Weekend Check-in, Saturday & Sunday, February 3 & 4, 2024

[aqua girl]

Good morning & happy weekend!

I did a short Peloton 20 min. Tabata Rowing workout this morning. That'll be it for today and tomorrow might be a "rest" day, we'll see....

 

[AVeyRa]

Doing something today, don’t know what yet. Meal prepping at the moment. Still have to run errands, etc.

Also realized I need to up my weight workouts per week and need to flip around the Workout Manager, but that takes a lot of time and tedious effort on my iPad. I think I’m just going to get a paper calendar. It’s easier to see months in advance and I can plan better with a pencil and eraser.

I did some research and am classified as an “intermediate lifter”, so my weight work should not be 3x per week, as it is now with the structure of the STS Meso Rotation, it should actually be about 4-6X per week. So I need to flip leg day and cardio around (so that I still have energy and stamina to do upper body on the alternate days) and also add in another full body weight workout in there (to start). I like to see the data spread out in front of me so I can plan ahead. I can then track weight loss goals and muscle/cardio gains a lot better.

Anyway Today is prepping and planning day, I guess, with a workout in there somewhere. Probably a full-body weight workout, by the sound of it.

ETA: I am down 15lbs as of today. Only 50 more to go, LOL.

 

[Lannette]

Great workout Linda.

Anita congratulations on your weight loss! To what do you attribute it to? I imagine you’ve also built in muscle so the sum total is actually even more impressive.

Thanks for mentioning that the workout manager is tedious on an iPad. I wondered how it would work.

Looking forward to seeing how you change your schedule based upon your research.

 

[Lannette]

Today I did ICE Low Impact Sweat and Carried and Stacked wood. I’ve been dreading LIS all week.

It just feels like a bunch of random drills Cathe threw together. I actually like HIIT but preferably on cardio equipment or with Kettlebells. I dislike workouts where Cathe works off beat. Well, I did the workout so I’ve finished week 1 of my rotation.

Now I get to move to week 2 - Beginner Barre/Ballet alternated with cardio. I’m trying to ensure that despite my continued inch loss I’m not losing muscle. I decided to layer on UB single body part a day giant sets ala the ICE Muscle Meltdowns.

We’ll see how this works out. It sure looks like fun on paper, or I should say in my Pages app.

Remember my benign tumor? You can no longer see it. If you search for it you can feel a tiny bit of connective tissue thickening where it was. It had been the size of a small walnut. I hope it’s gone for good.

The second one has softened up so I hope it will also dissolve. I finish Week 8 today.

 

[AVeyRa]

Anita congratulations on your weight loss! To what do you attribute it to? I imagine you’ve also built in muscle so the sum total is actually even more impressive.

Looking forward to seeing how you change your schedule based upon your research.

I attribute improvement simply to consistency. That’s it. Consistent training in a modest calorie deficit over time. Super simple.

Periodization means I “diet” for 12 weeks with an aim to lose 10% of my body weight, with an emphasis more on cardio than weights, at a daily deficit of about 650 calories, plus whatever activity I accomplish, including NEAT. Macros are pretty easy to calculate with protein being the non-negotiable and any surplus I need to dial down coming from fat until I am at 0.3 grams per lb.

After the 12 weeks is over, I maintain for 8 weeks — with the calorie uptick being pretty slow until I find the sweet spot where I don’t gain or lose. I train harder at weights with reduced cardio for 8 weeks at maintenance levels, to recover my stamina and to reset my set point.

Repeat.

This approach keeps me from burning out and also keeps my body from losing muscle, retaliating via wide metabolism swings, and settling at a new set point every cycle. At least that’s the theory. ;D

But consistency is the biggest contributor.

AS FAR AS SCHEDULE CHANGES:
Since I am starting STS Meso 2 — Hypertrophy, on Monday, and I am “intermediate” the hour-long format for each workout is perfect. But the number of days is too low. I really need another full-body weight workout added in once per week to maximize growth.

The rotation is Mon, Wed, Fri — arms, legs, arms, respectively — with cardio on Tues, Thurs, Sat. In order to tighten that up and still have time to recover (especially from leg day — shudder), and to maximize fat loss without losing muscle, I really need a schedule like:

Mon Arms 60 mins/Cardio 30 mins
Tues Cardio 60 mins/Abs 10 mins
Wed Legs 60 mins
Thurs Arms 60 mins/Cardio 30 mins
Fri Cardio 60 mins/Abs 10 mins
Sat Full Body w/abs 60 mins
Sun Rest

Cardio stays between 120-140 BPM. So no HIIT or intense spikes in HR. This preserves muscle gains while losing fat (I can still do this because although I am in a calorie deficit, I have quite a bit of fat storage for my body to tap into. This won’t be the case forever, obviously.)

