The HCGers exercise thread

[DisneyPrincess]

Studies show it makes no difference if you work out fed or fasted- for cardio that is. It's calories in vs calories out at the end of the day. Weight training should never be done without fuel

[Brandieelynne]

I did a 25 minute trail run this evening! It's my second load day. We'll see if I feel like working out tomorrow on my first VLCD!!

[nola baxter]

Hands down by me for fasted cardio, and especially fasted weight training!

If I did any kind of fasted exercise- it would be light cardio.

I have read stuff about it, and more or less think what Disney says- in the end it comes down to calories in and calories out.
And if I am well fueled for a workout- I can workout much harder, and thus burn more calories, and so potentially more fat.

On a personal level- I hate working out on an empty tank- but I realise that is personal preference to some degree- some people seem to do okay with it.

I think overall any extra fat burned by fasted exercise would be negligible, and not worth the possible down side (lack of energy).

And of course- if you are in a really depleted state- exercise can be catabolic;
ie, muscle wasting rather than muscle building.

But if you have had a huge intake of calories, and then have laid off food for a period of hours- there is probably still enough in the tank to fuel a workout-
so it all depends really, on how fasted and depleted you actually are!

If you are in a calorie deficit- you are always a bit depleted, and lacking in nutrients to well fuel a workout- even if you have eaten beforehand.
But if you have sufficient overall calories in your diet, your body is more likely to be able to sustain a fasted workout without having to breakdown muscle to get nutrients and energy, etc..

Am I making sense?

My two cents worth..

[minimonkey]

Hi everyone!

Plan is to start working back up to working out, starting this evening.

After a weird jump upward on the scale, it is heading back down again. I am doing a slightly modified p2, so going to take it easy on the workouts until I am done with that, but really missing the workouts!

I'm trying to take this day by day, and stay the course. I had a bit of a setback with my health, but really am feeling a lot better now. I am SO ready to get these lbs off and get back into my small clothes again... I'm willing to suffer to get and stay there at this point.

[julieboolie]

mini!! Glad you're feeling a bit better. Hope things work out well for you!!

Brandi-I'll bet it's a beautiful time to be outside up in AK. Enjoy that trail run!!

Shelby-I agree w. your thoughts on the fasted/fed topic. I tend to think that's how our bodies would work best. I figure it won't hurt to have a protein rich snack 30 min before and a protein rich snack afterwards. I figure it into my daily cals and am doing ok w. it. You're a workout maniac these days!! Something everyday? Wow!!

Nola-thanks for your input on fast vs. non fasted workouts. I have noticed I do lift better (better form and endurance) on days when I'm eating more and pretty well rested. Even though I'm trying to do LC, I tend to still have fruit and veggies, and lots of yogurt and cottage cheese. I have the inner debate of the muslce building in an overall calorie deficit. I'm trying to maintain my weight right now while lifting more often/heavier, and then plan to lose some fat down the road. I want to heal my metabolism a bit, enjoy eating , and mentally break away from always feeling like I'm on a "diet". I know I'm in a "honeymoon" period of muscle building and want to ride this wave as far as it'll go .

That said, I'm up about 3-4 lbs from my higher carb JUDDD experiment still . I can usually drop 2 but still end up 2 lbs up from my "maintenance window". I want to believe it's muscle not new fat, but have my doubts. Either way, as long as I don't keep gaining, I plan to stay the LC course and keep working out.

Toward that end I re-joined the less expensive local gym and have been twice this week. Dh is joining there right now and we'll get to workout together. Going well, feeling stronger and seeing continued increases in weight. I was even able to have excellent form on these "prone jackknifes" last night and felt great!! Yeah!!

Going away to MN for family wedding on Thurs. Gonna' get at least 2, hopefully 3 good workouts in before I go as it'll be Tues. the following week until I can go again.

Have a great weekend girls!!

