Defining

Yup, I get what you're trying to say - but to me the concepts of happiness, satisfaction, pride, worth, accomplishment, 'doing well', and success are all different things. And not always connected.

@TGP Couldn't you just clone the old spreadsheet and clear it of the data to start anew? That way all of the formulas/sheets are already set up, less work for you....?

I wasn't going to participate in this round, because I'm kind of focusing on several 'intangibles' in my life right now. But eff that, it's just as important to stick with the physical stuff too! I'm leveling up some of my goals from last time (I want to stretch myself a bit more this time around), and shuffling priorities a bit. Work is always busier during the summer so I need to remain mindful about what I can realistically commit to.

G1: Add strength & muscle

Must do physio every day, must do a minimum 30min workout 5x a week = goal is for intentional exercise nearly every day, ideally >150min/week [counts/week: 12]

G2: Lose fat & maintain energy

Must drink at least 1.5L of H20 every day & must consume a minimum of 160g of protein:5 veg:2 fruit every day + have at least 2x low kcal days/week (5:2) = goal is to fuel my health, choose things that make me more functional - not less [counts/week: 9]

G3: Sort out my shit

Spend 15hrs/week tidying/decluttering/cleaning = goal is to tame my environment, in order to reduce anxiety and organise my life a bit better [counts/week: 15]

G4: Move forward

Walk at least 80km/week, 20km of which must be with a weighted vest = goal is to maintain & increase my NEPA, improve my endurance [counts/week: 10] (also to make my ridiculous amount of time spent reading a bit more productive)

Bonus G5: Finish something

Get my head out of my ass and start posting videos and social media content for myself. Would also like to finish up a few skills upgrades I've been doing for work.

Gotta stay ahead to get ahead!

12 hours ago, Jean said:

There's another way to look at that and that is "how do I change my mindset to become proud of what I do?"

 

It's really not much of an objective quantifiable thing, more of a choice.

 

Of course, how people around you react to what you do has an effect on the feelings of contentment and "proudness" one can have too.

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm ok with striving for more, rather than retconning my values to find an opportunity to be 'proud' of previous accomplishments. And of course it's not objective! I don't measure myself by other people's standards, nor in my personal opinion do I think that anyone should. 

I firmly believe that our best meter stick is ourselves, with each individual life and context changing the meaning and intention behind actions (with a caveat for events than only affect the individual - obviously anything that affects other people needs to be held to objective moral parameters). For one person getting out of debt and reading 50 books/year would be fantastic goals - for myself, those are way below my basic 'status quo'. Can I judge them simply because they are coming from a different position? Of course not, those are huge accomplishments for that individual, and my opinion is irrelevant. By the same token I refuse to consider my own goals and accomplishments according to someone else's context - it has to be what would make ME proud, not what someone else thinks is worthy.

On 5/13/2019 at 11:46 PM, Jean said:

Shouldn't that be a ""? I mean, more time for other endeavours, then, where you can even put your public speaking skills to use.

This phase is more about finding a community/group of people to spend time with - and while I appreciate integrating skill development, that's not the goal for me right now.

I may have an 'in' for a softball team THIS year! I've been reassured that zero athletic ability is required, so....*shrug*  I could do worse things with my time?

Things that 'energize' me. Um. The fact that I have difficulty answering this question is probably not a good thing:

I like learning about health, fitness, nutrition, body functions & anatomy, etc. I follow a lot of finance management stuff, but I feel like that's mostly out of necessity. I like the science behind cooking & baking. I enjoy talking about sex and sexuality. I've really enjoyed learning more about building and home maintenance through work. I love filmmaking and the art & logistics that go into it, as well as the narrative structure and underlying meanings. I like learning how things are made/work. I read a lot.* I often get distracted by philosophical implications and inferred meanings in day to day life. I take gratification from deconstructing details to inform the whole. I find a lot of value from experimenting with different lifestyle styles, and learning about how they interrelate. I like filling in gaps for 'things you don't know you don't know'; both for myself, and others.

Maybe I should start a non-profit to make 'adulting' educational videos.  Huh. But actually. Long-term, I wouldn't mind organising a 'bootcamp' for teens that could fill in the gaps caused by household variations/incomplete education in schools. Food for future thought.

