Fitness Safari

The F-Word

2012-02-16T15:21:00.006-05:00

Fresh fruit will not make you fat.

I don't know about you, but my favorite part of any food store is the produce department. I love the rainbow of colors, shapes and sizes on display. The playful misting of the lettuces, the exotic vegetables I've never heard of from parts of the world I've only read about. I can't imagine anyone getting fat by eating a variety of any combination of the foods you find here. So why do people think fruit will make them fat?

It's the F-Word - Fructose

Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide and one of three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Unlike glucose which can be immediately available to the muscles, however, fructose must first be processed in the liver, giving it the lowest glycemic index of all sugars.

Naturally, fructose is found in fruit, many plants and some vegetables, but not in very high concentrations. Fructose is very sweet - perhaps the sweetest of all natural sugars. That's why an orange can taste amazing with just 2.25g fructose per 100g of fruit. To think you can get fat from eating fresh fruit is just absurd.

Beware of Dried Fruit

All fruit is not alike. While I LOVE the chewy bundles of natural sugar called dates, they top the list of sugary fruits weighing in at 73g of total sugar per 100g of fruit - about half of which is fructose. Raisins, Craisins and all other manner of dried fruit also pack a wallop in the sugar department, so tread lightly here.

Why the bad rap?
If getting fat from fresh fruit is impossible, then why has fructose been villainized?

In short, I like to blame modern chemistry. Commercially, fructose is usually derived from sugar cane, sugar beets and corn and can be found in high concentrations in all manner of food products from baked goods and condiments to juice boxes and soda. Fructose in its most natural form comes complete with tons of water, fiber and various micro nutrients making it hard as hell to overeat. When it's separated from the mother ship and processed into a syrup and poured into a can, the concentration that humans can consume quickly and easily shoots to the moon - and back!

You would have to eat 13 oranges to get the same amount of fructose found in ONE 20 oz. non-diet soda.

Which do you think will make you feel full?

Are you beginning to see the problem? Now, add increased fructose consumption to the fact that this sweetest-of-sweet has been shown in studies to suppress Leptin - the hormone that tells our body that we're not hungry. High leptin = low appetite and vice-versa. At the same time, it raises levels of Ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger. The result? Feeling hungrier; eating more.

Ever eat a brownie or drink a Coke and want another...and another...and another? Does the same thing happen when you eat apples? No, of course not.

Fruit is Berry Friendly

I'd like to introduce you to your friendly neighborhood strawberry. Weighing in at approximately 5.3g sugar/100g of fruit, this little gem is 91% water. Binge all you want on strawberries. Unless they're coated in a pound of chocolate, they will not make you fat.

So set your fear of fresh fruit aside and indulge. Grab a kiwi, a pile of berries, even a banana *gasp* and EAT. Not only will you satisfy your sweet tooth, you will be loading up your body with vitamins, minerals and fiber to keep your motor revving.

Disclaimer: If you're eating like a pig and consuming more calories than you are using in a day, you will gain weight over time.

QUICK FRUIT LIST- Fructose per 100 grams
Eat from the bottom up on this list and you can't go wrong

1. Dates, 32 grams/32%

2. Raisins, 29.7 grams/27.9%

3. Figs, 22.9 grams/22.9%

4. Prunes, 12.5 grams/12.5%

5. Grapes, 8.13 grams/8.13%

6. Pears, 6.23 grams/6.23%

7. Cherries, 6 grams/6%

8. Apples, 5.9 grams/5.9%

9. Persimmon, 5.56 grams/5.56%

10. Blueberry, 4.97 grams/4.97%

11. Bananas, 4.85 grams/4.85%

12. Kiwi Fruit, 4.35 grams/4.35%

13. Watermelon, 3.36 grams/3.36%

14. Plums, 3.07 grams/3.07%

16. Honeydew Melon, 2.96 grams/2.96%

17. Grapefruit, 2.5 grams/2.5%

18. Strawberry, 2.5 grams/2.5%

19. Blackberry, 2.4 grams/2.4%

20. Raspberry, 2.35 grams/2.35%

21. Orange, 2.25 grams/2.25%

22. Pineapple, 2.05 grams/2.05%

23. Cantaloupe, 1.87 grams/1.87%

24. Peach, 1.53 grams/1.53%

25. Nectarine, 1.37 grams/1.37%

26. Apricot, 0.94 gram/0.94%

LINKS:

Fruit Nutrition Facts
The difference between fructose and glucose: it's not all in your mind

The Most Important 'Muscle'

2012-02-10T11:09:00.000-05:00

Last night when I was finished my bench/pull-up/dip routine, I had some extra energy - and time. I hopped on the treadmill and just started walking. I like walking. Whether it's around the neighborhood with my dog or on a treadmill in the gym, I find that when I'm walking is pretty much the only time my mind is totally free to meander wherever it wants to. I started thinking...

Despite the fact that I'm fighting a cold and hadn't slept well in a day or two, I felt really, really great. I wanted to run or even maybe do some HIIT intervals to help ignite my fat burning furnace. But then the voice of my coach echoed in my head, "When on a cut, don't be stupid and do too much."

My coach, Andy.

Well, maybe those weren't his exact words, but the general idea is spot on. Regardless of how good I feel or how impatient I'm getting with the snail's pace of fat loss I'm experiencing, too much training volume or intensity will only be counterproductive as it will impair my recovery and put added stress on my central nervous system (CNS). Hell, that stupid bench pyramid routine I did on Sunday is probably the reason this cold was able to take hold of me in the first place. Simply put, I did too much. I compromised my immune system. Now I'm paying the price in sniffles and swollen sinuses. Lesson learned.

While none of you would disagree that the "no" muscle is the most important muscle to exercise when dieting, you may not realize its effect on your training as well. Rest = Recovery. It's a simple equation, really. Contrary to popular opinion, we don't actually build muscle in the gym. No; the gym is where we tear it down. We push, pull, lift, strain, and do all manner of cruel things to our muscles when we train - none of which leaves room for simultaneous growth. We grow when we rest because then, and only then, is our body able to repair the damage we have done and respond to the added requirements by building the new bonds that result in lean tissue growth.

This is the same reason nutrient timing is so critical for optimal muscle growth. If you pig out before you train when your muscles are heavy with glucose, nutrients and calories that would be used for recovery and repair had they been consumed post workout basically go to waste - or worse, to you're waistline.

Exercise your "no" muscle as often as you can. Saying no to over training is as critical to your success as saying no to that cookie or brownie. (Unless it's a special occasion, of course!)

And keep walking. I did.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

2012-02-07T14:07:00.002-05:00

Ever hear the expression, "Too many cooks spoil the broth?" Put simply it means, when trying to cook something - even something as simple as broth - too many conflicting ideas will ruin it. If you have too many people adding this and that, with no cohesive plan or recipe, your broth will taste more like dishwater than anything palatable when you're done.

Training and fitness are the same. I never really put it together until Andy commented on a crazy bench press pyramid routine I tried the other day that I posted on Fitocracy. It's not that he was against the routine, per se, but he did point out that I'm on a pretty strict cut and the volume was way too high and will likely affect recovery and progress at this point. He warned me not to fall prey to the "too many cooks" trap.

He's right, of course. But I was frustrated with my RPT bench routine which has stalled at 110 lbs. x 4 reps and was looking to do something different to break through my plateau. I'm looking to bench my body weight (119) for reps. A guy at my gym is a heavy-duty bench press competitor and he suggested I try the pyramid. In all honesty, the weight was pretty light until the middle couple of sets, but it was still overkill in my current state of dieting. My bench press 'kitchen' went from two cooks (me and Andy), who had agreed on a certain routine, to three cooks - and I started doubting myself.

This also applies to diet and nutrition. As more and more IF and Leangains-related Facebook groups pop-up, I'm finding myself straying from the very ideals that got me to where I am today. Like with the bench routine, I've started doubting my diet approach and foods I eat based on the posts of dozens of people I don't even know.

There's a lot about nutrition, training and life that I don't know. But I do know this: I know that what works for a 28-year old man will not likely be right for me. In a similar fashion, that which works for a woman who is 80 lbs. overweight will not be right for me. And I know that what works for me, may not be right for anyone else.

As for all of you other "cooks" out there:

I am not lactose, glucose, or gluten intolerant; I could care less about what sweetener is in my casein or BCAA powder; I will never give up chocolate - or settle for a substitute. I love Brussels Sprouts cooked in bacon fat; meat by the pound; eating like a barbarian - and training like one, too. I love the euphoria I feel in the gym before I KNOW I'm about to kill it. I love how my body is continually changing for the better.

And I love to train low volume and lift heavy shit. Why?

BECAUSE I CAN.

(Thanks, Andy, for stepping in and saving me from what could have turned into a full-on derailment of my program.)

Big Words, a Simple Solution...

2012-01-31T11:26:00.000-05:00

I've been getting dizzy. For the past few days, whenever I sit up too fast fromlying down or if I move too quickly, I get that odd out-of-balance feeling andfeel like I may fall over - just for a second or two. Curious as to whetherthis phenomenon was diet or life-threatening-malady related, I did what anyonewould do: I Googled it.

"dizzy, low carb diet" yielded the followingdiagnosis:

Orthostatic hypotension, also known as posutralhypotention, orthostasis, and colloquially as headrush or dizzy spell, is a form of hypotension in which a person'sblood pressure suddenly falls when the person stands up or stretches. -Wikipedia.

I also found a number of forum discussions on variouslow-carb diet websites discussing this very problem. Some say it's sodiumrelated. Some say it's calorie related. Some say it's fat related...and so on.But the idea that this has something to do with a lack of sodium makes the mostsense to me - and it fits.

I have always had low blood pressure. I'm not on medicationfor it, but I usually come in around 90/50 when I'm at the doctor's office -and this is often after my morning coffee. I am on a very low calorie and lowcarb diet at the moment which, on its own will help the body rid itself of alot of water. And, since I use salt very sparingly on my food, and drink twoquarts of homemade iced green tea a day, I think that perhaps I do have asodium deficiency.

Think about it, people with high blood pressure are asked to reduce theirsodium intake. This is because sodium causes the body to hold excess waterintended to flush the excess salt from the body, thus thickening blood volumeresulting in increased pressure within the circulatory system. If I'm flushingout all of my sodium and not consuming enough of it, my blood volume willactually decrease.

So, I'm going to up my salt intake over the next few daysand see if the spells decrease or disappear altogether. Stay tuned. I'll getyou an update this weekend - oh, and will post my month 1 pics from the cut I'mon. Not sure there's a huge change, but we'll see when I take pics andmeasurements on Friday.

STFU and Squat

2012-01-29T09:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to my new gym for my first Saturday workout with a group of men - and one woman - who meet each week to squat, deadlift and bench press. The most helpful of these folks was Jack (#1). Age 77, Jack #1 is a former team USA powerlifter who deadlifts around 440 lbs. Did i mention, he probably weigh 150 lbs soaking wet? He helped me rack and unrack the weights and set up for each person we were working with. He also followed me at the end of each set to ensure I got it racked correctly and safely.

Also in the mix was Jack #2 (nicknamed 'the old Russian'). Aged 60-something, in his day, Jack #2 held 14 powerlifting records. I'm not sure if they were state, National or International - I will find out and get back to you. Anyway, the two Jacks were quite helpful and I found it very motivating to work in with them.

Since the rack we were using was not adjustable, I had to step outside of it to get ATG in my squats. They all said my form was spot-on and, if anything, that I was going "lower than I needed to." These guys all think in terms of competitions, not necessarily full ROM or even functional strength, so they were giving me tips related to "the rules" of meets. Regardless, I performed all of my squats, except my heaviest set, outside of the rack and even heard some of the guys watching me say things like, "she's really going low," which motivated me to keep my form and continue going as deep as I could while focusing on the rebound off the bottom. I have found that it's true, if you hesitate at the bottom of your squat, you lose the energy that was stored in your glutes and hamstrings on the way down. You have to literally 'bounce' off the bottom of the movement and explode up through your hips to complete the movement.

I also love the fact they they put a sheet over the mirror where you squat so you can't watch yourself. All you can do is pick your spot on the wall and focus on the movement. While it was a bit intimidating to work out with so many critical eyes on me, I believe it will ultimately only help me to improve my form, increase my motivation and even make a few new friends.
...
As for the diet, I've taken it quite loosely over the weekend as I was feeling weak, a bit sick and not great late last week. I'm still eating mostly protein and veggies, but I gave the scales a break - no weighing food and no weighing me. My mood has since improved and the bit of extra carbs I ate on my rest days are helping. I'm still under 75g carbs and within my macros, so I think I'll be ok.

It's Sunday and time to get moving. I've got lots to do today and don't have time to sit here, chatting with you folks all day. Take care.