[laylabean]

i just wanted to check in. was at 173 yesterday after a steak day, and holding today. did my first day of *couch to 5k* and 40 minutes level 2 pilates. abs screaming...took some breaks during workout but im feeling like i am improving. walk/run felt great! took it somewhat easy and left treadmill on 1% incline as i get shin problems without a bit of resistance. i must say, the ipad app is fantastic...music plays while you get cues for each segment. loved it! could do it with zero brain action

toughest exercise for me is to get my lower abs to lift my legs/hips off the ground. i had some surgery years ago and i feel like everything resembling muscles in my lower abs has turned to mush. im not sure how to even start to work these muscles out because im struggling with the beginner sets. any suggestions??

i cannot seem to stabilize at ldw 171.5 (shifted to 171 then back up) and am continually going to 173. looks like that is where im going to say. ok with that as i want to keep up the exercise.

hello to everyone!

[DisneyPrincess]

Originally Posted by nola baxter

Hands down by me for fasted cardio, and especially fasted weight training!

If I did any kind of fasted exercise- it would be light cardio.

I have read stuff about it, and more or less think what Disney says- in the end it comes down to calories in and calories out.
And if I am well fueled for a workout- I can workout much harder, and thus burn more calories, and so potentially more fat.

On a personal level- I hate working out on an empty tank- but I realise that is personal preference to some degree- some people seem to do okay with it.

I think overall any extra fat burned by fasted exercise would be negligible, and not worth the possible down side (lack of energy).

And of course- if you are in a really depleted state- exercise can be catabolic;
ie, muscle wasting rather than muscle building.

But if you have had a huge intake of calories, and then have laid off food for a period of hours- there is probably still enough in the tank to fuel a workout-
so it all depends really, on how fasted and depleted you actually are!

If you are in a calorie deficit- you are always a bit depleted, and lacking in nutrients to well fuel a workout- even if you have eaten beforehand.
But if you have sufficient overall calories in your diet, your body is more likely to be able to sustain a fasted workout without having to breakdown muscle to get nutrients and energy, etc..

Am I making sense?

My two cents worth..

Yup! !!! Thanks Nola!

[DisneyPrincess]

Ran 14.5 miles this morning. Yesterday I upped my calories and carbs and did the same post run today for recovery. Tomorrow I'm back to protocol. I lost 6 pounds last week doing this so I hope for close to the same this week!

Eta: weight training is unfortunately on the back burner right now while I'm training for the marathon . With 5 kids a day and getting up at 4:30 to run I just physically can't do it. As soon as I do the marathon I'll switch between cardio and weights and find my balance

[nola baxter]

Hi All

Mini,
I hope your dieting goes well- but dont be too hard on yourself if you cant meet all your expectations- or if your body doesnt fully comply how you want it to.
Your life sounds very full and demanding- and it seems you ask so much of yourself- truly a superwoman!


Julie ,
good luck- what you are planning sounds good, and I am sure you will be able to build muscle with it.
It seems wise to cut your body a bit of slack for now- and not try to force it downwards;
that approach has worked better for me in the long term- and gives the metabolism a chance to heal, stabilize and hopefully bounce back.
Scott Abel says to coax the body into losing weight- not to force it-
and I can say that for me this is definitely the key to long term loss that is maintainable.
I hope the low carb allows you more calories without gaining!


Disney ,
good luck with starting your running again-
14.5 miles is a lot!, it still amazes me how you do it on such relatively low calories!



Well , the last two weeks have been quite good dietwise for me again. A couple of people have commented on my weight loss, and I can see it too. It is not masses- but just a gradual cut, that becomes noticeable over a period of weeks.
calories have looked like this
2600 6000
6500 2200
2000 2000
2000 2400
2700 1500
2400 6300
1600 2000

average- approx 3000 cals a day

So the deduction is,
that because I have noticed increasing leaness over these past two weeks- my metabolic rate is over 3000-
exactly how much over, I dont know, but I am happy with that state of affairs.

My training has been a mixed bag- lower body good,
chest and biceps lagging,
back , shoulders, core, triceps all ok.

I dont know why my chest and bicep strength has diminished-they were creeping upwards but now have slipped back a bit- which I find frustrating.

