Never 2 Late 2 Chase the Dream (it's better than liposuction)

[krispy1138]

Originally Posted by Espi

From what I can see with Karla, Alan couldn't care less what you eat as long as you meet the calories & macro requirements .
It took me by surprise though how CloveApple doesn't need to weigh food. In that case I'd expect Alan to be way more specific about what & how much to eat (but to use pieces or volume).

Hey Karla.. do you and Alan have an idea as to why you are so much more hungry now, despite the higher calories?
My hunch is that it would be a combination if the higher volume & intensity of the workouts as well as just being able to eat yummier foods (IMHO a 40-40-20 macro-breakdown makes it harder to eat really yummy foods)

Bingo, Espi. Of course, Alan's plans aren't cookie cutter so it wouldn't surprise me if Karla was given specific macros to hit and CloveApple was given a different type of nutrition plan entirely, but I thought maybe I had misunderstood Karla's plan.

[Espi]

For most people that still are quite far away from their goals, meticulous weighing isn't necessary, so if they really dislike doing so, it is entirely possible to not do this.
For many of us, weighing is what was ultimately necessary to be successful. And for some, being precise, as much as others dislike it, is just part of the fun.. I'm suspecting Karla just like me, LOVES being precise.
Except that and that's why I admire her so much.. unlike me, she's sticking to her plan nearly 100%.

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by krispy1138

Bingo, Espi. Of course, Alan's plans aren't cookie cutter so it wouldn't surprise me if Karla was given specific macros to hit and CloveApple was given a different type of nutrition plan entirely, but I thought maybe I had misunderstood Karla's plan.

I think the format of the plan is more cookie cutter than not. This is not a bad thing because the format allows for all the differing types of people. The ones who measure and the ones who do not can equally follow along.

The actual number of meals and macro break down is (of course) very specific to the individual though. I'll show you a small piece of what the plan looks like so you can see the format and how it is very adaptable to all styles of people. (the anal retentive/ precise ones and the ones who really don't want to weigh anything)

Yes, I am a very precise tracker and weigh/measure everything. I sometimes wonder how that works on this plan since not weighing and weighing will give you different results. In this choice for example if you pick the whey and nuts choice the fat content of this meal will be significantly higher than if you pick the chicken breast (meat) choice. I don't really worry about that too much though and just take him literally in the macros.

If he says I eat 90g of fat a day, then I do that. If he says to get 17g of fat in meal A, I do that, etc.... As a result, this plan is actually more strict and a bit harder for me to implement than the one I used to do. In my previous plan I ate 1.5g of P per lb of bw and .4 g of F per body weight and xxx cals. I made sure to get lots of protein in the morning, at night and after workouts. Other that those things I was free as a bird. Now I have pretty specific meal ratios for several of the meals throughout the day. He is having me break up my intake of my macros and distributing them more evenly. The pre and post workout meal are very important to meet and are quite huge so cut into the calories for the rest of the day pretty hard. Since I workout at night, I end up backloading pretty hard which might be part of the hungry problem. I don't know.....

The hunger thing is weird to both of us and neither of us have a real clue why this might be. I have a theory but I haven't disclosed this yet to Alan. My theory is that I am a "carb" processor better than a "fat" processor. I think my body uses carbs more efficiently than fats and that the ratios right now are just too strongly in favor of the fats. Still I am sticking to the plan as it is written for the sake of the experiement and to give my body time to adjust to the changes. It may be that I process carbs better than fat because I have been so deficient in fat as opposed to that is what is better for me. Ultimately I want to discover what is better even if it takes some pain. Because the meals are so much more specific I have changed around what I am eating and even the foods that I eat. I neglected to get enough fiber in doing this and am working now to fix these types of things. Right now, I seem have it fixed but not sure if I am fixed due to a change I made or just time of month or what... It sure doesn't make sense for it to even be a thing in the first place does it?