A look back

2012-01-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

Just a quick look back at, well, at my back...to remind me that I am making progress. The cut diet is hard and I'm struggling, but I'm trying to stay positive and stick to it. Every now and again I like to look back to find the motivation I need to stay the course. The harsher flash in the second pic washes out what I believe are my improving back muscles...anyway, here's today's inspiration:

January 2011 - 129 lbs of 'skinny fat'

January 2012 - 119 lbs; goodbye 'skinny fat'

Let the games begin!

2012-01-10T10:52:00.003-05:00

This is me Jan 3 - before I started the cut.

Ok, I'm on day 7 of my 12-week cut with Andy Morgan and I'm feeling good. Days 1-3 were pretty brutal as I adjusted to the wakeup call of very low calories. My first workout, which fell on Day 3, was absolutely horrid - and it wasn't even fasted. My lack of energy and poor performance was probably related to a number of factors - diet, sleep, stress, etc - but I was weaker than I had been in months.

Then, just two days later I headed to the gym for what would end up being my best squat workout to date - this time fasted and on hour 17 with only BCAAs and 200mg caffeine on board.

Those of you who have been following my journey know I only began squatting a couple of months ago due to a knee injury, so my weights aren't all that impressive. At about 119.6 lbs, my back squat on Sunday was 135 x 5 (top set) - still a new record for me. And I went below parallel for each - super low. I also added a third drop set to each movement that day - back squats, split squats and standing barbell OHP and hit new bests on top sets of each.

Now I'm about a week in and I feel great. I won't weigh myself until Friday, so I can't tell you what my initial weight loss was as of yet - but this is probably best as the first few days is all water anyhow. And boy can I hold water!

I'm still dialing in my macros - it's hard to eat exactly as instructed when I'm not always home - work, friend's/boyfriend's house, restaurants - but I think I'm staying very close and this should get easier. The hardest is when out with friends. Restaurants don't serve s#it for protein. I'm also hungry a lot - but not the "omg my stomach hurts" kind of hunger - though I did have that the first super low-cal night. I'm just always a bit grumbly and feel the hunger hormones at work on my brain. Then I'll have a training day meal and it will go away until the end of my rest day...and so the cycle continues.

Stay tuned for more updates as I chronicle my experience. I'll post photos and my week 1 weight sometime this weekend if I can. I'm traveling for business - another challenge to the diet - so it may not be until week 2.

A Year in Pictures...

2011-12-29T15:16:00.029-05:00

I just finished a 38-hour fast. I had never fasted that long before, and I don't plan on making it a habit but, after a 5-day fun and food fest in New Orleans with my family for Christmas, I felt the need to do something drastic to get back on track.

Going a day and a half without food was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Perhaps this is because I've grown accustomed to going 16-18 hours without food daily anyway - of all the things that taking on intermittent fasting, a la Leangains, has taught me is that I can control what I eat and when I eat it.

I was traveling home yesterday and have to admit that the airport was the hardest for me. We had nearly a 2-hour delay in which I watched the folks around me scoff ice cream, cinnamon rolls, po-boys and all manner of chips and pretzels while I was inundated by amazingly delicious smells all around me. Then, when I finally boarded the plane, the man next to me pulled out an industrial size bag of trail mix - one of my favorites, but currently not on my menu. I hunkered down, drank a ton of water, and read.

When I got home and went to bed, I wasn't even hungry. In fact, I wasn't hungry when I woke up either. At hour 36, I stopped for coffee since it was 22 degrees outside, but I didn't like how it tasted with half & half, so I threw it out. I LOVE half & half...what is happening to me?

Is this because of the past month where I've gone somewhat primal and gave up dairy? I don't like the taste of it now - or the way it coats my mouth. Yuck.

Anyway, I digress...for lunch I got a rotisserie chicken - which I barely ate any of because it was ungodly overcooked and dry as the bones within the poor, darkened bird. Instead, I enjoyed a heaping salad with EVOO and Balsamic vinegar and a pint of strawberries.

When I get home and look in the mirror, I'm somewhat dismayed to see that while I have new lines in my legs and the front of my thighs, my pooch of a belly looks BIGGER. UGH! According to a dear friend, this happens when everything else is getting smaller before the belly shrinks. Let's hope the belly is next to go.

So, I took some photos and wasn't really happy - that is until I looked back at the past year's worth of photos I've taken. When I look back from January to this week, I can clearly see my progress. It hasn't been as rapid as I would have liked, nor as drastic - nonetheless it's there. So, for all the rest of you out there who are working toward fat loss and finding it's taking longer than you had hoped, check out the photos below and have faith that, if you stick with your plan, you will see dramatic changes in your body.

Happy New Year everyone and cheers! Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint!

January 15 - When my IF Journey began...

February 15th

March

April - bathing suit shopping...and I thought I looked good then...lol

May

August

Mid-November in Costa Rica

December 27th - After a weekend pig-fest in New Orleans...still looking ok...

Me in January 2011 vs. January 2012....

I wasn't diligent in taking pics of my back...but here's Jan v. December. They are mirror images because the one with the sportsbra was taken by someone and the other was taken by me in a mirror a few days ago. The lighting is also totally different in each, so it doesn't look like much has changed.

Back from the Brink...How IF Changed One Woman's Life

2011-12-20T11:45:00.006-05:00

New blog and first FFF profile has been posted on Fierce. Fit. Fearless.

Introducing Lisa C., one of the founding members and the instigator behind starting an IF group for women. Thank you, Lisa, for opening up about your life-long battle over your body image.

How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them.

~ Benjamin Franklin

Pura Vida!

2011-12-01T08:13:00.007-05:00

I recently returned from a 6-day surf trip I took to Costa Rica with my 13-year old daughter, Brenna. I heart Tamarindo and just knew it would be the best place for my teen's first surfari. While we didn't travel the country at all, we surfed every day in near 80-degree water. We met some wonderful people and even made a few friends along the way.

What's more is that, by day four, Brenna was paddling into and riding her own waves! No more pushes needed from me or her instructor. She took the bull by the horns and handled it. I would love to share video of her tremendous feat, but the battery door of the crapola Fuji waterproof camera I bought for the trip opened in the pocket of my boardshorts, trashing the camera. :( Oh, well. Her accomplishment - and our entire first surf trip together - will forever remain burned in my memory.

As a side note, I received numerous compliments from others at the camp - including instructors - on my paddling strength. Considering I haven't surfed in months, I'd have to say my training in the gym is reaping dividends throughout my life and not just when I'm lifting things up and putting them down.

So, if you're passionate about any sport or physical activity, don't be afraid that lifting heavy will slow you down. You may be surprised at just how much better you perform!

Time to set a new goal...

2011-11-14T11:19:00.002-05:00

New blog post at FierceFitFearless. After nearly a year of consistent training, I reached the deadlift goal of 220 lbs that I set back in February. Read about it here...

Next goal set: 250 lbs by Memorial Day, 2012.

Deadlifted 215 x 4 today @bodyweight of 116. Another PR!

2011-11-02T19:42:00.008-04:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. The Triple F Crew is now 762 strong and grows a bit every day thanks to Martin Berkhan and Andrew Morgan helping us to spread the word to all the FIERCE ladies out there.

Had an amazing workout today. It was one of those days that I just KNEW I would smash records. I was practically skipping off the treadmill during my warmup. Buzzing - literally - I was bouncing around to my music and getting psyched for DEADS.

Last time I tried them, I was nursing a strained back and could barely pull 185. Before that, 215 x 1. Before that was my all time record of 215 x 3 almost a month ago. Well, I am more than ecstatic to report that today I hit 215 lbs x 4 (one added rep on my previous PR) and 195 x 5 (more added reps even on second set).

Additionally, my leg extensions are up to 150 x 8, 135 x 9 and, for weighted chins, I spaced and added an extra 5 lbs more than planned and cranked out +32.5 lbs x 3 - I was deflated, thinking I lost two reps on my previous best of +27.5 x 5, until I realized I had a 25 lb plate, a 5 lb plate and a 2.5 lb plate hanging on the chain. Ooops. That's the kind of mistake that helps us to break plateaus! Ended chins with +20 x 5, bodyweight x 9.

Speaking of my bodyweight I weighed in at 116 lbs this morning - a weight I have been holding within a pound for months now, but the strength is increasing, legs are beginning to show definition as are my arms, shoulders and chest. Latest pics taken in crappy light in my crappier bathroom mirror about a week ago...Still thick in the middle, but it's shrinking ever soooooo slooooowly. Haha. Regardless, I feel AMAZING. I feel light. I feel strong. And I feel FIERCE!

RPT and Why I Never Get Bored

2011-09-30T09:09:00.005-04:00

Ever since Martin's new blog post mentioned me and the FB group I started, we've nearly tripled in size. We're also getting a lot of newbies who just don't know where to start. I remember when I first stumbled on www.leangains.com - there's a TON of detailed science in those posts and it was a bit overwhelming. I can still go back on any given day and learn something new from his posts and I am thankful for his generosity in literally giving away his intellectual property freely and to anyone.

That said, one newbie asked "What is Reverse Pyramid Training?" I know the basics - start at heaviest weight, limited sets, low volume, high-rest, etc...and this is how I've been training since about February. But it wasn't until I went back to Martin's blog to get the link to his description of RPT to post for the group when I realized I wasn't doing it quite right.

So, for all of you who think you're doing it right - as well as for those of you who may be just beginning, read this and get back on track.

BTW - I have to admit that, even after eight months of nearly the exact same routine, I still have yet to grow bored in the weight room. I attack every movement with increased fervor with the goal of either improving on my reps or my weights - or both whenever possible - and, as long as my diet has been clean, I almost always improve).

It is because of this that I have gone from a deadlift of 135lbs to 215lbs; bench press of 75lbs to 110lbs; overhead shoulder press of 15lbs (dumbbells) to 30lbs / 45lb Olympic bar to 65lbs; chinups/pullups from 0 unassisted to 3 body weight +27.5 lbs (142.5 lbs total) - mind you, after two sets of weighted chins (or pullups), I can usually do 8-10 body weight reps. I can do even more dips.

I log every exercise, every weight and every rep. I have gone through one mini-notebook already and have started a new one. I will one day have a Library of Progress to look back upon. While a rock hard six-pack still eludes me, I couldn't be happier with my progress in such a short time and I look forward to comparing my photos from January of 2011 to January of 2012 and beyond. At the end of next year I will be 40 and I plan on looking and feeling better than I did at 20. Hell, I already do!

Post #100!!!

2011-08-29T22:14:00.024-04:00

I logged in to add an update and saw that this is my 100th blog posting. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to take a look back at where I started back in January (top photo) and compare to where I am today, August 30, (2nd photo) - almost 9 months later.

I have to say it's been a long road, and I have not yet reached my destination, but my progress since January is unmistakable. I've already learned a lot from my journey through IF and Leangains - patience, determination, the importance of setting goals (both big and small), and how much it helps to have a support network to help you when the road gets bumpy.

So, thank you Martin Berkhan for Leangains and your continued encouragement and support to all of those people who are changing their lives by applying what you've learned;

Thanks to Scott Black for your constant support, honesty and so many laughs;

Thanks to my FFF ladies - you are hands down the BEST group on Facebook. Keep up the great discussions, I learn something new from you all nearly every day.

Thanks to Chase for not making too much fun of me for eating like a linebacker or getting annoyed when I break out my digital food scale before plating my meals.

And thank you to all of my friends - near and far - for not judging/hating - though you think I'm insane for how much I eat and the weights I attempt to lift, you're all still there for me in spite of my insanity.

Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

Day 9 PSMF - Pics

2011-08-25T16:41:00.003-04:00

No time to write - got a plane to catch. Here are some pics from the beginning of Day 9 of my PSMF experiment.

More to come...stay tuned!

Addressing a Naysayer...

2011-08-22T22:14:00.011-04:00

Ok, I know it's not Wednesday - your traditional "hump day," but it is day 6 of my 12-day PSMF experiment. It's all downhill from here...I hope.

I've made it 6 full days so far without a carb or fat fest. My weight is slowly creeping down as is my BF% according to my crappy Tanita. 113.6 lbs, 26.0% bodyfat. I still think that's off, and I know it has a lot to do with water retention, etc., but I am still carrying a lot of softness in my belly still, so it's probably, sadly, accurate or at least close.

Anyway, as an aside from my boring protein-rich meals, I wanted to share with you all an email I received in response to my last blog. It's from a man named David.

Now, David, if you are reading this, I hope you are not upset that I posted your email. I mean, if you are going to question the validity and necessity of what I'm doing and writing about in a public forum, I thought I would open the floor for debate starting with your letter.

Here's what David wrote (edited for grammar and spelling b/c typos and misspelled words make me crazy):

I understand what your doing but really, what does it have to do with fitness and weight loss? Short term gains for aesthetics is anathema to overall fitness, good habits and total image of ones self. Your goals are your own, but this recent bout of "diet" is unhealthy and in my opinion counter-productive. What is more important, a strong woman with a body that may not conform to the magazine's image of a fit female, or that small section of that is a hindrance to the prototypical six pack. Frankly, I think you're stronger with the you, that is really you.

