Back in Black

[Echo814]

I've decided to keep a journal for my 90 day plan, in hopes that it will keep me in line. Since I am unable to join a gym at this time I am doing a round of P90X to cut some body fat before I start a long clean bulk in February. I would be on week three of the program, but last week I fell prey to the dreaded swine flu, so I am starting over from week one. My nutrition plan is to follow 1800 calories with 180 grams protein, 135 grams carbs and 60 grams fat recommended by Kim. Once I am consistently hitting the calories and macros I will probably drop to 1600 in four weeks and make adjustments from there.

Yesterday (11/23) I did Chest and Back plus Ab Ripper X. Calories burned 423 in 1:10 minutes not to bad for weight training. I didn't keep track of number of reps but mostly used 15 lb weights and averaged at least 10 assisted pull ups and chin ups for each exercise and about 10-15 for each of the push up variations. Ab Ripper X I managed 15-20 reps of each of the I think 29 exercises. I didn't keep track of food that day so no clue on calories and macros.

Today was Plyometrics and it took everything that I had to finish the dvd. I guess I am still recovering from the swine so I took it easy, but still burned 450 calories in 58 minutes. I kept track of my food today and came in at a 40%c, 33%p, 28%f split totaling 1,671 calories,51.3 grams fat, 162.3 grams carbs and 129.6 grams protein. My carbs were higher today due to caving into an energy drink for a net of 48 grams of carbs. I am going to look into a better protein shake that has more than 15 grams, I like that the one I am using has fiber though lol. I also noticed that my breakfast is pretty low in protein so I need to get off my lazy bum and make some eggs.

Tomorrow I will take measurements and "before" pictures and post them. With being sick last week, under eating and not really moving around much I got kinda squishy, so I am not very pleased... oh well it will make the end result even sweeter!

[Echo814]

I think I shall dig this bad boy up and start actually posting on it. I have decided to ditch P90X and am currently doing a three day, two body part strength program, with two days HIIT, Nightbird designed it since I lack access to a gym. My diet is changing from 1800 cals to 1600 with the same 40,30,30 split and I am pleased with the menu I have come up with.

My husband has decided to join me starting Monday, so I have a workout partner now. I hope to drop close to 20% body fat in three months to see whats under this layer of fat and assess what needs to be done from there. So far I have built up, or revealed a little bicep peak which encourages me. In March we will be able to join a gym and that's when I plan on bulking if I hit my goal. I am also in the 16 week fat loss challenge so I will posting in there as well, even though I haven't been on top of that.

[AustJulie]

Hi there , i wish you all the best and keep focus....are you cutting now or bulking? iam not sure but i think if you cutting to lose body fat , your calories is alittle bit too high?iam having Emma like my private online personal trainer , and i can tell you its totally working for me the plan she made ....and its about fat loss aswell maybe you should PM her to see if she can give you some advice , i dont know , but still think you calories is alittle to high if you want to drop body fat like me =) just and ideia but if you had already advice and they say its fine so all good and wish you the best!!!! =)

[Echo814]

Hi there , i wish you all the best and keep focus....are you cutting now or bulking? iam not sure but i think if you cutting to lose body fat , your calories is alittle bit too high?iam having Emma like my private online personal trainer , and i can tell you its totally working for me the plan she made ....and its about fat loss aswell maybe you should PM her to see if she can give you some advice , i dont know , but still think you calories is alittle to high if you want to drop body fat like me =) just and ideia but if you had already advice and they say its fine so all good and wish you the best!!!! =)

Thank you! I am going to try 1600 cals for right now and see where it leads. I have a history of eating disorders so I don't want to dip to low and set something off. If it looks like its not working, I will drop to 1500, I don't mind if its slow, but three pounds in three months at 1800 cals was to slow Good luck with your cut and can't wait to see some progress!

