bim

Got back under the bar this week!!! The trainers working with me on hip & back introduced me to front squats. Low-bar back squats aren't a good idea for me, at least not right now, because of limited hip and ankle mobility. But front squats with the empty bar, wahoo! And today the trainer working with me on tennis elbow said that KB swings are still a bad idea, but that as far as she's concerned I can start deadlifting with very low weights and "play it by ear." I've kept up the home cooking and done alright food-wise, though I've done some overeating. I might have gained a pound or two, but it's within my normal fluctuating range and nothing earth-shattering. My clothes still fit ok and I can walk long distances again. I probably won't go back to Krav until the beginning of next year. I tend to push myself past what's reasonable (for an injured me) in heavy bag class, and the regular training classes are too unpredictable since we partner up. We'll see how things work out, but a few extra weeks on the sidelines is better than dealing with this elbow problem for the rest of my life. Finding an extra 10-15 hours a week for PT appointments and assigned exercises has been rough, and keeping all those morning appointments has been flat-out awful for this night owl. But going into physical therapy was the best thing I could have done to get through this. I've learned some things about what went wrong and a lot about what I can do to keep it from happening again.

Been totally swamped with work and PT four days a week. It's going well, but I'm pretty exhausted. Hope to post a proper update this weekend.

Does your limited flexibility interfere in some way with your regular activities or your quality of life?

She'd been told to expect marks, but they had left none. Her arm tingled day in and day out. What was this strange magic? She wondered whether such magic could help her lift more, grip stronger, hit harder. Alas, she could do none of those things now. Her stomach rumbled with pangs of hunger, echoing the pangs of her sorrow and loss. bim knew all too well the danger of growing soft in times of injury. She must remain lean, prepared, and focused on her escape. And if that meant conserving her resources, eating more sparingly while she obeyed the Denlords... so be it. bim's second quest would be to consume no more than required to maintain her current form, with continued emphasis on meals prepared at home and a balance of nutrients.

Amazon Prime, baby. Free shipping FTW.

You weigh 123 pounds at 28% BF and you're supposed to eat over 2300 calories to maintain? Wow, I'm genuinely surprised by this. It sounds like you do have the answer to your question about how to stop losing weight, though: Eat more than you eat now. Also, be sure not to make major dietary changes based on daily weight fluctuations. If you have trouble fitting in that many calories and continue to lose weight when you don't want to... there's always that wonderful calorie-dense whey protein supplement known as "gelato." Good luck with your challenge!

From the perspective of someone who overreached in the last 6WC and will now spend the next 6WC with goals involving physical therapy and calorie restriction to account for my sudden decrease in activity... I really think your choice was wise. You'll be able to focus on the environment of the race and enjoy it instead of worrying about whether you're pushing too hard. And there are going to be lots and lots of potential marathon dates in your future, if running a marathon is what you want to do. It's ok -- it's great, in fact -- to give your body more time to catch up with your indomitable will.

Lurking on your challenge with interest because I'll probably target the same area (upper back and shoulders) for my side quest to accompany physical therapy for elbow, hips, and lower back... I think these injuries stemmed in part from kyphosis and my bumbling reaction to it. FWIW, I have a Lumo Back (lower back) and a Lumo Lift (upper back). I don't use them. I've been considering putting on the Lift again, and I might still. Here's the thing, though, and it's a pretty obvious thing that escaped me not once but twice: You have to calibrate it by getting into a "perfect posture" position and pushing a button to tell it, "yes, now I have perfect posture!" And of course that perfect posture changes when you're sitting or standing. If I could identify perfect posture by feel throughout the day, I wouldn't need the darned device. You may have better luck with this than I do, but I didn't find either one helpful at all. For me, both devices were just expensive, glorified pedometers (everyfrickingthing has a pedometer built in now) that buzzed at me a lot until I turned them off.

That's a lot of goals, but I know you're up to the challenge! Good luck in particular with the job hunt.

