I'd like to start a thread for those who are on track, are serious about their exercise and who would enjoy some more accountability and people to talk diet, exercise and fitness with.

This isn't really meant to be a motivational thread, nor to answer questions like, "since I'm jogging three times a week do you think it's ok to have a potato when I go out for dinner tomorrow?"

Goals, routines and plans adapt and change. Lets talk about them and enjoy some fitness focused conversation. Lift each other up when we need it, give and receive constructive feedback and share ideas and experiences.

Meg

You know I'm in with ya Meg!

I am back in full swing with my training ... I recently got a home gym and am looking at getting a Precor so I have everything here in-house.

This weekend I will be buying up CLA and multivitamins to take me through my whole training cycle. Walgreen's is having a buy 1/get 1 sale.

I am using a maximum anabolic/cortisol reduction program right now, and will be switching to maximum fat loss starting March 1.

Still getting geared up for my trip to LA (Gold's Gym, Venice Beach!) in April, and preparing for competition at the end of the summer.

I am a little soft in the middle right now since I am adding muscle, and VERY pale ... LOL ... pics will get posted when I get tanned up and a little leaner.

Looking forward to this group growing ... Good idea Meg!

My plan: get the fricken fat off!

heh, ok really - my diet is really strict, worked out.. from experience and what has worked in the past.

I've been lazy for 7 mos so the last week has been getting my activity level up, within the next week or so I should have a routine worked out and a high activity level. The trick will be balancing the diet with the activity -generally something's gotta give. Today it was activity, my body wasn't recovered and I suspect food is the culprit. I got in an hour's hike, 30 mins walking and that's it besides some isolated chins and deads.

I'm confident with what I have so far...and am sure it will change as I do.

Results have been good.

The trick for me was getting my butt out of the house when it is snowing and freezing, LOL. Still hard getting to the gym for AM cardio when it's as nasty out as it has been lately.

Motivation, motivation, motivation.

I have an exercise bike in the house, but it is so damn boring. But, I will have my butt on it tomorrow for 30 minutes anyway.

I'll talk to you tomorrow ... since I will probably get snowed in, I'll be on here alot tomorrow. LOL.

Great thread. I have a fairly well established routine that I stick to most weeks, without fail.

3 x week -- circuit training at Ladies Workout Express -- 1 1/2 hours
2 x week -- weight lifting -- medium weights -- 1 1/2 hours
3 x week -- hiking with dogs 1/2 uphill and 1/2 downhill -- 45 minutes

I certainly deviate occassionally when life gets busy but for the most part, I stay on track.

My goal is to find the right balance of exercise and eating that will optimize my weight/fat loss. This is proving harder to do that I imagined. I thought if I worked out a lot, the weight would come off faster. WRONG...I've been stuck at 168 for over 4 months. So, I am still trying to find what works for me. grrrrr!~

Karen

Karen,

What are you doing for an eating plan?

Also, how long have you been on your current plan? Looks like you are doing alot of lifting! LOL.

I have never seen the inside of a Workout Express, so I am curious to know what the workout structure is like ...

Great new thread here! I have recently started a bulking phase and it's kinda' scary, as I've been "living and breathing" fat-loss for the past 9 months! I just got tired of busting my a*# at the gym and mostly just maintaining the muscle. I want to BUILD some muscle. So, thought I'd give my metabolism a break and EAT to build that muscle. I was on a CKD, and now am on a basterdized CKD,TKD, Anabolic Diet, LOL! My diet is changing and evolving as I learn more. What I'm doing now is LC Sun. & Mon. , short carb-up Tues. lunch and everning, LC Wed. and Thur., 36 hr. carb-up Fri. thru Sat. I also am eating a LOT more veggies (and total calories) on LC days and taking 24 gr dextrose & 20gr protein in drink pre (30-40min before) and post workout. I tried isocaloric for a short time, but could not control my appetite! This seems to work better for me.

I work-out mon. thru fri. at the gym, try to keep it below 1 hr and 15 min (including cardio). Have incorperated squats and deadlifts (reg. and stiff legged) and now build my work-outs around them. Didn't do these before, and am taking my workouts to a whole new level, I feel, with them. I rarely work any body part more that once a week. I was doing tons of cardio, but now just do HIIT on treadmill or eliptical for 15 to 20 min immediately after weights. Got my fingers crossed, but so far so good! I plan on starting back on the fat loss (cutting) after the winter, and hope to make a few people sit up and take notice when the swimming pools open back up at the beginning or summer (ego, but it needs to eat sometime too!)

Nice pics Chipperoo, impressive difference in upper body!!and the waist proportionaltely smaller.

Hi Karen, good to see you.

I guess we should have some sort of structure here to start off with, but no set rules. Maybe checking in on a regular basis (how often?) and posting thoughts and feelings notices on progress. Pics always welcome

I'm doing a full body routine right now, on a big calorie deficit and am working hard, and frequently, but not to failure (except chinups because I'm so weak in them just doing 2 brings me to failure). I just want to increase the "work" that my muscles do to a relatively high volume.

I've just started working out again after about 7 mos with only itermittent exercise and embarassing eating habits, so this may morph into a split routine but we'll see what the body says next week

Progress: I've lost 7.5 lbs since ...well within the last 2 weeks anyway. Of course some is water, but my strength has increased, and my size decreased and I know some of it is fat because those keto sticks are crazily dark and I am drinking enough. I've never been below this poundage so I'm expecting things to slow down.

