Things continue to get better in southern California pandemic-wise. That is if you are willing to ignore the riots. Next Friday our overlord will announce rules permitting gyms to reopen. There’s no hint what those rules will be so let’s hope it’s either something gyms can actually use to reopen or there’s massive noncompliance. I’m good either way.
This week’s weigh in was a pleasant surprise. I am down to 175. I started laughing when I saw the scale. This week we celebrated my daughter’s “promotion” from 8th grade with frozen yogurt and I drank some beer. I was faithful to my conditioning routine. I have a vague memory of seeing 175 on my driver’s license from long ago. I confess to a small amount of pride in getting back down to this weight.
That led to remembering the Ripped series of books I read back in college. The author, Clarence Bass, was an attorney in Albuquerque who was also an amateur bodybuilder. Bass was probably never the biggest guy in the room, but he packed on an impressive amount of muscle and achieved an unbelievably low body fat level. More importantly, Bass maintained an incredibly low bodyfat percentage year–round as he documents in his books.
Bass was my introduction to Set Point Theory (SPT). SPT posits your body “strives” to keep a consistent weight. Your set point is determined by genetics but can be changed. If you have gotten into shape, one off day isn’t going to send you hurtling into obesity. If you are obese, one good day of exercise and eating won’t make you fit.
In my opinion, SPT is poor science but useful advice. It’s the equivalent of using Ptolemy’s charts to predict the motion of the stars. The underlying theory is wrong, but the outcome is accurate. Though born with a set point, your actions or failure to act can move your set point. If you eat a lot of high calorie food and don’t exercise then, barring a genetic miracle, you are going to get fat and stay fat. The flipside is also true. If you regularly eat right and exercise, then one or two days off plan won’t change your set point.
It’s almost certainly wrong. I’m not a biologist and my understanding of thermodynamics is rudimentary. But as I understand things, if you consume a calorie of energy it either gets burned or stored. I’ll allow for some amount of biological variation. Meaning, some people burn more calories at rest for a variety of reasons including genetics and regular exercise. Some people burn few calories at rest for a variety of reasons including genetics and a lack of exercise. But barring genetic outliers, it’s a fairly narrow band.
The utility of SPT is knowing you can control your set point through diet and exercise. Consistency is required. Perfection isn’t. A day or two off–track is a mild setback. The following day you can do what you need to do to achieve your goals.
This week’s music links are for Rhywun. I hope you are healing up quickly and easily.Judas. Priest. Halford+Dickinson+Tate. Fight. Pandemic related Judas Priest?
Next Friday our overlord will announce rules permitting gyms to reopen.
The Clown Prince allowed gyms to open only for personal training and small classes. My gym decided to stay closed.
This week’s weigh in was a pleasant surprise. I am down to 175.
Excellent!
“Living After Midnight” is a great song.
I finally got off my ass and made an appointment with my physical therapist. I will have to wear a mask in conformance with the stupid Nashua mask mandate (hearing on that on the 18th. Fingers crossed). I was definitely on an upswing until I ripped that lilac stump out.
I don’t remember what I posted last week about that and its aftermath, but a day or so afterwards I realized what I was feeling was not muscle soreness. It was my setting back my recovery from my disc herniation. A week of light activity has got me back to where I was before I ripped the stump out.
I’ll listen to the other songs later. I gotta step away for a bit.
small classes
This is something that needs to be fixed quickly. Wife’s (former) gym is opening up with a hard cap of 12 people per class. For a group trainer who gets paid by the class size, that doesn’t even cover the gas to get there. Add in the idiotic restrictions that make it impossible to do her job, and she’s seriously thinking about sitting it out until the kiddo is born at the end of the year.
Does your wife do the social media/trainer thing as well? One of the trainers at the classes I went to said that the lockdown was busy as hell for her, basically an extended new year’s for people wanting to stay/get in shape.
I’ve been going to Orange Theory for a couple of weeks at 50% capacity. And it’s awesome having the space.
I’m not sure if she had the option. TBH, she probably wouldn’t have pursued it if it was available, since we were packing up and moving.
I believe this trainer does it as freelance work, not studio affiliated. With advertising through the social media platforms.
