SL's Journal

[SagittariusLegs]

What the hell? I thought I'd start keeping track of my training and diet.

I began lifting seriously about a month ago, but I've trained with weights in one form or another for 14 years. Here's a few stats:

Age: 28
Height: 5'10
Weight: 189 lbs.
Clothes size: Baggy 16, snug 14.

This past week's routine:

Monday: Back, biceps, rear delts, 30 minutes walk/sprint on treadmill. (felt strong and energetic)
Tuesday: Legs & Abs (pretty strong. was able to increase weights on most exercises)
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Chest, triceps, anterior and lateral delts, 25 minutes on eliptical runner. (felt pretty tired)
Friday: Rest (feeling blown out)

I've been reading up on various websites about different bodybuilder's training methods. I'm trying hard to rest more and fight the unhealthy urge to overtrain. I started taking creatine and glutamine last week. Here's my current supplement list:

Twice daily iron free multivite
Iron (taken separately from calcium)
Magnesium
Colostrum
Calcium Pyruvate
Silica
Salmon Oil
Ester C
Powdered greens
Whey powder
creatine
l-glutamine

My diet has me eating every 2 to 3 hours, 5 or 6 meals a day. Here's what I've had so far today:

--Whey protein smoothie with plain yogurt, frozen blackberries, 4 ounces orange juice and a tablespoon of tupelo honey.

--Ham sandwich on whole grain protein bread with tomato, baby greens, and fat free mayo & 10 large organic grapes.

I'm planning on having 2 more smoothies, tuna on baby greens and maybe an eggwhite dish later.

I'm NOT happy with my body. I feel really flabby. When I walk my belly jiggles. It's never done that before! I've got too much fat around my right glute and hip. For some reason my left leg doesn't have as much fat. I have these pockets of fat between my chest and shoulders. I call them my other boobs. I have no armpits. I never have. I've always had big sausage arms. I want to increase the size of all my arm muscles and reduce the fat. Basically, that's what I want to do with my entire body, but seems my body really doesn't want to give up it's fat. I'll try and attach a photo. I hope I'll have some success to report here. Thanks for listening.

[SagittariusLegs]

Well my diet didn't turn out as well as I hoped. I ended up eating a box of Amy's bean and cheese snack squares. I rationalized it by the adequate protein content. But then for the meal after that I ate another box. Now, when I say box I mean like 10 little squares. It's not much food, but it's got too much starch and fat in it, I'm sure. I just felt unbelievably lazy today. I still plan on having a smoothie before bed.

Eating well is an ordeal sometimes. I'll be going to Brooklyn, NY next week to see my grandfather. It's going to be tough to not have a vanilla ice cream soda for breakfast every day I'm there! And the pizza, and the Chinese food...Yep, it's gonna be tough. At least there's a gym in the neighborhood I'll be able to go to while I'm there.

Until next time...

[Ms. Lucy]

Welcome SL!

It's good to see you're joining us here on the boards--you'll definetly get some great feedback!!So here's one to start:

TO BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF--you've got a nice body to work with! And cheats happen, so don't beat yourself up from them. Try to make some small, tangible goals to get you going and go from there. I tend to be a perfectionist, so when I fall a little, I have to prevent myself from giving up entirely!!! So don't do that!!! Focus on how you feel, or losing just 5 lbs--that way you'll achive your goals regulary and get a boost from it!!

Also, enjoy seeing your grandfather! Maybe you can try to eat 5 good meals and have 1 cheat meal. I recently did that when the hubby and I went on vacation and it worked well. Basically I didn't workout for 2 weeks (sick one week) and I only gained 2 lbs. 2 lbs stinks, but it's better than it could have been! SO remember to have fun!

Anyways, gtg--but welcome again!

Lucy

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs


This past week's routine:

Monday: Back, biceps, rear delts, 30 minutes walk/sprint on treadmill. (felt strong and energetic)
Tuesday: Legs & Abs (pretty strong. was able to increase weights on most exercises)
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Chest, triceps, anterior and lateral delts, 25 minutes on eliptical runner. (felt pretty tired)
Friday: Rest (feeling blown out)

A thought on the routine. Doing cardio, as well as the back the day before legs is probably not good. The back is involved when you do some leg exercises such as squats, lunges and stiff leg deadlifts, so if it is fatigued from the day before, it may affect how well you train the legs. Plus the cardio could also fatigue the legs and reduce the effectiveness of the leg workout. Would you consider switching Monday and Tuesday or switching legs to Thursday and chest/tris to Tuesday?


I've been reading up on various websites about different bodybuilder's training methods. I'm trying hard to rest more and fight the unhealthy urge to overtrain. I started taking creatine and glutamine last week. Here's my current supplement list:

Twice daily iron free multivite
Iron (taken separately from calcium)
Magnesium
Colostrum
Calcium Pyruvate
Silica
Salmon Oil
Ester C
Powdered greens
Whey powder
creatine
l-glutamine


Great that you are fighting that urge to overtrain. The creatine should eventually help with your exercise strength and endurance, as well as your fat burning capacities.

You're taking magnesium. ZMA, which is a combined supplement of zinc and magnesium is also good, especially in helping you sleep(important part of the rest component).



I'm NOT happy with my body. I feel really flabby. When I walk my belly jiggles. It's never done that before! I've got too much fat around my right glute and hip. For some reason my left leg doesn't have as much fat. I have these pockets of fat between my chest and shoulders. I call them my other boobs. I have no armpits. I never have. I've always had big sausage arms. I want to increase the size of all my arm muscles and reduce the fat. Basically, that's what I want to do with my entire body, but seems my body really doesn't want to give up it's fat. I'll try and attach a photo. I hope I'll have some success to report here. Thanks for listening.

You'll get there. You're doing the right things now. It will take a little time, but be patient. Good things are worth the wait. Focus on the body composition and the changes in your physique as they occur and less on the scale. and P.S., you really don't look 189 pounds in the picture.

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks you guys for your replies and making me feel better about my body. Ms. Lucy, that's a good idea about the 5 good meals and one cheat. I used to always gain 10 lbs. when I'd visit Brooklyn, but maybe that will help me.

And egoatdoor, I just may try switching chest/tri and leg days. Now that you mention it, a couple of weeks ago I slightly pulled my low back after squats. Doing legs after a total rest day makes sense to me. Thanks!

Yesterday was a really good day. I ate really well.

Meal 1: Eggwhites with salsa and a sprinkle of cheese.
Meal 2: Smoothie
Meal 3: Tuna on baby greens with tomato, red onion and honey mustard dressing
Meal 4: Protein drink after workout
Meal 5: Tuna steak with brocoli and baby green salad
Meal 6: Protein drink before bed

My workout felt good. I spent about 20 minutes on various ab exercises, 20 minutes on the stepmill and 40 minutes of walking with some up hill intervals on the treadmill. I felt good.

Here's my plan for this week:

Sunday: Back/Biceps/Rear delts & light cardio
Monday: Chest/Tris/Ant. & Lat. delts & light cardio
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Legs (providing I can get up early enough before my train trip)
Thursday: Abs (in my room on the train)
Friday: Rest

I may have to lie on the bed and do abs while I'm on the train, because I know there'll be no room on the floor.

Until tomorrow.....

[Emma-Leigh]

Hey There!!

I agree with Egoatdoor - and your new training program looks great! Your diet also looks really good, although I would probably look into adding some more essential fatty acids into your meals (you do not have a lot of carbohydrates in your diet at all, so you might want to increase your fats to compensate - and the best form of these are EFA's from fish, walnuts and linseeds.

Anyway, good luck and keep up the great work! :)

[sweetbecky]

Hi SL,
Just curious what your current goals are? You definitely don't look like a size 14-16, I think you have a nice shape.

[bscrusher]

sl, you look great, you have awesome genetics, don't get caught up worrying about a million details concerning your training. train intensely and recover completely, you can't go far wrong. i am glad to see you are fighting the urge to overtrain. when you win this fight nothing will halt your progress. zma is great stuff, so are creatine and l-glutamine, keep us posted.

[SagittariusLegs]

Originally posted by sweetbecky
Hi SL,
Just curious what your current goals are? You definitely don't look like a size 14-16, I think you have a nice shape.

If I could get into a 10 or a 12 I'd be very happy. 12 is probably more realistic. Thanks for your compliment. I'm always so critical of myself.



Originally posted by Emma-Leigh
Your diet also looks really good, although I would probably look into adding some more essential fatty acids into your meals.

Thanks for the tip. I've been taking salmon oil twice a day. It's really good stuff. :)



Originally posted by bscrusher
sl, you look great, you have awesome genetics, don't get caught up worrying about a million details concerning your training. .

Thank you! My genetics actually make me prone to having a flat ass, so I've had to fight that one. (Ignore me. I always have to criticize something when I get a compliment.)



Well, yesterday's meals were pretty good, although for dinner my husband and I went out to eat. I got a salad tuna steak with brocoli rabe and had sorbet for desert. We only had sparkling water to drink. Considering what I used to eat there, this was great. Here's what a typical meal there used to be: 2 greasy garlic rolls, some bar olives, half a bottle of wine, some horribly wonderful pasta dish like penne with ground sausage, a piece of cake and a cappucino with a shot or two of Bailey's. The scary thing was, sometimes I didn't even feel too full afterwards.

I worked back and biceps yesterday and only did 20 minutes of walking/jogging. I was planning on doing chest/tris today, but my body seems to be asking for a rest so I'm going to switch my rest day to today and get to the gym tomorrow. So I'll still be doing legs on Wednesday, then instead of doing abs on the train, I can just rest that day and go to the gym in Brooklyn on Friday.

Okay. Here's a question I couldn't get answered in the supplements forum. Do any of you guys know whether it's better to take creatine immediately after lifting or wait until after lifting and cardio (if you're going to do cardio). I've been bringing my creatine and glutamine to the gym, mixing it in six ounces of white grape juice and drinking it right after lifting. Then I'll do my cardio. Does anyone have a clue about this, because I don't.

I'll be in touch tomorrow...

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs

Well, yesterday's meals were pretty good, although for dinner my husband and I went out to eat. I got a salad tuna steak with brocoli rabe and had sorbet for desert. We only had sparkling water to drink.

Excellent! Sorbet is one of the better "cheat" goodies. No fat, but tastes great.




Okay. Here's a question I couldn't get answered in the supplements forum. Do any of you guys know whether it's better to take creatine immediately after lifting or wait until after lifting and cardio (if you're going to do cardio). I've been bringing my creatine and glutamine to the gym, mixing it in six ounces of white grape juice and drinking it right after lifting. Then I'll do my cardio. Does anyone have a clue about this, because I don't.

Its better to take the creatine and glutamine after the workout and cardio. The juice will replenish your glycogen stores, which you really don't want to do before cardio because you burn more fat when the glycogen stores are depleted. Secondarily, creatine can cause stomach upset in some people( for me, I have to keep my dosage at 7 grams. Any more and my stomach gets really upset) which you don't want to happen while you're doing cardio. If you feel the need to drink anything before cardio, drink some water.

[SagittariusLegs]

Ahh, thanks, egoatdoor. That makes sense. My stomach hasn't bothered me from the creatine yet, but I did notice when I took it before cardio, I felt slightly woozy. I don't know if there's a connection, but I'll be taking it after cardio from now on.


Yesterday was a little weird. My appetite was hardly there all day. I spent a lot of timing writing on the computer and it was a chore to eat. It was one of those days where I look at the clock and go, "Man, it's already time to eat again." I couldn't get all six meals in, but I did get five. Today as soon as I got out of bed before doing anything I had a protein smoothie. I think I should do that as a rule everyday. Just get it down as soon as I'm up and out of bed.

Today is supposed to be my chest/triceps day, but I'm thinking of doing legs. Since my back rested yesterday, I thought it'd be okay. I'm only thinking of switching because tomorrow is my trip and I want to get up early and do a workout at home. It's easier to do chest and triceps at home for me than legs. I like having more equipment to choose from on the lower body.

Here's my question for today: is it uncommon for the back to get really strong, while the rest of the upper body makes much smaller strides? I realize the back is a very large muscle group, so of course it'll be able to handle more weight, but I'm really surprised at how heavy I'm able to go in a short period of time. The other day I was able to do my final set of seated cable rows at 150 lbs. for 7 reps without losing form. I'm also able to do my last set of single arm lat rows with a 40 pound dumbbell for 8 reps. It wasn't too long ago that 25 was a real challenge. My lat pull downs are up to 108 lbs. on the final set. Meanwhile my biceps get wiped out with 12.5 lbs. in each hand. Maybe it's because they're already fatigued from the back work? My chest isn't progressing like my back either. I can only bench press around 70 lbs. My triceps are doing pretty well. I managed to get my push-downs to 80 lbs. on the last set, but my shoulders are sad. My overhead press stinks right now. At least my legs are no problem. They're stronger than they've ever been. My abs seem to be shaking whenever I do a crunch on the stability ball. In the past, shaking abs indicated I wasn't feeling well. I'll just let 'em shake, I guess.

I would love to be able to do a set of 8 pull-ups without any assistance someday. If my back keeps getting stronger and I can lose the 15 lbs. I want, I can see it happening. I'd also love to be able to do push-ups off the toes or even on a decline with really good form, something I've never been able to do. I can get down just fine, but getting back up ain't in the cards right now.

Wow, I've been long-winded today. I'll try to write in tonight or tomorrow morning. If I can't, I won't be able to write in until I get back from New York around May 12. Talk at y'all later. :)

[hotgymchick]

My arms were weaker than my chest and back and shoulders, so now I give bi's their own day and tris their own day. Since they are my lagging parts, I do bis on sunday and tris on tuesday, then do the other bp's the rest of the days (1 a day). Most people wouldn't do this, but my arms are lagging, and a little soreness in my bis wont prevent me from having a good back day a little more down the road. I would suggest not pairing bis/back and chest/tris, if your arms are weak and need work.

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks, hotgymchick. If my bicep strength doesn't improve after a while with what I'm doing, I'll try giving them their own day.


This will be my last entry for a couple of weeks. I'm off to Brooklyn tomorrow. Had a really good leg workout today. I never thought I'd be striving to cut down on the exercises and sets I'm doing. I guess I'm becoming a little more sane in my training. I'm seeing some nice improvements in my hamstring strength. My appetite came back also, so I'm not dying or anything. Oh, yeah. And my weight was down a pound. Wee. For me that's actually a lot. One down, fourteen to go (or so).


Until May...Happy training everyone. :D

[SagittariusLegs]

Let's just say my trip didn't go as planned. I was in Brooklyn for four days, everything going well. Diet was really good, workouts were going well. I purchased 10 visits to a local gym for $100.

Then I came down with the sore throat from hell and a fever. It lasted four days before I went to the doctor and was put on antibiotics. I couldn't work out at all and I could barely eat anything because it was so painful. I also picked up conjunctivitis and yesterday had some intestinal troubles. Today my throat is still a little sore and I feel really crappy. I figure until I'm well I'll just focus on my diet and resting.

I'm trying very hard to ignore that psychotic side of my brain that says, "Your muscles are dying! Go work out! It doesn't matter if you're sick! You're not really sick, you're just lazy!" It's not easy, though.

....until tomorrow.

[catgirl]

Don't worry about your muscles - they are not dying!!! Believe me, I stopped training for a few months and I don't think I have lost muscle mass, just strenght, but is is coming back very quickly. Give your muscles a rest, if you're not feeling well, and don't feel guilty about that. About diet, when I'm ill, I prefer not to care about diet; I think it does even worse to us, not feeling well and having to care about meals, calories, grams of this and that... Just worry about getting better soon!

