RealCdn - NROL4W Training Log

[realcdn]

I started with 15-mins on the treadmill and then did:

A: Front Squat/Push Press - 40t/10, 45t/10
B1: Step-up (12") - 7.5e/10, 10e/10
B2: Dumbbell One-point Row - 17.5e/10, 20e/10
C1: Static Lunge, Rear Foot Elevated - 5e/10, 7.5e/10
C2: Push-up (full) - 10, 10
D1: Plank - 30+30sec (on 6" step), 30+30sec (on 6" step)
D2: Horizontal Wood Chop (on floor) - 27.5t/10, 30t/10

I followed with making up the workout to 60 mins with a short walk on the treadmill.

HRM: 624 cals, Max: 162 (91%), Avg: 140 (79%)

I feel like I'm not progressing much in this stage. I think it's more of a balance / overall fitness issue. The dumbbell one-point row is hard, no matter what weight I pick. I suspect I'm struggling with the move, not the weight. The static lunge is the same. I'm going to add more weight next time, but I suspect it's not my real problem with this move. The planks I did on the step today and managed to get them to 30+30sec each time. The push-ups are still really hard. I suppose I keep thinking at some point they will get easier, but not so far.

Ah well, the sun is out and I've got some weeding and watering to do. It's not super warm, but at least it's better than tomorrow.

[realcdn]

Just some weeding, mulching, and watering in the afternoon. Oh, and a nice swim as well. Found a couple of small pots so they now have some herbs in them (parsley and mint), and somehow we ended up with oregano as well (basil I'd already planted). It will go somewhere else, just haven't figured out where yet.

Tomorrow is a rest day, which means errands. Friday night will be a girls night (depending on who shows... long story), so I'll look for both turkey pepperoni and veggie pepperoni tomorrow for that. One of the girls is a vegetarian (not vegan) and I'm not sure if she's coming. Individual pizzas will be on the menu, with the homemade whole wheat crust. Toppings to be determined. There will also be alcohol involved.

Food for the day:

Total: 2405 (27% fat, 36% carbs, 35% protein)

Breakfast: egg/egg white omelet with cheese, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, grapefruit (442)
AM Snack: grapes, protein shake (256)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas (2), smoked ham, mustard, cheese, apple (476)
PM Snack: protein shake, soy nuts (269)
Dinner: lasagne, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (647)
Late Snack: grapes, protein shake (316)

[foodfromafar]

Originally Posted by realcdn

I feel like I'm not progressing much in this stage.

I've had the same thought, Anne, but I remembered someone said how much they improved by the time Stage 4 came around. Stage 2 and 4 are pretty much the same.

The balance issue really adds a challenge to the mix, but it's functional fitness at its best!!

I did Stage 2 A3 yesterday, too!!

[realcdn]

Originally Posted by foodfromafar

I've had the same thought, Anne, but I remembered someone said how much they improved by the time Stage 4 came around. Stage 2 and 4 are pretty much the same.

The balance issue really adds a challenge to the mix, but it's functional fitness at its best!!

I did Stage 2 A3 yesterday, too!!

I know what you're saying but I'm not sure that my balance will improve in the next couple of weeks. We'll see though as I could be wrong. It's happened before in the past.

[realcdn]

So today was a rest day with lots of errands this morning. I even let the bulk food store convince me to buy something I hadn’t planned on… skor bar. Okay, a piece of a skor bar (where else can you buy 15grams of something bad for you). I’m not quite sure how tomorrow will go as we have someone coming to work on the fence in the yard. I suspect no matter how I work this it’s going to affect my workouts. So with my friends coming in the afternoon I think I’m going to move the lifting to Saturday. I should be able to fit Saturday’s cardio in during the day tomorrow. As well, it will still give me a day off before Monday’s lifting.

