I feel like I spent the entire day waiting. This morning I went back to pumping water out of the pool. Originally I was going to put it on and come back later but then I started yakking with one of the neighbours. So by the time I was going to go inside I figured I couldn't leave it for 30 mins to use the treadmill. I did manage to get two sets in this morning, but quite far apart. The afternoon was spent waiting for the pool guy to show up. I actually finally gave up and had my mother wait for him while I went back to the treadmill. I had a couple of errands to run, but ended up doing them after dinner in the end.
For fun I've been putting my polar data into a spreadsheet, so I'll start posting it here as well. The first one was at attempt at HIIT.
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Treadmill
0:20:00
193
171
145
96
81
Treadmill
0:30:00
271
149
140
84
79
Treadmill
0:40:00
378
157
143
88
80
Totals
1:30:00
842
Food for the day:
Food: 2209 (30% fat, 35% carbs, 32% protein)
Breakfast: cracked wheat oatmeal bread, peanut butter, jam, grapefruit (271)
AM Snack: protein shake, almonds (254)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked ham, cheese, apple (506)
PM Snack: soy nuts, cheese spread with rice crackers (313)
Dinner: pork souvlaki, chicken & turkey sausage, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (495)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (370)
The morning was 10 mins of a walking DVD which for some reason gave me a pain on the ball of one foot. I've done it before, but I was doing it on the new rubber mat, so that may have contributed to it. So I switched over and did a 20 min session and a 30-min session on the treadmill. In the afternoon I did a 15-min warm-up on the treadmill, followed by:
Followed with another 15 mins on the treadmill. Then I helped carry the solar blanket and roller over to the pool, and covered it. And yes, cranked on the heater. The water is 46F, so that usually means a little longer than two days to get to a decent temp. Although it's warmish (even now) so who knows. I'm starting to wonder how much higher I can go on the squat. Not the ability to use a higher weight, but the ability to get it down off my shoulders after. I still plan to keep adding 5 pounds each time, but we'll see.
Breakfast: egg/egg white omelet with chicken & turkey sausage, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, jam, grapefruit (534)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked back bacon, cheese, apple (515)
PM Snack: protein shake, soy nuts, fruit salad (382)
Dinner: white chili with cauliflower, chicken & turkey sausage, salad w/dressing (692)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (310)
Thanks, it better have been since I feel a little like a truck ran over me this morning. It's probably a good thing that I'm off to run some errands instead of the treadmill. It will have to get pushed a little later. It is a gorgeous day out though, with a high of close to 20C (68F).
Sounds like you will need to be getting a squat rack soon! Nice job!
My problem is there's absolutely no space where it could go. I'm already pushing the limits of the room I'm using. Even now I have to move the rubber mat I use for the weights in order to use the treadmill. And the dumbbells are sitting on the fireplace (good thing it's spring). The cat is happier since I moved the mess of plates away from his sleep spot on the fireplace. I miss my last home where the downstairs room was 30' x 24'. Oh well, you work with what you have.
This morning I was up early (even before the alarm) but I still ended up having a draggy day. I managed to get two sessions in on the treadmill before lunch, even though it was late. I spent most of the afternoon trying to talk myself into the third session (which I did). I also put the pool cleaner in, which will be swimming temp by tomorrow. The weather is so nice, which is helping. And I was feeling so lazy that we ended up having the frozen mushroom pizza in the freezer. I'll only had to change the afternoon and evening snacks to include a bigger protein shake to make up for it.
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Treadmill
0:30:00
285
152
132
85
74
Treadmill
0:30:00
295
144
134
81
75
Treadmill
0:30:00
267
159
137
89
77
Totals
1:30:00
847
Food for the day:
Food: 2198 (31% fat, 36% carbs, 31% protein)
Breakfast: cracked wheat oatmeal bread, peanut butter, jam, grapefruit (261)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked back bacon, cheese, apple (515)
PM Snack: soy nuts, protein shake (359)
Dinner: mushroom pizza, salad w/dressing (499)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (400)
Wow you are doing some amazing cardio work here. Are you tired maybe because you are crashing??? If you burned up 847 kcals in your cardio and only ate 2198 for the day you are in a serious deficit.