But overall- I am happy with the state of my body-
I have achieved an easily maintainable lean weight, and have pretty much as much muscle and strength as I need.
There are some refinements and improvements to my body and strength that I would make- but overall, I am very close to where I could have wanted or imagined myself to be.

I have been taking the Diatomacious Earth for about a month now, anywhere between 2-4 T a day.
I have noticed a small improvement with cellulite- but about the same amount as I would attribute the weight that has been lost.
I am still looking to see if there will be some noticeable changes over and above the normal.
My fingernails are very shiny- they werent before.
Others changes- I am not sure...
Overall, my energy has been good and hunger not much- whether this is helped by DE or not, I dont know.

And now that scabies is disappearing- all is good!
That has been a mammoth undertaking- a true war-
I said to a friend the other day-
"well, the upside is that having dealt with scabies, everything else is a walk in the park!"
If I had to do it again though- i would start with higher concentrations of essential oils and really slam it from the beginning.
I read somewhere that if you are going to treat scabies naturally- you have to be very agressive- and I would say that that is absolutely true!
I have learnt a few more tricks to add to an arsenal of natural healing tools-
DE, the power of straight eucalyptus oil (stopped itching and shrunk spots like nothing else), cajeput oil, clove oil, oregano, tumeric..


Nola

[minimonkey]

I was wondering how you were doing with the DE, Nola -- I just bought some of the food grade DE myself. I need it for the birds, but I do think I will start taking a bit of it too.

So excited for your awesome metabolism!!!! Also about the scabies being gone, which is wonderful.

I am still babying my body -- I have some residual spinal cord inflammation going on, and I do not want to make that any worse. It's been a rough time around here, but I hope it is easing up. Stress really does a number on the immune system.

I'm actually doing remarkably well on the p2 this time.... not much hunger, and I am losing lbs rather quickly.... part of that is the inflammation finally going away, and I am certainly glad that's happening. I think the flare is finally going away -- I've been doing a lot of supplements and rest to try to get it under control, and it does seem to be working.

I'll start workouts again as soon as I feel the inflammation is under control -- it is hard to wait, but it is even harder to be having a full scale health crash.

[TerriMM]

Good Afternoon,
Well I'm hanging with my every other day routine. I'm feeling so good it's hard not to push to go every day. Since I'm starting my next round Saturday I'm going to keep with the plan and wait until at least P3 to increase, but I'm not stopping during P2 and am very happy about that.

I am struggling a little with the scale the last couple days but pure self-inflicted. But that's behind me now (literally ) Although I'm not really looking forward to P2 and I’m really looking forward to seeing some loses and getting to goal before the holidays. I'm also feeling real good about getting my exercising back going on a routine so my weight loss will just be a reflection of health!

Sounds like everyone else is doing better today. Hope you all have a great week!

[nola baxter]

Hi Mini
I am pretty happy about my metabolism- it seems strong and resilient- no complaints here!

Keep babying your body as long as it needs, and dont stay on low calories too long!
I know you are super keen to lose the weight- but dont shoot yourself in the foot by ending up with a defunct metabolism from too many low calorie stints.

Have you ever taken oregano/wild oregano oil for the immune system?
It is supposed supposed to be good for that- I started taking it for that reason, to boost my system and fight off the scabies.
Once I had an abcess/toothache in the mouth- and it knocked that on the head like nothing else (I was trying lots of other stuff), so I know it is a powerful oil.
It does wipe the intestines though, as it is a powerful antibiotic, so you need to replace the intestinal flora during/after taking it..


Hi Terri
If you feel good on your every other day regime I would stick to it- it means it is working well for you!
If you tried to push it and do it more often, your body might not recover so nicely and you might lose your energy and pizzaz for it..

[TerriMM]

Originally Posted by nola baxter

Hi Mini

Hi Terri
If you feel good on your every other day regime I would stick to it- it means it is working well for you!
If you tried to push it and do it more often, your body might not recover so nicely and you might lose your energy and pizzaz for it..

