Does it have the same taste? Normal plain yogurt seems so sour.
Haha, I don't know, I don't even remember the last time I've eaten yogurt. I just remember reading on different food blogs that it can be strained.
Awesome workout. I know on Karla's log, she has mentioned that while she is eating a lot she feels kind of slow and sluggish, maybe you were experiencing something similar at higher calories? Either way, that's great that the cutting calories are working for you. You certainly aren't slacking in your workouts! 95 lbs on the lat pulldown, that's so impressive!
Awesome workout. I know on Karla's log, she has mentioned that while she is eating a lot she feels kind of slow and sluggish, maybe you were experiencing something similar at higher calories? Either way, that's great that the cutting calories are working for you. You certainly aren't slacking in your workouts! 95 lbs on the lat pulldown, that's so impressive!
Man, I definitely wasn't feeling slow and sluggish. I just feel like I'm on HYPERDRIVE these last couple days. (I think that's a good sign.) I've also been sleeping better - when I was eating more, I had a hard time getting tired and never really felt satisfied when I woke up in the morning.
I forgot to mention - when I went into the gym this morning, this guy I was talking to the other day - HUGE guy with a giant tattoo of "KONG" on his forearm - he was all like, "Here comes the powerlifter..."
The guys in the gym crack me up. They are so not used to seeing a woman throw big numbers around in the weight room. They're definitely impressed - I like the feeling of winning some giant muscular dude's respect. =o)
Now I'm just on a mission to SEE those muscles.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
I forgot to mention - when I went into the gym this morning, this guy I was talking to the other day - HUGE guy with a giant tattoo of "KONG" on his forearm - he was all like, "Here comes the powerlifter..."
You got a nickname! Congrats
(Kinda makes me want to join a gym . Right now I'm just a Basement Monster.)
Well, I'm not going to Chicago after all. We got about 6" of snow in eight hours here. Not cool. Boyfriend still went - he had concert tix. I'm a nervous passenger and would've been miserable, so I'm hanging out at home, blissfully relaxing, watching movies, maybe taking a bath. I plan to spend at least an hour reading Wuthering Heights in bed with the electric blanket on, in my flannel PJs. Super warm.
I think my BF% is still creeping down. I can feel my muscles getting harder. Even just laying on the couch, I'll flex and feel how my quads are hard as rock underneath the fat. Or I'll run my hand over my shoulder and feel greater definition where it attaches to my arm. Hey - FEELING the muscles is almost as good as SEEING them, yeah?
I'm having a serious craving for Indian food. Oh my god, Samosas, Pindi Channa, umm numm numm. Maybe I'll get take out tomorrow for one of my "free" meals. Or maybe I'll just keep torturing myself with the idea of it, while being too lazy to go get some. (See? Laziness can propel health!)
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Ahh. Wuthering Heights. That and Jane Eyre and two of my faves. Love 'em. AND Indian food. Samosas!!! Deadly!!!
Enjoy the feeling of your muscles, strong lady! Oppps I meant strong woman!
Ahh. Wuthering Heights. That and Jane Eyre and two of my faves. Love 'em. AND Indian food. Samosas!!! Deadly!!!
Enjoy the feeling of your muscles, strong lady! Oppps I meant strong woman!
It's such a great feeling to be in the middle of a good book, looking forward to reading it every night. Especially on Fridays.
Maybe I should just go with Strong Bitch? Did you see that SNL skit where Tina Fey says "Bitch is the new black"? If you haven't, you should watch it here:
I'm having a serious craving for Indian food. Oh my god, Samosas, Pindi Channa, umm numm numm. Maybe I'll get take out tomorrow for one of my "free" meals. Or maybe I'll just keep torturing myself with the idea of it, while being too lazy to go get some. (See? Laziness can propel health!)
MMM! I love Indian food! Samosas, channa masala, dahl, anything! Oh, and can't forget the naan. I always save my naan for last because its my favorite.
Rixa,
I enjoy reading your log SOO much!
