My NROL Experience

[missjane]

Looking good, Tom! Your workouts look so strong! Major congrats on the scale movement -- just in time for Summer.

[dillytl]

Originally Posted by stingo

Well it paid off I think - when I got on the scale today it read 238.4. I was especially careful to avoid the beer mainly because I didn't want to slow down my metabolism (and to avoid the extra calories). That said, I saw one of the bartenders from the beer bar I tend to end up at a lot, and he asked me if I was coming tomorrow for happy hour. I of course said yes, but I think I'm going to try to limit my intake there too, both in food and beer, especially since I'll be going out to eat on Saturday.

EXCELLENT!!!!!

[nutbar]

Beautiful job on the progress and resisting some beer knowing how much you enjoy it!

[stingo]

Originally Posted by missjane

Looking good, Tom! Your workouts look so strong! Major congrats on the scale movement -- just in time for Summer.

Heh I won't be ready for this summer, but hopefully next summer. Thanks for the encouragement.

Originally Posted by dillytl

EXCELLENT!!!!!

Thank you thank you

Originally Posted by nutbar

Beautiful job on the progress and resisting some beer knowing how much you enjoy it!

Thanks, but the real challenge will be tomorrow and Saturday. Tomorrow is happy hour at one of the best stocked beer bars in the area, so it's going to be difficult to control myself. Plus I'll be out with friends who routinely offer samples of what they're drinking... But, I have to find a workable plan that I can live with, so we will see.

Saturday I'll be having dinner with some very special guests at my all time favorite restaurant - and it's in Philadelphia - City Tavern. This is a lesser temptation as I find they tend to have more sensible portions, plus, since I'll be driving my beer intake will be at most 1 (and I know just which one it's going to be... George Washington Porter here I come. ). Then it's off to hear one of, if not the all time favorite pieces of music performed live for the first time: Gustav Mahler's 8th Symphony "The Symphony of a Thousand" - so called because that's how many performers it supposedly takes to perform it. I do know it's score for full orchestra, chorus, children's chorus and 8 soloists. As such it's a rarity in the concert hall. So yes, very much looking forward to this weekend.

[stingo]

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've started tracking my weight and my nutrition on Fitday. I was dead set against doing so for a long time because I didn't want to be tied to tracking and becoming obsessed with it. I'm finding though that it is actually empowering. I feel a bit more in control now, now that I know roughly how many calories I take in each day. I say roughly because I just use stock fitday values for things I don't have nutritional values for, like the chicken salad at the cafeteria at work. It must be close though, because after having had some steak, I was feeling hungry still. I put my day's nutrition into fitday and saw it was just under 2000 calories. So, I went and got my Dubliner Cheese, looked up the nutrition info online, added it into fitday, and figured out I could have 2 oz of cheese and still be around 2100-2200. (I cut it and weighed it before eating it...) So, having eaten the cheese I don't feel hungry anymore, but yet I know I'm still within my calorie limit. I'll have my cottage cheese shutdown meal and end with about 2250 calories for the day. I think tomorrow will prove to be a pivotal motivator - if I see my weight is down tomorrow again (or even the same, so long as it doesn't go up) I think I'll be that much better prepared to be good when I go out to happy hour. Stay tuned...

[Cynic]

A lot of people swear by it. I like fitday because you can add custom items. I only wish you could make custom combination creations, such as a serving of spinich lasagne, or 1/4cp salsa.

[Espi]

Tom, I resented using a food tracking program for a few years, but once I got used to the daily tracking I've never gone off except for one month when I tried to go without tracking. I gained weight at a frightening rate in that month.

Tracking keeps me on the 'straight & narrow' better because of the continuous feedback. Even when overfeeding there is comfort in knowing how consistently eating at a decent deficit will get me back on track again. Without the feedback it's easier to get the wrong mindset to either not care and continue eating sloppily or to undereat by a too large margin.

There may be plenty folks who get to goal wt without tracking but when you exercise lots, it is as important to eat enough as it is to stay at a deficit.

[brianb]

Originally Posted by stingo

I like the idea of a gradual progression (much like Milo of Crete) - even though I'm not making huge gains, the gains I AM making are being made without sacrificing form etc.

haha I love it, and you're so right about making the gradual, yet amazing, progress AND keeping the form... so many people don't get this concept.

Anyways this is my first time going through your log, just thought I'd drop in and say hello. Great job so far!!

-Brian

[tcoy777]

Congrats on the progress. Your doing a great job!! Its amazing how useful the tracking is on fitday. I had never done it before I started NROL and trying to gain weight the clean way. It really does work.

I will be interested in hearing your review on the concert. It sounds like its going to be an amazing night. Have fun!

[stingo]

No time to reply - just really wanted to say my body hangs on to water in weird ways. Today's weigh in was 233.25. Is it possible that the beer from last Friday/Saturday affects water retention/bloat and my body is just now getting rid of it?

[tcoy777]

What did you weigh last time.? I looked back and the last number I found was 238.5. Now 5 pounds is a lot in a week, but not unheard of. Could be the water issue though or maybe you are now focused on your calories and were overeating before.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by tcoy777

What did you weigh last time.? I looked back and the last number I found was 238.5. Now 5 pounds is a lot in a week, but not unheard of. Could be the water issue though or maybe you are now focused on your calories and were overeating before.

Tuesday - 245
Wednesday - 239
Thursday - 238.4
Friday - 233.25

All were done around the same time (9 or 9:30am) in the same conditions. Go figure.

[UConnJulie]

Yup. I personally have been known to hold up to 12 lbs of water at various times in my cycle.

Nice progress none the less ... and I too find that tracking helps keep me accountable. I never thought I would say it, but after only a few weeks, I find tracking easy ... and I weigh everything that goes into my mouth. That way I know exactly what I am getting. I am also sticking to simple one-ingredient items at this time too since something like chicken salad that I didn't make would be hard to estimate. I'm not really eating out at all right now. Next Friday we are going to see Jesus Christ, Superstar and will be going out to dinner. That will be interesting!

[stingo]

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

Yup. I personally have been known to hold up to 12 lbs of water at various times in my cycle.

Nice progress none the less ... and I too find that tracking helps keep me accountable. I never thought I would say it, but after only a few weeks, I find tracking easy ... and I weigh everything that goes into my mouth. That way I know exactly what I am getting. I am also sticking to simple one-ingredient items at this time too since something like chicken salad that I didn't make would be hard to estimate. I'm not really eating out at all right now. Next Friday we are going to see Jesus Christ, Superstar and will be going out to dinner. That will be interesting!

Indeed it will, both for how you cope with food that is difficult to estimate, as well as the show. I've seen the Norman Jewison film version (the first DVD I ever bought, actually) and have seen some local and regional productions of it. Some were better than others, but all were engrossing due to the play itself.

[tcoy777]

Originally Posted by stingo

Tuesday - 245
Wednesday - 239
Thursday - 238.4
Friday - 233.25

All were done around the same time (9 or 9:30am) in the same conditions. Go figure.

Well done!!! that is some consistent loss. It probably is a bit of water weight loss, but not all of it.