It's all about me

Val: looking forward to the day I can intimidate one of the guys in my gym too...just one of them....it took a year to stop getting slezoid "help ya out little girly" type comments, another six months to get general "acceptance" and basic friendliness (just basic mind you)..and I swear it's only been in the last month or so that I'm actually greeted, welcomed and adressed like one of "the regular guys". - it's a damn tough crowd:boxing:

Trusylver: I'm gonna be like you when I grow up...you are my new role model...it is a heavy responsibility...hope you're up to the challange:rotflmao:

Anna you know what really makes ya toot - bulgar mixed with peanuts my friend...lethal combination...I was in silent but deadly mode all night following that combo (I know, TMI but it was funny in a 10 year old sense of humor kind of way)

Lena & Tom Thank you, the slot faries saw your well wishes and responded with 777:rotflmao:
 
Hmmmmmmmm.....perhaps Florida is different culturally than Cali, I mean Santa Cruz Cali? I can't imagine men behaving that way in my gym. But it doesn't mean anything, I'm just slightly surprised/taken aback.

I've felt quite good because a lot of people at my gym have told me, "wow, you've come a long way, what are you doing?" Because I was chubby and then in 4 months I recompositioned my body to be lean and strong. However, by my own fault I have been gaining weight. But I'm not near overweight and I shall be more diligent. Anyway, I'll always look to your diary for support as I'm aiming for your state of being as soon as I can manage.
 
Val: Hmm, I don't think it's a difference in culture between SoCal and my neck of FL, so much as the culture of my gym. It's not a big facility and not a chain like Bally's. They only offer two classes - yoga & aerobics. We've just got one great big area of machines, two cardio rooms (one treadmill, one bikes, ellipticals) and two free weight rooms. The plate loaded weight room is kinda tucked in the back, it's like a little gym inside a gym. There's a hard-core group of long time "regulars", all male, all "big" guys - think "powerlift" for strength type vs "bodybuilder" for aestethic type.....and although individually nice, they are, as a group...slightly territorial....truthfully, I love it... and even I can laugh at myself and know the initial impression I must have made when I first ventured into the "big boys room", armed with my little red notebook (complete with stick figure drawings), trying to find a set of 10lb dumbells.

So, yesterday's food deconstructed & bolstered with shamless rationalizations:) - it's interesting how easy it is to rack up the calories - yet get so little volume/variety/nutrition - with crap on the menu:

fruits: 4-6 daily servings. 1 berry, 1 apple, 1 citrus, the rest chosen from:
apricots,banana, canteloupe, cherries, figs, grapes, papaya, pineapple, prunes, raisins, strawberries, watermelon
shamless rationalization: technically the lime wedges in my Corona count toward citrus

veggies: 6-7 daily servings, 2 dark green leafy, the rest from:
artichokes, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, califlower, chili pepper, daikon, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes
shamless rationalization: technically the lettuce, tomato, pickle and onions on my burger all count toward veggies...maybe the baked chips count toward potato

grain/nuts/seeds/legumes: 4-6 daily servings, 1 nut, 1 flax, 1 legume, the rest chosen from:
buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, oats (rolled or bran), pumpkin seeds, rice, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat
nut type: raw peanuts
whole wheat type: ww hamburger bun

dairy :1 daily servings chosen from:
yogurt, soy milk, cheese (any type)
cheese type: cottage cheese & cheddar

meat: 3 daily servings chosen from
chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
additional: protein bar

other: 1 daily serving each
olive oil
green or echitacea tea

optional: beer & rum
shameless rationalization: beer contains hops...I think that's a grain serving
 
shamless rationalization: technically the lime wedges in my Corona count toward citrus
so does that mean I can have a martini if I put a blue cheese stuffed olive in it - rationalizing that the dairy on thecheese and olive as fruit are good for me? oh man - you've just made my day :D
 
Okay...I'm inspired

I was only going to elliptical for 42 minutes but after reading your post and some others, I'm gonna climb back on my machine and finish off an hour. Your picture on the bike is awesome. I have nothing but respect for you!
 
I really think it's just societal pressure. Women are persuaded at every turn about what is feminine and what is not. Not that women slaving away over a treadmill or elliptical for hours is feminine, but it's much more feminine than loading up a metal bar with metal plates and grunting. I really feel like I'm in foreign territory regarding weights, and I fully blame society! In all of my spin classes the ratio of women to men (if there ever are any men) is like 8:1, and I think the guys feel as intimidated in these sort of classes as I do in the weight room. I know we've all discussed this before and that it's obvious but I just think it sucks. I wish I enjoyed lifting, and maybe once I get better at it, I will. But right now I just feel like someone is pointing a gun to my head and forcing me to do it :rotflmao: I might end up like your friend who just plain dislikes it, but I also might end up looking forward to pushing and pulling and grunting and straining. Congrats on the money Cym and I LOVE your shameless realizations ;) hahaha!!!!
 
