Keto For Women Thread :)

[Gettingthere69]

Seems like theres a handful of women on the keto diet, so I figured (as well as redlaw) we should make a thread, I realize our bodies are different then men so we have to tweak things a bit differently for this to work for us.

Would love to hear everyones diet, Im still figuring out mine: I went gungho on the cheese because I havent had it in so long then remembered I shouldn't be eaten so much cheese lol.

This is my first week of TKD btw. I'm hoping to keep my LBM and shed 50 lbs by end of the yr. *crossing fingers*

[MsDetermined]

Hello, I am trying to get back into the keto mode again. I lost 100+ lbs doing atkins a few years ago, but let myself put on 30 lbs. So I am getting back into what worked for me before. As a woman, I am not sure if there is a whole lot of difference in how to go about a keto diet, except maybe lower calorie requirements. But I would like to see a thread for women so we could compare.

[redheadlaw7]

Seems like theres a handful of women on the keto diet, so I figured (as well as redlaw) we should make a thread, I realize our bodies are different then men so we have to tweak things a bit differently for this to work for us.

Would love to hear everyones diet, Im still figuring out mine: I went gungho on the cheese because I havent had it in so long then remembered I shouldn't be eaten so much cheese lol.

This is my first week of TKD btw. I'm hoping to keep my LBM and shed 50 lbs by end of the yr. *crossing fingers*

Hey! Thanks for starting the female thread. Cheese can cause issues. Kind of like nuts. For some odd reason there are people out there that just cannot drop fat while eating either one. That...and it is SO easy to underestimate intake. I measure out my shredded cheese now that I'm really counting calories and the real amount I should be having is so pitifully small. I could cry.

[MsDetermined]

Alot of time "portion distortion" has everything to do with it.

[tpiper55]

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I too, am new to keto. I'd been doing atkins since early this year, but the four phases of Atkins include re-introducing carbs and I find that my body just operates better in ketosis, so I decided to make the switch and drop these last 15-20 lbs then try to pack on even more MUSCLE.

From reading a lot of the women's posts around here, it does seem like we have to 'tweak' things a little differently than the men do. Unfortunate, but I guess that's another one of the BEAUTIFUL things about being a girl :-)

Lately, my problem has been probably eating at, or slightly above maintenance, so while I'm not gaining (the wonderful thing about ketosis) I haven't lost either. Another issue for me has been eating a LOT of PB and cheese, so I've decided to phase out the PB and cut down on the cheese.

Today my diet was:

Breakfast
Keto pancake - 2 eggs, 1T raw almond butter, 1 scoop protein, 1 packet stevia, dash water
coffee w/stevia & 1tbsp heavy whipping cream

Snack1
1.5oz pecans

Lunch
5oz turkey breast w/skin, 1cup Okra (with fat from the cooked turkey breast drizzled on top)
1oz cheddar cheese

snack2 (pre workout)
1 cup coffee w/2T coconut oil and 1packet Stevia

post workout
1 scoop protein powder in water

Dinner
Protein Shake - 3oz cream cheese, egg whites(for consistency), 2T psyllium husks, 1/2 scoop protein, stevia, vanilla flavoring, ice - blend in magic bullet

I use Isopure protein and one serving is two scoops, so although I've used the powder three times today, I've only had 1.25 servings of it. I normally eat more REAL food and tend to rely less on protein shakes, but it was getting late after I worked out and I just didn't feel like cooking. On a normal day, I probably would have had a spinach-egg scramble and some meat for dinner.

My goal is to perfect this and drop this weight once and for all. I look forward to chatting more with you ladies.
T

[MsDetermined]

After I moved into the last phase of atkins was when I started putting the weight back on. I just do better without them. I also find myself relying too much on convienence food rather than real. But I think the convienence is not worth the lack of progress.

[redheadlaw7]

Alot of time "portion distortion" has everything to do with it.

Hey welcome Ms. Determined! Good luck with prior weight loss. Hope this works for you again.

I have posted a few times on here that women should probably do smaller farther spaced out carbups if they aren't doing crazy intense workouts. Our bodies metabolize fat and glycogen at different rates than men. Keto really is a "lifters" diet. And the fact is, the most highly trained powerlifter women will never be able to lift like the strongest men. And this is not to say that there aren't some ripped, incredibly buff ladies on here that do some pretty crazy workouts. We as women just have to tweak a bit based on our size and intensity. Eileen is the expert on here so I would love for her to jump in our female forum when she gets the chance.

