Journey, Not A Destination

Quote of the Day

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.
 
brucev1162 said:
Yeah, I can tell.. Beth can see it too but the damn camera needs to be convinced! LOL I feel better and tons stronger.. so, I guess that's what counts, right?
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Exactly. Pictures can be deceiving. They say the camera never lies. I disagree. I sometimes can see pretty significant changes in the mirror. Especially during cuts, which I am doing now. Then I take a picture and I look like crap. I don't let it get at me. I know what I am doing is working. Plus, based on past experience, in the end I always end up where I had hoped!
 
OK i guess i'll have to cancel my flight to hawaii then - no point stalking if i'm not gonna get any eye candy treats :D


just to prove i can behave for a few moments - what's for dinner tonite?
 
you didn't hear the rustling in the bushes last night as I fell over - :) it was a great shot though but I'm not exactly a quiet stalker :)
 
Steve said:
Exactly. Pictures can be deceiving. They say the camera never lies. I disagree. I sometimes can see pretty significant changes in the mirror. Especially during cuts, which I am doing now. Then I take a picture and I look like crap. I don't let it get at me. I know what I am doing is working. Plus, based on past experience, in the end I always end up where I had hoped!
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I hear ya on the mirror thing.. I'm still lifting the way you told me and bulking up, at least I think so, the way I expected. Interested now on what you are doing to cut up. Care to share?? Stupid question, eh?

Oh, never passed congrats your way.. Have a blast on your honeymoon!! :)
 
Hey, Steve, another question:

I'm starting on my 3rd 18 day regimen today, and on the last week of that I'm going to "deload" as you suggested. The way I interpret this is to back off on the weights about 20%.

The question is, why? What does this do for you? And is it a typical thing you should do before taking a week off?
 
Steve said:
Then I take a picture and I look like crap.
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dude there is no way you could ever look like crap.........we are always are own worst critic...YOu could never look any less than amazing in my opinion!!!! and i bet your hunny would say the same!!!!
oh yeah by the way down to 179 today!!!!!! Yippie!
later bro!
STAR
 
so you're pretty hardcore... i decided there was nothing i could do but follow your advice if i really wanted this to work. so i'm making smarter choices and ACTUALLY counting the calories... and it's not nearly as hard as i thought it would be. actually what i'm running into now is that i'm only hitting right around 1200calories each day but i'm full with that much food. i decided to weigh in 3 times a week because i can't take the suspense of only once a week. so mon, wed, and fri. wed i was at 180.0 and this morning i'm at 178.8... so great. even if it is water, that's better than nothing at all which is what i was seeing before. anyway, my point here is that i asked you before is 1661calories was ok and you said if anything it was low. do you think 1200 is low? i feel ok with it. i'm still exercising a little each morning and making it through the day ok. i just wanna lose the weight, if 1400 would do it then 1200 would do it quicker, right? if i'm just basing it on how i feel then i'm gonna stick with where i am. just wanted a little advice. thanks so much for all your help so far!
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So, this is a PM I received from Sunnyday. I asked her if she minded me answering her in my journal b/c:

1. I despise the character limit of PMs
2. Others can see this as a lot of people still seem to be undereating.

so i'm making smarter choices and ACTUALLY counting the calories... and it's not nearly as hard as i thought it would be.
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Glad to hear.

I don't know why people fear counting calories. We were taught to count in 1st grade, or something like that. It's simple addition. I think the number one argument I hear about it is, "It creates an obsession with food."

For the sane individual, I disagree. I know many on here count calories every single day. I don't. I simply decide up front how many cals I need for my current goal. I then create meal plans to match that calorie need. Abracadabra, no more counting after that point. Just stick to the meal plan. :)

actually what i'm running into now is that i'm only hitting right around 1200calories each day but i'm full with that much food.
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You being full on 1200 tells me that you've been under-eating for a long time.

Why is under-eating bad? There are many reasons actually but the 2 main ones I consider are:

1. Sanity. Most people starve eating such a little amount. So expecting them to adhere to a 1200 calorie meal plan isn't going to work. It will lead to binging and hate for the plan. However, I have met people with very small appetites. This doesn't mean it's a free pass to under-eat. You still have a functioning body that warrants proper nutrition.

2. Sane weightloss. Losing too much weight too quickly usually leads to negative side effects. It could mean you are losing muscle along with your fat, which is never desired. It also means that your body is going to start resisting your attempts to lose weight a lot sooner, thus, cutting your dieting ability in half. And when the loss stalls, you don't have much room to create more of a calorie deficit since you are already under-eating. I always say, it leaves you no room to wiggle.

i decided to weigh in 3 times a week because i can't take the suspense of only once a week.
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Be careful here.

