The Year of Magical Lifting

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

Nice workout Victoria! I looked at your posted menu, and depending what kind of salad you're talking about, you're around 1200-1400 calories (I included your snack). That's not enough - but you know that. You may want to consider reading some of LeighP's posts and perhaps buy her book. She had a great thread about undereating vs. amount of activity performed. Check it out here.

Overall you're making great progress, like Lance says. You should be proud of that and keep on truckin'.

Jill, thanks for working up those numbers. I remember now reading a bit of that post. I'll reread through it again. Did you purchase Leigh's book?

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

Victoria,
It is so hard to not get frustrated on all levels when work sucks and you aren't meeting your workout/fitness goals as fast as you'd like ... but you've got a great plan in place and you will reach those goals because of your dedication and your awareness. As for work ... I've been there too ... I'll be praying that you pass your exam and can move on WITH YOUR LICENCE!!!
When I get home, we'll have to get together for a TRX workout ... I think I can set it up under my porch on the patio ... and at your house we could probably both hook up to the telephone pole ... wouldn't that make the neighbors talk?!?!

Thanks, Julie. Still waiting on those damn test results. How on earth could it take them 3 months to score?!!! Oh well....yes, getting together sounds great! Two of us on the pole....that WOULD be a sight!!! I'm ready!

Originally Posted by Egham

It likely would....There's a decent prossibility that people would notice and might even start gathering. You might think about setting up a few lawn chairs and charging admission! Maybe you could even get a neighbor kid to set up a lemonade stand and split the proceeds with you.

Hahahah.....very funny! :p

Originally Posted by Egham

I'm amazed that you've been eating so little, given the tremendous activity levels you've been maintaining.

Well, I think that's why I tend to get so tired at times during and after my workouts. You'll recall I nearly slept through an entire weekend recently.

Originally Posted by Egham

It appears that you may be (like Mrs. Egham) one who usually feels satiated rather quickly and therefore, may often fail to eat sufficiently to support sustained strenuous activity.

I think you nailed it on the head, Egham. That's exactly what happens...after what seems like a few bites, I'm just not hungry any more. Then I just can't get any more down. But, as much as I hate crunching the numbers, it's the only way to move in the right direction....so, today's eats:

Total calories: 1301
Protein: 25%
Fat: 35%
Carbs: 39%

Since I don't like tracking this stuff much, I'll start by posting just the above information. If things get to a point where I need to post more details, then I will. As far as the food itself, if I don't make mention of any non-compliant eating, then it's compliant.

[stingo]

If you switched the protein and carb percentages they'd be looking REALLY good.

[Victoria]

Hmmm...yes, you're right, Tom! Duly noted...thanks!

[Victoria]

Today's Workout:

14 August 2007
HIIT - A1

Treadmill:
30 secs on @ 6 mph/90 secs off @ 3 mph
2% incline
6x

Notes: 6 mph seemed a tad low, but since I haven't done these in a while, it's a good place to start. I did work up a good sweat. As I progress, I'll increase speed a little, then increase incline for more challenge.

-----------------------------------
I think for my goals to be effective, I need to see them in front of me everday, so each workout entry will include a recap of where I am with each goal on a weekly basis. Then the grand total at the end of the 8 weeks to see how compliant I was overall.

Short-Term Goal Summary: Week 1, Day 2

Goal #1 - Quantitative Measures every 2 weeks: 1/1
Goal #2 - Record Calories each day on Fitday: 1/7
Goal #3 - Pack Food 2 Days per Week: 0/2

Fitness Summary:

Resistance Training (3/wk): 1/3
HIIT Training (2/wk): 1/2
"Other" Training (1/wk): 0/1
Recovery (1/wk): 0/1

Miscellaneous: Forgot to record my warm-up for yesterday's Resistance Training:

Warm-Up:
5 min. on tready
Y-Squats - 10 reps
Pushups - 6 reps
Bird Dog (5 sec hold) - 5 reps/side
2x

----------------------------------
Well, I know it's only been 1 day so far, but I think the level of recording that I've set out for myself keeps this whole process in the front of my mind throughout the day. I really really like breaking it up into 8-week blocks. This seems so much more doable for me. Otherwise, if it's too much then things feel like big ugly monsters to me and I just want to run away from them.

