forkboy trying to find maintenance numbers and gain a little muscle

[CourtnieMarie]

yeah! awesome macros! sigh. i did not have yesterday off work but! the commute in and out was MUCH nicer

[AshPS]

No, that is minus weight.  There is a machine that acts like a fulcrum in the gym that assists me a little.  I have that assistance down to 40 lbs, targeting 0 assistance, at least for one set, by the end of the challenge.  Dips I am ready to add weight though.

 

Nice!

 

 

 

 

Yesterday's macros:  2,207 calories (over 7), carbs 158 (plug), fat 60 (under 1), protein 194 (over 1), win on day one, yay!  Got my water in too, so 3/3 on day one.

 

Rest day today.

 

Man was coming back to work this morning brutal!  I enjoy my job, don't get me wrong, but I was dragging.  Hope your Tuesdays are going more smoothly!

 

Way to go on the first day forkboy!!! :triumphant:

 

Sorry Tuesday was not going well, many good wishes it will get better and Wednesday will be awesome!

[forkboy]

Yesterday's macros: 1,994 calories (under 6), 153 carb (no goal, but not I am rethinking, see below), 59 fat (under 2), protein 192, (under 1)

Got my water in.  Nothing on my life goal.

 

Max reps at gym today [xreps(sets)]:

Squat 215 lbs x5(1) 205 lbs x5(2)

OHP 85 lbs x5(3)

Good Mornings 105 lbs x5(3)

Pull-Ups -40 lbs x5(3)

Planks 1:30, 1:15, 1:00

 

So I went down on my squats for my last two sets and I am a little sad about it.  I had a pretty hard time with my 5th rep on my first set.  Then I actually stopped for a sec before finishing my last two reps on my last set at the lower weight.  I am stumped.  I am wondering if I went too high too fast (also read--maybe bad form?), if I am short on carb/glycogen stores, or it is all psychological.  I was coming in today thinking I would finally do all 3 sets of 5 reps and be ready for 220 lbs on Saturday.  Maybe I just had an off day?  I am super green when it comes to lifting, so if any of you more seasoned folks have any ideas on what I should do I would really appreciate it.  I was thinking of actually targeting a carb number rather than it being a plug as a starting point.  I am pretty sure this will mean no more red wine during the challenge though.  I am also open to changing my weight routine, I just don't know what else to go to instead.  My goal is to add muscle and strength basically.  I am using Mark Rippetoe's workout guide in his Intro to Strength Training book where basically I do warm-up sets starting with the bar, then moving up to ~50% of my max set, then a couple more sets with heavier wait but low reps like 1 or 2 to get used to the form and the weight, then targeting 3 sets of 5 reps at the max.  I am seeing progress on this approach with every exercise but squat, so I am at a loss and a little frustrated.  Today was the 4th session where I couldn't complete 215 lbs at 5 reps in 3 sets.  Done whining, but if anyone has any solid advice I would love to hear it.  Thanks!

 

Sweet sweet Wednesday, let's be friends okay?

[Stronkey Kong]

Why'd you go down on your last two squat sets? Did you attempt another 215 set?

 

Could be your carbs, but maybe more rest time could help? And off days do happen. I wouldn't start changing things unless it happens consistently.

[forkboy]

I went down because I could barely finish the 5th rep of the first set.  I knew I wouldn't be able to complete 5 reps at that weight.  I guess I could just have done few reps, is that your point?  Thanks man.

[AshPS]

I agree with Darwin in that you might see if it's consistent and not just an off day, they do happen. I also am not as 'seasoned' as some who can help you here, but i will tell you two things Donar gave me that was really helping me and made a difference. My intra-workout shake (10-12 oz. water, 1 sc. powder and 1 T. OJ concentrate) and the 5 g. of creatine I took daily. (nodding) Just a thought!

 

You did well forkboy. Lots of wishes Wednesday is sweet to you!

[bluekiwi1]

Good job on Tuesday!  Way to go slap it in da face!  Hope Wednesday is being awesome!  Rawr!

[mango]

Good job with Tuesday!

 

I'm super new at barbell training, so can't really give any advice, but I know that Stronglifts says to use the same weight for all the sets, even if you can't complete all five reps. I haven't read SS yet, so I don't know if they say anything about it there.

[forkboy]

Thanks for stopping by and for all the support everyone!

 

Yesterday's macros:  2,198 calories (2 under), 198 carbs (22 under, not tracking in goals, but should I reconsider? learned yesterday it would be impossible to hit that number and my protein and my calories and still have my one glass of wine a day, boo hoo, unless my fat were super low, under like 25), fat 59 (under 2), and pro 195 (over 2), so hit goal.  Water in.  Nothing on life goal.

