Honestly I don't know. Since I have been doing this seriously (tracking and all) I have not had any issues just dropping weight on the scale. It has always been so predicatable. So I cannot say that my body does water retention all the time. It certainly has not in the past year.
I totally forgot about these other two contest diets (years ago) becuase I just excused them as "bad tracking" on my part. For the one though we were all given access to this trainer person and we are all registered in this program. We had to see this person once a week with our food logs. I just wrote down what I ate. No calories or macros. Just what I ate. I sat outside her office and listened to my office mate get talked to about all his cheating and that bastard still dropped scale weight. Then my turn came up and my weight was the same and she looked at my food and did not believe me. She actually believed I was lying week after week on what I ate. It was weird but I did not really care as I said because I did not really care about the contest. I just did it to be part of the team at work. Those two contests were the start of me getting skinny fat btw.
I am wondreing if this is more normal than not now that I am experiencing it again only this time from a much more educated and data point of view. I am also now wondering if the talk that people do about cardio and starting the process of fat loss is something that is a good thing in situations like this. I am not freaking out about it anymore as I know for a fact I am in deficit and I know for a fact that it cannot hang on forever like this. I am way, way more stubborn than this can possibly be and with my end date now moved out to whenever I can wait it out.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Up another 1.2bs today and officially the highest weight I have been since starting my bulk 6 months ago. Now this is pretty funny for some reason. I think because Alan told me yesterday that he was certain the scale would show change in the next day or two. Perhaps he should have specified exactly what change he meant. LOL! The interesting part is that I look really good. Not sure where all the poundage is going. Abs are coming through and everything... So really I am fine with it for now and trusting that we are going to see some sort of woosh at some point in time.
For now, I am blaming my parents and the stress they put me under. My Dad called me at work yesterday to tell me he wrecked my Volvo. Ran over a curb. Cost me 533 dollars in new tires and will cost an alignment this morning. It is sort of like having teenagers in the house again. LOL!
Despite having house guests this past week I have been getting all my workouts in and my diet has been nearly 100% spot on. My Mother gave me the best compliment. The other day I came out of my room with a tank top on and she wrinkles her nose and tells me not to get any more beefy. Says she doesn't like that look on women. Too manly... HA HA HA HA! At 45 years of age, I can still annoy my parents with my appearance. Does life get any better than this?
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
My mom told me something similar when I was telling my Dad about how my strength had gone up in certain lifts. It was something like "okay that's fine dear, but don't get to be like one of those muscle builder women"
Wow, Karla, sounds everything is falling into place. Yeah, I wouldn't be too concerned about the slight weight gain if you are seeing all those changes. Nice!
Quote:
It is sort of like having teenagers in the house again.
LMAO...love it! And your mother's comment. My mother is just like that. She hasn't said anything about my appearance but she had asked me to send her a picture of me in my blue party dress and then she never commented on it. I don't think it was the dress...I'm thinking it was my big muscly legs and she was afraid to comment. One day years ago I had a copy of Shape magazine and my mother pointed to the cover model's abs with a look of disgust and said they were ugly. You know what Shape models look like...they aren't even that cut. It was just the suggestion of any muscle at all that turned her off. I felt like saying gee, mom, you mean if you had a choice you'd really rather have your abs? Of course, I would never say that but it annoyed me that she was so adamant that any muscle on a woman is gross.
For now, I am blaming my parents and the stress they put me under. My Dad called me at work yesterday to tell me he wrecked my Volvo. Ran over a curb. Cost me 533 dollars in new tires and will cost an alignment this morning. It is sort of like having teenagers in the house again. LOL!
Yikes on the car!!! Shouldn't they have to take the $ out of their allowance to pay for the repairs?
Yes. And for full effect you must be dramatic. Like, Bob Costas and William Shatner dramatic.
Mom: Well, okay RL, you can exercise, but don't get all muscley, OK? Mama doesn't like that look.
RL: (earnestly, down on one knee, taking Mom's hands in his own) ...whatever you say, Mom. Please let me know immediately if my bodytype starts to stray from what you like.
Mom: You're a good boy.
RL: And you're the best, Ma. Oh, have I introduced you to Nunya yet?
Mom: No, who's Nunya?
RL: (standing up, stripping off shirt and flexing)... NUNYA BIDNESS! IT'S MY BODY, MA! YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW TO LOOK ANYMORE! HULK SMASH! (continue flexing while snarling)
If you do it more than once a week it starts to lose its impact.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
ROTFLMAO! I love you guys. You all make my day some days.