I weigh myself everyday sometimes. Other times, I don't weigh myself at all! But I NEVER get hung up on the number on the scale. I base my successes on so many other variables.

By saying that you are so full of suspense just to weigh (while I understand how badly you want to lose the weight), you are telling me that if the scale doesn't move over a moderate period of time, you are going to be upset.

If you are taking measurements on top of the weighing, and they aren't moving in the right direction along with the "static-ness" of the scale, then you should be upset. But don't let weight, alone, rule your emotions.

i was at 180.0 and this morning i'm at 178.8... so great.
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Congrats.

So you are approximately 180 lbs. I don't like to see people go much below 8 cals per pound of bodyweight in terms of caloric intake. Actually, I think a good place to be is 10-12 calories per pound on average.

You are between 6 and 7. Again, no room to wiggle.

anyway, my point here is that i asked you before is 1661calories was ok and you said if anything it was low. do you think 1200 is low?
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If I thought 1661 was on the low side, wouldn't you suspect that I would think 1200 is way too low? haha :p

Ideally, I'd like to see you up around 1700-1800.

if 1400 would do it then 1200 would do it quicker, right?
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At first, maybe. But what happens when you plateau. It seems like you are over-simplifying the body here.

When you restrict energy from our body, it begins to adapt. The initial stages of this adaptation is tissue breakdown and utilization. This is the basis of weightloss. Ideally, you lose all fat. In reality, this weightloss is comprised of fat and muscle. Maintaining muscle becomes a challenge the more and more you restrict your energy intake. This is the basis of why I don't like people under-eating, especially when they are not uber-obese.

Another big adaptation is the down-regulation of your metabolic rate. There is no way around it: As you lose weight, your metabolism gets slower and slower. However, by under-eating, you magnify this process. It happens faster. Sure, you can bust through a plateau by dropping calories even more, but you eventually reach a level where it is impossible to drop anymore without killing yourself, literally and figuratively.

You are already sitting at 1200, so, for the third time, you are giving yourself no room to wiggle.

Losing weight quickly is NOT the answer. Many people have trouble grasping this concept. They hate the extra weight and they want it off now. The weight didn't come on overnight, and you shouldn't expect it to come off any faster for the above reasons, plus more.

if i'm just basing it on how i feel then i'm gonna stick with where i am. just wanted a little advice.
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Basing it on how you feel isn't the answer. You body has already adjusted to eating this few calories. But where do you go from here? Suppose you want to lose 50 more lbs.

It is highly unlikely that 1200 calories will carry you to this goal. Your metabolism will down-regulate much sooner than this, thus, making a new break-even (maintenance) point where energy in = energy out. Now you will be sitting at say, 160 lbs, and maintaining that weight on 1200 calories. Where do you go from there? I know I am repeating myself, but hoping it stresses my point.

So what would I suggest.

I would systematically up your cals every 2 weeks or so.

It might look like this:

Week 1: 1350
Week 2: 1350
Week 3: 1500
Week 4: 1500
Week 5: 1650
Week 6: 1650

At this point, I would come back and we will decide where to go. The entire time you are ramping up cals, I HIGHLY suggest weighing once per week and taking very strict measurements once per week.

What you are eating also plays a major role in this whole process too. Sure, calories are the primary driver.... but I'd suggest getting in around 130-140 grams of protein in per day as well as at least 45 grams of fat consisting primarily of the good stuff.

Eventually, we should take a look at your exercise.... however, I don't want to throw too much at you at once. What are you currently doing in terms of exercise?
 
brucev1162 said:
I hear ya on the mirror thing.. I'm still lifting the way you told me and bulking up, at least I think so, the way I expected. Interested now on what you are doing to cut up. Care to share?? Stupid question, eh?

Oh, never passed congrats your way.. Have a blast on your honeymoon!! :)
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For my cut, nothing to exciting at the moment:

3 days of weight training, consisting of all compound movements... some in the 4-6 rep range, some in the 8-12 rep range.

Some calithenics twice per week

3 days of moderate ss cardio

minor reduction in food intake with tweaks such as a bump up in proteins and more veggies and efas

Eventually I will cut some more cals and let the nutrition play its part.
 
TomO said:
Hey, Steve, another question:

I'm starting on my 3rd 18 day regimen today, and on the last week of that I'm going to "deload" as you suggested. The way I interpret this is to back off on the weights about 20%.

The question is, why? What does this do for you? And is it a typical thing you should do before taking a week off?
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No, I would go straight into a week off. Then deload and work your way back up.

We do not get stronger on a linear basis, ESPECIALLY, when dieting.

The reason for backing off intensity/volume or taking time off is simple: It's all part of managing fatigue.

I recently made a post about over-reaching vs. over-training someplace on here. I will try and find it if you didn't see it.
 
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