a frustrated fit fat girl.

[jgal]

hi there everyone. i've been snooping around on here this evening hoping to find a magic equation to reach all my goals and make all my dreams come true, but there is a lot of content on here and well, i'm starting to lose hope that there is a magic equation in the first place.

anyway.

here's my abbreviated story:

in october of 2008 i started weight watchers and took up moderate cardio activity and some weight machine "training" and played ultimate--dropped 45-ish lbs over the course of that year-ish (went from 225 to 177).

january 2010 i tore my acl, and for the better part of the next year i was out of commission and sat on my butt a lot. gained 10lbs or so back and lost any muscle tone i may have had.

january 2011 i began crossfitting and have been for the majority of the past year. i took a couple of the summer months off to travel and drink beer and regressed considerably. i've been back at it for a solid couple of months now, going 4-5x a week consistently.

my weight has not changed. i currently weight around 185 give or take and i'm 5'6". i think my clothes fit a little differently, but nothing significant. the tape measure doesn't show a ton of change, though i haven't been very consistent with keeping track of any of that. photos from the last couple of months do show a considerable difference in tone in my back and i can see muscle changes throughout my body. i know things are changing slowly but surely, despite the lack of change in the numbers and measurements.

i'm at a point now where i want to start improving my lifts, but i love my metcons at cf too. i'm going crazy here trying to figure out how to balance heavy lifting with conditioning with adequate recovery in order to get strong and melt the fat off my body. every account of weightloss and getting strong i read stresses me the f out because it usually consists of the person running marathons and eating grass first, getting skinny, and then eventually changing their focus to lifting heavy and fueling their body.

the equation majorly looks like this: get rid of fat and get skinny first then build muscle back onto skinny body.

i don't want to run marathons. i want to crossfit and lift heavy things. i don't want to count my calories, i want to continue eating paleo when i'm hungry and fuel my body so that it continues performing more and more efficiently. at the same time, i want to get rid of this layer of blubber on my body so that i can see the bada** muscles i know are underneath. it's such a delicate balance of eating enough but not too much and working out enough but not too much and and and!!!!

i just need some perspective from someone who's been in my position. i'm fit and able, motivated and educated on nutrition and the likes.... i'm just a little frustrated and at a crossroads right now. let me be specific here: i do not care about my weight. i care to make my muscles bigger and be able to see what i work so hard for. does anyone have any advice for me? even a personal account of body transformation that doesn't include starvation and cardio exhaustion would be lovely and so encouraging.

sincerely,

frustrated jess

[Guest guest4729]

First off, I wanted to say I'm new at this as well but my best advice is to NOT give up! I'm also not a huge fan of cardio and I probably do as little of that as possible. Normally I do 10 minutes on any given machine (stationary bike, elliptical, stair stepper thing, etc.) then I'll do exercises on the machines and such and if I have enough time left I do a walk/job twice around the track. I walk the corners and then I jog the long sides. I am very NOT used to cardio but I'm slowly trying to work my way up without overwhelming myself to the point of passing out, throwing up or giving up on the rest of my workout. I often get frustrated with how easily I get out of the breath but then I remember a picture with a quote I saw that says "It doesn't matter how fast you go, you're doing better than the people sitting on their couch." That quote definitely keeps me going.

Otherwise I wish you the best of luck with finding out which types of lifting and such works for you - I'm trying to do the same in combination with using some of the machines at the gym. Best of luck!

[Ninja]

What's your diet like lately? Maybe I missed it but I don't believe you mentioned what your current diet looks like.

[ETFnerd]

Welcome. I am sure you will find a lot of supportive folks with similar interests.

[spezzy]

hey! what's your diet like? you said paleo, but what kind? how strict are you? can you give me a breakdown of what and how much you've eaten over the past week?

how often are you doing crossfit? anything else?

[jgal]

i've been eating mostly paleo for the past couple of months but it hasn't been a totally consistent transition. i eat paleo with some dairy (milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and coffee creamer, specifically) as well as eggs, quinoa, and sweet potatoes. on a rare occasion i'll eat a bit of oatmeal blended into a shake or something. i have a hard time saying no to beer and the occasional muffin or bite of this or that at the cafe i work at. it's only been in the last couple weeks that i've really buckles down and started to eliminate those little cheats.

my diet today:

