Thanks for the post. I guess I've been lacking my workout posts. My bad. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are workout days... 40 minutes of weights followed by 20 minutes of cardio. Saturday and Sunday are just cardio... usually 30-40 minutes on the elliptical to get my heart rate around 170.
I hear what your saying and without the other stuff that I'm lacking in my log, I totally agree with you. My point is that I think I would have lost the three or four pounds without taking anything since I've cleaned up my diet and cut carbs way down.
Again, a lot of this might be because of my age, but I definitely am not in the "oh my god the pounds are just coming off" camp.
HAHAHAHA
Yes, seeing as you cut down carbs signinficantly from your normal intake, you should at least get rid of some water with the increased sweating. But I'm wondering what these 'snacks' and 'treats' are.. Your 120 grams of carbs, what sources do they come from ? I see fructose (from apples/fruits) mentioned, as well as some wheat bread .. You just want to make sure you don't endulge in too much sugar, obviously. Also, if you're able to do a short morning cardio session, I would recommend refraining from carbs in the meal (or shake) both prior to and following the cardio session. Focus on the protein intake here!
A couple of pointers I recommend from my own experience:
- eat a meal every 2.5-3 hours; DO NOT snack in between ! I know snacks and treats are always tempting, but I find it a lot easier to avoid these un-necessary calories by not even purchasing that bag of chips or that container of cereal .. (I am a sucker for Kashi GoLean cereal).
- instead of an apple with your shake, I'd recommend a tablespoon or two of PB with it (or in it, whichever you prefer); fewer carbs, healthy fats, added protein, and better chance of filling you up a little bit.
- Maintain longer enduring cardio sessions (lower impact/lower intensity) as opposed to 'short' ones around 30 minutes. I swear by 60 minute sessions of the StairMaster on the fat burning mode; gives your legs a helluva workout from calves, to hams, to quads to butt, and depending on length and intensity, can nearly substitute a leg training for these. By now, I under-prioritize my legs, and the only training they get are ~10 cardio sessions per week. My intensity isn't low, however, and I step off the Stairmaster having burned over 900 calories each time.
- in your weighlifting sessions, I'd recommend using the 12-15 rep range and decrease rest in between sets to maintain intensity. Perhaps stay around 60-90 seconds in between sets, and incorporate supersets and drop sets to increase intensity at your own 'risk.' I say risk because I can imagine your heart rate gets significantly raised when you work out . . .
Keep up the work and dedication, bro ! Patience is the key to success, so just stick with what you've got, add some minor tweaks for variety, and I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be !
(On a random note: When an old Personal Trainer friend of mine was giving me ideas and information on how to diet and do cardio, he said, 'AIM FOR A MINIMUM OF 600 CALORIES BURNT EACH CARDIO SESSION!' - this is equivalent to 30 minutes of HIGH intensity cardio, or about 45 minutes of medium intensity cardio. I skipped his little vice and went for 800-900+ calories per session, but that's only because I go ALL-out when I set new goals for myself in the gym and as to what I want to look like. Regardless, for your weekend cardio sessions, I'd make sure to hit that 600+ number, and add some ab work in to that so that you maintain your 'gym-mentality'!)
