IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - My 35lb Cutting Journal

[Tennisgal33]

OK, Tuesday Day 2 check in:

Be kind. I will absolutely welcome feedback, good or bad...I'm being totally honest with this log so my injury and a few unresolved ailments will come up. My road to perfecting this is simply that...a road, but I'm on it.

Sleep: 5hrs (typical)

10:30 - 2 tbsp dry steel cut oats
.25 cup blueberries frozen
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup cottage cheese 1%
2 cups coffee, 2 tbsp 1/2 and 1/2 *ill stomach right after ??

GYM - 26 minutes LISS Cycling @ 11-13mph, 5.10 miles
28 min. walking @ 3.3-3.5, varied incline 1.5 miles (toe/foot pain started. Awesome!)

* sipped on xtend

1:30 65g tuna in water
1 oz avocado
2 oz shrimp, cold
2 tbsp psyllium

4:15 3 oz lean ground beef homemade patty
.5 oz swiss light cheese
4 pieces romain lettuce, tomato slices acting as the bun

7:00 1 scoop whey
1/2 cup frozen blueberries *fruit at night is bad, I know
1/2 med. banana
2 tbsp hemp, 2 tbsp dry reg. oatmeal

Short and sweet today. Foot/toe injury flared maybe from the 4 miles yesterday. It doesn't even like walking - sometimes walking is harder than running. WTF!!! Other days I can go like a bull!

Having serious gut/digestion issues the past few days again - but a regular issue for me and don't know why, so to eat was force feeding. Obviously will get those cals up a little more. FYI, have not been eating this low in cals...this is new the past two days.

Cranky about my foot, cranky about my tummy BUT I shall carry forward cause I can't be stopped

 

[Tennisgal33]

Totals from Day 2...

1132 cals

40g F 91g C 65g Net C 108g P

 

[dvoted]

GOOD Luck with youur seems liek your headed on the rite track, I too am starting to lose weight i want to drop about 19 kgs or so. So i kno how hard it can be!

 

[Tennisgal33]

Day 3...

6.5 hrs of sleep WOW!

11:15 Breakfast

.75 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 medium banana frozen
2 tbsp dry oats
1.5 tbsp hemp seed
.75 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop whey

1:30

Mexican scrambled wrap
2 eggs
1/2 tsp butter
1 whole wheat (weight watchers) tortilla
2 tbsp salsa
.5 oz avocado
2 tbsp psyllium

2:45
large take out coffee with cream and splenda...damn it!!

WORKOUT - LEGS (*not heavy, circuit burn)

Squats (wide) machine guided 20lbs x20 20lbs x25 20lbs x30
Leg press 50lbs x20 50lbs x25 50lbs x25
Leg extensions 20lbs x20 20lbs x25 20lbs x30
Hams (machine) 40/30lbsx10/10 40/30x10/15 30lbsx30
standing calf/shift position 20lbs x20 20lbsx25 10lbsx30
Single leg extension(Side) --x10 --x10 --x10

Spider kicks (red band) band x20 band x25
Plie squat on bosu 30 (which was fatigue)

20 min. on Elliptical, hard high/high resistance for final burn

5:00

Post whey shake and water

7:15
4 drumsticks (meat only)
1 tbsp olive oil (marinated over night with hot sauce)
2 cups salad greens, some tomato, cucumber
1.5 tsp mayo mixed with white balsamic vin

Maybe Yoga tonight to stretch these legs. Not sure...went to gym not feeling it, left the gym pumped! Feel like I could go again tonight but won't. lol

Cals: 1448
69g F 81g C 57 Net carbs 128g P

upped my cals, not sure if my fat/carb ratio is so good. Reads OK from Net. Feel dinner was kinda keto and shouldn't have had the earlier carbs. Honestly feel I get more energy (normally) from the protein/fat verses fruit/carb.

 

[caligirl85]

Welcome to EF! Great you started a log!

Is your primary goal fat loss at this point?

I have a couple of thoughts for you. I do think you are not eating enough for the amount of training you are doing currently and you have likely done some metabolic damage over the last few years. It can take a few months or longer to really get that turned around and the biggest thing is consistency. So like you are experiencing, your body may not respond right away.

I'll be honest and tell you I'm not a low carb advocate, unless it's in a contest prep diet. I don't think carbs are the enemy and it's more about carb timing then restriction. That being said, if it works for you, I'd just try to continue to increase your calories up to at least 1700/ day. I'd also limit the refeed days to once every 10-14 days, unless you're at a lower bf. Or...just do one cheat meal a week instead.

 

[Tennisgal33]

Welcome to EF! Great you started a log!

Is your primary goal fat loss at this point?

I have a couple of thoughts for you. I do think you are not eating enough for the amount of training you are doing currently and you have likely done some metabolic damage over the last few years. It can take a few months or longer to really get that turned around and the biggest thing is consistency. So like you are experiencing, your body may not respond right away.

I'll be honest and tell you I'm not a low carb advocate, unless it's in a contest prep diet. I don't think carbs are the enemy and it's more about carb timing then restriction. That being said, if it works for you, I'd just try to continue to increase your calories up to at least 1700/ day. I'd also limit the refeed days to once every 10-14 days, unless you're at a lower bf. Or...just do one cheat meal a week instead.