My first bulk was just miserable because I was so full all the time. Now I am hungrier than I ever was in my cut. Stooopid body... You'd think it might be happy sometime....

I do want to mention that although his workout and meal plan did throw me into this crazy "hungry" thing, it also amazingly allows me to eat 300 cals a day more than I was eating and still gain at the same rate or even slower than I was before. That is both remarkable and fascinating to me that he was able to take my information and plug it into some algorithm and spit out these sorts of results first try without ever meeting me, or seeing me or anything. I have to admit when I first saw the plan I was skeptical and even considered tossing it. I mean in my bber world, who in their right mind would consider eating so much fat??!!! When I show or tell anyone about my nutrition plan today the first thing they tell me is that I am eating too much fat. I had to really do a leap of faith for that one. Then there was the matter of these big-ass workouts that actually freaked me out a bit when I first saw them and even when I first tried them and realized they were going to take so much time. I am now getting used to them and getting into the food adjustments too and am much more comfortable. That probably means it is time to change something.....

[foodfromafar]

That meal plan is so cool, Karla. I am also a precise person who prefers to measure and know exactly what is happening and why.

[krispy1138]

Thanks for posting that, Karla. It makes sense now. I really llike how he sets up that up; you get a choice, yet you don't have to figure out your own foods for the day, only to find out your macros are off and you have to play around with them.

I think I'm the opposite of you - I do better with less carbs and more fat. In the first few weeks I was doing Leigh's OPT program, I was getting SO hungry because my carbs were higher (around 150g) and fats lower (around 35g). I played around with decreasing carbs and increasing fats to 50-70g fat (lower on training days) and lower carbs to 50-100g (higher on training days) and am rarely hungry now.

[CloveApple]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Hey I just noticed in your log that you are working with Alan too. Cool. The plan is pretty spiffy isn't it? I am still tracking macros and weighing food but you definately do not have to do it with his plan do you?

I'm completely with you on the spiffy factor.

Originally Posted by Espi

It took me by surprise though how CloveApple doesn't need to weigh food. In that case I'd expect Alan to be way more specific about what & how much to eat (but to use pieces or volume).

Yup, I'm still tracking what I eat but using (as you guessed) piece or volume measures for many things. I'm still weighing some things that I'm not comfortable eyeballing (meats) or that are just easier to weigh (whey). I'm sometimes approximating for many things like spinach or tomato.

Originally Posted by Espi

For most people that still are quite far away from their goals, meticulous weighing isn't necessary, so if they really dislike doing so, it is entirely possible to not do this.
For many of us, weighing is what was ultimately necessary to be successful. And for some, being precise, as much as others dislike it, is just part of the fun.. I'm suspecting Karla just like me, LOVES being precise.

I really really like having the precise data, but getting it was making me too crazy. I couldn't handle things like eating out and I would refuse to eat a salad when I couldn't weigh each item.

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Yes, I am a very precise tracker and weigh/measure everything. I sometimes wonder how that works on this plan since not weighing and weighing will give you different results. In this choice for example if you pick the whey and nuts choice the fat content of this meal will be significantly higher than if you pick the chicken breast (meat) choice.

I've wondered about that too. I was looking at some recipes for one meal and I asked Alan how close I should be aiming to the macros. He said that when doing a recipe to pay the most attention to protein and total calories.

[kfisherx]

Clean (ish) eats today. I did not quite eat all the fats. I am feeling rather fullish now for some reason. The hunger went away finally. Don't know what that is about but am happier now this way. It feels just right even though I know it isn't at all just right because I am gaining like mad. I am getting so HUGE right now. It is way cool 'cause you can still see some of the cuts.

