Triple Fit!

I eat at a 20% deficit day because I’m lifting today.  Yeah!  I can use a few extra calories.   I find that 30% deficits are easy to handle.   It’s on those 30% days when I’m really tested.  Yesterday, I  was hungry right before bed time.  I listen to my body, so I had a glass of skim milk.  That eased my hunger pangs.  

I plan my meals the day before, so I don’t have to rush around.  I only started recording everything I ate about a month ago. Now I can’t imagine not doing so.   I can clearly see what nutrients I need to raise or lower and how to get the most out of each meal.   When I began, I noticed I was eating fat in the 20-25% percent.  Now I average between 14 and 18 percent.

I’ve gotten so good at macros that I was concerned about what I’d do when I travel.  I’m going to LA this spring and luckily our room has a full kitchen….and there’s a Trader Joes a little more than a mile away.  Now we don’t have a Trader Joes here in Florida, so I’m pretty excited.  How pathetic.  But what can I say…I really miss that store.  Anyway, at least I’ll be able to eat well while on vacation.  

I came up with a tasty combination the other day:  Strawberry Spirutein Whey whipped up in the processor with lite cottage cheese.  It tastes like a rich dessert.  Can’t wait to have some more after my work-out today.

My new weight training routine is the bomb!  I really felt the burn.  As I have weak knee joints and elbows, I concentrate on flexing my muscles, so I won’t have to lift as heavy.  This is where years of meditation have really payed off for me.  I really don’t want to get injured, so I have to focus on every movement I make…and not only at the gym.   I have a lower back injury that comes back to haunt me on occasion.   And I usually re-injure myself doing something that normally wouldn’t injure most of the population.    Here I am at the gym doing a difficult workout, and I feel great.  I go home and turn my head to say something to my husband and….ouch!  So I’ve come to learn that each movement I make must be focused on and controlled.   My husband has MS, and he says he has to do the same thing as well, or he risks falling.  I really don’t mind the extra effort as my mind has become sharper with all this extra concentration!

The one exercise that used to intimidate me…the pull-up…now doesn’t seem so impossible.  I bought a fifty pound resistance band to help me get started on pull-ups.  Phew…my arms were burning.  The band was a great purchase.  I couldn’t even get myself over the bar once before that.  I’m determined to work up to doing one without the band.  Hmm….some day.

My broad shoulders are narrowing.  I was concerned until I checked my body fat.  I would venture I’m somewhere between 24 and 25% now.  As I’m still getting used to the calipers, I still use an online body fat calculator for comparison.

Since last week’s weigh in, I dropped inches in my waist, shoulders, thighs and calves.  However, I gained in my forearms.   I can see the importance in measurements as my weight has remained the same.  It would have been discouraging had I not seen the complete picture.  Using an online calculator, I’m still at 25%.  With the calipers, I’m 24%. I’m using the caliper reading because I obviously am losing body fat if I’m dropping in inches.  I also know that water weight is a consideration.  But with these weekly weigh-ins, I’ll be able to track the trend and see what’s going on.

I’m now calorie cycling and cutting off carbs late in the day.  I’ve decided to further cut my calories.  On my weight lifting days, I’m eating  a 30% deficit  in calories…about 1675.   On my cardio days, I’m eating at a 20% deficit which is 1465.  I started my 30% this week, and I was concerned about feeling hungry.  Surprisingly, hunger really didn’t kick in until late at night.  I’m thinking of taking a few calories from midday and adding it to the evening to avoid feeling hungry.   Saturday is my high calorie day, and then I lessen a little on Sunday to prepare for the week ahead.

I also am changing  my workout.  I’m not really crazy about the body for life routine.  I’m going to do three full-body days as I’m still in the fat burning stage.  I want to make sure all my muscles are being hit so I don’t lose whatever mass I currently have.  So far, I seem to be losing more fat.  A good thing!

I also purchased Calorie King.  I love the software as it allows you to split your day into six meals.  I was getting tired of Fit Day because as I’d add and change  my menu for the day, all the foods would be out of order.   The drawback is Fitday records all the major nutrients.    With Calorie King, organization is simple.  I also love how I can store my own recipes into groups.  A wise purchase!

Here’s what I ate yesterday at a 30% deficit.  I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian, so my carb intake is a little higher.  I need to get a little more protein as well.  I added more to my meal plan today.

Target:  1465
Ate:  1475
13%fat
28% protein
59% Carbs

Meal one:

Kashi Oatmeal made with organic skim milk
Banana

Meal two:

1/2 cup yam
1/2  cup organic low fat cottage cheese

Meal three:

Homemade white bean dip on whole wheat pita crisps
Veggie Juice

Meal four:

Spirutein whey shake with skim milk

Meal five

Large dark green leafy salad made with seitan and apple slices
One teaspoon olive oil

Meal six

Homemade egg custard made with MRM natural chocolate whey

For anyone interested in my white bean dip recipe, here it is

two cans white northern beans  (rinse the beans well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
4 cloves garlic
a dash or a few dashes of pepper

Process all together until smooth.