[Echo814]

Ok so after a couple weeks of being lazy I am back working out. I have been having issues sleeping again, went to bed at 3am and slept till noon and it threw off my day as far as eating went. It's nearly 11pm and I am at only 1300 calories trying to think of whats in the house that I can eat to get the last 300 in and get my protein up to at least body weight. My weight is being very weird, it went down to 129 two weeks ago and now bounces back and forth from 132-137 lbs. Meh, it will work its self out.

Today was back and biceps, taking the couple of weeks off was good in some ways and not in others. I used mostly 10 lb weights for biceps and 20 lbs weights for back. I was only able to get three exercises in for each body part and 3 reps, once I was done with dead lifts I couldn't do much more. Burned 240 cals. I think I will go snag a can of tuna and put some Thai Chile sauce on it, at least I will up it to 1400 and 134 grams of protein.

[Echo814]

I am not sure what to believe on my weight anymore. My home scale puts me at about 130-132 on any given day, it's within a half pound accurate with dumbbells, yet every other scale digital or medical has me at 141 lbs fully clothed so I say about 138 lbs. I guess I really am that big and maybe have convinced myself I'm not? It doesn't make sense with my measurements and clothing size, I am not muscular at all. With this news I think my cut will need to last longer than 3 months.

[Lckymii]

Hey, welcome to the boards. Since no one responded I thought I'd give my two cents...
I can't wait to see you suceed on your journey
First off: You aren't big. You look like a fit, healthy woman to me!! That said.

Weight is variable throughout the day. So weigh yourself in the morning after you visit the toilet and use that as your yard stick. I bet if you put all of your clothes on right after this you'll see at least a three pound difference in weight. Drink a bit of water and have a meal and it gets even more fun. So don't let it bother you. Go by how you look and how your clothes fit and the weight in the morning if you must weigh and go from there.
Also a good thing to do so the scale doesn't freak you out if you have weigh ins, is to track your morning weights every day. You'll notice that time of month, food choice, water levels etc all effect your weight any given day. But if you are on track with your eating plan etc the general trend will be in the downward direction. Ex: 138, 139, 138.5,138, 137.5,139,137 and so on.

[Echo814]

Thanks for the input. I guess I still view myself as 173 lbs and border line obese. Most of my adult life my weight has fluctuated by up to 50 lbs. This is the first time I have maintained a healthy weight for longer than a year, without it going to high or low. I do need a new scale though since every other one puts me at 140 lb. I was so happy when I thought I was close to being in the 120's and now I have even further to go. Oh well, maybe I am just worried over nothing, at least I look firmer at 138 then 123 lb.

[Echo814]

Good news! Today my hubby and I joined a gym and plan to start working out on Monday. We both have a lot of work to do but I think this will be a great thing for us both. I need to find a workout plan that will fit both of our needs, he wants to drop 30 lbs, I need to lose about 13. We plan on going 5 nights a week, three days concentrated on strength and two days of cardio or circuit training for the days that I don't get out of school until 6:50pm. We will be following the same diet I have been on but it will be easier with us eating the same food now. I can't wait actually be able to to do bench presses, squats with heavier weight's and try out some exercises that I have seen on the site.

[Lckymii]

I hear you about the weight thing, but in the end it is all relative to how you look . You could put on 10 lbs of muscle and be that much heavier but look fabulous!
Congrats on getting a w/o buddy and gym membership. It is so much fun to lift heavier- I hope you have a blast. I think you will def see some physique changes too

[Echo814]

I hear you about the weight thing, but in the end it is all relative to how you look . You could put on 10 lbs of muscle and be that much heavier but look fabulous!
Congrats on getting a w/o buddy and gym membership. It is so much fun to lift heavier- I hope you have a blast. I think you will def see some physique changes too

I wouldn't mind this weight if it was mostly muscle, I think my main hang up is the way I look vs the actual weight. I want my arms to be the same size, but not jiggly same with most of my body. I came to a realization that its not the number on the scale that I am most upset with its the appearance of my body. While I know that half of North American women would kill to be my size, I have been overweight for most of my adult life, been average for over a year and now not content with being "average".

