Defining

Well, perhaps I misspoke - I meant an unbalanced proportion of upper body work, and more specifically: push and shoulder specific movements. EG. Lower: 5 vs Upper: 11 Knee Dominant: 2 (leg extensions & squats) Hip Dominant: 2 (leg curls & deadlifts) Upper Pull: 2 (dumbbell rows & dips) Upper Push: 4 (benchx3 & shoulder press) Shoulder Specific: 3 (flyes & lateral raisex2) Other Isolation work: 3 (calf raises, shrugs, curls) I personally err towards whole body training for fat loss, and at the very least equal work between push/pull and upper/lower. Even more specifically, I (again, just me personally) prefer more pulling than pushing, because it helps offset the poor posture I get from sitting in front a screen for most of the day. But if big shoulders or a big chest are your main priorities, I can understand that programming. At the end of the day, it's also important for you to ENJOY your training, and work towards the goals that are important to you! I totally understand not wanting to get too close to failure, especially when training alone. I think the phrase I'm thinking of is "leave one rep in the tank" - again, I probably just phrased it poorly. RE: PullUps - using resistance bands with the bar can start you out with a vertical pull (band pull downs), progressing to timed hangs,, negatives-only pullups, and then band-assisted pullups as you gain strength. As an aside, there's no such thing as 'toning' muscle, just making it bigger (https://bretcontreras.com/training-for-maximum-muscle-growth-explained). And if available weights are the limiting factor, you can always aim for ultra high rep sets (eg. 20reps/set) - again, just work towards 'one or two reps lefts in the tank' each set. There really isn't a 'wrong' or 'right' way to train - these are all just my opinions, so just keep whatever is useful to you, and ignore the rest!

Welcome back to the grind! We all fall in to the 'tomorrow' trap at some point. No shame, no failure - just opportunity for growth. Some Tips (I'm still working on this issue myself ): https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2013/03/25/why-you-procrastinate-and-how-to-stop-it-now/

'Abs are made in the kitchen'. That is to say, working out and recovering properly will build you muscle. A caloric deficit will lose you fat. Just guessing, but your daily energy requirements are probably around 1,800kcal/day. So to lose weight, you'll either need to eat less than that, or exercise enough to burn extra calories. If you add weight lifting and eat enough protein (minimum 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight a day), that weight loss should be mostly fat, rather than losing muscle (which no one wants to do). You'll also want to make sure that you're eating fruit & veg, sleeping at least 8hrs a night, and managing your stress (meditation and gratitude journals help). Cutting out as much added sugars as possible can help with your energy levels. You should also take a look at your caffeine/stimulant consumption - make sure it's not disturbing your sleep. Here's a great beginner workout that doesn't need any equipment: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ I'd also agree that walking (outside, ideally) every day is a good idea - 30-45min/day would be a great goal. But you could ignore ALL OF THE ABOVE, and would still improve your health by quitting smoking - there are countless online resources with ideas on how to do this, but if it were me, my priorities would be: Quit Smoking Eat Better Exercise 'Hope some of this helps, welcome to the forum!

So, let's start off by saying that I'm not a health professional or trainer, I just read too much. My personal bias is that Weight Watchers doesn't always give you an accurate measure of total intake. Which is to say, it makes it easy to underestimate how many calories you're eating. If it were me, I'd maybe swap over to calorie & protein goals (eg. 200g of protein/day, and 2,000kcal/day). Assuming you're burning 200-300kcal/day with exercise, this should leave you with approximately 1lb of fat loss a week. The more vegetables you can eat the better (aim for 5-8/day), but just make sure you're not adding lots of extra calories with sauces/dressings. Some interesting info on how much protein you should be aiming for: https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/ RE: 'eating enough': if you're losing weight, that's the correct amount to eat. If you're staying the same weight, you're unlikely to drop to your goal of 200lbs (though you may lose some fat while gaining muscle, if you're lucky), so decrease the kcal. If you're gaining weight, it may be muscle, but will also be fat for a good portion - I'd probably still decrease until you're at least not gaining anymore. This is an interesting perspective, that would suggest an 'ideal' BMI for an athletic frame should be around 25: http://everythingweknowsofar.com/2017/02/23/best-bmi-natural-physique-athletes/ That would suggest that if you were closer to 15%BF instead of ~6-8%BF, then just over 200lbs wouldn't be innappropriate for someone of your height - assuming the majority is muscle. I'd also rebalance your workouts - there is a strong emphasis on arms right now, but in terms of metabolic effect, bigger muscle chains burn more calories. 4/week whole body workouts that include: a horizontal push and pull, a vertical push and pull, a hip dominant movment, and a kneee dominant movement will likely give you more visible results. EG. Banded Pulldown (or band assisted pullup), Inverted Row, Suspended Pushup, Handstand Pushup (or Bottom Up DB Press), Hip Thrust or Glue Bridge, and Buglarian Split Squats. Add weight as needed. If possible, you'll also want to add some more weight to your lifts - cheap/free options like sandbags and buckets filled with water are a great resource if you don't have the cash to burn. Even better, if you can spare $100, try to find a doorway pullup bar and old TRX (or something similar) set - that way you can start to add band pulldowns, inverted rows, suspended pushups, etc. You should be able to just barely complete the last rep of each set - if it's easier than that, add more weight! After a while, that new weight will start to be easy again, and then you add more - this is progressive overload. Some folks prefer really low rep ranges (eg. 1-6), but for beginners I think the 6-10 range is a pretty safe compromise between practicing form and not getting yourself into trouble when lifting alone (ie. bailing on weights that are too heavy). Personally, I'd err more towards 8 reps for 4 sets, but that's just me. You can slow down the eccentric (lowering) portion of the lift, which will help encourage more muscle development - but it also really increases DOMS, so a bit of a tradeoff. OR, you could just go with a straightup bodyweight workout that'll kick your ass: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/advanced-body-weight-workout-warning-this-will-kick-your-ass_v_coaching/ OR https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19542638/bobby-maximus-no-equipment-workout/ 'Hope some of this helps, welcome to the forum!

