No Days Off: Goalie_Girl's Log

[SheDemon]

Hey!! *waves*

I've just caught up on the last few days of your journal and I will go back even further when I can, so I'm going to respond to some things you posted several days ago.

Your 5-6 month progress photos! Wow! You've made an amazing transformation and should be so proud. You specifically ask about body fat percentage and for people to guess. That's kind of tricky territory, but I'll give it a go since I have been studying articles and pics on that topic since I joined ignorantly declaring I was 31% hee! I think you have a nice body shape even from the pics up in the 180s, I'd guess higher 30s... now that you've lost so much weight I would put you in the very low 30s (But definitely the normal category vs. overweight like before). That said, you've turned yourself into a lean, mean, fighting machine. ^_^ You mentioned you wanted to cut, what was it, 10-15 more lbs? That would put you in the 20s and would be perfect before you start to bulk.

I hope that in 5 more months I will have a photo progression half as impressive as yours. Keep the good food coming, the pics of those cheese sausages looked great.

Sorry about your bad experience with a frozen pot pie -- yuck... a waste of your precious calories, right? What would have helped it was a good shaking of salt and pepper. I think Healthy Choice makes some of their dinners for people on sodium restricted diets? Or I don't know. But I need salt on my food!

The only frozen dinners I have found so far that don't completely disappoint with taste and feelings of satisfaction are Amy's. The protein may not be as high as you want it since they are vegetarian, but they use organic ingredients, are fairly low cal and taste pretty awesome. I don't feel bad after I eat one like with most convenience foods (I have a very sensitive system)... so that might be something to try if you really are strapped for time again at work.

Give yourself a rest when you can... I know your title says "no days off"... but somebody really needs a spa day, that should be included in the routine and not count as a 'day off'.

<3,

Amanda

[SheDemon]

Got a nice long post for you guys this morning. Lots of photos.

Starting with yesterday. I felt so hungry yesterday that it became an unplanned refeed day. I stayed within a 1200-1400 calories, a bit hard to tell with the food I ate not having exact nutrition facts listed. It's quite possible I was within my 1280 calorie budget. For lunch I got a shredded chicken burrito at a local taqueria I used to visit. Here's the money shot:



My god. Normally as an obese person I could mow this down. Even yesterday with my extreme hunger I stopped several bites short of finishing. The next two hours at work I had the worst stomach ache I've had in a while. It was good, not great but I needed a lot of food at the time. Next time, if there is one and there probably won't be, I would half it. Next refeed will not be for a while, but I suppose a burrito and two cupcakes are good because....

....I stepped on the scale today a pound lighter. As of this morning I have lost 40 pounds. Photo on the left is April 22, wisdom tooth surgery day, weighing in at 196 pounds. Left is this morning after my ride at 156 pounds. 40 pounds gone in 146 days.

Actually from this pic, maybe you already are in the 20s. Amazing! Do you have a scale that shows the 'estimated' BF % already? I want to get one. I think I will... it should give me a much better ballpark than those online calculators anyway.

[Goalie_Girl]

Glad to see you are feeling better!

I like the 'minimum effective dose' rule for exercise. If you can't sustain what you're doing, don't venture into those murky waters. I ask myself every day the question Nietzsche's demon poses: would you, if you lived your life over again, do the same thing? If the answer is 'no,' don't do it.

The other thing about cutting is that while you are eating at a deficit your body is going to be fighting to conserve energy. If you force yourself through long workouts, intensity, and therefore calorie burn, will, ironically, suffer. Been there, done that. It feels miserable.

Thank you!

I agree. I returned to the bike today after a full 3 days off and felt very very fresh. Im learning to listen to my body and better manage macros and my conditioning. And I think thats been showing on the scale these last few weeks. I feel stronger, leaner, if I can get this to continue I'll be very pleased. No doubt I was overdoing it before but by adding weight training of sorts and scaling back the cardio I'm feeling strong and it looks like things are progressing well. Been a little tired the last few days but thats starting to break.

Hey!! *waves*

I've just caught up on the last few days of your journal and I will go back even further when I can, so I'm going to respond to some things you posted several days ago.

Your 5-6 month progress photos! Wow! You've made an amazing transformation and should be so proud. You specifically ask about body fat percentage and for people to guess. That's kind of tricky territory, but I'll give it a go since I have been studying articles and pics on that topic since I joined ignorantly declaring I was 31% hee! I think you have a nice body shape even from the pics up in the 180s, I'd guess higher 30s... now that you've lost so much weight I would put you in the very low 30s (But definitely the normal category vs. overweight like before). That said, you've turned yourself into a lean, mean, fighting machine. ^_^ You mentioned you wanted to cut, what was it, 10-15 more lbs? That would put you in the 20s and would be perfect before you start to bulk.