*A LOT. The time audit tells me that: yes, I spend WAY too much time reading. I clearly need more structure in my day to day routines.

50 tough questions was less useful than I hoped, but it was a good reminder that I haven't done anything that I'd say contributed to my personal 'success' in the last few years. If MY definition of 'success' is: accomplishing something that makes you proud, but not at the expense of other areas of your life that are important to you.....well, fuck. That's definitely not me. If I use someone else's that I like: progressive realisation of a worthy ideal....I'm still not anywhere close. Hell, I don't know that I've ever really felt successful by those definitions.

So next steps for me:

1) Keep on keeping on (5:2, workouts, work, hydration, video work, etc.)

2) Follow up re: softball

3) Consider what would be a 'worthy ideal' for myself, and/or something I'd like to accomplish that I'd be able to look at and say 'I'm proud of that'

I feel like this is some kind of stupid circular logic, where I tried to find 'passions' to get away from 'interests',  because those seemed too wide. But that led me to 'energising' that fell back into 'interests' and has now devolved back into 'what do I really care about', which...ffs, I dunno. Everything. Nothing. I'm back to existential nihilism, wrapped in a delicious package of absurdism. Whatever. It's cool. I can do this.

BB squats can definitely feel awkward when you're first getting used to them. If you feel like your core/back are having difficulty holding up the weight, that's different from making sure your bar placement is correct. For the former, I'd recommend goblet squats, split squats, or DB front squats to get that core support up to snuff. If it's the latter, consider posting a technique video in the powerlifting forum and see if someone can give you some pointers to make things easier.

Welcome to the 'boards!

As in all things, it depends on your personal physiology, and how well you're practicing your recovery strategies. Also depends on how you're toggling the intensity/frequency/volume - each of those will affect your ability to recover, regardless of which muscles you're hitting. Keep a log and figure out what works for you!

For what it's worth, the concept of 'overtraining' certain muscle groups is a bit...bro-sciency. I'm not sure what 'symptoms' you're referring to for compound exercises that would indicate 'overtraining' - but that terms is meant to describe something approaching a medical condition, and it definitely doesn't happen overnight, or over a couple of weeks. If you stop making progress with your lifts, feel tired all the time, feel gassed after workouts, etc - that's when you should double check your sleep quality/quantity, adjust how much you're working out (again: intensity/frequency/volume), make sure you're eating enough kcal and protein, etc. But for specific muscle groups? There aren't really any clear cut signs, apart from shitty workouts.

If you're asking if you can under-recover, the answer is 'of course'. If you want to know the optimal volume/frequency training choices for different muscle groups - well, so would the rest of us. There is so much variation between individuals that affects ideal training strategies, there will never be one answer.

TL:DR - no such thing, track your workouts and figure out the sweet spot for your body

https://www.contentednesscooking.com/high-protein-salad/

https://vegetariangastronomy.com/teriyaki-tofu-stir-fry/#

https://vegangela.com/2014/01/09/coconut-curry-lentil-soup/

https://ohsheglows.com/2013/08/27/sun-dried-tomato-mushroom-and-spinach-tofu-quiche/

https://www.shelikesfood.com/best-vegan-chili-recipe/

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a38846/mushroom-quinoa-burger-recipe/

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/vegan-slow-cooker-tofu-tikka-masala/

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/lentil-tabbouleh/

https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/vegan-buffalo-cauliflower-tacos/

https://veganheaven.org/recipe/vegan-meatball-sub/

https://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/06/everything-white-bean-hummus/

https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-snickers-cheesecake

When in doubt - canned chickpeas & frozen veg with a pre-made curry sauce will always save the day. Extra protein points for quinoa instead of rice with the curry.

Soft tofu is handy to blend into soups for creaminess and extra protein again. When you freeze firm tofu it gets 'spongey', almost similar to the texture when fried - just defrost and drain before using! Seitan & tempeh are good choices to keep in the freezer for easy meat swaps (those are the only good 1:1 options, IMO) and quick meals.

Wheat pasta & bread are great options, in appropriate portions. TVP is a handy 'ground beef' substitute as well. Steamed edemame with salt sprinkled on top are always a good appetizer choice. 

