Day 5 XFLD
 

I'm on day 5 which is protein depletion day.

So far so good although on shake day and Mod Carb day I tended to over do it on calories a bit (about 800 over total for both days) so I'll be watching them today for sure.

Yesterday I completed the TT Depletion D and then took a "break" today with 2 back to back 4 minute finishers. I absolutely DID NOT want to pick up any weights today, my legs are SORE!!!

Had some extra energy and it's dark outside (no bike ride) so I got a second round of finishers in - the finisher from BDHC C (it's my favorite lol)

Food of the day consists of

Cottage cheese & 1 hardboiled egg
Chicken and brussel sprouts
2 hard boiled eggs and cucumbers

Dinner will be leftover chicken and some sort of green veggie, salad maybe...

Snack if I need it will be protein pudding or maybe more cottage cheese if I make it to the market.

Protein Pudding
 

What is protein pudding? Sounds intriguing.

Basically protein powder mixed with something that makes it thick so you can eat it like pudding.

I will probably just use protein powder and coconut milk with chia seeds so it thickens. I may have said this before but I really don't "LOVE" protein powder BUT it's a great way to get the needed protein for the least calories. Some people develop a great taste for it. I try to use cottage cheese as my quick protein. (Blend some frozen berries and baking powder - yummmm!

Here's a link tosome recipes:
http://www.naturalnutritionalhealth....dding-recipes/

Round 2 XFLD Day 1 - Cheat Day

Pretty unimpressed with the results of round 1. Went from 146 to 143 (I typically have a 6 pound weight bounce so...) Inches are in line with water manipulation.

Granted it's been FIVE days, a pretty hard 5 days though. I may not see any real changes until day 15 and I may re-adjust my goals or even plan by then.

In the meantime TT Depletion workout A is done and I'm enjoys some yummy food. Planned and with me food is listed below:

Carne asada burrito (steak, rice, beans, salsa & tortilla only)

Apple & PB

2 Hardboiled eggs

Going to the movies and I'll have a BBQ chicken pizza and "not movie" popcorn (cooked in coconut oil with real butter, it rocks living in a whole-foodie-organic-hippie state sometimes).

I also bought Lindt dark chocolate, sea salt candy bar.

I LOVE me some carne asada! In fact I just love mexican food full stop.

I cook my popcorn in grass fed ghee. Also a taste sensation.

Popcorn
 

Are you sneaking it into the theater in your shirt or do they make this heavenly sounding popcorn at the theaters in Oregon. Nevermind! I re-read your post. That is awesome!

Xfld ... !
 

I've just started XFLD, so it's really interesting to hear about your experience so far. Shame that you're feeling a bit disappointed. Hopefully this is where consistency will pay off.

Mmmmm, sea salt dark chocolate.

I will continue to sit here sipping my BCAAs.

I need to try some ghee.

I LOVE Mexican food. One of the biggest bummers about moving up from So Cal is the lack of really great mexican restaurants. I'm a pretty fair cook but sometimes I just some street tacos without the process of making them :)

XFLD Round 2 Day 4 Moderate Carb Day

I choose to fail at shake day yesterday. The way I understand it the shake day is to make sure I don't have too much leeway in my food decisions and thus set myself up for a "bad day". I have incredible self control IF I can eat real food since I'm somewhat satisfied. I recognized a binge coming on so to stop it I transitioned to real food at dinner. It was a Protein/Fat meal so I had tuna mixed with 1/4 of an avocado. I think I will continue to do that on shake day. I ate two chia shake/puddings early in the day and then the tuna/avocado mix at dinner, it kept me sane.

Life hit me yesterday and I'm in a bit of a slump, as a result I let that dictate me NOT planning my day so I'm winging it at work, with no food. I have protein powder, cocoa powder and chia seeds so it looks like I'll be getting that shake in today anyway...

