Yep, I found myself needing to do a different thing now...Don't we all from time to time. NROL4W worked magic for me. Now for my 'cutting' phase I'll be following a different protocol, so can't in all fairness keep writing 'NROL4W day such-and-such' in my blog.
I do not...I repeat...I DO NOT intend to leave the jpfitness board, for it has been a wealth of knowledge and support to me. I wanna keep giving back. So yell at me any time
Uh.... Okay but you are going to still be in THE challenge right? I mean I never thought that NROL4W was a good option for a person doing serious type of body shaping such as I want to do and what you are doing as well. That is why I never started it. It seems like you feel the same way now. I don't think it possible to cut like we want to cut and follow that book. So you aren't following the book... I say, "who cares?" We want to keep ya in the challenge for sure....
I thought it was just a 6 month challenge not a NROL4W challenge anyway? Goodluck with your goals. And please do stick around. I enjoy reading your posts.
I thought it was just a 6 month challenge not a NROL4W challenge anyway?
that's true. perfectly OK to change plans, goals, whatever. The threads just happen to be running in the NROL4W subforum because so many new people joined and didn't know their way around JPs.
__________________ WARNING: Written in minutes and fact-checked in seconds via Google. May contain unsafe levels of self-righteousness. Past cleverness is no guarantee of future results.
The GOAL is to keep The Goal the goal. -- Dan John
If it's important, do it everyday. -- Dan John
“What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.”Alexander Graham Bell
I am not in the challenge (started later), yet you have been an inspiration to me to start the program and continue on. So thank you for that. I'm glad to hear that you are continuing with training still and look forward to reading about your progress. Go get 'em!
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Seriously though...I don't know what I was thinking. I thought if I switched to a different program I wouldn't qualify for the $1,000 of the winning dough ...or was it $20.00 USD?
I guess I am still in...just doing a different program to achieve my goals of going sub 10% bodyfat (for a short time).
Glad you are sticking with the challenge. You are a great bench mark for me. I find it interesting that we are both adjusting things at the same time. It's a strange phase to be in, so I'm glad to have someone to identify with and very glad you'll be staying in the challenge.
I'm curious as to what you guys find insufficient about NROL4W for cutting and serious shaping. Is it the workout, diet, both? If the workout, in what sense? Unfortunately, I cannot access the link with your new workout (work restrictions apparently ban the site). Thanks.
I'm curious as to what you guys find insufficient about NROL4W for cutting and serious shaping. Is it the workout, diet, both? If the workout, in what sense? Unfortunately, I cannot access the link with your new workout (work restrictions apparently ban the site). Thanks.
yeah, the guys blog has a couple of strong words, but that's abou it. I hope you get a chance to look at it at home. They also have links to Ultimate Diet 2.0 by Lyle McDonald (I am using it right now).
As far as NROL4W....you are not going to get really lean with the diet provided. To get really cut one needs to REALLY fine-tune calories and nutrients..down to a gram.
yeah, the guys blog has a couple of strong words, but that's abou it. I hope you get a chance to look at it at home. They also have links to Ultimate Diet 2.0 by Lyle McDonald (I am using it right now).
As far as NROL4W....you are not going to get really lean with the diet provided. To get really cut one needs to REALLY fine-tune calories and nutrients..down to a gram.
Hey Natalia, got another question for you. You mention somewhere that you were 17% bf. I know you lost quite a bit of weight before. When you were say, 25% bf or about, what in your opinion brought you down to 17%? Was it more weight training or nutrition. Do you think NROLW w/amount of cals prescribed is still a good bet for lowering bf at that level.
In other words, what would you, based on your experience tell someone who is at or around 25-27% bf to focus on more....
Hey Natalia, got another question for you. You mention somewhere that you were 17% bf. I know you lost quite a bit of weight before. When you were say, 25% bf or about, what in your opinion brought you down to 17%? Was it more weight training or nutrition. Do you think NROLW w/amount of cals prescribed is still a good bet for lowering bf at that level.
In other words, what would you, based on your experience tell someone who is at or around 25-27% bf to focus on more....
Hey, Prof!
I'll be a little long-winded here...just feel like it
I got to about 35%BF in 1998! (In 1996 got married being skinny fat, and after having a baby, things went down the hill....)
