Metformin can sometimes make people overeat I've heard. Does it make blood sugar drop? If it drops too low that can be a trigger to overeat on carbs.
I hope you understood what I meant with Poliquin's quote. It seems that some people see their maintenance go sky-high when they train a LOT. This seems to be mostly true for OL and PL types of training. Or, cross-training ,like when peopole do 2 types of cardio (both steady state & interval) and both low- & high-rep workouts.
But you're constantly on the edge of overtraining. Eating a LOT can help, but some overreact and simply eat too much.
Scaling back a little on the exercise and eg. cutting out the cardio will help. But only when you also pay attention to diet.
Counting calories and weighing food with a digital scale is vital.
Confession: even then I end up overeating often.. I'm just a food lover and cherish food and performing well in the gym more than having a low bf% which always requires eatng less than you'd really like..
I'll be interested in how your eating experimentation plays out. I have my own set of eats issues so love reading other's thoughts on nutrition and hopefully learning something along the way!
Thanks for stopping by, Diane!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Espi
Metformin can sometimes make people overeat I've heard. Does it make blood sugar drop? If it drops too low that can be a trigger to overeat on carbs.
Confession: even then I end up overeating often.. I'm just a food lover and cherish food and performing well in the gym more than having a low bf% which always requires eatng less than you'd really like..
Yes, Metformin can make blood sugar drop. Which might explain why I've been feeling like CRAP these last few days. When I'm getting hungry I'm getting shaky, nauseous, dizzy--it's awful. I'm trying to eat regularly and good protein with each meal, but it's tough.
I am also a food lover and cherisher. It brings me a lot of pleasure but also a lot of angst. (clearly!)
So today was day two of my efforts to revamp my diet.
It went okay. Like I said, I felt pretty off today and it is really hard to stick to a diet when food is one of the things that make you feel better. But I tried, I really did. My day was also weird--supposed to meet up with a friend, couldn't, was hanging around downtown, but the good thing is that I brought lunch with me. The bad thing was that I packed my food quickly without checking macros so while it was all healthy and stuff, I overate carbs and underate protein. (Classic).
When I logged the info on the computer and saw that later in the day, I panicked and ran on my parent's treadmill in the basement for an hour. It felt good because it was one of the few times today I didn't feel ill.
Tomorrow marks the end of my week off from lifting. Thank god! I can't stand it! Talk about feeling restless. I'm at my parent's house and they no weights here and live in the boondocks with no gym nearby, but I will do a workout of bodyweight resistence and then some HITT on the treadmill.
So my macros are off and my cals are up from goal but I WILL give myself props for avoiding the red wine on the table, as well as all the damn chocolate lying around in bowls everywhere, wrapped prettily in easter egg colours.
Hey Kiri! I know what you mean about a week off from lifting. It's necessary sometimes but everything just feels all wrong until I get back to my routine.
Keep at it with your eats...you will find the place that works!
Hey Kiri! I know what you mean about a week off from lifting. It's necessary sometimes but everything just feels all wrong until I get back to my routine.
Keep at it with your eats...you will find the place that works!
mel
Thanks Mel! Glad to see you stopping by.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MuscleMom23
Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks Kelly! I actually did feel somewhat better today, so that's good.
Well, sticking to my calorie range while at my parents house is one thing, but sticking to my macros is another. The day's not over yet so I won't post my eats yet, but I think unfortunately I once again ate too many carbs, not enough protein. Eating enough protein is something that requires a lot of planning, I think.
Anyway, the good news for today is that I managed to get in a great workout, even though all I had were a pair of tiny, hot-pink (of course) weights that my mom has beside the treadmill. So I had to be a bit creative, but I am pretty happy with how it went. I sweated a ton and got tired out.
Warmup:
Active dynamic warmup moves. I did a series of them today to limber me up to try to help with my chronic stiffness. They're from the perfect body diet book. I did 10 reps of each move.