[redheadlaw7]

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I too, am new to keto. I'd been doing atkins since early this year, but the four phases of Atkins include re-introducing carbs and I find that my body just operates better in ketosis, so I decided to make the switch and drop these last 15-20 lbs then try to pack on even more MUSCLE.

From reading a lot of the women's posts around here, it does seem like we have to 'tweak' things a little differently than the men do. Unfortunate, but I guess that's another one of the BEAUTIFUL things about being a girl :-)

Lately, my problem has been probably eating at, or slightly above maintenance, so while I'm not gaining (the wonderful thing about ketosis) I haven't lost either. Another issue for me has been eating a LOT of PB and cheese, so I've decided to phase out the PB and cut down on the cheese.

Today my diet was:

Breakfast
Keto pancake - 2 eggs, 1T raw almond butter, 1 scoop protein, 1 packet stevia, dash water
coffee w/stevia & 1tbsp heavy whipping cream

Snack1
1.5oz pecans

Lunch
5oz turkey breast w/skin, 1cup Okra (with fat from the cooked turkey breast drizzled on top)
1oz cheddar cheese

snack2 (pre workout)
1 cup coffee w/2T coconut oil and 1packet Stevia

post workout
1 scoop protein powder in water

Dinner
Protein Shake - 3oz cream cheese, egg whites(for consistency), 2T psyllium husks, 1/2 scoop protein, stevia, vanilla flavoring, ice - blend in magic bullet

I use Isopure protein and one serving is two scoops, so although I've used the powder three times today, I've only had 1.25 servings of it. I normally eat more REAL food and tend to rely less on protein shakes, but it was getting late after I worked out and I just didn't feel like cooking. On a normal day, I probably would have had a spinach-egg scramble and some meat for dinner.

My goal is to perfect this and drop this weight once and for all. I look forward to chatting more with you ladies.
T

If you are looking to add muscle...I think its best to stay a little closer to maintenance and not create a huge deficit. Your body needs cals to build muscles and to recover. I am one of those in the minority, though, that believes you can build a little muscle while burning a little fat. People will say that it is impossible to build any muscle without a caloric surplus...but I think many people have some deflated muscle underneath their flab, probably built up initially in their youth, that they can spring back to life if they start adding in weights. Does that make sense? So maybe it's not really building muscle but rejuvenating muscle?

[MsDetermined]

Thanks redheadlaw7. I am getting back into lifting again. And yes, unless you are right about the carb ups being spaced farther apart. And tweaking is all part of the journey - and a little advice from others is always insightful.

[queloque]

Thanks redheadlaw7. I am getting back into lifting again. And yes, unless you are right about the carb ups being spaced farther apart. And tweaking is all part of the journey - and a little advice from others is always insightful.

She is pretty much right. Here is a list of key things for women according to Lyles.

1. At any aerobic intensity, women use more fat and less carbohydrate and protein during
exercise.

2. Studies also show that women do not respond to carb loading the same as men
do, most likely because they deplete less muscle glycogen less during aerobic exercise.

3. less dietary protein is required during the week as less protein is used during exercise and at rest.

4. if ketosis can not be established and all other facets of the diet
are in order, protein should be reduced gradually until trace ketosis is established.

5. Anecdotally, some women report excessive fat regain during the carb-load portion of a
CKD, especially if they are not weight training during the week.

6. Since glycogen levels are depleted less in women than in men, the chance for extra carbohydrate calories to ?spill over? during the carb-up and be stored as fat is more likely.

7. If a woman is only performing aerobic exercise, a CKD will not be appropriate and the TKD is the better choice.

8. women have a greater capacity for beta-oxidation (fat burning) than do men

9. These differences only appear to occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle,
which is the time period between ovulation and menstruation.

10. Higher levels of estradiol (one of the estrogens) also appear to be involved.

11. Interestingly, this difference in substrate utilization occurs only in untrained women and well trained women show roughly the same fuel utilization pattern as men.

12. when women add aerobic exercise without performing resistance training or making
changes to their diet, the rate of fat loss is extremely slow.