My husband and I want to be healthy as we get older and not have to worry about health risks. It will be much easier with him on board. Tomorrow is our first day, I think we will do their 30 min circuit since I won't be out of class till 7pm. I need to decide if we should to full body to start off with or keep the two body part split.

[Echo814]

Last night was a big hot mess at the gym. Way to many people and not enough machines. We tried doing this 30 minute circuit they have designed around a stop light and numbered stations. You are supposed to move to the next station in numbered sequence when the light turns red, good system if people actually read the instructions. Two girls would camp at a piece of equipment and tie it up for several turns. Eventually my husband and I got fed up and left the area after I said rather loudly that it was rude of people to not move when they are supposed to. All the cardio machines were taken so we did some light warming up and hit the weight machines for back and legs. Surprisingly people were more polite in that area and actually moved off the machine when they were done. We are going to try to get there later in the evening to see if the mad rush at 6pm dies down.

[irish0418]

Yeah, I can't go to the gym during the "prime time" it sucks! You constantly wait for equiptment and it's more of a social hour for these people than working out!

[Echo814]

Yeah, I can't go to the gym during the "prime time" it sucks! You constantly wait for equiptment and it's more of a social hour for these people than working out!

There was group of about two guys and three girls that were on the ab machines just talking for while and not doing anything. We didn't even try to get into the free weights area because the sheer number of people in there. I don't know why people get gym memberships if they are not going to use them. Maybe they feel that if they are talking to friends in the gym it will magically make them get in shape?

[irish0418]

There was group of about two guys and three girls that were on the ab machines just talking for while and not doing anything. We didn't even try to get into the free weights area because the sheer number of people in there. I don't know why people get gym memberships if they are not going to use them. Maybe they feel that if they are talking to friends in the gym it will magically make them get in shape?

haha...I've seen it so many times too!

Just curious, how did you lose bf to begin w/? You said you were much heavier so just wondering how you did it?

[Echo814]

haha...I've seen it so many times too!

Just curious, how did you lose bf to begin w/? You said you were much heavier so just wondering how you did it?

Umm, I am not proud of it, but three years ago I had a bunch of crap happen to me in a six month period which ultimately triggered depression orientated anorexia ( I don't remember much from Oct 2006-May 2007). I dropped from 173 lbs to 123 lb in under six months, after getting off of certain medications, therapy and meeting my awesome husband I got better. After that I gained 18lbs, some was muscle I believe, I only went up one pant size, I think my body wanted to get some mass back on. From about July of 2008 to September of 2009 I was trying to lose fat by being stupid with 1000-1100 calories a day and 500 calorie workouts and unintentionally developed exercise bulimia.

The good news is my experiences have inspired me to help others so I am going to school for nutrition and fitness plus nursing. Figured either one would be good to have.

[medjen]

Subbed!

Don't let one crowded gym session get you down!

It's early (or mid Yikes!) January so you get a lot of resolutioners. Eventually, it should settle a bit into a more manageable crowd.

You're right in that 6p is pretty much prime time. Everyone gets off work at 5, drives to the gym and works out in that time period. If you can go at a slightly different time (later always worked better for me when I belonged to a gym) you should be able to offset that rush.

What's your plan/split at the moment?

[Echo814]

Thanks! I have been meaning to meander over to your journal gonna do that soon lol.I have been trying to figure out what would be best. I was thinking a two body part split three days a week and two days cardio to start. Back/biceps, Legs/triceps, Shoulders/chest type of thing.

Last night was kinda testing the waters so to speak. Didn't get a great workout in, but it was still good. I was amazed at the low weights most of the women had the machines set to. I think in a couple of weeks the mad rush of the new year will die down. It's a new gym and cheap so everyone joined up, luckily I can go to the other two locations in town if need. be. I figure eat diner when I get home from school wait till about 9pm and go. Since my husband is thankfully working in town again he doesn't have to go to bed so early.

