Daily Chat Thread
Replies
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idauria - are you basing the 1,200 calories on the Lou Schuler formula in NROL4W?? I just find it very hard to believe that few calories is what is needed to fuel a body for daily activities, including weight-training??? It sounds soooooooooooooo low (to me).
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No, 1200 calories is about a 300 calorie deficit from my maintenance, which is, according to the book, what I should be eating on non-workout days. According to the book I should eat almost 1800 on workout days. But I have a hard time with that I guess. I am so small, only 4'10" so I have a hard time believing that I need a lot of calories.0 -
Hey ladies...just checking in, because I haven't for a few days. I got my squats back up to 65 pounds yesterday, but I had to use the smith machine because the squat rack was in use and it was AWFUL. I didn't like how unnatural it felt to me. Not doing that again...next time I'll just wait.
other than that...keeping busy, blizzard is supposed to be heading our way, so I may not make it to the gym tomorrow for lifting depending on how bad the roads are. i'm hoping that the weatherman are just exaggerating!!!0 -
idauria - are you basing the 1,200 calories on the Lou Schuler formula in NROL4W?? I just find it very hard to believe that few calories is what is needed to fuel a body for daily activities, including weight-training??? It sounds soooooooooooooo low (to me).
No, 1200 calories is about a 300 calorie deficit from my maintenance, which is, according to the book, what I should be eating on non-workout days. According to the book I should eat almost 1800 on workout days. But I have a hard time with that I guess. I am so small, only 4'10" so I have a hard time believing that I need a lot of calories.
You know your body the best and you know what cals. work for you. Also, you can always adjust up or down 100 or 200 cals. I hope with the help of the PT you get where you want to be.0 -
I don't know, idauria, but I think you are NOT eating enough. I think you need to step away from the scale, for awhile, and start focusing on fueling your body. I think, if you followed the guidelines in the book, for one month (WITH NO DEFICIT), you would start seeing better results. So, eat 1,530 on your non-workout days and eat 1,800 on your work-out days. Do this for one month. Eat properly, rest properly, work-out energetically, and STAY OFF THE SCALE.
Then, after one month, you can re-assess....are you sleeping better? Do you have more energy throughout the day? Did you record every single morsel that went into your mouth? Did you lift AS HEAVY AS YOU CAN? Did you take the appropriate amount of rest between work-outs (or were you secretly squeezing in some CARDIO, which, my friend, is truly counter-productive right now...).
I followed this method for the first month (5 weeks, actually) of NROL4W. Stayed off the scale, blah, blah, blah. And, all those "extra" calories that I thought I couldn't POSSIBLY eat, I *did* eat and my body weight did NOT change (significantly). It didn't. My body was simply learning how to fuel itself after being steadily DENIED for years. YEARS.
At the beginning of February, I *then* introduced my 250 calorie deficit (NOT 300....just 200-250) and NOW, things are moving in the right direction. My body KNOWs fuel is coming, so there aren't hunger pains. I am fueling my work-outs and decreasing my cardio. I am losing inches. I am losing (some) weight.
This is NOT a quick-fix. But, everything is moving in the right direction, just like the book says it will. EVERYTHING.0 -
What Beeps said.
Although, Idauria, if you were to confess your current weight and goals, we would have more of an idea. But i understand if you don't want to!
I was scared to go from 1250 to 1660 (non-workout day allowances), but it's a leap of faith, and i feel slimmer AND stronger. I think my weight has stayed the same (which was my goal).
Give it a month, what's the worst that could happen?!0 -
I feel stronger, too....and, if you look at the weights I am lifting NOW, compared to 2 months' ago, I AM STRONGER.
Does it show on the scale?? Not really.
Does it show on the measurements?? Here and there.
Does it show in my photo progress?? Not really.
But, I'm convinced, in the LONG run (i.e. this is NOT a short-term thing....if you are thinking "tortoise" and "hare", than I *am* the TORTOISE!) that ALL of these things will come into crystal-clear focus.
To me, one of the MOST brilliant things that is written in NROL4W is something along the lines of: "....the only reason other people succeed at transforming their bodies, and you don't, is that they are willing to do the things to get there, and you aren't...."
Heavy lifting and nutritious eating are NOT always easy things to do.....the effort you put into it is going to have a direct correlation to the results you get out of it.