Yeah, I've been avoiding wondering about that for myself, considering my very real chemical dependency on coffee....

Definitely chat with your Dr about what you CAN change/add; if they're not open to discussing anything but straight up pharmaceuticals or more carbs (assuming that doesn't jive with how you like to eat), find a new doctor. I fully believe in taking drugs for conditions that need to be treated, but that doesn't mean they should be your first line of defense. I'm also not a doctor or a dietician though, so bear that in mind. Could be worth running a blood panel to see if there are any vit/minerals that you're deficient in? No sense in taking supplements willy-nilly unless you need 'em! Unfortunately, so much of this is pure genetics - there are folks out there eating a shit diet and never exercising that will have lower blood pressure than you, 'just 'cause'. Bah. I'm in the same boat, and likely the only reason I'm not diagnosed hypertensive is that I don't have a family doctor and don't go in for regular checkups. Meditation, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and other stress management techniques can help. Try (if you can) to avoid stimulants, including caffeine. Hibiscus tea, fish oil, olive leaf extract, and garlic have all been known to lower blood pressure, in some people just as effectively as medication. Make sure you're not suffering from sleep apnea (apparently there's a causative relationship?). Other foods that have been associated with lowering blood pressure (either due to vasodilation or other mechanisms) include vit D, cacao powder (or dark chocolate), magnesium, spirulina, potassium, coconut water (by acting as a potassium sparing diuretic), and beet juice. Also, just lots of fruit & veg in general. I was also reading this the other day: https://examine.com/nutrition/erd-6-is-out-and-here-s-your-exclusive-sneak-peek/ that suggests we should be avoiding anything in cans, and also potential BPA contamination. But it's an early study, with several confounding factors, so take with a (metaphorical) grain of salt. While you're trying these strategies, it'd be a good idea to keep in touch with your doc, and either monitor your blood pressure daily/weekly yourself (you can buy monitors that'll give you a rough reading, or you could pop into a pharmacy with one of the full size electronic ones) or go in for them to check it at least every 6 months. I know that seems extreme, but just because stuff is 'natural' doesn't mean it can't have real effects on your physiology and it's best to keep your doctor up to date - especially with a condition that can raise your risk of heart attack and stroke. Best wishes, be safe!

Weekend meal prep with everything portioned out in containers = kcal + macros for the week already set, and easy to write down wherever you prefer (I like google sheets). This really only works with a 'boring' meal plan though. Apart from that, I've found good luck with sticky notes - write stuff down as you eat it, add it to the pile for the day, enter the data into your chosen calculator whenever you have the time. Workouts are a laminated programme sheet, where I can use a dry erase marker to change prescribed weights as they increase, as well as track sets/reps. Transcribed to a journal (pen & paper) daily, and then set into the spreadsheet whenever I have a moment (often during weekly meal prep). I also have form cues on the programme sheet, to remind myself what to pay attention to during the movement. Long term meal & exercise planning is done with pencil & paper (often aided by a ruler & calculator), and then transcribed again into the cloud for easy reference.

