starting a new log for the long haul. i've learned so much since joining the forums in january 08 and flexibility is key. this new log happens to coincide with the second women's challenge of 2008, but that's just the first step in a new journey! karen
i'm in! this time around i am focusing on fat loss over building muscle since it is so much easier to do one or the other but not both!
i am following lyle mcdonald's rapid fat loss plan.
i'm following the diet from lyle mcdonald's rapid fat loss handbook. it is a protein-sparing modified fast (psmf) for dropping fat quickly without compromising lbm or overall health. i'm sure that many people would find it controversial with it's very limited calories and reduced activity, but i am really ready for a change.
i started my current weightloss journey in september 2006 following a trip to arizona. i weighed in excess of 330 pounds (my scale's maximum) and was miserable. asking for a seat belt extender on the plane was mortifying and it was a chore to haul myself around the grand canyon and various other places we visited. i vowed i would never let myself be so out of shape again and started eating better and exercising (mainly walking) when i got home. i had dropped about eighty pounds when i came across the new rules of lifting for women and the jp forums in january of this year. i signed up for the first women's challenge and changed gyms. i had to drop out of the challenge after surgery to correct a deviated septum knocked me out of the gym for eight weeks, but i loved nrol4w and lifting heavy. i didn't lose much in the way of pounds, but i gained a ton of strength and lost lots of inches. but i also realized that fat loss had to be my first priority since i still weighed in at over 250 pounds.
so i started reading everything i could get my hands on including leigh peele's fat loss troubleshoot. then i came across lyle's rfl program. it's pretty intense but lots of people have had good results, so here i am! as a category 3 dieter, i require about 150 g protein/day and i get two "free" meals a week. the program is simple - every day i eat my protein, 10g efas (mainly in the form of fish oil capsules), two servings of nonfat or lowfat dairy, "unlimited veggies" and as few extra carbs and fat as possible (preferably under 25g each). since i have so much bodyfat, there is little risk of losing lbm and i can stay on the diet for 6-12 weeks before taking a 1-2 week maintenance break. resistance training is recommended 2-3 times a week and cardio is limited and low intensity in keeping with the reduced calorie intake. there really isn't much more to the program than that - just lots of water and i've started drinking green tea a few times a day.
08/04/08 mon - day 1
breakfast: egg white omelet with veggies & salsa
lunch: green salad with steak and the glucomannan mustard dressing posted on cassandra forsythe's blog
dinner: chicken breast & asparagus
snack: cottage cheese & chocolate whey shake
887 cals/143g pro/36g carb/15 g fat
08/05 tues
breakfast: egg white omelet with veggies & salsa
lunch: chicken breast & zucchini
dinner: homemade asian chicken soup
snack: cottage cheese
985 cals/185g pro/27g carb/11 g fat
08/06 wed (was at my parents' wed-sun)
breakfast: beef & asparagus
lunch: (restaurant) mesclun & tomato salad with grilled chicken tenders w/balsamic vinegar
dinner: (free) other half of salad and small cone from my favorite ice cream shack
snack: cottage cheese
08/07 thurs
breakfast: egg whites & scallions (ugh - too plain!)
lunch: (restaurant) sirloin caesar salad (no croutons/cheese) w/balsamic vinegar
dinner: chicken breast
08/07 sat
breakfast: chicken breast
lunch: chicken breast
dinner: chicken breast & salad w/balsamic vinegar (small cheat here - 2T mom's potato salad)
snack: cottage cheese
08/07 sun
breakfast: egg whites & scallions with salsa (much better!!)
lunch: (free) roast beef sub w/four onion rings and baby cone from that same favorite ice cream shack!
dinner: salad with chicken breast deli meat w/balsamic vinegar
snack: cottage cheese
i haven't worked out all of the cal/pro/carb/fat breakdowns and they wouldn't even be close to accurate since i was without my food scale, but i think i did all right - especially since my mom is a major food pusher!! even managed not to eat a piece of my niece's birthday cake on sunday even tho about 12 people were pushing it on me (wtf?!). it looks monotonous, but all that chicken breast wasn't too bad and it was really easy to stop by the grocery store on my way to my parents' and i just baked it the first night and had it for the whole trip - really made things easy!!