[phikappa]

Originally posted by egoatdoor
Its better to take the creatine and glutamine after the workout and cardio. The juice will replenish your glycogen stores, which you really don't want to do before cardio because you burn more fat when the glycogen stores are depleted. Secondarily, creatine can cause stomach upset in some people( for me, I have to keep my dosage at 7 grams. Any more and my stomach gets really upset) which you don't want to happen while you're doing cardio. If you feel the need to drink anything before cardio, drink some water.

Bump on that.

Sag, great pic! You may not be a fitness model, but you've got a great womanly shape. Very "bedroomy". Grrrrrr.

Good luck!

[SagittariusLegs]

Wow, phikappa. Thanks for that. I just love this board. And catgirl, I'm relieved to hear you didn't train months and didn't fall apart. I have to stop worrying, I guess.

Well, yesterday I gave in and did a tiny workout. It was one of my old Firm videos I hadn't done in eons. I used very light weight and there was almost no cardio in the video. I felt okay after and I'm feeling more on the mend today, so I guess I didn't push myself too hard. Maybe I'll take a little walk around the neighborhood later. I'm trying to get my body back to six meals little by little. I got on the scale this morning and I was down 3 pounds from before my trip. Most women would be happy, but knowing how tough it is for me to lose weight, I'm scared I've lost some muscle.

What can you do? I just have to get healthy and shut off my brain. Talk to y'all tomorrow. :)

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I got on the scale this morning and I was down 3 pounds from before my trip. Most women would be happy, but knowing how tough it is for me to lose weight, I'm scared I've lost some muscle.



Like you, I got sick on a vacation in February. Food poisoning. I was in bed for three days and barely ate the entire time. I lost 10 lbs in 3 days. Once I started eating and working out again, the lost weight came back fast, 7 of the pounds within 5 days and the rest within 2 weeks. The body usually gets back to its natural equilibrium, so don't worry about the 3 lbs. If it was muscle, it will come back, once you are well and back to training regularly.

[SagittariusLegs]

Whoa! 10 lbs. in 3 days? That's something. The body sure likes to eat up it's muscle, doesn't it?

I'm still taking it pretty easy. I took a little walk yesterday around the neighborhood. I'm trying to force myself to get outside everyday and stop being a hermit. I have a bad habit of never leaving the house except to go to the gym. Well, today I did something I'd never done. I went kayaking all on my own. I live on a canal house in Florida and we have these kayaks that hardly get used. I decided I needed to get some exercise and get out of the house so I lifted the heavy awkward thing, launched it, got in without falling into the water and kayaked for about an hour or so. I'm so glad I did it. It's really stupid to live on a canal, have kayaks and never use them. So that's my workout for today. I think I'll be ready to go back to the gym on Sunday. My lungs are still not 100%. This cough keeps hanging on.

I'm off to fix a protein drink. Until tomorrow...

[SagittariusLegs]

My throat's still not right. I really wish this bug would go away. I'm anxious to get back to my routine. Today I'm finally getting my protein intake back up. I didn't workout, but I did a bit of housework which tired me out. I think my cough may be lessening. Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready to go to the gym. We'll see.

[SagittariusLegs]

And once again my throat isn't better. (Argh!) No gym today. I'm going tomorrow, but I'm going to take it easy. I'm planning on revamping my program a bit. Here's what I'm thinking of doing:

Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Shoulders & Moderate Cardio for 30-40 min.
Wednesday: Biceps, Abs & Intense Cardio for 20-30 min.
Thursday: Triceps & Light Cardio for 30-50 min.
Friday: Back & Light Cardio for 30-50 min.
Saturday: Chest & Moderate Cardio for 30-40 min.
Sunday: Abs only

Now I realize there are no designated rest days in there, but here's my thinking. I don't have a 9-5 job. I work at home. When I'm not at the gym I basically sit on my ass all day so a little activity everyday can't be that bad (I think). Since I'm breaking up my routine my workouts won't be as long. Ab only day will almost be a rest. I'm going to force myself to only do one intense cardio workout a week. I figure if I feel too worn out at all I'll rethink this program. I'd just like to try and split up biceps and triceps. When I do them with back and chest I feel like they get rushed and I don't put a very good effort into them. Maybe this will help.

I'm still struggling to get my diet back in control. Being sick and just coming back from a trip is making it tough. My sugar tooth has been driving me nuts.

Here's hoping I'm feeling more like myself tomorrow! If not, I'm going to scream. (No that would just hurt my stupid throat). :(

[SagittariusLegs]

It's Sunday night and I feel like I'm going to cry. I've now got fluid in my lungs. I'm starting to wonder if something's really wrong with me. It's now been 2 weeks since this bug first hit. If it doesn't clear up next week sometime I guess it's back to the doctor. I haven't given up on going to the gym tomorrow, but if I do go it will definitely be a 50% intensity workout.

This SUCKS!!

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
It's Sunday night and I feel like I'm going to cry. I've now got fluid in my lungs. I'm starting to wonder if something's really wrong with me. It's now been 2 weeks since this bug first hit. If it doesn't clear up next week sometime I guess it's back to the doctor. I haven't given up on going to the gym tomorrow, but if I do go it will definitely be a 50% intensity workout.

This SUCKS!!

This sounds pretty serious. I would not work out and call the doctor tomorrow.

P.S. I think I'm getting sympathy pains. I've had a strep throat since late last night.

[SagittariusLegs]

Take some aspirin. That was the ONLY thing that killed my pain. Tylenol and ibuprofen hardly touched it.

It's a new day and I'm still not 100%, but the feeling of fluid in the lungs has passed. I'm going to do my little household chores, fix a protein drink and see how I feel. I might just work out at home. It may not be kindly of me to take my germs to the gym if I'm still contagious.

If you don't hear back from me I'm lying on my living room floor pinned under my dumbbells.

[phikappa]

Hey girl,

Remember to drink plenty of water! And, they say that as long as your symptoms are from the neck up, you can do whatever you want. Otherwise, you need to get some rest. Since your cold is in your chest, you might want to rest.

Good luck!

[SagittariusLegs]

I have a real problem with resting, but I somehow managed to not overdo it today with my lower body workout. I went very light and easy and spent the rest of the day sitting around watching the Discovery Health channel.

This cough is hurting my head tonight. I think my sinuses are congested. I know the bug is leaving, it's just taking it's sweet time.

Ciao for now...

[Ms. Lucy]

Hey SL,

Seriously, girl, you have to rest until you're feeling better! Also, try taking some glutamine. Your body uses it not only to replenish muscles after a workout, but also to help your body recover when you're sick. On the same note, that's one reason why you really need to wait til your better--if you workout while you're still sick (not just head cold) you're taking away from what your body need to recover! SO easy does it--the kayaking looked good, but weights may be too much. ANd seriously, wouldn't you want to go back to it 100% in another week when you're better, or push too hard and not get to 100% for a month or more?

SO in the meatime, take some glutamine, and drink lots of fluid. Personally I'm a fan of green tea when you're sick. Either get decaf or put 1 bag of regualr into a whole pot. Also, try to eat your mini meals, even if it's less than what you'd eat normally.

And as for losing muscle in the past few weeks--hogwash. (lol) You're just dehydrated from being sick, nothing more. Yes you'll probably gain it back, but it's just water--probably the water in your muscles that make them look great anyways, so stop fretting!

FInally, it takes alot to take those first few steps. I've struggled for months and I'm just now seeing my first 10 pound drop in the scale, but I feel great! If you expect too much too soon, or push yourself too hard, you'll only get dissappointed and possible give up. DON"T DO THAT TO YOURSELF! Take baby steps. One pound, then two! Also, take measurements, pictures and get your body fat tested. You may not see the scale move all the time, but if you stick to it, you'll lose inches and drop body fat which is more important that the scale.

So for now, good luck and get better soon!

lucy

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks, Ms. Lucy. I actually have been taking my glutamine all along and my water consumption is high. My appetite is back to normal and my spirits are good. It's just taking a while for the cough and weird throat to go away. Every day I feel a little better.

Today I did my shoulders only. For a moment I thought about also biking to the beach, swimming in the ocean and biking home. That was my crazy voice talking so I managed to ignore it. I'd love to do that sometime, but I know if I did it now I'd be in big trouble.

I had eggwhites and a small fruit salad for my first meal and I'm getting ready to make a protein drink for my second. I'm staying religious about my supplements. The thing about this bug is it feels like it's clearing up in the day time and then in the evening it gets a little worse, but each day it's a little less.

I know I should just rest until it's completely gone, but the mental anguish I'd go through from no exercise would make me crazier than waiting a little longer for the cough to go away. Maybe it's not the healthiest choice, but I feel mentally better the way I'm handling it now.

I really want to do some cardio right now, but I'm going to try and control myself. I'll go take my creatine and glutamine, relax and do something like write a new song. Oh yeah. There's more to life than working out! I forget that sometimes.

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm still getting better. My appetite is really good today. Almost a little too good. I'm not coughing as much. I haven't been to the gym yet. I feel it's better for me to workout at home while I'm under the weather. That way I don't get that stupid show-off thing going where feel like I need to go as heavy as possible when others may be watching. It's a self-defeating issue I need to work on, I know. :/

Today I did my first bicep-only workout. It felt really good. I liked putting all my focus and concentration on the one muscle group. They felt more worked out than in my other workouts. Then I got in the pool and just paddled around for 20 minutes. It felt good and soothing.

I saw Pam Brown's 'I Lost It' on Discovery Health. She rocks. She went from 244 lbs. and 49% body fat and became a competitive bodybuilder. If she can do it, so can I dammit! (Get the bodybuilder physique, not compete that is).

That's enough of my rambling for today. More to come tomorrow.

[SagittariusLegs]

Ahhh. I went to bed without hacking and I only coughed once this morning. I think I'm finally getting rid of this thing. Now I'm debating whether to do my tricep workout at home or go to the gym. I'll probably go to the gym, just 'cause I can't do push-downs at home.

Not much else to report at the moment.

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm confused. I worked my triceps yesterday and today I feel like I did a full back workout. Sure my triceps are a bit sore, but my back is more! What did I do? I even went light on the weight because I'm getting over my cough. Here are the exercises I did:

Seated french presses: 4 sets, 20/16/14/12, weights 8, 10, 15, 20
Dips off a stool: 3 sets, 12/10/8, extended legs a little more each set
Reclined single arm french presses: 3 sets, 14/12/10, weights 8, 10, 15
Kickbacks: 3 sets, 14/12/10, weights 8, 10 and 10 freezing at the top and going slowly on the negative
Tricep push-ups: could only manage 2 sets, reps 8 and 4.

Now my upper back and spinal erectors are on fire. Today was supposed to be back day, but that's out now. I need to figure out how to rearrange my schedule.

Hmmm....

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I'm confused. I worked my triceps yesterday and today I feel like I did a full back workout. Sure my triceps are a bit sore, but my back is more! What did I do? I even went light on the weight because I'm getting over my cough.


Not sure why myself. Could you have put stress on your back doing seated french presses? Do you have mirrors at home so you can monitor your form while you are lifting( that's a big advantage I find at the gym as compared to working out at home)?



Here are the exercises I did:

Seated french presses: 4 sets, 20/16/14/12, weights 8, 10, 15, 20
Dips off a stool: 3 sets, 12/10/8, extended legs a little more each set
Reclined single arm french presses: 3 sets, 14/12/10, weights 8, 10, 15
Kickbacks: 3 sets, 14/12/10, weights 8, 10 and 10 freezing at the top and going slowly on the negative
Tricep push-ups: could only manage 2 sets, reps 8 and 4.



I know you said your arms were lagging, but 15 sets is A LOT for the triceps. To make substantive changes in your overall physique in the shortest period of time, using your energy on the bigger muscle groups like chest, back and legs may be better. Bis and tris are smaller muscles and they do get involved indirectly in training other muscles ( tris with chest and shoulders, bis with back), so is 15 sets here necessary?

Doing a high volume arm workout as a change of pace is OK, but shouldn't be the norm.

[SagittariusLegs]

I don't know what's necessary just yet. I'm still feeling my way through. I hardly ever get that nice worked feeling in my triceps and biceps unless I go high volume, but I don't know if that feeling is necessary to make improvements. How do you approach your minor muscle groups? Help!

[sweetbecky]

SL, I do tris and chest on the same day. I start with chest. When I get to tris, I do 2-3 sets of skull crushers, and then 2-3 sets of overhead extensions. The tricep pushdown machine at my gym blows, otherwise I would use that occasionally to replace on of the above exercises (replace, not add to!). Pick 2 or 3 exercises and do those one day, next tricep day pick another 2 different exercises, just mix it up. Also, be sure to go heavy so you won't want a third or fourth exercise!

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks, sweetbecky. There's a lot more to bodybuilding then one thinks. I never thought I'd have so many questions. I guess I'll put triceps back with chest. I think I'll still keep biceps separate for now.

I'm feeling incredibly lazy today. I rested yesterday and I feel like I could rest again today. I think I will. Then hopefully my strength will be good tomorrow and I can start fresh. I'm not sure how I'll arrange my workout next week. I haven't worked my back properly, but it feels like I have and my chest needs attention, but so do my legs. I'm not sure what to start with tomorrow.

Okay. New question. I notice a lot of bodybuilders separate their hamstrings and calves from their leg workouts. I don't see how I could do my hamstrings separate, because they work when I do my squats on leg day. I've liked doing all of my legs on the same day, including calves. As for calves, I'm confused on whether to work them with high repetition or treat them like any other muscle. Now that I think about it, what about abs? I've always thought doing high repetition on abs is best. Anyone think otherwise?

The more I learn, the more questions I seem to have. :)

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I guess I'll put triceps back with chest. I think I'll still keep biceps separate for now.

:)

SL, I wasn't saying you couldn't do tris by themselves, especially if you want to emphasize them. They may get a better workout on a separate day from chest. because they have not already been fatigued. In fact, it may be better doing them separately because that way you work them directly one day a week and indirectly one day a week ( on chest day). I was just suggesting that 15 sets on a continual basis may 1) overtrain them and 2) use energy that may be better placed on bigger muscle groups. I myself do occasionally work in high volume workouts as a change of pace so my body doesn't adapt to one routine. High volume for me are 9-12 sets of bis or tris instead of the usual 6 or 7.

We all offer ideas and suggestions. You be the ultimate judge. If you want to do the 15 sets, try it for a month( it usually takes that amount of time to see if a change is effective) and see how it feels and if you see improvements.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs

Okay. New question. I notice a lot of bodybuilders separate their hamstrings and calves from their leg workouts. I don't see how I could do my hamstrings separate, because they work when I do my squats on leg day. I've liked doing all of my legs on the same day, including calves.

Separate days should only be used by advanced bodybuilders or those who have a substantial weakness( such as small calves or small hams in comparison to quads). You are right. Hams get worked when you squat and if your hams are not already warmed up from doing hamstring exercises, you may not be able to do as much weight or as many reps for squats because the hams may tighten up or fail before the quads.

Some of us with really weak :( calves will do calves both on leg day and a separate day.



As for calves, I'm confused on whether to work them with high repetition or treat them like any other muscle.

