The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[DogMa]

OK, I went. And am already back. Three people showed up. Including me.

And now my garage door opener just stopped working. It opened, but I had to close it manually. I wonder if I can even get someone out here on a Sunday. Sigh.

[DogMa]

Dropping back down. Am reading an interesting book, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It had some good, and very specific, suggestions I'm going to try. Talks some about "skinny fat people," which is kind of what I think I became on the program (and of course he rails against very-low-calorie diets because of their effect on metabolism).

He's also very much against the one-size-fits-all plans, and has suggestions for tailoring his plan to your body, and ways of gauging your body's metabolic rate (and increasing it) as well as its reaction to carbs. It's much like Body for Life, but with enough variations to make it a little better, I think. Plus it takes a much more individualized approach.

He's also an advocate of changing things when they don't work. He says if you don't see results in a week, it's time to adjust. And he talks about all the things I've learned elsewhere: reducing carbs but not too low, sticking to high-quality carbs like vegetables rather than refined carbs (and if you need to reduce carbs, to reduce simple carbs like fruits rather than fibrous carbs like veggies), calorie and carb cycling, emphasizing whole, natural foods, etc. His workout plans also sound rational, and he talks about things like interval training, doing cardio first thing, weightlifting till muscle failure, etc.

So ... my cardio is already right on target, apparently. I'm going to follow his lifting plan and the food plan for people more sensitive to carbs (rather than following his basic plan and seeing if I'm more sensitive; I know I am). I'm also going to try cycling (three days lower carb, one day higher). And re-evaluate in a week.

[holberry]

hey Robin,
Did I tell you that you are my inspiration on the workouts????
I read your posts and get pumped, but, not enough to go to the gym. OK that is my goal for the week.
I love spinning classes, love it, maybe this week.
ciao.
hb

[DogMa]

Thanks, Holly, always nice to hear. I've gotten to really like working out, but it's made finding a maintenance plan that works more difficult, I think.

[DogMa]

No change. I'm having a hard time eating enough while maintaining these ratios, which is interesting.

Did the Shape magazine workout this morning. Will do a tape this afternoon at work, and I'm thinking about stopping at the gym on my way home for a short lifting session (supposed to go three times a week on this plan). Three workouts in one day might be too much, though.

[Serendipity]

Robin, What ratios do they recommend? Also, which shape magazine is that workout in? Just curious.....not that I'll end up doing it, but I want to at least look at it. I have to do something.

[bikipatra]

I'm thinking about stopping at the gym on my way home for a short lifting session (supposed to go three times a week on this plan). Three workouts in one day might be too much, though.

I do think that 3 work outs are a bit much but I don't have the book. My lifting sessions have been at home with my husband's huge cans of vegetarian baked beans. (Remember he's English. ) They are quite heavy and seem to be acceptable right now because after 2 sets I have muscle fatigue.

[Lauren]

Yeah, Robin, 3x a day does seem to be excessive. And while they each would target different points, you want to be careful about other ratios in your life besides food - like making sure the exercise ratio doesn't overtake the living one! :-) I know that it's easy to get compulsive with the working out - we feel good, we look better than we ever have, it aids in our loss/maintenance, and we see our progress in a very real way. But the whole point in losing the weight and getting fit is to live better lives, to embrace other activities that we should enjoy even more for having gotten these results.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my $.02 on that one, because I can see how we'd both get sucked into the world where more of our life is spent exercising than it is living....

Best of luck on this new plan. I, for one, keep thinking you've just needed significantly more calories across the board. Not sure if this one provides that, but I keep wanting you to bump up your calories in a bigger way (not 100-200 calories, more like 500 calories a day) and see if that does the deal. You are very active, Robin, and while you may have turtle metabolism, your body still requires sustenance...

Cheers to you and to seeing the results you desire!

Lauren

[Serendipity]

Just hangin' out here and if Lauren had a journal, I'd hang out there to see of some of this obsessive behavior could rub off on me......

[Lauren]

Ha. It just seems a little too late in the game to start my own journal...now I figure I'll just stalk everyone else's instead.

I'm annoying like that.

Lauren

[DogMa]

Ha. I know, I know, the calorie thing is a problem for me. I think cycling may help, though. As for the three workouts, here's the problem: I LOVE the morning one and it's the best cardio workout I get all day. I like to do the afternoon one because of the social aspect; it's really not much of a workout for me, usually, but I like the group and they kinda count on me being there. I think it encourages some of the others to see me there every time. The evening one would be strictly weights, not very long, and only two or three times a week. But maybe I should do it on my higher-calorie days.

As for the ratios, he varies it depending on the person. The lower-carb plan, which is what I believe I need because I fit all the criteria, is 45 percent protein, 30 percent carbs, 25 percent fat. His highest-carb plan is I think 30-35 percent protein, 50 percent carbs, 15-20 percent fat. I may be a little off on those, since I don't have it handy. Cardio is three times a week if you can get away with it, six or seven if you have a sluggish metabolism. Lifting is two to three times a week (whole body each short session) for beginners (and it's been so long, I'm starting there), three times a week for others with a two-day split.

Based on his calculations, I should be eating at least 1400 calories a day, if not 1600. He says never go below 1200 a day, even for one day. Right now I'm at about 1300 or so. He does say to increase them gradually, though. So hopefully as I get used to it, I'll be able to eat a little more. Or find some higher-calorie foods that still work. (There's a bunch of other stuff, though, too, like always eating protein and carbs together, and for carb-sensitive people like me, eating starchy carbs only in the first few meals of the day and sticking to fibrous carbs like nonstarchy veggies for the latter part of the day.)

As for the Shape magazine, I'll check when I get home, Jo. It's one of the more recent ones, though, I know that much. Either the current one or the one before. You warm up at 3.5 mph and a 1 incline for 3 minutes, then do 4-minute intervals, continuously raising the incline but raising and lowering the speed, then cool down at 3.5 mph for the last 3 minutes.

[DogMa]

BTW, Lauren, how many calories do you take in a day? And how much do you work out?

[Lizabette]

BTW, Lauren, how many calories do you take in a day? And how much do you work out?

This inquiring mind would also like to know.

[DogMa]

Well, since she REFUSES to keep a journal ...

[DogMa]

BTW, Jo, it was the July 2007 issue of Shape. I'll post this in your journal, too, in case you're not back here anytime soon.