Really awesome weights on the deadlifts and lat pulldowns.
Regarding your carb struggle, maybe low-carb isn't for you? I know the program for The Perfect Body Diet is pretty different than what is laid out in NROL4W. The workouts in our program are really hard, maybe you're having such a hard time lowering your carbs because your body needs them. Oats and brown rice are good for you. You would probably do well to stay away from muffins, even if they are whole wheat, but maybe a little bit of oats or rice or quinoa would work.
I got these hemp bagels from Whole Foods in the freezer section. They are 260 cals each, with 34 grams of carbs, 20 grams of protein, and 14 grams of fiber. They are really satisfying, especially since I would never touch a regular bagel nowadays. I like to toast them and spread them with hummus or peanut butter. Also, have you ever tried Ezekial Sprouted grain bread? Its also in the freezer section. It has a good amount of protein and fiber, and less carbs, but to me it tastes pretty much like regular whole wheat bread.
Great suggestion on those hemp bagels...I wish we had a whole foods here! But I will get out the ezekial bread--I've had it before and it's great. I'm still meaning to try both those protein bars and the almond meal "bread"--maybe I can this weekend.
I tired myself out a bit tonight. Today I walked to and from work--that 3 miles each way, so that's about 2 hours of walking.
Then right when I got home I put on my workout clothes and tried to do a 50 min step workout--after walking in the cold for so long at the end of the workday I was just too drained.
So I quit it after 1/2 hour. And got a wee bit dramatic about it--lay on the exercise mat and pathetically called to my husband to please bring me a rice cake with jam because I was going to kick the bucket for sure.
Sigh. Anyway, at least dinner was on track--pork chop with steamed swiss chard and some sauteed veggies. Too bad after dinner I was nibbly on lots of little fruit here and there.
It's not like it's bad for me, it's just not needed, that's all. I get so annoyed with myself--it's like every morning I say: "new day! fresh!" and then at the end of the day I'm digging in the frozen grapes and pinapple bits and sprinkling a bit of yogurt on them. So it goes.
But I think there is something inherently not satisfying in my diet or I wouldn't feel the need to do that. I think I need to plan better, and put in some more whole -grain carbs and account for some sweets, too. This after-dinner sweets thing doesn't seem to be going away! I guess I might as well plan for it.
But I think there is something inherently not satisfying in my diet or I wouldn't feel the need to do that. I think I need to plan better, and put in some more whole -grain carbs and account for some sweets, too. This after-dinner sweets thing doesn't seem to be going away! I guess I might as well plan for it.
That's a good way of thinking about it. I too know I always enjoy having something sweet after dinner - its been a habit for so long. Since for now I eat breakfast and lunch relatively close together, I don't need a snack between them, and save that snack to have for after dinner instead. So while I used to have sugary junk cereal or a cookie or some other junk food, now I usually have a fruit smoothie or frozen banana slices with cashew butter. Its just as satisfying, maybe even more so because food like that is actually filling.
Great suggestion on those hemp bagels...I wish we had a whole foods here! But I will get out the ezekial bread--I've had it before and it's great. I'm still meaning to try both those protein bars and the almond meal "bread"--maybe I can this weekend.
I tired myself out a bit tonight. Today I walked to and from work--that 3 miles each way, so that's about 2 hours of walking.
Then right when I got home I put on my workout clothes and tried to do a 50 min step workout--after walking in the cold for so long at the end of the workday I was just too drained.
So I quit it after 1/2 hour. And got a wee bit dramatic about it--lay on the exercise mat and pathetically called to my husband to please bring me a rice cake with jam because I was going to kick the bucket for sure.
Sigh. Anyway, at least dinner was on track--pork chop with steamed swiss chard and some sauteed veggies. Too bad after dinner I was nibbly on lots of little fruit here and there.