Food for the day:

Total: 2163 (33% fat, 33% carbs, 33% protein)

Breakfast: cracked wheat oatmeal bread, peanut butter, grapefruit (229)
AM Snack: skor bar piece, almonds, protein shake (357)
Lunch: turkey meatloaf with salsa, roasted veggies, apple (448)
PM Snack: protein shake, soy nuts (269)
Dinner: crockpot chicken with corn and salsa, broccoli, butter, salad w/dressing (564)
Late Snack: grapes, protein shake (296)

[realcdn]

Well yesterday was a complete write-off, but not for the reasons I originally thought. I was going to swap out my lifting and cardio days until I sliced up the bottom of my left foot. I'm not even 100% sure where outside I did it (sharp tile, pot shard in the mulch, whatever). It was the blood that alerted me to the problem. I'm very typically a barefoot kind of person and it's rare for any injury. This year I've tended to wearing my shoes when outside so I suspect the soles of my feet aren't as hardened as they usually are. So although it's cleaned up and bandaged it's fairly painful to walk on. That pretty much stopped any thoughts of cardio yesterday. I'll likely try and keep off it today as well, although if the weather holds (was stormy last night but the sun is trying hard this morning) I'll get into the pool and do some laps. Luckily cuts and scrapes heal fast, and it both looks and feels better this morning, so I'm sure by Monday it will just be a memory.

I kept myself in check with last night's food as well, although I did send the dips/spreads/flatbreads home with the person who brought them. I enjoyed them greatly, but I knew I'd end up being the person who would end up finishing them. I was also surprised that although I'd planned for two drinks I only ended up having one. The amounts are estimated, but I know I estimated high. I grabbed the info from the containers when putting them out so I knew what to avoid, and how much I could reasonably have.

Food for the day:

Total: 2156 (25% fat, 36% carbs, 33% protein)

Breakfast: pecan raisin bread, jam, grapefruit (158)
AM Snack: protein shake (180)
Lunch: whole wheat tortilla, smoked turkey, mustard, cheese, roasted veggies, apple (434)
PM Snack: protein shake (180)
Nibbles: veggies w/dip, flatbread w/hummus and bean & roasted pepper spreads, pisco sour (324)
Dinner: whole wheat pizza with turkey pepperette/veggies/cheese, two cherry yogurt sorbet (699)
Late Snack: protein shake (180)

[stephanie932]

Originally Posted by realcdn

I kept myself in check with last night's food as well, although I did send the dips/spreads/flatbreads home with the person who brought them. I enjoyed them greatly, but I knew I'd end up being the person who would end up finishing them. I was also surprised that although I'd planned for two drinks I only ended up having one. The amounts are estimated, but I know I estimated high. I grabbed the info from the containers when putting them out so I knew what to avoid, and how much I could reasonably have.

Sorry to hear of your foot accident. I used to be a "barefoot" gal, but then I got plantar fasciitis and have to wear shoes. DH yells at me all the time to put on my slippers (good ones with hard sole and arch support) because he knows how much pain I'm in when it acts up. I do miss the walking barefoot, though.

WTG on your get-together and only having 1 drink. That's awesome!!! You even watched when putting things on the table. Sounds like success to me!

[Bytsi]

Owch!! Hope the foot feels better soon!

[realcdn]

Originally Posted by stephanie932

Sorry to hear of your foot accident. I used to be a "barefoot" gal, but then I got plantar fasciitis and have to wear shoes. DH yells at me all the time to put on my slippers (good ones with hard sole and arch support) because he knows how much pain I'm in when it acts up. I do miss the walking barefoot, though.

WTG on your get-together and only having 1 drink. That's awesome!!! You even watched when putting things on the table. Sounds like success to me!

I think US labeling is somewhat like Canada. Products have to show the nutritional info, so it was just as easy to write it down while putting it out. The gal who brought it is a lifetime weight watchers person so I knew what she brought would be decent. I kind of wanted to keep the bean dip (and maybe some flatbread) but I'll settle for asking her where it came from. I know I was the one who introduced her to the flatbreads in the first place, but it was a different brand than I used to buy at the local grocery. However, since it's the closest to the house it's possible that it came from there (with her making a stop on her way in). The bean dip was 50 cals for 2Tb and really quite tasty. So was the hummus - the veggie dip I could take or leave. Come to think of it though it's really probably best that she took them with her.

It sounds mean, but I know her husband, son and son's girlfriend will help her eat it. My mother might take some, but I know I'd end up eating most of it. She's back at weight watchers. I'm pretty sure over the last 5 years she's lost and gained the same 30/40 lbs over a couple of times. It really makes me think about how I need to do this differently this time. In my case it's really only my second real attempt at losing the weight, but the last time ended so badly... and then with a regain. It's kind of depressing really.