I hope that in 5 more months I will have a photo progression half as impressive as yours. Keep the good food coming, the pics of those cheese sausages looked great.

Sorry about your bad experience with a frozen pot pie -- yuck... a waste of your precious calories, right? What would have helped it was a good shaking of salt and pepper. I think Healthy Choice makes some of their dinners for people on sodium restricted diets? Or I don't know. But I need salt on my food!

The only frozen dinners I have found so far that don't completely disappoint with taste and feelings of satisfaction are Amy's. The protein may not be as high as you want it since they are vegetarian, but they use organic ingredients, are fairly low cal and taste pretty awesome. I don't feel bad after I eat one like with most convenience foods (I have a very sensitive system)... so that might be something to try if you really are strapped for time again at work.

Give yourself a rest when you can... I know your title says "no days off"... but somebody really needs a spa day, that should be included in the routine and not count as a 'day off'.

<3,

Amanda

Hey there. Thanks for reading!

Thank you for the props on the progress. I look at the photos often to try and remind myself to be patient and not to be so hard on myself. As for body fat percentage I have no idea. The few people that gave me opinions said they thought I was 40+ % to start and maybe 30% now, which is a little hard to hear but if thats what it is so be it, I'm working hard everyday, if its this today, it will be less tomorrow. I would love if I were in the 20's but I think that may be a bit optimistic. My first photo in the dentists office is 196 pounds, I would be willing to guess I was in the low 40's then, maybe now having lost 41 pounds I'm in at 30% maybe? I have no idea, I'm the last person that should be guesstimating. My body shape is helped by a naturally athletic build. I'm short but I am naturally busty with wide hips, wide ribs and wide shoulders. I'm so oddly proportined...srs. Ive got very big hands, head and feet for someone my size and gender. I'm hardly lean but definitly a mean fighting machine. I'm not willing to fail. I'd like to cut to 130-135 if I can before I bulk, 18-20% bf would be amazing before I bulk but I may have to accept that it will be easier to bulk for a bit and then try to cut back down. I dont know I have the feeling that once I get skinny I'm going to be obsessed with trying to bulk as leanly as possible so I can enjoy my rewards for a bit.

Good luck! I know you can do it. I'm hoping in 5 months no one I know recognizes me. I'll always keep the food pics coming. Those sausages are great, all the different flavors. They taste great and are good for fats and protein but most importantly I get nitrate triggered migraines and they are all natural and nitrate free. Score!

Eh, couldnt care less about the chicken pot pie. I'd rather cook myself. I usually have my meals better managed than that. Healthy frozen dinners are the last resort if I need a quick lunch at work because I work in a cupcake bakery in the same shopping complex as a mcdonalds, burger king, and taco bell. I'll eat them and I'll try to get as much protein as I can for my buck but theyre usually pretty awful. Been thinking about trying those Amy's dinners, and adding my own protein, my landlord reccomends them.

I throw a couple rest days in there, its the refeed I'm lacking but its ok. I dont feel like its bothering me much. I've conquered my cravings and for now I see some progress. I'm thinking of scheduling a refeed pretty soon here though on an MCT day so I can get in a real good workout on all the extra calories.

Actually from this pic, maybe you already are in the 20s. Amazing! Do you have a scale that shows the 'estimated' BF % already? I want to get one. I think I will... it should give me a much better ballpark than those online calculators anyway.

Not sure, that pic was a while ago, if anything Im much leaner now. The trick in this photo is that I tucked my tummy into them shorts. I dont have a scale with estimate or calipers. But its time to get serious and star getting some measurements I think.



Hello everyone, update for the day so far. Starting with the end of yesterday. Here are yesterday's macros:

Calories: 1405
Protein: 125g
Carbs: 112g
Fat: 57g

MCT was a little tough last night because of the soreness in my tris and delts. Not the best workout I ever had but got through it and enjoyed it. I love the variety and I can feel my strength improving. Had a question though, does anyone here have experience with diamond pushups? Are you supposed to still be able to bring your chest to within a fists distance of the floor? Im new to them so Im not very good but I feel like getting depth is really difficult. Is it just because I'm training new muscles or is that exercise anatomically more difficult to get depth on?

Woke up this morning and got on the bike, back after 3 days. Felt amazing. Pumped out 8.43 miles in 20 minutes for a 310 calorie burn. Left quad is always a little sore, I think thats just the alignment issues but I still felt great this morning. Nice to get a good start and keep a good pace. I was averaging between 26-28mph over the course of the ride. Yay!



