Bytsi's Body Reshaping Log

[LWilson212]

Hey Bytsi-

I lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers and I have been thinking along the same lines as you, why was it so easy back then and so much harder now? And like you, I do not remember struggling with constant hunger like I do now when I try to cut. I just keep telling myself, veggies, veggies, veggies. I buy stuff like those bags of broccoli and cauliflower you can just microwave in the bag and you can eat a whole bag for 100 calories. I also find cherry tomatoes very filling and a nice snack.
There was a discussion in Tom's (stingo) log a while back about whether it is counterproductive to work out really hard when trying to cut. The concept was you are tearing your body down so much and make yourself so hungry you are unable to cut cals like you need to. I've been wondering about this for myself, if I need to actually lower the intensity if I want to stick to a cutting diet.
Hang in there! It sounds like you are doing great on planning and packing stuff.

[beach_plums]

Sounds like you've got a good plan layed out in front of you. I can't wait to see how it all works out for you and track your progress.

I agree with kfisherx. I'm more hungry on my non-workout days too. I've always thought that it was because I work out in the evening, usually after dinner, then have my pwo shake and a small snack before bed. I try to get extra calories in during the day for my workout days, just so that I have the energy to complete a workout. But my calorie difference between the days isn't as significant as some of the other people in these logs.

[jesca]

Originally Posted by LWilson212

Hey Bytsi-

I lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers and I have been thinking along the same lines as you, why was it so easy back then and so much harder now? And like you, I do not remember struggling with constant hunger like I do now when I try to cut. I just keep telling myself, veggies, veggies, veggies. I buy stuff like those bags of broccoli and cauliflower you can just microwave in the bag and you can eat a whole bag for 100 calories. I also find cherry tomatoes very filling and a nice snack.
There was a discussion in Tom's (stingo) log a while back about whether it is counterproductive to work out really hard when trying to cut. The concept was you are tearing your body down so much and make yourself so hungry you are unable to cut cals like you need to. I've been wondering about this for myself, if I need to actually lower the intensity if I want to stick to a cutting diet.
Hang in there! It sounds like you are doing great on planning and packing stuff.

I agree with this, totally. I'm always starving when I'm trying to lose weight. And especially now that I'm trying to do this repair, I'm just a mess. I guess that's why she has you doing absolutely nothing.
I have to say that I am usually not as hungry after a workout. I don't think you're really trying to build muscle with HIIT, so I would say just have some carbs before and after, nothing drastic, just more about timing than extra calories. Maybe a banana over what you should be having would be good? You can't bulk and cut at the same time, so I think you should probably make your decision about what's more important to you right now. Is it muscles that you can't see and will dig down to later? or Is it getting down to a goal weight and then slowly building the msucle from there until you're happy?
It's a tough call to make. I think we'd all like to do both at once, but I feel like it's just chasing your tail. You're doing tons of work, but you're not going anywhere.

[marthand99]

It sounds like you have a good plan! It's awesome that you've been able to take the books and put them to work for you.

I never got into the two different calorie level thing either - I was always hungrier on my rest days, too.

[Bytsi]

Down another .5# this morning!!! Whooo hoooo!!!
Of course the pessimist in me is expecting a massive rebound gain (which is likely, to some extent), but I'm starting to like the Google 15 because it really ignores those outliers and shows you a 2-week trend.

Originally Posted by jesca

Anyhow, it sounds like you're on the right track. Now you just have to follow through. My issue is that i would get all that stuff done and then never pack my lunch or something stupid!
Oh and if you want to come over to my house and prep me for the week that would be super.

I am so NOT a good planner, but I made a point of doing it. Considered it NEAT instead of sitting around the house time... but I almost didn't have time this morning to throw together the few last-minute things... screeched into work with about 30 seconds to spare!

Originally Posted by kfisherx

As far as eating. I don't really worry about off and on days and eating. I am way more hungry on rest days than on workout days so eating more on workout days doesn't make sense to my body. I just make sure I average a certain amount per day for each week and eat when it feels right to do so. I might be wrong but I think the eating for work days versus rest days is a level of figuring that you do after you understand what your average daily burn is over a period of time.

Originally Posted by beach_plums

Sounds like you've got a good plan layed out in front of you. I can't wait to see how it all works out for you and track your progress.

I agree with kfisherx. I'm more hungry on my non-workout days too. I've always thought that it was because I work out in the evening, usually after dinner, then have my pwo shake and a small snack before bed. I try to get extra calories in during the day for my workout days, just so that I have the energy to complete a workout. But my calorie difference between the days isn't as significant as some of the other people in these logs.

I'm always hungrier on lift days, but I lift early. That's going to change next week (yay!!!) and I've been wondering if my hunger will be more evening / next day with that change. The only reason I was varying it was because NROLW says to eat 200kcal higher on lift days... Hmmmm... maybe I'll split the difference. For now though, I'm leaving it alone.

