Rydor_gurl - Gettin' Serious

Hi all,
I am new to T-Nation, and would love to get constructive feedback on my plans to reach my goals.

I am currently 22 y.old, 5’4. I have been lifting for about 2 years now, but have not used any particular lifting programs. Usually I just hit my entire body every other day.

My story is as follows:
Grew up as a lean kid. I was also highly active throughout high school (basketball, volleyball, soccer, sprints, just-for-fun football, and all-around glee during PE classes).

Some control issues with family, however, led to a kink in my perspective towards eating. I lost a lot of muscle mass and stopped doing sports for about two years.

Because of how this issue was dealt with, my eating practices got even worse – however, instead of continuing down the same direction as before, I ate poorly and in extremes to “show them” I could eat (Dumbest thing ever… to sacrifice yourself to “show” anyone anything).

Grappled with these issues for about four years. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise because I might have never stumbled into weight-lifting without it. Getting back into volleyball at university also made a huge difference.

Anyway, my body is pretty primed now for looking smokin, but I just have to shed the fat. The muscle is there, and my genetics for leanness is good. It’s just a matter of doing this. What makes this difficult is the mental baggage that I have with losing weight (i.e. it is “bad” to lose weight, or I am a “bad person” if I lose weight).

But I want to kick this issue for good, and reaching my fitness and diet goals (i.e. lifestyle goals) will be a sign to me that I have done it. To get to that point! I can’t wait!

This past month, I had enough and have directly addressed the “baggage issues” (finally!) with the people involved and resolutions are underway… which makes it possibly the perfect time for me to do this once and for all.

In addition, from reading the posts on T-Nation, I believe that I’m at the perfect place here to get past all that stuff and to get where I want to be. Thank you all ahead of time.

(And here’ye to the prohibition of pink dumbbells! Gosh, I love this place already! No half-assed stuff here, which matches my motto completely.)

My goals:

  1. To achieve a BF% of appx 10% (depending on how I look and feel) without losing too much lean muscle mass. I’m probably at least 29% right now and I’d estimate about 45lbs from where I would like to be.

  2. To hone my diet and workout habits. That is, to consistently eat clean without feeling guilty for doing so, and to develop a healthy and sustainable workout regimen. Merging all of these things into a balanced, healthy and all’round excellent lifestyle is the main goal.

  3. To learn how to use diet and workouts together to get the effects I want. To learn about supplementation and the little tweaks that can make a big difference. (I’m counting on the vets out there!)

  4. To get stronger and to challenge myself constantly! (i.e. chin-ups and hanging leg-lifts are going to make it into my future repertoire, I promise!)

  5. To learn to love cardio that is not in the context of sports… (this might be a toughie - any suggestions?)

My plans:

  1. I will continue with my current alternating days of workouts with weights. My workouts are generally similar to the following:

5min warm-up on the erg (rowing) machine
1x20 full sit-ups (no weight)
2x20 full sit-ups w 33lb plate
2x40 Russian twist w 25lbs (20reps each side)
2x30sec push-up hold on elbows

3x8 dumbbell bench presses w 50lbs
3x8 dumbbell flys w 24lbs
3x12 dumbbell lying pullover w 25lbs

3x12 barbell squats w 55lbs

3x12 back extensions w arms stretched straight above head
2x12 back extensions w 33lbs

3x12 seated cable row w 45lbs

I do change up the poundage +/- 5 lbs depending on how my body is responding and how my energy levels are, and usually do between 2-3 sets and between 6-15reps (usually 8 or 12 reps).
Any feedback? I’m a little sheepish as to the somewhat low weights I’ve been using, but while I strip off the fat, I’ll be happy just to maintain the levels.

