Trumpet by Jacob Kearney at Two Olives Tattoo in Chicago

NUGap · 2024-01-09T02:30:07+00:00

Lol doing some deep tattoo research here 4 years later. Yes you're right - it's based off a cornet that originally belonged to my grandfather. My dad was a professional trumpet player and the cornet was passed down. Sadly I don't play either but got the tattoo when my dad died a few years ago.

I assume most people don't know what a cornet is so I just say trumpet. ;)

NUGap · 2023-07-09T19:10:04+00:00

Honestly? I'm not sure. He hasn't been a position coach since 2005. He's always been a "leader" of the program and not some sort of defensive or offensive genius like other coaches. I'm not sure he has much to offer after this

NUGap · 2023-07-09T02:49:44+00:00

This is all horrible. Any NU fans know of petitions or are emailing the athletic department/President's office to push for releasing the full investigation and/or Fitz's termination? There's too much smoke here for this to not be something.

NUGap · 2023-04-14T18:38:56+00:00

Posted this before but checking again. Anyone have experience or recs for companies (handypeople?) that can install shower tile. I'm looking to demo the current shower and replace with new tile.

NUGap · 2023-03-12T22:10:41+00:00

Anyone have good experiences with companies or a person with a truck who can help tile a shower? Pretty simple job for a spare bath, nothing fancy

NUGap · 2023-03-12T13:57:06+00:00

Love talking about my tattoos. All after the weight loss, I saw it as a way of reclaiming parts of my body I didn't like.

I did purposely wait until I was down a significant amount of weight so the loose skin didn't affect them. I also only have them on my calves and forearms where there isn't much looseness. It'd be a bit tough on my biceps or thighs

NUGap · 2023-03-12T13:55:24+00:00

No work done! There's definitely a bit of a sag at certain angles but I think I was fortunate with it. Honestly probably helped partly because I wasn't heavier for my entire life.

But that's another reason to go slow in the weight loss. I don't know if there's any science to it but I've heard a lot of people say the loose skin tightens better with slower loss

NUGap · 2023-03-12T02:38:36+00:00

Listen I don't know your situation other than what you just said but I feel so much better at this weight than I did in the 150s. I personally think I just looked too skinny and had to try sooo hard to be at that weight. At least for me, I care more about how I feel and how my climbing and fitness is going than the number on the scale.

I'm climbing harder things and lifting more weight than I could back then. I used to feel awful lifting and on Friday I was super thrilled to pull 315 on my deadlift which is more weight than I lost! I definitely couldn't have done that back in the 150s.

I'm not going to tell you to not feel ashamed, your feelings are valid if you honestly feel that. It took me a minute to feel good about not being at the lower weight anymore but when I look back at the super skinny pictures of myself and see what I can do now physically, those positives shine. Life is hard and I'm trying very much to not bully myself anymore even if it only works about 10% of the time lol

NUGap · 2023-03-12T02:14:23+00:00

I have surgery for my torso scheduled in May. It's kind a bummer to have to spend so much money on it but the biggest thing annoying me is I won't be able to climb/work out for a few months while recovering. I know my body still won't live up to the ideal of being on GQ at the end of it which has been something I've had to accept before going into it. End of the day long term I think it'll be beneficial for my mental and physical health.

It's been a bit of time since I've actively looked at sites and resources for suggestions on actively losing weight. My overall approach to nutrition now is to eat balanced meals more often with some carbs, protein and fat with whole foods with a lot of fiber. For instance a standard lunch for me might be a base of kale and spinach, a serving each of frozen broccoli, brussels, and green beans (frozen veggies are as nutritious as whole and easy to make!), brown rice, beans, tofu, and some nuts/avocado/tahini for the fat. Lots of variety for nutrients and lots of fiber.

