Yeah I re-read the plan B drink instructions this morning and I'm going to do the same thing you're doing - get closer to a 1:1 ratio on the protein:carbs.
I do think we were too high on the calories. I made pork chops last night and instead of making them as-is, I cut them in half lengthwise (so that they were 1.5" thick instead of 3" thick) and we ate one each. Last time, we each ate a 3" thick pork chop - twice the calories. so I think we're just used to eating too much...
I'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks & post results of our "experiment". Thanks for your thoughts and help!
Seems like this should be so easy...
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I keep having frustrating days, too, and you are the one who told me i don't need to be smaller! All of my body fat is on my tummy and lower butt, giving me cottage cheese thighs, but I am going to keep plugging away
You are definitely an inspiration, don't let a few "bad" days get you down! You are doing so well, it's really impressive!
It wasn't SO bad, but you know, I just can't master the "rack" grip on those front squats. I've read & read about them and finally got my elbows up high enough by widening my grip, but I can't get up enough inertia on my way up to push that bar up. So, per the bf's advice, I just did a regular overhand grip on the bar and did my front squat/push presses this way. It's discouraging. I feel like a loser.
I think I'm having some major hormonal fluctuations or something. I flipped out on Sunday and had a major pity-party, and then cried in the bathroom today at work for no apparent reason, and then couldn't keep myself from crying in my workout today.
I'm getting enough sleep, I think I'm eating okay, I'm getting plenty of exercise... I don't know. My period came several days early, though, so I'm thinking this is a clue that it's hormonal.
Sometimes i hate being a girl.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I just can't master the "rack" grip on those front squats. I've read & read about them and finally got my elbows up high enough by widening my grip, but I can't get up enough inertia on my way up to push that bar up. So, per the bf's advice, I just did a regular overhand grip on the bar and did my front squat/push presses this way. It's discouraging. I feel like a loser.
I read that you should get your heads as close to your shoulders as possible, but not on your shoulders. I also find that if I kind of squeeze my elbows toward each other that they stay up better.
As for coming up, I try to drive up with my hips as much as I can once I clear parallel. Most times, my heels barely leave the ground, but the bar goes up. Then the trick is to catch it before it hits the ceiling
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I think I'm having some major hormonal fluctuations or something. I flipped out on Sunday and had a major pity-party, and then cried in the bathroom today at work for no apparent reason, and then couldn't keep myself from crying in my workout today.
I'm getting enough sleep, I think I'm eating okay, I'm getting plenty of exercise... I don't know. My period came several days early, though, so I'm thinking this is a clue that it's hormonal.
Sometimes i hate being a girl.
Eh, know the feeling. Only my hormones come on as times of being very angry and snippy with everyone Male. (Sometimes Female, too, if they look too happy.) I'd hardly gotten to work this morning when I had to go take a long walk so I wouldn't kick my boss--sometimes it's not a good thing to know that you can kick your boss in the head :eek
I read that you should get your heads as close to your shoulders as possible, but not on your shoulders.
Yeah, it says that in NROL4W, but I physically can't do that. I read in Starting Strength that if you have long arms, which I do, you'll have trouble with a narrow grip and that a wider grip can help. I tried that and voila - elbows went up. It's so damn awkward, though. One day I'll get it!
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sometimes it's not a good thing to know that you can kick your boss in the head
And yet, at the same time, oh so gratifying
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
My best friend is a lot more "into" fashion than I am, and is self-employed. As such, she has hired a personal consultant a couple of times to help her learn how to dress properly and she's passed on some tips to me. Lately she mentioned something about how her consultant told her that she knew how to pick out a pair of black slacks, and that not very many women really did. And I looked at mine the other day and they're too short! I never even noticed...
Ever since her email about that, and since I've been doing NROL4W, I've been paying a lot of attention to my clothes. And I've noticed that several pairs of my pants are just too short on me. And so are my shirts!
I look SO much better when I wear tops that go to the middle of my hips. My long torso just looks so crappy with shirts that go to my waist, but of course since my torso is long, that's where most shirts stop!