Sorry you had that set BACK DEG. Hopefully the physical therapy will be effective.
Thanks!
“Living After Midnight” is a great song.” It’s Gay as fuck, literally, Horrible song,
try this,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhvzMGDzt70
Rhywun is gay as hell. I like him and I like the song.
Aw yeah. The title track is my favorite Priest song.
Also good.
“this is so epic even deaf people can hear it.”
/first YT comment I saw
That is a strong contender. It really is hard for me to pick one favorite.
It’s Gay as fuck, literally
Huh. I never noticed. But on the other hand, I’m just a clueless straight guy.
I still like the song.
The one you link to is pretty good too.
Rob Halford is single-handedly responsible for three generations of metalheads adopting the clothing styles of the 70’s London gay leather scene. There has never been a greater twink wrangler, before or since.
Three walks with the dog this weekend. Didn’t see anybody Friday or Saturday after dinner, which isn’t too much of a surprise.
On the ~80-minute walk this morning, ran into three pairs of bikers and one lone jogger. Of the seven people, six had obvious masks, although three of them were more bandanas. The lone jogger actually covering her mouth and nose left me shaking my head and wondering why.
Got my Kettlebell Simple and Sinister book this week. The page layout is crap. Text is too shoved into the binding direction to read comfortably. Lacks illustrations and pictures that actually show the movement.
However, still recommend so far. I like the writing, I like the philosophy, and there’s enough videos on YouTube and reddit that I think I’ll be set. Now if I can just get my kettlebell next week. Starting off way light while I work on the form, then I’ll go up to the “normal” weight size. Strained my left wrist two weeks ago picking up brush and cutting stuff down. Almost back to normal.
Rogue has been sold out of kettlebells except for their monster kettlebells ever since the lockdown started. I managed to get some baby kettlebells (perfectly fine given my disc herniation) just as they sold out.
GL why do you like the book given all the problems you mentioned?
Hi Chafed, Great topic. I was sort of a believer in SPT, having lived with it for 20 yrs. I thought my set weight was 194. No matter what I did or ate I hovered around that number for 20 yrs. Then I radically changed my diet (food and interval) and dropped 25 pounds. I am not as strict about my diet in terms of food but have kept the weight off. That said, based on my experience, I think body mass has more to do with hormones than calories. I am still eating roughly the same amount of calories, just limiting the time I take them in.
I think people should experiment with their diets and eating habits to determine what works best for them. I believe no one size fits.
Thanks again for the edition. Glad things are opening up down south. Up in the north, we are going about it more slowly or not at all. I don’t think my gym is going to open up ever.
Thanks IRBE. Remind where up north you are. Bay area?
Yep.. East bay. It has been pretty windy up here the last couple of days so I was surprised PGE didn’t cut the power for a lock-down trifecta of : ‘rona, riot, and wild fires. Oh my!
Be thankful for small favors.
From the comments in last thread;
@Mojeaux, asked what is BAT, in relation to Brave browser:
It’s a crypto-currency, developed to “fix” the problem with online advertising. Brave comes with built-in ad-blocker, and “Brave Rewards” is opt-in advertisements where users get paid in BAT for each ad. Privacy centered and not intrusive imo. For me it works out to about ~$5 per month, and I’m just doing my normal surfing.
https://basicattentiontoken.org/ > Click on view the white paper for the whole story. When I read the white paper for Bitcoin (BTC) when it was ~$2.00/BTC, I thought it was a really good idea but wasn’t going to take off, so I never bought any. (AT $2.00/BTC UGHH!!)
I have the same feeling with BAT and I’m long BAT. You can earn it through ads, but you can also just buy it with USD, which I have been doing. So far I’m substantially in the green. This was the first time I’ve dabbled in crypto, I’ve always watched from the sidelines after missing my opportunity with BTC.
You can also donate using the BAT you earned/purchased to content creators. Much easier than Paypal / Credit, even though that’s easy already. And I think BAT takes less cut than those other options.
Note: This applies to desktop browser. The mobile version doesn’t have all the features yet.
