Work In Progress - FitoverForty

[Boss Man]

snack: celery & PB

I'd perhaps alter that a bit as it looks a little low Cal. Maybe consider keeping it, but adding something else in, like a bit of Chicken or some Ham, or some Flax perhaps as examples, as you already eat those.

[fitoverforty]

Thanks Boss Man, I could add some flax seed to the PB...it's new favorite thing.
I had the box in the cabinet for 3 days before I read on the box "refrigerate after opening" But I didn't die or anything so I guess it was ok. I put it in the fridge now.
The time between lunch and post workout is a problem for me. I end up not eating that snack because I am at work - still feeling full from lunch, and by the time I remember...it is almost 3 p.m. when I leave to go pick up son from school, then it is after 4 p.m. when I get home and I workout within the hour, so I feel like I am going too long between meals, and throwing a workout in the middle of it too! I am still getting used to eating the "in between" snacks...but I'll get it all figured out in time, I appreciate all the helpful tips and ideas and advice I receive from you guys!

[fitoverforty]

Haven't taken any new pics in a while....am waiting to break the 160 lb mark. But I am noticing more muscle definition in back and arms (must be those 70 lb facepulls!). Maybe a bit more in the legs...but the stomach area...well that is the bane of existence! I swear I know I have an awesome 8 pack hiding underneath that layer of fat with all the core work I have done....it's just taking forever to help it peek out!! At certain angles...with a certain light...at a certain time of day or mood...and if I hold head just right....I can make out the faint lines of obliques. ha! oh well...the fight continues.
A bit of encouraging news...scales says 1/2 lb weight loss - I'll take it!

Todays meal plan:

2 scrambled omega 3 eggs w/flax seed and LF cheese, peppered turkey breast
snack: peanuts, almonds, raisins
Lunch: tuna sub on 9 grain honey oat bread
snack: LF cheese stick
snack: veggies w/ homemade dip
Dinner: tacos w/ homemade guacamole dip, shredded LF cheese, LF sour cream, & salsa

[cassiegose]

Thanks Brent, I'm really trying hard to eat better and add more protein. The eggs this morning were awesome!!
Yes, Cassie I saw that recipe, and intend to try it soon. I posted an oatmeal pie crust recipe in that thread too, did you see it?
And Bonnie, I miss that dinner carb...but am trying to limit carbs to post workout only...maybe some in the a.m., so I'll have time to burn it off.

Todays workout:

4 mile treadmill run - 35:36
pace per mile: 8:54
Really pushed myself to keep a pace that I feel would be "race pace" for me.
stretching afterward
butt muscles are sore.....ooohhh those bulgarian squats get me everytime!!

I saw your oatmeal pie crust recipe! Thank you so much for posting that! I'm glad you like that dressing recipe.

[cassiegose]

Well, I haven't done it yet....but I am determined!

Todays meal plan:

breakfast: 2 omega-3 eggs, scrambled w/tsp of flax seed & a bit of LF cheese, 1 slice ham
snack: peanuts, pistachios, almonds
-how many are you having here? Calories from nuts can add up quickly if you don't watch them. I would count them out to make sure you have exactly a serving. Also, maybe add some fruit to this meal
lunch: grilled chicken salad
snack: celery & PB
-I would add a bit more protein here
post workout snack: 2 % LF cheese stick, 2 apple slices w/PB, carrots
dinner: large salad w/mixed greens/cabbage, gr. onion, mushroom, bell pepper & shrimp - added about 3 tbsps. of THE BEST DRESSING EVER - Cassies recipe & tossed to mix.
thought I'd died and gone to Heaven...it was so good, I literally ate every tiny piece of salad, scraping the bowl and seriously thought about licking the inside!
-I'm so glad you like this recipe.
snack: peanuts, almonds, pistachios
- I would add protein here. FF cottage cheese works great or you could even do that cheesecake pudding recipe as its very high in protein

The one thing that i'm seeing is that you don't seem to be getting enough protein. If I were you I would shoot for body weight in protein (in lbs) each day. I take total amount and divide it by 6, then just make sure you're getting that much each meal.

[cassiegose]

Not sure why I picked a meal plan for a couple of days ago. For todays meal plan I would tweak just a few things:

2 scrambled omega 3 eggs w/flax seed and LF cheese, peppered turkey breast
snack: peanuts, almonds, FRESH FRUIT
Lunch: tuna sub on 9 grain honey oat bread (is this from Subway? If so I would be careful because i'm not sure how much mayo/calories are in their tuna. If they are using full fat mayo might not be the best choice)
snack: LF cheese stick (this needs a bit more protein and some healthy fats. You could add some lunch meat and a few almonds here)
snack: veggies w/ homemade dip (if this is close to dinner or previous snack your fine. If its more than 2-3 hours between previous snack and dinner I would add protein here)
Dinner: tacos w/ homemade guacamole dip, shredded LF cheese, LF sour cream, & salsa MMMM tacos sound GOOD! What do you think?

You're doing great girl!

[fitoverforty]

Thanks Cassie...you are such a great help. I usually take one of those little snack size baggies and put a handful of mixed nuts in it to take to work...I haven't been counting them out, so I will pay more attention to that.
I can have cheesecake pudding in the evening? Oh happy day!
Would apple slices w/natural PB be a good fruit to add to the first snack meal?
I don't think I have been eating too many calories, so it must be that i am not eating enough and metabolism has slowed down...actually it seems to have dried up completely and doesn't want to burn a single calorie - just keeps hanging on the them week after stubborn week.
I read something you wrote another member on another thread about protein & weight lifting. Could you repeat that again? It was about how if you don't give your body enough protein, then all the weight lifting in the world will not matter because you aren't feeding the muscles what they need to grow, and if you aren't building muscle then your body is not able to burn fat....something like that. thanks in advance!