Thanks!! I bet this is true about my metabolism. I don't sleep much either and wonder if cortisol levels/stress playing an extra part in not letting the weight go. I have noticed a pattern in my logs in Jan/Feb/Mar. I go hard 2-3 weeks, then give into 'free' days higher in carbs for 3 days to a week around TOM and my energy slacks at gym. Funny thing is 'free days' are probably at maintenance, the odd over. Could this be messing me up? (probably an obvious answer) This is why I'm logging on here. Peer pressure! lol

I am low carb right now but NOT Keto. So not doing the re-feed thing. Thanks for backing up not needing it once a week. I will probably do 1 carb focused meal a week (cheat meal). More controlled.

No, I'm not a lower body fat. I'm hour glass and can kick it at even -15-20lbs lower, but...I feel husky right now. I see the muscle forming again in my shoulders and tri's when I flex, but there is soooooo much fat IMO. I see dimples on my freakin' triceps. Nasty. Arms are 12 inches and that certainly ain't all muscle!! I'm waiting for this miraculous WHOOSH I hear about.

1700...yikes...but I can understand this. I did more protein/higher fat today and I'm at 800 cals and I'm stuffed. Could I turn to a bowl of cornflakes and almond milk? Yes, but I feel I undo hard work eating carbs in PM. Could I do another chicken breast or piece of baked salmon. Nope!

Thanks for your encouragement and for saying hi! Very much appreciated. Feel free to jump in anytime!

 

[psizzle_8]

I agree w Cali completely. You don't need a drastic no carb diet, notice people who try fad diets, they are all double their weight from when they started!

It's a lifestyle change not a diet

 

[Tennisgal33]

Thanks ladies, totally agree and it has been until I hit the skids back in September. Always trial and error.

If I haven't gotten enough calories on a given day am I ahead of the game to eat a later meal, even if carbs with protein at say 11pm, in bed by 2-3am, up at 10am. Any thoughts? I work late many nights. I usually have my last shake around 9/10pm.

Any thoughts on calorie deficit during the entire week, verses daily? As said, I'm seeing a pattern of 1000, 1100, 1500, 1700, 1200, 1400 extremes during some weeks. (not all) This is probably confusing my body. I'm just trying to nail it down as to where I'm f*ing up. That being said, eating at 1600-1800 religiously in January the scale didn't move.

I know it takes time...but still finding n 8-10lb loss over 12 weeks S L O W. If I was closer to goal weight, makes sense, but I'm not.

 

[Tennisgal33]

Log Day 4

11:15
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup cottage cheese
4 cups coffee
2 tbsp 1/2 and 1/2 (This is gone tomorrow to see if it helps.)

2:00 (pre-workout)
Lg coffee with 1/2 and 1/2

3:15
xtend

WORKOUT

20 min. HIIT BIKING SPRINTS 6.4m :30sec and 2:00 recovery
30 min. LISS Biking @ 10-12mph
10 min. Rowing, LISS

6:00
cauliflower mash 6oz
with 1 tsp butter
3 oz salmon baked
.5 oz avocado, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 green peppers, 3 large olives, sliced, 1 tsp OO

9:00
1 scoop whey
2 tbsp light choc. jello mix
ice and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

10 - 8oz cups water (want to increase this if my bladder will allow)

11:30 (scheduled)

1 scoop whey and water

1113 cals
53g F 68gC 56g Net 92gP

 

[caligirl85]

Thanks ladies, totally agree and it has been until I hit the skids back in September. Always trial and error.

If I haven't gotten enough calories on a given day am I ahead of the game to eat a later meal, even if carbs with protein at say 11pm, in bed by 2-3am, up at 10am. Any thoughts? I work late many nights. I usually have my last shake around 9/10pm.

Any thoughts on calorie deficit during the entire week, verses daily? As said, I'm seeing a pattern of 1000, 1100, 1500, 1700, 1200, 1400 extremes during some weeks. (not all) This is probably confusing my body. I'm just trying to nail it down as to where I'm f*ing up. That being said, eating at 1600-1800 religiously in January the scale didn't move.

I know it takes time...but still finding n 8-10lb loss over 12 weeks S L O W. If I was closer to goal weight, makes sense, but I'm not.

Honestly, what you are describing dating back to your weight gain in 2010 is a lot like so many women who overtrain/ undereat for a contest and then completely lose it and gain weight back and then go up and down trying to get it off with little to no success.

1700 is the minimum I'd have you eating if I was working with you BUT...I think you have to build up to that. When you said you were eating 1600-1800 religiously in January, how long? It will take your body at least 2-3 weeks to adjust and I would suggest that you haven't been consistent for the time it's going to take you to fix your problem and get your body going again. Even the going "off" the diet and eating at maintenance for a few days will mess you up because you've been under eating for so long. And if it's dirty calories, it'll just store itself as fat.

My best advice to you is to hit 1500 min for a period of at least 3-4 weeks. Those binge periods come because you aren't getting enough overall nourishment. If you can hit 1500 for a couple of weeks, I'd start up'ing your cals by even 100 a week and see what happens. I don't think any woman should be taking in under 80 gs carbs, unless you're hitting the stage. However, again...just my opinions.

I know eating more goes against anything and everything you believe but once you get your body working for you instead of against you, you'll be surprised what the proper nutrition will do. I have been where you are now and it's very challenging to fix things and takes time. It's hard to have patience when you just want results. I've said this before on here but my first prep I started at 2350 cals/ day and ate till I was heaving. I never got below 1400 cals and that was towards the end of the prep. I lost almost 50 lbs in 23 weeks. We seriously underestimate how much we can eat and still see results.

You can also check out Biolayne | Official Website of Layne Norton and watch his latest blog on metabolic damage. Layne is one of my mentors and very well versed in this stuff.

PS most nutrition folks will say it's the overall intake in a 24 hour period vs the week that you should focus on.