All right, I'm starting a training/food log! I'm hoping this will make me more accountable-- mostly for the food, but also for my workouts. As a former binge eater, I struggle with the food a lot more than the workouts. Please critique, offer advice, encouragement, whatever.
I'm not a newbie to weight loss, fitness, nutrition, cardio, and weightlifting, but up until late January I had never read a weightlifting book or followed a consistent program. I was one of those low-cal girls who went from 225# to 145# by eating almost nothing and running like hell. It couldn't last.
I gained some weight back and I'm at 161# now and trying to get lean and mean the right way.
My goal is to be hard enough to be able to wear the bikini my bf bought for me when I was 145.... a bikini I refused to wear because even though I was skinnier than I'd ever been in my entire adult life, I still jiggled everywhere and felt self-conscious.
My biggest problem is that I am often tempted to give up consistent programs like this because I get impatient or bored.
Right now I am doing NROL4W. I am on the last week of Phase 1. I am trying to eat at a 300 cal deficit, but that's been tough lately.
Off Days and cardio-only days are 1680 cal/day
Weight Workout Days are 1920/day.
I track food through FitDay, and usually put in everything I plan to eat except dinner/dessert in the morning and make adjustments later on in the day if need be. Here's my URL:
-AM 2 mile walk w. my dog
-AM 1 mile walk to work
-PM NROL4W Phase 1, Workout B, #14:
*Deadlift 3x8@ 50, 55, 60# + bar
*DB Shoulder Press 3x8 w. 25# DBs in each hand
*Widegrip Lat Pulldown 3x8@90#
*Lunge 1x8 w. 20# DBs in each hand, 2x8 w. 25# DBs in each hand
*Swiss ball crunch 3x15 w. 25# plate on chest
-PM .5 mile walk with my dog
Food was good today: 13% fat (31g), 45% carb (230g), 38% protein (189g), 1888 cal total.
Wednesday: Was going to do cardio in the morning, but had a backache and decided to skip the workout.
PM- 1 mile walk with my dog.
Thursday (today):
AM- 2 mile walk with my dog (my HRM said I burned 250 cals in about 38 minutes-- considering I did a 5 minute stretch/warm up beforehand, and I have to stop several times for poop scooping and tree marking, I think I'm still averaging a 4.0mph mile)
I got up around 3am yesterday and was starving so I ate one of my sugar free chocolate muffins. That's kind of thrown me off a little, and I overate yesterday, so I'm trying to shift my calories and eat less today so I maintain the 300 cal deficit over the course of the week.
I don't know why this 300 cal deficit is so hard. I know some of it is that I'm making poor choices (I didn't really need to pop that tasty little 60 cal chocolate truffle), but I've been really hungry lately-- I'm hungry now and I only had breakfast 2 hours ago.
Gym tonight-- my last A workout for NROL4W Phase 1!
Thursday:
AM: 2 mile dog walk
PM: NROL4W Stage 1, Workout B, Session 15:
Squat: 3x8@ Bar + 30#
Push-Up: 3x8@ 30 degree angle -- I still have a really hard time even doing one push up on the floor if I want to do them *right*. I can do many of them them poorly (meaning my chest doesn't go all the way down to the ground), but only one *right*
Seated Row: 3x8@100#
Step-Up: I started doing these by squating down on one leg until my back leg touches floor to make sure I don't cheat-- it's much harder this way, but I can't hold as much weight. Result: 2x8 w. 10# DBs in each hand, 1x8 just with my BW; 5 risers.
Prone Jackknife: Again, since I corrected my form and started doing these *right*, they are harder. 3x15@BW.
PM- .5 mile dog walk
Friday:
-AM HIIT:
1 min@4.0mph
30 sec.@7.0mph
1min@4.0mph
30 sec@8.0mph
1min@4.0mph
30 sec@9.0mph (fastest I've ever gone!)
Repeat until we get to 20 minutes
then
10 minutes of Elliptical at the "Random" setting.
