Thread: Michelle's Journal

What about your glutes?

Dunno! Tell me what I should be doing, please! :-)

I got my split from BFFM, and I just double checked and glutes are not listed!

Reverse hypers, lunges, band squat thrushes......The last one is weird looking!!!!

You take your bands...wrap around one side of a poll (close to the floor) squat down, grab the ends of the band (left hand holding left side of band and the other for the right hand), Hold the bands FIRMLY towards your pelvic region and walk out as far as you can yet still have control of your balance......then you squat as if you were sitting down in a seat, quickly stand using the heals of your feet, and thrust your hips while squeezing your glutes forward. This goes pretty quick and you wont to do at leat 30 reps .....3 or 4 sets should suffice........

The bands should be between your legs the entire time. Like when you're walking out, you're walking out while the bands are in between your inner thighs.........

I'll see if there are pics of this routine out their. This is something my PT and I thought up ....so chances are, I may not be able to find pics of this...Sorry.....

I can say it works though and YOU'LL def. feel them the next day, if not later on the same day

Sounds good, thanks! I don't have any bands - any particular kind I should look for?

I think you can get them from

www.jumpstretch.com

You cannot get these bands from your local stores...You'll need to buy them online. These are REALLY thick so they won't snap!!!!

You can do SO many routines with them...I also like doing leg kicks using the bands....awesome!!!!

Friday food:

#1: 2tblsp oats, 1/2scoop whey, 1/2 apple, 1 egg white

---workout

#2: 1/4 c oats, 1/4c all bran, 1 sccop whey, 3/4c berries

#3: salad (romaine, spinach, tomato), 3/4c chicken, 1 egg white, 1 tblsp low-fat dressing, 1/4 apple, 1 teasp pb

#4: carb countdown yogurt, 1/4c chicken, 1 scoop whey, 1cup Total Protein, 1/4c berries, 1/2 tblsp walnuts

#5: 1/2c turkey breast (not lunchmeat), 1/2c cottage cheese, 1c broccoli, 1/2 sweet potato, 1 fish oil cap

#6: carb countdown yogurt, diet cocoa, 1c broccoli, 1/2c turkey, 1 fish oil cap

Michelle diet looks great!
you may want to add in a few moe fish caps though. aim for at least 5/day!

Saturday workout:

Shoulders, biceps, triceps

1. Side lateral raise - 3x15x20lbs, 3x15x15lbs

2. Dumbbell overhead press - 3x14x20lbs each hand

3. Barbell curl (substituting dumbbells) - 3x7x40lbs, 3x9x30lbs

4. Tricep pushbacks - 1x20x25lbs, 2x15x30lbs

5. Seated dumbbell curl - 3x7x20lbs, 3x9x15lbs

6. Overhead tricep extension - 3x19x35lbs

Cardio - highest incline treadmill - warm up 5 mins, run 3&1/2mins, walk 1&1/2mins, repeat 5 more times, cool down 5 mins. Total: 45mins.

Saturday food:

#1: 2tblsp oats, 1/2scoop whey, 1 apple

----workout

#2: 1/4c oats, 1/4c all bran, 3/4c berries, 1scoop whey, 6 egg whites

#3: 1/2 whole wheat pita, 1/2c tuna, 1 tblsp low-fat mayo, onion, mustard, 1 apple, 1 teasp pb

#4: 1/2c cottage cheese, 1c total protein cereal, 1tblsp walnuts

#5: 1c broccoli, 3/4c salmon, 1/2 sweet potato, 1/2c total protein

#6: diet cocoa, salad (spinach, romaine, tomato), 1/2c salmon, carb countdown yogurt

Sunday:

Rest

I'm getting very discouraged here. I'm spending a large amount of time and effort on this (exercise and diet) and if anything my body is looking worse - it appears I have added a little bit of fat around my abdomen and hips. I'm not sure of the exact time frame but it's been about 6weeks since I started working on the progressive strength training so I should be seeing some results or at LEAST staying the same. I should NOT have to work THIS hard to move BACKWARDS in progress. <sigh> So, WHAT am I doing wrong?? Am I just plain eating too dang much???? According to BFFM I could maintain at around 2600cals/day. And yet here I am *gaining* at 800 LESS than that. (And it's NOT all muscle judging by my appearance). Please help me before I go insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you taken any measurements with a tape measure? Or are you going by the scale? Sometimes when we begin working out, we will gain weight at first on the scale. This is because the muscle will weigh more than fat. Also have you been doing a complete food diary listing the macros on what you are eatting to be sure you are actually taken in the amounts listed?

Please don't get discourage. We can help you figure this out. There's lots of good peeps on here full of info to help you along.

Hi Michelle! Cheer up hunnie!
great advice Jodie!!
have you take measurments? are your clothes fitting different? dont rely on the scale.. muscle weighs more than fat so sometimes the scale wont budge but your measurments and feeling of clothes will.
also do not despair, progres takes time! be patient and it will all pay off.
as for you feeling that you have add fat around your abdomen, are you taking in extra sodium? that leads to water weight gain and makes you feel puffier as well.
how many days of cardio are you doing right now? I see 45min sessions! yikes, could be too much! when are you doing it? not around your weight training I hope...

hang in there woman!

Originally posted by MrsMiche
I'm getting very discouraged here. I'm spending a large amount of time and effort on this (exercise and diet) and if anything my body is looking worse - it appears I have added a little bit of fat around my abdomen and hips. I'm not sure of the exact time frame but it's been about 6weeks since I started working on the progressive strength training so I should be seeing some results or at LEAST staying the same. I should NOT have to work THIS hard to move BACKWARDS in progress. <sigh> So, WHAT am I doing wrong?? Am I just plain eating too dang much???? According to BFFM I could maintain at around 2600cals/day. And yet here I am *gaining* at 800 LESS than that. (And it's NOT all muscle judging by my appearance). Please help me before I go insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God, this sounds exactly like me.