Here's breakfast, Vanilla Maple Almond Proats with Apples/Nuts/Raisins





Once you stir it all in the heat and rehydrates the apples and raisins and softens the nuts. A really good taste of autumn and super filling.

Think Im gonna go off and see the Sharks game in person tonight! Wooo, awesome! So maybe wont slip in a second cardio session. Not sure what I'll eat either. Might eat before we go and just bring a snack, or might have a cheat meal and eat there...or a combo of the two, eat a main meal at home and then get a snack there. Not sure, we shall see, either way will track and photograph. So excited to go see my sharks tonight, I live for this!

[gobbles23]

^^Yummy!!!!

Diamond push-ups are freaking difficult...Andrew can touch his elbows off the floor for each rep but if I do that I can't get up, lol, but I'd just do them so you feel them in your triceps and work on getting lower as they get easier

[Goalie_Girl]

^^Yummy!!!!

Diamond push-ups are freaking difficult...Andrew can touch his elbows off the floor for each rep but if I do that I can't get up, lol, but I'd just do them so you feel them in your triceps and work on getting lower as they get easier

Thanks!

Yeah after further research my diamond pushups can only get about half as far as they need to go but better than nothing. I'm taking this as a challenge, just so you know diamond pushup, you will be my bitch.



Went out last night to the Sharks game, didnt want to cheat or eat any arena/fast food. Decided on Subway, got a foot long on 9 grain wheat, with oven roasted chicken, lettuce, onion, avocado and a little bit of chipotle sauce. Other than the fact that I went over the calories for yesterday I have no problem eating that, although I dont get what everyones big deal about subway is, sandwich was decently mediocre. Although if I was bulking I'd pound one 5 dollar footlong a day just for the calories and the cost. I probably should have only eaten half to stay within my limit calorie wise for the day but I was hungry, prior to the game all I'd eaten was my oatmeal and a shake.

Macros for yesterday are:

Calories: 1915
Protein: 138g
Carbs: 185g (holy chit I havent eaten that much bread in a long time)
Fat: 71g

So far unsure of whether I'm about to hop on the bike or not. Day 12 of MCT tonight, triceps and delts have recovered nicely so I'm pumped!

[thehobbes]

Double Meat is the thing with Subway, srs. You can get a chicken teriyaki double meat and it's like 96g of protein. Subways isn't one of those places that I crave, but I do hit it to get a chitton of protein for little cals. Pretty sure Subway despises me too, I always point out if they're loading my sammich inaccurately (not enough cheese triangles, trying to rip me off on the amount of meat in the scoopers) I do everything short of bringing my own food scale in there. They always bertstare me when I don't want any veggies or mayo on my sammiches, veggies do not need to impede my sammich, I need protons.

Lol'd at bread, I love bread.

[Goalie_Girl]

Double Meat is the thing with Subway, srs. You can get a chicken teriyaki double meat and it's like 96g of protein. Subways isn't one of those places that I crave, but I do hit it to get a chitton of protein for little cals. Pretty sure Subway despises me too, I always point out if they're loading my sammich inaccurately (not enough cheese triangles, trying to rip me off on the amount of meat in the scoopers) I do everything short of bringing my own food scale in there. They always bertstare me when I don't want any veggies or mayo on my sammiches, veggies do not need to impede my sammich, I need protons.

Lol'd at bread, I love bread.

Double meat, yeah.. should have gone that way. On second thought, should have gone double meat and subtracted the chipotle sauce, much better on the macros. The subway in my home town is right next to my work but it kind of smells so I dont know...

Got on the bike this morning, another morning where I felt fresh and ready. My stride was great, pace and breath were on. No warm up or stretch issues. Days on the bike like that are an absolute pleasure, I put on some tunes and got down to some sprints in the 20 minutes. Feels good, thinking of getting in an hour ride sometime soon though, as its been a while for any endurance riding.



Breakfast was my whey shake with dark chocolate almond milk. Saw it at the grocery check out and picked up one little snack size carton for one shake. Variety is the spice of life and almonds are good for my healthy fats. Anyway, the shake was still great, harder to drink fast I think. It just seemed quite a bit thicker and richer. And even though it had more sugar than my usual light vanilla soymilk it didnt taste quite as sweet. Maybe the dark chocolate aspect of it. Still good, nice change of pace. Nice and rich and dark, a welcome addition to change up the whey shake some days. Balance bar was also devoured, banana will be saved for later as I was full, either part of lunch or as my pre workout snack.