[kudostojen]

People will say that it is impossible to build any muscle without a caloric surplus...but I think many people have some deflated muscle underneath their flab, probably built up initially in their youth, that they can spring back to life if they start adding in weights. Does that make sense? So maybe it's not really building muscle but rejuvenating muscle?

I totally agree. I've stayed the same weight, built muscle and lost inches on a calorie deficit.

[kudostojen]

She is pretty much right. Here is a list of key things for women according to Lyles.

1. At any aerobic intensity, women use more fat and less carbohydrate and protein during
exercise.

2. Studies also show that women do not respond to carb loading the same as men
do, most likely because they deplete less muscle glycogen less during aerobic exercise.

3. less dietary protein is required during the week as less protein is used during exercise and at rest.

4. if ketosis can not be established and all other facets of the diet
are in order, protein should be reduced gradually until trace ketosis is established.

5. Anecdotally, some women report excessive fat regain during the carb-load portion of a
CKD, especially if they are not weight training during the week.

6. Since glycogen levels are depleted less in women than in men, the chance for extra carbohydrate calories to ?spill over? during the carb-up and be stored as fat is more likely.

7. If a woman is only performing aerobic exercise, a CKD will not be appropriate and the TKD is the better choice.

8. women have a greater capacity for beta-oxidation (fat burning) than do men

9. These differences only appear to occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle,
which is the time period between ovulation and menstruation.

10. Higher levels of estradiol (one of the estrogens) also appear to be involved.

11. Interestingly, this difference in substrate utilization occurs only in untrained women and well trained women show roughly the same fuel utilization pattern as men.

12. when women add aerobic exercise without performing resistance training or making
changes to their diet, the rate of fat loss is extremely slow.

thanks for putting that in one place.

[MsDetermined]

Keep it coming ladies

[queloque]

Keep it coming ladies

sorry, i'm a guy. I didn't mean to hijack your thread.

[MsDetermined]

No harm done -

[kudostojen]

ok, here's a girly thing...I've been on keto for almost 2 weeks. In the first week, Thursday, aunt flow came by for a visit. SHE'S STILL HERE!!!!

It's amazing how a diet change can effect our cycles. It's bad enough to have her visit for 4-5 days in the past, but now we're on day 8. Anyway, i should know better. When i started training in January, i had to go off the birth control pill because the side effects changed and became too much.

On a better note, i am looking great. I'm tighter without carrying around the water weight everyday. My clothes look better on me and i actually have to pull my shorts up throughout the day because they keep falling down onto my lower hips.

[SophieM]

Hello all. This is my 6th week on the Anabolic Diet and things are going well so far. I can't complain about anything really. Mainly working on strength gains and letting the physique do whatever it wants to do. "Function defines form" as my dad would say. I have a fairly in depth log in the log section if anyone is interested.

I have posted a few times on here that women should probably do smaller farther spaced out carbups if they aren't doing crazy intense workouts. Our bodies metabolize fat and glycogen at different rates than men. Keto really is a "lifters" diet. And the fact is, the most highly trained powerlifter women will never be able to lift like the strongest men.

Just because a female can't lift as much as a male doesn't mean the intensity of the workout is any less. If you're pushing yourself as hard as you can, you workout intensely not matter what weights you're using.

I am one of those in the minority, though, that believes you can build a little muscle while burning a little fat. People will say that it is impossible to build any muscle without a caloric surplus...but I think many people have some deflated muscle underneath their flab, probably built up initially in their youth, that they can spring back to life if they start adding in weights. Does that make sense? So maybe it's not really building muscle but rejuvenating muscle?

It's known that on keto diets, gaining muscle and losing fat is kind of the norm. "The recent landmark study showed that a very-low-carbohydrate diet resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and a concomitant increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men." If I remember correctly, they weren't exercising either.

Here is a list of key things for women according to Lyles

And all those reasons are just more reasons females need to lift hard and not be cardio bunnies flinging around 5 lbs weights.

I've stayed the same weight, built muscle and lost inches on a calorie deficit.

This for me too.

[redheadlaw7]

ok, here's a girly thing...I've been on keto for almost 2 weeks. In the first week, Thursday, aunt flow came by for a visit. SHE'S STILL HERE!!!!

It's amazing how a diet change can effect our cycles. It's bad enough to have her visit for 4-5 days in the past, but now we're on day 8. Anyway, i should know better. When i started training in January, i had to go off the birth control pill because the side effects changed and became too much.

