10 Week's To June

stevemcknight

So yesterday I skipped p90x Shoulders and Arms and did JM30DS instead, didn't have as much time as I thought I would since my daughter needed help with a project for school. I'll jump in with Shoulders and Arms and ARX tonight instead of the Yoga though.

Stats for Tuesday:
Carbs 142g
Fat 75g
Protein 67g
Fiber 13g
Cals 1525 eaten out of 1634

I struggle with the food - I'm still pretty new to counting calories and stuff, so I don't really know what I'm doing or what my totals should look like. My goal is NOT to lose weight, just to get in shape, tone, and build muscle.

Can anyone maybe suggest a book that would help explain the nutrition aspect? Something that would explain why different things are important (carbs, fat, etc) and exactly how much you should have to achieve which goals.

There are just so many different ideas on nutrition. Here's the ones that I've read and believe in.

The Anabolic Diet - mostly for people who are close to their goal weight and recomping bodyfat percentage - I personally use this.

The New Atkins Diet Revolution - great for losing a bunch of weight.

The Zone Diet - it's really good and sound, but seemed to be quite difficult to keep all your numbers per meal working. A lot of planning on this one.

The Primal Blueprint - almost no counting on this - I also follow this combined with the Anabolic Diet

3 Hour Diet - good book a little simple for my taste, but explains things well.

The New Rules of Lifting for Women - has a nutrition aspect that is very "Zone" like. 33/33/33

Good Calories, Bad Calories - this is really wordy and scientific. I love it, but it's heavy and not an eating plan. More of a historical account of why the government recommends low-fat.

stevemcknight

To explain just a bit about the book selection that I put up - most of those are low carb solutions. I believe in them and have seen them work for both me and clients. I do believe that low fat versions can work, and the same for a balanced approach. Low fat didn't work for me however, I found that I couldn't control the high carbs from getting out of hand and turning into a binge.

I had been binging for years, but when I turned 30, it got really out of control. I was eating more than 10,000 calories in a sitting for days on end. The sugar and sweets were like a water faucet that I couldn't turn off. The second even whole wheat pasta/cereal/even fruit touches my lips, the sugar high hits and I can't control my B.E.D. My therapist finally helped me realize that what I was doing, just wasn't working. Together we tried a low carb solution.

It was like magic. After 3 attempts to make it through the first 14 day induction period, I finally made it without reverting and felt amazing. The carb cravings (I usually call them sugar cravings because that's what the carbs turn into) went away, almost totally. I put together clean streaks of 49 and 41 days with only a single day binge between them.

Even only a single day binge is a massive improvement, because my normal binges were always 3-4 days, which is common in male B.E.D. Now, I do a one day carb up, to prevent muscle loss while in ketosis (which does happen) since I'm still trying to build muscle here.

I'm not saying that low carb is for everyone - but it works for me and keeps me clean. The more I learn, tells me that low fat isn't the way to go - but we each have to find the system that works for us.

Read Read Read - keep learning and study. Make informed decisions and don't believe any crap about nutrition that people spout. Learn for yourself!

ski3r4life

Hey Steve,
Thanks for sharing your story with us. It's really informative and helpful, and congratulations on how far you've come! Best of luck everyone today!

I'm upping my protein (eventually I want to get to your suggested levels of 100+ grams per day) and I had a HUGE difference in my energy and fullness levels today. During these 10 weeks I'm going to put a lot more protein foods in my diet on a regular basis: nuts, meat, beans, eggs! I'm going to learn how to cook a few things, that way it will be easier to adapt to this lifestyle change for the long run.

I realize, I have to learn how to make food taste good for me, get nutrients AND eat within my calories. To do that, I NEED to learn how to cook a few decent things. One protein/fiber delicious recipe I will be cooking this recipe:

•Chopped up onion
•Lentils
•Bouillon for flavor

Traditionally, you can add in potatoes/rice with the above but I don't need those extra calories and the above option is so incredibly delicious as is!

SamiSamiBoBlammy

The Anabolic Diet - mostly for people who are close to their goal weight and recomping bodyfat percentage - I personally use this.