Goals on workout day: 2696, 233P, 234C, 92F Goals on RES day: 2385, 227P, 169C, 89F
Date	Workout	Weight	Waist	Total Cals	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Friday, October 31, 2008	R	123.80	15.30	2716	229	242	92.5
Saturday, November 01, 2008	x	122.20	NA	2823	240	268	99.1
Sunday, November 02, 2008	x	124.20	NA	2702	239	242	90.8
Monday, November 03, 2008	x	127.20	NA	2419	226	210	83.9
Tuesday, November 04, 2008	x	124.60	NA	2544	233	224	91.7
Wednesday, November 05, 2008	R	124.80	NA	2357	233	168	91.1
Thursday, November 06, 2008	x	125.40	NA	2357	233	168	91.1
Friday, November 07, 2008	x	125.90	NA	2620	236	237	90.8
2 week average and results	NA	1.9 lbs	NA	2600	241	222	90.5
Saturday, November 08, 2008	R	125.80	NA	2323	234	138	100.9
Sunday, November 09, 2008	R	126.40	NA	2344	254	127	95
Monday, November 10, 2008	x	126.60	NA	2535	233	237	85.4

Did a workout today despite common sense. Yesterday I spent a great deal of the day on bedrest due to my trap injury moving to my neck. I took motrin (which always makes me sleepy) and spent several hours just lying around. Today I cannot move my head very easily from side to side but I can move up and down well enough to do legs! LOL! Okay it was a risk but I always argue what good is a healthy body if the mind is insane? I had to at least try something. I confess the prone ham work really hurt but after that I just numbed out and it was easier. I actually feel fine now. Tomorrow I see a chiropractor for first time in my life. Hoping that helps and not hurts.

Stayed in nice safe machines and made it an objective to NOT PR on anything. I did fine up until those back hyper-extensions and then the calf raises. I think i am doing the calf-raises wrong because all of a sudden I cannot seem to get enough weight on them to make me feel anything. I am keeping my heels in and getting max range of motion and staying on my tip-toes for a count of three. The 320lb weight is crushing on my back but doesn't seem to hit the calves anymore. I will see if I can get some help with this sometime this week.

Monday, November 10, 2008
Rest=90 sec
Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight	Notes
Quads 1 - Hack squats on machine	5	5-8	1x8x8x50lb 4x8x140lb	Work safe not hard
Ham 1 - pron ham curls	5	5-8	1x8x20 4x8x40lb	Work safe not hard
Quads 2 - Leg Press	4	5-8	1x8x40lb 1x8x100lb 3x8x120lb	Work safe not hard
Ham 2 - seated leg curl	4	5-8	1x8x40lb 1x8x500lb 1x8x60lb 2x8x80lb	Work safe not hard
Low Back 1 -rack pulls	5	5-8	NA	Work safe not hard
Abs 1 - bosu crunch	3	10-15	3x15 bw	Work safe not hard
Low Back - hyper-extensions	4	5-8	1x8xbw 3x8x35lb 2x8x46lb	Work safe not hard
Abs 2 - cable pull down	3	10-15	3x15 (+70)	Work safe not hard
Calves 1 - standing calf raise	5	5-8	1x8x180 1x8x250 1x8x300 2x8x320	Work safe not hard
NOTES: 1st exerces 2 warmup sets one light, one mod and 3 sets to failure 2nd exercise 1 warmup mod and 3 sets to failure

So cross your fingers for me tomorrow. When you work a muscle that is not well, you either help it or hurt it. Right now it feels like I helped it but tomorrow will be the real test.

[Celestialmom]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Okay it was a risk but I always argue what good is a healthy body if the mind is insane? I had to at least try something.

LOL! That's what I said this summer when I was picking rocks and doing tons of gardening etc on my "rest" days! I was way stressed and emotional and any exercise REALLY helped!

[Espi]

You're too funny Karla. Hopefully no ill effects from the machine lifting.

You might be right about you being more of a carb burner, but it would pay off to try this first and then adjust if things really don't work. I'm in a shift myself too but now the other direction.. I've pushed carbs to a bit over 200g a day (almost 45% !) and protein down to a measly 135g /day (just barely 2g/kg BW). 45% is really too much but 40% is doable. Fats just need to be higher than 30% or 70g minimum)... the big Q is how much P does one really really need in order to grow LBM.