So I've realized that often when I look in the mirror and think I look bad, it's because of how my clothes fit me, not because of my body. Major mental breakthrough!!
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I read that you should get your heads as close to your shoulders as possible, but not on your shoulders.
Now there's a funny typo: not wanting your head on your shoulders. And two heads are better than one. I should not try to write anything after doing one of Alwyn's workouts--my brain is scrambled!
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Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
And yet, at the same time, oh so gratifying
Well, yes, that, too
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Originally Posted by DirtyMartini
My best friend is a lot more "into" fashion than I am, and is self-employed. As such, she has hired a personal consultant a couple of times to help her learn how to dress properly and she's passed on some tips to me. Lately she mentioned something about how her consultant told her that she knew how to pick out a pair of black slacks, and that not very many women really did. And I looked at mine the other day and they're too short! I never even noticed...
Ever since her email about that, and since I've been doing NROL4W, I've been paying a lot of attention to my clothes. And I've noticed that several pairs of my pants are just too short on me. And so are my shirts!
I look SO much better when I wear tops that go to the middle of my hips. My long torso just looks so crappy with shirts that go to my waist, but of course since my torso is long, that's where most shirts stop!
So I've realized that often when I look in the mirror and think I look bad, it's because of how my clothes fit me, not because of my body. Major mental breakthrough!!
I started watching What Not To Wear back in college. After one episode, I went back and started trying on my clothes based on their recommendations. I realized that most of my clothes were too large! Somewhere I'd gotten the idea that I was a size or two larger and had just kept buying clothes without trying them on because I hates the shopping.
I have short legs and arms and torso and everything, so everything is too long on me. Hey, I know--I'll start cutting off the extra parts of my clothes and send them to you to lengthen yours
Interesting stuffs in here....a coupla things that made me think....
sometimes when I have stuff going on that feels hormonal, it's actually food related. Sometimes something is missing or maybe I've overdone a certain macro and it actually creates a hormonal type situation.
The mirror stuff is too true. Clothes and the way we look in them can have a great effect on our body image....as can the hormonal feelings. If you have work stress and other stuff going on, it probably will be carried out in a negative way on what you see in the mirror.
I know that when other stuff is going wrong, I hate the way I look too. I tend to transfer the negative energy right to my body image.
On the front squat, when you pull up into the front squat position, let your pinkies slide out on the bar and maybe even let your fingers spread wide in their grip. Most of the weight of the bar should be in your palms and your hands should be bent at the wrists, allowing the elbows to shift up. You probably know that stuff already, but maybe something in there will help make it easier.
Well, I think that the birth control I'm on (the ring) is a contributor. instead of having regular periods like i do when I'm not on hormones, it actually makes me have NON-regular periods. I need to call my dr & get a prescription for something else, because I'm tired of my periods coming a week early & lasting twice as long as they should... and I suspect that my hormones are all messed up as a result.
However, I totally agree on the food part of it as well. Especially if I'm not eating enough. And stress... I started a new job and am still training so I'm not "I'm so busy!" stress, but it is "OMG I have to learn so much, how am I going to remember all of this" stress.
I relaxed and read last night, so I'm hoping that helps.
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Originally Posted by mel
Most of the weight of the bar should be in your palms and your hands should be bent at the wrists, allowing the elbows to shift up.
Hmm... well, that's not true with the rack grip. With the rack grip, the weight of the bar should be on your delts and your fingertips should be just steadying the bar into place. There should be nothing in your palms at all.
...aaaand that's what I have trouble with. I can barely get the 45lb bar up with the rack grip so I'm just going to stick with a regular overhand grip (I think that's what it's called anyway). When we do these again in stage 5 (it is 5, right?), I'm going to do them with the rack grip.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I have to guard my head a lot more, because to taller people it's an easy target. And I have to be very much warmed up and flexible before sparring so I can kick them in the head. Or ribs, if they're really tall. Being short does make it easier to guard your ribs, though. Other than that, my strategy is hitting hard and fighting in close on tall people. Some of the better fighters in our school are the shorter ones, actually (one girl is under 5' tall and she regularly whips everyone), and Master Khan is only about 2" taller than me. Just gotta learn to use what you got.