On a better note, i am looking great. I'm tighter without carrying around the water weight everyday. My clothes look better on me and i actually have to pull my shorts up throughout the day because they keep falling down onto my lower hips.

Aunt flow just aint as predictable when you shock the body. You do look fabulous!

[redheadlaw7]

What are everyone's goals? (other than losing bodyfat) Do you guys want to look muscular, more like a fitness model...just more proportional?

I would love to have the Terminator Linda Hamilton look...or Jillian Michaels. Ya know...I'm so pretty but if you stare at me too long I'm gonna bodyslam you!

[kudostojen]

What are everyone's goals? (other than losing bodyfat) Do you guys want to look muscular, more like a fitness model...just more proportional?

I would love to have the Terminator Linda Hamilton look...or Jillian Michaels. Ya know...I'm so pretty but if you stare at me too long I'm gonna bodyslam you!

haha...

I just want to look fit. I don't have to have a low BF or have the biggest muscles, but i do have to be very strong. Being strong is important to me. I'm looking to be more proportional and NOT have a muffin top when i put on a pair of jeans.

[Amber321]

Wow its so weird that right as i start seriously researching the ketogenic diet that someone starts a female thread! Thanks SO much!!!!

Ok so here's what I have calculated for what I should follow on this diet. Please correct me if I am wrong or verify if I'm thinking right!
Height: 5'6
Weight: 153 pounds
Calories per day: 1530
Protein: 153g (612 cals)
Carbs: 40g (160 cals)
Fat: 84g (756 cals)
Cardio day post-workout shake (mixed with water): 20g whey, 20g dextrose, 10g glutamine
Training day post-workout shake (mixed with water): 30g whey, 30g dextrose
I know the importance of clean fats and protiens, as well as fibrous veggies as carb choices. Do you think this is sounds good?

[QUOTE=redheadlaw7;351976251]What are everyone's goals? (other than losing bodyfat) Do you guys want to look muscular, more like a fitness model...just more proportional?

I definately want to look like a fitness model!

[redheadlaw7]

[QUOTE=SophieM;351969761]Hello all. This is my 6th week on the Anabolic Diet and things are going well so far. I can't complain about anything really. Mainly working on strength gains and letting the physique do whatever it wants to do. "Function defines form" as my dad would say. I have a fairly in depth log in the log section if anyone is interested.



Just because a female can't lift as much as a male doesn't mean the intensity of the workout is any less. If you're pushing yourself as hard as you can, you workout intensely not matter what weights you're using.



It's known that on keto diets, gaining muscle and losing fat is kind of the norm. "The recent landmark study showed that a very-low-carbohydrate diet resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and a concomitant increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men." If I remember correctly, they weren't exercising either.



And all those reasons are just more reasons females need to lift hard and not be cardio bunnies flinging around 5 lbs weights.

I agree with this. Excess cardio is pointless if it's just steady state. I cycle because I enjoy it. But ladies must lift. I go to pilates just to keep the middle tightened up and the women in there are shocked when it's pushup time and I do "man pushups." They do the knee thing. Pitiful really. I can easily do 40 pushups that any man would be proud of. I also toss around 25 lb dumbbells at home just to keep some shape in my shoulders. I squat with real weight(75 to 100lbs which is real to me) and this is going to sound stupid but I do dips on my coffee table during TV commercials and when I'm cooking and waiting for water to boil I get into the corner of my counter, pick myself up, and use all of my bodyweight to do "dips". I also "benchpress" both of my daughters when we are playing. If you get a chance take a quick look at my shoulders on my profile. I am pro-lifting!!!
Check out my before and afters. I was a chunk!

[kudostojen]

[QUOTE=redheadlaw7;351989761]

Hello all. This is my 6th week on the Anabolic Diet and things are going well so far. I can't complain about anything really. Mainly working on strength gains and letting the physique do whatever it wants to do. "Function defines form" as my dad would say. I have a fairly in depth log in the log section if anyone is interested.



Just because a female can't lift as much as a male doesn't mean the intensity of the workout is any less. If you're pushing yourself as hard as you can, you workout intensely not matter what weights you're using.