But anyway, LOL. You’re probably sorry you asked now.

 

[aqua girl]

ETA: I am down 15lbs as of today. Only 50 more to go, LOL.

Great job. Congrats!

ICE Low Impact Sweat

Great job on Low Impact Sweat Lannette. I agree, it is a “choppy” workout. I used
some of the chapters in blender workouts, but don’t think I have ever done it all the
way thru. So glad your tumors are going away…..that’s great!

Anita, your approach to your diet & workouts is very interesting & your upcoming workout rotation looks really good.

I might do a treadmill workout tomorrow morning, wasn’t planned, and I haven’t
decided what….so I will see if I accomplish that

 

[Lannette]

But anyway, LOL. You’re probably sorry you asked now.

No not sorry at all. It’s very interesting. Despite how different our eating programs are there are actually similarities in our approaches.

Just curious. Do you track any macros? Not implying you should. Just wondering.

I track macro ranges. It’s easy because I use Cronometer. I ended up decreasing my fat intake just a smidge so that my body would use my own body fat for energy and that was when the inch loss rocketed.

I also don’t eat tons of protein because my body can recycle the protein from the inch loss. I was very skeptical of this but I’ve seen modest skin tightening and no new loose skin where I’ve lost inches.

I’ve lost 3” off my waist and 2” off my belly area about two pant sizes. I’m a senior woman who probably has 10 pounds to spare so this is pretty amazing to me. No more meno-pot.

 

[aqua girl]

I’ve lost 3” off my waist and 2” off my belly area about two pant sizes

That’s great Lannette! Well, I decided to do my treadmill this evening instead of in the AM, so I did about a 1 mile walk (.9) to be exact around my neighborhood on the
treadmill…. Now you ask, how did you do that? . Well, IFit has a create workout using Google maps street-view feature, so I created a “walk” around the neighborhood like I have actually walked in the past…..you choose treadmill speed (I actually slowed it to a strolling pace of 2.5 mph and my treadmill & the distance on the workout matched
perfectly. came in at 20:34 minutes. So that got done.

 

[AVeyRa]

No not sorry at all. It’s very interesting. Despite how different our eating programs are there are actually similarities in our approaches.

Just curious. Do you track any macros? Not implying you should. Just wondering.

I track macro ranges. It’s easy because I use Cronometer. I ended up decreasing my fat intake just a smidge so that my body would use my own body fat for energy and that was when the inch loss rocketed.

I also don’t eat tons of protein because my body can recycle the protein from the inch loss. I was very skeptical of this but I’ve seen modest skin tightening and no new loose skin where I’ve lost inches.

I’ve lost 3” off my waist and 2” off my belly area about two pant sizes. I’m a senior woman who probably has 10 pounds to spare so this is pretty amazing to me. No more meno-pot.

Super cool, Lannette! Congrats! And the benign tumor shrinkage is noteworthy. Impressive.

Yes, I track macros. It’s probably lost up in the long response I gave earlier. I use Cronometer as well. I LOVE IT. Macros are not a percentage, but rather a fixed value for me. Any caloric deficit comes out of fat calories until I reach the threshold of .3 g per lb. Any lower than that, and I’ve been advised that it can mess with your hormonal levels. Protein is moderate (about .8 to 1 g per lb of lean body mass), fats are doable at the above range, and any caloric adjustments I need to do from here on out will come out of carb calories. It’s CICO with a sensible macro range, basically.

But it’s interesting that you are using low fat to tap into your own fat stores (? If I am understanding you correctly). Nutrition is fascinating.

LINDA! You can WALK AROUND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?! I need cool toys like yours!

 

[Lannette]

But it’s interesting that you are using low fat to tap into your own fat stores (? If I am understanding you correctly). Nutrition is fascinating.

No no. Not low fat just a bit lower. I need the relatively high fat to keep the chemistry going. That keeps a steady flow of ketones so I can fuel my workouts.

I also use set macros not percentages but within maybe a 5-7 g range. I also love Cronometer. Its wonderful!

