<p>Sewhappy - I feel your pain. I always enjoyed bagels, but I found that my bagel habit resulted in incremental weight gain. They seem harmless enough, and I would feel almost virtuous choosing a bagel over a pastry. I decided to forgo bagels mostly because I know they are high in sodium and I am really trying to keep sodium consumption down. </p>
<p>I haven’t had a bagel in a couple of months, the braces make it impossible, and so there is no need for self control.</p>
<p>Great pictures, BCEagle. Congrats on the weight loss. Awesome.</p>
<p>way to go BC!!! You are doing an awesome job!</p>
<p>I also miss bagels! But not gonna eat any for quite a while!</p>
<p>Bagels are off the table for me not so much because of weight gain but because they completely shut down my system. Not going to get more specific than that. I think the super-refined flour and density of the dough just doesn’t work for me. Toxic.</p>
<p>Kettleman’s here in NJ makes superb bagels. Oh, just thinking of them is making me sad . . .</p>
<p>On body fat percentages, I don’t think anything you can track at home is particularly accurate or even repeatable. I use one of the fancy Tanita scales that “measures” body fat with a small electrical signal passed through the body. In reality, they are using that measurement to make small adjustments in look-up tables based on the gender, age, height, weight, and activity levels that you have programmed into your profile.</p>
<p>This measurement seems to at least capture long-term trends, but it varies so wildly from day to day and even during the day that I don’t put a lot of stock in it as a precise measurement. IMO, the only way to use the data is to look at long term (i.e. 30 day) running averages. I tend to record the lowest measurement, which is typically showering after a workout or before bed. First thing in the morning gives the highest reading of the day due to dehydration.</p>
<hr>
<p>Another home option is to use one of the on-line calculators based on height, weight, and measurements of your waist, hips, and neck.</p>
<p>Here’s an example:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator[/url]”>http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator</a></p>
<p>According to this calculator, my body fat estimate is 16.9% with one model and 17.8% with the other model. As of last night, my rolling 14 day average from the Tanita scale (using my lowest number each day) was 17.7%. So, I guess that’s probably a decent ballpark number. I think any of the convenient methods are only accurate within a couple percentage points. I see those kinds of day-to-day swings with the scale, which would be impossible if it were really measuring body fat. That’s just something that isn’t going to change in a day.</p>
<p>BC:</p>
<p>Fantastic photos! What a transformation. I (sort of) wish I had some more of me at the absolute top. But, then again, maybe not!</p>
<p>wdaveo:</p>
<p>Way to go on the first week. I think the first couple of weeks are the toughest because you are really fighting to change some eating behaviors and you are still thinking about what you could be eating. I found that all that goes away after a while and you just have the new way of eating.</p>
<p>sewhappy:</p>
<p>Bagels are a carb nightmare. 71 g of carbohydrate in a Dunkin Donuts plain bagel. And that is all refined flour that gets instantly metabolized to glucose in your stomach, spiking insulin like crazy and signalling to body to store fat until the blood sugar can be brought down. </p>
<p>To put the carb load of a bagel in perspective, THREE Dunkin Donuts glazed donuts has 75g of carbohydrate. 20 ounces of Coca Cola has 68g of carbs. Bagels are one of those fiendish foods that seems like it should be “sorta healthy”, but in reality, it’sthe same as sitting down with a spoon and the sugar bowl and going to town. People think, “Oh, I’ll just have low fat cream cheese or go light on the butter and then it’ll be healthy”. Nope. If carbs are an issue for you, a bagel is about has bad as it gets. Sucks, because I love a good bagel!</p>
<p>Thanks, idad. That would explain a lot. I do best with low glycemic carbs. Am finding that my whole system is getting more delicate as I get older. Just can’t get away with anything anymore. No more of my favorite beer, either. Two-hearted Ale. Maybe that’s too dense in carbs, too. I take two sips and I’m out for 24 hours!</p>