A very sensible approach Jenelle. I did wonder whether it really matters - protein shakes vs real protein - so long as the deficit is still there. My thoughts are it doesn't. However I'm going to stick it out for another round and see where I land. If the next shake day drives me to rocking under my desk in the foetal position... a change in approach will be applied.

LOL! I sure hope that's not the case! You're a trooper, though...determination and grit is what it takes, so you definitely have the drive to get to where you want to go!

Hahahaha. This week is killing me. I'm a week out from my TOM and I NEED to eat otherwise I'm a bitch on wheels. Moderate carb day was a little bit more than moderate and I attacked the PB jar and the oranges last night. I stayed at about 1400 calories for the day plus my workout.

Is this worth it? I still don't know. I started at 146 9 days ago and was 145 this morning (???) That is clearly not worth it BUT I'm retaining water plus I had a carb day yesterday. I give it one more round to see before I bail out. I'm also geting ready to take a last minute trip to Mexico on Feb 7th, that's day 5 of the 4th round so it may be a good time to bail anyway because I'm not XFLDing at an all inclusive resort. We'll see...In the meantime I'm in AT LEAST through next Sunday which ends round 3 with a potential of a round 4.

Mexico
 

I need a last minute trip to Mexico!

Epiphany & Jumping Ship
 

I completed 10 days of XFLD with pretty good adherence although I was a little heavy on the nut butter. Today would be the start of round 3 and I'm down TWO POUNDS.

I've decided to jump ship and return to my regularly scheduled programming, I didn't arrive at this decision lightly but had a fabulous epiphany in the process.

Why am I doing ALL of this? What's the point of working out and eating right? For me this is a multi-faceted answer, especially since I have so little "weight" left to loose.

Quality of life is the first thing I think of. I'll admit it, at this point in my life first and foremost, I want to look good & I want to feel good both mentally and physically. I want to be healthy and happy and all that stuff. Working out gives me peace of mind and calms me down. Eating more healthy than not healthy gives me energy and vitality.

I first have to ask myself WHY I was doing such and extreme diet with, at best 7 to 8 pounds to lose, and those pounds are an "experiment" to me, to see if I can get a 6 pack for a second. I have no great answer except to see if I could. Then I have to ask myself that that was the best decision I could make. The resounding answer for where I am right now is NO!

These past 10 days my workouts have suffered, I'm holding back since I know I don't have a "day off". 10 days in a row of pretty hardcore workouts have caused a chronic pain in my SI joint/sacrum (used to date a chiropractor lol).

The diet is wrecking havoc with me emotionally, especially while PMS'ing (my poor, poor family). I have enormous willpower...until I don't and I'm about a day away from a major binge. I can't sleep beyond 6 hours and that is SO not me, I'm an 8-9 hour a nighter. I have ZERO sex drive and I do mean NONE.

So I'm bailing and while I feel a little bit bad for not finishing I'm totally OK knowing I made the best decision for my body, soul, health, mind and marriage. One of the benefits of trying and failing so many times in the past if that I really understand my body and it's triggers and this has set me up for a monster trigger.

So today I rest, I eat whatever I want and tomorrow I go back to my normal, kick butt workouts and my "normal" diet (whatever that happens to be for the moment, it will be 24 IF'ing twice a week until it's not).

I like you!
 

I like honest people! I think you're doing great. Leslie

P.S. Did you ever meet with a trainer for KB swing instruction?

I think it was great of you to try something new. You CAN get the 6-pack (even if only for a moment ;)) by doing what you were already doing. IF 24-hr ESE style WORKS if it doesn't cause you to blow your diet. I think your plan for tomorrow is a great one! You deserve it after this 10 day "experiment"!

Stay strong Janelle...I like your approach, do whats best for you and whats in your best interest.

I have been following the ESE approach for about 4 months now with great results. I fast twice a week, my fasts last anywhere between 19 and 22 hrs. I've been able to see my 6 pack on and off for about 3 months now even with the amount of sweets and chocolate I've been eating since Christmas. The ESE approach works well for me and suits my lifestyle down to a tee. I like the flexibility it comes with. I generally fast from my last evening meal to dinner the next day.