I'm currently doing the original NROL Fat Loss series plus HIIT on the off days. I too decided to cut my calories. I'm interested in knowing how you're doing your cut. Are you just lowering your calories in general or are you perhaps dropping some carbs?
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Olga.
Rixa,
I enjoy reading your log SOO much!
I'm currently doing the original NROL Fat Loss series plus HIIT on the off days. I too decided to cut my calories. I'm interested in knowing how you're doing your cut. Are you just lowering your calories in general or are you perhaps dropping some carbs?
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Olga.
Hey Olga.
Here's what my cut is going to look like. I start in earnest Monday (after Easter brunch!)
M - 1900 cals
T - 1600
W - 1600
R - 1600
F - 1900
S - 1600
Su - 1600
Every 4-5 weeks, I'm going to do 3 days at 2500-2600. I've got 6 meals/day planned - on Wednesday (lifting day), I swap the 6th meal for a banana and protein shake in the morning with my workout.
I'm 190 lbs and about 27.7% BF (137ish lean/52ish fat). I've been on NROL4W for about 9 weeks, and I've been keeping track of all kinds of data and plugging it into kfisherx's diet template. (I'll attach it.) Through those calculations, I can see that I'm burning between 2500-2600 calories a week, so I've based my cut and my refeed days off that (which is higher than the formula in the book).
As far as carbs, I generally subscribe to John Berardi's ideas in Precision Nutrition, which is to not eat starchy carbs except after working out. Occasionally I do, but I don't really miss bread or rice much. It's generally easier to eat up to 2600 calories by adding in a bun to my turkey burger, or some lasagna, etc. But most of my meals are lean protein (meat, eggs or dairy) and a fruit or vegetable, basically. I've got a family history of hypoglycemia which may be why I don't miss the carbs - they make my blood sugar do loop-de-loops. I generally hit a macro split of around 40/30/30 (carbs/protein/fat).
The big plan is to cut fast and hard and try not to bonk out. I lost about 11lbs of fat last March, so I know I can lose fat. But I plateaued pretty bad, and I didn't know what to do. That's where the refeed days come in. I'm taking my calories back up to maintenance to convince my body to not to stabilize on 1600 calories a day.
Anyway, that's the plan. We'll see how it goes!
EDIT: I attached the file. It's got my info in there from the last week, but I also keep a copy of the file to measure since I started to get an average. Keep that in mind if you're plugging in your losses and calories - the longer you've got records, the more accurate the formula will be.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Reallly looking forward to your big cut. Have you been "bulking" the past months or just maintaining?
Well, I've been "maintaining", but if my math is right, I've gained 6lbs of lean mass. I've got high hopes for the cut, especially since it's getting warmer out and I can't hide behind sweaters for much longer...
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
In 2 1/2 months, after a break of several months from lifting and being a stop-and-go lifter. I do want to clarify that this number is dependent on my caliper and scale accuracy, and I'm in no way claiming it's all muscle (which would be impossible to calculate anyway).
I'd also like to point out that I think I'm and endo/meso mix, with a lot of lean mass to begin with and a good deal of fat, too. I'd love to cut and just maintain the lean mass while dropping fat - that's my primary goal.
I know you've begun to see good fat loss results since rearranging your diet. What have you been doing?
__________________
"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Hey Rix, I've been doing TNT since the beginning of the year. Since I, like you, don't really trust my Omron for fat measurement, I can only guess.....BUT, it appears I have maintained my lean and maybe added a little bit and lost about 12-13 pounds of fat. I'm the opposite of you...I am a very small-boned, probably ecto and I am a hard-gainer, for sure. My main concern right now is to maintain lean while I lose the fat. I'm not sure how well I will do on a bulk, but that's a ways down the road. For now, I've dropped 2 sizes and I am happy with my strength gains. I'll probably re-evaulate in about 3 months. Good on you for being a fast gainer.....I'm fast, too, but only in the fat department! LOL!
