This Is It

[ab-swing asianbabe]

OK i've started a 3 month intense shape up plan since i'm on holidays
so far... a few bumps in the road due to christmas and new years, but i have found success so far.

GOAL - by 1st MARCH 2006

FOCUS
10mm on the calipers
weight - 110lbs
waist - 25 inches

not looking to bulk - but to cut fat

START

7/12/05
weight 120lbs
(didnt measure other stats)

CURRENT
14/01/06

Weight - 114.4 lbs
Calipers = 14mm
waist 65cm

I AM DETERMINED TO ACHIEVE THIS NO MATTER WHAT

[ab-swing asianbabe]

Age: 20
Height 5"5
Occupation student/receptionist

why am i doing this?
well, during high school i was always the skinny one, and didnt care about what i ate or how much exercise i did - i just stayed lean.

However, during final years, extra study and slower metabolism had led to increased food intake and the weight crept on. It was gradual so i didnt really realise.

Then one day (2 years later) I looked at myself and said ESHHHHHHkkkk WAKE UP

i want to look as good as before - BUT BETTER - i was slim before
but now - i want muscle definition and cardiovascular fitness

so now i'm going to the gym on most days, sometimes twice a day - to get my workouts in

[ab-swing asianbabe]

MONDAY

am - RPM Spinning class
pm - treadmill + RM spinning class

TUESDAY

AM 1 hour with personal trainer + 20mins cardio

PM 45 min power walk

WEDNESDAY

AM - RPM
PM - treadmill + RPM

THURSDAY

AM - rower + gauntlet - 45 min
PM - shoulders + arms

FRIDAY

AM - Step class
PM - Legs + Fatburner (aerobics) class

SATURDAY

AM - YOGA + Chest/Back + RPM
PM - 45 min walk

SUNDAY

AM - 45minute jog
+ pilates

PM 45 min walk

[ab-swing asianbabe]

strengths

* eating reglularly 5-6 meals
* eating "clean foods"
* sticking to workout plans
* waking up at 5.30 every morning to do cardio

weaknesses

*portion control (especially at night)
* overeating - to compensate for heavy workouts
* lack calorie counting
* basically - NEED MORE DISCIPLINE WITH DIET
* Am i getting enough recovery??? Sometimes i just feel dead tired - especially by weekends and my motivation dies
* motivation

[terracotta]

as for the discipline with diet thing.. I needed that too, and 2 weeks ago I started writing myself up 2 week diet plans.. well it has worked very very well, and is something you should consider. I posted both 2 week diet plans in my journal, along with the t-nation links which inspired me to eat clean once and for all.. you should take a look!

If you haven't already you can also check out my sticky (it is linked in my sig)

T.

[ab-swing asianbabe]

the plans for the entire 2 weeks look good - it means that you just have all these foods prepared in advance?? are they all packed in containers etc?

i tried pre-prepared food for a week for 4 of my 5 meals, except dinner which is cooked by family... thats the one where i tend to overeat - also the time which is after workout so i feel like i CAN eat more.. but arghghhh its my last meal and i know i'm not meant to....

i'm considering the bite thing for dinner - so that i can only eat maybe 20-25 bites and after that i have to stop. Might give it a try

[terracotta]

Ok, well the first thing I will recommend to you is to eat 6 meals per day - one meals for every 3 hours you are awake. I cook twice per week, measure out everything in advance and tupperware it. I only tupperware meals 2-4. Supper (which is no higher than 350 cals) and oats I don't tupperware.. For meals 5 and 6 you can concentrate on eating just protein, a small amount of healthy fat, and nonstarch vegetables (provided you don't workout at night)... this usually will keep the calories down - since you are eating with your family, make sure you are serving yourself, and note that a serving of cooked meat is about the size of a deck of cards. You can have as many nonstarch veggies as you want - eg. brocolli, green beans, celery.

[ab-swing asianbabe]

i really feel that reducing the carbs for my last 3 meals (out of 5) at night has been beneficiail.At the momment i am eating 5 meals a day.. still contemplating whether to add in yoghurt/cottage cheese before bed. I'm not sure that i'm doing enough to experience catabolism of muscles.

I consider myself to be intermediate in terms of knowledge, technique and fitness level. I've been to the gym and lifting for about a year, but have only gotten serious about it the past 2-3 months.

