My NROL Experience - Page 18 - JP Fitness Forums

LWilson212 · 09-17-2007, 01:58 PM

I have really enjoyed reading your posts. You have made amazing progress.

I am totally in the same boat as you. I have been doing New Rules since April, BI, FL II, FL III, HT I, and now Strength I. I think I sort of expected it to be the "magic bullet" that would make me lose those stubborn ten pounds I regained, but I haven't lost any weight. I track my calories in FitDay and I have been hungrier and been eating much more than before. I would say my clothes are slightly loser, maybe. But on the plus side I am much much stronger.

I think your own strength gains are going to become much more apparent when you finish Fat Loss and switch to some of the lower rep programs. The things you've been doing with your diet took you to where you are now, which is awesome! Now it might need a little tweaking to take you to the next level. It sounds like you are doing great with the idea of tracking your calories a little closer and especially trying new and different foods.

Hang in there.

Columbus_George · 09-17-2007, 04:49 PM

Nice work on Fat Loss III Stingo! I am sure glad I won't be doing that any time soon! That workout looks pretty brutal :-)

I completed Fat Loss I today and I start Fat Loss II next Monday.

UConnJulie · 09-17-2007, 05:03 PM

Nice progress!!

L'ilJ · 09-17-2007, 06:44 PM

Hey Tom. You're doing so well! Your progress is really commendable. Don't get too frustrated about the lack of weight loss - that is something that can be remedied. You just need to find a nutrition plan that is right for you. As you probably know, weight loss can get frustrating when you reach a plateau. Now you just need to figure out what is causing it and how you can bust out of it. Taking a hard look at your intake (tracking it in fitday or calorie king) and then tweaking it may help. As I think I mentioned before in your log, I didn't lose weight doing the fat loss programs, I gained. This is mostly because I ATE TOO MUCH because i was SO hungry. It's possible you are eating a little too much here and there and it's stalling your progress. Good luck to you at any rate! You can absolutely do it.

stingo · 09-17-2007, 07:19 PM

Thanks for the encouragement everyone - I really needed it today. I've been modifying my calorie intake as I mentioned above. Nothing major - dropping two of the "snacks". Using the wrap for two meals was one, and I'm thinking of dropping the peanut butter on whole wheat bread tonight since I just had dinner. And what a delicious dinner - baked salmon drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, baked potato and steamed broccoli. I added just a hint of soy sauce for dipping to round out the flavor. Yummy.

As I've mentioned - I've been at between 236 and 240 for as long as I can remember. I'm at a loss of how to explain it though Roland's and Jill's explanation I think is the most probable: that my eating matched my maintenance calorie intake, so I didn't see any weight loss. I was hoping it was adding muscle from NROL, but I doubt that's feasible. So, I'm left with the option of reducing my calorie intake. In a way I feel it's unfair, to do all that work, one SHOULD be able to eat, shouldn't they? I think it's more of a psychological thing I need to get under control - that my brain thinks it should have x amount of food, when the stomach says actually we need y amount of food, and y is less than x. I have a feeling vegetables are going to be much more critical in this new food plan - as a way of filling myself without adding a bunch of calories.

As for needing support - I'm not sure why I did - was just wondering if it was all worth it - if I was making real progress or just looking like I was. Doing the workout helped with that (as I figured it would). Speaking of which I asked the woman who runs the gym about the step-ups - she suggested using the risers (we have the same ones that are used in NROL thankfully) so I could concentrate on learning better form for the exercise (i.e., as it's listed in NROL).

At any rate, thanks for reading and the support - it does indeed help.

Lost Dog · 09-17-2007, 08:07 PM

On FLIII, staying the same weight, something happened. Believe me. You may not have lost a lot of fat or put on a lot of muscle, but rest assured that you didn't just stay the same. With that stimulus, you added some lean mass. At least a little.

I think reevaluating things is good. You're making some good choices. If you're not interested in counting cals, you can look at your typical foods and make strategic downsizes or limitations.

My dad, for instance, was not willing to give up (or reduce) carbs. But, he drank two Pepsis and two beers a day. By cutting that in half, he got things moving again. Doesn't really matter which two, either. Some days he has two beers and no soda, some days it's the opposite. But, that about 300 cals a day, right there.

The other option I suggested to him was to go back to his old German tradition of eating his sandwich open faced. And, just stick to that one slice of bread.

He also eats a lot of CPK frozen pizzas (the BBQ Jerk Chicken Pizza is awesome.

). I suggested going for half and then having a heap of veggies with it (the man loves raw veggies, luckily).

He mixes and matches the tips, and he's dropped some weight. If only I could get him to lift some weights, but that's a no go for him. Not interested.

stingo · 09-18-2007, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

On FLIII, staying the same weight, something happened. Believe me. You may not have lost a lot of fat or put on a lot of muscle, but rest assured that you didn't just stay the same. With that stimulus, you added some lean mass. At least a little.