I, for one, believe this has INCREASED my overall health 100-fold.....and, I wasn't an unhealthy person to begin with!! In fact, I consider myself quite fit, and always have been! Still, this program illuminates where my shortcomings and weaknesses have been, and laser-beam focus to CHANGE that, has assisted in my ongoing (even small) success.0 -
I think Beeps is right and I will try to take this leap of faith regarding calories as well and see where it gets me. kicking the scale to the curb which is where it will need to be so I don't feel tempted just to check in. when I look at Stage 1 and what I was lifting then and what I can lift now I am psyched. So why should I let the lack of scale change discourage me?? Getting stronger not skinnier will try to make that my new mantra.
Idauria-The feedback from the trainer sounds hugely positive regarding "lean" and "teardrop"leg muscle thing. Embrace that and try to fine tune the rest and let us know how it's going and I will too.0 -
Beeps, maybe you're right. I never embraced eating at or above maintenance out of fear of weight/fat gain. I guess in my mind I was thinking that if I really wasn't lifting to my full potential(even though I think I was lifting heavy for me) then eating at a surplus would only hurt me.
If you want to know my stats I will give them...
I am 4'10". I weight around 94 pounds(the scale has been teetering between 94 and 92). Now, I don't have issue with the scale, it's what I see and feel that I am not happy with. I don't like my measurements. I measure 25" at the narrow point of my waist and 27" at my belly button. My hips are 32". In my mind I should have a 24" waist at my widest and I'd like to lose an inch in my hips. The trainer feels this is an attainable goal. Btw, my scale says my body fat% is around 20%. The trainer and the gym owner calculated my measurements and got a lower number, which I have a hard time believing because of my flabby belly. I am definitely stronger. I like the way my arms and legs feel, but I hate that I still have so much jiggle. I know I have to watch what I eat better.
Beeps, I never really did a lot of cardio before because I hate it. I mostly did focus on weights. I really just started doing cardio two days a week in between lifting. I see it as a supplement to lifting.
Tuesday is my last session with the trainer. I have to admit that it's not all I expected it to be. I really thought he'd listen to me and challenge me. I told him I want to lift heavy. I guess he did listen a little because he allowed me to do 70 lb squats. But everything else I've been doing with 10lb dumbbells, doing 2-3 sets of 12-15. After my last session, I had a conversation with him and the gym owner. It was mostly about nutrition because apparently that's his field of expertise. But we also talked about what kind of program I want. He said he'd help the trainer come up with something for me. So I'll see on Tuesday if they did.0 -
Wow, you are tiny. I can understand how imperfections show more when you're smaller! But as your weight is ok, and you want to change your 'content', then my vote would be to eat at maintenance (1542 as per that spreadsheet calculator someone kindly made from the book), and up to 1762 on workout days. This will give you the fuel you need to do the lifting, make muscle, and keep your metabolism active. As you progress, I would expect your muscle content to increase, and your body fat decrease, with your weight not changing. With these changes you SHOULD see the measurement changes you are seeking as a lovely side effect.
That's the theory from the book anyway as I think i understand it, it's worked for me, but i've only been at it 6 weeks or so. And hey, if after a few weeks you gain a little fat, you can always tweak it by a few cals :drinker:0 -
Forgive me for leaping in here in the middle of a conversation, but I read a really good blog earlier today which made a lot of sense to me; it's about the bulking/cutting cycle in terms of calories:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/31prvrbs/view/the-accidental-bulker-217519
Maybe of interest?0 -
Wow, you are tiny. I can understand how imperfections show more when you're smaller! But as your weight is ok, and you want to change your 'content', then my vote would be to eat at maintenance (1542 as per that spreadsheet calculator someone kindly made from the book), and up to 1762 on workout days. This will give you the fuel you need to do the lifting, make muscle, and keep your metabolism active. As you progress, I would expect your muscle content to increase, and your body fat decrease, with your weight not changing. With these changes you SHOULD see the measurement changes you are seeking as a lovely side effect.
That's the theory from the book anyway as I think i understand it, it's worked for me, but i've only been at it 6 weeks or so. And hey, if after a few weeks you gain a little fat, you can always tweak it by a few cals :drinker:
Wow, thank you for going through the trouble to calculate for me! I have the numbers written down in the book so I will double check. I guess since I never really made a go of eating the way I am supposed to, I have nothing else to lose. Hopefully it will be the change I need. Yes, I am pretty tiny and that's why I fret over the smallest change in weight gain or flab. A little shows a lot. The funny thing is that I used to weigh 15 pounds heavier yet I am more obsessed about my weight now than I used to be. It wasn't until I got married and joined a gym that I wised up to my eating habits. I lost the weight and have been pretty steady despite two pregnancies. I never had a flat stomach, so maybe I am trying to achieve an unattainable goal. But even though I might weight the same as pre-pregnancy, I definitely have more belly fat and circumference. I know birthing two children has a lot to do with it, but I would like to at least decrease my circumference by a couple of inches. I may never be happy with the way I look, but at least I am working hard.0 -
MissMaggie thank you for that!!!!!!! Will go back and read all her blogs when I have time she certainly looks like she knows what she's talking about.
idauria go for it hun, get eating
Mini binge last night ugh. TOM due soon double ugh.
