Exercise Calories

For the past several months, I've just automatically eaten back all my calories earned through exercise. I always knew that any calculation of these calories would be somewhat inaccurate, but assumed it was better to fuel my body properly for the work I was asking it to do.

Sometimes, however, I really feel like I'm forcing myself to eat just to fill in those calories. It makes me uncomfortably full and I think it's messing with my weight loss. That's fine and all for maintaining or bulking, but I still have at least 15 lbs to lose.

In order to better address this, I added in another Challenge Round. After next week, I'll categorize my exercise like this:

• Cardio, Normal HR: not logged, no calories earned to eat back
• Cardio, Elevated HR: logged, eat most calories back
• Strength: not logged, drink protein shake to replenish calories

I'm hoping this will feel more natural while also yielding the kind of results I'm looking to achieve.

Round 3 : Week 3 : Day 5

I really tried today, but deadlifts are hard! I really need to refine my form, so I'll likely stick at 90# until I feel it's working the right muscles. I was glad, however, that my squats improved so much. I think I may do 5 sets next time to really push it.

SQUAT √ 50#/3x6 (+15)
***I started with 40# (a 5# increase) but it was way too easy

DEADLIFT √ 90#/4x3 (---)

CURL&OHP √ 35#/4x5 (+5)

BENCH √ 30#/4x8 (+5)

BENT ROW √ 35#/4x6 (---)

My lower and oblique abs were destroyed from last time (decline crunches, no weight), so I focused on upper abs today and tried to let the others rest a bit. They're in for a surprise on Sunday, though!!

I feel like my body is tightening up, like my legs are slimming, my arms are stronger, and my shoulders broader. I just didn't take any 'before' photos or measurements, so it's all a guessing game whether I'm really getting any results. Regardless, I feel great and empowered, so I'm going to stick with this for a good while :)

Each Pound : 9

Nine things learned for nine pounds lost...

1. it's a calorie goal, not a calorie limit
2. fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates (what?!)
3. weight lifting makes your body feel alive
4. there's a difference between can't and won't
5. it's not a race
6. a higher protein goal precludes less healthy snacks
7. macronutrient goals are as important as calorie goals
8. expect to make mistakes, but own up to them
9. getting adequate rest is important (and still lacking) for muscle recovery

Round 3 : Week 3 : Day 3

I was really excited for today's workout, but everything seemed to just fall apart. I was still pretty stiff/sore from Sunday and that limited not only how much weight I could lift, but also how quickly I could lift it. I'm not snapping them around or anything, but I try to keep a decent pace. Not today!

To make matters worse, my form for the deadlift is... well, it leaves a lot to be desired. I think I worked my back more than my legs. And I could barely hold on to the weights; they kept slipping which was really distracting.

I did really like the bench presses, though, and hope to try the bench with bent rows next time.

Here are my stats:

SQUAT √
35 lbs/4 sets/7 reps avg

DEADLIFT √
90 lbs/4 sets/6 reps avg

CURL&OHP √
30 lbs/4 sets/6 reps avg

BENCH +
25 lbs/4 sets/12 reps avg

I also always do ab work, but it's unweighted, so I don't put it here yet. Here's hoping I recover fast enough to make Thursday count!

Round 3 : Week 3 : Day 1

I really tried to push myself now that we have the new set of dumbbells. For some reason, though, I always feel like I'm not doing enough or lifting enough or trying hard enough. No matter how much I do, I feel like I'm copping out. Maybe it's a confidence thing?

Anyways, here are my lift stats for today (and keep in mind that this is only my third week ever trying weight training):

SQUAT √
35 lbs/4 sets/8 reps avg

BENT ROW –
35 lbs/4 sets/4 reps avg

CURL&OHP √
30 lbs/4 sets/6 reps avg

PULL +
30 lbs/4 sets/11 reps avg

LUNGE ?
20 lbs/4 sets/7 reps avg

TRICEP +
10 lbs/4 sets/12 reps avg

Lunges are really hard for me.  I feel like I just don't have the balance necessary to do these with weights.  Maybe next time I'll substitute deadlifts instead for a second leg lift. 

