It's something I've refused to acknowledge for years.. I was really thinking that if I exercise hard enough, the fat would just melt away.
It didn't.. all it did was that I overate by so much that I maintained or barely lost.
And that was despite the tracking. Like having the opposite of what Karla mentioned in her own log about thinking to have deserved more food because of hard work.
I still DO eat tons more on workout days, but have deliberately scaled back my workouts from 7 (EOD) to 6 in 2 weeks, allowing for 1 extra recovery day that is low-calorie as well. Plus ditched the interval cardio. And quite grudgingly I've got to admit it works..
On the happy hour.. like I said before. You *can* have it, but have to budget for it. Either only go once every .... Friday or , what I'd prefer you to do, keep going as often as you used to go, but just say NO & explain that results from diet are now more important. I'm hoping your happy hour & your Sat music outing friends aren't the ones pulling you down. If you feel you're not strong enough.. that's OK, I'm a person who prefers to avoid situations rather than confront them. But I'd just hate to see you giving up the social aspect of going out & embrace the fact you can have fun, even when you're not drinking beer or eating wonderful food.
Meanwhile I'm in complete and total awe of your workouts. You've come such a long way and I'm almost envious how you take on ever more daring exercises. YOU ROCK!!!
Meanwhile I'm in complete and total awe of your workouts. You've come such a long way and I'm almost envious how you take on ever more daring exercises. YOU ROCK!!!
I'll second this one!!! Your workouts scare me. After the modified 300 everything else I do seems easy.
I've been dealing with similiar things re: the happy hour stuff. I have a hubby who eats whatever and whenver he wants. For literally years (how sad is that??), I have been weak and given in, even if for one night and it has killed my work from the previous week.I have finally found some kind of inner strength and been able to resist, while not feeling completely deprived and I am *finally* seeing changes. Doesn't mean I will do this forever, but for now it is helping me get where I want to be. Just know that you aren't alone in these struggles.
Oh! And thanks again for the super suggestion on the rower. I have found a new addition to my cardio, while being able to work some of my arm/back muscles that I worked so hard to build.
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Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
__________________ It all starts with the mind, but the thoughts, the intention aren't enough. Action needs to come next. Dream it, believe it, plan it, execute it, celebrate it. - Wendy
D1 Assisted Dips 1x10@-220, 1x10@-205
D2 DB Bench Press 2x20@42.5
A 50 Suitcase Deadlifts - Well I guess the first time wasn't a fluke, because I was able to get this again today. Cool.
B1 Bent Over Row - A substitution from the official program, since the corporate gym doesn't have any gear with which to do inverted rows. So, I was trying to figure out a weight to use. I think I'll start at 55's next time and take it from there.
B2 Cable Row - Did this one and C1 on the functional trainer and liked it a lot. I will probably stay at 40 next time due to form crapping out on the last few reps.
C1 Cable Squats - These are pretty fun to do, now that I've got the balance worked out with them.
C2 Parallel Bench Step-ups - Did pretty well here, but for balance issues with the left leg (no surprise there). Will probably keep it the same for next time for that reason.
D1 Assisted Dips - Trying to figure out what weight to use for this one, it was a good, if not optimal go through this time.
D2 DB Bench Press - Felt stronger today for whatever reason, even with the small increase in weight.
Overall - A good workout, even though I procrastinated getting started with it because of the deadlifts.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
I'm curious - did your trainer give you a reason behind it?
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I'm curious - did your trainer give you a reason behind it?
Thanks - I know he said (partly in jest) that they'd be a good warmup, but I think it's more to retain/train some level of muscular endurance, as the program he had me on the week before was all about muscular endurance. I have an email in to him and am waiting for a response.
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodfromafar
Whoa, Tom! Another super workout.
Thanks Pauline - as I said, once I get past the 50, just about anything (psychologically at least) is easier.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
232 - Though measuring oneself on a doctor's scale it's hard to tell where to call the weight. Still, with a good day today, I should be within striking distance of 230 (again). Once more unto the breach...
