Hi,
just a quick intro - I'm 24 and have been training on and off since I was 19. I'm a typical hardgainer, am very light-boned and just want to cut to about 8-9% before I bulk up - which I seriously need to do! I have read up on nutrition and training on the net q. a bit over the last couple of yrs or so but obviously I still have masses to learn. My stats are currently 5"11 and abt 152lbs. According to mybodycomp and my Tanita bodyfat scale (which i know isn't that accurate) says I am abt 12%. I have tried cutting before on numerous occasions, including one which was abt the same time last year but did sort of ruin it with some eating binges after months of dieting. :d_frown:

My main motivation is that I have just started training with my brother(who is 16), teaching him the different exercises and after a couple of months I think he looks better than me! So I think it's time I practised what I preach and really go for it this time. :eek:

My training plan is as follows:-

WEIGHT TRAINING

Workout 1 - Chest/Shoulders/Arms

Workout 2 - Legs/Back

These 2 workouts will be alternated on a 3-days a week schedule (i.e. Tues, Thurs, Sun)

CARDIO

I will be doing a little cardio on my weight training days - 10 mins warm up and also 10-15 mins after weights.

Also, I will be extended cardio sessions on Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Cardio is done with HR at 65%- 75%, mostly on the Elliptical trainer.

DIET

Right, this has been my downfall recently. With several days of good eating, when I am clearly losing weight, I give in to the cravings and have a binge - this has been an ongoing trend but this time it's going to STOP! Here is my average eating plan:-

7am - SNACK - 2 Scoops whey in water, couple of rice cakes

***************WORKOUT****************

9.15am - BREAKFAST - wholemeal pitta bread (60g)
- 150g cottage cheese
- 40g All-bran cereal
- 100ml skimmed milk

11.30pm - LUNCH - - wholemeal pitta bread (60g)
- 150g cottage cheese
- 40g All-bran cereal
- 100ml skimmed milk

2pm - SNACK - 2 wholemeal bread
- 60g sardines

5.30pm - SNACK - 2 wholemeal bread
- 60g sardines

8.15pm - DINNER - 140g chicken breast
- loads of brocolli, peppers, greens
- ketchup+vingear or/ 50g sweet n sour sauce

10.30 - SNACK - 2 Scoops whey


The above is in addition to a multi-vitamin but I am taking no supplements apart from the whey. I know, I know, at first glance it looks like I am eating too much bread but I have been tracking my calories on fitday.com and this has given me a 40/40/20 (Pro/Carb/Fat) split which is what I'm aiming for.


I will post some pics later on this weekend so watch this space! But any critique on absolutely anything at all or any q's - v v welcome!

Good luck, since we are starting about the same time, It will be good for us to keep each other motivated so we can hit our respective goals.

keep with it

Good luck, since we are starting about the same time, It will be good for us to keep each other motivated so we can hit our respective goals.

keep with it
Am I smelling a challenge?

ChipPan, best of wishes to you dude.

Not off to a great start, as my diet pretty much went out the window last weekend but I intend to get right back on track starting today. Had a good workout this morning at the gym.

WARM-UP :- 10 mins elliptical trainer (av HRM 67%-71%, 120 cals burnt)

1.DUMBELL BENCH PRESS: 35kgs x 8,
50kgs x 8,
50kgs x 8 ,
22kgs x 8

2. Plate-loaded Seated Shoulder Press: 30kgs x 8,
37kgs x 8
40kgs x 8
35kg x 8
3.UPRIGHT ROW: 15kg x 10
30kg x 10
35kg x 9
4. REVERSE-GRIP CURL (w/ EZ BAR): 12kg x 8
15kg x 8
17.5kg x 8
(weights exclude bar)
5. CONCENTRATION CURL : 10kg x 8
11kg x 8

(one arm at a time)

6. TRICEP OVERHEAD PUSH: BLOCK:-[4] x 10
[5] x 10
[5] x 8 1/2

15 mins ELLIPTICAL TRAINER:- 180 cals burnt, av HR 69%- 71%

Diet for today:-

7.15am - 2 scoops whey protein in water

*****WORKOUT*****

9.15am - slice brown bread, 100g ham, 40g all-bran, 100g skimmed milk, little tomato ketchup

11am - 135g boiled chicken breasts, 40g sweet n' sour sauce (Reduced fat/sugar)

2.30pm - 2 brown bread, 60g tinned sardines

5.30pm - same as 2.30pm meal

9pm - 100g chicken, 100g green peppers/greens (all steamed), 60g sweet n sour sauce



TOTALS:- 1372 CALS, 48% Protein, 34% Carbs, 18% Fat


I know this is a bit low in calories but I was still really bloated after all the carbs I had yesterday but will be all back to normal tomorrow. Does anybody have any suggestions to improve the foods above? I am at work at the 2.30 and 5.30 meals so am restricted in what I can eat (i.e. eating stuff like rice or veg is difficult as I usually eat at my desk in the office).

