4 months of NROL4W and IF To Hit Hot Mama Status

[sarasayshi]

Um, we need to talk. :P

WHERE did you get +20/-35 from? (Not meant as an accusation, but an honest question.) Those numbers are far more extreme than anything Martin would prescribe. Also, since you're aiming for fat loss, you shouldn't have a single day over maintenance, really. For example, after topping out at 202lbs on my recent fulk (oops! but it sure was tasty ), I figured my maintenance calories (not BMR) were around 2700. I decided to go with 2300cal on my three workout days and 1800 calories on my four rest days per week. (Down to 188lbs now in just 14 days, although I'll be the first to concede a good portion of this is water weight, muscle glycogen and stomach content.)

Chime in with what you think your maintenance is as well as what calorie levels you were at when you stalled, and I would be happy to help you work from there. Although you won't have any days above maintenance, the drastic swings in food intake - including the unsafe, low-level days - won't be part of the plan, and the new calorie levels should be much easier to sustain.

(Or just tell me to shut up. )

When I started with LG at the beginning of this log (end of August), I was eating 1,900 calories on training days and about 1,700 cals on rest days. I started to stall in November eating at 1,800 on training days and 1,600 on rest days. I didn't start making progress again until a week before Christmas where I dropped calories to 1,500 every day, regardless of training day or rest days, plus I was doing 3 days of 30 min HIIT sessions then. I loathe cardio though.

I got the +20%/-35% from Ripped Body to maximize fat loss. http://rippedbody.jp/2011/10/23/how-...ngains-macros/

The only thing I did not do was calculate my daily activity in. Every time I do that, I seem to stall my weight further by overestimating my activity levels.

I had my maintenance calories calculated here on the forum back when I started IF and this was the results. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post740615503

So he came out with about 2200 as maintenance.

I wouldn't tell you to shutup, Dave. If anything I am teachable even if I know I can be stubborn at times.

Oh yea, I like this IF calculator but it freaks me out I might eat too much with the numbers I get. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

[66jzmstr]

When I started with LG at the beginning of this log (end of August), I was eating 1,900 calories on training days and about 1,700 cals on rest days. I started to stall in November eating at 1,800 on training days and 1,600 on rest days. I didn't start making progress again until a week before Christmas where I dropped calories to 1,500 every day, regardless of training day or rest days, plus I was doing 3 days of 30 min HIIT sessions then. I loathe cardio though.

I got the +20%/-35% from Ripped Body to maximize fat loss. http://rippedbody.jp/2011/10/23/how-...ngains-macros/

The only thing I did not do was calculate my daily activity in. Every time I do that, I seem to stall my weight further by overestimating my activity levels.

I had my maintenance calories calculated here on the forum back when I started IF and this was the results. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post740615503

So he came out with about 2200 as maintenance.

I wouldn't tell you to shutup, Dave. If anything I am teachable even if I know I can be stubborn at times.

Oh yea, I like this IF calculator but it freaks me out I might eat too much with the numbers I get. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Ah, okay. That guy in Japan has posted some decent stuff before, but I don't know where he came up with "... you must eat a surplus of calories on a training day in most situations." I'm not sure how many days you're working out now, but it might be worthwhile to calculate how many calories you're eating weekly on this current plan that has yielded these positive results thus far, and keep that same level of weekly calorie intake, but redistribute calories so you don't have to endure these wild swings for food intake. For example, eat at around -10% on workout days, and then -20% or so on rest days. (Again, this depends on how many days you're working out.) The net 55% range swing in calories is extreme, so I would at least drop the workout days to maintenance level calorie intake, if not lower. That would make rest days far more bearable. Of course, your diet, your call, though.

Either way, best of luck, and I'm glad to hear things are going well again!

[sarasayshi]

Weekly Weigh-in
=====================
Aug. 24th: 195* ending weight of old log and started getting real with IF
Aug. 27th: 192.8
Sept. 5th: 190
Sept. 12th: 187.8
Sept. 20th: 186.4
Sept. 26th: 185.6
Oct. 4th: 184.6
Oct. 10th: 181
Oct. 17th: 181.2
Oct. 25th: 182.6
Oct. 31st: 182.2
Nov. 8th: 182.4
Nov. 14th: 183.6
Nov. 28th: 187.4
Dec. 6th: 185.6
Dec. 13th: 182
Dec. 21st: 181.4
Dec. 22nd: 179 (end of part 1 of my log)
Jan. 10th: 185.8
Jan. 16th: 180

Success! Lookie at that that beautiful number! I dropped -5lbs last week of doing my crazy calorie cycling and following the Lean-gains protocol.

Ah, okay. That guy in Japan has posted some decent stuff before, but I don't know where he came up with "... you must eat a surplus of calories on a training day in most situations." I'm not sure how many days you're working out now, but it might be worthwhile to calculate how many calories you're eating weekly on this current plan that has yielded these positive results thus far, and keep that same level of weekly calorie intake, but redistribute calories so you don't have to endure these wild swings for food intake. For example, eat at around -10% on workout days, and then -20% or so on rest days. (Again, this depends on how many days you're working out.) The net 55% range swing in calories is extreme, so I would at least drop the workout days to maintenance level calorie intake, if not lower. That would make rest days far more bearable. Of course, your diet, your call, though.

Either way, best of luck, and I'm glad to hear things are going well again!