It is possible. Until adding the HRM I really didn't think I was burning that much from what I usually refer to as simple walking. I was going by the count on the treadmill and adjusting it up a little (as it's not weight based, and I'm not average). However, looking at yesterday and comparing it to my estimates there's about 300 cals a day difference. I'm seeing about 300-400 calories difference in what I've estimated and what the heart rate monitor says I'm burning. This is assuming that number is accurate.
I still think that the rest of the time I'm doing little more than baseline burning (sitting at the computer, sitting on the couch, etc.) although now that the weather is nicer that will change. As someone who avoids exercise like the plague usually it's easy to convince myself that I shouldn't do it. So I'm never sure if I'm trying to talk myself out of it or lack the energy to do it. I feel more energetic this morning so I'm at a loss. Can you tell I'm struggling with this?
I think I'm always bouncing between not doing enough and perhaps overdoing it. Now that I have a way of measuring what I'm doing it might be time to consider dropping those levels a little and seeing what happens. The other option is to raise my intake levels (although I'm not sure how I would do this and keep my protein levels up - more protein shakes I suppose). The book calculations, adjusted for weight difference give me:
RMR: 1823
No workout: 2187
Active: 2552
Strenuous: 2916
I've been doing 2200 and 2600, really assuming that my walking M-F is more of a non-workout. I'm not sure that sitting around most of the day and doing 90 mins of walking is considered active. And I think the daily walking (with a little jogging now) is probably good for my heart health, so although I may replace it with some swimming I likely plan to keep it up. Maybe the solution is to eat a bit more. I think that's the hardest thing for someone who has a lot of weight to lose - finding an appropriate level to eat at.
You've given me quite a bit to think about. I'm interested in anyone else's feedback as well.
I meant to add earlier that I'm pretty sure the food logging is accurate as well. I do know that this is somewhere you can go off track without realizing it. I measure and/or weigh most of what I consume. For example, I know that my grapefruit this morning was half a large grapefruit. The first few days I weighed it before eating, then weighed the peel when done. It was almost perfectly a match for a large grapefruit on Fitday, so until we buy a new bag I use 1/2 a large. I do the same kind of thing with the bread I made. I'll put the recipe into my tracking program, weigh the result and then weigh the portion each morning. I still measure jams, oils, butter, condiments, etc. with measuring spoons. And I weigh the cheese blend before tossing it into my omelet. I know (for me) I need to do this, as although I seem to have minimized my craving for junk, I know I can still overeat good things as well.
I would consider backing off the exercise by about 300 cals or getting in another 300 cals per day for a bit. I don't think it is necesarily a bad thing that you are eating so low given how far you have to go but it could be the cause of your feeling very low energy and down. If you want to increase your energy a bit, the added cals might be a good thing.
The quick answer on the weight loss is over the last 9 weeks I've been averaging 2.22 lbs a week. That's the quick number out of FitDay. And for the last 5 weeks it's 1.92. I'm a couple of days (likely) away from my period so that may change slightly. I'm happy with the weight loss at the moment. With the pool open now (first swim this morning!) my usual two down days of Sat/Sun will now include swimming, although it will likely just be leisurely swimming. However, those weekends will include a little labour outside if the weather holds. So I am considering raising the calories a little as it's no good if I can do the exercise, but don't have the energy to do anything else.
It's really quite hard for me to judge energy levels. At 300+ some days just going to work and walking around left me tired at the end of the day. That's the part I find the hardest, as I've never been a high energy person so how do I judge the too little energy situation. I did notice a big difference today though in getting out of the pool. In the fall, at about 45 pounds heavier, getting out at the steps was a lot harder than it was today. Of course that could be a combination of less weight, the walking I've done over the last three months, and a little more strength in the arms.