So, I can't give any suggestion that will apply 100% to you just because it worked for me. All I can do is share the experience. But I am not going to go as far as some and tell you "do what I did and you'll reach the same result!". Too many variables for that.
I tell you for me there were seasons of intense workouts and dieting mixed with seasons of relaxation and doing nothing. That's why the weight was coming off slowly. In retrospect, making even a small step was big for me. I started making small and permanent changes to my lifestyle.
- The first change I made was ditching Coca-Cola. Lost 20 lbs right away just from that alone.
- Then I joined a gym and started working out ( a bb friend of mine showed me a few things about weight-training). I kept loosing inches and weight..kinda slowly. Mainly because ice-cream, way too much peanut butter, pasta, white bread, pizza and Rally's Big Buford were a big part of my diet. Remember Rally's fries? I haven't had one probably for 8 years!
- My diet started having a major re-haul when we moved with my in-laws after hurricane Katrina (we lived in New Orleans at the time). Being among some of the heaviest people in La (southern Louisiana) made me want to change my diet. I got on the internet, read all ight and came up with a perfect diet for me! Not really, it took a few weeks of research, evaluation and then slow integration into my daily menu. Again, more weight started coming off. I was still weight-training religiously.
- So lo and behold, I was down to size 4 (from 16) and 127 lbs weight (down from almost 200 lbs). It was in 2005. Now looking back at that anyone can tell that I was too thin. And the research has begun again....
- It was not until last year that I finally decided to up my calories. And just that alone brought about another wonderful thing. Instead of looking flat and mushy I filled out and leaned out at the same time. I didn't know before that by severely cutting my calories I was sabotaging the hormones responsible for anabolism and fat-burning.
check out these two pix:
staying with low cals for too long and doing way to much cardio:
eating and lifting heavy (summer 2007):
...and from that point on y'all kinda know what I did...NROL4W, etc.
Did mean to be so thorough, but hope that answers a few question.
Thanks for explaining what you did Natalia... I keep reading this board, and I'm so torn between eating more and lifting, versus cutting back on calories while I still lift. I'm torn between going back to some SS and staying with only HIIT... I was committed to doing HIIT and lifting heavy and eating more, but I got scared that I wasn't losing fat (weight)... I don't want to end up hurting myself by not eating enough to recover from metabolically taxing workouts...
I love the workouts in NROL4W, but I'm having trouble trusting my body's levels of hunger, since I've been fat before (was up to about a size 16 about 10 years ago, and I'm only 5'2"). Then I read Espi's thoughts in the training section about doing SS and eating less (which is what I did for years and totally plateaued (did I spell that wrong??)). I know I need to COMMITT to one thing and do it... I did Stage 1 and ate more and felt great, but then had a bit of a panic about weight and now I'm not sure what to do.
I considered going to FL1 in NROL instead of stage 2 of NROL4W, but I really want to stay with NROL4W. So then I thought of adding extra HIIT sessions (which seems to be one major difference when Alwyn goes for fat loss)... Did you try any of these things, and what are your thoughts. You look AMAZING, by the way...
Thanks for explaining what you did Natalia... I keep reading this board, and I'm so torn between eating more and lifting, versus cutting back on calories while I still lift. I'm torn between going back to some SS and staying with only HIIT... I was committed to doing HIIT and lifting heavy and eating more, but I got scared that I wasn't losing fat (weight)... I don't want to end up hurting myself by not eating enough to recover from metabolically taxing workouts...
I love the workouts in NROL4W, but I'm having trouble trusting my body's levels of hunger, since I've been fat before (was up to about a size 16 about 10 years ago, and I'm only 5'2"). Then I read Espi's thoughts in the training section about doing SS and eating less (which is what I did for years and totally plateaued (did I spell that wrong??)). I know I need to COMMITT to one thing and do it... I did Stage 1 and ate more and felt great, but then had a bit of a panic about weight and now I'm not sure what to do.
I considered going to FL1 in NROL instead of stage 2 of NROL4W, but I really want to stay with NROL4W. So then I thought of adding extra HIIT sessions (which seems to be one major difference when Alwyn goes for fat loss)... Did you try any of these things, and what are your thoughts. You look AMAZING, by the way...