3 egg omelette with turkey mushrooms and spinach and a sprinkle of parmesan

Coffee w/cream (probably 2-3 cups today-work at a coffee shop, cream is usually just a splash)

an orange

steamed carrots with tuna, plain hummus, drizzle of olive oil, and jalapeños (yeah.. i eat weird stuff but it's usually just whatever i have on hand that includes protein/fat/carbs)

cocoa powder dusted almonds

turkey sausage link with a whole bag of mixes frozen veggies, one egg, 1/2 of avocado

small bowl of vegetable curry made with cocnut milk and quinoa

small glass of milk

i also had a couple bites of a pancake and a taste of mac and cheese at work. i never really worry too much about the tastes of things at work while prepping. maybe i should.

this is pretty representative of the way i usually eat. i recently started upping the fat in my diet (thus the milk, nuts, etc) on suggestion of one of my coaches and i notice an increase in my performance at this adjustment.

on days i work out, i usually have a lara bar as a prewod meal.

i don't usually eat fruit. a banana a few times a week at most. lots of water and probably too much coffee.

i do crossfit 5x a week and usually another endurance workout or two in there-sometimes rowing, sometimes running. i always go to the gym early and practice some of the skills or lifts. i rockclimb, though that has not been a regular part of my routine the last several weeks, and i practice iyengar yoga 1-2x a week.

i feel like a big part of my slow progress is due to my drinking on the weekend habit. i have a few drinks every weekend. sometimes more. that's probably a huge part of the stall.

[Ninja]

I feel you on the drinking. My friends love to drink on the weekends and limiting that is one of the toughest challenges I face, to the point where I think just staying home on the weekends sometimes a better option to limit my exposure to it.

[spezzy]

i've been eating mostly paleo for the past couple of months but it hasn't been a totally consistent transition. i eat paleo with some dairy (milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and coffee creamer, specifically) as well as eggs, quinoa, and sweet potatoes. on a rare occasion i'll eat a bit of oatmeal blended into a shake or something. i have a hard time saying no to beer and the occasional muffin or bite of this or that at the cafe i work at.

i also had a couple bites of a pancake and a taste of mac and cheese at work. i never really worry too much about the tastes of things at work while prepping. maybe i should.

i feel like a big part of my slow progress is due to my drinking on the weekend habit. i have a few drinks every weekend. sometimes more. that's probably a huge part of the stall.

You've answered your questions in your answer right here.

Even if you're crossfitting that much, in order to lose fat you need to create a calorie deficit.

First, Stop snacking at work. Every "taste" of mac and cheese could have something like 50 calories.

Second, I would start tracking everything you eat. If you DO snack, or drink, or whatever - that's fine, but write it down. Old weightwatchers mentality - "write it before you bite it". I bet you'll be surprised how many calories those things add up to.

I know tracking sucks. In fact, it sucks so much I don't do it. BUT - do it for 14 days. That will give you enough time to get a good visual of what you're doing and eating and what your problem areas are.

on days i work out, i usually have a lara bar as a prewod meal.

Also, I'd switch to a recovery shake or something - Fats right after your workout aren't the best idea if you're looking to lose fat.

[jgal]

indeed you're correct on all of those things. knew that would be the response as i was typing it. i did in fact log my food for a week or so a few weeks back and found when i did that i wouldn't eat junk bc i didn't want to write it. i also found that when looking at the calories that closely i would not eat enough because if looked like so many cals... a mental default from the time at ww, i think. really though, i know exactly what i need to change with my diet for the fat loss. i'm just impatient and this is me looking for a swift kick in the butt and some words of encouragement.

spezzy, funnily enough, your story is how i even found my way to this site. thanks pinterest for linking me to your CF site. there need to be more ladies like you in the world.

i don't think i'll track my food but i will get serious and cut the bull. typing my food out from yesterday was enough to make the point in my head. also-any favs on the recovery/protein shakes?

['Roos]

I'm with Spezzy on the diet thing.

As far as fat loss, I have to completely eliminate sugars and grains from my diet before I see results. Hummus is made of legumes (which aren't paleo, but which I'm OK eating - it's all personal, right?). I've also found that even a beer or two means I'll be inflated (with water) for a few days at least. Dairy tends to make it harder for me to say no to non-paleo stuff so I stay away (especially milk and yoghurt). I'd say really clean up your diet, and see what happens. And yeah, logging is a good way to get a handle on things.

