May check in and chat - May all your weights go up
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Just stopping in to say hi!
I've still been just sort of stalking the group, because I don't feel like I have a whole lot of info to offer at one month in. But everything is progressing nicely. I had some hunger issues with the cut/switch to strong lifts. I upped my calories, and feel like a million bucks now. I even hit 55 pounds on OHP this morning, and I'm losing weight again because I'm not binging. So it was a rough month, but I think I found a level ground. :flowerforyou:0 -
So I've also been eating at a cut since I started cycle two just over 2 months ago and I'm starting to think that I need more. I'm really feeling hungry all the time and my energy is starting to waiver. I have been aiming for 1800 calories/day which is over a 20% cut for me....quite a bit depending on the calculator. I have been finding that I'm craving sugar an awful lot. Thinking I should go back to 2000 and see what happens
Come sit next to me, Vegas. Let's talk LOL.
What are we thinking working with a >20% deficit and lifting? Would you advise a client to do that? Do I shake my head whenever I see someone else doing that?
So why are we doing it?!?!
I have been trying to work with 1975 or so and I'm not sure it's enough. I think that even an extra 100/day would help a lot. Maybe there is something magical about 2,000 calories??
:bigsmile:
That's all I upped mine, 100 cals a day. I feel a million times better, and the scale seems to be with me on this one.0 -
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Ice-cream fueled 125 Deadlift PR tonight, y'all.
May the 4th be with you! :flowerforyou:0 -
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Ice-cream fueled 125 Deadlift PR tonight, y'all.
May the 4th be with you! :flowerforyou:
RAWRRRRRR! Ice cream for the win! Sexy legs there, Dani! 0 -
@###n! Girl, you got strength. Great job. One question on your dead lifts, any reason why you do the various weights for one set only instead of the 5x5? Is it because you are up in heavier weights?
Thanks! And DL is designed to be a 1x5 exercise per the SL plan since it is similar to the squat, so reasoning is no need to do a full 5x5 (according to Mendhi). The two lower sets are for me to "warm-up" and kind of get my body into that movement. I had been doing just the 1x5 at the working weight, but I felt I didn't have the chance to get set in the mechanics before trying to pull the heavier weight so I added the other two sets to prep for the proper movement.0 -
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Ice-cream fueled 125 Deadlift PR tonight, y'all.
May the 4th be with you! :flowerforyou:
That's all Awesome right there!! Of course your pic looks a little like a barbell with legs from the angle
:drinker:
Happy cinco de Mayo0 -
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Ice-cream fueled 125 Deadlift PR tonight, y'all.
May the 4th be with you! :flowerforyou:
Yay!!0 -
So I've also been eating at a cut since I started cycle two just over 2 months ago and I'm starting to think that I need more. I'm really feeling hungry all the time and my energy is starting to waiver. I have been aiming for 1800 calories/day which is over a 20% cut for me....quite a bit depending on the calculator. I have been finding that I'm craving sugar an awful lot. Thinking I should go back to 2000 and see what happens
Come sit next to me, Vegas. Let's talk LOL.
What are we thinking working with a >20% deficit and lifting? Would you advise a client to do that? Do I shake my head whenever I see someone else doing that?
So why are we doing it?!?!
I have been trying to work with 1975 or so and I'm not sure it's enough. I think that even an extra 100/day would help a lot. Maybe there is something magical about 2,000 calories??
:bigsmile:
Haha yes totally you're right....however in my defense, 1800 is what ETP had me on when I posted a thread back in January lol For real though, part of it has definitely been a mental battle, I will openly admit that. Since I started lifting in November I have gained 12lbs (well, that was as of March 1.....I haven't weighed or done measurements or pictures since then.....will do it at the end of this cycle which is at the end of May). My measurements had also really come to a halt which given how far I had come, really played with my head. I think that I have finally gotten to THAT place where I am okay with how long this will take and that my results are now small and subtle rather than big and measurable, if that makes sense??
Plus if it makes my story any better I had Fatburger AND Marble Slab last night :bigsmile: Although that was also after a killer workout and like 4 hours of yard work :laugh:0 -
Vegas, I wasn't yelling at you LOL! You certainly most definitely get to do whatever you want to do! I upped my calories a skosh and will just see what happens.
And then I went out and ordered eggs benedict for breakfast, which turned out to be more food energy than ice cream any day :blushing: Good thing I was on my way to the gym after that so that I could work it off a bit.
I did
Squats @ 130 but didn't attempt the last rep of the third set. So need to stay at that weight next time.
Bench I did 73. Plates under my feet and a wider grip have helped a whole bunch.
Rows at 85. Ugh, hard. I might go up 1/2 pound on that next time. I tried to do these more explosively today, and that felt better than slow and steady.
