Rachel's bodybuilding hopes

[punxnotdead309]

Yes, my other thread got lost somewhere here. So I made a new one.
Well, I've returned full steam to body building and have noticed drastic improvement with diet tweaking. Fat loss as well.

I've been working at it for 6 months now and lost lots of weight along the way.
I also joined the body transformation thread to lose weight and get the muscles as big as I can get them. So I'll post some update pictures.

[punxnotdead309]

I did legs today. Phew! Almost killed me.

Seated leg extensions:
315lbs x 8 (4)

Seated leg press:
300 x 10 (4)

Seated ham curls:
70lbs x 9 (4)

Standing ham curls:
40lbs each side x 9 (4)

Squats: 160lbs x 10 (4)

Anyways, I have some questions about cheat days. I've been wanting to make the best of them and I always enjoy indulging in my chocolate. I eat 1800 cals daily with 2 hours of workout 6 days a week.
I allow myself one cheat item a week, but should I allow myself a huge cheat every 2 weeks?

EDIT: Also, on my cheat days, should I still fit within the 1800 - 1900 cal range? Or can I exceed it?

[punxnotdead309]

Just had an awesome chicken stir fry.
1tbsp Olive Oil
Half an onion, caramelized
A few slices of red pepper
Mushrooms
Chopped spinich
Garlic powder
Soy sauce
Salt/pepper
Chicken breast
Egg whites
I browned all ingredients, and loved every minute of it. I'm introducing more oils into my diet, which I'm definately enjoying.

Today was my off day, but at work, I did TONS of lifting. I'm pooped. And I'll be working 8 days in a row without a day off.
I have to wake up at 5am every morning!

[punxnotdead309]

I went home with some really bad stomach pains from a birth defect I have. Also, I've been working 8 days straight, waking up at 5am and lifting milk crates most of my 8 hour day. It all took a toll on me, including my 2 hour workouts afterwards.
I went home after working out and before work (since I worked a later shift)
I had my cheat 1 day earlier today. A big one, in hopes of giving me some energy for work tomorrow.

But I know it's my sleep. I wake up 3 - 4 times in the night every night, but I don't know how to avoid it.

[tracit]

It's good to see you back and active.

Hope your feeling better!

[punxnotdead309]

Thank you I'm feeling much better lately. Just needed a good night's sleep.

I did biceps and shoulders yesterday

Barbell wide grip curl: 55lbs x 9, 50lbs x 10
Barbell narrow grip curl: 55lbs x 9, 50lbs x 9

Seated dumbell curl: 30lbs x 7, 25lbs x 9, 20lbs x 10

Dumbell lateral raises (right shoulder): 30lbs x 9, 25lbs x 10, 22.5lbs x 9
Single side raises: 25lbs x 10, 20lbs x 9

I had a good workout day yesterday. I had lots of energy.

And I've just discovered the best thing for breakfast.
1/2 C oatmeal
1tbsp Peanut Butter
1 scoop peanut butter and chocolate Isoflex
Almond dream

Yum!

[Sar-Wah]

Hi Rachel,
Your workouts look HUGE! How long have you been on this program for?

[punxnotdead309]

I've been on the program for about 6 months now. I just keep finding ways to push myself harder. I find I get the results better that way.

[punxnotdead309]

Food journal time!!!

M 1: 1/2C oatmeal, 1tbsp pb, 1scoop Isoflex Yum
Workout (2 hours)
M2: Can of tuna, half a red pepper
M3: 1/3C Almonds, half a chicken breast
M4: Chicken breast w/ 1/4C tomato basil sauce, three slices Fat Free cheese, 1/2C.fat/sugar free yogurt
M5: 6 eggwhites and 1/2 C fibre cereal
M6: 1/2 C. Extra lean ground beef (boiled, drained, then browned), salad, protein shake with water.

Calories: 1765
Fat: 53g
Protein: 200g (wow, that much?!)

I decided to spend as long as needed to really work my back and triceps as good as I possibly could. I only did 50 minutes of cardio, since I spent so long on muscles today.

And there's a guy I have an infatuation with at the gym. He's 24, but I found out he was married. Well, I saw him shirtless and mowing the lawn yesterday and BOY, he's HOT!

[carbonmade78]

Hiya Rachel!

Thanks for stopping by my journal.

Your lifts look intense! Way to work it.

