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Strategies For The Winter 15

Shepido · · CO · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 50

Perhaps it's time to really watch what you eat during this time of year? Scales/ calories counting, the works.

I know our office is full of cakes, and pies, and a million other 'fat pills' between Halloween and New Years. It requires insane amounts of personal discipline not to just crush that whole tray of fudge just sitting there.

In the end I wouldn't feel too terrible, several people manage to put on 15 lbs each fall and it never comes off them.

Stormannorman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 10
John Byrnes wrote: Your meandering response has nothing to do with what I wrote. So why did you quote me?
You were bagging out ski resort skiing so I put you right.
Jplotz · · Cashmere, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 1,315

10/16. Half day of cragging. One post climb Elysian. 178 lbs

Stormannorman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 10

6'2 and 178 pounds. You must be like a stick figure. Don't you like the extra warmth of a bit of blubber in winter? You are one of the lucky ones who can lose and gain weight. I can't.

John Byrnes · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 392
Stormannorman wrote: You were bagging out ski resort skiing so I put you right.
You fail Reading Comprehension 101.
Jplotz · · Cashmere, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 1,315
Stormannorman wrote:6'2 and 178 pounds. You must be like a stick figure. Don't you like the extra warmth of a bit of blubber in winter? You are one of the lucky ones who can lose and gain weight. I can't.
It takes work to not be at 190. What are your stats?
S3.K1 · · Germany · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 0
Pete Krzanowsky wrote:I'm also pretty consistent about my weekly food prep. I try to make a lot of my meals for the week in advance so I have relatively healthy food options available to me at work or at home.
I'm interested to learn more about this "food prep" since I'm always a little late and then grab something, or get a fast simple meal. I'm not Bocuse, but I can imagine to wash, brush and cut some vegetables, blanch and put into ice water, making a pasta Sauce or soaking beans, lentils or oats and all this can be stored in a cooler for max of four days.
Is there any good additional information about that? Thanks
Nick Drake · · Kent, WA · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 651

I've had the same problem, even with touring at least twice a week and runs from 3-8 miles on weeknights. The last two winters I did consistent strength training based off Steve House's book. Two months doing 2 sets of 10 reps with a variety of general strength exercises. Then two more months of "max strength", lifting 80% of max for 3-4 reps. For this I did one leg romanian deadlifts, high box steps, weighted pull ups and weighted dips.

I also watched my diet, tried to eat more frequently with smaller portions and went light on dinner.

I lost ~9lbs of fat from the end of February to the end of May. Came into the season at 155lbs, which is the least I've weighed since high school (I'm 35 now). I was also stronger than I've ever been.

Stormannorman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 10
Jplotz wrote: It takes work to not be at 190. What are your stats?
5.10 180. I do non stop exersize though. Winter just finished and I clocked something like 30 odd days ski touring and also some how managed to come in with the 5th most vertical meters for the season at my local ski resort. All the while training running, as the weekend after next I am entered in what is said to be one of the toughest off road marathons in New Zealand. This is all coming off the back of spending 9 months in prison in California trying to get 'big'. My weight never changes.
Jplotz · · Cashmere, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 1,315
Nick Drake wrote:I've had the same problem, even with touring at least twice a week and runs from 3-8 miles on weeknights. The last two winters I did consistent strength training based off Steve House's book. Two months doing 2 sets of 10 reps with a variety of general strength exercises. Then two more months of "max strength", lifting 80% of max for 3-4 reps. For this I did one leg romanian deadlifts, high box steps, weighted pull ups and weighted dips. I also watched my diet, tried to eat more frequently with smaller portions and went light on dinner. I lost ~9lbs of fat from the end of February to the end of May. Came into the season at 155lbs, which is the least I've weighed since high school (I'm 35 now). I was also stronger than I've ever been.
Nice! I've wondered what climbing would feel like at around 150 lbs...
Pete Krzanowsky · · Evergreen, CO · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 670

S3.K1

As for food prep...I'll take some time on the weekend to make things such as hardboiled eggs, boil up sweet potato's, and make these "sweet potato pancakes". I found a recipe in a cycling magazine for the pancakes and they are great. The base is sweet potato's, then you add in some eggs and I supplement them with chopped up nuts, dates, and a bit of bacon. After they are cooked...I can eat them cold or warm. I feel they are "healthy" enough...they have some good and bad in them.

For lunches, I'll have the hardboiled eggs ready, and i'll supplement with sweet potato's, fruit, avocados, nuts, etc. I keep it pretty simple...turning the fruits, veggies, nuts into a salad of sorts. Breakfast...I just mix up greek yogurt, fruit of some sort, nuts, and occasionally avocado.

"I'm interested to learn more about this "food prep" since I'm always a little late and then grab something, or get a fast simple meal. I'm not Bocuse, but I can imagine to wash, brush and cut some vegetables, blanch and put into ice water, making a pasta Sauce or soaking beans, lentils or oats and all this can be stored in a cooler for max of four days.
Is there any good additional information about that? Thanks"

BigB · · Red Rock, NV · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 340
Stormannorman wrote: 5.10 180. I do non stop exersize though. Winter just finished and I clocked something like 30 odd days ski touring and also some how managed to come in with the 5th most vertical meters for the season at my local ski resort. All the while training running, as the weekend after next I am entered in what is said to be one of the toughest off road marathons in New Zealand. This is all coming off the back of spending 9 months in prison in California trying to get 'big'. My weight never changes.
PWP(prison workout plan) sounds legit.... do tell!
Nick Drake · · Kent, WA · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 651
Jplotz wrote: Nice! I've wondered what climbing would feel like at around 150 lbs...
Get shorter! I'm 5'8" so if I weigh more than the low 160 range I'm lugging a spare tire around.
Howard · · Costa Mesa, CA · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 2,695

I've tried to drop down even further. Every bit is supposed to help, especially when you're leading with a heavy rack. Intense strength training of course might lead to some weight gain. Myself, I just ran 15 miles yesterday.
Then again, there isn't a legitimate winter 15 here because there isn't what you guys would consider a winter unless you gain considerable elevation.