I might end up like your friend who just plain dislikes it, but I also might end up looking forward to pushing and pulling and grunting and straining.
Oh, Sara, I hope it's the latter!!! I knew I was hooked for life about a year ago when I temporarily couldn't do any thing but cardio & crunches 'cause I'd injured my shouder doing upright rows (my form was wrong and the weight was too heavy...totally my own fault)....so I'm in the weight room doing my stupid little crunches on my stupid swiss ball, and looking at these guys all around me pushing and pulling and squatting...and I was so jealous I practically cried

Longrider: good for you!

Tom: I'm so looking forward to intimidating newbies...once I figure out how:confused: ...I was telling a friend that I felt like one of those super macho guys who swagger into bars looking for a fight just 'cause they know they could kick ass...but I'd have to walk in, lie on my back, put my legs in the air and yell "I can push any 210 pound guy in here up in the air"...not quite the same thing.:rotflmao:

Mal:you got it...and if it's an apple martini you can count a fruit serving....I think I'm gonna write an e-book "The Drinking Girl's Guide to Nutrition"

Purposefully did not adjust food intake downward to account for Tuesday's surplus...until/unless indicated otherwise (I guess next week's weigh-in), I'm going on the assumption that my maint. calorie range is slightly higher right now because of current work-out routine.

Wend's foods:
fruits: 4-6 daily servings. 1 berry, 1 apple, 1 citrus, the rest chosen from:
apricots,banana, canteloupe, cherries, figs, grapes, papaya,[[/B pineapple, prunes, raisins, strawberries, watermelon

veggies: 6-7 daily servings, 2 dark green leafy, the rest from:
artichokes, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, califlower, chili pepper, daikon, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes
additional: sprouts
squash type: pumpkin

grain/nuts/seeds/legumes: 4-6 daily servings, 1 nut, 1 flax, 1 legume, the rest chosen from:
buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, oats (rolled or bran), pumpkin seeds, rice, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat
nut type: raw peanuts
whole wheat type: ww egg roll wrappers

dairy :1 daily servings chosen from:
yogurt, soy milk, cheese (any type)
cheese type: cotage cheese & sharp cheddar

meat: 3 daily servings chosen from
chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
additional: protein bar

other: 1 daily serving each
olive oil
green or echitacea tea

optional crap (1 serving): sugar free cookie
 
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Ooooooooooh, I am jealous of your gym! I love being in the mix of one of the boys and impressing them. It definitely has me working harder. My gym is a chain with lots of different people going at different times so I only know one guy who I approached years ago about how to do an exercise and we chat about our respective love lives (I hear stories of him having sex on his office desk :rotflmao:), and I tend to always know all the trainers somehow. The gym in my neighborhood (you can use any facility in the chain) is a bit different and the layout is more mirrored and tight so you're constantly being seen and noticing guys looking. When you're holding it down with the form and going heavier you can see them being impressed and that's fun!
 
There's a hard-core group of long time "regulars", all male, all "big" guys - think "powerlift" for strength type vs "bodybuilder" for aestethic type.....and although individually nice, they are, as a group...slightly territorial.

Ha ha ha! I have become territorial in a way because I hate it when the men in my gym use up two stations at once, it's like, I understand but I want to use one of those stations now, too!! *whiny* Also, perhaps the lower bodyfat and subsequent loss of estrogen and possible surge in testosterone (just a "girlie" amount of testosterone ;) ) has made me so competitive with running and so territorial in the weight room. OH MY GOD I AM TURNING INTO A MEAT HEAD! :eek:


Not that women slaving away over a treadmill or elliptical for hours is feminine, but it's much more feminine than loading up a metal bar with metal plates and grunting.

:( There goes my femininity!

PSYCHE! Just kidding, Sara! :D Yeah I feel like a macha woman in the gym, but when I put on my mini skirt and go out....trust me, people know I'm a girl! :jump:


....so I'm in the weight room doing my stupid little crunches on my stupid swiss ball, and looking at these guys all around me pushing and pulling and squatting...and I was so jealous I practically cried

Oooh, ouch that would have been a big blow to my ego, that sounds like a bad time!! Good thing you recovered!
 