I'm really liking straight sets right now as well. Who knew weight lifting could be so fun and rewarding?!  I'm actually looking forward to Tuesday when we'll finally have a bench so I can do some bench presses! 

4 Week Challenge

My new challenge!  I'm changing my habits 4 weeks at a time.  New components for each round are italicized (since some rules will be repeated). 

ROUND 1 - Complete

• stay under, but close to, calorie goal
• meet macronutrient goals (55, 30, 15%)
• log everything eaten

ROUND 2 - Complete

• stay under, but close to, calorie goal
• meet macronutrient goals (55, 30, 15%)
• log everything eaten
• do some form of exercise every day
• log all exercise
• eat back exercise calories

ROUND 3 - In Progress

• stay under, but close to, calorie goal
• meet macronutrient goals (45, 30, 25%)
• log everything eaten
• weight-lift then walk three times per week (every other day)
• log all exercise
• eat back exercise calories

ROUND 4*

• stay under, but close to, calorie goal
• meet macronutrient goals (45, 30, 25%)
• log everything eaten
• weight-lift three times per week (every other day)
• log all exercise
• only eat back cardio calories if heart rate is raised
• only drink protein shake to replace weight-lifting calories burned

ROUND 4 5

• stay under, but close to, calorie goal
• meet macronutrient goals (45, 30, 25%)
• log everything eaten
• weight-lift then interval training three times per week (every other day)
• log all exercise
• only eat back cardio calories if heart rate is raised
• only drink protein shake to replace weight-lifting calories burned
•  

* Added an extra round between 3 and original 4 for several reasons.  I need to refine my lifting technique, but I also need to come to a better understanding of what 'earned' calories I should actually eat back. 

Reboot

It's been a few years since my last update; sorry about that!  A lot of life got in the way and I fell off the wagon pretty hard.  Granted, I didn't exactly lose any weight last time, but I had made some moves towards a healthier lifestyle.  

This time around, however, I tried to be a bit more proactive about things.  Here's a brief timeline of what's happened so far:  

JAN 12

• I signed up for MyFitnessPal.  My name on there is kbam17 if anyone would like to be friends.
• Using their calculations, I started eating at a caloric deficit to lose one pound a week on average.  I aimed for 1560 calories each day and a macronutrient split of 55, 30, 15% for carbohydrates, fat, and protein, respectively.
• I also started eating a lot better; I went from having pastries, chocolates, and pasta every day to salads, fruits, and well-rounded meals.  I still indulged here and there, but in moderation and consciously.
• Ultimately, it worked really well and I lost 6 pounds my first month! 

FEB 10

• I started incorporating exercise in addition to eating well.  I promised myself to walk around my block every day.  While that may sound wimpy, my block is about 1.5 miles around and extremely steep.  I'd say it goes up or down about 4 or 5 stories each direction.  

• I started out taking about half an hour to make the circuit and ended at 22 minutes; that's 4 miles per hour!  

• As expected, my weight loss slowed to a more reasonable 2 pounds this month.  

MAR 10

• I added weight lifting into my exercise.  

• I started with body weight exercises, but really wanted to push into real weights.  We already owned some dumbbells, but it was hard to work with them as the increments between were too large for me, so we invested in a BowFlex adjustable set that I finally got to use this past Thursday and they were awesome!  

• Regardless, I'm really enjoying lifting weights, but I was concerned that I wouldn't get the full benefit on such a large caloric deficit, so I upped my goal to lose 0.5 pounds per week which brought me to a 1760 calorie goal.  I also adjusted my macronutrients to 45, 30, 25% for carbohydrates, fat, and protein, respectively so my muscles could better repair themselves after a workout.  

• I currently lift on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and take a slower walk around the block afterwords. 

I'm two weeks into my lifting routine.  After two more weeks of working on form and strength, I'm going to add interval training to my post-lifting walk. 

I'm really excited about my progress so far.  Just yesterday someone finally asked me if I'd lost a bunch of weight recently and today I pushed past 162 pounds after being stuck there for three weeks!  I think I'm finally getting on a good path.  

My quantifiable goals are to get between 130 and 135 lbs (unless I find I'm comfortable higher up) and to get my body fat between 23 and 25% (right now it's 30%).