Way of and to Fitness

[Mr. Peabody]

To give an idea of having fitness with a simple, as well as a hybrid, diet, while having not trained and hardly exercised since spring '20:

I've typically had two meals a day.

Meal, consisting of meat (mainly Epic bison bars), fat (mainly olive oil, but with butter I turn into Adonis!, spontaneous wood and all after a couple hours), veggies. Cooked (not pre-cooked!, sheesh) and packaged chicken or beef or fish with seasoning and veggies but no other junk (like wheat, sugar, etc) will do.

Snack meal consisting of two (or four) sunflower butter cups, a Perfect peanut butter bar, some chocolate (at least 65% cocoa, though usually at least 70%+), pistachios, and a greens/mushroom profile powder with water and (the real kind of) straight cranberry juice - and when in season on certain days I have included a standard-ish coffee cup full of pumpkin ice cream (at least 14 grams of fat per serving!).

I've alternated these between first and second meal, though a lot of times I've had only snack meal for a few days....until my body has gotten a HANKERING FOR MEAT.


Liquid consumption: at least a gallon of room-temperature water, and nothing else, a day.  (I've included almond, coconut, and hemp milks over the years, but not lately.)


I haven't cooked or really made anything in years, and when I did I mainly pan cooked some ground beef or chopped chicken or salmon (no oil, etc) or canned fish, and seasoned it, then poured olive oil on/in it, added in or included in the bowl some 'cooked' veggies (kept in the fridge and have not heated), and ate it.


Post your own version below.

[fallacy]

I've been back on my diet lately, eating only about two meals a day. I usually get up around 8:00 a.m., have a scoop of protein powder around 10:00, then go for a jog or a bike ride. Around noon or 1:00, I’ll have a chicken salad. For dinner, usually between 6:00 and 7:00, I’ll make chicken or sausage with backed beans, and maybe have some popcorn later as a snack. I’ve been trying to stay away from bread and noodles—once I eat those carbs, I just end up craving more.

[danny_galaga]

I'm TRYING to eat less chips, washed down with soda

[Xiaou2]

I could tell you what I USED to do, to get in the best shape of my life...

 When I started taking Martial Arts (Wing Chun),  the school had a 1hr hardcore "Core" workout routine, before
any other lessons / drills were performed.

 Starting with some basic Stretches:

- Head Rolls:  Roll your head in clockwise circles for a 5 or so seconds,  then in the Opposite direction 5 sec.

- Forward Stretch:  Breath in fully, slowly exhale.. as you reach towards you Toes, stretching your back (maybe 3 min)

- Back Bend:  Wide stance, and Lean backwards.  Keep relaxed, allowing a gradual further bend,
while breathing nonstop (maybe 2-3 min)

 (Briefly Lean forwards once more, to relive any stress and strain)

- Shoulder Stretch:  Cross an arm across your body horizontally.  Use your other arm to pull it towards
your body tightly..  and hold for several seconds.  Repeat on the other arm.

- Arm Rotations (windmills):  Rotate Both arms vertically on both sides of your body at the same time.
Forwards for about 60 sec. Backwards 60 sec.

- Backwards Shoulder Stretches:  Starting at belly button height, and both palms facing forwards... quickly jerk your
arms backwars, until they cant move any further, causing a stretch to you shoulders and pecks.  Then move your
arms up about 6 inches, and repeat.  Keep going higher each time, until your arms are directly over your head..
Then work your way back down.  Keep at this, for about 3 min.  This is a good "Range Of Motion" stretch.

- Wrist Rotations:  Extend a single arm in front of you... fully locked out, with your palm facing the ceiling.
Place your other arms palm under your extended arms Elbow, to support it. Keep your arm at shoulder
level, static in place... at all times.   Bend your wrist towards your body (without bending the fingers), and then
rotate your wrist/fingers in a circle towards the floor, then back upwards... until your fingers are pointing
back up to the ceiling.  Make sure to keep inwards pressure at all times, while rotating.  Repeat these circles
for about 1 min, then rotate in the opposite direction for another min.  Shake your arm and fingers loose.. then
swap arms, and repeat the same thing.