Prisoner squats
Y squats
Lateral lunges
Hip-pop on floor
Single-leg hip-pop on floor
Bird dog
Y's
T's
I's
Wall arm slides
walking quad stretch
knee grab
walking straight-leg kick
forward lunge with twist
scapular pushup
windmill
Workout:
I did the following 4 moves as a superset and repeated it three times:
1. Squat jump, 20 reps
2. step-ups, 15 reps
3. forward lunge with twist, 15 reps
4. leg back raise (targets glutes), 15 reps
I then did the following 5 moves as a superset, repeating it three times:
1. push-ups, 10 reps
2. static lunge off of step, 15 reps
3. reverse crunch, 20 reps
4. side planks, 60 seconds
5. cobra, 60 seconds
I then did 15 minutes of HITT on the tready.
All in all, it was a great and LONG workout. (Ah, gotta love vacation for that!). It was fun to do a change of pace and to use only body weight for resistance.
I doubt I'll do ALL those warmup moves again--that really took a long time. But I did like the Y's, T's, and I's, the Windmill, and the Walking Straight-Leg Kick.
Eating enough protein is something that requires a lot of planning, I think.
A resounding YES to this statement!!! Before I started working with Leigh, I was like you in that I would over-eat carbs and under-eat protein (I still tend to do that on my "treat" days - but it's ok then! ) I've gotten to the point now that when I plan my day's menu - I start with the protein, and fill the rest in from there!!! Getting 150 - 170 grams of protein on a daily basis is TOUGH!!!
A resounding YES to this statement!!! Before I started working with Leigh, I was like you in that I would over-eat carbs and under-eat protein (I still tend to do that on my "treat" days - but it's ok then! ) I've gotten to the point now that when I plan my day's menu - I start with the protein, and fill the rest in from there!!! Getting 150 - 170 grams of protein on a daily basis is TOUGH!!!
You aren't kidding it's tough especially if you are used to eating more carbs and less meat! I have been taught that forever!
It's been a couple of months and I can see myself getting up there consistently now.
Yes, and it's especially tough to do that at my parent's house where I'm not the head "cook" and haven't been stocking the fridge and all that. I have arrived before with a bag of groceries but I was just too tired this trip.
Anyway, so I decided I probably won't eat anymore tonight, so I'll catalogue the eats tally after all. Today was very similar to yesterday--fine on the calories (my target for workout days is 1600), but too high on the carbs, too low on the protein.
cals: 1,654 fat: 57 (32.7%)
carbs: 173 (44%)
protein: 92 (23.4%)
Rixa, PCOs is tough thing to diagnose because hormonal levels fluctuate so much, and also, it varies wildly from woman to woman. The thing is, even if you went off the pill, did the bloodwork and found you had PCOs, they would probably just put you back on the pill again (a popular, though not necessarily great way to deal with it). Another way is to get an ultrasound and check out the status on your ovaries. I would recommend getting the tests done at some point just so you know, but chances are you've been having these chat with your doc already.
Thanks for the info! My doctor told me to basically not worry about it. She didn't exactly blow me off, because I think she's a great doctor and I trust her, especially when my thinking about PCOS is pretty transient and just sort of exploratory. I think what's hard though, is as you get older, your body starts to change and you realize you're broken in places, or breaking, and that everyone has areas where their body maybe doesn't function as well as it could.
My mom, maternal grandmother, and mom's sister all have hypothyroid - my aunt even had her thyroid removed (but she's the former bodybuilder and looks great for her age - go weights!). So that's always something I'm on the lookout for, because it's obvious I have a pretty good chance of getting it, too. Just like I'm sort of on the lookout for any other PCOS-related symptoms, or any changes in the symptoms I already have. (The facial hair and neck hair is obnoxious, to say the least, but can I really pinpoint it as that far beyond what average women have? Because I've seen my Pakistani coworker when she hasn't waxed in a while, and that really puts things into perspective.)
Anyway, I appreciate your opinion. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirjava
I am also a food lover and cherisher. It brings me a lot of pleasure but also a lot of angst. (clearly!)
AMEN! I think loving food and loving good, hard exercise is really just a love of LIFE. And I totally think the two can coexist in a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle. In fact, I think they probably coexist better than they do apart. It's so much more satisfying to eat your favorite thing after 1) not having it for a while, and 2) not feeling guilty because you know you treat your body right on a day-to-day basis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirjava
Today was very similar to yesterday--fine on the calories (my target for workout days is 1600), but too high on the carbs, too low on the protein.
