Barre fans check-in

[translationmx]

So after a week of following faithfully my 16/8 fasting-eating regime, I've lost 5.4 pounds!!!

I'm so completely over the moon. I hope to definitely break the darned 160s by the end of the week. I'm feeling great, most of my cravings are gone and it seems to be working great. I'm sticking to this. Is just as easy as keeping an eye on the clock!

[Kamalam]

Ok, I'm so interested in this but am totally confused by the blog... I can't figure out if he is advocating Leangains or Eat Stop Eat... The ESE is offered as an e-book but I don't know about Leangains. For ease and "doability" which is better? Heeeelp meeeeeee. LOL

[translationmx]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

Ok, I'm so interested in this but am totally confused by the blog... I can't figure out if he is advocating Leangains or Eat Stop Eat... The ESE is offered as an e-book but I don't know about Leangains. For ease and "doability" which is better? Heeeelp meeeeeee. LOL

Fear not! I'm here to help

ESE is another style of intermittent fasting. In ESE you do two full 24-hr fasting periods, and eat sensibly during the rest of the week. For example, you "eat" until Monday at 2 pm, then "stop" eating until 2 pm on Tuesday. Then you pick another day and to the same. I did do this protocol, but the full 24 hours can get complicated somehow. It took longer for me to adapt to this way of doing IF.

ESE is an interesting read, it's not science heavy and you can read about the benefits of short term fasting and how it works in terms of fat loss.

Martin has a section in his blog about the basics of Leangains, his 16/8 fasting protocol. I can't post links here, but you can find it at the top bar in the blog. The "meat" of it just comes down to picking your eating window and abide by it. I start eating at 2 pm and stop eating at 10 pm. I love how I feel when I do my barre workout fasted. Whenever I can (time not always allows) I do my barre during the 90 min prior to the start of my eating phase, and then I have my largest meal. I've noticed that I lose the most doing this. Otherwise, I just break my fast with a light meal and have my most substantial meal after working out.

If you're more of a breakfast person you could start eating eating, say at 9 am and have your last meal at 5 pm. That would give you a more normal or standard schedule for your meals. I find the whole thing rather interesting, since I've been eating some carbier foods like rice and I still lost more than I thought I would.

Re - doability: hands down my vote is for Leangains. Once you establish an eating window that's manageable in terms of your lifestyle and activities, the rest is peanuts. For me is almost a relief to be able to have my coffee in the morning and get going, instead of mortifying about what to have for breakfast.

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by translationmx

Fear not! I'm here to help

ESE is another style of intermittent fasting. In ESE you do two full 24-hr fasting periods, and eat sensibly during the rest of the week. For example, you "eat" until Monday at 2 pm, then "stop" eating until 2 pm on Tuesday. Then you pick another day and to the same. I did do this protocol, but the full 24 hours can get complicated somehow. It took longer for me to adapt to this way of doing IF.

ESE is an interesting read, it's not science heavy and you can read about the benefits of short term fasting and how it works in terms of fat loss.

Martin has a section in his blog about the basics of Leangains, his 16/8 fasting protocol. I can't post links here, but you can find it at the top bar in the blog. The "meat" of it just comes down to picking your eating window and abide by it. I start eating at 2 pm and stop eating at 10 pm. I love how I feel when I do my barre workout fasted. Whenever I can (time not always allows) I do my barre during the 90 min prior to the start of my eating phase, and then I have my largest meal. I've noticed that I lose the most doing this. Otherwise, I just break my fast with a light meal and have my most substantial meal after working out.

If you're more of a breakfast person you could start eating eating, say at 9 am and have your last meal at 5 pm. That would give you a more normal or standard schedule for your meals. I find the whole thing rather interesting, since I've been eating some carbier foods like rice and I still lost more than I thought I would.

Re - doability: hands down my vote is for Leangains. Once you establish an eating window that's manageable in terms of your lifestyle and activities, the rest is peanuts. For me is almost a relief to be able to have my coffee in the morning and get going, instead of mortifying about what to have for breakfast.

Just spent the last hour reading more of his blog....