I want to get stronger, but I also have fat to lose. I want to drop my bf% about 6-8%. I don't want to go back to what I was doing for years with little or no success - SS and aerobic interval cardio, lifting (pretty heavy but not metabolically taxing like Alwyn's workouts) and calorie restriction (between 1200-1500 cal/day and always mad at myself for being hungry and then ending up snacking at night).
I want to get stronger, but I also have fat to lose. I want to drop my bf% about 6-8%. I don't want to go back to what I was doing for years with little or no success - SS and aerobic interval cardio, lifting (pretty heavy but not metabolically taxing like Alwyn's workouts) and calorie restriction (between 1200-1500 cal/day and always mad at myself for being hungry and then ending up snacking at night).
6-8% ...hmmmm....Yeah, that sounds like you need a game plan. Someone competent needs to evaluate where you're at, create a specialized diet and training plan. Your progress will need to be evaluated on at least 2 week baisis...and changes made as you go. Having a personal trainer/nutritionist also provides countability.
Natalia, great job on meeting your fitness goals! I thought I would register and say "hi." I got alerted to your posts here using my server referral logs.
I would be interested in how well you do using Lyle's 7-day UD2 or the 14-day program I posted at WarriorFX. Women have a lot less muscle mass then men - as well as different internal chemistry - so the program might need some adjustments to suit your needs. Although, the fundamentals remain the same: deplete yourself using an appropriate training and diet structure, then aim to supercompensate glycogen at routine intervals. As long as you properly deplete, you'll continue to burn fat while overeating during a refeed... my 14-day variant carries the potential to gain muscle in the process, since you're training in a holistic and nonlinear periodized program.
Natalia, other than your BB friend who kind of showed you the ropes.. did you have a presonal trainer helping you along the way? I'm not in a place financially where I can afford one at the moment, but I feel like while I'm making strength gains, I'm not making too many gains (losses?) in the fat department. My diet isn't bad but there are definitely some days where it's not spot on either. (White pasta for example). Basically did you just figure all this yourself, or have a trainer/nutritionist help ya out at first?
Natalia, great job on meeting your fitness goals! I thought I would register and say "hi." I got alerted to your posts here using my server referral logs.
I would be interested in how well you do using Lyle's 7-day UD2 or the 14-day program I posted at WarriorFX. Women have a lot less muscle mass then men - as well as different internal chemistry - so the program might need some adjustments to suit your needs. Although, the fundamentals remain the same: deplete yourself using an appropriate training and diet structure, then aim to supercompensate glycogen at routine intervals. As long as you properly deplete, you'll continue to burn fat while overeating during a refeed... my 14-day variant carries the potential to gain muscle in the process, since you're training in a holistic and nonlinear periodized program.
Anyway - hope you guys don't mind me jumping in!
Warrior (wish I knew your real name), thanks for jumping in here. I wanted to post a comment in one of your journals, for I was truly amazed at how DETAILED your logging was. And the progress...man, you yourself are a great inspiration to me!
Natalia, other than your BB friend who kind of showed you the ropes.. did you have a presonal trainer helping you along the way? I'm not in a place financially where I can afford one at the moment, but I feel like while I'm making strength gains, I'm not making too many gains (losses?) in the fat department. My diet isn't bad but there are definitely some days where it's not spot on either. (White pasta for example). Basically did you just figure all this yourself, or have a trainer/nutritionist help ya out at first?
I never had a trainer. I am a kinda person who likes to discover things on her own. I am also good at breaking it down for others...I am a teacher by education, homeschooled my kids...the whole 9 yards.
Warrior (wish I knew your real name), thanks for jumping in here. I wanted to post a comment in one of your journals, for I was truly amazed at how DETAILED your logging was. And the progress...man, you yourself are a great inspiration to me!
Thanks! Journals are an important guide - you have to know where you have been to know where you are going. I am amazed when people ask me for supplement advice before even considering picking up a two-dollar ledger to document their training efforts. Over the last year or so, I have begun tracking changes in blood chemistry too - and I have found losing fat with a well-rounded CKD plan is certainly good for cholesterol... my HDL is really high, LDL is really low and blood triglycerides are rock bottom.
The single best way to start changing your body composition (and general health) is to have a written plan to beat previous fitness thresholds. Having the journal is the first step. The next move is to plan the periods of progressive overloads.
I am taking myself off of NROL4W challenge
Linear Mode