Good point, thank Nola!

[aandd]

I'm currently on VLCD 13. I had been planning on pushing right through until I was at my goal weight, but the loss of strength has me rethinking my strategy... Now I need help pinpointing an end date.

I have my bi-annual fitness test on Nov 21. I am working out and doing cardio still, but I need to make sure I have time to recover some strength. I'm ASSUMING that will be do-able in P3. Whats the latest point I should move from P2 into P3 to maximize my weight loss, but still regain some muscle?

I've changed my diet a bit, hoping to make a difference. I added a low-carb, no-fat protein shake in the AM's before my workout, added Jack3d to my pre-workout regimin, added a 3rd veggie and another 3oz portion of protein to my daily menu. Limiting my fruit to 1 to 2 servings a day (generally strawberries and an apple).

[Brandieelynne]

Hi!
I forgot to post yesterday, but I did a crossfit workout yesterday which involved running, rowing, burpees and some kettlebell work. I'm going to crossfit again tonight but not sure what the workout is yet. I didn't feel as strong yesterday with the kettlebells. I'm going to experiement with eating a snack prior to my workout (apple, cabbage in broth) tonight and then eating dinner (protein) immediately following. Hopefully this will give me the energy/protein I need to keep working out.

[laylabean]

pilates buddy! terri, i think last i read you were doing every second day? im was doing the same thing. i ran this morning but missed my pliates tonight. im travelling for a meeting tomorrow and will be in the city so i will not be doing anything but cardio until saturday when i get back.

it helps me to know we are both keeping at it, it will help me get back in the swing when im home knowing you stuck with it...motivates me!

my weight seems stable at 173 as i enter week 2 of p3 so i am happy. i had one correction day last week, fingers crossed for this week.

[nola baxter]

Originally Posted by Brandieelynne

Hi!
I forgot to post yesterday, but I did a crossfit workout yesterday which involved running, rowing, burpees and some kettlebell work. I'm going to crossfit again tonight but not sure what the workout is yet. I didn't feel as strong yesterday with the kettlebells. I'm going to experiement with eating a snack prior to my workout (apple, cabbage in broth) tonight and then eating dinner (protein) immediately following. Hopefully this will give me the energy/protein I need to keep working out.

Hi Brandi

You may find it hard on P2 to do the kind of workout you are doing. It sounds reasonably energy intensive.
Some people can still do it on the low calories, and some have to up their calories a bit to accommodate the exercise-
or some choose to stop doing the exercise!

You will have to see how you go I think..

[Brandieelynne]

Hi Nola,
You're right - I am not going to push myself (I'll be scaling back the weight I'm using) and will be listening to my body. I felt good tonight, though it's only my 3rd day of VLCD and I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up the energy. I'm going to aim for 3x per week and see how I feel! Have a great night!

[nola baxter]

Originally Posted by Brandieelynne

Hi Nola,
You're right - I am not going to push myself (I'll be scaling back the weight I'm using) and will be listening to my body. I felt good tonight, though it's only my 3rd day of VLCD and I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up the energy. I'm going to aim for 3x per week and see how I feel! Have a great night!

sounds good
a good nite to you too..

[julieboolie]

Nola-woo-hoo!! I am so happy for you. When people start noticing a change you are definitely losing. People don't comment freely or easily, so you should be quite encouraged!! What a great place to be! And you're happy w/ your strength and muscle? You can focus on a maintenance plan for now then. Ever think you'd be here? So amazing!! WTG!! Enjoy your success!! KUTGW and thanks for sharing and inspiring .

Originally Posted by aandd

I'm currently on VLCD 13. I had been planning on pushing right through until I was at my goal weight, but the loss of strength has me rethinking my strategy... Now I need help pinpointing an end date.

I have my bi-annual fitness test on Nov 21. I am working out and doing cardio still, but I need to make sure I have time to recover some strength. I'm ASSUMING that will be do-able in P3. Whats the latest point I should move from P2 into P3 to maximize my weight loss, but still regain some muscle?