If I'm reading this properly, it really sounds doable. (?!)

Here's what really stood out to me as being the ideal schedule (*is this what you follow??? If not, please share what that is - or elaborate to give me the finer points, please!*)

Fasted training

"Training is initiated on an empty stomach and after ingestion of 10 g BCAA or similar amino acid mixture. This "pre-workout" meal is not counted towards the feeding phase. Technically, training is not completely fasted - that would be detrimental. The pre-workout protein intake, with its stimulatory effect on protein synthesis and metabolism, is a crucial compromise to optimize results. The 8-hour feeding phase starts with the post-workout meal."

Sample setup

11.30-12 AM or 5-15 minutes pre-workout: 10 g BCAA
12-1 PM: Training
1 PM: Post-workout meal (largest meal of the day).
4 PM: Second meal.
9 PM: Last meal before the fast.

Calories and carbs are tapered down throughout the day in the example above

[translationmx]

That's about it. The only difference is that I start eating at 2 pm - 1 hour later. Other than that, that's exactly what I've been doing

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by translationmx

That's about it. The only difference is that I start eating at 2 pm - 1 hour later. Other than that, that's exactly what I've been doing

So, just to ask, you're not doing any special macro/ micro eating or special supplements, weightlifter pizazz stuff... Just sensible eating in that time frame?

Because I could see there are ways to make this more complicated (at least by reading the comments from some of the hard core body builders).

Are you using the BCAA stuff (I think he recommends Xtend and another one, but somebody else said that whey would work as well).

(Sorry to pester you!!)

[translationmx]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

So, just to ask, you're not doing any special macro/ micro eating or special supplements, weightlifter pizazz stuff... Just sensible eating in that time frame?

Because I could see there are ways to make this more complicated (at least by reading the comments from some of the hard core body builders).

Are you using the BCAA stuff (I think he recommends Xtend and another one, but somebody else said that whey would work as well).

(Sorry to pester you!!)

No worries!! Honestly, It's good to be able to share something that works and that's not insane or expensive to do. I don't take any supplements other than a multivitamin. I do drink the BCAA, and I use this brand USP Labs Modern BCAA You only take two scoops a day, so it's not that expensive per serving.

I'm doing a couple of things differently:

• I'm sticking to my desired eating window
• I eat sensibly. I don't gorge or allow myself to overeat
• I do my Ballet Body workouts as scheduled and give it my all. I don't phone it in or go through the motions
• I'm drinking about a gallon of water a day. It's easy because it's really hot and humid here

Back when I did ESE I was eating paleo - like hardcore paleo - and even when I just added in the fasting it worked. This time around I'm hoping to finally be able to get the scale moving. I've been in the 160s since August last year, so it's time to get back to where I want to be

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by translationmx

No worries!! Honestly, It's good to be able to share something that works and that's not insane or expensive to do. I don't take any supplements other than a multivitamin. I do drink the BCAA, and I use this brand USP Labs Modern BCAA You only take two scoops a day, so it's not that expensive per serving.

I'm doing a couple of things differently:

• I'm sticking to my desired eating window
• I eat sensibly. I don't gorge or allow myself to overeat
• I do my Ballet Body workouts as scheduled and give it my all. I don't phone it in or go through the motions
• I'm drinking about a gallon of water a day. It's easy because it's really hot and humid here

Back when I did ESE I was eating paleo - like hardcore paleo - and even when I just added in the fasting it worked. This time around I'm hoping to finally be able to get the scale moving. I've been in the 160s since August last year, so it's time to get back to where I want to be

Thank you so much for the extra info!!!

Of course I have two itsy bitsy questions:

Do you stick to three meals in that eating window or do you snack at all?

Is your last meal something like egg or maybe Greek yogurt (or maybe a protein shake even though I gathered he is not pro-shakes)? Meaning: is it as small as a snack or is it more meal size? He mentioned it would be best to end with something that took longer to digest... do you stick to something regular or does it vary each day?