On 5/12/2019 at 2:40 PM, Jupiter said:

I'm also struggling a little with my novel and it's still going slower than I would like. Some days I alternate between "this is looking good" and "this sucks I should quit".

 Made me think of this:

But in all seriousness, I have so much respect for your sticking with it - writing is HARD!

On 5/12/2019 at 2:40 PM, Jupiter said:

Work is also wanting me to do more over time but I've got nothing left and I feel bad saying no. 

If you burn out, you won't be any use to work - or yourself. Say 'no' with confidence, it's for everyone's best interests in the long run.

Hi Sunny - sounds like you made good progress with that trainer, I'm wondering why you haven't asked them to put together a new program for you? Especially if you're working around physical limitations/injuries.

If you're interested in creating your own routine, this is a great place to start: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/

On 5/12/2019 at 3:48 PM, Contented Reader said:

What is a diet other than intentional, controlled starvation? Of course I feel terrible. But the first week or two is the hardest, I remember, and then I will adapt to living with a calorie deficit and not feel so awful. 

 

Just because I'm hungry and crabby doesn't mean I'm a quitter. 

I mean, personally, I might choose to reframe that. But to each her own. Kudos on the vegetable goal! Also I LOVE the idea of tracking along with an audiobook - I may borrow it!

Just a thought for you, maybe something like a 5:2 diet (where you 'fast' or eat very low kcal for 2 days a week, and maintenance for the rest) may be easier to manage long term? I find that it tends to be much better for myself, since - like you - a real deficit puts me down into kinda crazy low numbers, which makes life miserable. If you'd be willing to drop down to 5 days/week for cardio instead of 6, you could even treat both 'fasting' days as rest days, to make things even easier!

For example, assuming you're 5ft(?), your TDEE is probably something around 1,400-1,500kcal/day, plus probably an average of ~200-300kcal/day burned through your exercise. At a goal intake of 1,200kcal/day, looks like you're trying for something around a 500kcal/day deficit, or roughly 0.5-1lb of fat loss a week? That's a pretty significant deficit at 25-30%, but manageable short term. A 5:2 system might look like 5 days with workouts at ~1,600kcal/day, and then two fast days a week where you budget 300-500kcal for the day (for most folks that looks like skipping breakfast and lunch, eating a smaller dinner). For some people, it's easier to have two days of 'abstinence', rather than a whole week of hangry.

Another note, again coming from a small female that struggles to hit the numbers to truly lose fat in a healthy way, is that your protein intake will help A LOT with 1) ensuring that you lose as little muscle as possible and 2) reducing hunger through greater satiety. A good ballpark range would be something between 0.7-1g protein/lb of bodyweight (for you, that's ~95-130g/day, or 30-40% of your daily kcal) - I know that sounds crazy high, but it can help. Seriously. For myself anyway, nothing makes a bigger difference for my energy levels OR success in losing fat than bumping up my protein to those minimums. 

Also feel free to totally ignore me, since I'm pretty much just jumping into YOUR tracking thread uninvited!   (also not a doctor, health professional, trainer, nutritionist, etc. - just a random stranger on the webs that reads too much)

At any rate, welcome to the 'boards!

It can be pretty challenging - sometimes you will need to either resign yourself to making two meals, or both of you will need to compromise/eat leftovers once in a while. The best strategy I can think of is to create complete meals without meat, but where meat could act as a beneficial 'seasoning', or there's an easy veg analog. Eg. Stir fry - make it with seitan, and your SO can add meat in. Tofu steaks with salad & soup, and he can sub in a meat steak. Bean burritos, meat optional. Tempeh with grilled veg, he can have chicken wings instead. Sprouted lentil salad, he can add bacon.

For your own sake, I'd start with a meal plan/recipe collection that offers enough variety to make sure you're getting all the essential amino acids, as well as macro ratios for sufficient protein intake. Yes, you can absolutely get enough protein with a vegetarian/vegan diet, it just requires extra planning - and fair warning, many plant-based protein rich sources also have a decent amount of carbs and fiber (since each day will likely be at least 2-3c of beans, minimum). So again, that's where planning really comes in so that you're not feeling stuffed all the time, but also not eating 4 portions of soy stuff every day. Protein powders/smoothies can help. And the occasional 'meat substitute' processed stuff helps too, just be aware that they're not a 1:1 replacement for meat.

