If/before you commit to that, let’s talk. I’ll help you unpack.
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happy cake day
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Monday, June 12
Carolyn Girvan Max day 1/50 - full body, as they’ll all be - with 10 min cardio warmup and a 20 minute walk/jog after. There may be a longer woods walk later.
@T3hPwnisher I did watch the Dan John video, though I fast-forwarded through some of the sleep/coffee/fasting stuff. It was very helpful in that it reminded me of some of the reasons I’ve moved in the direction I have, which is toward women-directed stuff. As Stacy Sims says, “not small men,” and particularly as we move through the lifespan.
So I’m going to stick to Girvan, whom I adore, and just move to full body, which will be better for the summer schedule. I just got total ADHD when you mentioned “15 minutes,” haha. This is the program overview:
The MAX program is 10 weeks in duration, based upon five workouts being released each week.
Each workout will be approximately 30-35 minutes in duration. This excludes the introduction and cool-down.
Each workout will be released each week on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. However, you can, of course, complete each workout as it suits your schedule.
The exercises within the MAX program will primarily be more traditional compound movements with isolation movements more towards the end of the session. We will experience several different variations of movements, which will affect not only the load used but also potentially ROM, reps completed, exercise order, rest period and tempo.
The MAX program will consist of undulating rep ranges, similar to the Intent program. I would like to preface this information below by highlighting that the reps are only a guide, and I won’t begin each session with a specific number in mind; rather, the tempo, type of exercise, muscle(s) being targeted, load, range of movement and where that movement is positioned within the session will dictate an approximate rep range.
@QuadQueen okay! I would like to talk, actually. Thank you! (You’re not going to be mad if I go ahead and do what I think you may advise I not do, are you? lol)
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Appreciate you giving it a watch. I do feel that the principles apply universally, but I’m happy you found something that will excite you. That’s ultimately what matters. “Compliance is the science”, as Stan Efferding says.
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I don’t disagree at all - but I shouldn’t be working fasted as a female my age, for example, and in terms of the ADHD I didn’t mean to go looking for shorter or less complex programs. CG has several series of varying lengths. I’m after a body like hers, not DJ’s.
I think not throwing the discuss for 40 years is probably going to help you out there! Haha.
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Shoot me an email or text and we’ll find a time! Maybe this weekend?
Oh, absolutely not! And I have nothing against GLP-1 drugs, in fact, in a lot of cases they are a great tool. There’s just a lot of considerations (side effects, diet while on them, etc.) that need to be thought through before jumping in. We’ll just weigh the pros and cons and determine if this is a good option for you! Sound like a plan?
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Absolutely! Simply stated, I do beautifully in a controlled setting (home, work) but fall apart when out, particularly at snacky things. We had a family birthday party on Saturday that featured throw-back kid food, e.g. koolaid and frosted cookies along with the usual chips and such, and I have only limited self-control paired with a strong appetite.
I think I’m doing great in that I’ve maintained my weight for well over a year now and am eating beautifully well for the most part - protein way up, veggies plentiful, fruits present but controlled, etc. I just think I need some help dropping the 10 or whatever pounds, which I think needs to be appetite-focused. I’m already doing all I can in terms of diet and movement.
I don’t want to be on a diet for the rest of my life. Which is what it’s started to feel like.
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This would make a great standalone thread if you’re willing to share your wisdom with all of us!
I think, especially for people like this particular community who are used to being primarily focused on gaining, there is an awful lot to unpack when it comes to something primarily designed to help you eat less…
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A deep dive into the “whys” of hunger and food noise can be helpful. I always liked this post
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You’re right, it’s a great post, but I don’t know if it speaks to an issue a lot of us posting on TN probably have, though, which is having hunger in places we don’t control. Or stated differently, accommodating our families’ needs and wants along with our own. Some of us maintain separate diets during social stuff, but I think others are unwilling. I’m on Team Unwilling. There is no compelling reason for me to bring my neuroses or tupperware’d food to a birthday party.
My husband recently mentioned Indian food, which I shot down because it’s carby, goopy, and low protein. Today is my anniversary and it would be nice to be able to go, eat moderately, and then go home with leftovers for him to have the following day. But experience tells me that I will eat every bite of whatever is placed in front of me (or even near me) because it’s tasty and something I don’t eat every day, so I’m not sick of it, and I’m a big eater, but generally of very lean foods. My breakfast today was 2 whole and 4 egg whites with a “light” (small) wheat english muffin. Lunch will be 8 oz chicken with a salad. I’ll have a green pepper for snack. If I go out later to Indian or Mexican food, both of which I love, I’ve set myself up for disaster, calorie-wise.