It almost seems that actually with adequate amounts of carbs & calories, protein can go lower than I thought.. since I'm seeing muscle growth all of a sudden while my protein is lower than when I was still (very) low-carbing.. quite the paradigm shift for the former LC-adept. The only thing I hate about higher carb intake is how much more DOMS & allergy responses I get.. lowcarbing suppresses both.

Most people can eventually adapt to everything but some just can't.. don't feel bad if this doesn't work out well enough.

[Bytsi]

Glad you're feeling less hungry... be CAREFUL with the trap/neck stuff - I have battled with that for years and years and it sucks. (but I tend to try to lift anyway too...)

[tcoy777]

Hope you get feeling better soon. Was it not YOU who yelled at me earlier to take it easy??? HMMMM... Then again I did not listen either. Guess we all have a bit of a sickness on this one. Seriously though, be safe.

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by Celestialmom

LOL! That's what I said this summer when I was picking rocks and doing tons of gardening etc on my "rest" days! I was way stressed and emotional and any exercise REALLY helped!

Yeah, but I was reading in your log that you too are a horse person. Horse people have a different view of "rest day" anyway. I love both of your new additions btw. The mare and your daughter seem perfectly matched! That was a lucky find.

Originally Posted by Espi

You're too funny Karla. Hopefully no ill effects from the machine lifting.

You might be right about you being more of a carb burner, but it would pay off to try this first and then adjust if things really don't work. I'm in a shift myself too but now the other direction.. I've pushed carbs to a bit over 200g a day (almost 45% !) and protein down to a measly 135g /day (just barely 2g/kg BW). 45% is really too much but 40% is doable. Fats just need to be higher than 30% or 70g minimum)... the big Q is how much P does one really really need in order to grow LBM.

It almost seems that actually with adequate amounts of carbs & calories, protein can go lower than I thought.. since I'm seeing muscle growth all of a sudden while my protein is lower than when I was still (very) low-carbing.. quite the paradigm shift for the former LC-adept. The only thing I hate about higher carb intake is how much more DOMS & allergy responses I get.. lowcarbing suppresses both.

Most people can eventually adapt to everything but some just can't.. don't feel bad if this doesn't work out well enough.

I am sticking with this and oddly enough I am no longer hungry like I was. This went away just as mysteriously as it came. I am not complaining. I did lose a lb today but I gained a lb sometime last week overnight so I think it is just correcting.

Your lifting btw is totally BADASS lately. I can see where it isn't settled enough for you but it sure looks fun. Also, if I were you, I would shoot to be at the top of the lower weight class for a competition. Never be at the bottom unless you are freakishly strong. AND YES do compete if you can. Always compete. It keeps you striving for better.

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

Glad you're feeling less hungry... be CAREFUL with the trap/neck stuff - I have battled with that for years and years and it sucks. (but I tend to try to lift anyway too...)

I am seeing a chrio today for the first time in my life. If this doesn't knock it out than I will see my accupunture guy. One of the two will make it good. I am positive. Alan told me that if I made it through a workout that my injury isn't all that bad. I tend to agree with him.

Your son's little adventure cracked me up. I know it is hard for you now but in 20 years from now, when he is struggling with his own toddlers, you can remind him of how hard he was to raise. That is the real reward of parenting you know. Watching them raise their own...

BTW you know damned well that your weight gain is NOT fat. Don't sweat it and prepare for the whoosh that is coming. You'll make a new low again soon.

Originally Posted by tcoy777

Hope you get feeling better soon. Was it not YOU who yelled at me earlier to take it easy??? HMMMM... Then again I did not listen either. Guess we all have a bit of a sickness on this one. Seriously though, be safe.

LOL!!! It's always easier to give than to get advice. I learned a LOT about rehab with my torn hamstring muscle and tendon. One of the things that I learned was that sick muscles do need to be worked even if it hurts or the part will freeze up. I am pretty sure this is muscles acting up so I worked 'em.

