GymRatGirl13 Member

sassy!!

You said you are eating "massive meals". I've been dealing with similar issues for the past 3 years. I used to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours and it caused my digestive system to get all messed up. I then switched to eating less frequently and with more easily digestible foods (fruits and veggies) and I am starting to feel much…

Great recommendations. I am reading up on all of them now. Thank you!!

Why would I try that if it tastes like lawn clippings? I appreciate your "tasteless" humor. :-)

beyonce!

My gym gets crazy around the first, too, but I'm lucky because the staff cater to us regulars. We're patient with the resolutioners, and even help them out. In turn, the staff treat us well, and try their hardest to accommodate us wherever they can. My gym rocks. :-)

Monday (Workout A): Deadlift 2 warm up sets, 2 working sets at 12-15 reps Leg Press: 2 warm up sets, 2 working sets at 10-15 reps Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-10 reps Upright Row: 4 sets of 8-10 reps Barbell Curl: 4 sets of 8-10 reps Weighted Sit up- 2 sets of 20 Standing calf raises- 2 sets of 20 Tuesday: HIIT Cardio…

Week One Update November 11th So, I weighed myself for the first time in six weeks. Last time I weighed 148. Today, I weighed in at 149.4. Phew...Creeping up on 150. SCARY!!! Mind is saying, "RETREAT, RETREAT!" Body is saying, "Eat and rest!" Mirror is saying, "Ugh. Cut out the carbs, fatty!" Boyfriend is saying, "Babe,…

Great news! Thanks for the feedback. This is the kind of info I need to keep going!

Excellent info ladies! Thank you. I really appreciate the time you took to respond. I will keep you all posted and add notes to my bulk diary. :-)

I feel like I'm not doing enough all the time, too. I'm used to doing SO MANY sets and various exercises 6 days a week, that I feel like I am a slacker doing only 4-5 exercises with 2-4 sets. My body takes a LOT longer to recover now, though. I just feel weak and depleted a day or two after my lifts. Keep it up ladies!

Oh, one more question? Do you ladies cut calories or carbs at all on rest days? I have been trying to cut carbs a little bit, but am thinking I am going to just eat consistently and take out the worry and complexity. Thoughts?

Thanks ladies. I don't fear the scale too much. I don't weigh myself because I haven't really needed it since I switched from fat loss to maintenance, but I suppose it will be useful again now. I REALLY fear outgrowing my clothes. How do you resist the temptation to cut calories again when your jeans and dress pants are…

Great advice. I was wondering which way to go. In the past, I have always increased reps because the heavier I went, the more I sacrificed form, but after three years of consistent lifting, I have form down pretty good. Lowering the reps would be something I have only done once, when I was doing a strength program. Thanks!!

^^^ Lol. Ugh...unicorns. I obviously don't speak unicorn because he missed the intent of my question. Regardless, I had some useful feedback, which I think makes sense. I ate way above maintenance this weekend, slept in three days, took 2-4 hour naps in the day (weekend with no kids or work...awesome) and only did my usual…

My apologies. I didn't realize that putting muscle on now requires one to completely sacrifice fitness and overall good health. I wasn't aware that the ONLY way to do it is to pick up pieces of iron a specific amount of time. I guess I always thought that athletes had muscle AND excellent fitness levels. Now I know what to…

Here we go... Those were from day one to my lowest body fat point These are day one of weight lifting These are at my lowest body fat. Was focusing on fat loss. These are from the last 6 months. I have been doing a super slow bulk for the past 18 months The final pic is of my original size 13 pants behind my current size 3…

You guys all look so amazing. Great work

I didn't say anything about reps while weight lifting NOT stimulating muscle growth. I said that HIIT has been effective for it as well. I allow for my joints, tendons and nervous system to get a break from the stress of lifting weights, while still stimulating fast twitch fibers for possible growth, by doing HIIT cardio.…

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the feedback. :-)

Exactly. That is why I am so confused. I finally gained 3-4 pounds since September, but like I said...seems like a significant amount of fat gain, rather than muscle. The decrease in strength also makes me think I am not gaining muscle.

I did my last deload at 50% of my usual weight in September before I increased calories above maintenance. I did reverse diet for over a year. It worked great. I gained minimal body fat and added just under 20 pounds. HIIT is very effective at stimulating muscle growth because you activate fast twitch muscle fibers that…

Agree with Jacksonpt's 3rd point. Enough on the cardio...make your weight training as intense as possible, otherwise, you may as well leave it out altogether. That's my own personal experience. You got this!!

costume....8.5

Hansome, lean and mean! Great work.

Congratulations on taking your health seriously. I commend you on that. I encourage you to set realistic and obtainable goals, first and foremost. Maybe look at setting a smaller goal, to achieve in a shorter timeframe. 60-70 pounds would put your 5'8" frame at 125-135 pounds. If you dieted that hard in a year's time, I…

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Chicken Egg Whites Oatmeal EVERY single day.

^^^ This. Girls love a challenge. Strong and worthy women don't want *****es and if we get whatever we want, whenever we want it...and you're the sucker providing it without a chase, we will seek out a worthy alpha and leave your *kitten* in the friend zone. She isn't out of your league...no one is. Don't go get her...make…

Try the less is more avenue maybe. I had to drop from 6 days a week (when I first started and didn't know any better) to five days a week (still addicted and didn't want to lift any less) to 4 days a week (really getting serious about gains, so dropped cardio, too) to 3 days a week now. I am hating that I don't get to lift…

My goal is to be mentally strong enough to continue the "bulk" I've been attempting for the past two years. Lol. I start making gains in size, and have little panic attacks about the amount of fat that comes with it, so I "slow down" and end up right back where I started. I have increased and stuck with my bulk since May…