Most people are doing split workouts and i have pretty much followed that
===>
4 days
one day = full body
2 = shoulders + arms
3 = legs
4 = chest/back

Now i'm thinking that i may be better off doing full body workouts?? Anyone else agree?

or else.. 2 days full body, one day lower, one day upper body

i've decided to add more fat to my diet
right now my added fats are 2 tsp flaxseed meal + 1 tsp olive oil
is this too much fat considering other foods for the day will contain about 30ish g of fat? I'm trying to stay on 1600-1700 cal

hmmm

10pm and its sleep time, waking up at 5.30 to the living dream of cardio MMmm yum

got through 2 RPM classes today morning and night, gonna do another one tomorrow. The only part to like about spinning is the 10min after the workout where you feel good. The ride itself.. no comment

[ab-swing asianbabe]

way too much cardio... ???

so i might change my plan instead..

i'm thinking of a 2 week routine

Week 1
tues - full body
thur - chest + shoulders
fri - legs
sun - back + arms

Week 2
tues/thur/sat - full body

also - anyone seen better gains by training in the morning and cardio in the PM as opposed to cardio on an empty stomach in the morning and weights in the PM

I thought that if you train early, then you get all your carbs in earlier so by night time you can still taper the carbs? otherwise you'll be eating heaps of carbs all day??

i've been eating badly the past two days- diet was clean until night time. I decided to try adding an extra meal of cottage cheese and yoghurt and flax at night, but i ended up eating way too much and felt bloated the next morning.

So thats it, back to no eating 3 hours before bed. today's calories = 1688 46.37.14 after 3 long hours - yoga, then pump, then dance class all lumped together (is that bad??)

My weight has dropped again..
this morning i was 113 pounds, 120 when i started. But i'm still lacking the muscle definition that i would like. I think i just need heavier weights. I dont lift very heavy at all, nowhere near any of the others who post..

my squat is like 60 pounds.... =( =( - and i dont seem to be progressing??!! in particular when i try to add weight i end up losing out on form so i revert back.

muscles muscles where are youuuuuuuuu

[freakeefranky]

also - anyone seen better gains by training in the morning and cardio in the PM as opposed to cardio on an empty stomach in the morning and weights in the PM

hmmmm never tried it that way before...from what i've expereinced,cardio in the AM is more effective for losing body fat. plus i tend to be more awake in the PM so i manage to hit heavier weights in the PM n thus get better gains...maybe u should try it out, one week doing training in the AM,and cardio in the PM then reverse it the next week and monitor ur stats.

I thought that if you train early, then you get all your carbs in earlier so by night time you can still taper the carbs? otherwise you'll be eating heaps of carbs all day??

basically if u plan ur meals n allocate the times u eat,where the last meal is at 7.30pm,u should be eating 5 meals of carbs n protein and then maybe just proteins n fats in the last meal??dunno...but that's how i do it...

i've been eating badly the past two days- diet was clean until night time. I decided to try adding an extra meal of cottage cheese and yoghurt and flax at night, but i ended up eating way too much and felt bloated the next morning.

ya i always have probs at night....i overcame it by doing something at night,rather than watching tv..i find that if i'm bored i tend to feel hungry/crave foods...so maybe plan a night out to the bookstore/anywhere that doesn't have oily/fatty foods...

So thats it, back to no eating 3 hours before bed. today's calories = 1688 46.37.14 after 3 long hours - yoga, then pump, then dance class all lumped together (is that bad??)

lol..erm....stretching,weights and cardio altogether...if u do that once or twice a week it's ok...but anymore than that,ure gonna end up burning muscle as well as fat,and overtraining is not beneficial ...

My weight has dropped again..
this morning i was 113 pounds, 120 when i started. But i'm still lacking the muscle definition that i would like. I think i just need heavier weights. I dont lift very heavy at all, nowhere near any of the others who post..

lift heavy,where u can manage only 4-8 reps ...at the last rep u should feel very fatigued/at failure....always helps if u have a partner/trainer to push u further to the last one....do about 2-3 sets of these exercises.....ure muscles should be BURNING by the last set...that's HEAVY weight training.

my squat is like 60 pounds.... =( =( - and i dont seem to be progressing??!! in particular when i try to add weight i end up losing out on form so i revert back.

don't just do squats for leg strength,what about plyometrics? it may help u lean out too.i do these with ankle weights for my gymnastics training

some suggestions---u can put on ankle weights or hold onto weights if u wish:
Lunges 3 sets 25
Squat Jumps 2 sets 30
Calf Raises 2 sets 30
Calf Walk 5 sets back and Forth
Calf Jumps 100 (Increase by 25 each week)
Box Jumps 2 sets back and Forth
Squats 3 sets 15
Step ups 2 sets 25
Single leg hops 50 each side

(Stair Plyometrics)
Stair Climbs 3 sets
1 leg stair climbs 3 sets
Every other stair 3 sets
Backward Stair 3 sets

hope this helps!and good luck with everything!