"As far as (healthy) eating, either do it, or don't. Same issues repeated over and over is just insanity. We either commit to the endeavor or pay lip-service to it. This is the hardest part of the whole process, and it needs to be practiced more than the actual physical training. It's mind training." ~ Matt Thorne
"The reason that most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."
being home again makes everything a little easier, but it's hard to share my car when i need to get to the gym. hopefully i can get there tomorrow otherwise i'll have to come up with a plan b. can't complain tho, the kids start school in two weeks and then i'll miss them!
Hello there. I'm not quite sure if I should wish you luck or not. Eating under 1000 calories for as much as 12 weeks could just mess up your system. Believe me, I know the appeal of really low calorie diets. Sadly I also know the pitfalls. If you hit a wall with this method you can't cut calories. I see women on the weight loss board, maintaining 100-lb+ losses who years later can't eat over 1200 calories without gaining weight. And that's with quite a bit of daily exercise. I understand that losing the weight slower requires more of a commitment, but perhaps won't mess up your metabolism in the long run. Even with my fairly high levels of calories I still plan to take a maintenance break every 12-weeks. I found that the first time I did it I could maintain my weight on 3000cals a day. So I'll wish you luck with your weight loss, but urge you to try something a little more grounded. Have you looked at Leigh Peele's e-books?
thanks for the concern, anne, but i've done my homework. this program is definitely not for everyone, but lyle really knows his stuff and his program is very thorough and based on a lot of solid research. i think you'll find that leigh peele is a fan and that his rapid fat loss program and her fat loss troubleshoot/opt program have a lot in common. both programs focus heavily on protein consumption and limit carbs and fats in some way. both are based on the premise that a fatter individual can maintain a higher ratio caloric deficit than a leaner individual. and both advise limiting activity to that which can be supported by the caloric deficit. and most importantly, both fully outline how to adapt over time - including free meals, break weeks and recalculating deficits.
i really think that the two programs mesh well together and i plan on following leigh's more moderate program once i have seriously reduced my bodyfat. i think her cyclic diet will help diminish some of the side effects of coming off such a drastic program, particularly the reintroduction of carbs.
it's only been a week and i'm still on a honeymoon with this program, so i have to reserve judgment on how i think i'll do overall. but i needed a change and so far, so good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by realcdn
Hello there. I'm not quite sure if I should wish you luck or not. Eating under 1000 calories for as much as 12 weeks could just mess up your system. Believe me, I know the appeal of really low calorie diets. Sadly I also know the pitfalls. If you hit a wall with this method you can't cut calories. I see women on the weight loss board, maintaining 100-lb+ losses who years later can't eat over 1200 calories without gaining weight. And that's with quite a bit of daily exercise. I understand that losing the weight slower requires more of a commitment, but perhaps won't mess up your metabolism in the long run. Even with my fairly high levels of calories I still plan to take a maintenance break every 12-weeks. I found that the first time I did it I could maintain my weight on 3000cals a day. So I'll wish you luck with your weight loss, but urge you to try something a little more grounded. Have you looked at Leigh Peele's e-books?
it's been raining most of the day and i was without a car until this evening, so i opted for the treadmill rather than the gym. not sure i can get there before next week and i really miss it. i really enjoyed doing nrol4w and know that i can't handle it on my deficit, but i've thought about playing around with it a bit - tweaking reps & sets a bit but keeping the same basic program.
breakfast: chicken breast
lunch: saute with chicken breast, mushroom, spinach & fat free cheddar
dinner: asian chicken soup (chicken broth & breasts, celery, green onion, napa cabbage, mushroom & soy sauce) & glucomannan
hugh (my husband) was off work today so we made a day of it in augusta - walked the new trail, went to lunch at longhorn and did a few errands. it's nice to spend some time together without the kids and it seems like a while since we have. he's off nearly every wednesday and the kids head back to school in two weeks, so hopefully we'll get a few more of the days out while the weather is still nice.
breakfast: asian chicken soup (chicken broth & breasts, celery, green onion, napa cabbage, mushroom & soy sauce) & glucomannan
lunch: free meal at longhorn: flo's filet w/ seasonal veggies & mounds candy bar
dinner: chicken breast
Hi Karen - thanks for stopping by!
I think having the time for "just two of you" is major...it took us a while to realize it - the DD is turning 11 in October - and I'm trying to learn not to feel guilty for taking little getaways without her.
You seem to be right on schedule with "rapid fat loss" - I have the book, too. Good luck!