That's a great idea, Dave! I'm gonna do that since obviously the total calorie intake for the week was working. My new calorie count comes out to 1,550 on training days and 1,200 on rest days. 1,200 is not so bad. Those +200 calories make a huge difference. Yesterday I was at 1,300-something and during my last meal I felt really full so I know I could have done -100 calories and been ok. Of course, it might also have to do with the fact that it was a higher fat intake day and so I had some olive oil drizzled over some cheese and tomatoes with my chicken dinner. Definitely more satisfying.

Obviously I don't expect a -5 lbs loss each week. I'll be happy with a -1.5 lbs loss each week though!

[66jzmstr]

Weekly Weigh-in
=====================
Aug. 24th: 195* ending weight of old log and started getting real with IF
Aug. 27th: 192.8
Sept. 5th: 190
Sept. 12th: 187.8
Sept. 20th: 186.4
Sept. 26th: 185.6
Oct. 4th: 184.6
Oct. 10th: 181
Oct. 17th: 181.2
Oct. 25th: 182.6
Oct. 31st: 182.2
Nov. 8th: 182.4
Nov. 14th: 183.6
Nov. 28th: 187.4
Dec. 6th: 185.6
Dec. 13th: 182
Dec. 21st: 181.4
Dec. 22nd: 179 (end of part 1 of my log)
Jan. 10th: 185.8
Jan. 16th: 180

Success! Lookie at that that beautiful number! I dropped -5lbs last week of doing my crazy calorie cycling and following the Lean-gains protocol.






That's a great idea, Dave! I'm gonna do that since obviously the total calorie intake for the week was working. My new calorie count comes out to 1,550 on training days and 1,200 on rest days. 1,200 is not so bad. Those +200 calories make a huge difference. Yesterday I was at 1,300-something and during my last meal I felt really full so I know I could have done -100 calories and been ok. Of course, it might also have to do with the fact that it was a higher fat intake day and so I had some olive oil drizzled over some cheese and tomatoes with my chicken dinner. Definitely more satisfying.

Obviously I don't expect a -5 lbs loss each week. I'll be happy with a -1.5 lbs loss each week though!

More, good numbers - nice, Sara! Best of luck with the redistributed cals (if you go that route), but it looks like you won't need much luck at all. Good work!

[sarasayshi]

I weighed in a day too early! Today I am 178.6!!! Technically Tuesdays are my weigh-in days but I've been meaning to move it back to Mondays; which is why I weighed in yesterday. That's insane! 7 lbs in a week!

[sarasayshi]

I noticed last night as I checked out my booty in the mirror that it is losing its shape. It was getting more round from when I trained with the NROL4W program but ever since I switched to a 4 day split, I think my booty has suffered some. So I decided I am going to change things up and do upper/lower 2x a week so that I can at least work my lower body good more than once a week.

Workout 1/17
===============

Squats 3 x 6-8
105/9, 105/7, 105/6 (i was able to do more sets!)

Romanian deadlifts 3 x 6-8
105/8, 110/8, 110/8 PR

Step-ups
25/12, 30/8, 30/8

Seated calf raises
50/12, 60/10, 60/10 PR

Jackknife
15, 15, 15


Nutrition 1/17
==============

M1:
1c oats + 2 scoops of ON Nitro Sensational cinnamon roll
1 chobani
1 banana
1c coffee
2 TBSP coffee mate creamer
1 tsp sugar

M2:
Chicken stirfry - 1 1/3c green beans, 8 oz chicken breasts, 3/4c quinoa, 1 TBSP soy sauce
250g yam

=======
total calories: 1,523
macros: 128g P/ 201g C/ 22g F

[sarasayshi]

Wednesday was my rest day and I ended up eating just under 1,200 calories that day, 1,173 to be exact.

Nutrition 1/18 - rest day
============

m1:
3 eggs
1oz of colby jack cheese
1 ON Nitro cinnamon roll shake
1c of coffee with stevia

m2:
1 chobani greek yogurt 2%
8.3 oz of chicken thighs with skin
=====================
total cals: 1,173
macros: 101g P/ 34g C / 64g F


Nutrition 1/19 - training day
================

m1:
1c of coffee with a splash of milk
pro-oats (1c quick oats, 2 scoops ON Nitro, 1 sliced banana)
1 chobani yogurt

m2:
1 1/2 cups of pasta
7 oz Jennie-O lean ground turkey (man, I need to start eating more of this stuff! 20g of protein for 4 oz and only 160 cals)
1/2c Prego heart smart spaghetti sauce
1 medium apple
===============
cals: 1,536
macros: 119g P/ 193g C/ 34g F


Training 1/19
===============
Dumbbell chest press 3x6-8
25/8, 25/8, 25/8

Deadlift
115/8, 115/6, 115/8

Cable rope overhead triceps extension
20/8, 20/6, 20/6

Cable rope rear-delt rows (adjusted pulley at chest lvl)
20/8, 30/8, 30/8

EZ-bar curl (wide grip)
30/8, 30/8, 30/8

- I am hoping this new upper/lower split brings back my booty! I have read articles on how to set up splits etc but I still feel like I might screw my training up somehow. I always felt more comfortable with someone telling me what to do on this day and that. All part of growing in this weight lifting lifestyle though, I guess.

