Thanks all. I will find time tomorrow to start reading threads again. Have been having too much fun this week to read the board.
Today I am 45 and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. I spent the day in CA with my team from work and in a few minutes am having a gentleman visitor. Have I ever said how much I love being single?
See ya tomorrow guys and thanks for all the well wishes. And Happy Birthday to Jessica too. I think she is a baby at 30 now!
I am 45 and I have abs!!! LOL!!
Okay so I have stretch marks too BUT I STILL HAVE ABS!!!!!!
Happy birthday from one Leo to another! You look fabulous.
I'm walking 60 miles for a breast cancer cure, September 11-13, 2009! Please support my walk and help me raise funds for cancer research by donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/...nal&fr_id=1300
Today is bike day again. I had quite the adventure riding to work this morning. It was again rainy and cold(ish) and I had to fight the urge to stay in my nice heated car. But I got the bike out and checked (and filled) the tires. As I was unhooking the pump I broke the stem from the tire. Fortunately the tube stayed inflated so I decided to ride the 12 miles to the bike shop to get the tube replaced.
When I got there, 2 cops where standing at the repair part of the shop talking to one of the technicians. Another one of the technicians asked me what I needed. I explained that I had taken out a stem and wheeled the bike up to the counter. Now, my bike is an older Giant (this shop sells and promotes Gian) but it is a very high end Giant road bike. It has a paint scheme that all the guys realy love. It is black with orange, yellow and white racing decor on it. But not only is it a really nice older bike but it has all upgraded high end racing components on it. The frame is high quality aluminum but all the components are carbon including the forks. The tires are extremely light. I bought it used from a bike shop in downtown Portland for a mere fraction of the price of a newer such model and had it fit specifically for me by the owner of that store. With my purchase he allowed me to pick out a saddle and I picked out a very nice saddle that is yellow and black and fits the bike and me well.
I say all this because I am still quite a newbie rider. I probably only have 300-400 miles on this bike total. And as I am standing there explaining my dilema I had to admit that I did not know how to change out my tube. The guy looks at the bike and looks at me and I told him that this is my first road bike. He and the cops and the other technicians all start to laugh and make comments about that being quite the exceptional first road bike. One of the cops looks at me and asks if I am out there speeding all around town on it. I told him that I can average 15-16 mph over the course of my 25 mile ride on it. They all admitted that was pretty impressive.
So then all the technicians came over to look at and admire the bike and one of them even had this bike at one time. They told me about all the components and upgrades that were made to the bike and how it was definately owned by a real bike race enthusiast. The one who did my tire could not believe how light the tire was. I was told when I bought the bike that the wheel and tire set cost over 700 dollars alone. He asked what I paid for the bike and they all told me I had gotten an amazingly great deal. My technician commented that the saddle that I picked out was over a 100 dollar upgrade. It was very cool to learn so much about the bike that I picked out and to learn that I had luckily made a great bargin.
I love the man I bought this bike from and will go back there again if ever I buy another although from talking with these guys there will never be a need for me to buy another.
So I learned how to change my tube this morning on the way to work and I missed my first meeting. Next time it will go faster. When I got to work and dismounted I found myself limping. My quads are screaming at me right now and so I intend to go VERY slowly on the way home tonight and just enjoy the scenery. This weekend will consist of back workout and REST days to allow legs to recover a bit.
Of course I do have to buy new running shoes (trainers orders again) so that might set off a little itty bitty 5-10 mile run.....
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
How do get a workout and rest DAYS on a two-day weekend?
We'll see how you do in the end. I see a long run or bike ride over the weekend, but who knows.
Tommorow is a friend's wedding on the coast so I will definately rest there. I might do a beach walk with Sherman but nothing more. Oh yeah maybe a few pushups to the bar. LOL!
Sunday I will do back workout. Legs must rest unless I can't wait to try out the new shoes that I get in the morning. The good thing RE Sunday is that the annual Portland Bridge Pedal and Bite of Portland are both going on that day. They may distract me enough to not do a run. I won't sign up for the Bridge Pedal as I will be shopping for new shoes in the AM but it will be fun to be out amongst all my fellow riders for the day.
Oh yeah I also have to get lifting shoes. Trainer keeps getting on my case about lifting in my running shoes. Sigh.... Have I told you guys how much I HATE to shop...
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Just wanted to stop by and tell you what an inspiration you've been to me over the last few months. I'm so impressed with your dedication to fitness. You've renewed my hope that it's not too late for me. You look absolutely awesome. I can't wait to see your progress as you continue on this journey. Keep up the great work!
Ab superset
v-ups
3x15
russian twists
3x15 (10lb) each side
pushups
1x15
2x12
1 arm db bent over row (each arm)
2x15 (20)
1x12 (30)
hanging leg raises
3x15 (bw)
I did manage to get new running shoes (Nike Zooms this time) but did not find time to go for a run. I did some NEAT type of activies over the weekend and this last minute workout but other than that really rested. My quads were pretty sore though until just today so that was incentive.