Hey Rix, I've been doing TNT since the beginning of the year. Since I, like you, don't really trust my Omron for fat measurement, I can only guess.....BUT, it appears I have maintained my lean and maybe added a little bit and lost about 12-13 pounds of fat. I'm the opposite of you...I am a very small-boned, probably ecto and I am a hard-gainer, for sure. My main concern right now is to maintain lean while I lose the fat. I'm not sure how well I will do on a bulk, but that's a ways down the road. For now, I've dropped 2 sizes and I am happy with my strength gains. I'll probably re-evaulate in about 3 months. Good on you for being a fast gainer.....I'm fast, too, but only in the fat department! LOL!
I've been reading your log - we should call you the Incredible Shrinking Woman! You're having great success - good for you. It's reassuring to read that you're doing the program AND targeting fat loss - the workouts are intense, for sure. It's good to know you can have both!
I'm a fast gainer in BOTH departments, it feels like. Well, I don't know if that's entirely true. I do remember after dieting, feeling like I could gain weight back just LOOKING at food. But with my knowledge now, I realize that's probably just my metabolism adjusting down with decreased intake.
Yeah, the measurements are ALWAYS subjective. The scale hasn't changed much, but the calipers have gone down. I've managed to scrape an inch or so off my waist, and I can feel that my muscles are harder under my skin. So SOMETHING'S happening. I do know that "lean mass" encompasses glycogen, blood, and water gain which helps explain some of the jumps in the numbers. But over time, they seem to even out and they've been climbing; that's for sure.
Now I'd just like to see some other numbers falling. You're a great inspiration, missjane!
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Thanks, Rix....I am generally happy with the way things are heading. But, yesterday, I was feeling good at home in the nice ambient lighting of my bedroom as I was getting dressed, thinking "looking good"!. THEN, I hit the glaring, non-forgiving lighting of the dressing room at Macy's and was all down on myself! UGH! So, I just keep plugging away and know that it all takes time!
Good luck with your switch! By the way, have you ever hear of Natural Hormonal Enhancement by Ron Faigin Rob Faigin's Natural Hormonal Enhancement carb cycling diet book. It's a form of carb-cycling that I've found very effective. Eventually, it's what I will probably end up doing.....either via TNT or NHE (both very similar to one another).
Thanks, Rix....I am generally happy with the way things are heading. But, yesterday, I was feeling good at home in the nice ambient lighting of my bedroom as I was getting dressed, thinking "looking good"!. THEN, I hit the glaring, non-forgiving lighting of the dressing room at Macy's and was all down on myself! UGH! So, I just keep plugging away and know that it all takes time!
Good luck with your switch! By the way, have you ever hear of Natural Hormonal Enhancement by Ron Faigin Rob Faigin's Natural Hormonal Enhancement carb cycling diet book. It's a form of carb-cycling that I've found very effective. Eventually, it's what I will probably end up doing.....either via TNT or NHE (both very similar to one another).
Oh my god, I had the same experience in a Macy's this week. I work in advertising and we were doing research on a certain brand of bras for a pitch. I tried one on, and needless to say, the rest of the day just wasn't quite right. Those dressing rooms are evil! But I guess, if you feel bad about yourself, you'll probably buy more stuff to feel better. Which means...when we're all lean and hot, we'll be saving tons of money on clothes because EVERYTHING will look good and we'll NEVER be in dressing rooms?
I'll have to check out that book. It sounds interesting - thanks for the recommendation.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Cool stuff. I have been able to gain about 3.8 lbs in 2 months. Unfortunately I have put on a bit of fat with the weight I am gaining. I am not too worried about that though as I can drop fat fairly easily. My hope is that once I drop it that my muscles will still be there. This is a fun ride so far. I start my cut at th start of May. My trainer thinks that 2 months is plenty of time to cut 10-15lbs of fat. I'm all for that. The quicker the cut the better for me.