It's not like it's bad for me, it's just not needed, that's all. I get so annoyed with myself--it's like every morning I say: "new day! fresh!" and then at the end of the day I'm digging in the frozen grapes and pinapple bits and sprinkling a bit of yogurt on them. So it goes. But I think there is something inherently not satisfying in my diet or I wouldn't feel the need to do that. I think I need to plan better, and put in some more whole -grain carbs and account for some sweets, too. This after-dinner sweets thing doesn't seem to be going away! I guess I might as well plan for it.
I think you might be on to something, with that.
Your workouts look great and I am giggling over the mat/rice cake drama. You crack me up. Keep up the good work, you are really working hard!
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Thanks, Ginger!
Well, I had a nice and relaxing weekend. I didn't go to the gym on Friday for my next workout and just did 6miles of walking to give my muscles a break. But that meant that Saturday I was up for a good workout, so I had a great one.
Stage 2, Workout A #3
10 min warmup on elliptical, dynamic stretches A. Squat to press-push: 30/10; 30/10
Alternating:
B1. Step-up: 15/10; 15/10
B2. 1 pt. dumbbell row: 15/10; 20/10
C1. Static lunge: 15/10; 20/10
C2. Push-up: bw/12; bw/12
D1. Woodchop: 45/10; 45/10
D2. Plank: 60 sec; 60 sec HITT: 15 min
Food was okay. I always have a hard time keeping it together on the weekends. I'm also on a new medication, metformin, which messes with appetite and tummy so it hard to even know how to interpret things. I will say though, that my appetite was pretty reduced but it's unclear if it's from the meds or just good planning and being tuned into to what I need. I hope it's a combination of both!
I'm going to try really hard to do one more week of lower carb and really focus on sticking with it and see if it helps!
Today I did some house-cleaning (ahhhh gotta love a quiet Sunday for that!) and did some step aerobics because I was craving it! This time I didn't collapse on the mat afterwards,
Yumm!! I'm always getting delicious foody ideas from you.
This weekend I made the pumpkin protein muffins from the PBD book. I've been really craving muffin-like or bready treats and these are "approved" on the greens/berries diet in the book (which is the one I'm following) so I made them. If the recipe is good I'll share! (if you want!)
What's your dose? I'm right now at 750mg/day, on my way to 1500. Did you have stomach issues at first? I haven't been too bad yet, but I'm still in the lower doses.
Great suggestion on those hemp bagels...I wish we had a whole foods here! But I will get out the ezekial bread--I've had it before and it's great. I'm still meaning to try both those protein bars and the almond meal "bread"--maybe I can this weekend.
I tired myself out a bit tonight. Today I walked to and from work--that 3 miles each way, so that's about 2 hours of walking.
Then right when I got home I put on my workout clothes and tried to do a 50 min step workout--after walking in the cold for so long at the end of the workday I was just too drained.
So I quit it after 1/2 hour. And got a wee bit dramatic about it--lay on the exercise mat and pathetically called to my husband to please bring me a rice cake with jam because I was going to kick the bucket for sure.
Sigh. Anyway, at least dinner was on track--pork chop with steamed swiss chard and some sauteed veggies. Too bad after dinner I was nibbly on lots of little fruit here and there.
It's not like it's bad for me, it's just not needed, that's all. I get so annoyed with myself--it's like every morning I say: "new day! fresh!" and then at the end of the day I'm digging in the frozen grapes and pinapple bits and sprinkling a bit of yogurt on them. So it goes.
But I think there is something inherently not satisfying in my diet or I wouldn't feel the need to do that. I think I need to plan better, and put in some more whole -grain carbs and account for some sweets, too. This after-dinner sweets thing doesn't seem to be going away! I guess I might as well plan for it.
Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread makes THE best french toast. FYI.
Yumm!! I'm always getting delicious foody ideas from you.
This weekend I made the pumpkin protein muffins from the PBD book. I've been really craving muffin-like or bready treats and these are "approved" on the greens/berries diet in the book (which is the one I'm following) so I made them. If the recipe is good I'll share! (if you want!)
Oh, regarding the cashew and frozen banana, I made something awesome last night. Put the banana slices and 2 TB of cashew (or any nut butter) butter into the food processor with a little bit of milk (I used almond milk.) Let it go til it gets thick and smooth, its just like ice cream. It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth after dinner.