 

Rest day today.

 

Thursday loves to cuddle by the fire.  Wait, what?  Too hot this time of year.  Can I sub out with mojitos on the porch? Wait, what ?  That would totally destroy my macros.  Still love me anyway Thursday?

[CourtnieMarie]

hot?! i'm coming to AZ.

 

i got a little confused about your carby question. you're worried about coming in too low? is it effecting your performance or daily habits?

are you saying you can't hit 220g carbs while still hitting protein and cals and having a glass of wine?

[Stronkey Kong]

How do you count your wine?

 

This is perplexing because the alcohol provides calories, but with the way it's metabolized it can go either as sugar or fat depending on how its used.

[forkboy]

How do you count your wine?

 

This is perplexing because the alcohol provides calories, but with the way it's metabolized it can go either as sugar or fat depending on how its used.

 

The entry I have been using in MFP says for 5 oz it is 130 calories, 5 carbs, the radio of carbs to calories is super low as you can see. Thoughts?

[forkboy]

hot?! i'm coming to AZ.

 

i got a little confused about your carby question. you're worried about coming in too low? is it effecting your performance or daily habits?

are you saying you can't hit 220g carbs while still hitting protein and cals and having a glass of wine?

 

Too warm still for a fire, yes, hit 80 today.

 

According to MFP, yes, see above, I get calories but not a lot of carbs from them when drinking wine.  I am not overly worried about performance, no, just not able to hit carb, protein, and calorie goals with that ratio.  I have been leaving carbs as the plug, while targeting calories, protein, and fat numbers.  The wine seems to make hitting all 4 impossible, of course I am open to MFP being wrong, I have seen definite issues in some of the entries.  Never really understood how alcohol worked on this front to begin with, as you can tell, so that makes for a challenge.

[Stronkey Kong]

If it comes down to it, alcohol is about 7 cals/g. You could weigh the wine, and calculate the grams of alcohol by the percentage on the bottle. Hmm... but that leaves the remaining sugar content, which you don't know for sure and could vary for a large number of reasons.

 

And yeah, this, apart from the fact that when I drink I tend to whulf down loaded fries, pizza, and pretty much anything that gets put in front of me, is why I'm avoiding drinking until I figure out the cals/macros that are right for me.

[CourtnieMarie]

Too warm still for a fire, yes, hit 80 today.

 

According to MFP, yes, see above, I get calories but not a lot of carbs from them when drinking wine.  I am not overly worried about performance, no, just not able to hit carb, protein, and calorie goals with that ratio.  I have been leaving carbs as the plug, while targeting calories, protein, and fat numbers.  The wine seems to make hitting all 4 impossible, of course I am open to MFP being wrong, I have seen definite issues in some of the entries.  Never really understood how alcohol worked on this front to begin with, as you can tell, so that makes for a challenge.

ahhh i seee. hmpf. any time we count calories we are allowing for a large margin of error. especially if we are not using a digital and maybe we didn't add that pat of butter or that squirt of ketchup or that bite of brownie. we are never going to log it 100% right. maybe keep logging your wine the way it is for the rest of the week and then take an account of how you feel. did the lower carbs hinder anything? if not, is the wine worth it to continue the way you have been?

 

unless you're not seeing results or start feeling different because of the lower carbs then i'd say go for the wine. but you have to be consistent with it one way or another to be able to assess whether you're seeing changes or not.

[ElbowRocker]

Late on this (as usual), but I ran into a similar issue with squats at the end of the last challenge. I'm pretty sure that for me it was due to a form issue. I ended up dropping weight off for I think two squat days in a row, just doing super light stuff with the bar and under 135 lbs, just focusing on form and what felt good. For me, I was putting the bar too low and stretching my arms and elbows really awkwardly. I doubt this is your issue, but if you even suspect your form might be off, I'd suggest going back and really nailing it down. You'll at least eliminate it as a potential roadblock.

 

One of these days I'm going to post a video in the form check thread to see if my improved form is even any good.

 

#mytwocents

 

Also what CourtnieMarie is saying about the wine is basically what I would have said, except she said it better. I guess this is what the new like button is for? It makes me feel dirty though. Like facebook dirty. Eww. Maybe I'll click it and then go wash my hands.

 

#orburnthemoff

#thefirecleanses

[forkboy]

Thanks guys, for all the tips and support!  For the wine, I will keep the one glass for now, I enjoy it and it is 130 cals of the overall picture.  As far as the squats I do warm up sets where I focus a lot on the form, so I am not sure, maybe I too need to post a form check.  I will be in a strange gym on Saturday as I am traveling, so that might be an opportune time.  Thanks all!

