7 ms·

How I lost 10% body fat, while launching a startup (and raising kids)

78 points by ryancarson 14y ago

spking 14y ago
It looks like no cardio to speak of in your routine. So many people kill themselves doing an hour a day of running or riding a stationary bike and then wonder why they don't get better results. It's really 80% or more about diet and lifting weights. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn throughout the day. You just don't need that much cardio if you train intensely enough when lifting weights. Nice work Ryan.
- basicallydan 14y ago
  I didn't know that this was the case! Thank you for explaining it :)
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Exactly. Very little cardio. My heart definitely gets a workout though. After doing weights properly, your heart really pounds.
  - forza 14y ago
    To stay fit I would look into a team or group sport. Unless you want to do body building or competitive weight lifting, you're going from rapidly improving to maintaining your fitness. Sports are so much more multifaceted, that you'll see improvement and reaching goals over a long time.
- ticks 14y ago
  I imagine that running and riding (on a real bicycle) is more beneficial when you are overweight because there's more to carry around.
  - mpm 14y ago
    Maybe, but you you are far more likely to give yourself an overuse injury which then becomes a reason to stop your regimen.
    - nickbarnwell 14y ago
      Unless your bike fit is horrid it's very difficult to injure yourself just riding around, especially for a casual rider.
  - davidjohnstone 14y ago
    One other factor to keep in mind is that the less fit you are, the less mechanical work you are able to do. For example, an untrained cyclist might be able to ride at 150W for an hour, whereas a more serious cyclist might be able to sustain 300W for an hour. The first cyclist would burn about 550 Calories, while the second would burn 1100 Calories if they both did a hard one hour ride. (More energy is burnt in recovery, but that's a lot harder to measure.)
- davidjohnstone 14y ago
  Cardio workouts can burn a lot of calories. Today I rode my bike for an hour and a half and burnt about 1200 Calories. That said, I'm a bit fitter than the average unfit person, and can therefore sustain a considerably higher power output and use more energy. Oh, and there's a big difference between pushing yourself on hilly roads and sitting on a bike in the gym reading a magazine. Weights are good too, and they're much better at making one look fit (upper body especially). Oh, and good on you Ryan. I've seen some around here talk about how it's worth sacrificing one's health for a startup. It's good to see not everybody shares that belief.
- Stwerner 14y ago
  Yeah, it is refreshing to see people posting results from these predominantly weight lifting programs. Helps keep me motivated on what I'm doing. If anyone is interested in starting, but lacks the money for a personal trainer, I've found Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe (http://www.amazon.com/By-Mark-Rippetoe-Lon-Kilgore/dp/B005PITS1E/ http://www.amazon.com/By-Mark-Rippetoe-Lon-Kilgore/dp/B005PI...) to be a huge help in learning all the lifts. The first chapter is almost 60 pages just on squats going over everything from foot position to hand position, along with an explanation of why.
  - spking 14y ago
    Looks interesting. I know a lot of beginners have had solid results with 5x5 as well: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra... There's a free iOS app for tracking progress too: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-app/ http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-app/
    - Stwerner 14y ago
      Yeah, I'm actually doing the stronglifts 5x5 program. The Starting Strength book is still really useful for learning the lifts and getting all of the detail. With stronglifts you're going to get high in weight quick - so knowing form well is kind of important.
  - thisisnotmyname 14y ago
    Definitely agree on Starting Strength. Its done wonders for me, and there's no bs in the workouts, just basic barbell movements.
  - Casc 14y ago
    Starting Strength is the perfect go to beginner - intermediate guide to weight training. Good for you, you're on the right track.
  - joelhooks 14y ago
    Starting Strength is such a great book. Simple no nonsense. The diagrams are extremely helpful. I never knew you could fill that many pages on performing a proper squat.
- yummyfajitas 14y ago
  If you want to be a bodybuilder and look big, go ahead and skip cardio. On the other hand, if you do any sports that last more than about 30 seconds, you might want to spend a little time working your heart (which is also a muscle). This is what happens if you skip the cardio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghbpgHNxC0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghbpgHNxC0 (Sorry for the crappy music video, it's the only one I could find.)
  - njs12345 14y ago
    I've found that sports are the best way to get cardio as well; a high-intensity game of squash burns 816 calories/hour and is a lot more fun than an hour on the treadmill.
    - rikthevik 14y ago
      Squash is such an amazing workout. All that, and after a crappy day at the office, you can take out all your stress on that ball.
    - micro_cam 14y ago
      One of the reasons some sports work so well is that the stop and go/variable intensity nature is much better for you then spending the same amount of time logging low intensity cardio. See studies on "interval training" etc. I bike commute and try to mimic this by sprinting between intersections etc.
  - Casc 14y ago
