Allison's Journal

you're better off doing 8 cycles or 4mins (which is the proper protocal for it), walking x 3 - 5mins then staedy state stuff for 10 - 20mins after it if

doing it too many times decreases it's effectiveness...it's meant to be flat out but if you've done the first one properly then you shouldn;t be able to go flat out again (not at the same level anyway)

www.uponlinetraining.com

Had my BMI done again today. 2 months ago, I was 193 lbs, 33%...today I'm at 197, 32%. Her calculations said I'd lost 1 lb fat and gained 5 lbs muscle. Which would be why my pants are still tight and I'm not losing weight on the scale.

It's very frustrating.


PS: Yes, I know, yay on the muscle gain, and it's supposed to "raise my metabolism," but this was said last time, when I gained 6 lbs muscle...and no change.

It's very frustrating.

I know it can be frustrating with all the hard work you put in and that’s the results you got back. But keep in mind… you lost 1 lb of fat and gained 5lbs of muscles... You can totally beat someone upside down with those muscles!!!!

You’re doing great…. You’re being healthy and keep on going…
You want to do it for the long run!!! Don’t Give Up!!!!!

It might seem frustrating, but you should be proud of yourself.

So keep smiling, chin up, and don't forget about all the things you can't see. You've almost certainly got better Bone density, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, lowered risk of serious illnesses, etc etc, so plenty of positives to look back on, and to forward at too.

Considering you do have medically related Metabolic issues, you should be extra proud of your efforts, under less than ideal circumstances. You look great, and for all you've done, and for the circumstances you're in, you are potentially a female rolemodel, and someone to be looked up to be young females.

You WILL get there in time, so good luck, and no emotionally flagellating yourself okay. Stay positive and stick with the effort. You've done great so far, and as long as you keep mind and emotions in that groove, the physical can you CAN go in the right not wrong direction .

well now that you have pretty good muscle mass levels, you can now do an almost exclusive fat loss training program...most don;lt even have enough muscle so they need to train to increase mass as well trying to lose fat which we know is a long drawn out process

also the fact that you're gaining muscle means that maybe you're cal intake needs to decrease as you must be in a surplus...you'll rarely lose fat in a surplus

www.uponlinetraining.com

Okay, update on me....

I started my new job and have like 0 free time, which is hard to get used to, so I won't be on here as much...maybe check in on the weekends, but that's about all I can do for now. I'm glad to be working, but I will definitely have to adjust!

I joined the gym I thought I'd like, and after two days, my gut told me to leave. I couldn't find some of the equipment I needed, and the people there just weren't a good fit for me. So I ended up going to that gym that's in the parking lot next to my job, so I can go during lunch, which is awesome because that's what I prefer to do. It's the one that had the review about "too many guys" and the girl being uncomfortable. Totally not the case. It's just a gym. There are some meatheads, but whatever.

So I haven't missed a day of working out, except for my normal rest days, and I've been good with my diet (I think), mainly because I don't have the money to eat out. Although I am having a couple light beers tonight.

light beers are no good, go on have some heavies, you deserve it

light beers are no good, go on have some heavies, you deserve it

lol, I actually prefer alcohol that tastes like water...so light beer works for me.

It's going to be a pretty weekend, so I hope to get out hiking. I think today will be my rest day and I'll go out tomorrow morning. Most people don't hit the trails until the afternoon on Sundays.

light beers are no good, go on have some heavies, you deserve it

That has to be the worst, stinkiest advice you've ever given .

I'd suggest if she has heavy Beers, she perhaps make them into Cocktails by adding a little Olive Oil or something like that. Might funky up the taste and make the Beer healthier .

i would have had 10 of them last night, easily

So I know I haven't posted in a while. I moved, started a new job (one at which I can't surf the internet, so hence why I can't spend as much time on here as I used to), and have been swamped setting up a new home.

I joined a gym right next to work and go there during my lunch hour. I had joined a fancier-looking gym at first that was closer to home, but they only had cardio stuff...I realized quickly that a lot of the equipment I was looking for was missing.