Best wishes and good luck with what ever makes you happy. I pray though, that you actually derive happiness from your goals.

Your friend in training,
Dave

So Dave...you wonder what any of this has to do with fitness and weight loss? Let me address Fitness first.

Would you or would you not concede that a 115 lb woman who can deadlift 200 lbs, benchpress 105 lbs, do weighted chinups with 30 xtra lbs strapped to her, weighted dips and pullups with 20 xtra lbs strapped to her is somewhat fit?

I can deadlift nearly twice my weight then do 5 sets of RPT style weighted chinups and STILL do 7 or more bodyweight chinups when I'm finished. I'm not a fast runner - I am not training to run - but I can easily run a 5k right now if you wanted me to and finish in the middle of the pack somewhere.

I was nearly 130 lbs and 30% bodyfat in January of this year. I used to train like a mad woman - probably overtrained - and never saw results. Why? Because my diet was terrible. I never counted calories. I never cycled carbs. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. And though I was not obese by any standard, I was setting myself up for an unhealthy future. My mother has adult onset diabetes...she loves carbs. I myself had cancer 12 years ago - you would know this if you read more of my blog than a couple of posts about an experimental high-protein diet. I am on a quest - one that will last for the rest of my life - to get lean, be strong and stay that way until I die - Which, statistics show, will likely be later in life the leaner I am.

Weight Loss? Well, I'm not sure I ever said I need to lose 'weight.' If I did, I misspoke. I'm not concerned with just losing lbs on the scale. I don't care what the scale reads if my bodyfat is low enough to see my abs - even if just a shadow of them. Whether that's 105 lbs or 125lbs, it won't matter to me. Muscle is compact, dense and, when in the right proportion, is sexy as hell and i want to build it and show it off.

To strip my body of nearly 39 years of accumulated fat and toxins, I'm experimenting with fasting and macros cycling to see what works for me with as little discomfort and muscle loss as possible. I've done the 'eat 6 meals a day' thing. I've run mile after mile after mile. I was even a personal trainer and spouted all of this nonsense to others (for which I will be eternally sorry). I bought it all - hook, line and sinker.

Not any more.

I don't take expensive designer supplements. I use creatine, whey, casein, fish oil and vitamins. That's it.

When I eat, my plate is generally half protein and half vegetables. I eat more fibrous veggies in a single day than most Americans eat in a week. Carbs, mostly in to form of complex carbs, come in after workouts and that's it. I drink water, iced and hot green tea, black coffee, unsweetened almond milk and diet soda (with vodka, of course) when I need something sweet. Tell me, Dave, how is my lifestyle unhealthy? Because I'm on a reduced calorie diet for 12 days? Puhleeeeze. My PSMF experiement has more to do with training my brain to recognize true hunger while teaching myself a little discipline than anything else. As a result, I should also shed some true bodyfat - notice I said "bodyfat" and not "weight."

I eat broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, blueberries, strawberries, pork, lean beef, bison, seafood and chicken. When not on PSMF I eat Greek yogurt and tons of cottage cheese, natural peanut butter, sweet potatoes, brown rice and a plethora of additional vegetables. I do LOVE Oreos - they are my vice. I take a multivitamin, fish oil and calcium, when I remember, due to the suppressive dose of synthroid I'm on from the cancer. (As an aside, check out this blog post about the effect of fasting on my medication dosages.)

Where am I going wrong? Would you be more comfortable if I was blogging about my latest obsession with Bavarian Cream Doughnuts? Would it be more acceptable if I logged dozens of miles of running each week while complaining about the repetitive stress injuries I'm suffering from due to overtraining? Tell me Dave, what would be acceptable?

How is a long-term eating and training program that I have sustained since I started in January - with no lapses - deemed "counterproductive?" How is getting strong as hell at the same time I strip off unnecessary, and unhealthy, bodyfat "counterproductive?" And exactly what part of these past 8 months worth of my blogposts archived here ----------->>>>>> give you the idea that this is a short term goal aimed and improving aesthetics?

I'm getting strong. I'm getting lean. As a byproduct, I'm going to look hotter at 40 than I ever did at 20 and you see something wrong with that? Am I missing something?

Tell me, Dave, did you read any of my blog posts or just this one you commented on? Because the PSMF is just a 12-day think to kick start fat loss - it's not something you continue in perpetuity. That doesn't mean I wouldn't go another round in a month or so, but PSMF is not intended to be a permanent eating lifestyle. Maybe you just misunderstood....

....

For all of my readers - if you have a stand on this issue - for or against what I do and how I'm doing it, I welcome your comments. Please do not hesitate to weigh in - I ask only 1 thing before you do so, however. Before submitting any comments, ask yourself if you're making a constructive point or just being a nay-saying PITA.

Thanks everyone. I'm tired. Day #7 has literally just begun!

And, Dave, I truly thank you for opening this debate. I'm sorry I was harsh; it's been a helluva day and I'm hungry. :)

Days 4 & 5

2011-08-21T10:39:00.009-04:00

It's Day 5 of Jenny's road to fat loss via the PSMF highway and I wanted to give you all an update on how I'm feeling and how the "diet" is working out.

Day 4, yesterday, was a definite test of my mental fortitude. I was hungry most of the day - even shortly after eating 10 oz boneless pork, piles of fibrous veggies, and a 2-scoop casein shake.

In the afternoon, I met a friend at the local fairgrounds where he was working a horse show. His company was one of the sponsors, so we got to hang in the VIP tent which, btw, was loaded with FOOD. Cheese, crackers, fruit, those giant cookie and brownie squares, pasta, sausage and peppers, and some kind of crabcake sliders...and I couldn't eat ANY of it. On our way out, I grabbed a teeny square of cheese which my dear friend, bless his sole, immediately wresteled from my hand and promptly threw away. It's so good to have support!

For dinner I had chicken and broccoli and then went out to meet friends at the Tiki Bar for one of their b-day and just had diet coke. Apparently I am allowed to drink straight vodka - gotta love it - but I was driving and also quite hungry and didn't think alcohol would have been a great idea. I was short on protein for the day by probably 30 g, so I need to do better at getting in the required amount or I'll be even hungrier!

Physiologically, it took a bit to get everything, uh, moving through my system. But I've increased my veggies and added psyllium husk fiber and more fluids which seem to have done the trick. Long walks with my dog also help me to keep everything going.

Today is supposed to be a training day, but my lower back is still not right (messed it up a week or so ago and it still feels out of whack). Will push my workout to tomorrow afternoon so I can get in to see my Chiropractor. He's had really good results when I get twisted like this.

It's 10:30 a.m. and I'm hungry - but I usually am anyway. Time to keep busy and keep hydrated!

PSMF - Day 3

2011-08-19T07:07:00.008-04:00

It's day 3 of my PSMF experiment and I don't feel any different than I have been feeling prior to beginning this diet.

Hunger Level - moderate at wake up - as always!
Abs Progress - tummy honestly feels tighter and more compact already...but that could just be wishful thinking. Took pics today and posted here - I'm going to try to take pics every few days and will also post all at once at the end of this to compare progress as time goes on.
Training Report - Did chest and shoulders yesterday and was able to maintain on my max bench (100 lbs x 4 without a spotter); added reps with incline DB press (40 lbs each hand x 6); DB military fell in weight, but I think it's because I killed my shoulders with the incline DB press; and dips jumped bigtime to bodyweight +20 lbs x 7. *These are all first set numbers. I completed two sets of each and three of dips RPT style.

I made my 170g protein for food intake yesterday thanks to a pound of boneless country style pork ribs and a pasta bowl full of steamed cauliflower yesterday along with the chicken, cabbage and egg whites I had at lunch time. YUMMY.

Today I have 330g (11 oz) of pork ribs left for lunch (66g protein), a single scoop casein shake (24 g protein); more cauliflower and not sure what I'll make for dinner. Maybe more chicken or a giant pile of tilapia fillets I have crammed in my fridge with a pile of broccoli. I think a little variety is a good thing or I'll get so sick of this diet I'll never make the next 9 days.

I also wanted to give a shout out to my FFF girls. Thank you all so much for your support of our Facebook group and, well, of me while I undertake this fairly hardcore "diet." You chicks rule.

An Exercise in Mental Discipline

2011-08-18T11:28:00.009-04:00

Ok....This week I will use the very last page of Jenny's LG Training Log - Volume I. I started back in early January and my log outlines what started as a convoluted journey full of twists and turns as I experimented with different routines and pushed to find my limits and has since straightened out to a nice, consistent routine of compound movements and heavy weight, low volume sessions with a few supplementary exercises added in at different points to help round out my weaknesses.

So, the other night, I was thumbing through the numbers to see just how far I've come. The first picture here was of my log about three weeks after I started fasting and was trying to settle into a routine. It was also the beginning of my deadlifts which were very low - not because I couldn't lift more, but because I wanted to ensure I didn't hurt myself while I was feeling out my limits.

The second photo (right) was taken just the other day. You'll see that my deads went from 115 x 5 in January to 200 lbs x 2.5 in August. (The half was me being honest about not being able to stand up straight the third rep). My chins also went from barely being able to do a few with no weight added to doing 4 with 25 extra lbs. I realize my volume is too high, but I am still happy with my results to this point.

Now...why am I still "fat." Well, first, many would argue that I am fat at all. I'm down to 115 lbs and have made massive strength gains indicating that I have packed on a fair amount of muscle since starting this training program and fasting lifestyle. My goal is not to just look "trim", however, my goal is to be LEAN. I don't want to be show-ready (10% BF), but am seeking whatever bodyfat level will show my 6-pack. As of now, I don't know what that will be.

My crappy Tanita BF scale is still telling me I'm around 25-26% BF - Since I am still soft and have many areas which are squishy, I'm inclined to believe it's close to the truth. And, of course, my abs still elude me. I think they've grown too attached to the inch of insulation that's been keeping them safe and warm.

Anyway, after conversing with a LG friend (Thanks, Scott Black), I've decided to take on the mother of all "crash diets" to strip off bodyfat. It's called the Protein Sparing Modified Fast and I will be testing the limits of my mental discipline for the next 12 days (well, 11 as of today) as I eat 1.5 g of LEAN protein per pound of bodyweight (approx 175g protein daily) and unlimited leafy green and cruciferous veggies. Only trace fats and carbs. This will put me in a pretty sizeable calorie deficit and, hopefully, my body will go into in serious fat-burning mode. I'll be hungry as ever as this will no doubt send my leptin (hunger hormone) through the roof. But, if it works and I notice changes in a couple of weeks, I will probably do it again after a brief respite to reset my leptin. If you want to get a general overview, Protein Sparing Modified Fast is explained in this guy's blog.

Many people who try this for the first time (including the guy who's blog I just linked to), don't make it for the full 12 days without a carb/fat refeed of some sort. I am blogging about my experience in an effort to keep me on the straight-and-narrow. I will also take some "before" pics tonight and post with "after" pics and measurements in two weeks to see if the diet accomplished anything.

Day 1 was yesterday. This is what I ate:

8 oz skinless chicken (50g protein)
8 oz flank steak (48g protein)
8 oz grilled shrimp (34g protein)
2-scoop casein shake with water and splash of unsweetened almond milk (48g protein)
Piles of sauteed cabbage and cooked cauliflower for fiber and regularity...
**5 grams fish oil (with EPA, DHA and other Essential Fatty Acids)

This totals approximately 180g protein for the day and about 16 g of fat with a ton of fiber and trace carbs from the veggies.

Day 2 -

Today for lunch I will be eating 8 oz of skinless chicken, a pile of cabbage and broccoli and almost 1 cup of cooked egg whites with Splenda and cinnamon = about 70g protein and only trace fats and carbs - a good start to the day.

Dinner will be 8 oz of boneless pork ribs (48g protein, 10g fat), more cabbage; and my bedtime snack will likely be protein fluff or another 2-scoop casein shake. It's pretty good with water when you use two scoops because of the thickness...All of that should get me close to 170g+ protein for the day...and so it goes for another 10 days.

Stay tuned to see if I'm able to beat my cravings and ignore my hunger while I seek to uncover the awesome six pack that I just know is there waiting to be seen.

IF - High Level Overview

2011-08-12T17:31:00.014-04:00

A friend of a friend reached out to me recently. She's frustrated and looking for a weight-loss approach that actually works and is sustainable - same as the rest of us. I started typing her response, but, what came out was a fairly detailed outline of what I've been doing and why it works.

It's not super technical or scientific. If you want to read about the science behind the theories, go to www.leangains.com. Martin always does a thorough job of explaining things in fairly simple terms. What follows is more of how I would explain my lifestyle on Leangains to a friend. It is in no way complete and does not cover all aspects of IF, but I think it's a decent introduction to the average person who may be curious about what IF is and why the way we eat is primarily responsible for how we look.

..................................................

