[DarthBubba]

How was the buffet???

[1965gp]

Weight is still fluctuating.....ugghh.

I was at the doc and did a body scan today. 223 w/16% body fat. Goal is still 210 and would like to see 14%.

[ponyakr]

Originally Posted by DarthBubba

How was the buffet???

It was GREAT !!!!!

I had lots of fried catfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, popcorn shrimp, onion rings, & hot yeast rolls.

TJ had fried catfish, fried chicken, Texas Toast, a loaded baked tater, a few veggies, and carrot cake for dessert.

THEN, while she used my Chromebook to get online, I had a big salad bowl, piled HIGH with soft serve ice cream. Oh, it was a thing of beauty !!!

Yeah, even tho that was all I ate that day, the next morning I was 3 lbs heavier.

BUT, by eating almost nothing, and doing some walking, I'd lost it all, plus one more pond, by Sunday nite. So, at that weigh-in, I was officially 21 lbs down.

So, was the pig-out worth it. As of right now, I say YES, it was well worth it. Makes me wanna hurry and lose some more, so we can go do it again !

[65CatCoupe]

223/16% is pro bodybuilder territory, off-season anyway, how much is natural and how much is trt? BTW I'm jealous not critical.

[1965gp]

I don’t think I’m anywhere near pro status, at least it doesn’t feel that way!

It’s really interesting- you still have to put in the work. I lift 4-5 x a week and have started adding cardio 3-4x a week. The trt therapy just allows you to do it. You have the energy to push heavy weights at the gym. You have the energy to do cardio and your joints don’t hurt. It makes it much more enjoyable.

As far as the workouts go- I don’t workout any longer or harder than before the trt it just makes them more effective. Kind of like putting race gas in a motor you had to de-tune to keep it from detonating.

Now- when it comes to diet it is a different game with trt. You basically have the metabolism of a 25 year old. For example- I am a 44 yr old traveling sales guy. I travel 3-4 days a week eating out every meal. Dinners and too many drinks with customers too often, lots of fast food. Now- I make the best choices I can to reduce and control carbs and fat, but it is all relatively high calorie. I eat a lot and always have. I had a customers wife once say she had never seen anyone eat like me! They were from No Cal though and they don’t eat like we do in TX...

So to sum it up, I think I could get pretty big without the trt, but you wouldn’t be able to see any muscle under the fat.

Ultimately I would like to get to that 210, maybe 200 with a 32” waist and 18” arms and calves. Obtainable but probably not eating and drinking like I do.

[DarthBubba]

Great, now I'm hungry.......

Originally Posted by ponyakr

It was GREAT !!!!!

I had lots of fried catfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, popcorn shrimp, onion rings, & hot yeast rolls.

TJ had fried catfish, fried chicken, Texas Toast, a loaded baked tater, a few veggies, and carrot cake for dessert.

THEN, while she used my Chromebook to get online, I had a big salad bowl, piled HIGH with soft serve ice cream. Oh, it was a thing of beauty !!!

Yeah, even tho that was all I ate that day, the next morning I was 3 lbs heavier.

BUT, by eating almost nothing, and doing some walking, I'd lost it all, plus one more pond, by Sunday nite. So, at that weigh-in, I was officially 21 lbs down.

So, was the pig-out worth it. As of right now, I say YES, it was well worth it. Makes me wanna hurry and lose some more, so we can go do it again !

[ponyakr]

Down 5 more ! That makes 25 off.

That's the good news. The bad news is that I need that much more off, or sure, and really probably need to lose at least 60 total. Should weigh no more than 190 total, probably 180 would be better.

Oh well, I didn't gain it overnight & won't lose it overnight. I'll just keep whiddlin away at it.

Yeah, I know it's whittling. But, when us Southern boys say it, it comes out whiddlin.

[DarthBubba]

That's awesome! Keep at it. We always said whittlin'.......

[grivera]

I'm encouraged by the stories here. A year and a half ago I weighed 208 and began a low carb diet - 7 months later I was down to 152 with good blood work, better sleep, and haven't been sick since. I found it very easy to keep dropping weight but wanted to stay between 155-160 and. For me the hard part is maintaining my target weight cause if I stay on the "diet" I will keep dropping. I've since drifted up to 165 and now about 160. I am an all or none person - slippery slope. I am curious how those who are able to maintain their target weight do so.