I've changed my diet a bit, hoping to make a difference. I added a low-carb, no-fat protein shake in the AM's before my workout, added Jack3d to my pre-workout regimin, added a 3rd veggie and another 3oz portion of protein to my daily menu. Limiting my fruit to 1 to 2 servings a day (generally strawberries and an apple).

As for when to end P2, my body usually made it abundantly clear to me it was "done". I stopped losing, was completely depleted and even started to gain a little on 600ca;s/day. I was done . Hopefully you'll be able to listen to your body and transition easily. You're doing great!

I've been trying to keep my calories high while continuing to lift heavier weights. I've almost completed the first stage of the NROL plan, and feel good. I am up 4lbs above my window, but that's still from when I added back carbs and did JUDDD for 3 weeks. I crept up and didn't crack down on it initially. I wanted to see if the every other day plan would get it back off. It didnt'. So I lowered my carbs, but not to full induction and ketosis. I still have a little froyo and a bit of hummus and lc pita bread the other day. I am down a lb of that gain, but am doing a GYCD today. I'm heading to MN to the in-laws on Thurs and know that will be a battle .

I'm warring between getting this weight back down a few lbs, and still keeping my cals high and working on resetting my body. I like eating . I am building muscle, I can actually see it. I do have fat that needs to go still, but I think the next few stages of the NROL plan is adding HIIT and hopefully cutting a bit of that fat back down. I'm just happy I'm eating well and not gaining anymore. That's a great place to start.

Still fighting w. my thyroid. My recent bloodwork was w/i "normal" range so the Dr isn't doing anything to help me. Did you realize that "range" they have on the blood work includes all the hypo patients that test? So the hypo people's numbers are averaged into that "normal" range. So stupid!! So "normal" now encompasses the hypo folk!! So stupid!

Anywya, I started taking iron. My body temps are now up to 97.1 instead of 96.5. I'm amazed that iron made that much difference on it's own. I'm working on getting some other supplements to help my thyroid start working correctly. Can't be worse than where I am currently. Sigh.

So, I'm hoping to drop a few lbs of water before my trip as I know will likely pick up a few lbs while there. Keep plugging away guys!!

[julieboolie]

Ok, forgot to share my humbling gym moment from yesterday!
Dh made me coffee and used the decaf . I didn't realize how much of a difference it made for me at first.

I did my deadlifts first. Up to heavier weights than I've done yet, and 3 sets of 10 yesterday. So, by that last set I was totally spent. My grip strength is my biggest challenge as I can't even hold my water bottle when I'm done! So, the bar is too heavy for me to lift to the rack to re rack the weight plates. So I manage to get the plate off the one side and then I'm trying to get the plate off the other side. My hands won't grip, the bar is on an angle now making it nearly impossible to take the plate off. I'm tyring to hold the bar up and shimmy the plate off. So sad!! I'm inching the plate along and it's not budging much at all!! After 5 minutes of struggling this kind man came over and helped me get it the rest of the way off. By then I was so happy for the help I could have kissed him!

So, weak and embarrassed, I still went on to finish my workout and was pleased w. my results despite being really tired.

So, I'm looking to build my grip strength. My forearms and hands are so weak!! I know straps are an option, but I also know I'll never build my grip strength if I don't just try to build it up. I'm going to change my grip (alternate) for my last 2 sets next time to see if that'll help.

always good for a dose of humility as we go along .

[mymy3377]

^Julie how many times a week are you doing the NROL?

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by mymy3377

^Julie how many times a week are you doing the NROL?

Well, with all my recent travel usually 2-3. I shoot for 3, but it's more like 2 .

Are you interested in it? I'm almost through stage 1 and like it so far. I like not having to think about what I'm doing too much. The workouts get progressively harder. I liked the first few weeks and thought it'd be a breeze! Not! Some HIIT cardio is coming soon, so that'll kick my tushie too!!

[mymy3377]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Are you interested in it? I'm almost through stage 1 and like it so far. I like not having to think about what I'm doing too much. The workouts get progressively harder. I liked the first few weeks and thought it'd be a breeze! Not! Some HIIT cardio is coming soon, so that'll kick my tushie too!!

