Daily Chat Thread
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Beeps, I like the idea of a jeans challenge! Looks like many women aren't in for that though. Let's see...
I'm all about making small goals that help me reach my BIG goals. So start thinking about your BIG goals and pick something that will help you reach that, ladies....maybe it's to do 10 chin-ups, DL 1.5 times your body weight, to lose an inch from your waist, or to fit into sz 4 jeans...all of these are goals of mine. To reach them I have to 1) continue to lift on a 3X week basis 2) keep macros in check 3) keep cals in check but NOT too low. So my challenge will be to keep protein above 30% and cals below 13650 on a weekly basis and lift 3X weekly.
So pick a weekly goal that will get you to your ultimate goal. Scoring will be a numbers system: I get a 3 for meeting all three goals, 2 for meeting two of my goals, 1 for meeting one of them. If you only have 1 or 2 weekly goals, we can base the score on how close you are to meeting them.
3= goal met
2= almost met (or maintained)
1= did not come close
WE WILL START THIS CHALLENGE MARCH 31! Let's do 8 weeks, so it will end May 26. We will check-in every Monday!0 -
Beeps...thank you (for this thread) :happy:
Every year I participate in the Bataan Memorial Death March: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March
The previous night is carb-loading night, and this year I did the 16 miles (the 26 miles can wait for now...whew)...this is grueling, and the driving wind and the sand pits, the freezing morning cold followed by harsh sun when it warms up..whew! But I do it because it is for a very worthy cause...the Phillipino and American PoW's in '42, as they were being frog-marched into Japan, had no choice. Many died on the way from lack of food, disease, being killed for being too weak etc...and the most fulfilling time is at the finish line, one gets to shake the hands of the few handful of survivors - they may look old and feeble, but they struggle to stand up and salute you...I always thank them for their sacrifice but was tearful today when, upon shaking one veteran's hand, he said to me, "Thank you for coming." Thank me? I do not deserve that. I should be the one thanking him!
And so I honour all of them...I suck it up and undertake the challenge...So, almost 5 hours later, I am done..but everything hurts...even my eyebrows and tongue, me thinks! Lol! I do not know if I will be able to lift come the morrow....
>>Stepping off the soap box now0 -
Bepee, wow....just wow! I love it! What an inspiration you are!0
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My son is in honors orchestra yay! I lost almost three pound of the 5 pound of winter weight I gained, YAY! And I got back into my size six's, YAY. As far as a jeans challenge, well mission accomplished what else you got because of my hip bones I physically CANNOT go any lower.
I'm with cowgirl, there is no "good" vs. "Bad" food, there is just food. (well maybe over processed foods that are really all chemicals are bad lol") However, because of variances in metabolism and medical history, some people have to avoid more of somethings. Some may think complex carbs are bad. They are my life line. I can't do simple sugar. High doses of fruit would be bad for me. People who are diabetic have to avoid almost all carbs and sugar. Someone with ciliac it's wheat based products. Extreme athletes like my husband NEED massive doses of carbs. As Beeps said, it's finding the balance that works for you.
How exciting for your son! You must be a proud mom!
You make a good point about carbs. I've been reading about the variations in nutrition needs for the differing activity levels. It really does depend on what you're doing and what your fitness goals are.0 -
BBCowgirl - I don't label food "good" or "bad" for anybody else....and, I am all about "everything in moderation". BUT, when I am seriously trying to create an ongoing and consistent calorie-deficit, it is easier, FOR ME, if I AVOID some foods. I also realize that, FOR ME, it isn;t "avoiding them forever", it is simply a way to avoid binge-triggers I have, or bloat-triggers I have. I do really enjoy carbs....however, when I am trying to shed bodyfat, sticking to protein and veggies is a MUCH better recipe for success, FOR ME, alone.
Oh, I completely get it, Beeps. Just thought it was funny how the terminology was being thrown around. I'm the same way- I do MUCH better sticking to veggies, protein, and healthy fats. Things like cereal, bread, sweets are hard for me to moderate. I look at foods as "in moderation" foods or "eat all I want" foods (leans meats, veggies, egg whites, protein). The problem is keeping the balance!0 -
BeepeJaye: Awesome you did that. Have you read Unbroken by L. Hillenbrand? So enjoyed that book and it alludes to the marches and POWs in the pacific theater during the war. Its an engrossing read.
So I'm catching up with ya'll, my feel good Friday included getting my hair done, I look ten years younger :glasses: . I then ate my packed lunch in the car on the way to work out. Single leg DL with 50#, dropped 10# on my chin ups assisted. Mini Costco run then a nap on couch. By the end of the day I figured out I pulled my S-L joint out place which is super painful. Its a an old injury that acts up occassionally. Today I found a great site with some release techniques that gave me some relief but I see a chiropractor visit in my near future.
I think jeans I'm wearing now are looser recently. I am still up for a jean challenge. I'm in a current challenge to loose a mere 2 pounds by the end of March. For future challenges I of course want to loose my final few pounds and then I mostly am thinking about performance based challenges.