- Body Twists:  Cross your arms in front of your chest, with both hands resting on each forearm, near the elbows.
Semi wide stance.  Keep your arms and upper body, locked together, as you rotate to the left.. as far as your body
will rotate.  Then rotate to the right, until your body stops.  Keep rotating side to side, as Quickly as possible,
while also trying to extend the Rotation further each time... for about 3 min.  Do not stop at any time.. its a
nonstop stretch, combined with a Speed (acceleration) Drill.  Breaths have to be quick and shallow. Exhale out
the nose as you twist left.. In the nose as you return to center.. out the nose as you twist right, in as you return
to center... etc.


Now on to the main Exercise portion:

- Three Sets of Special Pushups:

A)   Slow Motion, Barefist, Wing Chun Pushups

   1) Make two  "Thumbs Up"  signs with your hands.  Bring them together, so that your thumbs are touching, and your
wrists + knuckles are touching.  The thumbs up will add some Support.

  2) Place your Wristbones in the center of your chest, between your Moobies (sternum)

  3) Place your fists on the floor, with arms locked fully out.. and your Sternum should ALWAYS remain directly over
your Fists at ALL TIMES.  Its easy to accidentally move your body diagonally, when raising / lowering.

  4) Your feet and ankles should be Touching together... at all times.  No wide open legs.  No separating your ankles
during your sets.

  5)  Breath In fully through the Nose.  Start to Lower yourself slowly.. as you slowly Exhale out the Mouth.  It
should take you anywhere from 7 to 12 seconds, depending on your skill level, and the length of your arms.
The Slower the Better + Quicker your Triceps build results.

You want to keep both arms sliding across your ribcage, at all times.  You DONT want your elbows away from your
body like "Wings".   Keep them tightly to your body (but any without inwards forced strain.  We call this the
Elbow Down position.. as the elbows are pointed towards the feet)

6) You want to lower yourself until the center of your chest touches the tops of your wristbones.  Make sure to ALWAYS
make physical contact, before raising.  SLOWLY breath inwards through the nose, as you SLOWLY raise back
upwards.  Your pace and speed should be even and controlled... and take the same amount of seconds as
you lowered (same timings for the entire exercise).   At the top, your lungs SHOULD be completely full
(if your timings are off, you may breath fully now... before lowering again).

Because your arms are in the CENTER of your body.. your body will be Higher off the ground.. meaning a much
LONGER vertical travel.  This will develop much more of your arms, than a standard pushup.  It will also feel
much more straining..  closer to that of a single arm pushup, in difficulty. Being centered also means you have
to keep your body "Balanced" at all times... which will create additional work / strain.

Because these are done much Slower... you will have no way to do typical "Momentum Cheats".  As such, you will
find these much more challenging, as well as will develop much greater strength.. all along the ENTIRE pathway,
from chest to full arm extension.

If you were to Stand up, and perform one in the air.. you would see that its the same movement as a
Vertical Fist Punch.  As such, it develops real world Punching Strength... Using any hand strikes, or pushes,
that drive forwards.


7) Three Sets of 15, for Beginners.  You want at least 15 of these per non-stop Sets.  No rests in the middle of
a set.  Just keep pushing... even through your muscles, and or knuckles, may be Screaming at you.

Rests:  After a set.. roll your arms in a few large circles... forcing the blood back into the arm and fingers.
Then shake, flex, and move your fingers around, for a few sec.   Rest for about 2 min., before starting
the next Set

9) Set Variances:   While you should always have at least ONE Set dedicated to a slow vertical fist set...
You may also want to randomly add some other sets and methods, on the other two sets.

Variant A - DOWN SLOW + UP FAST.   Rather than both directions being slow.. adding an Explosive Speedy
burst upwards.. trains your Explosive Power (speed / acceleration + power).

Variant B - Down Slow + Up Fast + Hop.   When swiftly rising, you can push your fists into the air... and even
add in a clap or two if you want, before dropping back on your knuckles.

Standards Fast Pushups.  Typical wide arm pushups.. done as fast as possible.  You will want to raise the number
on these, to something like 50 or +100, for a single Set.

Diamond Pushups.  Make a Triangle shape with your hands, connecting your thumbs and pointer fingers.
Rather than starting at the center of your chest.. you want to extend your arms further in front of your body...
so that the Triangle is slightly in front of your head.  Maybe 6 inches or more, ahead of your head.