I think I am, as soon as this round of P2 is over I was thinking of doing NRPL or Starting Strenth so I'm interested in following your progress!

[TerriMM]

Originally Posted by laylabean

pilates buddy! terri, i think last i read you were doing every second day? im was doing the same thing. i ran this morning but missed my pliates tonight. im travelling for a meeting tomorrow and will be in the city so i will not be doing anything but cardio until saturday when i get back.

it helps me to know we are both keeping at it, it will help me get back in the swing when im home knowing you stuck with it...motivates me!

my weight seems stable at 173 as i enter week 2 of p3 so i am happy. i had one correction day last week, fingers crossed for this week.

Buddy! Yep I'm keeping with the every other day thing and feeling really great about it. Between being really busy and still being in P3 for the week, I've focused more on my little lifting/squat routines. I figure come P2 (start loading Saturday) Pilates will be all I'll do for a while. I'm feeling real positive about continuing to exercise in P2, I think that might be the little extra to push me to goal this time. And I agree, having a buddy helps the "oh not tonight" devil from find an ear.

I can't say I'm not stable, but I seem to be stabilizing at about 3.5 above LDW which is 5lbs above goal. So I'm hoping this round gets me there.

[Brandieelynne]

Just got home from crossfit...I'm so weak and fatigued! So, no more hard workouts except walking for the next week for me!!

[nola baxter]

Hi Julie

Yes, I am happy with what I achieved ;
and at times of despair and discouragement and no results, certainly wondered if I would ever get there.
I was just pondering this morning whether I should try to go leaner for now, or stay with what is.
There is always this tendency to think skinnier is better.. and to always keep trying to achieve more.

But I have a lot of food freedom on the calories I can eat, and can fairly easily lose (at a slow rate), without trying too hard.
Do I want to be skinnier? - better butt-more definition- but no breasts.. lol

If I was you I would stick with the higher calories and the higher weight for now.
The few extra pounds are more likely to drop off naturally that way, over time- especially with the added harder exercise.
If you keep gaining- well, that is a different story.

But I deduce from what you are saying , that you can eat higher calories on low carb, than on your cycling Judd plan, and without gaining?
I am curious about that - because for me - there was no calorie advantage in low carb over higher or high carb..
It more or less came to calories in vs calories out.

Your embarrassing gym moment made me smile.. these things happen!
Caffeine does make a big difference to performance - I drink a triple strength oolong tea before I go to the gym , and that works very well.

I started using straps over the past 3 months- I always resisted using them before that-
but they have helped a lot, and allowed me to lift more weight,
which has over time improved my grip strength a small amount, not lessened it -
as I am actually lifting more weight overall which forces an upward adjustment, even with the use of straps.
I am glad to have started using them- overall I think they have enhanced my performance not lessened it.

I hope you can solve the thyroid issue- these things can be a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, with a several pieces to fit together to create a solution .


nola

[julieboolie]

Mymy-I'll keep you posted. I like it so far, but I was always fond of weight lifting. I followed slow burn/power 10 type lifting a few years ago and enjoyed it.

Nola-thanks! Love your posts. Interesting about the straps. I'm going to experiment w/ different grips, and possibly chalk. Thoughts on chalk? What I've read recommend against gloves, but I like them so my hands dont' get as calloused. For now even though my grip strength is limitiing me a bit, the rest of my body is ok w. where I am and happy to be done my sets . As I go along I may need to find another option.

Yes, you're understanding me correctly. I am no longer gaining weight, which is good. I am eating about 2400 cals a day, mostly LC, but definitely not induction level. I think w/ all my hormone/thyroid issues I am insulin resistant and higher carbs, even healthy ones, seem to impact me easily. My plan is to continue eating higher cals, working out, and gradually up the carbs. I hope to retrain my body to accept them, much like Atkins maintenance suggest, and see if my metabolism recovers a bit. I expect it will. I know it'll take time. I'm not unhappy where I am, but I definitely could lose about 10-20lbs more and still look healthy.