Really low reps may not work for most people, but anywhere 8-12 and sometimes up to 30 is a good range if you are trying to build them. Try a couple of different rep ranges like 8-12, 12-15 or higher and see what gives your calves the best pump.

[SagittariusLegs]

As usual, thanks for all your input, Egoatdoor. I really appreciate it, being that I can get TOTALLY confused.

I'm so used to doing lots of sets of several exercises for every body part. I still have the mindset of more is better. Who would've thought it's the opposite? Believe it or not I was actually doing less by doing 15 total sets. It's a challenge for me to do less. I never thought that would be my problem.

[bscrusher]

hi sl, the people who are writing that you should reduce the # of excercises you do are right on, you will see. also i see that you have somehow gotten into isolating your muscles a lot in your excercises. why not try concentrating more on multi-joint compound lifts? if you want to do some isolation movements, i suggest you do very few and choose them carefully.
as for the "feeling" you like to get in your biceps and triceps from high volume lifting, try not to get too attached to it. advanced lifters can not use that feeling as an indicator of an effective workout. they must observe changes in strength or muscle size, which takes a few days or weeks rather than minutes. don't be afraid to reduce # of reps or sets for some excercises as well. you may find you can lift more weight, this causes muscle growth, you will look more lean and so on. isn't this what it is all about?

[SagittariusLegs]

Originally posted by bscrusher
you may find you can lift more weight, this causes muscle growth, you will look more lean and so on. isn't this what it is all about?

Yes! :) Absolutely. I've been trained in the school of "keep going!" "more is better", etc. As a fitness instructor I've seen other instructors do nothing but exercise. They teach, they run, they teach again, they run, they lift, they spin and this is in one day! You start thinking, "I guess if I want to look like her I'd better workout as much as she does." It's taking some real control to back off. I'd love to see great results and if I can do less to get them, that's great. I'm going to try and trim down my sets and number of exercises I do. As for compound exercises, do you mean like doing a bicep curl/overhead press combo or a pull-over/tricep press combo? I'm open to suggestions.

Okay. My thought for the day. Does adding kickboxing to one's weekly routine hinder bodybuilding results? I know it can be a strenuous workout for the upper and lower body, but it trains you in a different way than heavy resistance training. I'd also like to figure out how to add yoga. I think I may use it as a warm-up and cool-down for now. I used to crosstrain like crazy doing spinning, step, kickboxing, yoga, you name it. I love all kinds of exercise, but I don't want to hurt my strength training results. Does anyone have a smart way of incorporating this sort of exercise?

Thanks in advance from the ever-confused and overwhelmed chick.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
Yes! :) Absolutely. I've been trained in the school of "keep going!" "more is better", etc. As a fitness instructor I've seen other instructors do nothing but exercise. They teach, they run, they teach again, they run, they lift, they spin and this is in one day! You start thinking, "I guess if I want to look like her I'd better workout as much as she does."

My massage therapist feels the same way. She sees a couple of hard bodies in her gym who seem to be there hours every day and she feels guilty because she doesn't train every day.


As for compound exercises, do you mean like doing a bicep curl/overhead press combo or a pull-over/tricep press combo? I'm open to suggestions.

Are you confusing compound exercises with compound ( or super) sets? A compound exercise is a basic barbell or dumbbell movement that works multiple bodyparts ( as opposed to isolation movements that only work one muscle). A compound set is back to back sets of two exercises for one bodypart without rest between the sets. A superset is two exercises for opposing bodyparts, again without rest.

Examples of compound exercises:
Chest: Barbell Bench Press or Incline Press
Shoulders: Military Press( barbell or dumbbell), Shrugs, Upright Rows, Clean and Press
Back: Barbell Bent Rows, Deadlifts, T Bar Rows
Triceps: Close Grip Bench Press, Lying Tricep Extensions w/ bar ( "Skullcrushers")
Quads: Squats, Leg Presses
Hamstrings: Stiff Deadlifts

[SagittariusLegs]

Gotcha. Yes, I was confusing those terms.

I just got back from the gym and I think I did pretty well. I worked chest and abs with light cardio. Here's what I did:

Upright chest press machine: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 60, 66 and 70 lbs.

Dumbbell flies on an incline: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 20, 25 and 25 lbs.

Push-ups on balance ball with medicine ball under one hand, alternating hands: 3 sets, reps 10/10/16. On the last set I went directly from ball under the left hand to ball under the right hand without resting.

Cross cable pulls seated on the balance ball (I'm not sure what the actual name of this exercise is): 2 sets, reps 10/8, weight 20 and 30 lbs.

Then I moved onto abs. I did a long set of machine crunches with legs extended to include low abs. I followed that with a rotation exercise with a 6 lb. medicine ball. I hold the ball over head and rotate the torso clockwise for eight and then counter-clockwise for eight. I then worked lateral flexion with a 4 lb. medicine ball in one hand, other hand behind the head, moving the opposite knee toward the elbow. (It's hard to describe some of these exercises). I went back to the ab crunch machine for another set and then finished with some basic crunch moves on the mat.

After that I did 30 minutes of jogging to walking to walking uphill to walking faster on a flat to a slow walk to cool down.

I ended my workout (as always) with a nice thorough stretch.

So did I do good or am I still doing too much? I felt good. My chest felt nice and strong. I really like focusing on one muscle group at a time. I don't feel like I need to rush.

And on the diet end of things, for the first time I made a protein drink with peanut butter. When I first heard of putting peanut butter in a smoothie I wanted to gag, but it's not bad. I used yogurt, chocolate whey protein, a little organic peanut butter, half a banana, some oatmeal and a little tupelo honey for sweetness. It's actually not too bad.

....until next time....

[egoatdoor]

Workout looked good. Were the 8th reps of last set of chest machine and flyes challenging? Did you have another rep in you?

[SagittariusLegs]

The flyes were more challenging than the machine press. I don't think I could've done another fly, but I probably could've squeezed in a couple more reps on the machine press. I guess I should go heavier next time.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
The flyes were more challenging than the machine press. I don't think I could've done another fly, but I probably could've squeezed in a couple more reps on the machine press. I guess I should go heavier next time.

Great. :D Add another 5 pounds(??) on the last set of chest machine and see how it goes. If you can't get 8, do as many as you can and then try to gradually work up to 8 to 10 each workout after that.

[SagittariusLegs]

Since everyone who's posted here has been so kind, I thought I'd post a link to some new, much less flattering pics I had my husband take of me today. Ahh, nothing gets you wanting to eat better like these kinds of photos. I hope to have some fantastic follow-up pics in the future.

I'm planning on doing legs today, no cardio. I'll be doing smith machine squats, stiff leg deadlifts, calves, abductor/adductor, leg press machine and quad and ham machines. I'm going to keep the sets no more than 3 and on the isolation stuff I'll keep the sets to 2.

I'll report back later. :)

http://nasty.4dw.net/ys/journal.html

[SagittariusLegs]

Here was my leg routine today:

Smith machine squats: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 50/70/80 lbs. I also used varying leg positions. First set legs were hip width. Second set legs were together. Third set legs were wider than hip with toes slightly turned out. I always go nice and deep and controlled, thinking about the negative.

Stiff Leg Dead Lifts w/ dumbbells: I did these in between the squats. 3 sets. Reps 12/10/8. Weights 50/60/70 lbs. (that's both dumbbells added together, of course).

Leg Press Machine: 5 sets, the first 4 were alternating a single leg press, final set was both legs together, so it was actually like doing 3 sets. I'd never split up the legs before and it was TOUGH. My left leg is quite a bit weaker than the right. Reps were 10/10/8/8/8, weight 72/72/86/86/153 lbs. I'd never gone this heavy before. It felt good.

At this point my legs were turning into spaghetti.

Adductor machine: 2 sets, reps 12/10, weight 60/70 lbs.
Abductor machine: 2 sets, reps 12/10, weight 70/80 lbs.
On these I alternated from adductor to abductor.

Leg extension: 2 sets, reps 12/10, weight 90/100 lbs.
Leg curl: 2 sets, reps 10/8, weight 70/68 lbs. I had to drop the weight on the second set. I wasn't ready to go that heavy yet.

Standing calves on a machine that does squats or calves (not sure what it's called): 3 sets, reps 12/12/12 or so. I actually lost count on the last set. I just wanted to go by feel rather than the number. Weight 90/100/110 lbs. I alternated my toe position from forward, to toes out to toes in. I feel I get the sides of the calves better that way, not just the belly.

I stretched took my creatine and glutamine and I went home and had a protein shake. No cardio. I hope I didn't do too much. This is trimmed down from what I used to do. I used to have another leg exercise like walking lunges and do 4 sets on most of the exercises and up to 6 sets of squats. I think I'm controlling myself better.

[bscrusher]

hi sl, you look quite strong and you have very lovely face. by compound lifts i mean squats, deadlifts, bench press, military press, lunges... lifts that use more than one joint or pair of joints in the execution.
do not be distracted by what the genetically gifted are doing in your gym or in magazines. some people can do an unbelievable amount of physical work and never get tired. you must find the amount of work that will bring the most benefit to you. the ability of people to recover from physical exertion can be expressed as a bell curve. the huge majority of us are quite alike in the amount of recovery ability and physical potential we have. there are a few very weak and a few extremely strong. most people i have contact with get hypnotized by watching the amazing abilities of the gifted few. most will be well served by trying less work. for many people less work means more results. think quality rather than quantity as regards your excercise.
heavy squats and deadlifts will build very hard and well rounded glutes and hamstrings. i am wondering, what are your intentions or hopes regarding use of the abductor and adductor machines? while reading your latest leg workout i am thinking you should try dropping everything except the sldls and the calf press, and bring back the lunges. also, do you do squats? smith machine squats do not in any way approximate the effect of regular barbell squats. i suggest doing squats and sldls on a different day. for abs i think you will get better results in less time if you drop the machine movements and keep the medicine ball work.
any physical activity you do other than lifting will slow down the progress of your strength and bodybuilding goals. from all evidence i have seen this includes the sacred CARDIO. however it is fun to test your new strength in sports like kickboxing, judo, rugby and the like. there is also something very satisfying about bringing agility challenges to your training. you get to enjoy the rewards of all your hard work. if you start doing one of these activities you will have to cut the volume of your weightlifting and be content with slower strength and muscle mass gains. also you will have to be extra vigilante to avoid overtraining.

[SagittariusLegs]

Whoa. Thanks for the input. That's a lot of information to assimilate. I do the adductor/abductors simply because I've noticed those exercises really help to keep my hips trim and they make a big difference in certain movements, like inside/outside crescent kicks. I get a lot more power out of the kicks.

I'm doing back today. I'll report in later with the details. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

Here's today's back workout:

Single Arm Dumbbell Lat Rows: Sets 3, reps 12/10/8, weight per dumbbell 30/35/40.

Seated cable rows: Sets 3, reps 12/10/8, weight 110/130/140.

Hyper Extensions: Sets 3, reps 12/10/8, used body weight with arms crossed in front of chest first set, hands behind the head second set and arms extended overhead third set.

Assisted Pull-ups: Wide grip, medium grip, narrow grip, 3 sets, reps 10/8/6, I used 120 lbs. of assistance and I weigh about 190 during the day with all my clothes on.

Pinches: 2 sets, reps 16/16, weight 50/60.

I then did 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio on the eliptical runner.

That's it for today. I think I may see about training with one of the exercise physiologists at the gym who have expertise in bodybuilding. It would be nice to have someone right there watching what I do.

....until next time...

[bscrusher]

hi sl, if by trim you mean smaller, the abductor/adductor machines are not making your hips trim. if your hips are shrinking it is for some other reason. remember resistance makes muscles bigger, and the idea of spot reduction of fat is a myth. those machines are one of the very few excercises that seem to make a person's hips wider. not by much because the amount of intensity that can be acheived is not great. i have seen and experienced how those machines can help in karate and judo.

[SagittariusLegs]

What can I say? I just like the machines. I'm not opposed to having large legs as long as I can get the fat layer down and get my upper body to catch up. (Hope I can do it).

I rested today. Not much to report.

[SagittariusLegs]

I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I'm pretty sluggish today. I tried to take the advice on keeping the number of sets down on the smaller muscle groups. I did biceps, triceps and abs. Here's today's routine.

Barbell biceps curls: 3 sets, wide/medium/narrow grip, reps 12/10/5. I'm not sure on the weight. I was using my own rusty barbell and I'm not sure what it weighs. I think it's around 20 lbs. I only added 6 lbs on the first set, then another 6, then I I added another 8 lbs, which proved to be too heavy to get many reps.

Barbell Skull Crushers: 4 sets, reps 12/10/8/6, weight was the same as on biceps and I kept it the same for the final set of 6. These felt awkward, like my left wrist was being pulled in a funny direction. I had to really concentrate on keeping my wrists still.

Hammer curls: 3 sets, alternating reps of forward and side curls, reps 12/10/8, weight per dumbbell 10/15/20.

Tricep dips off stool: 4 sets, reps 12/10/8/8, bodyweight only. I'm trying to keep my back from assisting on these, but it's not easy.

Negative Bicep curls: 2 sets, reps 12/10, weight per dumbbell 15/20. Pulled up for one count and lowered for about six or seven counts.

I then did 30 minutes of a moderate cardio kickboxing video and about 8 minutes of various ab exercises. I'm ready for a nap now.

[SagittariusLegs]

My ass is transforming! I'm very happy. I looked in the mirror when I got up today and noticed the area between the glutes and hamstrings, which I always thought was fat, was starting to become one with my glute muscle. I'm dancing for joy. :)

Anyway, I just got up. I managed to get enough sleep so I'm off to the kitchen to fuel up and then it's shoulders today. Ooh, that's another thing I noticed yesterday while I was working my biceps. I'm seeing a lot more definition in my anterior delts. And while I was doing a part of my cardio where I had my hands on the hips and was alternating a kick, I saw my delts shaking. Before I only would've seen my flab jiggling, but now I see my muscle! I guess something must be working, huh?

[SagittariusLegs]

My shoulder workout:

Pec deck, rear delts: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 50/62.5. I tried to go heavier, but had to drop it back.

Overhead press (machine):3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 36/44/48. Palms facing forward. I took it slow and tried to focus on every single rep.

Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight per dumbbell 12.5/15/15. I felt pretty weak on these.

Upright cable rows: 3 sets, reps 12/10/9, weight 40/50/60. Felt pretty good. I can go heavier next time.

Rear delt flies: 3 sets, reps 12/10/10, weight per dumbbell 10 lbs. on all 3 sets. I wonder if this really targets the rear delts like I want. I try to keep the focus away from my upper back.

I did 45 minutes on the treadmill today. I listened to one of my old spinning cd's and did intervals with the songs. I walked fast on a flat, climbed, jogged, and ran. I don't think I overdid it. I feel good.

...until next time...

[SagittariusLegs]

Whooped. I took two days off and I'm still whooped. I did chest today. 4 exercises, 3 sets each. I did abs as well. Felt pretty tired at the end.

I'll have a perkier post tomorrow, maybe.

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay, I'm alive again. I did my legs today. Here's how it went down:

Smith Squats (can't seem to part with these): 3 sets, reps 12/12/10, weight 50/70/90

SL Dead Lifts (in between sets of squats): 3 sets, reps 12/12/12, weight 40/50/50

Walking lunges: 1 set for 20 repetitions with 25 lbs.

Calves: 3 sets, varying toe positions, reps 12/12/12, weight 90.