Stormannorman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 10
BigB wrote: PWP(prison workout plan) sounds legit.... do tell!
Mainly just all upper body. Most of the time it isn't all that dangerous in Prison, it is more just a gun and tattoo show.

This thing they call the Thor Hammer workout is quite popular and also quite hard. It took me a couple of months to get it down pat. It is basically just straight push ups. You do one set of one and then two sets of two, then three sets of three all the way to ten sets of ten and then all the way back down to one set of one.

There is a lot of quite weird ones that are too hard to explain, like some of the navy seal work outs.

My favorite go to work out was the disciplinary work out. It is like the one chance you get if what you did wasn't very serious before they take more serious disciplinary action. Like say maybe you walked through a blacks only area of the day room or some thing. But they are doing it everyday so you just jump in. You do 123 burpies but the total amount of push ups must total 500. You do it in a group of like six, three on each side facing each other. One group will go down and do a burpie while the others rest and then as soon as that group stands up the other group will drop down. It is actually quite fun and you get a really good work out out of it. It is illegal to work out, so you have to be careful. The California department of corrections don't like inmates working out because it means that they would have to feed them more. If the cop who is looking after the unit points you out and says 'you there, stop working out' then you get beaten up for 23 seconds by three of the biggest white guys in the building. Why 23? Because W is the 23rd letter in the alphabet. But it is messed up because you have to work out. If you don't work out five days a week then you get beaten up for that too. So you end up getting beaten up a lot, but its all good.
Erik · · Goose Creek, SC · Joined May 2016 · Points: 115

I'd be comfortable with myself at 180 I think. I'm 5.10, 215 right now. I feel confident about trying to loose weight until it actually comes down to putting in the work, and I think that's the hard part. Having a supportive group around you also really helps. I tried doing that Herbalife crap, and I lost weight and felt good, but was mad that two of my daily meals were protein shakes. Breakfast foods are my favorite, and it was hard for me to give that up. Reading this and the comparing fatness to climbing thread in general has helped give me a little more motivation to start working towards a better me. I'm tired of dragging an extra 35 pounds up the wall haha.

Old lady H · · Boise, ID · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 1,374

Look, dieting not only doesn't work very well, it can be counterproductive.

Instead, aim to not gain weight. Weigh yourself only once a week, eat foods you enjoy, but aiming for healthier versions, and build activity into your regular life. Don't stop any food, unless you are prepared to do so for the rest of your life.

Repeat. The rest of your life.

I'm not any good at getting links on here, but just look up "why dieting doesn't work", or something like that, and watch a neuroscientist give her TED talk. All of 15 minutes.

Best, Helen

doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 264

^^I'm sorry, but blank statements like "dieting doesn't work" are partially true. If anything, introducing a routine and mindfulness helps clean up the habits. There was a big emphasis on a diet part of weight-loss in 80s, then they switched to "diets don't work, you need to work it out" program from late 90s and on, that's when America's weight really balooned. There is a reason you see very fat cross-fitters. It is well-known fact that HIIT makes you really hungry, and if you don't control your appetite and eating habits, all that exercising won't help. That is why Cross Fit trainers also emphasize diet.

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

I think what Helen's saying is that dieting doesn't work because it's temporary. You go on a diet, eat healthy, workout and lose weight. Once the diet stops you start back eating junk or intaking much more calories than when you were on a diet. You gain weight back.

If you start to eat right you need to eat healthy and exercise forever. Otherwise you'll gain weight again.

I get get behind that as I've trained for something, got fit and slim but then afterwards it's back to chocolate cake after dinner and French Toast for breakfast. After awhile.. fat jokes hurt my feelings again :)

Ed Schaefer · · Centennial, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 35

100% of diets work, it's the people that fail.

I once weighed nearly 300lbs and am down around 180lbs right now, the majority of my progress was from diet. The first big chunk was just watching my portion sizes, the second big chunk was from counting calories, the third big chunk was macros and calories, and only a small portion would I attribute to working out more. That being said your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) is extremely important, so make sure you are doing a lot of low-level activity instead of just sitting around, probably one of the biggest negative impacts in winter with the cold temps and shorter days.

The best advice I can give to OP is to eat like you're living a natural life instead of our artificial one.

Weight gain should be happening during the summer and into the fall when food would be abundant and you would be preparing for the lean months (also your body will put on more muscle when sunlight and vitamin D are prevalent), weight loss should be happening through the winter and early spring when food would be less available. I think the winter months are great for doing a round of low carb/keto.

Also just being outside and moving in the winter (snowshoeing, ice climbing, ski touring, etc.) all burn way more calories than their summer equivalents. If you're doing a lot of winter camping/overnights don't skimp on the calories though, you can easily burn 7000+kcal a day in the winter and if you're running low on fuel to keep you warm it will be a rough night.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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