Sorry you've been feeling shitty. Hormones suck! I get depo provera injections and like every birth control it has its issues. But, I haven't had a period since I started it like five years ago. I love that part!
I totally know what you mean about clothes not fitting. I hate shopping so I order stuff online and if it isn't quite right I'm often too lazy to send it back, so I just keep it. In the next week or so I'm planning to purge my closet of everything that is too short, waist is too big, or generally makes me look frumpy. There is a lady I work with at H&R Block and every time I see her she is wearing the same thing - a pair of black stretchy Chico's type pants and a stretchy polka dot blouse. It is a great outfit. I was thinking I would rather get one or two outfits that I feel great in and just purge the rest.
Ugh. clothes. My legs are too long and my shirts too short. It's awful. I commiserate. Evidently Stacy and Clinton still say to go shopping and try on stuff until you find something that fits! I finally did that with jeans and thankfully found something LONG enough!
It does make you look frumpy with ill fitting clothes. What a difference if you get something that fits! Or to know if you are tall or petite and not normal LOL!
Ah hah!! Now that you know it will be easy!!! And perhaps that will also help your overall mood too. In fact perhaps you should not rush right out and buy clothing just yet. There might be a new size or two in your near future.
I find that eating too much fat gives me homronal issues. (just something else to consider)
Oooh that's interesting. Part of me wants to log everything I eat with macros, and track my mood (and my cycle) but then the lazy part of me kicks in and it just sounds like way too much work. I think that if this happens again, I'll probably do that... I cut out my morning snack, which I found I really didn't need that much anyway. I eat around 11:30am anyway, and that's about when my hunger starts to kick in. By doing that, I'm cutting out about 100 calories that I don't even miss. Dinners are slightly smaller, but not much. Again, don't really miss that. And that's about all I did. Presto.
I agree on the clothes - I wanted another pair of jeans since we can wear jeans to work every day, and I only had 1 pair. Plus, I really wanted a pair of size 8s.
But yeah, I'm going to try to restrain myself from now till summer when I will be able to pick out clothes that emphasize the good parts (once I've figured out what those are).
As for the depo shot, Leah, did it kill your sex drive? I've heard that it does that, but to be honest I'm not sure if it would really be any more than what other hormonal BC's do. It's something I considered for a while, then decided against (I mean, SHOTS!! waaa!) but now you've got me thinking about it again.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I did Phase II B3 yesterday. I still rather like workout B.
Wide-grip deadlift from box - 2x10 @115 (my last lift of the last set had pretty bad form but was complete, so I'm not sure I could count it) Bulgarian split squat - 2x10 @ 15e Underhand-grip lat pulldown - 2x10 @80 Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach - 2x10 @ 10e (need to up this to 12.5 next time) Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch - 2x10 @ 5e (I'm going to up this to 7.5 next time) Swiss-ball crunch - 1x10, 1x10 with arms overhead Reverse crunch - 2x10 Lateral flexion (#3) - 2x10 Prone cobra - 2x 60 seconds
I think my absolute favorite movement is one that engages my lats. I love the underhand-grip pulldown, and I love any kind of row. They just feel so good even though they're hard to do after a while.
Oh, and I didn't do my HIIT. We were going out with friends afterward and I just didn't feel like doing it. I might do it this weekend. Or, I might skip it. We'll see.
We went to a brewery and I was so proud of myself - I ordered a 10oz glass of beer and that's it. I wanted to order another, but I didn't. Stuck with my diet coke. And I got their steak salad which is delicious (and I stopped when I felt satisfied, even though I wanted to eat it all!). That puppy is so good - romaine lettuce, bacon, mushrooms, blue cheese, roasted peppers and onions, and sliced steak on top with a balsamic vinaigrette. Delish!