Oh and I started my period today, it's 5 days early. But it explains why the scale has said 178.8 for 2 days in a row.

[PixieRae]

178.6!!! Nice, Sara! Your new plan seems to be working, you'll be in the low 160's before you know it!

[VerseRSD]

IF and resistance training seems to work really well for you. Great progress. Keep it up.

[sarasayshi]

I forgot I posted my youtube video a few days ago. If you don't wanna hear me ramble, skip to 7:40 for when I do my body shots!


Training 1/20
===============
Squats
105/8, 105/8, 105/8

Dumbbell one-legged deadlift
22.5/8, 22.5/8, 22.8/8

Barbell lunges
30/8 each leg, 40/8, 40/8

Hyperextensions
30/8, 30/8, 30/8

Standing calf raise
75/9, 90/8 PR, 90/8

Plank 90 seconds
60, 41, 42

- I was both excited and nervous to put together my own training program, especially since I started lifting heavy last March and started off with training programs. I always moved from one training program to the next. Anyhow, I was really pleased with my lower body training today. I walked out feeling exhausted; worked yet not like jello legs that would collapse on me any second just trying to walk to the locker room after.


Nutrition 1/20
===============

m1:
2c egg whites
pro-oats (1/2c quick oats + 1 scoop of ON)
coffee with a splash of milk

m2:
8oz crock cooked pulled pork loin
8 brussell sprouts (my new favorite veggie!)
246g roasted red potatoes
chobani yogurt
1 banana
==========
total cals: 1,553
macros: 157g P/ 169g C/ 36g F

- I am sooo motivated right now. I am living and breathing the IF life! hehe!

178.6!!! Nice, Sara! Your new plan seems to be working, you'll be in the low 160's before you know it!

Thanks Rae! I see you've been making some progress too! Woohoo! Get it girl!

IF and resistance training seems to work really well for you. Great progress. Keep it up.

Thanks Verse! Now that I have found my groove, it seems to be working.

[sarasayshi]

I started my period early! I started Friday and the scale has been saying 178-179 all weekend long. I'm hoping I get at least 177 by Tuesday. There's no reason why it shouldn't be that or lower even. I worked hard last week and stuck to the lean gains protocal and stuck to my calories faithfully. On rest days, i still struggle with getting enough protein in but I do my best without going over 1200 calories for the day too!

Nutrition 1/21 - rest day
=============

m1:
1c coffee with 1 packet stevia and a splash of milk
1 large egg
1c egg whites
2-4oz chicken thighs with bones and skins

m2:
6.3 oz lean ground beef (made 2 patties)
1oz colby jack cheese
2 small roma tomatoes
1 medium fuji apple
===========
total cals = 1,199
macros = 114g P/ 34g C / 65g F

- I felt pretty satisfied after dinner last night and opted for having the apple over another oz of cheese because I felt like my body was craving for some sort of carbs for the day.

Nutrition 1/22 - rest day
m1:
1c coffee with a packet of stevia and a splash of milk
4 Protein Pumpkin Pancakes (nom, nom, nom!)
1/4c sugar-free syrup

m2:
8oz crockpot cooked pulled pork
1c egg beaters
==============
total cals: 1,198
macros: 124g P/ 117g C / 27g F

- Ok so I know I went over my carbs. I should have not had so much but after yesterday's really low day, I was still craving big time.
- These Protein Pumpkin Pancakes are my new favorite recipe! Soooooo good!

I am really looking forward to tomorrow's training day for the pure fact of being allowed to eat more food and carbs! Night people!

[AntonioWright]

Ah, okay. That guy in Japan has posted some decent stuff before, but I don't know where he came up with "... you must eat a surplus of calories on a training day in most situations." I'm not sure how many days you're working out now, but it might be worthwhile to calculate how many calories you're eating weekly on this current plan that has yielded these positive results thus far, and keep that same level of weekly calorie intake, but redistribute calories so you don't have to endure these wild swings for food intake. For example, eat at around -10% on workout days, and then -20% or so on rest days. (Again, this depends on how many days you're working out.) The net 55% range swing in calories is extreme, so I would at least drop the workout days to maintenance level calorie intake, if not lower. That would make rest days far more bearable. Of course, your diet, your call, though.

Either way, best of luck, and I'm glad to hear things are going well again!

His numbers are actually "+10/-35" for a cut and he even states it's an example. However, I totally agree with you -10%/-20%.

[sarasayshi]

His numbers are actually "+10/-35" for a cut and he even states it's an example. However, I totally agree with you -10%/-20%.

Aww yes, that was a typo on my part.

[sarasayshi]

Weekly Weigh-in
=====================
Aug. 24th: 195* ending weight of old log and started getting real with IF
Aug. 27th: 192.8
Sept. 5th: 190
Sept. 12th: 187.8
Sept. 20th: 186.4
Sept. 26th: 185.6
Oct. 4th: 184.6
Oct. 10th: 181
Oct. 17th: 181.2
Oct. 25th: 182.6
Oct. 31st: 182.2
Nov. 8th: 182.4
Nov. 14th: 183.6
Nov. 28th: 187.4
Dec. 6th: 185.6
Dec. 13th: 182
Dec. 21st: 181.4
Dec. 22nd: 179 (end of part 1 of my log)
Jan. 10th: 185.8
Jan. 16th: 180
Jan. 25th 179.8

I don't know what the deal is with why I didn't lose much this week. I haven't cheated on my calories, still trying to hit protein targets although rest days are making it harder to do that but I just strive for packing in as much protein as I can.