What are your daily calorie goals? Just curious since I know we're both cutting.
__________________
"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Thanks for the info! My doctor told me to basically not worry about it. She didn't exactly blow me off, because I think she's a great doctor and I trust her, especially when my thinking about PCOS is pretty transient and just sort of exploratory. I think what's hard though, is as you get older, your body starts to change and you realize you're broken in places, or breaking, and that everyone has areas where their body maybe doesn't function as well as it could.
My mom, maternal grandmother, and mom's sister all have hypothyroid - my aunt even had her thyroid removed (but she's the former bodybuilder and looks great for her age - go weights!). So that's always something I'm on the lookout for, because it's obvious I have a pretty good chance of getting it, too. Just like I'm sort of on the lookout for any other PCOS-related symptoms, or any changes in the symptoms I already have. (The facial hair and neck hair is obnoxious, to say the least, but can I really pinpoint it as that far beyond what average women have? Because I've seen my Pakistani coworker when she hasn't waxed in a while, and that really puts things into perspective.)
Anyway, I appreciate your opinion. Thanks.
I think being aware of the symptoms and keeping a careful eye on them is a good start, and I certainly hope you never have to think about it beyond that kind of general precaution!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rixatrix
AMEN! I think loving food and loving good, hard exercise is really just a love of LIFE. And I totally think the two can coexist in a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle. In fact, I think they probably coexist better than they do apart. It's so much more satisfying to eat your favorite thing after 1) not having it for a while, and 2) not feeling guilty because you know you treat your body right on a day-to-day basis.
I agree. I don't enjoy good food unless my body feels "ready" for it--and that usually means good physical activity. My dream day is a huge 8 hour hike followed by a sumpetous feast. That's why I would love to take a bike tour in the south of france--bring on the exercise, bring on the eats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rixatrix
What are your daily calorie goals? Just curious since I know we're both cutting.
On workout days I'll do: 1600 cals, with 20-30% carbs, 40% fat, 30-35% protein. On non workout days I'll do 1400 cals, with the same macro breakdowns.
Try 1200 /1800 instead. Actually I'd even encourage eating more than that like 1200/2000+ . It may lead to a less fast wt loss, but will increase performance in the gym. The extra calories also will make it easier to go lower the next day, while keeping them moderately low every day costs a lot more perseverance.
On the macros.. yeah, it takes several years before you can really do it on autopilot mode. The easiest thing to do without pre-planning is
- every time you open your mouth PROTEIN goes in.. nothing else, no ifs/buts etc. with the exception of possibly a small amt of fruit.
For about a year and a half I've tracked food after the fact.. didn't lose weight at all, even gained some, but did see my maintenance go up from 1600ish (when not being active) to 2700ish when I just had moved and had a very high lifting volume + cardio. All this within 6 months. The big mistake was to think the 2500-2700 mtn was here to stay.. it didn't . Once the body adapted to a higher lifting volume, mtn bottomed out at around 2000ish kcal and BW just flew up!
Things turned around once I started to PRE-plan my eats 1 day up to 4-5 days before and then I was finally able to turn the tables. Up till today I still pre-plan , but just the night before and copy 1 day onto another, change a few things and then am oftentimes able to hit my macro & calorie target within a few grams of difference. I'm seeing it as a game to hit the targets almost spot on, but am not too obsessed if things work out differently.
Man has this log been enlightening for me. I find getting the right food in me at the right macros has been such a huge deal. It is a wonder that anyone does it at all it is so hard. I have to plan very carefully every day in order to hit my macros and get in the protein. It does get easier but I can easily see this taking a year or more. Ugghh....
Man has this log been enlightening for me. I find getting the right food in me at the right macros has been such a huge deal. It is a wonder that anyone does it at all it is so hard. I have to plan very carefully every day in order to hit my macros and get in the protein. It does get easier but I can easily see this taking a year or more. Ugghh....
But isn't the entire process/journey incredibly cool & interesting?! I love learning and experimenting and tweaking to see what happens. It's like a big ol' chess game in a mad scientist's lab.