Cookie Dough Balance Bar: B+

Nom nom nom. Short, sweet and to the point this bar is very tasty. The only subtraction in points come from the size and outer chocolate coating. I broke into this bar and my mouth started watering. This looks like the cookie dough your mother told you not to eat or you'd get sick. I was never a batter beater or spoon licker but I am a huge fan of cookie dough ice cream, most notably ben and jerry's. The cookie dough taste of this bar is awesome. Tastes like it should, the texture is soft and the consistency matches that of its namesake. The down sides come from the carab-y tart tasting chocolate outer shell that is typical of many protein bars like this one. I wish it were a little bigger as it is so tasty. 15g of protein for the size is more than decent! Love it, will buy again for regular consumption as well as sludges and other concoctions.

Had a moment of weakness today though, had a frosting binge at work. We make this absolutely amazing lemon cream cheese frosting that I cannot stay away from at work. I caved and had a few sizable spoonfuls, will factor it into the macros as I always do with an instance like these. Kinda wish I could have avoided it though. There are hundreds of cupcakes within my reach at all times, left over halloween candy, vats of frosting. Bound to happen eventually right? I want to be accountable, I'm confessing my confectionery sins to you guys.

Worried about the MCT workout tonight cause the jumping/plyo type moves for tonight always aggravate my foot the most and I hope I will be able to not aggravate my landlords with any noise I make. I do these workouts upstairs in my space with the door closed, easier for me to be out of the way. My room has solid stone tile floor, not exactly the quietest. It will be too late when I get home from work to press on outside. So we will see...

[gobbles23]

I love almond milk!! I always buy the chocolate and vanilla unsweetened ones, they're so nice I add a bit of splenda in there for sweetness if I so desire to and it's so good

That protein bar looks tasty!!!

Good luck with the workout later, if you do it

[Goalie_Girl]

I love almond milk!! I always buy the chocolate and vanilla unsweetened ones, they're so nice I add a bit of splenda in there for sweetness if I so desire to and it's so good

That protein bar looks tasty!!!

Good luck with the workout later, if you do it

Almond milk is interesting so far, will definitely give it another go in the future. And my protein bar was mucho tasty.

If I do it?! C'mon turkey...goalie says and then does.



As for finishing off yesterdays updates. Lunch was a spinach, cranberry and walnut salad with tuna. Nothing super exciting but tasty and healthy nonetheless. Ditched my banana completely and this was my only food pre workout.



Got home, did MCT day 12. Didnt like this workout, basically a session of plyo type exercises. I mean it was ok and all but probably my least favorite workout so far, especially because of all the forementioned jumping. The last exercise is one I'm familiar with but hate and always question my form. Dive Bombers. Why do these always hurt my back and delts? I feel like this move is just meant to screw up your back. I may have to go to youtube later and see if my form is just terrible, but to be honest I think dive bombers suck as an exercise period.

Post workout dinner was just a vanilla whey shake with some peanut butter thrown in, had a hard time meeting my protein macros yesterday because I wasnt particulary hungry, by the time the second half of the day rolled around I had to stop myself to take my lunch at work and eat. I find it incredibley strange how at times I can have no appetite at all eating this little of food. Macros for yesterday are:

Calories: 1398
Protein: 110g
Carbs: 143g
Fat: 45g

Havent decided whether I'm going to get on the bike today or not, leaning towards yes but not sure whether that will be now or later. No workout planned for today, just a lot of chores so I'm going to squeeze in some yoga tonight after I get everything done.

[schnauzers]

Just catching up....

The way that blender bottle, bar and banana are laid out on that fuzzy wuzzy thing (blanket?), it makes me want to curl up beside them

[thehobbes]

Had a moment of weakness today though, had a frosting binge at work. We make this absolutely amazing lemon cream cheese frosting that I cannot stay away from at work. I caved and had a few sizable spoonfuls, will factor it into the macros as I always do with an instance like these. Kinda wish I could have avoided it though. There are hundreds of cupcakes within my reach at all times, left over halloween candy, vats of frosting. Bound to happen eventually right? I want to be accountable, I'm confessing my confectionery sins to you guys.

It's ok OP, you're gonna make it.

Are these vats of frosting big enough for an adult human to swim in? I must know.

[Goalie_Girl]

Just catching up....

The way that blender bottle, bar and banana are laid out on that fuzzy wuzzy thing (blanket?), it makes me want to curl up beside them

Fuzzy wuzzy thing? Dear Schnauz, this is a genuine 80's double sided unicorn blanket. Thats right. I sleep wrapped in its fuzzy wuzzy comfort after particularly hard days on the muscles. Unicorn's powers are good for gainz. srs.

It's ok OP, you're gonna make it.

Are these vats of frosting big enough for an adult human to swim in? I must know.

Thank god.

No, lol. Some of them do have the baby drowning warning label on the side tho.