Originally Posted by LWilson212

I lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers and I have been thinking along the same lines as you, why was it so easy back then and so much harder now? And like you, I do not remember struggling with constant hunger like I do now when I try to cut. I just keep telling myself, veggies, veggies, veggies. I buy stuff like those bags of broccoli and cauliflower you can just microwave in the bag and you can eat a whole bag for 100 calories. I also find cherry tomatoes very filling and a nice snack.
There was a discussion in Tom's (stingo) log a while back about whether it is counterproductive to work out really hard when trying to cut. The concept was you are tearing your body down so much and make yourself so hungry you are unable to cut cals like you need to. I've been wondering about this for myself, if I need to actually lower the intensity if I want to stick to a cutting diet.

I think it was "easier" on WW because our bodies (at least mine) were so deconditioned that any change, even with some slip-ups, made a big difference. It's that whole "last 10#" thing - it's easier for a 350# person to lose 20# by walking than a 150# person to do the same thing, right? sigh... but life really truly is SO much better now than when I was fat and sedentary.

As for cutting/bulking... I am definitely aiming for cut. But I don't think lifting NROLW-style is a bad thing. I won't see the gains I might see if I were eating more or if I was eliminating cardio, but I think it'll help me minimize any lean-tissue loss (hopefully I won't lose any!). Then again, if I stall-out, I'll reassess .

Originally Posted by jesca

I agree with this, totally. I'm always starving when I'm trying to lose weight. And especially now that I'm trying to do this repair, I'm just a mess. I guess that's why she has you doing absolutely nothing.
I have to say that I am usually not as hungry after a workout. I don't think you're really trying to build muscle with HIIT, so I would say just have some carbs before and after, nothing drastic, just more about timing than extra calories. Maybe a banana over what you should be having would be good? You can't bulk and cut at the same time, so I think you should probably make your decision about what's more important to you right now. Is it muscles that you can't see and will dig down to later? or Is it getting down to a goal weight and then slowly building the msucle from there until you're happy?
It's a tough call to make. I think we'd all like to do both at once, but I feel like it's just chasing your tail. You're doing tons of work, but you're not going anywhere.

Hungry sucks... I agree. But somehow, with the scale at least considering behaving, it's more motivating and I'm doing better. I know I CAN do this (I changed from a fat couch-potato to a relatively strong athletic person, right?). I just have to stop letting little things creep back in too much once I get there.

As for cut/bulk - what I said earlier... I'd rather maintain what muscle I can for now and focus on getting rid of fat. If I don't get those results, I will do something else, but for now NROLW is so much fun (except for the stage 3B workout!!!) and I love doing it, love lifting. I hate low-intensity workouts, so it'd be hard for me to do anything else. I could always go to stage 7 or to NROL fatloss, but I'm not ready to do that yet. Probably once I'm done NROLW I'll see where I need to go.

_________________

I looked again at Leigh's formulas, and I think my calories are right where they need to be. My BMR came out to 1411, and then with my activity factor I fall between 1834 - 1975 kcal/day. So eating 1500-1700 puts me in a nice small food-deficit... increasing NEAT and some low-intensity cardio (which isn't hard on the body) should help too...

________________
Today:
Stage 4 B1

Wide-grip DL from step -- 3x8 @ 135#. I didn't use the step, but used smaller plates (25# + 2x10#'s) so I'd have the bigger ROM.

Bulgarian Split-squat -- 3x8 @ 30#s (2x15#s). Wobbly on these today... hmmmm.

Underhand grip lat pulldown -- 3x8 @ 130#

Prone Cuban Snatch -- 1x8 w/ 10# db's, 2x8 w/ 12.5# db's.

Rear lunge off step w/ forward reach -- 3x8 w/ 15# db's.

Ball crunch, reverse crunch, side flexion -- 3x10 each, supersetted.

Prone Cobra -- Did 2x120. I HATE THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Food is on-track so far... but the 1 lactaid pill did NOT help my stomach handle the cottage cheese. Ugh. I love cottage cheese, but... IF I get up the nerve, I might try it one more time with 2 lactaid pills. Otherwise, just gonna cut it out completely.

[stephanie932]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

Down another .5# this morning!!! Whooo hoooo!!!
Of course the pessimist in me is expecting a massive rebound gain (which is likely, to some extent), but I'm starting to like the Google 15 because it really ignores those outliers and shows you a 2-week trend.

Congrats on another day showing a loss! I'm starting to see a trend!

What's Google 15???

[missjane]

Bytsi, since I am normally NOT a daily weigher and now I am weighing daily for a couple of reasons....I am loving the Google 15, too!

[Bytsi]

Originally Posted by stephanie932

Congrats on another day showing a loss! I'm starting to see a trend!

What's Google 15???