I haven't really been on the scale much. I have my cal intake right at 1800 a day now and am feeling just slightly hungry. I think that will do me for a .5lb loss given my activities. I feel almost like it will be more but am waiting until tomorrow and Tuesday to weigh in. Last week I weighed in and then tanked my cals because I freaked myself out a bit. I had to go and make that up later which isn't as good as just eating consitently.
Anyway I'll report that tomorrow when I see it myself and of course Tuesday is stats day which is the real number. If I gain I am actually good with that too. I want to keep the loss very, very slow at this point.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Just wanted to stop by and tell you what an inspiration you've been to me over the last few months. I'm so impressed with your dedication to fitness. You've renewed my hope that it's not too late for me. You look absolutely awesome. I can't wait to see your progress as you continue on this journey. Keep up the great work!
Howdy Chloe! Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement. Logging really is a great thing for the synergy that it creates!
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Nope not on track. I finally hit a stall or wall. Don't know which but I am told this happens at some point to everyone. Good news is that numbers show a 2lb gain of lean mass!! LOL!!! I'll take that.
Okay so obviously this is other stuff that is happening. That said I am probably at or near crossroads here and it is time for me to make decisions on how to continue. I am about 6 lbs away from my goal of 10% (per my ormon). I can do this in 3 weeks IF I give up my long ass bike rides and stuff. Other alternative is to maintain this until end of nice weather and then cut down. I don't know at this point. I hope to start with new trainer at the end of this month so may hold off on the decision until then. He is an expert at cutting.
Date
lbs
bf%
weekly avg cals
weekly avg protein in g
weekly avg carbs in g
weekly avg fat in g
weekly avg macro % (P, C, F)
4-May-08
133.8
19.5%
2656
263
266
69.4
38,39,23
27-May-08
130.2
17.4%
1696
193
163
37.1
44,37,19
3-Jun-08
129.6
18.4%
1784
190
182
41.2
41,39,20
10-Jun-08
128.2
17.8%
1648
192
166
38.8
43,37,20
6/18/2008 *
125.6
16.6%
1538
167
165
37.2
40,40,20
24-Jun-08
124.6
16.8%
1587
165
151
44
40,36,24
30-Jun-08
124.2
15.6%
1721
188
165
43.2
42,37,22
8-Jul-08
124
15.2%
1798
183
184
43.5
39,40,21
15-Jul-08
123.4
15.4%
1679
184
175
36.8
42,40,19
7/22/2008 *
123.6
14.4%
1769
179
186
40.2
39,41,20
5-Aug-08
121.4
13.8%
1702
172
146
47.8
40,34,25
12-Aug-08
123.6
13.9%
1747
184
179
36.6
41,40,19
Day
Exercise
Duration(Cardio) in hours
Avg HR if cardio
Total lbs
Total bf
Tues
lift w/David = legs
NA
NA
10.2
5.6%
Wed
Bike ride fast 40 min
1 hour easy walk
40min
140
Thrs
lift w/David (bi,tri)
1 hour fast run
1
150
This week
This week
Fri
35 mile bike ride
3
140
-2.2
-0.1%
Sat
REST
NA
NA
Sun
40 mile bike ride
4
150
Mon
Lift Legs (dl, squats)
Walk 40 min
NA
NA
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
I can do this in 3 weeks IF I give up my long ass bike rides and stuff. Other alternative is to maintain this until end of nice weather and then cut down. I don't know at this point. I hope to start with new trainer at the end of this month so may hold off on the decision until then. He is an expert at cutting.
I think it depends what you want more. However, since you're going to get what, maybe 6 more weeks of decent bike riding weather? I'd probably keep enjoying the nice weather. You can go after the 6lbs when the weather sucks.
I think I saw something you posted in Bytsi's log about making these tough decisions. I agree with Anne - do you want to give up something you love? I had a really fun ride last night and even though the weather was mediocre, I couldn't help but think that in about two months I won't be able to bike at all (ice and snow) and want to get out there as much as I can now.
David says it is definately water. He said to watch my sodium intake this week and to increase my fat and lower my carbs now. Other than that he said best to "wait and see" and not make any other drastic changes since I am not prepping for a show or anything like that. I like that approach.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Ya know, David may be right - one week "off" reading could be just that and NOT the end of the losses...
I agree with the others though - if you love the biking and can only do it for 6 more weeks, WHY would you give that up? Goals are great, but it's about living!
Workout with David today. But he was running late so I went for a little run. I did a 25 min very slow run (HR at 140 or less) with my new shoes. I was happy to do this since I haven't had the time to run in them yet. They feel different and change the way I run. I can feel my right foot being corrected which is why I bought these shoes in the first place.
When I got back to the gym he was there and we did some tri stuff with one pec exercise thrown in for good measure.
That was it. I think I wore myself out last week because I am having a hard time recovering from workouts again. My legs were sore for almost 5 day from the leg workout we did. I could feel this workout right away too. David says I am to get more sleep. Prolly not a bad idea. I want to run and do HIT and more exercise right now since my weight was up but I am going to just chill it out for today and tomorrow and concentrate on resting for awhile.