Having said all that I've still got approximately 20lbs to go before I'm at the lowest weight I've been in a long time. When I look at body measurements though I'm pretty much back there already (I'll do official measurements tomorrow), and I feel so much better and stronger than I did when I was at this point before. So hopefully these are all good signs.

Originally Posted by Bytsi

Owch!! Hope the foot feels better soon!

Thanks. It does feel better today. I went and played in the pool for a little over an hour. I originally was going to do two sets of 30-min laps, but I just wasn't into it. I did get my heart rate into the 130s, and the average was just over 100, but it wasn't a true cardio workout in the grand scheme of things. I suppose it was better than resting on the couch (at just under 60bpm).

Some of the playing involved balance exercises in the shallow end. This is certainly not as strenuous as doing the one-point rows, but the water movement creates it's own obstacles. I also had a shot at the lunge jumps and the squat jumps that are coming up in Stage 3. Yikes, when they're hard in the water I'm not sure how I'll manage them with my full body weight. Oh well, only time will tell I suppose. I've still got my Stage 2 workouts to finish first.

[realcdn]

Really not much to say about today. I was thinking of doing an hour of swimming laps, but just couldn't get into it. I ended up doing a combination of laps, treading water, and some other various exercises in the pool. Although it was certainly better than sitting on the couch the data from the HRM was nothing to write home about. The foot feels a lot better, with only a little pain when I roll the foot onto the worst spot. I have an errand to run tomorrow (with a shoe on instead of just a sock) and I suspect it will be almost perfect. So Monday it's definitely back to normal.

HRM: 348 cals, Max: 132 (74%), Avg: 103 (58%)

And somehow we ended up with a container of hummus (no, I didn't buy it) so this afternoon's snack was a weighed portion of hummus with veggies... and a drink. Oh well, within the calorie levels so I really shouldn't complain. Dinner was a couple of turkey italian sausages that were better than I expected. They were on sale last week and I grabbed a couple of packages for the freezer. We had them tonight with whole wheat rolls, but I think I'm going to look for another option as it's odd to say this, but it was too much food. Between the veggies and alcohol, dinner, salad, and my snack, I'm really uncomfortably full. Now honestly, that doesn't happen all that often.

Food for the day:

Total: 2159 (23% fat, 41% carbs, 30% protein)

Breakfast: egg white omelet, cracked wheat oatmeal bread, grapefruit (247)
AM Snack: pecan raisin bread with butter, protein shake (273)
Lunch: eye of round roast, roasted veggies, apple (426)
PM Snack: veggies with red pepper hummus, pisco sour (194)
Dinner: whole wheat roll, italian turkey sausage, tomato sauce, salad w/dressing (713)
Late Snack: fruit salad, protein shake (306)

[realcdn]

I'm using my 4-wk report as a template. I think for a little while I'll do this every 4 weeks. I'll start with the most convenient way of measuring.

Starting Weight: 325.4
Week 4: 317.0 (-8.4)
Week 8: 309.6 (-7.4)
Week 12: 301.8 (-8.2)
Total: (-24.0)

So overall we're looking at exactly 2 pounds a week. For the first time in a while the 5-week ratio is better than the 9-week one (FitDay calls them 1 month and 2 month, but they're not). Since I started back in December the overall ratio is 2.33/week. Although there are times I'd like to see it drop faster, I am happy.

Adding the info from the Tanita scale. This is a 7-day average. This time I'm not comparing it to last week since it was only a 3-day average and I don't think the data leads to a realistic trend (ie. it looks fantastic, but I'd rather compare 7-days to 7-days).

Avg Wt: 303.7 BF%: 53.6, LBM%: 46.4

The measurements - I did find the ones I took on day one, so I'm going to show the change to them as well. For now, I'm just going to compare the three.

Week 4: Bust (-1.0") Waist (-1.0") Hips (-1.0")
Week 8: Bust (-1.5") Waist (-2.0") Hips (-1.5")
Week 12: Bust (-1.0") Waist (-1.0") Hips (-1.0")
Total: Bust (-3.5") Waist (-4.0") Hips (-3.5")

Again, maybe when I'm further along I'll feel like sharing the actual numbers, but not today.