I think my BF% is still creeping down. I can feel my muscles getting harder. Even just laying on the couch, I'll flex and feel how my quads are hard as rock underneath the fat. Or I'll run my hand over my shoulder and feel greater definition where it attaches to my arm. Hey - FEELING the muscles is almost as good as SEEING them, yeah?
that's what gets me through the day - at 250 and 40% bf, feeling the muscle is ALL i've got! but i'm okay with that - i know how strong i am and i know that there is a boatload of muscle lurking below the fat just waiting for its day!!
seems like you've got a good thing going here - weights and nutrition on board and seeing lots of results. i'm so in awe of you who can fine tune the food stuff. taes me a while to catch on to what my body likes and doesn't like. i know that once i truly nail that, the rest will fall into line!
i love how your avatar pic has totally captured your very no nonsense posting style. very strong & direct and no bs! big props there! karen
i love how your avatar pic has totally captured your very no nonsense posting style. very strong & direct and no bs! big props there! karen
Oh, is that what that look is? Haha! I just like the picture because it makes my face look thin and my chin look small. Ooh, and my hair is shiny.
The food stuff is always something to work on. I do great during the week, when everything is planned out, portioned, and timed according to schedule - 10 o'clock snack, noon lunch, 3 p.m. feeding - and then the weekends come and I find it much harder.
I guess my biggest trick is to just plan everything out in advance with something like Fitday PC, so you can tweak your macros before you even go grocery shopping for the week.
Today, I've been dragging my feet about the planning...I had Easter Brunch, ate a lot, and now feel soooo lazy....but I'm trying to get my butt to the grocery store by the end of the night. As much as I don't want to right now, it's ten times more difficult to start the week without a plan.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Rixa,
That was a very through explanation of yur cut. The reason why I wanted to cut is because I've been stuck at this weight/BF for over a year now. Although I did notice a nice change in shape thanks to Alwyn's workouts especially in my butt but the same old fat in the middle and back... It's probably getting smaller but SOOOOOO slow and I wanted faster results.
I figured that if you can lose a big amount of lbs and fat in a month with the Velocity diet, why not try a cut sort of like that one using real food. I even checked the macros of the diet and all. To make a story short, I shared my thoughts and an ugly picture of the fat in my middle with Natalia and she told me that it's best if I stick to higher cals/carbs and continue lifting heavy and that's exactly what I'm gonna' do.
I was low cal/carb for two weeks and I didn't lose anything but H20 !!
I am probably the least knowledgeable person in this forum but reading through the posts, I'm starting to think that the people who's already lean or semi-lean are the ones who do better on higher cals and only the ones that need to lose a lot of weight are the ones that can reduce calories without a negative impact.
Anyway,,, thanks again for sharing and GOOD LUCK with your cut.
Rixa,
The reason why I wanted to cut is because I've been stuck at this weight/BF for over a year now.
To make a story short, I shared my thoughts and an ugly picture of the fat in my middle with Natalia and she told me that it's best if I stick to higher cals/carbs and continue lifting heavy and that's exactly what I'm gonna' do.
Ciao, what are your stats now? How many calories have you been eating regularly and what's your calculated maintenance?
I only ask because if you've been undereating and you try to cut, you'll probably have some pretty dismal results. If your body is used to lower calories to begin with, it's not going to budge. I'm a huge believer in going up to maintenance every so often when you're trying to lose weight. If you've been "stuck" at the same weight/BF for a year and you've been undereating, you might consider eating at maintenance for 2 weeks to a month.
Measurements can be SO frustrating. Honestly, I think the only thing that's kept me going through the scale being stuck around the same number is seeing the calipers go down, even if it's slowly. And I've just now FINALLY gotten an inch off my waist measurement. But it's completely mental - you just have to get your info straight (how much you need to eat to maintain, when to cut, what to eat, etc) and then go for it, even when your brain is freaking out from day to day.
So anyway, what's your info? Do you mind sharing?