    Skipping cardio certainly won't turn you into a body builder nor make you look "big"... It takes significantly more than just lifting weights, 90% is your diet, caloric intake and macronutrient composition, which together play the biggest role here. Compare two genetically similar individuals, both lift weights 3x / week, one regularly consumes a 1000 caloric surplus, and the other consumes their daily caloric requirement. The outcome will be quite different. If you play sports that last more than about 30 seconds, they can provide you with the adequate amounts of cardio you seek. If you play competitively, adding cardio may be a good idea. Cardio is for health and endurance, if you want to run marathons or cycle, then yes, you should include more cardio. Otherwise, weightlifting adequately stresses your heart. Go deadlift 300lbs and tell me your heart isn't going nuts. If you want to get in shape, regular exercise with an emphasis on weight lifting and proper nutrition will get you where you'd like to go. At rest, muscle burns significantly more calories than fat, you don't need to cake on lean muscle to benefit from this, either. You only exercise for an hour or so, I'd rather work to build something in that hour that burns calories for the other 23. Now with all that said, I personally try to do both, my cardio comes in the form of Squash on days I do not lift weights. I despise the treadmill zombie.
- tedunangst 14y ago
  Please stop spreading the muscles burn more calories lie. Look up how many calories are burned by muscle cells and fat cells, then do the math and calculate how many extra baby carrots you can eat as a result of turning 20 pounds of fat into muscle. http://www.lanimuelrath.com/blog/calories-burned-by-muscle-vs-fat-another-myth-exploded/ http://www.lanimuelrath.com/blog/calories-burned-by-muscle-v...
  - bmelton 14y ago
    From the link you posted: "muscle IS more metabolically active than fat"
    - tedunangst 14y ago
      Barely. A weight loss program consisting of "my muscle will burn off extra calories" will not go far.
      - bmelton 14y ago
        So, not a myth, but an exaggeration? It goes on to say that having more muscle helps burn calories when active even more so. I agree with your assertion that extra muscle burns off extra calories 'at rest' may be imply more than its actual results, but I don't see that it makes it a flat out myth. More muscular people who exercise burn more calories than less muscular people who exercise the same amount, and burn more calories at rest than less muscular people at rest. That statement evaluates to True. That it isn't to the degree you like doesn't make it False.
        tedunangst 14y ago
        May as well say you burn more calories drinking cold water because your body has to heat it up. This is a little meta, but I think if you say something that, while technically true, causes people to behave/believe in a certain manner unwarranted by the facts, you're functionally equivalent to lying. Anyway, point taken, "lie" was not the most tactful choice.
TomGullen 14y ago
Shame you didn't talk more about your diet in the regards that what you actually did was cut out all the carbohydrates! This to me would appear to be the #1 reason to your success, a low carb diet.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  True, but it's the complete package that does it. Not just dropping carbs.
  - mattmanser 14y ago
    No, it's just dropping carbs. You're a sample size of 1. All the people on loseit are a much bigger sample and low carbs works, just not quite as fast as the more extreme keto or paleo. All the dairy you could have kept. I lost 25lbs while still drinking 7 cups of tea a day for example by moving to a very similar diet to yours. Cheese was one of my snacks in fact. The problem is that for actually both dairy and nuts it's very easy to overeat them as they are calorie laden.
    - XLcommerce 14y ago
      could you give more details of your diet please?
      - fourmii 14y ago
        Try the South Beach Diet. It's pretty much focused on lowering carb intake, especially at the beginning. I tried it a few years back and lost around 25 pounds too. I had to cut out all of my carbs (at least initially), but you can eat all the dairy you like.
      - omgsean 14y ago
        It sounds like his diet is probably similar to mine. Last summer I dropped about 20lbs from ~155 at my highest to ~135 at my lowest. I've been less strict about it since then but the general idea was to keep my carbohydrate intake between 20 and 30 grams a day. It's actually not that hard at all and you get to eat a lot of really great foods. The best part is that it's non-restrictive. Low carb foods are very filling so for the most part if you're eating the right things you just don't have to count calories at all, your body does it for you. For breakfast I eat eggs almost every day. Hard boiled eggs are a good breakfast because you can keep them in the fridge at work but however you like them is fine. Lunch is usually either a breadless sandwich (a plate of cold cuts and cheese) or a salad with a lot of meat in it with a tasty, high-fat dressing (because I can). In a pinch you can grab a fast food burger and eat around the bun, but I don't recommend it because the bun is there to mask how bad the meat is. Dinner is pretty easy, just increase your meat and vegetable portion and remove the starch component. I end up eating a lot of what I affectionately refer to as "slop bowls" which is just the ingredients of something like a fajita but without the wrap. For snacks I eat nuts (almonds are my favourite, pistachios are great too but a bit higher in carbs), cheese, cold cuts, cut up veggies with high-fat dip (because I can), dark chocolate, and more cheese. For drinks, anything low-carb is fine. I like black coffee or green tea during the day and whisky at night. Dry wines are also fairly low carb, and a few brands of beer as well. Oh, and water! The best thing about this diet (and I hesitate to call it that, I'm never going to stop) is that you can eat really good food every day. I used to be like most people and try to restrict fat when I was trying to eat well. I would end up eating stuff like rice cakes or salad with very little dressing. Now my diet food is bacon, steak, rich cheese, butter, sausage, salami, and so on. I can practically gorge myself on this stuff and the weight still comes off. I highly recommend going low-carb for anyone that's had problems sticking to traditional diets. And I also recommend watching this video if you're wondering why the hell people think we need so much starch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34