Glad to see your still at it, just keep at it. Thats been my downfall in the past, I would cheat and my whole attitude would change and I would fall completely off the wagon. About your meals, try a Tuna kit or maybe make a chicken breast and have half each meal

keep it up

Had a very good day all-round training-wise and diet so I am very pleased abt that. It's been quite a surreal day though cos I've just found out I'm being made redundant :d_eek: but i guess i knew it was coming for a while, this will give me a chance to try other things and do a bit of travelling with the redundancy pay so I'm not all that bummed out :tu: Anyway's I've got the rest of the week off work so I'm really gonna bump up my training to OVERDRIVE! I will keep up my workouts for the rest of this week, and also after reading some articles by Clarence Bass (cbass.com) about walking and fat loss, I am gonna try hiking/hill-walking in the next few days. There are some good hilly bits near me so I'm gonna give those a go. Here is my gym workout today:-

DAY 2 - CARDIO / Grip

a) 30 mins ELLIPTICAL :- 342 Cals (burnt) @ 69-74% HR

15 mins ELLIPTICAL:- 169 Cals @ ditto

b) 10 mins TREADMILL :- 80 Cals @ ditto (did this on a gradient of 13, so pretty steep! and 2.4mph roughly)

c) STATIC HOLDS (45 seconds):- 40kgs, 60kgs, 60kgs

d) WRIST CURLS :- 20kgs x 10, 20kgs 10

e) REVERSE WRIST CURLS (w/ EZ Bar):- BAR x 8, BAR x 8, 5kgs(+bar) x 8, 5kgs x 8

and pictures up tomorrow - I promise!

------------------------------------
01/09/04 - 152.4 lbs @ 13.1% bodyfat

Just done my fitday also, here are the totals:-

1650 CALORIES, 44% Protein, 39% Carbs, 18% Fat

Can't be bothered to type all the foods again! V similar to yesterday except had a lot more all-bran and a couple more protein shakes.

DAY 3

GYM WORKOUT - LEGS/BACK

10 mins ELLIPTICAL - 119 cals burnt

1. LEG PRESS: [6] X 10 reps, [9] x 10, [10] x 10, [11] x 10

2. LEG EXTENSIONS: [6] x 10, [11] x 10, [12] x 10, [13] x 10, [14] x 10

3. LEG CURL: [4] x 10, [6] x 10, [7] x 10

4. CALF RAISE: 195 (think it's in lbs) x 12, 285 x 12, 315 x 12

5. SEATED ROW: [6] x 8, [10] x 8 , [11] x 8, [12] x 8

6. PULLDOWN: [10] x 8, [11] x 8, [11] x 8

7. PULLOVER: [9] x 10, [10] x 10, [11] x10

n.b. weights are a bit difficult to figure as these were all machines today. As promised, here are the pics, not a pretty sight but as promised:-

Just a little note. Using the stats in your first post; according to the Harris Benedict formula for BMR, your BMR is 1799 kcals, and with a moderately active multiplyer (1.55) your everyday need is 2787 kcals. At 1650 kcals your WAY below this point, especially since you don't look to be too far away from 12% BF. At that low level of BF, you'd want a slow cut, not an aggressive one. I suggest you up the cals a bit.

Thx Knubb for your comment, I did a bit of reading around and it does look like my cals are a bit low. But then I would subtract 5-700 cals to lose abt 1-2lbs a week and with a (probable) semi-cheat on Sunday (with some pizza), that should be about right. And althought this is my first cutting journal, I have tried cutting before and erring on the low side has worked for me without losing too much muscle.