1) Toastmasters was a bust - too structured for my tastes, and realistically speaking I'm already happy with my public speaking skills  

2) Still need to design my exercise plans; will just do them this afternoon, since I apparently put it off for all of last week!

3) Softball game tomorrow (unless it rains, because I'm not THAT into it yet )

4) Looks like the audiobook rates would barely cover the hours - 4-6hrs/ hour of finished product. Maybe fun to do on the side, but not actually a good use of time I think.

5) Consulting rates are done, but looking at them I'm almost wondering if I even want to offer those services - with a full client list, I wouldn't have much time to spare!

6) Habits are going well, but I've been feeling very fatigued lately - something to look into maybe.

8) 5:2 and hydration are going well, I'm falling down on working out every day. Just bought some extra weight plates so that it'll be easier/faster to swap between movements.

9) SO BUSY with work, holy crap

This week:

(today) - exercise plan & (tomorrow) - softball game

1) time audit this week - I'm pretty sure I'm spending too much time reading again

2) Keep on keeping on with the habits

3) Go through 50 Tough Questions You Never Ask Yourself, But Should

4) Have a think about what activities 'energise' me, rather than motivate me

Realistically speaking, a diet that's higher in protein and lower in carbs has been shown to be beneficial for those with PCOS - some argue that even something more extreme like a keto diet could be helpful. That may or may not be compatible with how you'd like to be practicing IE right now - the only person who'll know if it's right for you is yourself!

3 hours ago, Harriet said:

I'm a little worried it's going to hurt, but I could give them a try, starting with just the bar. I guess one's arms get used to it? Even if one has thin and delicate lady skin? 

Not gonna lie, they aren't comfortable. I wear a hoodie and use a split pool noodle as a bar pad for these (I actually use the pad for several lifts, because I'm a wimp) - definitely use something - even just long sleeves.

2 minutes ago, scalyfreak said:

On the subject of glutes, I'm going to once again recommend a reverse cobra, if hip thrusts or glute bridges are not a good option for any reason. Reverse cobra require no equipment, and holy hell do they hit the glutes hard. I do them as warmups at least once a week.

SUPERMANS! Oh man, those hurt me. 

Just now, Harriet said:

No... I've tried them and I absolutely can't hold heavy dumbbells with my wrists.

Zerchers then? https://us.myprotein.com/thezone/training/zercher-squat-benefits/

Just now, Harriet said:

Oh, I was thinking about doing heavy glute bridges. I was doing this a while ago, at about 70kg for 8-12 reps or something (I can't remember). Light, high rep work doesn't seem to do anything except make me tired and angry.

Similar to the upper pulling conundrum - sometimes we inadvertently go TOO heavy, and end up not using the target muscles as well because we have to recruit other chains to move the weight. Activation work is exactly that - meant to improve the mind/muscle connection and hitting that specific goal area. You could also consider isometrics or SLOW REP stuff with medium weights rather that high reps, if you don't like those. Some thoughts from the glute guy on the topic: https://bretcontreras.com/quit-going-darn-heavy-hip-thrusts-train-glutes-not-ego/ But as in all things, you'll need to experiment to see what works best for you!

54 minutes ago, Back N9ne said:

210g of protein is like 1200g of protein-containing foods

Probably more, if you're eating a plant-based diet. Speaking as a former vegan, it's very difficult to not fill your tummy if you're hitting the protein numbers!

If your sleep and stress are known issues, then those are two awesome areas to focus on for improvement - probably more than anything food related, honestly. Self-talk is important - be sure to tell yourself 'yes I can', rather than 'that's not going to happen'. I'm far from a hokey 'positive energy' type of individual, but there's enough hard data to suggest that mindset can affect your body chemistry that I think it's good to keep in mind. So: sleep hygiene and stress management?  

Frankly - if the hunger is not physical, but rather phycological and/or emotional, there is no appetite suppressant that's going to help - because it's not an 'appetite' challenge that needs to be addressed.