Just now ending my period so that could be it and I made a stirfry last night with soy sauce, so maybe I have some sodium in me. All weekend even on my heavy menstruating days I was weighting either 178 or 179.

Training 1/23
=============
Deadlifts
120/8, 120/8, 120/8, 120/7

Incline dumbbell press
22.5/8, 25/8, 25/8, 25/8

Smith machine bench press
40/8, 45/8 PR, 45/8, 45/6

Cable Triceps pushdown with vbar
27.5/8, 32.5/8, 35/8 then 4 quick pulses, 35/8 with 4 pulses

Military shoulder barbell press
40/8, 40/8, 40/8, 40/7

Zottman curl
15/8, 15/8, 15/8, 15/8


Nutrition 1/23 - training day
==================
m1:
pro-oats,1 banana sliced
1 chobani greek yogurt
1c coffee
2 tbsp coffee creamer

m2:
5 protein pumpkin pancakes with "I can't believe it's not butter" spray (No syrup. I ate them as they came off the pan! lol)

============
cals: 1,598
macros: 120g P/ 229g C/ 24g F


Training 1/24
====================
Walking lunges
20/12, 20/12, 25/12 PR

Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift
25/10, 30/8, 30/8, 30/8 PR

Bulgarian splits
17.5/8, 17.5/8, 17.5/8

Glute kickback machine
115/8, 120/8, 120/8 PR

Calf raise on leg press
150/10, 170/8, 170/10 PR

Jackknife
15, 15, 15


Nutrition 1/24 - training day
==================
m1:
pro-oats,1 banana sliced
1c coffee
2 tbsp coffee creamer

m2:
stirfry - 8oz chicken breasts, 3/4c stir fry veggies, 1c cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tsp olive oil
1 protein oatmeal apple cookie (homemade)

============
cals: 1,531
macros: 135g P/ 178g C/ 34g F

[sarasayshi]

Training 1/26
=================
Dumbbell chest press
22.5/8, 25/8, 25/8

Deadlift
120/7, 120/8, 120/8, 120/7

Cable rope overhead triceps extension
20/8, 22.5/6, 20/6, 20/6

Front Deltoid Cable raise with tbar
15/8, 20/6, 17.5/7, 17.5/6

EZ-bar curl (wide)
30/8

Barbell 21s
30, 30, 20, 20

Nutrition 1/26 - training day
======================
4 small protein oatmeal apple-spice cookies
4oz chicken breasts
1c greek yogurt, with 2 tbsp blackberry jam
1 c coffee with a splash of milk

m2:
2c of homemade spaghetti
=================
total cals = 1,498
macros = 95g P/ 133g C/ 21g F



- I made these awesome protein oatmeal apple-spice cookies. They do not store well in an airtight container (they sweat and get really sticky) but they taste the best coming right out of the oven! They taste good but my friends and family on ******** were not digging it at all. Calling it dinosaur poop. haha!

[AntonioWright]

Subscribed!

[sarina1113]

I love your progress, girl! I'm so glad that what you're doing is working for you. Continue to succeed!

[sarasayshi]

I love your progress, girl! I'm so glad that what you're doing is working for you. Continue to succeed!

Hi Sarina! How are things?? It's working, just slower than I thought!

I managed to survive the weekend eating pretty healthy and not going over my calories (much). I did go over on Saturday by about 18. So for Saturday I had 1,568 cals (training day) and on Sunday I had 1,269; which I also went over a bit. I actually went over by 69 calories!

My leg day on Saturday was ok. I was a little bummed that some douche bag decided to not only hog the smith machine for 9 sets but that while I was waiting for him to finish, he then let his friend tag team in and so he started in on his sets. I was really looking forward to doing smith machine lunges because I can tell when I do them I am definitely getting more of a glute/ham workout versus a quad workout when I do lunges with a barbell.

Legs & Abs 1/28
================
Squats
115/7, 115/8, 115/7, 115/6 PR

Dumbbell one-legged deadlift
22.5/8, 25/8, 25/8, 25/8

Barbell lunges
40/8, 40/10, 40/10, 40/12

Seated leg curl
100/8, 115/8, 115/8, 115/6 PR and tough!

Hyperextensions
35/8, 35/8, 35/8, 35/8

Standing calf raise
105/8 PR, 90/8, 90/8, 90/8

Plank 90 seconds
65, 48, 44

Upper Split 1/30
=================
Pull up assist
120/8, 105/7, 120/7, 120/8

Incline dumbbell press
25/8, 25/8, 25/8, 25/8

Push-ups
15, 12, 10 did these last...

Cable Triceps pushdown with vbar
32.5/8, 35/8, 37.5/8, 37.5/8

Tri dips assist
150/8, 105/6, 120/8, 120/8

Military press machine
17.5/8, 20/8, 20/8, 20/8

Zottman curl
15/8, 15/8, 15/8, 15/6
=============

- I had to workout out this evening. I never work out at nights since I am too busy in the evenings with activities for my son. So I usually break up my work day and go at noon. Boy, was I in for a wake-up call. The gym was completely packed. Fat chance of getting to the squat rack for deads. Smith machine for my chest presses were out of the question too. I had to modify my workout a bit but I am glad I did because it seriously was one of the best upper splits I have done. i actually felt the burn after my 3rd set and definitely during my 4th sets for sure.