I've been hardcore for about 10 days so a refeed is due sometime soon <sigh> I hate those things. Maybe on the weekend.

Meg

Dan...Ladies Workout Express is a circuit of machines, steps, and a flat spring board.

Every 40-60 seconds (40 or 60 rotates) you move to one of 26 stations. The machines are all hydrolic resistance.

When I go, I tailor my workout so I do 2 stations of cardio to one machine. Otherwise, my heartrate begins to drop and I don't stay aerobic. I have a heart rate monitor and stay in my range for at least 1 hour of the 1 and 1/2 hours I go.

Karen

Meg..your progress is FANTASTIC. Are you dropping so fast because you are creating a "calorie deficit?"

I am on strict Atkins. I have messed up my metabolism in the past, I am trying not to "starve myself!"

I am pretty sure I am dropping inches (not measuring)...just NO pounds!

Karen

Ooh, this group is right up my alley! I participate in a group like this on another board, keeps me in check and we all keep each other in check too, and give a kick in the butt when it's needed and a woohoo when it's deserved. Can I play too?!?!

Anywho, let's see...I am serious about fitness, and I try to stay on track. My downfall is I hate cardio. Absolutely loathe it. Lifting is my passion, I truly enjoy it. I do a three day split due to my schedule, TrainerDan helped me with it I prefer a 4 day split and will go back to it at some point, works better for me. My goals are:
1. to actually DO cardio 2-3 times a week, and not just say I will...get back into doing wind sprints, when winter is over, take my dog for long uphill walks (he loves it though he's tiny!), this is cardio I do like.
2. No LC beer!
3. Focus on my triceps and upper back more. I neeed to get a door mountable chin up bar so I can miserably try to do chins. The store never has em. My upper back is pitiful.

Meg: Congrats on the 7 lbs! Wow! Refeeds scare me, have you done them before?

TrainerDan: Is this your first competition? How exciting to be going out to Cali to play with the big boys. How long are you going out there for?

Karen: I'm interested in what you're doing workout wise too. I never heard of it either.

Chipperoo: wow, your hard work sure shows!

Tapestry: yes, it's coming off so fast because of the deficit - I have to keep meticulous calories fat and protein ratios though otherwise I don't lose anything. It's also because it's a drastic change to how I was eating this fall and summer. I'm sure the progress will slow right down, but I'll take as much as I can get for now. Eventually my body will adjust to the lower calories, but hopefully by then I will have lost enough fat to be happy to slowly add calories and begin a heavier duty lifting prog to build mass (ie: faster metabolism).

DarkLotus: I tried a CKD before, which has carbups... and didn't last because I couldn't handle them. I've had binge refeeds too I'm just going to make it a day that's fairly high in calories, lower in fat% with a lot of carbs and protein. I may try a protein day first.. with a lot of calories and a LOT of protein, rather than a carby one.

My chinup bar consists of two small pieces of square wood with a U cut out of them nailed on either side of the doorway, and a dowel cut to length resting in the U. Cheap, easy, effective!

CHIP ... I am using a hybrid plan myself. Somewhere between T-Dawg and CAD.

KAREN ... Thanks for the info. I was always curious how they structured those workouts.

LOTUS ... Good to see you found your way in here! DO YOUR CARDIO! LOL. It will be my first competition. I am really looking forward to the Gold's trip. It's my pilgrammage to bodybuilding Mecca. LOL. I am out there for a week.

Now ... Lifting I have been doing descending sets (10,8,6,4) with increasing weights, except for legs where I squat GVT style (10 sets x 10 reps at 60%).

On Monday I am switching to circuits 3 days per week to get more cut before I go to Cali. On my days off from circuits, I will do heavy cardio.

I will be dropping my carbs way out and switch my eating to CKD style too.

Right now, I am taking in carbs only on weights days ... and then only 2 hours prior to workout, during workout, and right after workout.

A 18 months running training program from zero to a full Marathon serious enough? I am in month 13, never skipped any planned training, already after three half-Marathons. My training program is in my gym log, here:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost...99&postcount=69
The goal: Rock & Roll Marathon in June.

Nutrition is the biggest challenge for me. So far I have preferred the minimal approach - means to drink/eat the minimum amount before/during run. (Means under 30 carbs for a half-Marathon.) Never felt week, contrary, had always more energy during the last miles.
As my time/distance grows I need a little more. I already started to explore the supplement/energy bar/gu etc world.

TrainerDean: GoldGym, Venice? WOW! Sounds familiar. Have you seen the Pumping Iron documentary? lol

To ALL: I am very impressed with all of your accomplishments:-))
With my pathetic 30 lbs biceps curls, heavily assisted (means hubby or son) chin ups I feel humbled here...

Hi everyone! I'm glad I check out this thread. Last summer my husband and I biked 20 miles a night three or four times a week, routinely did a power sculpt tape that combined aerobics and free weights, and walked 60 minutes four times a week. I lost my motivation when I didn't lose any weight, and when the weather became colder.

I'm now re-motivated. Since then, I've started eating low carb (October) instead of low fat. Starting Monday, Feb. 2nd, my husband and I are once again heading to the great outdoors to start exercising (he wants to buy some new long underwear this weekend first). I joined Curves, which I have been attending, but it does not seem challenging enough to me anymore, so I want to return to step aerobics and a weight lifting program. I will be designing a program this weekend, and look forward to getting some insight from you all, based on all the success and dedication I've read so far.