Actually 2.22lbs a week is enough for you to feel pretty run down much of the time. When I first started with my trainer I dropped right around that much and ended up crashing after 5 weeks. So I would say that you are on the fence or riding the line right now to where you wan to be. Since you have a lot to loose it probably isn't horrible for you to drop at the upper range of healthy weight loss but I would definately be on the lookout for serious drains of energy. Whatever you feel now but worse is drains. If you start to feel sort of like you have the flu or a bad cold that is the start of crashing. It probably would not hurt you at all to back off some of that cardio that you are doing. Again about 2-3 hundred cals a day worth is all you want to aim for. Of keep the cardio and eat that much more. If you can average 2 lbs a week loss that is the money honey and will serve you pretty well. You'll still feel weak and low energy but you will not crash and burn so quickly.
Again I must tell you that your log and dedication is amazingly inspirational. I can't wait to see where you are next year this time.
Thanks for the input, it does help. I think I'm going to add about 200 a day for a little while, especially as the garden work is starting. Up until now it's been fine to just veg out for the weekend, but now it's project time. If the weather holds we're planning on moving about 12' of berry bushes from one side of the yard to the other this weekend. Lots of digging, trimming, hauling stuff around. I think that's what I was getting a little concerned with. I know to lose weight there has to be a deficit. And with having so far to go, it's hard to not want more than 2lbs a week. Considering best case scenario I'm at this for the next two years (and I know as I get lighter, it will slow down no matter what) 1400 cals a week isn't going to make a huge difference for a couple of weeks. Worst case scenario, the weight loss slows. Best case scenario I get a little more energy, do a little more in the garden, and continue at roughly the same pace. I'll see how that goes.
The dedication is what I lacked the first time. I go back and look at an average daily consumption of no more than 1400 cals (although a few missed days here and there tell me I likely ate out of range those days) with an hour of higher level cardio than I'm doing now. Combine that with 5-6 hours sleep (max) and a job where I was on my feet all day (standing and walking around) and it was a recipe for disaster. I've come to accept that I have a problem with food. Hard to admit, but it's true. This time I've decided that even if I go off track I'm going to log it. Since December there have been two bad days (Dec. 31/Jan 4) and I logged every bite of the slips. I suspect I'll have to plan meals/food for years to come, to try and combat the underlying issue with food. I'll reassess that later I suppose.
Anyway, it's a beautiful day out so I'm going to aim to start my afternoon session at 3:30 so I can have a nice leisurely swim afterwards with my mother. Tomorrow we'll be digging in the dirt.
Well, I did get in the pool this morning (hooray). I decided to see how close I could come to equaling the calories I burn on the treadmill. So for 30 mins solid I swam laps (a combination of fast and slower front crawl, breaststroke, and one lap of really bad butterfly) with a few mins of treading water. I don’t seem to pedal fast enough on my treading water to keep my heart rate up, so it’s laps for me I suppose. I managed the first 30 mins, but after a short rest I tried it again, but gave up at the 15 min mark. So I suppose I’ll do some treadmill work in the mornings and follow it with some laps. I made up the other 15 mins with some walk/jog intervals on the treadmill. In the afternoon I did a 15-min warm-up on the treadmill, followed by:
And I followed with another 15 mins on the treadmill. And then I had a nice leisurely swim. Just fun swimming for about 15 mins, not laps. The only poor thing today was that I couldn’t bump up the weight on the pullovers. I actually dropped one of the dumbbells in the second set, twice. So I figured adding more weight on the next set just wasn’t going to work. As the next level is 3 set of 8 reps I’ll try working on that next week. So tomorrow’s plan is to start digging a trench to start transplanting the berry bushes. Oh joy, digging in the dirt.
