The tornado sirens were going off this evening; I guess a tornado touched ground in the area around 8pm. It was gorgeous today - about 80 degrees and sunny... and then around 8 or so, as the sun was going down, the sky turned all brownish-yellow and strange, and you could smell the ozone in the air. Shortly thereafter, the thunder & lightening began and rain started to hit the ground...
I am probably one of the few people to say this but - I love the weather in the midwest. Snow, ice, thunder, humidity, hot sun, wind gusts, tornadoes, crisp fall days, rainy spring days, we get it all.... pretty cool.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I am new to the NROLW(stage 1: 6) and to TNT (day 2). I have really enjoyed reading your log. Just wanted to stop by and say hey because I will probably need your seasoned advise as I encounter issues along the way with TNT. I think it's great that you have the support of your bf. Mine is anti-low carb in a pretty passionate way which makes it harder. How did you remedy the constipation issue?
Thank you!! I'm pretty damn proud of myself. Sometimes I felt like just giving up & letting the other woman do the competition. But that would be going back to my old ways of not pushing myself to do something that I will later enjoy. I am so competitive with myself; I know this will be enjoyable for me. I just want to place!
In other news, I was talking to my mom last night, telling her that my stomach is nearly flat now (aside from some loose skin that should tighten up in a while)... and that I noticed yesterday when I was washing my hands in the bathroom at work, you could see my muscles moving around in my upper & lower arms, and that was so cool. Know what my mom said? "Be careful! You don't want to fall in love with yourself!"
I told her that I thought it was really cool that I could control my body and see how it reacts to the different things I eat & workouts I do. And that seeing my muscles in the mirror was a novelty. She didn't really respond to my comments but I could tell that she disapproves.
It's no wonder I've spent my entire life feeling bad about myself. I've been taught my whole life that feeling good about myself (either via personal accomplishments or physical appearance) is a negative, self-absorbed emotion that is wrong.
I was mad after I got off the phone, but also cognizant of where I learned a lot of my self-doubt and negativity. It felt good to be able to separate myself from her comments and recognize that what she said has nothing to do with me. Grr.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I'm so excited my tummy is finally flattening. I'm starting to get the line going down the middle of my torso. YES!
It's hard to get the angle consistent between months, but the difference I see here is flatter tummy, more apparent upper abs.
My waist keeps getting narrower & narrower. Funny that i used to always think I just had "no waist" ... turns out it was because I had a bunch of fat there.
And there's that curve in the triceps. I love it! I love that my arms are getting shapely.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I hear you about learning a lot of negativity about myself from my mom and her remarks. She is always so hung up on her flaws and how she has to hide them with the right clothes or whatever.
We went to Shawn's dad's house yesterday and his stepmom told me "just don't get any bigger or you'll look like a man" blah blah blah. I think what people do not realize is working out hard with the goal of learning to feel good about yourself is so freeing and empowering.
Measurements. % change is between 3/9 and 5/4. I didn't do measurements when I first started tracking 2/4, so my changes are more than likely greater than this. (I know at the very least i was around 152 pounds)
Not sure why the big jump in chest measurement, but I have seen a lot of change in that area (both front AND back) so... who knows.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
You look great!
I can relate to the negativity from my mom too. She really falls into the group of people who think Hollywood skinny is the most attractive look (insert my sister here). When I gained a lot of weight, she told me I was fat. Now that I've lost weight and put on muscle, she constantly warns me not to start looking like a man. I've gotten to the point where I can just laugh it off. I really like having muscles and love the way I look now, especially compared to when I was super skinny and when I was overweight.
Don't you love being able to see your muscles moving when you do everyday tasks like washing your hands!
Congrats on the pound of weight gain!! It definatley is not fat. You are making really fast changes if those pics are only 30 days apart. Wow.
My girl friend told me a few months back that I was getting too muscley for her tastes but yesterday she saw me again (after a few weeks) in my gym clothes and she could not stop ranting about how good my body looked. A fit body is an awesome body.
Thank you thank you!! I can't wait to be lean. someday!
