Nice update--you have done an excellent job this month, can't wait to see what next month brings!
I'm hoping it brings some actual scale loss. I'd like to get down to around 20% BF, which by my calculations means I need to lose about 12 more pounds. At one pound a month, I'll be going at this for a very long time!
m1: High fiber chocolate fudge pop tart, sun butter
m2: S'mores oatmeal - oats, greek yogurt, fat free cream cheese, stevia, graham cracker, mini chocolate chips
m3: Tuna, low carb Italian bread, apple, blueberries, strawberries (1/2 of meal)
m4: Dark chocolate
m5: Other half of tuna sandwich and fruit salad meal
m6: Cottage cheese, sun butter, apple
**TRAINING**
m7: High fiber chocolate fudge pop tart
m8: Curry chicken tenders, naan
m9: Skinny Cow chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich
Training:
Reload training
Overhead squat 4 x 12 x 9
Arnold press 4 x 12 x 10
Rear delt raise 1 x 12 x 5, 3 x 12 x 7.5
Close grip pushup 4 x 12 x BW
Chin up (assisted) 1 x 12 x 112, 3 x 12 x 106
Standing BB curl 4 x 12 x 20
Tricep pushdown 4 x 12 x 45
Today's plan:
Reload training and 2400 calories again. I'm meeting some old college friends for lunch. I'm not sure what I'll have because nothing on the menu really sounds good to me. I might just get soup and half a sandwich or a burger and fries. Hubby and I are having pizza tonight, though.
I thought I would be in a lot more pain today from yesterday's workout but I'm not, although my biceps are getting progressively sorer.
I'm always surprised too by the way things look from behind.
I'm convinced this is why we weren't born with eyes in the back of our heads.
Quote:
Originally Posted by krispy1138
So what do you guys mean? You see the difference and that the camera angle is weird or that the apparent difference is because the camera angle is weird?
I'm pretty sure they are saying, at least based on my own take of it, that, yes, the angle makes the back fat appear worse than it really is (it sure does for me if the camera is lower anyway!) but, also, there is definitely a a visible improvement in your entire midsection. (As opposed to the visible improvement be attributable to the camera angle.) Did that make sense? LOL In other words, it was meant in a positive way rather than a negative one.
Thanks for clarifying. I thought maybe that was what Paula was saying but after a second person said pretty much the same thing I was beginning to doubt myself!
m1: High fiber chocolate fudge pop tart, peanut butter
m2: Oats, pumpkin, stevia, protein powder, peanut butter
m3: Salad with steak, mixed greens, blue cheese, cashews and dried cranberries - used very little dressing, like maybe a teaspoon.
m4: Dark chocolate, peanut butter cookie
m5: Low carb tortilla, peanut butter, mini banana
**TRAINING**
m6: Thin crust pizza with light cheese, proscuitto, pineapple and fresh basil
Training:
Reload training
Overhead squat 4 x 12 x 9
Arnold press 4 x 12 x 10
Rear delt raise 4 x 12 x 5, (no 7.5 lb weights)
Close grip pushup 4 x 12 x BW
Chin up (assisted) 4 x 12 x 112 (my neck and left shoulder were pretty sore by this point so I didn't want to push it)
Standing BB curl 4 x 12 x 20
Tricep pushdown 4 x 12 x 22.5 (different machine than the day before)
It went much better. I don't think my body responds well to going from very little carbs to a lot of them. That's the only thing I can think of, anyway, because my first two meals were the same and I felt lousy from them on Tuesday and fine yesterday.
Standing curl and press 1 x 10 x 10, 2 x 10 x 12.5
Straight leg crunch 1 x 15 x 10, 1 x 15 x 15
Side bridge 2 x 45 secs (max)
Tomorrow's plan:
"B" training (lower body) and 1400 calories.
Today was a rough day psychologically. I felt bloated and fat and started second guessing everything. A couple of great friends on another forum listened and gave me perspective so I feel much better now.
Olympic good morning 1 x 12 x 20, 1 x 12 x 30, 1 x 12 x 40 - This was the first time I had done these and it felt awkward, but I can definitely go up in weight next time
Overhead squat 3 x 10 x 12
DB lunges 2 x 6 x 25
Cobra 3 x 12 x BW
Cardio:
25 mins bike intervals
Today's plan:
"D" training, 25 mins bike intervals and 1600 calories.
Bodybugg reading:
Calories burned: 2155
Steps: 10,063
When I wore the Bugg before, my steps were 12,000-16,000 and my calories burned on an exercise day were 200-300 higher. Still, my defiict was about 759.