As you lower yourself, you want to drop down in a way... that the center of your forehead ends up in the
center of the triangle.


Typically, 1st Set was Slow+Slow verticals.  Next Slow+FAST verts  OR  50 to 100 Standard fast pushups. 
End Set was Diamonds.


Next Up... is the Abdomen work...

 Three Sets of Crunches:

1)  30 to 50 Standard Crunches
2)  Rest about 2 min, before next Set
3)  Twisting Crunches.  Directing your elbows towards your opposite Knees, as you rise
4)  HOLDS.  Rise up into a Crunch.. but remain in the air, with your Abs tightened... for a certain
amount of time.  Maybe 10 seconds.  Sink to the floor, and relax for 3 to 5 sec... then Up again,
into a 10 sec hold.   Repeat this process for anywhere from 8 to 12 reps.

 Next is Lower Abs, via Leg Spins, Leg Raises, and Leg Holds:

1)  Make a Triangle shape with your hands, and while on your back.. place the end of your spine, in
the center of that triangle.  Your butt cheeks will be sitting on the backs of your hands, with your spine
raised and protected from grinding heavily on the Floor.

2)  Extend both of your legs out.. with your toes pointed towards you head (at all times).  Both your Feet
/ Ankles should be Touching.. at ALL times.

3)  Slowly Raise your locked out Legs into the air.. so that the heels of your feet are 6 inches from the
floor.

4)  Circles:  Keeping your toes pointed towards upwards, move your legs in a circle, about the diameter
of a Basketball.  Keep the pace of your circles at a medium slow pace... and make sure to TRY to keep
the Shape of your circles "Even" in shape, and approximately the same diameter.

5)  Start the Count at 10 Circles Clockwise.  Then without setting down, 9 Counter-Clockwise circles,
then 8 Clockwise circles..  etc... until you have completed the final 1 circle.

 DO NOT SET your feet down for the ENTIRE duration of this Exercise !!!  (should be like 3 to 5 min)

6)  After the Circles... Immediately go into SLOW leg lifts.  Raise both legs slowly upwards, maintaining
a slow and steady pace.. until they are at or nearly 90 degrees.  Now slowly Lower them at the same
speed / pace, until they are 6" from the floor.  Repeat this while breathing properly... for maybe
3 to 5 sets...

7)  Now keep one leg 6" from the ground.. and ONLY raise the Opposite leg, slowly into the air.. which
keeping the other leg, exactly where it is.  Lower the leg, then swap the roles of each leg.  Repeat this
maybe 4 times minimum (two leg lifts per leg).

8 )  Another slow set of BOTH Legs up and down... maybe 3 more times.

9 )  Once back to center... and still 6" off the Ground... Hold your legs STATIC, for anywhere from
30 to 60 seconds (extend times as you get better).

10 )  Slowly Lower your feet back to the floor, and rest.


 This was the main set of Exercises.   The final thing we did, were some partner Leg Stretches,
and a final Cool-Down, which was a sort of Brief  "Meditation", where you just Calm your thoughts,
heartbeat, etc.. down, while sitting indian style, with your eyes closed.  That was about 5 min.


 That said... Randomly During classes, we would be asked to do various other Exercises, like a set
of Burpees.  Or a 60 second non-stop "Speed Drill".   Or something like a 20 minute
nonstop partner drill  (punches + deflections).   Or standing on one Leg.. while slowly extending and
retracting your kicking leg.. for 2 to 3 minutes per leg (repeated twice per leg).

 And or something like Hitting the wall mounted Sandbags, barefisted, for anywhere from 15 min,
or to the End of class.


 At that Time, I was attending school 4 days a week.. 2 hrs per class.  I was biking there and back,
which was about 30 min each way.  And when I was between jobs... I took both the Day, and Night
classes.  Same exact class material.. but just more time and effort devoted to progression / mastery.

 I was also repeating the same workout at home, every single day of the week... on top of other
training at home, or outside of classes, elsewhere.  For example.. standing on one leg while waiting
in long lines at the bank/stores.  Throwing hand techs, and kicks.. randomly, all throughout the entire
day / night... no matter where I was... maybe every 15 mins.  Even at work, in the backroom.  Even
at the mall, while walking in public.  I didnt care what anyone thought.  I only cared about faster
progression and mastery.