I also finally got over my fear of using the assisted pull-ups/dips machine. I remember trying it a few months ago and feeling rather embarrassed because I had no idea how the weight and was unable to do any assisted pull-ups back then. Boy, am I regretting not using it sooner. What a difference it makes in your upper body workout. I felt everything working as it should and I felt pretty pumped after doing them. same with the assisted dips. Loved them both and will definitely make them part of my normal routine!


Nutrition - 1/30 (training)
==============

M1:
chocolate & almond biscotti (check out my youtube video on it for my recipe below!)
2 tuna patties (1 can of tuna in water, 1 whole wheat thin bun crumbled, 1 egg white)
2c of coffee with a splash of milk

M2:
3 scoops of Xtend (i've decided to count the calories on this from now on)
8 oz chicken breasts
2/3c peas
110g red potatoes

2 more of my biscottis
chocolate dusted kettle corn with Truvia (gonna be my new addiction!)
====================

cals: 1,500
macros: 162g P/ 144g C / 34g F

- This was seriously my best eating day ever! It was sooooo good! I found that I wasn't very hungry after I worked out this evening but I had a mass of calories I had to eat. I still managed to stay under my target by 50 calories to spare too!

Here is my youtube video with my Chocolate & Almond Biscotti! It is REALLy good!



Tomorrow is my weekly weigh-in. I've been trying to ignore the past few days but I did see 178.8 today. I'd love to see 177 tomorrow! Stay tuned for my weigh-in and pictures are due!

[sarasayshi]

Weekly Weigh-in
=====================
Aug. 24th: 195* ending weight of old log and started getting real with IF
Aug. 27th: 192.8
Sept. 5th: 190
Sept. 12th: 187.8
Sept. 20th: 186.4
Sept. 26th: 185.6
Oct. 4th: 184.6
Oct. 10th: 181
Oct. 17th: 181.2
Oct. 25th: 182.6
Oct. 31st: 182.2
Nov. 8th: 182.4
Nov. 14th: 183.6
Nov. 28th: 187.4
Dec. 6th: 185.6
Dec. 13th: 182
Dec. 21st: 181.4
Dec. 22nd: 179 (end of part 1 of my log)
Jan. 10th: 185.8
Jan. 16th: 180
Jan. 25th 179.8
Jan. 31, 178.4

Ok, so one would see my weigh-ins and think "Oh wow! You're doing great! It's consistent weight loss now" but it isn't. Basically for two weeks I have been bouncing between 180-178. I can't seem to hit below 178.

I've decided that my goal for sure by spring of 2013 is to become a personal trainer but obviously no one is going to take me seriously until I get rid of this belly fat and reach my goal weight which is to be in the 140's. So, it's time for me to activate my new plan.

I call it my "Weights + Cardio + IF = HOTTIE" plan.

Now, last year I completed a round of P90X and only lost 6 lbs. I was greatly disappointed. Not necessarily in the system but for some reason, it just didn't work for me. Maybe I ate more than I actually thought or maybe I really messed the crap out of my metabolism. I even went as far as to have my thyroid checked only to discover mine is on the higher side which the doctor told me "that means it should be relatively easier for you to lose weight".

I know there is research showing cardio isn't necessary but that a good diet and lifting routine is more important and then there are people that say no, some cardio is good but only do LISS. Well, I've done both of those while following IF and I am not making the kind of progress I had hoped for. So, it's time to kick this body into overdrive. I think I have made baby steps easing into the whole weight lifting and good nutrition lifestyle and now I need this to shake up my metabolism a bit. So to shake things up, I am going to be doing a round of P90X the lean version. The lean version consists of 4 cardio workouts a week with only 2 days of strength training. I've decided I am going to be doing cardio 6 days a week and continue with my upper/lower body splits. So I will now be doing my strength training and cardio on the same days. On my rest days from training, I will continue doing cardio of either Spinning or a P90X workout.

New Training and Cardio routine for the next 3 weeks:

Day 1: Core Synergistics + Upper body split

Day 2: Cardio X, Ab ripper X + Lower body split

Day 3: rest day + 45 min of spinning

Day 4: Yoga X + upper body split

Day 5: Legs + 30 min HIIT on the elliptical plus Ab ripper X

Day 6: Kenpo X

Day 7: Rest

I'll still be keeping my calories at 1,550 for training days and 1,200 on rest days unless 1,200 suddenly becomes too low to hang with, then I may increase by 100-200 calories.

And as promised, my updated pics. The photo on the left is my first week of Sept. 2011, so I was 190 lbs there. The photo on the right was taken today with -12 lbs.

[sarasayshi]

Good morning people! Well, I thought yesterday's workout might kill me. I hit the gym hard with legs and abs and then came home to do a 45 min P90X cardio x workout. I wasn't really sweating in the cardio until 25 minutes in. Then suddenly the sweat was pouring and I was getting exhausted but pushed through it. Come 5pm, I was falling asleep at the kitchen table. Definitely going to be shocking the crap out of my body now!

