Step away from the peanut butter

[happyplace]

It will be very interesting to see results of not tracking for both of you.
I sort of went without tracking today up until now (8pm just after dinner) - total is just below 1100 calories. I guess I MUST track or will screw myself over...

Well I didn't track for almost a year until a couple of weeks ago so I am pretty happy doing it Maybe you would have more luck if you missed your morning coffee, since you would get more hunger pangs?

[coconuttree2009]

Well I didn't track for almost a year until a couple of weeks ago so I am pretty happy doing it Maybe you would have more luck if you missed your morning coffee, since you would get more hunger pangs?

That would definitely be the case but I would have to face falling asleep at my desk and would miss out on the great energy and mental clarity I get from it. I definitely prefer to have tonnes of food later in the day.
To be honest I think it is totally mental thing when it comes to food. I clearly do not have a healthy relationship with it and that is something I need to deal with first before trying to go intuitive eating way.

[happyplace]

That would definitely be the case but I would have to face falling asleep at my desk and would miss out on the great energy and mental clarity I get from it. I definitely prefer to have tonnes of food later in the day.
To be honest I think it is totally mental thing when it comes to food. I clearly do not have a healthy relationship with it and that is something I need to deal with first before trying to go intuitive eating way.

I know what you mean but perhaps the way to develop a healthy relationship is to try intuitive eating? It was the (second) biggest breakthrough in my recovery, and definitely took me over the barrier from just physically recovered to mentally recovered. Now I can track or not track and it doesn't bother me. Sounds backwards but I think a lot of eating mental stuff works better if you just do it, and think later. You'll figure it out... if it was a big problem you wouldn't be lifting like you do, you're definitely doing *something* very right!

[coconuttree2009]

This is a thing- I am definitely not starving myself and performance is important to me but I would love to be less of a control freak when it come to tracking and food choices and just let it go and enjoy. But food is not the only thing in my life that I like to be in total control of, so I figure it comes from my personality and certain events of the past.
I think I should listen to your advice- you've been there and done it! And you've been much further than me, so surely, I can do it too.

[happyplace]

This is a thing- I am definitely not starving myself and performance is important to me but I would love to be less of a control freak when it come to tracking and food choices and just let it go and enjoy. But food is not the only thing in my life that I like to be in total control of, so I figure it comes from my personality and certain events of the past.
I think I should listen to your advice- you've been there and done it! And you've been much further than me, so surely, I can do it too.

But I *had* to do it...you are functioning very nicely as you are And I must say I would never say I am fully recovered coz my ED history is a reflection of my past and shaped who I am today. In some ways I am pleased it happened to me bc it allowed me to deal with a bunch of bs which needed addressing and helped me be less of a perfectionist and control freak in other areas. Hmm I guess we have a lot in common...said it before and I'll say it again! But yes, you could do it. You could try making it a control freak-esque goal to not have control. If that makes sense. Change your idea of perfection from hitting your macros every day and change your goals in a way that will make not tracking and perhaps gaining a little/bulking your new goal. It's just an idea but def helped me at various points.

[Miranda]

my ED history is a reflection of my past and shaped who I am today. In some ways I am pleased it happened to me bc it allowed me to deal with a bunch of bs which needed addressing

yeah, that's an extremely valuable insight. whatever you have gone through in life has helped you become the person you are today. and that's a good person to be

[coconuttree2009]

But I *had* to do it...you are functioning very nicely as you are And I must say I would never say I am fully recovered coz my ED history is a reflection of my past and shaped who I am today. In some ways I am pleased it happened to me bc it allowed me to deal with a bunch of bs which needed addressing and helped me be less of a perfectionist and control freak in other areas. Hmm I guess we have a lot in common...said it before and I'll say it again! But yes, you could do it. You could try making it a control freak-esque goal to not have control. If that makes sense. Change your idea of perfection from hitting your macros every day and change your goals in a way that will make not tracking and perhaps gaining a little/bulking your new goal. It's just an idea but def helped me at various points.

Golden advice from you! I love your idea.
Bulking is my goal, ie bigger legs and booty Just need to take that plunge and stop maintaining, which is my comfort zone right now. Plus I like the idea of higher maintenance calories that come after the bulk.
No better time than now I suppose to start focusing on this goal and stop making excuses and justifications.

