Thread: W8Lady's First Day of Journal

Training especially the cardio seems a little excessive.

10lbs seems like a reasonable goal.

Post your diet, that is where acheiving your goals are either made or broken

How often should I do cardio?

If this is what you are doing right now, I would work on scaling it back over the next few weeks to 3-4 times per week.

Diet is your key though

I will do that, thanks.

Good job on starting your journal! I look forward to seeing your progress.

Thanks sftwrngnr......looking forward to showing off my progress!! Lady xoxo

Good luck. There are tonz of great people here to help.

Thanks again PreMier.....Off to do my workout......HIIT and Weights.

Ok people, in order for me to be successful at this, it is time I got honest with myself and with everyone out there that is curious enough to track my progress. Soooo, here goes....(I don't want to hide anything).....please be respectful with my trust and honesty because this is very hard for me to admit. Thanks!!!

STATS:

Age -37
Height -5'6"
Heaviest weight- over 300 during pregnancy
Weight when I started -258lbs
Current Weight this AM -225lbs

My weight has been going down, 38 lbs since Jan/05 but recently gained 5 pounds back....which is the main reason I'm here....I don't wanna go up, I wanna go down so I thought that I had better get pretty serious about this or I'm gonna die. My cholesterol is very high,(im hypo-thyroid and I take Synthroid daily) and the Dr. wanted to put me on drugs to lower my cholesterol...I said "No way" I will get it down myself. I had gestational diabetes during my pregnancy and that is putting me at high risk for getting Type II Diabetes (which my mom has). I don't wanna die from heart disease or diabetes so I'm getting real and honest with myself.....I'm gonna live for my boys. Aside from wanting to be healthy and active for my kids....I want to look smokin too!!!!!!!! Hahaha!!!

This morning I worked out for an hour and a half....

Lower body:
squats (with barbell) 4x12
stiff legged dead lifts 4x12
leg extension 4x12
leg curl 4x12
calf raise 4x15
crunches 60
leg raises 30

and I could only find enough energy after that to do the stepper for 15 mins.... 1 min easy, 30 seconds intense.

Breakfast: 175 g yogurt, 1/2 cut dried oats
black coffee

Please feel free to input any suggestions or opinions....all are welcome...

I have a digital camera.....Im wondering if I should get real brave and post some before pics so that everyone can see my progress as it happens....

YES! Pics are a must

it's good to see another lady in here...I will definetly be following along!

Post a typical diet for the day

What is your target calories for the day? This is probably the single most important thing you need to know. If you really want to be successful you need to track this and measure everything you eat and really know what your intake is.

Im still researching the diet aspect....there is a lot of info out there to muddle through. So far I have consumed 626 calories, 9.7 grams of fat, and 41.6 grams of protein. It is now 2:36 pm, not sure how much of what I am supposed to have at this point, still researching. For supper im thinking grilled pork with grilled peppers and carrots....??? I need to drink my water, which is a problem since it makes me feel sick. I have taken 800mg of vitamin C, 1,200 mg Omega 3-6-9, and vitamin B complex and my Synthroid meds. Not sure what else I should be doing....any suggestions???

I am not to sure about the thyroid meds and how they relate to your diet

But your Cals seem way to low. Restrciting your Cals this much can't be benefical to getting your Thyroid moving again

I still have supper and evening snack to eat lol....as far as the thyroid meds...that was an appetizer.....I take my tyroid meds first thing in the am, this way I have a full hour in which I am not allowed to eat....thus being the perfect time for me to optimize my workout program. I heard its best to workout before breakfast...so, I got that down right....now its to find out how many cals, fat, protein, etc. that I should consume daily. Still in the process of figgerin things out.....

No, you need to drink some protein or eat something before you work out, so you dont become catabolic in the middle of it.. and protein uppon completion. Have you read "The guide to cutting, bulking and maintenance" its a sticky in the diet forum. From your weight, you need to be eating around 2700 kcals. This way you can find your maintenance level, and lower from there. Remember you dont want to drop too much to fast.

Do you know how to use Excel?

Ok, here is some work done for you.

If you are going to eat 2700 kcals a day to find maintenance.. we will make your macros 33/33/33(you can have them whatever you want, but this will be for reference).

So.. 2700/3 is 900. So 900 kcals coming from P/C/F each. Thats 225g of protein and carbs, and 100g of fat ED. Split up into however many meals you will be eating(lets say 5), thats 45g of proteins and carbs per meal, and 20g of fat.

So each meal will have 180 kcals from P/C/F. Now all you need to do is find what to eat, and how much of it to eat for each meal(this is where Excel can come in). I have a spreadsheet that you can use. And if you dont know how to, you can always use www.fitday.com even though it isnt the most accurate, it will provide a point of reference.

Thank you PreMier.....You just helped to eleviate some of my confusion. Will post a diet in a day or two.....gonna work on those figures you gave me. Please, let me know what you think of the diet. Lady

I would suggest eating more of your calories earlier in the day, say before 3PM and then tapering intake down after that. Also, taper down your carb intake.

Thanks for the info...will do.

OK, for those who were following me.....I'm still here. Just a busy woman with very little time.....(part time school and two little ones) I want to go by the scale as to my success but I don't want my scale to tell me how good or bad I have been doing. Instead, I am going by what my body tells me. And so far, I am feeling muscles that I have never felt or long before felt. I am doing the "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women" workouts and doing very well. Three days a week of weight training and HIIT cardio on the stepper. I have supplemented my diet with Whey Protein Powder (Choc and Vanilla) as well as Multivitamins, Vit. E, C, B and Omega 3-6-9. I am doing very well.....I have my protein/banana shake in the am before workout, then I have some real food protein and carbs after my work out. I wish I could sit here and write down every thing I eat in the day but I have not totally got it down to a science yet. Still not cheating, but I find I don't eat nearly enough. Its very hard for me to stomach 5-6 meals a day, as well as consume all the water I need. I feel like a walking water balloon. However; I am keeping a food journal on paper and I think I am doing remarkably well considering.....

All in strides. Nothing happens overnight. You are making progress. That is excellent

My cholesterol is very high,(im hypo-thyroid and I take Synthroid daily) and the Dr. wanted to put me on drugs to lower my cholesterol...I said "No way" I will get it down myself.

I'd follow the Doctor's advice and get on the cholesterol medicine. Heart disease is the no. 1 killer of women. It would be a bummer if you died of a heart attack or stroke while trying to get yourself in shape. You can always go off of it if exercise and diet can get it under control. Also, take alot of fish oil pills (6 per day) to help you get an increased amount of omega-3, which can increase your chance of surviving a heart attack by as much as 70%. Not trying to stand on a soap box here, but just suggesting that you take advantage of what's out there while your most vulnerable.

Thanks....however, the doctor who recommended the chol. meds. also checked the research and said that the meds did not show any significant benefits for a woman in my age category (I'm 37) (Lipitor was what he was recommending). My mother, who has had a few strokes, and artery surgery is on the Lipitor. I would take them in a heartbeat, it they would work. For now, I'm taking Omega 3-6-9 and working out, I watch what I eat and live life as much as possible. I will have my cholesterol checked again in 6 months to see where they are....keep your fingers crossed. Again, with Hypothyroid, high cholesterol is a given; just sucks that it runs in my family. So, for now, I prefer to lower it by eating right, and exercising. If in the future I need the meds, I will take them.

Well, I wish you the best of luck with achieving your goals!!