The Primal Blueprint - almost no counting on this - I also follow this combined with the Anabolic Diet

I think I'm going to look into these two further. I need something that is easy to understand and easy to implement. (and that doesn't take a ton of pre-planning.)
Thanks so much Steve!

godblessourhome

The Anabolic Diet - mostly for people who are close to their goal weight and recomping bodyfat percentage - I personally use this.

The Primal Blueprint - almost no counting on this - I also follow this combined with the Anabolic Diet

I think I'm going to look into these two further. I need something that is easy to understand and easy to implement. (and that doesn't take a ton of pre-planning.)
Thanks so much Steve!

me too! thanks for sharing your story steve!

godblessourhome

day one - it's wednesday so i'm fasting. it's going really well. i got in a two mile walk with my kiddos this morning and did 'ab ripper'. the hardest part is preparing supper for my family and watching them eat while i sit with them and sip water, which is coming up in about two hours. ah, the privilege of sacrifice. now i'm off to drop one child off at baseball practice and another child off at roller hockey practice. i might try to do a 10 minute yoga dvd tonight if i can work up the energy.

autumn13

Day Three...Perfect again...:)

mwhartley

Fitness Assessment completed:

I did my strength testing so I know my 1Max rep for:

Chest
Back
Leg

I did my Cardio testing so now I know my target heart range.

I also lost 8 more pounds and down to 27.5% body fat - look out June...I will be coming and looking good!!!!

JennLifts

Day 3 completed nicely! ...HRM said 360 for my strength. Not logging that much hah. I'm fairly new to heavy lifting, and doing it alone isn't easy. My trainer has me lift light, which I don't like. In addition.. my friends I lift with only do a few muscle groups while I'm there. Oh well. It's a learning process

Juniper3411

Still room to join? I didn't catch this thread until earlier today and then didn't have a chance to post because I have a 5 week old and a 5 year old to contend with!!!

My goals:

1. Log everyday
2. Stay at or around 1200 calories a day (I have been actually having a hard time getting to 1200 calories right now, but that is because I am doing phase 1 of South Beach)
3. Ice skate twice to three times a week (this is my exercise, it is both cardio and strength training becasue I do jumps and spins so it is pretty intensive)

I would like to lose 2 pounds a week for at least until June but we'll see how that goes. I would like to say that I will go to bed early and sleep more but I can't with my newborn! Just NOT going to happen

jaybaileys

So I was hungry today and I ate more. Im not worried I was soaked after the iron bell swinging for 45 minutes, Im sure I earned a few extra calories.

Steve or anyone else, have you "Skinny Birches" ? replace r with t or it will get censored I think. My wife is reading it and said it is pretty eyeopening. It may be a good read for all you birches out there! Lol.

k8bugz

Yowzers I'm sore! I did one, measly, strength training circuit yesterday and am feeling it in a mostly good way today. I've been focusing on cardio for the past few months, and now I'm trying to incorporate weights back in to my routine. I had planned on starting with two circuits, but I went for a quick run prior and I was pretty hungry during the run so my energy level wasn't awesome sauce.

Which brings me to a question (well more of a rant)....I've been a bit hungry each evening since starting on monday. I'm just not entirely clear what my strategy should be in regards to eating back calories. I guess I haven't been, since my net calories were under 1200 the past two days. I think I'll make sure I'm getting at least 1200 calories and see how I feel. You know, I may be a research scientist in my real life, but I really don't like being one of my own subjects. Really wish there was an app that would that just tell me my optimal nutritional profile

But on the other hand, maybe I just don't trust my own interpretations of my body's demands. Part of me thinks being hungry means I'm doing it right. Sick, right?

Tomorrow: treadmill run. Yuck, but the weather is crappy.

tattoodfreek

So I was hungry today and I ate more. Im not worried I was soaked after the iron bell swinging for 45 minutes, Im sure I earned a few extra calories.

Steve or anyone else, have you "Skinny Birches" ? replace r with t or it will get censored I think. My wife is reading it and said it is pretty eyeopening. It may be a good read for all you birches out there! Lol.