No matter whether it's 10 lbs or 100 lbs, I see people every day killing themselves in the gym on treadmills and elliptical trainers and wondering why they're not losing weight. To be honest, and you may not want to hear this, the way we look is shaped more by WHAT we eat and WHEN we eat it than by how much we exercise. Our diet is probably 85% of the fat-loss battle.

If you want to do it right, nothing is off the table when it comes to what you are able to eat, but the timing of when you eat different kinds of foods will make all of the difference.

In case you're new to my blog, the lifestyle I've adopted includes what is called Intermittent Fasting (IF) combined with a heavy weight/low volume strength training program.

I discovered IF in January when I was just browsing internet blogs and forums. A Swedish nutritionist, Martin Berkhan, has a great website/blog that is FREE and full of tons of information as well as the science behind why it works. The site, www.leangains.com, is overwhelming, so I would recommend starting here :

What is Intermittent Fasting?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

Brief Summary of Popular Approaches to IF - there are different variations; find one that fits YOUR life.
http://www.leangains.com/2008/06/brief-primer-on-popular-approaches-to.html

Leangains is a variety of IF that uses a 14-hour fast with a 10-hour eating window (women) or a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour eating window (men). For example, I will eat my first meal of the day at 11 am and my last meal at 9 pm and nothing with calories until the eating window starts again the following day.

Now, just fasting isn't enough because what you eat during your allotted window is critical.

How many calories should you eat for fat loss? There are many formulas out there, but one of the simplest is to take 13 and multiply by your body weight. If you weigh 150 lbs (just using a round number), that would mean you need to eat 1950 calories a day to experience fat loss. If you're honest about what you're eating and you're not losing, then lower your calories a bit and see what happens.

Now, when creating a calorie deficit, hunger is always a problem. This is where WHAT you eat makes the biggest difference.

Protein is king.
Chicken, seafood, beef, pork, cottage cheese, eggs...learn to like eating meat and/or fish. This will comprise at least half of your daily calories EVERY DAY.

How much protein?
You will notice changes quickly by simply increasing your protein intake dramatically - aim for at least 1g protein per pound of your bodyweight. You are supposed to use Lean Body mass for this calculation but, if you can't figure that out, just start with your scale weight and play around until you start seeing the fat fall off. For example, if you're 150 lbs (just using a round number), you would aim to eat a minimum of 150g protein per day. Since protein is 4 calories per gram, that's the same as 600 calories in just protein alone.

But that's not half of your calories, so you should really be eating more protein per day for best results. At 2,000 calories per day, you'd need to eat 250g of protein to comprise 50% of your daily calories.

Basically, you cannot eat too much lean meat, fish, seafood, pork, chicken, cottage cheese, plain greek yogurt or eggs.

Fat and Carbohydrates
Where this lifestyle differs from probably every other diet you've ever tried is the cycling of what are called macronutrients – Protein is a macronutrient. So is fat and so are carbs. The timing of your fat and carbohydrate intake will have a tremendous impact on your satiety (feeling full), mental wellbeing as well as fat loss.

Fat
1g of fat = 9 calories. Since fat is nearly twice the calories of both protein (4) and carbohydrates (4), you can't eat as much of it – but you CAN eat it. Bacon (low salt), avocados, natural peanut butter (low sugar), egg yolks, fatty meats, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), cooking oils, etc. Fat will make you feel full and improves flavor of the foods we're eating.

Carbohydrates
I have a love-hate relationship with carbohydrates but, to really get lean and strip off body fat, carbohydrates have to be used sparingly and only at the right times - preferably after a strength-training workout (I'm not talking about cardio, but weights).

Carbohydrate sources matter. Straight sugar will not help you – it will only make you hungrier and crave more sugar. This is where the myth of "Fat Free" foods is screwing our society. Fat is not the enemy; carbohydrates are, yet we still need them - in the right form and at the right time - for recovery and psychological wellbeing.

Sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, beets, tomatoes, fruit, etc, should always trump cookies, candy, cake, donuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, fruit juice, etc. They contain more fiber and vitamins/minerals and will help you to feel full longer than eating a sleeve or Oreos (which you can still do from time to time by the way).

Why should I only eat carbs after I train?

Our muscles are our biggest storage centers for carbohydrates. Muscles pull in glycogen (byproduct of carb digestion) to keep at the ready for an energy source when needed. Here's the rub - IF YOU'RE NOT USING THAT GLYCOGEN, ANY ADDITIONAL CARBS YOU EAT WILL BE STORED AS FAT. So, what do you do about it? You use the glycogen before you eat more carbs.

Perhaps the fastest way to use the glycogen stores in your muscles is by weight training - heavy weights, low repetitions, low volume (meaning not often). For example, I work out 3 days in a 7-day cycle with 2 rest days between each workout. I use compound lifts that use a number of muscles in a single movement - like a squat or bench press.

My routine is on my blog here - http://fitnesssafari.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-heart-avocadoes.html . I do not do cardio other than taking my dog for long walks and surfing when I am able to.

By training and then eating your carbs, you are more likely to shuttle that glycogen into muscles instead of storing them as fat.

Confused yet? I don't blame you. There's a lot of information. To break it down simply for you, try this for a while:
- Fast for 12-14 hours a day (this includes time sleeping). You can drink diet soda, water, tea (no sugar), coffee (no sugar, only a tsp of cream if necessary), sugarfree gum, etc...

- Eat only during your "feeding window"

- Only eat carbs on days you workout, preferably after you workout or you can have a small meal a few hours before you workout with some carbs and the rest post workout.

- On days you are not working out, eat protein and fats with as much leafy green and non-starchy veggies that you want - broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, green beans, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, celery, etc...

- Learn to read labels and try to estimate your calories. This is nearly impossible to do when eating out, so try to prepare as much food as you can yourself. Read the packages. Weigh your food. Know what you are eating. This is the hardest part, but worth the effort to make it a habit.

- Calculate your caloric needs by taking your body weight and multiplying by 13. If you don't lose weight, you're either not being honest about what you're eating or you need to cut more calories.

- Indulge once every couple of weeks. Stretch one of your fasts a bit longer and then eat anything you want for one meal. I once ate nearly an entire deep dish Chicago style pizza. LOL.

- Do not mix alcohol with fat or carbohydrates. When you drink alcohol, your body stops processing food, stores everything as fat and tries to rid your body of the booze. Protein can't be stored as fat, so feel free to eat lean meats, fish (not breaded, no tartar or heavy sauces), etc. before and during...

- Train heavy - see my routine. (Start light while you're learning your limits and work your way to your maximum). Get a small notebook and log every workout. A good way to start for a beginner is 5 x 5. That means find a weight you can do 5 sets of 5 repetitions with at least 2 minutes rest between sets. The last couple of reps should be challenging, but not impossible.

Let me know if you have any questions...If you're female and on Facebook, friend me and join my IF group for women only (it's private. No boys allowed).

me - http://www.facebook.com/surferjenn

group - http://www.facebook.com/groups/fiercefitfearless/

I Heart Avocadoes

2011-08-08T16:15:00.006-04:00

It's been a few weeks since the Warrior Challenge and my strength has been steadily gaining. I'm nearly back to my PR of 205 x 3 for deads...about 5 lbs and another couple of weeks away and I'll bust through that plateau.

Weighted pullups and chinups are increasing again as are weighted dips, bench and DB military press. I've also added stiff-legged deadlifts to my 20-rep breathing squat day and I feel good..I'll give a more specific accounting soon as I don't have my training log with me right now.

The diet -

going to a 2-day rest period interval in between workouts instead of just 1 day. So workouts will look like this:

Day 1: Deads, weighted chins

Day 4: flat bench, incline dumbbell press, seated dumbbell military press OR standing barbell push press; calves and dips if I have anything left.

Day 7: breathing squats, stiff-legged deads, weighted pullups

For macros, on rest days, I'm keeping carbs at 50g or less and eating the rest almost split between fat and protein - ensuring I get a minimum of 140g protein a day; remainder will be fat.

On the menu most days will be protein, protein, fat, fat, protein, fat, protein...leafy greens/calciferous veggies. Keeping under 1400 calories on rest days. Will add in some good carbs only after training and low fat on training days - every third day.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know if it's working.

I am a Warrior!

2011-07-23T10:34:00.004-04:00

Sorry it's taken so long to post my Warrior Challenge summary and results.

Let me begin by saying this was quite a challenge after all. To do well, this competition required a balanced level of fitness. You couldn't just be strong; you couldn't just be fast; you couldn't just have great cardio conditioning; and, most of all, you couldn't be weak minded.

Overall in the women, I was listed as 15th out of what looked like 29 women in total who competed. Not too bad for a first-timer, I think. I finished horribly in my run - 22nd; but finished 3rd in pull ups (did 10 from dead hang) and 8th in Burpees. I hit the wall halfway through my burpees - just couldn't keep the pace, but still managed 38 in 2 minutes.

By the time we got to the mystery challenge, I was spent. We had to hold our sea-water soaked 20-lb sandbags (40lb for the men) over our heads for as long as possible. My entire body, which had been depleted of glycogen for quite some time due to the fact I hadn't eaten since about 7 the night before (seared tuna, salad and some bread - VERY poor choice of a last meal before the competition). I placed 24th in that with a time of 3:40. The winner of that challenge was a woman who held hers for over 17 minutes! Very impressive!

Anyway, I honestly believe if I had dialed in my nutrition a bit better and trained for more than 3 weeks with the run, I would have been top 5 easily. At least this gives me a benchmark for next year - and I may consider eating breakfast before that event also.

I guess there's some disagreement on IF and endurance activities. If anyone out there has any experience in this matter, I'd love to hear what I could have done differently - how I should have eaten leading up to the event to maintain the fast while maintaining my stamina.

Full Warrior Challenge 2011 Results

Meet My New Best Friend

2011-07-03T11:26:00.012-04:00

I'd like to introduce you all to my new best friend - The Iron Gym. Yes, it is one of those cheesy as seen on TV widgets, but this one ACTUALLY WORKS!

First, when I couldn't find the Iron Gym at Walmart, I made the mistake of settling for the Perfect Pull Up bar instead. What a PITA that was. Required drilling like 8 holes in my landlord's doorways - not sure they would have been to keen on THAT...and all kinds of measurements and hardware, etc. Scratch that. Hit Target yesterday and picked up this bad boy (pictured below) for $29.99 instead. Will return the other POS to Walmart after the holiday.

The beauty of the Iron Gym is that, once you put the little contraption together, you don't need any hardware or tools to install it in your doorway. Initially thought I wasn't going to be able to use it when it was determined that the doorways of this 100-year old carriage house I'm renting were too thick and moldings were too wide to hold it in place. Bummer, I thought. Then I considered taking it to work and hanging it in my doorway there...until this morning...

I had the Iron Gym sitting on a chair in my living room when my daughter picked it up, walked into the dining room and slapped it in the doorway connecting the dining room to the office and says, "is it supposed to fit like this?" And here it is -

I hadn't tried that door. Of the dozen doors in my entire place, that was the one I never tried it on and it fit perfectly. Thanks, Brenna. Now I apparently need to "show her the love" via a trip to the mall...we'll see.

So, now when I return from my beach sand-bag runs I can do my pullups without having to drive to the gym or nearest playground. Let the training continue!

....

I now have to take her to the mall. wish me luck.

This Beast Nearly Bested me...

2011-07-01T12:06:00.003-04:00

Here she is. Sandbag #2...weighing in at 30lbs on the dot, she nearly killed me Friday night.

My deep sand run was more of a walk, jog, gasp, walk, struggle, jog than anything else, but I completed the entire mile without dropping the weight once. I guess that's a start. I have two more weeks to train, so at least I can give it a few more tries at this weight before going up to 35 and beyond...40 is going to be a bitch, but I will make it.

Two days later and my legs are still heavy. My shoulders and back are also sore, but I did surf hard for an hour or so yesterday, so that's probably has more to do with my upper body stiffness than anything else.

I've decided that Sunday will be my eat-whatever-I-want day as I have a BBQ to got to and I need to calories to recover. Next run with this bitch will be Monday, July 4th, at about 7 a.m. Not looking forward to it, but I will get it done. Wish me luck that I can speed up my time a bit. Did the last 30 lber in deep sand the whole way in about 20 minutes. Nearly passed out when I got back to my car, so I know I couldn't have gone any harder. Hydration. Food. Sleep. I can do this.

More later.

Introducing the Jean Bag

2011-06-30T14:28:00.012-04:00

Since I'm STILL waiting for my polypropylene sandbags from Patriot Surplus, I took a friend's advice and called an audible. I cut the legs off a pair of baggy bluejeans, grabbed two zipties and some duct tape and BAM! Meet the Jean Bag (Name courtesy of Tanis from FFF).

I know the jean bag doesn't look like much, but this little bastard was a PITA on the beach last night. Weighing in at 25.4 lbs of packed sand, the Jean Bag accompanied me on my first 1-mile deep sand training run.

