Katie’s Bodyblog

Progress is SLOW. And I am impatient. But I can tell that it’s definitely happening.

 Now, my food choices are much more automatic. It’s easier for me to say "no" to refined carbs, sugary desserts, etc. I am hoping I’ll get to a point where I truly don’t even want them (does this point exist…? Lol). And I’ve been doing more preparation regarding food: I buy and grill chicken in bulk so I’ll have it for the rest of the week, for example.

 Workouts have been going well. It’s really my favorite time of the day, in the gym. I don’t know where else I would release all my stress and frustration if I didn’t have the weight room. (Some of this frustration comes from all of the old guys in there who give me ‘looks’, like, ‘is this girl serious?!’. YES I’M SERIOUS, GRANDPA! Haha).

I need to start being honest with myself about my so-called "clean eating". It’s not 100% clean. Yes, I eat steamed broccoli — with ketchup. Yes, I eat fish — with tartar sauce. Thus, I’m not really eating CLEAN! I am trying to be more honest on my eating log and include every stupid little bite and sauce and condiment I consume. And I am doing my best to eat PLAIN chicken, PLAIN veggies, etc. Maybe it tastes bland now, but I am hoping my tastebuds will adjust.

 As for workouts … I did a killer shoulders workout in the latest Oxygen magazine and felt muscles in my upper back I swear I have never felt before! Thank you Jamie Eason! Haha.

Hello everybody!

 I found this awesome article on jenheath.com called 10 Keys to the Lean & Sexy Look. The title sounded cheesy, but it’s actually very informative and has really taught me a lot about the actual SCIENCE behind bodybuilding for women. It’s exactly the kind of information I’d been looking for.

Jen talks about how, after a certain point of eating this many calories and doing that much weight training, a woman’s body reaches a state of homeostasis and won’t develop anymore. This is where "cycling" comes in, which I didn’t understand before reading her article. After learning about it, I think I’m going to try a cycling program where I spend several weeks putting on muscle (and, inevitably,some fat), then a couple weeks "leaning out" to reduce that acquired fat. I’m excited to hopefully see some better results!

My eating has been pretty good I suppose. During the day I do really well, eating mainly eggs, whey protein, oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc., but the nighttime is my downfall. I wake up hungry in the middle of the night! It’s so frustrating. Working out has been going much better. Jen also made a point in her article about how vital it is to write down which exercises you did, how many sets you performed, and how much weight you used in each workout. That way you can really track your improvements and push yourself further.

That is a long enough post for today I think…. lol.

Well, today is my first rest day after seven consecutive workout days. I kind of have to force myself to stay away from the gym; I tend to push myself too hard. (Which is probably one of the reasons I get sick so frequently). But, if everybody on Bodyspace insists that a day of rest is not only necessary but beneficial, then I’ll do it! Lol.

I’ve been eating quite a lot lately. Last night was my cheat meal — (do other people do cheat meals, by the way? Is it a good or bad idea?) — at this awesome Italian restaurant, but it was too much for my stomach. I guess I’m getting used to the six small meals a day plan, and when I eat a big ol’ meal, my body isn’t used to it. That’s good, though, I suppose.

Regarding my subject line …. ahhh! I am getting so impatient with results! I feel like my body isn’t changing at all. My weight is staying the same, my abs still have a layer of fat that will not budge, etc. I miss the way results came so quickly when I first started training. Now they’re harder to earn, I guess. I suppose this is the reason I have a Bodyspace anyway, though… get motivation to keep going from other people who are, I assume, struggling sometimes like I do.

Since I got over the flu last week (yuck! miserable!), workouts and eating have been going pretty well. More so the workouts, though. After basically not eating for 3 days while being sick, I lost a couple pounds and lost my appetite. I didn’t want to eat any of the foods I normally love! All I wanted was greasy hamburgers and stuff like that, lol. I don’t know why…

 I worked out first thing in the morning a few times this week, and it’s fun. I like getting up when the sun has barely come up, and everything is still quiet and serene. The weight room is usually pretty empty around then, too. I do get kind of tired for the rest of the day, though… :-/

I did a great upper body workout today. I worked by biceps, triceps, shoulders, lats, etc, for about 45 minutes. Then I struggled through 20 minutes of cardio. The ladies on the forum were right: if you do enough lifting, you will barely have enough energy for cardio afterwards! Lol.