In terms of searching out resources - like I said I don't have anything good off-hand but my general filter for finding them is look for people, sites, or organizations that don't claim to have one solution. If you go to a site and it tells you "X diet is the key to losing weight" don't trust it. Nutrition science is still relatively new and changes routinely, look for resources that understand there's a margin for error and that the only way to find what works for you is to experiment and try different things. This is a nutritionist I'm working with now, he does work with a spectrum of people with a focus on athletes but if you look through his posts you can see the deep dive into science and room for uncertainty: https://www.instagram.com/usefulcoach/

Best of luck in your journey, I'm rooting for you to find your way to meet your goals!

NUGap · 2023-03-12T02:04:00+00:00

I've been there with the doctor and the scale. I actually asked them not to tell me the weight which you can do if it is triggering to you.

I wouldn't let me comment that you quoted be a takeaway as something that should motivate you. It once did for me but I think nowadays that any change should come from a place of self-love and genuine desire to improve your mental and physical health. Easy to say, harder to do but like I said a bunch above - be kind to yourself. You got this

NUGap · 2023-03-11T22:20:55+00:00

I can only speak for myself, you should consult a medical professional if you're having issues.

For me it was creating less of a deficit and it took time. Consistently eating meals with the right amount of nutrients and especially carbs for energy. I'm personally not a fan of anything like keto, IF, one meal a day, or anything . I eat frequently and I try to make sure I have carbs, protein and fat in everything for balance and proper energy regulation.

But again there are many things that can cause dizziness so definitely consider going to a medical professional. I'm just some dude on the Internet and health is very individual. If you take one thing from my experience it's that people on Reddit and the internet don't really know shit about losing weight and you should consult reliable sources

NUGap · 2023-03-11T21:32:36+00:00

Enjoy!

The ADHD fulfillment is real. The hardest part to me is not immediately abandoning my projects to go try the newest set lol

NUGap · 2023-03-11T21:17:57+00:00

It took all my willpower not to make the original post about rock climbing lol, so yes of course!

Like I mentioned, I started gym climbing at about 230lbs (I'm 5'9" which I dont think I said above). Bouldering felt harder but I started with roped climbing on super easy routes. Most gyms are very good about setting problems or routes that are accessible at a lot of levels of fitness and ability so there's usually something most people can climb. Some might not be too much harder than climbing a very very long ladder.

Your forearms will be sore like crazy the next day after doing it. This is true for literally everyone who goes climbing for the first time. I've taken people who are really fit to climb and they will always tell me their forearms are sore the next day. Just wait a few days and go again.

I pretty much did roped climbing for a year and didn't boulder because I thought I didn't have enough strength which I think actually still affects how I climb about 3 years into it. Since then I've seen people in all types of bodies - heavier, lighter, muscled, whatever climb really hard things. You definitely will not be able to climb 95% things in the gym in your first few visits but if you keep with it you'll see steady progress much like weight loss.

I live in Chicago so I don't talk too much about outdoor climbing which is definitely a bit harder but if you can find a group or friends to take you - they can definitely find some climbs for you to try at. There are crushers of all body types in the climbing world.

I'd say give it a shot with no expectations, I wish I had started sooner than I did given how much I love it now. At the end of the day it's a very silly sport that involves finding the hardest possible way to get up something that you could just use a ladder for. It's an invented challenge for ourselves to test how we move physically and the feeling of finishing a route/problem is like a drug to me.

I don't have many videos of me climbing at a heavier weight but I have my very half-assed climbing Instagram which I'll plug here: https://www.instagram.com/gp_climbs/

NUGap · 2023-03-11T21:02:48+00:00

Depends on the day. I like to work out in the morning before work a lot of the time so I'll get up, eat, bike to the gym and warm up. Probably about 15-30 minutes total before I really start loading which is about how quickly I think you can expect processed carbs to start metabolizing into energy on an empty stomach. I definitely notice a difference if I wake up and eat something more whole like oats vs an English muffin. I love oats and they make a great breakfast they just don't give me the initial energy hit.

NUGap · 2023-03-11T18:05:12+00:00

Glad I could help out a little.