I have to admit that, while the run itself was probably the hardest mile I've ever undertaken to date, the worn denim was pleasantly soft and allowed the sand to mold itself around my shoulder, eliminating the jabbing pain I experienced running with the dumbbell a few days ago. It was also much easier to switch shoulders while running since I could just throw it onto my shoulder mid-stride. The poly bags will be more of a bitch as they'll get slick, but at least I was able to get in my first run while I'm waiting for the real McCoy to arrive.

The run itself took 15 minutes in total and, while the sandbag and added weight was a bitch, the worst part of the run was the burning in my shin muscles and my feet. I ran barefoot in deep sand for 99 percent of the distance - I'll admit to dipping near the water once or twice but, at high tide, this offered little reprieve from the soft sand higher up the beach.

After I finished, exhausted and steaming hot, I grabbed my 7' surfboard and hit the water. I thought the waves were too small for that board, so I started paddling north to just get some more exercise when I came upon a bigger, hollower inside wave in the area where the lifeguards just left duty. JACKPOT! I enjoyed about 45 minutes of basically uninterrupted, uncrowded waves. They were short and steep and most closed out on me at the end, but I got some fun rides and the water was clear, clean and warm! I love a sunset surf session.

All in all, last night was an extremely successful first training day.

Next run is tomorrow. Only 7 runs left before the challenge, so wish me luck!

Training Like a Warrior Looks Silly in the Real World

2011-06-28T09:27:00.006-04:00

I'm still awaiting my sandbags which, for reasons beyond comprehension, were on back order. But, Warrior Training couldn't wait any longer, so...I hit the gym last night for my first official training workout.

What did I do? I'm glad you asked. I was warming up on the treadmill when it occurred to me that I could very easily just grab a dumbbell and jog with it right there. I picked up a 30-lber, wrapped my hand towel around the handle, propped it on my shoulder and started walking.

Holding the weight was a bit awkward since my shoulder is so narrow the weight saddled it, therefore the weighted ends pressed against my collarbone and traps - not exactly a pleasant sensation. But, I figured, Warriors don't train in comfort and I pressed on. I increased the elevation to 3.5 and the speed to 4.5 and started a light jog.

I must have looked a bit odd, because of the way people were staring at me, but who cares. Either they think I'm some sort of nut (which is partly true) or were just enraptured by my feat of daring in the middle of Workout World. LOL.

Either way, I don't really care. About a half mile in, the sweat started...and it ran and ran and ran down my face, down my back, even down my arms and legs - and I don't usually sweat much when I workout. I jogged the mile in 14 minutes while switching shoulders when the burning became a bit uncomfortable, then walked another quarter mile with the weight before I called it quits.

After a very short rest, I hit the pull ups. Bodyweight +15 lbs x 4, +10 lbs x 4, BW alone x 6...with basically 30 seconds rest between sets. Then, on my way out, I hit 6 BW chin ups for the hell of it. Why not?

I didn't do Burpees last night, but I'm pretty happy with the first workout. I woke up sore from yesterday - my neck, shoulders, traps, thighs, calves and obliques are all sore from the incline and the added weight on alternating shoulders. Turns out it was a pretty decent workout and I'm looking forward to what it's going to do to me to train this way for the next three weeks.

Tonight I will hopefully surf a bit with my kiddo, then a bodyweight run in the deep sand for tomorrow. I'm going to stick with every other day workouts to ensure I don't end up hurting myself before the challenge by doing too much too quickly.

Stay tuned...more Warrior training updates on the way!

The Warrior Challenge Awaits

2011-06-22T11:06:00.004-04:00

Summer is officially here and it's time for a new challenge. I've been having way too much fun outside to spend a lot of time in the gym lately, so I'm taking on a new challenge - The Warrior Challenge is coming to a beach near me on July 16 and I signed up.

The Warrior Challenge is a 1-mile deep sand run while carrying a 40-lb sandbag, followed by pull-ups 'til exhaustion, followed by 2 minutes of as many Burpees as you can do, followed by a "mystery challenge."

This is a competition I would NEVER have considered a year ago...first of all, running on the beach is hard enough, but to do it with a 40-lb bag of sand on my shoulder is just insanity. And they don't give the 115 lb girls a lighter bag than the 200-lb men and special ops guys who I will be running against. I'll be running with more than 1/3 of my weight. That's like a 200-lb man running with 70 lbs on his shoulder. Somehow not totally fair. I think they should do it as a percentage of body weight, but apparently this is some sort of special forces test so the ladies just have to be tougher - as usual.

Then there's a pullup station - from deadhang, straight-up pullups. Since I couldn't even do 1 last year, I would have laughed at the thought of doing them 'til exhaustion. Not sure how many I can do now b/c I always do them weighted, but I'm going to find out!

The Burpees are the least of my concern. They'll be tough, but after I train on the beach with the sandbag, they should be fine. And the mystery challenge will most likely involve swimming, but who knows that they'll come up with.

In all, the competition sounds fun and has given me new motivation to train hard again - even if it's in a different way. For the next three weeks I'll be the lunatic running across my beach with a sandbag on her shoulder. would be great if I did the run then clamped the sandbag between my thighs and cranked out a bunch of pullups that way, but that'll have to wait for next year. I'm only up to 20 extra lbs on pullups as of right now.

I will keep you posted on my training which starts tonight with pullups and burpees and, maybe, a bodyweight run on the beach. Wish me luck!

The Big Easy IF Update

2011-05-25T21:19:00.008-04:00

I survived 5 days in New Orleans without turning into too much of a pig. I was on par with the diet all but Sunday and Monday when I enjoyed Brunch at Commander's Palace (though in all fairness, my entree was an Angus Prime Ribeye with a poached egg), but the Strawberry shortcake with fresh cream and buttermilk biscuit was probably not on my LG menu - but who cares, I was at Commander's!

I also did not lift a single piece of iron during my entire trip - was hard to fit it in between work and awesome dinners with dad - piles of boiled crawfish, broiled and raw oysters, gumbo...the list goes on! How I managed to avoid all fried foods and jambalaya during my stay, I'll never know. I guess I'll just chalk it up to the fresh, in-season crawfish that were everywhere!

And, since I did not lift at all while away, I had to do something so I ran on the levy. I ran over the levy. I ran along the levy for miles and miles and I even ran up and down the levy for miles and miles - best workout ever.

As an added bonus, I came home with my dad's stomach bug so, even if I did indulge in one too many plates of red beans and rice, it's all gone by now. TMI? Sorry!

While I'm still far from being ripped, I'm happy with some shoulder development and the fact that my waist seems to be slimming - albeit at an excruciatingly slow pace. Oh, well. I haven't been strict with the diet in a couple of weeks, so it's time to get back to work! My legs are also filling nicely - I will post a pic of them as soon as I can get one in decent light.

Reminder - Feb 15, 2011 Pic

A Problem with "The Biggest Loser"

2011-05-10T21:26:00.016-04:00

I was flipping through the channels a few minutes ago and came upon The Biggest Loser. I've watched some of the show before and know that the person who loses the greatest percentage of bodyWEIGHT is deemed the winner and is destined for fame and glory...well, maybe not fame and glory, but I guess they get some money or cool stuff.

Anyway, as I'm watching this poor woman try to decide whether she'll trade in the $10,000 prize she won for a 1 pound advantage at weigh in, it hit me - they're doing it all wrong! The person who loses the highest percentage of bodyWEIGHT at the end of this show isn't necessarily the fittest person there. The winner could be totally skinny-fat like I was just two months ago. I was still squeezing into a size 4, yet I had no muscle tone at all. I thought, how dumb.

Granted, I was never morbidly obese like many on this show, but let's take me as an example: I lost about 13 lbs or nearly 10 percent of my bodyWEIGHT in two months of IF, high protein/carb cycling diet and lifting heavy before my weight stabilized at 115 lbs where it has been for the past two months. Based on the scale, I've made ZERO progress in two months, yet the mirror doesn't lie. My body is changing tremendously - I'm getting delts for the first time in my life; my biceps have exploded; my chest is more defined and my quads are growing. I'm even getting obliques and lats and my strength continues to increase weekly. My body is undergoing a tremendous transformation as I trade body fat for lean mass yet the scale isn't budging. Does that mean I'm not getting into shape? Hell no.

The more I think about it, the more this show pisses me off. No WONDER people in general don't know what it means to be in shape. If this is the example they're striving for - the greatest bodyWEIGHT lost, then they will always fear the scale.

Based on the current rules of the show, there is absolutely no incentive to build muscle because it'll end up making you heavier than if you just strip off the fat. I guess they can't judge by body fat percentage lost b/c calipers and tape measures aren't as "sexy" as the stupid scale shit they use that makes them look like they're at a damn weigh station.

I wonder if this is the reason so many contestants regain their lost weight after the show? If they're not packing on lean, metabolically active mass, they're going to rebound. Build muscle, eat clean and turn your body into a 24/7 fat-burning furnace. They really ought to rethink this concept.

In the meantime, if you're a fan of the show, keep this in mind: The last man/woman standing may not actually be the fittest. Sorry. *shrugs*

A look back at Tubby Jenny...

2011-04-29T10:38:00.007-04:00

Ok, so here I was in my former tubby glory, hanging out with my dad in New Orleans in August of 2009. Now, dad loves me and was clearly blind to my chubbiness b/c he told me I had never looked better! LOL. Thanks, Dad! I love you, too!

........

I was getting down on myself the other day b/c my belly fat just doesn't seem to want to unpark itself from my abs. It's pissing me off and I find it quite frustrating. Well, a friend of mine suggested that I look back on older photos - from 2010 and beyond, to see just how much I really have changed.

So I did. And guess what I learned? I have already completely transformed my body in many ways. I may not be sporting ripped abs - yet - but my face, chest and arms have leaned out tremendously! And, even though my belly is still there, it's nowhere near the proportion it was when this photo was taken.

Here I am as of yesterday, April 28, 2011...It's not as full of a shot to compare, but it really does say it all. Who still doubts Leangains and Intermittent Fasting?

A rant about food cues...

2011-04-27T19:52:00.011-04:00

When I created the Fierce. Fit. Fearless. FB group the other day, one of the rules I created was for members to please not post recipes or photos of food on the group's wall. Well, someone forgot about the rule and posted a picture of some kind of protein pudding or fluff attempt on the wall. I asked them to please refrain from doing so again and she was cool with that...but the incident got me thinking about WHY this rule is a good one.

The majority of us in this group for female IFers or those women interested in learning more about IF, fast at least 14 hours a day - no food or anything with caloric content. Every other page I troll on FB or online in general has food porn everywhere. Feed the Animal, Paleo-whatever, Kenneth Yim - and, possibly the worst offender through no fault of his own, Martin's own wall where Cheesecake Mastery is a common discussion thread.

We see food on FB, on TV, on billboards, hear about it on the radio - we can't escape food cues no matter where we go or what we do - and, what's worse, they make us want to eat more. I did a little sniffing around and found this research report:

Abstract
Previous research has shown that exposure to food cues increases eating, especially in restrained eaters. The present study attempted to determine whether this elevated consumption reflects a general desire to eat in response to food cues, or specific desire/craving for the cued food. Restrained and unrestrained eaters were exposed to the smell of either pizza, cookies, or no smell for 10 minutes, were asked to write their thoughts (corresponding to the smell cue) about pizza, cookies or in general, and were then presented with either pizza or cookies to ‘taste and rate’. Results indicated that restrained eaters are more responsive than are unrestrained eaters to pre-eating exposure to smell and thought cues, eating significantly more after such cues. An interaction with food type, however, indicated that restrained eaters ate more only when the food presented to eat was the same as the prior food cues. Self-reported desire to eat, liking, and craving for a particular food increased somewhat for restrained eaters after exposure to the smell and thought of that food. Restrained eaters' intake of a food that differed from the pre-eating food cues did not differ from their intake following no prior exposure to food cues. Restrained eaters thus showed a highly specific response to exposure to food cues. (Ever hear or see a McDonald's ad then actually drive to one to get whatever it was they were advertising?)

In case you were wondering, restrained eaters are defined as people who chronically limit their eating behavior in order to prevent weight gain (Herman & Polivy, 1980). Anorexics are the extreme example of restrained eaters, but anyone who chronically controls what they eat to control their weight is included in this group. The danger is that restrained eaters often lose control and binge (Cheescake mastery anyone?).

If I'm interpreting this accurately, that means all IFers are restrained eaters and are therefore susceptible to negative effects and eating behaviors spurned by food cues. This makes perfect sense to me. Unless I'm busy doing something else, I'm planning my big meals and calories, etc., and looking forward to a once-monthly pigout/cheat day. And this explains why, when I read about Cheesecake or Cheeseburger mastery on Martin's FB page, I want to eat cheesecake and cheeseburgers. Which is partly why I've been avoiding Martin's page more and more...