Dude, you are definitely not alone. We all set goals, and then watch them pass by overhead, untouched. You've taken the hardest step - the first one. Everything else after this is progress, and every little change helps. If you are feeling self conscious about your weight to the point of not wanting to participate in group activities (boy, can I relate!), then you can start out with stuff that's fun and effective on your own. But don't try a major overhaul of your life all at once - that's a recipe for disaster, failure, and more sham spiraling (ie. NOT FUN!). Little changes, al la toirtoise-style slow&steady, are the easiest way to get there without stumbling. Go for a 20min walk outside every day - or 2x10min walks. You can bribe yourself to do it by listening to a favourite album or podcast! Just walking can make a huge difference in your energy and mindset. Next: food. You're actually pretty lucky on this one, because you're a bigger dude so you can still eat a fair amount and still lose weight. Aim for 150-200g of protein every day (you may need to keep a food journal for a few weeks until you have a better idea of what that looks like) and 5-8 vegetable servings a day, plus 1 piece of fruit. Limit starchy portions (rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.) to the equivalent of a cupped hand, up to the size of your fist if you're still super hungry - 1 per meal, max 3/day. If you're having dessert, skip the starchy bit of your meal. And that's it. Rinse and repeat. You'll likely need to fine tune this eventually, but if you're regularly eating 3,000kcal+/day, this should definitely leave you with a caloric deficit to start losing fat. This is a great bodyweight routine to start with, you can do it in privacy with minimal/no equipment: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ If it were me, I'd aim to try to do this circuit 3-4xweek - but if you start out less often and build up to that, that's cool too! It's not all or nothing - it's nothing vs something. Always err on the side of the something. Once you've stalled in fat loss/working out with these, I'm betting you'll feel a bit more confident about what direction you'll want to move forward in, and then it'll be time for a new plan! Welcome to the boards; go slow, be safe, and have fun!

Get a little stepper - it's cheaper and takes up less space.

Love it. In terms of book recs, don't laugh, but The Body Book (by Cameron Diaz) is actually a great intro read. As for diet, my cliff notes are: -Eat 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight -Eat at least 5 veg a day, and 1-2 servings of fruit -Enjoy a tbsp or two of peanut butter -Fill the rest of your daily kcal with whatever you like! Once you've hit protein, veg, and fat numbers, it's all just down to total intake (ie. treats are ok, once you've hit the rest of your needs)

^^^ What she said Men don't typically start to see abs unflexed until they're down to about 10%BF (with some variance, obviously, for genetic differences) and women won't see abs until 15-18%BF most of the time. You can absolutely do some extra ab work on your rest day, especially if it's only for 10-15min, but the biggest factor in the visibility will be how much fat is covering them up. Go slow, be safe, have fun!

https://theprehabguys.com/evidence-based-shoulder-exercises/ Swap out the barbell for some dumbbells - ring/suspended pushups are also a great push movement that allows free shoulder movement. Take a look at your thoracic and lat flexibility too, they could be pulling your joint into a less-than-ideal alignment. Even landmine presses can be a 'safer' option than barbell presses; but that's just my opinion, and I'm neither a PT professional nor trainer, so take a grain of salt with it.

Straight up cocoa powder in hot water can also blunt cravings/hunger. Kinda like coffee, without as much caffeine.

I'd buy it on Amazon rather than Walmart, it's just out of stock online so the link wasn't working properly. I also don't like Walmart. Apart from the hooks (which are easy enough to purchase separately), how else is the yellow one higher quality? They're both 2" tubing, 13/14 gauge steel....

Welcome back! I'm a strong believer in 80:20 for long term diets, and lifestyle. That is to say, as long as you're eating properly 80% of the time, you should be able to allow some junk food without feeling guilt or having any undue ill effects to your health and physique. 'Should' being the operative word, because sometimes there also needs to be some deprivation (within reason) to rebalance things first - eg. losing fat to get to a healthier weight, and then less restrictive maintenance. 'Easiest' way to be able to still eat but not get fat is to exercise to make up for the difference between your TDEE and how much you're actually eating - I say 'easy' because 30min of intense workouts probably only burns 200-300kcal, so it's all in moderation. If you want to feel full (ie not deprived), put a heavy emphasis on protein and vegetables; you'd be shocked how few calories are in 2c of broccoli vs 2c of pasta, for example! Here's an infographic guideline for easy 'no counting' calorie control: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-control-guide-infographic (I'm not a fan of all the calls-to-action on that site, but despite that, it's a great way to start to learn how to evaluate portions). Personally though, I'd double up on the vege portions recommended and aim for 1.5x the protein they suggest - at least while trying to lose fat. Go slow, be safe, have fun, and see you 'round!

