to the gym with me, and it was awesome. He was a bit sore from playing his sport, so we warmed up with 10 minutes on the treadmill. Then, I did a real bench press for the first time ever. Just the olympic bar. Stats: Bench 5x5 55lbs Curls 30x2 10lbs ea. Fly 10x3 40lbs My arms are on fire today. Also, no gym today. Too tired and sore. It is important to take some time off anyway. Woo.

Huh. Ok. I still try to limit it. That seems to be working out. But yeah...I have a cheese problem. Hehe. I love cheese. This is a good point. I will take that in to consideration. I actually was doing squats with dumbbells, but some older guy at the gym suggested the smith machine and taught me how to use it, so I just went along with it. I like using a bar for workouts, so I figured that a smith bar was better than no bar. Then again, I know nothing. Lol. I will look these up. Thanks =]

MONDAY MADNESS So my crazy behind got out of bed nice and early this morning, had a protein bar, and went to the gym. 20 minutes of interval cardio and 20 minutes of legs. WOOO. Pumped. Stats: Leg press 10x3 100lbs Calf press 10x3 120lbs Quads 10x3 60lbs Hams 10x3 60lbs 20 mins interval training on the elliptical. HUH. = ]

Thank you! I have some relatives with Fibro and it is not fun at all. Kudos to you! Hang in there, and don't overdo it. You'll get along just fine.

I just found out that the SO is going to be joining the gym with me tomorrow morning. Super excited about that. I will have a spotter and a trainer! Whee. The addition of him should help me set better goals. I won't be so willy nilly. Also, I find that with keto I wasn't losing I think because I wasn't tracking. Paleo so far I haven't had to track a bit, because I'm eating so many veggies. I lost a boat load of weight doing Weight Watchers because veggies were free to eat. I'm trying to follow that idea. Obviously, I'm not going to be able to eat 1500kcal of spinach per day. What I do try to track is meats/fats/nuts, anything that is high calorie. Veggies, nope. I do also watch fruit consumption because of carbs. The only thing I haven't cut out entirely (and might not) is dairy. I still have some cheese here and there, and a wee bit of cream in my coffee. Keto had my water weight fluctuating like *crazy* so far, my non-strict keto/paleo has kept my water gains to a minimum. Phew.

Sunday report! Friday and Saturday I was feeling extremely under the weather, and decided not to go to the gym. I was going to go this morning, but this Sunday is uber busy. However, there was a breakthrough! The SO is going to go with me in the mornings, help me train, and train himself. YES! I've been asking him for months and it makes me super extra happy awesome excited that he finally feels good enough to do it! I'm also very proud of the 50lbs that he's lost in the last few months. He looks great, and feels great. So despite having an off weekend (only on workouts, not on diet), progress was made!

Hah. Wow... this blew up. I figure the machines are bad, but I can't afford injury and don't have a spotter. Also, form is half the battle for me, and the Smith machine has definitely helped me develop some form. I know what it's supposed to feel like to do a squat. I'm hoping that the SO will be joining the gym with me soon, as he used to be a habitual lifter. Then I'll have someone to spot me. Like I said, lone wolf. I try to get in dumbbells as much as possible, and also use the resistance machines, because they're just a bunch of pulleys, and it definitely requires much more stability than the standard circuit machines. I will definitely take a look at starting strength. Thanks!

I'm new to the forums here. I always get yelled at on Reddit for not providing enough information, so I'll go ahead and do that now =] Diet: Before: Standard crappy american diet 3.5 mo ago: Started and stuck with strict Keto Present: Beginning to transition to Paleo from Keto Workout: Before: Exercising my fingers on the keyboard 2.5 mo ago: Joined the gym, started lifting. I sort of was all willy nilly, since I didn't know a thing about what I was doing. .5 mo ago: Rejoined the gym after not doing anything for a month. I absolutely have to exercise to lose weight. I think I've finally accepted that. Stats: Height 5' 6" Weight 3.5 mo ago: 217 Weight now: 201.6 Squats (Smith machine): 10lbs on each end. Arms (resistance machines): 60lbs Bench (Smith machine): 10lbs on each end. Leg press: 100lbs (last I checked) Calf press: 140lbs (last I checked) Cardio: 1/2 hour of elliptical interval training. Sometimes, in the morning, I' Alright, now that I got that out of the way, I can ask my questions! I'm a lone wolf at the gym. We have a lot of really ripped guys there, but they aren't much for helping dumpy 'ol me. I also have no one to spot me. Is it imperative that I have a set schedule? Right now I try to get to the gym 5 days a week and do SOMETHING. I usually alternate arms/shoulders, core, legs so that each one hits every 3-4 days. That way, I'm not so sore. I try to use resistance machines instead of the set machines, so that I can have the muscle movement. I also use dumbbells for some things. The only stiff machine that I use is the Smith machine. Is that going to hurt me in the long run? Thanks!

I couldn't get past the horrendous writing style. Dunno if that's just me.

I have biiiig biiig problems with this as well. It seems like two things happen: If I eat at specific times of the day (which is very very hard for me to keep up with) I'm either starving by my next food or full from my last food. If I eat when I'm hungry I seriously put myself at risk for overeating, snacking, picking up bad habits, etc. What I'm currently trying to do is every time I think I'm hungry when I shouldn't be, I drink a glass of water. If I am still hungry, then I'll eat something little, or eat a meal. There's a lot of different things you can try, but I feel like eating when you're hungry is a much healthier idea, but harder to control. Maybe try a bunch of different methods and see what works for you?

