finally jumping in here !

[adriana]

hi guys,

i'm finally jumping into the posts after lurking for a few months. i feel that i'm ready for a new level and i know that i'll get a lot of help here

i'm on my second BFL challenge. the first challenge was a great success, in my opinion. this current challenge is going good too, but i feel that something might be a bit *off* in my nutrition and i'd like your opinions.

i'm 43 years old (f), 5'1", weigh 207 (down from 235 at the beginning of C1).

here is a typical day of eats for me:

Meal #1 – 2/3 cup (dry) oatmeal, 120 grams cottage cheese, 2 tangerines, herbal tea

Meal #2 – 4 egg white omelet, 2 slices lite whole wheat bread, 40 grams humus, banana, herbal tea

Meal #3 – 5 oz grilled turkey breast, baked sweet potato, fresh bell peppers

Meal #4 – ff yogurt, 2 tangerines, 120 grams cottage cheese, ½ cup (dry) oatmeal

Meal #5 – 200 grams tuna w/green onion and 1/2 apple, small garden salad (cucumber, tomato, mushrooms, onion w/ 1 teaspoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar)

i LOVE the simple foods. i can eat like this forever! i have no problem whatsoever with the way i make my food

i DO cycle my calories during the week, 3 days a bit higher calories and 3-4 days lower calories. i range from 1800-2100 calories during the week. to achieve the higher calorie days i just add a bit more to the portions, and do the opposite to lower the calories.

Water - 4-5 liters per day

Supplements - none

Vitamins & minerals - multi-vitamin and an extra 25-50mg iron because i suffer from chronic anemia. i also take an anti-depressant for clinical depression (this entire program has helped me tremendously in combating the depression !!).

i work out 5 days a week, almost always at 11:00am - 1:00pm (between #2 & #3). right now i'm doing a weights split as follows:

day 1 - chest, back & shoulders
day 2 - legs and abs
day 3 - biceps and triceps
day 4 - rest
day 5 - upper body
day 6 - legs and abs
day 7 - rest

every time i workout with the weights i follow the session with 30 minutes of some kind of cardio exercise: treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, swimming, rowing, stairstepper (i like to vary them). and i also do spinning two evenings per week. however, other than the gym time i don't get in much more daily activity because i work at the computer all day long. sometimes i feel like a couch potato still, but i know it's all in my head .

i'm feeling healthy and strong .

i just want to make sure that i'm doing things good. i'm still far from my goal weight, however i know that i'll get there slowly but surely.

any imput is greatly appreciated. and please excuse the long post

thanks !!

adriana

[ebon00]

I'd say it looks good. You've lost a lot of weight already (congrats on that by the way) and eating and exercising this way you should be dropping more weight soon enough. Since you say that this challenege is "going good too" there's no need to change anything. We humans are restless animals with high expectations. So we always want things now. Stick with the program and ignore all the "maybe I should..." for a while. If it works, which is obviously does, then stick with it. There is a chance that your results will slow down a little (which is natural, your body is always trying to retain a status quo) but fight through it and you'll come out leaner and meaner on the other side.

[cursor]

Your program look nice and tight—congratulations! Simple food really is best.

Like ebon00 says, you can't argue with success. Keep doing what has worked for you in the past. The calorie cycling is smart. If you wanted to speed things up just a bit (in case you want to experiment some) increase the range between you high and low calorie levels. A 25% differential would run you from 1660–2140, while a 33% gap would define your range between 1580–2210. You might also consider rotating by whole weeks, rather that days at a time. Just something to think about.

Oh yeah, Welcome to DiscussFitness.com.

[adriana]

i really appreciate you taking the time to read my post and give me the great advice

thank you!

i think i will try the weekly calorie rotation Cursor. it won't hurt to change things a bit like that. maximum it doesn't work for a few weeks and i can always go back to what i've been doing, right?

thanks for the encouragement and support.

adriana

[cursor]

Cool. Post the result of the weekly calorie shift—I'd be curious (I think it'll work great for you).

[askjoe]

Looks good. Just remember to keep your protein intake high and your carbs low - If you're not seeing results it's almost always the diet that's the culprit. Take a good look at what you're doing and adjust where necessary. Good Luck

Askjoe
http://www.onelastrep.com