ryanaAM 14y ago
This is inspiring Ryan. I was specifically looking for examples of busy dads that have successfully launched their own business when I came across your post. Too bad you're in the UK, I'd love to take you out for a pint.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Cheers :) I'm moving to Portland if that's any closer.
manuelflara 14y ago
Congrats on the change! I'm on the middle of something similar myself. One question: you say your work out sessions were 60 minutes and for Tuesday you write "Tuesday - Shoulders: Military press, side-arm raises". You did only that for 60 minutes? How many series and reps?
- antinitro 14y ago
  I thought the same. It makes more sense to me to split up back and chest to different days and do shoulders on the chest day. I believe the 3 largest muscle groups are legs, back and chest and I split my workouts into a day for each of those.
bialecki 14y ago
It's been said many times before, but getting exercise while doing a startup is a must. It's like saying you should use LESS/SASS instead of coding CSS. You just won't believe how much better it is until you actually try it for a while. For the last three months I've forced myself to go for a jog every morning, no excuses, even if it means I'll get started on stuff a little later, so be it. It's an amazing complement to the uncertainty and mental challenges of a startup.
- dsawler 14y ago
  Getting exercise is a must, for anyone. It has nothing to do with whether you have a start-up or not.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Amen :)
- nathanbarry 14y ago
  I completely agree. Exercising every day has made such a difference to me that I even made an app[1] to help me maintain the habit. Daily exercise makes me feel less tired and helps me think more clearly. For me changing my diet has been more difficult. I am going to start by changing breakfast (the meal I always eat alone), and then working from there. [1] Commit for iPhone: http://thinklegend.com/commit http://thinklegend.com/commit
  - randomdrake 14y ago
    Cool idea! Just as an FYI: I went to check out your app and your website says it's a buck but it's listed for $2.99. May want to update that :)
    - nathanbarry 14y ago
      Thanks for pointing that out! I was experimenting with prices on the app store, but forgot to update the website.
ocirion 14y ago
I think its great that you accomplished this, and I guess seeing as its hit the front page of HN you may inspire a few tech folk to believe they can too. But I still find nothing new to take from this that you can't find on just about any Paleo, low carb, excercise site (i.e Mark's Daily Apple). You changed to Paleo. You worked out 3 times a week. You took some supplements. You saw some results. You did this with a day job (albeit 4 day a week job) and a family. What new obstacle did you overcome ? what breakthrough did you achieve ? I think your achievement is commendable, just not sure what its doing on the front page of HN.
- is74 14y ago
  It's valuable because his example proves to everyone that such change is possible. Simply knowing someone busy who managed to get fit is motivating. It gives me (and others, I'm sure) the confidence that I could get fit with a very reasonable amount of effort.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  The hard part was achieving this during a tremendously stressful period of my life (raising money and launching a company). Also, I was never able to achieve success before, even though I tried multiple times.
  - madaxe 14y ago
    Good on you, dude - thought you were looking rather more trim the last time I spied you in town. Did the same, and dropped from 18.5 stone to 13 over 9 months. Eat food, not too much, mostly leaves. Run. Done. Oh, and withings scales. Can't be without them. That said, I still need to lose the final, irksome bit of gut. pulls finger out, decides to get some new running shoes
Ecio78 14y ago
Ryan, have you done blood exams before and after to check if everything is ok?
antidaily 14y ago
Where's the before pic, man?
Tichy 14y ago
Is there really no other way than going Paelo? As a former vegetarian, I find that hard to stomach. Also I was slim for 16 years as a vegetarian, and vegetarian diets used to be considered healthy. Gained weight in the last three years, though - but I eat lots of sweets...
- spking 14y ago
  It's very difficult to get enough protein with a strict vegetarian diet, but not impossible (there's an entire chapter on this in http://www.amazon.com/Power-Eating-2nd-Edition-Susan-Kleiner/dp/0736038531 http://www.amazon.com/Power-Eating-2nd-Edition-Susan-Kleiner...). Paleo isn't the only way to get results. Traditional bodybuilding diets have a ton of carbs that get used to fuel intense workouts. Check out http://swole.me/ http://swole.me/.
- omgsean 14y ago
  There are people who do low-carb vegetarian diets but it's difficult. Eggs, cheese, and nuts should comprise a huge part of your diet. If you're vegetarian for health reasons it might be time to reevaluate. If it's for ethical reasons it just means you really need to sit down and look at the macronutrient composition of the foods you eat. Not eating meat isn't a license to eat starch and sugar.
- papsosouid 14y ago