Entering the Council Den of Hand Therapy, the first thing she noticed was the Cage, its Stretchy Bands of Binding looped all around. It looked... welcoming. She knew all too well that looks could be deceiving. But the Cage was not for her. Not yet. Denlord Brian the First greeted her with questions, more questions, and tests. She moved her arm this way and that. She gripped a strange device, and then another. First with one hand, then with the other. First with two fingers, then with one, then upside-down. She winced, and the numbers were written. Finally, Brian the First nodded sagely. "It's all becoming clearer now," he intoned. And thus began the Torments. The Torment of Stretching was not unbearable. The Torment of Heat was barely tolerable, but the Denlord's Assistant sympathetically offered a second towel. Through the Torment of Astym, she gritted her teeth, compared it most favorably to natural childbirth, and sought to recall her purpose. It made the Torment of Still More Stretching seem a most enjoyable respite. Brian the First resolved to consult with Brian the Second, in the Council Den of Sports Therapy, to ensure complete coordination of the Torments of bim. She would meet Brian the Second later, but this much she could surmise... bim's first quest would be to attend each Den twice weekly until dismissed, and to complete the prescribed motions daily. In so doing, she would reap the rewards of recovered Strength and Dexterity. She quietly hoped to gain some Wisdom from the Denlords in the process... all the better to ensure her eventual permanent escape.

Oh God, thank you for that video. I can handle watching an hour-long lecture, but the first half of Supple Leopard is major overwhelm. I'm glad to hear you say good things about Simple & Sinister. I ordered it on a whim a few weeks ago and devoured it... am thinking swings and getups could really help with a lot of the issues I've been having recently, as soon as I'm cleared to do anything with weights again.

Not yet. Doctor appointment today was to get the referral so my insurance would cover the physical therapy. My first PT appointment is on Friday. We start the elbow then, and the hip and lower back on Tuesday. I'll set some challenge goals after the first appointment. Nothing hurts that bad, I just have to behave myself and not do too much of anything for now, even walking. Thanks for keeping tabs on me and others from the last challenge! It was so nice to see your friendly face fist in my thread.

The summons came almost immediately. Questions to answer. Parchments to inscribe. bim smiled at one question on the scroll in particular. "Rate your level of agreement with this statement: I should not do physical activities which (might) make my pain worse." Life is pain, Highness, she thought... anyone who says differently is selling something. And the dates were set. Be there on Friday, and again on Tuesday, commanded the disembodied voice in her ear. More commands would come then. And perhaps more pain, but no doubt it would be fleeting. In the meantime... taking comfort in the occasional companionship of a treacherous snow leopard from the Campus... and the watchful eye of a formidable sword-wielding scholar from the Monastery... and hearing laughter and music in the distance... she might as well explore this strange new place. ... to be continued ...

Oh, honey. You are running a fricking half marathon. In the United States, there were barely over two million half marathon finishers last year -- and that doesn't account for those who ran more than one race. So, let's see... you're going to be in the top 2/3 of 1% of the population. At age 30. A friend of mine who's been running for years decided to enter a marathon. She trained with coaching for a year before the race. If I understand your post correctly, you've gone from the couch to a half in about three months' worth of training. And you think you're a quitter? Oh, honey. Here are my words of wisdom: You. Fricking. ROCK. You are a natural wonder. Go and revel in your superhuman capacity for running. And if you never feel like running again afterward, who cares? You'll still be amazing, and you'll go do other amazing things. Seriously. I am in awe of you.