Adduction: 1 set, weight 60 for 12 reps.
Abduction: 2 sets, weight 70/80, reps 14/12

Knee extension: 5 sets alternating 2 sets of single leg and 1 set of both legs. Reps 12/12/10, weight 44/48/120

Leg curl: 3 sets alternating 1 set of single leg and 1 set of both. Reps 10/10/8, weight 36/70

Leg press: 3 sets alternating 1 set of single leg and 1 set both. Reps 12/12/10, weight 86/170

Walked/jogged for 45 minutes.


I'm wondering if I should increase my vitamin E intake. I've been hearing good things about it lately and I'm not sure if I'm getting enough.

[SagittariusLegs]

It was back, abs and treadmill today. I'm feeling too tired and lazy to post exactly what I did.

Damn, it's hot in Florida!

[SagittariusLegs]

Shoulders today, plus stepmill and treadmill.

I'm reading an e-book called Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle. The author says it's not possible to put on much muscle and lose significant fat at the same time. Maybe this is why my weight hasn't budged since I began my program because I've been focusing on muscle gain. At any rate I'm going to be shifting my diet/cardio to emphasize fat loss for a while. My weight training will stay the same. I've ordered my own calipers and a measuring tape and I plan to start keeping careful tabs on my lean body mass. I'll also be continuing to add to my photo journal.


...until next time

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
Shoulders today, plus stepmill and treadmill.

I'm reading an e-book called Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle. The author says it's not possible to put on muscle and lose fat at the same time. Is it possible my weight hasn't budged since I began my program because I've been focusing on muscle gain? At any rate I'm going to be shifting my diet/cardio to emphasize fat loss for a while. I've ordered my own calipers and a measuring tape and I plan to start keeping careful tabs on my lean body mass. I'll also be continuing to add to my photo journal.


Don't believe everything you read. For a well trained person who is naturally or already lean, that may be true. For a person who is new to training and/or has a body composition that is inclined to carry more fat, they certainly CAN lose fat and gain muscle, especially early on and if they are eating properly.

The mind set to use diet and cardio to burn fat is perfectly OK, but don't neglect the weight training.

Keep it up. You're doing a great job so far.

[SagittariusLegs]

OOh, I would never ever neglect my weight training. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

No weights today. Did 25 minutes of aerobic step intervals this morning, followed by 10 minutes of restorative yoga. I've got to keep my yoga going. I was SO stiff in the back of my neck and when I was doing yoga regularly that was never the case.

I think my notion of doing back to back to back to back to back weights is probably not the best idea. My body tells me it's tired usually after two days of weights. I'm going back to two days on one day off. It'll be biceps/triceps tomorrow.

I'm going to try (for a little while anyway) using a food diary to keep track of how much I'm actually eating everyday. I've sorta been winging it. I'll be interested to see how much protein/calories/fat I'm really eating on average. Should be interesting. I'll post my totals for the day before I go to bed.

[SagittariusLegs]

It comes as no surprise to me that I've been eating more than I thought I was. Here were my totals for the day:

Calories: 2153
Protein: 121.5 g
Fat: 39.5 g

This was keeping track of everything and not eating things I may have if I weren't keeping counts. I've probably been consuming around 2300-2500 calories a day and fat around 50 g. And everything starts making sense. I don't need to do anything drastic. Just cut out stuff like cheeses, mayo and white flours. I also see my protein intake was sorta low.

Well, I'll be continuing to keep tabs for now. I hope to keep my calories below 2200 a day, protein around 150 grams or so and fat below 40 grams. Wish me luck.

[SagittariusLegs]

Biceps/Triceps today. I did a total of 6 exercises and 18 sets. Did morning cardio (mix of kickboxing, hi/lo and step) for 30 minutes and extra cardio for another 30 minutes (eliptical) at the gym. I'm keeping careful track of my diet. So far so good-ish. Sugar is a tough one to get out of my diet, but I'll keep trying. Tomorrow it's either chest or legs and only one 30 minute cardio session.

[SagittariusLegs]

Yesterday I worked legs. It was a similar workout to last time only instead of lunges I did step ups onto a 12 inch platform for 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 50/65/65. I also added some seated calf/soleus work. 3 sets, reps 14/12/12, weight 50/70/70. I was able to increase the weight a little on the machine work. I did my cardio in the morning--30 minutes of hi/lo. I'm starting to feel the effects of fewer calories and more cardio. I was seeing stars in the evening yesterday and I'm still a little woozy today, so I'm taking a complete breather and eating a couple hundred extra calories today and (as always) plenty of lean protein.

I got my fat calipers in the mail, along with my myotape. Here's today's stats:

Body Weight: 188 lbs.
Body Fat: 26%
Lean Body Mass: 139.12
Fat Weight: 48.88
Neck: 14 1/8"
Upper torso: 38"
Bust: 41"
Under bust: 38"
Waist: 34"
Hips: 42.5"
R. Leg (upper thigh with leg resting on chair): 26"
L. Leg: 26 1/8"
R. Arm (under deltoid, arm extended laterally): 13.25"
L. Arm: 13 1/8"

According to these numbers I'll need to lose about 18 lbs. to get to 18% body fat. I'll be taking my monthly photo journal pics next week. I'm getting excited about my program now that I'll be taking careful measurements and I can stop guessing. I'm still tracking my nutrition intake. I didn't cheat at all yesterday. It's a miracle. :)

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I'm starting to feel the effects of fewer calories and more cardio. I was seeing stars in the evening yesterday and I'm still a little woozy today, so I'm taking a complete breather and eating a couple hundred extra calories today and (as always) plenty of lean protein.

A good idea. SL, for someone who's still relatively new to this, you've got more brains and instinctive smarts than most of the people I see in gyms.


Body Weight: 188 lbs.
Body Fat: 26%
Lean Body Mass: 139.12
Fat Weight: 48.88



Is this your first bodyfat measurement, or was one done before?

[SagittariusLegs]

I had another measurement taken back in March, but it was VERY high (over 40%) and it didn't make sense to me. I feel the guy taking the readings might not have done it properly.


Originally posted by egoatdoor
A good idea. SL, for someone who's still relatively new to this, you've got more brains and instinctive smarts than most of the people I see in gyms.

I do my best. :)

I felt a lot better today after resting and eating a little more. I'll be off to the gym tomorrow for chest.

Something else that's new with me: I'm starting to get into healthy (& interesting) cooking. I've been going to the FitTV website and scanning the Fit Cuisine recipes. There's some great stuff there. I made a really wonderful chicken breast dish tonight and later in the evening I made this fantastic pear dessert. No refined sugars (I only used 1/2 tbsp of tupelo honey), low cal and low fat, but it tasted awesome. If anyone wants to try it, here it is:


Poached d'Anjou Pears with Cinnamon Perfume, Pecans and Strawberry Sauce
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

Pears:
2 d'Anjou pears
2 cups port wine
½ cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 ounce pecans

Sauce:
4 ounces strawberries, washed, stemmed and diced
1 ounce water
1 Tablespoon honey

Method:

Pears: Peel, core and slice pears into large wedges. In a sauce pot, add pears, wine, cinnamon and star anise. Place on burner and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and allow to braise for about 12 minutes. The wine will absorb into the pears. While pears are braising, begin the sauce. The pears should be fully cooked and all of the alcohol should have cooked out of the wine.

Sauce: In a blender, add strawberries and water. Puree until smooth. Strain this liquid through a strainer into a saucepan. Add honey and bring to a boil. Reduce until sauce consistency.

To Plate: Arrange pears in the center of the plates, surround with strawberry sauce and top with pecans.

Nutritional Value Per Portion:
Calories: 201 Protein: 2.3g Carbohydrates: 11.4g Fat: 4.8g

[SagittariusLegs]

Chest yesterday. Back today. Diet fine. Feeling a little tired. Going off for the weekend. Will try to eat clean.

Why am I talking like a robot?

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay, I'm awake again. I just had a fabulous back workout. Even though I'm on a slightly reduced calorie program, I was able to go heavier. Also my bodyweight was down slightly. I'm feeling pretty optimistic about my training today.

Barbell bent over rows: 3 sets, reps 14/12/10, weight of plates (bar not included) 20/40/50. This was sort of a warm-up exercise.

Single arm dumbbell rows: 3 sets, reps 12/10/6, weight per dumbbell 40/45/50. I would never have started with the 40 pounder but there was a guy doing an upper body circuit and he was hogging the 30's and 35's, so I figured what the hell? I'm glad he was hogging the lighter weights as it turns out!

Lat pull down machine: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 86/98/110.

Hyperextensions: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8. Body weight only.

No cardio this morning. I'll be doing it later. I just got my new free-standing punching bag and I can't wait to use it. Also I'm going to be making an appointment with a very experienced trainer next week (thanks egoatdoor!).

I'll be checking in next week after my trip.

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm home. I'm burned, I'm bruised, I'm woozy. Sailing ain't my thing, I guess. I must have banged my head and stubbed the same toe ten times! I was going to take my monthly progress pics today, but I look like I've been kicked by several mules. I think I'll wait a week.

Anyway, I tried very hard to stay on my program. I didn't do terribly. I worked my biceps/triceps on Saturday and my shoulders Sunday using rubber resistance bands. I just couldn't lug my dumbbells onto the boat. My diet was okay. Not great, but okay. I took my weekly measurements and decided those white plastic calipers suck. They're probably okay for getting a ballpark estimate, but for exact numbers forget it. I must've been cross-eyed last week because this week my body fat was around 30% or so. I know I couldn't have gained 4% body fat in one week, right? My tape measurements were also a little weird. I don't know. I think it's better to have a professional take the readings. Someone who does it all the time and knows what they're doing!

I made the initial call to my possible future trainer and am anxiously awaiting to hear back. I'm looking forward to having a program to follow and someone to hold me accountable! Ahh, yes. That'll be nice.

I'm going to struggle to get my lazy sunburned ass to the gym today, even though it's day 2 on the rag (sorry to be gross, but that's life) and a great excuse to stay home. I'll report in later today.

[SagittariusLegs]

Did my legs at home today. Kept it simple. No machines today.

Squats: 3 sets in varying leg positions, reps 12/12/12, weight 40/55/55.

SL Deadlifts: 3 sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 40/55/55

Calf raises on edge of step (nothing to balance me): 3 sets, reps 12/14/16, weight 40/55/55. It took the first two sets to get my balance so I could smoothly get through my reps without falling.

Static Lunges: 6 alternating sets, reps 12/10/8, weight 30/40/40. I hate these things!

I then did about 30 minutes of kickboxing and 5 minutes of abs, including a headstand and some other core exercises. My abs were already pretty tired from the kickboxing.

I just finished my gallon jug of water for the day. I thought it would take me longer, but I already need a refill. I just started using the gallon jug so I can see how much I'm really drinking. Plenty, apparently.

[SagittariusLegs]

Cardio first thing, chest in the evening and 40 minutes more cardio. Diet was good. See ya tomorrow.

:)

[SagittariusLegs]

I made an appointment for a consultation with my new trainer. I'm gettin' excited.

REST DAY today. I ordered some new training supplements.

HMB
ZMA (was taking Zinc/Mag and Calcium, but read it's not good to take calcium and zinc)
Calcium (so I can still get my calcium apart from the zinc/mag)
Animal Pak (read good things about it. hope it's worth the money)

I'm still taking my creatine, glutamine, vitamin E, multivite, iron, salmon oil and silica and, of course, whey protein. I'm going to be adding a little flax oil as well. I've just been feeling too fatigued. It seems most of my life I've been lethargic, ever since my delightful female hormones kicked in. I hope continuing to improve my diet and adding these supplements helps.

[SagittariusLegs]

My back never ceases to amaze me. It seems I can go heavier nearly every workout. Today I managed lat pull downs with 120 lbs. on my final set for 8 reps. and 150 lbs. on my final set of cable rows. My final set of single arm dumbbell rows I used the 50 lb. weights again, but squeezed an extra two reps on the last set.

The sad news is my biceps are still not responding very well. Twenty pound dumbbells are about all I can manage with good form. Oh, well. I'll keep working on them.

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay. I'm tired today. I did triceps and shoulders. No cardio. Must eat now. Bye bye.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I've just been feeling too fatigued.



SL, I'm worried about this.

[SagittariusLegs]

It's been a problem for years. I've had blood work in the past. There's never been anything obviously wrong with me. I really don't know what to do about it except to keep cleaning up my diet and make sure I don't overexercise. A natural physician once put me on thyroid medicine but it made my heart race and palpitate so I got off it. I don't think it gave me much energy either. Now that I think of it I don't think there's anyone in my family that's perky and energetic.

Actually yesterday I felt really good. I wasn't tired at all even with double cardio. Today I think I would've felt equally as good if I'd gotten more sleep. I hope the energy boost is because I've been eating more protein and not because my husband is out of town.

Okay, with that I'm going to bed. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

Morning cardio only.

[SagittariusLegs]

Kickboxing for 30 minutes this morning. Since last week I did only free weight exercises for lower body I thought I'd focus on machines today. I still did walking lunges and sl dead lifts. I also did balancing calf raises off the edge of a step. Love those. I got to 204 lbs. on the leg press machine for 8 reps. Yee ha!

I know I'll be slightly crippled tomorrow, but I don't do this many exercises very often anymore. Every now and then it's fun to really kick my own ass, though.

I forgot to mention my weight was down to 185.5 this morning. This means I've lost about 7 lbs. since late February. It's coming off very slowly, but I hear it's better that way.

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay. I took new pics this morning. I made comparison pics from last time. You can see them by visiting the link below. I know there's not a huge difference, but I think I may be shrinking a tiny tiny tiny bit.

http://nasty.4dw.net/ys/journal2.html



No morning cardio today. I'll be doing chest later and probably the eliptical.

[Ms. Lucy]

Great Job--SL! You can definetly see a difference in your stomach and in the back )I lost there first too!!

As for you progress--you're so right, it takes FOREVER, but it's really the best way. I've JUST lost my first 10lbs and I've also been doing this since January!! I'm sure you're the same as me to, inthat you;re lkearning as you go,...so that's too many cals, or that's not enough. Reminds me of that stupid song. Two steps forward, one step back. I seem to tetter at a certain weight for ages until I bust through it--but these small goals make it great to break, and I see you're enjoying the loser fit in the clothes!

ANyways, just wanted to say congrats on the pics--you're definetly making progress!

Keep up the good work!

Lucy

[egoatdoor]

SL, Great job. In just one month, your upper back looks great, lower back and glutes are much tighter. From the front, your waist looks much thinner and the shoulders are getting that square look as opposed to the rounded look before.

The little birdie in my head keeps saying "she's overtraining, she's overtraining", but what you are doing is working, so I'm telling myself to shut up!!!!

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks you guys. It's so nice to have other people notice changes. I know I'm not just imagining things.

I got up to 88 pounds on the chest press today and 81 (including bar) on the barbell flat bench press. I didn't think I'd be able to keep going heavier on my slightly less calorie diet, but it looks like I can. I did 45 minutes on the eliptical after chest. I feel really good today. I'm continuing to eat between 30-40 grams of protein every meal. I think it's really helping.

[Emma-Leigh]

Wow!! What are you talking about - You are being WAY to hard on yourself because I can DEFINATELY see some improvements!!

Your waist is looking a smaller and tighter, your butt/thighs have slimmed down and your upper back is looking terrific!