I am not a huge meat eater, so rather than meat and veggies I might do tofu and veggies or chicken and veggies... Paleo would not work for me but I also don't want to be starving here. This morning, I had a Shakeology drink (do you know about that? It's very expensive and I keep debating about whether to keep it up) and a post recovery drink. Probably for lunch I'll have a tuna salad but sometimes I do crave carbs more (last night I finished my son's mac and cheese with meatballs!). As long as I don't have to be too complicated with meals, I think I'll be good to go. I'd like to start this by the end of the week?? Crossing fingers.

[translationmx]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

Thank you so much for the extra info!!!

Of course I have two itsy bitsy questions:

Do you stick to three meals in that eating window or do you snack at all?

Is your last meal something like egg or maybe Greek yogurt (or maybe a protein shake even though I gathered he is not pro-shakes)? Meaning: is it as small as a snack or is it more meal size? He mentioned it would be best to end with something that took longer to digest... do you stick to something regular or does it vary each day?

I am not a huge meat eater, so rather than meat and veggies I might do tofu and veggies or chicken and veggies... Paleo would not work for me but I also don't want to be starving here. This morning, I had a Shakeology drink (do you know about that? It's very expensive and I keep debating about whether to keep it up) and a post recovery drink. Probably for lunch I'll have a tuna salad but sometimes I do crave carbs more (last night I finished my son's mac and cheese with meatballs!). As long as I don't have to be too complicated with meals, I think I'll be good to go. I'd like to start this by the end of the week?? Crossing fingers.

I've heard that Shakeology thing is the bomb. I haven't tried myself though. It's full of good stuff so you can't go wrong with that.

I have three meals - actually sometimes two larger ones. My last meal could be something lighter, like some cheese cubes and uncured ham, or an actual meal with chicken or beef and veggies, or even a portion of rice. I don't know if you're counting your calories, carbs or both, but I'd say you can eat within your guidelines during your eating window. I'm cycling my carbs, so some days I eat more carbs, and some days I eat less. Fasting gives you a better idea of real hunger/your body needing food for fuel, rather than eating because "it's time to eat" or because you're bored, etc. (it happens to me). So I'm eating by my hunger without stuffing myself (I do that at times ).

The beauty of this is the simplicity, so my advice is to eat the way you're eating, just do it during your specific eating window.

Let me know how you like it!

[Kamalam]

Well, forget about my plans to start this later in the week. I'm trying it today! I ate my last meal around 9:30 pm... just some Greek yogurt and blueberries. This morning I'm having my tea with a dash of vanilla creamer (which does have some sugar but very little).

I'll drink water and tea the rest of the day, but maybe make the tea herbal to avoid the creamer. And we'll see how it goes. I kind of like the idea of not fussing with food until later in the day. I see what you mean about that... Crossing fingers that all goes well. It feels "right" if you know what I mean, even though my mind is telling me to eat (change is something mind's don't like too much... or at least my mind!).

[translationmx]

Good luck!!! I can honestly tell you I feel good. I don't feel deprived or like I'm doing anything too extreme. TOM is right around the corner and I don't feel terribly boated. I can easily put on 4 pounds or so, so let's see if IF'ing helps with water retention.

There are many threads on intermittent fasting in this board, so that's another interesting read

I did my Ballet Body workout yesterday and today I'd love to do some more Ballet Body!!! Leah is against working the same body part on consecutive days, and since I'm doing her plan to the letter I'm abstaining from trying out the newer downloads on my non-Ballet Body days... it's hard being a good girl

[Kamalam]

So far so good. I'm hungry, but I figure the first few days will be an adjustment period. One thing I will say, is that I am now getting water into my system. With nothing else to eat until 2 pm, I am turning to the one thing I've struggled with in the past to get enough of... So, this is great.

I looked at Ballet Body, and wow, it looks really hard.. LOL.. I think I'd have to get a hella lot stronger to even go there! And you want MORE!!

The thing with Bar Method is that she goes in bursts... you work hard, you stretch... you work hard.. take a breather and stretch. And for some reason, my psyche needs that. But the down side is there is no new content except when a new dvd comes out. I actually went ahead and asked BM HQ (on Facebook) if they would ever consider streaming content... it will be interesting to see what they say.

