Back to reality ..... I'm glad you enjoyed some R & R! It sounds like you had fun.
Not back to reality yet. I don't head home until Thurs morning. Today we hiked 7 miles. The first 2.5 miles were challenging - uphill and hot. Then we headed downhill for about 2.5 miles, and the last 2 miles were along a stream bed in an valley of enormous red woods. The terrain was beautiful. I enjoyed every minute of the hike but at times I was a little nervous. A sign on entering the park warned of mountain lions in the area. Along the upper reaches of the trail we saw the remains of a deer kill and what looked like carnivore scat. When I got back to my hotel room I looked up mountain lion scat on the internet, and sure enough, what we saw was deposited by a mountain lion! I don't think we were ever in danger. Mountain lions are solitary and shy, and they like to hunt at dusk. However, I am a veterinarian and I have been bitten by small household cats. It hurts.....A LOT. I can't imagine what a mountain lion bite feels like.
It was a fantastic day. Of course, I overate again this evening. I am looking forward to getting back on track when I return home.
I was about to tell you how unlikely you were to be attacked until you said you're a veterinarian. Now I'd be embarrassed to try to tell you anything about animals. Very cool, by the way.
Anyway, the hike sounds really great. I've been thinking about going out for hikes every other weekend or so, kind of to keep me out of the house and moving more than anything else. I don't know if there's anywhere around here though.
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Originally Posted by Lost Dog
Plus, my desire to remain stunningly attractive outweighs the call of the cheesecake. mostly...
I was about to tell you how unlikely you were to be attacked until you said you're a veterinarian. Now I'd be embarrassed to try to tell you anything about animals. Very cool, by the way.
Anyway, the hike sounds really great. I've been thinking about going out for hikes every other weekend or so, kind of to keep me out of the house and moving more than anything else. I don't know if there's anywhere around here though.
My vetrinary experience has taught me a lot about dogs and cats, but I I am not an expert on wild animals of any kind. So if you have personal knowlege about mountain lions, feel free to share. I didn't really feel I was in danger of being attacked. It was just a little eerie when I saw the demolished deer carcass.
I know what you mean about the hikes. It seems I do them only on vacations. I would love to do more, but at home in suburbia, there are not many exciting hiknig possibilities. I walk....but hiking in the mountains - not so much.
Is that you in the avatar? You look totally amazing in there.. those arms
Also a very creative (photo-shopped?) pic
Thanks Epsi. Yep, that's me. I did crop my head out of the pic, but the rest is me. I am happy with how NROL is shaping up the arms. The legs and abs are coming along, but that is where I carry my body fat and I need to shed a little to see more definition. However, I struggle with dicipline and progress is slow. These past two weeks I have been traveling and not only am I not progressing, but I am backsliding. I guess it is a never ending quest.
No hiking today as the weather is not cooperating. So I worked out in the hotel gym. It is not very well equipped. They spared no expense, but they emphasized the wrong things. Tons of cardio and cybex machines. Minimal free weights, no barbells, no squat rack. I used the smith machine. All I can say is....Lame. And I have to say, I was lame as well. Who would think that a week and a half of overeating with no lifting would set you back so far? I couldn't do any chinups, and I went down in weight on most of my exercises.
Workout A2 Hypertrophy II NROL. Some substitutions due to equipment limitations:
I returned from CA around 2 am this morning and threw a BBQ for 20 people this evening. Finally, finally, finally I stayed on plan at a big food event! I used some visualization techniques earlier in the day. I pictured myself drinking lots of water, making good choices and avoiding alcohol and sweets. It worked. I stuck to lean protein, fruit, raw veggies, salad and water. I need to try in again tomorrow and Sun. We are having a family reunion weekend extravaganza. I will not be able to make it to the gym until Monday, but I am going to try to continue eating well through the weekend. (I ate very poorly while in CA, but was able to exercise a lot. One of these days I will achieve the two together.)
I returned from CA around 2 am this morning and threw a BBQ for 20 people this evening. Finally, finally, finally I stayed on plan at a big food event! I used some visualization techniques earlier in the day. I pictured myself drinking lots of water, making good choices and avoiding alcohol and sweets. It worked. I stuck to lean protein, fruit, raw veggies, salad and water.
*applause*
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lost Dog
Plus, my desire to remain stunningly attractive outweighs the call of the cheesecake. mostly...
Feels good to be back at it. I managed to eat sensibly through a weekend of parties and I am ready to apply myself to fat loss for the next few weeks. I want to be a level of body fat by the fall where I feel comfortable going into a bulk.
35 minute walk. Not very taxing, but a victory in that I got it in at 6 am before my hubby left for work - before coffee as a matter of fact. An amazing feat for me.