Anyways, here is the fitday analysis for yesterday, DAY 3 - THURSDAY:-

6.30 - 2 Scoops whey, 1 cheese ricecake

******WORKOUT*******

9.15 - 100g all-bran, 140g semi-skimmed milk, 1 scoop whey

12.30 - 130g chicken breast, 50g sweet n sour sauce, 1 brown bread, large orange, 2 sweet ricecakes

4pm - 2 brown bread, 60g sardines

7pm - 2 brown bread, 60g sardines

9.45pm - 170g chicken breast, 50g sweet n sour sauce, 120g green peppers/mange toute


this came to 1840 CALORIES, 43% Protein, 41% Carbs, 16% Fat


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now onto today, DAY 4 - FRIDAY

this is today's workout:-

GYM - CARDIO/ABS


a) 30 mins Elliptical Trainer:- 325 cals burnt

b) 15 mins Elliptical Trainer:- 150 cals burnt, both @ 68-75% HR

c) 10 mins Treadmill (walking at 14 gradient) :- 79 cals burnt @ 69-74% HR

d) Leg Raises:- 3 x 10

e) Ab Machine:- [3] x 10, [3] x 10, [4] x 10

f) Abs w/ Pulley:- [2] x 10, [2] x 10, [4] x 10

n.b. First time I've done abs in a while, and it felt pretty good with the exercises. I have been lazy in the past because I have found doing 50 reps of crunches boring but I will now work them like any other muscle, doing reps of 10-15, adding weight as I go along.

Friday's Diet - DAY 4

7am - 2 scoops whey, 2 savoury ricecakes

9.40 - 100g all-bran, 160g semi-skimmed milk, 1 scoop whey, 1 ricecake
1.20 - 1 scoop whey, 60g all-bran, 50g muesli, 160g semi-skim milk

5.10 - 100g pilchards, 1 brown bread

8pm - 150g chicken breast(steamed), 90g cauliflower, 60g green beans, 60g sweet n sour sauce

11pm - 2 scoops whey (in water)

TOTALS - 1775 Calories (42% Protein, 34% Carbs, 25% Fat)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday's Workout - DAY 5

Gym - Chest/Shoulders/Arms

10 mins Eliiptical --> 120 cals burnt

1. Dumbell Bench Press:- 35kg x 8
50kg x 8
50kg x 10
45kg x 12
2. Seated Press:- 30kg x 8
35kg x 8
37.5kg x 8
3.Upright Row:- 15kg x 10
30kg x 10
35kg x 10
4.Reverse Grip curl:- 10kg x 8
15kg x 8
17.5kg x 8
5. Concentration curl:- 11kg x 8
11kg x 8
6. Tricep push w/ rope pulley: [4] x 10
[5] x 10
[5] x 10

Very good workout, felt really strong today so very pleased. Also fitted in 2 hours of walking yesterday and today.

Saturday's Diet - DAY 5

Went out yesterday, and managed to keep the diet 100% clean! :cool: Well, apart from a lollipop that was given away free which I had but the couple of hours dancing must have more than burnt that away! I was on diet cokes and water all night, but it was easier as I was the "designated driver".

6.45 - 40g all-bran, 25g muesli, 100g semi-skim milk, 1 scoop whey, 1 brown bread

9.45am - 2 sweet ricecakes, 1 savoury ricecake, 2 scoops whey

{workout} @ 10.15

12.50 - 100g pilchards, medium tomato, wholemeal pitta bread, sweet ricecake

4.30 - 100g all-bran, 160g skim milk, 1 scoop whey

7.45 - 140g chicken breast (steamed), 120g brocolli, 50g sweet n sour sauce

9pm - 120g muesli, 160g skim milk (had this just before I went out so I wouldn't get too hungry and be tempted with a fast food binge or somethin)

1am - 2 scoops whey, abt 5 diet cokes, lollipop

TOTALS - 2231 calories, 34% Protein, 51% Carbs, 16% Fat

p.s. day off from gym today (Sunday) but diet still gonna be fairly clean (apart from my weekly pizza treat/cheat) :D

Sunday's Diet - DAY 6

8.10- 100g muesli, 160g skim-milk, 1 scoop whey

11.55- 140g pepperoni pizza, 110g pizza (both Chicago Town)

3.20 - 2 scoops whey, 1 pitta bread (60g)

7.10- 220g chicken breast(cooked, no oil), 150g choy sum, 80g tikka masala sauce(out of a jar, part of the supermarket's Healthy Living range so not too bad)

10pm - 2 scoops whey, 100g cottage cheese (it's amazing how good this tastes when you haven't had it for a while! Just had it nice and plain)

TOTALS - 1960 Calories, 38% Protein, 36% Carbs, 27% Fat


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Weekly Weigh-in

149.6lbs
11.6% bodyfat (will get this checked with mybodycomp later)