  He is just sharing what worked for him. Any diet where you consume fewer calories will allow you to lose weight, it is just a question of choosing one you will stick with. You absolutely don't need to do the paleo/keto nonsense at all. I eat meat twice a week and barely eat any dairy (just a little cheese once in a while). I eat pasta, white rice and potatoes all the time. I've lost 68 pounds so far as of this morning. No matter how much people want to pretend there is magic involved, or point to hilariously bad books like Taubes' junk, it really does come down to "burn more calories than you consume". I can't tolerate low carb diets, I feel hungry and tired all the time and end up going nuts after a couple weeks and breaking down and eating a ton of pasta. So I didn't go low-fat or low-carb, I just eat reasonable portions, make sure the food I eat is always satisfying, and exercise. I find it much easier for me to increase the calories I am burning than to decrease the calories I am consuming too far. And contrary to what spking says, it is not hard at all to get enough protein as a vegetarian. You only need ~55g a day, which I get easily on days where I don't eat meat. On meat days I end up around 90g. If you are doing heavy lifting you'll need maybe 20g a day more than average, and if you do endurance sports you could need up to double the average. But if you aren't doing either of those things, you should easily get enough protein without making any special effort or using supplements.
andrewingram 14y ago
Given that a big part of the dietary changes is getting rid of as many carbs as possible, does anyone have any advice for eating out at lunch on this kind of diet? Going out and grabbing some food is a rewarding part of my day, but I'm struggling to think of any options for low carb, almost everywhere seems to focus on bread, pasta or rice.
- Sproutworx 14y ago
  Mexican, even Chipotle will work. Get a burrito bowl. Substitute the rice for more veggies. No tortilla. Beans, veggies, meat, and fresh salsa. It's right in line with most of the diets. Pretty low carbs. I just completed a month of the Slow Carb diet by doing this. Lost 20 lbs.
  - ryancarson 14y ago
    Great idea
  - March_Hare 14y ago
    The salads at Chipotle are also a good choice.
- dsawler 14y ago
  Places that focus on bread, pasta and rice are usually chain-food places (Panera, Chipotle, etc). Find a deli that will give you a chicken breast + veggies -- there are at least 4 near my New Jersey suburban office building that do this.
  - andrewingram 14y ago
    This might be true in the US, but in London privately-owned sandwich shops are VERY common, there's like 6 of them within 30 seconds walk of my office. They'll typically serve mainly sandwich and wraps (made to order), or alternatively potato, pasta or rice-based meals. There are some places that specialise in salad/veg rather than sandwiches, but they tend to be vegetarian with the only calories coming from cous cous or potato. I'll have a look around though.
idan 14y ago
I started rising a bike to and from my startup (also raising kids.) One hour of very pleasurable cardio a day, lost a lot of weight.
Sproutworx 14y ago
This may get a down voted because I'm new to commenting, but I figured adding a comment was better than starting a "Show HN" thread. My buddy and I created a web/iPhone app that is great for people trying to get fit but struggle doing it because they can't find the motivation. So for those who are motivated by Ryan's story and are looking for additional tools, maybe give it a try. http://1upfit.com http://1upfit.com allows you to compete against friends in simple workout challenges. Pushups, pull-ups, running, swimming, etc. We are actually in beta testing right now for tracking a weight loss challenge similar to what Ryan did above. (We both recently completed a slow carb diet, which is very similar.) Training by yourself or changing dietary habits by yourself can be hard and sometimes you don't have the people around to properly motivate you. My brother is an Ironman but lives in Colorado (I'm in Portland) so it's hard to say "Hey let's go for a run". By using the app though, I can see every time he runs and it motivates me to go out and do it too, for fear of losing a competition to my brother.
- AznHisoka 14y ago
  I highly recommend you start a Show HN thread for this.
summerville 14y ago
I signed up for a marathon right before founding a startup last summer. Having a training plan and something to train for was great because it forced me to stop working and exercise on a routine basis. The running itself was great stress relief, gave me "big picture" think time and actually made me more productive when I worked.
dave1619 14y ago
Very inspiring story of losing 10% body fat - gaining muscle and losing fat. I've read elsewhere of this 3-day per week workout plan focusing on muscle mass. It seems like it gets great results. Also, working with a personal trainer makes a lot of sense. The only thing I'm skeptical about is all the meat in your diet. If you watch Forks Over Knives and read the China Study, it talks about meat and animal products directly leading to the growth of cancer cells. Have you heard about that and what's your take?
- Doji 14y ago
  This should answer all of your questions and then some: http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/03/the-china-study-a-formal-analysis-and-response/ http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/03/the-china-study-a-formal-an...
- hadriagh 14y ago
  I enjoyed Forks Over Knives but as with any documentary there is always a bias. I would recommend taking a look at this write-up in response to the film: http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/ http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-sc...
- SkyMarshal 14y ago
  Did the China study account for whether the meat was grass fed, or corn-fed + hormones?
SkyMarshal 14y ago
> All day: Three litres of water, two coffees (with soy milk) Some research has shown that soy decreases testosterone in men. It does not seem to be a decided question, though a nutritional epidemiologist I trust believes it is. You might replace with rice milk to be on the safe side.
healthyahoo 14y ago
Amen :) http://healthyahoo.net/fitness_programs/inexpensive-fitness-equipments.html http://healthyahoo.net/fitness_programs/inexpensive-fitness-...