Exactly. Not that I can play chess but I can fully relate to the 'mad scientist's lab' feeling. Both for the food planning/diet as well as the training. Loving plotting out routines on graphs and seeing strength increase or (sometimes) decrease.
Your workout looks great and I'm sure with some tinkering and practice, you'll start to get the macros right. Like Espi mentioned, every time you eat something, make sure protein is a part of it! Since I haven't been doing much in the area of tracking, this is the one rule I always follow.
Just a quick check in! I have been having a hard time this weekend with the macros. There is no doubt about it. Perhaps I should have said I would have started this new regime after I got back from spending the long weekend at my parent's house, since I've missed my targets everyday, but honestly, I'm glad I started it when I did. Because
1. My calories, though veering on the high, are still okay, and that's probably WAY better than normal when I'm on vacation, and
2. It's making me appreciate the focus and planning I need when I'll really get serious with this.
But honestly, usually I come back from a long weekend away and think that I must have gained a thousand pounds from eating willy nilly all weekend. Whereas this weekend I certainly didn't do that. So that's a huge plus.
I will be happy to do a proper weights workout tomorrow, though! Starting Stage 3. Yay. And I'm looking forward to really dialing in on the diet, that's for sure.
Yesterday I did a 60 min run on the treadmill. It felt good, and considering that both my carbs and cals were too high, I think that it was sixty minutes well spent.
Yesterday's eats broke down like this:
cals: 1,713 carbs: 147 (36%)
fat: 65 (36%)
protein: 111(27%)
Today, I have to admit, has been the most challenging day so far. Why? Because it's Easter (happy Easter!) and because we had a HOOOOGGGEEEE brunch this morning. I did try, but I possibly didn't try hard enough. And then tonight will be a big Easter dinner. Two feasts in one day--deadly.
However, I'm going to jump on the treadmill right now for another run to try to temper the excess calories. Plus, I still have the dinner ahead of me. The brunch is behind me--I pigged out (tallied that cals for it, and it was over 600 cals). But dinner is still ahead (I had a light lunch), so I can try to keep it really decent. Today, however, will definitely be my biggest eats day so far.
And then tomorrow I'm out of here, which is probably good for me and all my pants. My parents are sweet, it's just the temptations are a lot. After all, mom made her easter sweet bread. The smell of that baking through the house was amazing. So of course I had a piece of that--because I mean, to not would be cruel. But I didn't have any easter candy or chocolate, so that's good. The special treats are worth the splurge, random junky candy isn't.
You know, one or 2 huge calorie days won't break your diet as long as you get your 'ass in gear' right away the next day.
Some people either overdo it while planning to eat less and feel so guilty they have a problem getting back on track.
And then others, who would've loved to eat all of the goodies, but instead resign themselves and then feel bummed afterwards for not enjoying one of the most special days of the year...
LOL.. look at me, today is my low cal day (1150ish) since I already had 2 high calorie days in a row, since my workouts were 2 in a row too.
Tomorrow would've been another low calorie day, but SO's gym is open so I'll be going in and do some odd exercises plus some other stuff I can't do in my own gym... and make it a high kcal day.. all that to justify going to a kind of Asian food sampling market and eat that Easter bunny ice-cream
I'm so glad the holiday is behind me. Obviously I enjoyed it, by the end of the long weekend my defenses were really low and I was totally slipping up. One day of indulgance is one thing, but unfortunately, there is a slippery slope effect. With regards to eating, I tend to do better in black and white. At least right now. I hope that changes a bit.
The last two days of eating were just way too carbtastic. Sunday I had a bit of an excuse, since there were two feasts that day, but Monday my defenses were down and I just was a bit sloppy. At least my cals were okay on Monday, since it was a workout day. (Sunday was too high-cal, that's for sure! I did an hour-long run on the treadmill, at least, on Sunday.)
Sunday's breakdown: (feast day)
cals: 2,057
fat: 72 (32%)
carbs: 244 (48%)
protein: 100 (19%)
Monday's breakdown:
cals: 1,667
fat: 54 (28%)
carbs: 207 (48%)
protein: 102 (23%)
Yesterday I was sooooo tired--after the 5 hour drive from my parents place I REALLY didn't feel like going to the gym. But, I also knew that not going would make me feel worse. So I dutifully packed up my bag and went........for the first workout of Stage 3! It kicked my butt, but in an awesome way, of course, and I feel sore this morning in a bunch of new, fun places.