[forkboy]

 I guess this is what the new like button is for? It makes me feel dirty though. Like facebook dirty. Eww. Maybe I'll click it and then go wash my hands.

 

#orburnthemoff

#thefirecleanses

 

Fire is sanitizing.  I don't follow the like stuff either, like we are voting on posts?

[AshPS]

Sounds like you had a good day. So awesome on that. And I will heads up and agree with courtniemarie that what which ever way you go you should do it for awhile and just see how it looks in the overall picture.

 

As far as that like button, it seems to be adding to that new number box on the profile page. So I just click it when I like what someone says. I think that makes it a lot like the like button on facebook. hmmm......don't really do facebook........

 

Wow, warm there huh? It is cooooooooold here now! Feel like I'm gonna turn into a popsicle on my walks, lol!

 

Wish you a most awesome Friday forkboy!  Week one almost done!

[forkboy]

 

Wish you a most awesome Friday forkboy!  Week one almost done!

 

Thanks Ash!  So far, sort of meh, but I am hopeful.

 

Yesterday's macros:  1,996 calories (under by 4), carb 155, fat 56 (under by 5), pro 189 (under by 3).  Water in.  Nothing on life goal.

 

Today was my running day but I could not stop snoozing.  I decided to get an extra hour of sleep and swap with Sunday.  My weight went down a little during the week (2 lbs) and back up (2 lbs) toward the end of the week.  Interesting to see my measurements tomorrow for sure.  I wonder if I have already found my maintenance numbers on the first try out of the shoot.

 

Friday likes it when I whisper niceties.  Friday was rude this morning, so I am still debating how to respond.  I am traveling to my mom's this weekend for a visit, which is always fun, because then we have 3 grown-ups against the two hell raisers and it is not an even match for them, haha, little bastards!  I am going to have to test my macro plans and weight lifting on the road though, which could get interesting.

 

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

[forkboy]

So general question to throw out there... dude at GNC just told me not to consume more than 40g of protein powder at a time. He said the liver has trouble processing beyond that and I won't benefit from more. I was doing a giant 80g smoothie in the morning. Thoughts? Thanks!

[Stronkey Kong]

I have heard that your body cannot process more than like 10g of PRO per hour. That's part of the reason I usually take 5-6 meals a day. It does depend on the rate of digestion and absorption and supposedly whey is one of the fastest... meh. Although its funny that all the whey powders from GNC have 3 scoops as the serving size.

 

Another thought on the wine. If you consistently drink 1 glass per day, that's it, and your consistent about the volume, brand/type etc. You could just let that be another variable. So your macros could be like CHO/PRO/FAT/WINE.

 

Now, I am chuckling at that, the notion of WINE being a "macro," but the important thing is that you are precise and consistent about your intake. Now we can debate about what macro(s) it really is, or whether or not its good for you, but as far as scientific method is concerned you can just track it and consider it as a separate variable. Might just make things simpler.

[AshPS]

Welp, technically I have no clue, I will say that I have protein powders (like Darwin said) and weight gainers that call for using 2 scoops and that would be over 50 grams a serving.

 

Good question, will be interested in the answer. Though I don't usually consume more than 30 a serving I am currently doing 2 scoops at 60 in some of my shakes.

 

And I understand the meh. But, I have faith it will pick up for both of us!!!  :triumphant: :triumphant:

 

I will wish you an awesome Saturday!

[forkboy]

PRO/CHO/FAT/WINE, that is definitely my kind of macro set!  I have been consistent with amount and brand for sure.  I am going to skip this weekend while out of town.

 

5-6 meals sounds tough.  I think I can space out my protein powder though for sure and ease up on the morning smoothie.  I took some this morning and GNC changed the taste, packaging, smell, everything, I am not happy about it.

 

Hit my macros and water yesterday, 1,991 calories, 171 carb, 58 fat, 193 pro.

 

On a brighter side I hit all my sets and weights at the gym, which felt pretty awesome.

[reps(sets)]

Squat 215 5(3) all of them, forgot my phone for form check, but felt good, Wed must have just been an off day, so that is nice.

BP 155 5(3)

DL 235 5(1)

Chin-ups -40 5(3)

Dips +10 5(3)

Planks 1:30, 1:15, 1:15

 

Saturday is swell, hope yours is too.

[Swampling]

Congrats on... well... everything? Glad to hear that the workout was "back to normal", and that Wednesday was just acting up.

 

Also, I definitely like the new macro set PRO/CHO/FAT/WINE.   If CHO is short for chocolate, it's perfect. (I know it isn't, but... well. A Swampling can dream, right?)

 

Have a great weekend, forkboy!