The good news is that I actually felt my glutes yesterday as I was working out. I was amazed... my butt is actually working... We might be making progress here!

[translationmx]

I'm a sucker for punishment!

What's great about Ballet Body is that you can go as hard or as easy as you want. You can use a segment or two as add-ons to your cardio, or you can go ahead and go for 70 or 90 minutes of body part focused work - it's all up to you. Also, the variety of things you can come up with is huge. Leah has released 106 downloads so far, so it's kind of hard to get bored.

It's interesting what happens when you restrict your feeding time. I realize I sometimes eat because "it's mealtime" (breakfast, dinner, whatever...). The thing with water is also interesting. Most of those times I think I'm hungry I'm actually thirsty.

It would be awesome if the Bar Method would go for the streaming thing. I guess that's the future of all content online. It's so convenient. That's also a good thing about Ballet Body - I don't have to wait long to get my goodies! The last time I bought a DVD - of course, the Ballet Body DVDs - I drove once or even twice a day to the post office and NADA!!! so exasperating!!

Let me know how the rest of your day goes. Today I started eating at 2:20-ish... I didn't realize what time it was Wasn't feeling particularly hungry either though

[Kamalam]

Reporting on day three of Leangains/ IF!

I feel good... I do still feel somewhat hungry until my 1 pm window opens, but it's very manageable. I am surprised by how well I am doing actually.

My body seems to like this way of "being." However, I need to read more of the blog to understand the process better. I am not totally clear on that first meal in terms of making it also an "after workout meal." I seem to remember him saying it is supposed to be higher in carbs if you workout (in my mind, kind of like my recovery drink that has 40 g carbs to 10 g of protein)

Oh and guess what I learned? Bar Method will be offering streaming content!! HQ couldn't tell me an ETA yet but at least I know it's coming down the pike, right?! Now at some point, when I am at superhero strength, I will attempt Body Ballet... but until then... I'll keep inching my way along, lol.

Thanks again for your fantastic information on this Barre thread!!

[translationmx]

Originally Posted by Kamalam

Reporting on day three of Leangains/ IF!

I feel good... I do still feel somewhat hungry until my 1 pm window opens, but it's very manageable. I am surprised by how well I am doing actually.

My body seems to like this way of "being." However, I need to read more of the blog to understand the process better. I am not totally clear on that first meal in terms of making it also an "after workout meal." I seem to remember him saying it is supposed to be higher in carbs if you workout (in my mind, kind of like my recovery drink that has 40 g carbs to 10 g of protein)

Oh and guess what I learned? Bar Method will be offering streaming content!! HQ couldn't tell me an ETA yet but at least I know it's coming down the pike, right?! Now at some point, when I am at superhero strength, I will attempt Body Ballet... but until then... I'll keep inching my way along, lol.

Thanks again for your fantastic information on this Barre thread!!

It's great to know you're doing better than just fine with this IF thing! You'll feel way better as time progresses. Yesterday I started eating at 3 pm (an hour later of my standard window), and today I ended up eating at 2:40-ish, so I've been able to shorten my window bit by bit. Actually you can start your day with a lighter meal. Ideally you should have your largest meal of the day after your workout, but that's not always possible for me. I gather that the most important thing is to stick as much as possible to your eating window.

Yaaay for the BM streaming content!! I love it when I can just go online, buy and download/stream whatever wonderful thing I feel like trying. Waiting for DVDs to arrive is not as fun anymore!!

If you ever feel curious about Ballet Body you can try her Basics I or II, or get the DVDs. The upper body one is definitely challenging, but the core and the lower body are more doable. The upper body starts with 25-ish minutes of plank work in every variation you can imagine, so for me it felt just grueling

I'm doing some youtube dancing today. I've been slacking on formal cardio lately, but amazingly my Ballet Body workouts are also building up my cardio endurance, so when I do pure cardio I feel a difference every time.

You can also check out Leangains on facebook - Martin has quite a following

[Kamalam]

Just checking in...