Some of the exercises I had no clue where to start so I will want to up the weight a bit next time.
Stage 3, Workout A#1
Warmup: 10 min run on treadmill, followed by some ADW (Active Dynamic Warmup moves)
A. One Armed DB Snatch: 3 x 6 @ 20 lbs
B1. DB Single Leg RDL: 3 x 8 @ 20 lbs --I need to move up in weight on these.
B2. DB Single-Arm O/H Squat: 3 x 6 @ 15 and 20 lbs --Wow, these were tough!!!!
C1. Barbell Bent Over Row: 3 x 6 @ 50 --I need to up the weight on these.
C2. DB Incline Bench Press: 3 x 6 @ 25 --I love these.
D1. Plank: 3 x 60 seconds -- I need to shoot for 90 secs.
D2. Reverse wood chop: The cable machine was taken, so I did them with a 5kg. medicine ball. Not quite the same thing--I'll make sure to stake out the machine next time!
Ahhhhh room to grow with the body matrix, that's for sure! Both times I pooped out on the jump squats. My quads just DIED both rounds. I will have a lot to shoot for here. If I ever make it 24 jump squats at the end I'll feel like a superwoman!
Altogether, loved this workout. It took FOREVER (an hour and a half!) and it made me sore in lots of new spots, my arms especially.
Alrighty. I'm looking forward to a week of clean eats and perfect macros.
Carbtastic is a great way to describe my Easter eating as well. It seems like a lot of people had that experience!
Great job on the workout. It really does take a LONG time. I had to get used to that, I kept running out of time at the gym. Your weights look good, and I agree the DB incline presses are really fun. They are just one of those exercises that make you feel strong.
Hey there!
Wanted to post my reply on your thread so Karla didn't think I was hijacking hers (and beat me up with her giant muscles !)
You can absolutely use my "happy place" comment on your signature! LOL I'd be honored!!!
Hey girl, great job with your first Stage 3 workout!!! I love the incline presses too... make me feel all macho-like, hehe. Did you record your time for the matrix? I think we're supposed to do it for time. But oh man I hear ya on the jumping half of that thing... it KILLS my quads like nobody's business!
Anyway, kick-ass job! Go girl!
Hey there!
Wanted to post my reply on your thread so Karla didn't think I was hijacking hers (and beat me up with her giant muscles !)
You can absolutely use my "happy place" comment on your signature! LOL I'd be honored!!!
Way to get in there and do that first workout of stage 3. It looks like a bitch... All the better to get big muscles!
Hey girl, great job with your first Stage 3 workout!!! I love the incline presses too... make me feel all macho-like, hehe. Did you record your time for the matrix? I think we're supposed to do it for time. But oh man I hear ya on the jumping half of that thing... it KILLS my quads like nobody's business!
Anyway, kick-ass job! Go girl!
Thanks Kara, for the note about the timing--I read over my materials pretty fast from driving and going to the gym so I definitely missed some of the finer points. Will time it next time! Though it is a bit terrifying to do so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
Way to get in there and do that first workout of stage 3. It looks like a bitch... All the better to get big muscles!
Thanks, Karla! Yup, the big muscles are coming for sure. Last night I flexed for my husband and he was like: "whoa." Fortunately, he's not a guy that minds a chick with some guns.
This morning I woke up exhausted and realized it has been a full seven days of workouts, so I decided today would be day off from the gym. All the better, since I have a day chock full of meetings and just didn't have the mental energy for it all. Hopefully I'll be raring to go first thing tomorrow morning for my Stage 3B!
I just also needed to report:
My hamstrings are CRAZY SORE today! I'm surprised I can walk! I need to buy a foam roller, stat. I've looked for them everywhere but can't find them, so I guess I'll have to order online.
Hi Kiri!
How's Day 1 of our 30-day mini challenge going?
Hi Tracey! Thanks for checking in.