-1 mile walk to work
-1 mile walk home from work
-1 mile dog walk
I overate on Friday, but it was because I was up late and waiting for friends to arrive for dinner. I normally eat dinner around 7 or 8, but instead was eating around 10. I normally go to bed around 11 or midnight, but instead was getting to bed around 3a. Dog woke me up this morning. I'm starving right now, but know that it's just because I'm tired and not because I'm actually hungry.
no workout on saturday-- i was just too pooped from my late night adventures on friday night/saturday morning.
also, it was beautiful out here so i decided to take my dog for a hike at the local park.
SATURDAY:
-AM: 1 mile dog walk
Mid-Day:
-2.25 mile dog hike
-PM: 1 mile dog walk
Foods: not so good, 2129, instead of 1680. that's 150 cals over maintenance. :-(
72.5 fat, 224.7 carb, 172.1 protein
i undid half a day's worth of eating/work/counting yesterday.
i have such a hard time controlling my eating lately. it seems really really stupid to me that i just can't do it. i used to eat 1400 calories a day! every day! no matter how hard i exercised! i'm so disappointed in myself right now.
I made it to the gym today for my last official B workout of Phase I
SUNDAY
Mid-Day: NROL4W Phase 1, "B", Workout 16:
*Deadlift 3x8@ 60# + bar
*DB Shoulder Press 3x8 w. 25# DBs in each hand (going higher above my head so weights touch)
*Widegrip Lat Pulldown 3x8@90# (bar going all the way down below my chin, not just under my nose)
*Lunge 2x8 w. 25# DBs in each hand
*Swiss ball crunch 3x15 w. 35# plate on chest
No workout yesterday at all-- not even dog walking. I was so busy at work! Things have eased up today, but I still have to work late tonight, which means no gym again. I will have to do my AMRAP exercises on Weds/Fri.
I am considering not taking a week off and going straight into stage 2. Taking a week off from exercising is really hard for me.
i finished Stage 1 on Sunday, and today i weighed in (do it once a week) and then went to do my "A" AMRAP Bonus workout and.... it sucked. Really. Hardcore. It was terrible. i felt very weak, and like i was not even worthy of my PWO shake and plum.
i did:
-14 squats
-8 30 degree push ups (i'm not so bummed about this because i realized i was doing them wrong and corrected my form.. making them much harder)
-20 seated rows
-30 step ups
-20 jackknifes
i brought my weights back down to my starting points-- no weights, just the squat bar, 70# for the rows and 12# dumbbells on a 2 step incline for the step ups, but really, i felt like i should have been able to do a ton more of these.
So I went back to the book to see why I might have felt this way, and I started looking at "The First Cut" section on 68, and I'm trying really assess my progress, figure out if I've been eating right and lifting right so that I can go into Stage 2 feeling more confident, because I felt so crappy leaving the gym this morning that at this point I don't even want to do my "B" AMRAP workout on Friday.
So here's my answers to questions. Do I need to make some adjustments or just trust in the process longer? If I should make adjustments, what do you think I should do? I don't want to screw with
I have been trying to do the program on a 300 cal deficit. I have not always made it, but I have consistently kept my calories low enough that according to the numbers set forth by the book, I should have seen some negative change in scale weight.
I started at 5'4", 160#, 27yo. On non-workout days, I should maintain at 1975, and on workout days, I would maintain at 2239. I have been attempting to eat 1675 on non-workout days, and 1939 on workout days.
My average calorie intake while on Stage 1 has been 1857/day, 23% fat, 42% carb, 33% protein (thank you FitDay)... consistenly below my maintenance levels of 1975-2239.
Barring two weeks when I could only do two workouts, I usually do my NROL4W workouts three times per week. I've been doing cardio in between (HIIT), and taking some nice long walks with my dog and walking to work--- but my heart rate monitor says that I only get to my "burn zone" for 2-4 minutes at most when walking with the pup or walking to work.
1. Did you gain weight, lose weight, or stay the same?
I have gained a little bit of weight since I began the program in January, and now weigh in pretty consistently between 161.2-161.6.
2. Do your clothes feel loose, or are they tighter?
They are tighter in the butt and arms.
3. Do you see any differences when you look in the mirror?
My butt sticks out and is firmer. My biceps and forearms are bigger and feel harder, but still look puffy.