I read that one and to be honest was not terribly impressed. I certainly am not offended by "language," but her tendency to just swear for the point of swearing annoyed the crap out of me. My best friend read that book too, and was completely put off of eating any meat by it. She's more sensitive than I am, I guess. But it does make some valid points. Especially if you're an alarmist.

tattoodfreek

To explain just a bit about the book selection that I put up - most of those are low carb solutions. I believe in them and have seen them work for both me and clients. I do believe that low fat versions can work, and the same for a balanced approach. Low fat didn't work for me however, I found that I couldn't control the high carbs from getting out of hand and turning into a binge.

I had been binging for years, but when I turned 30, it got really out of control. I was eating more than 10,000 calories in a sitting for days on end. The sugar and sweets were like a water faucet that I couldn't turn off. The second even whole wheat pasta/cereal/even fruit touches my lips, the sugar high hits and I can't control my B.E.D. My therapist finally helped me realize that what I was doing, just wasn't working. Together we tried a low carb solution.

It was like magic. After 3 attempts to make it through the first 14 day induction period, I finally made it without reverting and felt amazing. The carb cravings (I usually call them sugar cravings because that's what the carbs turn into) went away, almost totally. I put together clean streaks of 49 and 41 days with only a single day binge between them.

Even only a single day binge is a massive improvement, because my normal binges were always 3-4 days, which is common in male B.E.D. Now, I do a one day carb up, to prevent muscle loss while in ketosis (which does happen) since I'm still trying to build muscle here.

I'm not saying that low carb is for everyone - but it works for me and keeps me clean. The more I learn, tells me that low fat isn't the way to go - but we each have to find the system that works for us.

Read Read Read - keep learning and study. Make informed decisions and don't believe any crap about nutrition that people spout. Learn for yourself!

Thanks for sharing your personal story, Steve. I actually had never heard that a 3-4 day binge is typically male. I don't believe I have BED, however, I have been known to go on a 3 or 4 day binge. I blame all of my bingeing on stress. Oh, and the fact that whoopie pies taste so damn good.

K1Teacher

Day 3 went very well - clean eating and did my C25K (started week 3)

Question for any runners out there...
My knees have started to ache a bit - is it ok to continue to run? While running the pain actually goes away, but when walking & doing normal activities they're a bit sore. I'd like to just push through it and hope it goes away...what do you think?

Great job everyone...you're so motivating!

tattoodfreek

So yesterday I skipped p90x Shoulders and Arms and did JM30DS instead, didn't have as much time as I thought I would since my daughter needed help with a project for school. I'll jump in with Shoulders and Arms and ARX tonight instead of the Yoga though.

Stats for Tuesday:
Carbs 142g
Fat 75g
Protein 67g
Fiber 13g
Cals 1525 eaten out of 1634

I struggle with the food - I'm still pretty new to counting calories and stuff, so I don't really know what I'm doing or what my totals should look like. My goal is NOT to lose weight, just to get in shape, tone, and build muscle.

Can anyone maybe suggest a book that would help explain the nutrition aspect? Something that would explain why different things are important (carbs, fat, etc) and exactly how much you should have to achieve which goals.

What you need for an immediate read is some Lyle McDonald. I love his thorough explanations, which are clearly science and research backed. I know he's not for everyone, some may find him too in depth and not in "easy read" terms. He has a ton of info on his website.

First, here are two parts of his nutrition articles which explain the fundamentals, what jobs carbs/protein/fat etc perform:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/a-primer-on-nutrition-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/a-primer-on-nutrition-part-2.html

Here's the articles that deal with figuring out what your caloric intake should be, as well as what your macronutrient profile should look like.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-2.html

I hope these help you

Jolene2012

Checking in....

Ate a little over 1400 calories.

Just finished my workout - 15 min on treadmill and Burn Circuit 1 (Chalean Extreme)

Keep up the good work everyone!

tattoodfreek

Today was a pretty good one nutritionally and exercise wise. I experimented with scaling back the fat somewhat, but added in some wheat based carbs at breakfast and lunch to see how they affected my energy. The verdict:

I think my hunger increased throughout the first 2/3rds of the day, but my energy level and mood was improved. Hmmm.