And from the HRM:
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Swimming
0:30:00
294
150
134
84
75
Swimming
0:15:00
134
137
128
77
72
Treadmill
0:15:00
166
178
144
100
81
Strength Training
1:00:00
638
165
140
93
79
Totals
2:00:00
1232
Food for the day:
Food: 2796 (33% fat, 35% carbs, 32% protein)
Breakfast: egg/egg white omelet, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, jam, grapefruit (450)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked turkey, cheese, apple (528)
PM Snack: soy nuts, protein shake, fruit salad (465)
Dinner: hamburgers (2), bbq onions, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (828)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (392)
Hey Anne-
I was just reading about your energy level issues. I know what you are saying because I have never been a very high energy person either. It always seemed like my body could never keep up with all the ideas in my head.
For me, signs of overtraining or eating too little are when I am not excited about my weight workouts anymore, which normally I get very excited about. Also when I have weird food cravings and things I don't particularly care for seem irresistable. Honestly though, I started doing new rules about a year ago and I just need more sleep and am more tired all the time from these workouts. When I took a much needed rest week about a month ago, I could actually stay up past 9PM a few nights!
I can't wait to see where you are next year this time.
I thought about that last night a fair bit. I'd love to see me down below 200 sometime next year. Perhaps a year from now might be pushing it, but sometime shortly afterwards might be possible. I've kind of blocked the high school years, but I'm pretty sure I was more than 200 when I got out of high school. I'd like to see me more comfortable with some of the exercises (crunches come to mind). I suspect I'll be going through the system here for the second time. And likely I'll be studying for finals and looking for a summer job.
I will definitely still be logging my food and workouts. It's as simple as I have to. I know that once I'm back in school it will become harder to keep up the level of regular exercise, so I'll have to maybe adjust my calorie levels once it starts. That's five months away though, so plenty of time to figure that out then.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LWilson212
For me, signs of overtraining or eating too little are when I am not excited about my weight workouts anymore, which normally I get very excited about. Also when I have weird food cravings and things I don't particularly care for seem irresistable. Honestly though, I started doing new rules about a year ago and I just need more sleep and am more tired all the time from these workouts. When I took a much needed rest week about a month ago, I could actually stay up past 9PM a few nights!
Thanks. I'd say that the enthusiasm is usually gone by Friday at the moment. Even Thursday for the regular stuff. The one thing that does surprise me is that most (if not all) of the food cravings are gone. I don't know specifically why, but I'm happy about that. I was out this morning before breakfast and passed a couple of places in the past I might have picked up breakfast, and wasn't even remotely interested. I'm sure the food cravings aren't gone forever (not after a lifetime of succumbing to them), but for now they do seem under control.
I'm trying to find the balancing act, too. When I begin to feel drained and unenthused (even hopeless) about my workouts, I increase my calories because I've been eating too low. I've been tracking calories for a year and I haven't really had any trouble with feeling hungry or lethargic until I started NROLFW! It's so important to listen to our bodies and to help them speak clearly - not all confused by junk we're eating...
Pauline - that's always been my problem, I don't listen to my body. This time I'm trying very hard to. It's not easy, but so far I think I'm doing better than before. It's (for me) about finding a better way to live.
Just really adding the food for the day. So although I didn’t do any planned exercise today I did load/unload 10 bags of dirt for the garden and cleaned off the patio so we could put the chairs out. Also had a nice leisurely swim in the afternoon. I think we both thought we had far more energy than we actually did. So tomorrow we’ll have a start on the new bed for the berry bushes. Oh and I bought some pork shoulder chops on sale and cut it into pieces for stew, well after trimming all the fat and bone out of course. Still, it left me with about five and a half pounds of pretty lean stew meat that I can use later in the crock pot. Of course that just leaves me with the scraps to make into stock. Nothing like finishing one chore and creating another. Oh well, time to get some sleep so I’ll be ready for my chores tomorrow.