4. How do you feel? Energized, or tired?
I bounce between these extremes a lot. After a workout I am usually energized, but it has been hard as hell to pull my ass out of bed in the mornings. The past two weeks I even switched to working out in the afternoon and jazzing myself up with a caffienated diet soda to get through things.
5. How are your workouts going? Are you getting stronger from one workout to the next?
Generally, yes. It is a slow process, but I do feel like I'm getting stronger. The long rests between sets really helps me. I used to go from one set to another with maybe 10 or 15 seconds in between.
6. How are you sleeping at night? Are you so tired you're falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow? Do you feel anxious or jittery? Or has nothing changed?
I have not been sleeping terribly well. I have gotten up in the middle of the night several times and been ravenously hungry. This is what is partially responsible for me eating more than I should. Once I'm up, I'm up, and it's very hard for me to fall back asleep. I usually end up reading for an hour or so and going back to bed.
7. Has your menstrual cycle changed?
Yes, and that was something I was completely not expecting because I am on birth control to force my menstrual cycle to happen-- but this past month I did not get my period. I freaked and made an appointment with my OBGYN who assured me that I wasn't pregnant, didn't have a thyroid problem (she checked both), but that sometimes people who are on the brand of pill I'm on don't get their period.
Lou talks in the book about what these things mean ("longer or unpredictable cycles are a sign of undereating", "weight gain is a sign you're eating more calories than you need to maintain"), but when I put everything together, I'm very confused about how to adjust to meet my goals.
Ideas? Suggestions? I feel like I need to make some kind of adjustment going into stage 2, but what?
i wore my polar heart rate monitor, but forgot to start recording. :-(
nevertheless, the machine at the gym did pick it up and my heart rate was consistently in the 140s-170s. however, my knee really hurt when i got off, so i think 55 may be too much for me.
no gym today, but i'm walking to work and probably walking the dog this evening and for "last call" since hubby took him for the long walk this morning
Friday (anticipated): 1 mile walk to work, 1 mile dog walk.
overate on friday. will probably overeat today, unless i can somehow manage to eat only 180 calories between now and bedtime. unlikely. why is this so hard for me to manage?? the only thing i can point to is all the protein. i'm so concerned about stuffing myself full of protein. i know it's good for me, and i can see the effects from eating right, but it's hard to have so much of my diet consist of protein.
yesterday i didn't have any vegetables. at all. thinking back on the past few days, that's pretty typical. i'm barely eating any vegetables at all. it's all protein all the time. i know i'm complaining a lot. just having a bad day, i think.
anyway, today:
-1.75 mile dog walk
-1 mile walk to library
-anticipate another .5 mile dog walk tonight.
This was SO HARD. OMG. MY ARMS STILL FEEL LIKE JELLY.
2a # 1:
*Front Squat/Push Press: 1x10 w. 31# bar; 1x10 w. 45# bar
*Step-Up: 2x10@ 3 steps w. 2 20# DBs
*DB One-Point Row: 2x10 w. 2 20# DBs
*Static Lunge, rear foot elevated on weight bench: 2x10 @ BW only
*Push up: 2x9 @ 30 degree angle, BW only
*Plank: 4x30 seconds
*Cable Horizontal Wood Chop (only on the ball w. a medicine ball): 2x10 w. 12# medicine ball
Three steps isn't very high of a step. In order to get the full ROM intended for the step-ups you might want to consider dropping the weight and using a higher step (like a weight bench). Really get those glutes, which doesn't happen on such a low step.
thanks missjane. i'll give that a whirl for my thursday workout-- i've never used a weight bench, just the step boxes with risers. i realized during stage 1 that i was cheating with my back leg and i've been doing them completely stationary (one leg for ten reps, then the other for ten reps) with the back leg sort of hanging down, and i've been experimenting with the best way for me to do them and get the full effect without killing my knees.
w00t. kept to my calorie guidelines yesterday. go me!
today, cardio at the gym!