Slow and steady is the BEST and ONLY way to do it - so do not think of it as 'frustratingly slow' think of it as 'carefully remodelling' :D. If you do it slowly and skillfully you will loose fat mass, build muscle mass and your body will become adapted to a lower body fat% - meaning you will STAY leaner in the long run!

Keep up the good work!

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks Emma-Leigh. You're right. Slow is better. Yesterday I had the image of chizzling at an ice sculpture. That's what it feels like. Just little by little the fat layer reduces. It's sometimes a struggle to retrain the brain away from quick "fixes" and wanting to lose a lot of weight fast. I think I'm getting a handle on it.

No weights today. I did interval kickboxing this morning with some plyometric drills, speed kicks, jump rope, etc. I'm going to devote the rest of the day to either writing (I'm in the middle of working on a book) or doing something in the studio.

With so much energy spent on thinking about my eating and my exercise I can easily start to obsess. I think it's important to make sure I focus on other parts of my life, as well. So off I go.

...until tomorrow...

[SagittariusLegs]

Morning swimming. Evening back/biceps. I got my lat pull downs to 130 lbs. on the last set of 8. I did some new bicep exercises. Cable curls and negatives. I hadn't done negatives in a long time and they felt really good. I took my first dose of animal pak. Man those pills are HUGE! I wasn't burping them up during my workout, so that's a good sign.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I took my first dose of animal pak. Man those pills are HUGE!

They are. That's why I stopped taking them. It took 20 minutes to swallow them all.

[SagittariusLegs]

Whoops. And I forgot to take the horse pills today. And now I'm about to forget my creatine and glutamine. Today's the kind of day I'd like to just lounge around and do nothing. My brain is in that mindset, but I made myself go against it. I did my kickboxing this morning and shoulders/tris this evening. Tomorrow's my big consultation. I'm excited.

:)

[SagittariusLegs]

It's official. I have a trainer! I met with her today and already scheduled my sessions for July. I know I'm in good hands with her and I'm looking forward starting my new nutrition program and training. I start Thursday with legs.

Today's my rest day and I really need it. I know I'm in need of a rest when I can't fathom going to the gym or picking up a dumbbell. I'll be back in the gym tomorrow.

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm resting again today. I just feel I need it. Of course, I can't completely rest. I have to clean my stinking house. That's a sweaty enough job as it is.

[SagittariusLegs]

Wow. My legs are tired. It's amazing how changing up the reps and tempo can make such a difference. Apparently, I've been training like a power lifter. Whoopsee.

I'm excited about my new diet/training program. It'll be ever-evolving, which I love. I'll be doing my weights 3 days a week and cardio 4 days a week, keeping my heart rate much lower than I've been doing. Maybe I'll feel more energetic. My body fat was 32 which is about where I was reading it with my silly white calipers. Back in March it was over 40, so this is a good improvement for me. My weight was still down, which was great. She'll be checking my measurements and body fat every six weeks.

I'm off to Wild Oats to pick up my new food items.

[SagittariusLegs]

Wow. My legs are tired. It's amazing how changing up the reps and tempo can make such a difference. Apparently, I've been training like a power lifter. Whoopsee.

I'm excited about my new diet/training program. It'll be ever-evolving, which I love. I'll be doing my weights 3 days a week and cardio 4 days a week, keeping my heart rate much lower than I've been doing. Maybe I'll feel more energetic. My body fat was 32 which is about where I was reading it with my silly white calipers. Back in March it was over 40, so this is a good improvement for me. My weight was still down, which was great. She'll be checking my measurements and body fat every six weeks.

I'm off to Wild Oats to pick up my new food items.

[SagittariusLegs]

My weight was 185 on the nose this morning. That put a smile on my face. Legs are a bit sore today. It's a little painful to get into and out of a chair. I took my first dose of liquid L-Cartinine. For my cardio I did 30 minutes on my rowing machine keeping my heart rate between 130-145 bpm. I thought that range would feel way too easy, but for some reason it kicked my ass today. Maybe it's the adjustments to my diet. No more carbs (other than vegies) after my first two meals. Eek. That's going to take some getting used to. I did my abs after my cardio and then fixed breakfast. I made a fabulous egg white fritatta using mushrooms, brocoli, garlic and tomatoes. No cheese (sniff sniff). I had oatmeal with it and I'm hoping it keeps me feeling full a while.

[SagittariusLegs]

My weight was 185 on the nose this morning. That put a smile on my face. Legs are a bit sore today. It's a little painful to get into and out of a chair. I took my first dose of liquid L-Cartinine. For my cardio I did 30 minutes on my rowing machine keeping my heart rate between 130-145 bpm. I thought that range would feel way too easy, but for some reason it kicked my ass today. Maybe it's the adjustments to my diet. No more carbs (other than vegies) after my first two meals. Eek. That's going to take some getting used to. I did my abs after my cardio and then fixed breakfast. I made a fabulous egg white fritatta using mushrooms, brocoli, garlic and tomatoes. No cheese (sniff sniff), but I put a little salsa on it. Amy's salsa is sooooo goooood! I had oatmeal with it and I'm hoping it keeps me feeling full a while.

[SagittariusLegs]

OW!!!! Did I say my legs were a bit sore? Well, they were until yesterday afternoon when suddenly my hamstrings decided to start screaming. They're still killing me. I took a couple of ibuprofen and I hope it does something. It's difficult to walk, sit or even lie down. I'm waddling around the house like an old lady.

But on a happy note my weight was 183 today. That's 2 lbs. less than yesterday. I must be losing some fluid retention. I'm soooo thrilled. I haven't been 183 in months.

I went for a walk around the neighborhood for my cardio this morning. Keeping my HR under 145 is interesting. I found myself having to slow down to a saunter. With my aching hamstrings I probably looked like a drunk staggering down the street.

I haven't had any intense cravings from my diet yet. It's not so bad. I feel a little hungry in the late afternoon and in the early evening I'd kinda like to eat a bowl of raisin bran, but it's not anything I can't handle. My throat is a little sore today. I figure I must be starting to detox.

[SagittariusLegs]

I must seriously be detoxing. My throat is a little worse today and my glands are tender. However, I struggled to the gym to work my back, traps, rear delts and biceps. Faster pace, more reps, a bit lighter on the weight. I'm going to make my protein shake and lie in the tub for a while.

[SagittariusLegs]

181.5 on the scale this morning. Yikes. My weight hasn't come down this quickly since I was a teenager. More fluid and a little fat, I suspect. Just no muscle, please. I'm eating plenty of protein and doing my weight training, so that should help. I took a light walk, but it took a little faster stride to get my heart rate up this time. That's a good sign, I think.

I realized my sore throat and glands are only sore on the right side of my throat and neck. I wonder if that means anything.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
181.5 on the scale this morning.

Good job!

[sweetbecky]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I realized my sore throat and glands are only sore on the right side of my throat and neck. I wonder if that means anything.
Take it easy... don't tire yourself out too much. Looks like you deserve a little rest anyway :)

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks for the encouragement you guys. Weight is still going down. I keep expecting it to go up and down as it goes down, but so far it's only been decreasing. I'm still in shock.

Sore throat and glands are easing up a little. All the same I'm going to take today to completely rest.

[SagittariusLegs]

I felt so good today I did some housework. (Ooh! Ahh!) This may not sound like much to you, but to me (who cleans maybe once a month) this was a great feat.

My sore throat is gone and the right gland in my neck is almost back to normal. I did 45 minutes of mixed cardio. Man is it tough to keep my heart rate down! I want to start jumping and punching my bag with more force, but the moment I go from low impact to mixed impact, my heart rate jumps. I never thought the toughest part of my cardio would be to work easier. I followed up the mixed cardio with my abs.

My weight was 180.5 today. I'm almost out of the 180's. I haven't been in the 170's since this time last year when my doctor said lose weight and take your thyroid medicine you hypertensive hypothyroidal cow! Well, she didn't use that language, but I dropped 2 pounds the first month and then decided not to see her anymore. Somewhere between then and February of this year my weight jumped to 193. And now I'm dropping the weight without thyroid medicine. Ha ha ha ha, doctor!!

My next PT session is tomorrow. We'll probably be doing chest/tris/shoulders. I can't wait to get worn out. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

Did I say I couldn't wait to get worn out? Well, I got what I wanted. My arms feel very heavy. This is probably the first time my chest/shoulders/tris have ever worked so completely. Steering my car was even a little difficult afterwards.

I got to the gym a little early and did about 38 minutes on the stationary bike. Then she weighed me. I was down exactly 6 pounds from this time last week.

My diet's going to change as my training changes. She said soon I'll be able to eat things like red meat and peanut butter. I can't wait for that! On Monday I'll be adding a protein shake before bed. Also after this week I'll be able to have my once a week cheat item. I'm making a list. Did I mention this in an earlier post already? My brain's on vacation.

[SagittariusLegs]

Rested yesterday. Abs and cardio today.

[sweetbecky]

It's pretty exciting and motivating when you drop down into a new tenth.. 180-179. One pound can just make your heart sing, can't it? lol

Sounds like you're doing very well!

[SagittariusLegs]

Oh, I can't wait to get out of the 180's! I'm on Le Rag right now, so I'm avoiding the scale until it's done.



Don't mean to be gross.

[SagittariusLegs]

Treadmill on my own and back, rear delts, traps and biceps today with my fab trainer. By the time we got to the last exercise, single cable curls, I felt like I was dying. I never thought I could get so winded working minor muscle groups, but you learn something new every day. I felt a little nauseous after my workout, but it passed. My trainer says my weight is just starting to come off. In time it'll be melting away. She really used the phrase "melting away". Oh, doesn't that sound good.

:)

[sweetbecky]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
Oh, I can't wait to get out of the 180's! I'm on Le Rag right now, so I'm avoiding the scale until it's done.



Don't mean to be gross.
I understand... I think I bloated up a good 5 lbs during my last one. :rolleyes:
You'll be feeling that back workout tomorrow, no doubt!

[SagittariusLegs]

Funny, my back isn't sore at all. My back never gets sore. My rear delts are a little tender and so are my biceps. Okay, maybe if I really round my back I can feel a little ache. This is a good thing, right? You know what is really sore? The sides of my neck! I'm trying to figure out what caused that. I'm guessing it was on lat pull-downs. I had to lean back a little more than I was used to.

My weight was 178.5 today! I'm officially out of the 180's. I did my abs and cardio this morning. I'll be resting tomorrow. It's a good thing to because I'm feeling a little light-headed tonight.

[SagittariusLegs]

My calf muscles have never burned like this in my entire life! In case you haven't guessed, I had my training session today. We did legs. It was just as tough as it was last time. I only hope my hamstrings won't need 2 weeks recovery. We did a tri set for my calves, moving from one exercise to the next without much rest. Man, I felt it! They'd never worked like this before. Maybe they'll even be sore tomorrow.

I survived the first two weeks of my diet and now I get to add a protein drink before bed. I never thought I'd be so grateful for whey-to-go in a glass of water. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

I did it. I kicked my own ass. I wasn't sure how well I'd do without my trainer, but I think I did pretty well. I did my chest/tricep/shoulder workout and my abs. I also did my cardio this morning.

On another note, I'm really getting to like this diet. I've never eaten this healthy in my entire life. I'm still eating veggies with practically every meal. No canned or frozen stuff, either. Everything's fresh. The chicken and turkey is free range, no hormones. I'm taking my supplements religiously and drinking my gallon to gallon and a half of water every day. When my trainer gives me the green light to add the one cheat item a week, I don't know if I'll even want to. I'm not having any big cravings. Now that I'm so cleaned out I hate the idea of putting any crap in my body.

[SagittariusLegs]

Guess what? I can take my animal pak in only three goes. I've figured out how to swallow a bunch at the same time without choking. I also decided to take them in the car before going into the gym. The other day I had them in the locker room and they just stunk that awful vitaminy smell. I don't want to make anyone sick.

Great workout today. Diet's great. All my size 14 pants are too big and so are all my undies (Ooh, sexy. Big baggy panties up to my ribcage). My size 12 pants are a little snug, but getting looser. My weight is 178 lbs.

I'm going to go do my happy dance now.

[sweetbecky]

Wooohooo! Size 12 here you come! Great progress!

[SagittariusLegs]

Well, here they are. My eyes are kinda freaky from the flash and I'm slightly rotated on the side comparisons. Tell me if you see any changes. I'm not sure.

http://nasty.4dw.net/ys/journal3.html

Day's going well. Got my morning cardio in (I could jump a little bit more without my HR sky rocketing), and did my abs.

[SagittariusLegs]

Had my training session today. She added a set of step-ups in between my sl dead lifts. Yikes! The tempo I have to do them out really winds me. Starting this weekend I can have my weekly cheat. Thank God!! I'm going to have Breyers vanilla bean ice-cream with chocolate syrup. Mmmmmm.

:)

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs

http://nasty.4dw.net/ys/journal3.html

WOW!

Great progress.... You are really leaning down!! You can't see any changes?? - You need to get your eyes checked girly!!! Your stomach is really leaning down and your hips and thighs are smoothing out amazingly!

Keep up the great progress! (and enjoy your cheat meal ;))

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks, Emma-Leigh. My eyes really are bad, you know. I have an awful astigmatism. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

I did my workout this evening so I could have a little more time to recover from yesterday. I did my chest/tris/shoulders, abs and cardio. I now have the weekend to do NOTHING! Ha ha ha ha! I'll report in next week.

:)

[SagittariusLegs]

I thought I'd write in to share my cheat experience. My husband and I went out to this restaurant we'd gone to for years. This was the first time I've eaten there and had to order healthy. I ordered grilled chicken and broccoli and drank iced tea. I was saving my cheat for dessert, but MAN. I almost started crying while my husband was eating his garlic roll, artichoke appetizer and salad. I felt so sad. I was really grieving my old ways of eating.

Then for dessert I had a piece of chocolate cake with some icecream. Yeah, it was good! The funny thing was it wasn't as good as I expected it to be and I couldn't finish it. My sugar alarms didn't go off. I was afraid the cake would get my old cravings rolling again, but right now I just feel a little blah from it. My stomach is going, "What the hell did you just put in me???"

Next time I'm having a non-sugar cheat. Maybe some pizza.

[egoatdoor]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
Well, here they are. My eyes are kinda freaky from the flash and I'm slightly rotated on the side comparisons. Tell me if you see any changes. I'm not sure.

http://nasty.4dw.net/ys/journal3.html



SL, More improvements since the last time! Your waist and hips are much trimmer from both the back and front views. Your posture is also much better. More self confidence maybe???

[SagittariusLegs]

Is my posture better? Well, I do have a scosh more self-confidence, tis true.

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
I ordered grilled chicken and broccoli and drank iced tea. I was saving my cheat for dessert, but MAN. I almost started crying while my husband was eating his garlic roll, artichoke appetizer and salad. I felt so sad. I was really grieving my old ways of eating.

Then for dessert I had a piece of chocolate cake with some icecream. Yeah, it was good! The funny thing was it wasn't as good as I expected it to be and I couldn't finish it. My sugar alarms didn't go off. I was afraid the cake would get my old cravings rolling again, but right now I just feel a little blah from it. My stomach is going, "What the hell did you just put in me???"

Next time I'm having a non-sugar cheat. Maybe some pizza.