Yawn--I'm a bit sleepy today. Mondays are not my favourite. But really, whoever loves Mondays is a freak of nature.
Anyway, I didn't get to walk into work because I wimped out on the walk--it was -9 (celsius) with lots of wind and blowing snow. In retrospect, I kind of wish I had, because by the time it is 3:00pm (like it is now) and I've barely moved more than a 5 foot radius I feel like a giant slug. At least I had to sprint to catch the bus this morning!
But I will do my Stage 2 Workout B #3 tonight! So gearing up for that. I normally try to go in the mornings but what with the time change....it just wasn't happenin'.
Am going to start posting my eats again because even though I log my food elsewhere, it's not a part of the conversation that way. And well, I like talking about food. I just do.
I've been basing my meals on the Perfect Body Diet book, with the Greens and Berries diet. (but not using the glucomannan, thank you very much!)
breakfast: walnut yogurt smoothie and 3 fish oil capsules
am snack: 1 tbsp peanut butter, apple
lunch: cut up veggies, 1 can of tuna, 2 slices of ekeziel bread
pm snack: protein pumpkin muffin (I just made these last night--yummy!)
dinner: chicken and chickpea stew--loaded with veggies
dessert: strawberries
Right now I'm trying the sample version of the calorieking software on my home computer so I can access the stats it, but it's about 1600 cals with about 130g protein and 120 g carbs. Lots of fats, too.
Tonight at the gym I was sooooooo close to skipping weights and doing a step class instead (it was starting at just the right time). I even went in and set up a step and everything, thinking: "I'll just do my weights workout tomorrow--I'm in the mood for cardio."
But I know what it is--I am craving cardio because I want to drop pounds more quickly. And the funny thing is is that I thought about writing that out in this log, so I went and got my mp3 player and notebook and off to the weights I went. Which was crazy crowded, by the way! It was every man and woman for themselves. You had to stake your ground.
But I'm so glad I lifted because I was feeling strong and had some great PRs!
Stage 2, Workout B #3.
Only one more of each, and then done Stage 2!
Warmup: 15 min on elliptical, then side-to-side lunges, reverse lunges, stand to squats
A. Deadlift: 90/10; 90/10
B1. Bulgarian split squat: 20/10; 20/10
B2. Underhand grip lat pulldown: 80/10; 80/10
C1. Reverse lunge from box; forward reach: 20/10; 20/10
C2. Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch: 8/10; 8/10
D1. Swiss ball crunch: arms overhead variation bw/12; bw/12
D2. Reverse crunch: bw/12; bw/12
D3. Lateral flexion var. 3 (my least favourite exercise--I feel so awkward) bw/10; bw/10
E. Prone cobra: 60 sec; 60 sec (I love this move!)
The bulgarians and the backward lunges nearly made me puke today! In a good way.
Sadly, I didn't have enough time for HITT so I will have to do them tomorrow.
To report on the protein pumpkin muffin--that sucker kept me full ALL afternoon. Ha ha it must have given me the strength for those deadlifts.
Looking good, Girl! Good for you on doing the weights and skipping the class. I teeter on similar issues, but once I get myself in that weight room and get that workout in.....it feels wonderful.
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Way to avoid that cardio!!! I have made a promise to myself to only do cardio AFTER I lift. Sometimes I have the energy and other times not. I do allow myself one day to do only cardio if I so desire. Most of the time though I go to lift. I am really starting to love to lift.
Also way to go on the PRs! It is those workouts that we dread the most where we have the best times it seems.
Looking good, Girl! Good for you on doing the weights and skipping the class. I teeter on similar issues, but once I get myself in that weight room and get that workout in.....it feels wonderful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
Way to avoid that cardio!!! I have made a promise to myself to only do cardio AFTER I lift. Sometimes I have the energy and other times not. I do allow myself one day to do only cardio if I so desire. Most of the time though I go to lift. I am really starting to love to lift.