Well, these are the readings from my Tanita scale this morning. I definitely feel and look a lot leaner, my stomach is a lot flatter since last week. I must admit, I am a little surprised at how strict and how well I'e kept to my diet this week. Having this journal has given me the extra kick up the backside that I really needed! Here is my week in summary:-

Week 1 - 31/08/04 - 05/09/04

Tuesday - 1372 cals :- 48% Pro, 34% Carbs, 18% Fat
Wednesday - 1650 cals:- 44% Pro, 39% Carbs, 17% Fat
Thurs - 1840 cals:- 43% Pro, 41% Carbs, 16% Fat
Fri - 1775 cals:- 42% Pro, 34% Carbs, 25% Fat
Sat - 2231 cals:- 34% Pro, 51% Carbs, 16% Fat
Sun - 1960 cals:- 38% Pro, 36% Carbs, 27% Fat

Week's averages:- 1805 cals, 41% Pro, 40% Carbs, 20% Fat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Training summary:-

Tues - Chest/Shoulders/Arms
Weds - Cardio (55mins) + grip
Thurs - Legs/Back { & 45 mins walking }
Friday - Cardio(55mins) +abs { & 2rs walking }
Saturday - Chest/Shoulders/Arms { & 2hrs15 walking }
Sunday - Rest { 45 mins walking }

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next week's Gameplan

Keep the diet at 40/40/20 and calories at abt 18-2000 per day
Weights workout 3 times a week and cardio at least twice (low-intesity style)
get bodyfat checked with mybodycomp
Er, guess that's about it!

Still going strong after a week, here are yesterday's stats:-

Monday's Workout - Legs/Back
10 mins Elliptical - 104 calories burnt

1. Leg Press (all 10 reps) - [7], [9], [10], [11]

2. Leg Extension (10 reps) - [7], [12], [13], [14], [14]

3. Leg Curl (10) - [4], [6], [7], [7]

4. Calf Raise (12) - [195], [285], [315], [315]


5. Seated Row - [6]x8, [10]x8, [11]x9, [12]x9

6.Pulldown - [10]x8, [11]x8, [11]x6

7.Pullover (10 reps) - [9], [10], [11]


8. Ab Machine (10 reps) - [2], [4], [5], [6]

9. Ab crunches w/ pulley (10) - [2], [4], [4]

- didn't feel too great for this workout, probably down to lack of sleep. Was slightly going through the motions but still managed to hit my rep targets apart from one (on the last set of the pulldown, when I only managed 6)



Monday's Diet - DAY 7

6.45am - 2 ryvitas, 2 scoops whey
9.15am - 100g muesli, 160g skim milk, 1 scoop whey
12.30 - 2 brown bread, 60g pilchards
3.30 - 2 brown bread, 60g pilchards
6.55 - 190g chicken breast (cooked, no oil added), 140g broccoli, 80g tikka masala sauce
10.10 - wholemeal pitta bread, 150g cottage cheese

TOTALS - 1695 Calories (41% Protein, 39% Carbs, 20% Fat)


Very good day overall, pretty much hit my ratio target of 40/40/20
I know I had the extra carbs so late (pitta bread) but I had enough carbs to spare and also had to bump up my calories so that was OK
My meals that I will have to change are the 12.30/3.30 ones, which are quite low in protein compared to the rest. I am restricted in what I can eat because I am at work and would prefer not having to bring in tupperware, etc
I am not too worried about my calories erring on the lower side of my target (18-1900) because I know that come the weekend, with the weekly pizza cheat, that the ratios will balance out a bit more with a higher-calorie day.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

p.s. I'e decided to take the day off the gym today, so no training but will still keep the diet clean. Should be able to get some update pics either today or tomorrow, and also hopefully better quality this time!