I have to get off here though and prepare for my workout and then taking my Mommy to dinner for her bday (it is today). This has actually been a really nice time so far. They haven't annoyed me at all really. Even the car thing wasn't so bad. I needed tires in a few months anyway and now I don't have to go sit at the dealership and wait for them. They are doing that for me.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Hi Karla-- I'm so curious to see where this cut takes you. I really know nothing of these processes, and never have a clue what to expect when I find some free time to look at your log. I need to check in more often!
I'm walking 60 miles for a breast cancer cure, September 11-13, 2009! Please support my walk and help me raise funds for cancer research by donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/...nal&fr_id=1300
Wow! It has been ages since an update. Those visits from the family will take it all out of a person I tell you. I dropped everyone off at the airport on Tuesday AM and have been readjusting to single life and catching up on cleaning up the messy house and also catching up at work since then. The work week was exceedingly short not just due to the vacation time I took on Monday but today I had to do, CPR, AED, First Aid and Bloodborne Pathogens certification for work. I got all 4 certs today.
Gwen flew into Portland on Sat from LA to see her grandparents. It was so nice to see my baby again...
My friends in Portlan are very dear to me and they all wanted to make us dinner and have us to their places. At one of my friend's house we happened to do a nice Vivaldi trio with the three classical muscians in the house. I am posting this pic because this is the "real" me that you guys do not ever see. I did a web cam IM session with Stingo one night and he could not get over how geeky I looked. He asked me if I wore glasses all the time and I told him that those are bifocals and yes almost all the time. Except when I am in my bro grear and throwing down in the gym. LOL!!!
So now you know. I am mostly a geeky looking old gal who just so happens to deadlift 225x5 for two sets this week.
My body recomping and dieting/workout activities have been fascinating and frustrating. First I have to say that I absolutely HATE the diet I am on. I HATE, HATE, HATE low carbs. Sticking to this diet has been nothing short of torture while my folks where here. They stopped at Costco on the way to my house from the airport and bought over 7lbs of junkfood. I swear it is true. They bought pretzels and chips/salsa and peanuts (the orange candy kind) and snicker bars, a huge box of oreo cookies and a giant bag of trail mix with m&ms. Then they sat around and ate much of it in the two weeks they were here. In addition to this horrible temptations we went out to eat a lot. They at so many carbs and I had to just watch them eat the carbs I so wanted.
To make matters even more frustrating is I have been feeling completely zapped of all my energy on this diet. My lifts in the gym dropped so much that I was completely demotivated to even go into the gym. It just felt like I was getting my ass handed to me every time I went. And finally just to rub some salt in the wound my scale weight was up nearly 3 lbs from my highest bulk weight. I nearly threw in the towel because it seemed the only thing I was losing on this "diet" was my patience and my strength. Having to watch my family eat all the time SUCKED and I was so good and yet still nothing.... But then I started to feel stronger again. (like when you get better from a flu) and on Tuesday night when I went into the gym I was significantly stronger on most of my lifts than I was in the bulk.
Alan seems pleased with all of this action and a bit surprised by the huge gains I made this week in the gym. Said something about expecting to maintain but if the muscles want to grow while I am cutting down than all the better. I can live with this much better now that I am not getting my ass handed to me every day in the gym. Still I am frustrated because the change is being kept so slow that it is impossible to see. Right now I am a bit bloaty and it looks bad so that makes it even harder. Through all this I know that Alan has my back and we did discuss my goals recently so I trust he is on that for me too. So I am taking this one day at a time and waiting this thing out and doing that damn daily reporting thing (uuugh). Alan says that something has to give soon somewhere. LOL! Hopefully it isn't my mind.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Wow, lots is happening here. Would you know that I love love both pix of you.. the one of your daughter but esp the playing photo.
And so interesting how you are suddenly gaining strength again. Major kudos to you for sticking to something you don't like and not giving up.
I really admire the way you stuck to your plan in the midst of lots of temptation and all around chaos. I'm not sure I would have successfully stared down all those carbs.
I just redid my own CPR certification. I was surprised at how streamlined it's gotten since last time I took it. (For example no stopping to check for a plulse anymore.) I'm just grateful I've only ever had to do the heimlich once and (knock on wood) never had to do CPR at work yet though I've done plenty of first aid-y kinds of things.