Originally Posted by punxnotdead309

Anyways, I have some questions about cheat days. I've been wanting to make the best of them and I always enjoy indulging in my chocolate. I eat 1800 cals daily with 2 hours of workout 6 days a week.
I allow myself one cheat item a week, but should I allow myself a huge cheat every 2 weeks?

EDIT: Also, on my cheat days, should I still fit within the 1800 - 1900 cal range? Or can I exceed it?

I always thought the dayyou had your cheat meal was like a refeed of sorts - so exceeding your calorie intake is fine I think...just don't go totally crazy and ingest like - 5000 cals or anything.

I dunno about the huge cheat every 2 weeks - i know some people who won't cheat for a month, but I personally couldn't do it. You may see better results that way- but you may find your strength lagging from lack of a refeed during the 2nd week.

Originally Posted by punxnotdead309

And there's a guy I have an infatuation with at the gym. He's 24, but I found out he was married. Well, I saw him shirtless and mowing the lawn yesterday and BOY, he's HOT!

I have one of these too. He's a personal trainer at my gym. He looks like Hodgins from the TV show 'Bones' - I just think he's yummy. (I like my guys a little on the nerdy looking side..lol)

[punxnotdead309]

Originally Posted by carbonmade78

Hiya Rachel!

Thanks for stopping by my journal.

Your lifts look intense! Way to work it.

Thank you very much. That's my favourite part of my day. I look forward to it every day.

Originally Posted by carbonmade78

I always thought the dayyou had your cheat meal was like a refeed of sorts - so exceeding your calorie intake is fine I think...just don't go totally crazy and ingest like - 5000 cals or anything.

I dunno about the huge cheat every 2 weeks - i know some people who won't cheat for a month, but I personally couldn't do it. You may see better results that way- but you may find your strength lagging from lack of a refeed during the 2nd week.

Yeah, I don't think I could get 5000cals even if I tried! I have 1 - 2 small cheat items a week, but once in a while, I'll have a huger cheat. Like one of my cheat days consisted of 1lb of chocolate and a whole bunch of chips. I loved every minute of it.

Originally Posted by carbonmade78

I have one of these too. He's a personal trainer at my gym. He looks like Hodgins from the TV show 'Bones' - I just think he's yummy. (I like my guys a little on the nerdy looking side..lol)

Ooo, Booth? He's really hot! But yeah, it's a little heatbreaking. Hopefully I'll get my mind off of it some day. Soon, I hope!

[punxnotdead309]

Back day!!

Seated cable row: 130lbs x 9, 120lbs x 8

Hammer strength seated curls: 75lbs each side x 10

Barbell row: 90lbs x 10, 85lbs x 9

Dumbell bent over row, each side: 50lbs x 10, 45lbs x 9

Lat pull downs: 110lbs x 9
TRICEPS -
Rope pull downs: 80 x 8, 70 x 10, 60 x 10
Overhead rope: 80lbs x 8, 70 x 9

Carbell tricep row: 40lbs x 10

Cardio: 1hr

Found out I have tendinitis. For the past 6 months. :/

[punxnotdead309]

Also, I've lost 2 lbs in two weeks!! I'm really happy. During my 2 week vacation and having no access to healthy food, I gained 4lbs and I've burned that plus 2 extra lbs since August 14th. I'm so happy!

[punxnotdead309]

I had my cheat item today. It was a piece of black forest cake with real whipped cream and succulent milk chocolate pieces. Yum.
Worth 300 cals, but DEFINATELY worth it.
I'll be up to 1900cals today, but that's only 100 over and I'm cool with that.

Hey, does anyone know how long tendinitis takes to heal?

[Sar-Wah]

Oh... we all need a hot guy at the gym, regardless of if he is married or not, you can still look

[punxnotdead309]

Haha, yeah, I definately can look, but then I feel sad after because he's untouchable
All other guys at the gym...well, I don't find them attractive.

So I ate 2500 cals yesterday after eating a plate of macaroni and 4 cookies. I was SO tired and woke up, grumpy, from my nap and had dreamed of food. Sweet, buttery food. So I felt really guilty after and went back to bed.
Today, I'm getting in 1600 cals to make up for it.

Also, some good news! I'm down 2lbs in a couple weeks. But since August 14th, I've lost 6lbs. So I'm happy
I'm on low carb most of the week, with 1 - 2 servings a day, which I replace with more fats. I find it's working much better. I started counting calories, which I didn't properly do before, and I'm giving myself 1 cheat meal a week. Usually a huge one.

[carbonmade78]

Hey Rache!