Protein: 134g
Fat: 52g
Carbs: 225g
Fiber: 50g
Water: 12
Calories: 1824 of 1904 available.

Workout was:

55 minutes of walking
41 minutes of P90X+ Upper Body Plus (love that one but man it murders me till the end)
20 minutes of P90x+ Core/abs

This was day 15 of no rest days. I need to take one soon. Maybe tomorrow.

cklbrown

okay I have to think about my plan but I'm in!

You are right. I will flounder without a plan. It is too easy to let life interfere and then be caught up in the daily grind and forget about what I need to do for me.

stevemcknight

Day 3 completed nicely! ...HRM said 360 for my strength. Not logging that much hah. I'm fairly new to heavy lifting, and doing it alone isn't easy. My trainer has me lift light, which I don't like. In addition.. my friends I lift with only do a few muscle groups while I'm there. Oh well. It's a learning process

It is a learning process right? The first time through a new plan (every 3 weeks new plans) I often mis-guess a lot, then nail it the second time! You're so right to lift heavy as possible, but it is hard without a spotter to help you start moves like shoulder press and protect you from death on bench press!

stevemcknight

So I was hungry today and I ate more. Im not worried I was soaked after the iron bell swinging for 45 minutes, Im sure I earned a few extra calories.

Steve or anyone else, have you "Skinny Birches" ? replace r with t or it will get censored I think. My wife is reading it and said it is pretty eyeopening. It may be a good read for all you birches out there! Lol.

My ex read it - but that was before I gave a crap about stuff - she loved it and would sit there laughing as she read it all night.

*edit*
also, it completely applied to her.

stevemcknight

Yowzers I'm sore! I did one, measly, strength training circuit yesterday and am feeling it in a mostly good way today. I've been focusing on cardio for the past few months, and now I'm trying to incorporate weights back in to my routine. I had planned on starting with two circuits, but I went for a quick run prior and I was pretty hungry during the run so my energy level wasn't awesome sauce.

Which brings me to a question (well more of a rant)....I've been a bit hungry each evening since starting on monday. I'm just not entirely clear what my strategy should be in regards to eating back calories. I guess I haven't been, since my net calories were under 1200 the past two days. I think I'll make sure I'm getting at least 1200 calories and see how I feel. You know, I may be a research scientist in my real life, but I really don't like being one of my own subjects. Really wish there was an app that would that just tell me my optimal nutritional profile

But on the other hand, maybe I just don't trust my own interpretations of my body's demands. Part of me thinks being hungry means I'm doing it right. Sick, right?

Tomorrow: treadmill run. Yuck, but the weather is crappy.

The short answer about exercise calories that I give to all my clients. Don't worry about them. Pick a number that works and forget this eating back crap. If you try 1400 a day, then eat that every day for a week, and see what happens. Be strict and be consistent with your calorie intake. If it doesn't move the way you want, adjust by 200 calories. Be consistent! At the end of the second week, if it doesn't move, adjust again. It's trial and error, but allows us to find our own personal number.

stevemcknight

Day 3 went very well - clean eating and did my C25K (started week 3)

Question for any runners out there...
My knees have started to ache a bit - is it ok to continue to run? While running the pain actually goes away, but when walking & doing normal activities they're a bit sore. I'd like to just push through it and hope it goes away...what do you think?

Great job everyone...you're so motivating!

Are you only running roads? Have you practiced running form with a treadmill and mirror? It sounds so funny, but all of us run, yet most have never actually practiced it. If your knees hurt, try trail or off-road running for a day and see? Or better - don't run and do a full body workout like www.BodyRock.tv That site is money!

stevemcknight

So yesterday I skipped p90x Shoulders and Arms and did JM30DS instead, didn't have as much time as I thought I would since my daughter needed help with a project for school. I'll jump in with Shoulders and Arms and ARX tonight instead of the Yoga though.

Stats for Tuesday:
Carbs 142g
Fat 75g
Protein 67g
Fiber 13g
Cals 1525 eaten out of 1634

I struggle with the food - I'm still pretty new to counting calories and stuff, so I don't really know what I'm doing or what my totals should look like. My goal is NOT to lose weight, just to get in shape, tone, and build muscle.