It's known that on keto diets, gaining muscle and losing fat is kind of the norm. "The recent landmark study showed that a very-low-carbohydrate diet resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and a concomitant increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men." If I remember correctly, they weren't exercising either.



And all those reasons are just more reasons females need to lift hard and not be cardio bunnies flinging around 5 lbs weights.

I agree with this. Excess cardio is pointless if it's just steady state. I cycle because I enjoy it. But ladies must lift. I go to pilates just to keep the middle tightened up and the women in there are shocked when it's pushup time and I do "man pushups." They do the knee thing. Pitiful really. I can easily do 40 pushups that any man would be proud of. I also toss around 25 lb dumbbells at home just to keep some shape in my shoulders. I squat with real weight(75 to 100lbs which is real to me) and this is going to sound stupid but I do dips on my coffee table during TV commercials and when I'm cooking and waiting for water to boil I get into the corner of my counter, pick myself up, and use all of my bodyweight to do "dips". I also "benchpress" both of my daughters when we are playing. If you get a chance take a quick look at my shoulders on my profile. I am pro-lifting!!!
Check out my before and afters. I was a chunk!

Nice on the pushups. i've only gotten to 38 with good form (knees of the ground). I love it.

[kudostojen]

Wow its so weird that right as i start seriously researching the ketogenic diet that someone starts a female thread! Thanks SO much!!!!

Ok so here's what I have calculated for what I should follow on this diet. Please correct me if I am wrong or verify if I'm thinking right!
Height: 5'6
Weight: 153 pounds
Calories per day: 1530
Protein: 153g (612 cals)
Carbs: 40g (160 cals)
Fat: 84g (756 cals)
Cardio day post-workout shake (mixed with water): 20g whey, 20g dextrose, 10g glutamine
Training day post-workout shake (mixed with water): 30g whey, 30g dextrose
I know the importance of clean fats and protiens, as well as fibrous veggies as carb choices. Do you think this is sounds good?


I definately want to look like a fitness model!

Glad you're here. Welcome.

i would adjust your macros just a touch. Cut the carbs to 30g, and up your fat intake.

How did you come to 1530 cal intake?

[redheadlaw7]

[QUOTE=kudostojen;351994071]

Nice on the pushups. i've only gotten to 38 with good form (knees of the ground). I love it.

Thank you! Pushups are my thing as my father-in-law initiates a pushup challenge every holiday. I've mentioned somewhere on here that I will not watch TV unless calisthenics of some sort are involved during the commercials. Keeps me honest. Sweeps week are a BITCH!!!

[SophieM]

ok, here's a girly thing...I've been on keto for almost 2 weeks. In the first week, Thursday, aunt flow came by for a visit. SHE'S STILL HERE!!!!

It's amazing how a diet change can effect our cycles. It's bad enough to have her visit for 4-5 days in the past, but now we're on day 8. Anyway, i should know better. When i started training in January, i had to go off the birth control pill because the side effects changed and became too much.

On a better note, i am looking great. I'm tighter without carrying around the water weight everyday. My clothes look better on me and i actually have to pull my shorts up throughout the day because they keep falling down onto my lower hips.

I'm on BC pills and my period came the day after I started the inactive pills. So, I started on Friday vs. Sunday. It lasted around 8 days too, it wasn't shorter. Oh well.

What are everyone's goals? (other than losing bodyfat) Do you guys want to look muscular, more like a fitness model...just more proportional?

I would love to have the Terminator Linda Hamilton look...or Jillian Michaels. Ya know...I'm so pretty but if you stare at me too long I'm gonna bodyslam you!

Goal is to get stronger. Physique is secondary.

I agree with this. Excess cardio is pointless if it's just steady state. I cycle because I enjoy it. But ladies must lift. I go to pilates just to keep the middle tightened up and the women in there are shocked when it's pushup time and I do "man pushups." They do the knee thing. Pitiful really. I can easily do 40 pushups that any man would be proud of. I also toss around 25 lb dumbbells at home just to keep some shape in my shoulders. I squat with real weight(75 to 100lbs which is real to me) and this is going to sound stupid but I do dips on my coffee table during TV commercials and when I'm cooking and waiting for water to boil I get into the corner of my counter, pick myself up, and use all of my bodyweight to do "dips". I also "benchpress" both of my daughters when we are playing. If you get a chance take a quick look at my shoulders on my profile. I am pro-lifting!!!
Check out my before and afters. I was a chunk!