Your pressing is really impressive the past days and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that you run with your wife. Especially since you do not post times on those days. It isn't about the time you made but the time you had.

[Espi]

So nice you're no longer hungry. Could be hormonal too, mine nearly always is, unless I'm doing too much lifting or cardio: always funny to watch.
Or.. your body (like CloveApple writes below) adapted to the new routine.

And thanks for the compliment : since my trainer keeps saying "when you are doing a meet, then... I guess that I should at least pretend I'm going to compete or do my darndest best to be 'worthy'. However there's soo much technical hurdles to leap. Weird to even think about it as a former eternal klutz. Weight loss will be as slow as molasses though.. to keep the lucky streak of improved strength & so on. Don't want to rock the boat too much.

I suppose you are still busy with cert studying?

[CloveApple]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

I am sticking with this and oddly enough I am no longer hungry like I was. This went away just as mysteriously as it came. I am not complaining. I did lose a lb today but I gained a lb sometime last week overnight so I think it is just correcting.

Maybe your body adapted, but whatever it was I'm glad. A high level of hunger is no fun.

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by Espi

So nice you're no longer hungry. Could be hormonal too, mine nearly always is, unless I'm doing too much lifting or cardio: always funny to watch.
Or.. your body (like CloveApple writes below) adapted to the new routine.

And thanks for the compliment : since my trainer keeps saying "when you are doing a meet, then... I guess that I should at least pretend I'm going to compete or do my darndest best to be 'worthy'. However there's soo much technical hurdles to leap. Weird to even think about it as a former eternal klutz. Weight loss will be as slow as molasses though.. to keep the lucky streak of improved strength & so on. Don't want to rock the boat too much.

I suppose you are still busy with cert studying?

My first guess is adaptation as I generally do not have hormonal things going on but perhaps with all the new fat (the hormonal nutrient) I am?? Who knows. The body is a pretty unpredicatable thing at best and the only thing I can do is to hold the path and see what happens. It's always a surprise in the short term and never one in the longer term.

The bber trainer I work with always tells me pretty very matter-of-factly that I am showing as well. It is a good attitude to have and quite honestly I am probably going to do it at some point. I have a few more cycles to do though. (bulk/cut cycles not steriods)

[tcoy777]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Your pressing is really impressive the past days and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that you run with your wife. Especially since you do not post times on those days. It isn't about the time you made but the time you had.

Thanks things are getting better, still lost so much strength on the big lifts from the training and the marathon itself. I have fun running with my wife, not sure she feels the same way at times. Its still really hard for her, so she can't really get to the point that she enjoys our runs. I am so proud of her though. We ran 2.5 miles the other day and I made (encouraged) her up a pretty good size incline. She kept saying she could not make it. I kept telling her she could its just a few more steps. When we got done she asked how I knew she could do it. I told her if she put her mind to it she can do anything. Its getting her out of her comfort zone (safely) that is the hardest part of it. Still every day I am more proud of her. I think I will be more glad to see her cross the finish line of this 5k, then when I saw the finish line in Chicago.

[Bytsi]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Your son's little adventure cracked me up. I know it is hard for you now but in 20 years from now, when he is struggling with his own toddlers, you can remind him of how hard he was to raise. That is the real reward of parenting you know. Watching them raise their own...

BTW you know damned well that your weight gain is NOT fat. Don't sweat it and prepare for the whoosh that is coming. You'll make a new low again soon.

Glad you can laugh about my son... I'm not quite there yet . He's going back to school tomorrow... my neighbor's DD is in his grade and she told me that the suspension of the two boys has been the talk of the school . I can't WAIT to see him try to parent his own kids (or to see my DD deal with a little drama-queen of her own ).