__________________
"Time and patience are the 2 elements that most people don't include in their plans."
-Alan Aragon
"The scale simply tells you how much the earth loves you on a particular day."
-Ogedei (Keith)
Wow - good job sticking to it with all that junk food around! Although those orange peanut things are NASTY! Who eats those??? We had them at work once (as a joke) and they rotted cuz no one would touch 'em. Not even the skinny guy who ate dunkin' donuts every day...
Great pics - love seeing your DD and the "real" you!
Also - hang in there... I don't know if I'd be able to keep the faith cuz you know how I can freak about the scale, but Alan knows his stuff and you have to trust him - especially since you're paying him LOL!
Did I tell that I had CPR not too long ago? Many many years ago (10?) I did a course in First Aid and I've got to do that again, but now a specific type (first aid for sport accidents), and it was way different too from I'd been instructed before.
Especially the amount of times you are doing the heart ... ??? Used to be like 15 times and then do the breathing part and now you are doing 30 of them and then stop for breating. Perhaps in the future it's going to be 40 pushes before stopping to breathe.
Sorry, no clue how this is called in English. (brain fart and just don't know the terms).
BTW, what's CPR, AED, Bloodborne Pathogens anyway? CPR is for the heart. Cardiac P Resuscitation?
Bloodborne pathogens = boring film reminiscent of driver's ed videos about what to do if you see blood, how not to get stuck, put on gloves, dispose of sharps, etc etc... (at least that's what mine covered).
Glad you had fun with your family. I can feel your pain on the cut. I have not lost one pound even with upping my cardio. Although I am sure my diet is not as strict as yours. I am starting to feel that maybe the muscle gains of the past year have made it harder to loose that last bit of fat. I think the scale is so misleading. Seeing 180 lbs scares me, but besides a bit of belly fat I don't look fatter then I did at 165. I just look more muscular.
Our bodies may just now want to be at this weight and maybe fighting us to see much movement downward.
The pic of you playing with your friends was awesome. Have you thought of recording something ever? If so I now the perfect place
Wow, lots is happening here. Would you know that I love love both pix of you.. the one of your daughter but esp the playing photo.
And so interesting how you are suddenly gaining strength again. Major kudos to you for sticking to something you don't like and not giving up.
The strength thing is a God send to me and still is. I am stronger now than in the bulk so whatever is happening I can feel pretty assured that I am not losing the muscle I want to keep so badly. If nothing else I am achieving that goal and the science of the matter suggests that the fat loss goal has to soon follow too if it isn't already happening.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CloveApple
I really admire the way you stuck to your plan in the midst of lots of temptation and all around chaos. I'm not sure I would have successfully stared down all those carbs.
I just redid my own CPR certification. I was surprised at how streamlined it's gotten since last time I took it. (For example no stopping to check for a plulse anymore.) I'm just grateful I've only ever had to do the heimlich once and (knock on wood) never had to do CPR at work yet though I've done plenty of first aid-y kinds of things.
Thanks... It was pretty close a couple of times. Only thing stopping me was I knew I would have to report it later that day. I did go over in fats one day pretty well and Alan was nice about it but stressed moderation and control as well. I think it would have been a very bad time to add in a variable such as blowing the diet.
My hope/desire is to never have to use anything I learned in class yesterday. I did more than enough 1st aid in the USMC to last me a lifetime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bytsi
Wow - good job sticking to it with all that junk food around! Although those orange peanut things are NASTY! Who eats those??? We had them at work once (as a joke) and they rotted cuz no one would touch 'em. Not even the skinny guy who ate dunkin' donuts every day...
Great pics - love seeing your DD and the "real" you!
Also - hang in there... I don't know if I'd be able to keep the faith cuz you know how I can freak about the scale, but Alan knows his stuff and you have to trust him - especially since you're paying him LOL!
Nice deadlifts!!!
My folks have the worst diets EVER and they both are so fat and stiff that they waddle when they walk. Gwen eats better but she is young and on a rest week from her performance diet so she ate some of the good stuff too. It was just me sitting on the outside. It was a lonely and miserable time.
Funny but I am thinking about you very specifically a lot during this time. I have always been jealous of your body recomp achievements. I know you want to lose fat faster but if you look back at what you did in the past year it is nothing short of amazing. You kept all this muscle and yet cleraly lost fat. And you did it all by accident and by having these accidental carb ups while you over trained. LOL!