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I really like the Squat Rx guy, and thought this video was helpful with tips on front squats YouTube - Squat Rx #15
I've tried the wider grip; I'm going to let my pink & ring fingers off the bar next time and see how this works (I also read about that last night in Starting Strength).
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
We went to Capital Grille for lunch today. We managed to beat the post-church Easter rush, so the restaurant was pretty quiet up until we got ready to go... that was nice.
We had a mozzarella/prosciutto appetizer, which was fantastic. We each had two pieces, so it was a perfect size. We each ordered the same thing for our entrees - a ham & sweet onion fritatta, which was also delicious. It had diced black forest ham, sauteed vidalia onions, and hollandaise sauce. There was some kind of sponge bread on the top, so we just ate around that. The consistency was fantastic - a nice, creamy, silken egg base. Just delicious.
I was tempted to get a glass of white wine, but then decided that coffee would be just as much of a treat. So, I got that instead. The BF reminded me that we already had alcohol this weekend, so we probably shouldn't have more. Good point! So I'm glad I got the coffee.
Very tasty, and I wouldn't have ordered that on a low-fat diet for sure. I would have gone with the grilled chicken salad (which also sounded good but I liked to order stuff that I wouldn't normally make at home).
It was fun to go to a nice restaurant for lunch and have something special.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
You probably made a good choice at the restaurant. I can't remember where it was, but I was reading about so-called good choices at restaurants. You would think that grilled chicken is a good choice but depending on marinades and added fat during grilling can make it a worse choice. Anyway, it sounds like you had a nice lunch out, and that's something everyone should do on occasion.
As for the depo shot, Leah, did it kill your sex drive? I've heard that it does that, but to be honest I'm not sure if it would really be any more than what other hormonal BC's do. It's something I considered for a while, then decided against (I mean, SHOTS!! waaa!) but now you've got me thinking about it again.
Hey DM-
Glad you got to go out to eat and enjoyed it so much!
As far as the depo shots, I am the most squeamish person in the world about needles. I have to go to a certain nurse for bloodwork and she has to use a pediatric needle on me because i am a big baby about that stuff! But a shot in my hip actually doesn't hurt me, maybe because there is plenty of padding. When I first started on the actual name brand depo, my main complaints were acne, especially on my back, and Shawn said I had huge mood swings a week or so after the shots. I now get a generic, and I don't seem to have those problems. The only sexual side effect, it seems like I have to use k-y a lot, whereas I didn't before. That sucks since I'm sure once we get to menopause we'll have those problems enough, so who wants to have it in their early 30's. But generally, I think the benefit of not having periods outweighs it all.
Thanks Leah! For sake of not being too gross, I tend not to have the dryness issue to the extent that my (female) doctors have even commented on it when I go in for paps. Kind of a strange discussion to have with a physician, but at the very least it's reassuring that I probably won't have "feminine dryness" :p issues when I'm in my 60s.
I'll look into it. I have thought about getting the Mirena IUD as well but my doctor explained the process to me... she basically said that they have to clamp onto your cervix to get the IUD in, and if it doesn't go in easily, they actually have to PULL on your cervix. I don't know. I think I'd rather have shots. And the "no period" thing is a MAJOR bonus in my book. I'd get rid of my whole entire reproductive system if it meant I could keep my sex drive, not have hormonal problems, and not grow a mustache.
Anyway... I have a problem with portion control and portion creep, so I was proud of myself for not even finishing the egg part of the frittatta. That seems to be even more important on TNT, being mindful of serving size. I still look at my meals and think, "man, that's small... that's not going to be enough"... and when I finish I still think I'm hungry, but if I wait about 5-10 minutes, I'm not hungry... so I know that I'm eating the right amount, I'm just so used to dishing up a whole plate full of food and eating it without thinking about why I'm eating that specific amount.
That said, I am getting to the point where i'm looking forward to a carb day. I was daydreaming about having a little bit of cheesecake today, and I'm not even a big cheesecake fan. :p I think that just the thought of something sweet and creamy and luscious was tantalizing. I've also been daydreaming about soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. So it's been a little rough this weekend in that regard. I think the fritatta helped because it seemed creamy and carby but wasn't.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
LOL - That's what I was thinking the whole time I was writing that post - how to say this without being too gross!