I agree but one part of me says that's an awful lot of hard work for just a little lean mass. Though admittedly I've not been doing the overdrive mainly because I'm so spent after strength training, it just doesn't feel like an option. And the days I don't have strength training I take spinning, which I should think counts for something.

Still, I can at least say that my workouts were properly fueled. And if nothing else, doing NROL has definitely gotten me stronger, which one appreciates in strength training. (So I must be doing SOMETHING right.) I mean, there's stuff I can do now that was a struggle for me before - t-pushups come to mind. And yes, even the Bulgarian split squats are FINALLY getting to the point I can do them without holding on to something for balance. These are very, very good things - things (especially the split squats) I didn't see me accomplishing if I hadn't have started NROL.

stingo · 09-18-2007, 05:53 PM

My heart rate seems to take a while to get up into the desired range these days. I'm counting it a good thing in that it means the heart stays efficient for a longer period before getting stressed by the work effort.

Victoria · 09-18-2007, 06:56 PM

Stingo you are doing great...even if the measuring numbers don't say so. You have made incredible strength and conditioning gains. That counts for a whole lot. Sometimes the body changes just come slowly. Just stay consistent with your plan. It will come!

stingo · 09-18-2007, 07:17 PM

Thanks Victoria - I really think this cutting of calories (even though I don't like it) will help rather than hurt. I've started eliminating extra carbs where I can and started putting in vegetables in their place. Example - instead of the pretzels I typically have with my lunch wrap I opted for the green beans. And since it's working out that I've been taking nut oils out (not by design, just works out that way), I've been having fish (salmon so far, tilapia in the wings) in the hope of getting some healthy fats that way. Not that you had to know all that lol - just saying...

Egham · 09-18-2007, 07:57 PM

Tom, I've been watching what you've been lifting and reading your comments for a good while now. You have indeed been getting stronger and your balance/coordination sure seems to have been improving as well. That's major!

I can't imagine that you aren't gaining some muscle mass and agree that you probably aren't seeing weight loss because you are eating very close to maintenance. Hopefully, it won’t take too long for your to determine how you need to adjust your eating to help you achieve your weight loss/body composition goals.

L'ilJ · 09-19-2007, 03:41 AM

Tom...I think the "tweaks" you're making to your diet are good! Little things here and there WILL make a difference. Are you tracking your calories in fitday or calorie king to see how you're doing? I know it can be a pain, but it can give you an idea of where you should be eating.

stingo · 09-19-2007, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Egham

Tom, I've been watching what you've been lifting and reading your comments for a good while now. You have indeed been getting stronger and your balance/coordination sure seems to have been improving as well. That's major!

I can't imagine that you aren't gaining some muscle mass and agree that you probably aren't seeing weight loss because you are eating very close to maintenance. Hopefully, it won’t take too long for your to determine how you need to adjust your eating to help you achieve your weight loss/body composition goals.

Thanks Egham - it's all too easy to get so fixated on where one wants to go that one forgets where one's been. Not in the sense of resting on my laurels, but to acknowledge the fact that I have indeed come a long way. Thanks for the encouragement... (though that green apple riesling you mentioned in your log has me very intrigued...)

stingo · 09-19-2007, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L'ilJ

Tom...I think the "tweaks" you're making to your diet are good! Little things here and there WILL make a difference. Are you tracking your calories in fitday or calorie king to see how you're doing? I know it can be a pain, but it can give you an idea of where you should be eating.

Thanks Jill - yes, online calorie trackers have been suggested, but I think I will wait to use one until I don't see results from the current setup. I'd prefer it to be intuitive from the start as it will give me a better idea of how to manage my food plan all on my own. I see it as the difference between cooking from a recipe (using fitday) and cooking by look and feel.

I should say that I weighed in today to get a benchmark weight. I know the single measurement doesn't mean a whole lot but... 235 yeah baby!

Egham · 09-19-2007, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stingo

(though that green apple riesling you mentioned in your log has me very intrigued...)

Well, as with most things, a sip of green apple Riesling now and then won't hurt you. ... Intelligent moderation.

I got it from grapestompers. Here's the description. It makes 30 750ml bottles ..1 month from start to bottle....1, preferably 2 to 3 months in bottle before drinking. If you were to make it for your own personal consumption, I'd suggest using the smaller 325 ml bottles to prevent spoilage once the bottle is opened.

Egham · 09-19-2007, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stingo

Thanks Jill - yes, online calorie trackers have been suggested, but I think I will wait to use one until I don't see results from the current setup. I'd prefer it to be intuitive from the start as it will give me a better idea of how to manage my food plan all on my own. I see it as the difference between cooking from a recipe (using fitday) and cooking by look and feel.

I should say that I weighed in today to get a benchmark weight. I know the single measurement doesn't mean a whole lot but... 235 yeah baby!

Unfortunately for me, I really have to track my food intake to keep my eating on track. Every time I stop, my eating gets out of whack within a couple of months.

I started tracking what I eat over a decade ago and have been using Dietpower for around a decade. It has its idiosyncrasies, and drives me mad at times. But, I have nearly all of my recipes on it and have learned to put up with the aspects I don't like.