Got my ass up this morning and got on the bike and hit a PR for 20 minutes. Its nice to take a break for 3 days and then put together 3 solid days of riding. In 20:09 I did 8.79 miles. I was so excited to see that number at the end it didnt matter my lungs were heaving and my legs burned a bit. 9 miles in 20 minutes is very very within range. Stronger. Faster. Better. Everyday. That is the goal.



Average pace for the ride was somewhere between 26-28 mph.

Finishing up a tasty breakfast. Pumpkin bar, I'm not gonna review these but if you have a trader joes near you buy them all and eat them. Vanilla whey shake. Banana with 1 tbs honey nut PB. Nom Nom Nom.




Weight has been holding steadily these last few days at 155. Working on trying to get to that next level. I would like to see 149 on the scale by the end of the year. 6 pounds is nothing but I've been fighting tooth and nail for progress lately. I'm always thinking of how I can be better. I'd like to see MCT to the end of the cycle, which will be the end of the year. Then its time for either a gym membership or some heavy gear of my own. Beyond that I have to get a digital food scale. What I really want is a bike though. I cant sign up for my goal ride yet until I find a bike. Thats what I want. That and to get to that next level.

[thehobbes]

Mirin' double sided unicorn blanket, srs. That is the most bizarre way to cut a banana I've ever seen lol, seems more efficient than the way I've been doing it though, you may be on to something here. Would get a food scale asap and the 149 will come no problem.

[Goalie_Girl]

Lol, was waiting for the bizarre banana slicing comment. I dont like cutting it into pieces to eat with peanut butter. Then I have to use utensils. If you leave it whole and spread the pb on its hard to eat. To me this seemed like the most logical way.

Looked for a food scale locally and no luck, will have to take a bit of a drive I think to find one. Ive been using a little crappy scale of my landlords for some measurements now but not everything. If a food scale is all it takes consider it done.

[thehobbes]

May be easier to grab one online? I guarantee it you can get a digital one for under $20 including shipping shipped right to you.

[Goalie_Girl]

Yeah, I'll pick up one in a week when I get paid. The car and phone troubles wiped out my whole paycheck this time around, cant even go grocery shopping until I get paid.



Last night I had a binge of sorts, but it was totally controlled and under my own will. I didnt start eating things lieft and right with no thought but I did eat more than I expected to last night and went over my calories. Everything was actuall super disciplined until after my second cardio session where I found myself ravenously hungry. Downed a couple servings of yogurt raisins and a cookie to put me over my limit. Dont care, no f*cks given. In fact, last time I did this I ate nearly 3000 calories without planning to, I was out of control and I lost 2 pounds on the scale. This time it was controlled, measured and I stayed under 2000 calories. Its funny I actually felt like I had to eat the food last night, two balls to the wall cardio sessions will do that to you I guess. Finishing macros for yesterday are:

Calories: 1983
Protein: 127g
Carbs: 228g
Fat: 56g

No workouts planned for today but I might switch that up and bike tonight after work. Havent had a full rest day in a while but thats ok. I like it this way.

[DieselsMom]

You are doing great in here and you may be tempting yourself into the overeats but still think 1900 cals is reasonable and I have previously said I think a weekend off would do you wonders. Cortisol is a major player in this game and the more you stress about it the less likely it will come. I'm honestly not sure if you should be doing two cardio sessions a day on 1400ish cals that sounds like a lot of cardio on low calories. remember moderation and balance.

After hearing your review of day 12 I'm not looking forward to it. Did Day 7 last night and I think I did it in a reasonable amount of time but couldn't get it done in 16min.

[Goalie_Girl]

Yeah, I think yesterday's burst of hunger was sign that I was doing too much on too little. I also felt rediculously tired yesterday, passed out for a nap at like 2:00 which is so unlike me. But I figured with the nap why not get that extra cardio I wanted in. I was doing a pretty good job up until recently with the moderation but its obviously time to scale back a bit again. I just get so focused on wanting results that I forget that less is more.

Day 12 was pretty yucky in my opinion but thats ok. Frankly, my legs feel better than they have ina long time on the bike and other wise but Ive got some pain in my left delt and a knot the size of my fist in my left lower back. I've been pounding on my body for about 6 months now, I might be starting to feel some residual effects. I start week 5 tomorrow, but I'm not liking this whole set of exercises as much as the first, either way I'm going to finish it. I cant help but think though whether or not Im just wasting my time and that I should be working with some 20-30 lb dumbbells on my own. I think I'm overanalyzing everything. Its probably going to take me a year to get closer to where I wish I was for now. Its only been 6 months, patience can be difficult for me.