Also way to go on the PRs! It is those workouts that we dread the most where we have the best times it seems.
Thanks, Ginger and Karla! I knew that the people on this forum would understand that little struggle I had. It was just a reminder to me that I'm really committed to this program and don't want to waffle on the guidelines I've set for myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marygrace
Congrats on your PR's! 90 lbs is so awesome. The lunges and squats often give me a puke-y feeling too, they take absolutely everything out of me.
Thanks--yup--they are brutal! And stage 2 is just bursting with them. My glutes, hamstrings, and quads may never be the same again. (Hopefully! lol)
I have a couple of good workouts to report.
Yesterday I had my HITT to make up from not having enough time on Monday. It was a BEAUTIFUL day here--sunny and above 0 degrees (celsius), so I walked the six miles to and from work. Then when I got home I grabbed my hyperactive doggy and went for an outdoor HITT run. I've never done that before--always have done my HITT on a machine at the gym.
Let me tell you--it was freakin' HARD!!!!!!!!! I wear a heart-rate monitor and my HR went up to 180 at some points (usually it's at around 165 during my intervals). Of course, my dog was loving it and as I nearly keeled over on the sidewalk was prancing around, waiting for more.
So a good workout!
Also this week I've been really dialed in on the food intake. Which is really good, because this has been such a source of stress for me.
Yesterday's eats:
breakfast: protein pumpkin muffin and walnut yogurt smoothie
snack:apple with tbsp peanut butter
lunch: chicken bean stew
snack: protein pumpkin muffin with some soy nuts
dinner:lean turkey sausage with mashed cauliflower
snack:yogurt with fruit
totals: 1558 cals, 104 g carbs, 81 g fat, 104 g protein
This morning when I got up my butt and legs were still sore from yesterday's run but if I didn't work out this am it wasn't going to happen....so off I went. I was slow and felt a bit stupid this morning but despite that I actually had a good one...go figure.
Stage 2, Workout A #4
10 min warmup on elliptical, dynamic stretches A. Squat to press-push: 40/10; 40/10
Alternating:
B1. Step-up: 15/10; 15/10
B2. 1 pt. dumbbell row: 20/10; 20/10
C1. Static lunge: 20/10; 20/10
C2. Push-up: bw/12; bw/12
D1. Woodchop: 50/10; 50/10
D2. Plank: 60 sec; 60 sec HITT: 15 min
I even managed to eek out the HITT, even though I didn't really think that was going to happen. My body is sooooore right now--if I do anything tomorrow aside from my walks I think it will just be some steady-state cardio.
Today's food:
preworkout: some soymilk and cereal
breakfast: smoothie with peanuts and protein powder
snack: apple and tbsp of pb
lunch: (leftovers) lean turkey sausage with mashed cauliflower
snack: pumpkin protein muffin
dinner: pork chop with asparagus
snack: yogurt and fruit
Totals: 1,562 cals, 121 carbs, 71 fat, 113 g protein
Great workout! Gotta love those red numbers!
Pumpkin protein muffin?? Sounds awesome!
Thanks, Kara! Yeah, the muffins are GREAT. The recipe's from Cassandra's TBD, so I figured they are legit. I can post the recipe this weekend if you'd like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marygrace
Great job, definitely relax if you need it tomorrow. You'll feel better for your next workout!
Thanks! Yes, I did relax yesterday--I just did a 50 min walk for activity, no workout. And when I got home last night I actually thought about strapping on my sneaks for a step workout, but then realized my legs were just SORE and thought of what you said and listened to it! lol So I pulled out my novel and just dozed and read on the couch, actually. It felt good to let myself do that--normally I'm go-go-go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dillytl
Workout looks great! I see RED!!! Congrats on the PR's!!!
Thanks for the props!
Yesterday's eats were okay, not great. I ate outside of my cal range. I find that often happens on days I don't work out (the wrong days to do it, I know) because I just get the munchies. I think that it might have something to do with how exercise controls blood sugar/insulin levels. Or maybe I'm just finding excuses for bad behaviours!