Last thought-Need your vote: Up until now I would step on the scale every day because it is in my workout area. Since I'll be officially recording my weight every two weeks, should I still take a peek in between or save the suspense and wait until official weigh-in? What's your vote?

[L'ilJ]

You're doing great Victoria! Yes, I did buy Leigh's book. It's very good. It doesn't cover the topic addressed in that thread I linked in my previous post though. It's just a good overall approach to fat loss. You may consider PMing her and asking her for some guidance though. She is very, very helpful.

A couple suggestions from me. Since you're tracking your food, I think you should work slowly towards upping your calories so you don't feel like you're gorging yourself. If you're eating 1300 calories a day this week, shoot for 1400 next week and so on until you reach your maintenance level. Stay at maintenance for a couple weeks, then start working your way down again. It will take some time for your appetite to catch up to the added calories.

For your lunches. I pack my lunch for the three days I work at my office (Mondays - Wednesdays) each week. My strategy is to keep it simple. I prepare stuff on Sunday that can be easily assembled each morning for a lunch. I usually grill several chicken breasts on Sunday night. I buy bags of mixed salad greens and those low carb tortillas or make some brown rice. So in the mornings I just grab a chicken breast and put it in a zip lock bag. Throw some mixed greens and any extra veggies in a bowl. Put some salad dressing in a small container. For a snack I throw in a container of greek yogurt and a piece of fruit and a sprinkling of nuts. At lunchtime I cut up the chicken, put it over the greens, throw on the dressing. Done. Or, cut up the chicken, put on the low-carb tortilla, heat for a few seconds in the micro, put on dressing or cheese, throw on some mixed greens, done.

Good luck!

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

You're doing great Victoria! Yes, I did buy Leigh's book. It's very good. It doesn't cover the topic addressed in that thread I linked in my previous post though. It's just a good overall approach to fat loss. You may consider PMing her and asking her for some guidance though. She is very, very helpful.

Good to know her book get's your seal of approval. I'll check it out. I guess I don't have any questions yet, per say, since I know of one thing to fix already---eat more---which would probably be the first thing out her mouth! But, I'll keep it in mind if I get stumped and the fat just won't fall off. Hopefully all the suggestions here will do the trick!

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

A couple suggestions from me. Since you're tracking your food, I think you should work slowly towards upping your calories so you don't feel like you're gorging yourself. If you're eating 1300 calories a day this week, shoot for 1400 next week and so on until you reach your maintenance level. Stay at maintenance for a couple weeks, then start working your way down again. It will take some time for your appetite to catch up to the added calories.

Great suggestions, Jill. Sounds very logical and doable. So, that's the course I'll take. I think eating very calorie-dense foods will also help me feel like I don't have to get bloated from a huge meal just to get my calories in. Any suggestions?

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

For your lunches. I pack my lunch for the three days I work at my office (Mondays - Wednesdays) each week. My strategy is to keep it simple. I prepare stuff on Sunday that can be easily assembled each morning for a lunch. I usually grill several chicken breasts on Sunday night. I buy bags of mixed salad greens and those low carb tortillas or make some brown rice. So in the mornings I just grab a chicken breast and put it in a zip lock bag. Throw some mixed greens and any extra veggies in a bowl. Put some salad dressing in a small container. For a snack I throw in a container of greek yogurt and a piece of fruit and a sprinkling of nuts. At lunchtime I cut up the chicken, put it over the greens, throw on the dressing. Done. Or, cut up the chicken, put on the low-carb tortilla, heat for a few seconds in the micro, put on dressing or cheese, throw on some mixed greens, done.

Yes, I am admittedly lazy when it comes to food prep. But, that must stop! I did take out 3 servings of meat from the freezer last night to cook up tonight. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but by the time I get home after such a long day, then a 1.5-2 hour drive, I just don't feel like doing any more "work". Part of the reason I don't always eat as much as I should at night. I'm just too mentally tired to have to prep it. But, it's all about committment, I realize this. So, that's what I'm working on.

Jill, thanks so much for all your help. It makes it all seem so easy!

[stingo]

So you cook on the weekends and freeze it for the week. That way all you have to do is come home, heat and eat.

[Victoria]

I've tried freezing meals. I just don't like the subtle changes in texture, taste, etc. But, I don't mind precooking and storing in the fridge for later.

[L'ilJ]

Originally Posted by Victoria

Great suggestions, Jill. Sounds very logical and doable. So, that's the course I'll take. I think eating very calorie-dense foods will also help me feel like I don't have to get bloated from a huge meal just to get my calories in. Any suggestions?

