Whirlwind

Ginger - go to a store like Food-4-Less and buy some soybeans. Mine came in bulk, salted and roasted and they taste like crunchy little spanish peanuts.

I also buy whey protein powder, lean beef jerky, canned tuna, special-K protein water, boiled eggs (well, I boil them myself...they come raw in the package, heh), turkey breast lunch meat, natural peanut butter. They're all good for protein. I don't buy lean steaks just because they're so spendy these days.

Also, there's an array of protein bars out there, just read the label to find the one with the type of soy you're looking for. I haven't found any good recipes for my own protein bars yet...but I'mma lookin!

Some nights I just feel so tired and don't want to work out at all. I think, I'll do it tomorrow. I'll hit the weights extra heavy tomorrow. But I always wind up in my gym working out. Don't think of it as an option, think of it as something God is allowing you to do. We're blessed in that we have the ability to exercise, oh wow! We're blessed with that ability. He gave it to us. He wants us to use it. It's a great priviledge.

If I give myself permission to skip once (without being sick, emergencies, etc.) then it'll be easier to skip another time, so I don't even start with my long, long, long list of excuses, heh.

__________________
Chapter-by-Chapter, verse-by-verse.
Jesus is the Living Word.

Standing4something

I love working out. I lifted while I played football and I'm trying to get back into the habit now. I've gained a lot of weight since I've stopped playing football and it's alllllll fat...... I'm trying to get rid of my gut so yea. But I love to lift. I weigh 235 now... My playing weight was somewhere between 200 and 215 so... I gotta lose bout 20lbs.
I just recently started lifting again so... I'm sore to say the least.
I don't do those weight builders or mass building supplements either.
The best thing to do is to load up on high calorie high protein foods to gain weight. I gained 20lbs from the end of my junior year to the beginning of my senior. So roughly 2 months. This is while doing a power/explosive anterobic work out.

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When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"

Ginger

This sounds strange, but when I started lifting I didn't get any soreness in my muscles.

It wasn't until I started doing lunges about a month into it that I got sore.

Then, two days ago I was doing stability ball crunches - 3 sets of 25 using a 15 lb weight. On my 3rd set It suddenly got easy and I didn't feel anything. I did thirty and stopped.

Today I am still sore in my stomach muscles so I didn't do crunches.

Whirlwind

Do you weigh yourself down when you do crunches? Like do you hold a plate to your chest?

If you just do crunches (non-weighted) you'll only see so much growth because you'll reach your max. Challenge yourself. See how much you can take doing one rep (I was once told) and then take 10% off that max.

But then there's so much advice flying around out there, much of it is conflicting. Drink water. No don't drink too much water. High carbs. Are you nuts? No high carbs! Fast reps. Yeah, if you want to see no growth at all. You don't know what you're talking about. No, you don't! Nuh-uh! Uh-huh!

If I hear something suspicous, I like to try to find the study on it and do more reading. Whatever works for your body, I tend to believe, isn't going to do the same thing for all bodies.

You're special, just the way God made you. Praise the Lord.

__________________
Chapter-by-Chapter, verse-by-verse.
Jesus is the Living Word.

Ginger

I use a 15 lb weight held behind my head. The owner told me to bend back farther, but sometimes that bothers my back. I tried crunches again today - oooh it hurt. I didn't do very many. I'm going to try again Monday.

Actually, being a woman, I don't think I need to do a lot of situps to look good. I just need to lose the fat I've put on. It's all on my tummy.

When I think about it....men have an unfair advantage - bodywise. Guys can have a little pot belly and still look pretty sexy, but awoman!!!! Next thing you know people are asking if you're pregnant! lol

Standing4something, Do you take advantage of the time you spend working out to witness to other young men? I know a lot of high school students in sports come to Anytime after school. We had a youth leader for ACT awhile back who went to the school weight room (after school) just for that purpose.

Ginger

Whirlwind

I'm starting my cutting mode today. My least-favorite, where I maintain the muscle that I have and lose fat.

This is a 1,000 calorie per day deficit (knocked off from my Basal Metabolic Rate). High-protein, low-carb, low-fat. I lift only to maintain, and up the cardio to 6x per week, one-hour per day. I get one rest day per week - usually Sunday - and one cheat-day per week (usually Thursday). Cheat days are fun! That's where I get to eat anything that I want for one meal that day. No counting calories for that day, yippeee! This keeps me from going on an all-out binge, or from feeling like I can't handle it anymore and need to buy a bag of Hershey's kisses.

I stop taking creatine, continue with the protein powder. All fats are limited to Omega-3s. I up my intake of water. I eat a small calorie-balanced meal every 3 hours to stave off hunger and muscle-shrinkage. And my workouts consist of: 1 hour cardio followed by high-intensity interval training.

I'll stay in this mode for two months, or until I reach my plateau (whichever is greater), and then I'll switch back to muscle-building mode.

I just hate this mode, because it takes longer to get ready for work in the morning when I have to measure out scoops of this, handfuls of that, add up all the calories and package my meals into calorie-balanced containers and then figure a way to make them all fit nicely into my insulated lunch bag.

But anyway, I feel good knowing that I'm tending to the body that God gave me. His gift for me to use in this world, this life. For Him! For His glory.

__________________
Chapter-by-Chapter, verse-by-verse.
Jesus is the Living Word.

Whirlwind

Ginger - my sister (the non-believer who is beginning to believe), hates me. I can lose five pounds like that - POW! She says it takes her six months to lose five pounds.

...but then I've seen her sit down with a big plate of Banquet Fried Chicken.

Men might lose weight faster, my Sister. But women just look better.

__________________
Chapter-by-Chapter, verse-by-verse.
Jesus is the Living Word.

Ginger

You think that 'cause your a man. We women know the men look better.....

maybe it's a gender thing

Have agreat weekend!

Ginger

SaviorsGear

Ughh I have to start that soon, with this rehab and not doing as much, but eating the same, ive managed to pack on a few too many pounds of the wrong kind

__________________
Mike
Savior's Gear
http://www.saviorsgear.com

Whirlwind

It's so hard to do! I mean, I get to eat six small meals...but sometimes I just like to workout hard and then eat a big hairy monster bulging muscle-meal that's quivering all over. LOL

*crunching on his raw spinach leaves and canned tuna*

But I'll survive. *sigh*

Ginger - You have my respect! Looking the way you do, and still in a workout program!

I've known some women that work out and lose weight until they look good and then stop.

__________________
Chapter-by-Chapter, verse-by-verse.
Jesus is the Living Word.