SThom180

I know I haven't been around here much lately. And I'm definitely not a well known/respected person here. But... 1. Crohn's Disease is not an allergy. It's a disease. The fact that anyone would confuse the two is almost enough to invalidate anything else they have to say. Especially when they're equivocating every little definition thrown their way. 2. The fact that anyone thinks that every human being is a cookie cutter, outside of things such as allergies, intolerances, and diseases, is ludicrous. When you break things down to the lowest possible level, the calories absorbed by each person will be fundamentally, though often trivially, different. Even breaking people down into groups separated by BMI categories will introduces differences that are noticeable. Fitness levels and muscle mass and even ethnicity can all play huge role in determining how well different macronutrients are absorbed and in what amount. The fact that anyone would imply differently is simply mind boggling. Calories In vs. Calories Out is only useful when used across large population groups in a general way. The more you specify, the more there are differences. CICO is a foundational starting point, not the entire philosophy.

I ran into a problem. The semester ended and I started working on the farm again. 11 hour work days with a 2 hour, round trip commute. It's eating up all my time. Add in the 7 hours of sleep and I get 4 hours to eat dinner and spend time with my wife. I also have to use some of that for getting ready for work as well as taking a shower after work everyday. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Right now, I can't justify spending a got or two with my wife every night to make room for a workout. On the plus side, availability of snacks has gone down and I spend a lot of time moving, so I've lost another inch on my waist. But my strength has gone done and my knees hurry all the time. Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Well, I didn't miss your point. But, I did ignore it in order to make my own. My apologies if I've offended. The fitness industry has hijacked certain words and as a result the meaning is changing in the wrong direction. "Fitness" and "diet" are the two big ones. It's literally impossible for anyone to create a specific diet that is applicable to a large population group. The Paleo Diet is a "diet" by the true definition of the word. Which really refers to the group(s) of foods regularly eaten by an individual, group, or community. It did not originally refer to any specific calorie counts or meal plans or anything like that. The whole "calories in/calories out" business is really a separate thing from diet. It's unfortunate that people now equate calorie restriction with the word "diet", but it's widespread enough to be a definition for the word in the Merriam-Webster.

I had rough week, but it's finals week. I finish up the last tomorrow then it's back to work with nothing to interfere with working out and eating right.

A couple of things are bothering me here. First, your diet is just the sum of food you eat. So, yes, Paleo is a diet. Diet does not mean "food menu eaten for weight loss". You can choose a diet for weight gain. You can choose the "eat whatever I want when I want it in whatever quantities I desire" diet. In fact, a lot of Americans choose the last one. Second, cow's milk is made for cows. Human milk is made for humans. Aside from that, have you ever changed the diaper of a baby drinking only breast milk? It's pretty much 100% diarrhea. Human infants are unable to digest whole foods at birth and therefore must have a liquid diet. None of that is a glowing recommendation for the consumption of milk. There's probably a good reason why people are lactose intolerant but not vegetable intolerant. Allergic to certain vegetables maybe, but that isn't the same thing as an intolerance. Third, and this is important, the word "fitness" only refers to an individual's ability to perform a specific task. It does not imply nor include health, excepting those times when it specifically used to refer to an individual's ability to process a specific food or handle a specific diet. The term "physically fit" is incomplete. Physically fit for what? A 25-mile ruck march with a 50-lb pack? A marathon run? A powerlifting competition? Just because someone is doing triathlons, and doing them well, does not mean they are healthy or eating properly. The rise in marathon runners having heart attacks should be a clue. Fourth, elite performance does not imply optimal nutrition or health. In fact, it could be argued that optimal health cannot coexist with elite performance. Most elite athletes have trained themselves to ignore biologically programmed warning signs meant to deter possibly detrimental action. Watch a video of marathon runners collapsing near the finish line. They have literally depleted themselves to the point of no longer having control of their own body. Elite performance, but not optimal health. Many fit people don't have a "good" diet, they have a "good enough" diet. The problem with finding a "good" diet is that it's entirely subjective to the individual. And nowadays so many people are coming to fitness after years of poor health that their current diet makes them feel so good that they can't imagine that they aren't at their peak. Or, they subscribe to the "universal theory of nutrition" and believe they are eating perfectly because it follows someone's guidelines that can't possibly work for everyone. Also, I think most people completely ignore the genetics factor. An ultra-endurance runner will not be able to win the Olympia and vice-versa, because of genetics. You see this a lot with so many people on the treadmill at the gym. Cardio burns so many calories and all those hot people on fitness magazine covers run, so running must be the best cardio. Everybody thinks you have to run to have that body, but nobody stops to think they run because they have that body. Not everyone is made for running. Not everyone is made for bodybuilding. Not everyone is made for Paleo, but for a different reason: personal preference. Just like people who are built to run, but train for hypertrophy due to personal preference. We have no way of knowing if the boyfriend or the brother are in good health without more information. Cholesterol levels, blood pressure, serum testosterone levels, etc, etc. If they're happy with what they're eating and there's no overt signs of poor health and they receive regular physicals from qualified doctors with a clean bill of health, then let them eat what they want. But, don't just think that because they feel good and perform well that they're healthy. Neither should you push a diet on them that they won't enjoy. Success is as much a function of enjoyment as it is hard work and dedication.