I think I am going to see similar type results to what you did before only my plan is more calculated and a bit easier to replicate. And this is exactly why Alan is worth gold to me. I say I want that sort of recomp but actually having the faith to do it and feel good about it requires support and help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Espi
Did I tell that I had CPR not too long ago? Many many years ago (10?) I did a course in First Aid and I've got to do that again, but now a specific type (first aid for sport accidents), and it was way different too from I'd been instructed before.
Especially the amount of times you are doing the heart ... ??? Used to be like 15 times and then do the breathing part and now you are doing 30 of them and then stop for breating. Perhaps in the future it's going to be 40 pushes before stopping to breathe.
Sorry, no clue how this is called in English. (brain fart and just don't know the terms).
BTW, what's CPR, AED, Bloodborne Pathogens anyway? CPR is for the heart. Cardiac P Resuscitation?
Bytsi got it all and yes the final one is just watching a movie. Yawn... Our instructor was really good (the best one I have had yet) so it was a good day overall. I have been CPR certified now since 1981 with a few lapses and it changes continually. The theory is now that the compressions rule over everything else so long as the person is not awake and aware. Now that AEDs are so commonplace it is often just a matter of keeping the blood flowing to the organs until the AED can do its thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tcoy777
Karla,
Glad you had fun with your family. I can feel your pain on the cut. I have not lost one pound even with upping my cardio. Although I am sure my diet is not as strict as yours. I am starting to feel that maybe the muscle gains of the past year have made it harder to loose that last bit of fat. I think the scale is so misleading. Seeing 180 lbs scares me, but besides a bit of belly fat I don't look fatter then I did at 165. I just look more muscular.
Our bodies may just now want to be at this weight and maybe fighting us to see much movement downward.
The pic of you playing with your friends was awesome. Have you thought of recording something ever? If so I now the perfect place
I am definately NOT in a place where my body cannot lose fat. I am up around 20% bf right now. I could drop scale fat in a matter of no time simply by dropping calories. Knowing this makes it even harder for me. Alan won't let me do that. He is protecting me from losing muscle as a first priority. That is why I hired him in the first place so he is doing his job. It isn't what I am capable of doing on my own (obviously) so I am glad to do what he says to meet my goal of keeping muscle. Also now that we reset my timeline for this cut to be extended it really is okay for us to take this time and see how my body responds and reacts. Right now my body's reaction to all of this has been unexpected.
Everyone loves the real "me" pics yet I feel compelled today to go to the bbing show and get another "bro" pic for my Avatar. LOL! I am going to go totally out for that one too. I have an evil plan if I don't forget my camera. (stay tuned)
I have recorded but nothing professional. Would this place you have in mind to record be somewhere near where you are? LOL!
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Karla, if nothing else, we can feel your pain in watching everyone around you indulge in very tempting but very yuck for your body snacks. It's so hard to have to be the one reminding yourself over and over why you're doing what you're doing. That's why I like the accountability of others - we know someone will be in our face and at our back! Good for you for sticking with it even when discouraging factors abounded (scale movement in the wrong direction, blah workouts.) It all pays in the end.
Funny but I am thinking about you very specifically a lot during this time. I have always been jealous of your body recomp achievements. I know you want to lose fat faster but if you look back at what you did in the past year it is nothing short of amazing. You kept all this muscle and yet cleraly lost fat. And you did it all by accident and by having these accidental carb ups while you over trained. LOL!
Too funny... ironic... I am proud of the work I did last year (despite the slow pace and struggles), but after November it all went to hell. Funny how you see it - my unintentional carb-ups while over-training . We'll see how things look now in pics (next week) - I'm not sure where things stand with my recomp. I just know that I REALLY want the scale to keep going down. I feel weak, tired - although better this week than last week, so maybe a little bit of adaptation / getting used to it? I actually have energy for some spring cleaning this weekend instead of just couch-sitting... but no PR's happening in the gym!
I was always jealous of your ability to just get it done and drop pounds so scientifically / predictably. I'm sorry you're struggling now - it's not fun and I certainly didn't wish it upon you!
Karla, if nothing else, we can feel your pain in watching everyone around you indulge in very tempting but very yuck for your body snacks. It's so hard to have to be the one reminding yourself over and over why you're doing what you're doing. That's why I like the accountability of others - we know someone will be in our face and at our back! Good for you for sticking with it even when discouraging factors abounded (scale movement in the wrong direction, blah workouts.) It all pays in the end.