So far, I’ve dropped ~4 lbs. of lockdown weight. This week had me in the saddle for just over 54 miles, and a spin class I scheduled on a day that it was supposed to rain (the girlfriend even came along) where I clocked in over 15 miles (and got 2nd out of 12 point wise). Today has been lazy, as I was scheduled to do some change work starting at 10:00, but things finished early and they got someone else to do most of it. I’ve been good in staying at ~1,500 calories during the week (which is where I need to be to drop weight, and not count calories on the weekends). I’ve decided not to suspend/cancel the spin studio subscription to try to help out a locally owned business, it just means I need to plan to go there when it’s raining outside.
In further out news, once PA and VA open back up. I’m looking at burning some vacation time to bike the GAP and the C&O Canal towpath. 335 miles of riding on a converted train path with B&B stops at night. Originally, I was trying to figure out the best way to get there and back home, but I’ve since learned there’s an Amtrak path from Cleveland that goes to Pittsburgh (the trailhead for the GAP) and from DC (where the C&O Canal towpath ends). Any shuttle/tour service is based on two people, and the girlfriend has less than 0 interest in riding 30-40 miles a day for two weeks (the concept of training for a vacation freaks her out) so I’ll need to book for myself or pay an 85% premium.
That sounds like a fun time.
A friend of mine road it with his dad a couple years back, They paid for a company to carry luggage, so they had normal people clothes for when they weren’t riding. I’m less concerned about looking normal. The trail towns are basically built around bike/hike traffic. For those who prefer, there’s also a decent amount of camp sites along the path.
That sounds awesome. The family and me are gonna try bikepacking again. In the fall A simple local overnighter. Maybe one with just the wife and me in the mountains.
The wife really wants to bikepack the OBX in the spring
For those who are interested this site offers multiple tours, as well as tips (nutrition and training) for the cost of an e-mail address.
?
If I wasn’t so out of shape I would have asked to pair up on the ride you mentioned a while back. It was a converted train track in PA that ended in Pittsburgh. I need to get off my lazy ass and drop at least 50 lbs before I attempt that.
Same ride. Look up at the earlier comment that has a link for a training guide link. It’s low grade, 30-40 miles a day, which isn’t over the top. It’s just one where you have to be aware that there’s work every day.
The spousal unit and I have been trying to get a cousin of hers in the Netherlands to set up a bike ride he threatened to do many years ago — a multi-week trip through the Netherlands, Belgium, the Atlantic coast of France (endless “Seafood Towers”!) and ending in the Pyrenees, probably on the Spanish side somewheres. We’ve actually mapped out most of the trip already, and it’s quite do-able even for our aged, saggy frames. Getting him to actually pull the trigger and go for it has been a bit of a struggle, however. I may end up doing The Way (pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela — probably the French route) first, assuming we still aren’t in TOTAL WORLDWIDE LOCKDOWN for all of 2021.
The spousal unit, she be less enthused about The Way. :-/
I was supposed to be there in July. Really unhappy about my cancelled vacations.
Another rellie in Normandy just died a week or so ago, a brother to the one who died late December 2018. The entire family couldn’t attend the funeral, ’cause of the fear of the ‘Rona. I also couldn’t fly there. I couldn’t even send flowers, ’cause they might have been coated with the filthy COVID.
I’m done with this effing virus.
Sorry.
Got to go lap swimming at the Y twice last week! Since only two lanes are open during my preferred after-work time (the rest are in use by a youth swim team) and reservations can only be submitted online a day in advance, I’ll stay up until midnight tonight to snag a lane for Tuesday evening.
The spin studio I go to is down to a maximum of 20 riders, no lockers, no changing rooms, no towels (I miss the nearly frozen towel provided at the end of the ride), no water bottle filling. It’s still nice to get in a ride and chat with random people.
Is lapping at the Y anything like dining at the Y?
This is probably better suited for Mexican Sharpshooter’s post, but this Frangelic Mountain Brown is pretty good.
That is a good one. I’ve had it a couple times before.
That led to remembering the Ripped series of books I read back in college. *looks up and sees Body for Life on the shelf* The Ripped series sounds similar. I read that when I was in my late 30’s and the best shape of my adult life. I don’t count being 17 and invincible as adult life. It focuses on gaining muscle to increase metabolism if memory serves.
