4 months of NROL4W and IF To Hit Hot Mama Status

[sarasayshi]

Today's workout was good. I wasn't pushing for too many PRs since some exercises were being re-introduced into my program and I hadn't done some of them for 5 weeks.

Phase IV Workout A1
======================
Front squat/push press
65/8, 65/6, 65/7 (was totally shocked I was able to do 3 sets of 65 lbs)

Alternate:
Step-up
22.5/8, 27.5/8, 27.5/8
Dumbbell one-point row
15/8, 17.5/8, 17.5/8 (PR)

Alternate:
Static lunge, rear foot elevated
17.5/8, 20/8, 20/8 (PR)
Push-ups in slight decline using step for foot placement
8, 8, 8

Alternate:
Plank (120 secs, 90 sec rest)
90, 42, 50
Cable horizontal wood chop
30/8, 32.5/8, 32.5/8

Nutrition
=====================
M1:
6 pork spare ribs with BBQ sauce
1 XF UP cinnamon roll shake mixed with water

M2:
1 pint of Ben & Jerry Chunky Monkey

Calories: 2,043
Macros: 91g p/ 143g c/ 127g f Ouch! fat was really high! I blame chunky monkey's walnuts!

The chunky monkey was not all that great and I LOVE banana flavored anything. There just wasn't enough chocolate chunks in it for me. It needed swirls of caramel or hot fudge in it...something! I probably won't be buying it again.

[sarina1113]

Where's your vegetables, missy?

[LMHJr]

keep up the good work and stay motivated!

[sarasayshi]

Where's your vegetables, missy?

I skipped them that day for sure!

keep up the good work and stay motivated!

Thanks!

Busy, busy, busy weekend. My son had a soccer tournament, cubscouts popcorn sales infront of the grocery store, a birthday party and then I had to head up to San Jose last night because I had a custody court appearance today. Custody hearings really suck! Don't have a kid with douchebag!

Anyhow....

I didn't eat all that well this past weekend. Saturday, I knew I wasn't going to be able to stick to my calories while at a party. It was fiesta themed with all the bad for you Mexican foods you can imagine! Even a nacho cheese station!

Sunday wasn't any better. I did ok for my first meal but then I met up for a friend while in San Jose for my meal #2 which was frozen yogurt. I got oatmeal cookie flavored and I topped it with M&Ms and crushed up butter fingers!

Today I ate a snack size of sour skittles and then 1 cup of XF UP protein powder and 1/2c quick oats and then my 2nd meal was ben & jerry's Bonaroo Buzz that I ate on my drive back home! I had 1,620 calories.

I'll have to weigh myself tomorrow since there was no scale at my sister's house in San Jose.

While at the Walmart in Gilroy, I picked up some B&J flavors I have not tried and one extra Bonnaroo buzz!



No gym today and I came home to find my son is not feeling well. He had a low grade fever so he may be missing school tomorrow which means no gym for me.

[66jzmstr]

Good B&J's run! I have yet to try Bonnaroo or Clusterfluff, but both are waiting for me in my freezer. Tomorrow night I've got 3/4s a pint of Peanut Butter World waiting for me.

(Good on the Skittles - I miss those!)

[sarasayshi]

Good B&J's run! I have yet to try Bonnaroo or Clusterfluff, but both are waiting for me in my freezer. Tomorrow night I've got 3/4s a pint of Peanut Butter World waiting for me.

(Good on the Skittles - I miss those!)

I have never tried Clusterfluff, Fair Goodness Cake or Schweddy balls. Looking forward to it!

You like my skittles eh? I was starving and at my sister's whom is a vegan. All I brought with me on the road was 1 scoop of my protein and oats. So, I downed the skittles that were sitting in my purse from a birthday party over the weekend. haha!

[sarasayshi]

Today was my weigh-in day. Looking good with a -1.4 lb loss!

Weekly Weigh-ins
=========================
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

It is a great feeling to see the scale consistently dropping each week. It was fluctuating quite a bit when I was just counting calories but I really think IF is what works best for me.

More weeks and I will post updated pics. I am certain there will be some noticeable changes especially in my belly fat.

Since I was busy/gone all weekend and didn't cook very much, there were no leftover meats to eat for my first meal so today is a heavy supplements day.