Good job on the weight loss! I love seeing those numbers go down..I wish I could condition myself to pay more attention to my measurements tho.

That cake sounds delish! I can't remember the last time I had cake..mmmmm..german chocolate sounds like it might be in the cards this weekend!

[punxnotdead309]

Originally Posted by carbonmade78

Hey Rache!

Good job on the weight loss! I love seeing those numbers go down..I wish I could condition myself to pay more attention to my measurements tho.

That cake sounds delish! I can't remember the last time I had cake..mmmmm..german chocolate sounds like it might be in the cards this weekend!

Thank you It's harder than I thought losing this weight. I'm a part of the transfomation team, but I lost my camera and can't take a picture of before and after I'm so frustrated!

And yeah, it was delicious. They had another free black forest cake, but I didn't crave it today. It's on those days where I'm nearing my cheat day anyways and also when I'm tired and deprived. That's when I'm at my weakest.

I ate 1800 cals today, give or take 50 calories.
I just had cottage cheese with protein powder and peanut butter.
It was AMAZING! It tasted just like cheese cake, except without the guilty pleasure thing.

I'm doing legs tomorrow, if I'm still not sore by then. We shall see.

I did bis and shoulders today, same stats as before, but I'm finding I can do the reps with more ease. Might be time to bump up another 5lbs!

[Sar-Wah]

You should try cottage cheese with bananas and SF Maple Syrup! Just like a banana spit, without the chocolate

[punxnotdead309]

:O I've gotta try that, too :P Thanks for the advice. It really helps curb my cravings. For the first time in weeks, I've gone 6 days without a cheat and I don't even crave them because I'm making my meals more interesting.

Food journal:

M1: Half a banana
-Calorie wise whole wheat wrap
-1tbsp peanut butter
-5 cinnamon flavoured egg whites
-Coffee with 2 tbsp low fat creamer

M2:
-Tuna
-Half a banana

M3:
-Chicken breast
-Cabbage
-5 grapes

M4:
-1/2 C extra, extra lean ground beef
-Wheat wrap

Water protein shake

M5:
1/2 C fiber cereal w/ 1/2 C. yogurt mixed
-Shrimp stir fry

M6:
-Three slices calorie wise cheese
-Chicken breast
-Brussle sprouts

Protein: 185g
Fat: 35g
Calories: 1725

Bad workout today. I forgot my gloves and workout clothes, so I did really badly. But I did good on the cardio

I'm having trouble getting my back worked out really well even though I know lots of back exersizes. Any helpful tips?

Also, I got a really nice compliment at the gym today. A powerlifter came up to me and told me how wonderfully she observed that I was putting on muscle since I started.

[punxnotdead309]

Well, I was working my shoulder today and biceps. I do 30lbs on each bicep for the curl and 30lbs for each shoulder vertical raise. I thought that was quite normal given how long I've worked.

Anyways, this middle aged, overweight man walks up to me and tells me NOT to use so much weight because I might HURT myself. I tried to be nice about it, but secretly, I was livid. He tried to show me how to stretch properly, but he didn't seem to get the fact that I couldn't do the stretches because of my tendinitis. Duh! *Face palm*
I know more about weights than even him. Pfft!

Anywho, I had my cheat today. 4 reeces cups and a protein bar. It'll bump my calories to 2000 today, but I'm okay with that. I worked hard today.

[carbonmade78]

Just curious, but what is this 'calorie wise' stuff you eat? Is it a canadian brand? I dont' think I've heard of it before..

Good job on the bicep curls! I thought I was strong doing 20 lbers! lol

You're always so good on your cheats... I always have a huge meal! LOL

[punxnotdead309]

Originally Posted by carbonmade78

Just curious, but what is this 'calorie wise' stuff you eat? Is it a canadian brand? I dont' think I've heard of it before..

Good job on the bicep curls! I thought I was strong doing 20 lbers! lol

You're always so good on your cheats... I always have a huge meal! LOL

Oh, it's just better than writing the whole name of the product. Here are the fat/calorie wise substances I use:

Cracker Barrel 1/2 the fat cheese (90cals per 1' 1/4" cube)
Nestle Real Dairy chocolate ice cream (80 cals per 1/2C)
Fat free mayo (5 cals per tbsp)
Yoplait Source yogurt (35 cals per 1/2 C)
Cucumber salad dressing (15 cals per tbsp)

It makes my diet SOOO much easier.