Can anyone maybe suggest a book that would help explain the nutrition aspect? Something that would explain why different things are important (carbs, fat, etc) and exactly how much you should have to achieve which goals.

What you need for an immediate read is some Lyle McDonald. I love his thorough explanations, which are clearly science and research backed. I know he's not for everyone, some may find him too in depth and not in "easy read" terms. He has a ton of info on his website.

First, here are two parts of his nutrition articles which explain the fundamentals, what jobs carbs/protein/fat etc perform:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/a-primer-on-nutrition-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/a-primer-on-nutrition-part-2.html

Here's the articles that deal with figuring out what your caloric intake should be, as well as what your macronutrient profile should look like.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-2.html

I hope these help you

YES YES YES!!!

Lyle McDonald is a huge advocate of the CKD (or Anabolic Diet) that I do. 5-6 days low carb, then carb up. I love his stuff. You're right though - it's thick!

GiGi76

Day 3 looked like this

0 calories burned today

My macros for today looked like this
5o%carbs (191grams)
28%fat (48grams)
23%protein (89grams)
Those carbs get me everytime!!!

Calorie intake for the day was 1536 of 1450calories!!!! Today was my rest day and i went over my 86 calories, but thats ok!!!

I got in 11 glasses of water today!!!

Update on my back.... It feels so much better after using the thermacare heat wraps and a few ibuprofen!!! See you all tomorrow!!!

0flynnstone0

So Day 1 for me.

Didn't go great. I went over by almost 500 cals. Wednesdays are super busy for me. Class in the morning, then work, then class again in the evening. Then my aunt came to visit, as she was passing thru on her way from TX to SD. So no time to work out.

She insists on taking me to a buffet brunch tomorrow. Even after I told her I'm on a diet, and that I would be happy to cook for her. Still a no. I know she's trying to be nice but it's frustrating because I really don't want to deal with the calories that eating out (at a buffet of all places) is going to entail. Plus I already have plans to go out for Mexican w/ my friends tomorrow night. And very little time to work out tomorrow either. (and an exam to study for...ugggh)

I'm just going to try to make my choices as healthy as possible tomorrow. And hopefully squeeze in some time to work out.
Sorry, this ended up being mostly a rant...I'm just stressed right now.

But you guys all sound like you're doing great!

stevemcknight

Enjoy the time with your family! Having said that - enjoy the time, but that doesn't mean the crappy food! You can eat incredibly healthy at a buffet if you want, just set your mind right. I'm sure they have some lean meat and veggies. That's plenty! Grab a plate of that stuff, then just chill and relax, and enjoy the company!

Mexican is a little harder - but a tip that people don't know about - you can order just about anything in any restaurant. I've ordered a grilled chicken salad at a mexican place before. They have grilled chicken, they have veggies - you just have to tell them exactly what you want on it!

It works anywhere

Remember, menus are just suggestions, not the only thing you can order! You can even just order plain eggs at McDonalds and Wendy's. You don't have to get the McCrappy breakfast sandwich.

Be creative!

Ab work done.

My day was really good. We did Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning at fit club this morning, then I did about 15 sets of stability abs work with my buddy. Tonight, I felt that I could have worked my core more, so I knocked out a really hard, weighted ab routine. I'll be feeling it tomorrow I hope, I went as heavy as I could still function and went to failure on most exercises.

Nutrition was super clean and hit my calories right on plan. Keep up the good work guys, 67 more days.

OhItsOn

I'm joining the party a little late... but as they say, "Better Late Than Never."

As I have over 100 lbs to lose to be at my ideal weight, I have a long road ahead of me. (A pound a week would put me at reaching my goal in : 108 weeks = 2.0698594 years.) That's too many weeks to think about. smile. I'm down for making a 10 week plan... especially as my birthday is in June.