Finished work out Stage 2 B1 yesterday, boy my quads hurt this morning. Just finished the HIIT session that I didn't do yesterday and the lactic acid has flushed through so legs feel better.0 -
Hope everyone had a good weekend!
I had a body assessment at the gym on Sat and my body fat was measured with callipers.
I was a bit dismayed that it was 26.3 ... only 3% less than I was 20lbs ago!!
Obviously this is going to be a slow process but I am going to monitor it every 8-12 weeks I think, I don't know realistically how fast it can go down. I am hourglass shaped (although my top half is shrinking fast unfortunately!) and although I have a small waist, I carry a lot on my bum & thighs.
Had a huge curry on Saturday night at a friends house cooked by his Pakistani girlfriend so it was the real deal, had to drink plenty of wine to combat the chilli
Had a couple of days off the lifting but back on it tomorrow- am on Stage One 6A now:happy:0 -
Obviously this is going to be a slow process but I am going to monitor it every 8-12 weeks I think, I don't know realistically how fast it can go down. I am hourglass shaped (although my top half is shrinking fast unfortunately!) and although I have a small waist, I carry a lot on my bum & thighs.0 -
keira you are the exact same shape as me. I'm 5ft 11 and size 14 bottom, size 12 top. All I want to do is be a size 12 bottom also I'd be happy with that. But my top half is shrinking quicker :sad:0
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It's more important, keiraev, to recognize that your body fat percentage is DECREASING than to worry about how FAST it is decreasing. Your goal is to lose body fat %, right? So, if you don't get to your "goal" until 1 year from now, WHO CARES?? Does that mean you should QUIT your goal and stay at the SAME body fat % you are at right nw?
No. That wouldn't make any good sense. So, instead, work with what you have got, which is a decrease in your body fat % and keep aiming to decrease it. Decrease it. Decrease it.
Whether it happens in 3 months or 12 months is immaterial....because, it IS happening and THAT is what the goal is!0 -
I had my annual Oscar party and ate sooooooooo much junk food, it was UNREAL. And then, I felt like ABSOLUTE CRAP and munched on TUMS all night long.
Depressing.
What I *learned* is that while my MIND wanted all these yummy treats (tradition!), my body DID NOT. It rebelled in *the* BIGGEST way! Holy smokes....unbelievable.
And, today is my last work-out before I leave for hawaii and I feel like such crap, it's terrible. I hope my trainer KICKS MY *kitten* and I hope I feel better after my work-out.
I betcha anything that my Oscar party next year will NOT look the same. Funny that....0 -
i just can't eat enough lately...i'm really hoping it's PMS, and today I'm trying to combat by drinking a gallon of water.
my BFF percentage (estimated from a website online) is like 39 percent...THAT was depressing, so I guess my goal would be to get it under 30...LOL0 -
Sounds like I'm not the only one hitting the junk big time!! Glad I'm not alone. Three weeks a month I have virtually not trouble, then TOM arrives and I undo most of the good in no time
Not helped by the fact I'm sitting on my a*se all day again trying to get a college assignment written for my final exams in April. :grumble:0 -
I find the weekends very hard to stick to my "right" eating.
Starting stage 7 tonight and I can't wait o get to the gym!0 -
Sounds like I'm not the only one hitting the junk big time!! Glad I'm not alone. Three weeks a month I have virtually not trouble, then TOM arrives and I undo most of the good in no time
Not helped by the fact I'm sitting on my a*se all day again trying to get a college assignment written for my final exams in April. :grumble:
Yeah, this wasn't my best weekend either. The hag arrived on Friday and I was a sugar fiend all weekend. Back to my regular self now, thank God.
Denine, I have a hard time on the weekends too, even when I'm not on tom! It's like I reward myself for being good all week. I have to get out of that mindset though. It's ok to treat myself a little, but not ok to raid the pantry all weekend long!0 -
My work-out sucked, too.
BOOOOOOOOOOO.
