Wow, Bytsi! That sounds intense. Glad your foot didn't hold you back. Ice and a good supper were just what the doctor ordered!!
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Originally Posted by Littlemermaidklb
Good job girl! I'm sure you'll pass with flying colors!!!! When do you find out? Monday?
I'm rootin for ya!
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Originally Posted by kfisherx
Whoa... That is some really intesnse testing. I had no idea it was that kind of brutal. I might actually respect the belts more knowing this... Not that I disrespected them in the past only thought they were somewhat easier to earn....
Foot is actually ok today - big bruise but not slowing me down (whew!). I find out Monday...
Karla - some schools it's not that brutal at all (like my old TKD school). This one is very intense... but you know you earned it if you get a belt from them!
I ate badly last night (but still hit my calories, and I figure I HAD to have burned well over 1000 kcals in the test)... Went out to dinner (almost fell asleep at the table ). Split calamari appetizer with DH (YUM!!) and then ordered shepherd's pie (Irish pub). I couldn't finish it all, but it was GOOOOOOOOD . Then later, we ordered some cookies and pastries at a bookstore and shared the pile of goodies (with DH and DS - my DD was on a date - yikes!)... So - not very nutrient-rich and not clean at all, but nice to take a break and not feel guilty!!!
This morning, worked out, and then - took pictures. They don't coincide with measurement day, but... I took 'em... I'll post them in a few...
Today's workout: Stage 3, A3
1 arm DB snatch: 3x6 of 30# (increase from only doing 1 set at 30#)
DB single-leg RDL: 3x6 of 2x30#'s
Bbell bent row: 60# (warmup), 3x6 of 100#, 110#, 110#
DB single-arm overhead squat: 3x6 of 20#/10# (just can't seem to increase this - I feel a huge effort in my core while doing these)
DB incline bench press: 3x6 of 2x40#'s
Plank: 3x60 Yeah! I decided to try NOT to go for 90, but to try to do 60 and not be too dead to do anymore... first time I ever did 3x60 with NO KNEE DROPS!!
Reverse wood chop: 3x6 @ 40#'s
BW Matrix: 2:34, 2:46
Then walked 20 min on treadmill at low pace (HR around 100-105 LOL!).
Pictures... UGH... Still not liking this at all. Hard to see changes (if there are any). Pics are (from L to R): April 4 (one month into NROLW, didn't take "before" shots), Today (so about 6 or 7 weeks later?) in same too-tight swimsuit, Today in swimsuit bottoms that fit and sports bra (maybe my rolls don't look as bad in clothes that aren't 10 sizes too small?). I think you have to click to see the pics bigger, but they'll come up as a group so you can see the same angle at the same time...
Bytsi...........WOW with all your hard work for your testing!!! That sounded really intense and you stuck with it with out any water for 2 hours??? That's incredible to me. I can't wait to hear your results on Monday.
I think you can see the best changes in your side shots. Your stomach/waist is getting smaller. You can see how it is shifting as you are losing it in that area. Leigh had explained one time to me that that is why measurements may be deceiving sometimes because your fat shifts as you are losing it. KUTGW
Keep working hard and I agree with Karla.......if you aren't losing any weight and are doing these intense workouts, then you are probably eating at maintanence.
__________________
"Become better than you used to be, not better than someone else." ~ Leigh Peele
Nice work on the test. Sounds pretty intense! I hope your foot is ok, I've been there several times. Just make sure to keep icing it.
I agree with everyone about the pics. I think the biggest change is in the midsection. That's how I'm going too. It will all come out of my waist before it comes from anywhere else. We look to have the same sort of body comp, so maybe you're the same way.
Bytsi...........WOW with all your hard work for your testing!!! That sounded really intense and you stuck with it with out any water for 2 hours??? That's incredible to me. I can't wait to hear your results on Monday.
I think you can see the best changes in your side shots. Your stomach/waist is getting smaller. You can see how it is shifting as you are losing it in that area. Leigh had explained one time to me that that is why measurements may be deceiving sometimes because your fat shifts as you are losing it. KUTGW
Keep working hard and I agree with Karla.......if you aren't losing any weight and are doing these intense workouts, then you are probably eating at maintanence.
Thanks Stephanie... yeah - 2 hours without water SUCKED! And yeah, I hate to admit that Karla is probably right about maintenance eating (lol!) but I am slowly working on cutting calories a little bit more. I don't want to undereat and kill what's left of my metabolism, so doing it carefully... (plus I get HUNGRY!)
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Originally Posted by nutbar
Wow, congrats on surviving the test! That sounds exhausting!
Agreed on improvements in your middle. There's a big difference there.
Thanks
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Originally Posted by realcdn
I definitely see the biggest different in the mid-section. And maybe it's just the change in outfit, but your ass looks a little higher.