Good work on the 175! I am still in uber lazy pissed off mode.
Here is some motivational music.
Very nice.
The singer is a bit off, but otherwise that is a great cover.
Today was supposed to be Day 99 of my Ozy Challenge. Unfortunately, on Day 91 my knees gave up, especially the left (the non-artificial one).
My thighs got pretty buff and my wind improved but I really don’t think that I dropped any weight.
It’s a good plan; I’ll probably restart next month.
My metabolism is slow, 42-44 bpm. I finally dropped the 4-5 lbs that I been dragging around for years and started thinking that was my new weight. I’m in at 189 now, for most of my adult life was 185 but I ran and played in those days. Now I don’t have as much energy nor work to do (have the work but pretend not to see it, makes life easier) I cut back on eating a little but try to do some physical stuff every day, even if its only a walk to the garden and do a little hoeing. Today is stack the wood day but an hour at a time.
The problem isn’t so much the weight but the location. I finally am able to button the top button of my jeans but need the suspenders to keep them up, my belly wants to push them down. Shrinking 3 ” vertically has only made the problem more obvious. Thanks, Chafed, you are to be commended. Once the weight is added on its tough to change the life style that allowed that to happen.
I tell folks, “I’m not fat! I’m short for my weight!”
You need to post a picture of your hat that you had on for Honey Harvest. Greatest hat I’ve ever seen! Trumps a Trump hat by a bundle.
My brothers said they kept waiting for me to grow up.
You are big boned, Hobbit (Am I doing that right?)
This one?
As I remember it had some small print on the side too, I don’t think it was that one. Anyway, it was cool
Not this one?
Wait a second! I’m not big boned, I’m just fat!
Completed my move from NH to TX, and I’ve been helping my BiL build a new fence with a couple of gates at his house. I have been sweating buckets every time I’m outside, but I’ve managed to build a decent tan. I was down to 132lbs this morning. My high school weight was about 118. Before you ask, I’m 5’7″.
Where did you land in TX?
*skims over comments*
So many euphemisms. Dont you people ever think of anything besides sex?
Is the storm a problem? Hope you are out of the path.
No problems yet and I dont expect much more than heavy rain, thank you for asking.
The dogs have been nagging me all day. They seem unusually anxious. I put out bread for the birds. No birds have shown up to eat it. No squirrels all day.
I dont know how they know, but they all seem to know.
Right now the air outside is warm, damp and as still as a tomb.
No problems yet and I dont expect much more than heavy rain
Good.
As for the path, I thought it would hit much further east than it did. It looks like my house is a bullseye for the center of the storm but it will pass over too much land before it gets here to still be an organized storm. I expect it to be a rag-tag of thunderstorms. Fortunately our house is on the tip-top of a hill nearly 70 feet over the 500 year flood line. Other than power outages we should be fine.
Good luck and pickup any yard ornaments that may blow around
Best wishes.
Relevant, even if it’s not what they’re singing about.
Suthen I forgot where you live. I remember it is somewhere in Central LA though.
I just passed through from Indianola through Alexandria down through Kinder to I 10 on my way home to the Texas Gulf Coast this past weekend.
Did I cruise through your ‘ hood ?
I actually though of you on the way through.
“You’re the one showing me all the dirty pictures doc.”
/Joke that’s older then me.
It’s older than ME. Probably not older than 4×20.
I think it came along about the time of Rohrsach, maybe a Playboy joke. ’50s-’60s, could have been before my time even, if time had been invented by then
I was afraid no one would get it.
Don’t you people ever think of anything besides sex?
Why bother? It’s the only thing I can think of that consistently puts a grin on my face.
*checks news*
Yup, it’s still stupid out there.
No kidding.
If this shit gets into the play by play then the NFL is going to have a very short season with me.
The problem with football is there are endless gaps in the play to fill up with derp. Brace yourself.
We will see won’t we. I totally take Don’s point below. I’m really hoping the networks figure out your average fan just wants to watch the game. If you rub our noses in politics, any politics, it’s not the escapism we seek.