Well, this week has been tough. It's finals week. But, my last final is on Saturday afternoon, so I can move on relatively stress free from there. Other than that, we're moving along well. I'm enjoying swings and TGU's with the 24kg. My workouts are relatively short, but I've been feeling pretty good lately. Thanks for asking, BTW.

Well, first week went well until today. Didn't work out. Didn't watch what I ate. Don't even know how many calories it was. Other than today, everything's gone according to plan. I've lost an inch on my waist over the last month and graduated to a 24kg kb for swings and TGU's. Ate well and healthy and never too much. I just couldn't keep my motivation up today. Don't know why.

I'm not sure I'm doing this challenge right. I think I made my goals too vague, especially for the mini-challenge. I'm think I'm not quite grasping how to set appropriate challenge goals. I'll have to remember that when it's time to allocate points earned at the end. For anyone who's still checking in, I'm updating progress info to my NF blog. It's hyperlinked in my sign.

Well, I did all 4 workouts this week, plus 1 extra, plus I spent all morning this morning walking from game to game watching my two nephews play baseball and soccer. So, a win, I guess? I think I may have made my challenge and mini-challenge goals too vague.

Can somebody put Ash in the insignia behind Wolverines? 'Cause that would make for a damn fine squad emblem.

Knocked out 6 easy quests on Fitocracy today. I split them up over the course of the day into a bunch of mini workouts. Plus, I leveled up! So, Fitocracy-wise, it was a good day. Ended up almost 650 calories below my goal! It helped that I didn't log much until after dinner. It left me paranoid about eating all day because I didn't know how many calories I had left. So, instead I drank a ton of water and discovered what bladder is like when he's angry at having to do so much work. Looking forward to getting back into the swings tomorrow! And looking forward to the seeing what the new squads have to offer!

Holy crap! I didn't get on here all day today. Now there's squads!? Awesome!

Day Two Update: Completed the TGU day of the Program Minimum. TGU's weren't as hard as they have been in the past. I completed 3 TGU's for the left and right in 5 minutes with the 24kg. Which isn't much below my personal best. I barely managed to meet my calorie goals for today. My mother invited us out for Mexican. Which is delicious. But, I opted for the taco plate. No rice, but all the beans. Water instead of soda or tea. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I'm feeling the DOMS from yesterday's swings. I'm thinking about hitting some of the shorter, bodyweight focused Fitocracy quests instead. They aren't hard and should do a lot to help me feel a little less stiff for Thursday.

Well, I made my goals too vague I guess. One of my goals is starting the Program Minimum, so I guess my mini-challenge will be to complete all 4 Program Minimum workouts this week. And so far I'm 2 down this week. So, progress? I guess?

Why thank you!