Hey I was quote mining for a specific person! Who knew the internet had such a long memory?!
I’ve experienced the suck part, but not the latter. When I focused on front squats, my front squat got better. I did it to help my cleans but I wrecked my hip instead. Cleans and back squats saw no benefit.
I’d bet they’re happy at least half the time. I tend to enjoy upper body sessions and deadlift sessions. I really only have one day that I don’t enjoy (squats), but I don’t dislike it, either.
Lean is temporary - even for the pros. I’m currently sipping on Fireball (cinnamon whiskey) and it’s 5:02 pm. I’ve made zero physical changes for the T-ransformation Challenge. 
There’s no prize for mental transformations. Speaking of which, I’m still battling depression and a little reflection shows that I’ve been in a valley this past week and change. The process isn’t linear; it’s actually similar to a periodized training program. You go up and down but the ups get higher each time. I’ve been swimming in negativity lately. Hopefully I can get away from it.
This is very applicable to my life right now (and probably a lot of others). If you get caught up looking forward then you miss the present. The key is finding the balance - plan for the future but live in the present. It’s easier said than done.
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I wouldn’t, haha. When competing though for sure.
There is no universally perfect exercise, fortunately you’re smart enough to recognise that and be able to avoid it.
Yup true, but I could definitely stay lower bf and still progress, but also I just ate chocolate and ice-cream.
Haha same, although this year for me hasn’t got major physique goals so it was a bad year for me to start doing it.
Really sorry to hear this, mental health issues are a nightmare and a real burden. I’ll be praying for you, as always you ever want to chat let me know.
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Which one makes you happier? You and I both know that the little bit of extra fat isn’t a health concern. We’re shredded by American standards. 
I posted that because your pointed out my negative view towards running. You hit the nail right on the head (and my counselor/therapist pointed it out today).
That doesn’t mean I’m going to pursue the running, though. 
The only reason I’m trying to run is because of the “what if” factor. What if I need to run for 30 minutes in the apocalypse? Well, I think rucking is probably more realistic and I think I can prepare for that without running a 5k.
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That’s an interesting question, because food does indeed feel good, but I also recognise the fleetingness of that sensation and the insatiableness of it. In and of itself is definitely not happiness but does it form part of a balanced lifestyle with plenty of freedom from restriction which in turn makes my life happy?
On the flip side being leaner (like 12/13% bf not 8%) and eating healthier might make a difference in my chemical balance, which in turn might give a longer lasting increase in mood and positivity.
The will power to find out continues to escape me, though I may find out one day.
Ah good to see that this is still ongoing and clearly working even in the ups and downs!
Haha can’t say I blame you, I have run for ages now, was thinking to but reckon I’ll have some serious DOMs for the next week. Also probably getting a dog very soon so once it’s old enough I’ll be walking daily (and trying to get some early morning runs in).
Haha when the apocalypse happens will there be anywhere to run?
I know you’re not using that word in the literal sense and totally agree with the general principle of being able to run when the genuine need arises. Seems fairly poor not to be able to.
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I think this falls into the 80/20 rule… maybe 90/10 if you’re more disciplined than me. We need to eat healthy, but we also need to enjoy life. If your family is eating one thing and you’re having a different meal then you might have gone too far.
On the flip side, you don’t need to eat fast food every day.
I think we can all achieve a balanced life of a decent physique and performance while enjoying food. We don’t have to abstain in social settings for the sake of maintaining a six pack.
I think shorter runs like 400s would be enough to prepare me. The execution of said run would be pure determination and the situation might motivate me to do just that.
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I’ve genuinely lost the ability to enjoy most food. I enjoy company and experience now. I like sharing a good food experience with someone. But I’ve found, left to my own devices, I’m just gonna eat meat and veggies. It’s an interesting bit of headspace. I don’t know if it’s good or not, but it’s fascinating if nothing else, and definitely a departure from my fat kid days of sneaking food.
I think that’s probably where I can improve, I eat junk most evening and I just don’t need to. No need to deny myself eating treats with the family but yesterday I think I ate somewhere around 800 cals of chocolate in three separate sittings and that’s fairly normal for me - but it’snot healthy, not a treat, and not particularly part of feeling good with food, just eating for the sake of it. That’s where I can make a big difference and still enjoy the 80/20.
Probably sufficient, but devils advocate here, part of being prepared for the unknown is being able in all areas, i.e. 5km so that if you needed to push it longer you could for whatever hypothetical danger arises.
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Interesting, most people I know who change diet significantly for the better over the long term tend to lose interest in the food they previously ate, my dad’s a great example used to eat healthy with a heavy sprinkling of Mars bars and the like, (years of being a paramedic so skipping meals due to being out in jobs and just eating quick chocolate bars). He changed to pretty low carb diet a while back and dropped eating most sugary stuff, he’s said he couldn’t eat Mars anymore, just far too sweet and his tastes have changed. But he loves eating fish/steak/veg etc.