Training - Legs and Abs
====================
Walking lunges with dumbbells
20/12, 20/12, switch to barbell 30/12, 30/12, bw/12, bw/12

Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift
25/8, 30/8, 30/8, 30/8

Bulgarian splits
17.5/8, 17.5/8, 17.5/8, 17.5/8

Seated leg press machine (one legged press)
45/8, 90/8, 90/8, 75/8

Calf press machine
70/8, 170/8, 150/8, 150/8

Jackknife with swiss ball
15, 15, 15, 15

Then came home and did P90X Cardio X.

Nutrition 1/31 - training day
===================

M1:
protein chocolate biscotti
1c of coffee with truvia and a splash of milk
9.3 oz chicken breasts
1.2c of mixed bell peppers
1 tsp olive oil
2 handmade style corn tortillas
6oz greek yogurt which I added 1 tbsp strawberry preserves and a whole sliced banana ontop

M2:
5oz chicken breast
12 brussel sprouts
1/2c prepared red potatoes (made them into garlic mashed with milk and butter)
1 bag of kettle popcorn dusted 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tsp of truvia
=====================
cals: 1,522
macros: 147g P/ 169g C/ 31g F


Today's workout is suppose to be 45 min of spinning! I may knock it down to 30 minutes if I can force myself to do interval training of 1 minute all out followed by 1 minute recovery.

[PixieRae]

Doing great, Sarah. Most definitely a difference in those photos. Good work, lady.

[sarasayshi]

Well, even though I told myself not to get on the damn scale today; I did. I saw a disappointing 179. I frickin' hate this! I hate that I am working my butt off, cutting calories, eating right, lifting heavy and now doing cardio and the scale still won't budge!

Today was upper body and it was a good training session. I barely made it through my last set of tricep cable rope extensions and the bicep 21's with a barbell. Deads were tough for me today and I was struggling alot just to get to 7 reps so I didn't dare try to go for a new PR. Funny thing is a guy next to me was only doing 10 more lbs than me on deads.

Upper body split - 2/2/12
========================
Assisted chin ups
105/8, 105/8, 105/6, 120/8

Dumbbell chest press 4x6-8
22.5/8, 22.5/8, 22.5/8, 22.5/8

Deadlifts
120/7, 120/7, 120/7, 120/6

Cable rope overhead triceps extension
20/8, 22.5/6, 22.5/8, 22.5/6

Front Cable raise with tbar
20x6, 17.5x8, 17.5x8, 17.5x8

Barbell 21s
30, 30, 20, 20 these are killer!

Then 20 min of interval training on the bike.

Eating was good today! 1,530 cals, 138g P/ 168g C / 41g F

Yea...I am too lazy to write out what I ate here!

I have been getting some slack for wanting to do so much cardio in addition to doing IF and a 4 day training split. But I am just at the point where I say "Screw it! I need to just see what works for me!" Yea, it may not be ideal because I shouldn't have to do cardio while following IF or I need to give my body real rest days; whatever, I'm done being patient. I want to see results for all this hard effort I am putting into myself.

Today I decided to buy Leigh Peele's book called "The Fat Loss Troubleshoot", just to see if there is something there to help me out. I don't believe my metabolism is jacked up since I have lost weight very slowly but I have yo-yoed quite a bit. If you look on my Bodyspace weigh-in's from last March until now, You will see the struggles I have had gaining and losing the same 5-10 lbs.

One thing that's kinda cool is that I am in an IF group on ******** and I had posted my lasted photos on there and Martin liked it! It made my day!



Man, I am sooo easy to please! Can this fat please just come off already?!

Tomorrow's agenda: Long 2 hour walk with my Aunt and then hitting the gym for grueling legs and abs training

Doing great, Sarah. Most definitely a difference in those photos. Good work, lady.

Thanks Pixie! How are you doing?

[AntonioWright]

You have to understand something. Unlike what all these programs and diet methods tell you, weight loss is not always going to be visible. The goal with IF is to create a calorie deficit for the week. Ideally through diet and heavy weight training. I personally believe with the added cardio you are infact doing too much and not giving your body enough rest. That's just me though.

Patience is just as important as working out and having a sound nutrition plan.

[sarasayshi]

You have to understand something. Unlike what all these programs and diet methods tell you, weight loss is not always going to be visible. The goal with IF is to create a calorie deficit for the week. Ideally through diet and heavy weight training. I personally believe with the added cardio you are infect doing too much and not giving your body enough rest. That's just me though.

Patience is just as important as working out and having a sound nutrition plan.

I can be pretty stubborn. Once I make up my mind, it's hard for me to change it. But after today's training session, I am feeling beat and looking forward to my rest days this weekend. If I feel like this next week, I will have to rethink how much I am doing and perhaps move from a 4 day split to a 3 days split and keep the cardio.

I am beat by 5pm and ready to crash then. I finish my workouts at about 2:00pm and then either come home for cardio or have already done it at the gym.

I am eating healthy but I do notice from yesterday's HIIT session on the bike, I felt hungrier.

[sarasayshi]

I popped in really quick to share that even though the scale is not budging much, (today it said 181) something has changed. I decided to measure my waist just for the heck of it. So I did. The last time I measured it on January 20th it was 42" and today it is 39.5"! I lost -2.5" in about 2 weeks. This is the biggest change in my waist since beginning with IF last September. In Sept. my waist was at 43" and only dropped to 42" in January. Why it has decided to drop the most in the past 2 weeks than it has over the past 6 months, I am not sure, but I am indeed one happy chica!