[Goalie_Girl]

Trying to get things back on track today but also not stress too much about what is or isnt happening on the scale, Ive already snacked a bit and cheated today. The calories will be a bit over tonight but I'm thinking my sweet tooth is now adequately satisfied and I can cook for the week on my day off tomorrow and be ok. Think I will bike tonight but leisurely and only cause its too dark to do what I really want to do after work which is take a nice relaxing walk with my dog. So I'll bike and hit the yoga which I keep putting off, no more putting it off. Hope everyone is having a stellar day.

I'm a little bummed cause I need new chocolate whey, and vegetables and all sorts of things and a digital scale but Ive got to wait a few more days for a paycheck!

[schnauzers]

Whoa, that unicorn blanket is pretty epic. I have a similar fuzzy blanket that has 'emo dogs' on it that I use to line my back seat with when the dogs are back there.

Gah, I hope you can get a scale soon! Keep your eyes peeled for a Black Friday deal maybe? When is that anyway?

[Goalie_Girl]

Whoa, that unicorn blanket is pretty epic. I have a similar fuzzy blanket that has 'emo dogs' on it that I use to line my back seat with when the dogs are back there.

Gah, I hope you can get a scale soon! Keep your eyes peeled for a Black Friday deal maybe? When is that anyway?

I know right. Thinking of stealing it from my landlord...

I want a scale. Black Friday isnt till the end of the month for us. It isnt so much the amount of money I have to spend, I just want it now and the broken cell phone and car battery destroyed my last paycheck.

[Goalie_Girl]

Here we are. Today is a new day, back on the wagon, no cheating. I feel bad about cheating the last two days and snacking and going over my calories. And I feel frustrated lately. Sure I lost a pound but now we play the waiting game again. I feel like Im doing something wrong. I want to see some linear progress. Not gonna happen like this though. But maybe I'm just right where I should be, I've got 25 pounds left and they wont move. I guess thats pretty typical. Here's yesterday's macros:

Calories: 1995
Protein: 113g
Carbs: 199g
Fat: 85g

I did ride the bike last night after work, another excellent ride. If anything is good news my legs feel brand new on the bike again. I want to hit the bike again today but Im trying not to overdo anything, even though I feel like without losing anyweight I'm underdoing it anyway. I've got MCT tonight, Day 13. I think I'll bike and then do yoga afterward. Here is last nights post bike yoga routine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9AUv-RYJOY

This felt so amazing, other than some soreness in my back and hips I came away feeling longer, leaner, more opened, centered. I love yoga and I feel so good afterwards, I'm not sure why I'm always putting it off.

Up a little bit on the scale but I'm not going to update my weight as it will only serve to frustrate me further. I'm counting down the days until my next paycheck, should get paid on Friday I believe, so I can run out and get a digital food scale and some dumbbells. I'm actually somewhat tired of MCT already. I want to start a new routine, I want to see muscle, I want to see more progress now. I feel like MCT is helping me gain strength but a lot of my actual goals are suffering. MCT is better than nothing and is going to help me reach some exercise goals of my own but I want to start AllPros.

[gobbles23]

Well, from my personal experience, if it's not almost tom for me and I'm feeling so hungry and my weight stalls and I'm disappointed about my progress and can't keep my cals low, for ME, that's a clear sign I need a diet break. I know you feel like this will send you backwards, but never underestimate the power of a diet break. It's the one thing people never do that ruins all their progress. People just diet and diet forever and then get frustrated when their not loosing. You know why? They probably need a diet break Just saying, not trying to push it on you. Did you read the diet break article I posted for you way back when? You come back from it totally refreshed, re-motivated, feeling satisfied instead of starving, full of energy, and can hit it hard again for a while. At the same time you're restoring hormones and giving fat loss a kick start when you get back to it. Thus progress is much easier to achieve afterwards since you can stick to the plan, hormones are happy, and you feel so much better. DM is dead on with the cortisol thing, which is another thing diet breaks help with. I wouldn't be surprised if you dropped 5lbs after 2 weeks at maintenance cals. But again, up to you

I really should try doing yoga some night! I hardly get a chance though, usually I get 1 hour to myself in the evenings if I'm lucky and then I need severe foam rolling

[Goalie_Girl]

Well, from my personal experience, if it's not almost tom for me and I'm feeling so hungry and my weight stalls and I'm disappointed about my progress and can't keep my cals low, for ME, that's a clear sign I need a diet break. I know you feel like this will send you backwards, but never underestimate the power of a diet break. It's the one thing people never do that ruins all their progress. People just diet and diet forever and then get frustrated when their not loosing. You know why? They probably need a diet break Just saying, not trying to push it on you. Did you read the diet break article I posted for you way back when? You come back from it totally refreshed, re-motivated, feeling satisfied instead of starving, full of energy, and can hit it hard again for a while. At the same time you're restoring hormones and giving fat loss a kick start when you get back to it. Thus progress is much easier to achieve afterwards since you can stick to the plan, hormones are happy, and you feel so much better. DM is dead on with the cortisol thing, which is another thing diet breaks help with. I wouldn't be surprised if you dropped 5lbs after 2 weeks at maintenance cals. But again, up to you