  1. To eat cleanly. My plan is as follows:

6:30am UP

7am [P=13.1g; F=0.9; C=18.4]
1 1/2 cup skim milk

7:30-9:00am
[workout]

9:45am PWO [P=23.6; F=1.9; C=31.3]
1 scoop whey powder
1 cup water
1 apple

11am [P=19.5; F=3.5; C=46.0]
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup All-bran and wheat bran
1/2 cup berries
1 Tsp whey powder
1 Tsp flax seed

1pm [P=17.3; F= 4.0; C=8.7]
85g canned tuna or 1 chicken breast
156mL vegetable juice

3pm [P=21.6; F=2.1; C=33.9]
1/2cup cottage cheese (or 1 cup yogurt w/ wheat bran)
1 serving fruit

6pm [P=25.5; F=6.0; C=27.3]
5 egg whites
1 whole egg
veggies
1 serving fruit

9pm [P=4.4; F=0.3; C=6.1]
1/2 glass skim milk
OR
tea, or carbonated water with 1/2 cup juice

9:30pm BED

[TOTAL: P=124.9; F=18.8; C=171.7]

-Would like to know your thoughts on whether it is better to always eat at the same time (e.g. if you get up late one morning, to you just continue on with the day as you normally do at the same times for meals, or do you adjust the hours back according to how much later you got up?)

-I know I need more healthy fats in there. Where should I add the fish oil?
-Also, feedback on the general diet itself would be good.

  1. On the non-weight days, I would like to incorporate either HIIT cardio, or walking. As summer begins though, I will likely replace some of these cardio sessions with beach volleyball. I think that beach volleyball will not be as good for fat loss… but I love it, and that’s got to be part of the picture too, right?

I also want to clarify if I even should be doing HIIT on the days when I’m not weight-lifting: That is, because HIIT’s effects are similar to weight training’s, isn’t this alternation between weights and HIIT not allowing my muscles to recover?

Another concern is that when I HAVE tried to alternate weights with HIIT, I get symptoms of overtraining very quickly. Any solutions for this?

I have plenty more questions, but thanks for any feedback you can give me already!
Anything to improve?
Anything I’m doing right?

I really want to do this for good!

Rydor.

this thread is useless without down and dirty pics

[quote]allNatural wrote:
this thread is useless without down and dirty pics[/quote]

If I got some constructive feedback, I might eventually HAVE some pics worth posting.

Apologies for the thread heading if it so misled people into thinking it was anything more than wanting support and feedback from T-Nation. Sure, I’ll post progress pics along the way, but I’ll try to change the heading to Rydor_gurl - Gettin serious, just to be safe. Hope that clears things up.

:slight_smile:

[quote]allNatural wrote:
this thread is useless without down and dirty pics[/quote]

That is real classy.

Sounds like you’ve got some fire in ya. Get out there and bust your ass. It sounds to me like you know what it takes. You should be fine.

I am trying to get my fiance to have the same drive as you but I know I cant push it on her. She is starting to see changes in her physique and thats helping fire her up…but she still needs to want it more.

You sound like you have a solid plan and know what you’re doing. You’ll find plenty of support here if you show that you really mean business.

You can have a perfect training and nutrition plan and not make any progress.

It’s definitely a mental game, and getting your positive thoughts flowing and knowing exactly what you want and stopping at nothing to get it will make all the difference in the world.

Also, surround yourself with people that will encourage you and support you in your goals.

As for training and nutrition, it sounds like you know what to do, so just do it!!!

Good luck.

[quote]rydor_gurl wrote:
2) To eat cleanly. My plan is as follows:

6:30am UP

7am [P=13.1g; F=0.9; C=18.4]
1 1/2 cup skim milk

7:30-9:00am
[workout]

9:45am PWO [P=23.6; F=1.9; C=31.3]
1 scoop whey powder
1 cup water
1 apple

11am [P=19.5; F=3.5; C=46.0]
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup All-bran and wheat bran
1/2 cup berries
1 Tsp whey powder
1 Tsp flax seed

1pm [P=17.3; F= 4.0; C=8.7]
85g canned tuna or 1 chicken breast
156mL vegetable juice

3pm [P=21.6; F=2.1; C=33.9]
1/2cup cottage cheese (or 1 cup yogurt w/ wheat bran)
1 serving fruit

6pm [P=25.5; F=6.0; C=27.3]
5 egg whites
1 whole egg
veggies
1 serving fruit

9pm [P=4.4; F=0.3; C=6.1]
1/2 glass skim milk
OR
tea, or carbonated water with 1/2 cup juice

9:30pm BED

[TOTAL: P=124.9; F=18.8; C=171.7][/quote]

I noticed a lack of vegetables and healthy fats in your diet. Rather than drinking so much milk, why not add more veggies with your meals (greener is better but eat a variety).

