My nitty gritty 6 week challenge

[theanne]

Here's a recap from my original post in the main thread:

DIET:

• Adhere to paleo a little more closely by limiting my bread to only 1-2 times per week (bread has been my weakness... darn delicious sandwiches and pizza!)
• Stick to my macronutrients 100% on weekdays (slack given on weekends for sanity and refeed)

• Calories 1245-1345
• Fat 50-60g
• Protein 120-130g
• Carbs 65-68g

NOTE: Feedback on these macros welcome! I calculated them using BodyBuilding.com's post here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

My current stats are:

5'7"

167lbs

Waist: 30.5in

Abs: 37.5in

Hips: 39in

FITNESS:

• Lose 12 pounds of fat while maintaining strength (maybe even gaining? is this possible? probably not with my macros...)
• Alternative measurement of fat loss: lose 3-4 inches around abdominals
• Run 5 miles with minimum breaks (currently can run 2 miles no breaks)
• Be able to complete a full no-knees chest-to-the-floor pushup
• Stick to my fitness schedule, no excuses!

• Mondays - Sprints
• Tuesdays - HIIT
• Wednesdays - Weight Training/Cardio
• Thursday - Off
• Fridays - Weight Training/Cardio
• Saturdays - Off
• Sundays - 4+ mile hike

Feedback on workout schedule welcome! Suggestions for HIIT especially

LEVEL UP YOUR LIFE:

• Finish paying off credit card (just getting out of 10k debt, whoo!)
• Pay extra $1,000 towards car loan
• Do 1 freelance web design job for a higher rate than I have done before

Here's some about me:

• No gym
• Office/desk job
• Lost 14lbs since I started paying attention to diet about a month ago
• Started training in Dec 2010, couldn't even run a half mile and now can go 2miles
• Interested in the Paleo/Primal lifestyle
• Motivated to get to a fitness level where I could try parkour without hurting myself

[jmbrunson]

Welcome to the challenge! Nice goals.I will tell you, for me the primal lifestyle has become addictive! For me it started with just eating, but then it starts to spread to other areas of my life. Sleeping, training, ect. I'm half way through The Primal Blueprint and a big fan of MDA and Robb Wolf. Both those sites are great sources of info.

[theanne]

Thanks for the welcome and the info! I haven't actually bought Mark's book yet (I'm still easing into things, and I want to approach it in a way that will stick) and I've definitely heard Robb Wolf's name everywhere but haven't checked out his stuff as much. I find Mark's blog much easer to navigate and find what I'm looking for

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

Mark's Daily Apple is such a wonderful resource. When people ask me about what I have been doing, and are interested in learning more (not the people who say: "I could never give up bread and ice cream"), I usually point them there (I usually include the link to the before and after pictures in the forum). If you like meat and veggies, paleo/primal is a great way to go. Good luck this challenge, and let us know if we can help.

[Crooked]

Welcome to the challenge! I'm new too and working on getting stricter about paleo. I do think that your carb macro will be difficult to maintain if you are eating bread. I highly highly highly recommend Robb's book - I don't read his blog too frequently, because it can be overwhelming, but his book is great and very accessible.

[theanne]

If you like meat and veggies, paleo/primal is a great way to go.

I love meat and am learning to expand my veggie world, my month challenge of mostly 85-90% primal taught me that! The hardest part really is the breads, but I know I CAN give it up I just have to beat the cravings! Since I'm not in charge of the kitchen at my house right now it makes it a lot harder, even though I'm bringing in some of my own groceries. Once I'm out of debt (one of my Level Up goals) I should be able to afford to get my own place again and monitor my own groceries which will make the temptations way easier.

Thank you for the support!

Welcome to the challenge! I'm new too and working on getting stricter about paleo. I do think that your carb macro will be difficult to maintain if you are eating bread. I highly highly highly recommend Robb's book - I don't read his blog too frequently, because it can be overwhelming, but his book is great and very accessible.

Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to doing this challenge with you fellow n00b!

I am mostly avoiding bread at home and such but the ease of availability is the problem when I'm on the run. But I know that shouldn't be an excuse and I'm working on my resolve for no bread! I will have to check out Robb's book. Maybe I'll swing by a B&N and peruse it to see what I think. I've actually been coming in way under my carbs on most days and eating just a little something bready often puts me right in my correct carb zone. The problem is that defeats the purpose of not eating grains for the scientific "not built to process it" reasons (as opposed to the empty carb factor).

[jmbrunson]

What really helped me beat the bread and sugar cravings was a mental approach. I also kicked smokes this way. When I'd see it or it was offered to me(they order pizza a lot at work) I would just think that's gross and disgusting! I'd never eat that crap! And really just learn to hate it. I say think because when I first started I would vocalize this occasionally and that led to arguments or people being offended and I really didn't want that. But the more I learned to hate it the more I just didn't want it. I was worse about sugar than grains. I craved it, but now I really don't. But that's just what worked for me and I did get some great results.