Nutrition info:
Serving size:  2oz.

Calories:  129
fat:  3.7 grams
Cholesterol: 0
Protein:  6.9 g

For my progress pics, I wore a bikini and, for the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel a strong urge to turn away.  I used to find that aspect of myself vain.  I work hard to keep myself grounded through my transformation process.  How can someone that practices Taoism be so consumed by her appearance?  But after I thought about it, I realized my ego was stronger BEFORE I started my transformation process.    

My decision to start a weight training program started shortly after I returned to my lacto-ovo vegetarian roots.    Before that, I was chronically constipated and started taking Bowtrol.  It worked, but it gave me painful cramps, and I had to stop taking it.    Feeling bloated and with the feeling that "this is it.  This is the new me" I accepted it.  That was my ego talking.  I labeled myself as a forty-something that had to accept what was given to me.

A few months ago, I awoke a vegetarian.  I’m not going to get into the hows and whys as that isn’t the scope of this blog.  However,  cutting meat out of my diet got rid of my chronic constipation and eliminated my IBS symptoms.  My complexion cleared, and I had more energy.   So vegetarianism is the way to go for my body-type and personal spiritual growth.

Shortly after, I decided to join the Y and get back into weight training.  This time, I had the drive to push myself forward.  I realized the battle to gain muscle was not coming from my ego…it was there to  DEFEAT my ego.    My ego is what made me afraid to take chances in life because I was afraid of failure.  Cultivating Tao on a daily basis has taught me that once the will becomes stronger than fear, anything is possible.   I enjoy the process of  "Doing."    The ego isn’t  involved when I focus on each moment spent in the gym rather than on the outcome of how I’ll look in the future.  Looking ahead is all right, as long as it doesn’t over shadow my "doing" time.   This is what keeps me grounded and motivated.

I just tested out my accu digital caliper.  It really isn’t hard to use, although it will take time to get as close to exact as possible.   With my first test I am excited to see that I lost more fat than muscle.  I will keep track to make sure muscle loss isn’t a trend but since I just started getting this detailed, I’m not too concerned.

My body fat dropped one percent, although I’m not certain as the last time I calculated my body fat it was with one of those online calculators.

Here’s my current breakdown:  (rounding off)

Body Fat - 25%
Fat lbs. -  33.75
Lean Mass - 101.25

Fat loss:  2.13
Muscle loss. 0.85

Not bad for my first try.  I definitely see the reason for being this detailed.  My keeping track of fat vs muscle loss, I’ll be able to adjust calories and/or my cardio to keep it all consistent.

Regarding my diet, I’m finding it hard to enjoy my cheat days as I don’t feel I’ve lost enough to really splurge on a tiramisu.  When I hit 130, I know it will be a dessert experience of a lifetime!

Happy eating:)

I bought the E book, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle."  It makes a lot of sense in so many ways.  I appreciate how the author spends a great deal of time talking about the sub-conscious.  As I cultivate Tao on a daily basis, I’m as sensitive to the thought process as seasoned body builders are to their body.  The voices in my head were crippling and held me back for so long.  It wasn’t until I read Eckhart Tolle’s "New Earth" that I woke up.  His book turned me on to the Tao Te Ching, and I try to read a verse as often as I get.  

Most people would be surprised to know that the mind needs to be defragged on a daily basis.  I still get those pesky voices that try to undermine everything I do.  Only this time, I don’t take them seriously.  I realize it’s all based on conditioning rather than reality.

I purchased a set of calipers as I would like to know whether I’m losing muscle or fat.  I may have to adjust my daily calories when I start getting more accurate readings.

Getting to the diet, I’ve decided to start calorie cycling to see how that affects my fat burning process.  I’ll eat 1530 calories for three days and then move up to my maintenance at about 1912.  I’m hoping as I drop in body fat, I’ll be able to eat more.  I’m pretty hungry today, but I don’t have any cravings because I don’t eat any processed sugars or foods and stay away from bleached flour.    

To look at my meals for the day, they look light, but I charted them in fit day and I got a healthy ratio, except the full-fat feta put me a little over.  Fit day is awesome because I know where I need to tweak my calories.  Today I ate 1537 calories.  Seven over, but that’s not bad.  I just need to get used to this calorie counting.  