What I have noticed in my experience is the leaner you get the harder it becomes trying to shed those last few pounds, ESE helped me achieve my 6 pack abs.

Good luck with your continued journey Janelle.

Oh I am honest, almost to a fault lol. I'm not going to try and BS anyone on the forums since this is MY accountability. It would be like lying to myself.

I haven't gotten with the instructor yet. I wanted to get off XFLD before I'd even try and now I'll wait until I get back from Mexico - depending on the trainers in Mexico I may do a couple of classes there (or in the interest of being honest...maybe not :))

I can't WAIT to leave but I don't have any clothes, they're all too big (WAH!!)

Hey Heather,

I really look forward to going back to my normal routine and ESE since I know it works. Still hoping to see a peek of all 6 by April 8th...

Thanks Craig. I really do prefer a one or two day ESE approach. What also worked OK for me was the 4 cycle fat loss but it requires all this macro nutrient and meal timing stuff that just gets to be too much for my pea brain to take in. I'd find myself eating the protein/fat for breakfast because that's what I had, wanted or made sense and the protein/carb meals before bed - ugh!

Sounds like we do ESE about the same way...it just works and it's EASY!!!!

Ese
 

When y'all do ESE 2 days a week, what is the spacing. I like intermittent fasting way better than stressing over numbers!! I do actually eat pretty healthy most of the time.(except for that pesky wine!)

I read the 4 cycle fat loss, like you, I found it to be to complicated for my own doing. It was a great read and a lot of valuable info.

The simplest and easiest way for me I have found is the ESE approach. I like the simplicity of it. My diet consists of a lot of nuts, eggs, beef, chicken, and lots of fibrous carbs. I have limited my complex carbs and eat those maybe 2 to 3 times a week (rolled oats for breakfast). These days I rarely eat rice, pasta and bread too and do just fine without them.

I don't count calories either anymore as I have a fair idea of what I am eating now. For the extra protein I add a protein scoop to my breakfast (to my greek yoghurt or oats) and in my evening smoothies, but rarely have a protein shake on its own.

I try aim for eating healthy nutritious meals 75 to 80% of the time, I control this by what I eat while at work and most evening dinners. Having a family with 2 young kids makes it a difficult task to stay on top of this...I also don't get much support at home with what I am doing so to keep the peace I need to compromise on the occasional take away's and going out for dinners, not to mention my sometimes uncontrollable chocolate and sweet addiction I have at times. This usually happens 2 to 3 times a month but has been ongoing since Christmas.

With my approach to ESE I generally try wait 12hrs from my last meal to my first meal of the next day, and fast Mondays and Fridays...this way I generally don't have to worry about PREPARING my breakfast and lunch for work. This approach is working well for me.

Keep on pushing Janelle...good luck :).

You gave it a go, and it just wasn't right. Good decision to make a change. For everything we try that doesn't work ... we LEARN something new and can take that away for future use.

Staying sane in all areas of your life is pretty damn critical. You'll get your 6 pack abs :D.

And you can laugh at me as I'm back onto the BCAAs today.

Leslie,

I typically ESE Tues and Friday. But I "still" count calories if I'm in "lose it" mode.

Oh Honey, I'm crying with you, not laughing lol

Very good call on doing what works for you!
I got the XFLD and have not started it yet. The shake day will be my "trouble" day.
The meal plan I am using is somewhat similar. It has one IF day in 7 days. I am supposed to have two shake days out of the 7 but find I can't do shakes all day. At least not on a weekend.It's the time I eat a treat meal Saturday evening and a treat meal family breakfast on Sunday morning. I want to enjoy the food I prepared for my family. Then I eat clean the rest of the time.

