Swolecats, Fitcats, Thincats, Cardiocats, even Yogacats

[420seriouscat69]

I walk a few miles 3 times a week and do a sprint workout once a week or so.  Nothing will cut you up like sprinting will.

Swimming laps will. 

[The Big Train]

Different strokes for different folks. (Pun intended)

['taterblast]

i like to think i have the right balance/combination. i lift pretty hard 3 times a week hitting all the body parts and do abs after each. then the 3 other days i do a pretty intense 20 minute treadmill workout at an incline, which gets my heart rate to what "they" say should be my max.

[420seriouscat69]

We're doing a couples challenge, which is really a individual challenge with 8 people in it. Right now i'm in 2nd place, but I'm mumped because the person in 1st had gastric bypass a few years ago and doesn't even have to workout to try. 

[Rage Against the McKee]

I get much better results from cardio than I do from strength training. I think it probably varies from person to person. I see a lot more benefits in day-to-day life from being in really good cardiovascular shape than there are to being really strong, anyway.

[Cartierfor3]

Good work by all ITT.

At my peak about 6 years ago I pushed 240. Never actually saw 240 on the scale but I'm sure I passed it at one point. I've managed to get as low as 194 a couple times but its really tough for me to stay there. I like to eat. (5 10" FYI). Best thing that has kept me under control the past couple years is controlling breakfast and lunch as much as I can. Most days I do 2 eggs for breakfast, price chopper salad bar for lunch, then whatever Mrs CF3 makes for dinner. That's really helped me and even during the holidays the highest I got this winter was only 210. That might seem high but from age 26-30 I don't think I was ever below 225 so I'm choosing to view that as success even though I'd love to be in the 180s.

Also, I hate working out. Lifting, running, I'm not into it, and I'm also super lazy. So on a whim last April I joined 9round kickboxing fitness. Its one of those like kickboxing for soccer mom type places. I've gone consistently since April and have noticed huge changes in my body. General strength is up, back feels better, sleeping better etc. I found that what I needed was structure of a workout, someone else telling me what to do and for how long. I'm too lazy to stick to it alone so having a place with a planned workout has been great for me.

I'm just at a point where I have no goal to look like Alex Gordon or have a 6 pack, but I want to be as healthy as I can for my family and be able to do things like long bike rides, hikes, playing soccer etc. with my kids. And I've found 5 days a week at 9round is just as good for my mental health as my physical health. There's something good for our brains to have a physical challenge. Like, I need to have a few minutes where my biggest problem is the next pushup, makes other life problems seem smaller than they often do.

So keep it up everyone. There's not one way to be fit or healthy, but effort of any kind should be celebrated.

[yoga-like_abana]

Good work by all ITT.

At my peak about 6 years ago I pushed 240. Never actually saw 240 on the scale but I'm sure I passed it at one point. I've managed to get as low as 194 a couple times but its really tough for me to stay there. I like to eat. (5 10" FYI). Best thing that has kept me under control the past couple years is controlling breakfast and lunch as much as I can. Most days I do 2 eggs for breakfast, price chopper salad bar for lunch, then whatever Mrs CF3 makes for dinner. That's really helped me and even during the holidays the highest I got this winter was only 210. That might seem high but from age 26-30 I don't think I was ever below 225 so I'm choosing to view that as success even though I'd love to be in the 180s.

Also, I hate working out. Lifting, running, I'm not into it, and I'm also super lazy. So on a whim last April I joined 9round kickboxing fitness. Its one of those like kickboxing for soccer mom type places. I've gone consistently since April and have noticed huge changes in my body. General strength is up, back feels better, sleeping better etc. I found that what I needed was structure of a workout, someone else telling me what to do and for how long. I'm too lazy to stick to it alone so having a place with a planned workout has been great for me.

I'm just at a point where I have no goal to look like Alex Gordon or have a 6 pack, but I want to be as healthy as I can for my family and be able to do things like long bike rides, hikes, playing soccer etc. with my kids. And I've found 5 days a week at 9round is just as good for my mental health as my physical health. There's something good for our brains to have a physical challenge. Like, I need to have a few minutes where my biggest problem is the next pushup, makes other life problems seem smaller than they often do.

