NROLFW Newbie! I have Questions RE affect on Shoulders, Chest Size and WL of 25+ lbs

miss_jupiter76 · 08-01-2009, 07:45 PM

Hi, I'm basically done with the book and I'm sorry if these are stupid questions because the book really makes sense for the most part but I appreciate some specific guidance here.

Let me preface this by saying that I'm currently about 152 on a non digital scale. Prior to an injury in late 2007 I was about 120 pounds about a size 4. I lost a lot of muscle granted. 10 lbs of that is probably boob (see #3) so most of my fat is really just there and the midsection.

1) but it is not enough for me to simply replace 30 pounds of fat with 30 pounds of muscle (its physically impossible I'm sure). At my height and bone structure, I still should be around 112 lbs. I need to lose a good 25 pounds of it, I'm guessing though that a 125 lbs with 20% BMI would be "goddess" enough and still keep me in a 2-4?

2) What if I don't need my shoulders to be bigger and my shirts to be tighter! Seriously, I already have pretty big shoulders for a chick (at least or wider than my hips and last time I measured that was about 39 inches). Anything I can modify in the exercises to work around this potential result?

3) As mentioned above, I went up 2 1/2 cup sizes with the weight gain, from a B/C to D/DD. Anyone decrease cup size as a result of this program? I would really like to go back down to a B! Also, did the chest/pec exercises help offset the potential sagging from fat loss there?

4) can anyone suggest something to rev things up in the fat loss dept and how many calories to consume start seeing some motivating results within a month? Can I do intervals 3 x a week now? Can I play tennis if I like to play tennis anyway? I'd hate to give up activities I like. I'm just anxious to start seeing some results that will motivate me to keep going b/c I hate wasted effort.

I know the intitial focus is not on weight loss per se but what if you really need to? Fat/muscle 120 is still 120 and I don't see myself fitting in a 2-4 weighing much more than that. I'm doing this program because it is more likely I'll stick with it than doing 45 min on the elliptical 4 or 5x a week.

THANK YOU and sorry this is a bit long! :-)

NYC_Native · 08-02-2009, 12:22 PM

I can't answer your first 3 questions, but in my personal opinion, I don't see how NROLFW will further broaden shoulders, as it's a total body recomposition program, not one that targets specific body parts.

However, re: #4, I definitely advise against adding anything "extra" to the workouts to rev up fat loss, because it will backfire. Follow the program as outlined, because I made the mistake of not doing so in the beginning when I did it last year, and I paid for it in getting sick, and almost burning out. The program is quite demanding even though it looks deceptively easy and simple. I don't exactly remember how other workouts were incorporated into NROLFW, but excessive cardio is definitely frowned upon here.

To see fat loss results, you'll need to dial in the nutrition part. There are 2 different calorie/macro calculators that will help you determine maintenance and fat loss levels. Maggie Wang's blog has spreadsheets w/the two nutrition calculators (plus workout log sheets). Just follow the download instructions.

Good luck on the program. It's a great one, and I enjoyed it, once I got past the near burnout part, LOL.

mimi_pope · 08-02-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

3) As mentioned above, I went up 2 1/2 cup sizes with the weight gain, from a B/C to D/DD. Anyone decrease cup size as a result of this program? I would really like to go back down to a B! Also, did the chest/pec exercises help offset the potential sagging from fat loss there?

This is mostly a function of fat loss. The cup sizes you went up are mostly due to fat (and hormones) and dialing in your diet, making sure there is a deficit, will help them shrink. If its the last place you gained it should be the first place it comes off, usually.

The only improvement with regards to my chest I personally found was it seemed to lift the boobs a bit? Does that make sense? I have DDs, and when I wear a balconnet (shelf) bra, they sit better somehow. Again, some of that is fat loss, but there is no amount of muscle I could gain to replace the fat and not have them sag. They did look better but only marginally.
HTH!

Firebird44 · 08-02-2009, 12:53 PM

NROLFW will help you be stronger, leaner, and more fit, and if you follow a reasonable nutrition plan, you will lose fat and weight. There's no reason to expect you're going to "replace 30 pounds of fat with 30 pounds of muscle". Nor will your shoulders be "broader," though your upper body musculature may increase somewhat. However, it seems to me you're setting yourself up for disappointment by concentrating so hard on arbitrary size goals: dress size, bra size, and weight.