Lyle's rapid fat loss program sounds interesting. When I saw how low your calories were I remembered reading in FLTS that the more weight you have to lose, the more of a deficit you can handle without harm. I'm curious to see how well you do. Sounds like you're doing well so far.
Hey Karen, love your log name! Maine must be really nice this time of year, lucky you. Your Asian Chicken Soup sounds yummy too.
Do you have much of an appetite at this calorie level or is it suppressed? It sounds like you've done your homework and I'm glad you are logging here and sharing your experience.
Hi Karen - thanks for stopping by!
I think having the time for "just two of you" is major...it took us a while to realize it - the DD is turning 11 in October - and I'm trying to learn not to feel guilty for taking little getaways without her.
You seem to be right on schedule with "rapid fat loss" - I have the book, too. Good luck!
thanks, sveta. don't feel too bad, it took the birth of our third for us to figure it out. the "big" kids were 7 & 5 at that point and it was pretty obvious that if we didn't make time for ourselves then it wasn't going to just happen. we've actually gotten pretty selfish and our kids to be just fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by msmogreen
Hi Karen,
Lyle's rapid fat loss program sounds interesting. When I saw how low your calories were I remembered reading in FLTS that the more weight you have to lose, the more of a deficit you can handle without harm. I'm curious to see how well you do. Sounds like you're doing well so far.
well, kathy, so far so good. it's been 9 pounds in ten days which i am thrilled about. i'm keeping a close eye on metabolism through morning temps and i have quite a while before i have to worry about losing lbm. i'm in it for the long haul this time, whether this program works out for me or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ceebee
Hey Karen, love your log name! Maine must be really nice this time of year, lucky you. Your Asian Chicken Soup sounds yummy too.
Do you have much of an appetite at this calorie level or is it suppressed? It sounds like you've done your homework and I'm glad you are logging here and sharing your experience.
funny, i was just thinking how much i liked your blog's name. maine is nice this time of year and even better in the fall (my favorite time of year). my oldest heads back to florida next week - he'll be a sophomore at the ringling college of art and design in sarasota. i'm going to miss him.
i've had some really intense hunger pangs, but they've been infrequent. i try to remind myself that if i'm hungry then the program is working. not sure that always works tho!
took my oldest shopping for school clothes in portland this afternoon. he worked so hard this year and lost more than one hundred pounds. he's changed all of his eating habits and worked out at the school gym all year and then joined my gym this summer. he's going to be in an apartment with four other guys and we've spent a lot of time this summer on healthy cooking habits and how to eat clean on a student budget. i am so proud of him!! he heads back to college in florida next saturday and i'm really going to miss him. he's been so much fun to have home.
breakfast: chicken breast & asparagus
lunch: chicken breast with cottage cheese & tomatoes
dinner: outback steakhouse - filet with steamed veggies & steamed green beans (hold the butter & oil)
took my oldest shopping for school clothes in portland this afternoon. he worked so hard this year and lost more than one hundred pounds. he's changed all of his eating habits and worked out at the school gym all year and then joined my gym this summer. he's going to be in an apartment with four other guys and we've spent a lot of time this summer on healthy cooking habits and how to eat clean on a student budget. i am so proud of him!! he heads back to college in florida next saturday and i'm really going to miss him. he's been so much fun to have home.
Wow, that is fantastic! I bet you two inspire each other to keep up the healthy lifestyle.
Hi karen! Thanks for stopping by my log.....The program you're following sounds interesting. I plan on jumping back into the Opt program after I finish my cleanse. The only reason I'm doing this cleanse without reservation (although MANY people have frowned on it) Is the success of my friend and her aunt. I saw them drop the pounds of fat, (not water: drinking way too much water to drop water #s) and keep them off for over a year....
Best wishes with the challenge; I can't wait to see your progress!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for visiting my log. Good luck with your program, though as we know, luck has absolutely nothing to do with it. Sounds like you have done your research and reading and you are absolutely doing a great job. How long until you get a break?
Its hard work this fat loss thing - who'da thought it would be so complicated!!! It's so darn easy to put on.
I'm looking forward to reading how you do with pmsf. I bought the book a few years ago and like you am a cat 3 with similar numbers. I really liked the simplicity of not having much food to prepare and all the protein suppressed any hunger, but anytime I had a cheat meal I had horrible stomache reactions. I think I made it to about three weeks and then my stomache rumbling and rolling for 10hrs after eating my cheat meal became to much so I stopped. I want to try it again in November after I am done taking a running class that is a little to high intensity to work with pmsf.