[medjen]

Thanks! I have been meaning to meander over to your journal gonna do that soon lol.I have been trying to figure out what would be best. I was thinking a two body part split three days a week and two days cardio to start. Back/biceps, Legs/triceps, Shoulders/chest type of thing.

Last night was kinda testing the waters so to speak. Didn't get a great workout in, but it was still good. I was amazed at the low weights most of the women had the machines set to. I think in a couple of weeks the mad rush of the new year will die down. It's a new gym and cheap so everyone joined up, luckily I can go to the other two locations in town if need. be. I figure eat diner when I get home from school wait till about 9pm and go. Since my husband is thankfully working in town again he doesn't have to go to bed so early.

Come visit! I have pretty formatting! hehe.

One thing to consider on your split (not sure where your rest days are) but triceps are a common synergist/stabilizer for chest exercises. If you find your chest day isn't going as well as you'd hoped, you might shift your tricep work to a different day (I'd do chest/shoulders/triceps...actually I DO chest/shoulders/triceps) and leave legs on their own and see where that gets you.

[Echo814]

I might give that a try. I space the workouts as strength one day, cardio the next, I don't like cardio messing with my strength workouts and sometimes I wear myself out where I can't to cardio after weights, not HIIT anyway lol.

[Lckymii]

Just popping in to say hi!

[Echo814]

Just popping in to say hi!

Hey Lckymii! Thanks for popping by!

[medjen]

I might give that a try. I space the workouts as strength one day, cardio the next, I don't like cardio messing with my strength workouts and sometimes I wear myself out where I can't to cardio after weights, not HIIT anyway lol.

This is why I rarely do cardio.

My CV capacity has probably gone to crap compared to the days where I hit the treadmill 3 days/week, but I'm leaner so it's a bit of a toss up.

If I were going to hit some serious cardio, I'd have to eat a lot more.

[AustJulie]

I hate cardio either , i burned so much more calories just lifting then if i run one hour on the trendmill....

[Echo814]

Been doing great going to the gym the past few days. We are starting to get a more structured workout thanks to going later in the evening. I did something awesome last night, I never knew how much I could leg press and did 130lbs plus my body weight. I know that it kinda doesn't count, but I tried it without weight and could feel resistance so I think I am pushing at least some of my body weight. We haven't done much cardio other than 10 minutes to warm up and five minutes to cool down, today we will probably go for a short cardio session 30 minutes or so. Next week we are going to buy a new scale to get accurate weights on both of us. Eating for the week has been good, though a bit tough for me thanks to my wacky school schedule lol. I have been between 1400-1600 cals, I hope this doesn't hinder weight loss, once I buy a cooler for myself I think it will be easier.

[Echo814]

Last night had kind of a cheat meal. We went to a bar with some friends, we ended up splitting a Bison burger and green chili cheese fries. After we left at 1am we decided we were still hungry so we hit up IHOP with a couple of our close friends. I behaved myself with a baked chicken entree with steamed broccoli but hubby went with a huge chicken fried steak, eggs, pancakes and hash browns. He couldn't eat the whole thing thankfully, made me kinda sick looking at it lol. Today is cardio if we can drag ourselves out of the apartment.

[Lckymii]

Way to go with your treat!

[Echo814]

Thanks! I am proud of myself for that lol. I know it probably wasn't the best thing but it was better than most on the menu. I think I will start posting actual workouts and at least a break down of my food intake. Now that we are getting a more structured workout schedule and not going all nutty because we are excited, I can get numbers and see gains. Since hubby wants to try to get everything in Mon-Fri I figure if we space body parts out we can do a five day split since we are new to lifting and not in "heavy" numbers yet. Today is legs and tris so lets see what we can do

[medjen]

Definitely post up your workouts if you're looking for feedback. The more people know about what you're doing, the more they can help and give useful suggestions.

[Lckymii]

I agree ^ if you want to get more structured posting is a good way to get feedback.
Seems like a lot of great changes so far, good job!