Tuesday's Diet - DAY 8

7.15am - 3 savoury ricecakes, 2 scoops whey
9.10 - 60g muesli, 60g all-bran, 160g skim milk, 1 scoop whey
12.45 - 2 brown bread, 90g pilchards,
5.15 - 2 brown bread, 70g ham
7pm - 3 diet cokes, 130g grilled salmon, 140g brocolli, 40g sweet n sour sauce
9.45 - 2 scoops whey

TOTALS - 1673 Calories (36% Protein, 39% Carbs, 25% Fat)

n.b. I know, terrible gap between some of the meals but had to go to the pub for a leaving-do as quite a few of my mates from work were being made redundant so had to be done. Stayed off the alcohol and everything else which took a bit of willpower. :eek:

Wednesday's Workout - Cardio/Grip

1.30 mins Elliptical trainer -> 355 cals , 63-72% HR
15 mins Elliptical -> 170 cals

2. 10 mins Treadmill -> 78 cals, 65-72% HR


3. Static Holds(45 secs):- 20kg(in each hand), 30kg, 30kg

4. Wrist curls(10 reps):- 20kg, 20kg

5. Reverse wrist curls:- Bar x 10, +5kg x 10, +5kg x 7

n.b. felt pretty good for this workout, but have been feeling really lethargic these last few days, probably a little down to not quite getting as much sleep as I'm used to- to the point where getting up is quite a chore!

Wednesday's Diet - DAY 9

7am - 2 ricecakes, 2 scoops whey
9.15- 60g all-bran, 60g muesli, 180g skim milk, 2 scoops whey
1pm - 2 brown bread, 70g smoked ham
4pm - 155g steamed chicken breast, 120g broccoli, 65g masala sauce
7.30 - 2 brown bread, 70g smoked ham
8.15 - 2 scoops whey
10.30 - 130g cottage cheese

TOTALS - 1912 Calories (50% Protein, 33% Carbs, 18% Fat)

wow, don't think I've ever had so much whey in one day! Timings slightly messed up as I had to do some extra hours at work. Been thinking about taking things up a notch, have done some research on the net and am considering one of Swole's cutting programs. I know my diet is OK at the moment, but I know it can be improved enormously also. My main aim is for results asap and I am prepared to put in the hard work. My short-term goal is to cut 'til the end of September and then re-evaluate my program. There are a few things stopping me from trying Swolegenix right now, namely the cost factor and also this program is working for me just fine, but I'm just wondering how quickly my results can be accelerated.

Dude. 50 kg dumbbell bench press? You're a beast! :db:

I wish! Nah, I'm afraid that's total weight, so 25kgs in each hand :D

Got some time to kill, and exactly a week from the last lot of progress pics so here are some more. Resized them this time so they're not so dang big. I'm learning all the time....

Thursday's Workout - Cardio/Abs

1. 30 mins Elliptical -> 344 cals (64-72% HR)

2. 25 mins Treadmill -> 191 cals (68-70% HR, gradient 15)

3. Ab Machine - [3], [5], [6], [7] (10 reps)

4. Ab Pulley - [3], [4], [5], [6]

5. Leg Raises - 3 x 10

Pretty good workout, will be going tomorrow for another cardio day plus some grip work. May be time to start up the 1-handed deadlifts again, and then will have Saturday & Sunday to do proper weight workouts with my brother. Due to school starting, the days for the weights this week aren't great but are the ones when we can train together.

Thursday's Diet - DAY 10

6.30 - 2 scoops whey, 2 ricecakes
9am - 60g all-bran, 60g muesli, 170g skim milk, 1 scoop whey
11.40 - 60g pitta, 140g cottage cheese
2.30 - 2 brown bread, 70g smoked ham
5.30 - 2 brown bread, 80g sardines
8.30 - 100g chicken breast, brocolli, 60g masala curry sauce

TOTALS - 1667 Calories (38% Protein, 44% Carbs, 18% Fat)

Ratio not so good today but still a pretty solid day. Just one day to go to the weekend! :tucool: Can't wait, especially as this week at work hasn't been the easiest. In case anybody's wondering, "DAY 10" refers to the 10th day I've kept to my diet, and I am thinking of having a cheat meal (a proper one) sometime soon but I haven't seriously been craving many foods to be totally honest. The chocolate whey in milk with the muesli has curbed my need for chocolate slightly, and using different sauces with my chicken has been working well, although I do understand using tinned sauces is not optimal.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Friday's Workout - Cardio/Grip

1. 30 mins Elliptical ->335 cals (64%-71% HR)

2. 25 mins Treadmill -> 183 cals (64-70% HR, @ gradient 15)

3. Static holds - 20kg(in each hand), 30kg, 30kg (45 secs each)

4. Wrist curls - 20kg(10 reps), 20kg(10)

5. Reverse wrist curls - Bar(10), +5kg(10), +5kg(8)

Next cardio day isn't 'til probably Monday, but next week I will have to go to the gym after work :( (abt 5ish), cos of a different shift pattern - which sure is gonna be a pain!

