Bouncing Back from Holiday Binges

[dbb1967]

Hey all,

I am a frequent lurker but have only posted once or twice. In October of 2007, I was in the best shape of my life. Still not competition shape, but for me, very good. I am 5'3" was 128lbs. and 19.3% body fat. Then I turned 40 and the holidays hit. I normally gain a few pounds over the holidays (5-7), because of my horrible sweet tooth, but I always continue my same workout routine throughout the holidays and the pounds typically fall off as soon as the new year begins.

Not this year. It's like I turned 40 and my metabolism came to a screeching halt. I am now 142 lbs and have not had my body fat evaluated recently, but is is certainly higher than it was.

I've been weight/cardio training steadily for 4 years. I have been lifting heavy for about a year, using variants of the following routine:

Sunday - Chest/triceps/abs 45 minutes, 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Back/biceps 45 minutes, 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio
Wednesday - Shoulders/abs 30 minutes, 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio
Thursday - Off
Friday - Legs/abs 45 minutes - 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio (or in the summer, home to mow the yard using a manual Reel push mower for cardio)
Saturday - Off

The weights I've been lifting:
Plate Loaded Machine Chest Press - 90 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Incline Chest Press - 90 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Decline Chest Press - 150 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Triceps Rope Pulldown - 100 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions - 40 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Standard Pushups - 3 sets to fatigue (typically 20, 10, 10)
Bicep Barbell Curls - 70 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Bicep Dumbbell Curls - 25 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Stacked Machine Standing Bicep Cable Pulls - 80 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Mid Back Standing Barbell Rows - 70 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Stacked Machine Seated Cable Rows - 80 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Stacked Machine Seated Lat Pulldowns - 80 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Arnold Presses - 40 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Upright Barbell Deltoid Rows - 70 lbs 3 set 8 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Standing Shrugs - 180 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Leg Press - 200 lbs 3 sets 10 reps / 290 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Smith Machine Sumo Squats - 70 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Leg Extensions - 120 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Lying Hamstring Curls - 90 lbs. 3 sets 8 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Seated Calf Raises - 290 lbs 3 sets 10 reps

I just adopted a vegan diet (previously was a vegetarian), so instead of a whey protein shake after weights, I drink a mix of rice and soy protein with almost as many grams of protein per shake.

All muscle groups continue to get sore, some more than others (like my legs!).

My diet looks a bit like this and hasn't changed much since before the holidays other than I no longer eat dairy and eggs:

Breakfast
Bowl of Grape Nuts with Light Soy Milk and a dusting of Splenda
64 oz. water
Several Supplements
30 minutes pre-workout 2 scoops NOXplode

Snack
Banana with peanut butter

Lunch
Roasted Vegetable Pocket Sandwich and a handful of almonds

Snack
Hummus on 1 piece whole wheat bread

Dinner
Textured Vegetable Protein "Chicken" with Marinara sauce over whole wheat linguine, Green beans, 2 glasses red wine

I'm off the refined sugar again finally, but my weight doesn't budge and my clothes from last fall that were previously a bit big, are now quite snug. My upper body still seems to be fairly defined, but my abs and upper legs have lost almost all definition.

What am I doing wrong? Too many days off? Should I be lifting lighter with more reps? Too much/little cardio? Not enough calories? I am at a loss. Any advice?

TIA!
Dawn

P.S. I don't know why my profile shows my posts at over 1000. there is no way I have posted that many times. Perhaps I was credited with posts when I became a member?

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

I would do your cardio on your non-lifting days.. 45 minutes of cardio + weight training on the sqame day is really nailing your central nervous system... you wont get the best results that way.

diet- your carbs are way too high & theyre not great choices. for example- drop the grape nuts for oatmeal, drop the banana for an apple...etc. take a look at the diet stickies on this board for good fats, carbs & protein choices.

 

[curvymommy]

Wow! Sounds like you are serious about 2008. Awesome.