Yeah I feel like a macha woman in the gym, but when I put on my mini skirt and go out....trust me, people know I'm a girl!
Yup, 'tis my mantra: lift in the morning like a man so I can strut like a girl at night!
 
lol I agree it's silly, but trust me I can't wait to be as feminine as you ;) I swear, I become more flirty and confident with each lost pound.
 
Anna you know what really makes ya toot - bulgar mixed with peanuts my friend...lethal combination...I was in silent but deadly mode all night following that combo (I know, TMI but it was funny in a 10 year old sense of humor kind of way)

I quite enjoy fart humor on occasion, especially from people you least expect it from. I haven't decided which is funnier...silent but deadly ... or ... loud but proud...
 
Eeuuuuuuuuu 2Skinny!

Sara, once you have the hang of the weights and your form down and you start seeing results I bet you'll get hooked. After over a decade it gets boring at times though, but at first it was quite the fun thing. Again, big difference when you feel confident that you're doing it properly. I'm now looking forward to getting back to the weights starting in August. That would make it a few months of a break where I'll get more "pumped" about it again like Cym and Curvie. I'm so glad Cym and Curvie are out there being proponents of the weights though, I really do think it keeps your body looking strong and firm even when you put on a few extra pounds.
 
Sara: yea, funny how that happens...I noticed in myself. By nature I am a "flirty" person with guys...and I never mean anything by it...but that part of my personality was wiped out at my heaviest 'cause I had this uncomfortable feeling, like I didn't want the guy to think "OMG, is this fat chick hitting on me?"...and the more I lost the more that part of my personality resurfaced....

Blancita: I can imagine anything gets old after a decade....I have all these things in the back of my mind that I'm only moderately interested in now, but will look to pursue if my passion for lifting wanes....I'm totally non sports oriented but I think my personality would be suited for kickboxing, muay tai (that's pretty high on the list), rock climbing

So, I'm looking into the future...where do I want to be a year from now in terms of weight/nutrition/fitness? Weight: I want to be the same weight, give or take 3 pounds either way. That one's easy. And I want it not to be an ongoing struggle to maintain that weight...that part's not so easy...but I can feel it becoming a little easier every week - a combination of old habits being slowly eroded and replaced along with my hormones stabilizing. The first I have total control over, the latter, only limited control - just gotta stay patient and remind myself it's primarily a function of time, time, time.

]Nutrition Not 100% sure where that's going. A long time ago I thought that by this point I would limiting my meat sources to seafood and dairy with occassional poultry...Now, I just don't see that happening....the one thing I learned last week is that, for whatever reason, without beef in the mix at least 3 times a week, I just don't seem to feel or function as well.:confused: I do know the junk has to stay out.

Fitness: Gosh, I've go so many goals I'd like to arrive at a year from now it's not funny. Some of them are contrary...like I want to significantly increase my strength and I want to significantly improve my running speed...but I can't walk through 2 doors at once:boxing: I'm going to think about this a little bit.

Thursday foods:
fruits: 4-6 daily servings. 1 berry, 1 apple, 1 citrus, the rest chosen from:
apricots,banana, canteloupe, cherries, figs, grapes, papaya, pineapple, prunes, raisins, strawberries, watermelon

veggies: 6-7 daily servings, 2 dark green leafy, the rest from:
artichokes, avocado, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, califlower, chili pepper, daikon, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes
additional: sprouts & snow peas

grain/nuts/seeds/legumes: 4-6 daily servings, 1 nut, 1 flax, 1 legume, the rest chosen from:
buckwheat, bulgar, lentils, oats (rolled or bran), pumpkin seeds, rice, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat
no grain/nut/etc. servings today (on purpose)

dairy :1 daily servings chosen from:
yogurt, soy milk, cheese (any type)
cheese type: cotage cheese & mozzarella

meat: 3 daily servings chosen from
chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
additional: soy flour

other: 1 daily serving each
olive oil
green or echitacea tea

optional crap (1 serving): sugar free frozen pop
 
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Fitness: Gosh, I've go so many goals I'd like to arrive at a year from now it's not funny. Some of them are contrary...like I want to significantly increase my strength and I want to significantly improve my running speed...but I can't walk through 2 doors at once I'm going to think about this a little bit.

I'm struggling with this one too, except with biking instead of running. I'm not sure of the answer, either. So far, I'm mediocre in both! :)
 
Fitness: Gosh, I've go so many goals I'd like to arrive at a year from now it's not funny. Some of them are contrary...like I want to significantly increase my strength and I want to significantly improve my running speed...but I can't walk through 2 doors at once I'm going to think about this a little bit.

This link is part of a training program for an event i'm looking at for next year...
 
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