[ab-swing asianbabe]

sunday was my day OFF - so did an hour of pilates and thats it. For some reason i feel ike a lazy slob on days off (2 days off this week already), so on Monday - i was hard at it... 2 hours of cardio. THe instructor in the morning was really motivating and convinced me to come back in the evening for another class. RPM is the best. I love the burning through my legs.

Also been advised to lift heavy heavy.. and plyometrics.. i'm not 100% sure what it is, i will look up on it though.

I've actually been monitoring my intake more closely now - i've been pretty lazy before - and realise that i've been taking in about 1700 cal with ratio 35-45-20
my carbs are a bit low i realise - so i'm eating more calories from protein - about 150-160g even though i'm 113 lbs.

Its 3am right now and i couldn't sleep properly. Woke up being hungry to the max, so had some lean roast pork and pumpkin, and cauliflower.. thats not that bad right??

weight training with my trainer in 4 hours - wooot - trying to psch myself up for it. Gonna go hard !!!!!!!

[headturner]

sunday was my day OFF - so did an hour of pilates and thats it. For some reason i feel ike a lazy slob on days off (2 days off this week already), so on Monday - i was hard at it... 2 hours of cardio. THe instructor in the morning was really motivating and convinced me to come back in the evening for another class. RPM is the best. I love the burning through my legs.

Also been advised to lift heavy heavy.. and plyometrics.. i'm not 100% sure what it is, i will look up on it though.

I've actually been monitoring my intake more closely now - i've been pretty lazy before - and realise that i've been taking in about 1700 cal with ratio 35-45-20
my carbs are a bit low i realise - so i'm eating more calories from protein - about 150-160g even though i'm 113 lbs.

Its 3am right now and i couldn't sleep properly. Woke up being hungry to the max, so had some lean roast pork and pumpkin, and cauliflower.. thats not that bad right??

weight training with my trainer in 4 hours - wooot - trying to psch myself up for it. Gonna go hard !!!!!!!

Hey. Lookin' great-seems like you're pulling it all together. Don't worry about the protein consumption-it's good for you! You'll end up adding the muscle you want and becoming very lean. Your calories are at a good level, but you are doing quite a bit of cardio so you might not add too much muscle if you're wanting to. You will have great results, just stick with it. Welcome to the world of journaling.

[ab-swing asianbabe]

you are doing quite a bit of cardio so you might not add too much muscle if you're wanting to. You will have great results, just stick with it. Welcome to the world of journaling.

thanks!!!! starting journaling has really made me focus on what i am doing to my body everyday, but i'm not sure i'm able to give advice to anyone else yet because i'm still very much in the learning stage - but thanks for the support =)

what did you mean by that quote? you might not add to much muscle?

did one hour with my trainer today
i was ready to go with a bam

i wanted to add heaps of weight but she advised me to make sure my technique is right first. Thats my main issue with training, i need to focus on getting the technique and feeling the right muscles burning - any tips?
she's been telling me that i use the helper muscles more such as arms when i'm doing chest and back , but i dont seem to be able to corrrect my technique as well when i'm doing my own workout without her help.

i also started doing squat jumps and lunge jumps - they are plyometric exercises right? Man they sure are hard but I will practice them.

Below are the things i cannot yet do, but am striving to achieve - areas of major weakness which i will conquer!!!!!

* chin up
* quick jumping lunges
* full tricep pushup ( i can do extensions and presses and pulldowns - but these are a major challenge)
* stand up on a fitball (right now i can manage kneeling..)

Another area often neglected is flexibility and core training - there is this fitball class at my gym that i'll be going to this afternoon - and boy that ball does wonders - i love the sense of improvement each week as i see less wobbling. I am also doing a pilates and yoga once a week or so, see how it goes..

I think sitting in an office for 8 hours a day really gets me pumped up with energy in the afternoon for a workout!!