I really should try doing yoga some night! I hardly get a chance though, usually I get 1 hour to myself in the evenings if I'm lucky and then I need severe foam rolling

Its weird cause Im not feeling particularly starving or anything, I just have been eating things I shouldnt be. I think it has more to do with my mood lately and less to do with needing a diet break, although you may be right. Im still struggling at times lately and so Ive been missing sleep and feeling a little worn down lately. The poor eating decisions seem to come with times like that. I could use a break but I'm not looking for a 2 week break. I read the article when you first posted it and I read it again yesterday. I understand the benefits but Im not sure if I want my thyroid to return to "normal" levels because my thyroid has never been normal. I need to remember the cortisol thing. Im regularly stressing out over stupid things.

Get on that yoga, you will love how relaxed and less sore you feel. I definitely feel so much better when Im in a daily yoga routine.

Anyway, I feel back in the game. Had a few little slip ups yesterday but managed to get everything back on track and the macros arent horrible. I managed to get the energy and the time after another day where I took a really strange and sudden nap. Cooked all my chicken breasts for the week. Should get paid soon so I can track down the rest of the groceries and the digital scale I need. Did MCT day 13 but no bike or yoga as I decided not to push it and instead took my time to eat and relax. Man, I can really feel the dips. I can feel my strength improving although some of these past few days where I havent managed my sleep and macros as well I can definitely tell. Im feeling very very motivated and back on track and so Im just really looking forward to the day Im done cutting and I can focus on eating for energy and lifting big. I prefer to be in the athlete type of mind state. Right now I just need to get my second wind for cutting, and I feel like I have. I have to get to that next level.

Im planning a cheat meal/day for next week because its a tough MCT week and I can use the extra calories on a tough workout today. Not planning on going overboard, I do however need to think of what I want to eat. I dont crave much these days surprisingly except for three things, macaroni and cheese, ice cream and cheeseburgers. All 3 of which have to be the good stuff. No kraft, no McD's. When I decide to cheat I have to figre out how to really make it worth it.

Here is yesterday's breakfast and dinner:

Almond Milk Shake, Large Banana, 1 tbs Honey Nut PB



6 oz chicken breast, 4 oz veggies, 3oz yam



Here were the ending macros for yesterday:

Calories: 1460
Protein: 109g
Carbs: 159g
Fat: 45g

Macros look ok but fat and protein are too low, carbs are too high. Curbed the cheating though midway through the day and feel more on track now. And with meals cooked for the rest of the week I will definitely have my protein needs met. I cant wait to get paid and go grocery shopping too! Im craving ground beef!

As for today, woke up early and energized even though Im still not getting as much sleep as I really should be. Got in a good 20 minutes on the bike. While my legs have been so fresh lately and Ive found some new power and speed Ive been chasing that 9 miles in 20 minutes PR. Almost caught it this morning but not quite, I think I'll probably catch it this week sometimes, the ride and the day have to be just right, I just need something to give mt that extra edge and I'll have it. Either way Im remembering to stretch before I get on the bike and I feel great!



Today's breakfast: Chocolate Banana Proats

1/2 cup oats + 1 scoop whey + 127g bananas + 1 tbs. banana Nut PB





Feeling ok physically today, motivated, overall mood could still be better but as always lets take it one day at a time. Will be doing yoga tonight as its an MCT rest day and I already hit the bike hard this morning.

[shesprints]

I second the idea of a diet break. I like to read along because it's awesome to see how a fellow cardio enthusiast manages to balance lifting, but you really seem like a person in need of some down time. It is HARD to have the stress of lifting, dieting, AND high volume cardio all going on at once. And a planned break is extremely liberating, as you are able to feel in control of what indulgences you choose, and also able to take advantage of the higher calorie budget by eating a more varied diet. Which you could do anyway, btw--different fruits/vegetables/meats/starches, different but still balanced and healthy meals, make something fancy and nice if you have time... that always makes me feel good. Today I splurged $-wise and got some Chilean sea bass to broil with harissa paste. Also bought a random starfruit because I was craving it, because some cravings are important to listen to and interpret when doing high volume activity. Otherwise it can spill out into 'loss of control' when it's actually your body missing something, not you being weak-willed.

Glad you got a nap, btw. That can definitely be a sign your body wants a break, and I'm glad you aren't slamming the cardio, too. I mean, cardio is great, but in the right dose.