I’d also get your carbs strictly from green or fibrous veggies and even consider going with less than 150 carbs per day. But I would highly recommend increasing your fat intake (good fats).

As for healthy fats, you should eat your fish oil caps with your meals spread throughout the day. You can also get healthy fats from olive oil, whole, raw nuts (don’t buy roasted nuts), natural peanut butter, eggs (eat the whole egg!) and from meat. I suggest adding those things to your diet.

You should strive for consistency as much as possible. Your body likes and needs a routine, so try to wake up and go to bed at the same times and plan your meals for the same time each day. There will be times when this isn’t possible so adjust your meal plan accordingly. Eat every 2-3.5 hours.

[quote]
3) On the non-weight days, I would like to incorporate either HIIT cardio, or walking. As summer begins though, I will likely replace some of these cardio sessions with beach volleyball. I think that beach volleyball will not be as good for fat loss… but I love it, and that’s got to be part of the picture too, right?[/quote]

Do what you enjoy, and you will keep up with it and reap the benefits.

If you are playing beach volleyball, you’re burning calories and getting in a good workout. You don’t have to use HIIT or other cardio. Fat loss has much to do with your diet.

If using HIIT and weights is too much for you, then back off! You don’t have to do both. Sure, HIIT may help (as will other activities - walking, volleyball, etc.), but it’s not absolutely necessary.

If your weight workouts are done at a fast pace (short rest periods of 30-45 seconds), then you will be getting plenty of “cardio” during the workout. Your diet is the key! EAT LESS TO LOSE FAT!!!

Sometimes, when weight training and using HIIT, your body is overwhelmed and instead of losing fat, it holds onto it! I’ve had this happen to me in the past. My workouts were crazy intense and combined weight training with HIIT. Yet, I couldn’t lose any fat. My body was too stressed.

Recently, I’ve cut calories and began using HOT-ROX Extreme. I’ve lost 8 pounds with no cardio and only weight training four days a week. On my rest days, I’ve done nothing! I’m losing more fat now than when I was exercising more.

I would recommend that you find a better training program. There are many listed on T-Nation. I would find one geared toward fat loss (Alwyn Cosgrove is a fat-loss genius and has many good programs).

I would recommend picking up his book, “The New Rules of Lifting” and use his advice. Or, try some of the other fat-loss programs on T-Nation (Fat to Fire, Meltdown Training, EDT for Fat Loss, etc.).

Welcome and good luck reaching your goals! At a quick glance, I’d say to lower your carbs a bit and definitely up your fats.

Ideal fat loss numbers for a woman are

calories: bodyweight x 12 (may need to drop to x11 or x10 if no progress seen at x12)
Protein: 1g/lb bw
Fat: .4-.5g/lb bw
Carbs: remainder left to meet calorie total

Are you drinking a gallon of water a day? You can try fluctuating your calories and/or carbs on your lifting vs. non-lifting days.

I’d pick a program here in the archives instead of what you have listed above. CT’s new “Destroying Fat” one looks really good, as does CW’s “Waterbury Summer Project” just for 2 quick suggestions.

You may want to give HOT-ROX Extreme a try, many people like it (myself included).

Also, without getting too offtrack, 10% bf is a very unrealistic goal for a woman. That would be an extremely shredded bb’er on contest day - not easily attainable and certainly not maintainable. (just fyi) :slight_smile:

RG

I don’t know about you guys but I thought that was probably one of the best posts by a new member asking for advice I’ve seen in a long time! Good work RG.

Your getting good advice. I would second the fat burner. Your diet looks in check. Mix up your cardio to help your effort and constantly push the envelope to trick your body. Make sure you are in a caloric deficit each day and you will lose fat. For me I need to cut carbs way down but you have to find out what your body responds to.

Good post. Good luck with your training and goals.

I disagree with the fat burner. I am a big believer in getting your diet and training under control first before you start adding other variables, just my thoughts.