<p>I eat half a mini whole wheat bagel from time to time. (I might buy one once a month or so.) Gets rid of the bagel craving at many fewer calories.</p>
<p>Round 2 of my hybrid workout this week:</p>
<p>*Dynamic Warmup
Bent-over thoracic rotation
Squat to stand
Forward/backward jump
Crossover walking toe touch
Lateral jump
Lateral cross-behind lunge
Seal jack
Reverse inchworm
Forward-backward hop
Curtsy lunge
Straight-leg walk
Heel to butt stretch
Miniband monster walk
Big X walk</p>
<p>Power
DB hang clean
Med ball - push pass</p>
<p>iPod nazi’s new ab program
Birddog
Plank
Side Plank
3-pt Drill
Dynamic Hip Bridge</p>
<p>Strength Superset #1 (knee & pull)
Offset squat (DBs at shoulders)
Plank Position row</p>
<p>Strength Superset #2 (hip & push)
Single leg deadlift
Single arm standing press (hold)*</p>
<p>I added a short five minute POWER segment after Monday’s run-thru came in under an hour. I felt like I needed the heart rate boost as the core section is pretty low-key in Week 1.</p>
<p>I changed the overhead alternating presses to two 25 lb DBs instead of a 20 lb and a 30 lb. The 30 lb killed me on Monday. This was still tough. I’ve been doing nothing but bench pressing for a couple of months and this overhead stuff is tiring. I’m doing 12 rep sets, so I’m trying to keep the weight moderate after a couple months of 6 rep sets and trying to go heavy with the weights.</p>
<p>The core section is interesting. It’s pretty easy stuff for me, so I’m using it as an opportunity to max out every exercise – really bracing the core in planks, really firing the glutes in the hip lifts. Kind of fun. The theme this week is to try to do every exercise fast and strong.</p>
<p>Yum! D2 and I made roasted sweet potatoes with chopped vidalia onion and portabella mushrooms. They were delicious!</p>
<p>I find that most overhead exercises are tiring - muscles don’t get used much.</p>
<p>Ran 7 miles today.</p>
<p>Tomorrow is tennis at 12:30 outside with expected temperatures in the mid-90s. I’m going to fill water bottles in the morning, freeze them and then bring them. Hopefully that works out.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The lower back tends to arch in an attempt to turn it into a bench press. That’s a big no-no and the effective end of the set, even if the arms and shoulders have a little more.</p>
<p>I’m on a kick of doing the same workout all week, so I’ll have my third go at this one on Friday. It’s a little bit of change of pace from a couple of months of pushing really hard. This is a good solid, punch-the-clock workout, but not brutal.</p>
<p>4 rounds of:
16 KB Swings
8 Thrusters</p>
<p>–
2x14 DB Bench Press</p>
<p>–
30 minutes run/walk</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Oooh. That’ll get you huffin’ and puffin’.</p>
<p>Yeah, I jumped out of the gate too quickly there. I was planning to go 15 minutes and just do as many rounds as possible in that time. I called it quits after 4 rounds and about 7 minutes. </p>
<p>I’m on Day 8 of my newest fitness adventure. I’ve already done 710 kettlebell swings and 344 squats.</p>
<p>OK, Smart People, answer me this:</p>
<p>Back in the old days, when I weighed a little bit more but had no muscle, the heat (as we’ve been having in the northeast the last few days) didn’t really bother me. I didn’t like it, but I could deal. Now that I’m thinner but much more muscular, I sweat like a pig when it’s hot. I mean, sweat dripping down my face and my back, even with no exertion. </p>
<p>Is it because of the muscle? Or just 'cause I’m getting old?</p>
I used to be like that but that was when I was having hot flashes! 
<p>It also probably has to due with the sudden onslaught of the heat after a cool spring and the lack of acclimitization.</p>
<p>Same old, same old for me today. I really need to change some things but don’t know what to do that won’t aggravate the bum knee. Love the cardio but probably need to work something else in. May start riding my bike to the gym and then just doing weights there.</p>
<p>NM – could you do water jogging or something similar? Last time I went to the therapy pool there were a couple of fairly heavy duty athletes doing water exercise while dealing with knee or ankle rehab.</p>