The scale has stayed the same, which doesn't surprise me, but I'm also measuring with a tape measure and no progress there either - in fact there have been slight increases in my saddlebag area, my waist, and my gut. No increases in sodium to my knowledge.

So are you saying that if I were to, say, cut my cardio in half, I might actually see BETTER results? I just don't get it, please explain how/why?!?! And I'm doing it immediately following my weight training - is that an issue? I do cardio 5-6days/wk. Prior to getting serious about weight training, I was doing cardio for 60-90mins/day 6days/wk (and weight training about 35min 3x/wk). So I've already cut WAY back on my cardio because now I'm doing 30-45mins day 5-6x/wk. The whole reason I made the switch to more weights and less cardio is to try to get my body fat down and slim up a bit more.

Someone told me recently that if I wanna look like a runner (thin), then I should TRAIN like a runner. UGH. There are so many different philosophies - I don't care WHAT I have to do (besides starve and be unhealthy) - I just wanna know what WORKS.

I haven't been calculating my macronutrient breakdown, but looking back at my journal I can't imagine I would need more protein unless I went to something like carb cycling and some no carb days.....?

I'm starting to think maybe I just work too hard and am too rigid with my eating, OR I just didn't draw the genetic card that I want!

Thanks to all for your patience with my continued ranting!!

Michelle,

By tracking your macros, you can find out if you are eatting the right amount of calories and the breakdown of each for carb, protein, fats. It's usually in the diet where the issues begin. Jodi has a good site in the cut, bulking sticky that can give you a breakdown of the foods you eat. Try keeping track of that for a few days to see if your getting too much or too little of something...

Oh, I AM counting my calories. Everything that goes into my mouth gets written down on a big tablet that I keep on my counter next to the fridge. I've been doing that for literally YEARS. It gets old but I'd more than likely be about 300lbs now if I wasn't counting my calories. So it's not a question of counting them - it's a question of HOW MANY should I be eating?

I've only changed my diet for the better (gave up cookies/sweets as of January) and eating ever more protein instead. Aside from the calorie issue, do I still need to count my macros and if so what is the magic ratio??! :-D *Given a diet very similar to what I've been posting in my journal entries*, would some sort of tweak in the macros really make enough of a difference to start seeing progress? It just doesn't seem like there is that much there to change unless I were to go to a very low carb plan??

I'll go back and read that sticky again tomorrow. Just not in the mood right now! ::::crank, crank, crank:::::::::

hmmmm how about trying something like this:
one training days (weights) stick to the menu that you have been. but on rest days cut out the carbs in two of the meals.
just to kinda shock your body a bit see how that goes.

are you doing any HIIT cardio? (intervals) ? Im going to suggest making 3 of your cardio sessions like that, for 25-30mins and then add 1 more cardio session if you "must" (really dont think you need it) but makie it mod pace, 40mins.

keep you head up girlie! theres ways to bust through plateaus!

Hi, Michelle --

The unfortunate thing is that what "works" varies, from slightly to widely, from person to person -- and even in the same person, depending what you're doing.

And yes, if you want to look like a runner, all lean and wiry, you do need to train like one, unless you are one of those born bony. Runners, generally, also thrive better on a diet higher in carbs and lower in protein than those who focus on strength training. (At least, I did when I was doing a lot of distance running. When I took up lifting, without initially changing my diet, there was a certain amount of fat increase at first.)

HIIT cardio is a great option, too. Kicks butt, with the added bonus of not taking as long.

Looking at your diet, I'd say, since you aren't carb cycling and also aren't taking your calories down terribly low, that a refeed is probably unnecessary (although a weekly "cheat" or so might help with sanity and most likely wouldn't affect general progress). Atherjen's suggestion of dropping carbs in the last few meals on "off"-training days might be productive; it was for me, and isn't terribly painful. I've also found that a general lack of carbs in the final meal always seems to be a good idea for my bod.

When I tried the straight BFFM plan, I also gained some weight and bodyfat. (Which was not, at the time, a dreadful thing, as I put on some muscle as well.) After reading some John Berardi, I started separating carbs and fat ("play in separate rooms, boys!") and that had almost immediate positive results. My meals now are either a combination of protein and carbs, low-fat, or protein and fibrous carbs (green or low-cal veg) and high-fat -- so with the second sort, I'll have either a fatty protein (salmon, e.g.) or another source of essential fats.

For a sweet final meal, my current favourite is egg whites, beaten to a meringue with Splenda, and possibly drizzled with some Splenda-sweetened syrup. More complicated options include a kind of souffle-cake affair made of grated, drained zucchini or canned pumpkin, with the Splenda'd beaten whites folded in, and baked (a bit more bulk to these ones!) You can even simply microwave or scramble the whites and add the syrup, or a combo of Splenda and spices (eg cinnamon) and maybe a sprinkle of Butter Buds. I found this a bit too Spartan for my tastes, but then even in my extremity I am only here for the food. Or, of course, there's always sugar-free Jello. A rather pleasant thing to do with that is to mix the package up with the cup of boiling water, and let that stand to cool off a bit. Meanwhile, mix up a couple servings (whatever your serving is) of vanilla whey with cold water, and then stir into the Jello mix. Chill until set. Voila! two servings of creamy dessert-type protein stuff! Often separates into attractive layers, too.