Tighten & Tone Group - Thread 2

I've been doing pretty well this week...started my yoga/strength training routine for the month. Monday's yoga class left me super sore! (Yay for working muscles...I always take soreness as a sign I pushed myself in a new direction) I am going to my second class today and hope this week will be healthy for food but I am traveling for work over the weekend so that is always difficult!

I don't think I lost anything this week which is disappointing but I feel good. Plus, my number on the scale is not always consisent for me so I try not to worry too much! I am down a little bit on body fat percentage though!

I am thinking that after my yoga month I am going to do high intensity interval training...its supposed to be great for fat loss. Anyone do it consistently and have suggestions?

Hello everyone! Hope this week has been a good one for you all. I'll have to say that this hasn't been a good week for me. I totally slacked on the food & exercise. I've been so tired & busy lately. The motivation is starting to slack. I keep telling myself that the exercise is a good stress reliever & I need to do it! I'm getting behind on the P90x schedule, but just trying to fit it in as much as possible.

I did lose 2lbs at my last weigh-in & 3/4" off my hips. I was shocked at the weight loss & that's the first time I've lost anything in the hips. Yipee!

How is everyone else doing? Met any goals, weight/inches lost, etc? Any troubles (like mine w/the food!)?

Also, does anyone have a Polar FT4 HRM? I'm looking into getting one & was wondering if it has a pedometer/distance tracker on it. I can't seem to find all the details online.

I started the maintenance/tighten and tone phase of my fitness goals. I'm following the New Rules of Lifting for Women Nutrition and Fitness Plan. I'm in stage 1. So far I really like the book, recipes, and workout. I highly recommend it.

I'm 143 lb now and a size 6 (Bought a xs/s size dress yesterday )

I've upped my cals to 1650 on nonworkout days and up to 1850 on workout days. I increased my protein by using whey protein. I have this awesome shake recipe that makes a great post workout or breakfast treat.

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (I use silk)
7 frozen small strawberried
1/2 frozen medium or large banana
1 scoop of vanilla flavored whey protein powder (I use Meijer Brand)

Blend well.

about 213 cals and super yummy

I also have a FT4 HRM, it doesn't track distance or have a pedometer. I think FT40 does tho. I'm not sure.

I've been the exact same way this past week. Sometimes when I can find the time to workout, I'm so tired that I either don't do it or don't give it my all. Read the success stories on MFP. It helps me w/motivation!

Those success stories are just amazing sometimes!

I'm having a good week, down 1.5 pounds. My husband and I are planning to start p90x next week, we did the fit test today and I passed! From what I hear most people don't drop a lot of weight following that program so I'm not expecting the scale to move too much anytime soon but we'll see. I've also heard that it's not a good idea to be on a calorie deficit while doing p90x so I'll be looking into that more before we start. I don't think I'm going to follow their diet plan exactly so I just want to make sure I eat the right amount of food. I also ordered the New Rules of Lifting for Women book that a pp mentioned, it seems to be highly recommended around here and I thought it would be a good read even if I'm doing a different exercise plan right now.

I've seen that book mentioned a few times now, I might be checking it out myself.

Great job passing the fit test! I'm not sure I would at this point!!! I haven't done p90x but I did take a month of bootcamp in January (I'm thinking it might be similar) and all I ended up doing was gaining weight. I was working out 5 mornings every week and was consistent for 5 weeks. I ended up more hungry and I was eating more often as the trainer recommended to boost my metabolism throughout the day, thinking I was doing the right thing. Even though I ate small meals, as we all know it adds up by the end of the day. A granola bar here, a small lunch there, mid-afternoon snack, we all know the drill. I have no doubt that any intense program like this will make you stronger, give you more endurance, and increase your fitness level overall but I think you might be onto something with questioning the diet plan. My experience with something similar was pretty defeating but I was also hoping for the quick fix and have since realized that it's okay if it takes some time to get to my goal. I'll be interested to hear about your experience with it.

Check ebay for the book, I found it really cheap on there!

What happened in your boot camp is exactly what I'm afraid of with eating as much as p90x says I should! It tells me to eat 1800 calories a day but I'm only eating 1200 plus my exercise calories now (usually not more than 1550 or so total) & I still want to drop a few pounds. So in order for it to be equal to what I'm eating now I'd have to burn 600 calories per p90x workout, which I doubt will happen. And if I don't burn that much, I can only assume I'll gain weight. Unless I'm supposed to have extra calories for muscle building or something? I don't know lol. But I do know that the first phase is to eat 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fat, so I'm thinking I can enter those percentages here and follow them with foods of my choice instead of choosing from the foods in their book. That way I'm loosely following their plan but it gives me a little more flexibility and I'll be more likely to stick with it.

Thanks for the tip! I think you've got a good idea going with your 1200 plus exercise calories...I was going with 1800ish and it was kind of a disaster. Also, focusing on more protein is great too especially with how much you'll be working out. Your muscles will need that protein for repairing themselves. I found that more protein-rich foods kept me full longer in general but don't be surprised if you are a little bit stopped-up, if you know what I mean. I take pro-biotic with my multivitamin in the morning to stay regular...it seems to help me. Just a thought.