And - although this can be taken too far - some folks need to go through a period of abstinence of any of the 'signal disruption stuff' (ie. processed foods, cheap carbs, alcohol, salt/fat combos, etc.) in order to reset. After 20-30 days of just forcing yourself NOT to eat the junk food, you may find that the cravings subside, or are more likely lessened to a manageable level. At the end of the day, you won't know what works best for YOU until you start experimenting and tracking to determine what's effective. Good luck, be safe, and welcome to the 'boards!

24 minutes ago, Harriet said:

So... when should I add them in? If I do two workouts: Workout A=Squat/Bench/Row and workout B=Squat/Deadlift/OHP... adding them after the deadlift would be convenient because the barbell would already be on the floor and I wouldn't have to wait for a bar and I would feel less embarrassed about it. But is that the best time to do them? Will my back be fried?

Depends on you! You may not even need to load them at first, depending on how well you've been activating them previously. Personally, I always place activation work either just before the lift I'm doing, or part of my warmup or EVERY workout - you can't improve if you don't hit it often enough. But you should just experiment and figure out what will work best for you and your routine & comfort level. If you feel self conscious about doing glute work in public, you could even just do some band & bodyweight work for 10min every morning as part of your wake-up routine - no witnesses apart from your cohabitant!

2 minutes ago, Deckard Gainz said:

This sounds like a core activation issue.

100% Would you consider swapping BB squats for goblet squats for a bit? They kick my ass, and force you to brace properly!

Other ideas:

https://squatuniversity.com/2016/02/12/the-squat-fix-core-stability-proper-breathing/

http://www.melbournestrengthculture.com/blog/2019/1/23/creating-an-optimal-brace-for-squats

6 minutes ago, justasking said:

Yes pretty much! I'm thin with no muscle aside from my calves. I don't want to get a strong or buff look at all, but perhaps I should think about trying to gain a bit of muscle just overall, less for aesthetic purposes and more for health. I'm so weak thesedays. Thank you for your help and your comment really helped me think of it in a new light!

Resistance training is awesome for your health - and people don't typically get 'bulky' from working out unless they're trying to! It's especially important for women to incorporate some sort of weight lifting/resistance work in order to maintain bone density as we age, and to help prevent osteoporosis after menopause. At 20, you are in the PRIME TIME opportunity to improve your health and bone density - setting yourself up for better health and a good foundation of strength to carry you through the later decades. 

5 minutes ago, justasking said:

This was all in mind without a bra on. Even with nothing on the bulge on the left is huge, the right one isnt as bad but still noticeable. I was thinking of just getting that part liposuctioned when I save up some money for it but that would be far far in the future! Thank you!

Yup. From my perspective it just looks like normal breast tissue that happens to sit a little further over to the side. A good bra can help 'pull' that bit over closer to centre so that you don't feel like it's 'sticking out' as much. But honestly, I do feel that it's just an area that you're feeling self conscious about, rather than anything that actually needs to be 'fixed'. But that's just my opinion!

Getting in LOTS of protein helps (think 1g per lb of bodyweight lots), as does staying hydrated, and incorporating gelling fiber (found in grains & beans, psyllium, pectin is another good example) - think of 'water-hungry' soluble fiber options as your secret sauce to helping reduce hunger. Caffeine also reduces hunger, but don't consume it later in the day or it will eff up your sleep schedule (insufficient sleep will increase hunger signals). Some folks find that 5HTP can help as an appetite suppressor, but there are several drug interactions that you need to be aware of - and should probably chat with your doctor before trying to supplement with it.

Has your doctor tested for insulin resistance/prediabetes? If yes, then the shaking and weakness could be psychosomatic - if you haven't done a fasting insulin test, you probably should though.

If you're feeling hungry even when your stomach is physically full, there's something going wonky with your hormonal signaling - that could be due to eating too quickly, mistaking thirst/boredom for hunger, unhelpful food combinations (sweet/salt/fat/carb combos muck with everything), prescription meds, chronic stress, etc. Our bodies are marvelously complicated.

