lovetogetlean’s BodyBlog

Ok, I’ve been doing 7MM now for approx. 6 weeks and I am going to switch my training methods for a while to see if that will stimulate some more growth and strength gains. I plan on doing one heavy set, SLOOOOOW and controlled movements, 3 times per week. Will chart my progress and see how that goes. I’m also doing morning fasted cardio M-F, alternating between an 18 minute HIIT session and 12 minute easy run with a 3 minute speed burst in the middle. My progress has stalled as far as body fat goes. I seem to be stuck at 15.4% for a couple months now. I’ve dabbled a little with restricting carbs on certain days and eliminating them altogether in the afternoon and evenings but with no real results from it, so I figured I might as well start eating them again. I have a real hard time sticking to those restrictive plans anyway, it just makes me cranky and obsessive about it. My goal is a carb, a protein and a veggie at every meal - 5 times a day. Hope I can break out of my rut with a little change in routine. 

I find it really hard to hit the cardio when my legs are hurting for days after an intense weight session. I hate to skip it. Do I just plow thru knowing I’m not giving the cardio 110% of my effort, (lucky if I’m giving it 80% when my legs and ass cheeks feel like they are going to explode) or do I wait until I can walk without looking like I’ve got a stick up my butt?

 p.s. found out I am INDEED an emotional eater. Wish I didn’t miss bread so much!

I was starting to get a little discouraged because the number on the scale is slowly creeping up. I need to let go of the numbers on the scale because they don’t matter, what matters is how I fit my clothes and the progress I’ve made. The number on the scale is rising slightly because I’ve added muscle to my frame, my LBM has increased, my body fat has dropped and I’ve lost 2 inches off my hips since 11/17/08! I want to lose 1 more inch to be able to fit into a pair of jeans I wore a year ago. I keep thinking that since I weighed 109 back then, I have to get back to that weight to lose that last inch. But I need to stop obsessing about what I weigh. It’s soooo hard when that is what I’ve been basing my progress on. Back then, I wasn’t muscular AT ALL, and I had lumpy legs. Now, I am just trying to focus on using weights to increase muscle mass so that I have strong firm legs…..something I’ve never really had. I’ve been at a healthy weight all my life, never really fat (except for a pregnancy that required me to be on bedrest for 10 weeks!) but I still have body issues I’m really working hard to get over. Even though I get discouraged, I keep plugging away with the cardio, the weights and the nutrition because I can’t see myself ever giving up. I certainly won’t get anywhere near where I want to be by quitting. It’s part of my life now, it has been for the past two years. What I’ve lacked is consistency and a good plan, which I believe I have firmly in place now. It takes time, I have to keep telling myself that. If it doesn’t happen next week, or next month, it’s ok. As long as I keep trying as hard as I can, to my ability, I will achieve my goal. Also, I’m into my 8th day of Hydroxycut Hardcore….we’ll see if that helps with some fat loss after a month. I’ve been doing morning fasted cardio but don’t necessarily notice the fat dropping any faster than the traditional way. I’m cycling calories, trying a zig-zag pattern of 2 days low, 1 day high rotation with no starchy carbs after 3pm (and hardly any stachy carbs at all on the low days). I haven’t seemed to get rid of the fat any faster doing this like I expected but I’m not sure if I’m getting enough calories. My maintenance level is 2000 and I try to get about 1200 on low days and up to 2000 on high days. Is that good enough for muscle gain? It’s all been such a guessing game, trying to figure out what works best for my body. Hopefully one of these days I’ll get it fine tuned so I can really burn through that last layer of STUBBORN-ASS FAT!!!!

 p.s. everyone on this site ROCKS! Love you all!

Well, I have noticed some changes since my last post. My legs have slimmed a little so whatever I’m doing is working. There are still a pair of jeans in my closet that I would like to be able to wear. They are a bit snug yet. I tried on my bikini the other day and my 11 year old said "your legs are bumpy". You have to admire the honesty of children, they will tell it to you straight when no one else will! I said "I know, that is why I exercise and try to eat good". I know if she notices, other people do too and I’m working so hard to improve. It’s not terrible but it is there…..cellulite. UGH! I can’t wait to get a bar so I can start doing heavier deadlifts! I want to add some mass back there! The 30 lbs of dumbbell I have just isn’t cutting it. I’ll get there!! I know I will!!

Hmmm….my first blog entry. What can I say? I’ve been slowly losing fat and my goal is to keep on shedding and start shredding!! I want to build beautiful muscles. I want sexy arms and hamstrings most of all. I just started with Jon Benson’s 7MM workout style, hopefully I be able to see some results from that. So far, my highest set of dumbbells is only 15 lbs (and they are spendy, $1 a pound!) but when I get back to the US this summer I plan on getting a bench so I can easily get some heavier weight and more variety of exercises. Hopefully I will still see results in the meantime with what I have. I have "before" pictures but they are so embarrassing that I refuse to post them until I have an "after" picture. That’s all for today!