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Yeah, I hate going to my DR's and getting weighed. His scale is off like 10 pounds or more. Everyone comes back from the scale to the lobby going, "Is his scale off or Is my ass really that big".
231.5 - A good showing, considering I didn't sleep a good part of the night. Thankfully, today's a rest day though. With a good day today, tomorrow and Sunday, I should be within striking distance of 230 (or under) on Monday.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
F1 Machine Press 2x15@70
F2 Machine Chest Fly 2x15@50
G Machine Row 4x15@70
A Assisted Pull-up - First time on PF's assisted pull-up machine. Used an alternating grip, and didn't do too badly.
B Lat Pulldown Reverse Grip - Weights seemed right here too as the last couple of each set were tough.
C Lunge - Actually these were 3 in 1s... I had to lunge forward, and then go into a backward lunge, moving the front leg to the back without stopping in the middle for balance (at least that was how it was supposed to work...). Once in the backward lunge I'd pick up the back foot, and pivot to the outside, and do a more lateral lunge (again, supposedly without stopping in the middle for balance), and return to standing position. That's 1 rep. I did the first set holding a 5lb weight in each hand, then Tim had me hold a 10lb weight behind my back with both hands on the 2nd set.
D1 Alternating Push Press - I normally do more weight than this, but my arms were hurting from A and B.
D2 Lateral Raise (supinate to pronate) - My left shoulder was protesting, but not enough to stop. Only used 5lb weights here and that was enough.
E Machine Glute - Odd and new exercise for me here - I'm tempted to call them mule kicks because that's what they reminded me of.
F1 Machine Press - Standard fare here, nothing to see really.
F2 Machine Chest Fly - Another exercise to call out my shoulder, which it did, but not enough to impinge on the exercise.
G Machine Row - These were challenging but not overly so. (I could have used slightly more weight I think, but the effort moving what I was set up for was good enough.)
Overall - A good workout. Tim said my lunges were coming along pretty well - that I'd shown improvement since we started working together. Also he told me to do the strength endurance workout, which for me is more exhausting than the A/B workout he'd given me before. (He'd put the 50's at the beginning as kind of a warm-up/wake-up by the way). So, it's back to that this week - and I'm hoping to see some improvements too.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Waiting with anticipation for the big breakthrough!
Thanks for the encouragement - so am I. In other news, I tried out a new Indian recipe that I really like. It's aloo rajma and it's quite tasty, and easy to put together. It's made for a crockpot but I made it on the stove and it was delicious. I think the 2nd listing of cardamom was an error, so I put in cumin instead. The cayenne pepper really gives it a kick, so if spicy foods do nasty things to you, back off the cayenne, and choose a mild curry powder. Really though, you can pick whatever spices suit you and I think it'd work well. Best though is that it's tasty, filling and healthy - three things I look for in any recipe (the fourth would be ease of preparation, which this certainly has). I served it with basmati rice, which went very well with the curry. As a side note, I found out how to prepare it properly on a website and it was delicious. And in case you've not looked at the recipe, it's totally vegetarian-friendly, being potatoes (aloo), beans (rajma), tomatoes, chilis, onion and spices.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Well since I can't edit... I've since found out that rajma refers to the red kidney beans (not beans in general). I used chickpeas since the recipe provides the option and it turned out well.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
That sounds amazing. I really could eat Indian food every day of the week. I would have to run 15 miles each day though. Mostly due to the fact that I just eat to much of it. Not that its overly unhealthy.
Do you know of any good Indian beers? All the Indian places around here have these horrible Indian beer. I thought a Indian place may have a good IPA, but not around here, just really watery beer with no flavor to match the food.