Still doing my bar exercises (choosing either Barre3 or BM depending on how I feel that day). Also trying to more consciously fit in kettlebell workouts because I've been noticing improvements in how lean I feel the days following. I think the combination is really good because there is such intense interval work with kbs. And then I get the deep inner muscles with the bar workouts.

I'm also still on the Leangains protocol... Recently bought the Renegade Diet e-book because it is the most similar to Leangains and has all the direction and guidance that I've been missing. Haven't read it yet, but it's on my list for this weekend. I've been feeling as if I need more information on what to eat during the eating phase and this book comes highly recommended by many fitness sites. So really looking forward to that!

Any updates to report?

[translationmx]

Hey there Kamalam!

I haven't heard of that Renegade e-book. I'll definitely check it out.

My weight has been bouncing up and down the same two pounds. Right now I'm going through a lot of stress... this is probably the most stress I've experienced in like forever, so that's probably why the scale hasn't moved much. Also, I just discontinued the hormonal BC I was using, so that's another variable there. I've been trying to be good with my food, not overdoing my intake of anything and drinking plenty of water.

My Ballet Body workouts are my oasis right now. I enjoy every minute of them. I guess I'm quite the masochist, because seriously, some things are I-want-to-cry kind of hard.

In happy skinny jeans related news, my tighter pants are fitting a tad better. I'm going to take pictures at the end of month three to compare. I'm sure I'll see a change in my pics rather than in the scale. I saw this girl that posted a pic on ************. She was 202# in her before, and 203# in her after. OMG... total difference in the after. She mentions that the scale is a torture device that needs to be forgotten, and I kind of agree with that. Without more precise methods, the scale can show you a 5 pound increase or decrease in weight that could be either muscle, water or poop--- hey, even BONE!!, so the darn thing isn't of much help... it's a part of the puzzle, but not the whole picture

Hopefully Bar Method will come out with some amazing streaming/downloads soon!!

[minimonkey]

Hi ladies -- haven't checked in for ages, but thought I would.

One thing I've noticed about the Bar Method-- form makes a huge difference! I love the three newest workouts (Super Sculpting 1 and 2, and Dancers Body) -- but I've also noticed that since becoming stronger, I can go back and do the Change Your Body and Accelerated workouts, with better form, and actually get a much better workout from them than I did when I was first starting those DVDs.

I'm back to working out -- alternating Bar Method/Fusion and weights workouts -- and giving a try to doing low-carb JUDDD after having finally given up on HCG for a while.

Do any of you find that you are very hungry when doing muscle workouts regularly? I am struggling a lot with hunger at the moment -- thinking of throwing an intermittent fasting component in with the JUDDD to see if it helps.

Subbing in to this thread, too, so I can keep checking in with the working out!

[minimonkey]

Kamalam --In Bar Method, the thing that seemed to make a HUGE difference for me in terms of glutes and hamstrings engaging was my hip position on the seat work (the leg lifts) -- if my hips are truly square, it shifts the bulk of the work to my standing leg, and the hamstrings/glutes engage like crazy! I tended to open my hips too much before, and that prevented the deep glute/hamstring work from happening as well.

The endless-pretzel with the ball, on Super Sculpting 1, will also get my upper/outer glutes so engaged that they start twitching rapid-fire -- that is one sequence I seriously LOVE to HATE!

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by minimonkey

Kamalam --In Bar Method, the thing that seemed to make a HUGE difference for me in terms of glutes and hamstrings engaging was my hip position on the seat work (the leg lifts) -- if my hips are truly square, it shifts the bulk of the work to my standing leg, and the hamstrings/glutes engage like crazy! I tended to open my hips too much before, and that prevented the deep glute/hamstring work from happening as well.

The endless-pretzel with the ball, on Super Sculpting 1, will also get my upper/outer glutes so engaged that they start twitching rapid-fire -- that is one sequence I seriously LOVE to HATE!

