The goal is to get EXTRA sweet :)

[sweetbecky]

I haven't posted on this forum in forever, but now it's time to log my activity and overall fitness plan.

My background: I've been lifting consistently for 5 or 6 years. Lifting is my first love, and cardio is just necessary. I tend to hold weight in my lower body, and I've found running is really the best way to keep the whole area under control. Of course I still train lower body (deads, ATG squats, abductor/adductor exercises), but running is what really makes the difference for me.

I was very happy with my weight and overall shape about 2 years ago. I'm still ok with my body, but knowing how great it was and could be, I'm dedicated to getting back to that. I never thought I'd be a person to say this, but life got in the way. Training took a backseat, and due to hormone issues and life stuff, I've added about 15 pounds of extra weight. Now hopefully, SOME of that has been muscle. I guess I'll see when I trim down and see what's there.

THE PLAN:

DIET: Eat low carb (LOTS of veggies but no sweet potatoes). My body responds well to a big breakfast, medium sized lunch and a snack or light dinner early in the evening. I've tried 5-6 meals per day and was constantly hungry. Three meals lets me focus less on food and with less hunger. It's not popular, but it works for me.

TRAINING: I haven't been running in a while (about 6 weeks - yikes), so I'll start with short runs twice per week. I have always lifted on a body part split, but am open to new training styles to help jumpstart things. I like to lift heavy and get in and out of the gym.

SUPPLEMENTS: I don't believe in relying heavily on supps, but it's undeniable to me that some have merit. So, I'll be using the following:

Post workout and between meals if I need it: Beverly International Muscle Provider chocolate shake - yum...

Throughout the day:

Chromium Picolinate 400mcg - 1 tab three times a day
Green tea extract 150mg - 2 caps three times a day
Multivitamin - 1 per day
Calcium 600mg w/vitamin D 200 IU - 1 tab twice daily
Iron 65mg once daily (apart from calcium, as calcium inhibits iron absorption)

A new supplement for me is DIM - diindolylmethane - 200mg once per day. I am considering splitting the dose into 100mg twice per day, as I've been reading that it's not readily absorbed. I started this phytonutrient on 6/17/09 because I'm having an ongoing issue with excess estrogen. I'm not taking it for fat loss, but as a natural alternative to surgery/hormonal therapy.

So far today I've eaten pretty well, with the exception of far too many blueberries. I've been struggling with eating too much sugar lately, so I suppose fresh blueberries are better than CAKE, but it's still out of balance. I know that the more good protein and healthy fats I eat, the fewer sugar cravings, so it'll just be a few days until that balances out.

Thanks for watching, if you are!