Workout
=================
Wide-grip deadlift from box
85/8, 100/5, 100/7

Alternate:
Bulgarian split squat
10/8, 10/8 , 10/8
Underhand-grip lat pulldown
100/8, 105/8, 105/8

Alternate:
Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach
15/8, 15/8, 15/8
Dumbbell prone cuban snatch
12/8, 12/8, 12/8

Alternate:
Swiss-ball crunch
15, 15, 15
Reverse crunch
15, 15, 15
Lateral flexion
15, 15, 15
Prone cobra (120 secs)
90, 60

5 min HIIT (I was not up for HIIT today at all)
Overall I felt pretty weak when I did my wide-grip deadlifts. It was an absolute struggle to do 100 lbs when that is where I had left off 2 phases ago (about 4 weeks back). I did feel stronger with reverse grip lat pulldowns and cold have done a bit heavier. I also need to use a 15lb weight for my Bulgarian split squats because a 10 lb plate is barely a challenge.

Nutrition
=================

M1:
1 fiber one bar (workout got pushed back by an hour and I was already hitting 21 hours of fasting so I had to get something in pre-workout)

M2:
1c quick oats
2 scoops XF UP cinnamon Roll
2 large eggs

M3:
5oz new york strip steak
1 roma tomato
1oz feta cheese
1c rocky road ice cream
1 clif builder bar mint chocolate (diced and tossed in with my ice cream)

Total calories: 1,975
Macros: 131g p/ 182g c/ 75g f

My son was sick and home from school today so I was only able to hit the gym when my dad came home from work. Luckily he came home earlier than expected but it was still pushing me an hour past my usual training time. Hopefully my son is feeling better tomorrow and I hope I can get back on schedule!

[sarasayshi]

I did 50 min on the spinning bike ranging from level 11-14 and with an occasional level 17 when I needed to stand up to give get some blood flow. I rode 20 miles at 95 RPMs and burned....573 calories!

Came home starved and stuffed my face!

Nutrition
=======================

M1:
2 salmon patties (chicken of the sea salmon was too fishy!! I can't wait to check out the Kirkland brand)
scrambled eggs (3 whole, 3 egg whites) with 1/4c mixed shredded cheese and 3/4c fire roasted peppers and onions
1 banana

M2:
1 chicken leg and thigh (skinless and baked)
1 protein shake
1.8 cups of Ben & Jerry "Fair Goodness Cake" (I give this a 5/5. Think it's one of my new favorites! It's too bad I hauled it back from Gilroy so I won't be able to pick some up again until Halloween weekend.

Total calories: 1,686
macros: 154g p/ 127g c/ 71g f

Today was a good day and now onto tomorrow's training day! Looking forward to pushing for some PRs on my front squat/push presses!

[swedishsavant]

Hey, in on this! Nice with more female cutting logs! Anyways, got a question for ya. You still fasting 16-17h? Because last I checked Martin stated:

"As we’re on the subject, I’ll also mention that I’ve revamped the diet guidelines I use for my female clients. For example, the fasted phase is now
14 hours by default, not 16 hours which is the case for men."

Source: http://www.leighpeele.com/martin-ber...ting-interview

Keep the good work up!

[sarasayshi]

Hey, in on this! Nice with more female cutting logs! Anyways, got a question for ya. You still fasting 16-17h? Because last I checked Martin stated:

"As we’re on the subject, I’ll also mention that I’ve revamped the diet guidelines I use for my female clients. For example, the fasted phase is now
14 hours by default, not 16 hours which is the case for men."

Source: http://www.leighpeele.com/martin-ber...ting-interview

Keep the good work up!

Yes, I saw he changed it to 14 hours but I am still unable to get my first meal in until the 16th hour. It seems to be ok. I suppose if I really wanted to, I could break my fast with a protein shake 2 hours earlier which would literally be right before I hit the gym.

[BellaValerina]

Hey miss! Just an FYI - ice cream is really filled with saturated fat which I believe is making up most of your daily fat totals. Switch to essential fatty acids supplying 80+% of your daily fat intake and I bet your BF% will drop quite dramatically.

[sarasayshi]

Hey miss! Just an FYI - ice cream is really filled with saturated fat which I believe is making up most of your daily fat totals. Switch to essential fatty acids supplying 80+% of your daily fat intake and I bet your BF% will drop quite dramatically.

I'm not worried about my fats. My fat intake is good right now. Especially on rest days when I am suppose to have a lower carb intake and higher fat. True, it could come from better sources but I'm still dropping weight and it's keeping me from binging so I'll stick with it until otherwise. I typically have low-fat ice cream during the week too but opt for full fat ice cream a few days a week, usually on the weekend.