[happyplace]

Lifts

Squats
Warm-up: 12@20kg
5@50kg, 60kg
3@70kg
1@80kg
3x1@85kg

Barbell lunge
4x10@50kg <- 5 left leg then 5 right leg per set

Superset:
Overhead squat
2x10@20kg
Front squat
2x10@20kg <- never done either of these so wanted to play with form while gym was quiet

Single leg press
5x5@39kg each leg

Right leg was MUCH weaker on single leg press, particularly controlling the release motion, possibly due to multiple knee surgery...? Will do these often, very eye opening. Not sure whether to keep the weight the same on both legs bc this was pointless for my left leg but tough for my right. Advice?

Also got the entry form for my first powerlifting competition on October 6 (sh*t, so soon...). It's with the BDFPA near Oxford. Dunno what weight class to shoot for...guess I could make 53kg if I wanted to, but dunno if I would be better just to not bother even trying to drop water weight and just enjoy my first experience.

Eats
8am (pre-workout): Coconut flour pancakes with creamy strawberry-banana compote and PB. Litre of lemon water, litre of green tea, calcium/vitD/Bvits supplements.
10am (post-workout): Oats, vegan protein blend, coconut cream, coconut milk, cocoa powder, banana.
1pm: Tuna and sweet potato frittata.
4pm: Green smoothie (cucumber, spinach, apple, grapes, coconut milk, vegan protein blend, ground flax). <- experiment, never had a smoothie for a snack before so tried to make it balanced.
7pm: Aberdeen Angus ragu, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, nutritional yeast.
10pm: Dark chocolate, grapes and chocolate tea with coconut milk.

^^^
No tracking, trying to mix up my food a bit more so I'm not eating the exact same thing every day. Apparently today was coconut day. Would love any opinions/input on how this looks.

---

Golden advice from you! I love your idea.
Bulking is my goal, ie bigger legs and booty Just need to take that plunge and stop maintaining, which is my comfort zone right now. Plus I like the idea of higher maintenance calories that come after the bulk.
No better time than now I suppose to start focusing on this goal and stop making excuses and justifications.

Meh, no rush. Do it when you're happy. Don't do it because you feel obliged or because other people tell you. If I'd bowed to general bb.com opinion, I'd be fat and unhappy right now and would have had to cut for months, since everyone took the p*ss that I slow bulked. But I knew my body and mind best You can just change 1 small thing at a time, since there's no race.

yeah, that's an extremely valuable insight. whatever you have gone through in life has helped you become the person you are today. and that's a good person to be

D'awwwwwww. I'm getting there. Main thing is I know where I fall down these days and don't kid myself

[coconuttree2009]

Nice squats as always
I would keep the weight the same for unilateral exercises. If you increase the weight for stronger leg, you are not going to correct the imbalance, just create more. Unilateral exercises are great for correcting strength imbalances. Add another unilateral exercise from time to to time like pistol quats or Bulgarian split squat.

Your food sounds great. With this variety you are getting all your micros too!

I do remember you having differences of opinions in the First Time bulking thread and always thought that people should not be judging choices. Advice is one thing (when asked), imposing and judging is another.

[koyongi]

Also got the entry form for my first powerlifting competition on October 6 (sh*t, so soon...). It's with the BDFPA near Oxford. Dunno what weight class to shoot for...guess I could make 53kg if I wanted to, but dunno if I would be better just to not bother even trying to drop water weight and just enjoy my first experience.

Just go and do what you do. No real reason to cut for your first meet, especially in a federation that doesn't use commonly-recognized weight classes!

[lotusdeva]

Very nice squats!! I am also thinking about powerlifting, haven't got the ballz yet

[happyplace]

Very nice squats!! I am also thinking about powerlifting, haven't got the ballz yet

Thanks! Nor do I really, only been lifting less than a year and just use a commercial gym, no trainer, no spotter etc so pretty clueless.

Just go and do what you do. No real reason to cut for your first meet, especially in a federation that doesn't use commonly-recognized weight classes!

Yeah, good call. IDK how legit they are but I like that they put drug-free in their name.

Nice squats as always
I would keep the weight the same for unilateral exercises. If you increase the weight for stronger leg, you are not going to correct the imbalance, just create more. Unilateral exercises are great for correcting strength imbalances. Add another unilateral exercise from time to to time like pistol quats or Bulgarian split squat.

Great idea, I will rotate the unilateral stuff and work on it each week since there is such a huge imbalance.

[thehobbes]

Killer workout, great job HP!

