So... I've read NR4W and lurked here for a couple of weeks at least and have discovered that there are a couple of things about me:
- I don't know nearly as much about nutrition as I thought I did
- Holy crap, my calories are too low for what I'm doing and I'm sabotaging myself
So after going back & forth for a couple of days on whether I should do a log (do I create a thread that's ALL ABOUT ME!! or do I just kinda read through what others are posting and cower in their impressive achievements), I decided to go ahead.
About me:
Moved out to KC in July '07 from Portland OR and love it out here (as an ex-vegetarian, I have learned the joys of KC BBQ). I'm 32, 5'6", and have struggled with my weight pretty much since puberty. Went through high school around 165-170, college around 175 with a drop to 135 and back up to ~185 at graduation...
At my max, I weighed 215. That was around Christmas of 2001. Over the next couple of years I lost a bunch of weight (cardio + weight machines at the gym) and got down to about 155... I've maintained a 148 - 160 weight since then and am now around 150. I ran two half-marathons in 2007 and loved it. But I'm not as strong as I'd like to be.
I love beer and I miss it (I used to have about 2 per day and today I'm having my first beer of the year, and drink #5 of the year). I love Belgian and craft beer and still miss the taste of it. I don't even care about the alcohol. If only I could get a "Beer Zero" that tasted like a Rogue Juniper Ale or a Stone Arrogant Bastard, I'd be set. I've been subbing Crystal Light in my evenings instead. Not the same, but it's something to drink. But, my health and strength is more important to me than a beer so... here I am.
Stuff I'm excited about:
Well, that's related to the forum anyway.
I bought a Sports Nutrition book that seems to agree with NR4W and explains in depth stuff I've never really understood or had a chance to learn. Things like glycogen storage and ATP/ADP and what sodium & potassium do to water with your muscle cells, etc. It's pretty interesting.
In ummm (counting...) 4 NR4W workouts, I can visually see a difference in my arms, pecs, and shoulders. I can't wait to see what happens in June. I keep telling myself I should take a before picture... Last summer, I was in decent shape and bought (and wore!!) a bikini for the first time. I have had 2 dreams about wearing that bikini since starting NR4W. I wonder what's on my mind.
Workouts:
My boyfriend turned me on to NR4W and I've been a convert. At home, we have power blocks and TODAY just bought an olympic weight set. Squats just with the bar are SO much easier! I immediately felt a difference in how much more limited my right side (which frequently tries to dominate) was in comparison to my left. And how much more weight I could lift.
After Christmas, I weighed in at 155 and am now at 150.6 (and 2% BF lighter) after a month of cycling (indoor) and my-own-program weight lifting. I started NR4W recently and do my lifting on MWF, with cycle intervals on TRSa. Sundays off. Tomorrow I do Stage 1 A3.
Purpose:
I have two purposes in maintaining a log:
- Track my nutrition. Right now, I take in about 1500 calories a day and get full doing so. It seems like so much food going more than that, and I feel "wrong" eating when I'm not hungry. So I have to figure out ways to up my caloric intake, especially since I'm working out 6 days a week. I get pretty good ratios on the macros, though, and my protein tends to be around 125g per day. I could probably up that a bit. I would love any input in this arena. I get bored with food quickly... for example, eating cottage cheese every day for a snack gets tiring after a week or so.
- Track my progress. I feel pretty good when I look back and see something I've written that looks like "wow I ran 2 miles today without stopping!" when I can run 10 miles without stopping. I keep paper logs of my workouts but those don't track the context or mood or emotions of the day/workout.
As usual, I'm being extremely verbose so I'll stop here.
amy