[66jzmstr]

I'm not worried about my fats. My fat intake is good right now. Especially on rest days when I am suppose to have a lower carb intake and higher fat. True, it could come from better sources but I'm still dropping weight and it's keeping me from binging so I'll stick with it until otherwise. I typically have low-fat ice cream during the week too but opt for full fat ice cream a few days a week, usually on the weekend.

Atta girl! The importance on fat type - especially the fear of saturated fats - is more "conventional wisdom" than anything. (Of course, trans fats and highly processed PUFA's - both created in a laboratory - are worth avoiding.) I dropped all my weight on my last cut with a great deal of my fat coming from saturated fat sources. A gram of saturated fat is 9 calories; a gram of unsaturated fat is 9 calories.

[sarasayshi]

Atta girl! The importance on fat type - especially the fear of saturated fats - is more "conventional wisdom" than anything. (Of course, trans fats and highly processed PUFA's - both created in a laboratory - are worth avoiding.) I dropped all my weight on my last cut with a great deal of my fat coming from saturated fat sources. A gram of saturated fat is 9 calories; a gram of unsaturated fat is 9 calories.

Yea, that's how I see things. Eating 2,000 calories of protein or 2,000 calories of carbs still = 2,000 calories.

[sarasayshi]

I'm looking to see 184 for Monday's weigh-in, unfortunately today it said 186.8. But I still have a few more days yet!

Today's workout was good. I did start to feel a slight snapping sensation on my right trap just above the shoulder blade while doing horizontal woodchops. It's not the first time I felt this and the only way I can describe it, is it felt like I was tearing tiny ligaments, one snap at a time!

I am seriously getting worse at my planks too. The past few weeks I was able to at least hit 90 sec and now even 60 seconds is a struggle. No way I can do 120 seconds!

Workout A2
=======================
Front squat/push press
65/7, 70/6, 70/6 (PR)

Alternate:
Step-up w/dumbbells
25x2/8, 30x2/8, 30x2/8 (PR)
Dumbbell one-point row
17.5x2/8, 20x2/8 20x2/8

Alternate:
Static lunge, rear foot elevated
17.5/8, 20/8, 20/8 (PR)
Push-up
8, 8, 8

Alternate:
Plank (120 secs, 90 sec rest)
53, 62
Cable horizontal wood chop
32.5/8, 37.5/8 (PR)

Diet was in check and looking good. Heavy supplement day yet again since I really need to get some cottage cheese, chobani and some meats from the butcher shop.

Nutrition:
=====================

M1:
pro-oats, 1 cup quick oats and 2 scoops of XF Up cinnamon roll
1 small banana

M2:
1.5 servings of Zucchini Goolosh
1 shake - Beverly International Nutrition - Ultimate Muscle Protein Chocolate, 1 scoop

M3:
0.47 cup of Ben & Jerry's Fair Goodness Cake ice cream

Total calories: 1,923
Macros: 124g p/ 208g c/ 68g f

[SideSteal]

Atta girl! The importance on fat type - especially the fear of saturated fats - is more "conventional wisdom" than anything. (Of course, trans fats and highly processed PUFA's - both created in a laboratory - are worth avoiding.) I dropped all my weight on my last cut with a great deal of my fat coming from saturated fat sources. A gram of saturated fat is 9 calories; a gram of unsaturated fat is 9 calories.

^ This.

Great log sarasayshi, looks like good progress!

[jshpark]

keep it up! Progress can b slow sometimes but you'll look back a year later and see how long you've come

[sarasayshi]

^ This.

Great log sarasayshi, looks like good progress!

Thanks Side!

keep it up! Progress can b slow sometimes but you'll look back a year later and see how long you've come

Yea, you are right! A year from now I will have accomplished so much!

I have not had the best past 2 days eating. I was helping my aunt throw a bridal shower on Saturday which served desserts only so I ate way too much sugar and I had about 2,700 calories. I attended a birthday party this afternoon. I just logged my food for the day and I had about 2,500 calories today so that put me over my maintenance by about +200 calories. Not sure if I will see 184 tomorrow but even if I can see 185.4 or lower, I will be happy.

I only got in 2 days of training this week due to me being out of town Monday and virtually no free time this weekend.

I also had 2 dates 2 nights in a row with the same guy. He is pretty darn amazing and brought me flowers on Friday for our first date! I love that he weight trains several days a week (he used to do Crossfit too) and he has a REALLY nice build. He is a former football player and is impressing me like crazy all the while he remains a total gentleman. *swoon*

Anyhow, hoping for some good progress this week!