Dress size is absolutely meaningless. The only dress sizes that are standardized are couture. So unless you're buying couture, clothing makers can call their sizes anything they want, and in America, they've been greatly inflated over the years as Americans get larger. (I'm now wearing pants in size 4, even though I didn't wear size 4 when I was 35 years younger and 30 lbs lighter!) Tim Gunn (Runway) recommends you cut out the size labels if they bother you.

Yes, if you lose a significant amount of fat, your cup size will go down, but that doesn't mean you'll achieve a specific goal cup size.

And even weight is deceptive. As you gain muscle and lose fat, you will be happier with the way you look, but since muscle is denser than fat, your "goal" weight will be higher than you think.

missjane · 08-02-2009, 01:11 PM

Cup size varies across band sizes (ie a C cup for a 34 is MUCH different than a C cup for a 30). See bolded below:

There is a common misconception that cup sizes are the same across all bra sizes, meaning that a B cup on a 34 is the same size as on a 36, but in fact they are relative to the size of the band, so the same cup size is bigger on a bigger band size. Bra manufacturers refer to a cup volume instead of to a cup size as defined above. For instance, the cup volume is the same for 30D, 32C, 34B, 36A, etc. It is for this reason that bra sizes have sister sizes which are related by having the same cup volume. Although it is important that a wearer has a correctly fitting bra, it is sometimes possible that two adjacent sister sizes both fit reasonably well, since the cup volume is the same, and the difference in band size can be accommodated by fastening the back on a different hook. However, fastening a bra initially on the smallest adjustment does not allow for tightening the band as the fabric begins to lose its elasticity.

miss_jupiter76 · 08-02-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missjane

Cup size varies across band sizes (ie a C cup for a 34 is MUCH different than a C cup for a 30). See bolded below:

There is a common misconception that cup sizes are the same across all bra sizes, meaning that a B cup on a 34 is the same size as on a 36, but in fact they are relative to the size of the band, so the same cup size is bigger on a bigger band size. Bra manufacturers refer to a cup volume instead of to a cup size as defined above. For instance, the cup volume is the same for 30D, 32C, 34B, 36A, etc. It is for this reason that bra sizes have sister sizes which are related by having the same cup volume. Although it is important that a wearer has a correctly fitting bra, it is sometimes possible that two adjacent sister sizes both fit reasonably well, since the cup volume is the same, and the difference in band size can be accommodated by fastening the back on a different hook. However, fastening a bra initially on the smallest adjustment does not allow for tightening the band as the fabric begins to lose its elasticity.

I'm a 35 band technically but they don't make those so more often than not I wear a 34 (except sports, i noticed the one i have right now runs very small for a 34D). So let me clarify I was a 34/B/C and now I am a 34D/DD. So when I said that, I meant all things being equal sorry for the confusion :-) Basically in a nut shell I want to lose as much of the fat I put on in that region as possible. so I don't look disproportionate anymore. Thats it essentially.

miss_jupiter76 · 08-02-2009, 06:04 PM

Thanks for the link! Very helpful. Yeah since I did 15 minutes intervals yesterday as well as Workout A....I guess I am on the road to burnout. But the book doesn't say not to do any cardio on days off (the "extra stuff" chapter) I guess I'm not supposed to do cardio on the same day as lifting. i'll reread and see what i can do. and the calorie calculator will help me getting organized, i was surprised how many carbs they allowed then i realized i probably exceed it anyway so definately have to look at that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimi_pope

This is mostly a function of fat loss. The cup sizes you went up are mostly due to fat (and hormones) and dialing in your diet, making sure there is a deficit, will help them shrink. If its the last place you gained it should be the first place it comes off, usually.

The only improvement with regards to my chest I personally found was it seemed to lift the boobs a bit? Does that make sense? I have DDs, and when I wear a balconnet (shelf) bra, they sit better somehow. Again, some of that is fat loss, but there is no amount of muscle I could gain to replace the fat and not have them sag. They did look better but only marginally.
HTH!