Food for the day:
Food: 2404 (32% fat, 35% carbs, 33% protein)
Breakfast: egg/egg white omelet with cheese, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, jam, grapefruit (457)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked turkey, cheese, apple (520)
PM Snack: soy nuts, protein shake (224)
Dinner: white chili with cauliflower, chicken and turkey sausage, salad w/dressing (692)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (348)
I never have much luck copying images in from Flickr, but I think this one has come in reasonably well. This is the trend for the last 9 weeks. 03/09 was the weigh-in before starting NROL4W. I only really look at the week to week numbers, as you can see I kind of bounce all over the place. Lately I've been more interested in the month to month numbers.
I only really look at the week to week numbers, as you can see I kind of bounce all over the place. Lately I've been more interested in the month to month numbers.
I think you've got the right idea, 'cause that's a downward trend if I ever saw one! Good job!!!
So, I've been using the treadmill (consistently) since January. Even jogging a little lately. I've been lifting weights for 6 weeks (seriously). And today, after digging/working in the garden this morning - now, I have a sore knee. Not the usual walking too much one, but behind the joint. Seems quite silly, doesn't it. I'll put some heat on it shortly and see how it is in the morning. So much for the great outdoors!
Spent a good chunk of the morning starting to prepare the bed for the berry bushes. I knew it wouldn't be simple, but it ended up being harder than I expected. We lifted the mulch, removed the ground cloth, and started to dig the trench. That's when we found the tree roots. I shouldn't have been surprised they were there, but maybe a little surprised they were so big. Oh well, that's what a pruning saw is for. Although I don't think trying to prune roots is what they're for. I was very glad when my mother decided she'd had enough for the day. We'll go back to it tomorrow. There was definite exercise, and lots of sweat on my rest day, but it was a lovely day. We had a nice leisurely swim in the afternoon. Tomorrow it's back to the routine!
Food for the day:
Food: 2399 (31% fat, 32% carbs, 35% protein)
Breakfast: protein shake, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, peanut butter, jam, grapefruit (400)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked ham, cheese, apple (506)
PM Snack: soy nuts, cheese spread with rice crackers (313)
Dinner: sirloin steak, asparagus, butter, salad w/dressing (646)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (370)
This morning started with some gardening (not counting it as exercise, but it was). Then I did 30 mins on the treadmill, and another 30 mins swimming laps. In the afternoon I did a 15-min warm-up on the treadmill, followed by:
Followed with another 15 mins on the treadmill. And ouch, ouch, ouch do I hurt tonight. The knee is better, but sore. My shoulder was bugging me (likely from the digging) even before I started lifting. However, I did manage to finish up and have a nice relaxing swim in the pool afterwards. Tonight I’ve got a sore shoulder, sore neck, sore knee, and a slightly sore wrist. No real problems though as they’re not extremely sore, just nagging stuff. Tomorrow morning might be a little interesting though.
Although I’m tired, I do feel that the food increase will help. Of course, it’s Monday so we’ll see how I feel about Thursday. However, since I also spent part of the weekend in the garden they weren’t complete rest days like most weekends.
From the HRM today (updated to yesterday’s weigh-in):
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Treadmill
0:30:00
314
156
140
88
79
Swimming
0:30:00
281
139
132
78
74
Strength Training
1:00:00
653
161
143
90
80
Totals
2:00:00
1248
I do notice the difference with the HRM - I push the exercise sessions more. On the treadmill I'll jog for a minute at the start just to get it up above 124. In the pool I'll throw in a length of butterfly to do the same. Although in the pool I do have a problem keeping the rate up as consistently.
Well, that's it for the day. I definitely need sleep. Even though I got lots of it last night I feel that I need lots tonight as well. If nothing else, the exhaustion is helping my sleeping patterns (usually very bad).
