I recently finished NROLFW. I did it from Sept 15 thru the beginning of March. It was my first introduction to lifting and I had a great time. I saw some positive changes to my body. I followed the nutrition guidelines in the book as well and developed some good habits.
I'm a 42 year old woman with two kids. I'm a small person, 5' tall and around 102 lb. My body fat according to my cheap scale is around 18.5%. Based on a video I just watched by Leigh Peele, I think that is way off. I think I'm more around 22 or 23%. My goal is to cut that body fat by about 5%. I have to watch it though, because of my age and small stature, I look gaunt and stringy if I lose too much weight. So I want to maintain my current weight, but cut some body fat. I'm not quite sure what to do nutritionally to make that happen, but I have done a lot of reading lately and am ready to give it a shot. I'm running a deficit right now for the first time in a long time, but that may change as I go along.
I tracked my calories closely for the last 3.5 weeks and here are my averages:
The 40% carb number is deceiving. I usually keep carbs to about 30% on a daily basis, but a few large splurges skewed the average.
This is what my nutrition looked like the last 2 days. The numbers are very low for me. I think I will have to throw in some maintenance days to stay sane. Also, I have a history of going way off the nutrition plan on the weekends. I am going to try to avoid that for the next three weeks. Any input on my nutrition along the way is welcome. I'm new to all of this.
Date Calories Grams Fat Carbs Protein
2009-03-23 1,254 1,866 46 86 136
2009-03-24 1,273 1,406 40 114 124
I finished NROLFW on March 7, took a week off and started Fat Loss II from NROL on March 16. I've done 4 workouts so far, and am due for the fifth one tomorrow. I'll post the specifics of each workout starting tomorrow. I am lifting 3 times a week. I hate cardio and don't do enough of it. On the days I don't lift (and sometimes on lifting days too), I take long walks. I am conscious of NEAT and move all day long. I'm not opposed to HIIT if I need it to achieve my goals, but I'm not sure I can do it with my calories so low right now.
That's it for now. I've never posted a training log before so this should be fun.
I took some pics today to chart my progress. I think the 23% body fat was a fantasy. I have never seen my back view so well before, and there is plenty of chub. So the deficit is warranted and I don't have to worry about looking gaunt. I guess I was kidding myself because the numbers on the scale are low.
So I did workout 5 in fat loss II today.
Front squat 65# 3X10
Wide grip cable seated row 60# 3X10
Supine hip extension with leg curl 3X10
Barbell pushpress 50# 3X10
Dynamic lung 75# 3X10
Upper body Russian twist 3X10
I also took a 55 minute brisk walk later in the day.
Welcome to the forum! I found that logging my workouts and nutrition really helps with accountability. I'm the same age as you! I look forward to following your progress. Good luck with all your goals!!!
In reading what you said about carbs, I'm thinking you had more instances of splurging than you're talking about, or they were huge - to move an average up 10 points over the course of 3.5 weeks, which may suggest they're not the outliers you may think they are. If possible, try to make the protein your 40% macro, as that will help you retain your muscle while in a deficit.
That said - good luck with your journey - will be following along.
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Feel like %$@#. Will try to maintain deficit for a few more days (ideally would like to keep cals this low for a total of 14 days), have a refeed and reassess. May go up to around 1400 and see how I feel there.
Feel like %$@#. Will try to maintain deficit for a few more days (ideally would like to keep cals this low for a total of 14 days), have a refeed and reassess. May go up to around 1400 and see how I feel there.
Nice job on getting all that protein in on such low calories. I know I could not stay at such low cals for more than a day. Hang in there.
Nice job on getting all that protein in on such low calories. I know I could not stay at such low cals for more than a day. Hang in there.
Thanks. I am going out to brunch tomorrow. It is a large buffet brunch we go to about once a month. I am going to eat a lot there. I'll stay away from breads and desserts, but I plan as having as much fruit, vegetables and protein as I want. They usually have a nice carving station with a turkey or roast beef. That is what is keeping me going. Plus, I don't plan on lifting today or tomorrow, so I expect my energy level to be better. Have a good weekend!