[jgal]

thanks for the tips. you're all very right. i eat the dairy because i notice the fat helps with my performance. i'd say i don't usually have more than one or two servings per day. maybe one would be suffice. busted on the beer thing though. i'm going to eliminate all alcohol and sugars this week and see what happens. you guys just signed up to be my accountability. congrats.

and on the brighter side... my whiny butt just measured and i'm down an inch~ in my core area after about 6 weeks. i guess an inch just isn't enough to make skinny jeans feel loose. haha.

i could really use some guidance on my training. the diet part is easy-i know what to do after 4 years of screwing up and learning from my mistakes. power lifting, on the other hand, is fairly new to me. i know how, i'm just having trouble determining how to incorporate a lifting program in with my CF training. we do lift at CF, but I'd like to get a little more regular about it. a friend of mine said that if i do starting strength, i'll need to cut back my metcons in order to recover, but i feel like metcons are the fat burners and i love them. tips on how much training and how often?

here are some of my lifts just so you know where i'm at:

deadlift: 235x1

power clean: 115 range. i know it's higher bc i have pulled a 125 hang power clean, but i've been having a little trouble with my form the past week.

back squat: 165x5 (haven't attempted 1RM in a while)

push press: 125x4

shoulder press: 95x1

and for you CFers, my fight gone bad score is 279 rx. that's the most recent benchmark i've done to give an idea of conditioning. don't ask about fran. can't do pullups. don't wanna talk about her.

sorry for the weird numbers. i haven't 1RM on a lot of these lifts in a while. also haven't benched in a good couple of months.

[ETFnerd]

deadlift: 235x1

Holy cow!!! Maybe you should be dishing the advice...

[jgal]

haha. thanks

[chairohkey]

Check out Justin Lascek's Strength and Conditioning Program. Alot of the CFers I know swear by it. Just Google "70s Big Strength and Conditioning Program" to find it.

http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=62078

Edit: Found the link to the attachements.

http://www.board.crossfit.com/misc.php?do=showattachments&t=62078

[jgal]

hey thanks! that looks about what i was expecting. i think i'd struggle scaling back on my metcons. i guess i need to figure out what my priorities are.

cleaned up the diet today. i also didn't work which is always easier.

porkchop cooked in coconut oil, brussel sprouts, kale

coffee w/milk

handful deli turkey, small handful almonds, half cucumber

lara bar an hour prewod

post WOD recovery drink (phormula 1(glycogen) and ignite(whey isolate))

2 tilapia filets and a bag of mixed veggies cooked in olive oil

and i'll have a glass of milk before bed

how's that look?

[spezzy]

hey thanks! that looks about what i was expecting. i think i'd struggle scaling back on my metcons. i guess i need to figure out what my priorities are.

cleaned up the diet today. i also didn't work which is always easier.

porkchop cooked in coconut oil, brussel sprouts, kale

coffee w/milk

handful deli turkey, small handful almonds, half cucumber

lara bar an hour prewod

post WOD recovery drink (phormula 1(glycogen) and ignite(whey isolate))

2 tilapia filets and a bag of mixed veggies cooked in olive oil

and i'll have a glass of milk before bed

how's that look?

I find that having people write out what they're doing is a good way for them to realize on their own what's wrong, and even if you knew it was wrong before, looking at it on paper seems to help.

I also have the same issue with tracking - I tend to not eat enough because I don't want to write it, same thing with the WW mental thing.

I wouldn't even be afraid of getting rid of the dairy for a week or two. Try adding in other healthy fats. I've tried with and without, and saw no difference performance wise. But that's MY body. We're talking about yours What about getting rid of the larabars for a week or two also? Some of them are paleo (and I eat them sometimes, but not often), but they're not the best bang for your buck nutritionally.

aaaand glad to hear the article helped always happy to hear that!

As for training = I do crossfit AND strength training most days. What I try to do is mimic the movements we're doing in crossfit and work on those lifts/assistance lifts. So if we do deadlifts, I'll then go and do rack pulls, back extensions, farmer's carries - etc. I also ask what movements I should stay away from before I leave

I would NOT mix CF and a static strength training program, because CF is so varied.

What's your final goal? To look good naked? Or a sport?

[jgal]

what would you suggest subbing in for the lara bars? i need some snack ideas

i guess. maybe eggs?

spezzy what does your training look like then? do you have it posted anywhere i can look at it?

haha... ultimate goal? look good naked and lift more than the rest of the girls. don't care too much about sport right now. maybe down the road.

[ninetyfivem38]

hard boiled eggs? Not super appealing, but you get protein at low calories. Or try hard, (i know its easier said than done) really hard to not snack on even a bite of anything you aren't supposed to be eating...

Have you tried making a large amount of green smoothie with whey protein? Put it in the fridge and put some in a roadie to take on the go. I make mine before school (I'm a teacher). Whey protein, baby spinach, small handful of blueberries and sometimes kale, sometimes not. It looks wretched, but tastes surprisingly ok. I will drink this 2 hours after breakfast and it holds me over til lunch.

