Mathesok Journal

[mathesok]

Hi all

Im a 35 mum of 1 and am recovering from cancer. After my surgery earlier this year I lost a lot of muscle and put on a lot of flab.

I started doing weight training for the first time around 3 months ago and have found its already made such a difference to my energy level and shape. I'm loving it.

I dont go to the gym but ive got some weights and an SB ball at home that I use.

So today I did :

10 min jog to warm up then

Squats with 20kg 3x12

Lunges 21's using 20kg's 3x12

Hamstring rollouts on SB - 3x15

Bench press on SB - 20kg - 3x12

Lat raises - 8.5kgs - 3x9

Tricep pushups - 3x10

upright row 8.5kg - 2x12

crunch on SB - 2x25

Plank 2x 50sec

Ive just bought some 'shape' protein powder from the supermarket - is it any good?

Im currently 76kg and 172cm - I was 80kg 3 months ago.

Im trying to lose more fat and gain more muscle (im loving seeing some muscles starting to pop out!)

The thing i need to be wary of is keeping my vegetables/ antioxidant levels up to keep my immune system in good shape.

Any tips, critique, suggestions would be awesome.

Thanks

[steak]

Good on you! :clap:

The best thing about what you have written there is the "recovering" bit! Well done on your fight!

Eat lean and clean...good fats only... and you will do really well.

[rose]

Tough cookie 8) Good on you for getting into some fitness. Red peppers are my favourite vege, packed full of antioxidants like vitamins A and C and really low calorie too. Good luck with your goals, heaps of supportive people on here. I like that you say you want to lose fat (not 'weight')

[mathesok]

Thanks guys.

Yeah - losing fat is the ticket and not focussing too much on weight, took me a long time to learn that one!

Red peppers are a good idea - I never think of using them. I have lots of vege juice - carrot,celery, little bit of apple and beetroot which feels like its doing me good. After reading some stuff on this site maybe I should cut out the apple juice. Also I have lots of cucumber and tomato with olive oil and feta - is feta a good choice?

That protein powder I bought is called sculpt and is a Horleys product I think?

Also - I have no idea about how much protein or carbs i should be eating to lose fat/ gain muscle. Any recommendations?

[bar-belle]

Hey there, welcome to the forum Great workout by the way :clap:

IMO Feta is ok in moderation. Like everything. It certainly has less calories and fat than regular cheese and you can get a lite Feta..even better Horley's Sculpt has L-carnitine which helps burn fat? and also has super citrimax for appetite suppressant. I think from what I have read that per serve it is an expensive way to buy protein powder...there was a thread in the Ladies Room about sculpt. I suppose it's just down to preference and your budget.

For your fat loss/muscle gain it would probably help to work out what your caloric intake should be for your weight. When I started (i'm new to this game) I went to bodybuilding.com where there are calculators that can work out your protein, carb,fat and caloric requirements. But there is also a wealth of knowledgable people on this site too :nod: that I'm sure will give you the right advice..Hope that helps.

[rose]

Hi again

Bar-belle is right, most things are OK in moderation. If you were eating a whole block of feta a day though you might want to find something lower in fat?

Re apple juice, fruit juice is high in fructose, which is just sugar. Something to bear in mind. Whole fruit would be preferable to juice, especially fresh apples which are really high in nutrients.

Beets are also really high in sugar. Again, OK in moderation but if you find you're having trouble losing fat at any point I'd bear this in mind. There are better options. I'm happy to compile a list of some fruits/veges and their nutrients etc if you want?

[mathesok]

Morning

Thanks for your comments and advice. Will go to bodybuilding.com and have look at at calorie intake etc.

Beets are high is sugar? Never would have guessed that. Yes -please - any info of vegies would be great - specailly ones that are high in anti-oxidants and other goodies...

Today I did my upper body workout:

2x15 pushups

3x10 8.5kg db standing should press

3x12 10kg db bentover row

SB back extention 10kg - 2 sets

3x12 chest flyers 10kg db

3x10 Bicep curls 10kg db

3x10 tricepkickbacks 10kg db

60 crunches

10kg side to side db (abs)

2x 1 min plank

Am knackered now.

About to have a sculpt protein drink - last time I had one afterwards and I mixed with blueberries and milk - was delicious but I felt a bit like vomitting after a while. Does anyone else get that with sculpt or other protein drinks?

The thing I have been struggling with lately is cutting out the booze. Im one of those people who if they start a bottle of wine, dont stop till its finished - not good for weightloss, muscle building or health I know.

Ive decided to have none for a month - and today is only day 3. Do others out there struggle with avoiding vino?

[becbec]

If I were you i'd ditch the sculpt - althought it's seriously low calories it doesn't contain enough protein per serve and is way too expensive.

You should look into buying some of this - the cheapest out there at the moment

http://www.nutratech.co.nz/nutrawhey-1kg-p-199.html?osCsid=f03977c5bbf4bd3036785448b83f692c