Because of my current weight I specifically am not eating to maintenance. I know because of that I may not see the intended results of the program, however, I think losing weight is still my primary goal for overall health. I started TNROL4W to simply give me more structure for working with weights. The workouts definitely push my comfort level, which they were meant to do. (I didn't change this from last time.)

So, that just leaves the basic questions from the book....

Did you gain weight, lose weight, or stay the same?
Lost weight.

Do your clothes feel loose, or are they tighter?
This is a tough one, since I've tended to loose fitting, elastic waisted items. I did switch to the smaller sized bottoms before starting and they aren't as tight in the waist and hips, but probably a little tighter on the upper legs. (Same answer as 4 weeks ago)

Do you see any differences when you look in the mirror?
No, but this doesn't surprise me. Overall, being down 56 pounds or so since December I only see changes in my face. This is not a surprise, since I know there have been other changes, I just don't see them. (Same answer as 4 weeks ago, just changed the weight)

How do you feel? Energized or tired?
I'm having a hard time answering this one today. I'd say I'm feeling a bit tired, but I shouldn't be. Other than an hour in the pool I haven't done any real exercises since Wednesday. I'm going to keep an eye on that for the next week or so. As usual the weight went up a little during the week (always does after the lifts), but these last 4 days have brought 3 pounds off, so perhaps I'm just reacting to that.

How are your workouts going? ...
I'm struggling with Stage 2. The balance (one-legged) movements are very hard and I don't feel like I'm improving much. The weights aren't the issue, just my body.

How are you sleeping at night? ...
As usual, mixed between decent nights and bad nights. This isn't a change though. I've never been a good sleeper (neither is my mother). We often joke it's a family trait. I'd mark this one as nothing changed. (Same as 4 weeks ago)

Has your menstrual cycle changed?
Not really, although a little earlier than usual. We're only talking days here, and I've never been that regular.

I've switched the food goals up a little. The calculations from the book give me:

2136 (no workout)
2492 (active)
2848 (strenuous)

I'm doing 2150 on rest days and 2400 on workout days. I'm still not trying to eat towards maintenance. I originally was going higher on lift days, but I was also doing another 30 mins of cardio on those days. Since my hour of cardio on Tues/Sat usually run about 600 cals and the lift days usually run the same I decided to aim for the same number of calories. We'll see how it goes in a week or so.

[realcdn]

It was an odd day weather-wise today, but although it looked like rain it never did actually rain. I'm ignoring the fact that potentially the next three days will be rain filled. I'm still waiting for summer around here. It kind of figures that since I'm home this summer that it (so far) hasn't been a decent one. Anyway, the foot is almost 100%, just keeping it clean (no band-aid), although when I'm out tomorrow and exercising I'll likely put a band-aid on just in case.

Food for the day:

Total: 2138 (29% fat, 33% carbs, 36% protein)

Breakfast: pecan raisin bread, jam, grapefruit (165)
AM Snack: almonds, protein shake (344)
Lunch: BBQ pork, roasted veggies, apple (427)
PM Snack: red pepper hummus with raw veggies, soy nuts (237)
Dinner: sirloin steak, mushrooms, asparagus, salad w/dressing (631)
Late Snack: fruit salad, two cherry yogurt sorbet, protein shake (334)

[missjane]

Your progress is so steady and you are doing so well. You have such determination and your planning is impeccable (sp?). Good job! I hope you join our challenge in August because you'd be great in it......and, I know you'd last the whole way through because you just keep on keeping on!

[realcdn]

Thanks Jane. I tend to feel a little inadequate at times, compared to the rest of you. I think lately I'm just plodding along with life interfering with the three day a week plans. I got sidetracked this morning with 4 hours worth of yard work that I really hadn't planned on. However, when you're paying someone by the hour, helping him means you pay less. And then I feel like I want to work just as hard as I can (like I have something to prove). With the best of intentions I don't have the energy for my lifting today, so I've adjusted my calories and called it a rest day.

However, I do plan to join the challenge in August. Best case scenario I've got one and a half to two years of this, so I really do need to keep on keeping on.