78 points by ryancarson 14y ago

It looks like no cardio to speak of in your routine. So many people kill themselves doing an hour a day of running or riding a stationary bike and then wonder why they don't get better results. It's really 80% or more about diet and lifting weights. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn throughout the day. You just don't need that much cardio if you train intensely enough when lifting weights. Nice work Ryan.

basicallydan 14y ago
I didn't know that this was the case! Thank you for explaining it :)
ryancarson 14y ago
Exactly. Very little cardio. My heart definitely gets a workout though. After doing weights properly, your heart really pounds.
- forza 14y ago
  To stay fit I would look into a team or group sport. Unless you want to do body building or competitive weight lifting, you're going from rapidly improving to maintaining your fitness. Sports are so much more multifaceted, that you'll see improvement and reaching goals over a long time.
ticks 14y ago
I imagine that running and riding (on a real bicycle) is more beneficial when you are overweight because there's more to carry around.
- mpm 14y ago
  Maybe, but you you are far more likely to give yourself an overuse injury which then becomes a reason to stop your regimen.
  - nickbarnwell 14y ago
    Unless your bike fit is horrid it's very difficult to injure yourself just riding around, especially for a casual rider.
- davidjohnstone 14y ago
  One other factor to keep in mind is that the less fit you are, the less mechanical work you are able to do. For example, an untrained cyclist might be able to ride at 150W for an hour, whereas a more serious cyclist might be able to sustain 300W for an hour. The first cyclist would burn about 550 Calories, while the second would burn 1100 Calories if they both did a hard one hour ride. (More energy is burnt in recovery, but that's a lot harder to measure.)
davidjohnstone 14y ago
Cardio workouts can burn a lot of calories. Today I rode my bike for an hour and a half and burnt about 1200 Calories. That said, I'm a bit fitter than the average unfit person, and can therefore sustain a considerably higher power output and use more energy. Oh, and there's a big difference between pushing yourself on hilly roads and sitting on a bike in the gym reading a magazine. Weights are good too, and they're much better at making one look fit (upper body especially). Oh, and good on you Ryan. I've seen some around here talk about how it's worth sacrificing one's health for a startup. It's good to see not everybody shares that belief.
Stwerner 14y ago
Yeah, it is refreshing to see people posting results from these predominantly weight lifting programs. Helps keep me motivated on what I'm doing. If anyone is interested in starting, but lacks the money for a personal trainer, I've found Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe (http://www.amazon.com/By-Mark-Rippetoe-Lon-Kilgore/dp/B005PITS1E/ http://www.amazon.com/By-Mark-Rippetoe-Lon-Kilgore/dp/B005PI...) to be a huge help in learning all the lifts. The first chapter is almost 60 pages just on squats going over everything from foot position to hand position, along with an explanation of why.
- spking 14y ago
  Looks interesting. I know a lot of beginners have had solid results with 5x5 as well: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra... There's a free iOS app for tracking progress too: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-app/ http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-app/
  - Stwerner 14y ago
    Yeah, I'm actually doing the stronglifts 5x5 program. The Starting Strength book is still really useful for learning the lifts and getting all of the detail. With stronglifts you're going to get high in weight quick - so knowing form well is kind of important.
- thisisnotmyname 14y ago
  Definitely agree on Starting Strength. Its done wonders for me, and there's no bs in the workouts, just basic barbell movements.
- Casc 14y ago
  Starting Strength is the perfect go to beginner - intermediate guide to weight training. Good for you, you're on the right track.
- joelhooks 14y ago
  Starting Strength is such a great book. Simple no nonsense. The diagrams are extremely helpful. I never knew you could fill that many pages on performing a proper squat.
yummyfajitas 14y ago
If you want to be a bodybuilder and look big, go ahead and skip cardio. On the other hand, if you do any sports that last more than about 30 seconds, you might want to spend a little time working your heart (which is also a muscle). This is what happens if you skip the cardio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghbpgHNxC0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HghbpgHNxC0 (Sorry for the crappy music video, it's the only one I could find.)
- njs12345 14y ago
  I've found that sports are the best way to get cardio as well; a high-intensity game of squash burns 816 calories/hour and is a lot more fun than an hour on the treadmill.
  - rikthevik 14y ago
    Squash is such an amazing workout. All that, and after a crappy day at the office, you can take out all your stress on that ball.
  - micro_cam 14y ago
    One of the reasons some sports work so well is that the stop and go/variable intensity nature is much better for you then spending the same amount of time logging low intensity cardio. See studies on "interval training" etc. I bike commute and try to mimic this by sprinting between intersections etc.
- Casc 14y ago
  Skipping cardio certainly won't turn you into a body builder nor make you look "big"... It takes significantly more than just lifting weights, 90% is your diet, caloric intake and macronutrient composition, which together play the biggest role here. Compare two genetically similar individuals, both lift weights 3x / week, one regularly consumes a 1000 caloric surplus, and the other consumes their daily caloric requirement. The outcome will be quite different. If you play sports that last more than about 30 seconds, they can provide you with the adequate amounts of cardio you seek. If you play competitively, adding cardio may be a good idea. Cardio is for health and endurance, if you want to run marathons or cycle, then yes, you should include more cardio. Otherwise, weightlifting adequately stresses your heart. Go deadlift 300lbs and tell me your heart isn't going nuts. If you want to get in shape, regular exercise with an emphasis on weight lifting and proper nutrition will get you where you'd like to go. At rest, muscle burns significantly more calories than fat, you don't need to cake on lean muscle to benefit from this, either. You only exercise for an hour or so, I'd rather work to build something in that hour that burns calories for the other 23. Now with all that said, I personally try to do both, my cardio comes in the form of Squash on days I do not lift weights. I despise the treadmill zombie.
tedunangst 14y ago
Please stop spreading the muscles burn more calories lie. Look up how many calories are burned by muscle cells and fat cells, then do the math and calculate how many extra baby carrots you can eat as a result of turning 20 pounds of fat into muscle. http://www.lanimuelrath.com/blog/calories-burned-by-muscle-vs-fat-another-myth-exploded/ http://www.lanimuelrath.com/blog/calories-burned-by-muscle-v...
- bmelton 14y ago
  From the link you posted: "muscle IS more metabolically active than fat"
  - tedunangst 14y ago
    Barely. A weight loss program consisting of "my muscle will burn off extra calories" will not go far.
    - bmelton 14y ago
      So, not a myth, but an exaggeration? It goes on to say that having more muscle helps burn calories when active even more so. I agree with your assertion that extra muscle burns off extra calories 'at rest' may be imply more than its actual results, but I don't see that it makes it a flat out myth. More muscular people who exercise burn more calories than less muscular people who exercise the same amount, and burn more calories at rest than less muscular people at rest. That statement evaluates to True. That it isn't to the degree you like doesn't make it False.
      - tedunangst 14y ago
        May as well say you burn more calories drinking cold water because your body has to heat it up. This is a little meta, but I think if you say something that, while technically true, causes people to behave/believe in a certain manner unwarranted by the facts, you're functionally equivalent to lying. Anyway, point taken, "lie" was not the most tactful choice.

