Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Today was 1 hour morning cardio (beautiful day in Michigan this morning and day), almost 2 hours of a Back workout (I did not do everything that I did last time - I was getting too exhausted from the heavy weights), and just got done with an hour on the Elliptical (Level 3 only) for more cardio. A usual day of working out.
MyPlate said I consumed 1128 calories today, but burned 1902 calories (deficit of 775 calories). I think that the amount they specified for the Elliptical as 648 calories for the hour is alittle high (my Elliptical said 350 was the calories I burned for the hour). So it is all relative to something - all I know is that I am tired and not really hungry per se, but I could scarf something down in a blink of an eye if I allowed myself an indulgence. . .sigh.

Hugs myplate can be evil......

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

148.0 (after cardio) yesterday, 148.8 (no cardio) this morning. I just went for a walk (3 miles) and noticed that my hands were puffy on the way back. Geesh! I just had a small baby dill pickle (only 12 calories, but the sodium!) to cheat with. Oh well. They are all gone, and if I do not buy another jar, then I won't have that to cheat with. So now popcorn and pickles are gone.
Did an Arms workout yesterday, and I was barely able to make it to the heavy set (with 3 or 4 moderate heavy sets before it). I did not do any descending weight sets afterwards because I could feel the energy going out of my muscles fast. Makes me want to see if I take creatine before my workouts, if I would have some extra energy in my muscles to proceed to more sets? And the Lipo6 was doing its job, I was alittle bit on the jittery side even! I wanted to go, but the muscles just would not go where my mind was at. I was also able to do the 1 hour of Elliptical cardio last night, but did not go as fast as usual (still did the 2 5K loops though! but barely. usually I do 12K in the hour).

Today is rest day. I am going to double up on the usual carbs today, and maybe alittle bit more protein than usual - keep the fats low. Already done a walk today. Might do some yoga tonight - stretch out the muscles. Tomorrow is Chest day - one of my favorite bodyparts to workout. Memorial day weekend - the gym will be empty probably.

I have noticed that i am more sodium sensitive these days. Good thing I don't like pickles or I would be miserable. I am doing my best not to touch chips of any kind and it is so hard some days especially when I am at work and my client wants them..... My hands always swell up after a long walk even if I keep my hands up and wiggle my fingers while walking.

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Warning: this post may be TMI for some.

I love the BM's I get after a cheat day/rest day! Even the scale says 149, I feel 145! LOL!

Today's morning cardio was awesome - saw 2 snapper turtles laying their eggs along the path! Luckily for me they were busy doing their business and no time to snap at me! And new flowers are in bloom - yarrow and indian paintbrush. very pretty and small. no smell thank goodness. but the summer flocks is still smelling up the path. my nose is still ticklish on some mornings. not today though.

Today in the gym it is Chest day. I do not think my sets of low reps is helping me out. I think I will just do a moderate weight in the 12 - 15 rep range, and then go heavy. And no more descending weight sets or 4 sets of 25 reps of a light weight. I will lift heavy to keep my muscle, and use the cardio and my diet to get the bodyfat down. I will do a 4 set of 25 reps with light weights every 3 bodypart cycle, just to keep the ligaments strong - just like I did during bulking.

Today is also the first day of my . Just going to wait to see if I am late this time, or if I could stop having them because my bodyfat is so low (LOL! haven't lost really any weight since the last time - but a girl can hope!).

I utterly dreaded low weight high reps

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

If you feel strong enough for the heavy stuff i say go for it. Just don't get hurt!

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

Easy peasy Chest workout. Done in half the time of my usual workout. First there was no one there at the gym to distract me (plugged in the music and away I went into my own little world of pushing weights) and I just did ascending weight sets to the heavy set for that exercise, and then went on to the next one - minimal rest between sets though - as there was no one to talk to. LOL!

Left delt kept talking to me the whole time though. If I put my shoulder blades absolutely flat on my back, with my chest up and forward, then it only squeaked at me alittle bit. I think it is a ligament injury, as I can touch the bony part of my shoulder (where the arm bone connects to the shoulder girdle) and it screams pain!! at me. Ice and then thaw is in order again - might have to do it all the time up to showtime, and then let it rest completely. Till then, I will coddle it, and see if I can keep using it till the point where I can take it no longer (pain is a good teacher).

Today's cardio was alittle cooler than yesterday's. Overcast still, and the morning is just about over. Nice breeze to cool me down on the way back home though - very nice when you are sweaty. The negative thoughts came in and when right back out - love it when the mind is in such control! The mind didn't even have to utter 'shut-up! we are doing it!' today - it just laughed at the mere mention of stopping and delved back into the music again and felt the vibrams on the path and noticed that we are now definitely midfoot striking the path - no more ball or heel striking - cool! and we ended the 1/4 mile at the end with a nice faster pace using the hamstrings to really propel the body forward. Felt rewarding afterwards, with the cool down walk on the sidewalk to get from the trail to my house.

Was going to just walk this morning, but decided to go for it. It is Leg day at the gym today. I am just going to go up to heavy weight set, and then stop (all I need to do now is maintenance - not build). Now the evening cardio might not be on the Elliptical - maybe just a nice hour long walk tonight - just to not get the quads/hamstrings all mad at me and to give them some time to heal from whatever aggravation I am going to put them thru this afternoon - need them for cardio tomorrow and beyond.