Anyway, I'm gonna have to stay late at work, tonight, to get some stuff done and I'm too busy tomorrow to do anything but work.
I will head to Hawaii with the intention of eating healthy for the larger percentage of meals and making sure I'm remaining *active* while away. I'll jump right back on the NROL4W when I get back - starting Stage 3 and it should be clear sailing until I'm through the whole program.
It's sooooooooo interesting to read that other people struggle with weekends. I actually don't. But, I struggle with inappropriate night-time snacking every day. (However, I have reduced that habit, significantly, since about November when I started focusing on it. I only Late-Night-Snacked 4 times in February and 3 of those were *planned* events.)0 -
My work-out sucked, too.
BOOOOOOOOOOO.
Anyway, I'm gonna have to stay late at work, tonight, to get some stuff done and I'm too busy tomorrow to do anything but work.
I will head to Hawaii with the intention of eating healthy for the larger percentage of meals and making sure I'm remaining *active* while away. I'll jump right back on the NROL4W when I get back - starting Stage 3 and it should be clear sailing until I'm through the whole program.
It's sooooooooo interesting to read that other people struggle with weekends. I actually don't. But, I struggle with inappropriate night-time snacking every day. (However, I have reduced that habit, significantly, since about November when I started focusing on it. I only Late-Night-Snacked 4 times in February and 3 of those were *planned* events.)
When are you leaving? I'm so jealous! I haven't had a tropical vacation since before we had children. I think the last place we went was the Dominican Republic back in 2003 or so. I am waiting for my kids to be a little older so my parents can watch them for a week while we fly somewhere warm and sandy.
I have issues with night time snacking too. Once I put the kids to bed I feel like I need something to reward myself for getting through the day, lol. I always leave calories over for this. I am definitely better than I used to be. I used to snack on pretzels or chips or have a bowl of ice cream. Now I will have cottage cheese, yogurt, an Atkins snack bar, nuts, or something equally healthy.
I have a question about calorie intake again. Should I increase to levels in new rules even though I am not following that workout anymore? Does it matter? I am going to ask the trainer this tomorrow.0 -
I have a question about calorie intake again. Should I increase to levels in new rules even though I am not following that workout anymore? Does it matter? I am going to ask the trainer this tomorrow.
You can increase and see how it goes. If things start to go up then cut back down. I think as long as you have heavy lifting days you still can follow the cals from the book.
Beeps, I'm jealous too! I think your workout sucked because you are on Hawaii time already!
I hope you have a lot of fun! 0 -
idauria, I think that it is an EXCELLENT question to ask your trainer....but, if you are still lifting (heavy), I expect the response is that you need to EAT to fuel those work-outs.
We haven't been to Hawaii in nearly 12 years, so, yes, I feel we are due. And, we haven't taken a 10-day vacation in over a decade....this is the LONGEST we have taken. (This is *sad*.)
We leave early Wednesday a.m. and return very late on Saturday, March 10th. 11 days, I guess - and 10-nights!!
Sooooooooooo excited!
So, I won't be posting (much), but I am committed to checking-in everyday and tracking my eating.
I'll miss you all....you'll have all jumped a STAGE in NROL4W by the time I get back (I expect!) - so it'll be fun to read everything and catch up!0 -
idauria, I think that it is an EXCELLENT question to ask your trainer....but, if you are still lifting (heavy), I expect the response is that you need to EAT to fuel those work-outs.
We haven't been to Hawaii in nearly 12 years, so, yes, I feel we are due. And, we haven't taken a 10-day vacation in over a decade....this is the LONGEST we have taken. (This is *sad*.)
We leave early Wednesday a.m. and return very late on Saturday, March 10th. 11 days, I guess - and 10-nights!!
Sooooooooooo excited!
So, I won't be posting (much), but I am committed to checking-in everyday and tracking my eating.
I'll miss you all....you'll have all jumped a STAGE in NROL4W by the time I get back (I expect!) - so it'll be fun to read everything and catch up!
Enjoy your vacation! How long does it take to get there from where you live? I live in North Carolina where there's obviously no direct flight so it would take many hours for me to get there. That's why it makes a lot more sense for me to take Atlantic Ocean based vacations. But I would love to see Hawaii one day! Don't worry about tracking, just eat the best you can and have fun!