Hi Karen! I keep meaning to stop by and say hello, but this is the first chance I've gotten. You sound like you've done a lot of research and are going into your plan very well-informed. I think knowing what you're doing, and why, are huge parts of being successful. It sounds like you're well on your way to meeting your goals!
Your asian chicken soup sounds really simple and yummy. I'm going to try it sometime this week. And I love that you had it for breakfast, too. I've always been a non-traditional breakfaster, myself - I had a grilled cheese for breakfast almost every day growing up.
Hi Karen,
I seen your log was short too so I jumped in to see what you've been up to! Hehe
My sister in law did something similiar when her doctor told her she was at risk and needed to get the weight off fast. She was only 40 lbs overweight but was passing out from blood sugar problems and high blood pressure was a problem too. He told her only 3 months and that was as long as he would let her do it. She lost 43 lbs in 11 weeks and her health improved. She has never gained it back. She never stopped her training. I know you can do it, you have proved that this past week! Stay strong!!!
Congrats to your son, that's awesome. It's great when loved ones change their lifestyle. You worry less!
Wow, that is fantastic! I bet you two inspire each other to keep up the healthy lifestyle.
it's been a good summer for both of us - i helped him iron out his program and he was my model of "sticking-to-it".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shell81
Hi karen! Thanks for stopping by my log.....The program you're following sounds interesting. I plan on jumping back into the Opt program after I finish my cleanse. The only reason I'm doing this cleanse without reservation (although MANY people have frowned on it) Is the success of my friend and her aunt. I saw them drop the pounds of fat, (not water: drinking way too much water to drop water #s) and keep them off for over a year....
Best wishes with the challenge; I can't wait to see your progress!
thanks! and you'll never know if it will work for you unless you try it - good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolG
Hi Karen,
Thanks for visiting my log. Good luck with your program, though as we know, luck has absolutely nothing to do with it. Sounds like you have done your research and reading and you are absolutely doing a great job. How long until you get a break?
Its hard work this fat loss thing - who'da thought it would be so complicated!!! It's so darn easy to put on.
i'll take a break about twelve weeks from starting the program - dovetails nicely with a trip to vegas with my hubby.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aeb
I'm looking forward to reading how you do with pmsf. I bought the book a few years ago and like you am a cat 3 with similar numbers. I really liked the simplicity of not having much food to prepare and all the protein suppressed any hunger, but anytime I had a cheat meal I had horrible stomache reactions. I think I made it to about three weeks and then my stomache rumbling and rolling for 10hrs after eating my cheat meal became to much so I stopped. I want to try it again in November after I am done taking a running class that is a little to high intensity to work with pmsf.
not too much problem with the free meals so far, but i have really tried to keep them in line with everything i am eating - just a few extra carbs and fat. i really like the program so far, but i have a long way to go...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chloe2
Hi Karen, thanks for stopping by my log.
I love your log title. I've never before thought of this whole exercise journey as fun but I'm realizing that it should be. (I'm working on it ).
I admire your dedication to your diet. I wish you the best of luck with your goals.
thanks! not sure that the journey is all that fun, but it makes me smile and keeps me in the right frame of mind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by instantblue
Hi Karen! I keep meaning to stop by and say hello, but this is the first chance I've gotten. You sound like you've done a lot of research and are going into your plan very well-informed. I think knowing what you're doing, and why, are huge parts of being successful. It sounds like you're well on your way to meeting your goals!
Your asian chicken soup sounds really simple and yummy. I'm going to try it sometime this week. And I love that you had it for breakfast, too. I've always been a non-traditional breakfaster, myself - I had a grilled cheese for breakfast almost every day growing up.
i have so tried to cozy up to scrambled egg whites or an egg white omelet, but i just can't do it! the soup is so easy - i don't thnk the restaurant even cooks the veggies, just puts a pile in a bowl and ladles in the broth. theirs has a sweetness that i haven't captured, but i'm working on it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bev77
Hi Karen,
I seen your log was short too so I jumped in to see what you've been up to! Hehe
My sister in law did something similiar when her doctor told her she was at risk and needed to get the weight off fast. She was only 40 lbs overweight but was passing out from blood sugar problems and high blood pressure was a problem too. He told her only 3 months and that was as long as he would let her do it. She lost 43 lbs in 11 weeks and her health improved. She has never gained it back. She never stopped her training. I know you can do it, you have proved that this past week! Stay strong!!!