Not planning on eating anymore today, so quick update.

Friday's Diet - DAY 11

7.15 - 2 scoops whey
9.15 - 60g pitta bread, 120g cottage cheese, 100g skim milk, 60g all-bran, tomato
11.30 - 85g chicken breast (broiled), tomato ketchup (reduced sugar/sodium), 80g muesli
2.30 - 2 brown bread, 80g sardines
5.30 - 2 brown bread, 80g sardines
8.30 - 160g chicken breast, 120g brocolli/peppers, 80g sweet n sour sauce


TOTALS - 1796 Calories (41% Protein, 41% Carbs, 18% Fat)

Hit my nutritional goals but not totally satisfied with my meal timings and what they consisted of. Had too much protein at some meals (i.e. 8.30) & also the afternoon/post-workout meals weren't ideal. Also I must admit I thought I would see a bit more progress than I am seeing now - after 11 days on a clean diet and plenty of cardio & weights. Had urges to cheat today but they were fairly minor, the main reason I didn't lapse was because of this journal. Having to admit to everyone that I cheated, that I couldn't stay on the diet is motivation enough for me not to cheat. I guess there is a little bit of personal pride in what I am doing at the moment, to be disciplined & be successful in bettering myself and keeping on track.

Saturday's Workout - Chest/Shoulders/Arms

Elliptical trainer 10 mins -> 106 calories burnt

1. Dumbell Bench press - 35kg x 8, 25kg x 10, 25kg x 10

2. Shoulder Press - 30kg x 8, 35kg x 8, 37.5kg x 8

3. Upright Row - 15kg x 10, 30kg x 10, 35kg x 10

4. Reverse curl - 12kg x 8, 15kg x 8, 17.5kg x 8 (weights not including bar)

5. Concentration curl - 11kg x 8, 11kg x 8

6. Tricep Pulley push - [4] x 10, [6] x 10, [6] x 8

Pretty good workout, but didn't feel great as I had some all-bran instead of my usual rice cakes before the workout which made me feel a bit bloated & plus it left a bad taste in my mouth. I had a close shave with cheating on my diet just now as my sister came back for the weekend, and the last time she did (a couple of weeks ago) I had a MASSIVE cheat weekend. I have managed to stay on the straight and narrow today which I am definitely pleased about. Am planning to fit in some walking later on to supplement my cardio.

Saturday's Diet - DAY 12

6.45 - pitta bread, 2 whole eggs, ketchup
9.30 - 80g all-bran
11.45 - pitta bread, 100g chicken breast, ketchup
2.35 - 130g salmon fillet, 2 tomatoes, brocolli/peppers, little olive oil
6.15 - 180g semi-skim milk, 1 scoop whey, 100g fruit muesli
10pm - 2 scoops whey

TOTALS - 1742 Calories (34% Protein, 36% Carbs, 30% Fat)

n.b. Not a "great" day but it was a very good day in that I didn't cheat at all when I had urges to. I think a trigger in the past has been when we have family dinners and it is very difficult to stick to my diet when that happens. Also, it doesn't help when there are loads of choc digestives & other cookies in the cupboard within easy reach! :eat: Today has been one of the toughest days so far and I am glad I came through that successfully and the results are really starting to show.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Sunday's Workout - Legs/Back/Abs

10 mins Treadmill -> 83 cals burnt (gradient 15)

1. Leg Press - [7], [9], [10], [11] - (10 reps each)

2. Leg Extension - [7], [12], [13], [14], [14]

3. Leg Curl - [4], [6], [7], [8] - a new PB!

4. Calf Raises(seated) - [195], [285], [315], [315] - (12 reps)

5. Seated Row - [6], [10], [11], [12] - (8 reps)

6. Chin - ups - 5, 5

7. Pullover(machine) - [9], [10], [11] - (10 reps)

8. Ab Machine - [3], [6], [7], [8]

9. Ab Curl Machine - [5], [6], [7]

Man, this was a pretty exhausting session! But then again it always is with working legs. Have done a bit of walking today (about 90 mins' worth) so it all counts, as they say.