[DarthBubba]

If you're doing low carb it's probably better to call it a "lifestyle" rather than a diet. Well that's what everyone keeps saying to me! Everything that I've read says ketosis is usually around 20-30g carbs per day and maintenance is around 50-100g per day. Staying in that 50-100g range should keep you stable. Should. Good luck.

[rohrt]

Fasting/Intermittent fasting.

I have done a couple biggest loser competitions at work. In both cases I lost 50lbs in 6 weeks by only eating like 1500 calories. I don't recommend this. It slowed my metabolism big time, not to mention it wasn't pleasant at all.

Fast forward back today. I have done a great deal of reading on investigating lifespan and healthspan and what the leading research has to say about it.

Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2016 for his research on how cells recycle and renew their content, a process called autophagy. Autophagy is turned on during fasting. The cells in our body actually get healthier because of it.

Of all the diets that I have researched intermittent fasting is really the only one that makes sense to me because its not really a diet at all in the sense of restricted eating. More like delayed eating. The most common form of is the 18/6 intermittent fasting diet. It doesn't have to be a diet either, and there are still are health advantages to it.

I usually skip breakfast and lunch on most days and just eat dinner. I have done some two day fasts now and would like to work up to a three day fast. I have only recently used the intermittent fasting to lose weight and thus far down 10lbs in two weeks.

I follow a number of number of smart people on twitter in the fields of nutrition and ani aging. Such as Peter Attia, Dr David Sinclair and Dr. Rhonda Patrick to name a few. All of them practice fasting. I could talk on this subject for hours but I hate typing.

[1965gp]

I don’t think I could do the intermittent fasting. I eat a lot.... A LOT!!

I have friends that do it with really good results. I haven’t looked into the science side because honestly I just don’t think I could do it.

Seem to be fluctuating between 211 and 216 right now. Dropped to 209 and liked how I looked! Veins in arms and legs- definitely the target weight for me.

Need about 4 more weeks of dieting

[DarthBubba]

This hits a little too close to home!!!

[ponyakr]

Forgot to post this last night. Had to skip breakfast & lunch, to get it done. But, before sundown, I got-r-done !

Lightest I've been since last summer. Gonna try to drop 5 more in the next 4 weeks. Hey, when I put it that way, it sounds so easy. Hey, that's only 1.25 lbs per week. I can do that !

For me, lookin at it in smaller chunks, then rewarding myself for goals met, keeps me motivated. This is as compared to lookin at how much I need to lose, total. Lookin at the total amount, to me, is discouraging. Makes me wanna just forget the whole thing & pig out. I suppose different plans work for different people.

This just happens to be what works , for me.

[1965gp]

That’s the best way to look at it. Very few people that say they want to lose 100 lbs succeed. I’ve done it but there wasn’t a goal in mind. I was just exercising and went from 260 to 160.

Going in 5-10 lb increments is realistic and a recipe for success.

I got to 210 the other day, but then I went to Vegas and gained some back.

[DarthBubba]

Congrats! You're absolutely right about finding what works for you. Too many people jump on the latest craze and get disappointed/discouraged when it doesn't work.

[rohrt]

Originally Posted by 1965gp

I don’t think I could do the intermittent fasting. I eat a lot.... A LOT!!

I have friends that do it with really good results. I haven’t looked into the science side because honestly I just don’t think I could do it.

Seem to be fluctuating between 211 and 216 right now. Dropped to 209 and liked how I looked! Veins in arms and legs- definitely the target weight for me.

Need about 4 more weeks of dieting

I just took baby steps. Started skipping breakfast, then pushing past lunch till about 2pm. Then just eating dinner. You already fast for 8+ hours when you sleep.

[1965gp]

I can totally see the benefit of intermittent fasting for weight loss..

Has anyone read anything on how it effects muscle growth? Initially I would expect it to have a negative impact - 12-16 hours without food while you are sleeping and your body is repairing itself.

That being said, I have done no research and have had friends have success with fasting so I am curious.

[DarthBubba]

How's the weight loss going? No temptation from the buffets for while!

[ponyakr]

Met another goal of 35 lbs, before the end of March.

Was gonna celebrate with another all-I-can-eat buffet. But, since all those area restaurants are closed, because of the virus, I suppose that can't happen.

TJ bought some frozen pizzas. So, that may be the best I can do.