 I would later add various other training into the mix.  Getting a Kick bag, for round / high kicks.
And do other exercises, like Inverted Handstand pushups.. while against a wall.

 At one point I had a teacher (ive had 3 different teachers over the years) reveal the
Slow Motion Form work, which takes a little over 1 hour per session.  This "Internal" training, was
a lot more challenging than one would imagine.  I did that every other day, for a consecutive
3 months or so... and developed some Crazy changes to my mind and body.  Most especially,
a much greater level of Tendon Strength... and an expanded level of Bodily Awareness, and
3d Spatial Awareness.  My movements also became like a "Surgical" level of Precision. Accuracy
down to within 2 to 3 mm... even at full combat speeds.


 Anyway.. I believe I went from a 31" waist.. with about 140 to 145 lbs.. to about 150 lbs, with a
32" waist.. within about 6 months (maybe a year.  I really cant recall), of that pace and intensity.
It was the first time in my life, that I was starting to pack on some actual muscle, and mass.
I was also noticing some actual Muscular Definition, showing up.  Especially the legs and triceps.
And my Core Strength, was insane.  I went from having a Jello Soft belly.. to having Rock hard
abs.

 I believe by my 5th year, I was about 165 to 175 lbs. (at 6ft tall).  I was no longer an Under-Weight
Stick Figure.  I was a solid and dense beast.   Mind you.. I started out in school, as the kid that got
picked last in Gym classes... due to how poorly coordinated I was.. and how weak + Frail I was.

 I went from being slow, clumsy, frail and weak..  to being Lightning Fast, Graceful as a Cat, Powerful
as a Lion, Able to take a heavyweights hits without serious issues, and had developed real world self
defense skills.. that Id tested and proven against much larger and stronger blackbelt level fighters..
from various other local schools.


 So, my advice to anyone thats still Capable of a Decent level of Exercise... is to join a Martial Arts
school... as well as to do a Core workout at home, as a minimum.   The martial arts makes workouts
more "Fun"... and so you tend to stick with it.   Arts like Tae Kwan Do... burn a lot of calories,
while also developing great leg skills... all without needing to go full hardcore combat levels of fighting.
If you want more Serious level of combat training.. arts like Muay Thai... add in the necessary
Shin, Bone, and Body Conditioning.  You will find even more Radical Conditioning, in Arts like Shaolin,
where they do full body Iron Body conditioning (which also includes soft tissue areas, like the Throat).
Kickboxing is a decent starter too... that also burns a lot of Calories.  I recommend staying away from
the more complex arts, until one has developed a decent level of Strength, Fitness, Toughness,
and basic coordination.  Basically, develop good foundations first, then add the more challenging
technical skills.. later.

[Xiaou2]

As for Diet... that really depends on the goals, and the individual.

Generalities:

1)  Stay away from Soda, and Candies.   I lost about 15 lbs in a single month, by removing Cola from my diet

2)  Restrict / Eliminate a good deal of Carbs.  Breads, Pastas, etc... will put on a lot more weight than you
may realize.   White Rice didnt seem to be anywhere near as bad as other carbs... but even then, limit your
intake levels of it.

3)  Stay away from Hydrogenated Fats / Oils.  Hydrogenated fats/oils  seem to Stick to your internals like GLUE.
MUCH worse than all natural fats / oils !!   This stuff will SLOWLY clog up you entire Circulation system.. causing the
potential need for a Bypass Surgery, at a fairly young age.  Once you gain mass from these man-altered fats...
its MUCH harder to get rid of it.   As such, use Real butter.. instead of Margarine.  Always read package Ingredient
listings, to look out for this Silent and Slow K!ller.

4)  Eat a good deal of Red Meat... especially when you are hungry.  It provides a lot of additional Nutrients, and it
gives the MOST Energy... and the longest LASTING energy.  A single thick steak, might make you feel "Satisfied"
for the entire day / night.  But eating something like Chicken.. and you can be Hungry again within a mere Hour
or Two.

5)  Do not reach for Sugary or Carb Snacks, when Hungry.  Grab some slices of cold meat, instead.  Ham is a
decent one, for staving off temporary hunger, and giving a nice boost of energy.  Get a meat slicer, and save
a LOT of money on slicing your own.  I got mine used at a thrift shop, for dirt cheap.  Blade is still razor sharp.
(always check the blade sharpness + condition).