[Also got the entry form for my first powerlifting competition on October 6 (sh*t, so soon...). It's with the BDFPA near Oxford. Dunno what weight class to shoot for...guess I could make 53kg if I wanted to, but dunno if I would be better just to not bother even trying to drop water weight and just enjoy my first experience.

^^^And THIS is oozing with pure awesome.

[happyplace]

Run
7km in 39 mins.
Just a recovery run this morning to ease the DOMS after leg day yesterday. Perfect weather - sunny, warm but not too warm, and no wind.

Eat
6.30am (pre-run): Left over aberdeen angus ragu mixed with oats. <- Yep this girl eats red meat at 6.30am.
9.30am (post-run): Smoothie made from banana, red grapes, coconut milk, vegan protein blend and PB, topped with more banana, red grapes and jumbo oats.
12:30pm: Poached eggs, tuna, sweet potato, broccoli.
4pm: Rice cakes with all sorts of tasty toppings.
7pm: Salmon and veg stir fried in home made sweet and sour sauce.
10pm: Dark chocolate and chocolate tea with soy milk.



Loving my smoothies! Wish I had put cucumber too as it was a bit too sweet for me. So good though, I am thinking of making smoothies a regular habit since I struggle to digest raw fruit and veg in whole form. Plus great way to have a quick pre or post workout meal and disguises the protein powder really well.

Planning out my meals mid-morning is definitely helping me eat more variety of foods since it makes me take whatever I need out of the freezer and makes cooking a bit easier. Sounds silly but true.

[coconuttree2009]

Your breakfast sound interesting
Do smoothies fill you up? I like the idea of smoothies because I have lots of 'superfood' powders that I need to add to something (spirulina, wheatgrass, ashwaghanda, ginseng, mucuna, maca, etc etc) but when it comes to having it, it does not feel like a meal.

[happyplace]

Your breakfast sound interesting
Do smoothies fill you up? I like the idea of smoothies because I have lots of 'superfood' powders that I need to add to something (spirulina, wheatgrass, ashwaghanda, ginseng, mucuna, maca, etc etc) but when it comes to having it, it does not feel like a meal.

When I put it in a bowl or jar and top it with solid food, it feels like a meal. Your reason is exactly why I have never had them in the past. I like to eat my calories, not drink them. But so long as it is not too high in sugar and has fat and protein, it is no different to a meal. I'm also enjoying acai bowls, but made with British berries, which definitely feels like a meal when blended with protein powder and topped nicely. Right now it is so hard to get enough protein without dairy so I am spending a lot of time on vegan websites looking at how they can manage it. Most of them get like 40g a day and think that's ok, but the smoothie thing appealed to me as a good vehicle for quick, cheap protein and high nutrient density.

[coconuttree2009]

When I put it in a bowl or jar and top it with solid food, it feels like a meal. Your reason is exactly why I have never had them in the past. I like to eat my calories, not drink them. But so long as it is not too high in sugar and has fat and protein, it is no different to a meal. I'm also enjoying acai bowls, but made with British berries, which definitely feels like a meal when blended with protein powder and topped nicely. Right now it is so hard to get enough protein without dairy so I am spending a lot of time on vegan websites looking at how they can manage it. Most of them get like 40g a day and think that's ok, but the smoothie thing appealed to me as a good vehicle for quick, cheap protein and high nutrient density.

But you do eat meat and fish, so protein should not be a big problem without dairy?!?
I think the only dairy protein I have is my nightly quark concoction and few triangles of Laughing Cow, which would not total over much more than 20g. The rest comes from meat and fish and I have to watch not to go overboard on protein as it usually comes close to 200g...

[happyplace]

But you do eat meat and fish, so protein should not be a big problem without dairy?!?
I think the only dairy protein I have is my nightly quark concoction and few triangles of Laughing Cow, which would not total over much more than 20g. The rest comes from meat and fish and I have to watch not to go overboard on protein as it usually comes close to 200g...

The problem is my budget :/

[coconuttree2009]

The problem is my budget :/

Or places you buy food... Billingsgate market for fish - awesome. Islington market for fish and meat. Aldi for vegetables and general stuff.
I used to shop at Sainsburries, now the food bill going with the above is almost half.

[LHarwood]

I shop at sainsburys and aldi and our food bill is so much less than when we used to shop at Morrisons.

I buy frozen veg tho. Not fresh otherwise I'd buy them from aldi.

[coconuttree2009]

I shop at sainsburys and aldi and our food bill is so much less than when we used to shop at Morrisons.