Congrats to your son, that's awesome. It's great when loved ones change their lifestyle. You worry less!
Have a good weekend!!!
lol - i've been reading the short ones too! it's great to hear about your sil's success - she did awesome! thanks for stopping by!
i sort of fell off the posting wagon this weekend. i've got the info in so many places, that i think i'm just going to track my workouts and weekly weigh-ins here.
food was fine and i ate my free meal on saturday at my favorite asian restaurant. also started my period on saturday, but it doesn't seem to have made much of an impact - no carb cravings or weight fluctuations. so far, so good...
i wanted to give my body a chance to adapt to the diet and deficit so i haven't been working out much - just a few walks sprinkled in during the last two weeks. today i started a modified version of the stronglifts 5x5 beginner program. lyle's recommendation for resistance training is 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps, so i'm only doing three sets of five reps to start. i may add the other two sets back in at some point, but probably not for a while.
squat: 3@5x135
bench press: 1@5x45 & 2@5x65
barbell row: 1@5x65 & 2@5x85
dips (3 sets to failure): i can't do these, but i'm sure going to try! i used a resistance band hung over both handles of the leg raise gizmo. i stood in the middle and with a little hop i could get myself into position. i could do a couple of partial dips this way. 2/2/1 - gotta start somewhere!
i wanted to give my body a chance to adapt to the diet and deficit so i haven't been working out much - just a few walks sprinkled in during the last two weeks. today i started a modified version of the stronglifts 5x5 beginner program. lyle's recommendation for resistance training is 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps, so i'm only doing three sets of five reps to start. i may add the other two sets back in at some point, but probably not for a while.
squat: 3@5x135
bench press: 1@5x45 & 2@5x65
barbell row: 1@5x65 & 2@5x85
dips (3 sets to failure): i can't do these, but i'm sure going to try! i used a resistance band hung over both handles of the leg raise gizmo. i stood in the middle and with a little hop i could get myself into position. i could do a couple of partial dips this way. 2/2/1 - gotta start somewhere!
20:00/2.42 miles lifecycle
Hey, GREAT JOB!!! Down 10 lbs and what an awesome # on the squats! Are those free weight squats? My legs are my weakest part and I would die to be able to squat that much. I might make 100lb on a good day!
I hope you continue keeping this pace and as I know too well from experience the weight will come back so fast if you "fall off the wagon" It get stressful but try to keep it up. (I had tried the same diet the doc put my SIL on and failed miserably because after I lost a lot of weight I didn't control coming off of it and felt like I couldn't get enough to eat. I gained it all back) You don't even have to overeat. Just jumping up to fast in calories all at once is all it takes for your body to grab everything for fat storage. Granted I was eating only about 600-800cal so thats worse than your cal range but just be prepared. I know you have done all your reading up on it and I'm so glad, something just prepelled me to keep typing. I want everyone to have success on this challenge!!
I'll quit running my mouth now. Have a great day!!!
Hey, GREAT JOB!!! Down 10 lbs and what an awesome # on the squats! Are those free weight squats? My legs are my weakest part and I would die to be able to squat that much. I might make 100lb on a good day!
I hope you continue keeping this pace and as I know too well from experience the weight will come back so fast if you "fall off the wagon" It get stressful but try to keep it up. (I had tried the same diet the doc put my SIL on and failed miserably because after I lost a lot of weight I didn't control coming off of it and felt like I couldn't get enough to eat. I gained it all back) You don't even have to overeat. Just jumping up to fast in calories all at once is all it takes for your body to grab everything for fat storage. Granted I was eating only about 600-800cal so thats worse than your cal range but just be prepared. I know you have done all your reading up on it and I'm so glad, something just prepelled me to keep typing. I want everyone to have success on this challenge!!
I'll quit running my mouth now. Have a great day!!!
hey, bev, you can run your mouth on my log any time!!
yes, the squats are barbell squats - it felt so good to throw some heavy iron around - it has been a good long time since my last workout. and as for the diet, thanks for the warning. i have a long way to go, but i have read a lot of horror stories - especially once people start reintroducing the carbs. not sure i want to add a whole lot of carbs when i'm done tho (lyle mcdonald recommends at least 100g a day when you're finished losing) since the low-carb thing has been so good for me - almost zero hunger, lots of energy and no carb highs and lows.
getting there is half the fun...
starting stats - 08/01/08
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