[ab-swing asianbabe]

just got home from fitball class - it was fun, not sure if it quite fits into bbing, but i like it. Some cool exercises include kneeling on the fitball, digging your elbows into the ball in a plank position and walking around in a circle, then feet on the ball in push up position and walking around. they are really challenging and i feel my core and back getting stronger every time.

Calories today:
1798
35c 48p 16f

my pwo shake @ 9am was made from grapes and apple and ppowder = 11g carbs + 30g protein... is this not a good ratio? i was really full afterwards though...

at 10am i ate:
4 oz tuna
wild rice
eggplant
zucchini
celery
stir fried in a bit of olive oil = 350cal, 40c 41p, 2gf

do you still eat fast digesting carbs in the meal or just normal carbs is fine?

[ab-swing asianbabe]

ok it feels weird posting photos.. but i will do it..
the first two are from before i started training seriously - as indicated - taken sometime in Nov 2005

the last two are my progress photos.. about 6 weeks in

i took them because i thought i had improved, especially in the waist, but i'm not really sure if that big of a difference has been made.

But anyhow i feel a bit better, just need some more damn muscles!!! i'm fearing skinny-fat syndrome ><

ps. excuse lack of muscle flexing/posing i've got no idea =)

[sixzebra]

ok it feels weird posting photos.. but i will do it..
the first two are from before i started training seriously - as indicated - taken sometime in Nov 2005

the last two are my progress photos.. about 6 weeks in

i took them because i thought i had improved, especially in the waist, but i'm not really sure if that big of a difference has been made.

But anyhow i feel a bit better, just need some more damn muscles!!! i'm fearing skinny-fat syndrome ><

ps. excuse lack of muscle flexing/posing i've got no idea =)

hey asianbabe, your pics look great! it does seem that to reach your goals you might be doing to much cardio and sabotaging your muscle gains. you can add great curves through weight training but just watch the cardio. to much will eat your muscle up. 30-45min a day won't hurt you but 2 hours is really too much. good things take time. good luck!

[headturner]

Good for you for posting the pics. You look great-like you're really on your way to your goals! Congrats. I would agree with the last post. Be careful with the cardio...for two reasons. One, you will eat up muscle and waste needed energy for your weight sessions, and two, eventually if/when you do want to lower the bodyfat, you'll have "no where to go" with adding more cardio to get better results. The lifting will really take care of both in the beginning and cardio only has to be minimal even with your current caloric intake.

Looking forward to reading more......

[ab-swing asianbabe]

thanks for the support guys
i've been battling bodyimage problems as a female often does.

another reason i do cardio is after work.. i have two options - go home (where i will eat) or go to the gym

But i will try to cut my cardio back to once a day and slightly reducing thecalories of each meal. For every meal - its just going to be a matter of leaving one bite left in my bowl to train myself not to eat everything thats on it which i often do. Then i wont need so much cardio - hopefully, just dont want to reverse any gains.

Will try this out for the remainder of this week and see how it goes.

Just to be a complete hypocrite, i'm going to do my rpm class this morning, but i wont go at night. I will go home and cook a healthy dinner.

before cardio in the morning ive been drinking a protein shake - which has caffeine and L-carnitine. I've been advised that it increases fat burning before cardio ?? anyone think this is necessary/useful? I find that more than anything else it wakes me up and gives me energy to get through the workout.

schedule for today - doing a first aid course - yay. This is part of the certificate in fitness which i am studying for part time. But that only lets me become a gym instructor/aerobics instructor. I gotta do another course in order to be a personal trainer.

Sure beats studying law >< i'm dreading going back to hitting those thick books in a months time.


anyway hope everyone has a good day. I'm feeling pretty good (albeit sore from doms)

[freakeefranky]

Hey,i'm chinese(malaysian), and I'm going to sydney uni to study bachelor of psychology in a month's time too! which uni r u in n where r u? my siblings r in boarding school in melbourne....

Below are the things i cannot yet do, but am striving to achieve - areas of major weakness which i will conquer!!!!!

* chin up
* quick jumping lunges
* full tricep pushup ( i can do extensions and presses and pulldowns - but these are a major challenge)
* stand up on a fitball (right now i can manage kneeling..)

train hard n u will get there...it took me 3 months to achieve the chin ups and full tricep pushups i compete in aerobics gymnastics so those two strength skills are pretty useful for bodyweight training...

ure doing well so far,keep it up.nice pics by the way!

[ab-swing asianbabe]

ooe hello freakee!

im at unsw, dont actually play any sports though!, so you'll be moving from melb to syd??