I love to cook.  For anyone that counts their calories, I found a great site where you can get the nutritional value of your recipes.  You type in all your ingredients and it does the calculation for you.  If they don’t have one of your ingredients, you can enter it in yourself.  You just need to know the nutritional information.

Here’s the site.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

Here’s what I ate for today.  I have to spread out my fats  better.  Having so much in the early hours made me a little hungry tonight.  Lesson learned.

Meal One:

Kashi Oatmeal with skim milk
One Tablespoon Ground Flax
Banana

Meal two

Whey drink after upper body workout.

Meal Three

Baked potato with olive oil, feta cheese and lemon juice
Carrots
veggie juice fortified with vitamins
Dried Apricots

Meal four

15 Almonds
Apple

Meal five

Green leafy salad with lemon juice
Roasted Pepper Hummus
home made whole wheat pita crisps made with olive oil cooking spray

Meal six
Spirutein Whey shake

"If your goal isn’t scary and exciting at the same time, then your goals are too low."  Tom Venuto

Wow.  I was thinking about writing a blog regarding comfort zones.   I’ve set a few goals that are pushing me past my levels of comfort and it’s such a rush.   I’ve never felt so alive in my life.  My will is now stronger than my fear.  The quote above is so true. I’ve set a high goal with bodybuilding, and I’ve done the same with my writing.    Both goals make me feel scared at times.  The only difference is that I don’t entertain the fear anymore.  I just act.  I wish I knew all about this in my twenties.  But at least I’m on the right track now!

I’ve read that most bodybuilders are A types.  I can believe that as I’m an A type; however, I wasn’t a productive one.  I would do a whole lot of running around only to end up right where I started….because I had this deep fear of failure.  Now, I don’t care anymore.  I just want to do it for the sake of knowing I can.  That’s the secret.

To anyone that reads this…go hard, go strong and to hell with fear:)

Stay inspired,
Eleni

Today was cardio day, so I was eager to see how my back was doing because I want to do my yoga poses on the same day.  I stayed away from back bends. I told my husband I was thinking about stopping them all together, but I’ve decided I’m not giving in with this one.  Everything else seemed to feel good again.  I had no pain in my back.   I forgot how effective cardio is before yoga.   Getting into the poses was so much easier and stretching felt so good.   I also saw a lot more gain in my flexibility today.  I’m working toward a split now. I was surprised as to how close I got today all because of getting my heart pumping.  I’m starting to love cardio…not because I enjoy doing it but because it makes everything else so much easier.  

Yesterday I worked my upper body.  I was discouraged when I tried to do a pull up.  I couldn’t even do one.  The old voice in the head came out asking me why I’m doing this to myself.  I realized what was happening and refocused.  Gone are the days of instant gratification.  I’m determined now.   When I get one chin up, I’ll be happy because that means I’ll eventually be able to do more.  Giving up is not in my nature, and I don’t intend to start now!

I thought my lower body workout was mild yesterday, but phew….my quads are really feeling the burn.   I can really feel it.  The body for life program is doing it’s job.

I’ve been using fit day and have noticed I’m not getting enough calories.  Yesterday I finally crept toward 2000.  I added an extra protein drink and it helped.

The breakdown:

Protein:  30%
Fat:  17%
Carb: 54%

I’m getting closer.  According to my height and weight, I need more carbs.  I realize that was because it was the day before shopping, and I’ve run out of fruits and veggies!  I went a little too high on the protein as well.  However, my fat content was just right.  I’m finding that I’m getting all my nutrients at about 2000.   With a little more tweaking, I’m sure it will eventually balance out.

I thought my lower body workout was mild yesterday, but phew….my quads are really feeling the burn.   I can really feel it.  The body for life program is doing it’s job.

I’ve been using fit day and have noticed I’m not getting enough calories.  Yesterday I finally crept toward 2000.  I added an extra protein drink and it helped.

The breakdown:

Protein:  30%
Fat:  17%
Carb: 54%

I’m getting closer.  According to my height and weight, I need more carbs. I went a little too high on the protein as well.  However, my fat content was just right.  I’m finding that I’m getting all my nutrients at about 2000.   With a little more tweaking, I’m sure it will eventually balance out.

I see the wisdom in using fit day now.  I tracked my meals yesterday and realized I ate too many carbs and not enough protein. My fat intake has dropped to the right levels.  Today, I’m back on track.  I’ve upped my protein drink portions and am starting to eat even cleaner.  Last night, I was going to have brown rice, but I opted for baked Tempeh instead.   I’m going to start making Seitan this week as it’s an excellent protein source.

Today, I worked on lower body.  As the routine is still new, I didn’t lift heavy enough.  I do feel the burn in my quads, but I feel I could have worked a bit harder.   And wow…hanging knee raises really burn.  All in all, it was a productive workout.