Gah, the plateau hits again.

[phat chick]

Originally Posted by biglc0

Also, this is out of the blue, but how often can I drink alcohol? (College kid, come on!) I know it dehydrates the muscles, calories, etc, but if I have something to drink, could I just cut back a little on a meal?

Again, thanks.

LMAO...Good question. The less the better *w* but i know that cheap pitchers of beer were the center of many study groups for me when i was a student. Alcohol is a funny one--- For weight loss, obviously eliminating or severely limiting it is your best option. BUT... I do believe that life is a balance (you're not in a bodybuilding competition...yet...*w*) and it would be unreasonable to expect someone (any normal person that is, as there is the odd freak out there *w*) to go without during periods of their life where drinking is almost expected to be a regular activity within one's social circle and definitely a large part of campus life.

I will leave it up to you. The more you drink, the slower results will be. So my best advice would be practice moderation

I am SO IMPRESSED by your workout you did! That is awesome! Yes, that kind of training can be intense and even until you build up stamina maybe 1x a week is plenty (and keep any other sessions more like "easy cardio" like a steady pace jog or something). Like i said, i only do these 2-3x a week and because of the stress on soft tissues you have to be careful (and obviously make sure you're warmed up).

I'm really happy to see that you've embraced the concept i've outlined with those workouts. You were able to adjust it to your needs (and surroundings) and keep it challenging. That is exactly the essence of these workouts....Smart cookie ;-P

I have never been in super high elevation but I am aware of it's affects. Be careful.

I was going to suggest to start a training and eating diary, i'd love to follow your progress and then we can always continue help you out whenever you need (or just want some motivation).

AWESOME WORK!!

[biglc0]

Haha thanks. I figured on the drinking it'd be more of a personal choice, but I'm glad I got your opinion. The reason why I asked is almost all 100+ of my brothers drink and stay in great shape. But I think they can because they are already there. But it's nice seeing that I can, I'd just have to cut it down.

Also, creating a diary would be nice. But where would I go about doing that? On the forums or do it on paper, and after a few months go and post it on here?

[phat chick]

LOL i know you're a smart guy and can use your own judgement about alcohol. Balance in one's life is an important key to longevity and health, mentally and physically.

I've seen some guys like your frat brothers who can manage to have amazing physiques and be found drinking beer thurs to sunday. I dont' get it. I chalk it up to testosterone and age LOL and to some degree, your genetics. It's not fair but some just have to work extra hard to maintain anything decent (that's my excuse and i'm stickin' to it!). You are also correct in assuming that maintenance is a different challenge than "getting there" is.

To make a diary just go start a thread in the "memeber's training diary" section, you can call it whatever you like (i'm so juvenile but i always giggle at "LOG"). You can just post up stuff whenever you like...which could mean every day if you feel like it or keep notes on paper until you have a chance to get to a computer. It does take a bit of time to start to see how a program is working, but you can still post inbetween. Sometimes it's nice to share your journey and also people here can jump in and make suggestions (or just plain sympathize) with you.

[Gill]

As with anything, be smart. My girlfriend and I go out quite a bit to drink but I just try to drink smart (paradox, anybody ) For instance, my beer of choice is Coors Light. It has 102 calories and 5g of carbs. As long as you don't down a case, a bit of drinking every now and then won't kill ya.

If I'm gonna get hammered or just want to get drunk, I'll stick to liquors. My liquor of choice is Jameson Irish Whiskey. It has 70 calories, no carbs for Oz. Thats pretty good considering it only take a few Jameson and coke zeroes to get you off the ground. As well, you can look toward Clear Rum and Diet anything will be zero calories.

This has personally been one of my biggest hurdles as this is a famous pasttime of just about all my friends. It took awhile, but I've found my groove and know what I can and can't do. I hope you can do the same!

[phat chick]

"Drink smart" LMAO i love it.

And i undestand. My poison of choice: Gin & Tonic or Vodka and diet pop.

I've never been much of a recreational drinker though (except in university). I either drink to get hammered, or don't drink. And this usually only happens once a year LOL. At least this way i'm a cheap drunk. If i could get away with it more, i probably would....but when it comes down to calories, i'd rather spend them on cookies!!

[phat chick]

Originally Posted by Gill

My liquor of choice is Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Dear Lord i woudlnt' touch that with a ten foot pole!! LOL!

[Gill]

Oh man, I use to down that stuff like ice-cream. So delicious!

[phat chick]

Serious?!??!?! OMG i think i could pass out just from the fumes alone LOL!