(btw - thanks for the comment. I tend to lurk a lot and post little myself.)
I don't know if it's the suit or not... it's not a great suit either (bottom half of a tankini, but I don't have any other real bikini bottoms cuz I wouldn't be caught DEAD in public wearing them (which is why the only one I have doesn't even fit)!
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Originally Posted by jesca
Nice work on the test. Sounds pretty intense! I hope your foot is ok, I've been there several times. Just make sure to keep icing it.
I agree with everyone about the pics. I think the biggest change is in the midsection. That's how I'm going too. It will all come out of my waist before it comes from anywhere else. We look to have the same sort of body comp, so maybe you're the same way.
Foot is doing better than I thought it would... nice bruise on it though!
It's nice to see other people with similar bodies - SillySally and I look somewhat alike too... I wouldn't mind it coming off my waist / midsection... although arms would be nice (as would thighs... everywhere else)...
I tried on a "cute" white blouse today. The cute sleeves cut off circulation around my upper arms
(Afterthought - Diane - if you read this, the sports-bra I'm wearing in the pics is the Lily of France one from Kohls!)
I tried on a "cute" white blouse today. The cute sleeves cut off circulation around my upper arms
Everytime I try short sleeved blouses I have to buy a larger size because my arms don't fit. They're about 12" and I guess that's big. Whatever it is, it's a pain! I don't imagine getting ripped is going to help much since it will eventually make my arms a little bigger.
I think your back view shows a lot of improvement! I love your description of your test - it sounds grueling. I can't wait to hear if you passed! I would probably not drink much either because I wouldn't want to have to pee in the middle.
Bytsi,
Can't wait to hear your test results!! As for the pics, you are really slimming in the belly area, and realcdn is right, the back view is improving also! Great job...
I have to agree with everyone here who is seeing some significant changes. You may be eating correctly to get bf changes (slowly) If you want the scale to move and to go faster than you'll have to drop cals. The good news is that you know already that the cals you are eating today are very near maintainence so a body bugg might not be that useful to you. It might be a simple matter of dropping 2-3 hundred and see what happens in a month.
If you have great hunger even at maintainance levels then it is likely the case that you have something not entirely correct in your macros or you are not eating evenly distributed meals throughout the day. Best thing to do if at all possible is to create ahead of time 6 meals that you can eat at specified times throughout the day. This makes it pretty easy to avoid cravings.
Everytime I try short sleeved blouses I have to buy a larger size because my arms don't fit. They're about 12" and I guess that's big. Whatever it is, it's a pain! I don't imagine getting ripped is going to help much since it will eventually make my arms a little bigger.
I don't know if my arms'll get much bigger - they have a nice layer of fat on them now . I can really see my triceps when I'm doing certain lifts (especially woodchops, although I try not to use arms/shoulders for them). I'd love them to lean out a bit so even if the muscles grow a bit, the overall size would be smaller (just like I'm hoping for my abs!)
Cute blouses would be fun though...
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Originally Posted by LWilson212
I think your back view shows a lot of improvement! I love your description of your test - it sounds grueling. I can't wait to hear if you passed! I would probably not drink much either because I wouldn't want to have to pee in the middle.
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Originally Posted by Celestialmom
Can't wait to hear your test results!! As for the pics, you are really slimming in the belly area, and realcdn is right, the back view is improving also! Great job...
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Originally Posted by beach_plums
Bytsi-your test sound grueling! I can't wait to hear how you did.
I can see an definite change in you back, butt, and mid-section. You've had some great progress!
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Originally Posted by marthand99
First, I loved reading the description of your test. That sounds brutal! Good on you for getting through it, and I hope your foot is okay.
AWESOME job on the planks!
Finally, I see nice differences around your back and midsection. Great work, and good for you!
Good luck finding out about the test tonight!
Thanks guys! I'm so nervous... just keep thinking about other good strong tests I've seen where someone failed anyway because it wasn't good enough (whatever "enough" is)... At least my foot's ok (whew!) - just a bruise.
I hope the back/abs changes people have commented on are real... I remeasure in early June, and I'll see if the trend is downward... Everyone has been very nice and not laughed (in my face, at least) at the pics. It's so hard to put that out there, ya know? . Even DH hasn't seen 'em (thus the handheld camera in the pics).
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Originally Posted by kfisherx
I have to agree with everyone here who is seeing some significant changes. You may be eating correctly to get bf changes (slowly) If you want the scale to move and to go faster than you'll have to drop cals. The good news is that you know already that the cals you are eating today are very near maintainence so a body bugg might not be that useful to you. It might be a simple matter of dropping 2-3 hundred and see what happens in a month.
If you have great hunger even at maintainance levels then it is likely the case that you have something not entirely correct in your macros or you are not eating evenly distributed meals throughout the day. Best thing to do if at all possible is to create ahead of time 6 meals that you can eat at specified times throughout the day. This makes it pretty easy to avoid cravings.