And yeah, I know the weight isn't fat, but it's frustrating all the same... AF is due Monday, so it's a little early for a PMS gain (and also unlikely - though not impossible - to get a whoosh in the next few days). Here's hoping...

[kfisherx]

Well lil' hamster you are pressing 50lb db man! What do you expect? I cannot even do that yet. I have in the past during my first bulk but not for this one yet. I always seem to be my strongest during these times of unexpected weight gain. For some reason the two conincide it seems... So looking on the bright side... Yeah there is some pudge but I am gonna use that to make more LBM and really kick it up a few notches!

[Celestialmom]

Karla, yeah, the horses are great. We are having great fun and I'm actually enjoying the challenges as much as the fun of riding and having them. We decided this week is "horse camp" in homeschool, and we've been watching Parelli videos and going through the lessons. (Still have to do math and a couple other major subjects though much to my kids' chagrin).

Glad to hear you're not hungry anymore. I'm going through a weird not hungry spell (like I've only had about 700 cal today and dinner doesn't even sound appetizing). Anyway, hope you keep goin' well. I may be up for a bulk soon if all goes right on my end!

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by Celestialmom

Karla, yeah, the horses are great. We are having great fun and I'm actually enjoying the challenges as much as the fun of riding and having them. We decided this week is "horse camp" in homeschool, and we've been watching Parelli videos and going through the lessons. (Still have to do math and a couple other major subjects though much to my kids' chagrin).

Glad to hear you're not hungry anymore. I'm going through a weird not hungry spell (like I've only had about 700 cal today and dinner doesn't even sound appetizing). Anyway, hope you keep goin' well. I may be up for a bulk soon if all goes right on my end!

Do your kids realize how lucky they are!??! My Gawd... Horse camp week.

I am SOOOO happy for you to be starting a bulk soon. Last year I was the only person who participated in a bulk and when I mentioned it as a suggestion to anyone else I was chastised. It appears that everyone equated bulking with getting fat. You can do a super clean bulk and I contend it is the best thing ever not just for the physical being but even more so for your mental well being.

There are a few others now soon ready to launch into this phase of their training and they will soon see what I mean if they can be disciplined enough. It is incredible and this time is so much better than the first time. I am actually loving it.

[kfisherx]

Not such a great compliance day. I fell asleep unplanned earlier this evening from the muscle meds and just woke up. I don't feel well enough to catch up so am not going to try. That mysterious lb that I gained last week left as suddenly as it came. I am not surprised and was waiting for that to happen.

On the good side of things, I am starting to really enjoy these macros and had a phenominal dinner this evening consisting of steak and bread and salad. A power meal if you will. I am learning to bring fats into my meals though I am concerned that today I ate far too many meat and dairy fats as opposed to nuts and vegetable fats. I have several questions into Alan regarding the fat consumption thing and will see what he advises.

Sunday, November 09, 2008	R	126.40	NA	2344	254	127	95
Monday, November 10, 2008	x	126.60	NA	2535	233	237	85.4
Wednesday, November 12, 2008	R	125.80	NA	2081	236	96	90.4

No workout today and tomorrow. I did see the chiro today RE my injury. It was actually pretty interesting and I walked out thinking that it did nothing for me but after about 2 hours I had this incredible range of motion all of a sudden. I could actually turn my head side to side with much less pain than before. She claimed that I had thrown a high rib and also that my neck was out. She thinks the rib was thrown as a first issue and then the muscles all acted together to pull out my neck after I worked out another few times with rib out. She did only partially adjust my neck because she said my muscles were too inflamed on the left side to do the full job. She sent me home to rest until Thurs and then she will finish the job. I am still skeptical of the whole thing but I certainly cannot argue the improvement I have now.

Also funny thing... She said at one point that she did not think the injury was spinal or skelatal and I informed her that I knew for sure it wasn't. She looked at me quizzically and wanted to know how I knew this. I told her that the very spine in question had held up 320lbs of weight last night during my leg workout so for sure it was just fine. I thought I was being pretty funny but it actually resulted in a lecture about my tiny frame and how it isn't really designed to hold such weights, etc, etc... And then she kept warning me over and again how dangerous a sport lifting can be. whooopsie...