I’m thinking the GLP-1 might help specifically with that.
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That sounds akin to the “pleasure hunger” he discussed to me. We aren’t eating the food because our body is craving the nutrients, but because it tastes good and we don’t want to stop. We see this with hyperpalatable/hyperprocessed food. It tastes TOO good, and we keep eating it even though we aren’t actually hungry.
I have been there before. Almost in a fugue like state: I am disassociated from myself, almost watching myself eat even knowing I am not hungry, and suddenly the food is just gone.
Whereas that hasn’t ever happened with boiled chicken breats, haha.
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Well, except I am hungry. I arrived at the party at 1:00 on Saturday and left at 10pm.
Going out to eat tonight, I’ll be hungry.
And then yes, there’s the tasty thing, but I think I’m better about mindless eating. I eat all of pretty much whatever shows up on my plate, though, regardless of quality. It’s just that if it’s 8 oz of chicken, some rice, and three or four cups of cooked veggies, I don’t gain weight, or, as I’ve been doing for a year now, cancel out a consistent calorie deficit.
I think it is hunger for me. Most of the time, anyway.
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I can crush some tandoori chicken. I got shut off at the one place, and the guy started giving me the stink eye.
Yep. Kinda like that. Shark mode. If its near me, its gets bitten.
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I wish I had the time to do this. My day job is coming in hard right now, but when it slows down a bit, I’ll get this thread started. There is a whole lot of GLP-1 research to dissect and where I work, we prescribe and see A LOT of GLP-1 users. I’ve got quite a few real-life “case studies” to talk about too. It would be a great topic as these drugs become more and more popular.
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Friday, June 6
Max day 2/50 - full body - 10 minute cardio warmup. Punching the clock on this one. It’s turned hot here for the first time this year, and I’m struggling a bit in the humid heat. But it’s done.
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Most Excellent!
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Sunday, June 8
Max day 3/50, 2 mile warmup. I loved today. Lots of hammies and quads, chest and back, nothing I hated (eg bulgarian lunges). I woke up feeling really good and motivated this morning.
I’m taking a brief break from scale and steps and food tracking, and trying for a moment to just act like a person. Probably because I expect to start a GLP-1 over the next week or so, and am anticipating help. I was already underway with it, but had this in my inbox this morning, which was nicely affirming:
What I Got Wrong About Menopause and Metabolism, and What I Recommend Now: GLP-1s and Hormone Therapy: A New Era in Menopause Metabolic Care Dr. Mary Claire Haver, MD May 29, 2025
If you had told me ten years ago that I’d be using GLP-1 medications and hormone therapy together to help my patients manage belly fat and metabolic dysfunction, I probably would have raised an eyebrow.
When I trained, we were taught that weight was simple math: calories in minus calories out. We framed obesity as a failure of willpower. Menopause weight gain? A vanity complaint.
I carried those biases with me into practice. For years, I told women to eat less and move more. I truly believed that was enough.
But then I watched, again and again, as women in midlife did everything right—tracked their calories, followed “clean” eating plans, and stayed active yet still gained weight, especially around the midsection. Their lab markers such as insulin, CRP, triglycerides, told a story of rising inflammation. Their lives were high-stress, sleep-starved, and increasingly hopeless.
It was no longer defensible to blame them.
The deeper I dug into the science, the clearer the picture became: menopause is a metabolic tipping point, and hormone decline is not neutral. I had failed them. Medicine had failed them. But thankfully, the science is finally catching up.
Today, I want to walk you through one of the most effective, evidence-based strategies we have for combating menopause-related visceral fat: the combination of GLP-1 medications and hormone therapy.
A 2024 study in Menopause confirmed it. Postmenopausal women on semaglutide + HT lost significantly more weight than those on semaglutide alone—at every checkpoint: 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. (3)
They were also more likely to hit clinically meaningful milestones: 5%, 10%, even 15% weight loss, all while improving metabolic markers.
HT may enhance outcomes by improving sleep , mood , and motivation to stay active —all crucial in long-term weight management. This advantage is why I now consider combination therapy a frontline option for eligible patients.
…
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Wednesday, June 11
Weight 153.3
CG Max day 4/50 - sumos, hip thrusts, arnold presses, supine rows, etc - with a quick 20 min run/walk/pee warmup with Louie. I loved this one. So far, all of Max, I think. I love going back and forth between upper and lower.
And it’s a beautiful, dry day here!
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Is Max a new program for CG? Glad you found yet another one she knocked out of the park. Her creativity is astounding.
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