dazedandconfused87

Love ladies who lift! Just starting the journey myself, feel free to add :)

Hi everyone, I'm starting Workout 1B of stage 1 today. My first session of workout 1A was good! A lot quicker than I had anticipated and the seated rows were killer as were the pushups. I feel it in my shoulders and arms! A quick question regarding the step-ups and the lunges for work-out 1B. Is a complete set considered…

I JUST bought NROL4W! I am looking forward to getting started -- a bit overwhelmed and intimidated but this thread already gives GREAT info! I'm going to be supplementing the workouts with a day of yoga and I might also do one day of cardio since I do enjoy to jog. This thread is great though, and I know it'll help me on…

I actually just posted a status about this -- I don't want to hijack the thread but do you all recommend purchasing a FitBit? What do you primarily use it for? What are the key benefits? I've looked into purchasing one but haven't done any in-depth research yet. Thanks!

Somehow missed this -- WOW... that's amazing! Gonna look it up :)

Hmmm ok, this is good to know. I am just concerned about form as I have never used barbell weights before and the personal trainer at my gym strongly DISCOURAGED me in doing so, which was quite de-motivating!

Hmmmm ok -- my goal weight is listed as 20 lbs below what I'm at now - but I don't think I look my weight (not that there is anything wrong with it) so if I were to be just do a recomp and lose 5-10lbs on the way I think I would be satisfied as well. I definitely have a medium to large body frame - not small. I am in the…

I went at it right away -- I started increasing slowly first but then decided to go all in and stop freaking out over the inevitable weight gain -- needed to accept that this is my body for LIFE and that taking care of it is more important than anything else. It caused me a lot of stress and anxiety to think about the…

Hmmmm ok, that sounds like really great advice too. I had been thinking of maybe hiring a trainer for a couple of introductory sessions to get some pointers and feedback and a preliminary plan going at least. I did join the stronglifts group a few days ago and I just need to read through it when I have time this weekend.

Hello! Long post so I am going to try and best address everything you've asked -- 1. I would do a short "HIIT" circuit after weight training based on a program I found online. It was HIIT in that it was burpees, jump squats, mountain climbers, etc all done in succession in about 2:00 minutes, with a break between sets. So…

^^^ Very helpful, thank you. I'm currently trying to do a "reset" as per the EM2WL guidelines so I think I need to eat at maintenance/TDEE a little bit longer. Ultimately the 15 lbs is just a gauge, I am open to seeing how I feel as I continue to build muscle/strength and lose some fat.

Oh sorry, and one more thing -- currently sitting at 5'7 and 150 lbs. Ideally would like to lose 15 lbs but I am not married to that idea - more interested in recomp. However, whenever I stop eating @ TDEE - I should do a 15% cut, correct?

Thank you. It was just tough to realize that by working out on my own for approximately 3 years now and "yo-yo dieting" (didn't realize I was YOYO dietingbut now I see that's all I was doing from learning from MFP) that I have basically been spinning my wheels in the mud and not getting anywhere, not getting any more fit…

Hmmm ok, that makes sense. Usually, I'll cook out 1/2 a cup of quinoa in 1 cup of water. Which becomes 2 cups once it's cooked if I'm correct. At which case, I'll usually measure out 46.5 grams as 1/4 of a cup but maybe that calculation is wrong? I don't know why I find this one so confusing lol. I guess I would weigh out…

Keep us posted on your results!

Just responding because this is awesome! Thank you for laying things out so clearly. I can't believe I was depriving myself so long of foods I loved because I didn't think I could remain slim while eating them. THANK YOU!!!!!

I understand that, low self esteem and EDs often go hand in hand. What you need to realize is that no number on a scale will ever make you love yourself. You need to accept yourself and love yourself always - whether you're at one weight or another. Undernourishing your body and running it into the ground to be a certain…

You're really young and in your photos you look very, very thin and small. You can't exist on a caloric deficit forever. Your body needs calories for energy to keep you alive and healthy. More educated people in this forum can speak to maintenance than me, but bottom line is you need more calories to be healthy and for…

I was in the same boat as you -- I started dieting really naively -- I didn't count calories or anything because I was on a plan that encouraged not counting calories bc it was obsessive, but it also encouraged exercising 7 days a week (even if having an "active" rest day), no dairy after 10:00am, no starch after 3:00pm...…

I can't speak to the carb thing -- I'll let one of the more qualified EM2WL members comment, but I will say your weight is just a number and it doesn't define you. No matter what, you will eventually need to up your calories to maintenance levels because you cannot be creating a deficit forever. Your body needs food for…

Thanks guys! I am tracking calories and making sure I'm eating close if not slightly over the Scooby TDEE, lifting weights and doing some light HIIT style routines (only 2x per week). I haven't stepped on the scale yet because I don't want to discourage myself or get too fixated on the numbers but overall I am feeling good…

Thank you, that's why I'm trying to figure out what works best for me. I think overall it's just tough to figure out what my maintenance will be as I feel like I'm fluctuating a lot right now but I don't know if it's just bloat as my body gets used to more calories and less activity or if it's PMS perhaps..

Your weight is just a number - don't let it define you or warp your self perception. A number doesn't represent how happy or full your life is! Starving yourself is not sustainable weight loss and it puts stress on your body. You can eat lots, be healthy and still enjoy food!

That's a very great point. I was so used to exercising on limited calories and not eating most of them back so I'm not really sure what my body will be able to do with this increased energy. It'll be interesting to see! I really do love running outdoors but I've taken a bit of a break because my body was aching and so…

Thanks! That's what I was hoping to hear. I love being active and I lam not looking to go back to bad habits -- just was a bit nervous about increasing calories to maintenance and exercising less but I need to lessen it to a degree since when I was so focused on losing, other areas of my life suffered. I am happy at my…

Yup, that's what I've done. I've ditched cardio for the time being and have moved to upper and lower body strength training.

How many cals per day do you eat to maintain?

Because when I was exercising everyday sometimes twice a day on a restricted calorie intake, I overdid it and burned myself out. I needed to give my body a break because I felt constantly achy and I wasn't allowing for enough rest. I don't dispute the mental and physical benefits of exercise, however even if you're doing…

Hi, Hoping this post is ok to ask a few questions in. I'm a woman who recently lost some weight and I want to move into maintenance mode now but recomp my body. I'm currently taking a break from cardio to give my body a rest, but previously I was exercising 5-6 days per week with a blend of jogging, HIIT and calisthenics +…

I have just switched my calories up to maintenance and have cut out cardio workouts for the time being to give my body time to heal after overtraining and underfueling (unintentionally) and I've been eating between 2,000 - 2400 per day and I feel like I am always hungry!!!!! Eating much larger portions of food when I eat…