Regardless of the propensity to binge, however, I don't see how IFing or restrained eating is really negative or unsustainable in the long-term. I mean, it's not like I have a cheesecake handy in my fridge at work and reading about Cheesecake mastery doesn't send me driving to the nearest Wendy's. Now, if there was a Cheesecake Factory nearby I'd be hosed...Anyway, I know plenty of people who don't watch what they eat or how much they eat who have serious binge days on top of not giving a shit about their diet.

Personally, I've used this method to successfully lose 14 lbs in three months while gaining a significant amount of muscle (from the training). Yes, I get cravings for sweets - lately it's been in the form of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. I look forward to coming back from a big training session and enjoying my cereal before dinner. But, #1 I'm on a severely restricted high-protein diet on my "rest days." I didn't have these cravings when I was eating closer to my maintenance calories; and #2, I don't drink non-diet beverages of any kind - even OJ anymore, and rarely do I imbibe in my favorite - red wine; and I skip the bread basket 95% of the time - So I let myself have a bowl of cereal or a few Oreos every other day. Big deal.

So, three days a week I am eating 110 fewer calories in a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with skim milk than I would get if I had one large plain bagel and a glass of OJ - And this is not every day. Think about that the next time you bite into that bagel or buttered roll at breakfast time.

Plain bagel: 210 calories, 45 g carbs, 8g protein, 0g fiber, 1g fat
8 oz Tropicana OJ: 110 calories, 26g carbs, 2 g protein
Total: 320 calories, 71g carbs, 10g protein, 0g fiber, 1g fat

3/4 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch:130 calories, 25g carbs, 1g protein, 1g fiber
1 cup skim milk: 80 calories, 12g carbs, 8g protein
Total: 210 calories; 37g carbs; 1g fiber, 9g protein

Anyway, I digress. In my case, I can pretty much guarantee that my cravings are primarily motivated physiologically by a body that wants more calories. I am, however, susceptible to the influence of food cues as are the rest of you most of the time.

The moral of the story? Go somewhere else to obsess about food. In the meantime, don't post photos of meals and snacks on my group's wall. :P

Calling all Female IFers...

2011-04-25T09:16:00.008-04:00

HOW FIERCE ARE YOU?

At the urging of a Twitter follower, @Jess_knows_best, I started a FB group - Fierce. Fit. Fearless. - for all of the female IFers out there - ESE, Leangains, other...it doesn't matter. Join us on the board and let's bounce our successes, failures and questions off of one another.

...Sorry, boys, this new FB group is for women only. if you have questions, take 'em to Martin's FB page/forum.

Killed it today!

2011-04-20T20:07:00.007-04:00

Woot! Woot! Let's hear it for broken records!!!

First...as I mentioned in my last post, I would be introducing a new twist to my regimen. Call it an experiment of sorts, but I'm trying PSMF - Protein Sparing Modified Fasting.

I would not recommend this approach to anyone as it requires very low calories and high protein...but I'm only trying it EOD every other day (rest days only) for a couple of weeks. If you're that interested in it, you can Google it yourself.

I ended up doing two days in a row due to a misplaced rib head in my upper back probably due to my heavy standing military presses on Sunday... A quick trip to my chiropractor yesterday and I was better than ever and ready to hit the gym today.

All told, I was down from 115.5 to 113.6 in just a couple of days, however, I do expect that number to creep up after a day of eating maintenance +20% (today)...Anyway, the gym!

I found a lone bottle fo 5-hour energy and decided WTH and chugged it down on my way. A quick 5-minute warmup and I was racking my weights for my deadlifts.

After Martin suggested I add 5 lbs to my lift and do only two sets, I decided to take his advice. I started with 180 lbs and did the lift 5 x's fairly easily. Hmmmm. I rested about five minutes and then added another five lbs. 185. My highest yet. Hadn't done deads since last Tuesday so I was rested, caffeinated, and ready to rock... It was harder, esp. after the first set, but I managed four before my grip on my left hand just gave in. Still, a new Personal Record (PR)!

Rested another few minutes and headed to the chinup station where I managed two full top-to-bottom chins with a 25-lb plate hanging from my waist. Followed with 20lbs x 4, 15lbs x5, bodyweight x 7. By now my forearms were quite irritated at me, so I decided that was it for the day. Phew. Fantastic trip to the gym.

Major calorie deficit for two full days; nearly 2 lbs lighter and I killed it. Wow. I feel amazing. Time to eat!

More progress pics..better? worse? no change?

2011-04-16T23:36:00.005-04:00

I stumbled upon this first pic when clearing out my BlackBerry. It was taken almost exactly a month ago - March 19th. So, naturally, I had to take another to compare (see below). No major changes, but I think I am starting to look a bit more firm in my troublesome belly area.

I have a long road ahead to uncover those amazing abs that I can FEEL but just can't see yet...Well, I think I'm making progress.

March 19, 2011

April 16, 2011

Stuck in the Mud

2011-04-16T09:30:00.008-04:00

I tried my luck with breathing squats again. This time I cut waaay down to 75 lbs. These will take me some time to get accustomed to - and it's not even the legs that bothered me while I was doing them - it was my traps/shoulders. They just get sore and tired holding up the weight through 20 reps and all of the breathing in between. I'm still not exactly sure if I'm doing them correctly - am I supposed to be sucking air like I was just held under water for 3 minutes? 'Cause that's how I feel about 3/4 way through the 20.

THOUGHT THIS PIC WOULD BE MORE

INTERESTING THAN A PHOTO OF A SANDBAG.

ENJOY!

Even if I'm doing them wrong, they're still doing something b/c today my legs feel like sandbags. When I walk up my stairs I feel like I'm walking through mud. Definitely going to hit the gym for what a friend recently called "Geriatric Cardio" - LISS - low intensity, steady-state. I'll also get bundled up and take my dog for a good long walk to the beach, but the wind is blowing onshore and it's FREEEEEEZING outside. I'm tired of being cold.

But, I digress...I'm taking the weekend off to eat, rest, and do LISS. Monday's the start of a new chapter in my IF/LG journey. Stay tuned to see what I'll be up to next.

Quickie Workout Update

2011-04-12T21:30:00.008-04:00

Great workout tonight.

Deadlift

175 x 5 (PR), 165 x 5, 155 x 5, 145 x 5. It was humid in the gym and I was having a helluva time holding the bar. Anyone have any gym-legal suggestions?

Leg Extensions

160 X 7, 150 x 5, 140 x 6 (I think this machine is off, I can't possibly do that much weight...will try the other one at the gym next week and compare, but some guy was hogging it up tonight...)

Weighted Chins

Bodyweight +20 lbs x 4 (PR), 17.5 x 4, 15 x 4, BW x 4- complete chins - near dead hang to chin above the bar. I even have a 12-year old and a bunch of strangers who witnessed it. lol. I'll do another video next week when I try to hit 6.

By the time I was done, I was DONE. My legs were trembling while I was doing chins...my abs were screaming when I was doing my chins...hell, they're still kind of irritated at me and I'm sitting on my butt in front of my computer right now. WOW. Feels so good. I really think now that I'm eating more protein and making better carb choices (i.e. no Oreos or wine) it's starting to pay off. I know, rocket science, right?

As an added bonus, I was in a really bad mood earlier and it's gone now. Even my daughter noticed. When we were leaving the gym she said, "Mom, you're in such a better mood when you workout." Perceptive kid. She deadlifted 40 lbs. She's learning form still. Don't want her to hurt herself. She also joined me in leg extensions, did 2 sets of 10 assisted chins with 10lb assist, and a ton of knee and leg raises. She's working hard and I'm proud of her. She'll be stronger than Mom soon enough!

Before I sign off for now, here's a little weightlifting humor for the old folks out there...Enjoy!

Saying Bye Bye to my Fat Clothes...

2011-04-10T17:33:00.013-04:00

Here is just a sampling of what I am sure will be a towering pile of fat clothes I will never again need in my life.

Pictured here:

2 pair of jeans

1 pair cropped khakis

2 pair khaki sorts

1 pair camo cargo shorts

1 T-shirt

1 Columbia undershirt

1 pair gray slacks

If you want to know why they're in the donation pile, check out the photos below. I've never been so happy to do spring cleaning. Only problem is I'm pretty thin on clothes that fit and I don't want to buy much yet as I'm nowhere near as lean as I'm hoping to get...ah, the trials and tribulations of Leangains. Damn you, Martin! :)

I threw in the following T-shirt pics to show how much looser my old T's are now...the white one below fits pretty well...but, check the labels and you'll see why! I can't believe I was so frickin' big!

***disclaimer***

I just wanted to let anyone out there who thinks they need to be a rail to be healthy that this is not the case. I lift HEAVY weights and eat A TON of food - particularly protein - every single day. I did not get this lean by starving myself or killing myself on a treadmill. In fact, I rarely do any type of cardio at all. My goal is to get to a low, but healthy lean body weight for my frame. I just have a VERY small frame - 5'2".

If I was any taller, I would never be able to get this small. So, when you are making your own fitness goals, be smart. I don't have a weight or size in mind. I just want to find my abs and be as strong as Mighty Mouse!

We really are what we eat...

2011-04-09T22:52:00.011-04:00

Wow! What a difference eating right makes regarding strength. I've been in and out of gyms for 20 years and never have I actually paid attention to the correlation between my performance in the gym and what I was shoving down my throat.

I've been writing lately about how I felt like I had stalled - even taken a step backward in strength (bench)...well, I took an honest look at my habits outside of the gym and had to admit I had gotten lazy. I had stopped counting calories, I was drinking wine every night and was unsuccessfully fighting severe cravings for Oreos. I was also eating a paltry amount of protein each day. I was feeling tired, sluggish and my performance in the gym was going backwards.

With all of these lapses, the one thing I have stuck with is the IF. In fact, not eating for 16 hours a day is quite easy for me now and probably the only reason I didn't gain all of my weight back in the past few weeks. Despite my crappy diet, my weight held pretty steady at around 116-117 lbs during this period of slothitude.

As they say, "You are what you eat." If I want to look like the chick in the sidebar to the right in a few months (which I will), I can't be swilling wine and stuffing my face with Oreo goodness every night...not even Leangains is THAT good. ;)

Well, after just a few days of absolutely stuffing myself with protein, eliminating almost all alcohol and cookies, and sticking to very, very low carb on rest days, I'm happy to say I have my strength back. With my work schedule, I've found it difficult to eat right at work, so I've enlisted the help of my friends ON Casein and unsweetened almond milk. They're doing the trick. They satiate me, give me a necessary protein boost and curb my cravings for something sweet after I eat a meal - the perfect trifecta! I also no longer wake up starving and have gone from about 116 lbs - 114.8 lbs in just a week.

And my strength is back. When I hit the gym this morning and I knew things would be better. I had topped out at 95 lbs for my bench a few weeks ago, but then had to drop to 85 lbs my last workout as it was just a struggle to manage the weight on my own. Today, with the help of my new workout partner and spotter (my 12-year old daughter), I am back at 95 lbs x 5, 85 x 6, 80 x 7, 75 x 8. I'm going for 100 lbs first set next week and have confidence that, with a continued focus on the proper diet and attitude, I'll knock it out of the park and never look back...

I also added in standing military press with 50 lbs x 6, 40 lbs x 6, 30 lbs x 6; & weighted dips +15 lbs x 5, +12.5 x 5, +1- x 5, +5 x 5.

I'll post new progress pics in about a week...trying to go with 30 days at a time to really see the difference. I honestly still have quite a ways to go. I thought I'd be leaner at this weight, but I guess I was a real fatty for someone so small. I'm now thinking I can be ripped at 105-110 lbs depending on how much lean mass I can pack on at the same time...I can't WAIT to see what I look like when I get there. So excited!

Breathing Squats Suck

2011-04-07T09:57:00.009-04:00

Let me just put this out there: breathing squats suck ass - and I mean that in the best possible way. They. Are. Hard.

I tried them yesterday and loaded up the bar with what I thought I could do 10 reps of (110 lbs - HA!) and started my routine. Deep breath...hold...lower to at least parallel...release breath on way up...hold while taking 3-4 deep breaths...repeat.

Holy Mother of God - it is so much harder than it looks. I could barely get through 4 before I thought I was going to pass out.

Next set, I removed weight and tried again. Was met with similar result.

Final set, removed nearly all the weight (down to 65 lbs at this point) and squeaked out 8. I was supposed to be able to do 20 - TWENTY. WTF? By number 8 on my last set, I was lightheaded and thought I would fall over. Hmmmm...

Either I'm not doing something right, or I'm doing it exactly right with just way too much weight. Anyone out there have any experience with breathing squats? Am I supposed to feel like I'm going to die not even halfway through? LOL.

Will try again next week with the lighter weight on first set and see if I can get the breathing down.

The good news is that my thighs and quads are sore today, so I did get some type of workout from the experience. So, not a total loss.

It's a sugar-laden jungle of fat and garbage out there...

2011-04-06T13:24:00.009-04:00

Ok, so I went out today to forage for some food for my two pre-workout meals this afternoon (hitting the gym after work to try out some breathing squats for the first time) and this is what I found...