The legs and abs are coming along, but that is where I carry my body fat and I need to shed a little to see more definition. However, I struggle with dicipline and progress is slow.
You and me both! Judging by your arm definition, you are much further along in the journey than I am. You look absolutely fantastic.
August is a tough month for me. 3 birthdays (including my own) and 9 days of vacation... I will be happy to maintain my July fat-shredding progress.
I'm considering *shudder* buckling down in September.
Thank you everyone for the arm comments. We are all busting our butts so the positive feedback feels great. I do like that pic, but I just want to let you know though that my arms don't look that defined when they are relaxed. I was about to hit the volleyball so I was flexed at the time.
Here's today's workout:
chinups, 3 sets: 5,6,6 Barbbell shoulder press, 3X12 35# pullups, 3 sets: 5,5,5 - I could only do about 1 1/2 pullups on my own. Then I had to switch to negatives. I find these a lot harder than chin ups. Dumbbell check press, 3X12 10# e.h. Biceps curl, 3X12 13# Upper body Russian twist, 3X12
I thought this was a reasonable amount of food - not a drastic deficit by any stretch. (I'm only 5 feet tall if you remember.) My lowest calorie day was the 13th, but I did no exercise at all that day. The following day, my hunger really kicked in and by Sat, I was starving. So I had a bit of a refeed Sat, and returned to a reasonable calorie amount today. I am still feeling very hungry, but would like to run a deficit for another week. I think my will power will be tested in the upcoming week. We'll see how I do.
Looks like you're doing really well though! It looks like a decent week to me. We may have switched again; I had a bingey weekend and next weekend I'm not going to even pretend. It's not going to be pretty.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lost Dog
Plus, my desire to remain stunningly attractive outweighs the call of the cheesecake. mostly...
Here are some tips on how to burn fats effectively:
Increase muscle with weight training. Extra muscle helps to burn more energy at rest, even if only a little. This is called the resting metabolic rate of muscle or RMR. Extra muscle will also burn more fat in active phase, the active metabolic rate if you like, or the AMR, so having more muscle will definitely help burn more energy and fat.
Lift heavier weights. What I suggest is that the weights workout should be vigorous, with the number of repetitions kept at the low to medium end of the scale between 8 and 12 RM. To remind you, the RM is the repetition maximum, which means the most weight you can lift for this number of reps before fatigue. The 8-12 is within a range that should provide strength and bigger muscle growth, which is called hypertrophy.
If you go higher than this, say 15 to 20 repetitions to a set, or more, you are getting into the range where you would probably be better off doing cardio because the return on effort, the energy burn, is better spent jogging, cycling, stepping or rowing. At that number of repetitions you won’t build much muscle either, so very high-repetition training with weights has minimum value in my view.
Do aerobic exercise. Considering how much energy you would use in an hour of either type of exercise, weights or cardio, you must do some consistent aerobic or cardio work to burn fat.
Try high-intensity cardio. High-intensity exercise, even if only in short bursts, may rev up the metabolism and get that fat mobilized in the post-exercise period. Do some high intensity as well, but don’t overdo it, because burning the fat is a long-term project and you don’t want to get ‘burned out’. A group exercise program such as a solid cycle spin class might match this requirement. In fact, I highly recommend group cycle spin classes where you are encouraged to go fast, yet with the option to slow down if you need to.
Here are some tips on how to burn fats effectively:
Increase muscle with weight training. Extra muscle helps to burn more energy at rest, even if only a little. This is called the resting metabolic rate of muscle or RMR. Extra muscle will also burn more fat in active phase, the active metabolic rate if you like, or the AMR, so having more muscle will definitely help burn more energy and fat.
Lift heavier weights. What I suggest is that the weights workout should be vigorous, with the number of repetitions kept at the low to medium end of the scale between 8 and 12 RM. To remind you, the RM is the repetition maximum, which means the most weight you can lift for this number of reps before fatigue. The 8-12 is within a range that should provide strength and bigger muscle growth, which is called hypertrophy.
If you go higher than this, say 15 to 20 repetitions to a set, or more, you are getting into the range where you would probably be better off doing cardio because the return on effort, the energy burn, is better spent jogging, cycling, stepping or rowing. At that number of repetitions you won’t build much muscle either, so very high-repetition training with weights has minimum value in my view.
Do aerobic exercise. Considering how much energy you would use in an hour of either type of exercise, weights or cardio, you must do some consistent aerobic or cardio work to burn fat.
Try high-intensity cardio. High-intensity exercise, even if only in short bursts, may rev up the metabolism and get that fat mobilized in the post-exercise period. Do some high intensity as well, but don’t overdo it, because burning the fat is a long-term project and you don’t want to get ‘burned out’. A group exercise program such as a solid cycle spin class might match this requirement. In fact, I highly recommend group cycle spin classes where you are encouraged to go fast, yet with the option to slow down if you need to.