Mini,

I finally ordered Super Sculpting 1 and 2, though I've only done the first dvd. Wow, that never ending pretzel is intense!! LOL... but I love it. On the other hand, it's so weird, but the standing leg work in Accelerated/ Change your body seems almost harder. On those previous dvds, the pace is slower so it is more difficult, even more so than using the ball in SS1. I will be having some fun switching between them all, that's for sure. They all bring a different and exciting element to the picture.

Mostly I am doing Barre3 with Bar Method once or twice a week. Mainly that's because of time issues... I can get in a 30 - 40 min workout easier and still sweat. I just love that there are such amazing barre options! Thanks for your pointers.... I think I am doing it the way you describe. I feel a lot of tension in that standing leg for sure. Barre3 has a similar standing leg sequence that also blasts the standing leg... it's finally (finally) getting a little easier!

p.s. I think the hunger with deep muscle exercise goes away eventually.... I don't notice it nearly as much as I did back in February/ March when I started doing exercise regularly. Also, with the Intermittent Fasting protocol, depending on your eating/ fasting phases, you can eat after exercising so that solves that problem! Otherwise drinking tea and water during the day really helps. But my eating needs to be a lot cleaner... I have some good resources but need to more thoroughly read the material!!

[Kamalam]

Originally Posted by translationmx

Hey there Kamalam!

I haven't heard of that Renegade e-book. I'll definitely check it out.

My weight has been bouncing up and down the same two pounds. Right now I'm going through a lot of stress... this is probably the most stress I've experienced in like forever, so that's probably why the scale hasn't moved much. Also, I just discontinued the hormonal BC I was using, so that's another variable there. I've been trying to be good with my food, not overdoing my intake of anything and drinking plenty of water.

My Ballet Body workouts are my oasis right now. I enjoy every minute of them. I guess I'm quite the masochist, because seriously, some things are I-want-to-cry kind of hard.

In happy skinny jeans related news, my tighter pants are fitting a tad better. I'm going to take pictures at the end of month three to compare. I'm sure I'll see a change in my pics rather than in the scale. I saw this girl that posted a pic on an online counter site. She was 202# in her before, and 203# in her after. OMG... total difference in the after. She mentions that the scale is a torture device that needs to be forgotten, and I kind of agree with that. Without more precise methods, the scale can show you a 5 pound increase or decrease in weight that could be either muscle, water or poop--- hey, even BONE!!, so the darn thing isn't of much help... it's a part of the puzzle, but not the whole picture

Hopefully Bar Method will come out with some amazing streaming/downloads soon!!

Just checking in with you Translationmx! You mentioned that you were going to take some pics/ check measurements and I wondered if you are pleased with your results?

I notice I am getting stronger (amazing... really.... I've always considered myself a wimp) but the inches are very slowly coming off. One pair of jeans fits slightly better but they're not ideal yet. At least I can fit into my work clothes (which I had been unable to do back in February, so that is really good news). But those stubborn pair of jeans!!!

Overall... I am getting better. But my eating needs some TLC. Still haven't read my Renegade Diet ebook, yikes. It is on my radar and I figure it will happen when it should.

[minimonkey]

I did SS 1 today -- and I do see your point about the standing leg work being absent .... (the leg work on SS2 is intense, for me at least) -- but the pretzel makes up for it!

I'm alternating Barre work with heavier lifting, for 4 to 5 good workouts a week at the moment. I'd been out of the gym for a few months earlier this year, while I finished a graduate degree -- but that involved moving a huge installation (I'm a sculptor/installation artist) three times, and all the lifting and lugging put some nice mass on my body. Now, I am on a roll and wanting to really build some serious muscle, and also hoping to lean out some more.

I'm going to keep trying the low-carb JUDDD for a bit, but I may well throw in some total fast days on the down days -- tomorrow might be a good place to start that, since today turned into a refeed of genuinely monumental proportions! If I am not too sore tomorrow, I might manage another workout -- I've worked my arms pretty hard this week already (I do the Bar Method sequences with 5 lb weights, and hope to increase that soon) -- and I did a full heavy lifting bicep/tricep sequence in between Bar days -- so I suspect if I lift tomorrow, I'll do legs.