__________________
"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
It was a weird workout today. Some things I improved on, other things it seems like I backslid a bit. I don't know if that's purely mental, or dehydration, or because I had one huge brunch yesterday and then yogurt for dinner (and that was it). Who knows.
So, funny story. Lately, when I get to the gym, I see this guy there. He and I went on one date, I got a ride on his motorcycle, sent him a very nice "thanks for the nice time, maybe we can do it again sometime" e-mail and never heard from him again. Not even like, "It was nice to meet you, but I'm not ready to date/I'm screwing my ex/I'm moving to Yemen." So, whatever. I met my current boyfriend not long after and we've been together for 8 months. But the FUNNY thing is that I always see this guy on the bike outside the weight room, spinning furiously. And then he leaves with a girl who is in WAY WORSE SHAPE THAN ME.
Ha!
The German's have a word for taking delight in the misfortune of others - schadenfreude.
It's not even his "misfortune" that brings me delight - I'm sure Ms. Frump is a very nice girl, in her oversized Micky Mouse T's, spending her mornings on the cardio machines - but it's more like, "Oooo, look what YOU passed up. Now excuse me, I've got to move some iron."
AND what a great inspiration for my cut. Each week when I go in there, I'll be looking better and better.
The best revenge is living well.
__________________
"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
It was a weird workout today. Some things I improved on, other things it seems like I backslid a bit. I don't know if that's purely mental, or dehydration, or because I had one huge brunch yesterday and then yogurt for dinner (and that was it). Who knows.
I'm headed to the gym in a little while, and reading this I am hoping my insane carb binge that was Easter lunch won't affect me! Oh my gosh, I had pasta, bread, and like three slices of pie..
The workout looks pretty solid to me though, especially 55 lbs on the push press. Congrats for finishing stage 2. Are you taking a week off or moving right into the hellish stage 3?
The workout looks pretty solid to me though, especially 55 lbs on the push press. Congrats for finishing stage 2. Are you taking a week off or moving right into the hellish stage 3?
Well, I still have my last B workout on Wednesday, and then I don't know. I may take Thursday - Sunday off, or I may just jump right in. I'm going to sit down with Stage 3, try to time it out to see how long it'll take me, assess the exercises, etc. I'm kind of excited to move onto something new - Stage 2 was really kicking my ass. And I'm sure Stage 3 will as well, but I don't know that yet and my brain is really happy to try something new!
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
It's not even his "misfortune" that brings me delight - I'm sure Ms. Frump is a very nice girl, in her oversized Micky Mouse T's, spending her mornings on the cardio machines - but it's more like, "Oooo, look what YOU passed up. Now excuse me, I've got to move some iron."
God, don't you LOVE that feeling? I remember very clearly running into a guy I'd had that same one-date thing with. He'd not seen me for years and here I was all tan and fit (it was the summer I was laid off, so I had nothing to do but work out) and suddenly he remembered my name again and was all gushy about how great I looked. I really had to resist giving him the finger with my wedding-ring hand. Sorry, creep!
God, don't you LOVE that feeling? I remember very clearly running into a guy I'd had that same one-date thing with. He'd not seen me for years and here I was all tan and fit (it was the summer I was laid off, so I had nothing to do but work out) and suddenly he remembered my name again and was all gushy about how great I looked. I really had to resist giving him the finger with my wedding-ring hand. Sorry, creep!
Yes, I DO love that feeling. I ran into an exboyfriend once - a really horrible guy - possessive, controlling, recovering alcoholic, the works. I'd lost a few pounds and was wearing a really cute skirt and was with a good friend when I ran into him. He'd gained probably 30 lbs, had started smoking, and was with a really plain, mousy, quiet sort of girl. I felt really bad for her because I knew what a bulldozer he was and guessed he was probably taking advantage of her meekness. But I felt really good for myself.
I especially love it when you feel wronged by someone, and you think, "Well, they'll get what's coming to them," and then you get to hear about their bad karma coming back to bite them in the ass. Gosh, it's enough to keep a girl acting nice for a good, long time.