A: http://www.treadmillfactory.ca/fit505-power-rack B: https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/fitness-reality-810xlt-super-max-power-rack-cage/6000197680725 I'm highly unlikely to EVER go above 300lbs in any of my lifts (5'2" female), so I'm not too worried about the weight limitations. And I plan to add some tie down/safety straps as a redundancy in addition to the provided sabre safety bars, so I'm not hugely worried about safety. As far as I can tell, they're both very similar in terms of gauge, hole spacing, and dimensions - biggest differences I see are: -that the chin up bar is centered plus slightly better design in the base/sides attachment in the more expensive ($298CAD) one VS - off centre for the cheaper one ($229CAD), plus the base only screws on with 2 bolts each side instead of 4 I'd be interested in experimenting with some suspension work (with weights on the base, obviously, and pulling directly down not sideways), and it seems to me that it would be safer with the marginally more expensive rack? But my brain is struggling to justify the 25% increase in pricing just for that. I'm also totally open to other suggestions, these are just the best price point I can find on a power rack - even the used stuff is typically more expensive. Thoughts are welcome!

You're around 145-150lbs, if I recall correctly? Yeah, ~2,300-2,500kcal sounds right in line for a slight surplus calorie intake on workout days. Probably closer to 1,900-2,000kcal on rest days. It kind of sounds like you want someone to suggest that you should be eating more? You should eat however you like, just keep in mind that if you consume more energy than your body needs for it's metabolism and putting on new muscle tissue, it'll store the rest as fat. You may be OK with gaining some fat for 'faster' results, but no-one can make that call for you but yourself. If you're worried about being hungry for a few hours, don't - temporary hunger like that is not an emergency, barring specific hormonal/medical conditions that suggest otherwise. It's ok to be hungry for a little while. Some info on the hormones that affect hunger signals: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/leptin-ghrelin-weight-loss If you're trying to gain muscle, your body is going to ask for MOAR - that doesn't mean that you're doing yourself a damage by only giving it 'more'. You can always add a whey protein shake before workouts for an extra calorie boost if you're super uncomfortable - it's unlikely to sideline your progress because the macros are ideal for muscle, not fat. Frankly, I think you need to just keep doing exactly what you're doing for another 4 weeks before reassessing. There's no way to track progress if you change things up every fortnight. Keep girth and weight measurements at the same time on the same day every week, keep a training and food journal, and then go from there. If after a month of your current routine you're not seeing visual or girth changes that would indicate you're hitting your goals, THEN take a look at your own stats and figure out where it might need tweaking. There is no better data than YOUR own personal data. Are you sleeping 8hrs+ a night? If not, that's another common cause for crazy hunger signals. Stay the course dude, as you said: slow and steady. Channel your inner toirtoise.

The fact that you're doing things consistently at all is awesome - most folks can't even hack that much. Sparkling water with a bit of lemon can help with the hunger/cravings, as can a tbsp of straight up cocoa powder in a cup of hot water (this is intense, start with 1/2tbsp first). If you're still hungry, eat more vegetables. Steamed/raw green veg are practically 'zero calorie' options, because of the amount of fiber they offer. Swap out your grain for legumes for a while (if your digestive system is cool with them), they'll keep you full longer, and they're less kcal/portion. You can also experiment with different meal timings (eg. 4-6 meals a day, vs 2 meals a day) - for some people eating more often helps, for others they feel better eating only one or two LARGE meals a day. Play around until you figure out where your sweet spot is! Yes, people eat too much. Yes, it's super challenging to curb your appetite, especially when training regularly. Bodybuilders DO often have 3,000+kcal/day, but they're also often over 220lbs at around 15-18%BF - in simple terms, bigger people get to eat more. It sucks, but it's true. EG. this dude's TDEE is probably at least 3,500kcal/day, so even if he's aiming to lose 1lb/week, that's still 3,000kcal/day (SO JEALOUS!) https://bretcontreras.com/5-tips-for-leaning-out/ Think of it this way: it could always be worse. I need to hit 150g of protein/day on 1,300kcal in order to consistently lose fat without losing substantial muscle, soooo...