TomGullen 14y ago

Shame you didn't talk more about your diet in the regards that what you actually did was cut out all the carbohydrates! This to me would appear to be the #1 reason to your success, a low carb diet.

ryancarson 14y ago
True, but it's the complete package that does it. Not just dropping carbs.
- mattmanser 14y ago
  No, it's just dropping carbs. You're a sample size of 1. All the people on loseit are a much bigger sample and low carbs works, just not quite as fast as the more extreme keto or paleo. All the dairy you could have kept. I lost 25lbs while still drinking 7 cups of tea a day for example by moving to a very similar diet to yours. Cheese was one of my snacks in fact. The problem is that for actually both dairy and nuts it's very easy to overeat them as they are calorie laden.
  - XLcommerce 14y ago
    could you give more details of your diet please?
    - fourmii 14y ago
      Try the South Beach Diet. It's pretty much focused on lowering carb intake, especially at the beginning. I tried it a few years back and lost around 25 pounds too. I had to cut out all of my carbs (at least initially), but you can eat all the dairy you like.
    - omgsean 14y ago
      It sounds like his diet is probably similar to mine. Last summer I dropped about 20lbs from ~155 at my highest to ~135 at my lowest. I've been less strict about it since then but the general idea was to keep my carbohydrate intake between 20 and 30 grams a day. It's actually not that hard at all and you get to eat a lot of really great foods. The best part is that it's non-restrictive. Low carb foods are very filling so for the most part if you're eating the right things you just don't have to count calories at all, your body does it for you. For breakfast I eat eggs almost every day. Hard boiled eggs are a good breakfast because you can keep them in the fridge at work but however you like them is fine. Lunch is usually either a breadless sandwich (a plate of cold cuts and cheese) or a salad with a lot of meat in it with a tasty, high-fat dressing (because I can). In a pinch you can grab a fast food burger and eat around the bun, but I don't recommend it because the bun is there to mask how bad the meat is. Dinner is pretty easy, just increase your meat and vegetable portion and remove the starch component. I end up eating a lot of what I affectionately refer to as "slop bowls" which is just the ingredients of something like a fajita but without the wrap. For snacks I eat nuts (almonds are my favourite, pistachios are great too but a bit higher in carbs), cheese, cold cuts, cut up veggies with high-fat dip (because I can), dark chocolate, and more cheese. For drinks, anything low-carb is fine. I like black coffee or green tea during the day and whisky at night. Dry wines are also fairly low carb, and a few brands of beer as well. Oh, and water! The best thing about this diet (and I hesitate to call it that, I'm never going to stop) is that you can eat really good food every day. I used to be like most people and try to restrict fat when I was trying to eat well. I would end up eating stuff like rice cakes or salad with very little dressing. Now my diet food is bacon, steak, rich cheese, butter, sausage, salami, and so on. I can practically gorge myself on this stuff and the weight still comes off. I highly recommend going low-carb for anyone that's had problems sticking to traditional diets. And I also recommend watching this video if you're wondering why the hell people think we need so much starch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vr-c8GeT34

ryanaAM 14y ago

This is inspiring Ryan. I was specifically looking for examples of busy dads that have successfully launched their own business when I came across your post. Too bad you're in the UK, I'd love to take you out for a pint.