Strategies to help:

• Sleep at least 8hrs/night, and improve your sleep hygiene
• Manage your stress (meditation and gratitude journaling are often effective); you could try taking some rhodiola and/or ashwagandha to help with stress as well
• Eat at least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight every day
• Eat at least 1-2 servings of vegetables with each meal, and 1 fruit or veg with every snack
• Reduce or eliminate any added sugars (they're in lots of stuff, ketchup, store-bought bread, etc.)
• Reduce or eliminate alcohol
• Avoid foods that make you crave more (chips, pizza, fast food, processed foods, etc.)
• Drink 250-500ml of cold water 20-30min before each meal
• Take at least 20min to eat each meal
• If you're still hungry after a meal, drink another 250-500ml of cold water and wait another 20min before eating any more
• Some folks benefit from a high protein (think 20-30g) breakfast within 30min of waking up in the morning
• Drink coffee or black/green tea, but abstain for at least 8hrs before bedtime
• Stop eating at least 2hrs before bed

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

Is it even possible to squat and deadlift without using the glutes? They're responsible for the hip lockout, no? Ugh. I absolutely hate adding extras to my simple three-lift routine and always drop them sooner or later. I was hoping to avoid hip thrusts and glute bridges. But maybe some light activation before the squat could increase its efficacy?

You always use the glutes in these lifts, to a certain extent - the real question is: how much? Stuff like hip thrusts and glute bridges could technically be considered 'isolation lifts', but they still use other muscles in conjunction, even if the focus is the glutes. Personally, I saw the best progress in my lifts in both mechanics and weight once I added in hip thrusts and frog pumps.

Think of it this way: squats are a knee dominant exercise, so it should hit the quads more than glutes (even while they do still USE the glutes/hams in the movement), and deadlifts will always have a limitation for your lower body lifting potential due to your grip and upper body. Hip thrusts and similarly loaded glute specific exercises work your lower body posterior chain to it's best potential, without the limiting factor of upper back strength.

If you think of your body in quadrants (anterior and posterior, upper and lower), then one could make the argument that your 3 lifts are 'missing a quadrant' (and yes, I'm biased ) and actually maybe need to be 4 lifts: squat = lower anterior, bench = upper anterior, deadlift = upper posterior (limiting factor for lower posterior), but THEN you also need glute/ham specific = lower posterior.

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

That's one of the reasons I'm focusing on bringing my squat up to scratch. It's my worst lift... bringing up the rear, as it were.

Wait, how is your squat your 'worst lift'?! Unless you also take body mechanics and limb lengths into consideration, ratio guidelines are....inaccurate at best, and unrealistic at worst. I've seen suggestions for a 1backsquat:1.4DL ratio, which would put your numbers as spot on. Using slightly different ratios, even if your squat 'needs' to be bumped up to something closer to 140lbs rather than 125lbs....that's hardly a huge deficit, especially considering that you're still relatively early days in your lifting career (plus, according to those charts, your bench could always stand to improve, so maybe you're just naturally stronger on deadlifts!).

At any rate, I think it's important to consider individual differences whenever you consider 'lift ratios'. If you want to get stronger in your squat, that's awesome - just don't do it to match someone else's standards. 

Depending on time constraints, you can also go downhill backwards - it takes the stress into your posterior chain instead of loading up the knees!

Just gonna slide in with an option #4 - you're not eating 'enough' fat to produce excess ketone indicators in your urine, since your body is using most of what it's making? Also, and I'm positive you already know, but bear in mind that ketosis is a spectrum, not a switch - so things may fluctuate a bit, especially in the first couple of weeks.

Seitan has about 4g of carbs to 20g of protein per 3oz or 1/3c serving, so depending on how much you're eating that's probably the first place I'd look at; a cup of the stuff would be half of your daily 'allotment'! If you're trying to stay under 30g/day net and are worried about the veg too, the carrots and sweet peppers may need to be swapped out for more greens. Almond butter is ~3g carbs/TBSP, so just keep it under two spoonful's a day?

RE: How much protein is too much? There are lots of different perspectives on it, but few are backed up by hard data. I like this article on the topic: https://www.ruled.me/too-much-protein-bad-for-ketosis/  as well as this one that emphasizes just how individualistic our bodies' responses are: https://www.dietdoctor.com/how-much-protein-can-you-eat-in-ketosis

Sounds like you're kicking ass at your goals so far, don't let the strips derail you!