Or cottage cheese is a low cal, high protein option. That and plain greek yogurt.

Good luck and don't give up!

[spezzy]

what would you suggest subbing in for the lara bars? i need some snack ideas

i guess. maybe eggs?

spezzy what does your training look like then? do you have it posted anywhere i can look at it?

haha... ultimate goal? look good naked and lift more than the rest of the girls. don't care too much about sport right now. maybe down the road.

sorry, somehow missed this.

snack = meal, same food. so chicken, eggs, etc - just smaller quantity than for a meal.

my workouts are pretty much all logged in challenge threads, but i don't have them in one place.

for goals = lifting more than the rest of the girls is an interesting one. i wouldn't pick that because its so hard to measure - and if i'm lifting more than everyone else at my gym, then i've achieved my goal, but then if someone comes in randomly and is lifting more than me, i suddenly haven't met it anymore. instead i have number goals for myself

[sashi]

sorry, somehow missed this.

snack = meal, same food. so chicken, eggs, etc - just smaller quantity than for a meal.

Spezzy, I think I saw this mentioned in that article Steve posted about you (and the way I discovered NF -- I read that and said, "damn, I want to look like her!") Here's a question though. Do you chop pre-cooked chicken? Shred it? Add spices? Marinade (not sure if paleo-folk can have marinades or not)? I like snacking, and have eaten god only knows how many PBJs or bagels with cream cheese as "snacks." I'm trying to lower my carbs (not get rid of them, but move my protein percentage up in my diet).

I like meat a lot, so the idea of "snacking" on meat products makes me incredibly happy, but sad that it takes way longer to cook a chicken breast than toast a bagel.

[jgal]

hey thanks for all the suggestions guys. i've definitely taken a lot of them and put them to use. i've majorly overhauled my diet in the last two weeks and cut almost completely the nibbling here and there. i did have a friends wedding last weekend and had a couple glasses of wine and a beer throughout the weekend, but i'd normally have drank 3x that much at least over the course of the few days, so i consider that an accomplishment. stopped nibbling at work- all my coworkers are aware of my eating and are very supportively not offering me tastes of cupcakes and what not. i'm currently at my parents house which is FULL of sweets and junk, and so far i've successfully avoided snacking like i usually do. coming home is normally a black hole for me. i usually have no willpower and so i just binge the whole weekend since there are so many treats i never keep around.

i will probably indulge some for christmas tomorrow, but who just a little! i'm ready to get back in the gym monday and lift heavy things!

this week i PR'ed my split jerk at 143... though i'm totally convinced i had 153 in me but my form wasn't ideal. also PR'ed my front squat at 155x3 (previous was 145x1)

noticing physical changes too. just needed the kick in the butt. thanks for that! merry christmas!

[spezzy]

Spezzy, I think I saw this mentioned in that article Steve posted about you (and the way I discovered NF -- I read that and said, "damn, I want to look like her!") Here's a question though. Do you chop pre-cooked chicken? Shred it? Add spices? Marinade (not sure if paleo-folk can have marinades or not)? I like snacking, and have eaten god only knows how many PBJs or bagels with cream cheese as "snacks." I'm trying to lower my carbs (not get rid of them, but move my protein percentage up in my diet).

I like meat a lot, so the idea of "snacking" on meat products makes me incredibly happy, but sad that it takes way longer to cook a chicken breast than toast a bagel.

I buy it in the bulk packages, and then bake it all at 350 until its done (depending on the size of the pieces, its different times).

Then I wait for it to cool, and cut it into 4oz portions, and put it in ziploc bags.

I then eat it with whatever I feel like at the time - sometimes i put a paleo bbq sauce in with it, sometimes i eat it with Salas (be careful with the brands here, some arent even close to paleo).

A lot of time I just eat it plain. Chicken thighs = really good plain, and a bit of fat in them too.

i usually have no willpower and so i just binge the whole weekend since there are so many treats i never keep around.

this week i PR'ed my split jerk at 143... though i'm totally convinced i had 153 in me but my form wasn't ideal. also PR'ed my front squat at 155x3 (previous was 145x1)

noticing physical changes too. just needed the kick in the butt. thanks for that! merry christmas!

merry christmas to you too whenever I come across a situation of food or something that I really shouldn't do - I just think - well what if I do, will that have an effect on my lifting? Probably... and which would I prefer, my PR, or that cupcake?