Hmmmm...nope.

Definitely no - and this one was easy to pass up for obvious reasons...

Wow...sugar, fat and carbs as far as the eye can see...and there were a lot of snacks, too. ;)

Feeling better...more of what I was looking for. Something that will give me energy, fill me up and not send me napping in a half hour.

Finally! Victory is mine!

And the winner is...

Oh, and I had a protein shake, too. Chocolate Peanut Butter Trutein stolen from a colleague. Mixed it with unsweetened almond milk and YUMMO. Tastes like Peanut Butter pie - not lying.

Don't worry, won't be finishing this off. Haven't worked out yet today, so I'll snack on this now and again in a few hours before I head to the gym. I'm thinking whole-wheat pasta with my famous clam sauce for dinner when I'm finished...

I need to do what?!

2011-04-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

Well, now I know why I haven't seen faster muscle gains. I'm not eating anywhere near enough calories and I know I've been super low on protein for a few weeks now. Just found Martin's Leangains PDF which outlines some ways to determine your daily caloric intake.

Doing his math, I need 1,500 calories a day to maintain (which I'm not eating); 1,800 calories a day on workout days (to grow and recover) which I'm not getting close to; and 1,200 calories on rest days...

Hmmm...time to head back to the kitchen. I've got some meal prepping to do! I can't believe I'm saying this, but if I want to get lean, I have to eat more!

Changing Perceptions...

2011-03-25T13:24:00.009-04:00

For my early readers, do you recall the story, Is no place sacred that I wrote after I saw a Craisins ad on the wall at my gym? In it, I compare Craisins to their close cousin, Mike n Ike's...

Anyway, not long after I posted my story, (and I'm sure a total coincidence) the Craisins ad was replaced by an ad for egg whites! Yes! Seems I may not have been the only person to complain about the candy, er, I mean Craisins ad they had posted.

Well, I'm even happier to report that the powers-at-be have decided it is better to push healthy items to the members of their club and have brought in their latest poster below. I definitely approve:

At any rate, I'm still IFing, working out, and trying to keep my shit together while I undergo some major life events. The good news is that I seem to have busted out of my fat loss stall and have hit 115 lbs, but am maintaining my strength. I'm working to tweak my diet as I know I've been slacking big time and am already seeing changes now that I'm back on track. With amped up protein and more calories on training days and a lot less calories in general on rest days, I think I'll be seeing those long-lost abs by summer. Only two more months until Memorial Day, so it's time to get SERIOUS. Who's with me?

Also - for those of you who don't think you can reach your goals without the help of hundreds of dollars in supplements, check out this really informational - and kind of frightening - video about the supplement industry. I have no ties to these folks at all; just passing it along.

Lift Like a Girl - You just might like it

2011-03-23T14:04:00.009-04:00

After I sent Martin (Leangains.com) my chinup vids so he can post them, he asked me about my routine so he could offer some background to the videos. He felt it may help give some direction to other IFing women out there; and I hope it does. I think he's going to post this sometime soon as well, but I wanted to archive it on my own blog.

I created this routine from bits and pieces found scattered like confetti across his blog. I know everyone is slightly different and has different goals, so this routine may not be for you. I also know that, after two months of this, I'm stronger than ever before, but will likely have to find a way to shake things up a bit to keep things moving...but I'm not sure how to proceed.

In case you rush through the routine without reading the fine print, I generally rest from 3 to 5 minutes between every set. Since I'm only doing 2-3 types of exercises at 3-4 sets each, I'm in and out of the gym in under an hour. Oh, and I only workout 3 times a week. No cardio. No more HIIT. AND NO CURLS (they're so boring).

At any rate, I also keep a daily workout log to gauge my improvement. I'll post some info on that later. Without further delay....here's my fairly basic, Super-Hero-inducing, strength-training routine:

A SuperHero Workout for Anyone

* Typical rest is 3-5 mins between sets of anything

RPTR (Reverse Pyramid Training Rocks!)

Day 1

5-min walk for warm-up

Deadlift (up to 165 lbs x 5 reps and I decrease by 10 lbs for 2-3 more sets of 5)

rest 5 mins

Leg extensions - up to 120 lbs x 5 and same decrease for 2-3 sets

rest 5 mins

chins - as in the video

stretch, go home, eat and sleep

Day 3

warmup

Flat Bench (struggling with this one) Stuck at 95 x 5 and then decrease by 5-10 lbs each set for 3 more sets. Maybe my problem is I've been doing a set of 10 pushups between each set? (Martin says push-ups are useless...but I like being able to do them).

Rest 5-10 mins

Pull-ups (not chins - wider grip, palm away)

3-4 sets. up to 8 Bodyweight pullups, so it's time to start adding weight to those now, too.

stretch, go home, eat, sleep

Day 5

Squats (95 x 5) and same decreasing routine. I'm trying not to hurt myself with this one just yet.(I believe you can use leg presses instead of squats if you prefer, but I like having to stabilize my entire body through the squat).

Walking lunges with barbell on my shoulders. Can do up to 95 lbs x 5 steps each way, but difficult for me to get the bar up on my shoulders without help. :) So I've been using 70lbs, 60, 50...

Rest 5-10 mins

Weighted Dips (last time I did BW+15 x 5, BW +10 x 5, BW +5 x 6, BW x 6-8)

stretch, maybe walk, go home, eat, sleep

Sometimes on a leg day I'll throw in push presses (65 lbs start), seated rows or some ab work if I feel motivated enough to do it separately.

That's pretty much it. The weather's just starting to warm up here (though we did get a dusting of snow this morning) so I'll be surfing, riding my bike with my daughter and my dog and generally being more active outdoors.

Hope this helps some of you.

Happy lifting!

New PR with Weighted Chin Ups

2011-03-22T20:47:00.004-04:00

The videos are a little shaky, but that's what happens when you let your 12-year old daughter film you. Only got two sets recorded - no idea what she was doing the other sets...but you get the idea. I'll post again when I break the 25 lb barrier!

First set - Body weight + 17.5 lbs - a new PR!

Only did 5, but that's ok with me!

Followed with 15 lbs x 5, 10 lbs x 5, BW x 6, and BW x 6!

Moving is Really Hard Work!

2011-03-21T09:39:00.004-04:00

Spent the weekend moving into my new apartment and MAN am I sore! The muscles in my neck, middle and upper back and thighs are especially tired and heavy today. I was going to shoot my weighted chins vid today for Martin, but it's going to have to wait at least one more day. I have to eat and rest before I'm going to take that on. I don't want to disappoint everyone who's rooting for me out there!

Hope you are all keeping to your programs and seeing results. I'm looking forward to another week of heavy training, heavy eating and lots of sleeping!

Stay tuned...I'll publish the video later this week.

Finally - Progress Pics

2011-03-18T09:02:00.010-04:00

Recently I've been struggling with my motivation. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. My workouts stalled (poor diet, lack of discipline and no sleep). Then, today, I hopped on the scale to a solid 116.0 lbs (was literally 117.8 yesterday at the same time). I think the two pints of Guinness I had to celebrate St. Patty's with my girlfriend and the bar appetizers I shouldn't have eaten may have given me the "Whoosh" that Martin Berkhan speaks of.

"By the way, a nice bonus after a night of drinking is that it effectively rids you of water retention. You may experience the "whoosh" effect, which I've talked about in my two-part series about water retention. That in itself can be motivating for folks who've been experiencing a plateau in their weight loss."

In any event, I'm pleased at my results so far and look forward to seeing how I will look in another two months - just in time for Memorial Day at the Jersey Shore.

Here they are - Pics from my IF journey over the past two months. I started in mid January and took the last pics this morning. All in all, only two months so far, but I can see some results already. Looking back at how soft I was just a short while ago has had a bonus. The fire's been lit! I have been improving and I have a fresh motivation to keep it up.

January 15, 2011 (The Beginning)

February 15, 2011 (1 month in)

March 18, 2011 (2 months in)

March 18, 2011 (those close-grip chins are working!)

January 15, 2011 (no muscle tone to speak of; chicken wings and yuck...)

February 15, 2011 (slight improvement)

March 18, 2011 (now we're getting somewhere!)

March 18, 2011 (A bonus! - getting obliques and lats)

My abs are still hidden under a nice insulating layer of fat, but I'm sure that will be the last to go. Only two months of IF and I'm down to 116 lbs from 128 - and, while I have no reliable bodyfat measurements - I've definitely lost fat and gained some lean mass.) I still have quite a ways to go to get lean, but this is a marathon, not a sprint!

Not following my own advice

2011-03-17T08:16:00.002-04:00

So, to make up for my crazy schedule and lack gym time, I spent the last week and a half working out about every other day.

Things were holding steady until last night. My bench was a struggle; I could only do 4 weighted chins with 15 extra lbs... (down 1); and I just felt off.

Realizing I'm not taking my own advice to rest I am going to regroup, drink some green beer with my girlfriend tonight and rest for the next few days.

....

Some of you have been asking for progress pics...I will post some this weekend after I take the latest batch. Please be nice...I was pretty chubby for a size 4. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Surprising, but welcome news from my doc

2011-03-08T13:49:00.014-05:00

This is the culprit. Why I can't stay awake past 10 pm, but can't stay asleep past 3:30 a.m. Why I have no appetite. Why my hairbrush had decidedly too much hair stuck on it lately. Why I have this anxious feeling in my gut ALL THE TIME. Why I wake up sweaty almost every night. Even why my periods have nearly disappeared.

This tiny blue pill that I have no choice but to take every single day for the rest of my life has turned my life upside down. Those of you who blamed my symptoms on IF - and you know who you are - guess what? You were right .... kind of.

So, what is this little blue pill, you ask? Synthroid.

The Back Story

On Good Friday, 1999, I was given the cheery news that I had Papillary Carcinoma of the thyroid gland.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this butterfly-shaped organ, the thyroid gland is a small gland, normally weighing less than one ounce, located in the front of the neck. It is made up of two halves, called lobes, that lie along the windpipe (trachea) and are joined together by a narrow band of thyroid tissue, known as the isthmus.

The function of the thyroid gland is to take iodine, found in many foods, and convert it into thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body which can absorb iodine. These cells combine iodine and the amino acid tyrosine to make T3 and T4. T3 and T4 are then released into the blood stream and are transported throughout the body where they control metabolism (conversion of oxygen and calories to energy). Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism.

Since my thryoid gland was clearly not going to be doing me any favors, they removed it. And, since as noted above in bright red bold type, thyroid hormones are kind of important, I have to take a man-made version.

Enter SYNTHROID® a synthetic T4 replacement that is identical to the hormone produced in the human thyroid gland (pictured top).

I've been taking the same dose - a suppressive dose of 150 mcg - since the surgery in 1999. They amped up the dosage to ensure there is no further thryoid tissue activity of any kind anywhere in my body to prevent any recurrence of the cancer if any cells escaped the great excavation of my neck.

Anyway, in 12 years, even though I gained a few pounds here and lost a few there, my labs were always nearly identical - until today.

Compared to my last blood tests done in July of 2010, my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) has been beaten beyond the point of submission and my T4 levels have traveled to a land never before seen in my body and are well above the high of the normal range.

Comparisons of my blood tests in July 2010 and Feb 2010 - with the only difference in my life being my intermittant fasting program (and the ensuing 12-lb weight loss) - here is where I stand:

TSH: Then: less than 0.068 / Now: less than 0.006

(Thyroid Stimulating Hormone is what they want to keep quite low, but not this low)

Antithyroglobulin AB: Then:92 / Now: 96 - slightly elevated today

T4, Free (Direct): Then: 1.69 / Now: 2.12 - quite elevated today

Basically, what these numbers mean is that I'm now hyperthyroid. Hence the symptoms outlined above. So, to correct the situation and prevent worsening symptoms such as heart palpitations and bone loss, the doctor has lowered my dose to 137 mcg for two months and said he may have to lower it again depending on my test results at that time.

What I find the most interesting is that it would seem, as illustrated clearly in my labs, that my IF lifestyle has made my body more sensitive to the Synthroid, thus increasing the uptake. Therefore, I now need less medication to achieve the desired result of a suppressed TSH.

And less of any kind of medication can't be a bad thing.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know in a week or two if my insomnia and other symptoms are improving.

Stress is Stress

2011-03-07T13:27:00.008-05:00

I've been reading the Facebook posts of some of my friends and fellow health nuts and I still can't get over the volume of physical activity some of them are undertaking nearly every day of the week. Interspersed between their postings of a zillion supersets of this and a bazillion reps of that are complaints about how tired they always feel...how their joints hurt...how they just can't seem to get enough REST. Well, duh.

Now, I used to subscribe to the same program. I sweated my ass off, running mile after mile of sprint intervals; I did speed rope sessions combined with various plyometrics - and this was all DURING a strength training session. But, no matter how many miles I logged or how fast I ran or jumped rope or did box jumps or all of the above simultaneously, I wasn't getting anywhere. In fact, I was only getting fatter and softer.