Unfortunately my trainer hasn't been that helpful where nutrition is concerned. That's why the last time I was there we talked with the gym's owner, who has a degree in some sort of nutrition science. I bet he can give me a good answer. I would like them to do the calculations and see what they come up with. I have done various online calculators and have come up with several different numbers. No wonder why it's so confusing! So far today I am under 1200 cals and that's including dinner(rough estimate). I guess I get to have a nice snack tonight!0 -
It has been one long week since I first posted....and boy you girls are chatty!!!!! It is nice to read and draw on the knowledge of those further along in this journey and know that this takes time!!
I am almost done stage 3, but due to a few family issues as in my grandma being very ill, very suddenly, cousins needing help and of course, the hubby not making it any easier, I have had a few extra days off. I think that I will go into stage 4 directly.
Bringing me to my big issue....food. I am finally on track again after alot of emotional eating and very determined to stay on course. I will commit to March maintance cals......I wish that I would have bumped them up in the beginning instead of going for the cal deficiet method.
Beeps....have a wonderful and relaxing time!!!!!0 -
I tried to (online) check us in this morning (24 hours in advance) and, after entering all the data, passport information, resort we are staying at, blah, blah, blah, they THEN flash a "sorry!" notice saying I have to check-in at the airport.
So, now I'm SUPER-BUMMED. And, frankly STRESSED because the plane is pretty full and our seats aren't looking that great (which is weird, because I feel like I paid for seat selection....but it was 4 months ago, so I don't rightly remember).
It is DUMB to stress about things that I cannot control....and it is what it is.
Add to that - I don't have time for a work-out, today...so, I am REALLY going to have to get my mental game ON so that I control my stress.
Ugh.
But, tomorrow, it is "Aloha" and I'm sure it will all turn out just fine.
How goes the *heavy-lifting*, gang??0 -
I tried to (online) check us in this morning (24 hours in advance) and, after entering all the data, passport information, resort we are staying at, blah, blah, blah, they THEN flash a "sorry!" notice saying I have to check-in at the airport.
So, now I'm SUPER-BUMMED. And, frankly STRESSED because the plane is pretty full and our seats aren't looking that great (which is weird, because I feel like I paid for seat selection....but it was 4 months ago, so I don't rightly remember).
It is DUMB to stress about things that I cannot control....and it is what it is.
Add to that - I don't have time for a work-out, today...so, I am REALLY going to have to get my mental game ON so that I control my stress.
Ugh.
But, tomorrow, it is "Aloha" and I'm sure it will all turn out just fine.
How goes the *heavy-lifting*, gang??
Aww, Beeps, I'm sorry you're so stressed! I can't believe you went through all that trouble only for it to tell you that you can't check in online. I can imagine how frustrating that is. The day before vacation always stresses me out. There's so many things to do and remember to do. Don't sweat(no pun intended, lol) not getting in your workout. You don't need one more thing to stress about. I bid you happy, sunny filled thoughts! I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow and you have an awesome vacation! Can't wait to hear all about it!
As for me, I had my session with the trainer this morning and I spoke to the gym owner about nutrition. We came up with a plan for me going forward. They are going to make up a workout plan for me, A/B style like New Rules. I will come into the gym once a month to check my progress, tweak the program if need be, and get measured. Since I can work out at home I don't see the need to pay to come in once a week. I am going this Saturday so we can run through the entire program and get familiar, after that I will only come once a month or so. They charge $50 an hour so I don't see myself going any more than that, in fact I told them that maybe we can stretch it to every 6 weeks. We'll see how it goes. As for nutrition, John says that he doesn't put much stock in tracking calories because everyone's needs are so different, based on body type, metabolism, etc etc. He says I should focus on eating well. He advocates a mostly paleo style diet, which I basically do except I do eat dairy but I am going to cut that out and see if it makes a difference, since I was told I have lactose intolerance, and it can be bloating me, skewing measurements. I felt that after eliminating wheat and other grains, there's nothing else to eat and I enjoy my yogurt and cottage cheese and other cheeses. But I can do it for a couple of weeks and see if I notice a difference. Anyway, his thought is that if you are eating well(healthy) and only eating to satiety then everything will fall into place. Your body will naturally eat what it needs to fuel itself. This is not new to me. I've been doing that for years anyway, it wasn't until I joined MFPO that I started tracking calories. So I am going to cut back or stop counting and see how that goes too.0 -
Have a great trip Beeps! Idauria glad you feel good about your new plan. Did some HIIT today and last workout of Stage 4 tomorrow. Will not miss the front squat/push press. And kind of psyched for the return of the body weight matrix. Or maybe it's just the idea of the BWM and not the actual thing. If the chocolate consumption is accurate then TOM is around the corner and may use that for a few days off from heavy lifting before heading to stage 5.0