I am 100% NOT the most informed nor the most experienced on these forums for training programs, I'm sure @RisenPhoenix could help you out. But if you were enjoying compound lifts, there's nothing stopping you from continuing those! Just experiment with different rep/set schemes. Maybe rep goals with shorter recovery periods to add in some cardio/endurance? (this is one of my favourites, starting to sound like a broken record on these forums) EG. Timed breaks, you only get 60seconds between sets, 25rep goal. Start with your 5RM, and complete as many sets as required to hit a total of 25reps. Might look like 5-5-4-4-3-2-2; the reps per set will decrease as you fatigue, but by keeping the rep goal consistent you complete the same amount of work every workout. Once you can hit 5-5-5-5-5 then increase the weight by 2-4% and then start all over again - this permits regular progressive overload while keeping your volume and intensity the same each workout. Your main exercises could be: (PULL) inverted rows, hip thrust, band assisted pull ups (no bands or kipping/weighted to progress) | (PUSH) back squat, pushups (weighted or feet elevated to progress), OH press or weighted handstand pushps Warm up: dead bugs (slower is harder), banded face pulls, sun salutation x2 each side, bird dogs Plus loaded carries for finishers, hitting both unilateral and bilateral weight distribution. But realistically, it sounds like you're already doing the majority of your programming yourself anyway. Only tip I'd add is: try to keep your push:pull ratio even - OR (even better) more pulling than pushing (both horizontal and vertical). Most people are weaker through the posterior chain anyway, and keeping that ratio skewed in favour of pulling helps prevent long term posture imbalances (since most of us spend too much time sitting/hunched over). You'll have to ask @Sylvaa for tips on grip training, I have absolutely no knowledge of that side of things.

Clearly I spend too much time on the internet. But your contributions are always awesome, speed isn't everything!

Here's where personal biases come in, in terms of which studies you want to emphasize. RDA is generally accepted as 0.8g/kg of bodyweight, though that number has been questioned for older populations in addition to pregnant woman, and pretty much anyone who doesn't live a sedentary lifestyle (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19841581). The LBM recommendations come from the idea that people are generally trying to lose fat and preserve muscle, and especially in obese individuals just using straight up bodyweight can sometimes skew the numbers disproportionately to the actual amount of LBM in the body. Harder to accurately measure though, since most folks don't bother with a DEXA scan. 1g/lb comes from a few different places (bodybuilder anecdotes included), but there are a several decent studies out there suggesting that athletes should be aiming for those numbers for optimum nutrition (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24092765). There are also examples that would suggest that 1g/lb is superior to 1g/kg for preserving lean mass in a caloric deficit (https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/3/738/4564609). And even some evidence that MORE protein (3.4g/kg or 1.5g/lb) is unlikely to promote fat gain, and can in fact support muscle gain and fat loss in comparison to lower protein consumption, specifically in those whom are weight training (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26500462). Can you tell where my bias is? Now, the biggest challenges with diet studies are 1) adherence & attrition 2) accuracy of self-reported data vs cost of lab-provided food 3) cost/difficulty of longer-term studies. All of which is to say, you can always take these with a grain of salt. You should experiment for yourself to see what level of protein intake is best for YOUR body, budget, lifestyle, and fitness goals. No one else can determine this for you. +1 for maybe moving away from 5/3/1 - mostly because you're a woman actually. Women tend to be more tolerant of higher volume, require less recovery time, and their 3RM is often the same as their 1RM. What this effectively suggests is that women may find better strength gains at slightly higher rep ranges than men - if you can do more reps with the weight, why wouldn't you? Again, personal bias here, supported this time from personal experience and random trainer anecdotes rather than really good studies - but hey, gotta play a bit fast and loose sometimes. https://startingstrength.com/article/training_female_lifters_neuromuscular_efficiency

I feel like I'm unduly fortunate in terms of finances - I never accrued any student debt as a result of working through uni, scholarships, and my mum's generous contribution in the form of an RESP for $10k. But I guess I've taken some risky spending choices too - the equivalent of a down payment on a house went to several years worth of travel in my early 20's. The only caveat I'd put to the travel thing is that it was only my own money being spent to do so, I worked in between and during in order to afford it, I kept my activities and travel methods to the cheap end, and always kept $2k in the bank for emergencies. If the number dipped below that, it was time to stop and work for a bit. Fortunately, I'm a pretty simple person and live a low-cost lifestyle, plus I work/live with my mother which helps keep business and housing costs down too - as a result, I tend to max out TFSA and RRSP contributions most years. I'm actually at the point now that I just want to increase my income for future savings/investments - so my major financial focus has been on expanding my business. At times though I find myself feeling quite disconnected from my peers, in terms of how they choose to spend/allocate funds; I know I'm being a judgy-pants, but I also legitimately don't understand how they pay for all the extras they deem 'necessary'. The lack of empathy on my part is a huge challenge, both personally and professionally. I've never even carried a debt load, so it's almost like I've missed out on some essential experiences. What strategies do you guys use to budget, I'm curious? I usually 'backwards budget', and the numbers almost always work out, but I know that I could probably be a little more mindful of it.