So anyway, this place isn't too expensive, and their trainer is dirt cheap. Trainers back in NC ran about $70 per hour. This one, if you buy a pack of 5 sessions or more, is only $26 an hour. I signed up with him to do one workout a week, and he gave me 5 days of workouts plus a meal plan that I've been following.

I caught a really bad cold and had most of a week out, unfortunately, but in the past month that I've been following his diet and most of his exercise, I've seen some decent results. I weighed in at 182.2 this morning, which is the lowest I've ever been in my adult life (182 was my lowest point back in 2005, and I haven't been able to get back there since). I don't know if I lost some muscle during my time off sick or what, but it's definitely nice, and pants aren't quite as tight, though I'm not down a size or anything.

So I'm still working hard and progressing. I'm just really glad someone gave me a meal plan. Telling me to eat 40% protein and 30% carbs or whatever is nice, but it's hard for me to figure out what to eat when. Having it all broken down was very easy to follow, and I think it made all the difference.

Having said that...we're off to eat Mexican food for dinner to celebrate payday.

Oh yeah, and I also had my hormones tested...I was told I had low testosterone and low progesterone, and the doc put me on a low dose of progesterone. I've heard that hormone imbalance can also contribute to the body holding on to weight, so maybe this is just one more way of my body being stubborn?

Nice to see you again Allison - you were missed!

Great news on the weight loss! Sounds like you found the perfect match in a PT - I agree it's so much easier when you know what to eat with examples of actual foods.

We'll be here when you can check in - look forward to hearing about your continued progress! Yeah!

Some of the weight loss might have been muscle, if your Test dipped slightly, as you might therefore lack a component of muscle preservation.

The muscle could come back without too much trouble I would think, as there is a kind of membrane surrounding muscle, that stretches when it grows, but doesn't necessarily get smaller when you atrophy, so when you try to gain muscle back, that membrane type substance, is also not partially counteracting the growth, like before, so the muscle could grow back faster, without any membranous resistance.

However this would reoccur, once old muscle levels had been attained again.

Thought I'd check in again...

Things are still good. Depending on what I eat for dinner, my weight is steady between 180-183, which is great! My clothes feel better (actually, the pants are starting to fall off), and I'm feeling great.

I honestly think diet has had everything to do with it, which is why I blame the fluctuation on what I eat for dinner, as it's my weak point. I can do fine through the day, but I often don't want to cook dinner and like having a heavy meal when I get home. I'm working on it.

Here's a sample day's food:
7 am: 1.5 scoops whey protein shake, 1/4c oats, 1tbs flax OR 2 pieces Ezekiel toast with 4 egg whites
8 am: large mug green tea
10 am: green salad with lots of veg and 1 Quorn chicken breast OR 1 piece tilapia; 15-20 almonds
12 or 1pm: workout, followed by a protein shake with 1/4c oats and 1 tbs flax
2 or 3 pm: salmon with quinoa and a tiny bit of goat cheese OR quinoa with 4 egg whites
4 or 5 pm: one of my protein brownies, my new weakness.
7 or 8 pm: dinner (varies)

I've found that I'm constantly hungry between 10 am, when I eat my salad, and dinner. I'm trying to take that as my metabolism picking up.

I've been following my trainer's workouts...3 days weights, 2 cardio, usually do Pilates or walk or clean house (which is more exercise than you'd think) on one weekend day, take the other weekend day off. I've started going to a spin class for one of the cardio days, but I don't like the bikes...the handlebars don't come up far enough for my liking. I was getting bored on the treadmill though, so I needed something different, and it works.

My trainer has taken my BMI and calculated body fat a few times through our sessions, as well as done measurements...he said I'm around 18% body fat, and I really can't believe it. I'm not sure the calculation is correct. That'd be nice, though, to be out of the "obese" range.

Wow - 18% is great!!!! My goal is 28% - yikes! Congratulations!

So glad to see you've picked up in a new town, STATE no less, and still kept up with working out, sounds like better than before with this great trainer!

Way to go!
Lu