[sarasayshi]

Weekly Weigh-ins
=========================
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

I only lost -0.8 lbs this week. Such a disappointment. I did eat over maintenance on both Saturday and Sunday and I only got 2 days of training in and only 2 days of cardio so I guess that makes a huge difference. Especially when you have a weekend of parties to go to!

Looks like it's been about a -10 lbs loss in 1 month which is really good! Especially considering I have been able to eat ice cream every night!

Oh and I forgot to update about my date Friday night. We ended up blowing off the ben & jerry idea only because we found out there was a Frozen Yogurt shop called "Yogurt Land" in the shopping center we went to hang out in. He had never been to a frozen yogurt place where you make your own concoctions so I insisted if he has never been we had to do it. He did make me proud by loading up a large bowl filled with coffee ice cream and cheesecake ice cream. Then he dumped cookie dough chunks and cheesecake chunks on his. Mine was even more awesome with PB&J ice cream and oatmeal cookie ice cream with cookie dough chunks, chocolate caramel cups and peanutbutter sauce on top! He not only made me proud that he could down alot of ice cream and yet still look amazing but he also brought me flowers! Guys around here just are not that invested in first time dates so I think it's awesome he is old fashion! He then asked if he cold take me out again on Saturday so we are dating now. We have some upcoming plans that I am looking forward to. One being a Fresno Bulldogs football game in which he is also bringing his boys and I am bringing my son so it will be a nice casual meeting for us all.

Ok so my eating yesterday was pretty decent.

Nutrition
================

M1:
Pro-oats (1c quick oats and 2 scoops of XF UP)
1 small banana
1 chobani greek yogurt

M2:
6oz tri-tip steak
1/2c non-fat cottage cheese

M3:
1c Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream

Total calories: 1,955
Macros: 126g p/ 179g c/ 79g f


Workout B2
=======================

Wide-grip deadlift from box
85/6, 105/5, 105/5 (PRs)

Alternate:
Bulgarian split squat
15/8, 15/8, 15/8 (PRs)
Underhand-grip lat pulldown
102.5/8, 107.5/8, 107.5/6 (PR)

Alternate:
Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach
17.5/8, 17.5/8, 17.5/8
Dumbbell prone cuban snatch
12.5/8, 12.5/8, 12.5/8

Alternate:
Swiss-ball crunch
15, 15, 15
Reverse crunch
15, 15
Lateral flexion
15, 15
Prone cobra (120 secs)
forgot these again!

15 min HIIT

[66jzmstr]

Apparenly, killin' it at LIFE in general, lol! Nice going, Sara - and happy for you, too!

[sarasayshi]

Apparenly, killin' it at LIFE in general, lol! Nice going, Sara - and happy for you, too!

Thanks Dave!


Yesterday was rest day but burned 628 calories spinning for 50 min.

Nutrition was beautiful! I sacrificed eating a smaller amount of food for meal #2 just because I wanted to pig out on the rest of Schweddy Balls too!

Oh and bought 2 new flavors of B&J.




Nutrition 9/27/11
======================

M1:
9.5oz skinless chicken, dark meat
1 roma tomato
1oz feta cheese
1/2c ranch greek yogurt

M2:
5oz tri-tip steak
1c ben & Jerry's schweddy balls

Total calories: 1,638
Macros: 136g p/ 78g C/ 85g f

Getting ready to train this afternoon and looking forward to eating a bit more today. It's been a bit cooler here the past few days so I may end up doing hill sprints back behind my gym today for my HIIT following my training.

[66jzmstr]

Congrats on finding Schweddy. I got mine a couple weeks back, but people are freaking out because they're not finding it. FREAKING.

Let us know how you like those two! LNS was on the low end for me, but some really love it. RVC is usually everyone else's ho-hum flavor, but I liked it. The cream cheese frosting swirls were insane, but you have to let the pint warm up a bit or else you might miss them.

Enjoy!

[sarasayshi]

Congrats on finding Schweddy. I got mine a couple weeks back, but people are freaking out because they're not finding it. FREAKING.

Let us know how you like those two! LNS was on the low end for me, but some really love it. RVC is usually everyone else's ho-hum flavor, but I liked it. The cream cheese frosting swirls were insane, but you have to let the pint warm up a bit or else you might miss them.

Enjoy!