[sarasayshi]

Weekly Weigh-in
=====================
Aug. 24th: 195* ending weight of old log and started getting real with IF
Aug. 27th: 192.8
Sept. 5th: 190
Sept. 12th: 187.8
Sept. 20th: 186.4
Sept. 26th: 185.6
Oct. 4th: 184.6
Oct. 10th: 181
Oct. 17th: 181.2
Oct. 25th: 182.6
Oct. 31st: 182.2
Nov. 8th: 182.4
Nov. 14th: 183.6
Nov. 28th: 187.4
Dec. 6th: 185.6
Dec. 13th: 182
Dec. 21st: 181.4
Dec. 22nd: 179 (end of part 1 of my log)
Jan. 10th: 185.8
Jan. 16th: 180
Jan. 25th 179.8
Jan. 31, 178.4
Feb. 7th: 181.8

Well, this weekend was interesting diet-wise. On Saturday I ended up eating at maintenance because I was up at midnight baking cookies for my Sunday plans in which the boyfriend and I were going to take the kids fishing. I ended up baking some protein cookies for us but I ate 4 cookies while baking!

On Sunday, we decided that we weren't going to worry about following IF or sticking to our lower calorie day. So we had donuts for breakfast on our way to the lake and then while at the lake I snacked on some crap. For dinner we ended up taking the kids for pizza so I ate like 4 slices of pizza plus a salad (I was craving a salad real bad!)

When I weighed myself yesterday, I was 185 lbs! I knew that was coming and today I am 181.8, even after eating at my proper calorie count. I am not sure how long a carb-up takes to get out of your system but seeing 181 on my weigh-in day is really discouraging.

I'm wondering if I need to do a diet break. I don't want to do one because I always feel when I do them, that I end up gaining weight by a few pounds.

I did decide that doing P90X while lifting heavy wasn't the smartest idea I have had and I found that I was completely exhausted each day and I felt my training days on Thursday and Friday of last week were not as good. So now I am going to just stick with 2 HIIT sessions a week and then just walk on the treadmill for 45 min 2-3 days a week.

I keep reminding myself "Yea, the scale is going nuts right now but you lost inches form your waist, Sara! Be proud of that"! I should be but this is really pissing me off!

[RichDestiNY22]

Nice work on the progress, Sara! Keep up the dedication and you'll get to 147 no doubt!

[sarasayshi]

Ok, so I am still going to go with my weight training + cardio = HOTTIE plan but I am not going to be doing P90X cardio workouts everyday. That was just insane. I can't sustain the energy to get through a week like that with the heavy lifting I do at the gym. So new plan for cardio is to do 45 min of walking on the treadmill after a training session and on rest days I will do HIIT or interval training on the bike or elliptical. If I get bored of either the bike or elliptical, then I will substitute for P90X Plyometrics.

Training 2/6 - Upper split
=====================
Chin up assist
105/8, 90/6, 90/6

Incline dumbbell press
22.5/10, 22.5/8, 22.5/8

Smith machine chest press
40/8, 40/8, 40/8

Cable Triceps pushdown with vbar
40/8, 42.5/8, 42.5/8

Tri dips assist
120/8, 105/7, 120/8

Military press machine
22.5/8, 22.5/8, 22.5/8

Zottman curl
15x8, 15x8, 15x8


Training 2/7 - Lower split
==================
Squats
120x8,PR 120x8, 115x8

Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift
30x8, 32.5x8, 32.5x8 PR

Bulgarian splits
20x8, 20x8, 20x8 PR

Smith machine lunges (I hate these but soo good for firing up the glutes and hams)
40x8, 40x8, 40x8

Seated leg press machine (one legged press)
75x8, 90x8, 90x8

Calf press machine
150x8, 170x8, 170x8

Jackknife
15, 15, 15


Nutrition 2/ 6 - Training
========================

M1:
pro-oats (1c oats + 2 scoops ON Nitrocore)
protein cookie I made
1oz chicken breast
6oz of tuna
1 whole grain wheat thin bun
1 Tbsp reduced fat mayo
1c coffee
1 TBSp sugar-free creamer

m2:
2/3c yellow squash
4.5oz tilapia
1c cooked brown rice
2 oatmeal0raisin protein cookies (ended up having to pull these out of the freezer because my tilapia didn't produce as much fish as I had hoped for)

===========
cals = 1,548
macros: 136g P/ 185g C/ 36g F


Nutrition 2/7 - training
====================

M1:
pro-oats
protein cookie
3 scoops of Xtend
1/2c egg whites
1c coffee
1 tbsp sugar-free creamer

m2:
2/3 cup bell pepper strips
8 oz chicken breasts
1 oz colby jack cheese
2 white corn tortillas
15g semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4c slivered almonds
===============
cals = 1,557
macros: 140g P/ 137g C/ 50g F


- Legs workout was intense! I loved it! I wasn't able to squat last week because both leg days, the squat racks were hogged by other people and since squats are a compound movement and a more tiring exercise, I feel they should be done first. Rather than waste time waiting for the racks to open up, I would just do lunges. So it was great to see I had not lost any squat strength and in fact I hit a new PR on them!

Now as far as my eating goes, I have decided to bump up my calories for the week and eat at my BMR both training and rest days which is 1,558 calories. I think my metabolism has been pissed off at me and is the reason why I am no longer dropping weight consistently. I cut calories too quickly and my metabolism is like "screw you fatty!!"

