Look Mom!! No Clothes!!

[riverbender]

Taking pictures is harder than squats. My camera is almost 10 years old. If I used it for anything other than b4/afters I might think about buying a new one.

A bit of history, 2.5 years ago I quit smoking and gained 40lbs in about 2 months. I already had 30 to lose at the time. So, I started in March '06 at 213.6. I pretty much starved myself for year, did some yoga, elliptical here at home, and Firm videos. I managed to lose about 40lbs but it was painfully slow. None of that 1-2lbs a week I'd been able to manage in a what seems now to have simply been a Twilight Zone episode.

I've been in the gym since March '07. The first 6 months were pretty much just nautilus (or whatever those machines are) and cardio. In September I finally worked up the courage to go hang out with the boys in the weight room. I still feel uncomfortable there. Have yet to touch a barbell. I'm going to need to soon. I'm doing squats with 35lb dumbells. I could, but can't really go any heavier because they are starting to hurt my elbow or forearm, or something in that area.

Anyway, here's the stats:

Height: 5'5"
Scale weight - who cares? Uhm, I mean 148.
Accumeasure 1 site caliper - 4 - 4.5mm
Chest: 34"
Waist: 38.5"
My "How far along are you" belly: 34 1/8"
Hips: 35.25"
R Thigh: 21 3/4"
L Thigh: 22"
R Bicep 11.25"
L Bicep 11.5"
R Calf: 15"
L Calf: 15"
Neck: 13.25

BF%:
Caliper: 16.12% - 16.7% (whatever - not like I'm gonna get a loss here, how low can it go?)
Navy Formula: 22%

12 week goals:
1) Get the Navy measurement to 17% - that'd be 2 inches off hips and waist.

2) Use the damn barbell already.

Workout: Haven't received NROL4W yet. So, I don't know if or how closely I will be following. But somethings gotta change here so it will be that or something I design myself. I've been reading Practical Programming and so I will likely incorporate some ideas from there.

Diet: I tried for 15 months lose weight eating less than 1500 calories. That simply doesn't work for me, I don't lose. For whatever reason, and I've got the food logs to prove it, I have to go below 1100 if my weight is going to budge on the "Oh you just need to eat less" route. I'm old, I need my LBM, and not eating sucks, so, I'm just gonna eat.

Since September I've been doing a clean 1700-2000, 5-6 meals a day. It's been working and I feel MUCH better mentally, physically and emotionally, so I see no need to change anything at this point. Though I may try the carb cycling thing.

[Bill2380]

Gotta love the title. I think that you've already shown that you can stick to a program, good or bad. I haven't seen the women's version of NROL, but can attest that the men's is very good. I'd try sticking to the experts program for a while before writing your own. Good luck with whatever you choose.

PS - Has anyone ever told you that you look like Tim Allen's wife on "Tool Time"?

[SpacecityPaula]

I giggled when I saw your title.

Love your title.

If you want the workouts for Stage 1 of NROL4W, I'd be more than happy to type them in for you.

[mel]

Welcome,

You obviously have the will power and the attitude to meet your goals! And you were brave enough to post photos, so I have every confidence you can reach your goals! Good luck to you, this is a wonderful place to come for advice, encouragement, and friendship.

mel

[Mahler]

Gotta tell ya, the title sucked me in.
I also like the clever stats and humor you put into them. It shows a good positive attitude. Welcome and good luck.

[UConnJulie]

I think you mismeasured your waist ... it doesn't look bigger than your chest!!!

Great title ... it sucked me in too ...

[vanessa40]

Love the title too
Good Luck

[riverbender]

Hey thanks for stopping by everyone and the kind words.

Bill, no one's ever told me that but that's kinda funny because Tim Allen's character always kinda reminded me of my ex in a way. Even looked like him a bit.

Thanks Paula, I actually should have (had I seen it) taken you up on that offer given what I just went through with the jackknifes and trying to do more reps than I should have. I went to the bookstore last night and copied sets/reps for workout A. I thought I transversed the reps for jackknifes. Hopefully the book will come tomorrow. Although Amazon is saying expected delivery is the 8th.

Julie, LOL OMG yeah waist is 28.5. I will edit. Nice catch! I have issues with numbers.

OK so, I was off yesterday. I didn't want to have to try a new workout on Monday in my gym. Monday's are really crowded. Tomorrow will be hell day I'm sure, first Monday of the New Year and all. So, I did my first NROL4W tonight.

First off - Squats. I was psyched to actually get to use a barbell. That's why I decided to go tonight, I figured I might actually get to go near one. Tomorrow not a chance.

So I go over to that scary part of the gym where girls aren't allowed I'm pretty sure, and am trying to act like I know what I'm doing. I'm looking at this contraption trying to figure out how to get the bar off of it. Guess what? My gym doesn't have a squat rack or anything that I can remove a bar from at shoulder height. They've got three of those other things, whatever they are, smith machine? I dunno. I don't care. I tried it. I did NOT like it. I'm not using it.

So, I grabbed the bar from the bench press. That's not going to work for too long. Guess I'll have to get that walking pheromone I've been lusting after for months now to help me. Life is good.

Push ups: Uhm, I'm sorry but the book lied. Lied lied lied. In the push up section it lists the variations (supposedly) from easy to hard. DB presses, which I've been doing for forever now, were towards the end. You know, where the HARD variation for push ups are supposed to be? Pfft, I've been doing the hard version!! I rock!! I can bang out 15 of those from the floor then no problemo. Right?