You will find what works for you :)
Shawn

Hey Shawn,

I can do a shake or two a day if necessary but not all day. I did Chad Waterbury's 7 day shake diet once and basically had one a day with tons of BCAA's. I did lose weight but I wasn't consuming calories lol.

Jenelle,
I just need real food :)
I will try the XLFD in a couple of weeks.
Just not mentally prepared for the shakes. Funny I can handle the fasts but not the shakes lol
Shawn

Hello!
 

How are things going now that you're eating again!?

Picking the ball back up again after a much needed vacation - whew!! Didn't lose but didn't gain either so it's all good :)

Off to do 2K4 for the first time, looks like a killer, can't wait :)

Great to have you back :)

Shawn

Oops - food seems to be an issue, as in I've been super hungry, so I've been eating. Mostly food that's nourishing, sometimes not (yesterday was a complete NOT!). Funny enough scale is hovering at 144. My metabolism is racing again, now I need to reign back in the little cheats and continue forward.

6 weeks left in the contest, this is not the time to give in to temptation.

Body dismorphia has kicked in big time and all of a sudden I feel like I did when I was 169 pounds. I can clearly see and even fell the physical differences on my body but I'm obsessing over the SHAPE of my body. While I can certainly re-shape certain parts of me, genetics are genetics.

Under all the fat I have a boy shape, I'm very straight in the waistline and have a wide rib cage. I would love a 26.5" waist but I'm not sure that's even possible with my build. I also have a very odd shaped backside. Not so much the bum, although it's tends to be flat, but the area between my bum and my waist is just awkward to me. I also tend to be sloped in the shoulders and have no muscles beyond the pointy bone where the clavicle meets the ???? bone on top of the shoulder.

I have been working very hard at putting muscle on my upper body and back and have been pleased with the results. Yay for muscle!!!

Miss Contest 18!!
 

You should go to Costco and have them make a gigantic print of that contest winning picture and hang it over your fireplace! I think you look great! I have these little "pads" we'll call them on my lower back/upper butt region. If/when I lose those, I'm not sure what will be left back there. They give me a pretty nice badonkadonk(not sure how to spell that) if I do say so myself! It's all smoke and mirrors though! It's fat!! If I lose my little fat pads, will I lose my entire behind?? These are the serious questions that will keep you up at night!(not really, but I hope I made you smile!)

Also...working a wine show sounds like so much fun. I probably couldn't be trusted with all that wine though!

I think you're spelling was right lol. Funny enough I can work with wine because I don't really drink it. Vodka, now that may be a different story, especially if it's in a sweet and fruity type of drink. Just kidding, I don't like drinking my calories, seems like a waste of a good piece of pizza, but if I did, it would be vodka.

I did buy a bottle of pinot noir port this weekend though.

Butt
 

That's one place I seem to build muscle quite efficiently. But also where my fat goes to camp out.

My Dad always tells me I could have been an Olympic sprinter / cyclist given how 'muscular' my lower body is.

Just do your best with what you have :)

I think your pics are absolutely stunning! Keep rocking it out!

Shawn

Awesome advice, Shawn!

Haha - I'm the "long and lean" type, you know the one that doesn't "bulk". And I'd like to, at least a little lol. I risk getting too skinny as I get leaner.

Thanks Shawn & Heather :)

So I loosely planned on taking a bike ride up a mountain today but darn it I had to take my son to school instead as his ride was sick this morning (aw shucks).

On one hand I was looking forward to seeing my strength gains in a real way, not just lifting bales of hay and costco sized dog food. ON the other had it was dry but still rather cold this morning. I like to ride my bike when it's about 58 degrees with no moisture or wind. I get my way about twice a year lol.

On a more positive note I had a decent food day yesterday, fasted until dinner. Ended up dinnering by myself so it was a hodge podge of protein and carbs (really should have ate some veggies). I need to sit down and cook some tonight. I cook up a huge batch then find that they are gone by the next night - sigh!!