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
Ciao Rixa!
I don't mind sharing at all... I'm currently doing the original NROL Fat Loss series plus some high intervals on the off days. I also do Cathe Friedrich whole body workout videos with lighter weights because of the higher reps and faster pace she does. My weight went back up to where it has been for the longest which is 127 and my BF% is around 21.5% ( I use calipers but I don't trust the 5 mm reading in my suprailliac), so I follow "The Scale Companion" which takes other measurents into account.
I have been basically eating anywhere from 1400 to 1700 calories.
My TDEE is supposed to be 2077 and even though I haven't lost lean mass, I haven't lost any fat either. I went even further down in calories/carbs in the last two weeks and nothing. Only thing I got was lack of sleep and shivering.
This morning I was re-reading some of the older posts in NROL4W and I found a VERY interesting and informative thread that stroke a cord. It totally makes sense and I am ready to make the change starting today.
One thing I'm still afraid of is eating the higher calories with 40%carbs.... I prefer 40P 35C 25F to begin with. What do you think?
Ciao Rixa!
I don't mind sharing at all... I'm currently doing the original NROL Fat Loss series plus some high intervals on the off days. I also do Cathe Friedrich whole body workout videos with lighter weights because of the higher reps and faster pace she does. My weight went back up to where it has been for the longest which is 127 and my BF% is around 21.5% ( I use calipers but I don't trust the 5 mm reading in my suprailliac), so I follow "The Scale Companion" which takes other measurents into account.
I have been basically eating anywhere from 1400 to 1700 calories.
My TDEE is supposed to be 2077 and even though I haven't lost lean mass, I haven't lost any fat either. I went even further down in calories/carbs in the last two weeks and nothing. Only thing I got was lack of sleep and shivering.
This morning I was re-reading some of the older posts in NROL4W and I found a VERY interesting and informative thread that stroke a cord. It totally makes sense and I am ready to make the change starting today.
One thing I'm still afraid of is eating the higher calories with 40%carbs.... I prefer 40P 35C 25F to begin with. What do you think?
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Olga.
Download the template I attached a few posts back, take your calories up to maintenance for at least two weeks, and see what happens. At best, you'll start losing fat and have more energy to work out, and you won't be shivering. At worst, you'll hold onto some water, the scale will go up a little bit, and then your body will adjust to a higher calorie level and your metabolism will get a boost. Don't be scared if the scale goes up - it's NOT fat. Plus, with Alwyns workouts, plus Cathe's workouts and intervals, if you DO gain fat, it's going to be so painfully slow, you'll have plenty of time to reverse it. Keep track of everything you eat for the two weeks, plug in your calorie averages, protein info, weight and BF% into the template and it'll tell you about how many calories you've been burning each day. Based on that data, you can come up with a plan that works just right for YOU. Not something that was calculated from a formula of averages.
The way I see it is, if I keep making progress toward my goal, even if I don't see the results I want sometimes, I'm still learning valuable information. Those two weeks are going to pass whether you track your food or not. They're going to pass whether you're raising your calories or shivering and cutting your calories in vain. Two weeks is nothing - and whatever "weight" you may gain in two weeks can easily be shed in two weeks too. Raise your calories, weigh and measure once at the beginning and after two weeks, and focus on how you feel eating more. You'll feel stronger in the gym, happier, and you may find your hunger goes through the roof (which means your metabolism is enthusiastically raising the bar).
Your macro ratios are good. Just make sure to get your carbs mostly from vegetables, fruits, dairy (if you eat it) and not entirely from processed carbs or even whole grains. (Sweet potato is a good starchy carb to eat. And yum.)
Anyway, the point is - you won't know how your body will react to 2000+ calories until you test it out and see. Think of it as a scientific experiment, keep your emotions out of it, and use that data to build a better, badder, stronger you. Lowering your calories obviously isn't working right now. So what have you got to lose?
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"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths." - Lois Wyse
. Right now I'm just a Basement Monster.)
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