I remember reading that chiros where often opposed to this sport but forgot about that....

[Bytsi]

Glad the chiro was helpful. I used to go regularly, but haven't been in a couple of years (oopsie!). It did help, but it's just so hard for me to get there these days... I wonder if you can find a chiro who is more understanding of what you're doing in the gym?

[tcoy777]

yeah and sitting on the couch eating fried food all day will clog your arteries. I don't know why they say such things! Besides if you keep lifting heavy in her eyes your going to be a repeat customer.

[Celestialmom]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Do your kids realize how lucky they are!??! My Gawd... Horse camp week.

I am SOOOO happy for you to be starting a bulk soon. Last year I was the only person who participated in a bulk and when I mentioned it as a suggestion to anyone else I was chastised. It appears that everyone equated bulking with getting fat. You can do a super clean bulk and I contend it is the best thing ever not just for the physical being but even more so for your mental well being.

There are a few others now soon ready to launch into this phase of their training and they will soon see what I mean if they can be disciplined enough. It is incredible and this time is so much better than the first time. I am actually loving it.

Ha ha! I think they do realize! So far it's great, but to justify that it's "school" we spend way more time on it. It truly is learning and I just keep reminding myself of all the field trips, party days, assemblies, etc. that school kids have. This is just a week of field trips (actually 4 days b/c Friday is co-op)! One of the lessons that I'm hoping to impart is how fun and easy it is to learn new things. I want them to really love learning, not just suffer through the required hours, kwim?

Glad you're feeling better--my chiropractor always does wonders for me as well. Though it also takes a couple visits.

[krispy1138]

I'm one of those contemplating a bulk in the next few weeks. The advice I was given on another forum was to bulk 12 weeks, cut for 8, and repeat. What are your thoughts on that? If you have any other tips, I'd love to hear them. I've never done a bulk before and since I seem to gain weight pretty easy, I want to make sure I'm doing it right. I think my LBM is pretty low (only about 102 lbs of my 134 lb weight) and I would really like to increase it to get a more athletic look.

WRT fats: I'm a HUGE fan of nut butters and get most of my good fats from them. Probably not the healthiest approach since I'm only getting one kind of good fat (except for my fish oil pills), but when you're only eating 1400 calories, there is very little room for foods that make you happy. Anyway, I saw someone recommend on another forum to include 1 tablespoon with at least 4 meals, so I've been doing that at the end of the meal. Of course, you could also sprinkle nuts on salads, oatmeals, stir frys, etc., or add olive oil to just about anything!

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

Glad the chiro was helpful. I used to go regularly, but haven't been in a couple of years (oopsie!). It did help, but it's just so hard for me to get there these days... I wonder if you can find a chiro who is more understanding of what you're doing in the gym?

Hey the girl fixed me and that is all I care about. She can lecture away all she wants if she otherwise knows her job. Up until today this injury was really just getting worse and or staying the same. Today I have nearly full range of motion and I nealy feel 100%. I am dying to go lift upper again!

Originally Posted by tcoy777

yeah and sitting on the couch eating fried food all day will clog your arteries. I don't know why they say such things! Besides if you keep lifting heavy in her eyes your going to be a repeat customer.

If I keep hurting myself I know this is a bad program for me and will have to switch it or my goals or something. I believe I can gain hypertrophy without lifting as heavy as I am. I will have to adjust my strength gain goals then though. We'll see... I am going cautiously and anxiously forward now! First upper body lift will likely happen on Saturday with David. He said he can isolate the muscles that have not been affected by this injury (bis, tris, pecs maybe) while allowing the trap, shoulders a little more chill time... That sounds like a pretty good plan. Right now I am playing it day by day by ear...

