Hi, RanchMom! BTW - I wanted to ask where "Ranch Mom" came from. Do you live on a ranch, or just in a ranch-style home?
Bis and Tris completed today. I tried to go heavier in one spot, and I was successful. I just don't see me lifting anywhere near 20 pounds for a bicep curl ANYTIME soon!
I am using the Nutrition Manager to track my food. As I noted, it got easier to use once I figured out how to use it. There's a copy/paste mode, for example, so if I have the same breakfast as another day, I only have to copy and paste and it carries it to the day I select. I have also entered in my recipes for items I make or custom foods if something is not already listed in the list of foods. (For example, our gluten-free pizza wasn't there. So, I added it, including all of the nutrition facts, and now I can click on that "custom food" and add it to a meal when I need to.)
For the tracker, you are to list your goals and then it recommends a calorie level. Based on the standard calculations, I'm supposed to eat like 900 calories a day but they don't let you go below 1200-1400. That is my range, but based on my activity, it should probably be more. However, for weight loss, most days I stick to 1200 to 1300 with the occasional 1600 or so. That keeps my body guessing.
Because you are tracking your food, it lets you know how you are doing in terms of vitamins, calories, your macros and let's you know when you need to adjust. If you are low in carbs, for example, you might have a grade of "F" with a down arrow showing you are too low. Then, you can click on that and it shows your foods for the day, their values, and can suggest foods to eat with the appropriate amount of things you need.
You can, if you want, choose from a list of custom menus - one they have created or ones that other users have created and uploaded. I don't do that. Mainly because I don't eat that many grains, I don't eat gluten, so a lot of the menus won't apply to me. It always shows I'm low in carbs, so I need to do better about getting a sweet potato in here or there, or more veggies. But, I really don't worry about that too much, because I will have a couple of days with lower carbs, and then the next day we will have gluten-free pizza for dinner, which gives me a higher carb day and then keeps my body guessing.
So, at first, I didn't like it, but mainly because I wasn't following any particular eating plan. Now, I am following one, but it is something that I sort of put together from all of the books I have been reading and following lately. It is a combination of the foods and mantras from Whole30, Trim Healthy Mama, Betheny Frankel's diet book (I follow some of her "rules), and Jamie Eason/Natalie Jill. When we were doing Whole30, which worked while we were on it but I found hard to stick to long term, we got in the mode of eating only 3 times a day. They said eating 3 larger meals that keep you filled in between were best. Going off of Jamie Eason/Natalie Jill, I switched back to eating 5-6 small meals during the day. That is also a THM thing. Like I said, I don't eat a lot of grains, but I do eat some. So, some days I am more Whole30 than others. And, I don't eat a lot of dairy (also Whole30 when you are on it, though you can bring it back in during the reintroduction phase), but I do have a small whey protein drink each morning after my workout. That is something I wasn't doing. Before, after my workout, I would shower, get dressed and usually not eat for a few hours afterwards, but a larger breakfast. Now, I have that protein drink and then 3 hours later some egg whites scrambled with spinach and a grapefruit or small amount of sweet potato (an "E" meal, per THM), but it's only 180 calories (more if I had the sweet potato), so it's not a lot. I continue to have 180-250 calories meals throughout the day, making sure to have protein at each meal, making sure I pay attention to my diet "bank account" (ala Betheny Frankel's book) to balance larger meals against lighter ones, etc.
So far, it seems to work. I will try and keep this up throughout the program. I just need to get better about putting more salads in there, and I will be good. I know that this way of eating works for me - I lost weight when I did Chalean Extreme several years ago following the food guide that came with it. But, Whole30 also worked for me. I think it's just a matter of finding what works in the long term and trying to stick with it. Being mindful of what you eat, and just keep it up. When you fail, just pick it back up 3 hours later.
I think we have cardio tomorrow, right?