A

R-Girl, welcome to T-Nation!!! It really was a great first post, and it’s obvious to me that you’ve been doing a lot of reading.

Having goals is a good thing, but I don’t want to see you trade in one set of bad/destructive behaviors for another. 10% body fat is an appropriate goal for someone dieting down for competition (fitness or body building). But as soon as a person would hit that body fat percentage and walk off stage, they’d start eating a bit more normally again and immediately put on a few percentage points. It’s not a body fat percentage that a person should try to maintain year round. Brain chemistry, energy levels and hormonal status would all suffer.

Counter offer? How about 18%? That’s a body fat percentage where a woman really looks good – fit and lean, sleek and sexy. You see muscle definition and cuts.

If you want to reinforce healthy attitudes and body image, I’d like to see you focus on more than just scale weight. I’d like to see you focus on improving your cardiovascular fitness, strength and speed. The benefits of eating more healthfully is better energy levels and mental alertness. Your mood and self esteem will improve. You’ll feel strong and in control, like you’re the captain of your ship.

What do you think?

P.S., I’m loving the new and improved title of your thread – “Rydor_gurl - Gettin’ Serious.” (grin)

Thank you all for the great advice and encouragement!

From your guys’ friendly feedback, here are some changes I’m going to make:

  1. Incorporate more veggies, esp fibrous green ones, into my diet. (Thx for that pt, Nate Dogg). The current plan is to incorporate them early on in the day so I have them in – By the end of the day, I’m craving protein and don’t have the patience to prepare/clean food-prep stuff except the most minimal that I can get away with. They will replace some of the extra fruit servings or skim milk I have throughout the day.

I’ll also pack some with me when I’m out of the house during the day.

-Confession and Question regarding salads: Although I am a big fan of eating salads, I hate washing the lettuce or spinach (my leafy greens of preference) because they get all soggy and floppy on me. How do you guys get around this? Any general salad tricks?

  1. Incorporate more healthy fats into my diet. I’ll use olive oil with my salads, and add flaxseed to some of my meals. I’ll also get fish oil in there.
  • Question regarding fats: Is there a better time during the day for me to focus more on fats?

(Tampa Terry, I think you generally suggest towards the evening two meals? Is this only for people who workout in the morning? Also, out of curiosity, what is the reasoning behind this?)

  • Anyone want to point me in the right direction of what to look for when buying fish oil? I’ve heard stories of some oils not having the health effects because they’ve gone rancid or because of the manufacturing process of that particular brand.
  1. AIM for HIIT on the days when I’m not doing weights, but NOT forcing it. E.g. if I’m going to be doing a lot of walking or doing beach vball that day, I’ll lay off. Thx Nate Dogg for suggesting alternative ways to looking at this. What you said helps.

Of course, I will get SOME kind of decent sweat-inducing activity going on each day I’m not doing weights. The real goal is to get that endorphin-induced feeling everyday that you only get after you’ve pushed yourself physically (but not overdoing it).

PS Don’t worry, if my body needs a break, I’m willing to take an entire day off and just relaaax. Injury and overtaxing my body is not in the plan.

  1. To commitedly track my P,C,&F intake. That way, I can track what works for me regarding fatloss like Hedo suggested and to allow me to compare my detailed intake to Jillybop’s guidelines.

NEXT:
Those are the changes I’m going to tackle first. Then, I’m going to change up my weightlifting program next. Thx for the article recommendations, Nate Dogg and Jillybop. I will check them out.

OTHER:
Thanks for JB and TT’s concern about the 10%BF goal. I didn’t realize that it was that low for women. I too don’t want to be trading one set of bad habits for another (or rather, for an obsession).

I’ll change up my goal to 12%-16%BF which is what female rowers have (and rowing is something I might be taking up next year). It is not supposed to be easy, but I find attraction to the extra push and challenge req’d to reach something like that.

Taking in mind your concerns, this is the bf% GOAL, but I will tweak it as needed - i.e. depending how my body looks and responds. If a BF% above 16 is good in terms of my lifestyle, fitness, strength and physique, I will not keep trying to decrease the % at that point. :slight_smile:

Anything you see amiss or on-track, feedback & advice is always appreciated.