Sorry about you getting sad about your hubby eating your 'old food' :( Don't let it get to you, just hang in there - You are working on a new and improved and you are going to feel SOOOO much better for it when you reach your goal that you will barely remember the icky garlic roll! ;)

Mmmmm... Chocolate cake! Sounds yummy! Like you, I find that most 'cheat foods' are rarely as good as you remember them. Also, once you get used to 'clean eating' and your body is usually a little 'disgusted' by the food when you do eat it!! :)

[SagittariusLegs]

I think my body hates sugar. I have dreams I'm eating ice-cream or chocolate and I actually feel nauseous in my sleep.

Did my cardio today. Did my back/bis/rear delts and abs yesterday. My weight had fluctuated a little after my cheat but it's back down again, thank God! I need to not get freaked by the stupid scale.

[SagittariusLegs]

Well, the scale was good to me today. 176 lbs! I think adding an extra protein drink during the day and a tiny bit more fat must've kicked up my metabolism or something.

Happy dance!

[sweetbecky]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
Well, the scale was good to me today. 176 lbs! I think adding an extra protein drink during the day and a tiny bit more fat must've kicked up my metabolism or something.

Happy dance!
Congratulations!

[SagittariusLegs]

Legs, abs and cardio today. Feeling slightly braindead. Bye bye 'til tomorrow.

[SagittariusLegs]

Hello. Just back from Tampa. Long boring trip, but I got my steak cheat. It was goooood. Did my chest/tris/shoulders and cardio yesterday, rested today. I'm finally feeling soreness in the underarm flab area. YES! Maybe I'll finally have armpits. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm now allowed to have 25 almonds a day and salmon. The diet gets more interesting all the time. Back/bi's/traps/rear delts, abs and cardio today.

[Adriano]

Nice progress SL, go on with hard work, You will look fantastic

[SagittariusLegs]

I keep trying to picture what I'll look like in a year. My trainer says I can't even imagine it. :)

I was able to do step aerobics today without my HR sky rocketing. Sure, I had to keep my arms at my sides and keep the moves very small, but it was progress. The goal is to be able to do higher intensity at lower HR and it seems to be working. I have a weird heart. When I'm seated and relaxed my HR is in the 60's, but when I stand up it immediately shoots up to over 100. Then I sit again and it drops right back into the 60's. I'm going to talk to my doctor about this. Does anyone else have a HR that behaves this way?

It'll be chest/tris/shoulders tomorrow and legs on Thursday. I'll be driving up to visit my parents on Friday. I think I'll need a separate suitcase just for my food and supplements.

[imperfectly_lou]

I would definitely talk to your doctor about that SL... that does not sound normal at all...... My resting HR is 54, and sometimes, it barely goes over 110 when I am doing weights!

[SagittariusLegs]

54? I wish I were that relaxed!

I'm resting today. I've decided to do my chest/tris/shoulders on Friday before hitting the road. I would've felt weird having three days off in a row.

[SagittariusLegs]

Legs, abs and cardio yesterday. Chest/tris/shoulders and cardio today. Nothing this weekend. I'll be driving and resting. I've packed my chicken, red potatoes and cucumbers. I'm ready to go.

Oh yeah, body fat was down from 33.2 to 27.5!

[SagittariusLegs]

Workouts and diet have been going well since I've gotten to my parents. My weight was down to 174 today. My doctor was thrilled with how good I'm looking, not just weight wise, but everything. She says I look like someone who's finally caught their stride.

Saw a chiropractor and found out I've got mild scoliosis. My pelvis is a tad crooked and my spine is sort of a winding road. He gave me an insert for my left shoe. I think it'll help.

In other news, I was finally able to jog a little without my heart rate going too high. My doctor isn't concerned with my weird heart rate, the way it goes up when I stand. She agrees with my trainer that it should level out with training.

I'm getting ready for bed. I've gotta get up a little early. I actually got a voice-over gig. Didn't expect that on this trip.

[SagittariusLegs]

Legs/calves, abs and cardio today. My legs are feeling stronger. The smith machine was a piece of **** at this gym I'm temporarily using, so I had to use a regular barbell on squats. That's supposed to be better anyway, right?

Diet's still doing good. My weight is holding at 172.5. I can feel the 160's coming on.

[SagittariusLegs]

Had my cheat today. Everything's under control. Weight is now 171.5.

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by SagittariusLegs
Had my cheat today. Everything's under control. Weight is now 171.5.
WOW! 171.5 already!! My god - It must seem like you are shrinking before your own eyes!! :D

I bet you can TASTE the 160's!!!

Any more progress piccies?

[SagittariusLegs]

I'll be taking some new pics when I get home from my trip. Maybe late next week sometime. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm extending my trip a little. I'm still on the diet and workout program, but I can't wait to get back with my trainer!

[SagittariusLegs]

I just got back from my trip last night and am happy to report I did not miss a single workout while I was gone. My diet was 90% I'd say. By the end I started feeling temptations everywhere, but I managed to keep myself under control. I'm back on my own scale and it said 173 lbs. I'm not sure how different it is from my parent's scale, but oh well. At least I weigh less than I did when I went on the trip.

[Emma-Leigh]

Welcome back!! :D

[Ms. Lucy]

Great Job SL! I totally know how it feels to be just a few pounds away to a once unimaginable number! I think I'll cry when I reach it!

Also, good job sticking to your program while you were gone!!

Bump on the pictures!

[SagittariusLegs]

New workout program, new diet. I'm now on a superset program and a 3 day rotation diet. My hamstrings are killing me, like they usually do with a new routine. My diet consists of 3 days of extra low carbs (one cup a day not counting veggies) and one day of high (3 cups). I eat 5 meals plus a protein drink before and after my weight training and a protein drink before bed. I'm now taking flax seed capsules and eating half a cup of almonds on the first 3 days of the rotation.

Today my weight was 170.25. I think I'll do a happy dance when I reach the 160's. Apparently this program will really melt the fat off. I can't wait to see what happens.

I've got back today and another round of cardio. Oh, yes. I'll now be doing double cardio on days 2 and 3 of the rotation. I'll do something in the morning and then later on in the day. It's still pretty light (HR between 130 and 145), 30 to 45 minutes at a time. I think I can handle it. The supersets may kill me, though. Yesterday after 3 rounds of various leg supersets I was to finish with barbell squats. I was so tired that between sets I had to sit down on the floor. You know, it's the kind of routine that makes you feel like puking until you adjust to it. My trainer says it takes about 2 weeks for the body to adjust to supersets. She also said that when she would prepare for competition she'd do nothing but supersets. Good to know for the future.

It'll be back and cardio this evening, maybe abs and calves if I have any steam left. I prepared all my food for the day this morning so I wouldn't have to be chopping and cooking all frigging day. Oh, yeah. I'll be taking new pics sometime this week. Those black underwear are gonna be looking like a tent soon (I hope anyway).

Blah, blah, blah. I can't seem to shut up today. :)

[sweetbecky]

Congrats on staying on your plan while away! It can be very hard!

Just curious, why types of carbs will you be eating for the one cup and three cup days?

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm allowed oatmeal or brown rice on days 1-3 and on day 4 I'm allowed oatmeal, brown rice, potatoes or yams. Tonight I get a steak. I need it, too.

I've got double cardio today, and it's more like triple because I spent a couple of hours helping my husband put up hurricane shutters. Oh, and did I mention I just got my period? I'm gonna need a hot bath later.

[SagittariusLegs]

Did my chest and bi's yesterday. It was the most intense biceps workout I'd ever had. I also finally found out what the decline bench was for on pecs.

[SagittariusLegs]

No electrical failures and still had direct tv. Weird.

Anyway, the hurricane did put a cramp in my training. I had to do two workouts at home with my free weights. Argh! I think I'm going to check out Gold's Gym today. My current gym just doesn't have much in the way of serious machines.

I've got legs today. I'm hoping my hamstrings are recovered enough from the last workout.

I'll get new pics up soon.

[SagittariusLegs]

168.5 today! I'm starting to really see the fat loss everywhere. I'm even seeing it in my face. My eyes and lips are looking bigger and the double chin has shrunk significantly. I'm actually starting to feel attractive again. It's a very good feeling.

Double cardio today along with abs and calves.

[Emma-Leigh]

168.5 today! I'm starting to really see the fat loss everywhere. I'm even seeing it in my face. My eyes and lips are looking bigger and the double chin has shrunk significantly. I'm actually starting to feel attractive again. It's a very good feeling..

Woo hoo!!! That is GREAT! You have officially hit the 160's! :D

Are we going to see progress piccies some time soon??

[egoatdoor]

Great news SL! The 150s are coming fast :D !!!

[SagittariusLegs]

Weeell, the 150's, eh? I'll be a stick! No joke. Well, maybe not in the high 150's. :) And I'm gonna get the new pics up as soon as my husband/photographer gets home from the road.

Today's back day. I've decided back is my favorite muscle group to train, probably because it's one of my strongest muscle groups. Hate training biceps. They're still pretty pitiful in the strength department, but they're making slow improvements. My rear delts have got to be my MOST pitiful muscles. I can't wait until the building phase. I wonder what my body fat will need to get to before the building phase. A question for my next training session.

[SagittariusLegs]

http://4dw.net/nasty/ys/journal4.html

Here's the latest comparison shots. The black undies were getting so big I had to roll them under or they would've just about reached my ribcage. :)

I've got abs/calves today. The rotation diet/supersets are going well, although I may be hitting a plateau. My weight seems to be hovering between 169 and 171. I know I need to be patient. The weight flew off so fast the first month I'm wanting it to keep flying off like that, even though I know perfectly well it can't and shouldn't. My trainer says to only weigh myself once a week now. I think that's a good idea. It'll keep me from getting crazed.

[Emma-Leigh]

http://4dw.net/nasty/ys/journal4.html

Here's the latest comparison shots. The black undies were getting so big I had to roll them under or they would've just about reached my ribcage. :)

I've got abs/calves today. The rotation diet/supersets are going well, although I may be hitting a plateau. My weight seems to be hovering between 169 and 171. I know I need to be patient. The weight flew off so fast the first month I'm wanting it to keep flying off like that, even though I know perfectly well it can't and shouldn't. My trainer says to only weigh myself once a week now. I think that's a good idea. It'll keep me from getting crazed.

**SHOCK** OH MY GOD!

You are looking FANTASTIC! The progress you are making is amazing - especially around your abdomen!

You must be so pleased!

Your trainer has good advice - don't get caught up in scale numbers! Also - slow and steady weight loss is much better in terms of long term goals, so slower progress is definately not the end of the world!

Keep it up! :D

[SagittariusLegs]

**SHOCK** OH MY GOD!

You are looking FANTASTIC!


Thanks. :)

[SagittariusLegs]

Phew! Did my morning cardio and new back workout today. It was a killer. Here's what I did:

Supersets:

pullovers 15 reps, weight 25/30/40 lbs. --> assisted chin ups 6, 5, 5 reps

dickersons 15, 15, 12 reps 50/50/50 lbs. --> pulldowns 15, 15, 15 reps 80/90/90 lbs.

seated cable rows 15, 12, 12 reps 80/90/90 lbs. --> bent rows 12, 12, 14 reps 65/65/65 lbs.

Deadlifts 20, 15, 12 reps 45/55/65 lbs.


Needless to say I'm beat. I'm taking my bath now.

[sweetbecky]

Wow! Looking good! How do you feel about the way you look now?

[Hibiscus09]

Great pics -- you've completely lost all of the back fat -- excellent progress!! You're doing fantastic!

[SagittariusLegs]

Great pics -- you've completely lost all of the back fat -- excellent progress!! You're doing fantastic!

Blush :)


Wow! Looking good! How do you feel about the way you look now?

I'm very happy and motivated to keep going. I'm looking forward to building myself up. It'll be nice to have some biceps!

[kaylers]

Hey,

I just wanted to comment on your pics! They look awesome! Keep up the great work! Its a hard thing to do, but you've got the drive. I am in the same boat as you! Keep going!! :) Best wishes

[SagittariusLegs]

Hey,

I just wanted to comment on your pics! They look awesome! Keep up the great work! Its a hard thing to do, but you've got the drive. I am in the same boat as you! Keep going!! :) Best wishes

Thanks, Kaylers. Good luck on your program, too! Isn't it great when you really start seeing results?

Today was shoulders/tris and double cardio. Diet is going fine. My weigh in is tomorrow morning. I'll be crossing my fingers.

[SagittariusLegs]

Well I was still 170 today. Because of this I now get to have a steak every night, a yolk in my eggwhites, and 4 cups of carbs instead of 3 on day 4 of my rotation diet. I love it. It goes against everything I've ever been taught. If you're not losing weight, eat less. Ha! What does anybody know anyway?

I kicked my ass today. I did my morning cardio, had my training session for my abs/calves and then took a kickboxing class followed by 30 minutes on the treadmill. My feet are aching. It's been a while since I've been allowed to work to this intensity. I don't plan on doing this more than twice a week. I plan on taking a class called Zumba (a mixed dance sort of thing) on Monday nights and trying to get the kickboxing in on Friday afternoons. I also need to get back into my yoga--just light restorative stuff. No overtraining. My trainer is keeping tabs on everything I do.

[SagittariusLegs]

Carb up day on the diet. Chest and biceps at the gym. I think my biceps are finally starting to get stronger. Imagine that.

[jle]

Wow! you look amazing. I identify with you, we have similar body types and started out about the same. I fell off the wagon so to say and I'm dusting myself off and picking up where I left. You are doing an amazing job, and I know how good it feels, I want to feel that again. Thank for being an inspiration!

[Anima]

Your journal and experiences have been excellent reading!! You've made great progress and lust be really proud of yourself. You look, as the saying goes, "maaaaaaaahvelous"

;)

[SagittariusLegs]

Thank for being an inspiration!

Wow. :) I don't think I've been anyone's inspiration before. I'm so glad you identify with me, and I know you'll do well. I didn't think I could lose any weight. I thought I'd be stuck no matter how hard I worked out. Shows what I know. Good luck in your program!



Your journal and experiences have been excellent reading!! You've made great progress and must be really proud of yourself. You look, as the saying goes, "maaaaaaaahvelous"

;)

Thank you! :D

__________________________________________________ ______________

I had a great leg workout today. The best yet. My squats and step ups have gotten so much stronger. I was able to squat 105 lbs. (including the weight of the bar) with good power and form. My abs were really helpful in bracing my back.

It's so exciting to see the strength increase. I find it just as exciting as the fat loss, maybe even more. My energy has been really great. I think I'll go do a happy dance, that is if my legs have anything left for it.

[Ms. Lucy]

absolutely unbelievable!

You look amazing and your progress is incredibly inspiring!

Keep up the awesome job!!!!

[SagittariusLegs]

absolutely unbelievable!

You look amazing and your progress is incredibly inspiring!

Keep up the awesome job!!!!

Blush :)


I took my first yoga class in months tonight. I was pleased to see my flexibility was still there and my strength was better. I can see the body building complements the yoga. I'll be doing my shoulders/tris tomorrow and double cardio.

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay. I'm worn out today. I had a big workout. Shoulders/Tris, Abs/Calves and double cardio. I've got back tomorrow, but no cardio, thank god!

[SagittariusLegs]

I've been ordered to rest today. Apparently, I'm supposed to have one day a week where I do nothing. Whoopsee. I should've known that.

[SagittariusLegs]

Tired, tired, tired, tired, tired, tired! The latest Hurricane kept me locked up today so I couldn't get to the gym, which was probably closed anyway. I still managed a make-shift free weight leg workout and double cardio. I got my ice cream cheat (hurray!) but I feel so exhausted. I took kickboxing yesterday. I think I may need to back away from intense cardio for a little longer.