[cassiegose]

You bet... Ok here it goes.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and protein is the building block muscle... meaning that protein is used in the body to build and repair muscles. If youre consistently breaking down your muscles through weight lifting but not giving them enough protein to actually repair and grow back stronger then you could be wasting your time. Think of it this way... Lets say you wanted to plant a garden.... You get online and find a nice gardening webite where you find all kinds of information on how to grow a nice healthy garden in your area. Then you go to the store buy your seeds and take time to plant them in place with enough sunlight to grow. You put a lot of time and energy into planting your garden. You know that simply planting the garden isn't going to make it grow... you must also WATER the garden to allow the plants to grow. Its kind of the same thing... if you're going to the weight room every day and putting time into a weight training routine you MUST follow it up by give your muscles the nutrtients that they need to repair and grow back stronger. If you don't, your muscles will have a hard time growing.

Taking it one step further... Probably the number one reason that people come to this site is for fat loss. In opinion the BEST way to make your body lose fat is to encourage it do so not FORCE it. So many people try, and fail, at their diets because they are attempting to FORCE their bodies to lose weight. The body is a very smart and adaptable thing and trying to FORCE it to so something is really not the best way to achieve results. The people who try to force their bodies to lose weight do so by drastically cutting calories and/or jacking up their exercise routines to create drastic caloric deficit which initially does result in weight loss (weight as in muscle and fat). However these people will fail to meet their long term goals because their plans are too drastic to maintain over and extended amount of time and they either end up quitting before they reach their goals or they and up shutting down their metabolisms making their bodies want to hang on to fat stores instead of letting them go.

Instead of trying to force you body to lose fat you should simply encourage it to do so by showing it that you are going to give it all the nutrients and energy that it needs through a healthy balanced diet so it doesn't have to hold on to the fat stores. This is why its soooo important to EAT enough calories every day. By eating the right amount of the right kinds of calories (protein/carbs/fats) you are showing your body that you are feeding it so it doesn't need all of those energy (fat) stores that its been holding on to. Another way to encourage your body to let go of fat stores is by speeding up your metabolism through weight training. Every pound of muscle that you carry on your body burns between 35-75 calories per day (I keep getting different figures on the exact amount). Every pound of fat that you have burns about 3 calories per day. If you put on 10 lbs of muscle you will naturally be burning an extra 350-750 calories per day just through your increased muscle mass. We know that we must eat protein to build muscle and we know that we must feed our body to encourage it to let go of fat stores... we also know that in order to build muscle and burn fat in the gym we must fuel our bodies to give us enough energy to put in a solid and intense workout. Sooo many people go to the gym each day and KILL themselves in their workouts, but then don't fuel their bodies properly to actually allow their workouts in the gym to be effective. A solid workout program is important, however as you can see a healthy balanced diet is even MORE important for building muscle, keeping the metabolism running at optimal levels, and fueling workouts.

With that said... I'm assuming that your goal is fat loss... and to have enough energy to keep up with your marathon training regimen. Obviously a great way to lose fat is to build muscle. If i were you I would shoot for 150-200 grams of protein per day for muscle growth. This means that each meal should have 25-33 grams of protein. With this, protein will be make up 600-800 calories of your total daily caloric intake. If your goal is 2000 calories per day, then you could do something like 150 grams protein, 200 grams carbs, 67 grams fat (30/40/30 macro breakdown). If your goal is 2200 calories 160 protein, 220 carbs, 75 fat (assuming i did that math correctly).

Make sense? I'm totally rambling at this point so I'll stop here....

Cassie

[cassiegose]

[fitoverforty]

Wow! Ask and you shall receive! Thank you so much Cassie for taking the time to explain and answer questions. This has helped me immensely. I like the "gardening" analogy very good stuff! I understand better now how it all works together and will adjust eating plan accordingly. And you are right...so many people focus ALL their attention on exercise and neglect the importance of food and how it works together with the exercise. One will not succeed without the other.
Thanks again....YOU ARE AWESOME!

[Boss Man]

I was going to comment on the Peanut / Nut snack, but as Peanuts have a better Protein ratio to knowledge than Nuts, I felt it might be adequate to leave things as so, but if you're concerned, then boost Protein a bit more.

The great thing about building muscle, is that compared to growing Plants, you won't get birds and insects eating some of your Protein powder .

Has made me wonder though if you can turn such things into Powder.

Hay have tried that new Pigeon Protein powder?

Nah, I'm more a Turkey Isolate man myself

Although in that last instance, as it's nearly Christmas, would the Carb source in the powder come from Brussells Sprouts?

[ldematto]

Great question Lynne - and great answer Cassie! You ARE awesome! I've cut and pasted it for further review, not only by me but others...I will give credit where credit is due

Boss Man - pigeons?? Are these the same dang pigeons that were pooping on head in the hot tub before we knew it was inside?

[PandorasVise]

Your doing great Lynne. I am VERY impressed with the pull ups. I have a hard time with them even when assisted.

I LOVE flax too. I make a microwave apple crisp with oatmeal and flax, I put into pancakes, busciuts, yogurt, almost everything for breastfast. Good luck with running

[fitoverforty]

I make a microwave apple crisp with oatmeal and flax

recipe please!

[PandorasVise]

too simple

Peel and slice a large apple in a microwave bowl. In another bowl mix 3 Tablespoons of old fashioned oatmeal, 1 Tablespoon wheat flour, 1 Tablespoon flax, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar, pinch of salt, 2 - 3 teaspoons of butter and a dash of cinnamon. sprinkle oatmeal mixture over apples and micro for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on high. I did the calorie thing once and i think it was like 250, so I have it for one of meals once in a while.