I'm done with OPT Remix. I don't know what it is about the plan that my body doesn't like but I'm up another 5 lbs overnight - that's 6 lbs since last Sunday. I feel bloated all of the time and I miss fruit, sweet potatos and oats.
So I decided on the following:
1) A more moderate deficit of 1500 cals, which should give me a deficit of at least 500 cals daily; macros will be a modified Zone style - 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat
2) Strength training - I'm going to start with the break-in training from NROL, then go to fat loss training. I'm going to start with 3 times a week but may drop down to 2 times if I need to add more cardio
3) Cardio - I'm going to start with 3 x 30 minutes per week (1 low intensity and 2 moderate intensity intervals).
4) NEAT - At least 10,000 steps a day; at least 3 low intensity 30 minute walks per week, either outside or on treadmill.
If my deficit during the week is quite a bit over 500, I'll allow myself a small cheat meal on the weekend. I may do a refeed every 10-14 days in lieu of a cheat; I'm going to re-read that section of Lyle's Flexible Dieting book before deciding for sure. This is similar to what I did last January when I lost 12 lbs.
On top of the weight gain, hubby and I got into a fight yesterday because he wanted me to meet him for lunch after the gym, then go to the movies, then to Trader Joe's, which is the way it made sense to do everything, but I wanted to go do gym, Trader Joe's, home, lunch, movies because I would have to do more walking and I would burn more calories. Unfortunately, there was no really no time for that so it didn't make sense, hence the fight because I didn't want to admit to him what I was trying to do. I kind of broke down with him this morning and told him about how fat and awful I've been feeling lately and how I don't even want to go to the gym anymore because I'm embarrassed of how I look.
Next Week's Plan:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: "A" training
Wednesday: Intervals
Thursday: "B" training, SS cardio
Friday: Intervals
Saturday: "A" training
Sunday: OFF
m1: Egg whites, PB with roasted flax seeds, sprouted wheat bread, SF orange marmalade
m2: Trader Joe's grilled chicken strips, mixed greens, candied walnuts, light balsamic vinaigrette, fat free feta, tomato, red grapes
m3: Mini banana, PB with roasted flax seeds
m4: Turkey meatballs (made with egg whites, oats and wheat germ), shiritaki noodles, zucchini, marinara, shredded parmesan
m5: Choctal chocolate ice cream
Off to a great start, I guess; I was almost 300 calories below my target calories! For some reason I wasn't terribly hungry yesterday and kept getting indigestion and heartburn. I took some Pepcid but it didn't really help.
No training or cardio but hubby and I did a lot of walking - I got in 17,514 steps! Total calories burned for the day were still only 2222 but my deficit was 1012.
Today's plan:
Another rest day. My legs were SO sore yesterday - especially my hams and glutes - from training Tuesday through Saturday last week so I definitely need the rest. Plus, I'm leaving work early today to get my hair done (cut and color) so no time for the gym.
Since I'm doing the challenge, I figure I should have an official position on refeeds/cheats to define when I'm on and off plan. I'll be doing either a cheat meal or an at maintenance refeed once a week, probably on Saturday, depending on my deficit during the week. If it's only around 500 calories per day, then I haven't "earned" the cheat or refeed; if it's at least 600 calories each day, then I have. Bottom line is I'm aiming for at least a 3500 calorie deficit a week.
Hey, sorry about the fight and feeling fat. It's horrible to be in that situation where you're doing all the right things but it just isn't working. I hope he's a good support to you and can understand where you're coming from though. It's good that you figured out that OPT Remix just isn't working and you should rethink your strategies. Your compliance has been so good, it doesn't make sense... Good luck.
Hey, sorry about the fight and feeling fat. It's horrible to be in that situation where you're doing all the right things but it just isn't working. I hope he's a good support to you and can understand where you're coming from though. It's good that you figured out that OPT Remix just isn't working and you should rethink your strategies. Your compliance has been so good, it doesn't make sense... Good luck.
I think it's just a matter of figuring out what my body best responds to.
My husband is fairly supportive but unfortunately has not yet embraced a healthy lifestyle, so it can be difficult when he wants to go out to eat and I'm resistant to it. Also, a few years ago I worked with an online trainer who had me on a very specific nutrition plan (not only certain foods, macros and calories but certain macro combinations for specific meals) which made trying to go out to eat a nightmare. I ended up basically becoming a shut in on weekends because I was literally scared to be away from "my food" so he's always worried I'll go back to that place again. He keeps pushing me toward a more moderate approach but I never listen to him.
He did tell me yesterday that he doesn't understand what I'm so unhappy about because he thinks I look great. I told him that it has nothing to do with how he thinks I look but how I feel about myself, and unfortunately, I was much happier with myself when I met him and I was 15 pounds lighter. He asked me if I ever tried letting go of that image of myself and accepting myself 15 pounds heavier. I have honestly tried that but just can't manage it. I'm just not physically comfortable with the extra weight or how clothes look on me.