I also did back extensions and pullups. All told it was an hour and 10 minutes. I need to reread Starting Strength, maybe buy Practical Programming, and rethink the whole assistance exercise thing.0 -
lol I know you weren't yelling at me Ges......but you were totally right in what you wrote in response to my post.....guess it just got me thinking a little more (because I don't do that enough as it is haha)!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the mental battle is the toughest code to crack when you shift from deficit, cardio, and losing pounds to eating, lifting, and no loss.....but it truly is so much better 0 -
Just checking in....spent the weekend at garage/antique sales out of town. Had every intention of working out when I got home tonight. Um, yeah, not so much! Back to normal schedule tomorrow. Looking forward to it actually.0
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Wow, only the 6th and already so many posts....I'll have time to go back and read up later on, but figured I'd post first.
So, back from sickness and camping. 18th Century style camping. My boys spent the weekend throwing their hawks and knives and running around like maniacs. I'm better at throwing than last year, stronger or something like that, I guess!
Today was my first workout in 12 days, which is the longest I've gone without a workout in over a year. Woke up at 4 am, ready to go too...but now I might get another hour or so of sleep so I make it through the day, since I know that 4.5 hours of sleep will make me suffer later if I don't make a point of lying down again.
Thought I'd go backward since I had been "off" so long, but today's workout went pretty well, all things considered.
85 squats 5x5, was really easy, form was good and no knee pain at all.
90 bench press 5x5, last set was crazy hard, but I did it, even though there was significant wobbling on the last two reps.
90 row, 5x5 not too bad, should have done 95, but once it was loaded I was too lazy to add more. I really felt it in my abdomen and back today.
Will read later and find out what all of you lovely ladies have been up to!0 -
Just checking in. Had a wedding to attend on Saturday in Illinois. It's about a 6 hour drive. My sister and I drove together and ended up hitting Chicago at rush hour on Friday evening (oy). So our 6 hour trip turned into an 8 hour trip. We were smarter about it on the way home. :laugh:
It sounds like everyone is rocking the weights.
@ Vegas and Ges: I agree 1000% about calorie intake being a mental game. I've been playing with mine for a long time. I currently have mine set on 1800, and as long as I plan and don't do anything stupid, I'm ok with it. 2000 is such an easier number to work with, but I still have a lot to lose. So, if you ever feel the need to rant about calorie levels, let me know! I rant about it to myself everyday.
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Good morning Ladies!
So I was NOT motivated to workout this morning. I did like 4 hours of yard work and summer garage cleaning on Saturday and then a solid 6 hours of full on landscaping yesterday....which was my "rest" day laugh
But I did it....workout A, side and back lunges during rest periods and then, of course, the barbell complex 3x8 no rest.....haha go big or go home right?!
And yes, I did eat ice cream BOTH days :laugh:0 -
@ Vegas and Ges: I agree 1000% about calorie intake being a mental game. I've been playing with mine for a long time. I currently have mine set on 1800, and as long as I plan and don't do anything stupid, I'm ok with it. 2000 is such an easier number to work with, but I still have a lot to lose. So, if you ever feel the need to rant about calorie levels, let me know! I rant about it to myself everyday.
Well, I think that there is a sweet spot, where you don't feel starving but you are losing weight and you are making progress with your lifts. I think we just have to keep experimenting until we find it. I've been in my sweet spot (mostly) for several months but now I seem to have lost it, I will just keep working with it until I find it again!
I've also noticed that hitting my macro goals consistently has a lot to do with, well, everything. A day with lots of fat and not as much carbs has a real impact on how I feel and how my workout goes. As does a day with very little fat and lots of carbs. I know I eat a lot of protein compared with most everyone else, but I bet that when you vary the protein amount it has an impact, too. What was most surprising to me is how what I eat impacts my emotional state. For example, there is a very real emotional price for me to pay when I eat sweet things -- which is why I won't be fueling my workouts with ice cream
Anyways, I don't want to pull this too far off of Stronglifts. I guess the bottom line is that I get impatient, and I try to cut my calories too deeply, and then it doesn't work, and I have to re-evaluate. It would be nice if I could just exercise my patience muscle more :laugh:0 -
So I helped out at an aid station for my local marathon on Sunday, and I feel like I've caught a little running bug. I think I'm going to try adding Couch to 5K on my SL off days. I'm afraid it is going to hurt my lifting a little, but we'll see. I have no desire to ever run a marathon, but a nice little 5K this fall would be fun.
Although I despise running so much that I figure I'll quit after the first week anway. :laugh: :laugh:0 -
Welcome to all the new people!
Chunk - good luck training for a race - I'm learning I can't really run and lift well, but I'm hoping that will change as I lose more fat. Races are fun, especially 5K's.
Vegas and Ges - Tweaking caloric intake while lifting and trying to lose fat is very tricky, but something I think most of us are dealing with. I just cut again after a diet break, and the first few days are proving very challenging, even though I just dropped from 2200 to 2000. Ugh.
Thankfully it didn't seem to impact today too much. My head wasn't really in the game, but I did okay anyhow, mostly because I was repeating weights for bench and rows.
Squat 130
Bench 90
Row 100
I followed it up with Vegasbaby's barbell complex using a 20 lb. fixed bar, and my legs were all squishy by the end.