I was a poster child for too low of a fat intake messing with hormone levels. At the very end of my vegan days I followed a low, almost no fat plan. It was not good!

Linda, those Google maps treadmill programs are great. So much fun.

 

[Czechfan]

Hello everyone, Happy Saturday

Linda- Great job on Saturday's workout with:
A short Peleton 20 min Tabata Rowing- High fives!! Enjoy your Saturday/weekend.

Anita- Congrats & high fives ony our weightloss- Awesome job!
Wow with all your prepping and planning, I do that also every week. Good luck with changing weight work increading the number of weight workouts each week. You are awesome, you can do it.

Lannette- WTG on you workout today with:
ICE Low Impact Sweat and Carried and Stacked wood. I enjoy ICE- LIS I tend to choose a premix. Carrying & Stacking wood is a workout, I've done it, it is tough stuff. Oh I didn't know about
your benign tumor. So glad it is getting smaller, God bless! That's great news!! Double high fiveson losing inches that is awesome I think is a club we all want to join, awesome job!
Thank you for your Anniversary well wishes yesterday, much appreciated. Enjoy the rest of your day & weekend

Annette- Have a restful & fun weekend

Siobhan- Waves! I hope you are enjoying a restful weekend

Here's today's workout:

YT- Kaleigh Cohen Cycling- LIVE Indoor Cycling Workout! - 50-minute Cycling Class = 58 Min
YT- Kaleigh Cohen Strength-WORKOUT WITH ME!- 30-min Full Body Strength Training w/ DB's= 38Min

Enjoy a blessed weekend everyone

Nora

 

[aqua girl]

Great Saturday workout Nora with YT- Kaleigh Cohen Cycling- LIVE Indoor Cycling
Workout! - 50-minute Cycling Class & YT- Kaleigh Cohen Strength-WORKOUT WITH ME!- 30-min .

I opted for another short workout this AM (unplanned workouts can be fun!)
so I pulled out the rebounder & did YT-AngieFitnessTV- Power Walk Rebounder workout
with light weights (I used my egg weights) for 20 min.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday.

 

[CeciFifi]

Good Morning Everyone,

I took a rest day yesterday. Today I did 2023 Total Body Barbell for 50 minutes. It was good!

Lots of workouts going on this weekend. WTG everyone.

Lannette - I loooooooooooooove LIS! It's actually one of my all time fav's. I see some of you enjoy step workouts which I just can't wrap my head around. With Cathe, there's something for everyone.

Happy Anniversary Nora. My anniversary is this week. We were out last night with two other couples and they've been married for 44 and 37 years each. We are at 27 years. TBH - we got married quickly and I sensed many didn't think it would last. I wasn't sure either. I barely knew the guy! ha ha.

It's gonna be mild this week. It seems Winterlude is cancelled again in Ottawa (heading up on Saturday) so no canal skating again this year. Alas.

Have a great Sunday ladies.

 

[Lannette]

Nora: great workout yesterday.

Linda: Nice spontaneous short workout. I’m hoping to pull out our rebounder this month. It’s actually used several times a week - just not by me.

Siobhan: Great wedding story. Coming up on 44 years for us. Together for 48. I guess we were a couple of wedding phobes.

That’s a shame about your canal. Our skiing, especially cross country hasn’t been great.

Yes, I’m a step aero lover. It’s literally painful for me to work off of the musical beat. 1/2 time, 1/4 time full time, a 3/6 are all fine, off the beat is like dental work done with an electrified metal nail file.

Today was Fit Tower Slim & Trim 36.5m followed by ICE Muscle Meltdown Chest 15.5m - This is exactly what I needed. The music on this FT WO is really…well…musical. Giant sets are my favorite weight training method.

A great Sunday to all no matter what your plans.

 

[aqua girl]

Siobhan, great job with 2023 Total Body Barbell for 50 minutes. It’s a good workout.
Happy upcoming Anniversary to you & your hubby this week. Bummer that you won’t
be able to skate again this year…..

Lannette, nice choice with Fit Tower Slim & Trim, followed by ICE Muscle Meltdown Chest. Those 3 FitTower workouts that came with the tower are my favorites of all
the FitTower workouts….and yes, the music in them is very musical. Actually I like
the music in them, it’s kinda light & happy to me .

LOL, I have no problem cross country skiing on my NordicTrack skier!! Been doing
more of that lately.