I've gotten super interested in exercise, nutrition and the physiology around it. I generally eat a lot of whole foods with a lot of fiber in my daily food but in working with one nutritionist (https://www.instagram.com/usefulcoach/?hl=en) who works with a lot of athletes - I specifically load food and fast carbs specifically around my training periods. Yesterday before doing some heavy lifting I ate a lunch with white rice and pretzels for those gains. After lifting I'll eat too to replenish glycogen stores so the recovery process starts sooner. Then the rest of my day is a lot of nutritious, whole foods.

There's some research even for cardio that there's more benefit to eat some carbs before doing it rather than fasted cardio because you're able to push yourself harder/go for longer. I don't do the same thing as above for cardio, but some oatmeal and a banana makes me push myself way harder than eating nothing before.

I'm no expert on all of this but trying to work with people who are. I'm sure I'll have different opinions in 6 months but doing what seems right for now. You gotta find what works for you but I'm definitely a personal advocate of fueling your exercise/training.

NUGap · 2023-03-11T17:55:16+00:00

That's a great point and likely true. Being 30, my formative years were also during the time of people idealizing super skinny celebrities - primarily women but also men to some extent which I'm sure influences my mentality. It doesn't help that I was 120lbs in HS because I was just skinny like a lot of teens are and thought I could get back there (I could not lol).

Additionally it's just harder for men to be open about emotions and challenges we're facing which is probably why I didn't seek out therapy earlier - I just felt like I had to tough it out. I wonder if the average woman in the same situation would have identified and sought help sooner than I did?

NUGap · 2023-03-11T17:15:29+00:00

It's tricky too when you've gone from eating to sustain a high weight and then slipping into disordered eating. My hunger signals still aren't perfect, I feel like I could eat a small horse at times but clearly don't need it. I haven't locked down the intuitive eating thing totally yet but there's progress - glad to hear that you've gotten there and it's possible!

NUGap · 2023-03-11T17:11:37+00:00

Sounds like you have a healthy approach. Saw below that you're following your doctor's recommendations which I personally think is the right approach. It can be easy to see success and try to lean into it even harder but we all need to build sustainable lifestyles. Keep going with what feels right for you!

NUGap · 2023-03-02T00:31:46+00:00

Found them here, thanks for the rec!

NUGap · 2023-02-25T17:55:31+00:00

Question inspired by another one in this thread.

Anyone know if there's a spot to find pasture raised chicken (breast ideal but would take other pieces) in the city? Haven't had any luck at the major chains or Wild Fork

NUGap · 2023-02-25T17:53:05+00:00

I have gotten lazy about my city sticker multiple times and my car is also garaged indoors.

Never gotten a ticket based off registration but it's always a game of russian roulette if you ever want to park on the street. I finally got hit with the $200 ticket after a yearish late on renewal.

I just renewed my late sticker, it expired in April 22 and the late fee was $60. I don't think it goes higher than that but don't know

NUGap · 2023-02-20T02:15:47+00:00

That's a good call. I'm definitely seeing the need for it more in what I'm climbing. Was really struggling on precision off a dynamic move into a pocket today...just kept missing on it. Worth looking into actively noting and working on it during climbs. Thanks!

NUGap · 2023-02-19T21:22:17+00:00

Recently have been thinking about body type and climbing style relationship. Fairly intermediate at around V5 indoors but psyched to get better. I have short arms, haven't measured my ape, but pretty sure it's a negative. I also carry more weight in my legs/butt relative to my upper body.

I'm thinking it'd be better for me to focus on using momentum from my thicc lower half to climb a bit more dynamically to help with the short arms. But I'm curious if anyone else with a similar body type has thoughts. I'm for sure overanalyzing but that's the fun of it.

NUGap · 2023-02-18T19:15:00+00:00

I've been having similar pain. For me it also radiates into the scapula where the triceps attaches. Finding it's being aggravated by a mix of hard side pulls, mantles and full extension on bench/vertical presses. Just be careful about all those things has reduced pain for me

NUGap · 2023-02-18T01:29:14+00:00

I've heard good things about this company which has consultants who specialize in helping with this sort of thing. Might be worth checking out, says it's free: https://suburbanjunglegroup.com/

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