Sorry Nat,

I will admit that is a pretty scary sight first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, but fortunately there are also a lot of pretty people on the video (not all thin, but all pretty) and I tend to watch them more than RS.

I have noticed that I have even more energy than usual, which is saying something. Since I've been on this WOE I have a hard time sitting or standing still. Today I was dancing while I did the breakfast dishes; sheesh!

Thanks for the encouragement, OKwoer! Your post about losing weight faster and Trainer Dan's about the coffee were the last two straws that pushed me over the edge.

Karla

Hi,

I am also one of those who can't do A.M. cardio.
I'd faint on the treadmill !!

BUT this is what I've been doing - Have a carb-free breakfast or lunch before your workout.

At least you know you won't be burning carbo from your previous meal !!

The other trick I use is - do at least 1 hr of 'high intensity' housework before hitting the gym
Treat is like a warmup , and at least try to burn off some glycogen before hitting the treadmill ..

Hope that makes sense !

Just wanted to throw this out there to see if I am on track.
Thanks to anybody who has time to read tis!!
My schedule consists of this:
5:30 AM No eating. Bed to Treadmill at 3.7-4.0 for 30 mins
I wear a heart rate monitor so can get feedback which helps with the motivation.
6:30 AM Walk Fur People
9:00 AM Several pieces of Bacon or 1 hardboiled Egg or 1/2 3GM Carb Bar
12:00 PM Tuna Salad (using 1 can with ~ 2 TBLS Mayo) with some lettuce
3:00 PM 1/2 Low Carb Bar or 1 Hardboiled Egg
5:30 PM Eat 2 pork chops with some onions and Green Beans
6:30 PM 30 MIN. Cardio at 85-90%
7:00 PM Weight Training (Split) and Floor work with Leg Weights & Ab Work
9:00 PM Jello with Cream
6 days a week
Okay These are my questions..

Sometimes I do the PM workout THEN eat. Whats the best? People say that if u work out first thing after eating, your body will use Carbs for energy from your intake. BUT, if there were no carbs in the meal, wouldnt we go right to fat for energy?

Also..In the AM I find it next to impossible to get my heart rate up to my normal 88% while doin cardio!! I am lucky if I can get up to 70%. I have tried fat burners taking them about 30 mins before I get u and coffee but nothing seems to work. I have so much more "in me" in the evenings. I also look at Calories Burned on the monitor more as a gauge for intensity. While in the AM I willburn 220 cals, In PM I will easily go over 300 in the same time frame. Wouldnt it be better for me to do a 1 hr cardi session in the evening?
On the same token...I know there are discrepancies on this but is there a max.. Heart Rate (individual of course) for Fat burning OR should you just work at a high Intensity (MORE CALORIES BURNED OBVIOUSLY) as u can? I have read all the hype on intensity cardio and have experimented but I do not neccesarily agree....for me anyway..1/2 hour CArdio at 90% HR at 4.0 will burn 300 calores.. 1/2 hour Cardio alternating high (Sprints) and low intensity will burn about 220 cals.
Lastly....I would say I am eating about 1700-2000 calories a day.
I normally burn (according to Heart monitor with my settings) 200 in AM and 500-600 in the evenings. I know that amounts to 1000 calories but I have also tried eating 1900 with lil cardio nd I just can't get there. I have tried increasing caloric amount and drastically reducing it...nothing seems to help. I have to find that fine line for weight loss and have spent 6 yrs trying to figure it out!! Its getting VERY Frustrating!
Please excuse the typos and the lengthy note but this is the first forum I have found that is so supportive, helpful and motivational!
Look forward to ANY and ALL suggestions!!

At a glance I would suggest more calories and more fat. You should be watching the wieght come off with that schedule. Perhaps you're starving yourself.

You sure are working hard at it. I commend you for your diligence. Now go eat something!

I do Body Pump weight exercises twice a week. Is it best to avoid eating two hours before these sessions?

Thanks.

Sheldon

Shells 3D: personal experience tells me that intervals produce better results than a targeted "fat burning" heartrate. If you're not sure, try doing intervals 3 days, and regular cardio 3 days.
Try using how your body feels as a guage for intensity, rather than the calories burned on the machine. The reason I say that is because how much effort you are putting into your workout is SO individual. The machine could tell you you're working very hard, but you might know that you can do much more, likewise it could tell you you're not doing very much but that could be the most you can do that day.


I agree with dwb in NYC, eat more food

About the pm workout, if you're low carbing I don't think it makes a huge difference whether you eat before it or not, you might want a small snack if you're actually feeling hunger but always ALWAYS eat immediately afterward. Your muscles are catabolic and need food. Eat a small about of carbs and a good hefty protein portion with this meal. From what I have read, your muscles cannot use fat for weight training for something as intense as weight training.

If you're doing this same thing 6 days a week you might not be getting the results you want because your muscles are not getting a chance to rest. Try splitting up your weight training routine so that your individual body parts are not worked every day, and then up the intensity of your training.

eg: upper body/lower body split
or
chest arms/back shoulders/lowerbody

If you're doing weight training you NEED to let your muscles rest before working them again.

Meg

Meg--

What are intervals?

Sheldon

Intervals are training at high intensity for short periods of time, followed by a period of low intensity.

eg: on a track, sprinting the straight ways, and walking the corners, or running stairs at a stadium and taking your time on the way down. I think that 20-40 seconds of high intensity is a good time, not more if you're going all out.

Meg

I'll try that on the treadmill. I normally walk at 4 mph at full incline, with intervals of jogging, for 40 minutes. But I will try intervals of full-out running and see what happens--first thing in the AM on an empty stomach.

Sheldon

if you're doing intervals in the AM on an empty stomach, then keep your exercise to under 30 minutes so that you don't start breaking down your muscle tissue.

This is just a tip for whoever cares, but I find sprinting (any kind of running) high impact and not knee and joint friendly. The way I keep the impact lowest, is to find a very high grade incline (in my case a mountain, but any stairs or hill will do) and run up it, taking long strides and pushing off as hard as I can for each one. I usually end up only taking fifty strides per interval, and the impact is low because I am sort of springing uphill, instead of pounding my feet on flat ground.

Meg

Thank you, Meg.

I guess I won't mind cutting back to 30 minutes (I suppose that excludes warm-up and cool-down). I have a NordicTrack treadmill, which is cushioned to lower the impact. I keep it on the steepest incline, but of course it is not as steep as the kind of hill you're talking about.

We'll see what happens.

Sheldon

Get ready to start loving how your legs look

They're fairly muscular now! LOL!

Sheldon

But it's pretty hot & humid where I live I like to start my day out with a long walk. But there has been times when I would do that & I feel like I'm going to pass out. I get dizzy & light headed & then when it's been real hot like around mid 90's I would actually throw up. It seems I can exersize longer if I eat something. Should I eat a little protein before my exersize? What Do you all suggest?

Josie

I can't say whether or not you personally should eat, but as soon as you get up and before your am exercise you should drink .5 litre of water, and if it's hot out then 1 litre, or for you Americans, a quart. Try drinking before your workouts to see if it helps with the dizziness.
If you're still feeling crummy have a small breakfast, then a larger one afterward. I like a 1/2 cup of full fat cottage cheese, it tastes great with a tsp of sugar free jam in it.

Hope this helps!
Meg