I got a rude awakening the last few days from my Bodybugg readings of what I'm actually burning, which is at least 200 calories less than I thought. Between the cold weather and the diet, I haven't been pushing myself to move as much as I should have. I'm guessing that a combination of that and water retention is why the scale is moving in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, I can't see myself realistically sticking to a diet that involves any fewer calories and I also don't think that I can significantly increase my activity on those calories so I'm hoping that a slight increase in calories will allow me to make a significant increase in activity.
Thanks, Jane! I wasn't a big fan of the sprouted bread last time I tried it but it was very yummy yesterday.
I hadn't tried the shiritaki noodles before but saw them recommended in Men's Health as a good low carb/calorie alternative to pasta. 4 oz is only 20 calories!
Your husband is like mine. He thinks I look fine. I don't. And if I'm not happy and feeling good about myself, his life could be very miserable.
I'm still trying to find the right way also. What worked for me at 25 isn't necessarily working for me at 43. Right now, I'm trying to zig-zag the calories and am liking it. I don't feel so restricted.
And what is this high fiber chocolate poptart you speak of?
Your husband is like mine. He thinks I look fine. I don't. And if I'm not happy and feeling good about myself, his life could be very miserable.
I'm still trying to find the right way also. What worked for me at 25 isn't necessarily working for me at 43. Right now, I'm trying to zig-zag the calories and am liking it. I don't feel so restricted.
And what is this high fiber chocolate poptart you speak of?
They're new - I think they're trying to compete with Fiber One's toaster pastry:
m1: Greek yogurt, stevia, ON casein PP, dark cocoa, PB with roasted flax seeds, banana choc chip Vita muffin
m2: Sprouted wheat bread, roasted chicken patty from Trader Joe's, avocado, light brie, baby carrots
m3: Apple, low fat cottage cheese, PB with roasted flax seeds
**TRAINING**
m4: Trader Ming's orange chicken, stir fry veggies, shiratki noodles, General Tso's sauce
m5: Greek yogurt, sun butter, stevia, ON casein PP, dark cocoa, wheat germ
Calories burned: 2671
Steps: 17,408
Deficit: 1154
I'm really surprised by the number of calories I burned yesterday; a lot more than usual. The GWF (Go Wear Fit) said I burned 396 calories on my walk, which is about what the Bugg would say (I should have worn one on each arm to compare!).
With deficits like this, if I don't lose weight now something is definitely wrong!
Training:
Squat 2 x 15 x 40
Static lunge 2 x15 x 20
supersetted with
2 point DB row with elbow out 1 x 15 x 10, 1 x 15 x 12.5
Push up 2 x 15 x BW
supersetted with
Swiss ball crunch 2 x 20 x 10
30 mins treadmill intervals (run 2 mins, walk 1 min) average heart rate 130
I'm a little suspicious of the GWF numbers; they seem pretty high to me. I'm going to stay at this activity and calorie level for a couple of weeks, though, before making any changes.
I slept like crap last night but for some reason, the GWF thought I slept BETTER, giving me a sleep efficiency of 75%. My husband woke me up at 11:00 to tell me the power was out on our block. He mentioned he hadn't been able to do the dishes because of this so I got up to see if he had at least put them in the sink and rinsed them off, which of course he didn't. When I came back to bed, the power came back on, so that was a relief. I had trouble falling back asleep after that, though. Today's plan
Um...what did he think you were going to do, fix the power lines? I would have been annoyed.
Ha! Well, he was trying to be nice; he woke me up to find out what time I needed to get up for work so he could set his alarm for me.
Of course, it would have been nice if he would have at least rinsed the dishes and put them in the sink. When I got up, he asked if I was going to do dishes by flashlight - like there's something wrong with that!
Are you going to do a comparison of the Bugg/GWF ?? Are you able to do that? I would love to see the numbers.
Your calorie burn is awesome and with what you are doing, you should definitely see the changes you want! Nice job!
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Are you going to do a comparison of the Bugg/GWF ?? Are you able to do that? I would love to see the numbers.
Your calorie burn is awesome and with what you are doing, you should definitely see the changes you want! Nice job!
Unfortunately, I had already told a friend that she could buy my Bugg so I wasn't able to do a arm to arm comparison. The GWF seems to be reading realy high, though; I've never had numbers this high from the Bugg. I've had good results with the Bugg in the past, either dieting or maintaining, so I've found it pretty accurate. The GWF numbers are 500-700 calories higher - quite a bit off. I'm hoping that it will get more accurate over time.
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