1) Yes, it is. Many people have reduced their BF% using many different approaches. Most people, on doing so, swear by the approaches they took. If it doesn't work for you, then you should feel free to seek an approach that does. In general, a caloric deficit will lead to weight loss no matter how you achieve that deficit. Weight loss accompanied by preservation of lean mass (typically resistance training and adequate protein consumption) will result in a reduced body fat percentage. 2) In strict terms of creating a caloric deficit, your body doesn't care what time you eat carbs or anything else. There may be other factors in deciding what foods are best for you (hello, macro/micronutrients, fitness goals, habits, and individual anomalies such as food allergies or metabolic conditions). There may be other factors in deciding what timing of foods is best for you (hello, intermittent fasting, carb cycling, pre- and post-workout fuel, breakfast or no breakfast, and so on). How you create your caloric deficit is a matter of personal choice (you don't even necessarily have to be counting calories to do it). NF seems to lean toward paleo or near-paleo because a lot of people succeed when they follow that approach. If a particular approach is burdensome or leaves you miserable, is it sustainable? Probably not. And sustainability is important -- even the Twinkie diet guy gained weight when he went off his diet and started eating real food again. If you experiment a bit, you'll probably find a way of creating that caloric deficit that fits into your lifestyle and meets your basic nutritional needs. For me, it's counting calories and making sure I hit my protein target with a decent variety of foods. For someone else, it's eat all the things as long as the things are whole, organic, unprocessed plant-type things (because there just isn't room in their stomach for a calorie surplus composed of those things). For someone else, it's paleo or keto or whatever. Any way that works for you, rock it.

Just stopping in to say hello and offer a quick gratuitous ear scratch. Nice Khajiit !

Trial and error: If I lose weight consistently over time, then I'm in a deficit; if I gain weight consistently over time, then I'm in a surplus. After you've been logging on MFP for a while, you may find this spreadsheet useful in estimating your energy expenditure from your own data. But as a starting point, I would definitely use your trainer's numbers over MFP's because your trainer is working with information specific to your body that MFP doesn't have. Pullups! I envy you, lady. I hope to take on pullups in the November challenge.

The room was small, bright, and not at all uncomfortable after the requisite poking and prodding. bim awaited the experts in silence. What would they say? What would they find? Would they grant her petition? And why on earth did they need to take her temperature for a sports injury? At last the experts arrived, one at a time, and so it began. Patiently and exactingly, she described her situation to first one, then another. In great detail. Very great detail. Quite probably more detail than was required. The bent-over row and deadlift demonstrations probably were not required. The situp demonstration lying on the floor almost certainly was not required. And the roundhouse kicks... those were definitely right out. But bim was nothing if not thorough. The Elder consulted the Apprentice. The two conferred, and ultimately concurred: Overuse. Bursitis. The Elder knew, before speaking, that bim would reject the "final solution" offered. A steroid shot? Pah! bim huffed, and the Elder chuckled. And with a flick of the wrist and a smile of genuine pleasure, the Elder granted bim's petition. A referral to the Council of Physical Therapy -- not just for her elbow, but for all injuries recently wrought on her wretched form! Did bim know of a specific Den of the Council she would prefer to supplicate? Oh, she did... indeed she did! And thus it was written. And bim moved on in exceeding gratitude to await the summons of the Council. ... to be continued ...

Representing, but bimspawn is more like an adult roommate now. He's wisely enjoying the life of a commuter student at home (laundry any time, fully stocked fridge, quiet environment suitable for doing all the things) while saving up his loot and attending grad school. And I'm enjoying his considerable baking skills, a ready spot when I bench, and the joy of another year's respite from empty nest syndrome. I wish I had good tips for single parents of younger spawn to level up their fitness while tending to the kiddos. Frankly, I didn't do well at that at all. I didn't really get into shape until he was grown, with transport and social life and responsibility of his own. So what I can offer is probably mostly empathy, commiseration, assurance that there is life after hardcore parenting.

Quick final update: I got the PT referral to the facility I wanted! My doctor said she's THRILLED to write me a referral - I guess most people go looking for painkillers instead? I can't wait to start! She said it sounded like simple overuse, and she diagnosed bursitis in one hip. Probably from the uptick in walking during this challenge. :oops:

Following... because you're awesome...

Hooray first challenge! I'm following you because I love deadlifts, intervals, and lots of walking. It is absolutely possible for women our age to gain muscle mass, but that requires a caloric surplus and progressive strength training. It won't happen overnight. That "pumped" look, however, does come quickly and remains as long as you continue to train. Have you decided on a specific bodyweight workout, or will you be getting programming from your trainer?