Today was day #1 on precision nutrition. 1850 calories and I wasn't hungry all day long. Here's what I ate:
B: 6 eggwhite omelet + 1 egg with spinach, mushrooms, & tillamook cheese, ham & onions
S: cucumber/tomato salad & protein bar (homemade)
L: spinach salad with roasted chicken on top
S: romaine lettuce with tuna salad mix on top (tuna, mayo, green olives, pickles, onions, bell pepper, mustard)
Workout drink: 40g protein shake
D: 1/3lb elk patty with spinach salad & roasted tomato dressing
S: 1/2 protein shake ("turtle" shake)
macros broke down into 49/40/11, protein/fat/carbs whee!
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Last A workout of stage 4! Moving right along Bench Press 5x45
5x65
3x75
1x95
0x105 - I tried! I got it about 4" above my chest and then it just stopped... next time!
Stage 4, A4 Front squat/push press
1x6x57
1x8x57
1x7x57 (couldn't quite eek that last one out!)
Step-up
3x8 @17.5e
Dumbbell one-point row
3x8 @30e
Static lunge, rear foot elevated
3x8 @20e
Push-up
3x8 (floor) no T-pushups today. The bench presses wore me out!
Plank
I have noticed that I've had a hard time with these lately. I think it's from the bench presses wearing me out as well as doing T-pushups last time. My triceps just give out about 90 seconds in. The lactic acid buildup is more pain than I can handle.
90 sec
105 sec
90 sec
skipped the woodchops. le sigh.
I am really amazed at how much more flexible I am, just from these routines. I can bend so much farther than I used to in my stretching. Love it.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
FWIW, I'm using a cookbook/recipe software program called Living Cookbook and I love it. Highly recommend it for anyone who wants to store full recipes, nutritional information, plan menus, create shopping lists, and review daily nutrition. It's fantastic.
You can d/l it for free & you get 25 "uses" with the trial. I'm on use 10 I think (basically, the # of times I've opened the software). I plan on buying it soon.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Today, I am feeling helpless regarding those suffering in Myanmar. I hate feeling this way because it is a useless emotion that isn't productive. But it's been on my mind since yesterday afternoon, partly that I feel sad for those who experienced the cyclone, partly that aid organizations can't get into the country yet, and partly because I can't do anything about it to relieve the suffering.
I've been thinking about volunteering at a local food bank (or a food-related "help those in need" organization) lately and am going to look into it. With the rising cost of food and the recession, NPR's done a couple of stories on dramatic increases in demand at food banks across the country. I've done volunteering for almost all my life, since I was 16, minus the past ~3 years. It's all been for literacy causes, and I'm thinking of switching from literacy to food/health/welfare.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
A report on NPR said that it was noticed how quickly the Myanmar government moved to stop democracy rallies last year, but how slowly it's moving to get supplies to the afflicted.
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Yeah, I almost don't want to listen to NPR anymore but I know that's not going to solve anything. Plus, it's election day. And, the other radio stations irritate me.
Anyway... today's a non-workout day.
my eats for the day...
B: 2/3 of an asian omelet (6 egg whites + 2 eggs, mushrooms, snow peas, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce)
S: rest of the omelet
L: 1/2 chicken salad - romaine, chicken breast, cucumbers, tomatoes, pepperoncini, lite ranch
S: rest of the chicken salad
D: bison stew (bison, turnips, scallions, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage) cooked overnight in a crockpot, yum.
will probably make a snack later, composed of chocolate protein powder, cottage cheese, flax, and peanut butter. delicious!
I've been doing well staying away from the soda and drinking lots of tea & water. I'm going to let myself have a couple of sodas a week, but I know that when I avoid them my sugar cravings die down. I am a sucker for Coke Zero though. Love that stuff unfortunately.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Good thing for the day - I didn't have any soda. It's hard to resist at work, because it's free and a 10-second walk from my desk. And they have coke zero. And Fanta zero. tempting...
But instead, I had tea and water.
I skipped my workout tonight. I had 5 1/2 hours of solid meetings this afternoon (12-5:30) and just didn't feel like working out. I knew I'd have a sub-par workout so I'm saving it for tomorrow. Last workout of stage 4, yeah!
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
I'm so glad you resisted! I resisted the homemade cookies at work yesterday... I think that kind of willpower / strength is just as important as weight-room strength, ya know?