AM:
-pt leg exercises
-elliptical 30 minutes "hill" setting level 11 (of 24) - 1 minute low, 1 minute progressively higher intensity. HRM read 20 some minutes "in zone", and 275 cals burned.
btw, i wore the heart rate monitor yesterday and it said 365 cals burned, but less time "in zone" for my weight workout.
my sides hurt! i didn't expect that from using only a 12# medicine ball while balancing on a yoga ball. i can only imagine what i would have done to myself if my gym had the horizontal cable for the wood chop. i'd have put that sucker up to 30 or 40 pounds for the first few.
Over cal limits yesterday. However, if I factor in the cals burned during cardio, I am right on track.
Today, AM:
-2 mile dog walk
-1 mile walk to work.
I have a doctor's appointment late this afternoon, and then I will go to the gym for workout B. I feel a little intimidated by the thought of doing intervals after doing a full body workout, but I don't want to get in the bad habit of doing intervals on another day and then forgetting or getting busy and not doing them.
My sides still hurt a little, but the DOMS in my arms/shoulders are almost gone, so I think I should be fine to work out tonight.
my doctor's appointment ran *verrrry* late, so gym did not happen yesterday.
i weighed in this morning at 160.6, 33% bf (according to tanita). i decided i'm going to do pictures and post them, then see what the difference is when i'm done with each stage. it's kind of off now because i missed doing this at stage 1, but we'll see.
You are doing great. I just finished stage 7 in NROLFW in early March. It near about killed me. And I wasn't doing interval training or running a deficit. When I finally finished and took a week off, I dragged around like a wet noodle.
thanks for the encouragement, clubchub. were you able to do a pull up by the end of the program? that's one of my big goals. what program are you doing now?
OMG, workout yesterday was *hard*. i have no idea how i'm expected to do 15 minutes of interval training after that!! i am going to have to do it tomorrow morning-- there was no way i could get on a treadmill last night. i was pooped!
i have a feeling i'm doing several exercises wrong, which may contribute to the pooped feeling. today my lower back and thighs have DOMS. i expected the DOMS in my thighs, but the DOMS in my lower back make me think i did something wrong.
Workout B #1 (Weds):
-pt leg exercises
-stretch
-Wide-grip deadlift from box (from step, actually) 2x10@61#
*I felt like my back was curving to go all the way down. I don't get this exercise.
-Bulgarian split squat 2x10@31# (bar only)
-Underhand grip lat pulldown 1x10@90#, 1x10@95#
*lat pulldowns were awesome! i had such good form! i expected to struggle like i did with the overhand grip. it makes me feel like pull ups may be a reality for me!!
-Reverse lunge from box (step w. 4 risers) w. forward reach: 2x10w 12# DBs in each hand
*i felt like I should have felt this more in my legs. instead, i felt it in my arms/back. it was really hard!!
-DB pronte cuban snatch 2x10 w. 12# DBs in each hand
*i had terrible form on this exercise. i think i need to drop the weights.
-lateral flexion 2x10@BW
*ok, i really need to search the forums and find out if i'm doing these wrong. i did all 4 exercises, and i have a feeling i'm not supposed to do all 4. and i can't keep myself balanced on the ball. i was flipping around like a fish.
thanks for the encouragement, clubchub. were you able to do a pull up by the end of the program? that's one of my big goals. what program are you doing now?
I skipped stage 6 because it focused on strength and I wanted to focus on fat loss by that point. After I finished I planned on going back to 6, but I still need fat loss, so now I'm doing NROL. I started with Fat Loss II and I am running a deficit. I am hungry!!!! I didn't run a deficit at any time during NROLFW. It shows
*step-up: 2x10 on bench + 2 8# DBs
i was partially cheating for these, but going up higher meant that at some point i lost momentum from the back leg and had to use my primary leg to lift myself up, so maybe i'm doing better than before?
*DB 1 point row: 1x10 w. 2 20# Dbs, 1x10 w. 2 25# Dbs
i'd never used 25# Dbs for anything before. also, this is my favorite exercise from workout a-- it reminds me of PT balancing exercise i had to do. i wish my gym had a balance ball so i could make this harder
*static lunge, rear foot up: 1x10 BW only; 1x10 w. 2 8# Dbs
did these correctly I think-- only used 3 risers and a step, and pushed against the step with the ball of my back foot, instead of resting my toes on it.