[ab-swing asianbabe]

i only did one session of cardio today! i resisted going back to the gym again

calories for today:

1587
28%c 52%p 20%f

5.30am 30g protein shake

6.30 cardio - rpm

7.30 - Breakfast - 1/2 cup oats + 15g protein powder + 1/2 cup soy milk + 7 strawberries + i tsp flax

9.30 - protein pancake - cottage cheese + oats + egg white + flax

12.15 - pita bread + tandoori chicken + greens

3:00 - 30g chicken breast + 1/4 cup wild rice

4:00 (HUNGRY AGAIN ><) 3oz chicken breast + bitter melon (apparently this is great for you! if you can stand it - anyone tried it!?) + 1/4 cup cc + tomato (yeah weird meal)

6.00pm 5oz salmon + 2 cups broccoli + 1 carrot

[batteryrequired]

Wow...several months of cardio and training has done wonders for you. Keep up the great work. Your doing great!

[headturner]

Great to hear that you've resisted the urge for the added cardio (ugh...I can't imagine anyone having an urge, hehehe, but I do understand about wanting to keep yourself occupied-I clean a lot when I'm home) and the diet looks great! Keep it up.

[ab-swing asianbabe]

thanks for the continued support guys, i'm really taking on the advice. Yeah i think i will try to keep busy instead

hahha i'm laughing headturner at that "resisiting the urge part". Man i must be crazy lol.

But i do feel more energised and more ready to tackle a workout today.

So my focus is going to change from heaps of cardio to more on diet and weights... which are currently lacking in structure.

I've read up a bit on full body workouts.. think i might give it a try - then i'll only be doing weights 3x

are full body workouts good for getting lean, most of the sites i've checked are about mass building and bulking

[ab-swing asianbabe]

i realised the gym was closed today!! for Australia day! damn!!

Not to worry, I'll make use of this resting day since my lower body is still aching a lot, possibly because I did not stretch enough the previous workout.

Calories are in check today.
1509 cal
43c, 37p, 20f

I'm going to start carb cycling (thanks to headturner!), been reading a bit about it and apparently its the most effective way to lose fat fast hmmm ... sounds good. Doing a bit more research on it now!

[freakeefranky]

no i live in malaysia...but my siblings r studying in melbourne...and i;m going to sydney(far away form them ) carb cycling was troublesome for me...plus i'm hypoglycemic...but yes it is very effective..good luck with it!

[ab-swing asianbabe]

hahah so you deliberately chose to study in sydney instead of melbourne!?

had an early morning workout today, i find i actually feel better than workouts in the afternoon where i'm a bit drained from sitting in an office all day

for the first time, i'll be posting my weights
ok guys get ready....(believe me, these tiny weights are actually really challenging for me!!)

Was going to do a full body, but my legs were still really sore

Chest

Machine bench press
50lbsx15 60x10 62x8

Dumbbell flyes
8x15 10x10 10x15

Shoulders

DB side lateral raises
8x8 6x12 6x12

OH press
6x15 8x10 8x8

triceps
close grip bench press
20x15 25x8 25x8

triceps overhead (dont know what its called but you put the dumbell behind your head and push up)
14x8 14x8 14x7

i really felt like i worked hard today... yet one problem - i did not drop a single bead of sweat. I finished the workout in about 50min including warm up
i'm thinking i may have rested too long? but i usually only get sweaty doing full body workouts..maybe i'll post a question on the forums about it.

When i do cardio however, i'm dripping bucketloads.

Anyway, back to workkk rahh

[terracotta]

don't worry about not sweating.. it isnt a problem. You should be sweating for the more taxing exercises like squats, deads, and lunges - anything that raises the heart rate a lot.

[terracotta]

no i live in malaysia...but my siblings r studying in melbourne...and i;m going to sydney(far away form them ) carb cycling was troublesome for me...plus i'm hypoglycemic...but yes it is very effective..good luck with it!

Geez.. you are hypo too! I think most of us are hypo!

[terracotta]

When trying to lose fat, the most important thing with your workouts is that you encourage your body to retain the mass! That said, it is very beneficial to do a routine that hits the muscles more frequently like a full body or upper/lower routine. A good full body routine will help you keep your mass while you are cutting.

You can go straight to carb cycling if you would like - but I typically recommend getting your body used to eating clean first, and giving it some consistency - so eating for 1 month at maintenance on a clean diet, before adding in tricks.