So keep it up everyone. There's not one way to be fit or healthy, but effort of any kind should be celebrated.

if you just replaced 9rounds with crossfit thats exactly why I like it as well

[catastrophe]

Another added benefit of working out (cardio or strength) is that it helps develop a routine which can really help with diet too.

[catastrophe]

All that said the only thing that really matters for weight gain/loss is a calorie deficit (burning more than you consume). That comes down to (1) what you eat (obvs), (2) your resting metabolic rate (which strength training plays a big part of; cardio to a lesser extent; genetics is huge here as well), and (3) calories burned during physical activity like running. Number 3 is by far the least impactful even though it is often the most emphasized.

[Rage Against the McKee]

All that said the only thing that really matters for weight gain/loss is a calorie deficit (burning more than you consume). That comes down to (1) what you eat (obvs), (2) your resting metabolic rate (which strength training plays a big part of; cardio to a lesser extent; genetics is huge here as well), and (3) calories burned during physical activity like running. Number 3 is by far the least impactful even though it is often the most emphasized.

Number 3 is emphasized because it's pretty easy to increase, while number 2 is really hard to increase without gaining weight. That's problematic when your goal is to lose weight.

[star seed 7]

I'm p fat and mostly ok with it but I don't like being winded walking up 2 flights of stairs so I bought a silent rowing machine that I can use while watching TV. I'm not losing any weight, and I'm not going to change my diet so I probably won't anyway, but I'm feeling much better physically.

 

[8manpick]

I had a treadmill delivered earlier this week, working on setting it up tonight or tomorrow.  Really look forward to using it for three months and then letting it collect dust for years!

Trying to get back to my driver's license weight by 4th of July

[yoga-like_abana]

I'm p fat and mostly ok with it but I don't like being winded walking up 2 flights of stairs so I bought a silent rowing machine that I can use while watching TV. I'm not losing any weight, and I'm not going to change my diet so I probably won't anyway, but I'm feeling much better physically.

 

I can respect that

[BIG APPLE CAT]

I agree with puni that working out in the morning is where it's at. Whether you're doing weights or cardio... You get to carry that smug sense of accomplishment and self satisfaction around with you the whole day and let's be real...your state of mind plays a huge role when you're trying to lose weight or get in shape or w/e.

Unless you're at a fat farm where you don't have the option to make poor dietary choices or overeat or skip a workout, in which case you're state of mind won't be much of a factor.

['taterblast]

def on board with morning workouts.

[Pete]

I am a noob in this thread, but I weighed about 40 pounds more than I currently do 3 years ago.

First thing I did was a massive calorie reduction, combined with a 20-30 minute cardio 5 times a week, and full body low weight lifting 2-3 times a week.  Then after a couple months, made 2-3 of those cardio sessions super long bike rides.

For the past 8 months I have been lifting really heavy (6 times a week) and pounding protein with almost no cardio, trying to build mass.  This spring I will re-introduce heavy bike cardio, and try to keep the lifting and protein.

Then, in the summer I will walk around naked everywhere I go.

[wetwillie]

you try any BCAA's Pete? Limestone probabaly has a 10 year supply you could try from.

[yoga-like_abana]

Then, in the summer I will walk around naked everywhere I go.

thats the dream pete

[mocat]

i would be on board with morning workouts if, like puni, my sun rose at 4:30am

[Cartierfor3]

2 days a week Mrs CF3 leaves for work at 5:45 AM leaving me with the kids to get up and get ready for the day, 2 days a week I leave by 5:45. I'd love to do morning workouts but that's kind of impossible right now

[star seed 7]

There is morning before 5:45

[Cartierfor3]

There is morning before 5:45

And I refuse to be a part of it

[mocat]

i'm kind of it's night time until the sun comes up type of guy

[star seed 7]

I'm a big fan of morning darkness. Like driving to work when it's dark out is pretty great... Too bad it's so early

[420seriouscat69]

Mrs Wacky has her alarm set for 5:30 AM every morning and she gets up to go workout half the time. It's infuriating to your partner if you back out thinking you get the whole bed to yourself and then nope, now I gotta try and go back to sleep again while she wrestles around.