Hi. Thanks for the tips. I am following NROL for weight training. I am happy with that program. Most of the time the exercises are low to medium in reps, but Cosgrove has included a few 25 rep workouts in his Hypertrophy II program. I can't say I like the 25 reps, but I completed all of NROLFW and now about 1/2 of NROL and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. I do lift as heavy as I can with each workout.
I have purchased the Fat Loss Trouble Shoot by Leigh Peele and through it I have learned a lot about fat loss. I also subscribe to may other fitness experts so I have a rudimentary knowlegde about training and fat loss. I have experimented with several of cardio regimens for the days I don't lift. High intensity activities like spinning and HIIT don't work well for me. I spent most of last spring/summer doing 2 to 3 spinning classes a week. I'm 43 and I'm starting to have a little trouble with my joints if I go at it too hard. (GOD I really hate to admit that!!!) In addition, the increased cortisol released with those stressful activities wreak havoc on my body. I have found that long brisk walks give me a slow steady burn which work better for my body. I also keep NEAT high by doing lots of house work and activities with the kids. Last week we went bowling, ice skating and played tennis and soccer. I don't consider those activities exercise because I am doing them with an 8 yr old and a 6 yr old (lots of starts and stops if you know what I mean!). But the activities go a long way toward keeping NEAT high. The type of work I do also keeps NEAT high - I am on my feet all day, however, I am not working right now (lucky me).
The bottom line is, not matter what exercise program you are following, in order to lose fat, you have to run a deficit. I happen to hate the deficit. It leaves me HUNGRY!!!! But there is no way around it. I stack the odds in my favor by running only a small one and throwing in maintenance days. I don't have much fat to lose at this point and when you get down to the last few pounds, the body really fights you. But I hope to persevere, get to my desired leanness level, and then go into a bulk in the fall. I have never tried a true bulk before so that will be uncharted territory for me, but I am doing my research and hope to be ready!
High intensity activities like spinning and HIIT don't work well for me. I spent most of last spring/summer doing 2 to 3 spinning classes a week. I'm 43 and I'm starting to have a little trouble with my joints if I go at it too hard. (GOD I really hate to admit that!!!) In addition, the increased cortisol released with those stressful activities wreak havoc on my body. I have found that long brisk walks give me a slow steady burn which work better for my body.
I think I'm finding this to be true for me too; I'm not even lifting right now. We'll see in a few weeks how it stacks up in comparison to very heavy workouts.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lost Dog
Plus, my desire to remain stunningly attractive outweighs the call of the cheesecake. mostly...
I think I'm finding this to be true for me too; I'm not even lifting right now. We'll see in a few weeks how it stacks up in comparison to very heavy workouts.
Isn't it amazing how you keep learning about your body as you progress? What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. That's why sometimes I think about springing for a personal trainer. But I just keep experimenting and gradually figure out what works.
75 minute walk - 6:15 am, pre-coffee.
I hope to find the time to do a little lifting in the basement today, but not sure I will fbe able to fit it in.
I'm still running a deficit and having to dig deeper into will power stores. I really am a wimp at this. It's only been a week and a half.
Close grip chinups: 5 sets of 6 Barbbell shoulder press: 5X6 40# Pullups: 5 sets of 3 Dumbbell check press: 5X6 20# e.h. Biceps curl: 5X6 20# e.h. (last 2 sets could only complete 4 reps)
I have been successful at maintaining a small deficit so far this week - 1400 to 1500 calories daily. I'm noticing some fat loss, but it may just be water at this point. To really nail it, I will need another week of a deficit. Unfortunately, I am spending a week at the beach starting Sat. This summer has been fun-filled and enjoyable, but in my world, those adjectives are mutually exclusive with fat loss.
45 minute pre-coffee walk. I'm starting to enjoy waking up without the stimulation of caffeine. Becoming fully alert is taking longer than I'm used to, but it's a relaxing feeling. Don't get me wrong, no way am I giving up caffeine. But I'm getting to the point where I don't need my cup of coffee before I can even say good morning to anyone.
Yesterday I feel off the wagon. I ate a bunch of junk after dinner. That usually happens when I run a deficit for any length of time. Well, back on the wagon today.
You know, I used to be a major coffee person (primarily back in college). However, even a few years back I wouldn't feel 100% until I went and had my first cup of coffee of the day. Now, I don't drink it very often. I'm a black coffee drinker, so I didn't drop it to cut cals. I think I got out of the habit when I worked afternoon shift. It's a great pick me up in the late afternoon if I need it, but rarely do.
Very cool, by the way.
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