I buy frozen veg tho. Not fresh otherwise I'd buy them from aldi.

Aldi rocks for fresh vegetables. At least 1/3 less than everywhere else, even a market.

[alyshabruso]

ooo your food looks yummy I feel the same way about smoothies, it just doesn't feel like a meal! I think I will try topping them with solid food in the future

We have adli in the US too, definitely one of the cheapest places to shop. Same with Market Basket, but you guys probably don't have that lol

[thehobbes]

There are Aldi's in the UK?! Is that the same as ours? The ghetto-fabulous store where you have to put quarters in to get a cart, pay cash only, no bags, and a can of corn is like 3 cents? Shopped there tons in college srs, brb mac n cheese box for 25cents - dinner done! Always thought I'd get shot in the parking lot but they have those powdered donuts I like.

[happyplace]

I'd love to go to Billingsgate and Lidl and Aldi and save money that way but when you don't drive and public transport costs what it does, it literally cancels out any savings, not to mention the time it takes (I work a long hours job, while doing a music performance degree, and have a performance career going, and it's not viable to take hours on a shopping trip). If I can't cycle there, it's not viable. I have a Waitrose nearby which does amazing reductions on meat and fish towards the end of the day, like I got a whole free range chicken for £1, and always has some good fruit and veg offers. Plus when I have some free time on Saturday there is a ridiculously cheap farmers market down the road. They do 4 punnets of blueberries for £1

Having a bread maker and yoghurt maker is helping cut costs. Once my cheesecloth arrives I'll make my own nut milks and then my only regular food outgoings will be eggs, meat, fish and produce. Boom.

[coconuttree2009]

Sounds like a plan - making your own nut butters, nut milks, yogurts etc definitely saves a lot. Didn't know about Waitrose discounts. I wonder if Canary Wharf one does it.

[LHarwood]

I make my own nut butters its so easy.

[happyplace]

Sounds like a plan - making your own nut butters, nut milks, yogurts etc definitely saves a lot. Didn't know about Waitrose discounts. I wonder if Canary Wharf one does it.

Probably. They are famous for the best reductions. I buy Meridian peanut butter 1kg at a time for £5 or less so definitely couldn't make it cheaper myself!

---

Ok today.



Lifts
(Working sets only)

Deadlift
1 each @ 85kg, 90kg, 95kg, 100kg (PB!!!)
Then 1x5@80kg

DB shoulder press
3x8 @ 16kg (PB for reps)

Lat pulldown
4x5 @52kg

Superset A:
Man makers
3x5 @ 7kg
Alternating back/forward lunge w/ alternating front/side raise
3x20 @ 5kg

Superset B:
Swiss ball hip raise (feet on ball)
2x15
Swiss ball hip raise (shoulders on ball)
2x15

Eats
7am (pre-lifts): Smoothie! Cucumber, kale, banana, vegan protein blend, cocoa powder, coconut cream, home made soy yoghurt.
9.30am (post-lifts): Home made GF bread, scrambled eggs, chicken livers and nutritional yeast.
12.30pm: Sardines, sweet potato, tomato dipping sauce.
4pm: Home made soy yoghurt, oats, mixed berries.
7pm: Chicken livers, sauce, mashed potato, green veg.
10pm: Home made protein nutella dip w/ apple.

Feel good about not tracking. Definitely make better choices this way and psychologically works for me. Got some groceries yesterday to supplement all my smoothies. They're great but it does mean I'm not getting my daily oatmeal fix, which sucks, coz I love it. Also it's good I'm living alone right now bc my digestive system is...adapting...if you get my drift...anyway KALE! Gross on its own, great when it tastes of chocolate and coconut. Also the scale hates me.

GRE tomorrow. In exam room for up to 6 hours without food. HELP. Taking 9bars and protein smoothies for immediately before and after. Wish me luck, this sh!t could get expensive if I have to retake at $185 a time.

[Onledgen]

entered expecting uneducated thread on why fats r bad mkay


left indifferent

[happyplace]

entered expecting uneducated thread on why fats r bad mkay


left indifferent

Deep. Take it to the misc.

[coconuttree2009]

The scale hates you? How so?

Kale is so good for you. Even better than spinach.

You are getting your super probiotic coconut kefir yogurt tomorrow - it worked. It will help with your digestion. Kefir fixed my digestive issue.

6 hours without food? Eat up properly before. 9 Bars good choice as they contain quite a bit of sugar for the brain.
Best of luck in the entire world tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!