*push ups: 30 degree angle 2x10
*plank: 1x40sec; 1x20 sec; 1x30 sec; 1x25 sec; 1x5 sec
i wore myself out on that first hold going to 40 seconds and then had to back off on my second set
*wood chop (on ball since my gym doesn't have a cable at waist-height): 1x10@12#; 1x10@25#
my sides didn't hurt so horribly after this, so i think i can start increasing the weight. i know i could do heavier than 25.
was wiped after Friday's workout and didn't do the make up cardio.
Saturday:
-went to family party and way overate :-(
-dog walk .5 mile
Sunday:
-PM dog walk: 1 mile
-overate again, but not as terribly. i find that after i really overeat one day the next day my body seems to expect that it's going to get that much food again. it's frustrating, because I'm running such a small deficit, i know these little failures are adding up against me.
Monday:
-AM cardio: 15 min HIIT (finally making up the HIIT i failed to do on Weds) on treadmill: 2 min @ 3.0mph; 1 min @ 7.5mph; 2 min @ 3.0 mph; 1 min @ 8mph; 2 min @ 4.0 mph; 1 min @ 8.5mph; 2 min @ 3.0mph; 1 min@ 9mph; 2 min @ 3.0mph; 1 min @ 7.5mph
then 5 min on elliptical cross trainer, random mode, lvl 11.
had to back down to 7.5 after my 9mph sprint. i started too high (7.5mph) and should have started at 7mph instead. this also wiped me out for my after-HIIT cardio (I meant to do 15 minutes, but only did 5).
hopefully i can stick to my calorie limits.
also, i am planning to experiment with creatine. i bought more whey protein powder and got some creatine monohydrate to mix in with my shakes. i know it will make me hold water, but i'm hoping it's also able to help me lift harder.
did very well on calories yesterday. just ok today-- over by about 50 cals.
Today, Tuesday:
-AM: 2 mile dog walk
AM: 1 mile walk to work.
no gym this evening-- had to take the pupster to the vet for a checkup. am going to try to do my B workout tomorrow morning before work, so I'll be on a Wed/Fri/Sun schedule this week for lifting.
Today, Wed:
AM: Stage 2 Workout B:
-Wide Grip DL from Box: single step; 85# total (41# bar + 40#) 2x10
*better form on this. think i got it now.
-Bulgarian Split Squat: 2x10@45# bar
*better form. understand the difference between this and raised leg lunge
-Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown: 1x10@100#; 1x10@105#
*still had good form on these-- this gives me such hope for doing pull ups! 55# to go!
-Rev lunge from box, reach: did these from a bench instead: 2x10 w. 12# DBs
*these were much harder from the bench. felt it a lot in my quads, whereas last time i felt it in my back
-DB prone cuban snatch: 1x10 w. 5# weights; 1x10 w. 8# weights
*last time I had really bad form doing these. the 5#s were too light, the 8#s were more of a challenge. man, i felt wussy using those little girly weights.
-Swiss Ball Crunch: 2x10 w. 35# weights
*after I get to the point where I'm lifting the 45# plates I'm not sure what I can do to make these harder. 45# is as heavy as my gym goes for a single plate
-Reverse Crunch: 1x10@12#; 1x10@20#
*again, i don't know how to make these harder. the heaviest weight my gym has that i can keep between my knees is 20#
-Lateral Flexion: 2x10
*did the 4th position with my feet against the wall-- thanks for that tip, missjane, it worked v. well.
-Prone Cobra: 2x30; 1x60
*how can i keep myself up like this without holding my breath? difficult. i think i'm doing something wrong.
no cardio afterwards... i'll have to keep doing that on off-lifting days. it's too exhausting.
been doing ok on the food lately. however, have not done my B workout cardio yet.
Thursday:
-2 mile dog walk
-1 mile walk to work
Friday:
-AM Stage 2 Workout A:
-Front Squat/PushPress: 1x10@ oly bar + 10#; 1x7@ oly bar + 15#; 1x3@oly bar + 15#
*doing the 15# i really started to feel like i had to throw the bar up to lift it. I did 7 reps, then rested and did 3 more.