ryancarson 14y ago
Cheers :) I'm moving to Portland if that's any closer.

manuelflara 14y ago

Congrats on the change! I'm on the middle of something similar myself. One question: you say your work out sessions were 60 minutes and for Tuesday you write "Tuesday - Shoulders: Military press, side-arm raises". You did only that for 60 minutes? How many series and reps?

antinitro 14y ago
I thought the same. It makes more sense to me to split up back and chest to different days and do shoulders on the chest day. I believe the 3 largest muscle groups are legs, back and chest and I split my workouts into a day for each of those.

bialecki 14y ago

It's been said many times before, but getting exercise while doing a startup is a must. It's like saying you should use LESS/SASS instead of coding CSS. You just won't believe how much better it is until you actually try it for a while. For the last three months I've forced myself to go for a jog every morning, no excuses, even if it means I'll get started on stuff a little later, so be it. It's an amazing complement to the uncertainty and mental challenges of a startup.

dsawler 14y ago
Getting exercise is a must, for anyone. It has nothing to do with whether you have a start-up or not.
ryancarson 14y ago
Amen :)
nathanbarry 14y ago
I completely agree. Exercising every day has made such a difference to me that I even made an app[1] to help me maintain the habit. Daily exercise makes me feel less tired and helps me think more clearly. For me changing my diet has been more difficult. I am going to start by changing breakfast (the meal I always eat alone), and then working from there. [1] Commit for iPhone: http://thinklegend.com/commit http://thinklegend.com/commit
- randomdrake 14y ago
  Cool idea! Just as an FYI: I went to check out your app and your website says it's a buck but it's listed for $2.99. May want to update that :)
  - nathanbarry 14y ago
    Thanks for pointing that out! I was experimenting with prices on the app store, but forgot to update the website.

ocirion 14y ago

I think its great that you accomplished this, and I guess seeing as its hit the front page of HN you may inspire a few tech folk to believe they can too. But I still find nothing new to take from this that you can't find on just about any Paleo, low carb, excercise site (i.e Mark's Daily Apple). You changed to Paleo. You worked out 3 times a week. You took some supplements. You saw some results. You did this with a day job (albeit 4 day a week job) and a family. What new obstacle did you overcome ? what breakthrough did you achieve ? I think your achievement is commendable, just not sure what its doing on the front page of HN.

is74 14y ago
It's valuable because his example proves to everyone that such change is possible. Simply knowing someone busy who managed to get fit is motivating. It gives me (and others, I'm sure) the confidence that I could get fit with a very reasonable amount of effort.
ryancarson 14y ago
The hard part was achieving this during a tremendously stressful period of my life (raising money and launching a company). Also, I was never able to achieve success before, even though I tried multiple times.
- madaxe 14y ago
  Good on you, dude - thought you were looking rather more trim the last time I spied you in town. Did the same, and dropped from 18.5 stone to 13 over 9 months. Eat food, not too much, mostly leaves. Run. Done. Oh, and withings scales. Can't be without them. That said, I still need to lose the final, irksome bit of gut. pulls finger out, decides to get some new running shoes

Ecio78 14y ago

Ryan, have you done blood exams before and after to check if everything is ok?

antidaily 14y ago

Where's the before pic, man?

Tichy 14y ago

Is there really no other way than going Paelo? As a former vegetarian, I find that hard to stomach. Also I was slim for 16 years as a vegetarian, and vegetarian diets used to be considered healthy. Gained weight in the last three years, though - but I eat lots of sweets...

spking 14y ago
It's very difficult to get enough protein with a strict vegetarian diet, but not impossible (there's an entire chapter on this in http://www.amazon.com/Power-Eating-2nd-Edition-Susan-Kleiner/dp/0736038531 http://www.amazon.com/Power-Eating-2nd-Edition-Susan-Kleiner...). Paleo isn't the only way to get results. Traditional bodybuilding diets have a ton of carbs that get used to fuel intense workouts. Check out http://swole.me/ http://swole.me/.
omgsean 14y ago
There are people who do low-carb vegetarian diets but it's difficult. Eggs, cheese, and nuts should comprise a huge part of your diet. If you're vegetarian for health reasons it might be time to reevaluate. If it's for ethical reasons it just means you really need to sit down and look at the macronutrient composition of the foods you eat. Not eating meat isn't a license to eat starch and sugar.
papsosouid 14y ago
He is just sharing what worked for him. Any diet where you consume fewer calories will allow you to lose weight, it is just a question of choosing one you will stick with. You absolutely don't need to do the paleo/keto nonsense at all. I eat meat twice a week and barely eat any dairy (just a little cheese once in a while). I eat pasta, white rice and potatoes all the time. I've lost 68 pounds so far as of this morning. No matter how much people want to pretend there is magic involved, or point to hilariously bad books like Taubes' junk, it really does come down to "burn more calories than you consume". I can't tolerate low carb diets, I feel hungry and tired all the time and end up going nuts after a couple weeks and breaking down and eating a ton of pasta. So I didn't go low-fat or low-carb, I just eat reasonable portions, make sure the food I eat is always satisfying, and exercise. I find it much easier for me to increase the calories I am burning than to decrease the calories I am consuming too far. And contrary to what spking says, it is not hard at all to get enough protein as a vegetarian. You only need ~55g a day, which I get easily on days where I don't eat meat. On meat days I end up around 90g. If you are doing heavy lifting you'll need maybe 20g a day more than average, and if you do endurance sports you could need up to double the average. But if you aren't doing either of those things, you should easily get enough protein without making any special effort or using supplements.