My Goals/Plan of Action: I've been taking the baby step approach to healthier living & a new me. I've already given up soda completely; I'm already drinking more water (room for improvement); I'm already getting more calories/ eating more. (Most days I hit my calorie goal of 1200-1400 calories... I will raise this as I become more active; I've been eating 3-5x a day most of the time and eating foods that aren't processed and that I prepare 80% of the time. My stumbling block has been fitness/exercise. So THAT is what I am going to concentrate on for the next 9.5 weeks ... by then, working out should become a habit.

Week 1 :(already in progress) --- hoping to hit the 15 lb. lost mark, as I have a bet going with a co-worker, but I'll be happy with 12. * Want to get 10,000 steps in every day for the rest of this week.(Cont. on to the next weeks)

Week 2 - 3: Run/walk for 30 min. 2 days a week and Run/walk 2-3 miles one day that week (Sat.)

Week 4 - 5: Cont. with my Half marathon run/walk training schedule... increasing the miles on my (Sat.) long run, while upping my run time and lowering my walk time. Add in some strength training/ core work.

Week 6 - 7: Cont. with above goals and add in strength training 2 days a week.

That's as far as I've got... I'll re-evaluate when I get closer to May. smile. Eventually, though, I'd like to go for a walk every day; walk/run training 3 days a week; weights/strength training 3 days a week; core work 6 days a week.

By week 10--- I'd like to be doing some sort of physical activity for exercise 5-6 days a week consistently, with no more than one rest day. I'd like to start each day with a walk and finish each day with some light yoga/stretching.

*** I plan on celebrating my successes by having an awesome Birthday weekend enjoying the Lilac Festival on MacKinaw Island (my fave flower... that and cherry blossoms) and completing the 10K with no problems. ***

ski3r4life

Okay guys, I am checking in a little bit early today. So, yesterday I actually had some money to go shopping for good food! In the past, I have NEVER gotten enough protein or fiber. Since my former diet is such complete crap, I am starting with really simple goals of getting 45 grams of protein per day and 14 grams of fiber per day.

In fact, I'm not even hitting those numbers yet. Right now, I'm just trying to incorporate more protein items into my diet on a daily basis. Eggs, cashews, and lentils at the moment! I'm getting my fiber from fruits and vegetables.

Yesterday I ate two apples, scrambled eggs, two servings of cashews, and some museli cereal -- and all I can say is I can't remember the last time I had that much energy in one day! I felt full and satisfied. I loved the variety of my choices.

I am also going to start shopping often, every few days at the discount store. The store that is closest and most convenient is too far away. This weekend I am going out of town. I am bringing healthy options to cook for myself and I WILL NOT be making impulse purchases.

Everyone on here eats so well, you guys inspire me! I grew up on a really crappy diet: macaroni and cheese, pizza, ice cream. My parents were wonderful and they worked full time. I was always very active. I was a competitive swimmer and sometimes I worked out at much as 6 hours a day. Exercising is in my blood. So, I really have that going for me. Even when I binge or eat like crap, I still exercise. It calms me. It helps me feel centered.

I look at people's diaries on here. You people cook. You consume protein shakes. You figure out how to make food taste good, get enough nutrients, and not go over on calories. I am really envious.

I am starting from scratch. Over here in France, my students have this stereotype of how Americans eat. Like crap. Fast food everyday. Prepared foods. And well, I fit the stereotype! Or, at least... I used to.

My parents were so amazing and loving - but we were busy 24/7. There was no time to eat healthy. We left at 5:30 AM and got home at 10PM. My parents worked their *kitten* off to give me and my brother the lives that we enjoyed -- the extracurricular sports, the special academic programs, skiing, hiking, camping. You name it, my parents made it happen.

But we ate like crap. And now at the age of 21, I am going to change that, starting with incredibly small baby steps...

Anyways, today is off to a really good start! I had 3 bananas for breakfast, a shopping list for the weekend, I will have scrambled eggs for lunch... and I am going to get in a killer work-out on stairs tonight

MomisgettingFIT

Checking in....

Ate a 1463 calories yesterday - Goal is minimum 1600 calories daily
I did not workout at all but I am getting ready to go to the gym for 30 ME and 45 min stairmaster .
I will be taking pictures tomorrow )

Have a great day everyone