 If you eat / drink  sugars / carbs.. it sends your body into a but of a Fit.. and suddenly makes you even MORE
hungry than before.  And you will just end up over-eating even more, as a result.   Where as something like
a few slices of meat.. will quickly end your hunger.. and you will be less inclined to snack / eat more.

6)  Save Money on Beef.  You can buy Bulk Frozen hamburger patties boxes at Walmart, for under $4 lb.

7)  Portion Control.  Its best to reduce your portion sizes.. gradually over time.  It takes something like 30 min
for your brain to get the signal from your stomach, that its "Full".  As such, if you eat less... and just wait
a little longer.. you may eventually feel satisfied, without ending up over-eating.

If you notice that you are spending a lot of time on the Toilet.. expelling quite the heavy loads.. then that
reveals to you, that the majority of food you are over-eating.. is not being used.  Its just ending up as Waste.
It also speeds up the aging process, .. due to constantly working all the time.

When I went on an All Meat Diet.. I ended up not needing to go #2,  for like 3 days at a time... and even when
I went.. there wasnt much to expel.  There is this false idea, that you SHOULD be going at least once a day...
but this really isnt true at all.   I was on that all meat diet, for over a year... and had nothing but GOOD
health changes.

8 )  Vitamins / Minerals / Nutrient Levels.   If your body isnt getting enough Calcium, Vitamins, and other good
stuff.. it cant function nearly as well.. and it cant Renew / HEAL your body as well / fast.  This is especially
critical, if you are very active.. and doing some very physical work.

 I always recommend a Daily Gummy Multivitamin.  Unlike certain vitamins that often may not get fully digested,
the Gummies are easily broke down, and fully absorbed.

 I also recommend either a glass of 2% milk, or Almond Milk,  for daily Calcium intake.  Almond milk has more
calcium than standard milk... but I couldnt tell you if its as good / effective.  It seemed to work fine for me,
when I stopped eating dairy.   Cheese is another source of Calcium.. but it adds some additional fat into
the mix... and if you are trying to Lose mass.. might be better Avoided, until you reduce in mass.

9)  Diet Soda.  Stay away from these toxic Chemical filled drinks.  They cause long term health issues, when
drank frequently.   But even for the Short Term.. the effect your Internal Chemistry.. and make you Hungrier...
which leads to eating more food.  So even if you are saving yourself from that 200 calorie sugar filled Cola..
you are ending up eating 200 or More calories, from the resulting Snacks you are eating (and or larger
portion sizes in your meals)

10)  Protein Shakes.   I personally started to GAIN mass, from consuming these.  I recommend staying away
from them.. unless Gaining mass is your goal.

11)  Salad Dressings.   These contain a LOT more fat and calories, that you actually realize.  Instead, mix
some Soysauce, with a little more Balsamic Vinegar.  The two flavors combined, make a fantastic, flavorful
salad dressing... thats fat free... AND... will stick to your Lettuce / Veggies.. better than Oil and or Cream
based Dressings.    If you want to go even further... you can add Thyme, Rosemary, Garlic Powder,
Onion Powder, and Pepper.. etc..    into the Mix,  for even more Depth of Flavor.

12)  Deep Sleep.  For healing and body changes, you need a good 7 to 8 hrs of DEEP sleep.  The body does not
seem to heal very well.. when it cant get to a deep enough state... and so if you live in an area where there
are loud noises in the middle of the night... which it might not be fully waking you up.. its bringing you to a
shallower level of "Rest",  rather than the Deep Sleep State, where the bodys best Healing takes place.

If theres no way to avoid this.. try something like Pink or White Noise,  over speakers, or Headphones.  The sounds
of constant rain, waterfalls, hot tub bubbles... etc.  can be found in long +8hr videos on youtube... and they will help
cover up any outside noises,  while also helping you get to sleep better + faster.  Make sure you get vids that do not
have commercial interruptions.   Black screen versions are best for reduced Data use.  And turn off your monitor to
reduce power and extend the lifetime of your monitor.