 

[Gymgurl]

Its the 40 thing.....lol...I swear to god it is lol

 

[Tatyana]

Hey all,

I am a frequent lurker but have only posted once or twice. In October of 2007, I was in the best shape of my life. Still not competition shape, but for me, very good. I am 5'3" was 128lbs. and 19.3% body fat. Then I turned 40 and the holidays hit. I normally gain a few pounds over the holidays (5-7), because of my horrible sweet tooth, but I always continue my same workout routine throughout the holidays and the pounds typically fall off as soon as the new year begins.

Not this year. It's like I turned 40 and my metabolism came to a screeching halt. I am now 142 lbs and have not had my body fat evaluated recently, but is is certainly higher than it was.

I've been weight/cardio training steadily for 4 years. I have been lifting heavy for about a year, using variants of the following routine:

Sunday - Chest/triceps/abs 45 minutes, 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio


Monday - Off

Tuesday - Back/biceps 45 minutes, 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio

Wednesday - Shoulders/abs 30 minutes, 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio

Thursday - Off

Friday - Legs/abs 45 minutes - 45 minutes HIIT elliptical cardio (or in the summer, home to mow the yard using a manual Reel push mower for cardio)

Saturday - Off

The weights I've been lifting:

CHEST
Plate Loaded Machine Chest Press - 90 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Incline Chest Press - 90 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Decline Chest Press - 150 lbs 3 sets 8 reps

TRICEPS
Stack Loaded Machine Triceps Rope Pulldown - 100 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions - 40 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Standard Pushups - 3 sets to fatigue (typically 20, 10, 10)

BICEPS
Bicep Barbell Curls - 70 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Bicep Dumbbell Curls - 25 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Stacked Machine Standing Bicep Cable Pulls - 80 lbs 3 sets 8 reps

BACK
Mid Back Standing Barbell Rows - 70 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Stacked Machine Seated Cable Rows - 80 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Stacked Machine Seated Lat Pulldowns - 80 lbs 3 sets 10 reps

SHOULDERS
Arnold Presses - 40 lbs 3 sets 8 reps What are these?
Upright Barbell Deltoid Rows - 70 lbs 3 set 8 reps
Plate Loaded Machine Standing Shrugs - 180 lbs 3 sets 10 reps

LEGS
Plate Loaded Machine Leg Press - 200 lbs 3 sets 10 reps / 290 lbs 3 sets 8 reps
Smith Machine Sumo Squats - 70 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Leg Extensions - 120 lbs 3 sets 10 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Lying Hamstring Curls - 90 lbs. 3 sets 8 reps
Stack Loaded Machine Seated Calf Raises - 290 lbs 3 sets 10 reps

I just adopted a vegan diet (previously was a vegetarian), so instead of a whey protein shake after weights, I drink a mix of rice and soy protein with almost as many grams of protein per shake.

All muscle groups continue to get sore, some more than others (like my legs!).

My diet looks a bit like this and hasn't changed much since before the holidays other than I no longer eat dairy and eggs:

Breakfast
Bowl of Grape Nuts with Light Soy Milk and a dusting of Splenda What are grape nuts? Sounds quite processed, I would try oatmeal or shredded wheat, and have some protein, like eggs or whey 64 oz. water
Several Supplements
30 minutes pre-workout 2 scoops NOXplode

Post workout, protein shake and some simple carbs

Snack
Banana with peanut butter

Lunch
Roasted Vegetable Pocket Sandwich and a handful of almonds

Snack
Hummus on 1 piece whole wheat bread

Dinner
Textured Vegetable Protein "Chicken" with Marinara sauce over whole wheat linguine, Green beans, 2 glasses red wine

I am not a big fan of TVP, too processed. For soya products I would go for tofu or tempeh.
I'm off the refined sugar again finally, but my weight doesn't budge and my clothes from last fall that were previously a bit big, are now quite snug. My upper body still seems to be fairly defined, but my abs and upper legs have lost almost all definition.