Anybody ever have days where you're looking at people who aren't doing a body building program or a special diet and get jealous? I've been longing for a big greasy pasta meal. I'm so sick of tuna, chicken breast and ground turkey! AHHH!!! Give me something smothered in cheese. I know it's bad when I start asking myself, "How important is looking good anyway? Will it make me happier than being able to eat all the crap I used to?"

I know I'd be unhappy if I let myself slide after I've made such good progress. I've got to hang in there. I'm looking forward to the maintenance diet, when I can get off this rotation.

[egoatdoor]

Anybody ever have days where you're looking at people who aren't doing a body building program or a special diet and get jealous? I've been longing for a big greasy pasta meal. I'm so sick of tuna, chicken breast and ground turkey! AHHH!!! Give me something smothered in cheese. I know it's bad when I start asking myself, "How important is looking good anyway? Will it make me happier than being able to eat all the crap I used to?"

I know I'd be unhappy if I let myself slide after I've made such good progress. I've got to hang in there. I'm looking forward to the maintenance diet, when I can get off this rotation.

How much longer until you go on maintenance?

It sounds like you need a cheat day with some pasta and cheesy stuff. Will your trainer allow a cheat day so you can get this out of your system? One day won't undue all the progress you've made.

[SagittariusLegs]

How much longer until you go on maintenance?

It sounds like you need a cheat day with some pasta and cheesy stuff. Will your trainer allow a cheat day so you can get this out of your system? One day won't undue all the progress you've made.

Hmmm... I'll have to ask her. She'll probably want me to hang in there until the weekend.

It's shoulders/tris and double cardio today. I've gotta get started. I'm seeing about getting lasik surgery on my eyes later today. Here's hoping I'm a good candidate!

[SagittariusLegs]

Back today. Shoulders/tris yesterday. Abs/Calves tomorrow. It'll be the third day in a row of double cardio. I'm going to probably completely rest on Thursday.

I had a slip yesterday. It's my first unscheduled cheat since I started my program. I had some pasta with my chicken breast and the husband and I shared a piece of REALLY good chocolate cake that went too fast and left me feeling crazed for more. I feel like I just can't get enough to eat lately. I'm still really craving carbs and fats (great combo). Will be talking with my trainer tomorrow. I debated on whether to tell her about my meal, but I know I need to be honest with her. I just hope she doesn't take my weekend cheat away now!

:(

[SagittariusLegs]

Everything's okay. I didn't get a spanking. I'm probably going to be on the rotation diet for another week (no cheat), and then she'll switch me to maintenance for 2 weeks to give me a break. She even said for 2 days before I go on it she'll let me have whatever I want. Of course she said don't go crazy. I guess crazy now is way different from crazy before I started seeing her. I won't be drinking wine and eating rolls or anything. I also get a break from double cardio for a while. Can't say I'm disappointed.

Did abs/calves today. They're still feeling strong. Did my seated calf work with 90 lbs. That's more than I've ever done. Ahh, it's so exciting to be making progress.

[Ms. Lucy]

lol--I did the same thing when I was with my trainer. My hubby and I went out and I just couldn't help myself. I was sooo afraid to tell him, and when I did he just said, "well, that sucks, but you're going ot have one hell of a workout" (because of the extra fat. But we just made some changes from there, no big deal! Still made great progress in such a short period of time!

[SagittariusLegs]

Legs today. I'm beat. I've been ordered to have pancakes and bacon tomorrow. Ha ha!

[Emma-Leigh]

Hey SL, just wanted to say that you are doing great!! :)

I was just looking at your first post and your stats - If you are still around 170 then you have dropped 20 pounds!! Woo hoo!!!! That is AMAZING progress! :D

Keep it up!

[SagittariusLegs]

Thanks, Emma-Leigh. I've actually reached 168.5. My trainer says I should reach 165 very soon. Her predictions are usually right.

Off to do chest/bis later. Had my big breakfast. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish it, but I ate it all in record time. Meanwhile, my poor husband who's just started seeing my trainer is on the diet and had to have a grilled chicken salad. He had to sit and watch me wolf down this meal while eating his iceberg lettuce with nothing but oil and vinegar. Poor guy.

[egoatdoor]

Meanwhile, my poor husband who's just started seeing my trainer is on the diet and had to have a grilled chicken salad. He had to sit and watch me wolf down this meal while eating his iceberg lettuce with nothing but oil and vinegar. Poor guy.

I wish I had been a fly on the wall. :D

[SagittariusLegs]

I wish I had been a fly on the wall. :D

Well, today it was another good one. He was griping about how he couldn't choke down all his egg whites. I had to inform him he had put way too much in the pan. On the bright side his weight is down to 186 from 193 just last week! I can't imagine the water he's dropped.

I'm still holding at 168.5. Looking forward to maintanence. Did my morning cardio and abs/calves today. Oh, yeah. And I noticed this morning I'm beginning to see some separation in my abs on the left side. Hurray, I have a 2 pack!

:)

[SagittariusLegs]

Have any of you guys ever had problems with certain sugar substitutes? Lately I've been having digestive problems at night and I've been using splenda. Today I thought I'd avoid it to see if I feel better, but I used a syrup made from malitol and now (to not get too graphic) I'm running to the bathroom a little too much. I hope I don't have to give up sweeteners all together. I hate sacharrin and refuse to use aspartame.

Anyway, I'm taking a couple of days of complete rest. I feel like I need it.

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm groggy and feeling generally crappy today. Hmmm...Don't suppose it could have anything to do with my adventure yesterday? Okay. Silly question. Did my cardio, shoulders and tris today. It's back tomorrow and I better be perkier!

[SagittariusLegs]

Several days and one weekend away from home, I'm still tired, but I've been ordered to cut back on the cardio this week and take rests if I need them. I'm on my maintenance diet for a couple of weeks. I was so sad to see there's nothing smothered in cheese on the new menu. Oh well.

[SagittariusLegs]

Big back workout today. I've gotten to where I need to use wrist straps and a weight belt on certain exercises. My dead lifts are getting stronger. I'm almost to 100 lbs. on those. Still working on the chin-ups. It'll be a while before I can do one on my own.

I've gotten my squat weight to 115 lbs. and that's at the very end of my leg workout. I'm always thrilled to see the weights increasing. Also I'm starting to feel a little more thickness in my chest and arms. My trainer says by next fall I should be ready to compete in a level 1 body building competition. She's even saying I don't have to start with figure if I don't want to. Ahh, I'm excited.

:D

[SagittariusLegs]

I'm going to be taking some mandatory days off. I just had lasik surgery on my eyes and I'm not supposed to do anything strenuous for about a week. Crap! Oh, well. I'll survive.

:)

[SagittariusLegs]

My rest is almost over. Tomorrow I get back to work. It only felt like half a rest because I couldn't rest from my diet. Who ever thought eating would be so much work?

[SagittariusLegs]

Two workouts out of my rest and I can feel it's been a while. I was whipped yesterday and today. Chest/bis yesterday, legs today. The hack squat machine was out of order at the gym so we did ball squats holding 20's. I felt that more in my outer quads than on the hack machine, so for the rest of this program I've been told to keep using the ball. Kinda felt sick after the workout. Not too bad, but enough to let me know it was a good one today.

I'm off to soak and decide if I want something cheesy or something sweet for my cheat this weekend. Hmmm...Ice cream or nachos?

:D

[SagittariusLegs]

I cooked up my own cheat. I made a baked fettuccinni with ground sirloin and three cheeses. I think that should curb my cravings for a while. I'll be back at the gym tomorrow for my abs/calves and cardio.

[SagittariusLegs]

Yesterday I did my cardio, but no abs/calves. I'm needing to time out my workouts this week so I'm not doing too much on one day. Today I did my shoulders and tris and tomorrow it's back. I'll be doing abs/calves with my trainer on Wednesday and I know it'll be good.

Did I mention I'm in a size 10 now? Not only that, but it's comfortable!

[Emma-Leigh]

Did I mention I'm in a size 10 now? Not only that, but it's comfortable!

Woo hoo!!! That is AMAZING progress! I am sooo pleased for you! A comfy size 10! That is just fantastic! Keep going!

[SagittariusLegs]

More good shopping news. I bought a new bra today size 38A. The sales girl at Victoria Secret had never even heard of that size. It was even a little tight! My back is getting wider. :) A 38 used to be quite comfortable. I'm not sure what I'll do in the future as my back continues to grow. I've never heard of a 40A.

[SagittariusLegs]

Cardio and back yesterday. Abs/Calves today. Hopefully, I only have one more week on the superset program and then I move on to a building program. I can't wait for that. Since getting on the maintenance diet, my weight is holding at 166. I guess that's why they call it maintenance, eh?

[ncgirl21]

Hey SL- just wanted to peek in and Congratulate you on your progress so far!!

[SagittariusLegs]

Hey SL- just wanted to peek in and Congratulate you on your progress so far!!

Thanks. :D

[SagittariusLegs]

To rest or not to rest? I'm sitting here debating whether to go to the gym today or wait until tomorrow. I already rested yesterday, but I'm still feeling like I might benefit from one more day. I'm on day 2 of my period (lovely) and my body is still aching from my workouts earlier this week. I know tomorrow I'd be feeling stronger and probably have a better workout. My trainer has even told me to take a rest if I need it. Do I need it? Am I just being lazy? I'm starting to feel nutzy.

That's it. I'm resting....GRRRRR....OR SHOULD I???

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay. I rested.

[Emma-Leigh]

Okay. I rested.

Good on you!! Rest is just as important as working out!! ;)

[SagittariusLegs]

And it was a good thing I rested. My strength was pretty good today. It's been a while since I listed my workout, so here's what I did today:

AM Cardio: Hi/Lo in my living room for 50 minutes

(The exercises listed together were done as a superset. The dumbbell weight is listed as weight of a single dumbbell)

Chest:

1. Incline DB Flyes: 20 x 15, 20 x 15, 20 x 15
Incline DB Presses: 20 x 20, 20 x 15, 25 x 12

2. Decline DB Flyes: 20 x 15, 20 x 15, 20 x 15
Decline DB Presses: 20 x 15, 20 x 15, 20 x 12

3. Flat Bench Barbell Press: (includes weight of bar at 45 lbs) 65 x 17, 75 x 12, 75 x 10

Biceps:

1. Cable Rope curls: 45 x 15, 50 x 12, 50 x 12
Standing Cambered Bar Curls: 30 x 15, 30 x 15, 30 x 12

2. Seated Alt. Hammer Incline Curls: 12 x 15, 12 x 15, 12 x 15
Standing Alt. Curls: 15 x 12, 15 x 15, 15 x 12

3. Straight Bar Curls: 35 x 18, 35 x 15, 35 x 12


And here's what I've eaten so far:

Meal 1: High protein pancakes made from 6 eggwhites, 1/2 cup dry oatmeal and one scoop of whey protein.

Post workout protein drink

Meal 2: 6 oz. tuna and 2 rice cakes

Meal 3: 1 cup of rice and beans, 5 oz. chicken breast and 1 cup of spinach.

I've got two more meals and a protein drink to go. No more starchy carbs for the rest of the night. I'll probably have some ground turkey with a veggie for one meal and a chicken salad for another. This is a pretty good look at what my maintenance diet is like every day. I get a new diet and training program next week. I can't wait for it.

[SagittariusLegs]

Did legs today and had a fabulous brunch for my cheat. Mmmmm...

[SagittariusLegs]

Cardio for 40 minutes before breakfast. My weight was 164.5 this morning. I wouldn't be surprised if it went back to 166 tomorrow, though. When it first goes down it never seems to stay down right away.

[SagittariusLegs]

164.5 again today. I guess it's for real. Did my last superset shoulders/tris workout for a while. I'm enjoying my last day on maintenance. It's back to rotations tomorrow.

[Emma-Leigh]

164.5 again today. I guess it's for real. Did my last superset shoulders/tris workout for a while. I'm enjoying my last day on maintenance. It's back to rotations tomorrow.

Woo hoo!!! 164.5! My god that is great news SL!! You must be really pleased with yourself!!

So when do we get more piccies?? ;) At the 160 mark! Imagine that 160!! **jig of joy**

Keep it up!!

[SagittariusLegs]

I had my body fat done and measurements done today. Here's the way it looked as compared to July 1.

July 1st-->

Weight: 186.5
BF: 32.2
Chest: 38.5
Shoulders: 48.25
Waist: 33.5
Hips: 43.25
Arm: 14.25
Thigh: 25.5
Calf: 15.25

November 3-->

Weight: 163.5
BF: 21.7
Chest: 37
Shoulders: 45
Waist: 29.5
Hips: 39.25
Arm: 12.25
Thigh: 23.75
Calf: 14.5

My weight was down another pound today and I'm finally approaching the teens in body fat. I don't know if I've ever been that low. The funny thing is, I've been doing less cardio and resting more. Who knew??? My arms are also a quarter of an inch UP from my measurement at the end of September. Yes!!

My new workout routine is a five day split with more sets on some exercises and some lower rep ranges. I get to go heavy again. I missed that. Here's what I'll be doing:

Day 1: Quads/Hams
Day 2: Chest/Abs
Rest
Day 3: Back/Calves
Day 4: Biceps/Triceps
Day 5: Shoulders/Calves

I'll be doing 2-3 days of cardio in there somewhere, as well. Did the back/calves routine today. I got to do one arm dumbbell rows again. I hadn't done them since June and I got it up to a 45 pounder for 12 reps. I also did hyperextensions holding a 35 pound plate. That was an experience.

Not to worry, Emma-Leigh. I'll put up some new pictures at the end of this next rotation diet (I'll be curious to see the comparisons myself). Thanks for your continuing encouragement. :D

[Ivey_Itch]

Wow! Great work!!!!

[imperfectly_lou]

HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE congratulations on your fantastic results! Awesome! Wonderful! Inspiring!!!!!!

[Emma-Leigh]

*jaw drop*


Oh. My.


That is absolutely fantastic.


You must be looking DAMN HOT! ;)


You deserve every bit of that achievement - congratulations! Your hard work and dedication is paying off.

[Gabrielle]

That is so great! You must look like an entirely new person!

<<<The funny thing is, I've been doing less cardio and resting more. Who knew??? >>>> I love this part!

And I also understand about being happy to lift heavier~so cool!

[SagittariusLegs]

*Hugs* You guys are all so great. :) You really help keep me motivated.

[SagittariusLegs]

Chest/Abs today. Wow. 3 chest exercises, 4 sets each. Almost dropped a 30 pound dumbbell on my shoulder when my left arm gave out on the last rep of flat bench presses. Abs kicked my ass too. Ahh, I love killing myself at the gym.

[SagittariusLegs]

Quads/Hams today. My second exercise was leg press--3 sets for 30 reps each. I managed 180 on all three. Managed to use 55 pound dumbbells on my last set of stiff leg deads for 8 reps. It's been so long since I've done the lower rep range, I would get to the end and think to myself, "I can stop now? Whoo-hoo!"

I'll be resting tomorrow and I think I'll need it.

[egoatdoor]

The funny thing is, I've been doing less cardio and resting more. Who knew???

Yes, you've found the key that so many others miss..rest and recovery equals muscle!! Go girl...... :D

[egoatdoor]

Managed to use 55 pound dumbbells on my last set of stiff leg deads for 8 reps.


Wow....I've never gotten above 50...strong!...keep up the good work!