My playlist: Cochise - Audioslave (Always played first) B.Y.O.B - System of a Down Blood - In This Moment I-E-A-I-A-I-O - System of a Down Love Bites - Halestorm No One Gets Left Behind - Five Finger Death Punch Cryin' Like a B - Godsmack Pool of Booze Booze Booza - Volbeat Still Counting - Volbeat Vicinity of Obscenity - System of a Down = ]

I'm motivated to do that last rep or that last 10 minutes on the elliptical so that I can just say I powered through it and completed it. Also, I just want to be a complete boss at the gym. But, all bosses had to start as interns.

This is a tricky one. I've kept jobs that I absolutely hated to pay the bills. It's not my SO's fault or my cat's fault if I don't like my job, so I do my best to bring in the money, no matter what. That being said, I actively tried to get out of those jobs. At some point you really just have to be happy. You're not going to live forever, and neither am I. I'd say if you can safely make a job change, go for it. The happiness outweighs the money mentally 9/10 times, even if the money is important. Obviously, you absolutely have to pay your mortgage. What may be better is one of the following: Transfer departments Find a new job without a boss that makes you want to hurt people in IT Get a new job all together My $0.02. I hope things work out for you =]

Alright. First shot at this! I have yet to participate in a challenge here, but I figured that I would set some goals and make a thread to keep accountable. Here goes nothing! Current numbers for reference: Weight: 201.6lbs Height: 5' 6" Diet: Non-strict Keto transitioning in to Paleo Strict Keto for the past 3.5 months. Original Weight: 217lbs. Original Fitness: Couldn't walk up a flight of stairs. Cardio: Can do 1/2 hour straight of intense interval training on the elliptical, which is my favorite cardio. Strength: I don't have a spotter, so nothing free except dumbbells. I use the resistance or pulley machines whenever possible to simulate free weights. Squat: 10x3 Smith Machine +20lbs All arms (pull downs, row, etc.): 10x3 60lbs Bench: 10x3 Smith Machine +20lbs Leg press: 120lbs Crunches: 20, yeah.. just 20. Fancy AB Roller Machine Thing: 10x3 Baby Goals (Which are part of my ultimate goals): To be completed by the first week of August. #1 Squat 40lbs (Smith Machine) 10x3 I really love squats. They are my absolute favorite thing. If I could do them every day right now, I would totally do it. But, I can't, because I'm always extremely very sore after leg day. My biggest thing with weight lifting is that I'm very new, so I try really hard to focus on form. Now that I believe I have the form down, I'd like to start seeing how to add weight. I lift very slowly, and try to lift what is definitely heavy for me. #2 Cut out all aspartame or splenda I'm trying to use absolutely no aspartame or splenda, namely in drinks. If I need a little sweetener in my coffee, Stevia it is. I'm a Diet Coke Junkie, so this one is tricky. I also drink a lot of coffee. #3 Transition to Paleo I am slowly but surely trying to transition from Keto to Paleo. While I realize that it isn't much of a stretch, it is a stretch for me to figure out how to get locally grown produce, buy the correct foods, and still stay under my grocery budget for the week. Keto is extremely cheap for us, while Paleo seems like it may be more expensive. I'll break this one down: Go to the farmers market and get locally grown produce Figure out a Paleo budget in comparison to a Keto budget Research Paleo and Paleo foods/recipes Replace dairy with some fruits Bonus: If I can convince the S/O to switch to Paleo after he is done with Keto, and convince him that going back to his idea of "a normal diet" late this year is a really bad idea. #4 Make it to the gym at least 5 days a week, at least two mornings before 7AM So far, this one has been going well! I count going to the gym as getting there and sweating for at least 20 minutes. Sometimes, I'm in a time crunch, so I go anyway, even if I will only be there for a little while. I have a modified workout for those days. Hey, they happen, but I figure at least I'm there and moving. I can always try to go back later in the day. Days that I'm not in a time crunch, it's at least 25 minutes of cardio, and then strength. #5 Wake up before 7AM I love my warm fuzzy bed, but I really need to start getting out of it. My new alarm clock is helping, so we'll see how it goes. Ultimate goals: Simple! Be a machine. A happy, healthy, machine. I want to lift heavy, hit hard, feel great, eat right, and kick butt. 3.5 months of gradual changes has brought me this far, and another 3.5 months of gradual changes will push me even farther. This is my new life. Done. Ultimate goal #1 (to be completed later): Be a much better looking Moxxi You see that profile pic? Yeah, Moxxi and Claptrap. Best Halloween costumes I've ever had the privilege of making and wearing. But I want to be a kick butt fit Moxxi, not my old lumpy mediocre Moxxi. Hehe. The costume also needs an overhaul. It's a little destroyed from being in the closet at the bottom of a bag. So that's just one long term goal. I hope to meet it by October. All these things would make me this happy: Today's Log 7/11: I think I'll add a Panda sticker for all of the goal achieving things. Because, panda sticker. Right? Also, disapproval face for those I disapprove of. Beacuse, disapproval face. Woke up at 6:45 AM ಠ_ಠToday was a quick day. 15 minutes of non-interval cardio on the elliptical20 crunches10x3 ab roller machine thingers Bonus: going to try to go back to the gym later for longer.