Well if they sit up a bit I'll take it :-) did you lose anything up there as a consequence of overall fat loss? How have you done so far with NROLFW? Thanks for your help again.

miss_jupiter76 · 08-02-2009, 06:08 PM

[quote=Firebird44;739331]NROLFW will help you be stronger, leaner, and more fit, and if you follow a reasonable nutrition plan, you will lose fat and weight. There's no reason to expect you're going to "replace 30 pounds of fat with 30 pounds of muscle". Nor will your shoulders be "broader," though your upper body musculature may increase somewhat. However, it seems to me you're setting yourself up for disappointment by concentrating so hard on arbitrary size goals: dress size, bra size, and weight.

I know my concerns seem very specific.

VicluB12 · 08-02-2009, 09:46 PM

Congratulations on setting fitness goals. I just finished Stage 1 and just started Stage 2. So far my shoulders haven't gained any size they just look, feel and are definitely much stronger. I've concentrated on my shoulders for years and I've never achieved this kind of strength in such a short amount of time. I hope that you give this workout plan your trust try to stick to it the best you can. Push back all those images and approaches that you bring with you and stick to the book. I'm kind of an Adrenalin junky and it's been a real challenge for me to cut back on my cardio. I've never taken so many days off of lifting and cardio. In fact I think I've taken too much time, but the proof is in the pudding and I've never been stronger. I get a lot of comments about my guns and I love it. This forum is terrific and I'm sure you'll find a lot of support and share many of the same concerns and goals. I look forward to seeing your posts in the future on your progress. Cheers!

miss_jupiter76 · 08-03-2009, 02:16 PM

Hi, thank you so VicluB12 much for the encouragement. Yeah when I first start something I get really into it and its like I can't wait to do more but I did interval and weights on Saturday and now I'm feeling pretty beat (could be that its TTOTM for me too hope thats not TMI haha). I guess I overdid it? I would be due for another weight workout today but I'm probably going to have to give it another day because I feel too tired to lift my own body weight haha. Thanks again for understanding hoping to achieve some noticable differences in certain areas (most people who are overweight have their primary goal of losing fat...strength is just the cherry on top and as the book itself says heavier people tend to be stronger anyway).

Marney · 08-04-2009, 10:59 AM

I am with you Miss Jupiter. I currently weigh about 170 pounds at 5'4", which is fairly heavy. At what I would consider my healthiest, which suprisingly was shortly after I had my first child, I weighed about 135 pounds. It's hard to rip my mind away from that number, because I feel that I MUST weigh 135 pounds, and it seems like a crazy task when I am not doing tons of cardio or cutting calories like a mad woman.

I threw away my scale. There is no scale in the locker room at my gym. I have to go over to the trainers station to use the scale, and all they do is harass me to join one of their programs. So I stay away. Win-win.

My husband and I are only into the second week of training, and we don't see it yet obvioulsy, but we both are already starting to FEEL stronger.

Marney · 08-04-2009, 11:07 AM

I also want to add that "stepping away from the treadmill" and allowing myself more calories has done wonders in just these first 10 days or so.

I used to deny myself snacks, or say, man am I hungry, I'll eat these five celery sticks. And sure enough, I snacked well into the evening hours and did not sleep well.

Since I started tracking my calories, protein, carbs and fat on Sparkpeople, I haven't been STARVING at 9 pm and I have gotten a lot more sleep.

Maybe it's just becuase I am approaching it with a good attitude and one that says, "I can do this," but so far, it sure is working.

miss_jupiter76 · 08-04-2009, 08:01 PM

I just signed up for Sparkpeople yesterday, love the nutritional calculator, I'm surprised how many calories it says i need especially carbs even though it recommends lower than NROLFW does. I probably have too much sugar still so thats going to be a wake up call.

Thanks for your encouragement and I'm glad to hear you're feeling stronger on the program!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marney

I also want to add that "stepping away from the treadmill" and allowing myself more calories has done wonders in just these first 10 days or so.

I used to deny myself snacks, or say, man am I hungry, I'll eat these five celery sticks. And sure enough, I snacked well into the evening hours and did not sleep well.

Since I started tracking my calories, protein, carbs and fat on Sparkpeople, I haven't been STARVING at 9 pm and I have gotten a lot more sleep.

Maybe it's just becuase I am approaching it with a good attitude and one that says, "I can do this," but so far, it sure is working.