Oh that's the trick eh? Darn it! Yea, I missed them. I was not impressed by it at all and I LOVE red velvet cake and I would say I was disappointed. I have 1/2 a pint left so maybe I will let that one warm up a bit next time.

[sarasayshi]

I decided to get up and buy some cycling shoes from REI since I do spinning about 3 days a week for 50 minutes. I started having some ankle and midsole issues when I stand up on the bike after 30-45 seconds. I have read how people say it makes a huge difference when you use cycling shoes. So I bought a pair of Pearl izumi's that are black and fuschia! that's right! They are bad-ass! So I buy them and head to the gym ready to test them out...only, the sales clerk didn't tell me I had to purchase cleats that attach to the shoes so you can clip onto the pedals. Doh! So this afternoon I went to a bike shop and got the cleats, came home and attached them. So now I am good to go! I am going away for the weekend on a women's retreat to Hume Lake and they have an adventures course there that I think I am gonna try out. you only live once right? Anyhow, since we leave early, I won't have time to do my weight training so I'll have to give up at early-o'clock and just get some spinning in!

The entire weekend at the retreat is nothing but buffets so hopefully I can keep my food portions in check and I am not sure if I will be able to stick with IF there or not. It all depends when they have meals set and I really don't wanna be grouchy so I am thinking of jumping to 3 meals.

Today's Nutrition 9/29
==============================

M1:
1 small banana
6oz tri-tip
1 roma tomatoe
1c romaine lettuce
2 tbsp low-fat Parmesan ranch dressing
3/4 Clif builder bar

M2:
Scrambled eggs (3 large eggs, 3 egg whites)
28g shredded cheese
280g watermelon
1c FF cottage cheese
1 protein shake - Beverly International Nutrition - Ultimate Muscle Protein Chocolate, 1 scoop

M3:
1/2c B&J red velvet cake (pure disappointment)

total calories: 1,672
Macros: 141g p/ 117g c/ 72g f

[sarasayshi]

Weekly Weigh-ins
=========================
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

I was gone out of town from Friday afternoon until Sunday night. I went to a womens retreat and surprisingly I ate pretty healthy; considering it was buffet style for every meal. I only had dessert once while there and I skipped out on unnecessary carbs. I pretty much piled up on meats, made use of the salad bar and fresh fruit.

This is also my week of TOM so I was actually surprised to see the scale reflect a loss.

Yesterday's workout was ok, I had to miss doing deadlifts because some obnoxious girl was hogging the squat rack for over 30 min and I didn't feel like doing my ab work on the swiss ball but I did end up doing hill sprints outside for my 15 min of HIIT.

Today I ended up brisk walking on a bike path for 1 hour and 20 minutes. I think I started to form a blister on the ball of my right foot too. Ouch!

I ordered a new pair of spinning shoes and they should arrive tomorrow. I bought a pair last week from REI but they cause my toes to go numb about 40 min into my ride so I need to see if I can find a better pair. Hopefully these new ones do the trick.

Nutrition
=================

M1:
8.5oz tri-tip steak
1 roma tomato
1c cottage cheese

M2:
1 chobani
1 banana

M3:
3/4c Ben & Jerry Clusterfluff ice cream

total calories: 1,675
macros: 119g p/ 107g c/ 81g f

1 month progress pics

[66jzmstr]

Congrats on the progress!

BTW, what did you think of Clusterfluff? It's still firmly situated in third place of my Top Five - then again, I am a peanut butter freak.

[sarasayshi]

Congrats on the progress!

BTW, what did you think of Clusterfluff? It's still firmly situated in third place of my Top Five - then again, I am a peanut butter freak.

Thanks Dave!

It's definitely one of my top choices. I would say it's a 5/5. I think I like Bonaroo Buzz slightly better than it but it is definitely a peanutbuttery bliss of heaven!

[sarina1113]

Very nice progress, lady!

[66jzmstr]

Thanks Dave!

It's definitely one of my top choices. I would say it's a 5/5. I think I like Bonaroo Buzz slightly better than it but it is definitely a peanutbuttery bliss of heaven!

Nice. Clusterfluff is #3 of the two dozen flavors I've tried this far. Bonaroo Buzz is my wife's #1, though.

[sarasayshi]

Very nice progress, lady!

Thanks Sarina! I'm doing it!

Nice. Clusterfluff is #3 of the two dozen flavors I've tried this far. Bonaroo Buzz is my wife's #1, though.

Your wife has great taste! lol