This is a "wait and see" week for me. If the scale goes up again I will be in a decision mode. I am pretty sure I will give up biking to reach my goals. It is worth it to me.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
I can't maintain the endurance sport on such low carbs. The only way to bust down into the very low BF ranges are to go pretty low carb which doesn't allow for 50 mile bike rides. I can still do 1 hour rides and that sort of thing though I am pretty certain. Just won't do for me to do 4-5 hours of cardio in a day anymore.
The good news is that I know my bf% reading is fairly accurate based on this change. It is easy to lose excess bf whereas once you reach a pretty low level it becomes a lot harder. So I know for sure I am under 20% and probably closer to 17%. The other good news is that even while I am maintaining weight the bf% is dropping right now. With the exception of yesterday the past week's readings have been in the 13.4% range. I even saw an 11.9% reading at one point which tells me I am trending the right direction. I am seeing new veinage in my arms and cuts in my legs so I know this is all real. Again I am trending in the right direction and that I don't have to change anything too drastically. Right now I am making sure to get rest and keeping cals in the 1500-1800 range. I am sticking my protein and raising the fat a bit.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Great points. It makes total sense. I had forgot for a moment you were going for 5 hour bike rides. I think a hour is long enough to still get the enjoyment of riding in great weather. Glad to hear the trend is on the way down with out much weight loss. That really is hard to do.
Yeah it is supposedly impossible or next to impossible to gain mass while losing weight so I am suspect of the numbers at this time. I can enjoy massive amounts of cardio year round actually here. A bit of rain doesn't bother my fun so winter cardio isn't entirely out for me either. Besides it goes back to my stoopid days to do that much cardio. My real goals right now are to hit the low bf% and then do another big ass bulk over the late fall and winter months. I will remain faithful to that goal.
It's funny that people think (overall) that you have to give up life (things you love) to cut. It isn't so. You just have to be flexible about the things that you love. I can love lifting heavy and doing shorter rides. I can love resting more and invest the quiet times in my guitar studies. I can love eating fresh fruits and vegetables over processed foods. I can love clean and pure ice cold water over pop. I can love how I feel as I adjust my paradigms. Yes, the long rides in the beautiful weather are amazingly fun and beautiful but I can replace them with other equally beautiful things in order to reach body recomp goals. That is how I define "living".
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Karla, are all the veins one sign that you're losing BF? Is that what causes it? My arms especially look kind of creepy especially when I'm lifting and right after.
LOL!!! Yes, it is called vascularity and many people find it to be very cool. I find it Ewwww as well but it is part of the game. As you lose bf% the veins start to pop out all over the place.
I had to laugh at your post because I remember my reaction when I first noticed it too. I was freaked out a bit by it.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Karla, I continue to be amazed by your approach.. you really are setting a good example. It's all good, whatever you decide to do. Still I'd have totally understood when you had wanted to maintain for a period and 'coast' while enjoying the frequent bike rides.
The extra wt is probably inflammation going on, perhaps also because of the cycling. How is your DOMS/soreness level? In the past I'd never get any DOMS, probably because there was constant inflammation going on. Besides, VLC -diets reduce inflammation as well. Now I'm seeing it as a good sign to get DOMS since it tells me my body isn't fighting inflammation constantly but gets 'surprised' by it rather than it being 'drowned' in the background noise. Do you get what I mean?
Re the vascularity: cant say I love it but I'm fascinated by seeing veins pop up while lifting.. even biceps veins, despite me being so much fatter than others who don't get them. Could be because of the methyl-B12 lozenges. I've heard many say that it really increases vascularity. It helps to improve sleep quality as well as reduce stress levels & improve recovery.
Thanks Espi, it is sortta how I look at life in general. Everything is always good because "good" is in my attitude not in the thing I am doing.
Did you notice your sleep improving when you started taking the b-12?
Yesterday I took a 3 hour walk with a dear friend and had an amazing dinner. It was expensive but amazing. I had shrimp and scallops (fresh as can be) and a great big plate of spinach with this awesome sweet lemon dressing. Ummmmm....
This morning the scale said 121.0 and 13.4%. These are exactly the numbers I was shooting for on Tuesday this week. So it looks like the weight is starting to drop again. It may well have been inflamation. My body was pretty sore on Tuesday. It is feeling better now. I am going to try to do a light workout of upper body today and see if things go well. I have a biz trip to San Jose coming up week after next so may do a rest week then.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
I am doing an all day class at home so thought I would shoot some pics while I was listening in. The lighting was pretty cool. I generally am not at home at this hour. I did not bother to set up tri-pod of anything. Just shot from the end table. These are different poses than the challenge pics and demonstrate both weakness and strong points. Obviously the calves and legs are pretty strong and ab area is too think as well as the place where my fat is hanging out. The great news is that this stubborn fat is moving. It is VERY slow in moving but moving all the same.
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The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Linear Mode