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by Celestialmom

Ha ha! I think they do realize! So far it's great, but to justify that it's "school" we spend way more time on it. It truly is learning and I just keep reminding myself of all the field trips, party days, assemblies, etc. that school kids have. This is just a week of field trips (actually 4 days b/c Friday is co-op)! One of the lessons that I'm hoping to impart is how fun and easy it is to learn new things. I want them to really love learning, not just suffer through the required hours, kwim?

Glad you're feeling better--my chiropractor always does wonders for me as well. Though it also takes a couple visits.

I think it is perfectly acceptable and exactly why homeschool kicks ass over public school. Kids in public school would simply not have the chance to do this level of study. You ought to consider teaching them showmanship and then making them compete. It is a really simple (in concept), fairly inexpensive ground class and will get them into the competitive thing as well which is a component often lacking in home school. (just a suggestion) My little Arab and I rock in Showmanship.

[kfisherx]

Originally Posted by krispy1138

I'm one of those contemplating a bulk in the next few weeks. The advice I was given on another forum was to bulk 12 weeks, cut for 8, and repeat. What are your thoughts on that? If you have any other tips, I'd love to hear them. I've never done a bulk before and since I seem to gain weight pretty easy, I want to make sure I'm doing it right. I think my LBM is pretty low (only about 102 lbs of my 134 lb weight) and I would really like to increase it to get a more athletic look.

I cannot offer you a ton of advice given I do not know you but I can offer you the lessons I learned from doing bulk 1 and now bulk 2. Alan has been SOOOOO helpful for me in bulk 2 and this one is going so much better. The devil of bulking is really in your mind and on the scale. You question yourself and everything you are doing as you watch in horror 'cause the scale is going up. You start to see rolls of fat on your frame. With Alan, I am relaxed knowing that my diet is optimized for my goal. All the myths that exist about fats, carbs, protein, he just cuts through them. Recently some of my bber girl friends informed me that I should not eat fats post workout and Alan pointed me to one of his articles that debunked that myth. The cool thing about his articles are they are backed by numberous independent science based studies. That pice of mind has been priceless for me.

Here are the main lessons I learned from my own personal experience

1. bf% measuring is mostly stupid/useless. (new learning) The Bio-impedence fat measuring devices are useless even for trending. Throw away all the fat machines and use the mirror and how your clothing fits to tell you whatz up. Get your diet correct and relax already knowing that you are doing the right thing.
2. Cardio is not necesarry either in the bulk or the cut. It really can really all be done with diet and lifting.
3. Cardio in the bulk is actually somewhat defeating. Let go of it already will ya???!! Walking is a great form of cardio IF you must.
4. You need to set a bulk time of a minimum of 3 months. I think that longer is better. Reason is that the first two months you are just starting to get into your strength from the extra food and just starting to get used to the eating thing. Turning it around so soon would not give you enough time to really build LBM.
5. The first two months you will gain weight really fast. Get over it already and pull out the bulky sweaters. Your body will fill up with water/glycogen and if you have been sick lean, your body will need to get up to a more normal bf%. It's all good.
6. Lift really, really heavy and hard. Take advantage of your new body and strength and get into a program that challenges you to keep pushing new boundaries. The program Alan has me on is ideal or NROL strength, hypertrophy or something similar. Remember this is about putting on muscle. Do it!!!!
7. SURPRISE you are still on a diet! One of the most suprising things to me when I went on the bulk was that it wasn't easier in any way than a cut. In fact it was even harder. On the cut you can cut back on the meals and relax a bit more on eating and run around like crazy if you want. On the bulk you have to eat consistantly and you still have to fit the right calories and macros in. Damn, looks like I will forever be on a diet. Get over it. It is a good thing.

[tcoy777]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

3. Cardio in the bulk is actually somewhat defeating. Let go of it already will ya???!! Walking is a great form of cardio IF you must.

I hate to admit this but this is probably the best advice. To bad I have entirely too much fun trying to prove this wrong.