Anyway, I had:
breakfast: oatmeal with two poached eggs
snack: apple and tbsp of pb
lunch: sliced turkey breast sandwich on ezekiel bread, salad with feta cheese
snack: walnut yogurt smoothie
dinner: shrimp curry with sauteed zuchinni
snack: soy milk blended with frozen fruit--then this is where I veered--I then added a tbsp of peanuts and chocolate chips to it. Totally not needed.
This morning I had a HARD time getting out of bed! Plus, my shoulders and neck feel all tight and sore. But it was worth it because it was my last workout of stage 2!!! Woohoo!!!!
Because I've been so sore and tired by the end of this week and because my neck and back just hurt, I've decided to take a week off from lifting before starting stage 3. I didn't take a break between stage 1 and 2 because I didn't feel like I needed it--now I need it! I have decided I am going to splurge and book a massage for tomorrow!
Anyway, here are my stats from this morning:
Warmup: 5 min on elliptical, then side-to-side lunges, reverse lunges, stand to squats
A. Deadlift: 90/10; 90/10
B1. Bulgarian split squat: 20/10; 20/10
B2. Underhand grip lat pulldown: 80/10; 80/10
C1. Reverse lunge from box; forward reach: 20/10; 20/10
C2. Dumbbell prone Cuban snatch: 10/10; 10/10
D1. Swiss ball crunch: arms overhead variation bw/12; bw/12
D2. Reverse crunch: bw/12; bw/12
D3. Lateral flexion var. 3 (my least favourite exercise--I feel so awkward) bw/10; bw/10
E. Prone cobra: 60 sec; 60 sec
Then 18 min of HITT on the elliptical.
I felt WIPED at the end. And was so glad I got up to go to the gym at 6am so that my workout is done for the day. Now I can just relax. A good friend is coming over for dinner and then we're going to a movie, so it will be a sweet Friday night. The whole weekend will be good....my only concern is that I have a lot of social stuff going on, so it will be a real test of my willpower.
Today's menu:
preworkout: protein pumpkin muffin
breakfast: walnut yogurt smoothie
snack: hummus with veggies
lunch: (leftovers) shrimp curry with zuchinni
snack: p.p. muffin
dinner: baked chicken breast, big green salad with nuts and feta
movie treat: dark chocolate!!
Great idea with the massage, I hope you really enjoy it. Congrats on finishing Stage 2, and if you think you were sore after that workout, get ready for Stage 3! I can hardly lift my arms over my head today.
I too found the third lateral variation kind of awkward. It seems like a bunch of exercises in that workout are awkward, like the Cuban DB snatch and sometimes even the deadlifts from the box.
Ahhhhhhhhh the massage was NICE! I have the best massage therapist. She said that I REALLY need to start stretching my legs more! Yes, no doubt. I'm so impatient I don't do a good job with stretching. By that point I'm usually keen to jump into the shower and eat! (not at the same time.)
In my "rest week" I'm going to just do light cardio--no HITT intervals. Then we'll see about starting up stage 3.
My eats over the weekend weren't great, unfortunately--too much socalizing. It's enough to make me want to hide under a blanket, eating bagged lettuce every Saturday night. Well, not really. But it is sooooooo hard for me to control myself at parties! Grrrr. I guess I wasn't as bad as I've been--instead of drinking beer, for example, I drank about a boatload of fizzy water. Which made me feel about 500 lbs, but hey, it's only water--so maybe I'm still bloated from that? Quite likely.
I have to admit I'm starting to think about changing exercise programs, from NROL4W to the NROL' s fatloss (the book is on the order). It's just that this program isn't a weight loss program and well, I need to lose weight....I'd love to come back to it when I'm already at my goal weight. I don't mean not doing weights until I'm at goal, not at all, but doing a lifting program that promotes fat loss. It's just that I've been doing this program for 2 months now and basically haven't lost any weight, and almost feel as if I've gained.
Anyway, NROL is in the mail and I should get it before my rest week is over so I'll take a look. I hate to be a traitor to the program but I'm not really getting the results I want!
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