As for the blogs, Mark's is much more navigable, but Robb's is worth the visit for the podcasts. I really enjoy them and plan on reading his book next.

[Crooked]

My new snack for when I'm away from home is sardines. Yes, they smell a lot, but they're super convenient, pretty tasty when packed in olive oil (and we're learning not to fear fat) and a great source of extra protein. If you're having trouble getting to your carb minimum, I recommend sweet potatoes and other tubers - pretty high in carbs without the evolutionary drawbacks, in addition to tasting like candy.

This challenge is exciting. I like being surrounded (electronically, anyway) by other people who are motivated and whose goals are similar to mine!

[theanne]

Hm, I'm not sure how I feel about sardines... I guess I have to try them now. That's a good idea on the tubers, I completely forgot about those sorts of things. Thanks for reminding me!

I like that this community is so open and friendly too that helps a lot.

[theanne]

Yesterday's nutrition and fitness:

1340 calories (in goal!)

121g protein (in goal!)

73g fat (over goal by 13g)

63g carbs (under goal by 2g)

Tabata 20s on:10s off

Planks/pushups x 8

Body weight squats x 8

Abs x 4 (wimped out over too much back pain on cement... FAIL)

Sprints

80yds x 6

Forecast for today's nutrition and workout

On goal for fat/protein

Under calories by 25

Under carbs by 6g

Tabata 20s on/10s off

Shoulder presses @ 10lbs x 8

First planche progression (frog stand) x 8

Burpees x 8

[theanne]

I woke up today and decided it was a good day to try IF for breakfast/lunch.

Now I am a little confused if that means I'm to try and consume ALL of my daily macros for dinner or if I'm to eat normally for dinner. I've read that on a regular IF schedule there's a window of time to eat all your macros, but I'm not sure how it works for sporadic IF.

So I worked out 45 minutes fasted state this morning with my trainer (which included some sprints, cardio, weights and conditioning). I feel pretty good!

The turnout for yesterday's macros was approximately:

1220 calories (below by 25 cals)

58g fat (on target)

121g protein (on target)

69 carbs (over by 1g)

I say approximately because I'm not sure how much tuber I actually consumed relative to the macros provided by DailyBurn. It's possible I went slightly higher on cals/carbs than recorded here.

The turnout for yesterday's workout:

I successfully did Tabata 20s on:10s off for 8 reps for shoulder presses and alternated burpees/mountain climbers. I followed the same routine for frog stands but wasn't able to actually hold the position for more than a half second at a time - but I did get as close as I could during "on" times.

So, any thoughts on my IF dinner tonight?

[jmbrunson]

If I were you I'd just eat until I'm not hungry.

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

I have seen that people do it both ways. Some will IF and then end it with their normal sized dinner. Some will squeeze in the full day's food in a 4 - 6 hour eating window. I have just recently started trying IF on non lifting days, and I think I eat a similar amount to my daily totals (a bit less, but a very negligible difference). I think it is one of those things that you will have to figure out what works best for you.

[Wolfman]

I've had excellent success with just eating until I'm not hungry anymore, with the caveat that I can't go OVER my daily allowances. I fast every day until 12pm and allow myself to eat until 8pm. If I know I'm gonna be going out to dinner and not eating my normal planned meals, I usually save up the entire day so that I don't have to worry too much about going over while I'm out.

[theanne]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I like to know that I'm not crazy or doing anything way wrong

I think it is one of those things that you will have to figure out what works best for you.

You're probably right... I suppose I'll find out how it goes when I get home from work! Will be posting results tomorrow.

[Crooked]

My brother just started paleo IF, and he eats three meals, just like he would over the course of a normal day only more condensed. I get the sense that it varies per person. If you toy around with it and find one approach that seems to trigger some fat loss, I'd say that's the right track for you

[theanne]

Okay so I have planned a MOSTLY paleo (but not quite) dinner & evening snack that is going to almost exactly meet my macros for the whole day, other than carbs going over by just 3g.

DINNER

1.5 medium potatoes (actually it's just one big potato)

Topped with 4 tablespoons sour cream (not paleo, I know), 1 tablespoon (real) butter, 2.5oz of sharp cheese

1 cup steamed broccoli

10oz grilled chicken

Evening Snack

1 egg

Shake:

3/4 cup almond milk

1 scoop all natural chocolate protein whey

[theanne]

Okay so yesterday I ended up only eating a fairly large dinner after my IF during the rest of the day.

My macros turned out like so:

1067 calories (200+ below target)

90g protein (30g below target)

65g carbs (on target)

55.3g fat (on target)

Dinner was delicious:

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Today is Friday and verily will be a challenge come dinner. But that's what this challenge is for? To face challenges, no?

