HIIT vs constant cardio

[claire]

I don't think they are trying to persecute you but help you get a plan. I have not read the shadow plan but have read many of Shadow's post and he gives great advice and is extremely helpful.

I have 4 children and a husband to cook for. They do not eat what I eat. I make my meals seperately. If I do not have time to cook for myself, I just have a protein shake. I agree with the others that the diet is extremely important. When I joined the gym I gained 10 lbs. I didn't start changing my body until I changed my diet and started lifting more weights and less cardio.

I always lift weights first then do cardio.

Don't let the guys at the gym intimidate you. I see it all the time. The new girls in our gym are nervous around us. But anyone in my group would answer questions or help them. I am definitely considered a meathead. Don't let them hold you back from your goals.

Your food looks good to me but my food plan is not perfect. Is your dinner after your workout? Post workout meal is the best time for rice or pasta. You are better off with brown rice and whole wheat pasta.

Good luck!
Claire

 

[the-short-one]

definitely not saying the Shadow plan is the ONLY way. there are many ways - but they all involve plans - and you said you were "crap at keeping to plans." lol I think that's where the confusion started.

no matter what plan you chose, you will have to stick to it. I think that's the most important point all of us are trying to make.

 

[jenscats5]

Diet:
Breakfast
Eggs whites
Oats
Lunch tuna / chicken veg
Dinner Quorn / veg sometimes pasta or rice
Snacks - hazelnuts and fruit
Protein shakes

I train Thursday to Sunday

Also - surely the Shadow way is not the only way, I feel like I'm being persecuted, just cos I'm not willing to follow his plan. I only wanted advice.

We are NOT persecuting you - it's just that we know how flexible (yes it is!) Shadow's plan really is.....it may take some time to set it up & get used to it, but it's worth it in the end......and it works!! That is why we recommend it so much. Plus it's easy to live with!

I never got to look the way I wanted to look until Shadow hooked me up with how to eat - I was doing the weights & doing the cardio (which you DON'T have to do every day in the morning - 1-2x a week is FINE) but my eating wasn't right so I was never achieving what I wanted......

Shadow's eating plan is a pretty basic concept of calories and ratios and many many foods fit into those ratios. My "Recipe Thread" has a lot of meal ideas based ON S's plan but the dishes are healthy.

Aren't you and your health worth it?? I'm sure your brother would understand and make a lil extra veggies or chop up some salad stuff for you.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Here are my thoughts, for what they are worth.

Nobody is persecuting you for not following a certain "plan". It is the general "vibe" you are giving off....that plans are impossible for you to follow, that you are not willing to go outside your "comfort zone" (i.e. intimidating free weight area) and you are not taking responsibility for your eating habits.

It is your life, your goals, YOUR body. If you cannot take responsiblity for what you put into it - then not much will help you. There is NOTHING wrong with telling your brother/mother/grandma/neighbor that you are trying tomake healthy choices. If the food your brother/sister/grandma makes is not heathy - why would you eat it? Why would you have your son eat it?

There is a HYUGE difference between eating competition-clean and eating healthy. Eating competition-clean means depriving yourself to achieve VERY low BF% levels fora short period of time. It is event-specific. Eating healthy is what EVERYONE should do. Eating healthy means eating a good balance of lean meats/fish, lots of veggies, healthy fats and complex carbs. Eating healthy is for a lifetime.

It is easy to sit down, as adults, and PLAN a healthy week's worth of food/meals. Not to mention, you can ALWAYS make your own meals. It is not difficult to make some grilled chicken and steamed brocolli. To say anything otherwise is a lame excuse.

Working out - it ain't rocket science. If you have 50lbs to lose, just get your ass moving. Don't worry about the minutia and details. Get a reasonable level of fitness and after you drop some lbs, then fine tune. For now, concentrate on MOVING most days of the week and fitting fitness into your life.

Here is a simple plan .....

Cardio 3-4 times per week, at a pace that is tough but maintainable for 30 minutes.
Lift total body 2 times per week, on non-consecutive days.

When that gets too easy, change it.

If you cannot hit the weightroom, buy some home DVDs. No excuses.

 

[T-Cake]

Here are my thoughts, for what they are worth.

Nobody is persecuting you for not following a certain "plan". It is the general "vibe" you are giving off....that plans are impossible for you to follow, that you are not willing to go outside your "comfort zone" (i.e. intimidating free weight area) and you are not taking responsibility for your eating habits.

It is your life, your goals, YOUR body. If you cannot take responsiblity for what you put into it - then not much will help you. There is NOTHING wrong with telling your brother/mother/grandma/neighbor that you are trying tomake healthy choices. If the food your brother/sister/grandma makes is not heathy - why would you eat it? Why would you have your son eat it?

There is a HYUGE difference between eating competition-clean and eating healthy. Eating competition-clean means depriving yourself to achieve VERY low BF% levels fora short period of time. It is event-specific. Eating healthy is what EVERYONE should do. Eating healthy means eating a good balance of lean meats/fish, lots of veggies, healthy fats and complex carbs. Eating healthy is for a lifetime.

It is easy to sit down, as adults, and PLAN a healthy week's worth of food/meals. Not to mention, you can ALWAYS make your own meals. It is not difficult to make some grilled chicken and steamed brocolli. To say anything otherwise is a lame excuse.

Working out - it ain't rocket science. If you have 50lbs to lose, just get your ass moving. Don't worry about the minutia and details. Get a reasonable level of fitness and after you drop some lbs, then fine tune. For now, concentrate on MOVING most days of the week and fitting fitness into your life.

Here is a simple plan .....

Cardio 3-4 times per week, at a pace that is tough but maintainable for 30 minutes.
Lift total body 2 times per week, on non-consecutive days.

When that gets too easy, change it.

If you cannot hit the weightroom, buy some home DVDs. No excuses.

Excellent post -- I'm a fan of blunt honesty.

Thanks for the simple plan for her, Daisy_Girl. It's exactly what I would have said.

Just to add something though... kids, I understand where Annie is coming from. It's really easy to get caught up in the "I'm too afraid of that part of the gym" attitude if you've never done it before. I was 50 lbs overweight last year and I read Body for Life before I met Ulter and he was helping me... so yes, it gave me some insight -- and I went to the gym and followed the charts int eh book and tried it out.

I did my cardio HIIT like Bill describes in the book, yes.

But was I seeing results? No.

Two reasons:
1) Diet -- It was okay but not balanced, and i was a WeightWatcher!

2) Most importantly... I just wasn't pushign the weights I needed to to see a big change. I was too afraid to use that side of the gym, to be by "those guys". To hear them talk and what they would say was just... wel, really turned me off to being anywhere near them.

Then Ulter brought me curgeo... and he came to my bym and showed me around... and THAT was how I finally got some courage to do it on my own.

Annie, I hear you -- it's hard. No one is coming after you -- but don't use the word "fail" here. Baby steps are understandable.