With you though, you’re saying you don’t enjoy the foods you eat now either. Which makes me wonder why go to the effort and expense of getting the keto stuff, if you’d be just as happy/uninterested (not sure the right word to use there haha) in something else entirely that fit the same macros?
In my mind keto stuff if a replacement for what your missing, so for me bread would be high on the list because it’s central to my breakfast and lunch normally, but if I wasn’t bothered I could just switch to veg and meat and be done with it.
You’re a curious man!
To be fair, Mars bars are awful.
My n = 1 observations here: I didn’t eat chocolate for over a year, probably a lot longer and within a month (?) I was no longer getting cravings. This is from the stage where I could easily eat an entire chocolate cake in one sitting, or 6 proper bags of buttons over a 30mins period without even thinking (both things that happened). These days, I eat chocolate “when appropriate”. As an example, it was my little boys birthday yesterday and he had 2.5 chocolate birthday cakes. I enjoyed a decent sized portion with him, and will likely do the same tonight, but once the occasion is passed I’ll happily leave it in the fridge until it goes too stale and has to be binned.
When it comes to melted cheese though, the same absolutely doesn’t apply, even though it causes me actual physical discomfort and I know it. I can give it up for months and still get the cravings. My assumption is its the salt and fat in there that my body wants, as I tend to have a relatively low fat diet naturally.
TL:DR: giving up chocolate is easy, giving up melted cheese is hard.
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Agreed, although Lidl do a fake bar which tastes like what Mars should be like, but let’s be honest snickers are where you should be looking, at least you can pretend you’re getting some protein.
Haha not convinced on either. I am starting to get more problems with cheese, I’ve cut all dairy milk out (oat milk only now) and that helps significantly but I think I still get issues from cheese, butter and potentially whey. I am not going to test this hypothesis however …just brought another 20 blocks of butter and 5kg of whey, and my fridge is always well stocked with cheese.
Are these the “Titan” bars I’ve heard about?
Oddly, I get no issues at all with whey or milk. Luckily, because I average 3 scoops and 1 litre a day. Cheese gives me issues that can be ignored as a one off but get unpleasant if I eat it consistently. The real killer for me is eggs and beans, that turns me into a chemical hazard for about 2 days.
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Those are Aldi, Lidl don’t even try with any mythological plagiarism, behold:
Both those and titans probably made in the same place, taste identical.
That is fortunate, when I first started lifting and bulking I’d drink 4 pints of full fat a day (and eat 150g peanuts, plus protein and normal meals) I miss milk, easiest calories in the world.
That however is unfortunate, most days 2 of my meals of the day are beans and eggs based. I’d really be stuck if I didn’t have those!
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Again, this allows a social enjoyment. I can have waffles with my kid now. I can bring a sandwich and visit my wife for lunch at work, or have toast at breakfast. And I can model better nutritional behavior for the kiddo. The last part is huge: I don’t want them seeing their Dad eating in a disordered manner.
There is joy in the finding of these products too. It’s like solving a puzzle. And I can still tell which ones are yummier than the others: it’s more the point that the temptation to eat “off menu” simply isn’t there any more.
That all makes a lot of sense.
(I hide my disordered eating from my kids too - otherwise they’ll bug me to share the good stuff!)
That’s probably a similar sentiment to most. Do you enjoy your everyday food though?
I am content with it. I would not use the word enjoy. In a similar manner that I am rarely happy but frequently content.
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That goes back the original question, in terms of does food make you happy, would you say food used to make you happy but doesn’t now or that foods never made you happy and you just now recognise it?
I would say food brings me momentary pleasure, a very different thing from happiness.
I read up on a lot of sports psychology as a teen. A say “a lot” maybe 3 books. While there is some truth in this - there is a bit more too it. The best story I read was of an Olympic swimmer.
Training was at 05:00 4 times a week. At a pool 20 mins from her house. She had to eat 1h before exercise to make sure she had enough fuel to train hard enough.
Because she was the “athlete” she had the idea that she should sleep as much as possible. So the morning ritual she wanted her parent to go through was:
They wake up at 3.45 put on breakfast. She wakes up at 04.00. As shes eating they get her stuff ready. They pre warm the car (being cold on the drive effects her training).
They stay there for 90mins through out training. They give here a 2nd breakfast and take here to school.
On the occasions they could not take here she would flip out. Demanding they find a way to get here there.
To a “normal” person the feel totally self centred. But to the athlete its not “self” its “performance”. Often the athlete is just as unhappy. But they are making sacrifice for the result and don’t see why you wont.
Its really weird. The relationship between happy / successful.
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The former. “Enjoyment” in this case though.