Thanks for dropping by! I am soooo behind on reading logs. First thing in the morning I am going to start catching up. I have absolute faith in this program I am on and I know in the end that we will achieve amazing results.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bytsi
...
I was always jealous of your ability to just get it done and drop pounds so scientifically / predictably. I'm sorry you're struggling now - it's not fun and I certainly didn't wish it upon you!
My ability to drop scale weight is pretty scientifically spot on. I simply did the 40,40, 20 thing all the way down to about 12% bf. Problem is that I drop too much mass the way I did it last year. I know that my head games got (and still do get) in the way of my ability to suceed as a bber. I did a boatload more cardio then I should have without properly feeding on top of the linear diet. It was actually sort of a mess. From a fat loss only percpective it looks great but not from a bbing percpective.
This time around is very, very different though. I was at the local bbing show tonight and had my body fat measured by a new device that uses ultra sound technology. It is very cool and should closely match a cat scan I would think. It said I was at 18.8% bf at 135lb. If that is true and if I can keep this sort of workout up I could well be over a 7 lb gain this year of the good stuff. Whoooo Hooooo. Of course we have to wait to see if we can do the cut right. I need to come in at under 125.5lbs for next year's show to not be in the heavyweight class. I never thought I would be in a place where I might have to worry about being over, but I might have to worry. This was an amazing bulk.
Good news is that the suckage is sort of going away now that I feel stronger again. I still really miss my carbs but I do have a carb up option day that I can take if I really plan it out. I might do it once my scale weight settles down and that should make me much happier. I can do it up to 1 time a week if I want....
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Well the scale finally cooperated today and I hit a low of 134.6 this AM. I am relieved but the question is if it will stick. If it does then this diet is the gold for me and performace/muscle gain. (still hate the low carb thing) If it doesn't stick Alan said we change strategies come Tuesday. I am instructed to follow the diet to the letter next few days to see.
I had the most brotastic sort of day today. First my workout friend and I did a totally old school sort of workout where we just threw it down with the bro kinds of lifts. Like rows with the Oly bar in the corner and cable cross over curls. Heavy and hard and bro style. The cool thing is my partner hasn't seen me in a few weeks due to my family being here and he commented that I am definately changing. He sees more cuts in my chest and shoulders and less fat. Then I ran into a woman I haven't seen in about 3 months and her comment was, "OMFG you are getting HUGE!" HA HA HA HA!!!
After the workout I headed alone to the first Natural bbing show of the season in this area. I saw a couple of the big bro boyz who workout at my 24 hour and stopped to talk with them. Turns out the really big one (who first welcomed me into the bbing crowd at that gym) was competing. He ended up wining the overall title tonight while we screamed and cheered "bro style" in the audience. A big congratulations to AJ from 24 Hour Tannasbourne! (See what I mean about the boyz at my gym being big? And these are the "natural" guys that I tend to lift with. You should see the guys at the "Hardcore" gym where the tendancy is less natural.... )
Me and my bros. See why they call me "beefcake"?
The winner of the Perl and Iron Man last year came in gave me a big hug and it turns out he knew all the same guys as I was talking to there. I learned tonight what a small world the bbing cult is in this area. Then my posing coach and buddy IFBB Bro trainer, Noel Fuller came up and gave me a hug. He was judging the show. I was sort of bummed out to go alone to the show (my only real bro-lifting friend couldn't go) but turns out I was well connected with the bros and had lots of fun.
I also managed to talk IFBB Bro Flex Lewis into a mini pose down.
He conceded the win to me and now I have a new Avatar. LOL!
I swear it is true.
All in all a brotacular day!
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Glad you had so much fun. It's nice to see all the different yous and you're looking great.
__________________
"Time and patience are the 2 elements that most people don't include in their plans."
-Alan Aragon
"The scale simply tells you how much the earth loves you on a particular day."
-Ogedei (Keith)
. We'll see how things look now in pics (next week) - I'm not sure where things stand with my recomp. I just know that I REALLY want the scale to keep going down. I feel weak, tired - although better this week than last week, so maybe a little bit of adaptation / getting used to it? I actually have energy for some spring cleaning this weekend instead of just couch-sitting... but no PR's happening in the gym!
Linear Mode