I think you'd stand a better chance if you made the food at home so you could enjoy the good beer to go with it. I've yet to see an Indian restaurant that served something other than Kingfisher and a few other brands (some of which I think are actually brewed by Anheuser-Busch). You'd think IPAs would be on the list, but maybe since it's actually a British invention (a beer that wouldn't spoil on the long journey to the subcontinent, so the troops etc would have something to drink) maybe that's why it's not offered.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
ahh, now that's a interesting thought. Crazy Brits. I think when the wife heads back to PA in a few weeks, we may have a Indian night. Some chicken tika masala, vegetable somosas, and naan. I may need to give that dish you just mentioned a try.
228.5 - Well, here it is... The first time in 2 months of tracking that the 2nd number is a 2 and not a 3 (or higher). I just hope I can maintain it tomorrow so it's not a fluke. No alcohol this weekend certainly helped - I'm beginning to see just how much it slows down my metabolism, even apart from the extra calorie intake. Also too, I think maybe eating a more balanced diet might play in here as well - I'd concentrated so much on protein so as to neglect just about everything else. Perhaps the aloo rajma yesterday helped right some kind of imbalance. As a side note, my dad told me over the weekend that it's looking like I'm starting to get muscles (or muscular - I don't remember the details) and someone here at work (someone I've seen around, but don't actually know) told me I was looking really good - so I'm guessing I'm heading in the right direction.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Yeah Tom!!!!!! Under 230 and some awesome compliments on top of that! I know it totally sucks to reduce intake. I was sitting at my desk this morning thinking I'd like to stick my face in a vat of peanut butter.
But, look at your results! Great job. You should buy yourself something to celebrate.
Very well done.. I'm grinning to see your hard work re the calorie counting and abstinence pay off so well.
Did I tell about how I threw away half a bottle of Bailey's I'd been drinking 1 serving from about twice a week? It tasted terrific but I seemed to put on weight faster w it than w/o even for same calorie intake.
228.5 - Well, here it is... The first time in 2 months of tracking that the 2nd number is a 2 and not a 3 (or higher). I just hope I can maintain it tomorrow so it's not a fluke. No alcohol this weekend certainly helped - I'm beginning to see just how much it slows down my metabolism, even apart from the extra calorie intake.
Congrats on the <230! Sounds like you've got the right mindset to keep heading in that direction.
Isn't it hard to finally admit how much alcohol does affect our bodies despite our strong wishes for the contrary... I mourned Saturday as I drank my last beer for a while.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
AMRAP, 1 Minute per exercise, rest at end of circuit and as needed within the circuit. All Exercises except A6 were done with a 30lb dumbbell.
A Circuit x 3
A1 Goblet Squat
A2 Core Twist
A3 Arm Curls
A4 One Arm Swings (30 Secs per arm)
A5 Half Squat with Overhead Press
A6 Curl-ups (no weight)
A7 Core Push Press
A8 Squat with Upright Row (30 Secs per arm)
A9 Row (30 Secs per arm)
A1 Goblet Squat - These were better today. Better range of motion too.
A2 Core Twist - Arms seemed a bit stronger today.
A3 Arm Curls - Better here too.
A4 One Arm Swings (30 Secs per arm) - Tough getting this one started today but I got it.
A5 Half Squat with Overhead Press - Yeah, still pooping out here on set 3.
A6 Curl-ups (no weight) - Not seeing a situp any time soon but these were a little more manageable.
A7 Core Push Press - Still feeling the hate, but not quite as much as before.
A8 Squat with Upright Row (30 Secs per arm) - This was a kludge because I forgot quite a few times (esp on the 3rd set) to do the full squat.
A9 Row (30 Secs per arm) - I was beat by the tme I got to this set, which I suppose is the point, and at the same time, it isn't.
Overall - After having a forced break between set 1 and 2 (call of nature) I decided one large break was more manageable than short stops between the sets. This worked out pretty well, right up until about the last three exercises in set 3. Ah well, room for improvement.
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Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
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