I understand skipping the workout - sometimes your body isn't in the mood, and it's better to reschedule (if you can) then do a sub-par workout and possibly hurt yourself too...
Thanks! I was pretty excited to hit triple digits on that underhand lat pulldown. IT wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be easier (as in, I could actually complete my sets).
Tonight John and I went out for dinner & are being extremely non-compliant in our eating habits! He took his last professional exam today and after a few years of exams (and years of my managing the stress around exam time), we both deserved the treat.
We had a great dinner at a very nice seafood joint in town - we had oysters & salad to start. I had seared tuna & asparagus, and he had sea bass & asparagus. So the dinners were actually quite good. It's just that I had a dirty martini, he had a beer, and now we're at home drinking beer. It's kind of fun, actually... and a much-needed reprieve from being so strict for so long!
I'm drinking Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and he's drinking St Bernardus Abt 12. We picked up some all-time favorites at the store.
Hey, if you're gonna cheat, you might as well do it right.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Oh, and BTW, yes I'm proud of my shoulders! I love what weight lifting has done to my delts & triceps and can't wait to lose this last bit of fat to really show them off. I can't believe it's only been 3.5 months that I've been doing this and the results are dramatic. I should live it up, I guess, because the "dramatic" part of bodily changes are at the front end I suppose...
Of course the beer isn't helping, but it won't really set me back either.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Thanks! I was pretty excited to hit triple digits on that underhand lat pulldown. IT wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be easier (as in, I could actually complete my sets).
Tonight John and I went out for dinner & are being extremely non-compliant in our eating habits! He took his last professional exam today and after a few years of exams (and years of my managing the stress around exam time), we both deserved the treat.
We had a great dinner at a very nice seafood joint in town - we had oysters & salad to start. I had seared tuna & asparagus, and he had sea bass & asparagus. So the dinners were actually quite good. It's just that I had a dirty martini, he had a beer, and now we're at home drinking beer. It's kind of fun, actually... and a much-needed reprieve from being so strict for so long!
I'm drinking Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and he's drinking St Bernardus Abt 12. We picked up some all-time favorites at the store.
Hey, if you're gonna cheat, you might as well do it right.
Excellent choices both - a local beer bar has a keg of the abbot but hasn't tapped it yet. Which is ok by me because they do have the Duchesse de Bourgogne on right now.
Nice progress you're showing there - keep up the good work.
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
Excellent choices both - a local beer bar has a keg of the abbot but hasn't tapped it yet. Which is ok by me because they do have the Duchesse du Bourgogne on right now.
Hey, our local brewpub has the Duchesse on tap as well. That is a fantastic beer - delicious!
Quote:
Nice progress you're showing there - keep up the good work.
Thank you! I'm proud of all the progress I've made (and that John's made - he is looking fantastic!). It's something I truly feel proud of; I've worked hard for this and have achieved this while really pushing myself. I haven't done this half-assed, which seems to make the results even more rewarding.
Follow-up to the beer last night - I cracked open a 2nd beer and couldn't come CLOSE to finishing it. I got about 1/4 of the way through and started feeling nauseous. Prior to this year, I would have probably ripped through 3 or 4 bottles of it and felt buzzed but not ill. John was in worse shape than I was last night.
We shared our amazement this morning at how tolerant we'd actually become. Beer is a shared passion of ours and we drank a LOT (a couple every night, several on the weekend), trying new varieties and seeking out novelty beer. It wasn't uncommon for each of us to go through a 6-pack or 2-3 bombers on a friday evening... amazing! I don't even want to think of what I was doing to my body - drinking 4-5 pints at the bar on a friday night and downing a bacon cheeseburger & fries. Every weekend.
When I lived down under, wine was one of the cheapest things to drink (a 6-pack was $20+, a 750ml bottle of mid-shelf gin was $45, and a bottle of fantastic local wine was $9 - guess which one I was going to pick). I would go through a bottle on friday & another on saturday... and sometimes 2-3 bottles during the week (drinking half per night).
I'm actually kind of surprised at how easy it was just to give up alcohol (in many ways, it's been easier than giving up some of my favorite carbs, like scones). But more amazed at my actual volume of consumption and how much money I spent on it. Yikes.
__________________
"If 'toning' is the goal, strength is the method." ~ Mark Rippetoe
Linear Mode