Anyways, I did legs today. Horrible!

Seated leg extension:
325lbs x 10 (5)

Seated leg press:
300 lbs x 10

Squat machine:
170lbs x 10

Leg extension:
130lbs x 10
120lbs x 8

Ham curl:
90lbs x 9

Seated calf raises:
150lbs x 10
Standing calf raises:
165lbs x 10

50 minutes of cardio

[punxnotdead309]

I drank 3 cups of coffee today. The cats kept waking me up, so I only had 6 hours of sleep. And it was suppose to be my day off!

Did a GREAT workout today. I really felt it. I did 30 minutes of a skipping/biking combo and 30 minutes of treadmill.

My back workout was good, too. Felt great.

Bent over rows:
95x10
90x9

Cable rows:
130x10
120x10

Hammer strength:
70lbs each side x 9

Rows:
110 x 9

Lat pull downs:
110 x 10

Overhead rope pull:
90 x 9
80 x 10
70 x 10

Barbell tricep row:
40lbs x 10

I really wanna eat every thing up right now, but I'm already at 1500 cals and I still have 2 more proteins to consume. Grr!

[kimm4]

Solid workouts and impressive numbers!! Glad to see your kickin ass on the diet...that's fantastic!!

Keep it going girl, just plow through it!!

[punxnotdead309]

Thank you very much, Kimm That really means a lot to me. I really want to succeed, so I keep that in mind every time I work out.

Today was a good workout day. I upped my weight. Bis/shoulders

Barbell bicep curl(wide and narrow) (with bench supporting elbows): 60lbs x 9, 55lbs x 10
Dumbel curls: 30lbs x 8, 25lbs x 10

Vertical dumbell raise: 30lbs x 10, 25lbs x 9

Food log! I did well today, like I do 6 days of the week.

M1: 2 protein pancakes w 1/2 tbsp pb, chicken breast
M2: Can of tuna, cabbage
M3: Lean salmon filet, red pepper, handful of grapes
Mid workout: Water protein shake
M4: 1/2C fiber cereal, yogurt, chicken breast, low fat cheese
M5: Cottage cheese, scoop of Isoflex, tbsp pb
M6: 4 egg whites

Total cals: 1700
Total fat: 36g
Total protein: 200g

As for my tendinitis, it's been doing SOO much better since I laid off the heavy lifting at work. That's what was killing me.

[punxnotdead309]

So I'm taking the next two days off from working out. The gym is closed! Nooo! Oh well. I need a day off. It'll do me good, I think.
Today's food intake was great. I'm doing really well. I turned down a whole tray of delicious looking sweets. Because tomorrow is my cheat day. A turkey dinner with cake. Now, all I have to do is not really over do it. I have a tendency to do that.

Back and tris today.

Overhead rope pull: 90lbs x 9, 80lbs x 10, 70lbs x 10

Barbell tricep press: 40lbs x 10

Back:
Seated cable row: 130lbs x 10, 120lbs x 10
Hammer strength: 65lbs each side x 9
Bent over row: 95lbs x 9, 90lbs x 10
Dumbell row: 50lbs x 10, 45lbs x 9

[carbonmade78]

Girl, you are beasting those workouts!!

I saw a lady do 60 lb. barbell curls at the gym once - me and this other guy could just stare. We were in reverent awe.

Enjoy your two days off!

[punxnotdead309]

Haha! Why thank you :P I was getting bored with a lower weight and I do weights that are as hard as I can take. I really feel it the next day.

Thank you

I will not do cardio today. For once, I will just enjoy my day off. I'll see how effective that is.

I get to eat ham, scalloped potatoes and cake. Mmmmm.

[punxnotdead309]

Ahh! So I ate 2 big pieces of cake and quite a bit of other food on the side, but I didn't bring a meal to my aunt's while I waited for dinner, and I only had an apple, can of tuna, and a chicken breast the whole day before last night. I didn't know we wouldn't be eating until 7pm!

I just went for a nice stroll around the area. The trees look so beautiful and it's really festive around here. Quiet and serene.
My diet hasn't been too clean today, but I don't think I am going to gain any weight out of the ordeal.

I really do need some advice, though.
I've been thinking. I spend alot of time at the gym. 2 hours a day, 1 of weights and 1 of cardio. If I do the eliptical for 30 minutes, it burns as many calories as I burn in an hour of treadmill. Should I opt for doing the eliptical for 30 minutes instead of spending an extra 30 minutes at the gym?