-Step-up: 1x10@ bench + 2 10# DBs; 1x10 @ bench + 2 12# Dbs
*even if i cheat a little, the step is so high that i am still working my quads to lift myself. thus, i am not as worried about cheating. i am still focusing on shifting my weight from one leg to another, but the higher step was definitely the way to go
-DB 1 point row: 1x10 w. 2 25# Dbs; 1x10 w. 2 30# Dbs
*had trouble keeping balance on the 30#s, but i was using my weaker leg (the one with the bad knee) for the last set
-Static lunge, rear foot up: 1x10 on single step w. 10# Dbs; 1x10 on single step w. 12# Dbs
*can probably go up to 15# Dbs or mayber 20s. these seemed easier
-push up: 2x10 @ 30 deg. angle
*the first set was not as strenuous as the second. i still can't do one from the floor, though. :-(
-plank: 1x30 sec; 1x20 sec; 1x10 sec; 1x30 sec; 1x20 sec; 1x10 sec
*this was really really really hard. i was sweating a lot by this point and think i had worn myself out.
-cable wood chop: on ball instead: 1x10 w. 25# weight; 1x10 w. 35# weight
*the 35# is hard to lift side to side. don't know how well i did these.
i've been good about the food.
bf bought me orange flavored peeps today. as candy goes, they're not so bad: 110 calories for four.
argh, insomnia! every time i get up in the night i'm &#**$ing hungry and it screws me up for the next day!!!!!
Exercise today:
-1.5 mile dog walk
-20 min elliptical interval cardio. lvl 5, 240 cals burned. intervals of 15-45 (resistance).
stupid food. stupid eating. i'm so frustrated that i can't rein this in. i enjoy the strength, but i want to be getting smaller! i need to drop my calories below the 300 less mark-- some days i'm having trouble staying at 300 calories less!
Sunday 4/5:
-was really hungry all day. came in at just under 1700 cals. *sigh*
-1 mile dog walk
Monday 4/6:
-i had a huge event going on at work that i'd been planning for for months. my eating was all off, but i knew it was going to be and tried to be proactive about it-- almost ate enough protein, and at my celebratory "it's over!!!" dinner i made sure to get a meat-y entree (shrimp saag) and limit myself to one glass of wine. -2400 cals
-only a .5 mile dog walk (nothing more was happening), but I was moving a lot throughout the day-- hauling around tables, computers, projectors, tablecloths, balloons, running up an down the stairs like a maniac. i was sweating for most of the afternoon from a combination of nerves and exertion.
Tuesday 4/7:
-2.5 mile dog walk
-calories were good-- 1620some.
-still exhausted, so no NROL4W workout.
Weds (TODAY):
-AM NROL4W "B" workout session 6:
Wide Grip Deadlift From Step:
2x8 oly bar + 50#; 1x4 oly bar + 50#
Bulgarian Split Squat:
-1x4 oly bar + 10#; 1x6 oly bar only; 1x10 oly bar only
Underhand grip lat pulldown:
-1x8@110#; 1x10@105#
Reverse Lunge from Bench, Forward Reach:
1x10 w. 12# Dbs; 1x10 w. 15# Dbs
DB Prone Cuban Snatch:
1x10 w. 10# weights; 1x10 w. 12# weights
Swiss Ball Crunch:
1x10 w. 35# plate; 1x10 w. overhead reach
Reverse Crunch:
2x10 w. 20# weight
Lateral Flexion:
2x10 4th position
Prone Cobra:
2x90 secs.
*i was doing these wrong, trying to hold my breath, push my stomach out and keep my breasts off the floor, which is why i made such a huge jump this week.
in general, today's workout sucked. i felt very weak and had to stop a number of times. it was very herky-jerky. i had planned to just go in and do my interval training after, but just felt like crap. it was not happening. the most frustrating thing was my lack of power for my split squats and my underhand pulldowns-- those are two exercises that were my "easy" ones-- ones I had to work hard at, but not struggle with form on.
Patience, Skywalker!
Linear Mode