My MLB version: if you want to run off a front-row, fourth generation fan, then load up my favorite sport with derp that essentially paints me, a quiet, innocent, and hard-working fellow, with the worst excesses of laws and institutions I don’t believe in and various people I might share a common ancestor with going back 600 years, and you are walking away from several pairs of $100 tickets every year.
I don’t watch baseball for others’ politics, especially any mindlessness where some of us who have been the most consistent supporters of civil rights and property rights (Mr billionaire owner, Mr millionaire player) are painted as the bad guys.
“…consistent supporters of civil rights and property rights …”
That is exactly who and what they are trying to destroy.
Oh for fuck’s sake. And these people cant see that by caving they are part of the problem? It isn’t their silence that is part of the problem it is their complicity.
Grow a fucking spine you assholes.
That mime is a Nazi.
My exercise today was picking up about a ton and a half of dog shit (which fortunately desiccates in a day here), mowing the postage stamp sized lawns, and pulling weeds which grow large and prodigiously. All in heat and blazing sun, though we’re in a cold snap- low 90s.
Good times.
Get a progressive neighbor to pick up the dog shit, for their compost pile.
“heat and blazing sun”
The reason I left TX and now shovel snow
You’re one of TPTB and you have neither orphans or Mexicans to do your dirty work? That’s disappointing.
I get lots of excercise, although I’m no longer doing 100 pushups a day nor running the stairs twice a day at the light rail station. When I stopped doing those things, I gained about 45 lbs over a year or two. If I quick drinking I’m confident that I would lose my belly very quickly- but then what’s the point?
There’s a reason I don’t count calories on Saturday and Sunday. I could drop weight quicker if I did, but then I wouldn’t be able to enjoy life while dropping weight at all, and would be more likely to give up. Counting 5 days a week lets me still average a drop of 2 lbs. a week, as long as the trend line is going that way, I can be happy.
So maybe workout and keep drinking?
Sure, just that easy. You’re right of course, but so hard to get started again. I guess I could start with the stairs at work and see how many push ups I can still do.
Cool stuff: hand work
That is cool.
I never thought of a carpenter’s axe as a tool for finer work. When I think ‘hewing’ I think of framing, beams and other lumber.
I would have done that with saw and chisel.
why not just plane the entire depth? in a toss-up for effort, I’d go low risk
My planes are set to cut very thin. As thin as I can get them. The shavings float to the floor like feathers.
I would cut to depth with a saw every three inches or so and then use a chisel to remove the sections between cuts…then plane smooth. It is less work. That is how cabinet makers go about it and how I learned it.
Like most things everyone has different ideas about how to accomplish the same end.
My guess is that the guy in the video is either a Cooper or learned making shingles or shakes. That is how those guys go about things.
Come to think of it…why isn’t he using a draw knife?
If I starting hacking a finished carved piece of wood, it wouldn’t take more than 3 hits with the axe before I blew through the front of it.
I have used both a machete and a carpenters axe to rough out lumber. After watching him do that I can see it but…it would take a lot of practice.
A machete is sharpened from both sides. A carpenter’s axe is only sharpened on one side like a chisel. Essentially it is a chisel – flat on one side and sloped on the other. Start out small and I bet you would get the hang of it faster than. you think.
Hang around to the end or zip through to the end and seen the assemble piece. It is amazing.
*prostrates himself before the Glib editors*
Powerful admins…I have humbly attempted to submit a piece twice and have not yet received a response. I may be getting caught up in the spam filter. I’m in a time crunch on this one and would like to receive feedback from the Glibertariat before the event. Thank you.
*scoots backwards, keeping forehead to the ground*
I’ll give SP a heads-up. How did you submit it (always her first question)?
Using the leads/submissions tab at the top.
kthxbi
She’ll email you shortly.
My contribution to Glibfit: Driving to the store day before yesterday I see my neighbor the dentist a mile or so down the road jogging. I slowed down, rolled down the window to say hello.
“Hey, how are you? Did you plant those trees I dropped off?”
” I am fine. Yes I did. They are doing fine too. I am just out for a little jog. Do you or your wife jog?”
“No. I grew up on a farm.”