Front squat 65# 3X10
Wide grip seated row 60# 3X10
Barbell pushpress 50# 3X10
Supine hip extension with leg curl BW 3X10
Barbell dynamic lunges 75# 3X10
Swiss ball jack knife BW 3X10
Walk 45 minutes
Notes: energy level great earlier today after eating lots of carbs on Sunday. Energy slowly drained throughout the day as carbs remained under 100g. Getting that walking-through-molasses feeling again.
keep up the good work-- i don't know how you keep your cals that low-- good job!
It's not fun. But I am doing it for a short time only - 3 to 4 weeks max. And I look forward to refeeds on Sundays. When I finish Fat Loss II in NROL, I am going to do Strength I in NR, or Stage 6 in NROLFW. I plan on eating maintenance during that time. 1600 to 1800 calories is going to seem like heaven! Thanks for the encouragement. It helps.
Activity:
Front squat 65# 3X8
Pull up 3X8 (completed 3 pullups in eat set, then did negatives)
Barbell pushpress 55# 3X8
Supine hip extension with leg curl BW 3X12
Barbell dynamic lunges 75# 3X8 (8 each side)
Swiss ball crunch 20# 3X12
Notes: Rainy day, stuck in house with 2 sick kids. 1432 was a victory. I could easily have eaten everything in the house (and the neighbors' houses too).
Activity:
Deadlift 85# 3X8
T-push-up BW 3X8
Bulgarian split squat with overhead press 13# 3X10
Pullup 3X8 (3 body weight pullups, 5 negative pullups)
Romanian deadlift/bent-over row 60# 3X10
Swiss ball jack knife 3X8
notes: kids are on spring break so have been working out at home. No cable equipment so have been doing pull ups and chin ups. Not sure I'm doing them correctly. Very challenging and fun though.
Calories: 1185 - will find another 100 cal before going to bed.
notes: yesterday was a free day - no exercise, no counting calories. Enjoyed, it, feel rested and refreshed today, but really overdid it. Have to watch that in the future. Don't want to cancel out a week of hard work with one crazy day.
Notes: did a lot of cooking and baking today, so with tasting, calories could be as much as 200 more. Tried to keep it to a minimum, but who know how many cals go in the mouth when you do that. No exercise today. Kids home all day. Going out of town tomorrow. Will try to get a quick workout in before I go. There will be no opportunity to lift or walk again until Friday. Will be at the beach with the kids, so will do lots of outdoor activities, but no formal exercise. Chances of overeating are high. Will try to keep it reasonable, but who knows. One of my biggest weaknesses is maintaining moderation in a social setting.
Have a nice vacation! Just use moderation and gets lots of activity playing with the kids. Then when you get back home, get right back on plan. Your body will think you're doing a refeed then be willing to let go of some fat when you get home!
Have a nice vacation! Just use moderation and gets lots of activity playing with the kids. Then when you get back home, get right back on plan. Your body will think you're doing a refeed then be willing to let go of some fat when you get home!h
Thanks. Maybe the accountability this sites creates will help with moderation. It has worked a few times on my very low carb days when I just wanted to go into my pantry, close the door, and eat my way out!
Aren't those calories AWFULLY low for NROL FL workouts?
ETA: I just read back and see that you are planning in upping your calories shortly. Good thing....you'll need it for Strength I (I just finished it), but I still don't know how you did NROL FL on such low cals!!
Aren't those calories AWFULLY low for NROL FL workouts?
ETA: I just read back and see that you are planning in upping your calories shortly. Good thing....you'll need it for Strength I (I just finished it), but I still don't know how you did NROL FL on such low cals!!
Not to worry. I just did MAJOR damage over spring break. I'm basically starting over. I finished the last workout in Fatloss II today and will be starting Strength I on Wed. I was thinking of staying low on nonlifting days, and going up to 1500 or 1600 on lifting days. That would avoid the need for refeeds too. I seem to get out of control with them.
Activity:
Squat 80# 4X10
Dead LIft 90# 4X10
Bulgarian Split Sqat 20# dumbbells 4X10 each side
Step Up 15# dumbbells 4X10 each side
Reverse crunches 3X15
wannabe lean
I found that logging my workouts and nutrition really helps with accountability. I'm the same age as you! I look forward to following your progress. Good luck with all your goals!!!
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