The IUD thing doesn't sound too pleasant - I agree with you on that.
I've got the same problems with portion control. Ever since I was a little kid if I liked the taste of something I would just keep shoveling it in until I made myself sick. I look at my boyfriend's daughters and they quit eating when they aren't hungry anymore and it kind of amazes me. I'm trying to learn to do that too.
There's a woman I work with that I'm kind of becoming friends with and she complimented my top I'm wearing today. She and i have talked clothing & stuff before, so it's kind of a common theme. Anyway, so my top has a ballet neck (which I really like) and short, capped sleeves. She said that it had a nice neckline and that I could pull off the sleeves because I had really nice arms. YEAH!
So then I started telling her about how I was lifting weights and how I was discovering shapes on my body I didn't know I could develop, like my triceps. She said she loves lifting weights and was just talking to her boyfriend about starting to do weight lifting. And she wants to do heavy weights, but all she has at home are 10lb dumbbells & she doesn't want to join a gym. So, she was starting to look at equipment. I told her about our power rack & weight sets and she really liked the idea...
I just started this job last month, and I am having a hard time making girlfriends at work ... I don't like to talk about babies, brand shopping (coach bags, designer shoes, etc), weddings/getting married/boyfriend not proposing/engagement rings, children, church, or things my boyfriend/husband does (or doesn't do) that annoy me. Those seem to be the topics of discussion. So I'm encouraged that the more I talk to this woman, the more we seem to be alike.
Plus, she is the only other person on my team who brings her lunch to work. The company buys lunch for everyone mon - thurs, but it's always junky so I bring my own (it's typically sandwiches, BBQ with potato & macaroni salad, pizza, pasta bar, pan-asian noodles, etc). So, I feel kind of like a party pooper when people try to get me to eat the lunches and I keep turning them down. It's rather funny though - usually people are telling me that my lunches look "so good" and say that they should stop eating the company lunches... but of course they never do.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I had a good workout today. my protein shakes are 1:1 whey isolate & maltodextrin. With 5g of creatine and a dash of chocolate flavoring (MY FAVORITE). I don't know if the creatine is helping, if it's all mental, or if I just had a random good day, but my workout went really well. It felt challenging and productive. And my muscles felt great afterward - tired, worked, and pumped.
I like the way missjane organizes her log so I'm going to copy a bit.
front squat/push press
10 @50
10 @50 (my left arm didn't go all the way up on the last rep, but it was close)
I finally figured out the rack position. I took my pinky fingers off the bar and voila - horizontal arms.
step up 10 @12.5e on weights bench
10 @12.5e on weights bench
I have done a lot more weight on step-ups, but not at the height of the weights bench. So, I still consider this a PR given that the height is a LOT harder than my puny purple step!
dumbbell one-point row 10 @25e
10 @25e (fell over 3 times in this set - my balance was definitely diminishing!)
These are fun
static lunge, rear foot elevated 10 @12.5e
10 @12.5e
I still hate these.
push-up 10 x bw (floor)
10 x bw (floor)
plank
55 sec
60 sec
It is cruel to put this first plank right after the last set of push ups, even with a rest period.
cable woodchop
10 @ 20
10 @ 20
I've had a hard time getting my form consistently correct on these but I FINALLY mastered it today.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Yeah, I find both the height and the "squishiness" of the bench a challenge. The increased ROM is a good thing, and having to steady myself on a cushioned bench is a great way to improve my stabilization.
I like how I've gone from finding ways to make my endurance workouts easier, to finding ways to make working out more challenging. I think a lot of us have done this in various forms and it's a trip. (besides, why work out if you're only going to do it half-assed? Now I see it's such a waste of time!)
ETA: no, thank YOU for the format.
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"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Thanks for your thoughts and help!
. I should not try to write anything after doing one of Alwyn's workouts--my brain is scrambled! 
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