Day 1 was a pretty low-energy day for me, actually. It was my day off from exercising and I was really tired all day--my hamstrings are SORE! It was a little rough because I had a work meeting right after work, which meant I didn't eat dinner until 8:30, which meant I was starving and snacked on some treats during our meeting. Sigh. On the plus side, the treats were fresh strawberries and baby carrots with a teensy bit of trail mix, so it wasn't a disaster or anything.
So it was a so-so Day 1, I'll say that. But not terrible. My eats for the day:
cals: 1,498
carbs: 133 (35%)
fat: 51 (30%)
protein: 126 (3%)
My macros are okay, even though the cals are a little high. Oh well!
How many cals are you eating?
Today was Stage 3, Workout B#1.
I didn't love this workout--perhaps after the awesome intensity of workout A it seemed to fall a bit flat for me, or something? Also, some of the moves I was unsure about, like the one-legged squat. I didn't have a chance to read in detail about them so I think I missed a few of the finer points about some of the moves--like with the partial squat I just thought it was body weight but that felt too easy so I think I'll definitely add weights there next time. But the really bad thing is that I totally ran out of time and had to decide--was I going to fit in my HITT or do my ab work? So I choose the HITT and will the abs tomorrow. BUT my HITT was a little disappointing too--it was the first time I did it on a treadmill and I didn't push myself high enough. I only started hitting 8.0mph on my later intervals and should have been doing them from the beginning (started off with 7.0s and that was too easy).
So it was altogether a slightly weird workout! Oh well. There's always next time to master the moves.
Warmup:
5 minute treadmill run, lots of active dynamic warmup moves because I was as stiff as a BOARD this morning! I had an epsom salt bath last night and still felt uber stiff. I need to stretch more, I know.
Barbell Romanian deadlift with bent over Row: 3 x 6 @ 70 lbs
Partial Single Leg Squat: 3 x 12 @ bw Wide Grip Lat Pulldown: 3 x 6 @ 90 lbs; 3 x 6 @ 80 for 2
Back Extension: 3 x 6 @ 45 lbs YTWL: 3 x 6 @ 5 lbs. Wow. These made my arms BURN!
Rest of workout--to be continued tomorrow. D'oh!
HITT on treadmill:
2 min @ 5.8 mph
1 min @ 6.5 mph
2 min @ 4.0 mph
1 min @ 7.0 mph
2 min @ 4.0 mph
1 min @ 8.0 mph
2 min @ 4.0 mph
1 min @ 8.0 mph
2 min @ 4.0 mph
1 min @ 8.0 mph
I also walked home from work tonight--that's an hour walk.
Hi Tracey! Thanks for checking in.
Day 1 was a pretty low-energy day for me, actually. It was my day off from exercising and I was really tired all day--my hamstrings are SORE! It was a little rough because I had a work meeting right after work, which meant I didn't eat dinner until 8:30, which meant I was starving and snacked on some treats during our meeting. Sigh. On the plus side, the treats were fresh strawberries and baby carrots with a teensy bit of trail mix, so it wasn't a disaster or anything.
So it was a so-so Day 1, I'll say that. But not terrible. My eats for the day:
cals: 1,498
carbs: 133 (35%)
fat: 51 (30%)
protein: 126 (3%)
My macros are okay, even though the cals are a little high. Oh well! How many cals are you eating?
It depends on the day:
1200 on rest days
1300 on aerobic days
1500 on weight days
1800 once a week
I'm currently doing circuit training, and I'm not sure how long Leigh will have me doing that or what, if anything, will change nutritionally when the workouts change.
YUM - fresh strawberries!!!
How'd your Day 2 go? Mine was AWESOME! Right on track with the diet, and got my workout in too!
Have a very busy work day ahead--yeesh! But I have motivation, because if I don't finish my work today then I'll have to take it home for the weekend.........so why am I posting right now?? Yeah, I better skeddadle.
Just wanted to say that after work I have HITT planned, with some s.s. cardio after that, then the ab work I didn't get to do yesterday.
Going to a good pub for dinner--already looking forward to my steak.
) I've gotten to the point now that when I plan my day's menu - I start with the protein, and fill the rest in from there!!! Getting 150 - 170 grams of protein on a daily basis is TOUGH!!!
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