As for my eating, I’ve been getting lots of protein, which is good. Right now I’m eating a packet of tuna… delicious (NOT). Haha. And I’ve upped my calories from around 1200 daily to 1350 or so, since I’m trying to put on some muscle. We will see how that goes!

I hope everyone else is having great progress. I know that I, for one, need all the encouragement that I can get, lol.

I have been working out first thing in the morning lately (about 6 am, before my classes start), and I’m enjoying it. I used to feel like I was going to throw up after doing that much physical activity so early… but now, after a workout, I feel refreshed and proud to have accomplished something by 7:30 or 8 am! I think I’ll try to make it a habit.

 Tomorrow I have to drive a really long way I hate sitting on my butt for the majority of the day. Maybe I’ll work out super early, before I leave. Uggghhhh.

 Also, I took creatine for the first time today. I’ve been reading about it on the forums on bodybuilding.com, and many women seem to have success with it. Even now, I’m not 100% sure what it does exactly… lol.

Have a good workout everybody!

This past weekend, I went to the lake with my boyfriend and his family. It’s always a great time, and I always eat (and drink) more than usual. I really never have alcohol except when I’m there. I try to keep it to one or two Michelob Ultras only (I know the excessive calories in a lot of drinks!). But regardless, this week I’m going to try hard to eat super clean and get in some good workouts to un-do any damage I caused.

This evening I worked my lower body and it went well. I love that feeling of "I-can-do-anything!!" at the end of a good, hard weightlifting session. Sprinting is fun, too. I was reading in Oxygen that sprinting is good for the butt. I really wanna build up more muscle in mine!

 Good luck everyone!

This week I’ve upped the weight in both my lower and upper body workouts, because I’ve seen so many women say on their BodySpaces that heavy weight is key (and that light weight doesn’t really do anything). And oh boy, did I feel the difference the next day… I could barely write notes in my classes because my arms were so sore! Lol! But that’s exciting to me, because it means something is happening. I’m going to keep working hard this way, and I’m hoping by summer, I’ll have some noticeable results to show off!

 I am wondering, how long do most people lift weights total in one session? I’ve been exhausted after about 45 or 50 minutes of going at it pretty hardcore. Then when it’s time to do cardio, I have to be dragged to the elliptical machine because I’m so tired, lol.

I’m also wondering about supplements. I’m curious about the NO Xplode stuff, because I’ve seen it listed as a supplement on several other people’s BodySpaces. Does it really make a difference in your energy and stamina with working out? (I am a poor college student so I need to pick and choose what I spend on! Lol)

 Have a good day everybody

I was wide awake at 6 am this morning, so I decided to go work out. I worked my upper body and abs, and thought to myself, "This definitely won’t be as hard as yesterday", but it WAS! My biceps/triceps/shoulders/back were killing me with soreness (in a good way) all morning. I love feeling like I’m actually DOING something!

 My diet was pretty good today, but the hardest aspect of it is when I’m with my boyfriend’s family. His mom is a fantastic cook, but the real reason I can’t reject her food is that she’s so sweet and I know she’d take it personally. *Sigh*. Oh well, I guess you can’t win ‘em all, right?

 Have a great day everybody. Keep working hard.

I put up some new pictures today (very embarassing for me — I’m SHY!) and they really don’t look great, but oh well. That’s why they’re PROGRESS pictures, right?

Today’s workout was good: legs & glutes! Walking up the stairs after I was done was definitely a struggle, lol. I have been reading this special issue of Oxygen all about working your glutes, and it’s awesome! Great new ideas and inspiration. I keep wishing I had my own home gym, though… I don’t like people giving me looks (I don’t know if they’re good or bad looks, lol).

Yesterday sucked… I drove about 400 miles, plus took this super long class, so I’d basically been on my butt the entire day. Plus, since I was on the road, I ate only protein bars and a burger without the bun at Wendys (absolute last resort — I despise fast food!!). This week I’ll work hard on keeping my diet clean, though.

Have a good day, everybody!