andrewingram 14y ago

Given that a big part of the dietary changes is getting rid of as many carbs as possible, does anyone have any advice for eating out at lunch on this kind of diet? Going out and grabbing some food is a rewarding part of my day, but I'm struggling to think of any options for low carb, almost everywhere seems to focus on bread, pasta or rice.

Sproutworx 14y ago
Mexican, even Chipotle will work. Get a burrito bowl. Substitute the rice for more veggies. No tortilla. Beans, veggies, meat, and fresh salsa. It's right in line with most of the diets. Pretty low carbs. I just completed a month of the Slow Carb diet by doing this. Lost 20 lbs.
- ryancarson 14y ago
  Great idea
- March_Hare 14y ago
  The salads at Chipotle are also a good choice.
dsawler 14y ago
Places that focus on bread, pasta and rice are usually chain-food places (Panera, Chipotle, etc). Find a deli that will give you a chicken breast + veggies -- there are at least 4 near my New Jersey suburban office building that do this.
- andrewingram 14y ago
  This might be true in the US, but in London privately-owned sandwich shops are VERY common, there's like 6 of them within 30 seconds walk of my office. They'll typically serve mainly sandwich and wraps (made to order), or alternatively potato, pasta or rice-based meals. There are some places that specialise in salad/veg rather than sandwiches, but they tend to be vegetarian with the only calories coming from cous cous or potato. I'll have a look around though.

idan 14y ago

I started rising a bike to and from my startup (also raising kids.) One hour of very pleasurable cardio a day, lost a lot of weight.

Sproutworx 14y ago

This may get a down voted because I'm new to commenting, but I figured adding a comment was better than starting a "Show HN" thread. My buddy and I created a web/iPhone app that is great for people trying to get fit but struggle doing it because they can't find the motivation. So for those who are motivated by Ryan's story and are looking for additional tools, maybe give it a try. http://1upfit.com http://1upfit.com allows you to compete against friends in simple workout challenges. Pushups, pull-ups, running, swimming, etc. We are actually in beta testing right now for tracking a weight loss challenge similar to what Ryan did above. (We both recently completed a slow carb diet, which is very similar.) Training by yourself or changing dietary habits by yourself can be hard and sometimes you don't have the people around to properly motivate you. My brother is an Ironman but lives in Colorado (I'm in Portland) so it's hard to say "Hey let's go for a run". By using the app though, I can see every time he runs and it motivates me to go out and do it too, for fear of losing a competition to my brother.

AznHisoka 14y ago
I highly recommend you start a Show HN thread for this.

summerville 14y ago

I signed up for a marathon right before founding a startup last summer. Having a training plan and something to train for was great because it forced me to stop working and exercise on a routine basis. The running itself was great stress relief, gave me "big picture" think time and actually made me more productive when I worked.

dave1619 14y ago

Very inspiring story of losing 10% body fat - gaining muscle and losing fat. I've read elsewhere of this 3-day per week workout plan focusing on muscle mass. It seems like it gets great results. Also, working with a personal trainer makes a lot of sense. The only thing I'm skeptical about is all the meat in your diet. If you watch Forks Over Knives and read the China Study, it talks about meat and animal products directly leading to the growth of cancer cells. Have you heard about that and what's your take?

Doji 14y ago
This should answer all of your questions and then some: http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/03/the-china-study-a-formal-analysis-and-response/ http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/08/03/the-china-study-a-formal-an...
hadriagh 14y ago
I enjoyed Forks Over Knives but as with any documentary there is always a bias. I would recommend taking a look at this write-up in response to the film: http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/ http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-sc...
SkyMarshal 14y ago
Did the China study account for whether the meat was grass fed, or corn-fed + hormones?

SkyMarshal 14y ago

> All day: Three litres of water, two coffees (with soy milk) Some research has shown that soy decreases testosterone in men. It does not seem to be a decided question, though a nutritional epidemiologist I trust believes it is. You might replace with rice milk to be on the safe side.

healthyahoo 14y ago

Amen :) http://healthyahoo.net/fitness_programs/inexpensive-fitness-equipments.html http://healthyahoo.net/fitness_programs/inexpensive-fitness-...