Right now I am reading Starting Strength, the most recent edition by M. Rippetoe. It goes into very minute detail of the five compound exercises: Squat, Press, deadlift, bench press and power clean. Well all I can say is so far it's great because I'm learning about what I didn't know about what I don't know. I am even more convinced I need to spend a little time with a really good trainer. Now I just have find one. Ideally I'd like a female trainer close to my age or a little older.0 -
Pmag: I have no experience with on purpose bulking. Currently I decided to take a food diary break and I am just following portions/food groups based on the mediterranean diet at about 1600 calories a day. A zumba instructor I like did it recently and got good results. She did start out very lean and muscular and bulked to gain muscle. She has a following on face book and teaches on the east side somewhere. Neylana fitness on facebook. She gives tips and shares what see does for diet etc. Lots of meat from what I noticed.0
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Cowgirl, Rocky - thank you!
Rocky - No, I have not read that book. I may just look for it. I have read "Beyond Courage by Dorothy Cave. She concentrates on the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery soldiers, based in NM (the largest of who was sent over to the Phillippines).
After 9 hours of sleep, I do not feel very sore. But it is very early in the morning, I will see how I feel as the day progresses. I may just go lifting today!
Lift on ladies!!0 -
The unfortunate part is that there's a body of research that indicates women who start a bulk at more than 22% BF are much more likely to gain fat instead of muscles (http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/initial-body-fat-and-body-composition-changes.html). So many women have to cut to a point that they feel really "skinny"(because most of us don't have the best muscle base to start with), before they can even start bulking. So you get skinny, then start eating more and gaining weight....most women want to stop because they feel bloated and fat and they hate seeing the scale go up.....then you start eating at a deficit again to reveal your gains....it's a huge mental roller coaster.
Jo, so your goal isn't to gain weight, but strength?
Hey, yes, any kind of gaining is a huge mental roller coaster! I do believe that I am under 20% body fat and I could do with gaining some. Even then, I don't like the thought of it. However, I do want to be stronger and yes, that is my goal. The folk of ETP are advising me to eat more in order to do so..... and I do better when I have instruction to follow rather than make it up myself. I know that if I gain and I'm not happy, I can lose again. I also know that if I gain yet remain happy with how my body looks, I won't really mind. I feel that I am a bit too skinny right now and need to bulk out - my aim is to do this with lean mass, which isn't easy.
Beepeejaye - awesome effort, you rock!
Another day, another baby for me..... another missed workout :-/0 -
Someone was asking about the calories in the book. Yes they are high. They are high pretty much on purpose. To build muscle you HAVE to eat at a surplus. If you are eating at maintenance or below you are burning the fat covering the muscle you already have, which is why I plateaued. If I truly want to build more muscle, and lift far heavier, I will need to eat at a surplus. Most women can't handle the scale going in the other direction. I eat at maintenance. I only complain about the five pounds I gained over winter because it was fat. I wasn't working out like I should. Now had it been five pounds of muscle and all my clothes still fit, I would be bragging and not complaining. "SHowing definition" or muscle is all about body fat percentage. I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office this week. My weight had not changed from one year ago at all, but I'm a size 6 instead of a size 10. Now comes the argument of "but I"m stronger" yes the fibers you have are indeed stronger, but that does not mean you developed additional fiber. YOu the break and rebuild the fibers every workout making them stronger, but you aren't adding new fibers to the mix. I've maxed out on weight I can lift at about body weight. TO go heavier I need more muscle. However, eating a surplus is tricky because it has to be the right food as to avoid rebuilding body fat. That's the tricky part sigh, not sure I can pull that off without becoming a complete carnivore though I have a vegan friend how is now lifiting competitively. time to pick his brain I think.
Thank you so much for this! When I was reading the book upping my calories intuitively made sense even before I read his reasons for it (plus I just wanted a good reason to eat more food). At this point I am just trying to burn the fat covering the muscle I have while taking small steps towards building those muscles. I would love to join the challenge Beeps is doing and I have my three goals in mind already. The BIG goal is to be able to wear a bikini this summer without being self conscious or embarassed. I'll get there by lifting and eating correctly so my three smaller goals will be to: 1) meet my macros daily 2) actually do three workouts a week 3)stay positive during this journey. Honestly staying positive will probably be the hardest one. I'll be starting the work outs today and I'm so excited! Stage 1 here I come!0 -
Beeps, I like the idea of a jeans challenge! Looks like many women aren't in for that though. Let's see...
I'm all about making small goals that help me reach my BIG goals. So start thinking about your BIG goals and pick something that will help you reach that, ladies....maybe it's to do 10 chin-ups, DL 1.5 times your body weight, to lose an inch from your waist, or to fit into sz 4 jeans...all of these are goals of mine. To reach them I have to 1) continue to lift on a 3X week basis 2) keep macros in check 3) keep cals in check but NOT too low. So my challenge will be to keep protein above 30% and cals below 13650 on a weekly basis and lift 3X weekly.
