debbie's log

[buffalogal]

Unfortunately, you might be stuck with boring! Just choke it down. Once you start seeing results, it won't bother you as much. Chicken, fish, lean red meat, low GI carbs and get the fat in too with your flax and nuts.

SG hit the nail on the head with this one. After a while, it will just be automatic to reach for the staple foods: chix, turkey, fish, etc. It will be so ingrained in you that you eat because you have to eat, not because you want to. And you'll eat what your body needs, not what your tastebuds want. May take a while to get there, but keep plugging away at it and you will. Good luck!

 

[Sassy69]

Hey girl, as I"m sure you are seeing, to get into the "fitness lifestyle" you need to get past a few misconceptions that are just the hardest things to break out of. I struggled w/ the idea of eating oatmeal for the longest time - this is something this weird old lady made us eat when my parents hired her to babysit us when they went on vacations longer than 3 days. She was like the evil step mother. Now I *LOVE* oatmeal. The couple things to try to let go of:
- Goals - yes we all get that you want to lose bodyfat & create lean muscle - I guess you can use the calories counting & burning numbers to guide you, but the reality is that you are trying to make the training, dieting & cardio part of your lifestyle so you will just do it and not get too hung up on the numbers. One draw back to the numbers is that if you follow the numbers plan tightly for say 4 weeks and you are seeing the results but maybe you are losing bodyfat where it is only visble in your upper body but not your lower half -- this is your body showing you how it deposits & burns fat, i.e. how it reacts to the changes you've made. That is part of what you need to discover and that will also guide your results.

- diet - yes the food changes may appear really boring, but as mentioned above - if you start out just thinking of food as the fuel you need to get your body to respond the way you want and not for taste or what you feel like eating, eventually it becomes just that - its time to refuel, so shovel down your protein ,fats & carbs. HOWEVER, because you aren't on a competition schedule you do have more freedom in the strictness of your diet - there are a HYUGE number of ways to make food taste better and make it more interesting even on a budget. Definitely check the Recipe Thread at the top of this board! Things I do include relying on spices like paprika, some very light salt mixes, fresh ginger, etc. I never used to use this stuff and now my food is fantastic when I use it. Water starts to taste REALLY GOOD when you drink it alot and when you train alot. I go thru phases w/ the diet soda, but I ALWAYS feel better when I drink enough water. If the taste doesnt' thrill you, then just focus on how much better you will feel as a result of drinking water.

- SALT will be a treat if you dont' use it often.

- You will just generally start feeligin better about everything after a couple weeks of honest sticking to the diet.

- Make sure you don't over eat, but eat enough so the training you do doesn't leave you exhausted. You should be sleepign really good and feeling energized in the mornning. IF you don't, then revisit your diet and see if there is anythign in your daily life that is tapping your energy - could be stress from job or anything else. Address that.

- Cardio - don't burn yourself out w/ lots of cardio. You can always increase 5 min / session if you want ot kick up your results a bit. That depends on how your body burns fat - for me I really need to pound the cardio to get results. I've gotten down to 8% bf w/ diet & 2x/day cardio. (But note that's extreme for competition and its not somethign you maintain more than 3 days)

Also w/ cardio you can change it up w/ intervals (HIIT) instead of just steady state cardio.

You are on the right track! You can review some of the programs that are listed in the "Are you new to EF Women's Board - START HERE" & "TOP THREADS - MUST READ!" stickies at the top of the board.

 

[trysohard]

for me I really need to pound the cardio to get results. I've gotten down to 8% bf w/ diet & 2x/day cardio. (But note that's extreme for competition and its not somethign you maintain more than 3 days)

yhis sounds interesting could you explain more please?
my bf is currently 32.8 im sure

 

[c3bodybuilding]

Wow, that's a ton of cardio. I would do a simple routine with a focus on compound lifts such as squats, chins (use assited at first or negatives if you can't complete them), rows, etc. Then follow that up with some mid level intensity cardio a few times a week for 30-45 mins a pop. I would recommend working your way up. but you seem to be used to all that cardio! You don't need machines and a ton of cardio to build a lean, shapely body, but squats and a good diet with proper ratios WILL go a long way!

If you want some routine help, do a search on Realgains and proper training. He made a *great* post on the womens board a few years ago, I only wish I had saved the link!

 

[Daisy_Girl]

yhis sounds interesting could you explain more please?
my bf is currently 32.8 im sure

Sassy is talking about getting ready for a competition. At such a low BF%, some people do cardio 2x a day to get the last little bit of fat off and to reduce water retention.

Not to mention, this is also coming from a woman who has spent YEARS figuring out what works for HER - through diet, cardio, and weights. She did NOT just start doing 2x a day cardio at the beginning of trying to achieve results ... this was ONE TINY thing in the scope of a HUGE plan.

At 32% BF, there is NO WAY on earth 2x a day cardio is the goal here. Changing diet and doing smart training is the way. Resorting to MORE cardio is not going to give you the results you want long term. I PROMISE.

 

[scorpiogirl]

I SOOOOO second that! Lift those weights and eat clean, Girl! Do it week by week.....you'll see the result, and you'll be so happy you stuck with it!