13)  Do NOT starve yourself.  This is Serious Issue, which can actually Create Obesity.  You see.. when you starve
yourself long enough... the body isnt getting the nutrients and energy that it needs.  As a result.. it starts to SLOW
DOWN your Metabolism,  to try to "Conserve"  the small amounts of food that you are feeding it.  So, while it might
initially work the first time.. the next time you try the same thing.. your body may have adapted and changed.. to
the point where no matter how little you eat.. you cant seem to lose the weight.

 Its better to reduce portion sized, eating nutrient dense foods.. and eat more often rather than
less frequent "large" sized meals.

[Howard_Casto]

Here's the secret to getting in better shape, please keep it between us BYOACers.......






Step 1.  Eat Less





Step 2.   Exercise More



I've been on this ultra secret diet for about four months now and while it's slow I am losing a few pounds a month and more importantly I'm keeping it off.   Now I only have to maintain this diet for the rest of my life..... ugh...

[pbj]

Meh, get on the Gila monster semen shots and move on with life.  It’ll drop your blood pressure and a1c.

[fallacy]

I think the secret to losing weight is to eat a lot less for a long time and exercise does not matter that much. Exercise is healthy in a lot of other ways but as far as losing weight is concerned it is like 10% of the equation if even that. If you dont change your diet but jog 7 miles every day it is not going to matter.

[Xiaou2]

Exercise burns additional Calories.   But more importantly... if you build a certain amount of muscle... those muscles
will burn through more Fuel (Calories), even when they are not being used.

The Exercise... will ultimately make you more Hungry, as you need more Fuel to do the work,
and to Heal + Grow.   This can be a problem... because you might end up over-eating.  Or eating too many
useless things like Pasta... when your body is really needing a good Steak / Burger, a Multi-Vitamin, and some Milk.

That pasta will mostly be Expelled as useless Garbage that the body cant really use... and the body will try to make
you more Hungry..  in hopes that you will consume stuff that it actually NEEDS to heal + build.


But yeah... Diet does play a larger factor in Weight Losses.  If you are consuming a 2-Liter of Cola in a single day...
you are going to start gaining extra mass, Fairly quickly... due to the extra Calories.   I know.. because I was drinking
almost 2 liters per day... and when I stopped.. I dropped 15 lbs in a single month.  Of course, I was pretty Active too,
so that helped a lot.

Eat Less

Eating less isnt always a True win.

 For example... a person might eat two candy bars, and a muffin.. for the entire day / night...
Thats the quick road to Diabetes.

 Your body NEEDS Nutrients, Vitamins / Minerals.. etc.  Not just Sugars & Carbs.

 Now..  what would be worse for you?   Eating 2 large chocolate candy bars, or half a bucket of carrots?
My guess.. is that even if you ate MORE carrots... it would still be far more sugars, calories, and fats... from
those 2 candy bars.    Sure, you would be on the Toilet for a good amount of time.. but thats besides the
point.   Its merely to reveal, that simply "Eating Less",  is not always the problem.

 There are many overweight people... that, for example.. say they are going on a Diet... and so they
order a large sized salad.  One might think... that this is a good thing, right?  But the size of this salad
is quite monstrous to begin with... and then... they load the salad in high calorie ingredients.
From sunflower seeds, to croutons, and worst of all... and DROWN the entire salad in
High Fat / High Calorie Salad Dressing.   Suddenly that "Healthy" salad.. has more calories than a
steak... AND... lacks a lot of the healthy Nutrients and benefits of a Steak.

 Ive also spoke about Diet Colas..  how they actually spike your system, and cause you to get hungry
quicker... causing you to over-eat.  As such... drinking a single can of this stuff per day... can still be
causing struggles and issues with your weight loss.

 And again... One of the reasons why we over-eat... is because we are eating stuff that is lacking in
Nutrients that our Bodies NEED.   When you eat stuff your body needs.. your brain / stomach stop
or Reduce the frequency... of telling you that you are "Hungry".


 I remember a time when I was working at a Circuit Board factory... and this lady brought in Buns
from her Husbands bakery.  These were the ones that were on the verge of being tossed out.. but
they were far from being "Stale".   I started eating a single one (they were not very large), every
day in the morning.  By the end of like 2 to 3 months time.. I believe I needed to buy a new Pant size...
as I had been gaining extra mass from merely that ONE dietary change.  I didnt even add butter
to those little dinner rolls.