Thanks all.

[quote]boss99er wrote:
Sounds like you’ve got some fire in ya. Get out there and bust your ass. It sounds to me like you know what it takes. You should be fine.

I am trying to get my fiance to have the same drive as you but I know I cant push it on her. She is starting to see changes in her physique and thats helping fire her up…but she still needs to want it more.

You sound like you have a solid plan and know what you’re doing. You’ll find plenty of support here if you show that you really mean business.[/quote]

boss99er, THANKS for your encouragement. Seriously. I had such a great workout yesterday and what made it particularly good was holding to your: “Get out there and bust your ass. You’ll be fine.”

I’ll show I mean business!

:slight_smile:

[quote]rydor_gurl wrote:

boss99er, THANKS for your encouragement. Seriously. I had such a great workout yesterday and what made it particularly good was holding to your: “Get out there and bust your ass. You’ll be fine.”

I’ll show I mean business!

:)[/quote]

Ha ha ha, I am sure you will. We are all waiting to see what you can do. Glad my comment pushed ya a little more. Now just keep it up and you’re set.

[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
You can have a perfect training and nutrition plan and not make any progress.

It’s definitely a mental game, and getting your positive thoughts flowing and knowing exactly what you want and stopping at nothing to get it will make all the difference in the world.

Also, surround yourself with people that will encourage you and support you in your goals.

As for training and nutrition, it sounds like you know what to do, so just do it!!!

Good luck.[/quote]

Great advice re: the mental game and surrounding yourself with ppl that will encourage you and support you in your goals. Nate Dogg, your post also lights extra fire to reach my goals. Thx!

Hi Ryder and welcome

I have a suggestion for getting washed and cut veggies. At the Albertson’s that I shop at they have a salad bar. Once or twice a week I go and fill up two of their containers with all kinds of veggies and tah-dah… all done.

As for lettuce, I Usuall get the butter lettuce which has roots on it so I don’t rip it off the head until I eat it. Otherwise it is spinach and romaine and I might rip up enough for two days and put a paper towel in the big storage bag after patting them dry.

Good luck with everything

Celeste

Flameout is good fishoil you can look up more info on it under the store section of this site.

R-Girl, you got some great advice on your thread. If you’d like some food prep help, whether to be more efficient and spend less time in the kitchen or to add more taste to what you’re eating, send Chef Lisa Marie a PM and ask her to stop by your thread. She’s a wonderful cook and a wonderful teacher.

The things you are planning on implementing are excellent!!! The things I’d like to see you do are track what you’re eating and enter it into www.fitday.com. You’ll have to register for a FREE account, but it’s worth it because you can keep a private online food log. If you have a food log and have an idea of your caloric intake and the number of grams of protein, fat and carbs you are eating, we can tweak and adjust your plan along the way (or troubleshoot it if need be) so that you make steady progress towards your goals.

Along those lines, make sure you weigh and/or measure yourself weekly, say on Friday morning. With that information, it’s just a case of “Outcome Based Decision Making” … meaning that if you’re making progress, you just keep doing what you’ve been doing and if you’re not making progress, you either tighten up (if you’ve been following your plan a bit too loosely) or overhaul, tweak or adjust it if you’re not making satisfactory progress.

Stop back and let us know how you’re doing or if you have any questions. We’d be glad to help.

Oops, I didn’t reply to your question …

Re eating P+F at night, the reason for that is that you’re more insulin sensitive (a good thing) and better able to process carbs earlier in the day. So as a general approach, you eat more of your carbs earlier in the day, and then as the day goes by, you shift over to eating P+F. That’s where you would add in your health-promoting and athletic-performance-enhancing GOOD fats. Fat doesn’t elicit an insulin response like carbs do. Since you need 'em anyway, that’s the best time/place to put 'em in. (grin)

The only variable is if you work out later in the day. In that case we’d have to juggle a bit.

Everything sounds real good except I would advise you not to use a 33 lb plate for sit ups. If you use that your abs will become bulky. Trim it down to 10 or 15 and do more reps