And, lifting for the win - I measured on Sunday for the first time in a month, and was down an inch around my waist and around my thighs, which dropped my bf% by 2 points - Woo-hoo! I'd been feeling like I had lost some more fat, but it was great to have it confirmed -especially because I had been eating so close to maintenance for two weeks. Now to see if going back to a 15% cut will make the scale go down (although if it doesn't, I don't really care). I'm also contemplating getting some calipers - does anybody else use them? Are they worth the investment?
Now I'm off to Goodwill to pick up some more clothes - nothing fits! I wouldn't mind wearing the baggy stuff, but I picked up a class for the first summer term, and I don't feel comfortable teaching in super-baggy, obviously-don't-fit clothes. Authority figure and all. Thankfully I'm teaching a college sculpture course, so jeans and t-shirts will do.
Have a great week, all!0 -
And, lifting for the win - I measured on Sunday for the first time in a month, and was down an inch around my waist and around my thighs, which dropped my bf% by 2 points - Woo-hoo! I'd been feeling like I had lost some more fat, but it was great to have it confirmed -especially because I had been eating so close to maintenance for two weeks. Now to see if going back to a 15% cut will make the scale go down (although if it doesn't, I don't really care). I'm also contemplating getting some calipers - does anybody else use them? Are they worth the investment?
Congrats on the BF% drop!! I have a set of calipers, have never used them because I can't measure all the points on my own. They are not 100% accurate, but if you go for consistency and look for a trend in the loss, you should be fine with them.
A non-SL day for me and to show support for my sis-in-law's sister I ran 5k since I missed out on the one they did yesterday to support brain cancer awareness. Let me tell you, 5k sucks. :laugh: Ugh. I've gotten very accustomed to running 2 miles. My brain likes 2 miles. Throwing that extra mile and change on there was pure torture for me....but I wasn't going to not finish it running. So I did the 5k in 26:24 and have decided that one day a week will be 5k day. It was totally a mental thing and I know it wouldn't be so bad if I was used to the distance. I feel like I have slacked off of my longer endurance for a bit now and I don't want to let it get too far gone. I'm not a distance runner so 3 miles will probably continue to be my max distance. After that was core work and a cold shower. Workout A tomorrow and I think I will be adding about 300 calories onto my day to make up for all that silly running
ETA: Hmmmm....maybe I will get some ice cream as my calorie filler :laugh: :laugh: :drinker:0 -
Vegas and Ges - Tweaking caloric intake while lifting and trying to lose fat is very tricky, but something I think most of us are dealing with. I just cut again after a diet break, and the first few days are proving very challenging, even though I just dropped from 2200 to 2000. Ugh.
Workout 6 for me today:
Squat 70
OHP 55
Deadlift 80
I'm having serious issues with calorie intake right now, too. Please forgive my wall of text below. Some of this is just me needing to think out loud!
My weight has been holding from 139-142 for a few months now, eating at 1500-1600 per day and doing mostly cardio and bodyweight circuit training. For the last few weeks I've been SUPER hungry though. In addition to starting stronglifts, I got a part-time job as a waitress, so I'm on my feet for an extra 15 hours per week. While I'm working, I don't have time to eat. When I get home, I find I'm ravenous, and even more hungry the day after. I worked 10-4 yesterday. Sunday is my rest day from exercise, so I ended up at ~1520 calories, but I'm sure a burned a lot at work. Today was a day off of work and I did workout B and took a leisurely (60 min but not fast) walk with my sis in law because it was really nice out. Other than that I've been a lazy bum all day, but I've eaten back all the calories from the walk and a few hundred more, and I finally feel satisfied. Protein is right where I want it. I shoot for 100-115 and I'm at 111. It's carbs/sugar I'm craving lately.
I run 3x per week on non lift days, from 30-60 minutes, but I've been running for years. Those calories, I eat back partially--I have always let my hunger dictate how much of them I eat.
Anyway, all this is just me trying to say... a lot has been changing recently, and I'm not sure where to put my activity level anymore. I believe when I initially calculated it I went between lightly active and moderate with a 15% deficit. This is the first time I've done a dedicated lifting program and the first time I've had something other than a desk job. I don't know if I should completely recalculate calories using a higher activity level (moderate?), or just add 100 calorie increments until I get to a place where I'm happy with my performance and still satiated? My intake seems low compared to some others in this group but I'm also only 5'1". I'm wondering if I'm setting myself up for failure by getting stuck on my previous goal, but I'm wary of increasing too quickly. However, I don't think what I'm doing now is sustainable, because I'm hungry to the point that I'm cheating in my logging by nabbing bites of things here and there, whereas I usually weigh and measure everything.
tl;dr I'm a spaz and I don't know how much to eat. Has anyone dealt with a lifestyle change like this & have any advice on going about it systematically?0 -
What are you using to figure out your caloric needs? Being on your feet at your job makes a big change in what you need day to day. Lifting definitely makes you hungrier. It won't hurt to add 100 cals a day for a week or two and see if that helps. . .0