Another goal this week will be getting more fat in and less carbs! I think I am finally realizing that I have an extremely carb-sensitive body. So as a general rule of thumb, I am going to keep carbs below 130g on training days and then on rest day's I am usually around the 50g range so I am probably good there. In lieu of dropping carbs, I will be eating more fat. I have been struggling getting more fat in anyhow so this will help me work on getting more of it in each day.

I have been reading a book by Leigh Peele called "The Fatloss Troubleshoot" and the audio books have been all that I listen to the past few days. In her book she talks about how a client's weight wasn't budging even though she was eating the right calories and working out. Leigh then asked to see her food journal and saw that she had been using sugar substitutes and butter spray. Well, the woman was using like 100 butter sprays a day and not counting the calories from it even though 25 sprays equals 20 calories, 20 cals x 4 = 80 cals unaccounted for and then the sugar substitutes... 1 tsp of splenda is 2 calories, she was using 8 tsp a day in her coffee and in her cooking/baking so there are unaccounted calories as well.

I recently started counting calories from my Scivation Xtend and now I need ot pay attention and count calories from my butter spray and although Stevia has 0 calories, well it does have 3g of carbs. So now that I am gonna be watching my carbs a bit more, I'll have to rethink using Stevia some days.

Nice work on the progress, Sara! Keep up the dedication and you'll get to 147 no doubt!

No doubt! Thanks Rich!

[BananaOats]

long time lurker calling you out! where are you? update us!!!

[sarasayshi]

long time lurker calling you out! where are you? update us!!!

Thanks! I needed that!

I apologize for poofing for a bit. I was staying with my boyfriend for the weekend and didn't return home until late last night.

Hmm, now eating wise, I did ok over the weekend. I was purposely eating small portions of meals that were prepared for me with no snacking in between meals however; Sunday night we went to Chevy's and even though I had a salad with a vinaigrette dressing in which I only pretty much ate the chicken, bell peppers and feta cheese out of, I also drank 2 midori melon margaritas and the boyfriend and I managed to polish off 1 1/2 baskets of chips and salsa. I seriously am a light weight now. I was feeling pretty darn good after the first margarita and after I was done with the 2nd, I was a REALLY happy camper!

I was fixated on eating a candy apple from the rocky mountain chocolate factory while we shopped at the outlets. (We did a lot of walking earlier) but the chocolate store closed down years ago and after dinner I was still craving chocolate so I basically made my mind up to get some candy in me. I ate 1/2 a bag of chocolate mint hershey kisses! Such a bad eating day!

Monday's eating was no better. Sure, I waited until noon until I ate the rest of the bag of chocolate but I still ate it! I also walked around a lot since I had about 4 hours to kill before I could pick up my son from his dad's and drive back home (a 2 1/2 hour drive). So I went shopping from one target to the next, checked out some Goodwill stores for used snow gear and then ended up at the mall. I had a rubio burrito, then later cold stone ice cream then before leaving town with my son, I had a Starbucks (skinny) and a personal pan pizza hut pizza! Aye! So horrible!

Then today....being Valentine's day, I ate some more chocolate that is lying around the house. i basically have like 200 cals left for dinner tonight but I am going to do my best to be honest and stick it out the rest of the day. I gotta break this bad eating weekend like today!

I did go to the gym and got in a great lower body workout and hit loads of new PRs.

Training - Legs 2/14
=====================

Squats
125x7, 125x7, 125x7 PR

Stiff-legged dumbbell deadlift
32.5x8, 35x8, 35x8 PR

Smith machine lunges
45x8, 50x8, 50x8 PR

leg press machine (one legged press)
80x8, 75x8 tough, 70x8

Calf press on leg press
170x8, 180x8, 180x8 PR

Jackknife
15, 15, 15

Cardio: 40 minutes walking at 3.5 mph, burned 209 cals

I am totally distracted right now. This next weekend my boyfriend, his boys, my son and I are going to be staying at a cabin in the snow. We have planned for this weekend since the last week of November and we are all stoked about it! I've been busy planning, shopping and packing things up for it. I have also been trying to shop for the foods with a good mindset. I know I will be eating a lot of stuff that I shouldn't be but I also had a lot of self control to put things back on the store shelves after looking at my cart contents and asking myself; "is this really a good idea to buy this particular food or snack item? Or is it going to make me lose control and snack like crazy? Do we really need 2 packages of s'more chocolate bars...no, we can deal with 1! Do we really need sweetened tea drinks?? No, we can deal with bottled water and coffee!"

The boyfriend and I are still planning on sticking to IF and not eat until at least noon but some of the foods are going to be tempting. He requested mini donuts and those swedish danishes for the kids (whom are all very active boys that are at healthy weights and my son could actually use a bit more meat on his bones) so it's not a big issue for them to indulge a bit. And for dinners we're going to be sticking to lean meats and veggies so we're trying. And I don't want to freak out over not being able to relax a bit on my eating but I obviously don't have the self control.

When I am good, I can be really good for weeks straight and then a weekend like this will come along and set me back a week or two! That's what I am afraid of.

I know I will be more active this weekend than I am normally from day to day so there is some comfort there but I really need to practice some self control.

I dread weighing in tomorrow but I must.