Speaking of Elliptical - was able to do another 1 hour on the E (level 3 only) last night again. I was rewarded with my all time low of 147!!!! .8 this morning. Yay! I am not where I wanted to be in the fifth week of May (144 lbs), but it is lower than what I started the month out with: 154 lbs. I fought hard to get those 6.something lbs off! and I will continue the fight! hopefully learning more as I go along. . .

nice job on the 147! do you use a dieuretic for the show? if so which? I picked up Uva Ursi Diurite. I'm kind of excited about it. Perhaps I will also pick up some diapers too lol.

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

No, it is amazing that once you start to cut your water back, AND cut out the salt (yeah, have some potassium tablets around just in case those calves start cramping up on you in the middle of the night - had two major ones last time), how my skin just sucks right up to the muscle. Though I haven't really tried it out yet - changes all the time. I took 3 days to 'dry' out though - first day you half the water, the next is a half again, and then none the day before the show (ice chips if you really have to). And watch out for hidden sodium/salt in anything! I had a pasta sauce that was suppose to have no salt in it, but somehow it got salt in it, and I bloated up the day before the show. I did my best by drinking like 2 gallons of water that day to flush it out. I wasn't bloated at least for the evening show, but was 'flat' for the prejudging. Luckily that was the summer that I did 3 shows, and it was the second one - so I wasn't too upset - more experience posing and this time paying attention to the audience and the judges (too nervous on the first show - I just basically force myself to go up on stage and do my routine - yeah I have stage fright so bad - luckily the lights are so bright that you can pretty much not see any audience anyways - now the judges are right there in the front, so you can see them - if you want to - otherwise it is all just a blur - to me that is).

OK, the weight is coming off of me. 146.6 after cardio this morning. I am going to stay on this 3 day low carb/1 day high carb routine. Found a diet pattern for the bodybuilder Hidetagada for Team Gaspari Nutrition that I like. He basically eats way more than I would even think of eating (plus the steak and fish and eggs that he eats), but he has sweet potatoes, brown rice, and oatmeal as his carbs. He eats veggies too, but they stay the same on high and low carb days (broccoli and green beans). On low carb days, he halves the carbs, and adds just alittle bit more fish (so more protein) to his diet. I think I will try that. I will keep my protein intake as usual, and use these carbs for my carbs. Though I have alittle secret that I read from an article written by Paulina Nordin for Flex (I think - I have been reading so many articles trying to find things that click with me), in which to substitute wheat bran instead of oatmeal for your breakfast meal -to cut down on calories, more phytonutrients in bran, and soluble fiber leaves the body mostly intacked. Now I do not like gluten, but the gluten is in the kernel of the wheat, and not the bran! But the bran is so light and fluffy (even when cooked) that it does not fill me up - so I do 1/4 cup of oatmeal with 1/4 cup of wheat bran for my meal#1 (along with protein powder). So saving calories there, and adding more nutrients. He also does alot of supplements (with Gaspari Nutrition brand of course), but I like the idea of the glutamine, BCAAs, and aminos first thing in the morning, 10 minutes before working out, and right before bed. So I got out my jar of BCAAs, and saw it had glutamine in it already, and ordered some vegan aminos. Tried it today, and could feel energy going back into my body after taking it upon getting up this morning - before taking the thermo! And it was an OK workout today with it - though I am so wide awake, and taking more thermo before working out, so that I could not feel so precisely. Tonight, hopefully, that combination of supplements won't keep me awake - especially now that I got going to sleep down to a science. Speaking of which, need to think about evening cardio. . . still so hot outside. . legs are a little sore from yesterday's workout (could feel them grumbling this morning during the usual morning cardio trail jog). . probably Elliptical tonight - though no arm motion - front delts are hurting (today's workout was a challenge to keep a form that allowed me to execute my exercises without pain ripping thru my left front delt. . . it is a workable injury right now. . . . gotta be so careful right now . . delts do alot for other bodyparts).
Tomorrow is high carb day! and day off from the gym! Need to rest and repair most definitely. No bread this time. I feel kind of sad to say that. I liked the soft texture and fluffiness with the tang of sourdough. . . . yum. . sigh.

your cutting is really impressive! are you doing a show in michigan? i also have been sometimes doing the oats with wheat bran and protein powder. good stuff, usually i dont even cook it i just make it the night before and have it cold which is weird to most people but I like it. I'm fascinated by paulina Nordin and I'm always checking out her website and blog stuff.

Yes, doing the NPC Natural Michigan and Nicole Wilkins Fitness and Figure Competition in Rochester, MI at the High School. Probably Open Womens, and if I still have some money left over, do the Master's also (though I do not like to be put into an Age category).

So, the . did decide to show up this month. 3rd day and I am still cramping up. Tug of war with the hormones this time I think. My emotions are all over the place also. Will not react to things like I want to (Little rant: my workout partner, or shall I say the workout partner that gave up on me, came in yesterday and was talking about how she and her husband seemed to just eat all weekend long. I looked her in the eye, and said "I so want to bitch slap you right now!" and then she was like, "OH, it is OK now. It is like I got it all out of my system and am ready to clean up my diet now" - oh my! bit my tongue and said nothing after that). I also freaked out when the office girl said she was going to do a bulletin board of me and my contest. I do not want the responsibility of now really really having to do it! Like I am committed, but if no one really cared, then I could just not go - being in the public eye is not one of my specialties (I am more the quiet, or rather not, supporter in the field). I am going to have to walk the talk I guess. It is my first time back in, so really I am like a beginner - just have higher expectations of myself since I already know what I can do - but even that was so long ago and as an omnivore. Just do it. . as the saying goes, and what I have been preaching about.

I love Nicole Wilkins!!!

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you