It wasn't until I stumbled on Leangains this past January when I discovered my problem, well, problems.

First off, my diet sucked. I ate constantly, trying to "maintain constant blood sugar" and a "humming metabolism." Little did I know that if I never went without a meal, my body would never - and I mean EVER - burn what fat it had accumulated. Do you know why?

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE TO.

If you're constantly eating, your body will never need to look for an alternate source of energy; i.e. FAT.

So, problem #1 was rectified by intermittent fasting. I generally eat all calories between noon/1 pm and 8/9 pm and I try to stay in a set amount of calories - a deficit for now so I can enjoy the benefits of fat loss.

My SECOND problem was a combination of overtraining and wasting my time. Since I began Leangains, I've stopped all cardio (and for those of you out there who I think my heart is going to shrink up and stop working, try deadlifting 160 lbs five times when you weigh 116 and tell me how long your heart stays elevated). Then follow that with three more sets with slightly decreased increments. With 5 minutes rest between sets, my heart is elevated for more than 20 minutes on one movement alone.

But I digress...

I cut out the BS HIIT routine (while on restricted calories and high weight/low volume training) and have seen personal records EVERY week since I started. I'm going on two months now and here's how far I've come...

Weight

Then 128.....now 117

Bench

Then...85...now 115

Deadlift

Then...90...now 160

Bodyweight Chinups

Then...1....now...10

Bodyweight Pullups

Then....0....now 8

I do walking lunges with 90 lbs on my back and I can do leg extensions at 115 lbs. Oh, my standing military press is at 65 lbs last time I checked...but it's been a couple of weeks.

Anyway, here's my point. I workout less than I ever have and I have lost weight, I'm getting muscle definition in my arms, shoulders, chest, obliques, back, legs and the very beginning of my abs. I've gone from near 30% bodyfat to low 20% (no accurate method to check except my tanita scale)...

Generally, when I rest 5-7 days before repeating an exercise, I add weight with no problem. When I get antsy and push for more, I lose reps. You do the math.

So, for all of you out there trying to exercise your way out of your crappy diets, I have just two words for you:

STOP IT.

That's right. REST. RECOVER. GROW.

When it comes to exercise, more does not necessarily mean better and your body doesn't distinguish from the stress in exercise and the stress you might feel after a bad day at the office.

If you don't believe me on the consequences of overtraining, check out these two articles I found:

Cytokines and Overtraining

Overtraining and the Endurance Athlete

Another Business Trip...

2011-03-02T06:22:00.008-05:00

Traveling again - I'm in Wichita this week. Yee-haw! Nice place. I actually kind of like it here. The folks are all very nice. There's no traffic that I have seen and the pace of life feels a bit less frantic - that is, until I get to the office. But hey, I have a job. I mostly love my job and I totally love the people I work with.

With the 12-hour work days we've been putting in, I haven't had time to workout, but I'm keeping the diet pretty on par with leangains...

The lunch options don't afford me the opportunity to really protein up, so I've been keeping them very low carb and as much protein as is possible. I didn't pack protein powder, but I did bring beef and turkey jerkey and some of those packs of mixed nuts for emergencies. Since I'm way low on calories, I've been trying to load up at the only real meal I get each day - Dinner.

On Monday I had the top sirloin with a double serving of veggies. That white stuff on the top of the meat is chive butter.

As you can see, I hated it.

Last night my options were a bit more limited, so I opted for the Pumphouse Double Deluxe (2 burger patties with sauteed mushrooms on top.

I didn't clean my plate this time, but I did eat all of that meat. YUM.

As for my training successes, during my last workout on Saturday I wanted to see how many bodyweight pullups and chinups I can do so I did the following with a few mins rest between each set:

10 chins, 8 pull ups, 8 chins, 6 pull ups, 6 chins, 3 pullups, 4 chins,

DONE

45 reps in total. I'll go back to training with extra weight and lower reps for another month and test myself again. Also benched a new PR of 100 lbs x 3.

Before I left, I was still weighing around 116 lbs, so we'll see what I am when I get home on Friday.

The Best Appetite Suppressant Available

2011-02-24T13:03:00.006-05:00

Stress: Physical, mental or emotional strain.

Yup. That's about right and I've dealt with all three in the past week alone - and on more than one front.

I won't bore you with all of the details, but let's just say that the emotional roller coaster of life has been kicking my ass lately. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I'm f-ing tired and completely drained - and there's no end in sight.

On the bright side, I've lost another pound, but can still lift more than ever. I'm weighing in at a whopping 116 lbs now and, last night, I deadlifted 145 x5 and could have easily done twice that many. For chins I did BW +15lbs x 4, +10 lbs x5, +5 lbs x 5 and BW x 8...then did another 8 after my abs.

On top of that, I'm struggling to stave off a cold. It started a few days ago, but it hasn't totally reared its ugly head yet. Last night I had that drippy nose and teary eyes thing that keeps you up. I firmly believe that it's my diet and fasting that's keeping me from getting sicker. The only reason I have any symptoms is because of the stress and ensuing lack of sleep. I'm wound so tight right now I feel like I'm going to snap.

So, what to do? Keep on keeping on, I guess. Work has been great - very busy, but that's a good thing most of the time. I'm heading to Wichita next week and looking forward to meeting a ton of people I work with but whom I have never met in person. Unfortunately I'll be looking at 12+ hour days, so I don't see myself catching up on my rest.

Finding the motivation to workout has been tough since I'm dragging ass, but it did feel good to get back at it yesterday. Tomorrow is chest day. Let's see if I can break the 100-lb mark!

The Cost of Your Free Hotel Breakfast

2011-02-20T08:28:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting at a Hampton Inn in northern Maryland preparing for day 2 of the house-hunting trip with my husband. As soon as I left my room on the second floor, I was bowled over by the sweet and spicy smell of sweet rolls, donuts, sausage and maple syrup.

Venturing forth for my morning cup of black coffee with splenda - cortisol be damned - I was determined not to be intimidated by my nemesis: the glazed donut.

I can't help it, really. My love affair with glazed donuts stems from the Tastee Donut store I used to frequent as a child. They were serving fresh, warm glazed donuts long before the Krispy Kreme folks we're around.

I digress.

So, I'm sitting in the breakfast room as my senses are bombarded with the smell if breakfast past and I am NOT eating a glazed donut. I am sipping my coffee and watching the people around me load their plates with piles of waffles, sausage, sugary cereals and, yes, glazed donuts. While these foods may offer a few minutes of pleasure, the long-term cost of breaking my fast, derailing 2 months of discipline, and sending me into insulin overdrive when there's no workout in sight today is one I am just not willing to pay.

After all, I know better.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Details & My Food Pyramid(s)

2011-02-18T12:20:00.010-05:00

I've had more than a few folks contact me here or on Facebook asking about the specifics of how I'm approaching Leangains.

My personal goal is to lose a signifcant amount of bodyfat while also adding compact muscle and strength - I was skinny fat when I began in January and wondering why all of my jeans were getting too tight.

The holidays and my poor eating habits had caught up with me, and I had gained more than a few extra pounds despite killing myself with HIIT at the gym 4-5x's a week. I worked out like a crazy person and could not get fit. Well, turns out, you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet.

When I first stumbled on Martin's blog in early January, I was tipping the scales at about 128 lbs and had a significant belly as well as a lot of padding all around. I think I may have been close to 30% bodyfat and it made me sick.

Call it genetics if you want - my parents are both thick in the middle - but, after reading Leangains, I was determined that having a thick middle was not going to be my destiny and that it is, in fact, in my power to change it.

I'm not sure what my lean weight should be, to be honest. At my thinnest, my senior year in high school, I was 105 lbs, but not muscular at all. With that in mind, I don't know what my goal lean weight is, but I do know what it looks like (see picture in the right margin of me in 5 months).

To lose fat, I try to stay under 1,300 kcals on non-training days and slightly over on days I do train. On all days I try to eat 1.2g protein per lb of bodyweigt (approx. 142 g or 568 calories each day/or 45% of my total kcals).

That leaves me about 730 calories left to split between fat and carbs.

Training Days
On training days, I eat more carbs - approx. 400 calories/or nearly 100g a day. This represents about 30% of 1,300 kcals. That only leaves about 330 kcals for fat, or 36g (remember, 1 g fat = 9 kcals while 1g carb or protein = 4 kcals.)

I try to eat my largest meal after my workout. If I train in the morning, I sip 10g BCAAs on the way to the gym; 10g an hour after training and another 10 g an hour after that. Then, at 1 p.m. I'll have a huge protein-packed lunch and some berries. Dinner will be a very healthy portion of protein, a ton of veggies and some carbs depending on my lunch portion. Before 9 pm, I make fluff or have a casein shake with one scoop plus skim milk.

Rest Days
On non-training days I reverse the ratio and eat 45% kcals in protein, 20% or less in carbs and the rest in fat.

And, though I should eat my largest meal at lunch, during the work week I save this larger meal for dinner with the family or dinner and drinks with friends and will just eat a light lunch of mostly protein and fat. As always, I'll have a casein shake, cottage cheese or fluff before 9 pm.

I should also note that I am a veggie freak - broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, corn, green beans, snap beans, celery, onions, mushrooms, cucumbers, red and green cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce of all varieties. You name it and I will most likely eat it.

As for my fats, I use bacon grease or olive oil in most of my cooking. I love avocadoes and cheese (sparingly) as well as the crispy skin of a roasted chicken and fatty cuts of beef as well as salmon.

Protein is the norm - chicken, fish, beef or pork and occasionally lunch meats, but they're so salty I have a hard time eating much of them.

Carbs include pinto or black beans, chickpeas, yams, berries/fruit, brown rice, whole wheat couscous, whole wheat pasta, whole grain tortillas and taco shells, etc. And, yes, I skip the breadbasket.

So, there you have it. I'm not being personally guided by anyone in my quest to get lean. I'm just reading all that I can, cutting out most unnecessary carbs and sugars and lifting heavy.

**As a sidenote - I did 9 wide-grip pullups my first set the other day and benched 95 x5 - Two more personal records and indicators that now it's time to add weight again.**

Stronger than I thought...

2011-02-15T19:46:00.008-05:00

Yesterday at the gym I was ready to deadlift. My back had been bothering me for weeks since I landed flat on it snowboarding, but I was finally feeling pretty normal.

I've been deadlifting about 110lbs, 5x and the past couple of times and it was pretty hard. I would then then decrease the weight for a couple more sets. I am keeping a pretty meticulous training journal of my weights and reps and sets, etc., and thought I could start a little heavier...

This time I started at 125 and did 5 with very little effort. Damn. So I blew my initial strength on too low of a weight. So I waited a few minutes and did one more set at that same weight. Still too easy. Hmmmm...Could I be getting that much stronger this quickly? So I waited a few more minutes, threw on two more 5 lb plates and did 5 at 135 lbs. Still too easy. I did one more drop set of 8 and then decided to just stop and start much heavier next week.

After about 5-10 minutes of rest, I did weighted close-grip chinups (my fave). I started with 12 extra lbs and cranked out 5. Excellent progress. Dropped to 10 lbs and did 6. Dropped to 7 lbs and did 6. Dropped to 5 lbs and did 6 and, finally, did 8 just body weight chins.

I'm thinking I may have to go to BW+15 lbs for first set next time. Wow, it feels great. I can finally see why so many people say they feel their abs when doing chin-ups. I felt mine working yesterday! (note: I rested about 3 mins between each set. The longer I rest, the more I can do on the consecutive sets. duh, I know.)

All in all, a decent workout, but I need to tweak the weights. Do heavier weights and fewer sets and see what happens. In the meantime, I'd be lying if I said I didn't LOVE being able to do chins when so many guys can't.

I can't wait until I can do 5-6 chins with the big plate hanging from the belt.

I will definitely get some video to post when I get up to 35+ extra lbs! Stay tuned.

Refeed Success!!!!

2011-02-14T07:41:00.007-05:00

I don't know whether it was the massive amount of deep dish chicago pizza I ate on Thursday or the ensuing lack of appetite I experienced for three days post-pizzaextravaganza, but I finally busted through my plateau of 119 lbs. This morning, I am proud to announce, I'm down to 117 lbs!

For those of you who missed it, here is the chronology of my pizza feast at Pizzeria Uno in downtown Chicago last Thursday afternoon. Pictured here is just the demise of a single slice. I, however, took my refeed very seriously and consumed TWO of these gargantuan pieces of pizza. It was a quarter of the pizza. I even out-ate my much larger colleague who I was dining with. He has to wonder where in the hell I put it all!

I waited more than 13 years for this!

What a delicious mess...

OMG, so stuffed and SO worth it!

For kicks, I looked up the nutritional info on the Numero Uno pictured above. I had a quarter of a regular size pizza, so I think it was 2 servings, but I could be wrong. Either way, I consumed my normal daily allotment of calories in about 15 minutes and I don't regret it for a second.