Thanks Karla... your common-sense advice is always helpful. You're right about the eating, timing it, cutting a few more cals (which I'm working on). I am hungry, but I'm trying to eat regularly (not always easy at work), and I'm also trying to differentiate hunger versus appetite. I am going to get Leigh's ebook, probably some time this week...
I'm reading a book now called "Mindless Eating" (by Wansink) - it's really cool. Not about psych, more about marketing and how we decide when and how much to eat, what to eat... Fascinating! Stuff like studies with a bottomless soup bowl and how much people ate compared to the people with bowls that could empty eventually, how much they THOUGHT they ate, etc etc... how marketers and restaurants get us to eat, and how we can use those same "tricks" to mindlessly eat LESS.
Today I am TIRED. DS woke up at 1:30am vomiting, and I've been up since then. He's home, sleeping it off with grandma, and I'm at work being a useless zombie... I do not function on sleep deprivation. Can NOT skip karate tonight either, or I won't find out if I passed or not...
I think your back looks a TON different! Your bra "muffin" is MUCH smaller, and your tummy in the side shots is all empty like; as if its been deflated.
As much as we really DO look alike half naked from the head down (sorry if that's TMI) it's interestig that you seem to lose exactly opposite from me; my extemeities tend to go down first, core last.
Way to be brave, Byts. You're working so hard.
__________________
Laugh a lot, and when you're older, all your wrinkles will be in the right places.
Whew! Sensei didn't even criticize me when he promoted me, he just said I'd done a good job and was right where I need to be... Of the 10 of us who tested, 8 passed (1 failed from my school, which sucks because he felt awful and I felt bad for him, and one failed from a different school).
After class, some of the senior belts came up to congratulate me, and one said that I'm the first one from our school to get my Ni Kyu (2nd degree brown belt) on the first try... and then they all applauded... I was blushing but it felt great, because it took a while to earn their respect (one guy in particular, it took about 3 years!)...
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Originally Posted by Silly Sally
I think your back looks a TON different! Your bra "muffin" is MUCH smaller, and your tummy in the side shots is all empty like; as if its been deflated.
As much as we really DO look alike half naked from the head down (sorry if that's TMI) it's interestig that you seem to lose exactly opposite from me; my extemeities tend to go down first, core last.
Way to be brave, Byts. You're working so hard.
Thanks Sally... I'm surprised to see my middle shrinking - I usually gain belly fat and hang on to it for dear life! I come from hearty stock ... we do well in famine... I wouldn't mind seeing my arms and thighs slim out (although I have noticed my quads feel pretty hard/solid under me these days).
I mentioned something to DH about my workouts, and he said in the last 2 weeks he thought my mid-section and back had leaned out (and he didn't even see or know about the pics!)
I'm exhausted... need sleep... Thanks to everyone here - the support has been amazing
Whew! Sensei didn't even criticize me when he promoted me, he just said I'd done a good job and was right where I need to be... Of the 10 of us who tested, 8 passed (1 failed from my school, which sucks because he felt awful and I felt bad for him, and one failed from a different school).
After class, some of the senior belts came up to congratulate me, and one said that I'm the first one from our school to get my Ni Kyu (2nd degree brown belt) on the first try... and then they all applauded... I was blushing but it felt great, because it took a while to earn their respect (one guy in particular, it took about 3 years!)...
WOOT! WOOT!!!!
Bytsi got her Ni Kyu on the first try!!!
WOOT! WOOT!!!!
__________________
"Become better than you used to be, not better than someone else." ~ Leigh Peele
Whew! Sensei didn't even criticize me when he promoted me, he just said I'd done a good job and was right where I need to be... Of the 10 of us who tested, 8 passed (1 failed from my school, which sucks because he felt awful and I felt bad for him, and one failed from a different school).
After class, some of the senior belts came up to congratulate me, and one said that I'm the first one from our school to get my Ni Kyu (2nd degree brown belt) on the first try... and then they all applauded... I was blushing but it felt great, because it took a while to earn their respect (one guy in particular, it took about 3 years!)...
Thanks Sally... I'm surprised to see my middle shrinking - I usually gain belly fat and hang on to it for dear life! I come from hearty stock ... we do well in famine... I wouldn't mind seeing my arms and thighs slim out (although I have noticed my quads feel pretty hard/solid under me these days).
I mentioned something to DH about my workouts, and he said in the last 2 weeks he thought my mid-section and back had leaned out (and he didn't even see or know about the pics!)
I'm exhausted... need sleep... Thanks to everyone here - the support has been amazing
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so happy for you! That is soooo awesome. Way to go! Get some rest and rest on your laurels for a little while. You so deserve it!!!!
Thanks guys!!! Ya'll are the best!!!!!!