You're doing PN right? So you're eating carbs? Some calorie dense foods include...nuts and nut butters, olive oil, dressings, cheese, cream, rice, pasta, bananas, avocados, fatty meat vs. lean meat (go for steak or hamburger instead of chicken). Make a taco salad for lunch (mixed veg and greens, sauteed ground beef, cheese, avocado). Nuts are what always get me. Eat some macadamia nuts for a snack instead of almonds. If you're too tired to make dinner, make a smoothie with protein powder, peanut butter or some nuts, berries, ice, water or milk. There are lots of nights where I get home from work and don't feel like making dinner for myself, so I drink a smoothie.

At any rate, just add a little bit here and there and you'll slowly get up to your maintenance level.

[Victoria]

It seems so weird that whole fat and higher fat foods will actually help me. It's just as well, I cannot stand any foods that start with "Light..." and Low..." or end in "...Free"!

Oh yeah, yes I'm doing PN. I just realized, somehow I got away from the shakes. I most have gotten tired of them. Thanks for the reminder, Jill. They are a great way to get a meal in. And, I'm proud of myself....I cooked 4 or 5 meals worth of meats tonight. Packed in fridge and ready to go.

Today's Nutrition Numbers:

Total calories: 1500...exactly!
Protein: 26%
Fat: 48%
Carbs: 26%

Little low on the protein. With dinner I tried to swig down a tomato juice with a scoop of PP in it....umpf...wasn't very good. So, I had to ditch it after about 6 gulps. But, I'm trying to eat more and I guess it worked today. Still a little shy of where I want to be. My usual PB & H on WG Eng Muff for breakfast, salad with protein for lunch, couple snacks in between and Spinach salad with a blob of tuna, mixed raw veggies, and dressing for dinner. It was tough getting the last few bites down. I definitely feel very full right now.

[lance02]

I'm with you Victoria on the "Light", "Low", etc -- especially when it comes to fat. I'm a believer that sugars can be a cause of weight gain (i.e. the bad sugars -- HFCS, etc.). I really look for things that are lower on sugar. My wife had picked up some yogurt the other day -- something Grande. I took a couple of bites, it was good. Then I looked at the ingredients -- sugars were as much as a can of Mtn. Dew!!

So what is PB and H -- peanut butter and honey???

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by lance02

So what is PB and H -- peanut butter and honey???

You got it!

[Victoria]

Hmmm...interesting. I found an old workout journal from a few years ago with some body measurements in it.

I added a column in my tracker log for comparison but here it is:

Jan 2005
Weight: 164
BF%: 26.5 (questionable)
Chest: 38"
Waist: 39.5"
Hips: 42"
Left Arm: 12"
Left Thigh" 25.5"

versus

Aug 2007
Weight: 161
BF%: 29%
Chest: 39.5"
Waist: 37"
Hips: 42.75"
Left Arm: 11.5"
Left Thigh" 22.5"

I'm guessing the BF number from Jan 2005 is inaccurate. Even though there is only a 3 pound difference between then and now, it seems I lost a bit more in inches. Although I'm not sure what's happening with the chest...my boobs ain't gettin' any bigger, that's for sure! Must be all those darn push ups!

It's kind of cool having a comparison like this. I actually reached 172 pounds before really kicking in the effort this past winter.

[L'ilJ]

Yay, 1500 calories is great! Try to hit somewhere between 1400 and 1500 for the next week and then try to add 100 more the following week. I'm sure your appetite will catch up. Of course, don't go overboard with the fatty stuff, but to get your calories up it does help to slip in some healthy fats here and there. I don't know what sort of macros you are thinking you want to hit? Have you thought about that at all or are you just gonna keep it simple for now?

Sounds like excellent progress though. Keep up the good work. Oh, and good for you for cooking up the meats ahead of time! For me, that's more than half the battle. I always buy a little deli meat each week (usually some uncured ham or chicken/turkey) in case I run out of the stuff that I grill. In a pinch I can throw together a chef salad or something like that.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by Victoria

I've tried freezing meals. I just don't like the subtle changes in texture, taste, etc.

That's why I make stew and soup. It doesn't really matter if it's been frozen. I eat stew and soup year round.

I just polished off the last of my beef and fennel stew, today.