Sunday's Diet - DAY 13


6.45 - 4 egg whites, 1 yolk, pitta bread, little ketchup
9.15 - 3 ricecakes
12pm - 1 scoop whey, 2 slices pepperoni pizza, 4 slices thin n crispy meat pizza
3.40 - 2 scoops whey (in water)
7.20 - 145g chicken breast, 40g sweet n sour sauce, 110g greens
9.45 - 170g cottage cheese

TOTALS - 1948 Calories (34% Protein, 32% Carbs, 34% Fat)

The whole weekend was tough diet-wise, my mum made quite a few cakes/pastries and I didn't veer off once but it was extremely tempting. As I've said before, keeping this journal has given me constant focus and reminders, whereas I would have resorted to mindless binging before. Overall, I was very pleased with myself that I showed a lot of discipline not to cheat. Anyways onto the good news- I'm now down to 145lbs! I must admit, this kinda progress is probably a bit too quick for my liking so I might be cutting down some of the cardio this week, to stop losing muscle mass.


#####################################

Weekly Weigh-in

145.6lbs (-4lbs approx). Well this is obviously too much, so I am planning to up the calories, aiming for an average of 1900-2000 (per day) this week, so just a tiny amount. This is because I know that the weight will slow up and be harder to come off as the weeks go by. I am starting to look very skinny (as if I didn't before!) but with the autumn coming here in England, I can wrap up in my warm clothes without looking too scrawny, so that is just a small sacrifice.

Week 2 - 06/09/04 - 12/06/04

Monday - 1695 cals - [41% Pro, 39% Carb, 20% Fat]
Tuesday - 1673 cals - [36% Pro, 39% Carb, 25% Fat]
Weds - 1912 cals - [50% Pro, 33% Carb, 18% Fat]
Thurs - 1667 cals - [38% Pro, 44% Carb, 18% Fat]
Fri - 1796 cals - [41% Pro, 41% Carb, 18% Fat]
Sat - 1742 cals - [34% Pro, 35% Carb, 30% Fat]
Sun - 1948 cals - [34% Pro, 32% Carb, 34% Fat]

Week's Averages - 1776 Calories (39% Pro, 37% Carb, 23% Fat)

Difficult week, as the cravings/urges started, especially at the weekend. The way I managed to stick to my diet did surprise me and probably surprised other pple (my family, who are probably used to me preaching about eating healthily and then eating half a packet of chocolate digestives in one go!). Next week I will pretty carry on with this diet and also stick to the 40/40/20 a bit better.


############################


Next Week's Gameplan


Weather permitting, walk to work and back everyday
Do weights 3 times (have to be thur/Sat/Sun)
Cardio at least twice (Tues/Weds)
Stick to 40/40/20 better, and keep calories 1900-2000 on average
Update pics on Thurs
Just do more walking, get a pedometer and countdown those steps!

Not a good week at all - the changes in my shifts at work this week have messed up my gym schedule a little. By the time I finished work at about 5ish, I have found it difficult to make into the gym because of tiredness, laziness etc. I lost focus, and did have like a 3 day cheat, eating everything in sight. I had fish and chips (my fave meal) 3 nights in a row, my brother thought I had gone mad! Consequently at the end of the 3 days, I felt like crap, and also I looked in a bad way- bloated, and also a bad case of acne/rash that appeared on my face - down to the junk I had put in my system. I obviously hadn't been tracking my calories in these few days of madness but I estimate it to be somewhere in the region of 4500+ (each day) at least with god knows how much fat.

The good news is, I have had my diet clean starting Friday, and have done loads of cardio since. I weighed myself at a bloated 155lbs (when I had weighed 145 earlier on in the week) so I cannot assess how much damage I've done. I weighed myself this morning and it was around 151 lbs so I am slowly clawing it back.

Lessons learned? It was quite straightforward for me to keep to my diet 80% of the time but it was difficult during the weekend, when I had to miss out on family dinners & going out with friends to eat out. I have decided to, instead of keeping my calories at 1800-1900, to raise them slightly to 2100-2200 and have a few meals which are technically "cheats" just at the weekends, but to still keep the protein intake high. The trick is to maintain balance & make sure the diet I have is one I can stick to.

Here is a summary of the last few days:-

DIET

FRIDAY - 1397 calories (29% Protein, 47% Carbs, 24% Fat)
SATURDAY - 2121 calories (41% Protein, 33% Carbs, 26% Fat)

Friday was low, but I was so majorly bloated from the previous 3 days that I would have probably felt full up even if I didn't eat anything!

WORKOUTS

FRIDAY - 75 mins Treadmill (68-75% HRM), 573 cals burnt (est.)

SATURDAY - [Chest/Shoulders/Arms], [30 mins Treadmill, 280 cals]