[Crooked]

How hungry were you throughout the day? I'm intrigued by IF but not sure I'll be able to take the plunge.

[theanne]

Crooked, even with a pretty intense fasted-state workout in the morning I was fine till around 4pm. That's when I started feeling a little distracted/irritable. I drank a TON of water throughout the day.

I started feeling better (so some of it had to have been mental) once I was on my way home to go eat, which I'm thankful for since with the baked potato and all it wasn't ready until 7:15pm. Technically I fasted for about 23-24 hours since I had eaten my dinner around 7pm the day before.

I don't think this is something I'll be doing often - just on days that I wake up and think "Today is a good IF day", or if I hit a plateau and want to do something to shake things up.

[theanne]

Okay, I am SO EXCITED right now because I went out and got myself a pullup bar! This was the essential I've been missing for my at home workouts so I can start working towards my pullup more consistently.

Now all I need is the bar/discs for deadlifting at home... anyone got a few hundred to throw my way?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]335[/ATTACH]

I REPEAT: I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!

[Alethea]

Hallo hallo, Anne! Excellent goals, you really covered your bases! You will definitely increase your strength as well as losing weight, so long as you stick to your strength training. And the best thing is, with body-weight exercises, the lighter you are, the more you can do, so it's this beautful cycle of awesome.

For IF, obviously, experimentation and self-observation is key, but I would generally just eat a regular meal if I skipped 1 or 2 during the day because I was trying to decrease my food consumption (as opposed to NEEDING a minimum amount of calories a day for muscle-mass increases). We human beings can survive months of famine, a day of less food aint going to do any harm. : ) If nothing else, I think IF is an awesome tool for anyone trying to limit their intake, because it teaches you that hunger is not The Enemy. It's just a state of being, like being tired. I don't have to run off and have a nap when I yawn, and I don't have to run off and have a chocolate bar if my stomach growls.

ZOMG pullup bars rock. Congrats! I have been trying to do a full pullup FOREVER (there's even a poem about it), and my advice to you? Learn to love that thing. Hang off it like a monkey. try 1 arm hangs. Swing back and forth. Put it somewhere where you can brace your feet and walk up a wall. PLAY. It strengthens your grip, arms and shoulders without making you frustrated. Get down with your primate self.

[theanne]

I have been checking out the OMFG forums and while I haven't officially joined or anything I am going to be using the Assassin profile to help shape my goals and workout programs.

Currently I do sprints on Mondays. I am going to add QM movements to this as well since throwing in an extra length or two on all fours shouldn't take up TOO much time and will start helping work towards parkour.

I am also setting down some goals for my interval training on Tuesdays. So far I just pick 3-4 exercises that feel good to work on that day. Especially now that I have a pull-up bar and more defined goals, I'm going to stick to working on three things: L-sits, box jumps (if I can't find a good place to jump on I may just have to stick with jumping repeatedly and bringing my knees to my chest every time), and full ass-to-the-ground body squats.

Additionally I am going to see how I do with throwing some morning routine in the mix. I'd like to spend about 20 minutes every morning stretching. Warmups before stretching will alternate between doing 5 minutes of QM & pull-ups, and shoulder presses & push-ups. At the end of stretching I will practice doing a headstand (as found on BeastSkills.com).

In 3 weeks I will re-evaluate where I'm at to see if I think I should be mixing things up more, or reducing focus to fewer things... or whether I am able to stick to this aggressive of a schedule

....on a note for today, it's a slack day so I'm not tracking macros. However I'm not outright eating crazy cheat meals either. Maybe tomorrow

[theanne]

For IF, obviously, experimentation and self-observation is key, but I would generally just eat a regular meal if I skipped 1 or 2 during the day because I was trying to decrease my food consumption (as opposed to NEEDING a minimum amount of calories a day for muscle-mass increases). We human beings can survive months of famine, a day of less food aint going to do any harm. : ) If nothing else, I think IF is an awesome tool for anyone trying to limit their intake, because it teaches you that hunger is not The Enemy. It's just a state of being, like being tired. I don't have to run off and have a nap when I yawn, and I don't have to run off and have a chocolate bar if my stomach growls.

ZOMG pullup bars rock. Congrats! I have been trying to do a full pullup FOREVER (there's even a poem about it), and my advice to you? Learn to love that thing. Hang off it like a monkey. try 1 arm hangs. Swing back and forth. Put it somewhere where you can brace your feet and walk up a wall. PLAY. It strengthens your grip, arms and shoulders without making you frustrated. Get down with your primate self.

Thanks for the feedback on IF! That is helpful.

I am VERY excited to get comfortable with the pullup bar!! Those are some GREAT ideas for what to do with it without getting too frustrated. The day I can just whip out a pull up will be a triumphant day.

[theanne]

there's even a poem about it

Where can I find this??