I'm still excited (and relieved)... I feel so bad for the guy from our school who failed, but... I know he'll stick with it and keep trying.
I almost slept in today (still SORE and tired from no sleep Sunday night), but I dragged myself to the gym anyway...
Stage 3 B3. Done as paired supersets.
Bbell RDL / Row - 3x6 100#, 110#, 110# (kinda PR - 2 sets with 110#, instead of just one last time)
Partial 1-leg squat - 3 x 8. Tried holding db's on 2nd set, but I wasn't going as deep, so I dropped 'em and focused on form and depth.
Wide grip lat pulldown - 1 x 6 @ 130#, 2 x 6 @ 140#.
Back Extension - 3x12 bodyweight on roman chair
YTWL - 3x6 w 5# db's
Abs - done as superset of all 3 exercises - 2 sets due to time constraints.
Cobra - 2 x 90 (skipped 3rd set or I'd be late for work!)
HIIT - stairmaster 8 sets of 30/30 at level 3/10 (ICK!!! UGH!!! gasping, panting... this never gets easier!). HR around 165-170 (my max HR is 180).
Been more aware of both food (little bites here and there that I need to watch out for) and movement (NEAT) - trying to get more accidental activity into the day, less sitting at the computer... I need to be a squirmier person
I'm home... so... that must mean... I PASSED!!!! (and kicked ass!)
Congrats! I thought our tests were hard, but I think yours sounds crazier. Forms at the end of all that?? Bleh! And way to go being the first to get there without failing (Now keep it up--you've got a reputation to uphold.)
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Originally Posted by Bytsi
Been more aware of both food (little bites here and there that I need to watch out for) and movement (NEAT) - trying to get more accidental activity into the day, less sitting at the computer... I need to be a squirmier person
Have you considered putting your computer/desk up so you can stand? I asked them to do that at work with the middle section of my cube. (The two sides are lower so I can sit/work there; I also have a higher chair for when I do want to sit at my computer.) I move around a lot more now because my feet get tired. I've also noticed that my hips and back aren't nearly so tight by the time I get to BJJ.
Congrats! I thought our tests were hard, but I think yours sounds crazier. Forms at the end of all that?? Bleh! And way to go being the first to get there without failing (Now keep it up--you've got a reputation to uphold.)
Have you considered putting your computer/desk up so you can stand? I asked them to do that at work with the middle section of my cube. (The two sides are lower so I can sit/work there; I also have a higher chair for when I do want to sit at my computer.) I move around a lot more now because my feet get tired. I've also noticed that my hips and back aren't nearly so tight by the time I get to BJJ.
Thanks for the congrats (again!) - LOVE the smilies!
Leslie - my "desk" is part of a shared countertop / workstation, so there's no way to move it in any way... I am trying to get up more, and to "squirm" while I'm typing . Maybe I can spin in my chair
I bought both of Leigh's books today, gonna start reading... come up with a PLAN!
YEAH BYTSI!!!!! Took me a few days to catch up with your log, but finally I see you PASSSSSSSSSED! Good for you! and on the first try! that has to feel GREAT! I totally agree with everyone on those pics too, you look leaner in the side shots for sure and no one knows like our hubby's so you can take that compliment to the bank!!!!!
Keep tweaking the calories, I am sure you are making changes but they may take a few weeks to see on the scale? hmmm? seems to be the universal question around here doesn't it??
I have to admit, knowing nothing about martial arts (at all!) I read the belt as "NIC-U" like neonatal ICU...hahaha made me laugh out loud at myself since I have no idea how to pronounce it, or read it?? haha
I figure with two boys, I will at some point in my life watch TKD or karate or something, but until then....I am a complete idiot on this stuff! Sooooo, that is why your descriptions come in handy for peeps like me!!! Sounds REALLY hard and PAINFUL! and yet FUN all at the same time!! haha (for us masochists!)
Anyhoo, keep it up and I will keep checking on your workouts!!! I have workout B tomorrow....and I am STILL sore from BWM--ARGHHHHH!
my "desk" is part of a shared countertop / workstation, so there's no way to move it in any way... I am trying to get up more, and to "squirm" while I'm typing . Maybe I can spin in my chair
Have you ever considered sitting on a balance ball at your desk? I do it and find myself bouncing all day. I feel like a little kid--a lot of fun.
Ice and a good supper were just what the doctor ordered!!
). Split calamari appetizer with DH (YUM!!) and then ordered shepherd's pie (Irish pub). I couldn't finish it all, but it was GOOOOOOOOD 
. I can really see my triceps when I'm doing certain lifts (especially woodchops, although I try not to use arms/shoulders for them). I'd love them to lean out a bit so even if the muscles grow a bit, the overall size would be smaller (just like I'm hoping for my abs!)
. Even DH hasn't seen 'em (thus the handheld camera in the pics).
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