[Gill]

Oh absolutely. As far as whiskey goes... none better! I think your choice of gin is equally gross though! Yack!

Sorry for the hijack, big!

[phat chick]

ROFLMAO. I admit, after new years eve i have to agree with gin & tonic being gross. yikes.

We can hijack big's thread now cause he's goign to start a training LOG that we can stalk. Right?? *w*

[RyanLRams]

I prefer Patron to all other liquors.

[ambientdeath]

Originally Posted by Gill

Oh absolutely. As far as whiskey goes... none better!

Crown Royal and Canadian Club are my fav whiskeys. Nice to see another whiskey man here =)

[biglc0]

I appreciate everything you guys have done and told me.

This is the 3rd day now, and I can't explain how good I feel and how easy it is. Resisting temptation is tough, especially when your chef is cookin up amazing burritos! I just stuck to the salads tonight.

And for Coors Light, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Brewed 30 minutes from me. Used to be how I was at home, Corona and Dos Equis would come in so fresh.

As for liquor, Jager (fattening, which I won't drink now), Makers Mark, and Goose. But I can cut those out and stick to beer. Drink em fast enough I drink less, heh. Again thanks.

Pointing towards the diary, I might make one after a month then go from there. I feel as if it's pointless to make one 3 days after I started as I won't see any results and people will just be like 'uhh okay..'

Again, thanks.

[Gill]

@Ambient: I really love Crown but on a student's budget I only get it every now and then. When I splurge, I usually get a bottle of Crown Special Reserve. Expensive, but positively delicious.

@Big: We're all cheering for you, Big. From what I understand, you aren't trying to compete in competitions or anything, so don't be afraid to reward yourself every now and then with some things you really enjoy eating. Just remember to jump back on the horse the next day!

[phat chick]

Originally Posted by Gill

@Big: We're all cheering for you, Big. From what I understand, you aren't trying to compete in competitions or anything, so don't be afraid to reward yourself every now and then with some things you really enjoy eating. Just remember to jump back on the horse the next day!

Excellent post!!!

[HammerTech]

Originally Posted by biglc0

Pointing towards the diary, I might make one after a month then go from there. I feel as if it's pointless to make one 3 days after I started as I won't see any results and people will just be like 'uhh okay..'

You'd be surprised. I first started training back in January of '07 seriously (only for my own personal well-being and appearance as well), and keeping a log/journal from go was very productive. Keeping one on here was good too - because you'd get the input of others who have a lot of experience in the game (trainers, competitor types, etc.), and that was a great help also. Don't toss the idea away off the cuff - just give it fair consideration.

[biglc0]

Thanks guys this is awesome.

I'll probably start posting my diary in about a week and a half. I don't have a scale so updating every few days is tough. I still have everything written down and in my mind, so it's all good.

Also, by rewarding myself with meals, how many times a week or every two weeks? I don't want to over due it, because this weekend I'll be taking someone out for some sushi.

[dods]

If you were saying that you were going to use sushi as a cheat meal, I think if you are going to cheat, you should cheat worse than that . Aside from the sodium that some rolls have, I think it is actually a good thing to throw in the diet every once in awhile.

Anyways, here are some quick facts I found on the web:

The Sushi FAQ - Sushi Calories and Nutritional Information

[phat chick]

Originally Posted by biglc0

Also, by rewarding myself with meals, how many times a week or every two weeks? I don't want to over due it, because this weekend I'll be taking someone out for some sushi.

I like cheat meals for mental reasons....LOL... cause i really love food (hell i'd eat just about anything as long as it's not from a goat or has any mustard on it). I'm bad and my idea of a cheat meal is to park my butt at an all-you-can-eat chinese food buffet until I literally can't move (or explode).

What you can get away with is again, a factor that varies. Generally the leaner you are, the more "effective" a refeed can be. It depends on what your current diet is as well... and what you're refeeding on.

Myself, i can't get away with much (hasnt' stopped me) but if i go all-out cheat, it's like taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back. This can be frustrating. My opinion is that if you're not super strict with your diet, i dont' think you "need" a super huge cheat day (or meal).

If you want to keep your sushi dinner from being "bad" LOL firstly, practice portion control. Try to avoid the tempura and opt more for just the plain pieces of fish on rice (or in a roll). Even terriyaki (sp) sauce has a lot of sugar. I love spicy tuna rolls but sometimes whatever is in the sauce really makes me wonder (i suspect it involves mayo).

If you keep it clean (the sushi) it's actually not that bad at all.

mmMMMMmm tempura.....

[phat chick]

ps- are you going on a date???? ;-P