*his brow crinkles showing obvious confusion*
Me – “You dont see a lot of farmers jogging.”
The light comes on and he starts laughing.
?
?. I’m assuming your surgery is over. How are you doing?
No, surgery comes later. The other day was just a look-see up the chute.
My mistake. I thought the colonoscopy was a prelude to surgery the following day or two. When are you scheduled?
Not scheduled yet. Looking at late June/early July.
Hi Chafed!
Nice job on the milestone!
Regarding the calories, the best explanation I’ve read is that food (especially fatty acids) act as programming for the cells. There is a reason that a relatively high calorie diet that excludes nasty fats (those that cause oxidative stress and assorted other bummers) can result in more weight loss than a low calorie bullshit diet (low fat, low salt, whole grains, shitty oils etc.)
If you reprogram your body to actually use body fat and keep that fat clean, it works pretty damn well. I’ve been reading a lot about epigenetics lately. The idea that you are not bound by any predetermined software is a cool one.
Anyway, a good week here. Logged more than 45 miles on the trails around my house and lost another 5 lbs. The 75Hard continues to be a challenge, but everything is trending the right way. Several inches off my gut, blood pressure looking good, and clothes are fitting better. I’m getting more dialed in, so I know what amount of deficit will yield good results. I’m only on day 27, but I’m closing in on 20 pounds down already, so that’s cool. I haven’t decided where I’m gonna stop. I figure the leaner I can get the better.
And god willing the gym will open soon.
That’s great work and great results Tundra. I’m not a doctor or biologist. I’ve never stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. If you have links/citations/whatever to the diet and epigenetic stuff you mentioned, I am interested.
GlibFit.
http://archive.li/dihdA
Thanks Q. I’ll take 7 and be on my way. My one regret is this is never posted at night so you could find some superfit naked women.
Fit girls never skip Fridays!
Friday is leg day? OK.
#1 is a good opener.
I’d like to subscribe to #15’s newsletter.
#22 is strangely alluring.
#27 and #32 are yummy.
#18 and #30 are tied for the win.
Just found 80% ground beef for $6.49 a pound across the street. Not quite the eight dollars I claimed last night. And there’s probably a halal tax on it too.
Congrats on the weight loss!
The law of thermodynamics is only part of the story with diet and weight. A calorie is NOT just a calorie – if it was, you could eat as much arsenic or drink as much hemlock as you want. The content of different calories cause different hormonal reactions that can, for example, set in motion processes that lead to the sequestration of visceral fat. It absolutely matters how much you eat, too; but what you eat matters profoundly to body composition, more than exercise, in fact, which is why it’s a shame it’s so fucked up. It’s why we have an obesity epidemic and the corollated diseases of hyperglycemia.
I’m back to working out and our hockey league is starting playoffs on Friday, and then a shortened summer season. Fuck yeah! Can finally get back to skating. I’m going to try to play pickup tomorrow in anticipation of playing again on Friday night.
I don’t doubt there is some truth to that. I don’t think I’ve advocated or even suggested crappy eating is acceptable as long it’s below your calorie ceiling.
I am interested in any info on how hormones affect weight based on the type of food consumed.
Wife bought me Stone Delicious IPA because, and I quote, “you like beer.” I do not now and have never liked IPAs. At least the citrus component makes it not terrible.
Wife enjoys certain red wines. After thanking her for thinking of me, I asked her if she liked every wine. She still doesn’t understand it’s possible to like some beers but not others.
IPAs are millenial crap. The same people who convinced them that good coffee is burnt, convinced them that good beer tastes like horse feed.
If you have gotten into shape, one off day isn’t going to send you hurtling into obesity. If you are obese, one good day of exercise and eating won’t make you fit.
And thank god for that. Good stuff, Chafed.
Despite a dead thread, I started Ozy’s challenge, got to vet 30 days and hurt my knee while walking the dog. I said tweaked because I was hopeful, but a more accurate description was fucked it up good. Anyway, had a telemedicine appt Thursday and doctors recommends not trying the 100 day challenge. Too much stress on the knee. So I’m going to do something else. Not sure what yet.
100 straight days of masturbating?