Google 15 is this cool weight-chart (named for the "freshman 15") - you can google it (lol!) and add it to your desktop. You enter your weight daily, and it tells you your sorta average trend weight... so outlier weights (like a 2# salty dinner spike) don't have as big an impact when put into the Google 15. I'd link it but I'm being technologically lazy tonight cuz it's on my work desktop and not at home (where I am now) .

Food is on-track today again! But my stomach is still not happy from that cottage cheese earlier . My NEAT wasn't great today - I was kinda dragging from this morning's lift, plus I had actual work to get done and I can use my tummy upset as an excuse... but I did bounce on a ball instead of my desk chair for part of the day... I'm actually looking forward to next week when I can lift AFTER work (which will be mid-afternoon) instead of early... wondering how that'll effect energy levels and appetite... I think I'm turning into my own science project .

[jesca]

Congrats on the weight moving in the right direction! That is awesome.

Cheers to becoming a science experiment, because at least it means you can do things and check the results instead of trying everything and not seeing any!

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

I think I'm turning into my own science project .

Ooh, this is where it starts to get fun!! I love being my own guinea pig but, in your case, I guess you'd be your own hamster.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

I think I'm turning into my own science project

I use that excuse myself to justify all the, um, questionable dietary choices I make sometimes Nah, it really is fun(ny) to see people's reactions when they ask what I'm doing (training- and/or diet-wise) and I say that I'm just experimenting (whenever I'm in a transition period, like right now). They look at me like I'm some kind of sexual deviant--well, nah, nevermind, that's another thought for another thread

[Bytsi]

Plan for today: get some NEAT, stay on-track at 1500kcal of clean low-GI food, karate tonight. If karate is exhausting, I'll take tomorrow as a rest day. If it's mild and I don't really break a sweat, I'll do HIIT in the morning tomorrow.

I went to bed hungry last night , but feeling smugly superior to DH . Of course that was after I almost killed him (and I should get some kind of prize for restraint!!!). I was so hungry but I really want to stick to my plan for now, and I know I'm hungrier on lift days (came in at 1670 kcal, 35/35/30)... so what does he do? After whining about his middle-aged-man belly (he's a runner, but a stocky build - he really needs to be more consistent in lifting, instead of once a month!), he picks up a bag of tortilla chips and starts munching (and CRUNCHING LOUDLY) right in front of me . I just took the dogs and went up to bed before I killed him and then did something even worse like eating a bunch of chips .

Originally Posted by jesca

Congrats on the weight moving in the right direction! That is awesome.

Cheers to becoming a science experiment, because at least it means you can do things and check the results instead of trying everything and not seeing any!

Scale was same as yesterday, but I'm good with that. I knew it couldn't go into a freefall forever, and it's lower than it's been in a while.

Main reason I'm asking questions but not changing anything YET is that I want to be sure of the effects of what I'm doing right now. Next week will bring some changes anyway, since my schedule changes and my weights shift to afternoon 2/week and morning but not first-thing-still-asleep-morning on the 3rd day... gotta see how that effects diet / appetite and energy... plus I can add in a little more cardio on my former early lift days...

Originally Posted by nutbar

Ooh, this is where it starts to get fun!! I love being my own guinea pig but, in your case, I guess you'd be your own hamster.

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er

I use that excuse myself to justify all the, um, questionable dietary choices I make sometimes Nah, it really is fun(ny) to see people's reactions when they ask what I'm doing (training- and/or diet-wise) and I say that I'm just experimenting (whenever I'm in a transition period, like right now). They look at me like I'm some kind of sexual deviant--well, nah, nevermind, that's another thought for another thread

Yeah... I'm thinking the sexual deviant vibe probably has nuthin' to do with your diet and exercise

_________________________

I bought some Laughing Cow cheese (l/f swiss) today - can't wait to try it!
I looked for the f/f (but high protein) dip and couldn't find any . I got some 100-cal ranch dip thingies (so I can be sure I don't over-indulge in my dipping), but I'd love to find the other stuff. Does anyone have a brand they use (was that you, DM, who posted about it?)???

[jesca]

Originally Posted by Bytsi

I went to bed hungry last night , but feeling smugly superior to DH . Of course that was after I almost killed him (and I should get some kind of prize for restraint!!!). I was so hungry but I really want to stick to my plan for now, and I know I'm hungrier on lift days (came in at 1670 kcal, 35/35/30)... so what does he do? After whining about his middle-aged-man belly (he's a runner, but a stocky build - he really needs to be more consistent in lifting, instead of once a month!), he picks up a bag of tortilla chips and starts munching (and CRUNCHING LOUDLY) right in front of me . I just took the dogs and went up to bed before I killed him and then did something even worse like eating a bunch of chips .

Totally sounds like something my husband would do! He complains about being slightly overweight and then eats a pint of ben and jerrys. He has nothing to worry about, but he is the worst enabler! It's so tough to be around that all time, believe me I know!