Seems like you are on the right track, just think about what advice people are giving and I'll stop now because advice is annoying. Have a good evening.

[Goalie_Girl]

Thank you for reading along.

I guess part of me is scared of the diet break. Ive never eaten at maintenance, Ive never had control of my weight. I dont like the thought of gaining weight. I dont like the thought of starting to eat in a way I might not be able to stop later. Probably an irrational thought, and Im not sure how much damage I would do by eating more calories and continuing to workout the way I do. But I'm fighting pretty hard to lose now. I totally agree with what you said though about variety, I think I was hinting towards that with my eagerness to go grocery shopping. Sometimes I get stuck in the same meals. I will be scheduling a cheat day sometime soon here but Im craving healthy things I havent been eating too. I want lean ground beef, peas, raspberries, protein pancakes. I have no problem sticking to my calories or macros, youre right, I just need some variety. I think lately I was letting my choices stagnate. I appreciate everyone's advice all the time. I dont think Im ready for a diet break though, the idea of a whole two weeks is daunting to me. I just want to press on and make as much progress as I can in two weeks. I dont know. I'm stubborn. I think the variety and new motivation will help me.

The whole nap thing is weird but I know Im not getting as much sleep as I usually do. Ive taken two naps now this week, when I feel one coming on I just give in though, to me as someone who never sleeps during the day time unless Im really sick its a serious sign from my body. I'm feeling so good on the bike its difficult to not overdo the cardio but I know now that even if I feel I can I shouldnt be doing cardio twice a day everyday.

I'm just taking each day as it comes, feeling more ambitious this week and motivated to cook and take full control again. I really appreciate your advice. I'll go with a cheat meal to start and see how I feel from there. I promise Im thinking about your guys' advice, I'm just hesitant and Im not even sure why. 2 weeks wont ruin me. Like I said, I'll start with a devoted cheat meal and go from there.

[thehobbes]

Hai Goalie. Sounds like you've thought over your options pretty well. Please don't be scared of maintenance, srs. I know you're struggling with losing steadily, but you aren't gaining either. You're not gonna gain unless you essentially way over what you've been PLUS way more on top of that. I know the numbers differ from person to person but on average you're talking about a 1000cals/day if you compare cutting to bulking, that's a huge jump, I doubt most people would get that far out of control on a week or two break. Keep a cool head, and post your foods/cals here to keep yourself accountable, you'll be fine.

Haha I nap any time I have time, like you I don't get enough sleep so it makes sense.

[shesprints]

Part of the REASON to take a diet break is to confront your fear of maintenance.

You're gonna be maintaining at some point. Why not get practice now?

I totally feel you because I have the same thoughts and worries, but truly, it is so valuable to practice maintenance, because it allows you to get in touch with what your body actually wants and needs before going back to conscious deprivation.

[AnnieRhi]

Hi Goalie. Long-time lurker here finally posting. You've made fantastic progress in a short period of time, and your discipline throughout this process truly awesome. I understand being wary of a diet break for all the reasons you've mentioned, and I wonder if it would be easier to swallow if you planned it farther in advance as opposed to tried to start it right away. Maybe after your cheat meal, you could commit to taking a break the first two weeks of December? I know that for me personally, it's easier for me to stick to a goal that I've been planning on for more than just a few days. If I mark it a month in advance, I have something to work towards, I get it stuck in my head, and I'm far less likely to bail out.

I second the idea of a diet break. I like to read along because it's awesome to see how a fellow cardio enthusiast manages to balance lifting, but you really seem like a person in need of some down time. It is HARD to have the stress of lifting, dieting, AND high volume cardio all going on at once. And a planned break is extremely liberating, as you are able to feel in control of what indulgences you choose, and also able to take advantage of the higher calorie budget by eating a more varied diet. Which you could do anyway, btw--different fruits/vegetables/meats/starches, different but still balanced and healthy meals, make something fancy and nice if you have time... that always makes me feel good. Today I splurged $-wise and got some Chilean sea bass to broil with harissa paste. Also bought a random starfruit because I was craving it, because some cravings are important to listen to and interpret when doing high volume activity. Otherwise it can spill out into 'loss of control' when it's actually your body missing something, not you being weak-willed.

Glad you got a nap, btw. That can definitely be a sign your body wants a break, and I'm glad you aren't slamming the cardio, too. I mean, cardio is great, but in the right dose.

Seems like you are on the right track, just think about what advice people are giving and I'll stop now because advice is annoying. Have a good evening.

I have never in my life eaten a starfruit. What do they taste like? Random question is question.

[schnauzers]

Hey!

Do you add liquid to the proats or is it JUST the ingredients you listed? Just boiling water?

What about just a one week diet break? It doesn't have to be two, right?