But, like you said. I like my curves, and want to keep them. The muffin top I'm happy to lose, and my legs need some serious work, but compared to where I used to be, still happy . Staying committed to the exercise should help w. all of that. Got a book about metabolism and it's interesting. Not sure I buy it 100%, but like seeing what others think. I'm a biologist/chemist and really like learning about my body.

All packed up and ready to go. 65-70 and rainy . We'll still have fun, but wish it were a crisp sunny Fall weather. Oh well. Got 2 workouts in this week, that'll have to do.

[nola baxter]

Originally Posted by julieboolie

Mymy-I'll keep you posted. I like it so far, but I was always fond of weight lifting. I followed slow burn/power 10 type lifting a few years ago and enjoyed it.

Nola-thanks! Love your posts. Interesting about the straps. I'm going to experiment w/ different grips, and possibly chalk. Thoughts on chalk? What I've read recommend against gloves, but I like them so my hands dont' get as calloused. For now even though my grip strength is limitiing me a bit, the rest of my body is ok w. where I am and happy to be done my sets . As I go along I may need to find another option.

Yes, you're understanding me correctly. I am no longer gaining weight, which is good. I am eating about 2400 cals a day, mostly LC, but definitely not induction level. I think w/ all my hormone/thyroid issues I am insulin resistant and higher carbs, even healthy ones, seem to impact me easily. My plan is to continue eating higher cals, working out, and gradually up the carbs. I hope to retrain my body to accept them, much like Atkins maintenance suggest, and see if my metabolism recovers a bit. I expect it will. I know it'll take time. I'm not unhappy where I am, but I definitely could lose about 10-20lbs more and still look healthy.

But, like you said. I like my curves, and want to keep them. The muffin top I'm happy to lose, and my legs need some serious work, but compared to where I used to be, still happy . Staying committed to the exercise should help w. all of that. Got a book about metabolism and it's interesting. Not sure I buy it 100%, but like seeing what others think. I'm a biologist/chemist and really like learning about my body.

All packed up and ready to go. 65-70 and rainy . We'll still have fun, but wish it were a crisp sunny Fall weather. Oh well. Got 2 workouts in this week, that'll have to do.

Hi Julie

Chalk is good- just stops your grip from slipping quite as much.
Gloves I find fairly useless in the gym as they may protect my hands, but I cant grip properly with them. ( I have short fingers which might be a part of the problem.)
I do use them on the monkey bars when I go to the park however- as without them , I end up with bad blisters. They do make it harder to grip though- so I only use them for a half of my set- then take them off and finish without them- that is enough to stop blisters..

2400 cals is a decent amount- it is good that you can get away with that anyway , even if it is restricted to low carb .

I like figuring out how the body works, but in a very laymans fashion.. ( I am not a biologist or chemist), I have always been fascinated by diet and exercise stuff.
I used to read books about the glories of fasting and raw foodism as a teenager- and would try it out.
It took me a number of years to figure out that fasting was no good for me, and traditional raw food not much better..lol

In fact I read a funny post by a fruitarian on the web recently- he said that when he ate this diet and got to 3-5% body fat, his lusts and sexual desires became under control..and he was able to see women as people not sexual objects.
I thought that it may not be wholly a good thing- maybe his body was underfunctiong and malnutritioned - in the same way that a woman stops menstruating at a low body fat.
But I found it interesting and amusing!
He was an ultra runner too..

[Somewhat Damaged]

Julieboolie - Farmers walks are really good for grip strength. Also, when I'm deadlifting really heavy I'll use a switch grip (one palm facing my body, one palm facing out), and that helps a lot!

For the farmer's walks, you can use dumbbells or weight plates. Grab a dumbbell in each hand at about 1/4 your bodyweight, hold them at your sides and just walk with them. 400m or so is a good start. You will feel your forearms burning and your grip will start to slip. Add them in maybe once or twice a week and you should start seeing your grip improve