Food for the day:
Food: 2818 (33% fat, 33% carbs, 33% protein)
Breakfast: egg white/egg omelet with cheese, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, jam, grapefruit (466)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked ham, cheese, apple (558)
PM Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, soy nuts (465)
Dinner: chicken breast with tomato/wine sauce and cheese, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (639)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti, cheese spread with rice crackers (526)
I'm amazed how much just an hour or so of gardening does me in. It would be so bad if we were just doing clean-up and such, but it's digging and transplanting. I know they're pretty hardy (the berry bushes), but I use the fork to loosen them and then you really have to put your back into it to get them out. The new bed is done with six large clumps of mixed canes. It's a mix of the old canes, plus new ones that have rooted everywhere. Boysenberries are not unlike blackberries - they grow long runners in the summer that if you don't watch it tip into the ground. By next spring you've got a new plant. And then the lovely thing is blooming and you don't have the heart to pull it out, because you'll lose the fruit you know. Three or four years later it's suddenly got 8" plus of tap root. I'll clean up the bed we aren't touching tomorrow and see if there are any gaps. Then I'm going to see if any of the neighbours want the clumps we'll have left.
Info from the HRM for today:
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Treadmill
0:30:00
312
167
140
94
79
Treadmill
0:30:00
314
148
140
83
79
Swimming
0:30:00
277
140
131
79
74
Totals
1:30:00
903
Food for the day:
Food: 2413 (31% fat, 37% carbs, 31% protein)
Breakfast: protein shake, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, peanut butter, jam, grapefruit (409)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked ham, cheese, apple (506)
PM Snack: soy nuts, protein shake (269)
Dinner: spicy meatloaf with roasted potatoes and onions, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (672)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (393)
So between the gardening and the laps I'm finding my one shoulder a little sore. So this morning after the gardening I stuck to the treadmill and just did a little light swimming in the afternoon after the workout. I just wasn't into it so I ended up doing some walk/jog intervals in 3x20 min sets. In the afternoon I did a 15-min warm-up on the treadmill, followed by:
Followed by another 15 mins on the treadmill. I was actually surprised today that I managed to up the weight on the pullover, but I did. These were the ones that I dropped last week trying with 17.5lb dumbbells. I also thought I might be maxed out on the shoulder press, but managed to up the weight on that. I'm tired though, so another early night for me.
And from the HRM:
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Treadmill
0:20:00
195
146
135
82
76
Treadmill
0:20:00
207
150
139
84
78
Treadmill
0:20:00
209
146
140
82
79
Strength Training
1:00:00
583
152
134
85
75
Totals
2:00:00
1194
Food for the day:
Food: 2784 (28% fat, 33% carbs, 37% protein)
Breakfast: egg/egg white omelet, pecan cherry bread, jam, grapefruit (556)
AM Snack: protein shake, almonds (299)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked back bacon, cheese, apple (567)
PM Snack: soy nuts, protein shake, fruit salad (465)
Dinner: pork souvlaki, cauliflower, butter, salad w/dressing (505)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (392)
Nothing much going on here today. Did the 90 mins on the treadmill this morning so I could have a nap in the afternoon (before a quick swim). Now I'm trying to get to bed before 10 so I can get a good sleep as I have a busy day tomorrow.
From the HRM:
Exercise
Time
Cals
Max HR
Avg HR
Max %
Avg %
Treadmill
0:30:00
294
148
134
83
75
Treadmill
0:30:00
312
158
140
89
79
Treadmill
0:30:00
308
166
139
93
78
Totals
1:30:00
914
Food for the day:
Food: 2421 (28% fat, 40% carbs, 30% protein)
Breakfast: protein shake, pecan cherry bread, jam, grapefruit (348)
AM Snack: almonds (164)
Lunch: 2 whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked turkey, cheese, apple (528)
PM Snack: soy nuts, protein shake (269)
Dinner: baked pasta with meat sauce and cheese, snow peas, butter, salad w/dressing (766)
Late Snack: protein shake, fruit salad, biscotti (347)
Non-lifting day (4/15)
Linear Mode