And I'd better get my you know what into gear . :D

[Alinasmommy]

HI SL...egoatdoor linked me up with your journal. What fabulous progress you have made. Keep up the good work!!!!

[SagittariusLegs]

Shoulders, abs and cardio today. De-carbing on the rotation. My glutes are so sore from my leg workout the other day. Yikes! They've never been this sore in my life.

Thanks Ego and Alinasmommy. :D

[SagittariusLegs]

Back and calves today. Had crappy range of motion on my seated calf raises, so I had to go lighter than last time. My back was nice and strong, though. I finally got to 100 lbs. on my last set of pull-downs. I'd been having a hard time increasing the weight on that exercise for some reason. Biceps/triceps tomorrow.

[Alinasmommy]

Just curious...what is your current routine (i.e. what body parts do you work on what days)?

[SagittariusLegs]

At the moment my routine is scrambled while my trainer teaches me the workouts, but once I have them down it'll be arranged like this:

Monday: Back/Calves
Tuesday: Biceps/Triceps
Wednesday: Shoulders/Calves
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Quads/Hams
Saturday: Chest/Abs
Sunday: Rest

The Mon-Wed workouts and Fri-Sat workouts will be moved around a little so I can hit different workouts with my trainer on Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm doing 2 days a week of morning cardio (before breakfast) for 40 minutes, as well. My routine is getting switched up about every six to eight weeks and my diet changes depending on how my body is responding.

[SagittariusLegs]

Bis/Tris or should I say Tris/Bis. Trying hard to improve my form on bicep curls. My elbows always want to sweep out on the concentric contraction. I'm working on keeping them in. Man, does that make it harder!

[egoatdoor]

Bis/Tris or should I say Tris/Bis. Trying hard to improve my form on bicep curls. My elbows always want to sweep out on the concentric contraction. I'm working on keeping them in. Man, does that make it harder!

Which type of curls are you having a problem with? Dumbbell, barbell, EZ Curl bar, or all three???

[SagittariusLegs]

Which type of curls are you having a problem with? Dumbbell, barbell, EZ Curl bar, or all three???

Any and all bicep curls once they get heavy enough.

[egoatdoor]

I found curls with the EZ Curl bar to be much better than using a 45 lb barbell. Easier to keep the elbows in as EZ Curl bar seemed to give better leverage, plus I was less inclined to cheap by leaning back as I was with a barbell.

[SagittariusLegs]

Yeah, I gotta watch my leaning back on the extension.

Rested and carbed-up today. I'll be doing legs tomorrow.

[JLB04]

Hi-

I have been reading your journal pretty faithfully and you are so awesome! It's impressive what you've done, and your dedication!

Just wondering are you doing a carb cycle? also, how many calories do you eat a day?

Jenny

[SagittariusLegs]

Hi Jenny. :) Yep, I'm on a carb rotation. To be honest, I'm not sure how many calories I'm getting a day. I get a list of what I'm supposed to eat from my trainer and I just follow it. She doesn't make me calculate anything. Right now I'm eating extra fats and low carbs on days one through three and on day four I eat higher carbs and virtually no fat. Protein is very high every day.

Just got to my parent's house the other day. I worked out at a different gym to do my back. It was okay, but I miss my gym at home. Some machines just feel awkward when you haven't used them before.

Had some moles removed today so I'm going to try not to get the stitches sweaty when I workout this next week. That'll be a challenge. I sweat even when I'm not exercising. That's always bugged me. Menopause should be interesting.

[SagittariusLegs]

Was gonna do shoulders today, but they felt sore for some reason. So I did quads/hams instead. Got to sixty pound dumbbells on the stiff leg dead lifts this time. Hell yeah.

;)

[SagittariusLegs]

Birthdays, holidays, more birthdays, more holidays. I'm trying very hard to stay in control, but it's difficult to do my rotation this time of year. Here's the schedule:

Nov. 19--My sister's birthday
Thanksgiving
Dec. 3--My birthday
Dec. 21--My anniversary
Christmas

I'm working hard to make adjustments in my eating so I won't go way high on the fats or carbs depending on what I'm doing. I figure if I gain a few pounds it's not the end of the world. I'll get it right off again. In between holidays and birthdays I'll just try extra hard to keep things clean. My workouts are fine. I actually ran for 20 minutes at five mph, which for a lot of people may not seem like much, but it was good for me. Thirty pound dumbbells on flat bench presses felt lighter than last time when I nearly dropped a dumbbell on myself.

It's so weird. Last night I went out to dinner with my sister and two friends and avoided potatoes and dessert. Then we went to a bar and I only drank water (that was no fun). People were really impressed at my discipline, but meanwhile I'm wondering if I really should've eaten that guacamole with my steak. Today I get up and have to race to the gym without eating so I can get my fasting cardio in. After I glug down a protein drink and get my chest/abs in right before the gym closes and now I'm kinda kicking myself for eating birthday cake. The sensible side of my brain says it'll be okay. The nutsy side of me doesn't want to shut up until I'm in a funk.

I know I must not be the only one who feels nuts like this around the holidays, right?

[SagittariusLegs]

Okay. Feeling better. My weight was only up 1/2 a pound and my trainer told me she wasn't concerned unless it goes over 5. Shoulders/calves yesterday, resting today.

[Alinasmommy]

Let's see some new pictures!

[egoatdoor]

Birthdays, holidays, more birthdays, more holidays. I'm trying very hard to stay in control, but it's difficult to do my rotation this time of year. Here's the schedule:

Nov. 19--My sister's birthday
Thanksgiving
Dec. 3--My birthday
Dec. 21--My anniversary
Christmas

I'm working hard to make adjustments in my eating so I won't go way high on the fats or carbs depending on what I'm doing. I figure if I gain a few pounds it's not the end of the world. I'll get it right off again. In between holidays and birthdays I'll just try extra hard to keep things clean. My workouts are fine. I actually ran for 20 minutes at five mph, which for a lot of people may not seem like much, but it was good for me. Thirty pound dumbbells on flat bench presses felt lighter than last time when I nearly dropped a dumbbell on myself.

It's so weird. Last night I went out to dinner with my sister and two friends and avoided potatoes and dessert. Then we went to a bar and I only drank water (that was no fun). People were really impressed at my discipline, but meanwhile I'm wondering if I really should've eaten that guacamole with my steak. Today I get up and have to race to the gym without eating so I can get my fasting cardio in. After I glug down a protein drink and get my chest/abs in right before the gym closes and now I'm kinda kicking myself for eating birthday cake. The sensible side of my brain says it'll be okay. The nutsy side of me doesn't want to shut up until I'm in a funk.

I know I must not be the only one who feels nuts like this around the holidays, right?

Very interesting and introspective post SL. Don't sweat too much over the extra food and stuff if it happens. Your metabolism has probably increased such that it may not go where you don't want it to go( the pounds) or after the holidays, you can train it away very quickly.

Also, you may find that you may not actually eat so much anyway...a little personal experience...last year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I noticed that after one helping ( and they were not that big), I was done. I think my body had gotten used to so many small meals throughout the day that it really did not want to eat all that food at one sitting. Everyone else did notice as they started asking why I wasn't going back for seconds and thirds like I used to. :D

Good job with the bench presses!

[egoatdoor]

Let's see some new pictures!
SL,
Bet you'd never thought that people would be BEGGING to see pictures of you in a leotard!! :D

[SagittariusLegs]

SL,
Bet you'd never thought that people would be BEGGING to see pictures of you in a leotard!! :D

You're definitely right about that. And the portions. I already notice I can't eat like I used to.

Alinasmommy, I should have new pics up in a couple of weeks. I have to get back home to my photographer/husband after Thanksgiving. My sister snapped a picture of my back the other night and I was very pleased to see the definition and size coming in.

Oh yeah. I did my hyperextensions while holding 45 pounds today. It wasn't that long ago that zero was too much. :D

[JLB04]

You're definitely right about that. And the portions. I already notice I can't eat like I used to.

Alinasmommy, I should have new pics up in a couple of weeks. I have to get back home to my photographer/husband after Thanksgiving. My sister snapped a picture of my back the other night and I was very pleased to see the definition and size coming in.

Oh yeah. I did my hyperextensions while holding 45 pounds today. It wasn't that long ago that zero was too much. :D

45lbs.! that is awesome...I'm using 25lbs. at the moment and they really burn :)

Have a great Turkey Day.

[SagittariusLegs]

45lbs.! that is awesome...I'm using 25lbs. at the moment and they really burn :)

Have a great Turkey Day.

I thought 25 was an outrageous amount of weight to hold! It killed me. Then my trainer said she'll use two or three stacks of 45 pound plates to do hypers! Hello!! I figured I've got work to do. She never ceases to impress me. Just holding that much weight in my arms would kill me right now.

Bis/Tris/Calves today. Weight still 163.5. I'm going to do some cardio tomorrow and try and keep my eating under control. Wish me luck.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

[egoatdoor]

Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

[imperfectly_lou]

Have a great thanksgiving!

[SagittariusLegs]

Just got back from the gym. It was chest/abs today. Gotta rush off to eat. What a surprise!

[SagittariusLegs]

I know my entries have been sparse. I'm getting ready to go back to Florida, so I'll be off the radar screen for a few days. Diet is good. Weight is still 163.5 despite the little eating episodes and I haven't missed a workout (if you don't count cardio).

Be back in touch soon!

[SagittariusLegs]

Back from my trip. Stopped in West Palm Beach on my way home for my first PT session in a couple of weeks. It was nice to get back with my trainer. Did a great back workout. I'm now to 50 lbs. on hypers and one arm rows. Hee hee.

I'm taking a much deserved break today after all the driving and stressing. I did go for a long pre-breakfast walk today, though. I won't be weighing in until Tuesday. I feel a little bloated and if there's water retention from my fun food I'd like it to get lost.

And there will be new pics soon, I promise. :)

[Emma-Leigh]

Welcome back!! :)


And there will be new pics soon, I promise. :)

YAYAYAYAY!!! I can't wait! :D

[egoatdoor]

Welcome back SL.

Are there any specific short or intermediate term goals that you are shooting for right now?

[SagittariusLegs]

Welcome back SL.

Are there any specific short or intermediate term goals that you are shooting for right now?

At the moment the goal is to get under 160 lbs. so I can move on to a diet that will be geared more towards building.

Did legs today. I kicked my ass. It was great.

[Ms. Lucy]

Welcome Back!

[SagittariusLegs]

Welcome Back!

Thanks. :) Actually, I just got back again. My sister and I went to Orlando to see a concert, so I was away from home and my computer for a couple of days. I'm back again.

Did my bis/tris today, cardio yesterday and shoulders/calves the day before that. Will be doing my back tomorrow.

[SagittariusLegs]

I had my best back workout yet on Friday. On my final sets I got to 60 lbs. dumbbells for 12 reps on one arm rows, 120 lbs. for 8 reps on pull-downs, 100 lbs. for 10 reps on wide-grip cable rows and I was able to do all three sets of hypers (15/15/12 reps) with 50 lbs. My strength was so much better from just a week ago.

I'm going to stay on my current diet (3 days higher fats/lower carbs, 1 day higher carbs/very little fat) for maybe a couple of more weeks and then I'll be stripped down again to get my body fat down some more. My weight is locked at 165.5 at the moment, but my strength has increased a lot, so the extra 2 lbs. I'm told is just my muscle bellies filling out a bit. I notice I'm starting to look a little fuller. My back is really looking cool. I can't wait for everything else to catch up. I must've mentioned this before.

There will be new pics, but I think I want to wait until the end of my current program. Then I'll take some more after the strip down program. It'll be interesting to compare the pics.

[SagittariusLegs]

Well I went from my best back workout to my crappiest leg workout in a while. I had low energy and smelled like an onion by the end of it (ooh, sexy). I'd been craving sugar today, too.

Oh well. That's life. Hope I'm perkier tomorrow.

[JLB04]

Well I went from my best back workout to my crappiest leg workout in a while. I had low energy and smelled like an onion by the end of it (ooh, sexy). I'd been craving sugar today, too.

Oh well. That's life. Hope I'm perkier tomorrow.

I've never heard it put that way before LOL...I think I know what you mean :) Your doing so well and I love reading your journal!

[Alinasmommy]

I know how easy it is to get caught up with the numbers on the scale. WHat clothing size were you when you first started and where are you now?

BTW, I'd love to see a sample day of your menu. Keep up the good work!

[SagittariusLegs]

Your doing so well and I love reading your journal!

Thank you. :) I'm glad you're enjoying it.



I know how easy it is to get caught up with the numbers on the scale. WHat clothing size were you when you first started and where are you now?

BTW, I'd love to see a sample day of your menu. Keep up the good work!

In February I was a size 16 and now I'm a 10. Of course, some 10's fit better than others, depending where I shop.

Here's a sample of my low carb day:

Meal 1: 1 cup Oatmeal
6 egg whites, 1 yolk

Meal 2: 6 oz lean red meat
1 cup veg

Meal 3: 6 oz protein (tuna, chicken, white ground turkey)

Meal 4: 6 oz protein
1 cup veg

Meal 5: 6 oz lean red meat
1 cup veg
1/2 cup almonds

Meal 6: Pre-bed low-carb protein drink mixed with water

And there you have it. Here's my carb up day:

Meal 1: 6 eggwhites
1 cup oatmeal

Meal 2: 6 eggwhites or 6 oz white fish
1 cup carb (brown rice, yams, or potato)

Meal 3: 6 eggwhites or 6 oz white fish
1 cup carb
1 cup veg

Meal 4: 6 eggwhites or 6 oz. white fish
1 cup veg

Meal 5: 6 oz Tuna steak
1 cup veg

Meal 6: Pre-bed low-carb protein drink mixed with water


I can have any veggies except for corn, peas or carrots because of the sugars. I can have raw onion, but no cooked onions. No sugary drinks. I drink 1 gallon of water a day and have a pre and post workout protein drink on weight training days. This is the third diet I've been on since starting up with my trainer. My diet changes with my workout programs and gets tailored to what my body responds best to.

Did my shoulders/calves today. It'll be chest and abs tomorrow. My energy was better today. I didn't stink, you'll all be glad to know. Went to a nice Italian place in Miami tonight and I stuck to my diet. No dessert, even though they really looked amazing. However, I did pig out at breakfast today. I figure if I'm going to lose it, breakfast is the best meal to lose it at. My fat cravings have been pretty bad lately (Did I already mention this? Forgive my amnesia). I wonder if it has to do with my training program. It's gotten pretty heavy and oriented toward building rather than stripping.

Anybody catch that show on bodybuilding on FitTV last night? It was nice to see a 5'10" female, Lesa Lewis, who looked awesome. It gives me hope. I always hear it's tough to put on a lot of muscle when you're tall.

[JLB04]

SHOOT I would have loved to have seen that program!

[Alinasmommy]

That's great---a sixe 10 from a size 16. Again, that is more important than numbers on the scale. Thanks for posting your diet.

[SagittariusLegs]

For some reason my last post is gone. Anyway, all I posted was that I've been put on a new diet of basically tuna and eggwhites for protein, oatmeal in the morning for my carbs and 3 cups of veggies for 5 days. I'm just finishing day 4. I'm feeling slightly discouraged being my weight was actually up today! I think I'm getting my period and I must be retaining water. GRRR! This diet makes me feel very sad, plus I've got pre-period moodiness. I'm loads of fun right now. I want my fats back!! Oh and I've upped my cardio, too. WEEEE!