I'm not big most of the moves people of think of when they think of lifting. I don't bench very often with the bar because of my cyst, same goes for pushups and dips, (cysts SUCK) I rarely do squats as I'm working on full squats for the ROM and to take to easy on my knees though next month I'll probably start doing squats instead of full squats. My lift is the SLDL. I LOVE it. I'm up to 160 lbs.

[redheadlaw7]

[QUOTE=Amber321;351988331]Wow its so weird that right as i start seriously researching the ketogenic diet that someone starts a female thread! Thanks SO much!!!!

Ok so here's what I have calculated for what I should follow on this diet. Please correct me if I am wrong or verify if I'm thinking right!
Height: 5'6
Weight: 153 pounds
Calories per day: 1530
Protein: 153g (612 cals)
Carbs: 40g (160 cals)
Fat: 84g (756 cals)
Cardio day post-workout shake (mixed with water): 20g whey, 20g dextrose, 10g glutamine
Training day post-workout shake (mixed with water): 30g whey, 30g dextrose
I know the importance of clean fats and protiens, as well as fibrous veggies as carb choices. Do you think this is sounds good?

What are everyone's goals? (other than losing bodyfat) Do you guys want to look muscular, more like a fitness model...just more proportional?

I definately want to look like a fitness model!

I started this journey both shorter and heavier than you. lol. I'd say you could go a teeny bit higher on cals but drop back on the carbs. People go nutty on here trying to have post workout carbs. I avoid anything that ends with "ose." If you don't need the carbs...don't eat 'em.

Other than that...welcome! I'm a newbie to posting here myself so please know that I have my own personal experience to go by...but am by no means an expert.

Best of luck!

Christine

[ChicagoChef]

Hey all. Decided to drop in and make an appearance here on the female thread. Been doing keto on and off for awhile (lapses are for reasons I don't want to get into right now), but when I work hard, so does keto.

My main goals are to lose fat and to G-F-H!!!!!

Remember ladies: lift heavy, lift hard, lift often!!!

[tpiper55]

If you are looking to add muscle...I think its best to stay a little closer to maintenance and not create a huge deficit. Your body needs cals to build muscles and to recover. I am one of those in the minority, though, that believes you can build a little muscle while burning a little fat. People will say that it is impossible to build any muscle without a caloric surplus...but I think many people have some deflated muscle underneath their flab, probably built up initially in their youth, that they can spring back to life if they start adding in weights. Does that make sense? So maybe it's not really building muscle but rejuvenating muscle?

oh this makes TOTAL sense. I definitely agree with you in that some peoples bodies have the makeup to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Last fall, I was 200lbs (I plumped up quite nicely following a hysterectomy last March). I lost the bulk of my weight doing Atkins, however, since early March, I've maintained the same (scale) weight, but continued to trim down (went from a size 8 to a 6). So to answer your question, my goal at this point is to maintain the muscle that I have, and shred the rest of the fat, that's why I'm trying to go into a deficiet. AFter I've leaned out to my satisfaction, I'll reassess my goals and most likely change it to building more muscle. I workout and eat right because it makes me feel good and I want my 'innards' to be healthy, but I'd be flat out lying if I didn't admit that part of my goal is simply to look GREAT naked

[tpiper55]

What are everyone's goals? (other than losing bodyfat) Do you guys want to look muscular, more like a fitness model...just more proportional?

I would love to have the Terminator Linda Hamilton look...or Jillian Michaels. Ya know...I'm so pretty but if you stare at me too long I'm gonna bodyslam you!

...more like a fitness model. It's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, but then again, anything worth having takes that. I was a fat kid, and a fat adult for most of my life - as a size 6, I'm smaller than I was even as a child. It's funny because at my heaviest (back in 2000), I was up to a size 24 and my goal was only to fit into a size 18. But when I got there, that wasn't good enough. I kept reassessing and making new goals (still am) because I realized that there is never really a 'final destination' in this thing, there is always something to improve upon. I guess after saying all that, my ultimate goal would be to build my body to the point where it's at PEAK physical condition. When I look back over my journey, I see that there were countless times that I unknowingly placed limits on myself out of fear that I couldn't/wouldn't go past those limits. I think I've gotten out of that mode, but have any of you done that?