Low Row: I need to work on finding an alternate for this. Or something. My gym has a low row cable thing that I've been using, but it's not one where you sit on the floor. So, I don't know if that's getting me where it should be. I feel it mid - upper back. Not only that but super-setting will be kinda difficult given I can't do a freakin pushup from the floor and will have to leave the station. Even if I could go from the floor it's a high traffic area. So, tweaking needed.

Jack Knife? Jack this! WT%^$#@? are those things???? I messed up. I tried to do 2x15. I actually did get 15 (barely) the first set and only 10 the second. And I only got that many because I'm about as stubborn as they come and I don't like to be told I can't do something. Tell me I can't do it and I'm gonna do it. I couldn't. omg I really couldn't. Humbling. By 8th rep I could barely stay up on the ball but I was gonna finish that damn set just to prove - what? How good I am at hurting myself maybe?

Workout time including 5 minute warm up and 5-7 minutes trying to figure out how I was gonna squat without a squat rack and row without a rower:

32 minutes total.

Squats: 2x15 w/just the bar
Push ups: 10 on the floor (ouchie), 15 @ 45 degrees
Bent over DB row: 1x15 10lb (way too easy) 1x15 15lb (still too easy)
Jackknife 15,10. Maybe next time I should go for 20 just for kicks?

So, it's gonna take me a bit to work out the kinks but I'm getting work in areas I obviously need given I felt everything except the rows. Even the squats I felt. I didn't expect to because I've been squatting since September. BB definitely feels a bit different.

My main concern right now is that wow I was only there for 30 minutes. My average is 40 minutes weights and 30 cardio plus warm-ups. Some days I'm in there for 2 hours by the time I change 2x and usually a couple trips to the "I drank too much coffee today" room.

I'm kinda worried about the calorie thing. I'm used to doing 1800ish give or take. Seems like I might have to go lower and I kinda don't want to Well, actually that 1800 includes a pwo which I won't need as often.

What am I going to do with all this free time?

[dillytl]

Awesome title!!! Good luck! - Love the humor in your posts! I'll be checkin' in!

[LisaS]

jackknifes - not 2x15 in stage 1 wo#1 - 2x8 in stage 1 wo#1 - you get to 2x15 by wo #7 - so you still rock!

[gregl515]

You lied!

[AnnetteW]

Just saying Hi as we start the NROL4W challenge. Looks like you got a great workout under your belt.

[vanessa40]

Great workout..
The jackknifes are tough...
I could barely do 8

[kfisherx]

I was suckered in as well by the title. I have to say that you look nicer at 5'5" and 148 then I do at 5'5" and 131. You have very nice definition already. I am looking forward to seeing the affects of this program on your bod so stick with it girl. I will be behind you by some time and will keep my eye on this.

[SpacecityPaula]

Great looking workout. You might try doing 1 arm DB rows on the bench

[riverbender]

Karla, you haven't seen my nekkid butt where at least 60% of my weight is at the moment! I saw your pics in the official challenge thread and what you said about being fat. You are insane!!!! All I saw was strong!!! I weight way more than you because I have way more BF than you, silly!!!!

I have old videos of me 137-141ish, back in the olden days when I was in my 20s. I look at them now and see that I was way too skinny. Of course at the time I was only doing 60m+ of cardio a day and probably 80% of my diet was processed carbs. So, who knows, I looked emaciated but was probably 50% BF but anway.....

I'd been doing Weight Watchers. I lost 72lbs. When I stopped losing at the the end, the leader kept giving me the "We get complacent when we get close to goal weight (134). So, be sure you're not cheating", lecture/pep talk. I started to feel like a failure. I didn't hit the magic, "You're not fat anymore" number, so I was blind to the true reflection in the mirror.

So, I say, screw the scale!!

Then again, my scale could be way off. I have a Dr.'s appointment next month, so I'll find out then.

OK, on to yesterday's workout:

I used to do intervals. I stopped doing intervals. WOW! I need to do intervals. I had gotten up to 1 minute work/rests. So, like the idiot I am, I tried to start there. Hey it's only been a couple months since I did them.

It went something like this:

45 (Hmmm. Nope a minute's just NOT happening this time), 90 rest, 45 (uhm, this 45 second thing really, REALLY isn't gonna work I need to take all my clothes off right now before I DIE), 90, 30, 90, 30, 90, 30, (Ok now this is too easy), 45, 90, 45.

Plus 10 minute mile.
Plus 15 warm-ups/cool down.
HR max was 178 bpm.

Generally I was generally hitting 165-172 during the work intervals which kinda sucked (i think) because I work at 160 during steady state cardio.

So, I'm not really sure where I should be for the work intervals. I've read 85% but I pretty much work there or very close, according to the standard HR calculator, for steady state. I'm gonna get an average RHR and calculate from that. I can't be doing steady at 85% because it just doesn't kick my butt like intervals do.

[UConnJulie]

River, you are too funny! Thanks for the laughs ...

Rows: Do not need to be on the floor, just seated where you are rowing to your chest. What about then using that bench to do the pushups on?

Squats: No freakin' squat racks? Pppft! If you can't get it to work with the bar on your shoulders (ie no way to get it there) try Zercher squats (where you sort of hug the bar in your elbows in front).

Keep it up ... you'll be surprised at how fast your fitness level rebounds!

Julie

PS: Glad you joined the challenge!