I loved your blog idea! Thank you so much for sharing. And you are definitely on the right track with baby steps! Stay consistent, you are going to crush this! Yes for lifting and staying away from 1200 calories. 1200 calories are for toddlers, not grown-ups! Yes for bacon! Yes for taking it slow! It's all about taking your life back!
I love skinny taste pumpkin spiced cupcakes!
I'm glad you are joining the Bootcamp and I'd love to share your blog and achievements with the EM2WL fam, if that's ok with you.

Tereza
Team EM2WL Certified Personal Trainer and Coach

cinblog1965 wrote: »

@TerezaToledo Thank you!

Tereza I had no idea this phase would cause bloating more than other phases. I would have thought Strength does. That's a relief!

Truthfully I do eat too much, I'm usually eating 2100 calories lately and for a 15% cut I should be eating just shy of 1800. And I'm not one of those that has issues packing in food. I have always been a big consumer. It used to amaze my husband that I would eat so much more than him and not gain weight. Of course I was going on vlc diets every time 5 pounds snuck on . . . lol.

cinblog1965 wrote: »

@TerezaToledo Thank you!

Tereza I had no idea this phase would cause bloating more than other phases. I would have thought Strength does. That's a relief!

Truthfully I do eat too much, I'm usually eating 2100 calories lately and for a 15% cut I should be eating just shy of 1800. And I'm not one of those that has issues packing in food. I have always been a big consumer. It used to amaze my husband that I would eat so much more than him and not gain weight. Of course I was going on vlc diets every time 5 pounds snuck on . . . lol.

Totally meant to mention on this when I first saw it.
Bloating is usually referencing some effect of eating on the stomach, it's a localized gas or water retention issue.

What was being discussed there in strength training is inflammation, you caused some damage, body's response is water retained in areas for healing.
Good water.

Also, more carbs stored for the anaerobic effort in the muscles being used, which store with water. Longer efforts need more carbs.
That's not really even retained water, anymore than increased blood volume with more water because you are sweating more is retained.
It's part of the improvement from the workout.

But all that kind of water added (compared to say eating a high sodium meal over average eating levels) takes energy to manage - so is increases your base metabolism.

Regarding adding cardio or HIIT cardio.

For what purpose?

Is it for the heart health and cardiovascular improvements? - then by all means good to add something.
Obviously have to increase calories more for it.

Is it for some other perceived benefit?

If HIIT is done correctly (and it rarely is, especially now that the name has been faddishly taken over) it causes an overload on the muscles as close as you can get to lifting with a cardio workout.

That requires repair just like lifting, not as much or as long though - but enough it can ruin the recovery for those muscles needing it already.
And it can tire out muscles used the next day in a lifting workout - making that effort not as beneficial.
So must be used carefully and observed for negative effects.
But for it's repair metabolism will increase during that time. But many are sore and don't move as much - so it just killed your overall TDEE - so a negative result as far as calorie burn is concerned.
Then again - workouts shouldn't be about calorie burn anyway, but body improvements.

Now poorly done HIIT (which isn't really HIIT then but intervals of some sort) would be for heart health.

Like the Tabata protocal interval method improves cardiovascular figures despite the short time being done.

The short interval nature is also good many times because it'll still cause some overload on aerobic system requiring improvement - but not so long as to be limited by the asthma. Hopefully.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/kcmsmith0405