What am I doing wrong? Too many days off? Should I be lifting lighter with more reps? Too much/little cardio? Not enough calories? I am at a loss. Any advice?

TIA!
Dawn

P.S. I don't know why my profile shows my posts at over 1000. there is no way I have posted that many times. Perhaps I was credited with posts when I became a member?

Hello!

So to answer your questions

You are not doing anything wrong, a few modifications should have you get your desired results

You are not having too many days off, overtraining is as detrimental as not training at all in some cases.

Lifting lighter with higher reps is a good idea for a change at least once every 3-4 weeks, but weight training and building that gorgeous body shaping muscle is all about intensity, which means some effort.

You need to consider a few things with your weight training

1. Have your weights increased in the last year? If not, I would start to put on some more weight on the bar and push it

2. Are you exerting enough effort? I see a lot of women in the gym that wave weight around like they are flower arranging, not training. I find that effort for me means that I make some very 'unlady-like' grunts while training.

3. I would try to incorporate more free weights and cables into your routine.
Plate loading machines are great, I do use them myself, but they do have a limted range of movement. You will get a completely different kind of stimulation to the muscle using free weights/cables, and stimulating the muscle in a different way is what has it grow.


I would also avoid cardio on leg days.

The same principles apply to cardio training, doing too much of the same sort of training all the time, your body adapts to it, makes it easier and you will burn fewer calories. Some even say that a trained athlete adapts to a particular workout in six workouts.

Finally, I would say to increase your protein consumption.

I was a veggie for a long time, and in all honesty, while it was great for learning new ways of cooking and expanding all the things I would eat, my body is much happier eating meat.

Veggie sources of protein can be difficult, they are quite low in protein, but the combo of beans and whole grain, eggs (did you say you were vegan?), cottage cheese, tofu, tempeh. Nuts and seeds are also great, but calorific and high in fats (even if they are healthy fats)

I would save any of the quorn/TVP products as a once a week 'clean cheat' meal.

Do you know how many calories you are eating every day, and exactly how much carbs, protein and fat you are getting?

There are quite easy ways of working this out using fitday or calorieking on-line.

 

[Tatyana]

A few other suggestions for trainiing

Chest - change to dumbells and add in flys

Triceps - as you train them with chest, drop an exercise (only do two per workout) and at least twice a month do dips

Back - DEADLIFTS!!!!!

Biceps - same with triceps, only do two exercises

Shoulders - I would say to do some seated military presses, again use dumbells, also lateral raises and bent over lateral raises, this is the one body part that you may not be training effectively enough

Legs - Free squats and alter your stance. Sumo squats will hit the glutes more, the closer your feet are together, the more sweep you will get on your quads.

Also any workout for women - LUNGES!!!! Stiff leg dead lifts are also a great alternative to leg curls.

 

[dbb1967]

SHOULDERS
Arnold Presses - 40 lbs 3 sets 8 reps What are these?

I think Arnold Presses are also referred to as rotational shoulder presses

Breakfast
Bowl of Grape Nuts with Light Soy Milk and a dusting of Splenda What are grape nuts? Sounds quite processed, I would try oatmeal or shredded wheat, and have some protein, like eggs or whey

Wow. No Grape Nuts in the UK? I would die. They aren't as processed as most boxed cereals, but they are VERY high in carbs, though they are complex carbs. The ingredients on the box are: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Salt, Dried yeast, Soy Lecithin. One serving provides 200 calories, 48 grams Carbs, 7 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar and 6 grams of protein. On yours and MsBeverlyHills' suggestion, I have switched to oatmeal, but I am not enjoying it.

2. Are you exerting enough effort? I see a lot of women in the gym that wave weight around like they are flower arranging, not training. I find that effort for me means that I make some very 'unlady-like' grunts while training.

I am SO not a lady in the gym. I think I grunt more than some of the men.

Thanks to all for your advice.