So pick a weekly goal that will get you to your ultimate goal. Scoring will be a numbers system: I get a 3 for meeting all three goals, 2 for meeting two of my goals, 1 for meeting one of them. If you only have 1 or 2 weekly goals, we can base the score on how close you are to meeting them.
3= goal met
2= almost met (or maintained)
1= did not come close
WE WILL START THIS CHALLENGE MARCH 31! Let's do 8 weeks, so it will end May 26. We will check-in every Monday!
Perfect!0 -
Good morning and happy Monday! Wow, it feels like I've been away for ages. Me and my husband's week long vacation took an ugly turn there at the end and I haven't been able to get back to normal in RL, let alone be able to check in here. I missed ya'lls smiling...profile pics? lol and inspiring updates. So glad to be back.
On the other hand, I haven't worked out in over 2 weeks but it seems like eons. I'm not sure if I should pick up where I left off or start the stage over? I'm not sweating it though. I'm honestly just happy to be back home, safe, and ready to get back to normal.0 -
Just pick up where you left off, WillLift4Tats....no need to overthink NROL4W!
I got my lifting in-and-done, today! That's a WIN!0 -
Beeps, I like the idea of a jeans challenge! Looks like many women aren't in for that though. Let's see...
I'm all about making small goals that help me reach my BIG goals. So start thinking about your BIG goals and pick something that will help you reach that, ladies....maybe it's to do 10 chin-ups, DL 1.5 times your body weight, to lose an inch from your waist, or to fit into sz 4 jeans...all of these are goals of mine. To reach them I have to 1) continue to lift on a 3X week basis 2) keep macros in check 3) keep cals in check but NOT too low. So my challenge will be to keep protein above 30% and cals below 13650 on a weekly basis and lift 3X weekly.
So pick a weekly goal that will get you to your ultimate goal. Scoring will be a numbers system: I get a 3 for meeting all three goals, 2 for meeting two of my goals, 1 for meeting one of them. If you only have 1 or 2 weekly goals, we can base the score on how close you are to meeting them.
3= goal met
2= almost met (or maintained)
1= did not come close
WE WILL START THIS CHALLENGE MARCH 31! Let's do 8 weeks, so it will end May 26. We will check-in every Monday!
Oh yea!! I need a challenge to get me back on track! I am eating really crappy - and I agree, no good/bad food within macros/reason I just am eating too much of everything, which would be fine if I was working out like I have in the past but I'm stalled there too.
Here are my little challenge to get me back on track
1. Meet my protein macro daily
2 Lift at least 3x each week
3. Stay away from fast food (I have NO control when I eat this stuff)
Ooops, I have a conference call!0 -
Just to add my 2 cents about bulking/increasing calories. Even though you are adding muscle/getting stronger, there is no way to completely eliminate adding some fat at the same time. You can't avoid it. That's not to say you shouldn't bulk to add muscle because you add fat, just something to know as a piece of all this information.
And bepee, you are just awesome!0 -
Tats, I'd say pick up where you left off also. I actually took a MONTH off from lifting during NROL4W due to us moving- it wasn't a problem.
Sue, great goals (ours are similar!). And you're right- it's inevitable to gain a little fat even with a clean bulk. Seems like many of the women look better even before they cut back down though- having more muscle under the fat always makes a difference!!!!
Go, Beeps!
Got my lifting done too. I've decided to do Sumo DLs for this stage after reading about it a bit. Although I had to lower the weights a bit, they definitely hit my glutes harder and make it much easier to use my legs instead of my back.0 -
I have caught a bad cold. Mind you, I am still at work....it's a terrible week for "sick", so I am sniffling with my door mostly closed.
I did sleep okay, last night, although quite fevered. My *good news* is I have NO appetite! And I am drinking coffee and green tea and water like koo-koo....so, it's all good!
I hope I am better by Friday, when I ACTUALLY have to take a sick day to head off to board meetings for another company (not my employer).....0 -
Cowgirl, I've never done a sumo DL. I really like stiff legged DLs for the reasons you spoke of, especially when using DBs. I think I'll take a look.
Killer spin class this morning and yesterday's food was good! Now to hold the line!
This is my week of conference calls. I'll be back later.0 -
I'd like to join the challenge.
I tweaked my diet a wee bit this week and I'm nailing my macros to the wall! :drinker:0 -
I'd like to join the challenge.
I tweaked my diet a wee bit this week and I'm nailing my macros to the wall! :drinker:
Excellent! The more the merrier!
Sue, I've only tried SL DLs a few times, but I like them too. I also like good mornings for the posterior chain.
Beeps, feel better quick. At least try to eat some chicken noodle soup!
My legs are very sore today. Tomorrow is heavy on upper-body exercises and not so much on the lower body, thank goodness.
Today and yesterday have been great food days. Plenty of protein and veggies. I like the "not hungry" time of the month. It makes it easier for me to make healthier food choices. I'll be out of town all weekend so I'm trying to bank some cals for then since I'll inevitably be eating out.0
